03302017 business

business@tribunemedia.net

THURSDAY, MARCH 30, 2017

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Govt increases its spending by $285m

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net The Government was yesterday accused of “spending on testosterone” after it increased 2016-2017 recurrent expenditure estimates by $232.708 million in the mid-year Budget.

No explanation for the increase was forthcoming in the booklet that accompanied yesterday’s mid-year Budget statement by Prime Minister Perry Christie, with the majority of the increase - some $212.724 million or 91 per cent - allocated to ‘grants, fixed charges and special transactions’.

Of that $212.724 million, almost $146 million has gone to the Ministry of Finance and Treasury Department, again without any breakdown of where these funds are going.

The recurrent expenditure increase is equivalent to around 10 per cent of the initial 2016-2017 full-year Budget estimate of $2.321 billion, taking the new total to $2.553 billion.

With the Christie administration also increasing its capital spending estimates by $52.562 million, from $242.114 million to $294.676 million, the Gov-

Raises recurrent and capital estimates at mid-year Opposition: ‘Appetite for spending is insatiable’ Fiscal hawk: Govt ‘spending on testosterone’ ernment is adding more than $285 million in spending to its 2016-2017 Budget.

Given the Prime Minister’s confirmation yesterday that the Government will not hit its full-year revenue projection of $2.175 billion, the figures will likely cause concern that the increased spending will widen the deficit and further increase the $7 billion national debt.

While some of the increased spending may relate to Hurricane Matthew recovery efforts, the Government’s political opponents yesterday accused it of increasing expenditure to aid its re-election prospects.

K P Turnquest, the FNM’s finance spokesman, See pg b10

PM: 40% of VAT money to deficit

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

Prime Minister Perry Christie yesterday said 40 per cent of the $1.14 billion Value-Added Tax (VAT) revenues has gone towards reducing the deficit, as he gave an accounting designed to end the “grave and nonsensical misconceptions that revenues were being squandered”.

Delivering on his promise to give a detailed accounting of how the Government had used the VAT monies during the tax’s first two years, Mr Christie said that of the balance, 30 per cent of collections had replaced foregone other taxes, with the remaining 30 per cent going towards “general ex-

$4.14

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$350m deficit: ‘Genie can’t go back in bottle’

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net The Government’s increased $350 million deficit forecast for the 2016-2017 Budget year was yesterday challenged by its opponents, who argued: “It’s impossible to put the genie back in the bottle.”

Prime Minister Perry Christie, unveiling the midyear Budget in the House of Assembly, blamed Hurricane Matthew for all the Government’s fiscal woes, including a deficit now expected to be 250 per cent larger than initial projections.

Mr Christie said the Category Three/Four storm had delivered a $300 million blow to the Government’s

Opposition challenges PM’s fullyear projection ‘Red ink’ 250% above forecast due to Matthew KP: Prior year’s $310m deficit questions optimism Discrepancy between Govt, Central Bank figures finances, with $200 million of that sum relating to lost revenues, implying that it would have beaten its $100

million full-year deficit target if not for Matthew.

“The GFS deficit exceeds the annual target, and this is solely because of the impact of Hurricane Matthew,” Mr Christie said.

“In total, the Ministry of Finance is now projecting a deficit of $350 million, which is $40 million more than the last fiscal period.

This is primarily due to the $300 million fiscal impact of Hurricane Matthew, of which $200 million is revenue foregone.”

The figures revealed by Mr Christie thus show that the full-year deficit for the previous fiscal year, 20152016, was $310 million - a sum more than double the initially projected $141 million.

See pg b7

K P Turnquest

Perry Christie

Unions: We’ll stop employers ‘ripping out workers’ guts’

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

Bernard Evans

Trade unions yesterday promised they would “continue to agitate” for an increase in the 12-year redundancy ‘cap’, arguing that only they stood between employers “ripping the guts out of working people”.

Bernard Evans, the National Congress of Trade Unions (NCTU) president,

yesterday acknowledged that the labour movement was “a little disappointed” that the Government had withdrawn previous proposals to increase redundancy pay by 67 per cent.

He promised, though, that the trade unions would “go back whenever the opportunity presents itself to champion” the cause for lifting the so-called ‘redundancy cap’ to a level more in line See pg b6

Will continue to ‘agitate’ for redundancy cap rise Employers: ‘Sanity prevailed’ on labour reforms Govt strikes better balance on Act changes

Says: ‘Not one dollar of VAT frittered away’ Seventy cents of every VAT dollar finance spending No explanation on fiscal overshooting, $2bn debt add penditures”.

In reality, 70 per cent - or 70 cents out of every dollar - are going towards financing government spending, and helping to narrow fiscal deficits that remain stubbornly above See pg b4

Bahamian firms ‘50% lower’ than rivals for jobs and productivity

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net Bahamian companies are “performing at 50 per cent or below productivity, growth and employment levels” when compared to firms in similar small economies, an Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) report has found.

The bank’s Caribbean Quarterly Bulletin, released yesterday, warned that the Bahamian private sector was “further away” from the top in the World Bank’s ‘ease of doing business’ rankings than their small economy rivals.

IDB: Nation leads Caribbean on $434m crime losses Higher growth ‘greatest challenge’ for Bahamas And it revealed that the Bahamas “leads the Caribbean” when it comes to economic losses from crime, estimating this at $434 million in sales or 5 per cent of GDP. In what is likely to be See pg b4

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Don’t believe everything you see What is false advertising? According to the dictionary, this is “any advertising or promotion” that misrepresents the nature, characteristics, qualities or geographic origin of goods, services or commercial activities.

So, what about Photoshop? Should it be considered false advertising, too?

Most people will likely say ‘yes’, justifying their position by arguing that ‘Photo-shopped’ images are equivalent to false advertising because they make con-

sumers believe the product being promoted will make them look and feel the same way as presented in the ad.

Should there be legal ramifications? It is no secret that advertisers and magazine editors use Photoshop extensively to make

their models look thinner, sleeker and blemish free.

Certainly, the majority of images found in fashion and beauty magazines have been retouched. The retouching usually focuses on removing awkward-looking shadows, correcting skin

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discoloration, removing chubbiness or erasing blemishes. Consequently, children must be reminded that not everything seen or read is fact or genuine.

Photoshop use is becoming ever-more prevalent due to a growing number of easily accessible apps and social media sites, which focus solely on creating and displaying altered uploaded images by its users.

Retouching affects all types of advertising. Burger outlets attracted attention by answering people’s not-so-flattering questions about the food, and why burgers look so perfect in advertising.

It was revealed that Photoshop tricks were used to

The Art of Graphix by deidre m bastian

cover cracks in the bun and correct sagging cheese slices, which generally created unrealistic expectations of See pg b5

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Thursday, March 30, 2017, PAGE 3

Exchange reforms nod to boost capital access

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net The Government yesterday approved measures that will enable Bahamian businesses to access up to $5 million in foreign currency financing every five years, in a bid to boost economic growth, job creation and overseas exchange earnings.

