03162022 NEWS, SPORT AND BUSINESS

PUZZLER WEDNESDAY Crispy Chicken Sandwiches

HIGH 83ºF LOW 73ºF

i’m lovin’ it!

Monday,

February

CARS! CARS!

8, 2021

The Tribune Established

Being Bound To

Swear To The Dogmas

1903

Of No Master

The Tribune L A T E S T

N E W S

tise Call

To Adver

-2351

601-0007 or 502

Starting at

$33.60

Established 1903

O N

T R I B U N E 2 4 2 . C O M

Biggest And Best!

Volume: 119 No.79, March 16, 2022

CLASSIFIEDS TRADER

ed

VAT includ

THE PEOPLE’S PAPER: PRICE–$1

ASH DID NOT TESTIFY ‘AFTER PAY DISPUTE’ UNION UPSET AS UNIVERSITY PICKS FOREIGN PRESIDENT

Decision to drop case against former minister explained

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Tribune Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net THE case against former Cabinet Minister Kenred Dorsett was dropped after a dispute with prosecutors and chief witness Jonathan Ash over money the latter believed he was owed by the government, The Tribune was told.

In 2018, the Minnis administration confirmed it was paying Mr Ash for debts it reportedly found on the books after taking office

in 2017. A trial date for Mr Dorsett’s case had been set for last week, but as the prosecutor - Terry Archer in charge of the matter, was preparing evidence, a dispute arose with Mr Ash. Mr Ash decided not to testify, resulting in a decision from the Director of Public Prosecutions to issue a nolle prosequi (no prosecution) as with the star witness absent, there was insufficient evidence to proceed.

BAHAMAS Hotel Catering, and Allied Workers Union President Darrin Woods said with the country now receiving increased visitor arrivals, union officials would have liked to have the mandatory mask mandate for hotels remain for several more weeks.

Over the weekend, the Ministry of Health and Wellness announced several

UNIVERSITY of The Bahamas announced yesterday that Dr Erik Rolland, a high-ranking official at the California Polytechnic and State University, has been named the institution’s next president after a lengthy search and selection process - prompting discontent from university staff union members.

UB board chair Allyson Maynard-Gibson described Dr Rolland as the most capable, qualified and suitable candidate to lead the university.

SEE PAGE THREE

SEE PAGE FIVE

HOTEL STAFF WANT MASK MANDATE TO BE EXTENDED

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Tribune Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net

relaxations, including those for mask wearing at hotels and casinos.

A person is not required to wear a face mask while in a lobby, corridor or casino of a hotel or while in an outdoor setting where there is at least three feet of space between persons who are not of the same household, the ministry has said.

However, Mr Woods said there were differing views when it came to the new mask rule.

SEE PAGE FOUR

‘HELP US TO FIND JUNIOR’

JITNEY RULES CHANGED? NO ONE TOLD US!

By YOURI KEMP Tribune Business Reporter ykemp@tribunemedia.net

MONICA BOCAGE, the girlfriend of Junior Jean, launched a plea to the public to help find Mr Jean, who has been missing since Saturday. Ms Bocage joined Mr Jean’s family as they searched to find him after he was last seen between Saunders Beach and Goodman’s Bay. See PAGE TWO for the full story.

Photo: Racardo Thomas/Tribune Staff

JITNEY drivers yesterday said they were unaware that the government had permitted the industry to return to 100 percent passenger capacity with effect from last week.

FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS

RECORD-BREAKING WEEK FOR CRUISE PORT

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

DOWNTOWN Nassau must “polish its product” to maximise the benefits from the “busiest cruise port in the world”, which is this week enjoying a record-breaking 32 vessel berths.

Michael Maura, Nassau Cruise Port’s chief executive, told Tribune Business yesterday that Bay Street and cruise dependent

THE INAUGURAL visit of the Wonder of the Seas to Nassau earlier this month. businesses have to now fully exploit the thousands of visitors being “dropped on our doorstep” by

offering unique, authentically Bahamian experiences that will both increase per passenger spending and entice them to disembark the cruise ships.

Speaking after it was revealed that February’s cruise ship calls on Nassau exceeded pre-pandemic levels, he added that berth bookings for the 2023 fullyear have already surpassed those for 2019 by around 100 calls.

FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS

Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper

ALICIA WALLACE: IT’S NOT ENOUGH TO BE SAD - WE HAVE TO TAKE ACTION

- SEE PAGE EIGHT

PAGE 2, Wednesday, March 16, 2022

THE TRIBUNE

THE SEARCH and rescue party looking for Junior Jean, who went missing on Saturday.

Photos: Racardo Thomas/Tribune Staff

‘Please help us to find missing Junior Jean’

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

A FAMILY is looking for answers after their loved one went missing on Saturday.

Junior Jean, 23, was reportedly last seen that morning between Saunders Beach and Goodman’s Bay. His family has not heard from him since and are appealing for help in determining his whereabouts.

Mr Jean’s mother, Limena Jules, sobbed as she spoke to The Tribune about the ordeal yesterday.

The family also organised a search in the areas in which Mr Jean was last seen yesterday.

“I just cry for my son,” she said. “That’s my last son... I don’t know where he is.”

Although her son lives with her, Ms Jules explained that she spent eight days in hospital and returned home on Monday night.

She said she last spoke to her son on Wednesday.

“Junior just called me Wednesday and when I called (Saturday) somebody tell me Junior phone at CID,” she said, adding the person who answered her son’s phone was a police officer.

Ms Jules said this is the first time her son went out and did not tell anyone where he was going.

Asked if she still had hope he would be found, she answered: “Yes, because God is good.”

Mr Jean’s uncle, Jean Marie, said police found his wallet, car keys, and phone.

“They found the keys and phone on Saturday and the

JUNIOR JEAN car on Sunday,” he said.

He said the possessions were found in the Cable Beach area, but his nephew lives on Bernard Road.

A police spokesperson confirmed the department is investigating the matter as a missing person’s report, but would not say if police found his belongings.

Monica Bocage, the 23-year-old’s girlfriend, said she talked to him over a video call before going to bed Friday night.

“We were supposed to meet up Saturday morning, but I didn’t see him. I couldn’t find him so that’s when I know he was missing,” she said.

She doesn’t know why he went out Saturday because he did not leave her a message or tell anyone what happened.

“He was last seen between Saunders Beach and Goodman’s Bay area.

Between that area, I don’t know exactly where, but I knew that there was a group of women who were exercising or walking that morning and they claim to have seen someone that was on the beach. Also I know one of my friends who said

FRIENDS and family searching for Junior Jean yesterday.

that she saw someone who was on the beach. He was praying with his Bible. He was praying on the beach,” she said.

Mr Jean’s uncle wants to know what happened to his relative.

“The boy’s mother is sick.

We (had) to find a strategy to bring her home that way she could know the situation — not because she is healed at all. Now everybody, especially me, I can tell you honestly I feel (worried). We’re really upset about it,” Mr Marie added.

He also thinks the police can do more and wants them to check CCTV in the areas where his nephew was last seen. He also thinks police should interview people who may have seen his nephew before he went missing.

“I am not a police officer, but I would be asking the police if I could go to ask people questions and please could you check your camera for me because y’all get power to do certain things.

“But I feel like things dragging a little bit, but even I see they do something, but I know and feel like more things should be done. They get things they could check up. They could check the car, who was with Junior, who touch his car, who was with him in the car,” his uncle said.

Meanwhile Ms Bocage said that the family is appealing for help searching the water for Mr Jean and would appreciate the help of anyone with boats or drones.

Anyone who can help is asked to call 818-3552.

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, March 16, 2022, PAGE 3

Union upset as university picks foreign president from page one She emphasised his fundraising experience and his anticipated role leading the institution toward coveted international accreditation.

UB’s board of trustees named Dr Rolland president despite staunch opposition from the college’s faculty and staff who preferred Dr Ian Strachan, the only Bahamian shortlisted for the role.

Daniel Thompson, president of the Union of Tertiary Educators of the Bahamas (UTEB), said yesterday the union will not “close the institution down” over the board’s decision but suggested discontent with the choice means Dr Rolland could find it difficult getting buy-in from stakeholders as he seeks to implement his agenda.

UB announced last July that the presidential search committee, which was appointed in November 2020, shortlisted Dr Rolland, Dr Strachan and Sir Anthony Seldon for president. The university took months to announce the choice, sparking speculation that the board was anxious about how and when to reveal it chose a non-Bahamian for the prominent role. Anthropologist Dr

Nicolette Bethel became a prominent critic of the stalled announcement, writing that it would be a “grave insult” to appoint a nonBahamian to the position.

Mrs Maynard-Gibson said yesterday the presidential search was comprehensive and involved dialogue with faculty, staff, students, alumni and stakeholders.

She said UB’s current board “operated with the highest integrity, compelled by a strong commitment to the fiduciary responsibilities under the University of the Bahamas Act” as it scrutinised finalists.

“The next president has the qualifications, experience and skills to meet mission critical objectives, namely, the knowledge, insights and experience to achieve international accreditation; the vision and competence to implement sustainable financial and operational models for fundraising and the capability to integrate 21st century technology modalities throughout the institution,” she said at a press conference.

She added that a succession plan will be implemented to ensure several people will be qualified to succeed Dr Rolland within a reasonable time.

Dr Rolland’s appointment takes effect in August.

He currently serves as Dean of the College of Business Administration, interim Dean of the College of the Extended University, Chief International Officer and the Provost’s Associate for Strategic Transformation at California Polytechnic and State University. Mrs MaynardGibson said he successfully steered the accreditation process at “another higher institution.”

“Growing our university also means developing a dynamic and robust engagement strategy,” she said.

“Dr Rolland has successfully forged collaborations with key economic partners, particularly those which have fuelled venture capital pursuits as a feeder for entrepreneurship and sharing knowledge of best practices. Leveraging his expertise and networks will create further opportunities for the exposure and engagement of our students with industry leaders around the world.”

Mrs Maynard-Gibson said the board will make a later announcement about the post of executive vice president, which is currently filled by Dr Sarim Al-Zubaidy, a New Zealander.

UNIVERSITY of The Bahamas board chair Allyson Maynard-Gibson.

Photo: Patrick Hanna/BIS

DR ERIK ROLLAND Amid speculation that Dr Strachan will replace Dr Al-Zubaidy in that role, Mrs Maynard-Gibson said: “What I will say is it is an incorrect assumption that both the president and the vice president will be non-Bahamian.”

Mr Thompson, meanwhile, was unimpressed by descriptions of Dr Rolland’s qualifications and experience, emphasising that the institution has a history of appointing foreigners with impressive resumes who were unable to translate their experience into the Bahamian context.

“We believe the board of trustees made a grave mistake in overlooking the Bahamian finalist, candidate Dr Ian Strachan, in favour of Dr Rolland, but time will tell,” Mr Thompson said. “The unions are sort of constrained in their reaction in that the board of trustees chair did reach out to all the unions and engaged in dialogue with us so the process was transparent and in that regard we are constrained to accept the decision of the board,

but we are still at liberty to express our opposition to the choice.”

Noting The Bahamas will celebrate its 50th independence anniversary this year, Mr Thompson said it appears “being a Bahamian is a disadvantage for people looking to head the country’s premier tertiary institution.”

“It isn’t a matter of qualifications because all three of the candidates qualify, so we’re not saying choose the Bahamian because he’s a Bahamian,” he said.

“We’re saying he is a qualified person and if you have three qualified persons and one of them is a Bahamian, we do not apologise that that Bahamian ought to be given the first choice.”

Mr Thompson said it will likely take Dr Rolland some time to adjust to Bahamian culture, adding that his fundraising plans might work in a North American context, but might not work for The Bahamas.

“That’s very important,” he said. “You bring them to The Bahamas and they realise that hey, suddenly

our taxation system is different and this is a different territory and so they must go and learn the whole process of how to advance their agenda within this culture, wasting time.

“He’s not the first foreign president we’ve had.

We had Betsy Boze, we had Hodder and now we have Dr Smith (a Bahamian) who came in with a lot of international experience, a lot of fundraising credentials in his background but where are we as a university? He’s not the first one that comes in and says I raised millions and millions in this context.

You superimposed them on this country and oh, it’s a different structure, it’s a different thing and so we are not excited to hear that you raised millions in California. We’re now in The Bahamas. Obviously the foreign elements didn’t do it for us in the past as advertised, so you’re asking me what confidence I have in Dr Rolland’s ability to raise millions like he purported to have done in North America? I have no confidence at all.”

that are current. I will say that this board has been assiduous in its focus on obtaining audited financial statements. We expect by the end of the year to be up-to-date and we believe that once we have audited financial statements and we consider all that this university has to offer, that it will be almost like turbocharging the efforts to raise funds.”

In 2015, The Tribune revealed that poor, outof-date audit practices at the college prevented the institution from accessing funds from a $16.1m Caribbean Development Bank loan that was intended to upgrade the institution as it transitioned to a university.

The loan was eventually abandoned. At the time, the college was at least four

years behind in audits and it had been seven years since an audit for the institution had been last tabled in the

House of Assembly. It is not clear how many years of audited financial statements remain outstanding.

UB STILL NOT UP TO DATE WITH FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net

UNIVERSITY of The Bahamas is still not up to date with audited financial statements as required by law, something UB’s chair Allyson Maynard-Gibson suggested has been an impediment to the institution’s fundraising capacity.

After announcing Dr Erik Rolland as the next president of UB, Mrs Maynard-Gibson said the institution has been having financial challenges.

“We want at the end of our tenure to have the university in a very strong financial position and leaning in on the support of wide stakeholders in our community, industrial stakeholders and others, persons

who live within our boundaries and love the cause of education, recognise how important the cause of education is. We hope that we can, through our courses, effective utilisation of the assets of the university and so forth, turn some of these into revenue generating and productive assets that we have,” she said.

When the University of The Bahamas Act was passed in 2016, officials said it was critical for opening fundraising paths for the institution. The law established the college as a university and allowed for greater autonomy in its management. To date, however, the university’s fundraising capacity remains limited.

Asked about fundraising as a university, Mrs

Maynard-Gibson said: “The experiences to date have had some successes for which I would like to thank (outgoing UB president Dr Rodney Smith) and his team. Very early in my (tenure) you would have seen that I was right here in this spot as we received a grant from FTX in regards to sustainability. There have been at the northern campus an event where the IDB gave a grant for technology, incubators, innovation, etc.

“So the advancement team has been able to actually garner some support but even by their own admission it has not been as effective as they would have liked. One of the challenges is that we don’t at the moment have audited financial statements

To Publish your Financials and

Legal Notices Call: 502-2394

PAGE 4, Wednesday, March 16, 2022

THE TRIBUNE

HOTEL STAFF WANT MASK MANDATE TO BE EXTENDED from page one

“Well, I guess mixed feelings because we are hoping that the data that they are relying on is something that can be relied on, but we still want our people to be cautious because we don’t want a situation where we take a step backward to appease a certain group of people,” Mr Woods told The Tribune yesterday when he was contacted.

“We believe that all the due diligence is being done, but again we still believe that we should just take it one step at a time as we begin to relax some stuff

and just be careful.”

Asked if the union was of the view that the mask mandate should have remained for another few weeks, he said: “Yeah, for another couple of weeks to make sure. Yes, the numbers are saying one thing, but, of course, now we are having an influx in visitor arrivals. So, there is an uptick and we’re not sure exactly where they are coming from because there are still some hot spots in a couple of the markets that we have people coming from.

“Even in some of the US states where they moved to these no masks mandates you are having a little bit

of relapse. So, we just want to be careful in terms of the direction we go in, particularly in the hospitality industry because we know how volatile it is without any outside forces bearing down on it.”

Some international reports have said that parts of Europe that rushed to relax restrictions in recent weeks are now seeing a revival of pandemic risks.

This has been accelerated by the emergence of BA.2 a more transmissible strain of the Omicron variant, which experts say is spreading more rapidly.

On Tuesday, Germany set

a fresh record for infection rates for the fourth straight day, while Austria is said to have also reached new highs and cases in the Netherlands have doubled since lifting curbs on Feb 25.

China is also seeing a resurgence and has had to lock down several provinces due to an uptick in COVID-19 cases.

The Ministry of Health has said disabled persons or people with specified medical conditions are not required to wear a mask provided they have in their possession a medical certificate or letter signed by a medical practitioner proving the existence of

such disability or medical condition.

The ministry also reminded members of the public to wear a face mask while away from home and in the company of people who are not members of their household.

FNM chairman and former Health Minister Dr Duane Sands has said the new mask rules are discriminatory.

“There may be or they may cite differences in vaccination rates and so on and so forth, but you know give Bahamians the courtesy of at least sharing with them the basis of your decision making,” Dr

Sands said. “Show some respect for the intellect of Bahamians as opposed to something that was glaringly discriminatory.”

He added: “We note with interest the changes that have been made. We find it very interesting that the virus behaves differently in hotels and casinos than they do in Bahamian businesses, but most importantly we have been asking for the data that undergirds these decisions and to date they have not been forthcoming.

So, while we hope and wish the best for Bahamians, we do not know on what basis these decisions were made.”

Minister: Mask decision not discriminatory

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net HEALTH and Wellness Minister Dr Michael Darville yesterday defended the government’s decision to relax mask requirements for guests in hotels, insisting the changes were not discriminatory.

On Saturday, the Ministry of Health announced that people will not be required to wear a face mask while in a lobby, corridor or casino of a hotel or while in an outdoor setting where there is three feet spacing.

However, the eased protocols have criticism from some sectors in the business community and those in the opposition party, who have called the measures discriminatory.

Free National Movement Chairman and former Minister of Health Dr Duane Sands has even asked the Davis administration to provide the data behind the move, questioning the difference in COVID management in hotel lobbies and casinos compared to ordinary Bahamian businesses.

Responding yesterday, Dr Darville explained that changes to the nation’s mask mandates were made after data showed high vaccination rates among visitors entering the country.

He also said it was important for The Bahamas to maintain its competitiveness in the tourism market against other Caribbean destinations, adding that this also factored into their

decision to relax mask protocols in hotel properties.

“Well, we don’t think its discriminatory,” the minister said ahead of yesterday’s Cabinet meeting. “We made a decision based on the vaccination rate of visitors in our hotels and our testing requirements to enter the country. One of the things that is so difficult to do is to juggle and balance commerce versus safety and we believe that even though we are said that the mask can be removed, there is no mandatory rule in place that individuals who want to wear masks should wear masks and as you go to place to place, particularly in our centres and hotels you will see people wearing masks and some not.

“And so, when we look at what’s going on in the region and in order for us not to lose excessive number of businesses to our competitors, we have to be on the cutting edge and we have to make decisions that we believe is a combination of safety as well as the promotion of our businesses particularly or tourism sector.”

Limitations on social gatherings have also been relaxed, according to new guidelines released by the ministry.

The eased measures come as daily COVID-19 cases continue to remain low.

Yesterday, Dr Darville reiterated that officials were pleased with the country’s progress thus far.

However, he was unable to say whether the declining numbers meant that the nation’s fourth battle with

the disease had ended.

“Well, it’s very difficult to say that the fourth wave has ended. We still have cases in the country and COVID is still in The Bahamas. We’re very pleased where we’re right now and the numbers are very manageable,” he said when asked about the issue.

Dr Darville also gave an update on his ministry’s efforts to address the manpower shortages in the country, telling reporters that Cabinet has approved the hiring of up to some 500 healthcare workers, including support staff.

“Cabinet has approved the hiring of 100 specialty nurses, 50 this year and 50 in the next budget year. We know that 50 Cuban nurses are already in the country.

They came in the heat of the fourth wave and made a contribution to put us to where we are today.

