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The bilateral agreement signed between the governments of Jamaica and Cuba for the exchange of coaches in various sporting disciplines is well underway. Five Cuban coaches, who have been in the island since late last year, were officially introduced by Minister of Local Government, Community Development and Sports, Portia Simpson-Miller today (January 17), at the Offices of the Sports Development...

The National Council on Technical and Vocational Education and Training (NCTVET), is advising the public of the need and importance of certification, including certification in agriculture. Principally, certified skilled labour is a basic requirement for free movement in CARICOM, the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME), the Commonwealth and the rest of the global marketplace. Speaking with JIS News, NCTVET...

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Hon. K.D. Knight departed the island this afternoon (Monday) for a one-day official visit to Colombia aimed at strengthening bilateral relations. Minister Knight and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Colombia, Dr. Carolina Barco, were scheduled to speak later in the afternoon at the opening ceremony of the Vth meeting of the Jamaica/Colombia...

With the United States (US) government extending to January 2007, the date required for US citizens returning from the Caribbean, Bermuda, Central and South America, to show passports on re-entry, State Minister for Industry and Tourism, Wykeham McNeill, has said that the Ministry was working to prepare local industry players to meet the new deadline. He told JIS News, that...

Jamaica has formulated a quarantine policy to address cases of Avian Influenza or Bird Flu in the event that the pandemic enters the country. This follows a meeting of the Ministries of Agriculture and Health in October 2005 where the Bird Flu was included in the Ministry of Agriculture's Emergency Animal Disease Preparedness Plan. The National Emergency Animal Disease Committee...

The Aloca foundation, through its local subsidiary Jamalco, has provided US$339,000 ($21 million) in grants to assist the voluntary work of four organizations in addition to development projects at three academic institutions. At an awards function held at Jamalco's Halse Hall refinery in Clarendon on Thursday (Jan.12), Ealane Livingston Smith, the company's public relations specialist, explained that the ceremony served...

The annual National Leadership Prayer Breakfast 2006, will be held on January 19, under the theme 'Choose you this Day.' This event will be held at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in Kingston and will once again be sponsored by Victoria Mutual Building Society (VMBS), which has sponsored the event for the last 20 years. The prayer breakfast was launched today...

Twelve years after the Local Government reform process was embarked on, the Ministry of Local Government, Community Development and Sport remains confident that it was a move in the right direction. Consultant on Local Government Reform in the Ministry, Keith Miller, told JIS News that the reform "has been established and is certainly supported by all the recent thinking in...

Professor Edward Robinson is the 2005 recipient of the prestigious National Medal for Science and Technology. Prime Minister P.J. Patterson presented the medal to Professor Robinson at an awards ceremony hosted by the National Commission on Science and Technology (NCST) at Vale Royal on January 12. The National Medal for Science and Technology is a special honour bestowed by the...

Residents of Portland, who are eligible for assistance under the Programme of Advancement through Health and Education (PATH) and have not yet registered under the programme, are being advised to do so now. Gloria Clarke, Parish Manager for the Portland office of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, informed that persons desirous of registering under the programme should do...

Members of the island's judiciary converged on the Jamaica Conference Centre, downtown Kingston yesterday (Jan. 13), for a one-day training seminar on criminal case management conducted by experts from Britain. Organised by Chief Justice, Lensley Wolfe and Permanent Secretary in the Justice Ministry, Carol Palmer, the seminar is part of efforts to introduce case management in the criminal jurisdiction of...

Fishermen at the Old Harbour Bay Fishing Village in St. Catherine were on Wednesday (January 10) educated about the various types of hazards that could affect them and strategies to employ to minimize their impact. This was done at a safety exposition held at the fishing village, which was hosted jointly by the Old Harbour Zonal Committee, the St. Catherine...