iNews Briefs & Community Events
Cayman Islands motor museum in West Bay scheduled to reopen in November
According to Andreas Ugland, owner of the Cayman Islands Motor Museum, it will reopen this year in November.
The museum, located in West Bay, Grand Cayman has been closed for some time.
The museum opened in 2010 with its most famous exhibit being the 1965 Batmobile from the U.S.-produced BatmanTV series starring Adam West.
Cayman Islands preparing for anti-money laundering review
By Mike Godfrey, From Lowtax.net, Washington
The Cayman Island’s financial services industry, financial regulators, and the territory’s Government are preparing for a mid-2017 review of the territory’s anti-money laundering regime by the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force.
Ahead of the long-planned inspection, a number of new pieces of legislation have been passed or proposed to strengthen the territory’s defenses against money laundering and terrorist financing.
Changes include the recent repeal of the Confidential Relationships (Preservation) Law and proposed legislation to regulate non-profit organizations and non-financial services-related businesses (including real estate business and precious metals dealers).
Financial Services Minister Wayne Panton said in May that while the Cayman Islands has been subject to periodic reviews by the Financial Action Task Force, the one due to occur in the second half of 2017 will be different from those the territory has experienced in the past.
“These new assessments are no longer just about technical requirements,” Panton said. “There will be an assessment based on effectiveness [of the current regulatory system]. Our view is we need to have that in place ahead of time.”
For more: http://www.lowtax.net/news/Cayman-Islands-Preparing-For-AntiMoney-Laundering-Review_71889.html
Darren Sammy sacked ‘in 30-second phone call’
The selectors had “reviewed” his captaincy and later informed that Darren Sammy won’t be part of the West Indies team anymore.
From India Express
IMAGE: Daren Sammy, Daren Sammy West Indies, West Indies captain Daren Sammy, Sammy, WI, West Indies Cricket board, Cricket, Cricket news The exclusion of Darren Sammy from the team comes just few days before India takes on West Indies in a two match T20 series in Florida at the end of August. (Source: Reuters)
Darren Sammy, who led West Indies team to World To glory, posted an emotional video on his social media handle to share that his captaincy had been taken away from the selectors. In his post, he said that the selectors had “reviewed” his captaincy and later informed that Sammy won’t be part of the West Indies team anymore.
“I got a call yesterday morning, it was probably 30 seconds, from the chairman of selectors telling me that they’ve reviewed the captaincy of T20 and I won’t be captain anymore of the T20 team, [and] my performances have not merited selection in the squad,” Sammy said in the video.
“That’s okay, I’ve always believed West Indies cricket is not about Darren Sammy. They are looking to the future and I wanna wish the new captain – I don’t know if it’s out yet so I won’t call any names – all the best as he looks to lead West Indies cricket and take it forward.
“Obviously, throughout my captaincy, winning the two T20 World Cups has been the highlight. And these memories I will cherish for a long time. This is not me retiring from one-day or T20, it’s just me thanking the fans and my players and the coaches I’ve worked with and WICB for…yeah, letting me lead the side for the last six years. But for now the captaincy has come to an end and thank you people.
“I just know I played with my heart and soul whenever I stepped out on the cricket field.”
In the recently concluded CPL tournament on the Caribbean soil, his team St Lucia Zouks lost to Trinbago Knight Riders in the finals. He also stated that he wanted his players to know that he was proud of their performance and should always hold their head high.
“Six years ago I was asked to captain West Indies, a task which I fought [and] would be the biggest challenge in my career, in my life,” Sammy said. “A task which I know would be so difficult but guess what…I took it head on. I embraced the challenge, I embraced the difficulty. I turn up at the office which is my playground, the cricket field, every day and put in the work.
The exclusion of Sammy from the team comes just few days before India takes on West Indies in a two match T20 series in Florida at the end of August.
© The Indian Express Online Media Pvt Ltd
FBI trains Guyanese, Caribbean law enforcers in countering financial crimes
By Denis Chabrol From Demerara Waves
Guyanese law enforcement agents and their counterparts from a number of Caribbean countries are among those trained by the United States’ Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) to identify and pursue financial crimes.
