British entertainer Rolf Harris guilty of indecent assaults

Captives flocking to Cayman Islands

From Insurance Information Institute

The Cayman Islands have licensed 16 new captive since January 1 and have applications for 24 more. Eight of the new captives are in health or medical malpractice insurance, and three others cover workers’ compensation. The total number of captives in the Caymans is 546, only three more than at year-end 2001. Of the 12 captives that have closed so far in 2002, several were special purpose captives that had completed their tasks. As of March 30, Cayman captives had $2.9 billion in premiums and $15.2 billion in assets. The Cayman Islands Monetary Authority will become a fully independent statutory body later this year, making it easier for insurers to get licensed and increasing the regulatory power of the agency.

Cayman Islands marine and aviation business constitutes 2.6 percent of Cayman Islands captives’ business, amounting in 1993 to $4.8 million in premium and providing $2.2 million in net income. Medical malpractice coverage constitutes 32.2 percent of Cayman captive business. North America is the source of 88.2 percent of the captive business.

For more: http://www.iii.org/captives-flocking-to-cayman-islesand http://www.iii.org/cayman-islands-captives-results

 

Abducted Israeli teens found dead near Hebron

From BBC

Three Israeli teenagers who were abducted earlier this month in the West Bank have been found dead.

An Israeli military spokesman said their bodies were found in a pit near the town of Halhul, north of Hebron.

Naftali Frenkel and Gilad Shaar, both aged 16, and 19-year-old Eyal Yifrach were last seen at a junction near Hebron as they hitchhiked home.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Hamas was responsible, a claim the Palestinian militant group has denied.

At the start of a meeting of the Israeli security cabinet, Mr Netanyahu said the three were “kidnapped and murdered in cold blood by animals” and promised: “Hamas will pay”.

But Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri told the AFP news agency that any action to punish the movement would “open the gates of hell”.

For more: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-28097164

 

Venezuela soldiers allegedly beat several Guyanese at border

From Caribbean360

GEORGETOWN, Guyana, Monday June 30, 2014, CMC – A number of Guyanese were reportedly beaten by Venezuelan soldiers at the north-western border Guyana shares with its Spanish-speaking neighbour days ago.

While offering no comment on reports of the assault on the Guyanese, the Guyana Defence Force’s Chief of Staff, Brigadier Mark Phillips, was Saturday quoted assuring that it was not a clash of armies as no Guyanese soldiers were involved in the alleged incident, Friday.

“We have some reports of an altercation that we are investigating… nothing to do with Guyanese soldiers. There are no Guyanese soldiers stationed there,” he told one local media house.

According to a number of media, reports are that ‘rogue’ Venezuelan soldiers crossed the border and assaulted a group of men and women miners in an area called ‘Bruk- up Falls’, located on the Guyana side of the bordering Amakura River, in the North West District.

“They were taken from Bruk-Up Falls after more than two dozen armed soldiers attached to the Venezuelan military descended on the location and proceeded to beat and handcuff the Guyanese men who were in the area at the time” one report stated.

For more: http://www.caribbean360.com/news/venezuela-soldiers-allegedly-beat-several-guyanese-at-border?utm_source=Caribbean360%20Newsletters&utm_campaign=45e9083a08-Vol_9_Issue_129_News6_30_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_350247989a-45e9083a08-39393477

 

Third oldest Commonwealth parliament wants to dump British political system

From Caribbean360

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – With experience of the Westminster parliamentary system for 375 years in their consciousness, Barbadian politicians are saying they want a change from this adversarial mode of governance.

Speaker of Parliament, Michael Carrington, on Thursday said the one reservation he had regarding Barbados’s Parliament is that the adapted the British Westminster system, which, “appeared to pit Government and Opposition inexorably against each other in aggressive, contentious and oftimes seemingly unnecessary confrontation”.

Carrington, an elected member of government, was speaking at a joint meeting of the two chambers of parliament – House of Assembly and Senate – to mark the 375th anniversary of that institution in Barbados.

