Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller has expressed deep and profound sadness at the passing of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Wednesday afternoon, March 5, describing him as “a faithful and avowed friend of Jamaica”. “Although it was well known that President Chavez was battling very serious health issues, I was always of the view that the brave and courageous fighter...

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Portia Simpson Miller has made a call for urgent implementation of planned projects so the country can meet its targets for growth, debt containment, job creation and social protection. She told the Partnership Council at its meeting on Thursday, February 28, that this is a time for action on the growth agenda. “Implementation is what...

Distinguished hotelier and educator, Jeffrey Lorenzo McKitty, is the new Custos Rotulorum for the parish of St. Mary. Mr. McKitty was presented with the Grand Commission, appointing him to the position, by Governor-General, His Excellency, the Most Hon. Sir Patrick Allen, during an installation ceremony at the Claude Stuart Park in the parish’s capital, Port Maria, on February 28. The...

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Portia Simpson Miller, has welcomed the official opening of a new MegaMart store in Mandeville, which she said, will provide a host of economic opportunities. In addition to employment, local producers are expected to supply the store with an estimated $500 million in produce annually. The Prime Minister praised the MegaMart chain of wholesale clubs,...

The media, students, researchers, the general public, and other stakeholders can now visit the Office of the Prime Minister’s new, interactive web portal, which was launched on Wednesday, February 27. The new-look website, www.opm.gov.jm, which was designed by the Jamaica Information Service (JIS), is also maintained by the agency. Making the announcement and introducing the various features of the website,...

Former Prime Minister, the Most Hon. P. J. Patterson, says Jamaica must capitalise on sports tourism, to create wealth and grow the economy. He said that sports is now worth 10 per cent of the global tourism market and is growing faster than any other single sector. Citing recent studies done by the World Tourism Organization, he said that sports...

Good quality customer service is vital for Jamaica’s growth and development, especially in this time of economic challenges. This view was expressed by Communication Consultant, Fabian Brown, while speaking on a recent Jamaica Information Service (JIS) Issues and Answers programme. Discussions focused on the Public Sector Customer Service Competition and the link between good customer service and Jamaica’s economic development....

Cabinet has approved a proposal to amend the Trafficking in Persons (Prevention, Suppression and Punishment) Act, to increase the penalties for breaches of that law. Information Minister, Senator the Hon. Sandrea Falconer, explains that the law, which was enacted in 2007, had no specific provisions to deal with other offences related to trafficking, such as assault, carnal abuse, rape, child...

Minister with responsibility for Sports, Hon. Natalie Neita-Headley, says money has been identified to develop the Gray's Inn sport complex in St. Mary. She informed that the parish's three Members of Parliament have committed $700,000 each, from the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) towards the development of the sport complex, so that it will be able to host premier league football...