Briefs/Trinidad minister scandal/Pindling room opens/Sugar deal close
INEWS BRIEFS
Cayman to welcome new governor
Helen Kilpatrick, Cayman Islands first female governor will be arriving on Grand Cayman on Friday September 6th.
Mrs. Kilpatrick is a finance expert and will be sworn almost immediately into office at the Legislative Assembly at 2:00pm.
Although this is her first appointment as governor in any territory she said her financial experience would be a great help, as it was an “important aspect of government and an import aspect of business life in Cayman.”
Ritz spa worker charged with assault
Damion Henry, a Jamaican National, pleaded not guilty last week to one charge of indecent assault he is accused of committing against a customer at the Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman hotel.
He was immediately dismissed from the 5-Star luxury hotel and his trial has been set for December.
Plight of pit bull revealed
Cayman Animal Rescue Enthusiasts (CARE) and Brenda Bush of Island Veterinary Services have highlighted the case of Bella, a pit bull, who was used by her owners to produce up to 100 puppies.
No longer able to breed, Bella was found abandoned on a West Bay beach, riddled with tumors, blind in one eye and suffering from heartworm.
Back yard breeders can make between $50,000 to $100,000 by exploiting their dogs and often abuse them, There are no licensing laws in the Cayman Islands to ensure puppies bought from backyard breeders are vaccinated, spayed or neutered. There are also no laws to ensure prospective owners are able to look after their pets properly.
Lesley Agostinelli, of CARE, said, “If breeders had to register their business, obtain trade and business licenses, entertain health and safety inspections and provide proper medical care, we would anticipate that would bring an end to the atrocities of backyard breeding and the negative impact on our communities from the over-population issues that arise from this activity.”
M/s Bush, who examined Bella, said, “She (Bella) is the epitome of what is wrong with the unlicensed, unregulated breeding. A lot of dogs, especially pure breeds, are pushed to breed beyond what is safe for them because the owner can sell the pups and make good money. In this case, there has been no reciprocation. None of that money has been spent on medical care.”
Brac Exposure a great success
It wasn’t only residents on Grand Cayman who came out in their hundreds to support the Brac Exposure last Friday (30) and Saturday (31) held at the Mango Tree Restaurant. Brackers flew in as well from Cayman Brac.
The event was held to boost domestic tourism on Cayman Brac in an effort to get residents on Grand Cayman to come on over to their sister island and see its attractions and businesses.
Food vendors, artists and musicians from Cayman Brac were there and part proceeds supported those in need.
Cayman Airways and Department of Tourism were also there displaying information on how to get to Cayman Brac, where to stay and what to do when you arrive there.
WSPA calls for tourists not to be sold Cayman Farm turtle meat
The World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) are not happy with the Cayman Turtle Farm’s announcement they are reducing the price of their turtle meat.
See iNews Cayman story published September 1 2013 “TURTLE MEAT HAS GOT A LOT CHEAPER” at: http://www.ieyenews.com/2013/09/cheap-turtlefunds-hidden-in-caymanbillions-invested-in-caymancayman-change/
The WSPA wants a study to determine the full scale of demand for turtle meat in the Cayman Islands and want the Farm to stop selling the turtle meat to visiting tourists.
A statement from the Turtle Farm said, ““Denying visitors the opportunity to taste farmed green sea turtle meat in Cayman would be akin to denying visitors the opportunity to taste farmed North American bison meat in Montana.”
TRINIDAD’S INTEGRITY COMMISSION PROBING EMAIL SCANDAL INVOLVING PM
From Go Jamaica
Kamla Persad-Bissessar – FileTrinidad and Tobago’s Integrity Commission has confirmed that it has started an investigation into the allegations that several government ministers including Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar were engaged in a sinister move to undermine the judiciary.
It is reported that the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution and the media were also targets.
In May, Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley told Parliament he had received 31 email purporting to show correspondences between Prime Minister Persad Bissessar, Attorney General Anand Ramlogan, the local government and works Minister and a security adviser outlining the plot.
The government ministers have since filed pre-protocol letters against Rowley as a prelude to taking legal action.
The police are also investigating the matter.
The Integrity Commission said its probe would determine the authenticity of alleged electronic mails as provided to the Commission by the former president, Professor George Maxwell Richards.
PHOTO: Kamla Persad-Bissessar – File
For more on this story go to:
http://go-jamaica.com/news/read_article.php?id=47670
SIR LYNDEN PINDLING ROOM OPENS AT COLLEGE OF THE BAHAMAS
From Bahamaislandsinfo
NASSAU, The Bahamas — Prime Minister the Rt. Hon. Perry G. Christie thanked Dame Marguerite Pindling and other family members of the country’s first Prime Minister, the Late Sir Lynden Pindling, for donating documents and memorabilia from his life to the College of The Bahamas.
