ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – MONDAY JULY 17, 2017 6 $11.95 CHILI CHEESE $9.95 CLASSIC WHITE OPTION FOR Queen’s Baton passes into Cayman hands SPENCER FORDIN sfordin@pinnaclemedialtd.com The Queen’s Baton found its way into the hands of Cayman residents this weekend, when it made the rounds of several of the most scenic points of interest on Grand Cayman. The baton, which landed at Owen Rob- erts International Airport with its han- dlers on Friday, made a tour of Government House, the Cayman Turtle Centre, the South Sound Squash Club, East End and North Side, among other locations, and passed through the hands of dozens of people at Pedro St. James on Saturday. That is all part of the 388-day journey for the Commonwealth Games symbol, which started its way around the world on March 13 at Buckingham Palace in London, and will culminate in a trip to the opening ceremonies of the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in Australia on April 4, 2018. The baton will visit Little Cayman and Cayman Brac on Monday before pressing on with the rest of its journey. “The Queen’s Baton relay heralds the start of the games in the Commonwealth next year, and it travels through every nation and terri- tory of the Commonwealth,” said Keri Algar, who works in public relations and media op- erations for the Queen’s Baton Relay. “One of the things that really stands out in the Com- monwealth is the diversity of cultures that we have. The Queen’s Baton is an opportunity to connect all those different cultures around the world with this one unifying Baton.” The baton, which weighs just 3 pounds (1.4 kilograms), is partly made of macadamia wood to honor the indigenous people of the Yu- gambeh language group in Australia, the host of the 2018 Commonwealth Games, and also of reclaimed plastic collected from the ocean to symbolize the sustainability of the future. Commonwealth nations have more than 2.4 billion people populating them, and ap- proximately 50 percent of those people are aged 25 and younger. The baton visited Af- rica before reaching the Caribbean, and it CAMANA BAY SECURITY WARNING FOR PARENTS JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Security chiefs at Camana Bay are warning parents not to leave their children unattended in the town center late at night amid safety concerns. Derek Haines, head of security for the Dart group, said large groups of youths, some as young as 12, were frequently roaming the area during the evenings, some- times getting into trouble or causing a noise nuisance. “We are getting large groups of youngsters here at 11-midnight and we have to call the parents to collect them,” he said. “My security officers are excellent but they are not baby sitters. We want parents to be respon- sible and make sure they know where their children are.” Cargo distribution center to get high-tech makeover KAYLA YOUNG kyoung@pinnaclemedialtd.com The Port Authority of the Cayman Is- lands announced extensive plans Friday to renovate and more than triple the storage capacity of its Berkley Bush Cargo Distribution Centre at Airport In- dustrial Park. The facility makeover is expected to increase storage capacity from 900 20-foot containers to 3,000 containers without requiring additional land, said Port Authority Director Clement Reid. Plans approved by the PACI board will allow the center to accommo- date 90-foot-tall towers of cargo, com- pared to its current 40-foot stacks, facili- tated by four new cranes to be imported over three years. Other planned additions include a six- lane container truck gate, X-ray container scanners at the gate, expansion of the ex- isting warehouse, new administrative of- fices, an additional 100 electrical plugs for refrigerated containers and new con- tainer handling equipment. “This is going to change the way we do business at the distribution center. The plan will call for a new entrance gate, expansion of our existing ware- house and it will be totally computerized. Customers will be able to actually book when they want a container in advance,” Mr. Reid said. At the entrance gate, cameras will be able to capture the trucks’ license plates and container numbers, enabling vehicles to pass through without stopping. Infor- mation will be electronically relayed to the yard management system. PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 » From left, Cayman youth swimmers Sarah Jackson, John Bodden, Jonathan Key, Zachary Moore and Alison Jackson walk with the baton in front of the scenic ocean view at Pedro St. James. – PHOTO: TANEOS RAMSAY2 LOCAL NEWS MONDAY JULY 17, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS Daily Matinees Every Day $8.00 Seniors, Mon-Fri Before 6pm Cayman Cinema@cbcinema6cbcinema6 *Additional charges will apply per 3D ticket requested. 640-FILM (640-3456) 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. - MONDAY - HOUSE (R) 12:45 I 3:05 I 6:45 I 9:25 SPIDER-MAN: HOME COMING 3D (PG13) 12:55 2D I 3:25 2D VIP I 6:35 I 9:25 2D VIP BABY DRIVER (R) 3:35 I 9:25 DESPICABLE ME 3 3D (PG) 12:30 2D I 4:05 I 6:35 2D I 9:30 WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES 3D (PG13) 12:20 2D VIP I 12:20 I 3:35 2D 6:20 2D VIP I 9:00 TRANSFORMERS: LAST KNIGHT (PG13) 3:05 I 5:35 I 8:50 WONDER WOMAN (PG13) 12:30 I 6:20 ENTER TO WIN !! FREE KARATE MEMBERSHIP www.caymankarateacademy.com Cayman Port celebrates 40th birthday with family fun SPENCER FORDIN sfordin@pinnaclemedialtd.com The business end of Seven Mile Beach was open for pleasure on Saturday, when the Cayman Port opened to the community for its Family Fun Day. The public was treated to music, free boat rides and a host of games and activities for children in a scenic location right on the water. The celebration, timed to coincide with the port’s 40th anniversary, kicked off at 1 p.m., and the first 250 guests to arrive were awarded free gifts. The party wound through the afternoon and into the night, when the port celebrated its milestone birthday with a fireworks dis- play over the water at 8 p.m. Robynette Hera, deputy director and chief operating officer of the port, said the Port Authority hoped to make this an annual occurrence and that it was a thrill to cel- ebrate with the community. “The main goal of today is to celebrate the port’s 40th anniversary,” she said Sat- urday. “We want to showcase that the port is connected to the community, so we opened our gates to the community and offered a lot of fun ac- tivities for kids of all ages.… We have free boat rides on the glass-bottomed boat and the tender boats, courtesy of our partners Atlas Submarine and Caribbean Marine Ser- vices. We have water slides and we even have our equip- ment and our guys out there just giving kids a tour.” The port, which opened on July 16, 1977, now has 151 employees, and it un- loaded more than 270,000 tons of cargo last year. The heavy lifting equipment was still there on Saturday, but it was supplemented by water slides, an inflatable castle and food booths bringing local cuisine to the public. Kids had the opportunity to have their faces painted and to observe a magic show, and there were DJs, dancers and a dunking booth for the adult segment of the commu- nity to enjoy. Lines to join an excur- sion on the glass-bottom boat filled up as soon as the gates opened. Ms. Hera said she expected a steady stream of people to come through the gates on Saturday. That was rewarding, she said, because so many of the workers had spent time in making it happen. “There’s so many details that went into this and ev- erybody at the port pitched in,” said Ms. Hera. “They ac- cepted my calls in the middle of the night. Especially our night crew. ‘Can you come set this up?’ They were already working on the port and had to say, ‘OK, Robyn, we’ll come and help.’” Arlene and Irving Wil- liams, longtime residents of Cayman, sat and waited for the second run of the glass- bottom boat and seemed to be enjoying the day. Ms. Wil- liams, 77 years old, worked for the Port Authority for de- cades, and Mr. Williams, 78, said they had looked forward to this event. “We live in Grand Cayman, but we’re living right now in Cayman Brac,” he said. “We’ve been here for about a month and knew they were going to have this, so we were lucky to be here. [The glass boat] is a good attraction. Second to the submarine, it’s about as good as you can get. It’s really nice to see the coral reefs and fish. It shows they’re really taking care of the coral and sea life, which is very important.” Another guest, Terry- Ann Brown, came with her daughter, her sister and her nieces. Her sister works for the port, said Ms. Brown, but it was a treat for the rest of the family to peek be- hind the scenes. “I’m not sure what to expect. I’m bringing my daughter and nieces to have some fun,” she said. “My daughter has never been here before. I’m looking forward to whatever they have to offer because it’s free.” Divers raise $1,000 for Cancer Society Female divers make heart signs as they pose underwater off West Bay as part of a fundraiser during Women’s Dive Day on Saturday. The divers headed out on Divetech’s pink boat to help raise funds for the Cayman Islands Cancer Society. All the proceeds of the two-tank dive went to the charity, along with a $200 donation from Divetech, bringing the total raised to $1,000. - PHOTO: TONY LAND, DIVETECH Families line up to sample some local food during the Family Fun Day at the port. Inflatable castles are not a common sight on the busy grounds of the port in George Town, but the site was transformed for Saturday’s family-friendly Fun Day. - PHOTOS: CHRISTOPHER FLETCHERThe islands’ most-trusted news source 3 CAYMAN COMPASS • MONDAY JULY 17, 2017 Brought to you by How often do you think about others when you’re using the road? We all have the right to use our roads without threat to life or serious injury. That’s why Rotary’s Share the Road is paving the way for a safer Cayman. Whether it’s leaving enough space between you and the car in front, wearing re�lective clothing while jogging at night, or keeping a safe distance when overtaking cyclists and pedestrians, Share the Road is all about being respectful to other road users. Together we can make our roads a safer place - to save our mums and dads, sons and daughters, husbands and wives, friends and loved ones. To �ind out more and how you can Share the Road more effectively, head to sharetheroad.ky Pedestrians. Cyclists. Motorcyclists. Drivers. #ShareTheRoadKY sharetheroad.kyThe 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” Without sounding too pontifical about it, one of Cayman’s great strengths is the stature, stability and competence of our judiciary. Trust in our court system, both civil and criminal, is an essential ingredient in the allure of these islands to investors, visitors, residents – indeed to all of us. In far too many jurisdictions, the judicial branch of government has become practically indistinguishable from the political (meaning the legislative) branch. From India to South Africa, from Brazil to the United States – runaway judiciaries exceed their authority by making law, not simply interpreting and applying it to the cases brought before them. Thankfully, that separation of powers has rarely, if ever, been eroded in the Cayman Islands – but we must be vigilant that our tripartite form of government – the executive, the legislative, and the judicial – remain in their proper balance. Such systems were designed, brilliantly so, to provide checks and balances to each other in a democratic system. And yet, we are witnessing globally an arrogation of judicial power. For example, battle is being waged in Brazil between the political and judicial classes, with prosecu- tors and judges not only releasing a hailstorm of inves- tigations and indictments against current and former political leaders, but also attempting to drum up public support for their cause on social media and in the press. In the United States, the political strategy of enacting change by means of finding a sympathetic plaintiff and a friendly (or activist) judge is at least as old as the Civil Rights movement, but particularly egregious examples are found today in certain courts’ ongoing challenges to President Donald Trump’s executive order restricting travel to the U.S. from six Muslim-majority countries. When the order first was enacted, a U.S. District Judge in Seattle, among others in New York and Boston, temporarily blocked the travel ban – an order that was later upheld by the most liberal (and most-overturned by the Supreme Court) federal bench in the U.S., the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in California. The executive branch issued a revised order, which was blocked by a federal judge in Hawaii and in a few other courts (still other judges voiced their opinion that the ban fell well within the powers of the presidency). The challenges were heard by the U.S. Supreme Court, whose ruling allowed the travel ban with minor modifications to take effect late last month. Now, the same Hawaii judge who initially blocked Mr. Trump’s order is at it again – redefining (if not defying) the order of the Supreme Court to comport apparently with his own political propensities. Even the U.S. Supreme Court itself has become largely a political body, with decisions falling along predictable – and political – lines, the liberal justices vs. the conservative. The lower courts have become even more politically polar- ized – never the intent of the authors of the constitution. In Cayman, ironically, there is one area where the judi- ciary itself is suffering because of its lack of political par- ticipation. We are referring to the country’s dire need for a new courthouse. Judges, even the Chief Justice, simply do not have the “clout” to get the budgetary appropri- ation through the legislative process to build the new facility. (They came close in 2008, but the global financial crisis derailed that initiative.) The case work of the courts also has increased dra- matically in recent years (both in volume and complexity). Believe us, the learned and the wise of the Cayman bench work weekends to keep up with their workloads. And still it’s a challenge … Decorum prevents judges from lobbying in their own behalf. They certainly cannot hire a public relations agency to make their case. But their needs are valid, and the evidence is both abundant and persuasive. Our court system needs additional resources. A favorable verdict on Cayman’s courts MONDAY JULY 17, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS A hot investment style looks great in the rearview mirror BARRY RITHOLTZ After