High of 90 Low of 78 Slight with wave heights of 1 to 3 feet. SPORT | PAGE 12 CAYMAN FOOTBALL STANDS UP TO HAITI IN 2‑2 DRAW LOCAL | PAGE 2 CRUNCH TIME FOR ABANDONED CARS IN WEST BAY ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – TUESDAY, 30 JULY 2019 Cruise port will cost $200M US$8 per passenger to go to Verdant Isle JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Cayman’s cruise and cargo port will cost just under CI$200 million to build, government revealed Monday as it formally announced the Verdant Isle group as the preferred bidder for the project. The group, which comprises cruise com- panies Carnival Cruise Line and Royal Car- ibbean as well as local construction compa- nies McAlpine and Orion Marine, will fund the project through capital from the two cruise lines and a loan from FirstCaribbean Interna- tional Bank. In return, they will be allowed to levy a passenger fee of around US$8-per-head for every cruise visitor to the islands. That charge will come from a mix of the cash that cur- rently goes to the tender operators and a small share of the government head tax. Based on an estimated two million pas- senger arrivals per year, the arrangement could be expected to net them around US$400 mil- lion (CI$333 million) over the 25-year-life span of the project, though that may be reduced de- pending on a profit-limitation clause that is still being negotiated. Government will take approximately US$2 per head less in the taxes it collects from cruise passengers but expects to make up the shortfall in net revenue through increased ar- rivals. This, together with the tender fee of US$5.25, which will no longer be applicable to ships that use the berthing facility, means the amount each passenger pays will remain roughly the same, US$18 per head, inclusive of port and environmental taxes which re- main unchanged. Premier Alden McLaughlin said he believed government had secured a great deal for the Cayman Islands. He emphasised that no contract would be signed until the process to verify a petition Grounded Max 8 jets hit Cayman Airways in the pocket Denver route deemed a success despite challenges JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Cayman Airways is feeling the financial impact of grounding its Boeing 737 Max 8 jets amid growing uncertainty over if and when the planes will be back in service. The airline was applauded for being among the first in the world to ground the jets after a deadly crash in Ethiopia in March sparked safety concerns about the model. But with regulators now esti- mating that the aircraft will not be cleared to fly until the end of the year at the earliest, the economic ef- fect is starting to take its toll. CEO Fabian Whorms said CAL and the Cayman Islands govern- ment are “currently actively en- gaged with all concerned parties, in seeking an amicable resolution for the hardships being experienced by the airline”. He said the negotiations were commercially sensitive and could not be discussed in detail at this point. Several airlines are seeking com- pensation from Boeing and the Wall Street Journal reported last month that the manufacturer will set aside around $5 billion to compen- sate airlines that have suffered be- cause of the prolonged grounding of the planes. Whorms said the loss of the jets had forced Cayman Airways to re- duce flights and limit the number of seats available on certain flights. He said the new nonstop route to Denver had been able to run with a significantly reduced passenger load. Nonetheless, he said, the route had been a success, transporting 5,500 passengers since inception. Instead of running its inter- national schedule with four jets – two new 160-seat Max 8s and two older 122-seat 737-300 jets – the airline has been operating with three 737-300s. “The schedule and flight modi- fications made by the airline, along with the occasional use of substi- tute-service aircraft, have allowed it to generally cope with the scheduled flying with minimized impact to the travelling public,” said Whorms. “However, with the airline and the country now experiencing very PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 7 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 7 » An architect’s impression shows how the new cruise pier and cargo port could look.2 LOCAL NEWS TUESDAY, 30 JULY 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 (PG) 10:30 (SAT ONLY) I 4:35 I 7:15 (NO SAT) SUN: 4:35 I 7:15 CAPTAIN MARVEL (PG13) 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) PERFECTLY SINGLE (R) 1:55 | 4:20 | 7:30 | 10:00 SPIDER-MAN FAR (PG13) FROM HOME 12:45 3D | 3:45 | 6:50 3D | 9:50 VIP | 9:50 TOY STORY 4 (G) 1:30 | 4:00 | 6:30 | 9:00 MEN IN BLACK (PG13) INTERNATIONAL 7:05 STUBER (R) 1:05 | 4:30 | 7:10 | 10:10 THE LION KING (2019) (PG) 1:00 VIP | 1:30 | 3:30 3D | 4:10 VIP | 9:30 3D CLASSICS @ THE CINEMA: (PG) THE MIRACLE WOMAN 7:00 VIP Crunch time for abandoned cars in West Bay MARK MUCKENFUSS mmuckenfuss@pinnaclemedialtd.com Normally, it goes much more smoothly. On Monday morning, as Vincent Morris attempted to lift a derelict Dodge Ram van into the back of a Department of Environmental Health con- tainer truck, the twisted metal being held by the claw at the end of the truck’s crane arm groaned and the already half-crushed vehicle crashed to the ground. Unperturbed, Morris smashed down the sides of the van a little more, made a solid grab for the frame and raised the now scrap metal hulk high enough to set it into the bed of the truck. It was number 126 since the West Bay police station began its part of a campaign to rid Cayman neighbour- hoods of junked cars. The Swamp area of George Town has been another focus of the effort. Campbell said when the police service relaunched its community department about a year ago, “It gave a more focused platform for some of these commu- nity issues.” One of the primary things officials heard was concerns about derelict cars. Constable Eugene Myles said residents in West Bay were tired of seeing the streets cluttered with aban- doned vehicles. Getting rid of them, he said, improves the neighbourhood. “It’s like a beautifica- tion purpose,” Myles said. “I took it on with the help of the community. They seem to be very appreciative and receptive.” The cars on the street, he said, are “like a sore eye. We have tourists come to the is- land and they see all these derelict scrap cars and it doesn’t look good”. Myles said he spends a few hours each week on av- erage, checking on aban- doned cars and clearing them for removal. Most, he said, have broken down and the owners cannot afford to repair them. “Some of them are in ac- cidents,” he said, “or they’re taking parts off of them and at some point, they’re not repairable.” Some people, he said, are unwilling or unable to pay the $75 fee to have the DEH come and remove them, so they dump them on the roadside. In certain cases, such as the van being removed from the backyard of a house on Billy Manderson Drive Monday morning, the car may have become a dwelling. “If we get information there are people sleeping in the car, I make sure no one’s inside before we remove it,” Myles said. In the case of the vehicle in Billy Manderson Drive, he said, “We found a drug addict was squatting in the van.” He walked along the side of the house, approaching the vehicle from behind and peering in the back window. He knocked on the door. “No one there,” he says. Sgt. Leslie Laing-Hall is overseeing the operation. He said the removal of the van is a follow-up to a drug bust conducted on the house. “This is the clean-up,” he said. Dragging the van into the front yard where the crane arm can manoeuvre ade- quately to pick it up, cre- ated a show for two children in the house next door, who watched from their porch. At one point, an older man opened the screen door and looked on for a minute or two. Neil Lumley, who has lived in the neighbourhood since 2006, watched from across the street. “It’s awesome,” Lumley said, appreciating the re- moval. He said he was hoping the house might get scrapped as well. “It’s hor- rible, man, that drug house,” he said. Later, the truck picked up another car sitting on the side of Elizabeth Road. “Someone was staying in this vehicle as well,” Laing- Hall said before the claw smashed in the roof of the car and latched on below its doors. Lifting it into the truck was quick work. Compared to the half-hour operation on the van, this car was gone in less than 10 minutes. “People call us all the time about cars,” Laing-Hall said. The police also get emails on abandoned vehicles through the department’s website. Typically, he