“We’ve also gotten approval to hire 100 nurse assistants. We’ve looked at various models throughout the Caribbean and we realise that nurse assistants can play a very integral role to compensate for the manpower shortages.

“We also hired throughout the Family Islands a combination of clerks, ambulance drivers. “We hired individuals for caretaking and other support staff, including janitorial. My visit to the Family Islands made it very clear that these facilities were deficient in manpower resources and as we speak about improving the physical infrastructure, the first thing we need to do

MINISTER of Health and Wellness Dr Michael Darville yesterday.

Photo: Donavan McIntosh/Tribune Staff is address the manpower shortages and start the necessary training protocol.

“So, yes, in all, the Ministry of Health has now

gotten approval for about 500 workers that will be dispersed throughout the Commonwealth of The Bahamas and I’m pleased

to report by hopefully, the end of this month, some of the training programmes will start,” Dr Darville added.

MENTAL HEALTH BILL ‘SOON’

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net WITH mental health once again at the forefront

TEMPLE CHRISTIAN HIGH SCHOOL ENTRANCE EXAMINATION 2020-2021 Temple Christian High School will hold its Entrance Examination on Saturday, March 19, 2022 at the school on Shirley Street from 8:30 a.m. to 12 noon for students wishing to enter grades 7, 8, 9 and 10.

Application forms are available at the High School Office. The application fee is twenty-five dollars ($25). Application forms should be completed and returned to the school by Friday, March 18, 2022.

For further information, please call telephone number: 394-4481/394-4484

of public discussion, Health and Wellness Minister Dr Michael Darville said he remains optimistic that the government will soon introduce a new

Mental Health Bill in Parliament.

“It’s out for consultation,” Dr Darville said of the draft legislation yesterday. “It’s completed by the AG (Attorney General). The mental health advisory committee has finished looking at the bill itself and that will go back to the AG’s Office and once it’s past the AG’s Office, it will come to Cabinet for its final approval and I’m eager to lay that bill in Parliament and debate that bill so we can address some of the great challenges we have in the country.”

Concerns about mental health were reignited last week after the alleged suicide of young mother, Carissa Culmer, 24.

Culmer was found hanging in a room at a hotel on West Bay Street on Thursday night - months after she made a tearful plea in a video on Facebook for help to deal with ongoing physical abuse.

Her death has prompted calls for swift action regarding gender-based violence and mental health.

Yesterday, Dr Darville called Culmer’s death “unfortunate”, saying the system had failed her.

He also said more needs

to be done to assist people suffering from mental health issues and added that the government stood ready to do so.

He said: “I’ve said it before, all you have to do is drive down Shirley Street and you’ll see mental health staring you right in the face. It’s very unfortunate with the suicide victim, but she has been crying out for help for years and our system was not proactive and our mental health legislation needs immediate improvements so we can find avenues to assist people who find themselves with severe clinical depression, psychiatric illnesses and individuals who are walking our street just completely out of it.

“Meanwhile, we are just passing as if everything’s okay. It’s not okay and it’s the responsibility of a government to respond and we intend to respond in short order. The bill itself needs proper consultation. That is now completed and I’m certain very shortly, it will come to Parliament, and we will debate it and put the necessary measures in place to help individuals who suffer from mental health illnesses.”

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, March 16, 2022, PAGE 5

Ash did not testify ‘after pay dispute’ from page one The issuance of the nolle prosequi was announced last Friday.

But according to Acting Director of Public Prosecutions Franklyn Williams yesterday, a nolle prosequi does not mean that the matter will end with finality.

He also said the change on Mr Ash’s part came following instructions to counsel in his department to audit all matters.

The Tribune was told yesterday that the issue allegedly stems from money owed from contracts that Mr Ash was awarded for clean-up work by a prior administration.

When contacted yesterday the acting DPP said he was made aware of the

JONATHAN Ash being brought into court with his head covered in 2019. situation after instructing all counsel to conduct an audit of all matters so his office could know how, or if, to proceed.

“This would include reaching out to witnesses to confirm their giving evidence and that sort of thing also to find out if persons who were charged are still

alive,” Mr Williams said.

“So, this was one of the matters and Mr Archer came to me and indicated to me that Mr Ash made some comment...”

After receiving an unfavourable response from the DPP’s Office, he said Mr Ash then indicated he was not going to testify.

Mr Williams explained that Mr Ash’s testimony was a substantive part of the case against Mr Dorsett.

“So based on that the senior officer, Mr Archer wrote me a minute and indicated that because Mr Ash’s evidence is the substance of the case we would not be able to proceed without that evidence and recommended a nolle, which after I revived the file and the minute I agreed to in the circumstance.”

Asked whether the issuance of a nolle prosequi in the matter meant it ended, Mr Williams said: “A nolle ends a prosecution but doesn’t necessarily end it with finality.

“What it simply means is that at the particular time that it is entered there is insufficient or no evidence or in some cases a witness may have died or a defendant may have died but in these circumstances it means at this time there is no sufficient evidence to proceed and in theory and principal a matter can be brought back if that evidence is found or evidence is found which would cause the matter to proceed.

“So, a nolle does not necessarily end a matter. It’s not necessarily the finality of the matter.

“So, in theory a matter may be brought back,” Mr Williams said.

Back in 2018, then Attorney General Carl Bethel confirmed instalment payments from the government were still being made to “whistleblower” Ash for a debt the Minnis administration found on the books upon taking office.

“There is nothing untoward about these payments,” Mr Bethel said in response to a question from reporters at the time.

Mr Bethel’s comments at the time came after an alleged document purporting to belong to Ash Enterprises went viral on social media. The document itemised five payments of $30,000 to Mr Ash, totalling $150,000. The payments are alleged to have dated back

to April 2018; however, at the time it was unclear whether any payment was made in September 2018.

While the document did not name Mr Ash or his company, and did not say what any of the payments were for, Mr Bethel confirmed its contents at the time.

In 2018, The Tribune asked then Finance Minister K Peter Turnquest to reveal the works for which Mr Ash was still being paid.

At the time he said they were “old bills”.

Mr Dorsett, former environment and housing minister, appeared in a Magistrate’s Court on July 14, 2017 accused of using his former ministerial position to extort and solicit $120,000 in bribes from Mr Ash.

MINISTER: WE HAVE HIRED MORE TEACHERS FOR ABACO

EDUCATION Minister Glenys Hanna Martin yesterday.

Photo: Donavan McIntosh/ Tribune Staff

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

EDUCATION Minister Glenys Hanna Martin says her ministry has recruited a number of trained and retired teachers to assist with staff shortages on Abaco, days after teachers on the island demonstrated by protesting the issue.

According to Mrs Hanna Martin, the ministry will only be engaging retired educators until more teachers can be permanently hired by the government.

While she was unable to say how many teachers will be engaged, Mrs Hanna Martin said it was her hope that this new “injection” of workers will help reduce some of the strain many teachers at Patrick J Bethel High School were facing.

The minister also revealed that officials expect face-to-face learning at the school will resume this week in a phased approach.

“As you know, we’ve been experiencing teacher shortages at that school,” the minister told reporters before going to Cabinet yesterday.

“That’s a legacy issue and we’ve been seeking to address it and the engagement of teachers is underway through the public service system, but in the interim, we have recruited what we call supply teachers who are trained, experienced teachers some of whom are already retired and have agreed to come back.

“And we expect that during the course of that week, that school will begin for the first-time face to face instruction in a phased basis starting with grade 12 on, I think, Wednesday and Thursday and building with the other grades so this is a great breakthrough for the children, teachers and the community that surrounds that school – Patrick J Bethel.”

Teachers, parents and students gathered outside the PJB High School last week with picket signs protesting the lack of sufficient teachers at a school of more than 500 students.

Weeks earlier, a group of parents in South Abaco held a similar

demonstration in protest of the lack of teachers at James A Pinder Primary School.

“We need teachers and we need them now,” concerned parents chanted in a video seen by The Tribune.

Their demonstrations came a month after Mrs Hanna Martin promised action during a PTA meeting in Abaco on February 2.

Yesterday, Mrs Hanna Martin described the shortage of teachers as a nationwide issue that her ministry is actively seeking to address.

However, she said the situation in Abaco is especially challenging due to housing concerns there following the passage of Hurricane Dorian in 2019.

She also explained the difficulties her ministry is experiencing in finding teachers in specialised areas.

“The issue is there are shortages in key areas like generalists which are primary school teachers who can teach all kinds of subjects and then English and mathematics and so the dilemma is not so much physical bodies, it’s finding key teachers in key areas where there is scarcity and so we have to consider as how we move forward, how we can cause the training of teachers in specific areas to meet the demand required in the nation.

“So, we’re working on it and we will seek to ensure that children are not compromised by this concern,” she added.

The minister also said her ministry is hoping to incorporate diagnostic testing of every child very soon to ascertain the extent of learning loss in the country.

“They’re​still designing it because that is very important and the design shapes what we are seeking to get and how we manage or test or judge the response and so the Ministry of Finance is helping us with that and we are told that by the end of the month, that process will be complete. We are hoping by the end of September we will move beyond the intermediary steps and we will be able to begin the diagnostic testing of children,” she said.

MOXEY ‘SHARES CONCERNS’ OF FREEPORT MARCHERS

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

GRAND Bahama Minister Ginger Moxey says she too shares the same concerns about the Freeport economy as those Grand Bahamians who marched to the Grand Bahama Port Authority.

She has assured that with the Davis Administration, residents can expect to see many things happen on Grand Bahama island.

On March 4, a group of concerned businesspeople and residents, led by businessperson Darren Cooper and Rev McAlpine, marched to the GBPA Headquarters building in downtown Freeport. They delivered a letter to GBPA president Ian Rolle outlining ten concerns regarding the state of Freeport’s

GRAND Bahama Minister Ginger Moxey.

Photo: Donavan McIntosh/ Tribune Staff economy and have requested to meet with executives within 30 days to

address their concerns.

Prior to her entry into frontline politics, Ms Moxey was the former vice president of the GBPA. She resigned in June 2014.

When asked by a reporter for her response to the march, she said: “I share the same concerns. GB has been going through it for a while and we had been devastated by Hurricane Dorian, and shortly thereafter, the pandemic. So, we never really fully recovered.

I think we were perhaps the only island that was lockdown for eight weeks, and so, of course, that had a devastating impact on our economy. I understand and share the concerns of the residents, and we are working very hard to get the economy back up and running, and I am extremely optimistic on what lies ahead.”

Minister Moxey indicated that many projects are in the making for GB. “There are a lot of projects in the works that I will be making certain announcements at the upcoming Grand Bahama Business Outlook on Thursday, and so, yes, the smile is here because we have a lot in store for GB.” Asked if she agrees with comments made by Prime Minister Davis that GB has not maximized its full potential, she said: “I totally agree with that. We have so much potential, and it has been talked about for years.

But I believe that now with this new day administration you will see a lot of things happen.”

However, she stressed that to make things happen requires collaboration and teamwork among all the players and stakeholders.

“With the Ministry for

Grand Bahama, I created a new unit called Collab Partnerships for Development, where in spite of what is going on in the outside with the GBPA, with Hawksbill Creek Agreement, power rate regulation, that we can still get things done outside of that.

“And so, we had a lot of interests from the corporate community. They are excited about it. They are partnering with us, and I am excited about what is about to happen for GBI.” Ms Moxey said that the Port Authority is also part of that initiative. “They are the regulators and so they are also involved, and a lot of it has to do with cleanup of the community, rebuilding from Dorian, (we need) all hands-on deck. There is not much you can do in the City of Freeport if the port is not involved in certain

aspects. So, of course, they are involved, but the corporate community in general, NGOs, the community at large, and government agencies - we all have to work together.”

The minister was also asked about the fluctuating cost of airline tickets to Grand Bahama.

She said that the Deputy Prime Minister, who has responsibilities for Tourism, Investment and Aviation, is working closely with the airlines and with the tourism sector to address that issue.

On the GB airport situation, Ms Moxey said: “The DPM will make announcements about that pretty soon as well, and I don’t want to pre-empt any of that, but we are on the right path with respect to the airport and other developments on the island.”

PAGE 6, Wednesday, March 16, 2022

THE TRIBUNE

The Tribune Limited NULLIUS ADDICTUS JURARE IN VERBA MAGISTRI “Being Bound to Swear to The Dogmas of No Master”

jamaaltheartist@gmail.com

Publisher/Editor 1903-1914

LEON E. H. DUPUCH,

Kt., O.B.E., K.M., K.C.S.G., (Hon.) LL.D., D.Litt .

SIR ETIENNE DUPUCH,

Publisher/Editor 1919-1972 Contributing Editor 1972-1991

EILEEN DUPUCH CARRON,

C.M.G., M.S., B.A., LL.B. Publisher/Editor 1972-

Published daily Monday to Friday

Shirley & Deveaux Streets, Nassau, Bahamas N3207 TELEPHONES News & General Information Advertising Manager Circulation Department Nassau fax Freeport, Grand Bahama Freeport fax

(242) 322-1986 (242) 502-2394 (242) 502-2386 (242) 328-2398 (242)-352-6608 (242) 352-9348

WEBSITE, TWITTER & FACEBOOK www.tribune242.com

@tribune242

tribune news network

Finding the right way to lift restrictions AS difficult as some of the decisions were to introduce restrictions to limit the spread of COVID-19, so too are we now finding it can be tough to find the right time to lift those rules.

There now exists a difference in where a mask is mandatory to wear indoors – in stores and businesses, you still have to wear a mask. In hotels, you don’t.

For some, this has prompted calls of discrimination. The Health Minister, Dr Michael Darville, tenuously claims that it is not discrimination but rather it is based on the vaccination rates of visitors and the testing requirements to come into the country. That doesn’t account for local staff working in the hotels, however.

And what if another, non-hotel business was able to show all of its staff were vaccinated? Would that business be able to lift the mandate? It is, at best, an uneven policy.

More to the point, there remain concern from those working in locations where the masks are coming off that perhaps it is too soon.

The president of the Bahamas Hotel, Catering and Allied Workers Union, Darrin Woods, told The Tribune yesterday that union officials would have liked to have the mandatory mask mandate continue for several more weeks.

Mr Woods conceded that there had been a reduction in numbers of new cases recently – but noted that we were also now seeing a rise in tourist numbers, which may bring the virus once more. Looking at Europe, as countries have opened up again after the omicron wave, there have been new spikes in cases.

Against that, there are the concerns of businesses – with Bahamas Federation of Retailers co-chair Tara Morley recently calling for a relaxation of rules for other businesses, citing “resistance” from tourists and saying there had been cases where visitors, especially Americans, no longer want to wear masks when they enter a business.

Respectfully, however, we should do what we need to do for our country and not change our rules just to accommodate visitors who will only be here for a couple of weeks and be gone again by the time our case numbers might be surging again.

This should be a decision driven by medical expertise. If it is safe to take the masks off in hotels, then why wouldn’t it be safe to take them off in other businesses showing high vaccination rates?

If it isn’t safe to take the masks off, then keep them on. Stopping the spread of the virus is a matter of life and death and weighs far heavier on the scales than mere inconvenience.

As the mandates lift, we would also hope that those staff members who wish to continue wearing masks would be allowed to do so.

There will be conflicts as we find our way out of a world of limits and restrictions – even as we thank heaven that we are in a position to lift them. But we should take the time to make sure people’s concerns are addressed, even as we take a step closer to the way things used to be.

University choice The announcement of the new president of the University of The Bahamas has brought some measure of disappointment in some quarters.

Dr Erik Bolland has been chosen, a high-ranking member of staff at the California Polytechnic and State University.

Much local support had been given to another candidate, Dr Ian Strachan, and there is frustration that a non-Bahamian has been picked ahead of him.

The president of the Union of Tertiary Educators of The Bahamas was measured in his remarks yesterday, saying that the union would not “close the institution down” over the decision but that there was discontent.

Others spoke about how Dr Rolland may have the qualifications, but not in the environment of The Bahamas, with its different laws and tax regimes in comparison to the United States, as well as asking what does it show the student body, and how does it inspire them if the top job at the university goes to a non-Bahamian?

The debate on this, it would seem, is just beginning – and dealing with those questions will be on the to-do list for Dr Rolland when he arrives. Winning people over at the institution he will lead will be at the very top of that list.

The value of our freedom EDITOR, The Tribune.

THROUGHOUT my life, I have admired The Tribune, for upholding our freedoms, particularly freedom of speech, freedom of movement, and freedom of the press.

As I remember it, Sir Etienne Dupuch said that, even though he disagreed with the opinions of certain people, he would be willing to go to his death, defending their right to speak them. The March 15th edition of The Tribune makes me think of Sir Etienne’s words.

On page 9, Peter Young described the situation in Ukraine, using words that anyone can understand.

He is an excellent writer and I thank him for his writings.

On the other side of the coin - page 4 - Andrew Allen’s “Twisted Ukraine narrative” gave us a wellwritten (as are all his writings) comparison of Russia and the West.

He made me think of something Ronald Reagan said about a Russian and an American, arguing about their two countries.

The American said “In my country, I can walk into the

Oval Office. I can pound the President’s desk and say “Mr President, I don’t like the way you’re running our country.” And the Russian said, “I can do that.” The American asked, “You can do that?” “Yes!” said the Russian, “I can go into the Kremlin, to the Secretary General’s Office, pound his desk and say “Mr Secretary.

I don’t like the way President Reagan is running his country.”

I thank God for our freedoms.

PAUL C ARANHA Nassau, March 15, 2022

Eye for an eye on our streets EDITOR, The Tribune.

NASSAU was submerged in a bloodbath over the past weekend. The Nassau Tribune’s report that five persons were killed in four separate shootings over a three-day span suggests that The Bahamas will record another 100-plus murders in 2022.

One need not be a criminologist to know that the recent spate of killings stems from grieving individuals seeking retaliation.

Criminologists define this troubling phenomenon as vigilante justice.

Exodus 21:24 says an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. Also in the Old Testament, Yahweh instructed Israel to establish six cities of refuge for those who killed a person unintentionally as protection from the avenger of death (Numbers 35:6-7 and Joshua 20). And so provisions were made for involuntary manslaughter.

Concerning Exodus 21:24, the uninformed Bible reader will undoubtedly interpret this verse as giving private citizens the unfettered right to even the score or take retaliatory measures against those who have wronged them. Under such a scenario, chaos would ensue. In His Sermon on the Mount message, Jesus gave His infallible interpretation of Exodus 21:24-25 in Matthew 5:38. According to American Bible teacher John MacArthur:

LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net “The law did establish this standard as a principle for limiting retribution to that which was just (Ex. 21:24; Lev. 24:20; Deut.

19:21). Its design was to ensure that the punishment in civil cases fit the crime. It was never meant to sanction acts of personal retaliation. So again (see notes on Matt. 5:17–18) Jesus made no alteration to the true meaning of the law.

He was merely explaining and affirming the law’s true meaning.”

It is important to stress the point that the Sermon on the Mount was not directed at the state or civil government. As MacArthur rightly stated, this retaliatory prescription was aimed at private individuals. Jesus affirmed the crucial role of the state in Matthew 22:21 and John 19:11. Moreover, the New Testament epistles of Romans 13:1-7; 1 Peter 2:13-14 and Titus 3:1 also affirms the legitimate role of the state. I believe that the system in The Bahamas, whether legislative or executive or judicial, has capitulated to the British Privy Council by failing to carry out the death penalty.

This capitulation has led to grieving family members of murdered Bahamians hiring vigilantes to do what the state is biblically

mandated to do. This is the talk I’m hearing on the ground.

This sin of omission is one of the major reasons Nassau has a thriving eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth industry. However, the fallacy of vigilantism being permanently effective can be seen in these violent reprisals that goes on ad infinitum in the inner-city communities of Nassau. I believe that’s why individuals charged before the courts for homicide and granted bail are being gunned down within days of being released from state custody.

