 Welcome to NTN Nightly, I am General Norville. This edition stops stories. Prime Minister the Honourable Alan Shasne welcomes the commencement of the second phase of the HIA redevelopment project. The commissioning of an agro-processing plant in Babono adds more value to locally grown produce. And the 10th Congress of Caribbean beekeepers ends on a fruitful note in St Lucia. The St Lucia Air and Sea Ports Authority slasper is gearing up for the second phase of preparatory works for the Heronora International Redevelopment Project. Details in this report. Prime Minister Hon. Alan Shasne spoke at Monday's Cabinet Press Briefing about the importance and significance of the Heronora International Airport Redevelopment Project and the economic activity it will create. The construction of the world-class facilities expected to employ hundreds of St Lucians. The Prime Minister's statements come as slasper's management and other stakeholders have finalized critical conditions for the commencement of the HIA redevelopment project. In terms of the project starting right now we're very excited. It's taken a long time to get to this place to get all the financing secured. It has been secured. There's over $88 million currently in the lockbox. As we speak, it means that the bankers are very secure in knowing that even if COVID continues and there's a continuing dampening on arrivals, there's certainly enough monies in the lockbox to carry the existing loans for at least three years without getting any new traffic. But to commence the project now is a feat in itself and very exciting. But certainly with COVID and the need to be able to have other economic activity on the ground, obviously it's very meaningful. Site preparation has been ongoing on the 28 acres of land airmark for the project from since February 2020 and the south of the island can look out for a new harm of activity as the project enters Phase 2 of work. According to the Prime Minister, this project is a total overhaul of what currently exists and the expansion will also include mitigation efforts against flooding, runway safety and resilience and contingent emergency response. The World Bank has come in with a 45 million US dollar loan, very concessionary loan, 40 years, a 10-year moratorium at a half a percent interest. And that is to review the flood problems in that area and also to deal with the resurfacing of the runway and to put in the navigational lighting equipment for the airport facilities. Prime Minister Shasne stated that this project is a major accomplishment considering the backdrop of the ongoing pandemic. This he says is a unique opportunity for St. Lucian's to work and expand our capacity as a country. This is really good news for St. Lucia 1, the immediacy of the jobs that it's going to create but to the end of the project we would have significantly improved the capacity of the country. And we now know that COVID is not going to be here forever. The government of St. Lucia through the St. Lucia and Seaport's authority commissioned and received a master plan for the redesign and development of the Hironora International Airport into a modern facility catering to the growing demands of the travel industry. Construction for the HIA redevelopment project is undertaken by Taiwan-based Overseas Engineering and Construction Company, OECC, with project management, engineering and oversight by Miami-based CBRE Hiwi. For more information on the latest development visit HIAproject.com Reporting for the Office of the Prime Minister, I am Danielle Dubois. The development and use of agro-processing techniques in the quest to diversify the island's agriculture sector that value to locally grown produce has advanced yet again with the commissioning of an agro-processing plant in Barbono. The facilities are under the command of the St. Lucia Network of Rural Women Barbono Cluster. More from Anisi Antoine. The establishment of the agro-processing St. Lucia Network of Rural Women produces Barbono Cluster Plant will assist with product research and development of the transformation of local produce into value-added agricultural products. The plant will also provide training and technical assistance as well as support for the transfer of technology for agribusiness development to improve income generation and food security. President of the St. Lucia Network of Rural Women produces Barbono Cluster, Luisa Anthony, and scores the benefits of the plant to the residents of Barbono, surrounding communities, its environs, as well as the national economy. Our outlook for the agro-processing facility is that it is an asset to boost and grow business for our members and also a wider community of agro-processers. To achieve this, we have mapped out in a working business plan a number of areas for generating revenue from the operation of the facility as well as rich agreement on the importance of actively creating space for all interested persons to work with us here. Indicating that this new investment signals opportunities the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries, Physical Planning, Natural Resources and Cooperatives, Honourable Ezekiel Joseph challenges the people of Barbono to utilize the plant efficiently. I have the fullest confidence that this place is going to be utilized properly. I have the fullest confidence. But of course, you have to take a number of things into consideration. One is how you manage it to bring the benefits that is so much necessary for you all. That's important, the management structure of this facility. Two, the question of food safety. And I'm happy that the way it was constructed, it was constructed for us to be recognized internationally because we should not only looking at our local market, we should be looking at the original market, we should be looking at the international market because the products I've seen being produced has that potential, Madam President. So, I know we had some different problems with the department responsible but of course, we were able to overcome these challenges to make sure that it got the certification that it deserves to allow us to export and here I say to allow us to export. The agri-processing plant was funded by the Banana Industry Trust at an estimated cost of approximately 500,000 EC dollars. From the information unit of the Department of Agriculture, I am Anicia Antoine reporting. The government of St. Lucia has received a donation of medical equipment from the French government. Diplomatic allies continue to lend their support as St. Lucia battles the COVID-19 pandemic. The French government recently made a donation of medical supplies and equipment to St. Lucia which is anticipated to bolster the island's COVID-19 response. Mark Metillo is a charge of affairs at the Embassy of France. St. Lucia is suffering more than most of the other islands from the pandemic where the sharp increase in the number of cases since mid-October. It is the reason why France has considered it important to respond favorably to a request for assistance from the government of St. Lucia. We would like to express our solidarity with St. Lucia as well as the other OECS member countries with very strong ties in all areas. On Wednesday this week, more than 10,000 masks were handed over to the St. Lucia authorities to be given to public officials who are in direct contact with the public in particular members of the Royal St. Lucia Police. Today, I have the pleasure of presenting another donation from France to St. Lucia. It consists of 50 military folding beds, 