iNews Briefs
WISHING ALL OUR READERS A VERY HAPPY THANKSGIVING DAY
FROM iNEWS CAYMAN IEYENEWS
Cayman Islands premier delivers Christmas message at Rotary Lighting ceremony
At the Annual Rotary Grand Cayman Tree Lighting Ceremony last Thursday (20) Cayman Islands Premier urged residents to practice forgiveness, love, kindness and charity.
The Premier noted that people should not approach the season as a routine annual event. It is easy to get caught up with the ‘busyness’ of this time of year,” but people needed to reflect the real meaning of Christmas which is compassion.
“The brightly coloured lights that adorn homes, shops, trees and places of business; the parties where we will all throw out whatever diet we are currently on; and the shopping for that just-so-perfect gift. But amidst the frantic activity of the season, we should also take time to experience the peace that is Christmas, seek out those who are less fortunate and help them share in some small way in the magic of this time of year. Christmas is one of my favourite times of the year. Not because of the glitz and the glitter and not because of the gifts that will be received. To me Christmas is a time of quiet reflection, a time to spend with my wife and two sons, my father, sisters and the rest of my family. I like to cook Christmas beef for my family, friends and others and meet up with old friends to re-tell favourite stories and just chill. I truly wish we could capture the enchantment of Christmas and sprinkle it throughout the year. It would mean feelings of goodwill and charity, not just at Christmas, but every day,” he said.
The Premier said that he wished everyone a very blessed Christmas season.
SOURCE: http://loopcayman.com/2014/11/25/alden-mclaughlin-preaches-forgiveness-kindness-and-charity/
See also Joan Wilson iNews Cayman Publisher’s Editorial published November 24 2014 “How time flies. Christmas is just around the corner” at: http://www.ieyenews.com/wordpress/the-editor-speaks-how-time-flies-christmas-is-just-around-the-corner/
Rachel Mcadams, Taylor Kitsch and Kelly Reilly join Colin Farrell and Vince Vaughn in the second season of HBO’s “True Detective”
The eight-episode, hour-long drama has begun production in California
Miami, FL – November 24, 2014 – HBO confirmed today that Rachel McAdams, Taylor Kitsch and Kelly Reilly will join Colin Farrell and Vince Vaughn in season two of the Emmy® nominated original series True Detective. Created and written by Nic Pizzolatto, the eight-episode, hour-long drama has begun production in California, with Justin Lin set to direct the first two episodes.
In the new season, three police officers and a career criminal must navigate a web of conspiracy in the aftermath of a murder. Colin Farrell will star as Ray Velcoro, a compromised detective whose allegiances are torn between his masters in a corrupt police department and the mobster who owns him, and Vince Vaughn will play Frank Semyon, a career criminal in danger of losing his empire when his move into legitimate enterprise is upended by the murder of a business partner.
For the newly added cast, Rachel McAdams will play Ani Bezzerides, a Ventura County Sheriff’s detective whose uncompromising ethics put her at odds with others and the system she serves; Taylor Kitsch stars as Paul Woodrugh, a war veteran and motorcycle officer for the California Highway Patrol, running from a difficult past and the sudden glare of a scandal that never happened; and Kelly Reilly plays Jordan, Frank Semyon’s wife, a former D-list actress who is a full partner in his enterprises and ambitions.
Cayman Islands firm snaps up MediaWorks stake
From stuff
A minority stake in broadcaster MediaWorks has been acquired by a Cayman Islands company with links to US investors.
The 6.5 per cent stake was transferred from a JP Morgan fund to Minot Light APAC yesterday, according to Companies Office records.
Although registered in the Caymans, Minot Light’s address is given as the John Hancock Tower in Boston, the same address as that of private equity firm Bain Capital, owner of radio group iHeartMedia, formerly known as Clear Channel.
In February iHeartMedia sold its share of New Zealand’s Radio Network to joint venture partner APN in a deal providing APN with a 10-year licence to use the iHeartRadio digital radio platform.