decades of expensive and often underperforming active fund management, the public has embraced low-cost, passive-index investing with a vengeance. The old chin- rubbing-this-company-looks- good school of stock picking has been hit with enormous asset outflows. Vanguard Group and BlackRock have captured trillions of dollars in new assets, tied to broad indexes, to the collective det- riment of active money man- agers. (Disclosure: My own personal portfolio is pri- marily invested in Vanguard and Dimensional Funds, as are clients of Ritholtz Wealth Management.) Into this maelstrom steps smart beta, or fundamental indexing, which straddles the line between active-stock se- lection and passive investing in vehicles tied to things like the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index. By using other criteria for creating indexes – histor- ical dividend growth, earn- ings, price-to-sales ratios and so on – smart-beta man- agers are attracting assets where other active managers are not. Morningstar data (reported by the Financial Times) shows that $866 bil- lion is managed in this way, up 207 percent since 2012. The growth makes sense from several perspectives. The rise of smart beta lets securities firms charge more than low-cost providers such as Vanguard; it also gives an outlet to those who want to be more active than plain-vanilla indexers are in their invest- ment selections. Fundamental indexing seemingly provides a benefit for all participants. Alas, there is no free lunch. Fundamental indexing is drawing more scrutiny, and greater concern about how these indexes are assembled. Critics from both within and without the fundamental-in- dexing firmament, have iden- tified potential problems with this investment style. Start with Andreas Uter- mann, global chief in- vestment officer for Al- lianz Global Investors, who wrote “smart beta is neither smart nor beta.” A stronger criticism comes from within, via one of fun- damental indexing’s creators and biggest proselytizers: Rob Arnott, founder of Re- search Affiliates. As Bloom- berg News reported earlier this year, “more than $17.5 billion in ETF assets follow Research Affiliates’s RAFI smart beta indexes.” In a white paper published in 2016, Arnott warned about a significant potential risk for the genre: designing fun- damental indexes based on form-fitted backtests of new factors. In “How Can ‘Smart Beta’ Go Horribly Wrong?,” Arnott writes: “Many of these alpha [above-market returns] claims are based on a 10- to 15-year backtest that won’t cover more than a couple of market cycles. Second, such a short time span is very vul- nerable to distortion from changing valuations. Our analysis shows that valua- tion has been a large driver of smart beta returns over the short and even long term. How much can we reason- ably expect in future re- turns from these factors and strategies, net of valuation change? For some strategies perhaps a great deal, and for others, not much.” A more full-throated cri- tique came recently from Antti Suhonen of Aalto Uni- versity in Finland. In a recent Journal of Portfolio Man- agement paper titled “Quan- tifying Backtest Overfitting in Alternative Beta Strate- gies,” Suhonen reviewed the “daily returns of 215 alterna- tive beta strategies across five asset classes, eleven identifi- able strategy groups, and 15 sponsor investment banks.” The results, he wrote, “strongly support the ex- isting literature on selec- tion and publication biases and backtest overfitting.” In other words, an index de- signed based on past results didn’t result in the same sort of outperformance once the strategy was deployed in the real world. Michael Batnick summed this up perfectly: “The worst ten-year period for any back- test is the next ten years.” Perhaps the strongest criticism of fundamental in- dexing comes from Clifford Asness, chief investment of- ficer of AQR Capital Man- agement LLC. Asness has been involved in an ongoing debate about whether fun- damental indexing is little more than risk premia at- tributable to classic Fama- French factors (factors are things like value, momentum, capitalization size, quality, etc.). He makes a compelling case that most of the above- market returns generated by smart beta is really factor in- vesting in disguise. Speaking of Nobel lau- reate Eugene Fama and Ken- neth French: We would be re- miss if these two were not mentioned in any discussion of fundamental indexing. The two professors consult for what is arguably the most successful of the factor inves- tors, Dimensional Fund Ad- visors LP. Founded 36 years ago, DFA now manages about $500 billion in assets, using academically derived factor models. Its approach to factor investing was decades before anyone else even conceived of smart beta. Dimensional proudly notes its performance record: Although only 15 per- cent of equity and bond funds in business since 2000 beat their benchmarks, more than four-fifths of Dimensional funds have outperformed during the same period. This performance sup- ports Asness’s claim that factor investing, not funda- mental indexing, is the under- lying strength of smart beta. Regardless, fundamental indexing has become pop- ular for very specific rea- sons. There are no signs that its attractiveness or growth is slowing. But the back- testing issues of the newer smart-beta products could be cause for concern. Inves- tors expecting to outperform are advised that they may be disappointed. Please pro- ceed cautiously. Barry Ritholtz is a Bloomberg View columnist. He founded Ritholtz Wealth Management and was chief executive and director of equity research at FusionIQ, a quantitative research firm. © 2017, Bloomberg View5 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • MONDAY JULY 17, 2017 Home Options BRITISH CAYMANIAN INSURANCE COMPANY LIMITED BritCay House, 236 Eastern Avenue, George Town, P.O. Box 74, Grand Cayman KY1-1102 Tel. 949-8699 12 Kirkconnell Street, Stake Bay, P.O. Box 254, Cayman Brac KY2-2101 Tel. 948-1760 www.britcay.ky A member of Colonial Group International Ltd. insurance, health, pensions, life Be insured and be prepared! Save on your buildings cover and claim a free storm kit or $250 gift certificate! Take out home insurance with BritCay and receive some free essentials with our free storm kit.! If you don’t need the storm kit, you can still claim a $250 gift certificate. BritCay is a member of a group of companies managing in excess of $400 million in premiums and pension contributions. Your home is in safe hands if you insure it with BritCay. CALL 949-8699 or visit www.britcay.ky FREE $500,000 public liability (home insurance) Interest free monthly payment option (home insurance) SAVE when you claim! Motor deductibles from £200 SAVE 10% on car insurance with home insurance FREE Roadside recovery (comprehensive insurance) cgigrp coverwithoutaddedcosts! $250* CERTIFICATE WITH BUILDINGS INSURANCE *Choice of $250 BritCay gift certificate OR Storm Kit applies to new buildings insurance policies only FREE STORM KIT... with new home insurance policies. 