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VOLUME:116 No.1, DECEMBER 20TH, 2018

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Ferguson defends crime record but warns... FISHING

Be careful about company you keep

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net

AFTER three double homicides in as many weeks, Commissioner of Police Anthony Ferguson issued a blunt warning to Bahamians yesterday: “Be careful with the company you keep.”

“I shall not go any further than that,” he said to the press. “Y’all are intelligent people.”

He discussed the double homicides in Sandilands Village on December 3 that killed a man and a woman, the Jubilee Gardens shooting on December 5 that killed two men and the killing of a man and a woman in Joan’s Heights on Tuesday.

After each case, he

BOWLED OVER

repeated the same line: “It is very important that we know something about the persons we are in company with...I can’t emphasise that enough.”

Despite the recent flurry of criminal activity, Commissioner Ferguson insisted people should go out and have fun this Christmas season because they will not be targeted.

Commissioner Ferguson said police have people in custody they believe are responsible for the Joan’s Heights murders and are following significant leads with respect to the other double homicides.

He also said people are in custody they believe to be responsible for the death of Mario Cartwright, a

ATTORNEY General Carl Bethel has presented the Progressive Liberal Party with a draft bill seeking to regulate the campaign finances of political parties, the beginning of a process that could transform politics in the country.

Administrations have occasionally talked about campaign finance legislation, but none

FISHERMEN faced with repeated threats from Dominican poachers said they were “extremely disappointed” with the lukewarm stance taken by Foreign Affairs Minister Darren Henfield in the government’s efforts to end the illegal practice in Bahamian waters.

As officials from the Dominican Republic have given assurances previously to co-operate with this country in discouraging poaching, Bahamas Commercial Fishers Alliance and the Spanish Wells Fishing Association yesterday said no reliance should be placed on their promises.

NO CLICO PAYOUTS FOR DEC 25

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

SEE PAGE THREE

has committed to seeing it through to date.

The draft bill distributed

by Mr Bethel is similar to a bill the PLP drafted in 1980 under Sir Lynden Pindling, one that never made it to Parliament.

“I sent a draft bill to opposition members,” Mr Bethel said yesterday. “It still needs a lot of work.

The PLP drafted it in 2012 but did not finalise the draft.”

SEE PAGE SIX

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Deputy Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net

SEE PAGE 11

PARTY FINANCING DRAFT DRAWN UP

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net

INDUSTRY: TIME TO BE TOUGH

RANFURLY Homes children were bowled over yesterday as football teams FIU Panthers and Toledo Rockets, in The Bahamas to take part in the Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl, visited children at the Ranfurly Home. The match between the teams takes place tomorrow at 12.30pm at the Thomas A Robinson National Stadium. See Sports for more on the event. Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff

CLICO (Bahamas) clients are unlikely to receive a much-needed Christmas gift after a top government official yesterday confirmed their latest payout is unlikely to be made in time.

Marlon Johnson, the Ministry of Finance’s financial secretary, said the fifth payment to the insolvent insurer’s annuity holders and pension beneficiaries may not be made until the New Year as the Government “worked through” the disbursement.

“That’s correct. The money has not been disbursed as yet, but we’re trying to work through it and get the money paid as soon as possible,” Mr Johnson said.

FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS

JUST WHAT DOCTOR ORDERED - NO STRIKE

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Deputy Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net THE imminent threat of a strike by the Bahamas Doctors Union was called off yesterday on the assurance that “swift” resolution will be brought to junior doctors receiving outstanding holiday pay, Health Minister Dr Duane Sands told The Tribune yesterday.

While there is no definitive timeline for resolution,

A PREVIOUS protest at Princess Margaret Hospital. the minister said it will more than likely happen “in the early part of” 2019.

As junior doctors and the minister were meeting yesterday, the Public Hospitals Authority released a statement revealing negotiations regarding holiday pay had been hampered because doctors failed to fully comply with the use of the automated system for time and attendance monitoring used throughout PHA institutions.

SEE PAGE FIVE

Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper

RICHARD COULSON: TURNQUEST’S TAXING PROBLEMS

SEE PAGE EIGHT

PAGE 2, Thursday, December 20, 2018

TOURISTS treated after the crash.

Photo: Morgan Adderley/Tribune Staff

THE TRIBUNE

Canadian tourists hurt in rental motorbike crash

By MORGAN ADDERLEY Tribune Staff Reporter madderley@tribunemedia.net POLICE are investigating an accident that left two tourists with non life-threatening injuries yesterday evening.

The tourists, an engaged couple from Canada, were marking the end of their first trip together and the final night of their vacation in The Bahamas.

Shortly after 5pm, Stephen Millar, 51, and Jennifer Moore, 47, were driving a rental motorcycle down West Bay Street opposite Goodman’s Bay park when a driver of a black vehicle cut in front of them.

The visitors were knocked onto the sidewalk. Mr Millar had several bleeding gashes on his leg while Ms Moore could be heard moaning about the significant pain in her arm. Early reports suggest Mr Millar may have a broken arm and Ms Moore a possible broken or dislocated shoulder.

Traffic backed up on West Bay Street as concerned passersby, paramedics, and officers joined the scene.

“It was like that kind of sound that happened,” Mr Millar told The Tribune, referring to a honking horn.

“I was in the lane, we were just turning, and he (the driver) just pushed me over and over and over. I couldn’t

go any further. So my leg got stuck in that big metal thing (part of the motorcycle) and we just went down sideways. I tried to keep her (Ms Moore) from falling off.”

Mr Millar said he has visited The Bahamas before, but this was his fiancée’s first trip to the country.

“It was our first trip together. Tonight was our last night,” he added. “It’s an accident, I’m a paramedic, I know accidents happen.

“What I’m concerned about is that this guy cut me off and then he kept going,” Mr Millar said. “He didn’t even stop to help.”

“Did I do anything wrong?” Mr Millar asked.

However, an officer on the scene said “no” and reaffirmed that he was in the correct lane.

Samantha Wilkinson witnessed the incident. “I was coming down Prospect (Ridge) and they were on the roundabout on the left lane and as they were approaching the kerb, a black car blew (its) horn and just went in the front of them,” she said.

“And then he (Mr Millar) tried to get on the side, I guess and hit the kerb.”

Ms Wilkinson said the driver didn’t sideswipe the couple. “He didn’t hit them at all,” she said. “He just went in the front of them.

And they hit the curb. And then when I stopped I realised what had happened.”

MAN SHOT DURING ARGUMENT A MAN is in stable condition in hospital after he was shot during an argument with another man at Tayoo Close and Marshall Road, police reported.

The incident happened

shortly after 8pm on Tuesday. Police were told the victim was in the area when he got into an argument with a man who shot him before escaping in a dark coloured vehicle.

THE TRIBUNE

Thursday, December 20, 2018, PAGE 3

Be careful about company you keep

COMMISSIONER of Police Anthony Ferguson. from page one husband and father of three small children killed in the Coconut Grove last week.

Cartwright was shot when he walked into a convenience store during an armed robbery.

He said the alleged suspects are young and new to the criminal system.

“These are disorganised persons who are going around, once they have a gun in their hand and want to make a couple dollars, they will go and they panic and things happen,” he said during a press conference at police headquarters.

