iNews Briefs
GAA alive and kicking in the Caribbean [Cayman to be exact]
From bula.ie
Over 100 men and women took part in a Gaelic Football tournament in the Cayman Islands at the weekend [21/22]
Sports reporter Jerome Quinn visited in the Cayman Islands last weekend to see for himself how GAA has never been bigger on the other side of the world.
The Caymans are situated in the Caribbean between the coasts of Cuba and Belize
Saturday saw the 2014 Gaelic Football Finals Day held at Camana Bay, with over 100 men and women, with a mix of Irish and non-Irish come together for a family day out and great display of Peil Ghaelach.
“It doesn’t matter where you’re from, we have all different nationalities, everyone is very welcoming and it’s an awesome game.”, said Bobeth O’Garro, a Caymanian who took part in the games.
To watch the whole report via video go to: http://bula.ie/2014/06/24/video-gaa-alive-kicking-caribbean/
Head scratcher: Smuggler attempts to ship marijuana from PHL to Caribbean
By Sam Wood, Philly.Com
Marijuana is smuggled all the time from the Caribbean into the United States, but with what frequency does ganja move in the opposite direction?
U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents last week discovered more than a pound of pot stashed inside the casing of a small home stereo headed for Trinidad and Tobago.
CBP routinely examines outbound air cargo for contraband. Last Thursday, as a rectangular box was X-rayed at a shipping broker near Philadelphia International Airport, an agent noticed something unusual on the monitor — the image of a gun.
Agents opened the box and disassembled the stereo receiver. Inside was a Springfield Armory XD semi-automatic handgun, one magazine, and 10 vacuum-sealed bags containing a green, leafy material.
“We took it apart and that’s what we found,” said Steve Sapp, a spokesman for the CBP.
Marijuana is illegal in Trinidad and Tobago, a nation of two small islands off the coast of Venezuela. However, enforcement of the law is reportedly lax.
The gun was a nice catch, Sapp said. Totally unexpected was the 540 grams of well-packed cannabis.
“It was only a bit more than a pound,” Sapp said. “But it’s very unusual for us to find marijuana being shipped from the U.S. to Trinidad.”
For more on this story go to: http://www.philly.com/philly/news/Head_scratcher_Smuggler_attempts_to_ship_marijuana_from_PHL_to_Caribbean.html#7dpHtjZZYqUzSzAB.99
Cayman Prep students show to make your garden grow
The Year Two students at Cayman Prep planted their crops in January, with assistance from the Department of Agriculture, and watched their garden grow.
Despite battling chickens and green iguanas, which were damaging the crops, they are nearing the end of a very successful season.
With help from the Parent Teacher Association funds were raised to construct a wire enclosure to keep the pests at bay and there was enough over to purchase a 65 gallon rain barrel to collect rainwater from the school’s roof.
Sarah Burton, the school’s garden coordinator said, “This has been a pivotal year for our school’s organic vegetable garden. As momentum in the local food movement continues to grow, parents, staff, and students have come together to bring this beautiful space to an entirely new level.”
Burton became involved with the project last year.
The garden’s raised bed was constructed in 2011 when Cayman Prep was selected as a Project Grow School. Generali, Vigoro Nursery and HSBC are the main sponsors of Project Grow. Now enclosed and fertilized with organic compost, the Cayman Prep garden has been yielding six varieties of tomato, season peppers, basil, mint, thyme, rosemary, sunflowers, and spring onions.
Caribbean statesman champions regional integration
From Radio Cadena Agramonte
Havana, Cuba, Jun 26.- The struggle along with Cuba for regional integration was the focus on Wednesday of Denzil Llewellyn Douglas, Prime Minister of the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis, who is on an official visit to Cuba.
We’ll continue to be next to Cuba in the struggle for integration and understanding in Latin America and the Caribbean, said the visitor after inaugurating the diplomatic mission of his country at the Miramar Business Center, west of Havana.
He defined as decisive the help St. Kitts and Nevis has received from Cuba over the last 19 years of concretion of bilateral bonds.
