Two suicidal, abused teen girls were remanded to prison yesterday owing to a lack of a suitable facility to care for them.

The youngsters’ plight prompted Chief Magistrate Joanne Walsh to increase the pressure on government to open a rehabilitation centre to address a “crisis” among the country’s troubled youth.

OECS member states will soon have to come up with more innovative ways to fund health care for their citizens. This revelation comes amidst concerns that health care in the region is just too expensive.

Over thirty employees of the Ministry of Culture either failed to report for duty or walked off the job yesterday after a co-worker, who is reportedly infected with the highly contagious strain of the MERSA staph bacteria, turned up for work.

Two women assigned to the Extension Division are seeking to clear their names following the disappearance, a few days ago, of a cash pan containing $848.40.

A number of persons living with HIV/AIDS have criticised government’s slow pace in appointing and setting up an office for a clinical care co-ordinator who would prepare prescriptions

About 30 Emergency Medical Services (EMS) workers agitating for back pay are expected to be slow on their feet today until they get word about when they’ll be paid more than $100,000 in risk pay approved from January.

There is no resolution in sight for the employees at the Government workshop following a “disappointing” meeting between the union representative and the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Public Works yesterday.

The man in charge of the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) is being accused of forcing the hand of the Antigua Trades and Labour Union (AT&LU), which was threatening renewed industrial action as a result yesterday.

AT&LU Industrial Relations Officer Ralph Potter said the striking EMS workers have been threatened with disciplinary action.

Another protesting employee of the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Division in the Ministry of Health has been placed on administrative leave by Permanent Secretary Edson Joseph – the man who the workers say is the cause of all their grievances.