ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – TUESDAY APRIL 16, 2019 High of 86 Low of 73 Slight with wave heights of 2 to 4 feet. EDITORIAL | PAGE 4 TALKING TRAFFIC: ARE WE REACHING ‘CRITICAL MASS’? WORLD | PAGE 8 CATASTROPHIC FIRE ENGULFS NOTRE DAME CATHEDRAL IN PARIS 950 MORE NAMES MAY TRIGGER PORT VOTE JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Campaigners aiming to trigger a refer- endum on the controversial cruise port pro- ject say they are within touching distance of reaching the required number of signatures. The Cruise Port Referendum Cayman cam- paign announced Monday that it had col- lected and internally verified 82% of the 5,288 signatures required to force a referendum on the issue. That means around 950 more names are required to meet the threshold of 25% of the electorate required by the Constitution for a people-initiated referendum. “We fully expect the petition to exceed the number required in a matter of weeks,” the group said in a press release Monday. The group has been collecting signatures for a petition since September last year. The statement suggests the number of sig- natures gathered already should give govern- ment pause about the wisdom of the project. Police arrest driver soon after KEN SILVA ksilva@pinnaclemedialtd.com A male cyclist was struck by a vehicle and killed on North Church Street early Monday morning. According to police, emer- gency services were dispatched around 5:30 a.m. to the area near Coral Sands, where they found an unresponsive man who ap- peared to have been struck by a vehicle that had left the scene. The roads were cordoned off for much of the morning, with traffic being diverted at Bodden Road and Eastern Avenue. The victim was taken to the hospital and pronounced dead. Just after 5:45 a.m., police ar- rested a 28-year-old man in re- lation to the incident. The man was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving, driving a vehicle whilst disqualified, driving a vehicle without insurance, and leaving the scene of an accident. Police said on Monday morning that the arrested man remained in custody and inves- tigations are ongoing. “The victim in this inci- dent is from off-island and his identity will not be released at this time to provide officers time to contact his family,” the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service added. Cyclist killed in hit-and-run Sargassum seaweed clogs coastline Some coastal areas of Grand Cayman are experiencing influxes of Sargassum seaweed, with mats of the rotting reddish-brown seaweed drifting into shore along South Sound, pictured above, West Bay and other locations. According to the Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute, the recent influxes are related to ‘massive sargassum blooms occurring in particular areas of the Atlantic’. The sargassum then consolidates into large mats which are transported by ocean currents towards and through the Caribbean. Police closed off North Church Street Monday morning following the fatal incident. The damaged bicycle can be seen lying on the roadside on the right. - PHOTO: TANEOS RAMSAY TRIAL BEGINS FOR CRUISE PASSENGER GUN CHARGE SPENCER FORDIN sfordin@pinnaclemedialtd.com The Grand Court jury trial of Carol Ann McNeill-Skorupan, a cruise ship passenger ac- cused of illegally possessing a handgun and ammunition, began Monday without the de- fendant being present. A jury was empanelled to hear the trial in absentia of the defendant Monday morning and Crown counsel Greg Walcolm made his opening arguments. The court heard that the defendant was a passenger on board the Ce- lebrity Silhouette and that Delta Air Lines had flown a missing piece of her luggage into Cayman on Feb. 3. Walcolm told the jury that McNeill- Skorupan had a valid licence to carry a con- cealed firearm in Wisconsin and that her name was clearly written on a luggage tag on her bag. “We take no issue with it,” said Walcolm of the foreign licence. “She did not have a firearm users permit to have a firearm in this PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 6 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 6 »2 LOCAL NEWS TUESDAY APRIL 16, 2019 • 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) LITTLE (PG13) 1:50 I 4:30 I 7:10 I 9:45 AFTERMATH (R) 1:20 I 7:15 I 9:40 PET SEMATARY (R) 4:20 I 9:50 CAPTAIN MARVEL (PG13) 1:35 I 3:20 I 10:00 HELLBOY (R) 1:00 VIP I 3:50 I 10:00 I 10:00 VIP SHAZAM! (PG13) 12:50 I 3:50 VIP I 7:00 A MADEA FAMILY FUNERAL (PG13) 7:25 DUMBO (PG) 12:30 I 4:35 I 6:50 CLASSICS @ THE CINEMA: THE BODYGUARD (R) 7:00 VIP Caymanian students selected as 2019 UWC scholars Cayman students Aleigha General and Ayanna Davis- Eden will be attending schools in Asia this year after they were selected as the 2019 United World Col- lege scholars. The UWC Cayman Islands board of directors and na- tional committee announced on Monday that Aleigha, 16, will attend Li Po Chun UWC in Hong Kong and Ayanna, 15, will attend UWC Thailand. “It is inspiring to receive applications from some of Cayman’s best students each year,” said Martina Jackson, chair of this year’s selec- tion committee. “Aleigha and Ayanna both stood out as in- dividuals who not only have strong academic abilities and are involved in the commu- nity, but individuals who also have a strong passion for the future of the Cayman Is- lands and will represent our country well.” Studying for the rig- orous two-year Interna- tional Baccalaureate Di- ploma, Aleigha and Ayanna will live and study overseas alongside other young people from diverse cultures and backgrounds. Aleigha, who is currently a student at John Gray High School, is in the top 10% of students in her year group and is the school’s deputy head girl. Aleigha devotes much of her time outside the classroom participating in Junior Achievement, Key Club, Cadets and Leo’s Club. She volunteers for organisa- tions such as Cayman An- imal Rescue Enthusiasts and the Humane Society, and this passion for her community and animals has led her to pursue a career in veterinary medicine. She hopes to open her own veterinary clinic in the Cayman Islands. Ayanna attends Triple C High School and enjoys film- making and cooking. She is a featured presenter on Radio Cayman’s YouthFlex show and has volunteered time working backstage at theatre shows performed at the Harquail Theatre. In 2018, Ayanna and a partner competed in the Caribbean Junior Duelling Challenge in Barbados where she won gold for both her plates and placed second out of nine teams from across the Carib- bean region. Her passion for the arts has led her to pursue a career in film production. According to a press re- lease from United World Col- lege, the UWC’s mission is to use “education as a force to unite young people for peace and a sustainable future”. “We were delighted to also work with the colleges and our foundation to award scholarship funding to each of our new scholars, ensuring our selection process con- tinues to be carried out en- tirely on the basis of merit,” said chair of UWC Cayman Islands Aubrey Bodden. “Fun- draising activities, direct fi- nancial support offered by the colleges on an as-needed basis, and grants from long- standing local donors such as the Maples Group and Aall Foundation ensure cost is never a barrier to the most deserving students accessing a UWC education.” Other students from Cayman who are at UWC schools abroad are Fenna Madison, who is attending UWC ISAK Japan; Mark Plowright at UWC Adriatic; Juliana Gaspar at UWC- USA in New Mexico, Elijah Samson at Li Po Chun UWC in Hong Kong; Marley McCoy at Pearson College UWC in Victoria, Canada; and Courtney Thomas at UWC Maastricht in Holland. Lighthouse School highlights autism in annual walk Friends, families, teachers and supporters of the Light- house School took part in the school’s annual Autism Walk on March 30 to help raise awareness of autism spec- trum disorder. Under the theme, ‘We All Fit Together’, scores of partici- pants gathered at The Crescent at Camana Bay for the walk/ run. Every year, the Light- house School and the Home School Association partner to- gether to host this event in order to bring attention to and raise funds for essential au- tism spectrum disorder (ASD) programmes. “We were thrilled with the overwhelming support we re- ceived this year,” said Sarah Caswell, occupational thera- pist and chairperson of the ASD Committee. “Cayman Na- tional and Water Authority have been integral in our awareness campaign as they have sponsored the event since its existence in 2014. In ad- dition to our long-standing sponsors, we also welcomed Engel & Völkers, Harmonic, Ogier, EFG Bank, and Maples Group to the team.” The contributions of the seven companies covered the cost of the T-shirts, which guaranteed that 100% of pro- ceeds from the walk would go towards the continua- tion of essential autism pro- grammes, she said. Special education teacher Heather Thompson ex- plained the importance of this funding and the dual purpose it serves in the students’ lives at Lighthouse School. “The students’ participa- tion in these programmes provides ample opportuni- ties to acquire necessary life skills, while simultaneously allowing them to advocate and raise awareness for au- tism through their interac- tions