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Some US$1.8 billion, or 93 per cent of Jamaica's export earnings, was spent by the government to import 30.8 million barrels of petroleum products in 2006. According to Director of Energy, Economic and Planning Unit at the Ministry of Energy, Mining and Telecommunications, Yvonne Barrett-Edwards over the period 1995 to 2006, there was a "constant increase" in the consumption of...

State Minister in the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Michael Stern has underscored the importance of high quality service being provided by accredited medical laboratories to key sectors of the economy. Speaking at the closing and awards ceremony for the Laboratory Accreditation Technical Assistance Programme at the Terra Nova Hotel in Kingston on Friday (February 22), Mr. Stern said...

The sale of assets of Entertainment Systems Limited, one of the Corporate Area's larger cable outfits, to Columbus Communications Jamaica Limited (FLOW), is now on hold as the Broadcasting Commission obtained an injunction against both entities on February 20. The injunction restrains FLOW from acquiring the cable television and the communication assets of any other company, unless approval of the...

The Broadcasting Commission is dismissing the call to revisit the national cable licence granted to Columbus Communications Jamaica Limited, operating as FLOW. Responding to the view, Chairman of the Broadcasting Commission, Dr. Hopeton Dunn said that the licence granted to FLOW provided all the safeguards and care that are necessary in pursuit of public policy. "In fact, the provisions within...

Eight persons of Jamaican heritage who have contributed significantly to the development and preservation of the island's culture overseas will be recognized during Black History Month celebrations at the Brooklyn Borough Hall, downtown Brooklyn, New York, on Monday, February 25, beginning at 6:00 p.m. The celebration is a presentation of the Consulate General of Jamaica, the Jamaica Information Service (JIS),...

A website geared at informing communicators about issues important to them, 'massCommagazine.com', was launched on February 20 at the Terra Nova Hotel in Kingston. The website, conceptualized by Berbick Graham and Associates, started as a monthly newsletter (StratCom) in May 2006 and offers news and resource information, which focus on the media, public relations and marketing industries. Chief Executive Officer...

Hanover is to commemorate the 124th anniversary of the birth of National Hero, The Right Excellent Sir Alexander Bustamante, with a Remembrance Service at Blenheim, the district of his birth, on Sunday, February 24. The service, which begins at 12 noon, will be staged by the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC), in collaboration with the Hanover Parish Council. Regional Manager...

The 2006 Jamaica Survey of Living Conditions (JSLC) indicates that only 30.4 per cent of households in the lowest category received remittances, compared to 54.9 per cent for the highest. Speaking at the launch of the report on February 20, at the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) Grenada Way office, Director General of the Institute, Dr. Wesley Hughes also said...

According to the 2006 Survey of Living Conditions (JSLC), the country's poverty rate declined from 14.8 per cent in 2005 to 14.3 per cent the following year. Speaking at the launch of the report, at the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) Grenada Way office on February 20, Director General of the Institute, Dr. Wesley Hughes pointed out that, "no indicator...

The Negril Chamber of Commerce (NCC) in collaboration with the Jamaica Business Development Centre (JBDC) opened the doors to a Business Information Centre (BIC) in that town on Wednesday (Feb. 20). A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was also signed, to mark the start of an official relationship between the JBDC and the NCC. The BIC, which is located on the...

Director General of the Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery Ambassador Dr. Richard Bernal, has noted that CARIFORUM countries need to seize the opportunities that are currently available under the recently negotiated Economic Partnership Agreement with the European Union (EU). He was speaking yesterday (Feb. 21) at the American Chamber of Commerce of Jamaica speaker's forum luncheon held at the Hilton Kingston...

Minister of Energy, Mining and Telecommunications, Clive Mullings has said that efforts are being made to have Government's Energy Policy promulgated into law before the end of the 2007/08 legislative year on March 31. In an interview with JIS News, Mr. Mullings said the Policy was tabled in Parliament as a Green Paper, which facilitated a series of consultations, which...