Main cover title goes here High of 91 Low of 81 Smooth to slight with wave heights less than 2 feet. 1 SPECIALFEATURE CAYMAN COMPASS • WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 30, 2015 CAYMAN COMPASS • WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 30, 2015 1 SPECIALFEATURE SMALL BUSINESS... ...CELEBRATING CAYMAN’S ENTREPRENEURS special feature Small Business Editorial | pagE 4 Cayman’s small businesses: a very big deal estaBlisHeD 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – Wednesday september 30, 2015 $200K project planned to control iguana pest James Whittaker jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Sniffer dogs and marksmen could be used in separate initiatives to fight a growing problem with green iguanas in Grand Cayman and on the Sister Islands. A pilot cull is planned in Grand Cayman as part of a $200,000 project, one of the first schemes to be financed through the Environmental Protection Fund. On the Sister Islands, trained dogs could be deployed to hunt down a relatively small number of green iguanas in an effort to pre- vent the kind of population explosion that has occurred on Grand Cayman. Fred Burton, head of the invasive spe- cies committee of the National Conservation Council, said green iguanas are a pest species that makes commercial and backyard farming difficult. He said numbers are growing expo- nentially on Grand Cayman to the point where they are altering the landscape, stripping trees and damaging habitat for other animals, in- cluding some rare bird species. Fears are increasing that similar damage could be done on the Sister Islands if a small number of green iguanas, believed to have ar- rived on shipping containers, are not culled. Speaking at a meeting of the council last week, Mr. Burton said, “The main focus is the green iguana situation, both from the point of view of Grand Cayman, where it is a serious problem already, and on the Sister Islands, where the threat is that the same thing is going to occur.” He said fighting the pest would require a two-pronged approach. On Grand Cayman, an experimental cull will take place to assess the feasibility, financial and logistical requirements of an island-wide cull. “This is an information-gathering exercise that would result in a reduction of green iguanas in Dart touts hotel project impact James Whittaker jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Developer Dart Realty says its Kimpton hotel project is having spin-off benefits for the Cayman Islands economy and will create more jobs as con- struction enters its final phase. A “topping out” celebra- tion was held at the site with a team of more than 600 con- tracted workers last month following the completion of the two 10-story structures. Now work begins to trans- form the concrete build- ings into a four-star hotel and condo complex that will feature 262 rooms and 62 residences ahead of a November 2016 opening. The hotel’s name will be re- vealed in November this year, when the first residences go on sale, according to Jackie Doak, chief operating officer of Dart Realty. Dart’s construction man- agement company DECCO says the number of workers on site will increase over the next 12 months. “Since early 2014 when construction began in earnest, the project has provided more than 688,000 hours of employ- ment for local workers, or the equivalent of 175 continuous full time positions for local workers,” a press release from Police found five bags with 25 of these one-kilo blocks of cocaine in each. – pHoto: rcips PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 6 » More than 600 workers celebrate the completion of the hotel structure at a ‘topping out’ ceremony. Kimpton executives toured the site earlier this month. PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 6 » Major drug find in East End brent Fuller bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com A large cache of cocaine – 125 ki- lograms (275.6 pounds) with an esti- mated street value of between US$2.5 and US$3.5 million – was recovered by police Monday off East End. Police reported that a member of the public spotted a large white rice bag containing what ap- peared to be cocaine on the beach near Ocean Frontiers Dive Shop on Austin Connolly Drive around 9 a.m. Monday. The police helicopter and police patrols responded to search the shore area, initially using a small mainte- nance skiff loaned by Ocean Frontiers to scour the waters and collect bags of cocaine floating in the sea. Police spotted bags of cocaine as far as 3 miles offshore from the dock. In all, five bags, each containing 25 kilograms of cocaine, were recovered. “There have been some drug finds over the years in this area, but I’ve never seen anything as much as this,” said Steve Broadbelt, co-owner of Ocean Frontiers, who watched the po- lice operation happening on Monday. “They were out there all afternoon.” Throughout Tuesday morning, po- lice carried out additional searches of the area. Police destroyed the drugs Tuesday morning.2 LOCAL&REGIONAL Wednesday september 30, 2015 • Cayman Compass 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. - WEDNESDAY - $8.00 * UPCOMING RUGBY MATCHES AT THE CINEMA – THURS * VISIT WWW.BIGSCREEN.KY FOR MORE INFORMATION. 18 YEARS & OVER HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA 2 3D (PG) 12.30 I 2:50 I 5:05 2D I 7:20 9:35 2D EVEREST 3D (PG13) 12:50 I 3:35 2D I 7:10 I 9:55 THE PERFECT GUY (PG13) 1:20 I 3:45 I 7:00 10:00 SICARIO (R) 12:30 I 3:15 I 6:50 I 9:45 MAZE RUNNER 2 3D (PG13) 12:40 I 3:40 2D I 6:40 I 9:40 2D THE TRANSPORTER (PG13) 1:10 I 7:30 BLACK MASS (R) 4:00 I 9:50 Jury notice Grand Court jurors who are in the July 1-Oct. 6 ses- sion are now to report on Oct. 5 at 9:45 a.m. Call the Jury Information line at 945-5072 for the most up-to-date information. Florida woman arrested after photo of her riding sea turtle goes viral Stephanie Moore ap- pears blissful in the Snapchat screenshot. The image allegedly shows her sitting astride a large sea turtle on the beach, her eyes closed and mouth pursed in coy triumph. Her arms are bent as if to mirror the flippers of the creature beneath her. After this photo and others of another woman in a sim- ilar stance went viral this July – in the midst of a critical nesting season – complaints to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission prompted a criminal investi- gation. Moore, 20, was arrested early Saturday, the Melbourne, Florida, Police Department said in a post on Facebook. She was apprehended after Melbourne officers en- countered her while re- sponding to a separate call about a disturbance. They identified her as one of the women in the photographs that had been shared widely on social media – ironic given Snapchat’s brand of “disap- pearing” photos. Her ultimate fate may re- semble that of Taylor Martin and Seth Stephenson, both 22, who were fined and handed community service hours last year after facing federal charges for abusing manatees in a video posted to Facebook. The video shows him jumping off a boat dock onto two manatees, an adult and a calf, while Stephenson keeps them there with a water hose, the Tampa Tribune reported. Sea turtles, a protected species under the federal Endangered Species Act and Florida’s Marine Turtle Protection Act, nest along the state’s east-central coastline, “the second most important nesting beach in the world,” according to the Florida- based Sea Turtle Conservancy. “I think it’s abusive. I think it’s criminal,” Melbourne res- ident Christine Crowe told News 13. “These are pro- tected species. Take care of them, and if you’re not going to respect them, they need to suffer