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The Meteorological Service has advised The Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), that the island is currently under a Hurricane Warning. This means that conditions will begin to deteriorate rapidly as Tropical Storm Dennis begins to move closer towards the island. Persons living in flood prone, low lying and coastal areas are being asked to make arrangements to...

It is rare for us to be exposed so soon in the Hurricane Season to the threat of a severe Tropical Storm but all weather predictions suggest that Tropical Storm Dennis is headed in our direction. I have been in direct contact with the management of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management and I have been assured that...

Flood prone areas are being given special attention as the island braces itself for Hurricane Dennis, the effects of which are expected to affect Jamaica by midnight. Speaking at a press briefing to update members of the media on plans for the Category One hurricane, Director General of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), Dr. Barbara Carby,...

Prime Minister Patterson has called the proposed G8 initiative to write off debt to the poorest African nations as "a step in the right direction". He said that the initiative was necessary and long overdue. He was speaking at a press briefing in Castries St. Lucia yesterday (July 3, 2005) where he is attending the 26th Heads of Government meeting...

Prime Minister P.J. Patterson has written to British Prime Minister Tony Blair outlining seven areas of concern that were discussed at the Second South Summit of the G77 and China which was held in Doha, Qatar June 15-16th 2005. Mr. Patterson presided over the Summit in the capacity of Chair. He was mandated by the Group to bring to the...

With the hurricane season lasting until the end of November, and the threat of other natural disasters being a distinct possibility, preparedness is an essential habit that all persons should adopt. Besides ensuring the safety of one's self and family as well as securing property from possible damage, proper storage of food in a disaster is an equally important method...

The Social Development Commission (SDC) is to host a public forum in Spaldings, North Clarendon to promote community development. "We are pursuing the mandate of organizing communities into sustainable governance structures under the theme 'Giving our communities a Voice', because we really believe that communities need to participate in and shape their own future," Field Services Manager with the SDC,...

Graduates of the Danny Williams School for the Deaf in Papine, St. Andrew, have been encouraged to face their new challenges with courage and determination, by Minister of Education, Youth and Culture, Maxine Henry-Wilson. The Minister further encouraged the graduates and students of the school to be independent and develop the ability to think for themselves. Mrs. Henry-Wilson was speaking...

Commerce, Science and Technology Minister, Phillip Paulwell announced today (July 5), that the Jamaican and Venezuelan governments have signed two agreements, one to significantly boost the country's accessibility to petroleum, and the other, to undertake a major expansion of the Petrojam oil refinery through a joint partnership. Minister Paulwell made the disclosure at a press conference, held at the Ministry's...

The Ministry of Agriculture is undertaking a $15 million beekeeping census to assess the true state of the industry and to properly plan for its development. Director at the Ministry's Databank and Evaluation Division, Michael Price, told JIS News, that during the four-week survey period, which started on June 13, "we are expecting to contact all beekeeping operations and carry...

Seven-year-old Neil is scared whenever there is lightning as he still remembers the day when, while at home during a during a thunderstorm, the sudden electrical discharge smashed a light bulb located in the ceiling of the room he was in. He later observed the huge cracks that appeared along a section of the kitchen's walls as well as the...

The Jamaican senior netball team has ended a successful tour of the United Kingdom, drawing a three-match test series against the English team. The Jamaican team, which won the first match in Newcastle, drew the second in Manchester and lost the third in Birmingham and will share the tour cup with the home side. The Jamaican team also won their...