 Welcome to the NTN Nightly, I'm Misha Charles. This edition stops stories. Saint Lucia's Honourable Dominic Fader is named the Cambion's Tourism Minister of the Year. Peace stakeholders in the agriculture sector urge to change their business models to realise success. A more than $2 million water project is in the pipeline at Via Secui. All that plus the latest in youth development, sports and the NTN Nouvelle Arcway. Saint Lucia's winning streak in the highly competitive tourism industry continues with Minister Honourable Dominic Fader being named the Cambion Tourism Minister for 2019. Honourable Fader's stewardship has been recognised by the Caribbean Journal Caribbean Travel Awards. Minister Fader is also being lauded for his leadership as chairman of the Cambion Tourism Organization, the CTO. More now from Janelle Nouvelle. Minister for Tourism, Information and Broadcasting, Culture and Creative Industries Honourable Dominic Fader has been among other things overseeing the training of various sub-sectors in the tourism industry, enabling Saint Lucia to continue on a path of growth. His dedication and commitment to growing Saint Lucia's tourism industry have not gone unnoticed as he has been named under the Caribbean Travel Awards as Caribbean Tourism Minister for the Year. The Minister is described as having helped steward a destination that is one of the hottest in the Caribbean and has become a haven for high-profile investment from Carbot's highly anticipated gold resort at the northern tip of the island to a major new cruise destination in the south. Honourable Fader was also commended for serving exemplary as chair of the Caribbean Tourism Organization and for doing an outstanding job as an ambassador for Caribbean tourism as a whole. The Minister expressed gratitude for the recognition. I'm just really humbled by the whole thing. I just want to thank Caribbean Journal for recognizing the outstanding work that my team have been doing. I think it's testament of the work that an entire industry of people are doing. All 20,000 tourism and hospitality workers, that's their award. I would like to dedicate it to them because they show up every day and they work hard and they are the ones who meet the guests and they are the ones that ensure that St. Lucia's repetition is number one. So the award really belongs to them. Editor and publisher of the Caribbean Journal, Alexander Brittle, indicated that the sixth edition of the Caribbean Travel Awards honoured hotels, destinations, experiences and most importantly, the people that make the Caribbean the greatest travel destination on the earth. Minister Fede highlighted a number of projects in the pipeline and some soon to come on stream. We are over 1.2 million visits a year in all of the different components of tourism. So the goal is to get that to around 2.5 million. That is where we're trying to get but most importantly is to yield as much as we can from the most profitable aspect of the industry which is the land-based side. So we've got over 2,000 rooms right now that are in the pipeline for development over the next 7 to 10 years and if this all comes true, it means that St. Lucia would have some exciting brands. We are breaking ground very soon in the Hyatt. We have just broke ground on a new golf course on Cabot Lodges as well and we're seeing a lot of investors planning for development. This year's Caribbean Travel Awards included winners across 21 categories selected by Caribbean Journal's editorial staff and its network of contributors. For the Government Information Service, I am General Norvel. Agriculture Minister Honourable Ezekiel Joseph has underscored the need for key partners in the Banana Export Ring to augment their strategies to increase the amount of bananas exported to the United Kingdom. We hear more about this recent development from the Agriculture Ministry's Amanda Fey-Clark. Representatives of Winfresh, the National Fair Trade Organization, the NFTO and the Banana Productivity Improvement Project, the BPIP, met with ministry leaders to identify what issues continue to plague the banana industry and to discuss on possible solutions which could result in an increased banana sales over the next four months. Chief Executive Officer of Winfresh, Bernard Conebut says the time has come for open honest dialogue among partners in order that the industry and farmers reap the rewards of their investments. Time and financing in an already competitive banana market. It is an industry that is not entirely competitive and it probably will never be very competitive in the sense that the industry is competing against some and we have said so before, some very, very large players is a real big ocean that we are swimming in with this banana industry. But that does not mean it cannot survive. And so we need to look at it critically, all of us with a positive mind which says we want to do something to make it work. Agriculture Minister Hon. Ezekiel Joseph reiterated the concerns of the Prime Minister and that of many administrators of the ministry which are opportunities not being capitalized upon because of the manner in which the business of marketing our bananas are being handled. I can say that we are not happy as to the figures we are seeing as it pertains to the exports so far for 2019 to the UK market. We are not happy. And I remember telling Mr. Severe and Mr. Fontenard is there that I recall when Mr. Fontenard was in a position to provide the information I used to get weekly information as to the exports. When Mr. Fontenard left, I have not been able to get it. I have been requesting this ever so often and as a ministry we are not getting that information. Commitments and promises have been