ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – WEDNESDAY, 31 JULY 2019 High of 90 Low of 80 Slight with wave heights of 1 to 3 feet. SPORT | PAGE 14 SWIMMERS IN TRANSIT FROM ONE COMPETITION TO THE NEXT LOCAL | PAGE 2 THE ISSUE EXPLAINED: WHAT GOV’T HAS SAID ABOUT THE PORT DEAL Search goes on for nurse’s killer Murder inquiry continues in Kerran Baker case JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Eight years after she disap- peared, the family of Kerran Baker still hold on to hope that she will one day walk back through the front door. The popular nurse, 25, known to friends as ‘Kerry Berry’ went missing on a rainy July night in 2011. Traces of her blood were found in her apartment in the Beach Bay area and her car was discov- ered dumped close to Pedro St. James castle. CCTV footage from the night of 30 July showed a man, his features indistinguishable in the gloomy half-light, walking along the road in the rain, close to where the car was discarded. Volunteers searched the area around Pedro but no body was found. There were early reports of a possible domestic incident. Months later, an arrest was made, but no charges were brought and the trail went cold. Now, detectives from the Serious Crime Review Team are revisiting the inquiry. They are making a new appeal, on the anniversary of her disappearance, for anyone with in- formation about the case to come forward. Crime Stoppers has offered a $10,000 reward and police believe they are close to a breakthrough. Detective John Southern, who is leading the investigation, said he is not able to tell the grieving parents of Baker that she may be alive. “This is a murder investigation,” he said, “we believe, unfortunately, that she is dead.” He believes the best police and the Cayman community can achieve for Baker’s parents, mother Sandra and stepfather Wilmot, is a sense of closure. “Having met both parents, I know how much they loved their daughter and how much they still miss her every day. They are devastated, they are still grieving,” said Southern. “Her mother still believes she is going to walk through the front door. Without some kind of clo- sure, she will never be able to get past that and accept she is not coming home.” Baker, originally from Jamaica, had moved to Cayman to take a job as a nurse in the office of Dr. Ruthlyn Pomares nearly three years before her disappearance. Her step- father has worked as a tour bus driver on the island since 1999. Baker had developed a large so- cial group of friends who liked to party together. It was close friend Inia Rick- etts who first raised the alarm on the Sunday after she disap- peared. Though it had been less than 24 hours since she was last in touch, Kerran usually was in con- stant communication by text and phone and her friends were al- ready concerned. When Ricketts vis- ited her home and found her car missing and Baker not home she Kerran Baker, 25, went missing on 30 July 2011. Detectives from the Serious Crime Review Team are making a new appeal, on the anniversary of Kerran Baker’s disappearance, for anyone with information about the case to come forward. Historic ledger reveals 1940s shopping habits JEWEL LEVY jlevy@pinnaclemedialtd.com Alfred Berry’s roadside shop in Bodden Town contains a little piece of history that gives a keen insight into life in the town in the early 1940s. A hand-written 600-page ledger holds records of the day-by-day business trans- actions of Bodden Towners seven decades ago. The ledger lists intricate de- tails of who in the town bought what and when. For example, on 10 Dec. 1943, seamstress Norah Conolly bought one and half yards of cloth for 2 shillings and 3 pence and spent an extra sixpence on envelopes and threepence on black pepper and salt. That was a substantial amount when money was scare for Cayman families in the 1940s. The ledger, which contains the names and dates of shop- pers, was found hidden among artefacts and other odds and ends in the Bodden Town store. Berry acquired the ledger and shop after the former owner Thomas Logan Bodden died in 1969. The shop is still called ‘Mr. Logan’s’. ‘Mr. Logan’ or ‘Loogie’ as he was called by residents was one of Bodden Town’s first shop- keepers, and the first in the dis- trict to own a car. One of Samuel and Elizabeth Bodden’s 11 children, he went to sea at age 18 and married Adena Connor in 1925. They had no children, but were considered as parents to many in the commu- nity. He was Vestryman, Justice of the Peace and a seaman. The ledger’s handwritten en- tries, in elegant black script, were made by Adena and store clerk Christine Ebanks, and de- tail the shopping activity in Bodden Town from 1942 to 1944. At first glance, the grey cov- ered ledger looks like a dusty old book, not worthy of a second glance, but the pages inside are neatly filled with notations and dates alongside grocery lists. It contains what is effec- tively a code, understood by the Alfred Berry displays a shopping ledger from the 1940s which contains the names of shoppers and their transactions at Mr. Logan’s Shop. - PHOTO: JEWEL LEVY PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 7 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 6 »2 LOCAL NEWS WEDNESDAY, 31 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 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 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. - WEDNESDAY - 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 | 7:00 VIP | 9:30 3D THE ISSUE EXPLAINED: What gov’t has said about the port deal JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Government held a press conference Monday to out‑ line details of the planned cruise and cargo port project. Premier Alden McLaughlin, Deputy Premier Moses Kirk‑ connell, Chief Officer in the Ministry of Tourism Stran Bodden and Project Manager Peter Ranger gave details of the project and answered questions from the media. McLaughlin said they had been unable to give cru‑ cial details about the cost, funding formula and final de‑ sign until now, because those specifics were all determined as part of the bid process. Here, we summarise the key information from the press conference. Who won the bid? Verdant Isle Port Partners were announced Friday as the preferred bidder for the port project. Verdant Isle is a company set up for the pro‑ ject comprising construction firms McAlpine Cayman Ltd., Orion Marine Construction, the Carnival Corporation and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Why was its bid selected? Though nine compa‑ nies submitted outline pro‑ posals when the bid process opened in 2017, only three were shortlisted in the final round of proposals. Of those three, only Verdant Isle met the deadline. According to the Central Tenders Committee, it received a ‘pass’ on all cri‑ teria and a total bid score of 78.18 out of 100. What will the project cost? Verdant Isle put for‑ ward three alternate pro‑ posals with different specifi‑ cations. Its principal bid was budgeted at CI$229.6 mil‑ lion, with alternate ‘value’ op‑ tions at $207.9 million and $196.5 million. Government opted for the least expen‑ sive option. Who is going to pay for it? The upfront costs will be funded by Verdant Isle with 40% coming from direct cap‑ ital from the cruise lines and 60% from a bank loan. What is in it for Verdant Isle? Verdant Isle gets access to the passenger revenue streams for the 25‑year life cycle of the project. Its in‑ come will come from a per‑ passenger fee of US$8.05 per head for year‑round ves‑ sels and US$6.05 for sea‑ sonal vessels. Based on an estimated two million an‑ nual passengers, the com‑ pany could be expected to net somewhere be‑ tween US$12 million and US$16 million annually – more if passenger numbers rise