iNews Briefs
Cayman Islands welcomes home 15 swimming medals but one lonely T&F medal
The Cayman Islands 21 swimming team arrived back at Owen Roberts International Airport last Thursday evening to a warm welcome and many cheers from parents and supporters. Also present was Sports Minister Hon. Osbourne Bodden.
The team brought back 15 medals finishing 7th in the team standings and Alison Jackson bagging eight of those medals. She finished fourth highest individual point earner.
Eddie Weber finished the swimming meet with one gold and one silver medal.
It wasn’t so good with the 20 athletes who competed in Track and Field.
Dominic Dyer was the sole medal winner earning bronze in the under-18 boys 3,000 metres. However, what the medal table doesn’t show was that seven other times Cayman’s athletes finished fourth.
The most exciting moment in the 2 day visit to Jamaica by Obama
According to one local media source “the most exciting moment of the historic two-day visit to Jamaica by United States President Barack Obama was the moment he said: “Greetings Massive! Wha gwaan Jamaica?” as he addressed a town hall meeting at the University of the West Indies Mona Campus on Thursday.
Cayman Islands Planning Staff Get PRIDE Training
Staff of the Department of Planning will undergo PRIDE (Personal Responsibility in Delivering Excellence) training on Monday, 13 April; Friday, 17 April and Monday, 20 April 2015. Please note that during these times, staff availability will be limited.
We thank you for your patience during these times and apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
Greece pays April IMF loan on time
AFP From 3News NZ
Greece has made a scheduled 459 million euros (NZ$647 million) loan payment to the IMF.
But it has failed to dispel market concerns over its solvency as it labours to reach a loan deal with its international creditors.
Athens has until the end of the month to reach an agreement, with an April 24 meeting of Eurozone finance ministers seen as the last chance for a deal.
Despite making the payment, Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis remained typically defiant.
“We are not going to sign on the bottom line of whatever you’re giving us just to get the (money),” Varoufakis said on a visit to Paris.
“We are not promising anything just to get the next loan tranche,” he added.
From Moscow, where he is on a two-day official visit, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras called for an “honourable compromise” to ensure continued access to the European Union-International Monetary Fund bailout cash.
Athens had earlier authorised the loan repayment to the IMF after days of uncertainty.
“Yes, I’ve got my money back,” IMF head Christine Lagarde replied when asked at an Atlantic Council think tank event in Washington whether Athens had made the payment.
“What matters is now for the Greek authorities and the three institutions, the IMF, the ECB (European Central Bank) and the European Commission, to get on with the work,” she said later on CNBC.
Tsipras’ decision to go on a Russia charm offensive – while his government is locked in loan talks with its EU peers – has irritated Greece’s European partners.
Athens is trying to persuade the EU and IMF to continue lending it money while easing austerity requirements in order to boost economic growth.
For more: http://www.3news.co.nz/world/greece-pays-april-imf-loan-in-time-2015041011#ixzz3X0O17QK3
Cayman Rugby: Future bright for youth team
From Digicel Sportsmax
Member of the Cayman Islands rugby team Justin Wight believes the future of the sport in the Cayman Islands looks very bright, and is expecting numerous awards in the future.
Wight told a local television station that investment in the youth is beginning to reap benefits, which is helping the team.
“Grizz (Richard Adams) has built this programme and now it’s beginning to pay off,” said Wight.
“Last year was brutal. This year we are looking a lot stronger and I think that is just the main thing. We are getting more youth in the team and it’s helping a lot.”
The Cayman Islands rugby team will face Mexico in the 2015 NACRA Rugby Championship on Saturday, with the winner advancing to the North Zone Final.
For more: http://www.digicelsportsmax.com/?q=articles/2015/04/10/cayman-rugby-future-bright-youth-team
Jamaica signs energy agreement with US
By Juan Gavasa From PanAmerican World
Jamaica could finally get the long-touted liquefied natural gas (LNG) project off the ground with the signing of an energy cooperation agreement with the United States Government.
The Statement of Intent was signed between the US Department of Energy and Jamaica’s Ministry of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining this morning.
Speaking with The Gleaner after the signing, Energy Minister Phillip Paulwell said the Government is optimistic particularly at the prospect of becoming a hub for distribution of LNG from the US to the rest of the region.
“Jamaica has attempted for many years to implement an LNG project, but we have been hindered because we just did not have access to liquefied natural gas. So, one of the achievements … is the American support for us accessing natural gas, and in fact we have gone a little further in trying to identify Jamaica as a possible hub for allowing natural gas to be delivered to the rest of the region,” said Paulwell.
