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Community Events
2015 Orientation Dates for Cayman Islands Government Schools
Released on behalf of the Education Ministry.
MON AUG 10
Church of God Chapel – George Town Camp Jam
The Church of God Chapel – George Town extends an invitation to all teens between the ages of 13 and 17 to attend Camp JAM–A creative Christian Arts Camp at the Family Life Centre, Monday — Friday (10 — 14 Aug) from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. Call 949-9393 to register.
National Pensions Bill East End
The next public consultation meeting for the National Pensions Bill is Monday (10 Aug) at the East End Civic Centre at 8pm.
TUE AUG 11
Financial Assistance Meeting Bodden Town
There will be a financial assistance meeting in Bodden Town on Tuesday (11 Aug) at 7pm. The location will be announced later.
National Gallery Summer Cine Club for Kids
National Gallery Summer Cine Club for Kids is back with an all new selection of neat movies to enjoy! Screenings will be every Tuesday afternoon starting at 2:00 PM and children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult. To ensure that authentic cinema experience, popcorn, cookies and juice will be on sale at each showing. On Aug 11th the film is My Neighbor Totoro.
CONCACAF Under 15 Boys’ Youth Tournament Volunteers
In hosting the CONCACAF Under 15 Boys’ Youth Tournament from August 11 — 23, the Cayman Islands Football Association is looking for volunteers. Call 949.5775 if you are interested.
Cayman Islands child abuse hedge fund care programme announces benefit
The Hedge Funds Care Cayman organizing committee has announced a date for its annual “Open Your Heart to the Children Benefit.” The event will be held Nov. 21 at The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman.
Since the chapter of the international organization began in 2005, Hedge Funds Care Cayman has raised more than US$2.5 million to help prevent and treat child abuse and neglect. The benefit, now in its 11th year, raises as much as $250,000 annually, which is granted to local organizations and government programs that fight child abuse.
This year’s benefit will begin at 6 p.m. with a cocktail reception and silent auction, followed by a live auction and dinner starting at 7 p.m.
The theme is “Midnight in Paris” and the dress code is black tie or “Parisian Chic.” Many clothing shops and party stores on the island have been notified of the theme and should be able to assist.
For women, the suggested attire is flapper-style dresses, feather boas, pearls, long gloves and headbands, while men may come in slim-fitting suits or waistcoats, sporting a thin moustache, a cravat or a beret, organizers suggest.
The 2015/16 grant recipients include The Cayman Islands Crisis Centre, Cayman Islands Red Cross, the Children and Youth Services Foundation, the Department of Children and Family Services, the Department of Counselling Services, the Health Services Authority, the Ministry of Education, Employment and Gender Affairs, the National Council of Voluntary Organisations, the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service and the Special Needs Foundation of Cayman.
Those interested in attending the event can find the sponsorship and registration form on the events page of the Hedge Funds Care Cayman website: www.hfc.org/cayman. For more information, contact Mr. Butcher at [email protected] or Cindy Hislop at [email protected].
Twenty-one criminal cases filed against former Panamanian president [Ricardo Martinelli]
From Shafaqna
The list includes:
(1) A case charging an irregular (i.e. illegal) extradition, involving an Ecuadorian national
(2) Corruption in the government purchase of dehydrated food products [two cases]
(3) A case filed against Martinelli by a former presidential candidate, Balbina Herrera
(4) A case involving illegal government land seizures
(5) The Financial Pacific/Petaquilla Mining Limited insider trading case
(6) Cobranzas del Istmo, a corruption case involving the collection of delinquent taxes
(7) Several cases filed by individuals damaged by illegal surveillance
(8) A case involving the granting of pardons
(9) The PAN corruption case, involving overpayments for government purchases
(10) Illegal Supreme Court intervention in the electoral process, directed by Martinelli
Martinelli is currently a fugitive from justice whose current whereabouts are unknown.
Meanwhile, 76 deputies from the National Assembly of Panama and the Central American Parliament are under investigation for failing to report campaign donations. The Electoral Code requires that political parties and candidates must file reports on all private contributions.
Most of these political candidates were running only as substitutes or alternates, meaning that they would only be called to serve in cases where the elected deputy was absent, disabled, or dead. The probability that they will ever take office is extremely slim, as they have merely a standby role.
Notwithstanding this limitation, these candidates failed to file reports on how much money they received from private sources.
