iNews Briefs
Follow Cayman in its Commonwealth Games bid by downloading app
Team Cayman By Richard de Groen
Open iTunes to buy and download apps.
Description
The official Team Cayman 2014 Commonwealth Games application. The app will follow the athletes of Team Cayman providing you a quick link to their profiles, schedules and results.
Key Features Include:
– Live Schedule and Results
– Ability to get a virtually signed autograph of your favorite athletes
– Detailed athlete profiles
– Up to date medal table
– A ‘social hub’ allowing you to follow your team’s social media updates.
This app is powered by the Zeus Athlete Management software owned and operated by the Association of Multisport Organizations.
This app is designed for both iPhone and iPad
FREE
Category: Sports
Released: Jul 15, 2014
Version: 1.0
Size: 0.4 MB
Language: English
Seller: Richard de Groen
© 2014 Association of Multi-Sport Organisations
Rated 4+
Compatibility: Requires iOS 7.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. This app is optimized for iPhone 5.
For more: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/team-cayman/id898654877?mt=8
LPG tanker attacked off Trinidad, Captain shot and beaten unconscious
By Rob Almeida From gCaptain
Trinidad and Tobago’s Ministry of Transport reports in an emailed statement the LPG tanker Virgo Gas was attacked on 10 July 29 June in the vicinity of Port of Spain.
According to spokesperson Beverly Phillip, Director of Maritime Services at the Ministry of Transport, 8-10 men aboard three small fishing vessels boarded the ship via the stern. “The men were armed with machetes, knives, one 9mm pistol and pieces of wood. They assaulted and robbed the Master and crew members holding them captive for approximately thirty minutes.”
The Peruvian captain was beaten unconscious and shot and three of the crew were assaulted during the attack according to a local report by GuardianMEDIA.
It’s unclear who actually owns the vessel as she has switched owners in recent years.
For more: http://gcaptain.com/lpg-tanker-virgo-gas-attacked-off-trinidad/
Debt, Growth and Natural Disasters A Caribbean Trilogy
From IMF
Author/Editor: Sebastian Acevedo Mejia
Publication Date: July 16, 2014
Electronic Access: Free Full text (PDF file size is 573KB)
Disclaimer: This Working Paper should not be reported as representing the views of the IMF. The views expressed in this Working Paper are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent those of the IMF or IMF policy. Working Papers describe research in progress by the author(s) and are published to elicit comments and to further debate
Summary: This paper seeks to determine the effects that natural disasters have on per capita GDP and on the debt to GDP ratio in the Caribbean. Two types of natural disasters are studied –storms and floods– given their prevalence in the region, while considering the effects of both moderate and severe disasters. I use a vector autoregressive model with exogenous natural disasters shocks, in a panel of 12 Caribbean countries over a period of 40 years. The results show that both storms and floods have a negative effect on growth, and that debt increases with floods but not with storms. However, in a subsample I find that storms significantly increase debt in the short and long run. I also find weak evidence that debt relief contributes to ease the negative effects of storms on debt.
Series: Working Paper No. 14/125
English
Publication Date: July 16, 2014
ISBN/ISSN: 9781498337601/1018-5941 Format: Paper
Stock No: WPIEA2014125 Pages: 47
Price: US$18.00 (Academic Rate: US$18.00 )
Cayman junior wins squash championship in Bermuda
Julian Jervis (16) won the Boys Under-17 title at the Caribbean Area Squash Association Junior Championships in Bermuda. Jervis defeated Jason Doyle of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States, 11-4, 11-7, 11-6, on Tuesday (15). He beat Benjamin Mekdeki of Guyana, 11-2, 11-0, 11-2, in the semifinals on Monday.
The team segment of the competition started on Wednesday and will end on Saturday.
Jervis will represent Cayman at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland from July 23 to Aug. 3. He teams up Myron Blair, Eilidh Bridgeman, Daniel Murphy, Cameron Stafford and Marlene West.
Caribbean coral named after Jennifer Lopez
From India TV
New York: A new species of Caribbean coral has been named after singer Jennifer Lopez. Researchers found the new species in Mona Passage off the coast of Puerto Rico.
The newly found Pontarachnid mite represents a common but still unstudied group of marine animals. Nothing is known about the life cycle of these animals.
The new species was collected from a depth of 70 metres, the deepest place from which Pontarachnid mites have been found until now.