The letter of intent also provides for technical assistance in energy conservation and fuel diversification.
For more: http://www.panamericanworld.com/en/article/jamaica-signs-energy-agreement-us
Gaim Ops Cayman Islands
When:
April 26, 2015 – April 29, 2015 – 12:00 am
GAIM OPS CAYMAN is the hedge fund industry’s leading operations and compliance event for CCOs, COOs, Heads of ODD, GCs, and CFOs. Once a year, 550+ representatives from the hedge fund ecosystem, including active and retired regulators, industry experts in legal, accounting and consulting as well leading generalists, unites to re-set and influence industry norms.
Click link for more information: http://www.iirusa.com/gaim-cayman/home-page.xml
Location:
The Ritz Carlton, Grand Cayman
West Bay Road, Seven Mile Beach, Grand Cayman
A crazy lottery ticket scam that allows people to dodge taxes is making a big comeback
By Ryan Gorman From Business Insider
A tax scam as old as the lottery is making a comeback — buying losing tickets from others and using them to offset taxes owed to Uncle Sam.
A Business Insider search of Craigslist and Ebay listings found people selling tens of thousands of dollars worth of losing lottery tickets for pennies on the dollar which can then be used to evade taxes by people claiming their actual worth on tax forms since gambling losses can be claimed as deductions.
ABC News and the Daily Beast have uncovered similar listings. Knowledge of the scam dates back to at least the 1980s.
Sellers had bundles of losing lottery tickets valued at anywhere from $1,000 to upwards of $76,000 for sale on the websites. In some listings, sellers described how they could be used for tax purposes. Other stopped just short of the suggestion.
Mercurius Capital plans $300M fund for Caribbean solar power projects
By Mridul Chadha From Clean Technica
Singapore-based investment firm Mercurius Capital is set to explore opportunities in the untapped solar power market of the Caribbean and is planning to launch a private equity fund for the same.
Through the Caribbean Solar Power Investment PE fund, Mercurius Capital plans to raise $300 million to finance 100 to 150 MW of solar power capacity in Caribbean countries. To maximise the financial gains, the company plans to work with Chinese solar power equipment manufacturers to cut installation costs.
Mercurius also announced the launch of an $81 million private equity fund aimed at financing urbanisation projects in smaller Chinese cities.
According to NPD Solarbuzz, Latin America and Caribbean are expected to see 9 GW solar power capacity added over the next 5 years. NPD Solarbuzz’s Emerging PV Markets Report published last year states that the solar power project pipeline in Latin America and Caribbean now exceeds 22 GW, with 1 GW capacity already under construction.
The region has started to attract international support for its renewable energy infrastructure. The European Investment Bank announced financial support to study the feasibility of geothermal power project in Dominica. Japan announced aid worth $15 million to 8 countries in the Caribbean, for preparing and designing their Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs) and National Adaptation Plans (NAPs). Last year, the Inter-American Development Bank and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) signed an agreement to boost the amount of concessional loans offered to Caribbean and Central American countries from $300 million to $1 billion. The first loans issued by JICA are already being used for implementation of renewable energy and energy projects in Nicaragua and geothermal power projects in Costa Rica.
With rapidly increasing competition in other emerging markets like India, the Middle East, and North Africa, the Caribbean seems a logical market for early movers. The fund will also open a new market to the Chinese solar equipment manufacturers that are facing anti-dumping duties in developed economies like the US and Europe.
St Lucia police investigating fourth killing in a week
From CARIBBEAN360
CASTRIES, St.Lucia, Thursday, April 9, 2015, CMC – After a three month lull in gang violence here, the police are investigating circumstances that may have led to the fourth fatal shooting since Saturday.
Fresh from collecting evidence in Tuesday’s brazen daylight murder of Asher Emmanuel, 48, by three youths just outside capital the police were called out to the same area Thursday, to investigate the murder of James Alexander Nelson, 43.
Police who appealed for information on the latest spate of killing, said Nelson sustained multiple gunshot wounds to the body and died instantly.
Residents said they expected reprisals from the murder of Emmanuel -an influential community leader, who according to them, spoke out against violence and had no part in the turf war among rival communities.
The two other shootings both in the capital occurred over the Easter holiday week end when Anthony Harris 49, a homeless man was hit by a stray bullet fired by a man who eyewitnesses said was in hot pursuit of another male.
