CHARLESTOWN, NEVIS — The Nevis Co-operative Credit Union (NCCU) Limited, the oldest credit union in the Federation, has launched a calendar of year-long celebratory activities that will be held to mark the institution’s 50^th anniversary, having been registered on July 25, 1972.

“Today begins a very significant celebration for the Nevis Co-operative Credit Union Limited,” said NCCU President, Mrs Vernesia Walters on Monday January 31, during the launch ceremony which was held at the Ingle Blackett Conference Room, Nevis Credit Union Business Complex in Charlestown.

“It is a time when we cast our gaze at the birth, growth, development and maturity of the Nevis Co-operative Credit Union Limited and its impact over the past 50 years on the lives of our members and their families,” observed Mrs Walters

According to the President, it is time for people to come into greater recognition that the Nevis Co-operative Credit Union Limited, an indigenous institution, is a hallmark of the Nevisian economy.

She noted that it is time to look back at the transformation of communities where the ordinary man or woman could proudly own a piece of the rock, become an entrepreneur, advance his/her education, improve his/her lifestyle, address medical needs, explore the world and fulfil visions, goals and dreams.

“It is a time when we as a people celebrate economic independence and teach the next generations the values of hard work, integrity, collaboration, cooperation, contentment, compassion, voluntarism, perseverance and endurance,” said Mrs Walters. “These values form the bedrock of this institution and the wider Credit Union Movement as they justify our very existence.”

She advised: “So, as we celebrate, let us embrace the journey and renew our commitments to the vision and mission of this great institution.”

Giving a history of the Nevis Co-operative Credit Union Limited, General Manager Mr Sydney Newton noted that the first credit union commenced operations on Nevis in 1965 under the astute stewardship of the late Mr Wilbert Edmund Ingle Blackett, pioneer of co-operativism in the then British colony of St. Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla. It was intended solely for the employees of the Civil Service.

“In 1966, the bond was opened for the residents of Charlestown and the Credit Union was registered as the Charlestown Co-operative Credit Union Limited,” noted Mr Newton. “And on July 25, 1972, the Charlestown Co-operative Credit Union opened its ‘bond’ to all the residents of Nevis and was registered as the Nevis Co-operative Credit Union Limited.”

He saluted pioneers of the Nevis Co-operative Credit Union who laboured hard to lay a solid foundation for the society, where during the first seven years of credit unionism on Nevis (1965-1972), which included the difficult years immediately following the MV Christena Disaster of 1970, they endured struggles as they sold the co-operative idea, which was at its infancy, to get acceptance and support.

According to Mr Newton, esteemed pioneers of the Nevis Co-operative Credit Union are Mr Ingle Blackett (Founder), Fr. John Wagland (1^st President), Mr Anthony Horner, Mr Spencer Byron, Mr Arthur Evelyn, Mrs Olvis Dyer, Ms Ann-Marie Caines, Mr Harry Maynard, Mrs Eileen Blackett, Mrs Cicely Grell-Hull, Mr Crispin Fahie, and Mr Spencer Howell (all deceased).

Those still around include, among others, Mr Warner Riviere, Pastor Eversley Pemberton, Mr Joseph Parry, Mrs Eugenie Hector, Ms Jeannette Grell-Hull, Mrs Jannette Claxton, Mr Wellington Parris, Mr Earl Parris, Mr Edred Ward, Mr Randy Moving (1^st Employee), Mrs Carmella Hanley, and Mrs Georgette Hanley. Present at the launch ceremony were pioneers Pastor Eversley Pemberton, Mr Edred Ward, and Mrs Georgette Hanley.

Chairman of the Anniversary Committee who is also the Vice President of the Nevis Co-operative Credit Union Limited, Mr Carl Tyson, noted that competitions were held among the members of staff for the submission of the 50^th Anniversary Celebrations slogan, and logo.

The winning 50^th Anniversary Celebrations slogan, ‘Consistency, Financial Security & Serving the Community 50 years of Development and Prosperity’ was submitted, Ms Zahvelisia Claxton, the Internal Auditor, while the winning logo was submitted by Ms Tamara Johnson, Administrative Assistant, Administration and Human Resource Department.

Mr Tyson also revealed the year-long 50^th Anniversary Calendar of events which will include, among others, distribution of care packages (January to December), production of commemorative documentaries on pioneers, members, staff, and scholarship holders (Jan-Dec), relay competition (April/May), commemorative magazine (July), worship service (July 24), essay competition for secondary schools students (October), quiz competition for primary schools students (November), and staff awards/gala (November/December).

