ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – WEDNESDAY JULY 12, 2017 High of 90 Low of 76 Slight with wave heights of 1 to 3 feet. EDITORIAL | PAGE 4 TESTING OUR COMMITMENT TO QUALITY EDUCATION WORLD & REGIONAL | PAGE 7 WEAKENED PM MAY VOWS TO WIN ‘BATTLE OF IDEAS’ Report: Electoral boundaries need review for ‘greater equality’ Commonwealth observers recommend voting changes BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com A team of Commonwealth elections ob- servers has recommended that the Cayman Islands review its electoral boundaries to achieve “greater equality” in voting in the next general election. “Equal suffrage has not been achieved under the current electoral district bound- aries,” states the report, published Tuesday by the six-member observer team. The ob- servers, from a number of Commonwealth countries in the Caribbean and in Europe, spent a week in Cayman around the time of the May 24 election. “Constituency boundaries should be re- viewed with the aim of achieving greater equality between the numbers of electors [voters] within the electoral districts,” the re- port states. “Deviations from the norm should ideally not be more than 10 to 15 percent.” Ahead of the May 2017 election, Cayman switched to 19 single-member districts, giving each legally registered Caymanian one vote. Previously, Cayman used a multi-member voting system, in which individuals had any- where from one to six votes, depending on where they lived. The Commonwealth observers took issue with the fact that voting populations in each of the single-member districts vary widely, giving the example of Bodden Town East, with 1,513 registered voters and comparing it to East End (692 voters) and North Side (716 voters). “Bodden Town East is the district in which voters are the most under represented,” the report noted. The observers said the 2015 Electoral Boundary Commission redistricting effort did “ameliorate” the unfair voting system that ex- isted before 2017, but “a few districts” were still departing from the norm. FOUR IN COURT FOR SHOOTING CASE Charges include two of attempted murder CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com A married couple and two others appeared in court Tuesday on charges relating to the shooting of two people outside a West Bay Road nightclub in the early hours of Feb. 4. Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Patrick Moran opened the Crown’s case against the four defendants Tuesday morning, telling the jury about incidents that led to the shootings.. Malik Mothen and his wife, Tashika Mothen, are charged with the attempted murder of Daniel Alexander Bennett. They and Kashwayne Hewitt are charged with the attempted murder of Carlney Ra- shad Campbell on the same night in the same location. The three also are charged with possession of an unlicensed firearm that night. Mr. Moran explained that police investiga- tion led to the West Bay residence of Daniella Tibbetts on Feb. 10. There, officers recovered a .45 caliber handgun from a toilet cistern. Tib- betts and Hewitt were charged for unlawful possession of the handgun. Hewitt has since pleaded guilty to possessing the gun without a license; the charge remains against Tibbetts and that is the only charge against her. Mr. Moran said the attacks on Mr. Bennett and Mr. Campbell seemed to have come about Premier: Gov’t to focus on ‘social issues’ Cayman Islands Premier Alden McLaughlin told a group of U.K. lawmakers Monday that his newly formed unity govern- ment would focus on improving social issues during its four-year term, with the British ter- ritory now in a “good economic position.” Mr. McLaughlin’s comments came during a London luncheon hosted by the “Friends of Cayman,” a group chaired by former territo- rial governor John Owen. “We have a government of unity that will aim to address the interests of the Cayman Is- lands and our people for the next four years,” the premier said. The premier is on a week-long trip to London to meet with U.K. and British Over- seas Territories officials on a range of sub- jects, including the Brexit negotiations and Cayman’s financial services industry. Finan- cial Services Minister Tara Rivers and Finance Minister Roy McTaggart are also in London for the week. Both Mr. McTaggart and Ms. Rivers met with a delegation from the Isle of Man on Monday afternoon to discuss financial ser- vices industry issues. Mr. McLaughlin and Cayman Governor Helen Kilpatrick also met with members of the U.K. All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Cayman Islands on Monday evening and the premier met Tuesday with overseas terri- tories leaders. PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 6 » Premier Alden McLaughlin stands with chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Cayman Islands Graham Brady, MP, at a dinner for Members of Parliament and peers on Monday. PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 6 »2 LOCAL&REGIONAL WEDNESDAY JULY 12, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS Daily Matinees Every Day $8.00 Seniors, Mon-Fri Before 6pm Cayman Cinema@cbcinema6cbcinema6 - WEDNESDAY - SATURDAY NIGHT: For your viewing pleasure, minors under the age of 18 will not be admitted to any lm starting after 6pm, unless accompanied by their parent. *Additional charges will apply per 3D ticket requested. 640-FILM (640-3456) SATURDAY, JULY 15th, 8PM SPIDER-MAN: HOME COMING 3D (PG13) 12:30 I 12:45 2D VIP I 3:30 I 3:45 2D 6:30 I 6:40 2D VIP I 9:30 2D I 9:35 BABY DRIVER (R) 12:50 I 3:35 I 6:35 I 9:45 VIP WONDER WOMAN (PG13) 12:20 I 3:25 I 6:30 I 9:35 DESPICABLE ME 3 3D (PG) 1:00 I 4:00 2D VIP I 7:10 2D I 10:00 TRANSFORMERS: LAST KNIGHT 3D (PG13) 12:30 2D I 3:15 I 6:45 I 9:20 2D Troupe of monkeys vexes Florida park, disturbs visitors ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) – There’s an upswing in monkey business in and around a state park in Florida, where bands of non-native rhesus macaques live along a river that was popular with kay- akers and tourists. Officials have closed two walking areas at Silver Springs State Park because of unwanted monkey inter- actions with park guests. An observation deck and a boardwalk are off-limits be- cause the primates have es- sentially taken over. Matt Mitchell, the as- sistant director of Florida State Parks, said rangers are checking areas each morning for monkey activity. “Park staff may tempo- rarily close use areas if mon- keys are spotted during these checks,” he wrote in an email. “Park staff also respond to reports of monkeys in public use areas by guests.” Researchers estimate any- where between 150 and 200 wild rhesus macaques live at the park and an unknown number live outside. A video shot by a family showing seemingly aggres- sive monkeys on one of the park’s boardwalks made the rounds recently on social media. Park rangers try to warn visitors not to feed the 20-pound, 2-foot tall mam- mals and are stepping up patrols in sections where there are high possibilities of monkey-human interaction. The monkeys were in- troduced to the area in the 1930s by a tour boat oper- ator named Colonel Tooey. He thought it would be a good idea to release six macaques on a small island in the Silver River and call it Monkey Is- land to draw tourists. “He thought they would stay on Monkey Island,” said Eben Kirksey, a Florida native and a professor of environ- mental humanities at UNSW Sydney in Australia. “But they are good swimmers.” Many generations of mon- keying around ensued, aided by the relative lack of natural predators (other than alliga- tors, which often eat young, naïve primates on the river- banks). The monkeys thrived in the warm climate and the park at one time sold “monkey chow” so visitors could feed the primates. At one time in the 1980s, there were 400 of the animals in the park, prompting state officials to try to wrest con- trol of the situation. Some of the females were sterilized. Previous attempts to cull the group drew strong opposition from locals – especially when some captured primates were sold to research labs. “At least from a cultural perspective, the people who live in Ocala very much value their presence in the commu- nity,” Kirksey said. But once again, state of- ficials are considering op- tions to control the primates – after all, viral videos of charging monkeys aren’t the best publicity for the park. Mitchell said the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conser- vation Commission has been notified and is moni- toring the monkeys. There have been 18 