iNews Briefs
Convicted killer’s appeal denied by Cayman Islands Court
Tareek Ricketts who was found guilty of the murder of Jackson Rainford in December 2012 has had his appeal for transcripts dismissed by the Cayman Islands Court of Appeal last Monday.
Ricketts gunned down Rainford who was his former partner’s lover and given a mandatory life sentence.
Four Royal Navy personnel face Canada sex charge
From BBC
Four members of the Royal Navy have been charged with sexual assault after an alleged incident in Nova Scotia, Canada’s military police said.
The sailors were in the country to attend a military sports tournament, the Canadian Forces National Investigation Service (CFNIS) said.
The men have appeared in court charged with one count of sexual assault each.
The incident allegedly took place in barracks at an air base at Shearwater, near Halifax, on Thursday.
The alleged victim is a woman not in the military, the CFNIS said.
The men have been named as Craig Stoner, Darren Smalley, Joshua Finbow and Simon Radford, in a statement on the Government of Canada website.
Canadian officials said they were members of the Royal Navy ice hockey team.
‘Full co-operation’
Reports in Canada suggested the men were remanded to a jail until Monday, while lawyers negotiate bail terms.
“This is a disturbing accusation of sexual assault,” Lt-Col Francis Bolduc said in a statement.
“I’m pleased with the full co-operation provided by the British authorities to support the hard work and diligence of the CFNIS team in responding to this matter.”
The UK Ministry of Defence said it was aware of allegations against four members of the Royal Navy.
“The Royal Navy takes allegations of this nature very seriously, however as legal proceedings continue it would be inappropriate to comment further,” an MoD spokeswoman said.
For more: http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-32360491
Arrangements incomplete for Virgilina man who died in Caymans Jet Ski crash
From SoVaNow.com
Funeral arrangements are pending for Robert Daniel Cole of Virgilina, who died of injuries he suffered in a Jet Ski collision on Wednesday, while vacationing in the Cayman Islands.
The 31-year-old county resident was on Caribbean cruise when the tragedy occurred. Brooks Lyon Funeral Home is handling the arrangements.
According to press accounts from the Cayman Islands, Cole and a companion, Amy Comer, were riding a Jet Ski with Cole at the controls when their craft was struck by a second Jet Ski operated by a 15-year-old boy from New York. The teen was out Jet Skiing with his father and three other brothers, according to media reports.
Cole and Comer were thrown from the impact of the freak accident. She suffered a leg injury but later was treated and released from a local hospital. He lost consciousness and, despite receiving CPR on the shore, later died at a Cayman Islands hospital. The accident took place around 1 p.m. near the Westin Hotel.
The youth suffered only minor injuries in the collision.
All three persons involved in the accident were cruise ship passengers: Cole and Comer were vacationing with Carnival Conquest, while the New York family were passengers on the Carnival Paradise.
See iNews Cayman related story: “Public appeal & full story on jet ski accident in Cayman Islands/Fatal Collision” at: http://www.ieyenews.com/wordpress/fatal-collision-north-side-inbox/
White House details Caribbean energy approach
By Philip Rossetti From ASP
The islands of the Caribbean are threatened by their dependence on imported energy. Venezuela, which has dominated the control of energy in the region, is suffering as a result of low oil prices. This has created a vacuum in the region for who will provide energy, and has created a new opportunity for the U.S. The President has just returned from his trip to the Caribbean for the summit, and the White House has released its U.S.-CARICOM Summit fact sheet outlining proposals for energy cooperation between the U.S. and its neighbors.
The fact sheet outlines the U.S.’ approach to financing clean energy projects in the region, with a focus on catalyzing investment from other sources. The U.S. will also be cooperating with clean energy technology collaboration, and assisting Caribbean countries in a transition towards clean energy.
This approach to addressing the energy situation in the Caribbean is consistent with ASP’s Andrew Holland’s comments on energy security for the Caribbean, with the U.S. stepping in to fill the vacant shoes of Venezuela and also to create a more resilient energy infrastructure in the region. The U.S. has taken its first step to becoming the new energy powerhouse of the Caribbean, and this will offer better opportunities for the U.S. to influence regional politics, as well as stop trouble before it starts in our own backyard.
