Archive for October 10th, 2010
NHC predicts potential of 16th storm in Caribbean
(CNS): Update Monday 1:15pm – The national hurricane centre is giving a weather system located to the south-west of the Cayamn Islands a near 100 percent chance of becoming tropical storm Paula this afternoon. Satellite images, surface observations and data from an air force reserve hurricane hunter aircraft indicate that a tropical storm may be forming with advisories likely to be issued this afternoon. Heavy rainfall is possible over the Cayman Islands as well as portions of Nicaragua, Honduras, Belize, the Yucatan Peninsula and western Cuba the NHC said. The system is currently moving northwestward at around 10mph.

Foreign workers face bio-tests
(CNS): Foreigners hoping to work in the Cayman Islands will soon have to give a range of bio-metric information to officials in order to enter the country. Government plans to introduce a system that goes way beyond the anticipated finger printing which could include collecting palm prints, face and iris patterns, and even DNA for the purpose of identifying all work permit holders. This data will be held by the Immigration Department and will also be used by the police in conjunction with a new Automated Fingerprint Identification System. The plan to introduce of a new RCIPS finger print system and the immigration biometric enrolment was revealed with the publication of an invitation for bids on the Central Tender’s Committee website on Friday.
National count launched
(CNS): After many months of preparation the national census 2010 gets underway today as the Economics and Statistics Office rolls out its almost 300 strong army of enumerators. Starting from this evening, which is census night, workers will be visiting each and every home across all three Cayman Islands until the end of November, when the count ends. Organisers are asking the community to welcome the census worker and ensure they can recognise the staff when they come to their homes. All residents in the Cayman Islands are legally obliged by law to take part in the count but the ESO hopes everyone will join in without coercion.

Man receives serious injury in late night incident
(CNS): A man believed to be suffering form mental health issues caused himself serious harm late Saturday night when he tried to break into the National Museum Office in Passadora Place. It is not clear why the man was trying to gain entry to the office but in his efforts to smash the glass door, witnesses say, he received a serious cut. Although police have taken the man into custody officers on the scene did not seem to think this was an attempted burglary or necessarily a deliberate act of criminal damage but my have had something to do with the man’s state of mind. An ambulance was called to the scene and the man was taken to the nearby George Town Hospital as he was believed to have lost a considerable amount of blood.

Bermuda to send mental health inmates to UK
(CNS): Reports in the Bermudian press this weekend have revealed that the government there will be sending prisoners with severe mental health problems to England for treatment as part of a new agreement with a UK hospital trust. The Bermudian Government and the Bermuda Hospitals Board signed a "statement of intent" on Friday with the Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (BSMHFT), the Royal Gazette reported this weekend. The Trust will provide care for the prisoners at its Reaside Clinic in Rubery, West Midlands. Mentally ill inmates are said to make up 12 to 15 percent of Bermuda’s prison population.

Estella foundation urges people to ‘say something’
(CNS): Following the passage of the Protection from Domestic Violence Law 2010, which allows third parties to apply for various protection orders for people who are victims of violence in the home, the Estella Scott-Roberts Foundation is launching its second annual campaign, “Silence Hurts: If You See Something, Say Something”. Throughout this year-long campaign, the foundation hopes to encourage people to speak up when they know violence and abuse is taking place as the law now enables people other than the victims to apply for protection orders. “With the simple act of speaking up, each member of the community can help to eradicate domestic violence,” a spokesperson said.
The campaign begins on 17 October in a public ceremony at the Harquail Theatre at 5pm, marking the second anniversary of the tragic death of Estella Scott-Roberts, an activist and advocate in the fight against gender violence and inequality. Scott-Roberts, who was herself violently murdered on 10 October 2008, was passionate and dedicated to eradicating violence and abuse against women and children.