said, “We give them direct advice on how to get rid of them,” through con- tacting the DEH. Sooner or later, it is likely that Myles will get hold of it. And then it’s crunch time. To contact the DEH, call 949‑6696 or email dehcustomerservice@gov.ky. A derelict van is removed from the yard of a West Bay home on Monday as part of a clean‑up campaign by police and the Department of Environmental Health. - PHOTO: TANEOS RAMSAY Tropical disturbance poses no threat to Cayman STABBING ARREST MADE AFTER UNRELATED WRECK A tropical wave moving over the Eastern Carib- bean has a 10% chance of developing into a cyclone in the next five days, ac- cording to the US National Hurricane Center. That esti- mate was lowered Monday from an initial forecast of a 20% chance. Local experts say it poses no concern to Cayman at present. “It’s basically a wave/ trough that is tracking across more the Bahamas and Cuba,” said meteorol- ogist Shamal Clarke of the Cayman Islands National Weather Service. He said the system is expected to move across Hispaniola and on to Florida in the coming days. According to the Hur- ricane Center, the wave “could still produce an in- crease in cloudiness and thunderstorms over Puerto Rico, the Greater Antilles and portions of the Ba- hamas during the next few days.” Atmospheric condi- tions, as well as land ef- fects, should inhibit the development of this system as it moves west- northwestward for the next several days, the website said. A man was in critical condition at the Cayman Is- lands Hospital Monday af- ternoon after being stabbed in a fight in the early morning hours at Vic’s Bar on North Sound Road. Police received a call on the confrontation just before 1:45am, but both men had left the scene by the time they and other emergency responders ar- rived. The injured man re- portedly drove himself to the hospital. Nearly an hour later, at 2:34am, an accident was re- ported at a church on Frank Sound Road. The driver of a red Kia Picante reportedly lost control and crashed into the columns of the church, ending up perched on one of the columns. He was transported to the hos- pital and treated for non- life-threatening injuries. Police said they deter- mined the driver, 24, of North Side, was the second person involved in the earlier bar fight and ar- rested the man on suspi- cion of wounding with in- tent. He was also warned of intended prosecution for several traffic offences in- cluding DUI and driving while disqualified. Legislative Assembly passes raft of financial legislation KAYLA YOUNG kyoung@pinnaclemedialtd.com All 11 financial services bills put before the Legisla- tive Assembly were passed on Friday. Many of the measures set forth in the bills seek to ad- dress gaps in the Cayman Is- lands’ regulatory framework identified in a recent report from the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force. The slew of bills comes less than two months be- fore the jurisdiction’s follow- up with the task force on 24 Sept. The results of that follow-up will be presented in November in Antigua. The previous CFATF re- port found practical defi- ciencies in Cayman’s anti- money laundering and counter financing of ter- rorism framework. The ju- risdiction must now dem- onstrate both establishment of legislative framework and effectiveness of such framework, Premier Alden McLaughlin stated earlier in the session. Passage of the Compa- nies Amendment Bill 2019 brings additional require- ments for the identification of legal persons, maintaining information on voting rights in company structures and the notification time frame for changes of directors and officers. It will also require public registers of the names of current company direc- tors and alternative direc- tors. Sanctions will also be increased for failure to main- tain updated beneficial own- ership information. Other financial bills passed affect limited lia- bility partnerships, banks and trust companies, money services, mutual funds, building societies and coop- erative societies. The slew of bills come less than two months before the jurisdiction’s follow-up with the task force on 24 Sept.3 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • TUESDAY, 30 JULY 2019 Law firm Walkers found liable in client confidentiality case Plaintiffs will seek up to US$400M in damages KAYLA YOUNG kyoung@pinnaclemedialtd.com In a years-long case, de- scribed by Chief Justice An- thony Smellie as “hostile” and “marred by allegations … of abuse”, Walkers law firm was found liable by the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands for breaches of attorney- client confidentiality. Brazilian bankers Katia Rabello and Fernando Toledo brought proceedings against Walkers in 2014, claiming the firm acted against their interests as long-time cli- ents by working for a hostile third party, Dr. Afonso Braga, a Brazilian court-appointed trustee in bankruptcy. Additional plaintiffs on the case are Cayman-reg- istered firms Arnage Hold- ings Ltd., Brooklands Hold- ings Ltd., and East Farthing Holdings Ltd. “Dr. Braga is regarded by the Plaintiffs as their arch nemesis, he having pur- sued and rendered the Ra- bello family interests, in- cluding Katia Rabello herself and her interests, bankrupt in Brazil,” the chief justice wrote in his judgment, re- leased 24 July and published by OffshoreAlert. “It is uncontroverted that in aid of Dr. Braga’s cam- paign against the Plaintiffs, the Defendant obtained the disclosure of the Plaintiffs’ confidential information in this jurisdiction by way of ex parte [without notice] appli- cations to this Court and pro- vided that information to be deployed by Dr. Braga against them in Brazil.” Walkers represented Braga in 2010 and 2011 in a disclo- sure application that was part of a major multi-jurisdictional fraud investigation, extending across the United States, British Virgin Islands, Belize and Brazil. In doing so, the plaintiffs argued that Walkers violated its ongoing duties to them as multi-generational clients of the firm. When litigation against Walkers was filed in 2014, Katia Rabello was serving a 16-year prison sentence in Brazil for conspiracy to commit crime, money laun- dering, tax evasion and mis- management. She has since been released. Rabello was convicted in 2012 and jailed for her role in the ‘mensalão’ or ‘big monthly payment’ case, a vote-buying scheme consid- ered one of Brazil’s largest political corruption scandals. The Grand Court rejected Walkers’ argument that the plaintiffs’ case should be dropped on grounds of ille- gality, in other words, that a ruling in the plaintiffs’ favour would allow Rabello to profit from her own wrongdoing. The plaintiffs are seeking up to US$400 million in dam- ages against Walkers. “The Defendant has not even attempted to say why the defence of illegality should apply to bar each and every one of the Plaintiffs’ claims,” the judgment states. The court also rejected the argument by Walkers that the plaintiffs were not clients of the firm. “It is also clear that the Defendant remained throughout under a contin- uing duty of trust and con- fidence (in respect of all re- tainers) not to disclose – nor take steps contrary to its cli- ent’s interests to disclose their confidential informa- tion,” the ruling states. “It follows that the De- fendant should not have ac- cepted the Braga Retainer, as the Defendant has itself come belatedly to acknowledge. In acting for Dr. Braga against the Plaintiffs and their inter- ests, the Defendant breached its duties and obligations of trust, confidence and loy- alty which it owed to the Plaintiffs.” Smellie added that no explanation has been of- fered by Walkers for the breaches committed. The court also denied an application by Walkers to embargo publication of the judgment, stating that it “would be contrary to settled case law and without prin- ciple or precedent”. A press statement by the plaintiffs’ lead counsel An- thony Akiwumi called the decision “an important pro- fessional liability judgment which arises in the context of the consideration of the na- ture, scope and duration of attorney-client relationships and the breach by attorneys of their enduring fiduciary duties of loyalty and confi- dentiality owed by them to their clients”. Akiwumi continued, “The Judgment is notable in that all of the Defendant’s de- fences on liability were re- jected. In particular, the Honourable Chief Justice dis- missed the Defendant’s prop- osition that despite a twenty- five year multi-generational legal services/private client relationship, the Plaintiffs were not clients of the firm.” Asked for