Basseterre, St. Kitts, April 06, 2021 (SKNIS): Governor of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB), Dr. Timothy Antoine, welcomed the Bank of Nevis to the “Premier League” during a ceremony on Tuesday (April 06, 2021) to mark the opening of its first branch on the island of St. Kitts.
The branch opening followed the recent acquisition of assets and liabilities owned by the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) St. Kitts.
“As far as I am concerned, any bank in the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union (ECCU) that has assets in excess of one billion dollars is in the Premier League of Banks in the ECCU,” Dr. Antoine stated. “But there is more, with this acquisition, the Bank of Nevis has more than tripled its asset size, moving from just over $500 million to just over $1.7 billion.”
The ECCB governor said that this move represents an opportunity to further cement the integration of St. Kitts and Nevis as well as to expand its development footprint and impact on the Federation.
“For me, development is about handling our own business. It is about our increasing capacity to handle our business,” he added, noting that trends show that indigenous banks are assuming greater responsibility for the region’s development.
“That is a welcome step and, it is one that the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank supports,” Governor Antoine expressed.
The governor said that while international banks are essential to the currency union, indigenous banks are more in tune with the local context.
“Indigenous banks have a comparative advantage in respect of our banking arrangements because they are from here,” said Dr. Antoine. “They are not going to get up and leave. They are closest to the people of our region and very often … understand the needs of our people far better than any other institution can or would.”
The Board and Management of the Bank of Nevis were encouraged to be mindful of their added responsibility to continue to pay strong attention to corporate governance and risk management. Additionally, they were advised to listen carefully to customers.
RBC’s banking operations in the ECCU were sold to a consortium of banks. The sale of assets and liabilities last week marked the end of RBC’s presence in the ECCU.
]]>Basseterre, St. Kitts, March 11, 2021 (Ministry of Foreign Affairs): Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Honourable Mark Brantley, met in separate virtual settings recently with some of the Federation’s international allies. The meetings, held from March 2 – 11, 2021, form part of the Ministry’s drive to ensure that restrictions of travel and other exigencies posed by the COVID-19 pandemic do not impede bilateral discussions with cherished international partners.
During this period, Minister Brantley met with ambassadors representing the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, the Republic of France, the Kingdom of The Netherlands, the Kingdom of Belgium, and the European Union.
Among others, some important matters discussed were the proposed removal of visa requirements between Saint Kitts and Nevis and Ethiopia, cooperation on climate change and its impacts, inoculation against COVID-19, and naming and shaming of uncooperative jurisdictions (blacklisting).
The different representatives reiterated their governments’ commitments to ensuring cooperation with Saint Kitts and Nevis for the mutual benefit of all.
]]>GUSAU, Nigeria (AP) — Hundreds of Nigerian girls abducted last week from a boarding school in the country’s northwest have been released, a state governor said Tuesday, as the West African nation faces a spate of school kidnappings.
The girls, ages 10 and up, dressed in light blue hijabs and barefoot, packed into Zamfara state’s Government House conference room. They appeared calm, chatting to one another as they sat in long rows while journalists photographed them. They will receive a medical checkup before being returned to their parents.
Zamfara Gov. Bello Matawalle said that 279 girls had been freed after being abducted from the Government Girls Junior Secondary School in Jangebe town on Friday. The government last week said 317 had been kidnapped. It was not clear if the higher number was an error or if some girls were still missing.
“Alhamdulillah! (God be praised!) It gladdens my heart to announce the release of the abducted students,” Matawalle said in a post on Twitter early Tuesday. “I enjoin all well-meaning Nigerians to rejoice with us as our daughters are now safe.”
Officials said “bandits” were behind the abduction, referring to the groups of armed men who operate in Zamfara state and kidnap for money or to push for the release of their members from jail.
At the time of the attack, one resident told The Associated Press that the gunmen also attacked a nearby military camp and checkpoint, preventing soldiers from responding to the school.
One of the girls recounted the night of their abduction to the AP.