the consequences.” © 2015, the Washington Post ‘Men-only’ sessions to address domestic issues Separate seminars for women this weekend Domestic violence, con- flict resolution and the re- sponsibilities of husbands and fathers will be among the topics discussed at a symposium this weekend. Pastor Jeff Jefferson, min- ister at Kings Church, said the sessions are being held because of the many roles so- ciety expects men to fill. “One of the significant questions, therefore, that we hope the sessions will help men answer is how to align their masculinity with the beliefs, values, spiri- tual virtues, behavior and societal roles and func- tions from which these expectations derive.” There will be separate sessions for women. All are invited to attend the free sessions. The seminars will kick off with sessions for men only at 7 p.m. Friday in the church on Walkers Road and con- tinue at 4:30 p.m. Saturday. The women’s semi- nars will be held at the same times at the adjacent Cayman Academy Hall. Joint sessions will be held on suit- able topics. The weekend program features Pastor Ronaldo da Cunha and his wife, Dr. Doroti da Cunha, a certified health coach. Married for 44 years, they have served in churches in North, South and Central America. Pastor da Cunha will lead joint sessions on Saturday morning, with a divine ser- vice beginning at 10:45 a.m. The weekend symposium will end with a men-only session on Sunday evening at 7 p.m. The weekend will also include a social at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Cayman Academy grounds. Alton Hamilton, one of the organizers, said the aim of the Saturday social is to bring families together for fun, relaxation and strength- ening of bonds. the symposium will be held at Kings Seventh-day Adventist church oct. 2–4. Tropical STorm Joaquin Slowly STrengThenS MIAMI (AP) – Tropical Storm Joaquin in the Atlantic is expected to slowly strengthen over the next two days. Joaquin’s maximum sustained winds were near 40 mph on Tuesday. The storm was centered about 385 miles northeast of the central Bahamas and was moving west near 5 mph. Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Marty has weak- ened a little off Mexico’s Pacific coast. The storm’s maximum sustained winds early Tuesday decreased to near 65 mph with additional weakening expected over the next few days. Marty is centered about 90 miles south of Zihuatanejo, Mexico, and is moving east near 2 mph. Sea turtles, a protected species under the federal Endangered Species Act and Florida’s Marine Turtle Protection Act, nest along the state’s east- central coastline. this is the Snapchat image, allegedly of Stephanie Moore riding a sea turtle, that led to her arrest.3 LOCAL NEWS Cayman Compass • Wednesday september 30, 2015 Petitioners claim 5,000+ signatures Brent Fuller bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com Prices at the pump fell by about 20 cents per gallon at many Sol Petroleum-supplied stations on Monday and Tuesday as declining world- wide petroleum prices trickled down to the Cayman Islands. Some George Town Sol sta- tions saw prices fall to $4.44 per gallon for regular, self- serve unleaded by Tuesday, while Rubis-supplied stations were averaging around $4.32 per gallon, according to fig- ures from the Cayman Islands Petroleum Inspectorate. Prior to Monday, there was about a 30-35 cent per gallon price difference between the two companies at the Grand Cayman stations, which Sol officials said was largely due to the difference in timing of fuel delivery to the islands. Earlier shipments received at higher prices would have to be exhausted prior to retail pump prices declining, petro- leum officials said. “Sol does not set the price at the pump, the dealers do, but I would expect that as the stations use up their existing inventory they will reflect the reduced cost in pump pricing,” Sol’s Alan Neesome said Tuesday. The price difference be- tween the two suppliers re- mained at more than 10 cents per gallon as of Tuesday. “Prices … will vary as that is the nature of a free market and competition,” Mr. Neesome said. “Esso [Sol] service station diesel pump prices, for instance, have been consistently 10 or 11 cents a gallon below the average of the market for the past sev- eral weeks.” The past two weeks have marked the first significant drop in Cayman Islands gas prices since early July, around the time when corresponding prices in the U.S. and in per barrel prices for world bench- mark fuels began a sharp de- cline. The U.S. national av- erage price per gallon had stabilized at about US$2.28 per gallon over the past week, according to figures compiled by the American Automobile Association. Brent crude oil prices per barrel stood at US$48.45 Tuesday, about 20 cents higher than in the beginning of September. A local furor over the price of gasoline sparked a peti- tion drive seen all over the Cayman Islands this past weekend, led by a committee proclaiming “Cayman is fed up with high gas prices.” Petitioners are demanding that the government take ac- tion to reduce local retail fuel prices. Petition organizer George R. Ebanks said more than 5,000 signatures were re- ceived in collection efforts at local supermarkets, public meetings and online. “[We] support the gov- ernment promising to bring wide, sweeping leg- islation in October to the Legislative Assembly to ob- tain cost prices from both Sol Petroleum and Rubis,” Mr. Ebanks said. “This will then enable the government via the petroleum inspectorate to pressure the fuel importers to sell their fuel at market driven fuel prices to the var- ious retail outlets.” Mr. Ebanks acknowledged that not all of the signers were registered voters, so the petition, at least at the mo- ment, would not have any legal effect in terms of forcing a referendum on the gas prices issue. The government could bring legislation as early as mid-October to address some of the petitioners’ con- cerns. Proposed changes to Cayman’s laws governing the handling or storage of dan- gerous substances would re- quire all fuel importers to provide detailed informa- tion on their operating costs to government’s regulatory agency, if they are approved by legislators. According to the Dangerous Substances Handling and Storage (Amendment) Bill, 2015, as proposed: “The chief petro- leum inspector shall … collect from importers, and compile, analyze and abstract, infor- mation on fuel prices and pricing methods and provide such information to the min- ister.” At the request of the petroleum inspector, the im- porter is required to provide information on the price of all fuel imported and sold and the “pricing methods” used by the importer in the sale of fuel to [retail] operators and consumers. Those costs can include: initial costs, cost of freight, insurance and bro- kerage fees, customs duties, estimates of fuel in stock, and the amount and type of fuel to be imported in the next shipment. The legislation proposes a $20,000 fine or imprison- ment for one year, or both, for anyone who fails to provide information or who provides false information to the gov- ernment inspector. Gas prices drop at Sol/Esso stations Prices dropped 20 cents a gallon overnight at this Sol/Esso station on Shedden Road. – Photo: Brent Fuller “I would expect that as the stations use up their existing inventory they will reflect the reduced cost in pump pricing.” AlAn neesome, Sol PetroleumThe islands’ most-trusted news source 4 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. Are you aware that there is an international effort to increase taxes, including those paid by Americans? On Oct. 5, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) will