comment, Walkers issued the following statement to the Compass: “Walkers is disappointed by the recent interim decision of the Grand Court, but on the strength of our external legal advice we will be appealing the decision. As this is an on- going matter, we have no fur- ther comment.” The court also denied an application by Walkers to embargo publication of the judgment, stating that it “would be contrary to settled case law and without principle or precedent”. Year 12 student scores narrow against expectations MARK MUCKENFUSS mmuckenfuss@pinnaclemedialtd.com Recently released data from the Ministry of Educa- tion shows a slight improve- ment in Key Stage 2 perfor- mance and in that of Year 12 students. However, the com- parative performance of Year 12 students to how they were expected to do fell off in 2018. Much of the information in the 2018 Education Data Report, which deals with government school students, has previously been reported, but there are a few elements that are new. As part of assessments, Year 9 students are admin- istered CAT4 exams, which measure cognitive ability. The results of the exams are used to predict how well stu- dents should do on the GCSE exams they take at the end of Year 11 and, if need be, again at the end of Year 12. Year 11 exam scores for five or more Level 2 passes – whether with or without English and maths – have traditionally been below the predicted performance. In 2018, however, the scores for five or more Level 2 passes in- cluding English and maths, met the expected performance level of 37%. That level is still well below the UK standard of 56% in 2016 (the UK has changed its grading system since then). In 2016 and 2017, the scores for five or more Level 2 passes, not including Eng- lish and maths, were 20% below the expected level. How- ever, in 2018, students per- formed 1% better. However, students under- performed on the English and maths tests, scoring 1% and 5% lower, respectively, than predicted. While scores for Year 12 students rose across the board, the gap between predicted and actual performance narrowed. In previous years, the scores for Year 12 students were typi- cally above the predicted level, often substantially. In 2016, Level 2 English scores were 26% higher than expected. And in 2017, they were 21% higher. In 2018, however, that number dropped to 6%. Maths Level 2 scores were just 2% higher, while the number of students achieving five or more Level 2 passes, without English or math, was 2% below expectations. Given that the Year 11 stu- dents in 2018 scored closer to expectations in most areas than in previous years, one might expect to see better per- formance from their Year 12 scores. Those will be available at the end of August. Wingrove Hunte, senior manager of data and testing services for the Department of Education Services, said it’s reasonable to compare such cohorts year to year. He said recent inspection reports have shown that the work being done in Key Stage 4, Years 10 and 11, is “a lot better” than in Key Stage 3. The re- port says that for Year 12 stu- dents, “It is also noteworthy that of the approximate 54% of students achieving the ex- pected standard, 79% of them achieved honours status.” That relates to those taking seven or more exams including Eng- lish and maths. Hunte said this means that for those who are succeeding, the majority are excelling. The standard bell curve of perfor- mance does not apply to these scores, he said. “At the top point, you will get a bump,” he said. “It indi- cates that those students who are good, are very good.” He said if chronically low maths scores improved, the distribution might look more normal. “It discounts those stu- dents who did well but did not pass the maths,” he said of the data for 5-plus Level 2 scores, including English and maths. “The maths really is driving this.” “ At the top point, you will get a bump. It indicates that those students who are good, are very good.” WINGROVE HUNTE, Department of Education Services The Walkers building in George Town. - PHOTO: STEPHEN CLARKE In 2016 and 2017, the scores for five or more Level 2 passes, not including English and maths, were 20% below the expected level. However, in 2018, students performed 1% better.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. TUESDAY, 30 JULY 2019 • CAYMAN COMPASS PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY: Caymanian Compass Limited (a subsidiary of Pinnacle Media Ltd) Compass Centre Shedden Road, George Town SEND US YOUR VIEWS OR NEWS: P.O. Box 1365 Grand Cayman, KY1-1108 Cayman Islands Telephone: (345) 815-0095 Email: newsdesk@pinnaclemedialtd.com ADVERTISE WITH US: Telephone: (345) 949-5111 Email: sales@pinnaclemedialtd.com Website: www.caymancompass.com 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” Family: Kipp always returned to Cayman Our Dad, Ron Kipp loved the Cayman Islands. He said the people were un- like any other people in the world in terms of kind- ness, hospitality and gen- uine smiles. He has travelled the world several times but he al- ways came back home to the Cayman Islands. We sadly miss him. Steve, Brad, Jeff, Kathy, Kristen Kipp Commonwealth governments collaborate on climate change PATRICIA SCOTLAND It has been almost two years since I sat in a secu- rity plane flying over the once familiar, but then al- most unrecognisable, terrain of Dominica – the country of my birth. I was on my way from Barbuda where Hurricane Irma had caused unimagi- nable destruction, forcing a complete evacuation of the island. It is hard to describe the gut-wrenching effect of watching acres of utter dev- astation unfold before my eyes. Hurricane Maria’s fe- rocity had claimed lives, de- molished the country’s GDP and completely changed landscapes, turning villages into wastelands, bulldozing mountainsides, and even stripping the bark from trees. But it is not just in the Caribbean that natural disas- ters linked to climate change are rising in number and in- tensity. In widely varying locales and environments around the globe, we see the scars of droughts, freak storms, hurricanes, cyclones, floods, mudslides and rising sea levels. In 2018 alone, natural disasters claimed more than 5,000 lives and re- sulted in 28.9 million people needing to receive emer- gency assistance or human- itarian aid. These events have brought far deeper awareness of the issues at stake, triggering street protests, generating new hashtag trends, and prompting widespread pop- ular concern and urgent de- bate in parliaments. When Commonwealth Heads of Governments met in April last year, it was evident that everyone around the table recognised climate change as a serious threat. With the Atlantic hurri- cane season again imminent, countries are bracing them- selves for the possibility of disaster, and considering strategies to withstand or mitigate the impacts of the escalating climate crisis. Yet with heavy question marks hanging over commitment to multilateral collaboration, there are added threats to the ability of the governments that need it most to leverage in really effective ways the full benefits that interna- tional cooperation brings. The range of perspec- tives and collective sup- port that intergovernmental organisations such as the Commonwealth bring to the fight against climate change can too easily be taken for granted, and the transfor- mational opportunities they are able to unlock – particu- larly for the most vulner- able and marginalised tends to be overlooked. An example of this, in which the Com- monwealth has clearly dem- onstrated its value, is the fa- cilitating of financing for climate action. There are hundreds of bil- lions of dollars, as much as US$681 billion in 2016, ear- marked for initiatives related to climate change, including for ocean preservation pro- jects, to have fewer CO2-emit- ting vehicles on the road, and for boosting renewable en- ergy options. Many Com- monwealth members are eager to take advantage of these funding streams, but are finding it difficult to cut through the red tape and comply with the onerous cri- teria and conditions tied to the funding. However, since we launched our Climate Finance Access Hub in 2017, a Com- monwealth initiative which deploys specialists to minis- tries to assist with funding applications, we have helped countries in Africa, the Car- ibbean and the Pacific to ac- cess US$25.3 million, with a further US$367.4 million in the pipeline. We have also been fo- cussed on how to help coun- tries make the best use of development assistance. Pre- liminary research by the Commonwealth shows that between 2010 