MONDAY McCombo of the
Day
i’m lovin’ it!
HIGH 77ºF LOW 67ºF
The Tribune Established 1903
24/7 BREAKING NEWS ON TRIBUNE242.COM
Biggest And Best!
VOLUME:117 No.44, JANUARY 27TH, 2020
HO US E & 16
THE PEOPLE’S PAPER: $1
INSIGHT: WILL MINNIS STILL BE IN CHARGE IN 2022?
PAGES
Students caught in Chinese virus city By KHRISNA RUSSELL Deputy Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net
AS THE coronavirus death toll in China climbs, officials will continue to monitor the travel history of every visitor to The Bahamas, but there are no plans at this time to evacuate Bahamians studying in Wuhan, where the outbreak originated. According to Health Minister Dr Duane Sands, the government does not intend to increase entry screenings as international bodies say this preventative method is not terribly effective. There are no direct flights from China to The Bahamas, and visitors from that country heading here would be screened prior to arrival, Dr Sands said. Nine Bahamian students
are studying in Wuhan, the epicentre of the virus, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, however only five are currently in the city as schools in China are on break. The deadly virus outbreak has caused utter “fright” and concern for at least one Bahamian student currently studying in Wuhan. The student’s concern was posted in a group on Facebook. “…We came to China to better ourselves to come home to serve our country,” the student wrote. “An opportunity years ago that no one ever foresaw this would happen now in 2020. It is not airborne. It is a transferable virus as in a person needs to come into contact with someone or something that has it.
KENDAL and Christine Rolle were relieved last April when Coroner’s Court jurors found that a police constable killed their son unlawfully. But, in the nine months since then, their relief has turned to anguish. The Office of the Attorney General has not made a public move in the case and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions has not charged the officer with a crime. The lack of closure, the will-they-or-won’t-they
SEE PAGE FIVE
By LEANDRA ROLLE lrolle@tribunemedia.net
CANADIAN fashion mogul Peter Nygard is facing two separate lawsuits after being accused of sexual assault. In the first lawsuit filed, which was obtained by The Tribune, a woman identified as Jane Doe accused Nygard of having sex with her while she was a minor at his California home. The lawsuit stated that Nygard, fully aware she was under 18, still engaged in sexual intercourse with her, not allowing her to leave his residence. According to the lawsuit, another incident occurred when Nygard instructed her to have sex with another individual in New York so SEE PAGE THREE
By LEANDRA ROLLE lrolle@tribunemedia.net
SEE PAGE THREE
questions that persist, are taking their toll on the Rolle family. Sometimes, the grieving mother says, all she can do is cry. “I work for myself, and sometimes I’m serving my customers and the tears are uncontrollable and I’m there trying my best to console myself, to wipe my eyes, but they just keep coming,” she said. Police were searching for Nathaniel Miller when Osworth Rolle, 22, was killed in Nassau Village on November 30, 2016. He was shot three times, twice in his face and once in his chest.
NYGARD IN TWO NEW SEX WRITS
BODIES FIND AFTER BOAT CAPSIZES
STILL WAITING ANSWERS ON SON’S UNLAWFUL KILLING By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net
HOME
SO, SO SAD
BASKETBALL legend Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna were among nine people killed in a helicopter crash in California yesterday. For full coverage, see Page 14 and Sport
THOUSANDS HIT BY WATER BREAKDOWN By LEANDRA ROLLE lrolle@tribunemedia.net
THOUSANDS of homes in Eastern New Providence were left without water yesterday after a major supply pipe fractured caused the road to collapse around it. Families woke up to discover there was no water for bathing, toilets or cooking and the situation remained like that throughout the day as Water and Sewerage teams carried
PROBLEMS on Prince Charles Drive yesterday out urgent repairs. The break in supply occurred on Prince Charles Drive near
Sammy’s restaurant around 1am yesterday. According to an area resident a driver was travelling on Prince Charles Drive when he drove into the sink hole. Shortly afterwards, another motorist crashed into a Bahamas Power and Light utility pole near the site in their attempt to avoid landing in the hole, the resident said. “The water started first because all of sudden,
Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper
SEE PAGE TWO
MEMBERS of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force and the Royal Bahamas Police Force are investigating the discovery of three bodies washed ashore in the Ragged Island chain on Saturday. The discovery came after 31 Haitian migrants were found in the area after their vessel overturned. According to reports, around noon on Saturday, officials were alerted by a tourist to the sighting of a dead body on a beach on Double Breasted Cay. SEE PAGE SEVEN
100M TAX ‘REBATE’ IN DOUBT By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net
HURRICANE Dorian’s financial fall-out has placed the government’s plan to return $100m to the Bahamian people through “significant tax cuts” in doubt, the deputy prime minister has revealed. Peter Turnquest said the magnitude of the storm’s fiscal blow meant the Minnis administration had no choice but to “reassess” the pledge it made when unveiling the 60 percent VAT rate hike during the 2018-2019 Budget. FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS
PAGE 2, Monday, January 27, 2020
THE TRIBUNE
BACON & BLUE
CHEESE THE SCENE at the sink hole on Prince Charles Drive yesterday Photos: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff
BACON & BLUE CHEESE BACON
& BLUE CHEESE $
9
95 MEAL
WWW.BURGERKING.BS
THOUSANDS HIT BY WATER BREAKDOWN from page one
something gone bang and like that then the road get flooded and all (my yard) was underwater….(but) not my house,” said Ferdinand Sherman. “And after the water happened, the cars was speeding up and down the road. Then after that, couple of cars fall in the hole (and) about two or three fall in the hole. “Then after that, the other car what knocked (my) fence down, he come from down the (opposite) way and he was speeding and he hit the lamp pole down….They walked out without a scratch on them. Not a scratch on them.” Having lived in the area for over 30 years, Mr Sherman told The Tribune he never experienced anything like it. “I ain’t sleep last night. Only me, my wife and my daughter live in this house. My daughter 19 and we been here over 30
years… I thought the first time I heard it, I thought someone had buck up you know, but someone said the pipes twist.” Speaking at the scene, a BPL representative told The Tribune: “What happened (is) a vehicle struck one of our high-tension poles, resulting in the pole being broken and we had to repair it…. But, all of BPL’s power is back on.” Last night Water and Sewerage Corporation officials issued a statement which read: “Around 1am this morning, The Corporation’s System Control began receiving alarms from its SCADA system along with reports from the public regarding heavy flooding along Prince Charles Drive, just west of Popeye’s Chicken. Corporation personnel were alerted and responded, securing the roadway and shutting down the supply along Prince Charles Drive to prevent any further flooding. This
has resulted in low water pressure and no water to customers in Eastern New Providence. “Repair teams mobilised shortly thereafter and commenced their excavation works. The failure was the result of a longitude crack/ split along a length (20feet) of installed 24-inch PVC transmission main. “Our teams have completed their repairs and commenced the restoration of water supply around 4pm today. Customers should note, it will take a few hours for normal water pressure to be fully restored to all areas including extreme ends of the system and elevated locations. “Clean up and temporary road repairs are presently underway and the roadway will be reopened this evening. The Corporation apologies for all inconvenience caused and appreciated the patience of our customers as we effected our repairs.”
THE TRIBUNE
Monday, January 27, 2020, PAGE 3
NYGARD ACCUSED OF SEXUAL ASSAULT IN NEW WRITS from page one
he could have sex with the respective individual’s partner. Meanwhile, in a second lawsuit, a woman named Maridel Carbuccia is alleging that Nygard sexually assaulted her several times during her time of employment with him. The first incident happened in early 2016, when Mrs Carbuccia alleged that Nygard grabbed her buttocks for the first time, but later apologised and claimed it would never happen again. Still, Mrs Carbuccia said he continued to do so on many occasions. In fact, according to the lawsuit, another incident occurred when Nygard’s house manager was placed on medical leave in July in 2016. Mrs Carbuccia said Nygard insisted that she
perform house manager duties in addition to her previous responsibilities. These duties, she said, would require her to invite women to attend “pamper parties”, check them in when they arrived and ensure that they had signed confidentiality agreements. After objecting to being involved in these activities, Mrs Carbuccia said Nygard still insisted she continue to perform those duties – at the risk of losing her job. Several months later, Mrs Carbuccia resigned, claiming to be angered that the fashion mogul was not following through with the financial commitments he had made to her. According to the lawsuit, the terms of Mrs Carbuccia’s employment were she “would move her family to Los Angeles and upon so doing would be paid a salary of $10,000 a month.” The lawsuit says she was
also promised “a car allowance of $40,000 and moving expenses of $30,000. Plaintiff would receive a rent subsidy of $5,000 a month for two years for a total of $120,000.” In addition to this, the plaintiff was expected to manage a project in Topanga, California, until completion and then remain employed by Nygard when the facility opened. “In addition, plaintiff was promised a five percent equity position in the Topanga facility,” the lawsuit notes. However, Mrs Carbuccia claimed that Nygard made these promises with no intention of following them and only to persuade her to become employed by him. This, along with numerous alleged sexual assaults, led to her resignation in December 2016. Still, Mrs Carbuccia said Nygard would constantly beg her to return to work,
CANADIAN fashion mogul Peter Nygard promising that all previous commitments made would be fulfilled and that his aberrant sexual behaviours towards her would cease. She claimed he told her that she would receive all monies owed to her and all previous commitments would be fulfilled.
Wanting to believe his sincerity, Mrs Carbuccia said she met with Nygard in February of 2017 to discuss her reemployment, where he apologised for his sexual batteries and assaults and was adamant that they would not reoccur. But, according to the lawsuit, soon after she returned to work, the sexual incidents resumed. “On numerous occasions in 2017 defendant Nygard grabbed plaintiff’s buttocks and on January 22, 2018 grabbed her breasts,” the lawsuit said. “After she agreed to work for defendant Nygard, he advised plaintiff that her salary would be $80,000 a year plus quarterly non-discretionary bonuses which would add up to $120,000 a year,” the lawsuit said. “He described this as a forced savings account. However, whenever a bonus was due, plaintiff would have to send
multiple emails seeking his authorisation and approval for payment. Some of these non-discretionary bonuses were never made. “..On January 22, 2018 defendant Nygard met with Plaintiff in person at the dispensary. She asked him about the promises that he had made and particularly about her bonuses. “He told her that he was behind on approvals but that they would be forthcoming. He also said that she would receive the moving allowance, the rent subsidies and the car allowance when Topanga was opened. “Then he grabbed Plaintiff’s breasts. He said that her ‘ass’ looked amazing. He said, ‘you know what they say about pregnant women.’ He said ‘they want it more’ while making a forward motion with his hips.” Both lawsuits were filed in California.
