Author: SKNISEditor

Buenos Aires, 18 March 2021 (IICA). The pandemic brought the issue of food policies to the forefront and reinforced Mercosur’s presence on the global stage, thus revealing the key role played by the body’s member countries in addressing the matter of global food security and nutrition, a point emphasized during deliberations at the seminar on Sustainable Agri-food Systems held to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the South American trade bloc, currently chaired by Argentina. The seminar brought together representatives and specialists from the trade bloc’s four plenary members – Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay – and associate countries Chile, Mexico and Peru -…

San José, 17 March 2021 (IICA). The Member States of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) expressed their support for the proposal made by the organization to present a consolidated position of the Americas at the UN Food Systems Summit, in order to guarantee that the agricultural sector of the region is heard in that global forum. This support was expressed by senior officials who participated in a meeting of the Special Advisory Commission on Management Issues (SACMI), in which they agreed that the region, which is the largest global producer and exporter of agricultural products, should make its…

San Jose, 16 March 2021 (IICA). Chelston Brathwaite was Barbados’ Ambassador to China for four years and has shared his experiences in a book that offers an essential view of the current reality of the Asian giant and its social, economic and political impact on the 21st century world, as seen through the eyes of our region. The attractive personal account, as Caribbean as it is universal, assists in understanding the transformation and modernization of a country that over just a few decades became the number two economy in the world. In his book, Brathwaite, who was the representative of his…

The Ministry of Education announces that: All students attending Government Primary and Secondary schools in St. Kitts and Nevis are required to be at school until Friday, 26th March, 2021. Teachers would continue to report for duty until Thursday, 1st April, 2021. Report sheets will be available for collection as of 1st April, 2021. Term 2 (Easter Break) for all Government Primary and Secondary schools will end on Friday,16th April, 2021 and all teachers and students are to report for Term 3 on Monday, 19th April, 2021. Please be guided accordingly.

15 Mar 2021 Fifteen Caribbean countries will receive just over 2.1 million doses of COVAX vaccines by May, according to allocation figures provided for the first round Kingston, Jamaica, March 15, 2021 (PAHO/WHO)- Jamaica today received 14,400 doses of COVID-19 vaccines through the COVAX Facility, a global effort between the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance Gavi, UNICEF, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the World Health Organization (WHO).The arrival marks a historic step toward ensuring the equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines worldwide, in the largest vaccine procurement and supply operation in history. This delivery…

17 Mar 2021 PAHO Director reports 728,000 doses will be delivered to five countries in the Americas in coming days. Washington, D.C., March 17, 2021 (PAHO) – Deliveries of COVID-19 vaccines are picking up speed across the Americas as more countries prepare for the imminent arrival of doses procured through COVAX, the global mechanism for equitable distribution of vaccines, Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Director Carissa F. Etienne reported today. During her weekly media briefing, Dr. Etienne said that over the next few days, PAHO’s Revolving Fund will deliver 728,000 COVAX-procured COVID-19 vaccines to five regional countries. In total, PAHO…

Basseterre, St. Kitts, March 18, 2021 (SKNIS): Businesses, churches, event organizers and other institutions that record the names, addresses and contact details of patrons accessing their establishments are strongly encouraged to store the data for at least 30 days. Abdias Samuel, Chairman of the National COVID-19 Task Force, said that the information that is collected as part of the COVID-19 health and safety protocols is critical to health authorities. “They help us with the contact tracing that the Ministry of Health will have to do in the event that we have incidents like those that happened on the weekend,” he said.…

17 Mar 2021 Geneva, 17 March 2021 (WHO)—Some countries in the European Union have temporarily suspended use of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine as a precautionary measure based on reports of rare blood coagulation disorders in persons who had received the vaccine. Other countries in the EU—having considered the same information—have decided to continue using the vaccine in their immunization programmes. Vaccination against COVID-19 will not reduce illness or deaths from other causes. Thromboembolic events are known to occur frequently. Venous thromboembolism is the third most common cardiovascular disease globally. In extensive vaccination campaigns, it is routine for countries to signal…

Basseterre, St. Kitts, March 18, 2021 (RSCNPF): The eight (8) United States of America nationals who were convicted for the offence of Breaching Quarantine Conditions have all paid their fines. On Thursday (March 18), six (6) of them left the Federation. Two (2) remain in a government quarantine facility in Potworks, Nevis and are expected to leave soon. Asley Loewen, Luke Loewen, Brue DeVoogd, Margaret Flowers, Carrie Freeburg, Kent Freeburg, Jamiyl Shareef, and Matthew Gormly all pleaded guilty to the charge during a virtual hearing with the Charlestown Magistrate Court on Wednesday, March 17, 2021. They were each fined $4,000…

At the conclusion of the 10th UK-Caribbean Forum, held virtually on 18 March 2021, the Foreign Ministers of the United Kingdom and Caribbean countries, welcoming the Communiqué signed at the Forum, also agreed on the following Action Plan for a two-year period up to 2023, when the next full Forum meeting is currently envisaged. This Action Plan is intended to allow for a strategic and sustained approach to the UK-Caribbean relationship, based on ambitious, yet focussed and realistic commitments. It serves as a road map for the practical implementation of the Communique and sets out the enhanced commitments of both…