ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – TUESDAY, 16 JULY 2019 High of 90 Low of 78 Slight to moderate with wave heights of 2 to 4 feet. WORLD | PAGE 8 TRUMP MOVES TO END ASYLUM PROTECTIONS FOR CENTRAL AMERICANS SPORTS | PAGE 13 ENGLAND WINS FIRST CRICKET WORLD CUP AFTER ALL-TIME CLASSIC MICHAEL KLEIN mklein@pinnaclemedialtd.com Government is presenting a raft of bills for debate in the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday, 24 July, to address the fallout from the negative assessment of how Cay- man’s anti-money laundering and counter fi - nancing of terrorism regime works in practice. The Caribbean Financial Action Task Force, a regional subsidiary of the global standard setter in this space, released its evaluation re- port in March 2019, which revealed a wide range of shortcomings. As a result, Cayman was placed under a one-year observation pe- riod by the FATF during which it should take recommended action and correct the identifi ed defi ciencies. A total of 11 amendment bills aim to strengthen Cayman’s anti-money laun- dering framework. Financial Services Minister Tara Rivers, whose ministry is presenting 10 of the 11 bills, said the proposed legislative changes will strengthen Cayman’s “already extensive AML/CFT regime”. Minister Rivers said, “The government is committed to addressing the recommenda- tions outlined in the CFATF fourth round mu- tual evaluation report to further cement our standing as a responsible and responsive ju- risdiction in the global fi ght against money laundering and terrorist fi nancing.” The Banks and Trust Companies (Amend- ment) Bill, 2019 aims to ensure that appro- priate transparency measures, such as disclo- sure requirements, are in place for trusts. As part of the Basel II international banking regulations and in particular Pillar 3, which adds to capital requirements and a supervisory review process certain disclo- sures to allow market participants to assess the capital adequacy of an institution, the bill would empower CIMA to require licensees who establish a banking business or Cayman banking group to make public disclosures. The Trusts (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill, 2019 seeks to insert provisions into the Trusts Law that require trustees and the Registrar of Trusts to share information on registered trusts with other competent authorities, pro- vide sanctions for failure to provide compe- tent authorities with required information, and empower Cabinet to make regulations. The Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2019 Legislation proposed to strengthen anti-money laundering framework PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 7 » Born to be wild A wild blue iguana hatchling was spotted by researchers in Grand Cayman this week. The discovery is an indication that conservation efforts are succeeding in bringing the reptile back from the brink of extinction. See page 7. – PHOTO: LUKE HARDING2 REGIONAL NEWS TUESDAY, 16 JULY 2019 • CAYMAN COMPASS HAVANA (AP) – Dianelys Al- fonso has a bold presence – brightly coloured tattoos, spandex bodysuits, Techni- color hair – and a clarion voice that won her the label ‘Goddess of Cuba’ for her turns on songs ranging from ballads to reggaeton. Now she’s also the centre of a new phenomenon in Cuba after publicly accusing another renowned musician, flautist and bandleader José Luis Cortés, of repeatedly assaulting and raping her during their yearslong rela- tionship while she was a vo- calist for NG La Banda, one of the best-known Cuban bands of the last three decades. Since Alfonso’s accusa- tions against Cortés on an in- ternet video programme last month, many Cubans have declared their support for her online, calling her the pioneer of the #MeToo movement in a country where open dis- cussion of violence against women is rare. Cortés has not publicly re- sponded to the allegations or to messages seeking comment left by The Associated Press on his band’s social media ac- counts or with his promoters. Within hours of speaking to video host Alex Otaola and alleging that she had been abused by Cortés, hundreds of Cubans on the island and in its diaspora in the United States, Latin America and Eu- rope began posting messages of support for Alfonso with the hashtags #IBelieveYou- Goddess, #MeTooInCuba and #YouAreNotAlone. Alfonso also has received reams of abusive messages calling her a liar and ac- cusing her of besmirching Cortés’ reputation to win greater renown. “I look at everything hap- pening online and I’m re- ally stunned,” the 38-year-old singer told The Associated Press. “I can’t really under- stand what’s happening on- line. I’m just trying to keep getting professional psycho- logical help to deal with eve- rything that’s come at me for having told the truth.” Online activism of any kind is relatively new to Cuba, which only began per- mitting mobile internet this year. Until recently, open dis- cussion of domestic abuse also has been rare in a com- munist society where the government portrays itself as able to take care of every social problem and where there are only a handful of non-governmental women’s rights groups. The government last year organised a publicity cam- paign to raise conscious- ness of domestic violence, with posters and announce- ments in official media under the slogans ‘You Are More’ and ‘Evolve,’ though that ap- peared to focus more on physical than sexual abuse. Some 500 Cuban artists and intellectuals have signed an open letter of support for Alfonso that condemns vi- olence against women on a Facebook page titled, ‘I Believe You’. Actress and producer Vi- oleta Rodríguez, daughter of Cuban singer Silvio Rod- ríguez, wrote on her Face- book page last month that she had been abused by a “fa- mous and powerful” Cuban man but had remained silent for years. The post was later deleted, without explanation. Alfonso was lead singer for NG La Banda from 2003 to 2009, and was involved romantically with Cortés for much of that time. She said Cortés repeatedly hit her, raped her and verbally abused her, in private and in public, during their relation- ship and after it ended. She said the abuse finally stopped after she left the group in the middle of an Italian tour in 2009 and did not return to Cuba until 2014. Alfonso’s lawyer, Deyni Terry, said Cortés sent the singer a threatening text message after she went public with the accusations. Alfonso reported the threat to police, Terry said, adding that she and her client were in- vestigating whether they can bring charges of abuse and sexual assault against Cortés so many years after the al- leged crimes took place. “Many victims wait years to say what happened and that complicates judicial ac- tion, especially in Cuba where many laws are out- dated,” the lawyer said. Cuban authorities did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the case. Terry said the online re- action to Alfonso’s accusa- tions appeared to be a sign of changing attitudes on the island. “People are being more daring, speaking out, talking about taboo topics,” she said. “They’re taking risks and have more freedom to speak out.” A national poll conducted in 2016 and published this year showed that some 27% of 10,698 women who re- sponded to a questionnaire reported being mistreated or abused by a man over the past 12 months but less than 4% sought help. The availability of the in- ternet in Cuba has allowed activists for various causes – from animal rights to LGBTQ freedoms – to better organise and advocate over the last seven months. The same may now be happening for wom- en’s rights, observers said. “The internet allows us to have a greater diversity of de- bates and struggles and bring many problems to light,” said Francisco Rodríguez, a gay- rights advocate and blogger. 