This editorial has omitted valuable information and therefore misleads the readers and reflects the false Kremlin narrative. First of all, Russia annexed illegally Crimea in 2015 and sponsored a proxy rebellion in Donetsk and Luhansk and supplemented the rebellion by sending its special forces and even regular Russian armed forces. Ukraine responded by building up its armed forces and re-stating its interest in joining NATO - as protection from an imperialistic Russia (just as the Baltic Countries had done). Putin has violated numerous international and bilateral treaties, the 1994 Budapest Memorandum (in which Russia undertook to respect Ukraine's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity in exchange for Ukraine giving up the third largest arsenal of nuclear weapons) as well as the UN Charter of Rights. The UN General Assembly condemned Russia's invasion by 141 votes to 5. . Putin has made it clear that he wants to destroy Ukrainian statehood, destroy Ukrainian identity and culture and make Ukrainians subservient to his imperialistic agenda. He has launched a brutal unprovoked war. His controlled media has openly espoused the genocide of Ukrainians. Putin media is firmly controlled - and questioning Russia's invasion of Ukraine could result in one being imprisoned in Russia for 15 years. Given Russia's aggressive behaviour over many years, Zelensky has had no choice but to appeal to Ukraine's western partners for help. Are Ukrainians supposed to stand ideally by and see their country ruined, capitulate to Russia and see Ukrainian identity wiped out by Putin's Russian Nazi regime? Do Ukrainians not have a right to national dignity, the right to their national aspirations and the preservation of their own language?
Comparing the Bahamas relationship to Ukraine's relationship with Russia is a false comparison. The US is a democracy not an authoritarian kleptocracy run as a mafia state which does not respect the rule of law or basic human rights. The US respects international treaties, does not commit genocide, does not have an imperialist agenda and is not trying to swallow up the Bahamas. Thank God, that the Bahamas has the US as a neighbour and not Russia.

It is not that NATO wanted the eastward expansion. Rather, it is the Baltic countries, Poland, Rumania that wanted to join NATO to obtain security from NATO in the event of Russian aggression. Ukraine was a neutral country, was horrified in 2008 when Russia invaded Georgia,. The fear of Russian imperialism became more acute when Russia invaded in 2014 and annexed Crimea and sponsored an uprising in the Donbass. Ukraine therefore needed and needs protection. Who else is able to protect Ukraine from Russian imperialism and colonialism? I would also like to point out that being nice to Russia does not work. Numerous heads of state tried to persuade Putin not to invade Ukraine - it did not work. To deal with a bully one needs to show more strength and resolve than the bully. A bully only understands force - let's not be naïve in these matters.

It shows how little support Russia has at the General Assembly. Russia only received 5 votes, its own, Belarus, North Korea, Syria and Eritrea. - not exactly stellar democracies (lol). The resolution for Ukraine received 141 votes. As to abstention some countries officials were not informed and some are just corrupt and want to make money from business relations with Russian oligarchs and don't worry about the double-standards of their country's foreign policies., The world is standing up to Russia - the sanctions are badly hitting the Russian economy, disinvestment, plunging currency worth less than half before the invasion of Ukraine, frozen assets, etc. Yes, the Bahamas is respected member of the international community. The black list was just an attempt to prevent organized crime from using the Bahamas banking system to wash their ill-gotten money. Supporting the Western democracies is in the interest of the Bahamas, as the the Bahamas shares the values, of freedom, peace, democracy, rule of law and respect for the international world order , including international treaties and obligations.

This is not a valid argument. Even if the US were wrong regarding Iraq, two wrongs do not make a right. Whataboutism is a classic way to avoid an argument by diverting attention to other issues. Let's admit the truth, Russia is committing horrendous crimes and invading a sovereign independent country, Ukraine, wants to be a democratic country, respecting human rights and the rule of law.. The Bahamas must support the principles of justice, respect for international law and adopt policies to ensure that Putin's Russia is penalized for its open and brutal aggression. If the Bahamas did not nothing, what would be the consequences? It would imply that any powerful neighbour of the Bahamas that has military strength could invade the Bahamas and force it to submit to its dictates. Therefore, it is in the interests of the Bahamas to Stand for Ukraine.

Former Prime Minister is absolutely right. Russia has violated the UN Charter and numerous multilateral treaties - not to mention bilateral treaties with Ukraine, including the Budapest Memorandum in which Russia pledged to respect Ukraine's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity in exchange for Ukraine giving up the third largest nuclear arsenal in the world. Putin's Russia is a rogue country. The world must stand up to Russia and do everything to help Ukraine fight off the brutal Russian invasion. By helping Ukraine, the Bahamas would help uphold the world's international order, respect for international treaties and international law. The Bahamas is a respected and responsible member of the international community of nations and needs to do its part. Banning Russian aircraft from its airspace and Russian ships from its ports would send a clear message to Russia and the world that the Bahamas stands for a civilized peaceful world order.

I am delighted that the Bahamas is acting and imposing sanctions on Russia. Yes, sanctions are a blunt instrument. However, Russia's brutal unprovoked invasion and aggression against Ukraine flouts all international laws, violates the UN Charter and violates numerous bilateral and multilateral treaties. The Putin regime has been supported in its critical behaviour by Russian oligarchs who have stolen money and hidden it in foreign bank accounts. Putin's Russia must be stopped as it is causing tremendous suffering in Ukraine, endangering world peace. and seriously harming the global economy. The Bahamas, as a respected and responsible member of the world community of nations, had to step up and do the right thing - impose sanctions on Russia. Hopefully, the Bahamas will soon also close its airspace and ports to all Russian airplanes and vessels. Bravo to the Bahamas Government and to all Bahamians for Standing for Ukraine.

In Canada, our Health Authorities also told us to mix and match. They said it was effective and a way to stretch the available supply of vaccines. Further studies confirmed that yes, it was effective mixing different types of approved vaccines (AstraZeneca with .Pfizer or Moderna).

In Canada, we also mixed and match. Health Canada said it was effective and a means to stretch vaccine supplies.

To Whogothere: I agree that the statistics may not be fully accurate - yet, they are the best indicator that we have. A lot about the Covid-19 virus is still unknown, for example what amount of exposure to the virus is necessary to trigger a serious level of infection in an individual as well as whether individuals can be reinfected once they were infected. I believe that we need to turn to international comparative figures. Those figures show that some countries have done a lot better than others. I have particularly in mind, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. We should learn from best practices and emulate their approach to dealing with the pandemic. It is also noteworthy that Japan, South Korea and Taiwan have a very disciplined population that is willing to follow government regulations which are based on professional scientific and medical advice.

To Whogothere: Please see the figures of reported infection rates, death rates and deaths per million of population. https://www.worldometers.info/coronavir…. They provide valuable information and make international comparisons. These figures are widely trusted internationally.