Cayman Premier thinks he did well during HARDtalk grilling

Cayman’s Premier Hon. Alden McLaughlin said he thinks he did well during his grilling from BBC’s Stephen Sackur on the HARDtalk programme that is currently being aired on BBC World WestStar Cable Channel 26.

However, he admits it was tough. Sackur peppered him with questions on Cayman’s financial services industry and its label as a ‘notorious’ tax haven.

Same-sex marriages unveiled in UK

A decade after civil partnerships swept into UK law, same-sex marriages are to be unveiled across England and Wales, with the first ceremonies set for 29 March. In addition to the history, hoopla and confetti, there is, of course, the hugely romantic issue of how to handle pension rights when one spouse dies. Analysts from law firm Nabarro point out that the legislation — the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 — gives surviving same-sex spouses similar occupational pension rights to civil partners. But the lawyers advise that ‘schemes, including those closed to future accrual, need to decide what benefits they will provide to surviving partners [statutory minimum or more generous] and consider what amendments are required to achieve this’. For more go to: http://www.thelawyer.com/briefings/same-sex-marriage-get-your-scheme-ready-for-the-big-day/3015694.article?cmpid=tlbrief4_128637

Graphic images of BT murder/suicide on social media

Graphic images of the Bodden Town murder/suicide last Sunday (9) have been circulating on social media. The images show the murder victim and the suspected killer who committed suicide by hanging himself from a tree.

A police spokesperson said, “We can confirm that we are aware of the matter and it is being investigated. Consultation will take place with the legal department to determine if any criminal offences have been committed.”

Compliance Association Symposium comes to Cayman in March

The Regulatory Compliance Association will host a symposium from March 12^th -14^th at The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman.

Four former Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) commissioners, Kathleen Casey, Troy Paredes, Roel Campos and Paul Atkins will be speaking at the symposium. Acting commissioner at the Commodities and Futures Trading Commission, Bart Chilton will join them.

Other speakers will include Cayman’s Premier, Alden McLaughlin and Cindy Scotland managing Director of Cayman Islands Monetary Authority.

In a session on fund governance and due diligence, Grand Court Judge Andrew Jones will take part. Justice Jones handed down the famous decision in the Weavering Case concerning fund governance.

Various case studies will be discussed that include the SEC’s Aberrational Performance Initiative, how to institutionalise practices and controls to manage conflicts of interest and valuation processes, SEC examination trends, exploring new covert investigatory techniques and enforcement and FATCA and tax compliance.

The Regulatory Compliance Association is a not-for-profit organization, chartered as a graduate level institution. Its principal mandate is to protect investors and financial markets through accredited post-secondary education in compliance, operations and regulation, in particular in the alternative investment community.

This will be the first Regulatory Compliance Association symposium in the Cayman Islands since the association discontinued its conference series after the financial crisis.

Golf qualification competitions underway

The Cayman Islands Golf Association’s qualification competitions are under way for adult and juniors to represent the Cayman Islands at the annual Caribbean Amateur Golf Championships.

The tournaments will be hosted by Puerto Rico in August.

Cayman National Bank provides sponsorship for the national team.

The first qualifying rounds were played last week. The events were organized by the association and held at the North Sound Golf Club.

Adult golfers seeking to represent Cayman will play six rounds over the coming months, culminating with the Island Championships on May 31 and June 1. The eventual team will comprise 11 men in different age groups and three women.

The next events are Feb. 23 for the juniors and March 1 for the adults.

CIGA organizes a full calendar of events for golfers of all ages and levels of ability. See www.ciga.ky for details.

Women in Cayman’s public donation drive a big success

The Women in Cayman organization teamed up with the Crisis Centre to collect donations for mothers and children at the shelter last Saturday (8) and event organiser Monica Walton described it as a “huge success”.

Volunteers collected donations from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. that included women’s and children’s clothing, furniture, toiletries, diapers, toys, clothes and food.

Anyone interested in making a donation to the Cayman Islands Crisis Centre can visit its website at www.cicc.ky or to volunteer for upcoming Women in Cayman projects, email [email protected].

