Bousquet confirmed that the Prime Minister was given a timeframe to act on the recommendations made at the series of meetings, but he would not discuss that timeline in much detail. Prime Minister – Stephenson King remained mum on the discussions throughout the day. He is due to leave the island shortly. When we caught up with him, he refused to give a comment.

The Department of Youth and Sports wants to focus on their new mandate as stated by Sports Minister Lenard Montoute. During his presentation at the annual Sports Awards – the Minister says his Ministry will give equal focus to youth and sports development. The Director of the Youth and Sports Department is Fortuna Belrose. Rather than focusing on her new mandate – Belrose is assuming a defensive position. As the organizer of the just held Youth Awards and as a member of the Department who bankrolled it – she is being asked to apologize. The request is coming from National Youth Council President Marvin Edgar. He says he was kept off the awards program as an act he describes as “childish and vindictive.”

Belrose says it was not her intention to exclude the NYC or Marvin Edgar. She says further that Edgar may have been accommodated had he made a timely arrival at the awards. Edgar addressed the Sports Awards in the past Two years in his capacity as the NYC First Vice President. This year the youth address was also delivered by the NYC First Vice President – Tracy Dolcy. A meeting between the Department of Youth and the NYC has been scheduled for next week.

Agriculture Minister Ezekiel Joseph and Taiwanese Ambassador Tom Chou led the delegation on a visit of the Abattoir site. It was aimed at assessing the site ahead of construction of the facility. The abattoir is financed by the government of Taiwan in its effort to help local farmers diversify the agriculture sector. Ezekiel Joseph says it will impact the livestock sector and the economy significantly. The abattoir will house facilities to slaughter animals and inspect meat. Joseph says specific emphasis will be placed on the areas of pig production and small ruminant. The Agriculture Minister says the facility will also create linkages between the tourism and agricultural sectors.

A man accused of hit and run has turned himself in to police. Fifteen-year-old Josie Elivique was riding his bicycle in the balata community, when Kim Jean allegedly crashed his white Toyota corolla into the bicycle – then fled the scene. On Monday, the head of traffic asp Milton Desir appealed to jean to turn himself in to police – warning that he would be caught.

The teenager’s father also called on Kim Jean to do the right thing, and accept responsibility for his actions. Joseph Elivique says there is nothing that can justify a hit and run. kim jean, from Babonneau turned himself in to law enforcement officials wednesday.

He faces charges of fleeing the scene of a collision among others. Josie Elivique remains a patient at the Victoria Hospital, while the investigations continue. He suffered fractures and was initially admitted to the intensive care unit. His father says the teenager’s condition is improving slowly.

Daniel Edward has been selling his home-made snacks to students and teachers at the Castries Comprehensive and Sir Ira Simmons Secondary Schools for over a decade. But now, he says his livelihood is in jeopardy. Edward says the Principal of the Castries Comprehensive demanded that students stop buying from him – and stick to the School’s Canteen. He claims the students were warned they could get food poisoning. The vendor says after ten years of selling to students – and teachers – he has not received a single complaint. The father of two says he is simply trying to earn an honest living. He says he does not want to compete with the School’s canteen – and has offered a solution to the problem.

The School’s Principal Jeremie Joseph refused to comment on the issue. Edward says he used to selling on the School’s compound, but was put out. He says since then, he has been selling his snacks on the outside. The vendor says he has loans to pay and is a peaceful, law-abiding citizen trying to earn an honest living.

The company says they are in Saint Lucia for the long haul. Already they have been in Saint Vincent for 10 years and in Antigua for four. Justin John is the Marketing Manager at Karib Cable. The cable company was officially launched on Tuesday afternoon. Their offices are located in the Castries Boulevard.

The Roving Caregivers Pilot Project was launched in 2004. Four years on and Coordinator Ruth Fevrier says there are gaps in the quality and service of the programme. An ongoing seminar aims to address these issues. Fevrier says future success is dependent on adequate training. Roving Caregivers provide early stimulation for children as well as parenting education for parents. These caregivers work in home communities, making regular visits to families with children within their target groups. Seminar facilitator Fortuna Anthony says it is important those responsible for the Caregivers are trained in key areas like

ethics, professionalism and effective communication. Project supervisor Lucy Girard says because the role of caregivers continues to evolve, continuous training is needed for these workers who contribute to the development of children. The Roving Caregivers programme started in 2004, in the Dennery, Monchy and Au Leon Communities. The programme has since expanded to twenty communities. It focuses on communities with little access to day care and preschool facilities. The Ministry of Education is the Programme’s implementing agency.

The organizers of St. Lucia jazz have received assistance from telecommunications giant cable & wireless. The company presented 200 thousand dollars to the St .Lucia tourist board to assist with the production of the festival. Cable & Wireless is the premiere gold sponsor and official telecommunications provider for Saint Lucia Jazz. The company’s vice president for marketing - Cheryl Francis - says support is geared towards ensuring the festival remains one of the best in the world. Cable and Wireless is also donating 150 thousand dollars worth of products and services to the festival’s production teams.

Acting tourist board director - Louis Lewis - says Cable & Wireless ensures Saint Lucia Jazz has island-wide reach. Cable and Wireless is one of the original sponsors of St .Lucia Jazz now into its 17th year. The company has promised to continue supporting the festival.

Fond D`Or jazz saw a mixture of local and international artistes converging on one stage. Their musical genres were all entwined in the ambiance of the venue. First to hit the stage was the Royal St.Lucia Police band that brought their pulsating sound to the stage. The band’s Musical Director Gregory Piper says the band always looks forward to performing at Fond D`Or although there was something special about the performance this time around. Harvey Miller’s performance was also well received by the crowd. His set featured a mixture of original songs and a special tribute to reggae legend Bob Marley. Miller also took patrons on a musical journey to Africa.

The Jazz audience was in for a big surprise when the next performer took the stage. Ronald “Boo” Hinkson was advertised to perform with some friends, but he rolled out all the tricks and welcomed international superstar Arturo Tappin on stage. Other performances on the day included Giraldo Piloto and Klimax from Cuba and Dany Engobo from the Congo.

- will be held at the former home of the Coco Cabana in Rodney Bay. It is a co-production between Louis and the Red International Carnival Band. “Red Ignites” will also feature former Trinidad International Soca Monarch Iwer George, Denise Belfon and KMC out of Trinidad. The local cast also includes Ricky T, Teddyson John, Nicole David and Marie-Anne.