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The News in Brief from The Dominican.net News Desk
ROSEAU, Dominica, May 9, 2008 Government increases the minimum wage
- Minimum wage workers in Dominica will be taking home more money from next month and Labour Minister Rayburn Blackmore has promised that another hike is in store.
The changes to the minimum wage will see a doubling of take home pay of some categories of workers.
Effective June 1, agriculture and other skilled workers will make at least EC$4 (US$1.51) an hour, up from EC$2.20 (US$0.83); daily paid workers and shop assistants will take home a minimum of EC$4.50 (US$1.69) an hour instead of EC$2.00 (US$0.75); cashiers and receptionists will be paid no less than EC$5.50 (US$2.07) instead of EC$2.00 (US$0.75) an hour; and trainees will earn at least EC$3.60 (US$1.36) an hour, compared to the previous minimum hourly rate of EC$1.50 (US$0.56).
The monthly minimum wage for home assistants will be EC$500 (US$188).
"An advisory board will be appointed to further review the minimum wage and to make recommendations to the minister for further upward adjustment of the minimum wage," the Labour Minister said.
The increase fulfils a promise which Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit made in his 2007/2008 budget.
Mr. Blackmore acknowledged that government had not reached a consensus with the Dominica Association of Industry and Commerce on the new rates.
However, he said that the increase was long overdue and after both sides failed to reach agreement after months of negotiation, "action had to be taken".
Workers in Dominica last saw an increase in the minimum wage in 1989.
Grand Bay – May 3, 2008 Police Investigates a Shooting Death in Grand Bay
Police in Dominica are investigating an early morning shooting incident in Grand Bay that left a 34 year old man dead.
Police spokesman Inspector Weeks was tight lipped about the incident and would only confirm that the young man was indeed dead and that a full investigation has been launched.
Roseau – May 2, 2008 With regret we announce the passing of Baby Mia
On the evening of March 31, 2008 Baby Mia was born at the Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH). Mia was delivered at 24 weeks gestation weighing only 500 grams. On Sunday April 6th, 2008, Baby Mia was airlifted to Barbados for further medical care at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.
Baby Mia passed away on the evening of Wednesday April 30, 2008 at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Barbados. She was exactly one month old. She died due to complications caused by a viral infection in her blood.
This virus caused the platelets in her blood to drop very low which most probably caused some hemorrhaging in her brain which led to her death. Baby Mia was a fighter, apart from the infection she was generally doing well. Her body will be brought back to Dominica for a proper burial.
The family is very thankful to God for Mia's life and is comforted by their faith in God and that His purpose will be fulfilled. The family also wishes to thank the public for their prayers, support and financial assistance. Special thanks are also extended to the staff of the Princess Margaret Hospital in Dominica and the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Barbados.
The family continues to raise funds to cover the expenses associated with Mia's care while she was alive. It is the intention of the family to create a special fund in Mia's name which will go towards assisting the Princess Margaret Hospital in obtaining the necessary supplies and equipment to provide quality care to premature infants.
Therefore any surplus monies raised during the family's fundraising efforts will go towards this fund.
On Sunday May 4th, 2008 a Fundraising Band Splash will be held at the Paix Bouche School grounds from 8:00pm. The Jam will feature, The Nature Boys Band, Esclav Band, Simple Screw Band and a number of DJ's.
A donation of $10.00 or more will be taken at the door.
With thanks,
The Family of Baby Mia
St Johns – April 29, 2008 New Chief Justice of Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court
The Secretariat of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) has nominated Justice Hugh Anthony Rawlins to be the next Chief Justice of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court.
This takes effect Tuesday but he will act in that position until his appointment is confirmed by Britain's Queen Elizabeth II.
Justice Rawlins, a national of St. Kitts and Nevis, is currently a Court of Appeal Judge with the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, a position he has held since 2005.
He takes over from outgoing Acting Chief Justice, Sir Brian Alleyne of Dominica, who retired Monday.
Marigot – April 28, 2008 Police Investigates an Apparent Suicide
Police in Dominica are investigating the death of 33 year old Earle James of Marigot who was found hanging from a mango tree.
Suicide is suspected, but no suicide note has been found and police were tight-lipped on any possible reasons for the death.
