CASTRIES vendors who are in arrears of over a half million dollars to the Castries Constituency Council (CCC) could be relieved of some of that debt, that is if talks for a debt amnesty that was broached of at a Council meeting becomes a reality. According to the Council, vendors owed that amount of money over the years, which if collected would go a long way in meeting some of its expenses.
AFTER more than two years of industrial confrontation, the National Workers Union (NWU) and Secure St. Lucia Ltd are hoping to start the New Year on better terms and are working towards concluding negotiations over a collective agreement and work conditions before the year ends.
THE Royal St. Lucia Police Force has launched an offensive against crime in the City of Castries by increasing the number of patrols primarily within the main commercial center. The increased patrols is part of police strategy to curb incidents of robbery, burglary and other criminal offences that always seem to surge during the Christmas season.
KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent, Dec 2, CMC – More than two weeks after four people were killed alleged by an 18-year-old youth, Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves has broken his silence on the matter. He told reporters that while he could not comment on the November 13 incident in which the four people, including a mother and her son, were killed by the youth, who has a history of mental illness, killing sprees should not be something occurring here.
THE month of December is here which means that the Cultural Development Foundation is making final preparations for the festivals which form part of the annual end of year celebrations. The December Festivals are a series of three traditional and historical events which bring Saint Lucians together in the spirit of community through the showcasing of artistic creativity, with light at the core; the Lantern Festival, the Festival of Carols and the Festival of Light.
IT was surprising to watch the televised obituaries a few days ago, partly because there seemed no pause between one deceased person’s information before the next obituary started. While it was useful to have the obituaries shown in quick succession, it seemed too quick, even jarring to the senses. Definitely disrespectful to the dearly departed! Although the local TV station could be forgiven for shaving the time between successive obituaries, it raises the issue of appropriate speed. Specifically, when is speed not enough, and other factors should affect the display of information.
Q: REGINA, tell me, how many people in St. Lucia actually have Alzheimer’s or this dementia? A: I do not know. However there was a prevalence study in 2010 that had a projected calculation in 2013 of approximately over 1600 persons in St Lucia were living with dementia. This is just counting persons over 65 years of age. This is not including people younger than 65 that are living with the condition or people that are not diagnosed and yet living with the condition.
SAINT LUCIA is poised for significant advances in its tourism product and business environment thanks to the “Pearl of the Caribbean” project which is expected to commence construction in 2017. The southern-based project, estimated to cost about US$2.6 billion, is a fully integrated equestrian oriented development which will encompass the Royal Saint Lucia Turf Club and its expected world class horse racing, and related entertainment, leisure and accommodation amenities.
THE Digicel Mango Bowl Regatta hosted by the Saint Lucia Yacht Club brought over 150 sailors to Saint Lucia this past weekend. Blessed once more with beautiful weather and great racing conditions in Rodney Bay, the 5th annual event has been dubbed as “fantastic” despite an accident just off the Le Sport Hotel involving “Ten Seven” and “Leonora”.
SOME people’s mentality is “anything for money”, a lot like the demagogy of politicians who would say anything to win an election. “Let’s make Saint Lucia great again.” “We will within the first hundred days in office, effect a reduction in VAT toward its eventual elimination.”
THE St. Lucia government says it is exploring its options as it seeks to help the Bank of St. Lucia (BOSL) deal with an estimated EC$300 million in accumulated bad loans. But Opposition Leader Phillip J. Pierre is urging the government to be careful in its statements about the financial institution, which he said in the past had recorded healthy profits.
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, Nov 30, CMC – Barbados is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its political independence from Britain despite the inclement weather that has forced the postponement or cancellation of some of the activities to mark the occasion. Britain’s Prince Harry, who arrived here on Tuesday, is the highest profile guest for the celebrations that includes the “Reveal of the 50th Anniversary of Independence National Monument “at the famous Garrison Savannah later on Wednesday night.
ST. GEORGE’S, Grenada, Nov 30, CMC – At least nine Caribbean nationals working in the hospitality sector will have an opportunity to experience working in Buckingham Palace next year under a new initiative announced by Britain’s Prince Harry, who is now winding up a 15-day visit to the Caribbean.
A 13-MEMBER delegation from the Organissation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) has ended a study tour to Chile as part of the Multi-Dimensional Approaches to Poverty Eradication initiative. The delegation was hosted by Chile’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, through the Agency for International Cooperation and Development (AGCID) and the Ministry of Social Development through the Solidarity and Social Investment Fund (FOSIS).
THE month of November was a vibrant one for the local business sector as a number of activities were held as part of Business Month. The initiative was organized by The Department of Commerce, International Trade, Investment, Enterprise Development and Consumer Affairs in conjunction with the Trade and Export Promotion Agency (TEPA) and a number of other sponsors.
HAVANA (AFP) – The ashes of Fidel Castro began a four-day journey across Cuba Wednesday to his final resting place, retracing the late communist leader’s revolution victory tour of 1959. The “caravan of freedom” will leave from Havana, making symbolic stops along the 950-kilometer (590-mile) trek that will end in the eastern city of Santiago de Cuba over the weekend.
ST LUCIA today observes World AIDS Day with the startling news that it now has the second highest number of persons stricken with the disease in the Eastern Caribbean. The grim statistic is contained in the annual UN Aids Caribbean Summary of the AIDS epidemic I for last year which has just been published. It indicates that there are 500 persons in St Lucia living with AIDS a figure that is topped only by St Vincent and the Grenadines with some 800.
ISSUES of mental illness don’t usually take center stage, unless, some traumatic/tragic incident befalls a mentally-ill person. The seemingly apathy in the society towards individuals and institutions providing care to the mentally-ill is also widespread. But on Saturday, November 26, staff of the St. Lucia National Mental Wellness Centre, the Police Force, alongside professional models strutted elegantly down the catwalk at Sandals Grande in a fundraising effort towards the cause of mental illness.
The Media Association of Saint Lucia (MASL) wishes to congratulate Jason Hullingseed and Cherry-Ann Gaillard-Williams on their recent appointments. Mr. …
The Saint Lucia National Trust (SLNT) is preparing to host its 40th Annual General Meeting on Saturday, December 3 at …