Montserrat will be the hub for the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Network of Excellence for Tourism and Hospitality Training and Education.
This was disclosed by Montserrat’s representative on the OECS Task Force for the Project Paul Payne.
The project concept has been approved by European Union with a timeframe of 2 years for implementation.
The project will consist of linking ‘centres of excellence’ in each OECS territories with each specializing in an area of tourism and hospitality.
Speaking with ZJB News, Mr. Payne says consultants, who are working on the OECS European Union Project to establish the Network, visited the island in the past and spoke with key tourism stake holders.
The consultants produced a report based on the feedback they received in the nine OECS member territories.

The official opening of the new Montserrat ferry terminal facility in Antigua is scheduled to take place on Friday.
The facility is housed in the former Coast nightclub located on the waterfront at the entrance to the existing ferry terminal.
Speaking at the opening of the annual St Patrick’s Festival at the Heritage Village in Salem, the Honourable Premier, Donaldson Romeo, said the opening of the new ferry terminal facility symbolized a turn of events for Montserrat.
He also described the facility as a beautiful piece of structure equipped with all necessary amenities.

The 2015 St Patrick’s Festival moves into high gear tonight with two contrasting festivities.
They are the annual St Patrick’s Lecture which begins at 7:30 at the Montserrat Cultural Centre in Little Bay.
The other is Rhythm Night starting at 7:30 in Salem.
Chairman of the St Patrick’s Festival David Duberry says Rhythm Night is expected to continue until late into the night, affording persons who attend the lecture tonight an opportunity to partake of the activity.

In other top stories:
Telecommunications provider, DIGICEL, presented a cheque of $25, 000 to the St. Patrick’s Festival Committee on Thursday …
Rose Willock says she’s feels proud and humbled to be honoured at home…
These and more in today’s national news presented by Viona Alexander Smith…
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Reinstatement of increments, an increase in salary and the recruitment of new members will be the immediate priorities of the new elected President of the Montserrat Civil Service Association (MCSA).
Nurse Violet Browne was elected to the position of President at the CSA’s annual general meeting on Wednesday.
In an interview with ZJB News, Nurse Browne explained why recruitment of members would be her first priority.
She also announced that the CSA is also looking at increasing the annual subscription fee.

A Proclamation Ceremony will mark the official Opening of the 20th Year Observance of the Soufriere Hills Volcanic Eruptions.
“20 Years On – Healing and Transformation” will officially open 7:00 pm on Friday March 13th, at the Cultural Centre in Little Bay.
Shirley Osborne, the honourable Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, who with Delacey Peter from the Premier’s Office, is a co-chair of the group, says “The theme, ’20 Years On – Healing and transformation’ is evidence of the collaborative approach we are taking to this year of activities”.

A former Chief Minister of Montserrat has congratulated the Government of Montserrat for the new Montserrat ferry terminal facility in Antigua.
The new facility is scheduled to open officially on Friday.
Dr Lowell Lewis says this new facility is correcting the unacceptable situation at the Ferry dock in Antigua, which saw handicapped and older persons and children crammed, sometimes in pouring rain, within feet of a docking Ferry.
He says Montserrat now also has the opportunity to move ahead with a proposed Inter-island sports project.

In other top stories:
Montserrat’s Premier says digitization of historical documents for public access is critical…
The US visitor caught with a gun and ammunition in his luggage when he arrived in Antigua destined to Montserrat, was fined a total of $17,000 after he pleaded guilty in the All Saints Magistrate Court Tuesday…
The 2015 St. Patrick’s Festival is now in full swing, following the official opening of the celebrations last evening…
These and more in today’s national news presented by James White Junior.
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Montserrat is gearing up for the possible institution of a single harmonized Customs law across the Caribbean region by March next year.
Deputy Comptroller in the Customs division of the Montserrat Customs and Revenue Services, Derrick Lee, says several meetings are being held region-wide to this effect.
Lee says meetings are being held across the region to finalize legislation.
The Deputy Comptroller of Customs, who attended a meeting recently in Antigua, says another gathering is organized for Trinidad at which him, along with his colleagues from across the Caribbean, as well as legal minds will firm up legislation for implementation.