with their community at large,” Thompson said. Over the past six years, the event has grown exponentially. This year, the organising com- mittee added a timed run for avid runners. Organisers said that, in previous years, the Lighthouse School has relied primarily on staff members to fill the role of volunteers, but this year they welcomed the addition of members from Ro- taract Club of Grand Cayman, Ogier, Engel & Völkers, and three other young volunteers. Volunteer coordinator and speech pathologist Deniece Williams said, “Thank you to all our volunteers who dedi- cated their time. I’m extremely proud of the work that the volunteers provided, and I’d like to acknowledge their timeless effort to the cause.” Aleigha General, left, and Ayanna Davis-Eden are the latest United World College students from the Cayman Islands. Staff of the Lighthouse School gather at The Crescent in Camana Bay on March 30 for the annual Autism Walk. They are wearing ‘We All Fit Together’ T-shirts designed by student Brandon Jackson. VIOLENCE INTERVENTION TRAINING SCHEDULED The Department of Coun- selling Services’ Family Re- source Centre will host a domestic violence interven- tion training programme next month. The deadline to register for the programme is Thursday, April 25. The training will take place at the Family Resource Cen- tre’s offices at Walker House, 77 Mary Street, George Town, between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Wednesday to Friday, May 1-3. Organisers said in a press release that the free, three- day certification course is suitable for human and social services professionals, edu- cators, general and mental health practitioners, human resources professionals, civil service leaders, law enforce- ment, faith-based leaders and other frontline staff who in- teract with victims, perpetra- tors and/or children experi- encing domestic violence. To register or for further details about the course, contact the Family Resource Centre at 949-0006 or email frc@gov.ky. FOOD TRUCK AND RESTAURANT ROBBED A food truck and a res- taurant were the victims of robberies on Saturday, April 13, according to the Royal Cayman Islands Po- lice Service. Police responded to the first robbery at a food truck on Crewe Road, George Town, at about 5:30 p.m. It was reported that a man brandishing a machete demanded money, police said in a press release. He fled in the direction of Tropical Gardens with an unknown sum of cash, according to the RCIPS, who said the man was dressed in dark clothing. Later that evening, just after 9 p.m., police responded to a report of robbery at a restau- rant on West Bay Road, during which a man in dark clothing and armed with a machete entered the restaurant and de- manded money. The man fled the res- taurant with an unknown amount of cash. Detectives are inves- tigating whether the two incidents are linked. 916.0923 info@feedourfuturecayman.org www.feedourfuturecayman.org3 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • TUESDAY APRIL 16, 2019 Miller holds on to Opposition leadership JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Ezzard Miller officially re- mains Leader of the Opposition, despite a letter from all four members of the political group requesting he does not speak on their behalf. The letter, seen by the Com- pass, questions Miller’s public stance in support of same-sex civil unions and highlights “con- cerns and challenges” within the group, but stops short of calling for him to resign. It states, “Our Constitu- tion and out Legislative As- sembly requires that there be a Leader of the Opposition and as such we are not opposed to you remaining in the position of Leader of the Opposition if you are mindful to do so. “However, where the general public is concerned, we are re- questing that you do not speak on our behalf. “We believe that this request is necessary to maintain our in- dependence and the political platform we are all elected on.” The letter highlights public statements by Miller in support of same-sex civil unions, sug- gesting this had caused concern among the group and among their constituents. It is signed by Arden McLean, Alva Suckoo, Chris Saunders and Anthony Eden – the four opposition legisla- tors who had formed a political group with Miller. The letter, dated April 10, goes on to say, “We are asking that you do not see this letter as a reflection on your perfor- mance or efforts over the past 22 months but rather as the challenges that come with rep- resenting a diverse electorate that we serve.” Miller acknowledged he had received the letter but charac- terised it as support for him to stay on as leader. “I received the letter and it says there is no complaint against my performance,” he said. “I intend to stay on as leader until such time as the majority don’t want me.” He said he had received stronger personal messages of support from individual mem- bers of the group. Chris Saunders, MLA for Bodden Town West, acknowl- edged he had signed the letter. He said it was not a request for Miller to step down. He said the legislators could have called directly for his res- ignation or written to Governor Martyn Roper asking for him to be replaced but had chosen not to do so. He acknowledged there were issues within the group but attributed this to the fact that they were independent members working together on an issue-by-issue basis rather than as a political party. He said he remained an in- dependent member and while he was happy for Miller to re- main in the official role of op- position leader, he said the group had highlighted concerns that collective positions should be agreed upon in advance. “Unless we issue a state- ment together, then it is not coming from us as a group. I can’t give anyone a blank check to speak for me or the people I represent,” Saunders added. The issue of same-sex un- ions appears to be the spark that ignited the latest leader- ship concerns. Saunders said Miller’s comments on the sub- ject had caused an unnecessary distraction for the group, given that many of the members are directly opposed to same- sex unions. But he reiterated that he was personally happy for Miller to remain as official Leader of the Opposition. He said many of the chal- lenges for the group sprung from the fact that this was a group of independents rather that a political party. He said this created challenges in terms of collective positions but en- sured there were no passengers simply toeing the party line. Miller’s position has been the source of speculation since the resignation of his deputy Alva Suckoo last month. Suckoo later said he had joined in a decision to ask Miller to step down and the Opposition leader had refused. Miller addressed the ru- mours in a press conference earlier this month saying he would step down if he were presented with a letter signed by all four members asking him to do so. Speaking Monday, he said the letter he had received had not made that request and had in fact indicated agreement for him to stay on as leader. Speaker McKeeva Bush ap- peared to question Miller’s status as Opposition leader in the Legislative Assembly last week, pointedly referring to his as the member for North Side, rather than by his official title. Bush was censuring Miller for remarks he had made on the radio questioning the speaker’s decision not to intervene when MLA Dwayne Seymour made a remark that some have con- strued as homophobic, referring to the month as “Gaypril”. Bush said Miller should have used his time on the radio to clarify his own position. “As presiding officer for no- menclature in this assembly, I should be referring to him as Leader of the Opposition but how can I when I know he has no support to speak for the so- called Opposition, the very sup- port that made him Leader of the Opposition. I thought he should have dealt with that.” Ezzard Miller Evaluators deem First Baptist Christian School ‘satisfactory’ Montessori By The Sea graded ‘good’ while Tiffany’s needs more work KEN SILVA ksilva@pinnaclemedialtd.com The Office of the Education Standards graded First Bap- tist Christian School as ‘satis- factory’ in a report drafted last month by inspectors. The inspectors, in their latest reports, also deemed Montessori By The Sea to have ‘good’ education services. Mean- while, Tiffany’s Pre-School has made little progress to address its ‘weak’ grade given to it by the Office of Education Stand- ards last October, according to a follow-up report on that school. ‘Satisfactory’ is the min- imum level of quality re- quired for education services in Cayman, while ‘good’ is the level the Office of Education Standards expects all schools to achieve. ‘Weak’ is unacceptably low quality education services, and ‘excellent’ would be excep- tionally high quality services. For First Baptist, evaluators said positive behaviour and a healthy and safe environment were among the institution’s strengths. Student performance was evaluated as satisfactory in science and math. “The majority of teachers en- couraged students to delve into appropriately challenging math- ematical concepts relating to time, classification and number,” the Office of Education Stand- ards report states. “As a re- sult, most students achieved in line with expectations. For ex- ample, in