It is not clear whether Minot Light APAC has any connection to Boston-based Minot’s Light LLC, an investment vehicle for interests of the Bancroft family, former owners of Dow Jones.
MediaWorks broadcasts free-to-air TV stations TV3 and Four, as well as several radio stations including More FM, Radio Live and The Rock.
Haiti PM reiterates govt unwavering support to disabled people
By Joe Colas From Haitian-Caribbean News Network
BON-REPOS, Haiti (HCNN) – The Haitian Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe, on Tuesday reiterated its commitment to disabled people to whom he promised the unwavering support of his government, in an effort to promote their full integration.
Lamothe assured that the special attention and support that the government gives to people with reduced mobility, are part of the vision of Haitian President Michel Martelly, to enhance and standardize the functioning of the disabled who have not always been taken into account in the definition, planning and implementation of public policies.
“President Martelly and I have a special attention for the disabled whose rights should be protected by the government, but also by all sectors of society,” Lamothe told HCNN on Tuesday.
Lamothe was speaking during a visit to the Haitian Leon Gerard Rehabilitation Institute, at the referral hospital of Bon-Repos, where he distributed equipment to people with special needs.
It was also an opportunity for the Head of Government to see at work the specially trained staff who are tasked with taking care of those with a disability.
“The integration of people with special needs is a priority for us and we want to ensure that these people are treated with respect, I mean, without any kind of discrimination,” insisted Lamothe.
The head of government praised and thanked Brazil and Cuba that contributed to the establishment of the Rehabilitation Institute which represents a first in the efforts to assist persons with disabilities.
Lamothe – who spoke in the presence of the Secretary of State for the integration of people with special needs, Gerald Oriol – congratulated the institute staff, he said, treated disabled people with dignity and consideration .
Cayman Islands government health insurer sued by US hospitals for non-payment
Cayman Islands National Insurance Company (CINICO) has been sued by two hospitals in the USA for unpaid medical bills of approx. $1.5M according to a story on Cayman Compass (Nov 26).
The two hospitals are The University of Miami Hospital and The Miami Beach Hospital Group Ltd who attended to 10 patients covered by CINICO.
Go to: http://www.compasscayman.com/caycompass/2014/11/26/Two-US-hospitals-sue-CINICO-for-unpaid-bills/
Guyanese national arrested following discovery of US$620,000 on private plane
From Caribbean 360
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, Wednesday November 26, 2014, CMC – A Guyanese national has been arrested by United States law enforcement authorities after a large sum of money was found on a private plane last weekend.
The Puerto Rican newspaper Primera Hora, said Khamraj Lall was detained on November 22 after US$620,000 was found on the plane.
It said US federal agents at the Luis Munoz Marin International Airport detected the money stashed in plastic bags during routine investigations. US authorities require that sums over US$10,000 be reported.
The newspaper said that Lall, who migrated to the United States 30 years ago, was the passenger of the private plane that landed in Isla Verde, according to an affidavit by a federal agent.
The plane had stopped to refuel with the intention of continuing to Guyana according to information from the electronic file of the Federal Court.
Judge Marcos Lopez has issued an arrest warrant for Lall, who now faces charges of falsely filing federal reports and smuggling more than US$600,000.
Cayman Islands Department of Environment – Notice of meeting to discuss procedures for establishing coral nurseries
George Town, Grand Cayman – The Department of Environment Announces a Meeting to Discuss Procedures for those Interested in Establishing Coral Nurseries.
The Cabinet of the Cayman Islands has approved a policy for managing coral nurseries in the Cayman Islands. (Coral Nursery Policy Public 2014) The Department of Environment will be holding a meeting on Thursday December 11th at 2pm to provide information on establishing nurseries for Acropora corals and eventual outplanting on Cayman’s reefs. If you are interested please RSVP to [email protected] by 4th December 2014.
Home depot facing at least 44 civil lawsuits so far over recent breach
By Mary Beth Quirk From Consumerist
There’s no ifs ands or buts about it — the fallout from the recent massive data breach at Home Depot is far from over. The company wrote in a filing today that it’s got the specter of state and federal investigations looming over it as well as at least 44 civil lawsuits in the U.S. and Canada.
