Businessman Jerry Brisbane Questions Whether Some Chinese Construction Workers in Dominica are in fact Convicts, and asks the DLP Government if it Knows anything about that                                Reporter: Shamalie Louis- Thursday August 12 2010

Businessman Jerry Brisbane says he is on a quest to determine whether or not some or all of the Chinese workers on the West Coast Road project are in fact convicts released on parole. Mr. Brisbane references an article forwarded to him as well as other information published on the Internet, which states that exporting criminals has been a method adopted by the Chinese government to provide cheap labour and relieve pressure on its over-crowded prisons. He points to documented facts in two countries which he believes present clear similarities to conditions in Dominica. Mr. Brisbane wonders whether these workers were cleared for work permits by Dominican Officials and whether any background checks were carried out with respect to those workers. Brisbane says because the Government of Dominica has provided the public with any substantive details of the information contained in a memorandum of understanding which is reported to have been signed between the government of Dominica and the Government of China, questions will continue to be raised.   

                                                                                                                                  UWP Mahaut Constituency Caretaker Ronnie Isidore Condemns DLP Government Ministers Direct Involvement in a Dispute between a Dominican & a Chinese Worker                                       Reporter: Shamalie Louis- Thursday August 12 2010

UWP Mahaut Constituency caretaker Ronnie Isidore says the dispute between a Dominican known as Mr. Joseph and a Chinese worker in the Les Point area became scandalous and embarrassing because of the DLP Government Ministers direct involvement in the matter. Isidore highlights this incident as just one of the events where persons in public office get in the way of the duties of law enforcement officials for reasons known only to themselves. He calls on Dominicans to condemn this type of behavior on the part of DLP Government Officials.

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Reports say Parents of Peace Core Volunteer Beth Hansen to Provide One and a Half Tons of Books to Dominican Children with the Assistance of the United States Air Force                     Reporter: Press Release- Thursday August 12 2010

According to a local news agency in Wisconsin in the United States, several communities in Dominica are one page closer to getting more than one and a half tons of books. Sue and Brent Hanson of Rhinelander, Wisconsin, were said to have begun collecting books in the Spring for their daughter Beth, who is working in the Peace Corps on island. Mr. and Mrs. Hanson recently took the books to Wausau where the Good News Group has stored them. In October, the Air Force will fly the books for free to Dominica, and these books should be available in November this year.    

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Attorney Stephen Isidore wants his Former Partner whom he formerly called his ‘Adopted father’ Glenworth Emmanuel to Stop Talking about Alleged Irregularities
Reporter: Shamalie Louis- Thursday August 12 2010

The public has become aware of alledged financial irregularities which may have taken place at the former Law Firm owned by Stephen Isidore & Glenworth Emmanuel. According to a letter addressed to Mr. Emmanuel, written by Attorney Isidore and read on the Hot Seat this morning by Journalist Carlisle Jno Baptiste, Mr. Isidore appears to be displeased that information regarding an alleged amount in excess of one half of a million US dollars paid for attorney services, and other such information was made public. Mr. Isidore is allegedly considering legal action against his former law partner attorney Glenworth Emmanuel, someone whom it has been said that he formerly called his adopted father in better times.     

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Press Release says DLP Government has Now Established a National Accreditation Board & Technical Vocational Council to Address Quality Control and Technical Vocational Education             Reporter: Press Release- Thursday August 12 2010

According to a Government of Dominica press release, the recent formation of the National Accreditation Board and the Technical Vocational Council by the Government of Dominica is a clear manifestation of government's commitment to address both issues of quality control in education and technical vocational education. This information is contained in the Economic and Social Review for the fiscal year 2009/2010 laid in Parliament at its last sitting in July. The document reveals that the National Accreditation Board (NAB) of the Commonwealth of Dominica, established in 2006, is the principal body for conducting and advising on the accreditation and recognition of post-secondary and tertiary educational and training institutions, programmes and awards, local or foreign, and for the promotion of the quality and standards of post-secondary and tertiary education and training in Dominica.  The National Accreditation Board monitors and evaluates the quality of post-secondary and tertiary educational institutions, programmes and awards, to safeguard the interest of the public and to improve the quality of education and training offered in Dominica. Last month the US$4 million CDB -funded Education Enhancement project was launched. This project focuses on developing aspects of technical vocational education through the development of human resource and the upgrading of secondary schools to accommodate the inclusion of more technical vocational subjects within the school curriculum. The release goes on to say that as a result of that major investment, the Ministry is in the process of identifying several additional teachers for training at universities within the region.   

