NationWIDE

NationWIDETHE OFFICIAL NEWS MAGAZINE OF THE GOVERNMENT OF SAINT LUCIA

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WHAT’S INSID

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As seen in this photo, Saint Lucians are this weekend in the full grip of Independence 37 celebrations as the country gears-up for Monday’s official activities across the island. But celebratory and observance activities actually started since last week at home and abroad, as Saint Lucians here and in the Diaspora did as they increasingly do every year: sporting the national flag and colours everywhere they are. Saint Lucians in New York and Florida, London and Toronto, Barbados and Jamaica, Guyana and Trinidad & Tobago, Martinique and Cayenne are all savouring the enjoyment of yet another celebration of the island’s true national day (See pages 4, 5, 8 and 12). But Saint Lucians aren’t only celebrating Independence this weekend. The entire nation is also basking in the recognition and acknowledgement that investor confidence has clearly returned, as seen in the number of new construction projects around the island and the resulting creation of jobs to reduce the unemployment rate (See Centre Pages 6 and 7). In addition, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the movers and shakers of world travel are all singing songs of praise and encouragement to Saint Lucia for the progress being shown in the economy and in tourism (See Editorial on Page 2). This issue of Nationwide brings you additional news about everything from the continuing transition of our education system through Information and Communication Technology (See Page 3) to the continuing thrust to take Wi-Fi and Computer Access Centres to Fond St Jacques and all other communities island-wide (See Page 9). And, as always, world events of interest to Saint Lucia are captured in The Diplomatic Courier (See Page 11). Read on and enjoy this latest update on all the Government of Saint Lucia has been doing at home and abroad, for country and people, as we take this opportunity to wish all Saint Lucians here, there and everywhere a Happy Independence Weekend! And don’t forget to view NationwideTV on NTN and browse the Nationwide Website at stlucianationwide.com at any time!

Agency Targets US $1.5 Billion In Investments and 8,000 Jobs by 2020 - Page 2

CIP To Boost Economy - Page 2

Tourism Director Welcomes Additional 700 Rooms To Island’s Hotel Inventory! - Page 3

Saint Lucia Showcases Its Renewable Energy Transition - Page 9

New Utilities Regulation Commission Established - Page 10

Prime Minister Lauds Sports Personalities - Page 12

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 20, 2016

Happy Reading! Happy Viewing! Happy Browsing!

Celebrating Nationhood with Pride and Restored Confidence!

Photo by Marius Modeste

NationWIDEPage 2 Saturday February 20, 2016

Editorial

Rebuilding With Confidence Restored!Invest Saint Lucia (ISL) has

projected a flow of US $1.5 billion in investment proj-

ects in Saint Lucia by the year 2020. The island’s lone national investment company also says it plans to create 8,000 jobs by that time.

ISL says last year it recorded US $168 million worth of invest-ments, out of which US $124 has been attributed to foreign in-vestment and the rest local.

Also last year, the company helped Saint Lucia welcome 2,914 transient jobs and 577 per-manent ones that were directly

attributed to investments.Some 277 of the permanent

jobs created last year by ISL went to tourism, while 183 went to infrastructure and 117 to the private commercial sector.

For this year, ISL projects for investment flows of US $331 million and 2,200 jobs.

Among new investments ex-pected this year are: chicken pro-cessing facilities, a pasta and ra-men processing facilityt, a flour mill, an insulated concrete farm factory, a dining and entertain-ment centre, two 4-star develop-ments, a 5-star hotel develop-

ment and another development that straddles both the tourism and infrastructure sectors.

Several developments that started last year are also due for completion this year, including hotels and commercial centres.

Apart from several hotel and commercial properties under construction in the north of the island, ongoing projects also in-clude the Six Senses Residences at Freedom Bay and a hotel project being undertaken in the Anse La Raye/Canaries area by The Boka Group. (More on Page 2 and in Centre Pages)

Agency targets US $1.5 Billion in investments and 8,000 jobs by 2020

Government has designed a transparent and struc-tured program to ensure

that issues of credibility and in-tegrity are well- protected.

Prime Minister Dr. Kenny D. Anthony says the Citizenship by Investment Program will provide impetus for the recover-ing economy, in order to lessen the effects of a decline in foreign direct investment.

The program grants citizen-ship on the basis of various forms of investment.

“It was a difficult decision to make, but given the persistent decline in foreign direct invest-ment caused by the world finan-cial crisis, the mounting chal-lenges to raise money for our

development, and the increas-ing use of citizenship programs by other countries as an incen-tive tool, we took the decision to offer a similar program,” Dr. Anthony says.

He adds, "While we have spent the last four years stabilizing and restoring our economic foundation, the Citizenship by Investment Program will pro-vide impetus to our recovering economy to take off in the com-ing months.

"A number of resorts will [soon] be constructed in Saint Lucia. These resorts will create much needed jobs in the con-struction sector, add more jobs in the hospitality sector, revive our real estate sector and restore

a high level of growth to our economy.”

Dr. Anthony asserts that gov-ernment designed a transpar-ent, robust and structured Citi-zenship by Investment Program to ensure that issues of credibil-ity and integrity are well- pro-tected.

The program began accepting applications in January.

A qualifying investment must satisfy the minimum invest-ment level in the Saint Lucia National Economic Fund, an ap-proved real estate project, an ap-proved enterprise project or the purchase of government bonds.

Similar programs are offered in Saint Kitts, Dominica, Anti-gua and Barbuda and Grenada.

CIP to boost economy

Regional health ministers aim to promote coopera-tion and develop proto-

cols and guidelines on surveil-lance, risk communication, and clinical management for Zika.

The ministers of health of MERCOSUR and the Commu-nity of Latin American and Ca-ribbean States (CELAC) earlier this week issued a joint declara-tion pledging the improvement of their respective countries’ strategies for mosquito control.

The new strategy will target

Zika and other mosquito-borne viruses such as Dengue and Chikungunya.

The health ministers requested the assistance of the Pan Ameri-can Health Organization(PAHO) and the World Health organiza-tion (WHO) to support their efforts with direct technical cooperation.

They also sought help to pro-mote cooperation and develop protocols and guidelines on sur-veillance, risk communication, and clinical management, via a technical team in the region.

To date, 26 countries and ter-ritories of the Americas have reported local transmission of Zika virus infection.

In early March, PAHO/WHO will host a meeting of research partners, including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Pasteur Institute and the Oswald Cruz Foundation among others, to develop a research agenda to address the gaps in knowledge and evidence about Zika and its health effects.

Health leaders adopt regional Zika strategy

US President Barack Obama will travel to Cuba next month, be-

coming the first sitting US presi-dent to make a state visit to the island in nearly nine decades.

The White House made the announcement on Thursday -- just two days after the two countries signed an agreement to resume commercial flights to Cuba by US airlines for the first time in five decades.

Obama and Cuban President Raúl Castro announced in late 2014 that they would begin nor-malizing ties.

The Obama administration is eager to make rapid progress on building trade and diplomatic ties with Cuba before Obama leaves office.

Announcing the visit Thurs-day, the White House said it was satisfied that conditions existed

now for the US President to visit Havana.

US President Calvin Coolidge is the only USA President to

have officially visited Havana back in January 1928, to give a speech to the sixth International Conference of American States.

Presidents Castro and Obama will meet in Havana in March.

Obama to visit Cuba next month

As we get ready to cel-ebrate the island’s 37th Anniversary of

our Independence, the island is experiencing a revival of confidence on several fronts.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has confirmed that the island’s economy is back on track.

The Central Statistics Office has confirmed that more jobs are being created and unem-ployment is being reduced.

Foreign and private invest-ments are on the upswing, with some 700 new hotel rooms being built.

Big businesses are con-structing mega stores in Marisule and Castries, with other properties taking shape from Freedom Bay to Anse La Raye/Canaries.

The island earlier this week welcomed it’s 15th interna-tional private bank to our shores, after having been chosen by its owners and di-rectors over the likes of Bar-bados and The Bahamas.

The movers and shakers in the world of travel are shwer-ing the island with acco-lades: over 50 awards in the past year – from being a Top Trending Caribbean Desti-nation to gracing the Home Page of American Express Travel to The World’s Best Honeymoon Destination to One of the Cheapest Places to Vacation and to ten of the island’s hotels ranking above and beyond most of their re-gional competitors in less than the past year.

With 5,000 more jobs cre-ated in the last quarter of last year and more construction projects tocome on stream later this year, the future looks bright for employment.

Invest Saint Lucia is target-ing US $1.5 billion in invest-ments and 2,200 jobs by 2020.

By the end of this year, however, Saint Lucia will also be boasting three new state-of-the-art hospital fa-cilities, with regional service potential. The OWEN King EU National Hospital and the St. Jude Hospital will join

the National Wellness Centre to serve Saint Lucians and other Caribbean citizens.

Later this year too, $150 million the Choc-Gros Islet Highway project will take off with all its added ancili-ary works, as will prelimi-nary works for the new East Coast Highway that will run from Gros Islet through Babonneau to Dennery and Vieux Fort.

By the end of the year too, several more Community Ac-cess centres will be opened in more communities to provide free Wi-Fi and access to com-puters and ICT services.

Similarly, more students, teachers and principals will join and continue the transi-tion of our education system through Information and Communication Technology (ICT).

And the list can go on and on…

When Prime Minister Dr Kenny D. Anthony told the nation four years ago that the road to recovery would be long but sure, he also warned that things would get worse before getting better.

All the evidence today shows that under his leader-ship and stewardship, con-fidence has been restored in both country and economy, on this administration’s watch.

As the IMF noted last week, the economy has moved out of the red and in to the black. It has commended the gov-ernment, with warning. And it urges caution while point-ing to risks to be avoided.

Yes, confidence has been re-stored. But this is still no time for complacency, because we are still not yet out of the woods.

Now is the time to keep on doing what we’re doing, as a nation, to retain and deepen the confidence had been re-stored in Saint Lucia.

Now’s the time to contin-ue contributing, however we can, to the rebuilding of our nation, for the benefit of us all.

NationWIDE Page 3Saturday February 20, 2016

Students across Saint Lucia have again been assured of more laptop computers to

help them continue to make the transition from pen and paper to Information Technology (IT).

Over the past four years, the Government of Saint Lucia has made a concerted effort to en-able universal access to com-puters. By establishing the ‘One Laptop Per Child Programme,’ it has, in effect, facilitated easy

access to information through the use of modern technology.