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 (PG) 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. - TUESDAY - 640-FILM (640-3456) CRAWL (R) 4:25 | 6:55 | 9:30 SPIDER-MAN FAR (PG13) FROM HOME 12:40 VIP | 1:00 | 3:40 VIP | 4:00 | 7:00 | 9:40 VIP | 10:00 TOY STORY 4 (G) 1:30 | 4:00 | 6:30 | 9:00 SUPER 30 (PG) 1:00 | 9:10 MEN IN BLACK (PG13) INTERNATIONAL 1:35 I 4:20 | 7:05 | 9:50 SECRET LIFE OF PETS 2 (PG) 2:15 | 4:30 | 6:45 CLASSICS @ THE CINEMA (PG13) SAY ANYTHING (1989) 7:00 VIP GUACAMOLE BLUES: MEXICANS DISMAYED BY AVOCADO PRICE CLIMB FIRE RAGES THROUGH RESERVE IN MEXICO’S RESORT-FILLED YUCATAN Cuban singer becomes pioneer of #MeToo movement on island MEXICO CITY (AP) – Mexi- cans are dismayed by con- tinued increases in the price for avocados, a staple of the country’s cuisine. And the situation has also led to outrage too, as recipes have begun popping up for so-called “mock gua- camole” without avocados. “This really does hurt,” the Mexico City food and entertainment magazine Chilango said in a story this week about the ‘fake guacamole’ recipes circu- lating on social media. In truth, similar rec- ipes have been circulating for years – a blended emul- sion of tomatillo, zucchini, oil and chile – but they have gained greater visi- bility with the rise of avo- cado prices. Bonifacio de Luna runs a Mexico City stall selling tacos and burritos and says he buys 5 kilogrammes of avocados per day at over 100 pesos (US$5) per kilogramme. “It’s very expensive, the price is very high,” De Luna said, expressing nostalgia for a time years ago when he paid a fifth as much. But he proudly showed off a big bowl of real guaca- mole – albeit heavy on the onions – and rejected the idea of selling mock gua- camole as “very, very bad”, adding “It’s not natural.” Eating mixed-meat ‘campechano’ tacos at a dif- ferent stand nearby – one that also offered real guac – service center telephone op- erator Sergio Corona agreed. “This is a central ele- ment of Mexican cooking,” said Corona. “A good taco should never lack good guacamole.” But Corona said that, at home, his family has re- duced the amount of av- ocados it buys due to the prices. “We still buy avocados, just not as much as we would like,” Corona said. The government says increased demand in the United States and a slight drop in production are to blame. MEXICO CITY (AP) – Mexico has deployed seven fire- fighting brigades and a mil- itary helicopter in an effort to stamp out a fire raging through the Sian Ka’an na- ture reserve on the Yu- catan peninsula. The civil protection coordi- nator for the state of Quintana Roo said Sunday the fire has already consumed 1,500 acres of brush and other plants. Adrián Martínez said the fire started in the mu- nicipality of Felipe Carrillo Puerto, which is slated to be- come a stop between the high- end beach resort Tulum and Bacalar near the Belize border for the Maya Train that Pres- ident Andrés Manuel López Obrador plans to build. The National Commis- sion for Protected Natural Areas posted pictures online of smoke billowing across swaths of mangrove. Online activism of any kind is relatively new to Cuba, which only began permitting mobile internet this year. Singer Dianelys Alfonso, whose voice won her the label ‘Goddess of Cuba’ sits during an interview in Havana, Cuba. – PHOTO: AP WASHINGTON (AP) – The ex- ecutive board of the Inter- national Monetary Fund has approved its fourth review of a $56 billion IMF-supported programme for Argentina. Friday’s action gives Ar- gentina access to $5.4 billion, bringing the total amount ap- proved from the IMF since June 2018 to $44.1 billion. IMF staff had given their go-ahead last week, but the executive board’s approval was still necessary. The Argentine authori- ties met “all the applicable targets under the Fund-sup- ported program”, said David Lipton, the IMF’s acting man- aging director. The loan was agreed upon last year after the nation was hit by a sharp deprecia- tion of the peso amid double- digit inflation. The Fund projected in April that Argentina’s gross domestic product will grow 2.2% in 2020 after con- tracting 1.2% this year and 2.5% in 2018. IMF BOARD COMPLETES FOURTH REVIEW OF ARGENTINA PROGRAMME Avocados are displayed for sale Friday at the Medellin market in Mexico City. – PHOTO: AP3 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • TUESDAY, 16 JULY 2019 Music students entertain passing travellers to raise funds KAYLA YOUNG kyoung@pinnaclemedialtd.com Between intercom an- nouncements and the chatter of busy travellers, the sounds of cello and trumpet filled the Owen Roberts International Airport corridor on Saturday. While some busy travel- lers rushed by, other stopped to film, donate or say hello to the duet, Dequan Smith, cello, and Cameron Gilson, trumpet, both 16. Over the past several weeks, the two have been sta- tioned between Foster’s Food Fair at the Strand and the airport, serenading the public two to three times a week and raising funds to support their music education. The teens are part of a group of six music stu- dents who will spend a month this summer at the Luzerne Music Center in New York. While acceptance to the prestigious music camp is a major opportu- nity for the students, it also comes with a price – $20,000 for the group. “Armed with the knowl- edge that [the Cayman Arts Festival] was facing a short- fall in the total funds of $20,000 needed to cover air- fare, accommodation and tui- tion fees for the music camp, the two young men wanted to help in any way they could, and so began the afternoon ‘busking’ sessions at Fosters,” explained a Cayman Arts Fes- tival social media post. While Dequan was nervous at first, unsure if passersby would donate, he has been pleased with the response. “I was quite presently sur- prised. A lot of people were quite generous,” he said. Cameron added, “We’ve met a lot of nice people. Lots of locals have come up to say hi, even people we know.” The pair said they raised nearly $2,000 before they flew out for the senior ses- sion on Monday. They will be at the 20-acre, cellphone- free campus in the Adiron- dack Mountains for a month. It will be Cameron’s first time at the camp and De- quan’s third. “Now since we’ve made the money,” Dequan said, “I feel like we deserve to go.” Dequan will focus on learning a piano trio, as well as some solo work. Cameron said he will be tackling a duet alongside solo pieces. “[It] should be fun to be disconnected. It doesn’t scare me. I love music,” Cameron said. Four other students – Kyla David, 14; Jessie Hurlston- Watler, 14; Daniel Gayle, 13; and Zachary Allen, 13 – re- turned from the camp’s junior session this week. 2019 Dart scholars named Diamond White, Michael Marzouca and Marcos Ber- tran have been named Dart Scholars for 2019. Dart Chief Executive Of- ficer Mark VanDevelde said in a news release that the students were chosen for maintaining “high academic standards while also demon- strating dedication to their community”. Two of the students – White, of John Gray High School, and Marzouca of St. Ignatius Catholic School – received Dart High School Scholarships, while Bertran, who will attend Imperial Col- lege, London, this fall, was honoured with the William A. Dart Memorial Univer- sity Scholarship. Bertran is a graduate of St. Ignatius. Scholarship officials said White and Marzouca have shown exceptional ac- ademic performances, es- pecially in the fields of sci- ence, technology, engineering and math, commonly known as STEM. White was placed in an accelerated programme and sat external examinations a year early. Outside of school, he participates in numerous STEM-related extracurricular activities such as Drone Club, Flight Club, and the SeaPerch Challenge (underwater ro- botics). As captain of the John Gray SeaPerch team, White has represented his school and the Cayman Islands at the international competition for three years. He is also a black belt in karate. White plans to pursue a degree in engineering or com- puter programming. Marzouca has partici- pated in the UK Junior Math- ematical Challenge 2018 and scored in the top 0.4% in the world. Outside of the class- room, he won events in this year’s Minds Inspired SeaP- erch Challenge and the Ro- tary Science Fair. Marzouca is a brown belt in