Category: National

The University of the West Indies Open Campus along with the Embassy of the Republic of (China) on Taiwan hosted an Information Sharing Session Thursday afternoon on the 2016 Taiwan Scholarship Programme.

A release from the UWI Open Campus says the main presentation at the event was delivered by Taiwanese Ambassador to St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Baushaun Ger.

This was preceded by a short video presentation on the history and culture of Taiwan. Graduates of Universities in Taiwan  also shared their experiences with prospective students.

The event was  being held as part of the mandate of the Open Campus to engage and deepen relationships with institutions and organizations providing opportunities for students to access Higher Education.

The session was open to the public, especially interested students and graduates of the Community College and the University of the West Indies.

The session took  at the UWI Open Campus Lecture Hall.

The Ministry of Health, Wellness and the Environment, through the Insect Vector Control Unit has intensified its fogging operations throughout the country as part of its mosquito control programme.

This is according to Minister of Health, Hon. Luke Browne, speaking at a Media Conference where he said the Ministry will be spending an estimated $167,000 on fogging operations over the coming months.

Minister Browne said they will also be conducting increased surveillance’s including inspection of premises.

One of the world’s leading youth events organisers ” Impact World” will be visiting St. Vincent & the Grenadines as part of their 2016 Caribbean Tour. SVG will be the first Caribbean Island to benefit from the Impact World which begins February 5th 2016.

A total of 21 events are slated to take place throughout St. Vincent and the Grenadines, with presentations in the performing arts, dance, music and song as well as well as sports.

There are three international teams participating; Team Xtreme (TX), Island Breeze (IB), and Global Expressions (GX).

All the events are FREE! Having been paid for by local business, churches and individuals.

The Impact World main events have been planned for schools and communities throughout St.Vincent and the Grenadines during the month of February 2016.

This month 50 performers will be arriving in SVG from various countries around the world including the USA, Canada, Germany, Brazil, Fiji, Barbados, St Lucia, and the Dominican Republic.

Attached you will find copies of the itinerary for your perusal,

Thank you for your kind consideration of our request. We look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience.

The Ministry of Health Wellness and the Environment will be embarking on a national cleanup campaign in an effort to reduce the breeding sites of the Aedes Aegypti mosquito, the vector that transmits the Zika Virus.
Minister of Health Hon. Luke Browne made the announcement at a Press Conference  where he outlined the national response of his Ministry to the Zika Virus which was on Monday declared an international public health emergency by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Minister Browne, said the national clean up campaign will target communities with the highest mosquito indexes, these include Rose Hall, West Wood, Troumaca, Clare Valley, Colonarie, Byera, Park Hill, Sion Hill, Belair, Enhams, Kingstown, Campden Park, Buccament, Barrouallie and Paget Farm, Bequia.
Minister Browne said that in the long term his Ministry plans to use both policy and legislative tools to achieve sustainable mosquito control, and they are considering ways to strengthen the laws possibly by instituting a system of ticketing for households that are habitual mosquito breeders.
There are no reported cases of Zika virus infection here in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, but stringent measures are being put in place to manage it, should it surface.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the St. Vincent Electricity Services Limited (VINLEC), Thornley Myers has refuted allegations made by Opposition leader, Hon. Arnhim Eustace that the debt owed by St Vincent  under the PetroCaribe agreement is $900 million.

Speaking  on WEFM in St Vincent , Mr. Myers said that all fuel imported into the country under the PetroCaribe agreement since June 2006, has been assigned to VINLEC.

He noted that since 2006 “we have had close to 100 landings and the total fuel consumed during that period is in excess of 37 million gallons with prices ranging from $59 to $169 per barrel, therefore the value of the fuel imported during that period assigned to VINLEC is $340 million.

Since its creation, Petrocaribe has served as an important financing mechanism for oil-importing countries in the region. It introduced a lending scheme for oil purchases from Venezuela where conditionalities adjust to price fluctuations among predetermined thresholds.

As a result, if the oil barrel falls below US$40, up to 30 percent of the bill will be financed by a 17-year loan, with a two-year grace period and an interest rate of 2 percent. Similarly, when the barrel exceeds US$40, the term for payment is extended to 25 years, with a two-year grace period and the interest rate falls to 1 percent.

Mr. Myers said based on these figures, the debt owed to PetroCaribe could never be $900 million.

Mr. Myers said he agrees with Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, that the debt is in the region of $160 million.

