iNews Briefs, More & Community Events
Community Events
Ministry of Education, Employment and Gender Affairs will be hosting public meetings in every district, including Cayman Brac, to discuss the Education Bill, 2015 and gain the public’s feedback on the proposed changes.
The meetings will be as follows:
East End: Tuesday 30th June, 2015, East End Primary School Hall from 7:30pm – 9:00pm
Bodden Town: Wednesday 1st July, 2015, Savannah Primary School Hall from 7:30pm – 9:00pm
All residents of the Cayman Islands are invited to attend the meetings.
Members of the public can also obtain and review the Education Bill, 2015 and complete the online survey on the Ministry of Education’s website: www.education.gov.ky
TUE JUNE 30
Humane Society’s Book Loft SpecialsThe Cayman Islands Humane Society’s Book Loft is hosting a summer special with 50 percent off on all historical fiction and general fiction as well as sci-fi and fantasy books.
School Health Screenings
Public Health Department staff are conducting free, mandatory screenings for all students entering government and private schools in the Cayman Islands for the first time in the new school year. For more information, call 244-2734
Department of Agriculture Closure
The Department of Agriculture in Cayman Brac will be closed on Tuesday (30 Jun)
WED JULY 1
CARE Quiz NightWhy not get a team together and join us for the first Wednesday of every month for Quiz night at PD’s! 7:00PM Wed July
Education Bill 2015 Public Meetings SavannahEducation Bill 2015 Public Meetings head to Savannah Primary School Hall in Bodden Town on Wednesday (1 Jul) at 730pm.
Botanic Park Summer SpecialNow thru August, every weekend residents will be able to visit the Botanic Park for only $5.
THU JULY 2
Child Month Board Game
Child Month organisers invite families to enjoy the rescheduled Board Games evening on Tuesday (2 Jun) at Book Nook, in the Galleria Plaza on West Bay Road, 6.00- 8.00pm.
Cayman Islands tennis player double faults his passport
From BBC
The number one Cayman Island tennis player, Ilian Nachev will not play in the Island Games after he was turned away at the Cayman airport.
Nachev got to airport but was not allowed to board the plane as his passport was out of date.
He was due to play his first match today against Karl Lindberg of Gotland but was replaced by Kevin Fawcett.
“He called the coach and told him and the coach called me and all the words out of my mouth were beep beep beep.,” said Cayman tennis team manager Edmund Junior Hydes,
“We brought a lot of juniors as well so the team is going to be weakened without him.”
For more: http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/33300671
Three killed in St. Vincent accident after leaving funeral
From CARIBBEAN360
KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent, Monday June 29, 2015 – A LIME employee and two of his relatives, including a 91-year-old man, were killed when the car in which they travelling went over a cliff in the western parish of St. David last night.
Telecoms worker Denzil Johnson; George Johnson, 91; and Icyna Johnson were heading back to their Spring Village community in St. Patrick, from a funeral in the fishing village of Chateaubelair on the Leeward coast of the island, when the tragedy occurred, according to local media reports.
The car plunged over a cliff in Troumaca, landing hundreds of feet below on another section of the road.
The fatal accident occurred almost six months after five schoolchildren were killed when a minibus carrying 23 passengers ran off the road and plunged into the sea at Rock Gutter in northeastern St. Vincent.
Most of the passengers were hospitalized following the January 12 accident and two other girls whose bodies were never recovered, are presumed dead.
World Bank proposing regional ferry service as a solution to intra-regional travel
By Andre Huie From WINN FM
St. Kitts and Nevis (WINN): How does the Caribbean resolve issues of intra-regional trade when the cost to ship items is expensive and intra-regional travel remains a challenge? That was the question posed to World Bank officials during a press conference at the recently concluded Caribbean Growth Forum in St. Lucia. Daniel Lederman, the World Bank’s Deputy Chief Economist Latin America and the Caribbean said the World Bank is focusing more on coming up with solutions to the problems plaguing intra-regional travel. Mr. Lederman said that the suggestion of a regional ferry to carry passengers and cargo, though an expensive venture requires the leadership in the Caribbean for this to become a reality.
