Newly elected Member of Parliament for Central Westmoreland, Dwayne Vaz, was sworn in on Tuesday, December 9, during a sitting of the House of Representatives. After taking the Oath of Office, Mr. Vaz was welcomed by Prime Minister the Most Hon. Portia Simpson Miller, as well as other Members of Parliament on both sides of the House. The businessman comes...

The Senate, on Thursday, December 4, passed amendments to the Mortgage Insurance Act, aimed at making mortgages more accessible for persons seeking to acquire a home. The Bill seeks to increase from 90 per cent to 97 per cent, the percentage of the appraised value of the property on which mortgage indemnity insurance is granted; and to vary the percentage...

Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Hon. Anthony Hylton, says the time has come for Jamaica to exercise its political sovereignty by replacing the Privy Council with the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) as the country’s final appellate court. The Minister was making his contribution to the debate on the CCJ Bills in the House of Representatives on Tuesday, December...

It was to the melodious strains of “Rivers of Babylon” that the flag draped casket bearing the body of Syringa Marshall-Burnett, exited the halls of the University Chapel yesterday (Nov.6). The Government of Jamaica had accorded an official funeral service for the late former President of the Senate and noted stalwart of the nursing profession. The three-hour long service, held...

Minister of Agriculture, Labour and Social Security, Hon. Derrick Kellier, says all is in place for the official launch of the National Animal Identification and Traceability System on November 13. “All things are in place; tags and tagging equipment have been procured, laws have been reviewed by the Attorney General’s Chambers and submitted to the Chief Parliamentary Counsel, and sensitization...

The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries is seeking to increase penalties for praedial larceny and also provide a strong deterrent against the scourge. This was disclosed by portfolio Minister, Hon. Derrick Kellier, during Tuesday’s (November 4) sitting of the House of Representatives. He was responding to questions posed by Opposition Spokesperson on Agriculture, J.C. Hutchinson, on what measures are being...

Quick response teams, comprising members of the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF), are to be formed as part of the Government’s response mechanism to protect the country from any threat of the deadly Ebola virus. More than 4,000 persons have died as a result of the outbreak of the disease which started in West Africa earlier this year. As a precaution,...