The Ministry of Public Security said four FBI officers tutored the participants on a number of topics including money laundering schemes, terror financing, illicit trade-based transfer systems, charting financial data and financial profiles investigation methods.
Fully supported by the United States government, Guyanese participants were drawn from the police force’s Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU), Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU), Guyana Revenue Authority and the Guyana Defence Force.
The Financial Intelligence Training Course, which was held at the Guyana Police Force’s Training Academy on Friday, July 22, 2016, also included participants from Trinidad and Tobago and, through tele-conferencing facilities, the participation of officers from St Kitts and Jamaica.
SOCU has been pursuing several high-profile cases of alleged money laundering and gold smuggling.
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of the Presidency, Omar Shariff was recently sent on leave to facilitate a probe into the alleged discovery of more than GYD$10 billion in deposits and transactions in several bank accounts.
A number of private business owners’ residents have also been raided in recent months, triggering condemnation by the main opposition People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPPC) and in a number of instances legal action by Attorney-at-Law Anil Nandlall.
Ship hits wall of Panama Canal renewing design concerns
From BBC
The MOL Benefactor was one of the first mega-vessels to pass through the Panama Canal since its widening [last July].
A Chinese container ship has hit a wall of the recently-widened Panama Canal, amid concerns that it has less space for manoeuvres and could be unsafe.
It is the third accident of this kind since the multi-million dollar expansion opened a month ago.
Workers’ groups say the new locks are too small for safe operations now that the canal can take ships three times larger than before.
The Panama Canal authority says it is investigating the incident.
The Xin Fei Zhou, owned by China Shipping Container Lines, suffered a large gash in its hull and is now undergoing repairs.
Two other ships have made contact with the walls since the enlarged canal opened and while the authorities do not regard these as accidents on the same scale as the Xin Fei Zhou, sources contacted by the BBC say the incidents are unusual.
The new locks are designed for ships to use tugboats to guide them through the canal.
In the old canal locomotives (known as “mules”) would keep the ships correctly aligned as they passed through.
A study for the International Transport Workers’ Federation released earlier this year concluded that the new lock chambers were too small for the tugboats to be able to manoeuvre properly.
Work on the expansion began in September 2007 and was originally planned to finish in 2014.
Following delays caused by construction workers’ strikes and disputes over cost overruns, the date for completion was pushed back to April 2016.
The first voyage through the new expanded canal was on 26 June.
For more: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-36891142
US: Husband tries, fails to save wife from being killed by train
From nzhearld.co.nz
DELRAY BEACH, Fla. (AP) Police in Florida say a husband failed in his frantic attempt to pull his wife off railroad tracks after she tripped, and she was killed by an oncoming train.
Delray Beach police said Thursday that the couple was walking home after eating dinner at a nearby restaurant Wednesday night when they attempted to cross some railroad tracks.
Spokeswoman Dani Moschella said the 62-year-old woman tripped as the train approached. Witnesses told police they saw her 58-year-old husband trying desperately to pull her off the tracks but he couldn’t do it before the train hit her.
The couple’s names have not been released.
For more: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=11687694&ref=rss
US, Cuba sign counter-narcotics agreement
From Jamaica Observer
HAVANA, Cuba (CMC) – The United States and Cuba have signed a counter-narcotics arrangement that will facilitate further cooperation and information sharing between both countries.
On Friday July 22, the State Department said the agreement is part of both nations’ “common effort against illegal narcotics trafficking.”
The agreement was signed here during the third Counternarcotics Technical Exchange on Thursday.
The US delegation included working-level representatives from the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), US Coast Guard (USGC), Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Homeland Security Investigations (ICE/HSI), and the Department of State.
Counter-narcotics cooperation is part of the broader Law Enforcement Dialogue between the United States and Cuba.
According to the Washington-based Security Assistance Monitor, a project of the Center for International Policy, “Cuba collaborates with Latin American and Caribbean nations, and even the United States, on counter-narcotics efforts.”
