ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – WEDNESDAY AUGUST 23, 2017 New minister: Greater resources, accountability for public schools Ovation for Juliana O’Connor-Connolly JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Juliana O’Connor-Connolly promised to fight for a minimum $5,000 a month salary for teachers in a rousing first speech as Cayman’s education minister that was greeted with a standing ovation Tuesday morning. The majority of teachers are paid be- tween $3,500 and $4,800 per month, ac- cording to a 2011 government report. Speaking to the entire Cayman Islands teaching body ahead of the new school year, the former Premier said she would deliver better salaries and more resources for schools. She also vowed to meet with teachers one- on-one to get feedback on the real experience in Cayman’s classrooms, to push for improved exam results and to be an advocate for all students and teachers, regardless of nation- ality or race. She told them she was ready for a “Goliath” task. “You have at least one champion for the next four years in the Legislative Assembly,” she told more than 700 educators at Red Bay’s Mary Miller Hall. “I will not tolerate being asked by a back- bencher for money for toilet paper or for paper …. If the day comes that I find I am not able to deliver the budget you deserve, I will pick up my handbag and go,” she said. Ms. O’Connor-Connolly said government has to put its “money where its mouth is” and show that education is a priority. “I will push, agitate if necessary, for my colleagues to wrap their minds around the concept that performance rises on commit- ment. It is not enough to say education is a priority unless we pay our educators a fair share for a fair day’s work. “We have budget constraints, but if we can find money to buy alcohol for parties, to do everything else under the sun, we will find money to ensure every teacher in our public education system will make a minimum of $5,000 a month.” Speaking to the Cayman Compass after OECD REPORT: CAYMAN REMAINS ‘LARGELY COMPLIANT’ MICHAEL KLEIN mklein@pinnaclemedialtd.com Despite numerous government measures to bring Cayman in line with the tax trans- parency guidelines propagated by the Organ- isation for Economic Cooperation and Devel- opment, Cayman is still only deemed “largely compliant,” according to the latest OECD peer review report. This is essentially the same result as the 2013 review of the way in which Cayman col- lects and exchanges tax information with other countries. Although government has addressed the recommendations in the last peer review re- port, certain amendments, for example with regard to the availability of beneficial owner- ship information, were “too new to evaluate,” the latest assessment noted. On Monday, the OECD’s Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information PROGRESSIVE DISTRIBUTORS BUYS HEW’S SUPPLIES Progressive Distributors has bought Hew’s Hotel and Restaurant Supplies, a local wholesaler of cleaning prod- ucts, commercial food service equip- ment and restaurant supplies. Hew’s Janitorial Services is not part of the deal. See page 12 for full story. Out of the shadows: Bryan parts with opposition KAYLA YOUNG kyoung@pinnaclemedialtd.com George Town Central MLA Kenneth Bryan said he has been “pushed out” of an alli- ance with opposition leaders and now will be independent of any voting blocs in the Legisla- tive Assembly. The first sitting of the 2017-18 legislative session be- gins Wednesday, Aug. 23. The MLA’s rift with the oppo- sition group, led by North Side MLA Ezzard Miller, began after Speaker McKeeva Bush’s arrest in July at a Florida casino. The Florida State Attorney’s Office later announced it would not file a charge of misdemeanor battery against Mr. Bush. Mr. Bryan disagreed with an opposition statement on the arrest that called on govern- ment “to take the necessary ac- tion to restore dignity, honor and prestige to the position of the Speaker.” Mr. Bryan did not want his name associated with the oppo- sition statement. At the time, he publicly opposed pressure on Mr. Bush to step down as speaker. Mr. Bryan said it would have been hypocritical of him to pre- sume Mr. Bush’s guilt before the matter appeared in court. He also feared that forcing the Speaker Caymanian joins race around the world Caymanian James Macfee is among hundreds of amateur crew members, many of whom have never sailed before, taking part in the 11-month journey known as the Clipper Round the World Race, which started Sunday from Liverpool, England. For more, see page 5. - PHOTO: COURTESY OF CLIPPER ROUND THE WORLD RACE PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 7 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 7 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 7 »2 LOCAL&REGIONAL WEDNESDAY AUGUST 23, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS I 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. - WEDNESDAY - ANNABELLE CREATION (R) 1:30 VIP I 5:10 I 7:00 VIP I 9:35 VIP I 10:10 EMOJI MOVIE 3D (PG) 12:25 2D I 2:45 2D I 5:05 I 7:25 2D DUNKIRK (PG13) 3:50 I 9:30 DARK TOWER (PG13) 2:45 I 4:30 VIP I 7:50 I 10:15 THE NUT JOB 2 3D (PG) 12:30 2D I 12:45 I 3:00 2D I 5:15 7:30 2D I 9:45 GIRLS TRIP (R) 1:05 I 3:55 I 6:45 I 9:50 SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING (PG13) 12:45 I 6:30 Four Winds Esso Will be CLOSED for our Annual Vacation From August 24th RE-OPENING on Tuesday, September 7th at 6:00am Cayman medical staff trained on Alzheimer’s, dementia Cayman medical pro- fessionals received a five- day training in Orlando, Florida, this month on estab- lishing brain health clinics in the islands. The training, arranged through the Alzheimer’s and Dementia Association of the Cayman Islands, in- cluded two association mem- bers and four medical per- sonnel from the Health Services Agency who learned from staff at Florida Hospi- tal’s Center for Behavioral Health and Winter Park Me- morial Hospital’s Center for Senior Health. Participants from the Sister Islands and med- ical facilities across Grand Cayman also attended. The training was aimed at supporting early dementia diagnosis in the Cayman Is- lands and treatment through brain health clinics. The next step will be to discuss les- sons learned with the Health Services Authority. The group visited assisted living facilities and received training on diagnosis, treat- ment and care of Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. The week ended with the Florida Geriatrics Society’s Annual Educational Sympo- sium on Aug. 5-6. Health Ser- vices Authority participant Dr. Gerard Christian said the training provided extremely informative and practical learning opportunities on a relevant health topic. “With the ‘aging epi- demic’ in full flow and most likely to continue for some time, early recognition and diagnosis of dementias can only have a positive impact on the quality of life for not only those afflicted, but most importantly on the care- givers and loved ones,” Dr. Christian said. The training was orga- nized with support from Winter Park Memorial Hos- pital’s Dr. Rosemary Laird and funding from 100 Women Who Care and Raw- linson & Hunter. Dog-burning case turned over to prosecutors SPENCER FORDIN sfordin@pinnaclemedialtd.com The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions is now considering the cases of two dogs injured in sepa- rate burning incidents. The Department of Ag- riculture recently wrapped up its investigation into the injured animal Rufus, a dog brought to the Cayman Is- lands Humane Society on Aug. 8. No arrests were made as a result of the investigation. An