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VOLUME:115 No.230, OCTOBER 24TH, 2018

THE PEOPLE’S PAPER: $1

SPORTS: BAHAMAS’ NFL STAR RECALLS GLORY DAYS

Time to pay • Health service funding crisis ends in landmark plan • 2% levy on wages to cover $100m costs • ‘Sin tax’ targets booze, tobacco, fizzy drinks

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Deputy Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net A CONTRIBUTORY scheme in which the salaries of every employed Bahamian will be subject to a deduction

of about two per cent each month was proposed yesterday by the National Health Insurance Authority as a means to pay for universal healthcare coverage for all, including children, elderly, and the unemployed.

SEE PAGE THREE & BUSINESS

MINISTER of Health Dr Duane Sands

‘WHY SHOULD WE PICK UP ‘GOVT LEFT ME IN $4M LUCAYAN SEVERANCE BILL? LIMBO OVER POST OFFICE’

By AVA TURNQUEST Tribune Chief Reporter aturnquest@tribunemedia.net

PROGRESSIVE Liberal Party Leader Philip Davis yesterday blasted the government for placing the burden of Grand Lucayan severance packages on taxpayers, pointing

to “myopic” and “incompetent” negotiations.

Noting the voluntary departures of 150 workers, Mr Davis questioned whether the government had a plan to provide relief to Grand Bahamians as the country continues to pay for the government’s “knee-jerk” actions.

“They invested the money to save jobs but it (doesn’t) look like that’s what happening,” Mr Davis told The Tribune.

“People are running away from them, and I doubt this will be the last of it. There is still no relief in sight as to when will they start having SEE PAGE SIX

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

THE government’s first Post Office partner yesterday revealed he has been left exposed to a near-$4m loss. Scott Godet, who agreed a public-private partnership (PPP) with the

former Christie administration to construct a new main Post Office at the Independence Drive Shopping Plaza, told Tribune Business “it’s not right” that he has endured an 18-month wait for the government to clarify how it intends to proceed with the deal.

Disclosing that the

Minnis administration has yet to respond to the four options he presented it with last month, Mr Godet said he had been “unable to do anything with my property” during that period for fear he would breach the PPP’s terms. “The PPP is just sitting there,” he said.

FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS

ANOTHER FATAL SHOOTING BUT CRIME FIGURES DOWN WEDDING BELLS? night off West Street in NOT JUST YET ...

By RIEL MAJOR which a 34-year-old man, A MAN was killed last night and another injured in a double shooting at Parker Street, off Meadows Street.

The incident came on the same day that Minister of National Security Marvin Dames said that officers were pleased that serious crime was trending downwards – while acknowledging there was “a significant amount of work” to do in fighting crime.

THE SCENE last night.

Police were on the scene of last night’s shooting as The Tribune went to press. It follows another fatal shooting on Sunday

Jamaal McSweeney, AKA “Choppa”, of Dorsett Alley was killed. A second man was also injured in that incident.

Speaking with reporters before going into a Cabinet meeting yesterday, Mr Dames reiterated comments by Police Commissioner Anthony Ferguson last week, who said crime is trending down.

SEE PAGE TWO

Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper

By NICO SCAVELLA Tribune Staff Reporter nscavella@tribunemedia.net

AN American woman was ordered to pay $2,000 in fines yesterday after admitting to assaulting and cursing two police officers because she was not allowed into The Bahamas to get engaged earlier this week.

Julie Ann L’Esperance, SEE PAGE SEVEN

PAGE 2, Wednesday, October 24, 2018

THE TRIBUNE

FRIENDS, relatives and nearby residents at the scene at Parker Street off Meadow Street last night where two men were shot close to a basketball game. One man was killed and the other was injured.

Another fatal shooting but crime figures down

from page one

Mr Dames’ remarks came as he addressed an armed robbery that took place yesterday morning in the Sea Breeze area.

Mr Dames said: “Daytime armed robberies is nothing new, armed robberies are crimes of opportunity. Whenever someone can see an opportunity, they’ll take advantage of it.

“I don’t have the stats before me, but you’ve heard the commissioner (say) that serious crimes are down, at some point he’ll have an opportunity to share that with you.

“We are very pleased in which the direction things are headed; there is still a significant amount of work ahead of us but we feel confident that we are on the right track and no

matter how much you improve, there will still be others out there who are willing to take advantage of others but we’ll get them because you know our job is to make this country safer. We’re committed to that as a government.”

He added: “We will continue to do whatever is necessary within the framework of the law to ensure that Bahamians and those who visit our shores are safe.”

“We’re introducing new technologies, refining the current technologies that we have on hand, we’re building relationships with our local stakeholders as well as external stakeholders so there are a number of things current happening that we are extremely pleased about, and we will continue to do that as we work towards making The Bahamas safer.”

He had been speaking before last night’s shooting - which took place near a basketball game at Parker Street.

Family and friends of the victims were in tears at the scene, with the street crowded with onlookers following the incident.

Last week, Commissioner Ferguson said that crime is trending downwards.

“We are trending down,” Commissioner Ferguson said at an event at police headquarters. “I think everybody can see that from the numbers, in terms of homicides. We are not as high in armed robberies.

Are we satisfied with the way armed robberies are?

Absolutely not. We will do our best to make sure that we bring it right down.”

The commissioner also said that crime statistics will be released at the end of the year.

POLICE at the scene of last night’s shooting at Parker Street.

TEARS from people at the scene of last night’s shooting at Parker Street.

Photos: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff

POLICE INCREASE FOCUS ON FINANCIAL AND CYBER CRIMES

By RIEL MAJOR

NATIONAL Security Minister Marvin Dames said yesterday the government is currently working on expanding capacity in the financial and cyber crime division and launching an independent financial

and cyber crime unit within the Royal Bahamas Police Force.

Mr Dames said: “We as a government have taken certain steps as well to ensure that we build capacity within the Royal Bahamas Police Force so we are putting a particular emphasis on the investigation and so forth matters.

We are building out our financial and cyber crime division section within the force.

“As a matter of fact, we are creating an independent area that will focus more on financial services ... more on cyber-related matters.”

He said with financial services as the second

pillar in the country’s economy and more people using technology to commit crimes, the police force has to have the resources to fight back.

Mr Dames said: “What you can expect to see very shortly is an independent financial investigation/ cybercrime unit.

“We will begin this

whole push to recruit persons who have degrees in finance, degrees in accounting, degrees in information technology and computers.

“Because this is the way the world is heading and if we’re going to compete and be able to stay on top of those persons who will begin to use this medium

more to deceive and take advantage of others, we have to be a step ahead.

“It is no secret and all of the corruption and everything else ties into this and so you can expect to see a lot of movement on this front by this government through agencies like the Royal Bahamas Police Force.”

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, October 24, 2018, PAGE 3

Health service funding crisis ends in landmark proposals from page one While NHIA chairman Dr Robin Roberts was careful not to classify the proposition as an income tax, the details of how the deductions are to be made mimic that of such a tax.

