The front page of the June 8 edition of The Cayman Compass and some of its coverage of the dust-up that followed its editorial. Credit: David Legge

The governing body of the Cayman Islands has voted to pull advertising from the only daily newspaper in the territory over its reporting of the Fifa scandal.

The decision was taken on June 8 after the Cayman Compass had published an editorial the previous Wednesday criticising Cayman leaders over their slow response to allegations of bribery within world football’s governing body.

​The editorial called for Cayman officials to begin “exhaustive inquiries” to identify all illicit activities that might have occurred in the FIFA scandal. It focused on Cayman Islands Football Association (Cifa) president Jeffrey Webb, a FIFA vice president and the president of Concacaf, soccer’s governing body for North America, Central America and the Caribbean. Webb was one of several Fifa officials arrested by U.S. authorities in Zurich in May, accused of taking millions of dollars in bribes from sports executives seeking broadcast and marketing rights to soccer tournaments in the region.

Governing officials described the Compass editorial as “a full-frontal assault on the Cayman Islands and its people."

The motion to cease commercial activity with the Compass was supported 11-0 by the legislators present on June 8. 

“Stop destroying our country and running it down. Tombstones? We have to be careful about how we plant them and whose name appears upon them,” said legislator Arden McLean, who brought the motion.

Legge and his wife Vicki, the Compass’s co-publisher, have been placed under police protection and have left the island temporarily.

The paper continues to publish. The front page of Monday’s edition of The Cayman Compass bore only a headline: “In Memoriam, Free Speech in the Cayman Islands, June 5, 2015."

Sources: Guardian, Washington Post

Scandal-plagued Fifa postponed the bidding for the right to host the 2026 World Cup on June 10, and embarked on the search to find a replacement for outgoing President Sepp Blatter.

Fifa secretary general Jerome Valcke said during an event in Russia that it would be "nonsense" to start the bidding process for the tournament for the time being.

Meanwhile, Fifa said its executive committee would hold an extraordinary meeting in July to discuss "various dates options" for the Congress which will elect Blatter's replacement.

The FBI are investigating bribery and corruption at Fifa, including scrutiny of how soccer's governing body awarded World Cup hosting rights to Russia, which won the bidding for 2018, and Qatar, which is due to host the finals in 2022.

The extent of the turmoil engulfing Fifa was apparent in an emotional outburst by the usually composed Valcke, who said he was being destroyed by the media in his native France and gave a theatrical defense of his decision to sign off on a $10 million payment at the center of the U.S. bribery investigation.

Waving his pen in front of journalists, a visibly impatient Valcke asked: "You want me to take this pen and to hit my head and say 'Hey! I have been stupid, I should have asked many more questions?"

“You have decided that after Blatter I have to be next head to be cut?" Valcke said at a news conference in the Russian city of Samara, one of the 2018 host venues.

Blatter tendered his resignation on June 2, four days after having been re-elected for a fifth term.

He wants to remain in office until his successor is elected in order to carry out reforms at Fifa. But there have been widespread calls for him to step down at once given the gravity of the crisis facing the 111-year-old organization.

His announcement came less than a week after Swiss police staged a dawn raid on a luxury hotel in Zurich and arrested several officials on corruption charges filed by U.S. prosecutors in New York.

On the 2026 World Cup, Valcke said: "Due to the situation, I think it's nonsense to start any bidding process for the time being. It will be postponed."

The decision on who hosts the 2026 finals had been due to be made in Kuala Lumpur in 2017.

It was a brilliant evening for football fans last Saturday as Spanish giants Barcelona faced “the old lady of Turin,” Italian legends Juventus in Berlin in the final of the UEFA Champions League. 

Fans of both teams showed their passionate support when Heineken hosted a viewing party at Queen’s Park Savannah, Port-of-Spain. From noon, the eager spectators in their Barcelona and Juventus kits—along with some neutrals in jerseys of rival football clubs—flocked to the Grand Stand in anticipation of a great game of football. After all the banter and excitement, it was the Barcelona fans who partied hard in celebration of a 3-1 win. 

