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sageglobalresponse · 4 years

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For most people, the coronavirus pandemic has meant fewer travel options. Not so for super-rich families who are increasingly using their money to cross borders that would otherwise be closed to them.

This is the elite world of investment migration, where passport applications are based not on nationality or citizenship, but on wealth and the willingness to move it around the planet.

These so-called citizen-by-investment programs, or CIPs, are currently a growth industry, as are residence-by-investment arrangements, also known as "golden visas."

They're a way for ultra-rich individuals to not only diversify their portfolio by moving their money into a country, but also receive the benefits of citizenship, including a new passport.

Over the past five to 10 years, the primary motivations amongst CIP participants -- who tend to have a net worth of anywhere from $2 million to over $50 million -- have been freedom of movement, tax benefits and lifestyle factors, such as better education or civil liberties.

But with Covid-19 dramatically transforming our 2020, some elite families are also considering healthcare, pandemic responses and potential safe havens to ensure they have a backup plan for the future.

Plan B

"People really want the insurance policy of an alternative citizenship, which gives them a Plan B," Dominic Volek, Head of Asia for global citizenship and residence advisory firm Henley & Partners, tells CNN Travel.

"They are also concerned about healthcare and pandemic preparedness because, of course, this may not be the only pandemic in our lifetime.

"Wealthy people don't plan for five to 10 years -- they plan more than 100 years in advance, in terms of wealth and well being."

While largely anecdotal, Henley & Partners suspects that a recent uptick in interest in CIP can be linked to the coronavirus, health concerns, and general "doomsday predictions."

The company recorded a 49% year-on-year increase in inquiries between January and June of 2020.

And the number of people who filed an application following a consultation increased by 42% when comparing the last quarter of 2019 with the first quarter of 2020.

Mighty Montenegro

When it comes to specific citizenship programs, Montenegro and Cyprus have been the most popular, with new applications up 142% and 75%, respectively, in the first quarter of 2020, compared with the fourth quarter of 2019. Malta meanwhile has retained significant and constant interest.

"Many people in this ultra-high net worth bracket are interested in Cyprus and Malta, because it grants the applicant and their family unlimited access and settlement freedom throughout the European Union," says Volek.

"They not only have greater freedom of movement but also better education and healthcare (than in their home countries)."

Residency programs in Australia and New Zealand are also in high demand, but for another reason: crisis management.

"New Zealand has come out on top in terms of how it handled the pandemic, compared with some of the other usually more favored destinations like the UK or the US," says Volek.

"So we've definitely seen a big increase in inquiries in the Australia and New Zealand investment visas. That's probably also spurred by articles about these Silicon Valley guys, who had participated in various investor visas programs pre-pandemic and put doomsday plans in place."

$6.5 million investment

Only ultra-high net worth families can participate in these residency programs: Australia's program costs $1-3.5 million, while New Zealand will set investors back $1.9-$6.5 million.

"New Zealand's program is pretty flexible in terms of what you invest in -- as long as it's not for your personal use," explains Volek.

"A lot of these people have put that NZ$10 million into creating a completely self-sustainable, off-grid commercial farm. So then they've also got a place to go and just wait things out in times like these."

The CIP clientele is changing too: Americans, Indians, Nigerians and Lebanese applicants have shown the biggest spikes in applications over the past nine months.

American applications, in particular, jumped 700% in the first quarter of 2020, compared with the last quarter of 2019.

These ultra-elite individuals join a steady flow of investors from China and the Middle East

Covid-free havens

Some ultra-rich travelers are simply seeking a safe, remote place where they can hole up with their family should another outbreak occur.

Even if they don't have immediate access, they want to be prepared for the next pandemic.

"The talk so far is that the smaller countries are able to handle and manage the pandemic easier," Nuri Katz, founder of international financial advisory firm Apex Capital Partners, tells CNN Travel.

"So like the United States, it's just totally out of control. But smaller countries haven't been hit as hard. For example, in Caribbean countries like Dominica, Antigua and Barbuda, or St Kitts, there are very few Covid cases."

"These small countries seem to be opening up and there's a feeling that they'll be able to manage this problem a lot better than big countries," adds Katz. "So there's a lot of interest in that in terms of health care and lifestyle."

In addition, small island nations in the Caribbean nations provide relatively inexpensive CIP and greater travel freedom.

"If you have a net worth of roughly $1 million to, say, $5 or $10 million, the Caribbean is a great choice. For example, a wealthy Bangladeshi holds one of the worst passports in the world in terms of travel freedom -- you need a visa to go anywhere," adds Volek.

"If you donate $100,000 to the government of Antigua and Barbuda, plus fees, your family of four can get a second passport in about four to six months."

Beat the ban

Katz has also noticed the beginnings of another trend: investing in passports in order to increase your chances of beating travel bans in the future.

As some countries open up, they will only let in certain passports -- for example, Europeans are largely unable to visit the US, and vice-versa.

However, a Cyprus passport holder would be able to travel within the EU when borders are open.

"People are thinking, okay, this thing is going to be around for a while," says Katz. "How do we adjust our assets, including our citizenships, to be able to have the kind of lifestyle that we want?

"People who want to travel freely around Europe, they're starting to think about getting some kind of (citizenship or resident) status."

Investment Migration 101

Investment migration programs offer residence or citizenship in exchange for substantial investment in a country's economy, usually in the form of real estate, job creation, infrastructure development or government bonds.

The first CIP was introduced in 1984 by St Kitts and Nevis in the Caribbean. Since then, dozens of countries have established programs, including Austria, Cyprus, Malta, Moldova, St Lucia, Turkey, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Greece, Montenegro and many more.

Some require applicants to set up nonprofits, establish companies that create local jobs or live in the country for a specified amount of time. Others enable applicants to invest in government bonds, real estate and development projects remotely.

Depending on the country, these programs can cost anywhere from $100,000 in Antigua and Barbuda to $250,000 in St Kitts and Nevis, $280,000 in Greece, $380,000 in Portugal, $1.1 million in Malta, and $2.4 million in Cyprus.

"I think a country like Portugal is one of the most attractive because the price point at €350-500,000 is achievable for high-net worth individuals," says Volek.

"You then get visa-free access to the European Schengen area and there's a clear legal path to citizenship after five years of residence as long as you can also speak elementary level Portuguese."

"But if the client has the financial capacity, then it's direct to Malta or Cyprus because you'd get EU citizenship immediately."

Doing due diligence

In 2017, Katz estimated that around 5,000 people per year acquired citizenship abroad through CIPs. In 2020, he puts that number closer to 25,000, though no official numbers exist.

Even as more super-wealthy individuals turn to CIPs as a backup plan, the reality is that these programs take time.

"There's just no way just any Russian oligarch can walk in, hand a million dollars to a politician, and walk away with a passport," says Volek. "That's obviously not the case."

Depending on the country, the due diligence process requires anywhere from several months to several years.

Typically, applicants will undergo thorough financial and criminal evaluations to ensure the money has been earned legally, prior to the approval of their residency or citizenship.

Taking Malta as an example, Volek says the country requires a strict, four-tier due diligence process starting with initial vetting by Henley & Partners.

'The applicant has to disclose their net worth and the source of funds, as well as provide police clearance certificates in their country of birth, country of citizenship and wherever they've lived for more than six months in the last 10 years..."

"Malta has a rejection rate of anywhere between 20 to 25% of applications -- they will reject the applicant if they're not comfortable with this person acquiring citizenship," he explains.

CIP proponents argue that such programs are a win-win situation: applicants pour investment into developing countries to offset the costs of natural disasters, industry collapses, pandemics or simply jump-start certain sectors of the economy.

At the same time, the individual can diversify their own assets while enjoying greater freedom of movement, a better lifestyle and reassurance in times of crisis.

But some experts suggest it's not quite so clear-cut.

In 2018, for instance, Transparency International, a global coalition against corruption, criticized citizenship- and residence-by-investment schemes in Malta, Cyprus, Portugal and Spain, arguing that these programs are "selling access to the Schengen visa-free travel area, and even EU citizenship, to foreign investors with little scrutiny, transparency or due diligence."

Kate Hooper, an associate policy analyst at the Washington DC-based think tank Migration Policy Institute's International Program, told CNN Travel that CIPs often arouse suspicion since some governments do not disclose their due-diligence processes.

"Numerous reports have raised concerns about how effective these processes actually are at screening people and rooting out dirty money," Hooper told CNN Travel in 2017.

"Over the years, there have been a handful of cases where citizenship has been granted to people without proper screening."

George DeMartino, a professor of international economics and ethics at the University of Denver, says CIPs can also exacerbate inequality.

"Programs such as these threaten to diminish political fraternity by affording special privileges to the already privileged," DeMartino

"They permit those with the least need to migrate and achieve citizenship in a new country the greatest opportunity to do so, while those far more desperate to migrate, such as those facing dire economic circumstances at home, are fully excluded from the benefits of these programs.

The programs are not the cause of this inequality, but they amplify it.

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mellifluousblrr-blog · 7 years

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“Hurricane Irma, one of the strongest storms ever recorded in the Atlantic, hit the eastern Caribbean on Wednesday with winds of up to 185 miles an hour.” - The New York Times.

Barbuda is in shreds. The President of Barbuda says that 95% of all buildings has suffered at least some damage and that the island is “barely habitable”, up to 60% of the TOTAL population are now homeless because of the hurricane, and that the estimated damage is valued at no less than $200 million dollars. Guys, right now there have been a total of five deaths. Two confirmed deaths in the French Caribbean, one death in Anguilla, one in Antigua and Barbuda, and one in Puerto Rico. As of now it has left nearly 900,000 without power in Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Cuba, The Bahamas, and the Turks and Caicos Islands are all at risk!! Not just Florida.

