(CNS): The NCFC government forecasted an overall surplus of just over CI$11 million for the end of 2026 in the budget passed in December, but the year started with a lucrative boost of a record-breaking first quarter surplus of over CI$328 million. But with an unpredictable year ahead and more spending on the cards, the […]

(CNS): The Cayman Islands National Weather Service has upgraded its website, which now delivers faster access to real-time weather data and improved severe weather warnings across the Islands, officials said in a release. Just in time for the start of hurricane season on 1 June, the upgraded platform introduces a dedicated warning page with clear explanations of alert levels to help the public understand what each warning means and how to respond. Detailed station data from across the islands also supports more localised, real-time insights for individual planning and preparedness. CINWS Director-General John Tibbetts said the upgraded platform marks a significant step forward in the mission to keep the public safe and informed. “This website transforms how we share critical weather information with the public. Improved access to real-time data, clearer warnings and soon, richer marine forecasting will sharpen our collective ability to prepare, plan and build resilience across the Cayman...

. (CNS): The local economy continued a steady pace of expansion last year, recording an estimated 2.8% real GDP growth in the first nine months of the year, according to the third quarter economic report published by the Economic and Statistic Office last week. The growth was broad-based, with most major sectors expanding, the ESO said. In the commercial sphere, the real estate sector once again fuelled the growth and helped to fill government coffers. However, general services remained a key driver of momentum, as government services increased by 4% and health services by 5.1%. The central government posted a CI$86 million surplus for the first three quarters, after collecting CI$970.4 million for the public purse against CI$884.5 million in expenditure. The civil service headcount also grew by well over 2%. At the same time, the government paid down its debt burden to just CI$393.7 million as of September 2025,...

(CNS): A local man who punched a woman in her face so hard she was knocked unconscious and broke her ankle as she fell in an unprovoked, but isolated, attack has been ordered to pay $20,000 in compensation. But Kameron McLean (33) dodged going immediately to jail for the attack, having been given a two-year suspended sentence. This means he has retained his job as a corporate assistant, enabling him to pay his victim compensation and continue as the primary caretaker to his son. A week before a trial was due to take place last November, McLean admitted that he had punched his victim following a minor argument in Bliss Bar at the Strand Plaza in January last year. Justice Emma Peters arrived at the sentencing decision based on submissions from the Crown and the defence counsel, as well as a victim impact report and a social inquiry report from...

(CNS): The RCIPS told CNS on Monday that the man injured in a major collision in West Bay in the early hours of Saturday morning was driving a motorcycle and not a micro-mobility device, as first believed. The collision happened in front of The Sands condo complex, yards from the district’s four-way stop. At around 2am, the motorbike was travelling south along West Bay Road when it crashed into a small white compact vehicle travelling in the opposite direction, causing the car to overturn. The rider was taken by ambulance to the HSA hospital in George Town, where he is being treated for serious injuries, but was reported to be in a stable condition. Both vehicles were very badly damaged. Officers spoke with the driver of the motor vehicle, who was administered a breathalyser test with negative results. The driver also declined medical attention. The collision is now being investigated...

CI Detention Centre (photo credit: RCIPS) (CNS): Among the many problems plaguing the Cayman Islands Detention Centre, which holds suspects who have been arrested or charged, is the sheer volume of people passing through the relatively small and understaffed facility. The final report following an own-motion investigation by the Office of the Ombudsman documents a catalogue of safety and security problems and sets out a long list of recommendations to improve the management of the centre. The OMB opened the investigation in May 2025 following a series of reports that over a short period last year, prisoners were being injured, including an inmate whose thumb was severed in a cell door as it was closed on him, and that detainees were self-harming or attempting to do so. There were also reports of security issues and potential risks associated with operating the centre. An interim report published in September contained a...

Canover Watson led from court (file photo) (CNS): The Cayman status of disgraced former football executive Canover Watson has been revoked as a result of two fraud convictions. The funds expert, who was once a politically connected community leader, was convicted in 2016 for fraud regarding the HSA payment system and again for an invoicing scam involving CIFA and CONCACAF, for which he is still serving a seven-year sentence. According to court documents, Watson who also holds a British passport, had applied for a judicial review over the loss of his status, but that has been denied. Watson was born in Jamaica and brought to the Cayman Islands as a very young child. He grew up and went to school on Grand Cayman, pursued a successful career, became a well-known community leader, served on many government boards, and was a long-time executive at the Cayman Islands Football Association before he...

(CNS): The results of last autumn’s Labour Force Survey (LFS) confirmed that as of October last year, the population in Cayman had increased to over 90,000 after an administrative review by the Economics and Statistics Office. Of those, almost 65,000 are in the workforce, an increase of 6.6% on the 2024 survey. The unemployment rate overall was 2.6%, but 4.1% among local people, a decline of half a percentage point from the 2024 Fall LFS. The number of people employed in the workforce at the time of the survey reached a record level of 63,289. There was a slight increase in the unemployment rate overall from 2.4% to 2.6%, though the number of local people in work last October had increased by 13.4% from the 2024 survey. There were 1,700 people unemployed in the labour force, with youth unemployment (aged 15 to 24) was the highest at 13.7%. The unemployment...