con- firmed reports of bites and scratches from the ani- mals since they arrived at the park. Experts say mon- keys can carry and transmit Herpes B-virus, but there’s no evidence that anyone has gotten sick from the Silver Springs monkeys. “You definitely don’t want to get near them. You don’t want to antagonize them,” said Steve Johnson, an associate professor of wildlife ecology at University of Florida who researches the monkeys. CAT STUCK IN BOTTLE A cat had to be res- cued by volunteers after getting its head stuck in a plastic bottle. The feral cat was unable to eat or drink because of the position of the bottle, according to Heather Pen- zhorn of Feline Friends. She said she was alerted to the situa- tion by a member of the public who feeds the cats in the neighborhood around Crewe Road. “It looks as though it had been digging in the garbage to get food and had got stuck. I man- aged with a pair of scis- sors to get the bottle off and then we took her to Is- land Vets where they had to give her fluids because she was dehydrated.” She said the cat had made a full recovery and had been released. Officials have closed two walking areas at Silver Springs State Park because of unwanted monkey interactions with park guests. Stolen boat returned Police said Tuesday that a 29-foot pontoon boat that was reported stolen from a dock in Lime Tree Bay over the weekend was returned by a member of the public. Police said they had responded Sunday morning to a report of the theft of the boat, which has a 150HP Yamaha four- stroke engine. The feral cat got its head stuck in a bottle and couldn’t eat or drink. 16 killed in fiery Marine plane crash in rural Mississippi ITTA BENA, Miss. (AP) – A Ma- rine Corps refueling plane crashed and burned in a soybean field in the Missis- sippi Delta, killing all 16 mil- itary members aboard in a wreck that scattered debris for miles and sent a pillar of black smoke rising over the countryside. It was the deadliest Ma- rine crash – in the U.S. or abroad – since 2005. Fifteen Marines and a Navy corpsman were on board the KC-130 tanker when it corkscrewed into the ground Monday after- noon about 85 miles north of Jackson, the state capital, military officials said. A wit- ness said some bodies were found more than a mile away. The Marines gave no im- mediate details on the cause of the crash. The FBI joined the investigation, but Ma- rine Maj. Andrew Aranda told reporters no foul play was suspected. The KC-130 is used to re- fuel aircraft in flight and transport cargo and troops. The air tanker was based at Stewart Air National Guard Base in Newburgh, New York, and was on its way from a Marine installa- tion at Cherry Point, North Carolina, to a naval air field at El Centro, California, when it went down, officials said. The victims’ identities were not immediately re- leased. Andy Jones said he was working on his family’s catfish farm just before 4 p.m. when he heard a boom and looked up to see the plane spiraling downward with one engine smoking. “You looked up and you saw the plane twirling around,” he said. “It was spinning down.” Jones said that by the time he and others reached the crash site, fires were burning too intensely to ap- proach the wreckage. The force of the crash nearly flat- tened the plane, Jones said. “Beans are about waist- high, and there wasn’t much sticking out above the beans,” he said.3 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • WEDNESDAY JULY 12, 2017 CAYMAN PORT ~ CONNECTING CAYMAN FOR 40 YEARS! WWW.CAYMANPORT.COM COME ONE, COME ALL, TO THE PORT AUTHORITY'S 40TH ANNIVERSARY FAMILY FUN DAY! ~ Free Entry Saturday, 15th July, 1pm to 8pm at the Royal Watler Terminal, George Town DJs, dancers, dunking booth, free boat rides, food and drinks for sale, and much more! Kids Corner with free face painting, magic show, water slide, and bouncing castle! Free public parking at the old Tower Building Lot Free gifts to first 250 people Raffle at 6pm (must be present to win) Fireworks at 8pm Scuba Diving Hall of Fame nominations open Nominations are open to consider local honorees for this year’s International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame, managed by the Cayman Is- lands Department of Tourism. The department is inter- ested in scuba diving trail- blazers who have made sig- nificant contributions to the sport in Cayman. The Hall of Fame has rec- ognized 30 local honorees since it was established in 2003, including Nancy East- erbrook, Gladys Howard, Dr. James Polson, Kem Jackson, Peter Milburn, Don Foster, Ron Kipp and Ste- phen Broadbelt. This year, the Hall of Fame is inducting ScubaPro co-founder Dick Bonin, film- maker Krov Menuhin, Re- sort Course scuba diving de- veloper Gardner Young and 1940s underwater camera de- signer Kurt Schaefer. Hall of Fame founding board member Rod Mc- Dowall said the nominations recognize the important role that diving plays in Cayman’s tourism sector. “Scuba diving is such an integral part of our tourism offerings in the Cayman Is- lands, and it is important to remember those people that made their mark in the in- dustry here. We are looking for people that are pioneers and household names in Cayman’s scuba diving and water sports industries,” Mr. McDowall said. The deadline for submis- sion is Aug. 4. The induc- tion ceremony is scheduled for Sept. 29. To nominate an individual, visit www.nominatedive.com. Pedestrian bitten, dog owner fined CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Dog owner William Gon- zales Bodden was fined $400 Monday after pleading guilty to failing to keep his dog under control. Magistrate Valdis Fol- dats imposed the fine after hearing the background to the charge, including the fact that the defendant had taken the complainant to the hos- pital and had paid the bill for treatment of a dog bite. Crown counsel Neil Kumar said the incident oc- curred on Feb. 17 when the victim was walking home from a friend’s house. He saw a man and woman walking with two dogs that were not on leashes. The dogs looked like German Shepherds. As they approached, one of the dogs started barking furiously, the victim related. As the dog lunged toward him, he put up his hand to protect himself and was bitten. The man with the dog did not issue any command. Mr. Kumar said the victim told police he asked the dog owner if he was not going to control the dog and the owner kicked the dog to stop it. The defendant said he did not know why the dog at- tacked because it was “highly certified and trained to be obedient.” He told the court the complainant had been at a yard where ganja was smoked and the dog had been a law enforcement dog who probably smelled ganja. The magistrate told him, “It doesn’t matter what the person was doing. It’s your duty to keep [the dog] under control.” Bodden said he had the dog for about five years; it was very obedient and he did not think it needed to be on a leash. “You’re basically telling me you’ve ignored the law for five years?” the magistrate asked. “It’s not up to you to decide if your dogs are safe or not. You’re supposed to have them on a leash in public.” The defendant agreed. He also told the court that he had phoned 911 when the incident occurred and he was told no ambulance was available. “I took him to the hospital and paid the bill that night for his treatment,” Bodden told the court. Mr. Kumar advised that the Crown was not asking for the dog to be destroyed. The magistrate pointed out that he could order the animal’s destruction. “Regardless of how much training they have, they are just wild animals – no one knows what’s going on in their brain, if I can call it that” he said. That is why there were rules for owning animals, he added. Bodden said he had been walking his dogs on a leash since the incident. “This isn’t just about you. It’s sending a message to the public and all dog owners,” the magistrate told him. He said Bodden’s true character was shown in what he had done afterward – taking the man to hos- pital and paying the bill. He thought the embarrassment of being in court was pun- ishment for a man with no previous convictions. Noting the defendant’s respon- sible actions, he imposed a fine of $400. “You’re basically telling me you’ve ignored the law for five years? It’s not up to you to decide if your dogs are safe or not. You’re supposed to have them on a leash in public.” MAGISTRATE VALDIS FOLDATS, to dog owner The late Gladys Howard was honored in the International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame in 2015.The islands’ most-trusted news source 4 Opinion&Letters The Cayman Compass welcomes comments, opinions and viewpoints from readers. Letters to the editor can be emailed to editor@pinnaclemedialtd.com, submitted via www.caymancompass.com, sent by post or hand-delivered to the Compass office. 