Prime Minister Perry Christie told the House of Assembly that the latest round of exchange control liberalisation, set to be implemented imminently by the Central Bank, will aid small and medium-sized businesses and the “upper end” of the real estate market.

He explained that parts

Govt approves easing of up to $5m in five years of the foreign investment approval process, currently dealt with by the Bahamas Investment Authority and National Economic Council (NEC), will now be delegated to the Central Bank.

Mr Christie said the reforms would be targeted at 11 sectors seen as supporting the Bahamas’ medium to long-term national development goals, and having a positive impact on the country’s foreign exchange earning capability.

These industries are: Agriculture and fisheries; manufacturing; transport

(land, sea and air); tourism (hotels and restaurants); construction and real estate for residential tourism; energy and energy conservation; education; health; telecommunications; ICT; and infrastructure.

Outlining how companies in these industries can obtain foreign currency financing, Mr Christie said that if the funding was sourced from a local commercial bank, no conditions beyond the $5 million limit over five years would be imposed.

The same terms would apply if the financing was unsecured, even if it came from a foreign source, but the Prime Minister explained that additional restrictions would apply if the business was in a sector

reserved solely for Bahamian ownership under the National Investment Policy.

Should the financing from non-residents or foreign banks involve secured debt or equity participation, this is limited to 40 per cent of the Bahamian company’s “exposed capital” - the amount of equity that would be lost in a default, or owned by a foreign partner. If the 40 per cent equity threshold is exceeded, NEC approval would be required.

Mr Christie said Bahamas-based banks in the so-called ‘offshore’ sector will be allowed to extend financing to foreign developers in the Bahamas, but only for resort and real estate developments.

Repayments will be “restricted” to foreign currency income generated by the investment or external proceeds, the Prime Minister said.

“Given the strong interest that has been expressed by businesses around the ease of access to funding, I am confident that private sector innovation will take hold, and that both new and expanded ventures will be launched,” Mr Christie said.

He added that the $5 million limit was unlikely to be a constraint for most Bahamian small and mediumsized enterprises (SMEs).

Explaining the rationale for the reforms, the Central Bank said last night: “There is anecdotal evi-

dence that access to Bahamian dollar bank financing is constrained for small and medium-sized domestic enterprises.

“At present, most local businesses are largely constrained to accessing Bahaman dollar credit. In exceptional cases, the Central Bank has authorised firms to seek foreign currency funding when the evidence was provided that funding in local currency was refused on at least three occasions.

“Even in these cases, the Central Bank always considers the potential of the venture to earn foreign currency or to create domestic linkages within activities that reduce the demand for imports.”

Minister: Farm subsidy should be considered

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

The Minister of Agriculture yesterday agreed that providing Bahamian farmers with an annual subsidy was “something we need to consider”, but he is unsure whether the Government will ever agree to this, V. Alfred Gray told Tribune Business that while he does not necessarily have a problem with the proposal by the Farmers United Association (FUA), he is unsure if it would receive wider backing within government.

New Providence farmers this week told Tribune Business that they are seeking a $60 million government subsidy to help their operations recover from “the heart-wrenching double whammy” of Hurricane Matthew and contaminated feed.

Caron Shepherd, president of the newly-formed FUA, told Tribune Business earlier this week that such an investment was essential

V Alfred Gray if the island’s agriculture industry was to rebound from events that almost wipedout many farmers’ crops and livestock.

The FUA, which says it has between 60-100 members, submitted its proposal to Mr Gray when it met with him on Monday. The FUA’s March 27, 2017, letter to Mr Gray, which has been seen

by Tribune Business, requested government financial assistance amounting to $30,000 per acre of farm land.

Mr Gray acknowledged that he had met with FUA members on Monday. “They were talking to me about a subsidy for farmers, period,” he said.

“They believe that the Government needs to every year budget a little something to contribute to their farming budget. I don’t think I have a real problem with it because as big as the United States is, they contribute to their farmers by way of subsidy.”

Mr Gray added: “I think we need to consider it. I don’t know if it will ever be agreed to but farmers need help. We do a lot to help them but we don’t give them money.

“In my view, they are looking for money because they want to spend it how they want, rather than being told they have to buy seeds or fertilizer. On the flip side they could get the subsidy and end up in Wal-mart, and it never goes to the intended purpose, so it’s a balancing act.”

GRANT THORNTON BAHAMAS CELEBRATES DIRECTOR PROMOTION AND CPA PASS

From left to right: Human Resources Manager Naeemah R. Gomez, Director, Shando S. Rolle, CPA and Senior Accountant Janet L. Hinsey, Grant Thornton Managing Partner, Kendrick K. Christie

Managing Partner Kendrick K. Christie is pleased to announce the promotion of Mr. Shando S. Rolle, from Manager to Director-Assurance. Shando Rolle is an alumni of the University of The Bahamas (UB), (formerly College of The Bahamas), graduating in 2004 with a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting.

He is a Certified Public Accountant, licensed under the New Hampshire State Board of Accountancy. Shando has acquired over 15 years of experience in the financial services sector, including 9 years of extensive experience in public accounting, inclusive of 6 years at a Big Four Firm. His vast amount of audit experience includes industries such as; asset management, private and commercial banking, mutual and hedge funds, utility, etc. He is also a member and licensee of The Bahamas Institute of Chartered Accountants (BICA).

The Partners also congratulate Ms. Janet L. Hinsey who successfully completed the Uniform Certified Public Accountancy (CPA) Examinations in the State of New Hampshire. Janet Hinsey is a distinguished graduate of both C. V. Bethel Senior High School and the University of the Bahamas class of 2012. She has ten (10) years of experience in business operations, internal audit, and financial services. Janet joined Grant Thornton in January 2017 as a Senior Accountant.

ABOUT GRANT THORNTON Grant Thornton Bahamas is the Bahamas Member Firm of Grant Thornton International Limited (“GTIL”), a member of the top ten accounting firms in the world, a $4.7bn global organization of member firms with over 47,000 people in over 130 countries. The brand is respected globally, as one of the major global accounting organisations recognised by capital markets, regulators and international standards setting bodies. Over the last three years Grant Thornton has been the fastest growing large accounting organisation and is constantly evolving and developing alongside its clients. Grant Thornton Bahamas was established in 1990, and is a vibrant and growing firm providing audit, accounting, company liquidations, and general consulting services. Grant Thornton provides high-quality services and personalised attention to clients operating in the Bahamas and abroad.

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Bahamian firms ‘50% lower’ than rivals for jobs and productivity From pg B1 perceived as another ‘wakeup call’ when it comes to creating a growth-friendly environment for Bahamian businesses, the IDB report said greater economic expansion was “the greatest challenge” facing the economy.

