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Minister of Information, Senator Burchell Whiteman said today (December 20), that Cabinet has issued drafting instructions for legislation that will provide for the protection of the rights of persons with disabilities. The legislation is intended to cover persons affected by all classes of disabilities as well as their relevant family members and caregivers, and provide them with entitlement to social...

With an average of 12,000 fires occurring per year across the island, Jamaicans are being urged to exercise caution during this festive season to avoid the occurrence of fires. Although fires occur throughout the year, Assistant Superintendent at the Fire Prevention Division of the Jamaica Fire Brigade, Floyd McLean, informed JIS News that there is a noticeable trend for the...

Land and Environment Minister, Dean Peart has pointed to the need for Jamaica to fully prepare itself to access funding provided under the recently adopted Buenos Aires Five Year Programme of Work for climate change projects. Minister Peart who was speaking at a briefing today in Kingston, to update members of the media on the results of the 11th Conference...

As the rush of the Yuletide season gains momentum, the postal service has braced itself to handle the expected influx of mail and parcels. In an interview with JIS News, Acting Postmaster General of the Postal Corporation of Jamaica, Michael Gentles informed that on an annual basis, the Corporation handled some 73 million pieces, with most of these generally occurring...

Cabinet has approved the awarding of two contracts to improve water supply systems in the communities of Shettlewood in Hanover, and Hope Bay/St. Margaret's Bay located in Portland. Together, the projects will cost the government some $227 million, and the work to be carried out will be done by M&M Jamaica Limited, which has been awarded the contracts. Information Minister,...

The first study to be done in Jamaica and the Caribbean examining the impact of imprisonment on women and their families was launched recently at the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ). The research entitled 'Women in Prison: The Impact of the Incarceration of Jamaican Women on themselves and their Families' was conducted by Dr. Aldrie Henry-Lee, principal investigator and funded...

The Coalition for Better Parenting will be placing focus on fathers next year as it continues to carry out its mandate of strengthening parenting skills to build strong families. "I think this is going to be a thrust for us in 2006 . we have been looking at the family approach and some work is being done but I really...

Although they have been serving for decades, the work of organizations such as the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA), the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA), the Boys Brigade, the Scouts Association and the Girl Guides Association oftentimes go unnoticed. However, they continue to play a pivotal role instilling such values as discipline, commitment and dedication in the nation's young people...

James Moss- Solomon, President of the Caribbean Association of Industry and Commerce (CAIC), commended Prime Minister Patterson for the way that he has conducted himself in public life. Describing Mr. Patterson as "different from other politicians", Mr. Moss-Solomon said that the Prime Minister has not condoned donmanship, criminality and disorderly conduct and that he has tried to eliminate tribalism. Mr....

The bauxite/alumina industry has not only been a primary foreign exchange earner for Jamaica, grossing more than US$900 million in the last fiscal year and slated to earn over $1.018 billion this year, but there is life after bauxite. Even after bauxite lands have been mined-out, these lands continue to provide a "gold-mine" of opportunities for many Jamaicans. Large acreages...

A name change may be one of the issues raised when the Access to Information Act (ATI) comes up for review before a joint select committee of Parliament in January. Information Minister, Senator Burchell Whiteman, told JIS News today (Dec. 21), that the aim was to reflect the fact that the Act was "about access to official documents and it...

Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of Area One, Keith 'Trinity' Gardner, has said that western Jamaica should have a crime free holiday season, as all available police officers in the area have been deployed on the road. "We are putting emphasis on quality police work, and accordingly what we have done is to take our resources from the offices...