Archive for February 25th, 2009
US Senator says Cuba embargo doesn’t work
(AP): The US policy of shunning communist Cuba by imposing a strict trade embargo has failed to prod the island nation toward democracy and should be re-evaluated, according to the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. "We must recognize the ineffectiveness of our current policy and deal with the Cuban regime in a way that enhances U.S. interests," wrote Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., in a report dated Monday. The report lends new weight to a bipartisan view in Congress that Raul Castro’s rise to power has opened a window for U.S.-Cuban relations.
US budget hits tax havens
(Huffington Post): As part of the budget that he will introduce this Thursday, President Barack Obama will call for the closure of tax havens that allow companies to pay greatly reduced tax rates, an administration official tells the Huffington Post. The inclusion of "funding for a robust portfolio of IRS international tax compliance initiatives" could help Congress make up an estimated $100 billion of revenue that is lost when companies set up what are often PO box addresses in locales like the Cayman Islands. Go to article
Another assault at Next Level
(CNS): A visitor from Switzerland was attacked outside Next Level nightclub by two men with a baseball bat and is currently being treated for two broken arms and injuries to his body. Police are appealing for witnesses to the assault which occurred in the early hours of Tuesday morning, 24 February, in the car park next to Next Level and behind Triple Crown. This incident happened just 10 days after a security guard was stabbed in his chest and hand at the same nightclub, though police say they are treating the two assaults as isolated incidents.
The Royal Cayman Islands Police Service (RCIPS) was alerted to Tuesday morning’s attack at around 1:40 am after the 24-year-old victim was taken to hospital by private car. Detectives have learnt that the victim, who is visiting friends in Grand Cayman, had been in the Next Level nightclub. His girlfriend, who realized he had not been seen for some time, went looking for him outside and found him injured in the car park.
“We’d like to hear from anyone who was in the area at the time who might have seen what took place,” said Detective Sergeant Winsome Prendergast. “That area can be busy at this time of night with people from the nightclub and surrounding bars. Anyone who was in the area that saw something that can help should contact us as soon as possible.”
The attack on the Swiss visitor follows another serious incident at Next Level that occurred in the early hours of Saturday morning, 14 February, when a 30-year-old suspect was arrested on suspicion of wounding the security guard and also for two counts of assaulting police officers who attended the scene. According to the RCIPS, the 911 Emergency Communications Centre received a call at approximately 1:25 am from a staff member of the nightclub reporting that a man had been injured. The victim was taken to hospital for treatment and a knife was recovered. The suspect is currently on police bail, pending further investigations.
Anyone with information about this latest incident is asked to contact DS Prendergast on 949-4222 or Crime Stoppers on 800-8477 (TIPS). All persons calling Crime Stoppers remain anonymous, and are eligible for a reward of up to $1000, should their information lead to an arrest or recovery of property/drugs.