Those probes and lawsuits “may adversely affect how we operate our business, divert the attention of management from the operation of the business and result in additional costs and fines,” according to a filing reported by the Wall Street Journal.
The investigation is still ongoing, the company said, and it’s still figuring out how the business has been affected financially and otherwise.
And it’s not time to rest easy yet, customers — Home Depot floated the possibility that it could still identify other data that was leaked or compromised in the breach.
Going forward, Home Depot said it has finished a project that takes customer credit-card data at the point of sale and encrypts it, at all of its U.S. stores. It’s also planning to implement an encryption system in its Canada stores by early 2015, and begin using EMV chip-and-PIN technology, which helps protect customer data during transactions.
Former Dominica attorney general faces charges linked to passport scam
From Caribbean360
ROSEAU, Dominica, Wednesday, November 26, 2014, CMC – Five people, including former attorney general, Bernard Wiltshire, will return to court on February 5 after the state re-instated charges linking them to an alleged passport scam.
The case against the five – Nash Mitchel, Lyndon Marie, Kimana James, Harolda Henry and Wiltshire – had been discontinued earlier this year after Magistrate Arley Gill struck out the matter for want of prosecution.
But when the accused appeared in court earlier this week they were faced with several charges over the incident that the state alleges took place during the period 2005 and 2006.
The authorities have slapped nine charges against Marie including f possession of birth certificates and uttering forged Dominica birth certificate between November 11, 2005 – March 31, 2011 and August 25, 2005- March 31, 2011.
Mitchel has been jointly charged with Wiltshire for conspiring to obtain a Dominica passport under the name of Eunice Abraham between June 21, 2005 and September 26, 2006. Michel was charged with having forging Dominica passport forms, possession of Dominica passport applications, submitting false passport forms, uttering false birth certificates and maliciously obtaining receipts from treasury with intention to deceive treasury.
James faces five charges including possession of forged birth certificates and uttering of false birth certificates.
The defendants were not required to plea since the charges are all indictable.
There are now 3 billion Internet users, mostly in rich countries
From engadget
The UN’s International Telecommunication’s Union (ITU) has revealed that over 3 billion people are now connected to the internet, an increase of 6.6 percent over last year. The good news is that such access can have a huge impact “for those who are the poorest and most disenfranchised, including women, youth and those with disabilities,” according to the report. However, the bad news is that much of that coverage doesn’t apply to people who need it the most. Of the 4.3 billion people still not connected to the internet, 90 percent live in developing countries, with two-thirds of users in first-world countries.
See attached chart
So how to get more people online in the poorest countries? The ITU pointed out that nations setting ambitious information tech targets have the greatest internet user growth, so it figures that developing countries need to set similar targets. It also noted that people in rural areas were least likely to be connected, especially in poor nations — a statistic that’s related as much to a lack of connectivity as the lack of means to pay for it. To tackle that issue, the ITU recently unveiled a plan to connect as many as 1.5 billion more users to the internet in 5 years, in part by opening up more wireless spectrum currently used for TV broadcast. It hopes doing that will also lower access costs — a tall job, given that poor rural users often get by on a dollar a day or less.
For more: http://www.engadget.com/2014/11/25/3-billion-internet-users/?ncid=rss_truncated
Gonsalves denies media reports new official vehicle is bullet proof
From Caribbean360
KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent, Wednesday November 26, 2014, CMC – Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves has denied media reports that the EC$175,000 (One EC dollar = US$0.37 cents) vehicle bought for his official use is bullet proof.
Gonsalves told reporters that the seven-seater Toyota Land Cruiser Prado is the third purchased by the government for use by the prime minister since he came to office on March 28, 2001.
But he insisted that a bulletproof vehicle is not necessary in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and would not prevent someone from shooting him if they wanted to.
The News newspaper reported over the last weekend that the vehicle is bulletproof, and cost EC$300,000.
