Frustration is building in the Cook Islands as it waits for a travel bubble with New Zealand. The bubble is expected to be high on the agenda for Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown, who arrives in New Zealand today – the first…
Category Archives: headline
Peoples Labour Party holds annual National Convention on Saturday March 27
BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, March 24, 2021 (PLP PR Media Inc.) — Under the theme ‘Together: Empowering and Uniting People; Rebuilding our Economy’, the Peoples Labour Party (PLP) will be holding its annual National Convention on Saturday March 27 at the Ottley’s Playing Field in Constituency Number Seven.
According to the party’s National Chairman, Mr Warren Thompson, the meeting featuring the public session of the National Convention will be held from 4:00 pm under strict Covid-19 protocol. The convention’s private session will however be held a day earlier on Friday March 26, at the Royal St. Kitts Hotel Conference Room from 6:00 pm.
The party’s membership, which last year because of the prevailing coronavirus pandemic missed the opportunity to take part in the PLP’s hugely popular conventions which are taken to the people, is looking forward to seeing National Political Leader and Prime Minister Dr the Hon Timothy Harris, and the Deputy National Political Leader and Federal Cabinet Minister the Hon Akilah Byron-Nisbett on stage.
When the party held its inaugural National Convention in 2017, and the follow-up conventions in 2018 and 2019, the Deputy National Political Leader, was a Senator as a nominated member of the National Assembly. She will now be attending the 2021 National Convention of the Peoples Labour Party as a duly elected member of the National Assembly, having been successfully elected to parliament at the June 5, 2020 National Elections.
“Our party convention is this month on the 27th of March, and this will be at Ottley’s Playing Field,” announced PLP National Chairman Mr Warren Thompson when he recently addressed members of PLP Constituency Number One Branch at the New Town Community Centre. “We take our conventions to the people and we were, as a party, the first to do such.”
A member of the ruling tri-party Team Unity coalition, the Peoples Labour Party which was established in 2013 held its first National Convention in 2017 at the Tabernacle Recreation Grounds, and the second and third Annual National Convention in 2018 and 2019 at the Patsy Allers Playing Ground in Constituency Number Three. However, due to the prevailing coronavirus epidemic the party did not hold the National Convention last year.
“For the past conventions we have had over six hundred people, the biggest ever in the Federation of all parties,” observed Mr Thompson. “This time around we have to cut back a bit because of the Covid. So we have to be careful and mindful, and that is why again we are back on the open field in Ottley’s, where people can be around and at the same time social distancing and other Covid-19 protocols can be adhered to.”
Mr Thompson explained that a tent big enough to spaciously hold about 150 persons will be erected, while in observance of the Covid-19 protocols others outside that number will be expected to use the concrete bleachers on the playing field.
Mr Thompson further explained that at a recent PLP National Executive meeting it was decided that the private session would be held a day earlier on Friday March 26, as there would not be enough time to hold the two sessions on Saturday March 27, the day of the National Convention. It will be held at the Royal St. Kitts Hotel Conference Room from 6:00 pm.
“The private session is where party members – the delegates from each constituency will gather and we deal with the party business,” observed Mr Thompson. “We normally have 35 delegates from each constituency. This year we have to cut it back because of the Covid. So we are now down to 12 delegates from each constituency this year.”
The post Peoples Labour Party holds annual National Convention on Saturday March 27 appeared first on The St Kitts Nevis Observer.
EU to tighten vaccine controls as Australia ramps up local production
The European Union has moved towards further tightening export controls for coronavirus vaccines, weeks after Italy blocked the export of a quarter of a million AstraZeneca doses to Australia.
In a move seemingly targeted more at the UK than Australia, the EU is seeking to make sure there are more COVID-19 shots to boost the bloc's flagging vaccine campaign as new infections surge.
On Wednesday (early Thursday AEDT), its executive body said it had a plan to guarantee more vaccines produced in the bloc were available for its own citizens even if it came at the cost of helping other nations.
