 Welcome to Nation Beat. I am General Norville bringing you this brief on the pulse of our nation and highlights around the heart of St Lucia. Parliament has authorized the Minister for Finance to amend the loan agreement for the financing of the Denry North Water Project. A breadfoot-sized tumour is successfully removed from the abdomen of a MECO resident and St Lucia and the state of Palestine strengthen diplomatic ties. Parliament has authorized the Minister for Finance to amend the loan agreement for the financing of the Eighth Water Project that is the Denry North Water Supply Redevelopment Project. The Parliament has agreed to the borrowing of an amount not exceeding US$11.2 million from the Caribbean Development Bank. The loan consists of a special funds resources portion in the amount of US$4 million and US$65,000. An ordinary capital resources portion in the amount of US$2,163,000 and an urgent process to develop more credit facility portion in the amount of US$5 million. Parliamentary representative for Denry North Hon. Sean Edward, in supporting the motion, noted the impact that Phase 1 of the water project is having on the quality of life of residents and expressed a desire for the completion of Phase 2. Mr Speaker, as we speak now, the people of Tamazou, the people of Founi, the people of Lower Monpanache, Lower Debonair, the people of Richfaw, in particular, New Village and Labelvee are benefitting and are enjoying some of the best treated water in the OECS as a result of the completion of Phase 1. But Phase 1 has its limitations. And so communities such as Denry Revere, Despin, Olio, New Jack Montego Bay, Sedini, Lawyer Air, Gadet, Tigadet, Roger Jett, Austin Hill, Belmont, all of these communities today, Mr Speaker, have to continue to rely on the Denry Revere intake which has a number of issues in terms of the quality of water that we get from that particular intake. Booster or pumping stations will be placed at strategic locations to supply households at high elevations. Meantime, Minister for Equity, Social Justice and Empowerment, Hon. Leonard Montute pledged government's commitment to improving the standard of living for all citizens. Underscoring the importance of water to development, Minister Montute called on the citizenry to exercise their responsibility in ensuring the sustainability of the quality of water supplied. We want to know that this is not an occurrence in St. Lucia and that we do not contribute to those statistics. It is said that water scarcity affects in fact over 40% of people worldwide. We know that in St. Lucia there is no shortage of water. Our issue here is ensuring that that water is portable, that is it is safe for drinking and human consumption and that it is sustainable. The amount of rain that we have experienced in the recent past tells us that with proper storage, proper treatment and proper environmental practices, we should not have a problem as far as our supply and the standard of our supply is concerned. Minister Leonard Montute speaking in Parliament Tuesday. A resident of Miku is counting her blessings having successfully undergone non-invasive surgery to remove a breadfoot-sized tumor from her abdomen. The surgery was performed by the consultant surgeon and head of the surgical department at the Victoria Hospital. Glenn Simon has the details on the medical triumph. As part of the recent laparoscopic training conducted with doctors and nurses at the Victoria Hospital, one lucky patient was the beneficiary of this life-saving procedure. Laparoscopy is a surgical procedure in which a fibre optic instrument is inserted through the abdominal wall to view the organs in the abdomen or to permit surgical procedures. Flavia Florence, a resident from Miku, has been suffering from an enormous tumor in her abdomen which caused her great discomfort and internal bleeding. Her son-in-law Benoit Michel said he was extremely pleased with the outcome of the surgery and the care and attention she received at the Victoria Hospital. Very, very, very pleased, very happy, pleasantly surprised. When we found out about the tumor, we were very worried. You don't know what to expect. We caught up with Ms Florence four days after her operation. She was in high spirits, ready to be discharged and expressed her gratitude to the doctors who performed this life-saving procedure. Well, I feel very strongly before I go to surgery because I wanted to go for the surgery and I asked God to help me, give me the strength and courage that I could have gone through it. Yes, so when I walked in, I had no fear. I was not afraid of it, anything. Warning! The following footage might be disturbing to some persons. It describes the moment the breadfruit-sized tumor was removed during the operation by Dr. Kabe, the lead surgeon performing the laparoscopic surgery at the Victoria Hospital. Her recovery has been really remarkable. Blood loss has been very minimal and her pain level is very low. Patient is already drinking and taking some fluids has been an uneventful outcome compared to an open surgery which is completely opening the abdomen to be able to remove the tumor. For the Ministry of Health and Wellness, Glenn Simon reporting. This is Nation Beat. We're back in a moment. No one ever reads the fine print. But if you use a cell phone, landline, the internet or cable TV, read the terms of the service contract carefully and pay attention to the type of service, the length of the contract, contract renewal, penalties, fees for services, termination and reconnection. fee increases and how much notice is required. The option not to receive advertisements and sharing personal