Three hours later Oran Wong Charles 27, was shot several times near his residence in South Castries, a victim of gang violence, police said.
The two daylight murders which occurred on Tuesday and Thursday attracted huge crowds who looked on as Police processed the crime scene.
Some residents told reporters they feared that gang violence that had dissipated for three months had escalated once again.
They also expressed fears that the Police, some of who admitted to being demoralized following the release of the IMPACTS report, may now be taking a less than active approach to crime fighting.
The IMPACTS report was prepared by a team of Jamaican investigators who looked into allegations of police killings of 12 youth who had been linked to a string of murders committed between 2010-2011.
Acting Police Commissioner Errol Alexander, hours after the third murder on , cautioned criminals, saying that while Police were pleased with this year’s 93 day record of no homicides, law enforcement will not let up in cracking down on gang violence.
“We are going to apply the full brunt of the law where ever we have to. We are not down and out and if these criminals and them think we are, they have another thought coming,” he told a news conference.
For more on this story go to: http://www.caribbean360.com/news/st-lucia-police-investigating-fourth-killing-in-a-week#ixzz3X0QXgr2k
Shoplifter hiding in grocery store ceiling after allegedly stealing $8 worth of stuff prompts SWAT response
By Mary Beth Quirk From Consumerist
The natural instinct to flee when caught kicked into overload for one suspected shoplifter, who police say crawled into a supermarket’s ceiling after getting busted with $8.50 in stolen goods. Her urge for a refuge took a seven-hour police effort, complete with a SWAT team response and store evacuation.
Police in Baltimore County say the woman was stopped by security staff at the grocery store for allegedly swiping a bag of chips and some hair accessories, reports CBS Baltimore.
“They took her back to the loss prevention office, but she ran off when they found some needles in her purse. She ran to the back of the store, up onto a catwalk and then disappeared into the ceiling,” a police rep explained.
Law enforcement wanted to make sure the ceiling wouldn’t collapse on shoppers, and used a scissor-lift in their effort to extract her from her hiding spot. A few ceiling tiles fell but the store didn’t suffer any other damage.
She was taken to a local hospital after complaining that she was in pain after the incident.
Meru Cayman HFF Ltd. Just filed Form D announcing $50699000 financing
From OCTA Finance
Meru Cayman HFF, Ltd. Financing
Meru Cayman HFF, Ltd., Other just filed form D regarding $50699000 financing. Meru Cayman HFF, Ltd. was able to sell $50.70 million. That is all of the offering. The total offering amount was $50699000. The reason for the financing was: unspecified.
Meru Cayman HFF, Ltd. is based in CAYMAN ISLANDS. The filer’s business is Pooled Investment Fund. The form was signed by Jonathan Barton Director.
What is Form D & Financing Information Used For
Form D disclosures could be used to track and understand better your competitors. The information in Form D is usually highly confidential for ventures and startups and they don’t like revealing it. This is because it reveals amount raised or planned to be raised as well as reasons for the financing. This could help competitors. Entrepreneurs usually want to keep their financing a ‘secret’ so they can stay in stealth mode for longer.
For more: http://www.octafinance.com/meru-cayman-hff-ltd-just-filed-form-d-announcing-50699000-financing/
Sprint pays $15.5 million to settle DOJ overbilling charges
SAN FRANCISCO — Sprint will pay $15.5 million to settle claims it overcharged federal law enforcement agencies for wiretaps and other court-authorized surveillance, the Department of Justice announced Thursday.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California and Office of Inspector General had accused Sprint Communications Inc. of illegally billing the government for $21 million in system upgrades. Sprint hid the charges in its wiretap bills from 2007 to 2010, according to the investigation.
Telecommunications carriers are allowed to bill law enforcement for the cost of conducting court-mandated surveillance using wiretaps, pen registers and trap devices. But they are prohibited from passing on the costs of any system upgrades require to carry out the surveillance. In 1994 Congress passed the Communications Assistance in Law Enforcement Act, requiring carriers to upgrade their equipment, facilities or services to make sure they could intercept call information as required by court orders.
Sprint is represented by Williams & Connolly and Perkins Coie. The company has not admitted to any wrongdoing, according to the Department of Justice release.
In December, Cricket Communications Inc., a San Diego wireless carrier now owned by AT&T Inc., settled similar claims for more than $2 million.
What we don’t know does hurt us
By Paul McGowan From PS Audio
It’s easy to know when something’s missing, but only if you had it in the first place.
