 Welcome to the NTN Nightly, I'm Nisha Charles, this edition's top stories. Scores of Saint Lucians joined the government in paying respect to former government minister and educator Gasper Schalmein. A new tourism attraction has opened on the island's west coast. The celebration of the La Marguerite Festival is in full bloom. Scores of Saint Lucians on Friday paid their respect to former government senator and junior minister in the Ministry of Education, Gasper Schalmein. The veteran educator died on October 1, 2019, General Norville reports. The late Gasper Schalmein served in many capacities including chief education officer from 1998 to 2000 and junior minister in the Ministry of Education from 2006 to 2011. His daughter, Effie Schalmein Norbert, described him as a man of servant leadership who was always willing to help someone in whatever way he could. He was also an organist in the Sufra Catholic Church for approximately 60 years. His passion according to his daughter had always been education. He loved education, that was his passion and throughout his life his career spanned from teacher to principal into the Ministry of Education and then of course into junior minister of education. He went into politics just a few years ago and saw it as a means of helping the community of Sufra. What I take from him, leadership, servant leadership, always helping somebody out, always being giving, always being a generous man. Son-in-law Zephrinus Church Hill Norbert remembered Schalmein as an agile statesman who embraced all aspects of life including religion, family and politics. He was always prepared to serve at the highest level and he loved his family dearly, his wife and of course his children, sisters, brothers, relatives and you know one of the final words it was said to us was that you know at the place where he is now he's seen beautiful things so we know that he is at peace with the Lord and that brings us tremendous comfort so we just want to extend our sincere thanks to all supporters, family members for the present world wishes. Former Prime Minister and long-time friend Mikey Pilgrim described Schalmein as an educator and someone very involved in the development of the youth. Pilgrim added that Schalmein believed that an educated people was necessary for the progress of Sinclusia and was committed to ensuring that progress. Gasper as an educator did well within the Ministry of Education as a teacher and as an education officer. Gasper also felt at some point in his life he would like to become an elected member of the House of Assembly unfortunately he never made it but he was privileged to have become a senator and a minister at one stage. He served as a minister for at least five years and during that time he cooperated with the government and did a fairly good job. Today I'm saddened by his death as a true friend and I express my condolences to his family and friends. Gasper my friend rest in peace. Gasper Schalmein was also a government senator in the Sinclusia Senate. Minister for Physical Planning and Parliamentary Representative for Soufre Honourable Herod Stanislas said Schalmein was a great counsel and provided him with immense support. We had many interactions especially during my campaign of 2016 he came he gave me overwhelming support on the campaign trail. He was present at a couple of meetings that we had we had private meetings as well and I want to thank him immensely for that support and I am just wishing the family the very best of us which has blessings and I'm certainly sure that they will gain strength in knowing that their father, their brother, their uncle served Sinclusia with distinction. The body of the late Gasper Schalmein laid in repose at the House of Assembly on Friday 18th October 2019. For the government information service, I am General Norville. There has been a voluntary recall of Renitidine Zantac medicines from certain manufacturers. The Ministry of Health and Wellness wishes to alert the public about the recent recalls and also wishes to inform them of the situation locally. Alison Jean is the procurement officer within the Ministry of Health and Wellness. The Ministry of Health and Wellness has been informed of the recent alerts by the United States Food and Drug Administration and the United Kingdom Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency for the voluntary recall of Renitidine capsules and tablets by Sandos and Apothex and Zantac tablets, liquids and injectable preparations from Blacksworth-Smithcline. Our investigations have revealed that these medications from the affected manufacturers are not available in the public sector pharmacies, that is, they are not available at Victoria Hospital, St. Jude Hospital, the District Medical Hospitals and the Wellness Centers. Ms. Jean provided an update on what obtains in the private sector. In the private sector pharmacies, specific lots from the affected batches of Zantac tablets from Blacksworth-Smithcline were identified and have been removed from the shelves. The Ministry of Health and Wellness advises that persons who are unsure whether they have the product should consult their health care provider. For any further inquiries and information, please contact the drug inspector, Ms. Astrid Mondaysi at the Ministry of Health and Wellness, at telephone number 468-5311. And that was procurement officer in the Ministry of Health and Wellness, Alison Jean. A new tourism attraction has opened on the island's west coast, more from Anise Antoine. The parliamentary representative for Anceleri Canaries, Honourable Dominique Fede, opened the latest addition to St. Lucia's tourism product in