Results of Student Drug Use Survey is of concern

The results from the 2012 Cayman Islands Student Drug Use Survey show 40 percent of students admit to drinking and the National Drug Council (NDC) says it is concerned.

The NDC’s Programme Manager, Brenda Watson, says prevalent drinking culture may be encouraging young people to develop an alcohol habit very early.

An education campaign for students in all three islands to raise awareness of the dangers of drug abuse has been launched by the NDC.

Volleyball tournament may be launched first in Cayman afterall

Although Boca Chica in the Dominican Republic was initially listed as the opening stage for this year’s North, Central America and Caribbean Volleyball Confederation Beach Volleyball Circuit on April 16-21, the status of the Boca Chica tournament is now unclear.

Cayman is slated to be the second stop for the competition on the NORCECA tour schedule from April 25-28, with visiting teams expected to arrive from April 23.

The competition will run until November with more than a dozen legs around the region.

Cayman first hosted the NORCECA circuit opener in 2009.

Tourism surges in Cayman Islands

From Caribbean Journal

Tourist arrivals to the Cayman Islands surged in 2013, according to data released this week by the Caribbean Tourism Organization.

The Cayman Islands received a total of 345,387 stopover visitors in 2013, a 7.4 percent increase over 2012.

That was the second-largest increase of any Caribbean tourism destination with complete 2013 reporting, followed by Aruba.

Cayman’s 2013 growth was driven by strong performances from two areas: Europe and non-traditional source markets like South America.

European arrivals to Cayman rose to 27,813, an increase of 30 percent, while arrivals from areas outside of the US, UK and Canada, the vast majority of which are South American arrivals, rose by 24.1 percent.

In 2012, the Cayman Islands received 321,650 tourists, itself a 4.1 percent increase over the previous year.

For more: http://www.caribjournal.com/2014/02/11/tourism-surges-in-cayman-islands/

Semi-final match-ups for NAGICO Super50

WICB Media Release.

PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad – Please see below the semi-final match-ups for the NAGICO Super50 tournament after the preliminary round ended on Monday night.

Matches will be played at Queen’s Park Oval. First ball is 2 pm (1 pm Jamaica Time)

Wednesday, February 12: Semi-final 1 – Jamaica vs Trinidad & Tobago

Thursday, February 13: Semi-final 2 – Barbados vs Guyana

Saturday 15th: FINAL – Winner of Semi-final 1 vs Winner of Semi-final 2

FULL SQUADS

TRINIDAD & TOBAGO: Dwayne Bravo (captain), Adrian Barath, Evin Lewis, Lendl Simmons, Darren Bravo, Jason Mohammed, Denesh Ramdin (wicket-keeper), Rayad Emrit, Sunil Narine, Ravi Rampaul, Imran Khan, Yannick Ottley, Shannon Gabriel, Kevon Cooper; Kelvin Williams (coach)

JAMAICA: David Bernard Jr (captain), Nikita Miller (vice captain), Andre Russell, Carlton Baugh Jr (wicket-keeper), Tamar Lambert, Andrew Richardson, Horace Miller, John Campbell, Jermaine Blackwood, Andre McCarthy, Sheldon Cottrell, Jerome Taylor, Nkrumah Bonner, Kenar Lewis; Junior Bennett (coach)

BARBADOS: Kevin Stoute (captain), Sulieman Benn, Tino Best, Rashidi Boucher, Carlos Brathwaite, Kraigg Brathwaite, Jonathan Carter, Shane Dowrich (wicket-keeper), Fidel Edwards, Jason Holder, Ashley Nurse, Dwayne Smith, Kenroy Williams; Hendy Springer (coach)

GUYANA: Christopher Barnwell (captain), Shiv Chanderpaul (vice captain), Ramnaresh Sarwan, Anthony Bramble (wicket-keeper), Robin Bacchus, Trevon Griffith, Leon Johnson, Narsingh Deonarine, Royston Crandon, Assad Fudadin, Devendra Bishoo, Veerasammy Permaul, Ronsford Beaton, Paul Wintz; Esuan Crandon (coach)