iNews Briefs
New Air Ambulance service to take to the skies
Cayman Islands MedEvac will officially open its corporate office next week.
A three-year lease has been agreed on a Lear Jet, fitted out with emergency medical equipment.
CEO William Bodden said the service could be evacuating patients within four months.
Bodden said Cayman Islands MedEvac is working on a partnership that could see the plane crewed by paramedics from the Cayman Islands Hospital.
Migration issue to be discussed in Cayman by UN expert
The issue of migration in the Caribbean will be the subject of a free presentation by an expert from the United Nations High Commission for Refugees who is on special visit to Cayman this week. Dr Buti Kale has worked with UNHCR since 1992 and has been invited to Cayman by the local branch of the Red Cross. He has held assignments in Burundi, Tanzania, the US, Canada, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Côte d’Ivoire. However, Kale will be focusing on how migrant and refugee issues impacts us here in Cayman as one the recipient in particular of numerous Cuban refugees every year and as a host to thousands of migrant workers.
The presentation will take place on Thursday evening at 6pm at the Cayman Islands Red Cross offices on Huldah Avenue in George Town.
Dr Kale is a resource person for the UN Early Warning and Preventive Measures Capacity Building Course, run by the United Nations System Staff College (UNSSC), and has trained UN, Government and NGO officials in several countries, including Senegal, Papua New Guinea, Cameroon and South Africa. He worked closely with several peacekeeping missions in Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Angola, Côte d’Ivoire and Haiti. He also trains officials from Governments, Inter-American system and NGOs on asylum, refugee and statelessness issues. Kale has worked with Governments, the UN and NGOs on the preparation of contingency plans.
Grenada government dismisses allegations of electoral interference
From Caribbean360
ST GEORGE’S, Grenada, CMC – The Grenada government has dismissed as “false” allegations that it intends to interfere with the electoral process.
Last week, the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) said that the Keith Mitchell administration had, since coming to office in February last year, engaged in “lawless or reckless” activities every 20 days.
NDC leader Nazim Burke told reporters that “events in Grenada are unfolding at a giddying pace,” with the government launching attacks on the country and its various institutions.
The NDC said in less than 400 days since coming to power the government has also sought to interfere with the electoral process.
But in a statement, the Mitchell administration dismissed the allegation, saying “there is absolutely no basis on which to validate that statement.
“The fact remains that the acting supervisor of elections has resigned and rather than discussing his intentions with the governor general, under whose auspices he served, he chose to announce his resignation in the media.”
The government reminded citizens that “the electoral office, and all appointments therein, are under the guardianship of the governor general, and are thus completely independent of government.
“Government takes this opportunity to reiterate its focus on the unification, development and fiscal sustainability of our nation and people,” the statement said.
Former fire officers return to work
Mr. Roy Grant and Mr. Kirkland Nixon have come out of retirement to once again offer their services to the Cayman Islands. As of Monday, Mr. Grant is Acting Chief Fire Officer and Mr. Nixon is Strategic Advisor to the Fire Service.
Former Acting Chief Officer Mr. Rosworth McLaughlin is on extended sick leave. He had been acting chief since the retirement of Mr. Denham Bodden as Fire Chief in April 2013.The appointments of Mr. Grant and Mr. Nixon are for three months.
“During this time, issues of poor communication, command and control as well as strategic planning will all be areas of priority,” said Ministry of Home Affairs Chief Officer Eric Bush. These interim measures will give Government time to stabilize the Cayman Islands Fire Service, he said.
The appointments come on the heels of a draft report of a review of the Cayman Islands Fire Service done in January 2014 by Mr. Peter Holland, the Chief Fire and Rescue Advisor for England.
The final report is due in the coming weeks. Also announced Monday was the impending retirement of Craig McCoy, who has served the country in the Fire Service for 35 years.
Lawsuit looms in St Lucia to free Russian women in possible human trafficking case
From Caribbean360
CASTRIES, St Lucia, CMC – Attorney Gerard Williams is threatening to take legal action against law enforcement authorities here after three Russian women were being held for questioning by police into a possible human trafficking ring.
Williams told reporters that the state was denying the unnamed women their civil rights and liberties.
“What trouble me is that their civil liberties and rights are being denied and I will go further to say that the circumstances surrounding their being detained amounts to forced imprisonment,” Williams told reporters.