With this in mind, Prime Min-ister Dr. Kenny D. Anthony says he is pleased to announce that exactly 3,840 laptops, 550 desk-tops and 125 projectors arrived safely to Port Castries from the Republic of China (Taiwan) on Monday (February 15). The ‘One Laptop Per Child Pro-gramme’ was, in 2016, funded by the Government of Taiwan

to the tune of $3.75 million.Taiwan also funded the

Government-initiated ‘Teach-er Training Programme,’ an island-wide initiative to equip educators with the skills and resources to effectively inte-grate the use of Information and Communication Technology in the classroom.

The generous contribution to the development of the educa-tion sector will ensure every

Laptop program on course as 3,840 arrive in new shipment from Taiwan550 desktops and 125 projectors also part of shipment!

single child in Form Three re-ceives a notebook PC operat-ing on Windows 10, supplied by Taiwanese manufacturing company, Asus. The Saint Lucia Government will announce a special handing over ceremony for the Laptop Programme in

due course.The Laptop Programme was

supported by the Government of Trinidad and Tobago in its inaugural year, 2014 and in the second year by the Government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.

The island’s Director of Tourism has welcomed the increased investments in

hotel construction on the island, which will add over 700 rooms to the island’s already large in-ventory. “This overdue hotel boom adds much-needed inven-tory to meet the demands of our key source markets,” says Louis Lewis, the Director Tourism.

“Tourism growth is a priority and Invest Saint Lucia and the newly opened Saint Lucia Citi-zenship by Investment Office will continue to seek new in-vestment and development for the island.”

Lewis reported that the U.S. -- the island’s leading market, with more than 44% of arrivals in 2015 -- realized a 7% growth in visitors compared to 2014. Saint Lucia saw six record-breaking months in 2015 – Janu-ary, February, March, April, June and October – for a total of nearly 345,000 visitors for the year; and an overall increase in stay-over arrivals of two per-cent, following a six percent rise in arrivals in 2014.

“Partnership is key to the con-tinued success of Saint Lucia’s marketing efforts,” said Lewis. “We work closely with our ho-

tel and product partners, travel agent partners, tour operators and airlines, to harness ideas and resources for the benefit of the overall destination.”

He added that the Saint Lucia Tourist Board will unveil a new marketing campaign in the sec-ond half of 2016 with plans to refresh the brand with new col-lateral and photography.

Saint Lucia was recognized as “Best Honeymoon Island in the World,” one of the “Top 20 Is-lands in the World,” and one of the “Most Romantic Islands in the World” by the Condé Nast Traveler 2015 Readers’ Choice Awards. Six of the island’s resorts were also distinguished as “Top 40 Resorts in the Caribbean” by Condé Nast Traveler readers.

The growing reputation of the diverse hotels, and the is-land of Saint Lucia as a sought-after destination was further strengthened by the more than 50 awards and accolades re-ceived by resorts across the island, including recognition from Travel & Leisure’s World’s Best List and Condé Nast Trav-eler’s Gold List to the coveted “Caribbean’s Leading Honey-moon Destination” by World Travel Award.

Tourism Director welcomes additional 700 rooms to island’s hotel inventory!

Saint Lucia has landed yet another accolade from the tourism world – this time

it’s been declared a top Trend-ing destination by one of the world’s biggest credit card com-panies.

Only seven top trending des-tinations have been listed by American Express Travel, with Saint Lucia as one of only two

Caribbean destinations to be highlighted as trending at the top for 2016.

Out of the seven trending destinations, Saint Lucia’s Pi-tons have been used as the home page image for this acco-lade on the American Express website.

Since the start of the year sev-eral travel agencies and travel

related companies have listed St. Lucia high on the chart of ‘go-to’ destinations.

These companies recommend-ed St. Lucia as an alternative to Zika affected countries for ‘ba-by-moon’ trips.

St. Lucia was also recently ranked as “one of the least ex-pensive destinations in the Ca-ribbean.”

Saint Lucia ranked as Top Trending Destination by American Express Travel

Saint Lucia’s majestic Pitons as they featured on the American Express Travel website’s Home Page

The Caribbean tourism in-dustry for the first time in history outpaced the

growth of the rest of the world. This was reveal in the tourism growth data for 2015 at the State of the Tourism Industry Report held today at the CTO head-quarters in Barbados.

St. Lucia saw a significant 5.2% growth in winter tourist arrivals while experiencing a weak 0.2% growth in summer arrivals. The growth in arrivals pushed total stopovers for St. Lucia to 344,908 visitors for 2015, an increase of 2.0% over the previous year.

The most significant growths were seen in Cuba and Haiti; the former experiencing a whop-ping 17.4% increase while the latter saw a healthy 10.9% in-crease in arrivals.

Figures to note include the 7% increase in international trips to the Caribbean (28.7 million arrivals) in 2015, which is sup-ported by sustained economic recovery in our main markets, a strong US dollar and a collapse in oil prices.

There were over 14.3 million U.S. visits to the region, 6.3% more than the previous year. (No-tably, the American market ac-counts for approximately 50% of total arrivals and the majority of

Americans to the region visited the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Puerto Rico and The Bahamas.)

Arrivals from the European market were estimated at 5.2 million, breaching the 5 mil-lion mark for the first time since 2008. This represented growth of 4.2%. The top performers were Turks & Caicos Islands (34.7%), Cuba (23.1%) and Mont-serrat (12.1%).

Lower oil prices, a strong US dollar, improved economic growth in our major source markets and extra airline seat capacity to the region are all

expected to positively impact tourism performance in the Caribbean, while uncertainty about the impact of the mosqui-to-borne disease Zika persists, the implications of the economic slowdown of China, the world’s largest economy and the con-tinuation of recessions in Brazil and Venezuela will temper our optimism.

Consequently, the CTO pre-dicts that stayover arrivals to the Caribbean will increase be-tween 4.5 and 5.5%, while cruise arrivals will increase between 1% and 2%.

Saint Lucia scored marginal tourism growth arrivals in 2015 as the Caribbean made history!

An aerial view of Port Castries on a regular day during last year’s cruise season

Unverified voters – per-sons whose voting status isn’t certain --

are being urged by the Civic and Voter Education Coor-dinator, Alymphia Lionel, to visit the Electoral Depart-ment with their concerns.

“What we want those per-sons to do is to come in with their ID card concerns and we would rectify any prob-lems,” she says.

Ms Lionel has disclosed that the department has already published a list of unverified electors in the newspapers. However, the list has to be published more than once to give electors time to have their concerns addressed.

She said, “That exercise is important, because we would need those persons to come so we can publish our voters list, because, over the years we have had so many persons on the list and persons are also saying some have deceased.”

Ms Lionel revealed that it is the Chief Elections Officer is legally authorized to conduct that verification exercise after a general election. She said there are instances where persons live at a different ad-dress and want to vote in an-other location.

“Those persons, when we pass to do the verification exercise, we would not pick them up. For instance, they would have their address as Central but they are living in the North, so when persons pass to verify they would pick up that those persons no longer live there,” Lionel noted.

She said that the unverified list has been published so that electors have a period of time to file claims and objec-tions, after which the list will be published again.

“Once you are on the voters list you are entitled to vote,” Lionel explained.

Electoral Office appeals to Unverified Voters

NationWIDEPage 4 Saturday February 20, 2016

The Journey Continues!Independence 37 -

Governor General Dame Pearlette Louisy was re-cently given a personal

tour of the Owen King EU Na-tional Hospital, ahead of its commissioning as part of this year’s independence anniver-sary celebrations.

At the commencement of the tour, the Governor General was presented with copy of the 2016 Millennium Heights Medical Complex calendar by Perma-nent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Conitha Thomas.

Ms. Thomas was among a team of officials from the minis-try present to receive the Gover-nor General.

The tour allowed Dame Pear-lette to see, first-hand, some of the key areas within the new hospital which are not present at Victoria Hospital: the Pediat-ric Ward, Central Sterilization Services Department, Physio-

therapy Department, state of the art operating theatres, an expanded A&E Department, and a Radiology Department equipped with the latest in Mammography and MRI equip-ment.

The Governor General de-scribed the facility as impres-sive.

She said, "It is a very impres-sive building and my fervent hope is that we keep it func-tional.

“I can see that it is an expen-sive undertaking and to keep it running is also going to be ex-pensive.

“I am glad I had the oppor-tunity [to tour] and I can say to Saint Lucia and the region that we indeed have a first class health facility."

She compared the new hos-pital to the health facilities in some developed countries and

said that the new hospital ranks alongside the best of them.

Commissioning Director for the New National Hospital, Dwight Calixte, said the tour marked the next phase of public awareness.

Staff associations, the Cham-ber of Commerce, schools, the Medical and Dental Association and the media will next be in-vited to tour the facility.

"This is a national accomplish-ment and we want to encourage persons to come in and tour the facility, but we plan to manage the flow, because we want to ensure that the facility remains intact before the opening," Mr. Calixte said.

The European Union fund-ed both the construction and equipping of the Owen King EU Hospital, an ultra-modern treat-ment and care facility, to the tune of $167 million.

The new hospital is the largest infrastructural project ever ex-ecuted by the European Union in the Eastern Caribbean.

The hospital will be officially

named tomorrow (Sunday). The naming of the hospi-

tal forms part of the activities marking Saint Lucia's 37th an-niversary of Independence.

The Governor General described the facility as impressive.

GG visited EU hospital ahead of tomorrow’s official naming ceremony

The Southern Tourism Development Corpora-tion (STDC) will, this

weekend, host an Interna-tional Food Fair and Banana Festival as part of Vieux Fort's Independence activities.

The festival will be held on Sunday at the Phillip Marcel-lin Grounds and will high-light Saint Lucian culture and foods.

STDC Vice President Julius James said the organization has always had a desire to make the food fair an attrac-tive and fun experience for the entire family.

"The past STDC board ex-perimented with a trade fair, then something agricultural.

“This year we thought: ba-nana is a food, and banana is something that is part of Saint Lucian culture, so we thought that we should high-light the banana.”

The STDC was established in 1998 with a mission to stimulate and co-ordinate the development of tourism in the south of the island.

James said although the organization went through a dormant period from 2009 to 2015, now under a new exec-

Vieux Fort to host International Food Fair tomorrow

By The Network Journal

For Taribba do Nas-cimento, designing and making hand-

bags turned out to be the perfect side business after the birth of her son, mak-ing it a home-based busi-ness was a natural move.

It was something she loved to do, and it allowed her to spend more time with her newborn.