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 JULY 12, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS Recently released testing results from the Cayman Islands Further Education Centre are troubling enough for us to sound an alarm that should alert – if not disturb – our entire country. According to figures released to the Cayman Compass in response to a Freedom of Information Request, of the 189 CIFEC students who retook their math exams in 2016, only 13 – 7 percent – achieved a “level 2 pass” (the equivalent of a “C” or 2.0 in the American grading system). Nearly half that year’s government school cohort (according to the most recent available data) had to “re-sit” the mathematics exam after failing to achieve the passing grade as Year 11 students – a number in alignment with recent years. What is unusual is how few appeared to benefit from the extra study and instruction when compared to previous groups. In 2014, 29 percent of CIFEC mathematics re-sits achieved a “level 2 pass.” In 2015, the number was 39 percent. Those numbers were far too low, but what happened in 2016? Some may argue it is a victory any time a re-sit yields a satisfactory score, or that if roughly half of Cayman’s government school students achieve a “level 2 pass” – eventually – that is “good enough.” It is not good enough. Cayman’s government schools must aim much higher – and perform far better. Most of Cayman’s students should be properly prepared to demonstrate proficiency when they take their exams in the first instance. If their skills are found wanting, more than a handful should reap demonstrable benefits from additional learning and instruction. That is, after all, the good intent of CIFEC: to give students another chance to “get up to speed” in core subjects, thereby offering them broader oppor- tunities – the pursuit of higher education, training for high-paying jobs and fulfilling careers. Department of Education Services Director Lyneth Monteith told the Compass that education officials will review the test results to identify areas for improve- ment. “It is our aim for students to achieve their potential and if this does not occur, to investigate why and find solutions for resolving the issues,” she told a reporter. A highly effective school system that holds students to high standards and yields excellent results is a necessity, not a luxury. Literacy, numeracy and critical thinking are fundamental life skills regardless of future profession, but they take on an even greater importance in a country such as ours, where employ- ment opportunities and workforce readiness are in structural misalignment. Not every child will (or will want to) grow up to work as an accountant or an attorney, but poor academic preparation robs them of the power to make that kind of choice. The marketplace will make it for them. Perhaps even more important, marginal academic achievement limits the pathways to a quality life. The fact is, we have one opportunity to educate a young person – who cannot put “growing up” on hold while adults figure out their role. It is our duty to make sure that all capable students will leave high school with a firm understanding of core subjects, particularly mathematics and language skills. Even if these most recent test results are an aberration (and we don’t understand how such an aberration could come about), they signify an opportunity missed. – EDITORIAL – Testing our commitment to quality education Economic forecasts appear fake, sloppy or unknowable The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projected that 21 million people would be enrolled in the Obam- acare insurance exchanges by 2016, back when the bill was voted on in 2010. The actual number turned out to be about 10 million – the projection being off by more than 100 percent. If the actual results of Obamacare had been known at the time members of Con- gress voted, it almost cer- tainly would not have passed – particularly given the number of House and Senate Democrats who were defeated, in part, because of their votes for it. Did the CBO provide hugely incorrect forecasts because they were under political pressure by the Democrats to report fake news of how beneficial the program would be, or were they sloppy in their work product, or did they pre- tend to know more than they could have possibly known? When people hear the term “fake news,” most often they think of political dis- tortions or untruths – but much of what is reported about economic topics is also lacking context. Many reporters do not understand economic data and its in- herent weaknesses, let alone economic forecasts which, even from official sources, are frequently not even close. Be- cause economic reports and forecasts contain numbers, they appear to be more sci- entific than, for instance, po- litical analyses and forecasts. Despite decades of major forecast errors, Congress con- tinues to rely on CBO pro- jections far more than is warranted. Most recently, the Republicans had been waiting in great anticipation of the CBO “scoring” of their various repeal-and-replace Obamacare plans. The CBO is given the re- sponsibility for “scoring” – that is, estimating the gains or losses in tax revenue from any tax change. If the results of such changes were merely a matter of arithmetic, the CBO would probably be reasonably accurate. But changes in tax rates cause people to behave differently – some people respond to tax increases by working less or “off the books.” So, without knowing how people will re- spond, it is not possible to give an accurate forecast. Some in Congress and the administration have dis- cussed not cutting the cap- ital gains tax rate to 15 per- cent as originally proposed, because they are worried about the alleged “tax rev- enue loss” from the tax rate cut. If the worriers knew more economic and tax his- tory, they would worry a whole lot less. Over the past half-century, capital gains tax rates have been increased and reduced many times. As a result, good tax economists know that capital gains tax rates of more than 15 percent do not produce more revenue over the long run. (Many of us have written long expla- nations of why this is true – but for the moment, just remember that it is a discre- tionary tax – that is, the indi- vidual makes a decision as to when to sell something to re- alize a potential capital gain – and the tax rate has a major effect on such decisions.) Many economic fore- cast errors are due to sloppy work, by relying on faulty models of how the national and world economy works. After the end of the great re- cession, both the Federal Re- serve and the International Monetary Fund continued to forecast that the U.S. and world economy would grow much faster than they did. They made the same error for six years running because they were wedded to the wrong economic model – and refused to change, despite the obvious mistakes. Their fore- casts became fake news, but they knew that their projec- tions would be reported in an uncritical way by an ignorant and biased press. Major economic policy mistakes are often made by politicians because of bi- ased or sloppy work by econ- omists, and by those who report on their work. The damage done by higher tax rates and unproductive gov- ernment spending is nor- mally underreported, as are the benefits of lower gov- ernment spending and tax rates. The resulting policy mistakes cause millions of people to lose their jobs and suffer from unnecessarily re- duced incomes. The world would be better off if the balance of trade number was never re- ported – because it is mis- understood by many in the media and political class, including President Trump – and thus tends to lead to very bad trade policy. Does Virginia run a trade sur- plus or deficit with Florida – and does it matter? Assume that Canada, China and Ger- many were just states of the U.S., like New York or Iowa. If they were, no one would care about the trade balance between them and the other states. China, Mexico and Canada sell things to the U.S. to get dollars so they can buy things from the U.S. or invest in the U.S. Either way, it is to the benefit of the U.S. These countries do not hoard U.S. dollars in a cave someplace – ultimately, the dollars come back. The balance