and 2016, small states failed to use US$4.5 billion of development assistance made available In fact, there are a myriad examples of unused funds being returned to donors be- cause small and vulnerable member states were not able to draw down and use them, mainly because of lack of ca- pacity and coordination for the implementation of devel- opmental projects. The issue is one of the most challenging obstacles facing our smaller and less- resourced member states, and is a powerful example of the key role multilateral organi- sations including the Com- monwealth have in helping member countries to address climate change. Intergovern- mental bodies such as the Commonwealth Secretariat are able to serve as ‘consult- ants of choice’ for member states, offering cost-effective access to in-house expertise. Our experts have also cre- ated a number of DIY re- sources in the form of im- plementation toolkits. Along with our training pro- grammes, these help coun- tries build the skill sets they need to create strong and ef- fective programmes that sat- isfy donor requirements. One such tool is our Common- wealth Disaster Risk Finance Portal which is currently under development. The portal is designed to help member states navigate the complex and growing provision of disaster finance. As well as helping govern- ments to find what disaster finance instruments are available, the portal will as- sist them with identifying those that are most suited to their particular needs and circumstances. Our Commonwealth ap- proach has always been to cooperate in exchanging among regions and at all levels of development expe- rience gained through prac- tical action. To assist in this, we issue technical papers to update small states on case studies and responses that have or have not proved to be effective in strengthening disaster preparedness, re- sponse and recovery. In 2018, we undertook a comparative analysis of the experience of Dominica and Vanuatu with disaster risk reduction and management, particularly in the cases of Cyclone Pam and Hurricane Erika. Both countries embody similar geographical, social and economic characteristics and vulnerabilities. The main lessons from this analysis reinforced the importance of (i) strong mac- roeconomic foundations, (ii) mainstreaming and imple- mentation of disaster risk re- duction and management strategies and (iii) having pro- visional financing arrange- ments in place. Our experts presented these findings to 23 small states at the fifth Com- monwealth Global Biennial Conference on Small States. Deeper awareness of how our action or inaction will af- fect the future of our planet is now firmly embedded in Commonwealth engagement at every level. This was clear when our member govern- ments adopted the Com- monwealth Blue Charter last year, which includes com- mitments to rid the ocean of plastic, and to ensure its resources are used in ways that do not cause further damage to sea life. By taking coordinated col- lective action, the nations of the Commonwealth can ac- celerate the mobilisation of international efforts that are the only hope if we are to prevent further detrimental human impact on the delicate natural balance of our planet. It is our duty to ensure that our children and our chil- dren’s children have clean air to breathe, can benefit from a healthy ocean, and are able to live sustainably and in harmony with a diverse and thriving range of animal and plant life in our ocean and on our common earth. Patricia Scotland is the Commonwealth Secretary-General. In 2018 alone, natural disasters claimed more than 5,000 lives and resulted in 28.9 million people needing to receive emergency assistance or humanitarian aid. Patricia Scotland, Commonwealth Secretary-General5 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • TUESDAY, 30 JULY 2019 Warm reception for acclaimed local author Sara Collins ‘Beast’ strongman coming to Cayman The holder of the 2017 title of World’s Strongest Man will be appearing in the Cayman Islands in October when he will take part in the first Cayman Is- lands Strongman Competition. Englishman Eddie Hall, known as ‘The Beast’ and who is also the reigning Guinness Book of Records holder for heaviest strongman deadlift (500 kg/1,102.3lbs in 2016), will be among the competitors vying to win such cat- egories as the Atlas Stone Lift, Farmer’s Walk, Deadlift, Tire Flip and Bearing of the Cross in the Cayman contest. The competition will take place on Saturday, 5 Oct. at the Lions Centre from noon to 5pm and individuals and teams will be able to enter to compete for strongman titles in the various cat- egories. There will also be strength competitions for kids and Hall will do demonstrations, organisers said in a press release. The competition is being hosted by the Cayman Islands Powerlifting Or- ganisation, a group of heavy lifting and training enthusiasts, many of whom train at Cayman Islands Barbell Club. Some of the proceeds from the compe- tition will go to local charities Cayman Heart Fund, the Alex Panton Founda- tion and the Anti-Bullying Foundation, as well as to assist Cayman’s pow- erlifters with expenses for overseas competitions. “The powerlifting community here in Cayman is small but we’re pas- sionate and we’re growing,” said Cayman Islands Powerlifting President Tony McInerney. “Some of our members and athletes – particularly the younger ones – have found the sport to be an ef- fective outlet for dealing with personal physical, emotional and mental chal- lenges they are facing. “This competition will be a great boost for their self-confidence and help prepare them for upcoming competitions.” McInerney said Hall, who held the title of Britain’s Strongest Man from 2014 to 2018, has a similar story to some of these athletes and he goes around the world sharing his expe- rience with the hope that he can in- spire and help others. “I believe this is what attracted him to this particular event, and we want to make sure as many youths as possible have the op- portunity to hear about his incredible journey,” McInerney said. McInerney says that while in Cayman, Hall will talk to students about his struggles with anxiety, de- pression and suicidal thoughts and how he found purpose, happiness and success through powerlifting. “I’m really looking forward to coming to the Cayman Islands and getting to meet everyone,” Hall said in the press release. “I hope my story will help others see what can be achieved through dedi- cation and hard work. I hope everyone has been training hard to put on a great show for the crowd in a couple of months and I’ll see you soon.” Admission to the Cayman Islands Strongman Competition is $10 for adults and $5 for kids 12 and under. Food and drinks will also be on sale. For more information or to register to compete, contact Tony McInerney on 925‑5335 or tony‑mac@candw.ky. Around 150 people pack bookstore for local launch JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com It was the kind of re- ception usually reserved for visiting celebrities. A line of people snaked out- side the door of Books & Books, Friday, many of them clutching copies of the hard- back version of ‘The Confes- sions of Frannie Langton’ for the author to sign. Sara Col- lins, the former lawyer and chair of the human rights commission, returned home to a warm welcome from friends and fans for the local launch of her critically ac- claimed novel. The Camana Bay book- store was filled to capacity to hear Collins, in con- versation with Nasaria Suckoo-Chollette. Collins took time to sign copies of the book and to an- swer questions from the au- dience, during the event. Asked by an aspiring young Caymanian writer in the audience what it takes to write a novel, she said she had worked for 12 hours a day for two years to complete her acclaimed debut. She said she was happy to see young Caymanians inspired to take creative writing seriously as a ca- reer ambition but she warned successful writers have to be lucky as well as talented and dedicated. “Having a novel pub- lished at this level is a bit like winning the lottery. You could work very hard and never have it happen, [so] you have to have a fallback,” she counselled. “But if you feel like you have the talent and the am- bition and the discipline, do not let anyone or anything stop you.” She said she had wanted to write a novel for as long as she could remember. “The only thing that stood in my way before was per- severance, I would start things and I wouldn’t per- severe,” she said. “I said I didn’t have time, I was busy with my kids, I had all kinds of excuses. The only thing