Roseau – April 28, 2008 Activists Plan Vigil to Speed up Implementation of Integrity Act
Local activists in Dominica will be holding a candlelight vigil and rally in Roseau on Wednesday to bring pressure on government to implement the integrity in public office act.
Organizer of the event, journalist Lennox Linton told a press briefing today that three years after the Act was passed in parliament, no one could have envisaged that it would take so long to be enacted.
The Act contains measures for the financial dealings of parliamentarians to be scrutinized by the public.
Earlier this month, a petition was circulated by lawyer David Bruney on the same matter with a view to submitting it to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to ask him to bring pressure on government to enact the regulation.
The petition was dismissed by government claiming that the issue was an internal one.
A police officer who attended the briefing in plains clothes refused to leave after repeated requests from the organizers.
Other members of the group heading the vigil include environmentalist and former agriculture minister Atherton Martin and local talk show host Angelo Alleyne.
Roseau - April 22, 2008 Ferry Service May Ease Travel Woes for Busy Reunion
Persons traveling to Dominica at the height of the travel season may be interested in using the Express Ferry from Guadeloupe, Martinique or St. Lucia into Dominica.
This may be particularly useful during the Creole/Independence time since from most accounts all airline flights are already fully booked. Travelers can book their flights to and from any of these destinations and take the ferry into Dominica.
Note that the ferry service will be suspended for technical maintenance from September 25 to October 16, 2008. The attached master schedule will run from October 17 to 23, 2008 and the WCMF schedule from October 24 to November 6, 2008.
Passengers holding Dominican Passports who will require to transit in Guadeloupe or Martinique must provide proof of accommodation and travel insurance to the immigration officer upon entry in those countries. The proof of accommodation can be in the form of hotel reservation.
Gimmit – April 16, 2008 Oil Spill at Petrocaribe Facility
A Dominican environmentalist has cautioned that Tuesday’s oil spill at the Petrocaribe fuel storage facility could hurt the marine environment.
Allthough the situation is said to be under control, former President of the Caribbean Conservation Association Atherton Martin has cautioned that it will not be long before the situation worsens.
Lead Fire Officer, Courtney Challenger says the incident occurred about 1:05am on Tuesday and the Fire and Ambulance Services were called in to deal with the situation.
The situation arose when the stands of a parked tanker filled with fuel, broke. According to Mr Challenger, fire officers who were called to be on stand-by used sand and other precautionary measures to reduce the spread of the spill.
He says the situation was controlled in time before diesel had reached the sea, and noted that this could have caused a hazardous situation for the coast and the marine life of the area. The fire officer complemented the speedy work of fire officers, officials of Petro Caribe, and the general public, in reducing the dangers, which could have occurred as a result of the spill.
The fuel storage facility is located near the riverbed of the popular Belfast River on the west coast of the island.
Dominica began receiving fuel under the Petrocaribe initiative in February after signing the agreement with Venezuela in 2005 along with 12 other Caribbean states.
Under this arrangement, Caracas provides oil to participating countries under preferential terms.
Roseau – April 16, 2008 Price of Rice Set to Rise
Consumers will see an increase in the price of rice with immediate effect. Information from the Dominica Export Import Agency (DEXIA) says the increases have become necessary, as a result of substantial increases in the prices of both white and parboiled rice on the world market.
The wholesale price of white rice per 100 lbs bag is now $85.00, while the wholesale price of parboiled rice per 100 lbs bag is $110.00.
Roseau – April 14, 2008 Journalist Calls For Implementation Of Integrity Act As Reunion Event
Journalist Lennox Linton is calling for the implementation of the integrity in public office act, as a national reunion event. Mr. Linton says he wants government to finally bring the act into operation as of April 30th 2008.
He notes that Dominicans here and abroad, are expressing great desire toward the implementation.
He said: “April 30th 2008 will be five years since the parliamentarians of this country, eighteen of them out of a thirty member parliament, voted for the passage of this piece of legislation.”
Linton is suggesting that April 30th 2008, becomes a reunion event where “finally, the government that has done the great thing of introducing it to parliament, says we have put the system in place and the act is now operational…”
Meantime Minister for Community Development Loreen Bannis Roberts says she is not in a position to give such a commitment.
The Minister added that she does not see the need for a petition, meant to influence the implementation of the act, to be sent to the Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. “You are asking a sovereign country to interfere into the runnings of another sovereign state.”