It said Cuba maintains formal agreements to fight narco-trafficking with at least 35 countries, including Mexico, Brazil, Chile, the United Kingdom, Canada, Spain, Venezuela, Tanzania, Laos and Jamaica.
These accords allow Cuba to standardise counter-narcotics operations and send real time alerts,” the monitor said.
In 2002, the Cuban government drafted a bilateral accord for counter-narcotics cooperation with the US government, but Washington was “yet to acknowledge the accord,” until it was signed last week, the Monitor said.
It alluded to the most recent International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR) , published by the US State Department, which says a US-Cuba bilateral anti-drug agreement and greater multilateral cooperation in the region would “likely lead to improved tactics, procedures and sharing of information, leading to an increased disruption of narco-trafficking operations.”
The 2013s INCSR lauded Cuba’s policies against illicit drugs and trafficking.
“Cuba’s domestic drug production and consumption remain negligible as a result of active policing, harsh sentencing for drug offenses, and very low consumer disposable income,” the report said.
“Cuba’s counternarcotics efforts have prevented illegal narcotics trafficking from having a significant impact on the island,” it added.
Cuba is situated between the region’s top drug-producing countries in the Andean region and the region’s number one consumer country, the United States.
With the Spanish-speaking Caribbean country having 42,000 sq miles of territorial waters, 3,000 miles of shoreline and 4,195 islands and small keys, the Monitor said both Cuba and the United States “share a vested interest in improving tactics to close trafficking routes in the Caribbean and combat transnational crime.”
In spite of Cuba’s close proximity to a number of the region’s largest exporters of illegal drugs, the State Department found, “Drug trafficking organizations (DTOs) frequently attempt to avoid GOC and US government counter drug patrol vessels and aircraft by skirting Cuba’s territorial waters,” according to the Monitor.
It, however, said Cuba’s effective counter-narcotics efforts are largely attributed to bilateral interdiction, intensive police presence on the ground, and low levels of domestic illegal drug consumption.
For more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/latestnews/US–Cuba-sign-counter-narcotics-agreement
Puerto Rico rejects insecticide to fight Zika amid protests
From Caribbean News Service (CNS)
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, Jul 23 2016 – Puerto Rico’s governor announced Friday that he will not authorize aerial spraying with the insecticide naled to fight an increase in Zika cases as U.S. health officials have urged.
Instead, Gov. Alejandro Garcia Padilla said he will support the spraying of Bti, an organic larvicide. He said it should be sufficient to fight the mosquito-borne virus along with other ongoing efforts, but hoped no child would be “born with congenital defects because of the decision I took.”
Zika can cause microcephaly, a rare defect in which babies are born with abnormally small heads and brain damage.
Puerto Ricans in recent weeks have organized several protests against the use of naled, raising concerns about its potential effects on people and wildlife. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently said Puerto Rico lacked an integrated mosquito control program as it fights what it called a silent epidemic. Eight of 10 people show no symptoms of Zika, which can cause symptoms including fever, rash and headache.
So far, Puerto Rico has 5,582 Zika cases and is seeing a 20-30 percent weekly increase in those cases, said Health Secretary Ana Rius.
There are 662 pregnant women infected with Zika, and up to 80 of them have given birth, all to healthy babies, she said. However, Puerto Rico in May reported the first microcephaly case acquired on U.S. soil. It involved a fetus that a woman turned over to U.S. health officials who found it tested positive for Zika.
One death has been reported and 65 people have been hospitalized in connection with the virus. There are also 21 cases of a temporary paralysis condition known as Guillain-Barre that has been linked to Zika.
“This illness is not a joke,” said Rius, who originally recommended spraying with naled but later withdrew her support.
Garcia’s administration has fought the virus in part by fumigating public housing units where pregnant women live, distributing about 1 million condoms and picking up more than 1.65 million old tires to cut down on breeding sites.
Garcia’s announcement on Friday follows a rift between his administration and the CDC, which angered local government officials by sending a shipment of naled to the U.S. territory this week without notifying them.
Garcia said he ordered the shipment returned.
“This is our island,” he said in a nod to angry Puerto Ricans who accused the federal government of threatening the island’s political autonomy.