executive at the de- partment said Tuesday that the Animal Welfare Officer completed their investiga- tion last week and that the matter is now in the hands of the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. Rufus had burns cov- ering his body, from the front of his shoulders to the midpoint of his back. Dr. Ioanna Popescu of Island Veterinary Services cared for Rufus, and said she believed that his owner had likely waited at least a week before bringing the animal in for treatment. Rufus is currently being nursed back to health by a Humane Society volunteer. Dora, the other dog in- jured in a burning inci- dent, was brought to the Humane Society with life- threatening wounds on May 13. Her owner had allegedly set her aflame intention- ally, and one of the family members was arrested on suspicion of animal cru- elty on May 22. The suspect was subsequently release on police bail. Dora is fully healed from her injuries and cur- rently available for adop- tion through the Humane Society, but there have been no charges brought against anyone to date for her injuries. A spokesman for the Royal Cayman Islands Po- lice said on July 13 that their investigation into Do- ra’s injuries had concluded and that the file had been sent to the Office of the Di- rector of Public Prosecu- tions for a ruling. That office has not publicly stated whether charges will be brought. Adventists distribute school supplies School supplies and backpacks handed out The Adventist Church distributed 260 backpacks and 45 packets of school supplies to scores of chil- dren at an end-of-summer fun day last Sunday at Airport Park. The backpacks were funded by the Cayman Is- lands Conference of Sev- enth-day Adventists, and the supplies were donated by member churches. Vincent Hall, a volun- teer with the Savannah Ad- ventist Church, said these events offer an opportunity for the church to give back to the community in return for its generosity to the church in the annual “Har- vest-in-Gathering” collec- tion drive, for example. In the brief opening cer- emony, MLA Austin Harris, who serves as councilor to the Ministry of Community Affairs, represented Pre- mier Alden McLaughlin, a press release states. Mr. Harris thanked the Adventist Conference for inviting him to be a part of an initiative to “en- sure our young people are equipped for a lifetime of learning.” Among others at the event were Cassandra Fearon of the Department of Children and Family Ser- vices, Nicki Samuels of the Department of Education Services, Pastor Reinaldo Dracket, executive secre- tary of the Adventist Con- ference, and Jewel Meikle, a Community Services De- partment volunteer. MEXICAN SOLDIERS SEIZE 140 POUNDS OF FENTANYL AT U.S. BORDER MEXICO CITY (AP) – Sol- diers in northern Mexico say they have seized a sur- prisingly large stash of the powerful opioid fen- tanyl from a truck near the U.S. border. The Mexican Army’s Second Military Zone said late Monday that soldiers at a highway checkpoint found over 140 pounds of fentanyl on Saturday packed in plastic-wrapped bricks hidden behind sheet metal in the insulated floor of a truck trailer. Soldiers also found three bags containing al- most 30,000 pills, appar- ently also containing fen- tanyl. The driver and a youth accompanying him were detained. Fentanyl is five to 15 times more po- tent than heroin. The army said the truck was heading from Mexico City to Tijuana when it was stopped at checkpoint in San Luis Rio Colorado, near Yuma, Arizona. Another truck was found further west along the border carrying 60.6 pounds of heroin. Opium poppies are grown in Mexico while fentanyl is often imported from China and smuggled into the United States. To put Saturday’s sei- zure in perspective, the De- fense Department said that in the previous 4½ years, its total seizures of fen- tanyl had amounted to 106 pounds and about 36,000 fentanyl pills. Participants in the training included, front row, Dr. Meera Balraj, Dr. Rosemary Laird, Samantha Conolly and Jackie Healey, and back row, Michael Nichol, Dr. Ngozi (Grace) Onah-Ezema and Dr. Gerard Christian. Assistant Director of the Adventist Conference’s Community Services Department Angela Hall, left, presents a young recipient with a school bag at Sunday’s end-of-summer fun day and giveaway.3 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • WEDNESDAY AUGUST 23, 2017 ✔ We’ll pay your switching costs up to USD$5000 ✔ Enjoy flexible payment terms ✔ Green energy loan also available ✔ Get a pre-approved credit card or switch your existing credit card too ✔ Property Insurance† available–one stop shop! *Conditions and normal lending criteria apply. †The CIBC FirstCaribbean Insurance Program (“Program”) is distributed by the CIBC FirstCaribbean Insurance Agent. The Program is underwritten and administered by Massy United Insurance Ltd, the insurer. The CIBC logo and “Banking that fits your life.®” are registered trademarks of Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, used by FirstCaribbean International Bank under license. Imagine the possibilities Imagine what you could do with more money in your pocket! Switch your mortgage to CIBC FirstCaribbean and we’ll pay your switching cost.* Talk to one of our Sales Specialists today or email CX48CaymanRetailBanking@cibcfcib.com CLICK cibcfcib.com CALL 949-7300 POST cibcfcib TWEET cibc_fcib Cayman sky-gazers chase Great American Eclipse NORMA CONNOLLY nconnolly@pinnaclemedialtd.com CHESTER, ILLINOIS – Eclipse chasers from Cayman trav- eled through Missouri and Illinois searching for clear skies to view Mon- day’s eclipse. Cayman Islands Astro- nomical Society members Karen Perkins and Petro Kotze joined the Society’s former president Chris Cooke and his family, who traveled from the U.K., and three as- tronomers from Trinidad and Tobago to watch the solar phenomenon. The group set out early Monday morning from St. Louis, Missouri, amid re- ports of encroaching cloudy weather. Plans to watch the eclipse from Festus, Mis- souri, a 35-minute drive from St. Louis, were also aban- doned as weather reports in- dicated there was about a 50 percent chance of cloud cov- erage. Next stop was Per- ryville, Missouri, for another check of cloud coverage, be- fore deciding on Chester, Illi- nois – across the Mississippi River and home of the car- toon character Popeye. The team set up camp on a hillside above the Cohen Complex where other eclipse watchers had gathered. Chester will also be in the totality path of the next total solar eclipse that will be vis- ible in the United States, in 2024. T-shirts on sale at the site state “Twice in a Life- time” and “We’ll see you in the shadow,” and even feature the ubiquitous Popeye. For Mr. Cooke, this was his sixth total eclipse, or at least his sixth attempt to see one, as the weather has not always cooperated. Following the total eclipse, which lasted two minutes, 39 seconds, Mr. Cooke described it as one of the best he’d seen. “This eclipse was all about the corona. The detail of the corona, that’s what ev- eryone is talking about,” he said, referring to the ring of light that is visible during the full eclipse. This was Ms. Per- kins’s third eclipse and Ms. Kotze’s first. “The other two were to- tally cloudy, in China and England,” Ms. Perkins said. “I’ve never seen the corona before, or [the] diamond ring.” The “diamond ring” is the burst of brilliant light that appears at the edge of the eclipse just as totality passes. Cayman students in South Carolina Year 12 teacher Tiyen Mill- er’s physics class at Clifton Hunter High School traveled to Columbia, South Carolina, for the eclipse. “It was excellent, and de- spite some concerns about clouds and rain up to the morning of the eclipse, we had glorious conditions with clear skies for the awe- some event,” Mr. Miller said in an email. “It’s been amazing as a teacher to see the students put their learning into a real yet extraordinary context. Hearing the students explain to others in the public about how the eclipse works, using terms like ‘umbra’ and ‘pen- umbra’ is wonderful. “The students demon- strated a variety of safe eclipse projection techniques as part of their CXC physics coursework, and the trip was truly inspirational,” he said. Year 12 students in Tiyen Miller’s physics class at Clifton Hunter High School traveled to Columbia, South Carolina, to view the eclipse. Chris Cooke, former president of the Cayman Islands Astronomical Society, with members Karen Perkins, center, and Petro Kotze in Chester, Illinois, where they viewed the ‘Great American Eclipse.’ - PHOTO: NORMA CONNOLLYThe 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. WEDNESDAY AUGUST 23, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS Is more inflation desir- able? Those at the Federal Re- serve seem to think so, and they have explicitly said their target is 2 percent, or about double the current level. Why would they argue for a further erosion of the pur- chasing power of the dollar? It is on the misguided belief (i.e., the long-discredited Phil- lips Curve) that moderately higher levels of inflation lead to higher levels of employ- ment. The unemployment rate numbers indicate that the United States is now at what was traditionally considered full employment — yet the number of people working as a percentage of the work force is close to a three-de- cade low. Employers have not had to raise most wages, par- ticularly for the unskilled, be- cause there is such a large pool of unemployed or un- deremployed people ready to enter the work force when they see the right opportunity. Those in the government who have the job of deter- mining the rate of inflation have an increasingly diffi- cult job, as more and more of the average person’s income is spent on “services” rather than on goods. There are ac- curate measures of what a bushel of wheat cost in 1800, 1900, 2000 and today but a smaller and smaller portion of the average person’s in- come is spent on basic com- modities. Thirty years ago, the internet barely existed, and smart phones and tab- lets had not been invented. Look at all the apps that you use in your smartphone or iPad, then write down on a piece of paper what the cost of all of those items would have been if you had bought them separately three de- cades ago. Potentially, you have bought millions of dol- lars of goods and services for a few hundred dollars. The enclosed table shows the price changes in “real dol- lars” as measured by the con- sumer price index over the last 30 years. Most commodi- ties fell in real prices, while a few, like gasoline, rose. Even though the price of gasoline increased, the average driver spends less in real dollars to drive the same distance be- cause cars have become so much more efficient, and this trend will continue as we in- creasingly move to electric automobiles. The price of gold rose, but this has almost no effect on the typical person’s standard of living. The price of copper rose as a result of the increased depletion of low-cost reserves but, in most cases, aluminum can substi- tute for copper. Aluminum will continue to fall in “real price” because, unlike most metals other than gold, it can be endlessly and inexpensively recycled without any loss, and it is the seventh most common el- ement in the earth’s surface. Forty percent of the cost of primary (i.e., new) aluminum is energy but only 5 percent of the recycled cost. As the global stock of aluminum grows and the recycled por- tion increases, its price will drop relative to other metals. Agricultural commodi- ties have been dropping in real prices for well over a hundred years. This is tough for farmers, but it is great for consumers. The increase in farm productivity is a re- sult of better seeds, fertil- izers, equipment and manage- ment. But similar increases in productivity are taking place in almost all other sec- tors of the economy, which is the reason real prices have and will continue to decline for most things. The only reason nominal prices have risen since gov- ernments left the gold stan- dard and moved to fiat cur- rencies over the last hundred years is that they have used excess money creation as a less visible way of taxing. Part of the reason people have been trying to develop alternatives such as Bitcoin, Ethereum and the others, is to make the new monies a better measure of value. In this, they have failed, but they have succeeded in creating money-like products that can reduce transaction costs and increase financial privacy. I am skeptical that the present digital money “mining” re- strictions will result in price stability, but great innova- tions like “block chains” cou- pled with real backing of a digital currency will ulti- mately prevail. The Federal Reserve has arguably reached a dead end in its ability to either raise or lower the rate of infla- tion for a whole host of rea- sons that cannot adequately be explained in this short commentary. Jerry Jordan, a leading and insightful mon- etary economist who was a member of President Rea- gan’s Council of Economic Ad- visers and a past president of the Cleveland Federal Reserve Bank, has summarized the current situation: “The his- torical linkage between the central bank balance sheet (monetary base) and the out- standing money supply has been broken. Without the ability to influence the supply of money, central bank oper- ations have no influence on the rate of inflation.” Mr. Jor- dan’s arguments can be found in some of his papers on the Cato Institute and Atlas Eco- nomic Research Foundation websites for those who wish to learn more. In sum, monetary policy as we have known it is broken. Fortunately, as Nobel Laureate F.A. Hayek ex- plained in his classic paper, “Denationalization of Money,” revised in 1978, there is no need for governments to have a monopoly on money. Pri- vate entrepreneurs have in the past and can once again create perfectly good money — which can now become global money, thanks to the digital age. 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. 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” It’s not a long story, but it’s a large story. A five-paragraph, 162-word article (“Driver flees police, crashes into traffic”) on the inside of Tuesday’s Compass encapsulates one of the broadest and most unwelcome trends threatening the societal tranquility of our beloved Cayman Islands. Let us review the purported time line of the Sunday motor vehicle collisions (yes, plural) that injured two people. (Keep in mind that, at this point, the following are as-yet-unproven allegations but come from a police report): • A 28-year-old George Town man was driving while intoxicated • He was involved in a minor collision with another vehicle • Instead of stopping to deal with the consequences of his behavior, he reportedly left the scene of the accident • When police, with blue lights flashing, pursued the man, he did not stop his vehicle • Nor did he stop for a police roadblock set up in the area specifically to curb drunk driving and other anti-social activities in the eastern districts • Instead, (perhaps in a poor imitation of Burt Reynolds in “Smokey and the Bandit” or James Mitchum in “Moonrunners”) the driver veered into oncoming traffic, where his car collided with another