The proposal is likely to also spark some push back as it mandates that those already subscribing to private insurers will not make any extra contributions but it would mean two per cent of payments to these insurers would go into the universal healthcare pool, Dr Roberts explained.

If a person earns $5,000 each year, a salary deduction of $8 per month will go into the National Health Insurance pool. Those with an income of $10,000 will pay $17 every month and a person that takes home $15,000 every year, their deduction will be $25 per month.

Those legally in The Bahamas earning $20,000 each year are expected to pay $33 each month; $25,000 a year will be $42 per month and those making $30,000 or more will contribute $42.

Officials say this is either 50 percent of the premium’s cost or a maximum of two percent, whichever is lower, of their annual salary. It is therefore proposed that the employer will be responsible for at least 50 percent of the premium or the remainder of the premium cost.

And no one will be excluded or charged more because of preexisting conditions, Dr Roberts said.

Asked by The Tribune how the deductions were expected to coincide with the state of public healthcare, Dr Roberts said it is the intention of NHIA to minimise the level of “bad” care that patients receive as the scheme essentially makes everyone “private” patients.

He expects it to be at least another year before these deductions begin, if approved by Cabinet.

The newly released NHI policy paper outlined several timelines: including April to July 2019 for the launch of the standard health benefit and NHI expanded coverage; July 2019 for a sugary drink tax and national wellness programme; a January 2020 launch of the employer mandate/two per cent deductions for businesses with 100 or more employees; and January 2021 employer mandate expansion for all employers and deadline for all grandfathered private insurance plans.

A 45-day public consultation with stakeholders, beginning yesterday, will also have to be completed at which time it is expected many suggestions will be made as to how NHIA should proceed.

DR ROBIN ROBERTS, chairman of the the National Health Insurance Authority “Everyone will be contributing,” Dr Roberts said yesterday at NHIA’s offices on East Street and Purpose Way. “Some will pay directly. The other half the government will pay so what we are looking at is called an employer manual.

“Everyone who is employed will be expected to have salary deductions.

“First of all, we don’t expect this plan to be implemented until for at least another year. Secondly, we are looking for those employers that have at least 100 employees that we think might have the capacity to carry the load.

“Those that have less, we would expect for them to make a small contribution for each of their employees and for those individuals not employed, then we would expect that when they go to the government healthcare services that they would enrol in the same way they are enrolled now in our primary healthcare services that in order for them to get these benefits senior citizens, retirees, children, unemployed they would be carried by the system as a part of the shared responsibility.

“So, it is in our best interest then to get the economy going quite well such that everyone, as many people as possible are employed but more importantly as you spread the risk across the

population that everyone who is working, I would expect that it would drop the premium significantly and so therefore we could have more affordable premiums as there are those who would prefer to have private care and such that again it would take more off the burden of the public.”

To those who say the fees are not affordable, Dr Roberts compared the cost to four Kalik beers.

“One of the major problems in our healthcare system is we lack equity. Those who need care can’t get it and those who need more can’t. We just don’t have the money. One of the things we have is you will find very few places will pay insurance for individuals who make minimum wage, so what we are looking at is even those who make minimum wage will make a contribution but in those instances, we expect the employer to pay a little bit more for them.

“They are paying $10,000 per year. We expect them to pay $17 per month towards their health insurance, that’s the cost of less than four Kaliks depending on where you go to buy it. So instrumentally we have attempted to make this as affordable (as possible) and if you are above $25,000 the maximum you will pay is $42.”

Apart from the salary deductions, the authority is also

proposing that funding come from government contributions from the national budget; earmarked allocation of value added tax collected on private health insurance premiums; distributions from the risk equalisation fund; and the sugary drink tax earmarked for an NHI wellness programme.

Primary care services also will be expanded in this under this new proposal to now include cancer screenings for the most common cancers in The Bahamas, new diagnostic imaging services – various x-rays and ultrasounds, including prenatal ultrasounds.

Dr Roberts said: “We took the Bahamian approach, never hang your basket higher than you could reach. The question would be what can we afford?

“We proposed to implement an essential package of benefits – a high cost care programme to include comprehensive coverage for select conditions or treatments, all of which have a high prevalence in The Bahamas namely breast cancer and cervical cancer in women, prostate cancer in men, colon cancer and rectal cancer that occurs in both with attention to high prevalence in diseases of the heart and blood vessels. We focus on heart attacks and its related health problems.

“We also included pacemakers for when the heart

beats irregularly and death is impending.

“Finally, we included the caring for those with end stage kidney disease not only to better their dialysis care but to include the scope and the hope for a kidney transplant.

“These proposed changes and funding of National Health Insurance are grounded in our Christian values. We are our brother’s keepers. It is what we do for the least among us. It is one of shared responsibility fairness commitment to the community and working forward upward and onward as a people to achieve the triple aim of healthcare to better the patient experience to improve the health of the population and to give us the best value for the money we have,” he told reporters.

Officials say under this new model, NHI will act as a catalyst for change in the way Bahamians experience healthcare by implementing a value based payment system that incentivises providers to improve the quality of care by tying a portion of provider compensation to service quality.

Providers will be incentivised to follow best practises, be proactive and preventative in their approach to care and collaborate with each other for the good of the patient.

Taxes likely on unhealthy drinks

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Deputy Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net

THE National Health Insurance Authority is proposing a tax on sugary drinks and potentially other unhealthy products be implemented July 2019 to fund health education and outreach programmes.

However, the proposal, outlined in NHIA’s policy paper – National Health Insurance a Shared Responsibility – released yesterday does not say what the tax rate would be.

“Jurisdictional research indicated that ‘sin’ taxes on particularly unhealthy products, such as sugary drinks, alcohol, and cigarettes are effective revenue sources and create an economic and social incentive to reduce consumption,” the document said.

“Under our proposed plan, a sugary drinks tax structure will be developed for sugary drinks and potentially other unhealthy products. The funding generated by this tax will be earmarked and flow directly into health education and outreach programmes.”

It continued: “Under the National Wellness Programme, NHIA will lead a prevention, health education and outreach programme. While primary care physicians should act as the principle educator for Bahamians when it comes to good

health, mass education campaigns on the dangers of poor health are critical.

Understanding the importance of listening to your doctor starts with outlining the consequences of failing to do so. Our prevention, health education and outreach programme will be both inspiring and educational, by providing important health education tips as well as information about the dangers of poor health decisions.”

According to the policy paper, there will be four separate categories of

coverage under National Health Insurance.

The standard health benefit is the minimum standard of coverage for insurance contracts in The Bahamas. In 2020, it will include enhanced primary care and the high cost care programme.

There is also enhanced primary care. This category will include the existing primary care services included in NHI as well as cancer screenings, X-rays and ultrasounds.

High cost care, the third category in the scope of coverage, features treatment

for interventions for disease burdens for breast cancer, cervical cancer, prostate cancer, colon cancer, rectal cancer, heart attacks, pacemaker insertion and end stage kidney disease.