Kenneth Rijock is a banking lawyer turned-career money launderer (10 years), turned-compliance officer specialising in enhanced due diligence, and a financial crime consultant who publishes a Financial Crime Blog. The Laundry Man, his autobiography, was published in the UK on 5 July 2012.
For more: http://mexico.shafaqna.com/EN/MX/253654
First Caribbean International Bank robbed of $50,000; four men charged
By Marion V. Ali From The Reporter Newspaper
Belize City police have charged four men for the brazen, early-morning armed robbery at First Caribbean Bank, San Cas Branch last Friday, during which the robbers, who wore no masks, got away with around $50,000 in cash.
The men – Patrick Jones, 22, of Gabourel Lane, Jermaine Belgrave, 33, of Courtenay’s Crescent, Jarret Crawford, 30, of Gabourel Lane and Emmerson Skyers, 24, of Cemetery Road are all charged jointly with armed robbery.
The robbery took place soon after the bank’s branch at San Cas Plaza opened for business around 8:30 last Friday morning. During the turmoil one of the bank’s female employees suffered minor injuries.
At the time of the robbery the bank had several customers in line waiting to receive service.
Eyewitnesses reported that five men, dressed as regular customers, ordered the bank’s security guards and everyone inside to the ground, jumped over the counter and hauled away a bymber of cash bags. They fled in a green vehicle which was waiting for them with its motor running.
Police quickly identified the men, as surveillance footage from the bank’s camera’s caught them bare faced. Of the four, three are known criminals. Investigators are hoping to make the last arrest by the end of the week. Up to Wednesday, none of the money had been recovered.
First Caribbean Bank’s San Cas branch was also targeted in March of 2012, when another armed robbery ended in the death of Alberto Assi, one of the robbers, who was fatally shot.
For more: http://www.reporter.bz/crime/first-caribbean-international-bank-robbed-of-50000-four-men-charged/
Mike Harris Joins Sterling Trust’s Board of Directors
GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands, Aug. 6, 2015 /PRNewswire/ – Sterling Trust (Cayman) Limited, a licensed and regulated Trust and Corporate service provider, today announced the appointment of former Ontario Premier Mike Harris to its Board of Directors.
Harris, who served as Premier of Ontario from 1995 to 2002, has had a distinguished career in business and government.
In addition to his appointment to the board, Harris will also be joining the board of Sterling Directors (Cayman) Limited.
With more than 20 years of public service as a Member of Provincial Parliament, and serving on a number of private and public boards since his retirement from politics, Harris brings a wealth of knowledge and experience that will help the Cayman Island based trust company grow their business.
“Mike Harris is very well respected in the business community, and we are excited to welcome him to our board of directors,” said Benjamin Booker, Managing Director at Sterling Trust (Cayman) Limited.
“We believe Mr. Harris’ strong business acumen, together with his background in politics and government will bring an unparalleled level of knowledge and experience as our company continues to grow.” added Mr. Booker.
Sterling Trust (Cayman) Limited is a fiduciary service provider licensed and regulated by the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority. Established in 1970 in Grand Cayman, Sterling Trust offers over 40 years’ experience in providing offshore corporate, trust and partnership administration services. Sterling’s dedicated team of professional work closely with clients and advisors to ensure all business and beneficial interests are conducted to the highest international standards.
SOURCE PaperDoll Communications
USVISA to Play Anguilla for CFU Boys’ Under 15 Championships
From St Croix Source
U.S. Virgin Islands Soccer Association (USVISA) Boys Under 15 National Team
U.S. Virgin Islands Soccer Association (USVISA) Boys Under 15 National Team
The U.S. Virgin Islands Soccer Association (USVISA) Boys Under 15 National Team is scheduled to play its first match against Anguilla.
At 5 p.m. Saturday, the Virgin Islands squad will begin the U-15 Championships playing home team Anguilla at the Raymond E. G. Guishard Technical Centre in Valley, Anguilla. The two teams represent half of Group 1, which also includes the Cayman Islands and St. Lucia.
As the tournament moves forward from the group stage to the knockout round, the Group 1 winner and runner-up will advance and join Groups 2 and 3 winners at the Raoul Illidge Sports Complex on St. Maarten. The quarterfinals will begin on the morning of Aug. 12 with the remaining four teams competing to make the final.