“We were sleeping at night when suddenly we started hearing gunshots. They were shooting endlessly. We got out of our beds and people said we should run, that they are thieves,” she said. Officials ended the interview before the girl could give her name.
The attackers eventually found her and some classmates and held guns to their heads, she said.
“I was really afraid of being shot,” she said, adding that they asked for directions to the staff quarters and the principal. “We said we don’t know who she is.”
Nigeria has seen several such attacks and kidnappings in recent years, the most notorious in 2014, when 276 girls were abducted by the jihadist rebels of Boko Haram from the secondary school in Chibok in Borno state. More than 100 of those girls are still missing.
Boko Haram is opposed to western education and its fighters often target schools. But most attacks in the northwest are perpetrated by armed criminal groups with no such ideology.
Police and the military have been trying to rescue the girls from the Zamfara abduction, which caused international outrage. Officials did not say if a ransom had been paid for their release.
“We have been in discussion since Friday with the abductors and reached agreement on Monday,” the governor said, adding that he would ensure additional security at all schools in the state.
President Muhammadu Buhari expressed “overwhelming joy” over the release of the girls.
“I join the families and people of Zamfara state in welcoming and celebrating the release of these traumatized female students,” he said in a statement. “Being held in captivity is an agonizing experience not only for the victims, but also their families and all of us.”
The president called for greater vigilance to prevent bandits from carrying out such attacks — but warned that paying money for the release of victims would only result in more assaults.
Ernest Ereke, of the University of Abuja, agreed that ransoms are allowing criminal groups to buy more arms and expand their power.
And the Nigerian state increasingly looks too weak to respond, he said.
“It is a lucrative venture in a country where a lot of young people are impoverished, jobless and hungry,” he said. “The state, which should confront these criminals, is enabling them by always pandering to their dictates. It should be the other way round, that is, the criminals should be scared of the state, but, in this case, it is the state that is scared of criminals.”
“If the state is not able to crush them,” he added, “it means something is wrong with the Nigerian state.”
On Saturday, 24 students, six staff and eight relatives were released after being abducted on February 17 from the Government Science College Kagara in Niger state. In December, more than 300 schoolboys from a secondary school in Kankara, in northwestern Nigeria, were taken and later released. The government has said no ransom was paid for the students’ release.
]]>Basseterre, St. Kitts, February 24, 2021 (SKNIS): Kaye Bass, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Aviation, expressed thanks and appreciation to several international partners for their generous donation of an ambulance to the Ministry of Health, and a passenger bus to St. Kitts and Nevis Red Cross Society (SKNRCS) that were handed over during a brief yet significant ceremony on Wednesday, February 24, 2021, at the Joseph National France (JNF) General Hospital.
The vehicles, which were donated by the Government of the United States of America through its Agency for International Development (USAID) with assistance from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Society (IFRC), will aid St. Kitts and Nevis in bolstering its health system
“The ministry joins with the Ministry of Health in expressing appreciation to the American Government for its usual response to humanitarian appeals and for specifically tailoring assistance based on our capacity, thus providing the exact items needed,” said Permanent Secretary Bass. “We thank the United States Government… for continuing to engage with bilateral and multilateral donor partners to coordinate response efforts, identify funding needs, address operational challenges, and to select the most appropriate mechanisms to fill identified response gaps. Indeed, the ambulance will fill a well-needed gap,” Ms. Bass added.
Ms. Bass noted that the donation is timely and significant.
“The ambulance, a single item, may be perceived small but it is indeed significant in light of the fact that it has been gifted and will more than likely free up funds perhaps originally allocated in the ministry’s budget to be channeled to bolster other aspects of the health system. It will undoubtedly enable the health teams to respond more quickly to medical emergencies and it will facilitate faster medical treatment, thereby enhancing service delivery,” she said.
Speaking briefly on the coronavirus pandemic, Ms. Bass said that one “truism highlighted is that in an increasingly interconnected world a health threat anywhere is a health threat everywhere” adding that countries were prompted to close their borders to protect lives and livelihoods.