On hand to entertain the football fans were soca stars Iwer George, Shal Marshall, 5 Star Akil, as well as the Alternative Quartet, Laventille Rhythm Section, DJ Situation and host MC Assassin Singh.

The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) is ready to start triple murder accused Azmon Alexander's preliminary inquiry. 

At a hearing in the Arima Magistrate's Court on June 11, Assistant DPP George Busby informed Senior Magistrate Indrani Cedeno that his office was ready to commence the 29-year-old's paper committal proceedings. 

Busby said he had two boxes of files complied by homicide detectives and he would share information with Alexander's lawyer Fareed Ali before the next hearing. 

Cedeno acknowledged Ali's concern and informed Court and Process officers in the court to take whatever steps necessary to keep Alexander safe while in their custody. 

In addition to the charges related to the this case, Alexander also has dozens of pending charges dating as far back as 2004 including the kidnapping of a girl several years ago and from escaping from the Mayaro Magistrate Court while appearing on an unrelated charge. 

T&T Red Steel captain Dwayne Bravo is excited that Bollywood superstar and co-owner of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) Shah Rukh Khan has decided to become part of the T&T franchise in this year’s Caribbean Premier League (CPL).

On June 10, news broke that Indian Premier League (IPL) team KKR bought a stake in the T&T Red Steel, the first time an IPL franchise is investing in an overseas T20 cricket league.

In an interview with CNC3 Sports, Bravo said, “It is good news, obviously, it is good news for us as a team and as a franchise. It is also good for us as a country, Trinidad and Tobago, to have someone of Shah Rukh Khan’s stature to actually choose the T&T Red Steel.”

The brilliant performances by T&T players in the IPL over the years encouraged KKR to come on board, the skipper said.

"It shows that the hard work of the T&T players in the IPL has paid off. From (Kieron) Pollard, (Sunil) Narine, (Lendl) Simmons, (Samuel) Badree, (Kevon) Cooper, (Ravi) Rampaul and myself. It shows we are reaping the rewards because of our success in the IPL.”

Bravo added, “I think T&T is the perfect country for him. I know him personally, he is a very good person and nice guy. He enjoys the night life as well and is fun and I think he chose the right team and the right country.”

Red Steel Manager Colin Borde said, “It is going to be a plus for Red Steel and for T&T. It means we have global support. It means we will not only be in the Caribbean Premier League but a global brand which will be great for T&T.”

Two and a half million dollars bail was granted to a coast guard officer today who appeared in court charged with trafficking $1.8 million worth of marijuana.

Kerron Peterson, who along with Cleave Ramlal and Mahadeo Mohanlal appeared before senior magistrate Gail Gonzales, at the Port-of-Spain Magistrate Court. Peterson was granted the bail which had to be approved by the clerk of the peace.

All three men were told to report to a police station closest to them twice weekly.

Peterson, who has seven years service with the Coast Guard, was ordered to report to the Princes Town Police Station every Monday and Friday.  Mohanlal and Ramlal are to report to the Maracas Bay Police Station and Barataria Police Station respectively.

Both men were ordered to report to the police stations every Monday and Thursday.

The trio were held on June 8 off the north coast around 2 am. They will re-appear in court on July 9.

President Anthony Carmona will swear in two new members to the Integrity Commission on Friday morning.

The formal ceremony takes place at the Office of The President, Circular Road, St Anns at 9, according to a release issued from the Office of the President on Thursday afternoon.

The Integrity Commission has a history riddled with controversy, and Carmona is expected to make a statement at the swearing-in.

Opposition leader Dr Keith Rowley, in an immediate response to the announcement, said that he was prepared to launch a legal challenge to the two members' swearing-in, as he was not consulted in the process.

The regularisation of squatting, while politically convenient and administratively necessary, does do a disservice to families who have struggled to meet monthly payments on mortgages, rents and utilities over many years, sometimes engaging in great sacrifices to do so. How must those who have suffered foreclosures and repossessions feel, about seeing an illegal activity, in effect, rewarded? 

The State Land Regularisation of Tenure Bill 2015 failed because of the late hour it was brought to the Parliament. Time simply ran out on the bill being dealt with fully by the Independent senators, and the Government, realising that it would not get the support of the Independents and Opposition senators, retrieved the bill. The bill had received easy passage through the House of Representatives as the main opposition PNM once again ducked-out of debate on another vitally important piece of legislation.

