iNews Briefs, More & Community Events
Cayman Islands Community Events
Grand Court Jurors Report Date Changed
The Grand Court jury report date has been changed.
Grand Court Jurors who are in the 1 April – 30 June 2015 session are now to report on Tuesday, 16 June 2015 at 9:45 a.m.
Please call the Jury Information line at 945-5072 for the most up-to-date information.
Cayman Kids Club
Now accepting registrations for July – reserve your July Kids Club Pass online today!
Class spaces are limited so please RSVP to ensure a spot in the Cayman Kids Club!
For more information about this brand new programme and to book, contact Julie at [email protected] or visit www.caymankidsclub.com
Click on attachment to enlarge
THU JUNE 11
Culture Shop Street Fair
The Pirate’s Week Committee’s monthly Culture Shop Street Fair is Thursday (11 Jun) from 9am until 4pm on Cardinal Avenue.
West Bay CERT members meeting
There will be a meeting for all West Bay CERT members who graduated on June 1st on Thursday (11 Jun) at 730pm at the Sir John A Cumber Primary School Hall.
Evangelistic Services
FRI JUNE 12
Cayman Islands DVDL will close Friday (12)
The Crewe Road and West Bay offices of the Department of Vehicle and Drivers’ Licensing will close for training on Friday morning, 12 June 2015. Instead the Crewe Road office will open from 1.00pm to 4.00pm, and the West Bay office from 1.30pm to 6.00pm for West Bay office. Normal hours resume at the West Bay Office on Saturday, 13 June from 9.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m. Normal hours resume at Crewe Road on Monday, 15 June from 8.30 a.m. to 4.00 p.m. Management and staff apologize for any inconvenience.
Road Closures Fri (12) & Sat (13)
The following road closures will take effect from 6am Friday 12 June 2015 until 1:00pm Saturday 13 June 2015 to facilitate ground preparation, rehearsal and the Queen’s Birthday Parade Celebrations in front of the Legislative Assembly Building.
Streets will be closed at the junctions of
- Fort Street with Harbour Drive
- Fort Street with Mary Street (Town Clock)
- Edward Street with Dr. Roy’s Drive
Motorists are advised to avoid this area during these times.
Evangelistic Services
John Gray Memorial Church invites you to Evangelistic Services in June with services on Sunday at10am and a special youth night on Friday (12 Jun) at 7pm.
Caymanian Art: A New Frontier
The National Gallery presents the film launch of Caymanian Art: A New Frontier on.
Wesleyan Holiness Church Youth Camp Fish Fry
The Wesleyan Holiness Church Youth Camp Fish Fry and car wash is Saturday (13 June) from 7:30am to 12:30pm.
Cayman Outreach Association Summer Fayre
The Cayman Outreach Association Summer Fayre is Saturday (13 Jun) from 10am until 5pm at Kings Sports Center.
SAT JUNE 13
History, Culture and Governance of the Cayman Islands course
The third History, Culture and Governance of the Cayman Islands course for Permanent Residency Applicants -will be offered from Saturday, June 13 — Sunday, July 5. Classes are held on Saturdays and Sundays from 10- 2 pm for four weeks. Students can choose either day. Registration is now open.
Public Celebration for Queen’s Birthday
The public is invited to attend official celebrations of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II’s birthday on Saturday 13 June 2015. A parade by the uniformed services begins at 9.00am, and will be followed by a brief ceremony at the Legislative Assembly, recognising recipients of Queen’s Honours and the Duke of Edinburgh award. The wet weather venue will be George Town, Town Hall. A garden party on the lawn of Government House will immediately follow the ceremony (at 10:15 a.m.) Address code of semi-formal day dress will be enforced. Hats are optional.
Wesleyan Holiness Church Youth Camp Fish Fry
The Wesleyan Holiness Church Youth Camp Fish Fry and car wash is Saturday (13 June) from 7:30am to 12:30pm.
