iNews Briefs
Beautification of Cayman Islands waterfront means zero to this motorist
This photograph was sent to us today by one of our irate readers showing an SUV illegally parked on top of the re-graded and filled area on the George Town waterfront.
At great expense local business people headed up by Chris Johnson took it upon themselves to try and ‘beautify’ the waterfront of the Cayman Islands capital on Grand Cayman.
They not only refilled and graded areas by the sea but constructed a beautiful ‘boardwalk’.
For a motorist to park his car on top of this reinstatement without a thought, a care or a prayer is sickening. The land is also private property.
Commerzbank raided over possible tax evasion
From DW
Tax investigators and police have raided commercial offices in Germany as they looked into allegations of large-scale tax evasion with regard to profits made in Luxembourg. Commerzbank was at the center of the searches.
Media reports said police had raided scores of office premises across Germany on Tuesday as investigators looked into possible cases of tax evasion and money laundering with regard to earnings made by banking clients in Luxembourg.
Cologne’s chief prosecutor, Ulrich Bremer, said 20 police and over 130 tax investigators were involved in the searches throughout the day.
“Investigations are directed against taxable persons who in order to systematically evade corporate tax acquired offshore holdings so as to conceal capital earnings at their Luxembourg-based banks,” he said.
Germany’s second-largest bank in focus
According to investigators, Commerzbank was at the center of the raids on suspicion that some staffers at the lender’s subsidiary in Luxembourg had aided and abetted clients in evading taxes.
Commerzbank officials had earlier admitted that they’d moved into the firing line of investigators.
“Commerzbank has a vested interest in a thorough investigation and will certainly fully support the authorities,” the lender told Reuters, adding that the cases under investigation were related to operations dating back 10 years or longer.
Prosecutors did not immediately specify how much money they suspect had been concealed from tax authorities. Newspaper reports said spoke of several hundred million euros up to 1 billion euros ($1.13 billion).
For more and video go to: http://www.dw.de/commerzbank-raided-over-possible-tax-evasion/a-18277245
Cayman Islands: Sign up today for the 6th Annual CARE/BRITCAY – K9/5K!
From CARE – Cayman Animal Rescue Enthusiasts: [email protected]
The 6th Annual CARE/BRITCAY -K9/5K
Registration for the 6th annual K9/5K 2015 is now open! This year, our annual walk/run will take place on Sunday, March 8th @ Camana Bay.
Online registration is available through Cayman Active and you can access the page by clicking here . We prefer you to help us by registering online, but you can also complete an offline registration form and bring it to the Camana Bay Observation Tower between 11am and 4pm on Saturday 7th March.
If you do not wish to participate in the walk/run but would like to help out, we are currently seeking volunteers for both Saturday – Pre registration desk and Sunday at the race. If you would like to help out please e-mail – [email protected] with your availability.
We are Looking forward to a great turn-out this year and raising some much needed funds for a very worthy cause. Please do help us by spreading the word about this event through your office bulletin boards and with your friends. We do appreciate all of the support so we can continue to make a difference within the community through our spay and neuter programme.
Download forms:
Registration form- Click Here: https://files.ctctcdn.com/7aa72710101/0c4e2fdc-48f4-4019-9936-09d696b61815.pdf
Route Layout -Click Here: http://origin.library.constantcontact.com/download/get/file/1103830874791-452/5k+Route+Map.pdf
See attached flyer for more details or download at: https://files.ctctcdn.com/7aa72710101/2397fda3-0abe-42eb-b5c6-0a398b5d3e5b.pdf
Venezuelans protest Maduro’s visit to Trinidad and Tobago
By Susan Mohammed From Caribbean News Now
PORT OF SPAIN Trinidad — Venezuelans residing in Trinidad protested in Port of Spain on Tuesday, calling for the resignation of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro who arrived in Trinidad on Tuesday morning on a working visit.
Spokesperson, prominent psychic Yesenia Gonsalves, said the group met outside Queen’s Hall on Tuesday morning and marched to President’s House at noon where Maduro was expected to have a meeting with President Anthony Carmona.
