iNews Briefs
9-year-old brothers washed away, feared dead in Montego Bay [Mother works in Cayman fly’s home]
By Horace Hines From Jamaica Observer
MONTEGO BAY, St James — Nine-year-old twins Brandon and Brayden Jones are feared dead after they were swept away by flood waters from heavy rains that pelted the western end of the island for more than five hours yesterday afternoon.
Up to late last evening, police and firefighters were searching the Montego Bay Harbour for the missing boys. The Jamaica Observer was told that about 3:00 pm the brothers were returning home from school — Green Pond Primary — when one of them fell into a drain filled with the angry flood waters near their Cornwall Courts home.
His brother attempted to rescue him, but was also swept away
For more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/Twin-tragedy
EDITOR: The mother of the twins, Andrea Bernard who works at the Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman and has flown out to Jamaica following the tragedy.
Delta adds weekly New York-Kingston flight [and-Grand Cayman]
By Gay Nagle Myers From Travel Weekly
Delta’s new seasonal routes to the Caribbean for the winter season include a Saturday roundtrip flight between New York’s JFK and Kingston, Jamaica, starting Dec. 20.
The nonstop flight supplements Delta’s daily nonstop service between Atlanta and Kingston, offered since December 2013.
The carrier will also add a weekly nonstop between JFK and Grand Cayman and a daily flight from Detroit to Grand Cayman on the same date.
For more: http://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Airline-News/Delta-adds-weekly-New-York-Kingston-flight/
Cayman Islands NWDA Outreach Schedule – June 2014
The NWDA, in an effort to provide improved customer service to its clients in their job seeking efforts, will have a representative at the district libraries to provide:
· Opportunities to register online with the NWDA.
· Opportunities to search the online job portal and self-referring for jobs.
· Assistance with preparing resumes.
· Assistance with preparing for an interview.
Dates, Hours and Locations:
· East End Library Branch: Monday, 2nd June – 10:00am -1:00pm
· Bodden Town Library Branch: Wednesday, 4th June – 2:00pm -5:00pm
· North Side Library Branch: Monday, 9th June – 10:00am -1:00pm
· West Bay Library: Wednesday, 11th June – 10:00am-1:00pm
CPL aiming for Canadian expansion
From Cricket365
The Caribbean Premier League is looking to expand their tentacles beyond the region, and are aiming to bring the game to Canada’s one cricketing hub, namely Toronto.
The CPL is starting its second season soon, with a number of top names already signed, including Chris Gayle, Kevin Pietersen, Muttiah Muralitharan and Corey Anderson. If all goes well, they will seek an even wider audience in the future.
CPL chief Peter Russell told The Star: “The CPL is looking at how to expand the tournament to service the demand for cricket across North America and the Caribbean.
“We are looking at a number of options as to how best to proceed, and Toronto would obviously be a city we’d be interested in.”
Another factor in the WICB’s desire to build a foundation in North America is their proposed partnership with the USA’s cricket board, which includes brining American players to the WEst Indies for development.
WICB president Whycliffe Cameron said last week: “We are going to be engaged on a day-to-day basis on the three core pillars for development.
“”We will rapidly build plans and open up infrastructure for bringing top US players into the West Indian development system, and we are supporting the finalisation of the current USACA governance changes.”
For more: http://www.cricket365.com/west-indies/story/9319173/CPL-aiming-for-Canadian-expansion
Ex-prime minister of Curacao arrested in money-laundering investigation
In an Associated Press report on Tuesday (20) they have said Gerrit Schotte, an ex-prime minister of Curacao was arrested along with his longtime girlfriend and held for questioning in a money-laundering investigation.
Investigators searched Schotte’s home in December and seized a computer and documents.
China bans government purchases of Windows 8
By Celestine Hendrickson From CMV Live
China bans government purchases of Windows 8-OptimizedChina is banning Windows 8 devices from at least some government IT purchases in a move which took Microsoft off guard. The ban came from China’s Central Government Procurement Center. The Center posted a brief notice last Friday on new requirements for government tenders.
Among the demands is that Windows 8 be excluded from the bidding process on computer purchases. It is unclear how far-reaching the ban will be. The new requirements only concern government purchases for :energy-efficient” IT products, including netbooks,desktops and tablets.
