CHARLESTOWN, Nevis — As of Tuesday March, 16, the Nevis Water Department will serve the public from its new location at the Edith L. Solomon Building on the Island Main Road, in Charlestown formally occupied by Digicel.
The public is asked to note that the department will be closed on Friday March, 12 from 1:00 p.m. and Monday, March 15, to facilitate moving to the new location.
Normal operations will resume on Tuesday, March 16. For any emergencies please call: (869) 665-9061 or (869) 765-5319.
BASSETERRE. St. Kitts — Sixteen of the Federation’s hardworking and pioneering women were honoured in separate events sponsored by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Marine Resources, and the Ministry of Social Development and Gender Affairs.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Marine Resources honoured 10 hardworking and pioneering women for their contributions to the sector during a ceremony at the Agricultural Conference Room, La Guerite on March 8, International Women’s Day events.
International Women’s Day 2021, is celebrated under the global theme “Women in Leadership: Achieving an Equal Future in a COVID-19 World”.
Tricia King and Dr. Tracey Challenger were honoured for technical and administrative support in Marine Resources and Agriculture (Livestock Division), respectively. The other honourees were Francella Stephens – Fisheries; Yvette Huggins – Meat Trader; Joan Napier – Horticulture; Agnes Crossley – Market Vending; Denise Gillard – Crop Farming; Arabella Nisbett – Agroprocessing and Annette France – Livestock. Fahies Agriculture Women’s Cooperative was honoured in the Women’s group in Agriculture category.
Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Marine Resources, the Honourable Alexis Jeffers, deemed the event extremely significant and congratulated the women on their achievements.
“This is a very auspicious occasion in the sense that today and moving forward… women are front and centre in all that we do today because you are given a whole day to be recognized,” said Minister Jeffers. “But, of course, we recognize our women every single day for their contribution towards family life, nationhood, and also throughout the globe women continue to do a marvelous job in terms of the development and providing us with that framework and the environment for development of this our blessed earth.”
The ministry’s Permanent Secretary Ron Dublin Collins, congratulated and thanked the honourees for their contributions to the sectors.
“Today is an opportune moment for us to say thank you to our women, to encourage them, to recognize them, because their contribution has been tremendous,” said Collins. “This will be a day of celebration and recognition which is well due to the women who play so great a role in the agriculture and fisheries sector,”
“The theme seeks to celebrate the tremendous efforts and the contributions that our women and girls play in shaping a more equal future particularly in those recovery efforts from the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Collins. “The ministry intends to make the event annual, as women and youths are part of the priority areas for the Ministry of Agriculture going forward.”
Inducted into the ‘Pioneer Women’s Gallery’ were, left to right, Karisia Willett, Dr. Naudica Philip, Dr. Marissa Grant-Tate, Mrs. Mercelyn Hughes, Mrs. Sonia Boddie-Thompson and Meritza Williams.
Trailblazers inducted in ‘Pioneering Women’s Gallery’
The St. Kitts Pioneering Women’s Gallery was inaugurated by the Ministry of Social Development and Gender Affairs on March 9, with six groundbreaking women inducted.
Inductees included Mercelyn Hughes, the first female Chief Immigration Officer; Dr. Naudica Philip, first female Pathologist; Dr. Marissa Grant-Tate, first female Oncologist; Mrs. Sonia Boddie-Thompson, the first female Clerk of the National Assembly; Karisia Willett, first female senior Calypso Monarch; and Meritza Williams, the first female to receive a medal at the Carifta Games.
“As the theme for this year’s International Women’s Day focuses on leadership, it was an opportune time to display to the Federation those women who have been trailblazers,” explained Janelle Lewis-Tafari, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Social Development and Gender Affairs. “These women have shown the nation that women are capable of anything that they set their mind and talent to do.
“These are women who broke the proverbial glass ceiling,” she said. “They are an inspiration to others. Women who achieve firsts in the Federation must be acknowledged and celebrated.
“This is important. Our children who are coming up, both our boys and our girls, need to see strong women,” she said. “Women who are from similar circumstances, the same country. This is so that our little girls can understand that regardless of what challenges they are experiencing, there is hope, you can accomplish, you can achieve.”
Minister of Social Development and Gender Affairs, the Honourable Eugene Hamilton, said the event showcases the immense talent and skills of women and how far they have come in St. Kitts and Nevis.
World Glaucoma Week is being celebrated with a calendar of events that run from March 7 to 13.
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts — The Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis joins the rest of the world in observing World Glaucoma Week, which is being celebrated locally with a calendar of events that run from March 7 to 13, under the global theme: “The World is Bright Save Your Sight.”
