Nevis, West Indies. ?A Non-Tourist-Trap? Blog About Nevis.

Minister of Tourism - Richard Skerritt
Photo By Erasmus Williams

Basseterre, St. Kitts - Nevis
March 11, 2010 (CUOPM)

Senator in the National Assembly, the Hon. Richard Skerritt was sworn in as Minister of Tourism and International Transport on Thursday afternoon.

The oaths of allegiance, of office and of secrecy were administered by the Registrar of the High Court, Mrs. Claudette Jenkins, in the Office of the Hon. Attorney General and Minister of Justice and Legal Affairs, the Hon. Patrice Nisbett.

Sen. Skerritt was sworn in after he tendered his resignation as Deputy Speaker in the National Assembly to the Speaker of the National Assembly, the Hon. Curtis Martin in a letter dated March 11th 2010.

He had resigned as Minister so as to be able to accept the election as Deputy Speaker and protect the procedure of the opening session of the new Parliament during which it was required that both a speaker and deputy speaker be elected.

Skerritt said he looks forward to continuing his public service as a Minister of Government.

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Caribbean Nation Still Troubled With Crime Rate

Basseterre, St. Kitts - Nevis
March 11, 2010 (SKNIS)

The Government has unveiled plans to carry out “a comprehensive review” of current crime fighting initiatives and has signaled further resource commitment to ensure all residents of St. Kitts and Nevis can live in peace.

While reading the Throne Speech at Wednesday’s opening of a new Parliament, Governor General His Excellency Sir Cuthbert Sebastian, said in recent years, Government has introduced a separate gun control and anti-gang unit, mounted closed circuit television cameras around the capital Basseterre, strengthened crime laws and established K-9 units in both the Police and Defence Force.

He revealed that measures are in place to determine the impact of various anti-crime strategies “with a view to evaluating their effectiveness, committing more resources to the initiatives that are achieving results and developing new community-based approaches to the fight against crime.”

The security forces have also been targeted to ensure that they are adequately prepared to police in a rapidly developing society.

“We have exposed our law officers to advanced training in the use of the latest law enforcement methods and technologies and have procured technical assistance from law enforcement agencies in advanced countries to assist the police in the implementation of a crime fighting plan,” the Governor General stressed, while speaking in the National Assembly.

“… We have improved the police facilities through the renovation of the Basseterre Police Station and the upgrading of the Frigate Bay Police Station (and) we have started the construction of a new Police Station at Dieppe Bay. … Moreover, we intend to implement an EU (European Union)-funded project to comprehensively improve and upgrade the accommodation and facilities of the Police and Defence Force.”

Governor General Sebastian announced that as part of this project, Government is pursuing a proposal to build a new Fire Station and a new Police Training Academy at Lime Kiln. The property that currently houses the station and training school will be transformed, as residential units for the police will be constructed.

The announcement comes on the heels of a consultation exercise with security forces by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Security Honourable Sam Condor. Minister Condor pledged to work closely with authorities to ensure they are equipped with the necessary crime fighting tools and can respond to the challenges of the new economic landscape of St. Kitts and Nevis.

It is anticipated that the allocation of additional resources will also be laid out when the Budget for the fiscal year 2010-2011 is presented in the National Assembly in the coming weeks.

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CARICOM Meeting To Be Held In Dominica

Basseterre, St. Kitts - Nevis
March 11, 2010 (CUOPM)

St. Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas is leading the Federal delegation to the 21st Inter-Sessional Meeting of Caribbean Heads of Government in Dominica.

Dr. Douglas is accompanied by Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mrs. Astona Browne and Foreign Service Officer in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ms. Nyian Farrell.

The issue is expected to dominate discussions with the President of the World Bank, Mr. Robert Zoellick, along with the President of the Inter American Development Bank (IDB), Mr. Luis Alberto Moreno, and the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Mr. Dominique Strauss-Kahn, who have been specially invited to take part in the Roseau deliberations.

Amid the ongoing global economic and financial crisis that has adversely affected the entire 15-nation grouping, CARICOM Secretary General Mr. Edwin Carrington is hopeful that the talks will result in the identification of new and viable approaches to the treatment of economic matters, including the crippling debt burden being carried by those member states, which do not now qualify for concessionary debt reduction following their graduation from middle income status.

The status of implementation of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) is also among the main items on the Dominica agenda, as well as CARICOM’s continued support to Haiti that was devastated by a powerful earthquake on January 12, killing more than 300,000 people and leaving more than one million others homeless.

Haiti’s President His Excellency Rene Preval, who met with United States President Hon. Barack Obama in Washington on Wednesday,  is expected to join in those discussions on Friday.

The leaders will also zero in on the negotiations for a CARICOM-Canada Trade and Development Agreement; the status of implementation of the CARIFORUM-EC Economic Partnership Agreement and the renewal of the Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act.

Consideration will also be given to climate change in the context of the region’s follow-up action to the Copenhagen Summit held last December, as well as preparations for upcoming summits, including a CARICOM-Brazil Summit in April.

However, at least five leaders are expected to miss out on the deliberations, namely the Prime Ministers of Belize, Trinidad and Tobago and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, as well as the President of Suriname and the Chief Minister of Montserrat even though no official reason has yet been given for their absence.

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