The CDC addressed that issue in a Friday statement.
“We regret that the shipment of naled arrived in Puerto Rico without appropriate levels of awareness,” the agency said. “We moved too quickly in our urgency to do all that we could to be responsive and prepared in the event officials in Puerto Rico decided to use naled.”
The CDC said it respected the governor’s decision to not use naled. A spokeswoman said the agency would discuss with Puerto Rico officials the best way to protect pregnant women from Zika, but officials did not specifically say whether they believed the larvicide Bti would be sufficient to fight the virus.
The agency has estimated that more than 20 percent of Puerto Rico’s 3.5 million people could be infected with Zika in an outbreak expected to peak by this summer. Local health officials have dismissed that number as exaggerated. (AP)
For more: http://caribbeannewsservice.com/now/puerto-rico-rejects-insecticide-to-fight-zika-amid-protests/
Cayman Drama Society
2016 is proving to be amazing around the Prospect Playhouse! We have been busy renovating the auditorium this summer and getting ready for a smashing end to 2016!
And Yes! Its election season and what greater way to lighten the mood than coming to see the very funny, Yes Minister!
September 15,16,17,22,23,24,29,30, October 1
Yes Minister is a satirical look at the early career of Jim Hacker MP; a newly appointed cabinet minister in the fictional Department of Administrative Affairs at Whitehall. Hacker goes through various struggles to formulate and enact legislation or effect departmental changes that are continually opposed by the British Civil Service in particular his Permanent Secretary, Sir Humphrey Appleby. His Principal Private Secretary Bernard Woolley, is usually caught between the two. The British comedy, written by Sir Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn, was fist broadcast by BBC Television in the 1980s has now been adapted to the Cayman stage by Chuck and Barrie Quappe. As the Cayman Parliamentary system is based on Whitehall, any of the situations will be undeniably familiar to all that live in Cayman!
And you do not want to miss our continuing celebration of Shakespeare’s 400th!!!
Cayman Islands Pirates Week calls for food vendors
The Pirates Week Festival Office is inviting participants for the annual Food Festival to submit their vendor applications for the below dates/times:
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Friday 11th November |
6:00pm to 2:00am |
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Saturday 12th November |
1:00pm to midnight |
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Saturday 19th November |
George Town |
2:00pm to midnight |
Vendor applications must be submitted beginning on Monday 1st August, 2016 to the Pirates Week Office on Shedden Road, George Town (upstairs next to KFC). Vendor space is limited therefore applications must be submitted as soon as possible after the opening date above. Deadline for submission is Monday 31st October.
All vendors must comply with the rules and regulations set by the Pirates Week Festival Office and must present a valid Food Handling Certificate for all persons handing food by the 31st October. Food handling certificates can be obtained from the Department of Environmental Health by contacting Mr. Gideon Simms on 949-6696 or email [email protected] .
For application forms and more details please contact the Pirates Week Festival Office at 949-5078 or [email protected].
COMMUNITY EVENTS (Date Order)
TUE AUG 9
Moonlight and Movies: Kung Fu Panda
The Moonlight and Movies series continues on Tuesday (9 Aug) featuring Kung Fu Panda at 7pm in Gardenia Court in Camana Bay.
WED AUG 10
2nd of 3 Jaguar Land Rover Stroke and Stride
The 2nd of 3 Jaguar Land Rover Stroke and Stride events is Wednesday (10 Aug) at Sunset House. Log on to caymanactive.com for more details.
Bookends Club
The Bookends Club is meeting on Wednesday (10 Aug) at 630pm at Books & Books to discuss Time of Departure by Douglas Scholfield.
Cayman Islands FATCA notification and reporting deadlines fast approaching
From Maples and Calder
Tim Clipstone Christopher Capewell Tim Dawson Tim Frawley Patrick Head Martin Livingston
Further to our previous update in relation to the extension of the deadlines for both
notification and reporting by Reporting Financial Institutions (“Reporting FIs”) through the Cayman Islands AEOI Portal (the “Portal”), Reporting FIs are reminded to complete any applicable FATCA notification and reporting for both US FATCA and UK FATCA (CDOT) through the Portal on or before the deadline of Wednesday, 10 August 2016. In the days running up to the deadline, users should expect heavy traffic on the Portal.
