iNews Briefs
Cayman Islands Appeal’s Court Judge retires
Appeals Court Judge, Sir Anthony Campbell, has retired after four years’ service on the Cayman Islands Court of Appeal.
Sir Anthony had a distinguished career at the public Bar of Northern Ireland and was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1974. He served as a judge of the High Court of Northern Ireland, and, from 1998, as Justice of Appeal for Northern Ireland.
Among those paying tribute during a brief ceremony in Grand Court earlier this month were Chief Justice Anthony Smellie, President of the Court of Appeal – Sir John Chadwick, and barrister Nigel Meeson on behalf of the Bar Association.
Father of shooting victim angrily rails against NRA and ‘craven politicians’ in emotional press conference
By Brett Logiurato From Business Insider
The father of a 20-year-old student killed in a “mad man’s” rampage blamed the National Rifle Association and “craven politicians” for his death in an emotional press conference.
Christopher Ross Michaels-Martinez was the last of six people killed by suspect Elliot Rodger before he turned the gun on himself, according to police. His father, Richard Martinez, delivered a statement:
“Our family has a message for every parent out there. You don’t think it’ll happen to you child until it does. Chris was a really great kid. Ask anyone who knew him. His death has left our family lost and broken.
“Why did Chris die? Chris died because of craven, irresponsible politicians and the NRA. They talk about gun rights. What about Chris’ right to live?! When will this insanity stop? When will enough people say, ‘Stop this madness?’ We don’t have to live like this! Too many have died. We should say to ourselves, ‘Not. One. More.'”
Elliot Rodger, the man named as a suspect by police, allegedly killed six people and himself Friday night, a crime that has rocked a quiet community near the University of California, Santa Barbara. Santa Barbara County sheriff Bill Brown told reporters Saturday night that Rodger stabbed three victims inside his residence before going on a shooting spree and killing three others.
For more: http://www.businessinsider.com/video-richard-martinez-nra-ucsb-shooting-2014-5#ixzz32vsrXFOJ
Michael Moore on Santa Barbara shooting: ‘I no longer have anything to say’
By Seth Fiegerman From Mashable
Michael Moore is officially out of words. Almost.
The prominent filmmaker behind Bowling For Columbine, a documentary about a school shooting that took place in 1999, reacted to news about Friday night’s shooting near the University of California, Santa Barbara, with a short, but powerful Facebook post.
“I no longer have anything to say about what is now part of normal American life,” Moore wrote. “Everything I have to say about this, I said it 12 years ago.”
He went on to argue that the United States is plagued by violent episodes like this one in large part because of weak gun laws, which make it possible for “disturbed white males” to get their hands on deadly weapons. Unless the U.S. acknowledges its problems with violence, and the government pushes for stronger gun laws, Moore said he believes history will be doomed to repeat itself.
“We won’t pass the necessary laws, but more importantly we won’t consider why this happens here all the time. When the NRA says, ‘Guns don’t kill people — people kill people,’ they’ve got it half-right. Except I would amend it to this: ‘Guns don’t kill people — Americans kill people,'” he wrote. “Enjoy the rest of your day, and rest assured this will all happen again very soon.”
Royal Caribbean to develop Cape Liberty Cruise Port expansion
By: Newswire
Royal Caribbean Cruises entered into an agreement with The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey for the cruise company to develop the next phase of Cape Liberty Cruise Port in Bayonne, N.J. The $55-million project will include the construction of a new, guest terminal, with 125,000 square feet of check-in, customs and immigration and luggage processing space, as well as a 900-car parking structure and pier improvements. The new facilities will be erected adjacent to the current terminal used to welcome guests and will accommodate the cruise company’s ships, including the Quantum of the Seas and Anthem of the Seas, each to start service at Cape Liberty in November 2014 and 2015, respectively. Ground breaking has already occurred and the new terminal is scheduled to be completed in November 2014.
