Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, is calling on regional leaders to scale up efforts to combat the threat of HIV/AIDs across the Caribbean, especially mother-to-child transmission. Speaking at the official certification ceremony for Jamaica, Belize, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, for eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis (EMTCT), by the World Health Organization...

Jamaica, Belize and St. Vincent and the Grenadines are the latest countries to receive certification from the World Health Organization (WHO) for the Elimination of the mother-to-child transmission (EMTCT) of HIV and Syphilis. The milestone was marked on Tuesday (May 7) at a ceremony held at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in St. Andrew, which was organised by the Pan American...

The National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) continues to tackle illegal dumping across Jamaica, having undertaken a cleanup operation at a site along Baptist Road in St. Elizabeth, on May 7. The initiative, spearheaded through the SPM Waste Management Limited, is part of a comprehensive strategy to tackle illegal dumping and promote environmental stewardship. On site was Executive Director of...

The National Fisheries Authority (NFA) has commenced phase-one implementation of the ‘IrieFINS’ online licensing and registration system. This will eliminate the need for fishers to come into the Authority’s head office, located in Newport East, Kingston, to either apply for or renew their licences, Principal Director for the NFA’s Fisheries Compliance Licensing and Statistics Division, Dr. Zahra Oliphant, says. She...

The Urban Development Corporation (UDC) will commence activities to facilitate construction of the New Houses of Parliament Building at National Heroes Park, during the current financial year. Details are contained in the Jamaica Public Bodies Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure for the Fiscal Year concluding March 2025. As stated in the document, the project is in the procurement phase at...

Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Hon. Franklin Witter, says following recent talks between Minister Floyd Green, a team from Alpart and himself, they are hopeful that bauxite production will resume at the plant in the near future. “We look forward to a new proposal being forwarded to us, so that we can engage the...

The Coconut Industry Board (CIB) is looking to expand agro-processing output and value-added exports by at least five per cent annually. This is among operational plans contained in the Jamaica Public Bodies Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure for the Year ending March 2025. To achieve the target, the CIB will be pursuing several activities this year to encourage efficient production...