5 gallon bucket 100’ rope Lantern/flashlight (rechargeable) AM/FM Radio (rechargeable) First Aid Kit Large tarpaulin 6-in-1Game Set (chess, checkers, backgammon, tick-tac- toe, dice, playing cards) Defendant’s wife faces firearm charge Woman seen holding gun with husband in photo CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Kayla Powery Hewitt, wife of Kashwayne Hewitt, ap- peared in Summary Court on Friday charged with possessing an unlicensed firearm with him on or before Feb. 10, 2017. Crown counsel Eleanor Fargin said Mrs. Hewitt, 22, was arrested on Wednesday, July 12, during her husband’s trial for attempted murder, which has since been re- listed to start in November. Ms. Fargin told Magis- trate Kirsty-Ann Gunn that police were investigating a shooting outside Fete Night Club in the early hours of Feb. 4, 2017. That investiga- tion led them to conduct a search at a West Bay resi- dence, where a firearm was found on Feb. 10 in the cis- tern of a toilet. Also seized in the inves- tigation was a phone which had since been analyzed: on it was an image of Kash- wayne and Kayla Hewitt. He is seen with his arm around her and holding a gun; she is holding on to the end of the firearm. An officer in the case had studied the image and concluded that the firearm she was holding was the same found on Feb. 10, the court heard. The gun is described in the charge as a Colt .45 semi-automatic. It was not clear when the photo on the phone was taken. In a prepared state- ment after her arrest, Mrs. Hewitt told police she had been asked to attend a par- ticular location, where she was forced to be in the pic- ture. “I was frightened and didn’t want to do it,” she said. Her husband told her words to the effect, “We are Bonnie and Clyde. If I go down, you go down.” Ms. Fargin said Mrs. Hewitt later posted an item to her Facebook account in which she referred to her- self and her husband as “Bonnie and Clyde.” Defense attorney Jona- thon Hughes said there was no escaping the fact that this was a serious charge, but his client had raised a signifi- cant defense. He noted that the couple had married in January and she had found Kashwayne Hewitt to be a controlling man who exerted a lot of influence on her. The attorney emphasized that Mrs. Hewitt had no pre- vious convictions; she is Cay- manian, with all of her family here, he said. The attorney questioned how this charge would connect to Mr. Hewitt’s Grand Court case. Ms. Fargin confirmed that the Crown was not seeking to join this charge with the charges facing the defen- dant’s husband and three other people in the Grand Court matter. The magistrate con- sidered all the circum- stances brought to her at- tention and said she would grant bail with strict con- ditions. The most impor- tant was a curfew relating to the defendant’s work. The curfew amounts to house arrest, except that the defendant may be ab- sent from her home during her working hours, plus one hour before and after so that she can commute. The magistrate required proof of the work schedule, a surety, and the wearing of an electronic monitor. She said any errands would have to be run for the defendant by family members. The defendant is sub- ject to “doorstep” checks, meaning she must present herself at the doorstep if po- lice officers come to check that she is home during the curfew hours. Another condition of bail is that Hewitt not con- tact any of the defen- dants or witnesses in the Grand court trial. Her matter was set for mention again on Tuesday, July 25. Kashwayne Hewitt is charged, along with Tashika Mothen and Malik Mothen, with attempted murder, pos- session of an unlicensed firearm and causing grievous bodily harm on Feb. 4. He is charged along with Daniella Tibbetts of possessing an unlicensed firearm on Feb. 10. The trial for these four de- fendants has been re-fixed to start Nov. 20. An officer in the case had studied the image and concluded that the firearm she was holding was the same found on Feb. 10, the court heard. CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Two charges relating to the attempted robbery of an armored truck in February were admitted to in Grand Court on Friday. Jerome Cunningham, 24, pleaded guilty to posses- sion of an unlicensed Ruger P95DC handgun and two rounds of nine-millimeter ammunition on Feb. 20, in the vicinity of Crown Square on Eastern Avenue. Cunningham is also charged with attempted rob- bery, attempted murder and wounding with intent in con- nection with the same inci- dent, but defense attorney Jonathon Hughes asked that those counts not be put to him at this time. Mr. Hughes explained to Justice Charles Quin that he had not yet received disclo- sure regarding the wound sustained by the complainant. He did not go into detail, but when Cunningham first appeared in court after his arrest, the magistrate was told that shots were fired during an attempted rob- bery of an armored vehicle and the injured man was a security guard. Senior Crown counsel Candia James acknowledged that the defense had not re- ceived the information re- quested. “We’ve been having some difficulty getting re- ports from the hospital in a timely fashion,” she said. She asked for more time to get the report in this case and Justice Quin set the matter for mention again on Aug. 11. When Cunningham came to court in June, Mr. Hughes had advised that a fitness to plead assessment had been ordered on March 2, but three months later his client did not even have an appointment. The assess- ment had been done since then and Cunningham was found fit to plead, Mr. Hughes said on Friday. Man pleads guilty to firearm charges WOMAN FOUND DEAD IN WINDSOR PARK HOME Police who were alerted Saturday by a landlord who had not seen her tenant for several days found the body of the 42-year-old female tenant in her apartment in Windsor Park. There are “no suspicious circumstances surrounding the death,” police said in a statement, adding that she had a long history of illness. Police did not release the woman’s name. Inquiries are continuing by the Criminal Investi- gation Department of the George Town Police Sta- tion, according to the po- lice statement.DISTRICT DAYS 6 District Days George Town MONDAY JULY 17, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS 50 YEARS AGO: Plenty of holidaymakers and new arrivals on island In the July 19, 1967 edition of the Cayma- nian Weekly, a precursor of the Cayman Compass, “George Town Notebook” correspondent Frances Bodden wrote: “Mr. and Mrs. Rus- sell Ryder and son Gary, of Kalamazoo, Michigan, spent an enjoyable nine- day visit with Mr. and Mrs. D.V. Watler at Crewe Road. Mr. Ryder is a brother of Mrs. Watler. “A special welcome to Miss Elizabeth Ann Brown of Kent, England, who has come to spend a month in the island as guest of her brother Mr. Mike Brown and his wife Gwendolee. “Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Hunter have returned after their enjoyable island-hop- ping trip around the Carib- bean. Dr. and Mrs. Douglas Hague arrived with their little daughter. “Mrs. Swedmore and daughter Mrs. Crawford and husband and friend from Jamaica are all guests at Sea View Hotel. “We bid farewell on the 12th to Mr. and Mrs. Daniel, who have spent several months in the is- land. Mr. Daniel in connec- tion with the airfield recon- struction and Mrs. Daniel who was on the staff of the Secondary Modern School, George Town, we wish them well in their new sphere of service. “We welcome Mr. and Mrs. Vernie Bernard from Trinidad. Mr. Bernard was on an agricultural course, and was successful in his studies. “We welcome