iNews Briefs
Wedding Day was nearly a day of woe in Cayman
Thanks to the Cayman Islands Customs Department a wedding that should have been a day of happiness almost turned into a day of woe.
The Cayman Islands Customs Department did everything in their power to wreck the wedding of Mr and Mrs Scott McLean by confiscating the bride’s wedding dress because it had not been “properly declared”.
In a televised interview on CITN/Cayman27 Scott McLean told the story of the Customs Department’s high handed and authoritarian approach to try and ruin their day that should have been the happiest of their life.
“Customs confiscated my wife’s wedding dress and said that we don’t have a receipt, we can’t have it back,” said groom Scott McLean. “Then someone else from Customs insulted my mother, because they said she was irresponsible because she’s didn’t declare her socks and underwear.”
To make the situation even worse the Cayman Islands Collector of Customs told CITN, ”Had the passenger properly declared the item up front, I’m sure this incident would not have been blown out of proportion.”
To view the whole TV report go to: http://www.cayman27.com.ky/2014/04/30/wedding-dress-drama
See also today’s iNews Cayman Editorial.
Russian navy ships take part in anti-drug drills in Caribbean
MOSCOW, April 29 (RIA Novosti) – Two Russian navy ships, together with forces from Nicaragua and Honduras, have taken part in anti-narcotics naval exercises in the Caribbean, a spokesman for Russia’s Northern Fleet said Tuesday.
“The exercises focused on joint efforts to stop organized criminal groups and cut drug smuggling channels in territorial waters of Latin American states,” Northern Fleet spokesman Capt. 2nd Rank Yevgeny Kirillov said.
Russia sent a Vishnya-class intelligence ship, the Viktor Leonov, and the Nikolay Chiker support vessel to the exercises.
Police forces from Nicaragua and special police units from Honduras also took part.
Russia has started reviving its navy and strategic aviation since the mid-2000s, seeing them as a tool to project Russia’s image abroad and to protect the country’s interests around the globe.
Moscow now needs to place such military assets in strategically important regions of the world to make them work effectively toward the goal of expanding Russia’s global influence.
Reggae Girls Drawn In Group 5 For Women’s Caribbean Cup
From Jamaica Gleaner
Jamaica’s Reggae Girls have been drawn in Group 5 for the first round fixture of the Caribbean Football Union Women’s Caribbean Cup.
That Group will be hosted in the Dominica Republic from June 16 to 23.
Apart from Jamaica and the Dominica Republic the group also includes Anguilla and St Lucia.
The first round includes four other groups to be hosted in Antigua and Barbuda, Puerto Rico, Haiti and Turks and Caicos Islands.
Groups one, two and three kick off the action on May 21, while Group four starts on May 28.
The final round will take place between August 17-27 and will hosted by Trinidad & Tobago.
For more: http://jamaica-gleaner.com/latest/article.php?id=52589
NOTE: Cayman Islands are in Group 3 along with Turks & Caicos (host) and St Kitts & Nevis. They must win all their games to qualify for the next round.
UK must decide on Cayman Islands east-west arterial road extension
Even though all sides in the proposed Ironwood $360M golf development in North Side are now on the same page and all looks rosy there is still one huge stumbling block to the whole venture.
The United Kingdom’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) must approve what is in reality a $40 million loan to the Cayman government to finance the east-west arterial extension.
Ironwood spokesperson, David Moffitt said on Wednesday (30) the Ironwood development will only happen if the road is approved.
And it is the FCO who has the final say on that!
Although the developers will not receive any concessions or duty waivers at all on the project, all of the taxes, fees and duties associated with the development will be paid in full to government and it will be ring-fenced and given back to the developers to pay-off the road loan.
Bruce Golding warns of ‘recession type conditions’ in Caribbean for years
From Press Display (via Stabroek News)
Ex- Jamaican premier Bruce Golding was speaking at the Caribbean Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors ( CARIAFA) at the Hilton Rose Hall Hotel and Spa in St James.
