ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – TUESDAY DECEMBER 11, 2018 High of 83 Low of 71 Rough with wave heights of 5 to 7 feet, with swells likely along the west and north coasts. A small craft warning is in effect. EDITORIAL | PAGE 4 WHEN ‘LESS IS MORE,’ BUT NONE IS BETTER WORLD | PAGE 8 BREXIT DEAL IN TURMOIL AS MAY POSTPONES PARLIAMENT VOTE 187202_HR2-Ad-Strip-BOTY2017-6coPage 1 10/29/18 11:04:38 AM BRAC CRUISE PORT PLAN CONSIDERED JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Tourism Minister Moses Kirkconnell confirmed gov- ernment is in talks over the possibility of bringing a cruise port to Cayman Brac. He said the discussion was at the exploratory stage, to see if the island could be- come a destination on new western Caribbean routes based around the growing opportunities for cruise lines in Cuba. He acknowledged there were lots of hurdles to over- come for that hope to be- come a reality, not least the difficulty in finding a sufficiently sheltered lo- cation on the Brac. The prospect of a cruise port in the Brac was iden- tified as a goal in the is- land’s five-year tourism plan, which highlights the poten- tial of upgrading the cargo dock at Creek in the north- eastern side of the island to receive small cruise ships EXEMPTED COMPANIES TO OPERATE LOCALLY MICHAEL KLEIN mklein@pinnaclemedialtd.com Government has released a bill to amend the Local Companies (Control) Law that would allow exempted companies to carry out busi- ness in the islands. “The Companies and Local Companies (Control) amendments would allow exempt companies to do business locally; however, these companies would be required to follow the same rules as local companies,” the ministry of financial ser- vices said in a press release. Under current laws, ex- empted companies are not allowed to trade with any person or business lo- cally, except to further the business of the com- pany carried on outside the Cayman Islands. With the proposed legis- lation, the Cayman Islands government is reacting to pressure from the Euro- pean Union, which considers Health City opens expanded ICU MARK MUCKENFUSS mmuckenfuss@pinnaclemedialtd.com Trauma patients will now have a better chance of surviving, said Health City of- ficials, as they unveiled an expansion of their medical intensive care unit on Monday morning with a ribbon-cutting. “Essentially, this will save lives,” said Dr. Devi Shetty, founder of Health City Cayman Islands and a string of successful hospitals across India. The expanded unit includes more beds for specialized care, a resuscitation room and a dedicated operating room equipped with a heart bypass machine. To meet the international standards of a Level 3 trauma center, it will be staffed 24 hours a day by a specialized staff of doctors and med- ical personnel. Dr. Shetty said the close proximity of the unit’s components are key in keeping patients alive. “A few seconds can make a difference,” he said, as dignitaries and government leaders toured the newly outfitted rooms. “These are generally not sick people. They’ve been in an accident. We can resuscitate them in a few minutes.” If that is successful, they can be wheeled in seconds into the adjacent operating room, where doctors can provide acute care. The expanded service, Dr. Shetty said, will also mean fewer patients will need to be flown off-island to receive intensive care, and he expects it will attract patients needing such care from other areas of the Caribbean where those kinds of services are unavailable. Dr. Binoy Chattuparambil, clinical di- rector for Health City, said the expanded ICU is in keeping with the hospital’s goal of im- proving Cayman and the region’s healthcare, while at the same time keeping costs down. “This will make a big change,” Dr. Chat- tuparambil said. “We can compare with the best ICUs in the world. We have the Dr. Devi Shetty, founder of Health City Cayman Islands, speaks at the official opening of the East End facility’s new Intensive Care Unit. - PHOTO: DAVID R. LEGGE PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 7 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 7 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 7 »2 LOCAL&REGIONAL TUESDAY DECEMBER 11, 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. - TUESDAY - 640-FILM (640-3456) ELLIOT THE LITTLEST REINDEER (PG) 12:40 I 3:05 I 5:25 I 7:45 ROBIN HOOD (PG13) 12:45 VIP I 4:20 I 10:00 CREED II (PG13) 1:00 I 4:00 VIP I 7:20 I 9:40 VIP THE GRINCH (PG) 12:15 I 2:30 I 4:45 I 7:00 INSTANT FAMILY (PG13) 1:15 I 4:10 I 7:10 I 9:50 THE POSSESSION OF HANNAH GRACE (R) 9:15 I 10:15 RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET (PG) 1:35 I 4:10 3D I 6:45 3D I 9:30 CLASSICS @ THE CINEMA: PRETTY IN PINK (PG13) 7:00 VIP 93,519 129,892 161,398 193,745 226,046 53,953 39,566 36,373 31,506 32,347 32,301 0 50,000 100,000 150,000 200,000 250,000 Week 1 (Oct. 29-Nov. 3) Week 2 (Nov. 5-10) Week 3 (Nov. 13-17) Week 4 (Nov. 19-24) Week 5 (Nov. 26-Dec. 1) Week 6 (Dec. 3-8) Green iguana cull update Iguanas culledTotal culled Iguana cull total passes 200,000 mark The bodies continue to pile up at the George Town landfill. Licensed cullers turned in another 32,301 green iguana carcasses last week. The ongoing island- wide cull has seen a total of 226,046 iguanas killed in six weeks. More than 300 licensed cullers are signed up to a government-funded program to rid the island of the inva- sive species. The Department of Envi- ronment-led project aims to remove around one million green iguanas from Grand Cayman in the first year of operation. Maduro’s grip on Venezuela tightens, warns of Trump threat CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) – Socialist President Nicolas Maduro further consoli- dated power in Venezu- elan local elections Sunday, while accusing President Donald Trump of plotting to overthrow him. The majority of nearly 2,500 council seats spread across the crisis-stricken country went to members of Maduro’s United Socialist Party of Venezuela, election officials loyal to Maduro said. After casting his ballot, Maduro spoke on state TV scoffing at Trump and other foreign leaders who have la- beled him a dictator. “An attempt is under way today coming straight from the White House to de- stroy our way of life in Ven- ezuela and to overthrow our constitutional democracy,” Maduro said. The election came as an economic crisis rocks the once-wealthy oil country after two decades of socialist rule. Millions of Venezue- lans have fled searching for a better life. Maduro’s government has banned the most pop- ular opposition parties from elections, while leading fig- ures in the movement are jailed or have gone into exile fearing for their safety. Other anti-government leaders urged a boycott of the municipal elections, not wishing to legitimize what they consider a cor- rupt process. The broader anti-govern- ment movement is focused on rallying international con- demnation of Maduro on Jan. 10, the start of his second six-year term. The United States, many European nations and most Latin American countries have rejected the May 20 election that Maduro won by a landslide as a sham. Little more than 27 per- cent of some 20 million eli- gible voters cast ballots in Sunday’s council races, said Tibisay Lucena, president of the National Electoral Council, praising the elec- tion as strengthening Venezu- ela’s democracy. Maduro said many oppo- sition leaders are waiting for a U.S.-led invasion without giving details. Later asked about the supposed invasion plot, socialist party chief Di- osdado Cabello said he is convinced the United States is eager to remove Maduro. “There is no coup in the world where the U.S. has its arms crossed,” he said. Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro votes during local elections in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday. - PHOTO: AP WEATHER RADIO BACK ON AIR Two years after a light- ning strike took it off air, the Cayman Islands Na- tional Weather Service Weather Radio 107.9 FM is back in action. The September 2016 lightning strike damaged the transmitter and an- tennae beyond repair, so the weather service had to purchase a new one. It now owns a new 2,000 Watt stereo FM transmitter, which it recently installed. After three weeks of testing, the transmitter is now fully operational, the service announced on Sunday. “The new 2,000 Watt Stereo FM Transmitter compared to the old 1,000 Watt Stereo FM Trans- mitter has allowed us [to] increase transmitting cov- erage, which means every square inch of Grand Cayman will now receive excellent inception, unlike before [when in] certain areas of Grand Cayman the signal was very poorly intercepted,” the weather service stated in a press release. For now, Weather Radio 107.9 FM can only be heard in and around the Grand Cayman area, but there are talks under way to install another Weather Radio for the Sister Islands. Puerto Rico overhauls tax laws to help workers, businesses SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) – Puerto Rico’s governor signed a bill on Monday to overhaul the U.S. territory’s tax laws in a bid to attract foreign in- vestment and help workers and some business owners amid a 12-year recession. The bill creates an earned income tax credit, reduces a sales tax on prepared food and eliminates a business- to-business tax for small to medium companies, among other things. Officials say the bill rep- resents nearly $2 billion in tax relief at a time when the island is struggling to re- cover from Hurricane Maria and restructure a portion of its more than $70 billion public debt load. Gov. Ricardo Rossello said the earned income tax credit will result in benefits ranging from $300 to $2,000 for each worker, representing a total of $200 million in annual sav- ings. He also said an 11.5 per- cent sales tax on processed food will drop to 7 percent starting in October 2019. The bill also eliminates a business-to-business tax for businesses that generate $200,000 or less a year, rep- resenting $79 million in sav- ings in five years, Rossello said. Nearly 80 percent of businesses in Puerto Rico will benefit from that mea- sure, added Treasury Secre- tary Teresa Fuentes. In addition, the new law reduces the tax rate for cor- porations from 39 percent to 37.5 percent. “Today marks an impor- tant day for maintaining Puerto Rico’s competitive- ness,” she said. The measure also legal- izes tens of thousands of slot machines, but also limits the number of machines owned, with legislators estimating they will generate at least $160 million a year. Up to $40 million of that revenue will go to the government’s general fund, with the re- maining funds directed to help municipalities and po- lice officers. However, a federal con- trol board that oversees Puerto Rico’s finances criti- cized a final draft of the bill last month, saying the island needs a much broader tax re- form that improves revenue collection and promotes eco- nomic development. A board spokesman did not imme- diately return a message for comment. Antonio Fernos, a Puerto Rico economics and finance professor, questioned the ef- fectiveness of the new law, which appears to generate less overall revenue. “It doesn’t make sense,” he said. “Why are they doing this, especially on an island that is insolvent and needs more sources of revenue?” Officials say the bill represents nearly $2 billion in tax relief at a time when the island is struggling to recover from Hurricane Maria and restructure a portion of its more than $70 billion public debt load.3 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • TUESDAY DECEMBER 11, 2018 OfReg: ‘Some’ ICT licensees not meeting financial obligations KEN SILVA ksilva@pinnaclemedialtd.com The Utility Regulation and Com- petition Office, known as OfReg, has issued a notice stating that “some” of the territory’s licensed information and communications technology companies are not meeting their fi- nancial reporting requirements. The notice reminded all licensed companies that they are required to submit unaudited financial state- ments and reports showing quar- terly turnover and revenue within 15 days following the end of a given financial quarter, as well as au- dited financial statements within three months of the end of the fi- nancial year. In addition, the companies are required to pay fees equal to 6 percent of their quarterly revenue, together with an amount equal to the licensees’ quarterly reg- ulatory fee. Failing to meet these obligations can result in administrative fines of up to $500,000 for each failure, as well as a subsequent $25,000 pen- alty for each day the transgres- sion continues. OfReg did not state in its no- tice what companies are failing to meet their obligations, or what spe- cific rules are being broken. OfReg licensees include internet and tele- vision service providers, radio sta- tions, and government entities. OfReg’s notice is not the first time the regulator has pointed out that some entities in Cayman are not meeting their financial obligations. In May, Alee Fa’amoe, the head of OfReg’s telecommunications of- fice, told the Legislative Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee that some government telecom licensees are not paying their fees. Mr. Fa’amoe said at the time that anyone who received an OfReg li- cense should have to pay. However, some of the government entities that were licensed were “of the opinion” that those licenses should be free. “We remain at odds with some of our government licensees about that,” Mr. Fa’amoe said at the Public Accounts Committee hearing. “But the fees are very small … so it is not worth starting a war over.” “Except that the law is the law, is the law,” Opposition Leader Ezzard Miller replied at the time. Ministry of Finance representa- tives at the hearing also indicated it was their view that the government licensees should have to pay. “That would be the proper way to do it,” said Michael Nixon, deputy chief officer for the ministry.Alee Fa’amoe SPENCER FORDIN sfordin@pinnaclemedialtd.com The Grand Court trial of David Karl Lobo, a Customs officer charged with con- spiracy to import cocaine, began on Monday morning. The jury of six women and three men was selected Monday morning in the court- room of Justice Linda Dobbs, and opening statements were delivered when the court con- vened after lunch. Acting Director of Public Prosecutions Patrick Moran is representing the Crown, and defense attorney Amelia Fosuhene is representing Mr. Lobo. Delivering the Crown’s opening statement, Mr. Moran told the jury that Mr. Lobo was implicated in a pair of cocaine smuggling operations that occurred in May 2017. The court heard that a group of smugglers posing as tourists brought liquid co- caine to Grand Cayman in- side ingested condoms. Those condoms were later expelled and the cocaine was converted back to powder in an apartment located near Seven Mile Beach. Mr. Moran said police found three people and nearly two kilograms of cocaine in an apartment on West Bay Road on June 2, 2017, and Mr. Lobo was allegedly in commu- nications with the smugglers and repeatedly met with them when they came to Cayman. Mr. Moran added that Mr. Lobo allegedly made a number of wire transfers to the smugglers in Colombia be- fore they arrived in Cayman. He had been seen outside the apartment on June 2 be- fore police arrived. He was arrested later that evening in South Sound and was al- legedly found with Western Union receipts and US$13,000 in cash, the court heard. Mr. Moran was continuing his opening statement by press time Monday. CUSTOMS OFFICER’S COCAINE IMPORTATION TRIAL BEGINS POLICE RENEW APPEAL FOR WITNESSES IN HIT AND RUN Police are renewing an appeal for witnesses to an incident in which a driver struck a police officer with his car during a traffic stop last month. The officer was injured when he was struck by the car, which sped off around 11:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 16 near Yacht Drive on the Esterley Tibbetts Highway. Police issued a more de- tailed description of the driver and the car Monday. The car is a black four-door sedan, possibly a Honda, which was driven by a man, described as being of brown complexion, with shoulder- length hair that was pulled back into a ponytail at the time of the incident. The hit and run is being investigated by officers in West Bay. “It is important that we locate the culprit, as [his] ac- tions showed a complete dis- regard for the life of another person, as well as a lack of respect for persons in au- thority,” said Sergeant Leslie Laing-Hall. Anyone with information can contact PS Laing-Hall at 925-6038 or contact the West Bay Police Station at 949-3999. 