 Welcome to the NTN Nightly. I'm Nisha Charles. This edition stops stories. More opportunities for the private sector are on the horizon as amendments to the Fiscal Incentives Act are tabled in Parliament. The NCPC forges ahead with its online productivity-measuring tool. Paracom, heightened surveillance of fake drugs, all that plus the latest in youth development, sports, and the NTN Nouvelle Acreol. More opportunities for the private sector are on the horizon as amendments to the Fiscal Incentives Act are tabled in Parliament. Minister for Commerce, International Trade, Investment, Enterprise Development and Consumer Affairs Hon. Bradley Felix says the amendments will allow for the service sector to capitalise on emerging opportunities and trends globally. In its current format, the Act offers a range of incentives to manufacture in entities and includes tax holidays for a maximum of 15 years, waivers of duties and consumption tax on important planned machinery and equipment. Hon. Bradley Felix notes that since being established in 1974, the Act has lost its relevance in this new age, given the government's strategy and development goals. The current Act does not allow sufficient flexibility that would enable the private sector to take advantage of emerging opportunities and trends on the global market. We are very aware that there are opportunities that currently exist, for example through the EPA, the European Partnership Agreement, which caters to our service providers and goods manufacturers. And with what we are trying to do, it will enable these service providers to take advantage of the opportunities that exist for three. Similarly, Mr. Speaker, the recent extension of Article 164 under the CARICOM Treaty will enable our manufacturers to increase opportunity for regional export, such that opportunities can be further enhanced. And by that, we will be able to support these companies for further expansion. However, Mr. Speaker, we recognise, and I am all too familiar with it based on the number of visits that I have by various manufacturers, that the inherent time limitation, which is 15 years, it has come to serve as a deterrent for mature manufacturers, who are considering expansion-related investments to increase their productivity and their competitiveness. So, Mr. Speaker, we need to think of remedial measures, and we need to speak long-term and short-term. The minister recommended that in the long-term, government must be proactive in creating and sustaining conditions, under which the private sector can continue to grow and compete on the international stage. He also highlighted the need for comprehensive review of all of St. Lucia's regimes in keeping with international best practices. In the short-term, the Act will be amended to allow the private sector to take advantage of fiscal incentives, with among them other things the inclusion of services as a sector. Just to explain industry, it means a service manufacturing or processing industry. And two, it includes deep sea fishing and shrimping, if deep sea fishing and shrimping form part of an integrated processing operation. And it does not include agriculture and tourism, as these already have their separate legislation. So, approved services means a declared service under Section 5, and service, Mr. Speaker, means a service specified as in Schedule A. All changes under this section, Mr. Speaker, are get towards the inclusion of services as a sector to be considered for fiscal incentives in the development of industry. However, Mr. Speaker, Schedule 1A, and we'll get to that a little bit, provides a listing of the specific service categories under four broader service sector headings. And we have heard about it before, but I will again go over it, Mr. Speaker. One, creative industries, professional services, spa and wellness, and ICT. Fiscal incentives offered to service providers will be limited to this listing. And as I indicated, Mr. Speaker, this is the beginning. As time goes on, we may decide that we may want to expand at least. The National Competitiveness and Productivity Council, the NCPC, is forging ahead with the online version of its productivity measuring tool, called the PROTOOL. The NCPC is mandated to identify and analyze issues which affect national competitiveness and productivity and provide solutions to policymakers and other stakeholders to positively impact productivity and economic growth. Measuring national productivity is therefore one of the core activities of the NCPC. Productivity is a ratio of actual output to total inputs. It is a measure of the efficiency of production. For businesses, measuring productivity growth is vital as it translates to higher profits and the continuation of business. The PROTOOL, developed by the National Competitiveness and Productivity Council, NCPC, is a dynamic productivity measuring tool which assesses productivity levels and provides feedback on weak, identifiable areas within a firm. Director of the NCPC, Fiona Hinkson indicated that via funding from Compete Caribbean Partnership Facility, a product design and development company has been contracted to convert the PROTOOL from its current Excel spreadsheet platform to an online application. So right now we are going into full development into making it an online platform and so we are hoping that early next year we will be able to launch a tool and to be able to encourage everyone to measure the productivity. FastSolve is a product design and development company out of Trinidad and Tobago contracted to develop the online version of the PROTOOL while improving the customer experience and final output. Azim Abdul is the external