I did differently with Frannie Langton was I finished the damn thing,” “I made sure I stayed at it day after day till I got it done.” “ Having a novel published at this level is a bit like winning the lottery. You could work very hard and never have it happen, [so] you have to have a fallback.” SARA COLLINS , author UCCI hosts culinary camp The UCCI School of Hos- pitality Studies hosted its first two-week Culinary Camp this July, teaching children valuable life skills including kitchen safety and meal preparation techniques. Arrianna Williams, 8, said that she enjoyed making and decorating cupcakes while Lawanda Williams, 8, said she enjoyed preparing and eating the food. “I was really proud that I was able to make burgers for my family for dinner from scratch,” added Jude Solomon, 11. Working in two age groups (3 to 8 and 9 to 12), students worked hands-on under the supervision of Chef Elardo McDonald and Hospi- tality School Senior Lecturer, Tanique Dunbar. “I take great pleasure in hosting this camp as it gives students the opportunity to learn, experiment, engage in their passion or even develop and enhance a skill,” said Dunbar. “This camp provides a foundation for growth and development. We are looking forward to hosting the camp next year again as partici- pants showed great interest and they truly enjoyed the different sessions.” In addition to a field trip and commercial kitchen tour, lessons included fruit and vegetable carving, sugar craft, vegan dishes, cake and cookie making and dec- orating, pizza, burger and sandwich making and plate presentation. Registration for summer 2020 will open in June 2020. Sara Collins reads to the audience from her debut novel at a book‑ signing event on Friday. Author Sara Collins signs a copy of her novel ‘The Confessions of Frannie Langton’ at Books & Books on Friday. - PHOTOS: JAMES WHITTAKER Eddie Hall Tony McInerney, president of Cayman Islands Powerlifting, takes on a barbell. Students show off their culinary creations.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. TUESDAY, 30 JULY 2019 • CAYMAN COMPASS WEDNESDAY, 31 JULY DOA EARLY CLOSURE: The Department of Agriculture will be closed this afternoon, from noon, to give staff the opportunity to attend the funeral service for a colleague and friend. DCI EARLY CLOSURE: The Department of Commerce and Investment’s office will close today at 3pm to facilitate a staff meeting. Normal business hours resume on Thursday. THURSDAY, 1 AUG. POWER OUTAGE: Caribbean Utilities Company advises customers that they will experience service interruptions at Mount Pleasant Road and The Shores between 9am and 3pm today while the company carries out overhead infrastructure upgrades. Areas affected include Mount Pleasant Road between the junction of Meadow Lane and the junction of Parkview Crescent, including Pleasant Drive, Avoce Lane and Leona Lane. Residents on Parkview Crescent will not be affected. Residents on Meadow Avenue east to The Shores will experience interruptions for one hour between 9‑10am. This includes Meadow Avenue, Brokah Close, Up the Hill Road, Coppice Lane, Glade Drive, Pleasant Hill Road, Bonneville Drive, Adonis Drive, Lynette Crescent, Yates Drive, Shorelink Terrace, Radiant Lane, Bayshore Drive, Shorescape Lane, Shorewinds Trail, Shoreview Point, Shoreline Drive and Shorecrest Circle. For more information, contact CUC’s Customer Service Team at 949‑5200 or email service@cuc.ky. 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. SATURDAY, 3 AUG. SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE: The George Town Revitalisation Initiative is holding its first ‘Saturday Night Live in George Town’ at Hog Sty Bay from 4‑11pm. The event will create a modern downtown waterfront atmosphere filled with live music, local artisans and tapas‑style Caymanian food. Bring your family and friends and enjoy a celebration of George Town. SUNDAY, 4 AUG. ASTRONOMY VIEWING: The Cayman Islands Astronomical Society holds its monthly public astronomy viewing session at 7:30‑9:30pm, on the lawn at Pedro Castle, where it will be keeping a close‑up view of the waxing crescent moon, Jupiter and Saturn, as well as any shooting stars from the Perseids meteor shower, one of the brighter meteor showers of the year. They occur every year between 17 July and 24 Aug. and tend to peak around 9‑13 Aug. Event will be cancelled if there is more than 50% cloud cover. MONDAY, 5 AUG. VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL: The Good News Baptist Church will hold a Vacation Bible School on 5‑9 Aug. The theme is ‘Incredible Race’. 6‑8:30pm. Ages 4‑12. Call 926‑3249. WEDNESDAY, 7 AUG. STROKE AND STRIDE: The first of a three‑part series of fundraiser races 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. SATURDAY, 17 AUG. CHARITY TRUNK SALE: All registration fees will go to benefit the Cayman Islands Cancer Society. The sale will be held at the parking lot of the CIBC FirstCaribbean Main Street branch. 6‑10am. Sellers should arrive by 5:30am and be set up no later than 6am. Vendor entry fee is $25. The deadline to register a space is 2pm, Friday, 16 Aug. Call 815‑2405 or 815‑2407 or email shadden. mclaughlin@cibcfcib.com or joy.anglin@cibcfcib.com to reserve a space. 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. ART AT THE STRAND: Every Saturday, from 3pm to sunset, the Visual Arts Society hosts a local art market featuring artists displaying arts, crafts, paintings, prints, hand‑ crafted jewellery and ceramics for sale in front of the Lodge/Eco‑Den, who is offering 2‑4‑1 drinks, pub food and homemade treats, smoothies, and speciality coffees/teas. For more information or to become a displaying artist, 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. CLUBS, ORGANISATIONS ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS: Meets daily to help with drinking problems. Call 926‑9044 or visit www.caymanaa.org. NARCOTICS ANONYMOUS: Is available for substance abuse help. Call the info line at 929–NANA (6262). AL-ANON GROUP MEETING: Are you troubled by someone’s drinking? Al‑Anon Family Groups can help. Call 928‑8843 or email caymanalanon@gmail.com for meeting times. OVERCOMERS OUTREACH: A Christ‑centred 12‑step recovery group addresses addictions and those affected by them. Meetings at Cayman Islands Baptist Church, Pedro Castle Road, Tuesdays, 7:15pm. Contact Vanessa Gilman at 946‑2422, or visit www.overcomersoutreach.org. DEMENTIA/ALZHEIMER’S SUPPORT GROUP: This group meets on the last Wednesday of each month at ADACI’s office, 4th floor, Cardinall Plaza, 30 Cardinall Ave., George Town. Call 924‑4170 or email info@adacayman.com. For more Community Calendar events, visit www.caymancompass.com/events. The Cayman Islands Astronomical Society will hold its monthly public astronomy viewing session at 7:30‑9:30pm on Sunday, 4 Aug. on the lawn at Pedro Castle.The islands’ most-trusted news source 7 CAYMAN COMPASS • TUESDAY, 30 JULY 2019 strong demand for airlift, the limited capacity has re‑ stricted the airline’s ability to maximize its revenues.” He said extra services had to be added in some cases to meet demand. Despite the best efforts of the airline, he said there would inevitably be a financial impact. “Operating a fleet of Boeing 737‑300 aircraft, car‑ rying 24% less passengers and burning 20% more fuel, there will certainly be an im‑ pact on the airline’s bottom line. In addition to the higher operating costs associated with our 737‑300 aircraft, the cost of using sub‑ser‑ vice when necessary, has also been significant,” he added. Fleet transition The longer‑term fleet tran‑ sition plan, which was slated to involve retiring the older 737‑300s and moving to a fleet of four Max 8 jets, has also been put on pause. Whorms said, “While the aircraft manufacturer antici‑ pates that the Max aircraft will be ungrounded in the last quarter of 2019, the duration of the grounding is still largely unknown and there remains great uncertainty as to when Boeing 737‑8 Max operations will resume for Cayman Air‑ ways. We are therefore looking at several possible contin‑ gency plans, should the air‑ craft not return to service in time for our winter schedule.” Despite those concerns, he said Cayman Airways con‑ tinued to look at possible new destinations and expects the Max 8s to be back in service in time for any new routes to be announced. Tourism Min‑ ister Moses Kirkconnell has previously suggested the Max 8 jets could help open up new gateways on the west coast, by enabling non‑ stop service to cities like San Francisco or Vancouver. Kirk‑ connell commended Cayman Airways for its management of