READ MORE: Phase 1B rollout underway as 'workhorse' AstraZeneca vaccine approved to be locally produced
The move is expected to be a blow to Britain, whose speedy vaccination rollout has been eyed with envy by many EU nations, especially since it came as the UK formally completed its Brexit divorce from the bloc.
The plan doesn't go before EU leaders until Thursday and reportedly stops short of a complete export ban, but it's hard to estimate the impact it could have on Australia.
Though reliant on imports for almost four million AstraZeneca doses, many of which were expected to arrive early this year to kickstart the rollout, Melbourne company CSL will make 50 million doses locally.
The first 832,200 doses made in Australia were approved on Thursday, the first stage of what Health Department secretary Professor Brendan Murphy described as the "single best thing we've done in this vaccine rollout".
He told a Senate estimates committee hearing on Wednesday that local production was essential for planning certainty, admitting early predictions of vaccinating 4 million people by the end of March were "patently unachievable" with the arrival of just 700,000 of an expected 3.8 million AstraZeneca doses.
He said there had been a "huge effort" to work with Europe to secure the doses and the Anglo-Swedish drugmaker had tried to get shipments to Australia several times without success.
"AstraZeneca continue to try. We continue to try — the government tries, is trying through various diplomatic channels but we have no expectation that we will get that additional international AstraZeneca anytime soon," he said.
"It may come at some stage later in the year. But at the moment, now that we've got the local production, it's less important to us."
The EU Commission said it would proceed on a case-by-case basis but attention centred on the UK and AstraZeneca, which has two vaccine factories in EU territory.
"I mention specifically the UK," EU Commission Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis said. Since the end of January, "some 10 million doses have been exported from the EU to the UK and zero doses have been exported from UK to the EU," he said.
"So it's clear that we also need to look at those aspects of reciprocity and proportionality."
Australia also has agreements with Pfizer-BioNTech for 20 million doses and American company Novavax for 51 million doses, with extra jabs expected to help regional partners.
Professor Murphy said the EU hadn't blocked Pfizer shipments to Australia because the company had been able to meet its commitments to the bloc.
"The EU have taken the view that they've got a raging pandemic and AstraZeneca need to meet the European commitments before they will allow exports," he said.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU had approved the export of 41 million vaccine doses to 33 countries in the last six weeks and believes that it stands at the forefront of international vaccine-sharing efforts.
In Europe, the pandemic worsens again
World Health Organisation officials say new infections are rising across Europe after previously declining for six weeks.
"We have secured more than enough doses for the entire population. But we have to ensure timely and sufficient vaccine deliveries to EU citizens," von der Leyen said.
"Every day counts."
The EU has been feuding with AstraZeneca for months in a dispute over exactly how many vaccine doses would be delivered by certain dates.
Several vaccine producers, including Pfizer-BioNTech and AstraZeneca, were hit by production delays over the winter, just as worldwide demands for coronavirus vaccines soared.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has sought to ease the tensions over vaccines, speaking by phone in the past few days to European leaders including von der Leyen and French President Emmanuel Macron.
"We're all fighting the same pandemic across the whole of the European continent," Johnson told a news conference on Tuesday evening.
"Vaccines are an international operation," he said, adding that the U.K. would "continue to work with European partners to deliver the vaccine rollout.
"We in this country don't believe in blockades of any kind of vaccines or vaccine materials."
Still, the EU has been insisting that two AstraZeneca plants in Britain should also be considered part of the EU vaccine deliveries.
OECS Youth and Youth Groups supporting children in conflict with the law!
Monday, March 22, 2021 — On Thursday, February 25, 2021, the USAID/OECS Juvenile Justice Reform Project (JJRP) held a virtual town hall meeting to sensitize youth and youth groups about child justice reform and how they can play a greater role in reform efforts.
