We wish to inform you that the Media Forum scheduled for 27th September has had to be postponed to a date in October which will be communicated to you shortly. Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience this may have caused to your schedules.
The Saint Lucia National Conservation Fund (SLUNCF) presents its compliments and wishes to invite you to an “Engagement with the Media” on September 27th, 2019 from 10.00 am to 11.00 am. This engagement will be held in the conference room of the St Lucia Hotel and Tourism Association in Rodney Heights.
The purpose of this engagement is to introduce the media to the SLUNCF and its partners who include the GEF UNDP Small Grants Programme, the Saint Lucia Hotel and Tourism Association and Massy Stores.
We would like to use this opportunity to inform the media of our individual grant-making programme and how the SLUNCF works with its partners to ensure that there is coherence in the polices and procedures for providing grants in Saint Lucia.
Kindly confirm your availability to Ms Primneau Gajadhar, Email: admin@sluncf.org, Tel. 285 8137.
The U.S. Navy hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) will offer free medical services in St. Lucia from September 25-30. Details on where the ship will berth have not been finalized.The Ministry of Health will provide the public with details as soon as they are available.
Surgery candidates will be selected by the respective country’s Ministry of Health. Onboard surgeries will fall under the categories of Ophthalmology, General Surgery, Orthopedic Surgery, Oral Maxillo-facial Surgery, Plastic Surgery, Wound Care and Urology. Surgery candidates will be drawn primarily from existing waiting lists within the public health system. Candidates with the optimal clinical background and those who have been on the waiting list for the longest time frame will be prioritized.
The categories of services offered at the medical walk-in sites are Adult Medical Services, Pediatric Medical Services, Dental, Optometry, Physical Therapy and Dermatology.
The walk-in sites will operate from approximately 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day on a first come, first served basis. In order to see as many patients as possible, each person will be seen by only one provider, unless that provider deems additional services are needed for the identified condition and are available at the site.
You do not need a doctor’s referral or need permission from your doctor or any other person to seek free medical services on the ship. If you have any medical records it would be advisable to bring them along with you.
ANYONE needing medical attention is free to visit the ship during the stipulated dates and times. Five hundred (500) persons are expected to be seen each day.
The USNS Hospital Ship Comfort will arrive from Grenada where it will have provided services September 15-20 and will depart St. Lucia for St. Kitts where it will provide services from October 5-10.
ALL MEDICAL CARE ON THE SHIP IS FREE!!
This is YOUR health. Do not allow anyone with their ulterior motives to dissuade you from seeking medical care. Your health is YOURS and only you feel it. Do not fall prey to fake news and conspiracy theorists. If you need medical help go take care of yourself!
The Saint Lucia National Conservation Fund, SLUNCF donates to the Bahamas Protected Areas Fund for disaster relief after the passage of Hurricane Dorian.
On September 6 2019, Hurricane Dorian caused unprecedented catastrophic damage on the islands of Abaco and Grand Bahama in The Bahamas. Entire communities have been ravaged by 20-foot storm surge and 185 mph sustained winds. Substantial parts of Grand Bahama remain underwater. As of Saturday, September 7 2019, CNN reported that the official death toll in the Bahamas stood at 43. Unfortunately, that number is likely to rise dramatically. Hundreds of persons are missing and it is estimated that some 70,000 are homeless in the Sister Islands of Grand Bahamas and Abaco. A series of Tweets posted this morning, September 9 2019, tell a horrifying story. One Tweet by the Bahama Press read, “The bodies of Hurricane Dorian victims loaded off a plane from the Abacos. More than 3,000 are feared dead.” Another Tweet said.
The Bahamas Protected Areas Fund (BPAF), a Sister Fund of the Saint Lucia National Conservation Fund (SLUNCF) has appealed for donations to support recovery efforts within The Bahamas. The BPAF and the SLUNCF are members of the Caribbean Sustainable Finance Architecture, a mechanism led by the Caribbean Biodiversity Fund, whose mission is to support biodiversity conservation and climate resilience in member countries around the Caribbean.
The Mandate of the SLUNCF, like the BPAF is also to provide grants for conservation, sustainable development and climate and disaster resilience in Saint Lucia. Thus, the Board of the SLUNCF approved a small grant to assist the BPAF with its community-based disaster efforts.
During the restoration process and in keeping with its mandate, the BPAF will give local grants to support for assessments to determine the impacts of Hurricane Dorian on ecosystem health, restoration of impacted protected areas, and other initiatives related to ecosystem recovery following Hurricane Dorian. The BPAF will also support the provision of water purification systems and renewable energy initiatives for communities in Abaco and Grand Bahama.
