ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – WEDNESDAY JANUARY 25, 2017 High of 81 Low of 72 Slight to moderate with wave heights of 2 to 4 feet. EDITORIAL | PAGE 4 IMMIGRATION ARRESTS: UNDER PUNISHMENT OF ‘PAID VACATION’ SPORTS | PAGE 19 HERO’S WELCOME FOR DWIGHT YORKE Dilemma over accusations against teachers JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com When accusations of assault or abuse are made against teachers in Cayman Islands classrooms, education officials walk a fine line between protecting their staff against po- tentially false accusations and ensuring the safety of the children. The issue came to the fore again last week when it emerged that a teacher at Sir John A. Cumber Primary School had been placed on required leave amid allegations that he threw a chair, injuring a child in a class- room incident. Officials confirmed that this was the second incident at the same school this academic year. Another teacher is on required leave following an incident in November, Principal Paul Samuel said. Both incidents are being investi- gated by police. Across the school system, a total of three teachers are on required leave while allega- tions against them are investigated. Chief Officer in the Ministry of Education Christen Suckoo acknowledged that officials are reluctant to put out too much information publicly in such cases. He said the ministry’s first duty is to the children, but they are also aware of the poten- tial impact of such accusations on a teacher’s career, particularly if the allegations turn out to be false, frivolous or even the result of gen- uine misunderstanding. Speaking generally, he said, “You have to understand that just because an allega- tion is made doesn’t mean that something High waves, debris block roads to George Town Northwesterly winds brought high waves and road closures to Grand Cayman on Tuesday. The cold front, coming from the eastern United States and moving over the Yucatan, began Monday and was expected to persist through Tuesday evening, ac- cording to National Weather Service senior forecaster Avalon Porter. By Wednesday, he expected the low- pressure system to have moved southeast of the Cayman Islands. High waves damaged fences on Har- bour Drive, leaving debris scattered on the road, creating road blockages. Shedden Road was blocked from Elgin Avenue to the waterfront. Only right-hand turns Business owner cites immigration ‘nightmare’ No cooks, no chicken BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com Harrison Bothwell closed his George Town jerk stand Friday, about two weeks after he first opened it, after work permits for his two cooks expired during an immigration pro- cess he described as “a nightmare.” “Had I known what I was going to be faced with, I would never have un- dertaken this,” Mr. Bothwell said. “It’s a nightmare.” Mr. Bothwell, a retired airline pilot who still leads some training courses for Cayman Airways, decided to em- bark on a post-retirement business venture a few years ago. That ven- ture, the ‘What a Jerk’ jerk stand on Eastern Avenue, opened on Jan. 7 after a significant delay in receiving building occupancy documents. “I guess that’s another story,” he said. Mr. Bothwell said he received a three-month temporary work permit for one of his cooks through Au- gust 2016. The second cook he hired was granted a similar permit to last through September 2016. It took a bit longer to open the jerk stand than he had first estimated, so Mr. Bothwell said his cook went back to immigration in August, attempting to receive a second three-month permit. According to immigration of- ficials, that was not allowed, and Mr. Bothwell said he was asked to pay for a six-month work permit instead. Cayman Islands Immigration Law re- quires all non-Caymanian workers to receive a permit before taking up em- ployment in the jurisdiction. PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 7 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 7 » Harrison Bothwell closed his Eastern Avenue jerk stand on Friday. – PHOTO: BRENT FULLER PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 7 » High waves damaged fences and caused road closures downtown on Tuesday. - PHOTO: TANEOS RAMSAY2 LOCAL NEWS WEDNESDAY JANUARY 25, 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 - LA LA LAND (PG13) 12:30 | 3:50 | 6:45 | 9:40 UNDERWORLD: (R) BLOOD WARS 3D 1:30 | 4:15 2D | 7:30 | 10:10 2D SING (PG) 12:45 | 3:45 | 7:15 | 9:50 NOCTURNAL ANIMALS (R) 12:40 | 3:55 | 6:50 | 9:30 SLEEPLESS (R) 1:20 | 4:30 | 7:10 | 9:45 MONSTER TRUCKS 3D (PG) 1:10 2D | 4:00 | 7:15 2D | 9:45 Juliette Gooding-Mi- chelin, honorary consul to Barbados in the Cayman Islands, was honored with the Gold Crown of Merit in Barbados by Prime Minister Freundel Stuart during an official cere- mony on Jan. 11. The award recognizes her humanitarian efforts and promotion of Bar- bados. Mrs. Gooding-Mi- chelin was nominated for the award by Cayman’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In her time in civil ser- vice, Mrs. Gooding-Mi- chelin has been dedicated to supporting young people and has worked with so- cial programs to combat substance abuse and to promote families, a press release states. She often organizes donations from businesses in Cayman and Barbados to provide food, clothing and Christmas gifts to people in need. She was certified in 1997 in medical management of disasters by the Uni- versity of the West Indies School of Clinical Medicine and Research, and trained in clinical incident stress management and crisis in- tervention. She is a member of the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation. After taking a break from her studies, she is working to complete her law degree at the Cayman Islands Law School. Mrs. Gooding-Michelin has worked for the Cayman Islands Department of Ed- ucation and served 12 years as director of the Cayman Islands 911 Emergency and Public Safety Depart- ment. She also helped es- tablish an emergency 911 system in Turks and Ca- icos and has trained emer- gency response teams and dispatchers in the Cayman Islands. She is founder of the Barbados Overseas Associa- tion in the Cayman Islands, which has contributed to humanitarian causes. She was appointed to her current position as the honorary consul to Bar- bados in 1995. Mrs. Gooding-Michelin expressed gratitude to those who found her work worthy of recognition, a press release states. CAYMAN CIVIL SERVANT RECOGNIZED IN BARBADOS Juliette Gooding-Michelin is given the Gold Crown of Merit by Barbados Prime Minister Freundel Stuart on Jan. 11. BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com Two Bermuda police officers finished a preliminary report last week into the shooting death of an armed suspect by Royal Cayman Islands Police on Jan. 6. Norval Barrett, 34, was shot and killed during an incident involving RCIPS armed units in the Windsor Park area of George Town. Police Commissioner Derek Byrne asked for Bermuda police to take over the investigation to ensure the indepen- dence of the review. The Bermuda officers are expected to return to Cayman next month to “con- duct follow-up technical examinations” of the forensic evidence related to the fatal shooting, a statement from Mr. By- rne’s office noted. The Bermuda police investigation will be presented to the local Director of Public Prosecutions for review once it is finished. The RCIPS officers involved in the shooting may take personal leave or be assigned to administrative duties until the independent inquiry is finished, ac- cording to the RCIPS. Police department policy states that these measures are taken largely to ensure the welfare of the officers involved. The Jan. 6 shooting is believed to be the first fatal RCIPS officer shooting of a criminal suspect since at least the 1980s, although