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Agriculture and Lands Minister, Roger Clarke today (August 11) presented cheques totalling $100 million to the Coffee Corporation Limited and the Coffee Industry Board, to assist coffee farmers whose crops were affected by Hurricane Ivan in 2004. The cheques, which were handed over to the Chairman of the Coffee Corporation Ltd., St. Clair Shirley, and Director General of the Coffee...

Work on the construction of the new Banbury Bridge in Linstead St. Catherine is advanced, and should be completed by year-end, said Manager for Communications and Customer Service at the National Works Agency (NWA), Stephen Shaw. Mr. Shaw told JIS News that the work was 65 per cent complete and "we are now to do the decking on the bridge...

The Fair Trading Commission (FTC), during this fiscal year, will be focused on competition advocacy, especially as it relates to government procurement bodies, says the agency's Executive Director, Barbara Lee. As Mrs. Lee explains to JIS News, "to a large extent, procurement government bodies are probably sometimes not aware of how their activities can affect competition in the market.let's say...

Hundreds of Jamaicans braved the heavy downpour at the National Heroes Park in Kingston yesterday (August 9), to say farewell to the late Jamaican cultural icon, Hon. Louise Bennett-Coverley, affectionately called 'Miss Lou'. Led by eight policemen, mounted on horses, the hearse arrived in the park to thunderous applause from members of the public. Eight male pall bearers from the...

The Ministry of Labour and Social Security is reminding parents, who are having difficulties paying their children's secondary school fees, that once they are a beneficiary under the Programme of Advancement through Health and Education (PATH), they automatically qualify for the government's cost sharing programme. Project Director for PATH, Colette Roberts-Risden, explained that, "once you are a PATH beneficiary, who...

The Jamaica Diaspora UK is scheduled to meet in Birmingham on August 19 to discuss, among other issues, the Terms of Reference for the proposed Joint Select Committee of Parliament on Diaspora Affairs. This Committee was one of the proposals made by Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller at the Jamaica Diaspora Conference in Kingston in June this year. The Jamaica...

A number of outstanding Jamaicans in the United States (US) have been recognised for their professional achievements and contribution to the development of their communities by the New York City Council. Winston Barnett (Educator); Selena Blake (Filmmaker); Colin Channer (Author); David Heron (Actor/Playwright); Saleem Josephs (Columbia University); Morenike Olabunmi (Filmmaker); Wellington Sharpe (Entrepreneur); Courtney Washington (Fashion Designer); Caribbean American Repertory...

Consul-General to Toronto, Anne-Marie Bonner, has said that Jamaica has achieved much in its short history. In an Independence message read by Consul, Dale Jones, at the annual flag-raising ceremony held recently at Toronto's City Hall, she said Jamaica was now coming to terms with the many issues of its governance. "We have gained international recognition and praise for the...

RIU III, the newest and largest hotel on Jamaica's north coast, has been experiencing record bookings. The hotel, which became operational in November 2005, is currently reporting a 99 per cent occupancy. The 846-room hotel, which is located at Mammee Bay, St. Ann was built at a cost of US$85 million. Construction of the property began in 2004 and was...

The Agricultural Support Services Project (ASSP) is working to implement an islandwide cattle identification programme by next month, following the recent conclusion of a pilot phase of the project. Project Director of the ASSP, Hershell Brown, told JIS News that with the pilot phase completed, an assessment was currently underway on the issues that were recognised during the pilot period....

The Forestry Department is spearheading the development of urban and community forests as part of efforts to increase the country's forest cover.According to Rural Sociologist at the Forestry Department, Noel Bennett the move would entail incorporating more trees in cities and town to counteract the dense concrete foliage. "Urban forestry is really to incorporate more trees into the environment. The...

The parish of St. Catherine took home a massive haul of prizes at the 54th annual staging of the Denbigh Agricultural and Industrial Show, which ended recently in May Pen, Clarendon. The parish won the coveted Rudolph Burke Trophy for best parish pavilion as well as eight of 10 sectional prizes. St. James took second place in this competition, while...