Charter of Rights close to conclusion
A PARLIAMENTARY committee looking at the establishment of a Charter of Rights and Freedoms in the Constitution is now one meeting away from concluding intense and sometimes bitter discussions started almost 15 years ago.

Quest for oil off Jamaican south coast
OIL PROSPECTING off the south coast of Jamaica could begin as early as this weekend. A seismic testing vessel, Akademic Shatskiy, operated by Norwegian company Fugro is currently moored in Kingston Harbour.

Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) off? - Regional heads explore option to US-proposed Free Trade Area
CARIBBEAN LEADERS are reconsidering the region's strategic alliances, including a possible free trade agreement with Venezuela as an alternative to the stalled Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) negotiations.

Preval on track to be Haiti's next president
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP): RENÉ PREVAL, a former president seen as a champion of Haiti's poor for his efforts to uplift peasants, appeared headed yesterday to a first-round election victory, even before official results were announced.

Another dark day in the Old Capital
IT WAS another tense day in Spanish Town, St. Catherine, yesterday, after a series of chaotic events that unfolded there on Wednesday, following the shooting death of Andrew 'Bun Man' Hope, the reputed leader of the notorious 'One Order' gang.

2005 best year ever for tourism
JAMAICA EXPERIENCED its best year ever in tourism last year with record stopover visitor arrivals of 1.478 million. Speaking at a media briefing yesterday, Paul Pennicook, director of tourism, said while the tourism sector experienced a major setback...

Alpart strike ends
WORKERS AT Alumina Partners of Jamaica (Alpart) yesterday returned to work following a four-day strike but there are reports of further trouble in the bauxite sector.

Is there no 'Hope' for Spanish Town?
'WHAT NOW for the peace in Spanish Town' is the question that pops up each time one of that community's reputed gang leaders is murdered. But even Monsignor Richard Albert, the Roman Catholic priest who has been stationed there...