Category: National

Interested Vincentians and other investors in the diaspora are being urged to explore the possibilities of trading Vincentian produce.
Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries and Rural transformation- Saboto Caesar has stated that the imminent opening of the Argyle International Airport will provide more trade routes.
The Minister noted that new trade routes to the United States, could effectively stabilize trade and increase the sale price of produce exported from SVG.
He however highlighted that this could only be done with hard work by interested Investors who understand the possibilities available.
The Minister added that The AIA would also make it possible for fish and perishable produce to be exported with better results.

Controversial figure Winston Gaymes according to reports has taken ill.information is that he had a stroke earlier this morning.

No other information is currently available,Gaymes the returning officer for Central Leeward was embroiled in scandals surrounding the outcome of the seat.

He was accused by Opposition Officials along with supporters of the party of not being true to the electoral process.

News784 will bring you more information as it comes to hand.

A stroke is a “brain attack”. It can happen to anyone at any time. It occurs when blood flow to an area of brain is cut off. When this happens, brain cells are deprived of oxygen and begin to die. When brain cells die during a stroke, abilities controlled by that area of the brain such as memory and muscle control are lost.

How a person is affected by their stroke depends on where the stroke occurs in the brain and how much the brain is damaged. For example, someone who had a small stroke may only have minor problems such as temporary weakness of an arm or leg.

People who have larger strokes may be permanently paralyzed on one side of their body or lose their ability to speak. Some people recover completely from strokes, but more than 2/3 of survivors will have some type of disability.

Beekeepers across St. Vincent and the Grenadines are being urged to safeguard their Bee Farms when the Ministry of Health conducts its fogging exercises to fight against the Ades Aegypti Mosquito and the Zika viral illness.

Senior Environmental Health Officer- Danville Toney said with the increasing threat of the Zika Virus across the Caribbean, the Ministry of Health here is beefing up its surveillance to guard against the Virus.

The Zika Virus is a viral illness that is transmitted by the bite of an infected Aedes Aegypti mosquito. The most common symptoms of Zika are Fever, Rash, Joint pain, or Conjunctivitis.

Mr. Toney said it has been reported in the past that the fogging exercise affects Bees and he is appealing to Bee Farmers to safeguard their farms

He however highlighted that the fogging exercises are important to eradicate the Ades Aegypti Mosquito which spreads the Zika Virus and other illnesses.

This country’s sole electricity company has allocated $18 million dollars to the rehabilitation of its hydro plants.

At a media conference,held at the company’s headquarters in Kingstown, Chief Executive Officer, Thornley Mayers said that the rehabilitation and reconstruction work has been ongoing over the last few years.

Mayers said that while some of the work was scheduled, some had to be carried out because of natural disasters like Hurricane Tomas and the flooding of 2013.

The CEO made mention of the fact that all the rehabilitation work is internally funded. He said that over the years the company has saved money from its operations and this is significant, because it meant there was no need for borrowing from financial institutions.

Minister of Health, Wellness and the Environment, Luke Browne has said these are exciting times in the delivery of health care in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

He made this statement during today’s signing of an agreement for the purchase of medical equipment, to be used at the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital, under the Japan Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Project

The equipment to be bought under the agreement includes 3 Bronchoscopes, 1 Fume Hood, Blood Bank Equipment and Urology Equipment. They are valued at ninety thousand U.S dollars, seven hundred and ninety two dollars and thirty one cents.

Minister Browne said the purchase of these equipment represents another significant step in the enhancement and modernization of the health sector to compliment ongoing work in this area.

Meanwhile Masatoshi Sato the Minister Counsellor at the Embassy of Japan, Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago said his country continues to seek ways in which to deepen its bilateral relations with St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

He said the area of Health is one of which they continue to place significant emphasis in these relations and he outlined how the latest assistance will be used.

Local Health Officials have appealed to people in St Vincent and the Grenadines to work collaboratively with the Ministry of Health in its increased surveillance regarding the spread of the Aedes Egypti which is linked to the Zika virus.

Senior Environmental Healh Officer, Danvile Toney, told national media, that the Aedes Egypti mosquito, lives in an around homes; hence everyone must step in to help get rid of breeding sites for the mosquito.

He said the Health Ministry has increased surveillance at ports of entry as well as inspection of streams and rivers; but he has urged residents not to allow water to stagnate in and around their homes thus providing ideal breeding conditions for the virus.

St Vincent and the Grenadines does not have any reported cases of the Zika virus though it is reported to be present in some neighbouring territories.