the situation and said pas‑ senger volumes were actually up 8% overall. He said the Denver route had performed well, despite the challenges. “Even now, while the Max are grounded, new routes continue to be explored and existing service evaluated for possible improvements,” Kirkconnell said. Denver impact The Denver route was the first gateway made possible by the Max 8 aircraft, which are more fuel efficient and have a longer range than the older jets. Whorms said the grounding of the jets just 10 days after the launch had put the success of the route in jeopardy. He said the air‑ line had secured substitute service for the early sold‑out flights and then restricted seat sales to 90 passen‑ gers per flight to allow the Boeing 737‑300 jets to make the route without a fuel stop. He said this reduced capacity and increased fuel cost had challenged the financial per‑ formance of the route. Even so, the airline has transported 5,500 passengers on the route, more than dou‑ bling visitation from that re‑ gion to Cayman since May. “While there is no doubt that the new Boeing 737‑8 Max aircraft would have al‑ lowed for greater success of the Denver route, all things considered, Denver has per‑ formed better than ex‑ pected,” he said. He also addressed “inac‑ curate comments” on social media implying the 737‑300 aircraft are cutting it close on fuel for the Denver route and that passengers should expect fuel stops on all flights. “This is unfortunately misleading, as all flight plans are developed and planned based on predicted temper‑ atures, weather, passenger load, and various other con‑ ditions, with proper safety margins being our first pri‑ ority,” he said. “Having operated dozens of flights over the past four months, the airline has only had to make en route fuel stops on two occasions when the take‑off temperature in Denver warranted a reduced payload, resulting in a fuel uplift which was less than that required for a nonstop flight to Grand Cayman. The airline does not however an‑ ticipate any further fuel stops for the remainder of the year.” calling for a people‑in‑ itiated referendum had been completed. And he gave, for the first time, an explicit assurance that government would pro‑ ceed with a referendum if the campaigners are found to have met the threshold of ob‑ taining signatures from 25% of the electorate. The premier also claimed that at least 600 signa‑ tures submitted by the cam‑ paigners had been dis‑ counted by the Elections Office on the basis that they were duplicates or did not belong to registered voters. Cruise Port Referendum Cayman campaigners said they believed the premier was referring to signatures that they had already high‑ lighted as invalid when they submitted the petition. McLaughlin acknowl‑ edged, however, that the ref‑ erendum group had sub‑ mitted a “substantial buffer” and may still hit the target. Even so, the premier said he was convinced that the ma‑ jority of people in the Cayman Islands wanted the port pro‑ ject to go ahead and that the government would prevail if a referendum is called. Monday’s announcement was described as a “signif‑ icant milestone” in a pro‑ ject that has been in pro‑ curement for some six years. But McLaughlin acknowl‑ edged that there was much work to do before construc‑ tion begins. An updated environ‑ mental impact assessment on the final design, geotech‑ nical studies of the har‑ bour and the finalisation of the contract are among the next steps. The premier said he believed work would not begin until next summer at the earliest. The construction of the port is expected to take two‑ and‑a‑half years to complete. Though three bidders were shortlisted for the pro‑ ject, only Verdant Isle put for‑ ward a final bid that met the deadline and terms of the bid process. McLaughlin said the win‑ ning consortium involved “trusted world‑class compa‑ nies” with decades‑long links to the Cayman Islands. He said every government elected since 2000 had a port as part of their election man‑ ifesto and insisted the project was badly needed for the fu‑ ture of the industry. “This is a moment that the majority of the people in our islands have been aiming to get to for at least 20 years, if not longer,” he said. Highlighting the “unique financial structure”, he said the deal ensured no risk to the government, and that no single cruise company would control the pier. Funding from other cruise lines, who had signed letters of intent offering part financing to the project, will not be required. Instead they have agreed passenger guarantees with Verdant Isle in exchange for priority berthing rights at the new pier. McLaughlin said the model means the cruise lines are financially invested in the long‑term success of the Cayman Islands. The project involves no upland development other than modernisation of the existing facilities. The final design reduces the environ‑ mental impact by moving it to deeper water and involves a coral relocation project, the premier said. He said he understood the frustrations of those who had criticised the gov‑ ernment for not revealing more details of the project sooner. But, he said, critical issues like the exact cost, the design and the financing model were left to the bid‑ ders to determine in their submissions. “While there have been a small number of oppo‑ nents who were willing to do or say anything to cast doubt over this project, most Caymanians who have ex‑ pressed their concerns or asked questions have done so for perfectly understand‑ able reasons,” he said. “They are concerned that if the country is to embark on this project then we must get it right – the right design, the right costs and the right bal‑ ance between the economic benefits and the environ‑ mental impact.” He said he hoped that, having heard those de‑ tails, people would now throw their support behind the project. “I am confident the chosen bid option gets it right,” he added. Tourism Minister Moses Kirkconnell said the an‑ nouncement was a significant step forward for the country and insisted that new piers were necessary to cater to larger cruise ships, many of which do not typically use tender services. “The evolution of the mega‑ship has changed the face of cruising in the Car‑ ibbean. We are faced with a choice of either preparing to enhance this reality or ac‑ cepting that we will be left behind,” he said. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Grounded Max 8 jets hit Cayman Airways in the pocket KEY FACTS FROM THE PORT PRESS CONFERENCE ■■ Winning bidder: Verdant Isle Port Partners ■■ Total estimated cost: CI$196.5 million ■■ Funding formula: Royal Caribbean and Carnival will fund 40% of the cost, with the rest coming from a bank loan ■■ Profit stream: The Verdant Isle partners will receive around US$8 for every passenger that uses the port over the 25‑year life span of the project ■■ No upland development ■■ Environmental impact assessment update to be done on new design ■■ No contract to be signed before petition verification ■■ Premier says referendum will happen if threshold is met Cruise port will cost $200M CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 An architect’s design shows a street-level perspective of the proposed new cruise dock. Cayman Airways grounded its Boeing Max 8 flights in March this year. - PHOTO: TANEOS RAMSAY Premier Alden McLaughlin, left, with his deputy Moses Kirkconnell, Stran Bodden, chief officer in the Ministry of Tourism, and project manager Peter The islands’ most-trusted news source 8 TUESDAY, 30 JULY 2019 • CAYMAN COMPASS Macron to host Putin ahead of G‑7 summit French President Emmanuel Macron says he will hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin next month, days before hosting a Group of Seven summit with the leaders of rich democracies. The group kicked Russia out after it annexed Crimea in 2014. China defends Hong Kong police, blames Western forces BEIJING (AP) – China blamed Western forces and defended police conduct in remarks Monday about Hong Kong after the city endured another weekend of violent clashes between protesters and police. Yang Guang, spokesman for the Chinese Cabinet’s Hong Kong and Macau Af- fairs Office, said at a news briefing that some “irrespon- sible people” in the West have applied “strange logic” that prompted them to be sympa- thetic and tolerant to “violent crimes” while criticizing the police force’s “due diligence”. “At the end of the day, their intention is to create trouble in Hong Kong, make Hong Kong a problem to China, in order to contain China’s development,” Yang said, without mentioning any specific individuals or