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(Reuters): U.S. companies, already sweating under heightened enforcement of anti-corruption laws at home, are nervously reviewing their policies on how they wine and dine business contacts abroad in the wake of tough new regulations imposed in Britain. The new law, which took effect July 1, bans all so-called facilitating payments and does not expressly allow entertainment of government officials and others. The jury is still out on how rigorously British authorities will choose to enforce the law. Companies in the defense, pharmaceuticals, energy and telecommunications sectors are seen as particularly vulnerable.

(CNS): William McLaughlin-Martinez faced trial for the second time for the murder of Brian Rankine-Carter today (Wednesday 6 April). The crown opened its case with a video link to its main witness, Jason Hinds, in Jamaica. Hinds, who pleaded guilty to being an accessory to murder, was given a three year sentence but was released early and deported before McLaughlin's original 2009 conviction was overturned on appeal. Before a jury of ten women and two men, Hinds recalled the events of the night of the murder in May 2008, when he says McLaughlin-Martinez killed Rankine in a frenzied attack with a machete and another sharp tool.

(CNS): The Cayman Islands’ premier has turned down an invitation to host the United Nation’s Special Committee on Decolonisation annual seminar here, his office revealed on Tuesday. Despite a release from the United Nations stating that the meeting would be held in Cayman next month, officials from the premier’s office said that McKeeva Bush had written to committee chairman, Francisco Carrion-Mena, on Tuesday morning stating that it would not be possible for his government to host the meeting. Although no reasons have been given as to why Cayman is refusing the invitation, officials said the CIG had never agreed to have it here in the first place. The UN “had jumped the gun” when it said the meeting would be held in Cayman, officials added.

(CNS): A writ filed in Grand Court on behalf of the joint official liquidators (JOLs) of the various Grand Island Funds, which collapsed in 2008, seeks to recover more than $22 million from the fund administrators, Close Brothers Ltd, and one of its employees. In the statement of claim Nick Freeland and David Walker say that the defendants failed to properly carry out their duties as administrators by ignoring obvious signs of fraud. The liquidators claim that the administrators failed to report Robert Girvan, the funds’ director and sole trader, who was convicted on 21 counts of theft and money laundering, despite many obvious red flags that should have alerted them to his illegal activities.

(CNS): The leader of the opposition says people will be disappointed with the long awaited national crime strategy because, despite being a well researched document, it does nothing to address the immediate issues facing the community. Alden McLaughlin said government must take ownership of the current rise in violent crime. The new report, which has been in the works for well over a year, has some excellent proposals to tackle the issue of criminality in the long term, he revealed, but it falls short of what people are expecting when it comes to protecting them from violent robbers. With criminals getting away with daylight robbery – literally -- Cayman has to change its approach to policing, the PPM leader has said. (Photo Dennie WarrenJr)

(CNS): A second attempt to begin the retrial of William Martinez-McLaughlin for the murder of Brian Rankine-Carter failed Monday morning despite the selection of a new jury. Following legal complications, the judge ordered an adjournment until Wednesday when the ten women and two men are expected to hear evidence from the crown against the accused man, who has now been in custody for almost three years. Martinez-McLaughlin, whose conviction for Rankine’s murder was overturned last August, has remained in prison since he was first arrested for the crime in May 2008. He was convicted by a jury in July 2009 but a year later the guilty verdict was overturned by the Court of Appeal, owing to a misdirection by the trial judge.

(CNS): Despite the damning public criticism of the members of the Constitutional Commission by the country's leader, the commissioners will be going ahead with their public meetings in order to continue their research into how government and the constitution are working, how politicians are advised and what changes people want to see, if any, to the constitution to achieve the goal of good governance. Although Premier McKeeva Bush, derided comments made by Wil Pineau and Julene Banks about the advisory district council law and the current North Side advisory council, the team is starting its public meetings in that district as planned, unperturbed by the comments.

(CNS): People who serve on government boards for public authorities where they also have business interests are being called into question. There are currently a number of boards where members face potential conflicts of interest, raising concerns in the community. How boards are appointed, how political they should be and where the line is drawn between experience and business interest are topical issues that have been raised by the Commission for Standards in Public Life. North Side MLA Ezzard Miller says that what is needed is a proper set of rules and standards to govern how boards are selected and how they operate.

