iNews Briefs
Mass Shooting near Houston leaves 6 dead, including 4 children
From The Huffington Post
A gunman killed at least six people, including four children, and wounded a teenager in a Houston suburb and then engaged police in a three-hour standoff before finally surrendering late Wednesday.
The suspect, who has not yet been identified, is believed to be the biological father of some of the children and the adoptive father to the others, Click2Houston.com reports.
Harris County Constable Ron Hickman said the incident appeared to be a “domestic situation gone south,” and that it may have involved a divorce or separation.
Police say three children and two adults were dead at the scene. Two wounded children, ages 4 and 15, were taken to the hospital, where the 4-year-old later died, KTRK reported.
KHOU says the survivor, a 15-year-old girl, told police the suspect was on his way to another location to kill more people.
She remains in critical condition, but police were able to use her information to intercept the suspect’s car, leading to a 25-minute chase before authorities disabled his vehicle using rumble stripes, the Houston Chronicle reports.
For more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/09/harris-county-shooting_n_5572544.html
Vybz Kartel files lawsuit against outgoing Jamaica police commissioner
From Caribbean360
KINGSTON, Jamaica, Wednesday, CMC – The attorney for Dancehall artiste, Vybz Kartel, convicted of murdering a man in 2011, says his client will file a defamation suit against outgoing Police Commissioner Owen Ellington and Television Jamaica (TVJ).
Attorney Tom Tavares-Finson said his client, whose real name is Adidja Palmer, is taking the action following statements made on the April 9 episode of the current affairs programme, All Angles on TVJ hosted by Dionne Jackson-Miller.
He said that the singer, who is serving a life sentence for the 2011 murder of Clive ‘Lizard’ Williams, has signed the legal documents and that the necessary paper work would be filed with the High Court later on Tuesday.
The attorney said that the comments by Ellington were prejudicial to the appeal filed by Vybz Kartel against his conviction. Tavares-Finson said the notes of evidence for the legal process have not yet been completed.
For more on this story go to: http://www.caribbean360.com/news/jamaica_news/vybz-kartel-files-lawsuit-against-outgoing-jamaica-police-commissioner#comment-817
Cayman animal shelter is full up
The Cayman Islands Humane Society’s animal shelter in George Town is full up and has closed its doors until the volunteers can find homes for the animals it currently has there.
The animal shelter’s director, Lesley Walker, is urging persons considering adopting a dog or cat to come forward now to help relieve the pressure at the shelter.
The shelter is for lost, abandoned, abused or unwanted dogs and cats.
The charity is examining the possibility of getting a piece of land donated and will then begin a campaign to build a larger and better functioning shelter.
Caribbean’s First Innovators Symposium on coastal Tourism set to open today’s; Prime Minister Dr. Keith Mitchell to speak at opening plenary
Caribbean’s First Innovators Symposium on coastal tourism opened on Wednesday
ST. GEORGE’S, GRENADA, July 9, 2014 – GIS: Caribbean’s first ever gathering for innovators in coastal tourism was launched on Wednesday (9). The 1st Caribbean Symposium for Innovators in Coastal Tourism opened at the Rex Grenadian Hotel just outside Grenada’s capital, St. George’s, with a ceremony that featured addresses by several dignitaries, including the Tourism Minister, Hon. Alexandra Otway-Noel.
The three-day event will serve as a platform for those on the cutting edge of innovative coastal tourism models to share what they have accomplished and what opportunities lie ahead. Participants will also explore challenges to the wider adoption of sustainable tourism models and how these barriers can be overcome.
Over 40 regional and international tourism experts will speak on various aspects of sustainable coastal and marine tourism at the gathering which will feature 16 workshops and five plenary sessions.
The Prime Minister, Dr. Keith Mitchell, addressed the opening plenary on Thursday, (10), the first full working day of the symposium. This session examined climate change and its impact on coastal tourism in the Caribbean.
Cayman complaints commissioner says there is improvement
Whilst the Cayman Islands Complaints Commissioner, Nicola Williams, said there has been considerable improvement in the civil service complaints system, she is far from happy the time it takes for civil servants to respond to the complaint.
She said some don’t even respond at all.
