Black Immigrant Daily News

Basseterre, St. Kitts, October 18, 2022 — KayanJet FBO Services based at the Robert L. Bradshaw Airport has been operational in St. Kitts since  December 2013 and provides travelers and the aviation industry with a diverse range of lounge, FBO, and aircraft handling services to accommodate operators, executives and general travelers flying into St Kitts on commercial or private flights. 

KayanJet is excited to announce it has imminent plans to present to the Government, phase 2 of its FBO development at the RLB airport which will include the construction of a commercial aircraft hangar, aircraft maintenance, repair, and operations facility that will provide aviation engineering and training for persons in St. Kitts & Nevis. Other plans slated are a bonded warehouse and an inflight kitchen facility which will be tendered to local caterers to operate. This phase of expansion would vastly benefit the islands economically, through investment and ancillary business activities apart from increased employment generation for its residents.  

KayanJet is the only and exclusive 5-star Lounge and FBO facility operational at the RLB International  Airport, built entirely at our own cost (in excess of US$10m) without recourse to public funds and entirely self-funded all through the pandemic shutdown and continues to provide valuable employment. 

Our unique and state-of-the-art Lounge located in our Private Terminal maintains the highest level of privacy and discretion while catering to every need of a visiting guest. Avoiding the hustle and bustle of a usual Airport terminal is enjoyed by all our clients who use our facility which includes in-house customs and immigration processing, and exquisite food & beverage offerings all delivered with personalized attention to detail and service.  

Currently, KayanJet is offering a special rate for citizens and residents of St. Kitts & Nevis with a 40%  discount on lounge passes. This offer is available until the end of October 2022 with additional promotions for future travel. In January 2023, KayanJet will launch a Frequent Flyer program which will allow members to attain special pricing and offerings for the lounge while flying in and out of the RLB  International Airport in St. Kitts. 

Chairman of KayanJet, Dr. Uday Nayak stated “St. Kitts & Nevis has always felt like a second home for me and it has been special from the moment I first stepped on the island of St. Kitts in 2006 to watch a  Cricket match. I am excited about the plans to supplement our initial investment in the FBO & Lounge 10 years ago. The new facilities and services will surely enhance the offerings at the RL Bradshaw  International Airport. We look forward to working with the Government and SCASPA on this expansion  project.” 

KayanJet is approaching 10 years in St. Kitts & Nevis, during this time we have supported several worthy causes, charities, and NGOs including sporting teams, church organizations, the National carnival,  arts and culture groups, the Ministry of National Security, social services, Christmas hampers for families and other noteworthy entities. KayanJet also funded the refurbishment of the VIP arrival lounge at that RLB airport main terminal for the Govt. of St. Kitts & Nevis. 

Contact us today to make your reservation for a unique VIP service while traveling to and from St.  Kitts & Nevis!

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Black Immigrant Daily News

PARIS (AP) — Karim Benzema won the men’s Ballon d’Or for the first time on Monday after a brilliant season with Real Madrid capped by the Champions League and Spanish league titles.

Spanish player Alexia Putellas won the women’s trophy for the second straight year following another standout season with Barcelona.

Benzema had his best season ever at Madrid, being the top scorer in both leagues. He scored 44 times for Madrid, including 15 in Europe’s top competition, and equalled Ra?l Gonz?lez as the club’s second-highest scorer behind Cristiano Ronaldo.

Benzema, at 34, became the oldest winner since the first recipient in 1956, Stanley Matthews.

“Age is just a number for me,” he said. “People play until their later years now and I still have this burning desire. It is this drive that has kept me going and never allowed me to let up.”

Benzema won ahead of Sadio Man? and Manchester City playmaker Kevin De Bruyne. Man? played for Liverpool last season and joined Bayern Munich in the summer.

“I’m really proud, it’s a lot of work and a kid’s dream come true,” Benzema said.

He succeeded Lionel Messi, who won the award for a record-extending seventh time last year but was not among the nominees this time after his first season with Paris Saint-Germain.

