Caribbean Times 30th Issue - Monday 7th November 2016

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4 c a r i b b e a n t i m e s . a g Monday 7th November 2016 Commissioner wants good relations By Everton Barnes Police Commissioner Wendel Robinson wants to establish a good relationship with the Police Service Commission (PSC), now that it has a new chairman. Robinson made this point as one of the grounds for his decision to withdrawn the court action against the PSC over the granting of promotions without his input. Grays Farm man charged with assault By Renio Abbott Jari Jackson of Grays Farm has been charged with assault with intent to commit a felony and possession of firearm and ammunition, stemming from an incident about the Coral Ark on Tuesday, November 1st. Jackson allegedly assaulted a man with a firearm according to Police sources. He is expected to make his first Court appearance on Monday. One 9mm pistol By Everton Barnes The Antigua Public Utilities Authority is upgrading the island’s 69-KV distribution system in an effort to reduce the recurrent problem of electricity outages. Government spokesman Lionel Max Hurst said the current system was installed back in 1986 and thirty years on, the cables have become seriously eroded and this has led to chronic outages in the supply of electricity to consumers. He told CT that he wanted the matter disposed of in a speedy manner as he did not want the court action to hold up the promotions of those affected or to negatively affect the promotions of those to follow. “I told my attorney that I was not opposed to withdrawing the matter based on these points and based on my instructions the matter was withdrawn,” He reported. He noted there have been similar cases around the Caribbean and he made specific reference to Barbados where he said no promotions can be confirmed because of a High Court ruling in a case brought by that island’s Commissioner of Police. He noted that the current Jari Jackson was also recovered by the police during their investigations. “These cables have been exposed to the elements and they are in urgent need of replacement. “The work is being done with the assistance of a team of Cuban technicians and we anticipate that the work will be done by the second half of December,” Hurst reported. He noted that APUA has at its disposal enough electricity generating capacity to meet the island’s needs but that the problem is in the distribution network which is faulty. head of the force there is doing so in an acting capacity. “In Grenada, an official sought a judicial review of a decision not to promote him and he won. There is a similar case in Antigua involving female officer, Cecilia Francis. “In any event, there is a new Chairman of the PSC – Kelvin John – and I am looking forward to working with him and the PSC to ensure that there is fairness, equity and proper consultation. I am very confident that this will happen,” he stated. Under the former chairman, Phillip Isaacs, the PSC made a number of promotions without consultation with the Commissioner and Robinson decided to take the matter to the court to decide. When Isaacs’ appointment came up for review recently, he was not re-instated. APUA upgrading electricity distribution system As it relates to the supply of water, APUA is giving a commitment to having this resolved by the second half of 2017. That’s because of the deliver time for new reverse osmosis plants that are already on order. Two plants are due to be commissioned in the first half of the New Year; one of which is being financed by the Japanese government and specifically geared towards the farming community. A third plant will be commissioned later in the year.
Monday 7th November 2016 c a r i b b e a n t i m e s . a g 5 Port Authority adopts Villa School By Everton Barnes The Antigua Port Authority has adopted the Villa Primary School in a partnership through which it hopes to encourage young people from the community to explore career opportunities there. APA Chairman, Senator Mary Clare Hurst said the port is the largest employer in the community and she feels a moral obligation to foster close ties with the school and its students. “We have a number of career offerings for young people at the port and through this partnership it is my hope that more and more young people look at pursuing training in areas that would make them employable at the port,” she explained. She noted that there are opportunities to become port managers, crane operators, pilots, marine mechanics, accountants, warehouse managers, human resource managers and a hosts of other professions. She noted that currently there are some twenty young people pursuing training at the Caribbean Marine By Everton Barnes A team from Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines is due in Antigua this week to carry out an inspection of the Deep Water Harbour and to determine its readiness to accommodate the new class of ships scheduled for December 2. President of the Antigua and Barbuda Cruise Tourism Association, Nathan Dundas, has confirmed that a two-man team will arrive this week to review the progress of the pier expansion and other works being done to accommodate the vessel. The Quantum Class vessels, the largest cruise ships around, will be able to berth at Antigua following the current upgrades now underway. The Royal Caribbean vessel – Anthem of the Seas – is slated to make its inaugural call at Antigua on December 2, 2016. “The team will be looking at the work to expand the pier, the dredging being done to accommodate the vessel and the other improvements to the harbor that are necessary before the ship arrives,” Dundas explains. According to the cruise official the team will conduct a sonar check of the depths of the harbor as well as the state of the other infrastructural work at the port. If they are satisfied, the By Joanna Paris The Captain of the mega cruise ship which will berth in Antigua at the new pier on the North side of the inner St. John’s Harbour on December 2, 2016, is expected to visit Antigua this week to inspect the site and the pier development currently taking place. The teams of workers are working around the clock, 24 hours a day, in order to complete the works in time. Huge cement slabs are being prepared then the December 2 visit to proceed, but if not, there is all likelihood that it will be delayed. Dundas said the ship is scheduled to make six visits to Antigua during the winter season if the December 2 visit takes place. The Quantum Class vessels carry up to 5000 passengers, and its visit would be seen as a major boost to tourism. Training Institute in Jamaica many of whom are likely to be employed at the port on their return. Hurst said she taking up the position in 2014 her emphasis has been on training and already several employees at the port have completed studies in a number of areas. She added that the port is a significant contributor to the economy of the Villa and Point communities and it is important that the people get an appreciation of this fact as early as possible. RC to inspect harbour’s readiness Meanwhile, Dundas said the winter cruise season, which started on November 01, looks ‘very encouraging”. He said there will be increases in the overall number of calls as well as the number of passengers visiting the country. In all, seven new ships will make their inaugural calls during the season, including the Anthem of the Seas. Anthem of the Seas’ captain to visit this week for the bulwarks and other port infrastructure, and piling continues around the clock. The Quantum class ship will bring 5,000 visitors and nearly 4,000 crew when it docks in St. John’s Harbour next month for the first time. The 2016-2017 Cruise Tourism Winter Season officially began last Friday. Tourism stakeholders are working together to plan a very special welcome ceremony for the mega vessel, which is also the 4 th largest ship in the world.
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Caribbean Times 30th Issue - Monday 7th November 2016

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