And then there are supplemental insurance offerings to be offered to consumers in health insurance plans and can be structured based on individual consumer and provider preferences.

The policy paper also lists several groupings to be exempt from the employer mandate which proposes employers share the cost of

National Health Insurance with the employee. “If an employee has more than one job in which they are

working 15 hours per week or more, it is the responsibility of the first employer to be the ‘primary employer’ and purchase health insurance for their employees.

If this status changes, the other employer becomes responsible.”

This also includes those working under 15 hours per week, small businesses with revenue under $100,000 per year, clubs or commissionaires of any foreign state operating under special agreement with the government.

Existing insurance plans are also proposed to act in substitute of a standard health benefit until January 2021. Therefore anyone covered under existing insurance contracts can continue to receive coverage until this date. They will, however, be subject to premium contributions into the capitalising risk equalisation fund, but not subject to these payments.

PAGE 4, Wednesday, October 24, 2018

THE TRIBUNE

The Tribune Limited NULLIUS ADDICTUS JURARE IN VERBA MAGISTRI “Being Bound to Swear to The Dogmas of No Master”

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The right step towards universal healthcare THERE is a painful tradition in The Bahamas that perhaps, at last, the time has come to bring to an end.

We see it regularly – cookouts to raise money for medical bills, or GoFundMe accounts online as patients turn to their social networks in their time of need.

Aside from the question of whether it is right for people in their darkest hour to have to ask others for a handout just to stay alive, many such appeals are inefficient – one in three GoFundMe appeals are for medical costs, but only one in ten of those are successful. That leaves a lot of people falling short, wondering how to pay their medical bills.

Yesterday’s proposal that every employed Bahamian pay two per cent of their salary each month to fund universal healthcare is a step towards being more responsible about our brothers and sisters.

Universal healthcare may be the goal – but it will not be universally welcomed at first. No one likes to think about having to pay more money to the government, and there will be concerns about the effects on private healthcare plans where customers are perfectly happy with their coverage.

Fears will have to be eased that those of us putting our hands deeper into our pockets to pay for it all will get value for that money – and that spending will be transparent enough that we can see the benefits.

If the government meets that threshold, then the new plan to increase healthcare coverage for all will be very welcome.

A health blow can come to any of us, unexpectedly, and with no care as to whether we have the money in the bank to pay for the treatment. Across

the water in the US, medical bills are cited as the number one cause of people filing for bankruptcy. Such bills can come in a moment, are involuntary and are often very large. Faced with a huge bill for a chance at life – or for the chance of a loved one’s life – people go heavily into debt in the hope of success, and are left with devastated finances whether or not that success comes to pass. Even some of the most successful figures have been left to raise funds as they battle health issues – it is the great leveller.

It is time, then, to draw a line. Each of us will give from our pay packets to create a fund that will cover more of those costs for all of us. No one will be excluded or charged more because of existing pre-conditions, another advantage for those who have found themselves with high insurance bills or being denied completely because of previous health battles or conditions they have had since childhood.

The treatments and screenings available will embrace some of the most common challenges facing Bahamians – the high incidence of breast and cervical cancer in women, prostate cancer in men, heart problems, dialysis and more.

This will not push out the private health insurance market – but will dramatically increase the range of treatment available to all.

Dr Robin Roberts, chairman of the National Health Insurance Authority, estimates the cost to each person will be around the cost of four Kalik beers.

That doesn’t seem too much, but before the scheme is introduced, perhaps it will be appropriate to raise one more together, and toast the good health of all our Bahamian brothers and sisters.

Poor call by the president EDITOR, The Tribune OUR university is holding a seminar-discussion session on alcohol and marijuana.

One of the named participants who is very well known as a proponent to legalise marijuana is disbarred and is unable to practise law but the

university has chosen him as a panellist.

Surely the office of the president can select a person who is is in good standing at the Bar and is practising or was the gentleman’s inclusion on purpose as the person’s position is very well known?

Marijuana use damages the developing brain of a young person - a proven fact.

Medicinal in certain specific circumstances could be permissible.

M K SAWYER Nassau October 12, 2018

Avoid Oban skullduggery EDITOR, The Tribune Dear Prime Minister and his Cabinet: We, the People, do not want Oban Energy in any form or fashion, so please levitate the pain and advise them, the legitimate principles, if they have been found, that, sorry, but as with the past governments we have no interest as the People

don’t want it (remembering you head The People’s government!). We don’t want to see any fancy skullduggery … simply a big No to Oban Energy … they deceived you and you deceived us.

W THOMPSON Nassau October 16, 2018

A sad day for all of us in Bahamaland EDITOR, The Tribune

PLEASE allow me small space in your paper to voice utter disappointment in our government’s decision in granting Disneys’ development of Lighthouse Point.

Over 35,000 petitioners raised their concerns about the pending environmental destruction of one of our Bahamian natural treasures. We have seen over previous years how this cruise line operates, successfully pulling the wool over our eyes about public access to the Bahamaland they acquire. Once developed security guards chasing away Bahamians who even come close to “their” property.

Environmentally the landscape will be raped and destroyed to suit their needs. Harbours and marinas will be dredged for their tenders to have access to the open ocean where their ships drop anchor gutting the ocean floor with massive anchors.

The existing closed ponds will be exposed to the southern ocean changing

LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net the landscape of this jewel forever. We have not seen an Environmental Impact Assessment completed by a qualified BAHAMIAN EIA agent which should have been mandatory before plan approvals even considered? Or did our government bring in a bias “American expert” on the quiet?

The Minnis government gravely let those of us who cherish our irreplaceable national treasures down, allowing the residents of south Eleuthera to believe they will have satisfactory employment suddenly arrive in their neighbourhood. Reality will be menial day-jobs when the cruise line lays anchor offshore and the days not there, Eleutherans will again sit home.

It’s not as if this were the only opportunity being offered to our government, when Bahamian plans for a local ecologically friendly

development were being offered with the blessing of our National Trust.

An investment by Bahamians for Bahamians keeping all benefit within our country, with far reaching benefits for local Eleutherans. Now this huge corporation has successfully bullied their way into another part of our country enabling them to reap almost ALL the benefit, leaving little scraps for us locals.

Sadly the local communities there failed to see clearly that two other long-time established cruise developments still left Eleuthera communities crying for more, unable to comprehend a third would yield very little further benefit!

Dr Minnis and the FNM government have just lost countless support with this inconsiderate decision.

A sad day indeed for our Bahamaland.

PAUL HARDING (Capt, retired) Nassau October 19, 2018

Don’t follow Vatican on death penalty EDITOR, The Tribune THE Nassau Guardian argued in its October 12 editorial that Catholic change on the death penalty should be followed in The Bahamas. The Guardian was accurate when it stated that the Vatican announced that the death penalty is “inadmissible as it violates the dignity of mankind.”

