STEAMED PUDDING AND SOUSE; CONCH SOUP
CORN MEAL COU COU; SCALLOPED POTATOES
PEAS AND RICE; MACARONI PIE
BAKED CHICKEN; BAKED PORK
BBQ PIG TAILS; BBQ SPARERIBS
MACKEREL GRAVY; TURKEY STEW
TOSSED SALAD; COLE SLAW
Passengers on a LIAT flight were asked to deplane after smoke filled the cabin. (File Photo—not actual plane).
A fluorescent light end connector on a LIAT plane overheated causing smoke in the cabin as the aircraft was about to depart Antigua for St Maarten and Tortola Wednesday morning.LI 316, with 37 passengers on board, was taxiing up the runway when the crew was alerted of the smell of smoke in the cabin.
As a precautionary measure, the captain immediately shut down the aircraft engines and the passengers were deplaned and returned to the terminal building.
The emergency services arrived on the scene within minutes. No injuries were reported.
LIAT engineers have since repaired the faulty connector and the aircraft has been returned to service.
`The current situation, if not resolved immediately, will no doubt destroy the fabric on which to base any hope of reviving the region’s standing in international cricket, or building a solid future for West Indies cricket’
CARICOM has laid out a plan to heal the rift between the West Indies players association and the board and it is to convene a stakeholders meeting at the earliest date to discuss the future of the region’s cricket.
The organization will also be taking into account the West Indies Cricket Board’s Development Plan as well as the Report of the Patterson Committee established by the WICB.
This is one of a raft of recommendations coming out of the Sixteenth Prime Ministerial Sub-Committee (PMSC) on cricket, according to a communique yesterday from the CARICOM Secretariat at Turkeyen.
The two sides have been at loggerheads in recent weeks and this necessitated the picking of a second-string team for a series against Bangladesh where the Windies were trounced.
Meanwhile, the WICB and the West Indies Players Association (WIPA), with assistance from the CARICOM Secretariat, are to agree on a formula and minimum criteria that will allow the WICB to select the best West Indies team.
The PMSC has recommended further that under those terms,
the players must make themselves available for selection in accordance with normal WICB requirements, in particular, participation in the regional tournaments.
Moreover, the WICB is to agree to the television/image rights fees (sponsor’s fees) traditionally paid to players, pending the special arbitration on this issue to facilitate the signing of retainer contracts by October 1 this year.
And the WICB and WIPA are also to agree on the implementation of the special arbitration process provided for in the Mediator’s draft agreement, i.e. on ‘Team rights’ and ‘the India tour’; and the best efforts by the CARICOM Secretariat in the first instance to facilitate the resolution of the other outstanding issues proposed by WICB and WIPA, or the pursuit of arbitration if necessary. Such arbitration, however, must not delay the return of West Indies cricket to normalcy, the communiqué added.
It stated too that the WICB is to inform the International Cricket Council (ICC) of the action taken by Caribbean governments with the aim of “returning West Indies cricket to its accustomed place in world cricket, in consonance with the highest traditions of the sport as upheld by the ICC.”
In the meantime, the communiqué noted, the PMSC will monitor compliance with the agreed measures based on periodic reports from the CARICOM Secretariat.
Over the past 10 years in particular, the Heads of Government as well as all stakeholders in West Indies, have endured the fracturing of relations and distrust between the WICB and the WIPA, the communique noted.
It also warned that “the current situation, if not resolved immediately, will no doubt destroy the fabric on which to base any hope of reviving the region’s standing in international cricket, or building a solid future for West Indies cricket.”
It is under these circumstances that the PMSC has decided to intervene in the process at this time and make recommendations on a feasible way forward, following the aborted mediation exercise chaired by Sir Shridath Ramphal and initiated by the Chairman of the Community, President Bharrat Jagdeo, with the agreement of the WICB and WIPA.
CARICOM Heads of Government have always taken the position that management of West Indies cricket is the province of the WICB and its affiliate organizations and the main concern is restoring the image and status of West Indies cricket regionally and internationally, the communiqué concluded.
| ST THOMAS, USVI — US Virgin Islands Education Commissioner Dr La Verne Terry on Friday re-affirmed the Department’s policy banning cellular phones and other electronic devices used by students while in school.
“Parents are hereby advised that cell phones and other electronic devices such as: wireless earpieces, portable pagers, PDAs, hand-held radios, hand-held videogames, CD players, MP3 players, laser pointers, and wireless cards are not allowed on the campuses of any public school in the territory,” the Commissioner said.