Petrocaribe is an oil alliance of many Caribbean states with Venezuela to purchase oil on conditions of preferential payment. The alliance was launched on 29 June 2005 in Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela.

Written from sourced news.
 

The local Apiculture Industry, which primarily deals with the production and sale of honey, has grown by leaps and bounds since 2006.

This is according to Agricultural Inspector in the Ministry of Agriculture, Allan Williams, speaking at a National Symposium yesterday hosted by the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Beekeepers Association at the National Insurance Services (NIS) Conference Room.

Mr. Williams said in 2006 most beekeepers had suffered up to 100% losses of hives due to the pest called Varroa Mite, but through the collaborative efforts of the Ministry of Agriculture and several agencies, the industry has revived and now has an estimated local consumption value of $384,000 with 64 active beekeepers.

According to Mr. Williams, there has been an increase in honey over the years, and this has contributed to a significant reduction in the importation of honey.

Written from sourced news first published on wefm SVG

On Saturday, February 27th, Youlou Arts Foundation will be organizing a benefit, to raise funds towards the establishment of an art centre.
The benefit will take the form of an Art Show and Sale with an auction. The Art Show will be open to the public from Feb. 26 to March 11th.
The grand opening and auction will take place on Saturday, Feb. 27th. at the Curator’s House in the Botanical Garden.
There will be an amazing array of art work on display from several local artists, paintings on canvas, banana art, fibre art, textile art and photography.
Youlou Arts Foundation is an arts organization which dedicated to promoting, and encouraging the arts in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
For more information you can go to our blog:youlouarts.wordpress.com. and  facebook page:youlou arts and creative artist of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Tickets will be available at the Professional Secretarial Services Inc., Theo Saunders Shop, and from other planning committee members Lenore Layne, Ruth Knights, Sean Roche, and Eleanor Astaphan.

PAHO/WHO Director, Dr. Carissa F. Etienne will pay an official visit to St. Vincent and the Grenadines on Monday February 15th.

A release from the Agency for Public Information, API, says while in St. Vincent, Dr. Etienne will be engaged in field visits to PAHO-funded projects, including the Georgetown Smart Hospital. She will also hold discussions with Health Officials in Fancy.

On Monday February 15th Dr. Etienne will make courtesy calls on Governor General, Sir Frederick Ballantyne; Minister of Health Wellness and the Environment, Robert Browne, and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sir Louis Straker.

The PAHO/WHO Director will then tour the Georgetown Smart Hospital where a brief News Conference will take place at 2:00 pm

The Opening Ceremony of a PAHO Regional Managers Meeting will take place on Tuesday February 16th at the Beachcombers Hotel from 10:30 am- 12:00.

There are no reported cases of Zika virus infection here in SVG. Stringent measures are, however, being put in place to manage it, should it surface.

The Ministry of Health, Wellness and the Environment has, therefore, amplified all efforts, with healthcare providers being briefed on the surveillance and clinical management of Zika.

Environmental surveillance has also been increased, with specific emphasis at our ports.

And, as part of a strategy to manage the threat of the Zika virus, a national clean-up drive is underway and is being led by the Ministry of Health, Wellness and the Environment, with support from other Ministries and stakeholders, and is aimed at reducing the aedes aegypti mosquito, the vector which transmits the Zika, Chickungunya and Dengue viruses.

written from sourced news

First published on caribbean life news  Author Nelson King

Several St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ national sports stars, sporting organizations, friends and supporters in New York are appealing for financial support for ailing former national football (soccer) star Keith “Slick” Clark.

Clark, who carried Bonadie as his last name during most of his football career at home, is hospitalized at Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center in Brooklyn.

Patrons at a cultural show — on Sept. 6, 2014, at Meyer Levin Intermediate School in Brooklyn, organized by the United Vincie Cultural Group of Brooklyn (UVCGB) — were informed that Clark had suffered a stroke.

Reports currently indicate that he has since sustained a series of medical complications.

Thus, the executive body of the newly-formed, Brooklyn-based St. Vincent & the Grenadines United States of America Sports Association (SVG-USASA), along with former national sports stars, friends and supporters, on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Jan. 18, visited Clark at this bedside.

Clark is renowned as a talented mid-fielder, who thrilled soccer-loving fans, at home and in New York, for three decades, from the 1970s through the ‘90s.

SVG-USASA, through its Sports Legends and Legacy Fund, and with the contributions of all visitors, donated US$500 to the Clark family during their two-hour-long visit.