Cayman Outreach Association Summer Fayre
The Cayman Outreach Association Summer Fayre is Saturday (13 Jun) from 10am until 5pm at Kings Sports Center.
History, Culture and Governance of the Cayman Islands course
The third History, Culture and Governance of the Cayman Islands course for Permanent Residency Applicants -will be offered from Saturday, June 13 — Sunday, July 5. Classes are held on Saturdays and Sundays from 10- 2 pm for four weeks. Students can choose either day. Registration is now open.
Summer Saturdays
Celebrate summer every Saturday on The Crescent at Camana Bay with fun activities for kids of all ages. Little tykes can chase bubbles as they float by while bigger kids build fortresses with Imagination Playground and teens challenge their friends to Jumbo Lawn Games including limbo, connect four, corn hole and more. The event is Saturday from 10am until 7pm.
Movie Night fundraiser
West Bay Girls’ Brigade Company is hosting a Movie Night fundraiser on Saturday (13 Jun) at John Gray Memorial Church Hall at 6pm
TUE JUNE 16
Cayman Islands Seafarers Association social
Cayman Islands Seafarers Association will be having their social on June 16 2015 at 7:00PM. the Seafarer’s Hall. 11 Victory Ave. Prospect, entertainment will be provided
UPDATE: Missing Cuban National from Cayman Islands located
RCIPS can now confirm from U.S. Enforcement Officials in Miami Florida that Cuban Nation Sahira Wong Quintero arrived in the United States on the Saturday 23 May 2015. She was reported as being safe and in good health.
The 22 year old female was reported to police as missing from her home address in George Town on Wednesday13 May 2015. Detectives from George Town – CID carried out several lines of enquiry, including the setting up of of a Major Incident Room (MIR). Confirmation from the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Services have now brought this complaint to a close.
It is not yet known how Ms. Quintero departed from the Cayman Islands.
Microgen acquires wealth management software provider
By Samuel Agini From London South East
LONDON (Alliance News) – Microgen PLC Tuesday said it has acquired Jersey-based Finalysys Ltd, a wealth management software provider for the offshore finance industry, for GBP0.3 million.
In a statement, Microgen said it will integrate Finalysys into its financial systems business.
“A key element of the strategy of the Financial Systems business is to increase the proportion of its revenue derived from wealth management software through add-on acquisitions. This acquisition provides the Financial Systems business with an increased client and recurring revenue base within its core Trust & Fund Administration sector,” Microgen said.
In addition, Microgen said it is progressing a number of further “add-on” acquisitions in the wealth management sector.
Microgen shares were untraded early Tuesday in London. The stock last traded at 114.04 pence.
Cayman Islands former deputy premier receives another driving ban
Cayman Islands former Minister of Education and Deputy Premier Ralston Anglin has received another driving ban and fine for being in charge of a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol.
He pleaded guilty and received a fine of $650 and a disqualification period of 15 months.
He pleaded guilty of a similar offence in 2012 and was fined and disqualified. He was a government minister at that time.
Veteran captive insurance player joins new firm
By Jerry Geisel From Business Insurance
Longtime captive insurance expert Les Boughner has joined Advantage Insurance Management USA L.L.C., where, as chairman, he will focus on developing Advantage’s captive insurance business.
“We are excited that Les has chosen Advantage as the platform to continue his leadership and innovation in the captive insurance industry,” Walter Keenan, CEO of parent company Advantage Insurance Holdings Ltd. in the Cayman Islands said in a statement Monday.
“I have known and respected the Advantage team for many years, and I am pleased to be joining the firm at a time when it is experiencing significant growth,” Mr. Boughner said in a statement..
Prior to joining Advantage, Mr. Boughner was a top executive with Willis North America’s global captive and consulting practice in Burlington, Vermont, until he resigned in March saying that it was a time to pursue new ventures.
Mr. Boughner will be based in Advantage’s Charleston, South Carolina, office.