A Child Safety Review has made a number of recommendations that are intended to aid the Royal Montserrat Police Service (RMPS) at a tactical level.
The suggestions are contained in an executive summary prepared by Michael Sheath and Adrian Todd of the Lucy Faithful Foundation.
Sheath and Todd visited Montserrat between December 1st and 14th last year.
63 persons were spoken to directly, with all institutions with responsibility for child safeguarding contributing views and evidence.

Police in Antigua are not yet able to say if there was any motive for US Visitor, held on gun and ammunition charges, James Peloguin’s planned visit to Montserrat.
Public Relations Officer of the Royal Antigua and Barbuda Police Force, Corporal Frankie Thomas says from questioning Mr. Peloguin, he apparently forgot the weapon in his carry-on bag.
James Peloguin who arrived in Antigua from Miami was apprehended at the VC Bird International Airport on Saturday after a revolver and ammunition were discovered in his bag.
Mr. Peloguin was in transit to Montserrat and had intended to travel on Fly Montserrat.
Reports out of Antigua confirmed that seven matching rounds of ammunition were also found in the bag.

In other top stories:
Prison should not be just about confinement; it should be about rehabilitation so that people do not reoffend upon release…
The Montserrat Yacht Club (MYC) plans to establish a Sailing School this year…
These and more in today’s national news presented by Viona Alexander Smith.
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The curtains were drawn Monday afternoon on what has been described as a Rally and exhibition with a distinct difference and rated second to none.
The event, showcasing students from the Montserrat Secondary School, formed part of Commonwealth Day celebrations on island
Students and teachers from the Montserrat Secondary school participated in a March from Brades to the Montserrat Cultural Centre in Little Bay where students and government officials were engaged in talent displays and short speeches in commemoration of Commonwealth Day 2015.
A contingent of 84 students and teachers traveled from neighbouring St. Kitts to join in solidarity with their counterparts from Montserrat in observing the occasion.

A group of women spearheaded by the Honourable Speaker of the Legislative Assembly Shirley Osborne have come up with several resolutions to end violence against women on Montserrat.
The resolutions were announced during an event on Sunday dubbed “Poetry, Songs and Resolutions” in celebration of International Women’s Day.
The event at Soca Cabana in Little Bay was organized by host of ZJB’s radio programme “Fa So La” Miss Shirley Osborne.
She says one of the resolutions is for all women, organizations and persons on island to mount a campaign to raise public awareness about violence against women and children on Montserrat.

In other top stories:

Know yourself; believe in yourself and invest in yourself – that’s the advice given to women on Montserrat by Montreal-based Montserratian Christiana Howe…
The National Awards Committee encourages persons here to show appreciation to the 2015 honourees by attending the National Awards Ceremony…
Young entrepreneurs here encourage to create products which can be exported to other markets around the world…
These and more in today’s national news presented by James White Jr..
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A new tourism marketing thrust has been developed for Montserrat driven by an updated website.
According to a press release issued by the Tourism Division of the Montserrat Development Corporation (MDC), the island of Montserrat is on the rebound.
“Go off the grid: Appreciating the island’s green and gritty sides” is how the tourism division is now marketing Montserrat.

The Honourable Deputy Premier and the Minister of Education, Health and Social Services Delmaude Ryan was recognized by the Chevening programme on International Women’s Day.
Mrs Ryan is one of seven former Chevening Scholarship alumnae who was recognized as a woman “Making it Happen”.
According to the Chevening Alumni Alliance, “Every year on March 8th women from all walks of life are celebrated on International Women’s Day.
It states that it is a day where their achievements, and the contribution they make to society, are recognised and lauded.
It adds that the theme for 2015 is ‘make it happen’ and Chevening is using this as an opportunity to showcase some of its alumnae who are the personification of that theme.

And another Montserratian lady has received special honours for her work as part of global observations marking International Women’s day yesterday.
Montreal-based Montserratian Christiana Howe has been honoured by the Playmas Montreal Cultural Association of Canada.
Miss Howe, a nurse by professor, patient advocate and an entrepreneur on Sunday received the “Woman of Merit Award” during the association’s Caribbean Tea Party “ A Taste of Tea” in celebration of International Women’s Day.
She is also the Owner of Caribbean Essence Boutique located at the public market business complex in Little Bay.

