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The Government, through the Ministry of Tourism, is planning to establish a pension plan for all workers in the tourist industry. According to Minister of Tourism, Edmund Bartlett, discussions have commenced with sector interest, with plans afoot the Fund to be established by 2009. The Minister was speaking at an awards reception for 'Red Cap' porters who work at the...

United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (USAIDS) country representative for Jamaica, the Bahamas and Cuba, Miriam Maluwa, has called for greater attention to be placed on HIV and its effect on the disabled community. "The issues of disability and HIV require attention in Jamaica. The disabled community in Jamaica constitute one of the most vulnerable groups," she stated. Ms. Maluwa was...

Sixteen community leaders, 10 community groups and six businesses/ agencies in St Catherine received certificates at an awards ceremony, yesterday (December 16) for their outstanding contribution to community development. The event, organized by the Social Development Commission (SDC), Region Five, St. Catherine, was held on the grounds of the SDC's office in Spanish Town. Four persons, Earle Hyde, Dr. Joseph...

Jamaica and Brazil today (Dec. 14) signed a bi-lateral agreement, which will facilitate direct air services between the two countries. Transport & Works Minister, Michael Henry, deputizing for Foreign Affairs & Foreign Trade Minister, Dr. Ken Baugh, and outgoing Brazilian Ambassador to Jamaica, Cezar Augusto De Souza Lima Amaral signed the agreement in a brief ceremony at the Foreign Affairs...

Principal Returning Officer for Westmoreland, Dr. Daphne Johnson, has called on newly installed Councillors of the Westmoreland Parish Council, to "endeavour to lift the standard of governance by parish councillors in Jamaica." "You have been duly elected, all 14 of you, by the people of the parish and must come to grips with the tremendous job that you have been...

United Nations Children Programme (UNICEF) representative in Jamaica, Bertrand Bainvel, has called for 10 per cent of the budgetary provision for education to be allocated to the early childhood programme. He made this appeal while addressing the appreciation ceremony hosted by the Dudley Grant Memorial Trust (DGMT) at the Mona Visitors' Lodge on Wednesday (Dec. 12) to honour 25 retired...

Mayor of Lucea and chairman of the Hanover Parish Council, Councillor Lloyd Hill has pledged to utilize the resources and expertise of the council to improve the provision of services to the residents of the parish. "I am confident that each member of this team of councillors has a worthwhile contribution to make and it is my intention to ensure...

The Human Development Report of 2007/08 has revealed that climate change will have devastating effects on the Caribbean that will, in the long run, lead to "low human development traps." The report, done by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and entitled, 'Fighting Climate Change: Human solidarity in a divided world', which was launched on December 11 at the Knutsford...

Minister of State in the Ministry of Energy, Mining and Telecommunications, Laurence Broderick, has said that Jamaica has a moral imperative to correct abuses to the environment, which ultimately contribute to global warming. "We need to avoid excessive use of fossil fuels, the main culprit that leads to excessive emissions of carbon dioxide," Mr. Broderick said, as he addressed the...

Mayor of Spanish Town, Dr. Andrew Wheatley, has promised to take a tough stance against shoddy work and poor service delivery to residents of St. Catherine. "We will no longer be accepting shoddy service for our parishioners. Services that are not delivered will not be paid for. We will be demanding higher standards for our people," Mayor Wheatley said in...

New Mayor of the Portmore Municipality, Keith Hinds, has vowed to implement new measures to deal with crime, improve the physical infrastructure and create jobs. He also promised to clean-up the municipality. "Our shrubbery and other unwanted trees must go. We have to replace these with flowers, palms and fruit trees," Mayor Hinds said, while also pledging to work to...

The St. Ann Parish Council will be implementing a number of traffic changes in the major towns in the parish, to relieve congestion on the roads during the holiday season. Secretary/Manager of the Parish Council, Michael Morris, told JIS News that the towns to be affected are Ocho Rios, St. Ann's Bay and Brown's Town. Outlining the changes for Ocho...