St. John’s — Sept. 8, 2010 — LIAT’s management announces that it is moving to put in place measures for implementation of a new LIAT/LIALPA Collective Bargaining Agreement.

This follows the July 05, 2010 ruling of a three-man arbitration panel headed by retired Barbadian jurist Sir Leroy Inniss QC, concerning a new Collective Bargaining Agreement between the Company and its pilots.

LIAT’s CEO Brian Challenger noted that while certain matters are still being clarified, the arbitration award nevertheless provides the opportunity for a new chapter in the often acrimonious relationship between LIAT and LIALPA.

“We believe that that the provisions of the arbitration ruling provide both parties with a blueprint for resolving the many issues that have traditionally plagued our relationship,” Challenger said.

“Based on the ruling from the arbitration panel and following several exchanges of communication with LIALPA we have prepared a draft Collective Agreement which we hope will form the basis for review by both sides and allow for an early signature of the agreement once the remaining areas of clarification are resolved.

“We have already taken action to implement those aspects of the award which had a clear timeline for implementation and we are putting in place the mechanisms to facilitate the necessary administrative and logistical changes, some of which are quite significant to our operations, in order to achieve earliest possible implementation of the agreement,” Mr. Challenger added.

Challenger noted that the company has been in communication with LIALPA with regard to the possible signing of the new Collective Agreement and it is hoped that planned discussions with LIALPA would enable an early identification of a date to sign the agreement.

The arbitration panel was set up following an agreement brokered by the Prime Ministers of Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados and St. Vincent and the Grenadines in July 2009 in an effort to settle long-standing industrial relations issues between the Company and its pilots.

LIAT is one of the leading Caribbean airlines. It is owned by regional shareholders, with the major shareholders being the Governments of Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. More information about LIAT may be found at www.liat.com.

MIAMI — Tropical Storm Igor has formed in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa near the Cape Verde Islands and has top sustained winds of near 40 mph (65 kph).

Forecasters at the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said Wednesday that Igor was moving toward the west near 8 mph (13 kph). The center of the storm is expected to pass south of the Cape Verde Islands by Thursday.

A tropical storm watch has been issued for the southern Cape Verde Islands.

Some slow strengthening is expected over the next two days.

Wheat Free Communion Wafers

FROM South America to the Mediterranean, and Africa to the Caribbean, millions of Catholics across the globe have reason to be grateful to this Bolton doctor.

Dr Kieran Moriarty, pictured left, an expert in digestive disorders at the Royal Bolton Hospital, has enabled about 10 million believers from around the world to take part in a key part of their worship.

The consultant’s ground-breaking research prompted the Pope himself to change the Church’s laws to enable the millions of Catholics who suffer from coeliac disease to break the bread.

Before his intervention, the Catholic church insisted the communion wafer, taken by the one billion members of the religion when they celebrate mass, must contain wheat.

This meant coeliacs, who suffer from an intolerance to wheat, could not take part in the fundamental part of the service.

But, after Dr Moriarty sent his research to church leaders back in 1995, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, changed the Catholic law to allow gluten-free wafers.

And now, the top doctor will meet the Pope as a guest at the Queen’s reception for Benedict XVI in Edinburgh next week.

Dr Moriarty said: “He changed the law based on my research so if I get to talk to him I’ll remind him of that.

“I was invited to an event two years ago, but couldn’t make it, and tried to ask a question of the Pope at a lecture in 1988 but was too far away.

“This is another chance and I’m looking forward to it.”

He has had other brushes with the Pope, as well as his name often being mentioned in The Vatican circles for his research into coeliacs and communion.

A copy of his CD of Irish Ballads, released in 2002, ended up in the hands of Pope John Paul II.

Dr Moriarty, a practising Catholic, was put forward to meet Pope Benedict by acting chief executive of the Royal Bolton Lesley Doherty when the trust was contacted to see if there was anyone suitable to attend the reception.

The doctor, who is part of Royal Bolton’s annual pilgrimage to Lourdes, then received an invitation last month and will go to Holyrood on Thursday, September 16, for the event.

It will be the first engagement in the Pope’s visit to the UK, after the head of the Catholic Church was invited here by the Queen.

