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The government of Jamaica is strengthening its surveillance systems as part of the country's response to the outbreak of the deadly Avian Flu (Bird Flu) virus in South East Asia, which experts fear may become a global pandemic.The country's response will be led by the Ministry of Health, and Minister John Junor has informed that already, the first draft of...

United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Representative, Harold Robinson has said that Jamaica has made significant progress in some aspects of gender equality, such as in education, universal access at the primary level and also in terms of literacy. Mr. Robinson, who is the UNFPA's representative to the English and Dutch speaking Caribbean, noted however, that there were still areas that...

As the region readies itself for greater integration under the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME), member states are busily laying the groundwork for free movement of skills/labour and services. Currently, not all members of the workforce fall into the qualified categories for free movement, but eventually they will. "The goal is that every member of the workforce will be...

State Minister in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator Delano Franklyn has said that globalization and the implementation of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) will not negatively affect government assisted educational institutions in Jamaica. This, he pointed out, was due to the fact that the government was committed to its continued assistance of these institutions...

State Minister for Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator Delano Franklyn, has declared that water was a critical resource and access to potable water for all people should be the priority of every government. "We in Jamaica have generally become accustomed to the view that water should be accessible by people anywhere geographically, from whatever social background and...

The Poverty Reduction Programme (PRP) of the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF) approved expenditure of some $293 million on 29 projects across the island, since October 2001. The projects, which are jointly funded by the Government and the European Union, span the gamut from the upgrade of facilities at basic and primary schools to facilitating sanitation and water supply construction...

An Emergency Medical Service (EMS) has been set up at the Linstead Fire Station in St. Catherine to offer pre-hospital care to those in need of urgent medical treatment. The facility, which adjoins the fire station, is equipped with an ambulance and staffed with firefighters trained as basic level Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs), who will be able to operate specialized...

The Jamaica Information Service (JIS) is presently hosting a special Heritage Week activity for primary and preparatory school students. Eighty students from grades five and six who attend schools in Kingston and the Half-Way-Tree Road area have been invited. The schools are: the School for the Deaf, Unity Preparatory, St. Andrew Preparatory and Jessie Ripoll Primary. "Guest presenters from the...

The National Centre for Youth Development (NCYD) is advising the public that the deadline for submitting nominations for the Prime Minister's Youth Awards for Excellence is next Wednesday, October 19. In an interview with JIS News, Dr. Donald Rhodd, State Minister with responsibility for Youth, in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Culture said that the awards are given in...

Stakeholders in the securities industry throughout the region will meet in Kingston from November 7 to 8 for the second annual Caribbean Securities Regulators Conference. The conference, which will be held at the Jamaica Conference Centre, will discuss the interrelated themes of investor protection and market development in the region and explore the implications for the development of a regulatory...

The internationally acclaimed Glenmuir High School Concert Choir is to perform at this year's National Honours and Awards ceremony on National Heroes Day, October 17, at King's House. This prestigious group, directed by the talented Justin Leo Whyte, was founded in 1982 and comprises 45 members. Its repertoire include music of the Caribbean, Europe, United States of America and Africa....

With countries worldwide scrambling to find ways to minimize the costs to consumers as oil prices continue to soar on the world market, the Jamaican government has been assiduously implementing measures to cushion the effects locally. As part of the planned interventions over the short term, Jamaicans will soon be able to borrow funds from the country's Energy Fund to...