Gonsalves in a telephone interview with the Express before the protest said: “There is a big crisis in Venezuela right now. There is a lot of violence. People are not getting the basics like food and medication. Children with cancer are dying the hospital because there is no medication. Everything they want they have to line up in very long lines for one item alone. He does not have good policies and we want him to resign.”
“He is not helping the country; the country is going down every day. People are not safe in Venezuela, they are scared to go out and be free. You cannot speak anything against his policies because they threaten to jail you. He is not democratic he is a dictator. We are tired. Want to him to resign. We consider him to be a criminal and we want him out,” said Gonsalves.
Cayman Islands NOTICE: Immigration Front Counter Closes Wednesday, 4th March, 2015
The Department of Immigration front counter will close for regular business on Wednesday, 4th March 2015 to facilitate staff training. All other sections of the Department will remain open.
However, please note that applications with a legal deadline of March 4th 2015 will be given priority assistance. These applications include:
- Temporary Work Permit Extensions
- Work Permit Grant Applications
- Work Permit Renewal Applications
- Permanent Residence Applications
All other applications and visitors extensions will be processed the next day Thursday, 5th March 2015 when the front counter resumes normal operating hours at 8:30am.
Immigration officials apologise for any inconvenience resulting from this closure.
West Indies players blast WICB president for ‘unacceptable’ retweet
From Caribbean News Now
PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad — The West Indies Players Association (WIPA) on Sunday blasted West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) president, Whycliffe ‘Dave’ Cameron for retweeting a demand for opener Chris Gayle to be given “a retirement package”.
After Gayle was out for four during the Windies’ match against Pakistan at Christchurch, New Zealand, on Saturday, one fan tweeted: “Gayle goes… Can’t buy a run. Let’s give him a retirement package … Can’t fail repeatedly and still front up based on reputation.”
Cameron then apparently retweeted the comment even as the match was ongoing.
The WIPA immediately denounced Cameron.
“WIPA is extremely disturbed by the unacceptable re-tweeting by Mr Dave Cameron, president of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), of a negative ‘fan’ tweet which was directed at our member Mr Christopher Gayle,” the WIPA said in a statement on Sunday.
“That Mr Cameron’s retweet came in the middle of the West Indies team’s critical game against Pakistan renders it even more unacceptable,” the WIPA said.
WIPA president and chief executive Wavell Hinds added: “We denounce any such behaviour by any official of the WICB in any given circumstance.”
Cameron, who is seeking re-election, apologised for his actions and removed the post from his account.
“No offense intended. Full apologies extended. Rally round the West Indies,” he wrote on @davec51.
The WIPA said it has written to the WICB requesting a full explanation.
See also iNews Cayman story today “Chris Gayle 215 sets up West Indies win”
Cayman Islands NOTICE: World Birth Defects Day
The inaugural World Birth Defects Day will be observed on 3 March, 2015.
All interested persons are invited to attend an informational session on birth defects – a Cayman Islands perspective and general awareness.
The meeting will be held at the Cayman Islands hospital Hibiscus Conference room (next to the Pink Ladies Cafeteria) on Tuesday 3 March from 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm.
Continuing Medical Education hours will be offered as well as light refreshments.
For further information call the Public Health Department on 244-2630.
Swiss market regulator says unlikely to probe HSBC further
From WINN FM 98.9
(Reuters) – Switzerland’s financial markets regulator FINMA is unlikely to look into possible wrongdoing at HSBC’s (HSBA.L) Swiss private bank in the light of leaked information that was published this month, FINMA’s head of enforcement said on Tuesday.
The publication of details on alleged tax evasion by some of the bank’s wealthy clients has prompted investigations by Geneva’s public prosecutor and British authorities, as well as a possible U.S. probe.
But FINMA, which already faulted HSBC in 2010-2011 for its poor internal controls and violations of money laundering guidelines, has said it was happy with the remedial action subsequently taken by the bank.
Cayman Islands NOTICE: Do you recognize me – I am very cute and very lost?