Noting that the private sector generated 60 per cent of Bahamian employment, the IDB Bulletin said: “It is dependent on a macroeconomic environment that promotes growth and technological innovation, cost competitiveness, and structures that ease the cost of

doing business.

“Bahamian private sector firms have been performing at 50 per cent or below productivity, growth and employment levels when compared to similar firms in the rest of small economies (ROSE). This results in constrained levels of labour productivity and output growth in the archipelago, and against regional neighbours.”

IDB data showed that labour productivity in the Bahamas had declined between 1991 and 2005, with per capita GDP also down.

“The [World Bank] ease of doing business index,

PM: 40% of VAT money to deficit From pg B1 $300 million - something Mr Christie blamed on Hurricane Matthew.

The Government’s newly-launched website, understandingVAT.org, reveals that the 30 per cent of ‘general expenditures’ are helping to finance an expansion of the public serive and repay government borrowings, such as the $232 million re-equipping of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF).

Among the new hires cited by the Prime Minister as being financed by VAT were 99 police officers; 166 more Defence Force officers; 347 more teachers; and 103 more doctors and health professionals.

The website also provided further confirmation that while VAT monies have helped to reduce the deficit, they are also being used to finance an expansion in the size of government and increased social programmes.

In response to a question as to why the $7 billion national debt was continuing to increase, and the Government still borrowing,

despite VAT’s introduction, the website said: “Governments have to make hard choices.

“An important goal is to reduce our country’s debt, but at the same time, we have to continue to invest in people and make the changes we need to improve our security and our economy.

“If we cared only about reducing the debt, we would not be funding new scholarships, building new sports stadiums, fixing roads and docks, or introducing National Health Insurance, for example. But all these things are important to a nation’s health and wellbeing.”

K P Turnquest, the FNM’s finance spokesman, told Tribune Business that much of the Prime Minister’s VAT accounting was “superficial”.

He said: “They’ve given us nice little round numbers, but when you drill down there’s not much that they’ve told us.”

Mr Turnquest also challenged Mr Christie’s assertion that “not one dollar of VAT revenues collected over the past two years has been frittered away or spent

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which compares the period between 2017 and 2010, shows that the Bahamas’ private sector is constrained by structural challenges, including accessing credit and electricity, trading across borders, obtaining construction permits, resolving insolvency and paying taxes,” the IDB report said.

“Against other [small] economies, the private sector is hampered in registering property, getting electricity, obtaining credit, protecting minority investors, trading across borders, getting construction permits and starting a business.”

Identifying the major concerns of Bahamian companies, the IDB report said these included “an inadequately trained workforce; access and cost of finance; costs of crime, theft

and general disorder; and the current state of macroeconomic conditions and conditions of governance”.

It continued: “The cost of crime, theft and disorder has accounted for an annual sales loss of up to 5 per cent, leading the Caribbean in economic losses.

“A recent World Bank/ International Finance Corporation (IFC) survey reports that up to 40 per cent of Bahamian firms have reported being victims of crime within the last 12 months, while almost 8 per cent lamented crime being a significant obstacle to productivity growth.”

Other obstacles cited by the IDB report were lending rates that had risen to 11.2 per cent, exacerbating problems caused by low consumer demand, high unemployment and high non-

performing loan levels.

The cost and unreliability of power were also fingered

by Bahamian companies, with the average of 2.2 outages per month only exceeded by Jamaica.

“The archipelago, in comparison to its Caribbean neighbours, spends more on its educational system (roughly 13 per cent), and currently has over 250 schools, supported by welltrained staff,” the IDB report said.

“Despite this, recent reports from the Vision 2040 report on national development cites that significant portions of the graduating classes are entering the workplace with inadequate numeracy and literacy skills.

“Thirty-two per cent of firms lament the inadequacy of the existing workforce

in the 2014 Compete Caribbean PROTEqIN survey, and up to 37 per cent of firms offer additional training to their recruited staff.”

It added: “The private sector is dependent on a growth-positive environment that improves cost competitiveness and makes it easy for enterprises to engage in business.

“Achieving a higher growth trajectory is the greatest challenge the Bahamian economy faces.

Negative productivity growth and limited contributions from factor inputs (capital and labour) since 2000 have constrained the country’s potential output.

“Unlocking higher growth and enabling this change in an environment of fiscal consolidation is a major challenge for 2017 and beyond.”

surreptitiously”.

The FNM deputy leader said: “Where he indicated they’d spent money, he gave no highlights as to where money had been wasted.

“When you look at Junkanoo Carnival, overpriced contracts, monies wasted on Urban Renewal, he still hasn’t given an accounting of that money.”

Mr Turnquest argued that Mr Christie’s VAT accounting was notable more for what it did not say, as there was no explanation forthcoming for why the Government frequently overshot its Budgetary targets by sums between $150$250 million - something that was happening before Hurricane Matthew.

Nor did the Prime Minister explain why his administration has added more than $2 billion to the national debt during its five years in office, albeit the rate of growth has slowed.’

Mr Turnquest added the Prime Minister’s argument that his government would have reduced the fiscal deficit to an average of “less than $250 million” had it not been for hurricanes Joaquin and Matthew, rather than $400 million, was “meaningless” since this did not change the ‘red ink’ the Bahamas is facing.

Of the $1.14 billion in

gross VAT revenues collected in 2015 and 2016, Mr Christie said: “Of this total, the Department of Inland Revenue collected $726 million: $316 million in 2015 and $410 million in 2016.

“The Department also refunded some $20 million in VAT over these two years. The Department of Customs collected $415 million over the two-year period: $209 million in 2015 and $207 million in 2016.”

Mr Christie acknowledged that there may have been a “deficiency” in how the Government communicated VAT’s role in achieving fiscal consolidation, saying it had never been billed as achieving an immediate reduction in the $7 billion national debt.

Revealing that the Government was forecasting a ‘break even’ position on the GFS fiscal balance by the 2018-2019 fiscal year, Mr Christie said VAT’s introduction had allowed it to reduce other taxes, “In this context I would note that the first tax reduction announced was in respect of the hotel occupancy tax that we chose to eliminate at the introduction of VAT, since the latter would now be applicable to hotel accommodations,” he explained.

“With the elimination of the hotel occupancy tax, some $42.5 million in annual revenue has been forgone for a two-year total of roughly $85 million or 7 per cent of the total VAT collections,” said Mr Christie.

He revealed that the Government had foregone, between 2015 and 2016, $86 million in Customs and Excise Duties; $60 million due to the change to freight on board for Customs and Excise duty; $7 million in foregone VAT on conveyances under $100,000; and $38 million as a result of reducing the Business License rate from 1.75 per cent to 1.5 per cent.

“Including the fiscal impact of the elimination of the hotel occupancy tax’s $85 million, and VAT refunds of $20 million, the total reduction is $344 mil-

lion in foregone revenue since VAT introduction,” Mr Christie said.

“Therefore, VAT gross collections over the two year period were $1.1 billion, but the net impact on revenues to the Government was $756 million.”