China’s state controlled Xinhua News Agency said that the government was forbidding the use of Windows 8 after Microsoft recently ended official support for Windows XP. The Tuesday report said, “The Chinese government obviously cannot ignore the risks of running OS without guaranteed support.” Chinese officials have previously stressed that Microsoft should lower the price of Windows.
Microsoft said Tuesday that it was surprised to see Windows 8 referenced in the Chinese government notice. The company added that it was working to ensure all its software meets government procurement requirements.
The post China bans government purchases of Windows 8 appeared first on Classified World News.
For more: http://cmvlive.com/international-news/china-bans-government-purchases-of-windows-8-2
Taylor Swift hit with trademark suit over use of ‘Lucky 13’
From Law360
Law360, New York (May 20, 2014, 1:00 PM ET) — Clothing company Lucky 13 on Tuesday hit Taylor Swift with a trademark infringement suit in California federal court, claiming the pop star’s use of the phrase “Lucky 13” on T-shirts and in a greeting card company-sponsored contest stepped on its intellectual property rights.
Cayman cyclist wins road race and looks set for a hat trick
Jerome Ameline won the 58-mile Road Race in East End, Grand Cayman over the weekend and looks set to win the May Classics Series champion for a third year in a row.
Results:
- Ameline won in 2 hours, 19 minutes, 36.10 seconds,
- Michele “Mitch” Smith (2:21:22.42)
- Steve Abbott (2:21:27.89).
David Cooke (2:27:25.25) was the fastest master and placed sixth overall.
Risa Golberg (2:33:56.83) was the fastest female with Carien Roberts-Harcombe (2:33:58.41) second.
Josh Weaver won the junior race.
Law suit dropped by US against former Cayman residents accused of being part of Ponzi scheme
Former Cayman Islands residents Fred Davis Clark Jr. and his wife Cristal R. Coleman along with three other defendants have had their charges they partook in the running of a US$300M pyramid scheme dismissed.
U.S. financial regulators -The Securities and Exchange Commission – brought the charges that were denied by Clark and Coleman.
U.S. District Judge James Lawrence King who said the agency had “failed to meet its serious duty to timely bring this enforcement action” dismissed the case.
See iNews Cayman related story published March 6 2013 “More red flags regarding Cayman-based CMZ financial group” at: http://www.ieyenews.com/wordpress/more-red-flags-regarding-cayman-based-cmz-financial-group/
Tingyi Cayman Islands : JP Morgan raises Tingyi to HK$18.5
JP Morgan raised its target price for Tingyi (00322) to HK$18.5 from HK$18, and maintained its “underweight” rating .
With no signs of a let-up in competitive intensity, particularly for noodles, the
research house believes there are limited opportunities for price gains, and so limited upside for noodle margins to expand.
JP Morgan is concerned about a slowdown in Tingyi’s sales in 1Q (+5% vs +23% in 4Q 2013). Management noted that increasing frugality and changes in consumer behavior (turning more health conscious) have affected sales. Beverage margin expansion was a positive, but JPM believes improving beverages alone is not enough to drive the stock price (beverage profits accounted for 15% of FY2013 earnings).
The research house raised its FY2014 earnings by 4% to reflect better-than-expected beverage margins, and it now expects 22% earnings growth for FY2014. (KL)
Cayman Islands sending team to Nassau to compete in inaugural athletics meet
The Cayman Islands Athletic Association is sending a team to compete at the inaugural IAAF World Relays this weekend.
It is in Nassau, The Bahamas on Saturday and Sunday.
The team will be accompanied by National Coach Kenrick Williams and Team Manager Ato Stephens. The sprinters are Kemar Hyman, David Hamil, Rhymeich Adolphus, Troy Long and Tyrell Cuffy. Hyman, who ran at the London Olympics two years ago, is Cayman’s 100m record holder in a time of 9.95 seconds.
The races are over 4×100 meters, 4x200m, 4x400m, 4x800m and 4x1500m. Team Cayman will be competing in the 4x100m and 4x200m events.
Close to 800 athletes from 48 countries are expected to compete at the meet. There will be around 90 men’s teams and 64 women’s teams.
The top eight teams in the men’s and women’s 4x100m and 4x400m will automatically qualify for the 2015 IAAF World Championships in Beijing.