Also, keep in mind that before getting to Florida this storm is going to go through all of those places I just mentioned and Hurricane Jose is right behind Irma. I just Pray for all of those families and friends and hope that they ALL make it out alive. If any of you are in the path of this storm please lock yourself and your family in a room with little to no windows, have bottled water, canned food (including powdered milk), diapers, wet wipes, batteries and flashlights, as well as pads and tampons for women. Keep a small Radio with you and a few blankets to keep warm if by chance there is a power outage.

Let’s all of us help the islands and be there for them just like we were there for Huston. They don’t have a lot of money and aid from the government. They’ll rely entirely on donations. Find local charities or global trustworthy charities (NOT the Red Cross) and make a donation asking them to aid the Caribbean. They’re going to need help.

#hurricane irma #caribbean #puerto rico

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thechasefiles · 5 years

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The Chase Files Daily Newscap 5/20/2019

Good MORNING #realdreamchasers! Here is The Chase Files Daily News Cap for Monday 20th May 2019. Remember you can read full articles for FREE via Barbados Today (BT) or Barbados Government Information Services (BGIS) OR by purchasing by purchasing a Daily Nation Newspaper (DN).

BLP MARKS ONE YEAR IN OFFICE – Hundreds have packed the pews at the James Street Methodist Church to worship and celebrate with the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) which is celebrating its first year in office. During a short address, Prime Minister Mia Mottley thanked God, her Cabinet ministers, their families and the people of Barbados. She said support was needed in the past year but reminded them all hands still needed to be on deck going forward. In May 2018, the BLP won all 30 seats in the General Election. (DN)

DOOR OPEN FOR DONVILLE – If the embattled Donville Inniss is interested in representing the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) in St James South again, he will be welcomed back with open arms – once he is proven innocent. But he will have to be interviewed by an executive board before being presented to the party for consideration. Inniss, the former representative for the constituency, lost his seat to the Barbados Labour Party’s Sandra Husbands in the General Election last May 24. Shortly after, the former minister of commerce and international business was arrested in the United States on money-laundering charges. He is accused of accepting bribes from a Barbadian insurance company and then attempting to launder US$36 000 in illegal payment using the “US financial system”. (DN)

BARBADOS AND ANTIGUA TO DISCUSS LIAT SHARES - Barbados will not be negotiating LIAT’s future direction in the public domain, Prime Minister Mia Mottley has reiterated, in response to reports out of Antigua and Barbuda that her Government has agreed to sell its shares to St John’s. Speaking on his radio station on Saturday, Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne said Mottley has said yes to selling “a significant portion” of Barbados’ shares in LIAT to his government. Earlier this month, the Browne administration issued a statement from a Cabinet meeting which said, “Prime Minister Gaston Browne indicated to the Cabinet members that he has written to Prime Minister Mia Mottley on the LIAT restructuring plan.“An offer was made for Antigua and Barbuda to acquire the LIAT shares owned by Barbados, through a take-over of the liability of Barbados to the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB)”.This afternoon, Prime Minister Mottley’s Press Secretary Roy Morris confirmed that Barbados had received the letter but made it clear that Mottley would not be drawn into making public comments on the matter. “PM Mottley’s position is that Antigua has made an offer to Barbados regarding its shares in LIAT, and Barbados has responded by inviting [Prime Minister Gaston Browne] to send a team to Barbados to talk,” Morris told Barbados TODAY. “In the meanwhile, Barbados will not prejudice those talks by making any further statement on the matter, ” he added. Antigua Newsroom, an online news outlet, reported that Browne did not give an exact number of shares Barbados intended to sell, but said Mottley indicated that Bridgetown wanted to retain “at least ten per cent of its shares”. “The intent is not to exclude any country from participating in LIAT. In fact, as far as practicable we would want to broaden the shareholding in LIAT,” prime minister Browne said. He added that he was “quite happy that they [Barbados] will maintain a shareholding position”. Browne further disclosed that a negotiating team has been established, including MPs Lennox Weston and Sir Robin Yearwood as well as a representative from the Ministry of Finance. He said the decision was in the best interest of the Antigua and Barbuda economy. Last Wednesday, at the annual luncheon of the Barbados Employers’ Confederation (BEC), Prime Minister Mottley said she was primarily focused on ensuring reliable and affordable regional transport, as she confirmed receiving Antigua and Barbuda’s expression of interest in purchasing her country’s shares in LIAT. “Let’s just say we agree on the mission, and the mission is that there must always be reliable affordable access for travel in the region as there must be nationally. And I can assure you and the country that we are working on this every day. “But you also have to take the reality of an existence as you find it and then determine whether the modality that you have is the best mechanism by which to deliver on that objective,” she said. (BT)

BCC TUTOR QUITS – Reverend Reginald Knight has called it quits. The part-time tutor at the Barbados Community College (BCC) has decided to withdraw his services as a tutor in ethics and citizenship, six days after being embroiled in a controversy over leaked exam results at the Howells Cross Road, St Michael institution. Answers for the ethics and citizenship exam were leaked to scores of students last Tuesday, forcing the BCC to reschedule the test two days later. “It was a mistake. I have apologised to the principal and the registrar,” a contrite Knight told the NATION in an exclusive interview last night. “While they understand how the matter happened, I personally did not wish to be seen, or to have done anything that would have brought the college into disrepute. I have tendered my resignation, and it should reach the college tomorrow (today). (DN)

DE-VERNE KEVIN SCANTLEBURY SLAPPED WITH CRIMINAL CHARGES – Detectives of the Major Crimes Unit have arrested and charged De-verne Kevin Scantlebury in connection with a serious matter which occurred on May 17. Police say Scantlebury, 25, of Clement Rock, Airy Hill, St Joseph, has been charged for offences including: possession of an unlicensed firearm, possession of 11 rounds of ammunition, possession of cannabis, and intent to supply cannabis He is scheduled to appear at the District B Magistrates’ court on Monday, May 20. (BT)

THREE CHARGED IN MILLION DOLLAR DRUG HAUL – Three St Michael men are scheduled to appear in court today, charged in connection with the seizure of more than $1 million worth of cannabis. They are Christopher Dave Johnson, 36 years, of Martindale’s Road; 35-year-old Malo Anthony Edwards of Taylor's Gap, Martindale's Road and Colvin Ishmael Brathwaite, 47, of Brandons Main Road. The trio is jointly charged with possession of cannabis, intent to supply and trafficking. Police were acting on a tip when members of the Marine Section and the Barbados Coast Guard intercepted a fishing vessel 27 miles off Needhams Point, within the island’s territorial waters. They discovered 16 polyethylene bags all containing vegetable matter suspected to be cannabis. The bags weighed about 300 kilogrammes and the contents have an estimated street value of $1 210 400. Johnson, Edwards and Brathwaite are all scheduled to appear at the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ court. (DN)

VINCENT KOMPANY LEAVES MANCHESTER CITY TO BECOME ANDERLECHT PLAYER-MANAGER – Vincent Kompany says joining Anderlecht as player-manager is the "most passionate yet rational" decision he has made after announcing he has left Manchester City. The 33-year-old has signed a three-year deal with the Belgian club after 11 years at Etihad Stadium, eight of which he spent as club captain. Saturday's 6-0 FA Cup final win over Watford was Kompany's final game for City, after winning four Premier League titles, two FA Cups and four League Cups. In an open letter on Facebook, Belgium defender Kompany said leaving City "doesn't feel real". He defines the essence of the club. For a decade he has been the lifeblood, the soul, and beating heart "Man City has given me everything. I've tried to give back as much as I possibly could." In a second letter released hours later, Kompany announced his move to Anderlecht, who said his arrival marked the "return of the prince". "I want to share my knowledge with the next purple generations," said Kompany, who first joined Anderlecht at the age of six. "With that, I will also put a bit of Manchester in the heart of Belgium. Centre-back Kompany joined City from Hamburg as a defensive midfielder in 2008 and was named club captain three years later. He scored his final goal against Leicester on 6 May, a brilliant strike from 25 yards that was voted goal of the season on BBC Match of the Day. That victory took City to within one win of the Premier League title, which they sealed on the final day of the season with victory at Brighton. (DN)

ADVENTISTS SPRUCE UP ISLAND’S BUS TERMINALS – The East Caribbean Conference of Seventh Day Adventists has teamed up with the Barbados Transport Board to paint the terminals at Fair Child Street, Princess Alice Highway and Speightstown. Last evening, church members got down to work at the Fair Child Street Bus Terminal. Director of Community Services and Personal Ministries Departments Pastor Dayle Haynes told Barbados TODAY it’s all part of the church’s GLOW (Generosity, Love, Outreach and Wholesomeness) project. “We want to embark on reaching out to our community and helping,” Haynes said. “Last year we painted 50 homes for the elderly and the needy in Barbados.” (BT)

CROP OVER LAG –Some bandleaders are contending that Crop Over is losing its appeal, and fear that in a couple of years there will be a seriously scaled down version of the sweetest summer festival. Veteran leader of Kontact Kadooment Band, Anthony Layne, told the NATION he was seeing Barbados, already “lagging behind” Trinidad, being overtaken by Jamaica Carnival. “Right now I am not seeing many local people opting to jump in the bands. They are leaving here to go to Trinidad, Jamaica and other Caribbean island carnivals,” he lamented. In fact, Layne said his numbers now comprised more overseas revellers than locals. (DN)

For daily or breaking news reports follow us on Instagram, Tumblr, Twitter & Facebook. That’s all for today folks. There are 225 days left in the year. Shalom! #thechasefilesdailynewscap #thechasefiles# dailynewscapsbythechasefiles

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jojosasassignment · 6 years

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REGRESSION MODELING IN PRACTICE - WEEK 1 | Introduction to Regression Analysis

STEP 1: I describe my sample. I provide enough detail so that the reader can clearly understand the population that the study sample came from. I use meaningful labels and do not use abbreviations (“PPM100”) or variable names.

a) Description of the study population (who or what was studied).

