 Welcome to the NTN Nightly, I'm Nisha Charles, this edition's top stories. The National Sports Academy is now fully functioning. The Ministry of Education moves with haste to address conditions at the Anthropo Secondary School. Key stakeholders applaud government's $42 million road improvement project, all that plus the NTN, Nouvelle, or Quayol. The National Sports Academy is now in full function, offering St. Lucia's best in sporting talent an opportunity for especially tailored education. The St. Lucia Sports Academy has become a home away from home for 37 students who have enrolled there. The School of Excellence for Sports is the first and only boarding school on Ireland, where students will concentrate on sporting disciplines including cricket, football, and track and field. Academics will also feature prominently within the curriculum. The School's principal, Delia Charles, the initiative by the Government of St. Lucia and the Ministry of Education is a welcomed one. One that she believes addresses the thinking that one size does not fit all when it comes to education. Too often we have spoken about one size fits all and we cannot meet the needs of the students and the talents of the students. So the Ministry of Education decided to create something new, something different and to give these children with the sporting abilities that facility where they can balance both academics and sports right there on one compound. Additionally, it's the gym of the Prime Minister and he was behind that project wholeheartedly. So I believe these are the two main reasons why we have this school here today. From dawn to dusk, the students are engaged both physically and mentally in activities that will prepare them to gain sports scholarships abroad. Victor Cornibird is a program director at the Sports Academy. In the morning we begin with what we call general conditioning which is we put them through some exercise routines. We have three sporting disciplines. However we bring all of them together and in the morning at 6.40 and we do general conditioning. That could include gym and running and exercises. After that they go for breakfast at 7.45, they shower and then they get ready for school at 9 o'clock which is the academic aspect and then they come back, we give them a snack at 3 o'clock and then we begin specific training according to the sports at 3.30, until 5.30. But it's not just about sports or academics. The program seeks to develop the students holistically. Well in the dorm life they have to learn to socialize, they have to learn to follow rules and obey rules, you know, we look at the discipline aspect of it. Also we're looking at how they give them that opportunity to kind of like improve on their specialized area which is either football cricket or track and field. And also the academic life, so we try to get them to marry the two together. We have at present we have what we call academic support that will be provided to them. We have some tutors coming in to do some work if those who are slow, those who need assistance. So we try to get a well-rounded holistic child through that program. The students are provided with all the necessary tools and support for the journey ahead including school supplies, uniforms and equipment. They are also grateful for the opportunity to bond with their peers. It helps if your social environment, like interacting with others, know how to deal with certain situations that you wouldn't just go out there and purge in and want to fight or so and so. It helps you to calm yourself, I must say, so that your peers will tell you okay you do something wrong, that's wrong, you listen to one another. What do you hope to gain from the experience being part of the first sports academy? For me, and I see for my peers, I see that getting our scholarships and going to the next country to further our education and the sport we do. The St. Lucia Sports Academy opened on September 11, 2019. The Ministry of Education, Innovation, Gender Relations and Sustainable Development is moving with haste to address conditions at the Andre Post Secondary School. On Friday, 18th October, teachers complained of feeling unwell during the course of the work day and left. Chief Education Officer Fiona Meyer says the Ministry was surprised of poor air quality at the school. The school has been plagued with mold infestation, however the Ministry has begun remedial works. Our building officer is here, our quantity survey is also here. We've got our Education Officer for District 3 and various members of our team, our safety officer from the Ministry of Education has also accompanied me and we've spoken with the principal and vice principal of the school, the leadership of the school, ensuring that they know, as we have communicated in the past, as of last week and the week before that, that the health and safety of our entire school community, our staff and our students remains of the most significance to us and therefore the urgency with which we've dealt with this situation as soon as we got word of the mold. I need to contextualize this because from the time the air quality reports were received, we've had the testing done, this is within a matter of not even two weeks that the tests were done, procurement happened, referenced the various contractors to look at the situation, assessments have been done and I am pleased to note that throughout the weekend, starting on Friday evening, Friday evening, Saturday and on Sunday as well, both principals and the head of