From CARE – Cayman Animal Rescue Enthusiasts
Do you recognize this beauty? She is extremely friendly, healthy looking, with a great coat. found wandering in traffic by Safe Haven this afternoon – Tuesday 24th February.
Sadly no collar or tag – currently checking for Microchip.
If you know who her people are please call Amanda on 916 5799
Please spread the word for this sweetheart so we can get her back home where she belongs.
CARE-Cayman Animal Rescue Enthusiasts www.caymancare.ky 938 2273
Still no final vote count in St Kitts-Nevis a week after elections
By Toni Frederick From Caribbean News Now
BASSETERRE, St Kitts (WINN) — A week after general elections in St Kitts and Nevis the final ballot count has still not been announced by the supervisor of elections.
After declaring the election for the Team Unity alliance on February 17, the supervisor of elections, Wingrove George, speaking on state media, committed to providing the final counts by day’s end. By Sunday 22, he had made no further public statements nor released the final counts.
WINN FM’s attempts to reach him have been unsuccessful.
In the early hours of the morning on February 17, with results trickling in and only two seats declared, George stopped the count, and state media ZIZ announced that there would be no further results provided until further notice.
Within minutes, a caller to WINN FM claimed that the count had been completed in at least two other constituencies and the seats had gone to the Team Unity alliance.
Candidates’ agents and counters subsequently corroborated the report that Ian Liburd and Lindsay Grant of the People’s Action Movement/Team Unity had won two key seats.
Speaking on WINN FM early Tuesday morning, chair of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), Dominica’s Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerritt, was the first of many regional heads to call for the formal announcement of the results.
But it wasn’t until 8:00 am on the morning of February 17, 14 hours after the close of the polls that the supervisor of elections advised the nation of the results.
Nearly a week after later with the new Cabinet set to begin work on Monday, George still has not apprised the public of the final counts.
Cayman Islands signs agreement with RICS to value government buildings
The Cayman Islands’ Office of the Auditor General, has signed an agreement with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS, to review the government’s findings during the valuation of its own buildings.
The RICS is an international body that accredits 118,000 professionals. Their website says “any individual or firm registered with RICS is subject to our quality assurance.
“We regulate and promote the profession; maintain the highest educational and professional standards; protect clients and consumers via a strict code of ethics; and provide impartial advice and guidance.”
RICS Director of Regulation Michael Zuriff is reported as saying, “RICS commends Cayman Islands’ Office of the Auditor General for its commitment to professionalism and transparency in its audit process.”
Under the terms of the contract, RICS will deliver a report based on the valuation review and identify any key areas that RICS considers inconsistent, insufficient, or otherwise not in accordance with the organisation’s criteria, requirements and standards in effect at the time.
Dominica “fully committed” to Caribbean Community Single Market and Economy
From Antigua Observer
Dominica has given its support for closer regional integration saying that it was necessary in a changing global environment.
Trade Minister Ian Douglas, addressing the start of a two-day workshop for media workers on the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Single Market and Economy (CSME), said Dominica is “fully committed to the integration process”.
“There are tremendous benefits to be derived for our citizens from the integration movement. The world is increasingly becoming globalised into trading blocs…and as a result, we as vulnerable economies must remain together so that we can be stronger. We can either swim together or sink one by one,” he told the opening ceremony here on Monday night.
Douglas said that the single economic space within the 15-member CARICOM grouping has created more opportunities for trade.
“Any Dominican product or any Dominican professional can move within and throughout the region free of any impediments as long as you have the CARICOM Skills Certificate. And these opportunities are being created for hassle free travel and for the establishment of local businesses anywhere in the region without impediments,” Douglas said.
The CSME allows for the free movement of goods, services, labour and skills across the region and Douglas said these were among the “tangible benefits that can be had from the integration process.
“And this is why we in Dominica will support any and every effort towards the sensitization of the public on the elements of the Treaty of Chaguaramas and that is why the media personally and the spokesperson are important to the process,” he said.