For more: http://www.businessinsurance.com/article/20150608/NEWS06/150609839
Oscar Pistorius will be released on probation in August
By Jessica Roy From New York Mag
Oscar Pistorius, the South African Olympic sprint runner who was found guilty of manslaughter in the 2013 shooting death of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, will be released on probation in August, according to the BBC.
Pistorius was sentenced in 2014 to five years in prison, but a South African law makes him eligible for release under “correctional supervision” after serving a sixth of his sentence. South Africa’s correctional services department recommended last week that Pistorius be released by August 21, after having served ten months in jail. He will likely be kept on house arrest.
Richard ‘Tarzan’ Hassell grows ‘record’ pineapple
From Saba News
The Daily Herald writes that for the second year, Richard “Tarzan” Hassell grew the biggest pineapple on Saba. Last year, he broke the record for Saba’s biggest pineapple ever, and this year, the farmer from Hell’s Gate confirmed his status as record holder.
IMAGE: Richard “Tarzan” Hassell showing his “record” pineapples.
In 2013, Hassell cultivated the biggest yam ever grown on Saba. Another achievement is a sweet gourd he cultivated in 2006, which was only eight inches short of the world record. Hassell produces such high quality fruits and vegetables by using his own formula of fertiliser which he calls “V8,” which is a mix of manure, seaweed, leaves, fish, bark and wild bush. He lets this mixture decompose for six months before it is ready to use on the fields.
“I came up with the name V8 because of the vegetable drink. For this year’s record holding pineapple I only used one treatment of V8 on the soil. By now I have new pineapples growing of which I am confident they will break my current record next year.” Hassell is looking to export his product if the right person comes along. According to him his product is better than Miracle Gro. Currently he sells his V8 fertiliser product to locals.
Hassell came up with the V8 formula about two years ago. According to “Tarzan” it took him 26 years of experimenting to come up with the perfect formula. “It is important to apply the fertiliser around the plants and not directly on them. Rocky areas are the best place to use my formula and it works especially well for banana trees, peppers, pineapples, etcetera,” Hassell said. The V8 inventor emphasised that fertilising alone is not enough and that paying attention and even talking to your crops is important. “You have to motivate the plants by giving them compliments and therefore giving them positive energy,” Hassell explained.
Hassell was born on Saba in 1950. At the age of five he climbed many trees. Therefore, he earned himself the nickname “Tarzan”.
For more: http://www.saba-news.com/richard-tarzan-hassell-grows-record-pineapple/#comment-1590
Zika virus detected in Dominican Republic, in first Caribbean case
From 98.7FM
Officials across the Caribbean are taking preventative measures against a virus that has recorded its first case in the region. The Zika virus has been contracted in a 12-year-old girl in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic. According to a report, the girl is being hospitalized in a private clinic. Recently, a number of Zika virus infections were reported in the Bahia state in Brazil, and it is believed that the virus spreads through mosquito transmission. The main symptoms are fever, muscle pain, conjunctivitis and rash.
Trusts and cyber-currencies road show
By Paul Buckle
The partners of AO Hall and the members of Maitland Chambers are delighted to welcome you to attend a joint seminar at which we will look at issues for trustees who invest in or make use of cyber-currencies. So far as we are aware, this is not a subject that has been widely thought about.
But with the growing interest in digital finance, and its wide application, it is surely something that warrants consideration.
Key Speaker: David Fox
Click this link http://us8.campaign-archive1.com/?u=a419c354ea83267be870cb259&id=95837fde9f for more information and how to book your place at these conferences.
Click image to enlarge.
Hero new title sponsor of Caribbean Premier League
From Deccan Herald
Kingston, Jun 10, 2015 (PTI)- With this sponsorship, the much-awaited third season of CPL will be known as the ‘Hero Caribbean Premier League’. Logo
World’s largest two-wheeler manufacturer, Hero MotoCorp Ltd was today named as the new title sponsor of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) for a period of one year.
With this sponsorship, the much-awaited third season of CPL will be known as the ‘Hero Caribbean Premier League’.