Students caught in Chinese virus city from page one “We all are taking measures to protect ourselves and miss home very much. So please, understand that it is not a personal choice to be on lock-down and it is frightening.” Wuhan was one of the first 14 cities where Chinese officials imposed restrictions on movement to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus. Another Bahamian living in Hong Kong recounted the steps she has taken to safeguard herself from contracting the virus. She said: “On top of hand washing, I have stopped buying fresh fruits and vegetables or anything prepared that could have been exposed. Canned, frozen and jarred will have to do.” She said she was even stripping labels off cans and jars and placing them in hot water and dishwashing liquid before opening. “I am even quarantining my groceries,” she wrote. “I purchase and let sit for a few days and follow the official government website that lists places and persons infected (where they) have lived, worked, visited. If after a few days no case is close to my area or connected to the supermarket then I start using my supplies.” Up to press time, the coronavirus had killed 56 people in China. There are reportedly more than 2,000 infections worldwide, with the virus already found in the United States, Canada, Thailand, France, Japan, South Korea and Australia. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement on Saturday said the Bahamas’ ambassador to China was in close contact with the five students currently in Wuhan as well as all Bahamians living there. The statement added that the students in Wuhan were safe and had been advised to comply with all safety and security advisories issued by Chinese officials. Yesterday, Dr Sands insisted that while the concerns over the virus are understandable, there remain far greater threats in measles and influenza that many Bahamians have chosen to ignore. “We have been considering it but at this point there are no plans based
To advertise in The Tribune, contact 502-2394
A WORKER wearing a hazardous materials suit takes the temperature of a passenger at the entrance to a subway station in Beijing yesterday on the current recommendation,” Dr Sands said yesterday when he was asked if government planned to evacuate students in China. He also said: “I think we have to be very sensitive to the public’s concerns and fears. “We are working very closely with WHO, CDC and PAHO. We are following the recommendations of those international bodies being mindful of the concerns of our citizens. We are working very closely with foreign affairs and tourism and we have to be holistic as we make any decisions. “The World Health Organisation has not declared this as a pandemic of international concern. It is certainly an issue for China and the Chinese government has done a
phenomenal job of containing the movement of people. “Yes there have been less than 100 people that we are aware of carrying the virus out of the country but for the most part this has been contained to China because they have taken some very extraordinary and unusual approaches to containing it. “If you look now at the
CDC advice and the WHO advice, they are supporting exit screening. They have demonstrated that entry screening is not terribly effective, so very few airports around the world, even very busy airports have not adopted entry screening,” Dr Sands also said. “They have also said not to curtail international
commerce or travel and so we don’t make this stuff up as we go along. What we try to do is look at what is in the best interest of the Bahamas and Bahamians, but we have to be mindful of the evidence and people panicking isn’t going to help. “I think it’s very important for us to recognise that we have far greater threats that’s in measles and the flu. We would have had several persons with measles make it to The Bahamas. We would have said we have 35,000 people that require additional vaccination.” But despite an aggressive approach toward measles vaccinations, only 13,000 people have heeded local warnings. “That’s good, but its not good enough,” Dr Sands told this newspaper yesterday. “So in the time that we have been worried about coronavirus and some 56
people died at the same time we’ve had some 10,000 people die from measles. While we are worrying about corona, 4,0000 have died worldwide from influenza. The issue is people are far more likely to die from the flu or measles than you are from corona.” Symptoms of the coronavirus can include fever, cough, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing and respiratory problems. It is spread from human to human, and is likely transmitted by coughing or sneezing. To help prevent the spread of infection, members of the public are advised to wash their hands frequently, cover their mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing and avoid close contact with anyone showing symptoms of respiratory illness. Editorial View - Page 4
PAGE 4, Monday, January 27, 2020
THE TRIBUNE
The Tribune Limited NULLIUS ADDICTUS JURARE IN VERBA MAGISTRI “Being Bound to Swear to The Dogmas of No Master”
LEON E. H. DUPUCH,
SIR ETIENNE DUPUCH,
jamaaltheartist@gmail.com
Publisher/Editor 1903-1914 Kt., O.B.E., K.M., K.C.S.G., (Hon.) LL.D., D.Litt .
Publisher/Editor 1919-1972 Contributing Editor 1972-1991
EILEEN DUPUCH CARRON,
C.M.G., M.S., B.A., LL.B. Publisher/Editor 1972-
Published daily Monday to Friday
Shirley & Deveaux Streets, Nassau, Bahamas N3207 TELEPHONES
News & General Information Advertising Manager Circulation Department Nassau fax Freeport, Grand Bahama Freeport fax
(242) 322-1986 (242) 502-2394 (242) 502-2386 (242) 328-2398 (242)-352-6608 (242) 352-9348
WEBSITE, TWITTER & FACEBOOK www.tribune242.com
@tribune242
tribune news network
Justice delayed is justice denied IT IS now more than three years since Osworth Rolle was shot dead by Detective Constable Kendrick Brown. A jury considered the evidence last April and returned a verdict of unlawful killing after hearing that Mr Rolle was shot three times, with each of the bullets travelling downwards in Rolle’s body, a trajectory described as unusual by a forensic pathologist during the hearing before the coroner. After the ruling, the victim’s mother, Christina, said of the verdict: “God is good. To God be the glory. Great things He has done.” Her husband, in the aftermath of the verdict, said: “I want the officer to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law… if this man takes my son’s life unlawfully… why should he just be able to say he was in the line of duty and should not be held accountable for what happened?” That was in April – and to date nothing more has been done, it would seem, to charge the officer with a crime. The Rolle family felt vindicated when the jury agreed their son was killed unlawfully – and now they feel betrayed by a system that won’t do anything about it. The Director of Public Prosecutions, Garvin Gaskin, met the family several weeks after the verdict and said no decision on a prosecution had been made. He also said he was uneasy about a video – not presented during the inquest – of a witness saying that Osworth had pointed a weapon at police. As the family rightly asked, if the video was so important, why wasn’t it presented in court? An offer was apparently made to show the family the video – but not with their attorney present. It is hard to imagine what reason could possibly be suggested for denying the family the presence of their legal representative. It all speaks to a lack of seriousness in dealing with accusations towards officers. Immediately after the verdict, police commissioner effectively shrugged off the outcome, saying it was not his job to suspend officers who have carried out unlawful killings. “The law,” he said, “mandates the commissioner to supervise the Royal Bahamas Police Force and at this stage the officer is on active duty and there is nothing that prevents him from being on active duty.”
We have written before about how there seems to be a lack of seriousness with which such accusations are taken – and this is just the latest example. In one complaint, three people said they were tortured by police in Eleuthera only to be released – and after they made a formal complaint and didn’t hear anything for a year, they were called to the police station only to be told that time had run out for their complaint to be dealt with, even though it was the police who had done nothing with the complaint and let time run out. So now we have the case of Osworth Rolle, now nine months on from the inquest verdict and three years and two months on from the killing itself. How long must his parents be made to wait? How long can the state justify not providing answers? There is a long-time saying in the legal community that justice delayed is justice denied – and every day that the Rolle family is denied an answer as to why charges have not been brought is a denial of the principles of justice itself. We could pick out dozens of cases where brutality has been alleged or police officers have been accused of overstepping their bounds, and to go with those cases we can point to lots of words from officials. Take National Security Minister Marvin Dames. In August last year, after an incident in Exuma, he said: “We’re not here to cover up for anybody and that will not be accepted, not in this force. Police officers, law enforcement officers have taken an oath to protect the citizens of this country and those who visit and we expect that they live up to that oath. “No one is above the law whether you are in uniform or whether you are in public life. Nobody is above the law and where it is found out at the end of the day that persons whether they are law enforcement officers or public officials are in breach of the law, they will be treated like anyone else and I can assure you of that.” With an officer still on duty and no sign of a prosecution despite a jury delivering a verdict of unlawful killing, that assurance is looking pretty thin. If Bahamians are to have confidence in their police force, the system must be equal – and it must do better.
Be watchful, not fearful AS THE world looks with concern toward China after the outbreak of the coronavirus in the city of Wuhan, we think particularly of Bahamians studying there. Five remain in the city at present – and thankfully all are well at present. The virus itself has already spread to the United States, Canada, Thailand, France, Japan, South Korea and Australia – but calls to block all visitors from China are misplaced. Also, while the headlines are frightening, as Minister of Health Dr Duane Sands points out, there remain bigger threats from measles and influenza. Instead, The Bahamas is listening to the advice of global health experts and
following the recommendations given. As Dr Sands says, entry screening has not been very effective, so exit screening is the recommended approach. That said, for those concerned, there are steps that can be taken – frequent washing of hands, covering mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing and avoiding close contact with people showing symptoms such as fever, cough, or difficulty breathing. It is important not to panic – but wise to be watchful. And in the meantime, spare a thought for those far from home in the heart of the outbreak. For them, the worry is on their doorstep, and their health should be our paramount concern.