The SLUNCF is proud of recovery efforts of the BPAF and is glad to make the donation
A weak area of low pressure, associated with a tropical wave, located more than 900 miles east of the Lesser Antilles continues to produce disorganized showers and thunderstorms. Some slow development of this system is possible during the next few days before upper-level winds become unfavorable for tropical cyclone formation. This system is expected to move generally westward across the tropical Atlantic Ocean for the next several days.
Formation chance through 48 hours…low…20 percent.
Formation chance through 5 days…low…30 percent.
A surface trough interacting with an upper-level low is producing disorganized showers and thunderstorms from the north coast of Hispaniola northward over the southwestern Atlantic for a few hundred miles. Little, if any, development of this disturbance is expected during the next few days while it moves west-northwestward across the Bahamas and the Florida peninsula. However, environmental conditions could become a little more conducive for development when the system moves into the Gulf of Mexico over the weekend. Regardless of development, this disturbance will produce periods of gusty winds and locally heavy rainfall across the Bahamas through Thursday, and across Florida on Friday and continuing into the weekend.
Formation chance through 48 hours…low…near 0 percent.
Formation chance through 5 days…low…20 percent.
A tropical wave located just off the west coast of Africa is expected to move quickly westward during the next several days. Some slow development is possible late this week and over the weekend when the system is several hundred miles east of the Lesser Antilles.
Formation chance through 48 hours…low…near 0 percent.
The Public is hereby notified that in keeping with changes in international oil prices and Government’s application of the modified market pass-through petroleum pricing mechanism, the retail price of gasoline, diesel, LPG 20, 22 and 100 lb cylinders has changed. The retail price of kerosene remains unchanged. The price changes take effect from Monday, September 9, 2019:
Gasolinedecreased from $3.07 to $2.98 per litre or $13.95 to $13.57 per gallon
Diesel decreased from $2.93 to $2.88 per litre or $13.32 to $13.07 per gallon
Kerosene remains unchanged at $1.93 per litre or $8.76 per gallon
20 Pound Cylinder (9.07 kg) decreased $32.12 to $32.07 per cylinder
22 Pound Cylinder (9.98 kg) decreased from $35.61 to $35.55 per cylinder
100 Pound Cylinder (45.36kg) decreased from $204.42 to $204.16 per cylinder
The Public is informed that the next adjustment of the retail price of fuel products will be on Monday September 30, 2019.
Invest Saint Lucia (ISL) hosted a major event, dubbed “Saint Lucia Entrepreneurship Meetup 2019”, on Monday, September 2, targeting businessmen and businesswomen, motivated creators and dreamers.
The event held under the theme “Doing What You Love and Being Successful Doing It: Ingredients for Success”, was held at Pink Papaya Restaurant, Pointe Seraphine.
Project Coordinator at Invest Saint Lucia, Dave Headley, gave welcome remarks, telling patrons that the Meetup formed part of a wider sensitization campaign ISL is embarking on to stir up entrepreneurship on the island.
The panel discussion included contributions from three of Saint Lucia’s most dynamic and inspiring entrepreneurs, namely Nydia Norville (Choiselle), Henson Hunte (Fun Foods – Island Pops), and Ian Mitchell (eMagine Solutions). Moderator was Pauline Francis, Miss Massy Stores 2018.
During the nearly two-hour-long panel discussion, the moderator posed questions to the panelists related to their personal journeys as entrepreneurs. They spoke about the difficulties they faced setting up their businesses as well as the challenges they face staying relevant and profitable.
Over 140 patrons attended the meetup, many of them posing questions to the panelists and inquiring how agencies like Invest Saint Lucia can assist them in setting up their businesses.
Fostering greater entrepreneurship via effective nurturing, mentorship and direct access to key markets forms a critical part of Invest Saint Lucia’s mandate. To that end, ISL continues to seek new and innovative ways in which entrepreneurs can equip themselves with the tools that can result in the overall growth and success of their respective businesses.
The Saint Lucia Entrepreneurship Meetup 2019 is a precursor to a broader programme currently being finalised by ISL, namely the Business Incubator and Accelerator Programme, which is expected to be launched by December this year.
On July 9 this year, representatives from several local government agencies, banking officials, young entrepreneurs and other key stakeholders met at Coco Palm Resort in Rodney Bay to further concretize the Business Incubator and Accelerator Programme. At that meeting, stakeholders agreed upon the ideal framework to guide entrepreneurs seeking to establish successful businesses in the near future. Discussions were led by the international consultants on the project, CREEDA Projects, headed by Julian Webb and Thea Chase.