department officials could not be certain whether it was the first such incident in the department’s 100-plus year history. Barrett was an illegal immigrant in the Cayman Islands and had been con- victed of robbery in early 2011. Mr. Byrne said the Jamaican national was being sought on an arrest warrant the morning he was killed. According to previous police ac- counts of the incident, Barrett left a resi- dence on Theresa Drive with a firearm. Mr. Byrne said armed officers fired “a number of shots” and injured the sus- pect. He was transported to hospital and pronounced dead at 6:16 a.m. on Jan. 6, police said. Mr. Byrne said he could not con- firm whether the suspect fired any shots at police, although he said that was being looked at. The firearm recov- ered by police at the scene was loaded, Mr. Byrne said. Just before Christmas, the RCIPS put out a public warning regarding Barrett, who was sentenced in 2012 to 12 years in prison for a robbery at the Shedden Road Esso station on Aug. 18, 2010. His sentence was later reduced to nine years by the Court of Appeal. Barrett was deported from Cayman after he was released from prison, but the RCIPS reported during the holiday period that he was believed to be back on island illegally. “Anyone who sees Mr. Barrett should exercise caution as he could be potentially dangerous,” the De- cember press release noted. Bermuda cops finish on-site shooting review KAYLA YOUNG kyoung@pinnaclemedialtd.com Mulch from recycled Christmas trees filled two- and-a-half dump trucks over the weekend as workers with the Depart- ment of Environmental Health set about the opera- tion of the annual program at the George Town cricket field on Saturday. Recycling foreman An- gello Roye said the free mulch produced by the in- dustrial-sized wood grinder known as “The Beast” was a hit with the public and supplies ran out by 2 p.m. Saturday. Despite the growing pop- ularity of plastic Christmas trees, he estimated that the number of recycled trees was similar to that of last year, with 1,455 processed. Recycled trees were col- lected from several sites on Grand Cayman, including the cricket field, Spotts and sites in West Bay and off Frank Sound Road. Mulching the trees re- quired about eight hours of work. Christmas tree mulch goes fast Workers turn Christmas trees into mulch at the George Town cricket field as part of the annual recycling program. - PHOTO: ALVARO SEREY A visitor to the Cayman Islands was seriously in- jured in a hit-and-run acci- dent around 9 p.m. Saturday on West Bay Road near Lime Tree Avenue. The 69-year-old woman was walking on the side- walk, when a vehicle driving north struck her and failed to stop, the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service said. The woman was trans- ported to the Cayman Islands Hospital before being flown off island for treatment. Police are searching for a light-colored Honda Pilot SUV. Information on the ac- cident can be provided to the Traffic Management Unit at 696-6524 or submitted anon- ymously to the Confidential Tip Line at 949-7777. Pedestrian injured in hit-and-run accidentThe islands’ most-trusted news source 3 CAYMAN COMPASS • WEDNESDAY JANUARY 25, 2017 ‘ULTRA’ AFTER PARTY $ 17 FEBRUARY 2017 Legends is a world-class annual tennis showcase which will be taking place in Grand Cayman for one night only on Friday 17 February 2017. LEGENDSCAYMAN.COM Legends is a world-class annual tennis showcase which will be taking place in Grand Cayman for one night only on Friday 17 February 2017. LEGENDSCAYMAN.COM BLEACHERS $ STANDING VIP $ SEATED VIP $ JIM COURIER JOHN McENROE CHRIS EVERT Set against the stunning backdrop of Camana Bay, the event will feature tennis stars from Hall of Fame legends to Grand Slam champions and former World #1s with this year’s line-up including John McEnroe, Jim Courier, Chris Evert and Daniela Hantuchová. Watch as the stars battle it out in a combination of mixed doubles and men’s singles before heading over to the Camana Bay helipad for the legendary Ultra Party. DANIELA HANTUCHOVÁ ONE LEGEND REPLACES ANOTHER: CHRIS EVERT STEPS IN FOR MONICA SELES Set against the stunning backdrop of Camana Bay, the event will feature tennis stars from Hall of Fame legends to Grand Slam champions and former World #1s with this year’s line-up including John McEnroe, Jim Courier, Chris Evert and Daniela Hantuchová. Watch as the stars battle it out in a combination of mixed doubles and men’s singles before heading over to the Camana Bay HANTUCHOVHANTUCHOVÁÁHANTUCHOVÁHANTUCHOVHANTUCHOVÁHANTUCHOV LIMITED TICKETS AVAILABLE:The islands’ most-trusted news source 4 – EDITORIAL – Opinion&Letters The Cayman Compass welcomes comments, opinions and viewpoints from readers. Letters to the editor can be emailed to editor@pinnaclemedialtd.com, submitted via www.caymancompass.com, sent by post or hand-delivered to the Compass office. PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY: Caymanian Compass Limited (a subsidiary of Pinnacle Media Ltd) Compass Centre Shedden Road, George Town SEND US YOUR VIEWS OR NEWS: P.O. Box 1365 Grand Cayman KY1-1108, Cayman Islands Telephone: (345) 815-0095 Email: newsdesk@pinnaclemedialtd.com ADVERTISE WITH US: Telephone: (345) 949-5111 Email: sales@pinnaclemedialtd.com Website: www.caymancompass.com PUBLISHERS DAVID R. LEGGE AND VICKI L. LEGGE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF DAVID R. LEGGE EXECUTIVE EDITOR PATRICK BRENDEL A MEMBER OF THE INTER-AMERICAN PRESS ASSOCIATION “Give light and the people will findtheirownway” WEDNESDAY JANUARY 25, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS The cloud of criminal suspicion and alleged malfeasance enshrouding the Immigration Department is a real and rep- utational threat to the Cayman Islands. Public statements and paid suspensions are an insufficient response. The recent arrest of three immigration employees in connection with a bribery investigation (with more, we’ve heard, to come) is a “bad news, good news, bad news” story. The first bit of bad news, obviously, is that three immigration staffers have been arrested on suspicion of involvement in a scheme in which immigration officials would provide immigration-related services in exchange for bribes. As we have said before, in a country as small and insular as Cayman, our immigration policies define our collective destiny. Our immigration processes, therefore, must be reasonable, efficient, transparent and, above all, untainted by corruption. Because this government function is so important, we welcome the announcement by the Immigration Depart- ment leadership that the department has a “zero toler- ance” approach to dealing with employee misconduct or unlawful behavior. We consider it good news when suspects are identified, arrested and removed from their positions of authority. Which brings us back to the bad news. Including the three recently arrested suspects, there are currently eight immigration staffers on required leave — suspended, with full pay. Perhaps more so than any accusations against individual employees, the govern- ment’s policy of suspending civil servants with full pay is damaging to the civil service as a whole and to its leader, Deputy Governor Franz Manderson (whom we hold in the highest regard). To the taxpaying public, suspension with full pay appears to be — because it is — a demonstration of favor- itism to civil servants as a class. It’s a “job perk” that would never be offered in the private sector. Even if it were, a further distinction must be made: Private sector salaries are paid with private sector dollars. Civil Service salaries are paid with your dollars, which should be viewed by government as precious. These “paid vacations” are in direct opposition to Deputy Governor Manderson’s commitment to improve the civil service and its image. In