ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – THURSDAY, 6 JUNE 2019 High of 89 Low of 77 Slight with wave heights of 1 to 3 feet. EDITORIAL | PAGE 4 GETTING READY FOR THIS YEAR’S RAINY SEASON LOCAL | PAGE 8 QUEEN, WORLD LEADERS HONOUR VETERANS ON D-DAY ANNIVERSARY Regulated in the Cayman Islands as a licensed insurer by the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority. Generali Worldwide is a trading name of Utmost Worldwide Limited. Registered Head Office address: Utmost Worldwide Limited, Utmost House, Hirzel Street, St Peter Port, Guernsey, Channel Islands GY1 4PA. Regulated in Guernsey as a licensed insurer by the Guernsey Financial Services Commission under the Insurance Business (Bailiwick of Guernsey) Law, 2002 (as amended). Incorporated in Guernsey under Company Registration No. 27151. www.generali-healthcare.com Proud partners of the Cayman Islands Blood Bank www.bloodbank.ky Celebrate Blood Donor Day June 14th by giving the gift of life. www.generali-healthcare.com Premier makes no guarantees over port referendum Turtle monitoring on ‘see sea TV’ Government proceeding with port plans JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Government will proceed with plans for a new cruise and cargo port in George Town harbour despite claims from cam- paigners that they have collected enough signatures to trigger a referendum on the project. Premier Alden McLaughlin said gov- ernment’s legal advice was that it “should not and need not” have any regard to the petition until it has been verified by the Elections Office and reaches Cabinet. Even if that happens, the premier made no guarantees that a referendum would take place. He said his Cabinet would take the “appropriate and ad- vised” course of action recommended by its legal team once the verified petition is submitted. The Cruise Port Referendum Cam- paign announced last month that it had reached the 5,289 signatures, repre- senting 25% of the electorate, required to trigger a people-initiated referendum on the port. The group said in a press state- ment Wednesday that representatives would meet with the Governor Friday be- fore announcing the time and date that the petition will be submitted to the Elec- tions Office. McLaughlin, speaking in the Legisla- tive Assembly on Wednesday, said the six- year planning and procurement process for the dock was reaching its endgame. He said the final bids had been received and a preferred bidder will be selected in Security cameras will provide beach surveillance JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com One of the Cayman Islands’ most popular turtle nesting beaches will be put under round-the-clock surveillance in a pilot project to help tackle poachers. Hi-tech security cameras will be installed at ‘Turtle Beach’ in West Bay for four months, starting 1 July. The feed will be monitored 24 hours a day, seven days a week by a US-based security company. The project is the brainchild of Mike Ridley, a Caymanian based in Miami, Florida. He has raised nearly $12,000 towards the $16,500 cost of implementing the programme. He hopes the system, which alerts the Department of Environment any time a turtle emerges from the ocean to dig its nest, will help enhance the island-wide monitoring of nesting sea turtles in the Cayman Islands. He believes it will also deter poachers, allow environmental officials UCCI STARING DOWN THE BARREL OF BUDGET DEFICIT MARK MUCKENFUSS mmuckenfuss@pinnaclemedialtd.com Stacy McAfee says hard choices are ahead for the University College of the Cayman Islands. McAfee, who became UCCI president in Jan- uary, is looking at a budget heading into deficit, something she did not anticipate when she took over leadership of the school. “I knew we were running a very tight budget and there had not been a change in government funding for a number of years,” McAfee said, but she wasn’t expecting to find the expenditures of the campus outrunning its revenues. “We’ve spent a lot of time this year talking about financial sustainability,” she said. “We have some difficult decisions to make. I can’t im- agine it won’t have an impact on our ability to serve students.” Increases in personnel costs are leading expen- ditures. Last year, government approved a 5% cost of living increase for staff, the first substantive pay increase in nearly a decade. In addition, sev- eral vacant positions at the university college were filled and new student resources, such as a lab, were added. Those additional expenses were not offset by increased government support. Total expenses for the first six months of 2019 were up 5.5% over the previous year. In January, personnel costs were just 3.6% higher than the previous year. Those costs in June, however, were up 24.6% over June 2018. The university typically runs monthly deficits during the summer. Fewer students attend summer session. Classes are not held in July and August, so tuition revenue drops to zero in those months. This year’s net income figures have been markedly lower than last year’s and the deficit for June is more than double what it was in 2019, $108,935 versus $49,418. The beach at the end of Sand Hole Road near Boatswains Bay has been selected for the pilot project. A tender delivers passengers from cruise ships in the George Town Harbour last month. The government has indicated it intends to move ahead with introducing a cruise ship/cargo port to George Town. - PHOTO: STEPHEN CLARKE PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 7 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 7 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 7 »2 LOCAL®IONAL THURSDAY, 6 JUNE 2019 • CAYMAN COMPASS BREAKTHROUGH (PG) 1:25 I 4:10 I 7:15 I 10:00 SUN: 4:10 I 7:15 I 10:00 KALANK (PG) 3:10 I 9:00 (SAT ONLY) I 9:30 (NO SAT) SUN: 3:10 I 9:20 LITTLE (PG13) 12:30 I 3:25 (SAT ONLY) I 3:50 (NO SAT) 6:50 I 9:45 SUN: 3:50 I 6:50 I 9:35 DUMBO 10:30 (SAT ONLY) I 4:35 I 7:15 (NO SAT) SUN: 4:35 I 7:15 CAPTAIN MARVEL 1:40 I 10:00 (NO SAT) SUN: 6:30 I 10:00 THE CURSE OF LA LLORONA (R) 1:10 VIP I 4:35 I 7:00 VIP I 10:15 HELLBOY (R) 12:35 (SAT ONLY) I 1:00 I 6:10 (SAT ONLY) I 6:45 SHAZAM! (PG13) 1:30 I 3:40 VIP I 7:15 I 9:30 VIP SUN: 3:40 VIP I 4:40 I 6:40 VIP 8:00 I 9:40 VIP KIDS CLUB: OVER THE HEDGE(PG) 10:00 (SAT ONLY) CULTURE AT THE CINEMA: THE TRAGEDY OF KIND RICHARD THE SECOND(R18) SAT ONLY: 8:00 • 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. - THURSDAY - 640-FILM (640-3456) GODZILLA: KING OF MONSTERS (PG13) 12:35 3D I 3:50 VIP I 7:00 I 9:35 3D 9:40 VIP INDIA’S MOST WANTED (PG) 12:40 I 3:35 I 6:30 I 10:00 ALADDIN (PG) 1:10 I 4:05 3D I 7:00 JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 3 - PARABELLUM (R) 1:10 I 3:35 I 6:35 I 9:25 ROCKETMAN (R) 1:00 VIP I 4:10 I 6:50 VIP I10:00 AVENGERS: END GAME (PG13) 12:30 I 4:25 I 8:15 Carnival fined $20m over pollution from its cruise ships MIAMI (AP) – Carnival Corp. reached a settlement Monday with federal prosecutors in which the world’s largest cruise line agreed to pay a $20 million penalty because its ships continued to pollute the oceans despite a previous criminal conviction aimed at curbing similar conduct. Senior US District Judge Patricia Seitz approved the agreement after Carnival CEO Arnold Donald stood up in open court and admitted the company’s responsi- bility for probation violations stemming from the previous environmental case. “The company pleads guilty,” Arnold said six times in a packed courtroom that include other senior Carnival executives, including com- pany chairman and Miami Heat owner Micky Arison. “We acknowledge the shortcomings. I am here today to formulate a plan to fix them,” Arnold added “The proof will be in the pudding, won’t it?” the judge replied. “If you all did not have the environment, you would have nothing to sell.” Carnival admitted vio- lating terms of probation from a 2016 criminal con- viction for discharging oily waste from its Princess Cruise Lines ships and cov- ering it up. Carnival paid a $40 million fine and was put on five years’ probation in that case, which affected all nine of its cruise brands that boast more than 100 ships. Now Carnival has ac- knowledged that in the years since its ships have com- mitted environmental crimes such as dumping ‘gray water’ in prohibited places such Alaska’s Glacier Bay National Park and knowingly allowing plastic to be discharged along with food waste in the Bahamas, which poses a se- vere threat to marine life. The company also ad- mitted falsifying compliance documents and other admin- istrative violations such as having cleanup teams visit its ships just before sched- uled inspections. Seitz at an earlier hearing threatened to bar Carnival from docking at US ports be- cause of the violations and said she might hold execu- tives individually liable for the probation violations. “The concern I have is that senior management has no skin in the game,” Seitz said, adding that future violations might be met with prison time and criminal fines for individuals. “My goal is to have the defendant change its behavior.” Under the settlement, Car- nival promised there will be additional audits to check for violations, a restructuring of the company’s