News Briefs

Foreign university to study flood-hit communities

The Kingston & St Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC) is partnering with an international university to conduct research and training for members of staff on soil instability in the flood-hit eastern swathe of the municipality.

Delroy Williams, mayor of Kingston, said that the research would assist in guiding development and land-use decisions.

The engineering and planning department of the KSAMC will gather data that will help in the assessment of the topography for development and land use.

A comprehensive plan will be developed for the Harbour View and Bull Bay areas.

The university will assist with the analysis of social and economic impacts of the flooding in October and November.

Williams declined to name the university.

Jamaica's S&P rating holds

S&P Global Ratings affirmed the Government of Jamaica’s Long-Term Foreign and Local Currency Issuer Default Rating at ‘B+’ with the outlook remaining negative.

The ranking accounted for the economic and financial realities faced by the country arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, S&P said.

The onset of the pandemic caused a disruption in some productive sectors, particularly tourism, which factored in the sharp contraction of gross domestic product.

However, S&P said that despite the adverse outcomes, the Jamaican economy was expected to return to fiscal surpluses in the short term.

MoBay building named after Shahine Robinson

The Ministry of Labour and Social Security building located in Sam Sharpe Square, Montego Bay, will be named in the honour of late portfolio minister Shahine Robinson.

CEO of the St James Municipal Corporation, Gerald Lee, said the building would be named after Robinson because of her esteemed work for the cause of state welfare.

As minister of labour and social security, Robinson advocated for an increase in the minimum wage and was successful in increasing it by 13 per cent in 2018.

Robinson established the Industrial Dispute Tribunal's Western Division.