KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) -- General Manager of Petrojam, Winston Watson, has stated that the refinery is now ready to supply both grades of E10 (a blend of 10% ethanol and 90% gasoline) to service stations in Jamaica. Both E10 87 and E10 90 (Octane) was due to be rolled out in Montego Bay on Sunday. read more...

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MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica (JIS) --Jamaica will be hosting important meetings of Foreign Ministers of Latin America and the Caribbean (CALC) on Integration and Development, and the Rio Group November 4-6 in Montego Bay. Jamaica and Mexico are also scheduled to sign an Air Services Agreement. read more...

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NAIROBI, Kenya (AFP) -- World and Olympic sprint champion Usain Bolt could meet his match in Kenya when he encounters a cheetah for the first time. Speaking at a press conference here on his first trip to Africa, the fastest man on earth still displayed his trademark cool, not least because he won't race a cheetah. read more...

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KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) -- Minister of Labour and Social Security, Pearnel Charles, is to meet with representatives of the Nurses Association of Jamaica (NAJ) and the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service, next week, following the breakdown of wage talks on Thursday. Charles told JIS News on Thursday night... read more...

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LONDON, England (Reuters) -- Olympic and world sprint champion Usain Bolt believes the tainted image athletics has acquired after several high-profile drugs cases in the past few years will clear as time goes by. "It'll take a couple of years for people to start believing that we are actually clean... read more...

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MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica (OPM) -- Jamaica's Minister of Agriculture, Christopher Tufton, says a paradigm shift is needed by all countries to boost food production. The Minister was speaking at the opening of the 5th Hemispheric meeting of Ministers of Agriculture of the Americas. read more...

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MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica (OPM) -- Director General of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), Chelston Brathwaite, has noted that agriculture is critical for reducing poverty in order to achieve the Millennium Development Goals and for national development. read more...

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KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) -- Jamaica's House of Representatives has approved a resolution supporting the removal of the trade embargo on Cuba by the United States. The vote was timely, as it came only a day before the United Nations' General Assembly voted for the 18th year to condemn the 47-year embargo. read more...

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KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) -- The week-long 5th Ministerial Meeting on Agriculture and Rural Life in the Americas, in Montego Bay, Jamaica, is already reaping success with delegates hammering out a draft agro plan to be debated by the Ministers from 34 hemispheric countries on Wednesday. read more...

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MIAMI, USA -- On November 6, the 11th Annual Eric E Williams Memorial Lecture will take place at Florida International University’s (FIU) Wertheim Performing Arts Center. The featured speaker will be former Jamaican Prime Minister and current Leader of the Opposition, Portia Simpson Miller. read more...

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KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) -- The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) is to benefit from an injection of 165 million Euros, or close to JA$22 billion, in funding from the European Commission as part of its ongoing support for regional integration. This was disclosed by Head of Section, Helen Jenkinson. read more...

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BASSETERRE, St Kitts (CUOPM) -- New flights by British Airways to St Kitts and other Caribbean destinations will mean an additional 2,000 seats to the region. BA will operate a total 55 flights a week from London to the Caribbean, with 11 destinations served from Gatwick and three from Heathrow. read more...

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MONTEGO, Bay, Jamaica (JIS) -- Minister of Agriculture, Christopher Tufton, on Monday appealed to agricultural technocrats within the Americas to come up with concrete action plans to increase productivity in the region. He was addressing the opening of the meeting of the Hemispheric Group for... read more...

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KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) -- Jamaican students are being urged to see the implementation of a Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME) as a bold new frontier, to help develop it and take advantage of the lucrative multi-trillion dollar Americas market it can open up. The challenge came from Deputy Prime Minister... read more...

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KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) -- Minister of Tourism, Edmund Bartlett, has defended his ministry's decision to focus on resort areas in its Spruce Up Jamaica programme, financed by the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF). The programme was conceptualised by Bartlett, when he became Tourism Minister in 2007. read more...

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KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) -- Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Karl Samuda, says there is a need for more small businesses in Jamaica to produce goods and services for the export market. Samuda said that Jamaica has not earned enough foreign exchange to afford what it has to purchase. read more...

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WASHINGTON, USA -- The Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), José Miguel Insulza, will travel to Jamaica on Tuesday, October 27, to participate in the inaugural ceremony of the Fifth Ministerial Meeting on “Agriculture and Rural Life in the Americas.” read more...

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KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) -- Jamaica's Tourism Minister, Edmund Bartlett, has insisted that the sector is the most resilient of all industries, with the fastest capacity for turnaround". He reiterated the point at an award ceremony for the Spruce Up Jamaica Tourism Essay Competition on Friday. read more...

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KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) -- The Jamaican government's tax reform programme will benefit from the input of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the United States' Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and Treasury Department, Finance and Public Service Minister, Audley Shaw, has announced. read more...

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KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) -- Leader of the Opposition, Portia Simpson Miller, has given full support to the Charter of Rights Bill, which is being debated in Jamaica's Lower House. She welcomed the move to put the legislative foundation in place for the Charter of Rights and the discussions on joining... read more...

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KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) -- Minister of Finance and the Pubic Service, Audley Shaw, has assured the country that the application process for the US$1.2 billion standby facility Jamaica is seeking from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is "running fairly smoothly". Shaw said that discussions with the IMF's top executives... read more...