In addition to the USAID and Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) speakers, representatives from JJRP, UNICEF, and Grand Bacolet Rehabilitation and Treatment Centre in Grenada presented on several issues including:
- The rights of children in conflict with the law
- How the new Juvenile Justice legislation impacts youth
- How youth can be rehabilitated and reintegrated into the community
- How to get involved with youth in conflict with the law
Chloe Noble, General Development Specialist, USAID Eastern and Southern Caribbean, who delivered remarks during the event, commended the JJRP for positively engaging the region’s youth in juvenile justice reform. She also thanked the youth and youth groups for attending the town hall and seizing the opportunity to learn more about Juvenile Justice in the Eastern Caribbean. She added,
“All of you gathered here today will be an important part of making sure that long-term, coordinated support for youth in the justice systems occurs. This Town Hall is one additional step in involving youth in this work.”
Dr. Carlene Radix, OECS Head of Human and Social Division, reflecting on her involvement in the event shared:
“The Youth Virtual Town was an important avenue to engage the youth in the region, to share information and generate dialogue and understanding of the key issues. We were pleased to have 58 people attending this virtual workshop with representation from youth and youth groups from all six OECS Member States. The discussion was relevant and insightful, with youth seeking real and practical strategies to support their peers who end up in conflict with the law.”
One of the attendees of the Youth Virtual Town Hall, Raejean Montoute, CARICOM Youth Ambassador for Saint Lucia, and President of the Gros Islet North Youth and Sports Council spoke of the benefits of the Town Hall.
”It was very informative to hear the various speakers highlighting the different elements of Juvenile Justice Reform as it helps us to better understand the key issues. I am looking forward to seeing more coming out of the Juvenile Justice Reform Project to assist us youth groups, as we seek to support child justice reform and troubled youth in our communities.”
About OECS/USAID Juvenile Justice Reform Project Phase II (JJRP)
The Juvenile Justice Reform Project (JJRP) Phase II, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and being implemented by the OECS Commission, deals specifically with children in conflict with the law and the provision of diversion, rehabilitation and reintegration mechanisms for assisting children in the six (6) OECS independent Member States of Antigua and Barbuda, the Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, St Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Over the four years of JJRP Phase II, some key achievements include:
- Child Justice legislation passed in Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, Saint Lucia, St. Kitts and Nevis and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
- A legacy model and framework to guide the use of diversion, rehabilitation and reintegration has been developed and is being adopted in all of the countries.
- Diversion and rehabilitation options being actively supported within partner countries.
- Since 2016, Over 440 children have been diverted/given alternatives from arrest or custodial sentences.
- Over 220 children in conflict with the law completed Aggression Replacement Training (ART®).
- Over 1,400 service providers have been trained to improve the diversion, rehabilitation, and reintegration services provided to children in conflict with the law and their families.
The post OECS Youth and Youth Groups supporting children in conflict with the law! appeared first on The St Kitts Nevis Observer.
Prince Harry Takes a Job in California
Prince Harry has joined the corporate world as chief impact officer of employee coaching and mental health firm BetterUp Inc. The financial terms of his employment were undisclosed.
BetterUp, based in San Francisco, works with employees from companies including Mars, AB InBev and LinkedIn on coaching and mental health services.
BetterUp CEO Alexi Robichaux said the Duke of Sussex is a good fit for the company because of “his model of inspiration and impact through action.”
Robichaux cited Harry’s efforts founding the Invictus Games, which gives sick and injured military personnel and veterans the opportunity to compete in sports, and founding Sentebale, an Africa-based charity supporting young people affected by HIV.
Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, have been working on detangling their lives from the British royal family and are living in California. They signed a deal to create content for Netflix and are creating podcasts for Spotify.
In a blog post, Harry said he is joining BetterUp because he believes in the company’s mission of being proactive about mental health.
“Being attuned with your mind, and having a support structure around you, are critical to finding your own version of peak performance,” he wrote.
The post Prince Harry Takes a Job in California appeared first on The St Kitts Nevis Observer.
