ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – MONDAY NOVEMBER 26, 2018 High of 87 Low of 77 Slight with wave heights of 1 to 3 feet. EDITORIAL | PAGE 4 A NiCE WAY TO KICK OFF THE HOLIDAY SEASON LOCAL | PAGE 3 MINISTER: NO MORE FUNDS FOR GM MOSQUITO PROGRAM 6 CAYMAN AIRWAYS NEW FLEET Planes could add $10M to annual costs JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Government is likely to have to inject sig- nificantly more cash into Cayman Airways to help fund the cost of its new fleet of aircraft at a time when the airline is suffering from falling revenues, legislators heard Thursday. Government and airline chiefs declined to reveal the exact cost of leasing the four new state-of-the-art 737 Max 8 aircraft, the first of which arrives on island next week. But they defended the expenditure saying the airline’s current fleet of older planes was reaching the end of its useful life and had to be replaced. They also expect the new aircraft to lead to savings in fuel and maintenance costs that will partially offset some of the rental cost. Cayman Airways initially calculated it would need to increase revenues by 5 percent – around $4 million – to cover the costs asso- ciated with fleet replacement. But various fac- tors, including the opening up of Cuba to di- rect flights from the U.S., mean the airline’s income has actually gone down in 2018. Cayman Airways is projected to lose $4.5 million in 2018 over and above the $33 million government budgeted to help fund tourism and domestic routes and to pay off historic debts. Questioned over the cost impli- cations of the new fleet during a Finance Com- mittee hearing Thursday night, Cayman Air- ways CEO Fabian Whorms and Tourism Minister Moses Kirkconnell declined to give precise de- tails of the lease agreement, citing reasons of commercial sensitivity. Mr. Whorms said the base rental costs would be less than the $205,000 per month the airline currently pays for a 15-year-old Boeing 737-800 aircraft that it has on temporary EU SEALS BREXIT DEAL; MAY FACES HARD SELL AT HOME BRUSSELS (AP) – After months of hesitation, stop-and-start negotiations and resignations, Britain and the European Union on Sunday fi- nally sealed an agreement governing the U.K.’s departure from the bloc next year. So much for the easy part. British Prime Minister Theresa May must now sell the deal to her divided Parliament – a huge task considering the intense opposition from pro-Brexit and pro-EU lawmakers alike – to ensure Britain can leave with a minimum of upheaval on March 29. It’s a hard sell. The agreement leaves Britain outside the EU with no say but still subject to its rules and the obligations of membership at least until the end of 2020, ARTHUR HUNTER. PIONEER IN LAW AND FINANCE, PASSES ON Arthur Hunter, a pioneer in Cayman law and finance, has passed on at the age of 82. Mr. Hunter, the son of an at- torney, served for many years at the firm that bore their names, Hunter & Hunter, before the firm became part of Appleby Ltd. Mr. Hunter died suddenly last week while at Health City Cayman Islands. In the early years, Mr. Hunter worked with a small group of vision- aries – attorneys and government of- ficials – who are widely credited with establishing Cayman as an offshore fi- nancial center. Funeral arrangements have not been announced. A more complete obituary will appear later this week in the Cayman Compass. Police, bikers join forces for Ride Out Cayman JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com A group of bikers again took over the roads of Grand Cayman for a few hours on Sunday. This time, in- stead of chasing them around the island, police officers were leading the convoy. While past rallies have been marred by controversy, there was a sense of camaraderie and coopera- tion between police and riders that gathered at Brown’s Esso for the start of the “Ride Out Cayman” event. “It is going pretty good so far,” said one of the event organizers Brevon Scott as he surveyed the crowd of bikes starting to assemble around midday. “Everybody is following the rules. We don’t have any of the il- legal bikes here. It is good to be here with all the bikers and the po- lice and everybody is getting along, instead of having to be worrying about riding past the police and them trying to stop it.” During last year’s event mul- tiple rogue riders took to the streets, many of them on illegal or un- licensed bikes, pulling wheelies, speeding and riding recklessly around the island. Some even sped through a police roadblock. This PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 5 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 6 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 6 » Constable Matthew Thomas was one of the police riders leading the rally. A convoy of bikers pulls out of Brown’s Esso in Industrial Park Sunday afternoon for the Ride Out Cayman event. – PHOTOS: TANEOS RAMSAY2 REGIONAL NEWS MONDAY NOVEMBER 26, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS • Matinees Daily (matinee price before 6pm) • Seniors $8.00, Mon-Fri Before 6pm • Additional charges apply per 3D/VIP tickets Cayman Cinema@cbcinema6cbcinema6 SATURDAY NIGHT: For your viewing pleasure, minors under the age of 18 will not be admitted to any film starting after 6pm, unless accompanied by their parent. - MONDAY - 640-FILM (640-3456) ROBIN HOOD (PG13) 12:45 VIP I 4:20 I 7:00 VIP I 10:00 CREED II (PG13) 1:00 I 4:00 VIP I 7:05 I 9:40 VIP BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY (PG13) 12:30 I 3:30 I 6:30 THE GRINCH (PG) 12:15 I 9:30 RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET (PG) 1:00 I 4:10 3D I 7:10 3D I 9:45 FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD (PG13) 12:50 3D I 3:35 I 6:45 I 9:45 WIDOWS (R) 7:00 I 9:50 6 KILLED FOLLOWING ARGUMENT AT HAITI- DOMINICAN BORDER PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) – Six people were killed Saturday at the border be- tween Haiti and the Domin- ican Republic after an ar- gument, authorities said. Haitian police inspector Harry Deny told The Asso- ciated Press that the four custom officers and two civilians died in the town of Malpasse. He said the incident began when one officer shot a person who tried to cross the border with mer- chandise without stopping. A group of people then re- taliated against the officers and burned them to death as they took refuge at a po- lice station. No further details were available. The killings come as Haiti faces a seventh day of protests that have shut- tered schools and govern- ment offices. Demonstrators are de- manding that President Jo- venel Moise resign for not investigating allegations of corruption in the previous government over Petroca- ribe, a Venezuelan subsi- dized energy program. Moise said in a brief televised address earlier in the week that people have the right to protest but that he is not stepping down. “The Haitian people have elected me as presi- dent in free and fair elec- tions,” he said. Cuban doctors land in Havana after program ends with Brazil HAVANA (AP) – A first group of Cuban doctors who treated impoverished patients in Brazil returned to Havana on Friday as both countries end a program that saw thou- sands of doctors dispatched to underserved areas. Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel greeted 211 doc- tors who had worked in the South American country in exchange for hundreds of millions in badly needed hard currency given to the government. They were among the more than 8,000 doctors that Cuba has recalled after re- jecting conditions imposed by far-right Brazilian President- elect Jair Bolsonaro, who stipulated that doctors would need to directly receive their salaries from Brazil and be allowed to bring their fami- lies with them during their assignments, in addition to other conditions. The Cuban government generally keeps most of the salaries of state employees working abroad as part of the socialist state’s “interna- tional missions.” One of the doctors who returned from tending to pa- tients along the Brazilian-Ar- gentine border was 33-year- old Anisley de Arguelles. “It’s hard. I’m returning to my house and my homeland, but my heart is tight be- cause I already had a connec- tion with those people,” she told The Associated Press as she stood next to the Cuban president. “We were doing very beautiful work that unfortunately will remain incomplete.” Some 40 flights are ex- pected to bring back the Cuban doctors in upcoming days. Overall, roughly 20,000 doctors tended to nearly 113 million patients as part of the “Mas Medicos,” or “More Doctors,” program that began five years ago under leftist Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff. Cuba announced last week that it was canceling the program overseen by the Pan American Health Organization. Cuba still has similar mis- sions in 67 other countries, but “Mas Medicos” in Brazil was considered one of the largest and most important, linking the cash-strapped is- land wit South America’s largest economy. The end of the program signals a deterioration in re- lations between both coun- tries and comes at a bad time for communist Cuba, which is facing its third year of slow growth. Productivity is low in nearly every government in- dustry on the island, tourism has slowed under the Trump administration and key ally Venezuela has cut back on subsidized oil and other aid. Bolsonaro is offering asylum to Cuban doctors wishing to stay in Brazil and has called their work “slave labor.” He has also ques- tioned their professional backgrounds. Those comments riled 32-year-old