During the September 2014 cultural show, UVCGB successfully appealed to the audience to “dig deep into your pockets, pocket books and wallets” in supporting Clark.

The audience responded generously, and UVCGB presented US$1,300.00 to Clark, who had earlier addressed the audience.

Stanley “Luxie” Morris — under whose captaincy Clark played at home in the 1970s and 80s, and in New York, for Hairoun Sports Club, in the 1990s – told Caribbean Life, in September 2014, that he was gratified by the outpouring of support for his “fallen brother.”

“He’ll not be alone at this time when he needs love, encouragement, prayers and other assistance,” said Morris, adding that he and Clark “go way back — from Hospital Road to Shingle City to Old Montrose to Edinboro (in St. Vincent and the Grenadines) to Prospect Place, Brooklyn.”

SVG-USASA is asking the public to visit Clark in Room 328 at Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center.

full story can be read here 

 Newly appointed Chief Executive Officer of CIBC FirstCaribbean, Mr. Gary Brown, got a close-up look at the business and some projects in St. Vincent and the Grenadines during a recent two-day visit.

Mr. Brown, who took over at the regional back at the start of the year, was accompanied by Managing Director, Barbados Operating Company, Ms. Donna Wellington. The two held meetings with staff and met customers at the bank’s Halifax branch in Kingstown.

Mr. Brown and Ms. Wellington, who arrived on January 25th attended a lunch event at the Flow Wine Bar and Restaurant where they met and engaged with a number of the bank’s corporate clients.

The following day they travelled to the Grenadine island of Canouan for further meetings with clients there.

The trip to St Vincent is one of a series of regional visits being undertaken by the new CEO to all the businesses in the bank’s regional footprint

Mr. Brown has been with CIBC since 2001, most recently as the Global Head of Corporate Banking in CIBC’s Wholesale Banking business since 2013 and a member of CIBC’s Operating Committee. Prior to that appointment, he was head of CIBC’s businesses in the United States for nine years.  He has more than 35 years of experience in the global financial services industry

He took over from Mr. Rik Parkhill whose four year tenure as head of the bank ended on December 31st, 2015.

Vincentians and foreigners alike can look forward to another exciting series of racing events, as the Bequia Easter Regatta sails off in less than two months time.

So says the new man at the helm of the Bequia Sailing Club, Commodore Elrick “Allo” Ragguette, whose organization is responsible for the sea-side activities during the March 25-28 regatta this year, on the Grenadine island of Bequia.

“There will definitely be sailing as part of the Bequia Easter Regatta; there’s no doubt about that.

“A lot of skippers, sailors and boat owners have expressed interest in the races and they are eager and excited for the time to come around. In fact we may well have a hike in boats this year, as compared to the last couple years,” Allo indicated.

Allo, who was elected Commodore last November, described sailing in the Bequia Easter Regatta as the “Granddaddy of sailing events in the Southern Caribbean,” and hailed the regatta itself as “the biggest tourism product,” outside of Vincy Mas, in St Vincent and the Grenadines.

 The confident and enthusiastic leader is backed by a small but just as exuberant committee, which includes Vice-Commodore Leticia “Letty” Browne, Richard Ashton, Secretary, Public Relations Officer Raison Compton, and Treasurer Joe Gabriel.

Browne highlighted what persons coming to Bequia can expect from the sailing aspect of the regatta.

“Final registration takes place on March 24, with the briefing of skippers to take place on the same day. On the 25^th we have the start of the Mount Gay Friendship Bay races and the swimming races at Plantation House.

“On the 26^th there’s the J24 and the ‘Around Bequia’ races. Sunday we will see the start of the Hairoun single-handed Around Bequia races along with Lay Day activities like the sandcastle competition and the all day beach splash. On Monday 28^th we have the start of the J24 and surprise races and the start of the Admiralty Bay Triangle race, among other event.”

The Sailing Club members indicated that they would be working closely with the On-Shore Committee, to ensure that the 2016 installment of the Bequia Easter Regatta is one that would be remembered as one of the best in recent times, with On-shore activities scheduled to take place including a church service, maypole dancing, greasy pig competition, as well as other events, under the almond tree.

“This is a new era for the Bequia Easter Regatta, and we intend to give of our best to ensure that everyone is happy at the end of it all.

“This year’s regatta is going to put us in the position to have an even greater event in 2017 and in the years to come,” Allo noted.