Kindergarten, most children were confident to use mathematical language to de- scribe shapes.” However, evaluators found that students across both phases rarely demonstrated higher level mathematical skills because of the weak mathe- matics curriculum. “For example,” the report states, “too few students in Grade 1 were able to count forward and backwards to 100 with accuracy. In the ma- jority of mathematics lessons, elementary students’ critical thinking was underdeveloped, so their understanding lacked depth when they applied their skills and knowledge in dif- ferent contexts.” Student performance was graded as weak in English, and evaluators said few children at First Baptist made sufficient progress in their language and communication skills. There was evidence that students’ achievement in reading and writing actually worsened over time, according to the report. “Work in class and in portfo- lios demonstrated that students were not covering core content in English or using the same strategies year on year,” the re- port states. “Consequently, their skills were not systematically developed. In Kindergarten, a minority of children received in- struction that was in line with the most up-to-date practice.” Montessori By The Sea received a more glowing evaluation. “The students were pas- sionate about environmental, global and social issues. They were friendly, articulate and polite. Relationships were ex- cellent between students and adults and amongst the stu- dents,” the report on that school states. “The individual support and encouragement given to every student, including those with special educational needs, enabled them to achieve well.” Evaluators found that all areas of Montessori’s educa- tion services were either satis- factory or above. The report did identify a few relatively minor soft spots, such as students be- coming disengaged when their teachers talked too much. “Activities provided for follow-up work occasionally consisted of colouring in pic- tures or doing a word search and such were not sufficiently challenging,” the report adds. Along with the reports eval- uating First Baptist Christian School and Montessori By The Sea, the inspectors drafted a follow-up report on the weak evaluation Tiffany’s Pre-School received last October. According to that report, Tif- fany’s Pre-School has done little to address those weaknesses. For example, the report found that the school has still not made sufficient progress in es- tablishing an efficient schedule for its students. “On the first day of the in- spection, there was insufficient time allocated to outdoor play. Transitions from one session to the next were not always man- aged effectively and whole class activities were not, at times, well suited to the various needs of the different children in each of the three and four-year old classes,” the report states. “Tran- sitions were not always efficient and this sometimes resulted in children waiting for lengthy pe- riods between activities.” Moving forward, the Office of Education Standards stated that it will evaluate First Bap- tist and Tiffany’s again within six months to see the progress of those schools. Montessori By The Sea will not be evaluated again until September 2020, as the school is judged to be providing a good quality of education.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 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 PUBLISHER KATHLEEN CAPETTA EXECUTIVE EDITOR PATRICK BRENDEL A MEMBER OF THE INTER-AMERICAN PRESS ASSOCIATION “Give light and the people will find their own way” Last week, Cayman experienced a different type of traffic-related pile-up, with several officials offering ideas to solve our thorny transportation woes. First, there was Prospect legislator Austin Harris’s proposal that government restrict vehicle imports – which he says have ballooned to about 398 vehicles per month. This surge is offset only by about the approximately 30 per month which are disposed of in the George Town Landfill, the legislator said. With that kind of ratio, it’s no wonder the island has so many cars. To anyone enduring morning or evening traffic, Harris’s estimate – that Grand Cayman is now home to more vehicles than people – probably seemed about right. Just how many of these vehicles are actually on our roadways at any given time, or during rush hours in particular, is a slightly different question. That said, it could be an idea worth pursuing as one piece of a much bigger plan. There was good news on that front, as well, with Infrastructure Minister Joey Hew advising that the National Roads Authority has adopted ‘Complete Street’ standards that will incorporate active and passive transportation into road design – making roads safer for yclists and pedestrians, and more accommo- dating of public transit. “We must look at things such as hop-on and hop-off buses along the Seven Mile corridor and also into George Town,” he said. “We must start consid- ering things like airport park-and-rides and downtown park-and-rides, water taxis, an airport express from the hotels running on a regular basis.” And in his Strategic Policy Statement, Premier Alden McLaughlin promised to prioritise completion of the East-West Arterial Highway extension, as well as other road improvements designed to alleviate bottle- necks for commuters. Clearly, a robust arterial that allows free flow of heavy traffic to and from the eastern districts would be a boon for our many residents who prefer quieter, more affordable communities, provided steps are taken to avoid unnecessarily compromising fragile wetlands. The premier also called for a “radical new approach” to public transportation, announcing that government will commission a mass transportation study to examine the options within the next year. It is good to see transportation issues rising to this level of awareness after years of slowly deterio- rating conditions. As Harris warned his colleagues in the Legislative Assembly last Thursday, without drastic change, traffic congestion will only increase as our population continues to grow. He estimates that growth at greater than 200 percent over the next five years – an astonishing figure that is difficult to imagine, given our already-intolerable gridlock. But as we have repeatedly written, there is no single strategy that will untangle Cayman’s traffic snarls. Only a comprehensive and forward-looking plan that prioritises high-impact improvements will steer us out of this mess. Talking traffic: Are we reaching ‘critical mass’? TUESDAY APRIL 16, 2019 • CAYMAN COMPASS An opportunity for change in Sudan GEORGE CLOONEY, JOHN PRENDERGAST For the past decade, gov- ernments around the world lined up to legitimise the regime of Omar Hassan al- Bashir in Sudan – even as it continued to attack civil- ians in Darfur, burn Chris- tian churches, deny food to areas of the Nuba Moun- tains, provide support to extremist groups, and ar- rest and torture protesters. Instead of confronting these abuses, the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, the Af- rican Union, China, Russia and Persian Gulf coun- tries all sought ways to strengthen relations with his government. Only one constituency stood up to Bashir and his allied generals: the Suda- nese people themselves. After years of organising and resisting, Sudan’s pro- reform social movement catalysed protests across the country, resulting in a “palace coup” on Thursday. Bashir was replaced by his ally and defence min- ister, Awad Ibn Auf, who has been sanctioned for his role in genocidal crimes in Darfur. The next day, he was replaced by another military leader, Gen. Abdel- Fattah Burhan. This chain of succession is a move straight out of the autocratic playbook, in which a regime perpetuates itself by changing the fig- urehead at the top without changing the violent, corrup- tion-fueled system beneath. The protesters were not fooled, and they have con- tinued their mass demon- strations despite warn- ings and curfews from Ibn Auf and conciliatory ap- peals from Burhan. Though Burhan has said the mili- tary council would name a civilian prime minister and Cabinet, he has not com- mitted to installing a ci- vilian president. Allowing the army to oversee a tran- sition to democracy, even in a more limited capacity, would be like having the foxes oversee improve- ments to the henhouse and could undermine efforts at rooting out corruption and state-sponsored vio- lence, the twin hallmarks of three decades of military rule in Sudan. The threat of major vio- lence is real. For more than a dozen years, we have trav- elled together throughout war-torn areas of Sudan, hearing stories of death and destruction. The main per- petrators of nearly every vi- olent assault that survivors described were the dreaded ‘Janjaweed’ militias, govern- ment-supported gangs in- corporated into the regime’s security services and re- cently deployed to protester strongholds. Despite these concerns, Bashir’s removal is evidence of a crack in the foundation of the diseased system. The international community now has a second chance to correct its past policy fail- ures and side with the Su- danese people’s demands. Regime change at the top is not enough: The time has come for systemic change. World