A driving simulator, valued at $5.4 million, has been installed at the Swallowfield Examination Depot in St. Andrew. The equipment, acquired by the Transport Authority (TA), and was officially handed over to the Island Traffic Authority (ITA) on Tuesday (Dec.7), will aid in developing the competence of learner drivers, thereby enhancing safety on the roadways. Driving simulators can contribute to...

The Public Bodies Management and Accountability (Nomination, Selection and Appointment to Boards) Regulations was approved in the House of Representatives on December 7. Piloting the legislation, Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Dr. the Hon. Nigel Clarke, said the Regulations represents a seminal tool towards achieving good corporate governance in respect of public bodies. There are approximately 146 public...

The National Conservation Trust Fund of Jamaica (NCTFJ) has given grants to six entities, whose nature-based proposals will help to provide solutions for economic recovery in Jamaica’s Protected Areas. Grantees are the University of the West Indies Centre for Marine Sciences, Discovery Bay Marine Laboratory; Negril Area Environmental Protection Trust; Oracabessa Marine Trust; White River Marine Association; Alloa Fisherman’s Co-operative...

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) is reporting that 55 per cent of residents in Latin America and the Caribbean are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus (COVID-19). It is anticipated that this figure could increase with the arrival of an additional 1.6 million vaccine doses to the region this week, which Director, Dr. Carissa Etienne, says will bring the number...

Minister of Housing, Urban Renewal, Environment and Climate Change, Hon. Pearnel Charles Jr., says Jamaica can capitalise on the growing ecotourism sector through the concerted efforts of all stakeholders in preserving and conserving the country’s rich biodiversity. He noted that there are travellers “who want to go on hikes and who want to go on trails and who just want...

The House of Representatives has approved the Major Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Agency (Investigation and Prosecution Procedures) Regulations, 2021. At the sitting of the House on December 7, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Security, Hon. Dr. Horace Chang, said the Major Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Agency (MOCA) was established by virtue of the MOCA Act, 2018, to carry...

The House of Representatives on Tuesday (December 7) began debate on the Corrections (Amendment) Act, which will facilitate tighter control of prohibited articles being transported in and out of correctional facilities, among other things. In his address, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Security, Hon. Dr. Horace Chang, said the Corrections Act, 1985, and the Correctional Institution (Adult Correctional...