Synonymous with some of the marquee sports partnerships in India as well as globally, New Delhi headquartered Hero MotoCorp has for long had a steadfast commitment towards promoting various disciplines of sports including cricket, golf, football and hockey.
Hero has been associated with cricket for over two decades in various capacities. In 2007, Hero was the global partner of the ICC World Cup, held in the West Indies. In CPL 2014, Hero MotoCorp was the presenting sponsor of CPL teams, St. Lucia Zouks, and defending champions, Barbados Tridents.
Richard Bevan, Chairman of the Hero Caribbean Premier League, said: “It is our pleasure to have the world’s largest two-wheeler manufacturer, Hero MotoCorp, as title sponsor of CPL. Hero has been one of the leading sponsors of cricket throughout the game’s history, and it is a testament to CPL’s growing success that the event will now be known as the ‘Hero CPL’.”
Pawan Munjal, Chairman, Managing Director and CEO of Hero MotoCorp Limited, added: “Hero MotoCorp has been associated with sports, and particularly cricket, for well over two decades.
The game of cricket has for long remained the most popular sport in India, and also in the Caribbean. As Hero rapidly expands its global footprint, we have been forging strong associations with sporting icons and events as part of our global brand building initiatives.
“Caribbean cricket and cricketers have always been highly popular in India and in many other parts of the world, and our title sponsorship of the CPL is a logical extension of our long-term association with the game.”
Renowned international cricketers, Kevin Pietersen, Jacques Kallis and Shahid Afridi, will join the Caribbean’s finest cricketers, Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard and Dwayne Bravo. The tournament will also witness participation of talented local players from the Caribbean region.
For more: http://www.deccanherald.com/content/482655/hero-title-sponsor-caribbean-premier.html
US releases documents on foreign relations with Caribbean
The headquarters of the US Department of State in Washington, DC. (PHOTO: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS)
WASHINGTON, USA (CMC) — The United States Department of State has released documents on its foreign relations with the Caribbean.
The Department said the documents, which are available on its website, are part of a foreign relations subseries that documents the “most important issues” in the foreign policy of Presidents Richard M Nixon and Gerald R Ford”.
The volume documents the formulation of a new US policy towards the region as a whole and bilateral relations with 14 countries and one British possession.
The countries comprise The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Costa Rica, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, and Nicaragua.
It said US policy towards the region during the period centred on establishing what former US Secretary of State Henry A Kissinger called a “New Dialogue”.
Launched in October 1973, just days after Kissinger took office, the New Dialogue was envisioned as a constructive way for the United States to meet the challenge posed by the perceived emergence of a regional bloc, the State Department said.
It said the initiative called for regular meetings of foreign ministers “to address issues of mutual concern and aimed to restore a sense that a special relationship existed between the United States and its neighbours to the south”.
By 1976, however, US officials had largely abandoned the idea of pursuing a unified regional policy, as called for by the New Dialogue, the State Department said.
Instead, recognising that the region was not a monolithic bloc, the Ford administration focused more on bilateral relations with the nations of the hemisphere, according to the State Department.
As the volume documents, during the Nixon and Ford administrations, immigration and narcotics control emerged as key issues in bilateral relations.
Other themes that occur are water salinity, economic concerns, and investment disputes, the State Department said.
EU commits $133 million for Latin America, Caribbean
BRUSSELS — Jun 10, 2015, 8:25 AM ET Associated Press From abc News
The European Union has committed 118 million euros ($133 million) in investment support for Latin America and Caribbean nations at the start of their two-day summit.
The EU Commission said Wednesday that the combination of loans, grants and other financial operations would seek to enhance trans-Atlantic cooperation.
The executive of the 28-nation EU said the support will center on the transport, energy and environment sectors in the nations.
Uruguay’s vice-president travels to Brussels to advance Mercosur/EU trade talks
From MercoPress
Uruguay’s vice-president Raúl Sendic and Foreign minister Rodolfo Nin Novoa will be attending this week’s summit of EU and Celac leaders scheduled in Brussels, which will also address in the sidelines, current EU/Mercosur negotiations for a wide ranging trade agreement.
