Archive for May, 2010

Ban on smacking ‘would improve parenting skills’

Guest Writer | 05/05/2010 | 0 Comments

(BBC): Parents should be banned from smacking their children, the deputy head of the Council of Europe has said. Maud de Boer-Buquicchio said a ban on physical chastisement would improve parenting skills. Parents at present can smack their children for the purposes of "reasonable" punishment. Attempts by some MPs and charities to introduce an all-out ban on smacking have so far failed. Smacking is not permitted in schools in the UK. Ms de Boer-Buquicchio, in a letter to the Daily Telegraph, has now joined the debate to express her view that it is not wrong for the state to interfere over this aspect of family life.

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Hazard Management preps for hurricane season

Cayman News | 05/05/2010 | 0 Comments

(CNS): With the Atlantic storm season less than one month away the National Hazard Management Council (NHMC) met on Tuesday, afternoon (4 May) for its annual pre-season preparation and hurricane drill. This season has been predicted to be a busy one with some storm experts pointing to 2005 as a comparative year. In readiness for whatever 2010 brings, the team were responding to the threat of ‘Hurricane Dan’ – the subject of this year’s hurricane preparedness exercise. Under the 2010 scenario, ‘Hurricane Dan’ has entered the Caribbean Sea and is a possible threat to the Cayman Islands.

The ‘storm’ scenario will continue throughout today Wednesday when an NEOC tabletop exercise designed to test readiness plans is activated.

Government buildings will also be shuttered and generators tested. The exercise involves senior officials, including Deputy Governor and NHMC Chairman Donovan Ebanks, as well as representatives of HMCI and other essential services.

According to the latest predictions from storm experts the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season may rival some of the worst in history as meteorological conditions mirror 2005, the record-breaking year that spawned New Orleans- wrecking Katrina. Sea temperatures from the Cape Verde Islands to the Caribbean, where the storms usually develop, are above normal and reaching records in some areas.

“We have only seen that in three previous seasons, 2005, 1958 and 1969, and all three of those years had five major hurricanes,” said Jeff Masters, co-founder of Weather Underground Inc. “I am definitely thinking that this is going to be a severe hurricane season.”

Predictions currently stand at 14 to 18 named storms. Each year, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center urges everyone living along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts to prepare for a storm strike. It’s very important to note that a seasonal outlook cannot forecast where and when storms will form, let alone if or where they will make landfall and at what strength,” Dennis Feltgen, a spokesman said.

Cayman faces new EU ‘black list’ threat

Cayman News | 05/05/2010 | 47 Comments

(CNS): As financial experts here have often argued, no sooner is the Cayman Islands removed from one ‘black list’ than another one looms. Reports in the international media regarding proposed legislation in Europe to regulate the hedge fund industry could see Cayman at the top of a new black list of countries that would be off-limits to EU investors. Accordingto reports in the Wall Street Journal, lawmakers in the European Union are close to passing legislation that would prevent European investors from putting money into a hedge fund domiciled in certain offshore tax havens, in particular Cayman, where it is believed a significant number of funds have a registered entity.

The paper reports that the proposal would require European authorities to create a "black list" of countries, with European investors being prohibited from sending their money to funds based in those countries. To escape the list, countries would have to satisfy a list of as yet undisclosed criteria. Countries would have to satisfy a list of four or five criteria, Jean-Paul Gauzès, the French politician who is leading debate on the legislation, told WSJ.

Gauzès said in a telephone interview that he wasn’t sure whether the Cayman Islands would now be placed on a black list. But, he said, the country could easily take steps to ensure it isn’t on the list by the time the legislation enters into force in 2012. "If the Cayman Islands doesn’t satisfy these conditions, then this is really a country that deserves to be on the black list," Gauzès reportedly said.

