iNews Briefs
Cayman Islands Governor Kilpatrick samples Edward Teach rum at Pirates Week
From Loop Cayman
On November 8 2014, Edward Teach Single Barrel 7 year old rum exploded onto the Cayman Rum scene and straight into the hands Governor Helen Kilpatrick at the Pirates landing.
Mrs Kilpatrick received bottle number one of only 504 bottles, alongside Melanie McField, Executive Director of Pirates Week who was presented with bottle number 2.
The foundation of Edward Teach rum is in its quality, 7 year old rum, patiently aged in a single oak barrel. Hand bottled and individually numbered, the first single barrel produced only 504 limited edition bottles. Each bottle is also dipped in wax to seal the true expression of quality-aged rum, inspired by the age of piracy in Cayman.
“When we began test sampling the rum some months ago the most common response was “don’t change a thing”. Based on this feedback we decided to launch the rum from a single barrel as is often done with whiskies,” said Frank Roulstone, the company’s General Manager.
“The result of the barrel ageing is a smooth and flavourful rum equally at home over ice or with your favourite mixer.” Executive Director of Pirates Week, Melanie McField was suitably impressed; “It is a delight and an honour to receive one of the limited edition bottles. I am pleased that the national festival was chosen as the occasion to launch such a beautiful product.”
Edward Teach is produced by Grand Cayman Bottlers and Blenders and is now available at leading liquor stores island wide.
For more: http://loopcayman.com/2014/11/13/governor-kilpatrick-samples-edward-teach-rum/
Navy Ship Holland intercepted 160 kilograms of cocaine in Caribbean Sea
From Curacao Chronicle
In collaboration with the Caribbean Coastguard and the United States Coast Guard, the Zr.Ms. Holland intercepted a go-fast with drugs. About 160 kilograms of cocaine were seized during the operation.
The suspected smuggling boat was observed by the Dash 8 patrol aircraft of the Caribbean Coastguard. The go-fast was stopped after a short chase by the HITRON helicopter from the US Coast Guard who is stationed on board the Dutch naval vessel. This was done by using the board weapon to disable the outboard of the smuggling boat.
After this action the two fast vessels (FRISC) of the Zr.Ms. Holland were soon on the -spot. The 8958_10203836864776057_7163414304953689485_ncrew of one of these vessels was fishing the contraband out of the water that the go-fast crew had thrown overboard during the chase. The other crew conducted a boarding on the go-fast. There were several packages of cocaine found here. The go-fast crew was taken aboard the Holland and transferred together with their contraband to the US Coast Guard.
Zr.Ms. Holland is currently the station ship in the Caribbean that protects the Caribbean part of the Kingdom. It also hunts for drugs together with other partner countries. They are also available for any assistance to the islands during the hurricane season.
Pirates of the Caribbean’ tall ship to docked in Kirkland on Aug. 27
From Kirkland Reporter
Did you unleash your inner pirate? Did you get a taste of life on the high seas as two historic ships were docked in Kirkland, including one used in the 2003 film, “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl”?
Both vessels were moored at Carillon Point from Aug. 27-Sept. 2.
The Lady Washington may be better known to movie buffs as the HMS Interceptor from the first film in the Disney “Pirates of the Caribbean” trilogy. In the film, Capt. Jack Sparrow, played by Johnny Depp, steals the Interceptor with the help of Will Turner (Orlando Bloom).
When not playing a role in the movies, the Lady Washington is the official ship of the state of Washington. The vessel is a full-scale reproduction of the original Lady Washington, the first American vessel to reach the West coast in 1788.
The modern version, 112 feet in length, was constructed in Aberdeen, Wash., by master shipwrights. The second ship is a topsail ketch, Hawaiian Chieftain, a replica of a typical European merchant trader popular during the late 19th century. Built in 1998, it was originally designed for cargo trade.
For the dockside tours, crews in period dress demonstrated basic seafaring skills, shared stories and made maritime history come alive. On the ticketed sails, passengers got a once-in-a-lifetime chance to learn about life on the high seas while enjoying stunning views of Lake Washington. Adventure sails and battle cruises departed from the Carillon Point guest dock.
Kirkland’s prime location on Lake Washington, with views of the Olympic Mountains and Seattle skyline, makes a dramatic setting for a tall ships visit. The city’s two miles of waterfront footage is the largest publicly-owned waterfront on the Eastside. Besides playing host to the tall ships, the Kirkland lakefront is ideal for kayaking, sailboating, paddle-boarding or biking.
