High of 86 Low of 76 Moderate with wave heights of 3 to 5 feet. EDITORIAL | PAGE 4 ‘PRIDE OF PLACE’: KEEPING CAYMAN SPOTLESSLY BEAUTIFUL SPORTS | PAGE 21 JUNIOR GOLFERS TEE UP FOR DOUBLE-HEADER ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – WEDNESDAY JANUARY 18, 2017 UK PM THERESA MAY SIGNALS CLEAN BREAK WITH EUROPEAN UNION LONDON (AP) – More than six months after Britain voted to leave the European Union, British Prime Minister Theresa May finally spelled out what it means: The U.K. will make a clean break from the EU and leave its single market of around 500 million people. In her most detailed remarks since the June 23 vote, May said Tuesday that Britain must regain control of its laws and borders, while she called on the bloc to negotiate a free-trade agreement that will benefit both sides. “We do not seek membership of the single market,” she said in her speech, which had been highly anticipated. “Instead, we seek the greatest possible access to it through a new, comprehensive, bold and ambitious free- trade agreement.” May promised for the first time that Brit- ain’s Parliament will be able to vote on the final divorce deal reached between the U.K. and European Union – likely in 2019. However, she did not say what would happen should Parliament reject the agreement. The British pound rallied on having some clarity at last. The currency was recovering from steep losses earlier in the week, trading 2.2 percent higher at $1.2309. On Monday, it was as low as $1.20, a near 31-year low. Currency traders liked that the matter would be put to Parliament, giving May a chance to tame the excesses of the more fer- vent Brexiteers, said Kathleen Brooks, re- search director of City Index. “But, even this concession cannot hide the fact that the U.K. wants the best parts of the EU, with a cherry on the top, which could Vehicle ‘for sale’ lots multiply NRA moves to close impromptu used car lot BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com About a dozen vehicles in various states of repair sat off to the side of one of Grand Cay- man’s busiest intersections Monday afternoon. One SUV had a sun-scarred roof complete with a discarded water bottle sitting on top of it. Another car’s license plate dan- gled sideways, partly unattached. The vehicles at the Butterfield (A. L. Thompson’s) roundabout had two things in common: They were for sale and, as of Jan. 12, they all had warning notices posted on them from the Cayman Islands National Roads Authority. The letters, signed by NRA Voter registration tops 21,000 As the deadline for registration for the 2017 elections drew near, Wanda Zelaya, left, of George Town returned her completed correction of address form to Bodden Town Assistant Registering Officer Jane Ebanks on Saturday. Seated are Senior Training Officer Rupert McCoy and Assistant Registering Officer for George Town Salome Henry. By the Monday midnight deadline, more than 21,000 people were registered with the elections office. The final voter lists for the May 24 election will be released on April 1. For more, see page 5. Gov’t to replace 45,000 license plates BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com The process of changing all of Cayman’s registered vehicles’ license plates to electronic tags, which is ex- pected to take up to three years, will begin next month when the Depart- ment of Vehicle and Drivers’ Licensing introduces the new service. The department announced Tuesday that the new plates and windscreen coupons would be distrib- uted starting in February to replace more than 45,000 license plates and vehicle registration coupons. Both de- vices are tamper-proof, officials said. “They cannot be removed for illegal use on other vehicles,” a statement issued on behalf of DVDL Director David Dixon noted. The old vehicle plates will be swapped out in phases, Mr. Dixon’s statement indicated. The first batch of new electronic tags will be used to replace hundreds of temporary DVDL plates that have been issued since December. The temporary plates were issued by the department to about 700 ve- hicles, either newly purchased or re- cently shipped to the islands, in anticipation of the new electronic reg- istrations going live early this year. “Once those are replaced, DVDL will move ahead in replacing all of the old registration plates and coupons free of charge,” the government state- ment indicated. The replacement process will occur as currently registered vehicles come An example of the new electronic plates that the DVDL will begin placing on registered vehicles next month. These vehicles were among the dozen or so tagged for removal last week at the Butterfield roundabout in George Town. - PHOTO: BRENT FULLER PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 » Wanda Zelaya, left, of George Town returns her completed correction of address form to Bodden Town Assistant Registering Officer Jane Ebanks. Seated are Senior Training Officer Rupert McCoy and Assistant Registering Officer for George Town Salome Henry. PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 »2 LOCAL&REGIONAL WEDNESDAY JANUARY 18, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS Daily Matinees Every Day $8.00 Seniors, Mon-Fri Before 6pm Cayman Cinema@cbcinema6cbcinema6 640-FILM (640-3456) *Additional charges will apply per 3D ticket requested. SATURDAY NIGHT: For your viewing pleasure, minors under the age of 18 will not be admitted to any film starting after 6pm, unless accompanied by their parent. - WEDNESDAY - HACKSAW RIDGE (R) 12:30 | 3:35 | 6:40 | 9:45 ROGUE ONE 3D (PG13) 12:50 2D | 3:05 | 6:50 2D | 9:35 PASSENGERS (PG13) 1:00 | 3:50 | 7:00 | 9:40 MONSTER TRUCKS 3D (PG) 1:10 2D | 4:00 | 7:15 2D | 9:45 SING 3D (PG) 12:30 | 3:45 2D | 7:00 | 9:50 2D UNDERWORLD: (R) BLOOD WARS 3D 1:30 | 4:15 2D | 7:30 | 10:10 2D SATURDAY, JANUARY 21ST, 8PM New plan under way for youth detention center JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com A new secure facility for young offenders is planned on the site of the Bonaven- ture Boys Home in West Bay at an estimated cost of around $2.5 million. The proposal aims to bring Cayman’s prison system into compliance with human rights legislation, which requires young of- fenders to be housed sepa- rately from adult criminals. The new plan replaces a $10 million project for a youth detention center at Fairbanks in George Town, which was dropped due to funding constraints. Gov- ernment wrote off nearly $700,000 in spending on that project, started under the United Democratic Party but abandoned by the People’s National Al- liance, which briefly took power before the 2013 gen- eral election. The founda- tions of the aborted building are still in place, covered in weeds, in a wooded area off Fairbanks Road. Minister for Community Affairs Osbourne Bodden said it was more cost effec- tive and convenient in terms of care and treatment to begin again at the Bonaven- ture site. He said the project was essential to meet obliga- tions under the Bill of Rights. Government has allo- cated $2.1 million for the fa- cility, which will have space for seven male and five fe- male prisoners aged 13 to 18. The Children and Youth Services (CAYS) Foundation, which runs the boys home, has raised $500,000 from pri- vate sector donors. Mr. Bodden said the new center would sync with the work being done with lower- risk young offenders at the Bonaventure Boys Home. “In order for us to offer the proper continuum of care, this is another impor- tant cog in the wheel,” he said. “This is something we all need as a society and have been crying out for.” He said the project would go to planning shortly, and targeted a March ground-breaking. Garth Arch, chairman of the CAYS Foundation board of directors, said the planned facility at Fairbanks was not cost effective. “The option of doing it here at Bonaventure was a fraction of the cost of what was proposed at Fairbanks. That