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Volume No. 1 Issue No. 75 - Friday January 27, 2006 |
The News in Brief from The Dominican.net News Desk
Roseau � December 16, 2005
Nicholls Espirit Named UWP Senator in Dominica Parliament
The United Workers Party (UWP) has named Nicholls Espirit of Mahaut to replace Julian Prevost as a senator in the Dominica parliament.
Espirit, who vowed to champion the interests of the youth and disadvantaged in Dominica, is widely expected to be the UWP�s candidate for the Mahaut constituency at the next general elections.
Prevost resigned in protest over the way in which the recent leadership issue of the party was handled.
Roseau-December 15, 2005
Cabinet to Appoint Review Panel to Investigate AID Bank
Prime Minister Roosevelt Skeritt has announced that his Cabinet will appoint a review panel to look at the issue of emoluments and wages paid to Board members and staff. The Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) will also look at the operations of the bank.
Skeritt said that he was determined to maintain the integrity of the bank. The decision comes on the heels of allegations of gross misconduct by Board members and calls for wage increases by staff.
Meanwhile, Board Chairman Bernard Yankey has reported a loss of EC $2.3 million by the bank during 2005; and said that the bank would need EC $ 25 million to meet its lending targets for the next three years.
Roseau-December 15, 2005
Two Ladies Sentenced in Grenada Scheduled for Release on December 16
Shana Challenger and Tasha Martin who were detained at the Grenada airport in early August and subsequently tried and sentenced to six months in a Grenada prison will return to Dominica on Thursday.
The two women, both of Roseau, were arrested at the Point Salinas International airport with more than US$142,000, after arriving on a LIAT flight from Bridgetown, Barbados.
Read related story
Roseau-December 15, 2005
Austrie Defends Upgrade of Melville Hall Airport
Minister of ports Reginald Austrie is defending government�s decision to upgrade the Melville Hall Airport. The minister was responding to growing criticism of his government�s action and fears by many that the airlines will refuse to come in for night landings.
Austrie however told the local press that American Airlines representatives would be in Dominica in February 2006 to make a final determination as to whether the American eagle will make night landings in Dominica following the upgrade.
The minister also said that his government was not adverse to an international airport but it was simply not feasible to build such an airport given Dominica�s crushing debt burden.
Roseau � December 15, 2005
United Workers Party Leader Offers to Work With Prime Minister Skeritt
The newly elected leader of the United Workers Party (UWP) said he is prepared to meet with Prime Minister Skeritt to discuss ways of working jointly with him on issues of national importance.
Williams said he was proposing a new approach compared with the previous stance of his party, in which they refused to work with government or attend official functions in protest over corruption allegations made against them. He challenged the Prime Minister to meet with him in the interest of the country�s development.
The comments were made at his party�s press conference in Roseau this morning. Williams, along with former leader Edison James, Ron Green, Abraham Brown, and William Charles addressed several issues ranging from the economy, the state of bananas, the AID Bank corruption scandal, human trafficking, and their recent legal challenge to the last elections.
Noticeably absent at the press conference was former deputy party leader Julius Timothy who failed to defeat Williams, and the Roseau representative Norris Prevost a close ally of Timothy.
Roseau � December 15, 2005
Dominica Issues Machine Readable CARICOM Passports
Dominica has begun issuing machine readable CARICOM passports. The unveiling of the passports was made at a press conference held at Police Headquarters, and attended by President of Dominica Nicholas Liverpool, and Prime Minister Roosevelt Skeritt.
The new passports are intended to facilitate movement of persons within the CARICOM region as they prepare for the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME), which is scheduled to come into effect at end-December 2005.
The passports will gradually replace the existing Dominica passports, and will be issued throughout the rest of the Caribbean.
Roseau � December 13, 2005
Opposition Senator Julian Prevost Resigns Over Party�s Leadership Issue
The United Workers party (UWP) is set to name a replacement for opposition Senator Julian Prevost who resigned his position in protest over the conduct of the leadership elections. Mr. Prevost favored Julius Timothy who lost to Earl Williams for the leadership of the party, and was angered by the party�s treatment of outgoing leader Edison James.
Prevost, a local lawyer, who was twice elected as member for the Mahaut constituency was defeated in the last general election by the Dominica Labour Party�s (DLP) Rayburn Blackmore.
Meanwhile, Edison James will continue as Opposition Leader despite losing the leadership of his party to Earl Williams over the weekend. Williams have defended the arrangement, stressing that he has no problems in working with the deposed leader. The UWP secured 8 of 21 seats in the May, 2005 general elections.
Roseau � December 13, 2005
The Deputy Managing Director of the IMF Praises Dominica�s Efforts at Economic Recovery
Augustus Carstens, the IMF�s Deputy Managing Director has praised Dominica�s economic recovery program.
The third highest ranking official of the international institution told local reporters that the rest of the Region should emulate Dominica�s record. He said that the country exhibited a remarkable turnaround of its economy and that �Dominicans should be proud of the achievement�.
Carstens was quoted as saying that the Dominica authorities had taken control of their economic recovery program and that they should be highly commended for their market friendly negotiations on debt relief, consolidation of public finances, and seeking new sources of economic growth.
According to Carstens, other countries in the Region facing high debt sustainability ratios and similar economic problems could follow Dominica�s lead. Carstens also said that the IMF was committed to the continued support of the country�s efforts at economic recovery.
In 2003, the Dominica government embarked on a three-year US $11.4 million IMF-sponsored Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF) arrangement.
Roseau � December 13, 2005
CARICOM Passports being launched in Dominica
Starting today, CARICOM passports will be issued in Dominica. The passports are part of the efforts to facilitate free movements of persons within the region as it moves towards a single market economy at the end of 2005.
Roseau � December 12, 2005
Edison James Calls for Judicial Inquiry
Outgoing leader of the United Workers Party (UWP), Edison James is calling for a �full judicial inquiry on wrong doing within the statutory boards on the island�. The call came in the wake of misconduct allegations of board members of the Agricultural Industrial and Development (AID) Bank.
James said that the problem was not restricted to the AID Bank but was evident in several other staturory boards. According to James, �officers who hold high office in the country and appear to be sincere are in fact the essence of corruption�.
Roseau- December 12, 2005
AID Bank Staff Calls for Firing of Board Members
Staff members of the AID Bank in an open letter to the Prime Minister have called for the firing of the entire Board of Directors.
In the letter, staff alleges massive irregularities by certain Board members involving hundreds of thousands of dollars, while they continue to be the lowest paid bank workers in Dominica, and the bank records millions in losses.
Staff reported that the bank was under investigation by the IMF, and begged the Prime Minister to take action to protect the integrity of the institution.
Read copy of the Full letter
Read more of the EARLIER NEWS IN Brief
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