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VOLUME:115 No.240, NOVEMBER 6TH, 2018
THE PEOPLE’S PAPER: $1
US ELECTIONS: DEMOCRATS TAKE BACK HOUSE BUT MISS SENATE
FBI sting blows open visa scam Suspect taped saying officials demand cash
By AVA TURNQUEST Tribune Chief Reporter aturnquest@tribunemedia.net
A TWO-YEAR FBI sting operation into visa fraud in The Bahamas has uncovered an alleged bribery ring between senior Bahamas immigration officials and a purported justice of the peace for fraudulent long-term work permits. The US Federal Bureau of Investigations paid three Haitian nationals just under $50,000 to participate in the undercover operation, which has led to the arrest and indictment
HOUSE FIRE TAKES LIFE OF BOY, 5 By RIEL MAJOR
POLICE are investigating a house fire that led to the death of a five-yearold boy in Eleuthera on Monday night. Police from the Rock Sound Police Station were notified shortly after 9pm about a single-story home made of wood, with SEE PAGE SEVEN
‘COPS BEAT ME WITH CUTLASS’
of four Haitians living in The Bahamas and one Bahamian, along with the alleged lead conspirator Edward Israel Saintil, who holds both Bahamian and Haitian passports. Saintil is accused of encouraging and inducing illegal entry into the US, and was arrested in late September after he travelled to the District of Columbia to purportedly collect a $14,000 fee to smuggle a Haitian national into the country and arrange a marriage to a US citizen. SEE PAGE THREE
CIVIL SERVANTS ‘WILL NEVER PAY PENSIONS’ By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net
PRESS Secretary Anthony Newbold said he doubts the government could get the public sector’s 20,000 or so employees to contribute to their pensions, even though the country’s pension liability problem has been described as a ticking time bomb by some. His comment came after
he sought to debunk social media rumours that the government plans to take away pensions of people in the civil service, when in fact the government has released a request for proposals for consultants to provide a pension feasibility study as the government moves to implement a contributory pension scheme for new public sector hires. SEE PAGE SIX
A MAN appeared in court yesterday in blood-stained underwear. Alvin Morley, accused of committing numerous armed robberies, says he was flogged with a cutlass by police officers. Full story - Page 2. Photo: Terrel W Carey Sr/Tribune Staff
JEAN RONY - LET ME GO TO PRIVY COUNCIL By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net
LAWYERS for Jean Rony Jean-Charles officially launched an appeal yesterday to the Privy Council seeking to set aside a Court of Appeal order that overturned the Supreme Court’s ruling that demanded that Mr JeanCharles be returned to The Bahamas and given status that would allow him to
JEAN RONY seek gainful employment here. The case of Mr JeanCharles, 35, has significant implications for the country’s immigration and
citizenship laws. In their written ruling last month, Court of Appeal justices Sir Michael Barnett, Jon Isaacs and Hartman Longley said there could be no finding of constitutional breach relating to his detention and deportation last year because of uncertainly over his identity. The justices found any application for constitutional, or any other relief, should not have been
Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper
SEE PAGE 11
ALICIA WALLACE THANK GOD FOR THOSE UNAFRAID TO SAY ‘NO’
SEE PAGE EIGHT
PAGE 2, Wednesday, November 7, 2018
THE TRIBUNE
Accused armed robber ‘riddled with dried blood stains’ By NICO SCAVELLA Tribune Staff Reporter nscavella@tribunemedia.net THE attorneys for a man accused of committing numerous armed robberies in the capital yesterday claimed the man was flogged with a cutlass by police officers, moments after the accused’s bloodstained underwear was exposed for the court to see. The back of Alvin Morley’s grey boxers was riddled with apparent dried blood stains, as well as what appeared to be brown and green stains. This was visible to everyone, including Chief Magistrate Joyann Ferguson-Pratt, as he shuffled into the courtroom in shackles with his pants below his buttocks. Then, when the 19-yearold Lincoln Boulevard resident was made to come forward and face the litany of charges against him, his trousers, which by that time were already hanging low, fell down completely, exposing his soiled underwear. When the chief magistrate noticed the man’s boxers and asked about it, and as Morley did the best his could to pick up his pants while handcuffed, his attorney Ian Cargill responded: “That’s blood. That’s how bad he was beaten.” Chief Magistrate Ferguson-Pratt told the court that she did in fact see and note that Morley was sporting “soiled underwear,” but said she could not come to any conclusions as to how he received those injuries. Morley refused to sit down when he first walked in court despite being commanded to by the officers, citing the pain from his injuries as the reason. And when he was later told that he had to sit down by
the chief magistrate, he had to lean to the side and prop himself up with his right elbow to alleviate the pressure. David Cash, Morley’s other attorney, claimed his client was beaten with a machete while in custody at the Central Detective Unit (CDU). Mr Cash said when he went to visit Morley on Monday, the young man had “fresh injuries” and was bleeding, and further complained of injuries to his buttocks. However, Mr Cash said when he asked for an opportunity to see his client’s injuries, a police officer told him he could not do so unless he brought a doctor to CDU. Afterwards, Mr Cash claimed his client was taken back in the back of the CDU compound while he was made to leave. Mr Cash said his client was denied his right to have private communications with his attorney, in contravention of Article 19 of the Constitution, as two officers constantly “flanked” Morley during the time he went to see him. Morley was one of three men accused of being the perpetrators of multiple armed robberies and other serious crimes in New Providence over the last two months, the other two being Javis Smith, aka “Bobo”, and Deon Giles, aka “Lebo”, both of whom also claimed they were also beaten while in custody. Concerning Morley, it is alleged that he attempted to murder Roobens Elusme on October 6. Police also claim he used a rifle on October 1 to rob Police Constable 3629 Mills of $80 cash and a set of keys as well as Earthlyn Pratt of one silver and black coloured Samsung 7 Edge
worth $500 and a brown wallet worth $100, that had $130 cash in it when it was stolen. He is further alleged to have robbed Amanda Walkine of a pink and white Apple iPhone 6 worth $500. Morley is accused of committing the crimes with 20-year-old William Wong of Regency Park, who was arraigned in connection with those incidents last month. It is further alleged that Morley used a black handgun to rob Ethan Bain of a $4,000 Nissan Note, a silver and gold Invicta watch worth $470, and $4,500 in cash on September 17. Morley, Smith and Gilles were further charged with robbing Brittney Bethel of a black 2008 Toyota Passo worth $4,500; a white ZTE cellphone worth $120; a Thunder Dog battery pack worth $75; a Bahamian passport worth $50 and $200 cash. They are all charged alongside Wong in that matter. However, Mr Cargill told the chief magistrate that Morley provided documents to the authorities to show that he was not in the jurisdiction at the time Bethel was allegedly robbed. Morley, Smith, and Gilles were also charged with conspiring to commit armed robbery on September 17, and then attempting to rob Pizza Hut’s Prince Charles location with a handgun a day later. Morley and Gilles were further charged with being in possession of 22 unfired rounds of .45 ammunition, as well as two unfired rounds of 12-gauge ammunition on November 2. They both plead not guilty to those ammunition-related charges and will return to court on February 15 for trial.
MAIN picture Alvin Morley, Javis Smith, left, and Deon Gilles, right, outside court yesterday. Photos: Terrel W Carey Sr/Tribune Staff Gilles, meanwhile, was charged with attempting to murder Courtney Hall on May 31, and attempting to rob her with a shotgun of her silver, 2007 Honda Accord on the same date. He is also alleged to have conspired to rob her at gunpoint on the date in question. Gilles is also alleged to have attempted to murder Basil Evans Sr on October 29. He and Smith also conspired and attempted to rob Evans Sr of cash on that same date. Also on that date it is alleged that Gilles and Smith robbed Police Constable 3923 Javasian Farrington of a 9mm SIG Sauer gun worth $895; 30 rounds of 9mm ammunition worth $150; a Samsung Galaxy Note 5 worth $450; a Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) warrant card worth $180 and $450 cash. Gilles, along with Edward Colebrooke who was not present in court yesterday, is further alleged to have robbed Alexander Hall of $280 cash; a Samsung S7 cellphone worth $200; a gold chain worth $800; a Michael Kors watch $499;
a diamond ring worth $600. He and Colebrooke were further charged with using a shotgun to rob Gardaina Lightbourne of an Alcatel 3 Plus cellphone worth $300 and one gray-coloured 2015 Kia Sportage worth $25,000, the property of Stacey Williams, on May 23. Gilles is further alleged to have used a black shotgun to rob Alfred Rolle of a black Nokia cellphone worth $100, and attempting to rob Milton Fowler on May 30. Gilles and Smith were further charged with using a handgun to rob Tonya Hall of a silver coloured 2007 Nissan Note worth $7,000; two Commonwealth Bank cards worth $20; two Bahamian driver’s licenses; one Fidelity Bank card worth $10; an orange and silver flash drive worth $30; a black Coach handbag worth $250 and a black Coach pouch worth $150; a rose-gold Apple iPhone worth $400. Gilles and Smith are charged in that incident with 24-year-old Jovaughn Joubert Pierre of Washington Street, who was arraigned on that charge last month.
