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Alex Wheatle, a British author of Jamaican heritage, has said that his new novel 'Island Songs' is a tribute to Jamaica, his parents and the Jamaicans, who came to the United Kingdom during the Windrush era. " It's a tribute to my parents' generation; the generation that left Jamaica to come to England to set up a new life. It's...

Assessment teams from various agencies of government are currently touring communities in Manchester, Clarendon and St. Elizabeth, to ascertain the level of damage as a result of Hurricane Emily.Parish Disaster Coordinator for St. Elizabeth, Yvonne Morrison told JIS News that the situation was "very bad' in a number of areas."Right at this moment, we have sections of the parish, which...

President of the Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS), Senator Norman Grant will be touring the parishes of St. Elizabeth and Manchester on Wednesday (July 20), to view first-hand, the impact of Hurricane Emily on the farming communities in these parishes.Assessment of Emily's impact, he said, will start in earnest tomorrow.Senator Grant told JIS News, that indications were that farmers in the...

The National Works Agency (NWA) has advised that the Palisadoes Road, which leads to the Norman Manley International Airport, is now open to vehicular traffic.The road was officially closed yesterday (July 16) to allow for the clearing of silt and other debris, which had washed up on the roadway from the nearby sea, due to storm surges associated with Hurricane...

The entire Jamaica is now breathing a sigh of relief having again being spared the wrath of another major hurricane.Hurricane Emily, a dangerous category four system, was heading for the island last week before veering south, sparing the country a direct hit.But even though the island escaped the worst effects of the hurricane, torrential showers and thunderstorms occurred in the...

Managing Director of the Transport Authority, Joan Fletcher, has warned that the government was adopting a zero-tolerance approach to breaches of the recently-amended Road Traffic and Transport Authority Acts and has called on all taxi operators to regularise their service or face penalties. "As it is now, the law is in force and the Transport Authority and the Police are...

President of the Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS), Senator Norman Grant is advising all fisher folk to take hurricane warnings seriously. This comes in wake of the fact that up to late Saturday, some fishermen were still out at sea, despite the threat of Hurricane Emily. Senator Grant, lamenting that persons were not taking all the necessary precautions, stressed that it...

The Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) is reporting that there are approximately 2, 296 persons housed in shelters across the island. The ODPEM has also received reports of flooding in the parish of Trelawny as a result of the impact of Hurricane Emily. Flooding has been reported in the following communities: Bottom Town in Clarkes TownWakefieldBunkers HillJones...

The Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) has reported minimal damage to agriculture in Hanover as a result of Hurricane Dennis, with only 40 hectares of crops estimated at $1.8 million lost. In his report to the Hanover Parish Council on July 14, Bernard Goffe, RADA Parish Manager for Hanover, said that vegetable farmers suffered $764,000 in losses, damage to condiments...

The Transport Authority, as part of efforts to stamp out lewdness and profanity on public passenger vehicles, has instituted a behaviour change training programme, targeted at students. Speaking at the JIS Think Tank on Wednesday (July 13), Joan Fletcher, Managing Director of the Transport Authority, observed that some of the activities that take place on the buses were just "a...

The Jamaican/United Kingdom (UK) Diaspora has condemned the London terrorist bombings and said it was "distressed" that someone of Jamaican origin was alleged involved in the attacks. The UK Diaspora, in a press release issued on July 15 said: "The Jamaican community in the United Kingdom is distressed to learn through press reports, which, though unconfirmed, allege that someone of...

The government has made $40 million available for the employment of approximately 4,600 secondary and tertiary level students under the 2005 National Youth Service (NYS) Summer Employment Programme. Reverend Adinhair Jones, Executive Director of the NYS, made the announcement at the launching ceremony held on July 14 at Emancipation Park in Kingston. He implored the students to make the best...