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Health, Local news, News

Nevis Agriculture Minister Urges Greater Consumption Of Local Produce

Published: 31 March 2017

NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (March 31, 2017) — Minister of Agriculture on Nevis Hon. Alexis Jeffers, reiterated the importance of consuming locally produced food and urged the public to consume more.

“Remember to eat what you grow and grow what you eat,” he said, “let food be your medicine and medicine be your food.”

Mr. Jeffers, said the Nevis Island Administration continues to through its full support being the agriculture sector on the island as it continued to work towards greater food security. So far the move has brought about sustained success in agriculture.

The Minister made the remarks when he delivered an address at the opening ceremony of the 23^rd Annual Agriculture Open Day opening ceremony at the Villa Grounds in Charlestown on March 30, 2017. The theme is “Embrace climate smart agriculture to achieve greater food security.”

He said the increases in crop, livestock, plant and fisheries production, echoes the vision and thrust of the Ministry and Department of Agriculture which is reflected in the theme.

The Agriculture Minister said the holistic and strategic approach taken by the Nevis Island Administration, to ensure the survival of agriculture, stimulate trade and promote healthy lifestyles has resulted in the increases.

He explained that among the priority areas have been the reintroduction of onion production, increased production of cassava, sweet potatoes, coloured peppers, pumpkin and melons among others.

Other initiatives include the re-cultivation of coconut trees at New River, the establishment of commercial green houses, increased efforts to reduce the monkey population, intensify support to the livestock industry, upgrading the government-owned Abattoir and veterinary clinic and working with primary schools to establish back yard gardens.

In the area of agro processing, they have ensured that the Agro Processing Unit is provided with sufficient agricultural produce. He announced that a mango pulping machine had been sourced to deal with the excess mangoes on the island.

The Agriculture Minister said consultation with farmers, livestock owners, fisher folk and others involved in agriculture continues on a regular basis, since their input must be what guides agricultural policies going forward.

He also acknowledged a number of allied partners who continue to assist the Administration with training opportunities namely – the Inter American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), the Food and Agriculture Organization (OAS), the Republic of China (Taiwan) and the Caribbean Research and Development Institute (CARDI).

END

Crime/Justice, Local news, News

PRIVATE AND PUBLIC SECTORS COLLABORATE TO HOST MASSIVE ANTI-CRIME MARCH AND RALLY ON APRIL 04

Basseterre, St. Kitts, March 31, 2017 (MINISTRY OF NATIONAL SECURITY)—The Ministry of National Security teams up with the St. Kitts-Nevis Chamber of Industry and Commerce and the Ministry of Education in organizing a massive anti-crime march and rally in St. Kitts on Tuesday 4th April, 2017.

The march and rally will involve students from all secondary schools in St. Kitts and selected primary schools, as well as students from AVEC, in shouting the rallying anti-crime cry: Stop ‘n’ Think before you proceed (to engage in undesirable, illegal or criminal activity).

The march will leave Taylor’s Range in the vicinity of Basseterre High School/ Washington Archibald High School at about 1:15 p.m., travel down Victoria Road, turn west along Cayon Street, down Church Street passing Government Headquarters, east on Liverpool Row, north up Fort Street, turning east on Central Street into Independence Square.

At Independence Square, there will be a rally. The programme will include remarks from Dr. the Hon. Timothy Harris, Prime Minister, Hon. Shawn Richards, Deputy Prime Minister, and Dr. Neals Chitan, Crime Reduction Specialist. About 300 students who have been working with Dr. Chitan over the last twelve weeks in Project Stop and Think sessions will graduate and receive their Life Skills Achievement Certificates.

Local news, News

POGSON HOSPITAL MARKS 125TH ANNIVERSARY

Published 31 March 2017

(L-R) Orderly Marvin Stevens; Pogson Pharmacist Maryann Okeke; Nurse Christine Wattley; Dentist Dr. Theresa Wattley

Basseterre, St. Kitts, March 31, 2017 (SKNIS)—The Sandy Point-based Pogson Hospital, which was recently rebuilt and re-commissioned as the Pogson Medical Centre on March 25, 2009, is celebrating 125 years since it was erected and commissioned on March 31, 1892.

Mr. Edward Pogson, a planter and owner of Bourkes Estate, Sandy Point, bequeathed the property on which the Pogson Hospital is presently located to the people of Sandy Point to be used as an emergency care center. This decision was made after Mr. Pogson heard the groans of a woman giving birth in a cane field.

In his last will and testament, he stated that preference must be given to the delivery of pregnant women at the facility. The Pogson Hospital, which is situated on the right of the Pogson Medical Centre, has a labour and a delivery room.

Deputy Prime Minister and Parliamentary Representative for St. Christopher Five, the Honourable Shawn K. Richards, commended the institution and those who have worked within its precincts over the 125 years.

“Indeed I commend and congratulate the Pogson Medical Centre for 125 years of giving life to and sustaining the lives of all whom it has served over the years. The impact of this facility in improving healthcare and by extension the health of the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis is immeasurable. The institution must ensure that it continues to provide quality healthcare to all its patients thereby enriching their lives,” said Deputy Prime Minister Richards.