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WASHINGTON, USA (JIS) -- Jamaica's first national hero, Marcus Mosiah Garvey, has received major hemispheric recognition with the Organization of American States (OAS) in Washington DC re-naming its Hall of Culture in his honour. The hall is a venue for major cultural events. read more...

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TORONTO, Jamaica (JIS) -- The 2010 Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival will be expanded from three to seven days, from January 24 to 30, in Montego Bay, and feature top-notch entertainers, including Jennifer Hudson and Maxi Priest. Walter Elmore of Turnkey Productions made the announcement. read more...

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KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) -- Jamaica's Minister of Education, Andrew Holness, has said that the police should investigate the parents of all the persons linked to the killing of a student of Ferncourt High, St Ann, on the school premises on Wednesday. Holmes said negligence on the part of the parents may be a factor. read more...

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KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) -- Jamaica's Minister of Education, Andrew Holness, has condemned Wednesday's fatal stabbing of a 17-year-old high school student, Garron Jones. He said he was "very disappointed and very disturbed" by the incident, which took place on the grounds of the school in St Ann. read more...

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KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) -- The Jamaican Cabinet has approved the withdrawal of the Casino Gaming Bill, tabled in the House of Representatives in July this year, and a replacement which will be tabled next week for debate. The decision to withdraw the original Bill was taken after consultations with several ministers. read more...

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KINGSTON, Jamaica (AFP) -- Usain Bolt received the medal of the Order of Jamaica on Monday at the National Honours and Awards Ceremony. The sprint star, who holds the Olympic and world titles and world records in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay, at 22 became the youngest ever recipient of the order. read more...

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DISCOVERY BAY, Jamaica (Reuters) -- Triple Olympic and world champion Usain Bolt has enjoyed a record-breaking two years but is now looking to slow down and "chill" a little, he told Reuters in an interview. Bolt is finally hoping to relax before a year in which he is likely to compete and travel less. read more...

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MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica (JIS) -- Two waste-to-energy plants are slated for early construction in Jamaica, which will see the country saving some US$60 million in the fuel importation bill, annually. This announced by Minister of Energy and Mining, James Robertson, at a two-day Caribbean Renewable Energy Forum. read more...

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DISCOVERY BAY, Jamaica (Reuters) -- Triple Olympic and world champion sprinter Usain Bolt returned to his first love, cricket, on Sunday and showed that he certainly knows how to handle both bat and ball. In a charity match, just down the coast from his home town, Bolt bowled West Indies batsman Chris Gayle. read more...

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LONDON, England (JIS) -- Visual and Performing Arts Jamaica (VPAJ) opened a weeklong exhibition of Jamaican art and books, at the Jamaican High Commission, in London on October 15. Chairman of the company, Sharon-Fox Mould, said it would  be a major market penetration venture. read more...

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KINGSTON, Jamaica (AFP) -- Two-time Olympic 200m champion Veronica Campbell-Brown has parted company with coach Lance Brauman. In their six years together, Brauman guided Campbell-Brown to Olympics 200m glory in 2004 and 2008 and World Championships 100m gold in 2007. read more...

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KINGSTON, Jamaica (AFP) -- Jamaican Prime Minister Bruce Golding said the country's parliament would not recognize same-sex marriage while he was in power. The prime minister was opening parliamentary debate on a major proposed amendment to the constitution on the rights and freedoms for Jamaicans. read more...

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KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) -- Prime Minister Bruce Golding was scheduled to meet with members of a bipartisan parliamentary committee, which is to re-examine Jamaica's position on the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) as a final appellate court, on Thursday. “We are doing so with no pre-conditions... read more...

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LONDON, England (JIS) -- Caribbean Food Delight's patties and Levi Roots' 'Reggae Reggae Jerk Sauce' have been shortlisted in the best new food category of the inaugural World Food Awards. Caribbean Food Delights is owned by Jamaican-born Vincent HoSang. The company produces a range of patties. read more...

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MIAMI, USA (Reuters) -- Triple Olympic and world champion Usain Bolt will switch his running spikes for cricket pads on Sunday when he takes part in a tournament in Jamaica. Bolt will play in a mini-tournament organised by West Indies captain Chris Gayle and featuring current and former players. read more...

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KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) -- The Jamaican Fraud Squad acting, on information provided by The Revenue Protection Division (RPD), on Monday arrested and charged an employee of the Inland Revenue Department (IRD)  on several counts, including fraud and uttering forged documents. read more...

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As our Caribbean countries face the challenges of developing their human resources, many of them are taking a serious look at the performance of their students. Jamaica has always been very proactive in experimenting with various strategies aimed at enhancing student performance. read more...

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MADRID, Spain (JIS) -- Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Audley Shaw, met Thursday with Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) President, Luis Alberto Moreno, in Madrid, where he encouraged increased IDB support to Jamaica, particularly in the areas of agriculture and energy, in addition to policy based loans. read more...

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LONDON, England (JIS) -- Some 40 original works of art by 12 Jamaican artists, reflecting complementary visions of the Jamaican experience, will be on exhibit at the Jamaican High Commission over the period October 15 to 22, 2009. The works include paintings, photographs and jewellery. read more...

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