Imagine living in a remote village on the banks of a small stream. Neither you nor anyone in the community gave much thought to the stream; it was never enough to matter much. One day the stream level rose until it became a torrent of water and you ventured upstream to see why. To your surprise you note the old dam had crumbled, and no longer restricted its flow.
What’s interesting about this allegory for a power amplifier is about what I had been missing and did not know. The concept of restriction never occurred to me as I have always modeled the chain of reproduction equipment as surely altered, but never missing. Like the effects of wearing colored sunglasses, it seemed to me everything passed through my power amplifier, though some of it may be colored, but never blocked. I gave no thought to the notion that a power amp more accurately resembles a dam or a gate holding back the music, rather than a lens coloring all that passed through it.
We live with our systems oblivious to what we do not have until the blinders have been removed. Like someone who has been shuttered indoors for years, we gasp at what’s been missing when we walk outside for the first time. I guess the old adage you don’t know what you’re missing until you lose it rings true, though the corollary seems more to the point: you can’t know what you’re missing until you hear it.
For more: http://www.psaudio.com/pauls-posts/what-we-dont-know-does-hurt-us/
Grocery chain accused of failing to accommodate pregnant workers
By Marisa Kendall, From The Recorder
SAN FRANCISCO — Two weeks after the Supreme Court upheld a pregnant employee’s discrimination claims, a proposed class of California workers has filed nearly identical accusations against a local grocery chain.
Plaintiffs in the California case say Raley’s Family of Fine Stores, which operates 115 in-state grocery stores including Food Source and Nob Hill Foods, forced them out of work because they were pregnant. The company had a policy of giving lighter work to employees who were injured on the job, but refused to extend those accommodations to pregnant workers, according to the complaint filed Thursday in Sacramento Superior Court. When named plaintiffs’ pregnancies required them to limit their heavy lifting and physical activity, they say their managers forced them to go on unpaid leave or lose their jobs.
The U.S. Supreme Court addressed that very issue last month in the case of Peggy Young, a UPS driver who says she was forced to take unpaid leave from work while pregnant. Young claims she is entitled to the same accommodations UPS provided to workers who were injured on the job, had disabilities covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act, or had lost their Department of Transportation certifications.
The Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit granted UPS summary judgment, agreeing with the lower court that Young’s situation wasn’t comparable to the situations of workers in those protected groups. The Supreme Court reversed, ruling UPS must afford pregnant women the same accommodations as other employees with similar work limitations.
Jennifer Liu, a San Francisco solo who represents plaintiffs in the case against Raley’s, said the Supreme Court ruling helped clarify an employer’s obligation to pregnant workers under federal anti-discrimination laws.
“An employer can’t simply claim that it’s too expensive to extend the same accommodations to pregnant women,” she said.
But California law has been clear about that requirement all along.
“Even without Young v. UPS,” Liu said, “Raley’s policy on its face violates California law.”
Plaintiffs also are represented by Jahan Sagafi of Outten & Golden and Equal Rights Advocates.
CONCACAF to organize first Annual Women’s Football Day in May
The Confederation aims to unite all Member Associations to celebrate women’s football throughout the region
Miami, FL (Friday, April 10, 2015)) – The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) today announced the celebration of its first annual Women’s Football Day on Saturday, May 23, 2015.
This initiative, which was presented at the CONCACAF “Let’s Develop Women’s Football” seminar held in October 2014, in Philadelphia, will aim to unite all 41 Member Associations to celebrate women’s football throughout the region.
“This day is dedicated to recognizing the passionate, fearless, and devoted members of CONCACAF’s elite women’s teams, and inspire the younger generation to take the game to new heights,” said CONCACAF President Jeffrey Webb. “As we embrace a new era in women’s football, we aim to further develop the talents of female players in our Confederation and will continue to empower the women’s game through initiatives such as this one.”
Scheduled to kick-off at 11:00AM EDT, several activities will be organized at CONCACAF’s Member Associations with support provided by the Confederation. Women’s Football Day will strive to achieve the distinction of being the first occasion that all of CONCACAF’s members will simultaneously organize a women’s football activity.
Through this initiative, the Confederation aims to accomplish three objectives:
Generate awareness about the transformative power of women’s football for girls and women
Promote and encourage continued investment in women’s football
Unite every Member Association in creating a memorable day of women’s football
CONCACAF will assist its members with the preparation and execution of their activities. Three specific activities will be recommended to the Member Associations:
Girls Grassroots Festival
3 v. 3 or 5 v. 5 Tournament
Football Skills Challenge
Member Associations will be encouraged to organize one of the three activities but will have the opportunity to administer an activity of their choosing, with CONCACAF at their disposal for guidance and assistance.
