iNews Briefs
New and improved Hebrew School coming soon in the Cayman Islands
An announcement on the Chabad of the Cayman Islands website: http://www.chabadcaymanislands.com/templates/articlecco_cdo/aid/2053720/jewish/Hebrew-School.htm says:
“Coming soon. Our new and improved Hebrew School.”
“The Chabad Hebrew School is a place where the joy, values, and traditions of Judaism are vividly brought to life. We feel it is essential that this experience represent a positive, cheerful, and enjoyable chapter of the child’s maturing process, The primary goal of our school is for the children to be left with deeply –rooted feelings of pride and affection for their heritage, their people and for the land of Israel.
“We believe that this can best be accomplished in an atmosphere of joy and warmth.”
Chabad of the Cayman Islands • 149 Jennifer Drive, Memory Lane #2 Snug Harbour • Grand Cayman, KY1-1206 • Cayman Islands • 717-798-1040
Plea change by crown and defence in Chisholm robbery rejected by judge
Justice Charles Quin rejected the plea change of Ordain Lloyd Ebanks who had been charged with armed robbery at Chisholms Supermarket on September 23rd 2013 in North Side.
The original submissions made by the crown had pointed to Ebanks being one of the two men who had ‘cased’ the supermarket prior to it being robbed by two other men. Both men had been part of the getaway and therefore had been involved in planning the heist. On that basis the judge had sentenced another man, Courtney Bryan who was one of the other two men who had actually robbed the shop.
Now the Crown has said they no longer had evidence Ebanks was part of the robbery. They have accepted a plea from Ebanks that he had no knowledge of the crime until he found himself in a getaway car with the alleged robbers and was then handling stolen cigarettes.
Justice Quin said there couldn’t be two sets of different facts in the same case and said he “is not bound by any such agreement, and is entitled to insist that any evidence relevant to the facts in dispute should be called. The Judge is responsible for the sentencing decision and may order a Newton hearing to ascertain the truth about disputed facts.”
The Judge said, “I find that, in relation to the facts put before me in the case of Courtney Bryan and this particular written Basis of Plea, there are two irreconcilable positions which I cannot accept. Accordingly, I order a Newton Hearing to take place at the earliest convenience of both counsel.”
The lawyers now have to put forward their legal arguments on the position taken by the judge and return to court on 24th March.
JGHS students annual Careers Day
John Gray High School (JGHS) held its 3rd annual Careers Day on Wednesday 19th February.
Year 11 students of JGHS got the chance to meet with members of the business community.
Industries represented at Careers Day include banking, beauty, catering, the fire service, media and utilities.
Canadian shot nine times in Dominican Republic recovering
From Caribbean360
The 64-year-old, who was shot while trying to protect a group of students during an armed robbery, is back in Winnipeg receiving medical attention.
WINNIPEG, Canada, Thursday February 20, 2014 – Les Lehmann, a Canadian national who was shot during an armed robbery at a hotel in the Dominican Republic, is back in Winnipeg and receiving medical attention for his injuries.
Lehmann was shot nine times while trying to protect a group of Manitoba high school students when the break-in occurred at his hotel.
Miraculously, although the gunmen peppered the 64-year-old hotelier with a hail of bullets, none of his vital organs were hit.
The students and their chaperones, who were in the Dominican Republic on a humanitarian trip, all escaped the attack unharmed.
The wounded man’s family collected donations to help return him to Canada for medical treatment.
In an email to CTV Winnipeg, his daughter-in-law Eugenia Lehman thanked “all the wonderful people, organizations, and companies that made this happen so successfully.”
“(Les) still has a long way to go and we are not anticipating any issues with surgeries or recovery however it will be many months before we know for certain if there are any long lasting effects,” she said.
She added that the family has received messages of support from all over the world
Cayman Airways suspends pilot and air traffic controller
It has been confirmed that a Cayman Airways pilot has been suspended after an investigation of a possible safety breech.
It is understood the incident relates to a landing of an aircraft very close to the North Sound. An air traffic controller has also been suspended regarding the same incident.
A spokesperson for the airline said, “Such temporary separation from duty is not punitive and is not indicative of any fault on the part of the employee. At this time, we can confirm that one such investigation is underway and we are not in a position to disclose any further details as this would compromise the integrity of our Safety Management System.”
One Man One Vote and minimum wage to be debated in LA
The Legislative Assembly will be meeting on 26th February to discuss Private Member’s Motions on “One Man, One Vote” and the implementation of a minimum wage.
Independent Members Ezzard Miller and Arden McLean have filed and seconded each other’s motions and are confident government will be welcoming them as they (the Progressives) campaigned on both issues.
Near miss was no miss at all
Some members of the public reported they had seen a near miss at Grand Cayman’s Owen Roberts Airport last Sunday (16) involving a West Jet aircraft and a Cayman Airways Express flight from the Sister Islands.