release its “final package of measures for a coordinated international approach to re- form the tax system under the OECD/G20 Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) Project.” In plain English, what the OECD bureaucrats are attempting to do is put in place minimum international corporate tax rates, and com- panies will be required to share sensitive and propri- etary information with non- Americans who may misuse it. History tells us that gov- ernments often fail in their promises to keep sensitive in- formation confidential, and once a new minimum rate is established for a tax, it is quickly raised. The U.S. in- come tax started out with a top rate of only 7 percent, which only affected the few millionaires back in 1914. There are a few important facts that most members of the global political class will- fully choose to ignore. In most countries the individual and corporate tax rates and gov- ernment spending levels are well above the revenue and welfare maximizing rates. Much government spending is also wasteful and even harmful because the bureau- crats are spending other peo- ple’s money rather than their own. For instance, this past week, it was revealed that the Environmental Protection Agency – the same agency that a month ago heavily polluted a river in Colorado, causing great environmental damage – has been caught spending taxpayer dollars on unneeded exotic furniture. To be exact, one official bought a chair costing US$4,047, and another spent US$813 on a pencil holder. All of this is small potatoes as government spending goes, but it does il- lustrate how many in gov- ernment treat hard-earned taxpayer dollars – and why economic growth declines as government gets bigger. It has also been well known that as government spending on pensions and other “entitle- ments” grows, it has a negative effect on hours worked and economic growth. A new paper published by the European Central Bank also shows a strong negative correlation be- tween pension and social se- curity expenditures, as shares of gross domestic product, on household net wealth levels. Again, none of this is sur- prising, but it is ignored as being politically inconvenient. Many people, without thinking about it, like the corporate tax because they think it is a tax on greedy billionaires. In fact, the cor- porate tax is paid by con- sumers in the form of higher prices and by workers in the form of lower wages and fewer jobs. It results in less investment in new plants and equipment and fewer new goods and services – which is why most tax econ- omists view it as a bad tax. Investors are also hit by the corporate tax, but they have many options, including in- vesting elsewhere or just con- suming their savings, which hurts economic growth and future job creation. The OECD started life sev- eral decades ago as a trade promotion and statistical or- ganization created by the few big, rich nations. As bureau- cracies tend to do, the OECD grew in number of mem- bers and engaged in “mission creep,” most notably becoming a lobbying organization – using taxpayer money – for those wanting higher taxes. In its initial effort to promote higher taxes, the OECD pub- lished a paper in 1998 titled “Harmful Tax Competition” – which ignored the obvious that competition is benefi- cial and that tax rates in most countries were already too high for the common good. The United States and the major European states, no- tably France, then began a major attack on countries with low tax burdens and tax rates, referring to them as “tax havens,” rather than ap- plauding many of them for being fiscally responsible. In the 1980s, the so-called tax havens were accused of har- boring drug dealers, which morphed into accusations of protecting organized crime, which morphed into accusa- tions of protecting terrorists, and now they are accused of fostering inequality. Most of these countries and political entities, being small, were pressured into signing and complying with tax and other information-sharing agree- ments. Yet they are still being slandered as “tax havens,” and global investors are being legally prohibited or discouraged from using their legitimate financial services. The United States has become a global, irrespon- sible financial bully by im- posing its Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) regulations on the world’s fi- nancial institutions. FATCA greatly reduces the ability of Americans living abroad and low-income people most any- where on the globe to open bank accounts and transfer money, while placing a sti- fling burden of regulations on the world’s financial in- dustry. The Obama admin- istration and the complicit OECD never bothered to do cost-benefit analysis on all of these new regulations – be- cause many are intellectually or morally dishonest (much like the fact that OECD staff is exempt from income taxes that they demand others pay). Brian Garst of the Center for Freedom and Prosperity said it best when he wrote that the OECD’s “BEPS threatens to erect substantial and costly new barriers to global commerce, and its propo- nents clearly hope no one will notice until it is too late.” Richard W. Rahn, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute and chairman of the Institute for Global Economic Growth, is on the Editorial Board of Cayman Financial Review. © 2015, The Washington Times – EDITORIAL – Cayman’s small businesses: A very big deal Wednesday sepTember 30, 2015 • Cayman COmpass Included in today’s Cayman Compass is a 16-page special feature, titled, “Small business … Celebrating Cayman’s entrepreneurs.” That’s not just marketing-speak. Our country’s risk- takers and independent service providers deserve to be recognized because they comprise the economic future of the Cayman Islands. Over the past several decades, Cayman has carved out a place for itself in the global scheme of things as an international financial center and luxury tourism destination. Nowadays, we may tend to take the results and the rewards of the “Cayman Miracle” for granted, but we should remember that the people responsible for building up Cayman were, fundamen- tally, entrepreneurs – cut from the same cloth as the industrious Caymanians who for ages went to sea to seek their fortunes. What successful entrepreneurs, in any field (sea- faring, law, finance, technology, development, business in general), have in common is a particular trait called “conation,” which means, in brief, an inherent inclina- tion – as in a drive, volition or striving – to act purpose- fully. People who have conation cannot be stopped from achieving, well, whatever it is they have in mind to achieve. Conation is, admittedly, a rather obscure term. But it is absolutely essential for entrepreneurs. To those who have this drive, nothing is an absolute barrier to success – not even a lack of means, social position, education or physical shortcomings. There are plenty of people in Cayman who possess this characteristic, and they should be encouraged at every step. Not necessarily through government grants, favorable loans or cushy internship programs (in fact, these may be impediments … an effective neu- tralizing agent of conation is an unwarranted sense of entitlement) – but by saying, “Yes,” to the possibilities they broach, and then getting out of their way as they get on with their business. In yesterday’s editorial, we wrote at some length about the government’s inability to encourage economic activity through threats and edicts. Another facet of that argument is that, thankfully, government doesn’t need to. Creation is the business of individual businessmen. And, too often, the