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The Government of Jamaica has welcomed the clearance of a shipment of Jamaican beef patties by the Trinidad and Tobago authorities. This action follows several weeks of consultations, including at the highest levels, between the Government of Jamaica and the Government of Trinidad and Tobago on the matter of the importation of Jamaican patties into Trinidad and Tobago. Deputy Prime...

Five months after the implementation of the Video Identification Parade System, the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) has reported that it is progressing smoothly. Speaking in an interview with JIS News Monday(June 1) at the Central Police Station in Kingston, Sergeant Roger Kelly of the Video Identification Unit, said that witnesses are much more comfortable attending video identification parades as opposed...

Expectations are high about the benefits that will accrue to Jamaica when the country's National Report on its progress in meeting and implementing the eight United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015, is presented at the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Annual Ministerial Review (AMR) in Geneva, Switzerland, in July. The report, which was jointly undertaken by the...

Director General of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), Ronald Jackson, has said that the agency will be maintaining focus on the problem of informal settlements, during the current hurricane season. He said that this is an issue that ODPEM has been working to assist in resolving for some time, having undertaken the relocation of displaced informal...

Canadians will get the chance to see Jamaican sprint sensation Usain Bolt in action on June 11, when the triple Olympic gold medallist headlines the University of Toronto's Festival of Excellence at the Varsity Athletic Centre. The Festival of Excellence is an international track and field event, which will feature several world-class athletes, including Bolt, who will run in the...

Minister of Health, Hon. Rudyard Spencer, will be at the Ritz Carlton in Montego Bay, St. James this week and will be addressing the Eighteenth Meeting of the CARICOM Council for Human and Social Development (COHSOD), which is scheduled to take place from Wednesday June 3, 2009, to Thursday, June 4, 2009. COHSOD is being held under the theme "Winds...

Wife of the Governor-General, Her Excellency the Most Hon. Mrs. Allen, is calling on more members of the society to volunteer their services to homes catering to the elderly and the less fortunate. Speaking with JIS News, during a tour of the Missionaries of Charity Home for the Aged, Tower Street, downtown Kingston Tuesday(June 2), Mrs. Allen encouraged individuals to...

Former Ambassador to the Republic of Cuba, Elinor Sherlock, has been appointed Chief of State Protocol at the Office of the Prime Minister. Her current mission is to co-ordinate all areas of protocol in the Government service for State, Ceremonial, and Official Visits. She will advise on matters of State Protocol to the Governor-General, Prime Minister, the Cabinet, Ministry of...

As part of preparation efforts for the 2009 Hurricane Season, the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) has sought to improve shelter conditions, having identified 150 priority shelters. This was noted by ODPEM's Director General, Ronald Jackson, during a press conference, held at Jamaica House on June 1 to launch Disaster Preparedness Month. "We have over 150 shelters...

At approximately 2315 hrs on Monday, June 1, 2009 the ship M/T Great News was transporting crude oil to the Petrojam Refinery when it collided into the company's dock. Petrojam immediately notified the Coast Guard, Marine Police, Port Authority and ODPEM. Preliminary assessment indicated that the dock was badly damaged and is temporarily out of service. A small oil sheen...

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Hon. Dr. Kenneth Baugh, departed the island this afternoon (Monday June 1) to attend the 39th General Assembly of the Organisation of American States (OAS) in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, 2nd to the 3rd of June, 2009. The OAS is the main multilateral forum in the Western Hemisphere addressing...

The issue of how well Jamaica will adapt to climate change is being vigorously pursued by the Government, its agencies, and partners, said Senior Director with responsibility for Environment in the Office of the Prime Minister, Leonie Barnaby. Speaking at a recent Jamaica Institute of Environmental Professionals (JIEP) public lecture and panel discussion at the Jamaica Pegasus hotel in Kingston...