doctor Aliuska Rodriguez, who worked in the Brazilian town of Minas Gerais for two years but re- turned to Cuba on Friday. “I don’t consider myself a slave,” she said. “We signed a contract before leaving.” All Cuban doctors work for the state and virtually all receive salaries that are well below $100 a month, in addi- tion to food and service sub- sidies. Practicing doctors and doctors with particular spe- cialties are not allowed to leave Cuba without govern- ment permission, a control that was lifted for other Cu- bans five years ago. Participants in the pro- gram are also limited from bringing relatives with them, which critics say is designed to prevent doctors from emigrating. Many doctors hugged each other when they ar- rived in Havana on Friday and sang the national hymn as they were greeted by offi- cials including Bruno Rodri- guez, the minister of foreign affairs, and Jose Angel Portal, the health minister. “Cuban doctors have al- ways been on the side of duty, even under the most complicated of circum- stances,” Portal said as he greeted them. Cuba’s president said the doctors were performing a humanitarian duty that could not be compensated with all the money in the world. “The response we have given [Bolsonaro] is a worthy one, a courageous one that upholds the principles of the Cuban revolution,” Diaz-Canel told doctors as they arrived. “It was impossible for a government with a huge neo- liberal arrogance to under- stand that people like you go to a country to offer health services, to truly be doctors out of duty.” Spain’s Prime Minister visits Cuba, uses hotel banned to US visitors HAVANA (AP) – A Spanish prime minister visited Cuba for the first time in three de- cades on Thursday, a his- toric trip that suggests a warming of relations be- tween Cuba and the former colonial power. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez was scheduled to meet with Cuban officials and intellectuals during the two-day trip. He also was scheduled to host business meetings in a hotel that the Trump administration re- cently put on a list of places banned to U.S. visitors. He was not expected to meet with dissidents. Spanish-Cuban relations have seen years of ups and downs, reaching their lowest points when Madrid con- ditioned its ties and coop- eration on a more open po- litical model. Accompanying Sanchez was Josep Borrell, Spain’s ex- ternal affairs minister, and Reyes Maroto, minister of industry, trade and tourism, along with nearly two dozen businesspeople. It’s been 32 years since a Spanish leader last vis- ited the island, even though Spain is one of Cuba’s most important commercial part- ners. The previous visit was made by socialist Fe- lipe Gonzalez, who served as prime minister from 1982 to 1996. Another former prime minister, Jose Maria Aznar, visited in the late 1990s, but for an international summit, and his administra- tion was known for being a harsh critic of Cuba. Sanchez was scheduled to meet Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel and sign several agreements. On Friday, he was to host a meeting between Cuban and Spanish businesspeople at the recently opened Grand Packard Hotel, which is man- aged by Spanish company Iberostar and considered Cu- ba’s most luxurious hotel. Last week, the administra- tion of U.S. President Donald Trump included the hotel on a list of places that U.S. citi- zens are banned from vis- iting as part of ongoing sanc- tions that Washington has placed on Cuba. It’s been 32 years since a Spanish leader last visited the island, even though Spain is one of Cuba’s most important commercial partners. Cuban doctors wait to fly home at the airport in Brasilia, Brazil, Thursday, after being recalled by the Cuban government. – PHOTO: AP EL SALVADOR ARRESTS 4 IN BLACK WIDOW KILLINGS SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP) – Authorities in El Sal- vador say they have ar- rested four more people al- legedly tied to the “black widow” killing scheme in which a gang arranged marriages, killed the hus- bands and then made their wives collect life insur- ance policies. Seven people were al- ready in custody. Police said Friday the new ar- rests include a doctor and a lawyer who were part of the Mara Salvatrucha crim- inal structure. The women involved were allegedly forced into the marriages with men who believed they were marrying United States citi- zens who would help them get to the U.S. The men were told the insurance policies were a requirement. The marriages gener- ally lasted a month and then the men were killed. The widows were forced to claim the bodies and then collect on the policies.3 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • MONDAY NOVEMBER 26, 2018 Minister: No more funds for GM mosquito program JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Cayman’s genetically modified mosquito project has not worked as effectively as government hoped and will be abandoned, Health Minister Dwayne Seymour said Thursday. He told legislators that there were no plans for any further investment in the technology, pioneered by British biotech firm Oxitec, which had partnered with Cayman’s Mosquito Research and Control Unit over the past few years. Mr. Seymour said, “Their tenure comes to an end Dec. 31 and that will be, I think, the final time you will hear about Oxitec, at least being paid by the government. “I have always had my concerns about the method, although I always want to try new methods and be a trailblazer too. It needs to work and it wasn’t getting the results we thought we could get.” Mr. Seymour’s statement during a Finance Committee hearing Thursday was far more definitive than any ear- lier public statements on the future of the program. Oxitec and MRCU released a joint statement earlier this month indicating that they were winding down this year’s trial deployment, but both parties insisted they were open to future collaboration. Asked for comment Sat- urday, Oxitec said in a state- ment that it was still dis- cussing the details of future partnership with the MRCU and refuted suggestions that the technology had not worked. Oxitec breeds male mos- quitoes with a genetic mod- ification that ensures their offspring die before reaching adulthood. The technique in- volves releasing millions of them into the wild so that, through weight of numbers, they will out-compete the resident males for mates and the population will collapse. The latest trial deploy- ment, held in West Bay this year, was designed to test how they could be used alongside more traditional methods to control the popu- lation of Aedes aegypti mos- quitoes, which can carry and spread diseases like dengue and Zika. Oxitec said in a statement Saturday, “The results of this research collaboration are currently being analyzed by scientists on the program’s joint MRCU-Oxitec steering committee. While the steering committee has yet to finalize its evaluation of the data, the early indications are that the joint intervention achieved positive suppression results. “This project was not de- signed to be an intervention, but rather a scientific eval- uation of a new, integrated approach to combat Aedes aegypti using a scientific pro- tocol that was jointly devel- oped by MRCU and Oxitec.” According to the state- ment, “both parties remain jointly committed to evalu- ating how best to integrate traditional vector control and Friendly Mosquitoes using scientific rigor.” During Thursday’s de- bate, legislators expressed concern about public funds being spent on the project, which they claimed was not working. Mr. Seymour said he had never been comfortable with the method. Other legislators applauded the decision to terminate the program. Anthony Eden, an inde- pendent legislator for Bodden Town, said, “I’m glad to hear the minister is intending to take this action … It is not effective. In the district of West Bay, it was a 105 per- cent failure feeding these foreign mosquitoes to our Caymanians.” Chris Saunders, ques- tioned how much money had been spent on the project over the last several years. He said, “Can the minister give this committee the un- dertaking to go look and see the money we have spent on this program? We can’t be spending money like this, it fails, and we walk away without learning from it.” The Cayman Compass un- derstands the $588,000 in- vested in this year’s trial is the only direct financial con- tribution government has made to the project. Previous test deployments have been funded by Oxitec, though they have involved the use of some government resources. In 2017, then MRCU di- rector Bill Petrie hailed the success of the technology and government was on the brink of signing an $8 mil- lion agreement to use the GM mosquitoes across the Cayman Islands. But that plan was aborted at the last minute in late 2017 amid budget cuts and concerns from MRCU scientists that the results claimed by Oxitec may have been overstated. LA adjourns with 17bills passed JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com The latest session of the Legislative Assembly closed Thursday night, with poli- ticians having passed some 17 bills in six days. The house went into Committee Stage Thursday to complete the process of passing the bills debated earlier in the week into law. New legislation in- cludes laws to integrate the work permit process into a new employment agency, a merger of Customs and Immigration into a border control force and amend- ments to stamp duty tax exemptions for Caymanian, first-time home owners. Legislation to deal with stalkers was also passed along with tweaks