The top eight teams in each event will be awarded prize money with the gold medalists taking home $40,000.
2 Cayman high-ranking civil servants get undisclosed settlement
The Caymanian Compass have reported that former Health Ministry Chief Officer Diane Montoya and former Deputy Financial Secretary Deborah Drummond, who have been on required leave since 2009 and have been receiving full pay since then, have reached a settlement with their employer the Cayman Islands government.
The exact terms have not been revealed in a statement from the Deputy Governor’s office.
“The financial terms of the settlement reflect government’s legal obligation to compensate the officers for the loss of salary between their early retirement date and their normal retirement date upon their attaining age 60,” the statement said. “A sum will also be paid as a contribution toward their joint legal fees.”
Cayman football association moves date of play-off match
CIFA Playoff Match – Change of Date/Time – Academy SC v Cayman Brac FC
Please be aware that the Cayman Islands Football Association (CIFA) have decided to move the Playoff match between Academy SC and Cayman Brac FC (who has just qualified from the FFD) from Sunday 25 May to Saturday 24 May.
This match will kick-off 8:00PM at the Annex.
Cable & Wireless Comms steps up network investment
May 21 (Reuters) – Cable & Wireless Communications said on Wednesday it would step up investment in its networks in the Caribbean and Central America in a bid to return to revenue growth and improve earnings.
The fixed and mobile operator unveiled its new strategy after the group posted a 5 percent increase in full-year core earnings to $608 million on like-for-like revenue of $1.87 billion, down 1 percent.
The British company said it would increase capital investments by $250 million over the next three years, taking total capex spending to $1.05 billion.
It said the investment was expected to deliver modest top line growth, reversing a historic declining revenue trend, and mid to high single digit compound annual growth in earnings in the period. (Reporting by Paul Sandle; editing by Kate Holton)
For more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/21/cable-wirlss-idUSASM0006SV20140521
CARICOM to have own ICT platform
By Theresa Blackman From Caribbean News Now
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (BGIS) — The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) region is “quickly marching” towards a regional arrangement that will see it have its own platform for information and communication technologies (ICTs).
And, according to Barbados minister of industry, international business, commerce and small business development, Donville Inniss, “Barbados is fully on board, in this venture”.
He said: “We recognise the upstanding work of the Caribbean Telecommunications Union as well as the work of respective governments… Prime Minister [Keith] Mitchell of Grenada at the prime ministerial level has been leading the charge in this respect, as we believe we have to drive the costs of telecommunications downward whilst at the same time expanding access within the region and the world out there.”
Inniss made these comments following a recent two-day trip to the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED) ministerial meeting in Georgetown, Guyana.
Asserting that Barbados needed to “take control” of its ICT development “a bit more”, Inniss emphasised that it was recognised that “once these infra structural arrangements and administrative arrangements were solidified” there was phenomenal growth that could take place in our economies that will flow from the work of ICT based enterprises.
He noted that this would go a long way in making government far more “efficient and more cost effective to administer”.
For more: http://www.caribbeannewsnow.com/topstory-CARICOM-to-have-own-ICT-platform-21209.html
Caribbean Airlines appoints new CEO
From Jamaica Observer
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) – The state-owned Caribbean Airlines (CAL) has announced the appointment of Canadian Michael DiLollo as its new chief executive officer.
DiLollo, who spent 20 years at Air Transat, replaces former CAL executive Robert Corbie who resigned in June 2013 almost one month after the entire CAL board, then chaired by Rabindra Moonan, was sacked by Finance Minister Larry Howai following what were described as breaches in governance.
DiLollo said that he’s focused on stabilising the internal operations of CAL and will centre his tenure on four pillars, namely safety, people (staff), customers and sustainability.
DiLollo said the airline faces internal and external threats which must be adequately dealt with to have any sustainability.
The external threats, he outlined, included the “ferocious competition” from low-cost carriers which were now running on CAL routes.
Meanwhile, CAL chairman Philip Marshall said the company has completed financial audits for the years 2010 and 2011 and that once they are approved a date will be set for the annual general meeting.
Marshall said the airline financial situation had “substantially improved” one year after Howai told parliament that the airline had recorded losses amounted to TT$700 million (One TT dollar = US$0.16 cents).
For more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/latestnews/Caribbean-Airlines-appoints-new-CEO