karate and he plays the saxophone. After completing his A-Levels, he hopes to pursue a degree in mathematics and com- puter science. Bertran, who plans to study biomedical engi- neering, was the recipient of the Minds Inspired Ex- cellence in STEM gradua- tion award for achieving the highest GPA in STEM sub- jects for his final two years of school. He mentored his peers, assisting them in both IGCSE and AS Level mathe- matics. In addition to his ac- ademic success, Bertran is also well-known within the music community. He plays in numerous bands, is a per- cussionist with the Cayman National Orchestra and has earned Trinity Guildhall Grades 7 and 8 with merit as a saxophonist. In 2017, he won the Butterfield Young Musician of the Year Award. Dart began offering schol- arships in 2012 as a part of its Minds Inspired educa- tion programme. In 2018, the scholarships were re- branded as Dart Scholar, which is merit-based and re- wards exemplary academic performance with tuition aid, resume-building work expe- rience and enrichment expe- riences to supplement class- room learning. Marcos BertranDiamond WhiteMichael Marzouca Dequan Smith, right, plays cello next to Cameron Gilson as travellers pass by at the airport. - PHOTOS: ALVARO SEREY Cameron Gilson plays trumpet for travellers on Saturday at Owen Roberts International Airport.The islands’ most-trusted news source 4 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” TUESDAY, 16 JULY 2019 • CAYMAN COMPASS ‘The Right Stuff’, 50 years later BASIL HERO Not long after Neil Arm- strong set foot on the moon in 1969 leaving his imprint for the ages, author Tom Wolfe asked himself a simple question: “What makes a man willing to sit on top of an enormous Roman candle, such as a Redstone, Atlas, Titan, or Saturn rocket, and wait for someone to light the fuse?” Wolfe’s answer, his wife told me, came after five long years of research and inter- views with America’s first group of astronauts, the ‘Mercury Seven’. Wolfe re- duced their extraordinary abilities to three simple words, which became the title of his 1979 book and re- main watchwords for bravery in the American lexicon: ‘The Right Stuff’. Despite repeated probing, Wolfe discovered that it was not in the nature of astro- nauts to deconstruct courage – ironically enough because it would not be the right stuff. In their world, where split- second decisions were re- quired to avoid catastrophe, reflective thought could be deadly. They were happy to discuss “risk” and “calculated risk” because as fighter and test pilots, many of whom had master’s degrees in engi- neering, risk was something that was quantifiable. Not so with analysing courage, which fell into the uncomfortable domain of psychology. As the 12 re- maining lunar explorers told me, they had little use for NASA’s psychological tests that were designed to un- earth their “true feelings” and “personality types”. My hope was that the passage of time had lowered their defences enough to fi- nally reveal what they con- sider to be the right stuff and why they were willing to tolerate the weekly fa- talities in testing super- sonic aircraft. The answers, from these mostly octoge- narian men, were not what I was expecting. The real right stuff – the true source of their courage, they argue – revolves around two vir- tues that would sound alien to modern ears: pursuit of “the common good”, and “be- lieving in something greater than oneself”. “To find the courage to sit on top of that rocket,” says Apollo 8’s Bill Anders, the first of three humans to have seen Earth from the Moon, “you have to believe not just in the mission, but in Duty, Honor, Country, and the common good.” The notion of the common good, finds its roots in an- cient Greece. In Aristotle’s ‘Politics’, he said that for de- mocracy to work, citizens need to subsume their pri- vate interest to the common good and the notion that we’re not just living for our- selves, but that we live for the community. “I felt it was my duty to serve America,” said Alan Bean, who was the fourth man to walk on the moon. “If it meant risking my life, I was OK with that since the space programme was so important to America and to me. People today need to think more about serving the common good instead of their own selfish needs.” Bean would go on to ac- cuse today’s elected officials of being “false patriots and self-serving jackasses” for wearing the American flag on their lapels – an honour that should be reserved only for those who have gone to war. The unbridled egotism in- fecting many of today’s po- litical leaders, the chest- thumping of sports stars, and the obsessive pursuit of ce- lebrity, is precisely the wrong stuff. So is the apparent lack of moral courage in speaking truth to power. When Presi- dent Nixon insisted on playing ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ during Armstrong and Aldrin’s moon walk, Apollo 8 commander Frank Borman, who served as NASA’s li- aison to the White House, told Nixon: “No, Mr. President, this smacks of American nation- alism at a moment meant for all mankind.” Nixon, dropped the national anthem. As a result of their life- changing view of our small blue water planet from the desolate moon, the astro- nauts’ commitment to the common good was elevated on a planetary scale. The mantra that provided their building blocks for courage: Duty, Honour, Country, now reads: Duty, Honour, Planet Earth. If there is any lesson to be learned on this 50th anni- versary of the moon landing, it should be that humans find the right stuff to pursue the common good of planet Earth – instead of the tribalism af- fecting every level of society. Without such courage Neil Armstrong warned, near the end of his life, “We may or may not have time enough to grow as a species to control our ultimate destiny.” Basil Hero is a former reporter with NBC television stations, and is the author of ‘The Mission of a Lifetime: Lessons From the Men Who Went to the Moon’. He wrote this for InsideSources.com. “ To find the courage to sit on top of that rocket, you have to believe not just in the mission, but in Duty, Honor, Country, and the common good.” BILL ANDERS, Apollo 8 astronaut How the US Congress could destroy social media ignation. Otherwise, they’d lose their immunity and risk being sued into bankruptcy. Still, Section 230 is not nec- essarily sacrosanct. The Gabs and 8chans of the internet, where harassment is standard operating procedure and in- citements to violence thrive, suggest that the statute may actually need an adjustment to promote the opposite end from Hawley’s: maintaining immu- nity for good Samaritans but stripping it from bad ones. One suggestion would require that companies take reason- able steps to guard against il- legal behaviour. Another would remove immunity only from companies that actively en- courage or are primarily used for lawlessness – essentially, those whose entire business model is abuse. These lines would be hard to draw, and there’s always the threat that internet com- panies nervous about getting bogged down in expensive litigation would adopt over- zealous removal policies. But if Congress is going to have any conversation about re- forming Section 230, the aim should be sharpening com- panies’ sword, not dulling it. Otherwise, those 4 billion people will find the internet a lot less friendly. WASHINGTON POST EDITORIAL BOARD Twenty-six words may be responsible for a system that today serves more than 4 bil- lion people around the world. Now, some in Congress want to rewrite them. Section 230 of the Com- munications Decency Act protects internet companies from liability for posts from third parties, with few excep- tions. It’s this immunity that allows sites such as Twitter to host hundreds of millions of people’s musings in real time and every consumer re- view service or website with a comments section to open itself up to conversation – all without fear of a flurry of lawsuits. To Sen. Josh Hawley and his compatriots in the con- servative crusade against Silicon