Author: SKNISEditor

Basseterre, St. Kitts, December 17, 2020 (SKNIS): The COVID-19 Pandemic has changed the way consumers shop online and has expedited the shift towards a more digital world. As such, many more persons in St. Kitts and Nevis have adopted the practice of conducting their business online.Minister of Health and Information and Communications Technology (ICT) et al., the Honourable Akilah Byron-Nisbett, spoke to the increased use of online services during her debate on day two of the Appropriation (2021) Bill, 2020, on Wednesday, December 16 at the Parliamentary Chambers at Government Headquarters.“Mr. Speaker, over the last nine months or so, St. Kitts…

Basseterre, St. Kitts, December 17, 2020 (SKNIS): Despite the extremely devastating impact on the tourism and transport sector by the dreaded COVID-19 Pandemic, the Ministry of Tourism, Transport and Ports remains committed to all stakeholders.This was according to the Honourable Lindsay Grant, Minister of Tourism Transport and Ports while lending his support to the Budget Debate on day three, December 17, 2020.“This industry Mr. Speaker has been severely affected and I dare say it may have been the most hard-hit industries by this global pandemic. But despite the turbulent times, and the setbacks, however, the Ministry of Tourism, Transport and Ports…

Basseterre, St. Kitts, December 16, 2020 (SKNIS): The Government of St. Kitts and Nevis will keep a watchful eye on the consumer price index (CPI) in the twin-island federation as business entities and consumers continue to adapt to the challenges of life amidst a global pandemic. According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), the CPI measures the rate at which the prices of consumption goods and services change from month to month (or from quarter to quarter). Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris, referenced the need to keep a check on prices while presenting The Appropriation…

Basseterre, St. Kitts, December 15, 2020 (SKNIS): In the area of Social Development, the government will continue to provide support through its social safety net programmes, says Prime Minister Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris, during the 2021 Budget Address on December 15, 2020. Dr. Harris noted that COVID-19 has brought fundamental changes to the way in which persons have managed their lives, and how they operate as a community.He stated that the government has strengthened and expanded the number of social safety net programmes to lend a “hand up” required by struggling families during this very difficult period of time.“We have spoken before…

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, December 15, 2020 (Press Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister) – Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris today, Tuesday, December 15, laid the Draft Estimates for the year 2021 before the St. Kitts and Nevis National Assembly as part of the final stage of the annual Budgetary process. TheDraft Estimates allow for the financing of the activities of the State that will bring benefits to the people of St. Kitts and Nevis. Thiswas followed by the tabling of The Appropriation (2021) Bill, 2020, in which the Team Unity Government is seeking…

(City of Belmopan, Belize) Seven of the fourteen CARICOM Member States which are parties to the Paris Agreement on climate change delivered statements on Saturday, 12 December 2020, at the Climate Ambition Summit organized by the United Kingdom, France and the United Nations in cooperation with Chile and Italy. The event was to celebrate the 5th Anniversary of the Paris Agreement. The Summit was organized to provide countries with an opportunity to showcase their ambition to address climate change through enhanced Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), the provision of finance and bold action on adaptation. All Parties had committed to submit…

San Jose, 14 December 2020 (IICA). – Latin America and the Caribbean has the potential and responsibility to feed a growing population. To succeed in this regard, it requires technological innovations and good practices that would allow for renewing production systems to utilize resources more efficiently, agreed experts during a dialogue organized by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA).Another point of consensus among the experts was that innovations developed in recent years have the potential to increase productivity in the countryside; however, in order for these technologies to have a tangible impact, it is important to close digital gaps…

BASSETERRE, St Kitts and Nevis and YVERDON-LES-BAINS, Switzerland, December 10, 2020 – The Government of St. Kitts and Nevis, the state-owned St. Kitts Electric Company (SKELEC) and Leclanché SA (SIX: LECN) today broke ground on a landmark solar generation and storage project that will provide between 30-35% of St. Kitts baseload energy needs for the next 20-25 years while reducing carbon dioxide emissions by more than 740,000 metric tons. The $70 million microgrid project is being built by Leclanché, one of the world’s leading energy storage companies, which will serve as the prime engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor. Leclanché…

Paris, December 11, 2020 (UNESCO): The Federation is poised to receive approximately US $80,000 from UNESCO to implement projects requiring technical assistance in educational, biodiversity and social frameworks over the period 2020- 2021. This is the first time that St. Kitts and Nevis will benefit from this record allocation under the UNESCO Participation Programme. Under the scheme, which runs over a two-year cycle, UNESCO member states submit, via their National Commissions, applications for funding designed to provide direct assistance for initiatives undertaken in the Organization’s fields of competence (education, culture, natural and human sciences and ICT) in line with priorities determined by…

Basseterre, St. Kitts, December 11, 2020 (SKNIS): The COVID-19 quarantine system in St. Kitts and Nevis has been very effective in ensuring that inbound travellers are separated from the local population to protect against the spread of the novel coronavirus. This is essential since all 27 cases of the COVID-19 were imported.  At the December 09, 2020, National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) COVID-19 Weekly Briefing Dr. Hazel Laws, Chief Medical Officer, reiterated that all arriving passengers are placed in quarantine at a government-designated facility or a COVID-19 certified hotel. There is also an option for persons to quarantine at home. The government-designated facilities…