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‘DO WE WANT TO LIVE LIKE HAITI?’
Bannister fires back at UN, warning of danger ignoring shanty towns By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net WORKS Minister Desmond Bannister said Bahamians must decide if they want to live in a country like The Bahamas or a country like Haiti where there is “dirt, garbage, shanty towns all over the place”. He also said exercises involving shanty towns in New Providence will be conducted soon as residents have complained about illegal structures springing up.
He was responding to a critical statement that experts from the United Nations released on Friday about the government’s planned demolitions of houses in The Farm shanty town in Abaco. The UN said the planned evictions and demolitions violate human rights to adequate housing. Mr Bannister said: “When I saw that, there were two questions I asked myself. The first question is, what is in the best interest SEE PAGE THREE
NATIONAL Security Minister Marvin Dames yesterday issued a stern warning to those who continue to engage in illegal drug trafficking, insisting they will be caught. “The warning is we’ll get you. We’ll get you,” he told reporters ahead of a Cabinet meeting. “Participating or
engaging in a life of crime, you know, could only last for so long and you will be found out. “That’s the message and you will pay for your actions and the officers in the Royal Bahamas Defence Force, the police force and the other law enforcement agencies are demonstrating what good partnership could result in and I’m always pleased.” SEE PAGE SEVEN
By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net THE Bahamas Mortgage Corporation’s chairman yesterday said the suspension of four “management level” executives is “definitely not linked” to a separate probe into fraudulent cheques. Patrick Ward, who declined to go into details on either matter given that investigations are ongoing, told Tribune Business the state-owned lender was “not treating them as related issues” with the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) leading the probe into forged cheques issued in its name. FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS
‘HEALTH VISA PROBLEMS NEED FIXED AS PRIORITY’ By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net
DAMES WARNS SMUGGLERS - WE’LL GET YOU IN THE END By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net
MORTGAGE CORP - FOUR MANAGERS SUSPENDED
A REAL CHAMPION TRIBUTES have been paid to Donna Nicolls, the deputy director of the Bahamas Crisis Centre, who has died aged 67 after a fight with stomach cancer. The centre’s staff hailed her as a “dedicated and committed human rights defender”, while director Dr Sandra Dean-Patterson called her passionate, warm, caring and fearless. See page two for the full story.
THE Bahamas must “pull out all the stops” to prevent travel visa woes undermining tourism’s recovery, a top hotelier urged yesterday, especially as summer “could be stronger” than typical winter peaks. Robert Sands, the Bahamas Hotel and Tourism Association’s president, told Tribune Business this nation needs to urgently “correct any bottlenecks” that may unnecessarily deter travellers from visiting the destination as the vaccination roll-outs in its key source markets continue to stoke pent-up demand. FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS
VACCINE’S HERE - MORE NEED TO TAKE IT TECHNOLOGY By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net
THIRTY-THREE thousand six hundred doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine arrived in New Providence yesterday, boosting the country’s fight against the potentially deadly virus even though many residents remain hesitant to get the jab. Yesterday’s arrival means 86,600 doses of the vaccine
THE VACCINE arriving yesterday. have been in the country to date, including 20,000 donated by the government of India and 66,000 obtained through the World
Health Organisation’s COVAX Facility. After months of struggling to get vaccines, officials now face a new challenge as vaccine supplies outweigh demand. National COVID-19 Vaccine Consultative Committee deputy chair Ed Fields said on Monday that more will be done to boost vaccine intake as he acknowledged demand has flattened. SEE PAGE TWO
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PAGE 2, Wednesday, May 12, 2021
THE TRIBUNE
A real champion By TANYA SMITHCARTWRIGHT tsmith-cartwright@ tribunemedia.net DEPUTY director of the Bahamas Crisis Centre Donna Nicolls died at 67-years-old in Jamaica on Monday. Nicolls, who died of stomach cancer, was not only vibrant in her role as deputy director of the centre, but was also a strong advocate for the rights of women.
She recently relocated to her native birthplace of Kingston, Jamaica where she died at home surrounded by loved ones after succumbing to her illness. In a statement sent to the media, the Bahamas Crisis Centre expressed “devastation” over the death, saying Nicolls was a constant presence in that organisation. “We are devastated over the loss of our right hand, Mrs Donna Nicolls,” the centre’s director, Dr Sandra Dean-Patterson said in
the statement released yesterday. “Not only was she our deputy director and director of all of our training needs, but a dedicated and committed human rights defender and outstanding counselor who, for many years voluntarily counseled survivors of violence on a pro-bono basis,” Dr Patterson said. “She also had a 50 year career in teaching, counseling and selfless service to others.” Dr Patterson described
Nicolls as passionate, warm and caring. She also said Nicolls was fearless, known for her frankness and unflinching advocacy for the rights of women and children. “Donna was an amazing human being who gave so much of herself. She will be sorely missed not only by the many volunteers of the Bahamas Crisis Centre but by the country at large and by extension, the Caribbean region,” Dr Patterson added.
Loved ones reported that as a parting message, Nicolls reassured family and friends that she loved, laughed and lived life to the fullest, and she encouraged everyone to never delay living. Nicolls, who was passionate about life and enjoyed every minute of it, was born in Kingston, Jamaica and would have celebrated her 68th birthday at the end of this month – May 31. She attended Queen’s School for Girls in Jamaica and was
a 1969 graduate. She also attended the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus. She was married to Teran Nicolls on August 5, 1978. She is survived by her husband Teran; daughter, Bahamian journalist, human rights advocate and entrepreneur Noelle Nicolls; son, Rande Nicolls and Khalila Duncombe. • See Alicia Wallace’s column on page eight for more.
VACCINE’S HERE - MORE NEED TO TAKE IT from page one
THE ARRIVAL of the next batch of 33,600 doses of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine yesterday. Pictured meeting the shipment at Jet Aviation are chair of the National COVID-19 Vaccine Consultative Committee Dr Merceline Dahl-Regis, right, and manager of the National Immunisation Programme Nurse Ruth Bastian, left. Photo: Kristaan Ingraham/BIS
Yesterday, former Health Minister Dr Duane Sands said more infomercials and town halls are needed to encourage immunisation. He also said officials should open the process up so primary care doctors could administer vaccines. “We need to be moving the vaccination process into the hands of people’s primary care doctors,” he said. “There is a significant trust that is intrinsic or implicit in the relationship between primary care doctors and their patients. That’s already well established and we may be able to use that to our advantage. “There are many countries that are finding out that when you include the primary care physicians with the appropriate controls, that people are more willing to be vaccinated. You may add another ten percent, another 15 percent, but we’d like to get to the point where we have a number of people who are vaccinated so that there is a significantly smaller population of at-risk individuals in The Bahamas.” Highlighting the seriousness of COVID-19, Dr Sands said he operated on three coronavirus patients yesterday and performed about eight procedures in the last seven days. He said: “It’s nice to have more (vaccines) than you
need in the short-term but certainly we need more vaccines, hey? We need to have hopefully several hundred thousand more doses and then double down on our efforts to engage the hesitant population, understand their concerns, dialogue with them and try and persuade people to get vaccinated, particularly given the challenge of the number of cases that we have, proximity to Florida in particular but the United States in general and the simple fact that the battle comes down to variants versus vaccines with the backdrop of making sure we have the public health measures in place all the time. “As long as you have a significant population where the vaccine can spread you then provide a perfect petri dish for new variants to form. I understand that people are concerned, they’re worried, they’re afraid, they have some deep-seated issues and reluctance, and we shouldn’t be dismissive of that. We ought to understand their concerns and almost by a one-by-one outreach encourage people to take that plunge and take that step. It’s one of the reasons why I have completed my two shots. I am very much aware that there is a possibility that a third shot may be called for.” Visit vax.gov.bs to make a vaccine appointment.