leaders have urged Sudan to respond to the pro- testers with restraint. The United States, EU and Af- rican Union are vaguely pressing the regime to sup- port a transition to democ- racy. But if the interna- tional community only urges change without taking ac- tion, Sudan could become like Egypt, where the cor- rupt, military-led system remains in place despite changes in leadership. The international community must instead build leverage to persuade the military to turn over full executive power to a civilian-led tran- sitional government. Sudan’s generals have a financial vulnerability. Dis- astrous government poli- cies have left the country in crushing debt and in need of aid and debt relief. Sudan’s aid lifeline has consisted of emergency donations from gulf countries and European assistance aimed at reducing the flow of immigrants to Europe – a task the regime assigned to some of its brutal militias. Now, all non- humanitarian aid should be suspended until civilian rule is in place and the militias are disbanded. Additionally, the regime’s quest to obtain debt relief has been blocked for more than two decades by its placement on the US State Sponsors of Terrorism list. In the past year, the United States moved forward with a process to remove Sudan from that list, which would open the door to major debt relief. The State Department announced after Bashir’s removal that it was sus- pending that process tem- porarily, and its resumption should be contingent upon the completion of a gen- uine democratic transition – not simply the announce- ment of one. But the most potent form of leverage would be to go after the assets laundered by Bashir and his allies through the international financial system. Bashir’s military and commercial network has been siphoning off the coun- try’s resources for decades, reportedly stuffing bank ac- counts, purchasing real es- tate and underwriting shell companies globally. As a re- sult of the documented cor- ruption and lack of adequate anti-money-laundering con- trols recently highlighted by the Sentry, regime elites are likely expanding their efforts to hide their illicitly ob- tained wealth outside Sudan. Pursuing this capital flight would provide real support to Sudanese pro- testers. The US Treasury De- partment and other regula- tors around the globe should issue public advisories to their financial and real estate sectors warning of the risk of asset flight from Sudanese ‘politically exposed persons’ to their jurisdictions. And the United States should use Global Magnitsky Act sanc- tions against officials re- sponsible for mass corrup- tion and rights abuses. Sudan’s courageous pro- testers need more than words: They need strong in- ternational action for real change to have a chance. George Clooney and John Prendergast are co-founders of the Sentry. © 2019, The Washington Post News Service The US Treasury Department and other regulators around the globe should issue public advisories to their financial and real estate sectors warning of the risk of asset flight from Sudanese ‘politically exposed persons’ to their jurisdictions. 5 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS TUESDAY APRIL 16, 2019 ASTASTASTEREREREASTER EASTER EASTER RUNRUNRUNCCCBRUNCHBRUNCHBRUNCH all youall youall youll ll ll an eatan eatan eatcan eat can eat can eat at at at GUY GUY GUY UYUYUY ARARARVEVEVEY’Y’Y’HARVEY’SHARVEY’SHARVEY’S $45$45$45$$$444 www.guyharveys.ky for reservations either email: info@guyharveys.ky or phone: 946 9000 Johannesburg photographer shares wildlife encounters JEWEL LEVY jlevy@pinnaclemedialtd.com The sun was beginning to set, and wildlife photog- rapher Lex Hes was hoping the lions would spring into action before the sun disap- peared altogether. Then, just as the last rays of the sun moved below the horizon, Hes got his wish. A male lion sat up and the sunlight caught his profile. “It was absolutely beau- tiful. I managed to get two photographs before the light disappeared,” he said. That photograph earned the Johannesburg naturalist and wildlife photographer a couple of awards and the image was used all over the world in advertising. Like many wildlife pho- tographers, Hes is interested in how we as humans have an impact on wild areas and ecosystems. While vacationing in the Cayman Islands, Hes, 62, was approached by the National Trust to share some of his knowledge about preserving the environment. That sug- gestion resulted in a pres- entation last Thursday at the Lodge at the Strand on West Bay Road. Trust members heard, if it were not for tourism and people coming to look at mountain gorillas in Uganda, that species might be extinct. Since people are paying to see these animals, however, the locals who live there have a reason to protect the go- rillas and other animals. Using this mentality in Cayman, he said, would give people the incentive to pro- tect animals here as well. “These beautiful, incred- ible animals are a part of a natural world and we need to do everything that we can to protect it and to en- sure that it stays around for- ever,” Hes said. From a very young age, he said, he was captivated with animals in the wild. Born and educated in Jo- hannesburg, South Africa, he has been involved in the world of wildlife photog- raphy for the past 40 years. He is now a popular freelance nature guide who imparts his wealth of knowledge about Africa’s ecosystems with others. His father, an enthusiastic amateur photographer, gave him his first camera. Later, his uncle gave him a camera that had interchange- able and telephoto lens, which allowed him to take wildlife photographs. Hes taught himself pho- tography by reading books but said he just seemed to have a natural eye in terms of composition. His first profession was as a safari guide in the 1970s when he was around 19. By then, he was already a keen amateur photographer. He started getting se- rious about his photography and by the age of 21 he was selling his photographs to publishers. From a young lad, he said, he always envisioned living in the wilderness and being in contact with wild animals to observe them and under- stand the natural world. He said there are obvi- ously potential dangers in wildlife photography and Af- rica has many dangerous an- imals: lions, leopards, ele- phants, buffalos, hippos and lots of species of snakes. Definitely, he admits, there were times he found himself in a pickle. One night, a pair of huge elephant bulls visited while he slept on the back of pickup truck. He awoke to two elephants standing over his vehicle sniffing him and the truck. He could feel and hear their heaving breathing from their trunks just inches from his head. Hes uses a 500mm Nikon lens, a 70-200mm that gives wider views, a 300mm lens for medium range and a few landscape lenses for his wild- life pictures. Some pictures are spur of the moment while others are set up to happen. Dutch photographer Hugo von Lawick and his work in Africa inspired Hes as a young man. More recently, he said, it has been South African photographers Peter Johnson, Anthony Bannister and Brendon Cremer that have inspired him. For those thinking of get- ting into wildlife photog- raphy, Hes said not to be too careful, just fire away and take as many photographs as you can. The biggest piece of ad- vice he gives to any aspiring photographer is get to learn about the natural world that you are photographing. The more you know about na- ture, the better your photo- graphs will be. Hes has published five books: ‘Leopards of Lon- dolozi’, ‘Bush School’, ‘At- tracting Birds to Your Garden in Southern Africa’, ‘The Complete Book of Southern African Mammals’ and ‘Wild South Africa’. In this photo taken by wildlife photographer Lex Hes, older elephants protect a calf. Seven University College of Cayman Islands teams took part in the inaugural Ethics Challenge, which was launched by the CFA Society of Cayman Islands at the col- lege earlier this month. “The Ethics Challenge asked UCCI students to an- alyse and evaluate a case study identifying ethical di- lemmas based on the CFA Institute Code of Ethics and Standards of Professional Conduct with the goal of in- creasing knowledge and pro- fessionalism among future leaders,” said Siddhant Jain Jaiswal, a chartered finan- cial analyst and audit man- ager at EY, which sponsored the event. The three-member teams battled it out to win the championship trophy, which ultimately was claimed by former Student Repre- sentative Council President Charles Lewinson Jr., Tiffany Gilbert, and Aliyah Knox. EY Cayman Ltd. Partner Marco Calleja said, “Integrity and sound judgment are pil- lars of our industry, and it was inspiring to see that the students are so well prepared for their careers. The event was a great way to show our support for the Cayman Is- lands community and its fu- ture leaders.” Belinda Blessitt-Vincent, chair of UCCI’s Department of Business Studies, said of the participants, “As each team presented their case and re- sponded to the judges’ ques- tions, we all felt a sense of pride and accomplishment. Everyone was animated and resolutely defended their positions.” UCCI teams debate ethics Representatives of the CFA Society of Cayman Islands present a trophy to the winning team who bested six other groups at the