Many of our current and past lawmakers live in the Western and Eastern areas of New Providence in safe, upscale communities. Conversely, tens of thousands of grassroots Bahamians live in the overcrowded communities in Nassau where many of these killings are occurring.

I suspect that grieving individuals, inclusive of gang rivals, in the Over-theHill areas, are taking part in Nassau’s eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth industry.

The only way to put an end to this dark industry is for the state to stop capitulating to the British and start carrying out the death penalty.

KEVIN EVANS Freeport, Grand Bahama March 14, 2022.

To Publish your Financials and

Legal Notices Call: 502-2394

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, March 16, 2022, PAGE 7

AG: ‘Suite of legislation’ readied on human rights

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net ATTORNEY General Ryan Pinder says his ministry has complied “a suite of legislation” to meet the country’s international human rights obligations, which includes laws addressing genderbased violence and marital rape.

His comment came after participants in a National Gender-Based Violence Discriminatory Law Review Forum recommended several legislative changes, including the criminalisation of marital rape as well as the legalisation of abortion.

Contents of the report were published by a local daily earlier this week.

Responding to the report yesterday, Mr Pinder told reporters some of the recommendations were not new and even fell in line with several international commitments made by the former administration that were never fulfilled.

However, he said it was now the Davis administration’s intention to live up to those promises where the previous administration had failed.

“These issues factor into commitments that the government of The Bahamas has, as far back from 2018, have made to the United Nations and other multilateral institutions about legislative matters and other commitments in respect to human rights matters and in preparation to go before the United Nations Rights Council which is scheduled for February 2023 and there were a series of recommendations that we’re committed to,” Mr Pinder said before going to a Cabinet meeting yesterday.

“Unfortunately, from 2018 to the end of the administration prior, none of those commitments were followed through on. These were commitments of a government that were made to the United Nations and other governments and so what we have done is we have compiled a list and analysis of a suite of legislation that is going to be required

ATTORNEY General Ryan Pinder yesterday. to meet our obligations on human rights matters.”

Mr Pinder said his ministry is now planning to provide Cabinet ministers with tutorials and informational sessions this week so all

can become familiarised with the proposed compendium of laws.

The minister said once those sessions have been completed, he will then introduce the proposed legislative pieces to Cabinet who

MINISTER: REPORT THE KILLERS

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

NATIONAL Security Minister Wayne Munroe is calling for Bahamians who have information about the country’s latest killings to cooperate with police and report those responsible behind the incidents.

Mr Munroe spoke after five men were killed over the weekend in separate homicides, three of which took place on Thompson Lane only one day apart.

The homicides have pushed the country’s murder count to 28 so far for the year.

Police have labelled the killings as gang-related and the result of a drug turf war.

Yesterday, Mr Munroe said the issue of gang retaliation killings is not a new phenomenon in the country.

He said what’s important for Bahamians to be aware of is the dangers in

harbouring these criminals and not notifying police of their whereabouts.

“Over the course of years, there have been titfor-tat, gang retaliation, killings that sometimes spread over time and sometimes in condensed time periods. The most important thing that (police) have said is it is not safe to have these people among you and around you,” he told reporters yesterday.

“The fact that we have an upsurge now brings it and draws it to attention and for instance when I was briefed and told that Thompson Lane the first shooting may have been mistaken and then they came back for who they were really looking for.

Well, what that should say to everyone in every community in The Bahamas is that it is not safe to have these persons among you and so it is in your

Photo: Donavan McIntosh/Tribune Staff

interest to turn them into the police.”

Police have said two of the victims killed on Thompson Lane on the weekend were not the intended targets.

He added: “So if you are in Kemp Road, if you are in Pinewood, if you are in Nassau Village or Garden Hills and you know you have people around you who are involved in that activity, you need to give them up to police because you never know when the people come for them, whether you may not be killed by mistake if that is what is happening. So if this intense period does anything, let it educate the public of the need for what the police has been calling for for ages and that is for you to cooperate with them.”

The minister said the same message applies for those who know of people hiding illegal firearms.

will then decide on what it will move forward with.

“It’s rather all encompassing, really broad based and we anticipate giving some tutorials to Cabinet ministers or informational

sessions starting as early as this week,” Mr Pinder said. “We have prepared the Cabinet paper and we have prepared presentation slides and certainly after Cabinet, the public will be advised and consulted on these matters.”

This comes amid continued discussion in the country about marital rape and gender-based violence, with some urging the government to do more to protect women and those most vulnerable in society.

Yesterday, Mr Pinder said not only will the issue of marital rape be addressed in the suite of legislation, but also matters relating to citizenship, asylum and good governance.

“Involved in that suite of legislation are a number of things, some of it has to do for instance, immigration matters to create equality of men and women pursuant to the constitutional reforms that failed,” he added.

“Others have to do with matters of good governance (like) the Freedom of Information Act, and then others have to do with gender-based violence matters and within that suite of recommended legislation are matters related to gender-based violence and matters related to marital rape and matters related to juvenile offences for example.

“So, it is involved in all encompassing suite of legislation which is a human right legislative agenda that has been formulated so this is now ready to go and to inform Cabinet members so you could imagine it’s probably a suite of 20 to 25 different amendments or new pieces of legislation so it’s rather large and so we look to have informational sessions with the Cabinet and hopefully bring it to Cabinet within the next week or two to get guidance on what to go forward with.”

Asked yesterday if the legislation will speak to the criminalisation of marital rape, Mr Pinder replied: “Yes.” “It’s safe to say the Davis administration (is) looking at all of our international human rights obligations — that is one of them with a mind to becoming compliant with UN requirements.”

MOTHER PLEADS GUILTY AFTER ATTACKING SON

By PAVEL BAILEY

A MOTHER who was arrested after attacking her son with a knife was placed on probation for one year, given community service and ordered to attend counselling after pleading guilty to charges of child cruelty.

The 29-year-old mother appeared before Magistrate Kara Turnquest-Deleveaux for abusing her 13-year-old son on Thursday, March 11.

The court was told that she kicked her son in the chest and came at him with a knife. She also threw the child on the floor and hit him in his face.

After the child was taken to the hospital to be treated for his injuries it was found that he had been stabbed in the leg. His mother was then arrested in relation to this incident.

In court, the mother pleaded guilty to the charge of cruelty to children. However, while she apologised for coming at the 13-yearold with a knife, she denied hitting her son in the face

saying it was accidental.

The mother told the court that they were fighting with each other and that while this was not their first fight, this one arose because her son told her he no longer wanted to live with her.

The accused’s lawyer Wilver Deleveaux expressed his client’s contrition for her actions and said that this incident was caused by the mother getting caught up in the heat of the moment. He elaborated that his client did in fact go overboard in disciplining her child, but said that she was still a good mother.

Mr Deleveaux implored the court not to impose a custodial sentence as his client had two other young children, a 6 and 10-yearold, to take care of and also noted that she had no prior convictions.

He asked that in view of her early plea of guilt to spare the court’s time, that the magistrate consider sending his client to counselling and community

service instead. Mr Deleveaux ended his plea by asking that the accused be given a second chance.

Magistrate TurnquestDeveaux spared the accused a custodial sentence, but sentenced her to one year’s probation.

The accused was ordered to participate in parenting and anger management classes as well as attending counselling sessions with her 13-year-old child. The mother is also expected to complete 100 hours of community service.

The magistrate then informed the woman that if she fails to meet any of these conditions at the end of one year, she would be sentenced to a year in the Department of Correctional Services.

In addition to being told of her right to appeal the court’s ruling in seven days, Magistrate TurnquestDeveaux also said that Social Services would be monitoring the accused’s behaviour with her other children.

MAN ON PROBATION AFTER ASSAULT ON WIFE

By PAVEL BAILEY

HAITIANS boarding a Bahamasair flight for repatriation yesterday.

123 HAITIANS FOUND NEAR CAY SAL REPATRIATED

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

ONE hundred and twenty-three Haitians, including children, who were picked up at sea in Bahamian waters recently were flown out of Grand Bahama onboard a

Bahamasair flight to Haiti yesterday.

The group of 50 men, 34 women, and 39 minors were intercepted near the Cay Sal Bank by the US Coast Guard Cutter Harriett.

USCG officials turned the migrants over to Bahamian authorities last Tuesday offshore near

Freeport Harbour. They were transported in buses to the GB Taxi Union Hall for processing. It was the single largest group of migrants brought to Grand Bahama this year.

According to a reliable source, the 84 Haitian adults were all convicted of illegal embarkation.

A MAN was placed on two months’ probation after assaulting his wife in their home last weekend.

Jovanil Charles, 43, appeared before Magistrate Kara Turnquest-Deveaux on charges of assaulting his wife on March 13.

The prosecution informed the court that on that day Charles had an argument with the complainant stemming from her questioning him about other women. This resulted in him pushing her out of the house and beating her about the body. Charles was then arrested for assault.

Before this incident, Charles had no prior antecedents.

A Creole interpreter translated for Charles in court.

Speaking on his behalf, she told the court that Charles said he pleaded guilty to the charges against him.

While Charles agreed with the prosecution’s recounting of the assault, he told the court through the interpreter that he only resorted to violence because he was under pressure from the complainant.

He explained that at the time of the incident he was on the phone with the mother of his child and that

his wife took issue with that.

He further said that it was only after his wife jumped on him when he asked the woman on the phone how his child was doing that he was aggressive with the complainant. He said his wife did not want him to talk to either of them.

Magistrate TurnquestDeleveaux placed Charles on two months’ probation and told him that any further run-ins with the law would result in him spending two months behind bars.

Charles thanked the magistrate for her ruling and assured her that he would not do anything like this again.

PAGE 8, Wednesday, March 16, 2022

THE TRIBUNE

It’s not enough to say how sad we are we have to take action OVER the past few days, we have been talking about the death of yet another woman who was a victim of domestic violence.

Carissa Culmer, mother of a two-year-old child, was 25 years old at the time of her death — an alleged suicide. She tried to get help, and had used Facebook to share her experience on numerous occasions. She was invited to the Senate to raise awareness of domestic violence, and she did. Still, she did not receive the help she needed — the help that could possibly have saved her life.

We have seen so many stories, heard so many names, and expressed outrage so many times that it can feel like a broken record. Someone dies. We learn their names and some of the details of their lives.

We acknowledge their deaths as loss. We find ways to emphasise the size of the loss, from age and motherhood to hopes and dreams.

We promise prayers to their loved ones, and hope that they find ways to carry on.

We, for a few days, call for action. Then, as we always do, we move on to other things. Our work, personal tasks, celebrations, and other news stories get our attention, and we almost forget about those names and faces until the next one pops up on our screens.

The outrage is not only short-lived, but unproductive. It is not moving us forward. Sadness has not been a motivator. Grief in response to our current state has not prompted action. Expressions to families, apologies to victims,

By Alicia Wallace

and promises to do some- 1995 Fourth World Conthing are useless. We need ference on Women, held in Beijing. Listen to their action.

To the Members of Par- stories of study, research, advocacy toward liament, Cabinet Ministers, and and Senators, you should the Beijing Platform for have acted a long time ago. Action. Read the reports Those who came before you from treaty bodies on The Bahamas’(lack should have of) proacted.

The gress toward next best time ‘To the Members meeting its to act is now. of Parliament, This is not a Cabinet Ministers, obligations and ending viotime to make and Senators, you lence against emotional speeches, brag should have acted women.

We have about what a long time ago. human rights you imagine you have Those who came experts, gender and already done, before you should experts, researchers, in or mention have acted. The The Bahamas, drafts that are still not ready next best time to throughout the region, and all to be tabled. act is now. This over the world Now is the is not a time to who are ready next best time to support to familiar- make emotional legal reform. ise yourselves speeches, brag They know with the obli- about what you the law, they gations The know the Bahamas has imagine you experiences to its people have already survivors, and the comdone, or mention of they know the mitments it has countries that made through drafts that are have had sucits ratification still not ready cess in similar of numerous to be tabled.’ legal reform international processes, mechanisms.

Begin with CEDAW, rati- and they know the gaps fied in 1993. Get familiar in protection, provision with Belém do Pará. Engage of resources and services, the Bahamian women and and justice. Listen to the made women from the Caribbean recommendations who participated in the by these people, and those

CARISSA CULMER, who died aged 25 in an apparent suicide after having been a victim of domestic violence previously. put forward by multilateral organisations.

There is no need to start from scratch or do it all on your own. The ground work has, in many cases, been done. Unfortunately, much of it was done so long ago that there is a need for updates and improvements based on new information and standards. Start with what we have, including draft documents and human resources. This is not difficult. It only requires that you care. You have to care as much about people’s lives, the protection of women, and the expansion of women’s rights as you care about the way you are perceived. You have to value human rights and the lives of women more

than you value your career in frontline politics. If you care as much as you would like us to believe, build on the work that has already been done. Engage experts and practitioners to update documents and incorporate the recommendations that prioritise people’s lives and ending gender-based violence.

When the drafts are updated, improved, and ready, we do not need you to congratulate yourselves.

We do not need more space on the shelf for them to sit. We need you to do one important thing. Take them to the House.

Based on your conversations with your colleagues, you know how much more you need to do. You know whether or not they are on board. You know who cares about these issues, and you know who is less likely to support. You know who is unsure. You and your right-thinking colleagues have work to do there. Talk to those colleagues. Tell them why this is important. Help them to understand the critical nature of this process and the need for their support.

If you cannot get them to care, at least get them to act the way we need them to act. Secure their votes.

You, who say you are saddened by the femicide we have seen for years, and that has been amplified in the media in recent months, must get the support of your colleagues. Spend less time telling us what you want to do, and spend more time working with your colleagues to get it done.

To the media, ask better questions. Get specific.

When you hear empty statements, dig deeper. When politicians promise to take action, ask them to specify the action and give a timeline. Ask them who stands with them. Ask them who they are working with to ensure that the actions they refer to are the best ones to take. Give the public more in your reporting. “We will make it better!” does very little for us. How? With what actions? With which people? When? These are the people with decisionmaking power, and they must not get away with vague promises, over and over again.

To members of the public, express your distress. Make it clear to your representatives that you are watching them. Tell them that you

are more concerned about their actions than you are persuaded by their words.

Write to them. Send emails.

Drop off hard copies to their constituency offices (if they are ever open).

Send messages to their social media pages. Make posted on social media to call them to action, and tag their pages in those posts.

Remind them of their jobs.

Tell them that you expect them to do those jobs, and that includes getting their colleagues to take action to end gender-based violence.

Tell them that you need a response. Let them know that you need to know whether or not they will do what you have demanded, and immediately. There is no time to sit and wait.

There is no confidence that they will act on their own. We, the people of The Bahamas, have to apply pressure. The political will is obviously not there.

It’s time for us to build it ourselves.

Carissa Culmer is the name we remember and say this week. Which other names do you still remember? Whose families do you still think about? Which children, left behind, are on your mind now? Have you ever suffered a loss that was forgotten too soon? Have you ever waited for solutions, knowing they could no longer help your loved one, but could prevent similar stories from appearing in your newsfeed? Will you do anything today?

Remember that genderbased violence in The Bahamas is a public health crisis, and our response cannot simply be more shelters. It must include financial resources, an efficient justice system, and ongoing psychosocial support. Know that this is about more than legislation. The people who are serious about saving and improving lives are also talking about implementation.

What will you do? How will you do it? Who is on your team? How will you get more people on your team? These are the questions that need to be asked of the politicians making statements of sympathy and promises. They need to be pressed to give us more.

No words should impress us. We need action. Carissa Culmer is the person we think of this week. There were many before her. Try not to forget.

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, March 16, 2022, PAGE 9

POKEMON GO CREATOR THINKS METAVERSE NEEDS TO KEEP IT ‘REAL’

By MICHAEL LIEDTKE AP Technology Writer

SAN RAMON, Calif.

(AP) — Niantic Labs CEO John Hanke has been working on technology that helps people navigate and enjoy places in the real world since he helped create Google Maps nearly 20 years ago.

So it’s not surprising that he isn’t a fan of the current hyperbole surrounding the notion that technology is poised to hatch a “metaverse” — a threedimensional simulation of the actual world populated by digital avatars of ourselves gathering with friends, family and colleagues to play, work and experience other aspects of an artificial life so compelling that it feels real.

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is such an ardent fan of a concept that he hails as an “embodied internet” that he recently renamed his company Meta. Hanke, though, fears Zuckerberg’s vision would become more like a “dystopian nightmare.”

Hanke instead is hoping to build technology that meshes with the physical world — an approach known as “augmented reality,” or AR. That’s what Niantic Labs has already done with Pokemon Go, a popular mobile phone game that deploys AR to enable people to chase digital creatures while roaming through neighbourhoods, parks and elsewhere. He

THE Meta logo sign is seen at the company headquarters in Menlo Park, California.

(AP Photo/Tony Avelar, File)

NIANTIC Labs CEO John Hanke. (Niantic Labs via AP)

recently discussed his hopes for what he calls a “real world” metaverse with The Associated Press.

Q: What bothers you the most about Mark Zuckerberg’s push to create a metaverse?

A: I feel like people just have it wrong, thinking the future is people logging into a 3D world and walking around as avatars.

I do not believe that is the future of technology and certainly not the future of humanity. I think it was a weird reaction to COVID in a way, with people sheltering at home, watching a lot of Netflix, getting a lot of delivery food, and kids living on Roblox a lot.

If you look at technology and where it was headed pre-pandemic, it was all

about mobile app stuff that you could take with you wherever you are. You are out with your kids, you are out there doing stuff in the world and it’s helping you get there with Google Maps, it’s helping you to eat with Yelp, it’s helping you find the hotel you are going to stay in. It was that kind of tech helping you as a human do human stuff better.

Q: So you think the metaverse should head more in that direction?

A: : When we think about the real world metaverse, we think about reality channels. The real world metaverse is rooted in what we do today, but it’s an evolutionary step toward some of the same ideas that some people talk about the metaverse.

It’s some of those same ideas taking place in the real world. Rather than staying at home and being

jacked into your computer watching graphics, (it’s) being out in the real world having a device bring these things to you, and make that experience richer and more fun, more efficient.

Q: Where do you see augmented reality heading?

A: When I say augmented reality, I mean literally augmenting reality. And that could be anything your senses can perceive. If my augmentation is I made a tree whisper when you sit near it, and it was just an audio form of augmented reality, that’s really a legitimate form of augmenting the world. If you were gazing at a painting of cherry blossoms in the museum, if I could waft the smell of those blossoms to you, that would be a great use of AR. Some of it can come through phones, some of it can come through other

devices. But we are visual creatures and we love visual things. We respond to visual inputs above all others. So does make the case for visual AR being very important, which gets you to (internet-connected) glasses.

Q: Finally, what do you think about the current efforts to loosen the controls and lower the fees at mobile app stores run by Apple and Google?

A: It reminds me of of London Bridge, old toll bridges being left in the down position until the captain paid up so he can bring his boat into the port. Those things last as long as the toll keepers can keep them in place.

It’s a lucrative business, but I think overall there is no real technology reason that you can’t have many app stores and you can’t have a fair way of distributing apps.

INTEL UNVEILS $88B CHIPMAKING EXPANSION PLAN FOR EUROPE

By KELVIN CHAN AP Business Writer

LONDON (AP) — U.S. chipmaker Intel unveiled plans on Tuesday to invest up to 80 billion euros ($88 billion) across Europe as part of an ambitious expansion aimed at evening out imbalances in the global semiconductor industry that have led to big chip shortages.

CEO Pat Gelsinger said Intel was investing the money over the next decade “along the entire semiconductor value chain.”

