Cayman Islands KY Domain Registration no longer free

The Cayman Islands Information & Communications Technology Authority (ICTA) has previously published Notices summarising the amendments to be made to the operation of the Registry and stated that it intended to update the operation of the Registry as set out by the 2 February 2015.

In order to ensure a smooth transition, the Authority still has some work to do before it goes ‘live’ with the update.

The Authority will announce the ‘go live’ date shortly.

The ICTA has recently announced changes to their policies for the registration of “.ky” domains. If you own a “.ky” domain, then you would have received emails from them recently on this subject.

Firstly, they will now be charging US $39.98 per year for each registered domain name, where as before there was no charge.

Secondly, after 2-Sep-2015, they will be accepting registration of “.ky” domains from anyone in the world, where as before it was limited to Cayman Islands-based companies, organizations or individuals only.

If you have one or more “.ky” domain names that you would like to retain beyond the deadline of 2-Sep-2015, then the instructions in the ICTA email must be carried out prior to then.

Delphi Ltd offers a service to execute this service on your behalf. If you would like Delphi to perform this service please let them know by emailing your request to [email protected] with the domain name(s) to be registered.

Contact: Malcolm Ellis General Manager | [email protected]

Support: 345-946-2626 | Office: 345-943-8005 | www.delphi.com.ky

 

De Blasio is still boycotting the St. Patrick’s Day Parade

By Margaret Hartmann From New York Mag

In September, organizers of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade down Fifth Avenue announced that they would finally let a gay group, OUT@NBCUniversal, march in the 2015 parade. Activists say their decades-long battle is about letting Irish LGBT groups march, not “any old gay group,” but apparently the organization for gay employees of NBC, the network that broadcasts the parade, is good enough for Guinness. On Friday, parent company Diageo PLC announced that it would resume its sponsorship after dropping out last year. “While there is still work to be done, we are pleased that the parade organizers have taken steps to allow the LGBT community to be represented,” Diageo said in a statement.

Mayor Bill de Blasio, however, doesn’t give up a boycott that easily. Last year he became the first mayor to skip the Fifth Avenue parade in two decades, and while marching in the snowy St. Pat’s For All Parade in Sunnyside, Queens, on Sunday, he said the larger parade still needs to do more to welcome gay groups. “A lot of people feel, I think rightfully, that that is too small a change to merit a lot of us participating who have wanted to see an inclusive parade,” de Blasio said, according to the New York Times. “Even though it is a statement of some progress that this NBC delegation has been included, we need something more to really feel like we have turned a corner.”

The mayor suggested he’d be glad to show up on March 17 if organizers suddenly decide to invite more LGBT groups, saying, “There is still time for ongoing discussions that will be embracing for all.” But organizers are probably less concerned about the mayor’s absence now that Ireland’s biggest beer is back on board.

For more: http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2015/03/mayor-still-boycotting-st-patricks-day-parade.html?om_rid=AACMTw&om_mid=_BU9MX2B8-s0AHC

 

Cayman Islands Police Commissioner in Dubai

David Baines, Cayman Islands’ Police Commissioner is in Dubai addressing a conference where the Dubai police join with policemen and women around the world to discuss their field of service.

The 10th International Police Best Practice Symposium started on Sunday 1^st and continues to March 5^th at the InterContinental Hotel, Festival City.

Baines will be speaking on the Cayman Islands Anti-corruption Commission.

This is not the first time Cayman’s Commish has been there. In April 2013 he presented a talk on gun culture and gang violence witnessed in the Caribbean.

Deputy Commissioner Steve Brougham is in charge of the RCIPS in his absence.

 

Area men try to get into White House (Again)

By Jaime Fuller New York Mag

On Monday morning, a man failed to get into the White House by trying to slip by when a person who was authorized to enter the high-security area was exiting. On Sunday evening, another man failed to get onto the White House grounds by climbing over a bike rack near a statue of the patron saint of storming places unexpectedly, William Tecumseh Sherman.