“Hunkering down behind traditional battle lines of political tribalism cannot help this country,” Opposition Leader, Mia Mottley, said, adding “bipartisan cooperation, led by a new generation of patriots who put the national interest above all else, is what Barbados needs”.

“Genuine parliamentary reform must find creative ways to embrace all talents and welcome all constructive contributions,” she said.

Within the Commonwealth, only the British Parliament, started in 1215, and the Bermuda Parliament, that began in 1620, are older than the Barbados Parliament.

For more: http://www.caribbean360.com/news/third-oldest-commonwealth-parliament-wants-to-dump-british-political-system

 

The Cayman Islands: A wildlife explorer’s paradise

From iphonx

The Cayman Islands are a remarkable ecosystem. Not that most visitors notice – limiting their time to the admittedly attractive white sands of Grand Cayman and so denying themselves the chance to experience incredible wildlife both inland and offshore.

Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman are in effect the summits of three massive underwater mountains. The combined territory of the three western Caribbean islands is said to be home to more species than the Galapagos!

The Cayman habitat sustains more than 230 species of birds, a variety of reptile life including the endangered endemic giant iguanas, nine species of bat, 57 species of butterfly, three species of turtle, and innumerable native flowers, plants and trees including 26 species of orchid.

Home to only 55,000 people (only 150 of them living on Little Cayman), much of the territory’s stretches of mangrove, tropical dry forest and beaches remain unfettered by mainstream development.

Despite its near pristine state, much of that natural environment is easily accessible through independent exploration – though those looking for an introduction to the rarer species or to escape the beaten track are advised to hire one of the islands’ many private guides.

For more: http://www.iphonx.info/the-cayman-islands-a-wildlife-explorers-paradise

 

Tessanne Chin comes full circle in St Kitts

By Alexander Brtiell From Caribbean Journal

BASSETERRE – It was a year ago that Tessanne Chin was slated to perform here at what was the 17th annual St Kitts Music Festival.

But at the last minute, Chin was let out of her contract by organizers, for a very good reason: she was launching an international career on NBC’s The Voice.

Chin later won the US singing competition, transforming her into one of the Caribbean’s premier music stars and a leading light of the reggae fusion genre.

Almost a year later, Chin triumphantly took the stage at Warner Park Saturday night, grateful for the chance to return and clearly mindful of how her life had changed.

“It definitely is a full-circle moment,” she told Caribbean Journal. “I can only just give thanks to God and thanks to the people out there that have supported me even from before everything. It’s definitely a moment I will treasure.”

In a wide-ranging performance that frequently included mentions of her journey on the show, Chin serenaded St Kitts and Nevis and the global audience attending this weekend’s festivities with everything from an old-school ska song to several of the ballads that vaulted her to the top of competition last year.

For more: http://www.caribjournal.com/2014/06/29/tessanne-chin-comes-full-circle-in-st-kitts/

 

Cayman Islands: Catriona MacRae Win’s the 10 K at CISC     

From Cayman Islands Swimming

Catriona MacRae won her first CISC championships today with a win in the 14 to 17 year old 10 K Open Water. Catriona finished second overall. This was Catriona’s first international championship for the Cayman Islands.

See attachment

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alternative Alhambra: British Airways can’t spell

From The Olive Press

A British couple paid €3,316 for a return trip to Granada in business class… but were shocked when the plane delivered them to the Caribbean island of Grenada.

Edward Gamson and his wife are now suing British Airways, insisting they should be compensated for failing to take them for a dream trip to the Alhambra.

The airline meanwhile has apologised but has refused to compensate the couple with a new ticket to Granada.

For more: http://www.theolivepress.es/spain-news/2014/06/29/alternative-alhambra-british-airways-cant-spell/

 

Cayman Netball stages final of Fast Net tournament

The Cayman Islands Netball Association staged the finals of its Fast Net tournament on Monday (30) at Camana Bay’s Arts and Recreation Centre.