Smith’s attorney Keith Seymour told the court that his client was “severely beaten” while in custody, and was experiencing chest pains at the time of the arraignment. The attorney further claimed his client requested to see a physician but the request was refused. Mr Seymour further claimed his client was denied access to his attorney, and was not allowed to contact his family members. Gilles, meanwhile, said he was beaten badly by officers, in particular that he was beaten in his eyes, and that his chest was swollen. “They didn’t want me see no lawyer,” Gilles told the chief magistrate, adding that he was forced and instructed on what to say in giving his statement. None of the men was required to enter a plea to the charges and their respective and collective matters were adjourned to later dates for service of their voluntary bills of indictment. Bail was denied and they were remanded to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services in the interim.
THE TRIBUNE
Wednesday, November 7, 2018, PAGE 3
DECEASED ACTIVIST PARISIEN NAMED IN FRAUD INVESTIGATION By AVA TURNQUEST Tribune Chief Reporter aturnquest@tribunemedia.net
COURT documents detailing a two-year FBI sting operation into US visa fraud in Nassau name deceased activist Pierre Parisien as being involved in the scheme. Parisien was named by Haitian national Edna St Fleur, who is facing charges of conspiracy and visa fraud alongside three other Haitian nationals and a Bahamian woman. Parisien died earlier this year. He was president of the Haitian Organisation for the Prevention of HIV/AIDS & STDs (HOPHAS), a local non-governmental organisation. St Fleur was issued a B1/B2 visa after falsely claiming to be a Red Cross peer educator on HIV/ AIDS issues in 2016, but the visa was later cancelled in October 2017 after she could not satisfy questions placed by US Customs and Border Protection (USCBP) officers on two separate attempts to enter the US. She claimed she paid Parisien $2,500 and that money was shared with a business partner and a US embassy employee who assisted with obtaining the visa. According to an affidavit sworn by FBI agent Kevin Gounaud, the USCBP officers were not aware of the FBI operation at the time. The FBI’s undercover operation targeted Edward Israel Saintil; however they were tipped off by an informant, confidential human source 1 (CHS-1) who was told by St Fleur about the alleged scheme. “In October 2016, the FBI and the Department of State Office of the Inspector General
(DOS-OIG) initiated a joint investigation of foreign nationals fraudulently obtaining visitor visas from the United States Embassy in Nassau, The Bahamas,” the affidavit read. “Saintil came to the attention of law enforcement through another subject of the investigation, Edna St Fleur. As discussed further below, Saintil provided fraudulent documentation to St Fleur to facilitate her attempted illegal entry into the United States.” It continued: “CHS-1 advised the FBI that CHS-1 learned from St Fleur, a Haitian citizen and resident of the Bahamas, that St Fleur had paid a man named Pierre Parisien, a Haitian national residing in the Bahamas, to fraudulently obtain a United States visa for her. “St Fleur told CHS-1 that she provided $2,500 to Parisien, which Parisien shared with his business partner and an embassy employee who assisted Parisien in obtaining the visa.” Mr Gounaud noted US law enforcement searched the Bahamas Red Cross website archives and social media but did not find reference of St Fleur. He noted Parisien died in February from an unspecified medical illness. On her visa application filed on August 29, 2016, St Fleur claimed to be traveling as part of a Bahamian group on September 16, 2016, with intent only to transit the US on her way to Trinidad. St Fleur was granted a multilevel visa but did not travel on the date listed on her application, instead she traveled to Ft Lauderdale in December and stayed for a week before returning to Nassau.
She reportedly spoke with CHS-1 during this trip. St Fleur attempted to enter the US again on July 20, 2017 but provided contradictory information when she was questioned by two USCBP officers. “St Fleur indicated in her first interview that she was not employed,” the affidavit read. “During a second interview by a different USCBP officer, St Fleur first stated that she was unemployed, but used to work at the embassy until she was fired five months earlier. In fact, St Fleur has never worked at the embassy. Upon further questioning, St Fleur then stated she worked as a bartender in Nassau. At no time did she claim to work for or have worked for the Bahamas Red Cross.” St Fleur also did not have a return ticket, and was turned away by officers and told if she wanted to travel she would need “to more clearly demonstrate her reason for travel, provide documentation demonstrating her ties to the Bahamas, and provide evidence of her financial solvency.” In a September 2017 recording,
St Fleur told the FBI informant she was planning to travel to the US again and had agreed to pay an unnamed person $1,600 to obtain a Bahamian work permit. In another recording on October 10, 2017, St Fleur stated she wanted to “settle” in the United States, adding she would travel with the man she had paid for employment papers. She attempted to enter the US on October 13, 2017. This time, she produced a work permit as a general worker sponsored by Saintil. The affidavit read: “St Fleur stated that her boss, Saintil, had purchased her airline ticket and that she was traveling to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with Saintil to purchase clothes to sell at Saintil’s apparel shop in Nassau. “When questioned,” it continued, “St Fleur did not know the name of the shop where she purportedly worked and could not produce pay stubs. As proof of her employment in the Bahamas, St Fleur provided a Bahamian work visa indicating that she was a ‘general worker’ sponsored by Saintil.”
Haitian nationals Kevin Desir, Johnlee Paul, and an unnamed coconspirator, along with Bahamian Pauline Pratt - alias Polena Sharmaine Pratt and Pauline Johnson - are also facing charges of conspiracy and visa fraud. Pratt and the co-conspirator are accused of seeking to unlawfully enrich themselves by fraudulently obtaining visitor visas for individuals to enter the US. The FBI paid three Haitian nationals (CHS 1, 2, and 3) just under $50,000 to participate in the undercover operation. Up to September, CHS-1 has been paid $26,851 for his assistance, include lost earnings and travel meals and accommodations. CHS-2 is a US citizen, who was born in Haiti and immigrated to the US in April 2008, and who had previously worked with the FBI. In March 2017, CHS-2 acted as a Haitian citizen attempting to get a US visa from the embassy with intention to illegally immigrate to the US. CHS-2 was paid 17,920 for their assistance. CHS-3 is a Haitian citizen living in Haiti, and was recruited by the FBI specifically for the investigation. According to Mr Gounaud, CHS-1 informed law enforcement he had only recently learned CHS-3 was his son - after CHS-3 had already agreed to participate in the operation. CHS-3 was paid $4,200 and traveled from Haiti to the Bahamas for the investigation. The US government has reportedly begun the process of applying for an S visa for CHS-3, which is available to individuals who assisted law enforcement as a witness for informant.
FBI sting operation blows open visa scam from page one
The FBI’s investigation kicked off in October 2016, and the bribery claims are detailed in an affidavit sworn by US federal agent Kevin Gounaud, who previously served in the US Coast Guard for 14 years. In recorded meetings, Saintil boasted of close relationships with both current and former top immigration officials – saying he preferred one over the other because the official was more of a “businessman” – along with capacity to obtain fraudulent bank statements to support visa applications. Saintil further claimed immigration officials did not process work permits unless they are paid to do so, adding that bribes to obtain fraudulent documents for Haitian nationals were the cheapest. On January 10, Saintil met with the lead informant at a restaurant in Nassau and brought two women along. The conversation was recorded. They discussed the price of bribe payments to immigration officials, with Saintil saying the prices were inflexible due to competition from different nationalities also paying bribes. “So that’s why they deal more with the Chinese. The Chinese paying like $10,000, $15,000 for just one work permit,” Saintil told the FBI’s lead informant. “. . . Jamaicans pay a lot – and the Jamaican be the same amount, but the Spanish people – the Spanish and the Chinese. It’s absurd they make money off. You know, they pay a lot of money.” He also said: “That’s why like, the only way, that when you see - to senior officer in the Immigration Department or some officers, when they ask you for set amount, so, you got to make sure like what they ask you for, you come with it, otherwise, you know, you might not get it, because like they have, like, some other nationality to make money off.” Saintil had also claimed he was in possession of six or seven work permits, telling the FBI informant he had been holding them since December 2017 due to non-payment. “Yeah, yeah, get into the
The Tribune
IN Saintil’s recorded statements he identifies three senior officials working in the Department of Immigration as being involved in his activities. The Tribune, for the moment, has chosen not to name these officials so as to give the government time to look into the allegations. Under the rules governing legal proceedings we would be fully protected under law to name these individuals. The allegations are of such a serious nature the government should immediately be asking questions. Payments to Immigration officials have long been suspected and now the proof appears to be there. We asked for the government’s reaction to Saintil’s statement, but have yet to receive a response. The government should be aware when Saintil’s case comes to court the names of everyone involved will be named in an open hearing with ourselves and US papers free to report. Hopefully the government will be proactive and have sorted its house before that comes to pass.
