The Government of Dominica has decided to remove the duty on all biodegradable items, in preparation for a ban on Styrofoam and plastics.
 
Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit advised that the measure will take effect from January 2019.
 
He said, “The cabinet has taken a decision, and legislation to ban Styrofoam bowls, cups and plastic food utensils, and remove the duties and biodegradable items, so that our citizens can have access to it in a cheaper fashion. From January, we will have that in full effect and we look forward to everyone cooperating and collaborating.”.
 
The prime Minster also expressed concern over the indiscriminate littering which is taking place in Dominica. He stated that “there will be other actions that the government will articulate with respect to biodegradable items as well as littering, because we have to address this in a fundamental and serious way as a country. Too many people are just throwing things on the streets, on the side of the road and ravines with no admonition and those that do not listen, will feel the full extent and wrath of the law”.
 
The Prime Minister is encouraging everyone to work together as a country “if we want to see a pristine and clean Dominica.”

The DLP Government now says construction of a geothermal power plant will begin in the Roseau Valley area by September 2019, after 8 years of promises. According toTrade, Energy & EmploymentMinister Ian Douglas, this indicates that Dominica is continuing on its path towards becoming a climate resilient country.
 
Douglas explained, “The government has seen tremendous progress being made in the Geothermal Development Program. This is one of the pillars upon which we intend to achieve the goal of being the first climate resilient country in the world. We are now in the position to begin the construction of the power plant by the third quarter of 2019.With the commissioning of this plant, we will be in a position to benefit from clean, reliable, low-cost, renewable, high-quality energy supply in the future, which will benefit all sectors of productive activity in Dominica.”
 
The DLP Administration’s plans to tap Dominica’s geothermal energy potential in the Roseau Valley started since 2011,but its initial exploration investments actually started some years prior to that, in the Soufriere area.Drilling for the Roseau Valley geothermal project ended in 2015, and the project then took a new direction.
 
In his budget address in 2015, Prime Minister Skerrit said negotiations were underway for a joint venture with a French investment consortium, to build and operate a plant with the aim of exporting electricity to Guadeloupe and Martinique.
 
Subsequently, the government announced in 2016, that it had taken a decision to run the geothermal project as a company solely owned by the government and people of Dominica, and would go ahead alone in constructing a small geothermal plant in the country, and committed to investing US$15M into the geothermal company, with funds from the Citizenship by Investment Program.
 
In February 2017, Prime Minister Skerrit stated that an investment of $45-million would be made available for the development of a geothermal plant, and that these funds would also come from the country’s Citizenship by Investment Program (CBI).
 
Dominicans are now skeptically wondering whether Minister Douglas’s announcement will in fact ever materialize.

Donald Trump's unannounced Christmas visit to US troops in Iraq succeeded as a morale-boosting exercise, judging from the standing ovation the president got. Equally, and perhaps predictably, the trip had its controversial moments - his legendary attachment to social media had something to do with it.He said, 'we are no longer the suckers'
 
Mr Trump travelled to al-Assad airbase, west of Baghdad, to thank armed forces personnel for what they had achieved in Iraq against Islamic State (IS), the Sunni Muslim militant group, during his tenure as commander-in-chief:
 
He said, "Two years ago, when I became President, they were a very dominant group; today they are not so dominant any more. Great job."
 
"We are no longer the suckers, folks," he said. "We're respected again as a nation." 

One vehicle overturned under the Canefield Cliffs on Christmas day. That accident occurred early on Christmas morning.
 
Reports indicate that the driver was taken to the Princess Margaret Hospital where he received medical attention.No serious injury was otherwise reported.
 
Q95 news will bring you updates if there isany further development.

Popular Pastor Randy Rodney is urgingDominicans to use technology to make social and spiritual connections, rather than engage in negative activities which deter us from communicating warmly with each other.
 
Rodney contends that our capacity to express love has been made less eminent and has become somewhat isolationist, due to our short attention spans and lack of patience, which he attributes to individualistic technological advancements that are readily available to all in society.
 
He says this has been exacerbated by the growing selfishness in society and that every “I” has become so myopic that it only sees its own plight.
 
Rodney added that as a result of this myopic orientation, our sociological orientation has been compromised especially in political leadership situations, where instead of fostering a unified altruistic society, we have become divided by political persuasions.
 
This he says needs to change, and he strongly recommends that that we need to return to the love which Jesus showed us.

​Pastor Randy Rodney.

Jolly’s Toy store shared Christmas cheer and smiles with Dominica’s children this Christmas season.Jolly’s Pharmacy’s PRO Carlton Languedoc said, “Christmas is synonymous with Jolly’s and every year we bring it to the public, bigger and better.”
 
Languedoc expressed gratitude for the joy that Jolly’s brought to its many customers over the Christmas season.He agreed that‘the early bird catches the worm’ is a fitting description for the way persons approached this year’s shopping at the pharmacy.
 
He observed that quite apart from the joy and laughter brought to many children, the parents tended to use this time to reward their kids for great academic performance in school, as an incentive to keep them motivated.