The competition was the official end to the 2013-2014 netball season and included a raffle to help raise funds for the national women’s team to attend the 2014 American Federation of Netball Associations Championship on August 19-29 in Calgary, Canada.

Of the six teams that competed in the tournament, four of them had a presence in the recent Appleby Netball League.

 

Ranking the Caribbean on tax revenue

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Which Caribbean countries collect the most in tax revenue?

To find out, we looked at recently-released 2012 World Bank data on tax revenue collected by central governments around the world, as a percentage of GDP.

Tax revenue refers to “compulsory transfers to the central government for public purposes,” according to the World Bank.

The country with the highest rate of revenue collection was Trinidad, with 28.3 percent, followed by Jamaica at 27.1 percent of GDP.

As a point of comparison, the world rate was around 14.5 percent of GDP, according to the World Bank.

Note: the World Bank did not have data for Cuba, Haiti and Guyana among sovereign countries.

See the full list attached

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For more: http://www.caribjournal.com/2014/06/29/ranking-the-caribbean-on-tax-revenue/

 

Cayman Airports Authority warned not to dismiss employee

The ongoing saga in the Cayman Islands Legislative Assembly (LA) of the Cayman Islands Airports Authority’s (CIAA)  information technology manager, who was alleged to have watched pornography on a government computer, reached new heights when Leader of the Opposition, McKeeva Bush, produced a letter last Friday (27) and formally had it tabled. The employee, after having been placed on suspension by the authority’s former acting chief officer, Keith McCoy was re-instated. McCoy had given the employee a chance to resign. The incident of illegal use of the computer occurred in July 2013.

The letter Bush tabled was from the CIAA’s lawyers, Ritch & Conolly to board chairman Kirkland Nixon dated December 4^th 2013.

In the letter it said Deputy Chairman of the board, Thom Guyton, had informed McCoy that any decision to dismiss the employee would not be supported by the board. It further said the board, because of insufficient evidence, would uphold any appeal and  the dismissal would be disproportionate.

The letter then referred to various sections of the Cayman Islands Anti-Corruption Law to support their case.

Two months later it was announced McCoy had retired.

At the LA meeting it was disclosed McCoy had received an undisclosed settlement with no reason given as to the reason for the payment.

 

Briefings Digest: Air travel

By Jonathan Ames From The Lawyer

The romance has definitely gone from air travel. The last semblance of exotic flying probably fizzled 14 years ago, when sadly Air France’s Concorde burst into flames on take-off at Charles de Gaulle airport. Now travelling by air is all about budget airlines charging an arm and a leg for a cold sausage roll, or self-important bores in business class. And compensation claims for delays.

In Huzar v Jet2.com , the English Appeal Court has ruled on the issue of ‘extraordinary circumstances’ around flight delays and cancellations caused by technical faults. On its face, the judgment appears to be a victory for all those passengers left kicking their heels in airport terminals while the chaps with spanners get down to business. But, say commentators from law firm DLA Piper , the judges missed a chance ‘to bring some much needed clarity to the airline industry’.

The firm anticipates likely grounds for yet another appeal, suggesting the Supreme Court judges should prepare for take-off.

Which means more frustrating delay for what are thought to be hundreds of county court small claims that have been stayed pending a definitive result in Huzar.

Indeed, if the Supreme Court also backs passengers, expect a budget-airline-style departure gate scrum as claims flood in against carriers. For more information go to: http://www.thelawyer.com/briefings/out-of-the-extraordinary-the-court-of-appeals-judgment-in-huzar-v-jet2com/3022148.article?cmpid=tlbrief4_375747

 

Cayman Primary school students receive bicycles

Sir John A. Cumber Primary School in West Bay Grand Cayman marked the end of its school year last Friday (27) with donations of bicycles to students who had mostly achieved sporting achievements.