The summit, the second with leaders from the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, will take place on June 10/11 and will have as the convening pompous motive, “Modeling our common future: working for prosperous, cohesive and sustainable communities for our citizens”.
“The Uruguayan government has great interest in advancing in accords between Latin America and the Caribbean with the European Union and in that framework we are targeting Mercosur/EU talks” said Sendic.
With that purpose leaders and representatives from Mercosur will be meeting with EU Commerce Commissioner Cecilia Malmström on Thursday 11 June on the sidelines of the main summit hoping to address and advance the negotiations which have been stalled for some time and both sides are now determined to push forward.
“We expect to advance between the two unions”, said Sendic in reference to the two rounds of negotiations that will be taking place in Brussels. He added that Uruguay expects that some time in the next few weeks, both Mercosur and the EU can have their tariff-reduction proposals finalized and ready to exchange “hopefully before the end of the year”.
Last week Uruguay’s Economy and Finance minister Danilo Astori said that “Uruguay, Paraguay and Brazil are ready to begin negotiations with the EU, but are also willing to respect the timing of Argentina”, which has been somehow reluctant to advance in the talks.
“If Argentina decides not to participate in negotiations at this moment, the rest of the block will continue and go ahead”, said Astori, in reference to a possible “two speeds” understanding with the EU.
Last May 21 in Brasilia, presidents Dilma Rousseff and Uruguay’s Tabare Vazquez agreed that the priority for Mercosur is negotiations with the EU for a encompassing trade and cooperation agreement, and ‘greater flexibility’ for Mercosur.
This means finding a way to avoid Decision 32/2000 which forces all Mercosur members to advance together as a group in negotiations based on a consensus which limits other options.
Argentina has insisted all the time that negotiations must have the consensus of the group and implemented on a block-to-block negotiation, partly because this is a presidential election year and also because of the unorthodox emphasis of its current economic policy based on enhancing the domestic market and local industry.
However, Argentina’s main and decisive ally on this venue was Brazil, which has now changed radically and is anxious to reach trade agreements to boost its depressed economy and falling exports. The position that has long been supported by Uruguay and Paraguay.
The ‘two speeds’ announcement also caused an incident between Uruguay’s foreign minister Nin Novoa and the ambassador before the EU, Walter Cancela, who in public statements said this was not possible since “the EU has a mandate for negotiations block-to-block”.
The seriousness of the incident was later downplayed and Cancela will not be sacked as initially informed but will be allowed to complete the remaining few months in his post in Brussels.
For more on this story go to: http://en.mercopress.com/2015/06/08/uruguay-s-vice-president-travels-to-brussels-to-advance-mercosur-eu-trade-talks
Argentines hold mass rallies condemning violence against women
By Daniel Merolla, AFP from Business Insider
IMAGE:A girl wears a t-shirt reading © AFP Eitan Abramovich
A girl wears a t-shirt reading “Neither mistress nor slave” as she takes part in a demonstration against femicide in Buenos Aires on June 3, 2015
Buenos Aires (AFP) – Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets across Argentina on Wednesday to condemn violence against women after a series of brutal murders.
Carrying signs with slogans like “machismo kills” and “enough deaths,” Argentines flooded the streets of Buenos Aires and more than 100 other cities.
Marches were also held in Chile, Uruguay and Mexico.
Argentina has been shocked by the murder of a kindergarten teacher whose estranged husband slit her throat in front of her class and that of a 14-year-old girl whose boyfriend is accused of beating her to death because she got pregnant.
The case of another woman whose ex-boyfriend stabbed her to death in broad daylight at a Buenos Aires cafe has also stoked outrage.
“We’re seeing a social and political inflexion point,” with people mobilizing en masse because of the recent killings, said Fabiana Tunez, director of one of the main organizations behind the marches, women’s rights group La Casa del Encuentro.