“The planned state-of-the-art cruise terminal at Cape Liberty will perfectly complement our Quantum-class ships, which will be the most technologically advanced ships in the world,” said Adam Goldstein, president and COO of Royal Caribbean Cruises. “We are glad to work with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to develop world-class facilities for vacationers to embark on the most innovative cruise ships for an experience that can only be found on Royal Caribbean.”
Opened in May 2004, Cape Liberty Cruise Port is located 15 minutes from Newark Liberty International Airport and seven miles south of Manhattan. The port is the year-round home of Royal Caribbean International’s Explorer of the Seas, and seasonally for Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Summit. The port will welcome the highly anticipated Quantum of the Seas for its inaugural season sailing to the Caribbean and Bahamas starting in November 2014. Liberty of the Seas will then homeport at Cape Liberty in summer 2015 and become Royal Caribbean International’s largest and most innovative cruise ship to sail to Bermuda. In winter 2015, Cape Liberty will be the homeport for Quantum of the Seas’ sister-ship Anthem of the Seas, after the ship completes its inaugural season in Europe.
For more information, visit www.royalcaribbean.com
First Caymanian Roman Catholic priest ordained in Cayman
Father Joseph Derek Kirkconnell was ordained Cayman’s first Catholic priest on Saturday (24).
The ordination took place at St. Ignatius Catholic Church, where Pastor Suresh Rajaian announced that Father Kirkconnell has been assigned to Cayman for only a few months before leaving to a parish in Gross Pointe, Michigan.
The ceremony began promptly at 10am and was witnessed by hundreds of parish members, relatives and friends of the Kirkconnell family, government dignitaries and religious leaders.
Radio Cayman and Cayman 27 broadcast proceedings to the wider community.
Fr. Kirkconnell started work the very next day –Sunday
Another Caymanian, Deacon Tristan Abbott will be ordained to the priesthood on Saturday, May 31, in Corpus Christi, Texas and he participated in the ceremony.
Guyana has to comply with CCJ ruling on environment tax
From Stabroek News
Attorney Christopher Ram says that Guyana must comply with a ruling by the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) to pay Suriname company Rudisa Bev-erages some US$6, 047,244.47 ($1.2B) which had been collected in an environmental tax that contravenes the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas (RTC).
“In my view Guyana has no option but to comply with the orders of the CCJ. Section 4 of the CCJ Act provides with narrow exceptions for decisions of the Court to be final. If we were to flout the declaration and orders handed down by the Court, we would be exacerbating an already bad situation and potentially invite retaliatory measures from our CARICOM partners,” Ram, also a chartered accountant, wrote on his blog.
In the ruling, issued earlier this month, the court also ordered Guyana to take the necessary legal or other measures to prevent the collection of the environmental tax on goods of Caricom origin. According to the ruling, the country is also obliged to file a report with the Court within six months on its compliance with the orders made by the Court.
The judgment, issued in the court’s original jurisdiction, could lead to similar claims against the government.
For more: http://www.stabroeknews.com/2014/news/stories/05/26/guyana-comply-ccj-ruling-environment-tax-ram/
Cayman Islands wins 156 certificates of excellence from travel website
TripAdvisor, one of the most influential world travel websites, has handed out 156 certificates of excellence to Cayman’s hotels, restaurants and tour operators in 2014.
To qualify for the award, businesses must maintain an average rating of four stars or higher, based on traveller reviews on the website that includes volume and quantity of recent reviews.
The top attraction in Cayman, according to reviewers on the website, is Stingray City. The top hotel is The Caribbean Club, and the highest rated restaurant is Bombay Chopsticks in East End.
Caricom-Spain identify critical areas for continued co-operation
From Stabroek News
The Caribbean Community and Spain have identified ICT and the development of regional micro, small and medium enterprises, among other priority areas for continued cooperation following the Third Meeting of the Caricom-Spain Joint Commission held on Monday.