While stepping into this role may seem like a tall order, the U.S. can do this with minimal costs. This is because the U.S. has the ability to act as a “coordinator, not a funder” on the U.S.’ strategic approach to Caribbean energy security. The U.S. needs to help Caribbean nations develop energy dependence through green energy, and also to be able to fulfill the interim demand for fossil fuels—something which the U.S.’ shale revolution has made possible like never before.
The Caribbean summit has shown that the U.S. has an interest in fulfilling the demand for energy independence in the region, and such an approach will enhance the energy security of not only the region but of the U.S. With minimal cost but high potential gains, the U.S. will be able to become the new hub of energy in the region, enhancing its own ability to guide the politics of the region for mutually beneficial gains in climate security, energy security, and economic prosperity.
For more: http://www.americansecurityproject.org/white-house-details-caribbean-energy-approach/
Implementation of Cayman Islands Conservation Law
The National Conservation Law (NCL) was passed by the Legislative Assembly in December 2013; in September 2014, Parts 1 and 2 of the law, as well as Schedule 2, were commenced in order to provide the administrative framework for implementing the remaining parts of the law.
On Earth Day 2015, Government will commence aspects of the NCL that will protect species; begin the practical work of increasing Cayman’s areas under protection; and provide DoE’s conservation officers with the additional powers needed to make their jobs more efficient.
A government media advisory has been issued by the Minister of Financial Services, Wayne Panton, to advise of the implementation of Parts 2, 4, and 6; Section 50; and Schedules 1, 3 and 4 of the National Conservation Law (NCL) on Wednesday (11).
Participants will be Minister Panton; Department of Environment Director Gina Ebanks-Petrie; National Conservation Council Chairperson Christine Rose-Smyth.
Bill calls for review of drug policies in Latin America
By Cristina Marcos From The Hill
Reps. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.) and Matt Salmon (R-Ariz.) have introduced legislation creating a commission to study American drug policies in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The lawmakers argued that a review of drug policies would help identify which policies work and which don’t. South American countries like Colombia and Mexico remain the top originating countries of drugs such as cocaine and heroin consumed in the U.S.
“Over the last few decades, we’ve spent billions and billions on counternarcotics programs in Latin America and the Caribbean, yet more and more Americans are using illegal drugs,” Engel, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said in a statement. “This legislation would force us to take a hard look at our drug policy and make sure we have the best strategy going forward.”
The Western Hemisphere Drug Policy Commission created by the bill would be required to submit recommendations to Congress, the State Department and Office of National Drug Control Policy within a year.
The president, Speaker, House minority leader, Senate majority leader and Senate minority leader would each appoint two members to the commission.
Cayman Islands dump is no health risk says visiting experts
Cayman Islands Premier, Alden McLaughlin, announced on Monday (20) the environmental tests carried out at the George Town landfill (The Dump) have found the gases and liquids there are not life threatening.
This is according to AMEC, the consultants on the project. The consultants too samples there and landfill sites on Cayman Brac and Little Cayman.
A full report from AMEC that will also include leaching into the North Sound will be made public in a few weeks. The tests have been sent to a laboratory in the USA.
Julian Bromhead from AMEC said the data they obtained suggested the Hydrogen Sulfide in the area is not primarily caused by the George Town Dump.
“Certainly the concentrations that we have been measuring are well below any thresholds where it would be of concerns to human health,” said the Consultant.
French customs seize record 2.25 tonnes of cocaine in Caribbean
From 2 zeenews India
French customs agents have seized 2.25 tonnes of cocaine, their largest haul ever, from a sailboat in the Caribbean, the government said Saturday.
Authorities made the seizure Wednesday about 200 kilometres (124 miles) off the French island Martinique when they intercepted a boat “falsely flying an American flag”.
Three people were arrested aboard the vessel, said the statement from France`s finance ministry.
The cocaine haul amounts to about a third of the 6.6 tonnes of the drug seized over the whole of last year by French customs officers.