We will in future editorials be addressing the failure of our legislature to beat the clock on addressing a long-running and vitally important issue. For now, we want to focus on the problem this particular piece of legislation seeks to address, that according to Minister of Land and Marine Resources, Jairam Seemungal, is the regularisation of some 60,000 squatters once they had been on the particular parcels of land before June 13, 2014.  

As estimated by the 2015 bill, there are approximately 250,000 people squatting on state and private lands across the country. That is unacceptable in a nation of laws.

The regularisation of squatting, while politically convenient and administratively necessary, does do a disservice to families who have struggled to meet monthly payments on mortgages, rents and utilities over many years, sometimes engaging in great sacrifices to do so. 

How must those who have suffered foreclosures and repossessions feel, about seeing an illegal activity, in effect, rewarded? Lawmakers need to grapple with this issue—make a strong case about why it is necessary in the national interest, beyond noting that the problem is widespread and must be addressed. 

Certainly, squatting is pervasive. Legitimate businesses and residents reside cheek by jowl with squatter communities. And the proposed resolutions to not address the long-term problem of land resources that are limited. A national land use plan is desperately needed in a small islands nations like T&T.  

We are not as fortunate as Guyana and Suriname which have vast tracts of land. With 60,000 squatters each set to receive 5,000 square feet of land, this amounts to approximately 2,800 hectares of state land.  

There is also the means test for those who qualify for free land from the state. The bar is set at families earning a combined salary of $30,000, an increase from the $10,000 limit of the 1998 legislation. Surely, that needs to be re-thought. Families in this income bracket are not necessarily landless, helpless people.  

Moreover, this qualifying standard could create another form of lower middle-class dependence on the state. The legislation needs to be updated in a way that does not cause a mass grab to occupy state lands. Back in 1986 when the National Alliance for Reconstruction came into office with a programme of land settlement, there was a scramble for land, with supporters interpreting a campaign promise to mean that land was freely available.

There are other important issues, such as how the policy makers plan to utilise the $100m loan that the Inter-American Bank has allocated for this purpose. The decision to bring the legislation on the last day on which the senate could sit, showed, at the very least, a lack of proper legislative planning.

We hope that the next parliament addresses the state Land Regularisation of Tenure Bill, early, fully and comprehensively.

WASHINGTON, United States—The World Bank says the Caribbean and other developing countries face a series of tough challenges in 2015, including the looming prospect of higher borrowing costs, as they adapt to a new era of low prices for oil and other key commodities.

On Wednesday, the Washington-based financial institution in the latest Global Economic Prospects (GEP) report said this results in a “fourth consecutive year of disappointing economic growth.”

The report said growth in Latin America and the Caribbean “will ease to 0.4 per cent in 2015, as South America struggles with domestic economic challenges, including widespread droughts, weak investor confidence and low commodity prices.”

It adds that developing countries on a whole are now projected to grow by 4.4 per cent this year, with a likely rise to 5.2 per cent in 2016, and 5.4 per cent in 2017.

“Developing countries were an engine of global growth following the financial crisis, but now they face a more difficult economic environment,” said World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim.

“We’ll do all we can to help low- and middle-income countries become more resilient so that they can manage this transition as securely as possible,” he added. “We believe that countries that invest in people’s education and health, improve the business environment, and create jobs through upgrades in infrastructure will emerge much stronger in the years ahead.

With an expected liftoff in US interest rates, the report says borrowing will become more expensive for emerging and developing economies over the coming months.

It says this process is expected to unfold relatively smoothly since the US economic recovery is continuing and interest rates remain low in other major global economies. (CMC)

President of the Couva/Point Lisas Chamber Liaquat Ali is suggesting T&T import unskilled labour from neighbouring Caribbean islands to boost the agricultural sector. 

He said this is necessary since the majority of the local labour force is now certified with varying skills.

Speaking at a cocktail reception in celebration of the chamber’s 25th anniversary on Wednesday night, Ali noted that the collapse of oil and gas prices had forced a review of the 2014/2015 budget. 

