Meteorologist Marshall Alexander says this hurricane season while near normal will be more active than that of last year.
He gave the predictions for the 2016 hurricane season.
“The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is predicting a 45% chance of a near normal hurricane season. There is a 30% chance of an above normal season and a 25% chance of a below normal season.
“The forecast is of a 70% chance of 10-16 named storms and 4-8 hurricanes of which 1-4 are expected to be major hurricanes of categories 3, 4 or 5 with winds of 111 miles per hour or greater.”
Alexander says, “We are expected to be more guarded this season because we are entering this hurricane season in a vulnerable state from the impact of Tropical Storm Erika last year. This is even more reason for residents to be aware and take the necessary precautions.
Alexander noted that the Meteorological Office is prepared for this hurricane season and encouraged people living in low lying areas which are prone to flooding to listen for updated weather reports.
“We are always prepared. We are always putting out the information and we continue to monitor the development of systems from the coast of Africa as they come across the Atlantic to our area. The onus is on the public to always pay attention, take the information in, always listen to the weather report and follow the guidelines. We know that if we are expecting a lot of rain and you live near a river, the river could overflow its banks and it would be your responsibility to move,” he asserted.
PANCAP TO CAUCUS AHEAD OF UN HIGH LEVEL MEETING ON ENDING AIDS
(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) A United Nations High-Level Meeting (UNHLM) on Ending AIDS will be held on 8-10 June 2016 at the United Nations General Assembly, New York, United States. Its focus will be on the required accelerated response over the next five years to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030, as part of the Sustainable Development Goals.
In preparation for the UNHLM, PANCAP has convened a Breakfast Meeting on 8 June to brief Caribbean delegates from Government and Civil Society. The meeting is intended to cement a consolidated regional position for the Caribbean side during the plenary sessions and side meetings of the UNHLM.
The PANCAP meeting takes place at the UN Delegates Dining Room, West Terrace, and United Nations Headquarters and will be c0-haired by St. Kitts and Nevis Minister of State with responsibility for Health, Hon. Wendy C. Phipps, and CARICOM Secretariat Assistant Secretary-General for Human and Social Development, Dr Douglas Slater. Speakers include St. Kitts and Nevis’ Prime Minister Dr. the Hon. Timothy Sylvester Harris, who is also the Lead CARICOM Head with responsibility for Human Resource Development, Health and HIV and AIDS; Dr. J. Carolyn Gomes, Executive Director, Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition (CVC) and Civil Society Representative; and Mr. Dereck Springer, Director, PANCAP Coordinating Unit.
The UNHLM is emphasising the importance of accelerating the response to HIV over the next five years to set the world on course to end the epidemic by 2013, and has identified five themes. These are: AIDS within the SDGs: leveraging the end of AIDS for social transformation and sustainable development; Financing the end of AIDS: the window of opportunity; Getting ahead of the looming treatment crisis: an action agenda for getting to 90-90-90; Leaving no one behind: ending stigma and discrimination through social justice and inclusive societies; Children, adolescent girls, and young women: preventing new HIV infections
UNAIDS contends that adopting the Fast-Track focus on location and population, and reallocating resources to where they are most needed will ensure that the people most affected by HIV, have access to life-changing HIV prevention and treatment services. In addition, Fast-Track Targets achieved on time would ensure that the estimated total resource needs would begin to fall by 2021. Without these front-loaded investments, the world risks prolonging the epidemic indefinitely.
At the last UNHLM in 2011, world leaders set an ambitious treatment target of 15 million people accessing antiretroviral therapy by the end of 2015. The United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, announced last year that this had been achieved and surpassed, with nearly 16 million people accessing antiretroviral therapy by mid-2015 that is, -double the number in 2011.
