Moderate with wave heights of 3 to 5 feet. High of 84 Low of 74 EDITORIAL | PAGE 4 MENACING MOTORBIKERS: DISTURBERS OF THE PEACEA hero’s burial ABCDE NATIONAL WEEKLY Politics State of the unions in Wis. 4 The nation Wage hike helps but only a bit. 8 5 Myths About NASCAR23 A Marine sniper at the center of a 38-second video scandal is remembered as so much morethan the clip that stalked him PAGE 12 Books The first Monopoly loser 18 THE WEEK OF SUNDAY, MARCH 1, 2015 . IN COLLABORATION WITH A hero’s burial THE WASHINGTON POST ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – MONDAY MARCH 2, 2015 FOUR LOCATIONS TO SERVE YOU BETTER: SEVEN MILE BEACH, WATERFRONT, WALKERS ROAD, TOWN CENTRE PLAZA MARITIME CHIEF FACES ASSAULT CHARGES BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com The chief executive officer of the Cayman Islands Maritime Authority was charged with assault and other crimes in relation to an inci- dent that occurred last week. A. Joel Walton appeared in Summary Court on Thursday on charges of assault causing actual bodily harm, insulting the modesty of a woman and causing fear or provocation of violence, according to a statement from the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service. He is due to return to court on March 10. Mr. Walton was arrested just after mid- night Wednesday by RCIPS officers on sus- picion of assault and suspicion of insulting the modesty of a woman. Police did not state where the arrest occurred. Mr. Walton has been the maritime author- ity’s chief executive since May 2004. According to the deputy director of the Maritime Authority Board, local attorney Bruce Putterill, no decision has been made regarding Mr. Walton’s continuing in his cur- rent job. Mr. Putterill said Saturday that board members would meet in the “next day or two” to discuss the situation. PREMIER’S AIDE FIRED Bryan let go months before criminal trial Premier Alden McLaughlin’s political as- sistant, Kenneth Bryan, was fired Friday fol- lowing a closed-door meeting with the pre- mier and Cabinet Secretary Samuel Rose. Mr. Bryan, 34, faces a criminal trial in August over allegations that he assaulted po- lice and was disorderly outside a West Bay Road nightclub last October. He had been suspended with pay from his job since early December when he was charged in connection with the incident. He will receive full salary from the premier’s office through May. A replacement had not been named as of press time Sunday. Admittedly angry over the dismissal, Mr. Bryan told the Cayman Compass Saturday that he felt it was the result of politics. “[The premier] admitted to me that I’m a liability to him,” Mr. Bryan said. “He could care less about what’s happening to me. If it’s going to affect his reign, then he’s going to Kanuga headed for finish line RON SHILLINGFORD rshillingford@pinnaclemedialtd.com Kerri Kanuga’s epic ultra-distance bid was looking good as the Cayman Compass went to press Sunday afternoon. She was running along South Sound around 2:50 p.m. with just about 15 miles to complete the 106- mile run. That follows on her 6-mile swim across North Sound on Saturday morning. Ms. Kanuga began running the equivalent of four Landfill catches fire again BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com What was described as a “sizeable surface fire” at the George Town Landfill was reported early Sunday afternoon. The blaze, which started in a large pile of resi- dential waste near a big pile of discarded tires, ap- peared to have been brought under control by press time Sunday. However, fire crews remained on scene late Sunday, awaiting the arrival of an excavator. The con- struction equipment was needed to dig into the trash pile so that firefighters could ensure nothing was burning underneath the surface. PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 » Fire crews doused Sunday’s surface fire at the landfill but weren’t certain if anything was burning underneath. – PHOTOS: TANEOS RAMSAY A firefighter is enveloped in smoke while battling Sunday’s landfill fire. PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 » Kerri Kanuga finds the energy to wave as she passes through South Sound. - PHOTO: RON SHILLINGFORD2 LOCAL&REGIONAL MONDAY MARCH 2, 2015 • CAYMAN COMPASS © Warner Bros. Pictures © 21st Century Fox www. REGmovies.com SATURDAY NIGHT: For your viewing pleasure, minors under the age of 18 will not be admitted to any lm starting after 6pm, unless accompanied by their parent. *Additional charges will apply per 3D ticket requested. - MONDAY - FOCUS (R) 1:30 | 4:10 | 7:20 | 10:00 SEVENTH SON 3D (PG13) 1:10 | 3:35 2D | 7:10 | 9:40 2D KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE (R) 3:45 | 6:50 | 9:50 FIFTY SHADES OF GREY (R) 1:00 | 7:05 SELMA (PG13) 12:50 | 3:50 | 7:00 | 10:00 PADDINGTON (PG) 1:20 JUPITER ASCENDING (PG-13) 4:00 | 9:55 SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS 3D (PG) 12:45 2D | 3:00 | 5:15 2D | 7:30 9:50 2D CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Justin Devon Manderson pleaded not guilty in Grand Court on Friday to the charge of murdering Victor Oliver Yates Jr. on Jan. 3 in the vicinity of Super C’s restaurant on Watercourse Road in West Bay. Manderson, 22, of West Bay, also pleaded not guilty to having a firearm on the same date, otherwise than in accordance with the terms of a firearm user’s license. Justice Robin McMillan set July 13 as the date for trial. He also directed the Crown to serve forensic evi- dence to the defense within eight weeks. Yates, 22, was a resident of West Bay. Trial date set in Yates slaying ARMED ROBBERS GRAB HANDBAG An armed man grabbed a woman’s handbag from her as she got out of a vehicle at a West Bay apartment com- plex parking lot Friday night, police said. The robbery on Scholars Drive was reported around 8:15 p.m. The 49-year-old woman was in the car with her two sisters and a 10-year-old niece when the robber ap- proached the vehicle. Police said the woman had the bag strap over her left shoulder, but the strap broke when the robber – who had a gun in the other hand – pulled at it. Police said the man ran off and appeared to have an- other individual with him. The woman suffered in- juries to her elbow and knee and was treated at the scene. No shots were fired and no one else was hurt. The handbag contained a cellphone, a passport and some cash. GRAND COURT JUROR NOTICE The Grand Court jury re- port date has been changed. Grand Court Jurors who are in the Jan. 14–March 31 session and who are not cur- rently empaneled on a trial are now to report on Monday, March 9, at 9:45 a.m. Please call the Jury Information line at 945-5072 for the most up-to-date information. Venezuela to shrink US Embassy staff, require tourist visas CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela will shrink the size of the U.S. Embassy staff, limit the activities of U.S. dip- lomats and require American citizens to apply for visas if they want to come bask on the beach. Speaking before a crowd that rallied to protest impe- rialism, President Nicolas Maduro said Saturday that “gringo” meddling had forced him to adopt the series of re- strictive measures, which in- clude requiring U.S. diplo- mats to seek approval from the Foreign Ministry for meetings they conduct here. Maduro said he was im- posing the new tourist visa requirement for national se- curity reasons, saying that in recent days authorities had detained several U.S. citizens who he alleged were involved in espionage, including an American pilot. The president and other officials gave no specific in- formation on any Americans in custody, and the U.S. Embassy did not respond to a request for comment. Earlier in the day, Venezuela released four missionaries from North Dakota who had been de- tained several days ago for unknown reasons. They were banned