Cuba’s cooperation has made an indelible impression on my country, he said, after mentioning that it has developed in key sectors like health, education, the environment, agriculture and architecture, among others, in which “it has irradiated a positive and fruitful influence.”
After his arrival in Havana for the second time this year (the first visit took place in January to attend the 2nd Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States), Douglas visited places of interest and had contacts with Cuban authorities, after which he will return home on Thursday. (acn).
Cayman Aud Gen office uses outside help
Cayman Islands Auditor General, Alastair Swarbrick, told Cayman’s Legislative Assembly’s Finance Committee last week that his staff has been depleted to 17 and his office has had no choice but to solicit help from local accounting firms.
Value for money audits and even some of the audits of government financial statements are being done by local accounting firms or several foreign firms that were hired through a request for proposal process.
Swarbrick said all the persons from the outside firms work for him and are directed by Martin Ruben, the office’s audit principal.
The cost of employing outside firms is around $200,000 per year.
Swarbrick also told the committee some audits were executed by outsourcing. These included the Cayman Turtle Farm, the airports authority and Cayman Airways. Others would include certain aspects of the local courts system, the director of public prosecutions, the information commissioner and the complaints commissioner.
Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis Ends Visit to Cuba
From Radio Cadena Agramonte
Havana, Jun 26.- The Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis, Denzil Douglas, will conclude his official visit to Cuba today, after completing scheduled activities which included official talks with President Raul Castro.
During the meeting held in this capital, the leaders reviewed the favorable development of bilateral relations and discussed issues on the regional and multilateral agenda.
Douglas also paid tribute to National Hero Jose Marti at the memorial erected to the Cuban independence leader at Revolution Square in Havana, visited sites of scientific interest, and opened his country’s embassy in this capital.
At the opening ceremony for the embassy, Douglas stressed the ties of friendship and cooperation developed by both Caribbean nations since the formal establishment of those relations on May 10, 1995.
He also thanked Cuba for its support of his government’s efforts to raise quality of life for the St. Kitts and Nevis population, through collaboration in areas that include higher education, agriculture, technology, sports, and health, among others. (Prensa Latina).
Cayman National Gallery’s Creative Workshop registration open
Creative Workshop with Panteli Tritchew
Date: Saturday, 28 June 2014
Time: 1:30 PM – 3:30 PM
Fees: Free for NGCI members ($10 non-members)
Refreshments are provided.
Booking is recommended,
contact: [email protected]
Space is limited to 35 participants.
Looking for some creative booster juice?
The National Gallery is please to host a creativity workshop with Panteli Trichew, lecturer in applied communication at a Canadian university.
In this interactive workshop participants will explore creativity and the creative cycle, identify blockages to creative expression, and workshop key strategies to confront tensions that block our impulses to create and innovate.
Participants will leave the session with a new understanding of the challenges to creative expression and strategies aimed to inspire them to continue current projects or initiate new projects with renewed energy and vision.
The session will look at the multiple dimensions of living creatively in all aspects of our lives. We welcome everyone, regardless of profession or creative abilities, to attend this special workshop.
For more information call us at (345) 945 8111 or email [email protected]
Cayman & Jamaican Diocese focuses on disaster preparedness
With the 2014 Trans-Atlantic Hurricane Season now underway, the Diocese of Jamaica & The Cayman Islands is stepping up its focus on disaster preparedness in an effort to protect human life and the Church’s vast property holdings.
The Mission & Ministry Department will be hosting a half-day Disaster Preparedness Workshop tomorrow (June 26) at the St. Andrew Parish Church Hall, Ellesmere Road, Half-Way Tree, from 10.00 a.m. – 2.00 p.m. Designed especially for Clergy, Church Workers, Plant Managers and other persons responsible for Church infrastructure and assets, the Workshop is being organised in collaboration with the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), whose representative, Miss Terryann Forrester, will guide the discussions. Social worker, Mrs. Karlene Boyce-Reid, will address the management of post-event trauma.