10 cardiac monitors and two ventilators. These will assist the hospitals in providing better health care to their patients and families. The charge of affairs said that the Embassy is working on a further shipment which includes 40 medical beds due to arrive in mid-December, highlighting the urgent need for the supplies. He explained that all efforts are being made to speed up the shipment. Acting Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Department of External Affairs, Gilliam Simon, noted that St. Lucia and the French continue to share a very mutually beneficial relationship. Well, St. Lucia has enjoyed our mutual cooperation with the French We have enjoyed a cordial relationship with the French government and as part of the assistance to the government of St. Lucia the French have in fact donated these products which again was really the lobbying effort of our Council General which is Johanna Salton, CG Johanna Salton in terms of getting benefit for us through combating the COVID pandemic. Medical Officer of Health in the Department of Health and Wellness, Dr. Glensford Joseph described the donation as timely. This donation from the French government and people is going to be very helpful and instrumental in St. Lucia being able to manage this COVID-19 pandemic. We do know we have the respiratory centre and there is urgent need for such vital equipment in that facility to enhance the capacity of the physicians, the nurses and other medical personnel in managing patients in St. Lucia. The donation was received by the Department of External Affairs on behalf of the government and people of St. Lucia. This is NTN Nightly. Please stay with us. With all that's happening around us, simple adjustments are necessary to keep us all safe. When calling 911, we may need a little more information to deploy the right personnel and protocols. You may be asked about your travel history, signs and symptoms, contact and movement history and whether others in your household are exhibiting similar symptoms. Please be patient and cooperative during this time to ensure you receive the best possible care while keeping our first responders safe. Welcome back. The 10th Congress of Caribbean Beekeepers has ended in St. Lucia with a call for greater involvement of youth and the incorporation of new technology in safeguarding the future of honey production. The three-day virtual Congress of Caribbean Beekeepers Association was truly an international event with participation from Europe, North America and Asia. Greetings from India. We had presentations from France, places where it would have been difficult sometimes economically for them to get to St. Lucia to participate. The conference covered a wide range of issues facing the beekeeping industry, including concerns over the lack of finance. You might be in the future as a private and how you borrow from other agencies will more or less dictate how you borrow from the bank. A number of banks participated, along with marketers and exhibitors of honey products, ranging from honey to the many by-products now on the market. The host of the 10th Congress of Caribbean Beekeepers, Richard Matthias of the IANOLA apiculture collective, welcomed the COVID-19-inspired format of a virtual conference. He said this added value to the quality and depth of presentations. I think moving forward is definitely going to be the format for us to do a blended Congress, having it both virtual and physical appearance. I think it all goes well. This is a new model for us to have this kind of event. Mr. Matthias highlights threats to pollinators such as bees and other insects. He urged the public to get involved in spreading awareness of the value of all pollinators. There's very little research, very little information on the pollinators of the Caribbean, particularly our indigenous stingless bees, these species and our leaf cutter bees. These species of bees go totally unnoticed. The Congress noted that beekeeping has no future if science and technology are not incorporated into the development of the industry. You need to get the scientific data in. You need to do the little, even if it's just jotting down a piece of paper, the observations you make every day over the course of the year. This is the beginnings of a scientific experiment. The 10th Congress of Caribbean Beekeepers was made possible through the support of the Global Environment Fund, SGP, UNDP St. Lucia, the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture and the Telecommunications Service Provider, FLOW. For the Government Information Service, I am Jesse Leance reporting. The Ministry of Education, Innovation, General Relations and Sustainable Development due to the COVID-19 pandemic has had to modify the pattern registration process. The Ministry has replaced the face-to-face process creating an online portal accessible at kregistration.education.gov.lc. The portal is user-friendly and can be accessed via the computer, tablet and mobile phone. Parents will need a valid email address to log on and for further communication with education officials. Dr. Claudia Lewis, the Chief Planning Officer of the Department of Education, Innovation and General Relations, she explained the process for parents with no access to the portal. Provisions will be made for parents to drop off their documents at the schools within a particular period. However, a further announcement will be made on the exact details, give it the exact details. We would really like to encourage parents to try the online portal. It is user-friendly, so we would encourage you even if you don't have a computer at home, if you have a family member who has access or you can use a mobile phone to access the portal. Later during the week, we will make an announcement for all those who do not have access to digital means. Dr. Louis explains the 2021 registration process and highlights the required documents. Parents will be given the option of selecting three schools and the main reason for that is you may select the school of first choice but that school may be oversubscribed so we may have to place your child in your second choice school. So for this reason, we are asking everybody to select the three options. Yes, it's very important that the parents have these documents, the child's birth certificate and in this case, we are looking at children born in the year 2016, the immunization certificate or the health card, the passport photo which has to be scanned and if you are applying based on your workplace, then you would need a job letter. If you are applying based on your residence, we would use a utility bill as proof of residence. So these documents, you should get these documents beforehand and scan those and you would be guided by the online portal as to when the document should be uploaded. Chief Planning Officer in the Department of Education, Innovation and Gender Relations, Dr. Claudia Louis. The Department of Health and Wellness informs the public of the new opening hours of the pharmacy at the Gracely Poly Clinic for the period Monday, November 30, 2020 to Monday, January 4, 2021. The pharmacy will be open Monday to Friday from 8am to 4.30pm. The Department of Health apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause. For more information, please contact the Gracely Poly Clinic at 450-9661 or 450-9696. That brings us to the end of NTN Nightly. Join us next time at 7pm with a repeat at 7am. You can also catch up with us anytime on the St. Lucia Government Facebook page or YouTube channel. I am Janelle Norville.