She applauded the United States government for its continued support, especially during the pandemic.
“This pandemic is a stark reminder that many of the pressing health issues facing nations are now inherently transnational if not global. Locally, we have been calling for an all of society approach, and globally it requires no less. Indeed, it has been forged a responsibility of countries with the wherewithal to support countries with limited resources to tackle health problems within their own borders,” said the permanent secretary. “The ministry, and by the extension the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis, commends the United States for not only recognizing its responsibility but also fulfilling it, be it through the donation of equipment, building capacity or provision of financial resources to assist countries to combat the spread of the virus,” she said.
]]>NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (January 29, 2021) — A third international bank is set to open its doors on Nevis imminently.
This is according to Nevis Premier, Hon. Mark Brantley, Minister of Finance and Foreign Investment in the Nevis Island Administration (NIA), during his January 28, 2021, press conference.
“As we seek valiantly in Nevis to try and rebuild our economy after the ravages of COVID-19, I’m pleased to announce that the Nevis Island Administration has been successful in attracting another international bank in Nevis, which brings us to three.
“This one I’m advised is called International Merchant Bank, and I’m advised that they are shortly to open their doors and have already started to hire persons,” he revealed.
The Premier said this is excellent news with respect to the additional employment opportunities that will be created in the prevailing constricted job market, as a result of the negative fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic.
He noted that the established international banks, Nevis International Bank & Trust Limited, and Bank of Nevis International Trust Services, have over 50 employees on staff combined, and he anticipates the International Merchant Bank will hire a similar number.
In an interview with the Department of Information on January 29, 2021, Mr. Brantley spoke to the impact of this latest foreign direct investment venture on the Nevis economy.
“In this difficult economic environment globally, it speaks volumes that Nevis is still attractive to foreign investors. These institutions would have undergone a rigorous due diligence and vetting process before being considered.
“Their presence in Nevis adds to the appeal of Nevis as a growing financial services center, which is well regulated and compliant with all international standards,” he said.
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Basseterre, St. Kitts, January 14, 2021 (Ministry of Foreign Affairs): International students contribute over $21 billion annually to Canada’s economy and support vitality in its communities. As has been the case in many other places, COVID-19 has presented a myriad of challenges for its international students. Most notably, for many holders of a post-graduation work permit (PGWP), the pandemic’s disruption and uncertainty have jeopardized their chances of obtaining the work experience they need to apply for permanent residence.
As part of the Government of Canada’s efforts to support international students through this challenging time, the Ministry of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship of Canada has announced that former international students who hold or held a PGWP will have the opportunity to apply for an open work permit.
Foreign nationals in Canada affected by the pandemic with an expired or expiring PGWP will have a unique chance to apply for another open work permit. These will be valid for 18 months and will allow former international students to remain in Canada, continue to seek employment, and build their future there.
The Canadian government has made significant efforts to encourage international students to settle permanently in Canada, as they help create jobs and fill labour shortages. More than 58,000 graduates successfully applied to immigrate permanently in 2019, and their decisions to stay in Canada will help to address its stark demographic challenges.
As Canada confronts the pandemic’s second wave and charts a course for recovery, attracting skilled immigrants is a central part of its plan. This new policy will help more graduates fill pressing needs in areas like health care, technology and more.
]]>Basseterre, St. Kitts, September 17, 2020 (SKNIS): As St. Kitts and Nevis celebrates 37 years of independence on September 19, the Government of Chile has extended congratulations on the special occasion.
In a letter from the Embassy of the Republic of Chile to the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis, it states that “since the establishment of diplomatic relations Chile and the Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis have shared common values like democracy, respect for human rights, multilateralism, among others, and in a bilateral basis international co-operation has been the central component of the relationship.”
It continues that “the difficult times that the world is going through might not be an impediment to maintain and enhance the traditional long-lasting friendly relations that happily exist between both countries and peoples, with the certainty that by way of mutual and international co-operation our countries will emerge strengthened from this pandemic.”