director with FastSolve. So what we're going to do is actually we've decoded the Excel data sheet and we have our developers actually figuring out what are these kinds of formulas that people are working on. So we're at step one right now which is actually engaging people with the Excel sheet as it exists right now to just find out if it's actually useful in that form. And at the end of today's session what we found out is okay there are a lot of things that need to be tweaked. So our first goal is actually figuring out which ones we're going to tweak which ones we're going to leave alone as time and resources permitting. The next step after that is actually creating a web platform itself. From November 20th to 22nd, consultations were held with a cross section of stakeholders both in the private and public sectors soliciting their feedback on possible improvements to the updated version of the PROTOOL. The PROTOOL is an innovative first-of-its-kind product for St. Lucia and the region. Managing Director of Convert Solutions, Inc. Terrence Elliott said using the PROTOOL is akin to getting a blood test, analyzing the results and taking the necessary action. I believe that information is powerful. It is key for business development. So any company looking to assess their performance and project into the future, correct their improvement on their operation, it will be something that would be hand-in-hand, that they need to have at hand as they go through. Teja Ejuda highlighted that the PROTOOL could be employed effectively within the two businesses that she's involved in, Island Adventures, a touring company and Solar Connections, a solar energy firm. Solar Connections, it will help us in terms of how quickly we move stock and decide what are the problems that are stopping us from meeting goals that we may have set whether it be short-term or long-term. And Island Adventures, Island Adventures provides a service. It also helps a company like that where it comes to sales, the customer experience, efficiency, so how we use our assets to carry out those services, it would give us a lot of insight into those things and helping our operation just overall. Consultant with Compete Caribbean Dr. Kyren Swift said Compete is pleased to continue providing support to the N-T-P-C. Compete Caribbean's main purpose is to promote and stimulate the development of Caribbean economies through supporting the private sector. It is funded by the governments of Canada and the UK, the Caribbean Development Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank. We assisted in even the establishment of the N-T-P-C, the establishment of a commercial court here. We're currently working on the development of an entire competitiveness agenda whose objective is ready to change and to lift a different level the way in which the country functions and punches above its weight at a global level. The N-T-P-C is hopeful that the online version of the ProTool will improve the productivity data gathering by making the tool more accessible to the private sector. For the National Competitiveness and Productivity Council, Glenn Simon reporting. The Government of St. Lucia has sought approval from Parliament to borrow $6 million from the International Development Association for the OECS Regional Health Project. The project seeks to enhance the country's capacity to adapt and mitigate against the impact of climate change across the OECS region. Tabling the motion was Prime Minister Hon. Shasne who says that it is as a response to demand for financial support for the preparedness for public health emergencies expressed by St. Lucia, Dominica, Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The project consists of four components. Improved health facilities and laboratory capacity allocation of $4.4 million. This component will support refurbishment and equipping of selected health facilities to ensure a continuity of care and improved laboratory infrastructure and equipment with correspondent training. Component two, strengthening of public health surveillance and emergency management allocation of $1.3 million U.S. This component seeks to improve the completeness and quality of the reporting chain for surveillance activities from the national to regional level including improvements in interoperability and development of a regional dashboard to monitor trends. Component three will cover institutional capacity, building project management coordination and component four, the continued emergency response component CIRC which aims to provide intermediate funding in the event of an emergency such as a disease outbreak. The project is relevant and consistent in mitigating and or preventing public health risk and economic consequences associated with infectious diseases. Project beneficiaries are an estimated one and a half million population covering the entire OECS region given the public goods nature of public health, emergency and preparedness and response. While four of the seven full member countries are participating in the project, country level activities are expected to yield positive regional spillovers and investments made through the project are expected to improve the health security in the region. In St. Lucia, the regional project will be implemented through the established implementation unit, the PIU, within the Ministry of Health and Wellness which is currently implementing the 2018 approved health system strengthening project. Health ministers across the region are heightening their surveillance of substandard and falsified medical products. Suis says Program Manager for Health Sector Development and the Karakam Secretariat, Dr Rudolf