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Republic Bank Brings The Art of Banking

Republic Bank Brings The Art of Banking

Republic Bank Brings “The Art of Banking” To Inspire And Reward Caribbean Artists

Republic Bank Limited (RBL) today launched “The Art of Banking”, as part of its innovative market engagement to build both awareness and relationships. This campaign asks the artists of the Caribbean over the age of eighteen, to give their best interpretation of several of the banks’ products and services. Artists from all over the region will be asked to produce pieces inspired by the following themes: “Credit cards: A new world of opportunity”, “TISP: The future: protected” “RightStart: From young”, “RS Teen: Out in the world”, “Mortgages: Finally, home!” and “Online/Digital banking: Freedom through tech.”

One regional winner in each category will receive a prize of US$2,000 and in addition, there will be a regional People’s Choice award of US$1,000.

The prize money is not the biggest reward as the campaign opens up an exciting opportunity for many artists in the region to have their work displayed not just at a regional level but also on an international platform. Winners will see their artwork on Republic Bank’s brand assets including its digital channels and out of home branding. Artists’ profiles will also be done to introduce them and their unique artistic perspective to the world and this exposure can open doors to other opportunities.

As explained by Managing Director Michelle Palmer-Keizer “The Art of Banking speaks to the Bank’s commitment to local ingenuity and creativity; being the canvas that brings ideas to life. She expressed her enthusiasm for the innovative way of bringing Republic Bank’s services, products and value propositions to the fore by letting them inspire art. “We get to have more conversations now about how these products and services have a real human impact on people’s lives and what their core benefits are.”

The Art of Banking

“The Art of Banking” is not the first time Republic Bank Limited has actively engaged with arts and culture. The multi-regional bank has always been at the forefront of supporting the arts, from their sponsorship of steel orchestras to major festivals and filmmakers. As explained by the Managing Director, “The creatives in our region need some light and hope. They have had a challenging time in the absence of festivals and events that gave them meaningful enterprise and most of all fulfilled their calling. We hope this promotion lights a spark for many and we look forward to seeing the creations from all over the Caribbean.

Republic Bank’s products and services help people live their best lives and anticipates that this campaign will enhance lives in the region through art, color and expression.

RFHL records US$59.1M in profits

RFHL

RFHL records US$59.1 Million in first quarter profits

The Chairman of Republic Financial Holdings Limited ( RFHL ), Vincent Pereira, announced today profit attributable to equity holders of the parent of US$59.1 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2021, an increase of US$0.7 million or 1.2% over the corresponding period last year. Total assets stood at US$16.7 billion at December 31, 2021, an increase of US$1.1 billion or 6.9% over the total assets at December 2020.

In announcing the results Mr. Pereira said, “The first quarter of the Group’s 2022 financial year, was marked by an upsurge in Covid-19 infections in many territories in which we serve following the emergence of the Omicron variant. The resulting increased uncertainty and reduced productivity due to staff absences and self-imposed lockdowns, coupled with the impact of global supply chain disruptions, dampened expectations for a robust recovery of economic activity during the quarter. In light of these ongoing challenges, the Group redoubled its efforts to work closely with its clients to mitigate the longer-term adverse effects of the pandemic, including the extension of moratoriums on loans for affected customers.”

He went on to say, “Despite ongoing concerns over the duration and long-term impact of the COVID 19 pandemic, we remain steadfast in supporting our clients, stakeholders and our communities, in continuing to provide a safe working environment for our staff, and in building the Group’s resilience through strategic investments in innovation and initiatives to improve efficiency. We do remain optimistic for the future.”

Mr. Pereira concluded, “I would like to thank our customers, staff and other stakeholders for their continued support.”

CXC 2022 Timetable Now Available

CXC 2022 timetable

UPDATE:
Click here to DOWNLOAD CXC 2022 Revised Timetable

CXC 2022 Examinations Administration Strategy

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – The Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC®) wishes to advise that the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination® (CAPE®), Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate® (CSEC®) and Caribbean Certificate of Secondary Level Competence® (CCLSC®) examinations will be administered in their original format; that is, for CAPE® and CSEC® Papers 01, 02 and 031/School-Based Assessments (SBAs) or Paper 032 for private candidates, and for CCSLC®, Papers 01 and 031/School-Based Assessments. CXC® will maintain the strategy of 100% SBA moderation across all centres, for all subjects in 2022.

Examination dates are as follows:

  • May/June CAPE® examinations: 2 May – 10 June 2022
  • May/June CSEC®: 2 May – 3 June 2022;
  • CCSLC® examinations: 6 – 9 June 2022; and
  • CPEA® examinations: 27 – 28 May 2022.

Caribbean Vocational Qualification* (CVQ*) assessment will be conducted between May and July 2022. Dates will be determined by individual participating territories.