Election will tell us EDITOR, The Tribune SEEING that, before their appointment, the closest most FNM cabinet ministers would have come to the first class world travel they are now enjoying would have been a weekend at Day’s Inn in
Fort Lauderdale, there is perhaps some truth to the PM’s assertion that his government has “uplifted the poor’’. We’ll see at the next election if the broader population (burdened by his 60% VAT hike, 15% hike for the lousiest-ever
electricity service and subjected to an appalling giveaway of public assets) had such uplifting in mind when they voted this circus into town. ANDREW ALLEN Nassau January 23, 2020
It’s our job to hold the police to account EDITOR, The Tribune
The Commissioner of Police is complaining that this village is producing so many idiots that he is obliged to lower his recruitment standards. He could not be more wrong. The Comish chided society for being at fault for some of the elements of indiscipline we now see on his Force. This seemed an odd observation from someone who is supposed to oversee a disciplined force of women and men whose job is to serve and protect. According to the Commissioner, bad parenting and poor schooling contaminates the talent pool from which he must draw to staff his Force. It’s our fault that he has to recruit, train, graduate and then issue badges to policemen some of whom turn out to be no better than the thugs we expect them to arrest for running afoul of the law. The Commissioner has had no end of embarrassment from his staff of late. Perhaps it has always been thus, but in the age of cell phone cameras and the internet, it seems that every week we are left crying shame on the Force because of the junglist behaviour, downright stupidity or criminality of a tiny percentage of our (mostly) men in uniform. The latest incident came during the New Year’s junkanoo parade when a posse of punks disrupted a portion of the parade route with loutish behaviour. We expect the police to quickly diffuse or neutralise these situations and to do so with an intent to prevent injury to bystanders or destruction of property. Physical or lethal force should be commensurate
LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net with the perceived threat and all policemen should know from the outset that corporal punishment is not their job. Police brutality is a stain on us all as it’s evidence of a rot on the Force that goes way higher than the rank and file. Junior staff do what they can get away with. Our Police Force is 180 years old this year. With 3,000 members, it is one of the largest employers in the country. To retain its organic growth, it has to constantly recruit and train new policemen. And this, apparently, is where they come up short. The Commissioner should be looking for recruits of good moral character who demonstrate qualities of courage, integrity and loyalty. That’s their motto. But this high standard of recruitment ties the Commissioner’s hands. Society has limited the number of competent young men available to him. But that doesn’t mean we must write off an entire generation as a lost cause. If the Commissioner and his line Minister made the case, we taxpayers might stomach giving him more money to recruit a higher standard of officer. That invariably will mean the Force will have a lot more female officers than it does today. Women are the high achievers in our society and our men and boys have a lot of catching up to do. The police should help to tilt the recruitment pool to their advantage by participating in Little League sporting games and being more active in athletics and after school activities.
Coaches, teachers, clergy, parents and neighbours know more about the youth on the street than the police ever could, and they could help steer suitable youngsters from an early age into a career in law enforcement. Recruits with overall good character won’t drink and drive police cars while filming themselves and then post the video on the internet, if they fear serious repercussions from higher up their chain of command. The police association should have a stupidity litmus test and apply it to each situation instead of automatically protecting bad actors and the just plain dumb ones. Things will change when the good officers on the Force (and there are many), start to demand that the slackers get weeded out. The government is slowly modernising the laws making it clearer for the police to enforce them. And money is being spent on recurrent training, on equipment, hardware and software to help the police prevent crime, and to investigate, hunt down and prosecute offenders when it does occur. It is our job to make sure the police are held to account. Citizens should continue to roll their cameras. A competent policeman doing his job will not fear video tape. The Commissioner will come to see that this village raises more than idiots. And we are prepared to help him identify good women and men if he promises to give them the training, discipline and integrity to serve and protect. No more excuses, Sir. THE GRADUATE Nassau, January 26, 2020
THE TRIBUNE
Monday, January 27, 2020, PAGE 5
Family waiting for answers on son’s unlawful killing
Sometimes, the tears are uncontrollable ... I’m there trying my best to console myself, to wipe my eyes, but they just keep coming, says grieving mother from page one Police claimed he pointed a weapon at them during a foot chase. Mrs Rolle and her husband met Director of Public Prosecutions Garvin Gaskin several weeks after five jurors returned an unlawful killing finding on April 9, 2019. “He told us they hadn’t made a decision but there was one thing that left him uneasy,” Mrs Rolle said––a video of a witness confessing that her son pointed a weapon at police. The video was not presented during the inquest. “I said to him, ‘How come this video wasn’t presented in court when the trial was going on?’ They wanted us to view the video without our attorney being present. We refused to do that so we left. From then to now, we haven’t heard anything else,” Mrs Rolle said. Confessions have a fraught history in the Bahamian criminal justice system, with frequent accusations that they are made after abuse and coercion. Just last month the Court of Appeal ordered a retrial for two men who had been convicted of a conspiracy to commit murder after concluding that a Supreme Court judge inadequately handled defendants’ and witnesses’ claims that they were beaten for testimonies. In Rolle’s case, the witness testified during the inquest and said his taped confession was false, that he claimed Rolle had a gun because police threatened to charge him if he refused. “The jury heard all sides and they made a determination,” said Romona Farquharson-Seymour, the Rolle family lawyer. “Moreover, the jurors’ verdict didn’t come down to that man’s evidence but to the trajectory of the bullets that struck Osworth.”
During the inquest, forensic pathologist Dr Caryn Sands testified that the bullets that struck Rolle travelled downwards to his body. Given Rolle’s height, the height of the officer and the circumstances of the shooting, Dr Sands said the downward trajectory of the bullets was unusual. “Clearly whoever shot Osworth was above him, or at least the gun was above him. That is very inconsistent with this man facing the officer from however feet away and being parallel to him with a gun. That was the turning point in the inquest,” Mrs FarquharsonSeymour said last week. She said even in the rare moments when jurors return unlawful killing findings against police, the system does not inspire confidence. “They are an extension of the Attorney General’s Office, the police, so they build rapport with those offices. There is not enough independence or separation for (government lawyers) to go against them. It is very rare and that is why police act with impunity,” she said. “So many times they bring cases where you are left holding your head wondering where is the evidence against the person and their response is, ‘let’s let the jury decide.’ So why the difficulty doing that here?” Bjorn Ferguson, the lawyer for the officer, emphasised that getting an unlawful killing finding in the Coroner’s Court is one thing, but securing a guilty verdict in the Supreme Court once criminal culpability has been ascribed to someone is entirely different. Because the Coroner’s Court is designed to ascertain the basic facts of a matter and nothing else, experts still must sift through the evidence, consider people’s motives and decide if a charge is defensible, he said yesterday.
MARIJUANA FOUND IN BUSHES
POLICE seized two garbage bags filled with suspected marijuana from bushes on Friday. Shortly after 5pm, officers of the Rapid Response Unit, acting on information, conducted a search of bushes in the Spinney Road area through a footpath near a residential home and discovered two garbage bags containing a quantity of suspected marijuana. A man was arrested in connection with this matter. The suspected marijuana weighed 40 pounds with a street value of $40,000.
“The courts are already loaded with too many matters that need to be disposed off and the DPP has to be satisfied with whether or not they could convince a jury at the requisite standard that those officers conducted themselves unlawfully on that day in the process of doing their jobs,” he said. “There are stubborn facts in this case, like the fact that a loaded firearm was recovered and witnesses testified that the man had the deadly weapon. Furthermore, the whole issue of fear is subjective. The officer feared
for his life. You could have a police officer, he has a loaded weapon and the perpetrator has a loaded weapon. The officer has a right to defend himself.” Mr Gaskin did not return calls for comment. Rolle’s parents say they just want answers so they could move to the next step. “It ain’t a good feeling as a mother to wait this long,” said Mrs Rolle. “There are a lot of sleepless nights because your mind is just going, going, going and I think when you go through something
PARENTS Kendal and Christine Rolle, above, and, left, their son Osworth Rolle
like this, the quicker you deal with it, you can kinda heal, but the longer it goes on, the more the wound remains open.” The parents are unsure if a failure to charge the officer would erase the satisfaction they felt over the Coroner’s Court finding. “One thing I’m so happy about is that my son’s name was cleared because there were lots of rumours running around,” said Mr Rolle, who has a birthday on November 29, then faces the anniversary of his son’s death on November 30. “I
don’t know if the system is there to protect its citizens. It seems like the system is there to protect the people in uniform. If they had shot my son and it caused me to stay away from my job and push my son in a wheelchair for the rest of my life just for him to be here, I would’ve done that knowing my son is still alive rather than to know my son is not here with us anymore and that his killer is free after the jury said what he did was unlawful.” Editorial View - Page 4
PAGE 6, Monday, January 27, 2020
THE TRIBUNE
Speed of recovery far too slow, says Davis By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net PHILIP “Brave” Davis believes that the government’s creation of a Ministry for Disaster Relief and now a Disaster Relief Authority further delayed the pace of hurricane recovery for Grand Bahama and Abaco. The Progressive Liberal Party leader was also critical of the appointment of what he termed “politically divisive figures” that have been put in charge of those agencies. “This is quite regrettable and slows down the pace of recovery,” Mr Davis said on Friday afternoon during his visit to Grand Bahama. He was accompanied by Senator Frederick Mitchell, chairman of the PLP. On his visit, Mr Davis toured East Grand Bahama and said the pace of restoration is moving at a snail’s pace. He said downed
power lines and debris still remain an issue. Similarly, he feels that the Grand Bahama Port Authority is also lagging in the hurricane restoration of Freeport. “It must be pointed out that there is a second layer of bureaucracy in this city. That is the Grand Bahama Port Authority. There are complaints about their performance in this hurricane restoration as well,” Mr Davis said. “What greeted me today is not a city that I remember as a worker in this city as being green, clean and pristine. Sadly, I see too many examples of the garbage along the verges and there is no excuse for that. The place does not look up to mark. “This is quite incredible for a city and island that has some five FNM representatives. For the moment, I exclude our colleague Frederick McAlpine from the mess because I know from
personal experience that he is trying his best. We cannot speak for the others,” Mr Davis said. In Freeport, Mr Davis was concerned about several issues, including the airport, the potable water situation, and the economy. The lack of international air traffic in Grand Bahama requires urgent attention. “Something must be done,” Mr Davis stressed. “It seems disgraceful almost six months after the storm that we do not have an adequate and functioning international airport. “I read in this morning’s (Friday) press that the government plans to buy the airport. But while in principle I believe that services of this kind ought to be owned by the government, I am concerned that the private authorities that have responsibility for running and managing this city are in fact abandoning the provisions of the Hawksbill Creek Agreement and
PROGRESSIVE Liberal Party leader Philip Davis in reverse simply skimming profits investment without living up to their osmosis to supply the city responsibilities. Tangen- with fresh water is required tially, I want to say this is immediately. Mr Davis added: “It clearly reflected in the state of the road in Freeport,” appears that the authorities here do not have the will or Mr Davis said. Speaking on the potable the capital to do anything water situation, the opposi- about it.” On the economy of tion leader believes that the current level of water pota- Freeport, the PLP leader referred to the pending sale bility is “unacceptable.” “The (Grand Bahama) of Grand Lucayan resort, Utility Company says that which, he said, has been they are only at 25 percent a drain on Bahamian taxpotable water supply. They payers. The government claim that they will be up to bought the beleaguered 75 percent by May. This too property in 2018. “Finally, I address the seems unacceptable,” Mr economy and the longDavis said. He indicated that an running march up the
aisle by the government and the putative buyers of the Grand Lucayan hotel. The purchase has cost the Bahamian taxpayer (tens of millions) and yet today, many in the Port Lucaya market report to us that there are no sales at all during the day. Clearly, something is wrong,” Mr Davis said. Last May, the government signed a letter of intent with Royal Caribbean Cruises and the ITM Group for the purchase of the Grand Lucayan for $65 million. Negotiations are still underway, however, the purchase has not yet been finalised.