Further details regarding the initiatives of CONCACAF and its Member Associations for Women’s Football Day will be provided in the coming weeks.
Business + Pleasure: The next era of business travel has arrived
From CARIBBEAN360
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados Friday April 10, 2015 (Sponsored by Virgin Atlantic) – Digital communication has dramatically changed how we do business. So much of our business interactions are now conducted online however, there are times when nothing beats a good face-to-face meeting, you just need to get on the plane and go.
Virgin Atlantic recently conducted a study asking their passengers to share their perspectives, attitudes and what drives them in business, in travel and in life. The findings revealed a new type of traveler. One who thrives on blurring the boundaries between business and leisure and sees travel as an opportunity to benefit their career and their personal life.
Business travel today is very different from 1980 or how it was 10 years ago. Getting in and out quickly is no longer the main objective. The savvy business traveller is both super productive during their trip and finds the time to have some fun.
IMAGE: 1884 Virgin-Atlantic-Clubhouse
Women’s Conference aims to establish Caribbean Association
From The Maritime Executive
Jamaica is to host the Caribbean’s first-ever Women in Maritime Association Conference as a step towards establishing an IMO Women in Maritime Association (WiMA) for the region.
Taking place in Montego Bay, Jamaica, from April 13-17, the conference aims to support regional efforts to deepen the integration of women in the maritime sector by establishing a WiMA chapter to serve the Caribbean. Currently, WiMA operates regional chapters in the Middle East and North Africa, Asia, Philippines, East and Southern Africa.
A driving force of the program has been the establishment of formal regional connections between female maritime managers and port sectors with the goal of providing a permanent information exchange channel. Twenty-four Caribbean States have been invited to take part in the Women in Maritime Affairs Conference.
The IMO’s decision to establish a WiMA chapter in the Caribbean follows Jamaica’s participation in the 2nd International Conference on Maritime Women Global Leadership, hosted last year by the World Maritime University (WMU) in Malmo, Sweden. The conference highlighted the benefits of such an organization, and one of the recommendations emanating from it was the need for the establishment of a national/regional association.
Following the conference and a subsequent approach from the Maritime Authority of Jamaica (MAJ) to the IMO Secretary General, the IMO has committed its support to the Caribbean to enable the establishment of a regional association for female maritime professionals; this week’s conference is the first step towards achieving this goal.
“We are very excited to be hosting this important event on behalf of the wider Caribbean region,” MAJ Deputy Director General Claudia Grant said. “Women play an increasingly important role within the maritime sector, which is a significant economic driver for our region. We believe it is important to do everything we can to enable women to survive and thrive in the maritime industry and by working together in this way the whole Caribbean region is demonstrating the importance it places on women’s roles in this important and specialized sector.”
For more: http://www.maritime-executive.com/article/womens-conference-aims-to-establish-caribbean-association
Jane Brazenor drowned while snorkelling with turtles in the Caribbean
By Lucy Thorne , Marcus Chippindale From Get Reading
Jane Brazenor drowned while swimming with turtles, an inquest in Reading heard.
A Finchampstead holidaymaker drowned while snorkelling with turtles in the Caribbean, an inquest heard on Thursday.
Jane Brazenor, described as a “very good swimmer”, was in the water near a catamaran she and her husband Paul were aboard for a day trip while in the Grenadines.
The boat had stopped in a bay where people could swim with turtles at around 12.30pm on November 2 last year, a couple of days after the husband and wife had flown to the idyllic islands.
Berkshire coroner Peter Bedford told how 67-year-old Mrs Brazenor had swum further away from the catamaran than her husband, towards a group of turtles.
The inquest in Reading heard that Mrs Brazenor, of Sandhurst Road, was following her husband back to the boat at around 1pm.
However, when Mr Brazenor got back on the boat he noticed his wife was floating motionless in the water and the snorkel had come out of her mouth.
A rescue team rushed from the catamaran to where Mrs Brazenor was floating and, once she was pulled from the water, performed CPR.
However, nothing could be done to revive her and she was pronounced dead at the scene.
A post-mortem examination concluded she died as a result of asphyxia due to drowning.
Mr Bedford said Mrs Brazenor was not suffering from any relevant medical conditions at the time of her death.
“The conclusion I have given is that this was an accident,” said Mr Bedford.
No members of Mrs Brazenor’s family were present at the brief hearing.