The two-day workshop here is part of a series of initiatives being undertaken by the Guyana-based CARICOM Secretariat to sensitize the region to the functions of the CSME.
Deputy Programme Manager at the CSME Unit, Phillip Mc Claren said that the public awareness campaign is also being undertaken in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, Jamaica, Belize, Guyana, Antigua and Barbuda, St. kitts-Nevis and St. Lucia.
“Public education is a critical component that is in our view an absolute necessity to inform CARICOM nationals how they can access these rights and participate in the process of regional integration,” he said.
Sea fog prevents Royal Caribbean ship ‘Brilliance of the Seas’ from docking, cancels next cruise
From ABC WFTS Tuesday 24 February
Sea fog is to blame for dozens of ruined vacations.
Royal Caribbean’s ‘Brilliance of the Seas’ has been stranded in the Gulf of Mexico for more than a day because of it.
Now the cruise line has decided to cancel the ship’s next cruise, which was scheduled to depart on Monday for the Caribbean Islands, including Cozumel.
Statement from Royal Caribbean:
Due to foggy conditions that have delayed Brilliance of the Seas’ previous cruise – and are forecast to continue for the next few days — we have made a decision to cancel the February 23 sailing. We understand that this was not what our guests were expecting, and not what we said last night, and we share in their disappointment.
Royal Caribbean International will provide each guest with a full refund of the cruise fare paid.
Cruise fare refunds will automatically be processed back to original form of payment. Please allow four to six weeks for all transactions to be processed.
Royal Caribbean would also like to provide these guests with the opportunity to sail with us again. We will be providing each guest with a future cruise certificate for 25% of the cruise fare paid for their February 23, 2015, Brilliance of the Seas sailing. This certificate may be used for a future cruise on any Royal Caribbean ship within the next year. Future cruise certificates will be mailed to your home address or travel agent within six to eight weeks.
Again, we thank our guests for their ongoing patience and understanding throughout this unfortunate situation.
The Coast Guard has started the slow process of escorting the ship under the Skyway Bridge and to the Port of Tampa.
More than 2,000 passengers are on board the ship, according to the Royal Caribbean International.
Ohio State Coach Urban Meyer along with alumni of the school are among those aboard the ship.
Feds won’t bring civil rights charges in death of Trayvon Martin
By Zoe Tillman From Legal Times
The U.S. Department of Justice on Tuesday said prosecutors will not bring federal civil rights charges against George Zimmerman, the Florida neighborhood watch volunteer who fatally shot unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin.
A jury in 2013 acquitted Zimmerman of murder and manslaughter charges in Martin’s death. The Justice Department said in a statement on Tuesday that investigators “found insufficient evidence” to charge Zimmerman with civil rights violations.
Attorney General Eric Holder Jr. said in a statement:
The death of Trayvon Martin was a devastating tragedy. It shook an entire community, drew the attention of millions across the nation, and sparked a painful but necessary dialogue throughout the country. Though a comprehensive investigation found that the high standard for a federal hate crime prosecution cannot be met under the circumstances here, this young man’s premature death necessitates that we continue the dialogue and be unafraid of confronting the issues and tensions his passing brought to the surface. We, as a nation, must take concrete steps to ensure that such incidents do not occur in the future.
Vanita Gupta, the acting head of the Civil Rights Division, said in a statement that in deciding not to bring charges, the department “does not condone the shooting that resulted in the death of Trayvon Martin and is based solely on the high legal standard applicable to these cases.”
The Justice Department has an active civil rights investigation into the death of Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager in Ferguson, Missouri, who was fatally shot last year by a police officer. DOJ is deciding whether to bring civil rights charges against the officer, Darren Wilson, and whether to bring a broader civil rights case against the police department in Ferguson.
In remarks earlier this month, Holder indicated that investigations into Brown’s death were drawing to a close, saying that he hoped the department would conclude the probe before he left office.
IMAGE: George Zimmerman Photo: Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel/Pool/AP
HBO Premieres ‘Captain America’
HBO is pleased to premiere “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” this Saturday, February 28, exclusively in the Caribbean.