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EU Project Manager of the Dominica PMU Edison Henry says Waitukubuli National Trail Project will Hold a Summer Adventure & Hike Media Event on Sunday August 29                                      Reporter: Press Release- Thursday August 12 2010

According to information made public by EU Project Manager/Project Management Unit, Edison Henry, the European Union and the Government of Dominica funded SFA 2003 Waitukubuli National Trail Project is announcing its Summer Adventure and Hike Media Event carded for Sunday, August 29, 2010. The Programme promises to build public awareness and appreciation for the Waitukubuli National Trail Project (WNTP) and the Waitukubuli National Trail and engender public support and stakeholder buy-in. The WNTP Project Management Unit (PMU) will be launching its Summer Media Event on Friday, August 13, 2010.          

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Commonwealth of Dominica Ontario Association hosts its 40^th Anniversary under the Patronage of the Ministries of Tourism and Culture of Dominica; Feature Address by PM Skerrit                     Reporter: Press Release- Thursday August 12 2010

According to a Press Release, “the Commonwealth of Dominica Ontario Association will host its 40^th Anniversary as a leading Caribbean organization in Ontario On Saturday October 9^th 2010, under the Patronage of the Ministries of Tourism and Culture of Dominica. The event will be held at the Macedonian Cultural Centre, and will feature the Prime Minister Honorable Roosevelt Skerrit as the Keynote speaker. The Commonwealth of Dominica Ontario Association was established 40 years ago by expatriates from Dominica who were new residents to Ontario Canada. More than 500 attendees are expected, including members of all levels of Canadian Government, the judiciary and visiting Dominican officials.  Among the highlights will be cultural performances from the Commonwealth of Dominica. The organization supports the goals and objectives of residents of Ontario, Canada, who are from the Commonwealth of Dominica.  Its main purpose is to enable a robust social network, encourage and support mentoring within the community, and build constructive relationships that benefit members and local communities”.  

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Jailed for cocaine-laced rum death
www.bbccaribbean.com - Thursday August 12 2010

A drug smuggler has been jailed for 20 years for the manslaughter of a taxi driver who died after unwittingly drinking pure liquid cocaine from a bottle of St Lucian rum. Lascell Malcolm, 63, had been given the bottle of Bounty Rum by a friend who had no idea of its lethal contents. In fact it had been used to smuggle the cocaine from St Lucia into Gatwick Airport by Martin Newman, who was convicted of manslaughter on Wednesday by a London jury. The jury took just three hours to reach its verdict after hearing how he had duped an acquaintance into agreeing to carrying the rum for him, claiming his luggage was overweight.    

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Scrap metal trade to resume
www.bbccaribbean.com -  Thursday August 12 2010

Guyana's President Bharrat Jagdeo has met with a number of scrap metal dealers to decide on the regulations that will be needed to resume trade, according to the government information agency. In April, Prime Minister Samuel Hinds suspended sales of iron, copper and other scrap materials due to theft and vandalism of public and private property. The president of the Georgetown chamber of commerce, Komal Ramnath, said government agreed to lift the ban after dealers agreed to let utility companies inspect cargos for stolen goods.     

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Dominican truck drivers stay put
www.bbccaribbean.com - Thursday August 12 2010

More than 30,000 truck drivers in the Dominican Republic have staged a 24-hour strike to protest a government proposal to raise the fuel tax. The shutdown was expected to cause more than $16 million in lost revenue in the country's ports and border crossings. Union leader Blas Peralta says drivers for the National Dominican Transportation Federation move about 90% of the country's food, merchandise and fuel. Strikers parked hundreds of trucks on a main avenue in the capital of Santo Domingo, but did not try to block traffic. Mr Peralta said he wanted a peaceful protest. The Dominican government is debating whether to adjust the fuel tax upward every three months for inflation. 

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