was a very sophisti- cated facility that would have been extremely expen- sive to operate. This is a more basic facility.” Currently, Bonaventure takes lower-risk youth of- fenders into a residen- tial program. Higher-risk offenders go to Eagle House at Northward prison. How- ever, this is not considered significantly separate from the adult prison to meet human rights standards. Mr. Arch said there were other benefits to having all types of young offenders on one site, at Bonaventure. “We will now have a fa- cility that covers the whole continuum of care from low risk to the highest risk,” he said. “This will give Bo- naventure the whole range of services on one site, so if a child has offended they might go into the secure fa- cility and if they do well, they can perhaps step down into the home.” He said it would also give young offenders who need to be in a secure facility ac- cess to the therapeutic ser- vices at Bonaventure. Much of the labor and many of the services for the new building have been do- nated. John Doak has pro- duced the designs, AMR Consulting Engineers, Corporate Electric and Roland Bodden and Co. land surveyors have also been involved. Currently, the only facil- ities that provide the level of security required for high-risk children are Eagle House at Northward prison and Fairbanks prison. A prison inspection re- port in 2013 warned of the dangers of housing young offenders alongside adults. Minister Bodden noted in a statement, “This project is critical and I am honoured to be a part of it. The ability to adequately address the needs of this population is a great milestone for the Cayman Islands Government in its continued efforts to strengthen the continuum of care for children.” Attorney General Samuel Bulgin revealed details of the new proposal at the official opening of court last week. Chief Justice Anthony Smellie welcomed the de- velopment, saying it is “long overdue.” Official: Puerto Rican government could collapse if no steps taken to offset crisis SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) – The administration of Puerto Rico’s new governor warned on Tuesday that the U.S. ter- ritory government could shut down if dramatic mea- sures to offset the economic crisis aren’t taken soon. The warning came as officials released new data provided by the pre- vious governor during the transition process that it says shows the crisis is even worse than previ- ously believed. “If we don’t make a dra- matic adjustment, there could be a total collapse in upcoming months,” said Elias Sanchez, the gover- nor’s representative to a federal control board cre- ated last year to oversee Puerto Rico’s finances. He told reporters that the extent of the fiscal crisis is still unknown, in part be- cause of a lack of commu- nication between public agencies. Overall, Puerto Rico is seeking to restruc- ture its nearly $70 billion in public debt, and the island has defaulted on millions of dollars’ worth of bond payments since August, an- gering creditors who have filed multiple lawsuits. The report released on Tuesday states that the is- land’s Department of Edu- cation has a $230 million deficit, the police depart- ment a $45 million deficit, and that the Highway Au- thority owes suppliers more than $500 million. The report also states that Puerto Rico’s largest public university has $91 million deposited in the Government Development Bank that it cannot access because of an ongoing debt moratorium. In addition, of- ficials say the bank, which oversees the island’s debt transactions, turned over its routing number last April and has not issued a check since. All of the bank’s de- posits have been moved to private banks. “The crisis is real and more severe than people think,” Sanchez said. Puerto Rico has a mul- timillion-dollar bond pay- ment due in February, but Sanchez said it’s too early to say whether it will be made. He said the government will talk with the federal control board in upcoming days about that payment. TRIAL SET FOR DRUGS FOUND IN CAR AND APARTMENT Crown awaits results of DNA testing CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Two people pleaded not guilty on Monday to charges of possessing co- caine and ganja with in- tent to supply; they had their trial set for May 3. The defendants, Ca- nute Sebastian Nairne and Laura Marie Quinn, were stopped by police on the morning of Dec. 27, 2016, along the Esterley Tib- betts Highway. Officers searched the vehicle and found items that led to a search of Nairne’s West Bay apartment, where Quinn had been staying. She has since moved to a different location. The two first ap- peared in court on Dec. 29, when Nairne was re- manded in custody and Quinn was granted bail with conditions. This week, Crown counsel Eleanor Fargin told Magistrate Valdis Fol- dats that Nairne’s finger- prints were found on ob- jects containing ganja. Quinn’s fingerprints were not found on any of the objects. Ms. Fargin ad- vised that the results of DNA testing had not yet been received. Each defendant faces charges relating to co- caine and ganja found by police in both the car and the apartment. As previ- ously reported, Nairne told officers Quinn had “nothing to do with it” and he was taking her to work. He also told officers his house had been broken into recently and he couldn’t find one of his car keys. Nairne re- portedly said, “This looks like a setup.” Both defendants are also charged with posses- sion of criminal property – CI$5,261 and US$2,147 found in the car’s glove compartment. Both entered pleas of not guilty. A case management hearing was set for March 23. The magistrate sug- gested that the DNA re- sults might have been re- ceived by then. Quinn, 30, was repre- sented by attorney Dennis Brady, who asked for a variation of her bail con- ditions. He said reporting to the police station three times per week had been quite onerous because of her work hours. Ms. Fargin did not object to this condi- tion being removed. Other bail conditions are still in effect, including a curfew. Nairne, 36, was repre- sented by attorney Guy Dil- liway-Parry. For a set of charges involving Nairne only, he elected to be tried in Grand Court. Nairne is charged with conspiring to supply controlled drugs to others, as a result of data from a mobile phone. There were 10 counts, based on text messages with var- ious people between June 2014 and the end of Jan- uary 2015. For that matter, he will appear in Grand Court on Feb. 24. Plans for a $10 million detention center at the Fairbanks area were shelved in 2013. The foundations of the site still remain. - PHOTO: TANEOS RAMSAYThe islands’ most-trusted news source 3 CAYMAN COMPASS • WEDNESDAY JANUARY 18, 2017 Rolan Heeralal is a career banker with over 20 years experience; 14 years were spent in Corporate Banking where he worked in a number of roles in various Caribbean markets. His wealth of experience and knowledge of corporate and financial services will undoubtedly be an asset in his role as Area Vice President, Business Banking. He is also well versed in sales and intermediary management with a keen focus on clients and professional development. Rolan holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of New Brunswick, Canada, and is completing a Master’s degree in Business Administration with the University of Edinburgh. For more information about RBC’s business banking products and services, call 914-8274 or 916-4280 or email Rolan at rolan.heeralal@rbc.com Rolan Heeralal Area Vice President, Business Banking It’s All About You www.rbc.com/caribbean, ®/™ Trademarks of Royal Bank of Canada. Used under licence.