To avoid the black list, countries must have regulations against money laundering and terrorism financing, a deal to share information with EU regulators, laws ensuring access for EU-based depositories and tax agreements with EU nations based on conventions developed by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

The Cayman Islands recently signed its 16th TIEA having already met the OECD criteria and being promoted to its ‘white list’ last year. At the time a number of local pundits pointed out that once Cayman had been removed from one grey or black list it would not be long before another one came along.

Wildlife spot under threat

Cayman News | 05/05/2010 | 47 Comments

(CNS): In answer to a recent parliamentary question by the independent representative Ezzard Miller, on behalf of constituents who had been refused planning permission, the government has revealed it is no longer seeking a buffer zone to protect Malportas Pond in North Side. As a result, local developers could now be allowed to build up to the banks of the water, threatening a host of local wildlife including the vulnerable West Indian Whistling Ducks (left). Miller was told by the premier that the government was no longer seeking to acquire the buffer and that any applications that had been refused in the pond area in the past may now receive “a willing ear” from planning. (Photo courtesy of the National Trust)

McKeeva Bush told the Legislative Assembly last week that the buffer plan had been as a result of a request from the Department of the Environment to protect the pond from run-off but gave no reason why the government has decided it would no longer be taking the DoE’s advice to protect what is considered by many as a crucial wildlife eco-system.

With no environmental protection in Cayman from development, the DoE has had to use land acquisition to fight a losing battle to preserve Grand Cayman’s dwindling natural resources. Given the importance of Malportas pond to hundreds of wetland bird species, not least the Whistling Duck, the DoE had advised government to try and acquire land around the area to create a three hundred foot buffer zone to protect the future of the pond, which government owns, and the wildlife using it.

According to information from the DoE, run-off was only one of the threats to the future of this wildlife area. Research conducted by the department revealed that, as more subdivisions were being planned, it was clear the connected wetland area was under severe threat, which is where a host of birds feed and nest.

The buffer would have controlled the run-off of nutrients, sediment and other potential contaminants from developed properties, which can contribute to eutrophication- -excessive plant growth from nutrients and general pollution of the pond. The protected zone would also have provided a functional area of habitat for birds and other wildlife currently existing there.

It would have maintained flood protection services and natural storm water management for surrounding properties and provided a physical barrier to reduce disturbance of wildlife (especially waterfowl). Aside from retaining the aesthetic value of the pond through preservation of natural fringing vegetation, the DoE said it would have moderated the impact of development on the established ecosystem and diversity of native flora, both wetland and shrubland species.

Although there are no set guidelines from experts on the size of buffer zones to protect wetlands, the DoE had undertaken comparative research work with areas applicable to the conditions of Malportas Pond, such as Florida, which has similar vegetation communities.

Buffer zones vary in size and nature depending upon the specific purpose for which they are created but the minimum buffers in order to protect just the pond would be around 200 feet, and in order to attempt to protect the full area the buffer would need to be over 650feet. The DoE had recommended the 300 feet zone with the hope of mitigating the impact on the surrounding wetland and hopefully saving the pond and associated wildlife.

With no restrictions now on development, this important bird habitat is at risk. For many years local farmer William (Willie) Ebanks has devoted enormous time and effort to aiding the recovery of the West Indian Whistling Duck, Cayman’s only native duck, which is a vulnerable species. Starting with a pair of ducks and seven chicks in 1990, Ebanks now supports over 500 wild Whistling Ducks.

The pond is also an important site for hundreds of herons, egrets, moorhens, and coots, as well as osprey and even peregrine falcons in the winter months. The pond, which could now be changed irrevocably or lost altogether, was an important natural area which until very recently was surrounded by largely undisturbed land.

Vote in the CNS online poll: Are you in favour of a conservation law?

No decisions made on CS cuts

Cayman News | 05/05/2010 | 29 Comments

(CNS):Members of the Cayman Islands Civil Service Association have said that no decisions have been given to them by the Deputy Governor’s Office regarding what will happen to civil service salaries, benefits, working hours or jobs in the next budget year. Cabinet issued a directive to the public sector management that civil service human resource costs needed to be reduced by $19 million in the fiscal year 2010/11. Following its recent annual general meeting the association confirmed it had offered a 4 percent salary reduction via unpaid leave and was wiling to discuss how to reduce government’s health insurance costs but had not yet been told what government’s decision on the cuts was.