of trade number is much ado about nothing – perhaps not fake news, but largely irrelevant news. Trade barriers that are enacted because of trade bal- ance numbers have the very real negative effect of causing a misallocation of world cap- ital and labor, thus reducing human well-being. Economists have much to be modest about when making predictions. Jour- nalists who cover their pro- nouncements would do well to read economic his- tory before uncritically feeding the latest gruel to the unwary public. Richard W. Rahn is chairman of Improbable Success Productions and on the board of the American Council for Capital Formation. © 2017 The Washington Times, LLC. RICHARD W. RAHN RICHARD W. RAHN5 LOCAL NEWS SPENCER FORDIN sfordin@pinnaclemedialtd.com A 44-year-old man was acquitted in Grand Court Tuesday on charges of wrongful confinement and indecent assault stemming from an alleged incident with a 15-year-old boy. Justice Charles Quin, who presided over the four- day judge-alone trial, said he found both the complainant and defendant’s accounts plausible and could detect “no evidence of embellish- ment or exaggeration.” “At the end of the day,” he said, “I was just not satisfied to the required level of proof.” The defendant, a security guard, was accused of locking a local employee of a retail store in his car for half an hour and making improper advances toward him. The complainant alleged that the guard tried to kiss him and fondled his hands, but the defendant denied that any of those actions happened. Justice Quin cited the re- view of CCTV footage by an independent witness to un- derline inconsistencies in the testimony of the complainant. The complainant said the en- counter in the car lasted 30 minutes, but CCTV footage seemed to corroborate the defendant’s account that it was 10 minutes or less. The witness who reviewed the footage also said the com- plainant did not run from the vehicle as he had said, but in- stead walked away. Justice Quin referenced that account and underlined testimony that the locks on the defendant’s car doors were never inacces- sible to the complainant. Justice Quin said that the Royal Cayman Islands Po- lice Service and the Crown Counsel had done exemplary work in lining up its case but just did not eliminate rea- sonable doubt, and he noted that the defendant had main- tained his story while “sub- ject to vigorous but quite proper cross-examination.” CAYMAN COMPASS • WEDNESDAY JULY 12, 2017 “At the end of the day, I was just not satisfied to the required level of proof.” JUSTICE CHARLES QUIN Security guard acquitted in wrongful confinement case Jamaica port issue concerns Cayman JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com News that cruise giant Royal Caribbean has pulled Jamaica’s purpose-built port at Falmouth from multiple va- cation itineraries has sparked concern about proposals for a new dock in Grand Cayman. One of the key principles of the long-discussed plan to build new cruise berthing facilities in George Town harbor has been to secure cruise line involvement in the hope that this would guar- antee passenger numbers. However, Royal Caribbe- an’s significant financial in- vestment in the Falmouth port does not appear to have stopped it from pulling some of its ships from the port, the Jamaica Gleaner re- ported Friday. Citing Falmouth’s Mayor Colin Gager, the newspaper reported that three ships, in- cluding the Oasis class Al- lure of The Seas, would be taking their businesses else- where for the coming season and next year. Mr. Gager told the Gleaner the cruise lines are concerned about ha- rassment of visitors, among other issues. Jamaica’s Tourism Min- ister Edmund Bartlett sug- gested in a different news re- port that the issue affected only the Allure of the Seas and Royal Caribbean’s new vessel, Symphony of the Seas. Robert Hamaty, owner of Tortuga Rum in Cayman, which also has a store at the Falmouth Port, said the devel- opment was concerning but should not prevent Cayman from pushing ahead with plans for its own dock. “It is very sad as Royal Caribbean and the Jamaica government invested into the port,” he said. “I am told the customer experience is not good. Pas- sengers are not happy and feel they are being harassed. There is no major crime against cruise passengers, it is just people trying to make a living. There is a lot of poverty and people see the port as a way to make some money. Unfortunately, that has spilled over into some harassment of passengers.” He said he believed the reason for Royal Caribbean to move its largest ships out of Falmouth temporarily was also an economic deci- sion and argued that a major port in Cayman would be a win-win for the country and the cruise line. “These ships are expen- sive to run and they need to maximize their profits. Every week, one of the big Genesis-class ships travels from Cozumel to Falmouth long distance. An interme- diate stop in Cayman would add lots of value to that itin- erary,” he added. He said it was incumbent on authorities in Cayman to ensure that cruise passengers here did not face the kind of harassment that caused con- cern in Falmouth. Johann Moxam, a former Cayman Islands Chamber of Commerce president, said the situation in Falmouth should serve as a warning that a deal with the cruise lines is no guarantee of a long-term commitment to the Cayman Islands. “Before the government commits the citizens and businesses of this country to hundreds of millions of dollars in public debt, we should pause and re-eval- uate whether perceived ben- efits of mass cruise tourism are truly worth the costs and worth the risks to this and future generations. [Royal Ca- ribbean Cruises Ltd.’s] with- drawal proves that we cannot take comfort in a cruise line guarantee as the basis of the revenue model,” he said. “We would be foolish to proceed with this project without a careful exami- nation of the risks to the country and more impor- tantly, what process have we used to determine that mass cruise tourism is worth this investment and is the top pri- ority for the economy.” One of the key principles of the long-discussed plan to build new cruise berthing facilities in George Town harbor has been to secure cruise line involvement in the hope that this would guarantee passenger numbers. Royal Caribbean’s Liberty of the Seas towers over a shopping area at Falmouth Port in Jamaica. The cruise line is dropping Falmouth from some of its itineraries. - PHOTO: VICKI WHEATONThe islands’ most-trusted news source 6 WEDNESDAY JULY 12, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS On average, Grand Cayman voting districts had 1,186 voters, meaning East End district was about 42 percent smaller than the av- erage district and North Side was about 40 percent smaller. Cayman Brac and Little Cayman’s two voting dis- tricts are also much smaller than the norm on Grand Cayman, but Commonwealth observers said this situation is mandated by the territory’s constitution. Quick change Although Cayman had de- bated the change to its elec- toral boundaries for more than five years before the May 2017 election, the legis- lation enabling the change to the one man, one vote system was not approved until November 2016. Commonwealth observers opined this was a fairly short time in which to educate the public and make sure voters knew where to go on Election Day. “A change in the law so close to the election is not considered to be good prac- tice internationally,” the ob- servers wrote. Despite the short time given, the Cayman Islands Elections Office was praised for its voter education efforts and organization in prepara- tion for the voting change. “The electoral process ran smoothly,” observers said. Who can vote? The report also consid- ered whether voting rights were being extended in the territory to everyone who should have them. Observers made no direct recommendations on the sub- ject, but opined that the “rea- sonableness of the current provisions” regarding who can vote should be looked at in any upcoming review of the Cayman Islands Constitu- tion Order, 2009. “Regardless of the dura- tion of residency, or the at- tainment of the status of permanent resident, all per- sons except those holding Caymanian status are ineli- gible to vote,” the Common- wealth report stated. “This has led to the fact that out of an estimated population of at least 60,000 people, only around 34,000 hold Cay- manian status with around 24,000 of them eligible to reg- ister to vote. “The mission received comments from long-term residents without