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. ADAM MINTER Last week, China an- nounced that it had mas- tered the art of making ball- point pens. Don’t laugh: It was a years-long effort that cost millions of dollars and required the leadership of a state-run corporate co- lossus. It was front-page news, widely discussed on talk shows and celebrated on social media. And it was no one-off stunt. China hopes such gov- ernment-mandated “innova- tion” will finally revive its economy and catapult it into the front rank of technologi- cally advanced nations. Un- fortunately, such efforts are far more likely to worsen the inefficiencies already holding its economy back. Ballpoint pens aren’t ac- tually new to China. Its 3,000 pen manufacturers make around 40 billion of them a year and fulfill 80 percent of the world’s demand. There’s just one problem: China doesn’t possess the advanced alloys and machines neces- sary to make a high-quality pen ball and socket. As a re- sult, 90 percent of China’s pen tips are imported. Pens made from Chinese components are widely acknowledged to be inferior – a point made by Premier Li Keqiang in a 2015 television appearance. “That’s the real situation facing us,” he said. “We cannot make ballpoint pens with a smooth writing function.” For the premier and others, the problem was about more than signing a smooth autograph. For years, it’s been a popular symbol of all the perceived gaps and failings in Chi- na’s vast industrial com- plex, from its reputation for poor quality to its inability to transition to making higher- value products. Amid an ailing economy, these fail- ings started receiving atten- tion at the highest levels of the government. In 2011, China’s Ministry of Science and Technology took the hint and launched a project called “Research and Development and Industrial- ization of Key Materials for the Pen Industry.” It allocated nearly $9 million and con- scripted the Taiyuan Iron & Steel Group Co., a giant state- owned stainless-steel manu- facturer, known as TISCO, to lead the venture. That was a fitting symbol in its own right. For decades, China’s policy makers have favored inefficient but politi- cally connected state-owned enterprises, with unfortu- nate results for the economy. During the first half of 2016, more than half of China’s roughly 150,000 state enter- prises recorded losses, de- spite accounting for nearly a quarter of the country’s in- dustrial income. Under Pres- ident Xi Jinping, the sector has been strengthened and its role in economic reform has become even more central. And that’s where the problems really begin. Even if a private company wanted to invest in producing high- quality pen tips in China, concerns that the new tech- nology would be stolen or hijacked would likely dis- suade them. For pen man- ufacturers that means it’s easier, and more profitable, to keep making lower quality pens. Rather than undertake the difficult process of in- tellectual-property reform, the government instead is- sues mandates for innova- tion, and invests in state- owned companies that think of politics first and profits later – if at all. TISCO is a good example. Objectively, there’s no busi- ness case for the company to undertake pen tip manu- facturing. In 2015, it churned out more than 10 million tons of steel. By comparison, total annual Chinese demand for stainless steel pen cases is about 1,000 tons. In a recent TV interview, an official with the Chinese Pen Association, a booster of the project, con- ceded that for TISCO, “it isn’t very cost-effective.” That’s something of an understate- ment: The project took half a decade of painstaking R&D and may not turn a profit for years to come. Worse, that profit will likely come at the expense of the pen industry the ef- fort was supposed to be helping. In November, TISCO was allowed to write China’s new industry standard for pen tips. The immediate ef- fect will be to force all other manufacturers to conform to TISCO’s technological speci- fications – or be labeled out of compliance, with the risk of a shutdown. Long term, TISCO’s standard will prob- ably result in a de facto do- mestic monopoly on pen tips, thereby replacing the foreign monopoly that China was originally trying to break up. That may satisfy some mercantilist policymakers, but it’s a poor model for real- izing China’s innovation and manufacturing potential. A better path is to strengthen intellectual-property protec- tions so that private enter- prises can be confident that their innovations will be- long to them. Meanwhile, overhauling or shutting down money-losing state- owned companies would make the economy more pro- ductive and ensure that re- sources flow to competitive companies with good ideas, rather than those with polit- ical connections. For China, that might be the most important inno- vation of all. Minter is a Bloomberg View columnist. He is the author of ‘Junkyard Planet: Travels in the Billion-Dollar Trash Trade.’ © 2017, Bloomberg View WEDNESDAY JANUARY 18, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS The Cayman Islands is a host country for millions of tourists and visitors each year. Think of them as invited guests to our beautiful home – because that is what they are. For that and so many other reasons, we as hosts must always be attentive to the importance of main- taining our public spaces – from our roadways to our parks to our historic sites – in pristine, spotless con- dition. Every resident here – be they Caymanian or expatriate – should take great pride in the beauty and grandeur of these islands that truth be told, has been bequeathed to us for, alas, too short a time. As an example, there is nothing more “first world” than a resident population which can afford to drive nice cars. It is a most visible sign of economic prosperity. Conversely, there’s nothing more “third world” than a tableau of junked (or junky) cars littering our landscape. A pair of stories published in the Compass illus- trate two facets of the problem. In Tuesday’s news- paper, a story highlights automobiles that are involved in serious accidents, yet are left on the roadside for days or even weeks afterward. The Royal Cayman Islands Police Service has disavowed responsibility for towing those vehicles (unless they need to be seized as evidence). In the case of relatively minor accidents, it is up to the owner to remove the vehicle, or else the Department of Environmental Health will (eventually) do the job and send the owner the bill. Meanwhile, a story in today’s Compass features gov- ernment’s efforts to get rid of an ad hoc “used car lot” that has popped up near the Butterfield roundabout, the presence of which could obstruct the expansion of the Esterley Tibbetts Highway to four lanes. Collections of used cars for sale are a common sight in Cayman, on both private and public land. The size of the groups typically ebbs and flows, with cars accumulating until government officials react by issuing enforcement notices. The “lots” clear out, and then the cycle begins anew. It’s not just cars. Our roadways are routinely littered with flattened iguanas, food containers and all sorts of garbage. (One Compass editor related a story of visiting downtown’s Fort George with friends on a busy cruise ship day, when they discovered scattered rubbish desecrating one of our country’s most historic sites.) This editorial is not intended to be overly negative. Cayman is a country of great beauty, and we are merely caretakers of what our Creator “hath founded upon the seas.” Not to do so is something just short of sacrilege. Put another way, Cayman should be immac- ulate at all times. This is not difficult and it need not be overly expensive. Along with hotel properties on Seven Mile Beach, the touchstone is Camana Bay. Try this experiment the next time you are at the Dart development: Walk around until you espy a speck of litter or a fallen palm frond. Make note of it. Come back an hour or two later, and it will be gone. If someone wrecked a car and pulled it off the road onto the median near Camana Bay, how long do you think it would be there? Does anyone have a stopwatch? Around Christmas time, government officials hire hundreds of residents to help spiff up the country. This year, about 600 people were involved in the “National Community Enhancement Project” for three weeks, charged with beautifying public spaces, roadsides and other facilities. “Looking our best” shouldn’t just be something our country does for Christmas. Cayman should always be beautiful. Perhaps our government should consider making beautification efforts a year-round priority. It would enhance our quality of life, be beneficial to our tourism industry and, who knows, might even be good politics. ‘Pride of place’: Keeping Cayman spotlessly beautiful China invents its own ballpoint pen (finally!) 