‘I don’t blame the taxi drivers’ Loop Jamaica

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Jamaica News Loop News

A number of commuters, though unable to carry out most of their normal functions due to their inability to get around, are in support of the islandwide strike by taxi operators.

They believe that the Government knew well in advance that the protest was coming and could have prevented it from happening.

“The Government is at all fault in this one. If they had cared about us, they would have listened to the cry of the taximen before it reached this stage,” Mitzi Lennon told Loop News on Monday.

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Lennon, a nurse from Manchester, had to make alternative preparations to get her children to school Monday morning and will have to take time off work to take them home in the evening.

“Yes, taximen make mistakes; they may forget to pay or don’t have the money to pay for the tickets they get. We like to say that they are indisciplined, but many times they get tickets while helping out passengers and some of the police write tickets for an exorbitant amount of monies,” she said.

A group of transport operators hold placards in Half-Way-Tree, St Andrew on Monday after withdrawing their services as they call for a traffic ticket amnesty from the authorities.

Sixty-seven-year-old Bethune Weeks, who is in Greater Portmore, also supports the action taken by the transport operators.

“The government could have asked the taxi drivers to stay their hands and work something out long time, but everybody is playing hardnose,” she said.

The retiree, whose appearance belies her age, said that she is fit and will walk to do what she has to get done on Monday.

“I’m at the ATM as you see, when I’m done, I will walk to where I need to do my other chores and try to get things done before the sun gets too hot. I don’t blame the taxi drivers,” she said.

In Portmore, St Catherine, some people who were at bus stops for a few hours returned home.

“I’m going home. There is nothing I can do. I can’t get any vehicle, and the JUTC buses have not come either. I heard that the taxi drivers wanted some deadline to pay off their tickets but they didn’t get it, so this is what happened. I feel that they could give them the time like how they know that if the taxis came off the road it would have a bad effect on us,” a Convent of Mercy Academy ‘Alpha’ student told Loop News Monday morning.

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Belmont man charged with 2015 murder

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Trinidad and Tobago Newsday

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ON Friday, Keon Nelson, 32, of Belle Eau Road, Belmont, has been charged with the 2015 murder of Marlon Crooks.

Acting Cpl Philips of the Cold Case Unit laid the charges.

A police media release said Crooks was with another man in Belmont on March 2, 2015. A lone gunman fired several shots at them, hitting both men.

They were taken to hospital ,where Crooks was pronounced dead, and the other man treated for gunshot wounds.

The release said officers of the Cold Case Unit of the Homicide Bureau of Investigations (HBI) charged Nelson after it was advised by Director of Public Prosecutions, Roger Gaspard, SC.

Nelson was also charged with possession of a gun and ammunition, with intent to endanger life.

The investigation was led, at different stages, by acting W/Snr Supt Butler, acting Snr Supt Singh and Insps Lynch and Mongroo, all of HBI Region One.

Sgt Narine of the Cold Case Unit oversaw the execution of the investigation.

Investigators benefited from the input of cold-case consultants Sgt Alexander and officers attached to the Port of Spain Division Task Force.

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Tobago teens get medals for returning lost purse

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Trinidad and Tobago Newsday

Tobago

Signal Hill Secondary student Anthonio Hacket proudly displays the Father of the Nation Medal of Honor Bronze, which he received on Monday from Reginald Vidale, chairman of the Dr Eric Williams memorial committee, for finding a wallet containing $5,000 and returning it to its owner. The award ceremony took place at Signal Hill Secondary School. Photo by David Reid

Good deeds can pay off.

On Monday, 16-year-old Signal Hill Secondary School student Anthonio Hackett and 14-year-old Jayvorn Horsford of Bishop’s High School were honoured with the Father of the Nation Medal of Honour Bronze by the Dr Eric Williams Memorial Committee chairman at their respective schools.

Signal Hill Secondary student Anthonio Hacket is kissed by his mother, Cindy Ann Waldron, after receiving the Father of the Nation Medal of Honor Bronze from Reginald Vidale, chairman of the Dr Eric Williams memorial committee, for finding a wallet containing $5,000 and returning it to its owner. The award ceremony took place at Signal Hill Secondary School on Monday. Photo by David Reid

The two have been hailed as heroes after finding a purse containing $5,000 on the road through the Pigeon Point Heritage Park on October 29 and returning it to its owner. The owner of the purse, from Cocorite, Trinidad, was vacationing in Tobago when the purse was lost.