Anceleri. The newly established Glittering Sands Beach Park, located at Troulager, is owned and operated by St. Lucia's and employs some 20-plus persons from the constituency of Anceleri Canaries. The beach park welcomed the first group of over 50 cruise ship guests for a fantastic day in paradise. Honourable Dominique Fede expressed gratitude to the investors for having confidence in the project. I am moved with emotion and it's all part of what my government believes in, in sustainable development, creating jobs for people and ensuring that young people, old people have opportunities everywhere they go. And really to make use of this beautiful spot is just an incredible, incredible feat and an incredible opportunity for all of us, for the people that are working here, for the small businesses that are created. There's a local Anceleri resident who has established a spa facility. There's a local resident from Marigold who has established a kayaking business. There's the Valais restaurant who have established the food and beverage outlets so the economic impact is enormous. The Glittering Sands Beach Park provides water sports, food and beverages, a souvenir shop, storage facilities, washrooms and an outdoor spa. If you look at how the construction has been done, everything is environmentally friendly. Getting a lot of local woods from the area, you look at the cladding, it's done by the Rosa Wood for example, which is very familiar in the Rosa River, not too far from here. But what is being exposed is you've got a number of tours, the waterfall tours, they snorkeling the kayaking a little later on. I'm sure that they'll get into diving because some of the most beautiful reefs are in these spots. And so it is an enormous feat by all of us to be able to pull this off. The Glittering Sands Beach Park was officially opened on Thursday, October 15th, 2019. From the Government Information Service, I am Anisia Antoine reporting. St Lucia's cultural policy was first drafted in 2005 and since then, efforts have been made to develop and strengthen the framework. The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism, Information and Broadcasting, Culture and Creative Industries, Donalyn Vite, is attending the fifth meeting of ACP Ministers of Culture, where she will have the opportunity to learn of the Association's best practices. The aim, she says, is to cement policy decisions and better merge culture and tourism. For us in St Lucia, what we are focusing on right now is the development of our cultural policy that's actually dated back since 2005. In a way that we could encapsulate some of the new technologies, new ideas and the development of our sector, not just the creators where persons probably feel that when they reach the stage they have made it, but in a way that we can use the creators and put them on the map. That too will cause St Lucia to be on the map and help our destination brand in marketing. The objective is not to water down our culture to make tourism, but to keep the essence, the cultural values in our heritage core and keep it pure in a way that we can still package it and release as part of our tourism product. The meeting will also seek to assess the implementation of the commitments made by ACP Ministers in Brussels in 2017 and to reach a strong ACP group position on culture's contribution to the achievements of the Sustainable Development Goals SDGs. The Permanent Secretary believes that Caribbean people should have a greater voice within the ACP group. With all of the funding that has been available and what is to come, that the Caribbean should have a stronger focus in terms of the equitable distribution of those funds. And so while we have been bypassed as maybe being the smaller contingent within the ACP countries, our voice has not been diminished. And so I think this forum provides an opportunity for the Caribbean to speak and then for the Caribbean to act. The fifth meeting of ACP Ministers of Culture takes place from October 17 to 20, 2019 in Niger. And speaking of culture, the celebration of the La Marguerite Festival is in full bloom. Thursday schools and community groups brought the tradition to life. The Fist of La Marguerite, one of the two rival floral cultural festivals of St. Lucia, is celebrated annually on October 17. This year, the festival, organized by the Cultural Development Foundation, consisted of an ecumenical service in Lacklery and the Guam Fett in Monripo. All members of the La Marguerite Society dressed in the attire of their respective roles and marched to the Monripo Catholic Church. The service was followed by a parade through the streets before returning to the Monripo Combined School for their feasting. Senior Business Development and Marketing Officer with the Cultural Development Foundation, Jimmy Clavier, expressed contentment with the turnout at the festival. The Flower Festival in particular, you have a loss when it comes to the musicians and the chantouels and chanteses. You have an increased interest from the general populace and the general public. We recognize that you will have that type of shift, and it is that shift that is encouraging us to now pull and encourage persons to more or less gravitate and ensure that the flower festivals do not just dissipate. It is an indigenous culture, and we want to ensure that it remains. If we do not actually buy into it, as was suggested in the Chutes of this, of course it's going to fail away, and that's what we're trying to avoid. For us right now, something which is indigenous to Senbusha should be maintained, should be supported, and should be cultivated. The Guam Fet consisted of