Black Immigrant Daily News

A contingent of six RCIPS attended the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in London on Monday.

The officers attended the funeral parade with Detective Sergeant Daucea Scott, head of the Cayman Islands’ Domestic Violence Investigation Team and a 30-year veteran within the RCIPS.

They participated along the route of the procession after beginning duty at 5am, Cayman time.

Throughout the day, they assisted with crowd control and essential general policing duties and rotated positions with DS Scott on parade wherever possible.

“The Royal Cayman Islands Police Service, in support of the attendance of His Excellency The Governor and the Honourable Premier, were honoured to have taken part in the funeral service in London for Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II,” says Commissioner of Police Derek Byrne.

“The RCIPS representatives — comprising three male and three female officers — were led by Detective Superintendent Peter Lansdown, himself a former London Metropolitan Police Officer, have been selected from various departments across the service and have represented the Cayman Islands with great pride in ceremonial uniforms. It was indeed a great honour for the Service to be part of this historic and solemn occasion in London,” Byrne added.

Governor Martyn Roper stated: “It really was quite fitting that representatives from the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service took part in the funeral proceedings for Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II…. RCIPS personnel joined representatives from police forces across the Overseas Territories and the United Kingdom in London. I, like others across our islands, are proud of their service at this historic event.”

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The Eastern Caribbean Telecommunications Authority (ECTEL) and the National Telecommunications Regulatory Commissions (NTRCs) gathered virtually on September 13, 2022 for the 23rd ECTEL/NTRC Consultative Forum.

The aim of the session was to provide a platform for the NTRCs and ECTEL to discuss their budgets and work plan for the financial year 2022/2023.

It was also used to provide an update on the Universal Service Fund (USF) projects in each Member State and share lessons regarding the projects’ implementation.

In his update, the Secretary/Coordinator of NTRC Grenada, Mr. Lawrence Samuel identified several achievements attained over the last 20 years which include the promotion of open competition and the promotion of ubiquitous access and update of telecommunication services amongst others.

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However, despite the achievements he said there are still a few gaps to be addressed, such as the need to ensure greater quality of service monitoring.

Some of the USF projects being undertaken in Grenada include a project on public safety and disaster management, a Solar ICT Centre built in a rural community and the staging of an Intergenerational Boot Camp where computer literacy and skills were relayed to participants over forty years old.

Next was a presentation by the Director of NTRC St. Kitts and Nevis, Mr. Ervin Williams. He told the gathering that in speaking with the new Minister with responsibility for electronic communications, Honourable Konris Maynard, it is evident that he is ready to support the Ministers in the other Member States to follow through with the passage of the Electronic Communications (EC) Bill.

Mr. Williams also provided an update on a project for a health information system for the Ministry of Health under the USF.

Mr. Apollo Knights, NTRC St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ Secretary/Director said some of the main programmes being undertaken include a review and update of the National Broadband plan for the island, which formed part of a pledge to the International Telecommunication Union initiative on connecting people everywhere; the execution of the 24/7 online project comprising four lots covering the provision of free wireless internet access at community centres, learning resource centres, playing fields, NGOs and some tourist sites. He also mentioned that a new tourism app would be completed soon.

Mr. Knights said the app will support the creation of more local content as well as help support eco-tourism.

Mr. Craig Nesty, the Executive Director of NTRC Commonwealth of Dominica indicated that their consumer protection initiative is underway.

Their website has been updated to ensure it is more consumer centric, he also noted that customers are being encouraged to file complaints using the correct channel instead of airing their grievances on the radio.

Some of the initiatives being undertaken by the NTRC include the staging of Code Camp Caraibe for children 8 to 16 years geared at providing computer literacy and problem-solving skills and the launching of the Net4All initiative which provides broadband services for $10EC per month to persons in need.

To wrap up the presentations from the NTRCs, NTRC Saint Lucia’s Administrative Officer, Ms. Joanita Alexander said public awareness continues to be their focus and they plan to disseminate information on the Commission’s operations through a variety of media platforms, roadshows, town hall meetings and educational programmes.

Ms. Alexander also provided an overview of their recently held Summer Tech programme which served sixty (60) form Four students from Secondary Schools island wide.