Both boys are from Store Bay Local Road in Bon Accord.

Hackett, a fourth-form student, said he and Horsford were riding their bicycles through the park when they discovered the purse.

Chairman of the Dr Eric Williams Memorial Committee Reginald Vidale, left, presents Bishop’s High student Jayvorn Horsford with the Father of the Nation Medal of Honour Bronze, for finding a wallet which contained $5,000 and returning it to its owner, at a ceremony at Bishop’s High School on Monday. Photo by David Reid

Speaking with Newsday after the presentation, he said he was happy he did the right thing.

“I feel great, I feel amazing for the good deed I would have done over the carnival.

“Honesty is the best policy, and that is the quote that I live by every day.”

To others in a similar position, he said, “Return it. Don’t matter what you find, just return it, because it would pay off.”

His mother, CindyAnn Waldron, was brought to tears.

“I feel so happy. I am proud of my son. The training that he got, he exceeded, and I am very, very happy of him. We are all very proud of him.”

She said parents must play a major part in bringing up their children.

“As parents, we brought him up teaching him not to touch anything for anybody, don’t take what is not his. It pays off now to see that he is doing exactly what he was taught.”

The school’s vice principal, Xavier King, said honesty is part of the skills taught at the school, as shown by Hackett.

“We teach them a lot of life skills, discipline as well. We teach them to be loving, kind and also about honesty. Therefore, we are indeed happy, because it means that our efforts at teaching did not go in vain. So I really want to congratulate that young man and hope that others would follow. I really congratulate him, and I hope that he continues, and others would follow to do good deeds as his life progresses.”

He had some advice for the other students.

Jayvorn Horsford was presented with the Father of the Nation Medal of Honor Bronze, by chairman of the Dr Eric Williams Memorial Committee Mr Reginald Vidale. Photo by David Reid

“What was demonstrated was the fact that if you do good, you are rewarded for doing well. And therefore what the other students should take into account is the fact that there are many other opportunities to do well, whether small or large, and they should always look at these opportunities and take these opportunities to do a good deed. It doesn’t necessarily have to be finding money, but it could be helping someone,and that is what we are here for, to teach that kind of life skill as well.”

Congratulating the boys, chairman Reginald Vidale called on the TT Cadet Force to take a hands-on approach at all schools across the island, in an effort to maintain the high principles set at the learning institutions.

Schools Supervisor III at the THA Division of Education, Research and Technology Sherra Carrington-James commended the boys and the parents.

“The division is heartened by the display of strength – strength of character, leadership and genuine empathy for that person who lost that money. We celebrate your positive peer influence, and in no small way I want to recognise the sound parenting.”

Jayvorn Horsford is kissed by his mother Chandelle Horsford, while his father Anthony Horsford smiles. Horsford received the Father of the Nation Medal of Honor Bronze at Bishops High School on Monday for finding a wallet containing $5000 and returning it to the owner. Photo by David Reid

Major Cloyd Blackman of the Third Battalion of the TT Cadet Force was also on hand to congratulate the boys: “Well done, young men,” he said.

Previously, the teenagers were also congratulated by the management and staff of Pigeon Point in front of beachgoers. They were also given tokens by the chairman of the board of the Pigeon Point Heritage Park and the Store Bay Beach Facilities, Nyron Leung, and area representative for Bon Accord/Crown Point Joel Sampson.

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Upton Gardens Girls Centre Gets Equipment Donation – St. Lucia Times News

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: St. Lucia Times News

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Students of the UPTON Gardens Girls Centre now have increased opportunities to benefit from the synchronization of education and information technology (IT). This is due to the recent purchase of technological devices via funding assistance from the Federal Republic of Germany.

Struggling to keep afloat during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Centre was forced to seek more innovative methods of teaching, resulting in the creation of the Education through Technology programme.

Initiated and implemented in 2020, the programme is tailored to provide effective and strategic training in the use of various online platforms, not only to the girls but to educators as well.

The programme will ultimately facilitate the delivery of the Upton Gardens Girls Centre’s regular instructional courses via online means.

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To buttress the programme, a donation of equipment valued at over 12,500.00 Euros was presented to Upton Gardens Centre officials, at a ceremony on October 24, 2022. The equipment consist of laptops, smart screen TVs, printers and other computer accessories.

Karolin Troubetskoy, Honorary Consul of the Federal Republic of Germany, underscored her passion to assist vulnerable and needy children. “I am really happy that the German Government can help and contribute to your educational development by having donated these smart TVs and Laptops. This I hope will make the work easier for teachers and students.”