DRA DISMISSES ‘FAKE NEWS’ OVER QUALITY OF DOMES THE Disaster Reconstruction Authority has defended the integrity of the domes it has purchased
to temporarily house storm victims, calling social media posts criticising their quality “fake news”.
“On Friday, January 24, 2020, a fake news story circulated on social media stating that the real cost of
the domes is $900 per unit,” the DRA said. “This fake news post suggested the authority overspent or misinformed the public on the real dome cost. “This social media post is false and extremely misleading. The cheap domes for $900 referred to in the fake news social media post are of significantly lower quality than the domes purchased by the authority. “It is unclear if the cheap domes were tested for quality at international standards. It is also unclear what materials were used in their construction. It is irresponsible of anyone to suggest the authority should purchase cheap, untested domes that cannot stand up to the conditions in our country. “The authority advises Bahamians to get their news and information from
THE DOMES responsible news sources. There is a large amount of fake news circulating created by uniformed people,” the DRA noted. Domes are under construction in Spring City, Abaco. The DRA has budgeted $6.4 million for the domes; an estimated $4 million has been committed to cost. This $4 million cost includes the purchase of 250 domes; the preparation of the land for the domes;
the purchase of equipment related to the installation; the installation of infrastructure for the domes; and operation of the family relief centre, the DRA noted. The DRA said the InterShelter domes its purchased have been structurally and field tested – the field testing being over 30 years; and the domes are designed to withstand hurricane-force winds of 200-plus miles per hour. The domes have been used around the world and by the US Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force and are reusable after the their initial use. The temporary domes are free of charge to those displaced by Hurricane Dorian. Information regarding applications for the domes will be issued in the near future, the DRA said.
THE TRIBUNE By KHRISNA RUSSELL Deputy Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net JUNKANOO Corporation of New Providence Chairman Dion Miller is “disappointed” with the Valley Boys’ threat to boycott further parades after the official 2019 Boxing Day results placed the Shell Saxons as victors of the parade. “We don’t need that kind of stuff in Junkanoo,” Mr Miller told The Tribune yesterday. “(There is no place for) this tribalism stuff.” Last week it was reported that the official 2019 Boxing Day results pushed the Valley Boys, the original winner into second place. The Saxons had placed second in the unofficial tally, followed by Genesis, One Family and Roots. Several days later the Valley Boys’ chairman, Brain Adderley, said the group was rejecting the decision of the Independent Review Committee saying the process was filled with mistakes. “We don’t care what organisation is formed to manage the Junkanoo parade, but if these results change we will not be participating in anymore parades under the JCNP,” Mr Adderley told Our News on Friday. Responding yesterday, Mr Miller said he was surprised to learn of the Valley Boys’ decision as it was not expressed in a meeting early Friday where several groups met with Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis. This meeting, he
Monday, January 27, 2020, PAGE 7
‘We don’t want the Valley Boys to boycott Junkanoo’
PRIME Minister Hubert Minnis recently met with Junkanoo A Group leaders. Right: The Valley Boys on Bay Street at Junkanoo Boxing Day parade said, was geared toward advancing the cultural experience. A press release from the Office of the Prime Minister said Dr Minnis invited the junkanooers to collaborate on a national plan to move the event “beyond Bay Street.” At the time, the prime minister encouraged the leaders to make the most of their upcoming conclave scheduled for March and pledged the government’s support to advance the festival on the international stage. This is not the first
time the Valley Boys have threatened to drop parade participation, Mr Miller said. “Well it’s nothing we could really do if they decide they don’t want to participate,” Mr Miller said. “At the end of the day the member groups agreed that the IRC is the appellate board for the parade. So if the Valley Boys is upset with their ruling that is unfortunate. “We are talking about a seven man independent grouping. As a matter of fact I think two of those persons on that board
were nominated or recommended by the Valley Boys so their decisions are final and binding. “The Valley Boys placed a proposition for the findings and they would like to do away with them, but you can’t do away with the IRC at this juncture after they made their ruling. “This is not the first time something like this happened, matter of fact this happened to the Saxons on about two different occasions, it happened to Roots before and it also happened to Valley Boys before.”
He also said: “So the Valley Boys said Friday evening they got word that the report was ready on Thursday and so they placed their proposition to the JCNP that they would walk away and all that. “But we don’t need that kind of stuff in Junkanoo. (There is not place for) this tribalism stuff. We agreed to these things. The IRC has been in place for over a decade so that is a process that everyone agrees to. “It’s unfortunate. I know they are disappointed with the turn of events but we can’t appease the Valley Boys so we will give it time to cool off and hopefully calmer heads will prevail. “Sometimes leaders say this type of thing and
then the members push for something else and they come back to the table.” It is not unusual for differences to emerge between unofficial and official results of Junkanoo parades, much to the anger of fans. The Valley Boys were a victim of such changes in 2017. The group was declared the victor according to unofficial results for the 2017 New Year’s Day parade, but lost that title to Roots. Then JCNP Chairman Silbert Ferguson cited errors in the allocation of penalties as the reason. Mr Miller said the JCNP plans to release the official results later today. Mr Adderley could not be reached yesterday for comment.
Three bodies are washed ashore after boat capsizes THE BODIES of the migrants being brought to New Providence.
from page one Over an hour later, the RBDF said, the tourist had reported the sighting of another body in the area. Meanwhile, a third body was found near Hog Cay by locals, which is about two miles south
southwest of Double Breasted Cay. The bodies, all males, were brought to New Providence yesterday. “This comes after 31 migrants were discovered (three days earlier) between Maycock Cay and Double Breasted Cay after their vessel had reportedly capsized and were
subsequently rescued by HMBS L L Smith, arriving in the capital on January 21,” the RBDF said in a statement. “The group had reportedly left from Haiti on January 10, 2020, with varying reports that they had capsized around January 13, being able to survive on
the cay for some five days. All those rescued appeared to be in good health and required no further medical attention.” According to the RBDF, the migrants told investigators that there were more persons unaccounted for, including another five women, but could not provide a exact
AG LEADS CONDOLENCES TO J PAUL MORGAN FAMILY ATTORNEY General Carl Bethel, QC, on behalf of the Bahamas government, expressed condolences to the family of the late J Paul Morgan, a long standing member of the board of the Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority, (URCA) and a friend of The Bahamas. “JP Morgan, as he is affectionately known,” said Mr Bethel, “is a household name in utility regulation,
not just in the region, but around the world. He was a founding board member of URCA, having been first appointed in 2009 at the establishment of the regulator. JP Morgan was re-appointed by all subsequent administrations up to and including the current administration. He has more than 40 years in utilities engineering, utility regulation, management and consulting in the region.
“As a board member,” Mr Bethel said, “he played a pivotal role in the structuring of URCA and its work in general over the last ten years. In particular, he made valuable contributions to URCA’s work in the development of the regulatory regime for the regulated sectors more specifically telecommunications. Utility Regulation in The Bahamas has benefitted tremendously from JP
Morgan’s expertise, his vast wealth of knowledge and experience. He has been hailed as the consummate public servant in his home country, Jamaica, where he served the regulator there in several capacities. “The Bahamas mourns the loss of a gentleman, a scholar and a true CARICOM professional and extends its deepest sympathies to his family,” Mr Bethel said.
total of all who had left Port au Paix, Haiti. The RBDF said last night that a submerged wreck believed to be a wooden Haitian sloop was spotted in waters off Pigeon Cay. Still, investigations will continue as officials search
the surrounding areas for further survivors. In the meantime, the public with any information on these matters or who have seen any recent sightings are asked to call the RBDF Operations Centre at 242-826-3117.
CAVES VILLAGE Premium Office Space for Lease 1,056 sq.ft. 4 offices, conference room, reception, kitchenette and bathroom, IT closet. $2,640.00 pm. plus CAM + VAT Contact Mr. Simon Chappell on 327 1575 or 477-7610 Email: simon@cavesvillage.com
PAGE 8, Monday, January 27, 2020
THE TRIBUNE
Family in shock after 27-year-old teacher dies in car accident
ABOVE: The scene of the accident and, left, 27-year-old Bajina Marshall By FARRAH JOHNSON fjohnson@tribunemedia.net THE family of the woman who lost her life in a traffic fatality in Central Andros on Thursday say they are shocked by her unexpected death. According to reports, shortly before 4pm, a woman identified by family members as 27-yearold Bajina Marshall was driving a blue Suzuki Swift in the vicinity of Davis Creek, Central Andros when she lost control of her vehicle and crashed into a utility pole and bushes. Police said the victim sustained serious injuries and was taken to the Fresh Creek Community Clinic where she was pronounced dead. Her father, Enoch Marshall, told The Tribune he was 25 minutes away from the site of the accident when he first received the news of his daughter’s death. “I can’t describe it,” he said. “Boy, it felt like all the blood just draw out of my body – all. Especially when I found out she was in a bad
condition and that she was unconscious. I just began to pray asking the Lord to hold her and keep her. It wasn’t a good feeling at all.” Mr Marshall said the “closest thing” he could describe his daughter to was an angel. He insisted that she was a caring person who made an impact wherever she went. The victim’s mother, Jenevieve Marshall, also described her daughter as a people’s person who was extremely friendly. “She was a person who liked to meet people,” she said. “She was kind and always affectionate. We’re still in shock (but) we’re getting there day by day. Time heals.” According to her parents, Ms Marshall was a religious studies teacher at Central Andros High. The victim was also a member of the Nassau chapter of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority and was well known throughout her community. “The Christian Council went down to the school (after her death) to pray with the students and
teachers and encourage them,” her father added. “The students were weeping. The whole school was weeping. We have gotten lots of love from all over. The community is going to be affected by her death.” Tonya Marshall, the victim’s older sister, also told this newspaper she is struggling to come to terms with her sibling’s death. “I’m still in shock,” she said between tears. “She was really well known because she was always travelling. “I can’t even explain myself. As sisters, we always had a perfect relationship so I’m speechless right now and I’m starting to breakdown. She never felt like she reached the point where she had already accomplished all of her goals. “She got all of her degrees, but she always wanted to do more. She told me she wanted to go back to school to do some more stuff. There was never an end to what she wanted to do in life and I feel like she has gone a little too soon. I’m still in shock.”
