The first day of the Portland eight-day clean-up campaign got off to a good start on June 4, with teams removing truckloads of old cars, garbage and building materials from the streets of Port Antonio. Leading the charge was Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Desmond McKenzie. Several teams were dispatched from as early as 6:30 a.m. to...

Jamaica will be pursuing potential business opportunities at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from August 5 to 21. The country’s Ambassador to Brazil, Her Excellency Alison Stone Roofe, says the Jamaican Embassy is collaborating with agencies, such as Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO) and the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), on several activities that will also target the Paralympics...

Vaccination against yellow fever is required to prevent the importation of yellow fever virus into Jamaica where the disease does not occur but where the mosquito vector and human hosts are present. Jamaica requires all travellers over one (1) year of age journeying from yellow fever risk countries to show proof of yellow fever vaccination by means of a valid yellow fever certificate....

Prime Minister Andrew Holness says The Government and the Jamaica Labour Party are mourning the passing of veteran journalist and Senior Gleaner Political Correspondent Gary Spaulding. Prime Minister Holness, in hailing the life and work of Spaulding, said "I admired his professionalism and his fairness.  His knowledge of the issues was excellent and over the years, you could always depend...

Minister of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Karl Samuda, says the Government is focused on expanding the agricultural sector in order to reduce food imports and grow the economy. “In setting our goals for growth and prosperity, we recognise we can never really grow and be the masters of our own destiny unless we can expand on those things...

A sixth form textbook rental programme will be introduced in secondary schools at the start of the 2016/17 academic year in September. Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, says it aims to offset some of the costs associated with student enrolment at this grade level, which he notes “can be very expensive.” “We have heard...

The Ministry of Education, Youth and Information will be doubling the janitorial grant allocation to primary schools when the 2016/17 academic year commences in September. Currently, each of the over 200 institutions receives between $30,000 and $40,000 per annum for cleaning and general maintenance. This is, however, deemed insufficient by school administrators. Portfolio Minister, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, who...