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 EXECUTIVE EDITOR PATRICK BRENDEL A MEMBER OF THE INTER-AMERICAN PRESS ASSOCIATION “Give light and the people will find their own way”5 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • WEDNESDAY JANUARY 18, 2017 CROSS ISLAND RELAY HASH HOUSE 43rd Annual CROSS ISLAND RELAY SUND AY 5th, FEBRU AR Y 2017 Proceeds from this event will be donated to Special Olympics Cayman Islands. HARRIERS Organized by Cayman Hash House Harriers Join Us For Any questions email: caymanhash@gmail.com Starts: 6:00 am Awards:10:00 am Entry Fee: or US $150 per team CI $120 per team CROSS ISLAND RELAY Come out and participate in the oldest running race event in the Cayman Islands. Teams of 6 people run 4 miles each starting from Colliers Public Beach and finishing at Smith Cove. T-shirts for all participants. Trophies awarded in male, female and corporate divisions. Register early to avoid disappointment – race limited to 100 teams. Register online at www.caymanactive.com until 5pm on Thursday 2nd February. Race packet pick up and in-person registration at Camana Bay Visitor Centre between midday & 4pm on Saturday 4th February. Race route and rules on www.caymanhash.com More than 21,000 register to vote BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com Cayman Islands elections officials said voter registra- tions surpassed their own high mark, as more than 21,000 people are likely to cast ballots in the May 24 general election. Elections Supervisor Wesley Howell earlier esti- mated that as many as 20,500 voters could be registered by Monday’s midnight deadline. Unofficial voter tallies through last Thursday, before registration closed, put 20,817 people on the voter lists. How- ever, a last-minute voter push through Friday, Saturday and Monday put that number above 21,000, with an addi- tional 450 people registering, according to elections officials. Mr. Howell cautioned that those figures are not final, as voters’ applications still have to be confirmed. In addition to ineligible individuals, any deceased voters must be re- moved from the lists. Voter numbers will not become official until April 1, pending address checks and any challenges to the lists that are filed. However, the Cayman Is- lands is likely to add more than 2,500 new voters to the district lists since the last general election in May 2013. A small but steady stream of voters reported to the elec- tions office headquarters after work hours Monday. The voting registration deadline was extended by two weeks from the original Dec. 31 date, and the elec- tions office was open Sat- urday during the day, as well as Monday night until midnight to allow first-time voters as much leeway as possible. These efforts were made after elections office representatives went door-to- door in each district to count registered and eligible voters. “We’ve done everything we can to get them to register,” Mr. Howell said last week. The May 2017 election will be the first time Cayman resi- dents will vote under the “one man, one vote” regime, with electors choosing one candi- date in each constituency. The preliminary numbers for each constituency showed some surprising results for voter registration in that the two largest single-member dis- trict voting populations are in Bodden Town, and only one of the top five is in George Town. The numbers gathered by the elections office, which were counted through Thursday, Jan. 12, are likely to change as the final counts come in. The new single-member districts of Bodden Town East and Bodden Town West re- ported more than 1,400 voters registered in each through Jan. 12. Meanwhile, the con- stituencies of Savannah and Newlands, also in Bodden Town, placed fourth and sixth in the registered voter count at that date with 1,310 and 1,226, respectively. The new single-member district of West Bay South registered 1,318 voters, making it the third largest single-member constituency on the map thus far. Only one George Town district, George Town Central, made the top five, in regard to population, with 1,235 reg- istered voters. East End (670 voters) and North Side (678 voters) are slightly larger constit- uencies than the newly di- vided Cayman Brac and Little Cayman constituen- cies, which had fewer than 600 voters each. East End and North Side’s combined registered voters number fewer than ei- ther Bodden Town East or Bodden Town West, both of which have more than 1,400 people registered. Far more women have registered to vote than men. According to the elections of- fice, more than 11,000 women had registered, while just fewer than 9,800 men had. Despite the increase in overall voter numbers, Mr. Howell estimated that at least 4,000 Caymanians who are eligible to vote have not signed up. Elections Supervisor Wesley Howell, standing, talks with a registered voter Monday evening at the elections office on Smith Road. - PHOTO: BRENT FULLER CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com A man accused of working without a permit had Cayma- nian status at one time, but it was revoked, Magistrate Valdis Foldats heard on Tuesday. Roberto Soza Rodriquez, 56, was charged with being engaged in gainful occupa- tion between Nov. 11, 2015 and Sept. 1, 2016, without a work permit. Senior Crown counsel Candia James said she had received confirmation from the Immigration Department that Rodriquez’s status had been revoked on Dec. 3, 2015. The defendant’s nationality is listed on his charge sheet as Honduran. Defense attorney Dennis Brady advised that the revo- cation was under appeal. The reason for the revocation and the basis for the appeal were not detailed. In any event, Mr. Brady told the court, his instruc- tions had not changed be- cause his client had said he was not working. The magistrate agreed that was a completely different issue. “That’s usually a better defense,” he commented. Trial was set for May 18. The defendant was as- sisted by an interpreter of the Spanish language. DEFENDANT’S STATUS REVOKED, COURT HEARSDISTRICT DAYS 6 District Days Sister Islands WEDNESDAY JANUARY 18, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS 50 years ago: Launch of the Trial a cause for excitement In the Jan. 11, 1967 edi- tion of the Caymanian Weekly, a precursor of the Cayman Compass, news from the Brac included a colorful account of the launch of a new vessel: “The Motor Vessel Trial, the British flag flying proudly at her stern, rested on the shoal beach before noon. Gleaming white with a green band and copper- painted bottom she was beautiful in the sunshine. “A vessel launch is a na- tional affair in Cayman Brac. The whole island was there on Tuesday – it was a day of yesterday, today and tomorrow. Age baked in the sunlight of ‘auld acquain- tance.’ Thrilling to the in- vigorating atmosphere they tumbled stories of other launches, of the stern life of sailing vessels, of the coming of the forefathers – history came alive. “What able-bodied men were not attending the vessel were on the rope, manning the pull, giving the lead to the women, boys and girls in a long line, hauling away. Camera en- thusiasts skipped over the rocks recording the story in colour to tell the world and posterity. Month-old babies cooed and smiled with contentment lying across grand- and great- grandmothers’ knees, as though they were pleased with it all. The day is a story in itself. “In May of 1965, Capt. Keith Tibbetts tells us, he made a model of the type of craft which in his ex- perience of turtle fishing would suit the trade for Cayman Brac. He had the conviction that the time had come for the island to have such a vessel. By October of that year he had gath- ered information and mate- rials to make a proper start. Working on her off and on himself and persevering with only two or three men at a time he would not yield to discourage- ments, being confident that he would complete her and start the work for which she is designed. He has named her Trial, with an under- standing and confidence. “Built different from any other vessel ever con- structed on the island in many ways, Capt. Keith says he has only kept to the conventional pattern of building the most durable and seaworthy craft pos- sible, maintaining island tradition in the industry. “The Trial is 56 feet long, 16 feet wide and 6 feet deep with a main draft of 4 feet and carrying ca- pacity of about 45 tons. She will be registered in the Cayman Islands. “Capt. Keith Tibbetts, after completing the launch with a trip to the Creek, returned heartfelt thanks over the mike at 5 min- utes to 4 p.m.” Interns get crash course in coral reef ecology at CCMI For the past two weeks, a diverse group of 13 interna- tional interns had the chance to immerse themselves in the work of the Central Carib- bean Marine Institute. During Jan. 2-15, the col- lege-level interns took part in a crash course in coral reef ecology and underwater field research methods re- searching Evolutionarily Dis- tinct and Globally Endan- gered (EDGE) corals under the guidance of CCMI science and society instructor Katie Cor- reia. The group included un- dergraduates and graduate students pursuing Masters and Doctorate degrees in ma- rine science, biology, environ- mental science or some other related field. According to the CCMI website, internships at the marine institute have var- ious goals, among them en- hancing student training in field research, increasing in- terest in coral reef science and conservation, and pro- viding useful data to assist CCMI in its long-term eco- system research. The interns hailed from Penn State University, the University of South Caro- lina, Texas A&M University, Yale University, Rice Univer- sity, the University of Mas- sachusetts Boston, the Uni- versity of Washington, the University of Puerto Rico, Miami University, the Col- lege of Charleston, Bucknell University and the Univer- sity of Utah. Admission to the program required that the students had, among other things, an Open Water Diver qualification with at least 20 logged dives. Participants learn about tropical marine ecology and conservation through a com- bination of fieldwork and lec- tures. Students take part in data collection as part of the marine institute’s active re- search activities on coral reef systems surrounding Little Cayman and the Bloody Bay Marine Park. Interns also help CCMI scientists with invasive lionfish and coral nursery projects. The objective was for in- terns to gain hands-on ex- perience in coral reef con- servation through a range of research streams, including quantifying abiotic condi- tions of reef micro-habitats, learning to use 3-D habitat mapping software to assess such things as coral out- plant growth, density de- pendent effects of coral out- plants on reef recovery and to select suitable outplant sites, and determining local- ized extinction risks of en- dangered corals to aid coral reef conservation. While on Little Cayman, the interns cleaned and maintained both of CCMI’s coral nurseries, and out- planted more than 50 col- onies of nursery-grown corals to the reef. They also conducted 16 baited remote underwater video surveys to assess the local population of sharks and rays, and more than 50 reef surveys to estimate the local population of a Carib- bean keystone species, the long spined sea urchin. At the end of the internship, partic- ipants received a certificate of completion of 45 hours in coral reef research and spatial ecology. Commenting on her expe- rience, intern Anna Knochel said, “I enjoyed every minute of this internship and ac- quired new knowledge, skills, friends, and an amazing mentor.” The positive feed- back also came from parents, with much praise and thanks aimed at Ms. Correia. “[My daughter] learned so much, and I was so at peace knowing she was in the en- vironment she loves, helping reefs, diving amongst sharks and sharing it all with other passionate people, [it] was a dream come true for me as her mom,” said Renee Yer- race, mother of intern Sarah Yerrace. Intern Caroline Hobbs also had enthusiastic feedback on the program and thanked Ms. Correia person- ally. “Katie, I can’t thank you enough for everything you’ve done for us – that was the most incredible experience,” Caroline said. “I’m stoked to focus even more on marine conservation and can’t wait to be in the water again. Thank you for being the best dive instructor, buddy breathing with me, and helping keep me calm so I could do what I love.” The CCMI interns, top row, from left, Henry Payseure, Anna Knochel, AnnaMae Maillet, Manuel Nieves-Ortiz, Sarah Yerrace, Sasha Wheeler, Jesse Bolind, and Yashwant Meghare. Middle row, from left, Paige Pilkinton, Mary Cortese, and Caroline Hobbs, and bottom row: Claire Rapp and Brooklyn Hall. CCMI director of operations Peter Quilliam with a coral tree used to grow baby corals at the research center’s nurseries.DISTRICT DAYS 7 District Days Sister Islands CAYMAN COMPASS • WEDNESDAY JANUARY 18, 2017 Young Brac writer pens kids’ adventure tale JEWEL LEVY jlevy@pinnaclemedialtd.com A young Brac writer has made his publishing debut with an exciting tale for young readers, set to capture their imaginations and sense of adventure. Josh Dilbert’s book “The Mordenham Acres,” written under his pen name Brad Tarlem, tells the story of two young brothers from the beautiful forest of Mor- denham Acres. The brothers Hank and Hal are two young rats who long to journey into the forest in search of ad- venture, despite their moth- er’s warnings. Foiled on their first attempt, the fully grown brothers decide to try again years later in the hope of find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. On their journey they meet lots of in- teresting characters, as well as some new friends. Josh’s book, which he said caters to ages 8-12, is pub- lished by Olympia Publishers in the U.K., and is dedicated to his niece Gianna, his cousin Marley, and Abbey, the daughter of an ex co-worker. “Gianna and Marley are sweethearts and the youngest members of the family. Abbey who is now 12, tugged at my heartstrings from the time her mum brought her into the office,” said Josh. The 21-year-old Bracker from Creek says his inspi- ration for the book comes from seeing the challenges of single parenting. “I think these days there are a lot of single par- ents out there. If we look at [many] families today, there is just one parent that is mostly around and that is the mother. I was lucky to have two parents while growing up, but a lot of my friends only had a mother … I wanted to incorporate that into the book,” he said. The book’s cover fea- tures a big-bellied pirate heading though the forest with a barrel on his shoulder, as rats and snakes scuttle ahead, drawing the reader into the pages. “The cover and book came out even better than I imagined. I was very, very pleased,” said Josh. The pi- rate is one of the characters in the book, he added. Growing up Josh loved to read. “I read the series of Hardy Boys [books] by Franklin Dixon, and ‘A Christmas Carol’ by Charles Dickens is one of my favorites. ‘The Red Badge of Courage’ by Stephen Crane is also a