He added that the Government’s medium-term fiscal consolidation plan, including VAT net of the other tax reductions and expenditure increases, had secured a reduction in the GFS deficit of nearly $500 million over a two-year period.

“This means that $500 million of the VAT revenue went to deficit reduction,” said Mr Christie. “The residual amount that went to ward expenditure is $256 million of the VAT revenue.”

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Thursday, March 30, 2017, PAGE 5

$100m Cotton Bay project starts work

Cotton Bay Holdings, the company owned

by Colombian billionaire, Dr Luis Carlos Sarmiento, yesterday announced it had begun demolition and site clearance for its $100 million Eleuthera-based project.

The developer, in a statement, said its planned Cotton Bay Resort community was targeting a 2020 opening on 1,500 acres of land, which features three miles of beachfront.

It added that the project will feature a luxury hotel, including independent suites and villas, with fullownership residential offerings of beachfront, oceanfront, and golf-side private residences.

These will range from two to six bedrooms, with amenities including a luxury spa and fitness centre; fine and casual dining venues; multiple pools; retail stores; plus extensive indoor and outdoor event space and banquet facilities.

The property includes the site of the original Cotton Bay Club, which opened in 1959 and closed in 1992, due to extensive damage from Hurricane Andrew.

Its 18-hole Cotton Bay Golf Course, originally designed by the late Robert Trent Jones, Sr., will be restored to world-class championship standards.

Cotton Bay Holdings said: “The development will act as a catalyst for

Don’t believe everything you see From pg B2 burger beauty.

The truth is that it is deceptive, when promoting commercial products, to use images that have been materially altered to change a person’s face and physical characteristics.

In 2008, researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison found that women who saw images of very thin actresses and models experienced a negative effect on their attitude towards their own body image.

Israel previously passed a law prohibiting advertisers from using models with a body mass index of 18.5

or less, and requiring a disclosure in ads where models had been Photo-shopped to look thinner.

Photo-shopped images have clearly become an industry standard, but are they creating unrealistic expectations? What is all the hype about? Campaigners would answer simply: Why not? Photoshop allows people to gain something they may not have. For instance, Photoshop allows people to lose pounds and “imperfections” that they have. Photoshop has the ability to influence viewers’ opinions through images accompanying news reports and gossip columns.

Bahamian law firm finalist for honour

economic activity and investment, and mark the beginning of a renaissance of tourism on Eleuthera, driving an increased number of visitors to the southern end of the island.

“Cotton Bay will be an important source of permanent jobs during development, and subsequently during operation, and will revitalise the local economy.

“The site’s allure and elite investment potential, combined with warm Bahamian hospitality, will create

a lure for international travellers and investors, and create the region’s premier luxury resort destination.”

The Christie administration signed a Head of Agreement with Dr Sarmiento for the project almost two years ago in July 2015, but it is only now that construction activity seems to have started.

Prime Minister Perry Christie said then that the development will feature in its first phase the $100 million development of a five star, 115-room resort hotel

to be branded by Four Seasons.

He added that there will be a private residential subdivision with 40 lots, along with the facilities unveiled

by Cotton Bay Holdings yesterday.

Dr Sarmiento’s Cotton Bay development has effectively been ‘on the drawing board’ for two decades, and gone through several ‘false starts’ under successive FNM and PLP administrations prior to the Heads of Agreement signing and this week’s announcement.

I read an article claiming an ‘age wrinkle-free’ serum ad featured a 68 yearold actress presenting live at an awards show. Tweets poured in about how young and natural she looked on stage. However, minutes later, they were followed by remarks from upset viewers about the heavily Photoshopped, “filtered” product campaign.

Lobbyists in the US concerned argue ‘false advertising’ can have a negative effect on young people, and affect consumer finances.

They strongly believe that it affects the self-esteem of millions, who are forced to compare themselves to unrealistic images of models and celebrities portrayed in ads.

This practice, particularly on social media, is a norm and is routinely and

materially misrepresenting appearance, negatively influencing consumer purchasing decisions.

To this end, should advertisers be required to display a disclaimer or warning over their altered images or ads, and should better judgment be exercised?

What do you think? Until we meet again, fill your life with memories as opposed to regrets. Enjoy life and stay on top of your game.

Training College, College of the Bahamas, Nova South Eastern University, Learning Tree International, Langevine International

• NB: The columnist welcomes feedback at deedee21bastian@gmail.com ABOUT THE COLUMNIST: Deidre Marie Bastian is a professionally trained graphic designer/marketing co-ordinator with qualifications of M.Sc., B.Sc., A.Sc. She has trained at institutions such as: Miami Lakes Technical Centre, Success

A Bahamian maritime and shipping law firm was yesterday announced as a finalist for the 2017 Lloyd’s List Americas Awards, and will compete against five rivals for Law Firm of the Year at a New York City gala on May 25.

Freeport-based ParrisWhittaker was nominated after submitting the work of partner Kenra Parris-Whittaker, who secured a major victory at the UK Privy Council in 2016.

She represented the owners of the Cape Bari oil tanker, which in 2012 collided with a jetty owned by the Bahamas Oil Refining Company (BORCO). The Privy Council ruled that Cape Bari retained its limitations on accident liability, shielding it from $22 million in damages.

Lloyd’s List, one of the longest-running publications in the world, has been delivering insights on shipping since 1734. Its annual maritime awards are the only ones to cover North, South and Central America.

The Lloyd’s List awards focus on the people and companies that demonstrate innovation and hard work in maritime services, ship operator, port operator, training, seafarer advocate, safety and environmental performance.

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PAGE 6, Thursday, March 30, 2017

Unions: We’ll stop employers ‘ripping out workers’ guts’ From pg B1 with the Caribbean average.

Employers and trade unions were divided over the revised Employment Act and Industrial Relations Act reforms unveiled by Shane Gibson, minister of labour and national insurance, in the House of Assembly yesterday.

The reforms, which passed their third reading in the House and now move forward to the Senate, were greeted with some relief by private sector representatives, who said: “Reason has prevailed”.

The revisions, which appear far more balanced than the initial labour-friendly reforms, completely dropped plans to alter the redundancy ‘cap’ - a key concern of all Bahamas-based employers.

Mr Gibson yesterday said those proposals were “deleted” in their entirety, with the Employment Act’s existing terms set to continue.

Line staff, currently entitled to a maximum 24 weeks or six months’ redundancy pay under the Employment Act, gaining two weeks for each year they have been employed up to the 12-year ‘cap’, will continue to receive such compensation.

Previous proposals to increase the ‘cap’ to 32 weeks (16 years) immediately, and

40 weeks after two years, have been scrapped.

And managerial staff will continue to receive the existing 48 weeks (12 months/ one year) redundancy pay maximum that they are due under the Employment Act, rather than an immediate increase to 64 weeks, followed by 80 weeks after two years.

