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A sustainable development plan for the parish of St. Thomas will be main focus at a public symposium to be held at the Morant Villas Hotel in Morant Bay on Wednesday, March 7. The forum will also be used to raise the awareness of residents about the plan and explain how it will benefit them. This symposium is a collaborative...

A Bill to amend the Employment Agencies Regulation Act of 1957 was passed in the Senate on March 2. Minister of State in the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, Senator Floyd Morris, who piloted the Bill, said it sought to, among other things, increase the fines and penalties for breaches under the Act, so that they are in keeping...

The Senate on Friday (March 2) passed a Bill to amend the Minimum Wage Act, to increase the fines and penalties for persons who fail to comply with the law. Minister of State for Labour and Social Security, Senator Floyd Morris, who piloted the Bill, pointed out that the proposed amendments were in keeping with a commitment given by the...

A Bill to amend the Loan Act, which will increase the government's borrowing ceiling from $650 billion to $700 billion, was passed in the Senate on Friday, March 2. Leader of Government Business in the Senate, A.J. Nicholson in piloting the Bill, pointed out that this amendment was designed to "facilitate government's programmed borrowings over the medium term, and to...

Jamaica remains committed to the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group and will continue to uphold its ideals, as it seeks to improve the lives of the millions of people that it represents. This assurance was given by Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller on March 5, as she addressed the ACP Committee of Ambassadors in Brussels, Belgium. "I am very...

The Jamaica Local Organising Committee (LOC) is reporting that it has received official permission to pursue different strategies to further boost ticket sales with less than two weeks to go for the staging of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007. "I can say that we have sat down and come to an agreement with the Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA) to...

A 'One Love' Jamaica Village will be set up at the Cable and Wireless Golf Academy and the National Housing Trust (NHT) car park in New Kingston from March 12 to 24, to accommodate locals and visitors, especially on 'off match' days. Some 120 craft and food vendors are expected to be located in the village, and the food courts...

As part of its internal planning and activity for the ICC Cricket World Cup (CWC) 2007, the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), will be activating the National Emergency Operation Centre (NEOC) on match days. According to Cecil Bailey, Acting Deputy Director General of ODPEM, the function of the centre is to provide support for the co-ordination of...

The Joint Operations Co-ordination Centre (JOCC) commenced operations on March 1, as required by the master security plan for the staging of the ICC Cricket World Cup (CWC) 2007. According to Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Owen Ellington, Chair of the Security Committee for the ICC CWC 2007, the centre began operating on a "very low scale", as some of...

The Local Organising Committee (LOC) is calling on all Jamaicans to come out on March 10 to cheer on the cast and crew for the opening ceremony for the ICC Cricket World Cup (CWC) 2007, as they travel from Kingston in a bus convoy to the Trelawny multipurpose stadium. The route of the convoy from Kingston will go through the...

History will be made tomorrow. The first ball in the first warm up match for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 will be bowled at the new multi-purpose stadium in Trelawny, a most important addition to the country's national asset. All is in place for this first warm up match between the West Indies and Kenya. This year's staging of...

The Government and the European Union (EU) have signed a financial agreement valued at Euro 5.2 million (J$454 million), to assist in the transformation of the country's sugar industry. This transformation will be carried out under the Jamaica Country Strategy (JCS) for the Adaptation of the Sugar Industry, and will seek to address both the social and economic implications resulting...