December 2016

News, Top Story

NEW ZIKA CONCERNS

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NEW concerns about the impact of the Zika virus in St Lucia were raised yesterday in a statement from the Ministry of Health which announced “heightened surveillance” of pregnant women confirmed with the disease.
The Ministry said presently, it is monitoring 50 pregnant women who have tested positive for the Zika Virus Disease. All of the pregnant women confirmed so far have recovered from the illness. However, given the concerns regarding pregnancy outcomes in Zika positive pregnant women, they are being monitored closely through antenatal care services.

Features

St. Lucian Among This Year’s PitchIT Finalists

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PHILIP Wells, the entrepreneur behind the mobile app startup Parent Teacher Advisor made the finals of the PitchIT 2016, which was held in Trinidad and Tobago last week. The entrepreneur was one of 25 finalists competing for more than US$75,000 in cash and prizes through the challenge organized by the Caribbean Mobile Innovation Project (CMIP). PitchIT is a competition to discover new startup and mobile app ideas from across the Caribbean. It is funded through EPIC, which is a World Bank Group and Government of Canada programme to stimulate entrepreneurship in the region.

Features

Bouton – No Longer ‘Behind God’s Back’

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Image: The Bouton Combined School [PHOTO: By PhotoMike]

SIX miles from the town of Soufriere is a small community that at one time was the butt of several jokes in the country on account of the lack of attention given it by government. Unknown to many who laughed at the jokes was that this community, Bouton, was home to some of the most glorious scenery this country could produce. Despite the several modern and technological strides Bouton has made today, many still view it as a place that is “behind-God’s-back.”

Features

Allysia Alfred – Young Swimmer With Eyes On the Olympics

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Image: Allysia Alfred in the swimming pool (PHOTO: Anthony De Beauville)

MORE and more these days we hear of the nation’s young people setting their goals for achievement whether in sports, education, the arts or entertainment. Sharks Swim Club 100-metres Backstroke and Freestyle swimmer, 11-year-old Allysia Alfred is among the latest of these and her goal is the Olympics in either 2020 or 2024. The Leon Hess Comprehensive Secondary School Form 1 student participated recently in the annual Racers Lucian Grand Prix Swim Championship at the Rodney Heights Aquatic Centre (RHAC), finishing in second place in the 100-metres freestyle.

Features

Lucian Aid Feeding A Desperate Need

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Feeding the poor

WITH the festive season upon us, a great deal of focus will be on people spending as much as they can on food, clothes and luxury items they would have wanted all year. Many might even present expensive gifts to their friends and loved ones. Unfortunately, there are people in desperate situations who would settle for no more than a can of peas, a pair of shoes or a shirt to lift their spirits. In many instances, parents who might have lost their jobs – or couldn’t find one all year – are feeling a deeper pain at this time in not being able to provide their children with the basic necessities let alone any semblance of the Christmas cheer.

Sports

Trevor Daniel Football Programme

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BIG things continue to happen as telecom leader FLOW partners with the biggest youth development programme in St. Lucia: the “Trevor Daniel Football Development Programme” (TDFDP). Last Saturday over 300 uniforms and balls were lined up awaiting eager little hands. The recipients were the enrolled active members of the FLOW-TDFDP, a wonderful indication of the corporate giant’s continued commitment to giving back to St. Lucia in a big way.

Sports

Netball At Vigie Complex

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IT’S day two of the three match netball series between Saint Maarten and host Saint Lucia that’s currently being played at the Vigie Multi-Purpose Sports complex. Weather permitting the spectacle will serve off from centre court at 7:00 p.m. The two teams will face each other in the final match tomorrow starting from 4:00 p.m. at the same venue.

Sports

U–21 Semifinals At Vieux Fort Tonight

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Image: (L-R) VFS Noah Nicholas, Nyrone Winter, Alvinus Mayers and Leon Alexander (Photo: Anthony De Beauville)

THE Phillip Marcellin Grounds in Vieux Fort will come alive this evening when the Saint Lucia Football Association stage its double header semifinal matches in the Vizions Under – 21 men’s championship. From 6:00 p.m. Soufriere will take on Marchand in what is expected to be a keenly contested matchup. Marchand made it to the semifinal with a 5 – 1 victory over Anse-la-Raye, while Soufriere edged out La Clery 1 – 0.

Letters & Opinion

Freedom of Information Act for St. Lucia?

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MOST States are moving towards enactment of a Freedom of Information Act as a push towards the transparency and accountability so vital to the life of our democracies. Does St Lucia need a Freedom of Information Act or is it that our cultural proclivity for roro surpasses that legislative need? There were two highly classified documents over the last two years which one would have thought would be held in tight guard. We found out during the last election campaign that the IMPACS report was leaked, despite the then Prime Minister’s insistence that this is so highly confidential that it could not be relayed to the p

Letters & Opinion

Lessons from Britain – Exceptionalism And Failure

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Image of Ronald Sanders

The Brexit chickens are coming home to roost in a troubled British economy, however much British government ministers and other English nationalistic hopefuls are trying to suggest otherwise. It was a colossal mistake to hold the referendum. In the words of former Conservative Party Prime Minister, David Cameron, it “unleashed the demons”. The decision of the referendum was an even greater mistake by the English voters who favoured leaving the European Union (EU).