The bicycles were handed over at the closing ceremony by 75-year-old Caymanian Floyd Bush who organised the donation of the bicycles.

Bush has been making the bike donations for 15 consecutive years.

 

[London] Man ‘dead for weeks’ in Hackney flat, say police

From BBC

A man whose remains were found in a flat in east London may have been “dead for weeks”, the Metropolitan Police said.

The body of Lee Buckley, 43, was found by police at his home in Ashanti Mews, Hackney, on 21 June.

His death was initially treated as “unexplained”, but after injuries were found during a post-mortem test the Met said it was “suspicious”.

A man, 45, arrested in the inquiry, has been bailed until next month.

Det Ch Insp Neale Baldock, of the Metropolitan Police, said: “I am eager to piece together Lee’s last movements and trace his friends or associates to help with this investigation.

“They may hold some key information on what happened to him.”

The post-mortem examination could not determine a cause of death, and police are waiting for the results of further tests.

For more: http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-28081687

 

Former Cayman airport board chairman no longer under investigation

Richard “Dick” Arch, former chairman of the Cayman Islands Airports Authority (CIAA) Board, who resigned last summer, has received a letter dated June 5^th from Royal Cayman Islands Police Inspector Richard Oliver that he was no longer under investigation by the police anti-corruption unit “unless additional evidence is forthcoming.”

The anti-corruption probe was initiated from a complaint filed by former CIAA chief executive Jeremy Jackson.

 

HMS Argyll returns to Bermuda

By James Burton, Sub-editor BDA Sun

HMS Argyll returns to Bermuda on Monday morning to start a three-day visit.

The Royal Navy’s longest-serving Type-23 frigate will arrive at Dockyard’s commercial berth around 8am and is set to move down to Hamilton later in the day before leaving the island on Thursday.

The visit is part of her latest deployment to the North Atlantic and Caribbean.

The ship was last on the island at the end of August, 2013, after a string of counter narcotics operations in the Eastern Pacific.

She was built in the late 1980s at the Yarrow Yard on the Clyde in Scotland and underwent a $30 million refit in Rosyth between 2009 and 2010.

The frigate then returned to service in the Gulf before heading back to her home waters in 2012 again for major upgrade of all her systems.

She is now one of the most up-to-date and capable frigates in the naval fleet.

Before leaving the UK on June 20, HMS Argyll’s captain, Commander Paul Hammond told www.royalnavy.mod.uk: “As we sail from Plymouth we can reflect on nine months of hard work in preparation for this deployment in which my ship’s company have achieved fantastic results.

“Deploying on operations marks the beginning of another fresh challenge for Argyll that will see us deliver real benefit to both the Caribbean and the UK.”

For more: http://www.bermudasun.bm/Content/NEWS/News/Article/HMS-Argyll-returns-to-Bermuda/24/270/78786

 

Cayman activist files criminal complaint against insurance employee who leaked loan details

Sandra Catron, Cayman Islands most well known activist, has filed a criminal complaint filed with the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service against an employee with the Civil Service Association Co-Operative Credit Union.

Catron has accused the employee of “tweeting” details of her personal bank loan with the credit union.

The leak appeared on the social media “Twitter” and was part of a thread that was discussing Catron’s release of risqué photographs of two women involved in sexually explicit activity inside a local nightclub.

Catron said she was disappointed the Credit Union employee had retaliated against her with certain “derogatory loan details”.

Despite an apology from the Human Resources manager, Faylene Ebanks-Suckoo, Catron did not accept it saying the apology she had received via letter did not give her assurances that “this sort of behavior will not happen again.” She also said the letter did not inform her how the employee would have obtained details of her loan account.

 

Argentine Vice-President Boudou charged in corruption case

From BBC

Argentine Vice-President Amado Boudou has been charged in a corruption case.

Mr Boudou is suspected of using his influence when he was economy minister to ensure that a contract to print Argentina’s currency was awarded to a company he allegedly controlled.