Asked if the double homicides are related or

concern gang activity, he said officers see no connection among the matters yet, but suggested he couldn’t reveal certain information to the public.

The commissioner also told people not to be afraid to go about their daily lives this holiday season.

“I want the Bahamian public not to be fearful,” he said. “I want the Bahamian public to go out, particularly in this season, and do your shopping.

We have lots of police officers out there, some in uniform, some in plain clothes and we will continue to protect them. We want the Bahamian public to come and enjoy the Junkanoo. You know how

FIVE HELD AFTER DRUGS AND CASH FOUND IN GB

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

FIVE people were arrested in Grand Bahama for various offences, including drug possession and possession of a large quantity of cash in separate incidents.

ASP Terecita Pinder reported that on Tuesday, shortly before 8pm, Drug Enforcement Unit officers on mobile patrol stopped a silver-coloured Chrysler Town and Country vehicle with two male occupants who were found in possession of $15,000 US and Bahamian currency.

She said both men were arrested after they could not give a satisfactory reason for having such a large quantity of cash in their possession.

In a second incident, officers went to a residence on John Rutt Lane in Hudson Estates where they executed a search warrant.

A quantity of suspected marijuana was discovered and a male resident was taken into police custody.

In two other matters, DEU officers while on Adventurers Way, arrested two men in separate incidents after they were found in possession of a quantity of suspected marijuana.

Photo: Koy Martin we like coming around this season, we like to enjoy our parties – y’all go out and enjoy yourself.

“Trust me, you are not targeted. You heard it from me. I am telling you what we know, everyone else said what they know. We are very aware of what’s going on and we will not let you down. We understand that when you have one, two, three killings that is always an issue, not so much the numbers, but the fear, and we are doing everything we possibly can to reduce that fear of crime.”

The Royal Bahamas Police Force disclosed also year-to-date statistics for major crimes yesterday.

There were 89 murders from January 1 to December 18, a decrease from last year’s 122 murders in the same time period, according to police.

Armed robbery incidents declined 16 percent, from 547 to 460 during the same time period while reports of stolen vehicles declined 20 percent, from 450 to 361.

The number of shootings also declined, from 110 to 67, a difference of 39 percent.

The only major crime category that saw increase in reported incidents is rape.

There were 55 reported rape incidents in 2018 to date compared to 49 in 2017 at this point, an increase of 12 percent.

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THE TRIBUNE

Thursday, December 20, 2018, PAGE 5

Just what the doctor ordered

JUNIOR DOCTORS STRIKE OFF, CONSULTANTS SIGN FIVE-YEAR DEAL from page one

Given this non-compliance, PHA said it was forced to offer an across the board holiday pay benefit to all junior doctors.

The authority further revealed it had submitted an offer to the BDU last month and established a meeting date to discuss this proposal. However, the union failed to attend the scheduled meeting and failed to submit a counterproposal, PHA said.

But based on yesterday’s discussions, both parties have now agreed to terms that would “preclude” the decision to strike, a statement from the Ministry of Health said yesterday.

This came after an overwhelming majority of junior doctors voted in support of a strike on Monday.

Dr Sands said: “The meeting went very well and we agreed the matter would be resolved as quickly as possible. At this point there was no significant likelihood of a strike and particularly we’ll continue to work along with the terms agreed.

“It was a very productive meeting. We outlined the terms of engagement and we will ensure that the parties come back to the table and that this is resolved as expeditiously as possible.

“They will sit back down at the negotiating table and we will make sure that this is brought to fruition as early as possible. It will more than likely happen in

the early part of the New Year.”

The PHA’s statement early yesterday further confirmed it met with BDU over the past several months.

“The PHA understands the junior doctors’ concerns regarding the lack of payment of these amounts and is desirous of settling the matter as quickly as possible; however, efforts to effect these payments have been hampered by the lack of compliance by BDU doctors with the automated system for time and attendance monitoring used throughout the authority’s institutions,” the statement noted.

The meeting went very well and we agreed the matter would be resolved as quickly as possible. At this point there was no significant likelihood of a strike and particularly we’ll continue to work along with the terms agreed.

Dr Duane Sands “Under the terms of the existing industrial agreement between the PHA and the BDU, junior doctors are eligible for payment at double time for all hours worked on holidays. Similarly, under the terms of

individual contracts and letters of appointment for each junior doctor, there is a specific requirement for each junior doctor to adhere to all policies of the PHA, including the use of its automated system for time and attendance monitoring.

“To-date, there has been little adherence to this policy by the junior doctors which makes the task of confirming which employee is eligible for payment for working a holiday near to impossible. Given this noncompliance by the BDU members, the PHA has had to resort to offering an across-the-board holiday pay benefit to all junior doctors.”

It also said: “The PHA is amenable to meeting with the BDU in order to bring this matter to a successful conclusion, and our door remains open to the union in the interest of our common goal of providing quality, consistent healthcare to our patients.”

On Tuesday, Dr Sands pointed to the use of taxpayer dollars to fund tuition costs of young doctors and suggested the union’s strike vote had gone against the expectations of Bahamians who will inevitably suffer inconvenience from any form of industrial action BDU might have staged.

The threat came just two weeks after senior doctors ended their industrial action after signing an agreement-in-principle that boosts their terms of employment.

AGREEMENT IN PRINCIPLE BETWEEN PHYSICIANS AND PUBLIC HOSPITALS AUTHORITY

By RICARDO WELLS Tribune Staff Reporter rwells@tribunemedia.net

THE Public Hospitals Authority (PHA) and the Consultant Physicians Staff Association (CPSA) yesterday announced an agreement in principle to all aspects of a proposed five-year industrial agreement.

In a joint statement yesterday, the two sides said the agreement, which retroactively covers July 1, 2016, to June 30, 2021, seeks to reflect the “best interests of healthcare delivery and the Bahamian people”.

The process to complete negotiations was finalised last Friday, according to officials.

The agreement covers the 130-plus consultant physicians engaged by the PHA, who practice within the public hospitals and select clinics managed by the Department of Public Health.

CPSA president Locksley Munroe said his association is committed to ensuring that high quality healthcare is delivered to the Bahamian public.

He said the industrial proposal that was developed during negotiations with the PHA seeks to ensure that this level of care is not only sustainable, but that it continues

to improve in the future.

“The proposal addresses some 200 clauses which, by and large, we were able to agree to with the PHA rather smoothly,” he is quoted as saying in a press release. “We have also now agreed to the financial clauses that were a point of contention however, we appreciate the economic climate of our country at this time and note that this was by no means the main objective of our industrial agreement.”

Dr Munroe added: “We expect that this agreement will allow senior physicians to have a more vital role in delivering healthcare, partnering with the PHA in the decisionmaking processes of our healthcare system.”

Meanwhile, PHA deputy managing director and lead negotiator Tyrone Burrows said the PHA continues to maintain open dialogue with the CPSA and all other unions with whom it partners with.

He added that without cooperation at every level, PHA would be unable to deliver on its mandate to provide quality healthcare for all Bahamians.

The CPSA ended their industrial action earlier this month, bringing a close to a lengthy dispute it had with the PHA. Doctors had been fighting for an increase to their

base salary, health insurance benefits and a pension plan.