from coming back for two years. Relations between the two countries have been rap- idly deteriorating as Maduro blames U.S. plotting for the host of economic and social woes plaguing the socialist- governed country. He recently accused the U.S. of working with local opposition groups to stage a coup that involved bombing the presidential palace. Washington called the accusation ludicrous. The two countries have not exchanged ambassa- dors since 2010, but have continued to exchange dip- lomatic staff. On Saturday, Maduro said the U.S. has far more officials in Venezuela than his government has in the U.S. Maduro addressed Obama directly, saying the U.S. pres- ident has “arrogantly” re- fused to engage in concilia- tory talks. “I’m very sorry, Mr. President, that you have gone down this dead end,” he during a speech that all Venezuelan television and radio stations were required to carry. Venezuela will charge Americans the same tourist visa fees that the U.S. charges Venezuelans and it will re- quire payment in dollars, which are increasingly scarce in Venezuela. Maduro said all comers would be wel- come, except for a few se- lected U.S. officials, who would be banned from the country, including former President George W Bush and Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida. The U.S. State Department said it had not received any communications from Venezuela and couldn’t com- ment yet on the new re- strictions, which come after the U.S. recently imposed a travel ban on a list of top Venezuelan officials accused of human rights violations. In a statement, it also again rejected Maduro’s claims that the U.S. is plot- ting against Venezuela. “We are aware of reports that President Maduro re- peated a number of inflam- matory statements about the United States during a tele- vised political rally today. The continued allegations that the United States is in- volved in efforts to destabi- lize the Venezuelan govern- ment are baseless and false,” said the statement, which was emailed by an official who was not authorized to be quoted by name. Americans have been staying away from Venezuela as crime has soared, ex- change rates have become difficult to navigate and Maduro has stepped up at- tacks on the U.S. govern- ment. Just 36,000 U.S. citi- zens visited in the first nine months of 2014, about half the number that visited two years earlier, according to Venezuela Tourism Ministry data. Overall, some 950,000 foreigners visited Venezuela last year. The move could have a bigger impact on business travelers than holiday-goers. As one of the world’s largest oil producers, Venezuela re- mains an important destina- tion for executives, and the new restrictions could affect U.S. companies investing here. Maduro also announced that he was cancelling a trip to Uruguay, where he had been expected to celebrate the inauguration of a fellow leftist politician as president. He cited the “political situa- tion” in Venezuela. Earlier in the day, Venezuelans took to the streets of Caracas in du- eling demonstrations, with one group calling atten- tion to a crackdown on gov- ernment opponents and an- other showing support for the embattled socialist administration. Government supporters marched to the presidential palace to express their re- jection of imperialism and commemorate the 26th anni- versary of a convulsion of vi- olence in Caracas widely seen by government backers as ev- idence of the brutality of pre- socialist administrations. Opposition activists, meanwhile, gathered to de- nounce the arrest of Caracas Mayor Antonio Ledezma ear- lier this month and the death on Tuesday of a teenager who was shot during an anti-gov- ernment protest. In San Cristobal, where the 14-year-old was fatally shot during an anti-govern- ment protest, thousands of people massed in the streets of the Andean town known for sparking the country’s protest movements. An opposition member wearing a pot on her head shouts slogans against Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro during a protest Saturday in Caracas. - PHOTO: AP Spacewalking astronauts finish extensive cable job CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Spacewalking astronauts suc- cessfully completed a three- day cable job outside the International Space Station on Sunday, routing several-hun- dred feet of power and data lines for new crew capsules commissioned by NASA. It was the third space- walk in just over a week for Americans Terry Virts and Butch Wilmore, and the quickest succession of space- walks since NASA’s former shuttle days. The advance work was needed for the manned space- craft under development by Boeing and SpaceX. A pair of docking ports will fly up later this year, followed by the cap- sules themselves, with astro- nauts aboard, in 2017. Once safely back inside, Virts reported a bit of water in his helmet again for the second time in as many spacewalks. He stressed it was “not a big deal” and said there was no need to hurry out of his suit. Virts and Wilmore in- stalled two sets of antennas Sunday, as well as 400 feet of cable for this new communi- cation system. They unreeled 364 feet of cable on Feb. 21 and last Wednesday. It was complicated, hand- intensive work, yet the as- tronauts managed to wrap up more than an hour early Sunday, for a 5 ½-hour space- walk. Their three outings spanned 19 hours. “You guys have done an outstanding job,” Mission Control radioed, “even for two shuttle pilots.” Sunday’s 260-mile-high action unfolded 50 years to the month since the world’s first spacewalk. Soviet Alexei Leonov floated out into the vacuum of space on March 18, 1965, beating America’s first space- walker, Gemini 4’s Edward White II, by just two-and-a- half months. Leonov is now 80; White died in the Apollo 1 fire on the launch pad in 1967. “It’s amazing ... to see how far we’ve come from the very first steps outside,” Virts said. On Sunday – just like Wednesday – a little water got into Virts’s helmet once he was back in the air lock and the chamber was being re- pressurized. He said it seemed to be about the same amount. Engineers concluded last week it was the result of con- densation, and a safe and well understood circumstance that had occurred several times before with the same space- suit. Virts was never in danger either day, according to NASA.3 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • MONDAY MARCH 2, 2015 The only magazine which promotes the Cayman Islands’ nancial services industry at a local and international level The only magazine which promotes the Cayman Islands’ nancial services industry at a local and international level The April Issue APRIL Topics SALES & FINAL ARTWORK – Friday, March 11 For advertising call 949-5111 or email sales@pinnaclemedialtd.com • Worldwide banking supervision • The future of nance in Cayman • Anti-corruption • Do audits affect voluntary tax compliance? • Responding to rich tax countries • Banks positively reassessing Liberia • Bosnia and the nancial crisis Q2 Conference Distribution • GAIM Ops Cayman, The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman, April 26-29 • OffShore Alert Miami, May 3-5 • Private Equity Latin America Forum, New York, June 8-9 • GAIM Regulation & Fund Governance, New York, June 18 Deadline Chamber wants local hiring commitments JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com The Chamber of Commerce is urging govern- ment to secure contractual agreements to protect local businesses and jobs when it negotiates large-scale public- private partnerships with overseas developers. In a letter to Planning Minister Kurt Tibbetts last week, the Chamber out- lines 10 specific provisions it suggests should be in- cluded in final agreements with developers. These in- clude written commitments to use local contractors and local labor where available and to hold open