“There needs to be a deliberate attempt to encourage entrepreneurship, innovation and continuous improvement among our youth and wider society towards sustainable growth,” Minister for Enterprise Development and Consumer Affairs, Bradly Felix, stated at that meeting.
Minister Felix added that entrepreneurship is a crucial factor to the global economy, contributing to growth, economic development and job creation. Through ISL, he said, Government will continue to strengthen the entrepreneurship ecosystem through the introduction of the Business Incubator and Accelerator Programme.
Meanwhile, ISL’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Roderick Cherry, notes that ISL eagerly anticipates the introduction of the Business Incubator and Accelerator Programme which, he believes, will stimulate the local economy, encourage inclusive economic growth, improve on sectoral linkages in the local economy and scale-up or assist in the internationalization of local businesses.
“The Business Incubator and Accelerator Programme will provide start-ups and existing small businesses with a variety of business support services to further improve business operations,” Cherry said.
Based on feedback from initial focus groups with various entrepreneurs, ISL realized that the networking among entrepreneurs at the sessions was very organic.
“We believe that the Entrepreneurship Meetup is timely as we plan to launch the logo and name contest for the programme,” Cherry added. “We also want to spark the entrepreneurship and innovative thinking of Saint Lucian youth.”
Monday’s Meetup ended with an ice-breaker networking activity, namely a Bingo, where three winners were presented with prizes.
According to Headley, similar meetups will be hosted by Invest Saint Lucia over the ensuring months.
The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors has approved a US$30.6 million regional health project to improve regional coordination and resilience for public health emergencies and extreme weather events in four Member States of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS).
“Countries in the Eastern Caribbean are taking concrete steps to build resilience in the health sector. This regional project provides a unique opportunity for member countries of the OECS to work together to strengthen national and regional health systems,” said Tahseen Sayed, World Bank Country Director for the Caribbean.
“As a long-term partner of the OECS, the World Bank is committed to help lessen the overwhelming economic burden that extreme weather events and infectious diseases can place on the people and the region.”
The OECS Regional Health Project will help improve climate resilience of select health facilities in Dominica, Grenada, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. The project will also strengthen the capacity of health systems in the OECS region to ensure continuity of services following an extreme weather event, boost national and regional disease surveillance systems to detect and respond to infectious diseases more rapidly, strengthen regional emergency coordinating mechanisms, and support an immediate response to select public health emergencies.
According to preliminary assessments conducted by the Pan American Health Organization, more than 75 percent of health facilities in some OECS countries may not be operational after a disaster. The project will finance critical renovations in roofing, electrical safety, plumbing and water storage, lighting, and telecommunications.
In addition, recent outbreaks of Chikungunya (2014) and Zika (2016) and Hurricanes Irma and Maria (2017) highlighted the need for stronger and more coordinated preparedness in the OECS to respond and recover from outbreaks and climate change risks. To address these challenges, the project will also help build institutional capacity and coordination mechanisms.
The project also addresses gender aspects of natural disasters and health emergencies, which can put women at risk of life-threatening complications, including by blocking access to obstetric care and increasing risk to pathogens, such as Zika. The project will support staff training and implementation of coordinated actions to respond to reproductive health needs at the onset of a crisis.
The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) and the OECS Commission will coordinate regional activities, including establishing well-coordinated preparedness plans and strategies, conducting an emergency and critical care facilities inventory, and improving laboratory capacity and harmonizing and updating clinical protocols for infectious disease surveillance.
This US$30.6 million project is a combination of interest-free credits and grants financed through the International Development Association credit (IDA), the concessional financing arm of the World Bank. In previous years, the World Bank has provided a total of US$157 million in financing to support heath initiatives across the Caribbean.
At 500 PM AST (2100 UTC), the center of Tropical Depression Eight was located near latitude 19.0 North, longitude 32.3 West. The depression is moving toward the northwest near 8 mph (13 km/h), and this general motion with some increase in forward speed is anticipated during the next few days.
Maximum sustained winds are near 35 mph (55 km/h) with higher gusts. The depression is forecast to become a tropical storm on Wednesday, although it is not anticipated to become a hurricane during the work week.
The estimated minimum central pressure is 1006 mb (29.71 inches).