He told the delegates that as a result of the slow pace of the economic recovery, several Caribbean Islands, including Jamaica have had to enter into agreements with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
“In Grenada they are about to enter a new agreement with the IMF and therefore they are likely to face serious structural issues that are likely to require strong painful policy response,” the former prime minister argued.
During last night’s ceremony, Patricia Marguerite Gilding of Barbados was inducted in CARAIFA’s Hall of Fame.
More than 200 delegates from across the Caribbean attended the congress, which ended on Wednesday (30).
For more: http://www.pressdisplay.com/pressdisplay/viewer.aspx
Cayman premier says no pay rise to civil servants
The Cayman Islands Civil Service will not see any pay rises including the 3.2% cost of living allowance (COLA) this year.
Premier Hon. Alden McLaughlin said government’s personnel budget cannot exceed $241M, in keeping with the agreement it has with the United Kingdom.
The Premier said, “This is not about quick fixes, not about slashing this post or that post for when the budget is delivered. It’s about spending over the course of the next year, that’s what this budget is about.”
AUC Awards Inaugural Alumni Heritage Scholarship
From AUCMED
American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine (AUC) has named MaKenzie Tremp the inaugural recipient of the university’s Alumni Heritage Scholarship. Ms. Tremp, a native of Traverse City, Michigan, is a member of AUC’s incoming class in May.
The new scholarship program, which covers tuition for the first semester, engages AUC alumni in the process of identifying aspiring physicians who are currently living AUC’s core values. “AUC students demonstrate social accountability, embrace diverse life experiences and are engaged students and citizens,” said Heidi Chumley, MD, executive dean and chief academic officer. “The Alumni Heritage Scholarship recognizes and rewards incoming students who exemplify the breadth and depth of AUC’s culture beyond academics.”
Ms. Tremp, a graduate of Grand Valley State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in biomedical sciences, gained recognition for her mission trip in China and clinical work as a certified nurse’s assistant. “If you would have asked me at age three what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would have told you ‘a baby doctor,’” she said. “In May, I will officially be on my way.”
For more: http://www.aucmed.edu/news-and-events/news/auc-awards-inaugural-alumni-heritage-scholarship.aspx
47-year-old male formally charged with three traffic offences in Cayman Islands
Yesterday, (30th April 2014) a Bodden Town Police officer formally charged a 47-year-old male with traffic offences of leaving the scene of an accident, driving under the influence, and careless driving.
He was bailed to appear before the Traffic Court, George Town on Monday, the 5th of May at 10:00 am. These charges transpired out of a two vehicle accident that occurred on 28th December 2013 just after mid-night at Lower Valley, Bodden Town involving a Dodge Ram Truck and a BMW motor car.
ACS will host workshop on tourism strategies for the Caribbean
Port-of-Spain, May 1 (Prensa Latina) The Office for the Caribbean of the International Labour Organization (ILO) with the support of Association of Caribbean States (ACS) will be hosting a joint workshop on Tourism strategies and perspectives in the area.
According to the ACS Secretariat the event will take place on May 6th and 7th, and they are part of a national program to train national agencies linked to tourism development.
The main objectives of this training programme are capacity building to implement methodologies and tools for identifying technological, occupational and organizational trends and their impacts on skills strategies and vocational training programmes, the statement said.
The ACS considered this is a key step in order to enhance competitiveness in the Greater Caribbean States and generate more productive jobs and to achieve the establishment of the Sustainable Tourism Zone of the Caribbean as a geographically determined cultural, socio-economic and biologically rich and diverse unit, in which tourism development is based on the principles of sustainability, integration, co-operation and consensus.
For more: http://www.plenglish.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2635991&Itemid=1
Latin American and Caribbean states condemn illegal use of I.T. against Cuba
HAVANA, Cuba, April 30 (acn) The Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) condemned on Tuesday the illegal use of Information and Communication Technologies against its members states as it was the case of the recent anti-Cuba twitter known as Zunzuneo.
