iNews Briefs
Minimum Wage Advisory Committee District Meetings Reminder for Cayman Islands residents
The Minimum Wage Advisory Committee (MWAC) is inviting the public to a round of district meetings to have a final say on the topic of introducing a minimum wage to the Cayman Islands.
Meetings in Cayman Brac and North Side have already taken place. The meetings will continue in East End at the William Allen McLaughlin Civic Centre on Tuesday 10th, February and in Bodden Town at the James Manoah Civic Centre on Wednesday 11th February. Both meetings will be from 7:30pm to 9:00pm.
In George Town, the meeting will be held in the Town Hall on Thursday 12th February from 7:00pm to 8:30pm and the final meeting will be in West Bay in the Shirley Kidd Memorial Hall at Sir John A. Cumber Primary School on Monday 16th February from 7:00pm to 8:30pm.
All members of the public are invited and encouraged to attend the meeting in their district.
“Burst” of eight earthquake tremors in nine minutes rattle St Lucia
From the Celestial Convergence
PLANETARY TREMORS: “These Are Foreshocks And A Larger Earthquake Might Occur” – Caribbean Island Of St. Lucia Rattled By “BURST” Of Eight Earthquake Tremors In Just NINE MINUTES; Natural Disaster Emergency Agency Advises Citizens To Be Wary And Take Precaution?!
February 10, 2015 – ST. LUCIA, CARIBBEAN – St. Lucia was struck by a “burst” of earthquakes on Monday, but disaster officials said there were no reports of injuries or damages.
The National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO) said that it had been informed by the Trinidad-based Seismic Research Unit (SRC) of the University of the West Indies (UWI) that the island had been hit by eight tremors during a nine minute period.
It said the largest of the tremors was located at 13.84°N and 61.06°W with a magnitude was 2.3 and a depth 17km.
For more: http://thecelestialconvergence.blogspot.com/2015/02/planetary-tremors-these-are-foreshocks.html
Creative Kids Camp for Cayman Islands
From Chatterbox
Alice, our Family Support Worker, is running a two day Creative Kids Camp on Friday 20th and Saturday 21st February.
For more information and to book a space, call her on 923 6473 or email [email protected]
See attached for more details
American Airlines: Latin America-Caribbean numbers decline in January
From Caribbean Journal
American Airlines Group has been steadily losing traffic in the Latin America and Caribbean region in recent months, a trend that continued to start the new year.
The carrier reported a 5.3 percent reduction in revenue passenger miles in Latin America and the Caribbean in January, compared to the same period in 2014.
In total, the carrier reported revenue passenger miles of 2.994 billion, down from 3.16 billion in January 2014.
That was part of a wider decline for the carrier internationally, with a 3.5 percent decrease in January.
The carrier’s load factor saw less of a decrease, however, with just a -0.1 percent reduction in load factor in January.
Funeral for Cayman Islands murder victim
Friends and relatives of murder victim David Ebanks gathered last Saturday (7) for his funeral that took place at the Wesleyan Holiness Church in West Bay.
Some of the persons gathered there wore T-shirts that were specially made in remembrance of their friend.
Ebanks (20) was found shot dead on Birch Tree Hill Road on 23rd January.
Copa America Centennial meeting held in Uruguay
Confederations continue discussions on planning of momentous tournament in 2016
PUNTA DEL ESTE, Uruguay — FIFA Vice President and CONCACAF President Jeffrey Webb and CONMEBOL President Juan Angel Napout were in attendance Thursday as the third executive committee planning meeting for the Copa America Centennial USA 2016 was hosted by the South American football confederation.
“We are making steady progress in the planning stages for the tournament, which we hope will be the most successful in the history of the Americas,” said Webb. “I express my gratitude to CONMEBOL for hosting our delegation, and look forward to more fruitful discussions leading up to 2016.”
The one-day gathering was held at the Conrad Hotel in Punta del Este, Uruguay. Participants gave updates on an array of topics, including television production, the National Organizing Committee and protocol, as well as broadcast and commercial rights.