practice, the policy runs contrary to the necessity for the swift adjudication of criminal and administrative matters. Simply put (whether suspects are guilty or innocent), a person on paid suspension has little incentive to pursue an expeditious resolution of the matter. Here’s why: 1) Upon returning to the workplace, they may face dis- ciplinary actions; 2) If terminated (rather than suspended), they cer- tainly will lose their paycheck and benefits; 3) If convicted, they risk being fined or going to prison. In those circumstances and with those choices, who wouldn’t “slow walk” the process? The policy also is damaging to the public treasury. The paid suspensions can stretch on indefinitely, with costs accumulating by the day. For example, Chief Immigration Officer Evans — who faces no criminal allegations — has been on paid leave since December 2014 (more than two years!) while she awaits resolution of administrative accu- sations against her. There are several possible alternatives to the delete- rious policy of suspensions with full pay. For example, when confronted with an employee who has been arrested or otherwise accused of wrongdoing, a manager could place him or her on suspension with no pay (or half pay, or “low pay”). If the employee is eventually exoner- ated, then they could be entitled to restitution for all, or a portion of, their lost wages. No matter the specifics, it seems clear to us that the following general rule should apply: When a civil servant stops going to work, their paycheck stops going to their bank account. Immigration arrests: Under punishment of ‘paid vacation’ Looking ahead to 2024 Trump may disagree, but human productivity is already poised to leap Most new cars sold in 2024 will have self-driving capabilities so that the number of auto fatalities will be falling rapidly. That is an easy prediction because the technologies have already been developed and roll-outs of the new cars are being planned and, in some cases, are under way. There will be many seen and unseen new technologies in the next eight years, so by the end of the Trump admin- istration (assuming he is re- elected), the world will look very different. Unfortunately, economic advances take place more slowly, and political advances even more slowly – without much advance- ment in 2,000 years. President Trump has made many prom- ises and, even if he is unusu- ally skilled or lucky, some are unlikely to come about. For instance, his pledge to get rid of radical Islamic terrorism from the face of the earth is wishful thinking. Mr. Trump has focused on the need to create more jobs at higher real wages – an ob- tainable goal, but not in the way that he has so far de- scribed. Removing counter- productive regulations and taxes and reducing wasteful government spending should lead to higher growth and, hence, more and better jobs. However, manufacturing jobs, as contrasted with manufac- turing activity, are not coming back to the United States, nor are they coming back most anywhere. New technologies have been rapidly eliminating manufacturing jobs every- where – even in China. Robots and 3-D printing increasingly will be able to manufacture most everything at lower costs – and without the mo- notonous and physically de- manding labor that most manufacturing involves. In 2024, it is likely that U.S. man- ufacturing output will be sig- nificantly higher than today, but with far fewer workers. If not in manufacturing, where will all the new jobs be? The truth is no one knows, but they are likely to appear as they always have in the past. Large numbers of people now have jobs that were rare or unknown three decades ago. When farm mechani- zation began 150 years ago, many argued that there would be massive permanent un- employment because more than 70 percent of all workers were employed on farms at the time. We are now at a point where machines and robots have or soon will re- place virtually all farm labor (but not farms), and yet both the number of jobs and real wages rose all during the time of substituting capital for labor on farms. Mr. Trump will soon find out that to increase the total number of jobs at higher real wages, the United States will need more trade rather than less. Trade increases the ex- tent of the market, thus re- ducing unit costs, and allows for comparative advantage, making better use of labor (re- sulting in higher real wages) and capital everywhere. Most cars spend much of their lives parked some- where. They slowly lose value even when not moving and they take up a great amount of space. That is about to change with the advent of autonomous cars. These will be cars that you call on your smartphone and then al- most immediately show up in urban areas, and take you where you want to go, without a driver. As a result, many people in cities will cease owning cars, freeing up the capital and space now tied up in them for a better use. Some of the most rad- ical changes will likely take place in education and med- ical care. As a result of the de- velopment of the smartphone, tablets and laptops, almost everyone on the planet will have access, almost for free, to the world’s best teachers, edu- cational materials, and almost the entire stock of human knowledge. The old moss-cov- ered educational establish- ment is about to be disrupted in ways it cannot image. High- cost, low-performance educa- tional institutions are going to disappear at an increas- ingly rapid rate, while real education (as defined by the teaching of skills and trans- ference of knowledge) is going to be better and cheaper for almost everyone. And as tech- nological change moves faster and old jobs and professions cease to exist, most people will be “retrained” several times, but in interesting and low-cost ways. Healthcare costs of most government bud- gets (Medicare and Med- icaid) are increasing at unsustainable rates but, again, technology is likely to come to the rescue. New devices are already in the pipeline to work with your phone to measure many of your body’s basic func- tions, catching problems early and, in many cases, providing people with low- cost solutions. Computers like Watson will be able to provide everyone with the world’s best medical anal- ysis and diagnosis, elimi- nating the need for much unnecessary testing and related fees. Two hun- dred years ago, two out of five children died before their fifth birthday, now almost none do. For 150 years, human life spans have been increasing, and now the rate of increase is about to greatly accelerate, so young people alive today can expect to live well over 100 years. Human beings, being human, also have the ca- pacity to mess most every- thing up – engaging in wars or failing to control govern- ment spending – but still the probabilities are that 2024 will be a better and more prosperous world than 2017. 