Peter Goudie, one of the private sector’s representatives on the National Tripartite Council, told Tribune Business: “It seems that we have prevailed. Thank God for small mercies.

“It would appear that the Cabinet brought some sense to what was being proposed.

I think the majority of the Cabinet did not want to see such a payment structure imposed in the Bahamas right now.”

Basing this on negotiations he had been privy to, Mr Goudie added: “I think we brought some sense to some of the measures they wanted to bring in.

“It is what it is. We’ve been at it ever since they brought it in, and it [negotiations] were going on up until this morning according to the e-mails I saw.”

Tribune Business understands that at one point there was a proposal to carve out the hotel sector, the Bahamas’ largest em-

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ployer, from the increased redundancy ‘cap’ - which would still have applied to all other employers.

This, though, was dropped in favour of retaining the ‘status quo’, but this newspaper was told that talks between the Government, private sector and unions continued “at the 11th hour” into yesterday afternoon just prior to the Bills’ third reading in the House.

The proposed reforms also impose bureaucratic notification requirements on Bahamian businesses whenever they are considering redundancies.

Employers will have to give relevant trade unions, or employee representatives, a “written statement” explaining the reasons for the redundancies and “facts” behind the move, along with the number and category of jobs impacted, and the timeframe over which the terminations will take place.

Tribune Business understands that employers, especially in the hotel industry, wanted these provisions ‘watered down’ to merely notifying unions and employee representatives - something the Government appeared not to have agreed to.

Mr Gibson, though, told the House that the revised reforms ‘segmented’ the redundancy notification provisions into two categories - those businesses terminating 20 employees or more, and those terminating less -

with separate procedures to be followed by both.

The NCTU’s Mr Evans said that despite the trade union movement’s “disappointment” at the reform revisions, it understood “you don’t get everything you ask for”.

He added that the unions had sought the redundancy ‘cap’ increase mainly to benefit non-unionised workers, as union members had better terms than those contained in the Employment Act written into their industrial agreements.

Mr Evans said the unions had also wanted to bring the Bahamas into line with the rest of the Caribbean, where the ‘caps’ in Jamaica and Barbados were 20 years and 33 years, respectively. He added that none existed in Antigua & Barbuda.

“We were only trying to improve on the 12 years we have here,” Mr Evans told Tribune Business. “It’s unfortunate that was rolled back and revisited.

“The employers will see that as a victory, but next year, the year after, or whenever it rolls around again, we’ll agitate for it. We’re absolutely going to continue to agitate for it, continue to fight and close the gap.”

He added: “The middle class continues to dwindle and spiral down, with no increase in their wages. Bahamians won’t be able to get into the middle class unless we stand our ground and

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THE TRIBUNE

share the wealth.

“Those at the top want to keep what they have, and get more and not share it. If I was to give you the average unionised worker’s benefits and earnings compared to a non-unionised worker, it’s shameful.

“We’re dealing with Bahamians. We all work in this economy, but if it was not for labour standing in the gap to ensure fairness, I don’t know where we’d be.”

Mr Evans continued: “It’s the goal of employers the world over to get rid of unions because we stand in the way of them ripping the guts out of working people.

“I must commend the Government for trying. We couldn’t get everything we wanted. I’m pleased, but we will go back whenever the opportunity presents itself to champion the cause of increasing the redundancy ‘cap’.”

The Government also made additional unionfriendly reforms, with the

changes allowing employees to obtain both redundancy pay and their non-contributory pension or gratuity.

The initial Employment Act draft required employees to choose one or the other, but now they can walk away with both - something permitted in the hotel industry for years, even though it is not law.

The Government has also agreed to another union demand by reducing the threshold for ‘agency shop’ from 60 per cent of workers voting in favour to 50 per cent plus one.

Mr Gibson pledged: “We are committed to getting it right. While some of our social partners feel that these provisions will disadvantage some of them, I am confident that in due time all stakeholders will agree that these landmark pieces are in the best interest of working Bahamians and will have a positive impact on the Bahamian economy.”

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THE TRIBUNE

Thursday, March 30, 2017, PAGE 7

$350m deficit: ‘Genie can’t go back in bottle’ From pg B1 That performance casts considerable doubt on Mr Christie’s optimism that increased revenues flows during the second half of the 2016-2017 fiscal year, stemming from greater economic activity; one-off inflows from Business License fees and commercial vehicle licensing; and enforcement activities, will contain the full-year deficit to $350 million.

The Prime Minister confirmed that the deficit for the 2016-2017 first half was 75.2 per cent up yearover-year at $275 million, and acknowledged that the Government was unlikely to hit its $2.176 billion revenue target for the year to end-June.

He added that Matthew’s impact on economic activity, coupled with the tax exemptions granted in relation to aid storm recovery efforts, had caused a “precipitous” revenue fall-off in October and November 2016.

“Although the recovery in revenue evident for the month of December strengthened, with receipts for January and February running broadly in line with projections, we are still unlikely to achieve our recurrent revenue target for the 2016-2017 fiscal year,” Mr Christie said.

“However, we believe that the gap between actual and projected revenues will be considerably narrowed by the end of the fiscal year.”

The Prime Minister expressed hope that a $62 million revenue improvement during the first two months of 2017 marked the start of a continuing trend that will ensure second half revenues match the prior year’s, constituting “a remarkable achievement” by end-June 2017.

Past performance,

though, suggests Mr Christie’s optimism may be misplaced. For he said something similar in the mid-year Budget statement for 20152016, after the Government’s half-year deficit of $157 million had also overshot the $141 million fullyear projection.

“I am therefore confident that, as our revenue flows pick up in the second half as expected, we will indeed succeed in bringing in the deficit at a level close to the estimate in the Budget Communication,” Mr Christie said in February 2016.

Instead, as confirmed by his statement yesterday, the 2015-2016 deficit continued to expand during the thenfiscal year’s second half, growing by a further $153 million.

The figures were seized on yesterday by K P Turnquest, the FNM’s finance spokesman, who said the Government’s past fiscal performance suggested the Prime Minister was being “incredibly optimistic” on the revised full-year deficit and revenue projections.

“The fact of the matter is that it’s almost impossible to put the genie back into the bottle,” Mr Turnquest told Tribune Business on the 2016-2017 deficit.

“Revenue is down as a result of the hurricane, but

they’ve not adjusted spending as a result, and it would be reasonable to assume the deficit will continue to grow.”

Turning to Mr Christie’s revised forecasts, Mr Turnquest added: “It defies logic.

“Having regard to taking Mr Christie at his numbers, he’s being incredibly optimistic that they will be able to pick up the revenue in the last half of the year, where the evidence suggests that is not the trend over the last couple of years.”

Mr Turnquest said that with Grand Bahama’s hotel and tourism product “dead”, and 1,100 workers having lost their jobs postMatthew, the island’s economy would “be a significant drag” on the Government’s finances for some months to come.