AFP
Qunar Cayman Islands receives new coverage from analysts at Summit Research (QUNR)
Posted by Hossein Forouzandeh at Mideast Times
Qunar Cayman Islands Ltd logoSummit Research started coverage on shares of Qunar Cayman Islands (NASDAQ:QUNR) in a research report released on Monday morning, TheFlyOnTheWall.com reports. The firm issued a buy rating and a $52.00 price objective on the stock.
Shares of Qunar Cayman Islands (NASDAQ:QUNR) opened at 45.66 on Monday. Qunar Cayman Islands has a 52 week low of $21.00 and a 52 week high of $46.50. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $37. and its 200-day moving average is $30.. The company’s market cap is $5.46 billion.
Qunar Cayman Islands (NASDAQ:QUNR) last released its earnings data on Monday, March 16th. The company reported ($0.40) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.45) by $0.05. Analysts expect that Qunar Cayman Islands will post $-1.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.
QUNR has been the subject of a number of other recent research reports. Analysts at Pacific Crest raised their price target on shares of Qunar Cayman Islands from $41.00 to $55.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Analysts at HSBC upgraded shares of Qunar Cayman Islands from a neutral rating to an overweight rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. Finally, analysts at Credit Agricole initiated coverage on shares of Qunar Cayman Islands in a research note on Monday, February 9th. They set a buy rating on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. The company currently has a consensus rating of Buy and a consensus price target of $36.71.
Qunar Cayman Islands Limited is a search-based commerce platform for the travel industry in China. The Company’s customers include travel service providers (NASDAQ:QUNR) and display advertisers. The Company’s platform is designed to facilitate and enhance convenience, data accuracy, and transaction security for its users.
To view Summit Research’s full report, visit Summit Research’s official website: http://www.summitresearchllc.com
Minimum-wage debate affects 0.4 percent of workers [in USA]
By Michael Carr From Newsmax
Should we raise prices for more than 300 million Americans to help 550,000 minimum-wage workers? Yes, we should, according to most media reports.
According to Federal Reserve data there are 550,000 workers over the age of 25 being paid the minimum wage. There are no data on how many work for large and presumably evil corporations and how many work for small businesses. There are no data showing how many businesses can afford to increase wages and still continue to operate.
The only data we really have are that 550,000 of the 129.5 million people over the age of 25 who are employed make the minimum wage. This might be a problem, but there are other problems that affect far more people.
Even if the low wages of 0.4 percent of workers is a serious problem, should we mandate a solution that could force some businesses to close? That would create worse problems for the newly unemployed that would then make $0 per hour instead of $7.25.
Debate over the minimum wage demonstrates that policy is made by sound bites and sad stories in the media rather than economic principles. Until debate is driven by intellectual discussion rather than emotion, deficits will continue to spiral out of control, regulations will increase unemployment and there will be more and more sad stories for the media to cover.
Open verdict delivered again in Cayman Islands hanging case
A question mark still hangs around the death of Lija Godenzi (43) who was found hanging from her bedroom door in a South Sound apartment in April 2012.
In the inquest to the death in November 2013 an open verdict was recorded by the jury but the deceased’s estranged husband, a lawyer, challenged the decision and the coroner’s directions and applied for a judicial review.
The second inquest was heard on Monday ( with Magistrate Angelyn Hernandez acting as coroner instead of Eileen Nervik QC who presided over the first inquest. However, the jury delivered another open verdict on Monday (13) despite directions from the magistrate that avoided any suggestion that Godenzi’s death could have been foul play.
Cayman Islands FOI request will not be granted relating to work permit data
The Legal Department is accepting the case made by Ernst & Young and three other firms that work permit data held by hundreds of local firms should not be made public.
A Freedom of Information Request (FOI) for the information was made by a number of private individuals and a local publisher and granted.
However, even though the information was posted on Facebook immediately after the challenge of the release was made it was removed.
The Legal Department agrees the decision to release the documentation under the information law was wrong.
Many persons believe the release of the information would help out of work Caymanians.