In the past year, the Secret Service has had to deal with an epidemic of people — and robots — trying to get past White House security. The White House responded by building an extra fence, which, judging by the past 24 hours, has sent people with an unfortunate desire to get onto the White House lawn to find other routes.

USA Today reported yesterday that Joseph Clancy, the new Secret Service head, “said no one should try to breach White House security anytime soon” on the Sunday shows.

For more: http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2015/03/area-men-try-to-get-into-white-house.html?om_rid=AACMTw&om_mid=_BU9MX2B8-s0AHC

 

TEDx Fearless! conference comes to Cayman Islands University

A TEDx conference will take place at the University College of the Cayman Islands (UCCI) on 24^th April. TEDxUCCI incorporates the tag “Fearless!”

TEDx is a programme of local, self-organised events that bring people together to share different ideas. It was first introduced in Cayman with TEDxSevenMileBeach.

The day long conference is hoped to inspire people to step out of their comfort zones, think innovatively, and exchange ideas fearlessly. It plans to do this in a unique way by having the topic reviewed through dance, music and art, rather than only discussions by speakers.

Anyone interested in learning more about TEDxUCCI is encouraged to go online to TEDxUCCI.ky for information as it becomes available. Applications to present at TEDxUCCI will be accepted through Friday, 6^th March. Applications to participate as part of the TEDxUCCI audience will become available on Friday, 20^th March and only 75 participants will be accepted to be part of this experience.

An application form can be downloaded at: http://www.tedxucci.ky/_docs/TEDxUCCI-SpeakerApplicationForm.pdf

 

Barbados, other Caribbean States back off from push for reparations

By Yanique Dawkins From Atlanta Blacks

Barbados and other Caribbean Community (CARICOM) states will go the route of diplomacy and not protest on the issue of reparations for native genocide and slavery, Barbados Prime Minister Freundel Stuart said during a press conference on the final day of the 26th inter-sessional conference of CARICOM heads of government in Nassau, Bahamas.

Stuart stated that the issue was not going “to be an overnight initiative,” but one in which the entire region was “irrevocably committed.”

“… There is going to be no retreat on the issue of reparations. But the point has to be made that we do not pursue the issue of reparations on the basis of protest; we are pursuing the issue of reparations on the basis of engagement,” he stressed.

Saying that regional leaders would do nothing to undermine the current relations between former slave trading nations by embarking on a confrontational approach, Stuart gave the assurance that leaders would not turn their backs on the history and the legacy which has been bequeathed as a result of slavery and native genocide.

“We contemplate, therefore, as a first measure, having a discussion with designated countries—former slave trading countries—to see what areas of agreement exist and whether there can be an amicable and civilized resolution to our differences,” he explained.

The prime minister made it clear that regional governments were not trying to get sizeable monetary compensation from the former slave trading nations through court action but to remind them of the impact of slavery on persons in the Caribbean.

“There is a legacy with which we are dealing, and what we are trying to sensitize former slave trading nations to is the existence of that legacy and to the connection between that legacy and their actions in the 17th, 18th and part of the 19th century,” he said.

Stuart, who chairs the prime ministerial sub-committee on reparations, stressed that achievements would most likely not be realized in the short-term.

“We have to take the long view on this issue recognizing the legacy that we are fighting did not take shape overnight and, therefore, it is not going to be dismantled overnight, but we have to start somewhere starting with the pursuit of reparatory justice,” he said.

For more: http://atlantablackstar.com/2015/03/03/diplomacy-root-reparations-says-barbados-prime-minister/

 

Cayman Islands “Meals on Wheels” get’s help from government officials

Some of the Cayman Islands leaders and top government officials volunteered last Tuesday (2) to deliver much needed meals to the elderly and indigent.

The local charity Meals on Wheels hosted its “Cayman Icons Day” that invited well-known individuals and leaders in Cayman’s community to come out and offer a helping hand with its delivery services.

Premier Hon. Alden McLaughlin, Deputy Governor, Hon. Franz Manderson and George Town MLA, Joey Hew, were just a few of the volunteers.