The program, sponsored by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) was designed to destabilize internal order on the island through subversive messages aimed at masses of people.
In a communiqué released on Tuesday, CELAC says that the use of the I.T. disregarding international regulations has a negative impact on nations and citizens.
The Community notes that the application of I.T. must be fully compatible with the objectives and principles of the UN Charter and International Law, such as the sovereignty of the states and the non-interference with domestic affairs.
The communiqué also says that international cooperation is the most effective way to counter violations of those principles.
The government of Costa Rica, current temporary chair of CELAC, demanded an explanation from US authorities on the illegal use of Costa Rican territory to launch the anti-Cuba Zunzuneo network.
See also iNews Cayman related story published April 30 2014 “A Caribbean obsession: The United States’ endless campaign to destabilize Cuba” at: http://www.ieyenews.com/wordpress/a-caribbean-obsession-the-united-states-endless-campaign-to-destabilize-cuba/
The US government is using social media to battle terrorist regimes
By Billy Steele From engadget
The United States government puts hundred of billions toward military spending to fighting terrorism each year, but it’s also putting social media to work combating Al-Qaeda and other extremists.
In a report released today {April 30), the US State Department revealed that its Center for Strategic Counterterrorism Communications (CSCC) composed over 10,000 posts worldwide in 2013.
So, what services are being used to pass along the content? Those outlets include popular social networks like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Google+ and more. There’s even a small selection of state-produced video content that’s part of the tally.
“Social media platforms allowed violent extremist groups to circulate messages more quickly, but confusion and contradictions among the various voices within the movement are growing more common,” the report details. This is due in part to the government training those affected by terrorism to counter the messages with their own stories.
For more: http://www.engadget.com/2014/04/30/us-government-social-media-fight-terrorism/?ncid=rss_truncated
Cayman Islands Airport News From Airlinesim
01.05. 08:52 UTC Apure Air has opened a new branch office at Grand Cayman Island.
26.04. 07:12 UTC Caribbean Connect Express has opened a new branch office at Grand Cayman Island.
02.04. 14:00 UTC MCO Express have shut down their branch office at Grand Cayman Island.
30.03. 18:49 UTC MCO Express has opened a new branch office at Grand Cayman Island.
26.03. 16:20 UTC Cayman Holding has ceased operations, all shares have been returned or liquidated.
26.03. 16:20 UTC Air Cayman Express has ceased operations, all shares have been returned or liquidated.
26.03. 16:20 UTC Air Cayman has ceased operations, all shares have been returned or liquidated.
26.03. 16:20 UTC Air Cayman has opened a new branch office at Beef Island.
26.03. 16:19 UTC Air Cayman has opened a new branch office at Anguilla.
26.03. 16:17 UTC Air Cayman has opened a new branch office at Providenciales.
25.03. 07:42 UTC Air Cayman has opened a new branch office at Miami International.
25.03. 07:41 UTC Air Cayman has opened a new branch office at Nassau International.
25.03. 07:39 UTC The enterprise Air Cayman Express, a new subsidiary of Cayman Holding, has been launched in Grand Cayman Island.
25.03. 07:38 UTC The enterprise Air Cayman, a new subsidiary of Cayman Holding, has been launched in Grand Cayman Island.
25.03. 07:37 UTC Cayman Holding has been founded in Grand Cayman Island.
For more: http://croydon.airlinesim.aero/app/info/airports/1094;jsessionid=D42DD875D6585EB2EC3F5FB2544C9389?0
UVI-CES Hosts Caribbean Beekeeping Congress and Caribbean Bee College
By St Thomas Source Staff
The University of the Virgin Islands Cooperative Extension Service (UVI-CES) will be hosting the 7th Caribbean Beekeeping Congress and the 2nd Annual Caribbean Bee College on May 26-30 at the Albert A. Sheen Campus, University of the Virgin Islands, St. Croix.