The ceremony, which was attended by members of the various 50^th Anniversary Celebrations committees and streamed on NCCU’s Facebook page live, was chaired by NCCU’s Business Development and Marketing Officer, Ms Jaedee Caines. National Anthem was rendered by one of NCCU’s scholarship holders, Miss Sindodre Flemming, prayer was invoked by NCCU’s Accounting and Finance Manager, Pastor Londy Esdaile, while NCCU’s Internal Auditor, who is also the Recorder, Anniversary Committee, Ms Zahvelisia Claxton, gave the vote of thanks.

The post Nevis Co-Operative Credit Union Launches 50th Anniversary Celebrations appeared first on The St Kitts Nevis Observer.

The documents include diaries, schedules, handwritten notes, speeches and remarks. The supreme court rejected Trump’s attempt to stop the National Archives turning them over to Congress.

In a statement, the Archives said: “Some of the Trump presidential records received by the National Archives and Records Administration included paper records that had been torn up by former president Trump.

“These were turned over to the National Archives at the end of the Trump administration, along with a number of torn-up records that had not been reconstructed by the White House. The Presidential Records Act requires that all records created by presidents be turned over to the National Archives at the end of their administrations.”

The Archives did not say how it knew Trump had torn the records but his habit of tearing up documents has been widely reported.

In 2018, Politico spoke to Solomon Lartey, a records management analyst who spent time “armed with rolls of clear Scotch tape … sft[ing] through large piles of paper and put[ting] them back together … ‘like a jigsaw puzzle’.”

Lartey and another staffer who taped records were fired by the White House that year, they said summarily.

Lartey said: “They told [Trump] to stop doing it. He didn’t want to stop.”

After a process that reached the supreme court, the Archives gave more than 700 documents concerning the Capitol attack to the House committee last month.

More than 700 people have been charged over the riot, in which Trump supporters tried to stop certification of his election defeat. Eleven members of a far-right militia are charged with seditious conspiracy. More than 100 police officers were injured. Seven people died.

The committee has recommended criminal charges for two Trump associates, former White House strategist Steve Bannon and chief of staff Mark Meadows. Bannon refused co-operation and pleaded not guilty to contempt of Congress. Meadows co-operated, then withdrew. He has not been charged.

Speaking to the Washington Post, Stephen Gillers, a New York University law professor, said destroying White House documents “could be a crime under several statutes that make it a crime to destroy government property if that was the intent of the defendant.

“A president does not own the records generated by his own administration. The definition of presidential records is broad. Trump’s own notes to himself could qualify and destroying them could be the criminal destruction of government property.”

Trump did not comment. Nor did the House committee.

It was also reported on Tuesday that text messages were turned over to the committee by Kayleigh McEnany, Trump’s last press secretary.

ABC News reported that McEnany appeared before investigators on 13 January.

It also said the texts were the source for conversations with the Fox News host Sean Hannity, which were quoted by the committee in a request for information from Ivanka Trump, the former president’s daughter and adviser.

“1 – no more stolen election talk,” Hannity texted McEnany after the Capitol attack.

Referring to possible attempts to remove Trump from power, he added: “2- Yes, impeachment and the 25th amendment are real and many people will quit.”

McEnany replied: “Love that. Thank you. That is the playbook. I will help reinforce.”

Trump was impeached but acquitted. The 25th amendment, which provides for the removal of a president incapable of fulfilling his or her duties, was not invoked. Trump continues to claim the election was stolen.

McEnany is now a Fox News host. She and her employer did not comment. One former Trump White House insider told the Guardian: “She’s an honest woman.”

The post His Own Law: Trump Tore Up Records Turned Over to House Capitol Attack Committee appeared first on The St Kitts Nevis Observer.

Rihanna, the top Barbadian singer, is expecting her first child with A$AP Rocky, her rapper boyfriend.

The pregnant singer showed off her bare baby bump during an outing in Harlem, A$AP’s hometown in New York, over the weekend.

In viral photos on social media, the ‘Umbrella’ crooner could be seen wearing a bubblegum pink puffer jacket and jeans with her big stomach.

This will be Rihanna and Rocky’s first child together.

The songstress first sparked pregnancy rumors in November, after she was named a national hero in her native Barbados. She had worn a tight-fitting gown when she was to accept the award.