tenders for subcontracts. David Moffitt of Ironwood, which hopes to develop a $360 million golf resort in North Side and East End, has previously stated that local companies and workers will be hired on all aspects of the associated road project, estimating it will create 200 jobs. Chamber president Barry Bodden said the organi- zation was hearing all the right things from govern- ment and private companies, including Ironwood, which is negotiating a partnership to build a 10-mile extension to the East-West Arterial road to help make its resort project viable. But he said the Chamber wants to ensure verbal com- mitments are included in written contracts, along with a clear chain of account- ability and oversight. Mr. Bodden, who owns Island Paving – which has previously been involved in road paving projects – has stated that he believes such public-private partnerships will be the new formula for large infrastructure develop- ments going forward. And he is urging government to tread carefully to ensure local firms are protected. “Recently proposed mul- timillion-dollar and multi- year projects demonstrate confidence in the Cayman Islands economy, and when approved and completed will create new jobs and business opportunities for Chamber members and the business community that will help to stimulate eco- nomic activity across several industry sectors. “The Chamber council in- tends to meet with developers of these projects shortly to review their long-term plans and to ask them questions about their projects. “We believe large-scale de- velopments can provide sub- stantial benefit to the busi- ness community as long as the government holds the de- velopers accountable,” said Mr. Bodden. In its letter to Minister Tibbetts, the Chamber sug- gests agreements with pri- vate sector partners should: ■■ Incorporate provisions that local contractors and available and quali- fied local labor are given first priority at all times ■■ Incorporate provisions to ensure an open tendering process designed to en- able licensed local busi- nesses the opportunity for bidding on various aspects of the projects ■■ Mandate sourcing of lo- cally available equipment during the construction phase of the projects ■■ Require developers to demonstrate the need for importing special- ized construction equip- ment, before doing so ■■ Demonstrate relevant local expertise is not avail- able before being al- lowed to contract directly with overseas entities. ■■ Incorporate regular meet- ings with the National Workforce Development Agency to ensure that no locally quali- fied labor resources are being overlooked ■■ Incorporate provisions that products and ser- vices required for the projects are sourced lo- cally, wherever possible ■■ Ensure that all local sub- contractors who are hired by the developers are in compliance with all local licensing, health and pension requirements ■■ Incorporate reporting requirements to en- sure regular inspections and compliance with the final agreements. The Chamber writes that local businesses that are in full compliance with local laws should be given the opportu- nity to bid on various aspects of the projects so that the local economy receives the full ben- efits of the large scale develop- ments. Mr. Bodden said some of the recommendations had already been discussed with government and he believes they are in support. “These projects are needed and are important to our is- lands and the local economy. “The current restrictions on borrowing by the gov- ernment creates a challenge, therefore partnerships with the private sector are critical in order to move these proj- ects forward. We must, how- ever, ensure that any large scale PPPs provide true direct benefits for local businesses and the Caymanian people. “The government has as- sured the Chamber that any such agreements will incor- porate provisions to this ef- fect and the Chamber re- mains committed to working closely with them to achieve these goals.” Mr. Bodden CNB ROBBERY DEFENDANT’S INTERVIEW READ TO JURY CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com The jury in the trial for the 2012 robbery at Cayman National Bank heard police interviews with defendant Andre Burton read into the court record last week. Burton, along with David Tamasa, Rennie Cole and George Mignott, pleaded not guilty to robbing the CNB branch at Buckingham Square of more than $500,000, and not guilty to possession of an imitation firearm with intent to commit an offense. In Burton’s first interview, he told police he had been doing duct work for air con- ditioning at an apartment in South Sound on June 28, the day the bank was robbed around 9:40 a.m. He said he and a co-worker arrived at the work site around 9:15 a.m. They went out around 11:30 a.m. to noon to a gas station on Walkers Road to get some drinks. After police spoke with the co-worker, they inter- viewed Burton again. In this second interview, Burton ad- mitted leaving the work site the morning of the robbery. Asked how he got back to town, Burton said he didn’t wish to talk about that be- cause he didn’t want to get anyone involved. One of the officers pointed out that it would help to identify the vehicle Burton was in “because it would eliminate you from the rob- bery.” The officer said they just wanted to speak to people who could confirm Burton’s account. Burton said he knew he didn’t have any- thing to do with the robbery and he didn’t have anything more to say. “I can prove myself in court,” Burton said.The islands’ most-trusted news source 4 – EDITORIAL – Opinion&Letters The Cayman Compass welcomes comments, opinions and viewpoints from readers. Letters to the editor can be emailed to editor@pinnaclemedialtd.com, submitted via www.caymancompass.com, sent by post or hand-delivered to the Compass office. PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY: Caymanian Compass Limited (a subsidiary of Pinnacle Media Ltd) Compass Centre Shedden Road, George Town SEND US YOUR VIEWS OR NEWS: P.O. Box 1365 Grand Cayman KY1-1108, Cayman Islands Telephone: (345) 815-0095 Email: newsdesk@pinnaclemedialtd.com ADVERTISE WITH US: Telephone: (345) 949-5111 Email: sales@pinnaclemedialtd.com Website: www.caymancompass.com PUBLISHERS DAVID R. LEGGE AND VICKI L. LEGGE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF DAVID R. LEGGE A MEMBER OF THE INTER-AMERICAN PRESS ASSOCIATION “Give light and the people will findtheirownway” WASHINGTON POST EDITORIAL BOARD The big story in the Caribbean these days is Cuba and the Obama administra- tion’s easing of U.S. economic sanctions. How ironic that far less attention is being lavished on a neighboring island that also is in deep financial dis- tress and needs U.S. help, yet, unlike Cuba, is a long-standing friend of the United States – indeed, an integral part of it. We refer to Puerto Rico, which is laboring under a US$72.6 billion debt burden, sluggish growth and a recent downgrading of its credit rat- ings to junk level. There is broad consensus in financial circles that the island could descend into even worse fiscal chaos and poverty un- less it gets relief soon. Last June, Puerto Rico adopted a law that would have permitted government entities to restructure about US$24 billion in debt or to go through a bankruptcy-like process akin to those adopted in Detroit and other U.S. cities. The measure would have greatly enhanced the island’s negotiating power with creditors, who include U.S. individuals and institutions drawn to Puerto Rican bonds by their tax-free interest. But on Feb. 6, a federal judge struck down the law, ruling, in effect, that only Congress could authorize Puerto Rican quasi-governmental entities to enter bankruptcy. Now Puerto Rican leaders are asking Congress to enact a new remedy, the need for which stems from the island’s anomalous political status: neither