These priorities, along with the strengthening of a competitive Regional economy are among areas that will be pursued under Spain’s technical cooperation agreement with the Caribbean Community. “Developing human capacity through the transfer of knowledge, as well as cooperation on sustainable development, the environment, and security were also singled out as areas for further cooperation between the Region and Spain,” a press release from the Caricom Secretariat said.
The two sides, led by Manorma Soeknandan PhD., Caricom Deputy Secretary-General and Rafael Garranzo Garcia, Director of Cooperation with Latin America and the Caribbean, of the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation for Development respectively, mapped out a new partnership for the next four years.
Human ‘suspended animation’ trials to start this month
By Mat Smith from engadget
The researchers behind it don’t want to call it suspended animation, but it’s the most conventional way to explain it. The world’s first humans trials will start at the UPMC Presbyterian Hospital in Pittsburgh, with 10 patients whose injuries would otherwise be fatal to operate on. A team of surgeons will remove the patient’s blood, replacing it with a chilled saline solution that would cool the body, slowing down bodily functions and delaying death from blood loss. According to Dr. Samuel Tisherman, talking to New Scientist: “We are suspending life, but we don’t like to call it suspended animation because it sounds like science fiction… we call it emergency preservation and resuscitation.”
Successful tests on pigs were achieved in 2000. After inducing fatal cuts, scientists were able to drop the body temperatures by around 10 degrees celsius. All the control pigs died, while those ‘preserved” had a 90 percent survival rate – after some heart restarts. Like these trials, the technique is currently only useful for emergency procedures after severe injuries, situations with a survival rate of only seven percent. Funding for part of the project has come from the US Army, and the idea apparently came from the Vietnam War, where military surgeons noted that the leading cause of death was blood loss in the first 5 to 20 minutes after injury, even though roughly a third of the soldiers had wounds that would have been survivable in a typical emergency room. Science fiction-like suspended animation is still a way off: this preservation state can apparently only be prolonged for around four hours. Not nearly enough for an intergalactic journey, but possibly enough to save lives.
For more: http://www.engadget.com/2014/05/26/human-suspended-animation-trials/?ncid=rss_truncated
Gall hopes mentorship can propel Cayman to finals
By caymanfootball
(CIFA) Shenel Gall, one of Cayman’s most outstanding female players hopes sharing her experiences with the younger members of the national team will pay dividends at the current Caribbean Football Union Women’s Championship in Turks.
Gall inspired a late Cayman Islands comeback on Sunday scoring in the 74th minute as Cayman mounted a rally and earned a 2-2 draw against Bermuda.
Gall who has previously played professionally in Europe credits the team’s sole focus on one goal for their late game resurgence.
“It’s great everyone is working together,” Gall told CaymanFootball.com. “Working hard and a positive vibe with everyone helping each other. We are all on the same page, we have the same goals and that is the key to the team.”
One of the more experienced players in the Cayman Islands national team, Gall hopes her exploits and experience, which she has shared with her younger teammates, can assist them on their quest to advance to the CFU Women’s Final round in August
“I guess the players look up to me because I have played at the highest level. I hope the players gain a lot from my experience and take it with them on the field.”
Gall and the Cayman Islands National Team have to beat Turks and Caicos by five clear goals on Tuesday’s final match day and Bermuda lose to St Kitts and Nevis in order to advance.
Stabbing in Cayman after dispute and woman taken to hospital after car crash
At around 9:30pm on Monday (26) at Windsor Park, George Town, Grand Cayman, two men were injured after a dispute near Oak Mill Street.
One man received a stab wound to the neck and the other received a stab wound to his leg.
In a separate incident a woman was taken to hospital after a car, a Toyota RAV-4 hit a Cayman Water truck, on Northwest Point Road by the bend in Bonnie’s Arch in West Bay, also on Monday.
The other driver appeared to be unhurt.
Taskforce outlines roadmap for Jamaica to decriminalise marijuana within 120 days
From Caribbean360
KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – The Jamaica government is being urged to enact legislation that would decriminalise marijuana as well as establish a medical marijuana industry.