Late last month, PHA facilities were placed under emergency protocol for more than a week due to the dispute, causing residents seeking elective procedures to be turned away.

Senior members of the association credited Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis’ intervention as being critical in resolving the dispute.

When he met CPSA representatives, Dr Minnis pledged to increase their base salary from $48,000 to $60,000 and to provide them with health insurance benefits.

MINISTER of Health Dr Duane Sands.

PAGE 6, Thursday, December 20, 2018

THE TRIBUNE

Party financing draft drawn up

ATTORNEY General Carl Bethel.

from page one “We are seeking to revive the dialogue. After the Christmas, I will have some suggested changes done through draftspersons in law reform and will resubmit.”

The renewed focus on campaign finance legislation comes as the Minnis administration seeks to pass a Non-Profit Organisation Bill, currently stalled in the Senate, that would force non-profits to disclose sources of funding.

Critics like Bahamas Christian Council president Delton Fernander say it is problematic that NPOs would be subject to unprecedented disclosure requirements while political parties do not.

The draft bill obtained

by The Tribune, the Political Parties Registration and Election Financing Bill 2012, would prohibit people or companies licenced under the Gaming Act from contributing to a political party or candidate, a provision that has already received some pushback in private, The Tribune understands.

A provision of the bill would cause independent candidates and the registered candidates of registered parties to be reimbursed by the Treasury Department for their campaign expenses if they receive at least 15 percent of total votes in their constituency.

The bill would prohibit political parties or candidates from directly or indirectly receiving contributions from people or companies that do not normally reside in The Bahamas.

It would limit the number of donations a person, company or trade union can give to political parties and candidates to “X” thousand in a particular period, with the specific limit not identified in the draft.

The draft bill says: “No political party or candidate registered under this Act and no person on its or his behalf shall knowingly accept any contributions in excess of the limits imposed by this Act. Where the

chief financial officer learns that in excess any contribution was accepted by or on behalf of the registered party or registered candidate for whom he acts in excess of the limits impost by this Act, he shall, within 30 days after learning thereof, return the amount of the contribution that is in excess of the limits.”

The bill mandates that all monies given to political parties and candidates in excess of $100 be delivered by cheque with the name of the contributor legibly printed, signed and drawn on an account in the contributor’s name.

The bill would prohibit political parties or candidates from receiving anonymous contributions in excess of $25, mandating that such sums be returned within 14 days of its receipt.

The bill would limit the expenses political parties can incur during elections.

It says: “The total expenses incurred by a political party or candidate registered under this Act, including transportation, living accommodation and advertising done or provided by any person, company or trade union with the knowledge and consent of the political party or candidate shall not exceed in the case of a registered party and registered party branch in a general election, the aggregate amount determined by multiplying ten dollars by the number of names appearing on the corrected register for all constituencies in which there is an official candidate for the registered party; in the case of a registered party in a by-election, the amount determined by multiplying five dollars by the number of names appearing on the corrected Register for the constituency; in the case of an independent registered candidate in a constituency in a general election or by-election, the amount determined by multiplying five dollars by the number of names appearing on the corrected register for the constituency being contested by the independent registered candidate and in the case of a registered party and registered candidate in a by-election in any constituency of a Family Island other than Grand Bahama and Abaco, the amount determined (above) shall be increased by a maximum of $4,000.”

The bill would require

the chief financial officer of a political party or candidate to report the gross income of any fund-raising function, though monies raised during such events would not be considered contributions under the legislation. The proposed law mandates that no more than $50 be given anonymously at meetings held on behalf of a political party or candidate.

The only people authorised to accept monies under the bill are the chief financial officer or the person designated at the Registrar General’s Department to accept contributions. All political parties would be required to appoint a CFO who must maintain proper records of receipts and expenditures and submit financial statements, along with an auditor’s report, to the registrar on or before December 31 of each year.

The maximum penalty for contravening any provision of the bill is a fine of $10,000. There is no mention of jail time. The bill demands that the attorney general consent to prosecution proceedings.

Documents filed at the registrar would be public records accessible to any person under the proposed law. Political parties and candidates would be required to register with the department. The registration information would include names and address of banks and financial institutions entitled to accept deposits for a political party. Each candidate would be required to have a personal auditor and CFO. Transparency and accountability activists have long called for campaign finance legislation.

In 2012, former Prime Minister Perry Christie said campaign financing had sunken to “repugnant” and sometimes “criminal” levels. His successor, Dr Hubert Minnis, made campaign finance legislation a key part of his campaign agenda in the lead up to the last general election.

The Organisation of American States, which observed this country’s election in 2012, recommended that campaign finance laws be implemented. At the time, the OAS concluded the matter seemed less important to Bahamian politicians than it did to other stakeholders in the country.

THE TRIBUNE

Thursday, December 20, 2018, PAGE 7

Lloyd: Teachers are raising new issues every single day

By MORGAN ADDERLEY Tribune Staff Reporter madderley@tribunemedia.net

EDUCATION Minister Jeff Lloyd said yesterday his ministry has addressed all 20 initial complaints listed by the teachers of C H Reeves Junior High School in their trade dispute, however he added “every single day” the teachers raise another issue.

Mr Lloyd said these new issues cannot be accommodated as they are in addition to the original 20 complaints.

The South Beach MP added the matter of the teachers being awarded a strike certificate is still before the office of the Attorney General, which is determining the validity of the strike vote the teachers held on December 7. On that date, 62 C H Reeves teachers out of 74 voted in favour of a strike, the Bahamas Union of Teachers confirmed to The Tribune.

This decision was a result of issues at the school that included a suspicion of mould in 12 classrooms, leakage in a few of the classrooms, termite infestation and leaky toilets in one block of the girls’ bathrooms.

“You know that…teachers two weeks ago filed a trade dispute,” Mr Lloyd told The Tribune yesterday. “They

JEFFREY LLOYD, Minister of Education. listed 20 items that they were dissatisfied about. That dispute was heard before the industrial relations board at the Department of Labour.

At that time, some discussions were had and there was a further meeting planned for January 7.

“But in the meantime, every single concern raised by the teachers at C H Reeves have been addressed. And those that have not been addressed are being addressed.

“For instances, we expect by the start of school in January that the 13 brand-new classrooms will be available for occupancy and use by the teachers,” Mr Lloyd continued. “We have sorted that matter out. We have been working to sort out the issue with regard to mould.

There is an analyst who has done the investigations and

taken the samples. We are awaiting those results.

“And when they are… whatever remedial steps must be taken, we will take them and we don’t expect that there will be any remediation necessary because now the teachers will have a new classroom in which to conduct their educational experience. But everything else, every single thing that the C H Reeves teachers have complained about, we have, have, I say have, addressed.”

Nevertheless, Mr Lloyd said new concerns are being raised.

“I do notice, however, I am advised by our team here, that every single day there is seemingly another issue that they seek to raise, which we cannot accommodate, simply because (they) have filed a trade dispute, it contains 20

items, and those 20 items have been addressed and the mould issue is being addressed,” he said.

When asked for specifics on these issues, Mr Lloyd pointed to a problem with the art room.