eight groups in total. Antoninus Thomas, Marguerite King for Dennerie Group 1, has been participating in the festival for over 30 years. Culture does not remain stagnant, it evolves, and the fact that you know those changes happen means that there's a certain vibrancy to what's happening. One of the things that is lamentable, however, is the decline in the number of groups that celebrate the festival. And I think that is the area where we can work on. We need to try and get more groups active in other communities so that our culture can be like propagated throughout the whole island. This is the only thing that is uniquely Senbusha. The Lamarguerite Festival forms part of the calendar of activities for Creole Heritage Month. From the Government Information Service, I am Anisia Antoine reporting. And this is the Indian Nightly. Raina Bryan is out on assignment, but when we return, Senbusha's deepening friendship with the Republic of China Taiwan. I was in my neighborhood, it was a very dark night, I decided to go for a drink by a bar. On my way from the bar, I felt the sting to my right leg. When I looked back, I knew it was a fuller snake. You happen to be in an area where there are snakes and you are bitten by a snake. This is what you do. You call for help and try to reach the Victoria Hospital within one or three hours. You will be seen immediately. My uncle at the time was a police officer called the Victoria Hospital and told them that we came in known for snake bites. It's the only facility on the island which has a protocol and a treatment plan where you can be treated adequately. We call them before you go there so they can prepare for you. And rest assured that they are adequate supplies of anti-venom with doctors who have been trained in the treatment protocols of the snake bite. Welcome back. The 2019 annual meetings of the boards of governors of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund, the IMF, is currently taking place in Washington D.C. until Sunday, October 20. The annual meetings bring together central bankers, ministers of finance and development, parliamentarians, private sector executives, representatives from civil society organizations and academics to discuss issues of global concern, including the world's economic outlook, poverty eradication, economic development and aid effectiveness. Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Economic Growth, Job Creation, External Affairs and the Public Service, Hon. Alan Sharsney and Minister for Economic Development, Hon. Minister Guy Joseph are currently attending the meetings, along with a team from the Department of Finance, which includes Permanent Secretary of Finance, Co. Thomas, Director of Research and Policy, Gemma Lafayee, and Department of Economics Development's Permanent Secretary, Claudius Immanuel. In the Prime Minister's absence, Minister for Equity, Social Justice, Local Government and Empowerment, Hon. Leonard Montute serves as Acting Prime Minister. St. Lucia's deepening friendship with the Republic of China, Taiwan, has resulted in a shipment of humanitarian supplies. Chevron Marius has the details. The Embassy of the Republic of China on Taiwan has once again demonstrated its nation's support by donating an assortment of humanitarian supplies to the government and people of St. Lucia. The handing over ceremony took place on Tuesday, October 15, 2019 at the Car Park of the National Emergency Management Organization, NIMU. Counselor and Taiwanese Representative Bill Hung expressed his government's enthusiasm in assisting the poor and vulnerable of St. Lucia. The Simply Health Foundation was formed in the year 2000 in the United States, and it is very active in 23 countries. And the foundation is dedicated to relieving poverty by providing emergency disaster relief, locational training, and shelter and care for the homeless elderly. The foundation has cooperated with the government of Taiwan to contribute charity goods to the people of St. Lucia. Today I'm more than happy to announce that this year Simply Health is providing items including clothing, toys, shoes, baby supplies, and electronics to name just a few for those households in need. The items included shoes, kitchenware, clothes, toys, baby supplies, suitcases, and stationery. Minister for Equity, Social Justice, Local Government, and Empowerment, the Honourable Leonard Montute expressed his gratitude to the Taiwanese government for providing the much needed supplies. I want once again to place on record my government's appreciation for the donation, especially given the target population that it is intended for. I have every confidence, I have no doubt that as in previous years, those who are most in need and most deserving will once again receive those gifts, and I'm sure, as always, there will be much appreciation on their part. I just want to say as government, we look forward to that kind of continued collaboration. In particular, my ministry, as you are aware, is a social ministry, and our task is mammoth, our resources are limited, and any form of collaboration that comes our way, we are happy to embrace. The Simple Health Foundation has donated to the government and people of St. Lucia from 2015. Reporting from the Ministry of Equity, Social Justice, Local Government, and Empowerment, I am Shivre Marius. The Department of Infrastructure, Ports and Energy intends to undertake potholing roadworks along Bridge Street near the R.C. Boys Primary School, Merrin Street, Rock Hall Bus Stand, and along the Bagatelle Road. This activity scheduled for Sunday 20th October 2019, between the hours of 9am to 4pm. The Department of Infrastructure solicits your cooperation and advises that all road users should exercise due diligence in the immediate vicinity of the work site. And stay with the NTIA Knightly up next, Primus Hutchinson is here with the NTIA Nouvelle Au Cueol. If you are in receipt of an abnormally high bill, it is highly possible that you have a leak. That leak may not always be visible. Before you contact WASCO, conduct a do-it-yourself test. 1. Record your meter reading. 