vehicle and then crashed into the bushes on the side of the road • The driver then emerged from the damaged vehicle and led police on a foot chase before he was finally apprehended. Allegations of drunk driving, leaving the scene of an accident, eluding police (twice), fleeing the scene of yet another accident, and again attempting to run from police. All on what should have been a quiet Sunday afternoon. Each step of this alleged behavior is demarcated by a lack of regard for police, for public safety and for social norms. The above is the most recent example of a dis- turbing spate of disrespectful behavior and outright attacks on Cayman police. Fleeing the scene of an accident, refusing to comply with (or physically resisting) police instructions has become troublingly common. Earlier this month a man had the audacity to record himself berating, viciously and with inappro- priate language, police officers at a checkpoint. The video spread like wildfire on social media. In May, two officers were viciously attacked by a suspect in a burglary arrest. In January, officers were attacked or injured three times in three days while arresting suspects. Respect for police authority, and for one’s fellow man, is a cornerstone of a civil society. These anti- social behaviors are increasingly being displayed by young and old, from every walk of life. It is evident in the hundred small incivilities we witness on our roadways every day, in the forms of aggressive driving, blatantly illegal motorbikes, shouted curses and blaring horns. We are witnessing a slow coarsening of our society, and we need to reverse it. As humans, we each have within us the power to do good or to cause great harm, to choose actions that strengthen the social fabric or cause it to fray. Unfortunately, it is our police, as first responders, who must deal with those who choose the latter. Current means and methods employed by the police, prosecutors and the courts are not keeping pace with the increasingly uncivil behavior we are witnessing. The societal danger of uncivil behavior The price-level dilemma RICHARD W. RAHN RICHARD W. RAHN5 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • WEDNESDAY AUGUST 23, 2017 Caymanian begins Round The World odyssey James MacFee is among hundreds of amateur crew members JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Thousands of people lined the Liverpool water- front Sunday as a fleet of a dozen brightly colored yachts set sail on an epic round- the-world race. Caymanian James Macfee is among hundreds of ama- teur crew members, many of whom have never sailed before, taking part in the 11-month global journey known as the Clipper Round the World Race. After a month of intensive training, including crossing the English channel, circum- navigating the Isle of Wight and some intense “man over- board” drills, Macfee and his Liverpool 2018 team set sail for Uruguay, the first stop in the race. The 30-year-old, formerly an accountant with Estera, is onboard the bright pink racing yacht, sponsored by Liverpool City Council’s in- ternational destination cam- paign and skippered by former Royal Marine com- mander Lance Shepherd. The unique round-the- world race matches experi- enced skippers with crews of novice sailors. Macfee, whose primary sailing experience is racing Laser Pico dinghies in the North Sound, said he had been nominated as the crew’s medical assistant. “This meant two extra days training to practise put- ting in IV drips and sewing up pigs’ trotters. My two failed attempts at medical school definitely prepared me well for this role,” he wrote in a blog post. Before departing for the U.K., he told the Compass the race was the chance to fulfil his dream of sailing around the world. He said the race is unique. “Most round-the-world races are for professionals, elite sailors with mul- tiple Olympic medals,” he said. “This is for the ev- eryday person.” Race co-founder Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, who was the first person to sail solo and nonstop around the world, told the BBC at the race launch on Sunday that the biggest challenge for the novice sailors would be living together in a tight, con- fined community. “They are going to have to settle down very, very quickly and get used to the fact that – for four or five weeks – they are in their little cap- sule and the nearest humans, apart from the other boats, will probably be [in] the space station.” The first leg journey to Uruguay covers 6,400 nau- tical miles and is expected to take around 35 days. The fleet will also stop in South Africa, Australia, China and both coasts of the U.S. About the race The race is “a record- breaking 40,000 nautical mile race around the world on a 70-foot ocean racing yacht.” the Clipper Round the World Race website says. Divided into eight legs and 14 to 16 individual races, participants can choose to complete the full circumnav- igation or select individual legs. It is the only race in the world where the orga- nizers supply a fleet of 12 identical racing yachts, each with a fully qualified skipper to safely guide the crew, the site states. To follow the race, visit https://clipperroundtheworld.com. One-car crash occurred in 2015 CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Anastasia Watson, 24, pleaded guilty Monday in Grand Court to causing death by careless driving. The deceased, Kimberly Bush, 23, was a passenger in the BMW driven by Watson in the early hours of April 15, 2015, along Rum Point Road in North Side. Watson had pleaded not guilty to the charge of causing death by dangerous driving and trial was to have started on Monday, but Crown counsel Toyin Salako said the plea to the new charge was acceptable. Defense attorney Amelia Fosuhene requested a so- cial inquiry report be- fore sentencing. Justice Marva Mc- Donald-Bishop asked whether the court would be hearing details of the charge, but Ms. Fosuhene asked that they not be out- lined at this time. In addi- tion to the social inquiry, the attorney explained, there were other factors she wanted to bring to the court’s attention that would impact the sentence. Sentencing was set for Nov. 16 and the defendant’s unconditional bail was con- tinued until then. A Cayman Compass story shortly after the incident indicated that the BMW had crashed into a wall. Officers on mobile patrol came upon the scene just after 1 a.m. The female passenger was trapped inside the ve- hicle and was deceased. The driver had sustained multiple injuries and was taken to the Cayman Is- lands Hospital, where she spent some time in the crit- ical care unit. Woman pleads guilty to causing road fatality Crew members changing sails in the Irish Sea on board Liverpool 2018, during Leg 1 of the race. - PHOTO: COURTESY OF THE CLIPPER ROUND THE WORLD RACE The Liverpool 2018, with James MacFee aboard, get under way on Sunday. James Macfee After a month of intensive training, including crossing the English channel, circumnavigating the Isle of Wight and some intense “man overboard” drills, Macfee and his Liverpool 2018 team set sail for Uruguay.DISTRICT DAYS 6 District Days Sister Islands WEDNESDAY AUGUST 23, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS Traditional arts, stories and games entertain kids at Brac camp Thirty kids in Cayman Brac spent two weeks im- mersed in Cayman’s history and culture at a camp orga- nized by the YMCA Cayman Islands in partnership with Cayman Brac native Simone Scott. The Cayman Brac Culture Camp, from July 31 to Aug. 11 at the Heritage House, included such activities as fishing, heritage arts, tradi- tional games, song and dance and