For more: http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/local-news/jane-brazenor-drowned-snorkelling-turtles-9014829
Walgreens aims to close about 200 US stores
From Caribbean Business
Walgreens will shutter about 200 U.S. stores as part of an expanded cost reduction push, but the nation’s largest drugstore chain has no plans to shrink in the wake of its combination with European health and beauty retailer Alliance Boots.
The Deerfield, Illinois, company expects to open roughly the same number of stores and will consider more mergers and acquisitions, even as it continues to digest a nearly $16 billion deal that finalized its combination with Alliance Boots, which runs the United Kingdom’s largest pharmacy chain.
The store closings that Walgreens announced Thursday amount to only about 2 percent of the 8,232 drugstores the company runs in the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Nevertheless, the closings are the latest example of a strategy shift for a company that was opening about 500 stores a year a decade ago. Walgreens once estimated that it was opening a new store every 17 hours on average.
Major drugstore chains once focused mainly on growing by adding locations. Now, they’re trying to squeeze more revenue out of each store by expanding and improving the services they offer and making them more competitive with the grocery chains and big retailers like Wal-Mart that have muscled into the prescription business.
Walgreens also announced the closing of 76 stores last year. The latest round comes as the company expands on a $1 billion, three-year cost reduction plan it announced in August.
The company hasn’t finalized the list of stores it will close, but Walgreen Co. President Alex Gourlay told analysts it was looking at locations where the population seemed to be moving away.
“This really is just getting the right stores in the right places,” he said.
Walgreens also said it will reorganize its corporate operations and streamline its information technology and other functions. It expects these moves to add $500 million to its cost reduction goal.
Executive Vice Chairman and Acting CEO Stefano Pessina said in a statement from Walgreens that he remains “as optimistic as ever” about the company’s future, but they need to work proactively to address challenges like growing pressure on reimbursement for pharmaceuticals and competition.
For more: http://m.cb.pr/mobile_news/walgreens-aims-to-close-about-200-us-stores-108161.html
HRC commends President Obama for including LGBT advocates in Jamaican Town Hall
From HRC s
While in Jamaica, President Obama held a town hall where he invited and recognized LGBT advocates from the country. Following the meeting, US National Security Advisor Susan Rice tweeted, “Anti-LGBT discrimination and violence is unacceptable everywhere. This is US policy globally, as we discussed here in Jamaica today.”
President Obama was in Jamaica to meet with Caribbean government leaders. As part of the trip, the President participated in a town hall meeting with “young leaders.” During his opening remarks, he acknowledged Angeline Jackson, the executive director of Quality of Citizenship Jamaica, the only organization in Jamaica dedicated to the needs of lesbian and bisexual women, for her bravery and advocacy. Dane Lewis, the executive director of J-FLAG, a Jamaican LGBT organization, attended the town hall.
“To hear Angeline being acknowledged and celebrated by the President was awesome to behold. It showed inclusion,” Lewis said in response to the meeting. “The US Human Rights agenda was made even clearer by that bold move to single out persons who had come through ‘hard times’ and persevered in-spite of their social background, gender, race or sexual orientation.”
Prior to President Obama’s visit, a broad group of US-based human rights organizations, including the Human Rights Campaign, sent a letter to President Obama requesting that he meet with Caribbean LGBT advocates while in Jamaica and make clear his support of the human rights of LGBT people in the region. Caribbean LGBT advocates made a similar request in a separate letter.
The letter sent to President Obama by Caribbean LGBT advocates stated that LGBT people “remain at risk in the Caribbean region. Eleven nations criminalize same-sex relationships, including Jamaica. Even in places where laws have been repealed or are not enforced, societal stigma, willful discrimination and bias violence are still major concerns, and hate crime goes prosecuted.”
“We commend the President for including LGBT advocates in his meetings in Jamaica,” said Ty Cobb, director of HRC Global. “By including them in his visit to Jamaica, he honored their brave work and demonstrated our country’s commitment to standing up for the human rights of all people.”
For more: http://www.hrc.org/blog/entry/hrc-commends-president-obama-for-meeting-with-caribbean-lgbt-advocates
Ten T&T referees appointed to FIFA panel
By Ian Prescott From Trinidad Express Newspapers
Ten Trinidad and Tobago football referees have been named to the FIFA panel of referees to officiate in international matches for 2015.
These local referees were each presented with their official FIFA badges at a recent presentation ceremony hosted by the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association at the VIP Lounge Hasely Crawford Stadium.