This event is sponsored through a partnership among UVI-CES, V.I. Department of Agriculture (VIDOA), Association of Caribbean Beekeepers’ Organizations (ACBO), East Caribbean Bee Research and Extension Center (ECBREC) at the St. Georges University (SGU), the Honey Bee Research and Extension Lab (HBREL) at the University of Florida (UF), and beekeepers and other groups in the Caribbean, in an effort to share a platform in which beekeepers can effectively deliver research, current events and issues, information, tools and resources that will improve the sustainability of beekeeping in the islands.
For more information, contact Carlos Robles, event coordinator, at 693-1083, e-mail: [email protected] or visit the Web site http://www.uvi.edu/community/cooperative-extension-service/agriculture-a…
They will fight eternally: Royal Caribbean vs. Beckham
By Neil deMause from Field of Schemes
Miami’s Downtown Bay Forum held a public debate yesterday on David Beckham’s proposed MLS stadium at PortMiami, and while the main combatants continue to be Beckham vs. Royal Caribbean cruise lines, there’s a growing list of elected officials opposed to the site as well:
The group who opposes a Major League Soccer stadium at PortMiami announced Wednesday, they have now produced a petition signed by 11 mayors who oppose a port stadium.
Among them are leaders of Miami Beach, Homestead, Pinecrest, South Miami, Coral Gables and Cutler Bay Mayor Ed MacDougall.
“I think it’s more about taxpayer’s property that needs to be put to a better use, left to cargo and jobs,” said MacDougall.
Of course, none of these people are mayor of Miami, where the stadium would actually go. And you have to imagine that they probably showed up because they were asked to by Royal Caribbean. But still, it qualifies as growing opposition to the site. (Nobody seems opposed to an MLS stadium in general.)
Meanwhile, Royal Caribbean lobbyist John Fox alleged that other cruise lines aren’t taking a stadium on the PortMiami proposal only because they’re seeking their own subsidies from the city:
Carnival’s owner, Micky Arison, also owns the Miami Heat, which is trying to extend its county lease for AmericanAirlines Arena. Norwegian’s top shareholder is Genting Hong Kong, part of the Malaysian-based conglomerate that includes Resorts World Miami, which runs a gambling ship out of PortMiami and hopes to build a casino resort at the site of the old Miami Herald building.
Royal Caribbean, meanwhile, has a lease that lets it pay less than half of market rate for its port property. But, you know, are anyone’s hands truly clean?
For more: http://www.fieldofschemes.com/2014/05/01/7240/they-will-fight-eternally-royal-caribbean-vs-beckham/
Region mourns death of prominent Caribbean jurist
From Pride News
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad CMC – The Regional Judicial and Legal Services Commission (RJLSC) and the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) have paid tribute to the late Dr. Joseph Samuel Archibald, QC, saying there “are very few persons in the Caribbean legal fraternity whose professional acumen can rival” him.
Archibald, 80, died earlier this month and was buried in Tortola last Saturday.
The two regional bodies said that the former long-serving member of the RJLSC “was instrumental in charting the waters of governance for the RJLSC and for the CCJ, then in its infancy.
“The records of the Commission attest to his very potent contributions and uncompromising stance on matters in defense of what he considered best for the Commission and the Court, even when he stood alone in opposition to his peers. This was the tenacity of the man we fondly called ‘Archie’.
“Indeed, there are very few persons in the Caribbean legal fraternity whose professional acumen can rival Dr Archibald’s. Of his knowledge, experience and training, he dispensed freely and unstintingly to the RJLSC and the CCJ, always modestly and unassumingly.”
The two institutions described the former jurist as “a fearless and outstanding exemplar of the fortitude with which members on this and, indeed, all responsible institutions must serve.”
They said his death on April 3, brought to an end a distinguished and illustrious career, adding “the region is fortunate to have had the contribution of this brilliant mind”.