Valley’s so-called censorship, however, tech companies are not holding up their ‘end of the bargain.” Platforms, he says, hide be- hind a shield preventing them from being treated like publishers, while acting like publishers every time they stamp out hate speech or har- assment. Hawley proposes a change: Regulators will cer- tify sites as ‘politically neu- tral’. Those that pass muster can keep their protection, and those that do not can dress up for court. But Section 230 was never supposed to be a bar- gain. In fact, the law exists to encourage companies to moderate content without worrying that exercising edi- torial discretion will get them treated as editors – to furnish them not only with a shield, but also with a sword. By casting content moderation as censorship, Hawley’s bill would push sites to discard systems crucial to making the Web a safer place. Twitter would probably have to look a lot more like Gab and Fa- cebook a lot more like 4chan in order for them to earn the politically neutral des-5 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS TUESDAY, 16 JULY 2019 Leadership Cayman celebrates 10 years A total of 26 partici- pants recently celebrated their graduation from the 2019 Chamber of Commerce Leadership Cayman pro- gramme, at The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman. The participants came to- gether at the end of a six- month programme, where they took part in semi- nars that focussed on busi- ness, government, education, media, financial services, criminal justice and the Sister Islands. They also participated in a commu- nity project. The recent graduation marked the 10th anniversary of the programme’s inception in 2009. The graduates join more than 200 other local high-level community leaders who have successfully com- pleted the programme. “Leadership Cayman is one of the Chamber of Com- merce’s key programmes focusing on the develop- ment of the human cap- ital in the Cayman Islands,” Chamber President Christo- pher Kirkconnell said. “The programme provides par- ticipants with exclusive op- portunities and experiences that enable them to become strong leaders, in their jobs as well as in the commu- nity. Each graduating class adds to the strong net- work of like-minded busi- nesspersons across industry fields. Congratulations to the 2019 graduates on their achievement.” Describing her Leadership Cayman experience, 2019 graduate Jovanna Wright said, “Leadership Cayman was an unforgettable and re- warding experience. I truly enjoyed meeting new people and developing new friend- ships. During Leadership Cayman, I had the opportu- nity to learn about the key sectors in the Cayman Is- lands and how they’re im- pacting today’s world. I am truly grateful for this amazing opportunity and would highly recommend this program. It was definitely a meaningful experience and I enjoyed every minute of it.” Another 2019 graduate, Sean Vasquez, said the pro- gramme featured “expertly selected panellists who were passionate about their craft, and a must do for an- yone who is looking to have a deeper understanding of our islands, and take on a more proactive community driven approach.” Leadership Cayman 2020 is now accepting ap- plications. Applicants must be at least 25 years old by 1 Jan. 2020; have lived in the Cayman Islands for a min- imum period of 12 months and must be in at least a middle-management position at their current place of work. There are only 24 spaces available for this coming year’s programme. Applicants can apply online through www.leadershipcayman.ky. The Chamber of Com- merce will be hosting in- formation sessions on Wednesday, 17 July, and Wednesday, 24 July, from 6-7pm at their training fa- cility in Governors Square. “ The programme provides participants with exclusive opportunities and experiences that enable them to become strong leaders, in their jobs as well as in the community.” CHRISTOPHER KIRKCONNELL, president, Chamber of Commerce Graduates of the 2019 Leadership Cayman Programme pose together at the graduation ceremony at The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman. Historic Nixon house to be relocated and preserved A historic home on a plot of land across from the Citrus Grove business centre will be moved to Bodden Town in order to preserve it. Built in the early 1800s, the dilapidated vacant struc- ture, known as the Clayton Nixon home, is named for a former owner and thought to have been constructed by his grandfather. According to records, the house was possibly one of the first Cayman homes owned by a former slave, said Minister of Culture Dwayne Seymour in a news release. “It is also a fine example of traditional Caymanian con- struction techniques with walls that include wattle and daub as well as limestone.” Wattle and daub in- corporates a network of sticks or twigs covered with mud or clay. Ministry officials said the house will be relocated to the Mission House property in Bodden Town. The Ministry has just concluded the pro- curement exercise for the re- location as well as some re- assembling post-move. Seymour said his min- istry learned last year that the cottage, which is on the National Trust’s Register of Historic Buildings, was in danger of being demolished due to the upcoming develop- ment of Citrus Grove II. “The structure is one of the few remaining examples of an early home,” he said, “so the ministry moved to save it from being destroyed.” The process of doing so involved representatives from several agencies, including the Cayman Islands National Museum, the Cayman Na- tional Cultural Foundation, the National Trust for the Cayman Islands, the plan- ning department and the NCB Group. Planning De- partment’s Colleen Stoetzel and NCB Group property company representatives Alan Wight and Ally McRae who represent the devel- opers of the Citrus Grove of- fice complex. While Seymour sought funding from the Cabinet, the National Trust’s Historical Advisory Committee mem- bers Cathy Frazier and John Doak volunteered their time, with Frazier researching the historical value of the prop- erty and Doak conducting an as-built survey to deter- mine the current state of the house. Other surveys were also done on the grounds and a nearby stepwell. National Trust Execu- tive Director Nadia Hardie called the structure “a his- toric treasure of national sig- nificance,” offering insight into traditional architecture of that era. Matthew Wight, managing director of NCB Group, said his company was eager to help in the preservation. “As developers, we had no hesitation in collaborating with this project,” Wight said in the release. “The built heritage of the Cayman Islands contributes to our understanding of ourselves and to our quality of life. We believe it is one of our coun- try’s most important cul- tural assets.” “ It is also a fine example of traditional Caymanian construction techniques with walls that include wattle and daub as well as limestone.” DWAYNE SEYMOUR, Minister of Culture The Nixon House on Goring Avenue was built in the early 1800s. It is scheduled to be moved to Bodden Town for preservation. - PHOTO: MARK MUCKENFUSSThe 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. TUESDAY, 16 JULY SEAFARERS MEETING: The Cayman Islands Seafarers Association will hold a General Meeting today at 7:30pm in the Seafarers Hall, 11 Victory Ave. Prospect. Three buses will leave from West Bay Town Hall at 6pm. The Barnes Bus route in George Town will leave the Public Library parking area at 6:45pm, stopping at the Cayman Compass building and the Airport Foster’s. The bus marked Bobo $1 Public transport, blue in colour, will pick up from British Caymanian, Uncle Bill’s, Walkers Road, Shedden Road and Crewe Road. The bus from East End will pick up at the school parking lot, gas station and Wreck of the Ten Sail, starting at 5:45pm. North Side pick-ups at Chisholm’s Store and the soccer field, starting at 6:15pm. Bodden Town pick-ups at Lorna’s gas station at 6:45pm, Savannah pick-up at gas station at 7pm. THURSDAY, 18 JULY TOWN HALL MEETING: A public meeting will be held at Constitution Hall (formerly the George Town Town Hall) from 4:30-6:30pm today to discuss the revitalisation of George Town. The meeting will be led by George Town Manager and Revitalisation Initiative Coordinator Colin Lumsden. The meeting will include a presentation and project update and members of the public will have an opportunity to ask questions and outline their priorities and aspirations for the revitalised town centre. HUMANE SOCIETY QUIZ: Monthly trivia to raise funds for the Humane Society. 