Sixty-five local stakeholders in the agriculture sector have benefited from training to better identify and tackle pests affecting hot pepper. The hot pepper quarantine pest identification and field simulation exercise was implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) through the Improving the Phytosanitary, Food Safety & Market Access Opportunities along the Hot Pepper Value Chain...

Construction of the Western Children and Adolescent Hospital in Montego Bay, St. James, will continue during the new financial year, from an allocation of more than $800 million. Details of the project are outlined in the 2024/2025 Estimates of Expenditure, tabled in the House of Representatives on February 15 by Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Dr. the Hon....

The Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre (GTRCMC) has been rebranded the Global Tourism Resilience Centre (GTRC). This was announced by Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, during the second day of the Global Tourism Resilience Day Conference at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in St. James, on Saturday (February 17). The Centre, which is headquartered at the University of...

The Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB) has reported that for calendar year 2023, there was a 20.8 per cent increase in the number of fires resulting from motor-vehicle crashes when compared to 2022. At the end of last year, the JFB responded to 453 calls for motor-vehicle fires, up from 375 the previous year. Motor-vehicle accidents increased from 1,079 in 2022...

More than 2,000 tests were conducted during the Ministry of Health and Wellness’ ‘Know Your Numbers’ campaign in Sam Sharpe Square, Montego Bay, St. James, on February 16. Each of the approximately 700 participants underwent an average of four tests, inclusive of blood sugar level, cholesterol, blood pressure, haemoglobin, body mass index and eye examinations, among other health checks. Portfolio...

To further decrease infections in high-risks groups, the Government has set aside more than $1 billion for the National HIV/AIDS Response in Jamaica Project during the 2024/2025 fiscal year. The programme is geared at reducing AIDS-related morbidity by providing effective biomedical and supporting services and reducing new HIV infections among key populations through behavioural and structural interventions. Full information of...

The Government will be spending $845 million in its continued thrust to end the shift system and reduce overcrowding in schools, by constructing additional classrooms and other amenities during the upcoming fiscal year. Among the projects listed in the 2024/25 Estimates of Expenditure are the completion of architectural and civil/structural designs for Dias Infant School, and Papine and Newell High...