MAN DIES IN ABACO CRASH A MAN died in Abaco on Saturday after a car crash. Police said the accident occurred shortly after 2am. A man was driving a Chevrolet van south on Ernest Dean Highway in the vicinity of Schooner Bay resort, when he lost control of the vehicle and
overturned. He sustained serious injuries and was transported to the Marsh Harbour clinic, where he was pronounced dead. Traffic Department officers will travel to Abaco to continue the investigation into this matter.
RELATIVES CONFIRM IDENTITY OF 25-YEAR-OLD SHOT DEAD By EARYEL BOWLEG ebowleg@tribunemedia.net
RELATIVES of the man shot dead on Thursday night in Flamingo Gardens have identified him as 25-year-old Jahkil Armbrister. Police reported that shortly before 9pm, two armed men forced their way into the home on Higher Drive, Flamingo Gardens. Mr Armbrister was inside. The men opened fire on him before getting into a silver vehicle and speeding away. Paramedics were called, but he was pronounced dead at the scene. On the night of the murder, his brother, Shadda Armbrister, was inside the home. The 25-year-old’s brother explained they were hanging out with about four friends at the
VICTIM: Jahkil Armbrister house. However, he could not recall some parts of the incident. “I can’t tell you how it happen because I was in my room and my door was closed and it start from in the front room. So, I can’t tell you how it happen. I
only catch the ending part,” he said. He described his sibling as “loving, caring, always happy, good-hearted”. He added that his brother “… love to check for people - make sure people straight, people around him. If you in need of anything, (you) could’ve come to him to get it. It’s just so sad.” Another relative, referring to the deceased as “Warrior”, told The Tribune that he would look out for others. He added that it has been “hurtful and hard” for the family since the killing. When asked if his brother was targeted, Mr Armbrister replied: “Well, that part I can’t really speak to. I lost just how people lost.” The murder victim leaves behind one daughter.
ELDERLY MAN DIES AFTER HE’S STRUCK BY A VEHICLE AT PMH THE Public Hospitals Authority is warning the general public about the speed limit at Princess Margaret Hospital after an elderly man died when he was struck by a vehicle in the hospital compound Friday morning. In a statement issued by the Public Hospitals Authority, officials said a
70-year-old man died of his injuries after a vehicle hit him at 8.15am on the hospital’s property. Officials said the man was taken to the hospital’s Emergency Department in critical condition, but he died at 11.46am. The PHA is cautioning members of the general public to abide by the speed
limit of 5mph in and around the hospital compound to avoid this tragic incident in the future. According to the statement, the driver involved is cooperating with the police in the investigation. The statement read, “Our hearts and prayers are extended to the families involved in the unfortunate incident.”
MONDAY, JANUARY 27, 2020
THE STORIES BEHIND THE NEWS
AFTER Dr Minnis opted not to take questions and instead participate in a junkanoo rushout, many were left angered at the audacity to stage a political rally under the guise of a town hall meeting. Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff
Will Dr Minnis still be driving the FNM train in 2022? By Malcolm Strachan
to stage a political rally having little idea of how under the guise of a town they are benefiting from a hall meeting. Beyond the policy the prime minister denial of the opportunity holds so dear to his heart. WHEN the FNM were to engage in dialogue with On top of that, the sworn in to become the the prime minister, people increase of VAT to 12 pernext government of The also wondered if the tax- cent and the imminent Bahamas on May 11, 2017, payer had paid for an FNM BPL bill increase are sure many were convinced that event - although FNM to be ammunition for the we lived to witness, argu- chairman Carl Culmer has PLP to attack the governably, a retirement party for since said the event was ment. Even as murders the country’s worst prime paid for by the party. Still, have decreased, the Bahaminister. Though it was many were annoyed that mian people don’t feel safer done by an unlikely hero, the same prime minister based on statistics alone. All it still made the way for who claimed he “would that means is that, unlike Bahamians to be hopeful rather lose an election than the last two elections, crime again. Two and a half years a country” would dare talk will not be the primary issue later, while the title of worst about re-election when – that has been usurped by prime minister may still be life has largely remained the economy and escalatin the grasp of his prede- unchanged for many Baha- ing cost of living under the cessor, Prime Minister Dr mians under the current Minnis administration. And Hubert Minnis is failing regime. unfortunately for the FNM, to win many friends in the In fact, most people a litany of campaign promelectorate. from the lower and middle ises left on the party’s war Once a political figure we classes of the country feel room floor will no doubt felt compassion for, today that things have become resurface over the next two many feel he has become harder under this admin- and a half years. arrogant and tone-deaf to istration, which leaves us At some point, we the cries of the people he confused by the prime must wonder if the party perpetually tries to iden- minister’s confidence in his is going to end up losing tify with – the poor and ability to remain this coun- confidence in the prime downtrodden. Dr Minnis try’s prime minister. minister. Because, as it often speaks of how his To overestimate the stands, Minnis faces a battle government is focused on effect of Perry Christie’s to convince the Bahamian improving conditions for shadow still having a nega- people to give him another Bahamians facing the hard- tive effect on the PLP by term. And let us not forget, est economic circumstances 2022 may be a fatal mistake he survived several chal- yet many would contend politically. lenges to remain the party’s far more harm has been While Minnis may tout leader. done than good. With two and a half years free tuition at UB and At last week’s “town BTVI – laudable achieve- to go until the next election, hall”, Dr Minnis, donned ments for sure – with the the prime minister should in red garb, spent much of economy still in poor shape, perhaps focus a bit more on the evening touting the gov- where will individuals what’s right in front of him ernment’s record and slung graduating from these insti- rather than look ahead to A1MAIN be hired? And as for mud at Opposition leader tutions distant elections. Philip “Brave” Davis and The country has no shortthe nearly $1m the governTHURSDAY the PLP - all in efforts to ment has funnelledEstablished into1903 the age of problems and the Donut Sticks excite his base. However, Over-the-Hill communities, prime minister’s priorities w/Chocolate theSaucetalki’m lovin’ of it!the town after- why are we not hearing seem out of whack when wards spoke to something on his government is short on 2 4 / 7 B R E A K I N Gmore N E W S O Npositive T R I B U N E 2 4 2stories .COM HIGH 77ºF that should be much more the ground? Certainly, this gains and full on unkept LOW 65ºF concerning for the party. government would leverage promises. After opting not to take such great opportunities for As a word of caution questions and insteadEQUITY par- positive press, would it not? to the government - this Get Paid $$ ticipating in a junkanoo isn’t your grandparent’s Instead, we have no While Using OF L SOUR Weekly Product Highlight: FINTECH CE rushout, many were left shortage of businesses in the F I C I Aelectorate. Your Home WiFi w w w.e quityb ankb ahamas.com Visit: www.myadfiwifi.com info@e quityb ahamas.com angered at the audacity Just as fast as we like our Over-the-Hill community 1-242-676-8188 information, so too we like CLASSIFIED TRADER: CARS, CARS, CARS & MORE CARS our results. We may allow DAVIS you HITS tarry a little while, but when OUT OVERyou completely deviate from POINTE JOBwhat you promised on the campaign trail and STATISTICS speak as if an election vicMinnis sets sights tory is owed to you, a rude on winning next awakening may be in order. election in 2022 Potentially, to the prime minister’s detriment, members of his organisation are not blind to this. As the populace’s patience wears thin, we ought not be surprised to see how the tides of power FREE FRUIT might shift within HOW The Tribune covered the prime minister’s speech last week the FNM. TO PUSH
The Tribune Biggest And Best!
