GRENADA WEEKLY ACTIVITY REPORT: APRIL 13- 19, 2008

UNCLAS GRENADA 000060 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL SOCI PGOV ECON GJ SUBJECT: GRENADA WEEKLY ACTIVITY REPORT: APRIL 13- 19, 2008 ¶1. (U) Embassy Grenada's weekly activity report (GWAR) provides a little detail about events of interest that do not merit longer reporting at this time. ¶2. (U) Begin GWAR text: a)CHORES back to serve Grenada Ambassador Mary Ourisman visited Grenada briefly on April 14 to meet with the Children's Health Organization Relief and Educational Services (CHORES) volunteers in Grenada for one week. The Ambassador visited the children's ward. The visit received excellent press coverage both before and afterwards. The Chargi d'Affaires hosted an April 18 reception for the volunteers, GOG health officials, and hospital/clinic workers. The team is made up of United States health care personnel who have been providing free medical services to the children of Grenada for the past nineteen years. b) Grenada Today newspaper in serious trouble One of Grenada's leading newspapers is once again in danger of going out of business. Dr Mitchell won a libel suit against the Grenada Today newspaper following the 1999 General elections and was awarded over US$55,600 in damages. However, the money was not paid and an application was brought against the paper for bankruptcy. The Grenada Today last week failed in its challenge to prevent the application from taking effect. Grenada Today's lawyer says he now plans to take the matter to the court of appeal, though it is unclear whether the paper will be able to remain in publication in the meantime. c) NNP Tipped to Win a Fourth Term The ruling New National Party (NNP) is tipped to win a fourth consecutive term in office according to a poll conducted by the North American Caribbean Teachers' Association (NACTA). The Grenadian Voice newspaper said that NACTA, which correctly predicted the result of the last general Trinidadian elections, carried out a poll in Grenada in late March. The pollsters found that Keith Mitchell's government has a very high approval rating and predicted that if general elections were held now, the NNP would win. Grenada's general elections must be called by February 2009. d) Minimum Wages to be Reviewed Minister responsible for Labor, Claris Charles, announced that due to the sharp increase of Grenada's cost of living, a committee has been established to review minimum wages. Presently, the minimum wages, which range between US$2 per hour and US$30 per day, only covers workers in the agricultural, domestic, housekeeping as well as in some other sectors. The minimum wage was last increased in 2002. End text. MCISAAC