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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 July – 6 October 2015 session are now to report on Monday, 3 August, 2015 at 9:45 a.m.
Please call the Jury Information line at 945-5072 for the most up-to-date information.
MON AUG 3
Grand Court Jurors Report Date Changed
Grand Court Jurors in the current session, are now to report on Monday (3 Aug) at 9:45 a.m
Church of God Chapel George Town VBS
The Church of God Chapel George Town extends an invitation to all children between the ages of 3 and 13 to Vacation Bible School “Scavenger Hunt” Monday — Friday (3 — 7 Aug) from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. at the Family Life Centre. Call 949-9393 to register.
National Pensions Bill North Side Civic Centre
The next public consultation meeting for the National Pensions Bill is Monday (3 Aug) at the North Side Civic Centre at 8pm.
WED AUG 5
NWDA in Bodden Town
The National Workforce Development Agency will be at the Bodden Town Libary on Wednesday (5 Aug) from 10am until 1pm.
2015 Orientation Dates for Cayman Islands Government Schools
Released on behalf of the Education Ministry.
Walton wins Gold for Cayman at Jr Pan Am Games
From Digicel Sportsmax
Jamal Walton lived up to his promise and brought Cayman Islands 400-metre gold at the Junior Pan American Games being held in Edmonton, Canada.
Walton romped to victory in 46.09 seconds ahead of the United States’ My’Lik Kerley, 46.33.
Kerley denied more podium finishes for Jamaica after he dispatched Jamaica’s Renardo Wilson, who finished in 46.59 seconds.
Jamaica’s other medal hopeful in the final, Ivan Henry, was left just outside of the medals in fourth with a 46.67-second clocking.
The other Caribbean entrant from the Bahamas, Henri Delauze was left behind, finshing eighth in 47.90.
For more: http://www.sportsmax.tv/?q=articles/2015/07/31/walton-wins-gold-cayman-jr-pan-am-games
Advisory from CIMA
RULE AND REGULATORY PROCEDURE ON CANCELLATION OF LICENCES ISSUED PURSUANT TO SECTION 5 AND CERTIFICATES OF REGISTRATION ISSUED PURSUANT TO SECTIONS 4(3) AND 4(1)(B) OF THE MUTUAL FUNDS LAW (THE “RULE AND PROCEDURES”)
Implementation Date of the Rule and Procedures
The Cayman Islands Monetary Authority hereby informs industry that the transition period for the implementation of the Rule and Procedures will run until 30 September 2015. De-registration applications submitted on or after 1 October 2015 will be processed in accordance with the Rule and Procedures.
If you require further information regarding the Rule and Procedures, please contact the Investments and Securities Division by email at [email protected].
Texas neighborhood displeased to find worms in the drinking water
By Mary Beth Quirk From Consumerist
IMAGE: (KHOU-11)
It sounds like the stuff of nightmares, or a bad drug trip: turning on the faucet for a glass of water, only to have worms come wriggling out of it. Residents of one Texas subdivision claim they’ve been finding worms coming out of faucets and clogging up sprinklers, and have been showing up with water samples to prove it to local authorities.
“That’s worms! That is so worms!” one woman told KHOU-11, holding up her sprinkler to show little slimy things clogging the inside. “That’s just gross. Oh my God, I’m freaking out right now.”
Another neighbor in the subdivision held up a bottle of water for the news crew, showing several tiny worms floating inside. She says it came out of her bathroom faucet.
About 30 people from the neighborhood showed up at the local water facility with samples to show, with worms varying from red to black, some almost resembling tadpoles.
The private company that provides water to the area said there was a power outage this weekend, prompting it to flush the system. It asked residents to start boiling their water on Tuesday, but said that after testing the water several times with state environmental agency and found no sign of worms. Instead, they’re blaming another source, saying perhaps it’s the pipes that are producing the worms.
But residents say that’s not the case, and showed up to confront the company. The mayor even came out and offered free bottled water and showers at a city facility. Meanwhile, he said state environmental crews won’t be able to assess the situation until Friday.
“It’s not good enough but what can you do,” said Old River-Winfree Mayor Joe Landry.
A spokesman for the water company said it’s following every step of protocol and working with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to address the problem.