Famed Actor George Segal Dies at 87
Respected actor George Segal has died at age 87 after complications due to surgery on March 23, 2021. Segal’s acting career spanned more than 60 years.
Segal is known for his wide range of roles, from the beloved actor’s Oscar-nominated role in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? to the 1977 comedy Fun With Dick and Jane to his latest TV series, The Goldbergs. Many in Hollywood reacted to the news.
Adam F. Goldberg responded to the news of Segal’s death with an emotional tweet about the actor. Goldberg cast Segal to play the Jewish family patriarch Albert “Pops” Solomon in his ABC hit series, The Goldbergs. The producer posted photos of Segal and tweeted, “By pure destiny, I ended up casting the ideal man to play Pops. Much like my grandfather, George was a child at heart using a magic spark.”
Sonia Segal, the TV and movie star’s wife, announced his death in a statement. Segal’s wife said (via ABC News), “The family is devastated to announce that this morning George Segal passed away due to complications from bypass surgery.”
The Hollywood Reporter called Segal “the leading man of light hearted comedies.” Most of his younger fans know him for his television work. Segal played Jack Gallo on the NBC comedy series starring David Spade, Just Shoot Me (1997 to 2003), and appeared on ABC’s The Goldbergs (2013-present).
As mentioned, the actor was nominated for an Oscar for his work in the film Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Segal’s co-stars Sandy Dennis, Elizabeth Taylor, and Richard Burton were all nominated for Oscars for the legendary movie as well. Segal was the last surviving member of the cast (via ABC News).
The post Famed Actor George Segal Dies at 87 appeared first on The St Kitts Nevis Observer.
Scary flood escape days before trapped man died in Sydney
Just days before flooding in Sydney's north-west claimed the life of a 25-year-old contractor, another man had a narrow escape in a similar situation.
Exclusive footage obtained by 9News shows the Monday morning rescue in which a man was trapped for almost an hour on the same Glenorie road where another man, a Pakistani national, was unable to free himself from his car on Wednesday.
Both incidents have raised questions about the placement of floodgates on Cattai Ridge Road, which is sparsely populated near Hidden Valley Lane where the vehicles went off the road.
READ MORE: Man on phone to emergency services for half an hour before floodwaters consumed car
A local resident who gave his name only as Adam said the water was almost to the window of the stranded ute before a neighbour rescued the driver on Monday.
"My neighbour was up moving stuff to higher ground in his bobcat and a car had gone off — a ute had gone off in the same corner," he told 9News.
"It was only that he was up in his bobcat saw the car there and the man had been trapped for an hour so he got in there and ripped it out."
Wednesday's incident ended in tragedy, with the driver speaking with emergency services and struggling to get out of his hired Toyota for 35 minutes before the call cut out.
The car, with signs of someone "fighting for their life to get out" but unbroken windows, was found with the man's body inside about six hours later, leaving police investigating whether an electrical failure trapped him.
READ MORE: Floodwaters meet the ocean on the NSW South Coast
"We can only speculate again that given what I have seen and the damage to the vehicle that it could very well be that the electrics totally failed, and he was simply unable to escape from the car which is an absolute tragedy," Detective Inspector Chris Laird said.
"Also, the fact that he was on the phone for so long is even more tragic and is going to form part of our inquiries as to what actually went on in the car and why this tragic accident occurred.
"What more can I say than a man who is possibly about to pass away, he is on the phone and the water is rising."
They're also looking into whether the road closures were made visible enough. Police said the man was on his first day on the job as a contractor and unfamiliar with the area and that a padlocked gate meant to block off the road was underwater.
READ MORE: Piles of fish wash up on Sydney street
READ MORE: Elderly woman carried from her flooded home in Taree saves prized possession
"To have two things like that happen within three days, maybe we should move the flood gates up a bit higher," Adam said.
"The flood gates are probably at least 20 to 30 metres down the road now."
Prime Minister Scott Morrison and NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian also confirmed the death in Parliament.
