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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...

Minister of Water and Housing, Dr. Horace Chang, has said that the Ministry is putting together a policy document for the housing sector, which should be ready by the end of the year. Dr. Chang, who spoke to JIS News after a tour of Dougall Flooring Limited on Bay Farm Road in Kingston on (Jan. 8), said the policy will...

The theatrical production of the 'Harder They Come' returns to the United Kingdom (UK) stage this year, with performances at the prestigious Barbican Centre and the Birmingham Hippodrome from March to April. This follows sell-out runs at the Theatre Royal Stratford East last year and in 2006. The production at the Barbican Centre will run from March 6 to April...

Mayor of Kingston and St. Andrew, Senator Desmond McKenzie, has called for greater participation and accountability from councillors at the committee level. "Councillors must show greater interest and discipline in the committees. The people's business comes first, and I am expecting to see a greater participation of councillors to committees," he stated on (Jan. 8) at the swearing in of...

Government will be allocating $100 million to the agricultural sector over the next three months to boost production in ground provisions and livestock. Agriculture Minister, Dr. Christopher Tufton, told journalists at the (Jan. 8) post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House that $70 million of the amount will be used to subsidize the cost of fertilizer, while the remaining $30 million...

Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Christopher Tufton, on (Jan. 9) unveiled the newly appointed board members of the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA), which will oversee the Agency's operations. The board, which is chaired by farmer and agribusiness consultant, Dr. Omer Thomas, comprises persons of varied backgrounds including agriculture, manufacturing, law, and marketing. Other members are Albert Shand, Executive Director; farmers:...

Minister of Water and Housing, Dr. Horace Chang has said that his Ministry is moving swiftly and decisively to address the problem of informal settlements across the island. Dr. Chang, who was speaking on (January 9) at a Strategic Planning Retreat for heads of departments and agencies of the Ministry at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in Kingston, noted that this...

Prime Minister Ingraham takes over from the Prime Minister of Barbados the Rt Honourable Owen Arthur who served as Chairman from 1 July 2007 to 31 December 2007. Prime Ministers Ingraham and Arthur will continue serving on the Bureau of the Conference of Heads of Government along with the incoming Chairman, the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, the Honourable...

The importance of biosystematics has again been underscored by the Agricultural Support Services Project (ASSP) of the Ministry of Agriculture, through a mealybug and scale insects identification workshop, which opened on (January 7), in Kingston. Biosystematics is the science through which life forms are discovered, identified, described, named, classified and catalogued, with their diversity, life histories, living habits, roles in...

Governor-General, His Excellency the Most Hon. Professor Sir Kenneth Hall, was presented with copies of the first two volumes of reports on the activities and life of the late American civil rights lobbyist, Clarence Mitchell, Jr., today (January 7), at King's House. The presentation was made by Professor Denton Watson of the Faculty of American Studies, State University of New...

Government has moved to allay concerns raised regarding the operations of unregistered investment schemes in Jamaica, by instituting measures to safeguard the interests of investors. Speaking on (January 8), at the post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House, Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Finance & the Public Service, Senator Don Wehby told journalists that the measures to be taken...

In a bid to qualify for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, Canada, Jamaica's bobsled team will move its training camp to Park City, Utah in the USA, for the next three weeks. While in Utah, the four-member team will engage in a full schedule of training and competition with teams from within the Western hemisphere. During a brief...