Two years after the battle in New York with his fellow Avengers, Steve Rogers – better known as Captain America – lives quietly in Washington, DC, struggling to adjust to the modern times and working for espionage agency S.H.I.E.L.D. Now he’s being sent on a mission with agent Natasha Romanoff, also known as Black Widow, and new ally Sam Wilson (or Falcon), to free hostages aboard one of their vessels after an attack that threatens the safety of the entire world. As the team struggles to expose a complex conspiracy, they stumble upon an unexpected enemy: the Winter Soldier.
Based on Marvel’s® superhero comic, the film stars Chris Evans as Captain America, Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow, Anthony Mackie as Falcon, Sebastian Stan as the Winter Soldier, and Robert Redford as Alexander Pierce, among others.
*Atlantic Standard time. For local transmission times by country, visit www.hbomax.tv http://www.hbomax.tv or consult your cable operator.
Cayman Islands Film Commission finds new home with Tourism
The Cayman Islands Film Commission Board is now under the umbrella of the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism (DoT).
Last year the Film Commission moved from under the Department of Commerce and Investment to its new home and everyone feels this is a positive move.
The film board says it’s turning its focus from Hollywood blockbusters to more niche-type productions that will be more budget friendly.
The website will also be getting revamped.
Liquidation of Cayman Islands Caledonian commences
Following a hearing in Grand Court last Tuesday (24) two Caledonian companies, Caledonian Bank Limited and Caledonian Securities Limited are being liquidated after the Chief Justice, Anthony Smellie, granted petitions to wind up.
A statement from CIMA says liquidators Kieran Hutchinson and Claire Loebell have the powers to “Be authorised to act jointly and severally and take such steps as necessary and expedient the exercise of their powers conferred under the Companies Law and consider appropriate actions for and on behalf of the entities within and outside of the Cayman Islands.”
See also iNews Cayman related stories under “Cayman’s Caledonian Bank files Bankruptcy after SEC freeze/Bahamas group to buy Caledonian” at: http://www.ieyenews.com/wordpress/caymans-caledonian-bank-files-bankruptcy-after-sec-freeze/
Greater participation in tourism by the Caribbean, and as one – says Wilchcombe
By Simon Lewis, BIS
From the Bahamas Weekly
FREEPORT, Grand Bahama – Minister of Tourism the Hon. Obie Wilchcombe on Friday called for Caribbean nations to get more involved in the tourism trade, and said it’s time for Caribbean nations to look at the region as one – working together they could achieve more.
The Member of Parliament for West End and Bimini was on Friday addressing delegates and participants attending the 4th Inter-American Development Bank Caribbean Governors Regional Meeting at the Grand Lucayan resort. Prime Minister the Rt. Hon. Perry Christie had officially opened the conclave on Thursday.
Addressing participants as they enjoyed lunch in the Pavilion at Our Lucaya, Mr. Wilchcombe also called on the IDB to play a greater role in the promotion of the tourism in the region.
A native of Grand Bahama, the Tourism Minister described for the delegates the island of Grand Bahama and the city of Freeport noting the fact that the city has been built on both Industry and Tourism, and that Grand Bahama tourism is going through positive transformation with increased airlift and cruise passengers.
He told the gathering that nationwide, tourism has for some fifty years been the main engine driver of the Bahamian economy with 60 percent of employment opportunities directly related to it. The World Travel and Tourism Organization states, he said, that Tourism in the number one industry in the world and some 1.3 billion people travel each year.
Further, he said if the Caribbean nations would come together as a region they could do much more in terms of attracting visitors to the various destinations.
He touched on Butch Stewart of Sandals and John Issa of SuperClubs Breezes from Jamaica who have established first class brand names in the region and the world.
The Minister also observed that more can be done in the region to supply food and other items for visitors.
He said he would like to see the Caribbean Tourism Organization have greater representation, and a place on the CARICOM Meetings agenda; and for the IDB to do more to emphasize the importance of tourism to people and countries in the region.