The company plans to spend tens of billions of dollars setting up or expanding chip production sites and establishing research and development or design centers in Germany, Ireland, France and Italy.

“Why are we doing this?

Because the world has an insatiable demand for semiconductors, or chips,” Gelsinger said in a webcast.

Intel said it’s bringing its most advanced technology to Europe to address the need for a “more balanced and resilient” semiconductor supply chain.

European Union leaders last month announced a $47 billion “Chips Act” to help the continent become a major semiconductor producer and curb its dependency on Asian markets for the tiny components, which act as the electronic

brains for everything from cars to smartphones and game consoles.

Demand for chips has surged as the global economy bounced back from the COVID-19 pandemic, but supply hasn’t kept up because of bottlenecks.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen hailed the announcement as the first major achievement under the EU Chips Act. “I’m sure it will pave the way for more companies to follow suit,” said von der Leyen, who wants the EU to double its share of global chip production to 20% by 2030.

The first phase of Santa Clara, California-based Intel’s investment plans include 17 billion euros to beef up its European production capacity with a leading-edge semiconductor fab “mega-site” in Magdeburg, Germany.

The site will include two semiconductor factories, or fabs, that will make chips with Intel’s most advanced technology.

If the European Commission gives approval, it’s expected to break ground next year and come online by 2027, creating 3,000 high tech jobs.

Germany’s economy minister, Robert Habeck, welcomed the news, saying it would boost “Europe’s digital sovereignty.”

The new facility will receive financial support from the German government.

The plans also call for 12 billion more euros of investment to expand Intel’s existing site in Leixlip, Ireland, by doubling manufacturing space and expanding its new foundry services business, which builds chips designed by other firms.

That will bring the company’s total Irish investment to more than 30 billion euros.

Intel says it’s also in talks with Italy “to enable a state-of-the-art back-end manufacturing facility” that would involve potential investment of up to 4.5 billion euros and create thousands of direct and indirect jobs.

There are also plans for a research and development hub and a foundry design centre in France, expanded lab space in Poland and a partnership with local researchers for an advanced computing lab in Spain.

Intel, the world’s No. 2 semiconductor maker according to technology research and advisory firm Gartner, is also expanding in the U.S. with a $20 billion factory in Ohio.

TECHTALK

FORD RAMPING UP ELECTRIC VEHICLES

By MICHELLE CHAPMAN AP Business Writer

FORD says it will have three new electric passenger vehicles and four new electric commercial vehicles in Europe by 2024, part of the automaker’s continued push to grow its presence in the EV market.

Ford Motor Co. said Monday that it plans to sell more than 600,000 electric vehicles in the Europe by 2026. It anticipates producing 1.2 million electric vehicles in Cologne, Germany over six years.

Ford will start production of an all-new electric passenger vehicle, a medium-sized crossover, in Cologne next year. A second electric vehicle will be added to the Cologne production line-up in 2024.

An electric version of the Ford Puma will be made in Craiova, Romania beginning in 2024.

For commercial vehicles, the Transit will include four new electric models – the Transit Custom one-tonne van and Tourneo Custom multi-purpose vehicle in 2023, and the smaller, next generation Transit Courier van and Tourneo Courier multi-purpose vehicle in 2024.

“I am delighted to see the pace of change in Europe – challenging our entire industry to build better, cleaner and more digital vehicles,” Ford President and CEO Jim Farley said in a statement. “Ford is all-in and moving fast to meet the demand in Europe and around the globe.”

TOP PAID iPHONE APPS: 1. MINECRAFT, Mojang Y CHILD 2. M LEBENSBORN, Sarepta Studio AS EADS UP!, 3. H Warner Bros.

EOMETRY 4. G DASH, RobTop Games AB 5. BLOONS TD 6, Ninja Kiwi OTSCHEDULES, 6. H HotSchedules 7. INCREDIBOX, So Far So Good 8. PROCREATE POCKET, Savage Interactive Pty Ltd APA’S FREEZE9. P RIA TO GO!, Flipline Studios 10. FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY’S, Clickteam, LLC

PAGE 10, Wednesday, March 16, 2022

THE TRIBUNE THIS photo provided by the United States Border Patrol shows Haitian migrants on shore wrapped in towels after a boat ran aground in the Florida Keys off Key Largo on March 6.

HAITIAN MIGRANT NUMBERS HIGHER THAN LAST YEAR FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida Associated Press HAITIAN migrants are reaching Florida's shores in large numbers as human smuggling operations ramp up, outpacing last year's migration waves.

The rise in the desperate and sometimes deadly voyages on overloaded vessels comes amid deepening political instability, skyrocketing inflation, severe fuel shortages and a spike in gang-related violence and kidnappings in Haiti.

About 140 Haitian migrants came ashore Monday on Summerland Key, about 20 miles up the highway from Key West, and Monroe County Sheriff's deputies joined federal agents in processing them.

Earlier this month, a wooden boat carrying hundreds of

migrants grounded in shallow water off Key Largo, and 163 people swam ashore near the Ocean Reef Club. Many needed medical treatment, federal officials said.

Another boat carrying 176 Haitians was stopped in January just off the Florida Keys, the US Coast Guard said.

The Coast Guard routinely returns people interdicted at sea to their country of origin. Those arriving in the US generally are taken into custody and face deportation unless they have viable asylum claims.

The United Nations Security Council reported in mid-February that gangs in Haiti have been growing more powerful and seizing more territory, with an under-resourced and understaffed police force struggling to contain them.

“The actions of these armed

criminal groups have had a catastrophic impact on the economy of Haiti and threaten the fundamental rights of all Haitian citizens, especially their rights to life, freedom of movement, work, health care and education,” the UN report concluded.

Kidnappings in the country of more than 11 million people have increased by 180 percent and homicides by 17 percent in the past year, with more than 500 people alone killed between September and December, including 40 women and children as young as five years old, according to the report.

In addition, instances of civil unrest jumped by more than 80 percent as a growing number of Haitians sink deeper into poverty, with inflation reaching the double digits.

Also, many Haitians who have lived overseas for many years

in South American countries have been seeking entry via the southern land border into the United States, which sent an estimated 18,000 back to Haiti in recent months.

Another 10,000 Haitians have been deported from neighboring Dominican Republic, which shares the island of Hispaniola, in recent months in a crackdown on migrants. Once back, many of the former expatriates have added to Haiti's unemployment crisis.

The Coast Guard has stopped other Haitian boats navigating near The Bahamas with dozens of migrants. On Sunday, the agency transferred 127 Haitians and three Cuban nationals to Bahamian authorities after picking them up in two locations near Anguilla Cay, The Bahamas.

So far this fiscal year, Coast

Guard crews have encountered 1,193 Haitians at sea. That compares with 1,527 Haitian migrants in all of fiscal year 2021, 418 in 2020 and 932 in 2019, the Coast Guard said.

On February 28, crews spotted a Haitian sailboat with 179 people aboard 30 miles off Andros, in The Bahamas. Last Friday, the Coast Guard stopped another Haitian sail vessel with 123 people, including 39 minors, about ten miles from Anguilla Cay, Bahamas.

“The Coast Guard maintains a persistent presence patrolling the waters around Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Puerto Rico and The Bahamas, to help prevent loss of life,” US Coast Guard Lt Cmdr Salomee Briggs said in a news release.

“Taking to the sea is very dangerous, we urge you not to risk you and your loved-ones' lives.”

20,000 escape Mariupol in Ukraine conflict KYIV, Ukraine Associated Press UKRAINE said it saw possible room for compromise yesterday in talks with Russia, while Moscow’s forces stepped up their bombardment of Kyiv, and an estimated 20,000 civilians fled the desperately encircled port city of Mariupol by way of a humanitarian corridor.

The fast-moving developments on the diplomatic front and on the ground came on the 20th day of Russia’s invasion, as the number of Ukrainians fleeing the country amid Europe’s heaviest fighting since World War II eclipsed three million.

A top Ukrainian negotiator, presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak, described the latest round of talks with the Russians, held via videoconference, as “very difficult and viscous” and said there were “fundamental contradictions” between the two sides, but added that “there is certainly room for compromise”. He said the talks will continue Wednesday.

Earlier in the day, another aide to Ukrainian President Volodymir Zelenskyy, Ihor Zhovkva, struck a more optimistic note, saying that the negotiations had become “more constructive” and that Russia had softened its stand by no longer airing its demands that Ukraine surrender.

In other developments, the leaders of three European Union countries — Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovenia — visited the embattled capital, arriving by train in a bold show of support amid the danger.

Meanwhile, large explosions thundered across Kyiv before dawn from what Ukrainian authorities said were artillery strikes, as Russia’s bombardment of the capital appeared to become more systematic and edged closer to the city center, smashing apartments, a subway station and other civilian sites.

Zelenskyy said barrages hit four multi-story buildings in the city and killed dozens. The strikes disrupted

UKRAINIAN servicemen and volunteers carry a man injured during a shelling attack into hospital number three in Mariupol, Ukraine, yesterday.

Photo: Evgeniy Maloletka/AP the relative calm that returned after an initial advance by Moscow’s forces was stopped in the early days of the war.

A senior US defence official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the Pentagon’s assessment, said that the Russians were using long-range fire to hit civilian targets inside Kyiv with increasing frequency but that their ground forces were making little to no progress around the country. The official said Russian troops were still about nine miles from the centre of the capital.

The official said the US has seen indications that Russia believes it may need more troops or supplies than it has on hand in Ukraine, and it is considering ways to get more resources into the country. The official did not elaborate.

Before yesterday’s talks, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow would press its demands that Ukraine drop its bid to join NATO, adopt a neutral status and “demilitarise”.

In a statement that seemed to signal potential grounds for agreement with

Moscow, Zelenskyy told European leaders gathered in London that he realises NATO has no intention of accepting Ukraine.

“We have heard for many years about the open doors, but we also heard that we can’t enter those doors,” he said. “This is the truth, and we have simply to accept it as it is.”

NATO does not admit nations with unsettled territorial conflicts. Zelenskyy has repeatedly said in recent weeks that he realizes NATO isn’t going to offer membership to Ukraine and that he could consider a neutral status for his country but needs strong security guarantees from both the West and Russia.

The UN said close to 700 civilians in Ukraine have been confirmed killed, with the true figure probably much higher.

Two journalists working for Fox News were killed when the vehicle they were traveling in was hit by fire on Monday on the outskirts of Kyiv, the network said. Fox identified the two as video journalist Pierre Zakrzewski and Ukrainian journalist Oleksandra “Sasha” Kuvshynova, who was helping Fox crews navigate the area. Another journalist was killed on Sunday in Ukraine.

New efforts to bring civilians to safety and deliver aid were underway around the country. The Red Cross said it was working to evacuate people in about 70 buses from the northeastern town of Sumy, near the Russian border.

The exodus from Mariupol marked the biggest evacuation yet from the southern city of 430,000, where officials say a weekslong siege has killed more than 2,300 people and left residents struggling for food, water, heat and medicine. Bodies have been buried in mass graves.

Kyrylo Tymoshenko, a senior aide to Zelenskyy, said that about 20,000 people managed to leave Mariupol in 4,000 private vehicles via a designated safe corridor leading to the city of Zaporizhzhia.

ANNA Sorokin at her trial in 2019 in New York.

FAKE HEIRESS MAKES NEW BID TO FIGHT DEPORTATION NEW YORK Associated Press ANNA Sorokin, the convicted swindler who claimed to be a German heiress to finance a posh lifestyle in New York, is making a new bid to fight deportation, a lawyer said yesterday.

Sorokin, whose scheme inspired the recent Netflix series “Inventing Anna,” was taken into US Customs and Immigration Enforcement custody nearly a year ago. She remained jailed in New York’s Hudson Valley on Tuesday, attorney Manny Arora said.

He said she filed papers Monday seeking to hold off being ejected from the country.

ICE yesterday said only that she remains in the agency’s custody.

Sorokin, who was convicted in 2019 and spent more than three years

behind bars, has since been challenging deportation.

An appellate immigration judge last month declined to stop the 31-year-old German citizen from being removed.

Using the name Anna Delvey, Sorokin maneuvered her way into elite New York social circles by passing herself off as a socialite with a $67m fortune overseas, according to prosecutors. She falsely claimed to be the daughter of a diplomat or an oil baron.

Prosecutors said Sorokin falsified records and lied to get banks to lend, luxury hotels to let her stay and well-heeled Manhattanites to cover plane tickets and other expenses for her, stealing $275,000 in all.

Her trial lawyer cast her as an ambitious entrepreneur who got in over her head financially and was simply buying time to pay her debts.

SPORTS PAGE 11

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16, 2022

FROM left to right are Greg Burrows Sr, Teran Mackey and Lawrence Hepburn. They are calling on the public to stop the vandalism of the fence being constructed around the four fields at the Baillou Hills Sporting Complex.

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

W

ith just over 100 days remaining before the start of the Babe Ruth Caribbean Championships, Caribbean Commissioner Greg Burrows Sr is calling on the public to stop the vandalism of the fence being constructed around the four fields at the Baillou Hills Sporting Complex.

The National Sports Authority has been overseeing the reconstruction of the fields by a host of local partners, but Burrows Sr said it’s sad to see that thieves have been helping themselves to property that has impacted the completion of the facilities.

“Despite the thieves taking down

NBA, Page 12

‘Despite thieves taking down the fence for the second time, we continue to press on’

COUNTDOWN: BABE RUTH CARIBBEAN BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS the fence for the second time, we continue to press on,” Burrows Sr said. “We are replacing the fence on the western field for the second time because some guys felt they had the rights to take them down and carry them again.

“The assistance with the NSA staff and the Royal Bahamas Defence Force, we are very pleased with where we are today and we know that we will be ready for the tournament on July 5 when the teams start to arrive.”

Without going into any details, Burrows said they are inviting the thieves to “come back”.

He noted that they have some things in place to deal with the

perpetrators whenever they do decide to return.

Jervonne Williams, a member of staff at the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture, said the thieves are not just stealing the fence, but they are stealing opportunities and experiences for the Bahamian young men to interact with their international counterparts when the tournament takes place.

The tournament is scheduled for July 7-11 and will attract more than 20 teams participating in two separate divisions, youth under 12 and youth under 16. SuperClubs Breezes has been designated as the Games Village.

Under the management of Lawrence Hepburn and Bradley Saunders from the NSA, Burrows Sr said the work is progressing very well and while the teams are responding with their confirmation and their rosters, they are making sure that all of the logistics are in place.

“We have the hotel booked and based on the booking and some of parents travelling, we have had to add the Marriot to the list,” Burrows Sr said.

“The LOC is doing its job and Martin Burrows is getting the umpires ready, including some international umpires who will come in to assist.”

Ayton and Suns down Pelicans

By BRETT MARTEL AP Sports Writer NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Devin Booker had 27 points and eight assists in 30 minutes before Phoenix coach Monty Williams gave him the rest of the night off, and the Suns beat the New Orleans Pelicans 131-115 last night.

Mikal Bridges went 4 of 5 from deep and scored 20 for the Suns, whose accurate shooting and ability to capitalise on virtually every Pelicans mistake helped them secure their fourth victory in five games despite star guard Chris Paul’s extended absence with his fractured right thumb.

The Suns shot 53 percent (18 of 34) from 3-point range and converted 17 Pelicans turnovers into 33 points.

Reserve centre JaVale McGee scored 19 and Deandre Ayton added

18 for Phoenix, which shot 55% (49 of 89) overall.

Herb Jones scored 22 for the Pelicans, who’ve lost five of six as they try to hang on to the final play-in spot in the Western Conference.

Guard CJ McCollum returned from a two-game absence while in health and safety protocols and scored 21 points.

But he also committed five turnovers. Jonas Valanciunas added 17 points and 12 rebounds.

The Pelicans were as close as 75-74 in the middle of the third quarter, but committed a turnover when they had a chance to take the lead and the Suns proceeded to take over, starting with Ayton’s layup and followed soon after

by Cameron Payne’s 25-foot transition 3. Booker scored the final six points of the period, starting with a

SEE PAGE 12

Emile Knowles Construction, Bommer George Construction and Anthony Swaby’s National Fencing are all leading the way in the companies making a contribution to the project. Others include JBR, Dan Knowles and Pre Mix Company.

“We’re making a lot of traction since we got started,” Hepburn said. “When this vision got started, we didn’t have any idea how it was going to be done. We just decided one day to come out and get it started.

“It needed to be done. It was overdue. When you have

SEE PAGE 12

NPSA AGM, ELECTION OF OFFICERS SATURDAY MORNING

PHOENIX Suns centre Deandre Ayton (22) in action during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Toronto Raptors on Friday, March 11, in Phoenix.

(AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

AFTER postponing because of the restrictions surrounding COVID-19, the New Providence Softball Association has decided to now hold its annual general meeting and election of officers on Saturday, starting at 10 am at the Bankers Field at the Baillou Hills Sports Complex.

It’s anticipated that Desiree Taylor will not be seeking another team in office. Unconfirmed reports reaching The Tribune’s Sports Desk is that Dwayne Stevens, the president of the Bahamas Government Departmental Softball Association, is expected to throw his name in the hat for the top post.

Nominations for all positions will be accepted from the floor. But in order to participate in the electoral process, all members must be financial.

Coe says sports must fight Swiss threaten to to keep Russia banned boycott swim worlds if Russians compete

By CHRIS LEHOURITES AP Sports Writer

LONDON (AP) — Sports federations have set precedents by banning Russian and Belarusian athletes from competition following the invasion of Ukraine and they must remain firm to keep them in place, Olympic great Sebastian Coe said Monday.

Coe is a two-time Olympic champion runner from Britain who is now the president of World Athletics, the governing body of track and field. He spoke four days before the start of the world indoor championships. Both Russians and Belarusians have been excluded from that event, which will be held in Serbia.

“There’s not a single sports federation out there that naturally wants to exclude teams

SEBASTIAN Coe or individuals. That’s not something that we came into the sport for,” Coe said during a video conference call. “But I think we have to recognise that this is such a game changer. And, yes, it will set precedents.”

Athletes and teams from Russia and Belarus have been kicked out of dozens of sports since Russian

forces invaded Ukraine last month, with some soldiers entering via Belarus. The biggest events to be immediately impacted by the decision to ban Russians and Belarusians include the upcoming track championships, the figure skating world championships and soccer.

The bans from soccer, which include the Russian national team from World Cup qualifying and Russian club Spartak Moscow from the Europa League competition, have been challenged by the Football Union of Russia. The first appeal rulings are expected this week from the Court of Arbitration for Sport — the highest sports court in the world.

“We absolutely accept that this will set precedents and those precedents will

SEE PAGE 12

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — The Swiss swimming federation has threatened to boycott this year’s world championships if the sport’s governing body allows Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete.

FINA, the Switzerland-based body that governs swimming, has so far been reluctant to ban Russian athletes following the country’s invasion of Ukraine.

The body instead decided they can compete at the worlds in Budapest, Hungary, without their national flag. Belarus, an ally of Russia, has also had its athletes and teams sanctioned in the same way.

Swiss Aquatics said yesterday it was “currently not appropriate” to take part in the two-week event in June even if athletes from Russia and Belarus compete under a neutral flag.

The Swiss team cited “safety and fairness” for athletes.

FINA has been trying to help Russians stay in competition even though

athletes from the country have been banned by the governing bodies of most Olympic sports.

On Tuesday, Russia lost an appeal against its ban from European soccer.

FINA, however, said last week it “remained opposed to a blanket ban of all athletes and officials from Russia and Belarus.”

The policy was supported by “an overwhelming majority” of the body’s athletes’ commission, FINA said. The athletes’ commission is chaired by twotime Olympic gold medalist Penny Heyns, who grew up in Apartheid-era South Africa when its athletes were mostly excluded from international events.