Mr. Peter Wight, second brother of Mr. Derek Wight, who has arrived in the island to work on the staff of By- Rite Super Market. “We are always happy to have Mr. and Mrs. J. Mitchell in the island. They have with them their grandchildren.” Runners raise money for charity JEWEL LEVY jlevy@pinnaclemedialtd.com A nonprofit organization whose members walk and run to raise money for chari- ties has donated $4,000 to the Cayman Islands Red Cross. Wind of Hope leader Paul Williams presented Red Cross volunteer and Re- sources Manager Samantha White-Smith with the do- nation, which was raised during the Wind of Hope 5K Walk/Run on June 11. Ms. White-Smith thanked the group for their donation and said the money will go toward helping the most vul- nerable members of society. Mr. Williams said the non- profit’s goal is to assist local charities. Two years ago they assisted The Pines retirement home. The Cayman Islands Red Cross was founded in 1961 by Ethel Cook-Bodden. The main community pro- grams of the CIRC are di- saster management, first aid and aquatics, child protec- tion and sexuality education, and the Thrift Shop commu- nity outreach. The Red Cross also runs a training and develop- ment program to ensure that volunteers are ade- quately prepared to carry out the organization’s work in the community. Deloitte interns volunteer at Cayman Islands Cancer Society Deloitte chose the Cayman Islands Cancer Society as the beneficiary of its fifth annual Intern Charity Day. Twenty-nine Deloitte repre- sentatives – 14 interns and their full-time Deloitte em- ployee mentors – spent a day in June cleaning the ware- house used to hold all of the Cancer Society’s medical equipment. Deloitte’s am- bassadors also repainted the car park and cleaned the buildings and surrounding areas at the Cancer Society’s headquarters. Jennifer Weber, opera- tions manager of the Cancer Society, said in a prepared statement that the organi- zation was very thankful for the assistance from Deloitte. “We gave the group a choice of a few different jobs and to their credit, they picked the two hardest and dirtiest jobs of all,” she said. “The group swarmed our doublewide storage unit and hauled out every bed, walker, bedside commode, potty chair, shower bench and other items. All items were washed and organized so that they are now clean and ready for someone in the community who needs them. “We’ve already received requests this week for mul- tiple items and it’s nice to know that everything is clean and ready for some- one’s loved one to use. Get- ting the patient equipment cleaned is a big job and most don’t want to do it because frankly, it’s hard work, but this group of volunteers took it all in stride.” The Intern Charity Day is an important part of De- loitte’s Exclusive Experi- ence Program (DEEP), and it encourages the compa- ny’s interns and workers to give back to the sur- rounding community. The company’s staff also volunteers with other de- serving Cayman charities during their annual IMPACT Day, a one-day activity dedi- cated to give back to the com- munity at large. Last year, De- loitte member firms donated more than US$228 million to local communities in which they operate, and local De- loitte employees and partners donated more than US$80,000 toward Cayman charities. “We take great pride in our level of community in- vestment,” Jen Skinner, talent director for Deloitte, stated in the press release. “We do- nate substantially through employee volunteer time and effort, pro-bono work and generous donations made by both individuals and the firm. “It is a great feeling to make a difference within our community, and it helps to build strong relation- ships and lasting memories for our summer interns and their mentors.” Members of the Wind of Hope gather at the Red Cross. Deloitte interns and staff take part in the fifth annual Intern Charity Day.7 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • MONDAY JULY 17, 2017 Health City offers innovative procedure for heart patients Health City Cayman Is- lands has become the first hos- pital in the English speaking Caribbean to offer a new high- tech procedure for patients with irregular heartbeat. The medical tourism fa- cility in East End is now of- fering cryoablation, a pro- cedure for patients with atrial fibrillation, a common rhythm disorder of the heart in which people get irregular palpitations, which can lead to breathlessness and strokes. “It’s also responsible for a lot of morbidity and lifestyle issues for the patient and the healthcare cost of pa- tients with atrial fibrillation on the community is pretty huge,” said Dr. Ravi Kishore, of Health City. The technology intro- duces a deflated “cryoballoon” into the heart. “Through this balloon we can introduce a liquid, which cools and dilates the bal- loon, and then freezes which- ever structure it is put into,” said Dr. Kishore. Doctors introduce the bal- loon catheter into the groin and thread it into the pul- monary veins, located in the back of the heart, where the impulses that trigger the atrial fibrillation come from, and then inflate the balloon and freeze the vein for about two to three minutes, de- stroying the source of the fi- brillation, he said. Dr. Kishore said medical staff at the hospital have per- formed the 60- to 90-minute procedure on five patients, all of whom were discharged within a day. “We found it a very user- friendly technology and the outcomes were fantastic,” Dr. Kishore said. Peter Tuckey, a long-time resident of Jamaica, was one of the first patients to have the procedure. “It is an excellent fa- cility and I’m so happy that it’s close to Jamaica. I’ll be back to exercising, back to golf and back to a drink or two so everything’s on the up,” he said. Dr. Kishore added, “This procedure gives a new op- tion for patients suffering from atrial fibrillation by providing a safer and more effective option for long- term recovery.” Dr. Kishore said medical staff at the hospital have performed the 60- to 90-minute procedure on five patients, all of whom were discharged within a day. Health City is the first hospital in the English speaking Caribbean to perform the procedure. Cayman’s finances discussed at London meetings The Cayman delegation to London met on Thursday with Miriam Sachak, head of the Foreign and Common- wealth Office’s Economics and Financial team, to dis- cuss the island’s finances. The meeting was one of a series attended by represen- tatives of the Cayman Islands government during their visit to London as part of a Joint Ministerial Council trip. Premier Alden McLaughlin, Finance and Economic De- velopment Minister Roy Mc- Taggart and Minister for Fi- nancial Services and Home Affairs Tara Rivers took part in Thursday’s meeting. Minister McTaggart pro- vided an update of the Cayman Islands government’s financial position through to June 2017, as well as projec- tions for the remainder of the financial year, according to a press release. “Other matters discussed were Cayman’s plans to con- tinue paying down debt and government’s commitment to continue the policy of the last Progressives-led ad- ministration of no new bor- rowing during the term,” the release stated. Ms. Rivers provided an update on matters relating to financial services. Also discussed were the government’s infrastructure development progress