status in the Cayman Islands about their sense of disenfran- chisement,” the report con- tinues. “The [observers] mis- sion notes that the issues raised by long term resi- dents are of a constitu- tional nature.” Even if a person is Cay- manian, eligibility to vote can be elusive in the Cayman Is- lands, the Commonwealth report noted. Qualification for voter registration now requires a person to reside in the is- lands for at least two of the four years before the last reg- istration date for the gen- eral election. “This period appears to be overly restrictive and may operate to exclude otherwise eligible Caymanians from ex- ercising their right to vote,” the report stated. Confidentiality concerns The observers also high- lighted some concerns about vote secrecy. The Elections Law in Cayman allows for printing a serial number of the ballot paper [where the voters mark “x” by their preferred candi- date] and the ballot counter- foil, used as a security mea- sure to ensure the ballot paper given to the voter is the same as the one placed in the ballot box. “[This makes] the tracing of an individual vote pos- sible, which violates the ab- solute requirement of a secret ballot,” the observers wrote. Individuals who vote by mobile or postal bal- loting could also be iden- tified during the count, officials said. because of a long-running dispute between Mr. Ben- nett and the Mothens. It seemed they held him re- sponsible for the March 2015 shooting of Tashika Mothen at a George Town location near Jah T’s and School Lane. She believed she had been shot by friends of his. On Feb. 3, Mr. Bennett went out with friends to celebrate his 29th birthday. The four defendants were also out that night. Mr. Bennett saw the Mothens and some of their associates at the Power Supply Bar. By the time the bar closed, he was alone and became increasingly uneasy. He walked toward the Fete Night Club hoping to find someone to give him a ride home. He did not have any credit on his phone, but then remembered he could use WhatsApp on WiFi. He called his cousin, Mr. Campbell, who agreed to come and pick him up. When Mr. Campbell ar- rived, people were begin- ning to walk out of the nightclub and Mr. Ben- nett was confronted by Tashika Mothen. What happened next is the subject of the trial, which is scheduled to last 10 days. The Mothens are also charged with causing ac- tual bodily harm to Mr. Bennett and Mr. Campbell. They are further charged, along with Hewitt, with causing grievous bodily harm to Mr. Campbell with intent to cause such harm. Tashika Mothen is also charged with making a threat to kill another person, who was not present at the time. She is represented by attorney Amelia Fos- uhene and lead counsel Icah Peart. Her husband is represented by attorney Prathna Bodden and lead counsel Jacob Hallam. At- torney Crister Brady repre- sents Tibbetts. John Gray, CIFEC receive computer donations Students at John Gray High School and the Cayman Islands Further Education Centre will have greater ac- cess to technology following a donation of 20 LCD moni- tors and five desktop com- puters by the Port Authority of the Cayman Islands. The computers will be shared between the two schools and will be available for student use. The Ministry of Edu- cation received the do- nation from the Port Au- thority on June 2. “The personal com- puters are greatly appreci- ated as they will allow an upgrade from older com- puters in various JGHS class- rooms. CIFEC will be using the donation of equipment for the literacy programs at Cornerstones and Stepping Stones,” said Steven Durksen, the ministry’s information and communications tech- nology manager. Chief Officer for Educa- tion Christen Suckoo said technological literacy is now a vital life skill for students. “Technology affects how we run businesses, socialize, connect, play, but most sig- nificantly how we learn, and more technology equals more occasions for dif- ferent learning styles to en- gage and build a love for learning. Computers also pro- vide a place to practice in- dependent decision-making,” Mr. Suckoo said. Four in court for shooting case CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Ministry of Education’s Steven Durksen, left, shakes hands with Port Authority’s Chris Kohn, alongside technology support project manager, Nicholas McLean. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Report: Electoral boundaries need review for ‘greater equality’ Trump nominates Randal Quarles as Federal Reserve’s bank supervisor The White House an- nounced Monday evening that it will nominate Randal Quarles, a former Treasury official, to fill a vacant seat on the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors, as well as an influential position over- seeing the banking system. President Donald Trump intends to nominate Quarles to the Fed’s board for the re- mainder of a 14-year term ex- piring Jan. 31, 2018, and for an additional 14-year term expiring Jan. 31, 2032, the White House said. Trump will also name Quarles vice chairman for supervision, a position created by the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act to oversee the banking industry, for the next four years. Quarles served George H.W. Bush as deputy assistant secretary for financial institu- tions policy, as well as George W. Bush as undersecretary for domestic finance. He also worked as the U.S. executive director of the International Monetary Fund, a partner at various law firms, and the founder and managing di- rector of a private investment firm, the Cynosure Group. Quarles had been rumored for several months as a can- didate for the position at the Federal Reserve board, which has been operating with only four of its seven posts cur- rently filled. The Trump administration will have the chance to signif- icantly reshape the character of the central bank through these appointments, as well as the selection of a new chair and vice chair early next year. Those decisions will help determine how banks are regulated and in- terest rates are set – choices that may influence the course of the economy. Jordan Haedtler, cam- paign manager for the Center for Popular Democ- racy’s Fed Up coalition, crit- icized Quarles in a state- ment Monday night for his close connections with Wall Street and his opposition of the Volcker Rule, which re- stricts speculative invest- ments by banks, and other banking regulation. “Throughout his ca- reer, self-described ‘Wall Street lawyer’ Randal Quarles has looked out for his banker clients at the expense of America’s hard- working families. He should not be entrusted with the Fed’s top regulatory job,” Haedtler wrote. Quarles will need to be confirmed by the Senate be- fore he can take up his post at the Fed. © 2017, The Washington Post Randal QuarlesThe islands’ most-trusted news source 7 CAYMAN COMPASS • WEDNESDAY JULY 12, 2017 www.seidegrees.com Regional Office: 27499 Riverview Center Blvd., Suite 223, Bonita Springs, Florida 34134, USA • Tel +1 239 444 4399 • Fax +1 239 444 4398 info@SEIdegrees.com APPLY NOW FOR SEPTEMBER 2017 INTAKE 100% FLEXIBLE 100% ONLINE 100% RELEVANT NEW MBA/MBM Exceptional value — earn an accredited UK MBA or MBM for under US$10,000 • Can be completed in 18 months • Specialisations: Banking, Entrepreneurship, Events, Finance, Health Management, Hospitality & Tourism, HRM, Info. 