An injunction stopped the planned shareholders meeting of the Saint Lucia Banana Corporation. It was delivered to the SLBC attorneys minutes before the meeting started. That injunction was filed by a number of SLBC shareholders including Elias Amorsingh. Peter Foster is the Corporation’s lead attorney. SLBC Chairman – Eustace Monrose – says the injunction is designed to frustrate shareholders. It comes after a group of shareholders Monrose refers to as “Amorsingh and his gang” refused to attend the meeting they say is illegal. Monrose says the farmers need to stand up against the judgment.

At least one shareholder agrees. Patrick Joseph – a founding member of the SLBC – says he came to Thursday’s meeting to ensure the war being waged against the company by WIBDECO does not succeed. He says Amorsingh and his supporters are destroying their own company. Elias Amorsingh says he sought the injunction to prevent a meeting he says was unconstitutional.

However, the SLBC attorney disagrees – Foster and Patrick Joseph say the corporation observed the necessary protocol for notice of the meeting. The shareholders say came to the meeting seeking answers. Two of them – Raphael St Ange and Calixtus Lafontagne – say they need to separate fact from fiction in relation to the SLBC.

The SLBC attorneys say the matter will return to court. Peter Foster says they were not present during the injunction hearing to defend their clients. It is an oversight he expects to be corrected when the SLBC goes to court to fight the injunction.

Anniversary of the Castries Fire
Story By
Shannon Lebourne

On the night of June 19th 1948 – exactly sixty years ago a fire raged in Castries that threatened to destroy it completely. Two thirds of Castries was destroyed and over two thousand people were left homeless. The Cathedral is one of the few buildings that survived the scotching heat.

That fire is said to have stared in a tailors shop in South East Castries. National Archivist Margo Thomas says along with changing the landscape of Castries the 1948 fire has historical significance.

Workers and visitors in the Sir Stanislaus James building were on Thursday left scrambling a little after 11:00 in the morning. They were responding to a fire alarm in their building. The building houses a number of government offices including the ministry of tourism. Corporal Timothy John is the head of NIC security.

The building was inspected by NIPRO officials and later cleared for re-entry. Corporal John says it is normal procedure following an alarm. The fire department also inspected the building and declared it fit for re-entry. HTS news understands a fire alarm in the same building was also discharged this past Saturday.

Richard Frederick insists Customs Officials never gave him the opportunity to pay the duties he is alleged to have missed. Frederick also questioned the right of the Comptroller not to follow a directive from the Finance Minister, who he says, has authority over the Comptroller. The Housing Minister Claims Prime Minister Stephenson King instructed the Comptroller to speak with him concerning the taxes allegedly owed on his two vehicles, but that has not been done. But Customs Comptroller – Terrance Leonard, in an earlier interview, indicated that he was subject to the Customs Act and not to

any Minister. Leonard also suggested that the Prime Minister’s request for him to speak with Frederick was inappropriate. The Castries Central MP, who’s also a trained lawyer says no one should break the law without paying the corresponding penalty, but says everyone must be treated the same under the law. But the Comptroller would not say much about Frederick’s claims that he was never given the opportunity to come in to pay the outstanding balance owed to the government. However, the Comptroller suggested that the account of the matter provided by the Housing Minister was lacking veracity. Frederick filed a suit against the government this week on the anniversary of his arrest last year. He says it is time for the matter to be put to rest.

She says this song is the final chapter in the story that began last year with her monster hit, “Cheating.” That song garnered Marianne second place in the inaugural Groovy Monarch competition in Saint Lucia. It also made her a semi-finalist in the 2008 International Soca Monarch in Trinidad. A few weeks ago – “Cheating” – also made her a double nominee for the International Soca Awards. The new song is entitled “Your Visa expire (The Ladies Anthem)” – Marianne says it followed requests for a female empowerment song.

Like her other songs – the artiste has writing credit on the new track. She says writing came naturally given her commitment to her craft. “Your Visa expire (The Ladies Anthem)” – Marianne’s competition song for the 2008 Groovy competition will be released on Friday. It was co-written by Hollis “Mr Killer” Mapp from Grenada and producer Courtney Louis who also produced the track with assistance from Stephen Mathurin.

The south calypso tent is gearing up for its quarter final show on Friday. The show will feature performances from a cast of nine calypsonians. The tent is celebrating its eleventh anniversary and is home to reigning calypso monarch – Menell – as well as former finalist lord believe me and semi-finalists mahandra and animator. Tent leader Vivian Imbert says the quarter final show will be great. The quarter final show will take place at the national cultural center. The show starts from 8pm. The reigning calypso monarch menell will make a special guest performance which will include the release of a new song.