More

Government is pursuing discussions with Venezuela aimed at negotiating arrangements for the Spanish-speaking country to make fertilizer available to Jamaica at an affordable cost. Agriculture Minister, Dr. Christopher Tufton, told journalists at Tuesday's (Jan. 8) post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House, that this initiative is one of the long-term options being pursued to minimize the cost of fertilizer to the...

A Service of Thanksgiving for the life of the late Keith L. Carr, Sr., OM, will be held on Monday, January 14, 2008 at the Bethel AME Church, 1154 Blue Hills Avenue in Bloomfield, Connecticut, beginning at 12 noon. Mr. Carr, a Jamaican, died on January 7, in Hartford, Connecticut after a short illness. He was 77 years old.A fixture...

Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Finance and Public Service, Senator Don Wehby, has called on Jamaicans to hold Government accountable to budgetary targets as the country works towards achieving a balanced budget. Senator Wehby, who was speaking at the Lions Club of Kingston luncheon held on (Jan. 9) at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, said that Jamaica can achieve...

The St. Mary Disaster Committee has planned a number of events to mark January as Earthquake Awareness Month. St. Mary Disaster Coordinator, Yolande Williams, told JIS News that the month will feature a special week of observances from January 13 to 19, which include a church service this Sunday at the New Testament Church of God in Trinity, Port Maria....

The Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) is again focusing the nation's attention on preparing for an earthquake during Earthquake Awareness Week, to be observed from January 13 to 19. Speaking on January 9 at a JIS 'Think Tank' in Kingston, ODPEM Director General, Ronald Jackson said that, "it is the earthquake phenomenon, with its attendant sub-hazards that...

Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Audley Shaw, has said that the reform and transformation of Jamaica's educational system and the management of the external debt are of primary importance to the country's ongoing cooperation with the World Bank. The Minister's comments came on Tuesday (Jan. 8) at the conclusion of a meeting with World Bank Vice President, Pamela...

Prime Minister Bruce Golding is calling on the Church to extend its religious ministry and outreach programmes to more Jamaicans and help bring about change within the society especially among the youth and young males in particular. He said too many youth are growing up without a sense of right and wrong and the Church will have to step in...

Prime Minister Bruce Golding announced yesterday that Jamaicans, will for the first time this year observe the month of February as 'Reggae Month' to highlight the impact of the musical genre on the country's social, cultural and economic development. The Prime Minister also announced that he had written to Governor-General Sir Kenneth Hall requesting him to issue an official proclamation...

Prime Minister, the Hon. Bruce Golding has asked Minister of Energy, Mining and Telecommunications, Hon. Clive Mullings to meet with the Office of Utilities Regulation and the Jamaica Public Service Company Ltd. to ascertain the circumstances that led to this evening's island wide power blackout. The meeting is scheduled for Thursday, January 10, at 9 am. The Prime Minister has...

Efforts to mitigate the impact of Hurricane Dean on the Jamaican economy have been boosted with the signing of a US$10 million loan facility between the Government of Jamaica and the World Bank in Washington, DC. The Hurricane Dean Emergency Recovery Loan agreement, which was signed on (Jan. 8) by Minister of Finance and Public Service, Audley Shaw, is aimed...

Mayor of Kingston, Councillor Desmond McKenzie has challenged the 40 newly elected members of the Council, to carry out their responsibilities to the people in their divisions with fervour and without political favour. The 40 councillors took the Oath of Office on (January 8), at the offices of the Kingston and St. Andrew Corporation in downtown Kingston. Councillor McKenzie, who...

Government announced on (Jan. 8) that it will be subsidizing five basic food items as part of measures to ease the effects of rising food prices on the poor. The move is part of a $500 million provision, which was announced by Prime Minister, Bruce Golding, in Parliament recently. Industry, Commerce & Investment Minister, Karl Samuda, speaking at the weekly...