ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – TUESDAY OCTOBER 17, 2017 High of 90 Low of 78 Slight with wave heights of 1 to 3 feet. EDITORIAL | PAGE 4 JOHN GRAY CAMPUS MUST NOT WAIT UNTIL 2021 FOR COMPLETION LOCAL | PAGE 3 BACKLOG OF PERMANENT RESIDENCY CASES GROWS www.butterfieldgroup.com BOOK TODAY: • Call 1 800 433 7300 (MileSAAver Awards have limited availability) • Book between 10 October and 10 November 2017 • Travel between 10 October and 15 November 2017 or from 10 April and 23 May 2018. BOOK ROUND-TRIP TRAVEL TO THE USA OR CANADA USING 20,000 MILES FOR MILESAAVER AWARDS* OR RECEIVE A 15% DISCOUNT ON AANYTIME AWARDS WHEN BOOKING ON AMERICAN AIRLINES WITH YOUR BUTTERFIELD / AADVANTAGE® MASTERCARD® BOOK ROUND-TRIP TRAVEL TO THE USA OR CANADA USING 20,000 MILES FOR MILESAAVER AWARDS* OR RECEIVE A 15% DISCOUNT ON AANYTIME AWARDS WHEN BOOKING ON AMERICAN AIRLINES WITH YOUR BUTTERFIELD / AADVANTAGE® MASTERCARD® Don’t have a Butterfield / AAdvantage Mastercard Credit Card? Apply for one today by calling us on 949 7055, visit us online or at any of our three Banking Centre locations. Travel further on fewer miles. *Terms and conditions apply. Must be a Butterfield / AAdvantage® MasterCard® Personal or Business Cardholder. Travel is originating in the Cayman Islands to the US and Canada. See website for details. *Terms and conditions apply. Must be a Butterfield / AAdvantage® MasterCard® Personal or Business Cardholder. Travel is originating in the Cayman Islands to the US and Canada. See website for details. *Terms and conditions apply. See website for details. 185009_1-Ad-Strip-ReducedMiles-OPage 1 10/5/17 3:34:48 PM Businesses seeing impact of expat exodus JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Businesses are starting to see a gradual ex- odus of employees from the Cayman Islands with some expatriate workers opting to leave before government closes a loophole in the Pensions Law that allows them to cash out their retirement savings as they depart. The extent of the impact has varied across businesses and industries but so far the “expat exodus” has not been as bad as many business leaders first feared. The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman resort has lost 50 employees, Foster’s supermarket chain has lost 20, and the Westin resort just five. There are still six weeks until the de facto deadline for departing employees to hand in their notice, if they intend to leave Cayman by the end of the year. But in the tourism industry, in partic- ular, there is a sense that businesses have weathered the worst of the storm. Marc Langevin, general manager of The Ritz-Carlton, said losing 50 staff would have a significant impact. But he said that figure was less than half of what it could have been. “We will not be as impacted as originally feared, and I would suggest that it is due to our proactive approach in communicating and educating our ladies and gentleman. From our early surveys, we had estimated that more than 100 employees were seriously considering leaving due to the new pension law,” he said. At the Westin, general manager Morty Vall- dejuli said the hotel had headed off a feared exodus by organizing a series of presentations for staff on the details of the new law. He said employees were able to make an informed decision and ultimately only five had opted to go. “When the law first came out, the initial knee-jerk reaction was to pick up and ‘FOOTS’ CHARGED WITH OBSCENE PUBLICATION KEN SILVA ksilva@pinnaclemedialtd.com Cayman Brac artist Ronald “Foots” Kynes was charged with obscene publication on Monday in relation to his July arrest for re- fusing to remove a series of nude sculptures displayed on his property, which is pub- licly visible. Mr. Kynes is scheduled to appear in court next on Oct. 26, He told the Cayman Compass he plans to plead not guilty to the charge. He also said he plans on filing his own law- suit against the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service for allegedly harassing him for years. “It’s been a witch hunt against me for years,” he said. “I have proof and documen- tation against the RCIPS and other govern- ment entities.” Mr. Kynes said he will be representing himself in the obscene publication charge, but will retain an attorney to pursue his law- suit against government. He said he will be seeking $6 million in the lawsuit. Meanwhile, the artist has installed three more statues on his property over the last month, two of which depict naked women. “You’re not going to intimidate me,” he said on why he installed more statues. “I don’t care what they do.” Mr. Kynes was originally detained by police on July 18 after refusing to remove a series of nude sculptures that depicted homosexuality and religious iconography. “I asked the police lady, ‘What do you con- sider obscenity? Consider a painting with bare breasts and erect nipples,’” he said he Hurricane Irma: A survivor’s story Displaced BVI worker recounts brush with devastating storm KEN SILVA ksilva@pinnaclemedialtd.com When Kyrie Caulfield drives on Grand Cayman during rainy days, his pulse quickens, his stomach ties into knots, and his knuckles whiten from gripping the steering wheel too hard. That reaction may seem odd coming from a longtime dive in- structor. But after nearly losing his family and his own life when Hurricane Irma struck the British Virgin Islands last month, he cannot help but become ner- vous by the recent storms, how- ever minor they may be. Mr. Caulfield is one of more than 100 displaced BVI residents who came here following the Cat- egory 5 storm, one of the fiercest ever recorded in the Caribbean. He moved with his 4-year- and 18-month-old daughters and his pregnant wife, Charlotte Caul- field, the managing director of KRyS Global’s BVI branch, who is now working out of the com- pany’s Cayman offices. They almost did not make it here after Irma’s 185-mph winds tore off their roof and col- lapsed the walls around them on Sept. 6 – days after they bought their home. Before Irma, the BVI’s worst storm in more than a decade Members of the Feed Our Future board, from left, Anthony Lawson, Tabitha Crowley, Stacey VanDevelde, Frank Balderamos, Anna Goubault, Daniel Cummings and Simone Ross, line up at the charity’s annual Island Roast at the Camana Bay Beach on Saturday night. The outdoor fundraiser featured cuisine by The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman, Mise en Place, Smokin’ Bros, Lobster Pot, Catch, Amvivo, Avecita, Agua, Saucha and Vivo, as well as music by the Nathan Herrera duo and DJ Selecta Renegade. Feed Our Future helps provide school lunches for students in public and private schools. – PHOTO: MAGGIE JACKSON Feed Our Future Island Roast raises funds for school meals PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 5 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 5 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 7 »2 LOCAL&REGIONAL TUESDAY OCTOBER 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. - TUESDAY - STRONGER (R) 12:45 I 3:40 I 6:55 I 9:20 VIP MY LITTLE PONY (PG) 1:05 I 4:15 I 6:40 I 9:40 BLADE RUNNER 2049 3D (R) 12:50 I 3:10 2D VIP I 6:30 2D I 9:20 AMERICAN MADE (R) 1:00 I 4:00 I 7:05 I 9:55 THE MOUNTAIN BETWEEN US 1:20 I 4:20 I 7:00 I 10:00 (PG13) THE FOREIGNER (R) 12:30 VIP I 3:50 I 9:45 CLASSICS AT THE CINEMA: CASABLANCA (PG) 7:00 VIP Customs returns ‘mini massagers’ Store manager questions ‘corrupt morals’ legislation JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Customs officials have returned 10 “personal mas- sagers” seized from a George Town store after deciding they were not banned sex toys. The massagers were confiscated from Reflec- tions store in George Town in May by officers investi- gating an offense under sec- tion 157 of the Penal Code – a broad statute banning the import and distribution of obscene materials and “any other object tending to corrupt morals.” The same law was used to arrest Cayman Brac artist Ronald “Foots” Kynes for ex- hibiting a series of nude carved wood sculptures earlier this year. He was charged Monday. Stanley Panton, gen- eral manager of Reflections, said the product – a Body- wand Mini Massager – was a big seller at the store. He said Reflections had been bringing them in every few months for the past four years, had declared them to customs on entry and paid duty. He said he understood several other stores also sold the same product. Mr. Panton said he was stunned when a customs of- ficer came into the store in May and confiscated them. He said, “I challenged the officer when she came to take them. I said, ‘You have already taken our money, we’ve been bringing these in for a long period of time, I don’t see how this can happen now.’” He said the officer seized them and advised him to ap- peal to the customs depart- ment if he wanted to con- test the confiscation. She later followed up to say the department had determined they were sex toys and would not be returned, Mr. Panton claims. Collector of Customs Charles Clifford confirmed Monday that he had per- sonally reviewed the matter after it was called to his attention and returned the massagers. Mr. Clifford