“The donation of documents and memorabilia from Sir Lynden’s life will provide students and the public with a very strong appreciation of who he was, and the collection is a lasting tribute; a chronology and history of a great Bahamian man,” Prime Minister Christie said at the Official Opening of the Sir Lynden Pindling Room at the Harry C. Moore Library and Information Centre, the College of The Bahamas, Monday, August 26, 2013.
“It adds value and interest to this library space and will help enrich Sir Lynden’s public legacy. I would therefore like to thank Sir Lynden’s wife, Dame Marguerite, and his children, for giving this gift to the College, which is truly a gift to the country.”
He also thanked the College for working to highlight key Bahamians. “It is important that we continue to record the stories of all the men and women who played significant roles in building and shaping our country.”
Prime Minister Christie said Sir Lynden believed that with greater education Bahamians could in time build one of the best countries in the region.
The Prime Minister added that Sir Lynden also believed in the College of The Bahamas and played a great part in its creation and was desirous of seeing it become the university.
He said as the country celebrates 40 years of independence, an important part of continuing the journey and preserving the nation’s legacy and history, as a strong Bahamian people is to further the education of the country’s youth.
“The Sir Lynden Pindling Foundation has made a significant contribution to the College of The Bahamas to ensure there is continued support for education.”
He quoted the words of Sir Lynden’s vision for the country. “I wish for The Bahamas to be wealthy and proud, brave and sovereign; a country where every Bahamian stands tall, independent and free, a country where there is opportunity for all (not just PLPs), and a secure future for each soul bold enough to grasp it.
“A land where excellence is cherished and hard work is a thing of pride. A nation disciplined and strong.”
Prime Minister Christie said, “You cannot articulate a vision more enriching, with more impact, and more futuristic in terms of the incentives and inspiration you would wish to lead your people into.”
Dame Marguerite; Dame Marguerite and Sir Lynden’s children: Obie, Leslie, Michelle Sands and Monique Johnson; grandchildren and other family members and friends attended the opening with other distinguished guests including Cabinet Ministers.
Photo 1: Dame Marguerite Pindling (far right) looks at an exhibit with Anne Marie Davis, wife of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Works and Urban Development the Hon. Philip Davis (centre) during the Official Opening of the Sir Lynden Pindling Room at the Harry C. Moore Library and Information Centre, College of The Bahamas, Monday, August 26, 2013. (BIS Photo/Peter Ramsay)
Photo 2: Prime Minister the Rt. Hon. Perry G. Christie brings remarks at the Official Opening of the Sir Lynden Pindling Room at the Harry C. Moore Library and Information Centre, College of The Bahamas, Monday, August 26, 2013. (BIS Photo/Peter Ramsay)
Photo 3: The late Sir Lynden Pindling’s family attend the Official Opening of the Sir Lynden Pindling Room at the Harry C. Moore Library and Information Centre, College of The Bahamas, Monday, August 26, 2013. Seated from left: Wife of Sir Lynden, Dame Marguerite; Monique Pindling-Johnson (daughter); Obie Pindling (son); Michelle Pindling-Sands (daughter) and Leslie Pindling (son). (BIS Photo/Peter Ramsay)
For more on this story go to:
PAN CARIBBEAN, UNIONS DRAW CLOSER TO SUGAR DEAL
By Balford Henry, Senior Reporter From Jamaica Observer
KINGSTON, Jamaica — COMPLANT/Pan Caribbean Sugar Company and the unions representing workers at its Bernard Lodge, Frome and Monymusk estates, are headed for an understanding today, at the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, for resolving labour issues which have threatened the start of the sugar crop in November.
Trade union sources told the Jamaica Observer Monday that, following a meeting with the workers on Friday in Mandeville, they believe that there is a basis to establish a framework for resolving the issues.
The most immediate issue is that of 132 security guards who have been laid off since last month, and whose positions are likely to be made redundant by the company, and replaced by a contract with a private firm, Quest Security.
However, there are several other industrial relations matters plaguing operations at the plants, which the government wants to see resolved before they interfere with preparations for the 2013/14 sugar crop. This led to a private meeting between Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Roger Clarke, and the parties last week, which has set the stage for an early resolution.
China National Complete Plant Import Export Corporation (COMPLANT), a subsidiary of Hua Lien International, owns Pan Caribbean, which was formed to operate the factories divested by the Government in 2011.
Under the transfer agreement, Pan Caribbean needs to increase raw sugar production at the plants to 150,000 tonnes by 2014. But, production has been going in the wrong direction since Clarke admitted in Parliament in May that production at the factories, which constitute 70 per cent of local sugar production, was falling.
He explained that last year the COMPLANT plants produced only 65,000 tonnes of sugar. Clarke had promised the Government’s support in assisting Pan Caribbean to reach its target.
For more on this story go to:
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/latestnews/Pan-Caribbean–Unions-draw-closer-to-sugar-deal