compliance and training programmes, a better system for reporting environmental violations to state and federal agencies and improved waste manage- ment practices. The agreement also would set 13 Sept. and 9 Oct. dead- lines to create an improved compliance plan and make other changes, subject to fines of $1 million per day if those deadlines are not met. If a second round of deadlines are not met, the fines could go up to $10 million a day. Other proposed changes include a reduction by Car- nival in the use of single-use plastic items across its en- tire fleet and creation of ‘tiger teams’ meant to make im- provements in the ships’ food and beverage systems and how waste is handled at sea. Seitz is retiring later this year and is turning over the case to US District Judge Ur- sula Ungaro, who jointly pre- sided over Monday’s hearing. Three people who claimed they were victims of Carni- val’s environmental viola- tions attended the hearing. Their attorney, Knoll Lowney, expressed scepticism that Carnival will keep its word this time. The company also admitted falsifying compliance documents and other administrative violations such as having cleanup teams visit its ships just before scheduled inspections. Protesters with Stand.earth hold a banner in opposition to Carnival Corp. outside of federal court on Monday in Miami. - PHOTO: AP Carnival Corp. Chairman Micky Arison, centre, arrives at federal court, Monday, in Miami. Carnival Corp. reached a settlement with federal prosecutors to pay a $20 million penalty for its ships continuing to pollute the ocean despite promising years ago to stop. - PHOTO: AP Man sentenced for burglary at waterfront bar SPENCER FORDIN sfordin@pinnaclemedialtd.com A man was sentenced to nine months in prison on Wednesday for a burglary at a popular waterfront bar that totalled $940 in damage and stolen merchandise. Joel Jason Smith, 53, who was sen- tenced to four months’ suspended sen- tence in late January for a pair of thefts from George Town businesses, requested a custodial sentence through his at- torney Rupert Wheeler. “He wants to be given further time in custody,” said Wheeler to Magistrate Grace Donalds. “I ask he is given the shortest possible sentence.” The Cayman Compass reported in January that Smith had 57 previous convictions. The court heard Wednesday that Smith was accused of kicking in a door at Rackam’s Waterfront Bar and Grill on 9 Jan. There was some blood at the scene of the crime and Smith was identi- fied through a DNA match. He was later arrested for burglary on 20 March and has spent two months in custody. Magistrate Donalds found that Smith was not in breach of his suspended sen- tence, but he was in breach of a pro- bation order. He was sentenced to nine months for the burglary and to one month for his breach of probation. The two sentences will run concurrently. The court heard Wednesday that Smith was homeless and jobless at the time of the offence at Rackam’s, and he’s struggled with an addiction to drugs for much of his adult life. Wheeler said that Smith wants to get clean and would like to stay in a halfway house after com- pleting his sentence. There was some blood at the scene of the crime and Smith was identified through a DNA match. DUI driver chooses fine over community service SPENCER FORDIN sfordin@pinnaclemedialtd.com A man was fined $300 and disqualified from holding a driver’s licence for 12 months Wednesday for an incident that saw him charged with disorderly conduct and driving under the influence of alcohol. The man was driving a black Honda outside Welly’s Cool Spot last Oc- tober and police officers found him to be boisterous and driving erratically. The court heard Tuesday that the man said, “You can’t do anything to me. I’m Caymanian,” to police. He was later tested and found to have a .124 blood- alcohol percentage while at the police station. The man, who is not currently employed, was originally sentenced to 150 hours of community ser- vice by Magistrate Grace Donalds. But he then in- dicated that he’d prefer to pay a monetary fine. Magis- trate Donalds fined him $50 for disorderly conduct and $250 for driving under the influence of alcohol. The man’s disqualifica- tion will run from 2 April this year to 2 April 2020. 3 AMERICANS FOUND DEAD IN DOMINICAN REPUBLIC RESORT WITHIN 5 DAYS An investigation is under way in the Domin- ican Republic, after three US citizens were found dead in a resort in the Do- minican Republican city of La Romana at the end of May. All three had checked into the Bahia Principe Hotel resort on 25 May, ac- cording to CNN. It remains unclear whether the three deaths, of a Pennsylvania woman and a Maryland couple, are connected, but US officials said they are actively moni- toring the investigations. Miranda Schaup-Werner, 41, who was celebrating her 10th wedding anniversary, died the day she checked into the hotel. Schaup-Werner family spokesman Jay Mc- Donald said she had a drink at the hotel bar shortly be- fore becoming ill. Domin- ican officials told the family that the cause of death was “pulmonary edema and res- piratory failure” – the same cause attributed to the Mar- yland couple. Dominican officials de- clined to confirm those findings to The Washington Post and said toxicology tests were still pending. McDonald said ini- tially that they understood that local authorities re- fused to run toxicology tests, but were later moved to run them.3 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • THURSDAY, 6 JUNE 2019 The Kimpton Seafire Resort & Spa Thursday 20 June, 2019 REGISTER NOW WWW.CYDEC.KY Global trends. Groundbreaking ideas. Technological advancements. Delve into the digital environment and explore blockchain, cryptocurrencies, the digitisation of education, robotics and much more. MINISTRY OF DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION, TOURISM & TRANSPORT MINISTRY OF COMMERCE, PLANNING & INFRASTRUCTURE MINISTRY OF FINANCIAL SERVICES & HOME AFFAIRS YMCA’s ‘Alpine Tower’ users get some relief from the heat KAYLA YOUNG kyoung@pinnaclemedialtd.com The YMCA’s 53-foot-high ropes course has been put to good use since it was inaugurated in April 2018. The ‘Alpine Tower’, located at George Town’s Field of Dreams, has attracted school, work and recrea- tional groups. But the challenge course was missing one thing: some shade. Physical activity under Cayman’s scorching sun can be taxing and the heat made it difficult to get full use of the facility, according to YMCA staff. To address that barrier, commu- nity partners stepped up to con- struct a pavilion next the ropes challenge course. The Butterfield Pavilion was inaugurated Wednesday morning – just in time for the Y’s summer camps. “This pavilion is going to benefit lots of people. It immediately sup- ports our challenge course, where kids all the way up to adults par- ticipate in team building pro- grammes, confidence building, social skills building, problem- solving skills, conflict resolution,” said Gregory Smith, CEO of YMCA of the Cayman Islands. Butterfield Bank (Cayman) Lim- ited Managing Director Michael McWatt said the collaboration with YMCA on building the pavilion was a perfect partnership that brought together youth, education and sports. One of the programmes that will benefit from the pavilion this summer will be the YMCA’s Teen Challenge Camp, focussed on building leadership skills and pro- moting physical activity. Registration for the YMCA’s summer camps opened this week. Camps run the entire eight weeks of summer break from 2 July to 23 Aug. In addition to the Field of Dreams, campers will also use the Camana Bay Sports Complex, and the Youth Centre at Savannah’s Cayman Islands Baptist Church. Kids will be able to chose from six camp options offering diverse activities from sports to cooking to science. For the first time this year, there will be a STEM-ori- ented camp that includes science experiments, drones and LEGO engineering. “We want to provide options for kids with a variety of interests,” said Jenny Stuesser, who runs the camps programme. “We have students from all schools and all districts. We some- times have international partici- pants who are visiting the island who join as well. So we definitely offer something for everyone. I think that what makes the pro- gramme really unique is the chance for kids to really connect to their peers.” For more information about YMCA’s summer camps, visit www.ymcacayman.ky. Butterfield’s Michael McWatt cuts the ribbon, inaugurating the new pavilion at Field of Dreams, alongside YMCA members, Butterfield staff and community supporters. - PHOTO: ALVARO SEREY “ It immediately supports our challenge course, where kids all the way up to adults participate in team building programmes, confidence building, social skills building, problem- solving skills, conflict resolution.” GREGORY SMITH, CEO of YMCA of the Cayman Islands. Public invited to celebrations for Queen’s Birthday Celebrations for Queen Elizabeth II’s 93rd birthday will be held in the Cayman Islands on Saturday. In keeping with an- nual tradition, members of the uniformed services and youth organisations will march in a parade from the police station in George Town to the