“At first, I was only de-signing bags and out-sourced their production. When I had my son, I realized I wanted to stay home more, so figured I would rather stay home and sew bags instead,” she explains.

“One day while selling at a bazaar, I met a young leather smith who was impressed with the bags that I had outsourced. I told him I could not make bags, so he took me un-der his wing, helped me buy my first machine, in-troduced me to the mer-chants and has been my mentor every step of the way.”

Thus meme bete Ltd. was developed–and it de-veloped into a much big-ger business than at first imagined.

The name même bête comes from a St. Lucian Creole saying that means “we are all the same.” It’s a nod to Nascimento’s heritage.

“I was born in Canada to St. Lucian parents, and grew up my whole life in St. Lucia. I moved to Ethiopia in 2006 as an intern working with craft women, which is when I got the inspiration to start making bags.

“The company started in Ethiopia in 2006. Despite being born in Canada, I always refer to myself as St. Lucian,” she says.

“I go back to Ethiopia maybe once a year.

“I just returned from a trip recently and will be creating a docu-short on my mentor.

“It is always great to go back and be amongst the root of my inspiration. I particularly enjoy going to the market and shop-ping for unique finds and embellishments to add to my bags.”

Her St. Lucian heritage and African influences are reflected in her de-signs.

She uses different types of traditional cloths such as African wax print and madras, along with leather.

Nascimento operates out of a home-based workshop in St. Lucia where each bag is hand-made.

She enjoys her creations. “As a Caribbean person,

we are a melting pot of all cultures. African culture is one such culture that permeates our everyday lives.

“The vibrancy and color of African print mirrors the vibrancy and color of Caribbean life. Mixing the African print with leather to me feels like an artistic representation of Carib-bean life, that is a mixture of so many cultures,” she shares.

She continues, “I also use traditional French Creole fabric called ma-dras, and make a special bag called boho bags that, at best, mirror East Indian and Asian cultures.”

“These bags incorpo-rate sari material, Afri-can print, Chinese silk and essentially anything I can get my hands on,” she says, and adds: “Bags are easy! Bags have no sizes; either you like them or not! Unlike clothing, where it has to fit differ-ent body types and sizes, bags are generally one size fits all,” she explains.

utive it is ready to showcase the south as a choice tourism destination.

He listed the many attrac-tions that make Vieux Fort suitable for development as part of the national tourism product.

“I can begin with the miles of beaches. I could begin with the open space. I could begin with the fishing sector, and physical attractions like Moule-a-Chique,” he said.

The STDC's International Food Fair and Banana Fes-tival will open at 11a.m. and end at 10 p.m.

Three Caribbean na-tionals are among the 17 youth leaders

named as finalists for the prestigious 2016 Common-wealth Youth Awards for Excellence in Development Work – and a Saint Lucian is among them.

They are Asha Farrell of Barbados; Shamoy Hajare from Jamaica and Tevin Shepherd of St. Lucia.

Asha is an assistant co-ordinator with A Ganar Barbados Sport for Devel-opment Programme, which trains young people, par-ticularly juvenile offenders, to develop life skills such as teamwork and communica-tion through sport.

Shamoy is the founder of the Jamaica School for Social Entrepreneurship, an NGO that promotes the development of social en-terprises by young people. She is also co-founder of the Youth Entrepreneur-ship Project.

Tevin is the co-founder of ProjectCan, a youth group that engages young people in education, entrepreneur-ship and leadership. He also served as vice-pres-

Young Saint Lucian activist named among finalists for Commonwealth Youth Awards

ident of the St. Lucia Na-tional Youth Council.

The awards recognise outstanding young people under the age of 30 from Commonwealth countries whose work has signifi-cantly contributed to lo-cal, national, regional and global development. Over 300 nominations were re-ceived this year.

Katherine Ellis, Direc-tor of Youth at the Com-monwealth Secretariat, said: “These finalists are deeply inspiring young people who deserve to be celebrated. The incredible work that they do, and the impact they make, under-scores the important role

that young people play in driving development and democracy.”

The judging panel for the awards included rep-resentatives of High Com-missions, Commonwealth organisations and young leaders.

Four regional winners will be announced in London during Common-wealth Week (14-18 March), when the Commonwealth Young Person of the Year will also be revealed.

In addition to a cash prize, the four regional winners will receive a trip to London to meet Com-monwealth leaders. All fi-nalists will receive a cash prize and trophy.

Commonwealth Week is celebrated by governments, young people and schools, communities and civil so-ciety organisations every year in March.

The occasion is marked across the Commonwealth with a range of activities, including a multi-faith ser-vice at Westminster Abbey in London on Common-wealth Day, which is on 14 March this year.

Tevin Shepherd

Handbag designer makes strides in niche business

Taribba do Nascimento at her home studio with her unique craft

NationWIDE Page 5Saturday February 20, 2016

The Journey Continues!Independence 37 -

In observance of Saint Lucia’s 37th anniversary of independence, the Consulate General of Saint Lucia

in New York organized a number of celebratory events for the rest of this month.

The activities started Febryary 6 with an Independence Gospel Fest. This annual event, a longtime favorite, took place at the Mt. Zion Church of God in Brooklyn.

Featured were performances at the Gospel Fest were by a host of Saint Lucian gospel artists and groups, including Emrand Henry, Shem Meluce, PJ Stanislas, Ashley Norbert, Billy Poyotte, Vessels of Honor, and Saint Lucia’s Children of Culture.

Ms. Menissa Rambally, Saint Lu-

cia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, was in atten-dance and addressed the gathering.

The next activity was an Inde-pendence 37 flag-raising ceremony yesterday (Friday) in Brooklyn. Remarks were made at yesterday’s gathering by Julian Du Bois, Saint Lucia’s immediate past Consul General in New York, and also by Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams.

Several local elected officials rep-resenting the City of New York were also invited. Meanwhile, the New York Independence 37 festivities con-tinue today (Saturday) with a produc-tion of the play “Zingay,” to be per-formed by an all-Saint Lucian cast. (See story also on this page)

On Sunday (February 21), an ecu-menical service will take place at the Holy Cross Roman Catholic Church, also in Brooklyn, to be fol-lowed by a special reception at the Saint Lucia House.

Other planned Independence 37 activities in New York will include: the Independence Lecture, a flag-raising ceremony, the Independence 37 Gala, the Independence 37 Ecu-menical Service, the Young Saint Lucian Professionals Mixer, and the Saint Lucia Cultural Explosion.

The Consulate General of Saint Lucia in New York invited all Saint Lucians in the tri-state area to par-ticipate in the planned events and help strengthen bonds within the Diaspora community.

The St. Lucia Consulate in New York organized a series of activities for Independence 37

Gospel Fest kicked off Consulate’s Independence 37 activities in NYC

Producer, Host and Actor Marlon Gervis along with his cast will bring a belly full of laughs to

Brooklyn today, in celebration of St. Lu-cia’s 37th Anniversary of Independence.Marlon, who is loved around Brook-lyn for hosting events and producing shows, will take to the stage in ZINGAY.

The play is a comedy which re-vives our addiction to Fork Tales of the Soucouyant, La Diablese and Obeah Woman.

ZINGAY was written by celebrat-ed play write Freddie Kissoon of Trinidad & Tobago.

The other cast members are St. Lu-cian and collectively bring a wealth of stage experience to the production.

Marlon has acted in ‘The Sea at Dauphin’, ‘Mascaraed’ and ‘Still We Rise’, among others.

He says he is excited about this staging of ZINGAY, especially since

it is being presented in celebration of St. Lucia’s Independence Anni-versary.

The play is being held under the auspices of the Office of the Consul-ate General of St. Lucia to New York.

ZINGJAY brings local laughter to Brooklyn for Independence 37

The Children of Helen Alliance Inc., an organization of Saint Lucians in Florida, will be celebrating the island’s 37th Independence Anniversary tomorrow (Sunday February 21st) at Lakes of Sherbrooke Clubhouse in Lake Worth, Florida. The Alliance says, “This celebration is in keeping with our goal to preserve and share our St Lucian culture and heritage, of which we are very proud.” The Alliance invited all St. Lucians in Florida to join in the Independence Anniversary celebrations .The above flyer was circulated with the details of tomorrow’s celebratory event.

Children of Helen Alliance to host Independence reception in Florida tomorrow

Phillips earlier this month said it was proud to present in its New York gallery a group of works by

Llewellyn Xavier, a renowned artist known for using brilliant colors to re-flect the light and life of the Caribbean. The collection of works were on view from January 14 – February 14, 2016.

Xavier’s paintings are prized by international collectors in the Unit-ed States, Canada and the Carib-bean, and his work is represented in the permanent collections of the Smithsonian Institution, Washing-ton DC, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, The Museum of Modern Art, New York, and the Vic-toria and Albert Museum, London.

“Llewellyn is one of the greatest art-ists ever to emerge from the Caribbean and we are honored to be collaborating with him on this very exciting sell-ing exhibition,” said Edward Dolman, Chief Executive Officer of Phillips.

“He endures as a dynamic voice in the dialogue between the forces of globalization and localism, height-ening the awareness of culture in all corners of the world.”

“The title of the exhibition, Blue Ocean Sanctuary, is born out of a visceral con-viction that art serves a multiplicity of functions; philosophical as well as aes-thetic,” said Llewellyn Xavier.

“Like many of my contemporaries, I try to create art that frees us of all restraints to create a pure art that is both relevant and immediate.

“Phillips is unquestionably at the vanguard of the intellectual revolution that is now sweeping the art world. I am both humbled and privileged to be included in this august circle.”

Born in 1945 in St. Lucia, the artist dedicates much of his efforts to oil paintings using a technique he has refined for more than forty years.

In his work, Xavier articulates his enduring passion for using art

Top artist’s works displayed in New York gallery

to express his view of the world. He perfected his technique at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design in Halifax.

Xavier is St. Lucia’s pre-eminent visual artist and has spent more than half of his life travelling around the world to enrich his vi-sual experience.

From his early representational oil paintings through his work tak-ing on racial and political themes in the 1960s and 70s, to more abstract series of watercolors influenced by ancient myths, his work rejoices in the natural world.

His work often reflects his love for the environmental landscape sur-rounding him through the use of color and light.

The artist lives and works with his characteristic copious energy in St. Lucia, supporting myriad political and environmental issues that he cares about deeply.

In 2004, Xavier was made a mem-ber of the Order of the British Em-pire (OBE) in recognition for his contribution to art

Llewellyn Xavier is one of the island’s most acclaimed artists.

