iNews Briefs
Cayman Islands airport closed as plane slides off runway
At 12.28 pm on Tuesday, 27 January 2015, a chartered cargo aircraft, after landing, rolled off the runway towards the north end of Owen Roberts International Airport on Grand Cayman.
As a result the airport closed for arrivals and departures so that crews could work to move the aircraft, a Cayman Islands Airports Authority (CIAA) release states.
The aircraft chartered by Cayman Airways landed without issue, but while still on its final landing roll at slow speed, reportedly experienced an apparent steering problem. This resulted in the aircraft leaving the runway on the north side of the runway strip, according to CIAA.
There were no injuries reported, CIAA adds.
No one was hurt but the airport was closed and planes already en-route were diverted.
It was anticipated the airport would reopen later the same day around 6:30pm
IMAGE:N391FL off the runway: http://flightaware.com/live/flight/CAY909/history/20150127/1530Z/KMIA/MWCR
Appeals Court won’t reconsider Royal Caribbean Cruise malpractice ruling
From Epoch Times
(AP) MIAMI—A federal appeals court has refused to reconsider a decision that opens the door for cruise ship passengers to sue for medical malpractice.
The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last week rejected a bid by Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines to revisit the ruling. The court noted that none of the 11th Circuit judges voted in support of reconsideration.
Royal Caribbean could still appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. A company spokesman said legal options are under review.
The ruling last year reversed 100 years of court precedent that effectively protected cruise companies from being sued for medical negligence aboard ships.
The decision came in the case of retired New York City policeman Pasquale Vaglio, who died after hitting his head on an excursion in Bermuda.
Cancer Treatment Centers of America strengthens its Cayman connections
From Loop News Service World-class cancer care is now more accessible for the Cayman community as Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA) expands its presence in the Islands.
In partnership with three major local health insurance providers, BritCay, Cayman First and Generali, CTCA is proud to offer increased access to quality treatment at five US based hospitals.
Cancer Treatment Centers of America provides patients with a unique, patient-centered, integrative approach to cancer treatment. ““We are thrilled to work in close partnership with the Cayman healthcare community, including physicians, cancer patients, insurance providers and the Cayman Islands Cancer Society,” says Steven Standiford, MD, Chief of Staff and Surgical Oncologist at CTCA. “Cancer causes more than eight millions deaths each year, worldwide. In the fight against cancer, having timely, convenient access to quality care and having an understanding of treatment options are the first steps toward beating this disease. ”
Globally, cancer is on the rise. As Sook Yin, [Dr Sook Yin, MBE Cert. Hon., MB BcH BAO, Policy Director of the Cayman Islands Cancer Society, explains, “The World Health Organisation Organization is predicting a 57% increase in cancer cases worldwide in the next 20 years., – that being the case, it’s more important than ever that our population has access to the best quality cancer treatment available.I welcome the improved connections between the medical community here and groups like CTCA”.
In addition to forging a working partnership with local insurance companies, CTCA also works closely with the Cancer Society, local cancer patients and medical practitioners, including a sponsorship of the Cayman Islands Cancer Society’s Stride Against Cancer 2015 and annual Survivor’s Dinner 2014, and participation in the 5th annual CI Healthcare Conference 2014.
For more: http://loopcayman.com/2015/01/26/cancer-treatment-centers-america-strengthens-cayman-connections/
Size matters in Bermuda as reinsurance deals heat up
By News Aggregation Team From Offshore Bankers
Insurance dealmaking is heating up as companies embrace a bigger-is-better philosophy.
Axis Capital Holdings Ltd.’s plan to merge with PartnerRe Ltd., creating a firm with a combined market value of $11 billion, marks the third sizeable deal for a Bermuda-based insurer since November.
Insurance companies are turning to acquisitions amid increased competition and declining policy rates. Those pressures are likely to drive even more deals in 2015, according to Nomura Holdings Inc.
For more: http://www.offshore-bankers.net/article/19622/size-matters-in-bermuda-as-reinsurance-deals-heat-up
Former president of Cayman Islands College obtains legal aid
Former president of the University College of the Cayman Islands, Hassan Syed, has obtained legal aid.