countries. He added that such at- tempts will come to nothing because Beijing will tolerate no outside interference in the affairs of the semi-autono- mous Chinese territory. The protests in Hong Kong began in early June as a call to withdraw an extradition bill that would have allowed people in the former British colony to be sent to stand trial in mainland China, where critics say their legal rights would be threatened. Since the government indef- initely suspended the legis- lation, demonstrators have broadened their scope to de- mand greater democracy and government accountability. Police on Sunday re- peatedly fired tear gas and rubber bullets to drive back protesters blocking Hong Kong streets with road signs and umbrellas. The protesters have de- manded an independent in- quiry into police conduct at the protests, which they say has been abusive. At least one woman was knocked down when police used rods Saturday to dis- perse crowds in Hong Kong’s Yuen Long area, where of- ficers later charged into a train station swinging ba- tons. Protesters were “holding iron poles, self-made shields and even removing fences from roads”, police said in a statement that accused dem- onstrators of putting of- ficers’ lives in danger by surrounding an occupied po- lice vehicle. Yang said the Chinese government firmly supports the police in Hong Kong. “We understand the huge pressure facing the Hong Kong police and their fami- lies,” he said, “and would like to salute the Hong Kong po- lice who have been fearlessly sticking to their posts and fulfilling their duties against all odds.” Hong Kong’s government and police force have said the protests have placed con- siderable strain on their of- ficers, who are dispatched in large numbers for the pro- tests, which occur at least once a week and generally go late into the night despite re- peated appeals to disband. Hong Kong authorities said these pressures made it diffi- cult for police to act immedi- ately when a band of white- clad assailants beat people inside the Yuen Long train station on 21 July. Protesters said the slow police response to that at- tack indicated that officers were colluding with the at- tackers – an allegation that authorities have refuted. Last Monday, police arrested six men in connection with the attack, including some linked to triad gangs. Pro-Beijing lawmakers in Hong Kong said the “general wishes” of the city’s residents are for the violence to stop immediately. “Regardless of your stance, I think all this vio- lence should not continue be- cause it brings no benefit to any person,” said legislator Starry Lee. Claudia Mo, a pro-democ- racy lawmaker, said she fears the Chinese government’s statements will further in- flame demonstrators. “I’m so worried that what happened in Beijing this af- ternoon will actually help fan the fire of what’s al- ready been a tsunami of protests in Hong Kong,” Mo said, noting that the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Of- fice appeared to fully support the police and Hong Kong’s leader, Carrie Lam. LONDON (AP) – Prime Min- ister Boris Johnson pushed Britain closer to a no-deal exit from the European Union on Monday, insisting he will not hold Brexit talks with EU leaders unless the bloc lifts its refusal to reopen the ex- isting divorce deal. Johnson is trying to pres- sure the EU to give ground by intensifying preparations for the UK to leave the bloc in three months without a deal. But the pound fell to a two-year low as business groups warned that neither Britain nor the EU is ready for a no-deal Brexit, and that no amount of preparation can eliminate the economic damage if Britain crashes out of the 28-nation trading bloc without agreement on the terms. Johnson became prime minister last week after win- ning a Conservative Party leadership contest by prom- ising the strongly pro-Brexit party membership that the UK will leave the EU on the scheduled date of 31 Oct., with or without a divorce deal. The EU struck a with- drawal agreement with Johnson’s predecessor, The- resa May, but it was rejected three times by Britain’s Par- liament. Johnson is insisting the bloc make major changes to May’s spurned deal, in- cluding scrapping an in- surance policy for the Irish border that has been rejected by UK lawmakers. “The withdrawal agree- ment is dead, it’s got to go,” Johnson said Monday. “But there is scope to do a new deal.” He said he was “very con- fident” of getting a new deal, even though Britain is due to leave the EU in less than 100 days. The EU says it will not reopen negotiations on the deal or remove the border “backstop”. Johnson has spoken to several EU leaders by phone since he took office but has no meetings scheduled. His spokeswoman, Alison Don- nelly, said he would not agree to negotiations unless the bloc lifts its refusal to change the withdrawal agreement. “He remains confident that the EU will stop claiming that the withdrawal agreement can’t be changed,” she said. If they do not, she added, “we must assume there will be no deal on the 31st of October”. Before he took office, Johnson said the odds of Britain leaving the EU without a deal were a million to one. The pound fell to $1.2287 on Monday, its lowest value since March 2017. Economists warn that leaving the bloc without an agreement on terms would disrupt trade by imposing tariffs and customs checks between Britain and the bloc. The British government’s fi- nancial watchdog says that could send the value of the pound plummeting and push the UK into recession. The Confederation of British Industry, the coun- try’s biggest business lobby group, urged both Britain and the EU to accelerate Brexit preparations. It made 200 recommendations, in- cluding new laws, new IT systems and agreements to temporarily maintain some common regulations. But it said “the unprec- edented nature of Brexit means some aspects cannot be mitigated”. “It’s like putting sandbags down for a flood. Your kitch- en’s still going to be under- water but maybe we can save the bedrooms upstairs,” said the group’s head of EU nego- tiations, Nicole Sykes. Another warning came from French automaker PSA, which said it could move pro- duction of its Vauxhall Astra model out of Britain if Brexit makes it unprofitable. Chief executive Carlos Tavares told the Financial Times that would mean closing Vaux- hall’s Ellesmere Port plant in Wales, which employs 1,000 people. Johnson, contradicting the opinion of most experts, has said leaving without a divorce deal will be “vanish- ingly inexpensive” if Britain is properly prepared. He says he will “turbo- charge” plans for a no-deal Brexit – including beefed-up border measures and a mul- timillion-pound (-dollar) in- formation campaign for in- dividuals and businesses – and has set up a bodies in- cluding a high-level Cabinet “exit strategy committee” to oversee preparations. But he faces strong resist- ance from Parliament, which opposes a no-deal Brexit. Beyond Brexit, Johnson has made ambitious do- mestic policy promises, in- cluding more money for po- lice and schools, and major infrastructure projects in- cluding high-speed trains. But independent think tank the Institute for Gov- ernment said in a report that the effects of a no-deal Brexit would consume much of the government’s energy for years, pushing out other issues and sucking up large sums of money. “Rather than ‘turbo- charging’ the economy, as Johnson has suggested, the government is more likely to be occupied with providing money and support to busi- nesses and industries that have not prepared or are worst affected by a no-deal Brexit,” it said. On Monday, Johnson vis- ited a naval base in Scot- land, where his plans also face heavy resistance. While the UK as a whole voted to leave the EU in 2016, Scot- land backed remaining by a large margin. First Minister Nicola Stur- geon, who leads the semi-au- tonomous Edinburgh-based government, says Scotland should hold a vote on in- dependence from the UK if it is dragged out of the EU against its will. Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson op- poses independence but also says she will not sup- port leaving the EU without an agreement. “I don’t think the govern- ment should pursue a no- deal Brexit, and, if it comes to it, I won’t support it,” she wrote in the Scottish Mail on Sunday. The pound fell to a two-year low as business groups warned that neither Britain nor the EU is ready for a no-deal Brexit. “ At the end of the day, their intention is to create trouble in Hong Kong, make Hong Kong a problem to China, in order to contain China’s development.” YANG GUANG, Chinese government spokesman Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson Yang Guang, spokesman of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office of the State Council, gestures after a press conference Monday about the ongoing protests in Hong Kong, at the State Council Information Office in Beijing. – PHOTO: AP Johnson presses EU to give way9 WORLD®IONAL CAYMAN COMPASS • TUESDAY, 30 JULY 2019 Death toll in Kabul office attack rises to 20 US, China revive trade talks with low hopes for progress KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) – The death toll from an attack against the Kabul office of the Afghan president’s run- ning mate and former chief of the intelligence service climbed to at least 20 people on Monday, an official said. Around 50 other people were wounded in Sunday’s attack against the Green Trend party headquarters, which lasted hours and in- cluded a gunbattle between security forces and the at- tackers, who were holed up inside the building, ac- cording to Interior Ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi. Several gunmen were killed by the security forces, Rahimi said. The attackers’ potential target, vice presidential can- didate and former intelli- gence chief Amrullah Saleh, was “evacuated from the building and moved to a safe location”, Rahimi said. Some 85 other civilians were also rescued from inside. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but both the Taliban and the Islamic State group are active in the capital and have carried out large-scale attacks in Kabul in the past. The Taliban, who effec- tively control half the country at this point, have also been staging near-daily attacks across Afghanistan even as they hold talks with the US about a peaceful resolution to the 18-year war, Ameri- ca’s longest conflict. The in- surgents however, refuse to directly negotiate with the government, considering it a US puppet. Sunday marked the first day of the Afghan presi- dential campaign, with a vote scheduled for the end of September. After the attack, Presi- dent Ashraf Ghani tweeted that Saleh was unharmed during the “complex at- tack” targeting the Green Trend office. Saleh founded the Green Trend after he was sacked as intelligence chief in 2010 by former President Hamid Karzai. Though a relative newcomer on the Afghan po- litical scene, its focus has been democracy and re- form while fiercely opposing the Taliban and their ex- tremist ideology. Ferdous Faramarz, the spokesman for Kabul’s police chief, said the attack started with a suicide car bombing, after which other attackers entered the building and started shooting at secu- rity forces. The explosion from the initial bombing was large enough to be heard throughout the capital. Ghani is seeking a second term in the 28 Sept. vote on promises of ending the war but has been largely side- lined over the past year amid US-Taliban talks. US envoy Zalmay Khal- ilzad, who is currently vis- iting Kabul, has held sev- eral rounds of talks with the Taliban in recent months. The two sides appear to be closing in on an agreement in which the US would with- draw its forces in return for a pledge from the Taliban to keep the country from being used as a launch pad for global attacks. The Taliban and IS are sharply divided over ide- ology and tactics, with the Taliban largely confining their attacks to government targets and Afghan and in- ternational security forces while IS militants mainly target the country’s mi- nority Shiites. The Taliban and IS have fought each other on a number of occasions, and the Taliban are still the larger and more imposing force. BEIJING (AP) – Two months after US-Chinese talks aimed at ending a tariff war broke down, both sides are trying to temper hopes for a break- through when negotiations resume Tuesday on an array of disputes that has grown to include tension over China’s tech giant Huawei. Rhetoric has hardened despite the June agreement by Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping to revive ef- forts to end the costly fight over China’s technology am- bitions and trade surplus. “I don’t know if they’re going to make a deal,” Trump said Friday. “Maybe they will, maybe they won’t. I don’t care.” He repeated his claim that the United States is prospering by “taking in tens of billions of dollars” from his tariff hikes on Chi- nese products. In reality, those are paid by US compa- nies and consumers who buy Chinese goods. US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Trade Representative Robert Light- hizer are due to meet Tuesday and Wednesday in Shanghai with a delegation led by Chi- na’s economy czar, Vice Pre- mier Liu He. Chinese leaders are re- sisting US pressure to roll back plans for government- led development of industry leaders in robotics, artificial intelligence and other tech- nologies. Washington com- plains those efforts depend on stealing or pressuring foreign companies to hand over technology. Some Amer- ican officials worry the US is losing its lead. For their part, American negotiators have resisted Bei- jing’s demand that they re- move all punitive tariffs im- mediately. Washington wants to keep some in place to en- sure China keeps its promises. “The same issues that caused the talks to break down are still there,” said Ju- lian Evans-Pritchard of Cap- ital Economics. “Neither side seems any closer to offering major concessions,” said Evans- Pritchard. “It’s very hard to see how they can reach a deal this time if they were unable to do that in March.” US priorities include “in- dustrial policy issues such as intellectual property rights, forced technology transfer and subsidies for (Chinese) state-owned enterprises”, said Jeff Moon, a former US diplomat and trade official who specialized in China. “Enforcing any agreements is also a top priority.” Economists are warning that with both sides still far apart, the truce is fragile. After talks broke down in May, the Trump adminis- tration imposed curbs on US technology sales to Huawei, the biggest global maker of network gear for phone com- panies and the No. 2 smart- phone brand. US officials view Huawei as a national security threat and warn that its equipment could be used for cyberespionage. Beijing retaliated by an- nouncing it would create its own list of “unreliable enti- ties” subject to unspecified controls. Authorities have yet to announce which compa- nies might be targeted. On the eve of the talks, the Chinese government accused Washington on Monday of “arrogance and selfishness” after Trump pressed for the World Trade Organization to stop allowing Beijing and other governments to receive more lenient treatment as de- veloping economies. Trump told Lighthizer in a memo Friday the he wants the WTO to prevent member governments from claiming developing country status if their economies do not need beneficial treatment. Devel- oping countries are allowed more time to open their econ- omies and more leeway to subsidise exports. China needs that status to “achieve real trade fair- ness”, said a foreign ministry spokeswoman, Hua Chunying. The Trump administra- tion’s remarks “have fur- ther exposed its wayward arrogance and selfishness”, Hua said. Trump has suggested he would consider easing up on Huawei if it meant getting a better trade deal. “Trump – in his eagerness to find negotiating leverage – linked national security and trade with regard to Huawei to create a new bargaining chip,” Moon said. Members of Congress from both par- ties likely would object to any concessions on Huawei. The tariff hikes are bat- tering exporters on both sides and disrupting trade in goods from soybeans to med- ical devices. China’s imports of American goods fell 31.4% in June from a year ago while exports to the United States fell 7.8%. Mnuchin is usually up- beat in public about the talks. But he tried to temper hopes when he announced plans for the Shanghai meeting, telling broadcaster CNBC that nego- tiators face “a lot of issues” and he expects to hold more talks, probably in Washington. Around 50 other people were wounded in Sunday’s attack against the Green Trend party headquarters, which lasted hours and included a gunbattle between security forces and the attackers. “ I don’t know if they’re going to make a deal. Maybe they will, maybe they won’t. I don’t care.” US PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP Afghan security forces stand guard Monday at the site of Sunday’s attack in Kabul, Afghanistan. – PHOTO: AP Commuters walk by the new Huawei P30 smartphone advertisement on display inside a subway station in Beijing. – PHOTO: APNext >