The list of persons include Crystal Sobers, Cecile Hinds, Rodphin Harris, Kevin Lewis, Ainsley Rochard, Joseph Bertrand, Glen Kevin Charles, Caleb Wales and Tobagonians Keon Yorke and Tricia Des-Vignes.
For some like Sobers, it is their first year being named on the List of International Women Referees. Sobers had previously attended the CONCACAF U-15 Women’s Tournament in Cayman Island in August 2014.
Cecile Hinds, is in her second year as a FIFA referee having been named on the International List in 2013 and Rodphin Harris, first named in 2013, is returning to the list for 2015. He was appointed to the recent 2018 World Cup Qualifier between Montserrat vs Curacao.
Lewis, Rochard, Bertrand, Charles and Wales, are all on the list as international assistant-referees, while the two Tobago-based officials are also first time on the international panel.
Yorke, is a first year referee on the list, while Des-Vignes, another referee, is also in her first year. Des-Vignes participated in the CONCACAF U-15 in Cayman Islands in August 2014.
TTFA president Raymond Tim Kee and head of the TTFA’s Referees Department, Ramesh Ramdhan, paid tribute to the appointed officials. Also present at the ceremony was president of the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee, Brian Lewis, who was the feature speaker. TTFA Referees Committee chairman Bryan Layne also commended the officials for their persistence over the period leading up to their appointments.
Tim Kee praised the officials, saying: “This is a tremendous accomplishment by you the officials and it augers well for our local football because without you, local matches cannot run properly and you are also preparing our players for international matches.”
Ramdhan and his team of referees instructors, some of them former FIFA referees, have been conducting several workshops and training sessions with local referees over the past couple of years to bring them up to international standard and to increase the pool of local referees.
Tim Kee continued: “This indeed indicates the work that is being done by our Referees department led by Ramesh Ramdhan and Brian Layne and also our referees instructors who have served the game for so many years. ‘‘Just recently we were unable to have more than two referees on the FIFA panel and today we have ten which to me says that something right is happening. I want to encourage you to keep improving your standards and be role models for everyone in football,” he added.
For more: http://www.trinidadexpress.com/sports/-Ten-TT-referees-appointed-to-FIFA-panel-299415391.html
Archaeologist uses drone to track looting of ancient tombs in Jordan
By Chris Grasinger From Mashable
Archaeologist Chad Hill is using a custom-built “septocopter” drone to monitor looting of an ancient cemetery in Jordan.
Part of the “Landscapes of the Dead Research Project,” Hill and his team aim to map more than 10,000 tombs at Fifa, an Early Bronze Age burial site, “as a method of site assessment and monitoring.” They piece together images generated by Hill’s drone.
On the southeastern Dead Sea Plain, where Fifa is located, people buried the dead with ceramic vessels, carnelian beads and lambis shell bracelets. But for years, there have been raids on the ancient tombs, often by those who hope to make a profit off of the loot.
Additional reporting by The Associated Press.
Taylor Swift reveals that her mom has cancer through a Tumblr post
By Julie Bort From Business Insider
“Usually when things happen to me, I process them and then write music about how I feel, and you hear it much later. This is something my family and I thought you should know about now,” Taylor Swift wrote on her Tumblr account.
And then she revealed that her mom was diagnosed with cancer.
Swift didn’t offer details about the diagnosis. She wasn’t looking for sympathy (although she got plenty of that via an outpouring of over 100,000 replies to the post).
She was telling her fans about it because her mom didn’t have any symptoms. Swift had asked her mom to go get some health screenings as a Christmas present.
Swift explains her mom wanted to share the news this way to encourage Swift’s fans to talk their own parents about health screenings.
She wanted you to know because your parents may be too busy juggling everything they’ve got going on to go to the doctor, and maybe you reminding them to go get checked for cancer could possibly lead to an early diagnosis and an easier battle. Or peace of mind in knowing that they’re healthy and there’s nothing to worry about. She wanted you to know why she may not be at as many shows this tour. She’s got an important battle to fight.
The American Cancer Society recommends yearly mammograms starting at age 40, cervical cancer screenings annually starting at at 21, and colon cancer screenings for everyone at age 50.
IMAGE: Singer Taylor Swift and mother Andrea Finlay are seen on December 22, 2014 in New York City
For more: http://www.businessinsider.com/taylor-swift-on-tumblr-my-mom-has-cancer-2015-4#ixzz3X1QVNpgn
India will need 119m more skilled workers
From The Times of India
NEW DELHI: Around 119 million additional skilled workforce will be required by 24 sectors such as construction, retail, transportation logistics, automobile, and handloom by 2022, says a government report. According to the skills gap report commissioned by National Skill Development Corporation, most of the sectors except agriculture will require more skilled workforce in the next seven years.