US,” said Saintil during the January recorded conversation with the informant. “I do, I do these application for people. I, I fill out the visa form for visa and everything, you know what I’m saying? He continued: “So I’m not going to charge you big for, I’m just going to charge you the, the fee to put in the application like and do the bank letter to say that you should have an account. And then, you know, even like if you don’t have an account at the bank, I can get the letter… from the bank saying that you have some money in their account and blah, blah, blah. “You know,” Saintil said, “we go from there. And the people, the person, the people who can sign for the permit, I tell you the signer is someone who have access, and the people have access to fly to the United State. “So when they’re checking the system they’ll see the person who sign as the boss of, is someone who gonna have access to the United State, gonna make it easy for the person, for the application get a visa…I do visa applications and things. So I know how to make arrangement for them to be qualified to get a visa.” Fees Haitian nationals Kevin Desir, Johnlee Paul, Edna St Fleur, and an unnamed co-conspirator, along with Bahamian Pauline Pratt - alias Polena Sharmaine
Pratt and Pauline Johnson – are facing charges of conspiracy and visa fraud. It was St Fleur who introduced the US informants, referred to as confidential human sources (CHS) 1, 2 and 3, to Saintil. It remains unclear whether there was any coordination with Bahamian law enforcement as the initial meetings between Saintil and the lead FBI informant (CHS-1) took place in Nassau on January 9 and 10, but all subsequent meetings were conducted in the US. “Saintil told CHS-1 that he used money to create a path for his customers in immigration,” Mr Gounaud’s affidavit read. “Saintil explained that the immigration staff would ignore legitimate applications and would ‘...only work on the part where they’re making money’.” Saintil quoted the lead informant, CHS-1, $11,000 to obtain Bahamian work permits for the other two informants, CHS-2 and 3. In addition to his own profits, Saintil broke down the payment for each permit as: $1,500 for the fake employer; $2,500 for an immigration official; $1,500 for related costs like application fee, labour certificate, advertisements, police and medical certificates, and miscellaneous payments to other officials. The lead FBI informant paid Saintil $5,500 during a February 10 meeting at the airport in Fort Lauderdale, also providing a copy of
CHS-3’s passport and passport photos. The informant promised to pay Saintil an additional $500 if he brought the work permit back to the US, and that he would pay for CHS2’s permit after he got the first permit. Saintil told the informant $3,000 would be used to bribe a senior immigration official. The pair met again at the airport in Fort Lauderdale in May, and Saintil told the informant that St Fleur was no longer trying to get a US visa, but instead was in the process of buying a Bahamian passport from him for $3,000. Saintil then suggested the informant consider purchasing a marriage to a US citizen, stating there were advantages to obtaining US citizenship through fraudulent marriage compared to obtaining a US visa. Saintil explained CHS-3 would be in the Bahamas legally due to his work permit, and a US citizen could come to the country to marry him. He said a marriage for one person would cost $13,000. “In the Bahamas,” Saintil said, “he don’t have to go to Haiti to get marriage. ‘Cause he in Nassau, legally, with the work permit and thing. So anyone come in and marry him, all the process and be done, at the embassy.” Saintil insisted he had executed such an arrangement for “plenty people” and had a perfect rate of success. Saintil obtained a twoyear work permit for CHS-3 as a handyman for his company Saintil’s Painting and Cleaning Services on August 1. The Tribune has withheld the name of the official who signed the permit. Saintil alleged he paid the immigration official $3,000 for the permit that same day. On August 18, Saintil met with CHS-1 in Miami and provided him with the Bahamas work visa card for CHS-3. During that meeting, Saintil told the informant it would cost more money to obtain a work permit for CHS-2 because of the problems and cost increases dealing with CHS-3’s document. The informant paid a $1,100 deposit for CHS2’s work permit; however, at the meeting, Saintil
suggested the informant consider smuggling CHS-2 to the US by private boat. “So I have a connection with a white man who has a boat – a private boat,” Saintil said. “When people here I, I have like, um, a couple people who book with me already. He just go on his private boat. And then, you know, it’s, it’s, it’s something small, so but he, [stutters] it’s a lot, cost a lot. When I say a lot – $6,500 is the charge to do it.” Saintil explained the boat left from Bimini to Miami or Ft Lauderdale, adding it was safe and trips were always successful. The $6,500 did not cover the cost of air travel to Bimini, he said. As for CHS-3’s arranged marriage, Saintil said his cousin assisted him with sourcing women.
The informant told Saintil he would be getting $16,500 for a new job in the District of Columbia in September, and would be ready to make the transaction. The pair agreed to meet again in DC on September 27, when the informant would pay Saintil $14,000 to smuggle CHS-3 into the country and arrange the marriage with a US citizen. Saintil was arrested at that meeting. Mr Gounaud previously worked for four years in the Caribbean Basin with focus on immigration enforcement and migrant smuggling enforcement operations concerning illegal entry from Haiti and the Bahamas. The FBI agent noted his affidavit did not include all information known by the government, only the facts necessary to support the case.
PAGE 4, Wednesday, November 7, 2018
THE TRIBUNE
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A game plan for tech companies to help save the world SMARTPHONES, computers and social media platforms have become indispensable parts of modern life, but the technology companies that make them and write their software are under siege. In any given week, Facebook or Google or Amazon does something to erode public trust in them. Now could be a moment for the industry to make good on Bill Gates’s promise of technology to do good, by “unlocking the innate compassion we have for our fellow human beings” and improving the world – or Mark Zuckerberg’s dream of building a “new social infrastructure to create the world we want for generations to come.” Around the globe, countries and societies are falling behind on reducing social inequalities and meeting goals for economic development and environmental sustainability. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is issuing increasingly dire warnings about the effects climate change will have on human life on Earth – the beginnings of which are already unfolding. I lead a major research initiative called The Digital Planet at the Fletcher School at Tufts where we study how technology is changing lives and livelihoods around the world. Here is an outline of how technology giants or nimble startups could help make Gates’s and Zuckerberg’s promises a reality. There is a long list of global problems to combat, including hunger, drought, poverty, bad health, polluted water and poor sanitation. One that’s connected to all the others is the recent bombshell news that climate change is accelerating: Over the next 20 years, Earth’s atmosphere will reach average temperatures as much as 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit above preindustrial levels. Consequently, extreme weather and natural disasters, food shortages, inundated coastlines and the near-elimination of coral reefs will likely happen even sooner than previously anticipated. The scope of climate change gives companies like Google, Facebook and Amazon excellent opportunities to find specific approaches that would have meaningful effects. There are, of course, many elements driving climate change. Consider the agriculture sector, which produces one-third of all greenhouse gas emissions. Farms emit the largest share and could benefit from a range of technologies, such as data analytics and artificial intelligence. As a bonus, innovating in agriculture could help feed more people. Technological tools could help farmers collect and use data to manage their crops more precisely in ways that would reduce greenhouse gas emissions – such as using less fertilizer and plowing and
planting fields more efficiently. Specifically, better data on soil and plant health could help farmers know where they need to increase or decrease irrigation or pesticide and fertilizer use. These practices save farmers money and increase farms’ productivity, generating more food with less waste. If companies are to get involved, there needs to be an opportunity to earn money – and the more, the better. One estimate suggests that making changes in farming and food practices that enhance productivity, promote sustainable methods and reduce waste could produce commercial opportunities and new savings worth US$2.3 trillion overall worldwide annually. Our research team, in work that is ongoing, has estimated that of that $2.3 trillion a year, $250 billion could come from the application of artificial intelligence and other analytics for precision farming alone – $195 billion of which would be in the developing world, with $45.6 billion in South Asia and $13.4 billion in East Africa. Other estimates for the effects of AI and analytics are less specific, but still within the same range – between $164 billion and $486 billion annually. There is indeed money to be made by technology companies interested in developing climate-friendly, productivity-improving interventions in agriculture. Before the commercial value can be unlocked, however, there are many barriers to consider. Many rural areas, even in the developed world, don’t have affordable high-speed internet connections and, particularly in the developing world, the farming community is not as technology savvy as other professions. Further, farming practices have been handed down through generations and the idea of using data to make modifications to such long-held beliefs and methods can be countercultural. In addition, there are many practical realities: 83 percent of the world’s cultivated land is fed only by rain, with no irrigation systems to make use of better data. Beyond that, in most parts of the world, seeds and fertilizer are not high-quality, lowering crop efficiency. Further, a lot of farms’ output is wasted because of lack of refrigeration and slow transportation from fields to consumers. We still have a long way to go. There is still a chance for technology companies to move fast and fix things by truly helping save the world – but sea levels are rising, so the time is now. By Bhaskar Chakravorti of Tufts University. This article first appeared on The Conversation.