For the first time this year, the Ballon d’Or was based on achievements from the past season. It had previously been awarded based on performances throughout calendar years.

Awarded by France Football magazine, the Ballon d’Or has been given out to men for 66 years. The women’s trophy was created in 2018, and both were cancelled in 2020 because of the pandemic.

Benzema became the fifth Frenchman to win it after Raymond Kopa, Michel Platini, Jean-Pierre Papin and Zinedine Zidane, who was crowned in 1998, the year France won their first World Cup.

Benzema was not part of the France squad that triumphed at the 2018 World Cup in Russia but, barring an injury, will compete at the tournament in Qatar next month.

After nearly six years out following his involvement in a sex tape scandal, Benzema was recalled by France coach Didier Deschamps last year ahead of the European Championship and has played regularly since.

“There were much more difficult moments for me, when I was not selected (with France) and I did not give up,” Benzema said after Zidane, his former coach at Madrid, handed him the trophy. “I am really proud of my career. This is the Golden Ball of the people.”

Leading an attack that also included Vin?cius J?nior and Rodrygo, Benzema played a crucial role last season to drive Madrid to a record-extending 14th European title, and his fifth since he joined from Lyon in 2009. The Frenchman was the tournament’s top scorer and found the net when it really mattered, with 10 of his goals in the knockout stages.

Putellas scored 42 goals and delivered 22 assists last season. She became the first player to win the award twice.

With Barcelona, she won the Spanish League and reached the Champions League final. She has been sidelined since July after injuring her left knee and undergoing surgery on the eve of the Women’s European Championship.

“When I got injured I didn’t think I’d be here today, but it makes me proud to get recompense for all that hard work,” she said. “I miss playing so much and doing what I like to do the most.”

Putellas beat out fellow forwards Beth Mead of Arsenal and England and Sam Kerr of Chelsea and Australia for the award at the ceremony in Paris. A panel of international journalists chose the winners.

In other awards, the Kopa Trophy for the best under-21 player went to 18-year-old Barcelona midfielder Gavi, while Robert Lewandowski won the Gerd M?ller award for the best striker of the year.

The Lev Yashin award for best goalkeeper went to Real Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois.

Ballon d’Or organizers added a humanitarian prize named after the late Brazil midfielder Socrates. The trophy went to Man? for his charity work in Senegal including building a hospital and school donations.

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Black Immigrant Daily News

News

Independent Senator Paul Richards, chairman of the Parliament’s Joint Select Committee on Social Services and Public Administration.

MOST workers in the public service were happy to work from home, and productivity online during pandemic lockdowns generally matched that of office-based staff, said a recent report by Parliament’s Joint Select Committee (JSC) on Social Services and Public Administration chaired by Independent Senator Paul Richards.

“According to the Ministry of Public Administration (MPA), the view that there is low productivity and poor service delivery in the Public Service has not been substantiated by data,” the JSC report said, referring to the work-from-home (WFH) period.

However, there is not yet any WFH policy for the public service, nor any labour laws to regulate this activity. A survey of 66 managers in the public service, municipal corporations, and Tobago House of Assembly (THA) got 58 responses. Most managers – 60 per cent – said most employees who worked from home had done so “just as effectively” as at their workplace. Some 34 per cent said employees worked from home less effectively.”Five per cent of respondents indicated that most employees who worked from home did so more effectively than when they worked from their assigned place of work.”

Results were less clear-cut as to how WFH practices had affected worker productivity, with fewer managers saying it had remained the same, but more saying it had improved. The same rate of pessimism existed for WFH productivity as for worker effectiveness, that is, 34 per cent.

Some 46 per cent of managers said productivity remained the same, while ten per cent said it had increased. Some 34 per cent indicated a decrease, while nine per cent were uncertain. The JSC opined, “It was encouraging to note that the majority of state bodies reported that their employees were able to work just as effectively at home as they did in the office”.