Syed faces 15 counts that include theft and obtaining by deception. The alleged offenses date from 2006-2008, when Syed was president of the college.
Syed will be defended by James Stenning of Stenning and Associates.
However, Stenning has said he needs more time and because of the complexities of the case he may require a Queens Counsel.
Trinidad TV talk show host was murdered
From Jamaica Observer
IMAGE: Marcia Henville (Photo: Trinidad Express)
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) – Marcia Henville, the television talk show host, whose charred remains were discovered after a fire gutted her bedroom early Saturday morning, was murdered, according to the results of an autopsy done on Monday.
The autopsy done by pathologist Dr Eslyn Mc Donald Burris found that the 51-year-old mother of two had been beaten on the head, stabbed about the body, and her throat cut.
On Saturday, fire officials had confirmed that the charred remains of the host of “Point Blank” aired on CCN TV 6 was found in the bedroom of her home in St Augustine, east of here.
Her husband, who is now under police guard at the hospital, escaped with burns to his body. He had earlier told police that he and his wife had returned home early Saturday morning after attending a Carnival show in the capital.
He said a scented candle in the room may have caused the blaze and told police that he loved his wife.
However, attorney Fulton Wilson posted on his Facebook page that the former television personality was in the process of divorcing her husband and that she was due to have served the documents on him Monday.
For more: https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/h/1emmqkrxkb8cc/?&th=14b2ced490f96d50&v=c
US visitor dies snorkelling in East End, Grand Cayman
A USA male (71) visitor died whilst on an organised snorkelling tour at East End, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands on Monday (26) off the coast of the Morritt’s Tortuga resort.
The man was reported as encountering breathing difficulties.
As the man was taken back to shore, members of the snorkel party assisted with CPR before he was taken to the ER at George Town hospital by ambulance, where he was pronounced dead by a doctor. Police said the man was visiting Grand Cayman with his wife.
Jamaican in New York kills his Home Depot Supervisor then shot himself
By seismic on 26th January 2015 Current Events, International news
A Home Depot employee who shot his supervisor before committing suicide inside the Manhattan store Sunday has been identified as Jamaican-born Calvin Esdaile.
According to the Associated Press (AP), police say Esdaile entered the West 23rd Street store around 2:45 pm. They say he exchanged words with his supervisor Moctar Sy and then pulled a gun, shooting Sy in the abdomen and chest.
AP reports that the gunman then shot himself in the head. It remained unclear Monday what the argument was about. About 70 employees were allegedly in the store. No one else was injured. The NY Daily News reports that Esdaile’s father said his son is a Jamaican who had been living in Brooklyn since he arrived in the US in 2006.
For more: http://www.seis-micent.com/?p=1893
Car runs over two pedestrians along West Bay Road
A woman and her husband were walking on the sidewalk along the West Bay Road by Villas of the Galleon on Sunday (25) when an out of control red Ford Shelby car ran them over. Both pedestrians received serious injuries with the man having to be air lifted to a hospital in the USA with facial injuries. They were walking in the opposite direction to the car.
The driver (39) was arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving and leaving the scene of an accident.
Narine withdraws from West Indies CWC squad
From International Cricket Council
The bowler requires more time to be able to confidently bowl for a sustained period in international cricket with his new action
Narine withdraws from West Indies CWC squad – Cricket News
Narine has taken a positive approach to his remedial work and looks forward to returning to international cricket.
St John’s, Antigua – The West Indies Cricket Board today announced that off spinner Sunil Narine has withdrawn from the West Indies squad for the Cricket World Cup 2015.
Narine has undergone intense remedial work on his bowling action and preliminary tests have shown him bowling all his deliveries under the 15 degrees flexion allowance. However he requires more time to be able to confidently bowl for a sustained period in international cricket with his new action.
“Playing for Red Force and winning the NAGICO Super50 has been a big boost, but going in to the World Cup is a little too much too soon and, after consulting the WICB, for both West Indies and my sake we have decided to delay my return to international cricket until I am 100% confident in all that I do,” Narine said.