Legislative As- sembly, where a 21-gun sa- lute will be fired. Following the parade, Governor Martyn Roper will host his first Queen’s Birthday Garden Party on the lawns of Gov- ernment House. The public holiday for the event is on the following Monday, 10 June. Cayman joins the United Kingdom and countries across the Commonwealth and the British Overseas Ter- ritories in celebrating the official birthday, which is separate from the queen’s ac- tual birthday. Chief protocol officer and organiser of the Cayman cel- ebrations Meloney Syms ex- plained that although Queen Elizabeth was born on 21 April, “it has long been the tradition to celebrate the Sov- ereign’s official birthday in the summer”. On Saturday, London will hold its own parade, known as Trooping the Colour, to mark the monarch’s birthday, with more then 1,400 pa- rading soldiers, 200 horses and 400 musicians, as well as a flyby over Buckingham Palace by a large formation of military aircraft. Queen Elizabeth and her family usu- ally gather on the palace’s balcony each year to watch the celebrations. In Cayman, among the 140 people taking part in the parade will be representa- tives from the Veterans As- sociation, the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service, the Fire Service and the Prison Service, as well as mem- bers of the Girls’ Brigade, the Scouts and the Cadet Corps. They will be joined by 25 musicians from the RCIPS Band. The programme will also include presentation of hon- ours, including to the Duke of Edinburgh programme youth recipients. “I invite everyone to at- tend and watch the col- ourful procession and dis- tinguished proceedings,” Syms said. “We have sched- uled a couple of surprises this year.” The ceremony, which will include the inspection of a Guard of Honour by Gov- ernor Roper, starts at 9am. This will be the first time the governor, who took up his post in Cayman in October last year, will be attending the Queen’s Birthday celebra- tions in Cayman. “Since the event starts at 9am, all attendees should be in place between 8:30-8:45am,” Ms. Syms advised. Following the celebrations in George Town, at 10:30am, the governor will host the garden party. “I hope members of the public will come out and enjoy all the celebrations as we join to provide our col- lective wishes for Her Maj- esty’s continued good health and longevity on her official birthday,” Syms added. Following the parade, Governor Martyn Roper will host his first Queen’s Birthday Garden Party on the lawns of Government House.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” Hurricane forecasters have increased their predic- tions for the Atlantic hurricane season. They say con- ditions are likely to lead to 14 named storms and six, not five, hurricanes over the next few months. They anticipate a fairly average season, with a 44% chance of a hurricane tracking into the Carib- bean before it is over. The catch, of course, is that no one can predict with absolute certainty when or where a hurricane will develop or make landfall. Even the most highly trained experts using the most scientifi- cally advanced methods can make only what amounts to an educated guess. Still, as imperfect a tool as these seasonal fore- casts can be, most of us pay attention each time they are issued or adjusted. Forewarned is forearmed, as the adage goes, and it is important not to let down our guard as hurricane season approaches. As Premier Alden McLaughlin wrote in his annual hurricane season message, “We know that just one bad storm can wreak havoc.” Indeed, government deserves high praise for its commitment and profes- sionalism in creating hurricane response plans, con- ducting exercises and sharing important information about these rare, but natural disasters. We wish they would treat with equal seriousness another perennial danger: Seasonal flooding caused by torrential rains. Unlike hurricanes, we can predict with near-100% certainty that the rainy season will wreak havoc on low-lying neighbourhoods – flooding streets, homes and businesses, causing headaches, inconvenience and damaging property. We even know which areas of our island will be hardest hit. Cumber Avenue, Belford Estates, Randyke Gardens, Windsor Park. Each summer, the residents of these and other especially vulnerable areas will be forced to deal with impassable roads, yards and driveways under water, damaged vehicles and sodden messes. Surely, something can be done to address this chronic issue. Last month, residents of North Sound Estates in Savannah shared their frustrations with a Compass reporter, describing saltwater spewing from storm drains and breaching canal walls during king tides and heavy storms. Many have taken the initiative to raise their driveways or building walls in an attempt to protect against rising water, but there is only so much they can do. With side roads built less than 2 feet above mean sea level — less than half the recom- mended elevation — the problem is too big for a single property owner or resident to solve. The National Roads Authority is working to provide some relief by raising the elevation of the streets in the areas that are most susceptible to flooding. They, too, are limited by the general lack of elevation and must be careful not to create new flooding problems in their attempts. “It was not really filled to the level it should have been,” the area’s legislator Alva Suckoo said of the North Sound Estates development. Flooding will always be a fact of life on our low- lying islands. That does not prevent our adopting – and enforcing – building codes and construction protocols that will minimise the ill effects. Getting ready for this year’s rainy season DAVID FICKLING Greenwashed rhetoric is such a staple of the oil in- dustry that it’s easy to as- sume every energy execu- tive talking about climate and the transition to a zero- carbon economy is just mouthing words. Barely a year after BP Plc Chief Executive Officer John Browne promised “action and solutions” on climate change in a 1997 speech, he led the then-biggest oil takeover in history with the acquisition of Amoco Corp. On his re- tirement a decade later, after years of rebranding about moving “beyond petroleum”, he left a base of oil and gas reserves more than twice the size of the one he inherited. So events at BP’s Euro- pean rival Royal Dutch Shell Plc are worth watching. The rhetoric is not all that dif- ferent – lots of talk about making sure “Shell can thrive through the transition of the global energy system,” as Chief Executive Officer Ben van Beurden told an investor meeting this week. What’s different is that the com- pany appears to be putting its money where its mouth is. Look at reserves, the metric that gave the lie to BP’s green makeover. An oil company that does not in- crease its reserves eventu- ally runs out of product to sell, so having 10 years of re- serve life is traditionally con- sidered a bare minimum for oil supermajors (for our pur- poses, take these to be Shell plus ExxonMobil Corp., BP Plc, Total SA, Chevron Corp., ConocoPhillips, and Eni SpA). Shell crossed below the 10-year level all the way back in 2016, and the figure at the end of 2018 stood at just 8.5 years. Its reserve replace- ment ratio – new fields as a percentage of barrels sold during the year – slumped to 27% in 2017, then limped up to 53% last year. It’s not un- heard of for this measure to fall below 100%, thanks to the volatility of oil develop- ment and reserve downgrades when prices fall – but when it happens on a consistent basis a company is in one sense lit- erally running out of oil. For a business that, by rev- enue, is the largest listed oil producer after PetroChina Co., this is fairly extraordinary. The only supermajors to have fallen below 10 years of re- serve life this century are Eni, briefly, in 2006; and Shell it- self two years earlier, when a historic overstatement of re- serves led to a massive down- grade, prompting the depar- ture of executives, shareholder lawsuits, regulator fines, and a then-record $15 billion cap- ital expenditure plan to make up the shortfall. If Shell was really con- cerned about being left out of the next boom in petroleum demand, you’d expect it to be working hard to reverse this. But if anything, the opposite it happening, as my colleague Chris Hughes wrote Tuesday. Of its roughly $10.5 bil- lion of annual growth cap- ital spending over the first half of the 2020s, only about $1.5 billion a year will go to upstream oil, according to a presentation Tuesday. An- other $2 billion goes to its gas business, but the re- maining two-thirds of total growth capex spend will be spent on downstream pro- cessing and power. The latter is a brand-new busi- ness for Shell, which man- agement hopes will make it the world’s largest electricity company by the 2030s. Forecasts more than a decade in the future are easy to make and break, but the same does not go for shorter- term promises to inves- tors. The company will pay $125 billion back to share- holders – averaging $25 bil- lion a year – against capital spending of $30 billion a year through the 2021 to 2025 pe- riod, van Beurden said this week. That is distinctly high for