Through the collaborative efforts of CARICOM-PANCAP, the Caribbean has seen significant achievements. Among them, the sharpest regional reduction in HIV incidence by 48.1%, from 27,000 in 2000 to 13,000 in 2014; declining AIDS-related deaths by 49%, from 18,000 deaths in 2000 to 8,800 deaths in 2014; antiretroviral coverage increased to 44% from less than 5% of the eligible population in 2001, (eligibility for ART with a CD4 threshold for treatment initiation of 500 cells/mm3 or less for adults, adolescents and older children). It saw also Cuba being the first country in the world to achieve elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV in 2015 with 10 others in the region poised to achieve elimination by July 2016. (UNAIDS 2015),
PANCAP believes that for the Caribbean to protect and sustain these gains, CARICOM Member States must join the rest of the world at this meeting to work together on a strong political declaration. One that will create the conditions needed, including continued funding to “Fast-Track” actions and end the AIDS epidemic by 2030. Failure to mobilise the funds required to end AIDS will result in a reversal of the gains of the last 10 years. People who require treatment will not have access to lifesaving antiretroviral drugs and people who need to know their HIV status will not have access to testing. The Caribbean Region must therefore work collectively to protect and sustain our gains.
PANCAP is a Caribbean regional partnership of governments, regional civil society organisations, regional institutions and organisations, bilateral and multilateral agencies and contributing donor partners which was established on 14 February 2001. PANCAP provides a structured and unified approach to the Caribbean’s response to the HIV epidemic, coordinates the response through the Caribbean Regional Strategic Framework on HIV and AIDS to maximise efficient use of resources and increase impact, mobilises resources and build capacity of partners. Tags:PANCAP, United Nations High Level Meeting, HIV and AIDS, UNHLM 2016, CARICOM, ending AIDS by 2030, sustainable development goals, SDGs, Caribbean, Fast track targets, Caribbean caucus, sustainable development; getting to 90-90-90; stigma and discrimination; AIDS within the SDGs.
KINGSTON, JAMAICA-The Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) will host its fifty fifth annual general meeting at Sandals Ochi Beach Resort on Saturday, June 11.
The event is open to all members of the association and will also have elections for the Presidency and senior executive positions.
“The JHTA continues to provide a dynamic collaborative environment with our private and public sector partners that works in the best interests of our members and ultimately the tourism industry. We are optimistic about the continued growth of tourism and will continue our efforts in this regard” said Nicola Madden-Greig.
The JHTA’S senior management team will present an overview of successes over the past year, as well as highlight strategies for future growth and profitability. Scheduled speakers are the Hon. Edmund Bartlett, Minister of Tourism, Paul Pennicook Director of Tourism at the Jamaica Tourist Board, guest speaker the Hon. Daryl Vaz, Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation with responsibility for the Land, Environment, Climate Change and Investment portfolios and Ian Neita, CEO of Global Directories.
June 3, 2016: Trinidad and Tobago won awards at this year’s Caribbean Tourism Organisation’s (CTO) Travel Media Awards with journalists producing articles promoting travel to our twin island Republic earning two (2) of the top honours.
The winners of the Media Awards were revealed at the exclusive Awards Luncheon during Caribbean Week celebrations today (Thursday June 02) at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square, New York. Honoured journalists and their Trinidad and Tobago stories are as follows:
Mermen Come Calling by prolific writer Sharon Millar that appeared in the consumer newspaper category in the New York Times. This is a story on the folkloric legends of Tobago
Salt and Shimmer: Down the Islands by Rachelle Hay, a lifestyle online blogger. This award was selected by the public in an online vote.
The Honourable Shamfa Cudjoe, Minister of Tourism, joined other Caribbean ministers of tourism and officials representing island nations at the CTO Caribbean Week and was on hand to receive the awards. Minister Cudjoe congratulated the travel journalists “for evoking and bringing to life important aspects of Trinidad and Tobago’s lifestyle and tourism product. This is quite an achievement for Trinidad and Tobago as these stories reinforce the reputation of Trinidad and Tobago as a uniquely exciting tourist destination”.
We are proud that Trinidad and Tobago featured strongly in this year`s CTO Travel media Awards; having had four (4) entries in the shortlist for awards. We extend special congratulations to the Caribbean Tourism Organisation for their immense work in promoting and fostering the development of sustainable tourism within the region”.
The CTO recognises, during the Caribbean Week celebration in New York, travel journalists for their outstanding coverage. Awards were presented in ten (10) categories; including the Best of Show – the top entry among the winning submissions – for work produced in 2015. The top entry was an article on lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender (LGBT) travel in the Caribbean by Joe Pike of Travel Agent magazine.
