Bahamas News
BAHAMAS: Minister Dames: New Bill Needed to Meet Current Communications Technology
#Bahamas, May 01, 2018 – Nassau – Minister of National Security the Hon. Marvin Dames, noted, on April 25, 2018, that the Interception of Communications Act of 1969, applicable to old technologies, was limited to only antiquated forms of communication.
“Therefore, the Interception of Communication Bill 2017 needs to be passed to provide for the legal interception of email and other forms of communication over the internet, and other technological devices,” Minister Dames said, while giving his contribution to the Interception of Communications Bill 2017, in the House of Assembly.
“Without the enactment of this new Bill, law enforcement personnel will not be able to utilize the latest in law enforcement techniques and equipment to match the reach, resources or sophistication of organised criminal groups,” he added. “This will undoubtedly lead to a major regression in all of the gains made by law enforcement in recent times thereby exposing our beautiful nation to untold risks such as economic, reputational, and damage to our social fabric.
“These are risks that we cannot afford to take if we are committed to building a nation that is respected and focused on securing a future for successive generations.”
Minister Dames pointed out that, in a 2013 ABC News online article titled, “NSA: ‘Over 50’ Terror Plots Foiled by Data Dragnets”, former Director of the National Security Administration, General Keith Alexander, told the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence that more than 50 potential terrorist attacks on U.S. soil were stopped due to vast swaths of telephone metadata and Internet data collected daily by the NSA since 9/11.
In the same article, Minister Dames continued, former FBI Deputy Director, Sean Joyce, said in his testimony before the Panel that in 2009, using Section 702 authority of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act granted to intercept communication, federal authorities intercepted an email from a terrorist located in Pakistan who was corresponding with an individual in Denver, Colorado.
The Minister said, acting on the information intercepted through the emails, the authorities identified the suspected terrorist and tracked him to New York City, where they executed search warrants and found bomb-making components. The suspect was arrested and later confessed to a plot to bomb the New York Subway System.
Minister Dames admonished that The Bahamas could not allow any incidents of that nature to occur.
“As a responsible Government, we have an obligation to the people of this nation to enact legislation – such as the one we are debating here today – that will provide law enforcement with the necessary tools to stay ahead of those hell-bent on destroying our nation in the name of greed and selfishness,” he stated. “We cannot and should not send the message to the criminal element that we are not prepared to follow them or match their resources to wherever they go to safeguard our nation’s security interests.”
“This would be a catastrophic error, resulting in devastating consequences for our little nation,” he added. “Are we prepared to surrender or risk it all for those with their hidden agendas? Or are we prepared and committed to protecting, the reputational and national security interests of our nation? The only way we make the latter possible is if we put systems in place to circumvent terrorist activity.”
Minister Dames stressed that he was in no way suggesting that terrorist attacks would ever occur “on our shores”; but what he would like to emphasize was that organised criminals and terrorists, for example, do not have to live or work in The Bahamas to compromise or wreak havoc on the society’s way of life.
He noted that the rise of new information communications technologies in the last decade of the 20th century have continued into the 21st century, and The Bahamas, like many countries around the world, has been plagued by cyber crimes related to new technologies.
“The activities of communications technologies is one of the biggest challenges in the 21st century,” Minister Dames said. “Its global impact is felt in every corner of the earth from mega-corporations to everyday citizens. Crimes related to communications technologies at its bare minimum includes damage and destruction of data, stolen money, theft of personal and financial data, embezzlement, fraud, forensic investigation, deletion of hacked data software, and reputational harm.”
Minister Dames said that globally, it was estimated that cyber crimes costs approximately $600 billion dollars annually. He pointed out that it has become the fastest growing trans-national crime that is continuously increasing in scope, sophistication, and cost.
“To date, it is considered more profitable than the global illegal trade of all drugs combined,” Minister Dames said. “Specifically, for The Bahamas, the financial sector being our second major industry means that the threats of financial crimes due to technologies have placed a great burden on our safety and security as we aim to foster an economically safe and competitive industry. By 2020 it is expected that 80 percent of all countries will have cyber-crime policies and it is expected that 30 percent will have Cabinet or government level positions solely focused on cyber-crimes.”
Minister Dames stated that “the time for us to act is now”.
“If we do nothing then we increase the probability of an attack and by the time we come to that realization, ‘that wow, we may have made a mistake and we should have been proactive’, then it is too late,” he said. “As legislators, we must put law enforcement in a positive position to make our people less vulnerable and exposed to risks that emanate from far beyond the shores of The Bahamas.”
By Eric Rose (BIS)
Nassau, THE BAHAMAS — Some of the most successful and accomplished professionals and business leaders in the country
recently shared their experiences and nuggets of wisdom with students at University of The Bahamas (UB) about thriving in a wide range of careers.
The University Centre for Counselling and Career Services and the Career and Job Placement Advisory Unit collaborated to host the 2024 Career Symposium which brought students face to face with leaders in the careers to which they aspire.
Vice President of Academic Affairs, Dr. Maria Oriakhi, said the symposium was key to developing potential as university students strive to leave their mark on the world.
Ms. Rickell Curry
“In the spirit of collaboration and growth, let us engage in meaningful dialogue, cultivate relationships, and harness the power of collective wisdom to shape our futures,” said Dr. Oriakhi. “Together, let us embark on this journey of exploration and discovery, united in our commitment to realizing our fullest potential and making meaningful contributions to our communities and beyond.”