THE TRIBUNE
Wednesday, May 12, 2021, PAGE 3
Bannister fires back at UN, warning of danger ignoring shanty towns from page one of the Bahamian people whose interest I am supposed to represent? And then the other question is, what are the consequences of me not doing my job? “Consequences of me not doing my job is that we could have a spread of E.Coli in Abaco. Water could be contaminated and people could be sick. “We could have the constant widespread anarchy in our country where people decide they are gonna go on other people’s land and take it over. And I can tell you that complaints in New Providence and elsewhere have increased. I have a number of complaints from Bahamians who are saying that when they go to their property now they are meeting shanty houses. We are going to have to conduct an exercise in
New Providence because of that, very soon. “It has come to a point where we have to decide whether we are gonna have a society like The Bahamas or we are going to have a society like Haiti and if any of you have been to Haiti, you’d see what happens there - dirt, garbage, shanty towns all over the place. We have to decide if that’s what we want and if we (don’t) want that, we have to decide if we are gonna take a stance in the interest of our country.” The Supreme Court in 2018 granted an injunction protecting shanty town homes in New Providence from destruction pending an outcome of a judicial review over the matter. Government officials have said homes in The Farm and elsewhere are not subject to that injunction. The Ministry of Works spearheaded the demolition of 45 “incomplete and
unoccupied” structures in The Farm in April. “I’m just carrying out my job based on The Bahamas,” Mr Bannister said yesterday. “If those folks want to make a statement about The Bahamas, then I think as a country, as we are deporting people, if they want them to come to their neighbourhood and put a shanty town in their neighbourhood… that’s what you should ask them. “How would they feel if in their neighbourhood there is a shanty town with faeces going in the ground water with the potential for people to get sick, with all the challenges where you go on your land, and someone is out there putting up a shanty town house? I’d like you to ask them these questions when they raise these issues about The Bahamas because we’re just trying to live in law and order and we’re just trying to protect the welfare of Bahamians.”
ONE of the buildings being demolished in The Farm in Abaco last month.
MINISTER of Works Desmond Bannister speaking yesterday. Photo: Donovan McIntosh/Tribune Staff
A BODY being removed from the scene at the Blue Hill soccer field yesterday.
Photo: Donovan McIntosh/Tribune Staff
BODY DISCOVERED ON BLUE HILL SOCCER FIELD By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net A MAN’S body was found at the Blue Hill soccer field yesterday. There is no evidence to suggest foul play at the
moment, according to police press liaison officer, Assistant Superintendent Audley Peters. The matter has been classified as a suspicious death as police await an autopsy to determine cause of death.
Sometime around 11am, police were called to the soccer field where an employee discovered the body of a man lying on the ground. “On the officers’ arrival, they were directed to the northeastern corner
of the soccer field where they found a dark male lying in the fetal position on the ground,” ASP Peters said. “Detectives examined the body and there were no visible signs of injuries. Police will await an autopsy’s
report to determine a cause of death and the identification of a next of kin to determine the identity of the victim.” Police suspect the body was in the area for 24 to 48 hours. The officer stated there’s
no indication that the victim was homeless. The deceased appeared to be a middle-aged male who was wearing dark clothing. A belt was found next to him. As for his age, ASP Peters said the man appeared “to be about 40-50”.
PAGE 4, Wednesday, May 12, 2021
THE TRIBUNE
OPPOSITION leader Philip “Brave” Davis speaking to the media yesterday during a visit to receive his second vaccination. However, a problem with the system prevented him receiving the vaccine yesterday. Photo: Racardo Thomas
Six seniors and four staff test positive at one care home By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net THE Ministry of Social Services has reinstated several safety measures at all senior citizens homes across the country after six seniors and four staff members at one eldercare home recently tested positive for COVID-19. Social Services Minister Frankie Campbell made the revelation while speaking to reporters ahead of yesterday’s Cabinet meeting, where he also noted that one of the positive patients died in hospital with the virus. “There’s a matter in one of our senior citizens homes that resulted in six seniors being infected with COVID, four staff members. One of the seniors who was hospitalized has passed,” Mr Campbell said before going to Cabinet. “In any and every incident where life is lost, we express our condolences
to the family members. We express our regret and we pray that the souls of the departed will rest in peace.” Mr Campbell could not definitely say which care home facility housed the positive cases, only telling reporters, “I’m not sure, but I think it’s Naomi Christie, but I could be wrong.” However, he said yesterday was their last official day under quarantine. He also said to further protect residents and seniors receiving care in their homes, officials have decided to reimpose several restrictive measures that were previously relaxed. “At the beginning of the COVID pandemic, the necessary protocols were put in place. At the launch of the COVID-19 vaccine programme, all of our seniors in our homes and our staff were offered the vaccine. All of our senior and staff exercised their rights, some accepted and some didn’t. “We have reinstated one or two of the restrictions
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that would’ve been relaxed,” he added. “For example, some persons were allowed to leave to go to church and come back. As a result of what transpired, we have reinstated that particular restriction, but we continue to comply with all of the COVID protocols.” As it relates to visitations, Mr Campbell said relatives are still allowed to bring in items and gifts for their loved ones, but noted that social interaction will not be permitted. “Persons who have family members are allowed to bring items but there is no co-mingling or that kind of stuff,” he told reporters. Asked how affected persons had contracted the virus, the minister said only health officials will be able provide those details. However, Mr Campbell said as it stands now, all care homes under his ministry’s portfolio are considered COVID-free. “I’m not involved in the contact tracing part of it. I think the health professionals will better be able to assist you with that,” he said. “We have isolated the persons and I’m pleased to say that based on the
TOTAL CASES
TOTAL DEATHS
10,993 214 NEWLY CONFIRMED CASES MONDAY 25 CASES NEW PROVIDENCE 23 GRAND BAHAMA 1 EXUMA 1
TOTAL TESTS
90,817
HOSPITALISED
quarantine time given by the medical professionals, it ends today (Tuesday) and my report this morning is that all of our homes to day as I stand before you are COVID-free.” It is not clear if the positives cases were vaccinated against COVID-19 as staff and residents of eldercare homes were among the first priority group eligible to receive the doses. Yesterday, Mr Campbell said while the vaccinations have been offered to all in
55
CASES IN ICU
6
the respective group, not everyone has chosen to take it. “I’m not equipped with those details,” he said when asked if the positive cases had been vaccinated. “I’m satisfied to say that without fear of honest contradiction that the vaccine was available to all. All exercised their rights. You know the government’s position is that vaccines are not mandatory and so it’s by virtue of choice and so all persons exercised their choice.
