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Government, through the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, will be providing additional assistance to the families of the 14 persons who were killed in the road tragedy in the Dam Bridge Community of the Rio Grande Valley in Portland on December 19. Minister of State for Project Implementation in the Office of the Prime Minister, Daryl Vaz, disclosed that...

Chairman of the Cinematograph Authority (The Authority), Joyce Archibald, has pointed out that legislative reform and capacity building would be the main focus of the organisation in 2009, as it seeks to enhance its ability to regulate Jamaica's Film Industry, and the exhibition of films to the Jamaican public. Highlighting the Authority's main objectives, she told JIS News that, "included...

The deadline for the addition of approximately 115,000 persons to the Programme of Advancement through Health and Education (PATH), has been extended to March 2009. Speaking in an interview with JIS News, Minister of Labour and Social Security, Pearnel Charles, said that the extension will facilitate the inclusion of the requisite number of people to the programme. "I was given...

The stock of money in circulation on Christmas Eve, December 24, 2008, the last shopping day before Christmas, stood at just over $52 billion, representing an increase of approximately 4.4 per cent relative to the stock of some $49.8 million, which obtained for the similar period in 2007. The Central Bank has attributed the relatively small increase of money in...

The Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS) has implemented several strategies, and is in the process of initiating others, aimed at assisting farmers to produce, market and sell their produce. In an interview with JIS News, President of the Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS), Senator Norman Grant, says the strategies have been implemented to drive a policy for food security, and ultimately increase...

Cabinet this week approved the appointment of new members to the Board of the Natural History Division, for three years, effective December 15. They are: Professor Ronald Young, Chairman; Marigold Harding, Deputy Chairperson; Tracey Cammock, Director of the Natural History Division; Dr. Eric Garraway, Department of Life Sciences, at the University of the West Indies (UWI); Althea Heron, Ministry of...

Cabinet has approved several contracts, including an insurance contract for the Housing Agency of Jamaica (HAJ), and for the Montego Bay Free Zone Land Use Infrastructure Construction, among others. For the HAJ, a three-year brokerage contract was awarded to Progressive Insurance Brokers for the placement of the insurance portfolio of the agency, and the appointment of NEM Insurance Company Limited...

The GraceKennedy Jamaica Birthright Programme, which gives college level Jamaican students living overseas a chance to revisit their cultural roots during the summer recess, is being renewed by the company for 2009. This programme, which was established five years ago, provides a unique opportunity for the students to participate in an all expense paid internship programme in Jamaica, while connecting...

The Government is calling on the nation to offer prayers for the families, communities and especially the children who have been affected by the motor vehicle tragedy in Portland on December 19. Minister of State for Project Implementation and Service Delivery in the Office of the Prime Minister, Daryl Vaz, is also reassuring the public that government ministries, agencies and...

Minister of Labour and Social Security, Pearnel Charles, has said that in addition to the Prime Minister's 'stimulus package', the Government is contemplating a social safety net programme, to assist the most vulnerable Jamaicans, amidst the global economic crisis. Addressing a JIS 'Think Tank', on December 23, Mr. Charles said that a part of the safety net programme would be...

Cabinet on December 22, gave approval for amendments to the relevant legislation, to give effect to measures designed to stimulate the economy, and to buffer the impact of the global economic crisis. These measures were outlined by Prime Minister Bruce Golding, in an address to the nation on December 14, in which he detailed a package of assistance for major...

Six persons, including former Secretary/Manager of the St. Thomas Parish Council, Clinton Gordon, have received awards and citations, for their contribution to the Council. The awards were presented at the Council's annual Staff Dinner and Awards Banquet, held on December 22, on the lawns of the Whispering Bamboo Cove Resort, in Retreat, St. Thomas. Retirees Kilroy Ford and Dorritt Woodcock...