This year’s Travel Awards saw phenomenal participation as Caribbean Tourism Organisation received a record 147 qualified entries for the US and Caribbean travel writers and photographers. This figure represented an increase of over 40% over 2015 and nearly double the annual average.
Provisional figures shared recently by the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. (BTMI) have revealed that arrivals increased 7.4 per cent during the first quarter of 2016 when compared to the previous year.
This represented some 184,177 visitors compared to 171,413 during the same period last year.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the BTMI, William Griffith, commended the organisation’s global team for the work it continued to do along with local and international industry partners to keep Barbados top-of-mind among travellers, as well as the travel trade.
“Our team has been placing considerable emphasis on business-to-business (B2B) relationships through training for travel agents and participation in trade shows to update these key partners on the latest product developments taking place on the island,” he stated.
According to the CEO, a breakdown of the figures showed that the island’s airlift growth strategy in the United States was paying off, with stay over arrivals increasing by 13 per cent in the first quarter of 2016 from that market. This represented a total of 42,383 visitors compared to 37,487 visitor arrivals in 2015.
The Canadian market was relatively flat, with a 0.8 per cent decline generating 30,675 stay over arrivals. Arrivals out of the United Kingdom rose by 10 per cent for the 24th consecutive month, to reach 71,263 stay over arrivals.
A sluggish European market performance resulted in a decline of 6.1 per cent, representing 13,129 stay over arrivals. Germany, the main producing country, recorded a 7.3 per cent decline to reach just 4,854 visitors.
The Caribbean region continued to be a bright spark, with regional travel to Barbados growing by 14.3 per cent. This was led by a 34 per cent increase in travellers arriving from Trinidad and Tobago, or 7,210 stay over visitors. Demand out of other Caribbean countries also increased by 6.4 per cent, with 14,491 visitors registered.
On the South and Central American front, there was growth of 2.8 per cent, totalling 2,930 stay over arrivals compared to 2,849 in 2015. Demand out of Brazil declined significantly by 48.2 per cent to 705 visitors.
However, this decline was buoyed by a 49.6 per cent growth in visitors from the remaining South and Central American market when some 2,225 arrivals were recorded.
Mr. Griffith confirmed that the BTMI global team was already working toward achieving a strong summer with the Crop Over Festival, romance and family travel featuring prominently in their promotional efforts.
S.L. Horsford & Co. Ltd.’s 2015 annual report just one more signal of a robust economy
BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, JUNE 2nd, 2016 (PRESS SEC) – As of September 30th, 2015, S.L. Horsford & Co. Ltd. saw the highest sales reported in the history of the company. S.L. Horsford and Co. Ltd. and its subsidiary companies (“the Group”) also performed better in 2015 than they did between 2011 and 2014, as reflected in income before tax, profits retained, shareholders’ equity, dividends paid, and total assets.
This is a clear indicator of the robust economy that Prime Minister Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris lauded on Monday at his press conference.
The Directors recommended giving a total annual dividend of $0.18 per share, totaling $5,426,717, for the year ending September 30th, 2015. The total annual dividend for 2014 was $0.15 per share, totaling $4,522,264. In 2013, it stood at $0.12 per share, totaling $3,617,812.
In 2012, the total annual dividend was $0.08 per share, totaling $2,411,874. That year, Mr. W. Anthony Kelsick, Chairman and Managing Director, wrote: “The results for 2012 have been very disappointing as the economies of St. Kitts and Nevis continued their decline, which has resulted in the Group recording a significant further decline in their profitability.” The Group had negative retained profits in 2012.
Mr. W. Anthony Kelsick continued in his Chairman’s Report for 2012: “The economy, already in decline for the past 5 years, continued its decline even further in 2012. The result of this, along with the effects of VAT and increased electricity costs, caused further contraction on the ability of the residents of St. Kitts and Nevis to spend.”
This stands in stark contrast to 2015, which netted record sales for the Group. After having expressed his disappointment in 2012, the Chairman now notes with a hint of pride that, “During 2015 extensive renovations were done to both furniture store locations in St. Kitts…No decline in sales of furniture and appliances was experienced in spite of the disruptions caused by these renovation activities.”