fully sovereign, and therefore capable of enacting its own bankruptcy law, nor a state, in which case it would be covered by existing law that lets municipalities and other subdivisions of states file for bankruptcy. The legis- lation would treat Puerto Rico like the states, allowing its en- tities and muncipalities to de- clare bankruptcy. There are two main ob- jections to the bill: that it amounts to changing the rules under which investors agreed to buy Puerto Rico’s debt and that the island could scrape together the cash to pay its creditors if it were to reform the entities in question. Puerto Rico must indeed reform its public sector, but the structural crisis affecting its economy is such that even dramatic new efficiencies probably wouldn’t produce enough growth to pay its debts as currently structured. For the sake of its economic future, the United States’ best friend in the Caribbean needs the power to negotiate a new, more sustainable deal with its creditors, and Congress should grant it. © 2015, The Washington Post MONDAY MARCH 2, 2015 • CAYMAN COMPASS Menacing motorbikers: Disturbers of the peace Gangs of motorbiking miscreants are intimidating, alarming and infuriating residents and visitors across Grand Cayman. Police say they are powerless to stop them. In separate public meetings with police in several districts, residents recited laundry lists of complaints against “motorbikers.” The alleged offenses range from speeding, to dangerous driving, to outright harassing visitors on the public beachside — with many motor- bikers operating, apparently, in the absence of legal for- malities such as license, insurance and registration. North Side MLA Ezzard Miller said his constituents have been trying for months to get the attention of police in regard to these matters. Chief Inspector Brad Ebanks said it’s not so simple to arrest a motorbiker, even if he’s caught red-handed breaking the law. “The risk that we have is if people pursue them, and the unfortunate happens, we could be held liable,” he said. In other words, police can’t just chase recklessly speeding motorbikers because someone might get hurt. Put another way, the very nature of the offense that is occurring (dangerous use of a motor vehicle) shields the offender from enforcement of the law that he is breaking. This is a paradigm in which it is the police, not the criminals, who wear the handcuffs. As our story in Friday’s Compass notes, police have been wary of chasing motorists in general since Grand Court Justice Alexander Henderson issued a judgment in 2013 in which he found the government finan- cially liable for the death of a passenger in a car that crashed while attempting to flee from police. Justice Henderson wrote, “The accident was con- tributed to, if not caused by, the speed at which [driver Alex Callan] was driving. He was doing so because a police car was chasing him. Had the pursuit been ter- minated, it is more probable than not that Mr. Callan would have slowed down to a normal speed so as to avoid attracting further police attention. The negligent factor to end the pursuit was one factor which contrib- uted to the accident.” Now, unfettered from fears of being apprehended and brought to justice, groups of motorbikers (most of them youthful in years) are doing whatever they want, wherever they want, however fast they want to do it – practically speaking, the higher the velocity, the better. All the rest of us can do, including the police appar- ently, is block our ears and divert our eyes. We have a question: What happens, pray tell, when a masked gunman storms into a Cayman business, threatens or shoots a cashier, fills a sack with money and absconds on one of these high-powered motorbikes? That is a common modus operandi among our Car- ibbean and regional neighbors. Will that become the way to commit a “perfect crime” in Cayman? There are very good reasons for police officers to “make the call” not to engage in a high-speed pursuit in a particular situation, including, most prominently, concerns over the safety of innocents in the imme- diate area. That choice is not unlike an officer determining whether or not to draw a weapon on an armed suspect in a public place. Currently in Cayman, our police cannot use their cars to pursue, nor do the vast majority of them have weapons to deploy in case of emergency. They can’t chase, and they can’t shoot — two restric- tions that don’t apply to their criminal nemeses. For now, it appears our options are limited to hoping Cayman’s population of wanton motorbikers does not begin to overlap with our population of violent criminals. Writer: On unemployment I have registered with the National Workforce Development Agency since re- turning to Grand Cayman in January. After my two-year sabbatical, I have honored im- migration’s “roll over” policy of leaving after completing seven consecutive years on Grand Cayman. As a born Caymanian (which means nothing here) I have returned to Grand Cayman and I am in search of employment. Firstly, I have found the staff at the NWDA to be very helpful and professional. This has been my experience thus far. However, it is of vital im- portance for “the powers that be,” i.e. the government, pri- vate sector and Chamber of Commerce, to apply pressure on companies to ensure that they hire locals who are al- ready on island or who are experienced and qualified. As I see it, the passive war is on: Work permit holders vs. the unemployed Caymanian. The stage for ignoring has come and gone. The laughing continues. Caymanians (bona fide born and bred) are now viewed as insignificant and as “no counts” in their own is- lands; islands that time forgot. I have applied for a job at a local hotel for the posi- tion of doorman. It was ad- vertised in the classifieds of the Cayman Reporter. I was told by the hotel’s HR office not to apply over the counter by filling out an application form (paper), but instead to apply online – with a dead- line of Feb. 20. I applied twice: Feb. 8 and Feb. 16. Everything is done online. Initially when I went online the posting of doorman was not online on their website. This caused me to believe is was nothing more than a work permit re- newal, hence the reason it appeared only in the local press. I brought this to the attention of the hotel’s HR who apologized for the error and assured me that by eve- ning the position would be on their website, and indeed it was. It is my opinion that some companies in the Cayman Islands are deliberately trying to deter Caymanians from ap- plying for positions within their organizations; particu- larly natives from the grass- roots levels of the Caymanian society. There are many good and hard-working Caymanians who could become doormen, doorwomen, gardeners, bar- tenders, housemen and dish- washers but will never get the chance because they don’t have access to the Internet or a computer. In this age of ever- changing, fast-paced Internet technology, if one does not re- main abreast, undoubtedly one is left behind. I fully appreciate that there are Caymanians in the Cayman Islands who are simply unemployable! That is why I try very hard to stay away from HM Northward Prison, HM Fairbanks, the halfway houses and rehabs on Grand Cayman. The ma- jority of people as inmates and clients in these insti- tutions are Caymanian and I will be no part of that. I live in an era in the Cayman Islands where one is frowned upon for being Caymanian. The minority. It is hard to build national pride and pa- triotism with this sort of at- titude. I am left with two choices: 1) Insurrection as per Marx, or 2) Defect from here and restart in a faraway foreign country. Quincy Brown Puerto Rico, underwater5 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • MONDAY MARCH 2, 2015 Cut $250* from your motor premium with BritCay home