Dr Moriarty, who enjoys singing, has rubbed shoulders with the Royal Family before, after being recognised with a CBE in the New Year Honours List in 2002.

He said: “I met Prince Charles, which was good, but I’ve never met the Queen.

“The opportunity to meet the Queen is a big honour, the opportunity to be at a reception with the Queen and the Pope is a double honour.”

Source: This is Lacashire

The O’Flaherty Brothers of Wexford have a diverse range of shipping interests ranging from a fishing trawler fleet, a short-sea coaster and ferries under the
Celtic Link Ferries banner, writes Jehan Ashmore.
The shipping family can now also claim to have operations in the far-flung seas of the Caribbean Sea through the chartering of their freight-ferry Diplomat (1978/16,776grt)
which was replaced late last year by Norman Voyager (2008/26,500grt) on the Rosslare-Cherbourg route.

Diplomat spent the winter laid-up at Waterford, where the 32-year vessel was one of the largest vessels to dock at the city-centre quays and formed a temporary albeit floating landmark.

In April the veteran departed Irish shores to take up a new career in the Caribbean. The Diplomat now serves three weekly round trips between the ports of Mayaguez and the
capital of San Juan in Peurto Rico and Rio Haina and San Domingo, the capital in the Dominican Republic, which shares the large island of Hispaniola with Haiti.

In an earlier career, the Diplomat whilst serving as the Baltic Ferry, was requistioned by the British Military of Defence as part of the Falkland Islands task force in the war
with Argentina in 1982. The vessel saw action which involved Royal Air Force Harrier Jump-Jets landing on the cargo-deck using the aircraft’s unique vertical take-off lift
(VTOL) capability.

Another vessel under the O’Flaherty sphere of operations, Finnforest (1978/15,525grt), a sistership of Diplomat and built from a series of successful Searunner-class vessels
ordered by Stena Rederi, returned to Dublin early this year. The vessel had spent several years on charter to Finnlines serving in the Baltic Sea between Helsinki and Gdynia, Poland.

Finnforest like the Diplomat underwent dry-docking at Dublin, with both vessels heading afterwards for lay-up periods at Waterford. Finnforest remains laid-up
awaiting a charter while berthed alongside the city-centre’s disused quays on the Co. Kilkenny side of the River Suir.

Source: AFLOAT

The Administration’s trend of ground-breaking developments in social security and child protection awareness continues as Guyana becomes the first country in the Caribbean region to produce postage stamps depicting the internationally recognized rights of children.

The accomplishment is the result of coordinated, collaborative efforts of several agencies responsible for the welfare of civil society. Through the resources of the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security, the Guyana Post Office Corporation (GPOC) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), more than 1000 Guyanese children between the ages of 7 and 16 focused on the Articles of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Recognizing the spirit of collaboration, Minister of Human Services and Social Security, who is credited with reinforcing the institutional capacity of the Ministry, especially in the area of supporting legislation, indicated that at the top of Government’s agenda is to develop all communities.

She noted that the ministry was pleased to collaborate with the GPOC to launch the stamps and highlighted the presence of Everal Franklin, MP of GAP/ROAR, whose activism and support of the Ministry’s programmes and promotion of the rights of children is evidence that there is a unified approach towards the application of government services..

In this regard, she highlighted that the six pieces of legislation presented on child welfare issues were unanimously passed in the National Assembly, as the nation works towards the protection of children.

She also called attention to the usefulness of the Child Protection Agency, which has been working daily to address every individual report of child abuse, registered either through walk-ins or the recently launched hotline, expressing commendations to all officers of the agency and its coordinator Anne Greene.

With the benefit of the law and a strong functional agency, the Minister posited that the next critical piece of the package is the process of implementation of the law, stating that, “We have much to be proud of, but much has been done. The proper implementation of the legislation will ensure that these are not just words on a fancy paper. Every person has to become a child protector.”

She pointed to the Administration’s involvement of children in national consultations, noting that the logo being used for the Child Protection Agency was designed by a child. This agency serves as a model for other similar entities being established elsewhere in the Caribbean. She therefore called on stakeholders to become familiar with the material, since greater understanding of the legislation will lead to speedy implementation of the many systems that need to be put in place for success.