I study the incidence of different types of cancer by sex (colon & rectum, liver, lung, stomach, and prostate in men; colon & rectum, liver, lung, stomach, cervical, and breast cancer in women) in 2016 in 187 populations from the following countries:

Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Dem. Rep. Congo, Rep. Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyz Republic, Lao, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia FYR, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania,, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia Fed. Sts., Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, North Korea, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, South Korea, South Sudan, Spain, Sri Lanka, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

b) I report the level of analysis studied (individual, group, or aggregate).

The analysis is run on the national level.

c) I report the number of observations in the data set.

There are 187 observations in the dataset for each type of cancer for each sex.

d) I describe my data analytic sample (the sample I am using for my analyses).

My sample includes 13 variables:

the number of the new cases of different cancer types per sex per year (6 cancer types for women and 5 cancer types for men), income per person, and human development index.

The cancer types are: colon & rectum, liver, lung, and prostate cancer in men in 2016 for each of the 187 countries (human populations on the national level) and colon & rectum, liver, lung, stomach, cervical, and breast cancer in women in 2016 for each of the 187 countries (human populations on the national level).

All 187 populations have been divided into groups based on the income level and/or human development index. Cancer incidence is “the number of new cancer cases arising in a specified population over a given period of time (typically 1 year). It can be expressed as an absolute number of cases within the entire population per year or as a rate per 100 000 persons per year. The cancer incidence rate provides an approximation of the average risk of developing a cancer” (source: http://gco.iarc.fr/resources.php). Here, I use the first aforementioned measure called ‘absolute number of cases within the entire population per year’, as I am focused purely on commercialising molecular cancer diagnostics tests and finding potential customers for such products.

STEP 2: I describe the procedures that were used to collect the data.

a) I report the study design that generated that data (for example: data reporting, surveys, observation, experiment).

Data I used is routinely collected through data reporting by national or subnational population-based cancer registries. Detailed procedures (including disease classification) are very complex and described elsewhere: http://gco.iarc.fr/resources.php.

b) I describe the original purpose of the data collection.

The sample is from the Global Cancer Observatory (GCO), which is an online platform (http://gco.iarc.fr) providing global cancer statistics for cancer control and cancer research. The platform uses data from several key projects of IARC’s Section of Cancer Surveillance (CSU), including GLOBOCAN; Cancer Incidence in Five Continents (CI5); International Incidence of Childhood Cancer (IICC); and Cancer Survival in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and Central America (SurvCan). The data presented in the Global Cancer Observatory aims to be the best available for each country worldwide.

c) I describe how the data were collected.

Data is routinely collected by national or subnational population-based cancer registries. Detailed procedures (including disease classification) are very complex and described elsewhere: http://gco.iarc.fr/resources.php.

d) I report when the data were collected.

Data sample I use for this specific project was collected in 2016.

e) I report where the data were collected.

The information was captured in 187 countries listed in the step 1a above.

STEP 3: I describe my variables.

a) I describe what my explanatory and response variables measured.

My explanatory variables are income per person (not inflation adjusted in US dollars) and human development index. My response variables are the incidences of various cancer types (colon & rectum, liver, lung, stomach, prostate, cervical, and breast cancer). More specifically these are the number of new cancer cases recorded in 2016 by cancer type by sex.

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paxiomgroup-blog · 6 years

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bbqconcepts-blog · 7 years

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The Ultimate In Outdoor Kitchens & Outdoor Living - BBQ Concepts

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The Ultimate In Outdoor Kitchens & Outdoor Living - BBQ Concepts

When it comes to custom outdoor kitchens & outdoor living area design, we’re the preferred outdoor living specialists of Southern Nevada. BBQ Concepts, your friend in the outdoor kitchen industry. Give us a call or visit our showroom to speak with one of our consultants.

When it comes to outdoor kitchens & outdoor living in general, you have a friend in the industry. Our team of professional outdoor living specialists is here to make sure you receive exactly what you’re looking for in a custom outdoor kitchen build. We are Barbecue Concepts; a team made up of individuals that genuinely care about your satisfaction and overall buying experience. If you’re looking for an outdoor kitchen design & manufacturing company that will exceed your every expectation, you’ve come to the right place. We specialize in both the structural manufacturing and the aesthetic finishing of beautiful custom outdoor kitchen products. We offer one of the largest selections of professional grills and outdoor kitchen components as well. We’re your one-stop-shop for all your outdoor living needs. We’re located conveniently off of the I-215 & Tropicana, and we want to help you build the ultimate outdoor living environment.

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thechasefiles · 5 years

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The Chase Files Daily Newscap 5/23/2019

Good MORNING #realdreamchasers! Here is The Chase Files Daily News Cap for Thursday 23rdMay 2019. Remember you can read full articles for FREE via Barbados Today (BT) or Barbados Government Information Services (BGIS) OR by purchasing by purchasing a Daily Nation Newspaper (DN).

DEBT TALKS –Government may sweeten the “formal” debt restructuring terms it is preparing to offer foreign commercial creditors who have not been paid for almost a year. But the Ministry of Finance stressed while the Mia Mottley administration would “work to improve the terms of the anticipated offer”, this would be predicated on the deal not compromising Barbados’ debt sustainability requirements.The debt negotiations update, issued on Tuesday, came as a representative of the foreign investors warned that Barbados being in debt default since last June “does not benefit anyone”.Noting that Prime Minister Mottley attended the last two meetings between Barbados’ representatives and members of the external bondholder committee, the Ministry of Finance said “good faith discussions with the Barbados bondholder committee have intensified since the start of 2019 in the context of a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) between [Government] and the advisors to the committee that was first put in place in September 2018. “[Government] will continue to consult with the affected creditors in the coming weeks, with the view to collating as much feedback as possible – including feedback from the bondholder committee – before moving to finalise the terms of a formal offer to be put to holders of its US dollar denominated commercial debt,” the ministry stated.(DN)

AIRPORT TAKE OFF – Barbados has agreed to a long-term business partnership in the region of 25 to 30 years to completely renovate and refurbish Grantley Adams International Airport (GAIA), to make it the best small airport in the Western Hemisphere. But in the end, the National Insurance Scheme and workers at the airport will be shareholders in the facility, Prime Minister Mia Mottley has revealed. Minister of Tourism Kerrie Symmonds yesterday signed the agreement with the International Finance Corporation, an arm of the World Bank, to roll out the Private/Public Sector Partnership Agreement that will lead to a 27 000 square-metre improvement to the airport, and the establishment of numerous amenities there. “We were in discussions with IFC to see what we could do about the urgent injection of capital and opportunities for joint ventures with the airport,” the Prime Minister said at yesterday’s signing at Government Headquarters. (DN)

MOTTLEY STAYS MUM ON LIAT NEGOTIATIONS– Mum’s the word on negotiations between the Government of Barbados and Antigua and Barbuda over regional airline LIAT. Prime Minister Mia Mottley said yesterday Barbados remained committed to regional air travel, and to LIAT, but refused to provide any details about what would be this country’s next move regarding the financially-challenged airline. “I give you the assurance and the people of Barbados, that when the Cabinet has reviewed, and in a position to do so, I will speak in the place to which we have become accustomed, which is the Parliament of Barbados. I’m not in the habit of sharing correspondence with anyone I’ve written to the press,” Mottley told reporters at Government Headquarters minutes after Government signed a partnership agreement with the International Finance Corporation to refurbish and repair Grantley Adams International Airport. “I don’t think there is anything to alter those basics I hold dearly,” she added. What Mottley did infer was that Barbados would not be interested in a LIAT model close to the one established when the airline came into being 45 years ago.(DN)

CURRENCY DROP MAY HURT TOURISM – Sharp falloffs in the value of the British pound due to uncertainty over Britain’s departure from the European Union could spell trouble for Barbados’ largest tourist market. In an interview, Virgin Atlantic’s Director of External Affairs and Sustainability Nathan Stower described this year’s high season as “decent”, but revealed there has been some concern about the future. Recent Brexit reports indicate that the pound sterling has suffered its longest losing streak against the euro since the latter’s creation two decades ago. According to a May 22 report from The Guardian newspaper, news that British Prime Minister Theresa May’s replacement may be willing to go for a no-deal Brexit, led to currency traders shunning the pound. The pound then slid to $1.2625 against the US dollar- its lowest level since early January. “There’s no doubt that some of the uncertainty in the U.K – the political uncertainty and the economic uncertainty – is starting to have a little bit of an impact, not just in Barbados but to many of our destinations,” Stower admitted. He spoke to the press after the certificate ceremony for Heartfelt Guest Care to Welcome the World training series. “So we’re are kind of hoping for some certainty or some clarity on that situation to give consumers confidence to book ahead and look forward to their holidays to Barbados and the region.” While admitting that Britain’s political and economic issues would not directly affect the region, Stower acknowledged that the pound’s decreasing value could make Barbados’ already expensive attractions even pricier. “The exchange rate has an impact and we have seen the pound slightly weaker against the [United States’] dollar than it has been two to three years ago, so that has an impact on tourists’ ability to come here and spend their hard-earned cash in restaurants and all of the attractions. “We had a very good start to the season, but obviously these bookings were taken 12-18 months ago, so we’re pretty pleased with the high season and actually the next few months are looking pretty decent. He added: “We will be keeping a close eye on the exchange rate and we hope that when we get some certainty on this process, which we are confident we will still get later in the year, the exchange rate will improve so that people who come here can enjoy all that the island has to offer,” he said. Given the level of uncertainty surrounding the critical British market, President of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA), Patricia Affonso-Dass has called on stakeholders to improve their service. “Those destinations that really deliver meaningful experiences are the ones that will stand out when everything goes back to normal. It’s those experiences that people will remember and the destinations that they will come to,” she added. (BT)

