iNews Briefs
Cayman Islands Yacht Club in the North Sound
From Dart Realty (Cayman)
In 2004, the original marina in the Cayman Islands was destroyed due to Hurricane Ivan. In 2012, Dart Realty, which is owned by Ken Dart, decided to repair the property. Today, the Cayman Islands Yacht Club is making the North Sound a destination at sea.
Dart designed the new marina to be both eco-friendly and sustainable. There are 158 docks available to fit vessels up to 120 feet. The Cayman Islands Yacht Club is equipped with world class amenities and highly qualified marine professionals. The renovated marina includes night-time security, property management, pump-out stations and private docks.
In addition to the new and improved marina, there is also a new store located at the Cayman Islands Yacht Club called Anchors. Anchors is a convenience store, café and bar. It sells all of your boating essentials, food and even has a full-service bar. Anchors is also home to the main marine fuel location on the west side of Grand Cayman. It is open seven days a week, which makes it that much more convenient.
Also located at the Cayman Islands Yacht Club is Pro Yacht. Pro Yacht is available to help you with anything from electronic installations, detailing, engine servicing and much more. Pro Yacht has been a part of the Cayman Islands marine experience for 20 years, but Dart Realty added an additional four acres for storage and maintenance facility.
The refurbished Cayman Islands Yacht Club has everything you need to make your boating experience as smooth as possible. The yacht club is redefining quality, among marine experiences in the Cayman Islands. Set sail, today!
For more: http://www.kennethdart.com/cayman-islands-yacht-club-in-the-north-sound/
New legislation for Caribbean immigrants in New York ID Cards
Special to the NNPA from the New York Carib News From blackvoicenews
CMC – New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has signed legislation to create a municipal identification card for Caribbean and other immigrants living in the city, including undocumented persons.
“Even for those who already have IDs, we’re going to make sure that this card brings a lot to the equation, a lot of benefits that will go with it,” said deBlasio, whose wife, Chirlane, traces her roots to Barbados.
“But for those who don’t have ID, it’s going to be crucial,” he said when signing the on to the new law Thursday.
Although de Blasio originally wanted the ID card law to roll out before the end of the year, it’s now scheduled to launch in January, the New York Daily News reported.
The mayor assured undocumented Caribbean applicants for the new ID card that they will not be asked about their immigration status.
“We want all New Yorkers to feel very comfortable working with the police,” deBlasio said. “We want them to be very able to identify themselves to the police and do it in an atmosphere of safety.
“This is going to play a crucial role in deepening the relationship between police and community, including a lot of our immigrant communities,” he added.
City Councilmen Carlos Menchaca and Daniel Dromm, who sponsored the measure, said the bill would allow a large section of the city’s marginalized populations to receive benefits and access to simple services like opening a bank account or renting an apartment.
City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, the first Puerto Rican-born elected official to hold the position in New York City, described the bill as ‘historic’.
“Today, we’re living up to our highest ideals, and today we’re saying that no one should be left out,” she said.
Officials said the ID card will be free of cost during the first year, adding that there will be walk-in enrollment centers, along with online applications.
Cayman market perseveres through the summer
From Dart Realty (Cayman)
Although the marketplace is primarily slower during the summer season, there has been activity among Cayman’s real estate industry in both the commercial and residential divisions. Recently, the old Coutts Bank building was sold and the land next to it along Seven Mile Beach.
The recent activity is a result of new products, which are expected to both transform and improve Cayman’s luxury property market. The sales of the condos, which are along Seven Mile Beach, were around 60 percent higher for the first six months of 2014, compared to the first six months in 2013.
On July 8th, The WaterColours residences on Seven Mile Beach will accept its certificate of occupancy. This certificate will be momentous for Cayman’s luxury property market. WaterColours owners will be able to collect their keys to their new apartments for the first time. There are currently around 20 units available in The WaterColours residences to buy.
Dart’s Kimpton hotel, which is a luxury, boutique-style resort, will also have some properties available to purchase. The properties are expected to be available by the end of this year. It is anticipated that real estate ownership will rise in the Cayman Islands due to the emergence of this new brand among the island’s economy. This has been a trend among previous new brands that have been introduced to the Cayman Island’s market.