Producer, Host and Actor Marlon Gervis

The I-Am-Lucian/CYOL Brand hosted its first Independence Pop Up

Shop on Saturday February 13th in the William Peter Boulevard. The brand of-fered a variety of apparel aimed at creating awareness for Saint Lucia’s 37th Inde-pendence Anniversary.

The Pop Up Shop was started by the brand last year and this year. Different designs were available for purchase, as well as various colors, sizes and styles, including Men Tees and Vests, Ladies Tees and Vests, Kids Tees, Shorts & more.

The idea behind the brand has always been to Create Your Own Lifestyle and this represents part of the whole

I-Am-Lucian hosted Independence Pop Up show in Boulevard

movement, idea and concept.The CYOL/ I-Am-Lucian brand

is celebrating five years of appar-el in 2016, which is also branded as The Year of The Lifestyle.

“A lot of work was put into

the entire brand over the five years and as we evolve in 2016, we want to offer a wider variety of apparel going into Independence.” states Swagga Shane of CYOL.

NationWIDE NationWIDEPage 6 Saturday February 20, 2016 Page 7Saturday February 20, 2016

REBUILDING SAINT LUCIA — FROM DECLINE TO RECOVERY!

Saint Lucia tourism officials are preparing to welcome over 700 new hotel rooms

to the island’s accommodations in 2016, along with a new mar-keting campaign and push for new island investment.

Rex resorts has re-opened the 110 room Papillon Hotel after completing extensive renova-

Saint Lucia’s burgeoning in-ternational financial sector received a further boost

this week after Petrus Private Bank officially opened its local operations during a brief cer-emony at the Capella Resort in Marigot Bay on Tuesday.

The ceremony was attended by Minister for Commerce, Hon. Emma Hippolyte; Chairman of the Board of Petrus Private Bank, Mr. Thierry Bounous; Chief Ex-ecutive Office, Mr. Jean-Francois Ruel; Chief Operating Officer, Mr. Benjamin Gunst; directors and members of the staff of the bank; and members of staff of the Financial Services Regulato-ry Authority (FRSA) in the Min-istry of Finance, Economic Af-fairs, Planning & Social Security.

Addressing the audience, Prime Minister Dr. Kenny D. An-thony thanked the bank’s lead-ership for choosing Saint Lucia over jurisdictions including The Bahamas, Barbados, and Swit-zerland, noting their stated am-bition “to become the Caribbean bank of choice for individuals who seek a financial institution that can relate to their motives, aspirations and needs.”

The Prime Minister went on to address the complex internation-al regulatory environment that governs the offshore financial sector and outlined the steps the Government of Saint Lucia has taken, over the past four years in particular, “to avoid being black-

listed and to remain attractive and competitive.”

Said Dr. Anthony, “The Finan-cial Services Regulatory Author-ity, the Financial Intelligence Au-thority, the professional services industry, the Ministry of Finance and Central Government con-tinue to working relentlessly and assiduously in developing Saint Lucia as a truly global financial centre on par with the major in-ternational players.”

The Prime Minister went on to emphasize that all who are en-gaged in the industry must be bold, imaginative and innova-tive.

According to the Prime Minis-ter, “I believe we all accept that times have changed.

“I marvel every day at the rate that financial products and ser-vices are undergoing change. If we want to survive in this new environment, we will need to be bold and imaginative.

“While we are required to obey regulatory requirements, it is im-perative that we do not become so consumed with our regula-tory commitments that we lose our ability to innovate and create new products for the financial marketplace.

“Innovation remains a key to our survival. We are no longer competing with our own in the region but with the entire world.”

The Prime Minister concluded by thanking the principals of the bank for making Saint Lucia the

jurisdiction of choice. He said, “I am pleased to wel-

come Petrus Private Bank Limit-ed to our shores. I thank its prin-cipals for choosing Saint Lucia as its base to conduct business.

“Your presence and operations will add value to our economy.

“This decision is another state-ment of confidence in the integ-rity of our country, our economy and its future.

“We will do our utmost to jus-tify the faith and confidence you have placed in our country and our people.”

Petrus Private Bank Limited is now the 15th licensed interna-tional bank operating from Saint Lucia.

Saint Lucia is signatory to and compliant with the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force, the Financial Action Task Force, the

Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, the International Cooperative Regu-latory Group, and the United States Foreign Account Tax Com-pliance Act, among others.

The island’s international fi-nancial sector is governed by the international financial services laws and the Financial Services Regulatory Authority Act of 2011, which gave birth to the FSRA.

tions as an all-inclusive four-star property in February 2016 with Air Canada Vacations as the exclusive tour operator out of Canada. The Papillon Hotel is located adjacent to the St. Lu-cian and Royal by Rex resorts hotels on Reduit Beach near Rodney Bay.

Also set to open this year, the

Harbor Club on the Rodney Bay Marina will feature 115 four-star accommodations with a number of amenities that in-clude two restaurants, lounges, a full-service spa, gym, pool recreational concept and 4,000 square feet of meeting and con-ference space.

Adjacent to the Harbor Club

is the recently completed Dive Saint Lucia, one of the premier scuba diving centers in the East-ern Caribbean featuring state of the art facilities at the complex just south of the Rodney Bay Marina.

In late 2016, Royalton Luxury Resorts will add to its rapidly expanding portfolio of vacation

experiences with the upscale Royalton Saint Lucia near Cap Estate.

The elegant resort features 361 luxurious rooms, eight restau-rants and six bars, world class spa, onsite splash park, confer-ence space and an exclusive 94-suite, adults-only hotel with-in a resort called Hideaway.

St. Lucia welcomes 15th international bank!PM describes it as ‘another statement of confidence in the

integrity of our country, our economy and its future!’

New construction to add over 700 new hotel rooms

After cutting the ribbon to welcome the 15th international banking institution operating out of here, Prime Minister Anthony said his government “will continue to working relentlessly and assiduously in developing Saint Lucia as a truly global financial centre on par with the major international players.”

Prime Minister Dr. Kenny D. Anthony has welcomed further positive news for

the tourism industry -- and for employment prospects in Saint Lucia. He has pointed to the re-opening of the Rex Papillon in Rodney Bay and the work con-tinuing on several other major construction projects around the island.

The 110-room Rex Papillon was closed in 2009, but with confidence in the country’s economy growing, the Rex Re-sorts group decided to renovate the property, starting in mid-2015.

Prime Minister Anthony paid an impromptu visit to the newly renovated property last week-end and following this visit, Dr. Anthony said, “I am indeed exceedingly pleased at this de-velopment, the renovation and reopening of the Papillon prop-erty.

“And I am pleased not merely because it reflects the confi-dence that Rex Resorts repose in the future of tourism, but also because this is good news for the dozens of Saint Lucians who are employed at the Papillon.”

According to Dr Anthony, “It

is my understanding that cur-rently, 85 persons are employed at the resort and this number will increase to 100 in the near future.”

Pointing out that “Some 150 locals were engaged in the con-struction phase,” Dr Anthony said, “There is further good news, in that the management has intimated to me that during the reconstruction, all of their hardware was purchased from local suppliers.”He explained, “The renovation of the Papillon is estimated to have cost ten mil-lion US dollars (US$10,000,000).”

Dr Anthony added, “With the Royalton (formerly Smug-glers Resort) proceeding apace and also expected to open in 2016, work continu-ing on Tides Sugar Beach in Soufriere, on The Harbour Club Hotel, on the Courts Megastore in Marisule and on the Dayana Commercial Cen-tre in the heart of Castries, private sector investment in construction, tourism and re-tail is gaining momentum.”

The PM’s comments came ahead of the later disclosure by the central Statistics office that employment had grown

significantly in the last quarter of 2015 with creation of 5,000 more jobs than in the same period a year earlier. Mean-

while, Rex Resorts says it will be officially opening the Pa-pillon in the near future. The company is also collaborating

with Air Canada Vacations to increase the volume of airlift to Hewanorra International Airport.

PM welcomes brighter employment prospects

in construction!

Lord Michael Howard, The Patron of the Brit-ish Caribbean Chamber

of Commerce (BCCC), with its President, Mr John Kennedy and officers, Dr Ian Kelly, Mrs Pauline Wade, Mr Mandish Singh, Mr George Alcindor and Mr Randy Cato, earlier this week paid a courtesy call on Dr Kenny D. Anthony, Prime Min-ister of Saint Lucia. The BCCC delegation was accompanied by Mrs Annie McGhee, the Resi-dent British Commissioner of the British High Commission to Saint Lucia.

In discussion with the Prime Minister, Lord Howard repeat-ed the positive impression he had gained on this his first full visit to the island and empha-sized how the BCCC would be working with both UK inves-

Prime Minister Dr. Ken-ny D. Anthony says the latest unemployment

figures indicate that there is hope and opportunity for the youth of Saint Lucia. During his address at the graduation ceremony of the National Skills Development Centre (NSDC) on February 9, the Prime Minister announced

that data from the Department of Statistics revealed that unem-ployment has dropped to 20%, while youth unemployment fell by 10% to 34%.

Dr. Anthony said: "I am very pleased to note that the most recent data from the Statistics Department indicate that, last quarter, unemployment fell to about 20%, down from a high

of 25%. That means that 5,000 more persons were employed in the 4th quarter of 2015 com-pared to the 4th quarter of 2014.

“And most importantly, there has been a significant drop in youth unemployment, per-sons between the ages 16 to 29. Among this category, unem-ployment is now down to about 34% from a high of 44%.

“This is great news!" Dr. An-thony attributed the increase in employment to greater foreign direct investment and other Government led initiatives. Ac-cording to the Prime Minister, "There are opportunities open-ing up. New hotels are under construction and are opening up. New businesses are open-ing up. There are opportunities

through the Cruise Ship Em-ployment Programme."

Dr. Anthony charged the NSDC Graduates to be confi-dent in their skills and abili-ties, but to always remember that a positive attitude and outlook will say more about their willingness and ability to work in any environment than the skills they have acquired.

PM says increased employment is ‘Great News!’

Lord Howard and BCCC encouraging more British Investments in Saint Lucia

tors looking to this region, as well as Saint Lucian companies and entrepreneurs wishing to access the UK market in the future.

A wide range of issues were covered during the extensive discussions with the Prime Minister, which included the fact that during the visit the first cooperation between the BCCC and TEPA had been formally initiated during a ceremonial signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the two organizations.

