iNews Briefs
Sexual abuse of children is under reported says Cayman’s Red Cross
In a shocking disclosure by School Counsellor Sue Tressider she said the latest Red Cross “Protection Starts Here” campaign has shown 27 students at Clifton Hunter High School were victims of sexual abuse last year.
She said other government schools could have similar numbers.
However, experts said abuse cases are grossly under-reported.
The “Protection Starts Here” campaign aired the video that was produced over the course of 18 months premiered last Thursday (15).
The video is free of cost but is only available at the Red Cross as part of a child abuse training programme called the “Darkness to Light.”
For more information, email [email protected]
Bus catches fire in northern Colombia city, killing at least 32 children, authorities say
From Fox News
BOGOTA, Colombia – Colombian authorities say a bus carrying young people home from a church service caught fire on a street in a northern city and at least 32 children are dead.
Officials in the city of Fundacion say the death toll could rise. They estimate about 50 people were on the bus when it burst into flames Sunday and say some people have been taken to hospitals for treatment.
Mayor Luz Estella Duran of the city about 750 kilometers (465 miles) north of Bogota tells RCN television news that investigators are trying to determine what caused the fire.
Officials say the bus was carrying mostly young people who had attended a religious service at an evangelical Christian church.
Cayman activist wins again
Local activist, Sandra Catron, has won another case in Cayman courts when she took out a civil case against Jacqueline Thompson-Moore to recoup costs of her veterinary and medical bills following one of several attacks that she and her pet Shih-Poo, Coco, suffered by Thompson-Moore’s dog.
Catron was awarded $107.25 vet bill and costs.
Catron said her dog had been the subject of a number of attacks by the neighbouring dog.
The Director of Public Prosecutions has refused to pursue a criminal case against Thompson-Moore despite evidence that includes CCTV footage of the attack.
Catron has won a number of criminal and civil actions in Cayman’s Courts herself even though she is not a qualified lawyer.
Steering Football Development in Barbados
MIAMI (Sunday, May 18, 2014) — In Bridgetown, Barbados, CONCACAF President and FIFA Vice-President, Jeffrey Webb met with the Prime Minister Rt. Hon. Freundel Stuart and Minister of Sports, Hon. Stephen Lashley, to discuss the planned approach to development of football on the island.
“I am pleased with the passion being shown and more importantly the strategic plans produced by the Barbados Football Association,” Webb said. “Caribbean nations have some distance to make up, but with what I have seen, a commitment to proper planning, and a focus on development will enable them to achieve targets and garner greater youth participation, improving coaching standards and producing high level competition will be met.”
During the trip, Webb got a firsthand look at the areas most needing development and visited the FIFA Goal Project and existing stadium facilities. The discussions with Barbados’ leaders were focused on improving partnership and increasing collaboration, to ensure the country’s goals are achieved.
Barbados Football Association President Randy Harris said, “At the BFA, we are happy to have President Webb and the delegation visiting Barbados. We are at a very positive time with our development here and I am glad that President Webb is able to see it first-hand and share our vision for further development in Barbados.”
Engineers say Cayman’s landfill poses no safety concerns to nearby school from gases
Even though engineers who recently executed tests on the George Town, Grand Cayman, landfill site found higher than expected hydrogen sulfide levels, they said the levels were too low to pose any health threat to the nearby Cayman International School. However, they said the levels exceeded odour control standards allowed in many other jurisdictions.
The biggest threat is fumes from fires at the site the engineers reported.
The engineers recently briefed concerned parents at the school.
Rihanna among stars in billion dollar lawsuit for allegedly stealing lyrics
From Caribbean360
CALIFORNIA, United States – In the latest bizarre mega-celebrity lawsuit, a prisoner in California is suing some of contemporary music’s brightest stars – including Barbados’ pop princess Rihanna – for well over US$2 billion.
As first reported by Re-Tox, Richard Dupree has filed a lawsuit against Beyonce, her music mogul husband Jay Z, Kanye West, Rihanna and her ex-boo Chris Brown, seeking US$2.4 billion because of allegedly stolen song lyrics.
According to Dupree, the pop stars conspired with the CIA, FBI, Homeland Security and other law enforcement agencies to spy on him in order to steal lyrics he wrote while incarcerated in the slammer.
Dupree claims that the superstars and government agencies stole 3,000 songs from him and alleges that they “robbed [him] for hundreds of millions, even billions, in the satellite organization.”
Dupree may nevertheless have fouled up his original paperwork, based on an order that Judge Carolyn Delaney issued on April 30.