said, “The customs officers’ suspi- cion was based on their re- search concerning the par- ticular product.” He added, “I have con- cluded that there is simply not enough evidence to jus- tify a referral to the Di- rector of Public Prosecu- tions. Consequently, I have instructed that the items be returned to the Reflections store and provided appro- priate advice to my officers on the matter. “I have also spoken to the proprietor of Reflec- tions concerning the matter and suggested to him that he take legal advice on sec- tion 157 of the Penal Code to ensure that none of his future imports give rise to any issues under that sec- tion of the law.” Mr. Panton said the sec- tion of the law, prohibiting any object “tending to cor- rupt morals” was vague and open to interpretation. He said, “Not only was it wrong for them to have con- fiscated these massagers, because they are not adult toys, as was determined, but the government really needs to modernize the law. “Now that the conversa- tion has been started, we would like to get further clarity on real adult toys. Are people allowed to bring them in or not?” He said other items like waterpipes and hoo- kahs were also banned. “We need to have a conversa- tion about whether these items still need to be prohib- ited,” he said. He said the mix-up over the massagers had cost the business sales. He said the store had been importing them in batches of 144 every three or four months, but had not been able to sell the product for the last six months. Mr. Clifford declined to give his view on whether the importation, possession and distribution of sex toys should be an offense. He said, “The issue is not our primary focus as customs of- ficers. It is a policy issue for the government to consider.” TRIO OF GANJA SUSPECTS MAKE SECOND APPEARANCE IN COURT Three Jamaican nationals charged with importing more than 400 pounds of ganja into the Cayman Islands made their second court ap- pearance Monday via video- link from Northward Prison. Cephas Solomon Reyn- olds, Eyon Joshua Johnson and Linton Nightpole Pillar- chie, who allegedly brought 438 pounds of ganja to Cayman on Sept. 28, will make their next court ap- pearance on Oct. 24. The three men are also charged with illegal landing and possession of ganja with intent to supply. The Royal Cayman Is- lands Police Service ar- rested the three men after the Joint Marine Unit and Air Operations discovered a suspicious vessel coming ashore in the area of South Sound on Sept. 29. Packages were being offloaded when the police ar- rived, and the three suspects fled the scene but were ap- prehended shortly later. School’s ‘Dress Down Day’ supports Meals on Wheels Students of the Wesleyan Christian Academy held a Dress Down Day recently to help support Meals on Wheels. The children were asked to wear orange and make a contribution to the Meals on Wheels project. Erin Bodden, general manager of Meals on Wheels, was invited to the school’s chapel service on Oct. 4, where she was presented with a check for $560. TRUMP: ‘I DO BELIEVE CUBA IS RESPONSIBLE’ FOR ATTACKS ON U.S. PERSONNEL WASHINGTON (AP) – Pres- ident Donald Trump said Monday that he believes Cuba is responsible for unexplained, invisible at- tacks in Cuba that have harmed American gov- ernment workers. Though Trump’s com- ments appeared to be a new allegation, it was not clear whether he meant Cuba was behind the at- tacks or merely shared the onus because it failed to keep Americans safe on its soil. The United States has avoided casting blame on Cuban President Raul Castro’s government for the attacks that began last year and have eluded an FBI investigation. “I do believe Cuba’s re- sponsible. I do believe that,” Trump said in a Rose Garden news conference. “And it’s a very unusual attack, as you know. But I do believe Cuba is respon- sible.” The president did not elaborate. There was no imme- diate reaction from Cuba’s embassy in Washington. Castro’s government has repeatedly denied both in- volvement in and knowl- edge of the attacks. Trump offered no new details about what type of weapon might have caused damage ranging from per- manent hearing loss to mild traumatic brain in- jury, or concussion. The State Department has said that despite the lengthy investigation and FBI visits to the island, the U.S. still cannot identify ei- ther a culprit or a device. Trump’s ambiguous al- legation against the Cu- bans was likely to increase tensions even further be- tween the two former en- emies. The U.S. and Cuba re-opened diplomatic rela- tions in 2015 after a half- century of estrangement, but the attacks on Ameri- cans and steps taken by Washington in response have started to unravel those budding ties. The U.S. has not explic- itly accused any actor of perpetrating the attacks, which in some cases in- volved mysterious, blaring sounds that led to in- vestigators to consider whether a sonic weapon was involved. Still, the U.S. has pointed to Cuba’s tight control over security in Havana and its close sur- veillance of Americans working there are rea- sons to believe that Cuba might know more about what’s transpired than it has let on. The State Department has also said that no matter who is attacking Americans, it’s Cuba’s re- sponsibility under inter- national law to protect U.S. embassy workers. “We believe that the Cuban government could stop the attacks on our diplomats,” White House chief of staff John Kelly said last week. Customs seized Bodywand Mini Massagers from Reflections in May, but returned the items to the store Monday.3 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • TUESDAY OCTOBER 17, 2017 Backlog of permanent residency cases grows by nearly 10 percent BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com The number of backlogged applications for permanent residence in the Cayman Is- lands grew by 9.2 percent over a two-week period in late Sep- tember and early October, de- spite the efforts of immigra- tion officials to reduce that number, the Cayman Com- pass has learned. As of Sept. 22, the number of unheard residency ap- plications stood at 802, ac- cording to Immigration De- partment records. However, by Oct. 5, that number – identified as the “backlog” of applications – had grown to 876 cases. Permanent residence ex- tends the right to remain in the Cayman Islands to non- Caymanians who have been continuously resident here for at least eight years, if their applications are ap- proved. Starting in June, the Immigration Department and the Caymanian Status and Permanent Residency Board began hearing those appli- cations after a two-and-a- half year delay. The number of out- standing applications steadily declined between late July and mid-September, as nearly daily meetings by both the board and the department’s administrative staff were held to decide those cases. However, between Sept. 22 and Oct. 5, the backlog of ap- plications increased by 9.2 percent, records show. That increase occurred despite the fact that board members and administrators heard and decided a total of 72 applications during the same period. Since the hear- ings began in earnest last June, more than 500 appli- cations for residency have been reviewed by immigra- tion officials. According to a govern- ment spokesperson, the number of residency appli- cations had increased by 74 during the two-week pe- riod, even though 72 appli- cations were heard and de- cided. That means more than 140 new applications would have been filed within the past few weeks. Of the residency cases heard so far, a total of 243 have been approved and 131 have been refused, equating to about a 65 percent approval rate. Since June, 22 applica- tions have been withdrawn by the applicants and an- other 10 removed from the queue after immigration of- ficials found they were filed too late. This means the gov- ernment has dealt with 406 applications, in one way or another, so far. Nearly 100 residency ap- plications have been “de- ferred” during the period, but those will usually come back for review within a few weeks of their first hearing, immigration officials said. Some of the initial deferrals will be included in the ap- proval or denial figures, once they are decided. In mid-September, it was revealed that marathon board and staff hearings starting on July 31 led to the comple- tion of most outstanding res- idency applications that were filed between October 2013 and December 2014. Since then, a significant number of applications filed in 2015 and even some from 2016 have been considered. The 2013-14 applicants had been waiting between two-and-a-half to three years for a decision. At its height, the backlog of residency applications was believed to be more than 1,100 individuals. A number of legal con- cerns raised during 2014 and 2015 regarding how the gov- ernment was processing the applications served to delay hearings for about two-and- a-half years. According to a government spokesperson, the number of residency applications had increased by 74 during the two-week period, even though 72 applications were heard and decided. Despite an increased rate of reviews, the PR application backlog increased