“Whilst I am very happy with the progress made to date with my action, and I express my thanks to the coaches working with me in Trinidad and Dr. Daryl Foster in Perth, Australia, I am withdrawing from the World Cup,” Narine explained.
The WICB supports Narine’s decision to withdraw from the CWC squad as to risk his exposure to the intensity of the Cricket World Cup would be both unfair to him and the West Indies squad. A replacement will be named shortly.
Narine has taken a positive approach to his remedial work, remains in an optimistic frame of mind and looks forward to returning to international cricket at the earliest opportunity.
“I would like to thank the WICB for their support and wish the West Indies team the very best for the World Cup campaign,” Narine said.
For more: http://www.icc-cricket.com/news/2015/news/84827/narine-withdraws-from-west-indies-cwc-squad
Cameron loses bid to extend stay as WICB president
From Jamaica Observer
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) – President of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) Dave Cameron has failed in his bid to extend his stay in office, if he loses the next election carded for March, regional reports suggest
WICB directors have rejected a proposal for a president, defeated in an election, to remain in office until the end of the financial year, reliable sources have reported.
The proposal is contained in a document submitted by Cameron, first discussed at a December meeting in Port-of-Spain and later at a meeting in Antigua.
Cameron was seeking support to approve what has been termed an “induction phase”, to allow for “a proper induction period and an introduction to the related structures of the WICB, such as the ICC (International Cricket Council)”.
For more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/Cameron-loses-bid-to-extend-stay-as-WICB-president
Golding tables ganja amendments in Senate
By Balford Henry Observer From Jamaica Observer
Minister of Justice, Senator Mark Golding, tabled the landmark Dangerous Drugs (Amendment) Bill which contains proposed changes to laws affecting the use of ganja, in the Senate on Friday.
Golding had announced on Wednesday at a post Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House that the Bill would be tabled Friday, following Monday’s approval of the proposed amendments by Cabinet. The amendments are expected to be supported by the Opposition.
For more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/Golding-tables-ganja-amendments-in-Senate_18278072
Jamaica, CARICOM leaders begin two-day US-Caribbean Energy Summit In Washington
From Jamaica Gleaner
Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller along with other CARICOM leaders will today begin high-level talks in Washington with US vice-president Joe Biden on the region’s energy security.
Biden is expected to preside over what’s being called the first Clean Energy Security Summit.
Simpson Miller is leading Jamaica’s team that also includes Energy Minister Phillip Paulwell.
It is expected that the discussions will lead to cooperation to address the energy challenges facing the region, identify ways to increase investment in energy initiatives and promote the development and use of renewable energy.
The two-day summit is a follow up to the US vice-president’s May 2013 meeting with Caribbean leaders in Trinidad and Tobago.
At that meeting leaders agreed to work to promote energy security in the region.
The energy summit coincides with the reported uncertainty over the region’s oil programme with Venezuela, PetroCaribe.
For more: http://jamaica-gleaner.com/latest/article.php?id=57955
Climate change: Models ‘underplay plant CO2 absorption’
By Matt McGrath Environment correspondent, BBC News
Global climate models have underestimated the amount of CO2 being absorbed by plants, according to new research.
Scientists say that between 1901 and 2010, living things absorbed 16% more of the gas than previously thought.
The authors say it explains why models consistently overestimated the growth rate of carbon in the atmosphere.
But experts believe the new calculation is unlikely to make a difference to global warming predictions.
The research has been published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Working out the amount of carbon dioxide that lingers in the atmosphere is critical to estimating the future impacts of global warming on temperatures.
About half the CO2 that’s produced ends up in the oceans or is absorbed by living things.
But modelling the exact impacts on a global scale is a fiendishly complicated business.
In this new study, a team of scientists looked again at the way trees and other plants absorb carbon.
By analysing how CO2 spreads slowly inside leaves, a process called mesophyll diffusion, the authors conclude that more of the gas is absorbed than previously thought.