The Minister noted that while Government welcomes healthy criticism, it also reserves the right to correct misrepresentations, noting that the time spent answering and responding to criticisms reduces that time that can be spent doing positive things for the country.

She outlined the Administration’s record on child welfare, with many of the resulting policies and entities becoming models used by other countries, now patterning practices in child protection.

Addressing the significance of the children’s stamp competition, the Minister highlighted the fact that one of the winners is a seven year old male, an indication that Government’s thrust towards mass awareness of the importance of child rights is reaching all demographics. She said, “We have already started the change in Guyana.”

Minister Manickchand encouraged the participation of young boys and men in civil society and cautioned that all should avoid the politicization of issues related to women and children in relation to abuse.

In this regard, she referred to the spirit of collaboration that is manifesting in Guyana and pointed out that, “For every report addressed and complaint fixed, a life is helped and a family is saved. We should all leave here saying, What can I do to assist government in implementing child protection legislation. If the only thing is to tell someone of their rights, this is significant, we spread the word that all need to be child protectors.”

Also present was Trevor Thomas, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Labour, Human Services and Social Security, Bishop Juan Edghill, chairman of the GPOC, Shirley Ferguson, coordinator of the Child Rights Division within the Ministry, Dr. Suleiman Braimoh, UNICEF country representative for Guyana, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago, as well as ministry staff, other officials of the United Nations, students, Postmaster General Henry Dundas and directors of the GPOC.
Minister Manickchand formally launched the stamps and encouraged usage for postage and private collections.

The rights chosen for depiction were: the right to be protected from being hurt and mistreated, the right to live with a family, and not remain in an institution, the right to be protected from drugs and the drug trade and the right not to witness domestic violence.

The winners were Lucas Jonas, aged 7, Bibi Sarah Ali, 12 years old, Deborah DeCamp 14 and Shamar Spencer 15 years.

Should a mosque be built near ground zero? Is this a form of discrimination of religion? Is freedom of religion protected in America?

Please view the video below: YOU DECIDE

Source Video: NY Times

An offshore oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico 80 miles off the Louisiana coastline west of the site of the April BP blast that caused a massive oil spill, Coast Guard officials said Thursday.

A rescue effort was reportedly underway to for at least 12 people aboard the rig, a Coast Guard spokesman told CNN. He told CNN 12 peopel had been accounted for and a 13th person was missing.

The blast was first reported by a commercial helicopter company about 9:30 a.m. CDT Thursday, Coast Guard Petty Officer Casey Ranel told the Associated Press.

Seven helicopters, two airplanes and four boats are en route to the site, about 80 miles south of Vermilion Bay along the central Louisiana coast.

Ranel says it hasn’t been determined whether the structure is a production platform or a drilling rig or whether workers were aboard. Ranel says smoke was reported but it is unclear whether the rig is still burning.

CaribWorldNews, QUEENS, NY, Weds. Sept. 1, 2010: A 24-year-old tennis player with roots in the Caribbean has moved on to the second round of the U.S. Open, which got underway in Flushing, Queens on Monday, Aug. 30th.

Gael `La Monf“ Monfils got past the big-serving American Robert Kendrick in his opening round match, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-4, to advance to the next round.

The 5-set match was a dog-fight throughout, but got controversial as the match was coming to a close. The controversy happened at 4-4 in the final set with Monfils serving. The Frenchman appeared to clip the ball before it landed out. The chair umpire gave the point to Monfils, which sent Kendrick into a tirade. The American lost his next service game and the match along with it.

Addressing the pro-American chants for first round opponent and Californian, Monfils, commented after his win: `I love USA, so for me it doesn`t matter. I can share with them because I love the USA. For me it was more of a distraction, was more to relax and enjoy a bit, maybe to think about something else. So for me, it was great.`

Monfils` parents are both from the French Caribbean though he was born in Paris, France. His father, Rufin, a former football player employed as an agent for France Telecom, comes from the island of Guadeloupe while his mother, Sylvette, comes from the island of Martinique, France and is a nurse.