For more: http://www.kirklandreporter.com/entertainment/217137991.html
Cayman Islands police Neighbourhood Watch
Over the past few weeks the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service (RCIPS) Neighbourhood officers have been visiting neighborhoods on Grand Cayman. A Neighborhood Watch meeting was held in the Silver Thatch Residential Community, Northward, Bodden Town where 12 community members attended at the request of coordinating resident; Mr. Terry Nathan. (Seen Center with sign)
Senior Police Constable Clifford Garcia, PC’s Cornelius Pompey and Brian Jameson were in attendance and delivered a presentation on crime prevention. The group was receptive and expressed their supports to the RCIPS crime fighting initiatives. The officers also distributed Crime Prevention brochures and demonstrated an exercise on property marking.
Chief Inspector Brad Ebanks, Commander, for the Eastern Districts commended the residents of Silver Thatch for their commitment, in partnership with the RCIPS, and encourage other communities to do likewise. Residents are asked to contact their nearest police station to arrange similar Neighbourhood watch meetings.
Limonin From Cayman Chemical
Limonin is the first described limonoid, which are naturally occurring tetranortriterpenoids that impart bitter flavor in citrus fruits. Compounds belonging to this group have reported anti-proliferative and proapoptotic activity on several cancer cell lines as well as pesticidal, anti-malarial, anti-microbial, and anti-HIV activity. New bio chemical for infectious diseases from Cayman Chemical
This could be Apple’s secret plan to rule the music industry with Beats Music
By Brad Reed From BGR
It’s safe to say that Apple didn’t buy Beats primarily for its overpriced and overrated headphones. Instead, it’s more likely that Apple bought Beats because many of its executives — most notably Jimmy Iovine, Dr. Dre and Trent Reznor — all have extensive connections and influence in the music industry. With these influential music industry figures on board, argues Neil Cybart, Apple can create a music streaming service around Beats Music that will offer artists significantly more value than what they’re getting from Spotify.
Taking a look at some of the recent tension that’s come up between artists and streaming services, such as the major dustup between Spotify and Taylor Swift, Cybart imagines Apple developing a music streaming service that offers artists much more control over their product than anything else on the market today.
What does this entail? Cybart imagines the following features: “Music is free, but delivered via a platform where artists rely on software to monetize the brand (image and personality) through merchandising, advertisements, sponsorships; Artists have access to information on their fans; Artists can set up their own tours including ticket sales, booking venues, and even PR circuits through third-party apps; New talent can transition from discovery to monetization quickly without many barriers; The definition of ‘music artist’ becomes boarder to emphasize a wider range of content creators.”
So in other words, the streaming service would be just one tiny part of what Beats Music would offer. The real meat of it is that it would serve as a hub for artists to manage their entire careers and not just music sales.
Britain to seize jihadists’ passports, stop them returning home
From Business Insider
Brisbane (Australia) (AFP) – Prime Minister David Cameron on Friday outlined plans to seize passports from radicalised Britons and stop them returning from fighting overseas, while proposing landing bans on airlines that fail to comply with London’s no-fly lists.
“We will shortly be introducing our own new Counter-Terrorism Bill in the UK. New powers for police at ports to seize passports, to stop suspects travelling and to stop British nationals returning to the UK unless they do so on our terms,” he said in Australia’s parliament.
“New rules to prevent airlines that don’t comply with our no-fly lists or security screening measures from landing in the UK.”
U.S. Government issues warning concerning ‘Masque Attack’ iOS vulnerability
By Leif Johnson From Mac Life
How bad is the “Masque Attack” [Mac Life] wrote about earlier this week? Well, considering that the U.S. Government is now warning people to watch out for it, it’s something you’ll probably want to take very seriously. It’s a particularly nasty thing, too, as it can replace your legitimate apps with malware versions even on non-jailbroken devices.
According to Reuters, the official bulletin this morning was penned by both the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center and the U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Teams, and it outlines the vulnerability’s known capabilities. By mimicking the appearance of a legitimate app, the Masque Attack can steal your login credentials, give root privileges to your iOS device, access sensitive data stored locally, and perform background monitoring of your iPhone or iPad.
The bulletin also echoes the advice passed along when the news first hit: only download apps from Apple’s App Store itself, or if you absolutely must use the enterprise apps outside the store for testing or other purposes, make sure the file’s from a company you known and trust. In other words, don’t ever click links that ask you to download and install something when you see popups from a third party when you’re viewing pages online.
