More

Some 137 new teachers have graduated from the Sam Sharpe Teachers' College in Granville, St. James, which held its annual graduation ceremony at the institution on Tuesday, December 7. Topping the list of graduates was Anthony Murry, who was awarded the coveted Sam Sharpe Teachers' College Trophy for excellence in academics. Mr. Murry was also awarded the Winston Stewart Trophy...

New traffic management measures will be introduced in May Pen over the next few weeks to control the flow of traffic into the town over the Christmas season.The new traffic arrangements are expected to start on December 15 and continue into the first week of January, with the intention that these changes will be put into effect over a long-term...

The Port Authority of Jamaica has announced extended opening hours at the ports, including weekends, to facilitate the clearing of cargo and to reduce backlog. The additional hours will be from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on weekdays, stripping will be facilitated on Saturdays between the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., while on Sundays, the container yard will...

Moving to keep pace with the globalized shift for international standards for goods and agricultural produce, the Bureau of Standards Jamaica (BSJ) has established a National Codex Committee (NCC), forging partnerships with the Ministries of Commerce, Science and Technology; Agriculture; and Health. The official launch of the NCC took place today (December 8) at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in Kingston....

The Consumer Affairs Commission (CAC) has embarked on a consumer education and media campaign to encourage good spending habits during the Christmas season. Tanikie McLarty, Director of Field Operations at the CAC, told JIS News, that the campaign was geared toward educating consumers about their rights and responsibilities especially as it related to trade agreements such as hire purchases and...

President of the Jamaica Teachers' Association (JTA), Wentworth Gabbidon, has called on leaders, teachers and parents to confront and eliminate violence and indiscipline in schools. He stressed that the future of the nation depended on these persons successfully confronting and eliminating these evils, noting however, that violence and indiscipline in schools were reflections of the wider society. "Reported incidences of...

The House of Representatives yesterday (Dec. 7) gave its unanimous support of proposed amendments to the Domestic Violence Act. National Security Minister Dr. Peter Phillips, who tabled the Bill, said that, "the amendments reflected an awareness by the government of the increased incidents of acts of domestic violence within the household setting and the need to ensure that all victims...

Prime Minister P. J. Patterson has said that Jamaica was firmly committed to the integration process, and had taken the legislative and administrative steps to ensure that the country's obligations under the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME) were met in full and on time. Mr. Patterson pointed out that the Caribbean Single Market would be launched in January by...

The House of Representatives yesterday (Dec. 7) passed two companion Bills aimed at further preparing Jamaica to participate in the single market aspect of the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME), slated for implementation come January 1, 2005. The Bills are the Caribbean Community Establishment, Services, Capital and Movement of Community Nationals Act 2004 and the Diplomatic Immunities and Privileges...

A comprehensive report prepared by the Education Task Force is expected to be approved by Cabinet next Monday (December 13), after which it will be tabled in Parliament. Information Minister, Senator Burchell Whiteman made this disclosure at the weekly post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House yesterday (December 6). The Minister explained that the report "seeks to do what the terms...

The government of Jamaica has entered into an agreement with a Brazilian company, to rehabilitate an idle ethanol-producing plant located at Petrojam's premises on Marcus Garvey Drive, at a cost of US$7.34 million. The terms of the three-year agreement (with the option to extend to an additional two years) stipulate that the company, Coimex, will provide the raw material required...

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Child Development Agency (CDA), Alison Anderson, has said that agency would increase its focus on preventive work, and place more emphasis on family based programming and more effective collaboration between service partners. She informed that the creation of the CDA, coupled with the promulgation of the Child Care and Protection Act, had finally provided...