during late September and early October. – PHOTO: TANEOS RAMSAY Nominations are now being accepted for the an- nual “Proud of Them” award scheme. The Ministry of Youth and the National Youth Commis- sion announced Monday that nominations will be accepted until Nov. 16 for young people, ages 10 to 25, who have made notable achieve- ments in academics, sports, their career, culture, business or community service. “This is a great opportu- nity to celebrate the achieve- ments and drive of our brightest and most accom- plished youth,” said Minister of Youth Juliana O’Connor- Connolly in a press release. “We need the communi- ty’s input to ensure that we honour those who are worthy of praise and are role models for their peers.” The “Proud of Them” awards were launched in 2012 to highlight exceptional young people. Since then, 84 young men and women have been recognized. Each has re- ceived a financial award and had his or her image fea- tured for a six-month pe- riod on billboards across the Cayman Islands. “Society must commemo- rate the accomplishments of youth,” the head of the Na- tional Youth Commission, Reverend Donovan Myers, said in the release. “As a community, we need to be strong advocates for our young people. Many of them are distin- guishing themselves in their chosen fields and our rec- ognition of their efforts can help inspire them and their peers to greater heights. This year’s 12 awardees will be announced at a recep- tion on Nov. 29. Nomination forms can be found online at www.gov.ky. For more information, email proudofthem@gov.ky, or visit the ProudofThemKy Facebook page. ‘Proud of Them’ nominations sought Nominees of the last Proud of Them awards gather at a ceremony with officials in March 2017. Nominations for the next round of awardees are now open.The islands’ most-trusted news source 4 – EDITORIAL – Opinion&Letters The Cayman Compass welcomes comments, opinions and viewpoints from readers. Letters to the editor can be emailed to editor@pinnaclemedialtd.com, submitted via www.caymancompass.com, sent by post or hand-delivered to the Compass office. For more than 40 years we have built up George Town and West Bay, not only with banks but with all the rest that the eastern dis- tricts do not have. For example, central Bodden Town still does not have a bank or an ATM. We still do not have a boat dock at Coe Wood Beach, which was promised by Jim Bodden and all the others since he was elected. When it comes to helping towns, the elected repre- sentatives who are not part of our voting block will do anything to keep us back. If this is a government of na- tional unity, then make sure you use that “unite” part to help the East. We need tourist dollars, too – that will help our lives be better. We need inves- tors, too, for us to upgrade our way of life. A lot of our people are losing the chance to have a wonderful life. Many of them have lost happiness in Cayman because of bad lead- ership. We must do better. You can have all the money in the world, but if your people are not happy, it is of no good. It is easy to promise, spend a little money, give away some food and drinks and get elected. But before you get elected, you already should have a good plan of how to help your people and these islands, not when you get in the LA. For some time now, our elected members have been wandering around like lost sheep at play. They have forgotten they are our ser- vants. They are not put there in that house to be against the rights of our people or to make life hard for our people. Our own government must not fight us. I took great interest in the issue of the Peanuts li- quor license. What is going on? Peanut is a Caymanian. One of our best, for he in- vests his money here with us in Cayman. I speak for all Cayma- nians who invest their hard- earned money on this, our island home, when I say gov- ernment must help us to up- lift, give us the tools to help better our people. To Peanuts – hat’s off to you. Keep up the good work. Emile S. Levy When it comes to debates, North Side MLA Ezzard Miller often sits at the opposite end of the table from the Cayman Compass Editorial Board. But when Mr. Miller questions the Cayman Islands government’s avowed commitment to education, as he did last week, we find ourselves right at his side, nodding our heads in agreement. At a Wednesday-evening meeting at Savannah Primary School, Mr. Miller rightly pointed out that – public pronouncements aside – the true measure of a government’s priorities is its actual allocation of resources. He said, “The numbers and what they’re proposing to do … does not bear out that education is No. 1.” When you are crafting a budget, every dollar is a decision. As former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden once said, “Don’t tell me what you value; show me your budget, and I’ll tell you what you value.” For all the lip service the Legislative Assembly pays to its sacred responsibility for educating future gen- erations of Caymanian leaders, lawmakers have con- sistently demonstrated little to carry through on their political promises. On a recent tour of Cayman’s public schools, oppo- sition leaders say they found scarce resources for students with special needs, overcrowding at Clifton Hunter High School, inadequate facilities across Grand Cayman and growing primary school populations in the Bodden Town district. Mr. Miller thinks government will need to construct two new primary schools within the next three years just to keep up with enrollment. Which brings us to the government’s “old” new school project, the half-finished construction of the John Gray High School campus. If all goes according to the government’s recent announcement, by the time work on the high school is restarted and completed – the year 2021 – it will have been 14 years since con- struction on the school first began. That’s time enough for a student to have progressed from Reception to secondary school Graduation Day. Don’t be mistaken: We welcome the government’s recent announcement that it is reviving the John Gray project. However, the announcement itself comprises a labyrinthine list of checklists, requirements and bench- marks that the government supposedly must navigate before the construction project finally gets under way. We understand the need for due diligence and accountability, but we don’t understand how the gov- ernment was able to fast-track the new $8.8 million John Gray gymnasium (in time for the upcoming NCAA basketball tournament) – or more precisely why the government can’t take their successful gym strategy and apply it to the construction of educa- tional facilities. Even as the interior of the completed gymnasium resounds with the echoes of sneakers squeaking and coaches’ whistles, the rest of the John Gray project remains a silent sarcophagus of partially completed buildings and scrub vegetation. According to the gov- ernment’s timeline, the project will be in stasis for two more years while officials conduct a “multi-stage assessment process” – including hiring consultants, gathering “stakeholder input” and completing the obligatory “business case.” In and of itself, a superior school building does not equate to a superior school, but obviously inadequate physical learning environments (such as the current John Gray and other campuses) make it more difficult for teachers to engage with students in a learning-con- ducive environment. Education Minister Juliana O’Connor-Connolly has said completing the John Gray project is a priority. We trust that she, Education Councillor Barbara Conolly and Education Council Chairman Dan Scott will work to keep the John Gray project moving forward until it is finally removed from the “to do list” and added to the government’s list of accomplishments. John Gray campus must not wait until 2021 for completion TUESDAY OCTOBER 17, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Anguilla is grateful for aid from Cayman I have lived on your sister island and British Overseas Territory of Anguilla for more than 30 years. Being in the finan- cial services industry (and serving on the boards and councils of various orga- nizations), we have great working relationships with excellent service pro- viders in Cayman. It is my regret that I’ve only been to Cayman once, about 25 years ago when Cayman hosted the training sessions for in- coming Rotary presi- dents and secretaries and, even then, much about Cayman impressed me. As adequate words do not exist, and in my ca- pacity as a private but very appreciative indi- vidual, please allow me to express the utmost thanks to the Government, the Ro- tary Club (and especially Chris Johnson), Health City Cayman Islands, as well as all of the people of the Cayman Islands for all of the help and assistance they have provided to An- guilla in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma. I am in receipt of a do- nation and this is being handed over to the An- guilla Red Cross, who have been doing excellent work, making sure that those in the greatest need are taken care of. We are gradually recov- ering but it will take quite a while before we are fully recovered, but