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. “Absence makes the heart grow fonder.” … Not always. In recent weeks we have noticed, with a certain degree of satisfaction, that we have not been noticing certain nuisances around Grand Cayman that here- tofore have been irritating us to no end. As far as our quality of life is concerned, it certainly has been “addition by subtraction.” Green iguanas: Nearly two months into the Depart- ment of Environment’s “great green iguana cull,” the once-ubiquitous lizards are noticeably scarcer. It wasn’t long ago that it seemed you couldn’t pass a sunny patch of grass, shady tree canopy or anything remotely climbable without startling a half-dozen juvenile iguanas or drawing a disapproving glance from a wizened “elder statesman” of the species. Now, the most-concentrated congregations of the invasive pests are occurring where they should – at the George Town landfill, where Cayman’s contracted cullers had depos- ited nearly a quarter-million iguana carcasses, as of the end of last week. Roadside refuse: Grand Cayman’s NiCE crews are doing nice – make that fantastic – work rejuvenating our island for the holidays and the winter high season for tourism. According to the Public Works Depart- ment, it is expected that when the National Com- munity Enhancement Winter Project ends this week, 502 people will have participated in picking up litter, cleaning up public spaces, repainting road markings … in general, buffing, polishing and spiffing up the country for Christmas. Their efforts are making a sig- nificant positive impact on our community. One can only hope that Cayman’s resident (and visiting) “litter- bugs” take inspiration from the newly spic-and-span surroundings and stop treating our island as their personal rubbish bin. Menacing motorbikers: We’ve written often, and directly, about Cayman’s roving bands of motorbikers who flaunt traffic laws and police authority, while jeopardizing the safety of themselves and everyone unfortunate enough to share the road with them. We may be speaking charitably out of an abundance of holiday cheer, but it seems that the highest-profile of antisocial behaviors by this group may have abated somewhat. Certainly, in regard to recent front pages of the Compass, we have highlighted positive and lawful activity by motorbikers and motorcyclists, including the RCIPS’s officially sanctioned islandwide ride, and the 16th annual Toys for Tots motorcycle motorcade organized by Keith and Casey Keller. Snug Harbour burglaries: Following a string of thefts targeting homes, Snug Harbour has had no reported burglaries since this past May. (In April alone, 13 burglaries were reported in the neighborhood.) Police give credit to alert members of the local Neigh- bourhood Watch group, who stay in close touch and keep a sharp eye out for suspicious activity. Hurricanes and heat: Especially after last year’s active hurricane season, we are grateful that we escaped this year with no major hurricanes approaching Cayman or impacting our neighbors. We are also happy that seasonal patterns have already knocked temper- atures down a few degrees Fahrenheit from summer highs (and spared us from regular daily rainfall). We look forward to the return of Christmas breezes, reduced air-conditioning bills and the ability to throw open doors and windows and sit in absolute Caribbean comfort. At the risk of overreaching, perhaps, there are a few more things that we would gladly add to the above litany of adieus or adioses. At the top of our list would be a dramatic reduction in bureaucratic baby-sitting, red-tape entanglement and the meddling in our local economy by international know-it-alls. (Yes, Brussels, we ARE talking about you.) When ‘less is more,’ but none is better TUESDAY DECEMBER 11, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS Ivy League mania warps students and colleges CHRISTINE EMBA T.M. Landry College Pre- paratory, a scrappy indepen- dent school in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, gained fame over the past five years for sending many of its underprivileged African-American students off to Ivy League colleges. The school’s YouTube videos of acceptance notifications frequently went viral (one, of an admission to Harvard, has been viewed more than 8 mil- lion times). Its inspirational students were fodder for feel- good morning TV shows. But last month, the New York Times published a re- port that revealed Landry was not all it seemed. As it turned out, the school’s ad- ministration forged tran- scripts and confected har- rowing life stories to appeal to college admissions of- ficers, and abused its stu- dents in pursuit of high test scores while neglecting to teach some of the basics of writing and math. Its founder, Michael Landry, pitted black and white students against each other, forced students to kneel for long periods, and at times choked and hit them. Even so, Landry remained defiant. “Write whatever you want to write about us,” he told a Times reporter. “But at the end of the day, my sister, if we got kids at Harvard every day, I’m going to fight for Harvard.” The story is appalling, and it appeared at a moment when it is clear that our ob- session with elite education is out of control. America’s deification of schools like Harvard, Princeton and Yale distorts everything in their orbit – and far too much is. T.M. Landry was able to go unnoticed because it hid behind our most fa- vored marker of success: Ivy League admissions. The school sent 50 graduates over five years to Stanford, Princ- eton, Harvard and Brown, among other top universities, so it must have been doing something right. (Brett Kava- naugh went to Yale! Shouldn’t we all aspire?) As it turns out, that was a misplaced marker of merit – but not an unusual one. Our obsession with admittance to this tiny set of schools warps both the colleges themselves and the students who apply. Flooded with applicants, the Ivies are forced to use ever more arcane and inde- fensible methods to decide who gets in, perpetuating the inequities that it was once their mission to solve. Har- vard University was recently sued for racial discrimination by a group of Asian-Amer- ican students – the case re- vealed that the school judges applicants on nebulous scores of “personality” that tend to favor some groups over others. And to give themselves a chance in this labyrinth, high school applicants run them- selves into the ground. Ex- tracurricular activities crowd out actual childhoods. Acts of service morph into ré- sumé bullet points, devoid of any greater significance. Wealthy parents buy tutors and countless hours of test prep to juice their children’s scores; less advantaged stu- dents often find themselves unable to catch up. T.M. Landry took this to outrageous extremes. College applications were padded with invented achievements; students studied for stan- dardized tests and nothing else, leaving them entirely unprepared for classes when they arrived at the universi- ties to which they had gained admission. One student, whose Wes- leyan University acceptance video went viral last year, felt too embarrassed to attend college classes and eventu- ally withdrew. Said another: “If it wasn’t on the ACT, I didn’t know it.” But the phenomenon is occurring everywhere, if to a lesser degree. To present their gradu- ates as “college ready,” some high schools feel compelled to teach directly to tests. Who has time for civics when you’re studying for the SATs? Why luxuriate in a novel when you’ve got AP calculus to pass? But high scores don’t necessarily signify actual learning, and a focus on a few subjects can crowd out other kinds of education. Elite schools retain their allure for one reason: the promise of opportunity in an increasingly unequal world. Disadvantaged parents en- rolled their students at T.M. Landry because they thought that school – and its access to elite spaces – would give their children a fair shot in the world. Top firms still prefer to hire first from a tiny set of top-tier schools. As the paths to prosperity seem to narrow each day, we scramble to what seems like the rare sure thing. It does not need to be this way. The T.M. Landry story is an extreme example of Ivy League mania, but our obses- sion with these top schools should be less extreme as well. Opportunity exists out- side of elite institutions; Har- vard is not the only place where talent can thrive. What we need, however, is a recon- sidering of our own misplaced veneration of a certain kind of success. Our understanding of what achievement looks like will have to expand. © 2018, The Washington Post Writers Group. The story is appalling, and it appeared at a moment when it is clear that our obsession with elite education is out of control. America’s deification of schools like Harvard, Princeton and Yale distorts everything in their orbit – and far too much is. 