“There was some issue with the art room and that there is a leak in the art room, which, of course, was not a part of the original complaint. But even so, if there’s a problem with the art room — listen, the teachers are the most important resource that we have in this educational experience.

“Why wouldn’t we, as a ministry, do everything we can to make the teachers’ experience, their working environment, as safe and hospitable and as productive as possible? That’s our commitment. We must do that. So if you have a complaint, we’re obviously going to address it. That’s necessary for us.

“So the art room is a concern…if necessary we’ll just move the art room.”

In response to these claims, BUT President Belinda Wilson told The Tribune she is not aware of teachers raising additional concerns.

“The (BUT) expects the Ministry of Education to have all repairs completed by January 7, 2019. I urge the minister to follow

up on the work to ensure that you have the correct information. The mould problem still exists. We do not accept the report of the Department of Environmental Health and consider it incomplete. We have asked for an independent company to complete assessment and remediation. We await that results.

The classes that could not be used for the past five weeks are still not being used.

“Teachers are returning to school when school reopens but the environment at the schools where we raised issues this term must be addressed now.”

Mr Lloyd also addressed the circumstances surrounding the teachers’ strike certificate. Two days after their strike vote was held, Director of Labour John Pinder said there may be an issue certifying the vote because only C H Reeves teachers participated.

Mr Pinder referred to a ruling that states that a union cannot discriminate against its members if it takes a strike vote.

“The Attorney General’s Office is now researching to determine the validity of that strike vote in respect to first of all the Industrial Relations Act, and also in terms of the industrial agreement,” Mr Lloyd said. “I have not been the beneficiary of that

opinion at this time, I don’t believe that they have concluded their research in that matter.”

Mrs Wilson also said no official has confirmed to her as yet when the certificate will be given.

Meanwhile Mr Lloyd also said there will be a follow-up meeting with the industrial relations board on January 7. When asked if he expects teachers to be in place when school reopens on January 7, Mr Lloyd answered in the affirmative.

“There’s no question about it…They’re in place this week. They are doing their work this week, they are marking papers, putting in the grades, and so on.

Across the system, including C H Reeves will be in place.”

Mr Lloyd said the new classrooms will be ready for use, adding he received a temporary occupancy certificate on Tuesday.

“We are waiting on the elevator, which will, as soon as it arrives, be installed. Because as you know, according to the Disability Act, all public buildings have to be disability friendly. The elevator is on its way here. Soon as it comes, in a few days, it will be installed and tested and then will be available for those students (and faculty) who need it.”

CHARITIES PRAISED FOR MAKING LIVES BETTER FOR CHRISTMAS

By RICARDO WELLS Tribune Staff Reporter rwells@tribunemedia.net

SOCIAL Services Minister Frankie Campbell yesterday commended local charitable organisations for the help they have rendered in the lead up to the Christmas season.

Applauding their dedication and refusal to turn anyone away, Mr Campbell said local charities and corporate Bahamas have “made the difference” this season.

“There is still a spirit of generosity and giving in The Bahamas,” he told The Tribune on the sidelines of a Rotary Club meeting.

“The normal, or usual, charitable organisations are hard at work. The Salvation Army, the Red Cross, place like Great Commission Ministries, the Bahamas Feeding Network, they are still hard at work doing their usual collection and dissemination,” he added.

Mr Campbell said despite only occupying the post of social services minister for six months, he has seen first hand the struggle and true needs that exist throughout the country.

He added that while the Minnis administration has taken steps to better fund social assistance programmes, the country’s overall financial position has forced the government into a place where it has to “properly evaluate every dollar we spend.”

Mr Campbell told The Tribune: “We are trying, but where we can’t, the kindness and love of organisations like (the Rotary Club) stepped in and made the difference.

“There is no doubt that the government, through the Ministry of Social Services, cannot do it alone.

And so, we are grateful for partnerships such as (Rotary Club) and anybody else who wants to partner with us.

“These partnership are

two-way partnerships, yesterday we gave to the (Bahamas) Feeding Network and today are receiving supplies from Rotary (Club).”

He continued: “For us now, there is an evaluation process to determine (how one is assisted). Yes, I know, it is unfortunate where a request cannot be necessarily taken at face value because, though in the minority, there are instances of persons who want to exploit a situation.

“Another reason for the evaluations and assessments is to keep track of (how the country’s money is spent) because at the end of the day we have to give an account. We in the ministry during budgetary periods have to give an account. For those two reasons we ask persons to understand and appreciate the need for evaluation and assessments.”

However, Mr Campbell said where this new policy leaves “openings,” charities

and corporate donations have stepped up to the plate.

“That is what I am truly grateful for. We in the political arena are doing our best to make a difference, but where we can’t, the generosity and

thoughtfulness are showing up big.”

The Rotary Club of East Nassau yesterday donated boxes of food supplies to the Ministry of Social Services.

The goods were collected as a part of the

organisation’s Christmas campaign which tasked members with donating one food item per day from December 1 to 19.

The items are expected to be transferred to government sponsored social programmes in time for Christmas.

PAGE 8, Thursday, December 20, 2018

THE TRIBUNE

We need more proof of Turnquest optimism BEFORE enjoying Christmas euphoria, we should spare a moment of sympathy for Deputy Prime Minister Peter Turnquest over the dilemma he faced in his December 5 address to the House tabling five pieces of legislation, three of which are crucial to the creation and future existence of Bahamian business entities.

On the one hand, he insisted “The Bahamas has consistently maintained its right to establish domestic law, to set its own tax policy ... no conceding on the principle of sovereignty...”

On the other, his whole address concerned new legislation only being tabled at the insistence of the EU, the OECD and the powerful nations backing them, with “blacklisting” threatened for non-compliance.

Mr Turnquest points out this is simply the latest step in the campaign since 2000 to rein in The Bahamas and other offshore financial centres. The battle is not over principles, but purely over money. As the foreign nations suffered capital outflows, they felt their tax base was being “unfairly” eroded by so-called harmful tax practices (i.e. low taxes) offshore. In his words, this is “quite the hypocritical situation... but also a serious reality we have to face.” Hypocritical or not, the many consequences of blacklisting are so dire, including total loss of correspondent banking, that our country along with our cousins like Cayman and Jersey, has no choice but to adopt the new rules of the game.

Mr Turnquest takes the optimistic view that enacting the legislation will not damage our status as

CLOUD Carib chose Nassau as its base.

an international financial centre - a changed one, but fully capable of attracting business. The essential effect of the new laws will be to destroy the whole concept and reason for our IBCs (international business companies). They have enabled ventures that are conducted far from our shores to be incorporated here - and thus zero taxed - with no local assets, employees or mind and management, only a few statutory documents held by a resident agent acting on behalf of hundreds of clients. I have seen one estimate of 40,000 Bahamian IBCs, and over 100,000 in Cayman, many of which have already been liquidated, as evidenced by daily press notices.