The post Rihanna Expecting 1st Child with Rapper Boyfriend appeared first on The St Kitts Nevis Observer.

U.S. President Joe Biden has announced that he will be nominating the first Black woman to fill a vacancy on the Supreme Court following the retirement of Justice Stephen Breyer. The latter plans to retire later this year.

Among the list of possible replacements is Deputy assistant U.S. attorney general Leondra Kruger, the daughter of a Jamaican immigrant.

“It’s long overdue, in my opinion,” said President Biden.

“Our process is going to be rigorous. I will select a nominee worthy of Justice Breyer’s legacy of excellence and decency. While I’ve been studying candidates’ backgrounds and writings, I’ve made no decision except one: the person I will nominate will be someone with extraordinary qualifications, character, experience, and integrity. And that person will be the first Black woman ever nominated to the United States Supreme Court,” he added.

The 45-year-old Kruger is a native of California. Her mother immigrated to the United States from Jamaica, and her late father was an American Jew whose parents had immigrated from Europe.

Kruger graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from Harvard University. She earned her law degree from Yale Law School, where she served as Editor-in-Chief of the Yale Law Journal. She was the first Black woman elected to the position.

The Jamaican American worked at various law firms throughout her career. From 2007 to 2013, Kruger was an assistant to the United States Solicitor General and the acting principal deputy solicitor general. She was the first Black woman to hold the role.

In 2014, Kruger was appointed as Associate Justice to the California Supreme Court. She became the court’s second African-American woman justice, following Janice Rogers Brown. At 38, she was the youngest appointee to the court in recent years and the third youngest appointee ever.

If she replaces Justice Stephen Breyer, she will also continue the tradition of the court’s “Jewish seat.” While Justice Elena Kagan is also Jewish, Breyer sits in a seat historically assigned to a Jew for a large part of the past 100 years. She would also become the third Black Justice and the sixth woman ever to serve on the Supreme Court. She would also be the first person of Jamaican descent to serve on the Supreme Court.

Other nominees include U.S. Circuit Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson and U.S. District Judge J. Michelle Childs. According to the Associated Press, the nomination can be confirmed before Breyer officially retires.

Kruger is married to Brian Hauck, who is also a lawyer. The couple has two young children. She was the first member of the California Supreme Court to give birth while serving on the bench.

The post Jamaican-American Woman Among US Supreme Court Nominees appeared first on The St Kitts Nevis Observer.

T&T Guardian- Police have reported that over 80 people were arrested for various offences from Friday to yesterday throughout all policing divisions in Trinidad and Tobago.

A statement by the Police Service said that 30 people were arrested for committing serious crimes, 38 were arrested for committing minor offences and 12 were detained on outstanding warrants.

Malcolm Grandison, 25, of George Street, Glamorgan, Tobago, was charged on Saturday relative to the circumstances surrounding the death of Rawle Joseph, whose body was found on Thursday, January 6.

One man was arrested, after police conducted investigations into the death of a 10-year-old boy in Arima, while a 40-year-old woman is currently in police custody relative to the circumstances surrounding the death of a man which occurred on March 31, 2021, in the Santa Cruz Police district.

Thirteen people were arrested in the Central Division for various offences during the period, one person was arrested for possession of a firearm, two were held for robbery and two other suspects were detained for robbery with violence.

Four other people were arrested for being in possession of illegal drugs. In the Eastern Division, police seized a homemade 12-gauge shotgun and arrested one person.

A black and silver .38 revolver was seized in the Port-of–Spain Division and one person was arrested for being in possession of one Beretta pistol in the North Eastern Division.

Several hunting camps were checked which resulted in two homemade butts and one hand rest for a shotgun being found at Rio Claro Trace.

On Saturday, 69 rounds of assorted ammunition were found across the North Eastern, Eastern, Port of Spain and Northern Divisions.

Two people were arrested in connection with the finds and investigations are ongoing into these matters.

During the period, approximately one kilogramme of marijuana was seized in the Eastern and Western Divisions and two people were arrested.

A quantity of cocaine was also seized in the Central Division resulting in two persons being held.

Police also recovered three vehicles that were reported stolen over the weekend.

A Nissan Tiida vehicle that was reported stolen from Bushe Street, Curepe, on Sunday, was recovered on Pashly Street, Laventille. Meanwhile, police acted on information from the Command Centre and proceeded to Pioneer Drive, Sea Lots, where two vehicles that were reported stolen were recovered.

Investigations are ongoing into these incidents.

