More

Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller has disclosed that the gross enrolment ratio of students accessing tertiary level education now stands at nineteen per cent of the age cohort and that the goal of the government was to achieve a 30 per cent gross enrolment by 2015. The information was provided by the Hon. Donald Buchanan, Minister of Information and Development,...

Members of the Consular Corps of Jamaica have been commended for the representation they have been making to promote the country abroad, and the part they have played over the years in improving relations between the country and other states worldwide. Addressing the 8th World Congress of Consuls at the Ritz Carlton Golf and Spa Resort in Montego Bay, yesterday...

Government's initiatives to address trafficking in persons is bearing fruit, with 12 convictions and investigations to date, which have resulted in fines totaling $175,000 and four deportations. Minister of Information and Development, Donald Buchanan, who made the announcement at yesterday's (Nov.6) post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House, informed that there were eight specific trafficking in persons cases before the Supreme,...

A case study on the sugar cane industry conducted by the National Commission on Science and Technology (NCST), has recommended that the government provide financial and tax incentives for persons, who wished to invest in the sugarcane sector, including foreign investors. It also proposed offering tax exemptions on relevant equipment and offering assistance with soft loans through the Development Bank...

Several single mothers who reside near the Ewarton plant of the West Indies Alumina Company (Windalco), in St. Catherine, have been benefiting from a special home-based poultry rearing project, set up by the company some years ago. This initiative was conceptualised to encourage the spirit of entrepreneurship among needy community members. In an interview with JIS News, Employee and Community...

Minister of State for Industry, Technology, Energy and Commerce, Senator Kern Spencer, has called for increased use of innovative technologies in the sugar industry to ensure greater levels of efficiency within the sector. "We need to focus on applying more innovative techniques that will maximize efficiency within the sugar industry; innovation is a necessity that will lead to greater levels...

Plans to establish a Drop-in Centre for the homeless on the grounds of the Bellevue Hospital will come to fruition on Wednesday, November 8 when the centre will be officially opened. A collaborative effort between the Committee for the Homeless under the aegis of the Board of Supervision for the Relief of the Poor in the Ministry of Local Government...

In celebration of National Diabetes Week, to be observed from November 12 to 18, the St. Elizabeth branch of the Diabetes Association of Jamaica will be hosting a series of activities under the theme: 'Diabetes Care for Everyone'. The week will commence with a church service on Sunday, November 12, at the Bethel Gospel Chapel in Southfield, beginning at 10:00...

The St. Elizabeth Homecoming Foundation (SEHF) will be staging a 'Future Leaders' conference at the Hampton School on November 9, as part of preliminary activities for homecoming week 2006. Director of the advisory board for the St. Elizabeth Homecoming Foundation (SEHF), George Watson, told JIS News that two high school students from each parish, identified at potential leaders, would be...

Some 150 students from 17 All-Age and Primary schools recently participated in an intensive safety training seminar organized by Alumina Partners of Jamaica (ALPART) working in collaboration with the Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB). The activity forms part of the build up to the company's 2006-2007 schools' safety motivation programme. Speaking with JIS News, Public Relations Manager at ALPART, Lance Neita...

Persons in western Jamaica can now access all the essential services of the National Land Agency (NLA), at the new regional Land Titles and Survey and Mapping Office located at 3 Federal Avenue, near the Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay. The regional office, which was established as a pilot project in May, 2006 has extended most of its services...

Senior Officials from the Ministry of Agriculture and Lands recently tested the nation's ability to respond to animal disease outbreak in the island, particularly, the Avian Influenza (Bird Flu). The simulation exercise took place in Old Harbour, St. Catherine is the first of its kind to be staged in the island. Dr. Headley Edwards, Director of Veterinary Services in the...