For more: http://consumerist.com/2015/07/30/texas-neighborhood-displeased-to-find-worms-in-the-drinking-water/
Mexico to spend $9.1 million on seaweed cleanup on Caribbean coast, study collecting it at sea
From The Chronicle Journal
MEXICO CITY — Mexican authorities say they will spend about $9.1 million and hire 4,600 temporary workers to clean up mounds of seaweed that have accumulated in recent weeks along the Caribbean coast.
Part of that money will go to a plan to test whether the sargassum seaweed can be collected in the sea before it reaches shore.
The Environment Department said Thursday that while machinery may be used on some beaches, manual collection will be used in protected areas, some of which are nesting grounds for sea turtles.
The seaweed removal will cover Holbox in the north through Cancun, Isla Mujeres, Playa de Carmen, Cozumel, Akumal, Tulum and as far south as Mahahual.
Sargassum is an algae that grows in the Sargasso Sea, a large body of warm water in the mid-Atlantic.
St. Kitts tightens eligibility requirements for economic citizenship to keep criminals out
From Caribbean360
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, Friday July 31, 2015 – Government is tightening eligibility requirements for the twin-island federation’s 30-year-old economic citizenship programme to block foreigners who have been involved in criminal activity from benefiting.
Parliament this week strengthened security and due diligence under the Citizenship by Investment (CBI) programme by passing the Citizenship (Amendment) Act 2015.
Among other measures, the Act excludes people who have been engaged in negative activities, such as terrorism and money laundering, from getting citizenship. It also provides for authorities to refuse citizenship in the interest of defence, public safety or public order.
Premier of Nevis and Senior Minister Vance Amory said the move was a step towards “reversing a bad situation”, referring to the concerns the United States, United Kingdom and Canada have expressed about the CBI.
“That situation came as a result of a poor understanding of what the programme means to us, how it functions, and how it should be operated,” he said.
“We just need to look at these and get away from . . . not facing the reality of what existed and [what] now has to be done.”
Amory, who promoted St. Kitts and Nevis’ CBI in Dubai, London and Singapore earlier this year, said the programme had benefited the country significantly.
He said while government would continue to promote it, it was important that to attract people who would hold Kittitian citizenship in high esteem once they obtained it, and those who “have an interest in physically being part of the country”.
The amendments were passed a day before 120 CBI stakeholders shared their ideas at a national consultation yesterday – the first such forum to engage relevant individuals and agencies on the economic citizenship programme.
CARIBBEAN: Regional judges explore improved access to justice
By Caribbean News Now from St Lucia News
CARIBBEAN NEWS NOW – Members of the Judicial Education Institute (JEI) of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC) are presently in St Kitts and Nevis, hosting its 2015 Judicial Conference.
“It is an annual event where the judges come together to do judicial education training,” Attorney General Vincent Byron said. “Among themselves, they discuss various procedures, laws, and the way the process is, that judges use in the administration of justice.”
Prime minister of St Kitts and Nevis, Dr Timothy Harris, extended welcome to the body and wished them a productive conference.
“I welcome you in the firm knowledge that the judicial branch is a guardian and enforcer of those fundamental principles, enshrined in our democracy,” he said, referring to the conference theme: Improved Access to Justice in the Caribbean. “I welcome you too, cognisant of the contribution that the judiciary makes to the socio-economic development of our countries.”
Harris stressed that the conference comes at an opportune time when matters of public safety and security are on the minds of the government of St Kitts and Nevis and when society is demanding justice.
He further noted that the court is critical to the dispensing of justice and it must be sensitive to the demands of society.
“It must strive to achieve excellence in its efficiency, in its efficacy and its effectiveness,” he stressed.
“I wish to lend support to this overarching objective of improved access to justice in the Caribbean,” Harris added, noting that the people of St Kitts and Nevis look to the court for justice, whether in criminal, civil matter and constitutional matters, where the rights of the citizenry or some fundamental issue may be at stake.
The ECSC is based in St Lucia, with judges from various territories stretching from Grenada in the south, all the way to the British Virgin Islands in the north.