Argentina is one of 16 Latin American countries that have written the crime of “femicide” into their penal codes, setting down harsher punishments for the killing of a woman by a man when gender plays a part in the crime.
Argentina adopted a law in 2012 punishing the crime with life sentences, but domestic violence still killed 277 women last year, according to La Casa del Encuentro.
Argentine football star Lionel Messi and President Cristina Kirchner led the condemnation.
“Enough femicides,” Barcelona star Messi wrote on Facebook. “We join all Argentines today in shouting out loud ‘Not One Woman Less'” — the rallying cry for the march (Ni Una Menos, in Spanish).
Kirchner spoke out on social media against a “culture that devastates women,” condemning what she called the everyday “violence” of catcalls, dirty jokes, obscenities and TV programs that “objectify” women.
In addition to the “femicide” law, Argentina has a 2009 law to crack down on violence against women, but activists say it has not been effectively implemented.
And the problems do not stop there, said businesswoman Maria Elena Cornide, 36.
“This is a social wake-up call against injustice, against lower salaries for women. Domestic violence is not the only scourge we suffer from,” she said.
The protest received broad backing from women’s rights groups, labor and student unions, political parties, and the Catholic Church.
About 100 protesters gathered in the Chilean capital Santiago with signs reading “Mourning and outraged.”
And several thousand marched in the Uruguayan capital Montevideo.
In Mexico, where domestic violence kills seven women a day, protesters were due to rally at the capital city’s emblematic Angel of Independence later in the evening.
St Kitts & Nevis: Terminated BHS teacher back on the Job
From WINN FM
Natalie Johnson is back on the job teaching English at Basseterre High
St. Kitts and Nevis (WINN): The Basseterre High School Teacher whose contract was terminated after she spoke to the press about health concerns on the campus and demonstrated with other teachers over ongoing health issues there, is back on the job.
“She’s a member of the Union, and when we got word of what was actually happening, we tried to engage the relevant authorities, and we started a campaign for the “Reinstatement of Natalie”…to gain public support and other partner institutions to work with us to have her reinstated, because we had our concerns as to how she [was] terminated,” the President of the St. Kitts Teachers Union Ron Collins tells WINN FM.
“We were happy to have seen at the start of this new term, that the promise was fulfilled by the government and they returned her to work, to us at the Basseterre High School,” he said.
Having completed teacher training, Natalie Johnson began teaching English at the BHS last September. She initially received a letter from the Government’s Human Resource Division in early October indicating that approval had been granted for her to be employed as a trained teacher retroactive to September 1st. It laid out the terms of employment and the salary scale of a permanent teacher.
However, Mrs Johnson like some other teachers and students at the school, began experiencing health symptoms that suggested an environmental cause.
Reports are that she spoke up at a meeting with Ministry officials, indicating that she was becoming sick. In mid-October she was one of several teachers who spoke to WINN FM after they were driven out of a staff room by a foul smell, and was among the teachers photographed working in the corridor outside the staff room for an article about the incident, which was published with their permission on WINN FM’s website.
By November, she had joined other teachers in daily protests outside the school gates, calling for classes to be relocated while issues at the campus were properly identified and resolved. In late November she received another letter from Human Resources back-dated to the day after the initial letter, to which it made no reference.
This second letter informed that approval had been granted for her to be employed on a temporary basis to serve as a trained teacher at BHS from September 1st to December 12th.
WINN FM understands that Mrs Johnson responded, saying that she had done nothing wrong and acting on the first letter, intended to return to her post. Reports are that she was told not to.
Mrs. Johnson was the only newly appointed, trained teacher to have had her appointment changed to a temporary assignment.
WINN FM has so far been unable to reach Mrs. Johnson for a comment on her reinstatement.
IMAGE: Natalie Johnson
For more: http://www.winnfm.com/news/local/12722-terminated-bhs-teacher-back-on-the-job#sthash.YSQRAug9.dpuf