In Other top stories:
A banana fest will form part of the Sankofa Heritage Garden party planned for next Friday…
These and more in today’s national news presented by Shirlian Queeley.
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There is to date still no information forthcoming from the recent review of the operations of the Montserrat Development Corporation (MDC).
The review was conducted over the past few months by a task force set up by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, DfID and the Government of Montserrat.
His Excellency the governor Adrian Davis says the interim report was specifically made available to himself and Honourable Premier Donaldson Romeo.
However, Mr. Davis posits that the handling of both the interim report and the full report, where information dissemination is concerned, would be something that would have to be decided on by the government of Montserrat as the sole shareholder of MDC.

Work on new passenger transit facilities at the Montserrat ferry terminal in Antigua is nearing completion.
The facility will be housed in the former Coast nightclub.
It is located on the waterfront, at the entrance to the exiting ferry terminal and has been acquired on a lease basis by the Government of Montserrat.
The spacious facility which can comfortably accommodate over a hundred people is being refurbished and redecorated by Montserratian businessmen Ivan Pocket Hickson and Reinford ‘Kulcha Don” Gibbons on behalf of the Government of Montserrat.
The new ferry terminal will house the ferry bookings office and Antigua immigration.

The Department for International Development (DfID’s) country representative here says every effort is being made to ensure Montserrat has a viable future.
Martin Dawson intimates that it is with this in mind that an economic strategy is being fashioned to maximize the positive impact of key projects on national development.
He says the aim is to get these projects underway as soon as possible.

These and more in today’s national news presented by Shirlian Queeley.
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Montserrat is among several Caribbean islands recording impressive growth in the tourism industry in 2014.
According to figures released by the Department of Statistics 10,553 visitors came to the island last year, an increase of 16.2 per cent over 2013.
The jump in visitor arrivals translated into increased revenue for the country, and is a positive sign for the island still recovering from volcanic eruptions in 1995.
The visitors reportedly spent a total of 22 million dollars in 2013, an increase of 21.3 per cent over the previous year, which recorded18.1 million dollars.
There were 2, 076 visitors in December last a sharp increase over the 1,228 in 2013.
The figures also show an increase in the number of excursionists from 1,520 to 1749.

Montserrat’s leader of Government business has moved to resolve a very prickly situation that has arisen this week.
There has been uneasiness in some quarters over a decision by the Montserrat Development Corporation (MDC) to give permission to a local promoter to use the new sporting complex in little Bay for an entertainment activity this weekend.
Honourable Premier, Donaldson Romeo, said he would not stand in the way of the entertainment function coming off.
However, Premier Romeo said he wanted to make it abundantly clear that his government would not have given preference to such an activity over any sporting discipline especially since the Basketball Association had asked permission to use the facility some time ago.

The Montserrat Yacht Club (MYC) is hoping to implement a number of activities and projects as they strive to promote and develop the yachting sector here.
Earlier this week the Club held its annual general Meeting and elected a new executive who agreed on the clubs goals and aspirations for 2015 and beyond.
The executive includes Commodore Ralph Birkhoff; Vice-Commodore Jay Steed; Treasurer Ivason Galloway; Secretary Adrian Galloway and Social Chair: Vidya Birkhoff.
The Club points out that the marine tourism and cruising sector is one of the fastest growing an economically attractive niche tourism sectors in the Caribbean.

These and more in today’s national news presented by Viona Alexander Smith.
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The Department for International Development (DfID) country representative here has moved to clear up any uncertainty surrounding the status of procurement within the government of Montserrat.
There has been much uncertainty as to who can procure what and when and whether or not this is actually holding up the process given DfID’s various directives on the subject.
But Martin Dawson says it is incumbent on him to clear the air by speaking about the current situation regarding procurement

As part of its Community Engagement drive, the Royal Montserrat Police Service (RMPS) held a meeting Tuesday with local ‘Sand Miners’ who export sand via the jetty in the abandoned capital Plymouth.
The meeting was further initiated as a result of a review of the operating procedures of the sand miners as well as observations made by members of the public into those operations.
Four of the six miners, along with representatives of the RMPS and the Disaster Management Coordination Agency (DMCA) were present at the meeting at the police headquarters in Brades.