“If a student is found using a cell phone or any of these devices on campus or if a cell phone rings in a classroom, the device will be confiscated and returned to parents at the end of the semester. This is not a new policy and the Department will be aggressively enforcing this policy,” she said. The VI Department of Education’s Electronic Device Policy, which was updated in 2007, states that “An electronic device refers to any device carried, worn, or stored by a student to receive or communicate messages, connect to the internet, play music or games, and take pictures.” The policy further states, “Students may possess an electronic device upon the prior written request from a parent or guardian and the approval of the school principal or the Insular Superintendent of schools upon showing of medical necessity {i.e. hearing aid} or other appropriate circumstances as determined by the Insular Superintendent of schools or when use is provided for in a student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP). A medical necessity must be verified by a practicing physician. Teachers shall be notified of those students who are authorized to use an electronic device.” Dr Terry further stated, “District Superintendent’s and school administrators are responsible for ensuring that this policy is well distributed throughout their areas of oversight and shared with staff, students parents and other stakeholders.” |
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A contentious affidavit filed by Jamaat-al-Muslimeen leader Yasin Abu Bakr, alleging that favours were granted by ruling People’s National Movement leader Prime Minister Patrick Manning in exchange for helping the party secure votes during the 2002 general election, will be forwarded to the offices of the Director of Public Prosecutions and Acting Commissioner of Police James Philbert for further investigation. The directive was made by Justice Rajendra Narine in the Port of Spain Second Criminal Court yesterday. According to Justice Narine: “Having regard to the extremely serious nature of the allegations, I am directing the registrar of the Supreme Court to forward a copy of the affidavit filed by the second defendant (Abu Bakr) on June 8, 2006, to the acting CoP and the acting DPP for their consideration. The court is confident that the relevant authorities will carry out their constitutional duties without fear or favour. “In recent times, there have been investigations and prosecutions of persons in high office. The guiding principle has been that no one is above the law, regardless of his position.” In the 26-page affidavit, Abu Bakr also claimed he held conversations with then ministers Joan Yuille-Williams and Larry Achong and current National Security Minister Martin Joseph. In a 27-page judgement, Justice Narine said the allegations made by Abu Bakr against Prime Minister Patrick Manning “are extremely serious”. “If they are true, they strike at the heart of our democratic system of government,” Justice Narine said. Justice Narine said following the 2002 general election, there were several complaints flooding the daily press where citizens in marginal constituencies “were unable to exercise their right to vote due to intimidation on the part of the Jamaat”. Justice Narine added: “If the allegations are true, the prime minister made promises of State resources to the leader of an organisation which had made an unsuccessful attempt to overthrow the duly-elected government of the country, in return for the Jamaat’s leverage in the marginal constituencies.” He noted that the plaintiff (attorney general) did not respond to the allegations of Abu Bakr, but instead, by notice filed on July 12, 2006, “applied to strike out the affidavit in its entirety on the basis that it was wholly irrelevant since if the allegations were true, the agreement ‘is unenforceable as being made for an illegal or no consideration and/or to commit offence and/or contrary to public policy”. However, Justice Narine said when the matter eventually reached the Privy Council, the affidavit was subsequently struck out, with Lord Robert Douglas Carswell raising certain issues about the affidavit’s contents. “In the opinion of the board, this was corrupt within the meaning and intendment of Section 3, and each party to the agreement was acting in contravention of the section…,” Justice Narine said, quoting from the Privy Council ruling. Saying the pronouncements made by the Privy Council are cause for concern, Justice Narine said as far as the court is aware, “no action has been taken by the appropriate authorities to conduct a thorough investigation of the allegations”. Attorneys Douglas Mendes SC, Dana Seetahal SC, Rikki Harnanan and Haran Ramkarran represented the attorney general while Mark Seepersad, Gerald Ramdeen and Lemuel Murphy represented the Jamaat, Abu Bakr and Kala Aki Bua. |
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Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of a 57-year-old Chaguanas painter. According to reports, at around 3.50 p.m. yesterday, Johnny Villaruel, of Cashew Gardens, was standing on scaffolding at Commercial Protectors Service in Laventille when he apparently lost his balance and fell 30 feet, hitting his head. PC Duray of the Besson Street Police Station is continuing investigations. -RR |
GoldingPrime Minister Bruce Golding has announced an arrangement between government and a number of private pharmacies to provide free prescriptions to the public. This move, he says, will make filling prescriptions easier for patients and reduce the load on public dispensaries.