to the Prisons and Evidence Laws. New bills were also de- bated and passed on sub- jects as diverse as the Cayman Islands Cadet Corps, the naming and numbering of roads and the validity of wills when someone dies overseas. Opposition legislator Chris Saunders also had a private member’s motion accepted on international adoption. Mr. Saunders asked government to nego- tiate with the U.K. for the Hague Convention on the Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Inter-country Adoption to be extended to Cayman. He said this would en- able Cayman families who could not have chil- dren and were unable to adopt locally to adopt from overseas. The house is expected to return in December for a brief and final session of the year. KAABOO announces daily schedule KAABOO Cayman has announced a more de- tailed lineup for the fes- tival on Feb. 15-16. A day- by-day list of performers is now available, in time for a Monday sale on single-day tickets for the event. The Chainsmokers headline Friday’s mu- sical acts. The gates open at 1 p.m. that day. Also on the bill are Bryan Adams, Counting Crows, Flo Rida and comedian David Spade. Saturday, the event be- gins at noon. Duran Duran headlines a list that in- cludes Zedd, Jason De- rulo, Blondie and comedian Wanda Sykes. More information is available at www.kaaboocayman.com. NiCE jobs, if you can get them Hundreds of Caymanian applicants showed up for the annual year-end National Community Enhancement (NiCE) project at the Lions Centre on Monday, Nov. 19. Those chosen for the program will be hired on to help beautify areas of the island from Monday to Dec. 14. – PHOTO: ALVARO SEREY Genetically modified mosquitoes developed by Oxitec are released in Grand Cayman in 2016. – PHOTO: TANEOS RAMSAY Food truck robbed by armed men Two masked men bran- dishing a firearm robbed a food truck on Red Bay’s Selkirk Drive Friday night, police reported. Two Al La Kebab em- ployees were approached and assaulted by the men, who were dressed in black, according to the Royal Cayman Islands Po- lice Service. One employee was struck by the firearm. The masked men then made off with a quantity of cash. Police believe the cul- prits escaped the scene in a vehicle. Uniform and firearm offi- cers responded to the scene and the employees were treated for minor injuries. Police believe at least two witnesses, thought to be customers, were at the scene. RCIPS is requesting any witnesses come forward with information, by calling detectives at 936-0759 or sending a tip online via www.rcips.ky/ submit-a-tip. Anonymous tips may be submitted to Crime Stoppers at 800-8477(TIPS). New bills were also debated and passed on subjects as diverse as the Cayman Islands Cadet Corps, the naming and numbering of roads and the validity of wills when someone dies overseas.The islands’ most-trusted news source 4 – EDITORIAL – Opinion&Letters The Cayman Compass welcomes comments, opinions and viewpoints from readers. Letters to the editor can be emailed to editor@pinnaclemedialtd.com, submitted via www.caymancompass.com, sent by post or hand-delivered to the Compass office. PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY: Caymanian Compass Limited (a subsidiary of Pinnacle Media Ltd) Compass Centre Shedden Road, George Town SEND US YOUR VIEWS OR NEWS: P.O. Box 1365 Grand Cayman KY1-1108, Cayman Islands Telephone: (345) 815-0095 Email: newsdesk@pinnaclemedialtd.com ADVERTISE WITH US: Telephone: (345) 949-5111 Email: sales@pinnaclemedialtd.com Website: www.caymancompass.com PUBLISHERS DAVID R. LEGGE AND VICKI L. LEGGE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF DAVID R. LEGGE EXECUTIVE EDITOR PATRICK BRENDEL A MEMBER OF THE INTER-AMERICAN PRESS ASSOCIATION “Give light and the people will findtheirownway” “Well, don’t stand there staring. Best foot forward. Spit spot!” “Spit spot! And off we go.” “Come along, children. Spit spot!” “Hurry up, please. Spit spot!” — From the 1964 Disney movie “Mary Poppins” Fifty four years after actress Julie Andrews uttered the now-enduring words “spit spot,” the movie is being reprised and will open in theaters on December 19, just in time for the holidays. Likewise, just in time for the holidays, beginning at 9 o’clock this morning, Cayman will embark on a most worthwhile effort, cleaning up our island for our visitors and residents who deserve not just pristine sand and seas but, indeed, pristine highways and byways as well. Spit spot. That’s the spirit. Cayman’s cleanup program, of course, is called NiCE, and after some initial basic safety work skills and conduct training, our pickup patrols will fan out to spruce up roadsides, parks, playgrounds, vacant lots and beaches; to fix and repair; to tidy gardens and give our islands a bit of holiday sparkle. As we have written, we are staunch supporters of the NiCE program, which provides temporary employ- ment for Caymanians who struggle to find perma- nent jobs. The fact is that in any nation, there will be some people who lack the skills, aptitude or interest in full-time, permanent work. Government has devised a handful of opportunities, including NiCE, green iguana culling, beach vending and various retail markets to enable unemployed Cay- manians to earn a bit of cash by working temporary or part-time jobs, rather than career-path employment. In the NiCE program, contracted workers earn $10 per hour, foremen $12, and work from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. each weekday for one, two or three weeks. Only unemployed adult Caymanians and their spouses are eligible. In our experience, the crews have done a fine job clearing out litter, trash and freshening up Grand Cayman’s public spaces. They have every right to be proud of the job they do, and the service they perform for our community. We believe that, given the opportunity, most able-bodied people would prefer the dignity of work over the tyranny, if not the ignominy, of welfare dependence. NiCE offers that opportunity in small increments while beautifying our island in time for our busiest tourism season. The initiative is led by the Ministry of Commerce, Planning and Infrastructure and delivered through the Public Works Department, the National Roads Authority and the Department of Environmental Health. A similar project in the Sister Islands is super- vised by District Administration. It is an all-too-rare example of a government program that actually runs relatively efficiently, is effective and directly helps people who it is designed to help. In fact, our one quarrel with the program is that it is not a permanent fixture, one that exists year-round. As we have suggested, our small island could easily support an ongoing “Cleanup Corps.” As tourist arrivals approach the 2 million mark, there is plenty of picking up to do after our islands’ guests. Giving more unemployed Caymanians the opportunity to earn directly and proportionately decreases the funding needs for social services. As you drive by, give these workers a friendly toot of your horn and a holiday wave. Let them know you appreciate their efforts. We certainly do. A NiCE way to kick off the holiday season MONDAY NOVEMBER 26, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Well-planned development is welcome in Barkers As a family we have lived in the Barkers area (not the beach) for almost 50 years and I have always been amazed that the second best beach on Grand Cayman has gone undeveloped. Getting to Barkers beach used to be quite an excursion as it was little more than a dirt track used mostly by West Bay fishermen. It was a wonderful, peaceful area and I used to ride my horse there. I do believe, however, that one horse creates a lot more sand movement than 100 hu- mans. Nowadays, the main activity on the beach seems to be horse riding. Then came the period of the sand stealers who dug out huge areas of other peo- ple’s land, sometimes to a depth of 10 to 12 feet. To gain access for their illegal activi- ties, they made the track ac- cessible for their trucks and mechanical diggers. As the area become more accessible by car, the illegal dumpers started to dump their gar- bage along the roadside. Then the Mosquito Research and Control Unit cut a se- ries of canals throughout the area as part of the mosquito control program and this was like a gift from heaven, with all of these new ca- nals just waiting to be filled with garbage. Then government started to build a new road set back from the beach, with the hope of creating some devel- opment. It is still there, going from nowhere to nowhere. The area also became a haven for illegal activity and wild dogs. At one point, the police used to lock off the area at dusk but that seems to have been stopped. Development of the area is not wrong if it is done properly. Where would Cayman be today without development? Part of Barkers beach is designated as a public park and should remain so. The beach that forms part of the park should be available for all to use without having to step around the garbage and other debris strewn around. That, of course, is where Dart’s money may be needed! The remainder of Barkers beach could be developed, which would mean utilities being extended throughout. Proper lighting and bath- room facilities would be a great addition to the park. Also, having people living in the area should deter some garbage dumping, as one will notice that it all occurs be- yond Pappagallo. I would hope that the 1,000 odd petitioners in favor of leaving the Barkers area undeveloped will orga- nize themselves into a clean- up party and go to the area once a month