Instead, FINA pledged to review “concerns about the safety of athletes and the viability of events” on a case-bycase basis. Swiss Aquatics responded in a statement that it supported “safe, fair and doping-free sport.”

PAGE 12, Wednesday, March 16, 2022

THE TRIBUNE

Bahamas Football Association gets new technical director THE Bahamas Football Association (BFA) recently announced the appointment of its new technical director, Bruce Swan.

The BFA’s deputy general secretary, Carl R Lynch Jr, explained that after a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19, the football governing body for The Bahamas is keen to continue its investment in the growth and development of the sport of football.

Bruce Swan joins the BFA leadership from Grenada, where he both played and coached with the Grenada Football Association League for over 20 years.

With diverse coaching experience at various levels, Bruce is an IAAF certified coach and also completed the Football Executive Programme at the University of the West Indies. During his playing career, Bruce also represented Grenada on past national teams, playing on their national

under-15 and under-20 teams.

An educator by profession, Bruce holds a bachelor of science in mathematics and minor in sociology. He has taught various grade levels but always having a love for sports, spent most of his career with Grenada’s Ministry of Sports developing national and community level player developmental programmes, organising clinics and workshops and ultimately enhancing the country’s sporting programmes.

“Now that I am on the ground in The Bahamas, I am looking forward to establishing a players’ and coaches’ pathway for growth of the sport,” Swan said. “I believe that my role is not to work with players directly, but to create the systems that will benefit their growth and development. With my inclusion, I hope the players can see an improvement in their training programmes.”

BRUCE Swan.

The technical director appointment follows the recent appointment of Soraya Toppin-Herbert as the BFA’s director of women’s football, another indicator of the ‘return of football’ in the country.

“There is only an upward trajectory for women’s football in the Caribbean.

We are benefiting from the professionalism, resources and accountability that our governing bodies provide

to grow the sport. With many countries having a dedicated women football development officer, we could only see the game continue to move forward,” Swan said.

“Additionally, with the introduction of CONCACAF Nation’s League and Gold Cup for women, even more Caribbean teams have the opportunity to play against the top teams in the region which creates more opportunities and enhances the level of play across the region.”

Swan has already begun working with the local football fraternity.

“The BFA has already taken the first step with the opening up of its Centre of Excellence for women and men. Next, we will expand this to our under-15 and under-17 girls and boys,” Swan said.

“For the sport to grow, it is critical that we broaden the base of players, thus, we will be working with schools and communities

to establish grass roots programmes for children from 4-11 years old.

“Additionally, we must improve coaching at all levels, with emphasis on youth coaching and will be facilitating coaching development workshops and advanced coach certification courses.”

Committing to expanding the game of football throughout the islands,, Swan says he’s bringing from his hometown “The spice isle passion we have for the sport to ensure that football is played on every field there is in The Bahamas.”

The BFA’s deputy general secretary, Carl R Lynch Jr, welcomed Swan to the Bahamas and to the BFA. “We are excited about working with Bruce to promote football as an enjoyable sport for girls and boys and ultimately to expand the game of football in the country,” he summed up.

AYTON

FROM PAGE 11 pull-up jumper as he was fouled by Jose Alvarado.

He added a transition 3 from 26 feet to give the Suns a 98-85 lead heading to the fourth.

New Orleans could not muster another surge in the fourth quarter, when the Suns pulled away by as many as 23 points.

The Pelicans led 34-33 early in the second quarter when the Suns surged into the lead with a 7-0 run ignited by Bridges’ 3.

Booker hit 3s on consecutive possessions and then set up put Bridges’ right corner 3 that put the Suns up 57-43.

New Orleans rallied with a 14-2 surge during which Jones and Valanciunas each scored six points including put-back dunks by both players.

But with the crowd reengaged, Phoenix turned an offensive rebound into a 3 by Jae Crowder to stunt New Orleans’ momentum.

Payne added a 3 and Ayton found bridges on a baseline cut for a reverse layup that made it 67-59 at halftime.

TIP-INS Suns: Made all 15 of their free throws. ... Payne, who has been starting in place of Paul, scored 14 points and had eight assists. ... Torrey Craig scored 11 points. ...

Reserves combined for 43 points. ... Shot 62% (13 of 21) in the first quarter and 61% from 3-point range (11 of 18) in the first half.

Pelicans: Jaxson Hayes scored 16 points, Trey Murhpy II scored 11 points, and Devonte’ Graham and Willy Hernangomez each scored 10. ... Allowed 30 points in the first quarter for the sixth straight game. ... Shot 50% (43 of 86) overall but 35% (12 of 34) from 3-point range. ... Missed seven of 24 free throws. ...

Scored 13 points off of nine Suns turnovers. ... Went 1-3 during a four-game home stand.

UP NEXT Suns: Visit Houston tonight to wrap up a twogame trip.

Pelicans: Open a threegame road trip at San Antonio on Friday night.

MEN’S NATIONAL SOCCER TEAM NAMED FOR FRIENDLY TUNE-UP THE coaching staff of the men’s national development programme have selected the team that will represent the MA in the upcoming international friendly tune-up match in St Martin on March 26.

The team is slated to depart Nassau on March 25.

This game gives both teams the opportunity to play a match as they get ready for the official draw of the upcoming Nations League round of matches which takes place in April of 2022.

The coaching team are fielding a younger team as they transition to the new generation on national team players as envisioned by the number of younger local players.

The team trains nightly 6:30-8:30pm at the Roscow AL Davies Field in preparation for this match.

Training sessions have been progressing very well.

Named to the team are Vance Wheaton, Roan Davis, Marcel Joseph, Kenaz Swan, Nicholas Lopez, Isiah Collie, Evelt Julmis, Brandon Adderley, Julio Jameson, Michael Massey, Evens Julmis, Jordin Wilson, Alexiou Cartwright, Adrian Rolle, Derrick Ferguson, Miguel Thompson and Lesly St Fleur.

The head coach is Nesly Jean, assisted by Kevin Davies. The team manager is Larry Minns and the goalkeeper coach is Avery Kemp. Bruce Swan will travel in his first capacity as the new technical director.

SEBASTIAN COE FROM PAGE 11 BROOKLYN Nets guard Kyrie Irving (11) celebrates with forward Kevin Durant, left, after Irving scored his 60th point of the game in the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Orlando Magic yesterday.

(AP Photo/Phelan M Ebenhack)

Nets’ Kyrie Irving second player in 2 nights with 60 points ORLANDO, Florida (AP) — Kyrie Irving scored a career-high 60 points, most in the Nets’ NBA history, to lead Brooklyn to a 150-108 victory over the Orlando Magic last night.

Irving shot 20 for 31, including 8 of 12 on 3-pointers, in 35 minutes. He made 12 of 13 free throws in matching the highest-scoring game in the NBA this season, done just a night earlier by Minnesota’s Karl-Anthony Towns against San Antonio.

Irving scored 41 points in the first half, the most in the first two quarters since Kobe Bryant had 42 against Washington on March 28, 2003.

The guard left the game after hitting a long 3-pointer with 8:33 remaining and Brooklyn leading 128-94. He gave the Nets consecutive 50-point performances, after Kevin Durant had 53 on Sunday against the New York Knicks.

BASEBALL FROM PAGE 11

something like this and a significant tournament like the Babe Ruth with people coming to see the best that you have to offer, then you have to step up and give your best.”

Hepburn said they stepped out in faith and trusted in their partners who came through and gave their assistance. He also noted that they have to tip their hats off to all of the guys who come out each and every day to help out to get the transformation of the facilities completed.

“Because it is happening so rapidly, they are enthusiastic.

They are inspired,” Hepburn

said. “Every day they look forward to coming out here and getting something done. We set our goals every day and we come and get something done.”

After levelling the surfaces, Hepburn said they demolished the old concession stand and dugouts as well as removed all of the old fencing. They excavated the field, put in new fencing, adding the backstop walls behind home plate and erecting new dugouts and bleachers.

“We’re looking to lift these fields with the help of Mr Curling, beautiful place and make it a tremendous place for families to attend,” Hepburn said. “One young man stopped by and he said this looks like something that I would like to bring my family.

Durant added 19 points in the Nets’ fourth straight win.

Cole Anthony had 19 points and seven assists for Orlando.

HEAT 105, PISTONS 98 MIAMI (AP) — Max Strus scored all of his 16 points in the fourth quarter, Tyler Herro finished with a game-high 29 off the bench and Miami escaped with a win over Detroit.

Strus, playing in the second half after Jimmy Butler left the game with a sprained ankle, scored 13 points in a span of 2:55 of the final quarter to help Miami rally. Bam Adebayo finished with 16 for the Heat.

Herro hit the biggest shot of the night for Miami, a 3-pointer for a five-point lead with 1:59 left.

Jerami Grant led the Pistons with 22 points.

Isaiah Livers scored 16, while Marvin Bagley III and Saddiq Bey We haven’t finished it yet, but he said it’s looking so clean that he can’t wait to see it when it’s done.”

Teran Mackey, project director for the LOC, said they are anticipating at least 20 international teams and two Bahamian teams participating in the championships.

He noted that four countries have already supported all of their rosters and requirements for their participation.

“People are excited, the international teams are excited and for many of them, this will be their first time in the Bahamas, so what we’re trying to do is to give them a world-class tournament and some down time that we hope the Ministry of Tourism

each had 13 for Detroit, which closed the third quarter on a 19-0 run to put a serious scare into the Eastern Conference leaders.

GRIZZLIES 135, PACERS 102 INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Desmond Bane scored 21 points, Jaren Jackson Jr had 19 and Memphis rolled without All-Star Ja Morant, beating Indiana.

De’Anthony Melton added 18 points while Morant sat out with back soreness.

The Grizzlies made the decision to hold him out after he went through pregame warmups.

It was the fourth consecutive victory for the Grizzlies. The Pacers have lost two in a row and five of their last six games.

Steven Adams had 13 points and 13 rebounds for the Grizzlies Jalen Smith scored 15 points for Indiana.

Buddy Hield and Terry Taylor each had 14. will provide for them when they are not playing. “They also have family members and friends coming and that is growing the list of guest arrivals to our shores coming from the Caribbean, the United States, Europe and even China. So that is exciting when we think about the economic impact that we will experience when they come here.”

Teams are expected from Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, Cuba, Haiti, the Netherlands, China, Spain, US Virgin, Puerto Rico and Mexico.

With two different tournaments rolled in one championships, Mackey said it’s anticipated that the Bahamas will be buzzing with activities during the week of July 7-11.

have to be faced individually and sequentially and they will be with us for years,” Coe said.

“We haven’t made this easy on ourselves but it is still the right decision.

“You cannot have aggressor nations, where you have so altered the landscape for the integrity of competition being untouched, while the actions of their governments have so influenced the integrity of sport elsewhere.”

Russia’s opponent in the World Cup qualifying playoffs, Poland, has said it won’t play against the country on March 24.

The two next possible opponents, the Czech Republic and Sweden, have said the same.

Track and field had previously been the hardest on Russians following the country’s state-sponsored doping scandal dating back to the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.

Russians now have to be individually vetted in order to compete in international track events. The Russian track federation has been banned since 2015.

“I don’t have a problem with (banning Russians) because that’s what we’ve done in our sport.

“I don’t see why that should be different in any other sport if you’re making that judgement on the integrity of the sport,” Coe said.

“Goodness me, in football, you’ve already seen teams that decided they’re not going to play in playoff rounds.

“The impact is across the board. So they are going to need to remain really firm on this and do exactly what we’ve done.”

TO ADVERTISE TODAY IN THE TRIBUNE CALL @ 502-2394

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, March 16, 2022, PAGE 13

RUGBY IS BACK AT WINTON

BAHAMIAN umpires in the mix at the CBUAO clinic in Florida.

Four umpires certified

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net MARTIN ‘Pork’ Burrows will now be joined by four other Bahamians as certified members of the College Baseball Umpire Association Organisation (CBUAO).

Martin, along with Andrew Burrows and Ainsworth Beckford from New Providence and Wayne Basden and Oscar Green from Grand Bahama, participated in the CBUAO College Baseball Recruitment and Refresher Clinic that was conducted over the weekend in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Attending the event, which attracted about 32 umpires, Burrows, Beckford, Basden and Green all passed the certification course, which Martin did when he first attended the event by himself a year ago. “I am very satisfied

with how the umpires performed and conducted themselves,” Burrows said.

“They all made huge improvements every day and on the very last day, they were put to the test to umpire a game with just the Bahamian umpires.”

In a seven-inning game, Beckford started out calling behind the plate, Burrows was on first, Basden on third and midway during the game, Burrows replaced Beckford at the plate, while Green took over at first.

“It was a job well done.

No hiccups. I was very proud of my Bahamian umpires,” said Burrows, who noted that the entire Bahamian contingent got high marks from the organisers and the fellow umpires from outside of the country.

The clinic was organised and conducted by Nick Zibelli.

Burrows said this core of umpires will now put their

AUSTRALIA BEATS WEST INDIES, STAYS ATOP WOMEN’S WORLD CUP BAHAMIAN umpires Ainsworth Beckford, Wayne Basden, Martin Burrows, Oscar Green and Andrew Burrows pose above with clinic organiser Nick Zibelli. certification to the test when they are expected to lead the local delegation of umpires as they officiate at the Babe Ruth Caribbean Baseball Championship, scheduled for July 7-11 at the Baillou Hills Sporting Complex.

A number of international umpires are also expected in town from around the world to officiate in the tournament being organised by the Local Organising Committee, headed by Caribbean director Greg Burrows Sr.

Burrows, who will continue his training sessions for local umpires, said he now wants to take the umpire classes into the schools, both private and public, so that they can develop more persons interested in officiating at the games.

March Madness guide: What to look for in the NCAA Tournament

By JOHN MARSHALL AP Basketball Writer MARCH Madness is about to get its roar back.

A year after attendance was limited, the 2022 NCAA tournaments are a full-go for fans again.

Arenas will be packed from San Diego to Buffalo, the road to a title paved with the sounds we’ve come to expect with all those buzzer beaters and breakout performances.

Two years of pent-up energy is about to be released and it’s going to be a noisy ride.

Here’s a few things to watch on the men’s side as the NCAA Tournament kicks off with the First Four in Dayton, Ohio: THE FAVOURITES Gonzaga. The Zags went to the title game a year ago. They may be even better this season.

Arizona. Tommy Lloyd has taken what he helped create with Mark Few at Gonzaga and turned the Wildcats into a powerhouse.

Kansas. Ochai Agbaji and the Jayhawks have the type of team that can make a deep run. They may have the easiest road to the Final Four, too.

Baylor. The Bears won last year’s national championship despite not winning the Big 12 title. It could be a repeat performance.

POSSIBLE CINDERELLAS South Dakota State. The Jackrabbits put points up

in bunches and haven’t lost since mid-December.

Loyola Chicago. Never doubt a team with Sister Jean on its side.

Murray State.

The Racers have three players who can take over a game at any time and hit the tournament on a 20-game winning streak.

Chattanooga. The Mocs have some bite and a bigtime scorer in Malachi Smith.

STAR PLAYERS Chet Holmgren, Gonzaga. Built like a centre, plays like a guard, unlike anyone we’ve ever seen.

Paolo Banchero, Duke.

Potential No. 1 NBA draft pick has the game to take Coach K on a deep run in his final NCAA Tournament.

Oscar Tshiebwe, Kentucky. The Wildcats’ big man wants a rebound, he’s going to get it. Got an offensive game to go with that tenacity, too.

Keegan Murray, Iowa.

Electric and efficient. He could be this year’s bracket breakout star.

Jaden Ivey, Purdue. His first step looks like a blur to flailing defenders. His finishes at the rim make the nightly highlight reels.

Peter Kiss, Bryant.

Loves to talk trash. Has the game to back it up with a nation-leading 25.1 points per game.

MUST-WATCH GAMES No. 4 Arkansas vs. No. 13 Vermont, West Region, Thursday in Buffalo. Eric

THE Bahamas Rugby Union has announced that rugby is back at the Winton Rugby Pitch.

After two years on the shelf, rugby is coming back and with many of the COVID-19 restrictions being relaxed, the BRU is now look forward to the return of the sport they say they love.

The board members, including chairman Adam Waterhouse, vice chairman Charles Smith, treasurer Shane Gardiner and secretary Kassim Williams, have indicated that they are looking forward to putting in some exciting events for the players and spectators.

From April 23-24, the Bahamas men’s national team is slated to play host to an international tournament that will played at the Thomas A Robinson National Stadium.

A total of 15 men’s and women’s teams will compete for the chance to qualify for the Rugby World Cup 7 and Commonwealth Games 2022.

DUKE head coach Mike Krzyzewski works the bench in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Miami during semifinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference men’s tournament, on Friday, March 11, in New York.

(AP Photo/John Minchillo) Musselman’s Razorbacks had a bit of trouble with Colgate last year before making a run to the Elite Eight. The veteran Catamounts will be a tough out with their efficient, five-out offense.

No. 6 Texas vs. No. 11 Virginia Tech, East Region, Friday in Milwaukee. The Longhorns have a scrappy defence, but closed the season with three straight losses. The Hokies have gotten hot at the right time, winning four games in four days to win the ACC Tournament.

No. 7 Michigan State vs. No. 10 Davidson, West

Region, Friday in Greenville, South Carolina. The Spartans are always dangerous in the bracket with Tom Izzo at the helm.

The Wildcats have been known to pull off upsets — remember Steph Curry’s run in 2008? — and have two guards who can fill it up in Foster Loyer and Hyunjung Lee. No. 7 Ohio State vs. No. 10 Loyola Chicago, South Region, Friday in Pittsburgh. The Ramblers have had a knack for pulling off upsets with Sister Jean in their corner, including that memorable run to the 2018 Final Four.

The Buckeyes have highvolume scorer E.J. Liddell on their side, but limped down the stretch in the build-up to the bracket.

ODDS The favourites to win it all, according to FanDuel Sportsbook: Gonzaga plus-300, Arizona plus600, Kentucky plus -850, Kansas plus-1,000.

Longest shots: 22 teams are plus-50,000, including Iowa State, TCU, Creighton and Notre Dame.

Best bets to reach the title game: Gonzaga-Arizona plus-950, Gonzaga-Kansas plus1,100, Gonzaga-Auburn plus-1,600.

Conference of national champion: West Coast plus-290, SEC and Big 12 plus-370, Pac-12 pus-500.

Biggest spreads, first round: Gonzaga minus23.5 vs. Georgia State; Baylor minus-21.5 vs. Norfolk State; Duke minus 18.5 vs. Cal State-Fullerton.

HOW TO WATCH Get the remote ready!

Find the full TV schedule here, including tipoff times and links to stream.

And hurry: First Four games were yesterday (March 15) and today, March 16 (truTV).

First-round games are Thursday, March 17 and Friday, March 18 (CBS, TNT, TBS and truTV).

And second-round games are Saturday, March 19 and Sunday, March 20 (CBS, TNT, TBS and truTV).

By STEVE MCMORRAN AP Sports Writer WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Rachael Haynes scored an unbeaten 83 as Australia took another step in its inexorable progress to a seventh Women’s Cricket World Cup title, beating the West Indies by seven wickets yesterday to remain unbeaten after four group matches.

Backing up only two days after it beat host New Zealand by 141 runs, Australia rested leading bowlers Darcie Brown and Amanda-Jade Wellington and still bowled out the West Indies for 131.

Haynes’ innings and her late, unbroken partnership of 74 with Beth Mooney (28) allowed Australia to reach its target with almost 20 full overs remaining.