The Diocese’s Director of Mission and Ministry, Mrs. Carmen Bromley, says the Workshop will reinforce the measures included in the Diocesan Disaster Plan, which is aimed at helping Church institutions to cope for at least three days without external assistance, following a disaster; and to ensure a speedy return to normal operations.
“Several of our churches are heritage sites and are, therefore, of great national value. We also have a vast collection of historical documents and other materials which should be appropriately protected; and we expect that this Workshop will provide a practical guide for participants,” Mrs. Bromley notes.
In addition to providing guidelines for hurricane preparedness, the Diocesan Disaster Plan also covers response to earthquake, fire and civil disturbances, for the protection of churches and other facilities including church halls, rectories, schools, children’s homes, residences for the aged, the Nuttall Memorial Hospital and the Hillcrest Diocesan Retreat Centre in St. Ann.
Here’s the quickest way to make yourself disappear from Google
By Jacob Siegal From BGR
Taking advantage of Google’s new policy concerning your “right to be forgotten” can be a bit complicated, but one website is trying to make it easier. Forget.me takes the hassle out of removing unwanted links appearing on the ubiquitous search engine by simplifying the process, optimizing your request and alerting you once Google has received the request.
In order to use the site, you simply sign up for an account and make a search removal request. Within the request form, you’ll be shown a list of the top search results containing your name, but you can add individual links that aren’t listed as well.
Once you’ve selected all the links you’d like to have removed, you are given the chance to justify their removal. Some of the justifications include criminal procedure, privacy and death, and you’ll be given the opportunity to edit the text of the justification before you send it.
Once you’ve completed all the steps, you will have two options: have the Forget.me team send the request to Google for you or send it yourself. During the “start-up phase,” the service will be entirely free, but that may change once the website takes off.
And that’s it — you’ve officially exercised your right to be forgotten. Forget.me can track the removal request and will let you know when the link has disappeared.
New plane for Cayman Airways
Cayman Airways, the National flag carrier has announced it will be adding a Saab 340 turboprop to its fleet on a wet lease for a period of 6 months starting in August.
President and CEO Fabian Whorms said during this wet lease period the airline “will identify and acquire our own aircraft and have it configured exactly to our operating needs and branding specifications. It is also during this period that we will train our pilots and ground staff to operate and maintain the aircraft.”
Cayman Airways only plans to operate the Saab 340 between Grand Cayman and Cayman Brac. Twin Otter service will remain in place to serve Little Cayman to Grand Cayman and to Cayman Brac.
Tingyi Cayman Islands: Daiwa starts Tingyi at HK$22.9
From 4 Traders
[ET Net News Agency, 26 June 2014] Daiwa Research initiated coverage on Tingyi Cayman Islands (00322) with an “outperform” rating and a target price of HK$22.9.
With its competitive pricing strategy and effective promotions, Tingyi looks poised to pull further ahead of its peers, said the research house.
Daiwa said Tingyi’s product diversification and strong scale advantages in both
beverages and noodles deserve a premium valuation. It forecast the company’s noodles operating margin to hit trough in 2014 at 11.2%, and gradually expand from 2015 onwards as it regains pricing power. (KL)
$17 million research prize will go towards drug-resistant bacteria studies
By Daniel From engadget
Viruses used to pinpoint superbugs within minutes, might lead to safer surfaces
Antibiotic resistant bacteria is one of the greatest public health threats of our age, because we’re heading for a world where common maladies can overcome any drug that we throw at them. That’s why it’s been chosen as the goal for this year’s Longitude Prize. Like the original, awarded in 1765 to a carpenter who built the first chronometer, a £10 million ($17 million) bounty will be offered to anyone who believes that they can come up with a solution to the problem.
The prize is being co-funded by the UK Government and innovation charity Nesta, and is open to members of the general public as well as businesses and research institutions. According to the prize’s managers, the challenge will center around being able to build a cheap, accurate and rapid diagnostic system for bacterial infections. That way, medical professionals around the world will be able to use specific antibiotics, but only in cases where they’d actually be of use, rather than firing drugs blindly into our bodies. The challenge will run over the next five years, with the specific criteria for a successful test to be worked out over the summer. Participants will then be able to submit their ideas, with the first review taking place in the fall of 2015.
