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The Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) will now place focus on priority needs as identified by Cabinet, as it wraps up its initial response to marooned communities in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. "All of our major humanitarian/welfare relief support in the first phase will be wrapped up today based on the information we have received that...

The House of Representatives, on Tuesday (October 30), approved the withdrawal of $1.8 billion from the Capital Development Fund (CDF), to provide budgetary support for the 2012/13 financial year, as well as to fund community development programmes. Minister of Finance and Planning, Dr. the Hon. Peter Phillips, who moved the Withdrawal Order in the House of Representatives on Tuesday (Oct....

Justices of the Peace (JPs) should see themselves as more than authenticators of documents, but as agents of peace, Governor-General, His Excellency the Most Hon. Sir Patrick Allen has said. “Being a JP is more than the authentication of documents and ceremonial activities…being a JP cannot be coveted as a mere status symbol,” he said, while addressing a group of...

A benefit concert to raise funds for the rehabilitation of the Ward Theatre is slated for the Institute of Jamaica, East Street, downtown Kingston, on Sunday, November 18, beginning at 11:15 a.m. The concert, which forms part of a broader fund raising effort for the historic land, situated at North Parade, downtown Kingston, is being organised by the Ward Theatre...

Head of the Organized Crime Investigation Division (OCID), Senior Superintendent (SSP) Fitz Bailey, said that all sectors of society must regard crime fighting as a serious issue, which requires their full support and participation. SSP Bailey, who was addressing the press launch of a security expo on Tuesday (Oct. 30), at the University of the West Indies’ (UWI) Western Campus...

Finance and Planning Minister, Dr. the Hon. Peter Phillips, says no consideration is being given by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to relaxing some of the stringent regulations applicable to the negotiations which the Government is currently pursuing with the agency. "The simple answer is no. The fact of the matter is, the essential purpose of the economic reform programme...

Minister with responsibility for Information, Senator the Hon. Sandrea Falconer, is appealing to Jamaicans still without electricity, to continue to exercise patience. She said the Jamaica Public Service (JPS) has been working hard to restore service following the passage of Hurricane Sandy last week. “I think as a country, we really can’t complain about the level of work the JPS...

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Portia Simpson Miller, says that Jamaica may have to consider setting up its own disaster relief fund. "Perhaps we have to look at how we can come up with our own insurance so that in case we have a challenge like Hurricane Sandy we will be able to act,” Mrs. Simpson Miller said on Tuesday...

Science, Technology, Energy and Mining Minister, Hon. Phillip Paulwell, says significant strides have been made in efforts to transform the manner in which government and, by extension, the public sector functions and delivers services, through the incorporation of information and communication technology (ICT). Speaking at the inaugural Government Forum hosted by telecommunications firm, LIME, at the Wyndham Kingston Hotel on...

Prime Minister the Most Hon Portia Simpson Miller has expressed sadness at the loss of lives arising from the passage of Hurricane and Superstorm Sandy across the Caribbean and North America.   The Prime Minister said: “The prayers of the Jamaican people and our hearts go out to our Caribbean neighbours Haiti, Cuba  and the Bahamas and the government and people of the United States...

COCONUT CREEK, Florida – Hurricane Sandy victims in Fruitful Vale and Norwich in Portland, Jamaica, were relieved when a caravan of containers and trucks manoeuvred past downed power lines and debris to bring them emergency relief assistance on Sunday, October 28. YB Afraid Foundation and Food For The Poor partnered to bring the critically needed supplies to approximately 700 people...

JPS is reporting that it has significantly reduced the number of customers without power in the last two days. About 24,000 customers were brought onto the grid since Monday, leaving approximately 36,000 customers without power at the end of restoration efforts Tuesday night.The majority of these customers are in the parishes of Portland and St Mary, where JPS faces challenges...