to remove the garbage that is regularly dumped there. Neil Cruickshank Thoughts about school uniforms I am writing again about the footwear issue at the West Bay Primary School. The shoelace issue is still not solved and there is another issue I would like to address and that is girls not being able to wear earrings. I suggest the girls wear black dress shoes with a strap and that they all be alike; the boys should also wear dress shoes, all alike. On PE days, I recommend that all children wear sneakers with Velcro, not shoe laces, and they not play PE in their dress shoes. Why the Ministry does not want girls to wear their small, flat gold or silver ear- rings I do not understand, or is it just Year 1? To be taking out and putting in earrings every day is unnecessary. If the girls have their ears pierced, why can they not wear small, flat/knob silver or gold earrings? I can remember girls were allowed to wear small gold knob earrings when I was in school back in ‘69. All those years and now a sudden change. Now why the big change in 2018? This has affected many parents. Girls should be al- lowed to wear earrings that are at least selected by the Ministry. I pray that the Ministry will look into these impor- tant matters and make the necessary changes ASAP. Perhaps a staff member from the ministry can visit the school to see how our students look with the present footwear, compare the ones with the loose shoelaces and the dress shoes as I am suggesting and find out why the big change in the wearing of earrings for the girls. Hopefully, the requested changes will be made in the near future. It will be so good to see our children dressed in full uniform and without un- tidy footwear. Dora A.E. Ebanks (Ms.) Proper lighting and bathroom facilities would be a great addition to the park. Also, having people living in the area should deter some garbage dumping …The islands’ most-trusted news source 5 CAYMAN COMPASS • MONDAY NOVEMBER 26, 2018 possibly longer. Britons voted to leave in June 2016, largely over concerns about immi- gration and losing sover- eignty to Brussels. EU leaders were quick to warn that no better offer is available. “I am totally convinced this is the only deal possible,” European Commission Pres- ident Jean-Claude Juncker said. “Those who think that by rejecting the deal that they would have a better deal will be disappointed the first sec- onds after the rejection.” For once, May was in com- plete agreement. “This is the deal that is on the table,” she said. “It is the best possible deal. It is the only deal.” Acknowledging the vast political and economic conse- quences of Brexit, May prom- ised lawmakers their say be- fore Christmas and said that it “will be one of the most sig- nificant votes that Parliament has held for many years.” She argued that Par- liament has a duty “to de- liver Brexit” as voters have demanded. “The British people don’t want to spend any more time arguing about Brexit,” she said. “They want a good deal done that fulfils the vote and allows us to come together again as a country.” Not all agree. Main op- position Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn called the deal “the result of a miser- able failure of negotiation that leaves us with the worst of all worlds,” and said his party would oppose it. Scot- tish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, whose Scottish National Party is the third- largest in Parliament, said lawmakers “should reject it and back a better alternative.” Pro-Brexit former Con- servative leader Iain Duncan Smith said May should in- sist on new terms because the deal “has ceded too much control” to Brussels. On the EU side, the last big obstacle to a deal with Britain was overcome Sat- urday when Spain lifted its objections over the disputed British territory of Gibraltar. So it took EU leaders only a matter of minutes at Sun- day’s summit in Brussels to endorse the withdrawal agreement that settles Brit- ain’s divorce bill, protects the rights of U.K. and EU citizens hit by Brexit and keeps the Irish border open. They also backed a 26-page document laying out their aims for rela- tions after Brexit. Still, the event was tinged with sadness on the Euro- pean side at Britain’s depar- ture, the first time a country will leave the 28-nation bloc. German Chancellor An- gela Merkel said her feelings were “ambivalent, with sad- ness, but on the other hand, also some kind of relief that we made it to this point.” “I think we managed to make a diplomatic piece of art,” she said. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said the deal – the product of a year and a half of often- grueling nego- tiations – was regrettable but acceptable. “I believe that nobody is winning. We are all losing because of the U.K. leaving,” Rutte said. “But given that context, this is a balanced outcome with no political winners.” May said she was not sad, because Britain and the EU would remain “friends and neighbors.” “I recognize some Eu- ropean leaders are sad at this moment, but also some people back at home in the U.K. will be sad at this mo- ment,” she told reporters, but insisted that she was “full of optimism” about Brit- ain’s future. The European Parlia- ment, meanwhile, will be in full campaign mode a few months ahead of the EU elec- tions when Europe’s law- makers sit to endorse the agreement, probably in Feb- ruary, but perhaps as late as March, according to the assembly’s president, An- tonio Tajani. Still, Tajani said a “large majority” of European parlia- mentarians support the deal. Many predict it will fail in the British Parliament. No one can be sure whether that would lead to the fall of the government, a new refer- endum, a postponement of Brexit or a chaotic “no deal” exit for Britain. But Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said he thought May’s chances of getting the agreement through Parlia- ment were strong. He said British law- makers would see that “the alternative is a no deal, cliff- edge Brexit, which is some- thing of course that we all want to avoid.” “Any other deal really only exists in people’s imagina- tions,” he added. EU seals Brexit deal; May faces hard sell at home Key points in the EU-UK Brexit agreement BRUSSELS (AP) – The Euro- pean Union has formally ap- proved a divorce agreement with Britain, the first country ever to leave the 28-nation bloc. The deal consists of a legally binding withdrawal agreement that runs more than 580 pages, and a 26- page political declaration on future relations. Some key points: Withdrawal agreement Transition period: Britain will leave the EU on March 29 but remain inside the bloc’s single market and be bound by its rules until the end of December 2020, while the two sides work out a new trade relationship. The tran- sition period can be extended for up to two years before July 1, 2020, if both parties decide more time is needed. Irish border: The deal commits the two sides to a “backstop” solution to guar- antee the border between EU member Ireland and the U.K.’s Northern Ireland re- mains free of customs posts or other obstacles. It keeps the U.K. in a customs ar- rangement with the EU, and will last until superseded by permanent new trade ar- rangements. Both sides say they hope to have a new deal in place by the end of 2020, so the backstop is never needed. Divorce bill: Britain agrees to pay about 39 bil- lion pounds (US$50 billion) to cover contributions to staff pensions and commit- ments to EU programs the U.K. made while a member for the funding period that runs to 2020. Citizens’ rights: EU cit- izens living in Britain, and Britons elsewhere in the bloc, will continue to have the rights to live and work. Political declaration The two sides commit to “an ambitious, broad, deep and flexible partnership across trade and economic cooperation, law enforcement and criminal justice, foreign policy, security and defense and wider areas of cooper- ation.” But many of the de- tails will only be worked out after Britain leaves the EU on March 29. Trade: Britain and the EU seek a “comprehensive” eco- nomic relationship, including a free-trade area. There will be common customs ar- rangements to provide tariff- free trade, and the two sides commit to “build and improve on” the temporary single cus- toms territory set out in the withdrawal agreement. The U.K. “will consider aligning with Union rules in relevant areas” to ensure a friction-free economic rela- tionship. But the document acknowledges that closeness will be limited by the EU’s need to protect the integrity of its single market, and by Britain’s desire for an inde- pendent trade policy. Irish border: Britain and the EU commit to replacing the “backstop” with a per- manent solution “that es- tablishes alternative ar- rangements for ensuring the absence of a hard border on the island of Ireland.” This could include as-yet undevel- oped technological solutions. Financial services: The two sides should explore whether they can declare the other’s regulatory regimes “equivalent” in order to fa- cilitate cross-border financial services. They should aim to conclude their assessments by the end of June 2020. Fishing: One of the most contentious issues – who has access to U.K. and EU territo- rial waters – is deferred. The declaration says only that the two sides should “establish a new fisheries agreement,” ideally by July 1, 2020. Security: The two sides will try to maintain law-en- forcement cooperation at the same level as now, “as far as is technically and legally possible.” There should be “timely exchanges of intel- ligence and sensitive infor- mation between the relevant Union bodies and the United Kingdom authorities.” Travel: Citizens of the U.K. and the EU will not need visas for short visits. The deal consists of a legally binding withdrawal agreement that runs more than 580 pages, and a 26-page political declaration on future relations. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, right, shakes hands with British Prime Minister Theresa May Saturday, prior to a meeting at EU headquarters in Brussels. – PHOTO: AP CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 From left, European Union chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and European Council President Donald Tusk make their way to a media conference at the conclusion of an EU summit in Brussels, Sunday. - PHOTO: APThe islands’ most-trusted news source 6 MONDAY NOVEMBER 26, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS lease right now. Cayman Airways currently owns the bulk of the planes in its fl eet. But those 737-300 jets are between 20 and 25 years old and are being removed from service. Mr. Whorms ac- knowledged that leasing brand- new aircraft, straight off the Boeing production line, would mean extra costs, but he said the airline had no choice but to renew its fl eet. Leader of the Opposition Ez- zard Miller questioned why the cost of the new planes could not be made public now that the negotiations have been con- cluded. He said a conservative estimate, based on the ball- park numbers quoted, was that the four new planes would ulti- mately add at least $10 million every year to the airline’s costs, before the additional “reserve costs” associated with aircraft upkeep were considered. He questioned the wisdom of spending that much money on new aircraft at a time when the airline’s revenues are declining. “Where is the revenue going to come from to service that lease?” Mr. Miller asked. Mr. Whorms said the airline had got a very good deal and was leasing the new aircraft at “virtually half price.” He said the planes would bring signif- icant savings in terms of fuel and would create new route op- portunities for the airline and the island. “It was the best op- tion we had,” he said. “There was no choice when it came to retiring the 300s. At 25 years old, they become so ex- pensive to maintain. “There is a cost in terms of the leases and those costs are higher than the depreciation rates on the aircraft we now own – obviously they are higher, so that is new additional costs and it is a cash cost versus de- preciation on the 300s.” He emphasized the new planes would mean a 20-per- cent saving on fuel burn, as well as signifi cantly less expen- diture on upkeep and less costs associated with delays. “Substantial savings come from newness. There are also savings from the reliability of the aircraft, which means when it is supposed to fl y, it will fl y and we won’t incur all of the expense that we have from with irregular operations, delayed fl ights and bad customer service,” he said. “There are tremendous benefi ts that offset the costs. Will it offset the costs completely? No. “Our business case did say we will have to grow our revenues by 5 percent, and that was a reasonable target. The situation is that rev- enue has been falling for a va- riety of reasons so the growth will have to be more.” Tourism Minister Moses Kirkconnell said the airline was contributing signifi cantly to the record tourism arrivals that Cayman has seen over the past few years. He said the new planes were necessary and would increase the options for opening new routes, in- cluding a direct fl ight to Denver starting next year. “The value of the airline to this country is multiplied by the number of people it brings to these islands,” he said. “We have the top performing tourism product in the re- gion and part of the reason for that is Cayman Airways. Sure, there are going to be times when it needs more money. That’s business.” time the police moved to head off any trouble in ad- vance by working with the legitimate biking commu- nity for a sanctioned event. Police Constable Daniel Devine, a motorcycle enthu- siast himself, was among three offi cers on bikes leading the convoy out of George Town. He said their job was to clear the road and keep the bikers and the public safe. “We try our best to work with the bikers and make sure it is an event that ev- eryone can enjoy,” he added. Police were out in force throughout the island, with several roadblocks set up along the route, while the helicopter hovered over the convoy. Commissioner Derek Byrne was moving from site to site, keeping tabs on the operation. In West Bay, the road connecting the Esterley Tibbetts Highway to Willie Farrington Drive was closed for the afternoon to allow bikers on dirt bikes and other non street-legal vehi- cles to perform stunts and be involved in the event. Mr. Scott said most bikers were happy to be involved in a police sanctioned event. He said, “It is meant to be a meet and greet. Meet new riders, see new people, have a relaxing and enjoyable ride.” Among the group were several new riders, in- cluding 25-year-old Leslie Anderson, who was at her fi rst motorcycle rally. “I have always really liked bikes since I was young and I fi nally had money to get lessons and started riding in January,” she said. “I think its great we have got a police escort. I guess it scares off the il- legal bikes giving the biker community a bad name.” Nelson Dilbert, owner of the Cayman Spirits Com- pany, joined the convoy on his Harley, along with his friend Ernest Ebanks. He said he saw a story about the event in the paper and decided to join in. Mr. Ebanks, who has been involved in previous events, said he thought the police presence had scared off some illegal riders but also attracted newer bikers. Speaking at the start of the event Sunday he said, “I saw last year it got kind of wild out there. With the po- lice presence I think that’s tamed it down. Its going to be a nice ride.” Cayman Airways new aircraft was being painted in the airline’s colors earlier this month. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 CAYMAN AIRWAYS NEW FLEET Planes could add $10M to annual costs Police, bikers join forces for Ride Out Cayman CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 FCO director makes rounds in Cayman The Foreign and Common- wealth Offi ce director for the overseas territories, Ben Mer- rick, visited Grand Cayman on Friday, for a full day of meetings with government and local offi cials. Mr. Merrick met with Premier Alden McLaughlin, members of the opposi- tion and community leaders, among others, according to the Cayman Islands government. “This was my fi rst visit to the Cayman Islands and I was pleased to have such a full programme for my short visit. It was a pleasure to meet with the Premier, Leader of the Opposition and the Cabinet and hear their thoughts on a number of topics,” he said in a state- ment issued by government. “The Cayman Islands con- tinues to set the standard across the Overseas Territo- ries on a range of issues and I am very grateful for people freeing up their time to meet with me today and share the latest developments.” He began the morning discussing issues such as constitutional change with Mr. McLaughlin over break- fast. He then met with Cab- inet and later with Opposi- tion leader Ezzard Miller. Hazard Management Di- rector Danielle Coleman and her team provided in- sight on disaster recovery. This discussion followed re- cent visits by Mr. Merrick to the British Virgin Islands and the Turks and Caicos Islands to review their re- covery from the 2017 hurri- cane season. Mr. Merrick also met with community leaders, including Ania Milanowska, executive director of the Cayman Is- lands Crisis Centre. “He congratulated Ms. Mi- lanowska on the start of the Kids Helpline and explained that he had worked as a vol- unteer for six years on the U.K.’s Childline,” the govern- ment press release said. Other meetings were held with Cayman Finance, Po- lice Commissioner Derek Byrne, Ombudsman Sandy Hermiston, Auditor General Sue Winspear and Head of Customs and Immigration Charles Clifford. The day ended with a tour of the RCIPS Air Operations Unit and a briefi ng on Cay- man’s forthcoming, new heli- copter, jointly funded by the FCO and local government. Border agency reveals new logo The Cayman Islands new Cus- toms and Border Control agency will have a fresh new look when it opens for business January. The unit, which merges cus- toms and elements of immigration into one entity, unveiled its offi cial logo last week. The branding will feature on uniforms, buildings, facilities and ports associated with the agency. “Our new branding is one of many steps we are taking as part of this transformation and ampli- fi es our role as border control offi - cers,” said Charles Clifford. “All of the elements that were established to create the new logo hold signifi cant meaning, and represent the past and future of border control. The visual icon rec- ognizes our country’s heritage and preserves the legacy of what were formerly Customs and the depart- ment of immigration. He said the logo – which fea- tures three gold stars on a gray and navy shield topped with a crown – contained elements of both organizations’ previous de- signs as well as a nod to Cay- man’s heritage. Mr. Clifford said the CBC’s focus going forward is to be a global leader in border law en- forcement and a trusted partner that helps build a safe, secure and prosperous Cayman Islands. “A lot of groundwork has taken place behind the scenes to get