The post T&T: More Than 80 Arrested in Weekend of Chaos appeared first on The St Kitts Nevis Observer.

Bomb shelters, guerrilla war: Building Ukraine’s resistance

KHARKIV, Ukraine (AP) — The table tennis coach, the chaplain’s wife, the dentist and the firebrand nationalist have little in common except a desire to defend their hometown and a sometimes halting effort to speak Ukrainian instead of Russian….Read More

*****@***il.com&p=26570630&stpe=default” width=”600″ border=”0″ />
*****@***il.com&p=26570630&stpe=static” border=”0″ />	*****@***il.com&p=26570630&stpe=static” border=”0″ />

White House: No ‘gaming the system’ on Supreme Court pick

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will meet with Senate Judiciary Committee leaders on Tuesday to discuss the upcoming U.S. Supreme Court vacancy and the president’s promise to nominate a Black woman to the high court. …Read More

*****@***il.com&p=26570630&stpe=default” width=”600″ border=”0″ />
*****@***il.com&p=26570630&stpe=static” border=”0″ />	*****@***il.com&p=26570630&stpe=static” border=”0″ />

AP source: US urges Pfizer to apply for under-5 COVID shots

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. regulators are urging drugmaker Pfizer to apply for emergency authorization for a two-dose regimen of its COVID-19 vaccine for children six months to 5 years old while awaiting data on a three-dose course, aiming to clea…Read More

*****@***il.com&p=26570630&stpe=default” width=”600″ border=”0″ />
*****@***il.com&p=26570630&stpe=static” border=”0″ />	*****@***il.com&p=26570630&stpe=static” border=”0″ />

EXPLAINER: The Winter Games, a different kind of Olympics

BEIJING (AP) — The first so-called modern Olympics took place in 1896 in Athens. But the inaugural Winter Olympics were not held until 1924 in Chamonix, France. Calvin Coolidge was the American president at the time, and Vladimir Lenin died t…Read More

*****@***il.com&p=26570630&stpe=default” width=”600″ border=”0″ />
*****@***il.com&p=26570630&stpe=static” border=”0″ />	*****@***il.com&p=26570630&stpe=static” border=”0″ />

Russia denies responding to US proposal on Ukraine crisis

MOSCOW (AP) — A Russian diplomat on Tuesday denied reports that Moscow sent Washington a written response to a U.S. proposal aimed at deescalating the Ukraine crisis. The Kremlin is seeking legally binding guarantees from the U.S. …Read More

The post WORLD VIEW: Ukraine Prepares, US Court Pick, Winter Olympics, Russia-US Tension, More appeared first on The St Kitts Nevis Observer.

The post Thousands of Haiti Homes Flooded, Rivers Swell Amid Heavy Rains appeared first on The St Kitts Nevis Observer.

The post El Salvador: Human Rights Groups Call for Probe Into Cyber Spying on Journalists appeared first on The St Kitts Nevis Observer.

The post Ecuador: Deadly Landslide After Heaviest Rainfall in 20 Years appeared first on The St Kitts Nevis Observer.

Domestic travel to Puerto Rico is about to get easier, so long as you’re fully vaccinated.

New entry requirements are set to take effect Wednesday and will scrap testing requirements for fully vaccinated domestic travelers. On-island restrictions also will ease, and capacity restrictions are set to lighten up across a variety of businesses.

Gov. Pedro Pierluisi announced the changes Friday, citing a drop in COVID-19 cases. Puerto Rico reported 1,727 new cases on Thursday, a fraction of the more than 14,000 daily cases it reported in early January, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. 

Do I need to be fully vaccinated or test to enter Puerto Rico?

Starting Wednesday, travelers who can present proof of vaccination will no longer need to show a negative coronavirus test.

Unvaccinated travelers will still need to take a test no more than 48 hours before departure to avoid a seven-day quarantine. If they are unable to get tested before arrival, they can take a test within the first 48 hours on the island.

If a post-arrival test result comes back positive, they must quarantine for 10 days. Unvaccinated travelers who do not test before or after arrival will be subject to fines and must quarantine for seven days.

The island’s three open airports still require visitors to fill out a Travel Declaration Form before entry, and travel restrictions for international travelers visiting Puerto Rico will not change. International visitors must be fully vaccinated and show a negative antigen or PCR test taken within one day of departure.

The post Puerto Rico Opens Up for Vaxed Visitors appeared first on The St Kitts Nevis Observer.