and plans, as well as the process for the upcoming Strategic Policy Statement and budget preparation. This next budget will be the first two-year fi- nancial plan under revisions to the Public Management and Finance Law. Minister McTaggart noted in the release that United Kingdom officials “continue to applaud the ongoing man- agement of government’s fi- nances and government’s conduct of the country’s fi- nancial affairs.” Premier McLaughlin, Min- isters McTaggart and Rivers also on Thursday held a bi- lateral meeting with Lord Ahmad, minister for the over- seas territories at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. “Matters discussed in- cluded national security, in particular government’s plans to create a national border protection agency with the U.K.’s assistance. Financial service matters discussed included the ex- change of beneficial owner- ship information with the United Kingdom and the EU’s screening process for non-co- operative jurisdictions,” ac- cording to the release. “The recent Cayman Is- lands election was dis- cussed, as were the chal- lenges and opportunities of operating a coalition gov- ernment. The premier high- lighted the importance of the U.K.’s continuing support of the Cayman Islands and all overseas territories now and post-Brexit. This was also highlighted separately at the special Joint Ministe- rial Council for Exiting the European Union meeting on Wednesday,” it continued. Premier McLaughlin is expected to meet with Lord Ahmad again in November when overseas territories leaders gather in London for the Joint Ministerial Confer- ence and ongoing discussions about Brexit. POLICE WARN ABOUT COUNTERFEIT BILLS The Financial Crime Unit of the Royal Cayman Islands Police Ser- vice issued a warning Friday about several re- ports of counterfeit bills being circulated throughout the island. The FCU has found $5 in counterfeit CI currency and $890 in U.S. dollars, according to police. The RCIPS provided tips to enable people to tell the difference be- tween counterfeit and le- gitimate currency. When dealing with U.S. currency, people are ad- vised to compare suspi- cious notes to genuine notes and to check for se- curity features, including red/blue security fibers, security threads, color- shifting ink and a por- trait watermark. There are also sev- eral tips for dealing with Cayman currency. People should be aware that every CI currency note has a picture of Queen Elizabeth shown from the shoulder up. This image is only on the front of the note. Cayman bills also have a unique se- rial number printed in black in the top left and bottom right on the front of the note. Cayman currency notes also have a watermark in the shape of a turtle vis- ible when held up to the light. The watermark is located to the left on the front of the note, and “C” series bills have the word “CIMA” as part of the wa- termark above the turtle. Most CI currency has a thin black vertical line vis- ible when the note is held up to the light, and on the front of all notes in the C series, there is a reflective silver thread running in a straight line in and out of the note. The thread is imprinted with the words “Cayman Islands.” Anyone who finds counterfeit bills is ad- vised to not return the suspicious note to the person who gave it to them and to observe de- scriptions and other iden- tifiers of that person. People are advised to contact police immedi- ately at 949-4222, then write their initials on the corner of the note but avoid touching it as much as possible. Place the note in an envelope and hand it over to the police. Anyone with information about this counterfeit currency is encouraged to call George Town Police Station at 949-4222 or the Financial Crime Unit at 949-8797. From left, Financial Services Minister Tara Rivers, Premier Alden McLaughlin, Minister for the Overseas Territories at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Lord Ahmad, and Minister of Finance and Economic Development Roy McTaggart meet in London last week.The islands’ most-trusted news source 8 MONDAY JULY 17, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS will be touched by thou- sands of people in coun- tries large and small. It vis- ited Salt Cay in Turks and Caicos, population 75, last week, and will wind through heavily populated India in October before spending 100 days making the rounds of Australia as a prelude to the opening ceremonies. “That’s the nice thing about the Queen’s Baton Relay,” said Ms. Alger. “Be- cause there’s such a long relay, you’re able to include as many people as possible and visit as many different places as possible so that people who don’t usually have access to these things are able to have this mem- orable moment. “We go to schools in Af- rica where there are thou- sands of children. We work out a way for every single one to be able to touch the baton, if not carry it. In Turks and Caicos, there are a lot of people involved in carrying and relaying the baton, and here in the Cayman Islands we’ve been able to visit a lot of places that showcase the natural beauty of the islands. All of the people get to take photos with the baton, learn about its history and where it’s going next. There are so many American tourists here, who aren’t part of the Commonwealth, but they’ve been as interested and as curious as anyone else.” The baton contains a mes- sage written by Queen Eliza- beth II that will be taken out and read to all the people of the Commonwealth right be- fore the start of the games. The crowd at Pedro St. James, which included some members of the Cayman Is- lands National Swim Team, got a chance to learn about the baton and have a few re- laxed moments with it Sat- urday, and many were excited for a chance to touch the item that started in Queen Elizabeth’s hands. “I can’t believe how we touched and held and had a photo with the baton. It was amazing,” said Ethel Dela Cruz, who has been in Cayman for 11 years and plans on going to Australia for the games. “We’re so ex- cited. We have tickets already. It’s my first time to see the Commonwealth Games.” Sarah Jackson, one of the members of the Cayman Is- lands swim team who will be competing this week in the Commonwealth Youth Games in the Bahamas, said she hopes to compete in next year’s Commonwealth Games. But for now, just being up close and personal with the Queen’s Baton was a thrill for her. “I’ve seen photos of it around other places in the Commonwealth. It was pretty cool,” said Ms. Jackson, who was part of the Cayman youth team that won a record 47 medals at the CARIFTA Games in April. “I saw it when they left England and I saw it in Turks and Caicos right before it came here.” Once the cinema closes at night, he said, there is very little for teenagers to do in Camana Bay. “They are under age, so they can’t go for a drink,” Mr. Haines said. “I don’t think it’s healthy for youngsters of that age to be wandering around at that time of night.” So far, he said, there had been a few flare-ups involving teenagers from rival schools or different parts of the island, but no major incidents. “There have been a few con- frontations, nothing serious – mostly what I would call, handbags at five paces, but we are keen to nip it in the bud.” Mr. Haines said the stab- bing of a 15-year-old boy out- side a Burger King on West Bay Road had