More

The Office of the Children's Advocate is calling for increased government assistance to non-government organizations (NGOs) that are involved in activities that impact the lives of vulnerable groups, such as children with disabilities. As stated in the office's annual report for the period February 2006 to March 2007, which was tabled in the House of Representatives on June 12, many...

Some 4,118 children from western Jamaica have benefited under the government's free health care regime since its implementation on May 28, with approximately $5.3 million in fees saved by parents and caregivers. This is according to Clinton Pickering, Public Relations Officer for the Western Regional Health Authority. He said that the health facilities in the region, which include Falmouth, Savanna-La-Mar,...

The Office of the Children's Advocate has recommended that more attention needs to be paid to children in the criminal justice system, to ensure compliance with the provision of the Child Care and Protection Act 2004. This is outlined in the 2006/07 annual report of the Office of the Children's Advocate, which was tabled in the House on June 12....

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, Donavon Stanberry, has said that the Ministry will be working with all farmer associations and cooperatives islandwide to strengthen their capacity to assist them to better manage their affairs. Speaking at the annual general meeting of the Agri-Business Council of Jamaica today (June 15), at the Terra Nova hotel in Kingston,...

The new owners of Alpart and Windalco want to build two coal-generated power plants to support both those bauxite/alumina operations and export power into the national energy grid, company representative Igor Dorofeev has announced. In an interview with JIS News, Mr. Dorofeev said the new owners, United Company Rusal (UC Rusal), was exploring the possibility of building two 90-megawatt power...

The new Russian owners of the Alpart and Windalco bauxite/alumina plants have opened a Kingston office and have announced expansion plans, stating that "Jamaica occupies a very important strategic place in UC Rusal's operations." In an interview with JIS News, UC Rusal's representative in Jamaica, Igor Dorofeev, reveals that the company will be moving Alpart's alumina production from the current...

The Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), in association with the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), has presented awards to Jacqueline Johnson and Joe Yogerst, for their efforts to market the Caribbean as a premier travel destination. Miss Johnson is a seasoned veteran of the travel industry with 20 years experience working in advertising, marketing, media, consumer and trade publications, while Mr. Yogerst...

Jamaicans throughout the Diaspora will observe Jamaica Diaspora Day on Saturday (June 16), with a 'Community Celebration and Health Awareness' day at the Delevoe Park of the African American Heritage Library in Fort Lauderdale, beginning at 2:00 p.m. The activities will feature cultural and sporting events for the entire family, according to Jamaica Diaspora Advisory Board member for the Southern...

The Ministry of Labour and Social Security has examined and assessed 72 wholesale establishments in downtown Kingston, as part of its investigations into breaches of employment regulations by wholesale operators. The incidents of breaches came out of a recent case study conducted by a graduate student of the University of the West Indies. Chief Technical Director in the Ministry, Faith...

The Ministry of Labour and Social Security is urging employees whose rights are being violated by their employers, to call the Pay and Conditions of Employment Unit at 922-2468 or 922-9500-14 and file their complaints. This is the word from Chief Technical Director in the Ministry, Faith Innerarity, who was speaking at a JIS 'Think Tank' on June 12, at...

Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller emphasised on (June 12), that people must be the object and focus of development worldwide. "We have learnt that economic growth is meaningless, if the majority of the people are left behind in the process," she said. Mrs. Simpson Miller was speaking at the 96th Session of the International Labour Conference in Geneva, Switzerland. The...

Some $340 million was spent to acquire 27 new vessels for the marine police of the Jamaica Constabulary Force, as part of efforts to improve border security in Jamaica's territorial waters. This was disclosed by Minister of National Security, Dr. Peter Phillips, in his contribution to the 2007/08 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives yesterday (June 13). "The current...