Caribbean volcano rumbles on ocean floor
From Earthweek
Sonar map of Kick ’em Jenny volcano complex near Grenada. Computer graphic image of Kick ’em Jenny underwater volcanic complex just to the north of Grenada.
Undersea rumblings from the southeastern Caribbean’s submerged Kick ’em Jenny volcano prompted officials to briefly issue an orange alert for the island of Grenada.
More than 200 tremors were detected near the volcano during July, but activity began to subside on July 25.
The volcano’s most powerful eruption on record occurred in 1939, when ash and gas were observed on the ocean surface and a series of tsunamis brought waves up to 6.5 feet in height to the coasts of nearby islands.
IMAGE: Computer graphic image of Kick ’em Jenny underwater volcanic complex just to the north of Grenada.
For more: http://www.earthweek.com/2015/ew150731/ew150731d.html
CARIBBEAN: One dead as Grenadian vessels collide in Trinidad and Tobago waters
By Caribbean 360 From St Lucia News Online
CARIBBEAN 360 – One man was killed when two Grenadian vessels collided off Trinidad and Tobago early yesterday morning.
According to a statement from the Grenada government, a second person sustained serious injuries in the collision and had to undergo emergency surgery in Trinidad.
The accident occurred around 1 a.m., as the Mary G, a Grenadian-registered schooner which encountered difficulties en route to Trinidad and Tobago, was being assisted by another schooner, Ocean Princess.
Details surrounding the incident are sketchy but, according to the statement, “during the course of providing assistance, both schooners were involved in a serious accident in the territorial waters of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.”
“At this time, the reports are that one person on board the Mary G, unfortunately, lost his life in the accident, while at least one other sustained serious injuries, and successfully underwent emergency surgery in Trinidad,” it added.
The government said it was working closely with Trinidadian authorities to ensure a proper investigation is conducted.
It said it would also provide assistance to all passengers and crew members. It is unclear how many people were on board the boats when they hit.
For more on this story goto: http://www.stlucianewsonline.com/caribbean-one-dead-as-grenadian-vessels-collide-in-trinidad-and-tobago-waters/#sthash.o9VBjUvx.dpuf
Royal Caribbean shares jump premarket as profit tops estimates, outlook raised
By Ciara Linnane From Market Watch
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. shares RCL, +7.55% surged 4.4% in premarket trade Friday, after the company reported stronger-than-expected second-quarter profit and raised its outlook for the full year. The cruise operator said it had net income of $185 million, or 84 cents a share, in the quarter, up from $137.7 million, or 62 cents a share, in the year-earlier period. Adjusted EPS also came to 84 cents, well above the FactSet consensus of 73 cents. Revenue rose to $2.06 billion from $1.98 billion, matching the FactSet consensus. “Overall, the year will be another solid step towards the Double-Double,” the company said in a statement. “Commercially, the business continues to perform as expected and the biggest drivers of our increased guidance are better foreign exchange and fuel rates.” The company is now expecting full-year adjusted per-share earnings of $4.65 to $4.75, 15 cents above its April guidance. Shares are up 0.4% in the year so far, while the S&P 500 has gained 2.4%.
Tingyi Cayman Islands : to issue Rmb1bn notes
07/31/2015 | 03:12am US/Eastern
[ET Net News Agency, 31 July 2015] Tingyi (00322) said it agreed to issue Rmb1,000 million 4.375% notes due 2018.
The offer price of the notes is 99.656% of the principal amount.
Deutsche Bank is the sole global coordinator of the Notes Issue. Deutsche Bank and
Nomura are the joint bookrunners and joint lead managers, and Mizuho Securities is the co-manager of the notes issue.
The proceeds will be used to refinance certain existing indebtedness and for other general corporate purposes. (HL)
CARIBBEAN: Region under serious threat from rising sea level
By Jamaica Observer From St Lucia News
JAMAICA OBSERVER – The Caribbean Sea is expected to come closer and closer inland over the next several years, posing a threat to millions of people across the region.
Experts say the rise in sea level around the world will be as much as two metres more than it is now, but it will be higher in the Caribbean than most other places.
It could mean the disappearance of entire stretches of land along the coast, along with the buildings and equipment on it.