Addressing his sixth Town Hall Meeting in Annotto Bay, St Mary, on Wednesday, he said “one of the big problems at the hospital is at the pharmacy. We have a big congestion there because we are short of pharmacists but we have been able to develop a programme that will have some special pharmacies providing the drugs and you still won’t have to pay for it.
“The same way you would have gotten it free at the hospital, you will be able to go to these private pharmacies that we will announce and be able to get the drug free.”
Golding explained that to benefit from the system patients will need to be registered.
“You’re going to have a special health card that has some information on you embedded in the card. We started that registration process last week and I’m encouraging everyone to register. The health card and the registration process will also be free.”
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Health minister gets tough on morgue users
MANDEVILLE, Manchester:
Minister of Health Rudyard Spencer has directed that certain actions be taken, as it relates to the five persons who were interdicted after the discovery that the body of a new born baby went missing from the Mandeville Regional Hospital Morgue.
Spencer spoke to the issue during a meeting Thursday involving the five workers, their union and officials from the Southern Regional Health Authority and the Health Ministry.
security measures
The minister also informed the meeting of his decision to put certain restrictions on the persons who have access to the hospital’s morgue.
“I want to make it clear that no unauthorised person is to be in the morgue, at any time. They should in no way have access to the key to the facility. If this is breached, we will then be forced to take more serious action,” he said.
Additional measures have been taken to better secure the morgue. These include replacement of the current door, and changing of the locking mechanism to one that cannot be duplicated, with only one officer having access to the key and being accountable for all activities in the morgue.
Other measures include a strengthening of the existing systems which were put in place to ensure that the morgue is properly and securely operated. These include, ensuring that all bodies entering and leaving are logged, as per established guidelines, with proper tagging and labelling, as well as cross-checking for accuracy. All persons accessing the morgue must also sign in on entering and upon leaving, and visitors/relatives must be accompanied by the chief orderly.
- JIS News
Nation News (Barbados)
by GERCINE CARTER
PROMISES, PROMISES, but no performance.
That’s the cry of small businesses that have been expecting more Government help to boost their operations.
The complaint was voiced yesterday by the president of the Barbados Small Business Association (SBA), Celeste Foster, following the launch of the organisation’s Business Week 2009 at Pelican Industrial Park.
She told the SATURDAY SUN: “The measures that the Prime Minister has spoken to and we have heard promised have not translated into our reality.
“Yes, there has been mention of the 40 per cent procurement by the SME (small and medium enterprises) sector but that has not become an actuality for us 18 months later,” she added.
Foster said: “You have heard about the technical assistance with the BIDC (Barbados Investment and Development Corporation) to help the small business sector. We cannot name five businesses that we have had, who have applied who have benefited.”
However, Foster said the SBA had been working “very closely” with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, holding discussions and sharing feedback.
While this had “gone well”, Foster said translating ideas into action had not.
She added: “Getting the funding from sitting in the coffers of Government to the SME sector, has been very challenging.”
Among other challenges identified by the SBA head were late payments, unaffordble rents which have seen some small businesses returning to home operations, and reduced working hours to retain staff.
Foster said members had become very creative, “cutting out all types of fat in the job”.
Nation News (Barbados)
A NEW RADIO station will soon be turned on to the airwaves.
The station, to be called Slam 101.1, is to be located at Haggatt Hall, St Michael.
A source close to Habib Elias confirmed that a licence had been granted, but would give no information on the format or likely personnel.
A Press conference to announce details about Slam 101.1 is scheduled for next week.
While in Florida last week, Prime Minister David Thompson confirmed that the Broadcast Authority had agreed to “one new radio licence”.
Elias was among several people being interviewed for licences. It is understood that representative from One Caribbean Media (OCM), Vic Fernandez, was interviewed as well. “Right now the Broadcast Authority has been interviewing all of those persons who over the past few years have put in applications for licences, radio and television,” Thompson said.
Interviewing stage
“So they are going through that process. I believe they have agreed to one new radio licence so far and they are in the interviewing stage with other applicants.
“I have also discovered that there were some people who had made applications years ago and never heard anything.
“In all fairness, everybody should be given a chance to meet with the authority and reactivate their applications and we will determine what is an appropriate number of radio stations and the type of genre they are in and also make a decision on an appropriate number of television stations.”
While the Prime Minister seemed amenable to an expansion of the radio airwaves, he appeared guarded about the possibility of a television station to compete with the Government-controlled Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation.
“I am all for a more liberal policy in relation to media operations in Barbados,” he said when asked about another television station.
“That’s something the Cabinet would have to determine. I believe some studies and work have been done (on broadcasting) which need to be pulled together.” (TB/YB)