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”5 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • TUESDAY DECEMBER 11, 2018 Hospital overtime audit withheld amid criminal probe JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com The Health Services Au- thority has refused to re- lease an internal audit report into “irregularities” in over- time payments made to se- curity staff at the hospital, citing the fact that the matter is under investigation by law enforcement. The audit review was revealed in February and came amid the suspension of a number of HSA secu- rity officers. The Cayman Compass un- derstands that government’s Internal Audit Service has completed its investigation and provided its final report to the HSA. An open records request from the Compass to make that document avail- able to the public was re- jected by the HSA. The authority’s Freedom of Information officer cited an exemption for “records re- lating to law enforcement,” which can be withheld if their disclosure could rea- sonably be expected to af- fect a criminal investi- gation. The Compass has appealed the decision. The HSA declined to say which law enforcement agency was investigating the matter. The Compass previ- ously reported the arrest of two supervisors in the HSA’s security office by the Anti-Cor- ruption Commission in June. The commission does not comment on ongoing in- vestigations and declined, at the time, to specify if the arrests were linked to the overtime investigation. The Compass reported in February that around a dozen security staff were placed on required leave while the in- ternal audit investigation into overtime irregularities took place. According to a notice sent to those security officers: “In order to facilitate an investi- gation into irregularities in the security section, it has been decided that it would be in the best interest of the Health Services Authority to place you on required leave effective immediately. You will remain in that status for 30 days or until the investi- gation is completed.” The hospital security offi- cers were replaced on a tem- porary basis with employees from a private security com- pany. The HSA has given no update on the status of those officers at this time. EAST END PRIMARY GETS PASSING GRADE MARK MUCKENFUSS mmuckenfuss@pinnaclemedialtd.com A second follow-up in- spection of East End Pri- mary School has found it is now making satisfactory or good progress in areas where it was deemed defi- cient last March. An initial follow-up as- sessment at the end of the school year showed the school was still not meeting student needs in mathematics. Only one-third of Year 6 students were hitting the necessary achievement levels despite teacher as- sessments that their stu- dents were making ex- pected progress. A second follow-up assessment took place Nov. 28. This time, inspectors found that teachers were doing a better job of mon- itoring their students, and that students were making progress. “Progress in mathe- matics was good in the majority of classes ob- served, because teaching was effective and students were challenged in their learning,” the report said. Out of four recommen- dations made in the pre- vious inspections, East End was rated as making satisfactory progress on three and good progress on one. The good progress came in the area of effec- tive teaching, specifically as it applies to meeting the needs of low-achieving students while also chal- lenging higher achievers. “The quality of teaching in over 50 percent of the lessons was judged to be good,” the report said, al- though that 50 percent was more heavily weighted in teachers in Years 1-3. The report went on to say there was a need for better alignment of lesson objectives and the standards established by the curriculum. DVDL launches text reminder service The Department of Ve- hicle and Drivers’ Licensing will remind drivers when their vehicle licenses are due for renewal via SMS text messages and a new mo- bile app, the department ad- vised Friday. The new service is being launched in partnership with the e-Government Unit, the Computer Services De- partment and the Ministry of Commerce, Planning and Infrastructure. “I’m thrilled to see these new enhanced customer ser- vices come into play,” said Minister for Commerce, Plan- ning and Infrastructure Jo- seph Hew in a press release. “Government wants to en- sure that we find more ways to save our people time and hassle, and these new of- ferings provide them with that needed convenience and efficiency. The DVDL already has begun sending customers the SMS reminder messages when their vehicle license is coming due for renewal. The text messages will be sent up to three times leading up to the expiry date, starting a month before. “We’re excited to roll out this service, because it’s one that customers have been asking for,” said DVDL Di- rector David Dixon in the re- lease. “Everyone has busy lives and sometimes these things slip our minds. This is a way for us to help make life a little easier for our customer[s].” The department has also installed a widget on its web- site’s home page that will allow customers to check if their new electronic license plate is available for collec- tion by simply typing in their plate number. Director of e-Government Ian Tibbetts said that while the new services do not com- pletely eliminate the need to go to DVDL’s office, “it does remove some of the difficulty in accessing some services, as well as provide significant time saving for customers.” To use the online renewal service, customers will first need to ensure their vehicle’s inspection is current. Vehi- cles can be inspected at ei- ther DVDL’s inspection pits or at one of their private ga- rage partners. Customers will then need to supply their li- cense plate number and have a digital or scanned copy of their insurance showing the vehicle is currently cov- ered. Customers can pay for the renewal and inspection through the online portal. The online service can be found on www.dvdl.gov.ky or www.eservices.gov.ky. Department of Vehicles and Drivers Licensing customers can check online to find out if their new electronic plates are ready for pickup, and will be alerted by the department when their vehicle licenses need to be renewed. This time, inspectors found that teachers were doing a better job of monitoring their students, and that students were making progress. Two supervisors in the Health Services Authority’s security office were arrested by the Anti-Corruption Commission in June this year.The 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 DECEMBER 11, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS TUESDAY, DEC. 11 CHRISTMAS CONCERT: The Cayman National Choir and Orchestra will perform its annual Christmas Concert, titled “All is Calm,” at Elmslie Church in George Town today at 7:30 p.m. and again on Thursday, Dec. 13. Free entry. Attendees are advised to arrive early to get a seat. WEDNESDAY, DEC. 12 BLOOD DONOR DRIVE: Cayman Islands Blood Bank and pediatric therapy clinic KidsAbility are hosting a blood donor drive in the run-up to the Christmas season, a time of year when the demand for donations increases. 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Smith Road Centre Lobby. CHRISTMAS CONCERT: St. Ignatius Band concert and Christmas fundraiser. 7 p.m. Grand prize of $25,000 and lots of other prizes, including five US$300 Cayman Airways vouchers. Tickets are $25 and are available at St. Ignatius and from a number of local supermarkets and other businesses. CHRISTMAS SERVICE: The Sunrise Adult Training invites the public to a Sunrise Family Christmas Service at the John Gray Memorial Church Hall from 6:30 p.m. The theme of this year’s service is “Jesus is the Light of the World,” and all Sunrise clients will feature in the program. While attendance is free, Sunrise extends its appreciation for any donations the public may wish to make. PROUD OF THEM: The nominations deadline has been extended to today. The nominations form can be found at www.gov.ky or at www.education.gov.ky. THURSDAY, DEC. 13 SCUBALUMINATIONS: From 6 p.m. Watch Santa arrive at Rackam’s escorted by his underwater reindeer. Get photos with Father Christmas. Dogs very welcome. Bring a donation for rescue dogs, such as dog kibble, tinned food, dog treats, dog toys, etc. Buy gifts for family and friends from the pop-up shops. Meet adoptable dogs. NATIONAL TRUST CHRISTMAS MINGLE: The National Trust is inviting all its members and volunteers to join the annual Christmas Mingle. 