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Two hundred years ago legislation was enacted in the British Parliament to outlaw the trans-Atlantic slave trade. That did not bring an end to slavery itself but it was an important step toward its ultimate abolition. No one would dare deny, no argument can rationalize and nothing that has since been done can ameliorate the barbarity visited on our forebears...

The Bicentenary Commemoration of the abolition by Great Britain of the Trans-Atlantic Trade in Enslaved Africans is without doubt a defining moment in the history and contemporary realities of Jamaica. For, it effectively cut the source of supply of the exploited labour that fed and nourished the system of slavery now universally regarded as a "crime against humanity". The Abolition...

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Managing Director of the ICC Cricket World Cup (CWC) 2007, Chris Dehring is defending the security arrangements in place for the event. "We have reviewed security arrangements in place and we believe that they are adequate for the event and it is certainly appropriate, based on the Master Security plan that was drafted and [put]...

President of the Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS), Senator Norman Grant is appealing to farmers who have lost their animals and agricultural produce to praedial thieves, to report the matter to the Police, instead of taking the law into their own hands. In an interview with JIS News, Senator Grant pointed out that the agricultural sector continues to lose millions of...

Minister of Agriculture, Roger Clarke, has highlighted the link between agriculture and national development, stressing that one could not take place without the other. "As we look to the future, and the importance of agriculture to rural development, one begins to recognize that agriculture will continue to play an increasingly important role in national development," he said. The Minister was...

The Joint Select Committee that is reviewing the proposed reform of the Offences Against the Person (Amendment) Act and the Incest Punishment (Amendment) Act has recommended that a Sexual Offences Act be created to deal with all sexually related offences. This was disclosed by Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Senator AJ Nicholson at Thursday's (March 22) sitting of the...

The Ministry of Education and Youth is to establish student assessment centres throughout its regional offices, in order to expand and improve the quality of psychological assessment services offered to students with disabilities. This is being done in keeping with the Ministry's mandate to transform the education system. Speaking at a JIS 'Think Tank' on March 21, Education Officer in...

A Coroner's inquest with a jury into the murder of Bob Woolmer is to be held. Following discussions with Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mark Shields this morning, the Coroner directed that the inquest be held as soon as practical. He also ordered that Mr. Woolmer's body remain within his jurisdiction until the inquest has been completed. Mr. Woolmer's widow, Gill...

The success of the partnership between the Jamaica Diaspora Advisory Board and the Northeast United States (US) Education Sector, launched at the St. James High School in Montego Bay some time ago, has resulted in a call to replicate the model across the country. This was among the highlights of a recent meeting of the Education Sector, held at the...

Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Senator A.J. Nicholson, has said that several measures would be implemented within the court system to make it more efficient. "The ability of the justice system to meet the future needs of Jamaicans will, to a large extent, depend on our ability to be constantly in reform mode and to be in a position...

Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of crime, Mark Shields, is appealing to persons to come forward with any information that might lead to the arrest of the person or persons responsible for the murder of Robert Woolmer, Coach of the Pakistan Cricket team. Mr. Woolmer was found unconscious in his hotel room at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in Kingston...

A decision has been taken to undertake work on the Solas and Church Lane roads in Sandy Bay, Hanover, to prevent flooding in the area. This follows recent heavy rains, which caused flooding in the Sandy Bay area of the parish. Disaster Preparedness Co-ordinator in the Hanover Parish Council, Olga Headley told JIS News that following a tour of the...