The system worked smoothly for over 20 years as foreign taxes climbed and clients begged for legal avoidance. But the whole arrangement has been illusory. IBCs are an ingenious legal fiction with no basis in the realities of business practice. They have provided a nice income to lawyers and corporate administrators, which will soon vanish. Existing IBCs without local substance are given three years to wind up their business and dissolve and no new company will be set up as an IBC because it must have the same features as a domestic business under our Companies Act. Our law firms and accountants will be kept busy radically amending their “Guides to Doing Business in The Bahamas” by saying farewell to IBCs. Mr Turnquest’s optimism about companies of real substance proliferating in The Bahamas to replace IBCs may be well founded but awaits more proof. It will require more than his current legislative

initiatives about corporate structure. Any foreign entrepreneur or corporate giant planning a subsidiary will want to see an immigration policy enabling the flexible assignment of expatriate staff. He will be looking for steady improvement in the many elements of our “ease of doing business” environment, and, of course, corruption-free administration with no kick-backs or favouritism to political cronies. Eventually, our electric power costs must come down to make us competitive with the US. Our government is inching its way towards reaching these goals. As a result,

we are beginning to attract hi-tech companies like Cloud Carib, whose founders chose Nassau as the base for its regional coverage, already hiring over 50 staff and about to occupy brand new leased office buildings—a far cry from the typical IBC whose existence is evidenced solely by a brass plate (if that).

One risk must be faced by any company setting up in an offshore financial centre: the EU and OECD might decree that some theoretical “standard” level of income tax must be levied even on companies with a full operating presence in the jurisdiction.

Such a blatant invasion of sovereignty may seem unlikely, but who knows what steps the supra-national bureaucrats may take to impose their dream of international tax uniformity?

Their efforts will have to be firmly resisted by The Bahamas and all similar centres, at last joining to form a common front.

DEPUTY Prime Minister Peter Turnquest.

CHEAP OIL – A PLUS OR A MINUS? THREE months ago when the spot price of West Texas crude was climbing to $80 per barrel, Bahamians may have worried about rising electricity bills.

Now that it has abruptly dropped towards $50, they may be expecting lower bills, giving more funds for discretionary spending.

Neither expectation makes sense. The commodity price of wholesale oil has little effect, up or down, on our retail cost of electricity, long stuck at about 30 cents per kilowatt hour (KWH) for deep-seated structural reasons unique to The Bahamas. And any economist will tell you that a steady long–term drop in crude prices, far from beneficial, is a sign of depressed worldwide business activity, suggesting reduced foreign investment and shrinkage of tourism.

One local company is clearly suffering from the price collapse: Bahamas Petroleum Company

HQ of the Bahamas Petroleum Company.

(BPC), which for about ten years has held governmentgranted leases to explore for oil in our southwestern waters near Cuba, and to drill if conditions look favourable and money can be found. BPC’s 1.57 billion outstanding shares are listed and traded in London, controlled by five international investment funds. In May the Nassau-based CEO Simon Potter announced that

an unnamed major oil company had signed an exclusive agreement to work with BPC on further exploration, with an option to become a farm-in partner. This was good news, since BPC would need a major investor to cover the $100 million cost of drilling a production well, and it received a $1 million cash infusion from the major during the four-month option period. The BPC share price soon doubled to $.06, giving a market cap of about $90 million.

Unfortunately, the option expired on August 31 without being exercised by the major oil company.

Overnight, the price crashed nearly 70 percent to $.02 and has remained there or lower. Clearly, the market interpreted the negative decision as a thumbs down

on the probability of finding commercial oil. Mr. Potter down-played the bad news with an October press release saying BPC now had more freedom to negotiate with other potential partners.

But the wind has been blowing against him. As the oil price drops to $50 or lower, there’s little incentive to explore for new reserves in a still unproven field rather than rely on existing supplies.

With few indications of an upward price reversal, BPC’s five licenced sites may remain undrilled indefinitely.

While this prospect may overjoy our extreme environmentalists, it’s bad news for the Bahamian economy. If raw crude were being extracted by BPC and sold commercially, the company would be paying substantial royalties into a Sovereign Wealth Fund, which as in many oil-rich countries from Norway to Trinidad, is used to make long-term investments for the national benefit.

So, here’s one example of how cheap oil is a minus for our country. We hope the BPC shareholders, receiving zero return on their investment, can hang on while the price of oil eventually revives to al level where BPC can operate profitably and pay the agreed royalties.

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THE TRIBUNE

Thursday, December 20, 2018, PAGE 9

MITCHELL ATTACKS DAMES OVER FOX HILL CLAIMS

By RICARDO WELLS Tribune Staff Reporter rwells@tribunemedia.net

PROGRESSIVE Liberal Party chairman Fred Mitchell has denounced suggestions that staff and programme coordinators at the Fox Hill Community Centre were unqualified, political hires.

In a statement released by the party yesterday, Mr Mitchell claimed the Minnis administration - specifically National Security Minister Marvin Dames - was actively working to trash the reputation of those working at the centre as pretext to scrapping operations at the facility.

The government and staff at the Fox Hill centre have been locked in a pay dispute, with some employees unpaid for months.

On Sunday, Mr Dames indicated government officials were seeking an agreement that would specify what aspects of the centre would be directly funded by the government and what would be funded by the centre’s board.

To date, he said, an agreement was drafted, but not yet presented

to the board. Mr Dames said the Minnis administration ultimately wants the facility to be managed by the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture so at-risk programmes for youth could proceed at the facility.

He also revealed an assessment of the staff at the centre determined most of them were not qualified and were hired just before the 2017 general election.

Firing back yesterday, Mr Mitchell said he was “amazed” by the level of “insensitivity and tone deafness” displayed by those in the Minnis administration.

“They have no feel for people at all,” the former Fox Hill MP said in a statement. “They are mean and mean-spirited and bloody-minded with it. It is hard to believe they were raised in the same country with us. They seem to say anything that comes out of their mouths without any regard for the truth, firstly, and secondly for the sensitivity of people who are unable to defend themselves.”

Mr Mitchell was referring to the legacy and work of deceased former National Security

PLP chairman Fred Mitchell Minister Dr Bernard Nottage and the centre’s staff. “Neither can speak for themselves,” he said. “The people who work at the Fox Hill Community Centre are qualified for the jobs they do. They were hired according to specific mandates and they match those qualifications. They are not called upon to perform rocket science.

“The fact that the minister thinks that they are unqualified does not entitle the government to renege on their commitment

and refuse to pay them. As of this note, they are owed six months’ salary with no prospect of getting paid,” he added.

Mr Mitchell said despite claims by the government, its handling of the problem illustrates a want to close the centre.

“The minister is simply setting up a pretext to fire them. The FNM’s modus operandi of ‘stop, review and cancel’ and ‘fire not hire’ is at work,” he said. “Just read the business of ‘unqualified’ together with ‘hired just before the election’ and you can see what he is up to. This is now a PLP/ FNM thing.”

He continued: “The darn community centre was completed in April 2017. The election was May 2017. So when else should they have been hired: after the election? What a silly thing to say.

“The FNM has been saying since coming to office that they can’t find the files, the Cabinet conclusions, the agreements.

They can’t find anything. This is false because the present minister was briefed in extensio before he dismissed, on political grounds,

the individual who was responsible for the superintendence of the community centre from his ministry.

“It is all there to be found. The government does not own the building. George Mackey, my predecessor, saw to it that this would be the case. (Former) Prime Minister Perry Christie publicly said that he would finish the building and the building would be a gift to the people of Fox Hill. So said, so done.”