fa- vorite,” he said. There is something about books that draws him in, he said. His mother Juliet Dil- bert loves to read too, and as he was growing up she had lots of books around the home, which is how his love of books came to be. Josh started writing from around age 16, and from then on he knew wanted to pub- lish his own books one day. “I had the story for ‘The Mordenham Acres’ knocking around in my head and just wanted to get it out,” he said. “I had been writing for a few years, but every time I would give up on it. The story of rats just took root, and every day when I got a break I would work on it,” he said. “After it was finished I came up with the title. It just clicked in my mind one day and had the right ring to it.” Josh remembers getting an earful from his teacher for reading a book while she was teaching the class. “She realized what I was doing, and came right over and banged the ruler on the table, and said ‘From now on you are banned from reading.’” Later, he said, the teacher admitted to being a bit hard, and told him to re- frain from reading while she was teaching. Josh says the book is the first of many to come. He is currently working on his second book, “Sarma.” “This book is a bit more for the mature reader,” he said, not wanting to let out the secrets of the story. Looking back on the pro- cess of becoming a published author, Josh noted the road is hard, but worth it. “Publishing a book is not an easy process. You just have to keep working at it,” he said, adding that for him it was not so much the ideas, but making them come together and making it flow that posed the big- gest challenge. “You can’t get discouraged … I got five or six rejections trying to get my book pub- lished. One publisher com- pletely criticized the book. There are lots of publishers out there who think like that … but don’t be beaten down, just go for it,” he said. Josh graduated from the Brac’s Layman E. Scott Sr. High School in 2012. These days, when not working at his job at Cayman National Bank on the Brac, he’s doing a lot of writing and enjoying his favorite hobbies, gar- dening, reading and walking. “The Mordenham Acres” will soon be available at Bluff View store in Cayman Brac, and Josh is working to have copies available in Grand Cayman. The book is available online through various retailers, in- cluding Amazon. LITTLE CAYMAN FOOTBALL SEASON WINDS UP WITH STRIKERS WIN Iguana United faced off with the Star Strikers in the Futsal League Championship on Jan. 11 at the Little Cayman airstrip. The final score of the match was Star Strikers 2, Iguanas United 1, with the two goals for Star Strikers scored by Carlos Castillo, and one own goal for Iguanas United scored by Star Strikers’ Alric Gayle. Next up in social sports, bas- ketball starts on Feb. 19. The football league play starts up again in April. Josh Dilbert promotes his new children’s book, ‘The Mordenham Acres.’ - PHOTO: JEWEL LEVY The Star Strikers, winners of the Little Cayman Futsal League Championship Grand Final. “The cover and book came out even better than I imagined. I was very, very pleased.” JOSH DILBERT ‘The Mordenham Acres.’The islands’ most-trusted news source 8 WEDNESDAY JANUARY 18, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS CIBC PRIVATE CLIENT FUND LIMITED ANNOUNCES NEW DIRECTOR CIBC Private Client Fund Limited (the “Company”) hereby announces that David Mullen has been appointed as a Director of the Company with effect from 28 December 2016. David Mullen is a Director and the Head of Fiduciary Services at CIBC Bank and Trust Company (Cayman) Limited (“CIBC Cayman”). As a Trust and Estate Planning Professional, with over 20 years of experience in Europe, North America and the Caribbean, David previously held senior positions at international financial institutions where he successfully managed a complex and diverse fool of trust and company structures. David has been a full member of Society of Trust Estate Practitioners since 1998 and holds their TEP designation. Jennifer Fischetti Director CIBC Private Client Fund Limited Email: jennifer.fischetti@wi.cibc.com Tel: 345.914.9361 in for periodically required inspections. The department said there will be no addi- tional cost for the electronic tags as long as the vehicle’s registration is current. The normal fees for registration, based on vehicle category, will still apply. Most vehicles can be li- censed for three, six or 12 months. However, newer vehi- cles can receive two- or three- year registrations and, there- fore, some of those cars will not be able to replace their old registration plates right away, DVDL officials said. Radio transmitters in plates The electronic tags also add a new “enforcement com- ponent” to the vehicle regis- tration system. The licenses are fitted with embedded radio transmitters which ac- tivate when they are driven over corresponding strips on the road. The transmitters will allow police to know the last general vicinity in which the vehicle was driven. The system might also be modified in the future to monitor lower speed zones and even issue elec- tronic speeding tickets, officials said. The DVDL statement indicated that the licensing department would also be looking at enforcement ca- pabilities once the new elec- tronic tags are fitted to local vehicles. All operational vehi- cles should be fitted with the new plates within three years of the February launch, the department noted. “Owners of vehicles with lapsed documents will be contacted by DVDL and ad- vised to update their inac- tive registrations or licences,” Mr. Dixon’s statement read. “Back-licensing (for up to three years of arrears) will still have to be paid to main- tain the vehicle registration. “DVDL officials urge owners to take the initiative now to either update their expired licence/coupons, or turn in unused plates so they do not accumulate additional fees. This will involve the vehicle owner terminating or suspending the vehicle registration.” Anyone who updates their license and registration after the three-year implementa- tion period will be required to pay for the new plates, a new vehicle logbook and the windscreen coupon at a total cost of $115. Planning Minister Kurt Tibbetts first spoke about the electronic vehicle tag system in June 2016 in a Legisla- tive Assembly Finance Com- mittee meeting. In addition to the en- forcement improvements, the electronic plates can help monitor traffic pat- terns with an eye toward easing road congestion, Mr. Tibbetts said. The DVDL will be able to create its own license plates for vehicles, along with the registration coupons. Mr. Tibbetts indicated that “monitors” would be placed throughout the country when the electronic tagging system is up and running. The monitors allow every ve- hicle that crosses them to be tracked, he said. A number of countries and territories worldwide, in- cluding Bermuda, South Af- rica and Mexico, have im- plemented electronic vehicle registraton in some form or another. Technology varies, but typically it involves mini- chips which emit UHF fre- quencies that are embedded in registration coupons and license plates. The UHF chips commu- nicate with devices installed along roadways and can communicate with hand-held readers – giving the users immediate information on who the vehicle is registered to, and whether the regis- tration and car insurance are up to date. Director Paul Parchment, in- dicate the authority would soon be performing road- work near the roundabout as part of the planned wid- ening of the Esterley Tibbetts Highway and that those re- sponsible for the vehicles were committing “encroach- ment” offenses in a public right of way. “You are hereby directed to have the encroachment re- moved within two weeks of the date of this letter,” state the documents taped to the vehicle windshields. “Oth- erwise, the NRA shall take further action as prescribed within [the