Construction will also begin on Dart’s 101 new residences this year. The new residences will be opening north of the Cayman International School, which will create another opportunity for buyers to get involved in Cayman’s real estate industry.
For more: http://www.kennethdart.com/market-perseveres-through-the-summer/
LDK Solar provides update on its request for a Review Hearing with the NYSE
GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands and XINYU CITY, China and SUNNYVALE, Calif., July 15, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — LDK Solar Co., Ltd. in provisional liquidation (“LDK Solar” or the “Company”) and its Joint Provisional Liquidators, Tammy Fu and Eleanor Fisher, both of Zolfo Cooper (Cayman) Limited, today announced that the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”) Committee for Review has rescheduled LDK Solar’s review hearing to Monday, September 8, 2014. The hearing was originally scheduled on June 26, 2014. The Company has requested a review of the decision made on March 31, 2014 by the Staff of NYSE Regulation, Inc. (“NYSE Regulation”) to suspend trading in the Company’s American depositary shares (“ADSs”) on the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”) and to commence delisting proceedings.
Trading of the Company’s American Depositary Shares has been suspended by the NYSE since March 31, 2014. Quotations of the Company’s American Depositary Shares have been, and the Company expects will continue to be, available on the OTCBB market under the symbol “LDKSY”.
BVI Premier to meet with OT leaders in Cayman Islands
From TheBVI Beacon
Premier Dr. Orlando Smith will meet with the heads of other United Kingdom overseas territories in the Cayman Islands beginning today in preparation for a Joint Ministerial Conference to be held later this year, according to Government Information Services.
The two-day pre-JMC meeting will give OT leaders a chance to report on their progress since last year’s JMC meeting, and to agree on priority areas for this year’s session.
“The overseas territories hope to arrive at consensus on a number of issues, including in the areas of passports, economic development and financial services,” Dr. Smith posted on Facebook on Tuesday.
Dr. Smith is looking forward to talks on economic diversification, the environment, green energy, education, financial services and health, according to GIS.
“These are all key elements on which my government and I have remained focused in order to develop and improve our Virgin Islands,” Dr. Smith said.
Brodrick Penn, the acting permanent secretary in the Premier’s Office, also attended the meeting.
The JMC provides an opportunity for the UK and OTs to work together on a wide range of issues and to agree on priorities and plans for implementation, according to the press release.
The annual meeting, which is being hosted by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, brings together UK government ministers and OT leaders. It also provides a forum for the exchange of views on political and constitutional issues, according to GIS.
Deputy Premier Dr. Kedrick Pickering is acting as premier until Dr. Smith’s return on Friday.
Walkers celebrate 50 years in Cayman Islands
There were celebrations in earnest at the Cayman law firm Walker’s offices on July 10th when they celebrated their 50th anniversary with a special alumni evening for the many articled clerks who have undergone legal training with the firm over the years.
Cayman Islands Governor Helen Kilpatrick attended along with Deputy Governor Franz Manderson and Minister for Financial Services Wayne Panton. Both Manderson and Panton were former articled clerks at Walkers.
In 1983 Walkers began training and developing Caymanian lawyers and has worked with more than 50 trainees over the past thirty years. In 2002 the firm established a formal training committee.
Their training programme has produced 30 Caymanian articled clerks, who all went on to be admitted as lawyers in the Cayman Islands.
Rocky the Musical is exiting Broadway
From Vulture
Looks like the doomed Tupac musical will have a pal to commiserate with in Broadway Musical Heaven: The New York Times reports that Rocky the Musical, based on the 1976 Sylvester Stallone movie, will end its U.S. run on August 17 (the original German incarnation, Hamburg’s Rocky das Musical, is still going strong). While not a total disaster, Rocky received mixed reviews, had difficulty filling seats over the course of its five month run, and failed to garner a Tony best musical nomination. Here’s hoping Rocky the Musicals II through V have better luck.