made, we are not getting it. But of course that information is important for us and I say as a ministry to be able to monitor what's happening on the ground and for us to intervene one we believe is appropriate. So I am to believe that the main fact that we are not getting the information is that everything seems to be okay. And we can only get involved because I have been told on many occasions I mean, marketing is not your business, it's not the ministry's business. It's between Winfression and FTO. But when the fund hit the roof they called to the ministry for some intervention. And I have said before, it's not after the house has been built to call the ministry for intervention. I need to get weekly information. Minister Joseph insists that there must be a swift turnover on the part of all parties. Otherwise, alternative actions will be sought to enable Sinushan Bananas to increase market share in the UK. Winfression is telling me that they are making, how you call it, weekly purchase order. NFTO is not meeting the weekly purchase order. We know they have bananas on the ground. We know that. So why is it that our farmers cannot sell the bananas? Why is it that the figures that we have seen for this year is going to be less than next year? So moving forward, I want to make it clear that if the Sinusha government is going to be involved in Winfresh as far as my Prime Minister is concerned, we must see a significant, and I say this word deliberately, a significant improvement in the marketing of our bananas. If not, we have forgotten our options. The Agriculture Minister is focused heavily on restoring the banana industry on firm footing. Restoring a sub-sector that was once seen as the gem of the Caribbean. From the Ministry of Agriculture, I am Amanda Fey-Clock reporting. A more than $2 million water project is in the pipeline for residents of Yesiqui. The Sinusha Social Development Fund, SSDF, has signed the agreement under the ninth cycle of the Basic Needs Trust Fund for the commencement of the project. More from Chevrolet Marios. The Sinusha Social Development Fund and Water and Sewage Company, Wasco, have signed an agreement to increase the availability of pi-borne water to the Vasiqui community. The agreement was signed at the Water and Sewage Company's administrative building on Wednesday, December 11th, 2019. The Vasiqui Water Supply Extension Project is funded by the Caribbean Development Bank under the ninth cycle of the Basic Needs Trust Fund, BNTF-9. The project is intended to channel portable water to households in the Vasiqui community. Executive Director of the Social Development Fund, Alison Marfrey, provided insight on the different problems that Vasiqui residents have encountered over the years. The government of Sinusha and the Caribbean Development Bank have come together with Wasco to provide the water to this facility. We are all excited and we look forward to when the residents actually have water running to their homes. Over the years, residents of Vasiqui had to resort to a rainwater harvesting, which in and of itself is not bad. We should all get involved with rainwater harvesting for environmental reasons. They also had to rely on the community pond and that comes with its own issues because, of course, there is vulnerability to disease because they are not using purified water, especially for children. Many residents had to purchase drinking water and even have to truck water during the dry season. The facility will be constructed at an estimated cost of EC, 2.1 million dollars. Minister for Equity, Social Justice, Local Government and Empowerment and Parliamentary Representative for Grosally, Honorable Leonard Montude expressed relief on behalf of the residents who to date have experienced limited access to pipe on water. I want to express my sincere gratitude on behalf of my constituents and on behalf of the government of St. Lucia to the Caribbean Development Bank who are providing pretty close to half of the resources needed for this program. I'm sure that the people, the residents of Vasiqui will be eternally grateful for that improvement in their lives. Over a hundred residents will be affected. About 45 households will be impacted and that, I think, is significant. And most of all, you were told to that there was the use of a major community pond where many residents relied on the source of water, for the source of water. And that in itself, as you have heard, was causing its fair share of problems, especially among children because we had cases of water-borne diseases as a result of the use of the water from the pond. So these will be a thing of the past and I'm happy to know that we will not only be making life easier but improving in many ways the lives and health of the people of that community. Clean, safe water is a privilege that is often taken for granted in developed countries and one that is not always accessible in developing nations. Starting from the Ministry of Equity, Social Justice, Local Government and Empowerment, I am Chevroy Marius. The Credit Union movement in St. Lucia has taken a major step in its development. Over the last three years, the St. Lucia Cooperative Credit Union League Limited has been working with capital financial services and their vendors to install automated tele-machines, ATMs in strategic locations around the island and develop the network infrastructure. The first phase of the project and ATMs service will deliver on the demands of its members for secure, instant access to their funds 24 hours a day. Initially, four local credit unions will have access to the new Unicard, the Credit Union ATM card. President of the St. Lucia Cooperative Credit Union League Limited, Gilroy