'Tourism boom the benefit of hard work'
WESTERN BUREAU: TOURISM MINISTER Aloun Assamba is firmly of the belief that the current positive trends being experienced in Jamaica's tourism is more as a result of the effort of stakeholders rather than events taking place elsewhere in the world.

Half Moon to institute five-day work week
WESTERN BUREAU: COME NEXT year, the Half Moon Hotel in Rosehall, St. James, will be instituting a five-day work week, in a bid to improve working conditions for its over 700 employees.

Trial judge's error sets rape convict free
THE COURT of Appeal has upheld submissions from defence lawyer Jacqueline Samuels-Brown that Anthony McCalla, of Rio Nuevo, St. Mary should be freed of his eight-year prison sentence for rape because of an error on the part of the trial judge.

Duty-free merchants optimistic
THE ISLAND'S duty-free merchants, though hard pressed to compete with their Caribbean neighbours in terms of pricing, say they were bent on continuing to offer their customers "a quality shopping experience" throughout the coming year.

Fern Gully under threat
THE FELLING of trees from lands near to the world-famous Fern Gully rainforest has raised the ire of St. Ann residents and environmentalists over the likely adverse impact on this popular tourist attraction.

Beaches Boscobel spreads Xmas cheer
BOSCOBEL, St. Mary: BEACHES BOSCOBEL Resort & Golf Club in keeping with its drive to be a socially responsible corporate entity...

Florida cruise group fetes children
OCHO RIOS, St. Ann: MEMBERS OF the Florida Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) brought Christmas cheers to some 206 needs children from St. Ann and St. Mary last week a special Christmas treat held at Island Village in Ocho Rios.

Towards legalisation - Revisiting the ganja debate
The following is an excerpt from the Gleaner Editors' Forum held on November 27. Guests were Dr. Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the U.S.-based Drug Policy Alliance, Paul Chang and Paul Burke...

Can the Gov't manage the present crisis?
THERE IS a budgetary crisis. Without a doubt, it is the deepest crisis of its type since the mid-1980s when the world suffered its worst recession in 50 years, and, in Jamaica, the bauxite/alumina industry virtually collapsed.