02082023 EDITION

PLP ‘DECIDED’ ON NIB FUND

...but we have to wait longer to find out what will be done

By JADE RUSSELL Tribune Staff Reporter jrussell@tribunemedia.net

AFTER months of deliberation, the Davis administration finally made a decision yesterday concerning the future of the National Insurance Board fund, according to State Minister Myles Laroda with responsibility for NIB.

Mr Laroda told reporters yesterday that the government will soon announce its decision on whether NIB contribution rates will

increase or not.

However, he declined to say what course of action the government intends to take to ensure the fund’s sustainability.

“That matter has been dealt with at Cabinet. We are at a decision. We have a little bit of cleaning up to do with regards to the decision that was made,” Mr Laroda said before yesterday’s Cabinet meeting when asked by The Tribune for an update.

HIGH-VALUE EDUCATION LEVEL ‘WORRINGLY LOW’

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor

THE Bahamas’ ability to develop high-value industries and diversify its economy are impaired by “worryingly low” graduation rates at its sole university with just seven percent of students studying science and technology-related courses.

An Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) study on government spending in key areas found that improving access and efficiency at the University of The Bahamas and other tertiary educational institutions is vital if it aspires to match the likes of Singapore as a true international business centre.

MUNROE RESPONDS TO MINNIS ON THREATS

By JADE RUSSELL Tribune Staff Reporter jrussell@tribunemedia.net

NATIONAL Security Minister Wayne Munroe said yesterday that death threats against anyone will be investigated once reported to police.

Mr Munroe made these comments after he dismissed claims by former Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis on Monday that Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis’ reaction to recent death threats is

NEW BPL HEDGING FUEL PLAN

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

BAHAMAS Power & Light (BPL) yesterday signalled its intent to re-enter the fuel hedging market just one day after the Prime Minister sought to discredit how the strategy was employed by the former administration.

“overkill”, with Dr Minnis noting it’s not uncommon for a Prime Minister to receive such threats.

“I don’t know what he (Dr Minnis) means. Anybody who makes a threat of death, it’s investigated by the police. Whether you’re the Prime Minister or somebody from Kemp Road. If someone threatens you with death, and you make a complaint the

THE NEWLY-elected president of the Bahamas Nurses Union, Muriel Lightbourn, is determined to rebrand the union, despite tensions over the previous administration. In an interview

FNM accuses government of ‘failing small businesses’

THE FREE National Movement has accused the Davis administration of failing small businesses, saying its “illadvised” policies has made it difficult for business owners to operate.

The party spoke out hours after the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers Confederation criticised the government on its recent policy changes related to business licence renewals.

Last month, the Davis administration made policy changes mandating that all businesses provide the real property tax assessment number for the building from which the business operates, even if they are renting the space.

They are also requiring businesses that earn less than

$100,000 to submit proof of income at the time of applying for a business licence renewal, among other things.

Yesterday, the BCCEC said in a statement: “These decisions have added to the mounting frustration of the private sector, added delays, and continue to hinder the timelines in how businesses are able to operate and prepare for the future.”

“Businesses suffer and cannot properly plan when the GOB makes policy shifts that have a material impact on how they are to operate without providing a fair and adequate notice period for implementing new policies.”

The BCCEC also noted that in a recent survey, more than half of the respondents they surveyed indicated they were concerned about government regulations,

MISSING 16-YEAR-OLD FOUND SAFE AFTER COMMUNITY SEARCH

red tape and government taxes and fees.

“The BCCEC acknowledges that it is within the purview of the GOB to make policies. However, we believe that in these economic times challenges by inflation, supply chain issues and uncertainty, policies ought to make doing business easier.”

“The benefit of policies that advance the ease of doing business not only makes the jurisdiction more attractive to international businesses and partnerships, but also leads to a strong and more resilient local business community.”

“These factors will naturally increase revenue for the government of The Bahamas. The business community wants to see policies put in place that supports business growth – which is

tantamount to economic growth.

In a statement, East Grand Bahama MP Kwasi Thompson, who is also the shadow minister for finance, said the FNM stands in support with the BCCEC.

“Bahamian small businesses are just beginning to recover from the fallout of the pandemic and now face a government that is determined to put up obstacles and make their challenging environment even worse. The government should be doing all it can to promote, assist and encourage small businesses instead of adding to their frustrations,” he added.

“We demand that the government immediately reverse their hastily imposed and ill-advised requirements for business owners to chase down the real property tax information of their

landlords. In no scenario is that a reasonable requirement of a tenant. We demand that the government cease its requirements for proof of income during this licensing period for micro and small businesses.”

“If the government wants to change the financial information required from small businesses, it must give the businesses at least six months to plan for and adequately provide the information - with provisions for the training and support of small businesses.”

“This is an added expense that some businesses will find very difficult to meet. We demand that the government cease its wholly unreasonable and expensive demand that all Customs brokers pay to integrate with its Customs Click2Clear system.”

A MISSING girl has been found after a search party canvassed the Palm Breeze Drive area last night. A team of about 50 people took part in the

search for 16-year-old Shiloh Saunders, organised by Storm Intercept Weather Network and the National Neighbourhood Watch Council.

The team issued flyers to people and she was recognised by people in the neighbourhood. She was said to appear in good condition last night.

MP for Southern Shores Leroy Major and Craig Lowe, Head of SI Weather Network and resident of Palm Breeze, canvassed the neighbourhood helping to find the missing teenager.

FLYERS being handed out last night in the search effort.

Photos: Moise Amisial

PLP decided on NIB fund; will have to wait to find out what will be done

“We (will) be coming forth shortly with the direction of which the National Insurance Board would go with regards to the raise in contribution rates and other recommendations that was made in the report that the executive management team of the National Insurance Board has recommended to the government that in their view needs to change.”

In December, he admitted the government would have to make a decision concerning the state of NIB’s fund, which he said remained on target to lose about $70m

that year.

“The fund is no better, or no worse than the last time we spoke,” Mr Laroda said at the time.

“The government is going to have to make a decision in the upcoming year as to what its position is going to be as we move forward as it relates to the increase. I think the fund is on pace to lose around $70m plus this year, that’s about $6m a month,” he said in December.

The Tribune has previously reported about the dire straits of the fund over the years.

This newspaper exclusively reported in April that

the 11th actuarial review of the National Insurance Board predicted the fund could be depleted by 2028.

That report had reduced the fund’s potential depletion timeline by one year, as the 10th review had made a prediction of 2029.

It also recommended NIB to increase the contribution rate by two percent and continue increases every two years until 2036, among other things.

There have been ongoing discussions as to whether government will decide to increase NIB contributions, especially in view of reports that the agency’s board had

TOURISM MINISTER CALLS MINNIS’ BAHAMASAIR COMMENTS ‘IRRESPONSIBLE’

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

TOURISM, Aviation and Investments Minister Chester Cooper said former Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis was “irresponsible” when he told parliamentarians on Monday that millions of dollars were missing from Bahamasair.

Dr Minnis, during his contribution to debate on the 2022 Fiscal Strategy Report, alleged in Parliament Monday night that “millions of dollars” had disappeared from Bahamasair’s branch in Haiti, which he blamed on travel agents and baggage handlers there.

“Millions of dollars have disappeared from Bahamasair by travel agents in Haiti... and they have remained quiet,” Dr Minnis said. “Where has the money gone?

“Maybe, that is why you see Bahamasair suspend flights to Haiti. That’s a part of it.”

The leader of government business, Obie Wilchcombe, asked Dr Minnis to substantiate the claim or withdraw it. However, the Killarney MP declined to withdraw his comments.

Yesterday, Mr Cooper called the remarks irresponsible and said there was no missing money. He said some $500,000 was sitting in a bank account in Haiti and that officials were hoping to soon recover it.

“I am advised that the former Prime Minister Minnis made some assertions that there was money missing in Haiti. This comment was most irresponsible. There is no missing money. There is an ongoing reconciliation matter,” Mr Cooper said before going to a Cabinet meeting.

“The amount is in the range of $500,000. The former prime minister indicated that it was millions of dollars missing. If he knows where the millions are, we would be happy to recover it. Bahamasair has indicated that the amount in question was in the region of $500,000.”

“It was a reconciliation matter. The matter is sitting on an account in Haiti and they expect it will be fully recovered by the end of this week so perhaps the

(former) Prime Minister was looking for headlines on this point, but it’s a matter that’s being handled by the board and management of Bahamasair.”

In a statement issued last night, Bahamasair said Dr Minnis’ claim of millions of dollars being missing in Haiti was “not true”.

The statement said: “During the pandemic, Bahamasair suspended services into both Port-auPrince and Cape Haitien, Haiti. During this period, certain administrative and reconciliation issues occurred within the company that provided handling and representation services for Bahamasair in Haiti. As a result, funds related to sales within Haiti were deposited into the bank in Haiti once service resumed.”

Bahamasair said a total of around $530,000 in deposits were made by the company’s handling agent from ticket sales, which had been reconciled with no dispute, and that those funds would be received shortly in the course of business. There is also a reconciliation taking place, said Bahamasair, of a difference of “some $38,000 in bags and other fees, which the airline expects to have completed in short order”.

The company said: “The above constitute the complete reconciliation process for the airline’s affairs in Haiti relating to our handlers and we reiterate that this is purely an administrative matter.”

Cooper also addressed the suspension of Bahamasair’s weekly flights to

recommended that they should move quickly to effect the increase in time for January 1, 2023.

In terms of the average salary of NIB employees, there has also been concern in view of the fund’s dire state.

An Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) report indicated NIB employees received an average income of $64,000 annually.

When asked about the report, Mr Laroda said the average staff member’s salary is actually $40,000 at NIB.

“The executives of which there are 12, the average

salary is around $90,000.”

“Then you have the managers below that. There’s 165 individuals in that category and the average salary is around $58,000. The 460 plus non-management staff is around $32,000.”

He added: “So for a staff complement of around just probably south of 650 staff members, it’s around $39,000. You could round off to say $40,000, the average staff member salary at the National Insurance Board.”

After COVID hit in 2020, NIB paid out more than $100m in unemployment benefits to support thousands of Bahamians who

were laid off during the health crisis.

Once NIB’s 13 weeks of payments stopped, the government introduced its own COVID unemployment programme to provide further income support to jobless Bahamians.

More than $200m was spent on the unemployment benefit scheme by the government by the end of September 2021.

The number of benefits paid out over the years has left NIB reserves in a state of decline.

This is because payments have exceeded the incoming contributions since 2016, NIB had said earlier.

MUNROE RESPONSE ON THREATS

from page one

police will investigate,” Mr Munroe told The Tribune before yesterday’s Cabinet meeting.

Mr Munroe said Davis is carrying on with his regular duties as usual despite the death threats made against him on Friday.

“The Prime Minister made it clear that he’s carrying on with business as usual. So I’m not quite sure what the former Prime Minister is talking about. The police will investigate all complaints of crime.”

Dr Minnis argued that every former Prime Minister at some point has been threatened. However, he said he has never seen others take on such intense security measures as has Mr Davis.

Port-au-Prince, saying the move was made for security reasons.

“You may recall that recently, the Foreign Affairs Ministry withdrew our personnel from Haiti,” Mr Cooper added.

“It stemmed from similar concerns and that is the sole reason why Bahamasair has suspended its flight to Haiti. You may or may not know that this a profitable route for Bahamasair but Bahamasair is determined by its personnel and its equipment is of great value and, therefore, they have determined that until things are settled, they will return.”

On Sunday, Tracy Cooper, Bahamasair’s chief executive officer, confirmed to Tribune Business that the national flag carrier had suspended its flights to Haiti’s capital since January 28.

He said the deteriorating security situation in Portau-Prince had upended the national flag carrier’s Haiti business model to the extent that flights to the northern coastal city of Cape Haitian instead are departing with 98 percent average load factors (passenger capacity).

The demand has forced Bahamasair to deploy one of its 138-seater jets to the route, marking a reversal from when Port-au-Prince would have been the prime destination and merited such capacity.

The airline suspended services to the Haitian capital after it was reported that five Bahamians from Bahamasair were unable to leave Port-au-Prince’s airport due to protests by police force members over gang-related killings of their comrades.

Mr Munroe wanted to know to which security measures Dr Minnis referred as “if he knows of different security measures he is free to say”.

Mr Munroe suggested if any extra measures have been taken it is the result of recent incidents, such as a demonstration led by Coalition of Independents leader Lincoln Bain outside Parliament on February 1.

“After the fiasco on Bay Street, the Commissioner of Police had a conversation with me. They were being very tolerant, as you, the press could see, people were permitted right up to the door of Parliament. They abused the privilege.”

He added: “And so now the police have to react to what is there. And that should be a sign to people. Simply because you are given a privilege, you should be careful not to abuse it.”

Police Commissioner Clayton Fernander told The Tribune yesterday that no arrest had been made yet in regard to the death threats

made against the Prime Minister, however, he said the investigation is active.

Additionally, Mr Bain reportedly plans to have another demonstration at next week’s CARICOM meeting. When asked about the demonstration, Mr Munroe responded: “Bearing in mind that the police who will be charged with the security measures, as I say when you get extended a privilege, and you show that you can’t handle it, then the persons who are charged with controlling a circumstance will assume no doubt that you will react as you reacted on the last occasion and that will no doubt direct their response.”

On Friday, the Prime Minister’s office received two anonymous calls from someone who made death threats against Prime Minister Phillip Davis, prompting a full-blown investigation.

Police Commissioner Clayton Fernander said during an emergency press

briefing at the Prime Minister’s office that the calls were made shortly after noon on Friday, adding that officers are following significant leads.

He also said the Prime Minister was in “good spirits” and told him he was not afraid despite being threatened.

“Both calls came in, one right after the other about 15 minutes apart, threatening to kill the nation’s leader,” he added.

“We, as Bahamians, it shouldn’t happen. When you’re talking about threatening the nation’s leader and we as Bahamians, how we got to this level in threatening individuals, and you can go beyond the prime minister and individuals and we take this very seriously.

“We are now reviewing the threat level so we can put some additional security measures in place along with our law enforcement partner and the team here from the defence force and so we are on top of this.”

Our company has been around gaming for over 30 years and pride ourselves on quality service and customer relationships. We are moving forward in the market and such are

Assistant Island Manager (Eleuthera)

Duties include, but not limited to:

• Overseeing adherence to company policies and procedures by employees.

• Auditing cashiers work to ensure accuracy.

• Maintain a safe and secure working environment for customers and staff.

•

• Evaluating, assessing and managing the performance of each employee.

• Ensuring that the opening and closing of shops in a timely manner.

• Ensure safe keeping of company funds.

• Overseeing the selection and recruitment of new employees.

• Perform other duties as assigned by Management.

Interested person mail their resume to P.O. Box F-40886 or email to careers@chancesgames.com

MINISTER of National Security Wayne Munroe.

Photo: Austin Fernander

MINISTER of Tourism, Aviation and Investment, Chester Cooper yesterday called Dr Hubert Minnis comments on missing money from Bahamasair “irresponsible”.

Photo: Austin Fernander

NEW NURSES LEADER SEEKS A REBRAND

for the upcoming term, saying that the union must reflect the principles and morals implemented during its inception. “I just wanted to make a change,” she said yesterday. “With our union, when it was first created, we had a mandate to make it that all nurses would benefit from our union, one way or the other and, lately, that has not been the case.”

She was contacted by this newspaper yesterday after reports surfaced that there

was tension brewing among members following the release of last month’s election results. The Tribune understands some nurses had been disgruntled under former president Amancha Williams’ leadership, claiming she was “unfit” to serve in the post as little had been done to advance the union and members.

Nurses went to the polls on January 19 to vote for new leadership within the union.

Despite declining to comment on the matter, Nurse Lightbourn acknowledged

concerns, saying candidates have a right to file complaints. However, she insisted it is her goal to bridge the gap between union members, narrowing in on Family Island members.