In relation to CRS, Reporting FIs are reminded that 31 December 2016 is the deadline for the completion of due diligence on Preexisting High Value Individual Accounts.
THU AUG 11
Catch the Olympics
Catch the Olympics on a big outdoor screen on Thursday (11 Aug) at 7pm on the Crescent at Camana Bay.
FRI AUG 12
Music Happy Hour for kids is Friday from 3:30 — 4:30 pm at Starfish Village every Friday in August.
SAT AUG 13
Catch the Olympics: Kids Challenge
In celebration of the 2016 Olympics, children between the ages of 6 and 12 are invited to participate in the Kid’s Challenge on Saturday (13 Aug) at the Town Center in Camana Bay between 2 and 5pm. Events include cracker eating competition, a flipper race and moreSUN AUG 14
Pete Ribbins Memorial 10K or 40K Bike Ride
The Pete Ribbins Memorial 10K or 40K Bike Ride is Sunday (14 Aug) at 630am. Log on to caymanactive.com for more details.
TUE AUG 16
Moonlight and Movies: Nanny McPhee
The Moonlight and Movies series continues on Tuesday (16 Aug) featuring Nanny McPhee at 7pm in Gardenia Court in Camana Bay.
WED AUG 17
Final Jaguar Land Rover Stroke and Stride
The final Jaguar Land Rover Stroke and Stride is Wednesday (17 Aug) at Sunset House. Log on to caymanactive.com for more details.
Floetry
Floetry is Wednesday (17 Aug) at 630pm at Books & Books.
THU AUG 18
Catch the Olympics
Catch the Olympics on a big outdoor screen on Thursday (18 Aug) at 7pm on the Crescent at Camana Bay.
FRI AUG 19
Cayman Islands Liquor Licence Holders: Remember your 19 August deadline
Liquor licence holders – including those with music and dancing licenses – are reminded of the Friday, 19 August deadline to apply for licence renewals.
They also are reminded that before they can apply for a renewal, their premises must be inspected by relevant Government agencies. Depending on licensees’ particular operations, these inspections may include the Fire Service, Department of Environmental Health, Planning Department, and Port Authority.
To help speed up the process, the Planning Department has advised that licensees must have inspections done by private, licensed plumbers and/or electricians. These inspections are then submitted to the Planning Department for approval.
The Planning Department added that there are a few exceptions. For example, package licences (for retail outlets such as stores and warehouses) do not require electrical or plumbing inspections.
Only complete renewal applications, with either inspection certificates or proof of inspection requests, that are submitted by the 19 August deadline will be heard at the Liquor Licensing Board’s annual session on 30 September.
Applications can be downloaded from the Department of Commerce and Investment’s website, www.dci.gov.ky . For more information, contact the Liquor Licensing Board through Acting Secretary Gavin Dixon on 244-3167 or DCI’s Shelise Jeffery on 244-2202.
Music Happy Hour
Music Happy Hour for kids is Friday from 3:30 — 4:30 pm at Starfish Village every Friday in August.
SAT AUG 20
Culture at the Cinema: Les Liaisons Dangereuses
Culture at the Cinema presents Les Liaisons Dangereuses on Saturday (20 Aug) at 7pm at Regal Cinemas.
Lions Tropical Gardens Diabetes Health Fair
TUE AUG 23
Moonlight and Movies: Shrek the Third
The Moonlight and Movies series continues on Tuesday (23 Aug) featuring Shrek the Third at 7pm in Gardenia Court in Camana Bay.
THU SEP 1
Cayman Islands: LCCL applicants must advise TBL board of Caymanian participation
In order to ensure that the law is upheld, procedural changes for the Local Companies (Control) Licence Law (LCCL) will come into effect on 1 September 2016.
The LCCL requires foreign investors to publish ads that solicit Caymanian participation in their potential business endeavours. In these ads, Caymanians are asked to inform the foreign investor of their interest, in writing; however, as of 1 September, Caymanians also must supply a copy of that letter directly to the Trade and Business Licensing Board.