raised addi- tional concerns. “We know that sort of thing can happen anywhere,” he said. “Camana Bay is a safe destination but it is a public space and we want to have that partnership with the community to make sure it stays that way.” Camana Bay is increasing its security staffing on eve- nings in the weekend and is warning parents that children under 18 should not be left un- accompanied after 10 p.m. A letter was sent to tenants last week reinforcing the message. “We will continue to have a zero-tolerance policy for un- lawful behaviour. Our secu- rity team and members of the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service do a great job patrol- ling the Town Centre to en- sure the safety of all who live, work and play here. That dili- gence prevents incidents that could negatively impact the enjoyment of the Town Cen- tre’s facilities, services and events,” it stated. The fully automated Boxhunter cranes from Finland’s Konecranes are expected to be the first of their kind in the Carib- bean, Mr. Reid added. The first shipment of crane parts is sched- uled to arrive in February 2018. The machines will be transported in 36 con- tainers and assembled in Cayman by Konecranes staff. The port anticipated 25 people will be needed for assembly over 30 days. “These machines are going to change the land- scape of the industrial park. They tower nine sto- ries high, so you will be able to see them from quite a distance,” Mr. Reid said. The decision to pur- chase the cranes came after attempts to acquire property to expand the facility proved economi- cally unfeasible. Instead, the port is following the trend of locations like Port of Miami, and building up to improve efficiencies, Mr. Reid said. “We wouldn’t be pur- chasing any more property. So we’ll be using existing land that we have, real- izing the efficiencies of the property,” Mr. Reid said. “What we learned, es- pecially from the Port of Miami, is that they are currently facing the same issue that we have. They are running out of land. So they are also changing their equipment.” Upcoming changes to international mari- time regulations will ob- ligate ports to accommo- date larger vessels, Mr. Reid explained. After Sep- tember, the International Maritime Organization will require cargo ships to have on-board treat- ment systems for bal- last water discharged in ports of call. The change will mean larger ships and shipments. “It’s not feasible to ret- rofit those old vessels, so most of the companies now are changing to larger vessels. So with the in- crease in vessel size and the population growth in Cayman and the increase of the tourism product, we need to be able to be efficient in order to de- liver the cargo to our con- sumers on a timely basis,” Mr. Reid said. The Port Authority declined to release the budget for the project until concessionary bid- ding finalizes to design, build, finance and main- tain the facility. Govern- ment is expected to vet bidders next month. The distribution center was first completed in 1992 for $3.5 million. The facility was then ex- panded in 1997. APEC Consulting Engi- neers has been contracted to produce the new master plan and Bermello Ajamil & Partners Inc. are consul- tants on the project. Queen’s Baton passes into Cayman hands CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Cargo distribution center to get high-tech makeover CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Camana Bay security warning for parents Police display stolen items to public SPENCER FORDIN sfordin@pinnaclemedialtd.com People had a chance to be reunited with stolen property on Sunday, when the Royal Cayman Islands Police Ser- vice invited the public to re- view items recovered in a re- cent police raid. Fifteen laptops and a cache of mobile phones, tablets, watches and televisions were displayed in a room at the Amerigo House in Elizabethan Square and open to public in- spection. A steady stream of visitors checked in with po- lice Sunday, and at least one positive match was made as of press time. The items, recovered last month when the police raided the house of a man who has been charged with two cases of handling stolen goods, will be in police custody for the foreseeable future. Jodi- Ann Powery, a police media officer, said the goal was to match as many items to owners as possible. “Nothing is being returned today,” said Ms. Powery of Sunday’s opportunity to view the recovered property. “What we’re doing is taking details from persons who have iden- tified things. Then they’ll be contacted in a week or so to provide a proper state- ment to police before they can be returned.” Several tables at the Amerigo House were needed to display the stolen property, which included stereo equip- ment, cable modems, turn- tables and speakers, in addi- tion to the laptops, tablets and televisions. Many of the items were covered in plastic and logged as evidence from last month’s police raid. Ms. Powery stressed that the items will still be avail- able for people who were not able to make Sunday’s viewing. The property will still be in the hands of the police for at least the next several weeks, and people who have had their items stolen are encouraged to reach out as soon as possible. To claim the items, owners must provide all the informa- tion at their disposal. “You must identify a se- rial number or if you have any identifying marks that are unique to the property, that can also be used,” said Ms. Powery of detailing stolen goods. “For electronics that haven’t been tampered with by the suspect, if you have pass- word protection on it and can open it – and if your pictures and other identifying factors are inside – that can also be a means of identification.” CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Police display a room full of stolen goods Sunday that included 15 laptops and an assortment of watches, TVs, speakers and electronic equipment. - PHOTO: SPENCER FORDIN Several people got to put their hands on the baton at Pedro St. James on Saturday and around the island this weekend. – PHOTO: TANEOS RAMSAYThe islands’ most-trusted news source 9 CAYMAN COMPASS • MONDAY JULY 17, 2017 Korean plane escorted by German fighter jets A South Korean airliner headed for Switzerland was escorted to Stuttgart Airport by two German military jets after losing radio contact. Officials determined after the Boeing 777 landed safely on Saturday evening that there was a problem with the aircraft’s radio equipment. Clair Maria Jackson May 8th, 1947—July 17th, 2000 An Eternal Memory…………Until we meet again Those special memories of you will always bring a smile if only we could have you back just for a little while. Then we would sit and talk again, just like we used to do. You always meant so very much and always will do too. The fact that you are no longer here will always cause us pain, but you’re forever in our hearts until we meet again. Fondly remembered by Children: Veronica (Suzan), Noel, (Harry), Chris, Clinton, Staff ord and Donna Daughters-in-law: Kathy Jackson, Porshia Jackson, Marlene Ebanks and Marisa Ramgeet Son-in-law: Chuck Thompson Grandchildren: Camille, Adrian, Rachel, Jeavhon, Sarah, Danielle, Alison, Kenji and Syeriah. Great-Grandchild: Amira Sisters, Brothers, and extended relatives Large turnout for protest vote in Venezuela constitutional