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. © 2016, The Washington Times RICHARD W. RAHN The probabilities are that 2024 will be a better and more prosperous world than 2017.5 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • WEDNESDAY JANUARY 25, 2017 Father, son charged with unlicensed gun Magistrate withholds bail in Summary Court on Monday CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Two George Town men identified as father and son appeared in Summary Court on Tuesday afternoon, charged with possession of an unlicensed firearm. George Lunard Powell, 47, and Jordan Bryson Powell, 24, are charged with possession of a loaded, un- licensed .45 Taurus semi- automatic pistol on Sat- urday, Jan. 21 on Sound Way in George Town. Senior Crown counsel Candia James ob- jected to bail. She said officers trav- eling in the Grand Har- bour area observed a white truck heading to- ward George Town. They followed it for a distance and then sig- naled it to stop, but it did not until Sound Road. At that point the vehicle hit a utility pole. The younger defen- dant exited the vehicle. The older defendant, who had been driving, was trapped in the vehicle and had to be released. Officers recovered the firearm at the scene. Ms. James said Jordan Powell gave an inter- view to police, while George Powell’s interview was a no comment. Attorney Alice Carver applied for bail for Jordan, telling the court he worked at the same place as his mother and would live at her residence; she would stand surety for him and make sure he attended court. Attorney Prathna Bodden applied for bail on behalf of George Powell, explaining that he owns his own business and has minor children to support. She noted that the firearm was being tested for DNA and fingerprints. Magistrate Valdis Fol- dats withheld bail, noting the seriousness of the charge and the objections of the Crown. Jordan Powell elected to be tried in Grand Court. George Powell did not make an election. The matter was set for mention again on Feb. 1. Both men were ad- vised of their right to ap- peal the bail decision to the Grand Court. George Lunard Powell, 47, and Jordan Bryson Powell, 24, are charged with possession of a loaded, unlicensed .45 Taurus semiautomatic pistol on Jan. 21 on Sound Way in George Town. KAYLA YOUNG kyoung@pinnaclemedialtd.com Doctors from U.S.-based Andrews Sports Medicine and Orthopaedics visited Health City Cayman Islands on Friday to discuss a part- nership that would offer op- erative care and rehabilita- tion for athletes. Facilitated through Ascen- sion Holdings and Narayana Health, the pending partner- ship offers an opportunity for innovation, said Scott Lambert, vice president of Ascension Holdings. “One of our key goals is around innovation and re- search and also collaboration between the entities and the delivery of healthcare in the U.S. We endeavor to engage our organizations and posi- tion groups in the U.S. with Health City Cayman Islands. This is an example of that,” Mr. Lambert said during a press conference. Health City and Andrews Sports Medicine were ini- tially brought together as a result of the U.S. group’s 20- year relationship with St. Vin- cent’s Health System in Bir- mingham, Alabama, which is part of Ascension. Visits be- tween doctors at the Alabama facility and in the Cayman Is- lands have been coordinated over the past year to move the partnership forward. Dr. James Andrews, ac- companied by Dr. Jeff Dugas, said this week was his first time in the Cayman Is- lands, and he found the lo- cation to be ideal for ath- letes in recovery. “The potential is unbeliev- able here. Obviously from the sports medicine world, there is a lot going on here and a lot that can go on in the fu- ture. So I’m here mainly to learn what’s happening,” Dr. Andrews said. Dr. Dugas, who has made previous trips to the Grand Cayman facility, said he has been impressed with quality of care offered here. “I think the quality of what they do is on par with what we like to see, and we have no issues there. That is not necessarily true every- where in the world. I feel comfortable with the quality of what they’ve put together here and that makes it an easy collaboration for us,” Dr. Dugas said. Health City facility di- rector Dr. Chandy Abraham said that while healthcare costs in the U.S. are vari- able, estimates indicate that care in the Cayman Islands comes close to about a third of the U.S. cost. Health City explores sports medicine deal From left, Ascension’s Scott Lambert presents a pending partnership at Health City Cayman Islands, accompanied by Dr. Jeff Dugas and Dr. James Andrews of Andrews Sports Medicine, and Health City’s Dr. Chandy Abraham. january 28, 2017 · festival green · 5pm - 11:45pm MEDIA LTD. HURLEY’S CAYMAN’S CULINARY MAGAZINE $40 general | $20 children | $150 VIP | $50 on the gate. Buy tickets online now, as well as Bon Vivant, Funky Tang’s, Tower and all Foster’s, Big Daddy’s, BlackBeard’s and Digicel stores. Big Daddy’s BlackBeard’s Brasserie Purveyors Cayman Spirits Company Jacques Scott Tortuga Wine & Spirits Wreck Bar West Indies Wine Co. 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Wine School 3 Andiamo Beach House Blackbeard’s Rum Cakes Breezes Bistro Burger Shack Cayman Cabana Cayman Creperie Chicken Chicken CIMBOCO Coccoloba Fidel Murphy’s George Town Fish Fry Grand Old House Hungry Horse Island Taste Margaritaville Prima at The Royal Palms Rum Point Club Sunshine Grill The Bistro The Brasserie The Wharf Vivo Wok-n-Roll our 2017 Vendors Om nom nom! january 28, 2017 · festival green · 5pm - 11:45pm MEDIA LTD. HURLEY’S CAYMAN’S CULINARY MAGAZINE $40 general | $20 children | $150 VIP | $50 on the gate. Buy tickets online now, as well as Bon Vivant, Funky Tang’s, Tower and all Foster’s, Big Daddy’s, BlackBeard’s and Digicel stores. Big Daddy’s BlackBeard’s Brasserie Purveyors Cayman Spirits Company Jacques Scott Tortuga Wine & Spirits Wreck Bar West Indies Wine Co. Wine School 3 Andiamo Beach House Blackbeard’s Rum Cakes Breezes Bistro Burger Shack Cayman Cabana Cayman Creperie Chicken Chicken CIMBOCO Coccoloba Fidel Murphy’s George Town Fish Fry Grand Old House Hungry Horse Island Taste Margaritaville Prima at The Royal Palms Rum Point Club Sunshine Grill The Bistro The Brasserie The Wharf Vivo Wok-n-Roll our 2017 Vendors Om nom nom!DISTRICT DAYS 6 District Days Sister Islands WEDNESDAY JANUARY 25, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS 50 YEARS AGO: Secondary Modern School opens on the Brac In the Feb. 1, 1967 edition of the Caymanian Weekly, a precursor of the Cayman Compass, Cayman Brac corre- spondent Lilian Ritch wrote: “The doors of Secondary Modern education opened to the children of Cayman Brac on the 23rd at 8:30 a.m. when 73 children attended. “The members of staff are: “Principal – Mr. Layman Emmiel Scott who was born in Spot Bay, Cayman Brac in 1931, started his schooling with Miss Mellie McLaughlin, now Mrs. Caswell Robinson. He then went to Montego Bay, Jamaica, where he attended el- ementary school and St. James High School, obtaining the Cambridge School Certificate in 1949. In 1950 and 1951 he attended the Business School of Miss Lena Levy, Montego Bay and St. John’s College, Falmouth, pursuing mainly a course in accounting. “Deciding on teaching as a career, he entered Mico Training College in 1952, gained his Teacher’s Certificate and joined the C.I. teaching service in 1956 at West Bay School. In December, 1965 he felt the need for expansion and resigned on that account. Turning to Canada he applied to the Canadian Board of Ed- ucation which granted him a Certificate to Teach on the basis of his professional quali- fications. He holds a Teacher’s Diploma from the Ministry of Education in Jamaica. “Mr. Scott had been six months in Canada and was Principal of Allen Bigwood school in Rutter, Ontario, when he was recalled by the Cayman Islands Government to take up his present post. “Mr. George H. Wood of Bodden Town, Grand Cayman, who obtained his schooling at the Bodden Town Primary School to the third Jamaica Local Certificate. After a pe- riod at sea he returned home and taught at West Bay for one year. Accepting a scholar- ship to Mico Training College, he graduated in June 1966. His elective subjects were geography, economics, and arts and crafts and he won the Case Cup for Art for his graduating class. “Miss Joan Hughes, who came to the Cayman Islands in 1966 under the British Vol- unteer Programme. Born in 1934, she was educated at the Convent of the Sacred Heart in Newcastle-on-Tyne, Eng- land. In 1951 she took drama training in London and worked as an actress until 1958. “Choosing teaching as a career, Miss Hughes entered St. Mary’s College at Fenham [from] 1958-60, and on leaving college, taught for six years at the Convent