insurance! Call 949-8699 www.britcay.ky BRITISH CAYMANIAN INSURANCE COMPANY LTD. BritCay House, 236 Eastern Avenue, George Town, P.O. Box 74, Grand Cayman KY1-1102 Tel. 949-8699 www.britcay.ky 12 Kirkconnell St. Stake Bay, P.O. Box 254 SPO, Cayman Brac KY2-2101 Tel.948-1760 A member of Colonial Group International: insurance, health, pensions, life $250* CERTIFICATE WITH BUILDINGS INSURANCE *Each new buildings insurance policy with BritCay comes with a $250 gift certificate which you can use with BritCay Motor Insurance. *conditions apply Athletes loved Push response RON SHILLINGFORD rshillingford@pinnaclemedialtd.com The five Paralympic ath- letes who completed the 55- mile Push Across Cayman ride on Saturday said it was another great success. It was the third annual Push event, starting and finishing at Camana Bay, headed by Ryan Chalmers and Brian Siemann, who are regular visitors here. The Paralympic athletes, who competed at the London Games in 2012, were here through the New York-based charity Stay-Focused, which empowers youngsters with disabilities through scuba diving certification and lead- ership development programs. They were joined by equally celebrated American Paralympic athletes Tatyana McFadden, Susannah Scaroni and Aaron Pike. They pushed off at 7 a.m. and finished at 12:07 a.m. Local children were in- vited to ride their bikes with the athletes at the end. Stay-Focused founder Roger Muller said the kids re- ally enjoyed meeting the ath- letes and asking them all kinds of questions. “Both at the finish line as well as during the week at their school presenta- tions, the kids were our big- gest supporters,” he said. “And the spectators along the route were very cool. We re- ceived quite a bit of press coverage, so people knew we were coming. But when pass- ersby actually see the five ath- letes pushing past them, they can’t help but stop and gaze in amazement.” Mr. Muller said, “Ryan, Brian and Aaron, who did the Push Across Cayman in 2013, were very pleased with the weather, which was much better than on their last Push. “Tatyana and Susannah, who pushed for the first time, thought the weather was perfect.” Mr. Muller said high- lights included their arrival in Camana Bay, with the sup- porters and kids there to greet them, taking photos of the athletes surrounded by well- wishers, and meeting several people with disabilities. They also enjoyed going for an af- ternoon dive at Sunset House, which offered a totally dif- ferent kind of experience on a hot day. “And our celebration dinner Saturday evening at Ortanique, with a per- formance by special guest, Grammy Award winning artist Paul Overstreet, was lovely too,” Mr. Muller said. He added that the goal was to raise $10,000 in sup- port of their Stay-Focused programs this summer. “I’m confident we will have achieved our goal when we complete the tally from our auction items and donor support.” Mr. Chalmers said, “I al- ways love participating in the Push. I’m glad the weather held out this year. Although the Push is always chal- lenging, it is interesting to see how the body reacts to the 55- miler each year.” Ms. McFadden and Ms. Scaroni said they enjoyed the Push, he added. It was the first time Ms. McFadden ever pushed more than 30 miles, and he was surprised to see how well she handled the dis- tance for more than five hours. “I was impressed with both of them, as I know how difficult it is to push the 55 miles and be in your chair for that long.” Mr. Chalmers said the looks on the spectators’ faces as they drove by and saw them pushing was priceless. “For those who have never before seen a racing wheelchair, it can definitely be a surprise. “The kids always have great questions about wheel- chair racing, and even though many have seen or heard of the Push before, they are al- ways interested in learning more, which we love to see.” He said that the Bike Rodeo, when the kids got in- volved with activities in Camana Bay as the athletes finished the Push, was his most enjoyable time. Another precious moment was when a woman who has been an amputee for more than 20 years, stopped by during their water stops and then again at the end of Push. Mr. Chalmers said, “She is the perfect example of someone adapting to an unex- pected situation and pushing through it and achieving goals she set for herself, even if, at the onset, she thought it would be impossible.” All the athletes enjoyed the crowd at the end of the event, which has grown each year, confirming that they made the right decision when they decided to make Push Across Cayman an annual event. Mr. Chalmers thanked Dart and Pinnacle Media “for the great promotion throughout the entire week. Thanks, as well, to all the kids and families who came out to greet us as we crossed the finish line.” Stay-Focused has four programs planned for this summer, with more than 20 people with disabilities diving here “in the beautiful Cayman water,” Mr. Muller said. The programs will run from July 23–Aug. 19 and the group stay at their host hotel, the Grand Cayman Marriott. Red Sail Sports will provide support for their dive op- erations, along with Sunset Divers and Ocean Frontiers. The Paralympic athletes rewarded the kids with the most decorated bikes. - PHOTO: RON SHILLINGFORD Orchid show blooms Crowds of orchid lovers descended on the Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park over the weekend for the annual Orchid Show. Prize-winning orchids were on display inside the Visitors Centre on Saturday and Sunday, while outside, demonstrations were held on how to care for the beautiful plants. Members of the Cayman Islands Orchid Society were on hand to answer any questions about the orchids. And for those who wanted to take a little bit of the show home with them, hundreds of orchids were also on sale. The show and fundraiser was hosted by the botanic park and the Cayman Islands Orchid Society. Proceeds go toward the continued de- velopment of the orchid boardwalk in the botanic park. Visitors were treated to a colorful display of flowers at the annual Orchid Show. One of the delicate orchids on display in the Visitors Centre. – PHOTOS: CYNTHIA FAGEN6 LOCAL NEWS Check out these photos and others by visiting caymancompass.com/photogalleries or on facebook.com/caycompass (and don’t forget to tag yourself and your friends!) MONDAY MARCH 2, 2015 • CAYMAN COMPASS The annual Agriculture Show, one of Cayman Brac’s largest community events, was once again a huge success on Saturday. In addition to displays of local produce and lots of great food for sale, kids and families enjoyed music, activities, competitions and demonstrations by Customs, police and health and fire services. Annelee Ebanks displays some popular items. - PHOTOS: ED BEATY Premier Alden McLaughlin Cadets on parade Celine and Cariza Christian share some coconut milk. Krista McDermot Kri of Future Point dance group from New York shows off some moves.Peter Dixon of Localz band entertains. Brownies were featured at one table. The Hon. Kurt Tibbetts Traditional Caymanian handicrafts were on display.Fine livestock were present in abundance.7 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • MONDAY MARCH 2, 2015 Caledonian liquidators looking for buyers MICHAEL KLEIN mklein@pinnaclemedialtd.com The liquidators of Caledonian Bank and Caledonian Securities have announced they are looking for potential buyers for the two entities. The staff of the bank and its brokerage arm, which were ordered by the Grand Court to be wound up on Feb. 25, on the application of the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority, will continue to be paid under the terms of their contracts, the liquidators said in a statement. Staff will assist the liqui- dators, Keiran Hutchison and Claire Loebell of Ernst & Young, with preparations for efforts to sell the two