we would not be at this stage without your thoughtfulness, deci- siveness and generosity. Heaven forbid that Cayman should ever “get an Irma” but I would expect that Anguilla would do what it could to help. With gratitude. Graham Crabtree PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY: Caymanian Compass Limited (a subsidiary of Pinnacle Media Ltd) Compass Centre Shedden Road, George Town SEND US YOUR VIEWS OR NEWS: P.O. Box 1365 Grand Cayman KY1-1108, Cayman Islands Telephone: (345) 815-0095 Email: newsdesk@pinnaclemedialtd.com ADVERTISE WITH US: Telephone: (345) 949-5111 Email: sales@pinnaclemedialtd.com Website: www.caymancompass.com PUBLISHERS DAVID R. LEGGE AND VICKI L. LEGGE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF DAVID R. LEGGE EXECUTIVE EDITOR PATRICK BRENDEL A MEMBER OF THE INTER-AMERICAN PRESS ASSOCIATION “Give light and the people will find their own way” What about the eastern districts? We are gradually recovering but it will take quite a while before we are fully recovered, but we would not be at this stage without your thoughtfulness, decisiveness and generosity. If this is a government of national unity, then make sure you use that “unite” part to help the East.The islands’ most-trusted news source 5 CAYMAN COMPASS • TUESDAY OCTOBER 17, 2017 After commitment in Brazil, Kraft Heinz will use 100% cage free eggs for all Latin America. São Paulo, September 25, 2017 - After announcing the use of cage-free eggs in Brazil’s product portfolio by 2025, Kraft Heinz is now also committed to transitioning to cage-free eggs for all Latin American countries by 2025. Hens free from cages are allowed to walk, nest and engage in other behaviours in an open area. This announcement reflects the Company’s continued efforts to improve sustainability across the supply chain in support of its Vision To Be the Best Food Company, growing a Better World. leave,” he said. “Once the staff understood the impact to them personally, both pros and cons, they were able to make an intelligent de- cision on what to do next.” NM Ventures restau- rant group, which employs between 65 and 75 people across several restaurants, in- cluding Deckers and KARoo, has lost “10 percent” of its staff, according to co-owner Markus Mueri. The Tortuga Rum Company has lost “5 percent” according to owner Robert Hamaty. He said, “It is a problem for us because they are ex- perienced employees. I’m sure it has affected many people in Cayman. “It impacts the lower in- come workers more because they are the ones that want to take their pension to build a house. They don’t want to draw it out only in time to pay the funeral home.” Under the previous law, for pension accounts of $5,000 or more, employees were entitled to access those funds once they had been out of Cayman for at least six months and had not been contributing to the pension plan for at least two years. Effective Dec. 31, 2019, payouts will be available only at retirement age, meaning anyone who wants early ac- cess to their money will have to leave by the end of this year. Earlier this year, the Chamber of Commerce cau- tioned that as many as 2,500 workers could leave the is- land as a result. Wil Pineau, CEO of the Chamber, said many busi- nesses had lessened the po- tential impact of the pensions change through proactive em- ployee education campaigns. But he cautioned it was still too early to de- clare victory. “I think there is still more time before we can tell that for sure,” he said. “Businesses are still seeing people submit- ting resignations. It is having an impact. Any time you lose someone who has been with an organization for eight or nine years, replacing them is difficult.” He said the key concern for the Chamber was that the Na- tional Workforce Development Agency and the Immigration Department were prepared to help businesses fill a large number of vacancies. “The most important thing is, are there trained Cayma- nians available to fill these roles? If there are, then let’s get those people to work. If not, then we have to ensure businesses can get access to the labor they need.” Mr. Langevin echoed those concerns. He said the hotel has started its seasonal re- cruitment process much earlier this year, including hosting a local job fair in July, amid concerns that the Immi- gration Department was not well equipped to handle the additional volume of work permit applications. He said he was already seeing delays in the pro- cess as the hotel staffs up for high season. “As the hospitality industry is becoming more relevant in the local economy with the addition of new hotels and residences, it will most im- portant to address the effec- tiveness of the work permit process to avoid slowing down our opportunities for growth,” he added. told police at the time. “This law is vague. This thing could be thrown to pieces in the court of law.” The Cayman Islands Penal Code prohibits the distribution or public exhibition of obscene writ- ings, drawings, paintings, emblems or “any other object tending to cor- rupt morals.” The court may order de- struction of the material regard- less of whether there has been a conviction. Businesses seeing impact of expat exodus ‘Foots’ charged with obscene publication CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Ronald ‘Foots’ Kynes, with one of his statues. $75K Hannah’s Heroes grant given to cancer researcher The St. Baldrick’s Founda- tion announced Monday that it is granting its Hannah’s Heroes St. Baldrick’s Scholar Grant to Dr. Pratiti Bando- padhayay at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. This $75,000 research grant will support Dr. Bando- padhayay’s research to iden- tify drugs that can be com- bined with JQ1, a drug that can hinder effects of medul- loblastoma, according to St. Baldrick’s, the largest nongov- ernment funder of pediatric cancer research in the U.S. The Hannah’s Heroes Hero Fund was created by former Cayman residents Gaylene and Nigel Meeson in honor of their daughter, Hannah, who was diagnosed with anaplastic medulloblas- toma, a form of brain cancer, in July 2012 at the age of 4. “We are thrilled and hon- ored to name the grant for Dr. Bandopadhayay’s research,” said the Meesons in a press release announcing the grant. “It excites us to know that we are empowering world-class researchers like Dr. Bando- padhayay and others to rad- ically change the course of childhood cancer treatments.” For the last five years, Han- nah’s Heroes has held the an- nual “Big Shave” event, where scores of people shave their heads to raise money that goes to the St. Baldrick’s Foun- dation. Since its inception, the event has raised $1,674,851 for cancer research. Last month, 107 people had their heads shaved at the event, which attracted more than 1,000 supporters and raised $267,000. The grant to Dr. Bando- padhayay is the fifth grant to be named in honor of Han- nah’s Heroes to fight ana- plastic medulloblastoma. The St. Baldrick’s Founda- tion has acknowledged that Hannah’s Heroes Big Shave is the biggest public fundraiser for the charity outside of the United States. When the event started, Hannah was given less than a 5 percent chance of sur- viving. She is now 10 years old, goes to school in Hong Kong, and participates in the Girl Scouts there. There are still six weeks until the de facto deadline for departing employees to hand in their notice, if they intend to leave Cayman by the end of the year. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Participants in this year’s Hannah’s Heroes Big Shave raised $267,000 for cancer research. - PHOTO: TANEOS RAMSAYThe islands’ most-trusted news source 6 Community CALENDAR ■ COMMUNITY CALENDAR is published TUESDAYS and THURSDAYS. It is available to charitable or nonprofit organizations. Items should be submitted at least three working days before publication. Information must include name of sender, signature and contact number. ■ Items may be faxed to 949-2662, brought to the Cayman Compass office on Shedden Rd. or emailed to cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com at least three days in advance of publication. TUESDAY OCTOBER 17, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS TUESDAY, OCT. 17 SEAFARERS ASSOCIATION: All members are invited to a general meeting at 7:30 p.m. in the Seafarers Hall, 11 Victory Ave. Prospect. Special guests will be the Lions, accompanied by two doctors to speak on cancer and PSA testing. Buses will be provided from West Bay Town Hall at 6 p.m. A bus route has been added in George Town, leaving the Public library parking area at 7 p.m. stopping at the Cayman Compass building and Airport Foster’s. The bus is marked Bobo $1 Public transport and is blue in color; there is no charge. WEDNESDAY, OCT. 18 CONSERVATION COUNCIL MEETING: The National Conservation Council will hold a general meeting from 1 p.m. in Room 2112 of the Government Administration Building (Grand Cayman). The agenda will be posted on the Department of Environment website www. doe.ky/natl-conservation- council/general-meetings. This meeting is open to observers from the public. If anyone wishes to submit comments or questions to the Council in advance, they may do so via email to conservationcouncil@gov.ky. OLDER PERSONS MONTH: The Big Stage, Harquail Theater, 6:30 p.m. THURSDAY, OCT. 19 CRAFT AFTER HOURS: After- hours viewing and film screening at the National Gallery. 