 

Caribbean coral findings may influence Barrier Reef studies

By GRIFFITH UNIVERSITY

Algae provides clues to climate change tolerance

Corals may be better equipped to tolerate climate change than previously believed, according to research led by Dr Emma Kennedy from Griffith University (Queensland, Australia).

Working with scientists from the University of Exeter in the UK, Dr Kennedy says the findings – published in the journal Coral Reefs — relate to an extensive study of Caribbean corals, but could influence future analysis of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.

Using a high-resolution molecular screening technique called Real Time-PCR, the researchers confirmed that the partnership between Symbiodinium D — a symbiotic algae associated with resistance to coral bleaching — and Caribbean corals is more common than had been supposed.

“Corals rely on a relationship with algae in order to get energy via photosynthesis,” says Dr Kennedy, a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Griffith’s Australian Rivers Institute, within the School of Environment.

“However, under stressful conditions such as increased temperatures, this relationship can be disrupted, resulting in a loss of the algae in an event known as bleaching. In an extreme event, this can lead to coral death.

“Our study focused on populations of the Mountain Star coral, Orbicella annularis, a widespread and prominent reef species in the Caribbean.

“Understanding its ability to weather the pressures of a changing climate, in particular rising sea temperatures, is a key question for conservationists.”

Symbiodinium D was found to be present in low abundances at almost every location the researchers tested, from Tobago to the Bahamas. As well as being geographically widespread, it was also more common in individuals, found on average in more than 30 per cent of the corals in each location.

Dr Kennedy says previous studies have shown that if Orbicella annularis contains just a small amount of Symbiodinium D it can sometimes respond better to stress events — such as heatwaves — and is more likely to avoid coral bleaching.

A 2007 research paper (Mieog et al. 2007, Coral Reefs) reported the presence of Symbiodinium D in 71 per cent of coral colonies tested on the Great Barrier Reef.

Having completed her PhD at the University of Exeter, Dr Kennedy’s latest research involves assessing the responses of coralline algae to ocean acidification and warming. It aims to determine whether coralline algae can be used to track the impacts of climate change in the Great Barrier Reef.

IMAGE: GRIFFITH UNIVERSITY’S DR. EMMA KENNEDY AND UNIVERSITY OF EXETER’S DR. JAMIE STEVENS. CREDIT: JAN SHEARS: UNIVERSITY OF EXETER

Paper: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00338-015-1264-4/fulltext.html

 

Two Cayman police officers charged for using Taser guns

Jamaican nationals, Cardiff Robinson (30) and Austin Etienne (44), who are officers with the Royal Cayman islands Police Service appeared in court last week accused of using excessive force during an arrest after a high-speed car chase that involved the police helicopter.

A 38 year old man was arrested after he failed to stop his Toyota car after a disturbance off Shedden Road, George Town. The Toyota was pursued by police patrol cars and ended in East End on May 3^rd last year.

In the police report that followed the arrest there was no mention Taser guns had been used even though police officials had said the public would be informed every time Tasers were used.

 

US postpones immigrant plan

By Nelson A. King From Caribbean Life

A day before hundreds of thousands of illegal Caribbean and immigrants were to begin applying for work permits and legal protection, the United States has jettisoned sweeping executive actions on immigration indefinitely.

White House officials said President Barack Obama decided to postpone the plan in order to comply with a federal judge’s last-minute order Monday night in halting the programs.

In his 123-page ruling, Judge Andrew S. Hanen said Obama administration officials had provided “perplexing” misrepresentations of the scope and impact of the president’s actions.

He said the new programs were “a substantive change to immigration policy,” and that they were, “in effect, a new law.”

The judge dismissed the argument that those changes were a proper exercise of prosecutorial discretion, ruling that the administration had engaged in “a complete abdication” of enforcement.

Hanen said the U.S. Department of Homeland Security cannot “enact a program whereby it not only ignores the dictates of Congress, but actively acts to thwart them.”