The World Bank said that given their small market size, trade is essential for Caribbean countries’ development and poverty reduction. But while trade makes an essential contribution to increasing employment and reducing poverty by supporting growth, the high dependence on trade also makes Caribbean economies vulnerable to external shocks.
A good example of this is the global financial crisis which imposed substantial job losses in sectors such as tourism that the poor rely on for employment. Meanwhile, the World Bank officials were asked about trade imbalances within the region and how these issues can be addressed. In recent times, there have been complaints from some CARICOM member states that the trade imbalances with some of its regional partners are threatening attempts at intra-regional trade. Mr. Lederman spoke to this issue
US and UK spy agencies are exploiting flaws in security software
By Jon Fingas From engadget
Those worries that governments are trying to undermine security software? They’re well-founded. The Intercept has learned that both the US’ National Security Agency and the UK’s Government Communications Headquarters have been reverse engineering security software, such as antivirus tools and encryption programs, to look for flaws that can be used in surveillance hacks. Some of the targets in recent years include Kaspersky Lab’s security suite (sound familiar?), Acer’s eDataSecurity and Exlade’s CrypticDisk. GCHQ also deconstructed numerous other commonly available programs, including vBulletin’s forum software and popular server management tools.
The NSA, at least, has taken things one step further. A 2010 presentation reveals that the agency was monitoring threat reports sent to antivirus and firewall software makers in the hopes of finding exploits, whether they’re brand new forms of malware or vulnerabilities in the defensive apps themselves. It’s easier than you might think, too. It’s not always possible to update virus definitions very quickly, and many antivirus developers can take weeks or months to patch exploits in their own code.
There’s a number of concerns with these activities beyond the spying itself. GCHQ’s reverse engineering stretched interpretations of the law, and the organization spent extensive time buttering up the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to get approval for its activities. And as Kaspersky suggested after discovering a breach in its networks, there’s a betrayal of trust here — intelligence agencies are compromising the very programs that are meant to keep you safe.
For more: http://www.engadget.com/2015/06/22/spy-agencies-exploit-security-software-flaws/?ncid=rss_truncated
Supreme Court strikes down L.A. law allowing police to examine hotel registries
By David G. Savage From Los Angeles Times
High court says Los Angeles motel guest registry law is illegal
The Supreme Court has struck down a Los Angeles ordinance that permits the police to check guest registries at motels and hotels at any hour of the day or night.
The 5-4 decision upheld a ruling of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals that vacated the law, saying it authorized unreasonable searches.
Most cities require the operators of a hotel or motel to keep a guest registry available for inspection. The Los Angeles city attorney’s office said some of these motels become havens for prostitution, sex trafficking and drug dealing. Police officers need the authority to conduct spot checks, the city said.
A group of motel owners went to court, alleging that the spot checks late at night were intrusive and disruptive for families running the motels. The group won a broad ruling from the 9th Circuit Court that held the ordinance unconstitutional.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor said motel owners deserve the right to go to a judge and to object before a search takes place.
“We hold that the provision of the Los Angeles Municipal Code that requires hotel operators to make their registries available to the police on demand is facially unconstitutional because it penalizes them for declining to turn over their records without affording them any opportunity for precompliance review,” she said in Los Angeles vs. Patel.
Sotomayor said the law should protect business owners from possible harassment by the police.
“In most contexts, business owners can be afforded at least an opportunity to contest an administrative search’s propriety without unduly compromising the government’s ability” to enforce the law, she said. And allowing a judge to approve the search in advance “alters the dynamic between officer and the hotel to be searched and reduces the risk that officers will use these administrative searches as a pretext to harass business owners,” she said.
Otherwise, a hotel could be “searched 10 times a day, every day, for three months, without any violation being found,” she said.
Justices Anthony M. Kennedy, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen G. Breyer and Elena Kagan agreed. They said police may obtain a search warrant if they suspect criminal activity at a motel or hotel.
Justice Antonin Scalia said police should have not have to “jump through procedural hoops” to get a warrant.