CFA’s Inaugural Ethics Challenge.The islands’ most-trusted news source 6 TUESDAY APRIL 16, 2019 • CAYMAN COMPASS jurisdiction. It was fortu- nate the gun was inter- cepted by Customs.” Walcolm said that the defendant admitted to owning the weapon during a police interview and said she had packed the gun in- side the suitcase. Walcolm also said that the defend- ant’s intention could be as- certained based on infor- mation she had provided the cruise line, airline and shipping company. The question of the case, he said, was whether she had intended to have the weapon sent to Cayman. Walcolm called two wit- nesses Monday morning. The first witness was a senior Customs officer who works in a supervisory ca- pacity at Owen Roberts In- ternational Airport, and he testified about how the weapon was discovered. The bag holding the weapon arrived on Delta Flight 690 from Atlanta, and the supervising officer said the baggage – a black suitcase with a Mickey Mouse emblem – was left on the floor unattended. The bag was scanned at the X-ray machine and the weapon was discovered in its side pocket. The gun, a .25-calibre handgun, had a magazine with six bullets inside. Two officers were summoned to remove the magazine and make sure that the gun was safe before the investiga- tion continued. The second witness, a Customs and Border Patrol officer, testified that he was part of the team that col- lected the firearm. He con- firmed that the pictures in the evidence bundle corre- spond to the bag and gun he had recovered, and he said that he and another colleague made contact with the defendant. The defendant was al- ready in custody when he arrived at North Terminal, said the witness. “She confirmed the firearm was hers,” he said. The police were trans- ported to the ship with the defendant and af- fected a search of her cabin. Nothing illegal was found there, and the de- fendant transferred from the ship to the deten- tion centre. At that point, she was booked into custody and interviewed in the pres- ence of her attorneys. Defence attorney Keith Myers had just a couple of questions for the second witness. He wanted to make sure that the wit- ness had never seen the defendant with the gun or bag in her possession. “No, I did not,” said the witness. Myers also asked if the defendant had ob- jected to having her room searched or made the pro- cess difficult, and he was told that she had complied with the requests of law enforcement. The trial will continue Tuesday, and the Crown is expected to run through the rest of its case. It adds that government should be wary of signing any deals in the near fu- ture, amid the possibility that the project could be halted by a people’s vote. “Government too should be cautious in signing any binding contracts or con- tracts with penalty, until after the referendum re- sult so as to prevent mis- representation to inter- national corporations, as well as avoiding paying contract breach penalties with public funds,” the statement adds. Shirley Roulstone, of Cruise Port Referendum Cayman, said the internal verification process in- cludes checking off people who have signed the peti- tion against the latest voter registration list from the Elections Office, checking for exact names, legibility of details, up-to-date ad- dresses and removing du- plicate signatures to avoid double counting. She said this was an internal pro- cess to ensure the pre- cise number of valid sig- natures is known before submission. Official verification will be completed by the Elec- tions Office, if and when the completed petition is submitted to government. Roulstone urged anyone who had not yet done so and wants to have a say on the port project to sign the petition. “We would like to re- mind the public that this petition is neither for nor against the port and en- courage all registered voters to sign the peti- tion, especially on behalf of your children who are unable to have a voice but will be most impacted by this decision, in hope that, by the time this comes to a referendum, we will all have enough information to cast a vote with the con- fidence that the proposed project is either in the best interest of our island’s fu- ture or not,” she said. Delivering the govern- ment’s Strategic Policy Statement on Friday, Pre- mier Alden McLaughlin told legislators that plans for a new cruise ship berthing and cargo dock would go ahead. He said, “The new cruise and enhanced cargo port when built – and it will be built – will secure our vital cruise industry for dec- ades and create jobs and business opportunities for Caymanians.” For more information about the petition, call 327-5411 or email cprcayman@gmail.com. Justices of Peace recognised for community work The Cayman Islands Jus- tices of the Peace in their annual general meeting last month highlighted an on- going programme in which members offer their services free of charge. At their AGM on March 13, the members spoke of the programme, which is under way every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, from 9 a.m. to noon, at the Gov- ernment Administration Building lobby. During that time, a JP is available to pro- vide service free of cost to benefit those seeking certi- fication of their signatures on official forms and pa- pers, and authenticated true copies of documents such as immigration and land transfer papers. Highlighting the useful- ness of the programme, As- sociation President Anthony Scott lauded the work done by outgoing President Kerry Nixon and her team in this regard, notably programme organiser and Association Secretary Christine Wright for running the programme “with military precision”, ac- cording to a press release. Following the associa- tion’s AGM at the George Town Yacht Club, Scott wel- comed Governor Martyn Roper and wife Lissie Roper to a dinner event, at which he explained some of the work that association mem- bers routinely perform. These range from officiating at the destruction of narcotics and drugs by law enforcement officers to notarising doc- uments. Association mem- bers also work in various ju- venile programmes run by the Department of Children and Family Services and as- sist with the judicial system through the association. Guest speaker Paulinda Mendoza-Williams, director of the Department of Chil- dren and Family Services, said Cayman’s JPs had con- tributed to the social devel- opment and care of children and families through the ju- diciary and the DCFS. Their services include addressing matters of child protection and juvenile criminal mat- ters, she noted. “Over the years, JPs have been instrumental in handing down judgements that prevented children from exposure to further abuse and neglect”, supporting rec- ommendations from DCFS, she said. Under the Juve- nile Law, DCFS seeks the assistance of JPs to sign warrants for matters that require removal of children in need of care and protec- tion, she added. She lauded the JPs for making themselves avail- able 24 hours a day and 365 days a year to ensure the islands’ children are pro- tected. “JPs have fought for our children to be educated, to have access to family, ac- cess to healthcare, to be safe and cared for, as well as ad- vocating for secure facilities and suitable places of safety for those juveniles who re- quire residential place- ments,” she said. Mendoza-Williams said she was seeking the JPs’ continued support for DCFS services, such as the Youth Diversion Programme, which is geared to divert young people from the formal pro- cess of the youth justice system and provide pro- grammes to tackle the un- derlying causes of their of- fending behaviour. Another initiative being discussed is the department partnering with JPs to assist with supervised access visits of children whose parents are engaged in contentious child custody battles. At the event, the asso- ciation honoured veteran Cayman Compass journalist Carol Winker for her dedi- cated reporting about the JPs’ work and the associa- tion over decades. The new JPs Association executive is: President An- thony Scott; Vice President Paulette Conolly-Bailey; Im- mediate Past President Kerry Nixon; Secretary Christine Wright; Treasurer Georgette Myrie; Councillors Jenny Manderson, Debra Hum- phreys, Albert Anderson and McCleary Frederick. Trial begins for cruise passenger gun charge CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 The JPs Association 2019 executive: From left, Councillor Debra Humphreys, Secretary Christine Wright, Immediate Past President Kerry Nixon, President Anthony Scott, Councillors Jenny Manderson and Paulette Conolly-Bailey, Treasurer Georgette Myrie and Councillor Albert Anderson. (Missing from photo is Councillor McCleary Frederick.) 950 more names may trigger port vote The statement suggests the number of signatures gathered already should give government pause about the wisdom of the project. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Tourists look out at the George Town Harbour where five cruise ships are moored during a busy cruise day. A petition is under way that aims to spark a people-initiated referedum on whether Cayman should build a cruise ship and cargo ship dock. - PHOTO: TANEOS RAMSAYThe islands’ most-trusted news source 7 Community CALENDAR ■ COMMUNITY CALENDAR is published TUESDAYS and THURSDAYS. It is available to charitable or non-profit organisations. 