Declaring World Glaucoma Week open, on March 7, Minister of Health et al. the Honourable Akilah Byron-Nisbett, reflected on the theme indicating that is it imperative to promote the awareness of glaucoma.
“The theme reflects the hope that with regular testing people will continue to see the world around them, a world full of beauty and adventure and opportunities,” said the Hon. Byron-Nisbett. “And while the theme may seem somewhat poetic, it greatly adapts to local conditions and fosters unifying effort to promote effective community public awareness of the disease.”
She outlined several activities to be held in the Federation and encouraged the public to support and participate in the events.
The calendar of events includes an Awareness Day on March 8; Glaucoma discussions at the Ophthalmic Unit at Joseph N France General Hospital on March 9; Surgery day on March 10; and a Lecture by Ophthalmologist Dr. Francisca Nunez on March 11. On Friday, March 12, World Glaucoma Day, the unit has organized a Grab-and-Go Bake Sale.
The week will climax on Saturday, March 13 with a Glaucoma Awareness Walk and breakfast starting at 5 a.m. from the Cenotaph (War Memorial) to the Basseterre Fisheries Complex and back.
“Let us celebrate with our ophthalmic staff as they promote healthy eyes and protect our families and communities from glaucoma,” said Byron-Nisbett. “It is imperative for our healthcare system and practitioners to eliminate glaucoma, blindness through advocacy for universal access to international standard glaucoma care, promoting evidence-based practice and encouraging scientific research and glaucoma education for patients and caregivers.”
Byron-Nisbett congratulated the staff at the Ophthalmic Unit for promoting the awareness of glaucoma.
“The Ministry of Health…salutes them for alerting members of the broader community to the need for regular eye checks which allow earlier detection,” said Byron-Nisbett. “They promote retention of sight and prevent irreversible blindness. Indeed, the urgent need for action cannot be underestimated.”
The minister encouraged people to wear green throughout the week to support the theme.
World Glaucoma Week, commenced in March 2010 as a joint initiative between the World Glaucoma Association and the World Glaucoma Patient Association.
Awards presented to the women honoured during the ceremony.
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – Five of the Federation’s leading women were honoured with the Department of Gender Affairs “Awards of Excellence” presentation for their contributions to the development of St. Kitts and Nevis. The presentation was part of International Women’s Day celebrations.International Women’s Day was celebrated under the theme “Women in Leadership -Achieving an Equal Future in a COVID-19 World.”
The media industry body the Society of Editors was in turmoil on Tuesday night with some members of its board said to be “deeply angry” over a statement it put out claiming that racism was never a factor in coverage of the Duchess of Sussex.
More than 160 journalists of colour and the editors of the Guardian, Financial Times and HuffPost have objected to the statement, written by the SoE’s executive director, Ian Murray, which argued that Meghan’s claims that parts of the media were racist were “not acceptable”.
Following the backlash, discussions were under way over the publication of a new statement intended to address the concerns. But the Guardian understands the SoE’s board was split over the wording of that statement, with a dispute over the phrasing of a possible apology and some urgently demanding a clear change in tone.
There were calls for an emergency meeting to address the decision to release the statement, which one member said was “deeply unfortunate”.
Piers Morgan leaves Good Morning Britain after Meghan row
The SoE draws members from nearly 400 national and regional outlets and says that while its members “are as different as … the communities and audiences they serve”, they “share the values that matter”.
The board split came after 168 journalists, writers and broadcasters of colour from across the British media wrote an open letter describing the SoE’s initial statement as “laughable” proof of “an institution and an industry in denial”.
In the interview, Meghan summarised the couple’s view of much of the British media by saying: “From the beginning of our relationship, they were so attacking and incited so much racism.”
Murray said on Monday that the claims were “not acceptable” and made without “supporting evidence”, insisting that the UK media “has a proud record of calling out racism”. In a piece headlined “UK media not bigoted” he said the tone of tabloid coverage was simply driven by “holding a spotlight up to those in positions of power, celebrity or influence”.
The signatories of the open letter – including staff and contributors at the Guardian, Metro, Grazia and Channel 4 – say they “deplore and reject” the SoE’s defence, which they argued “shows a wilful ignorance [of] not just the discriminatory treatment of Meghan … but that of other people from an ethnic minority background”.
The letter concluded: “The Society of Editors should have used the comments by the Sussexes to start an open and constructive discussion about the best way to prevent racist coverage in future … The blanket refusal to accept there is any bigotry in the British press is laughable, does a disservice to journalists of colour and shows an institution and an industry in denial.”