“The planning of this historic event continues between our sister confederations,” Napout expressed. “We are excited to take the next steps in this process as we evolve from strategy to actual implementation.”
The group will meet again later this year for the presentation progress reports and to ensure the competition’s smooth operation.
Cayman female golfer and partner finish 2nd in top regional event
Cayman golfer Samantha Widmer and teammate Josephine Foster-Middleton managed a second-place finish at the 56th Annual Member-Guest Tournament at Lyford Cay Club, in the Bahamas that took place from Feb. 1-7.
Widmer has been Cayman’s national amateur women’s champion for the past six years and has competed in numerous international events for the Cayman Islands.
Badly decomposed body found in bushes could be that of missing Caribbean Airlines director
From Caribbean360
PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad, Tuesday February 10, 2015, CMC – Law enforcement authorities say forensic tests will have to be carried are to determine whether or not the body found Monday in a rural village is that of Caribbean Airlines (CAL) director, Azad Niamat, who has been reported missing since January 29.
The body was discovered in Brazil village on Monday a few miles from where the vehicle which the retired pilot was last seen driving and found abandoned a week ago.
Relatives have offered an undisclosed amount of money as a reward for information leading to the whereabouts of the 69-year-old who is reported to have left his home in Chaguanas in central Trinidad on January 29, indicating that he was going to purchase part for a wireless router and has not been seen since.
A friend of the family, Imam Morland Lynch, who saw the body, told the Express newspaper Monday that the body was clad in the same clothing that Niamat was last seen wearing.
“My contact number was on flyers that were posted seeking information on him. Someone called that number this morning and said that they found his body. I came up here and the body had his same clothes. I contacted his wife and his brother. The person who informed me of the body contacted the police”.
According to the Trinidad Express, “police sources said the body was bound and the victim’s hands were tied behind his back. They noted that something resembling duct tape also appeared to have been placed over the victim’s mouth”.
Niamat’s burgundy coloured Toyota Prado has been found and appeared not to have been tampered with.
A relative told reporters that Niamat had pressed his GPS (Global Positioning System) in his van which sent a message to his daughter in Florida.
The family said they have not received any ransom demands for the father of two.
Cayman Islands golfers take part in qualifying tournament
Cayman Islands golfers were out trying to hit their way for qualification to represent their country in the 20th Caribbean Golf Classic to be held in May.
The event was organised by the Cayman Islands Golf Association (CIGA) at the weekend and the top flights were:
Men
Flight 1 – Paul Woodhouse 54
Flight 2 — Jason Perras 54
Flight 3 — Tony Crescente 55
Flight 4 – Jeff Rees 58
Ladies
Flight 1 – Isabel Mendes 53, Nitti Howe 42
Flight 2 – Fiona Crellin 45, Diane Brazelton 37
The Cayman team has not yet been named.
Netflix expands to Cuba
From Caribbean Journal
Following the recent rapprochement between Cuba and the United States, the entertainment firm announced that, beginning Monday, Cubans with Internet connections and access to international payment options could subscribe to Netflix and watch a “curated selection of popular movies and TV shows.”
“We are delighted to finally be able to offer Netflix to the people of Cuba, connecting them with stories they will love from all over the world,” said Netflix co-founder and CEO Reed Hastings. “Cuba has great filmmakers and a robust arts culture and one day we hope to be able to bring their work to our global audience of over 57 million members.”
Among those programmes that will be available to Cubans are the company’s House of Cards and Orange is the New Black series, among others.
How much uptake the company will have in the short term is unclear; Cuba had the third-lowest internet usage rate of any country in the Caribbean, according to the most recent data from the International Telecommunication Union.
The company will also offer films, series and kids programming as it does in the rest of the region, the company said.
Netflix first launched in the wider Latin America region in 2011, with a total of 5 million regional members.