RECOVERED
9,887
Some took the vaccine, some didn’t.” Total COVID cases in the country rose to 10,933 on Monday after twenty-five new cases were recorded: twenty-three in New Providence, one in Grand Bahama and one in Exuma. Of the total figure, 755 of those cases are still active. Meanwhile, 55 people are said to be sick in hospital with the virus. As for virus related deaths, 214 deaths have been confirmed by health officials.
THE TRIBUNE
Wednesday, May 12, 2021, PAGE 5
Campbell says families helped after recent fires By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net SOCIAL Services Minister Frankie Campbell said his ministry has assisted more than a dozen families who lost their homes and belongings to two destructive fires earlier this month. His comments came more than a week after a massive fire on Jennie Street left six homes burned to the ground and four others partially damaged. Days later, officers responded to an early morning blaze at a sevenunit two story structure at Seventh Terrace and Fritz Lane, which resulted in one person’s death. The two major fires, which occurred May 2 and May 4 respectively, resulted in several people being left homeless. Speaking to reporters yesterday, Mr Campbell said a total of 13 families were affected by those fires. He also said since the catastrophic incidents, officials from the Department of Social Services have provided food, clothing and rental assistance among other things. The minister also thanked several non-profit organisations for lending a helping hand to further their efforts. “The fire of May 2 affected ten homes and nine families,” Mr Campbell said. “Twenty-seven persons were assisted by the Department of Social Services. I want to thank
NGOs that have come forward to offer their assistance in cash and in kind and in particular, Rotary Club of East Nassau, the pharmaceutical association and, I think, St Phillip’s Methodist Church. “They would’ve come forward among others, offering their assistance. The Urban Renewal Centre in Englerston is coordinating those donations to ensure that the donations are specific to the needs of the persons, including medication if those needs exist. “As for the fire of May 4, Corbell House, four families were affected — a total of 15 persons — all of those persons were assisted by the Department of Social Services. I want to say a special thanks to Superintendent Morris and Mr Armbrister of the fire department who have expedited all of those fire reports as soon as the requests would’ve been made.” Asked what sort of assistance has been provided by his ministry, he said: “Short term shelter, food assistance, clothing assistance, the regular assistance that the Ministry of Social Services always gives. Also, in the case of fire, we assist with bedding and appliances.” Last week, Mr Campbell was asked about the long-term plan for affected families. However, the minister said while the government will try to assist as much as possible, there is “a limit to the assistance” officials can
SOCIAL Services Minister Frankie Campbell outside Cabinet yesterday. provide. He also said it’s important for Bahamians to know that such assistance is only temporary. He told reporters at the time: “We need to acknowledge that there is a limit to the assistance and so the assistance is emergency. The assistance is immediate and short-term. These are incidents that might need
to cause us to reflect. Might need to cause us to engage insurance companies and I know the thought of insurance is expensive, but there are options for insurance. There are options for contents. There are options for just your roof. “There are options that need to be considered but if we expect in every incident
Photo: Donovan McIntosh/Tribune Staff
that the government will make us whole — that is not realistic — but as the humanitarian arm of the government I do commit that to the extent that we’re able and to the extent that needs continue to exist we will continue to assist.” He added: “However, I say to people there is a process. We’re trying to
eliminate as much of the bureaucracy as much as possible. There are some persons who feel like they need not answer questions when they are seeking assistance; that is necessary. We need to document. At the end of the day we, in the department, need to give an account for the funds that we have.”
$600K SYSTEM PUTS CABINET MEETINGS INTO DIGITAL ERA By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net
GRAND Bahama administrator Cathy Smith.
Photo: Lisa Davis/BIS
MORE THAN HALF OF GB HURRICANE SHELTERS READY By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net
OF the 30 designated hurricane shelters on Grand Bahama, more than half have been inspected and are ready, according to newly appointed island administrator, Cathy Smith. She reported that the other 11 shelters should be ready in short order before the start of the hurricane season, which is less than a month away. “Those shelters have minor repairs and scheduling issues which have prevented them from being certified as ready,” Ms Smith said. She is urging residents to begin their storm preparations early and not to procrastinate. “The most important thing is to encourage Bahamians, especially Grand Bahamians, to be prepared. As Bahamians we are procrastinators, and we are stressing that it is time to prepare now. “We need to start cutting trees from your homes, securing important documents and emergency numbers, and identifying shelters closest to your home,” Mrs Smith said.
The Atlantic Hurricane Season begins on June 1, and there are some 17 named storms. Mrs Smith was deployed to Grand Bahama on December 2, and officially assumed office on January 11. She is a descendant of Mangrove Cay, Andros, an attorney and a registered nurse who has practised in both fields in the United States and The Bahamas. “This is my first post as administrator,” she said during her first public introduction to the media since her appointment. “So far, I love the City of Freeport and Grand Bahama; I love the pace of the island and the wide roads and I can get to work in four minutes.” She said she wants to serve the Bahamian people to the best of her ability. “My role is to be the substantive administrator responsible for hurricane and disaster preparedness. I am also responsible for the City of Freeport Council and the administration of the Administrator’s Office and the day-to-day management and operations.” Since her deployment to Freeport, Mrs Smith has formed an emergency support group under the
Disaster Preparedness Committee. It meets once a month and consists of 14 heads of government agencies responsible for disaster and hurricane preparation on the island. She said the committee is made up of transportation, communication, public works and engineering, international assistance, hazardous material, shelters, food, and international integration, etc. “I want to ensure that the people of Freeport and Grand Bahama are served to the best of my ability and that capital works implemented by the government are completed,” she said. Mrs Smith noted some of the other services that the Administrator’s Office also provides to the public, such as drafting wills, conveyances, affidavits, permits, no objection letters, etc. “A lot of residents are unaware of these services that the Administrator’s Office provides. So whatever persons need in Freeport, we can help and assist,” she said. The office’s headquarters will be at the Office of the Prime Minister in Freeport in the Harold DeGregory Government Complex Building.
MINISTER of State for Finance Kwasi Thompson announced yesterday the launch of the Bahamas Electronic Cabinet Management Information System, also referred to as E-Cabinet. The platform cost approximately $600,000. Yesterday marked the first Cabinet meeting fully on the digital platform. While speaking at a virtual press conference, Mr Thompson noted the system was designed and implemented to improve business processes and operating procedures in the Cabinet Office. He noted that E-Cabinet is a “collaborative tool for communication between our key stakeholders”. He explained: “E-Cabinet boasts a myriad of important features inclusive of the ability to automate Cabinet proceedings for The Bahamas, Cabinet memorandum, immigration papers, papers for the National Economic Council, conclusions, and extracts will now be digital and automated. It will save time increasing efficiency with Cabinet approval processes, reduce our carbon footprint, eliminating the use of paper by allowing for online approvals and e-distribution of Cabinet documents. “It will also enable tracking and increase of transparency. The system tracks Cabinet memorandum and provides live updates about access to the system and who and when information was received and distributed.” E-Cabinet is an innovative system that streamlined the managerial operations of the Cabinet Office and simplified internal procedures required for approval decisions, he said.