The women were reported to have been detained and questioned by the police last weekend on suspicion that they were victims of human trafficking. All of the women are in the mid-20s and one is reported to be pregnant. They had been performing exotic dances at an entertainment club, north of here.
Local media reports said that the women have had their travel documents seized and are confined to a local hotel.
Williams said he would be filing a habeas corpus application and bringing an action against the state “for what amounts to their imprisonment.”
“The police have not communicated with the Russian nationals or their Counsel that their detention has anything to do with their protection,” he said.
New beer from Caybrew
The Cayman Islands Brewery’s (CIB) new beer is 345 Stout, and it is available now. Brewed with chocolate, 345 Stout is the 8th brand of beer CIB has released since it began production seven years ago.
345 stout will compete with similar imported brands, likes Ireland’s Guinness and Jamaica’s Dragon Stout.
Recycling is encouraged and Caybrew pays two dollars for every case of bottles returned to the brewery,
Caribbean release for Telugu musical ‘Rey
From Business Standard
Telugu musical romantic-drama “Rey”, which is slated to release in cinemas May 9, will also release in West Indies, says its director Y.V.S. Chowdary, who has also produced the film. The film will be dubbed in a local language and released in the Caribbean.
“Most of our film was shot in the US and West Indies. Therefore, we decided to release our film in the Caribbean. It will be dubbed and released in a local language. I think this is the first time a Telugu film is releasing there,” Chowdary told IANS.
He says the story is about an Indian settled in the Caribbean
“The hero belongs to an Indian family that was taken to West Indies for sugarcane farming. We have received great support from the West Indian government and several Telugu organizations. We plan to host a special premier of the film there,” he added.
“Rey”, which was originally supposed to release last year, also features Shraddha Das and Saiyami Kher in important roles.
Teen who rode away in robbery getaway car receives probation
Ordain Lloyd Ebanks (18) was one of four men pursued by police in a patrol car that involved the RCIPS helicopter following a daylight robbery at Chisholm’s supermarket in North Side in September last year.
Although originally charged with armed robbery and convicted of handling stolen goods the Crown dropped the armed robbery charges and accepted the teenager’s plea for handling after he admitted touching a packet of cigarettes that he threw out of the car window during the chase.
Justice Charles Quin, who was hearing the case, said there could not be two different sets of facts about the same event and made the decision to pass the case to another member of the judiciary as he said he was conflicted over the crown’s renewed position.
Justice Alex Henderson dealt with the sentencing of the lesser offence by Ebanks, and despite his suspicions he had about the teen’s possible greater involvement, he sentenced him only a two year probations order to include a twelve month curfew between 10pm and 6am.
Delaware dedicates ‘One Love’ Park to Marley
By Vinette K. Pryce From Caribbean Life
Landmark monuments to Robert Nesta Marley, the avowed Caribbean’s first superstar seems to be a globally expanding tribute to the Jamaican reggae legend. The latest is the renaming of a recreational playground in Wilmington, Delaware. Allegedly, the city plans to rename an area One Love Park in honor of the icon and the reggae anthem he recorded.
According to the Theo Gregory, president of the Wilmington City Council, “The lyrics of ‘One Love’ and what the song has come to mean to people in the years since Bob Marley composed it, is what I hope to capture by renaming the park.”
He said the lyrics to the positive song along with its impact on the city’s people influenced his decision to rename the park.
“We all need a reminder from time to time about the importance of love in our hearts for our children and for each other. I want children who play in One Love Park to ask why it was given that name and accept their responsibility to make this a better city and world.”
Allegedly, the same year Jamaica celebrated independence, Marley’s mother, Cedella Malcom, moved into a house in Wilmington, Delaware, near Tatnall Street Park. That was 1962. Four years later, her would-be-famous son joined her to live at the same address. As it turned out, his wife Rita gave birth to her second son Stephen Wilmington in 1972.
Located at 24th and North Tatnall Streets, One Love Park will be a constant reminder that the iconic Rastafarian and reggae legend had a connection to the area. Added to that, almost two decades ago, the city began hosting an annual music festival dedicated to Marley. Known as the Peoples’ Festival, this year’s fest is slated for July.
