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The National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) is reporting that 21 persons have been issued litter tickets in the first 2 days of its Anti-Litter Pilot Project, which began on Tuesday, May 1. Enforcement and Investigations Administrator at the NSWMA, Opal Davis, told JIS News that since May 1, Enforcement Officers from the NSWMA, along with members of the Jamaica...

The Hanover Fire Brigade has reported some $358 million in property loss as a result of fires in the parish during the first three months of the year, with $2.8 billion at risk. Superintendent of the Hanover Fire Brigade, Morine Thompson, told JIS News that a demonstration at the Fiesta Hotel construction site at Point during the month of February,...

Eleven contestants will vie for the Jamaica Child of the Year title on Saturday, May 5 at the inaugural staging of the competition. The coronation show will be held at the Altamont Court Hotel in Kingston at 3:00 p.m., and is being co-ordinated by Help Our People Excel (HOPE) Production, a non-profit organization that was established in September 2006. Executive...

A Variation Order facilitating the construction of the Mt. Rosser Bypass from Linstead to Moneague was signed at Jamaica House this afternoon (May 3) between the Government of Jamaica and Trans Jamaica/Bouygues Construction Company. Work on the J$7 Billion roadway will commence in June and should be completed over a 30 month period. On Tuesday (May 1) during her contribution...

Chief Technical Director in the Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, Don McGlashan, has pledged the Ministry's commitment to providing safe food and addressing food safety concerns. "With our private and public sector counterparts, we intend to provide safe food for citizens, visitors and the export market," he stated at a Food Safety Forum held yesterday (May 2) at the Terra...

University of the West Indies (UWI) this morning (May 3) hosted a one-day conference in August Town, to engage residents in finding solutions to the problem of crime and violence facing the community. Professor of International Business at the UWI, Alvin Wint, who addressed the opening of the conference at the Haven of Hope Open Bible Church, said that the...

Superintendent of Police in charge of St. James, Steve McGregor, has called on parents to devote greater attention to the rearing of their boys, especially those in the age group 13 to 19, who were causing the most trouble for the police. "The age group between 13 and 19 is causing us (the police) most problems out there. We have...

Minister of Finance and Planning, Dr. Omar Davies has dismissed claims that the $9 billion incurred as part of the country's preparation for the hosting of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 could have been better directed at interventions in the social sector. Dr. Davis, who closed the 2007/08 Budget Debate in the House yesterday (May 2), explained that a...

The government is to spend $100 million to address the social concerns of sugar workers. This was disclosed by Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller during her contribution to the 2007/08 Budget Debate in the House of Representatives on Tuesday (May 1). She said the Ministry of Agriculture and Lands has engaged in consultations with trade union leaders and was in...

Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller has emphasized that the Government would continue to give priority to early childhood education, in the thrust to develop a wholesome, ethical and productive nation. Highlighting a number of initiatives, Mrs. Simpson Miller noted that during the past fiscal year, the CHASE Fund disbursed grants of more than $180 million in support of a wide...

Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller has announced a further $500,000 benefit for first-time home owners, who are contributors to the National Housing Trust (NHT). This will move the loan ceiling from $3 million to $3.5 million. She made the announcement on Tuesday (May 1), during her contribution to the 2007/08 Budget Debate in the House of Representatives. She also disclosed...

Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller said Jamaicans should prepare themselves to become victors and not victims of globalization and the Caribbean Single Market, by taking advantage of the various opportunities to educate themselves, including those offered through distance education. She was speaking on Thursday (May 3) at the opening of an Educational Conference hosted jointly by the Council of Heads...