It’s a frightening prospect for the region, which earns most of its income from industries that are located on or near the coast, including hotels, airports, seaports and fishing. It could also mean the disappearance of entire islets or cays.
“Approximately 1,300 km square metres of land area will be lost. That’s equivalent to Barbados plus Antigua & Barbuda plus St Vincent & the Grenadines, plus Anguilla,” St Lucia’s Minister of Sustainable Development, Energy, Science and Technology Senator James Fletcher said yesterday at a working meeting with journalists and artistes in this eastern Caribbean country.
He was referencing data that has been published about the impacts of a one-metre sea level rise on Caribbean islands.
“Over 110,000 people could be displaced and 149 tourism resorts damaged,” he continued.
He also listed the projected loss or damage of five power plants, the loss of one per cent of agricultural land, the loss or damage of 21 Caribbean airports, the flooding of land surrounding 35 seaports, and the loss of 567 kms of roads.
It gets worse with the projected two-metre rise. Land the equivalent to the size of Martinique plus Guadeloupe plus Grenada could be lost.
By 2050, Fletcher said, Caribbean countries may have to rebuild or relocate sea and airports at costs anywhere between one and six per cent of GDP.
“The effects will be far-reaching. Food security will become a bigger issue, there will be increased salination of fresh water sources, marine health will be compromised, an there will be health impacts,” he said.
Fletcher’s ministry is hosting the working meeting, along with Panos Caribbean, Friedrich Ebert Stiftung and other partners.
Dutch activists call for Caribbean Netherlands to adopt gay rights
Amsterdam | By Yoruk Bahceli From Reuters
As a rainbow-coloured flotilla paraded through Amsterdam’s canals for the city’s annual Gay Pride festival on Saturday, one float carried a sobering reminder that gay rights do not extend to all in the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Although the Netherlands itself became the first country to legalize gay marriage in 2001, the three Caribbean members of the larger Kingdom — Aruba, Curacao and Sint Maarten — have yet to follow suit, reflecting cultural taboos in the mostly Catholic island nations.
That leaves the Kingdom, famed for its tolerant stance on marijuana and euthanasia, apparently less progressive on gay rights than Ireland, where voters approved gay marriage in a referendum in May, and the United States, where the Supreme Court upheld a constitutional right to gay marriage in June.
“We don’t have equal rights in our kingdom for gay and transgender citizens,” said Koen van Dijk of COC, the main Dutch gay rights organisation.
Although laws on the three islands are based on Dutch law, they do not include the key provisions the Netherlands made in 2001 removing distinctions between men and women in marriage.
After a six-year legal fight, Aruba has recently begun registering gay marriages as legal partnerships if they were performed on the mainland. But same-sex couples cannot benefit from social security and other rights granted to heterosexual couples, and anti-gay bias is a reality of Antillean social and political life.
“We want to have the same legislation throughout our kingdom. That would empower all gay and transgender organizations in addressing the question of social acceptance”, said Ramona Pikeur, director of Caribbean gay rights organization Dushi & Proud.
Pikeur was one of the organizers of the boat on Saturday, along with other Caribbean and Dutch gay organisations and the Dutch government.
The Dutch government says it is seeking dialogue, rather than confrontation, with the island nations to promote gay rights and acceptance of gay marriage.
(Editing by Toby Sterling and Raissa Kasolowsky)
For more: http://uk.reuters.com/article/2015/08/01/uk-netherlands-gaymarriage-caribbean-idUKKCN0Q638G20150801
CARICOM and the Vatican establish diplomatic relations; Haiti-DR situation already raised
From CARIBBEAN360
IMAGE: PLENIPOTENTIARY REPRESENTATIVE OF THE APOSTOLIC NUNCIATURE – HOLY SEE-VATICAN TO THE CARIBBEAN COMMUNITY (CARICOM) ARCHBISHOP NICOLA GIRASOLI PRESENTED CREDENTIALS TO CARICOM SECRETARY GENERAL, AMBASSADOR IRWIN LAROCQUE.
GEORGETOWN, Guyana, Friday July 31, 2015 – There is now, for the first time ever, a Vatican Ambassador to CARICOM. And already a suggestion has been made that the Vatican may be able to find a solution to the “looming crisis” of thousands of Dominicans of Haitian descent rendered stateless by the Dominican Republic’s Constitutional court ruling on nationality.