Tedious list of mistakes EDITOR, The Tribune ACCORDING to this morning’s (Nov 5) dailies, Dr Minnis claims that his government’s decline in support over the last 18 months has been because of “mistakes’” made and a failure to get more positive messages across to the public. Nice try, but thinking Bahamians know better. According to the Oxford Dictionary, a mistake is “an act or judgment that is misguided or wrong”. While nobody can deny a pattern of bad judgment, most of the missteps made by the FNM government to date have only been “misguided” in the sense that they either mistakenly exposed a propensity for dishonesty or betrayed some shady objective that was (from government’s point of view) best kept concealed. Take the OBAN scandal. Nearly a year before a Guardian journalist caught one of the principals deliberately signing another
man’s signature in the presence of the Cabinet, a telling event took place. Government was caught quietly removing the responsibility for the BEST commission from the Minister of the Environment to the Prime Minister’s office. When challenged, their first reaction in my opinion was outright dishonesty (“fake news”, said Dr. Minnis), before the official gazette was shown to corroborate the accusations. The subsequent attempt to short-circuit the normal vetting procedures by eliminating the BEST Commission’s review of the project prior to approval must therefore be read in the context of a meticulously planned exercise. The only “mistake” was getting caught (twice) by sharp-eyed journalists. Meanwhile the one-time “transparency campaigner” Minister of the Environment went mute and has stayed so ever since. Similarly, with Desmond Bannister’s contemptuous
public attack on Darnell Osbourne, a senior public servant and Bahamian professional. In saying what he said, Mr Bannister was simply venting the FNM’s longstanding narrative on the Bahamian professional class: that we are a bunch of corrupt, overpaid parasites, undeserving of the salaries happily paid to foreign “consultants” of every variety. His only “mistake” (applying the OED definition) was that he did not check the accuracy of the specific rumours that he chose to employ in furtherance of that narrative. The list is long and tedious of “mistakes” that are only really “mistakes” in that they expose the incompetence, dishonesty and grotesque world-view of the FNM. So far, the only genuine mistake made in relation to the party was made on its behalf - by the electorate. GABRIEL GIBSON Nassau November 5, 2018
So what did the FNM rebels see? EDITOR, The Tribune NOT so long ago the FNM displayed exactly what kind of prime minister we would get if self-imposed the highest Most Honourable Hubert Alexander Minnis was given the reigns of power. The seven rebels, or that is what Minnis called them, saw something glaring from the inside of the Free National Movement that they could not risk giving their party to Minnis, much less the country. History has already said that the majority of his own colleagues decided that they could not support his leadership or lack thereof. But in two separate attempts, after much machinations, and trickery from former leaders, dissidents of old, the monied people i.e. Lyford Cay, the Eastern Road and the movers and shakers of the party, they jived and connived until Minnis was leader and the country was plunged into the mess we now have today. Thousands have been fired by this government. Ministers celebrated and even said how happy they were. Taxes were raised 60% and heaped on the backs of the poor. Minnis hollered about democracy when the infamous seven, called “trump” in their card game. But this same man today, has
LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net plucked all of the feathers out of democracy and left it as a scalded chicken. Confucius said “Real knowledge is to know the extent of one’s ignorance”. Today, members of his party are being dragged over the coals, and threatened to be “tarred and feathered” for attempting to have an opinion that did not fall in line with the party’s message. The now “Disenchanted Four” has been targeted, so much so, that no less a person than dinosaur Maurice Moore, of all people, is schooling them how to be a team player. Amnesia is one of the definite ailments that we all will experience in our later days, but deep in his forgetfulness, he must try his hardest to recall his behaviour when he and seven others left the PLP. Talking about selective memory. Democracy never lived in the Bahamas, because there is something called the party whip, I wonder what that means. Honesty does not live in party politics, but some parties allow dissension more than others. Finally, I applaud the “Disenchanted Four”. If they allow the mercenaries
in the FNM to frighten them from being men, their political life is over. On the other hand, if they believe in their hearts that what they are doing is right and in the best interest of the people who elected them, then stand, even if they stand alone. “The only way to vanquish cowardice is to brandish courage.” Charles M. Blow The country, knows who the men in the FNM are. We see them when it is time to vote in parliament, we see the cowards and we see who are singing for their supper. We could tell who is reading what they write or are being used. We know the level of ability and disability. It is simply pathetic to watch. How could they look their spouses the face, and what do they say to their children afterwards? “At times it is what we do not say, or not saying a thing, that says a lot about us.” “Proximity to power has an unsurprising ability to mutate a politician’s spinal cord into bright yellow jelly.” They have no shame. Remember this, “What goes around, comes across!” IVOINE INGRAHAM Nassau November 4, 2018
W.
Politicians amusing us EDITOR, The Tribune STATEMENTS from officials many times are the most amusing. Minister for National Security - people feel a lot safer now - hell yes, because we adjusted to the carnage of a year ago and still, believe me. Minister fear crime. Minister of Health and NHI - the Health Insurance sector, finds out that Dr Robin Roberts’ Committee did not sit down with PMH and Doctors Hospital, to establish a pricing for health services. Well how
on earth, no in the hell did they come up with a figure of $100m and the premium of no more than $1,200? Other issues - Beach Rights of way - beach in front of the Wynn CondoHotel on West Bay, new fence erected at least 8 ft outside of the original one onto the beach. Is Wynn making claim already for beach rights, 10 ft above high water mark? Strange the old owners did no have their boundary fence in the right line. Before it is too late someone check please.
Baha Mar’s new Marina Dock - didn’t Prime Minister Minnis say no one is getting sea-bed lease. Well blow me down - Baha Mar has been given hundreds of sq.ft. of sea bed for what seems to be a Marina Dock area, as large as the new one Brent and them built near Paradise Island Bridge. The public wants to know. Thank you politicians for letting us laugh at you! J. HUMES Nassau November 2, 2018
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Wednesday, November 7, 2018, PAGE 5
SOME of the sacks seized by police in a 21ft vessel and, below, a closer look at one of the bags.
BOAT CARRYING $2M OF MARIJUANA STOPPED BY POLICE NEARLY $2m worth of suspected marijuana was seized and two men were arrested in separate drug hauls by police. Police said shortly after 11pm on Monday, Drug Enforcement Unit officers, assisted by Royal Bahamas Police Force Marine Support officers and US Drug Enforcement Administration agents, intercepted a 21-foot vessel a quarter mile south of New Providence.
Those on board the boat ran the vessel onto a sand bank, swam to land and escaped, police said. However officers searched the boat and found 60 bags of suspected marijuana. The drugs weighed 1,841 pounds and have an estimated street value of $1,841,000. However, police were able to arrest two men during a separate drug bust around 1am Tuesday. DEU, Marine Support officers and
DEA agents intercepted a 15-foot grey and black skiff with two men on board in waters south of New Providence. After they saw police, the men threw two crocus bags into the water. Police recovered them and found suspected marijuana inside. Police said the drugs weighed 90 pounds with a street value of $90,000. The men are expected to face charges in court later this week.
Caution first for government for changes to marijuana policies By KHRISNA RUSSELL Deputy Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net THE newly formed cannabis committee will be given “as long as it takes” to complete its mandate, Health Minister Dr Duane Sands said yesterday as he insisted the country must be careful with public policy. Recently the committee met for the first time and Dr Sands said it is already confronted by a wave of discourse. Nonetheless, he said, the committee will have to take a balanced approach to come up with the plan that works for those who matter, the Bahamian people. In July, CARICOM released a report calling for an end to the prohibition of marijuana. This was the impetus for the government’s exploration of the issue beginning with the formation of the committee, which will spearhead a consultation period. Asked if he was concerned about the country being left behind when this process is complete, Dr Sands said: “Yes, The Bahamas could be left behind or The Bahamas could be too far in front.