The Office of the Complaints Commissioner (OCC) was created to encourage government departments and agencies to better serve the public. It is an independent Office that answers only to the Legislative Assembly through the Speaker.
Williams said there is a formal complaints procedure in place but when complainants are ignored small complaints can escalate into much larger ones.
She did not name the worst offenders but praised the Immigration Department for “massive improvements”. It no longer dominates the office’s most complained about department.
The OCC celebrates its 10th anniversary next month.
It has a staff of six persons.
On Thursday (10) the office at Anderson Square hosted an open house event and launched a new small claims handbook.
US Legislation seeks to undo ‘Hobby Lobby’ ruling
By Todd Ruger, Legal Times
Democratic lawmakers introduced legislation Wednesday to undo the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision that struck down the health care law’s contraceptive mandate for some corporate owners who object to coverage on religious grounds.
Sens. Patty Murray, D-Wash., and Mark Udall, D-Colo., filed the Protect Women’s Health from Corporate Interference Act. The bill would prohibit any federal law—including the Religious Freedom Restoration Act that the ruling rests upon—from allowing employers to refuse contraceptive coverage to women.
“Women across the country are outraged, they are demanding a change,” Murray said. “At a time when 99 percent of sexually active women in the U.S. have used birth control, five justices decided last week that a CEO’s personal views can interfere with a woman’s access to this preventive health service.”
At a press conference on Capitol Hill, lawmakers criticized the majority in the 5-4 decision in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores. Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., said Congress intended to protect the religious freedom of employees, but the Supreme Court “turned the Religious Freedom Restoration Act on its head.”
Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colo., one of the representatives who introduced the bill in the House, said: “One thing is clear about this opinion: Congress can fix this.” She said there are more than 60 cosponsors for the legislation in the House; Murray said there were 40 cosponsors for the Senate bill.
The legislation faces an uphill battle, even though Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., has identified the bill as a priority. None of the cosponsors are Republicans, and House Speaker John Boehner described the Supreme Court’s ruling in the case as “a victory for religious freedom.”
Increased funding for Cayman’s athletes
The Cayman Islands government is to increase funding for the Cayman Islands Athletics Association (CIAA). Whilst funding by government has been cut nearly everywhere else athletics will receive an extra $54,371.
There is no doubt track and field is where Cayman’s sports is excelling and this has been recognised.
CIAA President Dalton Watler pointed out that it is also the only sport that up to now has only one paid coach but is producing the best results. Cayman’s CAC junior athlete Jamal Walton broke Usain Bolt’s 400 metres record last week.
Sony Six to telecast second season of Caribbean Premier League
By afaqs! news bureau, afaqs!, New Delhi,
The league will be broadcast from July 11th to August 17th across SIX HD and SD feed.
MSM India’s sports and entertainment channel, Sony Six is all set to broadcast exclusive live coverage of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) for the second consecutive year.
The channel will show live coverage and highlights of all 30 CPL matches. The tournament will feature global cricketing superstars Chris Gayle, Kevin Pietersen, Dwayne Bravo, Ross Taylor, Saeed Ajmal and Kieron Pollard.
This year, the domestic Twenty20 tournament league will commence at Grenada before moving on to the other Caribbean nations.
Says Prasana Krishnan, MSM EVP and business head, Sony Six says, “The Limacol CPL was a huge success in the first year and we are pleased to continue our association with them for the second consecutive year. This year, the matches are scheduled through Thursday to Sunday featuring some of greatest global cricketing superstars. We are confident of providing our fans with an enhanced viewing experience of one of the most eagerly-awaited cricketing series.”
Pete Russell, COO, CPL states, “We’re delighted to team up with Sony SIX again this year. Top class T20 cricket in a carnival-like atmosphere has proved a hit with fans everywhere and we expect the 2014 tournament to be bigger and better than before.”
The league will kick-start on Sony Six with coverage of the opening clash between Guyana Amazon Warriors and Antigua Hawksbills in Grenada on Friday 11th July 2014 at 11.30 PM on Six HD and SD.
For more: http://www.afaqs.com/news/story/41339_Sony-Six-to-telecast-second-season-of-Caribbean-Premier-League
Cayman Islands is looking at Daylight Saving Time
Cayman Islands Premier, Alden McLaughlin, has announced government has started the consultation process to decide whether they will introduce Daylight Saving Time (DST).