our safety unit were here with the contractors having observed what has happened, so throughout the weekend significant work happened. The chief education officer says deep cleaning of identified rooms have been done, however the problem has mushroomed. We have since then found out there may be other rooms that are impacted and so we are in a very similar fashion, moving to ensure that every single room at the N triple school is not only tested but that any deep cleaning that has to happen, any other mold remediation will be taken care of within the next couple days. Note that some situations may be more severe than others and so it is important to look at also costing, it has cost us about $50,000 over the weekend to do all of the work that has happened. Similar works have been undertaken at the Gordon and Walcott Memorial Methodist School where teachers also complained about being unwell due to mold infestation. Key stakeholders have applauded the government of St. Lucia for its comprehensive strategy at improving the national road network. Details in this report. With the commencement of a robust road reconstruction project rolled out by the Ministry of Infrastructure, Ports, Energy and Labor, the ministry sought to engage stakeholders including minibus owners and operators. The road improvement and maintenance program called RIM 4 spans approximately 101 kilometers of roads to be completely reconstructed around the island. In an effort to promote greater public accountability and transparency, the Department of Infrastructure hosted the northern membership of the National Council on Public Transportation, NCOPT, along with non-affiliates at a special consultation on Tuesday to discuss the ongoing roads program. The permanent secretary in the Ministry of Infrastructure, I for Danielle, highlighting the importance of feedback and recommendations from the minibus owners and operators explained that once completed, the project will significantly improve the bus routes. So as we embark on this program, we do not only see the resurfacing of the road as being that impact where you could get the rideability a lot better, but we want to do in some instances a bit of realignment to improve the safety of the road. We want to reduce congestion and we want to make the overall road a little more attractive, particularly in the back road. A lot of people would want to get off the highway and very into those back roads. They don't know where they go in the first instance and in the second instance when you're there, you have to be stopping, you have to be there. So many near misses. I probably myself this morning on Armandale, I must have missed, I've had so many near misses. So these are some of the considerations that we come across as drivers. The consultation saw a number of recommendations from the minibus sector, many of which have received the green light from the ministry and will be implemented as part of the ring four. These include installation of labors, additional bus stops along the east coast, and improve road signage island wide. The ministry also engages in Lucia Chamber of Commerce, industry and agriculture. This often the business community an opportunity to not only receive an update on the project, but to also offer suggestions and experience while directing pertinent questions on matters which require clarification. Deputy Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Calvin Lee, expanded on some key areas of the project. The ministry is looking to move forward with improving how we move people and goods and services to and from different points on the island. So we are also considering, apart from alternative routes which do exist, we were looking at some others and some other concepts presently doing some feasibility assessments on them to see whether or not they make sense. And at the appropriate time we will also come back to you on those as well. We're looking also to modernize the way in which we do business in terms of collecting data that would suggest traffic volumes, traffic flow, origin destination surveys and so on. The whole concept of intelligent mobility. So are we moving in those directions? The road improvement and maintenance program is also expected to drive productivity levels by getting goods, services and people to the intended destinations with fewer delays. A number of concerns relating to project funding and procurement, timeliness, future scope, quality assurance and modes of communication to keep citizens informed were raised by chamber members and addressed by the ministry officials during the discussions. President of the chamber, Karen Peter, expressed gratitude for the inclusion in the process, adding that the improvements will hold great benefits for the business sector. Development is always welcomed and the road network has to be something of importance to the business community, how we navigate, how we move the logistics and the northbound, southbound traffic. I'm hoping in the coming, well, probably not too near distant future that we are talking about the road network from, I believe, the Babano Gara into Luvet Beach getting off on the Dennery Olio. So I think that's something with what we're doing here. We don't want to lose sight of this other road network, which bring great benefit in terms of logistics and where the trucks, because when you look at it, you see those 44 trailer trucks in castries. It's crazy. So when we have those other road networks, we find those, we can divert the traffic and have easier