6:30-9 p.m. at Mission House, 63 Gun Square Road, Bodden Town. CHRISTMAS CONCERT: The Cayman National Choir and Orchestra will perform its annual Christmas Concert, titled “All is Calm,” at Elmslie Church in George Town today at 7:30 p.m. Free entry. Attendees are advised to arrive early to get a seat. FRIDAY, DEC. 14 DCI CLOSURE: The Department of Commerce and Investment will close early, at noon, today to facilitate its staff Christmas luncheon. DCI’s main office will reopen on Monday, Dec. 17 at 8:30 a.m., and the counter will reopen at 9 a.m. For more information, call 945-0943 or email info@dci.gov.ky. SATURDAY, DEC. 15 NORTH SIDE CHRISTMAS DINNER: North Side will be hosting its annual Christmas dinner for the community today at 4:30 p.m. at the Craddock Ebanks Civic Center. For more details, contact Alex Johnson on 916-8232. TUESDAY, DEC. 18 CANCER SOCIETY AGM: The Cayman Islands Cancer Society’s annual general meeting will be held at 6 p.m. at the Chamber of Commerce office in Governors Square. BT SENIORS CHRISTMAS DINNER: A Christmas dinner for the seniors of Bodden Town will be held at the Nurse Josie Centre, Cumber Avenue, today at 6 p.m. To schedule a pick-up, call 945-3281. THURSDAY, DEC. 20 CLASSICAL MUSIC AT LIBRARY: Cayman Arts Festival and the Cayman Islands Public Library Service present monthly one-hour concerts at the old George Town Public Library. 6-7 p.m. Includes classical music, poetry and readings from local poets and writers. Tickets available at the door, $20 for adults, $5 for children. Please note that there will only be 75 tickets available per event. SUNDAY, DEC. 23 CHOIR CANTATA: “Christ has Come.” John Gray Memorial Church, West Bay, 10 a.m. MONDAY, DEC. 24 SPOT BAY CHRISTMAS HOMECOMING: The Spot Bay Committee on Cayman Brac presents Christmas caroling on foot and door-to-door gift distribution to seniors starting at 7 p.m. GENERAL INTEREST SPECIAL OLYMPICS: Be a volunteer for athlete training at Truman Bodden Sports Complex. Tuesdays, 5:30 p.m. for track, bocce and football, and Thursdays, 5:30 p.m. for basketball. Swimming on Wednesdays at the Lions Pool 10-11 a.m. or on Saturdays at the Cayman International School pool, 9:30 a.m. Email soci@candw.ky or call 916-2600. 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. ART OPEN CANVAS: At KARoo Restaurant in Camana Bay, Wednesdays 7-11 p.m. Artists of all levels are welcome to come and enjoy painting and socializing with other artists. Includes use of easels, lights, space, beverage ticket. No fee. For more information, contact info@visualartcayman.com or jar.was@gmail.com. VISUAL ARTS SOCIETY: Adult Open Studio available to those who want to work independently in an inspiring atmosphere. Wednesdays for adults, 9 a.m. till noon. Thursdays Adults and Youth, 10 a.m. till noon. Watler House Art Studio, Pedro St. James. Fee is $5/$15 or Ceramics. $15 pp/$25 pp non-members. Includes use of studio, glazes, and ceramic tools. Clay available $30 per bag/fee for kiln usage. To register, call 546-9422 or email info@visualartcayman.com. SEAFARERS HALL: The Cayman Islands Seafarers Association wishes to inform the community that the hall is now available for rent every day of the week, including Saturdays, as the church is no longer contracted with the association at 11 Victory Avenue, Prospect. LOCAL HOLIDAY MARKET: Wednesdays and Saturdays at Camana Bay. Throughout the holiday season, the Farmers and Artisans Market returns, infused with Christmas cheer. Located in Heliconia Court (the new courtyard next to the building containing Scotiabank). 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The final market of the year will take place on Wednesday, Dec. 19. There will be no market on Wednesday, Dec. 5 due to set up for the NKY Fashion Week event. THRIFT SHOP: One Dog At A Time’s “New To You” Thrift Shop is open Saturdays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The shop is at Unit 26 at the warehouses on Bodden Road, which runs down the side of Kirk Home Store to the old screen print place. 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 Street. Appointments available Saturdays and late evenings. Owned and operated by the United Church in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands. Call 946-6575. HUMANE SOCIETY BOOK LOFT: North Sound Road. Open Monday 12:30-4 p.m.; Tuesday-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. For more information, email humanesocietybookloft@ candw.ky or call 946-8053. Donations of books, games, CDs, stationery, DVDs, cards etc. in good condition needed. CLUBS, ORGANIZATIONS ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS: Meets daily to help with drinking problems. Call 926-9044 or visit www.caymanaa.org. NARCOTICS ANONYMOUS: Is available for substance abuse help. Call the info line at 929–NANA (6262). AL-ANON GROUP MEETING: Are you troubled by someone’s drinking? Al-Anon Family Groups can help. Call 928-8843 or email caymanalanon@gmail.com for meeting times. OVERCOMERS OUTREACH: A Christ-centered 12-step recovery group addresses addictions and those affected by them. Meetings at Cayman Islands Baptist Church, Pedro Castle Road, Tuesdays, 7:15 p.m. For details, contact Vanessa Gilman at 946-2422, or visit overcomersoutreach.org. DEMENTIA/ALZHEIMER’S SUPPORT GROUP: This group meets on the last Wednesday of each month at ADACI’s office, 4th floor, Cardinall Plaza, 30 Cardinall Ave., George Town. Call 924-4170 or email info@adacayman.com. GRAND CAYMAN TOASTMASTERS: Club meets each Thursday 6-7:15 p.m. on 3rd Floor, George Town Public Library. Visitors and guests welcome. Contact George R. Ebanks at 322-9369 or Grand Cayman Toastmasters club on Facebook. Email info@ toastmastersclub2686.org. THE LIONS CLUB OF GRAND CAYMAN: Meets every first and third Thursday 7:30 p.m. at the Lions Community Centre. Email lionsclubgcm@hotmail.com. THE LIONS CLUB OF TROPICAL GARDENS: Meet every first and third Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at Elizabethan Square (corner unit). Members of the public are invited to attend. ROTARY CLUB OF GRAND CAYMAN SUNRISE: Service club meetings 7 a.m. every Wednesday at George Town Yacht Club, 612 North Sound Road. Visit www.rotarysunrise.ky or info@rotarysunrise.ky. KIWANIS CLUB OF GRAND CAYMAN: Meets first and third Wednesdays of the month, 12:30 p.m., at The Wharf Restaurant. Projects include promoting well- being of children in the community and schools. Email president@kiwanis.ky or view www.kiwanis.ky. OPTIMIST CLUB: Meets first and third Tuesdays at the Hibiscus Conference Room, Cayman Islands Hospital at 6:30 p.m. Learn more at www.optimistcayman.com. PARENT AND TODDLER PLAY GROUP: For children from 2 weeks to 4 years. Meets Mondays 9:30-11:30 a.m. in the South Sound Community Centre. Children must be accompanied by parent or helper. Toys, activities, light refreshments provided. $6 per session per family. Email sspg@foxwood.ky. HEARTS THROUGH HANDS: Meets Wednesdays 9:30 a.m. to noon at The Family Life Centre, Room 10, Academy Way. Women make crafts for charity and missions. Call 946–3067 or 947–1863. THE WOMEN’S HEALTH CENTRE: Breast-feeding Clinics every Thursday 10 a.m. to noon in the Women’s Health Centre. Phone 244–2649. CAYMAN BRIDGE CLUB: Meets Tuesdays 7 p.m. at Comfort Suites, West Bay Road; Fridays, 9 a.m. at the Rugby Club. Contact Helen Haines at 947-3217 or Alex Wood at 947-3693. For more Community Calendar events, visit www.caymancompass.com/events. The Cayman National Choir and Orchestra will perform its annual Christmas concerts, this year titled ‘All is Calm,’ at Elmslie Church in George Town at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 11, and on Thursday, Dec. 13. CHRISTMAS SERVICES The Cayman Compass on the Tuesday and Thursday before the Christmas holidays will publish listings of churches’ Christmas ser- vices. Anyone who wishes to have their services included should email editor@pinnaclemedialtd.com or call 815-0081.The islands’ most-trusted news source 7 CAYMAN COMPASS • TUESDAY DECEMBER 11, 2018 personnel and staff with ex- perience in treating patients.” Among the 21 beds in the unit, four are negative pres- sure isolation rooms for pa- tients with infections that need to be contained. Minister of Health Dwayne Seymour was among the dignitaries attending the ribbon cutting, along with Deputy Premier and Tourism Minister Moses Kirkconnell, Speaker of the House McK- eeva Bush, Minister of Edu- cation Juliana O’Connor-Con- nolly and others. Mr. Seymour said since opening in 2014, Health City has been an important addi- tion to healthcare in Cayman. He said officials are in the process of working out more cooperative efforts between the East End facility and the government’s Cayman Islands Hospital in George Town. “We’re working on some initiatives with Health City being the driver and taking us in the right