beyond two million. So cruise passengers will pay for the port? Essentially yes. Every cruise passenger that comes ashore in the Cayman Islands is already charged around US$18‑a‑ head, being a mix of taxes and tender boat fees. Under the new formula, they will be charged roughly the same, with government taking slightly less tax and the tender fees disappearing with the arrival of the dock. The amount going to the Port Authority and to the En‑ vironmental Protection Fund will remain the same. So government gets less tax revenue? Under the proposed funding formula, govern‑ ment will make US$2.32 less per cruise passenger. Govern‑ ment leaders said Monday they expect the net revenue to be higher because of an in‑ crease in overall cruise pas‑ senger numbers compared to the alternate scenario of not having a dock. Premier McLaughlin said he believed government had struck a unique deal that secured the future of the cruise industry without any financial risk to the government. What happened to the funding from the other cruise lines? Disney and MSC had signed letters of intent to provide loan funding to the winning bidders. Ultimately, that option was not taken up by Verdant Isle. Instead it has agreed ‘passenger commit‑ ments’ with those cruise lines to bring a certain number of visitors each year in return for priority berthing rights. What about the referendum, could that still happen? Verdant Isle and gov‑ ernment have a ‘preferred bidder’ agreement, not a signed and sealed contract. Premier McLaughlin said nothing would be finalised until after the verification process is complete. If the campaigners hit their target number, he said a refer‑ endum would take place. “We respect the constitu‑ tion. If they do get the num‑ bers, then they will have a referendum. The sooner the better,” the premier said. So government supports a referendum now? Not exactly. The govern‑ ment still sees this as a po‑ tentially costly delay in get‑ ting this project over the line. McLaughlin had some strong words for some of the campaigners, who he believes are politically motivated, and indicated that it would re‑ quire every one of the neces‑ sary 5,292 signatures to be verified before a referendum would be called. He said he understood some of the concerns about a lack of information on the project, but suggested now the information had been provided, people would be satisfied with the deal on the table. “I have no doubt,” he said, “that even should we go to a referendum that it will be won overwhelmingly in fa‑ vour of us completing the project and placing our is‑ lands in the best possible position to maintain and grow an important part of our economy.” Is the new design more environmentally friendly? A detailed map of the new design has not been provided at this stage. The Compass has requested this and will publish when we receive it. Government says the foot‑ print of the piers is more environmentally friendly than the original design, an‑ alysed in a 2015 environ‑ mental impact assessment. The piers are pushed into deeper water, resulting in less dredging and less coral damage. The facility consists of two finger piers resting on pilings to “allow marine life to move freely underneath’ (see diagram). Will there be another environmental impact assessment? Baird, the authors of the original EIA, have been re‑ tained to update the document with reference to the new de‑ sign. Polaris Applied Science, the company that worked on coral restoration at Eden Rock after a cargo ship ploughed into the reef there in 2016, has been hired to work on a coral relocation plan. It was not clear if the cost of relocating coral was in‑ cluded in the $196.5 million budget for the port. Peter Ranger, the project manager, said the next step would be to submit documen‑ tation to the Environmental Assessment Board and for a scoping study to take place outlining the differences with the 2015 design and what new studies would be required. Is there any retail development? There will be no “up‑ land development”, ac‑ cording to Tourism Minister Moses Kirkconnell. He said the shops and businesses of George Town would benefit from the dock, rather than any cruise line owned retail development – a formula that has been used in other loca‑ tions. “This will be the an‑ chor for the George Town re‑ vitalisation,” he said. What about the Royal Watler tenants? The Royal Watler terminal will come down as part of the project, but a similar square footage of retail space will be retained. The existing tenants will get preferential rights in bidding for space in the new terminal, Kirkconnell said. This process will be run by the Port Authority along similar lines to the process used for concessions at the airport, he said. What are the benefits of the project? Tourism Minister Moses Kirkconnell claimed the “evo‑ lution of mega‑ships” in the Caribbean meant Cayman had to build a pier that could accommodate them or risk the decline of the cruise in‑ dustry. He said building a pier would protect existing jobs and create new ones. “With more cruise passen‑ gers there will be a need for more taxi drivers and tour operators, more staff will be needed in retail establish‑ ments and restaurants, and obviously hundreds of con‑ struction jobs will be needed in the build out,” he said. Was China Harbour ever involved? It is understood that China Harbour was one of the three shortlisted bid‑ ders but did not submit a detailed bid in time for the final deadline. Who will run the port? The Port Authority retains control and ownership of the port, and the revenue streams will revert fully to govern‑ ment after 25 years. Is a cargo port included? The port design does in‑ clude space for a new cargo dock, as well as a new dock for tender boats. It is understood that the cargo plans were scaled down slightly from what was originally envisaged to keep the costs under control. The full details and design specifications for the cargo port are not yet available. What happens next? The next step is to agree to a final contract with Ver‑ dant Isle, recommence the EIA agreement and obtain permit permission for early works, in‑ cluding geotechnical studies of the harbour. After that, a presentation will be made to caucus before Cabinet con‑ siders awarding the final con‑ tract. Depending on the re‑ sult of the petition verification process, a referendum could be squeezed in at some point after September. McLaughlin said this would happen be‑ fore the end of the year if it is necessary. So when will building of the port begin? No one was willing to commit to a specific start date, with so many moving pieces to the puzzle. The final contract negotiations could be lengthy and the EIA process, which involves public con‑ sultation, could push things back further. A referendum may also shift the time‑ line. McLaughlin said he be‑ lieved the second half of next year was a fair guess for the likely start time if all goes ac‑ cording to plan. Construction is expected to take 2.5 years. Unanswered questions? Still got questions about the port project. Email jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com and we will try to get them answered. An architect’s impression shows how the new cruise pier and cargo port could look. CORRECTION A court brief published on page 6 of the 29 July Cayman Compass wrongly stated the value of theft that Cassandra Jasmine Ebanks pleaded guilty to. In court, the amounts read aloud were more than CI$100,000 and US$100,000. Attorney Prathna Bodden clarified that the amount in the guilty plea was less than CI$100,000 and that no US figure was included in the plea.The islands’ most-trusted news source 3 CAYMAN COMPASS • WEDNESDAY, 31 JULY 2019 KARL W. SMITH Last week, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin ar- gued that Amazon has “de- stroyed the retail industry across the United States” and so the Department of Justice is “absolutely right” to inves- tigate it. Both of those prem- ises are dubious: The US re- tail industry is changing but is very much alive, thank you – and rewriting the rules of antitrust law would hurt the American economy. First there is the matter of Mnuchin’s assertion about the retail sector. He is not wrong that brick-and-mortar retail sales are flat (if that is what he meant by “destroyed”): But what’s happening is a lot more complicated than e- commerce giants such as Am- azon stealing business from mom-and-pop stores on Main Street. There is a larger trend at play, involving how Amer- icans are choosing to spend their time as they grow older and wealthier. A useful comparison may be the way the restaurant in- dustry is changing the gro- cery business. Government statistics track “food-at-home expenditures” vs. “food-away- from-home expenditures” – basically, whether people eat in or dine out. Increasingly, they are dining out: As Americans’ incomes rise, they tend to spend more at restaurants. Yet grocery stores still exist – in fact, the grocery-store experience is more varied than ever before. This is not to say that pressure from the restaurant industry has had no effect on the grocery industry. It has, forcing a sort of bifurcation of the market: At one end, high- end grocers like Raley’s or Fresh Market have done well, and at the other end Walmart and Aldi’s have also experi- enced growth. It’s been harder on the middle-of-the-pack gro- cers. (E-commerce has had the same kind of hollowing-out- the-middle effect on retail.) Yet there is no outcry that the rise of the restaurant in- dustry is destroying the su- permarket industry; it’s under- stood that these trends reflect decisions American consumers have made about how to spend their time. Similarly, the rise of e-commerce – and remember that Amazon, while the dom- inant player in e-commerce, still commands less than 5% of the retail market – is not de- stroying retail but simply re- sponding to how Americans actually behave. Mnuchin’s other assertion, that his colleagues in the Jus- tice Department are right to look into Amazon, is more de- batable and also more dan- gerous. For almost half a cen- tury, the main purpose of US antitrust law has been to pro- tect consumers, not rival pro- ducers. If a large corporation can offer better selection at lower prices than small busi- nesses, that is an improvement. The courts did not al- ways see it that way; for much of the 20th century, courts viewed bigness itself as a problem. A new wave of antitrust crusaders, who are getting a friendly ear in both the Trump administra- tion and among major Dem- ocratic presidential candi- dates, are trying to revive this interpretation. This would be a mis- take. As their supporters are fond of pointing out, small businesses are a driving en- gine of US economic growth and dynamism. Presumably, owners of small businesses want some day to become owners of big businesses. A world in which small busi- nesses are allowed to exist only until they get big would reduce the amount of creative destruction that a dynamic economy needs. Yes, small-business crea- tion and dynamism are both in decline in the US, but that appears to be a function of an ageing society: Entrepre- neurship is typically a young person’s game, while older consumers are more likely to be loyal to traditional brands. So it’s not surprising that the aging of America tends to naturally suppress both the supply and the demand for new businesses. Entrepreneurial compa- nies such as Amazon are the best answer to this type of slowdown. These compa- nies are not destroying re- tail. Just the opposite: They are saving it. Karl W. Smith is a former assistant professor of economics at the University of North Carolina’s school of government and founder of the blog Modeled Behavior. © 2019, Bloomberg Opinion WEDNESDAY, 31 JULY 2019 • CAYMAN COMPASS 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. Johnson’s biggest battle is plunging pound FERDINANDO GIUGLIANO For much of the past two and a half years, the United Kingdom has had the luxury of negotiating the terms of its departure from the European Union under little pressure from the financial markets. The new prime minister Boris Johnson could soon come to pine for those calmer days. On Monday, sterling fell by more than 1.3% to $1.22, hitting its lowest point against the dollar since March 2017. It resumed its slide on Tuesday and is heading for its worst slump in almost three years. Johnson has made it clear that Britain will quit the EU at the end of October even if this means leaving without a negotiated agreement. He has also stepped up prepara- tions for a ‘no-deal Brexit’ to try to convince Brussels that Britain is not bluffing about its willingness to accept such a fate. Investors are letting ‘BoJo’ know what they think of his plan. This isn’t the first time markets have moved violently because of Brexit. In the im- mediate aftermath of the 2016 referendum, the pound lost more than 10% against the dollar. Sterling slid again in the autumn of that year when the former prime min- ister, Theresa May, signalled that she wouldn’t wait long before starting the with- drawal process. But it sta- bilised subsequently when markets were reassured that her government and parlia- ment were looking for an or- derly withdrawal. In April of 2018, the pound briefly touched the dizzying heights of $1.434 (only 3.6% lower than before the referendum). Investors are right to be running for cover again. A no- deal Brexit would be an un- mitigated disaster for the UK as it would suddenly make it much harder to exchange goods and services with the EU, Britain’s main trading partner. The housing market would tumble, as would the price of other assets. The Bank of England could try to mitigate the shock by flooding the economy with money but it would need to be mindful of the impact of a steeply de- preciating currency on infla- tion. In any case, this would do very little to address the damage to supply chains and business confidence. So dire are the consequences of a hard break that it doesn’t take much more than a whiff of it for the pound to tank. The big question is how all of this will play into the negotiations between John- son’s new team and Brussels. The prime minister hopes that his more muscular stance line will prompt the bloc to relax the terms of the withdrawal agreement nego- tiated with May, in particular the Irish backstop (a guar- antee of no hard border be- tween the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland). Johnson has been embold- ened in his brinkmanship by the economic slowdown in the rest of the EU. The Brex- iters believe that the fear of another shock (from a no- deal departure) will ultimately prove daunting enough to force Brussels to sweeten Britain’s terms of exit. While it’s true that a no- deal Brexit would hurt the rest of the EU too, this is a pretty desperate gamble by Johnson. Should this week’s sterling storm continue, it will put the British negotiating team under enormous pressure. London risks facing its European counterparts in a condition that’s not en- tirely dissimilar to that of the Greek government as it sought to reopen the terms of its bailout in 2015, or the Italian government as it tried to push for a higher deficit target last autumn. Of course, Britain is in a far stronger position eco- nomically than either Greece or Italy. But just like Athens and Rome, it’s much more ex- posed to an investors’ strike than the rest of the EU, only in this instance via its cur- rency rather than its bonds. A plummeting pound is a constant reminder of what Britain has to lose from crashing out without a deal. As such, it’s difficult to see how Johnson’s aggressive ne- gotiating stance can prevail. Since he’s unlikely to ob- tain any meaningful conces- sions, Britain’s new prime minister would be wise to ask himself if a cataclysmic exit is really where he wants to go. In fairness, he’s been boxed in electorally by Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party, which promises a hard departure should Johnson’s Conserva- tives fail to deliver. But the foreign exchange markets can be an equally implacable foe. © 2019, Bloomberg Opinion On Monday, sterling fell by more than 1.3% to $1.22, hitting its lowest point against the dollar since March 2017. It resumed its slide on Tuesday and is heading for its worst slump in almost three years. 