“I want to make sure that this administration and myself in particular are more open, we want to communicate with our nurses, we want them to know, and especially our nurses in the family of islands,” she told this newspaper yesterday.

“We want them and we need them to know that they are part of this union,

and, even though they may be apart from us, you know, geographically, we are still one.” When asked how she expects to rebrand, Nurse Lightbourn said that her administration intends to be inclusive to ensure that all decisions are made in the “best interest” of members.

“This administration, we promise our nurses that we are going to be inclusive,” she told The Tribune yesterday.

“They’re (nurses) going to have a part, they’re going to be able to sit to the table.

“We promised them that

we’re going to communicate with them (nurses), so we need to know what is going on with them.

Nurse Lightbourn continued: “When we sit down with our stakeholders and those persons that we have to negotiate with on their behalf, we’re not going on what we feel, or what we think we want them to have, we’re going on what they need.”

Additionally, she wanted to assure the public that the union is open to critique and feedback, as public opinion is crucial for growth and advancement.

Ms Lightbourn said the union is focused on retaining nurses as many nurses are departing the profession.

“Our main focus is on retaining our nurses, you know,” she said yesterday.

“We have a lot of nurses, they’re leaving, some of them, you know, not all of them are going to the States or Canada, some of them are just leaving the profession.

“So, we want to be able to retain those nurses and recruit nurses and into our profession, and that’s our main goal.”

SHINING A LIGHT SO CRIMINALS CANNOT HIDE

By JADE RUSSELL Tribune Staff Reporter jrussell@tribunemedia.net

IN AN effort to curb crime, the Royal Bahamas Police Force partnered up with Bahamas Power & Light to improve the source of light throughout communities in New Providence. The initiative aims to restore and improve the street lights in areas that are considered “hotspots” in terms of violence.

Chief Superintendent Chrislyn Skippings spoke to reporters yesterday during a ride-along that showed areas where street lights have been improved since the initiative started last November.

CSP Skippings said 95 percent of New Providence has benefited from the initiative, adding that BPL has done work throughout the island to enhance lighting.

“As indicated earlier, 95% of the country has now benefited from these new lights, it is an ongoing initiative that’s going to continue. It’s not just a one-time, and it’s going to be consistent. If one light is blown, the next day, the intention is to change it so that we keep the area well-lit, to push the criminal element out. Wherever there is light, criminals cannot hide,” CSP Skippings said.

She added: “And so that’s the whole concept behind what is happening right now. And it’s going to take the partnership of not just the police, but we have all of the agencies have to play a critical role in fighting crime. BPL has come on board, they have met with our senior team, and they’ve identified the hotspots. And all of the hotspots right now have been outfitted with the new lamps.”

The initiative is ongoing as the partnership aims to upgrade street lighting within communities, especially those that lack the needed light features.

“This is just the first of many initiatives that you’re going to see with partnerships from (the) corporate Bahamas. And from all of the private sectors more is yet to come. And so to those criminals, there’s no more hiding spots for you,” CSP Skippings said.

KENO WONG, of the National Neighbourhood Watch Council, alongside officer in charge of community policing Darvy Pratt last night. The two joined a team of police visiting hotspots in New Providence as part of a project involving Bahamas Power & Light to improve lighting in areas where violence has been more common. Photos: Austin Fernander

THE TEAM from the police and BPL.

POLICE speaking to residents in the community last night.

Shaunae’s pregnancy reignites calls for equality on citizenship

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

SOME WOMEN activists are again calling for equality over citizenship rules after the recent news of Bahamian Olympic star Shaunae Miller-Uibo’s pregnancy.

The track and field athlete announced that she and her husband, Estonian decathlete Maicel Uibo, are expecting their first child. The news was met with widespread congratulations, including from Prime Minister Philip Davis. This comes at a time when there is much discussion regarding citizenship laws. Children born outside of the country to a Bahamian woman and a foreign man are not automatically granted Bahamian citizenship. They must apply to become citizens.

Former senator Lisa Bostwick-Dean said she is “absolutely thrilled” about the gold medalist’s pregnancy and wished her a safe delivery when contacted by The Tribune yesterday.

However, she expressed disappointment in women who did not ensure the previous equality vote was not decided in their favour.

She said: “I’m extremely saddened that this has to be a discussion. I’m angry and I’m not just angry with politicians. I’m angry with everyone that was entitled to vote on this issue.

“I’m disappointed that women, because we are the majority of voters on the register, I’m disappointed that women have not - [ensured] that our children are Bahamian wherever we give birth to them. Wherever we give birth and under circumstances, whether we’re married or not married.”

Women United president and founder Prodesta

Moore said it is unfortunate that Shaunae’s baby news is in the spotlight when it comes to advancing the cause, but Ms Moore hopes it will.

She said: “I thought about Shaunae when I heard about the pregnancy and this is one of the things that we’ve been talking about for a while in terms of being able to pass citizenship on to your children. I know that she can apply for a child but that’s not the point. The point is, it should be, you know, automatic just how it is if it was a male.

“So hopefully, this will spark some interest in our country and making sure that she is able to do it and the laws are changed based on the fact. The laws are changed based on the fact that it’s unfortunate that it has to take a person like Shaunae to help to advance the cause, but I’m hoping that this is advanced, based on the fact that citizenship should automatically passed on to our children whether we’re male or female.”

Asked if it were shameful that the country had not changed its laws and that it could affect someone like Mrs Miller-Uibo, Ms Moore replied: “It would be shameful and that’s why I’m hoping that this now helps us to advance the cause where we see that we have national heroes like Shaunae because they are not taking the regular Bahamian citizens seriously.

“But now who would not want to have a Shauna Miller-Uibo as you know, being able to pass the citizenship on. So it should draw some attention and I’m hoping that we take a look at it. It is unfortunate that we have to now use this as a platform, but if that’s what it takes, then that’s what it takes.”

In 2016, a gender equality referendum asked the

TWO GB MEN DENIED BAIL ON SEPARATE COUNTS OF SEX CRIMES

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

A GRAND Bahama man was charged in Freeport’s Magistrate’s court on Tuesday with rape and causing harm.

Herman Major, 35, of Holmes Rock, West Grand Bahama, appeared before Magistrate Simone Brown in the Eight Mile Rock Magistrate Court.

It is alleged that on January 30 while at Deadman’s Reef, the accused sexually assaulted and attacked a 23-year-old woman.

He was not required to plead to the charges. Bail was denied and he was remanded to the Bahamas Department

of Corrections until May 3.

In the second incident, Joshua Oliver, 31, of Coral Gardens, Freeport, was charged with unlawful sexual intercourse and burglary.

He appeared before Deputy Chief Magistrate Debbye Ferguson in Court One.

It is alleged that on January 31, at Freeport, the accused burglarised a residence and sexually assaulted a female juvenile.

Oliver was not required to plead to the charges and was denied bail. He was remanded to the Bahamas Department of Corrections until April 26.

FREEPORT MAN GRANTED $9K BAIL ON HARBOURING CRIMINAL CHARGE

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

A FREEPORT man was this week charged with harbouring a criminal in a case before the Freeport Magistrate’s Court.

Gregory Munroe, 59, of 25 Trade Winds, South Bahamia, pleaded not guilty to the charge of harbouring a criminal.

He was granted $9,000 bail with three sureties, and the matter was adjourned to Thursday, February 16.

In other court matters, Kevin Mitchell, 40, of Sweetings Cay, was charged with witness tampering.

He pleaded not guilty to the charge and was granted $10,000 bail, with one surety.

Mitchell was ordered to be outfitted with an electronic monitoring device and is required to sign in at the Central Police Station every Monday between the hours of 6am and 6pm.

The matter was adjourned to Monday, April 3.

MAN FINED FOR CAUSING INJURY AND DAMAGING CAR

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Court Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A MAN was fined in court yesterday and ordered to financially compensate a man he admitted to injuring and damaging his car on Arawak Cay.

John Cates, 30, faced Assistant Chief Magistrate Subusola Swain on a charge of causing harm and damage.

electorate whether they would support four constitutional amendments. One of those included Bahamian women being afforded the same right as their male counterparts, but it was rejected.

Attorney General Ryan Pinder said previously,

with respect to the country’s citizenship laws, that the government is awaiting the Privy Council’s decision concerning a landmark Supreme Court ruling on the issue.

In 2021, the Court of Appeal affirmed a Supreme Court decision that

Bahamian men can automatically pass citizenship to their children regardless of whether their child is born out of wedlock to non-Bahamian mothers.

The government later appealed the court’s decision to the Privy Council and the matter is still pending.

Equality Bahamas director Alicia Wallace argued that Mrs Miller-Uibo is entitled to the “same human rights as all Bahamian women”.

“We are all subject to discriminatory law which needs to change for the benefit of us all. At Equality Bahamas, we talk about inter-sectionality as integral to feminist and women’s rights work because we know that we do not all experience discrimination in the same way or to the same degrees.”

“The ways we are treated are determined based on race, class, disability, geographic location, and as we well know in The Bahamas, our names which determine who we know and who knows us.

“Miller-Uibo’s pregnancy may bring more attention to the issue of gender inequality in nationality law and serve to renew the call for it to be addressed through ordinary legislation while the government develops

an action plan and timeline, with women’s rights organisations, for a referendum as recommended by the CEDAW Committee in 2018.”

Ms Wallace highlighted the need for equal application of the law and rights for all woman, including the track star.

“It is important to note that there is significant power held by the minister who, through the Bahamas Nationality Act, can grant citizenship to the child of a Bahamian at his/her own discretion. Should MillerUibo apply for her child to be registered as a citizen of The Bahamas, citizenship would likely be granted.

“The minister may decide that her name and her status as an Olympian are enough to overlook her gender and what the law says about Bahamian women and citizenship. We all know that the law is not applied to all people in the same way. Not only is there gender inequality in our laws, but in enforcement, implementation, and practices. We need legal reform to ensure that we all have full access to our human rights and that all Bahamian women can confer citizenship on their children.”

At around 3.30pm on January 20 at Arawak Cay during a physical altercation, the accused injured Robert Young. During the incident, it is said Cates caused damage to Young’s red coloured 2017 Honda Accord, valued at $6,830. In court, Cates pleaded guilty. He was fined and ordered to compensate the complainant a collective $7,300.

SHAUNAE MILLER-UIBO, with husband Maicel, announced her pregnancy Monday o social media. Her announcement has reignited calls for equality on the rules surrounding passing on citizenship.

Photo: Stanley Babb

The Tribune Limited

Biden speech: More conciliation than conflict

THE State of the Union address tends to have a ritual rhythm. Grand entrance. Applause. Platitudes. Policies. Appeals for unity, real or imagined.

President Joe Biden checked those boxes, and a few more, during his speech to a joint session on Congress on Tuesday. In part, he seemed to be laying the foundation to run for a second term. “We’ve been sent here to finish the job,” he said.

Biden made calls for unity and tried to emphasise conciliation over conflict, easier to do in this rarefied setting, seemingly impossible to sustain in such divided times.

Biden’s speech almost defiantly ignored the bitter divisions between Republicans and Democrats and his own low standing with the public.

He returned repeatedly to common ground, making the case that both parties can back US factories, new businesses being formed and the funding of 20,000 infrastructure projects. When Biden hit each of these themes, Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy politely clapped, evening standing to applaud at one point.

It’s a sign that Democrats and Republicans can at least agree to a shared set of goals, even if they have very different views of how to get there.

In the midterm election campaign, Biden warned of Republican extremists. On Tuesday night, he portrayed them as partners in governance during the first two years of his presidency.

But then came a Biden comment that generated boos and hoots from Republicans: Biden said some in the GOP were bent on cutting Social Security and Medicare.

That sparked a raucous back and forth that seemed more in line with the reality of the actual relationship between the parties.

More takeaways from the president’s State of the Union address:

REGULAR JOE

Biden used the speech to highlight his focus on the common man, calling out billionaires who pay lower tax rates than the middle class and airlines that treat their passengers like “suckers”.

It amounted to a dare to Republican lawmakers who increasingly claim to represent blue-collar workers.

“No billionaire should pay a lower tax rate than a school teacher or a firefighter,” Biden said in one of the bigger applause lines of his speech.

The president brought back an idea from last year to put a minimum tax on billionaires so they don’t pay a lower rate than many middle-class households. Biden had pitched a 20% tax on the income and unrealised financial gains of households worth $100m or more. The administration estimated it would generate $360bn over ten years. That would in theory help fund some priorities and possibly reduce the deficit.

But Biden’s tax plan might be more about scoring political points, as he couldn’t get it past West Virginia Democrat Joe Manchin in the Senate last year.

He was straightforward in saying he would stop airlines from charging fees in order to sit families together, saying that children were being treated like luggage. He wants to ban hidden resort fees charged by hotels and penalties charged

by cell service providers.

“Americans are tired of being played for suckers,” Biden said.

PASSING OVER CHINA BALLOON

Biden had been on a winning streak countering the United States’ rising military and economic competitor China.

Then Beijing brazenly floated a spy balloon across the United States, an embarrassing episode for Biden that culminated last weekend with him ordering the Pentagon to shoot the craft out of the sky over the Atlantic Ocean.

The incident has dominated headlines, with some Republicans arguing that it demonstrates Biden has been wobbly on Beijing.

Biden briefly addressed the incident directly: “As we made clear last week, if China’s threatens our sovereignty, we will act to protect our country. And we did.”

Lost in the noise is the Biden administration’s increasingly aggressive efforts to counter China. like agreements with the Philippines and Japan to adjust or expand the US military presence in those countries. The balloon drama overshadowed all of that.

STANDING WITH UKRAINE

Last year’s State of the Union was dramatically shaped by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which started days before the address.

At that moment, the chances of Ukraine staying in the fight with a more formidable Russian military seemed highly unlikely. Nearly a year later, Ukraine is firmly in the fight.

Biden took a moment to pay tribute to Ukraine, addressing one of his guests, Ambassador Oksana Markarova, as representing “not just her nation but the courage of her people”.

He also applauded Congress for giving the Ukrainian what it needed to face Russia’s brutal aggression; the United States has already committed nearly $30bn in security assistance since the start of the war.

In private, administration officials have made clear to Ukrainian officials that Congress’ patience with the cost of the war will have its limits. But with Tuesday’s address, Biden offered an optimistic outlook about the prospects of long-term American support.

“Ambassador, America is united in our support for your country,” Biden said looking toward Markarova in the gallery. “We will stand with you as long as it takes.”

FINISH THE JOB

Biden uttered the phrase “finish the job” at least a dozen times during his address. It sounded like the makings of a slogan he might employ for a reelection campaign.

But it is highly unlikely he will be able to finish the job on many of the things he referenced, like an assault weapons ban, universal preschool for three- and fouryear-olds and forcing companies to stop doing stock buybacks.

At least not during this term.

By JOSH BOAK and AAMER MADHANI Associated Press

Changes to VAT and healthcare

EDITOR, The Tribune.

PLEASE allow me space to touch on the upcoming changes to VAT payments as it relates to health/medical insurances.

Before I get into that, let me first remind the Bahamian public that they, the consumers, have always been on the paying end of the stick when it comes to VAT. In actuality, businesses do not pay VAT, but rather act as agents of the government to collect VAT from the consumer for services and goods. They (businesses) are then able to file at the end of the year for a refund/rebate on VAT they paid on their goods.

Now let us look at what is going to happen effective April 1, 2023, when 100% VAT will be paid by the consumer for medical insurance claims. This will mean that the consumer (insured person) is paying VAT twice, both on the premium and on the claim. While I understand that this may be some sort of plan to eventually force persons to use NHI, the present administration should perhaps look at ways to ensure NHI is more efficient and effective. This new tax that will be placed on the insured, who

in many instances is making a great sacrifice to pay medical insurance premiums, will lead to a decrease in the number of persons able to afford individual medical coverage. Small brokers/ agents that are carriers mainly for health/medical insurance plans will feel the pinch and some may eventually be forced to close. This will then add to the unemployment numbers.

