National Coordinator of the Housing, Opportunity, Production and Employment Programme (HOPE), Lieutenant Colonel Martin Rickman, says the programme is seeking to increase partnerships with private-sector organisations, in an effort to expand its reach. “We invite interested organisations to make contact with the HOPE office located at the Office of the Prime Minister and indicate to us what their needs are...

The joint security team, which is operating in the State of Public Emergency (SOPE) in the St. Catherine North Police Division, is imploring members of the public to cooperate with the soldiers and police personnel at the various checkpoints. Speaking with JIS News at a recent stakeholders meeting in Spanish Town, Acting Head of the Jamaica Constabulary Force’s (JCF) Corporate...

Prime Minister Andrew Holness says Jamaica has taken seriously its responsibility to each state within the African, Caribbean & Pacific (ACP) Group of States council, noting that no state will be left behind in the process. The Prime Minister stated that along with the CARIFORUM Group of states that Jamaica represents, the Council is committed to promoting a process of...

Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Hon. Olivia Grange, says she is focused on bringing several major sporting and cultural events to Jamaica. She made the comment on April 17 at a welcome home reception for athletes, at the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston, who participated in the recently concluded Commonwealth Games in Australia. “As part of our...

The Court of Appeal, downtown Kingston, is to be expanded to accommodate additional courtrooms. Justice Minister, Hon. Delroy Chuck, said the project will see the addition of three new courtrooms, 13 judges' chambers and two lounges within the next four months. “In four months’ time, we will be meeting down at King Street to hand over the Courts to the...

Seventeen-year-old Jason Palmer* wants to fulfil his dream of becoming a paediatrician and has taken the first step by getting involved in the ‘We Transform’ youth empowerment and reintegration programme. Jason, who is a ward at the Rio Cobre Juvenile Correctional Centre in St. Catherine and is currently undertaking studies in Human and Social Biology, Mathematics, Principles of Business and...

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has given high marks for Jamaica’s performance under the Stand-By Arrangement (SBA), saying programme implementation remains strong, with public debt firmly on a downward trajectory. In its recently released Executive Board Review, the Fund highlighted that strong programme implementation continues to anchor macroeconomic stability. “All quantitative performance criteria and structural benchmarks for end-December 2017 were...