Roads Law.]” That “action” can include fines of $5,000 and jail terms of up to six months upon conviction. Any remaining vehicles left at the location by Jan. 26 will be towed to the NRA stockpile lot at Agnes Way. Although the impromptu “for sale” lot at the Butterfield roundabout in George Town is probably the most well known unofficial used car lot on Grand Cayman, it is far from the only one easily in public view. The Cayman Compass lo- cated and photographed six such locations around the is- land Monday where used cars were being offered for sale on properties in public view that are not car dealerships. On Shamrock Road near Marina Drive, across from the McRuss grocery store, five vehicles with “For sale” scrawled across their wind- shields were parked in the grass near an auto body shop, plainly in view of passing motorists. Also in George Town, a ve- hicle with a yellow sticker tag in its windscreen was parked off to the side of Bobby Thompson Way in a small area that had been roped off. At the King’s gym round- about, an SUV missing its back license plate was parked on the roadside with a “for sale” sign on one of its side windows. In Bodden Town, a ve- hicle for sale was parked at the corner of Shamrock and Beach Bay roads on a piece of property that was also being advertised for sale. Government officials con- tacted for comment over the past week have admitted some difficulty with road- side vehicle sales or derelict vehicles in general, largely because local laws have left it to a number of different agencies to police. For instance, in the case of the Butterfield round- about situation, the en- croachment section of the Roads Law (section 16) can be used for enforce- ment due to the planned road widening project, but in other cases, the realm of such enforcement is vague, according to officials. Section 16 of the Roads Law considers an encroach- ment “any discarded or abandoned vehicle or por- tion thereof dumped or parked within sight from any public road.” The law makes it the re- sponsibility of the land owner or the vehicle owner to move it, but only after re- ceiving written notice from the NRA. In the event of non- compliance, the authority it- self is allowed to remove the vehicles “in such a manner as it may think fit.” In the case of an aban- doned vehicle left wrecked at the roadside, the Royal Cayman Islands Police Ser- vice may take it, if it is needed for a police investiga- tion. The Department of En- vironmental Health also has some responsibility to re- move wrecked vehicles if the police do not require it for their purposes. It is not always clear that a car for sale would be con- sidered “abandoned or dis- carded” or whether the land it is on is public or privately owned. If it is a junked car, the revised Development and Planning Law gives the planning department sig- nificant new powers to re- move vehicles or parts of ve- hicle considered eyesores from private property if there is a complaint. make the next two years ex- tremely tense,” she said. “So, the pound is not out of the woods yet.” The plunge in the pound has started to hit the con- sumer. Inflation in Britain has soared to its highest level in 2½ years, hitting 1.6 percent in December, from 1.2 percent in November. The pound’s plunge ear- lier this week was sparked by fears of an economy- roiling “hard Brexit.” May rejected both the “hard Brexit” label and its opposite, a compromise “soft Brexit.” She said she wants a new relationship based on free trade between the U.K. and the EU. “We want to buy your goods, sell you ours, trade with you as freely as pos- sible, and work with one an- other to make sure we are all safer, more secure and more prosperous through con- tinued friendship,” May said. That includes a customs agreement, though May said she has an “open mind” about whether that means staying in the EU Customs Union, which currently prevents Britain from striking trade deals with other countries. Alternatively, Britain could leave that too and try to forge a new deal with the EU. In a bid to alleviate fears that Brexit will mean a more insular Britain, May said she wants the country to be “stronger, fairer, more united and more outward-looking than ever before.” In a symbol of the U.K.’s outward-facing aspirations, May spoke before an audi- ence of British civil servants and international diplo- mats at London’s Lancaster House, a Georgian mansion that has hosted interna- tional summits. Britain is quitting the EU’s single market in goods and services in order to gain control over immigration – a key issue for many voters who backed Brexit. EU leaders say Britain cannot stay in the single market without allowing free move- ment of people from the bloc. May was firm on the im- migration question, saying it was a key reason people voted to leave. But she soft- ened the message by saying she wants Britain to guar- antee the right to remain of EU citizens already in Britain, and British citizens elsewhere in the bloc. Drivers are currently being issued with temporary license plates. – PHOTO: TANEOS RAMSAY Vehicle ‘for sale’ lots multiply CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Drivers traveling along North Sound Road or the Esterley Tibbetts Highway in George Town see the for sale cars lined up along the roundabout every day. - PHOTO: BRENT FULLER Gov’t to replace 45,000 license plates British Prime Minister Theresa May - PHOTO: THE WASHINGTON POST UK PM Theresa May signals clean break with European Union CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1The islands’ most-trusted news source 9 CAYMAN COMPASS • WEDNESDAY JANUARY 18, 2017 Kerry: Diplomatic deals hard to reverse Secretary of State John Kerry says he doesn’t believe Donald Trump’s administration will quickly reverse some of the Obama administration’s diplomatic deals. He said if the Trump administration tries to dismantle the Iran nuclear deal, other countries who helped strike the deal would keep it. Putin: Obama’s gov’t working hard to undermine Trump MOSCOW (AP) – In a biting attack, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday accused the outgoing U.S. administration of trying to undermine President-elect Donald Trump by spreading fake allegations and said those who are doing it are “worse than prostitutes.” The statement reflected the Kremlin’s boiling anger at President Barack Obama’s administration, which de- clined to comment on Pu- tin’s accusation. Asked about an unsub- stantiated dossier outlining unverified claims that Trump engaged in sexual activities with prostitutes at a Moscow hotel, Putin dismissed it as “fake” and “nonsense” and said it was part of efforts by Obama’s administration to “undermine the legitimacy of the president-elect” despite his “convincing” victory. Trump earlier rejected the sexual allegations as “fake news” and “phony stuff.” Putin’s broadside at the White House reveals a cul- mination of tensions be- tween Moscow and Wash- ington, which have built up over the Ukrainian crisis, the Syrian war and the allega- tions of Russian meddling in the U.S. election. “People who order such fakes against the U.S. pres- ident-elect, fabricate them and use them in political struggle are worse than pros- titutes,” Putin said. “They have no moral restrictions whatsoever, and it highlights a significant degree of deg- radation of political elites in the West, including in the United States.” He spoke in Moscow during a news conference fol- lowing talks with the presi- dent of Moldova. The Russian leader rid- iculed the authors of the Trump dossier for alleging that Russian spy agencies were collecting compro- mising material on Trump when he visited Moscow in 2013 for the Miss Uni- verse pageant. “He wasn’t a politician, we didn’t even know about his political ambitions,” Putin said. “Do they think that our special services are hunting for every U.S. billionaire?” Putin also sarcastically suggested that Trump, who met the world’s most beau- tiful women at the pageant, had a better choice for female companionship than Moscow prostitutes, even though Putin claimed “they are also the best in the world.” He said Trump’s foes are ready to go as far as to “stage a Maidan in Washington to prevent Trump from entering office,” in reference to the al- leged U.S. role in organizing protests in the main square of the Ukrainian capital, the Maidan, which forced the na- tion’s Russia-friendly presi- dent from power in 2014. “People who are doing that are inflicting a colossal damage to the interests of the United States,” Putin said. Putin also charged that those spreading allegations against Trump want to “bind the president-elect hand and foot to prevent him from ful- filling his election promises.” “How can you do anything to improve U.S.