BARBADOS ‘OPEN FOR BUSINESS’ – Now is the perfect time to start a business, a University of the West Indies academic said today as an entrepreneur boot camp was launched at the Cave Hill campus.Acting chief executive officer of the Sagicor Cave Hill School of Business and Management, Dr Justin Robinson said Barbados’ low level of taxation should serve as impetus for aspiring business owners.“I want the message to go out there that this is an excellent time to be looking at going into business in Barbados. “Barbados has one of the lowest corporation tax rates in the world at this time, you don’t pay any taxes on capital gains.“So as an investor and entrepreneur Barbados has to be one of the most tax-friendly places to incorporate your business in the world at this particular point of time.”Dr Robinson, who is also the Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, said Barbados needed more entrepreneurs as well as new businesses.“We need new Caribbean companies, we need new businesses, we need new sources of economic growth. There is a lot of anxiety and frustration in Caribbean society and I think part of it is we are all fighting over the same pie.“Everyone is trying to get a bigger slice of the same pie and in some way a shrinking pie. What we want to focus on really is growing that pie so that there is more for everybody and everyone can get without anybody else getting less, but to do that you need new ideas, new products, new services and new businesses.”Entrepreneur Christopher Harper, one of the facilitators, explained that there was a need for would-be businesspeople to think differently.He said while he had organised similar programmes with adults with much success, he was excited at the opportunity to educate younger people.Manager of the Government’s Youth Entrepreneurship Scheme Selma Green revealed that YES is offering scholarships to 12 people who had successfully completed an element of the recently launched Building Blocks programme.The five-week long boot camp at the School of Business is to be held from July 9 to August 15, catering to a maximum of 40 young people between the ages of 16 and 21. It is being held in conjunction with the University of the West Indies, Goddard Enterprises and the Barbados Entrepreneurship Foundation.With a course fee of $300, the foundation is offering financial assistance to a limited number of entrants, said Marjorie Wharton, the director of Strategic Business Services at the School of Business.(BT)

WHITE OAK PREFERENCE ‘POOR EXCUSE’ –Government’s defence of UK-based White Oak consultancy to restructure the country’s foreign debt, citing inadequate local expertise, was slammed today as “irrelevant” by the Opposition politicians.The team of senators and party spokespersons who are to be formalized into a political party in two weeks, declared that Government’s lack of local alternatives, shed no light on the rationale behind the $54 million price tag for the two-man advisory team.Speaking at a press conference at the Opposition wing of Parliament on Tuesday, spokesman Scott Weatherhead suggested that Government took a cavalier approach to a matter, which could have dire consequences later down the road.“The sum should have been negotiated better…. [Government] did a poor job of negotiation. Maybe they didn’t negotiate at all, maybe there are reasons for not negotiating.”He pointed out that White Oak’s bill was equivalent to ten per cent of the country’s loan from the International Monetary Fund.The entrepreneur also accused Government of being less than transparent with the process.Weatherhead told reporters: “Whether it could have been handled locally is irrelevant. Whether there was no experience locally to tender on the debt negotiation, may be so, but we never saw a tender. “So perhaps the right way of doing things in the interest of transparency was to put the contract out to tender, receive some responses and then advertise that a suitable person was not found locally and that they were going to seek international expertise. “They [Government] should have announced their choice and negotiate the best possible price for the job.”The criticism stems from Chief Economic Counsellor, Ambassador Dr Clyde Mascoll’s dismissal as “ridiculous” the notion that a local economist or firm could have done the job. He also addressed White Oak’s failure thus far to negotiate a settlement for the approximately $3 billion in debt owed to external creditors.“The notion that there is a Barbadian who is qualified and has been restructuring debt is not known to me and if there is one, then that person can step forward.”Adding his voice to a chorus of Government officials defending the White Oak deal, he stressed that 80 per cent of the gigantic debt owed to local creditors was successfully restructured late last year but admitted that negotiations for restructuring the external debt could continue to be challenging.“On the external side, those people don’t have that kind of affinity for the Government of Barbados. They are purely capitalists and they invested to get a greater return… so yes, there may be some fallout from not being able to negotiate the external debt as fast, but it is not even a year yet and normally it takes longer to do external negotiations,” he said.But Weatherhead argued that Mascoll’s defense of the time that the negotiations were taking, raised more questions than it answered.The Opposition spokesman, who ran on Solutions Barbados ticket in the May 24 General Elections, said: “I think that when you are talking about the kind of debt that Government is trying to negotiate, it is not a small sum and there are a lot of creditors. “So, if a debt negotiator was tendering on that, they would have needed time to understand what is involved in that negotiation. A lot of due diligence should have been done before someone could say this is what we are going to charge.“So, it’s either possible that process happened prior to election that this company knew that they were going to be appointed after the election last May or they had no idea what they were getting into and quoted a high amount. We can’t speculate at this time, but we can say that the process was not transparent.”(BT)

‘UP SECURITY GAME’, BUSINESSES TOLD – The days of physical intruders being the main threat to business security are fast coming to an end, a leading security firm’s executive has declared, and he has suggested that businesses here must seriously consider global realities of cybercrime and corporate espionage coming here. The warning came from the executive vice president of G4S Corporate Risk Services, Robert Dodge, as he spoke at G4S’s Ideation Seminar at Hilton Hotel this morning. He told the audience that given the value of information, Barbadian businesses can no longer see themselves as outside the radar of the growing threat. “Intellectual property in all of its forms, if lost, puts your companies at risk. If that key information leaks, it can put your enterprise out of business. This is what a lot of corporations are facing and while it may not be all here today in Barbados, I can guarantee that it is coming.” The security executive explained that quite often business people are misguided into thinking that the security threats exist on the outside and correct firewalls are all that is need to prevent hacking. But Dodge pointed out firewall protection was insufficient to meet cybersecurity threats, which he said quite often can come from an insider, sometimes unwittingly, and that guarding against this is not a simple task. He identified hotels as quite vulnerable, as they are treasure troves of credit card information and guests’ personal data. The G4S executive said: “I have seen a lot of stuff at hotels around the world and physical security does a great job of keeping out problems such as the prostitution rings and so on. “But we have found things like electronic USB devices that have been uploading ghost key logger software. “Luckily, we found them in time because this could have taken everyone’s credit card information and absconded with them.” In some cases, employees had no idea that the threat was even present, he said. Dodge told the seminar that often physical threats are localised and may affect very few people, while on the other hand, cyber threats can have potentially devastating consequences for many people at a time. He said: “These are the types of things we are seeing where the virtual world meets the physical world. The younger generation that is fluent with this technology is having a serious impact on corporations.“In one’s risk assessment, one must factor in the impact that these threats could have on your business. “In setting your security programme, one’s systems, software, and people must be all aligned towards mitigating that threat.” (BT)

CLO SHOULD GO SAYS FRANKLYN – A local trade union leader is demanding the resignation of Chief Labour Officer Victor Felix over an industrial relations dispute involving a Cabinet minister. Head of the Unity Trade Union Senator Caswell Franklyn is accusing Felix of failing to refer to the Employment Rights Tribunal, a complaint of unfair dismissal he made to him since last year on behalf of a client. Franklyn, an Opposition Senator, told Barbados TODAY this morning that he had filed the complaint sometime in June last year claiming that his client, who had been employed by the Minister when he was in private practice, was fired without receiving pay owed to her, after her former boss was sworn into office following the May 24 General Elections. “Felix has failed to do his job. He should go,” insisted the outspoken legislator. He disclosed that he will also be making a complaint to Minister of Labour and Social Partnership Colin Jordan, regarding the conduct of the Chief Labour Officer. Not only that, Franklyn told Barbados TODAY his client was planning to take Felix to court, but that the only thing standing in her way was a lack of funds to hire a lawyer. However, in his defence, the Chief Labour Officer was adamant he had done nothing wrong in the handling of the complaint by Franklyn and his client. “I am doing the work of the Labour Department in the best manner that I know how, and that I will continue to do,” Felix told Barbados TODAY this morning. Pressed to specify if he had refused to refer the matter to the Employment Rights Tribunal, he replied:”Needless to say, there are matters before the Chief Labour Officer; and we continue to deal with them, using the process we have been using within the labour department to deal with matters.” Asked to state categorically whether or not he had refused to refer the complaint, Felix stuck to his story. “I would say that we are following the process.” When reminded that the case was filed since last year, his response was: “Well, we are following the process. We have a procedure for dealing with issues and we follow that procedure,” Felix emphasized. But Senator Franklyn is not buying Felix’s argument and has told Barbados TODAY that the same procedure to which the Chief Labour Officer refers has been contravened by him. He referred to Section 44 (1) of the Employment Rights Act which states: “Where the Chief Labour Officer is unable, within 42 days of the making of a complaint, except in extenuating circumstances, to effect settlement of the complaint under Section 43, he shall make a report to that effect to the Tribunal.” Barbados TODAY checked the Act and also found that Section 42 (1) said that where an employee believes there is a dispute concerning infringement of any right conferred on him by the Act, he may present a complaint to the Chief Labour Officer. And according to Section 43 (1) where the Chief Labour Officer receives a complaint under Section 42, he shall as soon as practicable enquire into the matter and process the complaint for conciliation and referral to the Tribunal. Senator Franklyn noted that nearly a year has gone since the complaint was filed and “there are no extenuating circumstances. The Minister is not in hospital or anything like that…and still the matter has not been referred to the Tribunal. I have written him (the Minister) and he has refused to respond. There can’t be one law for a minister and another for ordinary citizens.” When contacted, neither the Cabinet Minister implicated in the dispute nor Minister Jordan was available for comment.(BT)