of the Sacred Heart, Newcastle. “Miss Virginia Tibbetts was born in Trinidad in May 1951. Her schooling began at the West End Primary, Cayman Brac and Phillip Street pri- vate school, Trinidad. At 10 years she entered the Ja- maica Local Centre here and at 12 was accepted at the Bob Jones Academy, Greenville, South Carolina. “Miss Tibbetts gradu- ated from this academy the youngest ever from the school having done summer school for two years so that she could graduate in three rather than four years. She majored in so- cial studies and at graduation received the Spanish award for the class. “This school was erected by a grant from Colonial De- velopment Funds from Britain at an approximate cost of 20,000 pounds and was super- vised by Mike Griffiths, V.S.O. Civil Engineer. “Work commenced with the cutting of the site in Feb- ruary 1966, foundations were poured in May, construction continued with a very small labour force due to the many other construction projects under way, in November a larger force became available and the work was completed in December 1966.” Poetry evenings kick off on Friday Poetry is returning to the Brac in the form of monthly po- etry nights at the public library. A new series is scheduled to take place the last Friday of each month at 7 p.m. The first session is Friday, Jan. 27. “Since 2014 it’s had its stops and starts, but it also in- spired us to start the Brac Au- tumn Festival in 2015 along with encouragement from Mi- chel Powery,” said participant Simone Scott. “Flyers are usually put up at locations around the is- land, and for sure at the li- brary door if it is being held that month,” said Ms. Scott. “We’ve had poets, authors and spectators join our little group, and everyone is welcome, though it is geared toward mature teens and adults.” Ms. Scott noted regulars in- clude Quincy Brown, Kathleen Bodden-Harris, Wallace and Edna Platts, Elton Michaels and Laura and Jude Walton. “Poems are mostly origi- nals written by the poets of the group, but sometimes the par- ticipants read another’s work,” said Ms. Scott. “The materials range from romantic to environmental, with a Caymanian theme in some, but I can’t state enough that all materials are welcome.” At a recent gathering, for example, award-winning au- thor Kathleen Bodden-Harris read a poem dedicated to Brac naturalist Wallace Platts, after whom a rare Brac flower, Epiphyllum phyllanthus plattsii, is named. Ms. Scott noted that for those interested in taking part but who are off island, the poets who attend will have the opportunity to be featured live on Facebook from the Brac Au- tumn Festival page. Participants at a past poetry night, from left, Edna Platts, Barbara Redman White, Kathleen Bodden-Harris, and Wallace Platts. – PHOTO: SIMONE SCOTT Brac Museum gives visitors glimpse of earlier island life Visitors to the Brac often take the time to pop into the Brac Museum, housed in this old two-story building in Stake Bay. According to the National Trust’s on- line National Heritage Reg- ister, the building was con- structed in 1933 and stands on a foundation of ironwood stilts, with walls of shiplap timber, a zinc gable roof and a wooden porch. “This building used to house the post office, gov- ernment bank, customs of- fice, registration and district commissioner’s office, before being turned into the present museum,” states the Trust. As the Cayman Compass has previously reported, the separate counters for the post office, customs and reg- istry are still in place inside the entrance, while the ad- jacent room, which was the courthouse, still has a raised platform where the judge would have sat. The mu- seum also features a variety of household goods dating to the 1920s and ‘30s.The Brac Museum used to house the post office, government bank and customs office, among other offices. “We’ve had poets, authors and spectators join our little group, and everyone is welcome, though it is geared toward mature teens and adults.” SIMONE SCOTT, participantThe islands’ most-trusted news source 7 CAYMAN COMPASS • WEDNESDAY JANUARY 25, 2017 has happened. These things impact not just the alleged victim, but the person who is accused to have done something wrong. You have to balance the need to pro- vide information with re- specting the privacy in a small community.” “If you have an allegation of something like this hap- pening, there [are] going to be some people who support the teacher and others who do not. The question for us is always ‘where do we bal- ance it?’ Out of an abundance of caution, we use required leave to remove that person from the classroom.” Adding an another layer of complexity is the legal re- quirement under the new Children Law for all reports of abuse to be reported to so- cial services. That means that when an allegation is made, schools do not typically carry out their own investigations. They place the teacher on required leave while the Department of Children and Family Services and the police investigate. “What you are seeing is the Children Law being put into effect in our schools – any kind of allegation of abuse of any kind is reported immediately as it relates to any of our children,” said Cetonya Cacho, deputy chief officer in the Ministry of Edu- cation. “Their needs and their safety are our priority. We hope not to have several in- cidents in all of our schools, but what we want to know is that if something occurs, no one is hesitating to report it.” Mr. Suckoo acknowledged that that exposes teachers to the risk of frivolous or mali- cious accusations. But he said that was unavoidable. “If you heard a teacher as- saulted a student and we left [that] teacher in the class- room, would you be satis- fied with that? You wouldn’t,” he said. “Our job is to report; the Children Law requires us to report it … out of an abundance of caution you have to ensure the environ- ment is safe.” The consequences for falsely accused teachers can be magnified in Cayman, where the small community rumor mill inevitably leads to details spilling into the public domain. For expatriate teachers on short-term contracts, there are other impacts. In 2015 a teacher from John Gray High School was accused of indecent assaults against three students who said he had touched them in- appropriately during class. He was placed on required leave as the investigation proceeded and was later cleared in court. However, his contract had run out while the court proceedings played out, and it was not renewed. Jon Clark, principal at John Gray High School, speaking generally rather than about any specific case, said schools have a duty to put child safety above all else. “What we don’t do is get in there and start ques- tioning the child. Because there is so much at stake, we have to take it seriously. Once an allegation is made, it has to be reported and investi- gated,” he said. He said the staff member has to be placed on required leave while the professionals carry out their investigation. “What we hope is that those investigations can take place swiftly in the best in- terests of the child and the staff member.” He said teachers receive training to limit their risk of being falsely accused, for ex- ample by not being in a room alone with a child. “In some respects it would be very easy for a child to be upset with a teacher, maybe because they got a low result on a test, and to make a com- plaint about them. Thankfully, those kinds of cases are few and far between. I think ev- eryone understands the se- riousness of that including the children.” Despite the two recent in- cidents, Mr. Samuel, who took over as principal of Sir John. A Cumber in September, said he does not believe there is a wider problem at the school. “Obviously these incidents are not what we want to see in our school,” he said. “That goes without saying, but if you are asking ‘am I con- cerned about the behaviors I see between staff and stu- dents in the school?’ generally the answer is no.” Officials acknowledge there are times when teachers have to physically intervene to prevent a child from hurting themselves or another stu- dent. They believe that by fol- lowing guidelines set out in the new Education Law and by ensuring their response is proportionate, teachers can protect themselves against accusations of assault. Mr. Samuel added, “Ir- respective of where you are working, you will always be challenged in terms of stu- dent behavior …. “If you do feel the need to handle a child, the re- porting procedures that follow are crucial to keep staff safe. Managing behavior is always going to be difficult. Staff constantly need new training in that and we’ve been doing that.” Mr. Bothwell said he re- ceived a six-month tempo- rary permit for both cooks, spending a total of $2,240 ($1,120 for each half year permit), which he thought would continue the permits until March and April 2017, respectively. However, one of the cooks was informed, when he re- turned to the Immigration Department in December, that his six-month permit had expired as of Dec. 14, 2016 not March 2017. Mr. Bothwell said his em- ployee tried to argue that the six-month permit should have extended until March 2017. “They said, ‘well, that’s not how it works any- more,’” he said. Apparently, the six-months for the temporary permit began, in the estimation of immigration officials, at the time the first three-month permit was issued and the six-month extensions – given in August and September – were good only for another three months after that. Mr. Bothwell said he had already paid $370 for each three-month permit and was being charged again, $2,240, for an additional three months. “I’m being double- charged for the same permit,” he said Friday. Mr. Bothwell provided details of email commu- nications sent as late as last week with Immi- gration Department and Ministry of Home Af- fairs officials in which his situation was discussed. According to one email message sent on Jan. 18, Ministry Acting Chief Of- ficer Kathryn Dinspel-Powell wrote: “Mr. Bothwell reports having attempted unsuc- cessfully to get clarification on this matter … and in the absence of the same, he sent [one of his cooks] home on Monday Jan. 16, 2017, having in the interim attained for him what he was told was a final extension when he attended the [immigration] front counter with [the cook] back in December 2016. “So, he is without one cook and finds himself in a similar position with [the second cook], whose stamp expires at midnight to- morrow night (19/01/17). “I am respectfully re- questing that the issues surrounding both of these matters be looked into as a matter of urgency, and that in particular, you make per- sonal contact with Mr. Both- well at [phone number] to discuss what options are available to him under the Law, to enable him to keep [the second cook] on staff beyond midnight tomorrow night, so as to avoid disrup- tion to the business conti- nuity of his operation.” A reply to the email, from Deputy Chief Immigration Officer Garfield Wong, indi- cated Mr. Bothwell would re- ceive assistance that day in resolving the issue. However, Mr. Bothwell said he was told by im- migration officials that he would need to pay an addi- tional $370 for each worker, and a $200 fee to speed up the processing of those ap- plications, to obtain another permit extension. Mr. Bothwell said Friday that he refused to do this and simply closed down the business. One jerk stand cook had already gone home. The other remains in Cayman for now on a vis- itor’s permit. Mr. Bothwell said he would reopen the business if he could procure legal per- mits for his employees. He said he was in talks with the Immigration Department on the matter and hoped the business closure would only be temporary. “I’ve paid for six [months], and I’m getting three,” he said. “I’m totally discouraged.” Ms. Dinspel-Powell, Acting Chief Immigration Officer Bruce Smith and Mr. Wong were contacted for ad- ditional comment on this story Tuesday morning. No responses had been received by press time. were possible on Mary Street at North Church Street, Boiler’s Road at the water- front, and Fourth Street at the waterfront. The weather also caused two cruise ships, Oceania’s MS Marina and the Disney Fantasy, to skip the island. The ships carried a combined 4,967 passengers. The Car- nival Temptation arrived with 2,320 passengers. A small craft warning re- mained in effect through Tuesday evening and was expected to be lifted by Wednesday. High waves, debris block roads to George Town CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Dilemma over accusations against teachers “Our job is to report; the Children Law requires us to report it … out of an abundance of caution you have to ensure the environment is safe .” CHRISTEN SUCKOO, chief officer, Ministry of Education CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Business owner cites immigration ‘nightmare’ “Had I known what I was going to be faced with, I would never have undertaken this.” HARRISON BOTHWELL CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 High waves leave debris scattered on Harbour Drive, creating road blockages. – PHOTO: TANEOS RAMSAY Chief Officer in the Ministry of Education Christen SuckooThe islands’ most-trusted news source 8 WEDNESDAY JANUARY 25, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS France’s oldest nuclear plant to close French utility giant EDF has approved plans to shut down the country’s oldest nuclear plant after pressure from neighboring Germany and environmental activists. Visiting Gynecologist will be available for consultation at Dr. Vivek's offi ce at Smith Road Plaza from 6-16 February, 2017 For appointments please call (345)945-6077 +1 (345) 323-7840 www.drbarryrichter.com UK government loses Brexit case, must consult Parliament LONDON (AP) – Britain’s Su- preme Court ruled Tuesday that Prime Minister Theresa May must get legislative ap- proval to start the process of leaving the European Union, raising the possibility that lawmakers will delay her plans to trigger negotiations by the end of March. The 8-3 decision forces the government to put a bill before Parliament, giving members of the House of Commons and the un- elected House of Lords the chance to debate and po- tentially offer amendments that could soften the terms of Britain’s exit from the EU, known as Brexit. While the ruling will not scuttle Britain’s departure, it once again highlights uncer- tainty about the timetable for negotiating the country’s future relationship with the bloc of 500 million people, which is central to trade, im- migration and security. “Unfortunately for busi- nesses and other institu- tions, Brexit still means un- certainty,” said Phillip Souta, head of U.K. public policy at the international law firm Clifford Chance. “Parliament remains divided and the out- come of the negotiations re- main unknown.” The lawsuit was con- sidered the most important constitutional case in a gen- eration because it centered on the question of who ulti- mately wields power in Brit- ain’s system of government: the prime minister and her Cabinet, or Parliament. May had said she would use centuries-old powers known as royal prerogative to invoke Article 50 of the EU treaty and launch two years of exit talks. The powers – traditionally held by the monarch – permit decisions about treaties and other specific issues to be made without a vote of Parliament. The prime minister ar- gued that the June 23 refer- endum on EU membership gave her a mandate to take Britain out of the 28-nation bloc and that discussing the details of her strategy with Parliament would weaken the government’s negoti- ating