-Russian rela- tions when they launch such canards as hackers’ interfer- ence in the election?” he said. Putin voiced hope that “common sense will prevail” and Russia and the United States will be able to nor- malize their relations once Trump takes office Friday. He said he does not know Trump and has no interests in defending him. “I don’t know Mr. Trump. I have never met him and I don’t know what he will do on the international arena,” Putin said. “I have no reason whatsoever to assail him, criticize him for something, or defend him.” At a separate news confer- ence Tuesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow hopes for better re- lations with the United States based on respect for mutual interests once Trump takes of- fice, in contrast with the “mes- sianic” approach of the out- going U.S. administration that he said has ravaged ties. Lavrov said Russia and the United States can reach common ground on nuclear arms control and other is- sues if each country pro- ceeds from its national inter- ests and shows respect for the other side. He voiced hope that Trump’s team will consist of pragmatic people “who will not engage in moralizing and will try to understand the in- terests of their partners just as they clearly uphold their own interests.” Lavrov denounced the for- eign policies of the outgoing Obama administration and its allies as “messianic” at- tempts to enforce Western values on the rest of the world, which has led to in- stability and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere. Lavrov said Moscow is in- viting representatives of the incoming U.S. administra- tion to attend talks Monday on Syria in Kazakhstan, dis- cussions brokered by Russia, Turkey and Iran. He voiced hope that Russian and U.S. experts could start discus- sions on fighting terrorism in Syria during that meeting. Asked to comment on Trump’s recent comments in which he indicated he could end sanctions imposed on Russia in the aftermath of its 2014 annexation of Crimea in return for a nuclear arms reduction deal, Lavrov said Russia was ready to sit down for nuclear arms talks with the U.S. Lavrov noted he did not see Trump’s words as an offer to cut arms in exchange for canceling the sanctions, rather as an expression of readiness to look at reviewing the sanctions while engaging in negotiations on arms con- trol, among other issues. Lavrov added that, along with nuclear arsenals, the agenda for such negotiations should include new hyper- sonic weapons, missile de- fense, the weaponization of space and other issues. Like Putin, Lavrov rejected allegations of Russian med- dling into the U.S. election as “absurdities” and “fakes” in- tended to hurt Trump. He said U.S. intelligence agencies have failed to pro- duce any evidence to back those claims, adding that offi- cials who engaged in the effort “deserve to be fired, as they re- ceive their salaries for nothing.” Lavrov described the al- legations of Russian elec- tion meddling in the U.S. vote as the final “spasms of those who realize that their time is coming to an end.” “The time of foreign policy demagogues is over, and, feeling hurt, they fabricate all kinds of fakes,” he said. “First, officials leak fakes to the media, then media start spin- ning them and, finally, officials comment on them as facts.” Lavrov also denounced a dossier on Trump compiled by a former British spy as a “rude provocation,” contemp- tuously referring to its author as a “runaway swindler from MI6” without citing his name. Russian President Vladimir Putin Ethics watchdog investigating Canadian PM’s vacation OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) – Can- ada’s ethics commissioner said she is launching an in- vestigation into Prime Min- ister Justin Trudeau’s re- cent family holiday at the Aga Khan’s private island in the Bahamas. Ethics commissioner Mary Dawson said Trudeau may have violated the federal ethics code during his holiday with the Aga Khan, a family friend, philanthropist and he- reditary spiritual leader to the world’s approximately 15 million Ismaili Muslims. It’s the first time the ethics com- missioner has opted to inves- tigate the actions of a sitting prime minister. In a letter to opposi- tion Conservative lawmaker Blaine Calkins, who was among those who filed formal complaints, Dawson said she is looking into both Trudeau’s stay at the island and his use of the Aga Khan’s private he- licopter to get there. The vacation included Trudeau, his family, Liberal lawmaker Seamus O’Regan and Liberal party president Anna Gainey, all of whom took part in the chopper flight from Nassau to get to the secluded island. Both the Conflict of In- terest Act and Trudeau’s own ethics guidelines bar the use of sponsored travel in private aircraft, allowing it only for exceptional circumstances. The guidelines also pro- hibit a minister or any member of their family from accepting gifts or “advantages” that could reasonably be seen as influencing government de- cisions. The only exception is if the person providing the gift is a friend. Trudeau has repeatedly called the Aga Khan a long- time family friend who was a pallbearer at his father’s funeral. Late Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau and the Aga Khan were friends. Trudeau has said he is ready to meet with Dawson about the trip. “As the prime minister said last week, we are happy to engage with the commis- sioner and answer any ques- tions she may have,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement. It’s the first time the ethics commissioner has opted to investigate the actions of a sitting prime minister. Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau TRUMP MAKES HIS FIRST WASHINGTON TRIP IN WEEKS NEW YORK (AP) – Donald Trump made his first Washington trip in weeks Tuesday, as his inaugura- tion festivities approach and his focus turns to the nation’s capital. Trump planned to fly in for a dinner honoring Tom Barrack, his longtime friend and head of the Inaugura- tion Committee. The pres- ident-elect will return to New York after the dinner. He’ll make his final trip to Washington on Thursday to attend a concert at the Lin- coln Memorial and to stay, as is custom for incoming presidents, at Blair House, the presidential guest quarters, the night before he is sworn in. In New York on Tuesday, Trump met with Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg. Trump has criticized the cost of Boeing’s Air Force One program. “We made some great progress to refine require- ments for Air Force One, to streamline the process, to streamline certain fea- tures, all of that will lead to a better airplane at a lower cost,” Muilenberg said after the meeting. He said Trump “is doing a good job as an agent of business” and added that more con- versations would be forth- coming. He did not set a time line on settling on a final price tag. Also this week, Trump’s picks for Cabinet posts continue their trek to Cap- itol Hill to win support from lawmakers consid- ering their confirmation for Cabinet positions.Next >