He said agriculture could become a growth sector for the economy, particularly because of its export capability with the added benefit of food security for the nation. 

He said providing food security in an effort to curb the nation’s import bill is critical.

While Ali said he welcomed the emphasis government has placed on training, retooling and certifying people to improve themselves, this has meant there are fewer unskilled workers for the agricultural sector.

“To move the agricultural sector forward we need labour,” he said. 

Ali said Tertiary Education Minister Fazal Karim is “doing an excellent job in training people in every aspect of skilled work, but the agriculture sector needs a lot of unskilled labour.”

He said: “Nobody wants to go into agriculture...nobody. Everybody leaving the university and leaving secondary school wants office and desk jobs. Nobody wants to cultivate the land or tend to animals.”

He noted that in comparison to the situation in agriculture locally, “in America the man planting the land is king. In T&T the man planting the land is dirt. We have to change that mindset, or we will continue to see a decline in this sector. We must be able to feed ourselves.”

Ali suggested that government develop an initiative similar to the Canadian Farm Work Programme, within Caricom.

“The government could be the facilitator and the private sector could drive the project. The chamber is willing to sit and discuss this issue with all stakeholders.”

He said 25 years ago when he and four other people sat in a roti shop and gave birth to the business association which evolved into the chamber, their views and opinions were not sought.

“But we have evolved, we have commanded our rightful place and we are now respected by all major stakeholders and participate in all of the national decision making process,” he said.

President Anthony Carmona has deferred two planned appointments to the Integrity Commission.

Carmona, who had initially planned a media conference for June 12 at 9 am to announce the two new commissioners, suspended the proceedings after he received an "undated, faxed" letter from Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley at 8.15 am on Friday morning.
 

The media conference began some two hours after its scheduled time when Carmona confirmed that he was not naming the two commissioners as planned because of the letter from Rowley.
 

"I am prepared to exercise my discretion to afford additional time to Honourable Leader of the Opposition and in the circumstances, I have since dispatched a letter to the Honourable Leader of the Opposition indicating that I have afforded him additional time and that I expect his response to my proposed appointments by Monday 22 June 2015," Carmona said.
 

Carmona detailed the timeline in which his picks for the Integrity Commission were communicated to both Rowley and Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, saying that both offices had received letters of consultation on his two picks since June 9.
 

He said Rowley did not communicate with his office on the proposed appointments but instead took the public forum to state his dissatisfaction with Carmona's picks.
 

"It is indeed regrettable that the honourable leader of the opposition in his wisdom sought to first ventilate, inter alia, his request for additional time in the public domain," he said.
 

Carmona, prior to the "undated faxed" letter from Rowley, the Office of the President was never contacted.

He said Rowley never acknowledged his letters of consultation, nor did he object to the proposed appointments.

Carmona said Rowley never requested dialogue and discussion since the letters were first dispatched on June 9.
 

Another letter was sent to Rowley today giving him the additional time requested, he said.
 

"I have afforded him additional time and that I expect his response to my proposed appointments by Monday 22 June, 2015," Carmona said.
 

The Integrity Commission was hit last month when two members suddenly walked out of their posts. The first resignation by Dr Shelley-Anne Lalchan was reportedly for personal reasons, but deputy commissioner Justice Sebastien Ventour quit suddenly after chairman Zainool Hosein authourised a statement terminating the protracted Emailgate investigation into key government ministers, including the Prime Minister.

Millions of viewers around the world will be glued to their television sets on Sunday night for the finale of the fifth season of the HBO series Game of Thrones. 

The fantasy-drama series that is based George RR Martin’s A Story of Fire and Ice book series, is one of the most watched TV shows, as fans religiouly tune in to follow the characters in the Medieval land of Westeros and its seven kingdoms. 

Season Five has been relentlessly chewed over by critics and fans alike, with much of the debate about what viewers see as extreme violence and controversial sexual content. 

NPR TV critic Eric Deggans believes, “... More recently, criticism of key scenes this season that were brutal, sexually-charged and/or seriously violent feel more like a knee jerk reaction. In other words, now that Game of Thrones has been tagged as problematic, every controversial scene is judged as gratuitous, even when it may not be.”