5-8 p.m. See the crafts in the current exhibition “Revive!” and watch excerpts of “Made in Cayman.” Free admission and refreshments. For additional details, see www.nationalgallery.org.ky. OLDER PERSONS MONTH: Tea Party, Pines Retirement Home, 2-4 p.m. RSVP to Vanda Powery 916-7902. FRIDAY, OCT. 20 WOMEN’S CONVENTION: Christian Women Connection Women’s Ministry invites all ladies to the 2nd Annual Women’s Convention tonight through Sunday, Oct. 22, at 7 p.m. nightly. Church of God Chapel West Bay, 388 Town Hall Road. Guest speaker will be Sally Ferguson, a retreat leader and book reviewer. For more info contact Pastor Elizabeth Bowen at 328-4117. NCVO DRESS DOWN DAY: All schools, businesses and service clubs are invited to join with the National Council of Voluntary Organisations in dressing down and dressing in green for a small donation to the charity’s 38th Annual Radio/Telethon. Each group’s representative can present the funds at the telethon on Oct. 21 at the Prospect Playhouse. To schedule a donation appearance, contact Janice Wilson on ncvo@ncvo.org.ky or 949-2124. SATURDAY, OCT. 21 BRAC CAREGIVERS: All caregivers for persons with dementia are invited to the Annual Caregivers’ Appreciation Dinner at the Seamen’s Hall on Cayman Brac starting at 7 p.m. There will be entertainment, prizes and surprises. Call 924-4170 to RSVP. OLDER PERSONS MONTH: Circle of Love Brunch, George Town Yacht Club, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. RSVP to Vanda Powery 916-7902. NCVO RADIO/TELETHON: Prospect Playhouse, 7 p.m. to midnight. All are invited to make a pledge. Donors will be entered to win prizes. All funds raised benefit the NCVO Children’s Programs. To make a corporate donation, contact Janice Wilson on 949-2124 or ncvo@ncvo.org.ky. SMALL BUSINESS EXPO: The Cayman Islands Small Business Association invites the public to the annual Small Business Expo at UCCI Fellowship Hall. 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Free admission. Contact 946-3147 or email cisbacayman@gmail.com. SUNDAY, OCT. 22 BRAC AWARENESS: All are invited to a Praise in Purple church service in commemoration with Alzheimer’s Awareness. 11 a.m. Hillside Chapel Church on Ashton Reid Drive. Wear something purple. PINK SUNDAY: Boatswain Bay Presbyterian Church invites all to their Pink Sunday Service at 11 a.m. Everyone is asked to wear pink in support of Breast Cancer Awareness. MONDAY, OCT. 23 REVIVAL SERVICES: Red Bay Church of God (Holiness) holds Revival Services tonight through Oct. 29. 7:30 p.m. Monday to Friday; 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Sunday. Evangelist will be Bro. Glaremon (Bobo) Grant. All are welcome. WEDNESDAY, OCT. 25 PIRATES WEEK FOOD HANDLERS TRAINING: The Department of Environmental Health will conduct two basic Food Handlers’ Certification Courses for Pirates Week food vendors today and tomorrow, 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. All food handlers needing to update their certification before Pirates Week should register early, as there is limited space available. Cost is $15 per person and includes materials. Certification is valid for three years. To register, visit the DEH main office or contact 949-6696 or dehcustomerservice@gov.ky. THURSDAY, OCT. 26 BRAC COURT: Today and tomorrow, 10 a.m. FRIDAY, OCT. 27 BRAC POETRY EVENING: 7 p.m., Cayman Brac Library. All are invited. LEADERSHIP CAYMAN: The Chamber of Commerce is now accepting applications for the 2018 program. Improve your leadership skills by applying. Today is the deadline. Call 743-9121 for further information or visit www.caymanchamber.ky/ leadershipcayman. SATURDAY, OCT. 28 LITTLE CAYMAN SPOOKTACULAR: 5K Fun Run. 4 p.m. $25 Adults, $15 Children under 12. Contact littlecaymansports@gmail.com. SPOOKFEST: At Pedro Castle, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Visual Arts Society offers Kids Halloween Arts and Crafts, VAS Art Market; Kiwanis will host a book reading Corner in the Great House. Pedro will be filled with Halloween activities, food, Haunted House, Costumes, Great fun for everyone. GARAGE SALE: At St. Alban’s Church, 461 Shedden Road, (opposite Bodden Place). 7 a.m. Clothes, household items, books, toys and more. For information, call 949-2757. WEDNESDAY, NOV. 1 TOBACCO LICENCES: Tobacco license holders are reminded of the 5 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 1, deadline to apply for their annual license renewals. Annual registration renewal fees are $500 for a retailer, $750 for a cigar bar and $5,000 for a wholesale distributor. WEDNESDAY, NOV. 15 RUN IN THE DARK: 5K/10K walk or run. 8 p.m. A fundraiser for the Mark Pollock Trust, which aims to find a cure for paralysis. To find further information or sign up for this year’s event, visit www.runinthedark.org/ cayman-islands. GENERAL INTEREST CAYMAN CRAFT: The exhibition, “Revive!” – Celebrating contemporary and traditional craft from the Cayman Islands, is open at the National Gallery. GARBAGE COLLECTION: The Department of Environmental Health urges residents and business operators to ensure that garbage containers are accessible to sanitation crews at all times. Place garbage containers either at the front of the property or at a side that is accessible to the roadway. Receptacles must be stored in properly constructed enclosures and should not impede the flow of traffic. HURRICANE RELIEF: The Adventist Church has started a fund in aid of Hurricane Irma victims in the Turks and Caicos and the Bahamas. Financial contributions may be made at the local office, 209 Walkers Road, during business hours, or at the nearest Adventist Church. Donations may also be deposited at the Royal Bank of Canada, to ADRA account number 500-6234. SCHOLARSHIPS: The Chevening Secretariat is accepting applications for U.K. government scholarships to study in the U.K. in 2018/2019. Applications for Chevening Scholarships are open until Nov. 7, with applications to be submitted via www.chevening.org/apply. CERAMIC OPEN STUDIO: Offered by the Visual Arts Society on Wednesdays to adults. 9 a.m. to noon at the Watler House Studio, Pedro St. James. $15 per person or $25 per non-member. Clay, materials and firing facilities available. Contact info@visualartcayman.com. SPECIAL OLYMPICS: Volunteers needed for weekly sports training. Tuesdays – Track, bocce, football. Wednesdays – Lighthouse School swimming at Lions pool. Thursdays – Basketball. Saturdays – Adult swim. Golf is starting soon if interested. Contact Darrel Rankine, national director at soci@candw.ky or 916-2600. CANDLE MAKING: Visual Arts Society offers this workshop at the National Trust Club House on Sundays 3 – 4:30 p.m. Fee of $45 per member or $55 per non-member includes materials for two candles. Parasol painting workshops, 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Same fee, includes one parasol. Contact info@visualartcayman.com. HUMANE SOCIETY THRIFT SHOP: The shop has moved to Plaza Venezia, next to China Village. The thrift shop is open Tuesday to Saturday 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., closed on Sunday and Monday. Phone 945-5596. BETHESDA COUNSELLING CENTRE: Caters to all who seek help. Open Monday to Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at 68 Mary St. Appointments available Saturdays and late evenings. Owned and operated by the United Church in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands. Call 946-6575. LOST DOGS: The Department of Agriculture and veterinary students of St. Matthew’s University provide an online list of dogs housed at the Department of Agriculture Animal Rescue Shelter in Lower Valley. Anyone missing a dog can check www.smustudents.webs.com. HUMANE SOCIETY BOOK LOFT: North Sound Road. Open Monday 12:30-4 p.m.; Tuesday through Friday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday 5:30-7:30 p.m. Volunteers needed for front desk a few hours per week. Email humanesocietybookloft@ candw.ky or call 946-8053. Donations of books, games, CDs, stationery, DVDs, cards etc., in good condition always needed. RED CROSS THRIFT SHOP: The Thrift Shop opening hours are Tuesday to Thursday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5-7 p.m. Friday hours are 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and closed evenings. Saturday 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. COMMUNITY CHESS: Tuesdays 5-8 p.m., West Indies Wine Company. Join the Cayman Chess Club for a complimentary chess class and open challenges weekly. Anyone can learn to play and enjoy chess, even beginners. ARTISAN MARKET: Every Wednesday, noon–8 p.m. at Camana Bay Farmers Market. Visual Arts Society artists display arts, crafts, paintings, prints, hand- crafted jewelry and ceramics for sale at the tents by KARoo Restaurant/ Bar. For more info email info@visualartcayman.com. For more Community Calendar events, visit www.caymancompass.com/events. The Seafarers Association