The West Jet plane approached too high and continued on for another approach whilst the Cayman Express plane moved underneath and took its landing slot.
Airport officials said there was no near miss and neither plane was in any danger.
“The controller used standard procedures to ensure continued safe operations,” an airport official said.
FAI Technik secures Cayman approval
By David A. Lombardo From AIN
FAI Technik has been awarded maintenance approval from the Civil Aviation Authority of the Cayman Islands. The MRO employs 50 people at its maintenance facilities at Nuremberg International Airport, Germany. The site features a 53,820-sq-ft hangar in addition to a 43,000-sq-ft space that houses workshops and engineering and administration offices. FAI Technik provides line and base maintenance for the Bombardier Learjet 31/35/36/45/60, Challenger 604/605, CRJ100/200 and Global Express; and line maintenance for the Dassault Falcon 7X.
For more: http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/ainmxreports/2014-02-19/fai-technik-secures-cayman-approval
Rulings regarding Cayman’s Family Division to be publicised
Cases heard in the Cayman Islands Grand Court Family Division that involve child custody, adoption and divorce will be made public once a judgment is rendered, but only in certain instances. It will be the decision of the presiding judge whether the ruling on his particular case is made public.
Also, to protect the identities of the parties involved no full names will be disclosed. The court’s judgment will contain only the initials in relation to the individuals being discussed.
Time Attack is back
The Cayman Motorsports Association is staging its first autocross race for 2014. The monthly Time Attack series launches on Sunday, Feb. 23, from 1 p.m. at the Progressive Loop in George Town. Sponsored by Toyo Tires, event registration takes place on Friday, Feb. 21, from 7 p.m. at Automotive Art.
Reef Cam – Grand Cayman
By G8trGr8t From Gator Country
For your very own live aquarium
http://www.oceanfrontiers.com/webcam.html
Headed to Grand Cayman with the family next month for spring break and found this while researching some dive trips. Have seen turtles, sharks, rays, cuttlefish, lobsters, and lots of fish. They are also scouting some wall locations and trying to get permission to mount one on the wall between 80 and 100 feet deep. Not sure how they work but it is pretty cool.
For more: http://www.gatorcountry.com/swampgas/threads/reef-cam-grand-cayman.285881/
Off The Beaten Track 50k ultra & relay – this Sunday February 23rd
The Off The Beaten Track 50k Ultra-marathon and Relay will take place this Sunday, February 23rd.
The race will commence at Beach Bay Road (off Shamrock Road) at 6am with the finish line at Tiki Beach. The runners are expected to be completing the race between 9:30am– 12:30pm, including an awards ceremony.
For more information about the race, visit www.offthebeatentrack.ky
US Coast Guard makes US$4 million cocaine bust in Caribbean Sea
From Caribbean360
An armed Coast Guard helicopter, responded and fired warning shots to get the vessel to stop, following which Coast Guard officials went on board to detain the suspected smugglers.
ST. PETERSBURG, Florida, Thursday February 20, 2014, CMC – The United States Coast Guard reportedly seized US$4 million worth of cocaine from a 30-foot go fast vessel with suspicious packages aboard, southeast of Kingston, Jamaica, recently.
The authorities in Florida say on February 11, the Coast Guard’s Seventh District Command Centre received a report of a vessel with suspicious packages.
An armed Coast Guard helicopter, responded and fired warning shots to get the vessel to stop, following which Coast Guard officials went on board to detain the suspected smugglers.
While on board, officials reportedly recovered 171 kilograms of what turned out to be cocaine.
The suspects were taken to the U.S. and handed over to law enforcement. The cocaine was off-loaded in St. Petersburg on Monday.
UN says Cuba weapons shipment to North Korea violated arms embargo
From Caribbean360
Investigators also noted a “comprehensive planned strategy to conceal” with weapons hidden under 10,000 tons of Cuban sugar.
NEW YORK, United States, Thursday February 20, 2014, CMC – A team of United Nations sanctions investigators have found that a shipment of Cuban weapons to North Korea last summer violated a UN arms embargo on the Asian nation.
The investigators also said there was a “comprehensive planned strategy to conceal,” Japan’s Kyodo News International news agency reports.
The report to the UN Security Council states that the Cuban shipment constituted “sanctions violations,” the news agency said.
Panamanian authorities discovered the weapons, including anti-aircraft missile radar systems and engines for MIG warplanes, hidden under 10,000 tons of Cuban sugar when they seized the Chong Chon Gang freighter on its way to North Korea, according to the Miami Herald.
It said North Korea, officially named the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), “used a string of companies for the shipment,” adding that the freighter turned off its locator beacon while it sailed in the Caribbean Sea.
“The employment of so many role-players in support of the trip suggests a network of entities centrally managed working together to deflect scrutiny in order to evade sanctions by minimizing the DPRK’s visibility in transactions,” the UN investigators wrote.