“Plaintiff shall submit, within thirty days from the date of this order, a completed application to proceed in forma pauperis,” according to a court memo. “Plaintiff’s failure to comply with this order will result in a recommendation that this action be dismissed without prejudice.”
Irrespective of what comes down at month-end, Dupree has a long way to go before he reaches the heights attained by super-suer Jonathan Lee Riches.
Since early 2012, Riches has allegedly filed more than 1,000 lawsuits targeting the likes of the entire European Union, Queen Elizabeth II, and France’s revered Eiffel Tower.
Some of Riches’ other spellbinding cases include suing rapper 50 Cent for $35 billion for his lyrics, and suing the long-deceased king of rock and roll Elvis Presley over his sideburns.
12th Annual Butterfield 800M Sea Swim takes place in Cayman on Saturday(24)
(CIASA): The 12th Annual Butterfield 800M Sea Swim takes place on Saturday, May 24th. The swim starts at 4pm, with registration from 3-3:45pm at Public Beach; and runs south, parallel to 7 Mile Beach starting at Public Beach and ending at Governor’s Beach. This is CIASA’s second sea swim this year and is the last chance for an official warm up swim before the 22nd Flowers 1 Mile which takes place on 14th June. “Open water swimming is a wonderful way to stay fit and enjoy the warm, clear waters of our Islands,” said Butterfield’s Marketing Officer Rebecca Ebanks.
“As part of our community focus, Butterfield encourages fitness activities supporting wellness and we are pleased to, once again, partner with the Cayman Islands Amateur Swimming Association to host this annual event. We invite swimmers of all levels to come out and take part in this delightfully active afternoon,” she added.
Registration fees are: CIASA members $15/Adults and $10/Children, Non-members $20/Adults and $15/Children. (All fees are in CI$).
“Butterfield’s commitment to Cayman Swimming over the years is greatly appreciated,” said CIASA President Michael Lockwood. “I know that a number of Butterfield staff members are avid swimmers and I look forward to seeing them all at the Start Line on Saturday.”
All swimmers are provided with swim caps, which must be worn for safety reasons and there are event T-Shirts and trophies for the top three male and female finishers in each age group; and Subway sandwiches and refreshments provided at the end of the race.
S&P boosts outlook on Royal Caribbean (RCL) to Positive; improved economic conditions could warrant one-notch upgrade
Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services today revised its rating outlook on Miami, Fla.-based cruise line operator Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE: RCL) to positive from stable. All ratings on the company, including the ‘BB’ corporate credit rating, are affirmed.
The revision of our outlook to positive reflects our expectation that Royal will improve total lease and port commitment adjusted debt to EBITDA below 4.5x, funds from operations (FFO) to debt to about 20%, and EBITDA coverage of interest to above 6x by the end of 2015 as a result of meaningful revenue and EBITDA growth from the addition of a new class of ships to Royal’s fleet, and general macroeconomic improvement. We believe improvement in credit measures to these levels could position Royal for a one-notch higher rating, in our view, given our assessment of its business risk profile.
The ‘BB’ corporate credit rating on Royal reflects our assessment of the company’s business risk profile as “satisfactory” and our assessment of its financial risk profile as “aggressive,” according to our criteria.
Our assessment of Royal’s business risk profile as “satisfactory” is based on its position as the second largest cruise operator in the world, its solid brands, a relatively young, high-quality fleet of ships, high barriers to entry in the cruise industry, and an experienced management team. Key business risk factors include significant capital requirements required to fund new ship building, the lack of flexibility to pull back spending once a ship order is committed, and the cruise industry’s sensitivity to the economic cycles.
Our assessment of Royal’s financial risk profile as “aggressive” reflects the company’s high levels of debt and capital commitments for future ship deliveries. It also reflects our expectation that total lease and port commitment adjusted debt to EBITDA will be above 4.5x and FFO to debt below 20% at the end of 2014.
Sharks in Cayman waters tagged
Nine oceanic whitetip sharks were caught in Cayman waters and fitted with satellite tags by experts from the Guy Harvey Research Institute during a fishing competition last April
Oceanic whitetip sharks are disappearing from the western Atlantic at an alarming rate.
The tagging expedition last month was timed to coincide with the Kirk Slam fishing tournament, with anglers supporting the effort.
The data collected from the tagging will be used for scientific papers by the Guy Harvey Research Institute and will be available to other scientists and the public.
Tingyi Cayman Islands : 1Q net profit up 22.4% to US$128m
[ET Net News Agency, 19 May 2014] Tingyi (00322) said its profit attributable to owners for the three months ended 31 March 2014 rose 22.39% year-on-year to US$128 million.