Earlier this month, he was questioned for more than seven hours by a judge, in a closed-door court session.

If convicted, he faces up to six years in jail. He denies any wrongdoing and has rejected calls to step down.

The judge ruled that Mr Boudou would remain free while awaiting trial. Five other suspects have also been charged.

The case involves the Ciccone Calcografica printing company that has been under investigation for more than three years.

Mr Boudou is suspected of using a front man to buy the company when it filed for bankruptcy in 2010.

The company later received tax breaks to pay its debts.

It also published material used in the re-election campaign of President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner in 2011.

Mr Boudou was once seen as a possible successor to President Fernandez.

For more: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-28069089

 

Cayman businessman locked up in Puerto Rico moved

Cayman Islands businessman, Bryce Gilroy Merren, who faces trial in Puerto Rico for being part of an alleged money laundering operation that was set up to cover drug smuggling activities, has been moved to another undisclosed location.

A trial date of Aug. 15, 2014 has been set for the case.

Merren has denied all the charges against him of three counts of conspiracy, attempt to possess and distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine, and money laundering.

 

More than 80 vigilantes arrested in Mexico for battling drug cartels

By Lizzie Dearden   From The Independent

Jose Mireles, a doctor and prolific leader of the “self-defence” movement was among the 83 detained on Friday after street wars in the western state of Michoacan.

Alfredo Castillo, the federal government commissioner, told Milenio TV Mireles was detained on Friday in the port city of Lazaro.

Mireles held an assembly with about 500 people to start a new group in the area and about 150 of the vigilantes had set up roadblocks, he said.

The vigilantes were allegedly carrying illegal guns and planned to travel to the state capital of Morelia.

Michoacan has been ravaged by the Knights Templar drug cartel, which had controlled much of the state until an uprising by armed vigilantes started in February last year when farmers and ranchers grew tired of their reign of kidnapping, murder and extortion.

The government first appeared to tacitly accept the vigilante groups but earlier this year authorities formed so-called rural police forces to incorporate the vigilantes and said anyone found carrying illegal weapons would be arrested.

President Enrique Pena Nieto sent soldiers into the state to restore order in January and since then, troops have captured and killed several leaders of the Knights Templar.

More than 85,000 people have died in drug-related killings in Mexico since 2007, when the former President Felipe Calderon sent out the army to battle cartels.

Additional reporting by AP and Reuters

For more: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/more-than-80-vigilantes-arrested-in-mexico-for-battling-drug-cartels-9569934.html

 

Cayman Government’s announcement to reform intellectual property law a good thing says lawyer

Huw Moses, an Intellectual Property lawyer, says the current Cayman Islands trademark and copyright laws (Intellectual Property Law) are “simply massively out of date. It needs to be brought up to reflect things that exist today in 2014 that simply didn’t exist in 1956.”

Speaking on CITN/Cayman27 last Friday (27) he said on their evening news bulletin, updating our existing IP laws could open up Cayman to new business.

“Companies may be put off coming to the Cayman Islands,” he said, “because they need an environment where they know that when they develop inventions, ideas, etc, that they can be protected.”

An overhaul to the copyright and trademark codes could also provide government with a new revenue stream, he added

 

BP seeks to wrest back Gulf of Mexico compensation

From BBC

BP has asked a US court to order a “vast number” of businesses to repay part of the compensation awards they were paid in the wake of the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

The oil firm said the administrator in charge of processing the claims allowed businesses to inflate their losses.

Last year a US court agreed the process was unfair but now the British company wants the money back with interest.

BP has fought a long legal battle in US courts to limit the compensation bill.

In a court filing on Friday, BP asked a US judge to order the businesses to repay the overpayments plus interest, and requested an injunction to prevent firms spending what it called their “windfall”.

Earlier in June the US Supreme Court refused to allow BP to stop paying compensation claims while it awaited the outcome of its legal appeals.