The Cannabis Commercial and Medicinal Research Taskforce, which organised a three-day meeting on marijuana decriminalisation together with the Mona Campus of the University of the West Indies (UWI), says the Portia Simpson Miller administration should move within a four month period to decriminalise marijuana.
The taskforce has issued a 12-point roadmap it believes the government should follow. It wants the government to immediately expunge criminal records for all Jamaicans convicted for possessing small amounts of marijuana.
The task force said Jamaica would significantly benefit from a regulated medical marijuana industry.
Jamaica and other Caribbean Community (CARICOM) leaders will discuss the issue of decrominalisation of marijuana for medicinal purposes when they meet in Antigua in July for their annual summit.
The leaders during their inter-sessional summit in St. Vincent in March discussed a preliminary report prepared by the CARICOM Secretariat that indicated decriminalising marijuana for medicinal purposes could help boost the region’s economy.
The St. Lucia government has already said it is important for CARICOM to adopt a regional approach to settling the issue of the legislation of marijuana.
“The movement of citizens within the region makes it difficult to deal with the decriminalisation of marijuana on an individual basis. Therefore, I personally believe that this issue must be dealt with on the regional level,” Prime Minister Dr. Kenny Anthony has said.
Cayman Islands DoE urges boaters to look out for turtles
By Angela Piercy Cayman Islands Government
An adult male green turtle weighing more than 300 lbs. was found dead in a mangrove area of North Sound on Wednesday, 21 May. A group of kayakers spotted the turtle in a remote area and notified the Department of Environment (DoE). DoE research staff recovered the turtle and observed a deep fracture in its upper shell, characteristic of a propeller wound. According to DoE Research Officer Janice Blumenthal, “Turtles spend time at the surface breathing, basking in the sun, and mating. Adult male and female turtles are particularly vulnerable to boat strikes.” She continued, “The turtle breeding and nesting season has now begun and will continue throughout the summer. DoE urges members of the public to exercise caution when boating: Use slow speeds when possible, and watch out for turtles at the surface.” DoE staff collected samples from the turtle and transported it to the St. Matthew’s University School of Veterinary Medicine where veterinarians, assisted by students, will perform a full internal examination (necropsy) and report the results to DoE.
Veterinary School Associate Professor of Clinical Sciences Samantha Shields said, “This partnership with DoE is an excellent educational opportunity for our students as well as providing information which benefits turtle conservation.”
Ms Blumenthal added “We hope this unfortunate incident increases the boating public’s awareness, helping us better protect and conserve Cayman’s turtles.” Members of the public finding dead or injured turtles are asked to call the Department of Environment’s Sea Turtle Hotline at 938-NEST (938-6378).
This giant sea turtle crashed a beach wedding in the Caribbean
From Repeating Islands
This giant sea turtle, which crashed a beach wedding in the Caribbean last weekend, has gone viral online – see attachment.
It happened during a wedding on the island of St. Croix, part of the U.S. Virgin Islands, according to Reddit user In3, who posted the photos on May 18.
According to the Huffington Post, the leatherback sea turtle came ashore, dug a hole, laid its eggs, covered them and then went back out to sea, all during the wedding.
The leatherback is the largest living breed of turtles on Earth.
For the original report go to http://www.mynews13.com/content/news/cfnews13/on-the-town/article.html/content/news/articles/cfn/2014/5/26/turtles_crashes_wedd.html
Paying tribute to the trademark talent of Jonny Wilkinson
By Mark Russell From GQ
When Jonny Wilkinson hangs up his boots next Saturday after the French Top 14 Final and today’s Heineken Cup Final, he can look back and be satisfied with his achievements. In a career spanning 17 years Wilkinson won 91 England caps, six Lions caps, scored a record 1,246 points, secured a last-gasp World Cup win, won a Grand Slam, four Six Nations titles and a Heineken Cup (with the possibly of two more trophies in his last two games).