MINISTER of State for Finance Kwasi Thompson yesterday. “Permanent secretar- at the meeting – be able to ies will be able to submit deal with a lot of the simonline. Ministries will be pler papers which again able to sign online and the will save time in terms of memorandum will be dis- being able to arrive at these seminated digitally making kinds of decisions from the the delivery of (a) bundle of Cabinet. papers now unnecessary,” “Secondly one of the he added. other points that we want Mr Thompson also noted you to note is the concluthe efficiency of the system sions. Once Cabinet makes and how it will help to save a decision, a written conclutime. sion would have to come “One of the goals of the out and that is what is acted platform was to allow min- upon. What this process istries to be able to not just will allow us to do is to get access the papers before those conclusions out a lot the Cabinet meeting but quicker and if we are able for them to be able to make to get the conclusion out comments and in some quicker then those deciinstances provide their sup- sions can be implemented port for those papers in in a much more speedier advance,” he said. time.” “There are a number He added this system is of papers that are simple. “sort of coming in at midThere are some that are stream,” so there is going far more challenging and to be a migration of the require more discussion but old papers and concluthe idea behind the system sions into this new system was to allow you to be able which will take place over to – even before you arrive time.
PAGE 6, Wednesday, May 12, 2021
THE TRIBUNE
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Stick to the law on shanty towns IT IS sad to see the debate over shanty towns descend to the level of scaremongering. And yet, that is where we are at, it would seem. In response to the United Nations raising concerns about the government’s planned demolition of houses in The Farm shanty town in Abaco, Works Minister Desmond Bannister has asked if we want to live in a country like Haiti with “dirt, garbage, shanty towns all over the place”. Aside from the casual demonising of an entire country that Mr Bannister engaged in with that comment, what he might focus on is the importance of the rule of law. The UN raised human rights concerns, saying that the planned forced evictions constituted a “serious violation of the human right to adequate housing and would result in arbitrary internal displacement”. What did the UN officials ask the Bahamian government to do? Well, simply to “follow due legal process and respect existing judicial orders. This includes not only waiting for the outcome of the Supreme Court full review of the government’s policy to demolish informal settlements, but also to ensure full adherence to international human rights standards governing relocations, evictions, and internal displacement”. Is that so hard? Follow the law? Respect the agreements we have signed up to? After all, we even hold the vice presidency right now of the Human Rights Council – this isn’t just something we signed up to, we are meant to be leading the way. Mr Bannister talks about the risk of “the consequences of me not doing my job” including that “we could have a spread of E.Coli in Abaco. Water could be contaminated and people could be sick”. Well, what does he think is going to happen if hundreds of people are made homeless and end up living in whatever conditions they find? That’s not going to be good for public health either, especially in a pandemic. Mr Bannister, and Elsworth Johnson who has also been in the news this week criticising the UN, continue to miss one very particular point. If you knock down these houses, these people won’t just disappear into thin air. So where will they go? What is the plan to relocate them? Mr Johnson claimed that many of them wanted to return to Haiti – fine, where is the plane arranged to carry them? Mr Bannister is absolutely right that we don’t want people living in filthy conditions and with poor sewerage or water supplies. So where are our housing programmes to build affordable accommodation? And let’s not be up in arms saying why are we building properties for illegal migrants – let’s remember that
surveys by this very FNM government have shown the majority of residents of shanty towns have legal status to be here, whether through being born in the country or having work or spousal permits. This is about Bahamians as well as migrants. Where will people go? It’s a question that seems to be being ignored – and without an answer to it, then the likely answer is that another shanty town will pop up a month or two from now, and we’ll be back to the start. If we really want to look across at Haiti, one of the problems it’s facing right now is the political chaos engulfing the country. Following the rule of law is how we avoid that. Should people be living in illegally built properties? Absolutely not – and the court ruling will decide on that. Let’s hear what the court has to say. But what are we doing to encourage people not to build these shanty towns in the first place? Come up with a whole plan, not just bring out the bulldozers and then walk away afterwards. Tell us where these people will go, and then we might believe you when you say you want to get rid of shanty towns for good, rather than just for a while.
Get the jab
Another 33,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine landed yesterday, and this week has seen Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis get his second shot and Opposition leader Philip ‘Brave’ Davis planning to get his. They will be among the first in the country to be fully vaccinated. And yet, now it appears we are facing a problem of more supplies than there is demand. This is literally the key to unlocking our country’s future, and yet people aren’t lining up to get their shots. Part of the problem perhaps is the circulation of scare stories and fake news on social media about vaccines. Well, Dr Duane Sands has a suggestion for that – a full-on push to encourage immunisation. Infomercials, town hall events, publicity everywhere. It won’t be long until the leaders of this country will be asking you for your vote, to put your faith in them to lead the country. Well, the two likeliest contenders to lead the next government both have their second jabs – they’re leading the way. Won’t you follow? Across the country, politicians, medical experts, economic experts, businesses, community leaders, voluntary organisations… all of these are leading the way and encouraging vaccination. Do you rely want to trust that message being shared on Facebook instead of all of those? Go on. Get the jab. Let’s put this behind us.
Bishop in battle with cancer EDITOR, The Tribune. “DOCTORS have given me 18 months more to live. God promised me up to 120 years. Whose report should I believe?” That was the chilling message I recently received from my boyhood friend Walter Hanchell, who is being treated abroad for cancer. I now hereby confess that, even unknown to him, Walter has been most influential in my life. You see I knew him as a legendary, dashing, handsome, debonair and well dressed ladies man, my type. We dubbed him ‘Double 0’. We hung out, travelled and indulged in our chosen lifestyle together. So when, similar to the Apostle Paul, he had his “Damascus road” experience and transformation, like many others, I congratulated him and wished him well, but unlike the others, I
LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net expectantly awaited his return to our world. That was almost two score years ago. As my expectancy continued in vain, I realised that God was most powerful, he changed Walter and that only God could change Walter. Since that time, along with his lovely wife Minalee, whom he lovingly refers to as his Queen, he has steadfastly preached the gospel, cared for the sick and downtrodden and fed thousands of persons through his Great Commissions Ministry. Lately, he added social activism to his resume and seemed to be partial to a particular direction. In this regard, I am most happy with and commend a politician, who may have crossed her party’s line, for openly commending his works,
deeds and character during a recent parliamentary session. More of them should have done so. Again, referencing the aforementioned communication I received, Walter ended it with, “We shall believe the report of the Lord. I thank my doctors and really appreciate all they do to save lives, but Jehovah God has the final say.” Therefore, being cognisant of the fact that many others, including his family, friends, church members and fellow pastors are currently praying for him and wishing him well, I hereby take this opportunity to implore all those who read this letter, to join them and pray for this amazing, christian, patriotic Bahamian, my friend Bishop Walter S Hanchell. Just saying….. ARNOLD F BAIN Jr Nassau, May 11, 2021.