Mr. W. Anthony Kelsick also notes in the 2015 Annual Report, which is titled Enhancing The Nation’s Lifestyle, that, “The outlook for 2016 is for similar results as experienced in 2015 as economic growth is expected to continue on its current path.”
Indeed, on April 18th, 2016 – four days after S.L. Horsford & Co. Ltd.’s 25th Annual General Meeting – the Governor of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) said that St. Kitts and Nevis was “in a good spot” during a meeting at Government Headquarters with the Cabinet of Ministers.
Governor Timothy Antoine said that GDP growth as at December 2015 in St. Kitts and Nevis was 6.64% compared to 2.62% in the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union (ECCU). The ECCB’s GDP growth target is 5%, meaning that St. Kitts and Nevis not only performed above average last year, but also above target levels. Also, as at December 2015, St. Kitts and Nevis’ debt-to-GDP ratio stood at 61.64% compared to 76.04% for the eight-member ECCU as a whole. Moreover, growth in private sector credit rose to 3.17% in St. Kitts and Nevis, but registered a decline of 6.1% throughout the ECCU last year. “This probably explains partly why you are the fastest growing country in the OECS,” Mr. Antoine told Prime Minister Harris and his Cabinet.
The 2015 Annual Report for S.L. Horsford & Co. Ltd. shows that the company and its subsidiaries predominantly fund their assets through equity instead of debt. “The group’s solvency continues to be strong with a debt to equity ratio of 0.288:1 and a debt to total assets of 0.198:1,” according to the Chairman’s Report.
The Chairman’s Report for 2015 also says, “Turnover or group sales for 2015 was $157,118,254 versus $143,222,069 for 2014, an improvement of $13,896,185 or 9.7%. This was the highest sales reported in the history of the company. This improvement, which reflects the continued growth in our economies, was experienced in all our primary operations on both St. Kitts and Nevis. Gross profit increased by $4,385,179 or 13.57% to $36,700,230. Other Income increased by $604,358 to $8,966,794, resulting in a net increase in Total Income of $4,989,537 or 12.27% to $45,667,024…Profits before Results of Associated companies increased by $2,764,409 or 33.47% to $11,023,220.”
(Press release courtesy of the Office of the Press Secretary)
Cabinet has approved a Jamalco-proposed project for the construction of a natural gas-fired cogeneration plant to provide 94 megawatts (MW) of baseload capacity to the national grid.
The plant, to be constructed at the Jamalco facility in Clarendon, will also provide steam to the entity’s refinery, leading to lower production cost for alumina.
American company New Fortress Energy (NFE) has been engaged to construct the cogeneration facility at a cost of some US$160 million. It is projected for completion in December 2018.
NFE is also the developer for the Jamaica Public Service Company’s (JPS) 190-MW gas-fired, baseload generating facility in Old Harbour, St. Catherine.
Chair of the Electricity Sector Enterprise Team (ESET), Dr. Vincent Lawrence, in making the disclosure at a press conference at the Office of the Prime Minister on May 31, said the project is an amendment to a 2015 agreement by Jamalco, for the construction of a 50 MW coal-fired plant costing US$500 million.
Dr. Lawrence indicated that with the subsequent proposal for the development of the JPS’ 190 MW plant in Old Harbour, Jamalco has moved to utilise the more environmentally friendly natural gas in its production.
He said the project is in keeping with the Government’s generation expansion plan.
Studies done by the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) and the JPSCo indicate the need for an additional 80 megawatts of power by 2020.
Another successful Review for Grenada as IMF Executive Board gives final Approval of 4th Rview of the Homegrown Programme
ST. GEORGE’S, GRENADA, Thursday, June 02, 2016: The Government of Grenada is pleased with the announcement by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) of the successful completion of the fourth (4th) performance review of Grenada’s Home Grown Programme, which is supported by regional and international partners.
This successful review, which was concluded by the IMF’s Executive Board on May 18th, 2016, has triggered a disbursement of UDS$2.8M for Grenada, bringing the total IMF disbursements under the Programme so far, to USD$14.1M.
Since the start of the Programme, Grenada has received in excess of USD$70M in financial and technical support from the IMF, World Bank (WB), Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), European Union (EU) and other partners.
According to the IMF’s official news release: “The Grenadian authorities continue to deliver a strong track record of program implementation and results.