Those persons that are a part of a group coverage may find it more beneficial to seek medical attention overseas to eliminate the additional VAT charges. This then has an effect on the economy as funds are being spent abroad that could be spent at home.

The increase in revenue from VAT that this administration is seeking to gain might just backfire and create a bigger strain on an already struggling health system.

Bahamians are finding it very difficult to afford health insurance and we see daily the cries of many for assistance in this area. Unless we, as a people,

as a nation, make drastic changes to our lifestyles, there will always be a need for a health system that works efficiently. I once again emphasise that the health of a nation is the wealth of a nation and if the system is working, persons should not and, I am almost certain, would not have an issue paying basic costs for services.

The already high cost of residential/home insurance premiums have caused many home owners to take the risk of non-coverage. Please let us not have the same thing happen with medical insurance.

Let us get our government health care systems to another level that it can adequately service the needs of the population before we add another burden.

I feel that there are other ways and options that can and should be looked at to generate additional revenue, rather than taxing the already struggling small man. Let us make this make sense.

VANESSA A SCOTT, JP

Nassau

February 7, 2023

Te Bahamas has enough US fast food chains

EDITOR, The Tribune.

WE ARE crossing a dangerous threshold. At risk is not only the nation’s veritable blood pressure, but Nassau’s sociocultural integrity.

With the impending arrival of yet another US fast food chain – this time an IHOP at the Mall at Marathon – the restaurant market finds itself ever more saturated with unhealthy, unaffordable, and un-Bahamian culinary establishments. These fast-food chains are not only rife with sodium and fat-stricken fare – it is no accident that obesity rates in The Bahamas have risen to a towering 80% in tandem with explosion of American fast-food chains in recent

decades – but they threaten to soil the already tarnished sociocultural landscape of this country. Call it cuisine colonialism, call it an under-studied ill of globalism, or simply call it unfortunate, the proliferation of fast-food chains in Nassau is equal parts eyesore, equal parts public health emergency.

Every KFC, Wendy’s, Burger King, and Dunkin Donuts serves as yet another reminder of the regrettable cultural penetration exacted by the United States, an ally only insofar as our national and regional agendas reflect their own.

The overwhelming presence of fast-food chains in the capital not only stunts the emergence of alternative, potentially more

attractive eateries but undermines our food sovereignty in both figurative and literal terms, fuelling a longstanding preference for foreign products rooted in coloniality.

I’ll be the first to say that adding a guava-based dessert does not make your business look more Bahamian, just desperate. Arguments might be made that I am not attributing enough agency to the Bahamian consumer, or simply overlooking the fact that the franchisees behind these chains are by and large Bahamian themselves, and I offer one rebuttal for both points: “what colonialism does is cause an identity crisis”.

ETHAN KNOWLES Nassau February 7, 2023

A WOMAN sits on the rubble as emergency rescue teams search for people under the remains of destroyed buildings in Nurdagi town on the outskirts of Osmaniye city southern Turkey, yesterday.

Photo: Khalil Hamra/AP

As the year heats up, BPL shares tips on energy and cost savings

WITH spring fast approaching, Bahamas Power and Light officials are advising consumers to “get in the habit of practising energy consumption” to avoid increased electricity costs.

Arnette Ingraham, communications manager at BPL, yesterday issued several tips Bahamians can use to save energy in the coming months, where she said power consumption tends to be high.

“As we head into the spring then summer months, which are normally warmer, electricity consumptions tend to increase in households. We encourage Bahamians to get in the habit of practising energy conservation,” she told The Tribune.

“Some typical tips include unplugging electronics when not in use, limiting the use of high energy consuming appliances/ electronics, investing in energy efficient lighting, electronics and appliances when possible, and even considering residential solar (if it is financially feasible). “

This comes as some local households and businesses are already dreading the approach of spring and summer months over fears

of increased power costs.

In October, BPL announced an increase to its monthly fuel charge.

BPL said the price increases will be gradually phased in from October 1 to November 30, 2022; December 1, 2022 to February 28, 2023; March 1 to May 2023; June 1 to August 31, 2023 and September 1 to November 30, 2023.

In each phase, consumers that consume less than 800 kilowatt hours would see their bills increase by two cents per kilowatthour (kWh) and 4.3 cents for all units over 800 kWh. When asked about the rate of electricity disconnections since the hikes were phased in, Ms Ingraham said the power provider has not seen a “significant” increase in disconnections as a result of the fuel charge increase. She also revealed that 1,035 consumers remained disconnected from the power grid as of January 31.

“Our disconnection policy remains that accounts with arrears (30 days past due) of more than $500 are subject to disconnection,” she said.

“Notably, our glide path strategy came into effect during the cooler months

PROBATION FOR AMERICAN WOMAN ON MARIJAUNA POSSESSION

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Court Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

AN AMERICAN woman was placed on six months probation yesterday after admitting in court to having marijuana while on vacation in Nassau.

Shakima Worrell, 37, of Williamsburg, Virginia, stood before Magistrate Samuel McKinney on a charge of possession of dangerous drugs.

On February 6 in New Providence, Worrell was arrested by police after she was found with six grams of Indian Hemp. She pleaded guilty. Magistrate McKinney placed Worrell on six months

probation. Should the accused be found in breach in this jurisdiction during that time, she would face a fine of $400 or a month in prison.

A local man, Perron Robinson, 26, also appeared before Magistrate McKinney on a separate charge of possession of dangerous drugs.

On February 3 in New Providence, Robinson was arrested after he was found with 13 grams of Indian Hemp.

He pleaded guilty to the charge and was placed on two years probation, which if found in default would carry a $500 fine or three months in prison.

MAN WHO RAPED A WOMAN DURING HOME INVASION DENIED BAIL

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Court Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A MAN was remanded yesterday accused of the rape of a woman during a home invasion last month.

Kumar Lloyd, 28, faced Magistrate Samuel McKinney on charges of rape, burglary and two counts of armed robbery.

One of Lloyd’s coaccused, Dennis Ingraham, was arraigned for his alleged involvement in this incident late last month.

According to police reports, it is alleged that around 5am on January 8 three men armed with handguns broke into a married couple’s residence on Marshall Road. While there, it is said the suspects tied up the couple as well as their visiting relatives and stole a variety of items.

These include $3 cash, a $250 Samsung cell phone, a $2,500 silver wedding band, two ATM cards, a $600 Movado watch, sunglasses and a black Kindle tablet.

It is during this home invasion that Lloyd is accused of raping the female homeowner before they all fled the scene.

Due to the severity of the offence, Lloyd was not required to enter a plea in court. The accused was informed that his matter would proceed to the Supreme Court by a voluntary bill of indictment (VBI).

The accused was further told that as the magistrate lacked the jurisdiction to grant bail he had the right to apply for it through the higher court.

Lloyd will be served his VBI on March 13.

TWO DENIED BAIL OVER VIOLENT ROBBERY PENDING STATUS CHECK

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Court Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

TWO MEN were sent to prison after being accused of a violent robbery on West Bay Street earlier this month.

Micho Justilien, 20, and Dino Maroone appeared before Senior Magistrate Carolyn Vogt-Evans on charges of robbery with violence and causing harm.

It is alleged that on February 2 on West Bay Street

when consumption is typically lower. This means that the majority of customers wouldn’t have experienced an increase

in their monthly electricity bill.

“Moreover, with the vat exemption increased to electricity bills of less than

$400.00, some customers would not have had a 10% vat charge to their bills, also keeping the overall bill lower the last two

months of 2022.”

With respect to company arrears, she said: “BPL’s delinquency amount is $38,000,000.”

and Oxford Avenue the pair attacked and robbed Eduige Belot of $100 cash. This resulted in Belot being injured.

In court, both accused pleaded not guilty. They were denied bail pending a check into their status in The Bahamas. They were sent to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services.

The trial in this matter will begin on March 31.

BAHAMAS Power and Light’s Communications Manager, Arnette Ingraham, shares tips on way consumers can conserve electricity in their homes while reducing their electric bills. Consumers are reminded that price increases for BPL bills are being phased in over the course of the year, with each phase seeing increases of 2 and 4.3 cents each time. Disconnections will be carried out according to their existing policies.

Getting the most out of conferences and workshops

IN many areas of work and study, there are conferences, workshops, trainings, and summits of all sizes that bring people together to hear from experts, share ideas, and make decisions about the way forward.

The vast majority of people attending and participating in these events do so as a matter of course.

A manager selected them, they applied and got accepted, they thought it might be interesting, or it seemed like a good way to spend time outside of the usual workspace. To get the most of these opportunities, people have to be prepared, focused, disciplined, and committed to following up.

The value of these events extends far beyond the set dates and the official programme. For most people, it takes a few rounds of attendance or participation before they start to understand how to make the most of them. Even then, without clear intent and follow-through, the value of the experience does not increase.

Here are five ways to get as much as you can out of a convening by understanding what is being offered, what you need to get from it, and how you can make the information accessible to the people around you.

SET YOUR PRIORITIES

Whether you apply or you are selected, you need to determine your reason for being there. What is the purpose of the event? Where are you in your career or studies? How can this event help you to elevate, whether in position or performance?

Based on all of this, you can set your priorities. You can deepen your knowledge on a particular topic, get a basic understanding of a new area, find out about other opportunities in the field, meet a mentor, gain a new skill, or something entirely different. Your priorities will help you to choose the right sessions for you.

Everyone else may be clamouring to get into the room with the famous speakers while you know it is more beneficial to you to join the small working group session on an emerging trend to make connections and have ideas to take back to

By Alicia Wallace

your team the following week.

DO YOUR RESEARCH

One of the most difficult tasks at a large convening is choosing the one session you will attend out of two, five, or 20 sessions happening at the same time. As soon as you have the programme, put it in a format that enables you to make notes. Look at the event titles and descriptions. This may be the easiest way to narrow your selection down. Then, look at the speakers, panelists, and facilitators. Find out who they are in the industry, and get clear on what they do. Who wrote the book on what? Who is conducting research? Who is developing the next big thing?

Getting information on people’s affiliations and current work is fairly easy to do, especially with platforms like LinkedIn, but can take a lot of time, so start early.

TAKE NOTES

Do not depend on your memory. If someone mentions a website you need to check out, write it down. If book titles are shared and names are dropped, write them down. If someone gives the five steps to anything you want to accomplish, take note.

Whether you use a notebook, a notes app, or another tool, record the information you will want in a day, a week, or a month when you think about a particular session or conversation.

Make your notes as complete as possible, keeping in mind that short

phrases and symbols you use while writing may not make sense months later unless you use them regularly.

If you have the opportunity to participate in setting community guidelines or ask questions about recording, find out if it is permissible to take photos of slides or to audio record sessions.

In some cases, people are opposed to these as theft of intellectual property continues to be an issue, and sometimes sensitive information is shared in these spaces and should, at the very least, not be connected to specific speakers if they leave the room.

location, specialisation, and social media handles.

SHARE NEW KNOWLEDGE, AND PUT IT INTO PRACTICE

On the last day of the event, be sure to review your notes and identify your key takeaways. If you need to expand on them, make a separate note. Doing this immediately after the event will reduce the chances that you will forget important details.

FOCUS ON PEOPLE

The programme is what draws people to the convening, but do not forget to make the most of the experience by getting to know other people. You are likely to have quite a bit in common with people attending the same event, especially if you find yourselves in the same sessions. Take the time to introduce yourself, ask others what attracted them to the event, and be prepared to tell people, briefly, what you do and why you are in attendance.

If you network well, you may be able to get the value of two sessions by

Surveillance Offcers (Nassau)

• Monitor operations to ensure compliance with safety or security policies or regulations. Observe individuals’ activities to gather information or compile evidence.

• Operate surveillance equipment to detect suspicious or illegal activities.

• Discuss performance, complaints, or violations with supervisors.

• Monitor establishment activities to ensure adherence to all gaming regulations and company policies and procedures.

• Observe gaming operations for irregular activities such as cheating or theft by employees or patrons, using audio and video equipment.

• Report all violations and suspicious behaviors to supervisors, verbally or in writing.

• Act as oversight or security agents for management or customers. .

• Be prepared to work within a shift system

• event that the records need to be used for investigations.

• Perform other related duties as assigned by Management. Interested persons must require surveillance experience, certifcation, training, communication skills, attention to detail, ability to work independently and should apply at Jarol Investments Limited Head Offce, Prince Charles Drive (Across from Restview) between the hours of 9am to 5pm. Or send your CV to careers@ chancesgames.com Subject: Surveillance Offcer – Your Name

attending one and seeing someone else’s notes from another.

The people you walk by in hallways and sit next to in plenaries are potential employers, employees, mentors, mentees, collaborators, and friends. Go beyond the usual, “What do you do?” Ask people what they are passionate about, what they hope to do next, which sessions they will attend the next day, who they are hoping to meet, and what they plan to do when they get back to their regular work days. When you exchange contact information, be sure to record pertinent information like their

Do what it takes to be able to give a comprehensive, but concise, report on your experience. The person who sent you or gave you time off to attend should be interested in your takeaways and the ways they can be applied to your daily work. Even if they are not interested or particularly supportive, it will be clear that you went prepared and your return with willingness and ability to share.

Even if you are not given the formal opportunity to do so, find ways to share your new knowledge and connections with others. Knowledge is not a finite resource, and yours will not be reduced by sharing it with others. In fact, your knowledge will deepen when you share it and have the ability to discuss it, develop ideas, challenge assumptions, and use information to build something new or improve what already exists.

When you have the opportunity to attend a convening,

get as much value out of it as you can. That starts with preparation, well before you enter the venue. Know what it is about, what you want to get out of it, and how your time and attention would be best spent.

Make it easy for yourself by having a plan for taking notes and getting to know other people. Expand your network, and offer to connect people with each other when it would be beneficial to them. Show yourself to be well-connecting and willing to help others. Do not underestimate the power of sharing what you learn and putting it to use. Bring the convening to the people who were not able to attend, and make your work easier and your relationships stronger.

RECOMMENDATIONS

1. How to Pronounce Knife by Souvankham Thammavongsa.

The short stories in this collection give glimpses into the lives of Laos people who migrate to the US. In one story, a child struggles with the word “knife”, certain that the phonetic pronunciation was wrong, but her father sounded it out the same way. She got confirmation that it was wrong when she was made to read aloud a passage that included the word, missing out on the prize for students who read well. In another story, a former boxer became a nail technician at his sister’s salon. There are the obvious observations about clients as well as the nuances in the sibling relationship. This is a balance collection with some memorable stories while others may be forgotten almost immediately, depending on what you focus on while reading.

2. Poker Face. Starring Natasha Lyonne as Charlie Cale, each episode of this murder mystery television series follows the same format. The audience is introduced to a group of people in a situation, the conflict is made clear very early, and a murder is committed. Then, the same set of events are presented with Charlie — living on the road as she ducks and dodges the people after her — included in the story. Soon after the death, she realises it was not accidental, but a murder. Compelled to solve the murder, she launches her own investigation as a human lie detector with good sleuthing skills.

MICROSOFT BAKES CHATGPT-LIKE TECH INTO SEARCH ENGINE BING

By MATT O’BRIEN AP Technology Writer

REDMOND, Wash. (AP)

— Microsoft is fusing ChatGPT-like technology into its search engine Bing, transforming an internet service that now trails far behind Google into a new way of communicating with artificial intelligence.

The revamping of Microsoft’s second-place search engine could give the software giant a head start against other tech companies in capitalising on the worldwide excitement surrounding ChatGPT, a tool that’s awakened millions of people to the possibilities of the latest AI technology.

