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In 1953, one year after bauxite mining began in Jamaica, the Government could not convince the companies to increase the royalty from the paltry one shilling to two shillings per long dry ton of bauxite. Robert Newton, the Government's Financial Secretary wrote in frustration at the time: "Facts mean money. At present only the bauxite companies know the facts and,...

The 20 year-old Runaway Bay HEART Hotel in St. Ann continues to be a leader in the training of persons for the hotel industry, both locally and internationally. This facility is also famous as a garden property, offering excellent hospitality service, predominantly by a young Jamaican staff. "We have had a lot of partnerships with overseas entities and we are...

The Rose Hall 4-H training centre in St. Catherine is providing opportunities for young persons to grow academically and socially by equipping them with skills, which will enable them to become productive citizens. Dermayne McCalla, a student of Spanish Town High School, is just one of the thousands of clubbites from the parish, who have benefited from the training courses...

The National Child Month Committee (NCMC), has extended the deadline for its poster and essay competitions to March 16. These competitions are the first in series of activities being organised for Child Month 2006 in May, to educate the public about the needs of children. The theme for the Month is, 'Restore the Family: Save our Children'. Sandrea Long-White, Chairperson...

Agricultural specialists from a number of Caribbean territories are in Kingston for a five-day workshop, geared towards increasing their knowledge of the management of agricultural irrigation technology. The workshop, which got underway this morning (March 13) at the Hotel Four Seasons, is being organised through a cooperative programme between the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the government of Italy,...

Today, we celebrate Commonwealth Day, and, in doing so, Jamaica's, membership of the Commonwealth family of nations. It is 44 years since Jamaica joined the Commonwealth. Today we renew our commitment to its shared values of tolerance, respect and equality and to uphold its fundamental principles of democracy, human rights, and the rule of law and sustainable socio-economic development. This...

Representatives of the island's legislature and civil society, in addition to students from some 25 schools across the corporate area and St. Catherine, participated in a mock ceremonial opening of Parliament today (March 13) as Jamaica observed Commonwealth Day 2006. The exercise featured presentations by members of the island's legislature under the theme: 'Health and Vitality: the Commonwealth Challenge.' The...

Prime Minister P.J. Patterson has announced that he will proceed on retirement on Thursday March 30th, the same day on which he will tender his resignation to Governor General Professor Sir Kenneth Hall. He said that in keeping with the desire for a seamless transition of leadership, Prime Minister In-Waiting the Hon. Portia Simpson Miller will be sworn in as...

The HEART Trust/NTA has collaborated with the Justice Training Institute (JTI) to offer training programmes for the justice sector. At the institute's academy in Stony Hill, as well as its satellite facilities at Twickenham Park, St. Catherine and at Queen's High School in Kingston, persons are being equipped to take on jobs as process servers, legal secretaries and legal assistants....

The HEART Trust/NTA has established a career development centre in Savanna-la-Mar, Westmoreland, to provide assistance to job seekers. The facility, located at Williams Plaza, boasts state-of-the-art technology and equipment, which were acquired at a cost of approximately $1.9 million.Services provided include job search and placement, interviewing skills, preparing resumes, career awareness and planning. Addressing the opening ceremony held recently, Merton...

Senator Noel Sloley has called on government to accelerate the tax reform process for the tourism industry. He said that an appropriate tax structure must be put in place for the industry, to ensure that "it makes a fair and equitable contribution yet is able to retain enough profits to be strong, sustainable, internationally competitive, provide a world class product...

Senator Dorothy Lightbourne has proposed that the office of the Children's Advocate be expanded to protect the interest of children in civil, criminal, property estate and divorce proceedings. Her call comes in the wake of the recent cases of violence against the nation's children, including murders. Senator Lightbourne, who was making her contribution to the State of the Nation Debate...