For more: http://www.engadget.com/2014/06/26/longitude-prize-goes-to-antibiotics/?ncid=rss_truncated
Mid Cap Gainers: Qunar Cayman Islands (NASDAQ:QUNR)
By Marcin Marchewa From CrazyJoys
Qunar Cayman Islands Ltd (NASDAQ:QUNR) announced on 15 may Total revenues for the first quarter of 2014 were RMB335.5 million (US$54.0 million), an increase of 83.6% year-on-year, surpassing the Company’s revenue guidance of a 65-70% year-on-year increase. Qunar Cayman Islands Ltd (NASDAQ:QUNR) stock on June 25, 2014 reported an increase of 6.57% to the closing price of $24.02. Its fifty two weeks range is $21.00 – $36.73. The overall volume in the last trading session was 563,126 shares. In its share capital, company has 114.06 million outstanding shares.
Cayman hospital will not hire smokers
The Heath Services Authority (HSA) in the Cayman Islands has announced they will not hire anyone who smokes.
A job applicant must be tobacco-free for six months to qualify for any position at their hospitals or clinics.
In 2007 Cayman’s private hospital Chrissie Tomlinson also introduced the same policy.
The HSA said smoking and secondhand smoke contribute to 30 premature deaths a year and cost CI$2M in health care and lost productivity.
World Cup goal celebrations are getting out of control
By Andrea Romano From Mashable
Even without Luis Suarez taking a bite out of an Italian player, the World Cup is full of crazy stunts pulled by players.
As Conan O’Brien sees it, these lengthy and sometimes choreographed World Cup goal celebrations are getting particularly out of control.
These world-renowned teams aren’t just topping each other in strength and skill at the World Cup, they’re also finding new and elaborate ways to celebrate their victories.
To see the video go to: http://mashable.com/2014/06/25/conan-obrien-world-cup/
Cayman tourism awards its members
The Cayman Islands Tourism Association (CITA) held its annual Stingray Awards and Dinner at the Westin Grand Cayman resort last Tuesday (24) night.
The most prestigious award of the night, the Lifetime Achievement Award, went to Mr. Guettler Clemens, owner of the Wharf and founder of the Cayman Islands Restaurant Association.
Other awards went to:
Accommodations: Manager, Melina Flora, Westin Grand Cayman Seven Mile Beach Resort & Spa; Employee, Viki Kapusi, Reef Resort
Allied/Attraction/Transportation: Manager – Jason Howard, Hurley’s Entertainment; Employee, Andrew Brown, Celebrations
Restaurant: Manager, Catherine Murray, Cimboco; Employee, Jean Johnson, Chicken!Chicken!
Watersports: Manager, Doug Anderson, Red Sail Sports; Employee, Kelly Higginbottom, Off the Wall Divers
Long Service: Bendel Ebanks, Cayman Turtle Farm: Island Wildlife Encounter
Rising Star: John Douglas, The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman.
It was also announced that Tiffany Dixon-Ebanks would be the new executive director of CITA.
Achievements of the 10th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism
CRFM Secretariat, Belize City, Wed. 25 June 2014—The Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM) Secretariat in Kingstown, St Vincent and the Grenadines, hosted the 10th Annual Scientific Meeting from June 10 to 17, 2014. Thirteen CRFM Member States: Anguilla, Belize, Grenada, Dominica, Guyana, Jamaica, Montserrat, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, The Bahamas, Trinidad and Tobago, and Turks and Caicos Islands, participated in this year’s meeting.
The meeting benefitted from technical support provided by Professor John Hoenig, Consultant, Professor of Marine Science at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science; Nancie Cummings, Fisheries Expert at US National Marine Fisheries Service; Professor Hazel Oxenford from the Centre for Resource Management and Environmental Studies, UWI, Cave Hill campus; and Dr. Paul Medley, International Fisheries Consultant from the UK.