More impressive than that haul, however, has been Wilkinson’s contribution to the sporting pantheon of the Blockbuster Signature Ritual. Eleven years after the craze swept the nation, we all still know his mesmerising pre-kick routine: the backwards steps and sideways shuffle, hands clasped almost in prayer, back slightly bent, legs shoulder-width apart, eyes on the prize. After the 2003 Rugby World Cup, barely a junior rugby game could pass without a kid aping his hero with a carbon copy of Wilkinson’s BSR.
Wilko, we salute you… and celebrate five more sporting geniuses with their own BSRs.
For more: http://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/entertainment/articles/2014-05/24/jonny-wilkinson-retirement
Beach Soccer arrives on Grand Cayman’s Seven Mile Beach
Register your team to participate today!
The Cayman Islands Football Association in conjunction with the Pirates Week Office, presents the inaugural Pirates Week Beach Soccer Open Cup on Saturday, May 31 and Sunday, Jun. 1 at Seven Mile Public Beach.
Playing in the spirit of the World Cup season, the tournament will feature around 30 five-a-side teams playing on two pitches and promises to be an extremely exciting event.
The ladies will be well represented in this competition in their all-female teams. Each team can have up to a maximum of 10 players and registration is only $150 per team ($100 for CIFA members) which also includes a free beach soccer T-shirt. There will be trophies for the winners and runners-up, most valuable player, fair play and other spot prizes.
For more information and to submit the registration form, contact the Pirates Week Office on 949-5078 or on email: [email protected]
CIFA members can also reach out to [email protected] for registration and information.
Visit to Ottawa by Caribbean island premier sparks renewed talk of 11th province
The Canadian Press and Terry Pedwell, The Canadian Press
OTTAWA – The premier of Turks and Caicos is leaving the door open to the prospect of his country joining Canada, even though he has opposed the idea in the past.
But Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird suggests Canadians are dreaming if they think they’ll have a province in the Caribbean any time soon.
Turks and Caicos Premier Rufus Ewing met Prime Minister Stephen Harper today in Ottawa, where he says the two leaders spoke about exploring a more formal relationship.
Ewing referred to the meeting as a “courtship,” but said they did not discuss the possibility of Turks and Caicos becoming Canada’s 11th province.
Even creating closer ties is a long shot, says Baird: the Harper government is not exploring stronger trade and investment, let alone annexing the British colonial territory.
Some provinces, however, appear open to the idea.
While Ewing was in Ottawa, P.E.I. Premier Robert Ghiz tweeted to Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall that he’d be happy to partner with the Prairie province on the Turks and Caicos project.
Conservative MP Peter Goldring has been pushing the idea for over a decade, saying that Canada needs its own Hawaii.
At least 13 killed in Haiti truck and boat accidents
By Joe ColasFrom Caribbean News Now
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (HCNN) — At least 13 people have been killed in Haiti in two separate accidents in less than 48 hours when a truck transporting goods and passengers on Friday fell off a cliff, one day after a small boat capsized near the town of Baraderes, both near the Caribbean country’s southern coasts.
A truck transporting goods and passengers fell off a cliff on Friday and hit a reef in the ocean on the coast of the southern town of Roche-à-Bateau en route to the remote district of Tiburon, leaving seven people killed and five injured, according to witnesses who spoke to HCNN.
“I personally saw five bodies, four men and one lady, but I confirmed with other witnesses two more deaths,” Marc Jerome, who witnessed the accident, told HCNN in a phone interview.
The cause of the accident was not clear, but some suggest it could have been a brake or differential problem. The Forward model truck was coming from the capital Port-au-Prince.
Six people were also reported killed in a different tragedy, when a small boat capsized on Thursday near the southern town of Baradères.
Chef Hutson opens new restaurant concept in Miami
By Michael Fickes From Chainstorage
Miami — Executive chef and owner Cindy Hutson plans to open a new restaurant concept called Zest in the 30,000-sq.-ft. plaza of Miami’s 1.2-million-sq.-ft. Southeast Financial Center office building. It will be her second restaurant brand following the well-regarded Ortanique, which has locations in Miami, and the Cayman Islands.