is inviting members to a general meeting at Seafarers Hall on Tuesday, Oct. 17, at which Lions Club representatives and doctors will speak about cancer and PSA testing.The islands’ most-trusted news source 7 CAYMAN COMPASS • TUESDAY OCTOBER 17, 2017 had been Tropical Storm Otto in 2010, when associ- ated mudslides and flooding caused just over $10 mil- lion in damage. False sense of security Having lived through Otto and several other storms that either narrowly missed or were downgraded be- fore hitting the territory, some residents there think they may have been lulled into somewhat of a false sense of security. Even at the beginning of Sept. 6, when Irma did not hit mid-morning as forecast, Mr. Caulfield said he thought the hurricane might pass over without any serious incidents. As windspeed picked up around 11 a.m., the Caulfields and another family peered through the hurricane shut- ters on their home. “Frankly, it was fasci- nating. I was watching trees roll sideway across the prop- erty … We were almost playing a game of chicken. We’d drop the blinds when stuff started blowing to- wards us,” said Mr. Caulfield. “Everything was great. It was getting stronger and stronger, but we thought we were OK.” ‘It was just gone’ But around noon, he felt a gust of wind coming from underneath the door leading into a bedroom on the wind- ward side of his house, lo- cated facing north on the hills of Cane Garden Bay, Tortola. “I opened the door to my child’s bedroom, and the room was gone,” he said. “There was no wall, no roof, no windows – it was just gone.” That is when the group of people knew they were in serious trouble. Trying to stay calm, Mr. Caulfield moved a dresser in front of the bedroom door, which by then was the only thing be- tween his family and the Cat- egory 5 storm. But bracing the door turned out to be the least of his problems. Moments later, the roof on the house “rolled up like a tin can and just blew off into outer space,” he said. The home’s inhabitants scrambled to the kitchen, the only room where the roof was still intact. Mr. Caulfield moved the refrigerator in the open en- tryway between the kitchen and what had been the living room. Irma had other plans for the fridge, however, launching the household ap- pliance 30 feet in the air. “When the fridge blew out, the kitchen roof also flew up,” said Mr. Caulfield. “My wife picked up our 17-month- old baby, and pushed her into the kitchen cupboard with the intention that we were all going to die, and maybe someone would come along and find the child.” Swirling debris made an escape out the entryway im- possible, so the husband of the other family broke out the wooden slats of a small window at the back of the kitchen. One by one, each person squeezed through the narrow opening, wondering if the next moment would be their last. When Mr. Caulfield and his infant daughter made it out, the group ran to the al- cove of the house but knew they could not stay there long. Searching for shelter Down a steep eight- foot hill, a concrete garage looked like the most prom- ising place to flee. Somehow, they all made it to the ga- rage in the midst of the hur- ricane, and took shelter in a car parked inside. With no door on the ga- rage, Mr. Caulfield used nearby wood panels to re- inforce the car’s win- dows, hoping they could wait out the remainder of the storm there. “We started singing ‘Wheels on the Bus’ with the kids,” he said. Unfortunately, their hopes were dashed when the wind started lifting up the vehicle. Again, Mr. Caulfield had to venture out into the storm to look for another shelter. This time, he found a house about 150 feet away, owned by people who were off island. Although most of the house was destroyed, at the bottom he found “what I’d describe almost as a prison cell,” he said. There, he found the house’s caretaker, Tyrone. “[Tyrone’s] saying, ‘You need to go upstairs,’” said Mr. Caulfield. “He’s not trying to get rid of me, he thinks the upstairs is better than the cupboard. Because he had spent the last hour facing the wind, holding the cupboard door closed with just normal wooden slats, thinking he was going to die.” By then, the eye of Irma was over the island, allowing the families to run from the garage to the small place in- habited by Tyrone, who let them in. The adults spent the next 30 minutes making runs to the house for sup- plies, passports, money, and their dogs. From the small “cupboard,” the families and Tyrone waited out the second half of the storm in relative safely – some of the children even fell asleep – though Mr. Caul- field said it was nerve-racking seeing the sea creep higher and higher up the hillside. “And it got to the point where it was 20 feet below, but normally it’s 80 feet below,” he said. “And we’re all thinking we’re going to drown if this carries on.” Survival mode Finally, around 5 p.m., Irma was completely past Tortola, leaving the island to- tally devastated, and heading west toward Puerto Rico. “Then survival mode kicks in,” said Mr. Caulfield. “It’s not a situation where your house is burnt down. It’s every single house you can see is destroyed.” After a restless night, Mr. Caulfield and the other adults spent the en- tire day gathering sup- plies and moving them to a friend’s semi-inhabit- able home nearby. Though the mood that day was grim, he took a mo- ment to take footage of him walking through the home that his family had bought just a week before, joking about things like a glass vase that apparently did not move at all during the storm. “Look, no walls five days later – lovely view!” he ex- claimed in the recording, pointing out a scenic sight of the ocean where the front of his house should have been. Viral video Digging through the rubble of his home, he found a can of Guinness. After he wiped off the oil, butter, dirt and other debris, he drank the brew in his wrecked house on camera, in what would become a video viewed by millions of people around the world on sites like the Daily Mail and ABC News. “I found the Guinness, I thought it would be funny … It was warm as toast, but it was the best Guinness of my life,” he said about the moment of levity. “I really thought I was going to die with my children, and no one got a scratch on them. So who gives a monkey about the furnishings?” Weeks later, Mr. Caul- field reflected bitterly on the fact that dozens of news sites shared the viral video without linking to bvirelief- fund.org or any other repu- table charity sites, despite his request for them to do so. After Guinness declined his request to donate aid to the territory, he also vowed never to drink that beer again. But in the immediate af- termath of Irma, his mind was still focused on keeping himself and his family alive. Two days after Irma, the territory’s capital, Road Town, was starting to teem with residents, government officials, and others begin- ning relief efforts. People like Robert Briant – a partner of the Conyers Dill and Pearman BVI office, who is now working in Cayman – were able to evacuate at that time to Puerto Rico, which had yet to be devastated in its own right by Hurricane Maria. However, with mountains separating Cane Garden Bay from most of the rest of Tor- tola, Mr. Caulfield and his vil- lage remained essentially iso- lated from the world. “I didn’t see a single person in uniform for a whole week,” he said. “I’m not blaming anyone, but that’s the truth.” On the eastern end of the island, more than 100 in- mates escaped Her Majesty’s Prison, and there were re- ports of widespread looting in that area. Luckily for Mr. Caulfield and his family, the Cane Garden Bay community remained relatively peaceful. “It was a real proper com- munity spirit, but at the same time it was on a knife’s edge,” he said. “I’m a firm be- liever that society is about 12 missed meals from breaking down – and people missed about 10 meals.” Finally, about two weeks after Irma, Mr. Caulfield and his family flew to Puerto Rico. He left his car for the use of the U.K. marines – “It was like I had given them a tank. They were delighted,” he said – and gave his boat to a friend whose charter yacht business had been destroyed. Welcome to Cayman After a few days in San Juan, they came to Cayman, receiving what Mr. Caulfield called a “fabulous” welcome. “The sister island–hood thing has been totally real,” he said. “My wife went right to work. If we were in the BVI right now, she couldn’t work and her firm would find it very hard to pay the staff.” Ms. Caulfield, Mr. Briant and dozens of other displaced BVI workers were granted 60-day work permit exemp- tions to remain in Cayman. Some have already re- turned to the BVI, while others with school-age children hope to remain here in Cayman the en- tire school year. The Caulfields, for their part, plan to go to the U.K. around Christmastime for the expected birth of their baby, which is due in Feb- ruary. By then, they hope the BVI is repaired to the point where they can return. If not, his family may come back to Cayman if they can, or move to another offshore jurisdic- tion, he said. While the Caulfields are grateful for Cayman’s hos- pitality, they are