7pm at Fidel Murphy’s. Ann Ghezzi will be hosting. Entry fee is $10 per person, six people per team. Call 949-5189 to book a table. SATURDAY, 20 JULY WOMEN’S DIVE DAY: Divetech will attempt to break its own record of the largest number of women taking part in a single dive today as it celebrates Women’s Dive Day 2019. The event will take place at Divetech’s shore diving site, Lighthouse Point and is a fundraiser for the Breast Cancer Society. The aim is to have 100 women take part, to break last year’s record of 86. Spaces are on a first-come, first-served basis. $25 to secure a place. Call 946-5658, 7:30am to 5pm, or visit the dive shop. STORYTIME: The Cayman Islands Public Library Service will hold the first of a series of Summer Story Times with Uncle Vic at the Bodden Town Library. Stories will be read by Victor Valencia every Saturday, at 10:30am, until 31 Aug. There will also be colouring activities and specials treats for kids ages 0 to 5. Run time is approximately 45 minutes. For more information on special programmes at the library, email libraryprogrammes@gov.ky, call 949-5159 or check Facebook. TUESDAY, 21 JULY SPEAKING THE TRUTH IN LOVE GOSPEL MEETING: Takes place at 7:30pm from 21-25 July at the West Bay Church of Christ. MONDAY, 22 JULY CALVARY BAPTIST CHURCH VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL: Theme is ‘Giddy Up Junction: Taking God’s love to new frontiers’. Runs from Monday, 22 July, to Friday, 26 July, from 8:30am to 12:30pm. Ages 4-17. Location is 191 Walkers Road. Contact 949-0629 or info2cbc@gmail.com. SSSC JUNIOR SQUASH SUMMER CAMP: Runs 22-26 July from 9am to 1pm. Visit www.caymanactive.com for more information. WEST BAY CHURCH OF CHRIST VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL: Takes place 9am to noon from 22-26 July. Free. SATURDAY, 27 JULY CHILDREN’S FUN DAY: Takes place from 2-6pm at the Savannah Playing Field on Pedro Castle Road. Free for children ages 5-11. Activities include bouncy castles, face painting, a magic show and emergency responder vehicles on display as well as a drum circle. Finger food will be provided. MONDAY, 29 JULY CHURCH OF GOD CHAPEL WEST BAY VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL: Theme is ‘The Mane Event’. Runs daily through Friday, 2 Aug., from 6-8pm. Ages 5-12. Call 928-1506. FRIDAY, 2 AUG. CIMA STUDENT MIXER: The Cayman Islands Monetary Authority is hosting a student mixer today at the Marriott Beach Resort, 3-5pm. This interactive platform will give college- bound students (ages 16–25) a chance to meet potential employers, learn about the importance of the financial services industry and how it contributes to the standard of living in the Cayman Islands. The event will include refreshments, prizes and giveaways. For more information or to RSVP, visit www.cima.ky. CULTURE READING CHALLENGE: The Cayman Brac Heritage House and Cayman Brac Public Library Culture Reading Challenge takes place from 2-15 Aug. Call 948-0563. SUMMER FOOTBALL CAMP: The Sports Department of Cayman Brac hosts a summer football camp 2-5 Aug. from 8:30am to noon for ages 7-16. Call 948-8382. MONDAY, 5 AUG. GOOD NEWS BAPTIST CHURCH VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL: Theme is ‘Incredible Race’. Takes place from 5-9 Aug. from 6-8:30pm. Ages 4-12. Call 926-3249. WEDNESDAY, 7 AUG. STROKE AND STRIDE: The first of a three-series fundraiser race to support young triathletes and community charities will be held today for swimmers and runners. The swim distance increases each week while the run stays the same at 2 miles. Participate in 1, 2 or 3 of the races – individually or as a team. Race 1 is held today and consists of a 400-metre swim and a 2-mile run; Race 2 is on 14 Aug., a 600-metre swim and 2-mile run; and Race 3 is on 21 Aug., an 800-metre swim and 2-mile run. All races begin at 5:45pm at Sunset House. Entry fees are: Individuals, $15 per race/$35 for all 3; Teams, $25 per race/$60 all 3. Triathlon Association Membership required and is available for $15 at registration. YOUNG MEN AT RISK: The Community Affairs Ministry and the Alex Panton Foundation host a presentation on Young Men at Risk from 6:30-8pm at the South Sound Civic Centre. SUNDAY, 11 AUG. ENVIROWALK: The rescheduled EnviroWalk Environmental 5K Walk/ Run, sponsored by Miss World Cayman Islands, F45 and Flowers Bottled Water, will be held at 7am at SafeHaven. The previous planned event was postponed due to the weather. All are invited. Bring your water bottle, hats, sunscreen and comfortable walking shoes. The entry fee is $25 for adults and $12 for those 12 and under. GENERAL INTEREST YMCA SUMMER CAMPS: 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. 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. 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. 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. For more Community Calendar events, visit www.caymancompass.com/events. TUESDAY, 16 JULY 2019 • CAYMAN COMPASS A public meeting will be held Thursday at Constitution Hall (formerly the George Town Town Hall) to discuss the revitalisation of George Town. Above, Premier Alden McLaughlin and Speaker of the House McKeeva Bush unveil a plaque at a ceremony at which the Town Hall was renamed.The islands’ most-trusted news source 7 CAYMAN COMPASS • TUESDAY, 16 JULY 2019 will require that a compa- ny’s basic information, in- cluding a list of directors, is maintained and publicly available. The bill also puts forward stiffer penalties for failure to comply with ben- eficial ownership obligations under the law. The Limited Liability Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2019 would ensure that all basic information, in- cluding a list of directors, for limited liability compa- nies (LLCs) is publicly avail- able. The bill would also im- pose sanctions on companies for failure to maintain up-to- date information. In a similar way, the Lim- ited Liability Partnership (Amendment) Bill, 2019 re- quires all basic information on a limited liability part- nership (LLP) be available at the LLP’s registered office, and stiffer sanctions apply for failing to maintain up- to-date beneficial ownership information. The Mutual Funds (Amendment) Bill, 2019 and the Insurance (Amendment) Bill, 2019, in turn, would sanction licensees, who pro- vide company management services, for not maintaining current beneficial ownership information on their clients. The mutual funds bill makes it mandatory for auditors and other professionals who be- come aware of this failure to notify the relevant authority. The Building Socie- ties (Amendment) Bill, 2019 and the Cooperative Socie- ties (Amendment) Bill, 2019 would prevent persons from holding a significant control- ling interest or management function in a financial insti- tution if they are suspected of criminal activity. The Money Services (Amendment) Bill, 2019 would require money service businesses to monitor their agents’ compliance with their anti-money laundering pro- grammes and ensure these businesses meet AML/CFT requirements. In addition, the Ministry of Commerce has put for- ward changes to the Trade and Business Licensing Law demanding that the li- censing board considers an applicant’s compliance with anti-money laundering and counter financing of terrorism obligations be- fore it grants, renews or re- vokes a license. In June, lawmakers al- ready approved changes to the Proceeds of Crime Law, the Securities Investment Business Law and the Di- rectors Registration and Li- censing