An Inter-American Development Bank loan, through the Citizen Security and Justice Initiative, partly funded renovations at the centre.

The property was acquired by former Minister of Housing George Mackey, now deceased, in the 1990s and conveyed to the Fox Hill Development Association to be held in trust for Fox Hill residents.

A multi-purpose auditorium, constructed after the PLP regained power in 2002, was developed into a world-class facility during the last Christie administration.

Food donations expected to aid 2,000 families

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net AML Foods and Bahamas Feeding Network distributed food care packages yesterday to a number of non-profit organisations and churches in Grand Bahama for less fortunate residents.

This came a day after a similar event in New Providence.

Daneisha Clarke, marketing representative for AML Foods in Freeport, said the Feed the 5,000 distribution initiative is expected to assist some 2,000 needy families in Freeport and Nassau.

The programme was started three years ago through a partnership with BFN and the Bahamas Red Cross to give food parcels to less fortunate residents during the Christmas season.

Ms Clarke said that AML Foods pledged $20,000 and their customers also helped by making contributions at the cash register towards the cause.

She said that the care package valued at $40 contains a whole chicken, ham, a bag of rice, two canned vegetables, and a box of stuffing.

AML Foods and the Bahamas Feeding Network distributed food care packages yesterday to a number of non-profit organisations and churches in Grand Bahama.

According to Ms Clarke, the care packages would be distributed to BFN and the Bahamas Red Cross, churches and other nonprofit organisations which will distribute them to those who need it.

“We were very impressed with our customers here in Freeport,” she said. “They were really giving, and our cashiers really pushed and outdid themselves.”

According to officials, last year approximately 5,600 families were assisted. This year, the aim is 7,000.

Some of the local organisations that will be recipients of the packages are Fluent Feeding Foundation, Emmanuel Baptist Church, Mt Calvary Baptist Church, the Grand Bahama Red Cross, and the Salvation Army.

PAGE 10, Thursday, December 20, 2018

Festive fun for young and old

LONG Island MP Adrian Gibson’s annual Christmas party was attended from people across his constituency.

THE TRIBUNE

THE TRIBUNE

Thursday, December 20, 2018, PAGE 11

FISHING INDUSTRY: TIME TO BE TOUGH from page one

“They have shown no willingness to cooperate with us, it is time we do the same,” both organisations said in a strongly worded statement released in response to Mr Henfield’s latest comments on the poaching dilemma.

On Tuesday, the minister said Dominican officials are concerned about lengthy prison sentences given to fishermen found guilty of poaching in Bahamian waters.He said this concern was raised in a recent meeting between The Bahamas government and a delegation from the Dominican Republic when they also made commitments to assist in discouraging the practice of illegal fishing in Bahamian waters.

The officials further pledged, among other things, to install indicators in fishing vessels coming out of that country to better monitor their movements.

He also said Dominican officials were warned about poachers becoming more aggressive at sea when confronted by Bahamian authorities. This comes as two separate arrests of poachers occurred within a week.

“We write to openly express our sentiments to the people of The Bahamas and the minister of foreign affairs regarding the latest series of arrests by the Royal Bahamas Defence Force of poachers, specifically poachers from the Dominican Republic who shot at and in one case rammed and extensively damaged a RBDF vessel,” the organisations said yesterday.

“The Bahamas fishing community are disappointed in the statement from the minister of foreign affairs published in the newspapers, and would have expected a stronger position in defence of her citizens, her courts and her sovereignty. Illegal fishing is just one breach of the laws of The Bahamas, however these breaches result in losses to our economy of tens of millions of dollars annually, threats to our status as a country with a sustainable marine ecosystem and most important, the threats to the lives of fishermen.

“As fishermen we face unending threats with little support from the agencies charged to protect us or organisations who claim to want to do so. Therefore it is incumbent upon us as

SOME of the Dominican poachers detained by the RBDF earlier this year. fisher folk to formally state that we are extremely disappointed as lukewarm verbiage translates to no tangible action particularly when there is sufficient evidence that poachers from the Dominican Republic are aided and sanctioned by their government to carry out this fisheries terrorism against the Bahamas.

“Previously the minister in essence instructed us, fishermen, to wave the white flag and retreat and allow our seas to be raped and plundered by the pirates of Puerto Plata, all while we try to recover from the losses suffered from two devastating hurricanes and other restrictions.”

The Royal Bahamas Defence Force - for the second time in a week - arrested a group of Dominican fishermen for illegally operating in Bahamian seas.

Two Dominican small, go-fast type boats were apprehended at 11am on Monday off North-East Point, Inagua. On board were seven Dominican fishermen along with several air compressors and containers of gasoline.

A week ago, on December 11, another seven Dominican fishermen were arrested by the RBDF off Inagua. They have since been charged on several counts resulting in sentences up to nine months and $413,000 in fines.

The fisheries groups continued: “The government of the DR has made numerous promises to monitor their fishing fleet with

BASKETBALL’S BUDDY HIELD JOINS BE A HERO CAMPAIGN AFTER receiving major endorsements from well-known sports heroes like Chris “Fireman” Brown, Jonquel Jones, and Shaunae Miller-Uibo, the Environment Ministry has added yet another high-profile sports superstar to its “Be A Hero” campaign, Grand Bahama native and Sacramento Kings star Chavanno “Buddy” Hield.

FULL STORY - SEE SPORTS

vessel monitoring systems, they have signed numerous agreements to curb poaching by their nationals, they have made numerous promises to punish any citizen that did not adhere to the fisheries laws ... No reliance should be placed in any assurance given by the Dominican Republic. They have shown no willingness to cooperate with us, it is time we do the same.

“The government of The Bahamas must take a hard stance once and for all against this threat, ‘soft words’ from the minister of foreign affairs will not allay our fears for the future for our children.”

In 2012, then Foreign Affairs Minister Fred Mitchell, then Agriculture and Marine Resources Minister V Alfred Gray, then Financial Services Minister Ryan Pinder and now deceased National Security Minister Bernard Nottage held bilateral talks in Santo Domingo. At the time Mr Mitchell said the Dominican government was receptive about the concerns raised by Bahamian officials regarding poaching.

At the time he said the government needed to move on with the discussions. He said officials were cautiously optimistic that there would be changes regarding poaching. However, Mr Henfield said on Tuesday no agreement was ever finalised or signed leading to the need for there to be one now.

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THE TRIBUNE

Two-thirds of shanty town homes have running water

By AVA TURNQUEST Tribune Chief Reporter aturnquest@tribunemedia.net THE government’s assessment of Abaco shanty towns found 67.6 percent of those dwellings had running water, with 80.2 percent of households featuring indoor flushing toilets.

However, generators are the primary source of electricity for most households, with less than 100 homes reportedly receiving electricity supply from Bahamas Power and Light’s grid.

The legality of those BPL connections were not explored, according to Dr Cherita Moxey, who prepared the Shanty Town Action Task Force’s report on Abaco’s unregulated

communities.

Only 51 homes had cable services.

“With the exception of cable services,” the report read, “the vast majority of households in Abaco’s shanty towns have basic utilities – electricity, indoor running water, and flushed toilets.”

“Similar to shanty towns structures in New Providence, generators are the primary source (74 percent) of electrical supply for structures in Abaco.