The premier said he thought the vast majority of his team were “absolutely convinced” it should be introduced.
This was echoed by government Minister Wayne Panton Wednesday (9) on Radio Cayman’s “Talk Today” programme when he echoed the premier’s words, “you don’t have to keep calculating or remembering that we’re an hour behind everywhere else.”
See iNews Cayman today’s Editorial “Will this time be Daylight Saving Time?”
Bus driver fired after getting mad when two teen girls made out with each other
By Aarav Sen From Your Jewish News
A bus driver was fired after he disapproved of two girls making out in public.
Transport authorities in northern France, said that they fired the driver as a protective measure.
The public bus driver was fired after he sprayed two young lesbians with water after apparently being offended by the girl’s kissing just before boarding the bus, according to reports.
The incident began, when the driver stopped at a high school to pick up students at 5:30 p.m., and witnessed the teenage girls sharing a kiss. The driver reportedly opened a bottle of water he had with him and spilled the water onto the lesbian couple.
One of the victims rode the bus to her destination, while soaked in water, and then she confronted the driver. He reportedly told the teen girl that he was “against homosexuality,” and then told her to get off the bus.
The girl reported the incident and the driver was fired after admitting to the allegations. The bus company immediately issued an apology.
“This act cannot be tolerated and the driver involved was immediately fired as a protective measure,” the company wrote on Twitter.
For more: http://www.yourjewishnews.com/2014/03/w9140.html
Cayman’s liquor licencing is a shambles agrees premier
Cayman Islands Premier, Alden McLaughlin has agreed the country’s liqor licencing needs urgent attention.
He said, “Quite frankly the system is in shambles and has been for quite some time. What we are driving very hard on are proposed changes to the liquor licensing law and the whole regime.”
There has been a moratorium on liquor licences for a long time with the result some persons who hold them do not even have a liquor business and lease the licences out to third parties at exorbitant rates.
Also the top 10 license holders control more than 25 percent of Grand Cayman’s licenses:
Joanne Lawson – Dart (37 liquor), Jacqueline Doak – Dart’ (9 liquor, 8 music and dancing), Robert Hamaty – Tortuga’s (17 liquor, two music and dancing), Carlene Hamaty wife of Robert Hamaty – Tortuga (9 liquor) Peter Dutton-Jacques Scott (15 liquor) and liquor licencing board member Neil Bryington (10 liquor, five music and dancing).
Bryington also has several categories of licenses, including distributor, retail, restaurant and package store.
Ayurveda Yoga Course offered on The Cayman Islands
For those considering investing in a Yoga Teacher Training Course this year, consider a dual certification in both Yoga and Ayurveda, through the San Diego College of Ayurveda and Yoga Veda.
The Cayman Islands is the 2014 Destination for this one of a kind 200 hour yoga teacher training and Ayurveda foundation course.
Yoga Veda will offer their Ayurveda – Nutrition, Yoga Therapy and Clinical Assessment course this year October 1 – 15, 2014 on the world famous Seven Mile Beach.
The Curriculum not only meets but far exceeds the guidelines as set out by the International Yoga Alliance at the 200 Hour Level, the National Ayurvedic Medical Association (NAMA) and the International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT).
What will set this course apart from others is the additional 100 hour element (300 Hours Total) of the course that gives full access to the San Diego College of Ayurveda, Ayurvedic Doctors, Instructors and Yoga Professionals.
This one of a kind course offers a dual certification in both Hatha Yoga and Ayurveda and is a foundation course for their full 1200 Hour Ayurvedic Yoga Therapy course.
For more information about Yoga Veda’s Ayurveidic Yoga Therapy 300 Hour Foundation Course, visit their website: www.yogavedalife.com
Bad debts, black market, training challenges and the cost of doing business in Cayman
Bad debts, black market, training challenges and the cost of doing business in the Cayman Islands were only a few of the myriad of challenges small business owners here face.
All this was disclosed at a special session at the Chamber of Commerce last week that was also hosted by the Cayman Islands Small Business Association (CISBA).
A representative from an arm of the European Union looking to spend as much as EUR15 million in all the overseas territories to help the small business market said at the session, the money could be used to promote any number of projects, initiatives or advocacy programmes relating to small enterprises but it was an “on demand project” and down to locals to decide what they wanted.