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” Amazon is saving retail, not destroying it5 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • WEDNESDAY, 31 JULY 2019 WORLD-CLASS CARE WITHIN REACH. Connect with a representative at +1.954.659.5080 floridaGPS@ccf.org clevelandclinic.org/caribbean WITH CLEVELAND CLINIC FLORIDA JUST A SHORT FLIGHT AWAY, YOU’RE CLOSE TO WHAT’S BEST FOR YOUR HEALTH. You have access to one of the best healthcare systems in the world with top physicians, the latest medical technology, the best facilities and quality services. Plus, we offer innovative treatment options with a personalized approach. Schedule your consultation today. Every life deserves world-class care. Hew announces incentives for electric and hybrid vehicles KAYLA YOUNG kyoung@pinnaclemedialtd.com To incentivise use of en- vironmentally friendly trans- portation, customs duties have been reduced for elec- tric and hybrid vehicles, as well as for bicycles. Commerce Minister Joey Hew made the announcement Thursday before the Legisla- tive Assembly. Bicycles, electric motorcy- cles and electric bicycles will not incur any customs duties upon import. Additionally, no duty will be imposed for the import of electric vehicles for personal use valued under $29,000. Hybrid vehicles for personal use, valued under $29,000, will have a duty of 10%. Electric and hybrid vehi- cles of the same value will incur duties of 5% and 12%, respectively, when imported for commercial use. Hew described the meas- ures as incentives to en- courage residents to switch to low-emissions vehicles, while reducing greenhouse gases and dependency on pe- troleum imports. “The benefit of switching to energy-efficient transpor- tation will not only be envi- ronmental but also econom- ical. The Cayman Islands transportation sector is the second-largest energy con- sumer in the country, ac- counting for approximately 30 percent of imported fuels,” Hew told the Legisla- tive Assembly. “It is also the second- largest emitter of carbon dioxide. Cars and trucks make-up the majority of li- censed vehicles, consuming mainly gasoline and diesel fuels. Preventive action must be taken to reduce our de- pendency on fossil fuels in this sector.” Hew said such measures will aid Cayman in achieving the standards set out by the National Energy Policy, as well as meeting the aspira- tions of the Paris Accord. The National Energy Policy sets the goal that 70% of Cayman’s electricity gen- eration come from renewable sources by 2037. In addition, per capita greenhouse gas emissions in 2020 should not exceed the 2014 level. “In 2014 it was estimated that diesel fire generation ac- counted for approximately 7.2 tonnes per capita, thus making it a clear imperative for the Cayman Islands to concentrate on the reduction of diesel fuel,” Hew said. Other measures taken by government to meet the 2030 goals include instal- lation of electric vehicle charging stations at town halls and civic centres, ex- ploration of wind energy, review of duties for bulk importation of renewable energy systems, and re- view of building codes to allow implementation of re- newable energy systems, Hew added. “In the near future, we plan to look at developing in- centive programmes for en- ergy-efficient appliances and sustainable building mate- rials,” Hew said. “And in a case of leading by example, the Cayman Is- lands government’s plans for vehicle installation has begun with the rollout of charging infrastructure at the government administration building, all civic centres, li- braries and other government buildings.” To view the full breakdown of updated customs duties for electric and hybrid vehicles, visit the Ministry of Commerce Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ministryofcpi/. “ The benefit of switching to energy-efficient transportation will not only be environmental but also economical.” JOEY HEW, minister of commerceThe islands’ most-trusted news source 6 WEDNESDAY, 31 JULY 2019 CAYMAN COMPASS Warehouse SALE! All wines/beers sold in original packing cases Saturday, 3 August 9am - 12pm +MORE! +Bargain BIN LANCASTER CRESCENT N SOUND ROAD SPARKY DRIVE LINCOLN DR SLEEPY HOLLOW DR CUC WAREHOUSE UNIT 7 LINCOLN DR PROGRESSIVE DISTRIBUTORS became concerned. After an initial search of the prop- erty, Baker’s phone, handbag and half unpacked groceries were found. An investigation com- menced and it emerged that Baker had stopped re- sponding to texts or using her phone at 7.54pm the pre- vious evening. The discovery of the car, the blood found in her bed- room and the fact that she has not been seen or heard from since have led police to conclude she was mur- dered some time on that Sat- urday night. Southern, part of a three- man squad of senior investi- gators tasked with reviewing historical cases at the Royal Cayman Islands Police Ser- vice, said the incident had been identified as one that could still be solved. Though some cold cases are finally solved through a vital piece of new DNA ev- idence, Southern said the answers can sometimes be more simple. “Loyalties change, friend- ships change, perhaps someone was afraid of a person and they are not afraid any longer,” he said. He believes there are people in the Cayman Is- lands who know how Kerran Baker died. At least one wit- ness came forward in the in- itial inquiry but ultimately declined to assist. Southern says there will be no consequences for anyone who has held on to the secret for the past eight years. “We will not judge them,” he said. “We under- stand circumstances change and some people may, with the benefit of time, see the importance of this and come forward. “There are clearly people in Grand Cayman who have information about what hap- pened and we want those people to contact us. We be- lieve we can still solve this case and get closure for Kerran and her family.” Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Constable John Southern at 649‑4501 or by email john.southern@rcips.ky. Cayman Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information that may lead to an arrest and charge in this matter. Tips may be submitted through Cayman Crime Stoppers by calling 800‑8477 or through the Submit a Tip function on the Cayman Crime Stoppers website. TIMELINE OF EVENTS IN KERRAN BAKER’S DISAPPEARANCE Saturday, 30 July, 2011 5pm: In Kerran Bak- er’s last contact with her mother, she tells her she has wired some money to her in Jamaica. Shortly after 7pm: Baker is picked up on CCTV leaving the air- port branch of Foster’s supermarket. 7.54pm: Baker stops responding to texts or WhatsApp messages on her cellphone. 9.40pm – Grainy CCTV footage, examined later by detectives, picks up an image of a man walking in the rain close to Pedro St. James castle. Sunday, 31 July 7.18pm: Baker is re- ported missing by her friend Inia Ricketts, who tells police she has not heard from her since around 5pm the pre- vious evening. Her car is missing from the driveway of her home in Arrow Road, Beach Bay, and her phone, handbag and partially unpacked groceries are found inside. Monday, 1 Aug. Morning: Police fo- rensic officers search the home and find blood in the bedroom which is later identified as be- longing to Baker. 