Government
Russia-Ukraine war enters the second year
By Dana Malcolm
Staff Writer
#Ukraine, February 28, 2023 – Exactly a year ago Vladimir Putin appeared on Russian television and announced that he was launching a ‘special military operation’ into Ukraine. As the Russian Invasion enters its second year we look back on the ripple effects felt around the world.
Ukraine
In the early weeks after the invasion residents began to flee en masse. The crush included students from across the
globe, expatriate workers and citizens. Reports of racism against people of colour at the borders began to emerge. Neighbouring countries faithfully kept their borders open and people were allowed to leave as quickly as their legs could take them. Many walked hundreds of miles as cars ran out of gas and traffic made vehicular escape impossible. Behind them, the fighting began in earnest.
As of February 14th 8.1 million refugees have left the country, which is a crippling 20 per cent of the population lost. The UN says 21 thousand of civilians have been killed or injured so far.
Russia
After the war began Russia was hit with sanctions left and right by the EU, the United States and their allies. Retailers, restaurant chains, tech companies, luxury goods stores and more pulled out of the country en masse. Russian athletes were blacklisted from sporting events including tennis and countries are calling for their athletes to be banned from the 2024 Olympics.
Censorship in the country has become increasingly harsh and the divide between those who support the war and those who don’t is a hard line with coworkers and schoolmates reportedly turning in others deemed as traitors or dissidents to the Kremlin (the government of the Russain Federation), resulting in long jail sentences for journalists and even teenagers. Russia is estimated to have lost as many as 60 thousand soldiers with 200 thousand wounded or dead.
Europe and the UK
A 3D-printed oil pump jack is seen in front of displayed OPEC logo in this illustration picture, April 14, 2020. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic
At the beginning of the war after placing sanctions on the country and its oligarchs, Washington pushed for sanctions on its oil and energy, a tricky position for the EU which then bought the majority of its oil and gas from Russia. After much infighting, the countries agreed to ban the purchase of certain Russian energy and promised to wean themselves off the stuff by the end of 2023. Russia was quick to retaliate; it instituted a new law instructing all of the ‘unfriendly countries’ to pay for their oil in rubles, a move the EU described as blackmail. After that, citing pipeline issues it turned off the gas supply to several countries including Germany forcing them into crisis mode and prompting blackouts to preserve power as they scrambled to find new energy supplies.
In the UK gas prices reached record highs forcing the government to provide multimillion-dollar relief.
Africa
The effects of the invasion on Africa are as varied as the countries on the continent.
Most African nations have refused to outright denounce the war as the conflicts in their own countries are relegated to the back page.
In North Africa where wheat produced in Russia and Ukraine is essential, the prices of bread basket items rose exponentially. Areas like Ethiopia and Somalia saw 66 per cent and 36 per cent jumps respectively according to the UN, furthering a food crisis affecting millions with malnourished children dying daily. In other parts of Africa, lucrative oil deals were signed as the EU struggled to keep the lights on. Algeria, Senegal, Angola, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Nigeria all reached deals with the EU or specific countries to supply gas.
Most recently South Africa participated in a military drill with Russia and China that fell on the anniversary of the invasion.
The Caribbean
With the fighting far away, the effects felt in the Caribbean were mostly economical. With the supply chain in disarray, food prices shot up to extreme highs and oil prices followed; electricity bills caused panic. Inflation driven by the conflict wrecked the purchasing power of Caribbean residents who already pay higher prices for goods and
governments were forced to implement relief measures including stimulus cheques and price caps.
The UN warned that interest rate hikes implemented in the US, UK and other large economies to curb inflation would reverberate hardest in the Caribbean and other Small Island Developing States (which did nothing to slow them down).
Russia also took shots at some countries directly listing the Turks and Caicos and 10 other UK overseas territories as well as The Bahamas as ‘unfriendly territories’.
The US
The US-Russia relationship has deteriorated significantly since the beginning of the conflict with the two countries declaring each other as enemies in everything but name. A tense prisoner exchange in late 2022 is as close as the two have gotten to publicly negotiating in the past year.