According to the New York Times, the judge’s ruling was a “significant setback for the president, who had asserted broad authority to take executive actions in the face of congressional Republicans’ refusal to overhaul the immigration system.”

White House officials, however, said Obama’s action is “legal and proper,” according to the Times.

Judge Hanen, of Federal District Court for the Southern District of Texas, in Brownsville, ruled in favor of Texas and 25 other states that had challenged the president’s immigration plan.

Hanen said that the administration’s programs would impose significant burdens on states, unleashing illegal immigration and straining state budgets.

He added that Washington had not followed required procedures for changing federal rules.

But President Obama vowed to appeal the court ruling, expressing confidence that he would prevail in the legal battle to defend his signature domestic policy achievement.

“The law is on our side, and history is on our side,” he said.

For more: http://www.caribbeanlifenews.com/stories/2015/2/2015-02-18-nk-immigrantplan-cl_2015_2.html

 

CaFA: Caribbean Fine Art Fair Barbados

From Repeating Islands

Divi Southwinds Resort will host the 5th Edition of Caribbean Fine Art (CaFA) Fair – Barbados to be held March 11-15, 2015. CaFA Fair opens on Wednesday, March 11, 6-9 pm with a Gala Reception featuring a live musical performance by Terry “Mexican” Arthur, and presentation of the CaFA Fair Special Award of Merit to veteran Barbadian collector and arts advocate Kathy Yearwood.

This year the Fair will present over 45 exhibitors of paintings, sculpture, photography, drawings, original limited edition prints and new media exploring the cultural traditions of the Caribbean and the African Diaspora.

This 5th anniversary edition of CaFA Fair Barbados will feature 2 special exhibitions: “Diaspora Dialogue II” an exhibition of works by artists Khuumba Ama, S. Ross Browne, Sadikisha Collier, JW Ford, Anthony Romain, Danny Simmons, and Shenna Vaughn from the USA; Ernani Silva – Brazil; and TAFA – Ghana.

This exhibition will explore the African influence on contemporary Diaspora artistic expression and investigates the position of Caribbean art in the broader Diaspora conversation. “Our Caribbean Home” will feature works by 3 accomplished artists born in northern lands, who have become enthralled with the Caribbean way of life. The USA’s Hedy Klineman, UK born Dave M. Todd, and Canadian Maureen Tracey all now make their homes in Barbados.

Thursday evening, March 12, Barbadian and other Caribbean designers will be featured in a Caribbean Fashion Showcase. Barbadian Author Cher Antoinette will sign copies of her new book “Architects of Destiny” during the afternoon, while USA artist, poet and art entrepreneur Danny Simmons will host an evening of spoken word performances by Barbadian artistes and special guest UK’s Victor Richards on Friday, March 13.

Caribbean Art Symposium, scheduled for Saturday, March 14, will present a panel discussion with the Harlem Needle Arts group made up of artists with their origins in Barbados, Dominica and Trinidad & Tobago; a painting session with American artist S. Ross Browne; and an interactive presentation by Founder and Director of Prizm Miami, Mikhaile Solomon. CaFA Fair will close on Sunday, March 15 with a Caribbean film presentation and discussion with Grenadian born Director of “Absence of Love“, Billy Gerard Frank; Barbados Video & Film Association; Alex Daniel and NY based Barbadian Tyson Hall.

CaFA Fair will showcase works of art by over 45 internationally and regionally acclaimed artists including Ras Ishi Butcher, Jamal Ince, Carlton Murrell, Rosemary Parkinson, and Ras Akyem I Ramsay – Barbados; Earl Etienne and Shimoda – Dominica; Coronado Print Studio Group – Dominican Republic; Joseph Brown and Frankie Francis – Grenada; Carl F. Anderson – Guyana; Patricia Brintle, Francks Deceus and Patrick Icart-Pierre -Haiti; Bernard Hoyes – Jamaica; Diogenes Ballester, Puerto Rico; Laura Gadson and Robert Reid – Trinidad & Tobago; Afreekan Southwell and Ademola Olugebefola – USVI. Several talented emerging artists will be on show including Cher Antoinette – Barbados; Ziggy Bruney – Dominica; Jesma Noel and Michael Paryag – Grenada; Beatrice Mellinger – Martinique; and Robert Joyette – St. Vincent.