Along with adding it to Bing, Microsoft is also integrating the chatbot technology into its Edge browser. Microsoft announced the new technology at an event Tuesday at its headquarters in Redmond, Washington.

“Think of it as faster, more accurate, more powerful” than ChatGPT, built with technology from ChatGPT-maker OpenAI but tuned for search queries, said Yusuf Mehdi, a Microsoft executive who leads its consumer division, in an interview.

A public preview of the new Bing launched Tuesday for desktop users who sign up for it, but Mehdi said the technology will scale to millions of users in coming weeks and will eventually come to the smartphone apps for Bing and Edge. For now, everyone can try a limited number of queries, he said. The strengthening partnership with OpenAI has been years in the making, starting with a $1 billion investment from Microsoft in 2019 that led to the development of a powerful supercomputer specifically built to train the San Francisco startup’s AI models.

While it’s not always factual or logical, ChatGPT’s mastery of language and grammar comes from having ingested a huge trove of digitised books,

Wikipedia entries, instruction manuals, newspapers and other online writings.

Microsoft Corp. CEO Satya

Nadella said Tuesday that new AI advances are “going to reshape every software category we know,” including search, much like earlier innovations in personal computers and cloud computing. He said it is important to develop AI “with human preferences and societal norms and you’re not going to do that in a lab. You have to do that out in the world.”

The shift to making search engines more conversational — able to confidently answer questions rather than offering links to other websites — could change the advertising-fueled search business, but also poses risks if the AI systems don’t get their facts right. Their opaqueness also makes it hard to source back to the original human-made images and texts they’ve effectively memorised, though the new Bing includes annotations that reference the source data.

“Bing is powered by AI, so surprises and mistakes are possible,” is a message that appears at the bottom of the preview version of Bing’s new homepage. “Make sure to check the facts.”

As an example of how it works, Mehdi asked the new Bing to compare the most influential Mexican painters and it provided typical search results, but also, on the right

side of the page, compiled a fact box summarising details about Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo and Jose Clemente Orozco. In another example, he quizzed it on 1990s-era rap, showing its ability to distinguish between the song “Jump” by Kris Kross and “Jump Around” by House of Pain. And he used it to show how it could plan a vacation or help with shopping.

Gartner analyst Jason Wong said new technological advancements will mitigate

Google has been cautious about such moves. But in response to pressure over ChatGPT’s popularity, Google CEO Sundar Pichai on Monday announced a new conversational service named Bard that will be available exclusively to a group of “trusted testers” before being widely released later this year (See story on the right of page)

Wong said Google was caught off-guard with the success of ChatGPT but still has the advantage over Microsoft in consumer-facing technology, while Microsoft has the edge in selling its products to businesses.

Chinese tech giant Baidu also this week announced a similar search chatbot coming later this year, according to Chinese media. Other tech rivals such as Facebook parent Meta and Amazon have been researching similar technology, but Microsoft’s latest moves aim to position it at the centre of the ChatGPT zeitgeist.

Microsoft disclosed in January that it was pouring billions more dollars into OpenAI as it looks to fuse the technology behind ChatGPT, the imagegenerator DALL-E and other OpenAI innovations into an array of Microsoft products tied to its cloud computing platform and its Office suite of workplace products like email and spreadsheets. The most surprising might be the integration with Bing, which is the second-place search engine in many markets but has never come close to challenging Google’s dominant position.

though users wouldn’t necessarily know that Microsoft was powering their searches.

By making it a destination for ChatGPT-like conversations, Microsoft could invite more users to give Bing a try, though the new version so far is limited to desktops and doesn’t yet have an interface for smartphones — where most people now access the internet. On the surface, at least, a Bing integration seems far different from what OpenAI has in mind for its technology.

Appearing at Microsoft’s event, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said the “the new Bing experience looks fantastic” and is based in part on

GOOGLE HOPES ‘BARD’ WILL OUTSMART CHATGPT, MICROSOFT IN AI

By MICHAEL LIEDTKE AP Technology Writer

Google is girding for a battle of wits in the field of artificial intelligence with “Bard,” a conversational service aimed at countering the popularity of the ChatGPT tool backed by Microsoft.

Bard initially will be available exclusively to a group of “trusted testers” before being widely released later this year, according to a Monday blog post from Google CEO Sundar Pichai.

Google’s chatbot is supposed to be able to explain complex subjects such as outer space discoveries in terms simple enough for a child to understand. It also claims the service will also perform other more mundane tasks, such as providing tips for planning a party, or lunch ideas based on what food is left in a refrigerator.

Pichai didn’t say in his post whether Bard will be able to write prose in the vein of William Shakespeare, the playwright who apparently inspired the service’s name.

learnings from its GPT line of large language models. He said a key reason for his startup’s Microsoft partnership is to help get OpenAI technology “into the hands of millions of people.”

VIRGINIA TECH INNOVATION CAMPUS PROJECT REACHES MILESTONE

By MATTHEW BARAKAT Associated Press

ALEXANDRIA, Va.

what led to Microsoft’s disastrous 2016 launch of the experimental chatbot Tay, which users trained to spout racist and sexist remarks. But Wong said “reputational risks will still be at the forefront” for Microsoft if Bing produces answers with low accuracy or so-called AI “hallucinations” that mix and conflate data.

Bing launched in 2009 as a rebranding of Microsoft’s earlier search engines and was run for a time by Nadella, years before he took over as CEO. Its significance was boosted when Yahoo and Microsoft signed a deal for Bing to power Yahoo’s search engine, giving Microsoft access to Yahoo’s greater search share. Similar deals infused Bing into the search features for devices made by other companies,

OpenAI has long voiced an ambitious vision for safely guiding what’s known as AGI, or artificial general intelligence, a not-yet-realised concept that harkens back to ideas from science fiction about human-like machines. OpenAI’s website describes AGI as “highly autonomous systems that outperform humans at most economically valuable work.”

FIRST PHASE OF MEXICAN SOLAR PROJECT TO BE OPERATING IN APRIL

By CHRISTOPHER SHERMAN

Associated Press

PUERTO PEÑASCO, Mexico

(AP) — Mexico was pushed to accelerate its turn toward renewable energy after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year drove a sharp increase in global energy costs, Mexico Foreign Affairs Secretary Marcelo Ebrard said late Thursday.

Ebrard made the comments after taking dozens of foreign diplomats to see a massive new solar energy project near the U.S. border.

“Mexico is making a really great effort because it didn’t consider (the shift to renewable energy and electric vehicles) would be so fast,” Ebrard said. The decisions made by the United States and Mexico in the past year to invest heavily in those areas “didn’t appear so near before the war.”

“We too have to change the focus,” he said. “It has to go faster.”

In April, Mexico plans to power up the first phase of a huge solar energy project near a beach town popular with tourists making the short drive from the United States.

Once completed, the full $1.6 billion project will have a generating capacity of 1,000 megawatts — enough to power some 500,000

homes. It will be the largest solar project built by Mexico’s state-owned electric company. In Puerto Peñasco, near the top of the Gulf of California and border with Arizona, rows of solar panels that tilt with the passing sun run off to the horizon hovering above the sand. The project will eventually cover 5,000 acres in the transition where the desert flattens between the rugged brown mountains and

blue sea.

The Federal Electric Commission plans to have the first 120 megawatts of the project operational by April 29, Juan Antonio Fernández, the commission’s strategic planning director, said Thursday. Sonora Gov. Alfonso Durazo, who once served as a Cabinet minister alongside Ebrard before running for state office, made the case that Sonora should be the centre of

Mexico’s electric vehicle production. In addition to the solar energy coming online — in total 5 gigawatts of solar capacity are planned for the state — Sonora has the country’s largest known deposits of lithium, a key component in batteries for electric vehicles.

Ebrard said the plan represented a “new model of development.”

“We’re not going to be able to do that in all of the states at the same time,” he said. “But we have to demonstrate that that idea can be real and is not wishful thinking.”

The turn toward renewable energy is at odds with other priorities of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.

The president has invested heavily in propping up the long-struggling state-owned oil company.

He is building a big new oil refinery.

And he has pushed legislation that gives advantages to the state-owned electric company over private energy production, which in many cases was cleaner. It is the subject of a trade dispute with the United States and Canada.

Ebrard is one of several people seeking the presidential nomination of López Obrador’s Morena party for the 2024 national elections.

(AP) — Virginia’s biggest undergraduate university reached a milestone Tuesday in its effort to establish a tech-focused graduate campus in northern Virginia. Virginia Tech officials raised a steel beam to the 11th floor of a 300,000-square-foot (30,000-square-metre) building in Alexandria that will anchor the school’s new Innovation Campus. The campus is part of a major redevelopment of the northern Virginia corridor around Reagan National Airport that will feature Amazon’s new headquarters complex on the northern end and Tech’s new graduate campus on the south. Plans for the campus were announced back in 2018 to coincide with Amazon’s selection of northern Virginia for its second headquarters, dubbed HQ2. Indeed, Amazon cited the Innovation Campus as a major reason it chose to locate in northern Virginia.

At ceremonies commemorating the topping out of construction Tuesday, Innovation Campus Executive Director Lance Collins called it a “symbolic midpoint of the project.”

The university expects the building to open in time for the fall semester in 2024. Eventually, three buildings totaling 600,000 square feet (55,000 square metres) are expected to be completed by 2030 at a cost of more than $1 billion. The campus will serve more than 750 graduate students, mostly in computer science and engineering programmes.

AERIAL view of the northern border state of Sonora where state electric utility CFE is building the largest solar plant in all of Latin America, in Puerto Penasco, Sonora state, Mexico. (Raquel Cunha/Pool Photo via AP)

THE MICROSOFT Bing logo and the website’s page are shown in this photo taken in New York on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

YUSUF MEHDI, Microsoft Corporate Vice President of Search.

MICROSOFT Corp. CEO Satya Nadella.

Amid soaring crime, Memphis cops lowered the bar for hiring

TENNESSEE

Associated Press

BEYOND the beating, kicking, cursing and pepper spraying, the video of Tyre Nichols’ deadly arrest at the hands of young Memphis police officers is just as notable for what’s missing — any experienced supervisors showing up to stop them.

That points to a dangerous confluence of trends that Memphis’ police chief acknowledged have dogged the department as the city became one of the nation’s murder hot spots: a chronic shortage of officers, especially supervisors, increasing numbers of police quitting and a struggle to bring in qualified recruits.

Former Memphis police recruiters told The Associated Press of a growing desperation to fill hundreds of slots in recent years that drove the department to increase incentives and lower its standards.

“They would allow just pretty much anybody to be a police officer because they just want these numbers,” said Alvin Davis, a former lieutenant in charge of recruiting before he retired last year out of frustration. “They’re not ready for it.”

The department offered new recruits $15,000 signing bonuses and $10,000 relocation allowances while phasing out requirements to have either college credits, military service or previous police work. All that’s now required is two years’ work experience — any work experience. The department also sought state waivers to hire applicants with criminal records. And the police academy even dropped timing requirements on physical fitness drills and removed running entirely because too many people were failing.

“I asked them what made you want to be the police and they’ll be honest — they’ll tell you it’s strictly about the money,” Davis said, adding that many recruits would ask the minimum time they would actually have to serve to keep the bonus money. “It’s not a career for them like it was to us. It’s just a job.”

Another former patrol officer-turned-recruiter who recently left the department told the AP that in addition to drawing from other law enforcement agencies and college campuses, recruits were increasingly coming

from jobs at the McDonald’s and Dunkin’ drive-thrus.

In one case, a stripper with an arrest record submitted an application. And even though she didn’t get hired, it reinforced the message that “anyone can get this job. You could have any type of experience and be the police.”

“There were red flags,” said the former recruiter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss personnel and hiring. “But we’re so far down the pyramid nobody really hears the little person.”

Many young officers, before ever walking a beat with more experienced colleagues, found themselves thrust into specialized units like the now-disbanded SCORPION high-crime strike force involved in Nichols’ arrest. Their lack of experience was shocking to veterans, who said some young officers who transfer back to patrol don’t even know how to write a traffic ticket or respond to a domestic call.

“They don’t know a felony from a misdemeanour,” Davis said. “They don’t even know right from wrong yet.” Memphis police did not respond to requests for comment about their hiring standards. But police Director Cerelyn Davis, who took over in June 2021, has said supervision of less experienced officers is an urgent need, noting her department is investigating why a supervisor failed to respond to Nichols’ arrest despite a policy that requires a ranking officer to go to the scene when pepper spray or a stun gun is used.

“If that had happened, somebody could have been there to intercept what happened,” Davis told the AP in an interview last month.

“Culture eats policy for lunch in police departments,” she added. “If you don’t have the checks and balances you will have problems.”

Davis told city council members Tuesday that she intends to bring in an outside vendor to help fill 125 new supervisor slots, which would improve the ratio of supervisors to officers from the current 1-to-10 to about 1-to-8, closer to what is considered the ideal ratio of at least 1-to-7.

“While those 125 don’t satisfy the ratio, this is a start,” Davis said. “It’s not just the officer that has to be

held accountable. It’s everybody in the chain up to the chief of police.”

Of the five SCORPION team officers now charged with second-degree murder in Nichols’ Jan. 7 beating, two had only a couple of years on the force and none had more than six years’ experience.

One of the officers, Emmitt Martin III, 30, a former tight end on the Bethel University football team, appeared to have had at least one arrest, according to files from the Peace Officers Standards and Training Commission, a state oversight agency. But the date and details of the case were blacked out.

The section for arrests in the agency’s file for another officer, Demetrius Haley, 30, who worked at a Shelby County Corrections facility before joining the force, was also redacted from the state records. Haley was sued for allegedly beating an inmate there, which he denied, and the case was dismissed because papers had not been properly served.

“If you lower standards, you can predict that you’re going to have problems because we’re recruiting from the human race,” said Ronal Serpas, the former head of the police in

Nashville and New Orleans and the Washington State Patrol. “There’s such a small number of people who want to do this and an infinitesimally smaller number of people we actually want doing this.”

Memphis, in many ways, stands as a microcosm of the myriad crises facing American policing. Departments from Seattle to New Orleans are struggling to fill their ranks with qualified officers amid a national movement of mounting scrutiny and calls for reform in the wake of the 2020 killing of George Floyd.

Davis’ aim after taking office was to increase staff from 2,100 to 2,500, close to the size of the force a decade ago. Instead, the police ranks have dropped to 1,939 officers — like the city, majority Black — even as the population has increased and the number of homicides topped 300 in each of the past two years.

A big part of the reason for the dwindling ranks is that more than 1,350 officers either resigned or retired over the past decade — more than 300 in the last two years alone.

Michael Williams, former head of the Memphis Police Association, the officers’ union, said strict supervision

is essential, especially for the specialized teams like SCORPION.

“Why would you have an elite task force that you know is designed for aggressive policing and you don’t cover your bases? They may have to shoot someone. They may have to kick someone’s door down. They may have to physically restrain someone,” Williams said. “You should have experienced people around to restrain them and keep them from going down a dark path.”

Longtime observers of the Memphis police say this is not the first moment of reckoning for a department with a history of civil rights abuses.

After the 2015 death of Darrius Stewart, a 19-yearold Black man fatally shot by a white police officer, activists and US Rep. Steve Cohen, a Tennessee Democrat, called on the US Justice Department to conduct a “pattern or practice” investigation of civil rights violations in the department. Such inquiries often result in sweeping reforms, including staffing and training overhauls.

Carlos Moore, an attorney for Stewart’s family, warned the Justice Department at the time of a deadly

trend that preceded Stewart’s death. “There have been over 24 suspicious killings of civilians by officers of the Memphis Police Department since 2009,” he wrote in a 2015 letter obtained by AP, “and not one officer has been indicted for killing unarmed, largely Black young men.”

The Justice Department decided not to open such an inquiry for reasons it didn’t explain at the time, and it declined to comment this week.