“Only 11.6 percent of these structures report receiving their electrical supply from BPL/BEC.” The report identified 915 structures but only 777 household representatives participated in the assessment.

The total number of

structures across Abaco indicate a 10.6 percent reduction in dwellings from the 2013 report conducted by the Department of Environmental Health Services.

“To approximate a total population,” the report read, “factoring those 138 identified dwellings/ households that did not participate in the assessment, the statistically calculated mean household size of 3.91 was used.”

It continued: “This approach results in a calculated non-respondent population of 540. A best estimate then of the total shanty town population for Abaco stands at 3,581.”

Of that population, 750 individuals were said to be 18 years old or younger.

While most girls in this age grouping were said to be attending school, the report noted only 74 percent of boys were enrolled.

“On average, school attendance among minors in Abaconian shanty towns is higher (86.5 percent) than for New Providencebased shanty town minors (61.5 percent),” the report read.

While most participating households had a weekly income of less than $400, there were 18 households that reported weekly incomes of more than $1,000, and 19 homes within the $801 to $1,000 range.

In the $401 to $600 income range, there were 11 households; and 69 homes indicated weekly earnings between $601 and $800.

SHANTY town structures in Abaco.

THE TRIBUNE

Thursday, December 20, 2018, PAGE 13

Water supply initiative helps residents on Long Island HUNDREDS of residents in remote settlements of Long Island now have access to potable water thanks to the government’s South Long Island Water Supply initiative which extends the central water distribution system into the settlements.

Water and Sewerage Corporation officials, including executive chairman and Long Island MP Adrian Gibson, were on the island recently for the ceremony.

“In its continuing effort to provide potable water to all residents throughout The Bahamas, the government of The Bahamas, through the Water and Sewerage Corporation, and with the support of the CDB (Caribbean Development Bank) awarded the first contract to extend the central water distribution system southward from Turtle Cove to Clarence Town, and north from Grays to Salt Pond,” a press release from WSC noted.

“At the conclusion of this project, some 45,000 feet of 4” PVC pipe and 15,000 feet of 2” PVC pipe would have been installed to service more than 200 additional customers, all of whom will be supplied by the existing reverse osmosis (R/O) water plant located in Deadman’s Cay. These works are currently underway.”

WSC said more populated regions of Long Island have also been identified for this project and it was further agreed to provide relief to residents north and south of the Simms settlement.

“Consequently, the existing distribution in Simms will be extended to Millerton in the North and Wemyss southward by some 37,000 feet of 4” and 31,000 feet of 2” PVC pipe to service some 180 additional customers.

All of these residents will be serviced by the R/O plant located in Simms,” WSC announced.

For residents in southern Long Island, there are initial efforts underway to bring them similar relief. Six “high density polyethylene plastic water tanks” each with a capacity of 5,000 imperial gallons were purchased and

EUROPE AGREES TO BAN SOME SINGLE-USE PLASTICS BERLIN Associated Press PLASTIC knives just won’t cut it any longer, if the European Union has its way.

The 28-nation bloc moved closer to banning single-use straws, plates, cutlery and cotton swabs, after officials from EU member states and the European Parliament on Wednesday backed recommendations by its executive branch designed to reduce marine pollution.

Environmental campaigners have been calling for curbs on throwaway plastic that’s accumulating in the oceans because, unlike organic materials, it doesn’t decompose but simply breaks down into ever smaller pieces.

Scientific studies have found minuscule particles known as microplastics are being consumed by animals throughout the food chain, though the impact on human health is unclear.

“When we have a situation where one year you can bring your fish home in a plastic bag, and the next year you are bringing that bag home in a fish, we have to work hard and work fast,” said Karmenu Vella, the European commissioner for environment, maritime affairs and fisheries.

The EU’s executive branch, the European Commission, estimates that almost 60 percent of the 25.8 million metric tons (28.4 million tons) of plastic waste produced in the bloc each year comes from packaging, with much of it exported to third countries rather than recycled.

German environmental group NABU claims that about 350,000 metric tons of plastic waste could be prevented in Germany alone with the ban.

WATER and Sewerage executive chairman Adrian Gibson was in Long Island recently for a commissioning ceremony to extend the central water distribution system. installed in several sparsely populated settlements south of Clarence Town to provide potable water service to these residents and added resilience during hurricane season when roads may be impassable, WSC noted.

Single stand-alone tanks are now installed in Roses, Mortimers and Berrys so customers in this region have access to potable water.

“In the interim these tanks effectively act as government stand-pipes which will be regularly

filled by water tanker trucks. In the longer term, individual metering systems will be implemented for full accountability.

“The settlement of Dunmore was found to be in a favourable location with elevation such that customers could receive water direct to their homes through gravity feed. It was therefore decided to install a local distribution system network consisting of some 1,000 feet of 2” PVC pipe such that customers could receive potable water from the total 15,000-gallon storage located at this site. All tanks will be securely anchored to the base and will be regularly serviced with tanked potable water. Ten connections have already been installed and residents now have running water in their homes.

These types of systems greatly assist in reaching smaller separated communities.”

WSC said eventually a small pumping station will be installed to improve pressure and so that the distribution system could be extended to pick up additional customers.

“As a result of these efforts, over 200 residents now have access to potable water,” WSC said.

Work is also planned for other Family Islands, including Crooked Island, North Eleuthera, Acklins and San Salvador.

“The corporation plans to duplicate what it hopes will be a prototype system where small water supply tanks will be established in smaller communities similar to Dunmore, Long Island.”

WSC plans to hold a press tour to review ongoing works to extend the North Eleuthera reverse osmosis plant, which will be the third largest plant in the Bahamas. This extension will provide potable water to all of North Eleuthera, Spanish Wells and Harbour Island.

In early 2019, a commissioning ceremony will be scheduled for the San Salvador Water Supply Extension Project, Mr Gibson said.

PAGE 14, Thursday, December 20, 2018

MAJOR AIRPORT SHUTS AFTER DRONES SEEN LONDON Associated Press LONDON’S Gatwick Airport was shut down yesterday while officials urgently investigated reports that two drones were flying above the airfield.

The airport suspended all flights, causing severe disruptions just days before Christmas during one of the heaviest travel times of the year.

Police and aviation authorities were still investigating early today as incoming fights were diverted to other locations in Britain.

Passengers complained on Twitter that their flights had landed at London Heathrow, Manchester, Birmingham and other cities.

There have been occasional reports of drones nearly hitting commercial airliners in the London area in recent years.

Strong sales of small consumer drones have led to repeated warnings about a possible threat to scheduled flights.

THE TRIBUNE

Trump pulls 2,000 troops out of Syria WASHINGTON Associated Press PRESIDENT Donald Trump is pulling all 2,000 US troops out of Syria, officials announced yesterday as the president suddenly declared victory over the Islamic State, contradicting his own experts’ assessments and sparking surprise and outrage from his party’s lawmakers who called his action rash and dangerous.

The US began airstrikes in Syria in 2014, and ground troops moved in the following year to battle the Islamic State, or ISIS, and train Syrian rebels in a country torn apart by civil war. Trump abruptly declared their mission accomplished in a tweet.

