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Cabinet has approved the compulsory acquisition of 40 properties in Hannah Town, Kingston at a cost of just over $20 million, as well as land in Leith Hall, St. Thomas, in an effort to regularise settlement for longstanding residents. Minister with responsibility for Information, Senator the Hon. Sandrea Falconer, said the acquisition of the Hannah Town properties will allow the...

Approximately 300 residents of Sligoville and surrounding communities in St. Catherine now have water flowing into their homes, after living without the facility for up to six years. This has resulted from the rehabilitation of the Sligoville Water Supply System at a cost of $50 million, by the Government of the People’s Republic of China. The system, situated at the...

Director of the National Meteorological Service (Met Service), Jeffery Spooner, says the agency is fully prepared to provide timely and accurate weather forecasting during the 2013 hurricane season, which begins June 1. “We are ready with all the equipment. Our Doppler radar has been repaired and we have procured some of the critical spares. Virtually all of the staff are...

Some 40 small farmers in St. Mary and St. Thomas are now in a better position to take care of themselves and their families after participating in the just concluded $30 Million European Union (EU) funded Economic Diversification Programme. The farmers, who were a part of the programme in Esher, St. Mary and Somerset, St. Thomas, were provided with the...

The craft sector has been further strengthened with the training of 30 producers through the recently concluded 'Craft Biz Facility' project, an initiative of the Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC) and the Development Bank of Jamaica (DBJ). Launched in April 2012, the aim of the project is to enhance the business and technical capabilities of craft producers in an attempt...

Director of the National Meteorological Service (Met Service), Jeffery Spooner, says the agency is fully prepared to provide timely and accurate weather forecasting during the 2013 hurricane season, which begins June 1. "We are ready with all the equipment.  Our Doppler radar has been repaired and we have procured some of the critical spares. Virtually all of the staff are...

Harbour View is the first of four primary schools in Kingston, St. Andrew and St. Catherine to benefit from a tree planting project organized by the JIS to mark child month. The activity which is supported by the Forestry Department will see a total of forty trees being planted on the school campuses.    The team from JIS led the...

The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries has signed contracts totalling approximately $90 million for drainage works, which will benefit Plantain River Valley in St. Thomas, the area where one of the proposed agro parks is to be sited. The works, which have been awarded to Pavement and Structure Limited, are to be carried out over two months, and will begin...

Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Roger Clarke, has given his commitment that changes to the law governing the fisheries sector will be brought to the House of Representatives during this Parliamentary year. The fisheries bill will make the necessary legal provisions for the sustainable management of the sector, which engages some 30,000 Jamaicans. Minister Clarke, who was making his...

Government has signed an agreement with representatives from the United Nations, cementing Jamaica’s participation in the ‘Making Cities Resilient: My City is Getting Ready!’ global campaign. The programme, which has been launched in 1,300 cities worldwide, aims to strengthen Jamaica’s disaster risk reduction and disaster resilience capabilities, through the development of relevant policies, tools and mechanisms. The campaign also encourages...

Work on the $1.83 billion Port Antonio Water Supply, Sewerage and Drainage Project, is slated to get underway in July. Water, Land, Environment and Climate Change Minister, Hon. Robert Pickersgill, yesterday (May 2) broke ground for the development, which will involve major rehabilitation and construction of water distribution, sewerage, and drainage systems serving the Portland capital and its environs. The...

As the Atlantic Hurricane Season approaches, the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) and the local authorities, are putting measures in place to ensure that the country is ready for any of the 18 systems, which have so far been forecasted. Acting Director General of the ODPEM, Richard Thompson, said the measures include ongoing interventions in a number...