Census almost ready for publication

The long-awaited national population and housing census will be published on October 17.

The Gleaner has been informed by the Statistical Institute of Jamaica that the document is to be released during Statistics Week, which will be observed from October 14 to 20.

A price tag of approximately $1.4 billion was attached to the census.

In 2001, Jamaica conducted a national census at which time the population was numbered at 2,607,632.

Data from the census is critical to the Government's policymaking, planning and administrative programmes.

Persons of interest in retired SSP Hewitt's death to be interrogated

The three men named as persons of interest in the murder of retired Senior Superintendent of Police Anthony 'Tony' Hewitt will be questioned today by the police.

They are Raymond Francis, Jermaine Smith and Jomo McLeod, who are all from the community of Commons off Red Hills Road in St Andrew.

Hewitt died on Sunday night from gunshot wounds he received in an attack hours earlier at an apartment on Donmair Close, Kingston 19.

In the meantime, the Advocates' Association of Jamaica (AAJ) has issued a statement condemning the killing and expressed confidence that justice would be done.

In the statement issued by AAJ President George Soutar, the association said it was dismayed at the shooting death of Hewitt who served the force with distinction for over 40 years.

Modern-day chattel slavery takes spotlight

Deputy chief of mission in the United States Embassy, Dr Raymond Brown, will tomorrow present a discussion on chattel slavery in America and concerns about its modern-day resurgence.

Brown's lecture is being presented by the US Embassy in collaboration with The Department of History and Archaeology at the University of the West Indies, Mona, in St Andrew

The discussion will take place in the Multifunctional Room of the Main Library, starting at 3 p.m.