MORE WATER WOES FOR FOUR PARISHES – Water woes continue to affect Barbadians, this time in some parts of St Michael, Christ Church, St George and St Thomas. The Barbados Water Authority (BWA) today announced low reservoir levels at its Fort George Reservoir were causing outages or low pressure in surrounding areas. In St Michael, these include Kent, Upton, Fort George Heights, Wildey, Clapham, Highgate Gardens, Upper Collymore Rock, Flagstaff, Pine and in Christ Church St David’s, Vauxhall, Warners Park, Sargeant’s Village and surrounding districts. There are also low levels at the Shop Hill facility which may affect customers in some St Thomas areas. Pumping has temporarily ceased at the Applewhaites Station which has caused customers in some St George districts to suffer low pressure or outages. These may include Cottage Grove, Market Hill, Bridge Cot, St Helen’s Jericho, Bournes Village, Flat Rock, Locust Hall and surrounding areas. The BWA apologised for the inconvenience and water tankers have been dispatched to assist customers in all of the affected areas, but there may be delays due to heavy demand. (DN)

AT LAST BASE – An increase in bus fare, coupled with ongoing economic hardship, has put a huge dent in the operations of a charity that helps develop disabled young people’s skills to boost their job-seeking chances.The situation is so dire for the First Barbados Association for Supported Employment (First BASE) that the charity may soon close, said its supervisor, Joy-Ann Grazette-Corbin.“We do have financial challenges because our subvention doesn’t cover the cost of everything that we do and we do not have enough persons buying our products in order to support us or keep us going. “So we are looking forward to our fundraiser to keep us at least for a certain amount of time that we are able to give these young people their stipend and keep the place functioning,” She told Barbados TODAY. First BASE has been hosting an annual 5K Walk/Run in an effort to raise the much-needed funds. This year, the event, which attracts a $25 donation, will take place on June 8, starting at 4 p.m. at the Queens Park.The event will afford participants an opportunity to see the work of the students and support them, Grazette-Corbin said.But the registration has been very slow, though she expressed hope things would pick up in the coming weeks.Since bus fare went up by 75 per cent to $3.50 from mid-April, she noted that disabled students were finding it increasingly difficult to get to the Greenwich Village, St James charity each day.In a plea for help from Government and corporate Barbados, Grazette-Corbin said that while the organisation did not make contact with Member of Parliament for the area, Minister of Home Affairs Edmund Hinkson, letters were submitted to Government explaining the situation and seeking help. The organisation currently receives a small subvention from the Government’s Disabilities Unit. She said: “[The increase in bus fare] has put a great strain on us and what we are trying to do. Even up to the fact that right now we are not sure how we are getting paid this month. “They are still able to come, but like I said, right now our stipends are less than bus fare. So we are trying to figure out [to whom] do we speak. “We sent out some letters to Government to see what can be done, if they can travel free or what can happen for them to be able to get here.” With some of the young adults coming from St Philip and Christ Church and needing to take two buses each way, even as they try often to take the cross-country ABC Highway bus, a new challenge of security for her students was being presented, she said.Grazette-Corbin told Barbados TODAY: “We had an incident…. This road is very lonely and two of our young ladies were walking and a gentleman in a truck started to harass them and he wouldn’t leave them alone. “When I contacted the police, the number of the truck was not registered to the person that was driving. It was actually registered to another car. So even in those circumstances we are really concerned. “We would love more government support, more government funding. But I also know that places that deal with people with disabilities would like an opportunity also because most of us have limited space.” First BASE currently has Grazette-Corbin as the lone supervisor along with an acting supervisor catering to ten people. There is a waiting list of more than 200 trainees. “To be able to pay the persons that we need to take care of these young people is more than we can handle on our own. That is one thing we would like the Government to get involved in. If not being able to pay them, being able to provide a facility where I can have more than just ten people. We have a long waiting list,” she said.At least twice a week, the organisation sells a range of natural juices, baked products and crafts at the St James Parish Church.While most of their support comes from taxi operators and tourists, Grazette-Corbin said sales have been down.“Persons support children with disabilities, but then they seem to forget that these children become adults and they can’t just sit at home and do nothing,” she said. “They need to be productive and they can do stuff. When they are doing things, their parents are free to also be productive citizens in society.” The charity provides training and social support for people with developmental disabilities, ages 18 and older, who are expected to leave with skills and get at least part-time work after a year, but they are forced to stay “as long as they like” because job opportunities have dwindled, she added.(BT)

CRACKDOWN ON EARLY SALE OF CANNABIS PRODUCTS – Some food stores and health shops in Barbados are said to have started selling products containing cannabis extracts, despite no changes to the law prohibiting cannabis use. And Minister of Health Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey Bostic has revealed that the Bridgetown stores that are guilty would be warned and made to feel the full weight of the law if they continued. Bostic made the revelation during the opening of a training session for health care providers on Therapeutic Prescribing of Medicinal Marijuana Products at the Cave Hill School of Business and Management on Tuesday, where he announced that five medical cannabis products would be added to the drug formulary. “We have been made aware that there are some stores in Bridgetown that are already selling these products, but let me say that we will issue a warning during this week, a reminder of the law,” said Bostic. “After that we will enforce the law in its fullest to ensure that such persons come to a Christian understanding of right and wrong,” he added. The Health Minister did not give details, but one source told Barbados TODAY that it was food stores and health shops that have been selling some of the cannabis-based products including CDB oil, and they have been doing so for some time. There is also speculation that pharmacies have also been selling the product, which is made from cannabis. However, when Barbados TODAY reached out to some health shops and pharmacies they denied having such products for sale while others opted not to comment. “I can tell you that there were food stores and individuals in health shops, who were in possession of CBD oils. Not pharmacies, but people with food stores,” said the source. “The Barbados Drug Service and the inspectors at the Barbados Drug Service are aware and are putting the necessary things in place to correct that because it is still a violation of the laws of Barbados and pharmacists would never engage in that type of thing. We would like the police and various persons to address it because the laws have not yet been changed,” the source added. During the start of the two-day workshop, Bostic told the participants there had to be training and certification before anyone could prescribe or dispense medical cannabis products. “Another question too, is what happens in a year or two, will there be continuous training as the industry develops and more information is made available through research and other things? “So we need to be able to keep this going as part of a continuous medical education and I also believe that the University of the West Indies (UWI) needs to look at this workshop and make it bigger and better and make it not only available to Barbados but to other parts of the Caribbean, and to continue with the training so that we can be assured that we have all the bases covered as the industry develops,” Bostic recommended. Government will also be required to make amendments to existing legislation. Pro-Vice Chancellor and Principal of the UWI, Cave Hill Campus Professor Eudine Barriteau promised that the learning institution would continue to carry out research and help to educate the public on the issue. “While we await the necessary legislative changes that this campus has been calling for since 2016 . . . that will create an enabling environment to facilitate this critical research, we are however, pressing ahead with our objective through collaborative international partnerships,” she said. She said the university officials have also been using their expertise to envision what an “efficient and sustainable regional policy framework for medical cannabis” should look like.(BT)

HE SLAPPED MY BEHIND – The woman at the centre of the dispute with the British national who was reprimanded and released after an alleged bottom-slapping incident, is outraged at how the matter has been handled. Fifty-three-year-old Charmaine Alleyne has suggested that the move by the judicial system is making her look like she was telling lies because she wanted the visitor’s money.James Patrick O’Rouke, 44, pleaded guilty on Monday, to unlawfully assaulting Alleyne in the Sol Top Rock Service Station, and resisting police constable Shaquille McClean in the execution of his duty on May 19.The businessman who spent Monday night at HMP Dodds, was reprimanded and discharged and no conviction registered when he reappeared before Magistrate Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant yesterday. However, Alleyne made it clear she was not happy with the outcome. Alleyne said she was at an area close to the ATM making tea when O’Rouke walked in and started using the machine. She said he told her he thought it was possible to get US from the ATM machine and she informed him that was not the case. “Then he turned and he said something else to me and he shoved the $50 in my bosom. I told him I don’t need his money. “He went over to the cashier to purchase cigarettes. I then went over to the cashier too because I didn’t get my receipt for the tea so I went to look for the receipt. “After he paid for the cigarettes, and on going through the door he slapped me on my behind. So the same time, as I was going through the door behind him a police vehicle came into the gas station. “I went over to them, reported the matter and they went over to the taxi that [O’Rouke and his wife] was in. The police told them what happened and then his wife asked me what happened, so I told her. So then she start to quarrel with him. The police asked him to step out the car and he refused and started to put up a fight. “I never asked him for money. I work every day for my own money,” Alleyne said. She said she was outraged that she had not seen the CCTV footage which O’Rouke claimed cleared his name. However, she said she did see footage “from the gas station that the police showed me”. “Now everybody is looking at me as somebody who is after somebody else’s money. That is violating my character,” she said. Meanwhile, O’Rouke told Barbados TODAY, that the ordeal had left him feeling humiliated, embarrassed and disappointed. Sitting next to his wife, he said he believes he should not have been treated the way he was by police and the judicial system because he did not touch his accuser Charmaine Alleyne inappropriately. “I am very upset. Part of me wants justice; the other part of me just wants to put it behind me. Personally, I will probably just put it behind me and put it down as a bad personal experience,” O’Rouke who is from Willehall, West Midlands, England, said. Today he walked out of the District “A” Magistrates’ Court thanking God that he was saved by the closed circuit television (CCTV) footage of the incident, which did not support the allegation of criminal assault. Explaining why he pleaded guilty to assaulting Alleyne if he had claimed innocence, the businessman said while at the court he sought advice from a “representative”, who told him to plead guilty because the charges were misdemeanours and the punishment would be a slap on the wrist. He said he was told if he pleaded not guilty there was the possibility that he could be remanded for a lengthy time until his case was heard. “I wasn’t sure what to do. I had no representation there. I was in the court and I was about to go onto the stand and I then thought I needed some advice and I asked a representative who was there generally. My statement was not guilty because I had seen the CCTV, the police officers had seen the CCTV and the reason I was kept in custody in Worthings Station for so long was because the lady’s statement did not correlate with the CCTV. There were a lot of discrepancies,” he said. Asked to explain his resisting arrest by the police, he responded: “Of course I am going to resist arrest because I haven’t done anything wrong.” Relating his side of the incident, O’Rouke said he went to the service station around 11 p.m. to get some money from the ATM and to make a purchase. He explained that he got out of the car asked some ladies the location of the ATM and they pointed him in the direction. “I put my card in, I pulled out $500. I assumed I was pulling out US dollars because that is what everyone charges at the resort [Sandals] and we were due to go and swim with the turtles on the glass bottom boat. So I was like, what is this?” he said. O’Rouke said Alleyne then started “chasing him” asking him to give her some money. He said he told her his wife was in the car and asked her to leave him alone. “She was like, ‘give me some money, come on, let’s go’. I was like, ‘take $50, leave me alone. If my wife sees me and you talking she is going to go crazy’. . . I then went to the counter and I bought some cigarettes and I walked off. “So by the time I got literally out of the petrol station, got into the taxi, two police officers literally within 60 seconds, the door was opened, I was dragged out and I was being accused of what I don’t know,” he said. O’Rouke claimed he was physically and verbally abused by the police officers because he resisted the arrest. He said he was hit “severely in the face” leaving his eardrum bruised and hurting. He also claimed that his wife, who was hysterical, was hit in the mouth by one of the officers. He said he was eventually taken to the police station and kept there for hours without knowing what his charges were.(BT)