“The Department of Justice missed a golden opportunity to properly investigate the Memphis Police Department,” Moore said in an interview. “It was just as corrupt then as it is now.”

Thaddeus Johnson, a former Memphis police officer who is now a criminal justice professor at Georgia State University, said the missed chance for federal intervention allowed the problems of the department — soaring crime, community distrust and chronic understaffing — to fester until they exploded. “A deadly brew came together,” he said. “But that same mixture is in many other places, too, where the bubble just hasn’t burst yet.”

NAVY RELEASES FIRST PHOTOS OF CHINESE BALLOON RECOVERY

BEIJING

Associated Press

CHINA said Tuesday it will “resolutely safeguard its legitimate rights and interests” over the shooting down of a suspected Chinese spy balloon by the United States, as relations between the two countries deteriorate further.

The balloon prompted US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to cancel a highly-anticipated visit to Beijing this week that had offered slight hopes for an improvement in relations.

China claims it was a civilian balloon used for meteorological research but has refused to say to which government department or company it belongs.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning on Tuesday reiterated that the “unmanned airship” posed no threat and entered US airspace accidentally.

Mao again criticized the US for overreacting rather than adopting a “calm, professional” manner, and for using force in bringing the balloon down Saturday in the Atlantic Ocean just off the US coast.

Asked if China wanted the debris returned, she only reasserted that the balloon “belongs to China.”

“The balloon does not belong to the US The Chinese government will continue to resolutely safeguard its legitimate rights and interests,” Mao said at a daily briefing without giving further details.

Beijing’s attitude has hardened considerably following a surprisingly mild initial response on Friday, in which it described the balloon’s presence as an accident and expressed “regret” for the balloon having entered the US

Subsequent statements have grown firmer, in the same tone used to confront the US over issues from Taiwan to trade, technology restrictions and China’s claim to the South China Sea. China says it lodged a formal complaint

with the US Embassy in Beijing, accusing Washington of having “obviously overreacted and seriously violated the spirit of international law and international practice.”

Recent developments have laid bare the extremely fragile nature of what many had hoped could be a manageable economic, political and military rivalry.

US-China tensions have stirred deep concern in Washington and among many of its allies. They worry that outright conflict could have a strong negative impact on the global economy, especially since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year, on which China has largely sided with Moscow.

Balloons either suspected of or confirmed to be Chinese have been spotted over countries from Japan to Costa Rica. Taiwanese media have reported that mysterious white balloons had been spotted over the island at least three times in the past two years.

That’s especially concerning because China claims Taiwan as its

own territory to be brought under its control by force if necessary and routinely sends warships and military aircraft into the island’s air defence identification zone and across the middle line of the Taiwan Strait dividing the sides.

Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defence has never explicitly linked the balloons to China. However, the recent furor over the Chinese balloon in the US brought attention back to these mysterious sightings. The size of the Chinese balloon in the US, as well as the equipment attached to it, had all drawn intense speculation as to its purpose. Along with Washington, most security experts dismissed Beijing’s assertions that the balloon was intended for meteorological rather than spying purposes.

But it doesn’t look like any weather balloon that Cheng Ming-dian, head of Taiwan’s Central Weather Bureau, has seen.

“In the meteorology world, I haven’t found a person who has seen or heard of a weather balloon that looks like this,” Cheng said.

While China has in recent months moderated the abrasive tone of its diplomacy, it is “still pursuing those broader, long-term strategic agendas on the economic, tech and security fronts,” said Collin Koh Swee Lean research fellow at the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University.

“In other words, if you cast the change in rhetoric aside, we’re in fact not seeing any real meaningful improvement in the extant China-US relations, which will continue to be dominated by rivalry,”

WASHINGTON Associated Press

USING underwater drones, warships and inflatable vessels, the Navy is carrying out an extensive operation to gather all of the pieces of the massive Chinese spy balloon a US fighter jet shot down off the coast of South Carolina on Saturday.

In the newest images released by the Navy on Tuesday, sailors from Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group 2 are seen leaning over a rigid hull inflatable boat and pulling in broad swaths of the balloon’s white outer fabric and shell structure.

The head of US Northern Command, General Glen VanHerck, said Monday the teams were taking precautions to safeguard against

the chance any part of the balloon was rigged with explosives.

The balloon was an estimated 200 feet (60 meters) tall and was carrying a long sensor package underneath, which VanHerck estimated was the size of a small regional jet.

The Navy is also using ships to map and scan the sea floor for all remaining parts of the balloon, so US analysts can get a full picture of what types of sensors the Chinese were using and to better understand how the balloon was able to manoeuvre.

The balloon debris is scattered in waters that are about 50 feet (15 meters) deep, but stretch across an area 15 football fields long and 15 football fields across, VanHerck said.

CHINA SAYS IT WILL ‘RESOLUTELY SAFEGUARD RIGHTS AND INTERESTS’ OVER BALLOON SHOOTDOWN

Koh said. “And the latest spy balloon incident only looks set to broaden the schism.”

THIS image provided by the US Navy shows sailors assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group 2 recovering a high-altitude surveillance balloon off the coast of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Sunday.

Photo: US Navy via AP

THE IMAGE from video released on January 27, by the City of Memphis, shows Tyre Nichols leaning against a car after a brutal attack by five Memphis police officers on January 7, in Memphis, Tennessee Nichols died on Jan. 10. The five officers have since been fired and charged with second-degree murder and other offenses.

Photo: City of Memphis via AP

THE REMNANTS of a large balloon drift above the Atlantic Ocean, just off the coast of South Carolina, with a fighter jet and its contrail seen below it, Saturday. China said yesterday, it will “resolutely safeguard its legitimate rights and interests” over the shooting down of a suspected Chinese spy balloon by the United States, as relations between the two countries deteriorate further.

Photo: Chad Fish/AP

SPORTS

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2023

Scoring King: James passes Abdul-Jabbar for NBA points mark

By TIM REYNOLDS AP Basketball Writer

LeBron James is the NBA’s new career scoring leader.

With a stepback jump shot with 10.9 seconds left in the third quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder last night, James pushed his career total to 38,388 points and broke the record that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar held for nearly four decades.

James outstretched his arms, threw both hands in the air, then smiled. AbdulJabbar rose from his seat and clapped.

The game was stopped as some members of James’ family, including his mother, wife and children, took the floor for a ceremony recognising the moment.

Abdul-Jabbar — one of many celebrities and sports

Ayton, page 13

MAHOMES AND HURTS AWARE OF SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS SUPER BOWL DUEL

By DAVID BRANDT AP Sports Writer

PHOENIX (AP) — Phil-

adelphia Eagles coach Nick

Sirianni is thrilled young aspiring football players all over the world will get to watch two Black quarterbacks face each other for the first time in the Super Bowl.

He’s also pleased they get to watch two really, really good quarterbacks.

“I’m really excited for both quarterbacks, what they can represent to a ton of kids,” Sirianni said at Monday’s Super Bowl media night. “Not only are they two African-American quarterbacks, but they’re the two best quarterbacks in the NFL this year. Firstteam All-Pro, second-team All-Pro.

“They both play at the highest level.”

There are many storylines for this Super Bowl, but the duel between Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts and Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes is right at the top of the list.

The significance of Sunday’s matchup in Glendale, Arizona, isn’t lost on Mahomes.

“I think about it a lot,” Mahomes said. “The quarterbacks that came before me — Shack Harris, Doug

SEE PAGE 12

MEN’S NATIONAL TEAM READY FOR T20 AMERICAS REGION QUALIFIERS

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

COACH Andrew Moles is confident that he will have the men’s national team fit and ready to travel to Buenos Aires, Argentina to compete in the International Cricket Club’s World T20 Americas Region Qualifiers.

The tournament is scheduled for February 22 to March 5 and the Bahamas will be playing against Argentina, Belize, Bermuda, the Cayman Islands and Panama.

The team will comprise of the following players: Marc Taylor, Gregory Taylor Jr, Johnathan Barry, Narendra Ekanayake, Kevorn Hinds, Julio Jamison, Keith Burrows, Sandeep Goud,

Everette Haven, Dwight Wheatley Jr, Ashok Nair, Festus Benn, Junior Scott and Turan Brown.

Moles, who has spent the past 30 years coaching in various parts of the world, said he is delighted to be here in the Bahamas assisting the men’s team to reach their full potential.

“I think the team is much better than when I first got here,” said Moles. “From the last tournament we played in, I think we have seen a great improvement, so I don’t see why we can’t perform very well this time.”

In preparation for the tournament, Moles said he has taken the players through a vigorous training programme on the pitch at the Cricket Club, but he’s also taken advantage of the

scenic view across the road by working out on the sand and in the beach.

“Sometimes we get together for 3-4 hours every day, but it all depends on the work schedule of everybody,” he said. “For those

who can’t make it, they come in and do their personal work on their time, but they go through the same training routine.”

Marc Taylor, the team captain, said under Moles, they had a different start

Irving has first practice with Mavericks, preps for debut

By TIM REYNOLDS AP Basketball Writer

KYRIE Irving had his first practice with Dallas yesterday, and was asked if he envisioned any problems playing alongside Mavericks star Luka Doncic.

Irving’s answer: “No.”

The Mavs clearly see it the same way.

Irving’s Dallas chapter has started, with a practice in Los Angeles preceding what’s expected to be his debut game there when the Mavericks visit the Clippers tonight.

The Mavericks struck a deal Sunday to acquire the eight-time All-Star from the Brooklyn Nets.

“I’ve played with some of the best of all time, greatest of all time,” Irving said. “I’ve been on some

of the greatest teams, the Olympics and the world championships. This is going to be my first time seeing one of those bad Europeans come over and really dominate up close — and have the opportunity to do it at a pace that I don’t think has ever been seen before other than like Larry Bird.”

For his part, Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said he expects Irving and Doncic to figure things out quickly. “This isn’t two 23-yearolds trying to see who’s the alpha,” Kidd said. “We understand, this is Luka’s team. It will be Luka’s team.”

Irving was all smiles yesterday, for good reason. He’s excited to be with the Mavericks, just as they were excited to get him.

“The combination of Kyrie and Luka will be fun to watch,” Mavs owner Mark Cuban said. Brooklyn had a similar thought in 2019 when the Nets landed Irving and Kevin Durant, thinking

they would be the pieces that brought a championship. They wound up playing only 74 regularseason games together. Irving’s time with the Nets

because their standard was not up to par when he first arrived, but their schedule and plan he implemented turned things around in the right direction.

“We still have some time left, so hopefully when it’s time to leave, we will be in tip-top shape for the tournament,” Taylor said.

From a mental perspective, Taylor said as long as they can do it together as a team, they can achieve their goal.

“The most difficult thing is each one actually making time from their schedule to attend all of the sessions,” he pointed out.

Based on what he’s seen, Taylor feels as if the BCC has assembled one of its most versatile teams in a long time. “Previously teams were definitely not

as strong as this one,” he noted.

“In batting, we can go from number one straight to number eleven. We also have a lot of bowling on the team and we have a lot of seniors who played on the previous team, so it’s a good variety of players on this team.”

As for the expectations, Taylor said it’s simply to qualify.

“We have to beat a certain amount of teams, so we expect to qualify,” he stated.

“We have high expectations for this tournament.”

The team is scheduled to open play against the Cayman Islands on February 25.

Moles said with the team assembled, he’s confident that the Bahamas will advance to the next round.

Gary Ballance’s historic innings rallies Zimbabwe against West Indies

By ENOCK MUCHINJO Associated Press

BULAWAYO, Zimbabwe (AP) — Gary Ballance became only the second men’s cricketer to hit a test hundred for two countries as his unbeaten 137 helped Zimbabwe avoid the follow on against the West Indies yesterday.

Ballance, playing his first test for Zimbabwe after his last for England in 2017, anchored his new side to 379-9 declared, conceding 68 runs on the first innings late on the fourth day.

The Zimbabweans gave themselves 13 overs to attack the West Indies but openers Kraigg

Brathwaite and Tagenarine Chanderpaul were as resolute in reaching stumps at 21 without loss as they were in their stand of 336 in the first innings. Ballance went in at 114-3 and watched four teammates dismissed in the days first 12 overs.

At 192-7 and the tail exposed, Zimbabwe was in jeopardy of having to follow on. It needed 56 more runs.

Ballance and allrounder Brandon Mavuta combined for 135 to turn around Zimbabwe’s mindset from survival into attack. It declared to match West Indies’ declaration to try and force a

KYRIE Irving took part in his first practice with Dallas yesterday.

COACH Andrew Moles and captain Marc Taylor.

LAKERS forward LeBron James celebrates after scoring to pass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA’s all-time leading scorer during the second half against the Oklahoma City Thunder last night in Los Angeles.

(AP Photo/Mark J Terrill)

TENNIS ACE JUSTIN ROBERTS LOOKING FORWARD TO PRODUCTIVE SEASON

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

AFTER sitting out for the past two months anda-half with an injury, the Bahamas’ top ranked international tennis player Justin Roberts is back and is looking forward to a productive season this year.

Roberts, the 26-yearold pro player, returned to action over the weekend, winning the Wild Card Tournament in Palm Beach, Florida, earning the rights to go directly into the main draw that will get started today.

BIEL: MARIPOSA GOLD DROPS EMERGE VICTORIOUS AGAIN

THE Mariposa Gold Drops emerged victorious for the second time this year in Bahamas Interscholastic Equestrian League (BIEL) competition.

Four teams comprised of 20 young riders from different schools competed in the League’s Winter Term competition, held last weekend at Camperdown Equestrian Centre under the watchful eye of USEF Judge Lori Arnold of Sorrento, Florida.

This second win of the season for the Gold Drops was a much closer call than their Fall Term victory.

This time around the competition was hotly contested at all levels, with just six points separating the top three teams. At the end of the day the Gold Drops finished in the lead with 45 points.

Second place went to the Mariposa Monarchs with 40 points, while the CEC Blue Marlins fell just one point short, finishing in third place with 39 points. Fourth place went to the CEC Sand Dollars, who gained 25 points.

Erika Adderley of Mariposa Stables is the coach of the Gold Drops and the Monarchs teams, while Kimberly Johnson of Camperdown Equestrian Centre coaches the Blue Marlins and the Sand Dollars.

Founded in 2017, BIEL competitions have been a perennial favourite among junior riders because of the team emphasis and the unique format, based on collegiate competition rules, in which riders and horses are matched by random draw.

The teams are ‘mixed’, comprised of students from schools across New Providence, and provide riders with the exciting opportunity to show their skills in the ring while riding unfamiliar horses.

Sponsored by Equestrian Bahamas, the National Federation, the League consists of a series of three competitions, culminating in a National Championship.

The final BIEL competition of the year will be held at Camperdown Equestrian Centre in May.

“I had to play five matches in two days and won them all, so I feel pretty good about my return after not playing for more than two and-a-half months,” Roberts said. “I was very pleased with my performance. It was very solid.”

With the time off to recuperate, Roberts said there was some court rust, but he was able to play himself into a competitive form, which speaks well for what he’s capable of doing as he moves into his first full season since emerging on the pro scene in 2020. “It was a good start for me,”

Roberts said. “I had a chance to see where I am at and so I was pleased.”

Roberts, however, admitted that the main draw this week will be a good testing ground for him and he’s eager to see where he is in the whole scheme of things.

“I know there’s a lot to work on, but I am just glad to be back out there,” Roberts said. “I feel like this is the year that I can really do some great things and hopefully end up playing in some of the majors, if not by the end of the year or at least early next year.”

Following this tournament, Roberts will be

heading to the Dominican Republic to play in two tournaments.

“This tournament is just for me to see where I am at before I head overseas to play in these tournaments,” Roberts said.

“Right now, I am feeling good and hopefully I can play up to par on the circuit.”