Promoting careers in psychology, Ms. Curry noted that psychologists are equipped with the ability to help others, troubleshoot areas of weakness within themselves, and become better people and professionals in the process.
“The floor is yours to be able to explore. There’s no job where you don’t have to deal with people, so learning, even if you get a bachelor’s in psychology, is a great grounding,” she said.
Dr. Darville, one of few interventional radiologists in The Bahamas, offered another nugget of advice on choosing an area of study.
Dr. Elizabeth Darville
“It is important to know enough about yourself in order to make the decisions you want to make,” said Dr. Darville. “You have to work on yourself first and know what you want to do. Radiology gives you a chance to have fun. It gives you a chance to mold your career closer to your personal life than other medical specialties might.”
Another growing field is project management which Mr. Hepburn called a life skill. He also urged a commitment to lifelong learning.
“Individuals that continue to learn become unstoppable, period,” said Mr. Hepburn. “It is so true. When you learn, you become unstoppable because nothing can stop you in your process of development.
Mr. Wellington Hepburn
“The more you know, the more valuable you are. We need individuals who are cross functional—that can operate in different capacities. So please understand that your learning should never stop.”
With small and medium-sized businesses helping to drive the economy at an incredible rate, Ms. Rolle affirmed the importance of entrepreneurship in any economy.
“When we talk about entrepreneurship, we usually look at it from a myopic standpoint,” she said. Ms. Rolle. “What do I mean by that? Small, but usually about self: ‘how do I make more money?’ And in some cases, some look at entrepreneurship as a way of survival. ‘I need to make a couple extra dollars, I have this bill to pay’. Those types of things.
Ms. Samantha Rolle
“But entrepreneurship really, in its truest form, is about innovation, whether it’s a new concept or any existing concept that you innovate new ways, or help expand the economy.”
The career symposium was held at the Harry C. Moore Library and Information Centre and is held every academic year.
PHOTO CAPTIONS
- Career Symposium 1: UB Vice President of Academic Affairs, Dr. Maria Oriakhi, delivers the opening address at the 2024 Career Symposium.
- Career Symposium 2: Students and guest speakers enjoy a lighthearted moment during the 2024 Career Symposium.
- Career Symposium 3: Ms. Rickell Curry speaks to students during the 2024 Career Symposium.
- Career Symposium 4: Dr. Elizabeth Darville delivers remarks during the 2024 Career Symposium.
- Career Symposium 5: Mr. Wellington Hepburn educates students on the importance of project management during the 2024 Career Symposium.
- Career Symposium 6: Ms. Samantha Rolle talks about the role and importance of entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship in any economy.
Office of University Relations
University of The Bahamas
2nd Floor, Michael H. Eldon Complex
Oakes Field Campus
P.O. Box N-4912
Nassau, The Bahamas
Tel: (242) 302-4355/4354/4365
Rashaed Esson
Staff Writer
#TheBahamas, April 15, 2024 – After years of thorough maintenance, The Thomas A Robinson National Stadium in The Bahamas is finally getting a multi-million dollar makeover, readying the 10-year old facility ahead of the World Athletics Relays on May 5, 2024; it is being staged in Nassau for the fourth time.
This $36 million refurbishment is being funded by the Chinese Government, as part of a vision to enhance the country’s sport infrastructure to benefit youths in athletics. The stadium was gifted to The Bahamas in 2012 by the Chinese.
The relay is the qualifying event for the 2024 Summer Olympic Games and there will be 32 national teams, in each relay event, and 20 races on both days of competition, according to World Athletics.
Day 1, will have 20 heats across the five Olympic-calibre events (4 heats each for 4×100, 4×400, men, women and mixed) and will qualify 40 teams for the Summer Olympics.
Distinctly, the top two teams from each heat will directly qualify for the 2024 Games.
On day 2, 30 more national teams will be qualified through 15 heats and five finals, across those five events.
The upgrades which include new trusses, rooftops, seats, the lawn, score boards, LED displays and more, are expected to be complete at least two weeks before the relays, being held under the theme: ‘Chase the Sun’.
In a special ceremony on Monday April 8, The Bahamas Prime Minister, Philip Davis said:
In December 2023, our shared vision took shape, as the government of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, and the government of the People’s Republic of China, inked an implementation agreement for the renovation of the stadium. This gesture of goodwill and friendship, from the Chinese government to undertake the China Aid Maintenance and Renovation project of our national stadium, stands as a testament to the strong bonds that unite our countries. This project, executed by China Urban Construction Research Institute Company Limited, and the China Machinery Industry Construction Group Company Limited, reflects our shared commitment to excellence, innovation and mutual development.”
Additionally, H.E Dai Qingli, outgoing Chinese Ambassador to The Bahamas who also attended that ceremony, spoke.
“At the end of the project, the Bahamian people will get a fully renewed and modern world class stadium because everything is going to be either renewed or repaired,” she said.
Some 1,600 athletes will be in The Bahamas for the World Athletics relays, with five events. The Bahamas won the bid over Lausanne, Rome in 2022.
Mario Bowleg, Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture in reports, thanked China for their contribution to the redevelopment of the stadium.
“We thank them for their commitment to ensuring that they bring this facility back up to A1 standard so that we can continue holding international events and using these facilities as a development of our young people.”
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