ARTHUR CONVICTED ON AMMO CHARGES – Former Barbados Labour Party candidate Richard DeLisle Arthur has been convicted of illegal ammunition possession. The 57-year-old brother of former Prime Minister Owen Arthur, of Maynard’s, St Peter, is now at HMP Dodds awaiting sentencing. Arthur was convicted in the No 2 Supreme Court this afternoon, by a nine member jury, for illegally possessing 102 bullets at his home on January 31, 2012.(DN)

WRONG MAN –“I was wrongfully convicted.” That’s the declaration from Corey McDonald Noel, of Joe’s River Tenantry, St Joseph as he continues to maintain his innocence despite being found guilty of aggravated burglary by a jury earlier this year. “ I don’t think I was granted a fair trial cause I don’t understand how I get convicted of something that I ain’t do,” Noel told Madam Justice Jacqueline Cornelius yesterday as the sentencing phase of his case continued in the No. 5 Supreme Court. Back in February a nine-member jury found Noel guilty of burglarising the St George home of Virginia Challenor as a trespasser and stealing $157 in cash, a pair of earrings worth $100, a chain worth $150, a pendant worth $500, two rings worth $10,150 as well as two shotguns worth $12,000 and 100 rounds of ammunition belonging to George Challenor on December 8, 2011 while brandishing a sword. However, the convicted man says he remains perplexed by the verdict. “Although I was not involved in the crime the evidence still was not strong enough . . . . So I believe I was wrongfully convicted,” he stated moments before Challenor addressed the court. She explained that the almost eight-year-old incident occurred very suddenly and she believed she was “more worried”about other things than herself at the time. “Yes I went to the FMH to have stitches in the back of my head. I didn’t have any depression after treatment . . . I do not have residual effects. I can only feel a dent to the back of my head,” she said. Challenor also told the judge that she had moved on. “I don’t think about things like that, what has happened, has happened in the past and I am thankful to be alive, happy to be alive and just getting on with my work,” she added. A probation officer then read a report on Noel saying among other things that he was assessed as being at a medium to high risk of re-offending. “He was reportedly involved in an accident at the age of 9 which affected his cognitive and developmental functioning. [This] has been attributed to [Noel’s] display of maladaptive behaviours during his adolescence and adulthood,” the probation officer read. Following that revelation Justice Cornelius ordered a psychological report on Noel in preparation for sentencing. He returns to court on June 14 in the matter in which Senior Crown Counsel Krystal Delaney and Crown Counsel Neville Watson are the prosecutors.(BT)

BAIL GRANTED ON INDECENT ACT CHARGE – A 56-year-old man was granted $1,000 bail yesterday when he appeared in the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court. Jeffery Adolphus Odle, of Grazettes New Road, St Michael was charged with willfully engaging in an indecent act along Grazettes New Road on March 20, with intent to insult or offend Lazine Juman. He denied the charge and was granted bail to reappear before Magistrate Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant on June 11.(BT)

LAND LOSS- Anstey King says all he wants is the balance of his money from accused attorney Vonda Minerva Pile. “I feel stupid now for paying . . . all that money upfront,” King told a nine-member jury this morning as the theft and money laundering case against Pile continued in the No. 5 Supreme Court. Pile has pleaded not guilty to stealing US$96,008.22 belonging to King between April 29, 2009 and October 26, 2010 and engaging in the disposal of the amount during the same time, being the proceeds of crime. Today, King, who is Pile’s former client in a land deal, gave the court presided over by Madam Justice Pamela Beckles his account of the business between the two. Responding to questions by Acting Director of Public Prosecutions Anthony Blackman, King who resides in Brooklyn, New York, revealed that he engaged Pile some years back in connection with purchasing a house at Strathclyde, St Michael. That process he said was “smooth with no problems”. He explained that he was considering moving back here “full time” and needed a property for his business and since he was “confident” after his initial experience working with her he “acquired her services again” for the second time. He said he spoke to Pile sometime in 2009 on whether she knew about potential plots for sale. Pile, he said, took him to a property in Maxwell, Christ Church which was “butting” the main road and she informed him that the price was “$290,000 – $295,000 Bajan. I said fine. I could afford that”. He then returned to New York and the attorney sent the contract stating the price and description of the land. “I sent it back with a deposit of $20,000 US and it was notorised and that was the first transaction,” he told the court. King said he subsequently received a call from the attorney telling him that the person who owned the property was sick and was anxious for the balance of the money. “I don’t normally send all the money but I worked with Vonda before . . . so I got her . . . bank information so I could wire the money to her. My wife wired her $100, 000 US. I was planning on stalling and then come down. . . and close and pay the balance but Vonda called again. She kept calling saying the lady was very anxious, she was sick and needed the balance of the money and so I proceeded then and sent her an additional wire for $25,000 US,” he disclosed. He said he then returned to Barbados to close the deal and went to Pile who sent him to one of her agents. They then ventured to the site. “I said to him this is not what Vonda showed me . . . I said this cannot work I need to get a refund. I went back to her office and told her ‘what your agent showed me is not what you showed me and that I needed my money back’, because this doesn’t make any sense,” King said in his testimony. He said he pinned the attorney down to a date when the money would be returned and she told me April 14 she will give me back my money “in full” but that did not happen at that time.” The witness said Pile subsequently refunded him $48,000. “I was expecting a whole lot more. So I called her back and asked where is the balance. She said she going to send it, she going to send it, she going to send the balance and this went on for a while. But I had known her and we had a transaction before . . . and I was confident . . . I mean I feel stupid now paying somebody all that money upfront . . . but we had a working relationship and I felt [relatively] comfortable,” he explained. King said he subsequently went to the police but that was the “last step”. “. . . I went to the Bar first. I really tried to negotiate with her,” said King who added that he had no other pending transactions with outstanding balances, neither did he owe Pile any money or borrowed money from her. In cross examination by Pile who is representing herself, King was shown the agreement but said that while the signatures were correct, this document did not have a date, and the amount was not the same as the amount he penned his signature to and notorised. He also denied being told by the attorney that the vendor’s property was probated. Pile challenged him saying that the only reason he wanted back his money was because there was no approval by the Chief Town Planner to which he said that was not the case. He also said the conveyance before the court was not the one he received although the signatures to the back were his and that of his notary. When questioned further he admitted that he had not paid Pile her fees for the work she had done. “We did not close the transaction. I normally pay when you close. When you close is when you get paid,” King said even as he also admitted that he went to the police and reported that Pile had stolen his money before the estate was probated. The case continues in the No. 5 Supreme Court tomorrow.(BT)

HALES IN, SMITH SNUBBED -DAYS AFTER England fined and axed Alex Hales from their World Cup squad because of recreational drug use, the Barbados Tridents have embraced the dashing top-order batsman for this year’s Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL). While Hales was a lucrative first pick for the Tridents, earning US$160 000 when the CPL draft was held at the Gfinity eSports Arena in London, yesterday, the dynamic Dwayne Smith wasn’t retained and went unsold.Astonishingly, England’s Barbadian fast bowling sensation Jofra Archer also went unsold in the auction.Hales later said he was thrilled to be heading back to an island he described as one of his favourite places to play cricket for his maiden CPL outing.The Tridents, who will be led by West Indies’ Test and one-day international (ODI) captain Jason Holder as their marquee player, also secured Pakistan left-arm pacer Wahab Riaz and his compatriots Asif Ali and Imad Wasim.Hard-hitting all-rounder Asif was a round-three pick while wily left-arm spinner Imad was selected in round nine of the draft. West Indies off-spinner Ashley Nurse, attractive wicket-keeper/batsman Shai Hope and all-rounder Raymon Reifer were also retained, while exciting Nepal leg-spinner Sandeep Lamichhane was also chosen by the Barbados franchise.(DN)

FOSTER TAKES BRONZE – National artistic swimmer Gracie Foster has captured gold at the recently concluded Copa International Synchro Panama 2019. Foster beat a slew of athletes from Barbados, Panama, Jamaica and Mexico to finish in third position behind Panama’s Daniela Castillo and Jamaica’s Laila Bailey.