He said “the costs of this always-get-a-warrant alternative would be prohibitive for a police force in one of America’s largest cities, juggling numerous law-enforcement priorities and confronting more than 2,000 motels within its jurisdiction.”
For more: http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-supreme-court-motels-los-angeles-20150622-story.html
Sirius settles with record companies for $210 million
By Susan Beck, From The Litigation Daily
Satelitte radio company Sirius XM has resolved one major piece of litigation in its fight over its right to play pre-1972 recordings. According to a Sirius securities filing made public on Friday, the company will pay $210 million to settle a lawsuit filed by five recording companies, including Capital Records and Sony Music Entertainment. (Reuters reported the news of this filing.)
Federal copyright law doesn’t cover performance rights to sound recordings made before 1972, but the record companies argued in their September 2013 complaint filed in state court in Los Angeles that California law gives them public performanced rights. The deal was reached on June 17, according to the securities filing.
The recordings companies were represented in the California litigation by Russell Frackman of Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp and Jon Eisenberg of Horvitz & Levy. We reached out to Frackman and didn’t hear back; Eisenberg referred us to a spokesperson for his clients.
Sirius has been represented in this litigation by a team from O’Melveny & Myers led by Daniel Petrocelli. We contacted the firm and did not get an immediate response.
The settlement gives Sirius the right to perform and broadcast the companies’ recordings in the U.S. through December 31, 2017. After that time, royalties will be determined by negotiation or binding arbitration.
It appears that Sirius and O’Melveny are still fighting two other lawsuits in federal court that were brought by the founders of the 60s rock group The Turtles through their company Flo & Eddie Inc. One suit, filed in Los Angeles federal court, has been certified as a class action, seeking damages on behalf of other recording artists who made pre-1972 recordings. A similar suit in New York has survived a motion to dismiss, and Sirius is pursuing an interlocutory appeal. Most recently, Sirius won a round when a Florida federal court on June 22 dismissed the lawsuit filed there, finding that Florida law does not give Flo & Eddie exclusive rights to these songs.
“This is a great step forward for all music creators,” said Recording Industry Association of America chairman & CEO Cary Sherman, on behalf of the record companies. “Music has tremendous value, whether it was made in 1970 or 2015. We hope others take note of this important agreement and follow Sirius XM’s example.”
Lawyers bicker after $4.2 million in iPhone settlement checks go uncashed
By Marisa Kendall, From The Recorder
SAN FRANCISCO — With thousands of Apple customers failing to cash their checks from a class action settlement, a federal judge has ordered that almost $4.6 million in unclaimed funds go to state government trusts for safekeeping. U.S. District Judge Richard Seeborg of the Northern District of California called the situation “wholly unanticipated.”
Apple shelled out $53 million to settle claims that it improperly denied warranty coverage to iPhone and iPod purchasers because of false indications that the devices had been submerged. The parties identified about 165,000 Apple customers eligible for reimbursement at an average of $240 per customer–but after the payments were mailed, about 19,000 class members let their checks expire.
Seeborg debated what to do with the leftover money, noting the question was not clearly addressed in the settlement agreement, and “each of the un-cashed checks was for a non-trivial sum of money.”
The question divided the lawyers involved. Plaintiffs counsel with Chimicles & Tikellis argued the money should be redistributed among class members who cashed their checks. Co-lead plaintiffs counsel with Fazio Micheletti argued the funds should go to the consumer advocacy organizations designated in the settlement agreement as cy pres recipients. Apple’s lawyers with Morrison & Foerster argued the money should be held in trusts by the class members’ corresponding state governments until it is claimed. The lawyers argued Apple shouldn’t have to pay the costs associated with another class-wide distribution.
Seeborg sided with Apple, ruling custodial escheat “most nearly serves the goal of providing direct compensation to the class members.”
Plaintiffs’ counsel Jeffrey Fazio of Fazio Micheletti said it’s unlikely class members will ever see that money.
He said the lawyers in this case took the unusual step of mailing the checks directly to Apple customers, without requiring them to submit a claim.
“Most of the time in class action settlements there’s one hoop after another that class members have to jump through,” he said. “We made it as easy as it could possibly be.”