This marked the news of the presence of a TEPA intern in the United Kingdom work-ing with BCCC. The Prime Minister was also advised of the Chamber’s work to in-clude a Saint Lucian cultural delegation during the Hull

Lord Howard (centre) and BCCC President John Kennedy (left) in discussion with the Prime Minister earlier this week.

City of Culture manifesta-tions in the United Kingdom, this year, showcasing Saint Lucian Culture.

It was pointed out that British Prime Minister David Cameron had announced, to the House of Commons, that he would be visiting the City to mark these celebrations. Discussions also focused on Prime Minister Cameron’s announcement of a non-returnable infrastructure aid package for Saint Lucia, as part of a three hundred million pound program of allocation to the region.

Lord Howard said that this was part of the British Prime Minister’s commitment to re-engage and refocus the Anglo-Caribbean relationship which had in recent years had less prominence than it deserved.

The delegation agreed that it would continue with its work in promoting the island and the re-gion as a place to invest, while at

the same time, offering any as-sistance it could to Saint Lucian entrepreneurs wishing to access the significant UK market.

The Harbour Club is one of several hotels taking shape in the north of the island along the Gros Islet highway and joins several other ongoing projects in Gros Islet and other parts of the island that continue to create jobs and revive the island's construction industry.

The Dayana Mall building constructed by the Chreiki Family in Castries is another tribute to confidence of local investors in the local economy. It provided many jobs and helped positively change the face of the capital city at the corner of Jeremie and Bridge Streets, where goods and

services will be available through many commercial, private and public business outlets

NationWIDEPage 8 Saturday February 20, 2016

The Journey Continues!Independence 37 -

Students at the Montessori Centre and the Interna-tional Montessori School in

Rodney Bay, Gros Islet, gathered on the school grounds for a rally on Wednesday.

In keeping with this year’s In-dependence theme “The Journey Continues”, the students enacted portrayals of the first inhabit-ants, as well as the battles be-tween the French and British.

They also focused on the pe-riod from associated statehood to Independence, as well as on some of the nation’s builders.

The rally was followed by a mini fair, with fun and games, as well as mouth-watering eats and drinks.

The school says that, as is cus-tomary, proceeds from the fair will be donated to an organiza-tion which provides services to persons in situations that place them “at risk”.

Meanwhile, a local church ear-lier this week invited Saint Lu-cians to pray and worship for and at this year’s 37th Indepen-dence celebrations. On Thurs-day (February 18th), Trinity

Lutheran Church in beautiful Bisee hosted a prayer vigil for the country, as part of its Inde-pendence observances this year.

Beginning at 6am and finish-ing at10pm, friends and staff of Trinity Lutheran church gath-ered every hour on the hour for 15 minutes to pray for the nation and their communities – and asked the public to join them at any time during the day.

Pastor Tom Spiegelberg says he thinks sometimes ordinary citizens feel an overwhelming sense of helplessness, when it comes to the random acts of violence and hard times that the country is experiencing.

Teachers attached to the church say they want to get involved in Independence observance activ-ities to help children and adults to be guided as Christians and citizens of St. Lucia.

The Church also hosted Lent services leading up to Easter, starting Wednesday this week; and its TLC Early Childhood Development Centre hosted its Independence Day Service yes-terday (Friday).

The church says it sponsored this activity with the encourage-ment of the Ministry of Social Transformation. The Ministry also planned a National Day of Prayer and Re-Dedication for our People and Country yesterday at the Minor Basilica of the Immac-

ulate Conception, 2016 based on the theme “The Journey: What it Means to Be St Lucian”.

Saint Lucians were also in-vited to tune in to the prayer broadcast on radio and televi-sion every hour, starting from 6am to 6pm this past Thursday.

Places of worship were opened throughout the day to facilitate people wanting to participate in corporate prayer, fasting and meditation.

The public was also encour-aged to attend any or all of the activities.

These and other students at the Montessori Centre and the International Montessori School in Rodney Bay, Gros Islet, gathered on the school grounds for a rally on Wednesday to observe Independence 37.

Schools and churches observing Independence 37

The Folk Research Centre is hosting an art exhibition of the work of National

Cultural Hero, the late Sir Dun-stan St. Omer (1927-2015), along-side the work of his sons. The expo started this past Monday, February 15th and is the FRC’s contribution to the 37th anniver-sary of St. Lucia’s Independence.

The exhibition is presented in association with the Dunstan St. Omer Art Foundation. The artist’s sons, Alwyn, Luigi, Ju-lio and Giovanni, each with their unique styles, are also

FRC showcases St. Omer family art for Independence 37

featured. A press launch was held before the exhibition was opened, at the headquarters of the Folk Research Centre at Mount Pleasant.

Details were also given at the press conference regarding the Dunstan St. Omer Art Founda-tion. Meanwhile, the FRC in-vites teachers to call the Centre to make bookings for tours of the exhibition by school chil-dren. Arrangements can be made for the St. Omer sons to be on hand to speak to the stu-dents about their work and that

of their father. (Call 4522279 to book classes.)

Visitors will also be able to view a permanent exhibition of the work of Harold Simmons, who was mentor and teacher to the young Dunstan St. Omer and his friend Derek Walcott. During January, in celebration of Nobel Laureate Week, the FRC had mounted an exhibition which included the work of the Honorable Derek Walcott. The St. Omer family exhibition will remain open until the end of February. Sir Dunstan St. Omer with his mural at Jacmel Catholic Church.

The Folk Research Centre and the Harold Simmons Folk Acad-emy recently hosted the launch

of the latest collection of poems by St. Lucian writer, John Robert Lee.

The book is entitled “City Remem-brances: Poems” and is illustrated with photographs by the author and art by book designer and artist Ra-phael ‘Rinvelle’ Philip.

It is published by Mahanaim Pub-lishing, an imprint created by the author. Production and printing is by The Document Centre.

The book of poems was launched to coincide with Nobel Laureates Week and Independence 37

Many of the poems, through the verses and art work, describe the city of Castries, its streets, people, activities and recent past.

A dedication page remembers a number of deceased St. Lucians: the late literature scholar Pat Ismond (1944-2006), the late Frank Norville (1944-2015) composer and singer and the late Sir Dunstan St. Omer (1927-2015), artist.

The launch at the FRC was titled “Time, baby, circling: the poetry of John Robert Lee” and will consist of dramatized readings of his poems by several readers, directed by poet and playwright Kendel Hippolyte.

Of the work of Lee, Nobel laureate

Robert Lee’s latest book of verse launched for Independence 37

Derek Walcott has said: “Robert Lee has been a scrupulous poet.

“That’s the biggest virtue that he has, and it’s not a common virtue in poets, to be scrupulous and modest in the best sense, not to over-extend the range of the truth of his emo-tions, not to go for the grandiose.

“He is a Christian poet, obviously. You don’t get in the poetry anything that is, in a sense, preachy or self-advertising in terms of its morality. He is a fine poet.”

And writer and editor, Nahdjla Bailey, has written: “In this big little

collection of City Remembrances, John Robert Lee’s poetic voice is as engrossing as ever.

“The beauty of his lines – keen, crystal clear, often touching – is but one element of the appeal of his voice; the other, the profound/pen-etrating statements, the messages, the questions of those lines, reach-ing the reader with consonant and equal ease.

“The fine, well-chosen photo-graphs and paintings are a fitting accompaniment to this work of viv-id reminiscences. Poet John Robert Lee: always illuminating.”

The new publication is made pos-sible with the generous support of LUCELEC (St. Lucia Electricity Services) and BOSL (Bank of St. Lu-cia), which had also supported the publication of the anthology “Sent Lisi: Poems and Art of Saint Lucia” of which Lee was a co-editor with Kendel Hippolyte, Jane King and Vladimir Lucien.

The book was published by the CDF in 2014 and dedicated to Mac-donald Dixon in commemoration of his 70th birthday.

This book launch was another of the events organized by the FRC in celebration of Nobel Laureate Week 2016 and this year’s Independence celebrations.

Poet and writer Robert Lee’s lat-est work has drawn rave reviews from Nobel Laureate Derek Wal-cott and fellow writer and critic

Nahdjla Bailey.

As St. Lucia celebrates its 37th year of independence, one St. Lucian filmmaker is en-

couraging all who “love the land that gave us birth” to contemplate what it truly means to be St. Lucian.

Mr. Kendal John , an accomplished St. Lucian television and film pro-ducer with over 20 years experience , has proven yet again the love he holds for his cherished island home.

His newest film release entitled ‘Who Are You?’ is a full-length documentary focusing on all the elements that combine to give the island its rich cultural and natural heritage.

According to Mr. John, the film will debunk some popular myths and many traditions will be high-lighted and their roots explained.

The filmmaker has also chal-lenged St. Lucians to address sen-sitive matters pertaining to the na-tion’s patrimony.

Issues such as public beach ac-cess, development on the Queen’s Chain, illicit artifact trafficking and the waning support to cultural art forms are all put under the lens for inspection.

The UNESCO-funded project aims to revisit the ’How To…’ guide

Local ‘lensman’ premiered heritage documentary for

Independence 37 celebrations

to cultural property management. Mr. John says he hopes the film

will stir viewers to not only appre-ciate the island and its traditions more, but would also drive all St. Lucians to do what they can to preserve their natural and cultural heritage.

The film was screened at Carib-bean Cinemas on Wednesday 17th February.

Mr. Kendal John , an accom-plished St. Lucian television

and film producer with over 20 years experience , has proven yet again the love he holds for

his cherished island home.

NationWIDE Page 9Saturday February 20, 2016

The Government of Saint Lucia is committed to ensuring that all Saint

Lucians benefit from the Infor-mation and Communications Technology (ICT) sector. Three years ago, it established a state-of-the-art Community ICT Ac-cess Centre in the town of Sou-friere and followed that up with the launch of island-wide Wi-Fi in Soufriere one year later.

Through the CARCIP Project, many Saint Lucians have received grant funding for businesses that incorporate or use ICT, while sev-eral training institutions have also benefited from grants to extend ICT-related training to young people interested in mak-ing a career in the ICT sector.

In his New Year’s Address, Prime Minister Dr. Kenny D. Anthony provided details of

his Government’s ambitious programme for the ICT sector. The Prime Minister revealed that in the next three months, new Community ICT Access Centres would be opened in the village of Micoud, the town of Vieux Fort, the village of Anse La Raye, the village of Canaries and the community of La Re-source in Vieux Fort.

The Prime Minister further revealed that by the end of this calendar year, his Government would have converted existing community centres into mod-ern, fully equipped Community ICT Access Centres in several areas island-wide.