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 Road or emailed to cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com at least three days in advance of publication. CAYMAN COMPASS • TUESDAY APRIL 16, 2019 949-5111 | sales@pinnaclemedialtd.com LONG WEEKEND Please by advised there will be NO NEWSPAPER on Good Friday, April 19 and Easter Monday, April 22 EDITION DEADLINE April 18 Monday April 15 April 19 HOLIDAY NO PUBLICATION April 22 HOLIDAY NO PUBLICATION April 23 Tuesday April 16 April 24 Wednesday April 17 April 25 Wednesday April 17 April 26 Tuesday April 23 TUESDAY, APRIL 16 SENIOR ACTIVITIES: Computer classes. North Side Library, 9 a.m.- 4 p.m. SICKLE CELL SUPPORT: The next sickle cell support group meeting is at 7:30 p.m. at the Women’s Health Waiting Room at the Health Services Authority. The public is invited. For further information, contact the genetics coordinator at joy.merren@hsa.ky or phone 244-2630. SEAFARERS ASSOC: The Cayman Islands Seafarers Association advises all members that there will be a General Meeting at 7:30 p.m. in the Seafarers Hall, 11 Victory Ave. Prospect. Buses will be provided from West Bay Town Hall at 6 p.m. A bus route has been added in George Town, leaving the Public library parking area at 7, stopping at Cayman Compass building and the Airport Fosters. The bus is marked Bobo $1 Public transport and is blue in colour; there is no charge. FRIDAY, APRIL 19 MUSEUM CLOSED: The National Museum will be closed today through Monday, April 22, due to ongoing construction and the Easter holidays. Normal business hours, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., resume on Tuesday, April 23. SATURDAY, APRIL 20 HEALTH SCREENINGS: CASMET (Caribbean Association of Medical Technologists) will be at Foster’s Food Fair Countryside 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. conducting free health screenings. Testing for cholesterol, blood pressure, glucose & Glyco Hb. A physician will be in attendance to answer any questions those attending may have. Service provided by the Health Services Authority and Trincay. CARIFTA GAMES: Today through Monday. The 48th CARIFTA Games will be held in Cayman over the Easter weekend and will involve 28 countries and 66 events at the Truman Bodden Sports Complex. The Games are contested in two age categories: under-17 and under-20 girls and boys. Each country enters two athletes per event; up to six athletes for relays (including two substitutes) and three athletes in the combined events. For more information and to purchase tickets, priced at between $10 and $55, visit www. caymancarifta2019.ky. MONDAY, APRIL 22 GRESSY, BARKERS BAY FISHING TOURNAMENT: Catch and Release Tournament. No registration fee but bring your own fishing lines/bait and supplies. Fishing start at 9 a.m. Break/refreshments, 11 a.m. Tournament finishes at noon. For more information, contact Eziethamae Bodden 929-9932 or Rudy Powery 949-3208. TUESDAY, APRIL 23 SENIOR ACTIVITIES: Bingo at United Church Hall, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Contact Flavia Gardner at 926-0490. THURSDAY, APRIL 25 CLASSICAL MUSIC: George Town Public Library. 6-7 p.m. Cayman Arts Festival and the Cayman Islands Public Library Service present monthly one-hour concerts at the historical library building, which includes classical music, in addition to poetry and readings from local poets and writers. Tickets available at the door. $20 for adults, $5 for children. Only 75 tickets per event. FRIDAY, APRIL 26 WOMEN’S ANNUAL RETREAT: The Women’s Ministry of Church of God Chapel in George Town invites all women to the annual retreat today at 7-9 p.m., and tomorrow, Saturday, April 27, 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Family Life Centre. Guest speaker is Militza Matute. Cost is $25 and includes light breakfast and lunch. Register at 949-9393 or cogcgt@candw.ky or flcoff@ candw.ky. SATURDAY, APRIL 27 BARGAIN STORE: St. George’s Anglican Church will hold its monthly Bargain Store Sale 7-11 a.m. Located at 64 Courts Road (off Eastern Avenue, opposite Kirk Market), George Town. All are welcome. GARAGE SALE AND CAR BOOT SALE: St. Ignatius Loyola Hall and School Car Park, Walkers Road, 6-11 a.m. No ‘early birds’ please. Clothes, toys, books, household items, art, and much more. TUESDAY, APRIL 30 SENIOR ACTIVITIES: The Benefit of Natural Remedies. Webster United Church Hall, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Contact Flavia Gardner at 926-0490. SENIOR ACTIVITIES: Craft session at East End Civic Centre, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Contact Delmira Bodden at 925-5543. BULLYING: Presentation by Alex Panton Foundation. 6:30-8 p.m., East End Civic Centre. WEDNESDAY, MAY 8 BULLYING: Presentation by Alex Panton Foundation. 6:30-8 p.m., North Side Civic Centre. GENERAL INTEREST COMMENTS DEADLINE FOR MORTGAGE REFORM: The Law Reform Commission advises that the deadline for public comments is Sunday, April 30, on the discussion paper, ‘The Enforcement of Mortgage-type Security Over Real Estate: Is Reform of The Law Necessary?’ The paper was prepared to consider whether it is necessary to reform the law relating to the enforcement of mortgage-type securities over land and, in particular, over residential properties. This request follows concern about the recent number of such procedures, known as foreclosures. View the paper at www.lrc.gov.ky or www.gov. ky or collect a copy from the Offices of the Commission. Submissions should be forwarded to the Director of the Law Reform Commission either electronically to jose. griffith@gov.ky or in writing, by post or hand delivered to the LRC office at 4th Floor Government Administration Building, Portfolio of Legal Affairs, 133 Elgin Avenue, George Town, Grand Cayman, P.O. Box 136, Grand Cayman KY1-9000. LOCAL HARVEST MARKET: Local farmers sell their produce and farmed goods at Camana Bay on Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Heliconia Court (located next to Scotiabank). 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. BOATSWAIN BAY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH: Good Friday, 11 a.m. Easter Sunday, 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. EASTER CONVENTION: The Wesleyan Holiness Churches of Cayman. Thursday, April 18, at 7:30 p.m. Easter Convention begins at Wesleyan Holiness Church, West Bay. Pastor Kim Evans of the WHC of George Town will preach. Friday. 11 a.m., Communion will be served, host Pastor Rev. Brenda Wallick, conducting. Friday, 7:30 p.m., Rev. David Woods of the Red Bay CGH will preach. No services on Saturday. Sunday services at 11 a.m. and 6 p.m., with District Superintendent Rev. Conway King the evening speaker. The public is invited. CATHOLIC CHURCH: St. Ignatius Catholic Church, George Town. Christ the Redeemer, West Bay. Stella Maris, Cayman Brac. Holy Thursday – Mass of the Lord’s Supper, 7 p.m., St. Ignatius and Stella Maris. Good Friday – Stations of the Cross at noon and Passion Service, 1 p.m., at all three churches. Holy Saturday – Easter Vigil Mass, 7:30 p.m., St. Ignatius. Easter Sunday – Masses at St. Ignatius at 8 a.m., 10 a.m., noon, 6 p.m. and 9 a.m.: at Christ the Redeemer at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m.; and at Stella Maris at 11 a.m. Easter Monday – Mass, 8:30 a.m., St. Ignatius. ST. GEORGE’S ANGLICAN: Tuesday – 6 p.m. ‘Hearing Love’s Voice’ led by men. Wednesday – ‘The Touchstone of Love’ led by young adults and youth. Thursday – ‘Love’s Eternal Banquet’, Church Committee, 6 p.m. Supper in the hall, Washing of Feet, Holy Eucharist, Gospel, Sermon, The Stripping of the Altar. Good Friday – 8 a.m., Stations of the Cross; Noon to 3 p.m., Celebration of the Lord’s Passions – The Sounds of the Cross. Holy Saturday – 4:30 a.m., pilgrimage from church to John Gray High School, reflection and prayer breakfast at Smith Cove, led by Evangelism and Outreach; 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Day of Reflection. Sea Orchard Retreat, West Bay. Easter Sunday – 5 a.m., Service of Light, renewal of baptismal vows, Holy Eucharist, Gospel, Sermon, Champagne and breakfast (Garden); 8 a.m., Sacrament of Holy Baptism, Holy Eucharist, Gospel, Sermon, Easter egg hunt, Easter brunch, hat parade, Sunday School presentation in the hall. HOLY WEEK SERVICESThe islands’ most-trusted news source 8 TUESDAY APRIL 16, 2019 • CAYMAN COMPASS US storms leave thousands without power Much of the eastern Great Lakes and mid-Atlantic United States woke up Monday to damaged buildings, closed schools, and dark homes and businesses after powerful storms left tens of thousands of utility customers without power across the region. Workers begin removing fuel from cooling pool at Fukushima reactor TOKYO (AP) – The oper- ator of the tsunami-wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant began removing fuel Monday from a cooling pool at one of three reactors that melted down in the 2011 disaster, a milestone in what will be a decades-long process to de- commission the facility. Tokyo Electric Power Co. said workers started removing the first of 566 used and un- used fuel units stored in the pool at Unit 3. The fuel units in the