“The reason behind the unusual choice of name for the new species is that JLo’s songs and videos kept the team in a continuous good mood when writing the manuscript and watching World Cup football 2014,” explained Vladimir Pesic from University of Montenegro.
The study was published in the journal ZooKeys.
Cayman minister says we are on track for a revamped airport
Cayman Islands Deputy Premier, Moses Kirkconnell, has announced the proposed business case for the redevelopment of the Cayman Islands three airports has been approved by Cabinet.
He said we are on track for a June 2015 groundbreaking on the revamping of the Owen Roberts International Airport on Grand Cayman. This will also include major upgrades to the airports on Cayman Brac and Little Cayman.
A public consultation meeting is planned for Monday evening at the Mary Miller Hall (14), Red Bay, Grand Cayman.
Caribbean people urged to eat less salt and live longer
From Caribbean360
NEW YORK, United States, Tuesday July 15, 2014, CMC – The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has urged Caribbean nationals and others in the Americas to decrease salt intake to help reduce hypertension – the leading risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
“Salt reduction is recognized as the most cost-effective intervention for population-based prevention of hypertension, and it is one of the WHO (World Health Organization) best buys,” said PAHO’s Dominican-born Director, Dr Carissa F. Etienne, last week.
Stating that reducing salt consumption could save 8.5 million lives globally over 10 years, PAHO urged more countries to launch national salt reduction initiatives to prevent hypertension and cardiovascular disease.
“The cardiovascular benefits of reduced salt intake are on par with the benefits of population-wide reductions in tobacco use, obesity, and cholesterol levels,” Etienne added.
PAHO said a dozen countries in the Americas, including the Caribbean, have launched salt-reduction campaigns as part of PAHO’s regional ‘Salt-Smart Americas’ initiative. The initiative is based on research showing that overconsumption of dietary salt contributes to high blood pressure, which is the leading risk factor for death and the second-leading risk factor for disability worldwide.
Between one-fifth and one-third of adults in the Americas suffer from high blood pressure.
PAHO stated that reducing salt consumption by just one gramme per day per capita over 10 years would be more cost-effective than using medications to lower blood pressure in all people with hypertension.
For more on this story go to: http://www.caribbean360.com/news/caribbean-people-urged-to-eat-less-salt-and-live-longer
Cayman Islands students return from Peru after delivering blankets
Grace Christian Academy (CGA), a private school on Grand Cayman, sent a number of their students to the Camino de Vida Hogar de Niños, Peru, South America.
The children there received 500 blankets the Cayman students had cut and delivered to them along with wheel chairs for some of the disabled children.
It took the CGA students five hard hours to cut 200 blankets into 500 but made them appreciate what they have back here in Cayman.
They children in Peru have limited access to even clean water!
Cappuccino-flavored potato chips are heading to stores whether you want to eat them or not
By Mary Beth Quirk From Consumerist
You reap what you sow, which means whoever out there suggested that it would be a great idea to make cappuccino-flavored potato chips has turned that freaky bit of frankenfood fantasy into reality.
It’s down to four flavors of Lay’s potato chips in this year’s Do Us A Flavor competition from Frito-Lay, which is actually more of a PR stunt designed to get consumers engaged in the hopes that we’ll all run out and buy a lot of wacky chip flavors.
That being said, Cappuccino is joined by fellow finalists Cheddar Bacon Mac & Cheese, Mango Salsa and Wasabi Ginger. Which makes three food-like flavors and one that belongs in a hot drink destined for a tired body, but whatever, you all did this. There’s no actual caffeine or coffee in the chips, by the way.
The four flavors will hit shelves later this month, with voting open to decide on the public’s favorite running through Oct. 18. The winner will join the triumphant 2013 winner Cheesy Garlic Bread in the annals of customer-created flavor fame, and win its inventor a $1 million reward.
After 4 months the Cayman Brac DLP office is still closed
There is still no word when the office of the Department of Labour and Pensions in Cayman Brac will reopen.
The notice on the door of the office still states the closure will be for the duration of April. It is dated April 1 2014.
The office has been shut following the departure of the office’s administrator, Sandra Solomon, who was placed on paid suspension due to an internal investigation.
At present no one is speaking on the matter.
