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The first set of 23 heavy duty mechanics, who were selected in October 2008, by a team from the Coast Mountain Bus Company in Vancouver, Canada, under the Okanagan College (Operation 120) Programme, departed the island on December 5. The company, which has a fleet of 1,200 buses, forged a partnership with the Ministry of Labour and Social Security earlier...

Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Audley Shaw, has emphasised that the Government has no intention of abandoning the national airline, Air Jamaica, after it is divested next year. Addressing members of the Caribbean diaspora, who gathered at an Air Jamaica customer appreciation dinner last night (December 5), at the Westin Hotel in Baltimore, Maryland, Mr. Shaw pointed out...

A "Make a Film in 24 Hours" competition will be one of a number of special activities at the second annual Reggae Film Festival (RFF) scheduled for February 23 - 27, 2009 at Emancipation Park in Kingston. In an interview with JIS News, one of the chief organisers, Ministry of Information, Culture, Youth and Sports (MICYS) consultant, Barbara Blake Hannah,...

The Export Centre and Business Information Point, geared towards improving the efficiency of small business, by providing easy access to critical information to entrepreneurs, was yesterday (December 4), opened at the offices of the St. Elizabeth Co-operative Credit Union, in Santa Cruz. Programme Manager of the Private Sector Development Project (PSDP), Wynette Anderson, in outlining the benefits under the project,...

Health and Environment Minister, Rudyard Spencer, has said that several initiatives implemented through the efforts of sector stakeholders and other interests, are resulting in a reduction in the prevalence of HIV/AIDS, and the number of cases of malaria, dengue fever, and leptospirosis detected and diagnosed in Jamaica. Speaking at the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO)/Caribbean Food and Nutrition Institute (CFNI)...

Minister of State in the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, Andrew Gallimore, has commended a number of private sector entities for their continued support to the disabled community through the Abilities Foundation. Mr. Gallimore, who was speaking at the launch of the Abilities Foundation's sidewalk and signage projects at the organisation's offices on Constant Spring Road on Wednesday (Dec....

Laurel Matthews, a visually impaired student at the Abilities Foundation, is imploring parents of children with disabilities to take the time out to encourage and nurture them with positive thoughts, so that they can develop a sense of worth and independence. Speaking at a JIS 'Think Tank' Session yesterday (December 4), Ms. Matthews said "I would love to use this...

Minister of State in the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, Andrew Gallimore, is appealing for more employment opportunities for the disabled. "I believe that when persons with disabilities go to get educated, when they show that dedication and that perseverance, our society must reward them by giving them the opportunity to participate (in the workforce)," he stated. Mr. Gallimore,...

Government's intention to provide every Jamaican with access to a safe water supply by 2015, has been underscored by Minister of State in the Ministry of Water and Housing, Everald Warmington. Giving the main address at the handing over ceremony for the Bybrook Water Supply system in Portland on Wednesday, December 3, Mr. Warmington said that intention was in keeping...

Christmas shoppers and lovers of authentic Jamaican products, will be in for a treat at this year's Kumba Mi Yabba Christmas Village, the Jamaican craft producers' marketplace, set for Ranny Williams Entertainment Centre, from December 19 to 21. The Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC) led event, provides a platform for local producers and manufacturers of innovative and indigenous products and...

There is growing concern about the status of water worldwide, as a result of poor management and utilisation, as well as climate change, said Minister of Water and Housing, Dr. Horace Chang. "There is a growing sense that water, which is critical to civilisation, could become a major concern in this decade as a result of poor management and utilisation,...

A 17-year-old journalism student is this year's recipient of a scholarship donated by Arts and Culture Jamaica (ACJAM) in Toronto, Canada. Cassandra Padmore, a first-year student at Ryerson University, was presented with the award and C$1,000 by founder and immediate past president of ACJAM, Paula de Ronde, at the organisation's biennial Open House, held recently at the Jamaican Consulate General...