The JSC said the findings suggest a significant potential to standardise WFH arrangements in the public sector within an apt regulatory framework.

“In light of the finding that the majority of state entities surveyed reported that employees were able to work just as effectively from home, the Chief Personnel Officer/ Personnel Department should provide an update to the Parliament on its reclassification exercise, inclusive of its assessment of public-sector jobs that can be done from home.”

The report said, last year the Ministry of Planning and Development was given $300,000 to develop a WFH policy for the Public Service.”A survey of 1,068 public-sector employees representing ten MDAs conducted by the Ministry of Planning and Development indicated that 853 (82 per cent) of them were able to work from home.” MDAs refer to ministries, departments and agencies in the public sector.

The report gave figures showing most respondents, 69 per cent, were under 44 and so likely to be familiar with online technology and so have access to the survey. These were 38 per cent aged 25-34 and 32 per cent aged 35-44.

Overwhelmingly, most staff said they liked working from home – 59 per cent being very comfortable, 19 per cent comfortable, and 12 per cent fairly comfortable. Seven per cent were neutral and three per cent were not comfortable working from home.

Some 91 per cent said they wanted to continue working from home. Nine per cent did not.

The report said WFH “allows for more productivity, flexibility and reduced transportation cost; projects will be delivered on time; and less time spent in traffic.

“Some of the reasons for not wanting to continue to work from home include getting more done at the office, preferring to separate work life from home life, social isolation, and distractions.”

The report said while most staff wanted to work from home, there was a need to look into reasons for not wanting to work from home and offer assistance or solutions where practicable.

Some 87 per cent of staff had facilities to enable them to work from home; 13 per cent said they did not.

The JSC said, “The Personnel Department will be responsible for any adjustment made to terms and conditions of employment related to any WFH policy implemented and indicated that majority unions will need to be consulted should any changes need to be made to terms and conditions of employment.”

The department is now evaluating 1,621 jobs in the public service, the report added. Some 35 per cent of these jobs can be done remotely, the JSC said, while 36 per cent were considered to be hybrid and done partially from home.

“Based on ILO guidelines, when employees are working from home, the home space becomes an extension of the work space.

“There is currently no case law in TT to govern employer responsibility when employees work from home. However, there is precedent established in other jurisdictions.”

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Black Immigrant Daily News

Tobago

Chief Secretary Farley Augustine, right, buys a scented candle from Melissa Sylvan, left, of Exotic Bath Creations by Mel at the opening of Shaw Park Food Hub on Monday. Photo by David Reid

THA Chief Secretary Farley Augustine told a gathering of small entrepreneurs on Monday that they must always practise good customer service when selling their products to locals and foreigners.

He was delivering the feature address at the opening of the Shaw Park Food Hub. The theme of the event was All Things Tobago.

The hub, on Orange Hill Road, near the Shaw Park Cultural Complex, is meant to be a centre for commercial activity not just for local, agro-processed products but also for art and craft, indigenous cuisine and entertainment. It is a collaboration between the Division of Food Security, Natural Resources, the Environment and Sustainable Development and the Tobago Agri-Business Development Company.

Augustine said customer service is critical to the success of the hub.

“I pray to God that the food hub does not adopt traditional market-vendor behaviour… that we are able to evolve in the way we treat people,” he said. “Treat every Tobagonian that comes to your stall the same way you will treat a foreigner or – let me put in plainly – treat every Tobagonian that comes to your stall the same way your would treat a white man with a foreign accent.

“And be reminded that every Trinidadian that walks through this space is in fact a tourist too, and they must be treated as tourists.”

Saying Tobagonians and Trinidadians may not always agree “on the political side,” Augustine added, “You see, when it comes to our space, we must treat them with dignity and treat them with love and keep them coming back, because they are tourists too, and deserve our best customer service.”

He told the entrepreneurs they should not be discouraged by low sales.

“I encourage you to keep pressing on. There will be days that you will come here and the sales will be very low. You might come here a day and wouldn’t make $100 or $200…But there will be days you will come here and be overwhelmed and all your goods will be sold.”