Executive Directors welcomed the strong economic recovery and the significant improvements in fiscal and external balances and debt reduction. Directors commended the authorities for steadfast implementation of their home-grown program, notably the successful fiscal consolidation.”
They further noted that:
– Growth prospects and fiscal sustainability are improving.
– Real GDP for 2015 is estimated to have expanded by 4.6% with strong growth in agriculture and tourism.
– Construction is rebounding.
– Growth for 2016 is projected at 3%.
– The primary balance has now changed from a deficit to surplus for the first time in a decade.
– The debt-to-GDP ratio declined from 107% in 2013 to 94 % in 2015 and is projected to continue its downward path going forward.
Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Dr. the Rt. Hon. Keith Mitchell, on learning of this good news said: “This latest achievement is a clear indication that the Homegrown Programme is bearing fruit and the economy is growing again. It is our courage, shared sacrifice and hard work that have made these achievements possible.
Our sacrifices are now being recognized and rewarded and as a consequence, more financial assistance is coming to Grenada.
I thank all Grenadians, especially our Social Partners who have engaged Government in sustained and meaningful dialogue about the development of our country. Grenada is receiving significant financial and technical assistance because we have demonstrated courage and a determination to do the right things together.
I am happy to say that Grenada is on the right track and headed in the right direction.”
The fifth (5th) Review of the Programme is scheduled for late August/early September 2016 and this Review will cover the period January to June 2016. From all indications, all is on track for yet another successful review since the targets for this period have so far been met.
CCTV expansion will enhance citizen safety in our communities
Basseterre, St. Kitts, June 01, 2016,(RSCNPF): The Government’s announcement on (May 30) of an expansion to the CCTV program in St. Kitts and Nevis was a bit of great news, for me, the High Command and our Police Service expressed Commissioner of Police Mr. Ian M. Queeley.
“The Prime Minister’s announcement regarding the expansion of our CCTV program in St. Kitts and Nevis is great news and welcomed by the Police Service,” said Commissioner Mr. Ian M. Queeley. He added, “the expansion will give us more eyes our communities and that will help to enhance citizen safety.”
Prime Minister Harris made the announcement during his monthly press conference. He said, “Law and order will benefit from Taiwan’s assistance with our CCTV project. We expect experts from Taiwan to be here to fine tune the ambit of technical support and other resources for this particular project.” He added, “secondly, financial support has been committed for the purchase of vehicles for law enforcement agencies including the Police and the Defence Force.”
Prime Minister Harris explained, that the funding for the CCTV program expansion and enhancement and upgrades to the law enforcement agencies fleet of vehicles are a part of an estimated over 13 million dollars commitment made by the Republic of China (Taiwan) for projects in St. Kitts and Nevis.
This commitment was one of many reached during a recent visit to the Republic of China (Taiwan) by Prime Minister Harris.
(Press release courtesy of the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force)
Gov’t Will be Bold in Addressing Crime – PM Holness
Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, says the Government intends to take bold steps in tackling crime in Jamaica.
“I believe there is scope within what is legal and reasonable for the Government to make changes,” he said.
The Prime Minister was speaking in an interview on the Jamaica Information Service’s (JIS) Issues & Answersprogramme on Tuesday (May 31).
Mr. Holness said he recognises that Jamaicans are concerned about the level of crime in the country and how it is handled.
The Prime Minister said he will be mindful of public opinion on strategies to improve security and justice.
“We don’t intend to do it in a dictatorial fashion. It must be reasonable. At the end of the day, civil society and public opinion is very strong in Jamaica,” he noted.
He informed that the Ministers of National Security and Justice and the Attorney General will be elaborating on the move to amend the Bail Act and other relevant issues in the upcoming Sectoral Debate.
In his Budget Debate presentation in the House of Representatives on May 24,
Mr. Holness announced that the Government will be amending the Act to introduce mandatory minimum sentences for specified crimes, and for murder suspects to be denied bail under certain circumstances.
Other measures announced by the Prime Minister in his presentation included: implementation of strategies in the courts to expedite murder trials; intensifying efforts to tackle lotto scamming, gangs and the narcotics trade; and increasing the fleet of vehicles available to police personnel.