The day began well for Australia in advantageous bowling conditions. Light rain delayed the start of play by 30 minutes without costing any overs and play began in heavy overcast and windy conditions.

There was an ominous sign for the West Indies batters from the very first ball when Megan Schutt bowled a hooping inswinger to Deandra Dottin, helped by the wind. Schutt continued to swing the ball into the right-handers while Elysse Perry had the ability to take it away on both sides of the wicket.

Perry removed the West Indies first three batters — Dottin (16), Hayley Matthews (0) and Kycia Knight (0) — in an opening spell of eight consecutive overs and finished with 3-22.

Ashleigh Gardner helped dismantle the middle order, dismissing Shemaine Campbelle (20), Chedean Nation (0) and West Indies captain Stafanie Taylor, whose 50 from 91 deliveries led her team’s recovery from the loss of Matthews and Knight to consecutive balls in the second over of the innings.

Australia’s fielding remains a cut above other teams at the tournament and its catching also is on another plane. Australia’s huge depth allows it to rotate players at will, without losing any of its considerable strength.

To Publish your Financials and

Legal Notices Call: 502-2394

PAGE 14, Wednesday, March 16, 2022

THE TRIBUNE

Jamaica ready for CARIFTA FOLLOWING a twoday visit of the team from the North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletic Association (NACAC) to inspect preparations for the 2022 CARIFTA Games, a very favourable report was received.

Chairman of the Local Organising CommitteeMike Fennell is satisfied with the report, but noted that there is a “considerable amount of work left to be done to ensure the Games are successful.”

The report revealed “the organisational aspects of the preparation in detail is well advanced and professionally undertaken. This is noteworthy given the short time-frame available since the JAAA was approached to host following the withdrawal of Guyana.”

The report went on to indicate “there is evidence of a strong commitment to the realisation of a successful edition of the CARIFTA Games with every effort being made to emphasise Jamaica’s proficiency in the sport and in hosting track and field competitions in the year in which the country celebrates 60 years.”

Keith Joseph, secretary general and Michael Serralta, competitions director, were the two officials from NACAC. The Rex Nettleford Hall at the University of the West Indies, Mona campus

has been confirmed as the location for the athletes’ village. Praises were also made regarding the credentials of the team.

The April 16-18 Carifta Games will see the 49th staging following a two-year break due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

JAAA President Garth Gayle noted that “with most of the 27 nations completing their trials, we are excited at the opportunity for the junior athletes to compete against each other.”

The schedule for the weekend also includes a Congress, which is scheduled for Sunday, April 17), the location for the next year will be disclosed. The Games are set to feature over 500 athletes from 27 nations, including hosts, Jamaica. The Games so far attracted support and partnership from: NACAC World Athletics PUMA Ministry of Sport (SDF) SportsMax - TV rights holder and broadcast host Digicel Massy Distribution Wisynco Stewart’s Auto Recycling Partners of Jamaica UHWI KLAS FM 89 Jamaica topped the medal table with 85 medals (36 G, 33 S, 16 B) at the 2019 edition held in the Cayman Islands.

SYDNEY Clarke

BLTA CONGRATS TO TENNIS PLAYERS IN COLLEGE ARENA THIS YEAR

OFFICIALS inspect the equipment for the CARIFTA Games in Jamaica.

Wimbledon, British government in talks about Russian players

By ROB HARRIS and HOWARD FENDRICH AP Sports Writers WIMBLEDON organisers are having conversations with the British government about whether Russian tennis players — such as No. 1-ranked Daniil Medvedev — should be allowed to compete at the tournament this year if they don’t distance themselves from President Vladimir Putin because of his country’s invasion of Ukraine.

Speaking yesterday to legislators in London about Wimbledon, British Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston said: “Absolutely nobody flying the flag for Russia should be allowed.

“Many of us would be willing and able to (allow them to) compete as nonaligned, non-flag-bearing entities.

“But I think it needs to go beyond that. We need some potential assurances that they are not supporters of Vladimir Putin and we are considering what requirements we may need to try and get some assurances along those lines.”

Asked by a member of parliament about any

back-and-forth with the All England Club, which runs the grass-court Grand Slam tournament, Huddleston replied: “We are in discussions.”

The All England Club confirmed that discussions were ongoing with both U.K. government and tennis governing bodies.

The seven groups that run the sport around the world have condemned the war; cancelled events in Russia and Belarus, which helped with the invasion; kicked those two nations out of the Billie Jean King Cup and Davis Cup team competitions; and announced on March 1 that players from those countries will be allowed to compete in WTA, ATP and Grand Slam tournaments but not under the name or flag of Russia or Belarus.

Russia is the reigning champion in both the Billie Jean King Cup and Davis Cup, but the International Tennis Federation announced Monday that the country would be replaced in the 2022 Finals of each by the highestranked losing semifinalist in 2021.

For the Billie Jean King Cup, that is Australia; for the Davis Cup, it’s Serbia.

DANIIL MEDVEDEV, of Russia, returns a shot to Gael Monfils, of France, at the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament yesterday in Indian Wells, California.

(AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) Wimbledon’s deadline Medvedev was assured of “By being a tennis player, I for player entries is May moving atop the ATP rank- want to promote peace all 16. ings for the first time while over the world. We play The tournament is competing at the Mexico in so many different counscheduled to begin main- Open. tries; I’ve been in so many draw play on June 27.

“Watching the news countries as a junior and as Russia invaded Ukraine from home, waking up a pro. It’s just not easy to on February 24, which here in Mexico, was not hear all this news. ... I’m all happened to be the day easy,” Medvedev said then. for peace.”

THE Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association (BLTA) congratulated the players who are participating in the college arena this year.

They include - Abigail Simms with the Indiana Tech Warriors; Sydney Clarke - UAB Blazers; Sierra Donaldson - Lee Flames; Elana Mackey Mars Hill Lions; Africa Smith - Bethune-Cookman Wildcats; Hannah-Joy Simms - Brescia Bearcats; Shay’Tonya Missick and Kofi Bain – both at Johnson C Smith Golden Bulls; Jacobi Bain - Xavier of Louisiana Goldrush and Donte Armbrister - Hampton Pirates.

In this season, Simms and the Warriors are having a standout season with a perfect record to date of 10-0.

In singles, Simms is playing alternatively in the number one, two and three positions. She also plays the No.1 in doubles. At 10-0, Indiana Tech holds a conference title already and is on a good trajectory for another.

Mackey recorded an almost perfect 7-1 singles record to date playing in both the No.4 and No.1 positions. They are 6-6.

Clarke has won 10 out of 13 matches in 2022 playing in the No.2, No.3 and No.4 positions. She also plays No.1 in doubles.

They are 9-5 and preparing for another conference playoffs.

Bain is having a great debut year with Gold Rush having recorded singles and doubles wins.

Mackey is leading her team with the singles victories.

Donaldson and Hannah-Joy Simms are playing in their senior years, while Missick and Armbrister recorded maiden singles college tennis victories in their debut seasons.

The BLTA wishes to express the success of all their college athletes well on the court and in the classrooms and they pray that they will all continue to play hard and do well.

FIRST FOUR: TEXAS SOUTHERN Fritz, Isner, Keys lead US OUTLASTS TEXAS A&M-CC 76-67 contingent at Indian Wells

By JACOB BENGE Associated Press DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — Bryson Etienne scored 21 points and Texas Southern beat Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 76-67 last night in the First Four of the NCAA Tournament.

The Tigers earned their third NCAA Tournament win in five seasons and will play top-seeded Kansas in the Midwest first round.

“I feel like anybody can go to any big school,” Etienne said. “We’re men just like them. We put our shoes on like them, pants, shirt. It’s March Madness, so madness can happen.”

PJ Henry hit a go-ahead free throw to highlight a 7-0 run in which Texas Southern (19-12) took the

lead and never surrendered. He finished with 14 points and shot 10 of 13 at the free throw line.

“One of the things we talked about was playing extremely hard every second, every play,” Texas Southern coach Johnny Jones said. “It took that against that team to be able to finish down the stretch.”

John Walker III added 16 points. Brison Gresham grabbed 13 rebounds and scored six points as the First Four returned to the University of Dayton Arena for the first time in three seasons.

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (23-12) led by as many as eight points in the opening period and four in the second half.

The Islanders’ season

ended after they won the Southland Conference tournament Saturday.

“We weren’t going to be able to finish things at the rim because they’ve got really good shot blockers,” Texas A&M-Corpus Christi coach Steve Lutz said. “At times we did that, but at times we really didn’t make good decisions at the rim.”

Trevian Tennyson led the Islanders with 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting while Simeon Fryer scored 12 and Terrion Murdix added 10.

The Tigers led 32-30 at halftime after trailing for over 10 minutes in the first half. Both teams shot below 40% from the field in the opening period, combining for 15 turnovers and seven steals.

By BETH HARRIS AP Sports Writer

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. (AP) — Taylor Fritz defeated Spanish qualifier Jaume Munar 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (2) yesterday in the third round of the BNP Paribas Open, making him one of six American men still alive in the desert tournament.

Fritz reached the semifinals at Indian Wells last year, his career-best result in an ATP Masters 1000 event. The son of former WTA Tour pro Kathy May has been on an upward trajectory since, reaching the fourth round of the Australian Open in January — his best showing yet in a Grand Slam event.

John Isner beat 14th-seeded Diego Schwartzman, 7-5, 6-3, to reach the fourth round. The

6-foot-11 American capitalised on his 16-inch height advantage, blasting 13 aces and frustrating Schwartzman with clever drop shots.

Isner didn’t even need any tiebreakers; 18 of his 30 sets played this year have ended in tiebreakers.

Another American, Tommy Paul, lost to 29thseeded Alex de Minaur, 7-6 (2), 6-4.

Americans Frances Tiafoe and Steve Johnson were to play night matches.

In women’s fourth-round action, Madison Keys beat British qualifier Harriett Dart, 6-1, 6-4. Keys is the last American woman still in the tournament.

No. 3 seed Iga Swiatek outlasted three-time major champion and former No. 1 player Angelique Kerber, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3. “I felt like she wanted to use

her experience and kind of trick me,” Swiatek said. “I like that because it’s like a new experience for me. I’m pretty proud of myself that I could win against such a smart player.”

Simona Halep, the 2015 champion, beat Sorana Cirstea 6-1, 6-4. The Romanians played for the first time in 12 years and have split their four meetings.

“I feel like I played perfect in the first set,” Halep said. “The second set was a little bit tougher because I started to miss. She started to play a little bit better.

But I think it’s a strong victory for me.”

Petra Martic of Croatia beat No. 28 Liudmila Samsonova, 7-6 (6), 6-4. No. 6 Maria Sakkari advanced when qualifier Daria Saville retired trailing 4-1 because of a left thigh injury.

PAGE 16, Wednesday, March 16, 2022

‘POLISH PRODUCT’ TO MAXIMISE RECORD-BREAKING CRUISE PORT FROM PAGE 20 subsequently to almost twothirds full for the first two weeks of March.

“Nassau has been a critical and essential part of the cruise industry recovery, which started for us on June 12, 2021, with the home porting of Adventure of the Seas,” Mr Maura told Tribune Business.

“We’re at a point today where this week we have 32 cruise ships in one week.

Nassau is the busiest transit cruise port in the world today. Previously, in the low 20s was a substantial show, so having 32 is a remarkable week for us.” This number comprises vessels from Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, Disney and Celebrity cruise lines.

“Our ship arrivals are very strong as evidenced by this week,” Mr Maura added, “and our bookings are much stronger than 2019 for 2022 and 2023.” Some 1,207 vessels called on Nassau in 2019, compared to the 1,252 scheduled for this year and the 1,300-plus that are anticipated for 2023.

“Our average was around 3,600 passengers per ship in 2019, and if you use those numbers and look forward to 2023 with the same average occupancy per vessel, you’ll have close to 400,000 additional passengers assuming those ships are at full occupancy.”

Global Ports Holding, Nassau Cruise Port’s 49

percent controlling shareholder, predicted in a statement issued this week to investors that the cruise industry will have returned to 100 percent passenger capacity by 2022.

For downtown Nassau, Bay Street and all cruise dependent businesses, the key will be to convert the promise of increased visitor footfall into more passengers that actually leave their vessels and to get them spending more per capita in the destination.

Mr Maura, acknowledging this, told Tribune Business: “We’re leading the region. We’re the busiest transit cruise port in the world, and we have a tremendous opportunity. The cruise industry is delivering these passengers and dropping them on our doorstep.

It’s up to us to keep polishing our product and keep them coming back.

“The only way we’re going to increase that spend is by polishing that product and offering something that is unique, of value and differentiated so that it is not experienced in St Thomas, St Maarten, Saint Juan, Grand Cayman and St Kitts and Nevis.”

Global Ports Holding, in its trading update to the capital markets, this week revealed that February 2022 vessel calls to Nassau Cruise Port exceeded those during the same month in 2019 - a record-breaking year for tourism arrivals, which saw 5.4m cruise

passengers visit The Bahamas, and the last full year pre-pandemic.

“Continued positive momentum can be seen in our cruise calls for January and February 2022. On a like-for-like basis, they were only 9 percent below the same period in 2019, with Nassau Cruise Port actually welcoming more ships in February 2022 than in February 2019,” Global Ports Holding said.

Mr Maura confirmed this, revealing that Nassau Cruise Port received 102 vessel calls this February as opposed to 95 during the same month in 2019 - a rise of 7.4 percent. He added that Carnival and Royal Caribbean both expect to be at 100 percent passenger occupancy by June, with the other lines also eyeing similar timelines or nor far behind.

“Every week it’s improving,” Mr Maura said. “If you look at March 9, when we had five ships in port, including the Wonder of the Seas, we had over 14,000 passengers.”

Global Ports Holding’s trading update revealed that Nassau Cruise Port’s near-$300m transformation accounted for $79.5m, or almost all its total $83.6m in capital expenditure, during the nine months to endDecember 2021. Additional debt taken on to finance the construction work at Prince George Wharf result in Global Port Holdings’

NOTICE

net debt jumping $132.7m during the period.

“Net cash from operating activities was a negative $11.8m in the period, mainly driven by advance contractor payments for capital expenditure in Nassau,” Global Ports Holding said. “Net cash from financing activities was a negative $98.5m, reflecting the net impact of our early Eurobond repayment, drawdown on our new loan facility and an additional $55m of debt issuance by Nassau Cruise Port, as well as $43.1m of interest paid in the period.

“Interest cash payments during the period were notably higher because the first interest payment date on the May 2020 bond issued by Nassau Cruise Port (current outstanding amount of $134.4m) was June 2021. All future interest at Nassau Cruise Port is to be paid semi-annually.”

Global Ports Holding, echoing Mr Maura, was upbeat on the prospects for both the cruise industry and its network of ports across both Europe and the Caribbean. Its statement said it continued to see “a strong month-on-month acceleration in cruise calls and passenger volumes” due to customer demand and the continued relaxation of COVID-related travel restrictions and protocols.

“The cruise industry currently expects activity levels to continue to rise, with the industry expecting to

NOTICE

NOTICE is hereby given that LEROY LORANVIL of Fox Hill, Nassau, 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 16th day of March, 2022 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, New Providence, The Bahamas.

NOTICE is hereby given that DEREK LYNCH of #29 Alexis Drive Freeport, Grand Bahama 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 16th day of March, 2022 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, New Providence, The Bahamas.

MARKET REPORT www.bisxbahamas.com

TUESDAY, 15 MARCH 2022

BISX ALL SHARE INDEX: BISX LISTED & TRADED SECURITIES 52WK HI 6.70 40.15 2.05 2.90 2.60 6.05 10.05 2.56 9.02 3.10 7.20 13.00 2.71 10.10 11.06 10.75 15.00 4.00 10.00 16.50

52WK LOW 4.55 32.12 1.46 2.20 1.30 5.50 6.00 2.82 4.25 2.27 5.50 9.75 1.99 6.50 9.50 8.40 13.10 3.42 8.00 15.50

SECURITY AML Foods Limited APD Limited Benchmark Bahamas First Holdings Limited Bank of Bahamas Bahamas Property Fund Bahamas Waste Cable Bahamas Commonwealth Brewery Commonwealth Bank Colina Holdings CIBC FirstCaribbean Bank Consolidated Water BDRs Doctor's Hospital Emera Incorporated Famguard Fidelity Bank (Bahamas) Limited Focol Finco J. S. Johnson

PREFERENCE SHARES 1.00

1.00

1000.00 1000.00 1000.00 1000.00

1000.00 1000.00 1000.00 1000.00

1.00 10.00 1.00

1.00 10.00 1.00

Bahamas First Holdings Preference Cable Bahamas Series 6 Cable Bahamas Series 8 Cable Bahamas Series 9 Cable Bahamas Series 10 Colina Holdings Class A Fidelity Bank Bahamas Class A Focol Class B

CORPORATE DEBT - (percentage pricing) 52WK HI 100.00 100.00

52WK LOW 100.00 100.00

SECURITY Fidelity Bank (Note 22 Series B+) Bahamas First Holdings Limited

CLOSE

CHANGE

%CHANGE

YTD

YTD%

2251.26

3.12

0.14

23.02

1.03

SYMBOL AML APD BBL BFH BOB BPF BWL CAB CBB CBL CHL CIB CWCB DHS EMAB FAM FBB FCL FIN JSJ BFHP CAB6 CAB8 CAB9 CAB10 CHLA FBBA FCLB SYMBOL FBB22 BFHB

BAHAMAS GOVERNMENT STOCK - (percentage pricing) 115.92 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.98 100.00

104.79 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 96.71 93.97 94.12 91.00 90.95 89.02 89.62 89.00 90.24 90.73

MUTUAL FUNDS 52WK HI 2.50 4.67 2.20 207.86 207.68 1.72 1.83 1.81 1.05 9.37 11.83 7.54 16.64 12.84 10.77 10.00 10.43 14.89

52WK LOW 2.11 3.30 1.68 164.74 116.70 1.68 1.73 1.75 1.01 6.41 7.62 5.66 8.65 10.54 9.57 9.88 8.45 11.20

Bahamas Note 6.95 (2029) BGS: 2014-12-7Y BGS: 2015-1-7Y BGS: 2014-12-30Y BGS: 2015-1-30Y BGS: 2015-6-7Y BGS: 2015-6-30Y BGS: 2015-10-7Y BGRS FX BGR106036 BGRS FX BGR117037 BGRS FX BGR118037 BGRS FX BGR125238 BGRS FX BGR127139 BGRS FX BGR127149 BGRS FX BGR129249 BGRS FX BGR131249 BGRS FX BGR132249 BGRS FX BGR136150

BAH29 BG0107 BG0207 BG0130 BG0230 BG0307 BG0330 BG0407 BSBGR1060361 BSBGR1170376 BSBGR1180375 BSBGR1252380 BSBGR1271398 BSBGR1271497 BSBGR1292493 BSBGR1312499 BSBGR1322498 BSBGR1361504

LAST CLOSE 5.30 39.95 2.04 2.31 2.50 6.05 9.50 3.30 7.99 2.64 7.16 13.00 2.03 10.06 11.57 10.75 15.00 3.99 9.85 15.50 1.00 1000.00 1000.00 1000.00 1000.00 1.00 10.00 1.00 LAST SALE 100.00 100.00 107.31 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 89.62 100.00 100.00 100.00

CLOSE 5.30 39.95 2.04 2.31 2.50 6.05 9.50 3.30 7.99 2.82 7.16 13.00 2.07 10.06 11.57 10.75 15.00 3.99 10.00 15.50 1.00 1000.00 1000.00 1000.00 1000.00 1.00 10.00 1.00