Online ticket companies could soon face the music over expensive booking fees
By Matt Brian From engadget
Nothing beats going to watch your favourite singer or band play live. UK ticket companies know this, so they’ve been penalising by charging exorbitant booking and delivery fees for years. That practice could soon be brought firmly into the spotlight, however, thanks to consumer pressure group Which?.
The Guardian reports that the charity has given online ticket companies until Wednesday to explain the reasons behind their high mark-ups, which, on average, add 18 percent to face-value ticket prices, or it’ll refer the evidence it’s been collecting on them to the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority.
It’s highly likely the sellers will choose to remain silent in the face of criticism, but we may finally understand why these so-called fulfilment fees, transaction fees and service charges are appearing when we buy tickets online.
For more: http://www.engadget.com/2014/07/14/uk-online-ticket-companies-which/?ncid=rss_truncated
Cayman backbencher says his stand on OMOV doesn’t mean he wants to break up the government
Cayman Government backbencher, Al Suckoo, says he doesn’t want to break up the government and he doesn’t want to cause dissent.
Speaking on CITN/Cayman27’s news last Wednesday (16) about his decision to bring a motion before the next meeting of the Legislative Assembly asking his colleagues to vote for One Man One Vote electoral reform, he said, “I know we have a tough job to do and we need to stick together but this is one issue that is critical to me and critical to the people who put me in my seat and I am going to fight for it.”
This follows Cayman Premier, Alden McLaughlin announcement also on CITN there was “a distinct possibility” that change will not come before the country goes to the polls in 2017.
See iNews Cayman’s Editorial today, “Disappointment, dismay and disarray”.
Missing US tourist found dead at Jamaica resort
From Caribbean360
KINGSTON, Jamaica, Thursday July 17, 2014, CMC – For the second time in less than a week a tourist has died while visiting the island.
On Wednesday the decomposing body of Roger Nauto, 44, who was visiting the island from the United States, was found at a resort in Rose Hall in the western parish of St James.
Nauto arrived in the island with his wife on Sunday and shortly after checking into the hotel he was reported missing.
Checks revealed that he did not leave the property.
Early Wednesday, an employee at the resort went to investigate a foul odour coming from a section of the property and found Nauto’s body. It’s not known how he died.
He is the second tourist to have died in St James within a week.
On Saturday a British visitor who was staying at the Holiday Inn Sunspree Resort, died after being hit by a car while crossing the road.
UK OT Minister, Simmonds, keeps his job
Although Mark Simmonds has kept his job as Overseas Territories Minister after the United Kingdom’s reshuffle by Prime Minister David Cameron of his Cabinet, he has a new boss.
Previous Foreign Secretary, William Hague, has resigned and his place has been taken by Phillip Hammond, MP for Runnymede and Weybridge.
Hammond was previously Secretary of State for Transport from May 2010, when he was appointed as a Privy Counsellor. Prior to this, he held a number of shadow portfolios. He was elected to Parliament in 1997 and was appointed Secretary of State for Defence in 2011.
See iNews Cayman story published July 15 2014 “William Hague quits as foreign secretary in UK cabinet reshuffle” at: http://www.ieyenews.com/wordpress/william-hague-quits-as-foreign-secretary-in-cabinet-reshuffle/
US Coast Guard continue search for missing diver in The Bahamas
From Caribbean360
MIAMI, United States, Thursday July 17, 2014, CMC – The United States Coast Guard says it is still searching for a man who went missing during a commercial shark diving venture about 20 nautical miles northwest of West End, the Bahamas.
On Wednesday, the Coast Guard said John E. Petty, 63, of Longview, Texas, has been missing since Sunday night.
The Coast Guard 7th District command centre said they were contacted late Sunday by the captain aboard the commercial dive vessel, who said Perry went shark diving with eight others and never returned.
“The Coast Guard immediately launched multiple air and sea assets that have been searching since alongside Royal Bahamas Police Force,” the statement said.
The Coast Guard said rescue crews have found dive gear within the search area but have not located Petty.
For more on this story go to: http://www.caribbean360.com/news/us-coast-guard-continue-search-missing-diver-bahamas?utm_source=Caribbean360%20Newsletters&utm_campaign=bb47ddb34f-Vol_9_Issue_142_News7_17_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_350247989a-bb47ddb34f-39393477
Cayman lawyer files complaint against JP
Cayman Islands criminal defence lawyer, Peter Polack, has brought the first complaint against a local Justice of the Peace (JP) after the issue of new Justice of the Peace Regulations.