CaFA Fair was created with the primary mission of increasing awareness and appreciation of Caribbean culture through the presentation of works of art and the distribution of information. For updates please visit event website www.cafafair.com or call 646-267-8831.

For more information go to http://www.cafafair.com or Facebook: CaFAFairBarbados

For the original report go to http://www.bajanreporter.com/2015/02/caribbean-fine-art-fair-barbados-celebrates-its-5th-year-at-divi-southwinds

For more: http://repeatingislands.com/2015/02/19/cafa-caribbean-fine-art-fair-barbados/

 

A 2-car accident on Cayman Islands roundabout causes vehicle to end up in bush

Last Sunday (1) two cars were involved in an accident around 8pm on the roundabout near the Auto Spa Car Wash, Shamrock Road, Grand Cayman.

One vehicle ran into the back of another causing one of them to jump the kerb and end up in a bush off the road.

Emergency services transferred one person to hospital, but police say no serious injuries were reported.

Both vehicles were traveling east towards Bodden Town.

 

Carib tide turns

By Bert Wilkinson From Caribbean Life

The first of three general elections which are expected to produce new governments in the Caribbean Community this year was held in St. Kitts on Monday with the opposition Team Unity Party led by disgruntled former members of the outgoing administration winning a clear majority of the parliamentary seats and unseating a controversial cabinet that had run the country for the past 20 years.

Prime Minister Denzil Douglas who until Monday had been the most senior and longest serving leader in CARICOM conceded defeat to incoming Prime Minister Timothy Harris who had been his one-time foreign affairs and finance minister but who grew increasingly unhappy about the level of corruption on the twin-island Federation with St. Kitts, a controversial dollars for citizenship scheme and the general lack of accountability in governmental affairs.

Team Unity walked away with seven of the 11 seats that were up for grabs, giving it an easy parliamentary majority to pass new or amend existing legislation.

In all five general elections are scheduled in the regional bloc this year with St. Kitts-Nevis being first out of the bloc. Guyana’s which is scheduled for May 11 is likely to be next unless Ralph Gonsalves in St. Vincent or Kamla Persad-Bissessar in Trinidad decides to name a date before May 11. Suriname has already scheduled this for late May, almost five years to the date of the previous election.

Like Gonsalves, President Desi Bouterse is likely to win a second five-year term. Polls show that Guyana and Trinidad will likely have new administrations.

Harris and Team Unity cabinet ministers are expected to be sworn in to office late this week. The holding of island elections came just three days after the two main opposition parties in Guyana said that they are so determined to effect change in the country that they had formed a united coalition to oust the governing People’s Party (PPP) from office after almost 23 years in office.

Like St. Kitts, leaders of A Partnership For National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance For Change (AFC) in Guyana say they can take no more of the widespread level of greed and graft of PPP ministers and top players, many of who openly flaunt the wealth they have acquired from wheeling and dealing with investors or from skimming millions from numerous local and foreign-funded projects. They want the PPP out.

They also plan to set up an investigative tribunal that could likely bring criminal charges against top officials for their years of association with the narco trade, private hit squads which executed dozens of criminal suspects and the criminalization of nearly every layer of Guyanese society.

Until the pre-election agreement was announced Saturday evening, the two parties, the AFC in particular, had vowed never to team up with APNU for fears it would have killed its election chances but the AFC said it did so in the interest of the country and at the behest of groups and individuals who think it is the surest way of ousting the PPP.

They have already given the nation a modus as to how cabinet and other positions will be shared, with APNU’s Leader retired army general David Granger being the presidential candidate and journalist turned attorney Moses Nagamootoo of the AFC being the nominee for prime minister.