VOLUME:117 No.42, JANUARY 23RD, 2020
BANK AND TRUST BAHAMAS LIMITED “Fiercely Committed to Your Success”
@MYADFIWIFI
OBITS INSIDE
‘VICTORY TRAIN’
By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net
PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis laid the foundation for the Free National Movement’s reelection campaign during a rally last night. “Tonight we start the launch of our victory train,” he said. “We start here in our central zone and we will continue to our destiny. Government House will be the final spot in 2022. But as we move through the community we will be taking on more passengers.” The rally was held on the grounds of the Edmund Moxey Youth and Community Centre. Elected representatives from the Bain and Grants Town, Mount Moriah, Fort
weaved his personal story of growing up poor into a testimony of implementing policies that “uplift the poor and all who have been left behind.” He touted what he sees as his administration’s successes, emphasising the recent decline in murders and noting 1,056 students have taken advantage of the tuition free education programme he launched at the University of the Bahamas (UB). “(That’s) an increase of 57 percent,” he said, “and it’s projected that there would be an additional ten percent every year of young people who could not get a college education that would be able to get a college education thanks to the FNM.” He announced that
$1
By SYANN THOMPSON Tribune Staff Reporter sthompson@tribunemedia.net THE government’s disappointment in the ratio of foreign workers to Bahamian labour at The Pointe is “laughable,” according to Progressive Liberal Party leader Philip “Brave” Davis. “The foreign workers in this country could only work in the country through the permission of the government,” Mr Davis said at a press conference yesterday. “So the government must know that they are granting work permits to The Pointe. SEE PAGE FIVE
HEALTHY
PAGE 10 MONDAY, JANUARY 27, 2020
T
HE meeting between US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, and the Foreign Ministers of seven Caribbean countries, gave rise to many questions, but the US seeking to “divide CARICOM” should not be one of them. External forces can try as they wish to divide the members of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), but only those Caribbean nations can cause the division. So, there should be no blame attributed to the US government for “dividing CARICOM” by the invitation to foreign ministers of only six of its independent member-states to attend a January 22 meeting, hosted by the Jamaica government. The US, like every other government in the world, has the perfect right to invite to a meeting any governments with which it wants to confer. The issue – if, indeed, there is an issue – is with those CARICOM governments, particularly the host government, that agreed to the meeting without insisting that no CARICOM government should have been excluded from a rare opportunity to consult a US representative as high-level as the Secretary of State. After all, the meeting was held in the Caribbean, under the auspices of a CARICOM government. It was not held in the US under the control of the US government as occurred when President Trump invited five Caribbean leaders to Mar-a-Largo, his estate in Florida. At the very least, it was within the Jamaican Prime Minister’s capacity to advise the US government
INSIGHT
EMAIL: insight@tribunemedia.net
Only CARICOM countries can divide CARICOM that it would be both prudent and beneficial for representatives of all 14 independent CARICOM governments to be invited to what Mr Pompeo’s own State Department described as “a roundtable discussion” with the named foreign ministers of the seven Caribbean countries. It should be noted that, in addition to the six invited foreign ministers from CARICOM countries, the Dominican Republic was also an invitee as it was to the Mar-a-largo gathering with President Trump. The CARICOM six were: Bahamas, Belize, Haiti, Jamaica, St Kitts-Nevis and St Lucia. In the past, whenever any CARICOM government has hosted a leader of a major nation, it has
been the general practice to invite all CARICOM governments to be present for discussions. The wider CARICOM meeting with such leaders did not preclude a bilateral meeting by the host government with the invited leader. Indeed, it was the norm that a bilateral meeting would be held between the host and guest leaders, followed by the wider consultation with all CARICOM governments. In this context, the offthe-cuff remark, made by Jamaican Prime Minister, Andrew Holness, at a press conference with Mr Pompeo, that, “if any one wanted to attend, they just had to signal”, was unfortunate. Mr Holness is a decent man; undoubtedly, had he prepared his response, it
www.ub.edu.bs
CAREER OPPORTUNITIES Suitably qualified candidates are invited to apply for the following career opportunities at University of The Bahamas, Oakes Field Campus: Electrician II in the Physical Plant Department required to install, inspect, repair, control and maintain all nature of electrical components in a safe manner. Knowledge of electrical codes, standards, and practice is required as well as the ability to interpret blueprints and create and interpret sketches/wiring diagrams for work assigned. Duties and responsibilities include diagnosing and repairing malfunctioning systems, apparatus, and components using appropriate methods; inspecting/testing electrical systems, equipment, and other components to identify hazards, defects using appropriate technology and devices and constructing and fabricating parts as needed, reporting on the status to the supervisor. Assistant Director, Utilities III in the Physical Plant Department responsible for the management, direction and coordination of the activities, operations and maintenance of utility systems at all campuses of University of The Bahamas, as well as assisting with the overall operations of the physical plant, facilities maintenance, supervision of staff and performance reviews. Duties and responsibilities include managing and project administration of minor construction/ renovation projects; planning and directing the operation and routine maintenance programme of the university’s facilities and establishing preventative, predictive and replacement maintenance measures. Significant work in the area of energy conservation is required. Nurse, responsible for supervising the health centre’s day-to-day service operations and staff including assisting with the development of policies, procedures and work standards for health care services; working closely with the nurse administrator in supervising support staff; monitoring compliance of school health programmes with local laws, regulations and policies and preparing health reports for the administrator and Dean of Students. Additional duties include providing first aid care and medically prescribed services; maintaining security of medical and surgical supplies; serving as a resource person on health issues; and recording immunizations, health findings and other relevant health data. Detailed position announcements are accessible online at: http://www. ub.edu.bs/about-us/career-opportunities/. Interested applicants should submit the following to the Human Resources Department via hrapply@ub.edu.bs (Attn: Vice President, Human Resources) by Friday, 7th February, 2020: • A cover letter of interest highlighting work experience and accomplishments relevant to the position; • Completed UB Employment Application Form (www.ub.edu.bs/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Applicationfor-Employment-Staff.pdf) • Current curriculum vitae or resume; • Copies of relevant qualifications and certificates; • Copy of the relevant pages of a valid passport showing passport number, photo identification and expiration date; • Copy of N.I.B. Card; • Copy of valid driver’s license; • Copy of voter’s card • At least three (3) written, professional references.
would have been more considered and less dismissive than it sounded. No CARICOM country should have to ask for an invitation between a representative of the world’s superpower and representatives of CARICOM countries. From the inception of the treaty organisation, CARICOM member countries have operated in recognition that there is strength in their taking common positions on the crucial issues that affect them jointly. A separate collective CARICOM meeting with Mr Pompeo would not have deprived the Jamaica government of bilateral discussions of matters of peculiar interest to Jamaica. However, apart from specific national interests, Jamaican concerns, that are shared with all other CARICOM countries, would have been bolstered by Mr Pompeo hearing the collective voice of the 14 independent member states. That opportunity was lost at the January 22 meeting. It is for the other five CARICOM countries that readily attended the meeting to consider whether they should have accepted an invitation that excluded eight of the countries on whose support and solidarity they depend in global affairs. Would the arguments that they advanced, not have had greater effect if Mr Pompeo had heard them from 14 countries rather than 6, especially as among the remaining eight countries would have been Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana and Suriname – three countries that possess resources that are of considerable interest to the US? Of course, at the heart of this matter is that CARICOM countries have never agreed to harmonise their external relations, as have
US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo the (still) 28 countries of the European Union (EU), which conduct their collective policies through a single European Commission under the direction of a Council of Ministers of the member states. CARICOM governments have clung to the notion that CARICOM is “a community of sovereign states”. In affirming this position in their external relations, they have placed the rights of “sovereignty” over the obligations of “community”, allowing each of them to pursue short term “benefits” from external sources at the expense of the longer term gains they would get from being seen, indeed and in fact, as a solid and unshakeable group. But, there should be no mistake. External forces will always try to break any solidarity of CARICOM countries if it is in their interest to do so. No CARICOM government should behave as if such attempts are an affront – it has always been a fact of international relations. Instead, CARICOM countries should consider what they lose individually and collectively by fragmenting themselves, instead of acting in solidarity. As for the Jamaica meeting, Mr Pompeo had one overriding objective and that was to secure the support of the seven
attending countries to vote for Mr Luis Almagro to be re-elected as the Secretary-General of the Organisation of American States. The US has calculated Mr Almagro’s support and reached the unavoidable conclusion that he does not now have the 18 votes required to be re-elected. There is nothing wrong with the US government promoting and advancing a candidate it favours; many countries in the Lima Group and in the Caribbean are also promoting the candidates they back. The more fundamental issue is not whether external forces are trying to divide CARICOM, but whether CARICOM will allow itself to be divided. Maybe, at the CARICOM Heads of Government Meeting in February in Barbados, the 14 Heads of independent member states should lock themselves in a room, without anyone else, and thrash out this issue. The writer is Ambassador of Antigua and Barbuda to the United States and the Organization of American States. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies at the University of London and at Massey College in the University of Toronto. The views expressed are entirely his own. Responses and previous commentaries: www. sirronaldsanders.com
EMAIL: insight@tribunemedia.net
INSIGHT
MONDAY, JANUARY 27, 2020 PAGE 11
Are snakes at the source of China’s deadly virus? By HAITAO GUO AND SHOU-JIANG GAO Professors of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Pittsburgh and GUANGXIANG “GEORGE” LUO Professor of Microbiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham SNAKES – the Chinese krait and the Chinese cobra – may be the original source of the newly discovered coronavirus that has triggered an outbreak of a deadly infectious respiratory illness in China this winter. The illness was first reported in late December 2019 in Wuhan, a major city in central China, and has been rapidly spreading. Since then, sick travellers from Wuhan have infected people in China and other countries, including the United States. Using samples of the virus isolated from patients, scientists in China have determined the genetic code of the virus and used microscopes to photograph it. The pathogen responsible for this pandemic is a new coronavirus. It’s in the same family of viruses as the well-known severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), which have killed hundreds of people in the past 17 years. The World Health Organization (WHO) has named the new coronavirus 2019-nCoV. We are virologists and journal editors and are closely following this outbreak because there are many questions that need to be answered to curb the spread of this public health threat. What is a coronavirus? The name of coronavirus comes from its shape, which resembles a crown or solar corona when imaged using an electron microscope.
The electron microscopic image, reveals the crown shape structural details for which the coronavirus was named. This image is of the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Coronavirus is transmitted through the air and primarily infects the upper respiratory and gastrointestinal tract of mammals and birds. Though most of the members of the coronavirus family only cause mild flu-like symptoms during infection, SARSCoV and MERS-CoV can infect both upper and lower airways and cause severe respiratory illness and other complications in humans. This new 2019-nCoV causes similar symptoms to SARS-CoV and MERSCoV. People infected with these coronaviruses suffer a severe inflammatory response. Unfortunately, there is no approved vaccine or antiviral treatment available for coronavirus infection. A better understanding of the life cycle of 2019-nCoV, including the source of the virus, how it is transmitted and how it replicates are needed to both prevent and treat the disease. Zoonotic transmission Both SARS and MERS are classified as zoonotic viral diseases, meaning the first patients who were infected acquired these viruses directly from animals. This was possible because while in the animal host, the virus had acquired a series of genetic mutations that allowed it to infect and multiply inside humans. Now these viruses can be transmitted from person to person. Field studies have revealed that the original source of SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV is the bat, and that the masked palm civets (a mammal native to Asia and Africa) and camels,
respectively, served as intermediate hosts between bats and humans. In the case of this 2019 coronavirus outbreak, reports state that most of the first group of patients hospitalized were workers or customers at a local seafood wholesale market which also sold processed meats and live consumable animals including poultry, donkeys, sheep, pigs, camels, foxes, badgers, bamboo rats, hedgehogs and reptiles. However, since no one has ever reported finding a coronavirus infecting aquatic animals, it is plausible that the coronavirus may have originated from other animals sold in that market. The hypothesis that the 2019-nCoV jumped from an animal at the market is strongly supported by a new publication in the Journal of Medical Virology. The scientists conducted an analysis and compared the genetic sequences of 2019nCoV and all other known coronaviruses. The study of the genetic code of 2019-nCoV reveals that the new virus is most closely related to two bat SARS-like coronavirus samples from China, initially suggesting that, like SARS and MERS, the bat might also be the origin of 2019-nCoV. The authors further found that the viral RNA coding sequence of 2019-nCoV spike protein, which forms the “crown” of the virus particle that recognizes the receptor on a host cell, indicates that the bat virus might have mutated before infecting people. But when the researchers performed a more detailed bioinformatics analysis of the sequence of 2019-nCoV, it suggests that this coronavirus might come from snakes. From bats to snakes The researchers used an analysis of the protein codes favoured by the new coronavirus and compared
THE WUHAN Huanan Wholesale Seafood Market, where the coronavirus outbreak is believed to have started, is now closed.
