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Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Justice, Carol Palmer has stressed that the media has a critical role to play in supporting the reform of the Jamaican justice system. "The media is very critical to our legal public education thrust and of course, the drive for our successful implementation of reform has to be the media," Mrs. Palmer explained during...

Before getting into the meat of the matter it is quite in order for me to ask us all to pause for a while and reflect on the positive impact our mothers have had on us as individuals and collectively as a people and a society. A VERY HAPPY MOTHERS' DAY TO ALL THE MOTHERS PRESENT! Ladies and Gentlemen here...

One of the legacies of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007, which ended in the region last month, was the unprecedented level of cooperation by the region's air carriers, said Richard Lue, who served as coordinator of the regional airline task force for the international competition. He told JIS News that Air Jamaica, Caribbean Airlines and LIAT rose to the...

Minister of Finance and Planning, Dr. Omar Davies, has appealed to Jamaicans to work together to take back communities from criminal elements for the sake of the nation's children. "Violence affects every aspect of life. People just cannot go to church and some people just cannot even go and have a drink, but worst of all, the students are punished,"...

Twenty-three schools today (May 11) received cheques valued at more than $14.48 million to among other things, enhance the literacy and numeracy skills of students during the new academic year. The funds have been disbursed under the Ministry of Education and Youth's Inner City Schools Improvement Programme (ISIP). Speaking at the handing over ceremony at the Ministry's offices in Heroes...

The Registrar General's Department (RGD) has reported a significant increase in online applications, with more than 11,000 requests received in March 2007 when compared with 4,285 in March 2006. With the increased web hits, the RGD's website, as at May 10, was ranked the most popular government website by the traffic ranking site Alexa, found at www.alexa.com. RGD's Chief Executive...

Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller has recognized the outstanding contribution of twenty-six of the island's teachers by presenting them with the Prime Minister's Medal of Appreciation for service in the field of education. The presentations were made at ceremony held at Jamaica House on Wednesday (May 9), in observance of Teachers' Day. In her remarks, Mrs. Simpson Miller said as...

The Maritime Authority of Jamaica (MAJ) has been operating in compliance with all the major International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Conventions, including the Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW) Convention, as it continues to play a significant role in ensuring that the local maritime industry is safe, secure, and efficient. Institutionalised by the Shipping Act of 1998, the MAJ is...

The Westmoreland Parish Council has taken the initiative to educate its staff on all information and regulations governing the International Building Code, which Jamaica is expected to adopt soon. Among other things, under the Code, buildings will be made safer for all, and more accessible to disabled persons. At present, Jamaica does not have a mandatory up to date building...

Thirty-five inspectors will be trained for the early childhood sector to evaluate and provide technical support to all Early Childhood Institutions (ECIs) across the island. This training, to be carried out by the Early Childhood Commission, is in keeping with the requirements of the Early Childhood Act and its Regulations and is a precursor to its implementation, which is expected...

The Cumberland All-age School in Clarendon now has a new computer laboratory, which was constructed and equipped through the efforts of the community, with the assistance of government and private sector interests. Minister of Finance and Planning, Dr. Omar Davies, in his remarks at the commissioning ceremony held on Wednesday (May 9), said that "what having this computer means to...

Jamaica's inflation rate is at a 30-year low, with the figures averaging 0.33 % for the first three months of 2007. Data from the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN), shows a rate of 0.3 % for the month of January, followed by 0.2% in February, and 0.5% in March. If the inflation rate continues at this pace for the remainder...