But that also means class members didn’t know the checks were coming. Fazio said he suspects that checks sent to the correct addresses were mistaken for junk-mail and thrown out.
An Apple spokeswoman declined to comment.
US Coast Guard intercepts boat with Haitian, Jamaican and Dominican immigrants
From Caribbean360
FLORIDA, United States, Monday June 29, 2015 – The US Coast Guard has repatriated 18 Haitian immigrants who were held on a boat along with a Jamaican, a Dominican and a suspected smuggler last week.
In a statement released over the weekend, the Coast Guard said that a Customs and Border Protection Office of Air Marine (CPB-OAM) boat interdicted the 28-foot non-compliant vessel suspected of migrant smuggling near Palm Beach Gardens, Florida last Monday.
The CBP-OAM boat crew disabled the vessel’s engines and detained the suspected smuggler and the immigrants.
“This deliberate attempt to smuggle illegal migrants into south Florida unnecessarily put lives at great risk including those of young children,” said Commander Timothy Cronin.
“The Coast Guard, along with our interagency partners will continue to protect and secure our maritime border. We will also seek to prosecute smugglers, who have no regard for safety of life at sea, to the fullest extent of the law and promptly return illegal migrants to their respective county of origin.”
It is estimated that since October 1, 2,245 Haitians, 2,806 Cubans and 469 Dominicans have attempted to illegally migrate via the sea.
Those numbers represent the total amount of at-sea interdictions, landings and disruptions in the Florida Straits, the Caribbean and Atlantic.
Citywealth names eight Ogier private client specialists on Leaders List 2015
Eight Ogier private client specialists have been listed on this year’s Citywealth leaders list.
Sally Edwards, who heads Ogier’s Private Client and Trusts team, is ‘the guru of the Jersey trust world’ according to a client testimonial shared by Citywealth. She is named on the Honours List and as a Citywealth Power Woman.
Edward Mackereth, who heads Ogier’s Dispute Resolution team, is ‘a first choice and trusted advisor’. He is name on the Contentious Trusts Lawyers Honours List.
The other Ogier leaders named are Simon Davies (Prominent Figure), Marcus Leese (Honours), Steve Meiklejohn (Honours), Nigel Sanders (Prominent Figure), Giorgio Subiotto (Lawyers) and Jonathan White (Honours).
The Citywealth Leaders List is published annually and is the result of the input of a huge number of people within the private wealth management sector as well as UHNW clients.
Earlier this week Ogier was named Offshore Law Firm of the Year by The Lawyer.
Caribbean man dies after arrest by Dutch police, prompting inquiry
Reuters From Daily Star
AMSTERDAM: Dutch prosecutors have launched an inquiry into the death of a man from the Caribbean island of Aruba after he was arrested by police at a music festival in The Hague.
The man was pinned to the ground by four white male Dutch officers, videos posted on social media showed, prompting comparisons with incidents in the United States that have led to protests over police use of force against black suspects.
Prosecutors said in a statement on Sunday the 42-year-old “became unwell on the way to jail” and was taken to hospital in a “critical condition.”
In two videos later posted online he appeared to be unconscious before being loaded into a police van. One officer is seen checking for a pulse.
Prosecutors said he was arrested Saturday evening because he shouted that he had a gun and then resisted arrest.
“Therefore the police used force against the man to bring him to the police station,” they said in a statement. Prosecutors announced his death in a Hague hospital in a tweet Sunday.
Dutch Home Affairs Minister Ronald Plasterk called Aruba’s prime minister about the incident, said a statement issued by the Dutch government Monday.
Plasterk assured Aruban officials “that an independent investigation will be conducted to clarify events” and expressed hope it would be completed soon.
Prosecutors’ spokeswoman Thea Tjeerdema declined to give details of the investigation.
Southwest Airlines crosses 100 flight milestone in Latin America and the Caribbean
Carrier crosses operational milestone with previously announced new, daily service between Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, and Orange County, Calif., and a weekly route linking San Jose del Cabo/Los Cabos, Mexico, and Baltimore/Washington
DALLAS/PRNewswire/ — Southwest Airlines® (NYSE: LUV) for the first time will operate a summer Saturday schedule of 104 scheduled flights among a dozen airports in the continental United States and ten cities across the Caribbean, Mexico, and Central America.
