CARIBBEAN ROUNDUP
Barbados
A new strategic plan aimed at turning
around the flagging fortunes of the
cash-strapped regional airline, LIAT, is
being developed.
This is according
to St. Vincent and
the Grenadines Prime
Minister, Dr. Ralph
Gonzales.
Speaking to reporters at the recent
Caribbean Community (CARICOM)
Inter-Sessional summit in Barbados
recently, Dry Gonzales said that he was
confident that the plan being developed
by the new board of management, led
by former Barbados Prime Minister,
Owen Arthur, would turn around the
fortunes of the Antigua-based regional
airline.
LIAT’s shareholder governments are
Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica,
and Grenada.
Gonzales said the strategic plan had
“many elements,” but opted not to give
further details of what initially was discussed
by the board.
Earlier host Prime Minister and
CARICOM Chairman, Mia Motley told
regional leaders that the niggling issue
of regional transportation to be resolved
even as she acknowledged that it would
be a work in progress.
Caribbean
The increasing frequency of violent
crimes and its impact in the region will
be addressed at a summit in April.
Trinidad and Tobago
Prime Minister,
Dr. Keith Rowley told
a post-Cabinet media
briefing at the Diplomatic
Center, St. Ann’s, Port of Spain,
hours after he returned from the recent
Inter-Sessional Heads of Government
in Barbados, said one of the issued discussed
at length during the meetings
was the growing prevalence of violent
crimes.
He said while in the past such incidents
could be isolated to certain
regions it was now widespread throughout
the region.
Dr. Rowley said the issue of crime
had an impact on health and would be
treated as a health issue by the summit
. He said the number of people who
are being murdered have increased
exponentially across the Caribbean
and warranted a unified approach from
regional leaders and experts to deal
with the issue.
The prime minister said the conference
will feature a host of experts from
various backgrounds who will discuss
the issues of violence in schools and
public life.
Dominica
Caribbean L 4 ife, March 6-12, 2020
Updated daily at www.caribbeanlifenews.com
LIAT- The regional airline carrier of the Caribbean faces serious fi nancial diffi culties and a strategic plan is being developed to rescue
the airline.
Dominica Police Commissioner,
Daniel Carbon said that the “search
has been called off” for a single engine
aircraft that plunged into the sea soon
after taking off from Douglas Charles
Airport recently en-route to Guadeloupe.
He told a press conference
that while the
police had been able to
recover “some debris”
they were not successful
in recovering any of the bodies on
board the ill-fated aircraft that was carrying
four unidentified people, as well
as the two pilots.
French authorities in a statement
said that a 16-year-old, his 55-year-old
grandparents and a 40-year-old were on
the ill-fated flight.
Grenada:
The Grenada government has agreed
to give the late Sir Royston Hopkin
an official funeral for his contribution
towards the tourism sector and overall
development of the country.
The national flag in being flown at
half-mast on all public buildings.
Sir Royston, 75, who died in Trinidad
recently, was the owner and chairman
of Spice Island Beach Resort. He not
only invested in the tourism sector, but
as a philanthropist.
He adopted the Grand Anse RC School
in 1992 and was one of the first Grenadians
to establish a scholarship fund for
needy children. Since the establishment
of the fund, more than 200 students
have received scholarships.
In 1994 Queen Elizabeth II bestowed
upon him the “Companion of the Most
Distinguished Order of St Michael and
St George” (CMG) for his contribution
to Grenada and Caribbean tourism.
Sir Royston was internationally
known for his industry knowledge and
served in many positions.
He will be buried on March 5 in Grenada.
Guyana
The Guyana government is searching
for a company to market its share
of crude oil produced at the offshore
Liza well, where Exxon Mobile Corp-led
XOM.N consortium began producing oil
in December.
In a statement the
Guyana’s Department
of Energy said the government
is entitled to
a share of the oil produced
and has said it was seeking a
marketing agent to help it export the
crude.
It said companies wishing to participate
should submit an expression of
interest by March 12.
The statement said without any
domestic refining capacity or national
oil company, it must sell the crude on
the open market.
It also said the marketing agent
would be expected to lift five cargoes
of around one million barrels each per
year, and the duration of the contract
would be for 12 months.
St. Lucia
St. Lucia has extended its travel
restrictions on non-nationals from
China to include Hong Kong, the
Republic of Korea and Singapore as
the island moved to prevent any case of
the deadly novel coronavirus (COVD-19)
being recorded in the country.
The Department of
Health and Wellness
said that, in addition
to the travel restrictions
on non-nationals
with a travel history within the last 14
days from mainland China, whether intransit
or originating, the ban has been
extended to the other Asian countries
where deaths and infections have been
reported in recent days.
The Department of Health and Wellness
of St. Lucia has noted an escalation
in the number of confirmed cases
of COVID-19 cases internationally as
well as the spread to 29 countries outside
of China.
The authorities said any national
returning to St. Lucia with a travel history
to any of the countries where the
virus has been detected will be quarantined
for 14 days and that is discouraging
“all non-essential travel” to those
places.
Continued on Page 18
THE NEWS FROM BACK HOME
LIAT’s financial woes continue
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