cost of government regulation is decreased innovation. Considering Cayman’s small population, limited natural resources and insular geography, our country’s greatest asset is human ingenuity. Accordingly, the cost of entry into Cayman’s marketplace ought to be very low, actually as close to nonexistent as possible. Anybody who has an idea for a business and wants to pursue it, should be able to, with a minimal amount of paperwork, red tape, fees and other encumbrances. Unfortunately, but perhaps also somewhat inevi- tably, our school system in far too many instances is graduating students who are not adequately equipped for Cayman’s current economy. For many people who have ambition and desire, but little else, the best way into the marketplace is through entrepreneurialism. If no one will hire you, hire yourself by starting your own business. There’s a saying, which we subscribe to, that it’s better to work 100 hours for yourself than 40 hours for someone else. We applaud every person we see on the roadside unloading a barbecue grill from the back of a truck, in preparation to sell fried fish to commuters returning home from work. An excellent first rung on the economic ladder is “Owner, President and CEO of Cayman Fish Fry Ltd.” – and it looks impressive on a business card. Why start at the bottom when you can start at the top? Global tax bullies RichaRd W. Rahn 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 find their own way”5 LOCAL NEWS Cayman Compass • Wednesday september 30, 2015 Abacus Anytime Fitness Bedside Manor Bon Vivant Kitchen Studio Books & Books The Cabana, a Lilly Pulitzer Via Shop Celebrations De Sunglass Man Design Studio Digicel Eclipze Hair Design & Day Spa Fluff n’ Fold The Jean Bar Le Visage Mail Boxes Etc. The Mansion The Music Box Must Love Dogs NKY Collections NKY Menswear Ortanique Picture This Sand Angels Silhouette SOLES Shoe Salon VisionWear Cayman Watch.Me West Indies Wine Company Follow and use #CamanaBay on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest event updates. camanabay.com/ShoppersNightOut PARTICIPATING LOCATIONS ••••••••••••••••••••••••• ••••••••••••••••••••••••• SHOP & WIN! Receive a raffle entry for every CI$25 you spend at participating Camana Bay locations. Each entry gets you closer to winning a $500 Camana Bay Gift Card and fabulous prizes from the shops of Camana Bay. For one night only, the shops of Camana Bay are rolling out new fall merchandise and marking down prices. Enjoy super savings and special offers while browsing everything from fashion, accessories and beauty products to books, gadgets and home goods. •••••••••••••••••••••••• SHOPPERS’ NIGHT OUT ••••••••••••• ••••••••••• AT CAMANA BAY ••••••••••••• ••••••••• THURSD AY 1 OCTOBER 5-8pm Report: Government stalling on FOI requests Brent Fuller bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com More than half of the Freedom of Information re- quests filed with the Cayman Islands government during the last budget year were not answered within the le- gally required 30-day time frame, the Information Commissioner’s Office re- ported Tuesday. Stating that response times “took a turn for the worst” during the govern- ment’s 2014/15 fiscal year, the information commissioner’s office revealed in its annual statistical report that 31 per- cent of the requests filed took more than 60 days to get a re- sponse. Another 20 percent of the open records requests re- ceived by government during the year were responded to within 30-60 days. The FOI Law allows gov- ernment agencies to request an additional 30-day exten- sion to the initial 30-day time- line if the request made takes longer to compile. However, in many cases, Acting Information Commissioner Jan Liebaers has said that it appeared the government was using the 30-calendar day limit as a target, rather than the maximum time allowed for an FOI response. “Now it seems that, at least half of the time, the legal time limit is a loose guideline rather than a target, let alone a legal requirement,” the an- nual report stated. In addition to taking longer, the 2014/15 re- port noted that far fewer open records queries were being answered in full by the government. According to records pro- duced by the office, govern- ment has fully released data for less than half – 48 percent – of Freedom of Information requests made to it since January 2009. In the last budget year, that figure fell to 39 percent – an all time low. Despite lengthening re- sponse times to the point of unlawfulness and releasing full records for fewer FOI re- quests, the open records law remained as popular as ever during 2014/15 in terms of use. The various government entities involved received just over 700 requests for in- formation during the year, more than in any year except for the first full year after the Freedom of Information Law came into effect during 2009/2010. “These statistics clearly show that government at large is heading in the wrong direction when it comes to applying the Freedom of Information Law,” Mr. Liebaers said. “Applicants have to wait longer than ever before for a response, and are less likely to get what they asked for in full. Although many government entities make genuine efforts to pub- lish records proactively, this shows that the heralded ‘cul- ture of openness’ remains an aspiration, not a reality.” The Information Commissioner’s Office has expressed some concern about government’s support for the local open records law since comments in early June by Cayman Premier Alden McLaughlin, in which Mr. McLaughlin stated that FOI was “an unproductive use of time.” “The sheer number of Mickey Mouse FOI requests that are being submitted cre- ates such a burden on the system and on the people who have to [respond to them], what I call legitimate FOI requests are often not dealt with as expeditiously as they should be,” Premier McLaughlin said during a June meeting of the Legislative Assembly’s Finance Committee. “When the sheer volume of work and expense that is involved in answering questions gets too great … the system starts to grind more slowly and more slowly. “There’s only so much in terms of resources that can be devoted in terms of dealing with FOI which, quite frankly and realistically from a country standpoint, is an unproductive use of time,” Mr. McLaughlin said. “It’s part of the transparency process, but it doesn’t achieve any- thing as far as the govern- ment, as delivery of services is concerned.” Mr. Liebaers said at the time that he was caught completely off-guard by the remarks. “I am surprised that the premier has never shared these concerns with the infor- mation commissioner’s office,” Mr. Liebaers said. “I suppose government would like to be able to determine which re- quest is legitimate and which isn’t. Fortunately, that is not the system the FOI Law pro- vides for and it would not be a system worthy of any demo- cratic country.” Mr. Liebaers Candelit service for burn victim James Whittaker jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com A candlelit vigil will be held on Seven Mile Beach on Saturday to celebrate the life of 21-year-old Jessie Perry who died after suf- fering devastating burns in a car accident. Family and friends, some wearing T-shirts and but- tons with Ms. Perry’s image, will gather at Public Beach to pay tribute to the young mother, who died in hospital in Jamaica after being air- lifted from Grand Cayman. Her aunt Jacqueline Ebanks said the pastor will make some remarks and family members and close friends will also speak at the service, which starts at 6 p.m. A similar service was held in Ms. Perry’s home country, Jamaica, earlier this week. The