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Finance and Planning Minister, Dr. the Hon. Peter Phillips, says sustained investments are needed to underpin economic growth, if the targets under the Government’s medium term programme, for which financing is being negotiated with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), are to be achieved. Addressing the weekly luncheon of the Kingston Rotary Club at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, New Kingston, on...

Finance and Planning Minister, Dr. the Hon. Peter Phillips, says the process of economic and public finance reform, as outlined in Jamaica’s Medium Term Programme, would have to be pursued, even if a new International Monetary Fund  (IMF) was not being negotiated. The administration’s commitment in this guard, he notes, is to ensure the country’s survival in the face of...

The Government is actively pursuing an additional line of credit for provision to the Development Bank of Jamaica (DBJ), to facilitate expansion in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and Business Process Operation (BPO) sectors, which can yield significant employment. This was announced by Finance and Planning Minister, Dr. the Hon. Peter Phillips, at the Kingston Rotary Club's weekly luncheon,...

Secretary General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), Dr. Supachai Panitchpakdi, says that Jamaica should focus on developing its services industry as this is currently the most promising area for economic growth. Addressing a breakfast forum at the Jamaica Exporters’ Association (JEA) headquarters in St. Andrew on November 15, Dr. Panitchpakdi noted that the services sector...

The much-loved sorrel drink has long been a favourite of Jamaicans during the Christmas period. As appetites grow for the taste of this delicious indigenous Jamaican product, so has the need for increased production of the sorrel plant, the sepals of which are used to make the drink. The Government has been working to improve efficiency in harvesting the crop,...

Minister with responsibility for Sports, Hon. Natalie Neita-Headley, has reiterated her call for members of the private sector to give more support to the development of the nation’s sports. She said this partnership will, among other things, allow the Government to upgrade and improve the nation's sporting facilities, which are located across the island. “The infrastructure that we seek to...

Twenty-two year old University of the West Indies (UWI) student, Vincent Taylor, is the 2013 recipient of the prestigious Rhodes scholarship award. The Munroe College alumnus, who is currently pursuing a Master of Philosophy in Computer Science at UWI, was chosen from a field of 11 outstanding candidates, comprising six females and five males. Governor-General His Excellency the Most Hon....

Director, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Sub-regional Office for the Caribbean, Geeta Sethi, says men must play a greater role in making family planning decisions. Her comments come against the background of a recommendation in the State of the World Population Report 2012, for the engagement of men and boys in family planning, for their own benefit and to support...

The Ministry of Tourism and Entertainment has decided to adjust the country's advertising schedule for the US market, after discussions with its team in the United States (US). “We will start advertising on November 26 to shore up our bookings in the US, and will have a three-week advertising blitz that will take us into the period before Christmas,” says...

Industry, Investment and Commerce Minister, Hon. Anthony Hylton, says a major objective for the administration over the next four years is to significantly improve Jamaica’s competitiveness and climate for investments. “This administration has put, as its task…that by the time this term of office should be over, Jamaica should be in the top 50 in the ‘Doing Business Report,’” he...

The Coalition of Better Parenting (CBP), through its various agencies and organisations, is working tirelessly to improve parenting practises in Jamaica. This is in recognition of the important role that parents play in the development of their children.   Co-ordinator of the CBP, Doret Crawford, told JIS News that the umbrella body works through its network of some 40 agencies...

In January 2010 Monica Jones (not her real name) was arrested by the police for possession of marijuana. She had just purchased $400 worth of the drug, intent on furthering a seven-year habit. She knew that her drug use was destructive and had long wanted to stop but lacked the will and means to do it on her own. “Plenty...