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A Bill entitled, 'The Property (Rights of Spouses) Act 2004', which makes provision for the division of property belonging to spouses after a breakdown of the union, was yesterday approved by the House of Representatives. In piloting the Bill, Minister of Development with responsibility for Gender Affairs, Dr. Paul Robertson said the Bill represented "a most significant landmark in Jamaica's...

The National Youth Service (NYS) will host another in its series of Youth Opportunity Fairs on Friday, February 20 at the Denbigh High School in Clarendon, beginning at 8:30 a.m. These Youth Opportunity Fairs target unemployed young persons in all the parishes. "The concept behind the opportunity fairs is to provide young persons with information about the employment and educational...

Approximately 300 primary and secondary schools across the island are making preparations for the celebration of 'Jamaica Day' this Friday, February 20, under the theme, 'Up Ye Mighty People'. This is the first of three days to be observed in schools this year. Hugh Douse, Director of the Culture in Education Programme in the Ministry of Education, Youth & Culture,...

The Jamaica Organic Agriculture Movement (JOAM) is currently developing a local certification programme, which will provide assurance to local consumers that they are purchasing certified organic products. This is being done in collaboration with the Caribbean Regional Human Resources Development Programme for Economic Development (CPEC) Speaking to JIS News, JOAM Chairman and Lecturer at the University of the West Indies,...

Renown Jamaican Poet, Lorna Goodison is one of the six featured poets in the London Underground's 'Poems on the Underground' project for 2004. The Poet's 'I am Becoming My Mother' is among the new set of poems in the project, which London Underground says is aimed at lifting "winter gloom", and has been on display in 2,000 Tube carriages from...

Director General for Tax Administration, Clive Nicholas has said that up to December 2003, revenue collection for the current financial year was 26 per cent more than the amount for the corresponding period in 2002. The Director General pointed out however that although this was a significant achievement the Tax Department was behind the projection of $132 billion for the...

Property taxes totalling $75 million have been collected in Clarendon over the period April 2003 - January 2004. This represents $10 million or a 15 per cent increase above the $65 million projected to be collected for the entire fiscal year. James Samuels, Acting Director of Finance at the Clarendon Parish Council told JIS News that the $75 million was...

Information Minister, Senator Burchell Whiteman, has expressed the view that patriotism and personal responsibility were key values that should be encouraged in Jamaicans in order to create a better Jamaica. Minister Whiteman, who was speaking on Tuesday (Feb. 17), Access to Information/Values and Attitudes forum at the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus, said that Jamaicans needed to stop...

Bank of Jamaica (BOJ) Governor, Derick Latibeaudiere, has said that while efforts to achieve single digit inflation for the next fiscal year would be challenging, the Government was committed to putting the necessary measures in place to attain that goal. "The Government's ability to deliver single digit inflation is going to be challenging but we will give it our best...

Director General of the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ), Dr. Wesley Hughes is projecting a 2.6 per cent growth in the Jamaican economy for the January to March quarter of 2004. According to the Director General, the PIOJ is also projecting a 3.4 and 2.1 per cent growth for the goods producing and service sectors respectively, in the first quarter...

The Regional Data Security Summit scheduled for March 17 is gearing up to be a critical forum for key players in the information technology sector. Three main regional suppliers of computer security products and services have joined forces to co-present the event, which is being staged by the Central Information Technology Office (CITO). At a press briefing on Tuesday (Feb....

The Government and the Jamaica Confederation of Trade Unions (JCTU) which represents public sector employees, on Monday (Feb. 16) signed a Memorandum of Understanding to among other things, facilitate wage, employment and expenditure restraints in the public sector over the next two years, as well as provide a structured framework for future dialogue between the Government and the Unions. In...