Director of the Centre Jacqueline Simeon expressed her gratitude while accepting the much needed assistance. “We recognized that during the COVID-19 pandemic, that going virtual requires certain tools. We had some but discovered that a lot of the training content needed was on YouTube and therefore it was important to get smart devices in each class.”

Germany is the second-most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union (EU).

The Government of Germany allocates funding to develop small-scale projects initiated by local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the field of educational and technology.

SOURCE: Ministry of Equity, Social Justice & Empowerment 

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Youlou Arts Foundation prepares to host program

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: NBC SVG

The Youlou Arts Foundation is preparing to host a program later this month, which will highlight the work of Artists from across the country.

The Youlou Arts Foundation is an organization which was established in 2000 to develop the Visual Arts and other creative industries among the nation’s youths.

Founder of the Youlou Arts Foundation, Camille Saunders-Musser said the program will be the first in a series of programs for the Christmas season.

https://www.nbcsvg.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/YOULOU1.mp3

Mrs. Saunders-Musser said the paintings will be sold as a fundraiser for the Youlou Arts Centre as they build the profile of local artists.

She said they will also be holding the program for budding visual artists across the country.

https://www.nbcsvg.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/YOULOU2.mp3

The Program will be held on November 26th at the Youlou Arts Centre at Indian Bay,

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Student enrollment at SVGCC has increased over the years

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: NBC SVG

Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves has said that there has been a steady increase in student enrollment at the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Community College over the years.

The Prime Minister who has responsibility for Tertiary Education, said on Radio yesterday that more than two thousand students are currently enrolled at the College.

https://www.nbcsvg.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/SVGCC-ENROLLMENT.mp3

The Prime Minister said there are also a significant amount of Vincentian Students at the University of the West Indies.

https://www.nbcsvg.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/UWI-ENROLLMENT.mp3

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Greater emphasis to be placed on the prevention and control of Non Communicable Diseases locally

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: NBC SVG

Greater emphasis will be placed on the prevention and control of Non Communicable Diseases in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

So says Minister of Health, Wellness and the Environment, St. Clair Prince while speaking on Radio yesterday.

He said Non Communicable Diseases NCDs are among the main challenges facing the local healthcare system.

https://www.nbcsvg.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/NCDS-CONCERN.mp3

The Minister said several initiatives will be implemented at the Enhams Clinic to better tackle the problem of Non Communicable Diseases.

https://www.nbcsvg.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/NCDS-MANAGEMENT.mp3

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Two community groups now in place in Barrouallie to assist NEMO during times of disaster

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: NBC SVG

Two community groups have been put in place in Barrouallie to assist the National Emergency Management Organization NEMO during times of disaster.

That is according to Chairperson of the Barrouallie Red Cross Group Alston Anderson who said a community Development Response Group was recently developed to provide assistance to the Red Cross group.

He said these groups were sanctioned to strengthen NEMO’s outreach.

https://www.nbcsvg.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/BARROUALLIE-COMMUNITY-GROUPS.mp3

Mr. Anderson said the volunteers are usually trained by NEMO to carry damage assessment and build capacity.

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Rwanda and Barbados sign Bilateral Air Services Agreement Loop Barbados

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Barbados News

The government of Barbados and the Republic of Rwanda have signed a Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) to boost air transport cooperation and reinforce the competitiveness in the aviation industry between the two countries.

The signing, which happened last week (November 9) shows the mutual trust and commitment to deepen the strategic partnership meant to open skies for both countries and ease the movement of people and services.

Among the areas that will be developed through this cooperation, include the promotion of trade, services, boost hospitality and enhance transportation of pharmaceutical products from Barbados to Rwanda.

The Minister of Infrastructure Dr Ernest NSABAIMANA signed on behalf of the Republic of Rwanda whereas Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Kerrie Symmonds, signed on behalf of the government of Barbados as a symbol to strengthen ties between the two countries.

Minister Ernest finds this agreement a cornerstone step on which both countries will increase level of trade market for services and products. This will support competitiveness and create more jobs for the communities.

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Commentary: Fund directors encouraged to raise questions before launch Loop Cayman Islands

Black Immigrant Daily News

The content originally appeared on: Cayman Compass

Readers are asked to note that Op-eds do not necessarily reflect the opinions or beliefs of Loop Cayman.

by Alric Lindsay

I remember when my accountant friend first started acting as a director of Cayman-based funds. He often queried why I had so many questions on the fund’s draft documentation before the fund was launched. He asked because he felt that independent directors ought to place full reliance on the fund’s lawyer to get everything right.

