The Mines and Geology Division in the Ministry of Transport and Mining is far advanced in developing a tool to forecast storm surges in Jamaica. Director of the Research and Mapping Unit at the Division, Canute Ricketts, made the disclosure in an interview with JIS News during the second International Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction held at the Ministry’s Hope...

The Ministry of Tourism has, this year, once again afforded hundreds of youth the opportunity to gain invaluable work experience within the hospitality sector, through the ‘Spruce Up Jamaica’ Tourism Summer Internship Programme. The initiative, which started in 2008, is being spearheaded this year by the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo). Some $25 million has been provided by the Tourism...

Minister of National Security, Hon. Dr Horace Chang, says the Government is committed to putting strategies in place in order to protect the country against cyberthreats. He noted that the development and use of new technologies, e-services and interconnected networks over the last few decades have seen a rise in cyberattacks, as cybercriminals take advantage of these advancements to commit...

The Hanover Health Department has heightened its enhanced vector control programme aimed at eradicating the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which transmits the dengue, Zika and chikungunya viruses. Deputy Chief Public Health Inspector for the parish, Fritz Francis, told JIS News that the intervention started on July 1 and is focused on high-risk communities. He noted that 60 temporary vector control aides...

Chief Executive Officer of the Real Estate Board (REB), Sandra Garrick, is imploring dealers to file reports using the goAML software. The web-based reporting portal automates a number of the reports dealers are required to submit as part of international anti-money laundering/counterterrorism measures. It will facilitate speedier exchange of data between the Financial Investigations Division (FID) of the Ministry of...

The Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MBCCI) has welcomed the Government’s decision to extend the State of Public Emergency (SOE) in St. James. The House of Representatives, on Tuesday (July 23), approved a 90-day extension of SOEs in St. James, Westmoreland, and Hanover until October 28, citing a reduction in murders and shootings in the parishes between April...

The Legal Aid Council (LAJ) is taking its quarterly Justice Fair to Savanna-la-Mar, Westmoreland, on Friday (July 26). The event will be held at Independence Park from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Executive Director of the LAC, Hugh Faulkner, told JIS News that residents will be able to access legal services and advice on a range of matters. “If persons...