Archive for December, 2023
All MPs back Cayman’s biggest ever budget
(CNS): All 17 MPs, both government and opposition, who were present in parliament on Friday and able to vote backed the near CI$3 billion budget for the next two years. The UPM Government is expecting to collect around CI$1.46 billion across the Entire Public Sector next year and has plans to spend more than CI$1.41 […]
Cashless bank robbery suspects walk free
(CNS): Richard Andre Scott and Mark Alexander Beckett were acquitted on all charges of robbery, attempted robbery and possession of an imitation gun in connection with a stick-up at the cashless branch of Scotiabank in Grand Harbour last June. The crown had contended throughout its case that the circumstantial evidence against the men from CCTV […]
OfReg inching toward long-awaited fuel price transparency
(CNS): The Utility Regulation and Competition Office (OfReg) is in the process of drafting changes to the law to allow it to publish fuel prices as they land, OfReg interim CEO Peter Gough told Finance Committee on Wednesday. The regulator is also beginning an exercise, starting on Cayman Brac, to provide regulatory accounts that show […]
Cayman’s AML ‘delisting’ begins in Europe and UK
(CNS): Following the removal of the Cayman Islands from the Financial Action Task Force grey-list last month, the jurisdiction is now also being removed from other lists related to anti-money laundering, countering the financing of terrorism and counter-proliferation financing (AML/CFT/CPF) regime.
CAL to increase Miami flights, DoT seeks new routes
(CNS): The Cayman Airways management team is planning to add more flights to Miami to meet demand, and the Department of Tourism is mulling new routes to the United States to attract new visitors from Kansas and Texas. As the parliament’s Finance Committee questioned CAL Executive Vice President Finance and Commercial Affairs Paul Tibbetts about […]
CIG forecast to close the year with $22M surplus
(CNS): After tracking huge surpluses for the best part of 2023, the Cayman Islands Government is set to finish the year with a surplus of $22.7 million, some $5.1 million less than originally forecast and far less than the $116 million it was sitting on at the end of the third quarter in October.
Police seize booze on suspicion of illegal sales
(CNS): Police officers responding to a report of a disturbance at Seven Mile Public Beach on Wednesday afternoon arrested a 49-year-old Bodden Town man on suspicion of insulting the modesty of a woman. They also seized “alcoholic beverages in a cooler” from people at the location because they suspected it was being sold illegally.
Young activists call for managed retreat along 7MB
(CNS): Local activist group Protect Our Future (POF) is calling for a managed retreat along Seven Mile Beach, as well as a change in planning policy to address how developers define the mean high water mark (HWM) and a review of seawalls in the face of more development that they say is threatening their future […]
Rental unit overcrowding fuels parking chaos
(CNS): As Cayman’s population growth continues unchecked and its infrastructure creaks under the pressure, the police are trying to deal with one of the resulting stress points: unsafe parking due to overcrowded accommodation. The RCIPS said it has been receiving complaints of vehicles blocking public roadways and making it unsafe for pedestrians and motorists to […]
Sir Alden challenges the reality of UPM budget
(CNS): The new speaker of the House, Sir Alden McLaughlin, challenged the reality of the government’s budget Wednesday when he took his seat in the chamber as a member of Finance Committee. He suggested the United People’s Movement had “fixed the numbers” to match what they had needed, but it was not a real budget.
Christmas bonus and pension rise cleared for payment
(CNS): Cabinet has approved a $250 Christmas bonus for those who receive long-term financial assistance through the Needs Assessment Unit (NAU) and recipients of the Seafarers and Veterans Ex-Gratia Benefit. Officials have also confirmed that the increase from $950 to $1,250 for former public sector workers receiving the ex gratia pension, promised by Premier Juliana […]