Between 1901 and 2100 the researchers believe that their new work increases the amount of carbon taken up through fertilisation from 915 billion tonnes to 1,057 billion, a 16% increase.
“There is a time lag between scientists who study fundamental processes and modellers who model those processes in a large scale model,” explained one of the authors, Dr Lianhong Gu at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in the US.
“It takes time for the two groups to understand each other.”
For more: http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-29601644
PR entrepreneur: Time to come back
By Kevin Mead From Caribbean Business
Much has been written about Puerto Rico’s “brain drain” problem, painting a picture of young, college educated islanders leaving in droves for the U.S. mainland in search of opportunity amid the long local economic doldrums.
The exodus of people from Puerto Rico during the ongoing downturn is a fact. Hundreds of thousands of people have packed their suitcases and flown away over the past years, including many recent university graduates and young professionals.
However, their reasons reach beyond mere money matters and their stories are as varied as the people themselves.
And while attention has been focused on the “who” and “why” of the exodus, there is another side to the ebb and flow of Puerto Ricans between the island and the states: those who left seeking experience and opportunity who are now eager to return and contribute to Puerto Rico’s turnaround.
One such up and comer is Amaury Blondet, a digital media expert who is preparing to parlay a decade of advancement in the states into new business ventures back home in Puerto Rico.
“The time to come back is now,” Blondet told CARIBBEAN BUSINESS.
And Blondet, 32, is jumping back into Puerto Rico’s business scene with both feet.
“There is a lot going on in Puerto Rico,” the MBA said. “Things are turning around and people recognize that.”
His idea939 (the name is a nod to an area code covering his hometown of Mayagüez) is a newly launched firm specializing in digital strategies, mobile app creation, creative development, social media experiences and branded content solutions.
Blondet is also spearheading an initiative dubbed the “Bridge,” a pilot project to help build an ecosystem for innovation, stimulate economic growth and increase retention of local startups and entrepreneurs. Plans are aimed at linking a web of startup incubators focused on agribusiness, creative, tech and the Mayagüez commercial hub at Puerto Rico’s western edge.
Giving up a good job and upwardly mobile career back in the states, Blondet is confident he can make a solid living for his growing family while also contributing to Puerto Rico’s economic development.
“I always dreamed of coming back home and making a difference,” he said. “I’m coming home to create jobs.”
For more: http://www.caribbeanbusinesspr.com/news/pr-entrepreneur-time-to-come-back-101466.html
Caribbean economies – has recovery arrived?
By Dr DeLisle Worrell, Governor of the Central Bank of Barbados, for the CIBC World Markets Panel on the Caribbean, Bridgetown, 9 October 2014. From Bank for International Settlements
For Barbados the answer is: not yet, but we are on course. The key messages we would like to share with you on the economy are:
Barbados is among the most competitive economies in the Caribbean and Central America, as reported in the Global Competitiveness Index 2014-15;
Barbados has good economic fundamentals, an appropriate growth and adjustment strategy for our circumstances, and a resilient framework for decision-making;
Barbados’ growth is fuelled by the foreign exchange sectors in which the country is internationally competitive. The growth strategy is based on increased productivity, enhancement of the quality and appeal of the country’s products and services, and structural reform of the public sector;
Barbados’ adjustment strategy is to protect the value of the Barbados dollar by aggressive measures to contain aggregate spending in line with foreign exchange availability.
So, how well are we doing?
Our aggregate demand management is working. In August and December of last year the Minister of Finance introduced a major programme of fiscal cuts, aimed to arrest the slide in foreign exchange reserves which began to appear in May last year. Foreign reserves have stabilised, and since the beginning of this year we have observed the normal daily pattern of foreign reserve movements.
The outlook for tourism, Barbados’ main foreign exchange earner, has improved. Arrivals have picked up from the UK, Barbados’ most important source of visitors, and airlift from the US and Canada, also important markets for us, will increase significantly in the coming winter season. There has been something of a revival in sales to visitors of second homes in Barbados, and Barbados now has five major international hotel chains advertising our tourism product: Hilton, Marriott, Fairmont, Radisson and Sandals. Tourism-related investment in excess of US$2 billion is expected in the next 3 years.
