Archive for April, 2010
Local lawyer offers helping hand to public servants
(CNS): Given the current pressures and stresses on the country’s public sector workers one local attorney is offering them free advice to help them tackle the personal as well as work place legal problems they may also be facing. John Megoo is opening his offices free of charge for the entire month of May to give civil servants the chance to get his advice on everything from property problems to custody battles in an effort to at least relieve some areas likely to be adding to the country’s public sector workers’ stress levels. (Photo courtesy of News27)
Premier says census will inform public policy
(CNS): The forthcoming national census will be used to inform future government policy, the premier said this week. Mckeeva Bush said that given the present economic climate everyone must carefully plan where and how to concentrate their resources, and urged people to take part and cooperate with Census 2010 officials when they visit homes later this year. He pointed out that around the world governments were using the kind of objective evidence the national count will reveal to shape policy, and that as an international financial centre the Cayman Islands must also plan for the future on accurate data. The census is integral to the successful development of the country, Bush said.
Mystery man revealed in court
(CNS): Updated Friday. Although police have now introduced a policy of not naming people who face criminal charges the man who was charged earlier this week with ‘accessory after the fact of murder’ is Craig Johnson. Johnson (29) appeared in court this week in connection with the murder of Marcos Mauricio Gauman. The fatal shooting took place on 11 March in Maliwinas Way, West Bay. Police have already charged a teenage boy with Gauman’s murder. Johnson was remanded in custody until next week. Police said this week they intend to continue withholding the names of suspects, even after they are charged.
The sixteen-year-old boy accused of murdering Duran, who cannot be named for legal reasons, as oppose to police policy, appeared in court on 13 April but was refused bail, despite requiring specialist treatment as a result of a severe gunshot wound the teen received on the night that Duran was killed. Duran was the third murder victim of 2010.
CNS was unable to access details of Johnson on the day he was charged as the news of his court appearance was not released until after the close of day for court business.
Prosecuters scrutinize SEC case against Goldman
(Bloomberg): Federal prosecutors in New York are investigatingtransactions by Goldman Sachs Group Inc. accused of misleading investors, to determine whether to pursue a criminal fraud case, according to two people familiar with the matter. The federal review, which lawyers say is common in such a high-profile case, is being done by the US attorney in Manhattan, according to sources not authorized to comment and spoke on condition of anonymity. The Securities and Exchange Commission filed a civil lawsuit against Goldman Sachs on April 16 alleging fraud tied to collateralized debt obligations that contributed to the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression.
Afghan feminists fighting from under the burqa
(The Guardian): As a committed feminist, there are few symbols of women’s oppression that Parween hates more than the burqa. But compromises are necessary in a country where fighting for women’s rights can be a controversial and dangerous business, and she is not above donning the all-concealing garment if it helps her to stay one step ahead of the authorities. "I don’t like the burqa, but sometimes I have no choice when I’m moving around Kabul – it’s a great disguise," she says. Parween, who is in her mid 20s, is not using her real name. She is a member of one of the country’s most intriguing and secretive organisations: the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan, or Rawa – regarded as a dangerously subversive outfit by the authorities.
Everyone counts – Census 2010 Kicks Off
(CNS): Following the official launch of the Census 2010 publicity campaign on Cayman Brac last week (Thursday 22 April), a ceremony at the Mary Miller Hall yesterday (Thursday, 29 April) got the ball rolling on Grand Cayman. The actual census will start on the designated Census Day, 10 October, and be conducted over two months by Economics and Statistics Office (ESO) trained staff, including over 250 enumerators. The end result will be reports highlighting the statistics gathered, providing a database of information and statistics in a number of areas not captured so far on a scientific basis.
The event was led by Governor Duncan Taylor, with Premier McKeeva Bush, ministers and officials of government, MLAs, private sector representatives, school children and members of the general public all participating in the launch of Cayman’s population and housing census.
The importance of the census was illustrated by a video presentation highlighting aspects of Census 2010 and a rendition of 10-10-10, the census jingle, by high schoolers and ESO staff. Speakers at the launch underscored the need for all residents to understand and take part in the census without fear of their confidentiality being compromised.
The event unveiled census billboards featuring spokespersons led by National Hero Sybil McLaughlin, banners promoting the census message and brochures that answer frequently asked questions about the census.
At the end, potential enumerators, who will be carefully selected and fully trained, signed up.