12.30pm: Baker’s white Honda Civic is discovered on the ceme- tery lawn close to Pedro St. James castle area, with doors locked and the keys tossed into a nearby bush. Tuesday, 2 Aug. More than 200 volun- teers assist in a search of the area around Pedro St. James but no body or further evidence is found. Wednesday, 3 Aug. Police dive teams begin searching the waters around Pedro St. James and along the southern coast of Grand Cayman. Thursday, 4 Aug. Baker’s parents make an emotional plea for in- formation in a police press conference. 18 Nov. 2011 Police arrest a 35-year- old man on suspicion of Miss Baker’s murder. He is later released without charge. Search goes on for nurse’s killer Detective John Southern is now leading the investigation into the 25‑year‑old nurse’s disappearance. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Police surround Miss Baker’s white Honda Civic, discovered pulled up close to the bushes on the cemetery lawn near Pedro St. James castle.The islands’ most-trusted news source 7 CAYMAN COMPASS • WEDNESDAY, 31 JULY 2019 In Memory of Kendal Alice McCarthy Residence: Red Bay, Prospect Passed: July 15, 2019 Born December 9, 1971, Bassano, Alberta, Canada to proud parents, Ken and Linda Fulton. Kendal spent her childhood and teenage years in Innisfail, Alberta. She graduated from university with a major in accounting and chose her rst employment with Deloitte & Touche in Calgary in 1994. While completing her articling she met the love of her life, Keith McCarthy, and they were married on June 21, 1997. In 2004 Kendal and Keith moved to Bermuda where Kendal continued to pursue her career with Price Waterhouse Coopers. During this time, she was able to travel and experience many new places and methods of accounting operations. It was also during this time Kendal had her rst experience with Change Management. In 2008 onwards Kendal played a key role in the regionalization of PWC Caribbean market. In 2012 Kendal moved to Cayman Islands where Change Management was at the forefront of her role. It was also at that time Kendal became a founding member in Association of Change Management Professionals (ACMP). In 2015, she decided she needed some time to rediscover herself and departed PWC to explore di erent avenues of art, goldsmithing, education, and tness. Her love of NFL football, Formula 1 racing, and Basketball, found new heights as the nights usually spent working were now available. Her passion to combine two other favorites -- running and Disneyworld. Kendal completed marathons and back to back races such as the Dopey (46.5 Miles) and the Dark Side race (19.3 mile) in 2015. Kendal never let go of her desire to be a leader in the industry and a er a 2-year work hiatus, Kendal enrolled in the HEC Graduate Program at Oxford University to continue her education and development with the rst session set to begin in January 2018. In December of 2017, Kendal was diagnosed with Small Cell Ovarian Cancer (SCCOHT). Forced to place her education on hold she placed all e orts into chemotherapy, surgeries, and radiation treatments. Kendal kept a strong positive attitude not allowing the disease to control her life. In the fall of 2018 Kendal showed a clean PET scan and immediately resumed her enrollment in the HEC Graduate Program. ere she met some brilliant and amazing individuals whom she enjoyed connecting with. She had found her calling and knew this is where she wanted to be. In late 2018 a follow up PET showed a full resurgence of the disease with an added signet ring cell Adenocarcinoma. Kendal once again wasted no time immediately refocusing on recovery. Kendal had to put all her e ort toward more surgeries, radiation and chemo that she was never able to complete. She always kept a positive attitude and always looked forward. She kept a clear mind and was still able to grin or chuckle or put on a good face to see a visitor though she was constantly in pain. Kendal passed with husband and mother at her side. Kendal was gi ed in cra s and made quilts and little teddy bears. She loved to photograph nature and architecture. She leaned goldsmithing and spent as much time learning the cra as she could and creating di erent pieces of jewelry. She loved to travel and visit friends, family, and new places. Kendal loved to read biographies and learn from the life experiences of others. She was brilliant in heart and mind and will be missed dearly. Kendal was cremated and will travel to Canada for a family remembrance on August 11th. shopkeeper and the customer. For example: fl1/6 & beef 1/9 marg, 1/6 soap 6 paper 3- salt -3 lard 6 5 yds clth@1/9, coffee 1/9 meal 4-1/2 vicks 2/- In the left-hand corner of Netty Levy’s grocery list, the date noted is 20/12/42, what was purchased, for how much, whether payment was made on the day, and the out- standing balance, recorded in British money, pounds shil- lings and pence. “I’m the only man in Bodden Town that has the ledger that contains a record of goods people bought from the shop,” said Berry. “People were poor those days, and everybody had to credit from Mr. Logan until their little allotment came in from seamen working on the ships,” he said. “When the people got their money, they would pay and take out a line of credit same day, because the money was just enough to pay off the bill.” He said that was part of the deal for joining the ship, that seamen would send money home to their families. Sometimes the money took up to three months to reach home. Notations were critical in helping Mr. Logan to keep track of what goods people had received over the months. The ledger reports that the late Clifton Arthur Hunter, a prominent man in the district – shopped at the store every two days in 1943. There is nothing extraor- dinary about his purchases, as they appear to be mainly food and staples such as flour, soap, lard, margarine, sugar and such. He bought the basic necessities, as did most people in the district. According to the ledger, Hunter still owes Bodden 8 shillings and 1/2 pence. The late C Watler owes him £3, 8 shilling and 5 pence; Norah Conolly, £1, 8 pence; Netty Levy, £1; and the list goes on. Mr. Logan opened the shop every day except Sun- days and public holidays. He made sure the shelves were well stocked with items brought from Merren’s store in George Town. Behind the little wooden counter, his wife and Christine Ebanks sold the goods. This reporter recalls being inside the store 55 years ago. A huge metal scale hung from the ceiling over the large jars of paradise plum and mint candies that sat on the countertop. A screened-in wooden box next to the candy bottles con- tained cheese. A tube of ba- loney sausage, sold by the pound, hung from the ceiling, and the aroma of salted fish mixed with kerosene was strong. Mr. Logan kept a con- tainer of kerosene out back. A hose running from the tank through the wall into the shop was always leaking into a pan after he filled a bottle of kerosene. On shelves at the back of the shop were such items as tinned milk, cocoa, lard, nails, machetes, soap, toilet paper and other basics of the time. Arranged on the shop floor were crates of produce of every type and whatever fruits and vegetables were in season – yams, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, mangoes, plums, cassava and so forth. Tools, nails and hardware joined the collection of items in stock. To the right, a glass counter and shelves con- tained such items as cloth, combs, perfume, clips