"This is a terribly sad day for that family," Mr Morrison said.
"We have seen so much over the course of the past year and more as this country has battled so many things – floods, fires, viruses, drought and now these floods again.
"And now this family will get this news and they will grieve."
Another man, 38-year-old David Hornman, was found dead on Wednesday afternoon after his ute was submerged in a flooded Gold Coast hinterland creek.
Tinny spotted circling without humans on board off Perth
A boat out of control off the Perth coast, circling around and around at high speed with no one on board has sparked a bizarre hunt for a missing person.
The skipper-less boat was spotted through binoculars about 10km off Yanchep just before 2pm today.
Police tried to help, almost capsizing as the boat came dangerously close to their vessel.
Finally the tinny came to a stop, on board was a small dog, which was pulled to safety.
But there was no sign of anyone else, just some fishing rods on the back of the boat.
As it was towed back to shore, the search began for at least one person who was believed to have been on board.
The vessel was left badly damaged, with the front windscreen broken and a seat ripped off.
The police helicopter, AMSA rescue helicopter, and rescue boats have all been involved in scouring the ocean tonight.
Other vessels out on the water have been radioed to be on the lookout for anyone in the water.
9News reporter Jerrie Demasi said police had tracked the registration of the boat to contact loved ones of the missing skipper as they anxiously await any news.
Bahamas: Seniors Line-Up for COVID Vaccinations
Healthcare workers, uniformed officers, everyone 60 and over, and caregivers accompanying the elderly are eligible for the vaccine.
Miriam Emmanuel, 64, proudly sported her “I got the COVID-19 vaccine” sticker as she walked towards her vehicle yesterday.
Emmanuel, not to be confused with the MICAL MP, said she has underlying conditions that put her at a higher risk of severe COVID-19 symptoms, and said being stuck at home for the past year was becoming overbearing.
“I have pre-existing conditions, and I feel like for me to be comfortable and to move about freely, the best thing to do is be vaccinated,” she said.
“I am not listening to all the talks on social media,” she said.
“People have their own opinions. I listen to science, the professionals.”
Emmanuel said she is encouraging everyone to get vaccinated.
“I encourage those persons who have doubts to just take the doubts out of their minds and just come down and be vaccinated because it can save lives,” she said.
She added, “One of my friends was supposed to come this morning but her daughter discouraged her. But once I get home, I’m going to call her and I’ll let her know it’s nothing to be afraid of.”
Scores of people were inside Loyola Hall in various stages of the process when The Guardian walked through.
People with appointments waited in chairs just inside the hall before proceeding to the registration room, then to the stations where the vaccines were administered, and finally to a holding room, where they were observed for 15 minutes before being allowed to leave.
By midday yesterday, the queue had extended out the doors of the hall, where more than a dozen people were awaiting entry into the building.
St. Anne’s MP Brent Symonette, who was volunteering with Rotary to help manage the registration process, apologized to those waiting, explaining that there was a small backlog at the time.
Symonette, who was taking temperatures at the entrance and ushering people in, said he took the vaccine himself a few days ago and has been fine since then.
Many Bahamians have expressed skepticism over the vaccine. With only 20,000 doses in the country, the rollout was initially limited to frontline workers. But the government quickly expanded rollout to the elderly only days after it began due to the low turnout.
Chief Superintendent of Police Matthew Edgecombe, 55, said he believes getting vaccinated is the wise thing to do.
“Listening to all the persons talk about it and the doctors, that’s the wise thing to do, to get vaccinated,” Edgecombe said as he walked towards his vehicle.
“And I work in an area, law enforcement, and we come into contact with a lot of persons. So far, so good. I haven’t gotten the virus. I encourage all my colleagues to come out and get [the vaccine]. I told my office staff to come out and get it.”
Edgecombe said he believes more officers will get vaccinated.
“The officers are lining up,” he said.
“They want to get it.
“…They know it’s wise and they know it’s the right thing to do.”