funeral will take place in Jamaica next month. Ms. Ebanks said anyone was welcome to attend the beach service on Saturday and pay their respects. Anyone who wants T-shirts or buttons can call her on 322-5673.Ms. PerryThe islands’ most-trusted news source 6 Wednesday september 30, 2015 • Cayman Compass the company stated. “At this stage, there are 550 workers on the site every day with 55 percent of them being Caymanians or permanent resi- dents and yet, the peak employ- ment is still to come. DECCO ex- pects the number of workers to reach 800 during the final stages,” the release stated. Dart says more than US$150 million of the estimated total cost of US$309 million has been invested so far. It says 70 local contracts and local pur- chase orders have been issued to date, with a value exceeding US$100 million. “We are proud to be intro- ducing Cayman’s first new resort in a decade, with the stylish and best-loved boutique hotel brand – Kimpton,” said Ms. Doak. “Local and international re- sponse to this property, Kimpton’s first Caribbean resort, has been resoundingly positive,” she added. She said the hotel would be coming online for the 2016-2017 high season. Last week representatives from Kimpton’s executive lead- ership and hotel pre-opening teams were on island in one of what will be a series of planning meetings between the developer and the operator. Dart touts hotel project impact one area,” Mr. Burton said. He said the project would es- tablish whether an island-wide cull is possible and how much it might cost. “We can never hope to eradicate them totally from Grand Cayman. If we could, we would. The real- istic aim is to bring the population density down and to hold it down,” he told the Cayman Compass. On the Sister Islands, efforts will focus on completely eradicating green iguanas. Currently, the pop- ulation there is small, making the iguanas difficult to locate, but Mr. Burton warned that by the time they were easy to find it would be too late. “We desperately need to re- search and test approaches for de- tecting low-density green iguana populations. They need to be found and euthanized. We are thinking of using trained dogs … if we can find a way of locating them, we can solve the problem.” $200K project planned to control iguana pest CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 After experiencing turbulent equity markets over the last decade, many people decided it may be better to trade the possibility of high investment returns for moderate guaranteed fi xed returns for at least a portion of their money. Despite this realization, some of these same people have kept their money out of the market entirely because they are waiting for interest rates to rise. This failure to invest has cost these procrastinating investors considerable money that may never be recovered. On the fi rst day of August 2010, the U.S. 5 year treasury yield was 1.64% and by August 2015 it was 1.89% - not much movement. Maybe interest rates will rise over the near term, maybe not. If rates do rise, will the interest earning lost now ever make up for the higher rates later? Nobody truly knows. But, let’s look at some reasons why any near term increase in interest rates will likely not be substantial: • devalued Chinese currency and the likely correlated slowing of US infl ation; • falling global commodity prices; • Eurozone economic weakness; • average annual growth of the US gross domestic product around 2%, refl ecting a slow healing from the 2008 fi nancial crisis; and • today’s “new normal” isn’t exactly a period of robust growth for quality full time jobs, spending, manufacturing or other economic indicators that would normally drive rising interest rates. Despite this data, many people continue to remain comfortable leaving their money on the side-lines in the hopes that interest rates will fi nally rise substantially. Your bank savings account likely offers almost zero interest and bank CDs are not much better. However, if you invested in a fi xed annuity, you would be considerably ahead today. Consider this example: Using $100,000, you keep your money in a bank savings account earning 0.06% for the last 5 years. At the end of the 5 years, your savings account increased $300. Alternatively, you purchased a 5 year certifi cate of deposit (bank CD) and received a jumbo Investment Mistake: The High Cost of Procrastinating By Nathan V. Gemmiti, COO & General Counsel, Knighthead Annuity & Life Assurance Company rate of 0.84%. At the end of the 5 years, your bank CD account value increased $4,285. Certainly not great returns. For the same $100,000, you could have purchased a 5 year fi xed annuity that earns 2.70% annually. Your interest rate is guaranteed by the issuing insurance company during the entire term. Your account value would be $14,249 at the end of the 5 years. You earned $13,949 more than the savings account and $9,964 more than a bank CD! In addition to a signifi cantly superior return, there are other benefi ts to buying a fi xed annuity. You get liquidity benefi ts (capped annual free withdrawals), a death benefi t and annuitization features, which permit you to convert the annuity’s cash value into payments for a specifi c term or for your entire life. Annuities also permit you to name a benefi ciary, which could provide estate planning benefi ts. A saving account or bank CD simply don’t provide any of these benefi ts. By choosing to wait or investing in a lower-yielding fi nancial product, consumers could lose valuable investment earnings and may never recoup the gains offered by a fi xed annuity today. As the above chart shows, the cost could be substantial. DISCLOSURE: Bank savings account interest is an average of interest rates on $100,000 at the three largest banks in the United States as of August 19, 2015. The 5-year bank CD is the national average as quoted by www.wsj.com for a jumbo account. The 2.70% annuity rate is quoted from Knighthead Annuity & Life Assurance Company as of August 25, 2015 and is compounded annually. All other rates are compounded quarterly. All interest rates are subject to change. An annuity is not a bank product and is guaranteed by the issuer. Knighthead Annuity does not issue annuities to US persons or in any jurisdiction where prohibited. This article is the opinion of the author only. FIFA bans Jack Warner for life Five FIFA defendants facing extradition Brent Fuller bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com Former FIFA Vice President Jack Warner was banned for life from football activities by FIFA, effective Friday. Warner is also facing extradition to the U.S. from his home country of Trinidad and Tobago. Meanwhile, five of the nine current and former FIFA officials embroiled in an international racketeering and bribery investi- gation are either facing extradi- tion or have been sent to the U.S. to face charges that could put them behind bars for years if they are convicted. Warner, who also faces bribery and racketeering charges in the U.S. probe, was banned by the adjudicatory chamber of FIFA’s Ethics Committee from both national and international football activities. According to a statement on FIFA’s website, the decision was made on the basis of investiga- tions by the committee following its report on the 2018/2022 World Cup bidding process. “Warner was found to have committed many and various acts of misconduct continuously and repeatedly during his time as an official in different high-ranking and influential positions at FIFA and CONCACAF [FIFA’s governing body for the Caribbean, North and Central America],” the state- ment read. “In his positions as a football official, he