Roberts, however, indicated that although he’s had some success as a doubles player, he will only concentrate on singles as he makes his way back on the circuit.

He said once he can get back into a groove, he will add doubles to his agenda.

BALLANCE

FROM PAGE 11

result, though a draw is more likely on the flat pitch with too much time lost to rain. “It’s a positive move, a positive declaration,” Ballance said.

“We are trying to put ourselves on the front foot to win. That’s what the coach want us to play, to play positive.”

His 42-test career with England petered out nearly six years ago, and Ballance was caught up in the Yorkshire racism scandal. He admitted and apologised for using a racist term against Azeem Rafiq and ended his county contract early.

He returned to his homeland, and made his Zimbabwe debut in Twenty20s and one-day internationals last month.

In his first test innings for Zimbabwe, Ballance played a measured innings and didn’t attack at the beginning, showing great poise to hold the innings together.

He reached the fifth hundred of his career with a six over point off left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie, and joined Kepler Wessels, formerly of Australia and South Africa, as the only batters to hit test ton for different countries.

Ballance also became the highest scorer on test debut for Zimbabwe, eclipsing coach and former captain Dave Houghton, to whom he is related.

Houghton made 121 in Zimbabwe’s maiden test in 1992 against India in Harare.

“I can’t even describe how proud I am, firstly to represent Zimbabwe, and secondly to get the hundred,” Ballance said.

“It’s been amazing (to play for Zimbabwe). Every single coach, every single player, has been welcoming.

“I have played with some of the players before, but it makes a difference to come into a new team and be welcome. It makes it easier to perform.”

On playing tests for different countries, he said, “It’s a different feeling.

“For England, it was a feeling of achievement, while for Zimbabwe,

At the end of last year, Roberts was ranked at 1,248 in singles. He last played on December 21 when he was forced

to retire in the round of 32 in his match against Barbados’ Darian King in his last appearance in the Dominican Republic.

SUPER BOWL

FROM PAGE 11

Williams — that laid the foundation for me to be in this position. It goes across all sports. If you think about Jackie Robinson and the people who broke the colour barrier in baseball, I wouldn’t be standing here today if it wasn’t for them.

“To be lucky enough to be in this position — and play against another great guy like Jalen — it will be a special moment. I’m glad we’re here today, but how can we keep moving forward? How can we motivate kids who are younger, who want to follow their dreams to be a quarterback?”

It’s not just the quarterbacks who are relishing the groundbreaking matchup. Chiefs running back Jerick McKinnon said players are well aware of what they’re witnessing.

“There’s history being made,” McKinnon said. “That’s a beautiful thing. Something I can look back and tell my kids that, ‘I was a part of that, I experienced that.’ So it’s a blessing. This whole experience is a blessing.

“To have that on top, just adds to it.”

In addition to being good, both quarterbacks are also tough.

Hurts missed two games late in the season with a shoulder injury that’s still bothering him. The Eagles haven’t had to lean on him in two lopsided playoff wins. He has 275 yards passing and two TDs along with 73 yards rushing and two scores, pedestrian numbers by his standards.

Mahomes hobbled around on a badly sprained ankle to help the Chiefs beat the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 and advance to their third Super Bowl appearance in four years.

“It’s amazing — especially being Black History Month as well,” Eagles cornerback Darius Slay said. “I’m thankful for this moment, to be a part of this. This is crazy with two Black quarterbacks in the Super Bowl, one of the biggest games in the world.”

Washington’s Doug Williams was the first Black quarterback to start and win a Super Bowl following the 1987 season. That’s back when Black quarterbacks were fairly rare across the NFL.

This season — 35 years later — began with 11 Black QBs starting in Week 1 and now ends with an historic matchup.

Mahomes can become the first two-time winner if he leads the Chiefs to victory on Sunday. Hurts aims to become the fourth Black QB to win the Super Bowl, joining Williams, Mahomes and Russell Wilson.

it’s also achievement, and a matter of pride.”

Mavuta rallied with Ballance in their key century stand, scoring 56. Playing in his first test in five years, Mavuta, after taking a maiden fivefor on Monday, saw his career-best score ended when he was bowled playing across the line to a short Jason Holder delivery.

The West Indies used nine bowlers to try and dismiss Zimbabwe. Fast bowler Alzarri Joseph was the pick with 3-75.

Joseph said they still hoped to win the test.

“We have a full day of cricket left,” he said. “The wicket is flat, it should be a batting day (on Wednesday). But we will try to win.”

Steve McNair, Colin Kaepernick, Cam Newton and Wilson also started in a Super Bowl and lost. Now it’s Hurts vs. Mahomes.

After McKinnon heard that Sirianni said the two quarterbacks were the top two in the league, he had a one-word response: “Facts.”

“It’s going to be a showdown — all four quarters,” McKinnon said. “It’s going to come down to the last second. Jalen Hurts is phenomenal, I’ve been watching him since college. The things he does and brings to the table are phenomenal.”

PROFESSIONAL tennis player Justin Roberts.

BIEL Winter Mariposa Gold Drops Champions - 1st place Mariposa Gold Drops; L-R: Katerina Coello, Ella Saidi, Trainer Erika Adderley, Lucia Good, Storm D’Arville, Anouk Formige.

3RD place CEC Blue Marlins; L-R: Connor Watkins, Marlo Pinder, Kaitlyn Russell, Hannah D’Aguilar, Kelsey Pyfrom, trainer Kimberly Johnson.

2ND place Mariposa Monarchs; L-R: Trainer Erika Adderley, Kyra Isaacs, Melania Nixon, Adiza Albury, Isabella Coello, Amalia Good.

4TH place CEC Sand Dollars; L-R: Hannah Ritchie, Alana Pyfrom, Hannah Knowles, Alexis Osazuwa, Arielle Arthur, trainer Kimberly Johnson.

AYTON MATCHES CAREER HIGH 35 POINTS, SUNS TOP NETS

By BRIAN MAHONEY AP Basketball Writer

NEW YORK (AP) —

These aren’t the Phoenix Suns that fell apart after Devin Booker was hurt.

The team he came back to is surging and doesn’t expect that to change.

“We’re going to have this thing rolling now,” Deandre Ayton said. “Suns basketball on the way for sure.”

Ayton matched his career high with 35 points, Booker scored 19 in his first game since Christmas and the Suns held off Cam Thomas and the Brooklyn Nets 116112 last night.

Booker missed 21 games with left groin strain. The Suns had a stretch of nine losses in 10 games early in his absence but hung in well at the end and have won nine of 11.“Now we’re back and we have our guy back, so he knows we’re locked and loaded,” Ayton said.

LEBRON

FROM PAGE 11

stars who made sure they were there to see history — became the league’s all-time leading scorer on April 5, 1984 and wound up retiring in 1989 with 38,387 points.

It was a record that some thought would last forever, with very few even coming close. Karl Malone retired 1,459 points behind AbdulJabbar, Kobe Bryant was 4,744 points shy, and

The 21-year-old Thomas led a late charge and finished with 43 points, becoming the youngest player in NBA history with three straight 40-point games. He had 44 and a career-high 47 points in his previous two games, but the Nets are 1-2 during Thomas’ run.

“Obviously I’d rather have the win because it sounds better when you have these 40-point games with the two (games) that we lost, but it’s just good to have my name in history,” Thomas said.

Mikal Bridges had 17 of his 21 points in the second half and played a key role in the defensive effort that cooled off Thomas just long enough for the Suns to use a 13-4 run to build a 109-97 lead with 2:25 remaining.

Booker scored six points and set up Ayton for another basket during that stretch.

“That’s all I want right there is just competition and being back out there with the band and just feeling that energy, feeling that presence,” Booker said. “The team has it rolling right now, so just insert myself in a way that wasn’t disruptive and try to keep the flow that they have.”

Thomas rallied the Nets mostly from the free-throw line, and his intentional miss with 4.1 seconds remaining left the Suns with a 114-112 lead. He then fouled Ayton, who finished it off with two free throws after going 14 for 18 from the field and grabbing 15 rebounds.

Nic Claxton and T.J. Warren had 17 points each for the Nets, who lost on back-to-back nights after trading Kyrie Irving and fell to 5-9 without the injured Kevin Durant. They opted not to play Spencer Dinwiddie and Dorian

Finney-Smith, the players they acquired from Dallas in the trade for Irving. Ben Simmons had two points and six assists after missing five games with left knee soreness.

TIP-INS Suns: Chris Paul surpassed 2,500 steals, a mark reached by only John Stockton, Jason Kidd and Michael Jordan. He had nine points and 12 assists. Nets: Brooklyn was also without Seth Curry (left adductor strain) and Yuta Watanabe (back tightness).

... Coach Jacque Vaughn said Durant continues to progress well in his recovery but still hasn’t been involved in the any portions of practice where there is contact. Vaughn said he didn’t know when Durant would take that step, and he won’t play before he does. The Nets only have four games remaining before the All-Star break.

ANOTHER TRADE

The Nets dealt forward Kessler Edwards to Sacramento for the rights to 2016 second-round pick David Michineau and cash.

Edwards began last season on a two-way deal before playing well enough to earn a standard NBA contract, but had appeared in just 14 games this season.

DINWIDDIE AND DORIAN

Dinwiddie spent five seasons with the Nets and recalled when he signed a multiyear deal in December 2016 after coming into the league as a secondround pick who battled to prove he was more than a G League player.

“My career’s been hard, and that right there kind of solidified knowing, like, my family’s going to be fine,” Dinwiddie said.

He said there was nostalgia being back in Brooklyn, where he averaged a

SUNS centre Deandre Ayton goes to the basket against the Brooklyn Nets last night in New York.

(AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

career-best 20.6 points in 2019-20, and praised Finney-Smith’s ability to be an important contributor to the team.

“Understanding that we may not be the best trade package, but we are the best-looking and the Nets needed some help in that department,” he joked.

UP NEXT Suns: At Atlanta on Thursday.

Nets: Host Chicago on Thursday.

IRVING FROM PAGE 11

was often tumultuous. He took leaves of absence in the 2020-21 season, had to miss much of the 2021-22 season because he wouldn’t get vaccinated against COVID-19 and therefore wasn’t compliant with New York City workplace rules, and this year was suspended eight games after posting a link to a film with antisemitic messaging.

He eventually was welcomed back to the Nets, and played at an All-Star level once again. But when it was time to discuss an extension, the relationship soured again when Irving didn’t like whatever answer the Nets gave. He asked for a trade, and Brooklyn quickly accommodated him.

Michael Jordan was 6,095 points away.

James passed them all, then caught Abdul-Jabbar, too. He did it in his 20th season. Abdul-Jabbar also played 20 NBA seasons.

And now, King James — a moniker he’s had since high school — is the NBA’s scoring king.

Abdul-Jabbar held the ball aloft, then handed it to James, the ceremonial passing of the torch. They posed for photos with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, then with one

another. James wiped away tears from his eyes, then addressed the crowd. “I just want to say, thank you to the Laker faithful. You guys are one of a kind,” James said.

“To be able to be in the presence of such a legend as great as Kareem, it’s very humbling. “Please give a standing ovation to the Captain, please.”

James then thanked his family and those who have supported him, including Silver and the late NBA

Commissioner David Stern. “I thank you guys so much for allowing me to be a part of something I’ve always dreamed about,” James said. At least 16 different players have, technically, been the all-time leading scorer in league history — most of those coming in the opening month of the league’s existence in 1946, when everybody was starting from zero and nine different players were atop the scoring list in the first 16 days.

But only six have ended a season officially as the all-time leader: Joe Fulks, George Mikan, Dolph Schayes, Bob Pettit, Wilt Chamberlain and Abdul-Jabbar.

James will be the seventh name on that list, and he’s likely to stay there for a long time.

No active player is within 10,000 points of James, who is under contract for two more years and is on pace to become the league’s first 40,000-point scorer sometime next season.

“I just know I want to be places where I’m celebrated, and not just tolerated or kind of dealt with in a way that doesn’t make me feel respected,” Irving said. “There were times throughout this process when I was in Brooklyn that I felt very disrespected. I work extremely hard at what I do. No one ever talks about my work ethic, though. Everyone talks about what I’m doing off the floor. I just want to change that narrative and write my own story and just continue to prepare in the gym and now that I’m in Dallas just focus on what I can control.”

He was asked what, specifically, left him feeling disrespected in Brooklyn.

“That’s another day where I can really go into detail about it,” Irving said.

More than 30 basketball coaches in NPPPSSA pass certification course

PRIOR to the start of their Sherman Smith Mini Basketball Tournament at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium last week, more than 30 coaches in the New Providence Public Primary Schools Sports Association participated and

passed their certification course. The course was conducted by Freddie Brown, Christian Wilmore and Yves Pierre at Claridge Primary School on behalf of the Bahamas Basketball Federation. As the mini tournament came to

a close on Friday at the KGLI Gymnasium, the coaches were presented with their certification certificates. Brown, speaking on behalf of the lecturers, commended the coaches for making history as the

first group of coaches to attain the certification in the Bahamas. He said it is a course that they hope to institute throughout the Bahamas. Mini basketball is the basics for the development of the sport.

In the past, the federation hosted their successful mini programmes during the summer months. Brown said it’s their intention to reintroduce the programme this year.

THE CERTIFICATION course was conducted by Freddie Brown, Christian Wilmore and Yves Pierre at Claridge Primary School.

LAKERS forward LeBron James talks with his kids prior to the second half against the Oklahoma City Thunder last night in Los Angeles.

(AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

RETURN OF CHICKCHARNEY CHALLENGE HAS ‘DECENT TURN OUT’

THE Chickcharney Challenge’s ‘return’ is now officially in the books, with event organisers already setting their sights on a possible relay event which they hope can be held in tandem with the country’s upcoming 50th anniversary of Independence celebrations.

“For our first event out of the gate after the COVID19 pandemic I thought that we had a decent turn out,” said chief executive officer Chester Robards. “The course was a nice and pretty fluid course. A lot of people talked about how challenging it was but also said that it was fun. It was a decent restart to the Chickcharney Challenge. We had lots of teams come out to compete, as well as some gym representation and so as usual there

was some fun competition there.”

The Chickcharney Challenge, which is the country’s premier obstacle course event, was held on January 28 at the Clifton Heritage Park. This year’s event, which was dubbed “The Return”, was powered by Colina Insurance.

The wildly popular event tested the fitness and endurance of participants over a three-mile course which featured some 16 obstacles.

“I really want to thank the sponsors. Colina was our title sponsor and there was also Advantage Insurance, Guardian Radio 96.9, Powerade, Kalik, Everything Local, Art of Graphix and of course Clifton Heritage Park, all of whom held to make the event a success,” Robards said.

The top prize - a stay at Comfort Suites - was generously donated by the Paradise Island resort.

Robards says that he’s now looking ahead to a possible Chickcharney relay event for the

country’s 50th anniversary of Independence. “That’s something we are really looking forward to, a relay event to mark the growth of obstacle course racing,” Roberts said. In the fall, Robards says he also hopes to pull-off another event, a Chickcharney Zombie Run for Halloween.

“We are hoping to host our Chickcharney Zombie run which is our Halloween event. “We’re looking to collaborate with some other private entities, maybe from the US. All in all, it was a good first event out of the gate,” he said.

“It wasn’t without its challenge but with obstacle course racing there is always a challenge.”

The top three male participants of the Chickcharney

Challenge “The Return” were #1 Mackey Williams #2 Robbie Corriveau and #3 Jeffrey Burnside.

The top three female participants were #1 Barbara Kiraly #2 Tangerine Dinnick and #3Alicia Curry.

The top three teams were Team #1 Team Payne (Rashad Rolle, Duran Ching, Jamaal Curry, Ryan Payne), Team #2 Goat Peppa Steppas (Rashad Adderley, Devaughn Fraser, Noel Henderson) and Team #3 Top Gun (Cordero Bonamy, Jamie Saunders, Kohen Kerr, Kent Bonamy). And last but not to be left out, in the 17 and under category the top three participants were #1 Rathan Corriveau, #2 Na’aman Thompson and #3 Taevia Wright.