scavenger hunts. Campers were intro- duced to the book “Dragon of Nani Cave” by Elaine Powers, which chronicles the adven- tures of the curly tail lizards of Cayman Brac. The Brac’s own story- teller Quincy Brown read the story to the campers over the course of the first week. Other activities included a hands-on lesson about digital book illustration using iPads and iPhones, a beach cleanup for trash and treasure, coral decoration and jewelry- making, field trips to the bat cave and the mangroves, get- ting up close and personal with some turtle hatchlings and learning Cayman folk- lore and songs. “The Cayman Islands has just published its Culture and Heritage Policy, which further highlights how im- portant it is for our children to be taught about our heri- tage,” said Ms. Scott. “Today’s Caymanian culture has been heavily influenced by other cultures, so there is more of a focus on conservation and the environment which is why we decided to concen- trate on those topics in our first week. However, the heri- tage of our forefathers is still very important for both Cay- manians and visitors alike, so we spent a lot of time in our second week exploring various aspects of the tradi- tional Cayman culture.” With the exception of the first day of camp, no elec- tronic devices were allowed on site for the two weeks. The second week was spent learning about traditional Caymanian homes, how to boil fever grass and mint bush tea, thatch plaiting, drawing, rope-laying, hand- line fishing, making tamarind juice, fritters and coconut ice cream, taking a farm tour and walking the Bluff trail. “The Y Cayman Islands was pleased to offer this op- portunity to our children to learn more about the rich history and culture of the Cayman Islands. It is only by teaching these traditions and telling these stories to this generation that we will be able to preserve them for the next, and we know from the feedback we have received that the campers enjoyed learning about their country and what makes Cayman so unique,” said Jenny Stuesser, Y program coordinator. “We want to thank Ms. Simone, all the volunteers and people who came to teach the lessons, the com- panies who donated supplies, the Public Works Department, District Administration and Honorable Moses Kirkconnell for their contributions which made this camp a success.” For more information about the YMCA Cayman Islands, log on to www.ymcacayman.ky. 50 Years ago: Cayman Brac Calling Lilian Ritch, the Sister Is- lands correspondent for The Caymanian Weekly, a pre- cursor to the Cayman Com- pass, wrote the following article in the “Cayman Brac Calling” section of the Aug. 23, 1967 edition: “Mr. and Mrs. Anton Foster are very happy to announce they have pro- moted Mr. Kendal Ryan Jr. (Kenny) to be Manager of the Buccaneer’s Inn. “The Fosters are proud to give this credit to a local boy. Kenny has as- sisted them in the man- agement of the hotel since 1965. Of reliable and un- assuming character, he is popular among guests. His artistic talent has shone through in assistance to Mrs. Grace with design and décor and he is an ex- cellent water sportsman. Kenny is the eldest child of Mr. and Mrs. Kendal Ryan of Stake Bay. “At the Buccaneer’s Inn, welcome home to Mrs. Grace Foster and to her brother, wife and son, Charles, Lois and Chuck, who visited for a week. We were also glad to have with us again Mrs. Marjorie O’Meari, scuba diver of Houston, Texas. “Mr. Wm. Bodden of Pas- cagoula, Miss., who is af- filiated with Mr. A.F. Dant- zler’s Shipping Asscs., was very thrilled to be on Cay- manian soil when he ar- rived at Stake Bay on Friday 11th with the Oil Rig Tenders ‘Dantzler Ocean Springs’ and ‘Dant- zler Biloxie.’ The vessels called by the Brac for the 7 men who have joined the company and were bound for New Guinea. “Fishing pals Geoff Rutty, Robert and John Hurlston and Gary Foster of Stake Bay had a big thrill on Thursday 9th, when they landed a 7’ 2” black shark having a wounded dorsal fin, on the bay behind their homes. This shore is their fishing ground and Geoff reports that since the acci- dent which befell Antonio Hawkins they had seen this particular shark sev- eral times and set their lines for him. On Thursday night they pulled him in. A set line got another, a small yellow shark early Monday morning. “It is said when the tem- perature drops below 85 degrees the sharks come in close to shore. During the past weeks our thermome- ters have registered 91 de- grees and more. “We were glad to have home for 2 days Miss Mary Lou Hayes, Lab and X-ray Technician of G.C. Hospital. Mary Lou made a quick trip to Canada to obtain her visa for permanent resi- dence in Canada, which she hopes to take up next year and go further in her pro- fession. She enjoyed visiting Expo ’67. Her parents Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Hayes en- joyed somewhat of a family reunion with visits at the same time from brothers of Mobile, Ala., Mr. Claude Hayes, retired Bosun of Wa- terman’s and Alco Steam- ship Co., and Mr. Vernon who is Rigging Foreman of the Waterman’s Co’s Dry Docks for the past 15 years. Welcome and come again. “Welcome home to the Banks brothers Burnstein and Floyd and to Man- sfield Connolly, who ar- rived recently. “Good sailing to Osley Scott, Emil Dixon and Loughford Tatum of Spot Bay, and Roosevelt Bodden, Elmer Ebanks and Lloyd Bodden of West End who have gone to join the Jim Pet. “There has been quite an influx of ‘homesters’ from the U.S.A. and we welcome one and all. Among them, Capt. and Mrs. Alderman Scott, Mr. and Mrs. Floyd Foster, Mr. and Mrs. Burke Ryan, Maureen and Mar- guerite, Miss Connie Watler. “Congratulations to our local police officer on apro- motion received beginning of this month. He is now Sgt. Rudolph Evans.” Sheldon Scottt teaches the Brac campers how to make a trap out of sticks. Campers also learned about characteristics that will serve them well. Campers try their hand at making a bird trap.The islands’ most-trusted news source 7 CAYMAN COMPASS • WEDNESDAY AUGUST 23, 2017 the speech, Ms. O’Connor- Connolly acknowledged she would have to sell the policy to her fellow Cabinet min- isters. But she insisted the pay raise could be achieved within the next four years. “It is not something I pulled out of a hat. I looked to see what it would take for a teacher to feel appreciated and I believe my colleagues will support it. “If we can have an envi- ronmental protection fund nearing $70 million, we can have a teacher’s salary fund that is just as colossal.” She said there would be no professionals, law- yers, doctors or judges in the Cayman Islands without good teachers, and they de- serve to be paid a fair wage. “We must do our part and then hold them accountable to do their part,” she said. At the event on Tuesday, education officials also re- vealed the preliminary re- sults for English and Math for last year’s school-leavers. Lyneth Monteith, director of the Department of Educa- tion Services, said the good pass rate, of C-grade equiv- alent or higher, in English was up from 68.4 percent to 73.4 percent. Math was also up from 50.1 percent, to 52.7 percent. Results in the end of Pri- mary School external ex- aminations were marginally worse than last year, she said. A full data report on the exam results will be released later in the year. Ms. O’Connor-Connolly, during her speech, revealed she had planned to quit poli- tics to become a preacher be- fore being persuaded to run in the May election. And in a delivery that bore some of the hallmarks of her other calling, she urged schools to aim higher. “I have been there, done that and I have nothing