was a key player in schemes involving the offer, acceptance, and receipt of undisclosed and illegal pay- ments, as well as other money- making schemes.” Warner, a former political leader in Trinidad, was once a close ally of FIFA President Joseph “Sepp” Blatter, who is facing an investigation by Swiss authorities over allegations that he undervalued the award of World Cup television broad- casting rights to Warner. Blatter was questioned in the matter on Friday, the Associated Press re- ported. Blatter has previously de- nied wrongdoing in connection with the Swiss probe. Li extradition Swiss authorities announced Tuesday that former Costa Rican Football Federation President Eduardo Li was ordered extradited from Zurich, Switzerland, following his arrest on May 27 with six other FIFA leaders, including former Vice President and Cayman Islands busi- nessman Jeffrey Webb. According to U.S. court records, Li is alleged to have taken bribes in return for the sale of commercial rights for World Cup 2018 qualifiers to a U.S. sports marketing company. “Li massively influenced the com- petitive situation and distorted the market for media rights in connec- tion with the World Cup qualifying matches,” according to the Swiss Federal Office of Justice statement. “Furthermore, among other things the Costa Rican Football Federation was prevented from negotiating marketing agreements which might have been more favorable.” In addition to Li, Swiss author- ities have already ordered the ex- tradition of two other FIFA offi- cials from Zurich, including former Venezuelan Football Federation President Rafael Esquivel and Uruguayan Eugenio Figueredo. All three can challenge the extradition orders to the Swiss appeals court if they wish. Cayman’s Webb already agreed to be returned to the U.S. He is awaiting a court date in October from his home in Loganville, Georgia, where he remains under 24/7 guard and house arrest. Three other FIFA defendants are awaiting the result of Swiss extradi- tion proceedings, including former Cayman Islands resident Costas Takkas, Julio Rocha of Nicaragua and Jose Maria Marin of Brazil. The Associated Press contributed to this report. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17 WORLD&REGIONAL Cayman Compass • Wednesday september 30, 2015 179949-Ad-MerchSrs-Compass-4x12.3 39/21/15 1:30:47 PM WASHINGTON (AP) – Republicans accused Planned Parenthood on Tuesday of spending mil- lions of dollars on political activities, travel and lavish salaries, as the GOP tried to build a case for terminating the group’s federal money after a series of surrepti- tiously recorded videos. Firing back, Cecile Richards, Planned Parenthood’s president, said taxpayer money is used to provide sexual disease testing, contraceptives and other healthcare for women, and said none of it is used for po- litical activity. And she said videos released this summer showing Planned Parenthood officials discussing their provision of fetal tissue to medical researchers have prompted increased threats against clinics. “These acts against women and health care providers don’t reflect American values or the rule of law, and I hope this committee will condemn them,” she told the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. Richards’s appearance marked the group’s first public face-to-face encounter with Republicans since the videos elevated abortion – and a drive to block Planned Parenthood’s federal payments – to a top-tier political issue. Several Republican pres- idential hopefuls have con- demned Planned Parenthood for its work providing fetal tissue. And conservatives’ de- mands that Congress cut the group’s federal payments – for which Republicans lack the votes to succeed – in- directly contributed to the GOP unrest that prompted House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, to announce his res- ignation last week. Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, said the panel’s examination of tax and other documents showed that the group has given $22 million over the past five years to its political affil- iate, the Planned Parenthood Action Fund. He said it also spent more than $5 mil- lion on “exorbitant” travel in 2013 and paid Richards – who sat at the witness table in front of him – $590,000 in annual salary. Richards said none of the money Planned Parenthood transfers to its political arm comes from federal taxpayers. The organization receives about a third of its $1.3 bil- lion annual budget, around $450 million, from federal cof- fers, chiefly reimbursements for treating Medicaid’s low- income patients. Virtually no federal dollars can be used for abortions. Chaffetz said that the group’s infusion of federal money lets it use its non-fed- eral dollars for politics. “That has absolutely nothing to do with young women who need a breast exam,” said Chaffetz. “It’s a political organization.” In an approaching cam- paign season in which both parties are competing for fe- male votes, Democrats leapt to Richards’ defense. ‘Rampant misogyny’ Citing some GOP law- makers who interrupted Richards’ answers – a common practice in congres- sional hearings – Rep. Gerald Connolly, D-Virginia, criti- cized “the disrespect, the mi- sogyny rampant here today.” And Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-New York, accused Chaffetz of “beating up on a woman, to our witness here today, for making a good salary.” Richards said she is “proud” of its provision of fetal tissue for research but also sought to minimize the organ donations as a small part of its work. She also lashed out at her critics for relying on the videos, which were made by David Daleiden and the other anti-abortion activists posing as executives of a phony firm that buys fetal tissue for scientists. Abortion foes say the videos show the group breaks federal laws barring for-profit fetal tissue sales and altering abortion procedures to ob- tain usable organs. Planned Parenthood and its defenders say it’s done nothing illegal and says that Daleiden dis- honestly edited the videos to distort what was said. GOP: Planned Parenthood spends federal money on politics Palestinians slam FiFa For moving saudi qualiFying match RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) – FIFA’s decision to move the Palestinian team’s World Cup qualifying match against Saudi Arabia to a neutral site was “unjust and repre- hensible,” the head of the Palestinian Football Union said Tuesday. Jibril Rajoub accused FIFA of bowing to Saudi pressure by agreeing to re- locate the second-leg Oct. 13 match from the West Bank to neighboring Jordan. In a letter to FIFA President Sepp Blatter, Rajoub said he was “shocked” by the decision after the first leg was held in Riyadh. “Resorting to FIFA in this way reflects insistence on not coming to Palestine under any circumstances,” Rajoub told The Associated Press, “The Palestinian Union will use all legal and international tools to revoke this injustice.” FIFA said the decision was “final and binding,” leaving the Palestinians to decide whether to play in Jordan or forfeit the match. The Saudi Arabian Football Federation com- mended FIFA for accepting its request – saying it “un- derstands the justification” – without explaining the rea- sons behind it. The Palestinians accuse Saudi Arabia of being wary of appearing too close to Israel by going through its security. Saudi Arabia has shared Israel’s concern over Iran’s regional influence and its nuclear program but has stopped short of cooperating with it openly. Tayseer Nasrallah, a spokesman for the Palestinian union, said the Palestinians had offered the Saudis op- tions of bypassing Israel, in- cluding flying