This groundbreaking announcement was made on August 2, 2018. What’s more, it was also announced on that day that the Catechism of the Catholic Church will be revised to reflect this change. The Catechism was first published in 1992 under the auspices of the late Pope John Paul II. The 1992 publication was probably in commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council which began in 1962 and ended in 1965.

Ironically, the publication’s main editor was none other than Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, better known as Pope Benedict XVI. In the introduction, Pope John

Paul II said that the Catechism is a statement of the Catholic faith and doctrine. My 1995 Image Book and Doubleday edition has just over 800 pages.

Unbeknownst to many Bahamians, Vatican City is an independent state, much like The Bahamas and Italy, where it is located. Though diminutive in size, the Vatican has its own police, the Corps of Gendarmerie, and its own government, which is theocratic in nature and is headed by the Pontifical Commission under the direct administration of the Pope.

The Vatican received its independence from Italy in 1929 under the Lateran Treaty. The leader of the National Fascist Party, Benito Mussolini, was the prime minister of Italy during that time.

Ironically, the Guardian editorial was published in the anniversary month of the Protestant Reformation. On October 31, 1517 - 501 years ago - an Augustinian monk named Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses on the door of Wittenberg Castle church.

The Protestant Reformation was the second major split the Catholic Church had experienced. The first major split occurred in 1054, when the Eastern Church severed ties with the Catholic Church. A third major split occurred in 1534 when the Church of England under King Henry VIII abandoned Catholicism and formed the Anglican Church.

The Catholic population in The Bahamas is in the minority. In fact, a mere 14.5 percent of the Bahamian population is Catholic, whereas a whopping 80 percent is Protestant. Should a predominantly Protestant jurisdiction’s position on capital punishment be guided by the Vatican, whose adherents make up a minority of the population?

Bear in mind that the last murders committed in Vatican City were in 1998, when Pontifical Swiss Guard Alois Esterman and his wife, Gladys Meza Romero, were killed by Cedric Tornay, who was also a member of the Swiss Guard.

That means that the Vatican has had only two murders over the last 20 years. Despite the rash of petty crimes in Vatican City, due to the millions of pilgrims that flock to the holy city annually, the security situation for its 1,000 residents is utopian, when compared to The Bahamas and other jurisdictions in the region.

The Bahamas recorded 123 murders in 2017; 111 in 2016 and 146 in 2015. I believe there have been about 50 murders in 2018.

That’s 430 murders committed in The Bahamas over the last 46 months. That is nearly half the Vatican population. As the old African proverb goes, he who knows it, feels it.

With all due respect to Pope Francis, he is hardly in a position to commiserate with average Bahamians, especially in war torn Nassau. I commend the pontiff for valuing human life. But his position on the death penalty conflicts with the biblical position on government and its important role in keeping the peace and punishing violent malefactors.

No papal declaration should be uttered that would frustrate the government’s efforts in protecting its citizens. Murderers pose a threat to not only Protestants or Eastern Orthodox adherents, but to Catholics as well.

At the end of the day, Bahamians, particularly those who subscribe to the Catholic faith, must decide if “sola Scriptura’’ is sufficient.

Regarding the thorny subject of capital punishment, the Bahamian government must make a decision that is in the best interest of its citizens, many of whom are tired of the wanton bloodletting on our streets. The government should not adopt the Catholic church’s position on capital punishment. When the next election rolls around in 2022, neither Pope Francis nor Vatican residents will be entering into those polling booths to cast their ballots.

KEVIN EVANS Freeport, GB October 14, 2018

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, October 24, 2018, PAGE 5

Disney decision ‘in best interest of the country’

By RICARDO WELLS Tribune Staff Reporter rwells@tribunemedia.net THE Minnis administration is solely concerned with providing the best for the Bahamian people, according to Press Secretary Anthony Newbold, who yesterday defended the government against criticism for its decision to back Disney’s proposal for Lighthouse Point.

Responding to questions over how the government arrived at its decision to support Disney over a Bahamian-led rival’s proposal and the criticism that has followed, Mr Newbold insisted the Minnis administration is willing to take whatever hits are needed to do whatever is best, longterm, for the country.

“The government is concerned about providing for the people of The Bahamas and the people of The Bahamas are the ones who are going to have to decide whether this Cabinet remains the government after the next election,” Mr Newbold said when asked if the government was concerned with what its recent policy decisions could mean for a re-election bid.

“Push back for Grand Lucayan; how could you do that? Are you guys crazy?

Yea, but the people in Grand Bahama who have to eat don’t think that government is crazy,” he said, referring to the government’s recent purchase of the beleaguered hotel. “The people in South Eleuthera who have to eat, they don’t think the government is crazy at all.

“And so, sometimes you take a hit and you take a hit because that is what you

TOWN Centre Mall.

LIGHTHOUSE POINT need to do for the people of The Bahamas.”

Addressing the Lighthouse Point Partners’ bid that lost out to Disney, Mr Newbold added: “…. Suggestions (from them said) ‘we are going to build this thing out three to five years’.

“Well, what do the people of South Eleuthera do for the next five years? And so, sometimes you take a hit.”

Mr Newbold continued: “The government, Prime Minister Minnis, his thing is, I am going to take care of these people. This case now with South Eleuthera.

Earlier, it was the people in Grand Bahama. And wherever that needs to happen, it will happen in the best way possible.

“Are these decisions always perfect decisions or can the situations be perfect? No, they cannot.

You have to work through them.

“That is what governments are elected to do, make those tough decisions that may seem crazy to some people today, but six months down the road, you know, they don’t seem so crazy after all,” he said.

The commentary provides a glimpse into the line of thought the Minnis administration grappled with throughout its review and deliberation proposes.

The government has, since its decision last Friday, made it a point to indicate that its choice was made in accordance with

Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff

MALL OWNERS TO COVER COST OF RENOVATIONS BEFORE PO MOVE

By RICARDO WELLS Tribune Staff Reporter rwells@tribunemedia.net PRESS Secretary Anthony Newbold said yesterday the Minnis administration is well within its rights to push ahead with its proposed relocation of the General Post Office to the Town Centre Mall, adding that the current owners of the mall will cover the cost of renovations before the relocation.

He was addressing reporters on the government’s timeline moving forward, noting the resolution to approve the move will be debated today in the House of Assembly.

According to Mr Newbold, despite the criticism the move has garnered in recent days, the Minnis administration has no plans to walk back its decision.

“The government is going there,” he told members of the press. “That is the plan to get those employees at the post office out of their misery.”

Mr Newbold said the government is of the view that the crisis at the General Post Office has been left to fester far too long, adding that a resolution is critical.

Addressing the position taken by the Official Opposition, Mr Newbold said the former administration did what it thought was in the best interest of the Bahamian people when it was presented with an opportunity and given the outcome, the Minnis administration now finds itself in a position to make its own decision.

“They decided to go in a different direction, as was their right,” he noted.

“This government has decided it is going to take up the Town Centre Mall option, as is its right,” he added. “And that is what is going to happen. Again, we don’t want to belabour, what I call the travails of the people who work at the General Post Office; half a day, the air-conditioning not working, the flood from rain, people getting sick, sick outs.”