position. Financial entrepreneur Gina Miller sued to force the government to seek parlia- mentary approval. Leaving the EU, she said, would change the fundamental rights of citizens and this cannot be done without a vote of lawmakers. The Su- preme Court agreed. “The referendum is of great political significance, but the act of Parliament which established it did not say what should happen as a result, so any change in the law to give effect to the ref- erendum must be made in the only way permitted by the U.K. constitution, namely by an act of Parliament,” Su- preme Court President David Neuberger said in reading the decision. “To proceed otherwise would be a breach of set- tled constitutional principles stretching back many centu- ries,” he said. Significantly, the court also ruled that the legisla- tures of the nations that are a part of the United Kingdom – Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – do not need to be consulted on Brexit. While the U.K. government has ceded authority over many local issues to these bodies, responsibility for in- ternational relations still rests with the government in Westminster. “Relations with the EU are a matter for the U.K. govern- ment,” Neuberger said. A decision in favor of the regional governments would likely have led to even more delays as local lawmakers piled in with their concerns. The government of Scot- land, where voters over- whelmingly supported con- tinued EU membership, has been an outspoken oppo- nent of the prime minister’s plans for Brexit. The court’s ruling will focus the debate in Parlia- ment, where May’s Brexit secretary, David Davis, told the House of Commons that the government timetable re- mained on track. A bill will be introduced within days. “There can be no turning back,” Davis said. “The point of no return was passed on June 23 last year.” Opposition Opposition was immedi- ately evident. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said his party would seek to amend the legisla- tion to make sure the gov- ernment is held “account- able.” The Scottish National Party, the third-largest party in the House of Commons, promised to put forward 50 amendments. Miller, co-founder of SCM Direct, an online investment manager, had argued the case was not about blocking Brexit. Instead, she said, it was about “democracy” and the “dangerous precedent” that a government can over- rule Parliament. For Miller, who brought the case along with hairdresser Deir Dos Santos, the court’s decision brought vindication after months of threats to her security that followed her in- volvement in the case. “No prime minister, no government can expect to be unanswerable or unchal- lenged,” she said. “Parliament alone is sovereign.” 400-year-old argument The case revolved around an argument that dates back almost 400 years to the Eng- lish Civil War as to whether power ultimately rests in the executive or Parliament. Constitutional expert An- drew Blick, an expert on the Magna Carta at King’s Col- lege London, said that ad- vocates of withdrawal had long argued that leaving the 28-nation bloc would protect parliamentary sovereignty. “They claimed that leaving would promote the principle that the U.K. Parlia- ment is the ultimate source of constitutional authority in the UK,” said Blick, who advised the Welsh govern- ment on the case. “That prin- ciple has now come back to bite them.” Underscoring the impor- tance of the case, May put Attorney General Jeremy Wright in charge of the legal team fighting the suit. Wright had argued the suit was an attempt to put a legal ob- stacle in the way of enacting the referendum result. The decision is a bad de- feat for May and means that the government “still does not have control of the Brexit timetable,” said David Allen Green, a lawyer at the London legal firm Preiskel & Co. “The appeal decision is, however, a victory for the doctrine of parliamentary sovereignty and a vindica- tion of an independent judi- ciary,” Green said. “The Su- preme Court has told the government to get back into its box: A proper process has to be followed.” Britain’s Attorney General Jeremy Wright makes a statement outside the Supreme Court in London on Tuesday. - PHOTO: AP Gina Miller, founding partner of SCM Private, initiated the lawsuit heard by the British high court. - PHOTO: BLOOMBERG/SIMON DAWSON EU to Trump: Trade barriers, building walls ‘doomed to fail’ BRUSSELS (AP) – The Euro- pean Union on Tuesday told President Donald Trump that his “America First” and protectionist trade policies are “doomed to fail” and said the kind of trade deals like the one he scuttled with the Asian Pacific countries “are a handy scapegoat.” Instead of protectionism, EU Trade Commissioner Ce- cilia Malmstrom said the EU – the world’s biggest trading bloc – remains com- mitted to open borders and economies. She insisted that most countries still share the same vision of open commerce and investments. “Those who in the 21st century think that we can become great again by re- building borders, re-im- posing trade barriers, re- stricting people’s freedom to move, they are doomed to fail,” Malmstrom said during a speech. It was the most compre- hensive and scathing EU re- action since Trump came into office Friday. “Building a wall is not the answer,” Malmstrom told an audience at the Bruegel think tank. “The success of the EU relies on our open societies.” Trump’s decision to pull out of the 12-nation Trans- Pacific Partnership on Monday was seen as an in- dication of a more closed U.S. trade policy that could include tariffs on some im- ports and exclude for- eign competition to favor local industry. Trump argued he was protecting domestic jobs by pulling out of the agreement, which would have lowered barriers to trade between the Pacific countries. Malm- strom insisted the problem is an inability of economies to deal with evolution – in this case “automation: with machines and computers re- placing manual work.” “Against this reality, trade deals are a handy scapegoat,” she said. The Europeans had wanted to seal a free trade deal between the EU and U.S., the world’s two biggest economies, before President Barack Obama left office. Proponents said it would have added about 100 billion euros (about US$100 billion) a year in output to each side. “The election of Donald Trump seems likely to put our EU-U.S. negotia- tions firmly in the freezer,” said Malmstrom. Instead, she said that the EU would now center its ef- forts on deals with some other nations and blocs, in- cluding Japan, Mexico and the Mercosur South Amer- ican trade group. And as Trump has been talking about undoing NAFTA, the North America free trade deal, the EU is on the verge of clinching an agreement with Canada. Both sides have already signed and the European Parliament is set to ratify it next month. Malmstrom said the alternative to such far- reaching agreements “is little short of catastrophic.”9 WORLD&REGIONAL CAYMAN COMPASS • WEDNESDAY JANUARY 25, 2017 Brexit flight to shift 30,000 jobs to Poland, minister says Poland will attract as many as 30,000 British jobs to its business-service sector this year, its government said, as the biggest eastern Euro- pean Union member tries to lure companies considering leaving the U.K. after it voted to depart from the bloc. Following the outflow of more than a million Poles to Britain and other western European countries since the country gained EU member- ship in 2004, the government in Warsaw is trying to bring them back. Part of that is a multi-year, 1 trillion-zloty (US$245 billion) plan to make the economy more innova- tive and rely on domestic capital rather than invest- ment from abroad, deputy Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said Monday. Poland spoke with more than 30 financial and other companies last year over moving parts of