However, a document handed out by a member of the Prime Minister’s Security Detail at a news conference Tuesday, lists the price of the vehicle as “$175,000, 100 per cent duty free price VAT (Value added Tax) exclusive”.
The vehicle has a 4,000 cc gasoline engine.
Local car dealer, Star Garage, through which the vehicle was purchased, said that the standard price of the vehicle, with a diesel engine, is EC$278,000, inclusive of taxes and duties.
The prices of the gasoline version is generally more expensive, and varies depending on the model, the garage said.
The fact sheet handed out to reporters gave no indication that the vehicle had been customized and earlier Foreign Affairs Minister Camillo Gonsalves in a post on the social network, Facebook, said the vehicle has “fabric interior. basic stereo. no rear seat entertainment, etc”.
Opposition Leader Arnhim Eustace said that Prime Minister Gonsalves was engaging in excessive spending recalling that both he and former prime minister Sir James Mitchell had used vehicles as old as 14 years during their tenure.
“When I was Prime Minister, I pushed the car when it broke down in Government House yard, trying to get it start. Fourteen years Sir James had that car. So when you look at these excesses of expenditure and so, no wonder our financial position is where it is,” Eustace said.
Seetahal murder not a “cold case” says National Security Minister
From Caribbean360
PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad, Wednesday November 26, 2014, CMC – National Security Minister Gary Griffith says the investigations into the murder of prominent attorney Dana Seetahal has not gone cold and that the local law enforcement authorities are receiving assistance from the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
“I refuse to make any statement that can affect the investigation or to put anyone on an alert as to what is taking place but I wish to state categorically that this is not in any way a cold case, that the law enforcement agencies, they are working hand in hand with the DEA,” said Griffith.
Seetahal was gunned down on May 4 after she left a casino for her home. The former special prosecutor and head of the Law Association of Trinidad and Tobago was shot several times as she neared her home.
No one has been arrested in relation to the murder of the former independent legislator despite a reward of one million dollars (One TT dollar =US$0.16 cents). Griffith told reporters that he was confident of arrests in the future.
“The Dana Seetahal murder, again, I want to emphasise the fact that we have the DEA, they are working on this matter so if at any time anyone would feel that it is a cold case, it is not. The DEA, they don’t operate on cold cases, they are still heavily involved in it. I am pretty confident, we have been looking at the information that has been coming forward.
“The DEA have acted on many cases similar to this for years and sometimes these cases take a year or two years but when it is they intend to crack it, it’s not just a matter of the person who operated the trigger but everyone from captain to cook will be taken down,” he added.
Griffith said while there been a 30 per cent reduction in major crimes homicides remain a challenge because of gang-related activities.
He said the murder of the two German nationals in Tobago last weekend “hit us hard” and pledged to deal with the criminal elements in the country.
Best Buy knows you want to waste Thanksgiving camping out for stuff you could probably buy online for less
By Chris Morran From Consumerist
It’s a little-known fact that at the first Thanksgiving feast, some of the pilgrims were sitting around the table while wishing in their heart of hearts that they were camped outside the local loom-and-musket shop in hopes of snatching up bargains.
Hundreds of years later, Best Buy is finally honoring that wish by opening up at 6 p.m. on Turkey Day.
This is a six-hour improvement over last year, when Best Buy had the stubbornness to wait all the way until midnight to throw open its doors to the throngs of people who love electronics and discounts, but who have apparently not heard of this thing called the Internet.
Best Buy customers in Maine, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island will have to muscle through dinner with their families, as laws in those states prevent stores from giving into that animal lust for doorbuster deals on Thanksgiving day proper.
Considering that Thanksgiving is now nothing but a speed bump on the way to savings (the deepest of which are on products that are rarely worth even the discounted price). How about we just call off the holiday until retailers give up this macho one-upsmanship of trying to open slightly earlier than competitors? Or at least until people realize they don’t need to drive to a flippin’ shopping center to get a good deal when their phones and computers can be accessed without ditching your family for the holiday.
For more on this story go to;
