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The Portmore Municipal Council is in dialogue with informal settlers along the Hellshire foreshore, in an effort to stall the illegal building of permanent structures and to arrive at an amicable solution. A number of illegally constructed commercial and housing settlements in the St. Catherine community were destroyed during Hurricane Ivan in September and persons have started to rebuild permanent...

The Clarendon Parish Council is celebrating Local Government Month (November), by focusing on assisting persons affected by Hurricane Ivan to rebuild their homes and their communities. This is being done under the theme: 'Together we can...Renew, reclaim and rebuild communities for a safe and prosperous Jamaica'. Grandlin Fearon, Acting Director of Administration at the Clarendon Parish Council, told JIS News...

The government of Jamaica has launched the Violence Prevention Alliance (VPA) as part of efforts to reduce and ultimately eliminate the scourge of crime and violence in the country. The launch was held on November 10 on the Mona campus of the University of the West Indies, as part of the Faculty of Medical Sciences' 13th annual research conference and...

Some 150 persons in the Portland Cottage community in Clarendon have benefited from a training session on best practices to use in constructing houses, through the HEART/NTA Restoration Project. The training was held on November 13 at the Portland Cottage Community Centre, and was undertaken in light of the destruction of houses in that community by Hurricane Ivan on September...

The Ministry of Finance and Planning has initiated a special tax collection drive to increase revenues, and to ensure that taxes are paid in a timely manner. Speaking last week at a meeting with Compliance Officers, at the Ministry's National Heroes Circle office, Finance and Planning Minister,Dr. Omar Davies advised them that the drive was aimed at reducing the current...

Minister of Industry and Tourism, Aloun Ndombet-Assamba has said that while the island "bounced back" very quickly following Hurricane Ivan in September, there was still need for assistance as many people experienced significant personal losses. "Our farmers suffered great loss, especially in sugar cane and bananas. We lost livestock and cash crops. There are still needs in Jamaica. A lot...

Citizens of Darliston and adjoining communities in Eastern Westmoreland are to benefit from a bus park to be constructed by the Ministry of Water and Housing at a cost of $3.35 million. Sanjon Asphalting, a construction company located in Savanna-La-Mar, has been awarded the contract for the project, which should begin in two weeks and completed early next year. On...

The organisers of Camp Yellowbird, the annual summer progamme for children and adolescents with diabetes, have renewed their appeal for the donation of land to establish a permanent site for the camp. The camp, which was established in 1992 through the foresight of the Diabetes Association of Jamaica (DAJ) and the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation with technical support from the Ministry...

Statistics from the Registrar General's Department (RGD) have identified diabetes as the second leading cause of deaths in adults, with the disease accounting for a total of 1,477 deaths in 2002. As contained in the RGD's 2002 Vital Statistics Report, women made up the majority of persons who perished from the disease, with 927 reported deaths. This is a reduction...

Bee farmers across the island are benefiting from a series of training sessions in bee colony management, sponsored by the Apiculture Unit of the Ministry of Agriculture. Cecil Willis, Apiculture Officer for Portland and St. Mary, told JIS News that the seminars where being held in conjunction with the Inter American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and were designed...

National Security Minister, Dr. Peter Phillips has strongly denied that government was covering-up unlawful killings by the police and said that persons making allegations to the contrary were only out to ruin Jamaica's reputation abroad and destroy morale within the police force. "There is absolutely no foundation whatsoever for the allegations that have been made that there is any cover-up...

Minister of Finance and Planning, Dr. Omar Davies has said that the outlook for the economy was positive, with investments coming into the island and the chief sectors already recovering from Hurricane Ivan. Minister of Finance & Planning, Dr. Omar Davies (2nd left) was the main presenter at a Gleaner/Jamaica National Building Society (JNBS) sponsored forum entitled, 'Outlook for the...