He added, “I don’t see the big risk in it. I see a risk in not doing it.”
Senior Nursing Officer Sherry Armbrister said she has noticed an increase in the turnout of healthcare workers this week.
Asked if it was disappointing that more healthcare workers haven’t shown up for the vaccine, Armbrister said, “Yes, it is. But we have also seen an increase in our healthcare workers coming to get their vaccinations.”
Armbrister said they have been vaccinating more than 500 people a day.
John Turnquest, 73, said he got vaccinated because he wants to keep living his life.
“I love life,” he said.
“I love living and I want to be sure that whatever is good for me to keep me that way [I do it].”
“I don’t see why people wouldn’t want to take it, but you know I’m looking out for me.”
Turnquest said the process was smooth and efficient.
“I sat down and was waiting for them to give me the shot, and I said, ‘When are you going to start?’ And she said, ‘Well you’re finished,’” he said.
Wellington Davis, a petty officer in the Royal Bahamas Defence Force, was among those waiting in the holding area following his jab.
“I did a lot of study on it, a lot of reading,” he said, reflecting on his decision to get vaccinated.
“My sister is a nurse and she kept me up-to-date and I just came out and took it.”
While he admitted he was nervous, Davis said the process was smooth and fast, and he said he felt “great” afterward.
“Come out and roll your sleeves up and take it,” he said.
Deidre Woods, 70, said she is looking forward to being able to return to a more normal life.
“I feel liberated,” she said.
“I am pleased because now I can live a normal life instead of being in a bullpen.”
Woods added, “I couldn’t eat in a restaurant. I liked taking my grandchildren out to eat and taking them out places and there was nowhere to go. I got tired of that. So, I decided to get the vaccine when the Indians gave it to us. I trust the Indians.”
Woods said she believes widespread vaccine hesitancy in The Bahamas is due to misinformation.
“[People] need to recognize that it’s for their health,” she said.
“We took vaccines when we were young. We had to take vaccines to go to school. I am a world traveler. I’ve been all over the world, and many countries I went to, I had to be vaccinated to go. You couldn’t go without the vaccinations. So, I’m used to vaccines.”
Joseph Lewis, 66, had been waiting anxiously to be able to get the vaccine.
“One of the things I said to my family was that as soon as it was introduced to The Bahamas, I wanted to be second in line,” he said.
“I heard the prime minister say he was going to be the first, so I wanted to be number two.”
Jodie Lewis, his daughter, who is a health worker, said she wanted to get the vaccine as soon as she could to protect her family.
“I live in a house filled with high-risk people,” she said.
“So, I wanted to make sure that we were all able to get the vaccine so that we don’t end up having any issues down the line.”
She added, “I had no fears. I just wanted to take it. I know that other people have taken it.”
Dr. Michael Gerassimos, 89, said he was “feeling great” as he walked out of Loyola Hall yesterday.
“It was fine,” he said.
“[The nurse] had sweet hands, as one of my patients put it some time ago.”
His caretaker, Jacqueline Deryckere, also received her first dose of the vaccine yesterday.
“I feel more confident,” she said.
“I feel a bit more protected.”
The post Bahamas: Seniors Line-Up for COVID Vaccinations appeared first on The St Kitts Nevis Observer.
Sri Lanka Establishes Diplomatic Relations with SKN
Colombo- Sri Lanka has established diplomatic relations with Saint Kitts and Nevis, the two-island federation in the Caribbean with effect from March 22.
The Government of Sri Lanka and the Government of the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis in accordance with the interests and desires of the peoples of both countries have decided to establish diplomatic relations between the two countries with effect from 22 March 2021, the Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka to the UN in New York said.
Both Governments have agreed to further augment the existing friendly relations and cooperation in the political, socio-economic and cultural fields, for the mutual benefit of the two countries, based on the principles of mutual respect of both countries’ sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The post Sri Lanka Establishes Diplomatic Relations with SKN appeared first on The St Kitts Nevis Observer.