information with third parties. Do not sign a contract that you are not satisfied or comfortable with. This message is brought to you as a public service announcement by Ectel, the NTRC and this station. Welcome back. St. Lucia and the state of Palestine continue to strengthen diplomatic ties. The ambassador designate of the state of Palestine to St. Lucia presented letters of credence to Governor General Sir Emmanuel Neville Snack on Tuesday at Government House. On Tuesday, her Excellency Dr Linda Sobe Ali, Ambassador of the state of Palestine to St. Lucia presented letters of credence to the Governor General of St. Lucia, His Excellency Sir Emmanuel Neville Snack. She highlighted the significance of allies like St. Lucia given the current challenges confronting the country. We invite your honorable Governor General to nominate an ambassador of your own to serve your country in the state of Palestine, and we assure you that we will fulfill cooperate and highly welcome them within our capacity. Governor General, Excellency, from my end as an ambassador of the state of Palestine to St. Lucia, I will exert all my effort to honor this mission, entrusted upon me and further the cooperation between our two countries and the friendship between our two people. I am positive that together we will work on establishing a norm of political consultation between our governments as well as joint projects in various fields. This is an extremely honorable and important mission in which I fully believe I will receive assistance and support from your Excellency and your honorable government. Governor General of St. Lucia, His Excellency Sir Emmanuel Neville Snack, described the occasion as historic. He traced ties between the two countries back to the 14th of September 2015 when bilateral relations between the countries materialized. The Governor General added that the upgraded position of the state of Palestine to non-member observer states in the United Nations has provided it with a voice. Now that Palestine has a golden opportunity to participate fully, though not to vote, at the meetings of the UN, the Liberty Assembly, the door is opened for to make her voice heard and to persuade all as the rightness of the court. My government, I'm sure, will examine the financial implications concerning your request to nominate an ambassador to serve your country. An invitation was also extended to the Governor General to make an official visit of the state of Palestine where the two countries hoped to further discussions. From the Government Information Service, I am Anisia Antoine reporting. Minister for Youth Development and Sports Hon. Edmund Estefan hailed the recent athletic accomplishment of Julian Alfred in a special statement to the Parliament Tuesday. Minister Estefan saluted Alfred for capturing the silver medal at the just concluded Youth Olympics Games in Argentina. It was St. Lucia's first time meddling at the event. Julian's determination, energy, passion and most importantly her faith makes a clear statement that speaks to our youth, reminding them that excellence is a way of life developed through character, persistence and unyielding practice. Ms. Alfred's silver medal performance is the first ever Youth Olympic medal for St. Lucia. Mr. Speaker, Julian's silver medal is a great reason for national pride and delight. Her run of 11.23 seconds is what did it for us. It is our hope and with our support that she will continue to rise and be an inspiration and continue to be an inspiration to us all. Hon. Estefan noted that Julian Alfred joins a prestigious list of St. Lucia's sports personalities who have shown pride in recent years, including Darren, Sami, Laverne, Spencer, Johnson, Charles and Kimadi Melius. Through your remarkable efforts Ms. Alfred, you have radiated positive light in our nation by making the world see that our flag is more than just cloth and ink. That it embodies zeal, will, passion and sheer determination of our people from a tiny spot in a small corner of the Caribbean to rise to great heights of majestic proportions. Mr. Speaker, we may be small in size but we stand tall, proud and powerful that we are able to take on anyone and finish high on the podium of medals. Mr. Speaker, the triumph of Julian and Laverne in particular serves to urge and remind us that once we are serious about putting our hearts, body, mind and soul into even the smallest acts, success will be attained. The Department of Education, Innovation and Gender Relations will be staging the annual St. Lucia Care and College Fair 2018 on Wednesday, October 31 and Thursday, November 1 at the Finance Administrative Center Point Seraphine Castries. Participating in this year's college fair will be representatives from local educational institutions and institutions from the United States of America and United Kingdom and the Caribbean region. The theme for this year's college fair is securing our nation's future academically and professionally. This year's fair promises to be a successful and productive event as it will not only seek to target colleges, universities but will incorporate a career component. Members of the public are invited to attend the St. Lucia Care and College Fair 2018 on Wednesday, October 31, 2018, 10am to 6pm and Thursday, November 1, 2018 from 9am to 6pm to meet with the recruiters and advisors from the participating institutions. That's a nation bit. Join us next time on NTN at 7.30pm with a repeat at 7.30am and on this station as we fill the person heart of our community. You can also catch up with us anytime on the St. Lucia Government Facebook page or YouTube channel. I am Janelle Norvell.