Law. The Financial Action Task Force will review the pro- gress made by the Cayman Islands at its June 2020 Ple- nary to determine if the rec- ommended actions have been taken. If the degree and quality of progress made by the Cayman Islands do not sat- isfy the recommended ac- tions, the FATF will issue a public statement regarding the jurisdiction’s AML/CFT deficiencies, develop an ac- tion plan, and monitor pro- gress against the action plan. In addition to the pro- posed legislative changes to improve Cayman’s anti- money laundering frame- work, government also seeks to amend the Auditors Over- sight Law and the Monetary Authority Law to bring the financial year in line with the Public Management Fi- nance Law and remove inconsistencies. The Monetary Authority (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill, 2019 would also authorise CIMA as the facilitator of business continuity and dis- aster recovery, following a natural disaster, the power to exempt any affected person or class of persons from any relevant regula- tory provisions for a period and under such conditions as CIMA deems suitable. BILLS THAT WILL BE DEBATED DURING THE FIFTH MEETING OF THE 2018-2019 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY SESSION: ■■ Banks and Trust Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2019; ■■ Trusts (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill, 2019; ■■ The Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2019; ■■ The Limited Liability Compa- nies (Amendment) Bill, 2019; ■■ The Limited Liability Partner- ship (Amendment) Bill, 2019; ■■ Mutual Funds (Amendment) Bill, 2019; ■■ Insurance (Amendment) Bill, 2019; ■■ Building Societies (Amendment) Bill, 2019; ■■ Cooperative Societies (Amendment) Bill, 2019; ■■ Money Services (Amend- ment) Bill, 2019; ■■ Trade and Business Licensing (Amend- ment) Bill, 2019 ■■ The Auditors Oversight (Amendment) Bill, 2019 ■■ Monetary Authority (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill, 2019 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Born to be wild: Hatchling highlights blue iguana recovery efforts KAYLA YOUNG kyoung@pinnaclemedialtd.com The first wild blue iguana hatchling of 2019 was spotted by researchers in Grand Cayman on Saturday. The young lizard, thought to be around a week old, was located by Blue Iguana Re- covery Program staff during routine surveillance of hab- itat areas, said operations manager Luke Harding. “When searching in a well-known nesting area, we were lucky enough to find one of the babies,” Harding said, adding that there are likely other hatchlings in the wild that researchers have not detected. The programme surveys population numbers once a year, and for the rest of the year, researchers observe the population to watch out for habitat destruction and other threats, he explained. Most of the island’s young blue iguanas are the result of captive breeding efforts, he added, which have helped save the endemic lizard from the threat of extinction. “This species was on the brink of extinction in the early 2000s,” Harding said. “It feels so surreal and so exciting to know the popu- lation is still breeding.… In conservation terms, we are still in early stages to achieve our goal of a sustainable population.” The year’s first group of captive-bred iguana hatch- lings were also reported by the programme in late June. Harding said all seven hatchlings are feeding and doing well. An additional 15 eggs re- main in the incubator, he said, but it is unlikely all of them are fertile. Of the eggs that are, Harding expected them to hatch in late July or early August. The captive-bred hatch- lings will remain in the care of the Blue Iguana Recovery Program for around three years before they are released into the wild. At that point, their main threat to survival, after their only natural predator, the racer snake, will be cats and dogs. Harding encouraged responsible pet ownership to avoid unnecessary blue iguana deaths. “One cat or dog can have a really big impact on these animals,” he said. Otherwise, Harding said there is no reason a high per- centage of these young liz- ards should not survive. “This [wild] baby is an example and proof that if we try hard and work hard, this species can sur- vive in Cayman and reach past numbers.” The year’s first group of captive-bred iguana hatchlings were also reported by the programme in late June. Harding said all seven hatchlings are feeding and doing well. More legislative amendments proposed to strengthen anti-money laundering framework This wild blue iguana hatchling was spotted this week by researchers performing routine habitat checks. A Blue Iguana Recovery Program researcher holds one of seven hatchlings born this year through a captive breeding programme. - PHOTOS: LUKE HARDINGThe islands’ most-trusted news source 8 TUESDAY, 16 JULY 2019 • CAYMAN COMPASS Climate-change activists block UK roads Environmental protesters blocked roads in London and four other British cities Monday in a new wave of demonstrations demanding faster action against climate change. Protests also took place in Glasgow, Cardiff, Bristol and Leeds. Trump moves to end asylum protections for Central Americans Trump digs in amid censure of controversial tweets about lawmakers WASHINGTON (AP) – Injecting race into his criticism of liberal Dem- ocrats, President Donald Trump said four congresswomen of colour should go back to the “broken and crime infested” countries they came from, ignoring the fact that all of the women are American citizens and three were born in the US. His attack drew a searing condemna- tion from Democrats who labeled the remarks racist and breathtak- ingly divisive. Even as White House officials moved Monday to defend his in- cendiary weekend tweets, Trump refused to apologise and instead asked on Twitter when “the Radical Left Congresswomen” would “apol- ogize to our Country, the people of Israel and even to the Office of the President, for the foul language they have used, and the terrible things they have said”. “So many people are angry at them & their horrible & disgusting actions!” he wrote. Asked whether Trump’s com- ments were racist, Marc Short, chief of staff to Vice President Mike Pence, defended Trump, telling re- porters he had been responding to “very specific” comments made by Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, who was born in Somalia, and was not making a “universal statement”. But Trump did not make that dis- tinction in his tweets. He cited “Con- gresswomen” – an almost-certain ref- erence to a group of women known as “the squad” that includes Omar, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ayanna Pressley of Massachu- setts and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan. “I don’t think that the president’s intent any way is racist,” said Short, repeatedly pointing to Trump’s de- cision to choose Elaine Chao, who was born outside the country, as his transportation secretary. “The administration is wel- coming of all nationalities into the United States,” he said. Even as Short spoke, Trump, who has a long history of making racist remarks, continued to fan the flames, tweeting that, “If Democrats want to unite around the foul lan- guage & racist hatred spewed from the mouths and actions of these very unpopular & unrepresentative Congresswomen, it will be inter- esting to see how it plays out.” Omar ignited a bipartisan uproar in Washington several months ago when she suggested that members of Congress support Israel for money, while Tlaib riled up a supportive crowd by calling the president a pro- fanity and predicting that Trump would be removed from office. Following a familiar script, Re- publicans remained largely silent after Trump’s Sunday morning broad- sides that caused Democrats to set aside their internal rifts to rise up in a united chorus against the president. