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Minister without Portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), James Robertson has said there should be greater emphasis on the use of public/private partnerships as a financing mechanism for infrastructural projects. "In order to accomplish this, we need to put in place a formal, structured institutional framework set up within the Planning and Development portfolio of the Office...

Parish Councils, islandwide have until October 31 to have their accounts updated and internal statements ready for scrutiny, as failure to do so could result in penalties such as disbursal of funds from central government being ceased. Minister of State in the Office of the Prime Minister, with special responsibility for Local Government Reform, Robert Montague, issued this warning while...

Some 44 inmates, from four of the island's correctional institutions, yesterday (July 10) participated in a major outdoor clean-up exercise at the Fort Augusta Adult Correctional Centre in Port Henderson, St. Catherine. The clean-up exercise, executed under the watchful eyes of more than 60 staff members of the islands correctional facilities and the police, fall under the expanded Inmate Public...

State Minister in the Ministry of Mining and Telecommunications, Laurence Broderick says the Ministry is "actively" seeking to reposition the local Minerals Industry to take advantage of opportunities, while countering existing challenges. Speaking in the 2008/09 Sectoral Debate at Gordon House on Wednesday (July 9) Mr. Broderick said that as part of the repositioning process, the bauxite and alumina sector,...

Minister of Water and Housing, Dr. Horace Chang, has reiterated that the Government is fully committed to developing housing solutions in an effort to tackle some of the social problems in the country. These will be developed under the Land Improvement Community Amenities Act Programme. Speaking with JIS News during a tour of sections of South West St. Andrew constituency...

Owners of small hotels and attractions can now benefit from a $100 million 'Spruce Up Jamaica Entrepreneurial Fund', which is a special programme to provide technical assistance and financing for small properties and enterprises. The main purpose of the programme, which is the latest initiative by the Ministry of Tourism, in partnership with the JN Small Business Loans Limited, is...

Members of a youth theatre group from King James I Community College, County Durham in North East England, will leave for Jamaica on July 13 for a week-long visit to explore the similarities in the lives of young Jamaicans and to look at a range of cultural and social issues. The Jamaican High Commission and the Jamaica Information Service (JIS)...

An international Antarctic expedition is looking for a woman from Jamaica to join the all female Commonwealth Women's Antarctic Expedition team, skiing to the South Pole next year. The woman selected to join the expedition will become the first Jamaican to ski to the South Pole. Expedition Leader, Felicity Aston said while they were not looking for a Super athlete,...

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is to sponsor an international investment conference on the Caribbean in November this year. In making the announcement, Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Audley Shaw said the event, which would be held in Jamaica at his invitation, would include a session with international investors looking at potential partnerships with local investors, particularly those...

World Population Day will be observed on Friday, July 11, under the theme: 'Family planning: It's a right; Let's make it real'. This year's commemoration provides an opportunity to raise awareness of the benefits of family planning, including its vital role in enhancing maternal health, gender equality, and poverty reduction. The theme encourages activities, events, and information that will help...

The National Youth Service (NYS) 2008 summer employment programme in the parishes of St. James and Hanover began on July 7, with 357 students from various schools being placed in working environments for the next three weeks. The second phase of the programme will begin on August 4, when another 123 students from both parishes will be given similar opportunities....

Prime Minister Bruce Golding has scheduled consultations with the Police Federation over the next ten days, following which Government will proceed quickly to implement new measures agreed on, in its continuing efforts to bring the escalating crime situation under control. Prime Minister Golding said the State is confronted with severe challenges that require greater responses than what has been mounted...