CXC 2022 official timetables are available at www.cxc.org/download-timetables.

CXC® has once again put concessions in place to support students in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. These include:

  • School Based Assessments (SBAs) – The reductions to SBA Requirements made in 2021, as much as 50 per cent in some subjects, were maintained.
  • Option to Defer – The deferral strategy has been extended for use any time prior to the administration of a subject. Candidates will be able to defer to January or June 2023, whenever the subject is administered.

As we look ahead to 2023, CXC® continues to work with regional Ministries of Education on its digital transformation strategy. Plans are currently underway to begin administering all Paper 01 examinations electronically in 2023.

Students may visit www.cxc.org/student-central for all official news and updates from CXC 2022.

DOWNLOAD TIMETABLES

 

13 cases of omicron variant in St. Lucia

The Ministry of Health, Wellness and Elderly Affairs has received the gene sequencing results from the Caribbean Public Health Agency CARPHA. The results indicated 14 new cases of Variants of Concern. The Omicron Variant was confirmed in 13 of the samples sequenced and 1 case of the Delta Variant. Of the 13 cases of Omicron diagnosed 11 of them are nationals and 2 are non- nationals, 2 are male and 11 are female. The location of the Omicron cases includes Castries, Gros- Islet and Vieux-Fort the main communities affected during this wave.

Based on epidemiological patterns it appears that the Omicron Variant may be the dominant variant circulating during this 5th wave. This justifies the high rate of transmission within the communities and work places.

Since the commencement of the 5th wave on December 16, 2021 until January 30, 2022, 7,780 cases have been diagnosed with an average of 173 cases per day. Women account for 59% of the cases and 29 COVID-19 deaths have been recorded; 55% of which is male. Tourists account for 2% of the cases diagnosed for the past 7 days but 4.8% of the total cases during the 5th wave. We have 49 positive cases admitted at the Respiratory Hospital and 6 are severely ill.

This week we continue to register cases, the seven day average approximation indicates a downward trend in the epidemiological curve. We note reductions in most of the public health indicators.

We continue to appeal to all organizations, public and private sector to ensure the strengthening of all public health protocols.

The Ministry of Health will continue providing updates to the public as new information becomes available.

For more information please contact the Office of the Chief Medical Officer or the Epidemiology Unit, at 468-5309/468-5317 respectively

Nikima Royer Jno Baptiste takes over as CEO for Digicel St. Lucia

Nikima Royer Jno Baptiste
Nikima Royer Jno Baptiste

Nikima Royer Jno Baptiste takes over as CEO for Digicel St. Lucia

Nikima Royer Jno Baptiste
Nikima Royer Jno Baptiste

Digicel today announced the appointment of Nikima Royer Jno Baptiste as CEO of its operations in St. Lucia effective 1st February2022. In this role, Nikima will have responsibility for driving all aspects of the business as it continues its Digital Operator journey.

A Digicel veteran, Royer Jno Baptiste moves to head up the St. Lucia team from Digicel Dominica where she has served as CEO for the last 5years. She has also served as Chairman of Digicel’s Group Business Continuity Management team since 2018. As customers of all types embrace a digital lifestyle, Nikima is charged with fostering growth and innovation across the mobile, Digicel Business and Digicel + business lines and, importantly ensuring that culture and community impact are at the heart of the company’s activities.

Prior to joining Digicel, Nikima was Head of Marketing for the Discover Dominica Authority, a consultant in the business development industry and General Manager of the Rainforest Aerial Tram. She has worked with Digicel for seven years with key roles in management, analysis and administration.

In congratulating Nikima on her new role, John Mangos, Regional CEO, said; “Nikima brings the right mix of deep digital understanding, commercial and customer insight and operational and executional excellence to be able to supercharge our offerings to customers in St. Lucia. I am delighted to be welcoming her to the team and am confident that her inclusive and can do attitude will take the team to the next level.”

“I’m so excited about the opportunity to lead the team in St. Lucia. With our state-of-the-art LTE and fibre networks providing the bedrock of our digital ambitions for our customers, the opportunities to connect, transact and engage are limitless. I’m looking forward to making those ambitions a tangible reality for our customers and our people,” commented Royer Jno Baptiste.

New COVID-19 Protocols

New recommendations and protocols from 13th August, 20201 aim to significantly reduce and control viral spread.