Colorado – April 14, 2008 US Forecaster Raises Atlantic Hurricane Number
The noted Colorado State University hurricane research team on Wednesday raised the number of tropical storms and hurricanes it expects to form in the upcoming Atlantic storm season.
The team founded by forecasting pioneer Bill Gray increased its outlook by two tropical storms to 15, and by one hurricane to eight, compared with a long-term average of around 10 and six, respectively, for a storm season. "Current oceanic and atmospheric trends indicate that we will likely have an active Atlantic basin hurricane season," said Gray in a statement.
Of the eight hurricanes predicted by the forecasters for the six-month season starting June 1, four were forecast to become major storms with winds of at least 111 miles per hour (178 kph).
Wesley – April 10, 2008 Government Committed to Building International Airport
Minister, Hon. Roosevelt Skerrit has reiterated his government’s commitment to the construction of an international airport in Dominica.
In an address to returning nationals in the village of Wesley recently, the Prime Minister said: “This Government has never said it is against an international airport. What we have said is that it is going to be difficult for the Treasury of Dominica to be able to build an international airport all by itself.”
The Prime Minister also told the large gathering of overseas-based Dominicans that the process towards building an international airport would take years, describing it as “a massive undertaking”.
In the meantime, Government is pursuing the development of the Melville Hall Airport as a short to medium response to inadequate air access into Dominica.
Hon. Skerrit also revealed that several interested parties had expressed an interest in assisting in the construction of the international airport. Hon. Skerrit also mentioned that coming out of the recent 19th CARICOM Inter-Sessional Meeting in Trinidad, the Government of Trinidad and Tobago had established a special facility for the OECS, specifically to assist the Commonwealth of Dominica and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in the construction of an international airport in their countries.
Melbourne – April 3, 2008 Cell Phones More Dangerous Than Cigarettes and Asbestos
A top Australian neurosurgeon says cell phones may cause more cancer in the near future than smoking or asbestos. Dr. Vini Khurana, who conducted an extensive review of the link between cell phones and brain cancer said using cell phones for at least ten years could more than double the risk of developing deadly brain cancer. Since three times as many people use cell phones as smoke, cell phones will soon emerge as a major killer.
“It is anticipated that this danger has far broader public health ramifications than asbestos and smoking, and directly concerns all of us, particularly the younger generation, including very young children,” Dr. Khurana wrote.
Dr. Khurana says there has been an increase in brain tumors in people who have used cell phones heavily for a long time on the same side of the head as their “preferred ear” for making calls. He believes it has been difficult to prove a direct link between cell phone usage and brain tumors because a malignant brain tumor might take between ten and twenty years to develop, and the general public hasn’t been using cell phones long enough to effectively study the risk.
That will soon change. “In the years 2008-2012, we will have reached the appropriate length of follow-up time to being to definitely observe the impact of this global technology on brain tumor incidence rates,” Khurana says. Post your comments to this article.
Roseau – April 3, 2008 DFA President Calls it Quits
Less than 48 hours after saluting the national team's performance against Barbados, Dominica's football president Dexter Francis has resigned as president of the local governing body.
In a surprise move, Francis handed in his resignation on Tuesday as Dominica Football Association (DFA) boss.
Francis, who has had a troubled 21 months at the helm, cited a number of reasons for his decision to quit the top job.
In his letter dated April 1, Francis said that the working relationship with some staff members made it difficult and in some cases, impossible for him to function as the president and the constant internal fighting and bickering had taken its toll on him.
Dominica lost 1-0 to Barbados at Kensington Oval last week after playing to a 1-1 draw in the first leg here on March 6.
Despite the team's failure to advance to the second round of competition, Francis said the players gave their best.
"They really put their best foot forward and for that we are very proud of them. They played with all their heart and gave true representation
and that is what matters."
Francis believes the team should remain together and train as a unit for upcoming competitions.
"We have the Digicel Competition later this year and if this bunch of players stay together, I know that we will have a very good side.
Laudat – April 3, 2008 $2 million road project completed
The Laudat road after construction
Visitors to the Roseau Valley are now enjoying a new touristic experience as a result of the completion of the restoration of the Bayak Road slope stabilisation.
The village of Laudat had come under serious threat from being cut off from the rest of the island following a severe slope and road slippage in the Bayak area on the road to Laudat caused by the heavy rains of Hurricane Dean.
