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Organisers of the Penn Relays have decided to reserve a section of the north grandstand of the Ben Franklin Stadium for Team Jamaica Bickle (TJB), a New York based independent outfit that has been providing for students/athletes from Jamaica and the Caribbean community. The 113th running of the Penn Relays will take place at the Ben Franklin Stadium, University of...

President of Team Jamaica Bickle (TJB), Irwine Clare, Sr., has said that volunteerism has fueled the growth of the group over the 11 years since it was established in New York and Philadelphia in the United States. Speaking at a fund-raising reception at the corporate offices of PECO Energy, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on April 10, Mr. Clare told an audience...

The Police have now received partial toxicology results in the Bob Woolmer murder case. Mr. Woolmer, the Pakistani Cricket Coach, was found unconscious in his hotel room at the Jamaica Pegasus on March 18 and was later pronounced dead at the University Hospital of the West Indies. A pathologist report revealed that death was due to asphyxia as a result...

The Export-Import (EX-IM) Bank proposes to on-lend more than $4 billion over the fiscal year 2007/08.This was announced yesterday (April 12), by Minister of Finance and Planning, Dr. Omar Davies, when he opened the 2007/08 Budget Debate in the House of Representatives. "This figure, it is projected, will be disaggregated as follows : manufacturing will receive $1.9 billion; tourism and...

Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller said any agreement to conclude the Doha Round of World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations should give consideration to the needs and special circumstances of people in the developing world. She made the comment on Friday (Apr. 13) during talks with Mr. Pascal Lamy, Director General of the WTO who paid a courtesy call on her...

The government will be increasing grant assistance under the Student Loan Programme for the 2007/08 academic year, with the number of beneficiaries to move to 3,600 from 2,290 last year. Finance and Planning Minister, Dr. Omar Davies, who made the announcement in the House of Representatives yesterday (April 12), where he opened the 2007/08 Budget Debate, noted that grants to...

Minister of Finance and Planning, Dr. Omar Davies, has said that during this fiscal year, an additional 15,500 poor and disadvantage persons will receive benefits under the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH). The Minister, who opened the 2007/08 Budget Debate in the House of Representatives yesterday (April 12), informed that this increase would bring the total number...

Minister of Finance and Planning, Dr. Omar Davies has said there would be no change in the income tax threshold or the treatment of special allowances during the current fiscal year. Opening the 2007/08 Budget Debate in the House yesterday (April 12), Dr. Davies said the issue had received significant publicity "with charges of betrayal of a solemn promise," but...

Finance and Planning Minister, Dr. Omar Davies, has said that during this financial year, the government would be re-doubling its efforts to bring more persons under the tax net. Dr. Davies, who was speaking during yesterday's (April 12) opening of the 2007/08 Budget Debate in the House of Representatives, said that as part of the efforts, the Financial Secretary would...

Beginning June 1, an amount not exceeding $1.5 million of verified Customs User Fee (CUF) payments per firm, will be charged as allowed expenses under the Income Tax Act, when companies are making annual returns. This is part of Government's efforts to alleviate the negative effect of CUF on companies' operations, Minister of Finance and Planning, Dr. Omar Davies said...

Minister of Finance and Planning, Dr. Omar Davies emphasized yesterday (April 12), that the Government has presented a budget, which called for expenditure to be the same in nominal terms as the previous fiscal year. This, he said, represented a cut in real terms, which was "virtually unheard of." Dr. Davies was opening the 2007/08 Budget Debate in the House...

Poverty decreased marginally last year to 14.3 per cent, which is 0.5 per cent decline over the figure for 2005. Minister of Finance and Planning, Dr. Omar Davies, made the announcement as he opened the 2007/08 Budget Debate in the House of Representatives yesterday (April 12). Giving a breakdown of the figures by region, he said that poverty in the...