The suggestion was made yesterday by CARICOM Secretary General Ambassador Irwin LaRocque after he accepted the credentials of Archbishop Nicola Girasoli, Plenipotentiary Representative of the Holy See.
Ambassador LaRocque expressed “deep appreciation” for the work of religious bodies in CARICOM’s development, particularly through education and for the social interventions that have largely been focused on the less privileged, adding that the accreditation of provided an avenue for the Vatican and the regional grouping to work together on common issues of concern.
He further noted that Pope Francis’ emphasis on the issues of peace, equality, inclusion and responsibility resonated with CARICOM which itself was striving “to build a secure, equitable and viable community for all its people”.
It is against this background that he referred to the situation in the Dominican Republic, in which thousands of Dominicans born to undocumented Haitian immigrants, were being deported.
“What will become of these persons, many of whom have no ties whatsoever, social cultural or linguistic, to Haiti, to which they could well be deported?” LaRocque questioned, suggesting that there might be a role for the Vatican in finding a just solution to the crisis, given its strong influence in both countries.
The Secretary General also used the opportunity yesterday to commend the head of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis, for his role in helping to bring an end to the estrangement between Cuba and the United States, noting that “the establishment of diplomatic relations has brought about a positive and welcome change in the dynamics of our hemisphere”.
He also said several actions and statements by the Pope, particularly with respect to climate change, were most welcome to CARICOM’S member states which are bearing the brunt of its effects, although hardly contributing to its causes.
For his part, Archbishop Girasoli said the establishment of diplomatic relations opened a “new chapter” in the relations between the Vatican and CARICOM and reiterated the Holy See’s commitment to collaborate closely with the region to contribute to its well-being.
CISE ceases discussions with GXG’s SME marketplaces
From Institutional Asset Manager
The Channel Islands Securities Exchange Limited (CISE) has ceased discussions regarding the acquisition of the European marketplace for SMEs, the Danish-based GXG Markets A/S (GXG).
It was announced on 22 July that an in-principle agreement for the transaction had been agreed between the CISE’s wholly owned subsidiary, The Channel Islands Securities Exchange Authority Limited (CISEA) and the Swedish-headquartered GXG Global Exchange Group AB and GXG.
However, the CISE has now decided not to proceed any further.
Fiona Le Poidevin Chief Executive Officer of the CISE, said: “The deal had reached offer stage but, following extensive due diligence procedures, the decision has been made by the CISE not to proceed.”
AIMA urges progress on passport for third country jurisdictions
From AIMA
The Alternative Investment Management Association (AIMA), the global hedge fund industry association, welcomed the recommendation to extend a pan-European marketing ‘passport’ to alternative investment fund managers (AIFMs) and alternative investment funds (AIFs) in several non-EU jurisdictions – but urged faster progress on making the passport available to AIFMs and AIFs in other non-EU countries.
The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) has recommended that the passport under the Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive (AIFMD) be extended to AIFMs in Switzerland (upon the adoption of certain pending legislation), Jersey and Guernsey and EU AIFMs which manage AIFs established in those jurisdictions. This means that the European Commission may now proceed with legislation to put the extension into effect for AIFMs and AIFs from these countries. Until now, only EU-based firms managing funds established in the EU have been able to use the passport.
AIMA said it supported the granting of the passport to Switzerland, Jersey and Guernsey. But AIMA said the passport should be granted to all the main asset management and fund jurisdictions.
AIMA said it welcomed ESMA’s intention to assess other non-EU countries including the Cayman Islands, Canada and Australia, and also welcomed ESMA’s willingness to refine its assessment of the US, Hong Kong and Singapore, which have not yet received a positive recommendation that the passport will be extended to them. But AIMA urged ESMA to complete this process as soon as possible and in particular questioned the open-ended nature of the process relating to the US.
AIMA CEO Jack Inglis said: “Managers outside the EU should be able to take advantage of the passport, especially if they will get authorised and be supervised by EU regulators, just as those inside the EU are already able to. While we would have wished ESMA to adopt a more streamlined and speedier assessment of all important jurisdictions as there is no need for an equivalence assessment in the AIFMD, we welcome the clarity on which jurisdictions are to be assessed in the coming months.”
