Archive for April, 2016
No minimum wage infractions reported yet
(CNS): Enforcement officers from the Department of Labour and Pensions have begun inspections to make sure employers of low-paid workers are not paying employees less than the new national minimum wage of $6, and so far employers appear to be complying with the law. By this weekend, the inspectors will have completed the first 21 […]
Prison rehab inconsistent and cash strapped
(CNS): The lack of resources at the Cayman Islands’ packed prison is presenting a serious and increasing challenge to prison management, and one of the unfortunate results is that rehabilitation often takes a back seat to security and safety at HMP Northward. But the new Conditional Release Law requires all inmates to go through comprehensive […]
Ex-speaker and former fire chief to work on rescue review
(CNS): The speaker of the Legislative Assembly during the last UDP administration, Mary Lawrence, has been nominated by the opposition leader to assist the expert from the UK’s Maritime & Coastguard Agency who will be conducting a review of the RCIPS’ handling of the report of five missing people at sea. The premier has appointed […]
Serial rapist’s life sentence upheld
(CNS): The Cayman Islands Court of Appeal has upheld the life sentence given to Jeffrey Barnes in the wake of his conviction for a third rape. The serial sexual offender, who has convictions for indecent assault and many other offences, had appealed his sentence after his appeal against his last rape conviction was also refused. […]
Cayman still Zika free in face of regional spread
(CNS): With some 50 countries in the region dealing with outbreaks of Zika, over 40 of them for the first time, the rapid spread of this outbreak of the mosquito-borne virus has still not impacted Cayman. While public health officials keep warning that it is very likely that we will see cases in the Cayman […]
PR scammer get 4½ years jail time
(CNS): A George Town woman began serving a four and a half year jail term in HMP Fairbanks on Tuesday after Justice Charles Quin delivered his sentencing judgment on her involvement in a permanent residency scam. Marcia Hamilton (46) was convicted in December of six counts of obtaining property by deception for her part in […]
DG says office ready for early election
(CNS): The Elections Office will be ready for a general election under the new system of ‘one man, one vote’ in single member constituencies no matter when an election is called, deputy governor has said. Franz Manderson told the Legislative Assembly Wednesday that the legal drafters have finished the work on the changes to the […]
Needs Unit faces 340 applicant backlog
(CNS): The community affairs minister has revealed further worrying numbers regarding the challenges faced by his under-resourced and overworked Needs Assessment Unit. Osbourne Bodden said that the NAU has a growing backlog of applications from people seeking permanent financial assistance that staff cannot get to because they are coping with the challenges of some 2,000 […]
Minister points to worrying trend at EU grilling
(CNS Business): The Cayman Islands financial services minister says there is a worrying trend in attitudes towards offshore financial services in Europe that would go well beyond concerns about automatic exchange of information and public access to beneficial ownership. Wayne Panton said some European politicians appear to be reverting back to arguments from the 1990’s […]
Mental health presents major challenge for prison
(CNS): Life at HMP Northward can be very challenging for all inmates and staff because the country’s prison is no longer fit for purpose, bursting at the seams and massively under-resourced. But one of the most pressing difficulties is the incarceration of prisoners with, in some cases, very serious mental health challenges who should not […]
Port remains CIG priority, says Kirkconnell
(CNS): The government has begun the search to find engineers to design the proposed cruise berthing facility in George Town. Despite a major divide within the community and after public consultations largely rejected the idea, Tourism Minister Moses Kirkconnell said the government still considers the project a priority as the proposal was in the PPM […]
