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State Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister with responsibility for Local Government, Robert 'Bobby' Montague, left the island on September 26 to attend a Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF) resource panel meeting in Kampala, Uganda. As Chairperson of the CLGF since 2006, Mr. Montague will represent local government entities from some 42 countries in the Commonwealth. "The resource...

The Troy community in Southern Trelawny has welcomed the new Troy High school, which opened its doors to 260 students on September 10. The 900-student capacity school was constructed by the Urban Development Corporation (UDC) under the North Western Schools Programme, through which a total of 17 new schools have been constructed in the parishes of Trelawny, St. James, Westmoreland...

Director General of the Maritime Authority of Jamaica (MAJ), Rear Admiral Peter Brady, has said that more Jamaicans need to know about maritime affairs, including the roles and responsibilities of the government's maritime institutions. Speaking on (Sept. 25), at the official launch of the Maritime Awareness Week exhibition at the Tom Redcam Library in Kingston, he said that maritime affairs...

Minister of State for Industry, Commerce and Investment, Michael Stern, has said that the government is seeking to drive small business development to create jobs and grow the economy. "It is for this reason that we are evaluating programmes that target small and micro enterprises. We wish to design a realistic, practical and transparent regime of incentives, soft loans and...

Co-coordinator of this weekend's national clean-up project, Kingsley Thomas, has said that there is strong support for the initiative, with private sector companies, individuals, community-based organizations and churches pledging assistance. "We have been extremely happy at the response from the private sector. We have received pledges of contributions for food, and for equipment. We are very, very happy at the...

Minister of Industry, Commerce and Investment, Karl Samuda has said that the government will be importing some 4,000 metric tonnes of rice from Louisiana in the United States to prevent a possible shortage of the commodity on the local market. The rice should arrive in the island by the end of this month. Speaking at (Sept. 25) post-Cabinet press briefing...

Air Jamaica's flights for the Christmas season have all been sold out and the airline is looking to add extra flights to meet the steady demand for its services. Speaking in an interview with JIS News, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Air Jamaica, Paul Pennicook said that, "Air Jamaica's performance is steadily trending upwards. We already have...

The Jamaican High Commission in London will be hosting a garden party on October 6 to raise money for its Hurricane Relief Fund. The Fund was launched by High Commissioner Burchell Whiteman in the wake of the hurricane on August 19, which caused severe damage to southern sections of the island. The 'After Hurricane Dean Garden Party' will feature a...

Minister of Transport and Works, Michael Henry has commended Jamaica's shipping industry for its commitment to international maritime standards, and protection of the marine environment. Speaking at the official launch of the Maritime Awareness Week exhibition on September 25, at the Tom Redcam Library in Kingston, Mr. Henry told the gathering of seamen, environmentalists, students and other industry stakeholders, that...

Minister of Education, Andrew Holness has informed that the Ministry was very close to implementing an Information and Communications Technology (ICT) policy for the education sector. Speaking at the Jamaica Computer Society's Career Day 2007, at the Jamaica Conference Centre, on (Sept. 26), the Minister said he would be meeting with consultants on Thursday (Sept. 27), to finalise the policy....

Jamaica will receive an additional $35 million from the United States government to continue the fight against the illegal narcotic trade in the areas of maritime interdiction, port security, and law enforcement. A letter of agreement to this end was signed on (Sept. 26) by Minister of National Security, Derrick Smith, and United States Ambassador, Brenda La Grange Johnson, at...

Areas that are prone to vector-borne diseases, such as dengue fever, will be specially targeted during the national clean-up exercise from September 29 to 30. "We have just been taken off the malaria watch list by the Centre for Disease Control in Atlanta, so we do not want to go back on it and we are making sure this is...