The winners of the group stage will be ranked based on the greatest number of points attained, goal differential and greatest number of goals scored.
Ticketing process for supporters groups to be announced in the coming weeks
Tickets go on sale to the general public in September
MIAMI (August 7, 2015) – The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) announced today that the playoff match between the United States and Mexico for a berth in the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup, is now confirmed for Saturday, October 10, at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA at 6:00 p.m. PT. The play-in match will determine the nation that will represent the CONCACAF region in the prestigious FIFA tournament, to be played in Russia in 2017.
The game date was initially planned for Friday Oct. 9. The new Saturday date will allow fans in attendance to enjoy a day-long of festivities, including Futbol Fiesta, a free, interactive fan zone outside the Rose Bowl.
Participating member associations and its supporter groups will have access to purchase tickets in advance of the public sale. More details regarding the ticketing process will be available in the coming weeks. Tickets will be available to the general public in September.
In 2013, CONCACAF announced the split of the region’s berth to the Confederations Cup between two editions of the CONCACAF Gold Cup, assuring that both editions of the Gold Cup in each 4-year cycle have the same importance from a competitive perspective. By winning the recent 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup, Mexico qualified for the match against the 2013 Gold Cup champion, the United States.
Cayman Islands captive dolphin facility gives birth to stillborn dolphin
Dolphin Discovery at West Bay, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands, a captive dolphin facility, confirmed an expectant dolphin gave birth to a stillborn calf The mother is doing well a spokesperson said.
However, another expectant dolphin did deliver a live calf and both are doing well.
Atlanta Federal Judge and sisters to reclaim father’s stolen Stradivarius violin
By R. Robin McDonald, From Daily Report
Stolen and missing for 35 years, the beloved Stradivarius violin of famed concert violinist Roman Totenberg has been recovered by federal authorities in New York. The U.S. attorney in New York on Thursday will present the treasured 281-year-old violin to Totenberg’s three daughters: U.S. District Judge Amy Totenberg, NPR legal correspondent Nina Totenberg and New York public relations executive Jill Totenberg.
Their father died in 2012 at the age of 101.
In a report on NPR, Nina Totenberg tells the story of her father’s love for the violin he referred to as his “musical partner” and of its recovery after its theft 35 years ago by one of her father’s students, who died the year before her father did.
Saying that owners of the rare and revered violins made by the Italian Stradivarius family centuries ago are “really just guardians of these great artistic instruments,” Nina Totenberg said the sisters intend to sell their father’s violin, known as the Ames Stradivarius. But she said they intend for it to be placed in the hands of another virtuoso violinist like their father and, perhaps, become known as the Ames-Totenberg Stradivarius.
Judge Totenberg (seen on the NPR website as a child practicing her violin) was in New York on Thursday and could not be reached immediately for comment.
LA Galaxy acquires former Jamaica int’l Ricketts
IMAGE: Donovan Ricketts (pictured) helped the LA Galaxy to the 2011 MLS Cup title. (Photo: Mexsport)
CARSON, California — The LA Galaxy announced Thursday the acquisition of goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts from Orlando City SC in exchange for a second-round selection in the 2016 Major League Soccer SuperDraft.
Ricketts – in his second stint with the club – takes the roster place of former starting goalkeeper Jaime Penedo, whose contract was terminated by mutual agreement earlier in the day.
“Donovan is one of the most experienced and successful goalkeepers in MLS,” said head coach and general manager Bruce Arena. “He is familiar with our team and has proven to be a player capable of winning championships. We are happy that he is once again a member of the LA Galaxy and look forward to his contributions to our club.”
In his seven-year MLS, the 38-year-old Jamaican has appeared in 177 regular-season games, recording 74 wins. He was a two MLS Goalkeeper of the Year (2010 with LA Galaxy, 2013 with Portland Timbers) and an MLS Cup champion (2011 with LA Galaxy).
After playing for the Galaxy from 2009-2011, Ricketts featured for various MLS teams including the Impact de Montreal (2012), Portland Timbers (2012-2014) and most recently, Orlando City SC, where he was selected No. 1 overall in the 2015 MLS Expansion Draft.
The 6’4” custodian competed 13 years for Jamaica, retiring from international play in 2013 with 100 caps. He performed in four World Cup Qualifying campaigns (2002, 2006, 2010, 2014), four CONCACAF Gold Cups (2003, 2005, 2009, 2011) and helped Jamaica to the 2008 Caribbean Cup title.