“The need to be careful with public policy I think trumps the desire to rush in simply to make sure as you believe that you are getting left behind. Wise men tread carefully where fools rush in. “And so given the fact that this is complex. This involves societal norms. It involves the economy. It involves the legislature. It involves the courts. It involves agriculture. It involves pharmacy. It involves medicine. It involves so many different things that we would like to have a measured considered approach. The world isn’t going anywhere. Marijuana has been around for thousands of years. Why would two days or three days make a difference?” Speaking of the consideration to be given to CARICOM’s report, Dr Sands said: “Well that forms the basis of this discussion. It’s the kick off point, but obviously CARICOM’s view is not the only view that needs to be considered. The world is changing and it’s changing rapidly. We need only look at what happening in Canada and look at what’s happened in the
courts in Mexico, this thing is very dynamic.” Regarding the committee’s first meeting, Dr Sands said it went “very well”. “I think the charge to the co-chairs of the marijuana committee is to look at this issue holistically in the interest of the Bahamian people and I believe that the appointments to the committee include a number of individuals from diverse sectors of The Bahamas and hopefully they will provide a unique Bahamian perspective. “There is a lot of discussion about what should happen, what should have happened, ‘oh we behind the eight ball, or we (are) moving too fast, oh we’re gonna make a lot of money’ and so on and so forth. I think it’s important for this committee to take a balanced objective approach and come up with a plan and an approach that works for the people of The Bahamas, full stop,” Dr Sands said. Last month, the government appointed Bishop Simeon Hall and former Deputy Commissioner of Police Quinn McCartney to lead the committee which is made up of 25 people.
DR DUANE SANDS, Minister of Health.
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‘Unlikely’ public sector workers will contribute to their pensions from page one Mr Newbold said: “The prime minister has said that pension bill the government has and all governments have had, been screaming about and nobody wants to touch it, is unsustainable so you get new hires and the idea is just like you contribute to your pension
scheme at The Tribune or The Guardian, all new hires, the plan is for them to contribute to their pension schemes as well.” Mr Newbold was asked why the scheme would only apply to new public sector hires. He said: “Unfortunately and we both live here, I don’t know how many of those 20,000 people you
are gonna get to contribute to any scheme at this point but we’ll see what the proposals say. At this point, unsustainable pension bill, billions of dollars…” People in the private sector participate in contributory pension schemes without complaint. Asked about the matter, one Ministry of Finance official told The Tribune current
permanent and pensionable workers are covered by union agreements, making it difficult to change terms of their employment without their approval. The Tribune was told that going forward it would be easier to manage a contributory pension scheme involving new employees. According to the International Monetary Fund,
the government’s pension liabilities will rise to $3.7 billion by 2030 as the population ages. The IMF called for reforms that involve a contributory regime in the near term, one that would require civil servants contribute a portion of their salary to funding their retirement rather than having this financed 100
percent by taxpayers as happens currently. In June, Dr Minnis announced that new hires would contribute to a mandatory pension programme, though he did not say when the requirement would officially begin. “This reform is necessary in order to begin to seriously address a large pension shortfall,” he said.
THE RBDF boarding team apprehending 87 Haitian migrants off Great Inagua last year.
IMMIGRATION DEADLINE - BUT WHAT HAS CHANGED? By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net PRESS Secretary Anthony Newbold struggled yesterday to explain what has changed about the country’s enforcement of immigration laws more than a year after Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis set a deadline for illegal immigrants to leave the country. Last month marked the one year anniversary since Dr Minnis made the hardline announcement in the House of Assembly, declaring that if illegal immigrants failed to leave by December 31, 2017, they will be “aggressively pursued and deported”. With no apparent change in aggression, Mr Newbold suggested yesterday Bahamians were wrong to expect visible signs of rampedup enforcement activities.
“I think one of the things is when we think about enforcing immigration laws, people think and this depends on how jaded you might be, people think of buses in the middle of the night rousting people out of their homes,” he said. “Nah nobody’s going to do that. What (the prime minister) says is ‘do what you’re supposed to do, follow the law, apply, get yourself straight or you are going to be prosecuted’. That is happening. What else is a big part of that is what is happening with the shanty towns. Of course nothing is happening with the shanty towns, it’s a matter before the courts. He says I’m going to enforce the law. We find you we are going to prosecute you, we’re going to send you to jail, whatever it is, the minister responsible has been speaking to that, that is what is happening
but if people expect you will see buses riding the streets of Nassau rousting people out of their homes at night that’s not whats going to happen.” Dr Minnis had suggested there would be increased prosecution of people who employ illegal immigrants, but Mr Newbold couldn’t provide figures indicating whether such an increase has taken place this year. Instead, he said “whenever (people have been found to employ illegal immigrants prosecution) has happened.” Dr Minnis’ immigration promise wasn’t the only issue Mr Newbold struggled to update the press on. He was also unable to say when Dr Minnis would carry out his pledge to have an investigation into matters that led to the dissolution of the former board of Bahamas Power & Light earlier this year. Relationships frayed between two factions of the former board. Damaging allegations were made in public. It has been two months since Dr Minnis said he would appoint a team to investigate the breakdown. It appears no action has been taken since. Mr Newbold said he could not say when a team would be appointed nor when the probe would start, though he insisted the prime minister still intends to hold to his promise. Asked if the matter will be investigated this term, he chuckled and said: “We hope so.”
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Wednesday, November 7, 2018, PAGE 7
Call for innovation to lure passengers off cruise ships By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net ALTHOUGH there is a decline in tourism arrivals in Grand Bahama, Minister of State for Grand Bahama Senator Kwasi Thompson is encouraging the creation of more innovative tourism-based activities to lure additional cruise ship passengers off the ships. While speaking at a tourism workshop hosted by the Bahamas Development Bank last week under the theme, ‘Tourist Money Never Done’, Mr Thompson urged entrepreneurs in the tourism sector to begin taking steps to create activities now and not to wait on government to send tourists to the island. Mr Thompson said there is a perception that the island does not have enough activities for tourists. “We need more opportunities to get more cruise ship passengers off the ship,” he said. He also said: “Every Bahamian worker has been impacted directly or indirectly by the decline in tourism numbers. However, whether we like it or not,
BRADLEY ROBERTS FUNERAL ON FRIDAY AN official funeral will be held for Bradley Roberts, Progressive Liberal Party chairman emeritus, on Friday at St Francis Xavier Cathedral on West Street. Roberts, 74, was a former Cabinet minister and parliamentarian. He died suddenly at his home in west New Providence after he collapsed on October 25, two months shy of his 75th birthday. The PLP will also hold a memorial service for the
WE need more opportunities to get more cruise ship passengers off the ship, says Minister of State for Grand Bahama Senator Kwasi Thompson. tourism is here to stay.” He believes that it is critical that Grand Bahama distinguishes itself as a unique destination to attract more visitors on
the island. Mr Thompson stressed that business persons must consider the utilisation of technology in more tourism-in related businesses.
HOUSE FIRE TAKES LIFE OF BOY, 5 from page one
a concrete overlay, engulfed in flames in Green Castle, South Eleuthera. Chief Superintendent Stephen Adderley said his team along with local residents tried to extinguish the flames to rescue the 5-year-old boy, but were unsuccessful. Supt Adderley said: “We discovered a young boy, the body of a male, in the residence burnt beyond recognition. “We were made to understand the youngster was home with his (10-year-old)
sibling and apparently the (sibling) woke up to the fire and was able to get out but the youngster was left sleeping. “The parents were not home at the moment,” said Supt Adderley. “We understand that the parents were just a short distance away and returned home and met the house ablaze.” Supt Adderley said due to the ongoing investigation, he cannot determine at this time if any charges will be brought in connection with the matter. The child’s identity has not been released. It is unclear what caused the fire.
“Someone challenged me the other day by asking, ‘why don’t we try and get more cruise ships to come to Freeport,’ and I responded that’s good and we do need to do it; but why don’t we create more opportunities to get the tourists who are already on the island off the ship so they could spend more money in the economy?” he said. Mr Thompson explained that people cannot continue to call for more ships to come if the cruise ship visitors are not coming off
the boats. “We must be creative because we are competing not just with other islands and countries, but we are competing with islands throughout The Bahamas. We cannot continue to do the same things over-and-over again.” Challenging entrepreneurs to step out of the box and find ways to use technology in their businesses and create tourism development apps, he said would allow The Bahamas to be able to compete with the world.
former politician tonight at the party’s headquarters on Farrington Road. Roberts’ body will liein-state in the foyer of the House of Assembly from 9am on Thursday until his body departs for the church on Friday. Viewing for the public will be from 1pm to 7pm on Thursday. Roberts has four children, one deceased, and five grandchildren. He is survived by his wife Hartlyn, whom he married in 1965.