The point, he said, was: “Good entrepreneurs stick to it.

“Keep consistency with the quality of your product. Keep producing every bene ball, every pone, loaf of bread, produce it with all the love you can put into it, so that when you are giving that product you are giving the best of yourself.”

He said they should always bear in mind that the patron with whom they are interacting will be getting an example of what Tobago has to offer.

“You might be their only impression of Tobago.”

Augustine said the Shaw Park hub will bring some liveliness back to Scarborough.

“For a while, Scarborough became a place where you catch a car to go somewhere else to the action. But what this is doing is providing avenues in our capital that people will want to stay and engage each other.”

Vendor Lydia Joseph, of Lyd’s Products, displays her homemade seamoss and wines at the opening of the Shaw Park Food Hub. Photo by David Reid

He added the initiative is in sync with the global trend of gastronomic tourism (travellers visiting for the sake of sampling new foods characteristic of that place),

“That has become a signal component of tourism the world over, because you recognise that gastronomic tourism provides visitors with opportunities to create unique and memorable experiences that will highlight kitchen cultures and local and regional foods.”

Augustine said gastronomic tourism also promotes an understanding of different cultures.“There is no better way to share your culture with people than with a plate of food. In one plate of food, someone can understand so much about a people.”

He said it is emerging as one of the most important sub-sectors of the tourism industry globally.

The hub, which is 80 per cent complete, will soon offer facilities for dirt-oven baking. Bleachers are to be built on its periphery for outdoor events

Augustine suggested provisions be made for Wifi access and wide-screen monitors for patrons so that they can enjoy sports, especially with the World Cup just around the corner. He also suggested a playpark for children.

Similar food hubs are being planned for Roxborough and Mason Hall.

Augustine said the division is preparing to rehabilitate the Botanical Gardens in Scarborough.

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Black Immigrant Daily News

An analysis of Guyana’s coronavirus numbers has shown that 31,329 persons contracted the virus for the year thus far.

Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony shared statistics on Monday during the COVID-19 briefing, where he highlighted that January saw the highest spike, at 19,900 cases. By February, the number dropped to 2570 cases.

The following months showed 379 in March; 267 in April; 1686 in May; 2715 in June; 2456 in July; 1032 in August; 287 in September and 37 for October thus far.

Presently, only 47 active cases are being monitored by the Health Ministry, but he maintained that this might be an underestimation of the actual situation.

“There are still people who are infected with COVID and while we have been tracking 47 cases, this is probably an underestimate because there are lots of people who might have flu-like symptoms and they might mistake those symptoms for flu. They can easily infect other people. The idea is that if you want to remain safe, you should wear a mask, especially if you’re in a crowded area and in indoor environments,” Dr Anthony relayed.

A breakdown of active cases reflects one in Region Two, two in Region Three, 25 in Region Four, one in Region Five, 10 in Region Six, five in Region Seven, one in Region Eight, one in Region Nine and one in Region 10.

To date, Guyana has recorded 71,404 confirmed cases. Only one infection was reported in the Health Ministry’s dashboard on Monday. No cases are being monitored in the Intensive Care Unit.

There are two persons in institutional isolation, 44 in home isolation, and two in institutional quarantine. To date, deaths remain at 1281 while recoveries are pegged at 70,077. Since the pandemic was detected locally, 32,726 males and 38,678 females contracted the virus.

In the meantime, vaccines are still offered countrywide at the various sites. Sinopharm, Pfizer, Moderna and a limited number of Johnson and Johnson vaccines remain available.Symptoms of the coronavirus include fever, cough, tiredness, diarrhoea, pains, sore throat and loss of taste or smell. The more serious symptoms are difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, chest pain and loss of speech or movement.

If anyone is displaying any of the symptoms associated with COVID-19 or needs any additional information, they are asked to contact the COVID-19 Hotline 231-1166, 226-7480 or 624-6674 immediately or visit www.health.gov.gy.

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