Sackney, says initial participating credit unions include Choselle, Labry, Monripo and teachers' cooperative credit unions with four others to follow suit. Those ATMs are located strategically across the island at Choselle office, or Choselle Credit Union in Choselle, the Labry Credit Union in Viewfort, the Monripo Credit Union in Monripo and the League's office in the William Peter Boulevard in Castris. Going forward, the remaining participating credit unions of Denry, Forsyja, Saltybus and Hospitality will be coming on board. The implementation of the ATMs service concludes the first phase of the League's collaboration with Capital Financial Services. President and CEO of Capital Financial Services, Paul Maxwell, says over the next few weeks members will be issued ATM cards and begin enjoying the convenience of accessing their funds when needed. So before, if they only sent a small part of the earnings of the credit unions from their salaries, they can now consider lodging their full salaries because they will have access 24-7. Also, persons who always wanted to join the credit union but didn't because of the limited access can now join because obviously access is much wider. Research has shown on what we've seen in Barbados and certainly the research on the World Council of Credit Union's website. As indicated that when access is given to a person's money, the person actually gives you more of their money to hold. It is almost paradoxical but it is true. If you have access 24-7, 365, you actually give that person more of your money to hold because it is not a problem when you need it back. Dali will continue its collaboration with Capital Financial towards the swift implementation of the remaining phases of the project, namely online banking, mobile banking, point of sale access services, as well as global convenience with international debit and credit cards. And this is the NTN Nightly. Ryan O'Brien is up next. Be aware of and follow water conservation practices. Here are a few tips to help you save water. Wash dishes in a basin of water instead of a running tap. Soak pots and pans instead of letting the water run while scraping them. Check toilets for leaks by putting dye in the tank. If color shows in the bowl without flushing, there is a leak. A leaking toilet can waste thousands of gallons of water. Use a bucket instead of a hose to wash cars and reuse grey water from laundry to water plants. Water conservation reduces energy consumption and strain on the water distribution system. You can serve water whenever possible and remember every job counts. A message brought to you by the Water and Sewage Company Incorporated, WASCO. Welcome back. We join Ryan O'Brien for the latest happenings in youth development and sports. Welcome to another segment from the Ministry of Youth Development and Sports on the NTN Nightly News. I'm Ryan O'Brien. News from the Winner Islands under-15 cricket tournament being played in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. St. Lucia going down by 73 runs on Tuesday to Dominica at Park Hill. Sent in, Dominica batting first got to 175 for seven or 50 overs. You may need to an unbroken seventh wicket stand of 77 between Darren II saying 61 not out and Amiel Gilbert 13 not out. Jasson Vidal contributed 24. Bowling for St. Lucia Darwin Ford picked up 3 for 38 and Jasson Justin 2 for 20. In reply, St Lucia struggled to 102 all out of 39.4 overs. If the captain can Elcock being the standard batsman yet again with a knock off 49 consisting seven fours. Carl Hill St Hill stroke 17. The wicket takers for Dominica were John Vivill 4 for 15 and Jelani Joseph 3 for 15. St Lucia's final game Wednesday will be up against Grenada at Cumberland. With the third turn in ceremony for the Mico Plainfield upgrade already taking place the construction of a swimming pool at the spot of the upgrade will be a very crucial addition. Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Development and Sports, Benson and Amiel spoke on the relevance of the inclusion of the swimming facility at Mico during the ceremony. And this facility can be used you know for exercise as well especially for our elderly you know where jogging becomes difficult you know and those high impact sports become very difficult if you in the swimming pool you know it is less strain on your joints and it could facilitate you know a lot more comfortable exercise so that is the reason why this swimming pool is one of the first being erected outside of the North the plan is to have one erected on the western side of the island which is Souffre and for us to have a 50 meter aquatic center in the north of the island to facilitate us hosting regional swimming events. The upgrade of the Mico Plain Field is part of government sporting infrastructure development program and that is our segment from youth development and sports for today. I'm Ryan. Thanks Ryan. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has made a donation ahead of the holiday season to Comfort Bay Center. The details in this report. As part of our donation towards the community we are very happy to hand over this equipment to Comfort Bay which is extremely well run. The donation consisted of 14 mattresses a large amount of equipment and a large amount of equipment and a large amount of equipment and a large amount of equipment. Instead of 14 mattresses a large refrigerator, blood pressure kits, diabetes kits and two long tables. According to head nurse Alicia Prince the initiative was well received. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for their invaluable contribution. It was a much needed gesture for our facility and I'd like to thank you, sister Boggs, brother Boggs, sister Nish, brother Nish for facilitating such. For members of the Church, the greatest commandment is to love God with all their heart and the second is to love others as they love themselves. Reporting from the Ministry of Equity, Social Justice, Local Government and Empowerment I am Sherry Marius. And stay with the NTIA nightly up next, Primus Hutchinson is here with the NTIA Nouvel Au Quio. 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 are coming down for a snake bite. It is 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. Rest assured that there are adequate supplies of antivenom with doctors who have been trained in the treatment protocols of the snake bite. Welcome back. We join Primus Hutchinson for the NTN Nouvelle Accueil. Minister de Santé, I have begun your initiative of the examination to know more about the health of the world in this area. What we have done is a program that will take us to the next step. The next step is to look at the health officers who have been placed in the country to question and examine the world who are 18 years old to be able to learn. Now I have a discussion with the NTN the head of health officers for the disease that is reported to the doctor, Shana C. Filbert. He said, be careful to try to connect with the health officers who are 18 years old to find disease that is harmful to the world. So we have to look at the risk factors for these diseases. We have to look at whether we have a fever or whether we have a fever or if we have a fever. The health officers came in and came in they often came in and out in the cafe and sat together in a Health office, so we have to look carefully and learn that the health security I'm going to show you how to explain how the examination is going to be done. Plans for our dollar to be able to establish a list of 6,400 people in the country. We want to know who is the person who will be able to survive and who is the person who will be able to live. So we are going to ask a lot of questions. We are going to ask a lot of questions. As a result, I want to tell everyone to do this, because I want to take this as a lesson. If you want to take it as a lesson, you can help people to answer their questions, and to learn this. You can learn this from people, who are tired of it and who are going to be in pain. But if people don't have the means to do it, they can't do it. So we have to do it ourselves. We have to do it ourselves. If people are very ill, we can't do it. But we have to do it ourselves. If people are in the hospital, if people are in the hospital, we can't do it. But if people are feeling it, we can do it. So, we have to do it. We also need facilities to help these people to be able to move forward. We also need facilities that have the capacity to help these people to move forward. According to Mrs. Francis, the facilities have officially begun. These people are the ones who need to use the facilities to help these people to move forward. We also need facilities that can help these people to move forward. Mrs. Francis said that the facilities are very important for tourists to start their own facilities. We also need facilities that can help people to move forward. The first phase, and we agreed on it, is that the facilities that need to be able to move forward to the best capacity to be able to move forward will be able to go forward. The construction department of the facilities are very important for the public who shimei soti friendship in egoin tunne o shok kaweste feimei po facility to avai vene katne editor komi yoka placé denye gudo po goin di po jimeo so shimei soti bod hotel sandals asian po goin tunne aso shimei o shok alo yoka fei lemam publique savki shimei po gozile ki tenei de ling po loto navige apuza kai fei po vision po to affik ni muti agrisan savli di yon ling shimei kai po loto ki ka muti fa sa gozile padan lot lakai facility loto ki ka desan kastui se shizu se shajuman sa lah kai weste avu asio gesta publique lakui ve affirmation de shajuman alo yoka consee le shofer loto po po bon pokosio ek po aspeki lakai ni po blem de wita minister yaka osi consee le shofer po sevi lot wood ki avai lab par example mondido po balata ek laban se po kareli po union ek sektawa ministeri asu kaki depita permit kompanisio william se po se fini plasi kompletema denye gudo ase shok e kai fini ek po kumasi machi mo so shimei sa lah kai semena departement desa fei constriction kai po e goan apoloji po tut wita ki pimi kai asi e kai wimei se yu po pasiasio ek bon korpoen ek seko sa anot oi but nuval la maka wimei se o uta po kagade mo kabao yon invitasio po genet pimi mo e kosidi e kosive la wi dengai po se to alo t'nuvel akui o la po se mo kavi e paso nisha messio peo primus and here's a look at what's happening to us weather wise fair to partly cloudy and breezy occasionally becoming cloudy with some scattered showers an atlantic high pressure system will continue to generate brisk esterli winds and rough seas across our region during the next few days low level clouds drifting with the esterli wind flow will cause occasional cloudiness and showers over the eastern caribbean islands during the next 24 hours tides for castries harbour low at 103 p.m high at 7 33 p.m tides for view for bay low at 230 p.m high at 8 40 p.m seas locally rough with waves and northerly to north esterli swells 7 to 11 feet or 2.1 to 3.4 meters small craft operators and sea bathers are advised to exercise extreme caution due to brisk winds and rough seas the sun will rise wednesday at 6 21 a.m and that brings us to the end of the ntn nightly join us next time at 7 p.m with a repeat at 7 a.m you can also catch up with us anytime on the san lucha government facebook page or youtube channel i'm nisha charles