St. Kitts Archives - Page 113 of 190 - Nevis Island News and Notes

St. Kitts Hospital Holds Annual Christmas Programme

Christmas Carolers Sing At St. Kitts’ JNF Hospital Photo By Erasmus Williams Basseterre, St. Kitts – Nevis December 23, 2008 (CUOPM) Patients at the Joseph N. France General Hospital were wished a speedy recovery and a blessed Christmas during the …

Amesty International Condems Hanging In St Kitts – Nevis

St Kitts and Nevis: Execution Is A Shameless Act

Amnesty International Public Statement
AI index: AMR 59/001/2008
22 December 2008

Amnesty International considers the execution of Charles Elroy Laplace carried out in St. Kitts and Nevis on Friday 19th December as a shameless human rights development for the country after 10 years of moratorium.

Amnesty International understands concerns about the upsurge of crime and murders in the country. However, the organization strongly believes that the use of the death penalty, as well as constituting cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment, is not an effective method for preventing crime.

Given the unlikelihood of ever being brought before the courts, it is quite implausible that before committing a crime a criminal would consider the risk of being hung and would refrain from wrong-doing. The death penalty also runs the risk of irrevocable error.

Protection of citizens does not come from executing criminals but from preventing them from committing crimes. Amnesty International therefore believes that the true solution to the deteriorating crime situation lies with the strengthening of police capacities. The proper functioning of the justice system is also crucial to ensure compensation to victims but such compensation cannot come from claiming the life of the wrong-doer.

The world is turning away from the use of death penalty. Before last Friday’s execution, since 2003, the United States has been the only country in the Americas to carry out executions, even in the USA there has been a dramatic decrease in the number of executions in recent years. One hundred and thirty seven countries have now abolished the death penalty in law or practice and only 24 nations carried out executions in 2007. Huge swathes of the world are now free from executions.

Amnesty International appeals to the St Kitts and Nevis authorities to send a strong message to the world and to the other Caribbean countries by stopping the executions and commuting the sentences of all other prisoners waiting on death row.

St. Kitts’ Marriott Vacation Club Opens 22 New Villas

St. Kitts Marriott Resort and Vacation Club Basseterre, St. Kitts – Nevis December 22, 2008 (CUOPM) Marriott Vacation Club International (MVCI), the vacation ownership division of Marriott International, Inc. has announced the third phase opening of Marriott’s St. Kitts Beach …

St. Kitts – Nevis Receives Over 7,000 Cruise Visitors

Cunard’s Queen Victoria and Carnival’s Victory (R) Photo By Erasmus Williams Basseterre, St. Kitts – Nevis December 22, 2008 (CUOPM) The parade of cruise ships into the Basseterre Roadstead continued on Saturday with the visit of just over 7,000 passengers …

2009 Budget For St. Kitts – Nevis Is Well Received

Basseterre, St. Kitts – Nevis
December 22, 2008 (CUOPM)

The St. Kitts – Nevis Chamber of Industry and Commerce is applauding the 2009 Budget, presented nearly a week ago by Minister of Finance, Dr. the Hon. Timothy Harris.

A statement from the private-sector body said it is “the St. Kitts-Nevis Chamber of Industry and Commerce is heartened by the fact that Government’s 2009 Budget is “tax free” and does not appear to include any increases in existing taxes and levies.”

The Chamber said it considers the nature of Government’s 2009 “Tax Free” Budget “a sensible move, especially given the overwhelming evidence that some of the world’s major economies such as the United States of America, and some European countries are facing serious financial challenges which are expected to prolong well into the next 12 months. Moreover, some of the larger corporations in these developed countries are being given government bailouts in order to survive.”

The Chamber added that it is also encouraged by Government’s realisation that “our economic future rests, in large measure, on the development of our private sector which must be given as favourable an environment in which to thrive and succeed if this Country is to enjoy the spoils of development.”

It noted that a number of changes have been noted in the 2009 Budget for which the Chamber intends to seek clarification.

“Some of these include the possible introduction of unemployment insurance, “billable services” in Customs, and promised increases in (a) the cost of certain Government fees for services; and (b) pensions paid by Social Security. The level of these fee increases, and the sourcing of funds for the increased Social Security pensions and the unemployment insurance scheme are issues which the private sector body intends to raise with Government at the earliest opportunity,” said the Chamber, adding that it also intends to “seek clarification of those tax reform measures which have been proposed.”

The Chamber of Industry and Commerce noted Minister Harris’ affirmations regarding Government’s commitment to business facilitation.