With the uncertainty surrounding the careers of many of its members, the association said it has also decided to recruit the services of a lawyer to assist with representation for members on employment and contract related issues, which still remain in the balance. The new management council of the CICSA has also pledged to take a stronger stance on the many issues facing its membership to get problems addressed properly by the relevant parties, including the deputy governor and governor.

CNS understands that, following government’s decisions to change the law in order to delay the delivery of the budget, the civil service management has now been given until the end of this week to finalize where the $19million will be trimmed from personnel costs.

Some members of the Civil service Association said they were not expecting government to accept the 4% cut and believe there is not necessarily going to be equitable cuts throughout the various ministries and departments, but they are unsure where things were headed.

CNS understand that there are already concerns within departments that in some areas where there could be room for head counts to be cut without seriously impacting services, in others where staff levels are already tight it will be salaries that are cut, meaning that there could be cases of some public servants facing wage reductions while their pay grade piers retain their full salaries.

However, there is as yet no certainty on where and what will be cut. The CICSA said on Tuesday that it could not comment directly on the current situation as nothing had been shown to its management team for comment and that members were fairly certain that the consultation period was at an end.

The next stage for the CICSA would be when the decision on what would be cut was presented to them so they could distribute the information among the wider membership.

The association also remains concerned about headcount cuts and the expectation of delivering services. Although the Deputy Governor’s office, as the executive arm of government, has jurisdiction over civil service numbers the problem, according to the CICSA, is that Cabinet still has the ultimate decision on policy and therefore job cuts cannot be made in isolation.

Should head counts be cut, the association said, it will impact the ability of some government departments to deliver the services associated with government’s policy decisions. In other words, if staff levels are to be reduced civil service management will still require directions from Cabinet on which services it wishes to cut if there are not enough people to deliver all the services of a given department.

While decisions are being made in conjunction with Cabinet on operational expenditure, CICSA states that head counts are directly related to the services delivered and they will also need to be with the approval of Cabinet as government will likely need to make policy adjustmentsto fit a smaller public sector body.

Man makes claims over MLA assault to TV station

Cayman News | 05/05/2010 | 0 Comments

(CNS): Following yesterday’s revelations that MLA Dwayne Seymour had been arrested by police over the weekend in connection with an assault (that CNS now understands occurred at Grand Cayman Beach Suites), one of the men involved claims the politician assaulted him. News 27 reported this evening that Garrone Yap (left), a Florida based personal trainer, told the television news station that he was waiting for a female friend on Saturday evening at the hotel when Seymour appeared with a friend and assaulted him. Yap says he reported the attack to the police, who also arrested him. Yap spoke to the station by telephone and said that he was released without charge after his arrest but claims Seymour abused his powers as an MLA to have him arrested.

Police confirmed yesterday that an assault involving three men had taken place at a Seven Mile Beach resort, which the RCIPS had named the Cayman Reef Beach Resort. CNS confirmed today that this was in fact Grand Cayman Beach Suites.

Police had said yesterday that two men were treated in hospital but all three were held by police until Monday evening, when one was released from custody while two others were released on police bail. According to Yap, he was the one released from custody and Seymour and his friend were released on police bail, but he will not be pressing charges.