The areas identified are: Mon-chy in Gros Islet; Garand in Babonneau; Faux A Chaud, En-trepot and Marchand in Castries; Belmont and Grande Riviere in

Dennery North; Dennery Village; Grace and Belle Vue in Vieux Fort North; the village of Laborie; Darban, Mongouge, Lamaze and Saltibus in Choiseul; and Jacmel.

At a recent Community Town Hall Meeting in Soufriere, Sena-tor Dr James Fletcher, whose ministry is responsible for this project, announced that Fond St Jacques in Soufriere has been added to the list of communities that will benefit from the ICT Access Centre initiative.

All of the Community ICT Ac-cess Centres will be equipped with computers, printers, pro-jectors, and will have free Wi-Fi available to their users and resi-dents in the immediate vicinity. Many will also have electronic whiteboards for use as a train-ing tool. The new Community ICT Access Centres will comple-

ment a Libraries ICT Project that is being funded by the Univer-sal Service Fund.

This project provides comput-ers for 14 libraries around the

island, as well as broadband ac-cess for a five-year period, tech-nical support, and the creation of wireless hotspots at all of these libraries.

Fond St Jacques hooked-up to island-wide Wi-Fi and Community ICT Access Centre Programme

Today, in keeping with its promise to transition to 35% renewable energy for

electricity generation by 2020 and reduce electricity consump-tion in the Public Sector by 20% by 2020, the Government of Saint Lucia announced a new partnership in solar energy gen-eration that will benefit one of its most iconic institutions.

Dr James Fletcher, Saint Lu-cia’s Minister for Sustainable Development, Energy, Science and Technology said, “The re-newable energy revolution is essential and exciting. It allows vulnerable Small Island Devel-oping States (SIDS) like ours to reduce public expenditure,

stimulate and transform our economies, generate new jobs, while at the same time protect-ing our environment. It is a win-ner on all fronts!”

Solar Head of State, with sup-port from its partners, will install a donated 10kW grid-connected solar photovoltaic system on Saint Lucia’s Govern-ment House, which will save the government thousands of dol-lars in energy expenditures over the system’s lifetime.

In 2014 Saint Lucia joined the Ten Island Challenge, a pro-gram to accelerate the renew-able energy transition in the Caribbean. This is an initiative of Sir Richard Branson’s Carbon

War Room, a global incubator for clean energy entrepreneur-ship and the Rocky Mountain Institute, the world’s original clean energy transition think-and-do tank.

Sir Richard Branson said, “I am delighted to see this initia-tive going ahead. It’s wonderful that island leaders are showing their commitment to a low car-bon future in such a demonstra-tive way.”

Jules Kortenhorst, Chief Ex-ecutive Officer of the Rocky Mountain Institute and Carbon War Room said, “Congratula-tions with Solar Head of State’s work in St.Lucia. These efforts provide wonderful, tangible

examples that solar should and does belong in the Caribbean.”

Maya Doolub, a member of Solar Head of State’s advisory board said, “We call on other world leaders at the COP21 in Paris to show personal leader-ship by putting solar systems on their official residences. Saint Lucia is showing it is time to take action and action starts at home.”

Solar Head of State partners with solar technology compa-nies, local installers and major climate NGOs and foundations to offer well designed, profession-ally installed solar systems for the residences of heads of state or government around the world in order to showcase and promote

the use of the technology.Saint Lucia’s Governor Gener-

al’s residence is a historic Victo-rian building at Morne Fortune on the outskirts of the capital Castries and contains the Le Pavillon Royal Museum which documents state history from the early 17th century.

The solar PV panels for the Saint Lucia Solar Head of State project are being donated by Trina Solar. Jifan Gao, Trina’s founder, is a leading figure in China’s booming solar industry.

Solar Head of State is part-nered with the Clinton Climate Initiative as well as the Carbon War Room and Rocky Moun-tains Institute.

Saint Lucia showcases its renewable energy transition

The Caribbean Regional Infrastructure Program (CARCIP), in collaboration

with the International Ameri-can University (IAU), has com-menced training and certification in Information and Communica-tion Technology (ICT) courses to citizens in the south of the island.

At the opening ceremony of the program, CARCIP Coordi-nator Chris Roberts urged the prospective students to utilize the opportunities provided by ICT to further educate them-selves and develop necessary skills for the future.

“This has scared me and I am passing the message on, be-cause we are the kind of people that will be on the losing end if we do not start expanding our-selves and our thinking, think-ing outside the box and really being creative.”

(For information on how to par-ticipate in the CARCIP ICT Skills Training Program visit www.carcip.govt.lc, call 758.468.4977, or email info.carcip@govt.lc. Per-sons can also visit the CARCIP office at the National ICT Center on Bourbon St., Castries.)

He advised, “Spend more time improving yourself because be-lieve you me, there are all sorts of skills that you can learn.

“You are going to be attend-ing a training programme in a school, but I would like to sug-gest to you that these schools and the format of learning that these schools represent is going to disappear very quickly -- its already disappearing, more and more people are learning on-line.”

Roberts explains advanc-ing technology would not only fundamentally change the way

persons live, but may result ad-versely to the economies of de-veloping nations.

He explained, “It is projected that with the advent of this type of technology, the result is going to be a further widen-ing of the gap between those who have, and those who do not have.

“The rich will get richer, be-cause they will leverage this technology in creative ways, the poor will get poorer because they may not think of ways of leveraging this technology in creative ways.

Coordinator Chris Roberts challenges participants to use ICT for personal development.

CARCIP advocates self-directed learning

The Ministry of Edu-cation has com-menced the second

phase of a teacher train-ing program that seeks to boost the capacity of teachers within the educa-

tion system in technology integration.

Some 250 teachers will benefit from the training which is being undertaken both virtually, and in a physical setting.

250 to benefit as ICT integration training continues

The PM and the Venezuelan Ambassador with some of the 250 teachers will benefit from the training being undertaken both virtually and in a physical setting.

Twenty educators have become certi-fied Master Train-

ers under the Caribbean Vocational Qualification (CVQ), last month.

These CVQ Master Trainers will now be re-sponsible for the training of assessors under the CVQ, who will in turn administer and conduct assessments under the award for varying techni-cal and vocational areas, administered by the Tech-nical Vocational Educa-tion and Training Unit (TVET).

They will also facilitate the training of teachers in

Dunn-Pierre/Barnett and Associates of Jamaica.

The CVQ qualifies can-didates to work as pro-fessionals throughout the Caribbean region.

a new program which in-troduces CVQ to second-ary schools on the island.

The activity, held in late January at the Pastoral Center, was facilitated by

The new initiative adds to the already 24 educators trained in virtual tutoring.

It also complements gov-ernment’s laptop program which will get its 2016 roll-off in the coming weeks.

TVET trains 20 CVQ master trainers

The CVQ furnishes candidates with credentials to work as professionals across the Caribbean.

NationWIDEPage 10 Saturday February 20, 2016

The Government of Saint Lucia re-affirms its view that the United King-

dom (UK) court proceedings concerning the application by Ms. Christina Estrada for per-mission to apply for financial relief from Dr. Walid Juffali after their divorce is a private family matter between Dr. Juf-fali and his former wife, and has no bearing on his duties as Permanent Representative to the International Maritime Or-ganisation (IMO).

While the Government has said in the past that it is for the courts to decide if diplomatic immunity can be invoked in this matter, the Government is extremely sur-prised by Monday’s judgment, and specifically by Mr. Justice Hayden’s comments about Dr.

Juffali’s status as Saint Lucia’s Representative to the IMO. As a sovereign state, it is Saint Lucia’s responsibility and sole right to decide who our diplomatic rep-resentatives are or should be.

As we have stated before, Dr. Juffali’s appointment followed full due process. His accredita-tion as a diplomat was approved by the IMO and was immedi-ately recognised and confirmed by the hosting nation - the UK. Neither the IMO, nor the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Of-fice, raised any concerns about the appointment. Dr. Juffali was immediately added to the pub-licly-available Diplomatic List, thereby confirming his diplo-matic status and entitlement to full diplomatic immunity

The Government remains of

Government deems London judge’s ruling in Jufalli case:

AN UNFORTUNATE PRECEDENT!Following is the full text of the statement issued by the Government of Saint Lucia following the announcement of the decision of a British judge in the private matter

involving Saint Lucia’s representative to the International maritime organization (IMO).

the view that to have waived Dr. Juffali’s diplomatic immunity for the purposes of resolving property disputes arising out of divorce proceedings would have created a precedent that could compromise current and future Saint Lucian diplomats in the United Kingdom and elsewhere. Indeed, if Justice Hayden’s judgment on diplo-matic immunity is allowed to stand, it will have serious re-percussions for the entire diplo-matic community in the United Kingdom.

The Government understands that Dr. Juffali will be appealing Monday’s judgment. We cannot therefore comment in more de-tail until we know the outcome of the appeal, but will do so in due course.

Saint Lucia’s business com-munity stands to benefit from another partnership

between the International Trade Centre (ITC) and the Govern-ment of Saint Lucia via a trade promotions project.

Executive Director of the ITC, Arancha González, said the main focus of the project is to brand and promote Saint Lucia.

She explained, "In the work we are going to be doing with TEPA, we are going to be mak-ing sure that our knowledge, our expertise is transferred to you – that you anchor it here in Saint Lucia, that you put this to the use here with the entrepre-neurs in Saint Lucia.

“I also want to stress that sup-porting women in entrepre-neurship is a big part of what we are trying to do. And through [this project] you can then help others in the regionwho are on the same journey."

The Trade Export Promotions Agency (TEPA) will implement the project.

"We have a national core team already in place ready to kick off. It’s like we’ve been wait-ing for this moment to breathe. So for the members of the core

team who are here, I know how happy you are and I am happy to stand here on your behalf also say thank you to the ITC," said TEPA Chief Executive Of-ficer Jacqueline Emmanuel-Flood.

A Memorandum of Under-standing (MOU) was signed last week between ITC and the Government of Saint Lucia and between ITC and TEPA.

The International Trade Cen-

tre is the joint agency for the World Trade Organization and the United Nations. Its aim is to help businesses in developing countries be more competitive in global markets.

The ITC and Saint Lucia have been partners since 2001.

This partnership will see the introduction and improvement of other areas of Saint Lucia’s business landscape including an expansion of e-commerce.

The importation of illegal firearms into the country continue to be a major

issue for law enforcement offi-cials and is mostly linked to the drug trade, National Security Minister Victor Lacobiniere has disclosed.

