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With the effects of Tropical Storm Gustav, still being assessed in some areas, the Hanover Disaster Preparedness Committee, is reporting that of the 13 emergency shelters in that parish, one remains open. A family of eight still occupies the Axe and Adze Church of God Universal, in Eastern Hanover. This was reported at the monthly meeting of the Disaster Committee...

The Ministry of Information, Culture, Youth and Sports (MICYS), in association with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), will be hosting the International Congress on Sport for Peace and Development, from September 13 to 16, in Kingston. Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Faith Innerarity, told JIS News, that the Ministry is very excited to host the event....

The final round of stakeholder consultations on the National Fisheries Policy, began earlier this month and will be concluded by the end of October, in order that the document maybe tabled by year end for implementation in 2009. The document will form the framework for the re-vitalisation of the fisheries sector. Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Christopher Tufton, pointed out in...

The Director General of UNESCO, Mr. Koichiro Matsuura has lauded Jamaica for its fight against doping in sport. "I have followed with considerable interest the passage of the Anti-Doping Act 2008 and the establishment of the Jamaican National Anti-Doping Commission," Mr. Matsuura stated in a letter he sent to the Honourable Olivia "Babsy" Grange, Minister Information, Culture, Youth and Sports....

World and Olympic triple record holder Usain Bolt and double Olympic Gold Medallist Veronica Campbell-Brown have been appointed UNESCO Champions for Sport. The announcement was made by Honourable Olivia "Babsy" Grange, Minister of Information, Culture, Youth and Sports, at a news conference at MICYS this morning. Minister Grange read from a letter she received from Mr. Koichiro Matsuura, Director General...

The Government of Jamaica, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) and the Jamaica Defence Force Coast Guard, will be providing assistance to the people of Haiti, following the devastation of the country by Hurricanes Gustav and Ike. Haiti, regarded as the poorest in the region, has been consistently battered by the...

In keeping with his pledge to tackle the scourge of crime and violence, when he assumed office on September 11 last year, Prime Minister, Bruce Golding, tabled six Bills in the Houseof Representatives, proposing several legislative measures to strengthen anti-crime initiatives. Mr. Golding said although the country still had a long way to go, crime-fighting efforts must be sustained, if...

Honouring its undertaking, on assuming office in September 2007, to provide unrestricted access to basic health care, the administration, on April 1, abolished user fees at all state-run medical facilities, save for the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI). The abolition of the fees, which formed part of a larger and comprehensive health policy by the Government, seeks to...

Manager for the St. Ann branch of the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA), Pedro Worghs, is encouraging farmers in the parish who suffered agricultural losses from Tropical Storm Gustav, not to be discouraged and to continue to produce. "At present we are in the process of completing our assessment of the damage and to date we have picked up that...

The National Council for Senior Citizens (NCSC), will be celebrating Senior Citizens' Week through a number of activities across the island, to highlight the contribution of the elderly to nation building, over the period September 14 to 26. The parish of Clarendon will launch its series of events in an official church service slated to take place at the St....

Tourism Minister, Edmund Bartlett, has underscored the need for greater collaboration between the Ministry and its partners, to improve critical aspects of the tourism product, where Jamaica has not performed particularly well. Speaking at a workshop, jointly staged by the Competitiveness Company of Jamaica, United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and World Economic Forum (WEF), at the Terra Nova...

Tourism Minister, Edmund Bartlett, is projecting that the tourism sector will employ an additional 58,000 workers over the next 10 years. This, he said, is based on the level and rate of infrastructural development and expansion, currently taking place in the sector. Speaking at a workshop, jointly staged by the Competitiveness Company of Jamaica, United States Agency for International Development...