The country is Ukraine’s biggest patron sending billions and billions of dollars’ worth of weaponry and humanitarian aid to the country.
The war may drag on but the hope globally is that it will end soon as risks of further economic shock; and the displacement, assault and murder of innocents, loom on the horizon.
NASSAU, The Bahamas – Prime Minister and Minister of Finance the Hon. Philip Davis said on July 15, 2024, that he spoke in support of the compendium of Bills to legalise the use of cannabis for medical and religious purposes, to decriminalise the possession of small amounts of cannabis, and to “regulate the cultivation, sale and use of cannabis and related products within our borders and to promote the health and safety of our people.”
“This has been a long time coming,” Prime Minister Davis said, during his Contribution to the Cannabis Reform Compendium 2024 Debate in the House of Assembly.
“For years, Bahamians have called for an administration to have the courage to step up and take this issue on in a decisive and responsible manner,” he added. “While many other countries, including nations within our region like Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago, Antigua & Barbuda and Barbados, have taken steps toward decriminalisation and legalisation for medical use, Bahamians were left wondering when it would be our turn to modernise our local approach to cannabis.”
Prime Minister Davis noted that the national dialogue had been ongoing for the better part of a decade.
“Many people thought change was imminent when the Marijuana Commission began its work in October 2018, under the previous administration,” he said. “These efforts culminated in a preliminary report delivered in January 2020 and a final report delivered in August 2021.”
He added: “The Commission cited a wide range of in-person discussions and public opinion research, noting that there appeared to be widespread public support for the legalisation of cannabis for medical purposes. There was also healthy support for decriminalisation and an appetite for a strong regulatory and enforcement framework to ensure high standards for this new industry.”
Prime Minister Davis pointed out that the recommendations of the Commission called for legalisation for medical use, decriminalisation for small amounts, legalisation for use as a religious sacrament for members of the Rastafarian community, as well as strict regulations to ensure the quality and safety of the local cannabis product.
“In the PLP’s Blueprint for Change, we committed to developing a comprehensive regulatory framework for growing, harvesting, and exporting cannabis to create opportunities for Bahamians,” he said.
“The approach we developed to legislating and regulating Cannabis was informed by widespread research and consultation,” Prime Minister Davis added. “It was partially based on the CARICOM Regional Commission on Marijuana’s research and findings, as well as the approaches of other jurisdictions like Jamaica, Barbados, and Canada, where Cannabis has been legalised and regulated.”
He said that his Government’s goal was to ensure that it developed the most fair, balanced, and effective legislative and regulatory mechanisms, which would allow The Bahamas to reap economic and health benefits while promoting law and order and keeping its people safe through the introduction of stringent standards.
Prime Minister Davis added: “Once we felt that we had an adequate draft, we released the draft bills publicly, and we held a number of stakeholder consultation sessions, led by the Attorney General’s Office, in which we sat down with major stakeholder groups like healthcare providers, leaders of our church community, advocates for legalisation, leaders of the Rastafarian community – some of whom I see here today, as well as those who had concerns about the impact of legalisation and decriminalisation on the proliferation of usage. These varied opinions were taken into account and adjustments were made to achieve the most practical and effective approach that would work best for the Bahamian people.”
He pointed out that his Government also paid close attention to ongoing research on the issue – the most recent of which, he noted, was a survey conducted nationally by Public Domain in 2023, which indicated that 61% of the population supported the legalisation of cannabis for medical usage.
“It was clear that the times had changed, and it was time for our laws to change as well,” Prime Minister Davis stated.
He continued: “We’ve been hard at work since 2021. We knew this was not a process we could rush. There was a recognised need for carefulness and due diligence, but there was also a need to ensure that this new legislative and regulatory regime could be introduced and implemented within this term. We could not simply kick the can down the road for our next term the way other administrations did. No, we could not delay these changes – not when so many people had waited for years for real action to be taken.