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Pope Francis has issued a new route: people who lived a good Catholic life and who freely accepted a certain and premature death for the good of others. Weakened PM Theresa May vows to win ‘battle of ideas’ LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Theresa May said Tuesday that she has to win a “battle of ideas” in Par- liament and the country after losing her majority in last month’s election. In a speech both concilia- tory and defiant, May urged her political opponents to contribute their “views and ideas” to help shape gov- ernment policy. May spoke nearly a year after taking office, and just over a month after she suf- fered a setback from voters in a June 8 snap election. She acknowledged that the election result was “not what I wanted,” but said she re- mained committed to building a fairer Britain as the country leaves the European Union. May was speaking at the launch of a report on how to guarantee protections for the growing number of workers in the “gig economy.” May became prime min- ister on July 13, 2016 through a Conservative Party leader- ship contest after predecessor David Cameron resigned when voters decided, against his advice, to quit the EU. She called an early election in an attempt to bolster her ma- jority and strengthen her au- thority during Brexit talks. The gamble backfired when voters stripped the Con- servatives of their majority in Parliament and boosted the number of seats held by the left-of-center Labour Party. The result means May must rely on deal-making and compromises to pass legislation, and is struggling to persuade her party that she isn’t a lame duck. The election setback has led the government to abandon many of the pledges May campaigned on, including plans to reform secondary ed- ucation and make seniors pay more for their long-term care. Instead, the government says it will devote its energy to trying to pass the laws needed to pave the way for Brexit — due to take place in March 2019. May, who is now reliant on the votes of Northern Ire- land’s Democratic Unionists to get her agenda through Parliament, restated her polit- ical mission to tackle “injus- tice and vested interests that threaten to hold us back.” So- cial and economic reform is needed to make a success of Brexit, she indicated, but in a sign of her weakness will call for cross-party cooperation to deliver it. “I say to the other parties in the House of Commons, come forward with your own views and ideas about how we can tackle these challenges as a country,” May said. “We can play it safe or we can strike out with renewed courage and vigor, making the case for our ideas and values and chal- lenging our opponents to con- tribute, not just criticize.” May came under fire from her own party over the weekend as she prepared to publish a draft law this week intended to repeal the U.K.’s membership of the EU, and set a new legal framework for the country after it withdraws from the bloc. Some of her Conservative Party colleagues have talked openly of the need to replace her, while opposi- tion lawmakers are preparing a series of challenges to her Parliamentary authority. May insists she will still be prime minister in 2018, despite losing her majority. She received a boost on Sat- urday when U.S. President Donald Trump said a trade deal with the U.K. will be done “very, very quickly.” But even that met with a mixed reaction, with the Confederation of British In- dustry urging the govern- ment to tread cautiously in its dealings with the U.S. Trade deals are complex “and we don’t want to walk into a bear hug,” CBI President Paul Drechsler told Sky’s “Sophy Ridge on Sunday” show. May’s weakened position, having lost her majority and now trailing the opposition Labour Party in opinion polls, has reopened the debate over how Brexit should unfold, with some of her own most senior ministers now embold- ened to disagree with her. Chancellor of the Exche- quer Philip Hammond last week called for a Brexit deal that keeps Britain close to the EU market, warning “it would be madness” to reject trade ties. In Brussels, the EU’s Brexit negotiator, Mi- chel Barnier, sent the mes- sage that May should forget her dream of a “frictionless” trade deal, and that the road to divorce will be hard. Disquiet by some in her party was underlined when former Culture Minister Ed Vaizey put his name to a Sunday Telegraph article co- written by Labour lawmaker Rachel Reeves, in which they said Britain should stay in Euratom, an agreement gov- erning nuclear cooperation which May has said she’s withdrawing from as part of Brexit. Eight more Tory law- makers have signaled they back staying in Euratom, the Evening Standard re- ported on Monday. That’s enough to cancel out May’s majority in Parliament if it comes to a vote. In a sign of further ob- stacles for the prime min- ister, the chairs of five polit- ical blocs representing more than three-quarters of law- makers in the European Par- liament criticized May’s pro- posals on the rights of EU citizens in Britain post- Brexit. The British plan casts “a dark cloud of vagueness and uncertainty over the lives of millions of Europeans,” they said in a letter in the Guardian on Monday. “We will never endorse the retroactive removal of rights,” the politicians, led by Guy Verhofstadt, the Parliament’s chief Brexit negotiator, said in the letter. “The European Par- liament will reserve its right to reject any agreement that treats EU citizens, regardless of their nationality, less favor- ably than they are at present.” May acknowledged her loss of authority in Par- liament in her speech but pledged to fight on as she seeks to put the election re- sult behind her. “I led a majority govern- ment in the House of Com- mons. The reality I now face as Prime Minister is rather different. In this new con- text, it will be even more im- portant to make the case for our policies and our values, and to win the battle of ideas both in Parliament as well as in the country.” Opposition parties are preparing to join forces with rebel lawmakers in May’s own Conservative Party to hamper the progress of the government’s Repeal Bill, which is due to be published this week. It would reverse the European Communities Act of 1972, which gave ef- fect to EU law in the U.K., and graft EU statutes into British law, giving ministers sweeping powers to adapt legislation without parlia- mentary scrutiny. Keir Starmer, Brexit spokesman for the opposition Labour Party, told the BBC it is “highly likely” he will seek to amend the bill to limit the role of the executive in changing laws and increase the power of Parliament. His party leader, Jeremy Corbyn, has also pledged to preserve EU environmental and em- ployment protections. Justice Secretary David Lidington said the govern- ment is focusing on the “real problems” and shouldn’t be distracted by specula- tion over May’s leadership. That followed a report in the Mail on Sunday newspaper that former Cabinet minister Andrew Mitchell had said during a private dinner that May should resign. Mitchell, a close ally of Brexit Secretary David Davis, told Conservative mem- bers of parliament at a June 26 dinner that the party needs a new leader, the Mail said, citing a lawmaker at the gathering. Bloomberg news service contributed to this article. Prime Minister Theresa May delivers a speech Tuesday on modern working practices at the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce in London. Earlier she delivered a speech to government urging her political opponents to contribute their ‘views and ideas’ to help shape policy. - PHOTO: AP8 WORLD&REGIONAL WEDNESDAY JULY 12, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS Libya’s coast guard abuses migrants despite EU funding and training ZAWIYAH, Libya – The video showed a small rubber dinghy crowded with terri- fied migrants. Next to it, a uniformed man in a Libyan coast guard boat was yelling and wielding a bullwhip. The whip slithered through the air and struck a shirtless migrant. The Libyan cracked the whip again, forcing some of the panicked migrants to fall into the sea and struggle to clutch the side of the boat. “We have to punish them to make them calm down,” said Ramzi Ali, a member of the coast guard unit, shrug- ging after playing the video on his cellphone. “We need to keep control. They can take our life.” The European Union has poured tens of millions of dollars into supporting Lib- ya’s coast guard in search- and-rescue operations off the coast. But the violent tac- tics of some units and alle- gations of human trafficking have raised questions about the alliance. The sea incident and other accounts of abuses come amid a deepening battle be- tween human rights groups and authorities over the flow of tens of thousands seeking refuge to Europe. The tensions are particu- larly prevalent in the seaside city of Zawiyah, where the coast guard is aligned with a powerful militia and armed groups are fighting to con- trol revenue from smuggling people and oil. The factions are among the European Union’s dubious partners in efforts to stop migrants from reaching its shores. A forced return to Libya To most migrants, being “rescued” by the coast guard means a forced return to Libya, where they are ex- posed to more abuse, incar- cerated and even sold again to smugglers. “They beat everyone and took everything,” said Jafar Khalifa Ibrahim, 36, an Ethi- opian migrant, recalling the April day that he and scores of others in a rickety boat were intercepted by a coast guard unit, robbed of their few possessions and de- posited in an abysmal de- tention center. In the spacious office of the Zawiyah coast guard, a rail-thin commander seated on a