Buckingham Palace breaks silence on Meghan and Harry claims to Oprah
Read more
The row reflects a fierce debate over the extent of the media’s culpability in the issues raised by Harry and Meghan, with the Daily Mail most frequently cited. Articles raised as evidence of discriminatory treatment include those saying that Meghan is “(almost) straight outta Compton” and has “exotic” DNA.
Murray’s statement was immediately the subject of controversy on social media and in private. A tweet from Press Gazette linking to the statement was viewed more than 13m times, the trade publication said, with most of more than 3,000 replies disagreeing with the defence of the industry.
Earlier, the organisation’s board was divided on whether it was an appropriate reaction. “It’s incredibly frustrating because that is far from a universal view in the media,” one said. “It’s tone-deaf.”
The statement was not cleared with the board, although another member pointed out that statements were routinely issued without approval. “I don’t think there was anything out of turn about this,” they said.
The Guardian has requested an explanation for how the statement came to be published. Its editor-in-chief, Katharine Viner, said: “Every institution in the United Kingdom is currently examining its own position on vital issues of race and the treatment of people of colour. As I have said before, the media must do the same. It must be much more representative and more self-aware.”
Roula Khalaf, the editor of the Financial Times, also disagreed with the statement. “There is work to be done across all sectors in the UK to call out and challenge racism,” she said. “The media has a critical role to play, and editors must ensure that our newsrooms and coverage reflect the societies we live in.”
In a BBC interview on Tuesday, Murray defended the statement and reiterated that he felt negative coverage of Harry and Meghan had been balanced by earlier positive coverage. He responded to the suggestion that the “straight outta Compton” headline was an example of the problem by saying: “I’m not au fait completely with areas of … California.”
On Twitter, the HuffPost UK editor, Jess Brammar, wrote: “I’m aware I won’t make myself popular with my peers but I’m just going to stand up and say it: I don’t agree with statement from my industry body that it is ‘untrue that sections of UK press were bigoted’.” Charlie Brinkhurst-Cuff, the editor of gal-dem, said the SoE “simply deny there’s any issue”.
Others suggested that the statement suggested a failure to grapple with the underlying structural issues that some have identified as a factor in coverage that goes well beyond the royal couple. “Pains me to say that my industry has been in denial about its institutional racism for all the two decades I’ve been in it,” said Sathnam Sanghera, a columnist at the Times.
The Society of Editors did not respond to a request for comment.
He is expected to remain in hospital for at least a few days, with no indication as to when he will return to work, but doctors say there is no immediate plan to operate.
Alfred ICU director Associate Professor Steve McGloughlin said Mr Andrews was "comfortable" and his pain was "well-controlled".
"A multidisciplinary team including intensive care, trauma and orthopaedic specialists has developed a treatment plan, together with the Andrews family, he said in a statement released late on Wednesday.
"Mr Andrews has sustained some serious injuries, and his condition is being monitored closely. At this stage there is no immediate plan for surgery."
Orthopedic spine surgeon John Cunningham said the kind of fracture the Premier suffered could be painful.
"It can cause pain, it can cause immobility and I would expect the pain to last if not three, maybe six months," Dr Cunningham said.
"These fractures can be really common and often caused by minor trauma, but the pain from them can persist for quite some time.
"Fortunately they don't all end up in paraplegia."
Dr Cunningham said he expected Mr Andrews to be limited in his movement for some time.
"I would expect him to find it uncomfortable for him to stand for long periods for at least another six weeks.He might be able to get back to his desk quite quickly though."
The Premier revealed yesterday he had slipped on the stairs as he was leaving for a media conference in Healesville to announce an inquiry into Indigenous reconciliation.
"A CT scan has revealed several broken ribs and vertebrae damage, and subsequent medical advice has recommended I remain in intensive care for the next few days," Mr Andrews said in a statement.
"Cath, the kids and I are extremely grateful to the Ambulance Victoria paramedics who showed such care and kindness to our family this morning, as we are to the clinicians who have taken care of me today.
"Our warm and sincere thanks go to the many family members, friends, colleagues and Victorians who have sent messages of love and support throughout the day."
The Premier has been overwhelmed with messages of support, with Prime Minister Scott Morrison among those to send him a get well text message.
"I haven't heard back from Dan but I imagine he's been a bit busy, but I wish him all the best (and) I hope he's very well," Mr Morrison said today.
"You know Dan and I get along very well."