NOTICE INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS COMPANIES ACT 2000 SETON SECURITIES INTERNATIONAL LTD. (In Voluntary Liquidation) Notice is hereby given that the above-named Company is in dissolution, commencing the 25th day of October 2018. Creditors having debts or claims against the Company are required to send particulars to the Liquidator of the said company at the office of Baker Tilly Gomez at The Deanery, 28 Cumberland Street, P.O. Box N-1991, Nassau, Bahamas. In default thereof they will be excluded from the benefit of any distribution made by the Liquidator. Dated this 5th day of November 2018. James B. Gomez Liquidator
NOTICE
VACANCY (For an)
ACCOUNTANT Applications are invited from suitably-qualified applicants for the position of Accountant. Applicants must possess the following qualifications: • Minimum of a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting, with a minimum of five (5) years’ experience in the industry; • Excellent organizational skills; • Excellent communication skills (oral and written); analytical and conceptualized thinking skills; excellent interpersonal skills; • Excellent computer skills, (proficiency in Microsoft applications required) • Ability to meet deadlines The Accountant will report to the Financial Controller. SUMMARY OF DUTIES: 1. Draft financial statements 2. Present management reports 3. File regulatory reports 4. Maintain company records 5. Maintain accounting files Interested persons should submit a letter of application, along with their curricula vitae, to: the General Manager; via: P. O. Box N-1986 or; fax #322-4880, to be received NO LATER THAN Wednesday, November, 7th, 2018. Please note that only short-listed applicants will be contacted.
PAGE 8, Wednesday, November 7, 2018
T
HE Arawaks were a peace-loving people, they say. Our history books place the Arawaks in direct opposition to Caribs who, we were taught, were violent. Some books even say they were cannibals. In recent years, this “knowledge” has been challenged, and we have been asked to think about who wrote our history, the lens they see through and how that directly impacts content and its delivery. What we have not been asked to do in the same way is the think about the history of this land and how it, just as much as our ancestry, leads us to see, think, and act in particular ways. In fact, even our understandings of history can colour the way we see ourselves and become determinants of the way we behave. We talk about ourselves as “passive” people. We both celebrate and lament the inaction of the citizenry. On one hand, it is a reflection of patience, faith, or some other godly characteristic. On the other, it is a manifestation of laziness, fear and indecisiveness. It is difficult to go against the grain. It is even more challenging, of course, to do so publicly both in word and deed. When a part of a group, it is generally expected everyone will agree — or at least pretend to agree — on everything. When disagreement comes up, groups generally look to the “democratic” process which gives power to the majority and silences everyone else. The one person, or few people, to disagree have to accept their colleagues have made a different decision and the group only have one voice. On this particular issue, dissenting voices are silenced. Building consensus is an arduous process. It is particularly challenging because it requires, at
THE TRIBUNE
different points, the different groups of people to not only be quiet, but also listen. Many disagreements are not disagreement at all, but misunderstandings. All that is needed in these cases is to clearly articulate what is being proposed, what is understood by the proposal, and parts of the proposal that a subgroup finds unacceptable. This often settles the matter. Where there is a true disagreement, the parties need to find where they actually agree. For example, every Free National Movement (FNM) Member of Parliament may have agreed the government needed to increase income. They may have even agreed this needed to be done through taxation. It is important to identify the exact point where they disagree which may have been on the increase from 7.5 percent to 12 percent VAT. After finding the point of disagreement, it is possible to offer and consider alternatives. These may have been a different rate, different exemptions, or another form of taxation. Disagreement is not always negative. It does not necessarily mean a group is falling apart, leadership is weak, or people are being left out of process. These can all be true — as many of us have assumed to be the case with the FNM — but this is not necessarily the case. In a well-functioning group, individuals have the ability to express different points of view. Unfortunately, these are not always represented in the group’s announcement of its decision. Few groups will make a statement about its new process, rule or implementation of a project that includes the reasons some members disagreed and why the group decided to go ahead with it anyway. It is up to the members to decide whether or not they want to remain part of the group, and to interpret the meaning of that decision,
Thank God for those unafraid to say ‘no’ from values to relative power. Recently, we have seen MPs choose not to tow the party line. Chipman, Robinson, McAlpine, and Miller all, at some point, made the decision to take a position in direct opposition to an action proposed by the FNM administration. This is an unpopular choice to make as it is expected that MPs remain, for the entire five-year term, indebted to the people who nominated them for candidacy and supported their run and part of that is backing the prime minister in every move. Personal integrity is generally not seen as having a place in frontline politics. Politicians are expected to deceive, outmanoeuvre and make play for power. It is simply not expected that this would be done within a party, but from one party against another. It is also almost unheard of for an MP to consult with their constituency and actually represent them in their private meetings and public votes. It looks like we are misinterpreting displays of personal integrity and commitment to represent as a crisis of leadership or party structure or, at the
NOTICE
THE CARIBS
GN 2129
individual level, disrespect and insubordination. These MPs who dare to stand apart in their criticism of proposals and decisions should have our support, rather than undue scrutiny, or being completely ignored in favour of focusing on the institution and its apparent failings. We need them and their candour. We need them and their willingness to be rebuked. We may not need them to apologize for doing their jobs, but maybe we need them to remain on the inside too. We deserve representatives who are unafraid to speak and to act on our behalf. We should vote for people with the expectation they will present our interests and champion our causes, even if they become unpopular in the private clubs. Beyond that, we need to become more comfortable with disagreement It is important we are not all on the same page. We
need a variety of ideas. The first one proposed is usually not the best version of itself. It needs to be picked apart, added to, turned inside out, emptied of the unnecessary and reformed with intention. This will not happen in aa room full of people nodding their heads. This will not happen when people are afraid to recognise and talk about imperfection. We do not have to embody every positive attribute we were taught about the Arawaks in an attempt to distance ourselves from all we were taught about the Caribs. Disagreement is not the enemy of peace. In fact, disagreement is often essential to peace and peace building activity. What we do need to learn is how to disagree and how to move beyond differences in beliefs and ideas to building consensus based on a shared understanding of desired outcome.
CHRISTOPHER Columbus and the Arawaks
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Wednesday, November 7, 2018, PAGE 9
Chinese ‘gait recognition’ tech IDs people by how they walk BEIJING Associated Press CHINESE authorities have begun deploying a new surveillance tool: “gait recognition” software that uses people’s body shapes and how they walk to identify them, even when their faces are hidden from cameras. Already used by police on the streets of Beijing and Shanghai, “gait recognition” is part of a push across China to develop artificialintelligence and data-driven surveillance that is raising concern about how far the technology will go. Huang Yongzhen, the CEO of Watrix, said that its system can identify people from up to 50 metres (165 feet) away, even with their back turned or face covered. This can fill a gap in facial recognition, which needs close-up, high-resolution images of a person’s face to work. “You don’t need people’s co-operation for us to be able to recognise their identity,” Huang said in an interview in his Beijing office. “Gait analysis can’t be fooled by simply limping, walking with splayed feet or hunching over, because we’re analysing all the features of an entire body.” Watrix announced last month that it had raised 100 million yuan ($14.5m) to accelerate the development and sale of its gait recognition technology, according to Chinese media reports. Chinese police are using facial recognition to identify people in crowds and nab
A SCREEN displays a computer-generated image of a Watrix employee walking during a demonstration of their firm’s gait recognition software.
HUANG YONGZHEN, CEO of Watrix, demonstrates the use of his firm’s gait recognition software at his company’s offices in Beijing. A Chinese technology startup hopes to begin selling software that recognises people by their body shape and how they walk, enabling identification when faces are hidden from cameras. Already used by police on the streets of Beijing and Shanghai, “gait recognition” is part of a major push to develop artificial-intelligence and data-driven surveillance across China, raising concern about how far the technology will go. Photos: Mark Schiefelbein/AP jaywalkers, and are developing an integrated national system of surveillance camera data. Not everyone is comfortable with gait recognition’s use. Security officials in China’s far-western province of Xinjiang, a region whose Muslim population is already subject to intense surveillance and control, have expressed interest in the software. Shi Shusi, a Chinese columnist and commentator,
says it’s unsurprising that the technology is catching on in China faster than the rest of the world because of Beijing’s emphasis on social control. “Using biometric recognition to maintain social stability and manage society is an unstoppable trend,” he said. “It’s great business.” The technology isn’t new. Scientists in Japan, the United Kingdom and the US Defense Information
Systems Agency have been researching gait recognition for over a decade, trying different ways to overcome scepticism that people could be recognised by the way they walk. Professors from Osaka University have worked with Japan’s National Police Agency to use gait recognition software on a pilot basis since 2013. But few have tried to commercialise gait recognition. Israel-based FST Biometrics shut down earlier this year amid company infighting after encountering technical difficulties with its products, according to former advisory board member Gabriel Tal. “It’s more complex than other biometrics, computationally,” said Mark Nixon, a leading expert on gait recognition at the University of Southampton in Britain. “It takes bigger computers to do gait because you need
a sequence of images rather than a single image.” Watrix’s software extracts a person’s silhouette from video and analyses the silhouette’s movement to create a model of the way the person walks. It isn’t capable of identifying people in real-time yet. Users must upload video into the program, which takes about ten minutes to search through an hour of video. It doesn’t require special cameras — the software can use footage from surveillance cameras to analyse gait. Huang, a former researcher, said he left academia to co-found Watrix in 2016 after seeing how promising the technology had become. The company was incubated by the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Though the software isn’t as good as facial recognition, Huang said its 94 percent accuracy rate is good enough for commercial use. He envisions gait recognition being used alongside face-scanning software. Beyond surveillance, Huang says gait recognition can also be used to spot people in distress such as elderly individuals who have fallen down. Nixon believes that the technology can make life safer and more convenient. “People still don’t recognise they can be recognised by their gait, whereas everybody knows you can be recognised by your face,” Nixon said. “We believe you are totally unique in the way you walk.”