Canada quarantines chicken farm infected with bird flu
From Yahoo News
Ottawa (AFP) – Canadian health officials have quarantined another poultry farm found to be infected with bird flu, authorities said.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency said tests were conducted Friday after the “sudden deaths” of some chickens confirmed the presence of the virus.
The CFIA added that all of the poultry on the farm would be destroyed.
More tests are being performed to determine the exact type and strain of the virus, health officials said in their press release on Saturday.
Several British Columbia farms were hit late last year by the virus, which is highly communicable among birds.
Recent cases of the disease also have been found at Canadian turkey farms in Ottawa.
For more: http://news.yahoo.com/canada-quarantines-chicken-farm-infected-bird-flu-165456922.html
Second Iowa bird flu outbreak strikes egg facility
By Donnelle Eller From USA
Iowa has discovered a second outbreak of avian influenza, this time at a commercial chicken laying facility in Osceola County in northwest Iowa, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said Monday.
The facility has 5.3 million hens. All the birds in the flock will be euthanized to prevent the spread of the disease, officials said.
Last week, H5N2 avian influenza was discovered in a flock of 27,000 turkeys in Buena Vista County. Those birds also were euthanized. The disease is capable of killing an entire flock within 48 hours.
Scientists and government officials believe the virus is being spread through migratory birds in the Mississippi flyway, where the strain previously has been identified. The birds are believed to transmit the illness through their droppings.
The poultry industry has increased biosecurity efforts. Last week, officials said they were concerned the poultry-killing disease would make its way into the state’s commercial egg-laying industry, which is the largest in the nation.
For more: http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/money/agriculture/2015/04/20/avian-flu-chicken-eggs/26094811/
Cayman Islands Court of Appeal cuts kidnapper’s sentence
The Cayman Islands Court of Appeal has cut a ten year sentence given to a kidnapper, Allan Sywell Kelly (45), a Honduran national in 2011, by two years.
Kelly was convicted of being part of a gang that abducted a local man and asked for a half-million dollar ransom. He was convicted along with Charles Felix Webster and given a 10-year sentence. His reduction follows Webster’s 10-year sentence being reduced by two years during a 2013 sitting of the high court.
Trinidad rattled by earthquake, second within a week
From Jamaica Observer
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) – Trinidad and Tobago was jolted Wednesday by an earthquake with a magnitude of 3.9 less than a week after the oil rich twin island republic was shaken by one with a 6.4 magnitude.
The Trinidad-based Seismic Unit of the University of the West Indies (UWI) said that the new quake was located north of the Paria Peninsula and occurred at around 7.19 am (local time).
It said it had a depth of 64 kilometers and was 10.89 degrees noth, 62.21 degrees west. There were no reports of injuries or damage.
On Friday night, an earthquake also shook Trinidad, Grenada, St Vincent and the Grenadines and Guyana, forcing electricity cuts in several areas of Trinidad.
The quake was the most powerful felt in Trinidad and Tobago since 1997 when an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.1 struck the twin island republic causing damage in the sister island of Tobago.
For more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/latestnews/trinidad-rattled-by-earthquake–second-within-a-week
Cayman Islands West Bay Road speed limit reduced to 30mph from 40 mph
In the Legislative Assembly this week Minister Kurt Tibbetts announced government would be changing speed zones around the island based on the consultation carried out by the National Roads Authority (NRA).
The West Bay road speed limit will be dropping from 40mph to 30mph. The said the traffic law regulations would be amended to change the speed limit on the road. Government, however, has not yet revealed the other roads that will see a change in speed zones.
Banker killed in front his home in apparent robbery
From WINN FM
St. Kitts and Nevis (WINN): A well known banker was shot and killed in front of his Hamilton area home on Friday night, in what is believed to be a robbery.
Reports reaching WINN FM indicate that a neighbour observed that Mr. Everette’s Hanley’s vehicle was outside his home, but not in the place where it was usually parked. Noting that it had been there for an extended length of time, the neighbour reportedly alerted Mr. Hanley’s wife, who was inside the house.
Mr. Hanley was the Credit Manager at the Bank of Nevis, though WINN FM understands that it is not believed that the robbery was related to his employment with the bank.