it to the protein codes from coronaviruses found in different animal hosts, like birds, snakes, marmots, hedgehogs, manis, bats and humans. Surprisingly, they found that the protein codes in the 2019-nCoV are most similar to those used in snakes. Snakes often hunt for bats in wild. Reports indicate that snakes were sold in the local seafood market in Wuhan, raising the possibility that the 2019-nCoV might have jumped from the host species – bats – to snakes and then to humans
at the beginning of this coronavirus outbreak. However, how the virus could adapt to both the cold-blooded and warmblooded hosts remains a mystery. The authors of the report and other researchers must verify the origin of the virus through laboratory experiments. Searching for the 2019-nCoV sequence in snakes would be the first thing to do. However, since the outbreak, the seafood market has been disinfected and shut down, which makes it challenging to
trace the new virus’ source animal. Sampling viral RNA from animals sold at the market and from wild snakes and bats is needed to confirm the origin of the virus. Nonetheless, the reported findings will also provide insights for developing prevention and treatment protocols. The 2019-nCoV outbreak is another reminder that people should limit the consumption of wild animals to prevent zoonotic infections. theconversation.com
PAGE 12 MONDAY, JANUARY 27, 2020
INSIGHT
EMAIL: insight@tribunemedia.net
In the summer of 2013, a resident pod of dolphins suddenly disappeared from a site in The Bahamas. Why? And if they were still alive, where had they gone? Bethany Augliere shares the full story
The day the dolphins disappeared MARINE biologist Denise Herzing has been studying Atlantic spotted dolphins for decades. So long, in fact, that she currently leads the longestrunning underwater study of dolphins in the world – the Wild Dolphin Project (WDP), which was established in 1985. During that time, Herzing and her team have made discoveries regarding dolphin behaviour, social relationships, feeding, movement patterns and genetics. She remains fascinated by dolphin communication (one of the primary reasons for the project’s launch), particularly whether the animals have an established language. Beyond the science and discoveries comes the personal element. Herzing
and her researchers travel from Florida each year to the same 180-squaremile research area in the Bahamas and have gotten to know the resident dolphins of Little Bahama Bank (LBB) well, the regularity of interaction fostering fondness. The dolphins even have names. I have been fortunate, over the past ten years, to be one of Herzing’s WDP researchers. I know how characterful Atlantic spotted dolphins are, and how easy it is to bond with them. I also know how important WDP’s ongoing research is – particularly in an increasingly changing ocean. It is that mixture of science and sentiment that makes the work so special. You can imagine our surprise
and concern then, both as scientists and as people, when, several weeks into the research season of 2013, the dolphins were nowhere to be seen. In all the years that Herzing’s 65-foot research vessel Stenella had made the six-hour journey over from Florida, the dolphins had always turned up too – scientists and subjects as reliable as each other. Because the dolphins have never been tagged, the time it takes to locate them has always varied, from hours to days, but they had, up until 2013, always been found. We searched everywhere, including the most extreme areas of our regular field site. The dolphins were gone. They were not in deep water, where they
can often be found at night feeding on squid and flying fish, and they were not in shallow sandy-bottomed water where they often hunt for razor and lizard fish in the day. Where were they? Had they died? “My first thought was to check on things like orcas in the area (known predators of dolphins), Navy sonar exercises and impacts from Hurricane Sandy,” says Herzing. “What could make a resident group of dolphins leave their home of at least 28 years?” Our worst fear was that the dolphins had died during Hurricane Sandy. It wouldn’t have been the first time their population had been impacted by hurricanes. After three
hurricanes passed over the site in 2004, approximately 30 percent of both the local spotted and bottlenose dolphins were never seen again, presumed to have died. “We canvassed the central area of the bank which was vast, quiet and empty,” recalls Adam Pack, a marine mammologist at the University of Hawaii at Hilo, who has been collaborating with Herzing since 1997. “We travelled north penetrating further than I ever recall, hoping that maybe we would locate the dolphins we had grown to know so well in a new location. We did not find them. The bottom line was that we simply did not know; they appeared to be gone.” After three 10-day research expeditions with no luck, we were getting desperate. We decided that on the next trip we would head south to Great Bahama Bank (GBB), the “closest ecological parallel sandbank habitat” to the research site, according Herzing. GBB lies 161km south of LBB and reaching it requires crossing a deep-water channel. It is also home to another community of spotted dolphins, studied by another group of scientists – and by the WDP in the 1990s. We left Florida early on a Tuesday and after three long days on top of what was beginning to feel like an endless summer, we finally found dolphins as the sun was setting on Friday. The pod came leaping toward our boat, seemingly excited to ride our bow wave. Despite the setting sun and choppy conditions, we cut the engine and anxiously slipped into the water with our cameras – we needed to identify the pod. Could it be the missing dolphins of Little Bahama Bank?
As the torpedo-shaped mammals approached, I glimpsed familiar spots and scars. It was Baby with a new calf, Piglet; Noldus with her younger sister Nereide; Pointless and Bamboo. The dolphins were eating snakefish on the seafloor in about 10m of water. A sense of relief washed over me, over everybody; they were alive. Having found a few of LBB’s resident pod, we were hopeful we would find others throughout the remainder of that year’s season – and we did. During the remaining summer months, we located Amanda, Bonito, Caroh, Geo, Kai, Linus, Mugsy, Meridian, and Sunami, among others, all of them having taken up residence at GBB. “I felt relieved, of course, to find the group alive and well,” says Herzing. “But at the same time, the dolphins didn’t seem to react upon seeing us. That surprised me. They just carried on feeding.” The dolphins spent a lot of time traveling too, rather than playing or socialising. “I suspect the dolphins were traveling a lot that first summer to do reconnaissance of the new location for food, safety, and the like,” says Herzing. “Reassured the dolphins had not perished, we went into science mode to figure out what factors might have led to this change,” says Pack. Our first thoughts were that they had likely moved for two reasons that drive most animal behaviour: food and sex. Could the dolphins have left LBB due to a lack of food or to search for new mates? Read the full article, The dolphin diaspora of Little Bahama Bank, in Issue 09 of Oceanographic Magazine.
THE TRIBUNE
Monday, January 27, 2020, PAGE 13
PHOTOS: Terrel W Carey Sr/ Tribune Staff
Let’s get moving Health initiative to help children become fitter
By EARYEL BOWLEG ebowleg@tribunemedia.net THE Ministry of Health’s Healthy Bahamas Coalition launched the Let’s Move Initiative: Reducing Childhood Obesity project at Stephen Dillet Primary School on Friday. Students in grades four to six got a lesson in nutrition from health education officers from the Ministry of Health’s health education division. The benefits of a healthy diet as well as the negative impact of unhealthy eating were discussed along with the nutritional value of certain fruits and vegetables. Afterwards, students marched straight to Windsor Park to do a series of physical activities such as speed walking and jumping rope. The coalition is not
only fighting obesity but ensuring children’s rights to access clean water, nutritious food and clean environments for physical activity and to reduce risk factors for developing noncommunicable diseases. Administrator at the Healthy Bahamas Coalition Marcia Munnings said: “This is important because we notice from our school surveys that non-communicable (diseases) were increasing among our children at higher rates. That our children were now developing adult diseases and so we wanted to reduce the risk.” Ms Munnings said partners of the initiative include the Urban Renewal Commission, the Ministry of Education, the Pan American Health Organisation, and AML Foods Limited.
According to the 2013 Global School Based Health Survey, six in 10 children between the ages of 13-15 in The Bahamas were overweight or obese. The survey also revealed that 84 percent of children did not get enough exercise and only 16.6 percent usually ate fruits and vegetables five or more times a day. The Ministry of Health, in partnership with the Ministry of Education, announced last week the launch of a pilot programme to encourage healthier eating habits among young people. The 100% SMART Fruits for Kids initiative will focus on the students and faculty members of Centreville Primary School where they will be provided fruit twice a week.
PAGE 14, Monday, January 27, 2020
THE TRIBUNE
DEFENCE RESUMES IN KEY IMPEACHMENT WEEK AS DEMS SEEK WITNESSES WASHINGTON Associated Press
PRESIDENT Donald Trump’s impeachment trial enters a pivotal week as his defence team resumes its case and senators face a critical vote on whether to hear witnesses or proceed directly to a vote that is widely expected to end in his acquittal. The articles of impeachment charge Trump with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.
The Capitol Hill maneuvering will be complemented by highstakes efforts on both sides of the aisle to claim political advantage from the proceedings as the presidential nominating season kicks off in Iowa on February 3. After a two-hour opening argument on Saturday, Trump’s defence team will lay out its case in depth beginning today. White House counsel Pat Cipollone said Trump’s lawyers don’t expect to take the full 24 hours allotted to
them, but there will be arguments from some familiar faces. Harvard law professor emeritus Alan Dershowitz, former independent counsel Ken Starr and former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi will speak on specific topics. Dershowitz said yesterday he would argue that the charges against Trump are too minor to warrant the president’s removal from office under the Constitution. “Even if true, they did not
allege impeachable offences,” Dershowitz said. The Trump team has also teased the notion that it would draw attention to Joe Biden and his son Hunter, who served on the board of a Ukraine gas company Burisma, while the elder Biden was vice president. An extended focus on Joe Biden, one of the leading Democratic presidential contenders, could mean blowback from even some of the GOP members of the Senate.
Once Trump’s team concludes, senators will have 16 hours to ask questions of both the House impeachment prosecutors and the president’s legal team. Their questions must be in writing. Chief Justice John Roberts will read the questions aloud. He is expected to alternate between both sides of the aisle. Many senators have been talking copious notes throughout the trial in preparation for the question-andanswer time.
Bryant ‘was flying through thick fog’ FIREFIGHTERS work the scene of the crash where Kobe Bryant died yesterday CALIFORNIA Associated Press THE helicopter carrying Kobe Bryant flew through thick fog, despite Los Angeles police grounding their own fleet, before crashing into a hillside in Calabasas, California, killing all nine on board yesterday morning. The 41-year-old former Lakers basketball star’s private Sikorsky S-76 immediately caught fire after coming down at around 10am. Bryant died alongside his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others. Flight data shows the aircraft appeared to get into trouble above the LA Zoo where it circled at a low altitude and air traffic control audio suggests conditions were worsening in the run up to the crash. Los Angeles Police Department spokesman Josh Rubenstein confirmed their Air Support Division was grounded at the time, adding: “The weather situation did not meet our
minimum standards for flying.” The medical examiner’s office said specialists were working at the scene to recover the bodies, and investigators were trying to confirm identities. Federal transportation safety investigators were en route. Bryant’s helicopter left Santa Ana shortly after 9am and circled for a time just east of Interstate 5, near Glendale. Air traffic controllers noted poor visibility around Burbank, just to the north, and Van Nuys, to the northwest. After holding up the helicopter for other aircraft, they cleared the Sikorsky S-76 to proceed north along Interstate 5 through Burbank before turning west to follow U.S Route 101, the Ventura Highway. Shortly after 9.40am, the helicopter turned again, toward the southeast, and climbed to more than 2,000 feet above sea level. It then descended and crashed into the hillside at about 1,400 feet, according to data from Flightradar24.