]]>JOHANNESBURG August 25, 2020 (AP News) — Winter is ending in the Southern Hemisphere and country after country — South Africa, Australia, Argentina — had a surprise: Their steps against COVID-19 also apparently blocked the flu.
But there’s no guarantee the Northern Hemisphere will avoid twin epidemics as its own flu season looms while the coronavirus still rages.
“This could be one of the worst seasons we’ve had from a public health perspective with COVID and flu coming together. But it also could be one of the best flu seasons we’ve had,” Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told The Associated Press.
U.S. health officials are pushing Americans to get vaccinated against the flu in record numbers this fall, so hospitals aren’t overwhelmed with a dueling “twindemic.”
It’s also becoming clear that wearing masks, avoiding crowds and keeping your distance are protections that are “not specific for COVID. They’re going to work for any respiratory virus,” Redfield said.
The evidence: Ordinarily, South Africa sees widespread influenza during the Southern Hemisphere’s winter months of May through August. This year, testing tracked by the country’s National Institute of Communicable Diseases is finding almost none — something unprecedented.
School closures, limited public gatherings and calls to wear masks and wash hands have “knocked down the flu,” said Dr. Cheryl Cohen, head of the institute’s respiratory program.
That not only meant lives saved from flu’s annual toll, but it “freed up our hospitals’ capacity to treat COVID-19 patients,” Cohen added.
In Australia, the national health department reported just 36 laboratory-confirmed flu-associated deaths from January to mid-August, compared to more than 480 during the same period last year.
“The most likely and the biggest contributor is social distancing,” said Dr. Robert Booy, an infectious diseases expert at the University of Sydney.
The coronavirus is blamed for about 24 million infections and more than 810,000 deaths globally in just the first eight months of this year. A normal flu year could have the world’s hospitals dealing with several million more severe illnesses on top of the COVID-19 crush.
Back in February and March, as the worldwide spread of the new virus was just being recognized, many countries throughout the Southern Hemisphere girded for a double whammy. Even as they locked down to fight the coronavirus, they made a huge push for more last-minute flu vaccinations.
“We gave many more flu vaccinations, like four times more,” said Jaco Havenga, a pharmacist who works at Mays Chemist, a pharmacy in a Johannesburg suburb.
Some countries’ lockdowns were more effective than others at stemming spread of the coronavirus. So why would flu have dropped even if COVID-19 still was on the rise?
“Clearly the vigilance required to be successful against COVID is really high,” said CDC’s Redfield. “This virus is one of the most infectious viruses that we’ve seen.”
That’s in part because 40% of people with COVID-19 show no symptoms yet can spread infection, he said.
Flu hasn’t disappeared, cautions a World Health Organization report earlier this month. While “globally, influenza activity was reported at lower levels than expected for this time of year,” it found sporadic cases are being reported.
Plus, some people who had the flu in Southern countries might just have hunkered down at home and not seen a doctor as the coronavirus was widespread, WHO added.
But international influenza experts say keeping schools closed — children typically drive flu’s spread — and strict mask and distancing rules clearly helped.
“We don’t have definitive proof, but the logical explanation is what they’re doing to try to control the spread of (the coronavirus) is actually doing a really, really good job against the flu as well,” said Richard Webby of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, who is part of a WHO committee that tracks flu evolution.
In contrast, the U.S. and Europe didn’t impose coronavirus rules nearly as restrictive as some of their Southern neighbors — and in many cases are reopening schools and relaxing distancing rules even as COVID-19 still is spreading and the cooler months that favor influenza’s spread are fast approaching.
So the U.S. CDC is urging record flu vaccinations, preferably by October. Redfield’s goal is for at least 65% of adults to be vaccinated; usually only about half are.
The U.S. expects more than 190 million doses of flu vaccine, about 20 million more than last year. States are being encouraged to try drive-thru flu shots and other creative ideas to get people vaccinated while avoiding crowds.
