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Prime Minister P.J. Patterson said he was pleased to learn of the outstanding achievement by Damian 'Junior Gong' Marley who yesterday won two awards at the 48th Annual Grammy Awards presentation held in Los Angeles, including the award for Best Reggae Album. In a statement from Jamaica House on Thursday (Feb. 9), Mr. Patterson said the fact that the singer...

Acting Director General of Tax Administration, Vinette Keene, is reminding employers that the deadline to remit PAYE (Income Tax) deductions for January 2006 is February 14. Mrs. Keene was speaking at a press briefing held yesterday (Feb. 8) at the Ministry of Finance and Planning in Kingston. The reminder comes against the introduction of the new Employer's PAYE Monthly Remittance...

Plans have moved into high gear for the staging of the first ever Marcus Garvey Fair, which is scheduled for the grounds of Liberty Hall, Resource in South Manchester on Sunday, February 26. The activity is being organised by the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League (UNIA-ACL), the Manchester Chamber of Commerce (MCC), Northern Caribbean University (NCU), the...

The House of Representatives yesterday (Feb. 7) approved a government guarantee for four loans totaling US$111.5 million to finance the Port Authority of Jamaica's fifth stage expansion of the Kingston Container Terminal. These include a US$60.85 million loan from the Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) Toronto to finance civil works; US$9.487 million from BNS Jamaica also to finance civil works;...

The Ministry of Agriculture has entered into a $16 million agreement with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), for the provision of improved planting material (germplasm) to revitalize the fruit tree crop industry. The allocation, which is being made under the FAO's Assistance to Improve Fruit Crop Production project (previously the Exotic Fruit Crop Project), will also go towards advancing...

Jamaica's sprint sensation Veronica Campbell will try to maintain her winning form in the Visa championship grand prix series, when she competes at the Tyson Invitational meet in Fayetville, Arkansas on February 10. With an impressive victory at last Friday's (Feb.3) Millrose Games in New York, the 200 metres Olympic champion will continue her preparations for next month's Commonwealth Games...

The House of Representatives yesterday (February 7) approved two pieces of legislation, making special provisions for the treatment of those suffering from mental disorders, who come in conflict with the law and as a consequence enter the criminal justice system. They include the Criminal Justice Administration (Amendment) Act and a companion bill, the Legal Aid (Amendment) Act of 2005. The...

The St. Ann Health Department is warning members of the public not to participate in activities such as boating, fishing and vending in the Moneague lake area of the parish, which has been affected by rising waters. "The Moneague lake is highly contaminated, as several pit latrines have been submerged, pig pens and poultry houses have been washed out and...

An extension date of February 28 has been granted to persons who have not cashed relief cheques, which were issued in June 2005 for victims of Hurricanes Ivan and Charley. "These cheques were issued from as far back as June 2005 and in the normal legal situation they would have been stale dated. In consideration of the beneficiaries, we have...

Small and large businesses operators in St. Elizabeth and Manchester were recently educated about the new Companies Act and assisted with registering their operations, through outreach sessions organized by the Companies Office of Jamaica (COJ). Field Compliance Officer with the COJ, Gregory Spalding, told JIS News that the team visited a number of townships in the two parishes. "We began...

Portmore's Mayor, Councillor George Lee, has called for the "re-education" of councillors, as part of the process to improve local governance. He suggested that, "new councillors should go to school and be tutored in a specially designed course that teaches about governance, management and financial acumen, among other things," while existing councillors should participate in "refresher courses." "For a true...

A total of 14 primary and all-age schools in inner-city communities in Kingston and St. Andrew and St. Catherine, were today (Feb. 8) presented with cheques totaling some $2.6 million toward interventions to improve numeracy and literacy. The beneficiary institutions are Chetolah Park, St. Anne's, St. Michael's, Trench Town, Holy Rosary, Denham Town, St. Andrew, Seaview Gardens, Seaward, McAuley and...