an industry that’s histor- ically liked to reserve the li- on’s share of cash for invest- ment in future growth. One explanation is that Shell is still atoning for the capital that the oil industry wasted during the last boom, and making extravagant promises to regain share- holders’ trust. Notably, the company said it could pursue major inorganic growth op- portunities outside its spending straightjacket, so perhaps another Amoco-type deal could change things to a more carbon-intensive path. Here’s an alternative in- terpretation, though. All those fine words are not just greenwash, but the sign of a company having genuine doubts about the long-term future of its core business. Weak investment in reserves growth; unusual priorities for growth capex; and promises around shareholder returns all suggest a business with its eye on a coming plateau in oil demand. This industry has been predicated on a path of end- lessly increasing consump- tion for decades, but Shell is behaving like an income stock rather than a growth stock. For shareholders, that may be good news. For its peers in the industry, it’s a wake-up call. David Fickling is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering commodities, as well as industrial and consumer companies. He has been a reporter for Bloomberg News, Dow Jones, the Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times and the Guardian. © 2019, Bloomberg. THURSDAY, 6 JUNE 2019 • CAYMAN COMPASS Sunset for oil is no longer just talk Forecasts more than a decade in the future are easy to make and break, but the same does not go for shorter-term promises to investors. I was heartened to read of the initiative of the Cayman International School re- garding oral history and the setting up of meetings in which students interview senior citizens about signifi- cant memories [‘Seniors share stories of Cayman’s past with students,’ 4 June]. Such inter- generational and interper- sonal interactions are so im- portant in this day and age. In our time in Cayman, in the late 1970s and most of the 1980s, it was a place like few others. Everybody seemed to know everybody else, doors needed no locks, there was hardly any traffic, the beaches, mangroves and dykes were relatively pris- tine and untouched – and the MRCU spray plane was the only thing you had to avoid like the plague. Of course, things are so much better nowadays in so many respects – but we can nevertheless still be mindful of and seek to retain at least some of those things which were special then and still are today. As one of the seniors interviewed said: “Everybody looked out for each other and everything was shared.” The past sure is tense – but let’s not disregard it altogether. Mike Spragg LETTER Remember our past5 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS THURSDAY, 6 JUNE 2019 EDITION BOOKING DEADLINE Monday June 10 NO PUBLICATION Tuesday June 11 Wednesday June 5 Wednesday June 12 Thursday June 6 Thursday June 13 Friday June 7 Friday June 14 Tuesday June 11 PUBLICATION DEADLINES: Celebrate the Monday June 10th Public Holiday Queen’s Birthday (345) 949-5111 • sales@pinnaclemedialtd.com Please be advised there will be no newspaper on Monday, June 10th, Queen’s Birthday (Public Holiday) OUR OFFICE WILL BE CLOSED ON MONDAY, JUNE 10 TH Public challenged to help local reefs Battle of the Books winners announced The Books and the Sword from First Baptist Christian School has been announced as the Division 1 winning team in the fifth annual Cayman Islands Information Professionals Lera Parchment Battle of the Books event. The Book Minions from Cayman International School won the Division 2 title. The contest, hosted at Sir John A. Cumber Pri- mary School, saw almost 140 youngsters participate in the contest. Students in each division – Division 1 for chil- dren 7-10 and Division 2 for children 11-14 – were given a list of 10 books to read. Six- member teams then com- peted on how much infor- mation they retained from their reading. Some of the books in- cluded were Beverly Cleary’s ‘Ramona the Pest,’ Linda Sue Parks’s ‘The Kite Fighters,’ Kathryn Erskine’s ‘Mocking- bird’ and ‘Maniac Magee’ by Jerry Spinelli. Cayman Prep’s Division 1 team To Be Determined was runner-up, along with the Di- vision 2 team The Brac Bat- tlers, from Layman E. Scott High School. The contest is aimed at improving literacy across the Cayman Islands. Acting Director of the Cayman Islands Public Li- brary Service and CIIP Chairman Paul Robinson said in a statement that this year’s challenge had been a “suc- cess beyond our expectation”. “It is a wonderful credit to our young readers that they dedicate their spare time to reading 10 books in advance of the competition, and per- form so brilliantly on the day,” he said. The event is named after Lera Parchment, who was an avid reader and a long-term supporter of libraries. The Central Caribbean Marine Institute is intro- ducing the Healthy Reefs Challenge to involve commu- nity members in helping pro- tect and preserve coral reefs. The five-month challenge begins 17 June. Participants are required to complete spe- cific reef-friendly activities each month. “We want to encourage ac- tion and behavior changes that make a real difference to the health of our coral reefs,” Beth Chafin, CCMI’s develop- ment and communications co- ordinator said in a statement. “People always ask what they can do to help our reefs, and CCMI is excited to give people guidance so they can feel like they are doing something real, something tangible to help protect local coral reefs.” Individuals and compa- nies/organisations need to register by 15 June. The first Healthy Reefs Challenge communication will land in participants’ inboxes two days later. Each activity will have a point value, and par- ticipants will report their progress to CCMI throughout the Healthy Reefs Challenge. Additional monthly action themes and related activities will be sent to participants at the beginning of each month. The challenge ends on 18 Oct. CCMI will release a list of finalists for both the indi- vidual and corporate/organ- isation categories later that month. The winner for each category will be announced at the annual Festival of Seas Gala on 16 Nov. The registration form and more details about the chal- lenge can be found at www. reefresearch.org/challenge. Those interested can also learn more at CCMI’s World Oceans Day event at the Ca- mana Bay Cinema on Sat- urday, 8 June. The event is highlighted by the Reefs Go Live presentation, a live in- teractive programme where the audience can communi- cate with divers on a coral reef. Information on the chal- lenge will be available at the Reefs Go Live registra- tion table outside the cinema from noon till 1:45pm. For more information about CCMI’s research projects, coral restoration efforts, and other upcoming Healthy Reefs events, such as the reef lecture series, visit www.reefresearch.org or like CCMI’s page on Facebook. “ People always ask what they can do to help our reefs, and CCMI is excited to give people guidance so they can feel like they are doing something real, something tangible to help protect local coral reefs.” BETH CHAFIN, CCMI development and communications coordinator The contest, hosted at Sir John A. Cumber Primary School, saw almost 140 youngsters participate in the contest. The Central Caribbean Marine Institute is launching a competition to help protect and preserve coral reefs. - PHOTO: FILE The Books and the Sword from First Baptist Christian School were Division 1 winners in the Battle of the Books.The Book Minions from Cayman International School won first place in Division 2 of the Battle of the Books.THURSDAY, 6 JUNE 2019 • CAYMAN COMPASS The islands’ most-trusted news source 6 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 brought to the Cayman Compass office on Shedden Road or emailed to cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com at least three days in advance of publication. THURSDAY, 6 JUNE HIGH SCHOOL ANNIVERSARY: All former students of St. Ignatius High School are invited to the school’s 25th anniversary social 5:30-7pm in Loyola Hall. Admission is free. RSVP to sicaymanalumni@gmail.com. GOVERNOR’S CONSERVATION AWARDS: The National Trust invites the public to submit nominations for its fourth Governor’s Conservation Awards. The awards recognise outstanding achievement among individuals and corporations in the fields of historic preservation and environmental conservation. Today is the nomination deadline. Nomination forms can be found online at www.nationaltrust.org.ky or collected from the National Trust office at Dart Family Park. FASHION SHOW: The Just Breathe Fashion Show for lung cancer awareness will be held at 6pm on The Paseo at Camana Bay. All proceeds benefit the Cayman Islands Cancer Society. Call 949-7618 for more information. BIENNIAL ARTIST TALKS: For the final instalment in the National Gallery’s series of Biennial Artist Talks, join three artists featured in the exhibition ‘Cross Currents’ as they discuss their work, followed by a Q&A session. Admission is free and all are welcome. 