to lose. I can afford to be bold, I can afford to be courageous. “I will say, as the Lord leads me, I will lean as he guides me and we will take education to new heights. “When I sit at the end of four years, we won’t be con- tented that math and Eng- lish is 50 percent and 73 per- cent. The perfect score is 100 percent and we will embark on that journey. No child in my tenure will be left be- hind. They won’t all be doc- tors, but a plumber is just as important.” She told teachers she would operate an “open door policy” and said she would be visiting schools to talk to them individually. “Let me be straight up. I will also meet with teachers without the administra- tors,” she added. “Having been a teacher, I understand it is difficult to have full, free, frank, open and honest disclosure when your boss is in the room.” She also touched on is- sues of discrimination in schools, saying it should be a level playing field for all. “I don’t say you have to do more for the Caymanian child. That might shock you, but I see no nationalities. I see a soul, a child, I see a person who is in need of development.” Students will be re- turning to school Wednesday and Thursday for the new school year. out of his newly appointed role would communicate in- stability to Cayman’s inter- national investors and poten- tially damage the economy. “Unfortunately, the oppo- sition is taking an approach to their style of governance, one I don’t agree with, that if I don’t toe the line, I shouldn’t be in the opposition. There doesn’t appear to be any room for any independent position,” Mr. Bryan said. He clarified that he is still an opposition member, but not a part of the opposi- tion alliance. “… When the elected op- position leader releases a statement, it won’t be on my behalf,” he said. Mr. Bryan said his depar- ture from the opposition alli- ance will provide him greater freedom of choice to vote as he sees fit, and reaffirms his campaign as an indepen- dent candidate. “Ultimately, we have two oppositions now,” Mr. Bryan said. “I still think I will effec- tively be able to bring mo- tions because there will be friends and allies who will second motions for me.” In mid-June, Mr. Bryan joined the opposition’s “shadow government,” alongside MLAs Ezzard Miller, Alva Suckoo, Arden McLean and Chris Saun- ders. Mr. Bryan was tasked with shadowing the Min- istry of Health, a responsi- bility that Mr. Miller said he will now assume. Mr. Miller confirmed the decision to part with Mr. Bryan was made two weeks ago, but would not comment further on the split. for Tax Purposes released reviews of 10 jurisdictions conducted in 2016. Ireland, Mauritius and Norway re- ceived an overall rating of “compliant.” Australia, Ber- muda, Canada, the Cayman Islands, Germany and Qatar were rated “largely com- pliant.” Jamaica was rated “partially compliant,” which led the Global Forum to launch a supplementary re- view of follow-up measures to ensure a higher level of compliance. Cayman was rated ‘com- pliant’ in seven and ‘largely compliant’ in three of the 10 elements that made up the assessment. “Cayman tested very well against this more rigorous set of standards, and this clearly demonstrates the high quality of our cooperation with our treaty partners,” said Minister of Financial Services Tara Rivers. The new peer review fol- lows a six-year process during which the Global Forum first assessed the legal and regulatory framework for tax information exchange and then the actual practices and procedures in 119 juris- dictions worldwide. The Global Forum’s new review process combines the two elements with a focus on the ability of tax authorities to access beneficial owner- ship information of all legal entities and arrangements. A 2013 peer review rec- ommended that Cayman im- mobilize bearer shares and implement a regular system for monitoring ownership information, as well as a system for maintaining ac- counting records by Cayman- based entities. In response, the Cayman Islands abolished all bearer shares in 2016 and required them to be converted into registered shares by July 2016. Government also im- plemented a desktop and onsite inspection program to ensure that Cayman- based entities maintain ac- counting records. The latest report con- cluded the requirements to maintain beneficial owner- ship information are gen- erally well implemented in practice. However, the new beneficial ownership re- quirements for 11,000 do- mestic companies, put in place in March 2017, re- main untested. During the review pe- riod, one company refused to provide information in response to a notice re- questing information that was not held in the Cayman Islands. Although the Tax In- formation Authority referred the case to the director of Public Prosecutions, the case was not pursued. “Therefore, in those cases where information is not maintained in the Cayman Islands, the Cayman Islands should ensure that its en- forcement powers are suffi- ciently exercised to ensure that it has access to all infor- mation in all cases,” the peer review stated. The review found fur- ther that sound legal require- ments exist for all companies to maintain accounting infor- mation, but the recommen- dation remains that Cayman should set up an effective oversight system. A follow-up report on the steps taken to address the latest recommendations will be issued no later than June 2008, the OECD said. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 OECD report: Cayman remains ‘largely compliant’ New minister: Greater resources, accountability for public schools CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 “You have at least one champion for the next four years in the Legislative Assembly.” JULIANA O’CONNOR- CONNOLLY, Education Minister Education Minister Juliana O’Connor-Connolly received a positive reception from teachers at Red Bay’s Mary Miller Hall on Tuesday. – PHOTO: JAMES WHITTAKER Out of the shadows: Bryan parts with opposition CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1The islands’ most-trusted news source 8 WEDNESDAY AUGUST 23, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS Russian director detained In a move that sent a shockwave through Russia’s art community, investigators on Tuesday detained a prominent theater director famous for his biting satire of Russian officialdom on charges of embezzling $1.1 million. Kirill Serebrennikov, 47, has denied the accusations. Three children pulled from rubble on quake-hit Italian island Pentagon chief, in Baghdad, says militants are ‘on the run’ BAGHDAD (AP) – U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Tuesday he is confident that U.S.