Additionally, Mr Newbold also said that the current owners of Town Centre Mall will cover the cost of renovations ahead of the relocation.

Mr Newbold said it is the expectation of the Minnis administration that the space would be made ready for occupancy “at the expense of the landlord.”

A point Mr Newbold said he thought important to point out given the ongoing public discourse surrounding the level of investment the government is willing to put into the property to prepare it for the operations of the post office.

When asked if there was a financial cap and timeline for the renovations, Mr Newbold said he was uncertain.

He stated: “The bottom line is, the post office is going there. That is the decision. And so, if you are going to rent to (house) the post office, you are going to have to ensure that whatever it is you are going to do, can accommodate the post office.”

the wishes and desire of the people of Central and South Eleuthera.

Moreover, the government, specifically the Cabinet, has made the point that it could not influence the sale of the property and could only consider proposals that included sale agreements to acquire the privately own segments of Lighthouse Point.

Moving to clarify that point yesterday, Mr Newbold noted: “No one has explained yet, how someone can make, in fact, insist on making a proposal for land that they do not own.”

When asked moments later if the jab was directed at the One Eleuthera Foundation and its supporters, Mr Newbold added: “They

put a proposal forward.

They don’t own the land.”

The National Economic Council last Friday approved Disney’s proposal to develop a cruise port at Lighthouse Point.

The decision came despite calls from the LPP to delay the decision for 60 days to provide the group an equal opportunity to present its proposal for the property to the public.

In the lead up to the decision, Dr Minnis said that his government would not consider the environmental arguments that were levied on the project, due in large part to the fact that a more damaging project - one that never materialised was approved for the area in 2008 under the FNM

government of Hubert Ingraham. Dr Minnis was minister of health in that administration.

Attempting to clarify and walk back portions of the declaration yesterday, Mr Newbold said Dr Minnis was only “offering context” in that moment.

“The prime minister never said that he opposed that project, which some people have intimated.

(He) never said that,” Mr Newbold told reporters at his weekly press briefing at the Office of the Prime Minister yesterday.

“He was simply providing context. This is what was proposed ten years ago, this is what Disney is proposing; look at the two,” he added.

Mr Newbold continued: “And now, the prime minister won’t say anything about whether he opposed it or not because we can go to Section 3, Article 17 of the manual for Cabinet and Ministerial Procedure and Behaviour to understand why he won’t talk about that.”

“And quite simply, what happens in Cabinet, as they say about Vegas, stays in Cabinet. With respect to positions that members of Cabinet may take and the reason (the stance) is observed is that all the members of Cabinet must feel unrestrained, not constrained to hold back on any position they may advance for fear that position will get into the public domain and anything results from that kind of information getting in the public domain.”

“So, the bottom line is the prime minister didn’t say he opposed the project.

He was providing context,” Mr Newbold contended.

PAGE 6, Wednesday, October 24, 2018

THE TRIBUNE

THE GRAND Lucayan Resort.

‘Why should we pick up Lucayan severance bill?’ from page one when will they start having an impact on the community of Grand Bahama.

“The 150 persons leaving seems to be having a negative impact, what does this mean going forward?

What are they doing in the interim to relieve the suffering and despair of Bahamians? Those people will not be employed, where are they going to?”

Mr Davis rejected the explanation given to Tribune Business by Michael Scott, chairman of Lucayan Renewal Holdings Ltd, who admitted it was normally the seller’s obligation to pay severance, but the government opted to shoulder the burden due to its “very difficult relationship” with Hutchison Whampoa, former owner of the property.

Mr Scott said: “Severance is usually the obligation of the seller, not the purchaser, but in this instance, given the historically difficult relationship with Hutchison,

the government opted to exercise the principle of ‘parens patriae’ - parent of the nation - as protector of its citizens’ rights of those who would be unable to protect themselves.”

Mr Scott estimated the voluntary separation packages will cost the government between $2m to $3m, but noted officials were still “crunching the numbers”.

“This is a complete display of incompetence,” Mr Davis said yesterday.

“How can you agree to buy a hotel and not include the inventory, not taking into account the impact of the acquisition on employees?

It shows a lack of appreciation for what they are doing.

“All they had to do is withhold part of the purchase price to pay off staff.

If they knew it was going to be a factor, then factor it into negotiations. It’s not a question of the relationship with the seller. Whether it’s bad or good, there is an answer for that, just hold the sum.”

Besides the $65m purchase price, Tribune Business reported the government also committed to a $2m subsidy to cover Hutchison Whampoa’s operating losses between August 1 and September 11, and waived the payment of $3.25m in stamp duty on the conveyancing by the Hong Kong conglomerate. The latter also reportedly walked away with $80m-$85m in Hurricane Matthew insurance proceeds, rather than put them into repairs.

Deputy Prime Minister K Peter Turnquest previously said the full financing costs could run as high as $124m.

Yesterday, Mr Davis said: “Again, it shows the myopic-ness of their approach. They didn’t think it through, this was a kneejerk action. They had egg on their face after the sale fell through and needed to clean it up. So, to clean it up and cover their own failures, they threw money at it, $65m to acquire the property.’

POLICE HUNT ROBBERY SUSPECTS POLICE are looking for two suspects who committed separate armed robberies on Monday.

The first incident happened shortly after 11am when a woman was sitting in her vehicle at the junction

of Prince Charles Drive and Beatrice Avenue. Police said she was approached by a man armed with a firearm, who robbed her of her handbag, which contained cash and other personal items, before running away.

Hours later, shortly after 8pm, a man had just arrived at his residence at Iguana Avenue, when he was approached by gunman who robbed him of cash, before escaping. Investigations are ongoing.

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, October 24, 2018, PAGE 9

iPhone XR makes the right trade-offs for a cheaper price NEW YORK Associated Press APPLE offers you a simple trade-off with its new iPhone XR, the middlebrow cousin to the top-of-the-line iPhone XS. On one hand, the XR lacks the high-resolution screen and dual-lens camera found on the XS. On the other, you’d save at least $250 and still get most of the other cutting-edge features found on the more expensive model.

Based on several days of testing, it looks like Apple made the right cost-cutting trade-offs with the XR, which starts selling Friday for about $750. The standard XS starts at about $1,000; its supersized cousin, the XS Max, goes for $100 more.

The XR falls between the XS and the Max in size. Its screen is about seven percent larger than the XS and 12 percent smaller than the Max. But the XR is closer in width to larger Phones such as the Max and older Plus models, so anyone upgrading from an iPhone 7 or 8 will have to get used to a new grip.

As with the XS, the XR’s display extends close to the phone’s edges, translating to 45 percent more screen space than the iPhone 8 and six percent more than the 8 Plus. The XR and the XS both use facial recognition to unlock the phone, and both have a notch at the top for sensors, similar to shades on a car’s windshield. The notch

FROM LEFT: The iPhone XS, iPhone XR and the iPhone XS Max. The XR falls between the top-ofthe-line XS models in size, but is lower in price.