“Today, the wait is over.”
Prime Minister Davis noted that his Government was taking action on behalf of all of the people who simply wanted the ability to legally consume medical cannabis to help them with their medical conditions.
“There are people with children suffering from epilepsy who have been praying for this moment,” he said. “There are people with glaucoma who want the opportunity to potentially alleviate their condition with a cost-effective and natural treatment.”
Prime Minister Davis added that there were people living with auto-immune conditions, chronic pain, anxiety, depression, and other ailments who were “waiting not-so-patiently for this day.”
“We are taking action for the many men and women living with criminal records for carrying small amounts of cannabis, and the many
others who will be spared criminal records as a result of decriminalization,” he said.
Prime Minister Davis stated that, as a society, his Government realised that the old approach taken against Cannabis in the War on Drugs in the 1980s and 90s did not necessarily reflect the current reality.
“Too many livelihoods have been lost because of a joint,” he said. “Too many lives have been handicapped and potentials lost.”
He added that when he was saying that, it was not his intent to excuse those who choose to break the law.
“After all, the law is the law; it must be respected and upheld,” Prime Minister Davis stated. “But we also recognise that the law is not static, it is dynamic. And the interpretation of the law and how it serves the greater good of society can change over time. I am confident that many lives will be changed for the better as a result of the criminal records that will be expunged.”
“Through these reforms, we are upholding the rule of law, making it clear that if you are seeking to supply others with cannabis illegally or engage in other unlicenced and illegal activities, you will be held accountable,” he added. “Everyone is welcome to participate within the legal and regulatory framework and only within that framework.
“Of course, as a part of this reform process, we are also taking action to recognise the rights and freedoms of Rastafarians to use Cannabis as a sacrament because it should not be against the law for our brothers and sisters of the Rastafarian faith to practice their religion.”
PHOTO CAPTION
Prime Minister and Minister of Finance the Hon. Philip Davis speaks, on July 15, 2024, during his Contribution to the Cannabis Reform Compendium 2024 Debate in the House of Assembly. (BIS Photos/Ulric Woodside)
Release: BIS
#TurksandCaicos, July 19, 2024 – Her Excellency the Acting Governor Anya Williams chaired the 17th meeting of the Cabinet on
Tuesday June 4th, 2024, at the Office of the Premier on the island of Providenciales.
All members of Cabinet were present with the exception of Governor H.E. Dileeni Daniel-Selvaratnam, Attorney General Hon. Rhondalee Knowles and the Ministers of Home Affairs and Public Safety and Utilities. Ms. Yaa McCartney attended in the capacity of Acting Attorney General.
At this meeting Cabinet:
- Received a presentation from the Ministry of Finance on the proposed amendments to Business Licensing which was being put forward as a result of the consultations that had taken place and agreed next steps.
#TurksandCaicos, July 19, 2024 – Her Excellency the Governor Dileeni Daniel-Selvaratnam chaired the 12th meeting of the Cabinet on Wednesday April 24, 2024, at the Office of the Premier on the island of Providenciales.
All members were present with the exception of the Ministers of Education, Tourism, Border Control and Public Safety who were away from the islands on official duties.
At this meeting Cabinet:
- Received a presentation from the National Health Insurance Plan Consultants on the organizations Change Management Program.
- Noted an information paper on the work of the Economic Substance Consultancy which was undertaken to provide services to the Financial Transactions Information Exchange Unit (FTIE) in regard to the previous blacklisting of the Turks and Caicos Islands which has since the engagement of this consultancy been reversed.
- Approved the reinstatement of the Grand Lucayan MOU for an additional six months from the execution date of the previously approved MOU.
- Approved the settlement of a Claim Against Government in line with a ruling of the Court.
- Approved the grant of a license for the beach nourishment and installation of four groins lying seaward of parcels 60703/253-263, 330, 331-342 situated at Cheshire Hall for the protection of the shoreline of the said parcels.
Further information on these matters will be provided by Ministers in due course.
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