In an unusual move, Massachusetts has mandated flu vaccination for all students — from elementary to college — this year. Typically only some health care workers face employment mandates for flu vaccine.
In the United Kingdom, Prime Minister Boris Johnson likewise is urging widespread flu vaccination.
To be clear, the flu vaccine only protects against influenza — it won’t lessen the chances of getting the coronavirus. Vaccines against COVID-19 still are experimental and several candidates are entering final testing to see if they really work.
But for coronavirus protection, Redfield continues to stress vigilance about wearing masks, keeping your distance, avoiding crowds and washing your hands.
“Once one stops those mitigation steps, it only takes a couple weeks for these viral pathogens to get back on the path that they were on,” he said.
While the U.S. has been mask-resistant, most states now have some type of mask requirement, either through statewide orders issued by governors or from city and county rules.
Meanwhile, countries where flu season is ending are watching to see if the Northern Hemisphere heeds their lessons learned.
“It could be very scary — we honestly don’t know. But if you’re going to get the two infections at the same time, you could be in big trouble,” said Booy, the Sydney infectious diseases expert.
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Neergaard reported from Alexandria, Virginia. Associated Press reporter Victoria Milko in Jakarta, Indonesia, contributed to this report.
]]>Basseterre, St. Kitts, July 22, 2020 (SKNIS): The gradual relaxation of restrictions continues in St. Kitts and Nevis resulting in many businesses reopening. Against this backdrop, the government is now considering conditions for the return of regional and international flights to the Federation.
“As we refine our plan for the gradual and managed opening up of our country first domestically, ensuring as many businesses and other entities such as our churches, our schools, as possible could operate as near normal as possible, we have now turned our attention to further opening up to regular people movement by regional and international modes of travel,” said Prime Minister Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris, during Tuesday’s (July 21) edition of the popular virtual forum series, Leadership Matters.
PM Harris said that the cooperation of the public is paying off.
“The discipline of our people and the excellent advice of our Task Force at the National Emergency Operation Centre have helped us in a very careful manner to open up to business while minimizing harm to our people,” said Dr. Harris. “With such a success story there is no need for anxiety and slackness. We have a rich experience of a modus operandi that has delivered results for our people. We have always been listening. I continue to listen and marvel how God has helped us through many snares and tests.”
The success stories of the government thus far include but are not limited to restoring the agricultural sector by investing EC$ 10 million through the stimulus package, actively engaging the manufacturing sector to prepare them to operate under new norms, as well as moving towards restoring the hotel and hospitality industry to near normalcy during the last quarter of 2020.
“Our approach must be that we will do things properly. We need to take time to set up systems that minimize fatalities and preserve the health of our people because we need healthy people to keep our economy open. We need a consistent public education programme reinforced by actions at home, in the retail and wholesale establishments, in our schools and all workplaces and places of recreation. An all of society buy-in must be ignited again,” Dr. Harris added.
]]>June 20th, 2020 (ZIZ News):
By: Chaïra Flanders
Barcelona held to goalless draw by Sevilla.
Spanish league leaders Barcelona were held to a goalless draw at Sevilla, leaving the title race wide open with eight games remaining.
The result means second-placed Real Madrid could move level on points with Barcelona when they travel to Real Sociedad on Sunday.
Lionel Messi’s free-kick skimmed the bar in the first half but Barcelona were frustrated by Sevilla’s defence.
Lucas Ocampos also hit the crossbar for the hosts before the break.
Sevilla sat deep, often playing with five at the back, and it proved effective as Barcelona saw lots of the ball but failed to create many clear-cut opportunities.
Messi’s free-kick was the closest they came, and Luis Suarez’ first-time strike almost sneaked in minutes before full-time, but Sevilla had bursts of attacking promise – Ocampos and Munir El Haddadi forcing two smart saves from Ter Stegen from close range in the first half.
Barcelona forward Antoine Griezmann came on as a substitute in the 76th minute in an attempt to find a winner but did not make an impact.
