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Minister of Health, Hon. Rudyard Spencer, has said that global occurrences, such as the spread of the Influenza A H1N1 and the current recession, are "threatening health gains and undermining future investments in health." The Minister was speaking on June 25 at the Ministry's first national performance review for 2009/2010, at the Hilton Kingston Hotel. The review is one of...

Head of the Department of Co-operatives and Friendly Societies (DCFS), Norman Gordon, has said that he will be lobbying to amend the Co-operative Societies Act and Regulations to include youth co-operatives. "Within the school systems and within the youth clubs, we can have legally registered youth co-operatives, wherein which the teachers and the guardians would be there with you to...

President of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA), Wayne Cummings, has argued that the only way to overcome the challenges of HIV/AIDS at the workplace is to allow people, especially those at the management level, to become more educated about the disease, so they can respond positively. "We can try our best to engage members. But if we don't...

Minister of State in the Office of the Prime Minister, Hon. Robert Montague, has emphasised that senior level representatives from agencies and departments must attend Parish Council meetings, whenever they are required to do so. Mr. Montague, who has responsibility for Local Government Reform, said this directive has been issued by Prime Minister the Hon. Bruce Golding. He was addressing...

Several peanut farmers in St. Elizabeth benefitted from a recent training seminar, hosted by the Jamaica 4-H Clubs, at the Warminster peanut factory in the parish. Presenter at the seminar, Chief Technical Director in the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Dr. Mark Panton, told JIS News that the farmers can increase their yields by controlling their farming techniques. "At the...

Close to 100 members of the Portmore, Rockfort and Spanish Town Jamaica Urban Transit Company's (JUTC's) depots and officials of the Ministry of Transport and Works, including Minister Mike Henry, turned up at various Kingston and St. Catherine locations on June 21 to participate in the 'Just Use the Crossings' initiative. Under this initiative, formed from the acronym, JUTC, eight...

Students of the Ocho Rios Primary School in St. Ann now have a play and learn park, where they can have clean and wholesome fun, while building their vocabulary. The facilities at the park, which was officially opened on Monday (June 22), comprise a monkey bar, two see-saws, a swing set, and old tyres, which children can run through. The...

Programme Manager for Sustainable Development at the CARICOM Secretariat, Beverly Reynolds, has called on Caribbean governments and stakeholders to "act now" to tackle drug trafficking and abuse in the region. She was addressing a Think Tank at the Half Way Tree Road headquarters of the JIS on Wednesday (June 24). Speaking against the background of the observance of International Day...

An album titled, 'I Believe in Praise', containing songs performed by the 10 finalists in the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) Gospel Song Competition 2009, was launched on June 24, at the Louise Bennett Garden Theatre in Kingston. Patrons of the event were entertained with live performances by the finalists, including a song from 2003 winner, Kevin Downswell. A cheque...

State Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister with responsibility for Local Government, Hon. Robert Montague, has praised the staff of the St. Elizabeth Infirmary for providing quality care for the sick and less fortunate persons housed at the facility. "I am very pleased with the care that the matron and her staff have continued to offer here," Mr....

Prime Minister the Hon. Bruce Golding yesterday (June 24) officially declared open the new Port Antonio Resident Magistrate's Court at Boundbrook, Portland, with an appeal to the people of Portland to take ownership of the facility to protect it, to ensure it maintains the ambience and pristine quality so it can stand as an instrument for further advancement and development...

Prime Minister the Hon. Bruce Golding has promised that tough measures will be coming with the Sexual Offences Bill; and he urged parents to support the initiative taken by Minister of Education, Hon. Andrew Holness, to establish a Parenting Commission. He added, "Protecting children is more than punishing sexual offenders, it requires the promotion of parenting skills and more vigilant...