BISX ALL SHARE INDEX - 19 Dec 02 = 1,000.00 52wk-Hi - Highest closing price in last 52 weeks 52wk-Low - Lowest closing price in last 52 weeks Previous Close - Previous day's weighted price for daily volume Today's Close - Current day's weighted price for daily volume Change - Change in closing price from day to day Daily Vol. - Number of total shares traded today DIV $ - Dividends per share paid in the last 12 months P/E - Closing price divided by the last 12 month earnings

VOLUME 150

900 8,546

2,000

0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

CLOSE 100.00 100.00

CHANGE 0.00 0.00

107.31 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 89.62 100.00 100.00 100.00

0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

FUND CFAL Bond Fund CFAL Balanced Fund CFAL Money Market Fund CFAL Global Bond Fund CFAL Global Equity Fund Leno Financial Conservative Fund Leno Financial Aggressive Fund Leno Financial Balanced Fund Leno Financial Global Bond Fund RF Bahamas Opportunities Fund - Secured Balanced Fund RF Bahamas Opportunities Fund - Targeted Equity Fund RF Bahamas Opportunities Fund - Prime Income Fund RF Bahamas International Investment Fund Limited - Equities Sub Fund RF Bahamas International Investment Fund Limited - High Yield Income Fund RF Bahamas International Investment Fund Limited - Alternative Strategies Fund Colonial Bahamas Fund Class D Colonial Bahamas Fund Class E Colonial Bahamas Fund Class F

MARKET TERMS

CHANGE 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.18 0.00 0.00 0.04 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.15 0.00

(242) 323‐2330 (242) 323‐2320 EPS$ 0.239 0.932 0.000 0.140 0.070 1.760 0.369 -0.438 0.140 0.184 0.449 0.722 0.102 0.467 0.646 0.728 0.816 0.203 0.939 0.631 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000

VOLUME

DIV$ 0.170 1.260 0.020 0.080 0.000 0.000 0.260 0.000 0.000 0.120 0.220 0.720 0.434 0.060 0.328 0.240 0.540 0.120 0.200 0.610 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000

INTEREST Prime + 1.75% 6.25% 6.95% 4.50% 4.50% 6.25% 6.25% 4.50% 6.25% 4.25% 5.40% 5.20% 5.22% 5.00% 5.00% 5.50% 5.55% 5.60% 5.65% 5.69%

NAV 2.50 4.67 2.20 204.67 199.97 1.72 1.83 1.81 1.01 9.37 11.79 7.54 15.94 12.47 10.74 N/A 10.43 14.89

YTD% 12 MTH% 0.34% 4.30% -0.06% 5.21% 0.21% 2.72% 1.37% 3.18% 8.18% 14.94% 0.26% 2.76% 0.36% 2.37% 0.28% 2.51% -1.31% -3.43% -0.02% 10.36% -0.33% 18.23% 0.22% 3.05% -3.89% 14.76% -1.04% -2.57% 0.81% 4.20% N/A N/A 3.00% 25.60% 7.90% 48.70%

P/E 22.2 42.9 N/M 16.5 N/M N/M 25.7 -7.5 57.1 15.3 15.9 18.0 20.3 21.5 17.9 14.8 18.4 19.7 10.6 24.6 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000

YIELD 3.21% 3.15% 0.98% 3.46% 0.00% 0.00% 2.74% 0.00% 0.00% 4.26% 3.07% 5.54% 20.97% 0.60% 2.83% 2.23% 3.60% 3.01% 2.00% 3.94% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 6.25% 7.00% 6.50%

MATURITY 19-Oct-2022 30-Sep-2025 20-Nov-2029 15-Dec-2021 30-Jul-2022 15-Dec-2044 30-Jul-2045 26-Jun-2022 26-Jun-2045 15-Oct-2022 4-Aug-2036 14-Jul-2037 13-Oct-2037 15-Oct-2038 15-Jan-2039 15-Jan-2049 15-Apr-2049 15-Jul-2049 15-Oct-2049 21-Apr-2050

NAV Date 31-Jan-2022 31-Jan-2022 28-Jan-2022 30-Sep-2021 30-Sep-2021 31-Jan-2022 31-Jan-2022 31-Jan-2022 31-Jan-2022 31-Jan-2022 31-Jan-2022 31-Jan-2022 31-Jan-2022 31-Jan-2022 31-Jan-2022 31-Mar-2021 31-Mar-2021 31-Mar-2021

YIELD - last 12 month dividends divided by closing price Bid $ - Buying price of Colina and Fidelity Ask $ - Selling price of Colina and fidelity Last Price - Last traded over-the-counter price Weekly Vol. - Trading volume of the prior week EPS $ - A company's reported earnings per share for the last 12 mths NAV - Net Asset Value N/M - Not Meaningful

TO TRADE CALL: CFAL 242-502-7010 | ROYALFIDELITY 242-356-7764 | CORALISLE 242-502-7525 | LENO 242-396-3225 | BENCHMARK 242-326-7333

reach close to 100 percent fleet deployment during the summer of 2022,” Nassau Cruise Port’s controlling shareholder said, outlining trends that will also benefit The Bahamas. “As activity levels continue to increase, cruise ship occupancy levels will be crucial to our financial performance.

“Occupancy levels remain significantly below long-established historical norms of over 100 percent, and have not materially risen in recent months. In the last few months, concerns around the Omicron variant had a negative impact on cruise ship occupancy levels, with passenger volumes for January and February 59 percent below the same period in 2019.

“However, occupancy levels are expected to steadily increase over the next 12 months, trending back towards a run rate of around 100 percent by the end of calendar year 2022.”

Much is likely to depend on whether another worldwide COVID outbreak occurs, impacting key passenger source markets, rising fuel prices and geopolitical tensions surrounding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

THE TRIBUNE However, Global Ports Holding was equally optimistic on the cruise industry’s longer-term outlook.

“Longer-term, the outlook for the cruise industry continues to be positive,” it said.

“The passenger capacity of the industry is forecast to grow by 45 percent by 2027 from 2019 levels, driven by the 75 cruise ships currently in the cruise ship order book and due for delivery by 2027.

“This growth in the number of ships, and the size of ships, means that many cruise ports will need to invest in their infrastructure in order to be able to accommodate the new ships. There is no better example of this type of investment than Global Ports Holding’s significant investments into Antigua Cruise Port and Nassau Cruise Port,” the port operator.

“Despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Global Ports Holding and the cruise industry, our investment to increase the capacity of these ports and transform the passenger experience has largely continued as planned over the last two years. This demonstrates the commitment of Global Ports Holding and our partners to our ports and destinations.”

PUBLIC NOTICE

INTENT TO CHANGE NAME BY DEED POLL The Public is hereby advised that I, BRADLEY PATRICK SANDS of Dean Street, P.O. Box GT-2265, Nassau, The Bahamas, Parent of KATRINA JACINTHA LUCIEN A minor intend to change my child’s name to KATRINA LOUISE SANDS If there are any objections to this change of name by Deed Poll, you may write such objections to the Deputy Chief Passport Officer, P.O. Box N-742, Nassau, Bahamas no later than thirty (30) days after the date of publication of this notice.

PUBLIC NOTICE

INTENT TO CHANGE NAME BY DEED POLL The Public is hereby advised that I, JAMIE JAMEEL JOHNSON of Eastern District, Nassau, The Bahamas, parent of JAIDA J’ADORE COLEBROOKE a minor intend to change my child’s name to J’ADORE JAMIE COLEBROOKE . If there are any objections to this change of name by Deed Poll, you may write such objections to the Deputy Chief Passport Officer, 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 TREVONYA PATRICE WALLACE of Saki Close, Soldier Road, Nassau, 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 16th day of March, 2022 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, New Providence, The Bahamas.

NOTICE NOTICE is hereby given that ELTHA FRANCOIS CELESTIN of Frank Edgecombe Street, Nassau, 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 16th day of March, 2022 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, New Providence, The Bahamas.

NOTICE

TISOTO LIMITED N O T I C E IS HEREBY GIVEN as follows: (a) TISOTO LIMITED is in voluntary dissolution under the provisions of Section 138 (4) of the International Business Companies Act 2000. (b) The dissolution of the said company commenced on the 14th March, 2022 when the Articles of Dissolution were submitted to and registered by the Registrar General. (c) The Liquidator of the said company is CST Administration (Bahamas) Limited, The Bahamas Financial Centre, Shirley & Charlotte Streets, Nassau, Bahamas Dated this 16th day of March, A. D. 2022 _______________________________ CST Administration (Bahamas) Limited Liquidator

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, March 16, 2022, PAGE 17

REALTOR: NEARER 10% OF TAX INCREASES ‘FAIR’ FROM PAGE 20

on the cash flow, rental and other incomes it generates, but the Real Property Tax Act speaks to only employing the cost or sales comparison methods.

Mr Morley argued that neither was suitable for valuing commercial property. He argued that the income approach was far superior given that it was widely used in North America, and accepted both in the UK and by mass valuation providers such as Tyler Technologies, whose recent New Providence-wide mapping exercise provided the basis for the latest property tax valuations.

And, more importantly, the Morley Realty principal said the income approach was the internationally-accepted accounting standard for assessing investment properties. “The point being, how are they [the Department of Inland Revenue] going to be able to challenge it and say it’s not recognised,” he added.

“They’ll not be able to shout it down because it’s a globally accepted standard.” Mr Morley said he had sought to make his valuations “fair and reasonable” to both his clients and the Government by basing them on the average income earned over the past three years, given that both 2020 and 2021 were depressed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Both revenues and operating costs were supported by the property owner’s VAT payments and filings, and he added that the calculations also employed a “conservative” vacancy rate of 15 percent when, in many instances, it was “more like 25 percent over the past year”.

Mr Morley said he also employed a “capitalisation rate” of 5.5 percent, as opposed to the pre-pandemic average of 7-8 percent. He added that the former number represented “a risk” because of higher vacancy rates.

“It’s been an interesting development running these numbers for different properties,” he told Tribune Business. “I came and gave the benefit of the doubt on the appraisal to the Government as much as possible, being fair and reasonable.

“The majority of the assessments are too high, and a couple did prove to be fair and reasonable. It did not show 90 percent to be fair and reasonable, as they’re claiming. It’s 10 percent that are fair and reasonable. It’s an interesting challenge.”

Shunda Strachan, the Department of Inland Revenue’s acting controller, said earlier this week that 90 percent of this year’s property tax bills were “spot on” in their valuations - something that is disputed by Mr Morley’s findings.

The Government contracted US-based Tyler Technologies to conduct an island-wide mapping exercise of New Providence that ensured all properties are captured on the real property tax roll. This, and the subsequent revaluations, are a first step in what the Government views as a wide-ranging exercise that will lead to all taxable property owners paying their fair share.

The valuation process employed by Tyler and the Department of Inland Revenue was a “bulk” assessment that used algorithms to calculate the worth of properties in a particular neighborhood or subdivision based on their dimensions/ size and which category owner-occupied, residential, commercial, undeveloped land etc - they fell into.

This has resulted in triple-digit increases for some taxpayers, with the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers Confederation (BCCEC) saying its members had reported increases of between 100 percent to 435 percent compared to 2021 billings.

Many of the objections will likely come from high-end residential and commercial property owners, given that real property tax and its rates are structured such that the burden is heavier for more expensive real estate.

A significant portion of complaints will also stem from owners whose properties have not been valued for years, sometimes for decades, meaning that the Tyler Technologies revaluation will have resulted in a seemingly-huge tax hike even though it may have only brought the bill to the correct level. The Act calls for a revaluation to be conducted every five years, which has not been done.

Mr Morley, meanwhile, voiced concern that the Department of Inland Revenue was not sticking to its stated timeline for addressing valuation challenges.

The initial query, which is to be accompanied by an appraisal, is supposed to be processed in 14 days.

“I submitted my house and properties in February,” he added. “They said to expect a two-week turnaround and I’ve heard nothing. You get an auto response when you submit online. It gives you so much information about how to pay it, where to get the form to object from, but nothing about how to follow up.

“You can only assume that your query was received. It’s been concerning that there’s been no response back apart from the auto response.

How do you follow up? You try to call down there and speak to somebody, and it’s a miracle if you get them. You have to get the objections in by March 31. From what I understand they’ve been

inundated with formal challenges to valuations.

“All I have been doing is telling my clients that, regardless of whether you hear back by March 31, we should go ahead and pay to get the 10 percent discount and, that way, it’s a credit to your account. And if, after March 31, they reduce your property tax they will give you a further credit for 2022, which will go on your 2023 bill.”

Mr Carey, meanwhile, said appraisals were becoming “a very specific request” especially in the high-end residential market that does not typically need them because property purchases are financed on an all-cash basis.

Estimating that appraisal inquiries have increased by 40-50 percent in recent months for both high-end residential and commercial properties, he added: “People are calling in and having discussions. I guide them as to whether it’s worth it and warrants an appraisal; I won’t guarantee it...

“We’re just seeing on Paradise Island a continued trend where things are very much over-valued. Commercial is way out of whack, Paradise Island is way out of whack. They’re really out of sync. I’ve heard the same in Old Fort Bay and Lyford Cay. We’re getting requests for a lot of commercial properties because the valuations seem to be high.”

The Ministry of Finance, meanwhile, has served notice on all financial services regulators and their mortgage-lending licensees that it plans to finally use powers it has long-possessed under the Real Property Tax Act to require the latter to pay tax on behalf of their borrowers who are in arrears.

“The provisions of Section 19 deem the mortgagee to be the owner of the property and make remedies under the Real Property Tax Act available to the ministry and its agencies to recover monies owed to the Government of The Bahamas,” a Securities Commission notice said.

“The section states the mortgagee shall pay or cause to be paid the amount of tax or surcharge that is due and payable.... As part of the Government’s ongoing effort to enhance revenue and improve compliance across all taxes, we expect you will take measures and implement internal processes to ensure your client’s real property tax obligations are up-to-date.

“Lastly, you can expect revenue collectors engaged by the Ministry of Finance shall exercise the full authority granted to them to recover real property tax amounts owing to the Government of The Bahamas pursuant to the legislation.”

The enhanced enforcement and compliance efforts will apply to both current taxes and those in arrears.

JITNEYS UNAWARE OVER FULL OCCUPANCY RETURN FROM PAGE 20 was with immediate effect, even they could not tell me if it was with immediate effect. Now that the minister has said it, I would still like to see it written out myself. I didn’t want to put it out there when I heard him say it, but I wanted to look for it in writing to make sure it was official.”

Bus drivers have been operating at 50 percent capacity since the COVID19 pandemic began, which has limited their cash flow, revenues and profits. Some drivers opted to park their vehicles and exit the business while others have decided to wait it out.

Mr Moxey said of the relaxation: “This is a relief because now you can make better judgment calls, and make demands on drivers on what is happening.

We would still have to ease back into what you can get until you can come back full circle.

“That, coupled with the removal of the mask mandate for tourism, is very timely. To marry those two together should be a benefit to the various operators and we are looking forward to their return.”

The return to 100 percent passenger loads is also

timely given the hike in fuel costs amid soaring global oil prices. Drivers had previously been lobbying for an increase in adult fares from $1.25 to $2 in an effort to bolster their income - a decision Mrs Coleby-Davis said had been deferred until the summer.

PAGE 18, Wednesday, March 16, 2022

‘AN ALL-TIME LOW’ ON INVESTOR CONFIDENCE FROM PAGE 20

each had been trading above their “face” or “par” value earlier in the year.

One source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the collapse in the value of The Bahamas’ sovereign bonds - which occurred simultaneously across both issues just prior to the start of October, and from which they have yet to recover seemed to coincide with the Prime Minister’s September 27 comments that the Government would “seek to renegotiate” and restructure existing debt issues if necessary.

Mr Pintard argued yesterday: “Neither the supplementary budget, the Fiscal Strategy Report nor this recent mid-term Budget statement by the Davis administration has arrested the significant falloff in The Bahamas’ bond prices. Further, just last month, the Central Bank reported that the Government’s recent attempt to raise funds in the domestic market was substantially undersubscribed.”

That referred to a near$48m domestic bond issue, of which only around $12m or 25 percent was placed, although a subsequent

$40m offering was fully subscribed. The Opposition leader, though, said these were all signs that the Government is struggling to raise debt financing in both the Bahamian and international markets - something that it has repeatedly denied.

“Clearly, despite the bombast and rhetoric from the Prime Minister about his government restoring fiscal health, international and domestic creditors are simply not buying his talk,” Mr Pintard said in a statement that seemed timed to coincide with this year’s mid-year Budget debate in the House of Assembly.

“Their actions in the financial markets demonstrate their lack of confidence in the fiscal plans and strategy of this Davis administration. No matter how much the Prime Minister and his officials seek to distract and deflect, investor confidence in Bahamas government debt is at an all-time low.

“This, frankly, is an urgent matter that transcends partisan bickering.

We therefore call on the Government once again to articulate and execute a sound and credible fiscal plan that will again

MICHAEL PINTARD engender the confidence of the creditor community and ensure that, as a country, we maintain our access to financial markets at affordable rates.

“Unless the Government develops and executes a sound fiscal and economic plan, we all as a country will face the prospect of significant hardships. Of course, these hardships can be avoided if the Government does the right things now.”

Senator Michael Halkitis, minister of economic affairs, declined to respond to Mr Pintard when contacted by Tribune Business yesterday. However, on Friday he told the weekly press briefing by the Prime Minister’s Office: “The

Quit ‘childish banter’ over our fiscal crisis

Government of The Bahamas is having absolutely no difficulty in raising money.

“Unfortunately, this is a narrative being pushed by the Opposition and opposition forces, but there’s absolutely no truth to that.”

And the Government will likely retort that its Minnis administration predecessor, of which Mr Pintard was part, played a far greater role in getting The Bahamas’ fiscal affairs into their current state given that it has barely been in office for six months.

However, the Free National Movement (FNM) will likely counterargue that the debt and deficit blow-out was only produced by necessity as a result of Hurricane Dorian and COVID-19, the latter of which caused the Bahamian economy to almost collapse overnight and required the borrowing of hundreds of millions of dollars to support devastated families and businesses.

Mr Pintard subsequently told Tribune Business: “The broader point is that the Government is trying to convince Bahamians that they have no serious challenges with respect to going out and finding capital. The agreement we struck with

Goldman Sachs was obviously an example of the dire straits we are in.”

Rather than a sign of strength, the Opposition leader suggested that the “repurchase” deal struck with the global investment bank was a sign of weakness because it required the Government to put up more than $235m worth of assets that it owns as collateral to secure $206.5m in cash.

He argued that the Government had never before had to provide security for a short-term two-year loan such as that provided by Goldman Sachs, adding that this was “indicative of these challenges”.

Mr Pintard said his conversations with both the Government’s domestic and foreign lenders/creditors, who he did not identify, indicated a lack of confidence in the Government and its economic and fiscal turnaround strategy “No amount of commentary they make is going to change that situation,” he told this newspaper. “No matter what they have said, what they intend to do and what they say they have done, the markets are not responding in a favourable way.

FROM PAGE 20 which was updated every six-12 months to reflect what this nation had achieved via economic and fiscal improvements.

“If we set aside the politics for a minute, The Bahamas has a need for a National Development Plan, The Bahamas has a need for accrual-based accounting standards, The Bahamas has long needed a debt management strategy, and The Bahamas has long needed a proper determinant on our fiscal performance,” Mr Bowe argued.

He added that the Budget process was too focused on the May projections, and too little attention was paid to actual performance and outcomes when matched against these estimates. The Bahamas could only “talk about true fiscal responsibility and accountability” if the Auditor General’s Office is able to publish the Government’s audited accounts within months of year-end.

“The solution has long been there,” Mr Bowe told Tribune Business. “National Development Plan, accrual-based accounting,

GOWON BOWE debt management strategy. They’ve been needed here for the best part of 25 years....