Some of the USF projects being implemented in Saint Lucia include the provision of internet connection at the National Skills Development Centre; the provision of computers and internet connection at the Boys Training Centre and the smart bus shelter connectivity project among others.

The meeting ended with an update from ECTEL’s Managing Director (Acting) Ms. Cheryl Hector Fontenelle on the Directorate’s work plan for 2022/2023. She announced that the Directorate is in the process of developing a business continuity plan with a focus on resilience.

She said, “We are committed to working with our governments to ensure the digital transformation of our economies, as such we have to transform our own organisation to have a very robust IT infrastructure”.

Ms. Fontenelle also spoke about ECTEL’s role in the Caribbean Digital Transformation Project (CARDTP) which involves the review of the legal, regulatory and institutional framework for the electronic communications sector and the development of a Regulatory Impact Assessment Framework.

Additionally, Ms. Fontenelle provided an update on the status of the Electronic Communications (EC) Bill in each ECTEL Member State.

SOURCE: Eastern Caribbean Telecommunications Authority

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At least 250,000 people joined the huge line to see Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin lying in state for four days in London’s Westminster Hall at Parliament, an official said Tuesday.

Culture Secretary Michelle Donelan said officials were still “crunching the numbers,” but estimated that about a quarter-million people joined the longest queue most have ever seen for a chance to file past the queen’s coffin from September 14 until hours before her state funeral on Monday.

Many in the queue waited for up to 13 hours, braving the autumnal chill and spending the night shuffling along the River Thames to pay their respects to the late monarch. The London Ambulance Service said staff and volunteers cared for around 2,000 people who lined up, and took 240 for hospital treatment.

The queen, who died on September 8 in Scotland after 70 years on the throne, was interred alongside her late husband Prince Philip and her parents in Windsor Castle’s St George’s Chapel on Monday.

The private interment service followed a state funeral at Westminster Abbey attended by hundreds of world leaders and dignitaries, and 10 days of national mourning.

Outside Windsor castle, cleaners were busy clearing up and international news crews were taking down their equipment after thousands packed the streets Monday to view the military parade escorting the queen’s coffin to St. George’s Chapel.

“The nation certainly has come together. As for the crowd yesterday, it was unbelievable really,” said Marion Brettle, 73. “I think the whole nation stopped, and thought, and listened, and watched.”

The royal family were observing another week of mourning and aren’t expected to carry out official engagements. Flags at royal residences will remain at half-mast until the morning after the final day of royal mourning.

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The Ministry of Education, Technological and Vocational Training is pushing for every student across Barbados to learn about agriculture.

Education Minister Kay McConney informed the media on Monday that chief education officer Dr Ramona Archer-Bradshaw has been encouraging principals across nursery, primary and secondary institutions to start agricultural programmes.

…agriculture has to be a part of how we learn

“Our chief [education officer] has been encouraging all principals to ensure that the [Schools] Agriculture Programme is implemented in every school from nursery to primary to secondary because agriculture has to be a part of how we learn.”

“Our children have to learn that food does not come from supermarkets, that vegetables do not come from supermarkets. as we get them growing them we expect that they will have a greater respect for them and the nutritional value,” said the Minister after a tour of the Lawrence T Gay Memorial School.

She shared that ahead of the introduction of the national school nutrition policy, discussions have taken place on how to get students to eat healthier and have a holistic understanding of food and nutrition.

“We were just discussing programmes to ensure that our students are eating healthier in accordance with our new national nutritional policy for schools and ensure they are fully engaged in the business of growing their own food for a bigger understanding,” she added.

Chief Education Officer Dr Ramona Archer-Bradshaw noted that education officials were trying to get “children happy to eat healthier meals”. She disclosed that training sessions have occurred with vendors and canteen operators about the sale of healthier food options.

“We worked in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Wellness, the National Nutrition Centre and we exposed [vendors and canteen concessionaires] to various menus and various healthy snacks they can sell at the school – it is an ongoing process.

“We have a committee comprising representatives from the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education and they are working actively to further sensitise the canteen concessionaires, the vendors, the teachers, the members of staff and the students so we can get the turnaround that is needed in terms of the children’s taste. We want healthy children because healthy children learn better,” Dr Archer-Bradshaw added.

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