The Primary Schools Performing Arts Festival (PRISPAF) 2016 will be launched at a media conference on Tuesday 19th January, 2016, at the
Kingstown Library Conference Room, commencing 1:00 Pm.

Remarks are expected from representatives of the Ministry of Tourism, Sports and Culture, Ministry of Education, National Reconciliation and Ecclesiastical Affairs along with the Sponsor of the festival, East Caribbean Bottlers Inc.

A top United States general has expressed deep concern that a small number of motivated Islamic State fighters could commit acts of terror in Caribbean nations.

Gen. John Kelly, commander of the Miami-based U.S. Southern Command, or SouthCOM, told reporters Friday at the Pentagon that about 150 Islamic extremists left the Caribbean region to join Islamic State fighters in the Middle East last year, about 50 more than in the previous year.

However, he said, the biggest threat might not be the extremists who leave to train and fight with the Islamic State, but the ones who stay behind, according to the Voice of America (VOA).

Kelly, who oversees U.S. security in Latin America the Caribbean, said Islamic extremist groups seem to have a new message for would-be jihadists.

“And that [message] is, ‘Rather than coming here to Syria, why don’t you just stay at home and do San Bernardino or do Boston or do Fort Hood?’” he said, alluding to attacks in the U.S. perpetrated by Muslims sympathetic to extremist groups.

As recently as Thursday, a gunman claiming allegiance to the Islamic State ambushed a police officer as he sat in his car in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, VOA said.

The U.S. general said these would-be attackers largely come from former British colonies within the Caribbean and along its borders, and at least a few have been killed fighting for the Islamic State group, according to US News and World Report.

He estimated that about 150 radicals have attempted to join the Islamic State group as of this year, up from his estimate last year of roughly 100.

The Lions Club in New York has honored Vincentian community advocate Ava George, bestowing on her the Alexander T. Wells Distinguished Service Award for dedicated humanitarian service.

George, a chaplain of the Brooklyn Kings County Lions Club, received the award at the club’s recent meeting at Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center in Brooklyn.

“I was really pleased and proud when I was called to receive the award,” said George, a Girls High School and St. Vincent Technical College alumna, she told media here.

“I always wanted to help people in the community, and this award suggests that I have succeeded,” she added. “I am sincerely honored by this recognition and look forward to continually working in the community.”

The Alexander T. Wells Distinguish Service Award is named for Alexander T. Wells, the 2nd International President of Lions Clubs International from Multiple-20 New York State and Bermuda, and Long Island City, Queens, New York.

Deborah Harrison, president of the Lions District 20-K1 Foundation, told George, in a letter accompanying the award, that her organization is able to furnish grants through “the generous support of recipients like you.”

“You should take pride in knowing you will impact so many lives, both in your immediate community, as well as across Brooklyn and Queens,” Harrison said.

George, who migrated to New York in 1986, began working with New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) three years later. This year represents 27 years since working with DEP.

She has been a shop steward for her union, Community Workers of America Local 1180, for many years, and serves on several committees.

The St. Vincent and the Grenadines Community College will once again be offering a twelve week Level 1 Mandarin course to the general public.

The course is scheduled to commence on Wednesday February 3rd, and aims to teach students the basic concepts of Mandarin; including pronunciation, Chinese characters, speaking, listening, reading and writing.

Students will have the opportunity to practice using the language in some common real-life situations and will also be exposed to Taiwan and Chinese culture.

At the end of the course, students should be able to introduce themselves and express themselves in simple sentences in Mandarin.

The course will be held on Wednesdays from 5:00pm – 7:00pm at the Villa Campus of the Community College.

The Application fee is EC$100 and the deadline for the submission of applications is Friday January 22nd, 2016.

The funeral service for the late Patrick McIntosh, Dean of the St. George’s Cathedral, will take place Friday 15th January at the Victoria Park.

The funeral service was initially planned for the Church of the Ascension at Sion Hill.

But Bishop of the Windward Islands, Reverend C Leopold Friday said the venue had to be changed “due to certain constraints,” according to a report in the Tuesday January 12th, 2016 edition of the Midweek Searchlight newspaper.

The funeral service on Friday will begin at 2:00pm.

Dean McIntosh died on January 5th at age 68.

He had been a priest for the last 38 years and served in the parishes of St. James, Layou; Holy Trinity, Georgetown; St. George and St. Andrew, and as Dean of St. George’s among other offices in the church.