The complaint arises out of a search in November 2013 when Royal Cayman Islands Police Service Detective Winston Harrison obtained a warrant from William I Wood JP without executing the requisite information and complaint.
The potential serious breaches of the penal code were brought to the attention of the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), the Commissioner of Police, Eric Bush who is the Chief Officer in the home affairs ministry, the Office of the Complaints Commissioner, to the Clerk of Court under the new Justice of the Peace Regulations, to premier Alden McLaughlin who is responsible for Home Affairs, the Deputy Governor and the Attorney-General.
Police officers charged with setting teenager on fire, granted bail
From Caribbean360
PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad, Thursday July 17, 2014, CMC – Six police officers charged with setting a teenager on fire were granted bail when they appeared in court on Wednesday.
The six were charged with misbehaviour in public office by unlawfully and maliciously inflicting harm on Jamerson John,18 in December, 2013 while he was in police custody.
It is alleged that police officers stripped John to his underpants, doused him with methylated spirits and set him alight after he refused to confess to robbing two people and breaking into a house.
John was hospitalised for burns to his torso, leg and genital area.
The six police officers were granted bail amounting to TT$300,000.
They are scheduled to reappear in court on Friday (18)
See also related iNews Cayman story filed under iNews Briefs July 13 2014 “Two Guyana police officers charged for severely burning boys hands” at: http://www.ieyenews.com/wordpress/inews-briefs-154/
Confucius Institute coming to Barbados
From Caribbean Journal
A Confucius Institute is coming to the University of the West Indies Cave Hill in Barbados.
The institute would be the fourth of its kind in the Caribbean, part of a wider push to deepen cultural and academic ties between the Caribbean and China.
Ronald Jones, Barbados’ Education Minister, said the establishment of the institute would “complement” the current teaching of Mandarin at the campus.
“This adds to the journey with the Mandarin exercise here at Cave Hill, which took a little while to straighten out and I am told is functioning and working,” he said. “This institute lends itself to cross fertilisation of ideas, understanding diversity both in language and in all the various cultural elements that are important for people to get to know and understand each other.”
Jones, calling China a “major power” in the world, said he proposed a visit by his Ministry to China later this year.
China has helped establish 440 such Confucius institutes around the world.
China’s Ambassador to Barbados, Wang Ke, said she hoped “the collaborations between China and Barbados, the Confucius Institute at Cave Hill Campus … would be built into a new platform for the enhancement of China-Barbados and China-Caribbean cultural exchanges, and benefit many students of the Campus and other Barbadian people in learning the Chinese language, understanding Chinese culture and making Chinese friends.”
For more: http://www.caribjournal.com/2014/07/17/confucius-institute-coming-to-barbados/
Cayman animal rescue charity needs volunteers
CARE – Cayman Animal Rescue Enthusiasts – needs volunteers to spread the word
As a volunteer-driven organisation, volunteers play an essential role in the work of CARE to bring spay and neuter to pet owners island-wide. We are seeking volunteers to help us spread the word about CARE’s Free Spay and Neuter program on Saturday 26th July from 2pm to 5pm in West Bay, our program connects pet owners that need financial support to get their pets spayed or neutered.
All we ask is a desire to reduce euthanasia and shelter intake and share a mission with us to end the companion animal overpopulation crisis. You will receive promotional materials to distribute as a group in key locations.
Since CARE began distributing the flyers a few months ago our spay and neuter numbers have literally tripled!
So, get on board and help give back. You will join a network of individuals working to make Cayman safe and more humane. You will make the jobs of everyone working for animals a little easier by lending a hand and spreading the message of responsible pet ownership and animal protection. And, you’ll never find a more grateful and accepting comrade than an animal you’ve comforted.
If you are unable to assist on Saturday 26th July, CARE will certainly be running more of these leaflet drop afternoons in the coming weeks, so please do let us know if you want to volunteer for other drops.
If you are available on Saturday 26th July between 2pm – 5pm please drop us an e-mail [email protected] and we will then coordinate best meeting spot and routes based on the number of volunteers.
See attached flyer
Or you can also help us get the word out in the community by downloading our flyer at http://origin.library.constantcontact.com/download/get/file/1103830874791-647/fixforfreecayman.pdf and post it in your neighbourhood laundromats, convenience stores, libraries, grocery stores, apartment complexes and other places pet owners might visit.