Readers have say online AFTER Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis said it was “impossible” to fulfil election promises because of the effects of hurricanes and the pandemic, Tribune readers have been having their say on the issues in the news online at tribune242.com. TigerB said: “My personal experiences with Dorian here in Grand Bahamas, the long water lines, trying to find food.. only us in Abaco and Grand Bahamas can understand what he is saying...only he who knows knows... excuses yes, but those points cannot be denied... Covid is still staring us in the face... The way I see it if the PLP was in theywould have done the exact same things, and we would have still been here bashing them too... it’s a Bahamian thing.” Stislez had little sympathy, replying: “Tell him he could have explained his and
his party failures if he had agreed to a debate.....dont come try explain tru the press where no one could put sensible questions to you. Das all he been doing. I feel no remorse for leaders who dont engage with their people or feel to high above to even take advice or recommendations from them.” Cobalt replied: “I somewhat agree with you; but not from the perspective of conducting a debate. Almost every leader addresses his countrymen thru use of the media and news reports. But in this case, the PM knew that a debate would only give credibility to a party that has no credibility (ie the PLP). The PLP was such a colossal failure that for the first time in Bahamian history a sitting Prime Minister lost his seat! They only got four seats in Parliament for crying out loud! And Brave Davis was the exact same one at the
helm when our country was almost brought to ruin. So why would the PM debate him??? Why give a listening ear to someone who has already demonstrated to the Bahamian public that he is an inept, incompetent coleader??? Debating Brave Davis would only serve his self interest by giving him credibility that he clearly doesn’t deserve. My grandfather always taught me never to debate a fool because bystanders would only see two fools debating.” Tribanon added: “No Minnis, try as you may, you just don’t get off the hook that easy with these lame excuses. It was your gross incompetence and mismanagement as a failed leader that made Irma, Dorian and COVID so much more devastating for our country’s economy and our people than they would have otherwise been.”
BISHOP Walter Hanchell serving food during one of his annual Thanksgiving luncheons at Great Commission Ministries.
THE TRIBUNE
Wednesday, May 12, 2021, PAGE 7
14 MONTHS Dames warns smugglers we’ll get you in the end IN JAIL FOR POSSESSION OF FIREARM from page one
By FARRAH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter fjohnson@tribunemedia.net
A 31-YEAR-OLD man who was caught driving around with an illegal firearm was yesterday sentenced to 14 months in prison. Police arrested Christopher Strachan after they found a .38mm Smith & Wesson revolver and four live rounds of ammunition in his car on May 8. He pleaded guilty to an unlicensed firearm and ammunition possession when he appeared before Chief Magistrate Joyann Ferguson-Pratt. The court was told that around 10.30 that night, officers in the area of Charles Vincent Street saw a grey vehicle travelling at a high rate of speed. As a result, they pursued the car and used their fog horns, sirens and flashing lights to get the driver to stop. Once the vehicle came to a stop, they ordered Strachan to get out of the car and told him he would be searched for dangerous drugs and firearms. During their investigation, officers discovered the weapon and ammunition under the driver’s seat where the accused had been sitting. He was
subsequently arrested. When Strachan was interviewed in custody, he denied seeing the gun at the time that it was discovered by the officers. However, when the firearm was shown to him during his questioning, he admitted it was the gun and ammunition that was found in the car he was driving. Yesterday, Strachan was represented by attorney Ian Cargill. He told the magistrate his client had no previous convictions or pending matters. He also noted the firearm was not linked to any crimes and said that Strachan was a mechanic and car salesman with four young children. In response, Magistrate Ferguson-Pratt said the “unprecedented escalation in the presence of unlicensed firearms had a direct link” to the increasing occurrences of more “serious crimes” in the country. As a result, she sentenced Strachan to 14 months in prison. The accused was also fined $4,000 for the illegal firearm and another $2,000 for the ammunition. Magistrate Ferguson-Pratt said if he failed to pay the fines, he could risk spending an additional 12 months behind bars.
$1,000 FINE FOR THREAT TO KILL AND ASSAULT By FARRAH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter fjohnson@tribunemedia.net A 30-YEAR-OLD man who threatened to kill a man before assaulting another was yesterday fined $1,000 and ordered to compensate both of his victims. John Sainsbury was arrested after he made death threats to a man on May 7. The prosecution said the accused also caused $2,240 worth of damage to the complainant’s car before assaulting another man the same day. He admitted the offences when he appeared before Magistrate Samuel McKinney. The court was told on the day in question, Sainsbury attended a barbecue at the first complainant’s residence. According to the prosecution, during the get together, the accused became aggressive and hostile and broke a bottle which he then pointed at the host. He told officers when he asked Sainsbury to leave, the accused refused to do so and instead, said he’d kill him before causing
damage to the front windshield and two of the tyres of his Toyota car. The court was told that some time later, Sainsbury struck a second man in the face before threatening him as well. When he was eventually taken into custody and interviewed, he admitted the offences. During his plea in mitigation, Sainsbury’s attorney, Bjorn Ferguson, told the magistrate the situation was a “one-off incident” that involved alcohol. He claimed everyone at the barbecue was drinking and “things were said, tempers flared, and the situation got out of hand”. Mr Ferguson insisted his client was remorseful for his actions and willing to compensate both of the men he threatened. As a result, Magistrate McKinney fined Sainsbury $1,000 or six months in prison for issuing threats of death. He also ordered him to compensate the first complainant $2,400 for the damage he caused to his vehicle and told him to pay the second victim $150 for striking him in the face.
MAN ACCUSED OF UNLAWFUL SEX By FARRAH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter fjohnson@tribunmedia.net A 20-YEAR-OLD man was charged in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday with unlawful sexual intercourse. Prosecutors alleged Antorn Johnson had sex with a 15-year-old girl sometime in May. During his hearing before
Chief Magistrate Joyann Ferguson-Pratt, he was not required to enter a plea and the matter was adjourned to July 14 for service of a voluntary bill of indictment. In the interim, Johnson was denied bail and remanded to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services. He has a right to apply to the Supreme Court for bail.
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His comments came after a Bahamian pilot was arrested Monday after landing a plane in Cat Island with cocaine, estimated at about $1.6m. Police officials said another man fled the plane and escaped. According to reports, the plane had left Haiti shortly after noon Monday and initially landed on Long Island, but left “immediately”. “It later landed on the island of Cat Island where a male was seen disembarking the aircraft with two multi-coloured suitcases. The male ran into nearby bushes. However, one of the surveillance aircraft landed and officers from that craft pursued the male. However, he made good his escape,” Assistant Superintendent of Police Audley Peters said. Officers suspect this activity was part of a larger, transnational drug operation. Yesterday, Mr Dames commended the efforts of local law enforcement agencies, who were also assisted by the US Coast Guard, US Customs and Border Protection and the US Drug Enforcement Administration. The minister added that Monday’s drug seizure was a result of good partnership between The Bahamas and the US. He said: “They continue to work with their partners in the United States, the Royal Bahamas Defence Force, the other agencies to interdict at sea and certainly on land and we’re extremely proud. Obviously, the intelligence is extremely good and they’re making quite a bit of really good arrests and we expect that will continue. It’s clear the strategies, the
NATIONAL Security Minister Marvin Dames yesterday. Photo: Donovan McIntosh/Tribune Staff initiatives that are being executed are working and I think that we are extremely pleased.” Monday’s incident comes more than a month after police found $3.1m worth of suspected cocaine during a drug raid in Eleuthera. At the time, Assistant Commissioner of Police Solomon Cash reported that an aircraft had landed at the Governor’s Harbour, Eleuthera airstrip on March 28. He said when officials “commenced surveillance exercises,” they observed two individuals leaving the aircraft. “They were searched, however, nothing (was) found in their
possession. That operation continued on into the night. As the surveillance team and a search team continued their operation at the airstrip, sometime this morning at 9am, that surveillance team and the operational search team recovered from the airstrip some six multicoloured bags each containing a large quantity of suspected cocaine. I can tell you when we completed the count it was 155 packages with the street value of $3.1m,” he said at the time. Three men have since been arraigned in Magistrate’s Court in connection with that incident.