SUMMARY OF 500 PM AST…2100 UTC…INFORMATION
LOCATION…19.0N 32.3W
ABOUT 585 MI…940 KM WNW OF THE CABO VERDE ISLANDS
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS…35 MPH…55 KM/H
PRESENT MOVEMENT…NW OR 310 DEGREES AT 8 MPH…13 KM/H
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE…1006 MB…29.71 INCHES
I have been following closely the news coverage of the passage of Hurricane Dorian through North Bahamas.
On behalf of the Government and People of Belize, I wish to express our condolences for any life lost and the significant damage to infrastructure caused as a result of the catastrophic category 5 hurricane.
As the People of The Bahamas commence to recover and reconstruct post-hurricane, we stand in solidarity with you; and further, look forward to assisting in any way we can through our National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO) and through regional efforts organized by the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).
The ever-increasing occurrence of powerful hurricanes in our region is a clear and present reminder that our efforts to become a climate resilient region are prudent; and rightfully ought to be accorded our highest priority.
Please accept the assurances of my highest consideration.
After an exuberant past few years, the TimeOut Entertainment team excitedly ushers in year 5 of Corporate Warfare Futsal action. At the press launch ceremony at the Financial Administrative Centre on September 2nd, 2019, the team welcomed in 29 teams with many repeaters back for another round of incredible futsal action, and newcomers hoping to stir things up.
Futsal, a popular variant of football usually played indoors, has fast become a staple on many sports enthusiasts’ calendars thanks to the TimeOut Entertainment team.
According to Lionel John, one of the event’s coordinators, “We are so fortunate to witness 5 years and be able to bring futsal to the communities, facilitate a grassroots project with the youngsters and host the first of many inter-island friendlies with the Fax Futsal Team visiting earlier this year. We are proud of the product we have developed and have the support of the sponsors, teams and fans to thank for all these successes. This year, we aim to continue to create a more elevated product which will support the charity endeavours we have undertaken and advance futsal not only in Saint Lucia but the region”.
The games are set to kick off on Saturday September 7th at the Beausejour Indoor Facility from 6pm. The tournament will be played in three stages; knock out, qualifiers and a group stage with two sets of prizes to be won overall.
TimeOut Team member Tamyka acknowledged the support of the many sponsors, corporate teams and fans, and thanked them for making this year even bigger and better. She highlighted the unified approach as a key catalyst in the success of the initiative.
Event sponsors were elated with the ongoing efforts of the team which has taken Corporate Warfare Futsal from stride to stride with the following statements summarizing the key highlights:
Fern Jean, Category Manager for Crystal Clear and Climax noted “It is inspiring how TimeOut Entertainment has been so innovative in helping the local brands interact with the communities. We are specially touched as this aligns with our mandate which includes keeping an active life through sports.’
Carmy Joseph, Communications Manager LUCELEC stated, ‘We felt it was important to take part in such initiatives as we want to align ourselves with community building activities. Corporate Warfare Futsal is indeed a family and we can’t wait to come back next year’.
Roger Hare, Manager Grace Kennedy Insurance added, ‘We sincerely advocate for friendly rivalry and the banter it brings is something we really want to be a part of for sure. We are proud to be part of this incredible movement.’
Sergin John Baptiste, Marketing Manager St. Lucia Distillers stated, ‘This sponsorship is a good marriage for us. What stood out is the community connections and a way for our brands to give back to the community is a bonus. It’s important to meet outside our professional setting at times. This initiative is one that needs to be commended, so we sincerely appeal to other entities to come onboard’.
Corporate Warfare Futsal is backed by Presenting Sponsors TimeOut Entertainment; Gold sponsors Lucelec, Coca Cola, Digicel (the official Celebrity Match sponsor); Silver Sponsors Courts, Crystal Clear, GK Insurance, Climax, Val Ferry, Exel Signs, Zippy Freight Shipping and AdVizze Consulting Inc (the official Public Relations Sponsor); Supporting Sponsors Renwick, Guinness, Concept Factory, Dazzle, Alibi Entertainment, Choice TV, Bex Photo Pro, RCI, Everyday Smiles, etc
Official Game Pairings after the live draw for the first round of the knock out stage:
Builtec v KM2
Pcd v LUCELEC
Small Business Owners v Top Ranking
Civil Service Corp v GOSL
Flow v Ferrands
Infrastructure v Legal Team
SLTU v Unicomer
SLTCC v WASCO
Apps 758 v Digicel
Sandals Grande v Beachcomber
Velox v Bankers Association
Statesman 758 v St. Lucia Distillers
WLBL DBC v Plant Grow Eat
JQ Motors v KFC
Johnson’s Hardware will be getting the bye
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for all game highlights, updates and match fixtures @timeoutntertainment or contact a representative for more information.
