More

The Police Service Commission is pleased to announce the appointment of Deputy Commissioner of Police, Lucius A. Thomas as the new Commissioner to succeed Mr. Francis Forbes, with effect from Wednesday, January 19, 2005. Mr. Thomas joined the Jamaica Constabulary Force in 1969 at the age of 20 years and has served with distinction for the past 36 years. He...

The Government has established a Special Fund to help victims of the tsunami disaster in Asia and Africa. Prime Minister P.J. Patterson who made the announcement on Monday (Jan. 3) said the Government would make the start with an initial contribution of J$15 Million. Jamaican firms, organizations and individuals may make contributions to the fund at branches of the Bank...

Two Appeal Court Judges and three Puisne Judges of the Supreme Court were yesterday (December 31), sworn into office by Governor-General, His Excellency the Most Hon. Sir Howard Cooke, at King's House. Sworn in as Court of Appeal Judges were Justice Karl Harrison, effective January 7; and Justice Zaila McCalla, effective January 10. Sworn in as Puisne Judges of the...

As a result of the overwhelming response by the general public to the amnesty now on at the Office of the Registrar of Companies (ORC), Minister of Commerce, Science and Technology, Phillip Paulwell has announced an extension of the amnesty to January 28, 2005. In a statement to JIS News, Minister Paulwell explained that the ORC had received tremendous response...

As the Office of the Registrar of Companies (ORC) prepares for the implementation of the new Companies Act on February 1, 2005, it has installed a Help Line to provide support to company directors, business operators, lawyers, accountants and other stakeholders. The Help Line will be operational for at least the first quarter of 2005, informed Simonie Barrett, Restoration and...

The China-Caribbean Trade Fair and Forum, which will be held from February 2-5 2005, will provide a golden opportunity for private sector interests in Jamaica and the wider Caribbean to widen their scope of operations and forge business ties. Speaking with JIS News, Robert Stephens, Senior Vice President at the Port Authority of Jamaica and chairman of the planning committee...

The Montego Bay Street and Homeless Rehabilitation Programme, which is aimed at empowering persons living on the streets so that they can be re-integrated into the society, was officially launched recently at the Montego Bay Civic Centre. The project is being implemented by the St. James Parish Council in collaboration with the Committee for the Upliftment of the Mentally Ill...

The year 2004 was a very good one for the country's export sector, with earnings from traditional exports increasing by 24.3 per cent from US$800.5 million to US$995.4 million, while income from non-traditional exports grew by US$33.3 million or 22.2 per cent to US$183.3 million. President of the Jamaica Exporters Association (JEA), Dr. Andre Gordon, who made the announcement at...

Governor-General, His Excellency the Most Hon. Sir Howard Cooke, will visit Canada from January 2 to 8, at the invitation of renowned Jamaican Ophthalmic Surgeon, Dr. Garth Taylor. A release from King's House today (December 30), said during his visit, Sir Howard will have his eyes tested and treated by Dr. Taylor. During his absence, the Very Reverend Canon the...

Five years ago, a person would not willingly admit to having the HIV infection as the stigma surrounding the disease was so great, it was considered taboo. Today, while there are still reservations about publicly declaring the condition, individuals can feel more comfortable discussing the issue. This is the stage Jamaica has reached since the Ministry of Health put in...

Prime Minister P.J. Patterson has stated that Jamaica's contribution to countries affected by the tsunami disaster in South Asia could take the form of monetary assistance given the magnitude of the disaster and the cost of sending personnel and relief supplies over long distances. Mr. Patterson made the comment during a radio interview on Wednesday (Dec. 29). The Prime Minister...

Land and Environment Minister, Dean Peart today (Dec. 29) convened a meeting with technical officials within the Ministry and its affiliate agencies to discuss the establishment of a tsunami warning system for the Caribbean. The meeting comes against the overwhelming loss of lives, estimated to be over 70,000 and damage to infrastructure in South Asia as a result of the...