Photo: Richard Drew/AP will take getting used to.

Speaker quality on the XR and the XS were comparable, and the mics on all new models offer stereo recording for the first time.

The phone displays, however, are different, and those disparities can make a difference. The screens on both XS models have better contrast and more vibrant colours than the standard LCD screen on the XR. Autumn leaves in the cartoon “The Secret Lives of Pets” stand out more, while greater hints of orange appeared in a space drama’s rocket exhaust flames.

Whites are whiter, making the screen appear brighter

even though it’s not.

The XR screen also falls short of full high definition, unlike the XS displays, although it can display video at 720p quality. Apple says that with LCD screens, higher resolution drains the battery faster, a trade-off that’s minimal with the XS because its screen doesn’t need a backlight.

That said, the differences are often hard to spot, even with the phones side by side.

Where quality really matters, you’ll probably want a bigger screen such as a tablet or a TV anyway.

Although the Max has the largest battery in an iPhone, the XR was typically on par

with or exceeded the Max in battery performance when viewing video, at least at lower or medium brightness.

In any case, either phone should give you enough battery life for routine use.

Cameras improve with each generation, and the new iPhones are no different. For many shots, the new iPhones blend four exposures rather than two, allowing for better lighting balance and more detail. In some shots taken in suboptimal conditions — against direct sunlight — the XR still showed trees in dimly lit areas, while last year’s iPhone X produced pitch back. The new cameras also

have better focus and lowlight capabilities.

What’s missing in the XR is a second rear lens for double the magnification.

Instead, the XR uses software zoom, which reduces quality. Of course, the standard iPhone 7 and 8 didn’t have a second lens either, although their Plus models did, as did the iPhone X. Both XS models also have two lenses. Despite lacking a second lens, the XR lets you blur backgrounds in some shots, a feature many phones are now getting. The XR does this with software, though it works only with people in the foreground, while the XS can do statues and monuments.

Two more points of comparison. The XS has slightly better water resistance — good to a depth of two metres (2.2 yards), compared with just 1 metre on the XR. But the XR offers a budget storage-upgrade option: $50 for 128 gigabytes (up from 64 gigabytes in the base model).

Both XS phones also start at 64 gigabytes, but their cheapest upgrade is $150 for 256 gigabytes.

The only knock is the XR’s size. Though it’s fine for people with adequate pockets or bags, not everyone wants a phone that’s nearly as wide as the Max or the Plus. Perhaps Apple will one day design a smaller XR and revive a trend of offering both standard and larger versions for each major model.

FACEBOOK BEYOND FACEBOOK? INSTAGRAM, MESSENGER STEP UP NEW YORK Associated Press WHEN Facebook bought Instagram for $1bn in 2012, it seemed like a big gamble for an unproven little app.

Six years later, that little app — along with Messenger and WhatsApp — are serving as Facebook’s safety net for a future that could find its flagship service on the sidelines.

Sure, Facebook reigns in social media today, and this is not likely to change soon.

Still, amid the company’s seemingly endless troubles over elections meddling, misinformation, privacy lapses, hacking and hate speech, the idea that Facebook may not always be on top has begun to take hold.

“Facebook could collapse,” said David Kirkpatrick, who wrote a 2010 book on Facebook’s early history.

In an interview, he said the elections manipulations issue “could get so terrifying that advertisers could start to back away. That’s nowhere near happening now, but it could happen”.

That is, as Facebook stops being a virtual watercooler for friendly conversation, but a lair for trolls and misinformation — advertisers might find the service too dangerous

to showcase laundry detergent and shoes.

For now, Facebook is a social and advertising powerhouse. It has 2.23 billion users, a number that’s still growing at a healthy pace outside of the US. Wall Street analysts project Facebook’s 2018 revenue will top $55bn.

While the company doesn’t break out revenue among its apps, eMarketer estimates that Instagram will bring in 16 percent of Facebook’s advertising revenue this year and 25 percent by 2020. (The research firm does not have estimates for Messenger ads, which are still new and nascent, and WhatsApp, which doesn’t have ads yet.)

“It really speaks to the fact that advertisers love Instagram,” eMarketer analyst Debra Aho Williamson said. “It has the appeal of being a generally positive

environment.”

In fact, Instagram is becoming the top social media service for many brands to interact with consumers, said Yuval Ben-Itzhak, CEO of the social media marketing firm Socialbakers. So even though these companies are reaching a smaller audience than Facebook, these people are “engaging”, or interacting, a lot more with the advertisers, he said.

Facebook is working hard to ensure that Messenger and later, WhatsApp, become viable businesses as well. Yesterday, Facebook announced plans to make its Messenger app simpler and easier to use.

But the redesign also makes it clear that messages from businesses — and ads — are becoming increasingly important. Such messages are now front and center alongside messages with friends and

other individuals.

The new Messenger features a “dark mode” that lets people switch to white text on a black background. It has fewer “tabs” — or words and icons to tap to get to different sections in the app.

The previous version had nine, including “messages”, ‘‘active” to show ongoing conversations, “groups”, ‘‘games” and a “discover” icon to find bots to chat with for everything from the weather to horoscopes to shopping. The new version has just three: “chats”, ‘‘people” and “discover” to connect with businesses, follow the news or play games.

Stan Chudnovsky, head of product for messaging at Facebook, said the primary intent wasn’t to elevate messaging with businesses. But he said that “when people spend more and more time communicating with each other on a platform, inevitably that is where businesses need to be. It’s almost like print happened and then businesses needed to be on print.”

Facebook, of course, is working hard to nudge people and businesses in this direction, convincing them that chatting on Messenger is more efficient than, say, emailing, calling — or

tweeting at — an airline, a clothing store or even your bank.

One thing Facebook has always understood is the importance of human connections and interaction.

Chudnovsky considers oneon-one communications a “basic human need”. Considering that people use Messenger, and not the main Facebook service, for such interactions, does this mean Messenger is more important than Facebook?

“We don’t take a position on what is more important,” Chudnovsky said.

Still, considering that people no longer need a Facebook account to use Messenger, maybe some day it will be. After all, people (especially younger ones) are using Facebook less frequently, even as they flock to Instagram and its messaging services. A Pew Research Center study recently found that just over half of teens use Facebook, while 72 percent use Instagram.

“The idea has always been not to replace Facebook, but to add to it,” said Nate Elliott, head of the market research firm Nineteen Insights. “But now that Facebook’s reputation has taken a beating, I’m sure that they see it as a very nice insurance policy.”

• EARL Bakken, an electronics repairman who created the first wearable external pacemaker and cofounded one of the world’s largest medical device companies, Medtronic, has died. He was 94.

Bakken, who also commercialised the first implantable pacemaker in 1960, died on Sunday at his home in Hawaii, Medtronic said in a statement.

It didn’t give a cause of death.