businesses. “Employees have been ad- vised that redundancies are likely, and they are free to resign if they should choose to pursue other opportu- nities,” the statement said. “Notwithstanding this the Liquidators would welcome the opportunity to introduce them to a prospective new employer if a buyer for the businesses can be identified.” The liquidators will con- tinue to report their find- ings and are in the pro- cess of calling meetings of stakeholders. In the mean- time, the operation of all ser- vices to the customers and clients of Caledonian Bank and Caledonian Securities remain suspended. The appointment of the liquidators does not ex- tend to other companies within the Caledonian group. However, the liquidators are working with the directors of those businesses to address any issues arising as a result of the liquidation of the bank and its securities arm. Earlier this month, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission sued Caledonian Bank and Caledonian Securities for alleged viola- tions of U.S. securities law, notably the sale of restricted, unregistered stocks to the public. These stocks, ac- cording to SEC claims, were part of penny stock pump- and-dump schemes. The SEC obtained a freeze order for $76 million of Caledonian’s U.S. assets, which effectively rendered the bank insolvent. Slow Food pioneer visits Cayman ALAN MARKOFF amarkoff@pinnaclemedialtd.com One of the pioneers of the Slow Food movement va- cationed on Grand Cayman recently while visiting longtime friends. Azio Citi, who is still ac- tively involved in Slow Food, stayed with his friends Ercole and Laredana Musso, who run La Dolce Vita restaurant in George Town. Mr. Citi is from the Piedmont region of northern Italy, and the city of Bra, where Slow Food has its in- ternational headquarters. He served as the narrator of the 2013 documentary film “Slow Food Story” and he knows the organization’s founder, Carlo Petrini. “He’s my best friend,” said Mr. Citi. Chef Ercole Musso once had a restaurant called I Cannubi in Barolo, which is only about 10 miles from Bra. Mr. Petrini and Mr. Citi ate there together on many oc- casions, which is how their friendship was forged. Slow Food was founded in 1986 by Mr. Petrini as a re- sponse to the rise of the fast- food culture. The impetus for the establishment of Slow Food was the planned con- struction of a McDonald’s restaurant in Rome, which led to protests from ac- tivists. The initial aims of Slow Food included main- taining regional food tradi- tions, enjoying good quality food, and taking gastronomic pleasure in dining in a con- vivial setting with others. Eating locally produced food is a key element of the Slow Food philosophy. Slow Food now boasts more than 150,000 members and millions of supporters in 160 countries across the globe, and about 100 mem- bers in the Cayman chapter. Cayman’s chapter of the organization – Slow Food South Sound – was formed in 1996 by former Grand Old House General Manager Martin Richter. Its largest an- nual event in Cayman is Slow Food Day, which was founded in 2012 as a collaboration between Slow Food South Sound, Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink and the Cayman Islands Agricultural Society. In 2014, Camana Bay became the presenting sponsor of the event, which features a free, open to the public morning session and a ticketed dinner. This year’s Slow Food Day takes place on March 14. CAYMANIAN BAR ASSOCIATION COUNCIL REFLECTS DIVERSITY Members of the Caymanian Bar Association have selected their council for the new year and re- turned Abraham Thoppil as president. The council was named at the annual general meeting on Feb. 25. “The new council has 10 members representing seven different law firms/sole prac- titioners on the island,” Mr. Thoppil said. “It is hoped that this diversity will better reflect the ever-growing Caymanian legal fraternity, and we look forward to working together this year with members of the CBA, the Cayman Islands Law Society and other stake- holders in our endeavor to progress the legal industry of the Cayman Islands.” Outgoing vice-president Brett Basdeo was succeeded by Nick Rogers. Neil Timms was returned as treasurer and Nick Joseph was chosen as secretary. Returning council mem- bers Anna Goubault and Stephen Watler have been joined by newly elected Erik Bodden, Nikhil Jha, Ridhiima Kapoor and Alison Maxwell. Mr. Thoppil thanked Mr. Basdeo, Dale Crowley, Sharon Roulstone and Sophia Scott for their hard work and dedi- cation over the past year. He said he looked forward to their continued involvement with the association. The Caymanian Bar Association was estab- lished in 1988 after senior Caymanian attorneys per- ceived the need for an or- ganization to address is- sues of particular relevance to Caymanian attorneys and effectively to represent the views of Caymanian attor- neys who were, and are, a minority in the profession in the Cayman Islands. All Caymanians, as de- fined in the Immigration law (2014 Revision), who are ad- mitted to practice as an at- torney in the Cayman Islands and possess a current prac- tising certificate, are eligible to be members of the CBA. Slow Food pioneer Azio Citi, right, with his friends Laredana and Ercole Musso at La Dolce Vita restaurant, during a recent visit to the Cayman Islands. - PHOTO: ALAN MARKOFFThe islands’ most-trusted news source 8 MONDAY MARCH 2, 2015 • CAYMAN COMPASS Landfill catches fire again The Cayman Islands Fire Service does not have an ex- cavator, but government offi- cials believed the Department of Environmental Health, which manages the landfill site, did have one. Ministry of Home Affairs officials, the ministry which manages the fire service, said it was not immediately clear what started the blaze. Wispy, low-lying clouds of whitish-gray smoke were spotted wafting over the two- lane section of the Esterley Tibbetts Highway by 1 p.m. Sunday, causing drivers to slow down and rubber-neck their way through the smog. Gray plumes from the fire could be seen for miles early Sunday afternoon. In terms of size and dura- tion, Sunday’s fire was small in comparison to separate incidents in December 2013 and February 2014 when the George Town Landfill burned for 12 hours or longer. On Dec. 20, 2013, a mas- sive tire fire sparked by what officials believed were pro- pane tank explosions burned for half a day, sending a dark black, miles-long column of smoke over Seven Mile Beach. On Feb. 11, 2014, an even larger fire in terms of area broke out at the land- fill. That blaze took two days to extinguish. The deep-seated February 2014 fire, in a large residen- tial trash pile at the land- fill’s southern end, was more difficult to battle since five pieces of heavy equip- ment normally used to fight fires or mitigate the occur- rence of fires were out of order. Then-Health Minister Osbourne Bodden said at the time that two bulldozers, a trash compactor and two excavators normally avail- able to the dump site were broken down. Some funding was removed from other areas of the government’s 2013/14 budget, including the National Museum’s budget, to pay for equipment for the landfill site. Other recent fires In late-July 2014, another major fire broke out at the landfill, this time not quite as visible to the public because it was largely underground. In that blaze, fire crews battled a deep-seated fire from July 18. It was fi- nally brought under control on July 24. A smaller fire broke out the weekend of Aug. 1-2, but still required a few more days for firefighters to extin- guish. At the time, Acting Fire Chief Roy Grant said he be- lieved that various materials were exploding beneath the surface of the trash mound, leading to fires that eventu- ally broke out on the surface. “There is a situation of spontaneous combustion taking place down there, and it could