PAGE 8, Wednesday, May 12, 2021
THE TRIBUNE
A cherished voice lost in the fight for women’s rights By Alicia Wallace
THIS week, the community of women’s rights advocates and feminists in The Bahamas learned of the passing of Donna Nicolls. She was fierce in her advocacy for women’s rights, compassionate in her care for survivors of domestic, sexual and intimate partner violence, generous in her support of loved and cared for as she other activists and advo- was in her parents’ home, cates in the human rights and Donna was in full support of the message, happy space. Easily recognised by her to hear her mother say this. short haircut and signature Then, her mother turned to gold hoop earrings, Donna her and said the expectawas well-known and loved tions of her were the same. deeply. Her work spanned “This is the essence of what decades, changed mind- healthy means in a relationsets and helped to move us ship. It’s really about what closer to having a sustained you expect and what you are going to give,” she said. women’s rights movement. Donna had a way of The stories being shared bringing her message to life about her are no surprise to anyone who knew her. with personal stories. She From the invitations to her was unafraid of sharing her house for family meals to own experiences in order to calling out nonsense when- help people to understand a ever and wherever she saw concept and both consider it, Donna was the real deal. and change their behaviour. What you saw was truly She talked about her own experiences and how she what you got. Donna Nicolls was the learned from them, and this Deputy Director of the gave people permission to Bahamas Crisis Centre for reflect on their own experimany years, and a strong ences, own their mistakes, women’s rights advocate. and chart a path toward Hers was often one of very something better. Through few voices raised on issues her work, she taught the impacting women includ- rest of us that vulnerability ing domestic violence and can be a strength and showsexual violence. She was ing our own humanity helps committed to promot- to make connections with ing healthy relationships, the people we are trying to especially through direct reach. In addition to connecting engagement with young with people through stories people. She knew the importance and compassion, of having conversations about relationships as early as possible and spoke about the connection between girls’ self esteem, knowledge about relationship dynamics and their ability to identify red flags. In 2013, she said: “In order for them to have healthy relationship they must understand how to develop their own positive self traits and how to recognise red flag behaviour and dialogue that is meant to trap.” Because she kept it real, Donna was often called upon to talk to young people about healthy relationships. She was sincere and realistic in her approach. She DONNA Nicolls pictured didn’t talk down above with her family, from to students, but left, husband Teran Nicolls, acknowledged daughter Noelle Nicolls; son that their real Rande Nicolls and Khalila life experiDuncombe; pictured right ences and the with Bahamas Crisis Centre decisions they volunteers, from left, Alison made on a Hamilton, volunteer; Dr Sue daily basis. She Fairclough, volunteer; and was was well Dr Sandra Dean-Patterson, aware of social director; and with volunteer norms among Lindsay Thompson, bottom. young people, the challenges they faced in navigating relationships and the tension between what they wanted Donna knew the and how they wanted to be importance of subperceived. stantive change in She started with the law and policy and individual, affirming their she focused a lot of own wishes for their lives her work on one and made the connection international mechto their interaction with anism in particular. people in their lives. She In 2014, Bahamas did not discourage dating Women’s Watch, nor belittle anyone for founded by Donna organtheir decisions. Instead, she ized a full-day training focused on their humanity. session on the Convention She wanted them to know on the Elimination of All they have agency and value Forms of Discrimination and she gave them tools to against Women (CEDAW). help them to assess their The event brought people relationships. together who were interI remember Donna being ested in advancing women’s on a Women’s Wednesdays rights and ending violence panel on healthy rela- and discrimination against tionships at the National women to hear from MisArt Gallery of The Baha- souri Sherman-Peters and mas. She emphasised that Gaynel Curry about interhealthy relationships begin national mechanisms and with an understanding of the principles of CEDAW. our own personal power. From the invitation to She shared the story of her register for the training mother speaking to her to the training day itself, husband-to-be before they Donna made it clear there got married, laying out were expectations of all her expectations. She told participants. We had to him that Donna was to be
commit to stay for the entire day and our participation was an indication of our commitment to continue working and to share the knowledge we gained from the training. She treated us with kindness and respect while setting the bar and it was well-received. This training was follow-through on Donna’s commitment to ensuring more women in The Bahamas were aware of CEDAW and could strengthen their advocacy by using this tool. In 2012 and 2013, she spoke about the government’s ratification of CEDAW in 1993, its responsibility to women in The Bahamas, and the importance of us knowing our rights, so this training was the realisation of one of her goals. Donna was excited by CEDAW, and she was the first person I heard refer to it as “a bill of rights for women.” She learned as much as she could about the Convention and how it could be used for the protection and advancement of women’s rights. In 2013, she
participated in a multi-country forum in Jamaica which put nongovernmental organizations and government officials in dialogue
DONNA NICOLLS with each other. Upon her return, Donna encouraged women to get familiar with CEDAW by reading CEDAW Made Easy, a resource that is available online and does as its title suggests. Later on, Donna participated in an intensive training on CEDAW with people from all over the world. Even with
all of her knowledge and experience in this field, she never considered herself too much of an expert to be a student and to learn more. She was open
to more information, different ways of approaching the work, and new people entering the movement. She talked about the importance of passing the baton so that a new generation of leaders could learn, practice, speak, build rapport and create change. She happily took opportunities to mentor young women and girls and supported initiatives that had mentorship components. She believed in the power of meaningful interactions, building relationships across generations, and ensuring that people always have someone to call for help. She was that person for many and she had a hand in ensuring other people became those people for even more people. Young activists have been fortunate to observe and learn from Donna. We have seen her be fully herself, without filter. We have heard her acknowledge her own anger while calling on the country to do and be better. Donna directly spoke to the women in The Bahamas, calling us to take a stand and demand more when she said: “I am just so outraged and I feel that as women we have got to stop just taking this nonsense that people keep throwing at us and get together and say no, enough.” She showed us that we could name our feelings and it would not invalidate the work we channel them into. Donna let us know the importance of naming behaviours. She worked to end victim blaming and reminded the public that the blame should be on perpetrators while our support goes to survivors. She said: “We should name and shame the behaviour of perpetrators without apology and let perpetrators of harassment and abuse know in no uncertain terms that their behaviour is unacceptable and illegal. And collectively, we must hold perpetrators responsible for their actions.” We still have work to do. We still need more people on our team. We still need to find ways to connect with people, increase understanding of human rights, improve communication and responses to conflict,
and create a safer environment for us all. This, however, does not have to consume us. Donna showed that it was possible to be fully engaged in this work while making room for joy. We saw it in the way she laughed, welcomed people into her home, and celebrated life. It is fitting that we remember her as the woman who counselled many others, who held the mic to say what few others would say, who remembered to give attention to girls’ selfworth and confidence, who talked about making space for others in the movement, who told it like it was, and who was determined to truly live. She once said: “My plea today is for us to move together with a vision of a Bahamas free of violence. The plea today is that we might work together to build a more caring, peaceful, tolerant society.” May her memory be source of joy and a call to
RECOMMENDATIONS
1. CEDAW Made Easy. This resources is available on the UN Women Caribbean website. It includes sections on the links between CEDAW and the Sustainable Development Goals and international human rights, the use of CEDAW at the national level, the rights CEDAW protects, and how CEDAW is monitored. 2. Black Buck by Mateo Askaripour. “I don’t think you want that today.” That’s what a young black man says to a white man, a regular at the Starbucks he works at, when he orders his regular. It irritates the customer, then lands him a job at a tech company. Written like a self-help book on selling, this is a (sometimes uncomfortably) funny take on the workplace in the US, racism, and money. 3. Ziwe. She’s on Showtime with a funny series that mixes interviews and musical numbers that are a commentary on socio-political issues. In the first episode, she interviews Fran Lebowitz and Gloria Steinem, has a conversation with a group of white women named Karen, and performs a song that really should not be funny. It will be interesting to see how Ziwe sparks conversation throughout the season.
