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With schools set to reopen within the next two weeks, the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) has launched a comprehensive website geared towards increasing awareness of children rights in Jamaica and the rest of the world. The website, www.unicef.org/jamaica/, encapsulates a wide range of issues affecting children worldwide and particularly in Jamaica. These include HIV/AIDS, violence, poverty, immunization, emergency preparedness...

Public sector workers, now enjoying a $15 fare discount on the Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) buses, are being advised that the concession is limited to 10 trips per week or 40 rides per month. Once the 40 rides have been exhausted, the government workers will have to pay the regular $50 per trip rate, explained Marketing and Public Relations...

President of the Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC), Patrick McIntosh has expressed optimism over recent developments involving the state owned bus company, which he said would advance its efforts to once again become a viable entity. Speaking with JIS news, Mr. McIntosh said his optimism was based on a number of things such as the newly granted fare increase, strategies...

Jamaican Alvin Curling, has been named Canada's Ambassador to the Dominican Republic, with immediate effect. With his new appointment, Mr. Curling, who has been Speaker of the Ontario Legislative Assembly since November 2003, has had to resign that position, in addition to giving up his position as Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for the constituency of Scarborough-Rouge River, to which...

President of the Republic of Venezuela, H.E. Hugo Chavez Frias, arrived in the island at 3:40 p.m. today, for a one-day working visit. On arrival at the Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, President Chavez and his 135-member delegation were met by a government team led by Commerce, Science and Technology Minister, Phillip Paulwell and included Custos of St. James,...

Seven past students of the Boston Primary and Basic School in Portland have been honoured by the Boston Old Students Association and Benevolent Society (BOSABS), for outstanding community service. The function, which was held at the Boston Community Centre on Saturday, August 20, is one of several events organized by BOSABS in recent years to promote community development and increase...

The Moneague Teachers College Basic School in St. Ann has benefited from a fully furnished library and media centre with some 1,000 pieces of reading and visual aid material for the students, through the efforts of the Girl Scout Troop from Miami, Florida. The troop recently completed a two-week summer camp in Moneague, where they participated in a number of...

Jamaican students destined for universities and other institutions abroad are required to be vaccinated against diseases before being admitted. Director of Family Health Services in the Ministry of Health, Dr. Karen Lewis-Bell, told JIS News that since several types of bacterial meningitis such as meningococcal were found to be common among university students in the United States and the United...

Prime Minister P. J. Patterson has emphasised that the Government is committed to the advancement of education, and that this school year should see many students benefiting from educational opportunities."Our commitment springs from the quest to build an egalitarian society, one which is founded on social justice and one which opens the doors for equal opportunities and serves to uplift...

Jamaica's High Commission to London, Gail Mathurin, has praised Jamaicans in the United Kingdom for their high level of commitment and loyalty to their homeland. The High Commissioner, who was speaking to Jamaicans in Redditch recently, said that since taking office, "I have also been privileged to meet a few of the many hardworking Jamaicans, who have spent decades striving...

Systems Analyst at the Trade Board, Carl Morgan has said that the agency has been re-engineering some of its processes, training its staff and acquiring new computer hardware and software in preparation for a full implementation of the Trade Board Information System (TBIS). The system, which will allow for the application of import and export licences or export certificates of...

The Jamaica Fire Brigade is slated to receive much needed equipment as part of efforts to boost its fire fighting capabilities and improve overall operations. Acting Commissioner of the Jamaica Fire Brigade, Frederick White informed JIS News that the equipment, which were being prepared to specification, include turntable ladders, water tankers, hydraulic platforms, emergency tenders, foam tenders and pumpers. "Island...