The Manchester police are investigating the second case of suspected suicide in the parish in four days.

The police say the body of 31-year-old Wayne McClymont from Dunrobin district was found hanging by a belt from a grille at his home Thursday night.

The body was found by a neighbour who summoned the police.

It is not clear why McClymont would kill himself.

On Monday, Mandeville businessman John J. Cunningham reportedly shot himself in the head at his Pioneer Chocolate Factory in Williamsfield.

The Ministry of Education is spending nearly $8 million this fiscal year to address absenteeism in the island's primary schools.

According to the Estimates of Expenditure tabled on April 7 in Parliament, the objectives of the project are to raise attendance levels at 100 primary schools and evaluate the National School Lunch Programme in order to determine its contribution to increasing the level of attendance at the primary level.

Under the project, the ministry plans to conduct interventions in 100 primary schools with the lowest attendance.

The ministry had, up to February, identified the 100 schools and held 893 community-based meetings in order to identify the cause of poor attendance.

The majority of funding for the project is being provided through a grant from the Inter-American Development Bank.

- JIS

The Bustamante Hospital for Children is urgently seeking persons to donate blood to perform open-heart surgeries for 34 children.

This, as the Caribbean Heart Menders Association and the Jamaica Children Heart Fund from Florida will be visiting the island April 14-23 and April 23-May 2, respectively.

The teams of medical volunteers, along with local medical team, will be performing open-heart surgeries free of cost for 34 children.

Each child is required to have at least six blood donors for his or her operation.

A contingent of 120 soldiers from the United States began the blood drive on Thursday at the Knutsford Court Hotel.

Donors can visit any of the blood banks located across the island. Donors should inform the blood bank that the blood is for 'CARDIAC SURGERY - Bustamante Hospital for Children'. Blood receipts can be faxed to 754-2860, attention Dr Lambert Innis, or delivered to the Patient Affairs Officer in the Accident and Emergency Department at the Bustamante Hospital for Children.

The Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Karl Samuda, on Thursday requested the immediate resignation of the directors of the Trade Board Ltd and that of the trade administrator.

The assistant trade administrator has been sent on leave.

A release from the ministry said Samuda's directive followed a meeting with the Trade Board chairman, the trade administrator and officers of the ministry to discuss matters relating to the importation of motor vehicles, and the Trade Board's action in granting motor vehicle licences outside of stated ministry policy.

Samuda said his examination of several reports relating to the importation and licensing of motor vehicles had found that the Trade Board had abused its delegated authority.