pool located high up in reactor buildings are in- tact despite the disaster, but the pools are not enclosed, so removing the units to safer ground is crucial to avoid dis- aster in case of another major earthquake similar to the one that caused the 2011 tsunami. TEPCO says the removal at Unit 3 will take two years, followed by the two other re- actors, where about 1,000 fuel units remain in the storage pools. Removing fuel units from the cooling pools comes ahead of the real challenge of re- moving melted fuel from in- side the reactors, but details of how that might be done are still largely unknown. Re- moving the fuel in the cooling pools was delayed more than four years by mishaps, high radiation and radioactive de- bris from an explosion that occurred at the time of the re- actor meltdowns, underscoring the difficulties that remain. Workers are remotely op- erating a crane built under- neath a jelly roll-shaped roof cover to raise the fuel from a storage rack in the pool and place it into a protective cask. The whole process occurs un- derwater to prevent radiation leaks. Each cask will be filled with seven fuel units, then lifted from the pool and low- ered to a truck that will trans- port the cask to a safer cooling pool elsewhere at the plant. The work is carried out re- motely from a control room about 500 metres away be- cause of still-high radia- tion levels inside the reactor building that houses the pool. “I believe everything is going well so far,” plant chief Tomohiko Isogai told Japanese public broadcaster NHK. “We will watch the progress at the site as we put safety first. Our goal is not to rush the process but to carefully proceed with the decommissioning work.” About an hour after the work began Monday, the first fuel unit was safely stored inside the cask, TEPCO spokesman Takahiro Ki- moto said. Monday’s opera- tion was to end after a fourth unit is placed inside the cask, he said. No major damage was found on the fuel unit Monday, but plant officials will closely examine if there are any pinholes or other ir- regularities, Kimoto said. The removal, however, raises a storage capacity con- cern at the plant because the common pool, where fuel from the Unit 3 pool heads to, al- ready has 6,000 fuel units and is almost full. Kimoto said TEPCO has made room at the common pool for the incoming fuel by moving years-old and sufficiently cooled fuel into dry casks for safer, long-term storage, though further details are being worked out. In 2014, TEPCO safely re- moved all 1,535 fuel units from the storage pool at a fourth re- actor that was idle and had no fuel inside its core when the March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami occurred. Robotic probes have pho- tographed and detected traces of damaged nuclear fuel in the three reactors that had melt- downs, but the exact location and other details of the melted fuel are largely unknown. Re- moving fuel from the cooling pools will help free up space for the subsequent removal of the melted fuel, though de- tails on how to gain access to it have yet to be decided. Experts say the melted fuel in the three reactors amounts to more than 800 tons, an enormous amount that is more than six times that of the 1979 accident at Three Mile Island, where one reactor had a partial core melt. In February, a remote-con- trolled robot with tongs re- moved pebbles of nuclear de- bris from the Unit 2 reactor but was unable to remove larger chunks, indicating a robot would need to be de- veloped that can break the chunks into smaller pieces. Toshiba Corp.’s energy sys- tems unit, which developed the robot, said the findings were key to determining the proper equipment and technologies needed to remove the melted fuel, the most challenging part of the decommissioning. TEPCO and government officials plan to determine methods for removal of melted fuel from each of the damaged reactors this year so they can begin the process in 2021. Tokyo Electric Power Co. workers remotely remove fuels at Unit 3 of Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant, in Okuma, Japan, on Monday. - PHOTO: AP Catastrophic fire engulfs Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris PARIS (AP) – A massive fire engulfed the roof of Notre Dame Cathedral in the heart of the French capital Monday, toppling its spire and sending thick plumes of smoke high into the blue sky as tourists and Parisians watched in horror from the streets below. A spokesman said the entire wooden frame of the cathedral would likely come down, and that the vault of the edifice could be threatened too. “Everything is burning, nothing will remain from the frame,” Notre Dame spokesman Andre Finot told French media. The 12th-cen- tury cathedral is home to in- calculable works of art and is one of the world’s most fa- mous tourist attractions. The cause of the cat- astrophic blaze was not known, but French media quoted the Paris fire brigade as saying the fire is “poten- tially linked” to a US$6.8 mil- lion renovation project on the church’s spire and its 250 tons of lead. Prosecutors opened an investigation as Paris police said there were no reported deaths. Flames shot out of the roof behind the nave of the cathedral, among the most visited landmarks in the world. Hundreds of people lined up bridges around the island that houses the cathe- dral, watching in shock as acrid smoke rose in plumes. French President Emma- nuel Macron postponed a tel- evised speech to the nation because of the stunning blaze and was going to the cathe- dral himself. Paris deputy mayor Em- manuel Gregoire said emer- gency services were trying to salvage the famed art pieces stored in the cathedral. Built in the 12th and 13th centuries, Notre Dame is the most famous of the Gothic cathedrals of the Middle Ages as well as one of the most be- loved structures in the world. Situated on the Ile de la Cite, an island in the Seine, the ca- thedral’s architecture is fa- mous for, among other things, its many gargoyles and its iconic flying buttresses. Among the most cele- brated artworks inside are its three stained-glass rose win- dows, placed high up on the west, north and south faces of the cathedral. Its price- less treasures also include a Catholic relic, the crown of thorns, which is only occa- sionally displayed, including on Fridays during Lent. The cathedral was immor- talised in Victor Hugo’s ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’, published in 1831, and has long been a subject of fascina- tion in popular culture as well as the traditional art world. French historian Camille Pascal told BFM broadcast channel the blaze marked “the destruction of invalu- able heritage”. “It’s been 800 years that the Cathedral watches over Paris,” Pascal said. “Happy and unfortunate events for centuries have been marked by the bells of Notre Dame.” He added: “We can be only horrified by what we see.” Associated Press reporters at the scene saw massive plumes of yellow brown smoke filling the air above the Cathedral and ash falling on the island that houses Notre Dame and marks the centre of Paris. As the spire fell, the sky lit up orange. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo is in despair at the “terrible fire”. Hidalgo said on Twitter Monday that Paris fire- fighters were still trying to limit the fire and urged Paris citizens to respect the secu- rity perimeter that has been set around the cathedral. Hidalgo said Paris au- thorities are in touch with Paris diocese. Reactions from around the world came swiftly. In Washington, Trump tweeted: “So horrible to watch the massive fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris” and suggested first re- sponders use “flying water tankers” to put it out. Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the archbishop of New York, said he was praying “to ask the intercession of Notre Dame, our Lady, for the Ca- thedral at the heart of Paris, and of civilization, now in flames! God preserve this splendid house of prayer, and protect those battling the blaze”. Flames rise from Notre Dame Cathedral as it burns in Paris, Monday. Massive plumes of yellow-brown smoke filled the air above the famous Cathedral, as ash fell on tourists and others around the island that marks the center of Paris. - PHOTO: AP9 WORLD®IONAL CAYMAN COMPASS • TUESDAY APRIL 16, 2019 The Family of Malcolm M. Stephenson (“Mr. Terrible”) Announces his passing On Wednesday, April 10th. Following a brief illness. Left to mourn are his daughter Shân, extended family & friends. He was a good and gentle man. In lieu of flowers, Please make a donation in his name to Jasmine (formerly Cayman Hospice Care) ACTIVISTS SAY SUDAN’S MILITARY ATTEMPTED TO BREAK UP SIT-IN CAIRO (AP) – The Suda- nese military attempted to break up an anti-govern- ment sit-in Monday outside its headquarters in the cap- ital, Khartoum, but backed off, organisers behind the protests said. There were no clashes and no one was hurt but the incident set off con- cerns that the military, which last week ousted Su- dan’s longtime President Omar al-Bashir after four months of street protests against his rule, could re- nege on its promises not to use force against the peaceful demonstrators. Videos circulated on- line showing hundreds of troops outside