Inflated claims

The explosion at the Deepwater Horizon rig, off the coast of Louisiana, killed 11 workers and caused the worst offshore oil spill in US history.

In the wake of that disaster, BP reached the terms of a settlement to compensate businesses. The firm initially estimated it would pay $7.8bn (£4.6bn) in business claims.

But the oil company has argued that the terms are being misinterpreted and that compensation claims were being inflated.

BP cited a number of examples to support its case, saying that under the new policy, a seller of animal skins would have been paid $14m less, while a building firm based hundreds of miles from the Gulf would have been paid $8.4m less.

For more: http://www.bbc.com/news/business-28069583

 

MakerBot’s iPad app lets you sculpt 3D-printed objects from your couch

By Jon Fingas From engadget

As a rule, serious 3D printers need equally serious design skills if you’re building objects from scratch. That’s no longer true for MakerBot’s Replicators, though; the company has just trotted out PrintShop, an iPad app that takes the hard work out of making simple objects. You can build your own bracelets, rings and signs without knowing a lick about modelling software. If you’d like to craft something a little more sophisticated, you can browse a collection of ready-made items from the Thingiverse. We’d still suggest a rookie-friendly device like Printeer if you’re primarily interested in basic designs, but this could be an easy way to let your kids in on the action — or just to make something without leaving your sofa.

For more: http://www.engadget.com/2014/06/27/makerbot-printshop/?ncid=rss_truncated

 

Essex University man shocked to find stabbed student

From BBC

The man who went to the aid of a Saudi student as she lay dying on a pathway in Essex believes several people must have passed her before he arrived.

Roberto Sanha, 20, was on his way back from Essex University in Colchester when he saw Nahid Almanea, 31, on the ground.

He said he saw several people walk past while he called the police, during which time Ms Almanea died.

He knew that many people used the path and that the woman had been lying there for some time but none had come to her aid.

For more: http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-essex-28008374

 

Caribbean Islands lure Andhra Pradesh doctors with good pay

From Deccan Chronicle

Guntur: Doctors from AP are flocking Caribbean islands where they can earn up to $4,000 a month with an MBBS degree. Many doctors from Guntur, Vijaya-wada, Kurnool and Tirupati are now working in Jamaica, British Guiana, Trinidad & Tobago.

Dr Ravi Kishore Reddy of Guntur, who worked in a Caribbean nation, says, “Doctors are paid well. In T&T, out of 250 doctors, 200 are from AP.”

The local governments sign up doctors on five-year contracts. “After five years, we get permanent registration and after eight years, citizenship,” said Dr V. Siva Kota Reddy, an assistant professor in a medical college in Dominica.

However, things are changing. “Local governments are sponsoring students to study in Cuban medical schools. They are accommodating locals first, followed by Indians. The craze among local doctors to go to the US is slowly coming down,” he said.

Many AP students are joining MD course equivalent to MBBS in islands like Curacao. Dr Reddy cautioned that Indians may not be given visas after studying the two-year pre-clinicals.

Several AP students are joining MD course equivalent to MBBS in islands like Curacao. These are offshore colleges where first two years of pre-clinical is done in Caribbean islands and clinicals in the US and Canada.

Experts cautioned that after completion of pre-clinicals, it is difficult for non-US students to get visa for pursuing clinicals and joining the medical courses is risky.

Dr Kota Reddy said, “The course is semester based. Most of the colleges have offshore tie-ups with the hospitals in US and Canada. For North American students, there is no issue. But those hailing from countries like India may find that they are not given visas after studying the two-year pre-clinicals. So, serious risk is involved.”

For more: http://www.deccanchronicle.com/140630/nation-current-affairs/article/caribbean-islands-lure-andhra-pradesh-doctors-good-pay

 

Jamaicans are the least satisfied in the Caribbean and Latin region, according to study!