The 6 ft. 4 inch Monfils considers Arthur Ashe to be his favorite player. He was coached by countryman and former ATP pro Thierry Champion (since September 2004) but they parted company in September 2006. Nevertheless, Monfils`s fitness trainer is still Rémi Barbarin. Monfils announced a partnership with a new coach, Tarik Benhabiles, in May 2007. However, for the 2008 season, Monfils has hired Roger Rasheed as his coach.

He has tattoos on both wrists, and giant wing tattoos on the lower half of his back. He is fond of listening to music, particularly R&B and has said if he did not play tennis, he would play basketball. He is a huge fan of NBA team Denver Nuggets and his favorite basketball player is Carmelo Anthony. Monfils is also a fan of football and
his two favorite football clubs are Arsenal F.C. and Paris-Saint Germain. He lives in Nyon, Switzerland.

Source: CARIBWORLD

Hurricane Earl

Earl, one of the two strongest hurricanes of the Atlantic season, headed toward the U.S. East coast after passing north of Puerto Rico today packing sustained winds of 135 miles (215 kilometers) per hour.

The Category 4 hurricane on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale was 150 miles north-northwest of San Juan in Puerto Rico moving west-northwest at 13 mph at 5 a.m. Miami time, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said on its website.

The storm may strike North Carolina’s Outer Banks by Sept. 3 while a “major” hurricane with winds of at least 111 mph, the center predicted. Tropical storm conditions are likely to affect the Turks and Caicos Islands today while heavy winds will subside in the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, it also said.

Earl’s northward march poses “a serious threat to the East coast as we approach the Labor Day weekend,” Jim Rouiller, senior energy meteorologist at the commercial forecaster Planalytics Inc., said in an e-mail. U.S. East coast beaches are often crowded for the Sept. 6 Labor Day holiday.

Earl is being followed by Tropical Storm Fiona, which formed yesterday over the Atlantic Ocean, and remained a “weak” system early today with sustained winds of 40 mph, the hurricane center said.

Fiona was 590 miles east of the Leeward Islands heading west-northwest at 23 mph, the center said. The storm is predicted to pass to the northeast of the Caribbean islands on a course between Bermuda and the U.S. Eastern seaboard.

Hovensa Refinery

Tropical storm watches, which indicate such conditions are expected within two days, were in place for Antigua, Barbuda, Montserrat, St. Kitts, Nevis, Anguilla, St. Maarten, Saba and St. Eustatius.

Earl’s winds have reached the same intensity as Danielle, which late yesterday weakened to 70 mph over the North Atlantic as the system became a post-tropical storm, an indication it’s no longer deriving its energy from warm waters. Earl’s tropical storm-force winds extended up to 200 miles from its eye and hurricane-force winds reached 70 miles, the center said.

Puerto Rico, the U.S. and British Virgin Islands and the Turks and Caicos all remained under tropical storm warning because of Earl, which was causing torrential downpours.

Hovensa LLC’s St. Croix refinery in the U.S. Virgin Islands operated though the island ports were shut as Earl passed to the east. The refinery sends finished products including heating oil and gasoline to the U.S. Gulf and East coasts, according to the company’s website.

“The outer rain bands of Hurricane Earl will continue to bring periods of torrential rainfall and tropical storm-force winds to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands through the morning hours,” the National Weather Service said in a local advisory. “Due to very saturated soils across the local islands, flash flooding as well as mudslides can be expected with the heavier showers.”

The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June through November, with the coming weeks usually the most active.

Also, a new hurricane warning has been issued Monday for the Puerto Rican islands of Culebra and Vieques.

Earl has been lashing the northeastern Caribbean with heavy rain and strong winds, causing flooding in low-lying parts of the Leeward Islands as it gains strength on a course that could threaten the eastern United States later this week.

The hurricane is located about 95 miles (150 kilometers) east-northeast of St. Thomas and is moving west-northwest near 15 mph (24 kph).

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Hurricane Earl lashed the northeastern Caribbean with heavy rain and strong winds Monday, causing flooding in low-lying parts of the Leeward Islands as it gained strength on a course that could threaten the eastern United States later this week.