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Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of the ICC Cricket World Cup (CWC) West Indies 2007 Inc., Chris Dehring, has said that the region must meet its obligations in a number of areas to ensure a successful cricket tournament. He told JIS News that should the region fall down in any area of preparation, then the staging of the event...

A task force, comprising representatives of government, the Jamaica Confederation of Trade Unions (JCTU) and the Jamaica Employers Federation (JEF), is to be appointed to look into the plan to raise the income tax threshold. The move comes as the government, due to procedural delays, was unable to meet the January 1 date for the raising of the threshold from...

Minister of Finance and Planning, Dr. Omar Davies, has said that the 2006 financial year was the best in his 14 years as head of the Ministry. Minister Davies, who spoke to JIS News at the opening of the Jamaica Stock Exchange Investments and Capital Markets conference in Montego Bay on January 10, credited the success to prudent government policies...

The Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) is to continue its passport acquisition campaign in the United States (US), by visiting Boston in the North East. To encourage Bostonians to get their passports, the JTB will host another in its on-going series of 'Jamaica Morning Coffee Break', at the South Station Train Terminal, Boston, on Tuesday, January 23, from 7:00 a.m. to...

Minister of Finance and Planning, Dr. Omar Davies, has said that Jamaica's economic environment, despite past challenges, was reflecting commendable positives and was "ripe" for investments, with noticeable growth in the financial sector. The Minister also cited the expected development and empowerment of the region's stock markets. Addressing the opening banquet of the second regional conference on Investments and the...

Many elderly and indigent persons in Bath, St. Thomas, received free health checks and screening at a recent health fair, held at the Bath Primary and Junior High School. The fair was put on by 'Judy M' Music Ministries, in collaboration with the Lions Club, the Jamaica Diabetes Association, FISH, and the Ministry of Health/National HIV/AIDS Committee. Member of Parliament...

Some 300 volunteers for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 will participate in intensive training this weekend (January 13-14), in the auditorium of the University of Technology (UTech), from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. This is the first of several batches of volunteers who will receive training to assist at Jamaica's two venues, Sabina Park and the Trelawny multi-purpose stadium....

Director of the National Blood Transfusion Service (NBTS), Dr. Lundie Richards, has announced that the institution's replacement donation system would be discontinued this year. He told JIS News that the system, which allowed persons to donate blood for a family member or friend, was unsafe, and had outlived its usefulness. "We are saying that the replacement donation system has failed...

Special Advisor to the Prime Minister on Science and Technology (S&T), Dr. Arnoldo Ventura, has called for speedy debate and passage of the biotechnology policy, when it goes before Parliament later this year. He noted that the implementation of the policy would position the country to benefit from the global multi-billion dollar biotechnology industry. The S&T Advisor, who was addressing...

Minister of State for Agriculture and Lands, Errol Ennis, has said that Caribbean countries must work together to develop a comprehensive communication strategy to tackle any possible outbreak of avian influenza (bird flu). The State Minister, who was addressing the opening of a Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)/World Health Organization (WHO)-sponsored workshop on 'Outbreak and crisis communication for Caribbean countries'...

Parish Manager for the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) in St. Ann, Pedro Worghs, is appealing to farmers in the parish to register with the Agro Business Information System (ABIS) programme and become active participants in the fight against praedial larceny. "To date, we have registered a total of 12,617 farmers for the programme, out of which some 12,372 have...

The first training workshop to kick-start the public education campaign on the new regulations and standards that will govern the early childhood sector, was held on Tuesday (Jan. 9) at the Mandeville Resource Centre in Manchester. More than 20 education officers from the Ministry of Education and Youth's regions 5 and 6 participated in the workshop, which was organized by...