anxious to begin rebuilding their lives in the BVI, said Mr. Caulfield. In the meantime, he spends much of his time checking on the status of the territory’s rebuilding efforts. It may take five years or more before the marina he worked at returns to normal, he said. “If people want to help out the BVI, book a hol- iday next year.” Hurricane Irma: A survivor’s story The village of Cane Garden Bay, where Kyrie Caulfield and his family lived before being displaced by Hurricane Irma. - PHOTO: BVI BEACON Kyrie Caulfield and his 18-month-old daughter are two of the many displaced British Virgin Islands residents who came here following Hurricane Irma. - PHOTO: ALVARO SEREY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1The islands’ most-trusted news source 8 TUESDAY OCTOBER 17, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS Oil rig explodes on Louisiana lake An oil rig explosion on a lake north of New Orleans, apparently caused when cleaning chemicals ignited, injured seven people and left authorities searching for another who was missing. No deaths were immediately reported. UK leader makes surprise Brussels trip to undo Brexit logjam LONDON (AP) – U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May is speaking directly with leaders of some of the Euro- pean Union’s biggest member states ahead of a meeting in Brussels aimed at unblocking negotiations on Britain’s de- parture from the bloc. May spoke by phone with German Chancellor An- gela Merkel and planned to call France’s Emmanuel Macron and Ireland’s Leo Varadkar ahead of a working dinner with senior Euro- pean Union officials in Brus- sels on Monday. May’s office was at pains to suggest that the dinner with European Commis- sion President Jean-Claude Juncker and chief nego- tiator Michel Barnier had been planned weeks ago. The EU said it was announced late because both sides wanted to be sure both sides could attend. Besides Brexit, the ses- sion is set to include discus- sions on Iran and internet ex- tremism, May’s office said. “I will see Mrs. May this evening,” Juncker said. “We will have discussions and then you will have the autopsy.” The session comes only days after Barnier warned that the latest round of Brexit talks ended in a “disturbing deadlock” over Britain’s finan- cial obligations to the bloc. EU estimates suggest Britain must pay from 60 billion euros to 100 billion euros ($80 billion to $120 bil- lion) to settle commitments it made while part of the EU, such as development proj- ects and the pensions of civil servants. Britain has rejected such figures. The EU is demanding progress on the so-called di- vorce issues – the financial settlement, citizens’ rights and the status of the border between the Republic of Ire- land and Northern Ireland – before talks can move on to issues such as future trading and security arrangements. Leaders of other 27 member states are expected to rule this week that there has not been enough progress for the talks to move forward. By speaking with EU heads of state in advance, May is likely to be trying to re-position the country in the talks, said Victoria Hon- eyman, a lecturer in British politics at the Univer- sity of Leeds. “If May can try to get some leverage with Merkel, Macron etc. then she might be able to reach a deal … that will require [Barnier] to be given new instructions,” said Honeyman. British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson on Monday urged the EU to speed up talks and start a discussion of the future relationship with the U.K., which is set to leave the bloc in March 2019. Arriving at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxem- bourg, Johnson said it was time for the negotiators to get moving and “stop letting the grass grow under our feet.” It is time for “the great ship to go down the slipway and onto the open sea and for us to start some serious conversations about the fu- ture and the new relation- ship,” Johnson told reporters. The pressure is truly on for May and her government. Big business, and in partic- ular the financial services industry, is pressuring the country’s leaders to act, ar- guing that further delays will force companies to relocate. Financial firms with EU headquarters in London worry about losing the au- tomatic right to do busi- ness in the rest of the EU if Britain crashes out of the bloc without agreeing on a new trade relationship. The lobbying group for fi- nancial services, TheCityUK, warned Monday that firms will start relocating jobs in the new year unless a transi- tional deal is struck soon. “They can still take their foot off the accelerator if a transitional deal is agreed, but without progress soon, it may be too late,” said the group’s chief execu- tive, Miles Celic. “Once busi- nesses start moving, there is no reverse gear. It is simply not efficient or economi- cally viable to move oper- ations twice.” The session comes only days after Barnier warned that the latest round of Brexit talks ended in a “disturbing deadlock” over Britain’s financial obligations to the bloc. Somalia truck bombing toll over 300 as scores missing MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) – More than 300 people are dead after the truck bombing in Somalia’s capital and scores of others remain missing, authorities said Monday, as the fragile Horn of Africa nation reeled from one of the world’s worst at- tacks in years. As funerals continued, the government said the death toll is expected to rise. Another nearly 400 people are injured, many badly burned, after Saturday’s bombing targeted a crowded street in Mogadishu. Soma- lia’s government has blamed the al-Qaida-linked al- Shabab, Africa’s deadliest Is- lamic extremist group, which has not commented. As hospitals and families continued to count the dead, nearly 70 people remained missing, based on accounts from relatives, said police Capt. Mohamed Hussein. He said many bodies were burned to ashes in the attack. More than 70 critically in- jured people were airlifted to Turkey for treatment as inter- national aid began to arrive, officials said. Nervous rela- tives stood on the tarmac at the airport, praying for the recovery of their loved ones. Overwhelmed hospitals in Mogadishu have struggled to assist other badly wounded victims, many burned beyond recognition. Exhausted doc- tors struggled to keep their eyes open as the screams from victims or newly be- reaved families echoed in the halls. The attack is one of the deadliest attacks in sub-Sa- haran Africa, larger than the Garissa University attack in Kenya in 2015, in which 148 died, and the U.S. Embassy bombings in Kenya and Tan- zania in 1998, in which about 219 were killed. Countries including Kenya and Ethiopia have offered to send medical aid in response to what Somali’s government has called a “national di- saster,” said Information Min- ister Abdirahman Osman. A plane carrying a medical team from Djibouti arrived to evacuate others wounded, said Mohamed Ahmed, an of- ficial with Somalia’s health ministry. It was the second team of foreign doctors to ar- rive in Mogadishu. Al-Shabab, which for more than a decade has waged war in Somalia, often targets high- profile areas of the capital. Earlier this year, it vowed to step up attacks after both the Trump administration and So- malia’s recently elected presi- dent announced new military efforts against the group. The country’s Somali- American leader, President Mohamed Abdullahi Mo- hamed, has declared three days of mourning and joined thousands of people who re- sponded to a desperate plea by hospitals to donate blood. Mogadishu, a city long ac- customed to deadly bombings by al-Shabab, was stunned by the force of Saturday’s blast. The explosion shattered hopes of recovery in an im- poverished country left fragile by decades of conflict, and it again raised doubts over the government’s ability to secure the seaside city of more than 2 million people. The United States has con- demned the bombing, saying “such cowardly attacks re- invigorate the commitment of the United States to as- sist our Somali and African Union partners to combat the scourge of terrorism.” It tweeted a photo of its charge d’affaires in Somalia do- nating blood. But the U.S. Africa Command said U.S. forces had not been asked to provide aid. The U.S. military has stepped up drone strikes and other efforts this year against al-Shabab, which is also fighting the Somali military and over 20,000 African Union forces in the country. Saturday’s blast occurred two days after the head of the U.S. Africa Command was in Mogadishu to meet with So- malia’s president, and two days after the country’s de- fense minister and army chief resigned for undis- closed reasons. The United Nations spe- cial envoy to Somalia called the attack “revolting.” Michael Keating said the U.N. and Af- rican Union were supporting the Somali government’s re- sponse with “logistical sup- port, medical supplies and expertise.” British Prime Minister Theresa May will have a dinner meeting in Brussels with senior European Union officials, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and chief negotiator Michel Barnier in hopes of