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Severe storms and floods. Coastal flooding. Longer, more severe droughts. Intense heat waves. Unpredictable weather conditions. These are some of the effects of climate change. Many people do not know what climate change is. In fact, the expressions 'greenhouseeffect', 'chlorofluorocarbons' (CFCs), and 'global warming' are often bandied about without any real thought as to what they mean and how they...

A unique festival to celebrate the opening of a community centre, the La Condition Publique, in the French town Roubaix, will have Jamaican culture as its focal point. Called I-Land, the festival will last from May 15 to July 18 and its organizers, the La Condition Publique, have said they would seek to explore and contrast elements of life in...

Farmers of the Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS) are to benefit from farming equipment valued at some $12.6 million under a Tractor Tillage Project financed by the Development Bank of Jamaica (DBJ).The equipment was handed over at a ceremony on Tuesday (March 2) at the Denbigh Agricultural Showground in Clarendon. In speaking at the handing over ceremony, Minister of Agriculture, Roger...

The Export-Import (Ex-Im) Bank will launch a new loan programme on Friday, March 5, specifically targetting the Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) sector. Managing Director of the Ex-Im Bank, Pamella McLean, told JIS News that the bank would be making available to the sector, a total fund pool of $80 million, of which $20 million would be directed as working...

Prime Minister P.J. Patterson and Chairman of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) said CARICOM Leaders attending an emergency meeting in Kingston, Jamaica, have made contact with former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide and that he is reportedly in good mental and physical health. "We were able to speak with President Aristide in the Central African Republic this afternoon and he has informed...

Prime Minister P.J. Patterson has stated that based on talks with former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide on Saturday (Feb. 28) there was nothing to suggest that his resignation was imminent. Mr. Patterson made the comment while addressing a post cabinet press briefing held at Jamaica House on Monday (Mar. 1). "To the contrary, he made it extremely clear that the...

Residents of a number of communities in Clarendon and St. Catherine along with educators from both parishes submitted a raft of proposals at the third in a series of educational roundtable discussions hosted by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Culture. The residents and educators want the government to offer: compulsory education, reduce the size of classes, zone schools, upgrade...

About 4.7 kilometres of roads have been rehabilitated in the communities of Sinks, Burn, Comsee and Jericho in North Clarendon, by the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF). The official handing over to the Sinks/Jericho Citizens' Association took place on February 27 at Jericho. Operations Manager at JSIF, Omar Sweeney, said the project was financed at a cost of more than...

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has accepted an invitation from the Government of Jamaica to help in the design of an economic programme to reduce the public debt burden. This arrangement was arrived at, after a series of discussions between Finance and Planning Minister, Dr. Omar Davies and officials in Washington, including a letter to IMF Head, Horst Koehler.Prime Minister...

Major development work began yesterday (March 1) at the Norman Manley International Airport, which will result in the alteration and expansion of the ticketing concourse. The expansion work is estimated to cost $161.5 million, and will last for about 15 months.The existing ticketing concourse will be extended by more than 9,500 square feet of floor space, and includes the extension...

Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) are currently in the island for an emergency meeting at Jamaica House today, to discuss how the region will respond to the situation in Haiti, following President Jean Bertrand Aristide's departure from office. In the island are Owen Arthur, Prime Minister of Barbados; Perry Christie, Prime Minister of Bahamas; Patrick Manning, Prime...

The first year of full liberalisation of the telecommunications sector has seen the issuing of 58 international carrier licences and 52 international service provider licences by the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR). The third phase of a liberalisation process, which began in 2000 allowed telecommunications operators to provide international call service to customers without having to go through Cable and...