NASA CONDUCTS QUIET SONIC BOOM TESTS NEAR TEXAS GULF COAST GALVESTON Associated Press NASA is monitoring how residents living near the Texas Gulf Coast react to quiet sonic booms as the space agency works on an experimental aircraft that could significantly reduce commercial flight times. NASA launched a twoweek research project on Monday on quiet supersonic research flights near Galveston, the Houston Chronicle reported. NASA is flying an F/A-18 jet in a unique maneuver over the Gulf of Mexico to assess the community’s response to the noise. A spokesman said NASA officials hope the tests will produce data that can be used by the agency when testing the X-59 low boom flight demonstrator, the experimental aircraft it hopes could eventually reduce commercial flight times by half. The Concorde, an airplane tested decades ago, could cross the Atlantic in just over three hours by
A NASA image of a F/A-18 performing a Sonic Boom over Edwards Air Force Base in California, is shown on a TV screen in Galveston, Texas. NASA has begun a series of supersonic research flights off the Texas Gulf Coast near Galveston to test how the community responds to noise from a new experimental aircraft. traveling twice the speed of sound. But federal aviation officials banned it after residents complained about the plane’s sonic boom. Supersonic flights by passenger planes are banned over land or close to
shore in the US, although the Federal Aviation Administration can allow exceptions. NASA recruited about 500 volunteers from the Galveston area to give feedback and define the level
at which they were able to hear the sonic booms from the F/A-18. The project marks “the first time in decades that we have reached out to a large community as part of our supersonic research,” said Peter Coen,
NASA’s commercial supersonic technology project manager. Atmospheric turbulence and humidity can affect how some areas perceive the “quiet thumps” made from the jet’s special maneuver, according to NASA officials. NASA will provide the collected public response data to the Federal Aviation Administration. The FAA has banned supersonic passenger flights over land partly because of concerns about how they’ll affect communities and infrastructure. Some Galveston residents posted on Facebook about the sonic booms on Monday, the first day of testing. “I heard the ‘quiet thump’ this morning,” resident Jeff Daniels wrote. “It’s definitely much better than a traditional sonic boom but I wouldn’t want to listen to it all the time such as regular commercial air flights. It still rattles the windows.”
• A NASA spacecraft has made its first close approach to the sun, just 2 1/2 months after liftoff. The Parker Solar Probe flew within 15 million miles (24 million kilometres) of the sun’s surface Monday night. Its speed topped 213,000 mph (342,000 kph) relative to the sun, as it penetrated the outer solar atmosphere, or corona. No spacecraft has ever gotten so close to our star. NASA won’t re-establish contact until Parker is far enough from the sun to avoid radio interference. NASA’s Nicola Fox says scientists “can’t wait to get the data”. The observations could unlock some of the sun’s mysteries. Assuming it survives the harsh solar environment, the spacecraft will make 23 even closer approaches over the next seven years. The next is in April. • NEARLY eight months after one of its autonomous test vehicles hit and killed an Arizona pedestrian, Uber wants to resume testing on public roads. The company has filed an application on with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation to test in Pittsburgh, and it has issued a lengthy safety report pledging to put two human backup drivers in each vehicle and take a raft of other precautions to make the vehicles safe. Company officials acknowledge they have a long way to go to regain public trust after the March 18 crash in Tempe, Arizona, that killed Elaine Herzberg, 49, as she crossed a darkened road outside the lines of a crosswalk. Police said Uber’s backup driver in the autonomous Volvo SUV was streaming the television show “The Voice” on her phone and looking downward before the crash. The National Transportation Safety Board said the autonomous driving system on the Volvo spotted Herzberg about six seconds before hitting her, but did not stop because the system used to automatically apply brakes in potentially dangerous situations had been disabled. A Volvo emergency braking system also had been turned off. “Our goal is to really work to regain that trust and to work to help move the entire industry forward,” Noah Zych, Uber’s head of system safety for self-driving cars, said in an interview. “We think the right thing to do is to be open and transparent about the things that we are doing.” Among the other precautions, San Francisco-based Uber will keep the autonomous vehicle system engaged at all times and activating the Volvo’s automatic emergency braking system as a backup.
PAGE 10, Wednesday, November 7, 2018
BANGLADESHI IMMIGRANT CONVICTED OF SUBWAY BOMB
A BANGLADESHI immigrant was convicted yesterday of setting off a pipe bomb in New York City’s busiest subway station, disputing in court that he was supporting the Islamic State group and saying he was instead motivated by anger at President Donald Trump. The unusual outburst by Akayed Ullah, who was convicted in Manhattan federal court of supporting the terrorist group, capped a trial in which the defense maintained he intended to kill only himself last Dec. 11. Nobody died, and most of the injuries were not serious. Prosecutors said Ullah sought to maim or kill commuters in response to calls for “lone wolf” terrorist attacks by the terror group. Just after jurors walked out, Ullah announced he had something to say and repeatedly insisted he did not act on the Islamic State group’s behalf. “I was angry with Donald Trump because he says he will bomb the Middle East and then he will protect his nation. So I said: ‘Donald Trump, you cannot do like this.’ Nobody likes bombing, your honor.”
Dems on track for House WASHINGTON Associated Press DEMOCRATS were closing in on control of the House last night, while Republicans held their Senate majority as voters rendered a mixed verdict in the first nationwide election of Donald Trump’s turbulent presidency. Nancy Pelosi - the leading candidate to become the next Speaker of the House - last night said the election was about more than Republicans and Democrats. It was about restoring the Constitution and providing a balance to the Trump administration.
She told Democratic lawmakers and supporters that elections are about the future and “thank you all for making the future better for all of America’s children”. She said the election is also about stopping what she described as the GOP’s attacks on entitlement programs and the Affordable Care Act. She says Democrats will find common ground when they can and stand their ground when necessary. The results allowed both parties to claim partial victory, but highlighted an extraordinary realignment of US voters by race, sex
PIPE BOMB SUSPECT DENIED BAIL THE man accused of sending pipe bombs to prominent critics of President Donald Trump was ordered held without bail after his first court appearance in New York yesterday. Cesar Sayoc, who was transferred from federal custody in Florida, hugged his lawyer after a hearing in which Assistant US Attorney Jane Kim called him “a serious risk of danger to the public and a flight risk”. Sayoc has been accused of sending improvised explosive devices to numerous Democrats, Trump critics and media outlets in a scare that heightened tensions before the crucial midterm elections yesterday.
THE TRIBUNE
TED CRUZ, who returns to the Senate after a tough challenge from Beto O’Rourke.
NANCY Pelosi speaking last night as election results came in. and education. Republicans to the surging economy at maintained their strength in recent rallies. conservative, rural states, He bet big on a xenowhile Democrats made phobic closing message, inroads across America’s warning of an immigrant suburbs. “invasion” that promised With control of Congress, to spread violent crime and statehouses and the presi- drugs across the nation. dent’s agenda at stake, some Several television networks, of the nation’s top elections including the president’s were too close to call. favorite Fox News Channel, Yet Democrats’ dreams yanked a Trump campaign of the Senate majority as advertisement off the air part of a “blue wave” were on the eve of the elecshattered after losses in tion, determining that its Indiana, Tennessee, North portrayal of a murderous Dakota and Texas. immigrant went too far. Democrats could derail The president’s current Trump’s legislative agenda job approval, set at 40 perfor the next two years with cent by Gallup, was the control of the House. And lowest at this point of any they would claim sub- first-term president in the poena power to investigate modern era. Both Barack Trump’s personal and pro- Obama’s and Bill Clinton’s fessional shortcomings. numbers were five points Some Democrats have higher, and both suffered already vowed to force the major midterm losses of release of his tax returns. 63 and 54 House seats Others have pledged to respectively. pursue impeachment, Democrats, whose very although removal from relevance in the Trump era office is unlikely so long depended on winning at as the GOP controls the least one chamber of ConSenate. gress, were laser-focused Trump encouraged voters on health care as they to view the first nationwide predicted victories that election of his presidency as would break up the GOP’s a referendum on his lead- monopoly in Washington ership, pointing proudly and state governments.