The monies that could be forthcoming to Cayman’s small businesses to help address some of the barriers to business development is from the European Union’s (EU) Boosting Caribbean Overseas Territories enterprises programme (COSME).
Joshua Boren, officer who killed family, had drugged and raped wife
From Huffington Post
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A Utah police officer who killed his wife, their two children, his mother-in-law and then himself received text messages from his wife just hours earlier threatening to leave him and take their kids and confronting him for raping her, new documents show.
A Spanish Fork Police report shows Joshua Boren and his wife exchanged heated texts the night and morning before the January killings.
In them, Kelly Boren confronted her husband about raping her and told him their marriage was over, The Deseret News reported (http://bit.ly/1oC8lWG). The couple already had been separated for some time.
Joshua Boren’s therapist told authorities that Boren drugged his wife and videotaped himself sexually assaulting her on more than one occasion.
Kelly Boren learned of the assaults when she discovered the tapes in 2013, said Spanish Fork Police Lt. Matt Johnson. She told a few friends, but she did not report the assaults to police because she didn’t want to ruin her husband’s law enforcement career, the report says.
The night before she was killed, Kelly Boren brought up the alleged sexual assault again, texting the word “rape” to her husband four times, the documents show. “I hate my life because (of) you,” she texted. “You killed a part of me.”
She wrote in another text: “I don’t want to live in fear and hate and anger.”
For more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/07/joshua-boren-raped-wife-killed-family_n_5565520.html
Cayman: Artist paints GT red, blue, green & purple
Artist Jason Kennedy is painting the Cayman Islands capital, George Town, red, blue, green and purple.
A mural the artist has painted on the front of the building has transformed Cayman Cabana Oceanside Restobar.
Luigi Moxam from Cayman Cabana says he hopes other businesses along George Town’s water front follows suit.
Mexico judge investigated for links to drug gang
From ABC News
(AP) Mexico’s judiciary says it is investigating possible links to drug traffickers for a federal judge who ordered the release of a son of since captured drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman.
The Federal Judiciary Council statement Wednesday says it opened the investigation of judge Jose Luna Altamirano after detecting he made bank transfers in the millions of dollars that were not reflected in his financial disclosures. The council says several family members also made large bank deposits.
Luna Altamirano revoked a five-year prison sentence for Guzman’s son Archivaldo Guzman Salazar in 2008, saying he had been sentenced based on “subjective, personal assessments and without a legal basis.”
The council says Luna Altamirano has not been allowed on the bench since May 2013.
‘El Chapo’ Guzman was captured in February.
Spike in burglaries recently in Cayman could be the work of one gang
The 14 burglaries on Grand Cayman over a 16-hour period last week could be the result of just one gang said a spokesperson for the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service.
The robberies were committed in George Town with 11, whilst the remainder was one each in Bodden Town, West Bay and North Side.
The spokesperson stressed it was very unusual and since the incident burglaries have gone down to 2 or 3 over Grand Cayman.
More ‘Headline-Grabbing’ Corporate Deals Expected
By Pan Pylas From ABC News
(AP) More “headline-grabbing” acquisitions are likely over the coming year as businesses take advantage of a period of improving economic growth and cheap financing.
That’s the conclusion of business consulting firm EY, which says the value of takeover deals announced in the first half of 2014 struck its highest level since the end of the boom years in 2007.
In its half-yearly update of corporate activity, EY said Thursday that the value of deals rose by 50 percent from the same period the year before, to $1.7 trillion. Not since the global financial crisis first erupted, prompting companies to batten down the hatches, has the value of deals been that high.
For years, big mergers and acquisitions have been notable for their absence as companies stocked up on cash reserves to weather the global economic storms. Pursuing M&A was very much a secondary consideration for boards round the world.
The latest EY figures confirm change is afoot. From the planned $67 billion tie-up between Comcast and Time Warner, and AT&T’s $67 billion deal with DirecTV to Valeant Pharmaceuticals’ $55 billion hostile approach for botox maker Allergan, the last few months have seen a flurry of high-value corporate activity. Facebook even announced its biggest ever acquisition with a proposed $19 billion takeover of WhatsApp.