direction,” Mr. Seymour said. “There’s a lot of opportunity there.” He believes a better part- nership would save the gov- ernment money. Currently, he said, his ministry has to request additional funding nearly every quarter due to unanticipated increases in healthcare costs. One of the considerations, he said, is creating a capitated system where doctors are paid a flat salary regardless of the number of patients they treat. In one recent cost-saving exercise, Mr. Seymour said, he and other officials deter- mined they might be able to save $10 million to $15 mil- lion per year. He said he could not provide details of the exercise. He said he’d be happy to see such savings appor- tioned elsewhere. “We look forward to when we can divert some of the money we’re using for [the Ministry of] Health and give it to Minister O’Connor-Con- nolly for education,” Mr. Sey- mour told the crowd at the ribbon-cutting. Dr. Shetty said the im- proved ICU is just one step in adding services at Health City. He said there are plans to provide a major oncology program with its own dedi- cated building, as well as to launch a training program for nurses. “We have to start cancer services with radiation therapy,” he said. “If people from here have to go to the U.S. or somewhere else, it’s very expensive.” He also said Health City plans to be on the forefront of using technology for re- mote patient care. Rather than traveling for an office visit, he said, apps on a pa- tient’s phone will be able to allow them to interface in real time with a physician and receive the information and evaluation they need in many cases. It’s another service that would not be limited to the shores of Cayman, further en- couraging not only regional care, but medical tourism when it comes to those needing clinical care. “By economy of scale, we will be able to reduce the price, improve the quality [of care] and save millions of lives across the world,” Dr. Shetty said. “This is just the beginning.” and mega-yachts. “This could relieve some of the cruise ship traffic concentrated on Grand Cayman, and spread the economic benefit of cruise tourism to Cayman Brac,” the plan notes. Since then, Mr. Kirkcon- nell said further talks have taken place about the pos- sibility of a genuine cruise port on the Brac. “It was identified in the tourism plan and the dis- cussion is taking place with an operator,” he said. “We have identified an opportunity for cruise ves- sels to come to the Brac be- cause of the western route and Cuba opening up a lot of cruise business. I believe the interest is there [for the Brac to be part of that] and we are trying to find out if it is feasible.” Cruise ships have stopped at the Brac previ- ously, mooring off the Creek dock, but only very occa- sionally. Mr. Kirkconnell said the discussion to create a cruise port in Cayman Brac was entirely sepa- rate from the ongoing pro- curement process for a new port in Grand Cayman. Any such development in the Brac would be on a smaller scale and would depend on the ability to attract enough cruise business to make it worthwhile. “I hope we could gen- erate enough visitors a week to tell a business that [a cruise dock] is good for our economy,” he added. “From an economic standpoint, you need a certain amount of ships before businesses are going to be comfortable in- vesting. It is a chicken-and- egg situation because you are not going to put a Royal Palms or that type of busi- ness there if you don’t have the throughput of people.” He said the business case would depend on whether enough ships could be at- tracted to the Brac to stim- ulate business. Other prob- lems include the lack of guaranteed good weather days on the island. “Cayman Brac doesn’t have a leeward side, so it is not easy to guarantee a certain number of good weather days, which the cruise industry requires.” Despite those hurdles, he said, there was genuine interest from the cruise in- dustry, and government was pursuing the conversation. “We certainly hope it can happen,” he added. parts of Cayman’s tax regime as harmful. The EU Code of Conduct Group for Business Taxa- tion assessed Cayman’s tax system last year and the EU Council warned the Cayman government in a letter sent in November 2017 that it was treating domestic and foreign companies differently. The Code of Conduct group, which evaluates coun- tries for a potential black- listing, said in its analysis that legal mechanisms exist in Cayman “that enable the granting of advantages only to non-residents or in respect of transactions carried out with non-residents, in partic- ular, through the incorpora- tion of entities which are not permitted to carry on busi- ness in your jurisdiction.” The EU Council letter asked the government to abolish or amend any legal mechanism that would give advantages only to non-resi- dents or in respect of trans- actions carried out with non-residents. Paul Byles, former presi- dent of the Chamber of Com- merce, said the changes will put exempted companies on the same legal footing as local companies, as exempted companies could now apply to carry out business locally. However, Mr. Byles be- lieves that the impact will be limited. “The vast majority of these existing exempted companies have an international focus. For example, many are hedge funds or asset holding com- panies and have no interest in doing business in the local markets,” he said. “They are also already subject to re- porting and tax obligations in other jurisdictions. There- fore, the LCCL change is un- likely to have any negative impact on local businesses or the economy generally.” The bill is expected to be debated in the Legislative As- sembly before the end of the year, together with the The International Tax Co-oper- ation (Economic Substance) Bill, 2018 and The Companies (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill, 2018. Exempted companies to operate locally Brac cruise port plan considered The MS Amadea cruise ship, sailing from Puntarenas, Costa Rica to Nassau, Bahamas, calls in to Cayman Brac on March 30, 2017. While cruise ships make very occasional stops at the Brac, tourism officials are considering creating a cruise dock to cater to regular visits. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Health City opens expanded Intensive Care Unit CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Additional beds and personnel have been added to make Health City’s new ICU a Level 3 trauma center. To meet the international standards of a Level 3 trauma center, it will be staffed 24 hours a day by a specialized staff of doctors and medical personnel. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Cutting the ribbon on Health City’s new ICU are, from left, Dr. Binoy Chattuparambil, Health Minister Dwayne Seymour, Tourism Minister Moses Kirkconnell and Dr. Devi Shetty. - PHOTOS: STEPHEN CLARKEThe islands’ most-trusted news source 8 LONDON (AP) – Facing al- most certain defeat, British Prime Minister Theresa May on Monday postponed a vote in Parliament on her Brexit deal, saying she would go back to European Union leaders to seek changes to the divorce agreement. With EU officials adamant the withdrawal deal is not up for renegotiation, May’s move threw Britain’s Brexit plans into disarray, battered the pound and intensified the country’s political crisis. Two-and-a-half years after Britain voted to leave the EU, and with departure just over three months away on March 29, the country does not know on what terms it will leave – and whether May will still be Britain’s leader when it does. In an emergency state- ment to the House of Com- mons, May accepted that the divorce deal she struck last month with EU leaders was likely to be rejected “by a significant margin” if the vote were held Tuesday as planned. May said she would defer the vote so she could seek “assurances” from the EU and bring the deal back to Parlia- ment. She did not set a new date for the vote. Lawmakers from the op- position – and from May’s Conservative Party – were incredulous. “The government has lost control of events and is in complete disarray,” said opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. Jacob Rees-Mogg, a leading pro-Brexit Conserva- tive, expressed despair. “It’s not really gov- erning,” he said. “It’s just an awful muddle.” Monday’s turmoil sent the pound to a 20-month low against the dollar of $1.2550. It was a new blow for May, who became prime min- ister after Britain’s 2016 ref- erendum decision to leave the EU. She has been battling ever since – first to strike a divorce deal with the bloc, then to sell it to skeptical