Victorian Opposition Leader Michael O'Brien wished the premier a "speedy recovery" on Twitter, adding he hoped the premier's injuries were "not serious".
Hundreds of thousands of heavily discounted airfares will soon be up for grabs as the federal government foots half the bill to encourage Aussies to holiday domestically in tourist spots struggling without international visitors.
From sunny Cairns — the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef, Daintree Rainforest and some of Queensland's most spectacular hikes — south to rural Tasmania's mix of natural beauty and culinary hedonism, there are 13 regions on offer.
Other destinations covered by the $1.2 billion tourism recovery package include the Whitsundays, the Gold Coast, South Australia's Kangaroo Island, Uluru and access to Victoria's Great Ocean Road and the NSW south coast.
FULL LIST OF FLIGHT ROUTES BELOW
There are expected to be about 46,000 half-price tickets available per week, up to a total of 800,000 cheap airfares.
How do I buy a discounted fight?
According to the government, all you have to do is visit your chosen airline's website from April 1 to take advantage.
Qantas, Virgin and Jetstar are expected to be the main airlines operating the routes but smaller carriers are also expected to get involved.
To qualify for the discount, the carrier must have already flown that route in the previous two years.
Discounted flight routes
The government warns these may change depending on airline negotiations and demand:
Rising heat and humidity threatening to plunge much of the world’s population into potentially lethal conditions, study finds
Research was centered on latitudes found between 20 degrees north, a line that cuts through Mexico, Libya and India, to 20 degrees south. Photograph: Noah Seelam/AFP/Getty Images
The climate crisis is pushing the planet’s tropical regions towards the limits of human livability, with rising heat and humidity threatening to plunge much of the world’s population into potentially lethal conditions, new research has found.
‘It is the question of the century’: will tech solve the climate crisis – or make it worse?
Should governments fail to curb global heating to 1.5C above the pre-industrial era, areas in the tropical band that stretches either side of the equator risk changing into a new environment that will hit “the limit of human adaptation”, the study warns.
Humans’ ability to regulate their body heat is dependent upon the temperature and humidity of the surrounding air. We have a core body temperature that stays relatively stable at 37C (98.6F), while our skin is cooler to allow heat to flow away from the inner body. But should the wet-bulb temperature – a measure of air temperature and humidity – pass 35C, high skin temperature means the body is unable to cool itself, with potentially deadly consequences.
“If it is too humid our bodies can’t cool off by evaporating sweat – this is why humidity is important when we consider livability in a hot place,” said Yi Zhang, a Princeton University researcher who led the new study, published in Nature Geoscience. “High body core temperatures are dangerous or even lethal.”
The research team looked at various historical data and simulations to determine how wet-bulb temperature extremes will change as the planet continues to heat up, discovering that these extremes in the tropics increase at around the same rate as the tropical mean temperature.
This means that the world’s temperature increase will need to be limited to 1.5C to avoid risking areas of the tropics exceeding 35C in wet-bulb temperature, which is so-called because it is measured by a thermometer that has its bulb wrapped in a wet cloth, helping mimic the ability of humans to cool their skin by evaporating sweat.
Dangerous conditions in the tropics will unfold even before the 1.5C threshold, however, with the paper warning that 1C of extreme wet-bulb temperature increase “could have adverse health impact equivalent to that of several degrees of temperature increase”. The world has already warmed by around 1.1C on average due to human activity and although governments vowed in the Paris climate agreement to hold temperatures to 1.5C, scientists have warned this limit could be breached within a decade.
This has potentially dire implications for a huge swathe of humanity. Around 40% of the world’s population currently lives in tropical countries, with this proportion set to expand to half of the global population by 2050 due to the large proportion of young people in region. The Princeton research was centered on latitudes found between 20 degrees north, a line that cuts through Mexico, Libya and India, to 20 degrees south, which goes through Brazil, Madagascar and the northern reaches of Australia.
Mojtaba Sadegh, an expert in climate risks at Boise State University, said the study does “a great job” of analyzing how rising temperatures “can render portions of the tropics uninhabitable in the absence of considerable infrastructure investments.”
“If this limit is breached, infrastructure like cool-air shelters are absolutely necessary for human survival,” said Sadegh, who was not involved in the research. “Given that much of the impacted area consists of low-income countries, providing the required infrastructure will be challenging.”
“Theoretically no human can tolerate a wet bulb temperature of above 35C, no matter how much water they have to drink,” he added.
The study is just the latest scientific warning over severe dangers posed by heat. Extreme heatwaves could push parts of the Middle East beyond human endurance, scientists have found, with rising temperatures also posing enormous risks for parts of China and India.