So far, there aren’t any known reports of actual malicious uses of Masque Attack, but the possibility does exist. Apple has yet to comment on the vulnerability or issue a patch to prevent it. Keep in mind that the FireEye team that discovered it claims it works on iOS 7.1.1, 7.1.2, 8.0, and 8.1, and Apple has yet to patch it even in the recent beta for iOS 8.1.1. On the bright side, if you stick to downloading apps only from Apple’s App Store (as you should), you shouldn’t have any problems.
Blood bank facing shortage of blood due to Chik-V outbreak
From IRIE FM
The blood bank says it is facing a shortage of blood due to the spread of the Chikungunya virus.
Acting Director of the National Blood Transfusion Service, Dr Veronica Taylor explains that the number of people turning-out to give blood has dropped, and the blood bank had to cancel some blood drives due to the impact of the chik-v.
She says last month a number of blood donations had to be put-off due to chik-v.
Dr. Taylor says people affected by the mosquito-borne virus should wait for at least 30 days before donating blood.
She states that following the chik-v infection, traces of the virus remain in the blood for up to 17 days.
Additionally, some people may experience a relapse, which may involve a return of the fever and other symptoms usually within three weeks.
Dr. Taylor says these people should not give blood.
Individuals who are outside the four week onset of the initial symptoms are considered safe to donate blood, although they may present with joint pains.
Individuals may visit any of the blood collection centres island-wide to donate blood.
For more: http://www.iriefm.net/news/headline/blood-bank-facing-shortage-blood-due-chik-v-outbreak
Caribbean receives over one billion Yen in assistance from Japan
From Caricom
Japan has provided more than JPY1.7 billion (One Yen=US$0.008 cents) to 14 Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries since 1975, according to figures released here on Wednesday.
Jamaica has been the biggest beneficiary of the Japanese aid, accumulating a total of JPY639.15 for the period 1977-2013.
According to the figures released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs here, Jamaica would have received loans totalling JPY534.21 million, grants JPY16.98 million and technical cooperation to the tune ofJPY87.96 million.
Insider Selling: Royal Caribbean Cruises Director Sells 1,049 Shares of Stock (RCL)
By Matt Cooper From Sleek Money
Royal Caribbean Cruises logoRoyal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL) Director Bernard W. Aronson unloaded 1,049 shares of the company’s stock on the open market in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.62, for a total transaction of $73,031.38. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 21,464 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,494,324. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link.
Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL) traded up 0.84% during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $69.57. 2,116,528 shares of the company’s stock traded hands. Royal Caribbean Cruises has a 52 week low of $42.49 and a 52 week high of $70.07. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $64.13 and a 200-day moving average of $60.05. The company has a market cap of $15.491 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.24.
Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The company reported $2.20 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the analysts’ consensus estimate of $2.19 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $2.39 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.41 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.71 earnings per share. Royal Caribbean Cruises’s revenue was up 3.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Royal Caribbean Cruises will post $3.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
RCL has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Analysts at Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. They now have a $83.00 price target on the stock, up previously from $80.00. Separately, analysts at Zacks reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research note on Monday, October 27th. They now have a $68.00 price target on the stock. Finally, analysts at S&P Equity Research downgraded shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, October 24th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. The company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $68.56.
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) is a cruise company.
Guyana’s House Speaker asks Commonwealth to intervene but the President says not yet
By Denis Scott From CND
The Speaker of Guyana’s National Assembly, Raphael Trotman today asked the Commonwealth Secretariat to intervene in that country’s political impasse that has deepened since the Parliament was prorogued earlier this week.
President Donald Ramotar’s prorogation of the Parliament to avoid a no-confidence motion being debated and approved by the opposition-controlled National Assembly has widened the rift.
While the President told a news conference Friday afternoon that he is assembling a negotiating team and that he will be inviting the Opposition very shortly to talks, they have bluntly refused to speak with government unless the Parliament is reconvened.
You can listen to the Friday edition of Caribbean News Desk by first clicking on this link to download the programme: https://www.dropbox.com/s/nu1y7l69aecgh49/caribnews_14_nov_2014.MP3?dl=0
Opposition Leader, David Granger has since publicly called on the army and police chiefs to desist from preventing peaceful street protests.