  • Workplace physical distancing and blended approach
  • All business operations and commercial activities must end by 8:00pm daily
  • Social gatherings are to be restricted to immediate households and family limited to ten (10) people
  • All sports are allowed for the given time period limited to field capacity and game structure no spectators or crowding allowed at this time
  • All educational institutions will operate as per established school hours
  • Present protocols for mot and the tourism sector are adjusted as follows for this time

New COVID-19 Protocols 1 New COVID-19 Protocols 2 New COVID-19 Protocols 3 New COVID-19 Protocols 4 New COVID-19 Protocols 5 New COVID-19 Protocols 6 New COVID-19 Protocols 7 New COVID-19 Protocols 8 New COVID-19 Protocols 9

US donates 5.5 Million Pfizer Vaccines to the Caribbean

Pfizer Vaccines

The US Government donates 5.5 Million Pfizer Vaccines to the Caribbean Community (CARICOM)

The US Government has generously gifted the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) with 5.5 million doses of Pfizer vaccines.  This is the culmination of efforts initiated by the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Dr the Honourable Keith Rowley, who as Chair of CARICOM, wrote to President Joseph Biden of the United States earlier this year requesting a supply of vaccines for the Community.

President Biden subsequently announced that the US was donating a supply of vaccines to the Region as part of its world-wide distribution of 80 million doses. US Vice President Kamala Harris also spoke with Prime Minister Rowley in June confirming the allocation to CARICOM.

15 CARICOM Member States will receive the much-anticipated Pfizer vaccines, with 1.5 million doses being allocated to Haiti and the other 4 million doses for distribution among 14 CARICOM countries.  The donation from the White House also includes 3 million ancillary kits containing needles, syringes, diluent and other supplies which have already been received.

This donation follows months of discussions between the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Pfizer, the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) and the CARICOM Secretariat. At the beginning of those discussions, the total number of persons vaccinated in CARICOM countries stood at a meagre 515,000, which emphasizes the importance of the donation by the US Government.

CARICOM Secretary General, Ambassador Irwin LaRocque expressed his appreciation to President Biden for his generosity and to his team at the White House for their commitment to delivering the vaccines.  “This end result is due to the hard work put in by the White House staff, the staff of CARPHA , the staff of the Secretariat and the team at Pfizer,” the Secretary-General said. “These vaccines would contribute significantly to the Region’s ability to control this pandemic and place the Caribbean on a path to economic recovery. Importantly it would also allow for schools to be re-opened given that the Pfizer vaccine has been approved for emergency use for children 12 years and over,” Ambassador LaRocque added.

CARPHA Executive Director, Dr. Joy St. John gave the assurance, “As the public health agency leading the regional COVID-19 response, we have worked with Member States to ensure that they are ready to accept the vaccines, especially as it relates to regulatory approval, coordination, planning and delivery, logistics, shipment receipt and procedures”.   Dr. St. John added, “CARPHA was pleased to collaborate with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), as they facilitated specialized training on vaccine systems, while we facilitated the special ultra-cold chain training, which Pfizer delivered to the countries receiving the vaccine donation”.

Dr. St. John confirmed that 3 million ancillary kits have already been delivered, with the support of Caribbean Airlines and the CARICOM Regional Security System (RSS). Another tranche of 1 million ancillary kits will be delivered directly by Pfizer along with vaccine shipments.

Karayib Klima: 13 Inter-regional Projects to increase Climate Resilience

Karayib Klima: 13 Inter-regional Projects to increase Climate Resilience in the Caribbean

Karayib Klima has awarded thirteen grants to inter-island coalitions of civil society organisations for the implementation of climate resilience projects in the Creole-speaking Caribbean (including Dominica, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Haiti, Martinique, Saint Lucia and Saint Martin). The thirteen selected projects will be granted an average of 40,000 Euros each to carry out a field action or an awareness campaign to increase climate resilience in the region.

Adapting to the consequences of climate change is a major challenge for the region. which is the reason why the Karayib Klima was created; a unique and innovative programme based on the conviction that co-operation between civil society organisations in the Caribbean is essential to find relevant, local, and adequate solutions.

Designed and implemented by Unite-Caribbean, a consultancy firm based in Guadeloupe, and funded by the French Ministry for Europe & Foreign Affairs, ADEME and the ‘Fondation de France’, the strength of the Karayib Klima is to develop and fund multi-country programmes that make a difference and will have a lasting regional impact. According to Damien Bauchau, co-founder of Unite Caribbean and Director of the Karayib Klima programme: “this important initiative brings to light a wide array of beautiful projects that are as innovative as they are sustainable”.

The selected projects fall into two categories. The first brings together innovative activities to experiment technical solutions in areas like restoration of coral reefs, agro-ecology, rainwater harvesting, the creation of sustainable circuits and increasing food safety and security. The “Haïtukubuli” project, for example carried by associations from Dominica and Haiti has the dual objective of promoting the use of resilient traditional species and agroforestry while providing a source of additional income to communities through eco-tourism. The second category includes advocacy or awareness raising projects on climate resilience aimed at young people, the private sector, or the general public. For example, the objective of the “Marine Junior Rangers” project (Haiti / Grenada) is to train young people from remote rural areas in the environment and marine biodiversity and to sensitise their communities to issues of climate resilience. Pascal Hajaali, responsible for co-operation at the French Embassy in Haiti, said “Through co-operation, the entire Caribbean can benefit from sustainable adaptation solutions that will enable us to cope with the consequences of climate change.”