On-loan Real Madrid defender Sergio Reguilon had a great chance to score for Sevilla in stoppage time when the ball fell kindly for him in an unmarked position in the box but he hit it straight at Ter Stegen.
The league leaders next play Athletic Bilbao on Tuesday, 23 June, while Messi remains one off 700 career goals.
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Seattle, June 17th 2020 (AP) — A recession is expected to curtail Americans’ generosity following a record year for charitable donations, but the recent wave of money dedicated to fighting the coronavirus and racial inequality in the U.S. is offering a beacon of hope for nonprofits in 2020.
The Giving USA report, released Tuesday, estimates nearly $450 billion was donated to charities in 2019, a 2.4% uptick from the previous year when adjusted for inflation. It marked a record year for giving that reflected a booming economy.
Giving amounts by individuals held steady, representing 1.9 percent of total disposable income, and they continue to make up the majority of dollars donated — nearly 70% in 2019. The rest is given by foundations, corporations and estates. Some wealthy people like Bill Gates may give both individually and through their foundations.
The Ford Foundation announced an effort last week to increase its giving by $1 billion through a bond that aims to help keep afloat donations-dependent nonprofits through the uncertainty ahead, including groups addressing both the pandemic and racial injustice.
“Our challenge is not to save any particular organization; it is to save the soul of our democracy itself,” Darren Walker, the foundation’s president, said in a statement.
Though there’s sure to be disruptions in 2020 after the pandemic forced businesses to shut down and sent the economy into its worst recession in decades, donor confidence remains high, said Rick Dunham, chairman of the Giving USA Foundation board.
Dunham said his consulting firm, Dunham+Company, surveyed 630 U.S. donors in April and 80% said they would keep giving, largely because they felt more optimism about the economy recovering quickly compared with the recession a decade ago.
“I just think donors will rally and are rallying, and anecdotally, we’re seeing it with some of the organizations we work with,” Dunham said. “We’re seeing record giving days. We’re seeing a record amount of money given.”
United Way, a nonprofit that relies heavily on middle-class donors, said it has raised $900 million worldwide since mid-March, when many states instituted virus restrictions that disrupted daily life.
The charity is among the largest in the U.S. and has at times seen as much as a tenfold spike in online donations compared with the responses to other disasters in recent history, said Tolli Love, United Way Worldwide’s chief investor relations officer. Among its signature programs is the 211 referral and information hotline, which has seen a 300% to 400% increase in calls for help ranging from food and rent payments to health care and mental distress.
Love said United Way also is developing initiatives to address racial inequity as a part of its coronavirus relief efforts.
“As we try to go back to normal, normal wasn’t so good for everyone prior to the pandemic,” Love said.
The two needs are intertwined given that black people and Latinos have been hit hardest by the virus, said Una O. Osili, a professor at Indiana University’s Lilly Family School of Philanthropy and a lead researcher on the Giving USA report.
Like with coronavirus relief, to which Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey pledged $1 billion, individual giving has surged significantly for black civil rights and grassroots social justice groups since George Floyd’s death, Osili said.
The black man died May 25 after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed a knee into his neck for several minutes, sparking protests around the globe.
But the wave of donations is not without growing pains. GoFundMe said Tuesday that it’s putting on hold $350,000 worth of donations for a foundation whose name sounds like the Black Lives Matter organization but isn’t related to the group at the heart of the protest movement. The online fundraising platform said it’s working with Black Lives Matter to ensure the money gets to the right cause.
The recent demonstrations have drawn parallels to the civil rights movement in the 1960s, when Giving USA’s trends showed an increase in education-related donations that addressed the era’s social upheaval. The result of those donations cemented the missions of many black civil rights groups, including what was then known as the United Negro College Fund, Osili said.
Now, that same push for racial justice is seeing a bolder resurgence, forcing companies not just to write checks but to reconsider their vendors, hiring practices and company culture.
“We’ve seen corporations get involved before, but I think the speed and broad and bold nature of this moment seems very encouraging,” Osili said. “And the question, of course, is for how it will be sustained.”
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