Lacobiniere believes there needs to be more targeted intel-ligence to recover illegal weap-ons, something he admits the police has not been too success-ful at doing.

“I continue to say to the Com-missioner of Police and previ-ous Commissioners that we are aware that they are high pow-ered weapons in the country and there has to be a more tar-

geted intelligence driven plan to recover these weapons,” he asserted.

The minister said while he be-lieves the police are doing what they can, there is a dire need for more intelligence driven opera-tions, international cooperation, and a build up of more local and special intelligence.

“The substance of the prob-lem comes with the drug trade. With every shipment of drugs that comes into the country and sometimes transits through the country, we have the opportu-nity for firearms coming in,” he explained.

Lacobiniere said some of these weapons even come through the

normal ports, because the coun-try lacks a very comprehensive system of screening.

“And I say a very comprehen-sive system of screening, be-cause if you notice, we do not have the kind of heightened electronic screening that you would have,” he remarked.

But if the government were to increase surveillance at various ports of entry, it could be a very expensive undertaking to pur-chase x-ray machines to check each container.

“The government continues to do what it can for law enforce-ment, to try to interdict,” Laco-biniere noted. (Courtesy: St. Lu-cia News online)

National Security Minister says more intelligence needed to recover illicit weapons

TEPA implements joint trade promotions project with ITC

The main focus of the project is to brand and promote Saint Lucia.

The National Utilities Regula-tory Commission replaces the National Water and Sewerage

Commission, which was previously responsible for the regulation of the water sector.

The National Utilities Regulatory Commission (NURC) Bill was de-bated and passed in both Houses of Parliament late last year.

The bill establishes the authority for the regulation of the water and electricity sectors by a multi-sector, independent, regulatory body.

The NURC will be responsible for ensuring the economic regulation of utility supply services; establish-ing, approving, monitoring and re-viewing tariff schemes and tariffs; and monitoring and ensuring com-pliance with standards.

It will also be responsible for pro-moting the economic regulation of utility supply services; ensuring the protection of the interest of con-sumers in relation to the provisions of the utility supply service; and promoting competition and moni-toring anti-competitive practices in

On February 5, the execu-tive board of the Inter-national Monetary Fund

(IMF) concluded the 2015 Article IV consultation with St Lucia.

BackgroundOn the back of strong tourism

inflows and lower oil prices, the St Lucian economy has returned to growth after experiencing a recession in 2012 and close-to-zero growth in 2013. GDP growth reached 0.5 percent in 2014, with transportation and hotels mostly contributing to the economic re-covery. The current account defi-cit is estimated to have narrowed from 11.2 to 6.7 percent of GDP in 2014. Inflation increased to 3.5 percent, mainly owing to higher food prices.

For the first time since FY2008/092, the primary balance switched to a small surplus of 0.1 percent of GDP in FY2014/15, reflecting somewhat higher rev-enues, including from policy measures, restraint on current spending, and cuts to capital ex-penditures. Nevertheless, debt continued to rise to almost 80 percent of GDP reflecting non-concessional interest rates and low growth.

Despite moderate economic re-covery, unemployment rose to 24.4 percent in 2014. Youth unemploy-ment, in particular, reached 41.8 percent. Despite some reduction in nonperforming loans, credit to private sector continued to decline. Compounded by robust deposit growth, the fall in credit continued to add onto liquidity accumulation in the banking sys-tem, raising excess reserves to an all-time high.

The February 2015 decision by the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union Monetary Council to lower the minimum saving deposit in-terest rate from 3 to 2 percent (ef-fective May 2015) alleviated pres-sures on bank profitability and allowed some easing of monetary conditions while the exchange rate, which is pegged to the US dollar, appreciated by 3 percent as of September 2015 in real effective terms from a year ago.

Executive Board AssessmentExecutive directors welcomed the

recent uptick in economic activity and the positive short-term outlook on the back of stronger tourist ar-rivals and lower oil prices, but not-ed that unaddressed vulnerabili-ties are holding back the pace of the recovery. Accordingly, directors encouraged the authorities to per-severe with their efforts to improve the fiscal position, revive bank in-termediation, and push ahead with the reform agenda.

the utility supply service.The NURC will be reporting to

and advising the Minister with re-sponsibility for Public Utilities on the economic, financial, legal, tech-nical, environmental and social as-pects of the utility supply services sector.

The National Utilities Regula-tory Commission Act, No. 3 of 2016, makes provision for the appoint-ment of between five and seven commissioners to oversee the op-erations of the NURC.

Consequently, the following per-sons have been appointed by the minister, effective Feb. 8, to serve for periods ranging between three and five years on the first National Utilities Regulatory Commission.

The commissioners are: Victor Poyotte, Chairman, Dr. Barbara Graham, Desmond Destang, Vern Gill, Dr. Anderson Reynolds, Marie Monrose, and Michael Sewordor.

The NURC replaces the National Water and Sewerage Commission, which was previously responsible for the regulation of the water sector.

New Utilities Regulation Commission established

Actions on all these fronts hold the key to reducing unemployment, boosting competitiveness, and strengthening St Lucia’s growth prospects over the medium term.

Directors welcomed progress in tackling financial sector weak-nesses, but observed that non-performing loans remain high and bank credit to the private sector continues to decline. They agreed that cleaning up banks’ balance sheets and facilitating a resumption of lending should be top policy priorities.

While some efforts require re-gional coordination, key steps for the St Lucian authorities to consider include a reform of the foreclosure and insolvency legis-lation and the ratification of all the elements of the regional strategy for bank resolution, particularly the law on the Eastern Caribbean Asset Management Corporation.

Directors welcomed the prog-ress so far on complying with the international standards against money laundering and the financ-ing of terrorism.

Directors noted recent improve-ments in the fiscal balance, but concurred that St Lucia’s high public indebtedness limits the room for policy maneuver and poses risks. They encouraged the authorities to formulate without delay a strong medium-term plan to achieve the regional debt target and secure the sustainability of public finances.

Directors generally agreed that the fiscal adjustment should be based for the most part on cur-rent expenditure reductions and aim at preserving priority capital spending and creating buffers against natural disasters.

Directors took note of the newly launched citizenship by invest-ment program. They welcomed the emphasis on transparency in the governing legislation, noting that the highest integrity stan-dards could help prevent abuses of the program. Directors under-scored the importance of a prudent deployment of the associated rev-enues which may be volatile, for example to finance key infrastruc-ture projects or retire public debt.

Directors underscored the im-portance of ambitious structural reforms to reduce unemployment, improve the business environ-ment, and foster higher and more inclusive growth. They shared the view that continued efforts are needed to diversify energy sources, reduce the costs of doing business, and improve efficiency, including in port operations and customs. Furthermore, education reform would help address skills mismatches in the labor market

IMF concludes consultation with Saint Lucia

NationWIDE Page 11Saturday February 20, 2016

The Diplomatic Courier

The President-Elect of the Republic of China (Tai-wan), Her Excellency Tsai

Ing-wen, has re-affirmed her commitment to maintaining the strong bonds of friendship between the Government and people of Saint Lucia and the Republic of China (Taiwan).

In a letter to Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Eco-nomic Affairs, Planning and Social Security, Hon. Dr. Kenny D. Anthony, President-Elect Tsai Ing-wen stated: “As long-stand-ing allies, Taiwan and Saint Lu-cia share a strong commitment towards building closer political, economic and cultural relations.

“My future Administration looks forward to working close-ly with Saint Lucia to deepen our cooperation in areas of pub-lic health, education, infrastruc-ture, and culture.”

The Prime Minister, at a re-cent meeting with the Ambas-sador of the Republic of China (Taiwan), His Excellency Ray Mou, stated: “This marks a monumental achievement in the political landscape of the Republic of China as it has elected, for the first time, a fe-male to be President.

“We also welcome and con-gratulate her running mate, His Excellency Dr. Chen Chien-jen, as Vice President-Elect of your great nation. We wish them both successful terms and look forward to working with them in the coming years.”

In 2015 the Government of Saint Lucia established the Saint Lucia Embassy in Taiwan, tout-ed by President Tsai Ing-wen as an affirmation of strong bilat-eral relations between the two territories.

Incoming Taiwan President pledges

commitment to Saint Lucia

Hon. Alva Baptiste, Minister for External Affairs, International

Trade and Civil Aviation of Saint Lucia, has conveyed Saint Lucia’s condolences to His Excellency David Y. L. Lin, Minister for Foreign Af-fairs of the Republic of China (Taiwan) in the aftermath of

a devastating earthquake that occurred on February 6.

The tragedy claimed over 118 lives and many more suffered injury and losses.

Although most of the damage occurred in the south of the is-land, other parts of Taiwan are also affected to a lesser extent.

Taiwan has currently em-

barked on the recovery and rebuilding of the affected region.

The Government and people of Saint Lucia ex-tend solidarity and support to Taiwan for a speedy re-covery and return to nor-malcy in the aftermath of this disaster.

Saint Lucia commiserates with Taiwan

Government commiserates with Taiwan following a magnitude 6.4 earthquake that twistedthis building and took the lives of 118 people.

A powerful earthquake in Taiwan brought down a 17-storey apartment

complex full of families gathered for the Lunar New Year celebra-tions on February 5, killing 118 persons. Now, those responsible for its construction have been arrested and will most likely be charged with some responsibil-ity for the deaths.

Rescuers searched for missing persons after the 6.4-magnitude quake struck in the early hours, with the southern city of Tainan bearing the brunt of the damage and about 340 people rescued from the rubble over the course of the first day.

An entire residential complex of four buildings containing al-most 100 homes toppled to the ground, with twisted metal gird-ers exposed and clouds of dust rising from the jumbled concrete.

The dead bodies of a 10-day-old girl, three other children and six adults were recovered from

In an address to the United Nations Security Council, the Minister of People’s Pow-

er for Foreign Affairs, Delcy Rodríguez, defended the Right to Respect, Co-operation and Non-Interference in the domes-tic affairs of Nations in order to achieve and preserve Peace in the world.

Rodríguez also affirmed that humanity is under the threat of permanent war - thousands of people having died in conflicts in Palestine, Iraq, Libya and Syria - and that the causes of the conflicts are linked with imperi-alists’ interests.

During her speech she also

spoke in favour of the Palestin-ian people, victim of the Israel’s decades-long deadly aggression.