“Our People have worked hard to bring Southwest’s value and brand promise of great service, lower fares, bags fly free®* and no change fees to destinations outside the contiguous states where it made sense for us to grow,” said Bob Jordan, Southwest’s Chief Commercial Officer and Executive Vice President. “As an example, this new, weekly flight between BWI and Los Cabos gives our Customers the fastest route between the mid-Atlantic region of the U.S. and the tip of the Baja peninsula.”
At Los Cabos International Airport (SJD) near San Jose del Cabo, Mexico, Southwest flight 394 touched down today from Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI), and was welcomed with a ceremonial water arch and a reception at the gate. The nonstop service to/from BWI and the international airport in Baja California Sur operates weekly on Saturdays, and is the carrier’s fourth nonstop market to the Cabo San Lucas region.
The carrier began service in its 95th city, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, via Lic. Gustavo Diaz Ordaz International Airport (PVR) on Sunday, June 7, with daily, nonstop service to/from Orange County/Santa Ana (SNA) and connecting points across the U.S. The carrier has also announced daily, nonstop service between PVR and both Denver and Houston (Hobby). The Ministers of Tourism for both Mexican States of Jalisco and Nayarit are expected to welcome Southwest Airlines in its first month of serving Puerto Vallarta on June 18, the carrier’s 44th birthday.
Southwest spread its wings beyond the 48 contiguous United States in April 2013 with service to San Juan, Puerto Rico. The carrier’s international operations began less than a year ago on July 1, 2014, and include daily, near-international or longer-distance/over-water flights from a dozen gateway cities: Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore/Washington, Chicago (Midway), Denver, Houston (Hobby), Fort Lauderdale, Milwaukee, Orange County/Santa Ana, Orlando, San Antonio, and Tampa Bay. Southwest offers service between the U.S. mainland and San Juan, Puerto Rico, along with these destinations in six countries: Cancun, Mexico City, San Jose del Cabo/Los Cabos, and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico; San Jose, Costa Rica; Oranjestad, Aruba; Nassau, The Bahamas; Montego Bay, Jamaica; and Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.
Next up for Southwest is previously announced scheduled service to the carrier’s seventh near-international country and 96th destination, Belize City, Belize, made possible by a $156 million international terminal facility at Houston (Hobby) scheduled to open Oct. 15, 2015. Then, on Nov. 1, Southwest begins previously announced scheduled service between Houston and the carrier’s 97th city, Liberia, Costa Rica. Both routes are subject to foreign government approval.
Visit swamedia.com for a map showing Southwest’s announced international routes and a fact sheet showing the starting dates of service for all cities in the Southwest network of communities.
ABOUT SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CO.
In its 44th year of service, Dallas-based Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV) continues to differentiate itself from other air carriers with exemplary Customer Service delivered by more than 47,000 Employees to more than 100 million Customers annually. Southwest operates more than 3,600 flights a day, serving 95 destinations across the United States and six additional countries. Southwest service to Belize City, Belize, begins October 15, 2015, and Liberia, Costa Rica, on November 1, 2015, both routes are subject to foreign government approval.
Based on the U.S. Department of Transportation’s most recent data, Southwest Airlines is the nation’s largest carrier in terms of originating domestic passengers boarded. The Company operates the largest fleet of Boeing aircraft in the world, the majority of which are equipped with satellite-based WiFi providing gate-to-gate connectivity while over the United States. That connectivity enables Customers to use their personal devices to access streaming music provided by Beats Music or to view video on-demand movies and television shows, as well as nearly 20 channels of free, live TV compliments of our valued Partners. *Southwest is the only major U.S. airline to offer bags fly free® to everyone (first and second checked pieces of luggage, size and weight limits apply, some airlines may allow free checked bags on select routes or for qualified circumstances), and there are no change fees, though fare differences might apply. In 2014, the airline proudly unveiled a bold new look: Heart. The new aircraft livery, airport experience, and logo, showcase the dedication of Southwest Employees to connect Customers with what’s important in their lives. In 2014, the airline proudly unveiled a bold new look: Heart. The new aircraft livery, airport experience, and logo, showcase the dedication of Southwest Employees to connect Customers with what’s important in their lives.