flare up at any time,” Mr. Grant said. “I don’t think this will be the last one to see. It’s a battle, and we are doing the best we can under the circumstances.” Less than two weeks later, on Aug. 16, fire broke out again at the landfill. marathons from Barkers to Starfish Point and back just before noon Saturday and had completed around 91 miles by mid- afternoon Sunday. This gallant effort – aka Ker-a-thon – was all for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation for pediatric cancer re- search. The amount pledged reached more than $13,000, which will go into the foun- dation’s “Heroes for Hannah” fund, established two years ago to honor 7-year-old Cayman Islands resident Hannah Meeson and other young cancer survivors, including Skylar “Mimi” Ebanks, Tayden Grant, Beau Shields, Annabel Reading and Charli Foster. Ms. Kanuga celebrated her 45th birthday on Sunday and thought this was a worthy and unique way of marking the occasion. She was extremely tired on Sunday and had been treated for blistered feet, but she was in good spirits and determined to finish. The Meeson family, including Hannah, dad Nigel, mom Gaylene and her mother Granny June, were alongside Ms. Kanuga to lend their support. Nigel even pushed Hannah in her stroller for a few minutes at one point. Among Ms. Kanuga’s support team was James Murray, another ultra-dis- tance runner who now lives in Canada and flew in spe- cially to help. Tatum Jose, the event’s communications coordi- nator, said, “Kerri is in good spirits although very tired. She really appreciates all the support she is getting from other runners joining her, passersby, and motor- ists honking.” Ms. Jose said dona- tions were still coming in, and Ms. Kanuga’s coach Lisa Smith-Batchen offered complementary training for the biggest donation. Kanuga headed for finish line get rid of me. “I personally think he wants to get rid of me before this trial comes to court. If I’m successful [in de- fending the case] he can’t get rid of me.” Mr. Bryan recently pleaded not guilty to dis- orderly conduct charges al- leging that he used “abu- sive and calumnious language” in the parking lot of Dream nightclub during the overnight period of Oct. 10 and Oct. 11, 2014. He also pleaded not guilty to charges that he assaulted a police officer at the scene of the disturbance. The as- sault charge is a common assault, meaning physical contact did not necessarily occur. He remains free on bail pending the trial date. Premier McLaughlin said Saturday that the termina- tion of Mr. Bryan’s employ- ment had more to do with the practical nature of run- ning a public office. “I have been without a political assistant since early December,” Mr. McLaughlin said. “Kenneth’s trial is not until August. I needed someone to do the job he was employed to do. My constituency work is being neglected, and the needs of the people I was elected to represent are not being met. “It is untenable for me as premier to operate with Kenneth while he is facing charges which include as- saulting police. I regret that it has come to this, but I have no choice but to re- place him at this point.” Mr. Bryan said he was consulting with attorneys regarding his contract. Initially, Mr. McLaughlin had indicated Mr. Bryan would be placed on required leave pending the outcome of the charges against him. However, Mr. Bryan is not a civil servant, but a political appointee in the premier’s office and his employment is governed under the terms of the contract, not the Public Service Management Law. In any case, it appears Mr. Bryan, a former TV journalist and 2013 po- litical candidate with the Progressives party, will be without a job starting in June while facing criminal charges. “Who’s going to hire me before this trial?” he asked. Opposition Leader McKeeva Bush, who sat with Mr. Bryan in the court dock during at least one of his recent appearances, credited Mr. Bryan with gaining for the Progressives party – Mr. Bush’s political opponents – significant sup- port in George Town’s lower income neighborhoods during the May 2013 gen- eral election. “[The Progressives] used Kenneth Bryan,” Mr. Bush said. “Now [they] take the steps to fire him even before any verdict by the court. “I feel for Kenneth as he has two children and just obtained a mortgage. This is a bad economy to try and get a job.” Premier’s aide fired CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Ms. Kanuga began running four marathons from Barkers to Starfish Point and back just before noon on Saturday and had completed around 91 miles by mid- afternoon Sunday. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 View from the top of the tower at Camana Bay on Sunday afternoon. - PHOTO: NORMA CONNOLLY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Man burned in boat fire A man making repairs to a boat docked in George Town suffered major burn injuries Saturday when a flash fire occurred on the boat. According to the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service, the 46-year- old man was working on a 40-foot pontoon boat at the Reef Dock on North Church Street just before 9 a.m. The man suffered burns to his arms and legs and was listed in critical condi- tion at the Cayman Islands Hospital on Saturday. He was later airlifted overseas for burn treatment. No one else was hurt in the fire, and the boat was not significantly damaged. Mr. Bryan Kerry tries to calm tensions WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State John Kerry on Sunday tried to calm ten- sions with Israel before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s congressional address, yet insisted the Obama administration’s dip- lomatic record with Iran en- titles the U.S. to “the benefit of the doubt” as negotiators work toward a long-term nu- clear deal. Kerry said in an interview broadcast before he left for more talks in Switzerland with Iran’s foreign minister that Netanyahu was wel- come to speak in the U.S. and that the administra- tion did not want the event “turned into some great political football.” That sentiment was a step back from some of the sharp rhetoric between the allies in recent weeks, and Kerry mentioned that he talked to Netanyahu as re- cently as Saturday. But Kerry stressed that Israel was safer as a result of the short-term nuclear pact that world powers and Iran reached in late 2013, and he described that im- provement as the “stan- dard we will apply to any agreement” with the Islamic Republic. Officials have described the United States, Europe, Russia and China as con- sidering a compromise that would see Iran’s nuclear ac- tivities severely curtailed for at least a decade, with the restrictions and U.S. and Western economic penal- ties eased in the final years of a deal. “We are going to test whether or not diplomacy can prevent this weapon from being created, so you don’t have to turn to addi- tional measures including the possibility of a military con- frontation,” Kerry told ABC’s “This Week.”The islands’ most-trusted news source 9 CAYMAN COMPASS • MONDAY MARCH 2, 2015 Sierra Leone VP in quarantine for Ebola Sierra Leone’s vice president Samuel Sam-Sumana has voluntarily put himself in quarantine for 21 days following the death from Ebola of one of his security guards. Opposition sees Kremlin links to slaying of prominent Putin critic MOSCOW — Russian oppo- sition leaders on Saturday ac- cused the Kremlin of being behind the death of a tow- ering figure of post-So- viet politics, Boris Nemtsov, as they struggled to come to grips with the highest- profile assassination of President Vladimir Putin’s 15 years in power. Nemtsov, 59, was gunned down late Friday, steps from the Kremlin and underneath the swirling domes of St. Basil’s Cathedral – the heart of power in Russia and one of the most secure areas in the nation. The slaying of one of