The agile 13-year-old swimmer was part of the historic team that represented Barbados in Martinique at the 2016 CARIFTA Swimming Games. She and seven of her teammates shocked regional synchronised swimmers by convincingly winning bronze in the Under-12 group routine on their first outing to a competition. Artistic swimming, previously known as synchronised swimming, is a challengingsport that combines athleticism, endurance, performance abilities and dance skills. Foster was unable to compete in last month’s CARIFTA Games Artistic Swimming at the Aquatic Centre due to a clash of meets.However, she continued training in Canada where she placed second in her solo routine at the Waterloo International. She now has high hopes for CCCAN in Barbados, which is scheduled for June 24-27. (DN)

For daily or breaking news reports follow us on Instagram, Tumblr, Twitter & Facebook. That’s all for today folks. There are 223 days left in the year. Shalom! #thechasefilesdailynewscap #thechasefiles# dailynewscapsbythechasefiles

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kansascityhappenings · 7 years

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Joe’s Weather Blog: The problem(s) with Irma (WED-9/6)

Basically it comes down to something really simple to understand. Where and when does Irma make it’s expected hard right north (northwards) over the weekend. Does it occur at x o’clock or 6-12 hours before or after x o’clock. Potentially this will be the difference in a multi billion dollar disaster and not one. It comes down to that really. Does it hit Miami with it’s full force (maybe not as strong as it is now though) then skirt up the coast…does it go somewhat inland and go parallel to the coastline northwards…another terribly bad outcome. OR does it manage to stay out to sea, skip Florida (mostly) but then head towards GA/SC.

Forecast:

Tonight: Clear and crisp with lows in the 45-50°. The record is 47° set in 1986

Thursday: Sunny and cool with highs in the mid 70s

Friday: Sunny and mild with highs approach 80°

This weekend: Ditto with highs around 80-85°. There may be a few more clouds around on Saturday

Discussion:

Not going to dwell much on us…except to mention that today is the 10th straight dry day in the KC area…and no rain is coming anytime soon.

Irma

My goodness what a storm. It’s essentially maintained 180+ mph winds for about 24 hours now…and recon aircraft and now doppler radar from San Juan indicate the storm may be lowering it’s pressure again…indicating some more strengthening is possible

Here’s a look at the radar from San Juan…it may load slowly due to hit

It’s an meteorologically amazing storm to watch.

Unfortunately the .gov websites that I rely on to show the cool animations are so overloaded that things aren’t working smoothly today.

Another day, another amazing/scary/beautiful #GOES16 VIS loop of #HurricaneIrma pic.twitter.com/Lc0tm8au7F

— Dan Lindsey (@DanLindsey77) September 6, 2017

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The recon planes are still flying around the storm and will do so for days to come. It’s still impressive what they’re finding especially from a pressure standpoint and a wind standpoint.

Notice the blue line in the upper left box…that dip to around 910 mbs equates to about 26.87″ on you’re typical home barometer (which probably doesn’t go that low anyway). It’s extremely low pressure.

Per @philklotzbach #Irma has been at this intensity for 24+hrs, beating #Allen in 1980. When does the next eyewall replacement cycle occur?? https://t.co/qOSN0eao70

— Sarah Dillingham (@SarahDillingham) September 6, 2017

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What a storm it is and was…according to Philip Klotzbach‏ (@philklotzbach) here are the records that Irma has already broken…through yesterday.

Irma last night hit Barbuda in the Leeward islands denoted by the locator…on the right side of the map below.

About 1700 people live on the tiny Island…communications with the island are down so there’s no report about the status there…it must’ve been a terrible night though…they were directly in the eye of the storm.

The huge eye of Category 5 Hurricane #Irma completely engulfed the island of Barbuda last night, captured by the Suomi NPP #VIIRS overpass. pic.twitter.com/BKNFgx8r4V

— UW-Madison CIMSS (@UWCIMSS) September 6, 2017

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So this is what Barbuda got in terms of winds up until the instrument broke at 2:24 am – at least 118 mph gusting to 154 mph pic.twitter.com/0aN4cpoLMC

— Antigua Met Service (@anumetservice) September 6, 2017

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St Maarten, another small island country was hit hard as well…and today some of the Virgin Islands got thrashed during the morning hours.

#LIVE footage of #HurricaneIrma destroying https://t.co/TUjTdYPyRR in #StMaarten We will #rebuild! @sxmtweets pic.twitter.com/j2IoIGFSuH

— PTZtv (@PTZtv) September 6, 2017

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From the Hurricane The latest forecast for the storm Center…shows this…

Look carefully towards the area off the northern coast of Cuba…that position is key. Where will Irma be on SAT AM as it gets ready to turn rather sharply northwards?

You can see how a storm with a forward velocity of about 15 mph…turning north…if delayed or extended out by 6 hours…would make about a 50-75 mile change in how far west the storm is. In other words…let’s say the storm is moving WNW-15. IF it turns at 6AM SAT more towards the NW or N over a few hours…it would hit/affect ____ BUT if the turn is delayed about 6-12 hours…now it’s farther west by about 50-100 miles…then it would affect ____ as it comes north.

The EURO model today is a worst case probably. Last night it shoved things a bit farther east…then today it adjusted west about 20 miles.

So here is a look at the GFS forecast for Sunday morning…

GFS forecast has winds near landfall at over 130 MPH

Now the EURO forecast…

EURO…not as strong with winds closer to 95 MPH

Regardless it’s a bad situation for South FL…especially from West Palm Beach southwards…at least on Sunday.

Then from there the models sort of have it near the coast or just offshore. Hurricanes have a tendency to actually repel themselves from land if they can…and with the shape of the eastern coastline of FL…it may very well hug the coast or barely stay off shore ala Matthew from last year.

Once of the many issues though is what to do with all the people…some are getting ready to leave, especially in southern FL. Most have never been through anything like what could happen.

Since Florida’s last Cat 5 hurricane, Andrew, hit in 1992, Miami has added 600,000 new residents.https://t.co/SuSQ0fIwur pic.twitter.com/C5qNzEogSG

— Eric Holthaus (@EricHolthaus) September 6, 2017

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My feeling is that Irma should start weakening somewhat as it moves towards the north. What strength it will have IF it approaches Savannah or Charleston next week remains to be seen…but I don’t think, from a wind standpoint it will be as strong as it is now…

A recent study examined the possibility of a Category 5 hurricane strike in downtown Miami. Its cost? $300 billion.https://t.co/SuSQ0fIwur

— Eric Holthaus (@EricHolthaus) September 6, 2017

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There are still many questions about how bad it gets in South Florida…again all timed to the exact place and time of the change in direction towards the north. It better weaken…although the surge aspect whenever Irma finally hits land for good is not something to mess around with…

The hubris of humans…9/5/18z GFS edition. Ocean Isle, NC…complete development of barrier isl. in one of highest TC risk areas in world pic.twitter.com/tGYVvwiSD6

— Walker Ashley (@WalkerSAshley) September 6, 2017

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Again to reiterate…when and where the turn north occurs…will dictate the severity to the state of Florida.

Joe

from FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports http://fox4kc.com/2017/09/06/joes-weather-blog-the-problems-with-irma-wed-96/

from Kansas City Happenings https://kansascityhappenings.wordpress.com/2017/09/06/joes-weather-blog-the-problems-with-irma-wed-96/

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amicusint-blog · 7 years

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Passports for Sale-CBS

Steve Kroft reports on how cash-starved countries offer citizenship for a price, creating ways to ease travel for foreigners, including those running from the law

If you have been thinking about leaving the United States, moving to another country and changing your nationality, it's never been easier to do. In this era of globalization, citizenship and passports have become just another commodity to be bought and sold on the international market. All you need is money and a willingness to contribute a few hundred thousand dollars to the treasury of a cash-starved country or acquire a piece of real estate there.

It's called citizenship by investment and, as we first reported in January, it's become a $2 billion industry built around people looking for a change of scenery or a change of passport, a new life or maybe a new identity, a getaway from the rat race, or perhaps an escape from an ex-spouse or Interpol. In any event, it's brought in huge amounts of revenue for the sellers and attracted among the buyers a rogue's gallery of scoundrels, fugitives, tax cheats, and possibly much worse.

If you're shopping for another passport, the top of the line right now is Malta. By investing a million dollars in this Mediterranean island, a Russian or Chinese or a Saudi can become a European citizen with a new EU passport that will allow them to travel just about anywhere without a visa. There are also much cheaper, less discriminating alternatives available in the Caribbean, especially on the tiny island of Dominica, where Lennox Linton is a member of Parliament.

Steve Kroft: How much does it cost to get a citizenship?

Lennox Linton: $100,000.

Steve Kroft: Do you have to come and live in Dominica?

Lennox Linton: No. No. You don't even have to come to Dominica to get the citizenship. You pay the money from wherever you are.

Steve Kroft: Sorta just mail order citizenship?

Lennox Linton: Sort of. Something like that.

Our introduction to this world of citizenship by investment came in Dubai – the gleaming, international bazaar – that was hosting the 9th annual global citizenship conference. Gathered here were government officials, lawyers, bankers, and real estate developers who facilitate and profit from the trade of citizenship for cash.

Chris Kalin: Good evening, and a very warm welcome…

This is the man who more or less invented the business: Chris Kalin, chairman of Henley and Partners, a consulting firm with offices, where else, but in Zurich, Switzerland. For a fee and healthy commissions, Kalin helps countries set up their program, rewrite their citizenship laws, and recruit people of means looking for a second, third, or fourth passport, which he sees as just another travel accessory; a passport of convenience.