couch devoured his lunch. Abd al-Rahman Milad was tired and hungry after a long night of patrolling. His deputy, Ali, had just proudly shown the video to a Washington Post journalist. When he heard Ali’s explana- tion for whipping migrants, Milad nodded in approval. Six years ago, at the start of the Arab Spring up- rising, Milad left Libya’s Naval Academy and joined rebels who were revolting against Moammar Gad- hafi’s regime. “I was shot nine times during the revolu- tion,” said Milad, 31, raising a scarred hand. After Gadhafi’s fall and death, militias vied for con- trol of territory, influence and the North African na- tion’s petroleum resources. Milad’s powerful tribe – the Awlad Bu Hmeira – seized Zawiyah’s refinery. With the help of his tribe, Milad took control of the port and made himself head of the local branch of the coast guard, U.N. investigators said in a report last month. He soon became known by his nom de guerre: al-Bija. With three competing governments, including one backed by the West, rule of law is largely absent in Libya today. Power is mostly in the hands of militias, which run town councils and op- erate the coast guard in coastal cities. NATO airstrikes in 2011 to help oust Gadhafi destroyed much of the Libyan Navy’s fleet – and its ability to patrol its 1,100-mile coastline. With the economy shattered, coast guard employees have not been paid in months. Mean- while, Libya has become the largest crossing point for mi- grants to Europe. More than 70,000 have reached Italy this year, and more than 2,100 have drowned trying. Warlords such as Milad have filled the void, dis- patching their crews to patrol Libya’s waters with boats la- beled “Libyan Coast Guard.” Milad said his men lack resources and get little credit for their operations. “Why doesn’t Europe do more to support smaller coast guards like us?” he said. “We stop oil traffickers. We’ve rescued thousands of migrants and taken them back to Libya.” Protecting criminal activities But U.N. investigators and human rights activists say Milad and his crew patrol the seas to protect their own criminal activities. A militia called the al- Nasr Brigade, commanded by one of Milad’s tribesmen, be- came active in migrant smug- gling and started a detention center, said U.N. investigators. Milad and his coast guard unit, they added, are closely linked to the militia in oil and migrant smuggling. Mi- lad’s crew hands migrants over to the detention center, a squalid facility where they are starved and often beaten. The center, U.N. investiga- tors said, is used to sell mi- grants to other smugglers. And female migrants “were sold on the local market as ‘sex slaves.’” The U.N. investigators said that Milad and other coast guard members “are directly involved in the sinking of mi- grant boats using firearms.” Some Libyan and Western se- curity officials said the coast guard charges smugglers a fee for each boat, and those who do not pay are targeted. Milad denied that his units traffic in migrants. The smugglers, he said, wear uni- forms similar to those worn by his men, “so the inter- national aid agencies think the coast guard is traf- ficking in humans.” “They can’t prove we are involved,” he said. A spokesman for Lib- ya’s Navy, under control of the Western-backed gov- ernment, called the accusa- tions against the coast guard “fabrications.” “Instead of having these organizations support us to save more people, they attack us as if they are aiding the smugglers not the Navy,” said the spokesman, Brig. Gen. Ayoub Qassem. He said Mi- lad’s coast guard unit is one of the most active in “rescue missions and in stopping il- legal migrations,” and so he “has many enemies.” At a meeting in Brus- sels last month, EU leaders described the Libyan coast guard as a key ally and pledged more financial assis- tance to Libya’s Navy. © 2017, The Washington Post Sporadic clashes in Iraq’s Mosul after victory declaration MOSUL, Iraq (AP) – Sporadic clashes erupted in Mosul on Tuesday, a day after Iraq’s prime minister declared “total victory” over the Islamic State group, with several airstrikes hitting the Old City neighbor- hood that was the scene of the fierce battle’s final days. Plumes of smoke rose into the air as IS mortar shells landed near Iraqi positions and heavy gunfire could be heard on the western edge of the Old City. At times heavy, the clashes underscored the dangers still posed by the militants after Iraqi forces announced they retook full control of Mosul, the country’s second-largest city, three years after it was seized by extremists bent on building a global caliphate. Meanwhile, Amnesty In- ternational warned in a re- port released Tuesday that the conflict in Mosul has cre- ated a “civilian catastrophe,” with the extremists carrying out forced displacement, summary killings and using civilians as human shields. The report also detailed violations by Iraqi forces and the U.S.-led coalition. “The scale and gravity of the loss of civilian lives during the military operation to retake Mosul must imme- diately be publicly acknowl- edged at the highest levels of government in Iraq and states that are part of the U.S.-led coalition,” said Lynn Maalouf, the research director for Mid- east at Amnesty. The report, which covers the first five months of this year, noted how IS fighters moved civilians with them around the city, preventing them from escaping, creating battle spaces with dense ci- vilian populations while “Iraqi forces and the U.S.- led coalition failed to adapt their tactics.” The Iraqi forces and the U.S.-led coalition “continued to use imprecise, explosive weapons with wide area ef- fects in densely populated urban environments,” Am- nesty stated, adding that some violations may consti- tute war crimes. On Monday evening, Prime Minister Haider al- Abadi came to Mosul for the second day in a row to de- clare “total victory,” flanked by his senior military lead- ership at a small base on the edge of the Old City. But he also alluded to the brutality of the conflict, saying the tri- umph had been achieved “by the blood of our martyrs.” In Geneva, the U.N. human rights chief urged Iraq’s government to ensure that human rights will be re- spected in post-IS Mosul. Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein de- scribed Mosul’s fall as the “turning point” in the conflict against IS, but warned the group continues to subject people to “daily horrors” in its remaining strongholds of Tal Afar, west of Mosul, and Hawijah, north of Baghdad. “Horrific though the crimes of ISIL are, there is no place for vengeance,” said Zeid, who is a Jordanian prince, using an alternative acronym for the Islamic State group. He cited allegations of threats of collective punish- ment and forced evictions in Mosul by Iraqi security forces and their allies. He also cited three years of rights viola- tions during IS’ control of Mosul, including abuses like sexual slavery of women and girls that “have left deep scars on Iraqi society.” In Baghdad, Shiite politi- cian Karim al-Nouri warned that defeating IS in Mosul does not mean that “ter- rorism” is finished and urged the government to review its policies for dealing with Sunni areas of the country to “avoid previous mistakes that led to the emergence” of IS. The government needs to work on “removing fears of marginalization and terrorism affiliation in Sunni areas,” said al-Nouri, a senior member of Badr Organization. He said he believes the Iraqi security forces should stay in Mosul until it is fully secure, before handing over to local forces. The EU has poured tens of millions of dollars into supporting Libya’s coast guard in search-and-rescue operations off the coast. But the violent tactics of some units and allegations of human trafficking have raised questions about the alliance. In Geneva, the U.N. human rights chief urged Iraq’s government to ensure that human rights will be respected in post-IS Mosul. Coast guard members watch a video of one of their missions in Zawiyah, Libya. – PHOTO: THE WASHINGTON POST9 WORLD&REGIONAL CAYMAN COMPASS • WEDNESDAY JULY 12, 2017 Afghan-American female pilot seeks to inspire young women KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) – An Afghan-American female pilot on a solo flight around the world seeking to inspire young women across the globe has taken a detour to visit her native Afghanistan – and meet the country’s pres- ident and civil society activ- ists struggling to safeguard women’s rights. Shaesta Waiz left her single-engine plane