For more:
http://www.vulture.com/2014/07/rocky-the-musical-ending.html
Cayman Islands: Forget CIMA’s searchable database
From The NED
It is unlikely that the much debated and controversial searchable database of Cayman fund directors will see the light of day. CIMA is suffering from staffing shortages, according to its Deputy Managing Director, and is having difficulty fulfilling its current responsibilities. CIMA’s Head of Investments, Yolanda McCoy, resigned in May. CIMA’s priority is the Directors Registration and Licensing Law, which has generated a lot of extra work. The push for the fund director database has come from a handful of overseas investors and has little local support. The full story appears in the July edition of The NED. The full story appears in the July edition of The NED.
UN Chief urges solution on Dominican Citizenship
By Ezequiel Abiu Lopez From ABC News
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged Dominican legislators on Wednesday to find a humanitarian solution to a fiercely debated court decision that could render thousands of people of Haitian descent stateless.
Ban spoke to the Caribbean country’s bicameral legislature a day after meeting with President Danilo Medina.
“It won’t be easy,” he said. “This requires compromise and tough consultations. It requires your compassion as human beings and as leaders of this country.”
The Dominican Republic recently passed a law that would create a path to citizenship for the descendants of tens of thousands of migrants who came from neighboring Haiti. But human rights groups have said the law will likely exclude the majority of people born in the Dominican Republic to migrants, leaving them essentially stateless.
For more:
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/chief-speaks-dominican-citizenship-issue-24586228
Cayman Islands: Supply and installation of IT Solution for Automatic Reporting of information for tax purposes
Ministry of Financial Services, Commerce and Environment
CAYMAN ISLANDS GOVERNMENT
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL – Supply and installation of IT Solution for Automatic Reporting of information for tax purposes
CTC Tender CTC/13-14/FSCE/019 – IT Infrastructure (FATCA)
The Department of International Tax Cooperation through the Ministry of Financial Services, Commerce and Environment invites suitably qualified vendors to submit a firm price proposal for the abovementioned supply and installation solution.
The Request for Proposal may be collected from the Ministry of Financial Services, Commerce and Environment, Government Administration Building, #133 Elgin Ave, Grand Cayman, KY1-9000 between 8:30am and 5:00pm, Monday to Friday or by email to [email protected]
Acknowledgement of receipt will be requested.
Responses must be received by the Central Tenders Committee no later than 12:00pm, July 21, 2014.
Late submissions will not be considered.
Stated evaluation criteria will be used to assess applications to determine if they meet the qualification requirements.
*CIG is under no obligation to accept any application. It shall not be bound to give any reason for not accepting any applications and will not defray any costs incurred in the preparation of application*
Downloads
RFP For FATCA
Pricing Matrix
For more: http://www.tia.gov.ky/html/rfp-for-fatca.htm
Raul Castro in Brasil for China-Latin America-Caribbean Meeting
Prensa Latina News Agency From Escambray
Cuban President Raul Castro arrived in Brasilia, leading a delegation of his country to attend the presidential meeting between leaders from Latin America, the Caribbean and China.
Besides the members of the group formed by Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador and Antigua and Barbuda, CELAC (Community of Latin American and Caribbean States), the presence at the meeting of the presidents of the member countries of Unasur (Union of South American Nations) and Mexico is expected.
The members of the Cuban delegation are: Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla; and Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment, Rodrigo Malmierca; Deputy Foreign Minister Abelardo Moreno and Cuban Ambassador in Brazil, Marielena Ruiz Capote.
For more: http://en.escambray.cu/2014/cuban-president-raul-castro-travels-to-brazil/
Statement from the Consul General, U.S. Embassy to Barbados, the Eastern Caribbean, and the OECS
The United States has not requested any changes to passports issued by the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis. We note that the Press Secretary to the Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis has clarified that no such request was ever made by the United States. In fact, the International Civil Aviation Organization specifies place of birth as a key element of biographic data for machine readable and e-passports.
The U.S. government notified the St. Kitts and Nevis government that versions of the St. Kitts and Nevis passport that lack key elements of biographic data have caused the U.S. government to require additional documentation from applicants for U.S. visas to evaluate their eligibility. Because of the missing biographic data, holders of St. Kitts and Nevis passports who apply for U.S. visas have experienced delays in processing times.
The United States will continue to comply with the international standards set forth by the International Civil Aviation Organization in the visa adjudication process.
Mark Bysfield
Consul General
U.S. Embassy to Barbados, the Eastern Caribbean, and the OECS