For more: http://www.caribjournal.com/2015/02/09/netflix-expands-to-cuba/
Cayman Islands young filmmakers get extension of time to enter competition
The Cayman National Cultural Foundation has extended its deadline for application to the Young Image Makers (YIM) short film competition.
Submissions now have to be returned by March 13th.
Students between the ages of 10 and 17 across the Cayman Islands are invited to submit their funniest, scariest and most thought-provoking short films and music videos for a chance to work with local film professionals and win a trip to the Big Apple! If you’re working on a brilliant idea for a short film or perhaps have already started working on your masterpiece, you’ve come to the right place.
For more information go to: http://www.artscayman.org/young-image-makers
Private client structuring: private trust companies and private trust foundations
From Offshore Bankers
Guernsey is renowned for being one of the leading jurisdictions for fiduciary work having built a strong reputation over decades and providing private clients with the right wealth structures quickly and with a high degree of expertise and professionalism.
One of the trends in recent years has been the emergence of the private trust company (PTC). Its popularity has grown as ultra-high net worth families look to consolidate their various family interests in a bespoke private structure.
The PTC offers many benefits such as the ability of the settlor or his or her trusted advisers to be closely involved with the structure, in-house specialist knowledge and expertise, continuity, flexibility and potential cost efficiencies.
Rare Golden Lion Tamarin Monkey eaten by otters in accident at Britain’s Bristol Zoo Gardens
From Huffington Post
LONDON (AP) — A British zoo says an endangered monkey that accidentally fell into a pond was eaten by otters.
Bristol Zoo Gardens say the rare golden lion tamarin monkey, a squirrel-sized species native to Brazil, was climbing on a branch when it fell and became trapped in the otter enclosure last month. The zoo said staff arrived too late to intervene.
The zoo made the statement after a whistleblower disclosed a series of animal deaths at the institution, including an endangered Visayan warty piglet that was eaten by its father shortly after it was born in December. The zoo said the male pig, Elvis, also attacked and killed the piglet’s mother.
The zoo’s director of conservation Christoph Schwitzer said despite their best efforts, keepers are unable to prevent unforeseen accidents.
2 Suspended immigration officials probe nearing completion
Eric Bush, Cayman Islands Home Affairs Chief Officer, has confirmed the separate investigations into matters pertaining to Chief Immigration Officer Linda Evans and Director of Boards Kimberly Davis are in their final stages.
Bush said once completed, the reports will be submitted to the Ministry for consideration and determination of what actions should be taken, if appropriate and within the confines of the Public Service Management Law.
TAG Heuer to sponsor St. Thomas International Regatta 2015
From Sailing Scuttlebutt News
The St. Thomas International Regatta (STIR) have announced this year’s event will be presented by TAG Heuer. Racing will be held March 27-29 in St Thomas, USVI.
The St. Thomas International Regatta, now in its forty-second year, is world-renown as the Crown Jewel of Caribbean yacht racing for its fantastic round the buoys and round the islands racing, first-class race committee and friendly can-do attitude towards its competitors. Over 80 entries, including more Grand Prix yachts and a fleet of over 25 one-design IC24s, are expected in 2015.
Register online at www.yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=1219
For more information about the regatta, visit www.stthomasinternationalregatta.com
Cuban migrant who died in Cayman waters still awaiting repatriation
Manuel Marino, the Cuban migrant who died in Cayman’s waters over a month ago, still lies in a Cayman Islands hospital morgue.
Officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs said they are awaiting a date from the Cuban government on when they can repatriate his remains.
Marino’s family has been made aware of his death.
Those not looking to own an island can share one
From Offshore Bankers
While being the sole owner of an entire island has snob appeal, buying private property on an established populated island might be even more appealing.
It requires far less spadework and can offer the superrich precisely the slice of paradise they are seeking.
A four-bedroom house on Bermuda — ranked No. 1 on the Candy GPS Report’s ranking of the top 20 island areas for real estate investment — will typically cost $4 million, according to the report.
For more: http://www.offshore-bankers.net/article/19761/those-not-looking-to-own-an-island-can-share-one