By mrlindsay From Clinton Lindsay

The Jamaican population was less satisfied with their personal life than the average, according to Global Entrepreneur Monitor (GEM) report, for which University of Technology conducted the local research.

The report indicated that the island’s fairly strong entrepreneurial spirit remains shrouded in a lack of employment and a peddling to survive mentality. This results in dissatisfied entrepeneurs.

“Based on the findings, the Jamaican population was less satisfied with their personal life than the average. Jamaica registered the lowest score in the Latin and Caribbean Region,” stated the GEM report chapter on Jamaica conducted by local-based University of Technology.

The report defined well being as the manner in which people experience their lives and includes both emotional and cognitive judgments. The regional average was 0.29 but the island’s population scored negative 0.53.

The report also examined the well being scores for the early stage entrepreneurs and the established business owners (EB).

“Both reflected the lowest scores in the Latin and Caribbean Region,” it added explaining that the scores for Jamaican entrepreneurs were negative 42 for early stage and negative 44 for EB. All other regional countries scored positive numerics led by Panama and Peru.

“In Jamaica there are high levels of necessity based entrepreneurs many see entrepreneurship as a means of survival and a way to combat poverty,” it stated.

For more: http://www.clintonlindsay.com/2014/06/29/jamaicans-are-the-least-satisfied-in-the-caribbean-and-latin-region-according-to-study/

 

Late stage HIV/AIDS diagnoses worries Barbados authorities

From Caribbean360

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, Monday June 30, 2014, CMC – Amid continued decline in the number of persons diagnosed HIV/AIDS positive, authorities are concerned that many of those found to be infected are offering themselves for testing at late stages.

Acting Chief Medical Officer, Dr Elizabeth Ferdinand, has said, “What is of concern for us is the alarming fact that many persons with HIV are being diagnosed at a late stage of the disease, when they already have developed AIDS”.

Ferdinand’s comment came as Barbados last week marked Regional HIV/AIDS Testing Day, an annual event, now in its seventh year, organised by the Caribbean Broadcast Media Partnership on HIV/AIDS.

She noted that over the past 11 years HIV has moved from an almost certain cause of death to a chronic manageable disease.

Ferdinand however said, “This does not mean that we can become complacent and forget that this disease is still waging a war against the very fabric of our societies. Therefore to reduce the number of people who are becoming infected with HIV, the national programme must continue to place emphasis on HIV prevention which is the bedrock on which our national policy rests”.

For more: http://www.caribbean360.com/news/barbados_news/late-stage-hivaids-diagnoses-worries-barbados-authorities?utm_source=Caribbean360%20Newsletters&utm_campaign=45e9083a08-Vol_9_Issue_129_News6_30_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_350247989a-45e9083a08-39393477

 

Jamaica tables legislation to deal with certain marijuana offences

From Caribbean360

KINGSTON, Jamaica, Monday June 30, 2014, CMC – The Jamaica government has tabled legislation allowing for the automatic expungement of convictions for certain minor marijuana related offences.

Justice Minister Mark Golding has tabled in the Bill which also makes provision that convictions on minor offences relating to the possession of or smoking ganja shall not be entered on the criminal record of the offender.

The Criminal Records (Rehabilitation of Offenders) Act, as the Bill is titled, provides that qualified offenders are to be regarded as “rehabilitated” at the end of five years without reoffending, and the convictions considered to be spent. Where the conviction is spent, the offender cannot for most purposes be required to disclose the spent conviction and cannot be prejudiced by it.

Plans are in the making for the decriminalization of possession of small amounts of marijuana.

Earlier this month, the Portia Simpson-Miller administration had announced that Cabinet had approved certain changes to the law relating to marijuana.

For more: http://www.caribbean360.com/news/jamaica-tables-legislation-to-deal-with-certain-marijuana-offences?utm_source=Caribbean360%20Newsletters&utm_campaign=45e9083a08-Vol_9_Issue_129_News6_30_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_350247989a-45e9083a08-39393477