The Jamaica Council for Persons with Disabilities (JCPD) is seeking to create greater access to Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for members of the disabled community. Executive Director of the JCPD, Christine Hendricks, recently returned to the island from a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) sponsored conference, which discussed the role of ICTs for persons with disabilities,...

The Transport Authority will be working closely with the police during the upcoming holiday season to instill order and discipline on the roadways so as to reduce road crashes. Managing Director of the Authority, Donald Foster, said public passenger vehicle (PPV) operators and commuters are being targeted. “We would be working closely (with the police) during the holiday season to...

A study is underway to select local crops for biofuel production, in an effort to expand Jamaica’s sources of energy supply. Manager, Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency, Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica (PCJ), Dr. Peter Ruddock, said the company is continuing its research to extract biodiesel from plants, so as to reduce the importation of fuel. Speaking at a Jamaica Information...

Students from schools across the island will vie for trophies and other prizes at the Jamaica Civil Service Association’s (JCSA) 15th annual Secondary School Quiz Competition. The event is scheduled for Thursday (November 20) at the Medallion Hall Hotel, St. Andrew, beginning at 10:00 a.m., and is part of activities for Civil Service Week from November 16 to 21. Providing...

The Ministry of Health is encouraging persons who have been diagnosed with diabetes, to get screened for depression as well. In an interview with JIS News, Acting Director of the Health Promotion and Protection Branch at the Ministry of Health, Dr. Tamu Davidson-Sadler, explained that studies have shown that depression is high in persons who have diabetes. According to Dr. Davidson-Sadler,...

The Ministry of Water, Land, Environment and Climate Change, is developing a citizen’s charter, as part of measures to improve service delivery. The document will outline the entity’s service portfolio; standards for service; service delivery mechanism; and a commitment to the citizens of Jamaica and related stakeholders to deliver on specific service standards. Senior Director for Development Planning, Policy and...

Director General of the National Commission on Science and Technology (NCST), Professor Errol Morrison, says Jamaica must harness the “cultural science” of the nation to create wealth. This cultural science, he said, has been neglected for too long, especially in developing the medicinal plants industry. “There is a tremendous opportunity here, to build on that, to build an awareness, to...