reinvigorating stalled negotiations on Britain’s departure from the European Union. – PHOTO: AP Ambulances carrying wounded victims pass the scene of Saturday’s truck bomb blast in Mogadishu, Somalia, as they head to airport to be airlifted by air ambulance for treatment in Turkey, Monday. – PHOTO: AP9 WORLD&REGIONAL VALLETTA, Malta (AP) – A Maltese investigative jour- nalist who exposed her is- land nation’s links to off- shore tax havens through the leaked Panama Papers was killed Monday when a bomb exploded in her car, Malta’s Prime Minister Jo- seph Muscat said. Daphne Caruana Galizia, 53, had just driven away from her home in Mosta, a town outside Malta’s cap- ital of Valletta, when the bomb went off, sending the vehicle’s wreckage spiraling over a wall and into a field. Muscat says Caruana Galizia’s death resulted from a “barbaric attack” that also amounted to an assault on freedom of ex- pression. He described her as “one of my harshest critics, on a political and personal level,” as he de- nounced her slaying. Politico named Caruana Galizia as one of 28 Euro- peans who are “shaping, shaking and stirring” Eu- rope. She revealed that Mus- cat’s wife, Michelle, as well as Muscat’s energy minister and the government’s chief- of-staff, held companies in Panama by looking into the 2016 document leak. Muscat and his wife deny they held such companies. Opposition leader Adrian Delia called the killing a “political murder.” Caruana Galizia had been sued for libel because of various articles she wrote on her blog “Running Commentary,” and she had filed a report with the po- lice two weeks ago that she was receiving threats. Monday evening’s Parlia- ment session was scrapped, except for briefings about the bombing scheduled to be given by Muscat and Delia, the opposition leader. In June, Muscat was sworn in for a second term as prime minister following snap elections he had called to reinforce his government as the Panama Papers’ leak indicated his wife owned an offshore company. The couple denies wrongdoing. The leak exposed the identities of the rich and powerful around the world with offshore hold- ings in Panama. Storm Ophelia claimed its first victims in Ire- land, as three people died amid some of the worst weather conditions to hit the country in 50 years. A woman in her 70s was killed after a tree fell on her car in Waterford in the south- east of the country, state broadcaster RTE said. A man in his 30s died while clearing a fallen tree in Tipperary, while a second man died in Louth, north-east of Dublin, according to the broadcaster. Met Eireann, the nation’s weather service, extended its most severe warning nation- wide for the first time ever, with Ophelia bringing winds in excess of 50 miles per hour to parts of western Ireland. Some of the strongest gusts were predicted to rise above 90 miles an hour before the storm cleared Monday night. Banks closed branches, dealing rooms limited trading and airlines can- celed flights, as the storm slammed the south of the country from about 10 a.m. About 350,000 homes and business lost power, RTE re- ported, with that figure ex- pected to rise. Schools will stay closed on Tuesday. “Ophelia is a very dan- gerous storm,” Ireland’s Prime Minister Leo Varadkar told reporters in Dublin on Monday. “The last time we had a storm this severe, 11 lives were lost.” Ophelia brought gale- force winds to southern Ire- land by early Monday, with hurricane-force winds due Monday afternoon. Schools remain closed, bus services were suspended and coastal areas were preparing for flooding. The Irish Stock Ex- change closed its office, though trading continued as normal, while the Irish central bank told staff to work from home. “This is a national red alert, it applies to all cities, all counties, and all areas,” Varadkar said. “Even after the storm has passed there will still be dangers. There will be trees on the ground, there will power lines down.” Royal Bank of Scotland Group decided not to open its Ulster Bank branches. Per- manent TSB Group Holdings closed its offices, while some 160 flights have been can- celed at Dublin airport. A dangerous storm surge and significant coastal flooding are expected in the areas where the storm makes landfall, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. In an- other precaution, Monday night’s soccer game between Cork City and Derry, which has the potential to be a title decider, was postponed and court hearings were de- ferred. Hospitals canceled appointments and many stores closed. Ophelia could become the strongest post-tropical system to rake Ireland since Hurricane Debbie in 1961, which killed 18 people. Using a prior forecast track, Chuck Watson, a disaster mod- eler at Enki Research in Sa- vannah, Georgia, said dam- ages from Ophelia in Ireland could reach $800 million and $300 million in the U.K. Ophelia could damage the Trump family’s golf resort near the village of Doonbeg in County Clare. The resort, which has said it can lose as much as 10 meters of land to coastal erosion during a bad storm, is along the route that was expected to be hit by Ophe- lia’s gale force winds. The U.K. Met Office issued amber warnings for winds for Northern Ireland, with a less-severe advisory for parts of Scotland, northeast Eng- land and Wales. Ophelia may also bring re- cord wind power generation. Peak U.K. wind generation was forecast at 9,129 mega- watts on Monday, beating the previous record of 8,905 megawatts on Oct. 1. © 2017, Bloomberg CAYMAN COMPASS • TUESDAY OCTOBER 17, 2017 Ophelia kills 3 in Ireland’s worst weather in decades A man takes a selfie in the high wind at Lahinch on the west coast of Ireland Monday, as the remnants of Hurricane Ophelia hit the country. – PHOTO: AP California fire victims return home as crews gain ground SANTA ROSA, Calif. (AP) – With the winds dying down, fire crews gained ground as they battled wildfires that have devastated California wine country and other parts of the state over the past week, and thousands of people got the all-clear to return home. While the danger from the deadliest, most destruc- tive cluster of blazes in Cal- ifornia history was far from over, the smoky skies started to clear in some places. People were being allowed to go back to homes in areas no longer in harm’s way, and the number of those under evac- uation orders was down to 75,000 from nearly 100,000 the day before. Many began to take the first steps toward re- building their lives. “This is my home I’m going to come back without ques- tion,” said Howard Lasker, 56, who returned Sunday with his daughter to view their torched house in Santa Rosa. “I have to rebuild. I want to rebuild.” Although the weather was still hot and dry Monday, calmer winds and the pos- sibility of rain later in the week should help crews tamp down fires, said Scott Rowe, a meteorologist with the Na- tional Weather Service. He predicted a quarter-inch (0.6 centimeters) would fall in Sonoma and Napa counties late Thursday. “Any sort of moisture is welcome at this point,” he said. “In terms of fire, the weather outlook is looking to be improving.” The blazes were blamed for at least 40 deaths and de- stroyed some 5,700 homes and other structures. The death toll could climb as searchers dig through the ruins for people listed as missing. Hundreds were un- accounted for, though author- ities said many of them are probably safe but have not let anyone know. In hard-hit Sonoma County, Sheriff Rob Gior- dano said authorities have lo- cated 1,560 of the more than 1,700 once listed as missing. Many of those names were put on the list after people called from out of state to say they could not reach a friend or relative. Authorities said they will not let people return home until it is safe and utili- ties are restored. Pacific Gas and Electric Company said it expects to restore power and gas to the area by late Monday. Many evacuees grew in- creasingly impatient to go home – or at least find out whether their homes were spared. Others were reluctant to go back or to look for an- other place to live. Nearly 11,000 firefighters were still battling 15 fires burning across a 100-mile swath of the state. In the wooded mountains east of Santa Rosa, where a mandatory evacuation re- mained in place, a large plume of white smoke rose high in the sky as firefighters tried to prevent the fire from burning into a retirement community and advancing onto the floor of Sonoma Valley, known for its wineries. Houses that had ben- efited from repeated heli- copter water drops were still standing as smoke blew across surrounding ridges. Those who were allowed back into gutted neighbor- hoods returned to assess the damage and, perhaps, see if anything was salvageable. Benjamin Lasker, 16, pauses while looking at what remains of his home after a wildfire swept through Sunday in Santa Rosa, California, as thousands of people got the all-clear to return home. – PHOTO: AP BOMB KILLS REPORTER WHO COVERED MALTA’S ‘PANAMA PAPERS’ LINK She revealed that Muscat’s wife, Michelle, as well as Muscat’s energy minister and the government’s chief-of-staff, held companies in Panama. Daphne Caruana GaliziaNext >