Its basic and diluted earnings per share were US2.29 cents.
The turnover was US$2.78 billion, an increase of 5.04% from a year earlier.
The gross profit margin in the first quarter increased by 1.11 percentage points to 30.38% on a year-on-year basis, and gross profit amount rose 9.03% to US$845 million.
No dividend will be distributed for the reporting period. (HL)
(c) 2014 ET Net Limited. All rights reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).
Girl bitten by piranha at Suriname nature resort
From Caribbean360
PARAMARIBO, Suriname, CMC – A little girl is recovering from injuries received when she was bitten by a piranha while on vacation with her parents and a sibling earlier this month.
According her father Adjai Rambhadjan, his children were playing in shallow waters when his eight-year-old daughter screamed.
She was pulled from the water by another tourist who discovered that a huge chunk of flesh had been removed from her foot.
Medical personnel at the Academic Hospital in Paramaribo confirmed that it was a piranha bite.
Rambhadjan wrapped up his family vacation and returned to the Netherlands, where his daughter got further medical treatment. Both children are also receiving specialized help to handle the trauma.
The incident took place at a popular nature resort, Overbridge, that is located in District Para on the outskirts of the capital Paramaribo.
Since the incident, Rambjadjan has contacted the management of Overbridge, but they have reportedly not accepted responsibility.
A regional District Commissioner Jerry Miranda, says his office has launched an investigation into the incident, while the resort’s management has had nets – used to ward off the carnivorous fish, checked for possible tears.
Cayman’s boxing carnival proved a KO with crowd
At the Mango Tree on Saturday (17) the Cayman Islands beat visitors Trinidad and Tobago 4-1 during the Elite Marble & Granite Carnival of Boxing tournament.
The event was a knock-out with the crowd that included Cayman Premier Alden McLaughlin who gave out some of the prizes.
Results:
Tafari Ebanks (Cayman) outpointed Shawn Joseph (T&T)
Diego Rodriquez (Cayman) beat Christian Donald (T&T) in a split decision
Hopkins Ebanks (Cayman) beat Dexter Villaroel, KO after one minute of the second round.
Heavyweight Roger Ray Watler beat Sheavaughn Millett KO in one minute of the second round.
Lightweight Kheon Robinson lost to Justin Parris on points.
Economic overview of Latin America and the Caribbean 2013 -April 2014
ECLAC Predicts Latin America and the Caribbean will Grow by 2.7% in 2014.
This report updates the analysis set out in the Preliminary Overview of Latin America and the Caribbean 2013, released in December 2013, on the basis of official data published by the countries in the region in the subsequent months, and presents a revised economic outlook for 2014.
In addition, it examines the external factors influencing the region’s performance and their impact on the different components of the balance of payments and summarizes the challenges and main trends in relation to monetary, exchange-rate and fiscal policy. It confirms the deceleration of growth analysed in the Preliminary Overview, giving a revised regional rate of 2.5% for 2013. This slowdown curbed job creation, but did not drive up the rate of unemployment.
The second part of the report reviews the main internal and external factors that will determine the region’s economic performance in 2014. Although the world economy is expected to pick up with respect to 2013, Latin America and the Caribbean will grow at a similar rate to the previous year as a result of several factors.
Download document at: http://caribseekdocuments.com/sites/caribseekdocuments.com/files/2014-0429-csd-cl-eclac-updated-economic-overview-of-latin-america-and-the-caribbean-2013.pdf
CDB congratulates Jamaica on utilisation of poverty reduction fund
The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) has congratulated Jamaica on its utilisation of the Basic Needs Trust Fund (BNTF) 6th programme, the Bank’s principal programme for direct poverty reduction in the region for more than three decades.
Jamaica is one of 10 Caribbean countries benefiting from the BNTF. To date there have been seven replenishments of the fund. Mrs. Darran Newman Belgrave, BNTF Portfolio Manager, CDB, noted, “Under BNTF6, USD5 million was allocated for Jamaica, with additional resources made available for technical services. We are in the process of completing the final projects across the Region under BNTF6, and Jamaica has done a commendable job of completing its projects, making it one of the countries with the highest percentage of approved amounts disbursed. This indicates the effort to ensure that the funds are reaching the communities in Jamaica, enhancing the productive potential of the poor.”
In its seventh replenishment, BNTF 7 has allotted grant funding of USD6.89 million to Jamaica targeted primarily for education, sanitation and community access roads. Projects will be executed in communities islandwide with 52 per cent of funds committed to school infrastructure and human-resource development; 24 per cent to community access roads and draining; and the remaining 24 per cent to water and sanitation.