So far the United Democratic Party has made no comment on the situation concerning their backbench MLA, who is the third elected member for Bodden Town. (Right: Dwayne Seymour)

See News 27 report

PPM: ‘Uncertainty alarming’

Cayman News | 05/05/2010 | 47 Comments

(CNS): The opposition has warned that the premier is causing serious alarm in the Cayman Islands with the uncertainty and indecision over how to deal with the country’s increasing operational costs in the face of decreasing revenues. Alden McLaughlin said McKeeva Bush is “governing by feedback” and no one can be sure about anything. The former Cabinet minister believes that the constant policy announcements followed by retreat are preventing people from making any kind of future plans and distracting them from focusing on the much needed recovery from the worldwide serious recession. (Photo by Dennie Warren Jr)

Talking about the premier’s latest announcements last week regarding taxation, when Bush suggested that he would prefer VAT at the beginning of the week and then was telling the community that it was in fact more likely to be payroll tax or even a community service fee by the end of the week, McLaughlin said the premier needed to take a position and stick by it.

“The premier must stop this nonsense,” the People’s Progressive Movement, George Town MLA told CNS. “Making these concerning announcements one day then retreating from that position the next is causing serious alarm. This is government by feedback. It seems that the premier is just floating an idea and then when he hears the inevitable objections to that idea he pulls back.”

Government has yet to answer the question of whether it will be forced by the UK to introduce direct taxation in exchange for permission to borrow in order to balance the budget. In the light of further speculation that government revenues are continuing to decline and that takings in the third quarter of this fiscal year have again fallen considerably short of expectations, the size of the CIG’s borrowing needs for 09/10 will have increased.

Although CNS was unable to obtain any official figures for the third quarter of this fiscal year, operational expenses, although down on last year, have not reportedly fallen sufficiently to prevent extensive borrowing, government sources say.

McLaughlin said that, given the continuing recession and its impact on revenue, the premier had to take a position on what he intended to do and tell the country what he had decided, defend it and begin to work through it. He said the constant floating and retreating on ideas was causing genuine alarm and uncertainty with everyone.

“In my own experience and awareness of the country’s political history I have never known such indecisive government,” McLaughlin said, adding that he was never convinced of the premier’s reputation as a decision maker as he believed he was impulsive and reckless, which has been demonstrated by his actions over the last 12 months.

“No one can be sure about anything. Whether it’s about salary and benefit cuts, job losses or taxation, people can’t make plans for themselves or their business in this climate of uncertainty when they don’t know from day to day and week to week what is going to happen,” the PPM MLA stated.

With the gravity of the current economic situation, McLaughlin said, government had to start making some decisions that it could stick with. He said that the current government had to create some certainty in order to allow the people of the Cayman Islands to get down to work and begin to recover from what was the worst international recession for decades.

“With the country hanging on his every word as premier, to be making impulsive decisions and retreating from them days later, this is really disastrous,” McLaughlin added.

Ocean chemistry changing at ‘unprecedented rate’

Guest Writer | 05/05/2010 | 0 Comments

(SeaWeb): The chemistry of the ocean is changing at an unprecedented rate, according to a recent report from the National Research Council (NRC) of the National Academy of Sciences. The report, Ocean Acidification: A National Strategy to Meet the Challenges of a Changing Ocean, underlines growing concerns over the effect on the ocean of increasing emissions of carbon dioxide. The ocean absorbs approximately one-third of the carbon dioxide emitted by human activities, moderating the impacts of climate change but causing seawater to become more acidic. The average pH of ocean surface waters has dropped from approximately 8.2 to 8.1 since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution and is predicted to drop by a further 0.2 or 0.3 units by the end of the 21st century, under current emissions scenarios.

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Children’s Tylenol and other drugs recalled

Cayman News | 04/05/2010 | 4 Comments

(CNS): Updated Wednesday 1:30pm — Following reports on CNS on Tuesday morning that a unit of Johnson & Johnson had voluntarily begun a recall of certain children’s over-the-counter liquid medicines because of manufacturing deficiencies, Cayman Islands’ health officials released a statement on Wednesday afternoon informing the local community of the move. Medical Officer of Health, Dr Kiran Kumar said 43 child and infant over-the-counter liquid formulations of Tylenol, Motrin, Zyrtec, and Benadryl had been recalled by McNeil but that none of these medications are available at the Health Service Authority pharmacies. He said an advisory has been sent to all private pharmacies to remove all stocks of these products from their shelves.