LA will launch its fifth Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League campaign on August 6, when it hosts Caribbean champion Central FC.
Guyana Police seeks public’s help in identifying Granny Killer
From News Source GY
The Guyana Police Force this afternoon released the image of the man who was caught on camera beating 77-year-old Carmen Ganesh to death during a home invasion. Her body was found on Saturday morning.
The entire murder was caught on the surveillance cameras of the Montrose house, where the elderly woman lived alone.
The Police Force is asking that anyone who recognizes the image in the photograph or anyone with information that may lead to the arrest of the suspect, to contact the police on telephone numbers 225-6411, 225-8196, 225-2227, 229-2557, 229-2702, 911 or the nearest police station. All information will be treated with strict confidence, the police said.
The woman was found in a pool of blood early Saturday morning, sprawled on the floor of the two-story house. Neighbours had contacted her family to check on her after they did not see her doing chores in the yard on Saturday morning as she would usually do.
The brutal murder has sent shockwaves throughout the community. Ms. Ganesh was well known and well loved in the community.
Investigators believe the killer may have been hiding in the yard as evening came and was able to gain access to the house without the woman noticing. She was badly beaten to her head with a metal object while he ransacked the house.
For more: http://newssourcegy.com/news/police-seeks-publics-help-in-identifying-granny-killer/
Dwayne Bravo inks music deal with US label
By K’Shema Francis From IrieFM
Trinidad and Tobago cricket all-rounder Dwayne Bravo has signed a music deal with Los Angles based entertainment company Venus Music Group.
Bravo’s latest venture follows years of dabbling in music as a hobby as well as after a global launch of his song Chalo Chalo featuring Nisha B.
Venus Music Group represents international superstars like Gladys Knight and Lisa Nichols.
Dwayne Bravo took home the coveted Purple Cap award for the most wickets taken in the India Premier League this season at the prestigious ESPY Awards.
For more: http://iriefm.net/dwayne-bravo-inks-music-deal-with-us-label/
This is the Caribbean’s fastest-growing economy in 2015
From Caribbean Journal staff
When the government of Prime Minister Gaston Browne came to power in June 2014, there was one overriding goal: to make Antigua and Barbuda and economic powerhouse.
So far in 2015, that’s been the case.
The country has posted the fastest growth in the Caribbean region in 2015, with a projected 5.4 percent increase in GDP, according to new data from the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean.
The growth comes in part due to a series of high-profile, multimillion-dollar tourism projected launched in Antigua and Barbuda in the last 14 months.
Antigua and Barbuda was followed by the Dominican Republic at 4.8 percent and St Kitts and Nevis at 4.6 percent.
Guyana was next at 4.5 percent growth.
For the full list of projected GDP growth in the Caribbean, see below:
For more: http://caribjournal.com/2015/08/03/this-is-the-caribbeans-fastest-growing-economy-in-2015/#
Newtown victims’ families settle lawsuits against shooter’s mother
By Christian Nolan, From The Connecticut Law Tribune
The families of 16 victims of the Newtown school shooting would split $1.5 million under proposed settlements of lawsuits against the estate of the gunman’s mother.
The settlement proposals were disclosed in probate court documents filed Aug. 3. The 16 families suing Nancy Lanza’s estate would evenly split a $1.5 million homeowner’s insurance policy that Lanza had on her Newtown home. A probate judge must first approve the plan. Each family would receive $93,750.
The lawsuits were filed on behalf of 14 of the victims who perished in the massacre, and by two of the survivors.
The settlement includes a confidentiality agreement which precluded the plaintiffs lawyers from commenting on it.
The lawsuits had alleged that Lanza was careless and negligent in allowing her son to get his hands on an unsecured Bushmaster AR-15 assault rifle that he used in the rampage. Lanza was killed by her son, Adam Lanza, in their Newtown home before he drove to the school and killed 20 first-graders and six teachers. Nancy Lanza had an insurance policy on the home worth more $1.5 million, and the lawsuits were essentially notices of claims for that policy. The homeowners insurance can apply when a person is injured as a result of an unsecured firearm in the home being accessed by a third party.
One of the plaintiff’s lawyers, Joshua Koskoff, of Koskoff, Koskoff & Bieder in Bridgeport told the Law Tribune after he filed lawsuits in the case that they were pursuing the homeowner’s policy limits of $1.5 million.
