 Coming to you from our GIS Studios, I am Anicia Antoine and this is your Midday News Brief. Prime Minister the Honourable Alan Shasne and Minister for Infrastructure, Ports, Energy and Labour, Honourable Stevenson King, have travelled to the UK and Switzerland to continue discussions with cruise industry leaders. They will meet with Global Ports as well as MSC Cruises to advance discussions on the sustainable development of St Lucia's cruise and cargo ports. The Government of St Lucia is embarking on major infrastructural projects to improve its ports of entry, improving the redevelopment of the Euronora International Airport and upgrades to the Castries port. As part of continuing efforts to strengthen local government system in St Lucia, the Ministry of Equity, Social Justice, Local Government and Empowerment host a three-day retreat for local government leaders. Participants engaged in intense discussions and group activities. The retreat was held from the 25th to the 27th of March 2019 under the theme, Collaborative Solutions, Supportive Structures. To ensure the sustainability and survival of the agricultural sector, the Government of St Lucia, in partnership with the Caribbean Development Fund, has invested approximately 4.2 million EC dollars towards a youth agricultural enterprise programme. Currently, 80 young St Lucians are receiving training and support in the use of appropriate technologies and the application of best practices. The St Lucia Development Bank, SLDB, has made the terms and conditions for loans for farmers more lenient to encourage growth and youth participation in the farming industry. To date, there have been no defaults on loan payments. This has been your midday news brief. Thank you for watching.