And with the full impact of Baha Mar’s opening unlikely to be felt until winter 2017 at earliest, the FNM deputy leader added: “What exactly is he basing his statement on? The economics don’t make sense.”

Mr Christie’s, and the Government’s, 2016-2017 half-year deficit figure of $275 million is also $39 million below the number cited by the Central Bank, which was $314.2 million.

No explanation was provided for this discrepancy yesterday, with Mr Turnquest asking, tongue-incheek: “The first question is how did the Central Bank get it so wrong? Or did they get it wrong?”

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And while the Prime Minister blamed the Government’s fiscal woes “solely” on Hurricane Matthew, the Central Bank’s explanation has differed in its monthly and quarterly economic reports, which suggest that some of the increased deficit is due to greater recurrent spending - especially on initiatives such as National Health Insurance (NHI).

“The reality is that the numbers are what the numbers are,” Mr Turnquest told Tribune Business. “We ought not to stick our heads in the sand and mislead the Bahamian people.

“To the extent an election’s coming, I know they [the Government] want to paint a pretty picture, but the facts defy the projections and statements they’re making. It’s unlikely that this will turn around by some stroke of genius.”

Mr Christie, though, stuck by his Hurricane Matthew explanation, and pledged that the fiscal consolidation plan initiated by his government would ultimately eliminate the deficit and start paying down the $7 billion-plus national debt.

“Hurricane Matthew has been a major disrupter of the Government’s fiscal plans, with the increase in the first half deficit above target being more an aberration than a deliberate deviation from the previously announced budgetary objectives,” the Prime Minister added.

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PAGE 10, Thursday, March 30, 2017

Govt increases its spending by $285m From pg B1 told Tribune Business that the Government has “an insatiable and terrible appetite for spending, especially

when an election is coming up”.

He added: “They’re hiring people all over the place on three-month contracts,

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and engaging in construction contracts like crazy with no regard to what’s happening in the next quarter.”

And Rick Lowe, a ‘fiscal hawk’ and executive with the Nassau Institute thinktank, told Tribune Business: “I think they’re spending on testosterone.”

Concerns over the impact of this increased spending on the 2016-2017 deficit, which is already projected to overshoot the initial target by 250 per cent, will likely be exacerbated after total first half revenues came in 14.2 per cent below projection.

Mr Christie yesterday said total revenues for the six months to end-December 2016 were $856 million, some $142 million below the $998 million first-half projection, which he blamed on Hurricane Matthew.

Dissecting the reasons

for this mixed forecast, the Prime Minister largely blamed Hurricane Matthew, which resulted in Customs duties missing projections by $30 million; Excise duties being off by $32 million; VAT dropping off by $27 million; real property tax falling by $47 million; and Business Licenses declining by $11 million against estimates.

Mr Christie said his “optimism” for a revenue rebound was based on performance during the first two months of this year, together with the much-publicised crackdown on ‘tax cheats’ that began in November 2016.

The Prime Minister said the latter initiative had yielded $31 million in extra, direct revenues to-date, with the total revenue impact equivalent to $62 million. Mr Christie added that the biggest chunk had come “from the deterrent effect”

on Customs-related transactions.

“Since this time, we have experienced a significant recovery in revenue yield in the first two-and-a-half months of this year,” Mr Christie said of the Government’s revenue collections post-Matthew.

“Indeed, revenue collections for both January and February exceeded the previous year’s level by some $25 million and $26 million, or 17 per cent and 18 per cent, respectively.”

Acknowledging that Bahamians were “rightly” concerned about GDP growth rates that lag other countries in the Caribbean, the Prime Minister added that the $1.242 billion in recurrent spending in the 2016-2017 first half was equivalent to 54 per cent of the full-year estimate.

This represented a $158 million year-over-year in-

THE TRIBUNE crease, with capital spending also up over the prior year by $44 million at $135 million.

Suggesting that the Government had absorbed 50 per cent, or $300 million, of Hurricane Matthew’s $600 million impact, in its finances, Mr Christie said $35 million had been spent on direct relief, such as repairs to public buildings, home reconstruction and clean-up.

He added that 5,083 loans, totalling $31 million, had also been granted to public sector employees to assist with their post-Matthew recovery.

The Prime Minister said the Government had also invested $112.494 million to capitalise HoldingCo, the majority 51.75 per cent shareholder in Aliv, the new mobile operator, and to take up the entire Bank of the Bahamas rights issue.

Putin critic says he narrowly escaped death after poisoning WASHINGTON (AP) — A Russian opposition leader sharply critical of President Vladimir Putin told U.S. lawmakers Wednesday that he narrowly escaped death last month after being poisoned with a substance his doctors still haven’t been able to identify.

In congressional testimony, Vladimir Kara-Murza said his survival shows there are “near misses” in the Russian government’s campaign to silence its political opponents.

He told lawmakers the official diagnosis was “toxic action by an undefined substance.” He said he suffered multiple organ failure and was placed in a medically in-

duced coma for several days after being hospitalized on Feb. 2. The episode was reminiscent of a mysterious poisoning he suffered two years earlier when he nearly died from kidney failure.

Kara-Murza’s appearance before the Senate Appropriations foreign operations subcommittee is part of a broader inquiry into what the panel’s chairman, Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, has called Russia’s “misadventures throughout the world.” Graham is one of a few congressional Republicans to openly criticize President Donald Trump’s push for closer ties with Russia after U.S. intelligence agencies concluded Moscow interfered in the 2016 presi-

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. talks with Russian opposition politician Vladimir Kara-Murza on Capitol Hill yesterday during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on “Civil Society Perspectives on Russia.” (AP Photo) dential election.

The purpose of the hearing was to make a case for creating a “counter-Russia” account in the U.S. government’s budget, according to Graham. The money would be used to finance and empower countries and organizations “that are fighting back against Putin’s regime,” he said.

“It’s in American taxpayers’ interests that we push back against Putin’s efforts to dismantle democracy throughout the world,” Graham added.

Trump triggered a bipartisan backlash in early February when he repeated his desire to improve relations with Putin during an interview with Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly.

O’Reilly called Putin “a killer.” Trump answered, “We’ve got a lot of killers. What do you think? Our country’s so innocent?”

Kara-Murza is the vice chairman of Open Russia, a private foundation run by

exiled Kremlin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky.

Just a few weeks before his most recent illness, Kara-Murza sent a letter to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that was sharply critical of Putin’s government. The letter, dated Jan. 9, came just before Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s confirmation hearing. Kara-Murza urged the committee to take his assessment into account when considering Tillerson’s nomination and the “next steps in U.S.-Russia relations.”

Putin’s “nearly generationlong rule has been marked by the dismantlement of the nascent democratic institutions that emerged after the collapse of the Soviet Union,” Kara-Murza wrote.

Most Russian media outlets are “mouthpieces” for government propaganda, he added, and elections are “marred by intimidation and fraud,” making them largely meaningless rituals.