“We have defeated ISIS in Syria, my only reason for being there during the Trump Presidency,” he said as Vice President Mike Pence met with top leaders at the Pentagon. US officials said many details of the troop withdrawal had not yet been finalised, but they expect American forces to be out by mid-January.

Later yesterday, Trump posted a

PRESIDENT Trump declares victory over Islamic State. video on Twitter in which he said is “heartbreaking” to have to write letters and make calls to the loved ones of those killed in battle. “Now it’s time for our troops to come back home,” he said.

A senior administration official,

speaking to reporters on condition of anonymity, said Trump made the decision based on his belief that US troops have no role in Syria beyond combatting Islamic State, whose fighters are now believed to hold about 1 percent of the territory they did at the peak of their power.

The president informed Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of his decision in a telephone call, the official said. Turkey has recently warned that it would launch combat operations across its southern border into northeastern Syria against Kurdish forces who have been allied with the U.S. in the fight against the Islamic State.

Trump’s declaration of victory was far from unanimous, and officials said US defence and military leaders were trying to dissuade him from ordering the withdrawal right up until the last minute. His decision immediately triggered demands from Congress — including leading Republicans — for more information and a formal briefing on the matter. Sen Lindsay Graham of South Carolina, just returned from Afghanistan, said he was meeting with Defense

Secretary Jim Mattis late in the day.

Graham, typically a Trump backer, said he was “blindsided” by the report and called the decision “a disaster in the making.” He said, “The biggest winners in this are ISIS and Iran.”

The decision will fulfill Trump’s long-stated goal of bringing troops home from Syria, but military leaders have pushed back for months, arguing that the IS group remains a threat and could regroup in Syria’s long-running civil war. US policy has been to keep troops in place until the extremists are eradicated.

The senior administration official said American forces would still work with allies to fight the Islamic State or other extremists in the country but gave no details on what that might entail.

Another official said it still is not clear to defense leaders whether U.S. airstrikes against IS insurgents will continue in Syria after the American troops leave. U.S. military officials worry that American-backed Kurdish troops will be targeted by Turkey and the Syrian government, leaving no ally on the ground to help direct the strikes.

HACKERS STOLE EU DIPLOMATIC CABLES LONDON Associated Press

HACKERS have spent years eavesdropping on the diplomatic communications of European Union officials, a US cybersecurity firm said yesterday, an operation disrupted only after researchers discovered hundreds of intercepted documents lying around on the internet.

The documents were discovered a few months ago after a malicious email was caught by the Redwood City, California-based Area 1 Security firm, according to company co-founder Blake Darche.

He said the firm followed forensic clues in the message back to an unsecured server that had some 1,100 EU diplomatic cables.

Darche said he believed that tens of thousands more such documents have been stolen.

“We estimate that the ones we found are a small fraction of the overall operation,” he said. “From what we can see, the EU has a significant problem on their hands.”

Darche said the hackers are working for China’s People’s Liberation Army, a judgment he said was based on eight years spent observing the group. A report published by the group Wednesday laid out the hackers’ modus operandi, but attribution is notoriously fickle and others in the field voiced skepticism .

Calls to China’s mission to the European Union were not returned Wednesday. Beijing has in the past denied similar reports.

VALDIS DOMBROVKIS EU officials are taking the report “extremely seriously” but it is “impossible to comment on leaks,” European Commission Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis told reporters in Brussels.

“All communication systems have vulnerabilities, so we’re constantly dealing with this challenge,” he said.

Dombrovskis identified the system hit by the leaks as one managed by the European Council’s secretariat, which represents EU member states in Brussels, rather than the commission itself. In an email, the council acknowledged what it described as “a potential leak of sensitive information” and said it was investigating. It offered no further comment.

Some of the messages appeared to capture European officials struggling to deal with the erratic movements of U.S. President Donald Trump.

One such document appeared to capture a senior European official in Washington recommending that envoys from the EU’s member nations work around Trump by dealing directly with Congress.

MEXICAN PRESIDENT WANTS US TO GRANT MORE WORK VISAS MEXICO CITY Associated Press

MEXICAN President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said yesterday he hopes to negotiate more US work visas for Central American migrants as well as those from his own country, and his administration promised to protect migrants, even as police reported two Hondurans were killed in the border city of Tijuana.

Officials of the new administration said Mexico’s policy toward migrants has changed, from a policy of “containment” to one of respect for human rights.

“We are going to leave behind the attitude of discrimination,” said Alejandro Encinas, the assistant secretary of the interior. Mexico said

it is going to increase funding and hire more employees for the country’s refugee agency, which has been notoriously understaffed and slow to process asylum claims.

The agency said applications for refugee status have increased dramatically in Mexico and are expected to total about 28,000 this year, compared to 14,603 in 2017 and just 2,137 in 2014.

The changes are part of Lopez Obrador’s plan to discourage emigration not by coercion, but by creating jobs in Mexico and Central America won’t have to emigrate.

“We want the United States to give work visas for Mexico and to increase the number of visas, and that there also be work visas for Central Americans,” Lopez Obrador said.

THE TRIBUNE

Thursday, December 20, 2018, PAGE 15

FOUNDER OF YO! SUSHI BUYS ISLAND IN BAHAMAS FOR $2.3M

By MORGAN ADDERLEY Tribune Staff Reporter madderley@tribunemedia.net A BRITISH sushi tycoon has purchased a cay in the Berry Islands for $2.5m in a private sale.

Simon Woodroffe, an entrepreneur and founder of the restaurant chain Yo! Sushi, plans to develop the island into a vacation destination called Yo! Island.

Previously known as Cockroach Cay and renamed Wild Berry Cay, the 100-acre island is listed on real estate company HG Christie’s website for $3.95m.

HG Christie real estate agent John Christie confirmed the island was privately owned.

“Every sale in the Bahamas is privately owned,” Mr Christie told The Tribune.

“The government doesn’t sell any islands.”

Mr Woodroffe reportedly purchased the island “from Bahamian development firm TH-PY”.

Mr Christie could not confirm the name of the firm, however, he told The Tribune: “It was an American company that bought it, and they’ve had it since around 2000, 2001.

“I don’t know the name of the company…. It’s probably a Bahamian company but it was American owners,” he speculated.

Mr Christie admitted the

the estate agents made up – it has always been Cockroach and no one knows why. Certainly no cockroaches there.

“Wild Berry Cay is a great island located just two miles north of Chub Cay with a rejuvenated club,

SIMON Woodroffe with his daughter Charlotte. The businessman has bought an island in The Bahamas. cay was listed for $3.95m, but did not divulge how much it was sold for.

“Mr Woodroffe… says the cay was being offered for twice the price, but he managed to land it for

just $2.5 million because ‘on an impulse’ he said he could pay in cash the next day,” according to reports.

“Explaining the island’s two names, Mr Woodroffe said: ‘Wild Berry is a name

marina and 5,000ft air strip with a port of entry,” Christie’s listing reads. “This cay has good elevation - up to 40ft. It is approximately 1/2 mile wide and 1 mile long.

Located in exceptionally fine fishing area and has mostly black fertile soil.

“Wild Berry Cay is one of the best private island opportunities on the market at this time and will make a beautiful private family retreat or resort development with easy access to the port of entry Chub Cay.”