The British Virgin islands government described Archibald as “a legend of his era and one of the most renowned legal minds in the Caribbean.
“Dr. Archibald, QC was instrumental in shaping the rules and guidelines for ethical practices and behaviour for practicing barristers and solicitors at the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court.”
St. Kitts-Nevis Prime Minister Dr. Denzil Douglas led a five member delegation to the funeral, which was expected to be attended by prominent political and legal officials from the region and internationally.
For more: http://pridenews.ca/2014/04/30/region-mourns-death-of-prominent-caribbean-jurist/
Guyana revokes controversial work permit originally issued to US Contractor
GEORGETOWN, Guyana, Thursday May 1, 2014, CMC – The Government of Guyana has revoked the work permit of the Head of a US funded Leadership and Democracy (LEAD) project, that has been a source of controversy.
On Wednesday, the Government revoked Glenn Bradbury’s work permit.
“It is a fact that the revocation has taken place but it is equally a fact that Mr., Bradbury, a Canadian citizen has had a reputation brought to the attention both of his employer- the US government through its Ambassador – and to the Canadian High Commission.
“I would want to believe that we can in general speak to the revocation being made on the that the immigration laws of Guyana have been offended by Mr. Bradbury and his actions in Guyana,” said Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr. Roger Luncheon.
When contacted, Bradbury declined to react to the decision and its wider implications for the future of the US$1.5 million project.
Bradbury, a Canadian, is employed by the US-based International Republican Institute (IRI), which has been contracted by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to execute the LEAD project.
Bradbury’s work permit revocation came less than one week after the governing Peoples Progressive Party Civic (PPPC) called for LEAD to be halted pending discussions and possible re-crafting of the project.
The PPPC has in the past accused the US of using the project to bolster the opposition’s electoral chances by providing funding and other resources.
The American embassy has always maintained that no money has been provided to any political party, but that support had been provided for awareness sessions on long-awaited local government elections.
Attorney General threatens legal action against Trinidad Express newspaper
PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad, Thursday May 1, 2014, CMC – Attorney General Anand Ramlogan has signaled his intention to take legal action against the Trinidad Express newspaper for what he claims are “defamatory statements” against him in a story published on Wednesday.
The article – “Probe AG office” written by journalist Kim Boodram, was a report on a speech delivered by Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley at a public meeting on Monday night.
The Attorney General’s pre-action protocol letter cites Rowley’s statements at the meeting: “Attorney General has a serious set of questions to answer…” and “Among those questions was whether Ramlogan participated in the drafting of the letter that he claimed was later sent by (former Solicitor General) Donaldson-Honeywell to call off the need for a probe…”
The newspaper received a pre-action protocol letter on Wednesday from Ramlogan’s attorney, Kelvin Ramkissoon, who, on behalf of his client, said the paper had 48 hours to respond to the Attorney General’s correspondence “having regard to the seriousness of the allegations raised”.
The letter cited excerpts of the article that Ramlogan considered defamatory.
The Attorney General alleged that the article “meant and were understood to mean”, among other things, that the Attorney General had used his executive power to circumvent and compromise the judicial process; committed acts that are corrupt and/or illegal and/or improper and has thereby engaged in criminality; and is guilty of misbehaviour in public office.
Cayman Islands: 2013-14 CIFA Women’s League Match W23 Cancellation
Please be advised that Elite SC is not able to field a team to play the match W23 due to tomorrow’s Batabano activities.
Elite SC has requested the game to be played in another date however due to the Women’s National Team participation in the CFU qualifiers this month, there is no more available dates for rescheduling.
The points have been awarded to Sunset FC therefore the below match has been cancelled and the final result is Elite SC 0 X 3 Sunset FC.
The result of the match does not make any impact in the league’s final standing as all teams have more than 3 points difference between them.
Cayman Garden Club invites everyone to “Living In Paradise
Sat May 3rd and Sun May 4th – 55th Flower Show – 495 NW Point Road