“This is procedural: we expect these insurance claims to be resolved quickly,” Koskoff said. “With this many claimants, the money ends up being a symbolic gesture; but it serves as an important reminder that people who keep firearms in the home must be scrupulous about securing their weapons.”
Koskoff also represents many of the same families in a lawsuit against Remington Outdoor Co., the distributor of the Bushmaster rifle Lanza used.
Country’s Family Reunion and Larry’s Country Diner get ready to make waves
By Music News Desk From Broadway World
Stop imagining Nadine in a swimsuit – your dreams can now become a reality. Join hit RFD-TV television series Larry’s Country Diner and Country’s Family Reunion as they set their clocks to island time from January 31 to February 7, 2016 and embark on the 2016 Country’s Family Reunion and Larry’s Country Diner Cruise. The seven-night tropical escape will set sail from Port Canaveral, FL and journey throughout the Western Caribbean about Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas cruise liner. Sight-seeing and shopping stops include Haiti, Jamaica, Grand Cayman Islands and Cozumel, Mexico, all in-between LIVE performances from some of country, bluegrass and gospel music’s biggest stars, comedy shows and more.
Alongside meeting the beloved cast of Larry’s Country Diner, (spunky, dessert-loving church lady Nadine, Renae The Waitress, host Larry Black, Sheriff Jimmy Capps and announcer Keith Bilbrey), a cruise-goer package also includes five country music shows, an exclusive chance to meet the performing music stars in autograph and photo signings, a “Senior Moments” comedy show from Nadine, and an up-close-and-personal look at the Larry’s Country Diner show. Celebrities slated for the cruise include John Conlee, Joey & Rory, T. Graham Brown, Moe Bandy, Exile, Rhonda Vincent, Mark Wills, Gene Watson, Johnny Lee and others.
In just six short years, Larry’s Country Diner has become one of classic country music enthusiasts’ most-adored programs. One of the top-rated shows on the RFD-TV network, the home-spun variety show delivers a family-sized helping of country music performances by the stars of yesterday and today, with a side of hearty laughter and good ole southern charm. Set in a small-town diner with just eighteen tables that host the LIVE studio audience, the show’s spontaneity and impromptu nature only add to its unique appeal, pulling an estimated audience 1.4 million people each and every month to the network. During the cruise, fans will get to be a part of the “Larry’s Country Diner” studio audience, get up close and personal with their favorite diner cast members and enjoy stellar performance by iconic country artists. On dry land, fans would have to wait over a year to get a seat at the diner given the current waiting list!
Tickets for the seven-day cruise start at $1,440 per person and are on sale now, but they’re going fast. TO BOOK YOUR TRIP, please visit www.cfrcruise.com. There are a variety of room sizes and accommodations to choose from. For more information, call 1-800-820-5405 or email [email protected]. To learn more about the available accommodations and FAQs visit: www.cfrcruise.com/prices. COUNTRY’S FAMILY REUNION and LARRY’S COUNTRY DINER Get Ready to Make Waves
Small arms and light weapons pose grave threat to region, Barbados minister says
From CARIBBEAN360
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, Thursday August 6, 2015 – Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Senator Maxine McClean says the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons pose a grave threat to Barbados and the rest of the Caribbean.
Speaking during the Open Debate on Peace and Security Challenges Facing Small Island Developing States (SIDS) as the UN Security Council met in New York recently, she said: “On a day-to-day basis, we must focus on the trade in small arms and light weapons which facilitates traffic in illicit drugs and other organized crime, and which undermines our economy and can destabilize society.”
McClean said the situation was made worse by the many vulnerabilities which commonly characterized SIDS, such as narrow resource bases, small domestic markets, susceptibility to external shocks and environmental vulnerability.
“These threats are made more significant because of the geography of SIDS. Often of small land mass, their air and maritime borders are multiple times larger. The cost to protect national borders is thus rendered prohibitive and difficult,” she said.
Taken together, the Foreign Minister said, these threats to peace and security required the diversion of already limited resources at a significant cost to national development.
“They have a grave impact on the socio-economic development of Barbados and other CARICOM states, extracting a high toll in human lives and productivity, lowering quality of life, impeding social development and undermining economic growth,” McClean.