For more: http://www.caribbeanlifenews.com/stories/2014/4/2014_04_08_vkp_inside_life.html
Proposed Directors Registration and Licensing Bill, 2014 for Cayman Islands
By Bryan Hunter, Ian Gobin and Matthew Taber From Appleby
The Cayman Islands Government published a bill on 21 March 2014 to announce its intention to introduce a registration and licensing regime for directors of certain regulated entities in the Cayman Islands.
The proposed bill is the Directors Registration and Licensing Bill, 2014 (Bill). The initial consultation period closed on 31 March 2014 and members of various industry bodies in the Cayman Islands have submitted initial comments on the Bill. The nature and extent of comments already made by practitioners and other stakeholders in response to this consultation will likely result in a number of changes to the text of the Bill and the scope of the registration regime.
You can download full text of the proposed Bill here: http://www.applebyglobal.com/e-alerts/ealert—proposed-director-registration-bill-%28april-2014%29-bhunter–igobin–mtaber.pdf?sid=78f3e73e-8e74-41de-92b1-8c5ed8e3483e#utm_source=Mondaq&utm_medium=syndication&utm_campaign=inter-article-link
The new regime will require all directors of regulated mutual funds (ie funds registered with or licensed by the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority (CIMA)) and companies which maintain a registration as an excluded person pursuant to the Securities Investment Business Law (Covered Entities), to register with CIMA. This will apply regardless of whether or not they are resident in the Cayman Islands and whether or not they consider themselves executive or non-executive directors. Additionally, anyone who is a director for 20 or more Covered Entities will have to be licensed and will be subject to greater regulatory requirements. Companies which act as directors of Covered Entities (‘corporate directors’), regardless of numbers, will need to be licensed.
There will be a registration fee payable by all directors and a licence fee payable by licensees (both are yet to be determined) and the relevant application must be made within three months from the date on which the new law is in force.
It is expected that registration will be by way of an online portal on CIMA’s website, while the licensing process will require a formal application.
A further, more detailed eAlert, will be issued when the final Bill and associated regulations and application processes are known.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
Home Loan Servicing Solutions, Ltd. Schedules Conference Call 1st Quarter 2014
GEORGE TOWN, Grand Cayman, April 9, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Home Loan Servicing Solutions, Ltd.(R) (“HLSS” or the “Company”) (Nasdaq:HLSS) will hold its conference call on Thursday, April 17, 2014 at 11:00 a.m. (ET) to review the Company’s operating results. This event will follow Home Loan Servicing Solutions’ 1(st) Quarter 2014 earnings release. The press release will also be available on the HLSS Shareholder website at www.hlss.com.
A live audio webcast and slide presentation for the call will be available over the internet at www.hlss.com (through a link on the Shareholders page). Those who want to listen to the call should go to the website at least fifteen minutes prior to the call to register, download and install any necessary audio software. A replay of the conference call will be available via the website approximately two hours after the conclusion of the call and will remain available for approximately 30 days.
For more information on prior releases and SEC Filings, please refer to the “Shareholders” section of our website at www.hlss.com.
HLSS is an internally-managed owner of non-agency mortgage servicing assets with historically stable valuations and cash flows. HLSS’ assets are predominately mortgage servicing advances that, along with the related servicing rights, are over-collateralized 25 times by residential real estate. HLSS’ objective is to generate stable, recurring fee-based earnings and dividends throughout the economic cycle.
CONTACT: FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
James E. Lauter
Senior Vice President &
Chief Financial Officer
T: +1 345-815-3932
Cocaine pear juice death: Five people released without charge
From BBC
Five people arrested in connection with the death of a man who accidentally drank pear juice laced with cocaine have been released, police have said.
Joromie Lewis, 33, died on 5 December shortly after drinking the Caribbean-made juice at a Southampton warehouse.
Two men and a woman from Southampton and two London men were arrested on suspicion of drug offences. No further action will be taken against them.
Hampshire Police said its investigation was continuing.
‘Wholly innocent’
Laboratory analysis showed the bottle of Cole Cold Pear-D contained a lethal amount of cocaine.
Officers previously said the bottle was part of a consignment manufactured in the Caribbean and brought into the country by the import-export company that Mr Lewis was working for.
They described it as a known method used by drug-smugglers to bypass border checks.
Mr Lewis, a Royal Navy veteran, lived in Gosport, Hampshire, and originally came from St Vincent and the Grenadines.
