More

The message of disaster preparedness and more specifically hurricane preparedness, was underscored in Montego Bay on the weekend when the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) and corporate sponsor Digicel Jamaica, held a hurricane expo on the grounds of the old hospital site in that city. The expo was geared at reaching residents in the western parishes with...

The St. Thomas Parish Council is enjoying renewed success in its effort at good local governance through its 'Taking the Council to the People' initiative. Secretary Manager, Clinton Gordon told JIS News that three years ago the Council decided to take its monthly meetings to various communities thrice per year, adding that it has been yielding significant benefits thus far....

Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator Dr. Ronald Robinson has said that while it is recognized that the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between the European Union and CARIFORUM countries may not be perfect, a realistic and pragmatic approach to its implementation is being taken. He explained that the debate surrounding the EPA has...

Jamaica firmly believes that the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) group of countries should seek to build on its core strengths and refocus its effort at promoting intra-ACP political dialogue and cultural co-operation; and strengthening ACP-European Union (EU) development finance co-operation. This was emphasized by Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator Dr. Ronald...

Opposition Senator, Sandrea Falconer is calling for a moral revolution among citizens at all levels of the society, that will enable the country to effectively deal with challenges. Making her presentation in the 2008/09 State of the Nation Debate in the Senate on July 18, she said that, as a country, Jamaica had "lost its moral bearings," with traditional norms...

Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Information, Culture, Youth and Sports, Senator Warren Newby, has informed that the Government is partnering with the Prince of Wales Trust to create the Jamaica Youth Business Trust, an initiative aimed at fostering youth entrepreneurship in Jamaica. "This will provide venture capital funds to citizens under the age of 30 with the only collateral...

Opposition Senator, Sandrea Falconer is contending that inner-city communities are not the major problem currently facing the country, but merely a symptom of what obtains. She argues that if these communities have been characterised as dens of criminality, then there is need to look beyond the immediate evidence to examine the root cause of such activities. Speaking in the 2008/09...

The Ministry of Water and Housing has embarked on a series of tours to get a first hand look at the ongoing piping programmes across the island as well as to view lands that might be available for housing provisions. The tour in the parish of St. Ann, saw the Minister of Water and Housing, Dr. Horace Chang and representatives...

The Government and Opposition will meet for the third round of talks at Vale Royal tomorrow (July 22), following meetings in January and June of this year. At the last meeting, the issue of crime, particularly as it relates to the witness protection programme, was the main focus of talks between the Government and the Opposition. The Opposition gave its...

Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service, Senator the Honourable Don Wehby, on his recent trip to Washington D.C. held wide-ranging discussions with the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) and the World Bank (WB). Discussions with the IADB were the primary objective of the trip. Minister Wehby, on the suggestion of His Excellency Alberto Moreno, President...

Twenty-one graduates from a five-week municipal police training course at the Jamaica Constabulary Force Staff College at Twickenham Park, St. Catherine are to assume duties with the St. Catherine, St. Elizabeth, and Manchester Parish Councils. The graduates are the third batch to have completed the Municipal Training Programme, which commenced in 1999. To date, 84 persons have completed training and...

Prime Minister Bruce Golding has emphasised that the sustained growth of the economy does not rest solely on the Government, but will be achieved by the collective effort of all Jamaicans, at home and abroad. "It is therefore time for us, to answer the call from various sectors and interest groups of the Jamaican society, for a greater involvement for...