The ability of Montserrat and other OECS territories to access emergency services in Guadeloupe and Martinique has been placed into the spotlight.
Dr. James St. Catherine of the OECS Commission says a lot of work has been done in the past to rationalize health facilities and services in the sub-region, including Martinique through the provision of competitive and high quality service in recovery and rehabilitation.
Dr. St. Catherine made the comment following the re-convening of the OECS Commission weekly virtual meeting of key decision makers in the health sector earlier this week.
The main area of focus was an update on plans for a meeting in Martinique in May this year for OECS Health Ministers, Chief Medical Officers and other key stakeholders.

The news presented by James White Jr.
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The Department of Education’s IT (Information Technology) infrastructure should be greatly enhanced to make it more effective and efficient.
This follows a recent training in computer technology and related fields in India by department’s Computer Engineer Denfield Morris.
Morris, who is a Microsoft and Cisco certified administrator was awarded a scholarship in Computer technology and related fields under the Indian Technical and Economic Programme from October 16th, 2014 to February 14th, 2015
The Computer Engineer says he’s now more equipped to assist the Education Department in its quest to improve and advance its IT infrastructure

The Royal Montserrat Police Service (RMPS) is conducting investigations into an attempted robbery of an employee of a Business in the Brades area.
The incident occurred approximately after 8 o’clock on Saturday night.
The RMPS says the person who was attacked suffered minor injuries which are not live threatening.
No one has been arrested in connection with the attempted robbery. The Police is therefore appealing to the public to contact them if they have any information which may assist their investigations.

All activities at the St Martin De Pores Catholic Church in Salem have been temporary suspended.
A defect with the Church’s flooring has forced the closure of the building.
Sunday services and the daily mass will be held at the St Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church in Look Out and other church premises.

In other top stories:
The Honourable Minister of Communications, Works and Labour is attending the 9th International Labour Organization (ILO) meeting of Caribbean Ministers…
The Sir Howard Fergus Scholarship Fund receives a donation of over $16,000 thousand to contribute towards the educational advancement of the island’s people…
This year’s St. Patrick’s Festival will open with an entertaining ceremony and showcase…
These and more in today’s national news presented by Viona Alexander Smith.
Click on the mediaplayer below to listen…

The Honourable Minister of Education has been highlighting the vital importance and positive contribution of Entrepreneurship to Montserrat as well as bringing out the creativity in individuals.
Mrs Delmaude Ryan was speaking at the start of a one-week CARICOM Secretariat-led Creativity for Employment and Business Opportunity (CEBO) workshop at the Montserrat Cultural Centre on Monday.
In bringing home her point, Mrs. Ryan highlighted the success of many talented and creative individuals such as the late Alphonsus “Arrow” Cassell, the Osborne’s and Perkins of Perks Punch among others who had great ideas and who started their own companies.

There’s been much stinging reaction from Montserratians at home and in the diaspora to the way in which Montserrat lost its title in the just-concluded 2015 Leeward Islands Debating Competition (LIDC) in St. Kitts.
Montserrat debaters, who were defending champions, lost to Anguilla by 621 points to Anguilla’s 654 in the final of the competition Sunday night.
Team Montserrat proposed the moot “When public funds are mismanaged, government leaders should face criminal prosecution.”
Many Montserratians took to social media and Radio Montserrat to express their views on the final result which relegated Montserrat to second place.

The retrial of the Orin Evans murder case is among the matters to come before His Lordship the Honourable Justice Albert Redhead in the March Criminal Assizes which opens on Tuesday.
Evans, who is represented by attorney at law David S. Brandt, was found guilty of murder by a nine member jury in 2013 for the 2012 death of business man Aubrey Barry.
He was sentenced by then presiding Judge, Albert Redhead to 35 years imprisonment.
However, in November 2014, the Court of Appeal sitting in Montserrat quashed the conviction and 35 year sentence of Evans and also ordered a retrial of the matter.

In other top stories:
“Volcano at 20 – Discerning Shifting Rhythms and Beat” will be the topic for this year’s annual St. Patrick’s Lecture…
A move by several independent Caribbean states to sue Britain, Holland and France for slavery reparations is justified…
These and more in today’s national news presented by James White Jr.
Click on the mediaplayer below to listen…