Jolly’s Pharmacy’s PRO, Carlton Languedoc

​Dominica tours has emerged as the winner of the first ever Business Christmas Tree Lighting Competition in Dominica.
 
The competition was organized by the Dominica Association of Industry & Commerce (DAIC), in collaboration with Dominica Hotel & Tourism Association (DHTA). The DAIC and DHTA is said to have received support from the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry Urban Renewal.
 
The open event took place on the Roseau Bay Front last Saturday and   received substantial support from local residents who came out to witness this first of its kind event, which was decorated with spangled lights and music in a family and Christmas Oriented theme.
 
The participating companies in the event were, Dominica Tours, Springfield Trading LTD, Protection One Inc, Greens Wholesale, and the National Bank of Dominica.
 
Executive Director of the DAIC Lizra Fabian said the tree lighting competition was a great success, and the Christmas trees will be used to spread Christmas cheers in other parts of the country.

​Executive Director of the DAIC Lizra Fabian

Opposition Leader Lennox Linton delivered a Christmas message of love to all “sons and daughters of Dominica, the gem beyond compare”, in what he called a timeless Christmas tradition. Linton said, regardless of the challenges and difficulties in our social and economic circumstances, Christmas remains a favorite time of the year for the Nature Island people of Dominica. Once again, this year 2018, years since the spirit of peace on earth and goodwill to men accompanied the Christ Child to Bethlehem, we embrace the blessings of family and friends with all the joy that characterizes the season.
 
As we close yet another year in the struggle to build an ideal nature island society and a sustainable nature island economy, we join the millions of Christians of good conscience around the world to celebrate the birth of Jesus and the values that defined his remarkable life.
 
In humble adoration, we reflect on guidelines for joyous nature island living that have emerged from His teachings:
 
“Rivers do not drink their own water; trees do not eat their own fruits; the sun does not shine for itself and flowers do not spread their fragrance for themselves. Living for others is a rule of nature. We were born to help each other”.
 
Let us therefore continue to strengthen our commitment to treat one another with love and compassion; care for the sick; feed the hungry; look out for the poor; and stand up for the victims of injustice and persecution. For it is these acts of human kindness that will continue to bind us together as God’s beloved soldiers in the advancement of global civilization.
 
As we join hearts and hands in celebration this Christmas, let us ponder the importance of making our “Isle of Beauty” the Nature Island of the World. This national collective effort that patiently awaits us with understanding. In the next few years, we can… and therefore we must:
 
 
·         Create a success story of nature island citizen engagement and participation that brings government, people, businesses, civil society groups and neighborhoods in a collective effort to make Dominica the real, authentic, one and only Nature Island of the World.
·         Establish a nature island context for education and health care and ground them in the scope and human development benefits of our natural resources
·         Infect the culture with the values, attitudes and behaviors that will allow our ecosystems, our biodiversity to support our sustainability
·         Establish disaster prevention and management systems to prevent loss of life; avoid fatal damage to administrative, social and economic systems; mitigate damage to public and private property;achieve speedy recovery and reconstruction.
·         Set and achieve aggressive targets for water quality, food security, clean air, green businesses, green jobs, climate resilience, minimizing our carbon footprint, reducing consumption and eliminating waste.
·         Complete the shift to renewable energy technologies.
·         Connect the transportation sector to renewable energy through electric mobility
·         Place priority attention on environmentally friendly design and construction of buildings that will minimize environmental impact and allow nature to work for us instead of working against nature and drive up energy consumption.
 
The Christmas story guarantees the Christian people of good conscience in this Isle of Beauty that God will implement his plan for change, not by force from the outside but from His spirit that dwells within us all. The more we do His goodwill, the more he abides with us and the more He will move to perform His wonders driven by the pace of our interest and commitment.
 
Let this be the Christmas season in which we make doubly sure the alignment of our inner selves with what famed civil rights activist Martin Luther King described as an outside force dedicated to driving change & speeding up the course of justice:“… there is a creative force in this universe working to pull down the gigantic mountains of evil, a power that is able to make a way out of no way and transform dark yesterdays into bright tomorrows.”
 
This Christmas, as we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, we stand on the blessed assurance that we can and will reform the broken electoral system that threatens to deform our freedom and democracy; we can and will stamp out the abuse of public office for private gain; we can and will end poverty; and we can and will secure the greatest good for the greatest number.
 
Happy Holidays in the love and blessings of His marvelous light.
 
Lennox Linton
​

ENT Specialist Dr Irvin Pascal is calling for the appointment of experienced health advisers, to assist Health Minister, Dr. Kenneth Darroux, in making proper health policies and to execute national projects which will significantly increase the country’s health sector services.
 
Dr. Pascal is also advising that the Minister use reverse psychology on himself, to make him more proactive, and increase his ability to deliver on promises of national interest.

​ENT Specialist, Dr. Irvin Pascal.

Acting Director of Agriculture, Ryan Anselm, is calling on Dominica’s residents to consume locally grown food, rather than imported produce.
 
Anselm made this statement while addressing a gathering at a Ministers’ Food Basket ceremony, on Thursday.

​Acting Director of Agriculture, Ryan Anselm.