THE TRIBUNE
Wednesday, May 12, 2021, PAGE 9
NASA SPACECRAFT BEGINS TWO YEAR TRIP HOME WITH ASTEROID RUBBLE
THIS illustration provided by NASA depicts the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft at the asteroid Bennu. On Monday, the robotic explorer fired its engines, headed back to Earth with samples it collected from the asteroid, nearly 200 million miles away. (Conceptual Image Lab/Goddard Space Flight Center/NASA via AP)
By MARCIA DUNN AP Aerospace Writer CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — With rubble from an asteroid tucked inside, a NASA spacecraft fired its engines and began the long journey back to Earth on Monday, leaving the ancient space rock in its rearview mirror. The trip home for the robotic prospector, OsirisRex, will take two years. Osiris-Rex reached asteroid Bennu in 2018 and spent two years flying near and around it, before collecting rubble from the surface last fall. The University of Arizona’s Dante Lauretta, the principal scientist, estimates the spacecraft holds between a half pound and 1 pound (200 grammes and 400 grammes) of mostly bite-size chunks. Either way, it easily exceeds the target of at least 2 ounces (60 grammes). It will be the biggest cosmic haul for the U.S. since the Apollo moon rocks. While NASA has returned comet dust and solar wind samples, this is the first time it’s gone after pieces of an asteroid. Japan has accomplished it twice, but in tiny amounts.
IN this image taken from video released by NASA, the OsirisRex spacecraft touches the surface of asteroid Bennu in October 2020. (NASA via AP) Scientists described Monday’s departure from Bennu’s neighbourhood as bittersweet. “I’ve been working on getting a sample back from an asteroid since my daughter was in diapers and now she’s graduating from high school, so it’s been a long journey,” said NASA project scientist Jason Dworkin. Added Lauretta: “We
have gotten used to being at Bennu and seeing new and exciting images and data coming back to us here on Earth.” Osiris-Rex was already nearly 200 miles (300 kilometres) from the solarorbiting Bennu when it fired its main engines Monday afternoon for a fast, clean get-away. Colorado-based flight controllers for spacecraft
builder Lockheed Martin applauded when confirmation arrived of the spacecraft’s departure: “We’re bringing the samples home!” Scientists hope to uncover some of the solar system’s secrets from the samples vacuumed last October from Bennu’s dark, rough, carbon-rich surface. The asteroid is an estimated 1,600 feet (490 metres) wide and 4.5 billion years old. Bennu — considered a broken chunk from a bigger asteroid — is believed to hold the preserved building blocks of the solar system. The returning pieces could shed light on how the planets formed and how life arose on Earth. They also could improve Earth’s odds against any incoming rocks. Although the asteroid is 178 million miles (287 million kilometres) away, Osiris-Rex will put another 1.4 billion miles (2.3 billion kilometres) on its odometer to catch up with Earth. The SUV-size spacecraft will circle the sun twice before delivering its small sample capsule to Utah’s desert floor on Sept. 24, 2023, to end the more than $800 million mission. It launched from Cape
Canaveral in 2016. The precious samples will be housed at a new lab under construction at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, already home to hundreds of pounds of lunar material collected by the 12 Apollo moonwalkers from 1969 to 1972. Scientists initially thought the spacecraft stored 2 pounds (1 kilogramme) of asteroid rubble, but more recently revised their estimate downward. They won’t know for certain how much is on board until the capsule is opened after touchdown. “Every bit of sample is valuable,” Dworkin said. “We have to be patient.” NASA has lots more asteroid projects planned. Set to launch in October, a spacecraft named Lucy will fly past swarms of asteroids out near Jupiter, while a spacecraft known as Dart will blast off in November in an attempt to redirect an asteroid as part of a planetary protection test. Then in 2022, the Psyche spacecraft will take off for an odd, metallic asteroid bearing the same name. None of these missions, however, involve sample return.
ELECTRIC THREE-WHEELED CAR FACTORY, JOBS COMING TO MESA, ARIZONA NEW YORK (AP) — ElectraMeccanica, known for its tiny, single passenger, three-wheeled electric cars, has chosen Mesa, Arizona, as the location for its U.S. assembly and engineering plant. The Canadian company, based in Vancouver, B.C., says the new facility will create up to 500 new jobs and potentially produce 20,000 of its flagship Solo electric vehicles each year. ElectraMeccanica calls the Solo EV an “all-electric solution
for the urban environment,” though it has a range of 100 miles and a top speed of 80 miles per hour, making it safe for highway use. The company said the cars sell for $18,500 and are available for pre-order on its website. ElectraMeccanica picked Mesa, just east of Phoenix, after a more than year-long site search. InterMeccanica, a subsidiary of ElectraMeccanica, has been building high-end specialty cars for more than 60 years.