Also, when submitting their applications to the board, foreign investors must include copies of the two local newspaper ads, published in accordance with section 11 (4) (e) of the law, that solicited Caymanian participation.
‘These procedural changes will help the board to know if the applicant has complied fully with the LCCL’, said Minister of Commerce Wayne Panton.
LCCL applications must be submitted in person at the Business Licensing Counter, on the first floor of the Government Administration Building. The counter is open Mondays to Fridays, between 9:00am and 4:00pm. In addition to the two newspaper ads, applications must be accompanied by due diligence such as a police clearance, copies of passports, references, and the relevant fees.
Letters from Caymanians are to be addressed to the Trade and Business Licensing Board, c/o the Department of Commerce and Investment, Government Administration Building, 133 Elgin Avenue Suite 126, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands.
For more information, visit www.dci.gov.ky or email [email protected]
SAT & SUN SEP 18 & 19
British Schools Fair Cayman Islands
Street: Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman
District: Seven Mile Beach
Island: Grand Cayman
Country: Cayman Islands
Description
Ritz-Carlton
Sat 18 Sep & Sun 19 Sep
2.00-6.00 p.m.
A chance for Cayman families to meet leading UK boarding schools. If you are considering the possibility of your children having the opportunities afforded by an overseas education, this is your chance to speak to some of the top schools.
Free entry
For more information contact [email protected]
AUGUST EVENTS AT CAMANA BAY
Be part of the action and support your nation with The Games at Camana Bay – a series of festivities inspired by the 2016 Olympics. Take in cultural experiences by catching the last chance to see Rundown, getting lost in poetry readings or by supporting a local author as they celebrate their latest book.
Moonlight & Movies: Summer Series
Tuesdays until 30 August
7pm
Gardenia Court
Music Happy Hour for Kids
Fridays until 26 August
3:30-4:30pm
Starfish Village
Got Milk?
Friday 5 August
3pm
Bedside Manor
The Games at Camana Bay: Opening Ceremony and Fireworks
Friday 5 August
5:30-9pm
The Crescent
Tai Chi
Sunday 7 August
8:30am
The Crescent
The Bookends Club
Wednesday 10 August
6:30-7:30pm
Books & Books
Douglas Schofield Book Signing
Thursday 11 August
6:30-7:30pm
Books & Books
The Games at Camana Bay: Moonlight & Movies
Thursday 11 and 18 August
7pm
The Crescent
The Games at Camana Bay: Kids’ Challenge
Saturday 13 August
2-5pm
Town Centre
Floetry
Wednesday 17 August
6:30-7:30pm
Books & Books
Culture at the Cinema: Les Liaisons Dangereuses
Saturday 20 August
7pm
Regal Cinemas
Theatre in the Court: Rundown
Saturday 27 August
7pm
Gardenia Court
NATIONAL GALLERY EVENTS
Early Watercolours
Rarely displayed watercolour paintings from the early collections of the National Gallery of the Cayman Islands (NGCI) and the Cayman Islands National Museum (CINM) will be on show at the National Gallery throughout summer. The temporary exhibition titled, A Legacy of Light features a wide selection of landscapes, seascapes and architectural studies by both established and lesser-known artists from the Cayman Islands. The exhibition opens to the public 1 July 2016 and ends 16 September 2016.
Light & Colour Workshop
Take part in a special watercolour workshop with Lois Brezinski Saturday, 13 August 2016 – 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM. This intensive workshop explores the use of watercolours to capture the dramatic effects of light in the tropics. The workshop is designed for all levels and is open to adults and mature teens.
Watercolour Kids Club
Saturday Mornings 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM
9 July to 13 August 2016
Free watercolour art activities for kids! These creative drop-in sessions will be sure to inspire families of all levels and abilities. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Bookings are not required.
Take it Home
The gift shop at the National Gallery has a fabulous selection of creative gifts for all ages. Brand new watercolour paint sets, brushes and books have arrived so you can try your hand at creating a masterpiece of your own!
Learn more about the shop.
