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Mr. Speaker, Honourable Prime Minister, Ministers, fellow Parliamentarians, it is with a great sense of history that I stand here in this Honourable House to deliver my very first Sectoral Debate presentation as the Member of Parliament for North Western Clarendon. It is only appropriate, Mr. Speaker, that I should publicly express gratitude to the constituents for having elected me...

Yesterday's release of Firefox 3 set a new record for the most downloads in a single day. Though it is one of the most popular open source applications, Firefox is just one of 100,000 such programmes listed on SourceForge.net. David Bain, multimedia lecturer at the Caribbean Institute of Media and Communication (CARIMAC), advocates the use of open source applications. "Many...

Bethabara Primary and Junior High School in New Port, Manchester, has won the Alpart Safety Fair competition, which involved schools in the mining areas of Manchester and St. Elizabeth. The finals were held on June 13 at the company's sport club in Nain, St. Elizabeth, with 10 schools from the two parishes competing. The competition, which began in 1989, seeks...

The National Blood Transfusion Service (NBTS) has reached an agreement with Stocks and Securities Limited (SSL), allowing for long term financial support for a range of projects, including marketing and promotion, the procurement of equipment and infrastructure support. At a ceremony at the National Chest Hospital in Liguanea, Kingston, yesterday (June 16), the NTBS was presented with $250,000. "By the...

Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Christopher Tufton, has said that the European market is a varied and large one that represents several market niches, which Jamaica can explore, under the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA). He was speaking at a forum on the Agreement and its implications for the agricultural sector, which was hosted by the Ministry, in collaboration with the Inter-American...

Minister of National Security, Colonel Trevor MacMillan, has said that the Jamaican Diaspora has a very important role to play in the development of the country, and encouraged members to provide practical assistance. "As members of the Diaspora with your continued interest in Jamaica, you can assist us in practical terms. Not only through the remittances which contribute significantly to...

The Ministry of Agriculture is looking into the feasibility of cultivating cassava to be used as a substitute for corn in providing feed for livestock. With the rising cost of corn, the Ministry is seeking to utilize this locally grown produce to off-set the high costs. Acting Principal Research Director in the Research and Development Division at the Ministry, Michael...

CARIFORUM countries must remain vigilant to ensure that the European Union (EU) adheres to the commitments made to the agricultural sector, under the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA). This advice was given by Least Developed Countries (LDC) Trade Policy/Technical Advisor for the Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery, Vincent Atkins, at a forum on the Agreement and its implications for the agricultural sector,...

Minister of Education, Andrew Holness has informed that the contributions made toward the National Education Trust (NET), would be used to establish 45 secondary schools, in an effort to eradicate the shift system from the education sector. He also pointed out that this venture would be the first to be undertaken by the Trust. Addressing the Third Biennial Jamaican Diaspora...

The Department of Correctional Services will host a one day conference on Thursday, June 19, for over 170 Probation After Care Officers islandwide. This was disclosed by Aileen Wolfe Stephens, Deputy Commissioner in charge of Human Resource Management and Community Service, in an interview with JIS News. "The conference is to have all Probation After Care Officers islandwide have a...

The procurement contract for the Portmore municipal building is expected to be signed soon. This was disclosed to JIS News by Mayor of Portmore, Keith Hinds, who pointed out that the contract would outline the Consultant's terms of reference and for that person to present the Municipal Council with a business plan and other deliverables for the first phase of...

Finance and Public Service Minister, Audley Shaw, has cited the need for increased trade-related assistance to developing countries, to enable them to mitigate the adjustment costs of trade liberalization. He said that while globalization has presented many countries with "extensive opportunities" for increased direct investments and access to information through trade and technology transfer, more powerful and larger countries are...