For more: http://www.bis.org/review/r141016a.htm
Survey: Bisexuals more likely to go for HIV tests
By Kevin Baldeosingh From Trinidad Express Newspapers
About a quarter of the Caribbean men who have sex with men consider themselves to be heterosexual.
This is one of the findings from the Caribbean Men’s Internet Survey (CARIMIS), done by UNAIDS Caribbean which described it as “the region’s largest study of gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men”.
The survey covered 33 Caribbean countries, with a sample 3,567 men ranging in age from 18 to 79 years. However, UNAIDS noted that “the respondents in this study are not representative of all men who have sex with men in the Caribbean. They are, on average, more educated and more likely to access private health care services.” In fact, nearly half of the men who have sex with men (MSM) who took part in the online survey had a university education, but less than ten per cent of the Caribbean population have tertiary qualifications.
More than half—58 per cent—of the respondents described themselves as gay or homosexual, with 24 per cent saying they were bisexual and two per cent claiming to be straight. Of this two per cent, almost a quarter had had sex only with other men in the year before the survey. By contrast, only six per cent of the people who described themselves as gay had had sex with women preceding the survey.
A 2003 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention the United States found that such self-labels were correlated with actual sexual behaviours. In his book Why is the Penis Shaped Like That?, psychologist Jesse Bering notes that men who had sex with men but rejected the label “gay” were more likely to have sex with a woman and “manifested higher internalised homophobia”. These men were also less likely to be reached by HIV-prevention messages or be tested for HIV.
However, the CARIMIS survey found that men who labelled themselves as bisexual were more likely to go for HIV tests. It must be noted, however, that brain scans suggest that there are no truly bisexual men. As psychologist Olive Skeene Johnson writes in her book The Sexual Spectrum, “More people may describe themselves as bisexual and have sexual relations with both sexes, but they usually have strong physiological arousal to only one sex or the other.” She adds, “The typical bisexual man probably feels lust only for men but can feel romantic love for women too.”
For more: http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/Survey-Bisexuals-more-likely-to-go-for-HIV-tests-280429562.html
US troops on Ebola duty in Africa to face 21-day quarantine despite low risk
By Spencer Ackerman in New York From The Guardian
US military not in direct contact with Ebola sufferers
CDC recommends 21-day isolation only for high-risk individuals
US military personnel returning from anti-Ebola efforts in west Africa will be subject to a stricter quarantine than recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Pentagon announced on Wednesday.
The defense secretary, Chuck Hagel, has approved a plan from US military commanders for a “controlled monitoring regimen” lasting 21 days for troops deployed to Liberia and Senegal to help contain the outbreak. Over 3,900 service members are expected to join that effort, currently totalling 700, in the coming weeks. None of them come in direct contact with Ebola patients.
About a dozen US soldiers led by Major General Darryl Williams, who represented the initial complement of US troops sent to west Africa, are currently quarantined at a base in Vicenza, Italy. Hagel’s decision expands the prospective quarantine to troops across all military branches who take part in the anti-Ebola mission.
The new military quarantine rules place US service members under tighter monitoring conditions than the CDC consider prudent. This week, the CDC issued guidelines instructing only “high-risk” individuals, such as those who are exposed to Ebola-infected body fluids, to quarantine at home.
US personnel serving in what the military calls Operation United Assistance would not be classified as “high-risk” under the CDC’s new Ebola guidelines.
Hagel instructed the heads of the military services to prepare specific implementation plans for a quarantine within 15 days. The Pentagon said Hagel would review the quarantine after 45 days and decide then if continuing the quarantines are appropriate.
Rear Admiral John Kirby, the Pentagon press secretary, characterized what he called Hagel’s “initial steps” as “prudent given the large number of military personnel transiting from their home base and west Africa and the unique logistical demands and impact this deployment has on the force”.
For more: http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2014/oct/29/us-troops-ebola-face-21-day-quarantine-low-risk