Jack Inglis added: “The passport is just one of a set of marketing options for hedge fund management firms. We look forward to engaging further with ESMA on the continuation of the national private placement regimes which we feel should be allowed to run alongside passports indefinitely. In any case, we believe that the country-by-country approach ESMA has chosen should ensure the continuation of such regimes absent a positive decision on the passport in relation to an individual jurisdiction. Private placement regimes are extremely useful in making it possible for European pension funds and other European investors to access non-EU funds managed by non-EU firms.”
SOURCE: http://www.aima.org/en/media/press-releases.cfm/id/DEB6F521-321E-4616-86FD0848AB9D43AB
See also iNews Cayman story published today: “Cayman Islands: AIFMD Update: ESMA issues its initial set of recommended countries”/” ESMA Advice – Extension of AIFMD Passport to non-EU AIFMs and AIFs”
Watch British researchers launch a 3D-printed drone off of a warship
By Graham Rapier From Business Insider
IMAGE: HMS Mersey 3d printed drone Ministry of Defence
Earlier last month, researchers at the University of Southampton in England successfully collaborated with the British Royal Navy to launch a 3D-printed drone from the deck of a warship.
The nylon drone flew about 500 meters after being catapulted off the ship before landing safely on a nearby beach.
“The key to increased use of UAVs is the simple production of low cost and rugged airframes,” said Southampton professor Andy Keane in a press release.
“We believe our pioneering use of 3D printed nylon has advanced design thinking in the UAV community worldwide.”
The aircraft has a wingspan of almost five feet, and can reach a top speed of 58mph while flying almost silently.
“Radical advances in capability often start with small steps,” said First Sea Lord Admiral Sir George Zambellas.
“And, because it’s new technology, with young people behind it, we’re having fun doing it.”
For more and video: http://www.businessinsider.com/watch-british-researchers-launch-a-3d-printed-drone-off-of-a-battleship-2015-7#ixzz3haL2eiud
Dutch police release Edmonton murder suspect from Caribbean island jail
From THE CANADIAN PRESS
EDMONTON – Police say an Edmonton man arrested in the death of a medical student in the Caribbean has been released from custody.
In early June, Dutch authorities on the island of Saba arrested the man as a suspect in the death of the woman, whose body was found in April.
Police have not identified the man by name, but with the initials O.J.E.
Media reports in the Caribbean have identified the man as Omar. J. Elkadry, who is 27, and the woman as American Kavya Guda, who was 24.
Both were students at the Saba University School of Medicine when she died.
Saba is a municipality of the Netherlands.
“The man who has been arrested on suspicion of involvement in the death of the student who was found on Saba has been released,” Dutch police say in a release. They are calling the decision by a judge a “setback.”
“However, the prosecution considers him still a suspect. The evidence on which he was previously in custody is still valid.”
Police say the investigation is far from over and prosecution officials are still searching for witnesses in the case.
Forensics experts are still reviewing DNA evidence. The cause of death has not been released.
“Because the suspect denies that he has anything to do with the death, and the research does not give definitive conclusions, the judge has decided that the evidence in this case no longer justifies the detention of the suspect,” police said.
“By this, the investigating judge shows a different interpretation of the case than the prosecutor’s office.”
Elkadry could not be reached for comment.
Malaysian firm to market Cuban cancer vaccine
HAVANA, Cuba (ACN) — Malaysia’s biotechnology firm Bioven, which is conducting clinical Phase III trials of a promising Cuban vaccine against cancer, plans to list on the London stock market.
news2.jpg The relationship of the Caribbean country with Bioven, of which the Malaysian government is one of its major shareholders, is an example of South-South cooperation, according to Elnartd White, commercial manager of CIMAB, the marketing entity of the Center of Molecular Immunology (CIM) that created the vaccine, the Granma newspaper reported on Wednesday.
Since 2008, through an agreement with CIM, Bioven has carried out the clinical development of the Cuban vaccine in Europe and part of Asia and Oceania, said Blanco.