Additionally, Minister of State within the Ministry of Health, the Honourable Wendy Phipps, also congratulated the Pogson Hospital on the attainment of the milestone.

“There are very few institutions in Sandy Point with a longer history of service to the community than Pogson Hospital, which opened its doors 125 years ago. The only two other institutions with a longer existence are the Sandy Point Primary and Junior Schools, and the Orthodox churches of the Catholic, Methodist and Anglican faiths. Pogson Hospital, now a medical centre, continues to play a critical role in the delivery of quality health care to our people who reside on St. Kitts’ western corridor between Old Road and Saddlers. I congratulate the staff – both present and former – who have contributed their service in the interest of Pogson’s sustainability and longevity. Those who are no longer with us will be kept in blessed memory for their contribution to the institution’s development throughout the years,” Minister Phipps said.

Staff at Pogson Hospital

Crime/Justice, Local news, News

Published 2 April, 2017

(l-R) Permanent Secretary Mr. Osmond Petty; Prime Minister Dr. the Hon. Timothy Harris; Lieutenant Colonel Patrick Wallace

Basseterre, St. Kitts, April 02, 2017 (SKNIS): The St. Kitts and Nevis Defence Board met on Saturday April 1 to discuss important matters to the development and upkeep of the St. Kitts and Nevis Defence Force (SKNDF). The Board had not met for several years and has pledged to meet regularly. The Board had its first meeting under the Team Unity Administration on January 21, 2016.

The four member Defence Board comprises of Chairman, Prime Minister and Minister of National Security, Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris; Attorney General, the Honourable Vincent Byron Jr; Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of National Security, who is by law secretary of the Board, Mr. Osmond Petty, and Commander of the SKNDF, Lieutenant Colonel Patrick Wallace.

Lieutenant Colonel Wallace said that some of the matters discussed at the board meeting included promotion, training, complaints and support to the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force.

According to Mr. Petty, other matters on the agenda that were discussed included personnel matters and the establishment of a Commission Board that will be responsible for making recommendation to the governor general regarding persons to be rewarded a commission. He also reported that twenty-six (26) recruits were recently accepted for training in the SKNDF.

Mr. Petty also mentioned that the 34rd Annual Tradewinds Regional Training Exercise will be hosted in St. Kitts in 2018, which will afford local security forces to benefit from training in areas such as disaster relief/emergency response; land and maritime threats, including illicit drug trafficking; marksmanship and weapons handling skills; and military support to law enforcement. He said that this is an opportunity for the security forces to build capacity and for security officers to build life-long friendships with service members from other countries.

Additionally, Mr. Petty said that plans are afoot to link the SKNDF to the Guyana Defence Force for greater collaboration in training and similar exercises.

The Defence Board is a requirement of the St. Christopher and Nevis Defence Force Act, Chapter 19.14 of the revised laws of St. Christopher and Nevis. The revised date of the Act is December 2009. The primary function of the Board is to provide support in the running of the SKNDF, which comprises the Infantry and the Coast Guard. The Board has oversight for all the activities of the SKNDF.

Tradewinds is a Chairman of the Joint Chiefs-directed, U.S. Southern Command-Sponsored annual exercise conducted in cooperation with Caribbean Basin partner nations. Tradewinds supports the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI), as well as U.S. Southern Command’s theater security engagement goal of building partner nation capacity at the tactical and operational levels. The exercise is designed to conduct joint, combined and interagency training, which focuses on increasing regional cooperation for complex multinational security operations and humanitarian assistance and disaster response operations. The training is done in collaboration with the Allied Nations including the United Kingdom, Canada, France, the Netherlands and Suriname.

Local news, News, Politics

St.Kitts-Nevis Speaker and Clerk of the National Assembly Attends ACP Parliamentary Assembly in Brussels

Publish on April 2, 2017

Brussels, 23 March 2017/ ACP: Speaker of the National Assembly Hon. Micheal Perkins and Clerk of the Assembly Ms Sonia Boddie represented St.Kitts-Nevis at the 45th Session of the African, Caribbean, Pacific (ACP) Parliamentary Assembly and the Inter-sessional meetings of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly (JPA) held from the 21^stto 24^th March 2017 in Brussels, Belgium at the European Parliament.

The JPA is a key organ of the ACP-EU relationship, in which parliamentarians of both the 79 ACP states and the 28 EU states engage bi-annually to discuss issues of mutual concern that affect ACP-EU matters. Meetings of the JPA have grown increasingly more important as the expiration date of the ACP-EU Cotonou Agreement, which governs ACP-EU relations, approaches in 2020.

The ACP-EU partnership is responsible for mobilising significant EU development aid for Belize and for setting the terms for Belize’s trade with the EU, Belize’s second most important export market.

The meeting of CARIFORUM Parliamentarians and Ambassadors focused on the issues of priority importance to the Caribbean region in the evolving discussions on the future of the ACP-EU relations post-2020 in areas of development cooperation, trade and political dialogue.