and ribbons, with some men’s ac- cessories such as hats, ties and socks. A few pieces of clothing for sale hung on a rack near the door. Out front was a little porch where men gath- ered by day or night to ex- change fishing tales or sea- man’s stories. On Saturday nights, Mr. Logan sold hand-churned ice cream to the crowd. Money for sweets was scarce in those days, and get- ting to shop for sugar was surely a treat for the children. A penny bought a brown bag of paradise plum candy. People shopped every other day for whatever was needed. Judith Prendergast, who grew up on Cumber Avenue but now resides in the US, re- calls her mother sending her to Mr. Logan’s shop to pur- chase cod liver oil, and she drinking it all before she got home. Those days, mothers were strict on giving chil- dren medicine to cleanse the tummy – cod liver and castor oil, cerasee and senna were mostly used. Berry spoke of running the shop with Mr. Logan, and being happy when Mr. Logan gave him a suit for Christmas, and then crying with him when he got his call to the ship. Neville McCoy, 79, re- calls Mr. Logan’s first little shop being where Berry now stores his souvenirs and his- torical pieces. A second shop was added, years later. “He sold out of the shop and residents patronised him, especially the people living around the Gun Square area,” McCoy said. “He sold fishing hooks, lines and other dry goods. He would always give us a line of credit for a piece of barracuda fish. If he heard you caught a barracuda and didn’t give him a piece, he would not credit you any more hooks,” McCoy said with a laugh. Mr. Logan was also the in- spector of beef, and a choice cut of beef was his pay. When they slaughtered a cow, the saying was “Don’t touch a thing until Logan comes.” “He was a jovial person, and the elderly would gather on the shop porch to dis- cuss the happenings of the day, especially after he started selling ice cream,” McCoy said. In the years following Mr. Logan’s death, the shop held a barber shop, a beauty salon and Berry’s butcher shop. Passionate about local history, Berry started col- lecting pieces of Cayman’s past. He said he wants to turn the old shop he re- named ‘The Falls’ into a tourist attraction. Inside the shop is also a collection of vintage bottles, old documents, rare carv- ings, coins, thatch works, a jar that held Mr. Logan’s salt beef, an ice- cream bucket, and even a rare 18th cen- tury wood carving of a Cay- manian ancestor smoking his pipe, which Berry said he found while cutting grass. There is an antique water bottle, which Berry said was owned by Emile Watler’s fa- ther who lived on Cumber Avenue. The Watler family went on to donate the Bodden Town Mission House to the National Trust. Cow heads, horns and cow teeth saved and bleached from Berry’s slaughtering days hang on the outside shop walls. There are politicians’ manifestos, paintings, pic- ture frames made from tiles, Mr. Logan’s old bathtub, an old barber chair, a rocking chair, Caymanite rocks, shells and wood fragments, and much more. Years ago, Berry was a barber employed by the gov- ernment, and for 19 years he trimmed hair in the prison. He also worked for McAlpine for a number of years. Nowadays, Berry sits pa- tiently on a little stool in the shop’s doorway, waiting to share his collection and his knowledge of Cayman’s history of earlier days with friends, or whoever might pass his way. Historic ledger reveals 1940s shopping habits CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Mr. Logan’s Shop on Bodden Town Road houses Alfred Berry’s collection of vintage bottles, old documents, rare carvings and more. An 18th century wood carving of a Caymanian ancestor smoking his pipe, which Berry said he found while cutting grass. - PHOTOS: JEWEL LEVYThe islands’ most-trusted news source 8 WEDNESDAY, 31 JULY 2019 • CAYMAN COMPASS It’s official: New UK temperature record Britain has officially had its hottest day on record. Weather agency the Met Office says the temperature reached 101.7 F at Cambridge University Botanic Garden in eastern England during last week’s heatwave. The previous UK record was 101.3 F, set in August 2003. Johnson reassures on Brexit as pound slumps US issues hacking security alert for small planes LONDON (AP) – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson vis- ited Wales on Tuesday as part of a national tour intended to reassure Britons that his hard-Brexit push will not hurt the economy and rip apart the UK. Currency markets were far from reassured, however, as the pound slid to a new 28-month low. And Johnson faced a tough reception from farmers – a group cen- tral to the Welsh economy – who fear economic havoc if Britain leaves the European Union without a divorce deal. They say millions of sheep might have to be slaughtered if tariffs are slapped on lamb exports to the EU. “The bottom line is we’re exporting 40% of our sheep production, we are the second-largest producer of sheep meat in the world, so if we are priced … we’re tar- iffed out of the EU market, where does that 40% go?” said Minette Batters, president of the National Farmers Union. The government argues that leaving the 28-nation bloc and its rules-bound Common Agricultural Policy will be “a historic opportunity to introduce new schemes to support farming” and will open up new markets for UK agricultural exports. The government’s Wales Secretary Alun Cairns said “90% of global growth will come from outside of the EU.” However, trade with the EU accounts for almost half of all British exports, and any new trade deals are years away. The trip follows a visit Monday to Scotland, where Johnson was booed by pro- testers and warned by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon that his vow to take Britain out of the EU on 31 Oct., with or without a deal, was “dangerous”. Britain’s 2016 vote to leave the EU divided the country and also strained the bonds among the four na- tions that make-up the UK: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. A majority of voters in England and Wales backed leaving in the referendum, while Scotland and Northern Ireland voted to remain. That has emboldened Scotland’s nationalist government to demand a vote on independ- ence, arguing that Scotland should not be forced out of the EU against its will. In Parliament last week, Scottish National Party law- maker Ian Blackford mock- ingly welcomed Johnson as “the last prime minister of the United Kingdom”. Johnson also plans a visit to Northern Ireland, the only part of the UK to share a land border with the EU. The status of that currently in- visible frontier with the Re- public of Ireland has become the main stumbling block to a Brexit deal. The pound has fallen sharply in recent days as businesses warn 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. The currency fell early Tuesday to $1.2120, its lowest value since March 2017. Fiona Cincotta, senior market analyst at City Index, said sterling had lost 4.3% of its value since the beginning of July. “Investors’ main con- cern remains a hard no-deal Brexit which has the poten- tial to pull the economy into chaos,” she said. “Boris John- son’s new cabinet did little to alleviate those fears, taking a hard-line with Europe on forthcoming negotiations.” 