the mili- tary compound in Khar- toum. In the footage, an officer is heard saying they came to open roads, “clean the area” and re- move the barricades set up by the protesters to protect their gathering. Some protesters are then seen in the footage sit- ting down on the ground in front of the soldiers who subsequently back off. “Revolution,” protesters also chant in some of the videos, as well as slogans against al-Bashir’s Islamist supporters. The Sudanese Profes- sionals Association, which is behind the protests, urged people to head to the sit-in Monday and defend it from any new attempts by the military to disperse the demonstrators. “There is an attempt to break up the sit-in,” the group said. “We appeal eve- ryone to head to the area to protect your revolution and gains.” Previous attempts to break up the sit-in be- fore al-Bashir’s ouster last Thursday had killed dozens of people. Also Monday, Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, the head of the transi- tional military council, an- nounced an overhaul the military leadership and ap- pointed a new chief of staff, according to a statement from the military. The statement said Gen. Hashem Babakr was ap- pointed the joint chief of staff, replacing Gen. Kamal Abdel-Marouf al-Mahi who was ousted along with De- fence Minister Awad Mo- hammed Ibn Ouf a day after al-Bashir’s overthrow. Little is known interna- tionally about Babakr. Since his ouster, al-Ba- shir – a president of nearly 30 years – has been under house arrest in Khartoum. After his ouster, which the military said was in re- sponse to the demands of the people, the army ap- pointed a military council to rule for two years or less while elections are organised. Protesters, who are in talks with the mili- tary council, fear that the army, dominated by al-Ba- shir appointees, will cling to power or select one of its own to succeed him. Protest organisers have urged the military to “im- mediately and uncondi- tionally” hand power to a transitional civilian govern- ment that would rule for four years. The political parties and movements behind the four months of protests said in a joint statement late Sat- urday that they would re- main in the streets until their demands are met. They said a handover to civilian rule would be the “first step toward the fall of the regime”. The military on Sunday urged opposition parties and movements to name a civilian prime minister and Cabinet but not a president to help govern the country. The U.S., Britain and Norway urged the mili- tary authorities in a state- ment late Sunday to “listen to the calls from the Suda- nese people”. “Most pressingly, the continuing peaceful pro- tests must not be met with violence from any quarter,” the statement said. UK found to be hottest investment destination despite Brexit LONDON (AP) – Brexit may be causing all sorts of uncer- tainty in Britain but it does not seem to be putting off foreign investors. In a survey on corpo- rate deal-making published Monday, consulting and ac- counting firm EY says Britain is the top investment desti- nation in the world for the first time in the report’s 10- year history – overtaking the United States, which has held the top spot since 2014. The pound’s fall since the June 2016 vote to leave the European Union has made British assets cheaper, but Steve Krouskos, a global vice chair at EY, notes Britain also remains an “open envi- ronment for foreign inves- tors” even in the midst of the Brexit chaos. That culture, he said, is reinforced by the English language, a skilled workforce, and a strong tech- nology base. Those long-standing strengths have helped Britain recover as a place to do busi- ness since the shock of the June 2016 referendum, which saw the country narrowly vote to leave the EU. With so much uncertainty sur- rounding the future of the British economy, the country slumped down EY’s rank- ings. In the October 2016 survey, Britain was as low as seventh. There have been a number of high-profile investments in Britain over the past year, in- cluding Comcast’s purchase of satellite broadcaster Sky for around $39 billion and Coca-Cola’s takeover of Costa Coffee for nearly $5.2 billion. Krouskos said he has not encountered executives who want Britain to crash out of the EU without a deal and that the remainder are “split down the middle” between those who want the country to leave the bloc smoothly with a deal and those who want Brexit stopped. Britain’s exit from the EU, originally scheduled for March 29, has been de- layed until Oct. 31, though it could happen sooner should British lawmakers back the withdrawal agreement that Prime Minister Theresa May negotiated with the EU. Fol- lowing three defeats in Par- liaments, May opted to ask for an extension rather than crash out of the bloc, a sce- nario that many politicians and business leaders say could lead to a deep reces- sion as tariffs are slapped on British exports and other restrictions are im- posed on trade. EY found that global in- terest in mergers and acqui- sitions is at a 10-year high as managers try to adapt to technological change, with 59% of companies planning a deal in the next year, up from 52% a year ago. The improvement ap- pears at odds with a slow- down in the global economy. Last week, the International Monetary Fund cut its global growth forecast for this year to 3.3% from 3.5%, largely because of trade tensions, particularly between China and the US. Krouskos said the mood among executives is better than the growth fore- casts suggest. “The increase in acqui- sition appetite is a clear in- dication that executives are focussed on their pursuit of growth, underpinned by high expectations of their own fu- ture performance,” he said. ‘It has to stop’: Omar says Trump encourages violence WASHINGTON (AP) – US Con- gresswoman Ilhan Omar says she’s faced increased death threats since Presi- dent Donald Trump spread around a video that purports to show her being dismissive of the 2001 terrorist attacks. “This is endangering lives,” she said, accusing Trump of fomenting right-wing ex- tremism. “It has to stop.” Her statement late Sunday followed an announcement by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that she has taken steps to en- sure the safety of the Minne- sota Democrat and the speak- er’s call for Trump to take down the video. Soon after Pelosi’s state- ment, the video disappeared as a pinned tweet at the top of Trump’s Twitter feed, but it was not deleted. And Trump further esca- lated the standoff Monday morning, tweeting that, “Be- fore Nancy, who has lost all control of Congress and is get- ting nothing done, decides to defend her leader, Rep. Omar, she should look at the anti- Semitic, anti-Israel and un- grateful U.S. HATE statements Omar has made”. “She is out of control, ex- cept for her control of Nancy!” Trump added. Pelosi was among Dem- ocrats who had criticised Trump over the tweet, with some accusing him of trying to incite violence against the Muslim lawmaker. An upstate New York man recently was charged with making death threats against her. White House press secre- tary Sarah Sanders defended Trump earlier Sunday, saying the president has a duty to highlight Omar’s history of making comments that others deem anti-Semitic or other- wise offensive and that he wished no “ill will” upon the first-term lawmaker. But Omar said that since Trump retweeted the video Friday night, she’s received many threats on her life that referred or replied to the posted video. “Violent crimes and other acts of hate by right-wing ex- tremists and white nationalists are on the rise in this country and around the world,” she said. “We can no longer ignore that they are being encouraged by the occupant of the highest office in the land.” She said: “We are all Americans.” Earlier, Pelosi issued a statement while travel- ling in London saying she had spoken with congres- sional authorities “to ensure that Capitol Police are con- ducting a security assess- ment to safeguard Congress- woman Omar, her family and her staff”. Pelosi said officials will continue to monitor and as- sess threats against Omar and called on Trump to dis- courage such behaviour. “The President’s words weigh a ton, and his hateful and inflammatory rhetoric creates real danger,” Pelosi said. “President Trump must take down his disrespectful and dangerous video.” The video in Trump’s tweet included a snippet from a recent speech Omar gave to the Council on Amer- ican-Islamic Relations, in which she described the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the World Trade Center as “some people did something”, along with news footage of the hijacked airplanes hitting the Twin Towers. Trump cap- tioned his tweet with: “WE WILL NEVER FORGET!” Critics accuse Omar of being flippant in describing the perpetrators of the attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people. She later sought to defend her- self by tweeting a quote from President George W. Bush, in which the Republican presi- dent referred to the attackers as “people” just days after 9/11. Ilhan Omar, Minnesota Democratic Congresswoman - PHOTO: AP A British Union flag is flown behind a European Union flag during demonstrations near Parliament in London, Wednesday. - PHOTO: APNext >