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Trump wants to “make America white again”, while Ocasio-Cortez said Trump “can’t conceive of an America that includes us”. “Mr. President, the country I ‘come from,’ & the country we all swear to, is the United States,” she tweeted, adding that, “You rely on a frightened America for your plunder.” Omar also addressed her- self directly to Trump in a tweet, writing: “You are stoking white na- tionalism (because) you are angry that people like us are serving in Congress and fighting against your hate-filled agenda.” Meanwhile, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, a close ally of the president who golfed with Trump over the weekend, advised the pres- ident to “aim higher” during an ap- pearance on “Fox and Friends”, even as he accused the members in ques- tion of being “anti-Semitic” and “anti-American”. Ocasio-Cortez, who is of Puerto Rican descent, was born in the Bronx, New York, and raised in sub- urban Westchester County. Pressley, the first black woman elected to the House from Massa- chusetts, was born in Cincinnati. Omar, the first Somali native elected to Congress and one of its first Muslim women, was born in Somalia but spent much of her childhood in a Kenyan refugee camp as civil war tore apart her home country. She immigrated to the United States at age 12, teaching herself English by watching Amer- ican TV and eventually settling with her family in Minneapolis. Tlaib was born in Detroit. WASHINGTON (AP) – The Trump administration on Monday moved to end asylum protections for most Central American mi- grants in a major escala- tion of the president’s battle to tamp down the number of people crossing the US- Mexico border. According to a new rule published in the Federal Reg- ister, asylum seekers who pass through another country first will be ineligible for asylum at the US southern border. The rule, expected to go into effect Tuesday, also applies to children who have crossed the border alone. The rule applies to anyone arriving at the US-Mexico border. Sometimes asylum seekers from Africa and other continents arrive there, but most migrants arriving there are Central Americans. There are some excep- tions: If someone has been trafficked, if the country the migrant passed through did not sign one of the major international trea- ties that govern how refu- gees are managed (though most Western countries have signed them) or if an asylum- seeker sought protection in a country but was denied, then a migrant could still apply for US asylum. But the move by President Donald Trump’s administra- tion was meant to essentially end asylum protections as they now are on the southern border, reversing decades of US policy on how refu- gees are treated and coming as the government con- tinues to clamp down on mi- grants and as the treatment of those who made it to the country is heavily criticised as inhumane. Attorney General William Barr said that the United States is “a generous country but is being completely over- whelmed” by the burdens as- sociated with apprehending and processing hundreds of thousands of migrants at the southern border. “This rule will decrease forum shopping by economic migrants and those who seek to exploit our asylum system to obtain entry to the United States,” Barr said in a statement. The policy is almost cer- tain to face a legal challenge. US law allows refugees to re- quest asylum when they ar- rive at the US regardless of how they did so, but there is an exception for those who have come through a country considered to be “safe”. But the Immigration and Na- tionality Act, which gov- erns asylum law, is vague on how a country is determined “safe”; it says “pursuant to a bilateral or multilateral agreement”. Right now, the US has such an agreement, known as a “safe third country”, only with Canada. Under a recent agreement with Mexico, Cen- tral American countries were considering a regional com- pact on the issue, but nothing has been decided. Guate- malan officials were expected in Washington on Monday, but apparently a meeting between Trump and Guate- malan President Jimmy Mo- rales was cancelled amid a court challenge in Guatemala over whether the country could agree to a safe third with the US. American Civil Liberties Union attorney Lee Gelernt, who has litigated some of the major challenges to the Trump administration’s im- migration policies, said the rule was unlawful. “The rule, if upheld, would effectively eliminate asylum for those at the southern border,” he said. “But it is pa- tently unlawful.” The new rule also will apply to the initial asylum screening, known as a “cred- ible fear” interview, at which migrants must prove they have credible fears of returning to their home country. It applies to mi- grants who are arriving to the US, not those who are al- ready in the country. Trump administration of- ficials say the changes are meant to close the gap be- tween the initial asylum screening that most people pass and the final deci- sion on asylum that most people do not win. But immi- grant rights groups, religious leaders and humanitarian groups have said the Repub- lican administration’s poli- cies amount to a cruel and calloused effort to keep im- migrants out of the country. Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador are poor countries suffering from violence. The treaties countries must have signed according to the new rule are the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, the 1967 Protocol or the Con- vention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or De- grading Treatment or Pun- ishment. But, for example, while Australia, France and Brazil have signed those trea- ties, so have Afghanistan and Libya, places the US does not consider safe. Along with the admin- istration’s recent effort to send asylum seekers back over the border, Trump has tried to deny asylum to an- yone crossing the border il- legally and restrict who can claim asylum, and the at- torney general recently tried to keep thousands of asylum seekers detained while their cases play out. Nearly all of those efforts have been blocked by courts. The rule applies to anyone arriving at the US-Mexico border. Attorney General William Barr, left, and President Donald Trump turn to leave after speaking about the 2020 census in the Rose Garden of the White House, Thursday in Washington. – PHOTO: AP The Democrat lawmakers targetted on Twitter Sunday by President Trump, from left; Rep. Rashida Tlaib, Michigan; Rep. Ilhan Omar, Minnesota; Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, New York; and Rep. Ayanna Pressley, Massachusetts. – PHOTO: AP9 WORLD®IONAL CAYMAN COMPASS • TUESDAY, 16 JULY 2019 China’s economy cools amid tariff war Weakened Barry still poses flood, tornado risks AMERICAN AIRLINES EXTENDS BOEING PLANE FLIGHT CANCELLATIONS NEW ORLEANS (AP) – Even though Tropical Depression Barry did not unleash cat- astrophic flooding in Loui- siana, many across the Gulf Coast were urged to take heed of tornado and flash- flood warnings Monday as the storm moved north. Barry was downgraded from a tropical storm on Sunday afternoon but con- tinued to pose a threat. Much of Louisiana and Mis- sissippi were under flash- flood watches, as were parts of Arkansas, eastern Texas, western Tennessee and southeastern Missouri. Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards urged residents to be cautious as they ventured outside after a weekend in which many had shel- tered indoors. He said he was “extremely grateful” that the storm had not caused the disastrous floods that had earlier been forecast. More than 90 people had been rescued in 11 par- ishes, but there were no re- ports of weather-related fa- talities, Edwards said. “This was a storm that obviously could have played out very, very differently,” he said. “We’re thankful that the worst-case scenario did not happen.” Forecasters warned of a continued threat of heavy rains into Monday as the centre of the storm trudged inland. The US National Hur- ricane Center said Sunday parts of south-central Loui- siana could still have rainfall totals of up to 12 inches, with isolated pockets of 15 inches. Up to 14 inches of rain has fallen in parts of Louisiana, forecasters said Monday. In Mississippi, forecasters said 8 inches of rain had fallen in parts of Jasper and Jones counties, with several more inches possible. Monday’s rainfall prompted multiple flash flood warnings in Louisiana and in Mississippi – and even more rain was piling up as thunderstorms continued to stream across both states. Barry’s centre was moving from northern Louisiana into Arkansas. New Orleans Mayor La- Toya Cantrell said Sunday the city was “beyond lucky” that rainfall there fell well short of early predictions of a deluge that could overwhelm the city’s pumping systems. “We were spared,” she said at a news conference, while noting the city was ready to help nearby parishes hit harder. About 51,000 customers in Louisiana, 1,800 customers in Mississippi and another 1,700 customers in Arkansas were without power Sunday night, according to www. poweroutage.us. Edwards thanked the public for taking officials’ warnings seriously over the weekend, but he also re- minded residents that it is still relatively early in the At- lantic’s hurricane season. “Based on what we’ve ex- perienced, I think [we will be] even better prepared for next time – and we do know that there will be a next time,” Edwards said. WASHINGTON (AP) – Amer- ican Airlines said Sunday that it will keep the Boeing 737 Max plane off its schedule until 3 Nov., which is two months longer than it had planned. In a statement, Amer- ican said the action will re- sult in the cancellation of about 115 flights per day. It said it “remains confi- dent” that the Boeing plane will be recertified this year. But some airline executives are growing doubtful about that timetable. United Airlines an- nounced Friday that it was extending its cancella- tions until 3 Nov., a month- longer than it had planned. United has 14 Max jets while American has 24 of them. Southwest Airlines, which has 34 Max jets – more than any other carrier – is cancelling about 150 flights per day. The plane was grounded in March following two deadly crashes. The announcement Sunday marked the fifth time that American Airlines has pushed back the ex- pected time that the Max would resume flying. “American Airlines re- mains confident that im- pending software updates to the Boeing 737 Max, along with the new training elements Boeing is devel- oping in coordination with our union partners, will lead to recertification of the aircraft this year,” the airline said. In its previous an- nouncement of further flight cancellations last month, American Airlines had said it had expected the recertification to be ac- complished “soon”. In a recent interview with The Associated Press, Ed Bastian, CEO of Delta Air Lines, said, “I expect it’s going to take longer than people expect” before the Max is certified to fly again. He said he could not ven- ture a guess as to when that might occur. Delta does not fly the Boeing Max plane and has not had to contend with the flight cancellations faced by other airlines that do fly the Max. In late 2007, Delta was considering ordering the Max plane but ended up ordering 100 Airbus planes with an option to buy 100 more. BEIJING (AP) – China’s economic growth sank to its lowest level in at least 26 years in the quarter ending in June, adding to pressure on Chinese leaders as they fight a tariff war with Washington. The world’s second-largest economy grew 6.2% over a year ago, down from the pre- vious quarter’s 6.4%, govern- ment data showed Monday. Forecasters expected Chi- na’s economy to rebound in late 2018 but pushed back that target after President Donald Trump hiked tariffs on Chinese imports to pres- sure Beijing over its tech- nology development tac- tics. Now, economists say the slowdown might extend into next year. Trump and Chinese Pres- ident Xi Jinping agreed last month to resume negotia- tions on the fight that has battered exporters on both sides. But economists warn their truce is fragile because they still face the same array of disputes that caused talks to break down in May. “The trade war is having a huge impact on the Chinese economy,” Edward Moya of OANDA said in a report. “As trade negotiations struggle for meaningful progress, we are probably not near the bottom for China’s economy.” Chinese leaders have stepped up spending and bank lending to keep growth within this year’s official target range of 6% to 6.5% and avert politically dan- gerous job losses. But they face an avalanche of unex- pectedly bad news including plunging auto sales. In the second half of the year, “the external environ- ment may still be more com- plicated”, said a government spokesman, Mao Shengyong, at a news conference. Quarterly growth was the lowest since China began re- porting such data in 1993, according to an employee of the press office of the Na- tional Bureau of Statis- tics, Dong Hui. In 2009, the NBS reported growth of 6.1% for the first three months of that year. However, Dong said that later was revised up to 6.4%. Jittery consumers are putting off major purchases, depressing demand for autos, home appliances and other goods. “I don’t think the coun- try’s economy is as good as it looks,” said Peng Tao, a 26-year-old delivery cou- rier who said he makes 5,000-6,000 yuan (US$750- $870) a month. “China has been surely hurt more in the trade war,” said Peng. “I am not very happy about job pros- pects because there just aren’t many opportunities out there.” Weaker Chinese activity has global repercussions. China is the biggest export customer for its Asian neigh- bours and a major market for global suppliers of food, mo- bile phones, industrial tech- nology and consumer goods. The International Mone- tary Fund and private sector economists have cut this year’s Chinese growth fore- cast to as low as 6.2%, a fur- ther marked decline after last year’s three-decade low of 6.6%. Growth in retail sales slowed to 8.4% in the first half of 2019, down 0.1 per- centage points from the first quarter, the government re- ported. Growth in factory output decelerated to 6% in the first half, down 0.1 per- centage points from the first quarter. Auto sales, reported ear- lier, fell 7.8% in June, ex- tending a year-long contrac- tion in the industry’s biggest market. Chinese exports to the United States fell 7.8% in June from a year ago. Urban families the ruling Communist Party is counting on to help propel consumer- driven growth to offset weak trade are being squeezed by rising living costs and slower wage growth. Qiu Wanli, who works for an insurance company in the northwestern region of Xin- jiang, said her family has little left over each month after paying a mortgage and expenses for her 3- and 6-year-old daughters and two elderly relatives. “The burden to support the family is fairly heavy,” said Qiu, 30. “We rarely travel and have no plans to because of financial conditions.” The fight between the two biggest global traders has disrupted sales of goods from soybeans to medical equipment and rattled finan- cial markets. The biggest factor in the latest Chinese economic weakness is lackluster ac- tivity in construction and in- dustry, according to Julian Evans-Pritchard of Capital Economics. He said that was likely to worsen because a boom in real estate develop- ment is fading. “Combined with in- creasing headwinds from US tariffs and weaker global growth, we expect this to culminate in a further slow- down in economic growth over the coming year,” Evans- Pritchard said in a report. Beijing is pumping money into the economy through higher spending on building highways and other public works. That has shored up growth but set back efforts to reduce reli- ance on investment, which has pushed debt to levels that prompted credit rating agencies to cut China’s credit rating for govern- ment borrowing. A worker passes by goods piled up at a warehouse in Nanjing in east China’s Jiangsu province, Saturday. – PHOTO: AP People walk on a street during a downpour at the French Quarter in New Orleans, Sunday. – PHOTO: APNext >