THE CHICKCHARNEY CHALLENGE, the island nation’s premier obstacle course event, was held on January 28 at Clifton Heritage Park. This year’s event, dubbed “The Return”, was powered by Colina Insurance.

‘STOP FATTENING POCKETS’ OF FOREIGN FOOD SUPPLIERS

and enhance our knowledge. We’ve just put some feelers out there to seek funding to do what we need to do the best we can to improve ourselves as farmers. We’re seeking funding to do what we have to do as a group.”

Ms Shepherd spoke following her recent address to a Farmers Market staged by the Tourism Development Corporation, where she highlighted multi-million dollar opportunities for Bahamian farmers to

replace imports in key market segments. Drawing on 2021 data, she identified the $25.34m worth of whole chickens, drumsticks and wings imported into The Bahamas that year as a key segment where local producers can make inroads. “The facts tell the rest of the story,”

Ms Shepherd said. “I’ll just drop a few nuggets out to you all today. Our imports, just on a few very easy items, some of you are going to be surprised but be that as it may...

“We had a period where we imported coconut trees

NOTICE is hereby given that EDINA THARISSA LOUIS of Treasure Cay, Abaco, The Bahamas is applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for registration/naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/ naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 1st day of February, 2023 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, Bahamas.

NOTICE

AMT PROPERTIES

BAHAMAS LTD.

(In Voluntary Liquidation)

Notice is hereby given that in accordance with Section 138 (4) of the; International Business Companies Act, 2000, AMT PROPERTIES BAHAMAS LTD. is in Dissolution. The date of commencement of dissolution is the 6th day of February, 2023.

Aegis Corporate Services Limited Building Six, Caves Village West Bay Street, P.O. Box SP-63771 Nassau, Bahamas Liquidator

to a value of $3m. I can tell you that God is admonishing us to find coconut trees. God is admonishing us to find coconut trees in our yards.” She added that it was “amazing to me” that, in 2021, The Bahamas imported some 8.446m pounds of potatoes valued at a collective $6.892m, the latter of which represented foreign exchange earnings leaving this nation.

The country also purchased some 4.495m pounds of tomatoes, worth a total $5.883m, from overseas producers as well as 5.66m pounds of onion

and garlic valued at $5m. Romaine lettuce worth $2.175m, and amounting to 1.616m pounds, was also acquired from outside The Bahamas. “If we calculated all the lettuce, the value of imports during the period I am talking about is $7m,” Ms Shepherd said. She added that The Bahamas also imported some 2.211m pounds of mushrooms for 2021, plus 3.864m pounds of bell peppers worth $4.128m. Five million pounds of bananas were sourced from overseas, plus 2.252 million pounds of plantains.

NOTICE

NOTICE is hereby given that PIERRE-MARIE ALMONOR of Minnie Street, New Providence, The Bahamas, is applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for registration/naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/ naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 1st day of February, 2023 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, Bahamas.

NOTICE

AMT GROUP BAHAMAS LIMITED (In Voluntary Liquidation)

Notice is hereby given that in accordance with Section 138 (4) of the; International Business Companies Act, 2000, AMT GROUP BAHAMAS LIMITED is in Dissolution. The date of commencement of dissolution is the 6th day of February, 2023.

Aegis Corporate Services Limited Building Six, Caves Village West Bay Street, P.O. Box SP-63771 Nassau, Bahamas Liquidator

Ms Shepherd, though, said the most lucrative opportunity for Bahamian farmers was in meat production - -chicken, ham, turkey, sheep and goats. Besides the $25m-plus worth of chicken imports, she pointed to $3m or 706,000 pounds of sheep meat and added: “You know what those Long Island boys could be doing with sheep right now.

Goat meat imports were said to be worth $2m, or 900,000 pounds, and turkey some $2m. Egg imports stood at over five million pounds or $5.118m. “While we are making others’ pockets fat we are neglecting the fact that we as a small yet powerful nation need to increase our productivity,”

Ms Shepherd said.

“Other countries are ensuring they are developing their sustainability for food, and exporting second grade food. Tremendously expanding our agriculture and fisheries sector is imperative almost to the point of our survival. Sustainability is crucial for us.”

With The Bahamas about to celebrate its 50th independence anniversary this year, Ms Shepherd added: “As a country we have digressed. We have lost our stronghold in agriculture. We have lost our citrus, chicken, egg, sheep, goats, ham. It is now time to regain out foothold in this industry.

“We have heard over and repeatedly we have to eat healthy, we need to have a healthy diet and grow more food, supply more food. All of that is correct. What are we doing about this as a nation?” She pointed to

ADVERTISE TODAY!

CALL THE TRIBUNE TODAY @ 502-2394

a recently-unveiled United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) study which found 17.2 percent of Bahamians suffered “moderate to severe food insecurity” between 20192021 at COVID-19’s height.

While The Bahamas was far from the most food insecure nation in the Western Hemisphere, with just 3.4 percent (around 18,000) of the population found to have experienced “severe” problems during that period, these concerns were worsened by the fact that this country has the region’s greatest level of obesity among its adult population. The FAO report found that that 31.6 percent of Bahamian adults, close to one-third, were deemed obese.

“One in five persons go to bed hungry in The Bahamas,” Ms Shepherd said. “Many people have malnutrition in The Bahamas for lack of nutritious food. It is abundantly clear that we need to put in place a sustainable and effective food production system to eliminate the lack of nutritious food; a food system that works for our people and food security, and which creates a healthy and balanced diet.”

Disclosing that the Bahamas Agro Entrepreneurs Group includes some 300 farmers, she added: “We know the deficiencies we have. One of the deficiencies we have is consistency. We have taken the challenge of eliminating that problem by coming together as a group. If one person doesn’t have it, we will definitely find someone else who has it. We are still falling short on putting all these things together but are making the effort to do it.”

PUBLIC NOTICE

INTENT TO CHANGE NAME BY DEED POLL

The Public is hereby advised that I, DIANA GRIMALDO of West Bay Street, Love Beach, New Providence, Bahamas, intend to change my name to DIANA HELENA LEHDER GRIMALDO

If there are any objections to this change of name by Deed Poll, you may write such objections to the Chief Passport Offcer, P.O.Box N-742, Nassau, Bahamas no later than thirty (30) days after the date of publication of this notice.

NOTICE

NOTICE is hereby given that MARK STANLEY GODIN of East Street, New Providence, The Bahamas is applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for registration/naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/ naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 1st day of February, 2023 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, Bahamas.

NOTICE

NOTICE is hereby given that WILBENET PETIT-FRERE of Marathon, New Providence, The Bahamas is applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for registration/naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/ naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 1st day of February, 2023 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, Bahamas.

NOTICE

NOTICE is hereby given that SANTIAGO FELIZ SUERO of Nassau Village, #19 Wally Street, New Providence, The Bahamas is applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for registration/ naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 8th day of February, 2023 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, Bahamas.

BPL to re-enter hedging via 15% fuel cost lock-in

respond to Tribune Business messages seeking answers on when the proposed hedge will be sealed, its likely terms or the timeline/duration it will cover.

However, the utility described as “far more prudent” its decision to pursue a new hedging arrangement now given that global oil prices have eased. Electricity suppliers typically initiate fuel hedging strategies when per barrel oil costs are low, exploiting market softness to lock-in prices they believe will offer consumers tariff predictability and stability, shielding all parties from future volatility and price spikes.

While global oil prices have dropped somewhat since the Ukraine invasion’s start, standing at $77.19 per barrel on the West Texas Intermediate index, and at $83.66 on Brent crude, they remain significantly higher than the $40-$50 per barrel cost that the Minnis administration was able to exploit in mid-2020 when world energy demand plummeted due to the lockdowns associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Still, BPL said: “Not only have fuel prices declined to a point where hedging gains are far more favourable, but the organisation’s finances have stabilised due to the successful completion of [two] loan agreements and the implementation of the glide path fuel cost recovery scheme.” The latter refers to the phased-in fuel charge hikes that will this summer peak at 163 percent above October 2022 levels for consumers using over 800 kilowatt (KW) hours per month.

“It looks like BPL is bringing hedging back into the mix for price stability,” one energy industry source said of its statement.

“Once they see oil prices come down, they can raise the percentage of fuel they hedge. They’ve now come back and realised hedging is the best strategy for price stability, which contrasts with the statement that hedging is a gamble.

They’re getting back into hedging, and contrasting

what the Prime Minister is saying that it’s a bet.”

Mr Davis, during Monday’s House of Assembly hostilities with Opposition leader, Michael Pintard, sought to justify his administration’s decision not to authorise trades that would have supported BPL’s hedging strategy by acquiring more cut-price oil at a “strike price” of $50 per barrel. He argued that it was “a reasonable decision” to focus scarce financial resources into paying down BPL’s multi-million arrears owed to vendors and $246m loan that was coming due.

“Let’s remember what a hedge is. It’s a bet, a gamble,” the Prime Minister asserted. While it was designed to lock-in fuel prices in advance, so that electricity consumers enjoy price stability and predictability, he cited the example of a Florida utility that lost billions over a ten-year period after spot market oil prices declined below the price at which it had hedged.

Mr Davis also implied that executing the September 2021 trades would have been of little use in protecting Bahamian businesses and households from the oil price spike produced by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. This was because the hedge they were tied to “only covered a period beginning in July 2022”.

However, the energy industry source said of yesterday’s BPL statement: “What they’re saying to The Bahamas is they’re going to continue hedging because it gives us price stability. They’re saying hedging makes sense, so we’re going to do it again.” They agreed with BPL’s analysis that to seek a new hedge in early 2022 would have been “bad timing” due to the global oil price spike, as it would have been unable to lock-in a favourable price.

BPL said global oil prices were projected to ease further, helping to increase hedging’s potential benefits. It added that entering a new hedge in early 2022 may also have “derailed” or delayed negotiations over two new loan

arrangements, which have now been completed.

Bahamian businesses and households will face an average fuel charge of 20 cents per kilowatt hour (KWh) in their electricity bills during 2023, BPL confirmed, as it seeks to recover fuel costs that were not 100 percent passed on to consumers as required by law between December 2021 and October 2022.

It admitted that this was almost double, or 100 percent higher, than the 10.5 cents per KWh attained when the fuel hedge was initially put in place, but argued that this was “still lower compared to utilities of similar size and characteristics in our region”.

Meanwhile, the Opposition yesterday showed no sign of letting up on the fuel hedging controversy. Mr Pintard, in a statement, reiterated that “the lion’s share” of the $150m in unpaid BPL bills disclosed in the Fiscal Strategy Report was tied directly to the Davis administration’s decision not to execute the hedge-supporting trades for more cheaper fuel in September 2021 and December 2021.

“The public has sufficient reason to believe that is related to the decision around the hedge or failure to act,” the FNM leader told Tribune Business of the $150m arrears. “There was sufficient reason to believe ballooning of this exposure to Shell had to do with the decision they made and failed to make. We gave

New construction permits off 20% due to commercial drop

FROM PAGE A20

quarter fell by 28.8 percent or $41.5m year-over-year, dropping from $144.377m in the year-before period to $102.8m. However, the value of new construction permits issued on Grand Bahama more than doubled, rising from $12.837m in the 2021 third quarter to $26.69m last year. Family Island new construction permits nearly halved in value, going from $10.091m to $5.762m.

As for actual construction work, the Institute said: “The number of new construction starts [across the] Bahamas decreased by 17 when comparing the third quarter 2021 (150) and third quarter 2022 (133). During this same period, however, the value of construction starts increased by $35m or 74 percent.

“This increase in value was led by the private/ residential sector and

the public sector, with increases of $36m and $5,000 respectively. Contrarily, the commercial/ industrial sector decreased by $645,000 or 4 percent. New Providence represented 76 percent, and Grand Bahama 24 percent, of the recorded number of new construction starts in the third quarter 2022.” Residential construction starts were flat year-overyear at 119 for the 2022 third quarter, but commercial related projects declined year-over-year from 31 in 2021 to just 13 - a fall of 58 percent.

“The total Bahamas number of construction completions in the third quarter 2022 (165) showed a decrease of six projects when compared with the same period in 2021 (171),” the Institute said. “The value of construction completions, however,

LINIC LTD.

In Voluntary Liquidation

Notice is hereby given that in accordance with Section 138 (4) of the International Business Companies Act 2000 (No. 45 of 2000) Linic Ltd. is in voluntary liquidation.

The date of the voluntary dissolution was 30th on the 31st January, 2023.

The Liquidator of the Company is Patrick W. F. Toothe of P.O. Box N-9306, Nassau Bahamas

Patrick W. F. Toothe Liquidator

reason to believe this is related to the decision they made.

“They got adequate advice on a timely basis, refused to accept the advice and their failure to do so has resulted in a huge cost to the Bahamian people that they must pay to BPL, pay the subventions to the Government. The regular citizen and business’s costs also went up because of higher electricity costs. Once they realised their ill-advised decision would be a mark on their credibility and good governance, they went into conceal and denial mode.”

BPL’s confirmed $90m debt to Shell is likely to have been accrued because BPL it held its fuel charge at the hedged 10.5 cents per KWh price even after the trades to secure extra cut-price volumes were not executed. This resulted in BPL having to buy increasing fuel volumes at higher global market spot prices, and the 10.5 cents was

insufficient to cover its fuel costs.

Government officials last October conceded that it had cost taxpayers “tens of millions of dollars” to hold the utility’s fuel charge at 10.5 cents per KWh. With the Government prevented from providing direct subsidies, the higher BPL fuel charges are required to reimburse the Government for paying-off Shell’s debts and effectively keeping the lights on.

Mr Pintard, in his statement, said Mr Davis’ Monday comments in the House of Assembly represented a further shifting in the Government’s narrative. He argued that the Prime Minister had confirmed for the first time he was briefed on the September 2021 trades, and that the Cabinet had decided against executing them.

This, the Opposition leader pointed out, came after Mr Davis told the House of Assembly on October 26, 2022:

““I received no advice, received no recommendations and saw no papers in that respect. It never reached my desk. It never happened.”

Mr Pintard added: “The Prime Minister mentioned that the $150m in contingent liabilities that the Government took on from BPL was related to bills this administration inherited from the former administration. The FNM contends that this statement is wholly inaccurate....

“The Prime Minister has provided no documentation and no evidence to support his contention that this $150m in contingent liabilities was the fault of the former administration in part or in whole.... We demand that they lay all the related documentation on the table of the House of Assembly to substantiate his allegation but, more importantly, to demonstrate that he is prepared to live up to his commitment to accountable and transparent governance.”

The move drew support from the local business community, with Robert Carron saying he supported the government’s efforts to resolve the issue, and said so should every Bahamian.

He said that under the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation “each signatory recognises that every other signatory (including The Bahamas) has complete and exclusive sovereignty over the airspace above its land and seas”.

He also suggested that renaming the airspace in the region as “Miami Oceanic” had led to some confusion for airlines.

increased by approximately $106m or 176 percent.

“There was an increase in the commercial/industrial sector of approximately $114m leading this overall increase in value. New Providence’s commercial/ industrial sector construction completions value increased from $11m to $126m over this same period.”

The Institute added that its report and data were compiled using information obtained from the Ministry of Works (New Providence and Grand Bahama), the Department of Local Government, Family Island administrators and the Grand Bahama Port Authority (GBPA).

BAHAMAS POWER & LIGHT HEADQUARTERS

‘Worryingly low’ graduation’s blow to high-value economy

math, physics and technology, although chemistry, environmental and life sciences is the third largest subject after business and nursing and allied health,”

the IDB report said. “There is a course on computer information systems, but not computer science.