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 EU insists it will not reopen the 585-page with- drawal agreement it spent two years negotiating with May’s government. Johnson’s government has been accused of sending mixed messages on Brexit that have unsettled markets. Michael Gove, who heads a new Brexit delivery com- mittee in Cabinet, has said the government is “operating on the assumption” that the UK will leave without a deal. But Johnson – who just weeks ago put the odds of leaving without a divorce agreement at a million to one – said Monday he was “very confident” of getting a new deal. There are currently no new negotiations planned between Britain and the bloc. WASHINGTON (AP) – The De- partment of Homeland Secu- rity issued a security alert Tuesday for small planes, warning that modern flight systems are vulnerable to hacking if someone manages to gain physical access to the aircraft. An alert from the DHS critical infrastructure com- puter emergency response team recommends that plane owners ensure they restrict unauthorised physical access to their aircraft until the in- dustry develops safeguards to address the issue, which was discovered by a Boston- based cybersecurity company and reported to the federal government. Most airports have secu- rity in place to restrict un- authorised access and there is no evidence that anyone has exploited the vulnera- bility. But a DHS official told The Associated Press that the agency independently con- firmed the security flaw with outside partners and a na- tional research laboratory, and decided it was necessary to issue the warning. The cybersecurity firm, Rapid7, found that an at- tacker could potentially dis- rupt electronic messages transmitted across a small plane’s network, for example by attaching a small device to its wiring, that would af- fect aircraft systems. Engine readings, com- pass data, altitude and other readings “could all be ma- nipulated to provide false measurements to the pilot”, according to the DHS alert. The warning reflects the fact that aircraft systems are increasingly reliant on net- worked communications sys- tems, much like modern cars. The auto industry has already taken steps to address similar concerns after researchers ex- posed vulnerabilities. The Rapid7 report fo- cussed only on small air- craft because their systems are easier for researchers to acquire. Large aircraft fre- quently use more complex systems and must meet addi- tional security requirements. The DHS alert does not apply to older small planes with mechanical control systems. But Patrick Kiley, Rapid7’s lead researcher on the issue, said an attacker could exploit the vulnerability with access to a plane or by bypassing airport security. “Someone with five min- utes and a set of lock picks can gain access [or] there’s easily access through the en- gine compartment,” Kiley said. Jeffrey Troy, president of the Aviation Information Sharing and Analysis Center, an industry organisation for cybersecurity information, said there is a need to improve the security in networked op- erating systems but empha- sised that the hack depends on bypassing physical secu- rity controls mandated by law. With access, “you have hundreds of possibilities to disrupt any system or part of an aircraft”, Troy said. The Federal Aviation Ad- ministration said in a state- ment that a scenario where someone has unrestricted physical access is unlikely, but the report is also “an important reminder to re- main vigilant” about physical and cybersecurity aircraft procedures. Aviation cybersecurity has been an issue of growing concern around the world. In March, the US Depart- ment of Transportation’s in- spector general found that the FAA had “not completed a comprehensive, strategy policy framework to identify and mitigate cybersecurity risks”. The FAA agreed and said it would look to have a plan in place by the end of September. The UN’s body for aviation proposed its first strategy for securing civil aviation from hackers that is expected to go before the General Assembly in September, said Pete Cooper, an ex-Royal Air Force fast jet pilot and cyber opera- tions officer who advises the aviation industry. The vulnerability disclo- sure report is the product of nearly two years of work by Rapid7. After their re- searchers assessed the flaw, the company alerted DHS. Tuesday’s DHS alert recom- mends manufacturers review how they implement these open electronics systems known as “the CAN bus” to limit a hacker’s ability to per- form such an attack. The CAN bus functions like a small plane’s central nervous system. Targeting it could allow an attacker to stealthily hijack a pilot’s in- strument readings or even take control of the plane, ac- cording to the Rapid7 report obtained by The AP. “CAN bus is completely insecure,” said Chris King, a cybersecurity expert who has worked on vulnerability analysis of large-scale sys- tems. “It was never designed to be in an adversarial envi- ronment, [so there’s] no vali- dation” that what the system is being told to do is coming from a legitimate source. Only a few years ago, most auto manufacturers used the open CAN bus system in their cars. But after researchers publicly demonstrated how they could be hacked, auto manufacturers added on layers of security, like putting critical functions on separate networks that are harder to access externally. The disclosure highlights issues in the automotive and aviation industries about whether a software vulnera- bility should be treated like a safety defect – with its poten- tial for costly manufacturer recalls and implied liability – and what responsibility man- ufacturers should have in ensuring their products are hardened against such at- tacks. The vulnerability also highlights the reality that it’s becoming increasingly diffi- cult to separate cybersecurity from security overall. “A lot of aviation folks don’t see the overlap be- tween information secu- rity, cybersecurity, of an air- craft, and safety,” said Beau Woods, a cyber safety innova- tion fellow with the Atlantic Council, a Washington think tank. “They see them as dis- tinct things.” The CAN bus networking scheme was developed in the 1980s and is extremely popular for use in boats, drones, spacecraft, planes and cars – all areas where there’s more noise interfer- ence and it’s advantageous to have less wiring. It’s actu- ally increasingly used in aer- oplanes today due to the ease and cost of implementation, Kiley said. Given that aeroplanes have a longer manufacturing cycle, “what we’re trying to do is get out ahead of this”. Johnson faced a tough reception from farmers – a group central to the Welsh economy – who fear economic havoc if Britain leaves the European Union without a divorce deal. Engine readings, compass data, altitude and other readings “could all be manipulated to provide false measurements to the pilot”, according to the DHS alert. A currency exchange bureau displays the value of the British pound sterling against the United States dollar, left and the euro Tuesday on a main shopping street in London. – PHOTO: AP9 WORLD®IONAL CAYMAN COMPASS • WEDNESDAY, 31 JULY 2019 Officials say 57 dead in Brazil prison riot; 16 decapitated India’s Parliament approves ending instant divorce for Muslims NEW DELHI (AP) – Indian lawmakers on Tuesday ap‑ proved a bill to end the Muslim practice of instant divorce two years after the Supreme Court ruled that it violated the constitutional rights of Muslim women. Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the bill’s approval by the upper house of Parliament reflects the em‑ powerment of women and In‑ dia’s changing profile. The more powerful lower house approved the bill last week. It will become law after India’s president approves it, which is a formality. Most of the 170 million Muslims in India are Sunnis governed by the Muslim Per‑ sonal Law for family matters. The law has included allowing Muslim men to divorce their wives by saying “Talaq,” the Arabic word for divorce, three times – and not necessarily consecutively, but at any time, and by any medium, including telephone, text message or so‑ cial media post. More than 20 countries, including neighbouring Pa‑ kistan and Bangladesh, have banned the practice. The 99‑84 approval on Tuesday was a victory for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. The op‑ position had blocked the bill for more than a year, as the ruling party lacked majority support in the upper house. A split in the opposition ranks helped the government cross the line. Ghulam Nabi Azad, a Con‑ gress party leader, said the opposition parties were op‑ posed to a clause providing a three‑year jail term for a hus‑ band who divorced his wife in such a way, arguing that no other religion has such a punishment. The opposi‑ tion also said the bill had no clarity on spousal support if men were jailed for an in‑ stant divorce. Both houses of Parliament rejected the opposition stand and also refused to refer the bill to a parliamentary com‑ mittee to consider those provisions. RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) – At least 57 pris‑ oners were killed by other inmates during clashes between organised crime groups in the Altamira prison in northern Brazil Monday with 16 of the victims being decapitated, according to prison officials. Para state prison authorities said a fight erupted around 7am between the Rio de Janeiro‑based Comando Ver‑ melho and a local criminal group known as Comando Classe A. “Leaders of the [Comando Classe A] set fire to a cell belonging to one of the prison’s pavilions, where members of the [Comando Vermelho] were located,” the statement read. State prisons chief Jarbas Vascon‑ celos said the fire had spread rap‑ idly with inmates held in old container units that had been adapted for the prison while another building is under construction. The fire prevented police forces from entering the building for several hours, he told a news conference. Two prison staff members were held hostage, but eventually released. “It was a targeted attack. The aim was to show that it was a settling of ac‑ counts between the two groups, not a protest or rebellion against the prison system,” Vasconcelos said. Authorities have not found any fire‑ arms following the riot, only make‑ shift knives. Prison authorities said 46 inmates will be transferred to other prisons, 10 of which will go to stricter federal facilities. President Jair Bolsonaro was elected on the promise of curbing widespread violence in Brazil, including in the coun‑ try’s often overcrowded, out‑of‑con‑ trol prisons. The Associated Press obtained a July 2019 report from the National Justice Council that it says was filed by a local judge in charge of the facility, showing that the prison had 343 detainees for a maximum capacity of 163. Yet Vasconcelos said the situation did not meet the official requirements to be considered overcrowded. “It is not a unit that has a prison overcrowding, we consider overcrowding when it exceeds 210%,” Vasconcelos said during the press conference. The judge who filed the report de‑ scribed the overall state of the prison in the city of Altamira as “terrible”. In many of Brazil’s prisons, badly outnumbered guards struggle to retain power over an ever‑growing population of inmates who are able to run criminal activities from behind bars. The killings echoed those of 55 in‑ mates who died in a series of riots in May in several prisons in the neigh‑ bouring state of Amazonas. In early 2017, more than 120 in‑ mates died in prisons across sev‑ eral northern states when rival gangs clashed over control of drug‑trafficking routes in the region. The violence lasted several weeks, spreading to var‑ ious states. Prison authorities said they had not received any prior intelligence reports of an upcoming attack. The prison is run directly by the state, not a third‑party private operator as in the Manaus prisons where the riots took place in May. STUDY: RISING OCEAN TEMPERATURES KILLING GUAM CORAL REEFS MANGILAO, Guam (AP) – A third of Guam’s coral reefs have died because of rising ocean temperatures, re‑ searchers said. University of Guam re‑ searchers said increased temperatures killed 34% of Guam’s coral reefs be‑ tween 2013 and 2017, the Pacific Daily News re‑ ported Monday. About 60% of the reefs along Guam’s eastern coast are gone, scientists said. “Never in our history of looking at reefs have we seen something this severe,” said Laurie Ray‑ mundo, UOG marine lab director and marine bi‑ ology professor. The study was pub‑ lished in the scientific journal Coral Reefs. The problem is too ur‑ gent to ignore because corals are vital to fish hab‑ itats, provide coastal pro‑ tection and contribute to Guam’s tourism industry, Raymundo said. A multi‑agency Guam Coral Reef Response team monitors the island’s reefs and tries to revive coral communities in line with a 2017 recovery plan. Guam is now in watch status for another mass bleaching event, which precedes large‑scale reef death. “Once we see tempera‑ tures starting to rise, this is when we activate our plan,” said Whitney Hoot, Guam Bureau of Statistics and Plans coral reef resilience coordinator. Negative effects could be reduced by making changes in local stressors such as Guam’s pollution, sewage system and plastic waste, researchers said. But elevated global carbon dioxide output is to blame for heightened water temperatures. “It’s what we’re pumping into the atmosphere that is creating warmer temper‑ atures,” Raymundo said, adding that places with “enormous populations” are contributing the ma‑ jority of carbon entering the environment. “And it’s not small islands like Guam, nonetheless, we are affected by it”. Guam is a territory of the United States in the western Pacific Ocean, about 5,800 miles west of San Francisco. A police helicopter flies over the Regional Recovery Centfe, a prison in Altamira, Para state, Brazil, Monday. – PHOTO: AP An Indian Muslim couple walks near Jama Mosque in New Delhi, India. – PHOTO: AP PHILIPPINE DEFENCE CHIEF SLAMS CHINA FOR SOUTH CHINA SEA ACTS MANILA, Philippines (AP) – The Philippine defence chief criticised China on Tuesday for what he called “bullying” actions in the South China Sea and said Beijing’s peaceful as‑ surances contrast with its behaviour in the con‑ tested waters. Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana criticised Chi‑ na’s increasingly assertive actions when asked to com‑ ment on the Chinese am‑ bassador’s assurances in Manila that Beijing will not seek hegemony in the dis‑ puted region and “will not take the first shot”. “They say we do not bully people around, they follow international law, but I said you are not, what you are telling is not what you are doing on the ground,” Lorenzana said in one of his most stinging public rebukes yet of Chinese actions in ter‑ ritories claimed by Bei‑ jing, Manila and four other governments. Unless China does what it says, its words will be doubted and Filipinos will continue to look at Bei‑ jing with mistrust, said Lorenzana, a retired army general. He cited China’s low trust ratings in local opinion polls compared to those of the United States, a treaty ally of the Philippines. In a speech in Manila late Monday to mark the anniversary of the Peo‑ ple’s Liberation Army, Chi‑ nese Ambassador Zhao Ji‑ anhua said his country’s peaceful intent is enshrined in the Chinese constitution and that it’s strengthening its military “entirely for the purpose of self‑defence”. “No matter how strong China may become, China will never seek hegemony or never establish spheres of influence,” Zhao said. “China will remain com‑ mitted to serving as a force for peace, for stability and for prosperity in the world.” Zhao added that “China adopts a military strategy of active defence which adheres to the principle of defence, self‑defence and post‑strike response. Meaning we will not take the first shot.” China’s PLA is ready to deepen trust with the Phil‑ ippine military, he said.Next >