The global number of potentially fatal humidity and heat events doubled between 1979 and 2017, research has determined, with the coming decades set to see as many as 3 billion people pushed beyond the historical range of temperature that humans have survived and prospered in over the past 6,000 years.
Brazil’s iconic Maracana stadium is to be named in honour of the country’s legendary footballer Pele.
The move follows a vote by the Rio de Janeiro state legislature to change the venue’s name to the Edson Arantes do Nascimento – Rei Pele stadium.
Edson Arantes do Nascimento is the 80-year-old’s full name, while Rei means king in Portuguese.
The Rio de Janeiro’s state governor must approve the name change before it becomes official.
Pele, who won three World Cups as a player for Brazil, scored his 1,000th goal at the stadium in 1969 when playing for Santos against Vasco da Gama.
The Maracana held the 1950 and 2014 World Cup finals, as well as the opening ceremony of the 2016 Olympics.
More than 200,000 spectators are reported to have been in the stadium to watch Uruguay beat Brazil in the 1950 final, although its capacity is now 78,838.
It was named after Mario Filho, a journalist who lobbied for its construction in the 1940s, but was known as the Maracana after the area in which it is located.
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A framework that outlines how Puerto Rico will restructure at least $35 billion in public debt and more than $50 billion in public pension liabilities threatens a 10% cut to certain public pensions if no agreement is reached with retirees.
The amended plan of adjustment of 233 pages was filed late Monday in U.S. court by a federal control board that oversees Puerto Rico’s finances and was created by Congress to lift the U.S. territory’s government out of bankruptcy.
The plan includes a proposed cut of up to 8.5% to monthly pensions of at least $1,500. That has long been a point of contention between the board and the governor, who has repeatedly said he would not approve such cuts.
Board Chairman David Skeel called the plan “a milestone for Puerto Rico’s recovery, stability, and prosperity. This plan substantially reduces the burden of debt payments on future generations, stabilizes and protects pensions that have been mismanaged for so long, and affirms the collective bargaining agreements of government workers.”
The board said that if the proposed pension cut is rejected, it would return to the original proposal of imposing a 10% cut on monthly pensions of at least $1,000.
Gov. Pedro Pierluisi issued a statement saying the plan was a great step in helping end the debt-restructuring process.
“Puerto Rico needs to leave this bankruptcy process behind in order to achieve the sustainable economic development to which we all aspire and eliminate the uncertainty inherent in this process, as well as the million-dollar restructuring expenses that the government has had to incur,” he said.
But Pierluisi noted the government will state in court that it does not wholly support the plan.
“My administration has been emphatic that this pension cut is not reasonable,” he said.
Meanwhile, Puerto Rico economist José Caraballo said the plan had positive and negative aspects and recommended that the governor negotiate with the board to protect pensions up to $2,000 and then impose a 10% cut on anything higher.
“You have to seek a little flexibility,” he said in a phone interview.
Caraballo said he supports the plan’s call to create a pension reserve trust, noting that pensions are currently paid by tax revenues. He also agrees that the amount of money bondholders would receive is to be contingent on the ups and downs of government revenue flows. However, he worries that creditors would be paid what he considers an excessive amount.
“Practically 30% of Puerto Rico’s budget will go toward paying retirees and bondholders,” he said, adding that the island’s legislature could be a game changer because it would have to approve the issuance of new bonds as outlined in the plan. “That’s where we could see a roadblock.”
Ultimately, the plan also has to be approved by a judge overseeing Puerto Rico’s bankruptcy-like process. If that occurs, the plan would reduce Puerto Rico’s outstanding debt from $35 billion to $7.4 billion, an 80% cut. Among other things, it also would cut total debt service payments by more than 60%, which the board said would save the government nearly $60 billion in debt service payments.
The board said the amended plan has “substantial” support from creditors, including from those who hold more than $13 billion worth of bonds.
“This diverse group of stakeholders agrees that it is time to move on, to heal, to build, and to grow this economy,” said Natalie Jaresko, the board’s executive director. “Bankruptcy has taken a huge toll on the people of Puerto Rico.”
The amended plan was filed nearly six years after the U.S. territory declared it was unable to pay its more than $70 billion public debt load, an amount accumulated following decades of mismanagement, corruption and excessive borrowing to balance budgets. In 2017, the island filed for the biggest U.S. municipal bankruptcy in history. That same year, Puerto Rico was hit by Hurricane Maria, a Category 4 storm that caused more than an estimated $100 billion in damage.