the players in from Jordan by helicopters but said the Saudis refused for “political considerations.” He accused the Saudi football association of “turning a sport issue into a political issue.”8 WORLD&REGIONAL Wednesday september 30, 2015 • Cayman Compass US, Cuba presidents meet for second time this year UNITED NATIONS (AP) – Making good on a pledge to change U.S. posture to- ward Cuba, President Barack Obama opened talks Tuesday with Cuban President Raul Castro, the second time the leaders of the once-estranged nations have met this year. Obama and Castro smiled and shook hands before be- ginning their private talk on the sidelines of the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations. The encounter comes as the Cold War adversaries go about the long and complex process of normalizing rela- tions following decades of animosity. The U.S. recently eased rules for citizens who want to visit or do busi- ness in Cuba, a step aimed at fostering greater economic freedom on the island. Both leaders surprised the world last December by an- nouncing they had agreed to restore diplomatic relations. Since then, the two coun- tries have reopened embas- sies in each other’s capi- tals. But sharp differences remain, particularly over Cuba’s human rights record and detainment of political prisoners. Both sides want Congress to lift a longstanding economic embargo against the communist island nation, but many Republican lawmakers and some Democrats want to keep it in place. Cuba also seeks the return of land occupied by the U.S. Navy base at Guantanamo Bay; the U.S. says that is not in the plan. In his address Monday at the opening of the U.N. General Assembly’s annual ministerial meeting, Obama discussed the shift in policy toward Cuba and said he was confident that Congress “will inevitably lift an em- bargo that should not be in place anymore.” Ben Rhodes, a deputy na- tional security adviser for Obama, said Castro’s presence at the U.N. gathering is a signal “that we’re in a new era.” Obama and Castro first spoke in December after the secret process to re- store diplomatic relations was revealed. They met in person in April while attending a re- gional summit in Panama. Before then, the last time a U.S. and Cuban leader had convened a substantive meeting was in 1958. Obama and Castro spoke by telephone again ear- lier this month before Pope Francis visited Cuba and the United States. Francis was a go-between for the U.S. and Cuba during their secret talks. The encounter comes as the Cold War adversaries go about the long and complex process of normalizing relations following decades of animosity. President Barack Obama talks with Cuban President Raul Castro before a bilateral meeting Tuesday at U.N. headquarters. - Photo: AP Obama and Putin: Awkward moments, few breakthroughs UK’s new LAboUr LeAder fires UP fAithfUL in first sPeech NEW YORK (AP) – U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s first formal meeting in more than two years started with an awkward handshake and ended without a break- through on Syria, a crisis that has strained their already tense relationship. On the biggest issue that divides them in Syria – the status of embattled leader Bashar Assad – Obama and Putin left their discussions Monday exactly where they started. The U.S. still insists Syria’s future cannot in- clude Assad, while Putin ap- pears to only want to bolster the standing of his long- time ally, casting him as the best defense against Islamic States militants. Even so, both leaders appeared interested in whether their meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly could yield progress toward ending Syria’s 4½ year civil war. After the 90-minute sit- down at U.N. headquarters, Putin and U.S. officials who described the meeting on Obama’s behalf each spoke of the need for cooperation. “Strange as it may seem, there were many common points,” Putin told reporters. “There were also disagree- ments which we agreed to work together. I hope this work will be constructive.” U.S. officials said the leaders agreed to explore ways to pursue a resolu- tion to a crisis that has left more than 250,000 dead, even as they made clear Obama wasn’t bending on his insis- tence that Assad not be part of the eventual solution. Secretary of State John Kerry said Tuesday that Russia must understand that there can be no peace in Syria without removing Assad because the Sunni majority there will accept nothing else. A legitimate peace process must involve talks among a “complicated brew” of nations from the region, he said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” “We have staring us in the face here an enormous possi- bility to see a way forward,” Kerry said. The crisis has taken on fresh urgency amid Russia’s recent military buildup in Syria. Putin has cast the in- creased presence of equip- ment and troops there as part of the effort to defeat the Islamic State, and sug- gested Monday that Russia could launch airstrikes against the militants. “We are thinking about it and don’t exclude anything,” he said. It’s unlikely Putin would join the U.S.-led coalition already launching strikes against the militants. He said Russia will only take such a step in accordance with in- ternational law, and criti- cized the U.S. and its allies for striking the Syrian terri- tory without U.N. permission. Monday’s meeting marked another chapter in Obama’s and Putin’s history of col- orful and tense encounters. They laid the groundwork for the meeting in dueling speeches at the U.N., and then were forced to sit together at lunch, exchanging steely glances as they clinked champagne glasses during a toast. They appeared briefly before reporters before be- ginning their talks, quickly shaking hands, but making no remarks. That the leaders met at all underscored Obama’s ac- ceptance of Russia’s increas- ingly prominent role in re- solving the crisis in Syria. The U.S. president has re- sisted granting Putin the le- gitimacy of a formal bilat- eral meeting following the Russian president’s provoca- tions in Ukraine. But White House officials calculated that it was worth bending on that front for the opportunity to assess Putin’s Syria moti- vations in person. The meeting also high- lighted Putin’s ability to command attention and shift it away from the Ukraine. A fragile peace plan in the former Soviet republic remains shaky at best, yet the crisis was largely a foot- note at the U.N. gathering. Instead, attention was riv- eted on what Putin would say about Syria and Assad as he arrived in New York for his first U.N. meeting in a de- cade. In the weeks leading up to his arrival, Putin ratch- eted up his country’s military presence in Syria and struck an intelligence-sharing agree- ment with Iran, Syria and Iraq, another nation fighting the Islamic State. Both developments caught U.S. officials off guard. Putin also moved swiftly to try to capitalize on the failure of U.S. efforts to train and equip moderate Syrian rebels – a $500 mil- lion Pentagon program that was supposed to yield more than 5,000 fighters but instead only has only a handful of active graduates. The Russian leader jabbed Obama over the program’s failures in his remarks to the U.N. General Assembly on Monday. The global landscape looks far different than what some in the Obama ad- ministration envisioned ear- lier this year. LONDON (AP) – He smiled, he poked fun at himself, he wore a tie and even told a few jokes. Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn used his first confer- ence speech – a nationally tele- vised event Tuesday – to try to soften his image as a rad- ical left-winger who will dash the party’s electoral hopes by bringing back discredited poli- cies from the past. The unconventional 66-year-old leader did differ- entiate himself from Prime Minister David Cameron’s Conservatives by criticizing the government’s austerity program as unneeded and unfair to working people. “Our Labour Party says no,” Corbyn said, rejecting what he characterized as Cameron’s contention that there is no alternative but to further cut public services, including education and the much-beloved National Health Service. Corbyn said globaliza- tion has been used as a way to justify keeping wages for workers throughout the world low while the leaders of global companies made vast amounts of money. And he re- pudiated the 2003 invasion of Iraq, which was launched with the strong backing and participation of Labour’s own Tony Blair, who was prime minister at the time. “It didn’t help our na- tional security when we went to war with Iraq in defiance of the United Nations and on a false prospectus,” he said. Corbyn, who had offended some by declining to sing the national anthem at a re- cent memorial service, em- phasized his patriotism, pro- claiming his love of Britain and British values. And he took a few jabs at the unrelenting hostility he has raced from some in British’s rambunctious tab- loid press, pointing out that one paper had gone so far as to say Corbyn was wel- coming the possibility that mankind would be wiped out by an approaching asteroid. On the biggest issue that divides them in Syria – the status of embattled leader Bashar Assad – Obama and Putin left their discussions Monday exactly where they started. Presidents Obama and Putin have a very brief ‘photo opportunity’ for the media before a bilateral meeting Monday at the United Nations. - Photo: AP Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn9 WORLD&REGIONAL Cayman Compass • Wednesday september 30, 2015 Obama says fight against Islamic State group will take time President chairs meeting of world leaders UNITED NATIONS (AP) – President Barack Obama on Tuesday pledged all possible tools – military, intelligence and economic – to defeat the Islamic State group, but ac- knowledged the extremist group has taken root in Syria and Iraq, is resilient and con- tinues to expand. Obama spoke as chairman of a U.N. gathering of world leaders working to ex- pand the battle against ter- rorism, a day after he and the leaders of Russia, China and Iran addressed the General Assembly on its 70th anni- versary. The fight against ter- rorism, particularly in Syria, has seized the attention of top officials, but there has been no overall agreement on how to end the conflict there. “I have repeatedly said that our approach will take time. This is not an easy task,” Obama cautioned, while adding that he was “ultimately optimistic” the brutal organization would be defeated because it has nothing to offer but suffering and death. “This is not a conventional battle. This is a long-term campaign – not only against this particular network, but against its ideology,” he said. The meeting also heard from the Iraqi leader, who sought more help against ISIS in his country, and heard from Obama that three more countries were added to the coalition fighting the group. Also, Obama opened talks with Cuban President Raul Castro, the second time the leaders of the once-estranged nations have met this year. Guyana’s president, David Granger, used his U.N. ad- dress to accuse Venezuela of being a bully as the two countries brought their long- running border dispute to the world body. And South Sudan’s rivals addressed a high-level meeting and blamed each other for viola- tions of a fragile cease-fire. On the central issue, leaders were dealing with an ISIS that attracting fighters from around the world, prompting fears they will re- turn to their home countries to launch attacks. The fight has been compli- cated by a Russian military buildup in Syria in support of President Bashar Assad. Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested Monday that Russia could launch airstrikes against the mili- tants in Syria, if sanctioned by the United Nations or requested by Damascus. Obama and Putin are at odds over Russian involve- ment because Washington has said Assad must be removed from power. Obama and Putin laid out competing visions for Syria during their speeches to the opening meeting of the annual U.N. General Assembly on Monday. Obama reiterated Tuesday that defeating ISIS requires “a new [Syrian] leader and an in- clusive government that united the Syrian people in the fight against terrorist groups.” Reflecting the divide, an official with the Russian del- egation said Moscow would take part in the Obama-led event only by a lower-level official, U.N. deputy am- bassador Evgeny Zagaynov. Russia on Wednesday will chair its own meeting on countering extremism as this month’s U.N. Security Council president. One by one, speakers at Tuesday’s meeting spoke of the need to confront the ex- tremism which Jordan’s King Abdullah II described as the “greatest collective threat of our time.” United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said the U.N.’s most recent data shows a 70 percent increase in for- eign terrorist fighters from over 100 countries to regions in conflict. He said security-fo- cused counterterrorism mea- sures are crucial but stressed the need to go beyond, in- cluding making a special effort to reach young people. “Social media is central. We need to offer a counter- weight to the siren songs that promise adventure, but deliver horror – and that promise meaning, but create more misery,” he said. Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu used the opportunity to highlight his government’s fight against rebels of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, saying “there is no difference between the Islamic State group and the PKK.” President Barack Obama, accompanied by, rear, from left, National Security Adviser Susan Rice, Secretary of State John Kerry, and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power, listens as Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi speaks at the Leaders’ Summit on countering ISIS and violent extremism. – Photo: AP Death toll from strikes on Yemen wedding reaches 131 SANAA, Yemen (AP) – The death toll from Saudi-led air- strikes that hit a wedding party in Yemen has risen to 131, making it the dead- liest single incident since the start of the country’s civil war, medical officials said Tuesday. The U.N. says at least 2,355 civilians have been killed in fighting since March, when the coalition began launching airstrikes against Shiite Houthi rebels and allied army units, who control the capital and are at war with the internation- ally recognized government as well as southern sepa- ratists, local militias and Sunni extremists. At least 80 women were killed in the wedding airstrikes in the central province of Taiz, said Yemeni medical officials who work in the province and have been neutral in the con- flict that has torn their country apart. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to reporters. Hassan Boucenine, of the Geneva-based Doctors Without Borders, called it the deadliest single inci- dent since the beginning of the conflict. “To be honest it’s worse and worse … it’s beyond despair,” said Boucenine, speaking about the conflict. The Saudi-led and U.S.- backed coalition apparently struck the wedding party by mistake on Monday in al- Wahga, a village near the town of Mokha and the stra- tegic Strait of Bab al-Mandab, Yemeni security officials said. The region is largely popu- lated by fishermen and live- stock traders.Next >