Ja/US church leaders balk at Robertson remark on Sharon
UNITED STATES evangelical leaders said Friday they were embarrassed and incensed by televangelist Pat Robertson's assertion that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who suffered a massive stroke, was stricken by God as punishment for ceding the Gaza ...

Year of decision ... Hopes and fears
THE FOURTH president of the People's National Party (PNP) and seventh Prime Minister of Jamaica will be installed in the first quarter of 2006 to face an extremely challenging agenda of national concerns requiring immediate and comprehensive attention.

Jamaican nurses give Government seven days!
THE NURSES Association of Jamaica (NAJ) has given the Government seven working days, beginning on January 9 (until January 18) to respond to charges that it has betrayed them in its reclassification exercise and the decision to transfer...

World's eyes on women: Taking on tough issues
IMPROVED JUDICIAL services, more effective policing strategies, less corruption and better social support programmes are among the major issues Jamaica needs to address in order to tackle violence and crime effectively, women leaders contend.

PNP delegate list dispute: We have done this before, says Webber
WITH PORTIA Simpson Miller expressing concern over the accuracy of the delegate's list for the pending PNP president succession election, the party's deputy general secretary Maureen Webber has assured candidates they have nothing to fear.

Convention forces Jamaican Government's hand: More shelters for abused women to come
THE JAMAICAN GOVERNMENT WILL be forced to build shelters for battered women in 2006, following the signing of an International Convention in December to protect women's rights.

Women's groups laud move
SEVERAL WOMEN'S organisations have lauded the Jamaican Government for ratifying a convention which will aim to eliminate the incidence of violence against women.

The prey and the predator - Women and violence
WHILE CASES of rape and carnal abuse dropped in 2005, the number of women murdered increased, preliminary figures from the Constabulary Communication Network (CCN) show.

Women on the frontline of politics
FEMALE POLITICIANS have been braving the front lines, representing Jamaicans at all levels of the stratification system. But many will agree that besides the toll of the job itself, the life of a public representative is not an easy task.

Contending in the constitutencies
The Sunday Gleaner wrote to each of the People's National Party's contenders for leadership, requesting answers to critical nation-building issues. Below are the responses from three of the candidates to one of our questions.