THERE is no doubt that the United Workers Party (UWP) propelled themselves into power by convincing a vast number of St Lucians that they knew exactly how to solve the myriad social and economic problems facing the country. And so, they presented an election slogan entitled “Five to Stay Alive”, and the rest was history.
THE Ministry of Health says it has sought “formal clarification and retraction” of a statement released by the UNAIDS earlier this month which claimed that St. Lucia was the only Eastern Caribbean country which had not eliminated mother to child transmission of HIV.
MEXICO City hosted the Junior Achievement 2016 Company of the Year competition (COY) sponsored by FedEx.. The three days of intense competition, capacity building, networking, conferences, trade fair and grand awards dinner was held last week at the Fiesta Americana Hotel in the Mexican capital.
THE Government of New Zealand and the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) have formally confirmed their ongoing partnership in support of geothermal energy development in the Eastern Caribbean. New Zealand High Commissioner, Mrs Jan Henderson met with President of CDB, Dr William Warren Smith on Monday, to discuss progress on the implementation of the CDB GeoSMART Initiative, which has been receiving technical support from the Government of New Zealand.
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.
HOW would you like to eat a tasty dinner and save the environment at the same time? At Sandals Grande St. Lucian Spa and Beach Resort there is one delicacy on the menu that allows you to do just that! You won’t find it at your run-of-the-mill restaurant, but if you are a Sandals guest in Saint Lucia, then Lionfish is most certainly on the menu!
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.
ANOTHER champion hails from the south of the island. Last year, the Colgate National Dental Spelling Bee winner came from the Pierrot Combined School. This year, the champion is Mekella Popo, a petite Grade 3 student from the Micoud Primary School. “I feel elated today, happy and overwhelmed,” Mekella said after her recent success.
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.
THE Sea Jays Swim Club ended its final competition of the year by capturing 1st place at the Lucian Grand …
A team of five players from Martinique is currently in Saint Lucia to play against the Saint Lucian team who earlier in the year took part in the Kweyol Cup in Martinique. In that encounter the Saint Lucia team emerged champions when they defeated the host 6 – 3 to capture the Kweyol Cup in August.
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.
RESPECT for authority and acceptance of decisions from so called “higher authorities” is well established in the fabric of our colonial robe of management. We encouraged children to speak when spoken to, accept correction without question and accept the decision of a match official without the slightest hint of dissatisfaction.
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
IN last week’s discussion, we looked back at the struggles which black people in the United States had undergone in the fight against segregation and discrimination, particularly during the Civil Rights period of the 1960s, and talked a little about the impact of those struggles on young persons growing up in the Caribbean at that time.
THE inexorable increase in crime in our society, witness the recent incidents of murder and brazen thefts, has left citizens wringing their hands in despair. Just listen to the radio call-in programmes, which whatever one thinks of them, provide the only available indicators of how citizens feel.
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).
THE traditional lighting up of the City of Castries popularly known as the Festival of Lights will be observed Monday night with the theme “Celebrate Light, Celebrate Jesus”. This is the time of year when the Castries Constituency Council, in collaboration with other partners, decorate the commercial center of the capital with Christmas lights and themes signifying the birth of Jesus Christ.
IN the continued vein of community development and the creation of sustainable employment, the Soufriere Regional Development Foundation (SRDF), officially opened and endorsed an entrance to the Gros Piton Nature Tail through the AnseL’Ivorgne Beach on Thursday. The new hiking experience encapsulates a unique adventure in which visitors are now graced with an option through which to experience the allure of the world renowned Gros Piton climb from sea level, in addition to experiencing an adventurous sea excursion and a pristine beach with therapeutic surroundings.
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, Dec 9, CMC –Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar was ejected from the Trinidad and Tobago Parliament on Friday after she failed to heed a ruling by the Speaker Bridgid Annisette-George on a motion of a matter of national importance. The other opposition legislators walked out in solidarity with Persad-Bissessar, who had wanted the Parliament to debate the number of murders and missing people in the country “as a matter of urgent national interest”.