On February 1st Venezuela as-

Venezuela’s Minister of People’s Power for Foreign Affairs, Delcy Rodríguez

Venezuela calls at UN Security Council for cooperation and respect between nations

the building in the first hours. A 56-year-old woman died after being hit by a falling water tank in another part of the city, while falling debris accounted for an-other fatality.

Rescuers pulled more than 220 survivors to safety, with 150 tak-en to hospital on the first day.

Across, Tainan, nine buildings collapsed and five were left on their side, with 1,236 rescuers deployed, including 840 from the army, along with six helicopters and 23 rescue dogs.

Residents at the 16-storey Wei-kuan building experienced ter-ror as the quake hit, with survi-vors pulled bleeding and crying from the rubble.

The city of Kaohsiung, further south, was also affected.

The earthquake struck a few minutes before 4am local time and tremors were felt right across the island, as far north as the capital, Taipei, some 200 miles away.

Builder and architects arrested after Taiwan earthquake toppled building, killing 118

A Memorandum of Un-derstanding for the es-tablishment of regular

flights between Cuba and the United States was signed on the morning of Tuesday, February 16, at Hotel Nacional of Cuba.

On the Cuban side, the Memo-randum was signed by Adel Yzquierdo Rodríguez, Minister of Transportation; and Alfredo Cordero Puig, President of the Cuban Civil Aviation Institute. On the US side the Memorandum was signed by Anthony Foxx, Secretary of Transportation; and Ambassador Charles Rivkin, As-sistant Secretary of State for Eco-nomic and Business Affairs.

After the signing of this bi-lateral instrument, there would be up to twenty regular daily flights between US airports and Havana’s “José Martí” interna-tional airport. Furthermore, up to ten daily flights will be op-erating to and from each of the other nine Cuban international airports.

The competent authorities from both countries would be entitled to request an increase in the frequency of flights for every season, which would be

considered in due time. The number of charter flights to and from the United States will re-main unchanged.

After the entry into force of this Memorandum, the airlines from both countries, provided they have the appropriate au-thorization, would be entitled to engage in commercial collab-orative arrangements, such as the booking of space and code-sharing, and sign contracts for the leasing of aircraft between them or with airlines from third countries.

The Memorandum reaffirms the commitment of both coun-tries to safeguard international civil aviation against acts of unlawful interference and reit-erates the willingness to act in accordance with the relevant international conventions Cuba and the United States are Par-ties to.

The signing of this Memoran-dum of Understanding marks the beginning of a new stage in the air transportation relations between Cuba and the United States, which will contribute to the advancement of relations between both countries

Cuba and USA sign MOU to resume flights after

five decades!

In the immediate aftermath of the quake, flooding and power failures affected the worst-hit south-western area and authori-ties scrambled to reach residents.

Television footage of the ruins suggested possible structural problems related to poor-quality reinforced steel and cement.

The construction and engineer-ing companies that built the com-plex were found to be no longer officially operating. But even-tually, key officials responsible for the construction – including the builder and two architects -- were arrested as a full investiga-tion got under way.

Taiwan lies near the junction of two tectonic plates and is regu-larly hit by earthquakes.

A 6.3-magnitude quake hit central Taiwan in June 2013, killing four people and causing widespread landslides. Earlier, a 7.6-magnitude quake struck in September 1999 and killed about 2,400 people.

sumed the rotating presidency of the United Nations Security Council, as provided for in the UN Charter.

Incoming Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen

NationWIDEPage 12 Saturday February 20, 2016

Dr. Anthony encouraged athletes to remain stead-fast, and keep striving

for the top. The 36th edition of the National Sports Awards concluded on Saturday, Febru-ary 13, 2016, where and when Levern Spencer and Jordan Au-gier were named as Saint Lu-cia's Sportswoman and Sports-man of the Year.

Spencer, a 31-year-old world-ranked high jumper, and 2015 Pan American Games cham-pion, won her 13th title. Augier, an Olympic hopeful swimmer, won his first senior title, having been named Junior Sportsman of the Year in 2011.

Awards were also presented on Saturday evening for win-ning athletes, teams, coaches,

Dr. Anthony encouraged athletes to remain steadfast, and keep striving for the top

Prime Minister lauds sports personalitiesadministrators, and districts.

Although he was unable to attend the ceremony, Prime Minister Dr. Kenny D. Antho-ny extended felicitations to the nominees, the winners, and the organizers, citing Ms. Spencer for specific mention.

Said Dr. Anthony: "I must con-gratulate all of the award recipi-ents, the teams and individuals who represented themselves, their families, their communi-ties, and indeed all of Saint Lu-cia, to the very best of their ca-pability through the 12 months past.

“It is truly heartening to see the volume of sport that has been included in the program for Independence 37, and it is really gratifying to witness our

youth benefitting from and tak-ing full advantage of the invest-ment that this Government has made in positioning them for success on and off the field of play.

"But amongst all of the win-ners, I think it is fitting that we single out Levern Spencer for special attention.

“What a tremendous example she is for our young people, our up-and-coming athletes, in par-ticular.

“But Levern is an exceptional example for all of us as proud and patriotic Saint Lucians.

“Her dedication to her craft, her tremendous self-confidence and ambition, her dignity, and above all, her ability to compete with the very best in the world

- these are the attributes that make her a champion worthy of celebration, and worthy of emu-lation.”

He continued, "This is part of the fabric of who we are as a people, and it was telling that Levern once again matched her Caribbean record on the same day she was being lauded by the Ministry of Youth Develop-ment and Sports, who staged an excellent and well-received cer-emony."

Dr. Anthony also encouraged the athletes to remain steadfast and keep striving for the top.

Among the other winners, Jamaica-based sprinter Julien Alfred and West Indies youth cricketer Johnnel Eugene were named Junior Sportswoman

and Sportsman of the Year, respectively, while Soufriere was named as the top sporting district.

Project Breakaway will host the first-ever Beacon Inde-pendence Cycling Chal-

lenge along the John Compton Highway – from Lucelec’s head-quarters at Sans Souci to the Vi-gie Roundabout, Vide Bouteille and back.

Four types of races have been planned and will form part of the challenge: Team Time Tri-als, Devil Takes the Hindmost, Power Sprints and the 37km Mass Start race. “This challenge is for all cyclist island-wide,” says Mr. Ernest Ottley, head of Project Breakaway.

“We are pleased to partner with Beacon Insurance Com-pany for this Independence Day event and can only hope that the partnership grows for the benefit of cycling in St. Lucia. “We already have teams from Mon Repos, Dennery, Castries, but the races are open to all.”

Project Breakaway was estab-lished five years ago by a group of cyclists who believe in com-munity – both as a community of professional sportsmen and sports women, and a communi-ty that promotes health, fitness and charity in St. Lucia.

According to Ottley, “We have mounted several rides – fun rides and competitive ride – over the past five years, includ-ing rides to raise funds for char-itable causes.

“We have also made contribu-tions, for example, to the Faustin Home in Soufriere, Cornerstone, Boys Training Centre and Faces of Cancer, among many others.

The races planned for tomor-row (February 21st) are sanc-tioned by the St. Lucia Cycling Association and will subscribe to rules of international compe-tition as set by the UCI.

Project Breakaway to host Beacon Independence Cycling Challenge tomorrow

The annual Independence Cycle Race in Castries will this year be complemented by the new Beacon Cycling Challenge.

Rhythm FM Inc. and DBS in collaboration with pre-senting sponsor KFC will

bring to life the second annual revamped KFC Aqua Mele for the Easter Weekend!

The two-day family event will be held on Easter Weekend, March 27 and 28, 2016 and or-ganizers say the objective of the event is to bring families and communities together with ex-citing activities, sports and en-tertainment.

As part of the event, over $5, 000 in cash and prizes will be given to the best of the best of all participating teams in a wide array of competitions.

Competitive events include beach volleyball, beach small goals football, kite flying and even sand castle building com-petitions!

If you’re still not sold there will also be paint ball and ac-cess to St. Lucia’s Water Park as part of this grand waterside af-fair. The day’s activities are free, and food and drinks will be on sale.

Easter weekend is tradition-ally a big sailing weekend for islanders with yachts and this year the event is expected to be bigger and better with market-ing and promotion efforts as far reaching as Martinique, St. Vin-cent and Dominica.

Organizers have taken the promotion and entertainment to the next level with the addi-tion of new and exciting com-ponents, including live perfor-

mances from some of the hottest Soca artists!

“In the next couple weeks ra-dio and television campaigns will been done in neighboring islands, and packages to attend Aqua Mele will be up for grabs,” Rhythm FM’s Dwayne Mendes, one of the event’s producers said.

Get up front and center at the newly added Aqua Rave, which is the live entertainment part of the weekend.

Aqua Rave will be held for one night on Easter Sunday, March 27 inside the Pigeon Island Park and will feature the biggest Soca act from Trinidad, Kerwin Du Bois, with top national acts: Sedale, Shemmy J, Nerdy, Ezra, Hollywood HP, Arthur, Evolu-tion Band and lots more.

“We are hoping that KFC and Aqua Mele become an Easter weekend tradition in St. Lucia,” Mendes added.

“Last year was the first year, we got great reviews and a won-derful turn out… this year will be even better.

“This year we were able to raise more funds through gen-erous sponsorship to be able to have a live concert as part of the event, which I think will com-plete the experience.”

KFC Aqua Mele is being pro-moted as an event family and athletes can look forward to viewing and participating.

Organizers are hoping for an even greater attendance and more participation from the au-dience this year.

KFC Aqua Mele set for Easter Weekend!

Rhythm FM’s Dwayne Mendes (left) says the hope is for the activity to become an annual family event.

The Babonneau District Youth & Sports Council, in collaboration with the

Babonneau Football League, Youth Synergy and the Saint Lucia National Youth Council, has planned a one-day activity called ‘EDURAMA’, in celebra-tion of this year’s 37th National Independence Anniversary.

‘Edurama’ is an initiative that seeks to combine learning by un-dertaking several clusters of learn-ing activities alongside the game of football, all in one location.

This activity is scheduled to take place tomorrow (Sunday) from 10:00am to 10:00pm, at the newly refurbished Fond Assau playing field in Babonneau.

Youth across the island and members of the public are in-vited to join this celebration.

Babonneau youth to celebrate

Independence with Endurama

tomorrow

Flagging the Colours!

Business houses around the island spruced-up all over for Independence 37, in the process sporting the national colors in ways and means hitherto unknown or unseen. This popular commercial establishment on the Gros Islet highway was among the first to flag the national colours from top to bottom, as have so many others around the island. (Photo by Marius Modeste)