“This might follow on from concerning results for math at high school level. Limited graduate counts, and perhaps quality of some courses, may limit The Bahamas’ ability to engage in high-value industries and diversify national income sources, taking advantage of The Bahamas’ close proximity to the world’s pre-eminent economy (the US).

“UoB graduation rates as a share of enrollment are worryingly low, and fell in 2018-2019 to just 12 percent of enrollment. In 2019-2020, graduates counts totalled 67 percent of new starts. These two statistics suggest a combination of significant

efficiency losses from both dropout and repetition.”

The IDB study’s implications are that The Bahamas is not producing enough well-qualified, highly-educated graduates for the technology-based industries that are viewed as the key growth drivers in an increasingly digital global economy. This, in turn, has potential negative consequences for The Bahamas’ bid to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) in such sectors as well as potentially forcing these industries, at least in the initial stages, to rely on a more expatriate workforce.

“In the past, countries that have transformed international business centre activity into high levels of domestic prosperity – the Republic of Ireland and Singapore are outstanding examples –sometimes captured the gains through high quality, high access tertiary education. The Bahamas has made substantial investments in tertiary education,

but access is low and efficiency could improve,” the report argued. “The exposure of The Bahamas to automation of workforces and other future vulnerabilities is high. On the one hand, tourism and finance appear relatively underexposed to potential automation using today’s technologies.

On the other hand, food and accommodation services, the constituent parts of many tourism jobs, are susceptible, with elementary occupations the most susceptible to automation. Health, education and personal care occupations are also highly vulnerable.” Elsewhere, the Government’s spending on education measured poorly against high income countries and Caribbean rivals. Pre-school spending per student, as a share of GDP per capita, stood at 6 percent for this nation compared to higher income nations. For primary and secondary education, this stood at 13 percent for

both, below the equivalent in both Barbados and the Latin American and Caribbean region. “Access to education is low by international and regional standards for all levels except primary education. Secondary enrollment ratios are among the lowest of any high income country, and pre-primary and tertiary enrollment ratios also lag comparator groups. Even achieving the 85 percent high school graduation target set by the Government would leave The Bahamas well below its regional peers,” the IDB report found, noting the fall-out for workforce productivity. Advising The Bahamas against simply “throwing money” at its education challenges, the study added: “Quality education is a challenge throughout the system, and one that appears to affect labour market outcomes. Increasing spending levels on wages and infrastructure is

not likely to tackle education quality issues. “Careful investment selection is more important than just throwing money at the sector – although additional resources will help with increasing access for pre-primary. Quality is not solved by just reducing the student:teacher ratios, which on average are low.”

Pointing to poor exam performance, the IDB report said: “Despite recent improvements, 37 percent of children scoring below a ‘D’ in the GLAT (Grade Level Assessment Test) in May 2019 is extremely concerning, and stores up problems later in the system. The Government secondary system does not seem to offer a post-BGCSE qualification, which reduces The Bahamas’ ability to continue to compete globally, or to get the most out of its generous tertiary spending.

“Even before Dorian and COVID-19 impacts are taken into account, and even after recent

improvements, high school graduation rates are below every OECD country except Costa Rica. Tertiary education efficiency and effectiveness has much potential for improvement....

“Education access ratios are concerningly low for secondary. Gross enrollment for secondary education (80 percent in 2016-2017, which is the highest estimate across the four datasets examined) is well below the average rate for the upper-middle income group of countries, a group of countries which all have annual GDP per capita lower than $12,695.

“The secondary gross enrollment rate was 80 percent in 2016-2017, down from 90 percent in the census year 2010. The Bahamas struggles with high school graduation rates, which fall below 37 of 38 OECD countries.”

Avoid ‘jack up numbers’ on Business Licence renewal

frustration for the business community.

Mrs Rutherford-Ferguson then added that a recent Chamber survey found close to two-thirds of all business respondents, between 57 percent and 65 percent, have concerns about government regulations and red tape; government taxes and fees; and inflation.

However, Mr Turnquest and several accountants, who all verified their clients’ turnover and helped them submit their Business Licence renewal applications by the end-January deadline, yesterday told Tribune Business that the process had been “smooth” and “routine” provided the company’s accounts and financial record-keeping were in order.

Confirming that the Department of Inland Revenue was requesting “proof of income” and landlord property tax assessment numbers once renewal applications were made, Mr Turnquest said: “You have got to have a systematic approach to doing business. You have got to have

current financial information. If you do, all you have to do is upload the income statement from January 1 to December 31.

“When they do that, my members and clients get their licence approval in two to three days. They [the Department of Inland Revenue] want revenue, gross profit, expenses and net profit. They’re not concerned about anything other than revenue. They want you to have an income statement; that’s what they specifically ask for.

“The persons with the 242 Small Business Association, in my experience and that of my members, is that once you have proper financial records everything will take two to three days. But if you run a poor business you will have delays on all your stuff.

The problem is those people who run a business like they are a bunch of jokers can’t verify anything, can’t get an income statement, so they are not running a sensible business and accounting with jack up numbers that don’t make sense,” he continued.

“If you go into business you must behave as if you are in business by keeping

management, operations and accounting records up to date. You have to look at your business plan every year and make adjustments.” Similarly, Philip Galanis, the HLB Galanis managing partner, told Tribune Business that keeping proper financial records was critical “to be in business in the 21st century”.

“It went extremely well,” he said of Business Licence renewals. “I was very, very impressed how quickly we were able to get an acknowledgement from the Inland Revenue. We submitted the reports and verification. There were no hindrances at all. People recognise they’ve got to be more attentive accounting for business costs even though there are a lot of people out there that don’t.

“The Bahamas has got to recognise, and business people have to recognise, that if you’re going to be in business for the 21st century you have to keep some semblance of records of what you’re doing otherwise how will you know how your business is performing?”

Craig A. ‘Tony’ Gomez, the Baker Tilly Gomez principal, said of Business

Licence filings: “It’s been routine. It’s been business as usual. For my clients, this year has been like all the most recent years where Business Licence filings have been routine. The calculation to this point has been routine.

“We know businesses have been hard hit by the COVID pandemic, so payments this year like last year will be a challenge for some, but in respect of the calculation of licence fees that has been routine. An integral part of the success of any business is to be organised, and key to that is a system of reporting financial results. It makes it easy for the Business Licence process and the accountants who now have to deal with the fees if you have an established reporting system.”

However, the Chamber’s Mrs Rutherford-Ferguson said: “Requiring businesses earning under $100,000 to submit proof of income when this was not a requirement previously, nor being provided with adequate notice, is depleting their

already challenged efforts. This gravely impacts micro and small businesses that do not have the resources to quickly have this information gathered in an acceptable format.

“Business License renewals, which previously took significantly less time, are now taking three to four weeks or even longer to obtain. These decisions have added to the mounting frustration of the private sector, added delays, and continue to hinder the timeliness in how businesses are able to operate and prepare for the future.

“Businesses suffer and cannot properly plan when the the Government of The Bahamas makes policy shifts that have a material impact on how they are to operate without providing a fair and adequate notice period for implementing new policies.”

The Chamber chair voiced similar concerns about business tenants having to provide their landlord’s real property tax assessment number for

Business Licence renewal applications, even though officials have previously said supplying the name and address/location will suffice if the building’s owner proves uncooperative.

Kwasi Thompson, the Opposition’s finance spokesman, yesterday echoed Mrs RutherfordFerguson by saying: “We demand that the Government immediately reverse their hastily imposed and ill-advised requirements for business owners to chase down the real property tax information of their landlords.

“In no scenario is that a reasonable requirement of a tenant. We demand that the Government cease its requirements for proof of income during this licensing period for micro and small businesses. If the Government wants to change the financial information required from small businesses, it must give the businesses at least six months to plan for and adequately provide the information - with provisions for the training and support of small businesses.

“This is an added expense that some businesses will find very difficult to meet. We demand that the Government cease its wholly unreasonable and expensive demand that all Customs brokers pay to integrate with its Customs Click2Clear system. This should be something that is wholly optional for brokers. And if the Government wishes to demand integration, the Government must be prepared to foot the lion’s share of the costs.”

Accounts Cler (Nassau)

FROM PAGE A20

Realtor unveils top performers

A BAHAMIAN real estate firm has recognised its top-producing agents following a record sales year in 2022.

H G Christie has named Phillip Hillier, Anya Mousis, Anne Bethel, Franklyn Knowles and Dwayne Wallas as its topproducing agents. In New Providence, the top prize went to Mr Hillier and Ms Mousis, who work as a team mainly in the island’s west.

Ms Mousis said successfully completing a sale means not only providing access to available properties, but using resources to ensure the client’s concerns are being adequately considered. “It really is about keeping clients calm,” she added, “using data to ensure that all their questions are answered, and allaying the fears that can come up when completing these kinds of transactions.”

In Eleuthera and Abaco, Anne Bethel and Franklyn Knowles were named top producers respectively. Ms Bethel explained: “The core of our work at HG Christie is to provide a complete service that guides our clients through the process of selling or buying their home or property.

Eleuthera is experiencing a true renaissance and, right now, seems to be the place where everyone wants to be. Our real estate sales reflect that trend.”

In 2022, Dwayne Wallas was recognised for having recorded the most transactions as well as securing the sale of some of the company’s most exclusive listings. “It is an honour to be recognised during such a momentous milestone for the company,” said Mr Wallas. “The past year has shown me that maintaining good working relationships

with my colleagues is the key to success in this business. I have also learned that optimism in the face of disaster can go a long way.”

Rounding out the list was Kristi Hull, the company’s top resort marketer for 2022.

John Christie, HG Christie’s president and managing broker, said: “I am proud of our strong team of agents, who are the reason we have made it to this milestone, and I am excited about seeing them continue to perform at this level going forward. Even with some concern of a global slowdown, all indications show that there will continue to be strong interest in The Bahamas and we are excited about the opportunities this will bring.”

ANYA MOUSIS PHILIP HILLIER KRISTI HULL

FRANK KNOWLES DWAYNE WALLAS ANN BETHEL

‘Worryingly low’ graduation’s blow to high-value economy

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

THE Bahamas’ ability to develop high-value industries and diversify its economy are impaired by “worryingly low” graduation rates at its sole university with just 7 percent of students studying science and technology-related courses.

An Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) study on government spending in key areas, such as education, health

and social security, found that improved access and greater efficiency at the University of The Bahamas (UoB) and the country’s other tertiary education institutions is vital if it aspires to match the likes of Singapore as a true international business centre.

The report, dated February 2022 but only just released, said a relatively small number of Bahamians enter tertiary schooling despite the country’s relatively high per capita investment in university/college

‘Stop fattening pockets’ of foreign food suppliers

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

THE BAHAMAS must “stop fattening the pockets” of foreign food suppliers by enabling its farmers to exploit more than $50m worth of meat and vegetable possibilities, an agriculture entrepreneur argued yesterday.

Caron Shepherd, the Bahamas Agro Entrepreneurs Group’s president, told Tribune Business there were multiple import substitution opportunities to expand Bahamian agriculture given the seven million-plus tourist “mouths to feed” in

addition to the country’s 400,000-strong population.

“We’re fattening other people’s pockets when we could be doing what they’re doing here, and they’re sending us second grade foods when we produce first grade foods

New construction permits off 20% due to commercial drop

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

THE VALUE of new construction permits issued in the 2022 third quarter fell by almost 20 percent year-over-year due to a significant dropoff in new commercial projects, it was disclosed yesterday.

The Bahamas National Statistical Institute, in unveiling building construction data for the three months to end-September 2022, revealed that increased residential developments helped mitigate some of the year-over-year decline in higher value corporate projects.

Speaking to permits, which are an indicator of future industry activity, its report said: “The [total] number of new construction permits Issued in the third quarter 2022 (424) was higher than in third quarter 2021 (380) by 44 projects or 12 percent. Conversely, the value of permits Issued over this period decreased from $167m in 2021 to $135m in 2022.

“The main reason for this decrease was a drop of 59 percent in the commercial/industrial sector of $47m, which was mitigated by increases in the private/residential sector of $11m and the public sector of $4m. The third quarter 2022 permits value was shared across the islands, with New Providence representing 76 percent, Grand Bahama 20 percent and the remaining Family Islands 4 percent.”

For New Providence, the value of new construction permits issued during the 2022 third

SEE PAGE A17

here,” she blasted. “They [the farmers] are ready to take advantage of it. It’s just providing the opportunity and funding for it.

“The mere fact that the market is there, the mouths we have to feed. We have 7.2m people coming to The

education outstripping that of many high income developed nations.

“Gross tertiary enrollment of 18-21 year-olds in 2019-2020 (using 2019 census projections) is 18 percent, which is far below the average for the Latin American and Caribbean region, 54 percent, and the average of 79 percent in the high income country grouping in 2019. A remarkably low share of University of The Bahamas students are male (27 percent in fall 2019), possibly due to poor

secondary education survival rates,” the IDB study noted.

Noting the disparity with female students, the report added that the Government in 2019-2020 was subsidising, via the taxpayer, $11,320 or 78 percent of the $14,509 total costs for a student to attend UoB. This included tuition fees and other cost centres.

“While UoB provides several courses appropriate for the job market in The Bahamas, just 7 percent of students studied

BPL to re-enter hedging via 15% fuel cost lock-in

Bahamas annually plus 400,000 residents. That is a lot of mouths to feed. If we cannot see that we have a market we need to capitalise on by having the farmers increase their productivity and produce then, obviously, there’s no vision coming from the Government to do this.

“We have, as farmers, taken the initiative to do what we need to do and seek funding elsewhere to upgrade our technology

SEE PAGE A16

Avoid ‘jack up numbers’ on Business Licence renewal

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

COMPANIES are only suffering delayed Business Licence renewals if they have “jack up numbers” and are unable to provide proof of income, a small business consultant and activist argued yesterday.

Mark A Turnquest, president of the 242 Small Business Association and Resource Centre, told Tribune Business that all his clients and members were receiving their renewals “within two to three days” of providing their 2022 annual income statement to the Department of Inland Revenue.

This year’s renewal round, with filings having to be submitted by end-January, is the first time the tax collection agency has required micro, small and medium-sized (MSME) businesses generating less than $100,000 in annual turnover to provide “proof of income” so that their revenues can be verified.

Companies with annual turnover above the $100,000 threshold, which is the same benchmark as that for VAT registration, are already

required to have their revenue figures verified by a qualified accountant. However, the lack of “reasonable notice” of the new imposition for businesses with a top-line under $100,000 has caused consternation among some in the private sector.

Khrystle Rutherford-Ferguson, the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers Confederation’s (BCCEC) chairman, yesterday issued a statement blasting the Government for “a series of policy shifts that has made it more difficult to do business in our country”. She added that Business Licence renewals were currently taking “three to four weeks or even longer” to process.

Besides the first-time “proof of income” requirement for MSMEs, which she said were not given proper notice, companies now have to supply the Department of Inland Revenue with their landlord’s real property tax assessment number despite being tenants. The Chamber chair also identified the mandate for Customs brokers and importers to electronically “integrate” with the Click2Clear system as a third

SEE PAGE A18

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

BAHAMAS Power & Light (BPL) yesterday signalled its intent to re-enter the fuel hedging market just one day after the Prime Minister sought to discredit how the strategy was employed by the former administration.

The state-owned utility, in a statement, disclosed it is “in the process” of agreeing a new contract that will hedge - or lock-in - a set price for an additional 15 percent of its fuel needs now that global oil prices have eased somewhat from the highs they struck some 12 months go following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

BPL said this would add to the 56 percent of its fuel supply that is already hedged, potentially taking the total amount to 71 percent, although few specifics were provided. Shevonn Cambridge, BPL’s chief executive, could not be reached and did not

SEE PAGE A17

PHILIP DAVIS KC

CARON SHEPHERD