CASTRIES – Tourism officials are forecasting a 14 per cent decrease in arrivals for the 2010-2011 cruise season, but they remain confident the numbers will stay above the 600 000 mark.
The St Lucia Air and Sea Ports Authority on Wednesday noted that despite the projected decline, Port Castries expected to see increased traffic for Celebrity, Holland America, P&O, Cunard and luxury liner SilverSea Cruises. The expected fall-off is largely as a result of the redeployment of three lines Aida, Costa and Pullmantur Cruises, while a fourth line Ocean Village cruise line is no longer in operation. (CMC)
Nurses to get allowances
KINGSTON – Cabinet arrived at the final decision on the crucial proposal for the country’s more than 2 000 registered nurses, who have been restive over the issue for some time.
After hours of deliberation at a meeting convened yesterday by Pearnel Charles, minister of labour and social security, NAJ president Edith Allwood-Anderson told journalists that she was grateful that, despite the global economic crisis, the nurses would receive their long-awaited allowances.
The nurses have been clamouring for the Government to pay over $1 billion in outstanding allowances since 2008. (Jamaica Gleaner)
Rowley: Nothing new about proposals
PORT-OF-SPAIN – Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley has labelled Wednesday’s budget a disappointing one, saying only three areas were definitive but apart from that, “the budget promised a lot but delivered a little”.
The three definitive areas, Rowley said, were Government’s treatment of the CLICO fiasco, Hindu Credit Union issue and the establishment of a database for the Motor Vehicle Department.
Following Finance Minister Winston Dookeran’s budget presentation, Rowley said “it was simply a rehash of the cliched proposals that have formed past budgets”.
“Outside of those three areas, those of us who are familiar with the annual budget exercises would have recognised all the cliches, the CNGs, the small businesses, the agriculture comments,” he said, adding there was absolutely nothing directional about the budget or a change of direction. (Trinidad Express)
