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The historic swearing in of Portia Simpson Miller, as Jamaica's first female Prime Minister, will be web cast on Thursday, March 30, at 5:00 p.m. The Jamaica Information Service (JIS), in association with Emoquad and Cable and Wireless Jamaica Limited, will facilitate the web casting of the ceremony, which will be held at King's House, the official residence of the...

For over half a century, Morgan's Harbour has stood as a landmark at the entrance of historic Port Royal. After the somewhat lonely journey along the Palisadoes strip, the property's solid walls and old-style gates have long provided a welcome sight, seeming to signify one's arrival into another world, with the promise of an experience that can be duplicated nowhere...

The Ministry of Health yesterday (March 23) launched new competency standards for health care assistants, which will be used by institutions offering training in practical nursing. Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dr. Grace Allen Young, who delivered the main address at the launch held at the Ministry's downtown Kingston offices, said that the new standards, which guide the healthcare given...

The Companies Office of Jamaica (COJ), formerly the Office of the Registrar of Companies (ORC), has reported a steady trend in the number of companies incorporated over the last five years. Reports indicate that 1,355 companies were formed in 2002, a slight decrease from 1,357 in 2001; while 2004 had 1,735 companies formed, up from 1,578 in 2003 Data also...

Members of the Caribbean Educators Association (CARE) have awarded scholarships to two graduating high school seniors of Caribbean descent, and have donated school supplies and toys to the Woodlawn School of Special Education in Mandeville, Jamaica. The scholarship recipients are Kaidero Hutchinson, a Jamaican national of Pahokee Senior High School, who intends to attend Florida State University in Tallahassee, and...

The operating theatre at the St. Ann's Bay Hospital was officially re-opened on Wednesday (March 22), after an $11 million refurbishing exercise. The project was funded by the National Health Fund (NHF). "The NHF offers grants to public sector institutions to improve the delivery of health care. Grants are being made for training and research, purchasing of equipment and for...

Public health service in St. Mary should be boosted significantly when construction of the Type One Windsor Castle Health Clinic is completed. Construction of the clinic began as a community effort in August 1999, after two acres of land in the community were donated for that purpose by the late Henry Goulbourne. The total cost of the project is $7.9...

The College of Agriculture, Science and Education (CASE) will be making available, five scholarships to 4-H clubbites in Portland, which will enable them to pursue courses of study at that institution during the next academic year. Dr. Paul Ivy, President of the college, made the announcement as he gave the main address at the launch of the Portland 4-H Youth...

Executive Director of Jamaica Cricket 2007, Robert Bryan, has called on business interests in Montego Bay to work with the local planning authorities, to position western Jamaica to take advantage of the opportunities to be created by the ICC Cricket World Cup. Mr. Bryan, who was addressing a public sensitization meeting held recently at the Montego Bay Civic Centre, said...

Although 49,000 pensioners have already registered to receive benefits under the National Insurance Scheme NIGold Health Plan, Director of National Insurance in the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, Denzil Thorpe says the Ministry is still not satisfied with these figures. He points out that the Ministry is actively targeting the remaining 30 per cent of pensioners who are yet...

The Coffee Industry Board's farmer training programme has been boosted with the donation of $25,000 from the Kingston-based fertiliser manufacturing company, Newport-Fersan. John Allen, the company's general manager, told JIS News that the money "is to assist the board with its various training programmes offered to coffee farmers throughout the island". "We thought that they were doing a good job...

The Bureau of Standards Jamaica (BSJ) is developing a scale and colour chart to illustrate the ripening process of the ackee and indicate when it is ready for reaping. The move comes on the heels of the recent refusal of several cases of processed ackee by the United States, due to the high levels of the toxin, hypoglycin found in...