Bakken and his brotherin-law, Palmer Hermundslie, formed Medtronic in 1949 and turned it from a struggling company they ran out of the Hermundlie family’s Minneapolis garage into a multinational medical technology powerhouse.

“The contributions Earl made to the field of medical technology simply cannot be overstated,” said Medtronic’s chairman and CEO, Omar Ishrak. “His spirit will live on with us as we work to fulfill the mission he wrote nearly 60 years ago — to alleviate pain, restore health, and extend life.”

Bakken, who led the company for 40 years, was fitted for his own pacemaker in 2001 and a replacement in 2009.

One of the men who followed Bakken as chief executive, Harvard management professor Bill George, said Bakken made sure that Medtronic’s future leaders followed the company’s original values, which are laid out in its mission statement.

“He was a remarkable human being, a visionary 25 years ahead of his time,” George told the Star Tribune.

“He was a graduate of the University of Minnesota, the pioneer of one of our strongest industries, and really stood for all the values that Minnesota stands for.”

• A SURGEON in Tinton Falls, New Jersey, has performed two mastectomies using robotics in a procedure that he said left no scars on his patients’ breasts.

Dr Stephen Chagares said he performed the surgeries through an incision on the side. The breast tissue was replaced with an implant in the same procedure.

“I don’t even look like I had anything done,” said Yvonne Zucco, 56, who was treated

by Chagares for breast cancer.

“And to know the cancer is gone. That was the main thing.”

The procedure appears to be one of the first done in the US. It would mark an advance in the use of robotics and raise a new series of questions about how to pay for it.

But it could be a groundbreaking option for women who choose mastectomies, a physically and emotionally painful surgery in which the entire breast is removed.

Breast cancer affects one in eight women and is the second-leading cause of cancer death, trailing only lung cancer.

Some women can be treated with lumpectomies, which conserve the breast.

But more women are turning to mastectomies, not only to treat breast cancer, but also to prevent it; the rate of mastectomies increased 36 percent from 2005 to 2013, according to the US Department of Health and Human Services.

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, October 24, 2018, PAGE 11

Fraudster spends birthday in prison

By NICO SCAVELLA Tribune Staff Reporter nscavella@tribunemedia.net A FILING clerk at the post office in Mayaguana spent her birthday in prison and will serve three months behind bars after admitting to defrauding her employer of over $3,000 in cash.

Akeisha Simms admitted to defrauding the Abraham’s Bay Post Office of $3070 between August 10 and November 22, 2017, and again in May of this year when arraigned before Magistrate Samuel McKinney yesterday.

Simms, who turned 32 yesterday, was ordered to serve three months on each of her six fraud-related charges, to run concurrently, and further ordered to pay back the $3070.

Failure to pay the money back would result in her facing an additional three months in prison.

According to the prosecutor, Sergeant Tamika Gibson, Simms fraudulently obtained $1,170 in cash from the post office between the aforementioned dates in 2017, then $1,900 on May 7 of this year.

She also forged two post office savings books in her name as well as that of her niece, Neveayah Pinder on two separate occasions, to make it appear as if there was $1,905.84 in savings on each of those accounts.

According to a summary of the facts read off by the prosecutor, the Mayaguana post office operates in similar fashion to that of a bank.

A general ledge is maintained and each customer has their own savings book that reflects their savings balance.

In July, Mayaguana island administrator Marlon Neely, acting on information, made checks of Simms’ post office savings books and discovered that figures were seemingly inserted in them that falsified her balance.

An investigation was also conducted of Pinder’s savings books, which also revealed that figures were inserted in her savings book to alter the balance. And as a result of those discrepancies, Simms was able to make withdrawals from both accounts that totaled $3,070.

After discovering the issue, the police were informed.

Simms was ultimately arrested. On Monday, during her interview under caution, she admitted to the offence, and said she needed the funds the assist her family.

Simms’ attorney Mario Gray, in making a plea of mitigation, noted that his client did not waste any time by not only pleading guilty in court, but admitting to police as well as the island administrator of her wrongdoings.

TEN YEARS IN JAIL FOR SEX ATTACK ON CRUISE

A FLORIDA man has been sentenced to ten years in prison for sexually abusing an intellectually disabled woman on a cruise ship.

Brian Holland was sentenced Tuesday in federal court in Jacksonville, Florida. He was convicted of aggravated sexual abuse in July.

Federal prosecutors say the 23-year-old man from Jacksonville assaulted the woman during a Carnival Cruise Line trip to The Bahamas in February.

Prosecutors say Holland touched the woman underneath her bathing suit in a hot tub on the ship, Elation.

The woman reported the abuse to her family, who notified ship security. A ship doctor examined the woman and said abrasions were consistent with the woman’s report.

MAN DIES IN FALL ON SHIP

AKEISHA SIMMS, 32.

Mr Gray also noted that his client worked at the post office for 12 years without incident, and that her actions last year and in May of this year suggests something likely happened to her financially that caused her to feel that committing the crimes in question was “the only way out”.

Mr Gray thus asked for Magistrate McKinney to suspend any conviction give

Photo: Terrel W Carey/Tribune Staff his client an opportunity to “rectify her wrongs” via community service, as she has seen the “folly of her ways”.

However, Magistrate McKinney said while he considered Mr Gray’s submissions, Simms’ charges were “very serious” ones that showed she “breached” the trust the post office’s customers placed in her to handle their deposits.

Magistrate McKinney

also said while the amount of money involved, as well as Simms’ age, lack of antecedents, and her early guilty pleas all went to her credit, a custodial sentence was warranted in the circumstances and that a message needed to be sent to those considering to commit similar offences.

Simms has a right to appeal his decision to the Court of Appeal within seven days from yesterday.

AUTHORITIES say a man has died after falling aboard a cruise ship traveling from Florida to The Bahamas.

US Coast Guard spokesman John Lally says the man fell on Friday evening aboard the Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line’s Grand Classica.

The 1,680-passenger ship was sailing from the Port of Palm Beach to Freeport.

In a Palm Beach Post report, Lally said Coast Guard crews met the ship about 13 miles east of port and brought the man back to shore.

Lally said the man was pronounced dead at a Florida hospital. Neither the man’s name nor hometown was immediately released.

The ship continued to Grand Bahama Island after the passenger was evacuated.

PAGE 12, Wednesday, October 24, 2018

SIX CHILDREN DEAD, 12 SICK IN VIRAL OUTBREAK NEW JERSEY Associated Press

A SEVERE viral outbreak at a New Jersey rehabilitation center for “medically fragile children” has left six youngsters dead and 12 others sick, the state Health Department said yesterday.

There have been 18 cases of adenovirus at the Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation in Haskell, about 30 miles northwest of New York, the New Jersey Health Department said in a statement.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in an email that no one was available to comment on how unusual it is for six adenovirus deaths in such a population of patients.

The strain afflicting the children is usually associated with acute respiratory illness, according to the CDC, which on its website instructs health workers to report unusual clusters to state or local health departments.