to this point, but there’s still work to be done. The establishment of the CBC will continue to evolve over the coming months. It’s a multi- phased process, but from the fi rst of January it will be business as usual. We will continue to pro- vide the public with updates as we move closer to the reality of an innovative, purpose-driven, single border-force.” Ben Merrick, left, meets with Cayman Finance CEO Jude Scott, Governor Martyn Roper and Cayman Finance Chair Conor O’Dea.The islands’ most-trusted news source 7 CAYMAN COMPASS • MONDAY NOVEMBER 26, 2018 Spaniards call to end violence against women Activists marched in more than 40 cities and towns in Spain Sunday to mark the UN’s International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. Spain is training more than 600 judges on gender violence and preparing to reform the country’s laws on sex crimes. Rain tamps down California fire but turns grim search soggy Impeaching Trump not on House Democrats’ to-do list for now WASHINGTON (AP) – Whatever happened to trying to impeach President Donald Trump? As House Democrats begin laying out the vision for their new majority, that item is noticeably missing from the to-do list and firmly on the margins. The agenda for now in- cludes spending on public works projects, lowering healthcare costs and in- creasing oversight of the administration. It’s the balance that Dem- ocratic leader Nancy Pelosi is trying to strike in the new Congress between those on her party’s left flank who are eager to confront the pres- ident, and her instinct to prioritize the kitchen-table promises that Democrats made to voters who elected them to office. “We shouldn’t impeach the president for political reasons and we shouldn’t not impeach the president for political reasons,” Pe- losi recently told The Asso- ciated Press. The California lawmaker, who hopes to lead Democrats as House speaker come Jan- uary, calls impeachment a “divisive activity” that needs to be approached with bipar- tisanship. “If the case is there, then that should be self-ev- ident to Democrats and Re- publicans,” she said. Those pressing for im- peachment acknowledge they do not expect action on Day One of the new majority, but they do want to see Demo- crats start laying the ground- work for proceedings. “We’re for impeachment. We’re not for get-sworn-in- on-Jan.-1-and-start-taking- votes,” said Kevin Mack, the lead strategist for billion- aire Tom Steyer’s Need to Impeach campaign. “Our ar- gument is the Constitution outlines a process to remove a lawless president.” In a new ad, Steyer says Democrats “just need the will” to act. He says he’s calling on Americans to join the 6 mil- lion who have already signed on to his group to “give Con- gress the courage to act.” “The American people are tired of being told to wait,” Mack said. “Our argument to Congress is you are a co- equal branch of government. It’s time to do what is mor- ally correct.” Twice over the past two years since Trump was elected, Democrats have tried to force votes on impeach- ment proceedings, winning a high-water mark of more than 60 supporters, far from the 218 needed. Republicans are counting on, and possibly even hoping for, impeachment fervor to overtake Democrats, leading them astray from campaign promises or dealmaking with Trump. “We know the Democrats have a plan: They want to disrupt, they want to try to impeach,” said Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy of Cal- ifornia after winning the GOP’s internal election to serve as minority leader in the new Congress. Pelosi has made it clear the new majority will not en- gage in what she calls a “scat- tershot” approach to investi- gating the administration. Instead, the incoming Democratic leaders of House committees will conduct oversight of the president’s business and White House dealings. Democrats are also trying to ensure special counsel Robert Mueller com- pletes his investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election. They may try to add legislation to protect that probe to the must-pass spending bill in December to help fund the government. They want Mueller’s findings made public. “You have to be very reluc- tant to do an impeachment,” Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., the incoming chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, said recently on ABC. Nadler, who served on the committee during President Bill Clin- ton’s impeachment, cited “the trauma of an impeach- ment process.” Democratic leaders also know that moving quickly on impeachment would not sit well with their newly elected members, who helped the party win a House majority in the recent midterms. Many come from swing districts where impeachment could prove unpopular. “I didn’t work 18 months listening to people in my dis- trict to get involved in a po- litical back and forth for the next 18 months,” said Rep.- elect Elissa Slotkin of Mich- igan. “People want to talk about healthcare. It’s not a coincidence that most of us who won in tough districts, we won because we talked about issues, not because we talked about internal Wash- ington stuff.” For now, outside liberal groups are largely standing by Pelosi’s approach, putting their emphasis on pushing Democrats to chart a bold agenda on the domestic pock- etbook concerns that won over voters. Pelosi has some expe- rience with impeachment, serving as a newer law- maker when Republicans led impeachment proceedings against Clinton. When she be- came House speaker in 2007 she resisted pressure from her liberal flank to launch impeachment proceedings against President George W. Bush over the Iraq War. Pelosi believes that if Democrats had tried to im- peach Bush when she was speaker, voters may never have elected Barack Obama as president in 2008. Politically, Democrats may be right. In 1974, Ameri- cans only came to agree that President Richard Nixon should be removed from of- fice on the eve of his resig- nation, according to Pew re- search. Voters responded to Clinton’s impeachment by electing more Democrats to the House. “If we had gone down that path, I doubt we would have won the White House,” she said. “People have to see we’re working there for them.” PARADISE, Calif. (AP) – The catastrophic wildfire in Northern California is nearly out after several days of rain, but searchers are still completing the meticulous task of combing through now-muddy ash and debris for signs of human remains. Crews resumed the grim work Saturday as rain cleared out of the devas- tated town of Paradise. Some were looking through de- stroyed neighborhoods for a second time as hundreds of people remain unaccounted for. They were searching for telltale fragments or bone or anything that looks like a pile of cremated ashes. The nation’s deadliest wildfire in a century has killed at least 84 people, and 475 are on a list of those re- ported missing. The flames ignited Nov. 8 in the parched Sierra Nevada foothills and quickly spread across 240 square miles, destroying most of Paradise in a day. The fire burned down nearly 19,000 buildings, most of them homes, and displaced thousands of people, the California De- partment of Forestry and Fire Protection said. The two-week firefight got a boost Wednesday from the first significant storm to hit California. It dropped an estimated 7 inches of rain over the burn area over a three-day period without causing significant mud- slides, said Hannah Chan- dler-Cooley of the National Weather Service. The rain helped extin- guish hot spots in smol- dering areas, and con- tainment increased to 95 percent. Despite the in- clement weather, more than 800 volunteers kept searching for remains. Crews worked on-and- off amid a downpour Friday. While the rain made ev- erybody colder and wetter, they kept the mission in mind, said Chris Stevens, a search volunteer who wore five layers of clothing to keep warm. “It doesn’t change the spirits of the guys working,” he said. “Everyone here is super committed to helping the folks here.” His search crew went home to Orange County on Saturday after completing its assignment. Authori- ties also lifted evacuation orders for certain sections of Paradise. In Southern California, more residents have re- turned to areas evacuated in a destructive fire as crews repaired power, telephone and gas utilities. Los Angeles County sher- iff’s officials said they were in the last phase of repopu- lating Malibu and unincor- porated areas of the county. At the height of the fire, 250,000 fled their homes. Flames erupted Nov. 8 just west of Los Angeles and burned through suburban communities and wilder- ness parklands to the ocean. Three people died, and 1,643 buildings, most of them homes, were destroyed, of- ficials said. Eric Darling and his dog Wyatt are part of a search team from Orange County in Southern California who are among several teams conducting a second search of a mobile home park after the deadly Camp Fire in Paradise, California. – PHOTO: AP Democrat house leader Nancy Pelosi The nation’s deadliest wildfire in a century has killed at least 84 people, and 475 are on a list of those reported missing. The agenda for now includes spending on public works projects, lowering healthcare costs and increasing oversight of the administration.8 WORLD&REGIONAL MONDAY NOVEMBER 26, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS Incoming Mexico gov’t: No deal to host US asylum-seekers MEXICO CITY (AP) – Mexi- co’s incoming government de- nied a report Saturday that it plans to allow asylum- seekers to wait in the country while their claims move through