Meanwhile, Foster’s Food Fair IGA announced that it had proactively pulled all the affected Children’s Tylenol and Motrin medications from its shelves. The affected products sold by Foster’s Food Fair IGA are:

Concentrated Tylenol® Infants’ Drops 0.5 Oz. Cherry Flavor

Children’s Tylenol® Suspension 4 Oz. Cherry Blast Flavor

Children’s Tylenol® Plus Suspension 4 Oz. Cough & Runny Nose Cherry Flavor

Children’s Tylenol® Plus Suspension 4 Oz. Flu Bubblegum Flavor

Children’s Tylenol® Plus Suspension 4 Oz. Cold Grape Flavor

Children’s Motrin® Suspension 4 Oz. Berry Flavor

A list of recalled items not carried by Foster’s Food Fair IGA is available on the McNeil website

Dr Kumar said people who had any of the medications involved should stop using them immediately and if children who have taken the recalled products have unusual symptoms, parents are urged to contact a health care professional.

“Parents should not give children adult formulation of the medications,” Dr Kumar added. Sating that alternative brands of the products, including generic medications, are available. Parents who have questions about alternative treatments should consult their physician.

The voluntary recall follows an April 19 inspection by the United States Food and Drug Administration of a McNeil plant in Fort Washington, Pa. that uncovered "manufacturing deficiencies".

"Some of the products included in the recall may contain a higher concentration of active ingredient than is specified; others may contain inactive ingredients that may not meet internal testing requirements; and others may contain tiny particles," a company release stated.

McNeil Consumer Healthcare said it was initiating this voluntary recall because some of these products may not meet required quality standards. This recall is not being undertaken on the basis of adverse medical events. However, as a precautionary measure, parents and caregivers should not administer these products to their children.

Foster’s said until it had further correspondence from the manufacture on the affected products they will not be available at their stores and apolgised for any inconvenience. “However the safety of our customers is our top priority,” the store stated. “We encourage all customers who have purchased these products to return the affected product to their Foster’s Food Fair IGA of purchase for a full refund.

Cayman signs 16th tax deal by courier

Cayman News | 04/05/2010 | 1 Comment

(CNS): There were no overseas trips for a Cayman delegation when the premier signed the country’s latest Tax Information Exchange Agreement (TIEA) as this one was done by courier. The Cayman Islands 16^th tax deal was with Aruba and the agreement, exchanged via courier, was considered legally binding following the signature on 20 April of McKeeva Bush in his capacity as Minister of Finance and on 9 April by Mike E. de Meza, Aruba’s Minister of Finance, Communication, Utilities and Energy. Commenting on this latest TIEA signing, Premier Bush said the agreement signified a new development in the relationship between the Cayman Islands and The Kingdom of the Netherlands.

“The Cayman Islands Government is confident that these agreements will eventually contribute to increased future economic activity between all countries involved,” he said.

The Cayman Islands signed TIEAs with The Netherlands on 8 July 2009 and with The Netherlands Antilles on 29 October 2009.

The Cayman Islands is on the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) ‘white list’ of jurisdictions that substantially implement international tax standards and has 16 bilateral arrangements with the following countries for the provision of tax information: Aruba, Australia, Denmark, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Greenland, Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Netherlands Antilles, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, the United States and the United Kingdom. Copies of the agreements can be found via the following link: www.tia.gov.ky/html/arrangements.htm.

Archive for May, 2010

Ban on smacking ‘would improve parenting skills’

Hazard Management preps for hurricane season

Cayman faces new EU ‘black list’ threat

Wildlife spot under threat

No decisions made on CS cuts

Man makes claims over MLA assault to TV station

PPM: ‘Uncertainty alarming’

Ocean chemistry changing at ‘unprecedented rate’

Children’s Tylenol and other drugs recalled

Cayman signs 16th tax deal by courier

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