Hints on fiscal year change
(CNS): The minister for education has revealed that members of the Legislative Assembly are never likely to agree on moving the election date back to November, and as a result it would be better to change the country’s financial year to run from 1 January to 31 December. Speaking during the debate on amendments to the Public Management and Finance Law on Wednesday afternoon to remove the 1 May deadline for government to present its budget statement to the House, Rolston Anglin said that when government undertook a wider review of the PMFL the financial year should be amended.
Although the members of the Legislative Assembly have raised the question of moving the election back to November on a number of occasions, the two parties have never been able to agree to cut short or extend an existing administration’s term. Despite this, the idea of moving the election date back to November has persisted, but Anglin’s comments suggest government is now considering this alternative proposition of moving the financial calendar instead.
The minister pointed out that by changing the financial year rather than trying to get an agreement on changing the election date, the government would bring the Cayman Islands in line with other governments around the world. He said that the January to December year was always preferable but that it had only been changed in the first place to accommodate the country’s election calendar.
In the wake of Hurricane Ivan in 2004 the scheduled November election was postponed until May 2005, extending the then UDP administration’s term by some six months. When the PPM won that election, as an opposition the UDP would not agree to the PPM government adding six months to their term to return to a November date, nor would the PPM agree to cut their term short.
As a result Cayman was forced into another May election, while the fiscal year stretched from 1 July to 30 June. That meant that again a new administration was presented with the problem of not having enough time to prepare its own full budget and having to use the policy directions from the previous administration to present a short temporary budget before bringing a more comprehensive financial plan in October.
During the debate surrounding the current government’s budget difficulties Anglin said that, as there was no sign the election-cycle was ever going to change, the only solution was to change the financial year.
“I don’t hold out any hope of this House agreeing on a change to the election date so we are stuck with May,” Anglin stated, adding that a December year-end was more desirable. “We changed the budget date because of the November election cycle and now we have May elections. The best answer is to go to a December year-end.”
Anglin stated that when government completed its full and comprehensive review of the Public Management and Finance Law it would be one of the areas government would examine.
NGO funds essential certification for cancer nurses
(CNS): The Cancer Society used some of the funds it raised this year to ensure the islands’ only two Chemotherapy Nurses were re-certified and able to continue practicing. Cyndy Ebanks and Andrew Ward are by the Health Services Authority and as Chemotherapy Nurses they must re-certify and get re-licensed to administer treatments every two years. This year both Ebanks and Ward were up for re-certification and it was essential that they attend the Chemotherapy Course in Miami and pass the examination which tests their knowledge of professional standards and processes. Lizzette Yearwood, CEO of the HSA said this type of sponsorship was essential to help the authority meet the country’s healthcare needs.
A charitable trust has even been set up, through Scotiabank, to promote fundraising efforts in support of the HSA. The “Caring for Life Cayman Islands Charitable Trust” was established in March 2009 to ensure continually improved world-class healthcare for all people within the Cayman Islands by funding equipment, capital improvements, research, and education for the HSA. The Trust is governed by a Board of Trustees that is independent of both government and the HSA.
Hedge funds up in arms over new rules
(The Source-WSJ): An initial vote by the European Parliament late Wednesday on new regulation for hedge funds and private equity suggests that both industries will be subject to much more onerous disclosure, monitoring and capital requirements. JURI the legal affairs committee of the EU Parliament, said that portfolio companies owned by private equity and venture capital firms should disclose their development progress and divestitures which industry players say will disadvantage companies and give commercial rivals a competitive edge.
Boundary decisions will be left to politicians
(CNS): The members of the Electoral Boundary Commission have revealed that their work is not binding and all they can do is offer a report to the Legislative Assembly based on their findings and the feedback from the public. It will be entirely up to the elected members of the country’s parliament to choose whether to take on board or reject the advice they will offer on boundaries and the method of representation. As a result the commissioners told the people of West Bay this week to make sure they familiarize themselves with the report when it is tabled in the LA and lobby their representatives if they support its findings. (Photo by Dennie Warren Jr)
(CNS): The members of the Electoral Boundary Commission have revealed that their work is not binding and all they can do is offer a report to the Legislative Assembly based on their findings and the feedback from the public. It will be entirely up to the elected members of the country’s parliament to choose whether to take on board or reject the advice they will offer on boundaries and the method of representation. As a result the commissioners told the people of West Bay this week to make sure they familiarize themselves with the report when it is tabled in the LA and lobby their representatives if they support its findings. (Photo by Dennie Warren Jr)