Call to boycott Rev Lewis conference

Advocacy group, Hear the Children's Cry, has called for Jamaicans of all denominations to boycott a conference being hosted today by Reverend Dr Paul Lewis, who is on bail facing carnal abuse charges.

The Gathering of the Prophets Conference starts today at Merl Grove High School in St Andrew and continues in Montego Bay, St James, next week.

Lewis, who has been charged with carnal abuse and indecent assault in a case involving two girls, aged 14 and 15, is currently on $1-million bail. His case has been rescheduled for September 4 in the Savanna-la-Mar Resident Magistrate's Court in Westmoreland.

Police wagedispute continues

The wage dispute involving the Government and rank-and-file members of the police force is far from over despite renewed efforts to reach an agreement, yesterday.

The parties returned to the bargaining table with the Jamaica Police Federation adamant that, while it accepted the wage freeze imposed by the Government, it wanted to know when the men and women of the force would be paid the seven per cent increase which had been previously agreed on.

However, the message from Arthur Williams, state minister in the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service, was the same: "there will be no increase at this time".

Angry members of the federation are now considering their next move as they react to what they claim is unfair treatment by the Government.

'Direct foreign investment to swell'

Jamaica's direct foreign investments are expected to grow according to Industry and Commerce Minister Karl Samuda, despite an International Monetary Fund report saying the opposite.

"I read where the IMF is predicting that direct foreign investments is going to fall internationally by some 82 per cent. But last year, we had an increase by 50 per cent in comparison to the previous year and this year we are holding our own despite the expected international downturn," a confident Samuda revealed during the official launch of Salary.com in Montego Bay, St James, yesterday.