Meantime, the Panamanian government said that the Chong Chon Gang sailed back to Cuba on Saturday with most of its crew after paying two-thirds of a US$1 million fine.
Cuba had said that it was dispatching obsolete Soviet-era weapons to be repaired in North Korea then returned to the island.
Conyers provides BVI and Cayman advice to Miko on HKD420m IPO
From Conyers Dill & Pearman
Conyers Dill & Pearman in Hong Kong has provided British Virgin Islands (BVI) and Cayman Islands advice to Miko International Holdings on the HKD420m (£32m) initial public offering (IPO) of a People’s Republic of China (PRC) children’s clothing retailer.
Facebook buys WhatsApp for $16 Billion plus $3 Billion in restricted stock
By Leif Johnson from Maclife
Facebook’s at it again. Today the social media giant acquired the popular messaging app WhatsApp for a whopping $16 billion, according to the SEC filing that popped up earlier today. Broken down, that’s $4 billion in cash, $12 billion in Facebook stock, a possible $3 billion in restricted stock. (That would actually bring the total up to $19 billion. Yeesh.)
WhatsApp is popular because it allows users to chat and share files with both groups and individuals, which makes it kind of an augmented version of Apple’s own iMessage app. Popular is kind of an understatement. As recently as last November, the app boasted 400 million active users and a full 100 million of those appeared in the last quarter of 2013. As MacRumors notes, Google was rumored to want to buy the company for $1 billion (a claim that was later denied).
According to CEO and co-founder Jan Koum, loyal users need not worry about changes. In Koum’s words, “Here’s what will change for you, our users: nothing. WhatsApp will remain autonomous and operate independently. You can continue to enjoy the service for a nominal fee. You can continue to use WhatsApp no matter where in the world you are, or what smartphone you’re using. And you can still count on absolutely no ads interrupting your communication.”
Right now, WhatsApp provides its services free without ads, much as Instagram did before its acquisition by Zuckerberg and friends. With ads thought to be on the way for the popular photo sharing service, it’ll be interesting to see if Facebook plans to apply the same model to WhatsApp as well.
Clifton Hunter High School bridges gap between students and workplace
More than 100 representatives from 30 different companies in the Cayman Islands took part recently in an event organised by Clifton Hunter High School that was attended by over 500 students.
The purpose of the event was to try and bridge the gap between their students and the workplace.
Career adviser Marsha Dookhoo-Seerattan said there was for many students a disconnect between school and the field of work that was huge and the school wanted to “fill that gap and allow our students the opportunity to find our ‘Where do I fit in? Is this my strength is this my weakness?’”
5,000 Phone directories collected by students for recycling drive
Grand Cayman’s Prospect Primary School students have been collecting phone directories as part of a major recycling drive. To date they have over 5,000 and it is all part of their efforts to help the environment, and educate children on the importance of recycling from an early age.
Prospect Primary school is only one of the 17 schools that have signed up for the 2014 programme and all the directories will be shipped to the United States for recycling into insulation for houses.
Cayman Deputy Premier attends conference to discuss tourism
Cayman Islands Deputy Premier and Tourism Minister Hon. Moses Kirkconnell was in the Bahamas attending the annual Small Islands Developing States (SIDS) conference. Whilst there with other attendees from all over the Caribbean he discussed a number of key tourism issues affecting small islands.
Topics included competitiveness and sustainability, regional integration, air connectivity and travel facilitation.
The conference ran from the 19 – 20 February.
Meeting to take place between Cayman and Cuba to discuss migrant problem
A meeting is scheduled to take place in April between Cayman and Cuba to discuss the mounting migrant problem.
Deputy Governor Hon. Franz Manderson is flying to Havana in April and possible changes to the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed between the two countries 15 years ago will be discussed.
It has been reported the total cost to house, feed, secure and offer medical assistance for those seeking asylum in the Cayman islands has cost the country over $2M since 2005.
The meeting was originally scheduled for last month.
Mexico looks to arrest former owner of failed airline Mexicana
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Mexico’s attorney general’s office has issued an arrest warrant for the former owner of failed airline Mexicana in connection with suspected money laundering while he ran the company, a source at the Attorney General’s office said on Wednesday.
Gaston Azcarraga, who was also previously the chairman of Mexicana, is living outside of Mexico so the attorney general’s office has also requested an Interpol Red Notice seeking his arrest and extradition, the source said.
It is not clear exactly when the arrest warrant was issued, the source added.
The attorney general’s office said it does not comment on arrest warrants.
Mexicana was one of Mexico’s two major airlines. It ceased operations in August 2011, overwhelmed by debt.
Attempts to relaunch the airline have failed, with potential suitors failing to come up with the money needed to restart operations.
(Reporting by Anahi Rama, writing by Elinor Comlay; Editing by Simon Gardner and Ron Popeski)