DELEGATES talk near an ElectraMeccanica single-user electric vehicle during the inaugural B.C. Tech Summit in Vancouver, B.C., in 2016. ElectraMeccanica, known for its tiny, single passenger, three-wheeled electric cars, has picked Mesa, Ariz., for its U.S.-based assembly and engineering plant. The Canadian company, based in Vancouver, B.C., says the new facility will create up to 500 new jobs and potentially produce 20,000 of its flagship Solo electric vehicles each year. (Darryl Dyck/ The Canadian Press via AP)
TECHTALK • WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon is reconsidering how to make a massive shift to cloud computing, officials said Monday, suggesting it could scrap the so-called JEDI contract potentially worth $10 billion that was awarded to Microsoft Corp. but is mired in legal challenges. “We are going to have to assess where we are in regards to the ongoing litigation and determine what the best path forward is for the department,” deputy Pentagon press secretary Jamal Brown said, citing remarks by Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks at a public forum late last month. Hicks said then that she could not comment on the legal case or say what course of action the Pentagon will take. But she said a move to cloud computing is essential for a number of reasons, including cybersecurity. “So for all of those reasons, moving to a cloud architecture is going to be vital to how we innovate in this department and we’re going to have to assess where we are with regard to the ongoing litigation around JEDI and determine what the best path forward is for the department,” Hicks said April 30. The Wall Street Journal was first to report Monday that the Pentagon is considering “pulling the plug” on the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure project, known as JEDI, in light of ongoing legal challenges to the Pentagon’s decision in 2019 to award the contract to Microsoft over Amazon Web Services. • HILO, Hawaii (AP) — Hawaii must convert all state-owned light-duty vehicles to fully electric by 2035 under newly passed legislation, state lawmakers said. Democratic state Rep. Nicole Lowen authored the bill, saying it was one of her legisla tive priorities this year, Hawaii Tribune-Herald reported Sunday. The bill, passed this year, requires the state to transition its entire light-duty vehicle fleet to zero-emissions vehicles by the end of 2035, with passenger cars transitioning by 2030. There are about 3,200 vehicles in the state’s lightduty vehicle fleet, according to the state’s energy office. About 300 are active on the Big Island. “It actually saves the state money in maintenance costs,” Lowen said. “And with more electric vehicles on the road, it gets more people to realize they’re not much different from other cars, and might convince more people to adopt them. And, of course, it incentivises building more electric infrastructure.” State agencies will operate under a procurement policy under the bill to prioritise zero-emissions or hybrid vehicles when purchasing new vehicles, although some vehicles will be exempt, Lowen said. The bill corresponds with other legislation that allocates 3 cents of the barrel tax — the tax imposed on each barrel of oil imported into the state — to fund the installation of electric vehicle charging stations. Both bills are intended to help the state transition entirely to renewable energy by 2045.
PAGE 10, Wednesday, May 12, 2021
THE TRIBUNE
ISRAEL AND HAMAS TRADE FIRE AS CONFLICT ESCALATES
SMOKE rises after an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City, Tuesday, May 11, 2021. (AP Photo/Hatem Moussa) AN ISRAELI firefighter extinguishes a burning bus after it was hit by a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip, in the town of Holon, yesterday. Photo: Avshalom Sassoni/AP
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip Associated Press A CONFRONTATION between Israel and Hamas sparked by weeks of tensions in contested Jerusalem escalated Tuesday as Israel unleashed new airstrikes on Gaza while militants barraged Israel with hundreds of rockets. The exchange killed a number of militants and civilians in Gaza and at
least three people in Israel. The barrage of rockets from the Gaza Strip and airstrikes into the territory continued almost nonstop throughout the day, in what appeared to be some of the most intense fighting between Israel and Hamas since their 2014 war. The fire was so relentless that Israel’s Iron Dome rocketdefense system seemed to be overwhelmed. Columns
of smoke rose from many places in Gaza. By late Tuesday, the violence extended to Tel Aviv, which came under fire from a barrage of rockets launched from the Gaza Strip. A 50-year-old woman was killed. The outgoing volleys set off air raid sirens across the city, and the main international airport closed temporarily. Hamas said it launched a total of 130 rockets, its most intense strike so far, in response to Israel’s destruction of a high-rise building in Gaza earlier in the evening. The sound of the outgoing rockets could be heard in Gaza. As the rockets rose into the skies, mosques across Gaza blared with chants of “God is great,” “victory to Islam” and “resistance”. One rocket struck a bus in the central city of Holon, just south of Tel Aviv. Medics said three people, including a 5-year-old girl, were wounded and the bus went up in flames. Since sundown Monday, 28 Palestinians — including ten children and a woman— were killed in Gaza, most by airstrikes, health officials there said. The Israeli military said at least 16 of the dead were militants. Two women were killed by rockets fired from Gaza that hit their homes in the southern city of Ashkelon — the first Israeli deaths in the current violence. At least ten other Israelis have been wounded since Monday evening. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that the fighting would continue for some time. In a nationally televised speech late Tuesday, he said Hamas and Islamic Jihad “have paid, and will pay, a heavy price”. “This campaign will take
time, with determination, unity and strength,” he said. Even before the two Israeli deaths, the Israeli military said it was sending troop reinforcements to the Gaza border, and the defense minister ordered the mobilization of 5,000 reserve soldiers. Lt Col Jonathan Conricus, a military spokesman, told reporters that the objective was to send a “clear message” to Hamas. Diplomats sought to intervene. UN SecretaryGeneral Antonio Guterres demanded a halt to the “spiraling” violence, a UN spokesman said. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke to the Israeli foreign minister to condemn the Hamas attacks and “reiterate the important message of de-escalation,” the State Department said. The barrage of rockets and airstrikes was preceded by hours of clashes Monday between Palestinians and Israeli security forces, including dramatic confrontations at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, a sacred site to both Jews and Muslims. The current violence, like previous rounds, including the last intifada, or uprising, has been fueled by conflicting claims over Jerusalem, which is at the emotional core of the long conflict. In a sign of widening unrest, hundreds of residents of Arab communities across Israel staged overnight demonstrations denouncing the recent actions of Israeli security forces against Palestinians. It was one of the largest protests by Palestinian citizens in Israel in recent years.
PFIZER VACCINE APPROVED FOR CHILDREN AS YOUNG AS 12 MISSION, Kansas Associated Press PARENTS, schools and vaccine clinics rushed to begin inoculating younger adolescents yesterday after US regulators endorsed Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for children as young as 12, a decision seen as a breakthrough in allowing classroom instruction to resume safely around the country. A handful of cities started offering shots to children ages 12 to 15 less than a day after the Food and Drug Administration gave the vaccine emergency use authorisation for that age group. Most communities were waiting for a federal advisory committee that meets Wednesday to sign off on the move, while anxious families called clinics and pharmacies to ask about the soonest appointments. In Atlanta, 12-year-old Jane Ellen Norman got her first dose of the Pfizer vaccine at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Tuesday morning. The girl said she looked forward to having “a little bit more freedom”. Her mother, English Norman, said she also booked an appointment for
her 14-year-old son immediately after learning that the FDA on Monday had declared the vaccine safe for the nearly 17 million 12- to 15-year-olds in the US Now, the entire family – including Norman’s husband, a physician, and their 17-year-old son – has begun the vaccination process. “We’re five for five,” the 52-year-old artist said. Most COVID-19 vaccines worldwide have been authorised for adults. Pfizer’s vaccine is being used in multiple countries for teens as young as 16, and Canada recently became the first to expand use to children 12 and up. Parents, school administrators and public health officials elsewhere have eagerly awaited approval for the shot to be made available to more young people. The official sign-off on the vaccine’s use in the 12-15 age group will not occur until at least Wednesday, when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention committee meets. Local governments that began offering shots right away viewed the FDA decision on Monday as enough of a green light to start the process.