For more: http://www.caribbeanlifenews.com/stories/2015/2/2015-02-18-bw-elections-cl_2015_2.html

 

Beach volleyball: Cayman Islands WILL start NORCECA tour

Contrary to what the league projected earlier this year, Cayman Islands WILL serve as the opening competition for the North, Central America and Caribbean Volleyball Confederation (NORCECA) Beach Volleyball 2015 Tour.

The Cayman Islands has opened the tour four consecutive years.

The volleyball competition will take place at the Grand Cayman Public Beach from April 24^th – 26^th.

 

British Caribbean Bank goes live on IPBS private banking and wealth management system

Turks and Caicos-based bank using scalable front, middle and back office system

Nassau, Bahamas, 19 February 2015 – International Private Banking Systems (www.ipbs.com), the specialist provider of wealth management software for the private banking sector, today announced that British Caribbean Bank is now live on the IPBS system. The bank has enjoyed a rapid implementation of the private banking solution from IPBS to replace a legacy system. It has increased day to day operational efficiency and quality of compliance management. Private clients now receive a better e-banking experience through improved online functionality.

British Caribbean Bank (BCB) is based in the Turks and Caicos Islands. It specialises in large infrastructure project financing in the hotel and tourism management sector and provides private banking services to individual clients. Ensuring customers have immediate access to their funds by wire transfer is important quality for the bank. BCB previously used a partially outsourced legacy system but it no longer met their needs as it restricted business agility and operational flexibility. Following a market evaluation, BCB selected the IPBS private banking and wealth management system and the project was completed on budget.

Stewart Howard, Managing Director at British Caribbean Bank said, “We were under severe time pressure to implement a replacement system and this placed the IPBS implementation under significant scrutiny. The project went live in just 90 days thanks in part to IPBS’s rapid implementation approach. This reduced the burden of data migration in particular and allowed us to focus on managing the non-technical aspects of the change. It’s a very good, intuitive system that suits our requirements. Very little user training was needed and within a few weeks of go-live, any teething issues have been resolved. IPBS have a very good understanding of how to deploy their system and it’s worked well for us.”

The bank is now live on 5 IPBS modules:

IPBS/Banking enables BCB to manage all of the traditional banking functions of a private bank, transactions are processed in real-time and supply updated accounting records across the enterprise.

IPBS/eBanking provides the continuous online access requirements needed for high net worth clients, who now have access to richer transactional detail.

IPBS/Business Manager allows full compliance with the latest Know Your Customer (KYC) and Anti money laundering (AML) regulations.

IPBS/Mortgage lending supports the delivery of a range of short term mortgage loans and long term commercial mortgage loans.

IPBS/SWIFT Payments enables seamless single payment transfers with full approval and release workflow for real-time international payments. Manual SWIFT payments are also supported via the IPBS/eBanking module.

The bank has been able to replace a restrictive banking system with one that more closely supports BCB’s operational requirements. The newly enhanced compliance capabilities are a big step forward as it allows more meaningful data to be accessed electronically. The IPBS system allows the bank to adjust entries, even going back several days, a feature that was simply not available previously.

Bruce Raine, Founder and President of IPBS said, “It has never been more important for banks to offer flexible products and services to customers whilst adhering to the latest international compliance regulations. The project at British Caribbean Bank was delivered within a short timeframe allowing the bank to migrate away from its legacy system and enjoy rapid ROI.”

 

Cayman Islands Waste Management Essay and Poster Competition to be launched

The Cayman Islands Ministry of Health: Department of Environmental Health (DEH) have announced the launching of a Waste Management Essay & Poster Competition on Thursday, 5^th March 2015 at 12.00 p.m.

All students between ages 6 to 16 are invited to enter. The competition will run until the 31 March 2015. Under the theme: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Recover, and Dispose, the competition seeks to raise awareness about the new waste management hierarchy which will be incorporated in the Integrated Solid Waste Management System for the Cayman Islands currently under development by the Cayman Islands Government.