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Jamaica has been afforded the distinctive privilege of hosting the second PetroCaribe Summit today, for it was on the 6th September 1815, that the great and revered Liberator Simon Bolivar wrote La Carta de Jamaica. It was during his exile here in Jamaica that he articulated his dream to free this continent of the yoke of Spanish imperialism and proclaimed...

Restoration and re-building work will get underway shortly in East Kingston and St. Thomas as government seeks to correct the infrastructural damage done to these areas by Hurricanes Emily and Dennis. Outlining the scope of the works, State Minister in the Ministry of Transport and Works, and Member of Parliament for Eastern St. Thomas, Dr. Fenton Ferguson informed JIS News...

Preliminary work has started for the reconstruction of the Yallahs fording in St. Thomas, which was severely damaged during Hurricane Dennis in July.Already, design work for the project has begun and should be completed by the end of October, said Dr. Fenton Ferguson, State Minister for Transport and Works. He told JIS News that a consultant, chosen by tender, had...

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Land and Environment, Donovan Stanberry has reiterated the government's commitment to stem the indiscriminate disposal of used lead acid batteries. Addressing a recent JIS 'Think Tank', Mr. Stanberry said that government's commitment to address the problem would not come to an end when the six-month Used Lead Acid Battery (ULAB) project concludes in November....

The Clarendon health sector is benefiting from the services of eight Nigerian nurses, under a technical cooperation agreement between the Government of Jamaica and the Republic of Nigeria. Among the group are: one nurse anaesthetist, one accident and emergency nurse, one perioperative (theatre nurse), and one community nurse. According to Michael Bent, Parish Manager for the Clarendon Health Department, the...

Cabinet has approved a $5.6 billion contract for Segment 3 of the Northern Coastal Highway Project (NCHIP). Prime Minister P.J Patterson, who made the disclosure at Monday's (Sept. 5) post Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House, said that the project would be financed under agreements effected with the European Union, which would be providing a grant of some 66 million...

Delegates from across the region are steadily pouring in for the historic PetroCaribe Summit being held at the Ritz-Carlton, Montego Bay, from September 3-6, 2005. Over thirty delegates from Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, Suriname, and Trinidad & Tobago have already arrived including two heads of delegation, the Prime Minister of Guyana, the Hon. Samuel Hinds and Montserratian Chief Minister, the...

Technical officials attending the PetroCaribe Summit, yesterday (Sept. 3) met to finalize an agenda and make recommendations for the ministerial meeting being convened today, at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Montego Bay. The agenda prepared by the officials includes recommendations for the establishment of the institutional framework for the operation of the PetroCaribe Agreement signed in Puerto de la Cruz, Venezuela, on...

As of this month, the National Health Fund (NHF) will begin issuing health cards to registered seniors under the Jamaica Drugs for the Elderly Programme (JADEP) on reaching the age of 60. More than 100 seniors so far are expected to benefit from this move by the NHF. Executive Director of the National Council for Senior Citizens, Beverly Taylor, told...

A plan to develop organic agriculture in St. Thomas is currently under review by the Ministry of Agriculture and if implemented, the $4 million project is expected to revolutionize the small farming sector in the parish. According to State Minister in the Ministry of Transport and Works, and Member of Parliament for Eastern St. Thomas, Dr. Fenton Ferguson, if approved...

Jamaica's poultry industry has placed the country among the five leading countries within CARICOM with a potential for intra-regional trade in whole chicken. Jamaica is also one of four countries with an opportunity to trade in chicken parts. State Minister in the Ministry of Agriculture, Errol Ennis made this disclosure as he addressed poultry farmers at a Jamaica Broilers awards...

The parishes of St. Thomas and St. Catherine are expected to be an integral part of the decision making process as the Ministry of Labour and Social Security begins a series of public consultations to arrive at a consensus on adjustments to the country's minimum wage next year. The first in a series of four public consultations was held in...