The criticism has centred around two scenes, the rape of heroine Sansa Stark by a brutal sadist she had just married and the burning alive of Princess Shireen Baratheon by her father, King Stannis Baratheon, as a sacrifice to a fire god for help in winning a war.

As Deggans notes, “Game of Thrones has always seemed a TV show, at its core, about presenting a more brutal and realistic vision than similar sword and sorcery epics like Lord of the Rings. This is a series which tries to marry the most realistic vision of Medieval-era life with a fantasy world where dragons are real.

“It's also a world where the innocent are exploited, the strong abuse those who are weaker, heroes are killed for their heroism and only the most ruthless seem to prosper. So, if you accept that notion, these acts of brutality make more sense.”

According to the fan sites, a major character will die in Sunday’s finale. T&T Guardian caught up with a few fans to hear what they thought about this season, and what they expect from Sunday’s finale titled Mother’s Mercy. If you haven’t caught up with the series, beware, spoilers lie ahead. 

 
Caroline Taylor
The violence in this season has been expected but also surprising... I suppose five seasons in you have to find some way of topping yourself. I didn't expect or want Mance to die in the first episode, but I can see how it opened the narrative for Tormund and Jon to head to Hardhome for what was easily the most epic, drop-the-mic 20 minutes of television in a long time. 

Second best moment this season goes to Dany gettin' up on Drogon's back (winning me a bet that she can and will control her dragons). Third best was the Stone Men fight and the reveal of Jorah's greyscale infection.  

In the finale, I want Margaery and Loras out of jail, and Cersei paying for her sins. I want Jaime to get a new lover. I want Littlefinger up a gum tree. I want Varys back, though I wanted him with Dany... I want Dany to come back to Meereen after her dragon ride. She has two other dragons locked up she needs to tend to, and she needs to work her ruling in Meereen out and coordinate an advance to Westeros. I want Ellaria and the Sand Snakes to get a story line that doesn't grate on my nerves. I want Arya to kill Meryn Trant, though I'm wary of the consequences of that given her involvement with the Faceless Men. I want Stannis to slaughter Ramsay and Roose Bolton, and then Davos or Brienne to slaughter Stannis. I want Sansa with somebody, anybody, who can help her take back her home and reunite with her brothers. I want Reek to own his identity as Theon. I want somebody to know who Jon Snow's mother is (ie, hopefully, Lyanna Stark). 

Ian Royer
Season 5 was a dramatic roller coaster. We saw characters get their just desserts, Cersei's fall from grace, Arya finding her way to the faceless men and succeeding at it and Jon Snow growing into a formidable man. 

It was beautifully cinematic; with the peak being the White Walkers attack on Hardhome and the fight scene with the dragon.

What shocked me the most, however, was the show’s ability to challenge my morals. I was angry with Ramsay for raping Sansa, appalled at Stannis for killing his daughter and then I realised how easily the producers manipulate us. It's a show that has been gruesome since day one and yet still what shocked me was how I was okay with it for some and not for others. 

In the final episode I think they are going to shaft Snow, the Red Witch is going to do something awful and Cersei is going to do a walk of shame.

Mitzi St Rose
I am reasonably certain I maintain my DirecTv subscription just so that I can see Game of Thrones "live" on a Sunday night. 

I've been a fan from Season 1, I am completely liberated from expectations as I have not read the books (I tried, I failed). 

I've enjoyed Season 5, the White Walkers battle sequence is my favourite. Sansa's rape and the way they chose not to show it, but instead to focus on Reek's pain and distress was masterful, and Dany's Dragons have had some great cameos this season. 

It’s been good to see Cersei have her comeuppance, patiently waiting for some horrible fate to befall Ramsay Bolton and now, worst father ever, Stannis. I think they've done a better job this year of threading the various stories together and I am intrigued where a Tyrion/Dany alliance could lead. No idea what will happen in the finale, but at this point I'm backing Arya to eventually do what her brother could not and her father didn't want to and eventually win the Game of Thrones.

• Game of Thrones airs on HBO on June 14 at 9pm.