Archive for May, 2023
Minister meets with SVB clients in Hong Kong
(CNS): The Cayman Islands Monetary Authority (CIMA) is exploring legal options after the US Federal Deposit Insurance Corp (FDIC) seized deposits held at the Cayman branch of Silicon Valley Bank, The Wall Street Journal has reported. Financial Services Minister André Ebanks met with some of SVB’s depositors in Hong Kong recently and told them that […]
HSA drops mask mandate and ban on COVID patients’ visitors
(CNS): It is no longer mandatory to wear masks in Health Services Authority facilities except for specific areas where patients are particularly vulnerable. The HSA has also finally lifted the ban on visitors of COVID-positive patients. However, anyone with COVID-19 or flu symptoms or those around patients at risk of COVID-19 infection must still wear […]
Arsonist’s appeal over police office fire fails
(CNS): The man who set fire to the police records office and business centre at the Windjammer Plaza on Walkers Road and torched an abandoned car has failed in his attempt to overturn his 2022 conviction. An appeal by Rupert Junior Spence (36), who is serving a six-and-a-half-year prison sentence, was refused, according to newly […]
140 acres of mangrove at risk on CPA agenda
(CNS): Just four applications to be heard by the Central Planning Authority during a single meeting pose a threat to over 140 acres of mangroves, as development continues to take precedence over the environment. Despite being a protected species that mitigate the impact of climate change, the loss of mangrove forest continues in Cayman apace.
Concerns raised as ship anchors close to dive site
(CNS): The Celebrity Equinox was anchored very close to the Devil’s Grotto dive site on Thursday, and local divers and operators were concerned that it could be damaging the reef and posing a danger to anyone diving in the area. While it turned out that the ship was within the port zone, the situation nevertheless […]
El Niño won’t protect the Caribbean from storms
(CNS): Regional climate specialists are warning that the likely development of El Niño conditions this summer will not protect the Caribbean from severe storms and hurricanes. While the phenomenon is associated with drought, the Caribbean Sea is unusually warm, providing the opportunity for strong hurricanes to develop even if conditions are, as anticipated, very dry […]
Animal welfare officers threatened with violence
(CNS): The Department of Agriculture (DoA) has said that officers from its Animal Welfare and Control Unit and other public servants have recently received numerous threats of violence during the course of their work. CNS has asked the DoA for details of these unspecified allegations but we have not received any response. In a press […]
MRCU takes aim at larvae ahead of rain
(CNS): Ahead of the first major rainfall of the year, the Mosquito Research and Control Unit has begun the annual pre-hatch treatment of mosquito larvae across the Cayman Islands’ major breeding sites. This is a preventative control method that kills the pests before they develop into biting adults looking for a blood meal.
Special UK team to review child’s death on the Brac
(CNS): The RCIPS has commissioned a specialist UK team to review the mysterious death of two-year-old Alissady Azalea Powell last July on Cayman Brac. Over the last ten months, the police have said very little about what they believe happened to the child. But Police Commissioner Derek Byrne has now drafted an independent team, headed […]
Police hunt gun suspect who jumped bail
(CNS): The police are appealing to the public for help tracking down 29-year-old Kadeem Andre Johnnaton Hurlston, who is wanted in connection with gun-related offences. An RCIPS press release said he had been granted bail in relation to a previous firearms-related incident but had failed to answer his bail conditions.
PLC begins licensing 7MB vendors
(CNS): After years of irregular commercial activity on Seven Mile Public Beach, the Public Lands Commission has begun the process of registering traders who wish to ply their wares on one of the few remaining spots on the famous beach that has public access for locals. The new policy will define the rules for all […]