THE TRIBUNE

Thursday, March 30, 2017, PAGE 11

Environmental groups file lawsuit over Trump climate actions CHICAGO (AP) — Environmental groups that vowed to fight President Donald Trump’s efforts to roll back his predecessor’s plans to curb global warming made good on their promise Wednesday, teaming up with an American Indian tribe to ask a federal court to block an order that lifts restrictions on coal sales from federal lands.

The Interior Department last year placed a moratorium on new coal leases on federal lands to review the climate change impacts of burning the fuel and whether taxpayers were getting a fair return. But Trump on Tuesday signed a sweeping executive order that included lifting the moratorium, and also initiated a review of former President Barack Obama’s signature plan to restrict greenhouse gas emissions from coal-fired power plants.

Environmentalists say lifting the moratorium will worsen climate change and allow coal to be sold for un-

fairly low prices.

“It’s really just a hail Mary to a dying industry,” said Jenny Harbine, an Earthjustice attorney who filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Montana on behalf of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe, Sierra Club, and Center for Biological Diversity.

The White House did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment on the lawsuit. The Department of Justice declined comment.

Environmental groups have been preparing for months to fight the Trump administration’s environmental rollbacks, including by hiring more lawyers and raising money. Trump, who has called global warming a “hoax” invented by the Chinese, said during his campaign that he would kill Obama’s climate plans and bring back coal jobs.

Advocates said they also will work to mobilize public opposition to the executive order, saying they expect a

backlash from Americans who worry about climate change.

“This is not what most people elected Trump to do,” said David Goldston, director of government affairs at the Natural Resources Defense Council.

“Poll after poll shows that the public supports climate action.”

A poll released in September found 71 percent of Americans want the U.S. government to do something about global warming, including 6 percent who think the government should act even though they are not sure that climate change is happening.

That poll, which also found most Americans are willing to pay a little more each month to fight global warming, was conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago.

While Republicans have blamed Obama-era envi-

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But many people in coal country are counting on the

jobs that Trump has promised, and industry advocates praised his orders.

“These executive actions are a welcome departure from the previous administration’s strategy of making energy more expensive through costly, job-killing regulations that choked our economy,” said U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Thomas J. Donohue.

demonstrators gather in front of the White House in Washington, during a rally against President Donald Trump’s Energy Independence Executive order. Environmental groups are preparing to go to court to battle Trump’s efforts to roll back his predecessor’s plans to curb global warming.

But they say their first order of business is to mobilize a public backlash against an executive order Trump signed on Tuesday that eliminates many restrictions of fossil fuel production. (AP Photo)

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THE TRIBUNE

US stock indexes close mostly higher; oil up AP Business Writer – U.S. stock indexes closed mostly higher Wednesday after a sharp increase in crude oil prices helped drive market-leading gains for energy companies.

Banks and other financial stocks declined the most as bond yields headed lower, which translates into lower interest rates on loans and lower profits for banks.

The Dow Jones industrial average ended in the red, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 index and Nasdaq composite eked out modest gains. Two stocks rose for every one that fell on the New York Stock Exchange.

“After yesterday’s bounce back, you’re seeing a little sideways action today,” said Jeff Zipper, managing director at the Private Client Reserve of U.S. Bank.

The S&P 500 index added 2.56 points, or 0.1 percent, to 2,361.13. The Dow fell 42.18 points, or 0.2 percent, to 20,659.32. The Nasdaq composite index gained 22.41 points, or 0.4 percent, to 5,897.55.

Bond prices rose. The 10-year Treasury yield fell to 2.39 percent from 2.42 percent.

A day after Wall Street rallied on news that U.S. consumer confidence reached its highest level since 2000, the market got another dose of encouraging economic data Wednesday.

The National Association of Realtors said more people signed contracts to buy U.S. homes last month as warm weather and rising confidence appeared to encourage consumers to look for houses. The NAR’s pending home sales index

climbed 5.5 percent in February to 112.3, its highest point since April and its second-highest point since 2006.

Investors are hoping that Congress and the White House will enact tax cuts and other business-friendly policy proposals promised

by President Donald Trump during his campaign.

Those expectations helped lift the market in the weeks after the election last November. But some of that investor optimism dimmed in recent weeks after the Trump administration’s bid to pass a bill intended to begin repealing the Affordable Care Act failed to win enough votes.

“It’s really wait-andsee with the focus back on Washington and tax reform,” Zipper said.

Outside of Washington, investors had their eye on the latest company earnings news. Investors bid up shares in several companies that posted solid quarterly results or outlooks.

RH, formerly Restoration Hardware, climbed 14.9 percent a day after the home furnishings and decor retailer reported stronger earnings. It added $5.68 to $43.68.

Verint Systems jumped 10 percent after the software company reported better-than-expected quarterly results. Verint also said during a management conference call with analysts that it is possible that at some point it will split itself into two businesses, but noted it has no plans now to do that. Verint’s stock rose $3.95 to $43.50.

Traders also welcomed news of other corporate deals.

Trader Andrew Silverman, left, works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, yesterday.

Stocks are opening mostly lower on Wall Street led by declines in utilities and real estate companies. (AP Photo)

Exar surged 22.3 percent after MaxLinear agreed to buy the chipmaker for $13 per share, or $662 million. Shares in Exar gained $2.37 to $12.99. MaxLinear rose $1.55, or 5.8 percent, to $28.06.

Some companies’ quarterly report cards failed to impress traders.

Dave & Buster’s Entertainment fell 3.4 percent after the arcade and restaurant chain announced disappointing sales at older locations. The stock gave up $2.10 to $60.09.

Depomed slid 3.1 percent after the drugmaker issued disappointing first-quarter sales guidance and replaced its CEO and two board members to resolve a dispute with investment firm Starboard Value. The stock dipped 44 cents to $13.79.

Not all drugmakers had a rough day.

Vertex Pharma vaulted 20.5 percent after the drugmaker disclosed results from two studies of a new cystic fibrosis treatment.

NOTICE TO SHAREHOLDERS The Board of Directors of Finance Corporation of Bahamas Limited hereby notifies its Shareholders that there will be no interim dividends paid to shareholders in respect of the quarter ended 31st January, 2017.

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SECURITY SUPERVISOR

Prime Responsibilities and Duties are: Oversee the proper reporting and documentation of all incidents.

Act as focal point for any investigations involving guests and employees, prepare accurate reports and follow up action plans.

Take the lead on all incidents and emergencies.

Monitoring of camera system and schedule patrolling of grounds.

Assist with the smooth and efficient running of the organization.

Qualifications & Experience Required: Three or more years in the security or military (RBDF & RBPF) field.

Three or more years in management.

Excellent leadership and communication skills.

Must be computer literate with strong administrative skills.

SECURITY OFFICER

Prime Responsibilities and Duties are: Assist with any investigations involving guests and employees, prepare accurate reports and follow up action plans.

Ensure that any criminal activity does not hamper the smooth functioning of the hotel.

