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The Net International Reserves (NIR), of just over US$1.70 billion, is being augmented and should return to an estimated US$1.78 billion by the end of November, Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Audley Shaw, has said. During a teleconference with local and international investors, today (November 25), the Minister explained that a raft of monetary and fiscal interventions are...

The Jamaica Tourist Board, has taken over as title sponsor of the annual Jamaica Jazz & Blues Festival, which will take place from January 22 to 24. The Festival, Jamaica's premiere music event, will once again feature three nights of A-list performances, and this year will also place more emphasis on the destination with special resort and attractions packages, created...

The Early Childhood Resource Centre, of the Ministry of Education, recently saw 11 persons in Manchester, graduating from a one-year training programme, on parenting. The programme, which started in November of 2007, saw 35 persons enrolled, but reduced to 11 for various reasons. Parents were exposed to workshops to improve their academic levels, seminars on the role of parents, and...

The Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI), staged its first annual open day in Jamaica, at the Sam Motta Demonstration and Training Centre (SMDTC) in Knockpatrick, Manchester recently. The Centre, which was named after the late, renowned agriculturalist and research scientist in agriculture, Sam Motta, began operations in February 2000 on 20 hectares of mostly mined out land at...

Community Relations Officer at the Ministry of Education, Charmaine Gooden-Monteith, has suggested that persons should educate themselves about parenting, before having children. Addressing a recent graduation ceremony for parents, at the Manchester Early Childhood Centre, Church Teachers' College, Mandeville, Mrs. Gooden-Monteith said parents should impart values that were helpful in the past, so that some of the decadence in the...

Remittances to Jamaica have remained steady, according to Jamaica National's Sales and Marketing Manager for North America, Charles Spence. Speaking at a meeting of the Jamaica National Spotlight Series, in Fort Lauderdale, on November 21, Mr. Spence said that the company has not yet experienced any downward trend in the flow of remittances to the island, since the United States...

The first in a series of conversations with key Diaspora communities in the United States of America (USA), was launched at the Consulate General of Jamaica, in New York, on November 17. Aimed at promoting critical thinking concerning the further development of the Jamaican Diaspora Movement, the event featured speakers from the Irish American community. The conversation, themed: 'From Immigrant...

Children's Advocate, Mary Clarke, has said that her office will be taking a zero tolerance approach to children hustling on the streets during the yuletide season. "I will not hesitate to deal with every incident. Christmas is coming and at Christmas, we tend to see a lot of children on the streets hustling. We have to get them off the...

The nightmare or trauma of being told that your child is missing, or has been abducted, is one experience that every parent would rather avoid. While there is no foolproof way of guaranteeing safety, the Victim Support Unit (VSU), which operates out of the Ministry of Justice, is developing a risk assessment tool and profiling database, as a means of...

The Ministry of Agriculture is in the process of employing a Chief Executive Officer, to head the Fisheries Division in its capacity as an Executive Agency, and will be relocating the agency from its Marcus Garvey Drive premises in Kingston to expanded office space, and a better environment. This is part of the Ministry's programme of restructuring agencies for which...

In a 34 to 15 majority vote, the House of Representatives today (November 25), affirmed its support for the retention of the death penalty, as specified in the Offences Against the Person Act. Ten members were recorded absent, including Opposition Leader, Portia Simpson Miller, who is off the island. In his brief remarks before the vote was taken, Prime Minister...

Prime Minister Bruce Golding, told leaders of advertising agencies and media houses that like the achievements of the Olympians, their efforts can help to unite the nation to overcome issues of national importance. "We can find common ground when we share in something and where we take ownership of something. We saw ordinary people demonstrating their own extraordinary achievements which...