When it struck the ground, the helicopter was flying at about 160 knots and descending at a rate of more than 4,000 feet per minute, the Flightradar24 data showed. Among other things, investigators will look at the pilot’s history, the chopper’s maintenance history, and the records of its owner and operator, NTSB board member Jennifer Homendy said at a news conference. Justin Green, an aviation attorney in New York who flew helicopters in the Marine Corps, said weather may have contributed to the crash. Pilots can become disoriented in low visibility, losing track of which direction is up. Green said a pilot flying an S-76 would be instrumentrated, meaning they could fly the helicopter without relying on visual cues from outside. Bryant’s death was felt particularly painfully in Los Angeles, where he was unquestionably the most popular athlete and one of the city’s most beloved
IN this April, 2016 picture, Kobe Bryant poses with his wife Vanessa, left, and daughters Natalia, second from right, and Gianna as they stand on court after a game in Los Angeles.
public figures. Hundreds of fans — many in Bryant jerseys and Lakers gear — spontaneously gathered at Staples Center and in the surrounding LA Live entertainment complex, weeping and staring at video boards with Bryant’s image. Among those killed were John Altobelli, head coach of Southern California’s Orange Coast College baseball team, his wife, Keri, and daughter, Alyssa, who
played on the same team as Bryant’s daughter, said his brother, Tony, who is the sports information director at the school. Colin Storm was in his living room in Calabasas when he heard what sounded to him like a lowflying airplane or helicopter. “Ït was very foggy so we couldn’t see anything,” he said. “But then we heard some sputtering and then a boom.”
The fog cleared a bit, and Storm could see smoke rising from the hillside in front of his home. Firefighters hiked in with medical equipment and hoses, and medical personnel rappelled to the site from a helicopter, but found no survivors, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Daryl Osby said. • NBA in shock - See Sport
IRAQI PROTESTERS DEFY TOP CLERIC 53 DIE IN BRAZILIAN RAINSTORMS BAGHDAD Associated Press
One protester was killed by security forces after hundreds of anti-government protesters flooded the streets of Iraq’s capital and southern provinces yesterday, defying a powerful Iraqi religious leader who recently withdrew his support from the popular movement.
Separately, five Katyusha rockets crashed into a riverbank near the US Embassy in Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone without causing any injuries or serious damages, a statement from US Joint Operations Command said. One rocket landed inside the embassy walls. It is the third such attack this month and the perpetrators were not immediately known.
Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi condemned the rocket attack that targeted the US Embassy. In a statement, he asserted Iraq’s commitment to “protecting all diplomatic missions.” Security forces fired tear gas and live rounds to disperse the crowds from the capital’s Khilani Square, medical and security officials said.
RIO DE JANEIRO Associated Press
THE death toll caused by record rainfall in southeastern Brazil jumped to 53 yesterday and officials expressed alarm about continuing storms. At least 44 people had died in the state of state of Minas Gerais and nine more in neighboring Espirito Santo, according to
local disaster officials, who said 19 people remained missing. Some 20,000 people had been evacuated due to the threat of floods and landslides. The capital of Minas Gerais state, Belo Horizonte, recorded 171 millimeters in one 24-hour period from Thursday to Friday, the highest rainfall in 110 years.
State Gov. Gustavo Zema declared a state of emergency in 99 cities, a measure meant to facilitate federal disaster aid. He also decreed three days of official mourning for those killed in the floods and landslides. Authorities in Espirito Santo said they were on maximum alert due to the forecast of more rain last night.
THE TRIBUNE
Monday, January 27, 2020, PAGE 15
DEMOCRATIC presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden speaking yesterday
WHO CAN TOPPLE TRUMP? DEMS’ ELECTABILITY FIGHT RAGES IN IOWA
DES MOINES, Iowa Associated Press
THE urgent fight for the Democratic presidential nomination raged across Iowa yesterday as the party’s leading candidates scrambled to deliver closing arguments centered on the defining question of the 2020 primary: Who can beat President Donald Trump? Former Vice President Joe Biden demonstrated the breadth of his appeal by appearing at separate events with Catholics, union members and African Americans. He told black voters with a smile that “I’ve gone to more black churches than you have, probably, because I’m older.” At the same time, the fight for the heart of the progressive movement pitted Elizabeth Warren against Bernie Sanders with dueling rallies 200 miles apart as they raced to reach voters before being forced back to Washington when Trump’s impeachment trial resumed today. With Iowa’s first-in-the-nation caucuses eight days away, it was unclear when the senators would be able to return to the state. “We gotta win,” Warren told several hundred people in Davenport, on the eastern edge of the state. “And also, can we just address it right here? Women win. The world changed when Donald Trump got elected.” She added: “I know how to fight and I know how to win.” Sanders and a collection of high-profile surrogates made an equally aggressive case in the rural community of Perry in central Iowa, having spent much of the weekend highlighting his ability to energize what Sanders has often called “a multigenerational, multi-racial, working-class coalition.” “The reason we are going to win here in Iowa is we have the strongest
grassroots movement of any campaign,” Sanders said. The candidates were running out of time to change the direction of the highstakes nomination fight ahead of Iowa’s February 3 caucuses. Establishmentminded Democrats were increasingly concerned about Sanders’ strength, fearing that the 78-year-old self-described democratic socialist might be too radical to beat Trump this fall should he win the nomination. Stoking those fears, Trump’s campaign teased a general election attack against Sanders. The Vermont senator had spent much of the day before campaigning alongside New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and the president’s team sent out an email with the title “Socialist invasion.” “Why is radical socialist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez spending so much time campaigning for Bernie? Because he’s the godfather of her extreme agenda and socialist vision for America,” the email said. The day before, a new Biden backer, US Rep. Cindy Axne, D-Iowa, shared what many elected Democrats say in private when asked whether party leaders are growing nervous about Sanders’ rise: “Oh, my goodness, I should really hope so.” The youngest candidate in the race, 38-year-old Pete Buttigieg, also played up warnings about Sanders — at least in his fundraising emails. For a second consecutive day, Buttigieg’s campaign sent a message to supporters warning that the Vermont senator might become the nominee. Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, insisted that “it is time for something new” as he courted more than 1,000 people at an elementary school in West Des Moines.
PAGE 16, Monday, January 27, 2020
THE TRIBUNE
Man accused of kicking friend to death in US carpark
KRISTOFF KING, 36, a native of The Bahamas, has been charged with first-degree murder.
A BAHAMIAN man is accused of kicking his friend to death in Florida after a surveillance video emerged showing the victim being kicked for an hour and 19 minutes. When police in St Petersburg, Florida, found the body of a man in a shopping centre parking lot on January 14, they turned to surveillance video from a nearby business for clues. The video showed a man kicking Scott Jenks for an hour and 19 minutes, as the 48-year-old man begged him to stop. Two days later, Kristoff King, 36, a native of The Bahamas, was arrested
in Alachua County and later extradicted to Pinellas County where he was charged with first-degree murder. The attack is outlined in an arrest report filed against Kristoff, the Tampa Bay Times reported. A bar employee found Jenks’ body about 4.40am and called 911. The employee identified Jenks and King and told investigators that both men were regulars at the bar. Security camera footage from several businesses in the plaza show Jenks and King leave Sports Bar and Grill around 3am. Jenks, 48, was beaten for
an hour and 19 minutes, based on the start and stop times in the video footage, police said in the report. There were footprints on Jenks’ torso and in his blood around the scene. The report said Jenks pleaded for his attacker to stop, saying “Kris I love you we are friends”, but his attacker continued to beat him, asking if Jenks wanted to “die on the ground”, police said. The motive for the attack is not made clear in the arrest affidavit. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has a hold on King as well, authorities said.
ENVIRONMENT Minister Romauld Ferreira
FERREIRA SAYS GOVT WILL TAKE LEGAL ACTION AGAINST CARNIVAL
By FARRAH JOHNSON fjohnson@tribunemedia.net
ENVIRONMENT Minister Romauld Ferreira said the government will take legal recourse against Carnival Cruise Line for alleged dumping in Bahamian waters. “As it stands now for spills in the oceans and in the marine environment, it falls under...the Ministry of Transport, believe it or not, and releases on land fall under the Ministry of Environment,” Mr Ferreira said on Friday, when asked about Carnival’s dumping. “This is a part of why we felt it was necessary to modernise the legislation to give this ministry the ability to respond in both areas. Right now we don’t have the capability, as soon as we get the department up and running to prosecute those issues that you’ve raised (we will). “We don’t support it and we hope to rid our country of it and this is why we have passed the legislation. We have the most beautiful country hands down and it’s up to us to value it.” Tribune Business reported earlier this month that a monitor appointed by a South Florida federal court revealed the Carnival Cruise Line committed further environmental infractions last year
– some of which occurred while vessels were in port in Nassau and Freeport. The monitor’s latest report, filed on New Year’s Eve, detailed incidents including the March 6, 2019, discharge of 34 cubic metres of black water/ sewage in Bahamian waters from the MS Maasdam as it sailed from Half Moon Cay, the private island, to Fort Lauderdale. Also cited was a September 9, 2019 incident involving the Carnival Sunrise when “a considerable amount of rust” was discharged into Nassau harbour after a technician started up an “infrequently used water pump” while the vessel was docked at Prince George Wharf. When asked about the revelations ahead of a Cabinet meeting recently, Attorney General Carl Bethel told reporters cruise lines are well aware of their responsibilities while in Bahamian waters. He said the government will seek to recover damages from Carnival. “Certainly, steps will be taken by the government under the environmental protection laws that we have to seek recompense, compensation, the assessment of damages etc. Everything depends on the level of damages,” Mr Bethel said.