U.S. immigration courts, one of several options the Trump administration has been pursuing in negoti- ations for months. The deal was seen as a way to dissuade thousands of Central American mi- grants from seeking asylum in the U.S., a process that can take years. In effect, Mexican border towns are already acting as waiting rooms for migrants hoping to start new lives in the U.S. due to bottle- necks at the border. “There is no agreement of any sort between the in- coming Mexican government and the U.S. government,” fu- ture Interior Minister Olga Sanchez said in a statement. Hours earlier, The Wash- ington Post quoted her as saying that the incoming administration of Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador had agreed to allow migrants to stay in Mexico as a “short- term solution” while the U.S. considered their applications for asylum. Lopez Obrador will take office on Dec. 1. The statement shared with The Associated Press said the future government’s principal concern related to the migrants is their well- being while in Mexico. The Washington Post re- ported Saturday that the ad- ministration of U.S. President Donald Trump has won sup- port from the Mexican pres- ident-elect’s team for a plan dubbed “Remain in Mexico.” The newspaper also quoted Sanchez as saying: “For now, we have agreed to this policy of Remain in Mexico.” Sanchez did not explain in the statement why The Washington Post had quoted her as saying there had been agreement. White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said, “Presi- dent Trump has developed a strong relationship with the incoming [Lopez] Ob- rador Administration, and we look forward to working with them on a wide range of issues.” Stephanie Leutert, di- rector of the Mexico Security Initiative at the University of Texas at Austin, described the Remain in Mexico plan as a strategy to take away the ability of migrants to live and work in the U.S. while cases are processed. “The hope is that asylum seekers will not want to live in [Mexico] for months/years and won’t come,” Leutert said via Twitter. U.S. officials have said for months that they were working with Mexico to find solutions for what they have called a border crisis. One variation, called “Safe Third,” would have denied asylum claims on the grounds that asylum seekers had found haven in Mexico. President Enrique Pena Nieto offered thousands of Central Amer- icans asylum on Oct. 26 if they agreed to remain in southern Mexico. Close to 3,000 migrants took Mexico up on the offer. Sanchez said Saturday that the next government does not plan for Mexico to become a “Safe Third” country. Approximately 5,000 Cen- tral American migrants have arrived in recent days to Ti- juana, just south of Cali- fornia, after making their way through Mexico via caravan. But agents at the San Diego port of entry process fewer than 100 claims per day. Tijuana Mayor Juan Manuel Gastelum on Friday declared a humanitarian crisis in his border city of 1.6 million, which he says is struggling to accommodate the influx. Most of the mi- grants are camped inside a sports complex, where they face long wait times for food and bathrooms. Hundreds of Tijuana residents have pro- tested their arrival, com- plaining that recent caravans forced their way into Mexico from Guatemala. Trump threatened Thursday to shut down the border crossing entirely if his administration determines that Mexico has lost “control” of the situation in Tijuana. Julieta Vences, a congress- woman with Lopez Obrador’s Morena party who is also president of Mexico’s con- gressional migrant affairs commission, told the AP that incoming Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard has been discussing with U.S. officials how to handle a deluge of asylum claims at the border. “They’re going to have to open the borders [for the mi- grants] to put in the request,” Vences said. “They will also give us dates, on what terms they will receive the [asylum] requests and in the case that they are not beneficiaries of this status, they will have to return here,” Vences said. She said Mexico needs to examine how to accommo- date the migrants without angering locals. “When they come back, we need to see how … we can integrate them into an eco- nomic activity so that they can develop and not gen- erate conflict with our own communities.” Local churches and char- ities have been feeding the migrants, with assistance from state and federal agen- cies. They have also distrib- uted thousands of blankets, thin mattresses and personal hygiene kits. Meanwhile, the govern- ment of the state of Baja Cal- ifornia has identified 7,000 jobs for which migrants could possibly earn income while they await hearings in the U.S. Trump took to Twitter again Saturday to reiterate that he plans to do away with the U.S. catch-and-re- lease system, which allows asylum seekers to work and study sometimes for years while their cases are pending. “Migrants at the Southern Border will not be allowed into the United States until their claims are individually approved in court,” Trump wrote. “We only will allow those who come into our Country legally. Other than that our very strong policy is Catch and Detain. No ‘Re- leasing’ into the U.S …” A young Honduran migrant waves an American flag at U.S. border control helicopters flying overhead near a temporary shelter for Central American migrants Saturday in Tijuana, Mexico. – PHOTO: AP Approximately 5,000 Central American migrants have arrived in recent days to Tijuana, just south of California, after making their way through Mexico via caravan. Russian warplanes strike rebels after alleged gas attack DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) – Rus- sian warplanes attacked rebel-held areas in northern Syria for the first time in weeks on Sunday, as Syrian officials said more than 100 people were treated at hos- pitals for what they allege was a poison gas attack by rebels in the northern city of Aleppo. Russian military spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov told reporters in Moscow that Russian warplanes destroyed mili- tant positions in northern Syria, blaming them for the attack with poison gas on Aleppo. The latest wave of shelling and airstrikes in northern Syria is the most serious violation of a truce reached by Russia and Turkey that brought relative calm to the country’s north for the past two months. The rebels, who have denied car- rying out any chemical at- tacks, accused the govern- ment of trying to undermine the cease-fire. “The planes of Russia’s Aerospace Defense Forces carried out strikes on the de- tected artillery positions of terrorists in the area, from where the shelling of Aleppo civilians with chemical mu- nitions was conducted late” Saturday, Konashenkov said. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the Thiqa News Agency, an activist collective, said warplanes pounded rebel-held areas west and south of Aleppo city. The air- strikes were the first since the truce went into effect on Sept. 17. Syria’s Arab News Agency, SANA, said Syrian troops pounded rebel po- sitions near Aleppo “in- flicting heavy losses among terrorists.” SANA said the alleged chemical attack late Sat- urday was carried out by “terrorist groups positioned in Aleppo countryside” that fired shells containing toxic gases on three neighbor- hoods in Syria’s largest city. Konashenkov said ear- lier that Russian chemical weapons specialists have been dispatched to Aleppo. Russia is a close ally of President Bashar Assad and has intervened in recent years to turn the tide of the civil war in his favor. “According to prelimi- nary data, particularly the symptoms shown by the vic- tims, the shells that bom- barded residential areas of Aleppo were filled with chlo- rine gas,” Konashenkov said. Syria’s forensic medi- cine general director, Zaher Hajo, told The Associated Press that all but 15 of the 105 people who were treated have been discharged. He said two people who were in critical condition have improved. The Observatory said 94 people were treated, with 31 remaining in hospitals. The truce brokered by Russia and Turkey, which supports the rebels, has been repeatedly violated, but until Sunday there had been no airstrikes. BRIBERY TRIAL STARTS FOR HONG KONG BUSINESSMAN NEW YORK (AP) – The New York trial of a prominent Hong Kong businessman charged in a United Nations- linked bribery conspiracy is set to begin with jury selec- tion Monday. The trial of Dr. Chi Ping Patrick Ho begins a year after he was arrested on charges accusing him of paying bribes so a Chinese energy conglomerate could secure business advantages. He has been held without bail. His lawyer has said Ho is looking forward to clearing his name. Ho was once Hong Kong’s home affairs secretary. Ho has insisted he is not guilty of charges that he conspired in October 2014 to bribe the president of Chad and the Ugandan for- eign minister. Prosecutors say Ho’s former co-defendant, Cheikh Gadio, will testify at trial that Ho arranged a $2 million bribe to be delivered to Chad’s president in gift boxes. Last Wednesday, U.S. Dis- trict Judge Loretta A. Preska overruled defense objec- tions, saying Gadio can tes- tify that he understood Ho’s $2 million cash payment to President Idriss Deby to be a “bribe.” Ho’s lawyers had argued that Gadio’s testimony as to whether the $2 million was a “bribe” was lay opinion and should be kept out of evi- dence the jury can consider. Preska said she agreed with arguments by prosecu- tors that it would be difficult for Gadio to convey his un- derstanding