flow. The US $42 million road improvement and maintenance program, which was given the nod of approval by both the Chamber of Commerce and the NCOPT, has commenced with the Salty Bus and Katzaba roads. Further consultations are expected to be held with stakeholders in the southern part of the island. For the Government Information Service, I am Janelle Norville. And this is the NTN-Nightly Tuesday with us. Welcome back. Prime Minister of St. Lucia and Chairman of the Caribbean Community, Hon. Alan Shastney was the featured speaker at the Washington Times on Wednesday, October 16, 2019. The Washington Times is a US daily newspaper published in Washington, DC, reaching an average of 35 million viewers a week. Prime Minister Shastney led the discussion by focusing on issues relating to the withdrawal of correspondent banking relations in the region and the economic and security implications this has on the Caribbean region. The Prime Minister cautioned that the withdrawal of correspondent banking relations has the unintended consequence of excluding the region from the international trade and financial system. The Prime Minister also spoke to the issue of blacklisting by the EU, calling this a particularly detrimental trend that can only serve to damage the region's reputation and adversely impact its competitiveness. He pointedly noted that Caribbean countries have made and often exceeded various compliance rules and regulations while other larger countries have lagged behind. The Prime Minister called on the OECD to change its policies as it pertains to the classification of countries based solely on the GDP per capita index and to include a vulnerability index which more accurately reflects the economic realities for small island developing states or SIDS. He called for the US to work more closely with the region to further enhance the bilateral relationship. Plans for the inaugural hosting of the Peter Cup in December are well advanced as St. Lucia enters the lucrative equine industry. A number of industry players well known on the international equine stage have invested in the race with prize-winning Thoroughbred horses. More than 50 groomsmen and other employees of the Vuefort-based horse race track have welcomed the arrival of 40 of those Thoroughbred. Janelle Norville tells us more. For the first time ever, St. Lucia will debut an international race track located in Vuefort. The track which was constructed by the Desert Star Holdings Company thus far employed over 50 groomsmen not counting the number of individuals employed in the construction phase. The newly constructed track holds immense economic value including but not limited to the creation of a number of employment opportunities including farriers, veterinarians, barn, broodmare and stallion managers, jockies, horse race trainers and breeders to name a few. A survey commissioned by the American Horse Council Foundation revealed that the horse industry contributes approximately $39 billion in direct economic impact to the U.S. economy and supports 1.4 million jobs on a full-time basis. The American Horse Council Foundation noted that when indirect and induced spending are included, the industry's economic impact reaches $102 billion. Senior communications officer in the office of the Prime Minister, Nicole MacDonald, indicated that while the country is expected to benefit significantly from the development, the government has no financial investment in the project. Permit me to state some facts which should clear up any misconceptions Sen lutions have about the government's part in this project. The government of Sen lucha has not purchased or facilitated the purchase of any horses for the race meaning that no millions of dollars have been spent by the government of Sen lucha to purchase horses for this project. The construction of the racetrack has been fully funded by the investor. The government of Sen lucha has not funded the construction of the racetrack or any other aspect of this project. Let me repeat, no government funds have gone into the racetrack. The senior communications officer explained that the government's involvement in this project so far has been the relocation of the mid-processing facility. A new location has been identified and the investor has committed to rebuilding the facility at that new location. Additionally, the government is in discussions to potentially become a sponsor of the race where events in lucha will assist in the promotion of the event and the planning of a concert in Vufort and the Sen lucha tourism authority will be engaged with promoting Sen lucha's new offering as a destination that additionally offers sporting activities such as horse racing. As with any project the government is assisting by creating the ideal business environment so as to ensure a successful venture. In any project we want to see this become a success. We want to see all projects succeed in Sen lucha so we will work with the investor. I know that the investor is working directly with invest Sen lucha in order to facilitate ways to make doing business a little bit easier for them to guide them in terms of investment areas and maybe some of the things they have to go through the processes they have to go through to get to the point where they need to get. We support our investors both local regional and international you know and there are agencies involved in the process who would come forward and assist the investor at different levels. Sen lucha is expected to make its debut into