British lawmakers. May insisted the agree- ment hammered out with the EU after a year and a half of negotiations was “the best deal that is negotiable.” But it has been scorned by law- makers on all sides of Brit- ain’s debate about Europe. Derisive laughter erupted in the House of Commons when May claimed there was “broad support” for many as- pects of the deal. Pro-Brexit lawmakers say the deal keeps Britain bound too closely to the EU, while pro-EU politicians say it erects barriers between the U.K. and its biggest trading partner and leaves many de- tails of the future relation- ship undecided. The main sticking point is a “backstop” provision that aims to guarantee an open border between EU member Ireland and the U.K.’s Northern Ireland after Brexit. The measure would keep Britain under EU cus- toms rules, and is supposed to last until it is superseded by permanent new trade arrangements. Critics say it could leave Britain tied to the EU indef- initely, unable to strike new trade deals around the world. May said she would hold talks with EU leaders ahead of a summit in Brussels on Thursday and Friday, seeking “further reassurances” over the backstop. “Nothing should be off the table,” she said. EU leaders signaled they are prepared to help Britain, up to a point, but insisted the Brexit agreement could not be changed. “The deal is the deal,” Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said. “It’s taken two years to put together. It’s a fair deal for both sides.” European Council Presi- dent Donald Tusk tweeted: “We will not renegotiate the deal, including the back- stop, but we are ready to dis- cuss how to facilitate U.K. ratification.” Despite May’s dogged de- termination to press on, the tumult leaves her in a precar- ious position. Conservative rivals are preparing for a po- tential leadership challenge, and Labour has threatened call for a no-confidence mo- tion in the government. Scottish First Min- ister Nicola Sturgeon said her Scottish National Party would support an attempt to topple the government and trigger a new election. “This shambles can’t go on – so how about it?” Stur- geon tweeted at Corbyn. Corbyn stopped short of calling a no-confidence vote Monday, but said if May could not renego- tiate with the EU, “then she must make way.” Delays in approving the Brexit deal increase the chances of Britain crashing out of the EU with no agree- ment. The government and the Bank of England have warned that could bring log- jams to British ports and plunge the country into its deepest recession in decades. May said the government would step up preparations for a no-deal Brexit in order to mitigate its worst effects. It has already stockpiled medi- cines and other key goods. Carolyn Fairbairn, head of the Confederation of British Industry, said the delay was “yet another blow for compa- nies desperate for clarity.” “Investment plans have been paused for two-and-a- half years,” she said. “Unless a deal is agreed quickly, the country risks sliding towards a national crisis.” May has also warned that rejecting her deal could re- sult in Britain not leaving the EU at all. Some campaigners in the U.K. want just that. They got a boost Monday when the EU’s top court ruled that Britain can change its mind over Brexit if it wants. Britain invoked Article 50 of the EU’s Lisbon Treaty in March 2017, triggering a two- year exit process. A group of Scottish legislators had asked the European Court of Justice to rule on whether the U.K. could pull out of the with- drawal procedure on its own. The court said Monday that when an EU member country has notified the bloc of its intent to leave, “that member state is free to revoke unilaterally that notification.” May has repeatedly said the government will not seek to delay or reverse Brexit. She said Monday that Parliament had a duty to “get Brexit done and get it done right. “ And she urged lawmakers to unite in a spirit of concili- ation – a plea that has, so far, fallen on deaf ears. “There will be no en- during and successful Brexit without some compromise on both sides of the de- bate,” May said. TUESDAY DECEMBER 11, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS Killer of counterprotester awaits sentence James Alex Fields Jr., convicted of first-degree murder for driving his car into counterprotesters at a white nationalist rally in Virginia, faces 20 years to life in prison. Fields was convicted Friday of killing Heather Heyer during last year’s ‘Unite the Right’ rally. Top House Dems raise prospect of impeachment, jail for Trump Brexit deal in turmoil as May postpones Parliament vote WASHINGTON (AP) – Top House Democrats have raised the prospect of impeach- ment or the real possibility of prison time for President Donald Trump if it’s proved that he directed illegal hush money payments to women, adding to the legal pres- sure on the president over the Russia investigation and other scandals. “There’s a very real pros- pect that on the day Donald Trump leaves office, the Jus- tice Department may in- dict him, that he may be the first president in quite some time to face the real pros- pect of jail time,” said Rep. Adam Schiff, the incoming chairman of the House in- telligence committee. “The bigger pardon question may come down the road as the next president has to de- termine whether to pardon Donald Trump.” Rep. Jerry Nadler, the in- coming chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, described the details in pros- ecutors’ filings Friday in the case of Trump’s former per- sonal lawyer, Michael Cohen, as evidence that Trump was “at the center of a mas- sive fraud.” “They would be impeach- able offenses,” Nadler said. In the filings, prosecutors in New York for the first time link Trump to a federal crime of illegal payments to buy the silence of two women during the 2016 campaign. Special counsel Robert Mueller’s of- fice also laid out previously undisclosed contacts be- tween Trump associates and Russian intermediaries and suggested the Kremlin aimed early on to influence Trump and his Republican cam- paign by playing to both his political and personal busi- ness interests. Trump has denied wrong- doing and has compared the investigations to a “witch hunt.” Nadler, D-N.Y., said it was too early to say whether Congress would pursue im- peachment proceedings based on the illegal pay- ments alone because law- makers would need to weigh the gravity of the offense to justify “overturning” the 2016 election. Nadler and other lawmakers said Sunday they would await additional de- tails from Mueller’s investi- gation into Russian election interference and possible coordination with the Trump campaign to deter- mine the extent of Trump’s misconduct. Regarding the illegal pay- ments, “whether they are im- portant enough to justify an impeachment is a different question, but certainly they’d be impeachable offenses be- cause even though they were committed before the presi- dent became president, they were committed in the ser- vice of fraudulently obtaining the office,” Nadler said. Mueller has not said when he will complete a re- port of any findings, and it is not clear that any such re- port would be made avail- able to Congress. That would be up to the attorney gen- eral. Trump on Friday said he would nominate former Attorney General William Barr to the post to succeed Jeff Sessions. Nadler indicated that Democrats, who will con- trol the House in January, will step up their own inves- tigations. He said Congress, the Justice Department and the special counsel need to dig deeper into the allega- tions, which include ques- tions about whether Trump lied about his business ar- rangements with Russians and about possible obstruc- tion of justice. “The new Congress will not try to shield the presi- dent,” he said. “We will try to get to the bottom of this, in order to serve the Amer- ican people and to stop this massive conspiracy – this massive fraud on the Amer- ican people.” Schiff, D-Calif., also stressed a need to wait “until we see the full picture.” He has previously indicated his panel would seek to look into the Trump family’s business ties with Russia. “I think we also need to see this as a part of a broader pattern of potential misconduct by the president, and it’s that broad pattern, I think, that will lead us to a conclusion about whether it rises to the level to war- rant removal from office,” Schiff said. In the legal filings, the Justice Department stopped short of accusing Trump of directly committing a crime. But it said Trump told Cohen to make illegal payments to porn