House Speaker Trotman, who has been updating the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) on the situation in Guyana, has since written to the Commonwealth Secretary General, Kamalesh Sharma urging him to intervene by sending a delegation to meet with all sides.
The Speaker hopes that the Commonwealth Secretariat can assist in bringing what he terms an unhealthy situation to a peaceful end.
But the President says that he prefers Guyanese to first attempt to resolve their issues before seeking the assistance of the 15-nation Caribbean Community (Caricom) or the Commonwealth.
The Organisation of American States, Roman Catholic Church and sections of the private sector have all called on the President to revoke the suspension of the Parliament.
For more: http://www.caribnewsdesk.com/news/8946-caribbean-news-desk-radio-prog-guyana-s-house-speaker-asks-commonwealth-to-intervene-but-the-president-says-not-yet
Ctrip subsidiary to buy Celebrity Century Cruise Ship from Royal Caribbean
By Sydney Bonner From YIBADA
The German-built 19-year-old Celebrity Century estimated selling price of $157 million, according to Cruise News. It will be officially transferred by Royal Caribbean to the Ctrip subsidiary in April 2015.
Until then, the ship will be completing its scheduled sailings throughout the March 22, 2015 itinerary. On April 5, 2015, it will be redeployed to Asia on a 14-night sailing from Dubai to Singapore.
Ctrip, a leading travel service provider of accommodation reservation, transportation ticketing, packaged tours, and corporate travel management in China, co-founded Exquisite Marine along with other investors to target Chinese customers with world-class and tailor-made cruise products.
According to Min Fan, vice chairman and president of Ctrip, the company has already sent over 120,000 guests to cruise trips so far and now accounts for 10-percent share of China’s cruise market.
Aside from the purchase agreement, Ctrip announced that it has also entered into a memorandum of understanding with Royal Caribbean to form a joint venture which will manage the operation of Celebrity Century and “potentially to broaden the relationship.”
Trinidad Qualifies and Cuba Grabs Late Winner
From CFU
Montego Bay, Jamaica – In match day 3 of the Men’s Caribbean Cup 2014 Trinidad and Tobago advances after a 4 – 2 win over French Guiana and Cuba defeats Curacao 3 – 2. Match 5: Trinidad & Tobago 4 – 2 French Guiana.
Man of the match: Kevin Molino
Trinidad & Tobago made 2 wins from 2 matches after defeating qualification hopefuls French Guiana 4 – 2.
Trinidad opened the scoring in the first half when Kevin Molino slotted home a well place shot in the 18 yard box on the 17th minute to make it 1 – 0.
The Orlando City forward terrorized French Guiana in the early minutes of play in the absence of Kenwyne Jones who started on the bench.
In the second half Molino continued his assault as he scored in the 58 minute to make 2 – 0 for the Soca Warriors. Trinidad would triple their lead as a penalty was called leaving Lester Peltier to make it 3 – 0.
French Guiana would then pull one back in the 64th with Brian St. Claire, then Jean David Legrand in the 88th minute as the Frenchmen began to pressure Trinidad & Tobago.
But it was in the 91st minute of added time that Ataulla Guerra scored a fantastic free kick to make Trinidad & Tobago 4 – 2 French Guiana after full time. Match 6: Cuba 3 – 2 Curacao
Man of the match:
Defending Champions Cuba came out the aggressor after drawing their first match of the competition.
The Cubans went ahead in the 15th minute with a Jorge Corder strike as the champions looked to join Trinidad as one of the already qualified teams for the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2015.
After going up 1 – 0 in the early minutes of the half Curacao would equalized just before the break through Prince Rajcomar the 15th minute.
In the second half Yasmany Escalante made it 2 -1 in the 51st minute to give Cuba the 2 – 1 lead. But Curacao would show more resilience as they equalized once again in the 69 minute with a strike from Givaro Nepomuceno.
Cuba would leave late drama in the match as they got a late winner in the 93rd minute as Orisbal Pascual made it Cuba 3 – 2 Curacao at full time.
Jamaica blanks Antigua & Barbuda in Caribbean Cup
From Boxscore
CONCACAF: MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica – November 15, 2014 – Jamaica scored two goals in the first half to defeat Antigua & Barbuda 3-0 in 2014 Caribbean Cup Group B play on Friday at the Montego Bay Sport Complex.
The win lifted the Reggae Boyz into a first-place tie on four points with Haiti, which downed Martinique, also 3-0, earlier in the evening. The Martinicans and Antigua have collected one point each.