Since then, Bioven placed the drug, which targets non-small lung cancer cells, in a larger posterior test, and Stephen Drew, chief executive, said that its presence in the Alternative Investment Market, the junior stock market of London, can help speed up commercial thrust.
The vaccine is a kind of immunotherapy that targets proteins called EGF (epidermal growth factor), that are over-produced by cancer cells.
The Phase III trial, the last one before regulatory approval, started in May with the participation of 419 patients from ten countries.
Much of the clinical development work is done in Scotland, in cooperation with the Beatson Cancer Institute in Glasgow.
Mystery deepens over abrupt closure of Western Union outlets
From Curacao Guardian News
Willemstad; – The sudden closure and continued shutter of practically all of the Western Union locations in Willemstad for more than a month has heightened local consumer concerns since there has been no public announcements surrounding the reason(s) for the closures.
The sight of the shuttered money transfer outlets, primarily in Punda and the Otrabanda district has since created logistical hardships for many who were previously reliant on having their transactions done in the city.
Unconfirmed reports has however indicated that the operators of the outlets in question are currently facing money laundering investigations, which stemmed from a U.S Government warning to the parent company that owns the Western Union brand.
Efforts by the Curacao Guardian to clarify this with the U.S State Department; and the operators of the shuttered outlets have proven futile.
Local financial regulators were also unable to provide a detail explanation for the abrupt closures, but a usually reliable source did indicate that there are some existing concerns that are being investigated as it relates to the operators of the Punda and Otrobanda outlets.
In its 2013 International Narcotics Strategy Report, the US Department of Justice had expressed concerns over potential abuse of the local money transfer systems by money laundering operatives out of Venezuela and Colombia.
The report which also listed several other countries can be found here; – http://www.state.gov/j/inl/rls/nrcrpt/2013/database/211181.htm
Already, several Caribbean countries were forced to close down several of their Western Union locations, with the Cayman Islands being the most recent to shutter the doors of all Western Union locations in that country.
However, this publication was unable to confirm whether the closures in Curacao had anything to do with this report or recent developments as it relates to the stated outlets.
For more on this story go to: http://www.curacaoguardian.com/2015/07/31/mystery-deepens-over-abrupt-closure-of-western-union-outlets/
United States Government now hunting lion-killing dentist
By Caroline Bankoff From New York Mag
It’s been four days since Dr. Walter Palmer was identified as the killer of a protected Zimbabwean lion named Cecil, and things are only getting worse for the Minnesota dentist. The New York Times reports that Palmer’s Bloomington office has been closed since at least Tuesday, which hasn’t stopped angry animal lovers from showing up to protest his actions with megaphones and a makeshift memorial to Cecil. Now the United States government has gotten involved in the situation.
“The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service is investigating the circumstances surrounding the killing of ‘Cecil the lion,'” an agency official told BuzzFeed. “That investigation will take us wherever the facts lead. At this point in time, however, multiple efforts to contact Dr. Walter Palmer have been unsuccessful. We ask that Dr. Palmer or his representative contact us immediately.” The authorities in Zimbabwe are seeking to question Palmer. The two Zimbabweans who enabled Palmer’s hunt have already been arrested on poaching charges and released on bail.
Meanwhile, local Fox affiliate KMSP has published an email sent to Palmer’s dental patients on Tuesday night. “As you may have already heard, I have been in the news over the last few days for reasons that have nothing to do with my profession or the care I provide for you. I want you to know of this situation and my involvement,” wrote Palmer, who went on to reiterate his claim that he was unaware that hunting Cecil was illegal. He concluded with yet another apology:
The media interest in this matter – along with a substantial number of comments and calls from people who are angered by this situation and by the practice of hunting in general – has disrupted our business and our ability to see our patients. For that disruption, I apologize profoundly for this inconvenience and promise you that we will do our best to resume normal operations as soon as possible. We are working to have patients with immediate needs referred to other dentists and will keep you informed of any additional developments.
On the bright side, it’s a great day for the dentophobes of suburban Minneapolis.
See iNews Cayman related story “American dentist regrets killing Cecil the lion, blames local guides/Sign petition” at: http://www.ieyenews.com/wordpress/american-dentist-regrets-killing-cecil-the-lion-blames-local-guidessign-petition/