“It’s impossible to blame the other side. Both parties are guilty of it. This government has been in for six months. They could not have done any more damage than what they set in motion. The Budget was passed prior to the election and, while they did a supplementary Budget, it will take time to affect revenue and spending measures.”

Mr Pintard, in an earlier statement, had said: “Neither the supplementary budget, the Fiscal Strategy Report nor this recent midterm budget statement by the Davis administration has arrested the significant

THE TRIBUNE

“We’re not going to get past what we’re in unless the Government lays out a plan that is compelling. The Government is spending a lot of time worrying about the political implications more than anything else.

Now that you’re in office, what are you going to do?

What are your plans?

“What is the plan that is going to be accepted locally and sends the right signals locally and internationally, and that is serious about putting our fiscal house in order? If you are upfront with people about what the state of affairs is, people are more likely to go along with the plan and buy-in,” Mr Pintard continued.

“There will be some challenges upfront, but we will be able to steady the ship and come out fine on the other end.”

Mr Pintard accused the Government of “saying one thing and doing something completely different”, noting that its Fiscal Strategy Report indicated it plans to cut spending across various ministries but, in reality, it had already expanded the size of the public sector through hirings. fall-off in The Bahamas’ bond prices.

“Further, just last month the Central Bank reported that the Government’s recent attempt to raise funds in the domestic market was substantially undersubscribed. Clearly, despite the bombast and rhetoric from the Prime Minister about his government restoring fiscal health, international and domestic creditors are simply not buying his talk.

“Their actions in the financial markets demonstrate their lack of confidence in the fiscal plans and strategy of this Davis administration. No matter how much the Prime Minister and his officials seek to distract and deflect, the investor confidence in Bahamas government debt is at an all-time low.”

Mr Pintard had continued: “This frankly is an urgent matter that transcends partisan bickering.

We therefore call on the Government once again to articulate and execute a sound and credible fiscal plan that will again engender the confidence of the creditor community and ensure that, as a country, we maintain our access to financial markets at affordable rates.

“Unless the Government develops and executes a sound fiscal and economic plan, we all as a country will face the prospect of significant hardships. Of course, these hardships can be avoided if the Government does the right things now.”

Share your news The Tribune wants to hear from people who are making news in their neighbourhoods.

Perhaps you are raising funds for a good cause, campaigning for improvements in the area or have won an award. If so, call us on 322-1986 and share your story.

ASSOCIATE ATTORNEY NEEDED

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, March 16, 2022, PAGE 19

GB ministry unveils new private sector tie-up unit

By YOURI KEMP Tribune Business Reporter ykemp@tribunemedia.net A NEW unit within the Ministry for Grand Bahama will partner with the private sector and “get things done” away from concerns surrounding the Grand Bahama Port Authority (GBPA).

Ginger Moxey, minister for Grand Bahama, yesterday told reporters ahead of the weekly Cabinet meeting that the Collab Partnerships for Development unit had been formed to “make things happen”.

She said its creation had sparked a positive reaction from the private sector. It is unclear how the GBPA and Freeport’s founding treaty, the Hawksbill Creek Agreement, tie-in to this initiative but Mrs Moxey said the former will be “involved” - although she provided no details.

“We have so much potential,” she said of Grand Bahama, “and it has been talked about for years, but I believe that now with this ‘new day’ administration you’re going to see a lot of things happen.

“Of course, again, we had certain natural disasters, but there’s also the need to work together. So we have to be

able to collaborate to make things happen and, within the Ministry for Grand Bahama, have created a new unit called the Collab Partnerships for Development where, in spite of what’s going on on the outside with the GBPA and the Hawksbill Creek Agreement, we can still get things done outside of that.

“So we’ve had a lot of interest from the corporate community; they’re excited about it. They’re partnering with us and, again, I’m excited about what’s about to happen for Grand Bahama island.”

As to the GBPA’s role with Collab Partnerships for Development, Mrs Moxey

said: “The GBPA is a part of it. They’re the regulators, and so they are also involved, and a lot of it has to do with clean-up of the community. A lot has to do with rebuilding from Dorian; all hands are needed on deck.

“There’s not much you can do within the city of Freeport if the GBPA isn’t involved in certain aspects, so of course they’re involved.

But the corporate community in general, NGOs (non-governmental organisations), the community at large, other government agencies, again, we all have to work together.”

The Government thus appears to be moving into

the GBPA’s space, as Freeport’s quasi-governmental authority has responsibility for the city’s development under the Hawksbill Creek Agreement. Some, though, and especially those who recently protested outside the GBPA’s headquarters recently, may argue that it has abdicated such a role and the Government has to fill the vacuum.

Speaking to those protests against the GBPA, Mrs Moxey said yesterday: “I understand and I share the concerns of the residents.

We are working very, very hard to get the economy back up and running.

“I’m extremely optimistic on what lies ahead. There

THE WEATHER REPORT

5-Day Forecast

TODAY

ORLANDO

High: 80° F/27° C Low: 64° F/18° C

TAMPA

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

Partly sunny and breezy

Clear and moonlit

Partly sunny and pleasant

Mostly sunny and nice

Sunny and humid

Partly sunny, a t‑storm possible

High: 83°

Low: 73°

High: 83° Low: 74°

High: 82° Low: 72°

High: 83° Low: 71°

High: 82° Low: 70°

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

89° F

76° F

91°-79° F

90°-77° F

90°-77° F

91°-71° F

The exclusive AccuWeather RealFeel Temperature® is an index that combines the effects of temperature, wind, humidity, sunshine intensity, cloudiness, precipitation, pressure and elevation on the human body—everything that affects how warm or cold a person feels. Temperatures reflect the high and the low for the day.

almanac

E

W

ABACO

S

N

High: 80° F/27° C Low: 74° F/23° C

8‑16 knots

S

High: 84° F/29° C Low: 70° F/21° C

8‑16 knots

FT. LAUDERDALE

FREEPORT

High: 83° F/28° C Low: 71° F/22° C

E S

E

W

WEST PALM BEACH

W

High: 82° F/28° C Low: 72° F/22° C

MIAMI

High: 84° F/29° C Low: 72° F/22° C

6‑12 knots

KEY WEST

High: 82° F/28° C Low: 74° F/23° C

NASSAU

Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2022

High: 81° F/27° C Low: 74° F/23° C

N

The higher the AccuWeather UV IndexTM number, the greater the need for eye and skin protection.

tiDes For nassau High

Ht.(ft.)

Low

Ht.(ft.)

2.8 2.5

1:07 a.m.

1:45 p.m.

0.0 0.0

8:02 a.m.

8:22 p.m.

2.9 2.7

1:51 a.m. ‑0.1 2:22 p.m. ‑0.2

Friday

8:41 a.m.

9:03 p.m.

2.9 2.9

2:34 a.m. ‑0.3 2:58 p.m. ‑0.3

Saturday

9:21 a.m.

9:44 p.m.

2.8 3.0

3:18 a.m. ‑0.3 3:35 p.m. ‑0.4

Sunday

10:02 a.m.

10:28 p.m.

2.8 3.1

4:02 a.m. ‑0.4 4:14 p.m. ‑0.5

Monday

10:45 a.m.

11:15 p.m.

2.6 3.1

4:49 a.m. ‑0.3 4:56 p.m. ‑0.5

Tuesday

11:32 a.m. ‑‑‑‑‑

2.5 ‑‑‑‑‑

5:40 a.m. ‑0.2 5:42 p.m. ‑0.4

Today

7:23 a.m.

7:41 p.m.

Thursday

sun anD moon Sunrise Sunset

7:18 a.m. Moonrise 7:19 p.m. Moonset

6:00 p.m.

6:30 a.m.

Full

Last

New

First

Mar. 18

Mar. 25

Apr. 1

Apr. 9

CAT ISLAND

E

W

High: 81° F/27° C Low: 74° F/23° C

N

S

E

W S

8‑16 knots Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.

Statistics are for Nassau through 2 p.m. yesterday Temperature High ................................................... 82° F/28° C Low .................................................... 70° F/21° C Normal high ....................................... 79° F/26° C Normal low ........................................ 65° F/18° C Last year’s high ................................. 82° F/28° C Last year’s low ................................... 61° F/16° C Precipitation As of 2 p.m. yesterday ................................. 0.01” Year to date ................................................. 4.38” Normal year to date ..................................... 3.71”

ELEUTHERA

High: 83° F/28° C Low: 73° F/23° C

7‑14 knots

ANDROS

SAN SALVADOR

GREAT EXUMA

High: 81° F/27° C Low: 74° F/23° C

High: 82° F/28° C Low: 75° F/24° C

N

High: 82° F/28° C Low: 74° F/23° C

E

W S

LONG ISLAND

tracking map

High: 83° F/28° C Low: 75° F/24° C

8‑16 knots

MAYAGUANA High: 83° F/28° C Low: 78° F/26° C

Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures

L

uV inDex toDay

THURSDAY

N

N

| Go to AccuWeather.com

TONIGHT

High: 78° F/26° C Low: 66° F/19° C

are a lot of projects in the works and I will be making certain announcements at the upcoming Grand Bahama Business Outlook, which is scheduled for Thursday.”

Asked about Grand Bahama’s fluctuating airline ticket prices, she said: “We’re working very closely with airlines, and with the tourism sector, to get Grand Bahama under control when it comes to that. Of course, we have an airport situation, and we know the deputy prime minister will make announcements about that pretty soon as well, and so I don’t want to pre-empt any of that.”

CROOKED ISLAND / ACKLINS

are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.

RAGGED ISLAND High: 82° F/28° C Low: 75° F/24° C

High: 82° F/28° C Low: 76° F/24° C

GREAT INAGUA High: 85° F/29° C Low: 76° F/24° C

N

E

W

E

W

N

S

S

8‑16 knots

8‑16 knots

marine Forecast ABACO ANDROS CAT ISLAND CROOKED ISLAND ELEUTHERA FREEPORT GREAT EXUMA GREAT INAGUA LONG ISLAND MAYAGUANA NASSAU RAGGED ISLAND SAN SALVADOR

Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday:

WINDS SE at 8‑16 Knots S at 7‑14 Knots SE at 7‑14 Knots SE at 6‑12 Knots ESE at 8‑16 Knots SE at 8‑16 Knots ESE at 8‑16 Knots ESE at 10‑20 Knots SE at 7‑14 Knots SE at 7‑14 Knots S at 8‑16 Knots S at 7‑14 Knots SE at 8‑16 Knots SE at 7‑14 Knots E at 8‑16 Knots ESE at 8‑16 Knots ESE at 8‑16 Knots SE at 8‑16 Knots ESE at 8‑16 Knots ESE at 8‑16 Knots SE at 8‑16 Knots SSE at 6‑12 Knots SE at 8‑16 Knots ESE at 7‑14 Knots SE at 8‑16 Knots SE at 8‑16 Knots

WAVES 3‑6 Feet 3‑5 Feet 1‑2 Feet 0‑1 Feet 3‑6 Feet 3‑6 Feet 3‑6 Feet 4‑7 Feet 3‑6 Feet 3‑5 Feet 1‑3 Feet 1‑2 Feet 1‑2 Feet 1‑2 Feet 3‑5 Feet 2‑4 Feet 3‑5 Feet 3‑5 Feet 4‑8 Feet 5‑9 Feet 1‑3 Feet 1‑2 Feet 3‑5 Feet 2‑4 Feet 1‑3 Feet 1‑3 Feet

VISIBILITY 10 Miles 7 Miles 10 Miles 8 Miles 10 Miles 8 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 8 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 6 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles

WATER TEMPS. 75° F 76° F 76° F 76° F 79° F 79° F 78° F 78° F 78° F 77° F 74° F 75° F 79° F 80° F 80° F 80° F 79° F 79° F 78° F 78° F 77° F 77° F 80° F 80° F 78° F 78° F

business@tribunemedia.net

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16, 2022

$5.37

$5.68

$5.50

$5.52

Realtor: Nearer 10% of tax increases ‘fair’

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net A BAHAMIAN realtor yesterday revealed that evaluations he conducted for his commercial property clients showed that closer to 10 percent of their real property tax bills are “fair and reasonable”.

David Morley, a past Bahamas Real Estate Association (BREA) president, told Tribune Business he had submitted objections to the Department of Inland Revenue on behalf of 28 of 38 commercial landlords whose properties have seen a significant hike in their valuations for real property tax purposes.

Revealing that his assessments produced results that were far different from the Department of Inland Revenue’s (DIR) assertion that 90 percent of valuations are “spot on”, he also voiced concern that the agency was not meeting its

• Concern DIR not meeting two-week objection response • Appraisal requests up 40-50% before end-March cut-off stated two-week response time to any of the challenges he has filed.

And Mario Carey, the Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate MCR Group Bahamas principal, told this newspaper his firm had seen a 40-50 percent increase in appraisal requests from owners of both high-end residential and commercial properties following substantial increases in their tax bills following the recent New Providence-wide assessment.

He added, though, that he had “heard both sides” with those who believe they are still undervalued for real property tax purposes racing to pay their bills before the March 31 deadline to obtain a 10 percent discount from government.

Mr Morley, Morley Realty’s principal, told this newspaper: “We ran assessments on all 38 properties, and ended up submitting 28 in total.... The ones I’ve done for commercial properties are calculated using the income approach.

“For example, as I’ve told most of my clients, and put in the cover letter to the Department of Inland Revenue (DIR), when you look at the Palmdale area, the Madeira Plaza, the method for them to assess your property are [comparable] sales within the last three years.”

Pointing to the challenges with such approach, and using the Madeira Plaza as an example again, he asked: “How many shopping centres in the Palmdale area have been sold in the last three years? Zero. Even in the last ten, the last 30 years? So how accurate is the data that the Department of Inland Revenue has entered in the system?

“Commercial properties rarely, if ever, change hands. What can they rely on for accuracy other than the income approach?” Such a method values a property based

DAVID MORLEY

SEE PAGE 17

MARIO CAREY

Quit ‘childish banter’ over our fiscal crisis

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net A PROMINENT banker yesterday urged both major political parties to “put away the childish banter” and focus on the fiscal and economic reforms The Bahamas has lacked for 25 years.

Gowon Bowe, Fidelity Bank (Bahamas) chief executive, told Tribune Business that the country’s present difficulties cannot be blamed solely on one administration - least of all the present one that has been in office for just six months - with “guilt” to be shared across multiple PLP and FNM governments.

Speaking out after Michael Pintard, the Opposition’s leader, asserted that confidence among lenders/creditors in The Bahamas’ sovereign debt is at an “all-time low” based on the deep discounts and high yields at which existing bonds are trading, he warned that the arguments were akin to “the pot calling the kettle black”.

“It is always concerning to see the political banter when the reality is our circumstances are not solely about one administration,” Mr Bowe said. “Both of them need to put away childish banter and become more mature.”

Warning that credit rating agencies and external investors monitor what both parties say closely, he added that such observers were really seeking “a rolling prospectus” that outlined The Bahamas’ risks, and

SEE PAGE 18

CRUISE SHIPS AT NASSAU PORT

‘Polish product’ to maximise record-breaking cruise port

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net DOWNTOWN Nassau must “polish its product” to maximise the benefits from the “busiest cruise port in the world”, which is this week enjoying a record-breaking 32 vessel berths.

Michael Maura, Nassau Cruise Port’s chief executive, told Tribune Business yesterday that Bay Street and cruise dependent businesses have to now fully exploit the thousands of visitors being “dropped on our doorstep” by offering

unique, authentically Bahamian experiences that will both increase per passenger spending and entice them to disembark the cruise ships.

Speaking after it was revealed that February’s cruise ship calls on Nassau exceeded pre-pandemic levels, he added that berth bookings for the 2023 full-year have already surpassed those for 2019 by around 100 calls.

Based on the average 3,600 passengers per ship achieved in 2019, the last year before COVID-19 struck, Mr Maura told this newspaper the extra 100 berths scheduled for 2023 could bring an additional

360,000 visitors to the Bahamian capital if - as projected - the cruise industry returns to sailing at 100 percent occupancy by the end of 2022.

Passenger occupancy for cruise ships calling on Nassau stands at 65 percent for March to-date, the highest level it has been at since transient voyages resumed towards the end of 2021. Vessel occupancy levels, which stood at 52 percent in October, increased to 64 percent for December 2021 before falling to a low of 45 percent in January due to the Omicron-related COVID surge.

• ‘Remarkable’ 32 vessels to call this week • February 2022 berths exceed 2019 levels • Extra 2023 calls could give 400k tourist boost However, Nassau Cruise Port data shows passenger volumes have rebounded strongly since that variant tapered off, with cruise ship occupancies increasing to 54 percent in February 2022 and

SEE PAGE 16

‘An all-time low’ on investor confidence

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net THE OPPOSITION’S leader yesterday argued that investor confidence in The Bahamas’ sovereign debt is at “an all-time low” given the deep discounts, and high yields, at which its bonds are trading.

Michael Pintard, in a statement, demanded that Prime Minister Philip Davis “execute a sound and credible fiscal plan” to restore the faith of this country’s investors,

lenders and creditors as present bond market conditions suggested they “are simply not buying his talk”.

In particular, he pointed to the discounts and yields sought by investors in selling/acquiring pieces of The Bahamas’ last two sovereign bond issues. Data from the Frankfurt stock exchange shows that the $600m bond placed by the Minnis administration at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 is presently trading at a 14.5 percent discount to its face value.

And the yield on the same issue, which is due to mature for repayment in 2032, currently stands at 11.648 percent. Meanwhile, the $650m bond which was placed in 2018 at 6.95 percent, and represented the major foreign currency issue before the COVID-19 pandemic, is trading at a 16 percent discount and yield of 10.22 percent.

Tribune Business reported these details on Monday, and said the discounts and yield data indicate that The Bahamas would have to pay double-digit interest rates

to place any foreign currency bond issues in the current capital markets environment, further increasing the burden on local taxpayers.

This was picked up yesterday

by Mr Pintard, who argued that the price of both bond issues had “crashed” ever since the 2021 fourth quarter - something he interpreted as a lack of investor and market confidence in The Bahamas’ fiscal and economic turnaround strategy given that

SEE PAGE 18

Jitneys unaware over full occupancy return

By YOURI KEMP Tribune Business Reporter ykemp@tribunemedia.net JITNEY drivers yesterday said they were unaware that the Government had permitted the industry to return to 100 percent passenger capacity with effect from last week.

Dr Michael Darville, minister for health and wellness, told the media

ahead of the weekly Cabinet meeting that public bus drivers can now operate their vehicles at 100 percent occupancy after the 50 percent COVID limit was lifted.

He said: “The removal of the 50 percent status with their passengers; the amendment to the rule was done last week. So as far as we’re concerned bus drivers and public transport drivers can have 100 percent

occupancy of their vehicles as long as they practice the necessary mask requirement at this time.”

Harrison Moxey, the United Public Transportation Company’s (UPTC) president, told Tribune Business upon being informed of the minister’s comments: “He said that was going to happen and I heard him in an interview on it last week, but I don’t

think it’s widespread or known.

“I really wanted to see more confirmed messages on it. It’s not on the Government’s site and it wasn’t on any of the sites after I heard him. I was trying to get more information from the transportation minister [Jobeth Coleby-Davis] on what the minister of health has said and would it be with immediate effect?”

Bus drivers were yesterday operating at 50 percent passenger occupancy, but that will change as of today.

Mr Moxey said: “I spoke to my drivers and I bought into it when I heard him say it. I had a conversation with some other owners, and this was one of the things they wanted to confirm.

“When someone called me and I asked them if this

SEE PAGE 17

MICHAEL DARVILLE