Among the major sectors, building, construction & real estate would require additional skilled workforce of 31.13 million, followed by retail 17.3 million, transportation and logistics 11.66 million and beauty & wellness 10.09 million. The report found that 7.18 million additional workforce would be required by furniture and furnishing, 6.48 million by tourism, hospitality and travel, 6.14 million by handlooms & handicraft, 3.9 million required by auto & auto components and 900,000 by media & entertainment.
The employment base of agriculture was 24 crore people in 2013. However, the projected number of skilled workforce in the sector by 2022 is pegged at 21.56 crore, showing a reduction of 2.48 crore people in the incremental human resource requirement. It was found that the incremental human resource requirement across 24 sectors is nearly 119 million (11 crore 90 lakh) whereby the top 10 sectors including automobile, retail, handloom, leather, etc. account for about 80% of requirements.
“The idea behind the skill gap studies is to understand the sectors in which we are likely to face the biggest gaps. It is imperative for us to plan the skilling of future workforce of India on the basis of these reports,” said minister for skills development & entrepreneurship Rajiv Pratap Rudy.
The minister added, “These reports will be used for the implementation of the recently announced Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana; for state skill missions and for various other skill initiatives being planned across the country.”
Bridging the skill shortage has been identified as key focus area of the Modi government.
PG&E hit with $1.6 bn fine over deadly 2010 blast
AFP From Business Insider
US energy giant PG&E was hit with a $1.6 billion fine Thursday over the deadly 2010 explosion in California which left eight people dead, authorities said
San Francisco (AFP) – US energy giant PG&E was hit with a $1.6 billion fine Thursday over the deadly 2010 explosion in California which left eight people dead, authorities said.
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) said the fine was the heaviest ever imposed by authorities in the state.
The devastating September 2010 pipeline explosion near the town of San Bruno, close to San Francisco, destroyed around 30 homes.
“PG&E failed to uphold the public’s trust. The CPUC failed to keep vigilant. Lives were lost. Numerous people were injured. Homes were destroyed. We must do everything we can to ensure that nothing like this happens again,” CPUC chief Michael Picker said in a statement.
Part of the fine will be used to upgrade the network of pipelines across California including PG&E pipelines.
PG&E said in a separate statement that the “lessons” of the San Bruno explosion would not be forgotten.
It added that it had already distributed more than $500 million to victims of the blast and their families, established a $50 million fund for the city of San Bruno and contributed more than $70 million towards rebuilding in the town.
PG&E — the Pacific Gas and Electric Company — distributes energy to around 16 million customers throughout north and central California.
PG&E stock closed 1.55 percent lower on Wall Street Thursday, ending the day at $52.78.
The Colony of North Cayman: Left-wing Utopia Do or Die, there is no Try
By Max Barry From Nation States
Regional Influence: Minnow Region: Antarctic Alliance
Civil Rights: Excellent Economy: Imploded Political Freedom: Excellent
The Colony of North Cayman is a fledgling, safe nation, remarkable for its ban on automobiles, irreverence towards religion, and devotion to social welfare. The democratic population of 6 million North Caymanians are free to do what they want with their own bodies, and vote for whomever they like in elections; if they go into business, however, they are regulated to within an inch of their lives.
The government — a sprawling, bureaucracy-choked, socially-minded morass — prioritizes Welfare, with Public Transport, Defense, and Education also on the agenda. The average income tax rate is 76.4%, and even higher for the wealthy.
The imploded North Caymanian economy, worth 23.9 billion Antarctic Dollars a year, is driven entirely by a combination of government and state-owned industry, with private enterprise illegal. The industrial sector, which is broadly diversified, is dominated by the Woodchip Exports industry, with significant contributions from Pizza Delivery and Door-to-door Insurance Sales. Average income is 3,987 Antarctic Dollars, and distributed extremely evenly, with practically no difference between the richest and poorest citizens.
Cars are banned. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. North Cayman’s national animal is the Yellow-Tailed Penguin, which frolics freely in the nation’s many lush forests.
North Cayman is ranked 5th in Antarctic Alliance and 44,679th in the world for Highest Drug Use, scoring 78 on the Pineapple Fondness Rating.
For more: http://www.nationstates.net/nation=north_cayman