(CNS): The man who is accused of being the mastermind behind the bungled kidnapping for ransom, the first ever such crime in the Cayman Islands, may still be tried, despite not being here. The prosecution service has already been granted an order to try Richard Hurlstone in his absence. Hurlstone absconded from the jurisdiction while on bail during the trial preparation, which should have seen him in the dock alongside Allan Kelly and Charles Webster, who were found guilty of the crime on Wednesday. A Caymanian status holder, Hurlstone has reportedly fled to Honduras, his country of origin, but Cayman does not have an extradition treaty with that nation.

(CNS): Information revealed by the Public Service Pension Board shows that the premier is doubling-dipping by taking his pension entitlement on top of his monthly salary as the country’s leader. McKeeva Bush has served more than 20 years as an elected official and is entitled to a pension based on two thirds of his pay  at the time he opted to draw down on that pension. Bush began taking his in January 2010 when he turned 55 but before his self imposed 10% reduction in his own premier's pay packet. At the time he was earning over $14,800pcm meaning that Bush could be receiving almost $10,000 in pension payments as well as his regular pay cheque. However, the premier could have opted to take a lump sum as he is entitled to do under the terms of the MLAs’ pension.

(CNS): Updated 4:45pm - Police have now confirmed reports of a bank robbery in George Town at the First Caribbean Bank in Plaza Venezia, off North Sound Road, today. Two masked robbers entered the bank armed with handguns at around 11:35 this morning, Thursday 31 March. Officers are now on the hunt for the two men, who threatened staff and customers as they demanded money. The suspects made off from the premises with a sum of cash taken from two customers. Police said no one was injured and no shots were fired in the incident. The suspects left the location on foot headed towards the direction of Jacques Scott. The bank said that  the branch is expected to re-open for business tomorrow. (Photo Dennie WarrenJr)

(CNS): The Cayman Islands Monetary Authority (CIMA) has issued new bank notes, which will be hitting the streets next month carrying the signature of the country’s premier in his role as minister of finance. The new D series of banknotes represents the first complete redesign of Cayman Islands banknotes since local currency was introduced in 1972. Besides looking different, the new notes incorporate features to significantly increase protection against counterfeiting and to make the notes more durable. All six denominations – the $1, $5, $10, $25, $50, and $100 banknotes – have been redesigned, carrying new images, patterns and, in the case of the fifty dollar bill, a new colour – purple.

(CNS): The government is considering expanding the jury pool to include people who cannot vote. A new bill proposes to add permanent residents and Caymanian status holders (with or without naturalisation) as well as reducing the list of exempted professions and people. Members of the public are being asked to submit comments to the Attorney General’s Office for the Judicature Amendment Bill 2011, which suggests widening the list of persons eligible to serve as jurors in the Cayman Islands courts beyond the registered voters list. At this year’s official opening of the Grand Court the chief justice had drawn attention to the difficulties of finding people to serve on juries because of fear of intimidation or worse.

(CNS): Following the guilty verdict delivered to Honduran nationals Allan Kelly and Charles Webster on Wednesday morning on six counts relating to the kidnapping of Tyson Tatum, the judge handed down a ten year sentence in the afternoon to both men for the crimes. He also ordered that Wespie Mullins, the third man involved in the abduction conspiracy who had both pleaded guilty and given evidence against the other men, serve five years. The judge had rejected the defendants' claims that they had committed the offence under duress and found that the crown had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt. The three men were part of a conspiracy to kidnap the victim for a ransom of $500,000 last March, which the judge said was masterminded by Richard Hurlstone, who absconded from the jurisdiction while on bail.

(CNS): A member of the public has filed a complaint with the governor after he was refused access to the register which records the business interests of the members of the Legislative Assembly. Despite making an appointment on the telephone with the LA office to see the Register of Interests, which is a public document, the voter was denied his right when he arrived at the Assembly building, having travelled from East End last Friday. The man was told by LA staff on arrival that he would not be able to look at the register as it was “being updated”. Shocked by the refusal, McCarron McLaughlin was not prepared to take the dismissal lying down and contacted both the Governor’s Office and the information commissioner to formally complain.