about the pay- ment to the jury without using the word “bribe.”9 WORLD&REGIONAL CAYMAN COMPASS • MONDAY NOVEMBER 26, 2018 In memory of our much-loved brother PHIL PRITCHARD who sadly passed away four years ago 26th November 2014 Words can never express how much your family misses you. Forever in our hearts, Julie, Roy and Louise Pritchard 30 dead in Ugandan boat accident MUKONO, Uganda (AP) – Ugandan diving teams are retrieving bodies from Lake Victoria where police say at least 30 people died in a boat accident near the cap- ital, Kampala. The boat overturned and sank at about 7 p.m. Sat- urday night, said senior po- lice officer Zurah Ganyana. She said that 27 people were rescued overnight, lower than earlier reports. More than 90 passengers were on the boat, leading officials to believe that the death toll will rise. Ganyana said the boat was in poor condition and had been grounded for some time. She said it did not have a valid license to operate. The boat was taking pas- sengers on a pleasure cruise on Lake Victoria, a popular weekend activity for young people in Kampala, when it capsized close to shore. Early Sunday a police he- licopter hovered low over the spot where the boat sank, as a team of divers searched for bodies under calm waters. As the death toll rose, so did the crowd of onlookers at a beach abutting a quiet village outside Kampala. Police carried victims in tarpaulins and hauled them into a waiting truck, occa- sionally drawing loud wails from some of the onlookers. One young woman, seeing a victim she apparently rec- ognized, collapsed and was rushed to hospital. Witnesses who were there on Saturday night said they heard people calling for help as they tried to stay afloat and others tried to swim ashore. Many were women. “They were shouting ‘Help us! Help us!’ and the boat was sinking very quickly,” said Sam Tukei, one of sev- eral local men who used fishermen’s canoes to rescue people. “By the time the po- lice came we had saved many people.” One reason many people died so close to shore was likely “intoxication,” said Asuman Mugenyi, national director of police opera- tions. Citing the accounts of some survivors, he said there was a good number of life jackets aboard the doomed vessel that passengers ne- glected to wear. The boat’s passengers, in a party mood halfway through their journey, likely panicked when the vessel started to sink, he said. The boat is believed to have been on a routine weekend cruise that is popular among some young Ugandans. Vic- tims include the couple who owned the boat, according to police officer Ganyana. Boat accidents are in- creasingly common on East Africa’s major lakes including Lake Victoria, which is sur- rounded by Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda. More than 200 people were killed in a Tanza- nian ferry disaster in Sep- tember, with officials saying it had been dangerously overcrowded. A helicopter searches for victims of a boat that capsized in Lake Victoria Sunday near the Ugandan capital, Kampala. – PHOTO: AP In South Sudan, a new approach to ending use of child soldiers UAE TO CONSIDER ‘CLEMENCY’ IN CASE OF CONVICTED BRITON LONDON (AP) – The am- bassador of the United Arab Emirates in London said Friday his govern- ment is studying whether to grant clemency to a con- victed British academic sentenced to life in prison for espionage. Ambassador Sulaiman Hamid Almazroui said that academic Matthew Hedges’ family has requested clem- ency and the government is considering it. He said the espionage case against the 31-year-old Hedges “was an extremely serious case” and that he had been convicted based on “compelling evidence” after a full and fair judicial process. “The crimes Mr. Hedges was accused of are ex- tremely serious. For the UAE, like all countries, protecting our national security must be our first priority,” he said. The ambassador denied claims that Hedges received only a brief court hearing before being convicted on very serious charges and said the British academic had proper legal representa- tion in court. Hedges’ wife, Daniela Tejada, issued a statement challenging the ambassa- dor’s claim that her husband has been treated fairly. She said he had been held in sol- itary confinement for more than five months without being charged or given ac- cess to a lawyer. “The judicial system in the UAE and the UK cannot be compared,” she said. “We have asked for clem- ency, we will wait to see what happens.” JUBA, South Sudan (AP) – After coming face-to-face with “un- predictable” gun-waving chil- dren almost 25 years ago, the former commander of the failed U.N. peacekeeping mission during the Rwandan genocide dedicated his life to eliminating the use of chil- dren as weapons of war. In an interview with The Associated Press in civil war- torn South Sudan, Romeo Dal- laire, who is widely known for warning the U.N. about Rwan- da’s massacre in 1994, said the current approach to com- batting child soldier recruit- ment is not “sufficient.” Local security forces must be part of the solution, he said. “My personal experiences of having to negotiate with, having to face children with weapons … may not have been the right way of doing it,” Dallaire said. His visit marked the launch of a three-year-pro- gram by the Canada-based Romeo Dallaire Child Sol- diers Initiative. The $2.2 mil- lion project funded by Global Affairs Canada aims to work with at least 1,200 South Su- danese soldiers, police and prison personnel. The first round of training will include 50 senior army officers. With 19,000 children as- sociated with armed groups, South Sudan has one of the world’s highest rates of child soldiers, according to the U.N. Almost 6,000 child soldiers were recruited by government and opposition forces in the past four years of fighting, ac- cording to a U.N. report re- leased in September. “The figures are unaccept- ably high,” Virginia Gamba, the new U.N. chief for chil- dren and armed conflict, said during a recent visit. South Sudan leads the world with the highest number of child soldiers re- leased, but rapid rates of re- cruitment are stifling prog- ress. In the last two years UNICEF facilitated the re- lease of over 900 child sol- diers yet more than 1,650 children were recruited by armed groups over approxi- mately the same period, ac- cording to the U.N. “These kids’ families were poor when they left and they’re still poor when they go back, so kids return to the army once released,” Wil- liam Deng Deng, chairman for South Sudan’s national disarmament, demobilization and reintegration commis- sion, told AP. While it’s not government policy to recruit children, Deng said it hap- pens because youth socialize with armed groups in their communities. In an attempt to break this cycle, the Dallaire initiative keeps in mind the realities that both soldiers and chil- dren face in conflict. By pro- viding guidance to soldiers on how to interact with chil- dren in specific scenarios, the training focuses on behavior change, said Shelly Whitman, the executive director. “We don’t come in to do the finger-pointing. We come in to say, ‘How can we help change that?’” Whitman said. One expert said that while persuading armed groups not to recruit children is an im- portant step, the issue can only be addressed as part of a broader protection strategy. “That’s the mistake that international donor govern- ments continue to make, to believe that complex develop- ment challenges like the phe- nomena of child soldiers can be addressed with one-off in- terventions and innovations over a short funding cycle. It can’t,” said Samantha Nutt, founder of War Child USA, an organization that sup- ports children and families in war zones. The Dallaire initiative comes during South Su- dan’s latest fragile attempt at peace, with opposition leader Riek Machar once again to serve as President Salva Kiir’s deputy in their third attempt at working together since the country gained indepen- dence in 2011. Dallaire said he hopes his initiative, which already op- erates in several countries and plans to launch in Ni- geria, Sudan and Congo, will advance the peace efforts. He said any force in South Sudan that even considers working with child soldiers should in- stead see children as a “lia- bility to their engagement in the peace process.” UN: EBOLA IN CONGO NOW INFECTING NEWBORN BABIES LONDON (AP) – The World Health Organization says a worrying number of the newest Ebola cases amid Congo’s ongoing outbreak are in patients not usu- ally known to catch the dis- ease: babies. In an update published this week, the U.N. health agency reported 36 new con- firmed cases of Ebola, in- cluding seven in newborn babies and infants younger than 2 years old. Six cases were reported in chil- dren aged between 2 and 17 and one case was in a pregnant woman. While Ebola typically in- fects adults, as they are most likely to be exposed to the le- thal virus, children have been known in some instances to catch the disease when they act as caregivers. Few cases of Ebola in ba- bies have been reported, but experts suspect transmis- sion might happen via breast milk or close contact with in- fected parents. Ebola is typ- ically spread by infected bodily fluids. WHO noted that health centers have been identified as a source of Ebola transmission, with in- jections of medications “a no- table cause.” WHO called Congo’s cur- rent epidemic “complex and challenging.” Congo’s health ministry says there are 346 confirmed cases, including 175 deaths, in what has become the worst Ebola outbreak in the country’s recorded history.Next >