The Health Department didn’t release the ages of the victims or address the severity of the illness in the other dozen cases.

The six deaths happened this month, according to Health Department spokeswoman Donna Leusner.

The facility was instructed not to admit new patients until the outbreak ends, and the Health Department said the number of new cases appears to be decreasing.

BOMB IS FOUND AT SOROS HOME NEW YORK Associated Press A BOMB was found in a mailbox at the suburban New York home of George Soros, the liberal billionaire philanthropist who has been denounced by President Donald Trump and vilified by right-wing conspiracy theorists, authorities said yesterday.

Federal agents safely detonated the device after being summoned on Monday by a security officer at the sprawling, wooded compound, about 50 miles north of Manhattan. The 88-year-old Soros was not home at the time.

Laura Silber, a spokeswoman for Soros’ Open Society Foundations, blamed the country’s toxic political environment.

In recent days and weeks, Soros has been accused of being the hidden hand behind some of the opposition to Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination and helping to create the caravan of Central Americans making their way toward the US.

THE TRIBUNE

‘Name the masterminds behind journalist killing’ ISTANBUL Associated Press SAUDI Arabia must identify those who ordered the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and turn over the suspects for trial, the Turkish president said yesterday in remarks that carefully ratcheted up pressure on a country that is a source of investment for Turkey, but also a rival for influence in the Middle East.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivered a sharp rebuttal of Saudi Arabia’s widely criticised account that the writer for The Washington Post died accidentally in a brawl, saying Saudi officials had planned the killing for days.

Some analysts believe Turkey is also calculating whether it can capitalise on outrage over the killing to extract political capital from the world’s largest oil exporter without alienating it altogether.

Addressing ruling party lawmakers in parliament, Erdogan used the word “murder” 15 times to describe Khashoggi’s death after the writer entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on October 2 for paperwork related to his marriage plans.

Erdogan also cast Turkey in the role of global statesman, echoing calls for full Saudi accountability from Western allies whose relationships with the Turkish government have often been edgy in the past.

“To blame such an incident on a handful of security and intelligence members would not satisfy us or the international community,” he said. Earlier, Turkey’s foreign minister

TURKISH police crime scene investigators, looking for possible clues into the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, walk toward an underground car park, where authorities found a vehicle belonging to the Saudi consulate, in Istanbul. Photo: Emrah Gurel/AP said it would cooperate with any international or UN probe into the killing, a nod to transparency that only seemed to accentuate an emerging pariah status for Saudi Arabia.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stood by his earlier call for an independent and transparent investigation, said Farhan Haq, a deputy spokesman for the world body. Haq reiterated that Guterres can initiate a probe if key parties request it or if there is a legislative mandate from a UN body.

“Turkey is playing the long game. And today’s speech is part of a very careful — in my opinion — escalation strategy,”

said Ahmet Kasim Han, an international relations analyst at Altinbas University in Istanbul.

“Turkish authorities seem to be concentrated on turning this into a multilateral issue” because they don’t want “to be left alone with Saudi Arabia on all of this,” he said.

Maha Yahya, director of the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut, speculated that Saudi Arabia could now be vulnerable to pressure, including from the US, to end a boycott of Turkey-backed Qatar.

“As far as Erdogan is concerned, he will use this incident to try and get as much mileage and concessions out of it, to the

advantage of Turkey, as he possibly can,” Yahya said.

Erdogan focused on the investigation in his speech, saying he wants the 18 suspects detained by Saudi Arabia in the killing to face trial in Turkish courts, a demand the kingdom will probably resist. Saudi Arabia has said it will punish those involved and has described the suspects as rogue operators, even though officials linked to Saudi Arabia’s assertive Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman have been implicated.

Although he didn’t mention Prince Mohammed, Erdogan likely knows that the kingdom’s major decisions always require the

approval of those at the top of the ruling Al Saud family.

“As of now, we expect of them to openly bring to light those responsible — from the highest ranked to the lowest — and to bring them to justice,” the Turkish president said.

Han, the Istanbul analyst, said Erdogan is moving cautiously, wary that Prince Mohammed might stay in control despite the scandal or could succumb to pressure over the Khashoggi killing and relinquish power. The latter outcome would benefit Turkey because the crown prince “is consciously and continuously pursuing strategies that work against Turkey,” Han said.

TRUMP STOKES UP FEARS AHEAD OF ELECTION WASHINGTON Associated Press

MOB rule. A socialist takeover. Terrorists marching on the US border.

As President Donald Trump embraces the role of electoral boogeyman, he’s making closing arguments to midterm voters that increasingly resemble a Halloween horror story.

The candidate who won the White House in part by harnessing many Americans’ anxieties is offering dire warnings about what life would look like if Democrats gain control of Congress.

Using racially charged language and sometimes questionable information, Trump argues that Democrats will plunge the country into socialism, imperil the social safety net, raise taxes and welcome millions of

people pouring into the US illegally.

“At stake in this election is whether we continue the extraordinary prosperity that we’ve all achieved, or whether we let the radical Democrat mob take a giant wrecking ball and destroy our country and our economy,” Trump said at a rally in Houston on Monday night. He’s warning of Democratic “mob rule” and predicting a stock market crash if Democrats retake control on Capitol Hill.

Trump’s doomsday predictions come as Republicans seek to counter months of rising Democratic enthusiasm. The GOP has seen its own increase in energy since the politically charged confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Party leaders now believe they can increase their majority

in the Senate, although control of the House remains within Democratic reach.

Trump is looking to minimise any losses with a pitch that echoes his dark 2016 campaign rhetoric.

In a post-Labor Day election briefing, GOP pollster Neil Newhouse warned the White House about an enthusiasm gap between Democrats and Republicans. He suggested that the GOP emphasise to voters the potential consequences of Democratic control of Congress on issues like abolishing US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Trump has taken that message to heart in recent weeks, White House aides say.

The scare tactics run the risk of motivating Democrats or turning off moderates in the suburban races that could decide the

House majority. But the White House sees the fear factor as a winning strategy.

“We want to talk about national security, border enforcement and justices.

It’s the themes and policy points that will drive people out,” said former Trump campaign aide Sam Nunberg. “These are stark choices. We have to provide stark choices.”

In a recent Associated Press interview, Trump projected confidence about the upcoming elections, declaring: “It feels to me very much like ’16,” referring to his presidential win.

At rallies and on Twitter in recent days, he has focused on Central American migrants making their way to the southern US border. The caravan is a “gift” to Republicans, Trump believes. He’s told confidants that it is the

party’s best closing argument heading into the midterms, according to a Republican close to the White House who spoke on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorised to publicly discuss private conversations.

Trump believes the images of the caravan that have become a fixture on cable news networks — and particularly Fox News, the preferred network of his most loyal supporters — are riling up the same voters who turned out for him two years ago.

He has further heated up his rhetoric by suggesting, without presenting evidence, that the Democrats are behind the caravan and claiming that Middle Easterners — an apparent allusion to terrorists — are also in the traveling mass of migrants.