2. Do not use water for 30 minutes to 1 hour. 3. Take another meter reading. If the reading changes, you have a leak. Contact a plumber to identify and fix the leak at the earliest. A message brought to you by the Water and Sewage Company Incorporated, WASCO. Welcome back. We join Primus Hutchinson for the NTIA Nouvelle Au Cueol. Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to inform you of the NTIA Nouvelle Au Cueol, Primus Hutchinson. The visitors are from South-East, South-East, South-East, South-East, South-East, South-East, South-East. We are now in the area of the NTIA Nouvelle Au Cueol. We have a lot of visitors. We have a lot of visitors. We are going to have a tour of the NTIA Nouvelle Au Cueol. We are going to have a tour of the NTIA Nouvelle Au Cueol. We are going to have a tour of the NTIA Nouvelle Au Cueol, Primus Hutchinson. We are going to have a tour of the NTIA Nouvelle Au Cueol. as well as the best way to deposit or do to make sure that I have a good deal of money. The common thing that I hope to benefit from this is Country Village, Otsa, Badishu Se, Bele, Besson, Ravin Poisson, Mark, Townlands, Labe'i, Gap Sarot, Ek Dheba. The common thing that I hope to benefit from this is the same way to make sure that I have a good deal of money. This project that was completed for $6M to stabilize Te Wasek Kanal starts immediately before Aoundi Se Men comes into action for the next six months during which they will pull the procedure from the unsatisfying employment the tourists who have visited this country. According to the Tourist Affairs Authority, for 7 to 8 months, the country has registered an increase in the number of tourists who have visited this country more than ever before. For me, this country has registered 26,340 tourists who have visited for the holidays. And this is the highest number of tourists who have never visited this country for me. For the place, this country has registered 12% of visitors. In England, 12% and in Canada, 17% have registered an increase of 6 to 4% in total. According to the Tourist Affairs Authority, according to the Tourist Affairs Authority, for the WEC and various activities that the Ministry has implemented, I have come to deal with the public in which I also am in the French national park. I am in Bucharest, but the season has begun so you must keep on with the first-of-a-kind the place where you have to take the benefit of your country. This is the place where America and England are living, and then once in a while, with America 9 leaving the country to live here, date for date. Canada and France are the only places where I have been living for the past 8 months. And this is the place where I am living, and where I have been working since I was born. This is the place where I am living, and I have been living since I was born. This is the place where the United States has been living, and the United States has been living here. On the 28th of September, Dr. Salah performed the operation on the 26th of September at the St. Jude Hospital during a session of extracurricular instruction at Hotel Begans in Rodney Bay. This conference was to understand how the operation was done, especially in Karebla and also in Dutch, Spanish and English. Dr. Salah performed the operation on the 26th of September at the St. Jude Hospital during a session of extracurricular instruction at Hotel Begans in Rodney Bay. This conference was to understand how the operation was done, especially in Karebla and also in Rodney Bay. On the 26th of September, Dr. Salah performed the operation on the 26th of September at the St. Jude Hospital during a session of extracurricular instruction at Hotel Begans in Rodney Bay. This conference was to understand how the operation was done, especially in Karebla and also in Rodney Bay. Dr. Salah performed the operation on the 26th of September at the St. Jude Hospital during a session of extracurricular instruction at Hotel Begans in Rodney Bay. Dr. Salah performed the operation on the 26th of September at the St. Jude Hospital during a session of extracurricular instruction at Hotel Begans in Rodney Bay. Dr. Salah performed the operation on the 26th of September at the St. Jude Hospital during a session of extracurricular instruction at Hotel Begans in Rodney Bay. Dr. Salah performed the operation on the 26th of September at the St. Jude Hospital during a session of extracurricular instruction at Hotel Begans in Rodney Bay. Dr. Salah performed the operation on the 26th of September at the St. Jude Hospital during a session of extracurricular instruction at Hotel Begans in Rodney Bay. Dr. Salah performed the operation on the 26th of September at the St. Jude Hospital during a session of extracurricular instruction at Hotel Begans in Rodney Bay. Tides for Castries Harbor high at 5.55pm, low at 1.02 am, tides for View Fort Bay low at 12.54pm, high at 7.02pm, seas slight to moderate with waves 3 to 5 feet or 0.9 to 1.5 meters, the Sun will rise a Saturday at 5.55pm. And that brings us to the end of the NTN Nightly. Join us next time at 7pm with a repeat at 7am. You can also catch up with us anytime on the Selenusia Government Facebook page or YouTube channel. I'm Nisha Charles.