referendum CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) – Chanting “freedom!” and waving their country’s tri- color flag, thousands of Ven- ezuelans lined up across the county on Sunday to vote in a symbolic rejection of Pres- ident Nicolas Maduro’s plan to rewrite the constitution, a proposal that’s escalating tensions in a nation stricken by widespread shortages and more than 100 days of anti- government protests. In what appeared to be smaller numbers in many parts of the capital, gov- ernment supporters went to polling stations in a re- hearsal for a July 30 vote to elect members of the as- sembly that will retool Vene- zuela’s 1999 constitution. The opposition says the vote has been structured to pack the constitutional as- sembly with government sup- porters and allow Maduro to eliminate the few remaining checks on his power, creating a Cuba-style system domi- nated by his socialist party. The success of the op- position’s symbolic refer- endum will be measured by how many millions partici- pate. Democratic Unity, a co- alition of some 20 opposi- tion parties, has printed 14 million ballots for voters in- side and outside the country of 31 million people. Few ex- pect turnout that high but analysts say participation by more than 8 million people would significantly hike pres- sure on the government. By mid-morning par- ticipation appeared to be high, with thousands of people lining up at ta- bles in churches and parks across the capital. “Since we opened at 7 a.m. the line hasn’t let up,” said Pedro Garcia, organizer of a voting station filled with hun- dreds of people in the south Caracas neighborhood of El Valle, a stronghold of govern- ment support that has been weakening in recent years. Juan Madriz, a 45-year- old insurance company em- ployee, said he did not object to rewriting the con- stitution per se, but rejected Maduro’s decision to do so without putting that decision to a vote, as his predecessor Hugo Chavez did. “If they’re forcing us, it isn’t democracy,” Madriz said. Isabel Santander, a 67-year-old retired auditor, said she was voting against the constitutional assembly as a protest against the coun- try’s economic collapse. “I signed because there’s no medicine, no food, no se- curity,” she said. “There’s no separation of powers, no freedom of expression.” Maduro and the military dominate most state institu- tions but the opposition con- trols the congress and holds three of 23 governorships. The country’s chief prose- cutor has recently broken with the ruling party. The opposition is boycot- ting the constitutional as- sembly. Instead, it called backers to 2,000 sites across the country to fill out ballots featuring three yes-or-no ques- tions. Do they reject the con- stitutional assembly? Do they want the armed forces to back congress? Do they support the formation of a government comprised both of Maduro backers and opponents? The government calls the opposition vote a manip- ulation aimed at destabi- lizing the country, and has been urging its supporters to participate in the consti- tutional assembly, which it calls a way of restoring peace to Venezuela. “Some comrades and brothers may be worn out by the right’s great media cam- paign. Now they’ve invented this July 16 thing to put the burden on their own people and evade their responsi- bility,” socialist party Vice President Diosdado Cabello said Saturday. “That’s how the right is, manipulative, fooling their own people.” Polls show that barely 20 percent of Venezuelans favor rewriting the late Hugo Chavez’s 1999 constitution – about the same level of sup- port as for Maduro. For the government- backed rehearsal, hundreds lined up outside a school in El Valle guarded by heavily armed soldiers and mili- tiamen, waiting quietly to place a practice vote that also served as a show of sup- port for the government. Opponents of Venezue- la’s government blame it for turning one of the region’s most prosperous countries into an economic basket case with a shrinking economy, soaring inflation and wide- spread shortages. The gov- ernment blames the crisis on an economic war waged by its opponents and outside backers. The petroleum-rich nation has been hit hard by falling world oil prices. Clashes between pro- testers and police have left at least 93 people dead, 1,500 wounded and more than 500 behind bars. The opposition says the vote has been structured to pack the constitutional assembly with government supporters and allow Maduro to eliminate the few remaining checks on his power. A man wearing a sunglasses with the colors of the Venezuelan flag lines up prior to casting his ballot Sunday at a poll station during a symbolic referendum in Caracas, Venezuela. – PHOTO: AP Raul Castro dismisses harsher US tone under Trump HAVANA (AP) – Cuban President Raul Castro de- nounced President Donald Trump’s tougher line on rela- tions with Havana on Friday, calling it a setback but prom- ising to continue working to normalize ties between the former Cold War rivals. Castro’s comments to Cu- ba’s National Assembly were his first on Trump’s June an- nouncement of a partial roll- back of the Cuba-U.S. detente achieved by then-President Barack Obama. They con- tained echoes of the harsh rhetoric of the past. “Any strategy that seeks to destroy the revolution either through coercion or pres- sure or through more subtle methods will fail,” Cuba’s president told legislators. He also rejected any “les- sons” on human rights from the U.S., saying his country “has a lot to be proud about” on the issue. Surrounded by Cuban- American exiles and Cuban dissidents in Miami, Trump announced last month that the U.S. would impose new limits on U.S. travelers to the island and ban any pay- ments to the military-linked conglomerate that con- trols much of the island’s tourism industry. He said the U.S. would consider lifting those and other restrictions only after Cuba returned fugitives and made a series of other in- ternal changes including freeing political prisoners, al- lowing freedom of assembly and holding free elections. Trump’s policy retained elements of Obama’s reforms but tightened restrictions on travel and employed harsh rhetoric on human rights. On Friday in Washington, the Trump administra- tion said it was suspending for another six months a provision of the U.S. em- bargo on Cuba. The State Department said it told Congress that it will keep suspending a pro- vision of the Helms-Burton Act that deals with property seized from Americans. The provision lets Ameri- cans use U.S. courts to sue non-American companies that operate and deal with property confiscated after Fidel Castro’s revolution. Speaking to the National Assembly, Castro called the Trump administration’s pol- icies a “setback,” though he reiterated his govern- ment’s position that it would work to normalize relations with Washington. Earlier in the legislative session, Economy Minister Ricardo Cabrisas announced that Cuba’s economy is growing again after a dip last year. Cabrisas said the economy grew around 1 percent in the first half of 2017. That puts GDP growth on track to hit 2 percent for the year. The government said the economy shrank last year by 1 percent amid falling sup- port from troubled Venezuela. That was the first decrease reported in two decades. Cuba’s President Raul CastroNext >