in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, to take a commercial flight to Kabul where she arrived on Monday night. The 29-year- old said her Beechcraft Bo- nanza A36 was not suited for flying over the mountainous terrain of her native country. Waiz, the first female pilot from Afghanistan, began her journey in Florida in May and has since made stops in 11 countries, with eight more to complete her mission. “The whole purpose of this flight around the world is not to set a world record,” Waiz said during a wel- coming ceremony by govern- ment officials and activists in Kabul. “The purpose of this trip is to inspire young girls and boys to believe in them- selves, to believe on what they are capable of doing, re- gardless of where they are from or the challenges you had faced in your life.” Afghan President Ashraf Ghani welcomed Waiz at his office later on Monday eve- ning and told her how much he admired her courage. Waiz, in turn, promised Af- ghan women that once her world trip is done, she would come back and find ways to help them. Much has changed for Af- ghan women since the Tal- iban were ejected from power 16 years ago. During their rule, women were not per- mitted to attend school or work, were largely confined to their homes, and subjected to public beatings for viola- tions of strict rules on what they could wear in public. Now millions of Afghan girls go to school, compared to practically none in 2001, and many women work for the government and secu- rity services, run their own business, and are elected to parliament. Waiz and her family moved in 1987 to the United States where she got her pi- lot’s license, becoming the youngest certified female pilot from Afghanistan. She took off from Daytona Beach in Florida in May and has mapped out a route that will take her aboard approx- imately 16,000 miles around 19 countries, including Canada, Spain, Britain, Italy, Greece, Egypt, Bahrain, India, Singapore and Australia, be- fore ending the trip back in the U.S. in August. Waiz’s father, Fahim Waiz Atghandiwal, who accompa- nied her on the visit to Kabul, said each and every girl needs the support of her family – especially the support of her parents – to achieve her goal and turn dreams into reality. After returning to Dubai, Waiz said she will continue her voyage to India as she seeks to become the first Afghan-Amer- ican woman to accomplish a solo flight around the world. Indian police warned weeks ago of attack on Hindus in Kashmir SRINAGAR, India (AP) – As In- dia’s government on Tuesday blamed separatist rebels for gunning down seven Hindu pilgrims and wounding 19 more in Kashmir before fleeing into the night, rebel groups in the disputed region condemned the rare, deadly attack on civilians and in- sisted they had no part in it. A memo that was circu- lated to regional police, mil- itary and paramilitary units two weeks ago indicates In- dian security officials had been expecting an attack. The memo, marked “top secret,” warned that a “sensational attack by terrorist outfits cannot be ruled out” in the mostly Muslim region. The memo, dated June 25 and verified as authentic by The Associated Press, said “terrorists have been di- rected to eliminate 100 to 150 yatris (pilgrims) and about 100 police.” It described circumstances eerily similar to what trans- pired Monday night: “The at- tack may be in the form of standoff fire on yatra (pil- grimage) convoy, which they (militants) believe will result in flaring of communal ten- sions throughout the nation.” Police said the attack began with gunmen un- leashing a hail of bullets on an armored police vehicle and, soon after, on a nearby police patrol. They said that a bus carrying 60 Hindu pil- grims had been passing through the area when the patrolling police and mili- tants were exchanging fire, and that some bullets struck the bus and its passengers. The police also said that the bus had been traveling at night, despite instructions to avoid the roads after dark. Though security had been in- creased along the route for the pilgrimage, the thousands of deployed soldiers and po- lice do not patrol overnight. Several bus passengers who were wounded gave a different version of events, saying the bus had been targeted from three direc- tions during the attack. They said the driver kept driving the bus as it was being struck with bullets near the southern town of An- antnag on the main highway linking Kashmir with the rest of India. The annual summer pil- grimage to the Amarnath cave shrine, which began June 29 under heavy security, has been targeted in the past. Opponents of Indian rule in Kashmir accuse Hindu-ma- jority India of using the pil- grimage as a political state- ment to bolster its claim to the disputed region. On Tuesday, thousands of Hindus continued the reli- gious pilgrimage undeterred, as Indian soldiers and police increased security along the Himalayan route for buses carrying pilgrims to the base camps where they start walking the path to the high mountain cave. None of the rebel groups fighting to oust India from the mostly Muslim region has claimed responsibility for the attack, and the three top separatist leaders in Kashmir condemned it. They demanded an in- dependent investigation into the attack. “This incident goes against the very grain of Kashmiri ethos,” the sepa- ratist leaders – Syed Ali Gee- lani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Mohammed Yasin Malik – said in a joint statement. Police were searching for the assailants, who they said were from the Pakistan-based rebel group Lashkar-e-Taiba. India also blames the group for a 2008 attack that left 166 people dead in India’s com- mercial capital of Mumbai. “We’re investigating the attack, but we know certainly that the Lashkar has done it. We’ll soon deal with them,” police Inspector-General Muneer Ahmed Khan said. Lashkar-e-Taiba denied any involvement in the at- tack, which they called “rep- rehensible” and “un-Islamic,” according to a statement sent to local media in Srinagar, the main city in Indian-con- trolled Kashmir. The group said India was behind the attack, “to sabo- tage the freedom struggle of Kashmiris” and fulfill “its ne- farious agenda” to crush the popular anti-India rebellion. “No Kashmiri has ever tar- geted any pilgrims, and this barbarity and atrocity is the trademark of Indian forces,” the group’s statement said. Residents said they were afraid of a possible backlash by Hindu nationalists and Indian forces against Kash- miris elsewhere in India. “My two brothers are studying in India,” school teacher Shagufta Ka- unsar said. “I don’t know if it’s really safe for them there. We’re already telling them to come back home.” Omar Abdullah, a former chief minister of Kashmir, asked India’s home ministry to protect Kashmiri students and workers across the na- tion. “Possibility of backlash can’t be ignored,” he said in a Twitter message. Most of the pilgrims wounded in the attack were released from hospitals on Tuesday. The bodies of those killed were flown to New Delhi on their way to the pil- grims’ west Indian states of Gujarat and Maharashtra. The attack sparked out- rage across Kashmir and much of India. In the Jammu region of Kashmir, which is dominated by Hindus, hundreds of pro- testers shouted angry slo- gans against the militants and burned a faceless effigy meant to represent both ter- rorism and Pakistan, which India blames for supporting the rebels. Many shops and businesses were shuttered for a protest strike in Jammu. Meanwhile, students in the Gujarati city of Ahmad- abad gathered for a sit-in to protest all religious violence, while peace activists planned a candlelight vigil in New Delhi on Tuesday night. The Press Trust of India news agency said the last major attack on Amarnath pilgrims occurred in 2000, when gunmen killed 30 people in the Pahalgam area, including local porters car- rying pilgrim’s baggage up the mountain path. Waiz, the first female pilot from Afghanistan, began her journey in Florida in May and has since made stops in 11 countries, with eight more to complete her mission. The memo, marked “top secret,” warned that a “sensational attack by terrorist outfits cannot be ruled out” in the mostly Muslim region. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani welcomes pilot Shaesta Waiz to the Presidential Palace in Kabul on Monday. - PHOTO: AP Indian students holds placards as they pray Tuesday in Ahmadabad, India, during a tribute to victims of the terrorist attack on a bus carrying Hindu pilgrims. - PHOTO: APNext >