the equine industry with the pito cup on national day friday 13th december for the government information service i am jenelle novell and stay with the ntn nightly up next primus hudginson is here with the ntn novell arqueo. Frankie you know i'm traveling to antiga this afternoon and i forgot my passport at home boy it's a good thing i have my driver's license i'll still be able to travel oh how can you travel to antiga without your passport under the oasis freedom of movement regime oasis citizens can travel to any of the seven protocol member states without a passport once they have an official and valid identification card with their picture and nationality on it really since when since the establishment of the eastern caribbean oasis economic union under the revised treaty of basté it entered into force in 2011 so you mean to tell me that i can leave sen lucha and go to another oasis country with just my driver's license or national id and customs and immigration won't stop me yes you can even use your photos registration card or social security card as a matter of fact as a citizen of an oasis protocol member state you are entitled to indefinite stay when you travel to another oasis protocol member state so you can live and work without a work permit or skilled national certificate as a construction worker here i could take my trade to grenada or any other oasis country yes frankie you're straight and what about my wife and children's schooling frankie oasis citizens and their children will be granted equal rights and privileges under the freedom of movement that includes access to social services labor market schemes health and education for your children and your wife this free movement thing sounds nice hassle free travel to any oasis country live and work for as long as you like the oasis economic union is the real deal for more information visit www.oasis.org welcome back we join premise hudgensen for the ntn nouvelle quay all missy otter nisha missy madame department kiri west coast ability reformation and government said let's see that's a gis and some of the television national pia ntn opposite to novella quay all is at all primus hudgensen we're positive and can't sit for powers aslaway a cannawi qcc minister's affair to a stick on your abdhamnik fede over official man your new book would be to a stick i would be power seller it up this one to a stick seller capote in our glittering sands and i got to be in too long a village aslaway facility to a stick seller say property set this year a caba conduit set this year sell man lani api people even one kia ploy api establishment sort in here aslaway and also cannawi bitch back there we see where premier secret étranger kitty sotia bob battle tourists who were who you're tony young jolita and the power of the seller for positive honor abdhamnik fede mama kiki satush here you don't mind yajute kiki saka mutui commitment government for agenda and development sustainable to establish a value for people and to the genesis the people go sit right in your location will advertise a lot me but kote yui asset lecy facility a capote divest amismar ecossi mangé a diverse fashion brah son divest attic de cadu i'm putting a lot of necessity on what fede declare kiki young kai wiki facility a batir a fashion for embracing the movement exterior go on manifestation a quality the effort that everyone is putting together to make Beach Park Salah a reality. Glidering Sands Beach Park will officially open on October 15, 2019. The students who are going to go to the university have started to attend the first institution of the university, St. Lucia Sports Academy, which was founded in the wake of the school's second-year gozilliava. They started operations in September at the pastoral center, but they officially started attending the first institution in Marotob. The first school, Delia Charles, was very excited. They started to study, and so did the government to push up the force of the first institution. The government has made a challenge in the school. The first institution was the sports and academics department. There was the manager, the parent, the sports director, the government, and also the whole community. The uniform, the uniform service, the school, and a lot of other things. Mrs. Charles also said that there is good security to protect the students. Also, the curriculum, as I said, all the guys, all the teachers, you can study, all the staff, all the places that we can realize. This is a good guy. The government has placed a notification for the public that the first school is going to be a national school. Here, the first school is the school of the first-year gozilliava. The first school is the school of the first-year gozilliava. $12.00 per litre of gold and $12.00 per gallon. $12.00 per litre of gold and $12.00 per gallon. $12.00 per litre of gold and $12.00 per gallon. $12.00 per litre of gold and $12.00 per gallon. $12.00 per litre of gold and $12.00 per gallon. $12.00 per litre of gold and $12.00 per gallon. $12.00 per litre of gold and $12.00 per gallon. $12.00 per litre of gold and $12.00 per gallon. $12.00 per litre of gold and $12.00 per gallon. $12.00 per litre of gold and $12.00 per gallon. $12.00 per litre of gold and $12.00 per gallon. $12.00 per litre of gold and $12.00 per gallon. $12.00 per litre of gold and $12.00 per gallon. $12.00 per litre of gold and $12.00 per gallon. 7 a.m. You can also catch up with us anytime on the Celusia government Facebook page or YouTube channel. I'm Nisha Tras.