The 3,500-sq.-ft. Zest will feature a centralized, open concept kitchen and al fresco dining for 75 guests. Zest will also offer a private dining room for up to 30 guests. The private dining room can be seen through the glass walls of the restaurant’s wind cellar.
Zest will join other Southeast Financial Center plaza tenants including The Newsstand Café by Books & Books, Spris and The Cheese Course.
For more: http://www.chainstoreage.com/article/chef-hutson-opens-new-restaurant-concept-miami
Chinese Ship Sinks Vietnamese Fishing Boat
By Joe Weisenthal And Michael KelleyFrom Business Insider
Territorial tensions in Asia continue to rise.
The latest: A Chinese ship has reportedly sunk a Vietnamese fishing boat near a disputed Chinese oil rig in the South China Sea, reports the Nikkei.
Hanoi claims about 40 Chinese fishing boats surrounded a Vietnamese vessel before one of them began ramming it.
China’s official Xinhua news agency reported that the boat capsized after “harassing and colliding with” a Chinese fishing boat.
Vietnamese and Chinese ships have been running into each other near the rig ever since China towed a platform to the site earlier this month. No ships have sunken until now.
The recent tensions have ignited major anti-China protests in Vietnam. The demonstrations started peacefully have turned deadly.
Ebola Virus Kills 5 In First Outbreak in Sierra Leone
By Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai From Mashable
Five people have died in the first cases of Ebola virus in Sierra Leone, the World Health Organization said on Monday.
Ebola, a deadly hemorrhagic fever virus with a fatality rate of up to 90 percent, has already killed more than 100 people in its recent West Africa outbreak. Cases have been reported in Guinea, Liberia, and Mali.
The WHO said that it had received “preliminary information” about one case confirmed in a laboratory in Kenema, Sierra Leone, and four other “community deaths.” These were reported from Koidu, near the border with Guéckédou, Guinea, a disease hotspot.
In the statement, the WHO said it has deployed six experts “in the areas of coordination, epidemiology, social mobilization, case management/infection prevention and control, data management and logistics” to the area.
Despite these cases, the organization doesn’t recommend “any travel or trade restrictions” be applied to Sierra Leone.
Flipkart raises $210M in new funding from DST Global and returning investors
By Catherine Shu From Techcrunch
Flipkart, India’s largest e-commerce company, announced today that it has raised $210 million in a new funding round led by DST Global, with returning investors Tiger Global, Naspers, and Iconiq Capital also participating. The announcement comes on the heels of last week’s news that Flipkart will acquire online fashion retailer Myntra in a deal reportedly worth $300 million.
The new funding brings Flipkart’s total raised so far to $750 million. The company currently has 18 million registered users and 3.5 million daily visitors, but it faces stiff competition from other companies, including Amazon and Snapdeal, as they strive to pull ahead in India’s ecommerce market, which is expected to grow seven times to $22 billion in the next five years.
Snapdeal announced last week, just before the Flipkart-Myntra deal was confirmed, that it has secured another $100 million in funding, bringing its total raised so far to more than $400 million. Snapdeal recently acquired fashion discovery site Doozton.
Cayman CIFA rescheduled fixtures
See attached. Click to enlarge
The 20 banks that earn the most in fees
By Libby Kane From Business Insider
In 2013, financial institutions brought in $31.9 billion in overdraft fees alone — and that doesn’t include fees for things like maintaining a checking account or withdrawing from an out-of-network ATM.
Magnify Money, an educational financial website founded by two former bankers, breaks down FDIC bank fee data into revenue per branch in the infographic below. It shows that Fort Hood National Bank — a bank with branches inside Walmart stores that focuses on lending to military families — is the leading fee collector in the country, gathering about $1.2 million a year per branch.
Check out what your local bank is making in fees – see attachment
For more: http://www.businessinsider.com/banks-earning-the-most-fees-2014-5#ixzz32vrgDEn0