Police previously described him as “wholly innocent.”
A Food Standards Agency alert for shops to withdraw the drink if they find it remains in place.
For more: http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-hampshire-26937359
$7.4 Million to Support Latin America Energy Organization Office in Jamaica
By Latonya Linton From Jamaica Information Service
Some $7.4 million has been allotted in the 2014/15 Estimates of Expenditure for the establishment of a Latin America Energy Organization (OLADE) Caribbean Sub-regional office in Jamaica.
The project aims to facilitate deeper integration among member countries in the Caribbean and provide greater access to products and services offered by OLADE.
As at February 2014, a sub-regional office was established and operationalized; 3,000 fluorescent light bulbs have been distributed to rural communities via the Rural Electrification Programme; a Sub-Regional Coordinator has been engaged via OLADE to manage the sub-regional office; and the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), and the Nationality Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMA) have been convened.
The project also completed studies on: distributed generation of electricity in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC); Renewable Energy Observatory for LAC; and the identification of programme of activities and nationality appropriate mitigation actions in Jamaica.
Anticipated targets for 2014/15 include: starting the OLADE-Community of Latin American and Caribbean States Energy Balances Project to provide support for six Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States for calculation of energy balances for the energy sector; continue improving access to energy market projects; providing technical support for a portfolio of projects on sustainable energy access in LAC; and pursuing a training programme with HEART/NTA of technicians in renewable energy technology.
The project is funded by the Latin American and Caribbean Energy Organisation and the Government of Jamaica.
World Bank Says Latin America Growth Slowing as Commodities Ease
By Raymond Colitt From Bloomberg
Economic growth in Latin America and the Caribbean will slow this year as commodity prices remain flat or drop on a deceleration in China, the World Bank said in a report today.
The region’s economy will climb 2.3 percent in 2014 after expanding a “disappointing” 2.4 percent last year, the Washington-based lender wrote in the report, “International Flows to Latin America: Rocking the Boat?” That would be less than half the pace of growth in the years before the global financial crisis in 2008.
While financing raised through foreign direct investment and remittances will help the region absorb the impact of external shocks, some countries lack fiscal buffers needed to prevent vulnerabilities, according to the report, written by economists including the World Bank’s chief analyst for the region, Augusto de la Torre.
“As external tailwinds recede, Latin America and the Caribbean’s growth is taking a toll,” according to the report. “The region is indeed a place where large FDI inflows puzzlingly coexist with persistent low growth.”
Growth forecasts for this year range from almost 7 percent in Panama and 5.5 percent in Peru to a contraction of 1 percent in Venezuela. The region’s largest economies Brazil and Mexico will expand 2 percent or below, according to consensus forecasts, and about 3 percent respectively, the report shows.
China, which is one of the largest consumers of many of the region’s raw material exports such as copper, iron ore and soy, will increase 7.4 percent this year after climbing 7.7 percent in 2013, according to analysts polled by Bloomberg. The same survey shows Latin America’s gross domestic product climbing 2.4 percent in 2014.
Israeli Startup Claims It Can Charge Smartphone Batteries to Full in 30 Seconds
From MacLife
The charging times for the iPhone have steadily gotten better over the last few years, but as the Wall Street Journal reports, it’s possible that you’ll be able to plug the device in and charge it from 0 percent to 100 percent in just under a minute. An Israeli startup by the name of StoreDot revealed the technology at Microsoft’s Think Next Conference using standard smartphone batteries, and they claim it’ll even be portable.
As the demo was held at a Microsoft conference, the actual demonstration was shown on a Samsung Galaxy S3; however, the technology will almost certainly be available for Apple’s smartphone. Fast battery chargers already exist, but they’re expensive, unwieldy things for special batteries. StoreDot, however, claims that its technology will only cost around twice as much as traditional chargers.
Batteries traditionally charge quickly during the first 80 percent of the charge, but slow to a trickle for the last 20 percent so as not to overload the battery. StoreDot has apparently found a way around this limitation, and that it’ll even work with existing technology. Unfortunately, production won’t even begin until sometime in 2016.
Presumably, however, this technology could be used for other products such as MacBooks and iPads. And as Cult of Mac points out, if the technology actually works as well as StoreDot claims it does, it’d be a killer startup for Apple to acquire.