-backed Iraqi forces will finish off the Islamic State militants clinging to strong- holds that are shrinking in size and number. “ISIS is on the run,” Mattis told reporters after meeting with Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and other Iraqi government leaders. “They have been shown to be unable to stand up to our team in combat.” Mattis spoke alongside Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, who is due to finish his tour of duty here in early September. “The fighting is tough,” Townsend said, “but the mo- mentum is with our partners.” Earlier, Mattis described the extremists as being trapped in a military vise that will squeeze them on both sides of the Syria-Iraq border. Mattis had arrived in the Iraqi capital hours after President Donald Trump out- lined a fresh approach to the stalemated war in Af- ghanistan. Trump also has pledged to take a more ag- gressive, effective approach against IS in Iraq and Syria, but he has yet to announce a strategy for that conflict that differs greatly from his predecessor’s. The Pentagon chief told reporters before he left neighboring Jordan that the Middle Euphrates River Valley – roughly from the western Iraqi city of al-Qaim to the eastern Syrian city of Der el-Zour – will be liber- ated in time, as IS takes hit from both ends of the valley that bisects Iraq and Syria. “You see, ISIS is now caught in-between con- verging forces,” he said, using an alternative acronym for the militant group that burst into western and northern Iraq in 2014 from Syria and held sway for more than two years. “So ISIS’s days are cer- tainly numbered, but it’s not over yet and it’s not going to be over any time soon.” Mattis referred to this area as “ISIS’s last stand.” Unlike the war in Afghani- stan, Iraq offers a more pos- itive narrative for the White House, at least for now. Having enabled Iraqi gov- ernment forces to reclaim the Islamic State’s prized possession of Mosul in July, the U.S. military effort is showing tangible progress and the Pentagon can cred- ibly assert that momentum is on Iraq’s side. The ranking U.S. Air Force officer in Iraq, Brig. Gen. An- drew A. Croft, said that over the past few months, IS has lost much of its ability to com- mand and control its forces. “It’s less coordinated than it was before,” he said. “It ap- pears more fractured – flimsy is the word I would use.” It seems likely that in coming months Trump may be in position to declare a victory of sorts in Iraq as IS fighters are marginalized and they lose their claim to be running a “caliphate” in- side Iraq’s borders. Syria, on the other hand, is a murkier problem, even as IS loses ground there against U.S.- supported local fighters and Russian-backed Syrian gov- ernment forces. The U.S. role in Iraq par- allels Afghanistan in some ways, starting with the basic tenet of enabling local gov- ernment forces to fight rather than having U.S. troops do the fighting for them. That is unlikely to change in either country. Although the Taliban is the main opposition force in Afghanistan, an IS affiliate has emerged there, too. In both countries, U.S. airpower is playing an important role in support of local forces, and the Pentagon is trying to facilitate the development of potent local air forces. In Iraq, the political out- look is clouded by the same sectarian and ethnic divi- sions among Sunni, Shiite and Kurdish factions that have repeatedly undercut, and sometimes reversed, se- curity gains following the toppling of Saddam Husse- in’s government in 2003. An immediate worry is a Kurdish independence refer- endum to be held Sept. 25. If that was successful, it could upset a delicate political bal- ance in Iraq and enflame ten- sions with Turkey, whose own Kurdish population has fought an insurgency against the central government for decades. McGurk reiterated U.S. opposition to holding the Iraqi Kurdish referendum. With Iraqi troops on Tuesday reaching the first urban areas of the IS-held northern town of Tal Afar on the third day of an operation, Mattis has refused to predict victory. He said generals and senior officials should “just go silent” when troops are en- tering battle. MILAN (AP) – Italian fire- fighters working through the night, sometimes digging by hand, freed a 7-month-old baby Tuesday and then his two older brothers from the rubble of their home that col- lapsed when a 4.0-magni- tude quake struck the resort island of Ischia during the height of tourist season. At least two people were killed in the quake that struck just before 9 p.m. Monday, while another 39 were in- jured and some 2,600 were left homeless. The victims were an elderly woman who struck by masonry that fell from a church, and a second woman who was inside a building that collapsed. In the hard-hit town of Casamicciola, dozens of fire- fighters worked for 14 hours to dig the Toscano brothers out of their home, where they were trapped alone after their father was rescued and their pregnant mother man- aged to free herself. Cheers went up with each rescue, which fire- fighters confirmed with ex- clamation mark-punctuated tweets. The first was baby Pasquale, who was shown on a video wearing a white onesie and appearing alert as he was passed to safety, around 4 a.m. It took another seven hours to free the middle brother, 8-year-old Mat- thias, who was pictured in his underwear and covered with cement dust before being quickly loaded onto a stretcher and into an ambu- lance, and two more hours to free the eldest boy, 11-year- old Ciro, who was credited with helping save Matthias. The children’s parents were waiting for Ciro at the hospital’s emergency room, his mother sitting in a wheel- chair next to his father, Ales- sandro, whose hands were bandaged from a fracture. “It was a terrible night. I don’t have words to explain it,” the father told RAI state television while rescuers were working to free the older two boys. “The entire second floor of the house collapsed, and the firefighters pulled me out. They were great.” He said his wife was in the bathroom and managed to escape through the window, but the older boys were in the bedroom in the family home while the baby was in a playpen in the kitchen. Hospital officials said all three were doing well, with the older two boys being treated for dehydration and the oldest for a fracture to his right foot. They were ex- pected to be discharged from the hospital Wednesday. It was not immedi- ately clear where the family would be staying. “For three children saved from the rubble, we have wit- nessed a true miracle. They are miraculously healthy,” said Virginia Scarfato, di- rector of the Rizzoli hos- pital in Ischia. The head of the finan- cial police on the island said it was Ciro who helped save Mattias, pushing him under the bed. “The gesture surely saved them both,” said Andrea Gen- tile. “Then with the handle of a broom he knocked against the rubble, making them heard by rescuers.” Firefighter spokesman Luca Cari said they main- tained voice contact with the two boys to keep them calm during the complex rescue op- eration to create an opening through the collapsed ceiling. The boys had been given bot- tles of water and a flashlight. The quake hit during the height of the tourist season, with the island’s population of 64,000 ballooning by an- other 150,000 at the time the quake struck. Italian televi- sion showed many visitors taking refuge in parks and sleeping under blankets in the aftermath while authori- ties began organizing ferries to bring tourists back to the mainland early Tuesday. Tourism officials said that the damage was localized in two towns, and said much of the island was business as usual Tuesday. According to Ermanno Mennella of the Federablberghi hoteliers as- sociation in Ischia, just 10 of the island’s 310 hotels had been impacted by the quake and only three or four were closed by it. Together with the nearby island of Capri, Ischia is a fa- vorite island getaway for the European jet set, famed in particular for its thermal wa- ters. Casamicciola was the epicenter of an 1883 earth- quake that killed more than 2,000 people. Images from the quake zone show many build- ings collapsed into rubble, while others showed signs of structural damage with deep cracks in exterior walls. Cars were overturned. The extent of the damage for a relatively light quake raised questions about the quality of construction on the is- land in the seismically ac- tive area off Naples and the active volcano Vesuvius, and the prevalence of illegally built structures. Fabrizio Pistolesi, the head of Italy’s national ar- chitecture advisory