Putin’s most biting critics swept a wave of fresh vulner- ability over those in the op- position, and some expressed new fears for their lives. Putin and other allies said that the assassination was a provocation intended to dis- credit the Kremlin. There were no immediate suspects brought into custody in the drive-by shooting. Authorities said they were working hard to track down a light-col- ored sedan that was captured on surveillance cameras as Nemtsov crossed a bridge over the Moscow River on an unseasonably warm February night. At the crime scene on a dreary Moscow Saturday, hundreds of people gathered to lay red roses and white carnations. Many of them were in tears. A Kremlin spokesman said that there were no grounds to fear that other opposition leaders would be killed. “The murder is monstrous, and, as the president said, it has all the markings of a con- tract killing,” Dmitry Peskov told the opposition-leaning Dozhd television channel. “But to judge on that basis that this is the beginning of a se- ries of such killings is overly emotional, and it’s wrong.” On Saturday afternoon, state-run news outlets re- ported that investigators had found a white Lada sedan that they believed was used in the killing. Images that they broadcast showed a car with license plates from Ingushetia, a tumul- tuous Muslim-majority prov- ince in the Caucasus that has long been plagued with extremist violence. Opposition leaders said they had canceled a Sunday rally that they had hoped would breathe new life into a movement that has struggled under the weight of a wave of nationalism that followed the annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula a year ago. The 55-year-old Nemtsov had been one of the lead or- ganizers. Instead, his allies said they planned to hold a memorial march for him the same day in central Moscow. It was unclear whether the slaying would spur new support for the belea- guered opposition movement or whether it would simply be further marginalized, re- pressed by fear and the si- lencing of one of its most prominent voices. “It’s not decided, but it could go both directions. Toward more cruelty or ac- tually some change in the re- gime, as well, if we figure out how to use this momentum,” said Leonid Volkov, an opposi- tion leader who had been orga- nizing the rally with Nemtsov. “Of course the personal perception of safety has just been enormously shat- tered. No one considered that someone could be just shot down. The regime was used to imprisoning people,” Volkov said. “It’s a new era in Russian opposition politics.” Nemtsov’s death was a bitter bookend to the hopes that had accompanied the dashing, Western-style pol- itician in the heady years after the breakup of the Soviet Union as he took a lead role in plunging Russia into capitalism. Now many of those reforms have been undone, with Putin taking near-absolute, personal con- trol of the country and re- nationalizing broad swathes of the economy. Although Putin con- demned Nemtsov’s death, Russian authorities ap- peared to be making few concessions to the oppo- sition in its wake. The na- tional Internet watchdog briefly blocked access to the blog of Alexei Navalny, the leader of a younger gen- eration of Kremlin critics. Hours after the assassina- tion, investigators were at Nemtsov’s Moscow apart- ment, searching his files, con- fiscating his computer hard drive and questioning his neighbors, the Interfax news service reported. Navalny, who after vast anti-Putin rallies in 2011 and 2012 had eclipsed Nemtsov as Russia’s preeminent op- position leader, is currently in jail serving a 15-day sen- tence for distributing fliers promoting the rally. From jail on Saturday, he said: “I am so deeply shocked that I cannot even find words.” “Boris came here a couple of days ago, he was so lively and energetic, full of plans,” Navalny wrote on his Facebook page, via an associate. “He immedi- ately charmed the policemen, chatted with them cheer- fully, explained to them why it is good for them to support the demands of the Spring march, gave them brochures with his report.” Nemtsov was slain as he was walking home from having late-night drinks at a cafe inside GUM, the glit- tering department store on Red Square that was in many ways a symbol of the work he did to drag Russia into the capitalist age. The assassina- tion, literally at the doorstep of the Kremlin, was a bitter symbol for those in the op- position movement of their powerful new vulnerability. © 2015, The Washington Post Flowers, and posters reading ‘propaganda kills!’ at the site where Boris Nemtsov, a charismatic opposition leader and sharp critic of President Vladimir Putin, was gunned down on Friday near the Kremlin. - PHOTO: AP New plane tracking to be tested after Malaysia jet mystery SYDNEY (AP) — Australia, Indonesia and Malaysia will lead a trial of an enhanced method of tracking aircraft over remote oceans to allow planes to be more easily found should they vanish like Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, Australia’s transport minister said Sunday. The announcement comes one week ahead of the anni- versary of the disappearance of Flight 370, which vanished last year during a flight from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to Beijing with 239 people on board. No trace of the plane has been found. Airservices Australia, a government-owned agency that manages the country’s airspace, will work with its Malaysian and Indonesian counterparts to test the new method, which would enable planes to be tracked every 15 minutes, rather than the pre- vious rate of 30 to 40 minutes, Australian Transport Minister Warren Truss said. The tracking would increase to 5 minutes or less if there is a deviation in the plane’s movements. The trial is expected to use satellite-based posi- tioning technology already on board 90 percent of long- haul aircraft that transmits the plane’s current position and its next two planned positions, said Airservices Australia chairman Angus Houston, who helped lead the search for Flight 370. The trial will boost the frequency with which planes automatically report their position, allowing air traffic controllers to better track them, Houston said. “This is not a silver bullet,” Houston told reporters in the nation’s capital, Canberra. “But it is an important step in delivering immediate im- provements to the way we currently track aircraft while more comprehensive solu- tions are developed.” There is no require- ment for real-time tracking of commercial aircraft and ever since Flight 370 disap- peared, air safety regulators and airlines have been trying to agree on how extensively planes should be tracked. The Boeing 777 veered sharply off-course and vanished from radar shortly into its flight on March 8. An international team of experts that analyzed a se- ries of hourly transmissions between the plane and a sat- ellite later determined that the plane traveled for another seven hours before crashing somewhere within a remote 23,000-square-mile patch of the Indian Ocean. An ex- tensive, monthslong search of that area is ongoing, but nothing has yet been found. Houston warned that new method being trialed would not necessarily have allowed air traffic controllers to mon- itor Flight 370 – whose tran- sponder and other tracking equipment shut down during the flight – to the point where it crashed. “I think we’ve got to be very, very careful because you can turn this system off,” he said. “What would have happened while the system is operating, we’d know ex- actly where the aircraft was. If somebody had turned the system off, we’re in the same set of circumstances as we’ve experienced on the latter part of the flight of MH370.” The new method would enable planes to be tracked every 15 minutes, rather than the previous rate of 30 to 40 minutes.Next >