Mrs. Newman Belgrave highlighted that the BNTF which commenced in 1979, is still of great relevance to its participating countries. “The most recent evaluation done in 2012 confirms the programme is fulfilling the objective of directive poverty reduction – targeting the poorest and most vulnerable. We are in the process of completing the Poverty Reduction Action Plan (PRAP) which is a key foundation to ensure that the funds reach the identified target groups and of continuous relevance to them. PRAP is an evidence-based assessment done at the beginning of every BNTF cycle.”
Cayman Islands Chamber Pension Plan gets new board
Last Thursday (15) a new board of trustees was elected to administer the Cayman Islands Chamber of Commerce Pension Plan, that has been in problems with the National Pensions Office since February.
It has been reported the Pension Plan has not had a properly elected board of trustees since at least last year and the plan was put under limited direction by the government regulators.
2014 Caribbean Hospitality Financing Survey
KPMG’s 10th annual Caribbean Hospitality Financing Survey highlights lending trends in the region’s hospitality and tourism industry and the outlook for the future of the industry.
The general theme among lenders is one of cautious optimism with expectations of moderate growth in the short to mid-term as reflected in slightly improved lending terms. Indeed, our Confidence Barometer for banks rose for the fifth year in a row and is now at its highest level since 2008. Non-bank respondents are even more optimistic as alternative financing sources begin returning to the market.
Nevertheless, project and jurisdiction fundamentals have to be right for any financier. Capital providers continue to look for strong project and jurisdiction fundamentals such as a developer, contractor and management team with a track record of success and sound financials and financing plan. Also essential is a jurisdiction with good airlift and an easy-to-understand foreign investment process, supported by transparent legislation and a stable political environment.
To download a copy of the Survey go to: http://www.kpmg.com/BS/en/IssuesAndInsights/ArticlesPublications/Documents/2014-04%20Caribbean%20Financing%20Survey%20Web%20Secured.pdf
CQS Rig Finance shareholders would support voluntary liquidation
LONDON (Alliance News) – CQS Rig Finance Fund Ltd Tuesday said its largest shareholders – CQS (UK) LLP, CQS Asset Management Ltd, and CQS Cayman LP – are willing to support a shareholder voluntary liquidation of the company.
In a statement, CQS Rig Finance said the shareholders, which own 65.54% of its share capital, informed it of their support for a shareholder voluntary liquidation of the offshore oil and gas rig finance investor.
CQS said it will make arrangements for an extraordinary general meeting to consider proposals to cancel its trading on AIM, to place it into members’ voluntary liquidation, and to realise the company’s assets and return cash to shareholders.
CQS shares were Tuesday quoted at 34.38 pence, flat.
Marine and coastal conservation in the Caribbean: The ’20 by 20’ Caribbean Challenge
The Caribbean Challenge Initiative’s (CCI) aims are to preserve and protect the region’s marine and coastal environment. CCI’s “20 by 20 Goal” targets the protection of at least 20% of the Caribbean’s marine and coastal environment by 2020. 9 Caribbean governments and 15 corporations have together made a series of bold commitments towards these aims.
The Initiative’s work is critical to the region, which harbors roughly 10% of the world’s coral reefs and 1,400 species of fish and marine species. [. . .]
Each year, 40 million people from around the world are drawn to the regions’ magnificent natural beauty and marine life. The annual economic benefits of coral reefs provide the region US$2.7 billion for tourism, US$395 million in the fisheries, and US$944 million to US$2.8 billion for shoreline protection. Yet, in the past three decades, coral cover in the Caribbean has dropped about 80%. 100% of all marine and coastal natural capital in the Caribbean is threatened by unsustainable coastal development, land and sea-based pollution, unsustainable fishing and ongoing climate change. 100% of commercial fishers in the Caribbean are now overexploited.
Aside from the 20 by 20 Goal, the CCI also aims to establish fully functioning sustainable finance mechanisms that will provide long-term and reliable funding to conserve and sustainably manage the marine and coastal resources and the environment in each participating country and territory.
For more information on the CCI go to www.caribbeanchallengeinitiative.org
Cayman Chatterbox “Being Me!”
Being Me! Group for girls aged 9-11 years
As several people have asked about groups for younger girls, Grace will now also be running a group for girls aged 9-11 years.
To book a space or to discuss further details, please call Grace on 928 6976 or email her at [email protected]
You can also drop in to #15 at Pasadora Place and have a chat with her.
We love to talk to people!
See attached flyer for details.
