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Minister of National Security, Hon. Peter Bunting, says the amendment to the Maritime Drug Trafficking (Suppression) Act is not intended to deprive Jamaicans of their rights but to instead, strengthen the hand of the Government in the fight against crime. He was speaking to JIS News regarding concerns raised in the Senate on Friday, December 4, in relation to the...

Head of the Police Traffic Division, Senior Superintendent Calvin Allen, has informed that officers will be using portable breathalyser devices, as part of a strategy to reduce accidents on the roadways this Christmas. The devices will be used to test the level of alcohol in the system of a motorist who appears to be driving under the influence of alcohol....

Tax Administration Jamaica (TAJ) has reported increased compliance since the implementation of its Revenue Administration Information System (RAiS) earlier this year. Commissioner General of TAJ, Ainsley Powell, told JIS News that the new system allows TAJ to treat with delinquent taxpayers, based on their risk level. “We have a feature that we refer to as our compliance management feature that...

Two cheques, valued over US$3,000, were recently presented to the Port Antonio Infirmary and the Bellevue Hospital, the largest mental institution in the English-speaking Caribbean. The donation is from the Jamaican Embassy in Washington, D.C., United States. Funds were collected at the annual Independence Church Service, held by the Embassy on August 2, 2015. Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign...

The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries is to conduct research trials on 15 new varieties of imported Irish potato over the next three months, to determine their suitability for local conditions. Portfolio Minister, Hon. Derrick Kellier, said the research into the new potato varieties forms part of activities under the National Irish Potato Expansion Programme, being funded at a cost...

There is a call for the business sector to seize investment opportunities that are on the horizon, due to the building of the US$600 million North-South link of Highway 2000. Minister of Transport, Works and Housing, Dr. the Hon. Omar Davies, says while the project is a major transformation to the country’s infrastructure, it represents a major boost to the...

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Portia Simpson Miller, says the Government has taken steps to ensure that the tragedy at the Armadale Correctional Institution for Girls in 2009, when five wards of the State perished in a fire, is never repeated, and the welfare of juveniles in State institutions are significantly improved. “From the ashes of Armadale (in St. Ann),...

One hundred and eighty public and private sector workers, who have successfully completed professional development programmes at the Management Institute for National Development (MIND), will graduate during a ceremony to be held on Saturday, December 12, at the Institute’s Old Hope Road campus. Minister of Health, Hon. Horace Dalley, will deliver the keynote address at the 16th annual graduation and...

Industry, Investment and Commerce Minister, Hon. Anthony Hylton, says the Government is in the process of developing new legislation to safeguard the rights of plant breeders as a new area of intellectual property (IP) protection in Jamaica. The move, he said, will encourage innovation in the breeding of new plant varieties and facilitate the registration process, while providing protection for...

Local tourism interests say they are comfortable that Jamaica has nothing to fear from the opening up of Cuba, adding that the country is poised to becoming the number one destination in the entire Caribbean. They note that Jamaica has been gaining so much traction in recent times by way of direct foreign investment, that it is very difficult to...

Twenty farmers in the Waugh Hill community of Sligoville, St. Catherine, were the beneficiaries of 650-gallon water tanks on December 9, under the Drought Mitigation Programme of the Ministry of Agriculture. The tanks, which are provided through the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA), were delivered by Minister with responsibility for Sport and Member of Parliament for North Central St. Catherine,...

The Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) has drafted the Child Interaction Policy and Procedure (CIPP), which governs how police officers treat children in their care. The CIPP seeks to foster a child-friendly environment within the JCF; to safeguard the rights of the child; to strengthen collaboration with governmental and non-governmental agencies; and to treat all children in accordance with the JCF’s...