She pointed out to the Security Council that CARICOM Heads of Government had reiterated the threat and committed to implementing all necessary actions at the national and regional level to combat the illicit trade, in the 2011 CARICOM Declaration on Small Arms and Light Weapons.
In 2013, she said, the Heads adopted the CARICOM Crime and Security Strategy, which listed a number of “immediate, significant threats” such as transnational organized crime, gang crime, cyber-crime, financial crime and corruption.
Meantime, McClean welcomed the decision of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to re-establish a presence in the Caribbean, and said she expected, as a global leader in crime prevention, that its contribution would assist “in the burdensome task we must prosecute. We look forward to the early commencement of its work in Barbados”.
WINAIR & Domino’s collaborates to start Caribbean’s first airline pizza delivery service
By Sanje Witter From Island Mix
This newest form of delivery service in the region involving pizza by plane is not only unique but also brilliant. International franchise pizza delivery corporation, Domino’s, and regional airline, WINAIR, have formed a cooperative unit to offer delivery service to residents of Saba and St. Eustatius.
By simply calling and placing their orders at Domino’s in the airport in St. Maarten and prepaying by credit card, residents of the two small islands in the Netherland Antilles will be able to order pizza by plane starting the beginning of this month. The pizzas are baked right before a scheduled WINAIR flight is set to fly to the nearby islands. Within half an hour the order is left at the WINAIR airport counter for pick-up.
“Partnering with a company with a stature like Domino’s is not only desirable for WINAIR but, moreover, an additional service we can offer the residents of the surrounding Islands,” the president and chief executive officer of WINAIR, Michael Cleaver, said.
The owner of Domino’s local franchise, John Caputo, also shared that the partnership takes Domino’s mission to be the number one pizza delivery company in the world to new heights.
“We are excited to partner with Winair to be able to provide this service that Saba and St. Eustatius residents have been longing for,” he said.
Texas police fatally shoot unarmed college football player
From Business Insider
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — A police officer in suburban Dallas shot and killed a college football player during a struggle after the unarmed 19-year-old crashed a car through the front window of a car dealership, authorities said Friday.
The Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the dead man as Christian Taylor, of Arlington. Taylor was a sophomore at Angelo State University in San Angelo.
Officers were responding to a burglary call about 1 a.m. Friday in Arlington when they discovered someone had driven a vehicle through a front window of the Classic Buick GMC, according to a statement from the Arlington Police Department. The statement said police approached the suspect and a struggle ensued. At some point during the struggle, an officer shot Taylor.
Police identified the officer as Brad Miller, a 49-year-old who has been with the department since last September and who has been working under the supervision of a training officer since his graduation from the police academy in March. The police statement said Miller had no police experience before joining the Arlington police force.
He will be placed on administrative leave, which is routine in such cases. Independent criminal and administrative investigations, according to the police statement.
The shooting comes amid increased scrutiny nationwide of police use of force, particularly in cases involving black suspects. Taylor was black.
Taylor’s great uncle, Clyde Fuller of Grand Prairie, Texas, described Taylor as “a good kid” and said he didn’t believe that Taylor was trying to commit a crime.
“They say he’s burglarizing the place by running up in there? Nuh-uh. Something doesn’t sound right,” Fuller told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Spicy food could save your life – study
AFP – From NZ Herald
Spicy foods could extend longevity, a study suggests.
Eating spicy food, especially fresh chilli, has been linked to a lower risk of death in a Chinese study.
But researchers say it’s too early to draw a final conclusion on the potential benefits of fiery fare.
The study, published in The BMJ, collected dietary data from almost 490,000 people, aged 30 to 79, in China.
They were enrolled between 2004 and 2008, and their health monitored for an average of seven years. Just over 20,000 participants died in the period.
“Compared with participants who ate spicy foods less than once a week, those who consumed spicy foods one or two days a week were at a 10 per cent reduced risk of death,” said a statement from The BMJ.
And those who ate spicy foods almost every day, “had a relative 14 per cent lower risk of death compared to those who consumed spicy foods less than once a week.”
The association was similar in men and women, and stronger in those who did not consume alcohol.
Fresh and dried chilli peppers were the most commonly used spices – and the association was higher with the fresh variety, according to the team led by researchers at the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences.
The answer may be found in an ingredient of spices – capsaicin, which has previously been suggested to possess anti-obesity, anti-oxidant, anti-inflammation and anti-cancer properties.
For more: http://m.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=11492381