As a result Government moved in quickly to redress the situation to ensure continued access to the village and the many tourist sites in the area.
The Bayak intervention cost $2 million ECD and consisted of two segments, one geared at facilitating immediate access and the other at developing a long-term solution.
Weston – April 3, 2008 Fundraiser to send local youth to Dominica
The Mid-Life Crisis band
"Mid-Life Crisis" will be performing their special blend of rhythm and blues and classic rock at the Dominica Benefit Auction this Saturday evening, April 5, at the Josiah Smith Barn in Weston Center.
Proceeds from ticket sales and the lively auction, which includes a signed Celtics basketball and playoff tickets and a family membership to the Longfellow Clubs, will help to send Lincoln-Sudbury and Wayland High School students, all members of Sudbury United Methodist Church, to the Caribbean island of Dominica during spring break to build a security wall around a local church and visit with families supported by local church members.
For tickets and information contact Andy Andrews at 978-443-4351, ext. 208, or e-mail:
midlifecrisisrocks@comcast.net
Bridgetown-March 26, 2008 Dominica loses to Barbados in World Cup qualifying 1 – 0
Dominica’s hopes of qualifying for the 2010 World Cup ended today after losing 1 – 0 to Barbados in that country’s capital.
The Dominican team played well but lost their central defender who was sent off with a red card in the 65th minute. Barbados finally broke through in the 75th minute with a fine goal from Sanford.
In the first leg held in February in Dominica, the game ended in a 1 – 1 draw.
Barbados now goes on to face the United States in June as they continue their campaign to qualify for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
Bridgetown-March 26, 2008 Dominica Takes on Barbados in World Cup Qualifying March 26
The Dominica football team will face off against Barbados today in a must win encounter to move on in qualifying for the 2010 World cup.
The game is set for 3 pm on Wednesday, March 26 in Bridgetown, Barbados. Dominica needs to win by a clear goal to go on to face the United States in June.
In the first leg of the competition, Dominica and Barbados drew in a 1-1 tie in the Windsor Park Stadium in Roseau on February 6, 2008.
Meanwhile, several foreign based players are set to participate for both Dominica and Barbados in this critical encounter.
Basseterre-March 25 Simon Smashes CARIFTA Games Record, Dominica Shines
Dominica at the CARIFTA games
Sixteen year old Dillon Simon of Dominica rewrote the CARIFTA Games record in St. Kitts when he smashed the U17 Boys Shot Put with a throw of 16.63m to break the previous mark of 16.27m set by Quincy Wilson last year.
Simon was one of four Dominican athletes participating in the games. At the end of the championship athletic events, which witnessed the participation of twenty-three Caribbean countries, Dominica walked away with three medals, one gold, one silver and one bronze; for its best performance ever in the regional junior competition.
Simon also got a silver medal in the Discus (47.00m) and Merfilius Leslie got bronze with a personal best in the Javelin at 51.90m.
The CARIFTA games ran over the weekend in St. Kitts with male and female athletes participating in the U17 and U20 age categories.
As in the past, the games were dominated by Jamaica, Trinidad and the Bahamas.
The 2009 games are scheduled to be held in St. Lucia.
Portsmouth – March 25, 2008 Dominica records first road fatality for 2008
Dominica recorded its first road fatality for 2008 when twenty-three year old Randy James of Portsmouth died on Monday night.
James was riding a motorcycle when it came into contact with a Mitsubishi van at Boroughs Square in Portsmouth. Sixteen year old Samantha Alexander who was riding with James is in critical condition at the Princess Margaret Hospital in Roseau. Police investigations into the deadly crash continues.
March 20, 2008 Dominicans fall for internet fraud
Head of the Criminal Investigation Department of the Dominica Police Force Duke Sevarin is warning Dominicans against falling prey to financial fraud conducted over the internet.
According to Sevarin, several Dominicans received fake money orders after being contacted over the internet. They were then asked to cash the money orders and remit part of the proceeds to persons living overseas.
The lead detective said that some people successfully cashed the money orders while others attempted to do so. He warned Dominicans against falling prey to international con men bent on defrauding the country of scarce financial resources.
He also warned against individuals participating in potential criminal activity.
Dominicans have lost thousands of dollars in recent months after being fooled into sending money overseas purportedly fro receiving millions in return.