His death came a few hours after at least two other robberies in the same area.
For more: https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/h/1lbbszqcixqqv/?&th=14cd7a2905376237&v=c
Story of baby found dead in barrel ‘troubling’, says OCR
From Jamaica Observer
KINGSTON, Jamaica – The Office of the Children’s Registry (OCR) says it finds the story surrounding the death of 23-month-old Jaydeen Myers troubling and is concerned about the incident.
Jaydeen was reportedly found dead in a barrel, packed head first with clothes and foodstuff at her home in Grosmond, Braes River, three miles north-east of Santa Cruz on Saturday.
Reports are that Jaydeen’s mother had prepared her for a bath about 2:00 pm Saturday when she was distracted by other children. When she returned some time later, the toddler was nowhere to be seen.
The toddler was allegedly unaccounted for from 2:00 pm to 7:00 pm, OCR said in a release.
Another family member went in search of food in a barrel where food and other items are kept. While searching through the barrel, a foot was felt and, after moving some clothes, the naked body of the child was found face down in the container.
The OCR added that an alarm was raised and the child was rushed to the Black River Hospital where the death was confirmed.
“The OCR finds this story troubling and is urging anyone with information relating to this case to share that with the police,” the release said.
Although mindful of the fact that the family may be mourning at this time, Registrar at the OCR, Greig Smith, is urging parents and caregivers to ensure adequate supervision of every child in their care at all times.
For more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/latestnews/Story-of-baby-found-dead-in-barrel–troubling—says-OCR
Cayman Islands April Funerals
Darley Solomon 23 May 1931 – 29 Mar 2015 Dixie
Lilly Tibbetts – 6 Apr 2015 Creek
Alex (Hurlston) Pennington 27 Aug 1930 – 7 Apr 2015 South Sound
Samuel Reginald Ebanks 10 Mar 1957 – 31 Mar 2015 West Bay
Lola Ana Watler 5 Feb 1924 – 1 Apr 2015 Hialeah
Paul Weiss scores for Pfizer in Zoloft Bellwether trial
BNy Scott Flaherty, from The Litigation Daily
Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison’s Beth Wilkinson helped Pfizer Inc. get off to a promising start Friday in sweeping litigation over the antidepressant Zoloft, winning a defense verdict in the first trial of hundreds of pending cases linking the drug to birth defects.
A jury in Missouri Circuit Court for St. Louis City rejected claims brought by the family of Logyn Pesante, a boy born with a hole in his heart whose mother allegedly took Zoloft to treat depression while she was pregnant. The lawsuit asserted a causal link between Zoloft and the boy’s condition, and accused Pfizer of failing to provide enough warning about the antidepressant’s risks.
Friday’s verdict came in the first Zoloft case to go to trial; in addition to several cases in St. Louis state court, plaintiffs have sued in state court in Philadelphia and in multidistrict litigation consolidated in Philadelphia federal court, among other jurisdictions. Jury selection for a second Zoloft trial is set to begin next month in one of the state cases in Philadelphia, with a trial to follow in early June.
Pfizer has denied the claims, and has tapped Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan’s Mark Cheffo to coordinate its national defense efforts. For the Pesante trial, the company called on Paul Weiss’ Wilkinson, who delivered opening and closing arguments. Wilkinson told the jury that scientific evidence doesn’t back up the plaintiffs’ claims and that Pfizer adequately warned of Zoloft’s risks.
“The decision is particularly significant as the plaintiffs’ lawyers selected this case for their first trial, and after all the evidence was heard, the jury found in favor of Pfizer,” the company said in a statement.
Pfizer’s defense lineup at trial also included Alexandra Walsh of Paul Weiss and Booker Shaw of Thompson Coburn. (Paul Weiss is also expected to take the lead for Pfizer at other trials in state court, including the upcoming Philadelphia trial set for June.)
Joseph Zonies of Reilly Pozner delivered opening arguments for the plaintiffs in the St. Louis trial, and Shelley Hutson of Clark Love Hutson handled the close. Zonies didn’t immediately respond on Monday to a request for comment.
IMAGE: Zoloft. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