Cummings the sunk in English Francis of Karakam News Time reports. I saw that there's a report out on two medicines, okay? Both of them made by reputable generic companies but when one looked at the batches and the batch numbers, the company said they have no batch like that. Somebody has tried to duplicate the company's product and one of the medicines is an antibiotic used very frequently to treat children who have bacterial infections that make them very ill. So people have tonsillitis who have resistant skin infection. It's a very, very powerful antibiotic. The World Health Organization has acknowledged that the circulation of counterfeit pharmaceuticals is a problem that appears to be growing internationally as global supply chains become more complex and e-commerce increases. And WHO has taken up that culture because they may not have seen this type of false duplication before and they've made a worldwide circulation to look out for these products. This is a good sign and it is solidifying our health systems and making them, hardening them against onto words effect once we start to streamline the way that we register and allow medicines to enter markets. Dr Cummings told Karakam News Time that ministers of health at a recent meeting in Washington discussed a system called Vigic Harip that is expected to police the pharmaceutical industry. And this is the NTN Nightly. Ryan O'Brien is up next. Small household electrical appliances, when faulty, can give rise to big problems. If you have just purchased a small appliance from a store and you are concerned about the safety of the item, when appliance has been at home for some time subjected to wear and tear from regular usage, have it tested by the St. Lucia Bureau of Standards. It is better to be safe than sorry. For more information, contact the St. Lucia Bureau of Standards at 456-0546 or email SLBS at candw.lc or visit the website at www.slbs.org.lc St. Lucia Bureau of Standards, making quality and standards our way of life. Welcome back. We join Ryan O'Brien for the latest happenings in youth development and sport. Welcome once more to another update from the Ministry of Youth Development and Sports on the NTN Nightly News. I'm Ryan O'Brien. The Library Youth and Sports Council hosted a proposal writing session presented by Ulrich Alphonse. The session served to provide the knowledge and skills of proposal writing to participants. Participants were taught the guidelines for writing proper proposals, and doctors to consider in budgeting, as well as useful hints and tips which would help make their proposals more appealing to potential donors or investors. Following that session, participants were treated to a short skit put on by the Babunau Youth Synergy Group, the Belvi Social Transformation Officer, and other youth on human rights. The Ministry of Youth Development and Sports held a formal announcement of Senouchia's team to defend a Wounded Islands under 15 cricket title early next month. This announcement will come during a news conference, scheduled for Tuesday, December 3, 2019, at the Ministry's conference room on Miku Street. Ahead of that briefing, Ministry officials held a meeting with parents of the selected team members Thursday morning to outline various procedures for the team departs for Dominica, where the tournament will be held from December 8 to the 22nd. Last year's tournament was held here in St. Lucia. And that's your update from the Ministry of Youth Development and Sports for today, on the NTN Nightly News. I'm Ryan O'Brien. Thanks, Ryan. The Department of Health and Wellness is continuing to ensure that the health and well-being of its citizens is a priority through its health outreach activities, more in this report from Phanel Neptune. The Department of Health and Wellness in collaboration with the Special Services Unit of the Royal St. Lucia Police Force recently hosted a health fair with the aim of bringing health care services to the police officers. Health educator Nadej Aspeeth Lambert says the Department of Health is very pleased to continue embarking on those health outreach activities, which will assist with ensuring persons spent in a healthy lifestyle. So what we're doing basically is going out to the workplaces. SSU is not the only workplace. We actually, it's part of our mandate to go out to workplaces and to do a lot of health education and also offer services because we want persons to learn their body. We want persons to, it's supposed to be that you go to a doctor at least twice a year. However, some people say they don't have time and also financial burden on some persons so they go at least once a year. Now some persons really don't have the opportunity of going. So to meet that, we actually bring the services here because we think that it is essential. We know studies have shown that people to understand your body, to be able to detect, for detection, for prevention, you need to seek medical services. Police constable of the Special Services Unit Francilia Sherwin says this initiative is extremely important as it provides a much needed opportunity for police officers to access necessary medical screening. I wanted to bring awareness mostly of health, especially because of the hours that we work ensure that we stay in good health. So we also have nutritionists here to help us to eat better, to tell us how well we need to sleep and basically to ensure that we are aware that we need to be in good health in order to continue the work that we do. The Health Fair offered services such as blood pressure and blood sugar testing, eye tests, BMI checks, HIV and syphilis testing among others. Reporting from the