The pooling of knowledge and resources via Karayib Klima is a necessity of which civil society organisations are particularly aware. Being able to exchange, pool, passing on our knowledge with other countries in the region is an added value that will allow the Caribbean to move forward and to become more climate resilient.

Human Trafficking 2020 Outstanding Global Ranking

Human Trafficking

Saint Lucia retains Tier Two in Human Trafficking 2020 global ranking

The Department of Home Affairs and National Security is pleased that Saint Lucia has retained its Tier Two place in the global ranking of the 2020 Trafficking In Persons report. Permanent Secretary Mrs. Elizabeth Bailey has pledged that the Department will continue to diligently undertake its Trafficking In Persons (TIP) work programme.

The Trafficking In Persons (TIP) report was released by the US Department of State, which is celebrating the twentieth anniversary of the annual report.

The report highlights the continuing COVID-19 crisis which is reported to have vastly increased the social and economic vulnerabilities of people. These vulnerabilities may provide fertile conditions for increased grooming, recruitment and exploitation of unsuspecting victims particularly women and girls.

Governments are being encouraged by the US Department of State to devote more resources to prevention, protection and prosecution in efforts to both suppress and punish the crime of trafficking in human persons.

The public is urged to report any suspected cases of Trafficking In Persons to the Police by calling the toll free, 24-hour hotline 847.

Elsa Strengthens Into A Hurricane

Elsa -830-2-jul-2021

Elsa strengthens into a hurricane as conditions spreading through the Windward Islands

SUMMARY OF 830 AM AST...1230 UTC...INFORMATION
----------------------------------------------
LOCATION...13.1N 60.1W
ABOUT 40 MI...65 KM W OF BARBADOS
ABOUT 75 MI...120 KM E OF ST. VINCENT
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...75 MPH...120 KM/H
PRESENT MOVEMENT...WNW OR 285 DEGREES AT 28 MPH...44 KM/H
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...995 MB...29.39 INCHES

At 830 AM AST (1230 UTC), the center of Hurricane Elsa was located
near latitude 13.1 North, longitude 60.1 West. Elsa is moving toward
the west-northwest near 28 mph (44 km/h), and this motion is
expected to continue during the next couple of days. On the
forecast track, Elsa will pass near or over portions of the
Windward Islands or the southern Leeward Islands this morning, move
across the eastern Caribbean Sea late today and tonight, and move
near the southern coast of Hispaniola on Saturday. By Sunday, Elsa
is forecast to move near Jamaica and portions of eastern Cuba.

Reports from Barbados indicate that maximum sustained winds have
increased to near 75 mph (120 km/h) with higher gusts. Little
change in strength is forecast during the next 48 hours.

Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 25 miles (35 km) from the
center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 140 miles
(220 km). Barbados recently reported sustained winds of 74 mph
(119 km/h) and a wind gust of 86 mph (138 km/h).

The estimated minimum central pressure is 995 mb (29.39 inches).
Barbados recently reported a pressure of 998 mb (29.47 inches).

WIND: Hurricane conditions are occurring on Barbados, and are
expected in the hurricane warning area in the Windward Islands in
the next few hours. Tropical storm conditions are expected in
portions of the Windward and southern Leeward Islands within the
tropical storm warning areas and are possible in the tropical storm
watch areas later today. Tropical storm conditions are expected in
the warning areas in the Dominican Republic and Haiti on Saturday,
with hurricane conditions possible in southern Haiti. Tropical
storm conditions are possible in Jamaica Saturday night or early
Sunday.

STORM SURGE: A storm surge will raise water levels by as much as 1
to 3 feet above normal tide levels in areas of onshore winds in
the hurricane warning area in the Windward Islands and along the
southern coast of Hispaniola.

RAINFALL: Elsa is expected to produce rainfall totals of 3 to 6
inches with maximum amounts of 10 inches today across the Windward
and southern Leeward Islands, including Barbados. This rain may
lead to isolated flash flooding and mudslides.

Over Puerto Rico, rainfall of 1 to 3 inches with localized amounts
of 5 inches is expected late today into Saturday. This rain may lead
to isolated flash flooding and minor river flooding, along with the
potential for mudslides.

Across portions of southern Hispaniola and Jamaica, rainfall of 4 to
8 inches with isolated maximum amounts of 12 inches is possible
Saturday into Sunday. This rain may lead to scattered flash
flooding and mudslides.

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