Yet Trump’s party will maintain Senate control for the next two years, at least. In Texas, Sen Ted Cruz staved off a tough challenge from Democrat Beto O’Rourke, whose recordsmashing fundraising and celebrity have set off buzz he could be a credible 2020 White House contender. In Indiana, Trumpbacked businessman Mike Braun defeated Democratic incumbent Joe Donnelly. And in Tennessee, Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn defeated former Gov Phil Bredesen, a top Democratic recruit. In the lead-up to the election, Republicans privately expressed confidence in their narrow Senate majority but feared the House could slip away. Democratic Sens Joe Manchin in West Virginia and Tammy Baldwin in Wisconsin won re-election. And in New Jersey, Democrats re-elected embattled Sen Bob Menendez, who, less than a year ago, stood trial for federal corruption charges. The Justice Department dropped the charges after his trial ended in an hung jury.
WHITE HOUSE PRAISES TRUMP FOR SENATE HOLD WASHINGTON Associated Press
STARING down the potential loss of one-party control in Washington, President Donald Trump’s aides tried to play down Democratic pickups in the House on Tuesday night while giving the president credit for Republicans keeping control of the Senate.
As Democrats picked up speed in their quest for the House, which would give them the ability to launch investigations into the president and stymie his agenda, White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders minimised likely Democratic gains. “Maybe you get a ripple, but I certainly don’t think that there’s a blue wave,” Sanders told reporters.
As for Republicans retaining control of the Senate, she called it “a huge moment and victory for the president”. Trump spent election night watching returns with family and friends at the White House, his shadow looming large over the results. He later tweeted: “Tremendous success tonight. Thank you to all!” Nearly 40 percent of
voters cast their ballots to express opposition to the president, according to AP VoteCast, a national survey of the electorate, while about 25 percent said they voted to support Trump. Opposition to Trump proved to be more a motivating factor for Democrats than support for the president a factor for Republicans. Still, Republican voters tended to be
overwhelmingly supportive of the president. Aides set up televisions in the White House residence for Trump, first lady Melania Trump and their guests to watch election results come in, with the sets tuned to different cable news channels. Among those expected were Trump’s adult children, White House aides, Republican officials and presidential friends.
FELONS TO GET VOTING RIGHTS BACK IN FLORIDA NEW YORK Associated Press
POTENTIALLY altering the election landscape in a key swing state, Florida voters Tuesday approved a ballot measure that will enable more than one million ex-felons to regain their voting rights. Floridians also approved a measure aimed at phasing out greyhound racing in the state, the last stronghold of the sport in the US. Those were the first notable results as voters in 37 states considered an array of intriguing ballot measures — ranging from marijuana legalisation to boosting the minimum wage to civil rights protections for transgender people. In all, 155 statewide initiatives were on the ballot across the country. Most
were drafted by state legislatures, but 64 resulted from citizen-initiated campaigns, including many of the most eye-catching proposals. In North Dakota and Michigan, for example, voters had a chance to legalise the recreational use of marijuana, a step already taken by nine other states. The ballots in Missouri and Utah included proposals to legalise the medical use of pot. A minimum wage increase was up for a vote in two states. An Arkansas measure would raise the wage from $8.50 an hour to $11 by 2021; Missouri’s would gradually raise the $7.85 minimum wage to $12 an hour. Medicaid expansion was another multistate topic, on the ballot because Republican-led legislatures refused to take advantage of expanded coverage offered under President Obama.
DESANTIS EDGES OUT GILLUM IN FLORIDA GOVERNOR RACE REPUBLICAN Ron DeSantis will be Florida’s next governor, riding President Donald Trump’s support to a victory over Democrat Andrew Gillum. The 40-year-old former congressman and Navy officer won after Trump went to Florida twice in the final six days of the election to help increase Republican turnout. Gillum was hoping to become Florida’s first black governor. He conceded late last night. DeSantis was considered an underdog until Trump injected himself in the Republican primary, helping DeSantis cruise to victory over better-funded
and better-known Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam. DeSantis stumbled after his nomination, most notably by saying Floridians shouldn’t “monkey this up” be electing Gillum. Although he took a more moderate turn after the primary, he relied heavily on Trump in the last days of the election. Gillum told a crowd gathered on the campus of Florida A&M University on Tuesday he sincerely regrets he “couldn’t bring it home for you”. Gillum pulled off an upset when he won the Democratic primary in August.
THE TRIBUNE
Wednesday, November 7, 2018, PAGE 11
JEAN RONY LET ME GO TO PRIVY COUNCIL from page one entertained until that issue was resolved. In their affidavit filed to the Privy Council in London yesterday, Mr Jean-Charles’ lawyers argue that the Court of Appeal was wrong to conclude that their constitutional application should not have proceeded because of uncertainty over Mr Jean-Charles’ identity. “On the true reading of (Supreme Court Justice Stephen Hilton’s) judgment, the judge held on the balance of probabilities that they were the same person,” the affidavit said. “Alternatively, the issue of the respondent’s identity was, or should have been, resolved on appeal, including by virtue of the concession in that regard by the appellants.” The affidavit similarly said the Court of Appeal erred in concluding that Justice Hilton
had insufficient evidence when he determined the constitutional application. “The judge was entitled to rely on the affidavit of (sibling) Clotilde Jean Charles and did so,” the affidavit said. “In any event the judge was entitled to rely on the facts in the return and they were sufficient to find relief. Alternatively, the Court of Appeal had sufficient evidence before it to determine the constitutional application in the respondent’s favour and should have done so.” Mr Jean-Charles has maintained he was born in the Bahamas to nonBahamian parents and has lived here all his life. He did not apply for citizenship when he turned 18 as the Constitution outlines. Advertisements notifying the public of his intention to apply for citizenship were published in local newspapers last week, renewing discourse on social media over the controversial case.
JEAN RONY JEAN-CHARLES Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff
SWIM CLUB BACKED FOR 32ND YEAR FROM left, Devin Cuffy-Bethel, Grace Farrington, Philice Albury (president, Barracuda Swim Club), Andre White (assistant vice president, Investments Family Guardian), Reis Knowles, Hodari Prince, Jeff Slater (head coach, Barracuda Swim Club)
FAMILY Guardian has confirmed it will support the Barracuda Swim Club as it prepares to host the 32nd Annual Family Guardian Invitational at the Betty Kelly-Kenning Aquatics Center and Open Water Swim at Long Wharf on November 10 and 11. “Family Guardian is proud to partner with the Barracuda Swim Club for the 32nd year. Barracuda Swim Club has a long
history of excellence in producing some our nation’s greatest citizens as they excel both in and out of the pool” said Andre White, assistant vice president, investments. “Discipline, character, humility and excellence is what comes to mind as we reflect on the many years of our partnership with the Barracuda Swim Club and today is no exception with the fine young persons who
we see representing their club here today.” “Family Guardian’s commitment to the youth of our nation is unmatched with their 32-year consecutive partnership with our club. We are a non-profit organisation where our focus is on the development of the whole athlete and we could not do it without the support of Family Guardian,” said Philice Albury, club president.
“We look forward to this continued relationship and support as we work together to advance the sport of swimming throughout The Bahamas”. On hand for the presentation were club swimmers Devin Cuffy-Bethel, Grace Farrington, Reis Knowles and Hodari Prince. The swimmers thanked Family Guardian for their commitment to the club and the swimming community.
PAGE 12, Wednesday, November 7, 2018
THE TRIBUNE
CEPHAS FERGUSON, veteran and chairman of the British Legion, Bahamas Branch. Photo: Terrel W Carey Sr/Tribune Staff
READY TO HONOUR THE NATION’S VETERANS By RIEL MAJOR
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national events coordinator at Cabinet Office, said: “We once again come together A SERIES of events to remember and to honour have been planned to com- the service and sacrifice of memorate Remembrance our nation’s finest and bravDay in honour of those who est. I wish to remind you today that Remembrance have served in war. The Remembrance Day Day isn’t just about honorPlanning Committee held a ing our veterans; but also press conference yesterday honoring those who lost to highlight the upcoming their lives.” She continued: “This is events. Remembrance Day cel- a time when we find ourebrations will commence selves reflecting on the men at Christ Church Cathe- and women who so bravely dral on Sunday, November risked their lives and limbs 11 at 11am and end with a in the face of grave danger. “I wish to say to Presiceremony at the Cenotaph in the Garden of Remem- dent (Cephas) Ferguson (of British Legion-Bahamas brance at 12.15pm. The Pompey Museum Branch) who at 92 years will be hosting a free, open old is still going strong, and house from 11am to 2pm to the remaining heroes, Sunday where Royal Baha- on the behalf of the govmas Defense Force Rangers ernment and the people will wear the uniforms of of the Commonwealth of the West India Regiment The Bahamas thank you… and will be posted as sen- we remember you…we are tries at the museum to grateful for you. It is imporhonour soldiers who partic- tant in fact imperative that we remember them ipated in World War I. always.” Antoinette Brown,
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