actress Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal, both of whom claimed to have had affairs with Trump more than a decade ago. British Prime Minister Theresa May arrives at 10 Downing Street in London, Monday. She postponed a vote by MPs on the EU withdrawal agreement that had been scheduled for Tuesday. - PHOTO: AP9 WORLD&REGIONAL CAYMAN COMPASS • TUESDAY DECEMBER 11, 2018 The Cayman Islands Red Cross would like to inform its members that the Annual General Meeting will be held on Thursday December 13th at 6:00pm at the Cayman Islands Further Education Centre (CIFEC) in the assembly hall. This is an important meeting and all current Red Cross members are encouraged to attend. For more information, contact the Red Cross on 949-6785. Macron addresses France amid protests; is it too late? Iraq marks anniversary of victory over Islamic State BAGHDAD (AP) – Iraq on Monday celebrated the anni- versary of its costly victory over the Islamic State group, which has lost virtually all the territory it once held but still carries out sporadic at- tacks to hang on to its last enclave in Syria near the Iraqi border. The government declared victory last December after a grueling three-year war in which tens of thousands of people were killed and hundreds of thousands dis- placed. Entire towns and neighborhoods were reduced to rubble in the fighting. The government declared Monday a national holiday, and a moment of silence is planned for later in the day. Checkpoints in the capital were decorated with Iraqi flags and balloons, as security forces patrolled the streets playing patriotic music. As part of the celebra- tions, authorities plan to re- open parts of Baghdad’s for- tified Green Zone – home to key government offices and embassies – to the public. The move is billed as an act of transparency following protests against corruption and poor public services. The celebrations come as political infighting has hin- dered the formation of the government and setting next year’s budget amid an acute economic situation. Addressing a group of Iraqi military officers, Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi said it was a “proud day for all of us when our brave country defeated the ene- mies of life, dignity, freedom and peace.” He commended the secu- rity forces as well as Iraq’s top Shiite cleric, Grand Aya- tollah Ali Sistani, who issued a fatwa, or religious edict, mobilizing volunteers after the armed forces collapsed in the face of the ISIS onslaught in 2014. Tens of thousands of volunteers joined an array of state-sanctioned militias, many of them backed by Iran. He called on Iraqis to re- nounce their differences and to come together for a better future. “The time has come to leave behind all the past mistakes and conspiracies to open the doors of hope for our children for a better fu- ture,” he said, vowing to re- built the demolished areas and help displaced people re- turn to their homes. “This war has restored Iraq’s dignity,” said Baghdad resident Qassim al-Fatlawi. “All Iraqis took part in this fight, those who couldn’t take up arms fought with words and donations,” added al-Fat- lawi, 29, who organized fun- draising initiatives for the paramilitaries. “That victory and the rel- ative stability in security is a golden opportunity for the government to rebuild the country and to meet the needs of its people,” said Sa- meer al-Obaidi, who led an initiative in the capital’s Sunni-dominated northern Azamiyah neighborhood to distribute flowers to security forces at checkpoints. “It is important to treat all Iraqis equally so that they feel that their sacrifices are appreci- ated,” al-Obaidi added. The Islamic State group, which traces its roots back to the insurgency that followed the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, swept into Iraq from neigh- boring Syria in the summer of 2014. It carved out a self- styled caliphate across a third of both countries, im- posing a harsh form of Is- lamic rule and massacring its opponents. The group ab- ducted thousands of women and girls from the Yazidi re- ligious minority and forced them into sexual slavery. Iraqi forces aided by a U.S.-led coalition eventu- ally drove the group from all the territory it once held in Iraq, including in the cli- mactic battle for Mosul, the country’s second-largest city. These days, ISIS is still fighting to hold onto a small pocket of territory in Syria, near the Iraqi border. Iraq is still grappling with the legacy of the extremist group’s brutal rule. PARIS (AP) – French Presi- dent Emmanuel Macron is at last preparing to speak to the nation Monday, after in- creasingly violent and radi- calized protests against his leadership and a long silence that aggravated the anger. Many protesters only want one thing: for him to de- clare “I quit.” That is an unlikely pros- pect. Instead Macron is ex- pected to announce a series of measures to reduce taxes and boost purchasing power for the masses who feel his presidency has favored the rich. He’s being forced to act after four weeks of “yellow vest” protests that started in struggling provinces and spread to rioting in the cap- ital that has scared tourists and foreign investors and shaken France to the core. Macron met Monday morning in his presidential palace with local and na- tional politicians, unions and business leaders to hear their concerns. In the evening, he will give a national tele- vised address, his first public words in more than a week. The morning meeting stretched past lunch and into the afternoon. A presidential official said there were 37 people around the table with the president, describing how the movement is impacting their sectors, including unions, small businesses and local government. Among steps the govern- ment is considering are abol- ishing taxes on overtime, speeding up tax cuts and an end-of-year bonus for low-in- come workers. Finance Min- ister Bruno Le Maire said Monday the government could delay some payroll taxes, but expressed resis- tance to restoring the wealth tax or lowering taxes for re- tirees, among protesters’ de- mands. He stressed that the measures should focus on helping the working classes. “We are ready to make any gesture” that works, he said on RTL radio. “What is important now is to put an end to the crisis and find peace and unity in the country again.” Fallout from the pro- tests so far could cost France 0.1 percent of gross domestic product in the last quarter of the year, Le Maire warned. “That means fewer jobs, it means less prosperity for the whole country,” he said. The “yellow vest” protests began as a movement against a rise in fuel taxes that Ma- cron eventually abandoned, but have mushroomed to in- clude a plethora of some- times contradictory demands – increasingly including Ma- cron’s resignation. “Macron is there for the rich, not for all the French,” 68-year-old retiree Jean- Pierre Meunuer said at Satur- day’s protests in Paris. Some members of the movement are already plan- ning new action next Sat- urday, amid calls from police officers exhausted by four weekends of rioting for the payment of overtime work in- stead of bonuses. “The State should commit itself to the payment of overtime,” the UNSA police union said in a statement on Monday. “These extra hours should be exempted from tax. Night hours should be re- valued. UNSA police officials will listen carefully to the president’s announcements.” Graffiti throughout the French capital singles Macron out for criticism, reflecting a national sense that the 40-year-old centrist former banker is arrogant and out of touch. Macron however has appeared determined to con- tinue his course, and no presi- dential or parliamentary elec- tions are planned until 2022. Government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux warned Sunday that a “magic wand” won’t solve all the problems of the protesters. Paris tourist sites reopened Sunday, while workers cleaned up debris from protests that left widespread damage in the capital and elsewhere. At least 71 people were injured in Paris on Saturday, fewer than the week before but still a stunning figure. French media reported 136,000 protesters nationwide on Saturday, sim- ilar to the previous week. Nearly 1,000 people were being held in custody after the Saturday protests in the French capital. Iraqi security forces parade on motorcycles Monday with national flags in Tahrir Square, in central Baghdad, marking the one-year anniversary of the defeat of the Islamic State group in Iraq. - PHOTO: AP A worker clears debris in a bank as a man watches through smashed windows, in Paris, Sunday. - PHOTO: APNext >