Over time, however, my friend learned from his own experience that lawyers are not impervious to errors or omissions. In fact, after several fund launches, he observed that some lawyers missed important items related to redemptions, side pockets and liquidating trusts.

Redemptions

In the case of redemptions, in my role as a director, I’ve seen a corporate open-ended investment fund’s articles of association where the ability for investors to submit redemption requests was absent. Having enquired of the client what was intended, the client agreed that the provisions of the articles of association dealing with redemptions should amended to allow for voluntary redemption requests.

A similar thing is seen from time-to-time in the case of compulsory redemption clauses. The normal issue here is that there may not be enough flexibility to effect a compulsory redemption without notice, which can be useful in the case of FATCA, CRS and other regulatory non-compliance.

The importance of having such flexibility becomes apparent when the fund urgently needs to compulsorily redeem an investor from the fund and the fund provisions are severely limited to the circumstances where a compulsory redemption can be exercised without notice.

For this reason, it is often good to have some level of flexibility within compulsory redemption provisions, depending, of course, on what the client’s intention is (informed by past experience with a similar fund structure).

Side pockets

Speaking of flexibility, independent directors are also encouraged to consider in advance what their options will be if a position becomes illiquid or trading suddenly halts on a listed security.

Here, designated investment provisions or side pockets can be useful, if they are incorporated in the fund’s articles of association and offering document.

Notwithstanding the usefulness of side pocket provisions, I note from experience that, sometimes clients initially didn’t wish to have these provisions in the documents because they planned to invest solely in blue chip or listed securities where they did not expect liquidity issues. Fortunately, they later implemented the provisions, which they came to appreciate when circumstances changed in respect of a position.

Liquidating trusts or spvs

Similar to side pockets, directors are encouraged to consider early what options are available to transfer assets outside the fund during times of trouble.

In the Cayman case, for example, special purpose vehicles or liquidating trusts could have been very useful in the case of sanctioned Russian investors or investors controlled by such sanctioned persons.

Unfortunately, the general licence issued by the Governor for Cayman funds initially only allowed certain service provider fees to be paid out and for non-sanctioned persons to be redeemed, which left relevant Cayman investment funds somewhat at a standstill and frozen.

If the general licence issued by the Governor had, instead, initially allowed Cayman funds to compulsorily redeem out Russian sanctioned investors or investors controlled by them, such sanctioned persons and assets attributable to them could have been placed in a special purpose vehicle. The assets of the spv could have then been frozen and, perhaps, subject to further direction from the regulator. The other advantage of doing this, of course, would be to allow non-sanctioned investors to continue with their investment in the fund and to permit the fund to continue enjoying its track record.

Templates

Regarding the provisions discussed above, I do realise that some law firms have templates to minimize or prevent errors or omission in these instances.

These templates are sometimes divided into two sets- one for quick incorporation, often used to obtain official documents for the purpose of bank account opening and the other is for post-incorporation purposes, when the memorandum and articles of association are amended and restated and aligned with the terms of the offering document.

Even in these cases, however, there can be a slip up where a set of incorporation templates remains in place after the fund’s launch and someone forgot to amend and restate the relevant provisions of the memorandum and articles.

Risk of this happening can be exacerbated when a client is using a lawyer who does not have sufficient experience with fund structures or who is advising on fund structures for the first time or by using someone who is not registered in the Cayman Islands as a lawyer and who may have no Cayman Islands legal practice certificate (regarding this, the list of registered Cayman lawyers can easily be found on the Cayman court’s website at: https://www.judicial.ky/general-public/licensed-attorneys).

Summary

The foregoing shows why it is important for independent directors to raise questions in advance of the fund’s launch with the fund’s legal counsel and the investment manager. For the most part, this is not to challenge the lawyer’s competency, but to ensure that relevant provisions are included in the fund documentation to sufficiently incorporate what is contemplated for the fund and to provide flexibility for the fund and the directors that may be exercised in the future, if and when needed.

Disclaimer

The commentary herein is in Alric Lindsay’s sole capacity as a director of Cayman-based investment funds. None of the commentary herein is legal advice. The relevant entity must seek the advice of Cayman legal counsel registered in the Cayman Islands and possessing a Cayman Islands’ legal practice certificate for definitive advice related to specific circumstances of the relevant entity.

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