A pair of places in next year’s CONCACAF Gold Cup are still up for grabs, setting up an intriguing doubleheader on Sunday. Antigua will face Martinique in the opener, followed by an encounter between Jamaica and Haiti to conclude group play.
The tournament host looked a different team from the one that drew 1-1 with Martinique in its tournament opener. It mixed hard-driving wing play with solid support from the middle, creating spaces where there were none on Wednesday.
Team captain Rodolph Austin netted the last goal with five minutes left in normal time and assisted on the first, an unruffled finish in the 29th minute by Kemar Lawrence. Darren Mattocks made it 2-0 with his second goal in as many games just a minute before the break.
For more: http://boxscorenews.com/jamaica-blanks-antigua-barbuda-in-caribbean-cup-p106526-68.htm
EU committed to help build economic resilience in the Caribbean
From CARICOM Today
Head of the EU delegation to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, Mikael Barfod, says the European Union remains committed to working with Caribbean governments and the regional private sector in building economic resilience.
The EU believes a favourable environment for doing business and the expansion of trade through regional and global integration are crucial in attracting and retaining private domestic and foreign investment,” Barfod told delegates at the opening of the 2014 Caribbean Exporters’ Colloquium at the Hilton Hotel in Barbados on Tuesday.
For more: http://today.caricom.org/2014/11/14/eu-committed-to-help-build-economic-resilience-in-the-caribbean/
Senators: We’re optimistic Cuba to free contractor
By Michael Weissenstein
From Caribbean Life
HAVANA (AP) _ Two U.S. senators expressed optimism Tuesday that Cuba will free imprisoned American government contractor Alan Gross.
Sens. Jeff Flake, a Republican from Arizona, and Tom Udall, a Democrat from New Mexico, said they met with Gross for about two hours during a trip that included meetings with Cuban officials.
Gross was detained in December 2009 while working to set up Internet access as a subcontractor for the U.S. Agency for International Development. He was tried and sentenced to 15 years in prison. Gross’ family has said he has threatened to commit suicide if he is not released by his birthday next May.
Asked about the possibility of Gross going free, Flake said: “I do feel we’re closer there, one because what Alan Gross has said himself, this is going to end one way or another.”
Both senators added, though, that Cuban officials gave no indication any development was imminent.
For more: http://www.caribbeanlifenews.com/stories/2014/11/2014-11-14-ap-cubacontractor-cl_2014_11.html
New ‘Assassin’s Creed IV’ shows off Open-World Caribbean Exploration
By Sean Patterson
Recent videos for Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag have focused on the game’s pirating gameplay, particularly sea battles between ships. However, one core aspect of pirating has been missing: the freedom of the wide-open sea.
Today Ubisoft released a video designed to demonstrate just how large Black Flag‘s West Indies setting is. Players will get to explore Cuba; segments of Florida and the Bahamas; and all of the Caribbean waters in-between. In addition to attacking and boarding ships, players will be able to hire a crew to do some rum-running, find hidden upgrade items throughout the map, and explore desolate Mayan ruins. Players can also have Edward Kenway get drunk at taverns, just like real pirates.
The video is narrated by Black Flag Game Director Ashraf Ismail, who goes over all the new features included in the game. Sea battles aren’t left out completely, though, and the various weapon upgrades available for player ships are all previewed in the video.
For more on this story and to watch the video go to:
http://www.webpronews.com/new-assassins-creed-iv-shows-off-open-world-caribbean-exploration-2013-07
The global economic tides are turning
By Sam Ro From Business Insider
So far, we’ve learned that most of Asia is either decelerating or contracting. Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam, and Indonesia all reported deteriorating numbers in July.
China’s official PMI number climbed, but its unofficial HSBC PMI number fell.
The global economic tides appear to be turning. Economic data in recent weeks have shown that China’s hot economy is slowing quickly.
Meanwhile, the beleaguered eurozone economies have been showing signs of life. Italy, France, Germany, and Greece all reported notable improvements in activity.
The U.S. economy seems to be heading in the right direction. The ISM and PMI surveys both showed significant gains.
At the beginning of each month, Markit, HSBC, RBC, JP Morgan, and several other major data gathering institutions publish the latest local readings of the manufacturing purchasing managers index (PMI) for countries around the world. Read more about it at Markit – http://www.markiteconomics.com/Survey/Page.mvc/AboutPMIData
For more on this story go to:
