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Jamaica has received US$2.4 billion in funding support from Venezuela under the PetroCaribe agreement, since the facility’s establishment in 2005. Chief Executive Officer of the PetroCaribe Development Fund (PDF), which administers the facility in Jamaica, Dr. Wesley Hughes, says the funds, allocated between July 2005 and January 2013, have financed projects, spearheaded at the community and national levels. Speaking at...

The training capacity at two Corporate Area institutions has been boosted by the provision of an equipped computer room and learning software valued at approximately C$47,000, by the Canadian High Commission in Jamaica. The Salvation Army School for the Blind and Visually Impaired on Mannings Hill Road, and Faith United Basic School in Washington Gardens, are the beneficiaries of the...

The Office of the Children’s Advocate (OCA) has submitted a report to the Houses of Parliament outlining a list of recommendations on how to care for children, who are deemed “uncontrollable”. The report entitled: ‘Focusing on the Uncontrollable Child: Recommendations to the Houses of Parliament’, was tabled in the Senate on Friday, March 15. In its foreword, Children’s Advocate, Diahann...

Education Minister, Rev. the Hon. Ronald Thwaites says the educational achievement of students is being severely compromised by poor values and attitudes, where focus is being placed on material possessions and popular culture rather than learning. “We idolise bling, extreme fashions, whatever the current notion of popularity is,” he said, noting that many parents and grandparents, by their own conduct,...

Divisional trainers in the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) are being trained on the issue of child labour in Jamaica and how to combat the problem. This will result in the development of strategies to strengthen and expand the role of the police in addressing child labour in the island. A workshop on the subject is being hosted over three days,...

Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller says household workers, who are predominantly women, occupy positions of importance and make their contribution to national development. “This largely female cadre has contributed throughout every period of our history to the fundamentals of our development,” said the Prime Minister. She was speaking at the launch of the Jamaica Household Workers Union on Friday, March...

Students of the José Martí Technical High School have been urged to exploit the opportunities which schools present, to become all they want to be in life. “The sky is not even the limit,” said Principal Financial Officer at the Ministry of Health, Michael Maragh, who was keynote speaker at the opening of the school’s Career Expo, held on the...

St. Thomas residents are welcoming news of the proposed commodity port at Cow Bay, near Yallahs, as part of the Government’s proposed global logistics hub. Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Hon. Anthony Hylton, told residents that Cow Bay has one of the deepest harbours in the world, at a natural depth of 51 metres. This, he said, gives it...

The Broadcasting Commission of Jamaica (BCJ) is reminding Jamaicans that the hacking of data from a computer or telephone is against the law and persons caught engaged in such illegal activity could be charged under the Cyber Crime Act 2010. The warning came from Assistant Executive Director of the BCJ, Karlene Salmon Johnson, as she addressed grade six students of...

Plans are far advanced for the Easter Monday, April 1, staging of the Montpelier Agricultural and Industrial Show in St. James. Some $3.25 million has been allocated for the event, which is being put on by the St. James Branch Societies of the Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS). Speaking at the official launch at the Sunset Hotel in Montego Bay on...

The South East Regional Health Authority (SERHA) has injected funds into the upgrading and improvement of equipment and infrastructure at the Kingston Public Hospital (KPH), to improve the level of service provided to the hundreds of thousands of persons, who seek healthcare at the institution. SERHA Chairman, Lyttleton Shirley, said the minor operating rooms in the Accident and Emergency Department...

Communities in the West are set to become more integrated into the life of the University of the West Indies, through its Western Jamaica Ambassadorial Corps, comprising a group of leaders in the private and public sectors. “Through the advocacy and involvement of our Ambassadors, we at Western Jamaica Campus will benefit from their advice, their partnership and their assistance...