6-7pm. Dart Auditorium. The talk will be followed by the closing party and catalogue launch for ‘Cross Currents: 1st Cayman Islands Biennial’. FRIDAY, 7 JUNE BAKE FOR THE CURE: Have a sweet tooth and want to use it to make a difference? Join CIBC FirstCaribbean International Bank at its Main Street branch. Make a donation towards the Cayman Islands Cancer Society and receive a sweet baked treat in return. SATURDAY, 8 JUNE QUEEN’S BIRTHDAY: The annual Queen’s Birthday Parade will be held in front of the Legislative Assembly to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s 93rd birthday. The ceremony starts at 9am. In the event of inclement weather, the event will be moved to the George Town Town Hall. Following the celebrations in town, at 10:15am, Governor Martyn Roper will host the Queen’s Birthday Garden Party on the lawns of Government House. BEACH CLEAN-UP: To mark World Ocean Day and Girl Guides Environment Day, all are invited to join the Girl Guides, Plastic Free Cayman and Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation at South Sound Community Centre for a beach cleanup and Environment Fair. Beach cleanup, 8-9:30am. Bring a reusable water bottle, gloves and a hat. Bring a mug/plate or bowl for refreshments at the fair, 9:30-11am. In the spirit of being waste free, no plates or cups provided. GLOBAL WELLNESS DAY: To celebrate Global Wellness Day, the Cayman Islands Squash Club hosts free pilates and yoga sessions from 3pm (bring your own mat to both), followed by a 30-minute mental wellness session with Ram Chatterjee at 4pm. Send an RSVP to info@squash.ky. SUNDAY, 9 JUNE WIND OF HOPE 5K: NCVO’s Wind of Hope 5K Run/ Walk starts at Smith Cove at 6:30am for walkers and at 6:45am for runners. $10 for children under 10; $25 for adults. Dogs welcome. Proceeds will benefit the Nadine Andreas Residential Foster Home. Register at www.caymanative.com. PAWS ON WHEELS: The Paws on Wheels cycling event will be held today, starting at 7am at the Holiday Inn. Register at www.caymanactive.com. FAMILY FUN DAY: The Cayman Islands Conference of Seventh-day Adventists annual family fun and sports day begins at 3pm at Truman Bodden Sports Complex. Admission is free and refreshments will be on sale. TUESDAY, 11 JUNE SENIORS MONTH ACTIVITIES: Games and crafts, North Side United Church Hall, 9am to 4pm. Contact Flavia Gardner on 926-0490 for more details. SATURDAY, 15 JUNE FLOWERS SEA SWIM: The Flowers 1 Mile Sea Swim will begin at 2:30pm today at Seven Mile Public Beach. Proceeds go to the Special Olympics Cayman Islands. Visit www.flowersseaswim.com or www.caymanactive.com for more information. TUESDAY, 18 JUNE SEAFARERS SOCIAL: The Cayman Islands Seafarers Association will hold its June Social at 7pm tonight in the Seafarers Hall, 11 Victory Avenue, Prospect. Three buses will make pick-ups from West Bay Town Hall at 6pm. The Barnes bus route in George Town will leave the Public Library parking area at 6:30pm, stopping at the Cayman Compass building and the Airport Foster’s. The blue bus marked Bobo $1 public transport will pick up from British Caymanian, Uncle Bill’s, Walkers Road, Shedden Road and Crewe Road. The bus from East End will make pick-ups at the school parking area, gas station and Wreck of the Ten Sail, from 5:45pm. North Side pickups at Chisholm’s Store and soccer field starting at 6:15pm. Bodden Town pickups at Lorna’s gas station at 6:45pm. Savannah pickups at gas station at 7pm. SENIOR MONTH ACTIVITIES: Talk on ‘Preventing Elder Abuse’ presented by the Department of Children and Family Services Elderly Unit. North Side United Church Hall, 10am to 1pm. Contact Flavia Gardner on 926-0490 for more details. GENERAL INTEREST YMCA SUMMER CAMPS: Registration for YMCA Summer Camps is now open. Camps will take place from 2 July to 23 Aug. across three locations – Field of Dreams, Camana Bay Sports Complex and the Youth Centre at the Cayman Islands Baptist Church in Savannah. Families can also register for Y Fun Days, which are offered Wednesday–Friday, 26-28 June, at Field of Dreams. For more information, visit www.ymcacayman.ky. On-site registration is open weekdays from 9am to 5pm at the Field of Dreams. The Day Camp team can also be reached at ysummercamp@ ymcacayman.ky. To find out about financial assistance, which is available for families in need, email info@ymcacayman.ky. CELEBRATE CAYMAN: Celebrate Cayman Coat of Arms memorabilia will be on sale in the lobby of the Cayman Islands Government Administration Building 11am to 2pm every Tuesday and Thursday through the month of June. Items on sale are Celebrate Cayman umbrellas $25, neckties $25, bandanas/scarfs $15, puzzles 35pcs/200pcs $10, plates $35, bistro mugs $10, car flags $10. ‘I CAN QUIT’ SMOKING CESSATION CLASSES: The Public Health Department reminds smokers who wish to quit the habit that there are still some spaces left for upcoming smoking cessation classes. Classes start on 5 June, from 5:15- 6:45pm every Wednesday for seven weeks in the Public Health Department. Location will be Smith Road Centre, second floor. For more information or to sign up, contact the Public Health Department on 244-2889/244-2621, or email sarah.hetley@hsa.ky or nola.sanderson@hsa.ky. COUNSELLING SERVICES: The Family Resource Centre and the Counselling Centre have moved. They are now with the Department of Counselling Services at their new home on Mary Street, at 87 West Apollo House. Hours are Mondays and Fridays from 9am to 1pm, Tuesdays and Thursdays 9am to 7pm, and Wednesdays 9am to 4pm. SQUASH CLUB: The Cayman Islands Squash Club hosts a social evening for women on the last Tuesday of every month at 6:30pm, and holds squash beginner lessons for adults every Monday at 7pm. For more information, email info@squash.ky. PIRATES WEEK VENDORS: Food and craft vendors interested in participating in the upcoming Pirates Week Festival can reserve stalls starting Monday, 3 June. Food Festival dates are 8, 9 and 11 Nov. A valid DEH Food Handling Certificate must accompany completed application forms. All food vendors must use biodegradable containers and utensils (available from Pirates Week Festival office – limited supply). Space is limited, please register early. Download the application form at www.piratesweekfestival.com/ participate. To learn more call 949-5078 or info@piratesweekfestival.com. LOCAL HARVEST MARKET: Local farmers sell their produce and farmed goods at Camana Bay on Wednesdays from 10am to 3pm in Heliconia Court (located next to Scotiabank). COMMUNITY CHESS: Tuesdays 5-8pm, 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 7-11pm. Artists of all levels are welcome to come and enjoy painting and socialising with other artists. Includes use of easels, lights, space and a 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, 9am till noon. Thursdays Adults and Youth, 10am till noon. Watler House Art Studio, Pedro St. James. Fee is $5/$15 pp for ceramics. $15/$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. THRIFT SHOP: Cayman Islands Humane Society Thrift Shop. Located in Venetia Plaza, next to China Village. The Thrift shop is open Tuesday – Saturday 9am to 2pm. Closed on Sunday and Monday. The phone number is 945-5596 THRIFT SHOP: One Dog at a Time’s New To U shop is now located at JJT Warehouses, Row 2, Unit 2 on Industrial Way. Open Saturdays 8am to 5pm and Wednesdays 10am to 2pm. Variety of items available, including men’s, women’s, children’s and baby clothes, shoes, household, electrical items, CDs, DVDs, books, home furnishings, toys, baby cribs, car seats, dog beds and more. BETHESDA COUNSELLING CENTRE: Caters to all who seek help. Open Monday to Friday, 9:30am to 5:30pm 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 12:30-4pm; Tues-Fri 9:30am to 4pm; Sat 9:30am to 4:30pm. Volunteers are 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, cards, etc.,in good condition needed. For more Community Calendar events, visit www.caymancompass.com/events Queen Elizabeth II, seen here meeting World War II veterans during the D-day 75th anniversary commemorations on Wednesday in Portsmouth, England, will celebrate her official 93rd birthday on Saturday. The public is invited to attend local celebrations in George Town and at Government House on Saturday morning. - PHOTO: WPA POOL/GETTY IMAGESThe islands’ most-trusted news source 7 the coming months. At that point, the premier said, government would be able to share details on the cost, funding model and final design of the piers, which will be designed to accommodate larger cruise and cargo ships. Questioned by Opposi- tion Leader Arden McLean on how this process would be handled now that the ref- erendum campaigners had supposedly reached their target, McLaughlin said, “The key word in that question is ‘supposedly.’ That summa- rises where that process is. Ten months after the peti- tion was launched, there is still not even a list yet sub- mitted to the Elections Office for verification.” Historian and former Cab- inet Minister Roy Bodden last week called for negotia- tions over the port to be put on pause until the verifica- tion process is complete. But McLaughlin said gov- ernment would not go down that road. Until a properly verified petition is submitted to Cabinet, he said, govern- ment need not respond. “The legal advice is very clear,” the premier said. “The government should not and need not have any regard to what is now approaching a year-long process of signa- ture collections. It has not risen, the petition, above that standard yet.” Campaigners have ex- pressed fears that government will seek to avoid a refer- endum by claiming the issue of the dock does not meet the definition of ‘national impor- tance’ required by the Consti- tution before people-initiated referenda can be held. Responding to further questions from McLean, the premier said government was not yet taking a posi- tion on whether the issue of the dock was one of ‘national importance.’ “The government is taking the appropriate legal advice,” he said, “and should a prop- erly verified petition with the required number of signa- tures be presented, that issue will be considered properly and a position taken. I can say no more at this stage.” Outlining the next steps in the project, McLaughlin said the final bids were being evaluated and ranked by a team from the Major Pro- jects Office, Port Authority of the Cayman Islands, the Min- istry of Tourism and financial and technical consultants. A report will be submitted to the Public Procurement Com- mittee, through the Central Tenders Committee, which will make a final recommen- dation to Cabinet. McLaughlin said, “It has been a very long haul over many years, over three ad- ministrations and millions of dollars spent on expert re- ports, advice and time, to get to this point, but it is good for the Cayman Islands that we are here. At every point along the way, we have advised the public where we are. “I and the deputy premier [Moses Kirkconnell] have re- peatedly reminded the public that government needed to get to this final stage in the process in order to have final designs in hand, and having reached this point, I look for- ward to publicly unveiling the plans, including costs, as soon as the successful bidder has been identified.” CPR Cayman said in an unrelated statement that it will submit its peti- tion next week. “Many people have ex- pressed concerns about the verification process and we will seek greater clarifica- tion on all verification op- tions that the Elections Office will provide for registered voters and all safeguards they will employ to ensure they are able to contact all persons who signed the peti- tion,” it said. to protect nests and deliver valuable data to Cayman’s conservation programmes. He said the beach at the end of Sand Hole Road near Boatswains Bay had been identified as one of the most prolific nesting beaches on the island. “By monitoring the beach,” he said, “we can see precisely how many turtles are nesting there and ensure that their nests are safe.” Though the DoE already uses volunteers to walk the beaches searching for evi- dence of nests, Ridley be- lieves cameras will provide more precise data. The cam- eras will also be linked to a security centre which can advise police or environ- ment enforcement officers whenever a turtle is nesting to allow for proactive pro- tection against poaching. If necessary, the cameras could also be used for evi- dence in poaching prosecu- tions, he said. If successful, he said, he would seek to raise more funding to allow for similar surveillance on other impor- tant nesting beaches. The DoE is not directly involved with the fund- raising effort but has of- fered technical advice to Ridley. Janice Blumenthal, research officer, said the project had potential. “Sand Hole Road is a crit- ically important sea turtle nesting area where turtles are threatened by poaching,” she said. “This is an exciting effort and we are looking for- ward to seeing the results of this pilot project.” Ridley said he hoped to work closely with envi- ronment officials and was grateful to the donors who had supported the project, particularly the developers of The Grove housing and resi- dential project on West Bay Road. He also thanked Billy Adam, Tim Adam and Ladner Walter for their support set- ting up the effort. Ridley has established a GoFundMe page for those who wish to support the project. The page states, “Over the past decades, the Cayman Islands has seen unprece- dented economic and devel- opment growth which has brought many benefits to the island and population. How- ever, this development has meant that natural habitats for animals in the Cayman Islands have been compro- mised. This is especially dis- ruptive for turtles as where they nest is prime beach- front property.” It indicates the aim of the project is to support the DoE and the Cayman Turtle Farm in their efforts to safeguard and revive Cayman’s sea turtle populations. To support the project, go to www.GoFundMe.com/sk23cp-turtle-beach. UCCI is required by law not to run an annual def- icit. It does not have the authority to raise tuition fees. So cutting expenses or finding additional funding from outside sources are the only remedies. McAfee was hired, in part, to raise money for the university in the pri- vate sector. She said she has made inroads in the few months she’s been on board, but that building such rela- tionships takes time. “We’re on the hunt for resources, both public and private,” McAfee said. “We have to go about delivering education in a holistic, pro- ductive and responsive way. We believe that takes both public and private invest- ment. We’re having strong conversations and helping people to understand and engage with us.” Still, in terms of fi- nances, she said, “2019 is not an easy year for UCCI.” She is concerned that the needed support will not come without a change in the way Cayman sees the role of the university college. “What we’re trying to im- pact here is much more than workforce development,” she said. “It’s health, it’s safety. We’re trying to create a society that is civically engaged. It’s transforma- tive work in terms of how people think about UCCI and what it can be. I don’t think we’ve been in enough of the right conversations to get people excited.” She’s hoping that will happen in the coming months as she tries to build stronger ties with the community and local industry. Those in busi- ness, she said, should con- sider what a strong uni- versity college means to increased opportunities. “Everything I’ve seen is that tertiary education is a primary thing that in- dustry likes to look at when they decide where to in- vest,” she said. Her job now is to con- vince more people to in- vest in higher educa- tion in Cayman. “The type of invest- ment we need in tertiary education is a broad com- mitment across govern- ment and the private sector,” she said. “I think the return on that invest- ment is well documented.” CAYMAN COMPASS • THURSDAY, 6 JUNE 2019 Turtle monitoring on ‘see sea TV’ Premier makes no guarantees over port referendum UCCI staring down the barrel of budget deficit UCCI President Stacy McAfee - PHOTO: MARK MUCKENFUSS Mike Ridley is raising money to support turtle conservation in Cayman. Premier Alden McLaughlin CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 AMAZON SAYS DRONES WILL BE MAKING DELIVERIES IN ‘MONTHS’ MEXICO OFFICIALS INTERCEPT ABOUT 1,000 MIGRANTS ON HIGHWAY LAS VEGAS (AP) – Am- azon said Wednesday that it plans to use self-piloted drones to deliver packages to shoppers’ home in the coming months. The online shopping giant did not give exact timing or say where the drones will be making deliveries. Amazon said its new drones use computer vi- sion and machine learning to detect and avoid people or clotheslines in backyards when landing. “From paragliders to power lines to a corgi in the backyard, the brain of the drone has safety covered,” said Jeff Wilke, who oversees Amazon’s retail business. Wilke said the drones are fully electric, can fly up to 15 miles, deliver in 30 minutes and carry goods that weigh up to 5 pounds, like a paper- back or toothpaste. Amazon has been working on drone de- livery for years. Back in De- cember 2013, Amazon CEO and founder Jeff Bezos told the ‘60 Minutes’ news show that drones would be flying to customer’s homes within five years. But that dead- line passed due to regula- tory hurdles. The Federal Aviation Ad- ministration, which reg- ulates commercial use of drones in the US, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday. In April, a sub- sidiary of search giant Google won approval from the FAA to make drone de- liveries in parts of Virginia. Wilke said that the com- pany is working with sev- eral regulatory agencies to get approval. “We expect to do it within months,” he said. METAPA, Mexico (AP) – Some 200 military police, immi- gration agents and federal police blocked the advance of about 1,000 Central American migrants who were walking north along a southern Mexico highway on Wednesday, once again showing a tougher new stance on attempts to use the country as a stepping- stone to the US. The group of migrants, including many women and children, set out early from Ciudad Hidalgo at the Mex- ico-Guatemala border and was headed for Tapachula, the principle city in the re- gion. State and local police accompanied the caravan. The officials blocked the highway near the commu- nity of Metapa, about 11 miles from