Communications Unit of the Ministry of Health and Wellness, I am Fernan Neptune. And stay with the NTN Nightly. Up next, Primus Hutchinson is here with the NTN Nouvelle Arquéon. Welcome back. We join Primus Hutchinson for the NTN Nouvelle Arquéon. Welcome back. The NTN Nouvelle Arquéon is here with the NTN Nightly. institution and can be pursued, the web that is established. The Ministry of Justice explained to me that it is necessary to preserve civil servants because it is only in the public service department that the officers find themselves in the office to work in the dialogue. But there is no provision where the public officers find themselves in the transfer, where there are organizations that are not in public service. That is mainly the case with the Ministry of Justice. The Ministry of Justice has a special position in the public service department, but it is not necessary to work in the public service department because it is only in the public service department that the officers find themselves in the service department. The institution that is established is the hospital Owen King. The institution that of civil studies with institutions to address these situations and treat them with alcohol and drugs. A project to preserve all the places of the country's heritage has already begun. It has also been done and assisted by the Mexican government, as well as just Mexico for the National Corporation for Development and also the National Institute of Mexico for Anthropology. The government has come to protect and preserve all the places of the country. It has also been done and assisted by the National Trust, as well as the Organization for Ecological and Historical Society for Development and Development and Tourism Ministry. We have delegations from the countries of Mexico, from one country to another, from one country to another. This is the best way to preserve and protect the diverse places of the country's history. The National Trust has also been able to preserve cultural heritage which is very important for the country's heritage. This is the best way to preserve and preserve the static and climate of the country. This is the best way to preserve and protect the culture which is around us. The National Trust has also been able to protect and preserve the cultural heritage of the country's history. The National Trust has also been able to preserve the culture which is around us. We are also looking for ways to develop the capacity of the officers in the country to eat, live, eat and sleep with eight places and eight rooms. From the representative of the organizations in the country, I would like to give you some masks I have in place to decriminalize marijuana. I would like to thank the representative of the government, Claude Arges, NIPUV and Public, who completed a GIS studio, which is officially presented in the United States. We are able to establish all these rules with the administration and the operation of the marijuana business. I would like to thank the lawyer Michael Gordon, who found a jurisdiction under the Ministry of Investment and International Business Honor Bradley Felix. Mr. Paul Francis, who is more important than Rastafari, who is the mother of Rastafari, who is the mother of Rastafari Church, who is also the mother of Rastafari Salah and who has a very good development. I would like to thank the representative of the government, Claude Arges, NIPUV and Public, who completed a GIS studio, which is officially presented in the United States. I would like to thank the representative of the government, Claude Arges, NIPUV and Public, who completed a GIS studio, which is officially presented in the United States. I would like to talk about the legalization of marijuana and the framework. I would also like to talk about reparative justice. Rastafari has introduced marijuana in the United States. It is a subject of black sheep. I would like to thank the commissioner for the introduction of marijuana in the United States. Clement Oche, the first president of Rastafari Church, is also the mother of Rastafari Church, who is also very welcome here. I would like to thank Rastafari Church for the introduction of marijuana in the United States. I would like to thank Rastafari Church for the introduction of marijuana in the United States. I would like to talk about marijuana in the United States. I would like to thank Rastafari Church for the introduction of marijuana in the United States. I would like to thank the commissioner for the introduction of marijuana in the United States. I would like to thank the commissioner for the introduction of marijuana in the United States. I would like to thank the commissioner for the introduction of marijuana in the United States. victimized by the police because Rasta, they let you do the transport on minibus, they let you see Rasta, they let you go to the airport and search, and they let you go to the airport. So, we are going to go there. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. We are going to talk about the news today. We are going to talk about the news. We are going to talk about the news. We are going to talk about the news. We are going to talk about the news. We are going to talk about the news. Cyclone formation is not expected over the tropical Atlantic during the next five days. Tides for castries harbor, high at 4.23pm, low at 11.22pm. Tides for View Fort Bay, high at 5.30pm, low at 12.49am. Seas, slide to moderate with waves free to 6 feet or 0.9 to 1.8 meters. The sun will rise Friday at 6.10am. 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 San Lucia Government Facebook page or YouTube channel. I'm Nisha Charles.