their work- force from the U.K. after Brexit, he said. “Poles were moving to London, now companies from London are relocating their workplaces to Poland,” Morawiecki told a news con- ference in Warsaw. The gov- ernment has received infor- mation on plans of “several dozen” investments, in- cluding “big ones.” Poland and other EU na- tions are jostling for po- sition as Prime Minister Theresa May prepares to trigger the process that will take Britain out of the bloc. While Frankfurt and Paris are vying to coax big banks and their euro clearing op- erations away from London, lower-wage countries in central and Eastern Eu- rope are wooing companies to resettle their back-of- fice and other operations in the region’s booming shared service centers. The average salary in Poland’s financial and ac- counting industry amounted to about 104,000 zloty ($25,500) a year, according to the 2015 Antal Salary Re- port. A recruitment survey by Goldman Sachs, also from 2015, said that banking salary levels were “flattening out” between eastern and western Europe. The report said “several years ago” a financial director at a medium-size Polish com- pany earned 30 to 40 percent less than in Britain, while an accountant earned between a third and half of a Briton’s salary. Now the differences are smaller, it said. Brexit has already helped staunch the flow of workers leaving Poland for fellow EU members in the richer West. The number now consid- ering moving abroad dropped a third after the U.K.’s June referendum, according to a September poll by Work Ser- vice SA, a recruiting and human resources company. Unemployment in the Baltic Sea country of 38 mil- lion people bordering Ger- many, Ukraine and Russia’s Kaliningrad ex-clave among others, has fallen to a re- cord-low 8.3 percent. In the 2017 Bloomberg Innovation Index, which measures and ranks countries and sover- eigns’ overall innovation ca- pacity, Poland moved up one spot from last year to 22nd among 78 nations. That has helped Poland lead the region in attracting service center jobs, with the number rising to 212,000 last year and on track to hit 300,000 in 2020, according to a report by the Association of Business Service Leaders. Among the bigger names are IBM and Cisco Systems, both of which have large offices in the city of Krakow. In financial services, UBS has one of its two global hubs in Krakow. Goldman Sachs, which is planning to cut its London staff in half to 3,000 workers, will expand its Warsaw office to “several hundred” people over the next three years, Handelsb- latt reported this month. JPMorgan Chase may move as many as 2,500 jobs to central Europe, Warsaw- based Puls Biznesu reported Monday. The bank is con- sidering creating back-of- fice positions in Poland as part of a plan to continue to look for alternative places for operations, according to a person with knowledge of the discussions. “We are always reviewing our options to improve our real estate strategy for back office functions. Any such re- view has nothing to do with London jobs or Brexit,” Jen- nifer Zuccarelli, a spokes- woman for JPMorgan, said by phone. © 2017, Bloomberg With Trump’s swearing-in, Israel pushes ahead on settlements JERUSALEM (AP) – Israel announced plans Tuesday to build 2,500 more settler homes on the West Bank, moving to step up con- struction just days after the swearing-in of Donald Trump brought to power a U.S. ad- ministration seen as friendly to the settlement movement. “We are building – and we will continue to build,” Israeli Prime Minister Ben- jamin Netanyahu wrote in a Facebook post. The Trump White House had no immediate comment. Its response could set the tone for the next four years of Mideast diplomacy. While Trump has signaled that he will be far more tol- erant of Israeli settlement construction than his pre- decessors, he also has ex- pressed a desire to broker a peace accord between Is- rael and the Palestinians, and siding closely with Israel on such a contentious matter could hurt U.S. credibility. Netanyahu repeatedly clashed with President Barack Obama over settle- ment construction. Obama, like the rest of the international community, considered the building of settlements on occupied lands claimed by the Pales- tinians to be an obstacle to peace. Those tensions boiled over last month when the Obama White House allowed the U.N. Security Council to pass a resolution condemning the settlements as illegal. Trump harshly criticized Obama for going against Is- rael and promised a new ap- proach after taking office, raising hopes inside Israel’s nationalist government for a new era in relations. Trump has already in- vited Netanyahu to visit the White House next month, and both men, after speaking on the phone Sunday, promised close coordination on a range of sensitive matters. Netanyahu’s office would not say whether he had con- sulted with the White House before Tuesday’s announce- ment, but just a day ear- lier, the prime minister told a meeting of his Likud Party that there should be no sur- prises for the new president. The construction plans were announced by Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who said in a statement that he and Netanyahu agreed on the approval “in response to housing needs.” He said most of the housing units will be built in settlement “blocs,” densely populated areas where most settlers already live and which Israel wants to keep under its control under any future peace deal with the Palestinians. Some 100 homes were slated for two smaller settlements. The approvals were for early stages of home devel- opment, meaning construc- tion is not expected to begin anytime soon. “This decision destroys the two-state solution,” said Saeb Erekat, a senior Palestinian official in the West Bank. “We call on the international com- munity to hold Israel account- able immediately.” He said the Israeli government had been encouraged by what it heard from Trump. The Palestinians want the West Bank and east Jeru- salem – areas captured by Is- rael in the 1967 Mideast war – for their hoped-for state, a position that has wide inter- national backing. Trump has signaled a softer approach to the settle- ments. Earlier this week, he did not react to an Israeli an- nouncement to build over 560 new homes in east Jerusalem. Both his designated am- bassador to Israel, David Friedman, and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, now a top aide and Mideast envoy, have deep ties to the settler movement. Friedman and Kushner’s family foundation have both been generous contributors to Beit El, one of the settle- ments mentioned in Tuesday’s announcement. A delegation of settler representatives was invited to Trump’s inaugura- tion last week. Oded Revivi, the chief for- eign envoy of the Yesha set- tlers’ council, said he hopes Tuesday’s announcement “is just the beginning of a wave of new building.” Trump’s ties to the set- tler movement are just one reason Israel’s nationalist right is encouraged by the new administration. His campaign platform made no mention of a Pales- tinian state, a cornerstone of two decades of international diplomacy in the region. Trump also has promised to move the U.S. Embassy in Is- rael from Tel Aviv to Jeru- salem, a move long favored by Israel but vehemently op- posed by the Palestinians. Following the outflow of more than a million Poles to Britain and other western European countries since the country gained EU membership in 2004, the government in Warsaw is trying to bring them back. A construction site in the West Bank Jewish settlement of Modiin Illit B’tselem, Israel, in 2011. Israel said on Tuesday it has approved 2,500 homes in West Bank settlements. - PHOTO: AP Construction cranes sit above new commercial office space under development in Warsaw this month. – PHOTO: BLOOMBERG/PIOTR MALECKINext >