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A Bill, which seeks to reform the island's pension system and install safeguards to avoid the imprudent investment of pension funds was yesterday (March 23) passed in the House of Representatives with 48 amendments. The Bill entitled, 'The Pensions (Superannuation Funds and Retirement Schemes) Act, 2003 was piloted in the House last week by State Minister in the Ministry of...

Inspections being carried out by the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) and the Banana Board have identified to date, a total of eight hectares (20 acres) of bananas in four areas of St. James that are infected with the devastating Moko disease. The inspections continue, while the government is moving rapidly to prevent the spread of the disease to unaffected...

The Central Information Technology Office (CITO) will inform public and private sector executives about measures being implemented to enhance the local business environment over the next 12 to 18 months, at the Friday Policy Forum to be held at the Old Hope campus of the Management Institute for National Development (MIND) on March 26. Michael duQuesnay, Chief Executive Officer of...

There has been a 28.8 per cent increase in the proportion of the population using electricity for lighting purposes over the last ten years, and a 67 per cent decline in the size of the population using kerosene over the same period. This is according to the recently released Jamaica Survey of Living Conditions 2002, which was published by the...

Modernisation efforts at the Postal Corporation of Jamaica (Postcorp) are expected to decentralise the operations at the Central Sorting Office (CSO) to regional hubs and to utilise postal codes for efficiency in sorting mails. Speaking with JIS News, Deputy Postmaster General in charge of Operations, Michael Gentles said that the move was part of the overall strategy to modernise the...

Residents of Pedro River in St. Ann are now better prepared against flood disasters having benefited from a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)-funded disaster management strengthening project. The project is being implemented by the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) and involves the installation of equipment to monitor rainfall flow so as to effectively implement mitigation plans. The...

The Government has agreed to the sale of 20.25 hectares (50 acres) of land at Cow Park, St. Catherine to the WISYNCO Group to facilitate expansion of the company's White Marl plant. Information Minister, Senator Burchell Whiteman, who made the announcement at Monday's (March 22) post-Cabinet press briefing, held at Jamaica House, said that the sale price would be between...

The Government has agreed to the sale of 20.25 hectares (50 acres) of land at Cow Park, St. Catherine to the WISYNCO Group to facilitate expansion of the company's White Marl plant. Information Minister, Senator Burchell Whiteman, who made the announcement at Monday's (March 22) post-Cabinet press briefing, held at Jamaica House, said that the sale price would be between...

By year's end, Jamaica's children may be able to give testimony in court via live video links, in order to reduce the trauma associated with testifying in person. Rape victims could also be next in line to benefit from this impending development. Speaking with JIS News, Consultant in the Ministry of Justice, Mr. Canute Brown said: "We have young vulnerable...

By year's end, Jamaica's children may be able to give testimony in court via live video links, in order to reduce the trauma associated with testifying in person. Rape victims could also be next in line to benefit from this impending development. Speaking with JIS News, Consultant in the Ministry of Justice, Mr. Canute Brown said: "We have young vulnerable...

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Ruud Lubbers, has lauded the Government and the people of Jamaica for the "generosity of spirit" with which the country has received, and continues to receive displaced Haitians. In a March 16 letter to Prime Minister P. J. Patterson, Mr. Lubbers said that "at a time of instability in Haiti, which has led...

Cabinet has given approval for $72 million to be used to finance the implementation of energy efficiency measures in four public hospitals. The four institutions are the Cornwall Regional in St. James; Bustamante Hospital for Children in Kingston; Princess Margaret in St. Thomas, and the St. Ann's Bay Hospital in St. Ann. Making the announcement at yesterday's (March 22) post...