See full story in iNews Cayman story today
Amendments to Cayman’s police law in the works to create complaints commission
The Cayman Islands government have said amendments to the Police Law will be brought before the Legislative Assembly to create a Police Public Complaints Commission.
The commission will “act as an independent civilian oversight body for the police and will receive and order an investigation of any complaint made by a member of the public against a police officer”.
Special assistant to Deputy Governor Manderson, Peter Gough, said the police complaints commission will comprise between three and five members and will be attached to the Commissions Secretariat. The secretariat manages other oversight commissions, such as the Constitutional Commission, the Judicial and Legal Services Commission, the Commission for Standards in Public Life and the Human Rights Commission.
Last week at the Legislative Assembly members quizzed Manderson on the number of complaints being made not only by the public against the police but police officers challenging internal disciplinary actions made against them and winning in the Cayman’s courts.
Manderson agreed that it was an area that needed some improvement and he had had talks with Police Commissioner David Baines about the matter.
900 Stolen Cellphones = $270K Profit + 27 months behind bars for Verizon employee
By Chris Morran From Consumerist
I’ll admit that when I worked at Dairy Queen in high school, I might have helped myself to the occasional Blizzard or Hot Fudge Brownie Delight, but I wasn’t stockpiling these soft-serve desserts and selling them for a profit. Alas, I lacked the entrepreneurial spirit of the Verizon Wireless employee who saw the potential for big bucks in pilfered hardware.
According to Philly.com [via DSLreports.com], a man in Telford, PA (only a few miles from the site of my DQ crimes), has been sentenced to two years and three months in jail for stealing 900 phones and other devices from the Verizon Wireless store he’d worked at.
[Note: I removed the link to the Philly.com story because I was getting a bizarre pop-up message.]
The man wasn’t just stealing inventory from the back of the store and hoping no one would notice. Nope, he was placing bogus orders for phones in the names of existing customers and then selling those devices online.
Given the hefty sticker prices on many new phones, the in-store thief was able to fetch a total of more than $328,000. After expenses — which we assume involves shipping and commission fees to eBay — the man earned a profit of more than $270,000.
Nine months delay in Cayman’s Summary Court trials
Last Tuesday (24) three criminal cases before the Cayman Islands Summary Court have had to be put back for nine months for their next court appearance.
This was the first available date.
At the opening of the Cayman Islands Grand Court last January Chief Justice Anthony Smellie highlighted the problem saying then delays were up to seven months.
Court officials have said even if more space and legal aid was available there aren’t enough judges or specialised criminal defense lawyers to be assigned to the cases.
Cayman Islands BPW founding member wins international award in Korea
Annie Multon, a founding member of the Cayman Islands Business and Professional Women’s group was awarded “Excellent Business Leader” on the island of Jeju, Korea at the 28th BPW International Congress last month.
Multon was the first of three women honoured at the Sunjoo Group Gala Dinner & Awards held at the International Convention Center on the Korean island. Nominations came from over 100 different countries at the triennial event where it was also announced that Cayman will host the North America/Caribbean Regional Congress in 2015.
It is expected the event will attract hundreds of female business professionals from surrounding countries and highlight Cayman as a leader in business and tourism.
Move off or face detention says Cayman officials to Cuban migrants
For nearly two weeks now a group of more than 30 Cuban migrants arrived in a makeshift boat off Grand Cayman’s Colliers Beach in East End on June 14th. Since then they have travelled along the south coast to South Sound that has taken them some 11 days.
Last Wednesday (25), Acting Chief Immigration Officer Bruce Smith, said the migrants had been given deadline that day to leave or be taken into custody.
10 of the Cubans have decided to stay behind to be repatriated whilst the rest said they would continue on their journey.
Cayman Islands CARE Quiz Night is on Wednesday!
Wednesday 2nd July is CARE QUIZ NIGHT! At PD’s Galleria Plaza West Bay Road, Grand Cayman AT 7PM
See attached flyer for all details.