board, told SKY that many buildings on the island were built be- fore seismic codes were ad- opted. He also cited the high incidence of illegal construc- tion on Ischia and generally in the Campagna region that includes both the resort is- land and Naples. “We know well that in Campagna, more than 200,000 homes were illegally constructed, we are talking about homes constructed in absolute scorn of seismic norms,” he told Sky TG24. U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis Rescuers save a seven-month-old child from rubble after an earthquake in Casamicciola in Ischia island, Italy, on Monday. - PHOTO: AP9 WORLD&REGIONAL CAYMAN COMPASS • WEDNESDAY AUGUST 23, 2017 The damaged port aft hull of USS John S. McCain is seen while docked at Singapore’s Changi naval base on Tuesday. - PHOTO: AP Remains of some sailors found on USS John McCain SINGAPORE (AP) – Navy divers searching a flooded compartment of the USS John S. McCain found re- mains of some of the 10 sailors missing in a colli- sion between the warship and an oil tanker, the U.S. Pa- cific Fleet commander said Tuesday as he promised a full investigation. Adm. Scott Swift also said at a news conference in Sin- gapore, where the McCain is now docked, that Malaysian officials had found one body, but it had yet to be identified and it was unknown whether it was a crew member. The collision before dawn on Monday near Singapore tore a gaping hole in the McCain’s left rear hull and flooded adjacent compart- ments including crew berths and machinery and commu- nication rooms. Five sailors were injured. “The divers were able to locate some remains in those sealed compartments during their search today,” Swift said, adding that it was “pre- mature to say how many and what the status of recovery of those bodies is.” “We will continue the search and rescue opera- tions until the probability of discovering sailors is ex- hausted,” Swift said. He would not say where in the destroyer the bodies were found. It was the second major collision in two months in- volving the Pacific-based 7th Fleet, and the Navy has or- dered a broad investiga- tion into its performance and readiness. Seven sailors died in June when the USS Fitzgerald and a container ship collided in waters off Japan. There were two lesser- known incidents in the first half of the year. In January, the USS Antietam guided mis- sile cruiser ran aground near Yokosuka base, the home port of the 7th Fleet, and in May another cruiser, the USS Lake Champlain from the Navy’s 3rd Fleet, had a minor col- lision with a South Korean fishing boat. “While each of these four incidents is unique, they cannot be viewed in isola- tion,” Swift said. He said the Navy would conduct an investigation “to find out if there is a common cause … and if so, how do we solve that.” He said he had heard some reports speculating that the Navy could have been a victim of a cyberattack. Earlier Tuesday, the 7th Fleet said the sea search by aircraft and ships from the U.S., Singapore and Malaysian navies would continue east of Singapore where the McCain and the tanker collided. Megan Partlow of Ohio, who said her fiance was on board the McCain, told The Associated Press in a Face- book message that they last communicated on Sunday and she was losing hope of seeing him again. “My last text to him was ‘be safe,’ which is the same way we end every conversa- tion. I’m just ready for an- swers,” she said. The identi- ties of the missing have not been disclosed but Partlow said her fiance’s parents were in touch with the Navy’s family assistance center. Navy Adm. John Rich- ardson, the chief of naval op- erations, on Monday ordered a pause in 7th Fleet opera- tions for the next few days to allow commanders to get to- gether with leaders, sailors and command officials and identify any immediate steps that need to be taken to ensure safety. A broader U.S. Navy review will look at the 7th Fleet’s performance, including per- sonnel, navigation capabili- ties, maintenance, equipment, surface warfare training, mu- nitions, certifications and how sailors move through their ca- reers. Richardson said the re- view will be conducted with the help of the Navy’s office of the inspector general, the safety center and private com- panies that make equipment used by sailors. “Make no mistake,” Swift said Tuesday, “our sailors on these ships are doing critical work at sea. And for more than 70 years, the U.S. Navy has helped guarantee the se- curity and stability of the western Pacific …. We owe it to the sailors that man the 7th Fleet and their families to answer the questions that flow from the uncertainty of what happened, how could it happen, and what can be done to prevent such occur- rences in the future.” Swift also lauded the crew for righting the listing ship quickly as they tended to the injured. He said sailors set up watertight boundaries and shored up the ship’s internal structure, and were able to begin evacuating sailors by helicopter within an hour or two of the collision. Trump vows continued fight in Afghanistan WASHINGTON (AP) – Re- versing his past calls for a speedy exit, President Donald Trump recommitted the United States to the 16-year- old war in Afghanistan, de- claring U.S. troops must “fight to win.” He pointedly declined to disclose how many more troops will be dispatched to wage America’s longest war. In a prime-time address to unveil his new Afghani- stan strategy, Trump said Monday the U.S. would shift away from a “time-based” ap- proach, instead linking its assistance to results and to cooperation from the belea- guered Afghan government, Pakistan and others. He in- sisted it would be a “regional” strategy that addressed the roles played by other South Asian nations – especially Pakistan’s harboring of ele- ments of the Taliban. “America will work with the Afghan government as long as we see determination and progress,” Trump said. “However, our commitment is not unlimited, and our sup- port is not a blank check.” Trump offered few details about how progress would be measured. Nor did he explain how his approach would differ substantively from what two presidents before him tried unsuccessfully over the past 16 years. Although Trump insisted he would “not talk about numbers of troops” or tele- graph military moves in ad- vance, he hinted that he had embraced the Pentagon’s pro- posal to boost troop numbers by nearly 4,000, augmenting the roughly 8,400 Ameri- cans there now. Vice President Mike Pence, speaking on NBC’s “Today” show Tuesday, said the exact number of troops was “yet to be seen.” He said Trump has “decided to deploy a suffi- cient number of troops at the brigade level in Afghanistan to assist the Afghans.” A brigade is 3,000 to 4,000 troops, and Pence’s comment suggests Trump accepted the Pentagon’s June recom- mendation for an additional 3,900 troops. “We’re there to help the Afghans win,” Pence said. “And the president made a commitment that we’re going to be there until we win.” Before becoming a candi- date, Trump had ardently ar- gued for a quick withdrawal from Afghanistan, calling the war a massive waste of U.S. “blood and treasure” and de- claring on Twitter, “Let’s get out!” Seven months into his presidency, he said Monday night that though his “orig- inal instinct was to pull out,” he had since deter- mined that approach could create a vacuum that terror- ists including al-Qaida and the Islamic State would “in- stantly fill.” “We will ask our NATO al- lies and global partners to support our new strategy, with additional troop and funding increases in line with our own. We are confi- dent they will,” Trump said.Next >