Tapachula. Unarmed agents wres- tled some migrants who resisted to the ground, but the vast majority complied and boarded buses or im- migration agency vans. Some migrants fainted and fell to the ground. One young man who col- lapsed was taken for med- ical attention. Some parents sat on the pavement with their chil- dren, wept and begged au- thorities not to take them. Others jumped wire fences and ran into the thick forest beside the highway. An immigration official at the site who was not au- thorised to speak publicly said the migrants would in- itially be taken to an immi- gration detention centre in Tapachula. It appeared 600 to 800 migrants were being transported. In recent months Mexico has used raids and roadside checkpoints to discourage highway marches such as the massive migrant cara- vans that occurred in 2018 and early 2019. The migrants say they aim to reach the US border, where many plan to re- quest asylum.The islands’ most-trusted news source 8 THURSDAY, 6 JUNE 2019 • CAYMAN COMPASS Production resumes at biggest Nutella plant Workers at the world’s biggest Nutella factory, in Normandy, France, are back at work after production was brought to a near standstill for more than a week over a pay dispute. The plant produces 600,000 jars of the chocolate and hazelnut spread every day – a quarter of the world’s output. Queen, world leaders honour veterans on D-Day anniversary World Bank downgrades its forecast for global economy PORTSMOUTH, England (AP) – World leaders including US President Donald Trump gathered Wednesday on the south coast of England to mark the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings. But the stars of the show were the elderly veterans of that cam- paign who said they were surprised by all the atten- tion: They were just doing their jobs. The Royal British Legion has brought about 300 vet- erans, aged 91 to 101, to the ceremonies in Portsmouth, where many of the troops embarked for Normandy on 5 June 1944. After a flyover by the Royal Air Force and a sa- lute from the Royal Navy, the veterans will return to the landing beaches overnight, just as they did 75 years ago. One of those veterans was Harold Wilson who was star- tled when a young French family stopped to thank him for liberating their country when the old soldiers visited Dunkirk on Tuesday. “I think it’s amazing after all these years,” Wilson said before the ceremony, proudly wearing the tartan-trimmed cap of his old unit, the Fife and Forfar Yeomanry. “It makes it clear to me how useful it was.” Queen Elizabeth II is set to join British Prime Min- ister Theresa May, other world leaders and the hundreds of veterans in Portsmouth on England’s south coast to honour the Allied soldiers, sailors and airmen who risked and gave their lives in the in- vasion that helped liberate Europe from Nazi Germany. Britain has promised “un- precedented commemora- tions”, involving testimony from veterans and military spectacle, including a flyby of 24 vintage and modern mili- tary aircraft. The event, which kicks off two days of D-Day anniver- sary observances, is intended as a tribute to the troops who shaped history during the dangerous mission to reach beachheads and fight in German-occupied France. D-Day saw more than 150,000 Allied troops land on the beaches of Normandy in northwest France on 6 June 1944, carried by 7,000 boats. The Battle of Normandy, codenamed Operation Over- lord, was a turning point in the war, and helped bring about Nazi Germany’s defeat in May 1945. “The Normandy landings 75 years ago were a moment of historic international co- operation,” May said. “And it is right that at the heart of today’s commemorations are the veterans who fought to secure the liberty and the peace that we now enjoy.” Planning to attend are presidents, prime ministers and other representatives of the countries that fought alongside Britain in Nor- mandy: the United States, Canada, Australia, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Slo- vakia, Luxembourg, Denmark, France, Greece, the Nether- lands, New Zealand, Norway and Poland. The leader of the country that was the enemy in 1944, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, is also attending. In Portsmouth, dignitaries plan to read from historical documents linked to D-Day. In May’s case, it’s a letter written by Capt. Norman Skinner of the Royal Army Service Corps to his wife, Gladys, on 3 June 1944, a few days before the invasion. It was in his pocket when he landed in Normandy. “I can imagine you in the garden having tea with Janey and Anne getting ready to put them to bed,” wrote Skinner, who was killed the day after D-Day. “Although I would give anything to be back with you, I have not yet had any wish at all to back down from the job we have to do.” On Thursday the focus shifts to France, where com- memorations will be held at simple military cemeteries near the Normandy beaches. Events in France began early Wednesday morning with US Army Rangers climbing the jagged cliffs of Normandy’s Pointe du Hoc to honour the men who scaled them under fire 75 years ago. Elderly veterans looked on as members of the 75th Ranger Regiment started mounting the lime- stone promontory at dawn, pulling themselves up on ropes one by one, seagulls swooping above. They were recreating a journey taken by the US Ar- my’s 2nd and 5th Ranger Bat- talions to destroy Nazi guns atop the cliffs. The opera- tion helped prepare the way for Allied troops landing on beaches a few miles up the coast to break Hitler’s stran- glehold on France. Of the 235 men who took on the cliffs in 1944, only 90 were fit for battle two days later. Elsewhere in Normandy parachutists were jumping from C-47 transporters in World War II colours and other aircraft, aiming for fields of wild flowers on the outskirts of Carentan, one of the early objectives for Allied troops. Among the jumpers will be American D-Day veteran Tom Rice, 97. He jumped into Normandy with thousands of other parachutists in 1944, and recalled it as “the worst jump I ever had”. Like many other veterans, Rice said he remains trou- bled by the war. “We did a lot of destruc- tion, damage. And we chased the Germans out and coming back here is a matter of clo- sure,” he said. “You can close the issue now.” WASHINGTON (AP) – The World Bank on Tuesday downgraded its forecast for the global economy in light of trade conflicts, finan- cial strains and unexpect- edly sharp slowdowns in wealthier countries. The bank, an anti-pov- erty agency, expects the world economy to grow 2.6% this year. That would be the slowest calendar-year growth since 2016, and it is down from the 2.9% expansion the agency forecast in January. The World Bank down- graded every major region of the world, though it kept its 2019 forecast for US growth at 2.5%. In the 19 countries that use the euro currency, growth is forecast to slow to 1.2%, down from 1.8% last year and the 1.6% the World Bank expected in January. Slowed by the Trump ad- ministration’s trade war with China, global trade is ex- pected to expand just 2.6% this year, the weakest pace since the 2008 financial crisis. The Trump administration and Beijing have imposed tar- iffs on hundreds of billions of dollars of each other’s im- ports in a clash over China’s aggressive drive to overtake American technological dom- inance. Their showdown has generated uncertainty for businesses that must decide whether and where to make investments, buy supplies and establish factories. “We are not pushing the panic button yet,” said Ayhan Kose, a World Bank econo- mist. “But we are sending a message” of a possibly deeper slowdown if trade hostili- ties persist. “This is high time for policymakers to find ways to resolve their differ- ences,” Kose said. China, the world’s second- largest economy after the United States, is forecast to grow 6.2%, which would be its weakest performance since 1990, when it was en- during the aftermath of a violent crackdown on pro- democracy protesters at Ti- ananmen Square. The Japanese economy is predicted to eke out 0.8% growth, same as last year. Some developing world countries are contending with financial stress. Turkey’s economy is expected to con- tract 1% and Argentina’s 1.2%. The Battle of Normandy, codenamed Operation Overlord, was a turning point in the war, and helped bring about Nazi Germany’s defeat in May 1945. The World Bank downgraded every major region of the world, though it kept its 2019 forecast for US growth at 2.5%. US General Dwight D. Eisenhower, left, gives the order of the day to paratroopers in England prior to boarding their planes to participate in the first assault of the Normandy invasion, 6 June 1944. A veteran wipes his eyes during a ceremony to mark the 75th anniversary of D-Day, Wednesday in Portsmouth, England. – PHOTOS: AP Workers assemble Ford trucks at the Ford Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville, Kentucky. – PHOTO: AP9 WORLD®IONAL CAYMAN COMPASS • THURSDAY, 6 JUNE 2019 Alvin Paul Meghoo e family of the late Alvin Meghoo regrets to announce his death in Jamaica. He was the brother of the Rev. Godfrey Meghoo. Funeral takes place on Saturday 15th June at 10.30am, at St. eresa’s Catholic Church, 61 ½ Deanery Road, Kingston 3, Jamaica GOP senators line up against Trump’s 5% Mexico tariff plan Trump administration halts cruises to Cuba under new rules WASHINGTON (AP) – In a rare confrontation, Repub- lican senators are declaring deep opposition to President Donald Trump’s threatened tariffs on all goods coming into the US from Mexico. But it’s unclear they have the votes to stop him, and Trump said they’d be “foolish” to try. All sides, including offi- cials from Mexico meeting with Trump negotiators in Washington this week, re- main hopeful that high-level talks will ease the presi- dent away from his threat. But with the tariffs set to start next Monday – and Trump declaring them “more likely” than not to take ef- fect – fellow Republicans in Congress warned the White House they are ready to stand up to the president. The public split and looming standoff over 5% tar- iffs on all goods imported from Mexico revealed a fun- damental divergence in values between the president and his party. Trump uses tariffs as leverage to get what he wants, in this case to force Mexico to do more to halt illegal im- migration. For Republicans, tariffs are counter to firmly rooted orthodoxy and viewed as nothing more than taxes they strenuously oppose. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday with understate- ment, “There is not much support in my conference for tariffs, that’s for sure.” At a lengthy closed-door lunch meeting at the Capitol, senators took turns warning Trump officials there could be trouble if the GOP-held Senate votes on disapproving the tariffs. Congressional re- jection would be a stiff re- buke to Trump, even more forceful than an earlier ef- fort to prevent him from shifting money to build his long-promised border wall with Mexico. “Deep concern and resist- ance,” is how Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas characterised the mood. “I will yield to no- body in passion and serious- ness and commitment to se- curing the border, but there’s no reason for Texas farmers and ranchers and manufac- turers and small businesses to pay the price of massive new taxes.” Ron Johnson of Wis- consin, who was among the senators who spoke up, said, “I think the administration has to be concerned about another vote of disapproval …. I’m not the only one saying it.” The outcome would be uncertain – Trump could try to veto a disapproval reso- lution as he did before. But many Republicans who voted against Trump earlier this year actually supported his ultimate goal of building the border wall. They were just uneasy with his executive reach to do it. Now, the presi- dent does not have anywhere near the same backing for the tariffs. The GOP opposition is grounded in fears over what Trump’s tariffs would do to the livelihoods of ordi- nary Americans. Senators worry they would spike US consumers’ costs, harm the economy and imperil a major pending US-Mexico-Canada trade deal. With jitters running high, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said Tuesday he’s prepared to respond to protect the economy, and stocks rallied on that signal that the Fed will likely cut in- terest rates later this year. Mexico is concerned about the tariffs as well, but top officials seemed opti- mistic about a resolution. “By what we have seen so far, we will be able to reach an agreement,” Foreign Min- ister Marcelo Ebrard said during a news conference at the Mexican Embassy in Washington. “That is why I think the imposition of tar- iffs can be avoided.” Trump, during a press conference in London, offered mixed messages. “We’re going to see if we can do something,” he said on the second day of his state visit to Britain. WASHINGTON (AP) – The Trump administration on Tuesday ended the most pop- ular forms of US travel to Cuba, banning cruise ships and a heavily used cate- gory of educational travel in an attempt to cut off cash to the island’s communist government. Cruise travel from the US to Cuba began in May 2016 during President Barack Oba- ma’s opening with the is- land. It has become the most popular form of US leisure travel to the island, bringing 142,721 people in the first four months of the year, a more than 300% increase over the same period last year. For travellers confused about the thicket of federal regulations governing travel to Cuba, cruises offered a simple, one-stop, guaranteed-legal way to travel. That now appears to be over. “Cruise ships as well as recreational and pleasure vessels are prohibited from departing the US on tempo- rary sojourn to Cuba effective tomorrow,” the Commerce Department said in a state- ment to The Associated Press. The new restrictions are part of a broader effort by the administration of President Donald Trump to roll back the Obama-era efforts to re- store normal relations be- tween the United States and Cuba, which drew sharp crit- icism from the more hardline elements of the Cuban-Amer- ican community and their al- lies in Congress. Treasury said the sanc- tions would take effect on Wednesday after they are published in the Fed- eral Register. US national security ad- viser John Bolton, who de- clared Cuba part of a “troika of tyranny” along with Nica- ragua and Venezuela as he outlined plans for sanctions in November, said the new policy is intended to deny the Cuban government a vital source of revenue. “The Administration has advanced the President’s Cuba policy by ending ‘veiled tourism’ to Cuba and im- posing restrictions on ves- sels,” Bolton said on Twitter. “We will continue to take ac- tions to restrict the Cuban re- gime’s access to US dollars.” The Cuban government imposed food rationing last month as a result of tight- ened US sanctions and a drop in subsidised oil and other aid from Venezuela. For the Cuban government, cruise travel generated many mil- lions of dollars a year in docking fees and payments for on-shore excursions, al- though those figures were never made public. Cuba also has become the most- requested destination for many South Florida-based cruise lines. “The Trump administra- tion deserves tremendous credit for holding accountable the Cuban regime,” Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio said. “The United States must use all tools available under US law to counter the Cuban regime’s deceitful activities to undermine US policy.” The new restrictions take effect Wednesday, but the government said it will allow anyone who has al- ready paid for the trip to go ahead with it. But the pro- cess going forward for pas- sengers is not clear. Cruise lines carrying passengers booked before Tuesday have been hoping that they could request spe- cific federal permits to com- plete their trips to Cuba, said Pedro Freyre, a Miami-based attorney who represents Car- nival and three other major cruise lines. “For now, it’s prohibited unless the cruise lines re- quests a specific license,” Freyre said. He said cruise lines had been trying to determine “if there’s any opening there to at least complete trips that have been booked and passengers that have made travel plans”. Norwegian Cruise Line said in a statement that it was scrutinising the new rules and consulting with lawyers and trade experts. “We are closely monitoring these recent developments and any resulting impact to cruise travel to Cuba,” Nor- wegian Cruise Line said in a statement. “We will communi- cate to our guests and travel partners as additional infor- mation becomes available.” Shore excursions from cruise ships tend to be or- ganised by the cruise lines in cooperation with Cuban government tour agency Ha- vanatur. A smaller number hire private tour guides or drivers of restored classic cars who wait outside Ha- vana’s cruise docks. “This affects all of us,” said William Mártinez, 58, a Cuban-born American who lived in Florida for 46 years but returned five years ago to drive a classic car for tourists. “It’s inhuman, the sanctions that they’re put- ting on Cuba.” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the meas- ures are a response to what it calls Cuba’s “destabilizing role” in the Western Hemi- sphere, including support for the government of President Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela. “This administration has made a strategic decision to reverse the loosening of sanctions and other restric- tions on the Cuban regime,” Mnuchin said. “These actions will help to keep US dollars out of the hands of Cuban military, intelligence, and se- curity services.” Along with the cruise ships, the US will also now ban most private planes and boats from stopping in the island. Cruises have become more popular than flights for lei- sure travellers to Cuba – nearly 30,000 more came by cruise ship than flights this year. The figures exclude Cuban-born Americans vis- iting family on the island. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky speaks to reporters Tuesday following the weekly policy lunches on Capitol Hill in Washington. – PHOTO: AP Tourists who have just disembarked from a cruise liner tour the city aboard a vintage American convertible, in Havana, Cuba on Tuesday. The Trump administration has banned US cruise ships from stopping in Cuba. - PHOTO: APNext >