Chris Kalin: You probably have more than one credit card, I would assume. And, you know, if Visa doesn't work, Mastercard will do. So I think any wealthy person nowadays should have more than one credit card. And likewise, you'd have more than one passport.

Steve Kroft: But you need to have some money to do this?

Chris Kalin: Yes.

Steve Kroft: To be able to do this?

Chris Kalin: Yes, absolutely. It's just for wealthy people, of course, yeah.

Quite often these wealthy customers come from politically problematic countries where their passports don't work very well, making it difficult for them to get where they want to go. Global citizens like international lawyer Sirous Motevassel, a Middle Easterner from Iran who travels on a West Indian passport from St. Kitts and Nevis.

Steve Kroft: And where do you live?

Sirious Motevassel: I'm living in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Steve Kroft: So you're an Iranian living in Dubai with St. Kitts citizenship.

Sirious Motevassel: Yes. Yeah.

Steve Kroft: That's complicated.

Sirious Motevassel: Yeah. It, yeah. This is the life.

It's the life, because Motevassel's St. Kitts passport, available for $250,000 or a $400,000 real estate investment, allows him entry to more than 100 countries without having to get special permission. It's a legal way to circumvent visa controls that nations set up to screen people coming into their country. But it's also an opportunity for shady characters to mask their true identities, and avoid suspicion as they travel around the globe.

The business was born here in St. Kitts when Chris Kalin struck a deal with the government a decade ago following the collapse of the islands' sugar industry.Since then, passports have become its major export, providing hundreds of millions of dollars in income. In fact in 2014, the last year for which there are government statistics available, 40 percent of the government's revenue came from selling passports.

It's provided St. Kitts and Nevis with hundreds of millions of dollars for infrastructure projects, private development, and tourism but a lot of the money is unaccounted for. More than 10,000 people have purchased citizenship here, but it's almost impossible to tell who they are because the information is not public. Chris Kalin doesn't like the words citizenship for cash, or any suggestion that all you need is money to get a passport.

Chris Kalin: You have to go through a process. You have to apply. And you have to answer a million questions. And you have to undergo a background verification. And you have, at least in the properly run programs, you have to be a reputable person. And that's checked.

But evidently, not that carefully. About the only way to identify people who have purchased St. Kitts citizenship is if they've happened to turn up on a list of international fugitives or gotten in trouble with the law, and St. Kitts and Nevis has had more than its share for two sleepy, little islands. Its passport holders have included a Canadian penny stock manipulator… a Russian wanted for bribery… a Kazak wanted for embezzlement… two Ukrainians suspected of bribing a U.N. official… and two Chinese women wanted for financial crimes.

Chris Kalin: I think it's no secret that these islands have made decisions that are not always optimal.

Steve Kroft: They've taken some bozos, as you would call them?

Chris Kalin: Yes, exactly.

Steve Kroft: What about crooks?

Chris Kalin: Yes. It's goes all the way down to crooks, yeah, absolutely. And it tended for some time to attract quite a few people that I would never let into the country. But I'm not the government of St. Kitts and Nevis.

Steve Kroft: But you set up their program.

Chris Kalin: We helped to set up the program. But, you know, as it is, advisers advise, ministers decide.

The island nation drew the ire of the U.S. Treasury Department three years ago after three suspected Iranian operatives were caught using their St. Kitts passports to launder money for banks in Tehran in violation of U.S. sanctions. It also had to recall more than 5,000 passports because they either didn't include a place of birth or were issued to people who had changed their names. Since then a number of reforms have been made, but questions remain.

Peter Vincent: They're not transparent programs. There are not safeguards in place.

Until 2014, Peter Vincent was the top legal adviser for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, part of the department of Homeland Security, which he says is well aware of all the vulnerabilities. In fact, before General John F. Kelly became secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, he expressed concern in a 2015 report that "cash for passport programs could be exploited by criminals, terrorists or other nefarious actors."

Steve Kroft: Does that present a security threat, do you think?

Peter Vincent: It does. In my opinion, the global community has established a very effective global security architecture to prevent terrorist attacks. I see these cash for citizenship programs as a gaping hole in that security architecture.

But it's not stopped the programs from multiplying across the Caribbean…Dominica, Grenada, St. Lucia, and Antigua are all competing with St. Kitts now for customers and badly needed cash.

Gaston Browne: So what are we supposed to do? Sit back and do nothing? You tell me.

Gaston Browne, the prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda, says the revenue from its four-year-old program has kept the government from defaulting on its international loans and has turned the economy around. Antigua also claims to have among the strictest programs in the Caribbean. You actually have to show up here to get citizenship, albeit very briefly.

Gaston Browne: Our law provides them to spend at least five days here.

Steve Kroft: That sounds like a vacation.

Gaston Browne: Yes. I understand. But however, we have made sure that at least there must be some face-to-face contact so we know who these people are.

Steve Kroft: For five days.

Gaston Browne: Minimum.

Steve Kroft: What kinda people are you looking for?

Gaston Browne: We're lookin' for high net worth individuals. People who are established business people. Who are well-known. And to make sure that we get the crème de la crème.

If so, they are recruiting them in some odd places. Last summer, Antigua announced it was opening an embassy in Baghdad hoping to sell passports to Iraqis. It didn't work out. But it's doing better next door in Syria after hiring a relative of President Bashar Al-Assad to represent them.

Steve Kroft: Have you had any applications from Syria?

Gaston Browne: Yes. We have had applications from Syria.

Steve Kroft: And you've approved them.

Gaston Browne: Syria is one of the areas in which we have had some concerns but did not place it on a restricted list.

Prime Minister Browne told us instability breeds opportunity. Besides Syria, Antigua has sold citizenship to Iranians, Libyans, Pakistanis, and the people who brought condos in this half-built complex in the desert outside Dubai, 7,300 miles away from Antigua. Its website advertised, "Buy a villa in the UAE and get citizenship of Antigua."

Steve Kroft: I mean, you said that you were looking for the crème de la crème.

Gaston Browne: Crème de la crème.

Steve Kroft: I mean, there's a developer in Dubai.

Gaston Browne: Yes.

Steve Kroft: Sweet Homes.

Gaston Browne: Yes.

Steve Kroft: Who is advertising that he's giving away passports to anyone who buys a condominium there.

Gaston Browne: You don't believe that, right?

Steve Kroft: Like you open a bank account, you get a free toaster.

Gaston Browne: That is not so.

Browne dismissed the sweet homes ads as advertising hype, saying the citizenship is not free or guaranteed. Somebody has to come up with $250,000 for Antigua and condo buyers must pass a background check.

Gaston Browne: You have to go through all of the due diligence.

Steve Kroft: What kinda due diligence do you do?

Gaston Browne: Well, and that is where the crux of the matter lies.

The prime minister claimed that the names of all applicants for Antiguan citizenship are screened by American intelligence and law enforcement agencies, and generally speaking due diligence in the Caribbean has improved substantially since the scandals in St. Kitts. The small island offices with a few people are now backed up by international firms that take the screening to a higher level. But ultimately it's up to each country to decide who gets a passport, and the Caribbean has a rich history of turning a blind eye to official corruption. It's affected the way the way passports are handed out, especially diplomatic passports, that entitle the bearer to all sorts of special privileges, which Peter Vincent says represents a much more serious security threat.

Peter Vincent: The border officials at the receiving country, even without a visa, almost always admit an individual carrying a diplomatic passport. In addition, border forces are not entitled to search the luggage of diplomats like they are for regular tourists. They simply wave them through.

The sale of diplomatic passports is not part of the citizenship by investment program, but it's gone on under the table, according to U.S. authorities, in places like Dominica, which has had a lot of dodgy diplomats.

Lennox Linton: We had a diplomatic passport in the hands of Francesco Corallo, who, at the time, was on INTERPOL's list of most-wanted criminals.

Lennox Linton, who heads the opposition in Parliament, says no one in Dominica had ever heard of Corallo until he was stopped by authorities in Italy.

Lennox Linton: He said, "You can't detain me. I'm a diplomat." They said, "Diplomat? Diplomat of where?" He said, "Dominica."

Then there's Dominican diplomat Alison Madueke, a former Nigerian oil minister charged with bribery and money laundering. And Rudolph King, a Bahamian fugitive from U.S. justice, who presented himself as Dominica's special envoy to Bahrain.

Lennox Linton: What we were doing with an ambassador in Bahrain, I don't quite know. But they seem to think that there was some benefit in there for us.

Steve Kroft: I assume that you've asked the prime minister…

Lennox Linton: Yes.

Steve Kroft: How he ended up appointing these people, diplomats.

Lennox Linton: Yes.

Steve Kroft: And what was the answer?

Lennox Linton: The prime minister doesn't answer those questions.

With vast sums of money flowing into these island nations, and more and more countries selling their citizenship, there is consensus that still more oversight and transparency is needed. But privacy and secrecy have always been a major selling point for people buying multiple passports, including Chris Kalin, the man who invented the business plan.

Steve Kroft: How many do you have?

Chris Kalin: I have multiple.

Steve Kroft: So you don't wanna tell us how many you have?

Chris Kalin: There's a few things in my life that, that I don't talk openly about. And I keep for myself. But I am Swiss originally and many people think I'm very Swiss and so I'll leave it at that.

Our report in January sparked a flurry of reaction in the Caribbean. In Dominica, there were riots demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit for his handling of diplomatic passports. He denies any improprieties. The St. Kitts government deactivated more than 15,000 passports, including 91 diplomatic passports. And Antigua's program -- singled out by the U.S. State Department as "among the most lax in the world" -- has also recalled many of its diplomatic passports.

Produced by Graham Messick and Evie Salomon.

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