From its first flights on June 18, 1971, Southwest Airlines launched an era of unprecedented affordability in air travel described by the U.S. Department of Transportation as “The Southwest Effect,” a lowering of fares and increase in passenger traffic whenever the carrier enters new markets. With 42 consecutive years of profitability, Southwest is one of the most honored airlines in the world, known for a triple bottom line approach that contributes to the carrier’s performance and productivity, the importance of its People and the communities they serve, and an overall commitment to efficiency and the planet. The 2014 Southwest Airlines One Report™ can be found at SouthwestOneReport.com.
Book Southwest Airlines’ low fares online at Southwest.com or by phone at 800-I-FLY-SWA.
SOURCE Southwest Airlines
UK: Tewkesbury School defends £2,500 per pupil sports tour to Caribbean
By Robin Jenkins From Gloucestershire Echo
Tewkesbury School pupils could be heading to the Caribbean, if they can raise £2,500 each.
TEWKESBURY School has defended its plan to send pupils on a sports tour to the Caribbean, costing each one £2,500.
The proposal has seen some parents welcome the idea, saying it would offer their children the trip of a lifetime, but others say it puts pressure on them to find what they feel is an excessive amount of money.
Ali Ible said: “Let them go, they will love it.”
And Paul Johns said: “My son went when he had the chance five years ago. The cost is not much different. Theirs was cricket and the girls netball.
“They all loved the experience but they were all sporty kids that went. They did fundraising too to help pay for it. The staff go to supervise the kids. It’s no holiday for them.”
But others were against the idea.
Helen Townsend was concerned, saying: “I think every child these days is all too aware of who has money and who doesn’t, and this kind of thing just reinforces the divide. The majority of the ones who can’t go will feel pretty wretched about it at times, because those who are going will talk about it.”
The comments followed the school sending a letter to parents, asking them if boys and girls would be interested in visiting “one or two Caribbean Islands” in July 2017 on the football, cricket and netball tour.
David Graham-Kevan, head of PE, said: “Our aim is to visit destinations that students would not normally visit and would broaden their range of experience with regard to geography, cultures and strong sporting competition.”
In the past decade, the school has sent sports teams on tours to countries including South Africa, Argentina, Canada, Barbados and Sri Lanka. The letter did not state the length of this tour but previously they have usually been for two weeks.
Mr Graham-Kevan said the cost of about £2,500 for the trip would cover all flights, insurance, accommodation and some meals.
He said: “I can fully appreciate this is a large financial commitment and by informing you of this tour early in advance, it will help provide enough time to financially plan over the next two years.”
Headteacher Gary Watson said: “Tewkesbury School has been running highly successful sports tours for more than a decade and cultural exchanges and trips to various parts of the UK, Europe and beyond for much longer than that. Sports tours themselves are limited to once every two years with students participating in organised fundraising events to help finance their trip over that time period.
“The school offer an exceptionally wide range of trips at different costs every year and all 11 to 14-year-olds will shortly be taking advantage of activities days where they all have the opportunity to take part in trips and visits to places like the Harry Potter Experience, Drayton Manor, @Bristol etcetera.”
He added: “Governors at the school met recently to evaluate the wide range of trips and visits on offer and to consider whether they wish them to continue. Their strongly held view was that such extra-curricular opportunities, including exchange placements with our European partners and visits to places such as Auschwitz, Berlin and New York, played a crucial role in enriching the lives of our young people, broadening their horizons and developing their characters and skills.
“Students and families are always encouraged to seek financial assistance from the school if they find the cost of any of these trips prohibitive.”
For more on this story go to: http://www.gloucestershireecho.co.uk/Tewkesbury-School-defends-2-500-pupil-sports-tour/story-26773750-detail/story.html#ixzz3eHz2pAAg