Assist with and ensure the accuracy of all industrial accident reports.

Take the lead on all incidents and emergencies.

Assist with the monitoring of camera system and scheduled patrolling of grounds.

Assist with the smooth and efficient running of the organization.

Qualifications & Experience Required: Two or more years in the security or military (RBDF & RBPF) field.

Excellent leadership and communication skills.

The ability and interpersonal skills to relate with internal and external customers.

Ability to work as part of a team, as well as independently.

Must be computer literate with strong administrative skills.

Competitive salary and benefits package are commensurate with experience.

Interested persons should submit their resumes via e-mail to:

recruitment.humanresources@outlook.com

The company said patients treated with a new experimental drug plus its own Kalydeco had improved lung function. The stock rose $18.34 to $108.01.

Several major overseas stock indexes closed higher.

In Europe, Germany’s DAX climbed 0.4 percent, while France’s CAC 40 added 0.5 percent. Britain’s FTSE 100 gained 0.4 percent against the backdrop of Britain triggering the start of its exit from the European Union. The formal step kicks off two years of

negotiations that will have wide-ranging consequences for business in the region.

Earlier in Asia, Tokyo’s benchmark Nikkei 225 index edged up 0.1 percent.

South Korea’s Kospi rose 0.2 percent. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng added 0.2 percent. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.9 percent to 5,873.50.

In currency trading, the dollar weakened to 111.07 yen from 111.09 yen. The euro fell to $1.0759 from $1.0808.

Energy prices closed sharply higher as trad-

ers weighed remarks from Iran’s oil minister Oil prices climbed after Iran’s oil minister said the recent production cut deal will probably be extended, and fighting in Libya is affecting its oil industry.

Benchmark U.S. crude oil futures rose $1.14, or 2.4 percent, to close at $49.51 a barrel in New York. The contract rose 64 cents on Tuesday. Brent crude, used to price international oils, climbed $1.09, or 2.1 percent, to close at $52.42 a barrel in London. Natural gas added 8 cents to $3.18 per 1,000 cubic feet, wholesale gasoline rose 4 cents to $1.67 per gallon and heating oil gained 3 cents to $1.54 per gallon.

The price of gold slipped $1.90 to settle at $1,253.70 an ounce. Silver held steady at $18.25 per ounce. Copper was little changed at $2.68 per pound.

THE TRIBUNE

Thursday, March 30, 2017, PAGE 13

Call 502-2394 to advertise

YOUR

CHOICE FOR THE FAMILY @JOYFMBAHAMAS WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/JOYFM1019

CAREER

OPPORTUNITY Career opportunities are available for ambitious career-oriented individuals at a mid size hotel. We are inviting experienced persons to apply for the following positions:

Engineering Can-Fix-It

Essential Job Functions: • Repair minor electrical issues, appliances, and minor plumbing.

• Must be able to repair drywall, flooring, carpentry, masonry and do remodeling jobs.

• General knowledge to repair heating and cooling units, painting the exterior and pressure washing.

Position Requirements: • Must have three years of hands on experience in the maintenance field.

• Experience in the Hotel Industry will be a plus.

Cook

Essential Job Functions: • Inspect food preparation and serving areas to ensure observance of safe,

sanitary food-handling practices. Turn or stir foods to ensure even cooking.

• Prep, season and cook food according to recipes or personal judgment and experience.

• Observe and test foods to determine if they have been cooked sufficiently.

• Weigh, measure, and mix ingredients according to recipes or personal

judgment, using various kitchen utensils and equipment.

• Prepare staff meals.

Position Requirements: • General knowledge of working in a commercial kitchen.

• Knowledge and ability to use basic work tools and equipment.

Utilities

Essential Job Functions: • Perform duties to maintain kitchen work areas and restaurant equipment and utensils in clean and orderly condition.

• Transfers supplies and equipment between storage and work areas by hand

or by use of hand truck.

• Sets up banquet tables, when required.

• Keep all equipment in the food and beverage areas are in good condition.

Report any breakdowns in equipment to management.

Position Requirements: • High school graduate or equivalent.

• Previous hotel-related experience desired.

Guest Service Representative

Essential Job Functions: • Register guests and assign rooms.

• Assists in pre-registration and blocking of rooms for reservations.

• Thoroughly understands and adheres to proper credit, cheque-cashing, and cash-handling policies and procedures.

• Processes guest check-outs.

Position Requirements: • High school graduate or equivalent.

• Must have the ability to work independently

Food and Beverage - Waiter/Server

Essential job Functions: • Wipe tables or seats with dampened cloths or replace dirty tablecloths • Take customer orders and serve customers • Maintain adequate supplies of items such as silverware, glassware, dishes, or trays.

• Interact with guests and provide them with a warm greeting and a positive

parting remark showing gratitude for their business as appropriate.

• Other duties as required by Management.

Position Requirements: • High School Diploma • Two years experience as a waiter • Ability to work in a busy, fast paced work environment • Knowledge of food sanitation requirements • Excellent verbal and written communication skills Competitive salary and benefits package are commensurate with experience.

Interested persons should submit their resumes via e-mail to

recruitment.humanresources@outlook.com

PAGE 14, Thursday, March 30, 2017

NOTICE

NOTICE is hereby given that CHRISTIAN AHUAFAMBER OKOLIE of 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 30th day of March, 2017 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, Bahamas.

NOTICE

NOTICE is hereby given that VERNESSA LINCY PETIT of Golden Isles, New Providence, 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 23rd day of March, 2017 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, Bahamas.

NOTICE

NOTICE is hereby given that SYLVIA MARY OLIBRICE of Davis Street, Fox Hill, P.O. Box FH-14406, Nassau, 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 23RD DAY of MARCH, 2017 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, Bahamas.

NOTICE

NOTICE is hereby given that JOANES JEAN of Cordeaux Ave., New Providence, 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 30thday of March, 2017 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, Bahamas.

NOTICE

THE TRIBUNE

NOTICE

NOTICE is hereby given that CHAKA SHAKEERA ALI St. RoSE of P.O. Box EE-17091 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 23rd day of March, 2017 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, Bahamas.

PUBLIC NOTICE

NOTICE is hereby given that BRADLEY LUXLEY KNOWLES of PINDER’S POINT, FREEPORT, GRAND BAHAMA, 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 23RD day of MARCH, 2017 to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, P.O.Box N-7147, Freeport, Bahamas.

NOTICE

INTENT TO CHANGE NAME BY DEED POLL The public is hereby advised that I, DONALD SCOTT BROWN JR. of the Eastern District of the Island of New Providence, The Bahamas, intend to change my name to SCOTT JOE THOMPSON. If there are any objections to this change of name by deed poll, you may write such objections to the Chief Passport Officer, P. O. Box N-742, Nassau, The Bahamas, no later than Thirty (30) days after the date of the publication of this notice.

Legal Notice

NOTICE

NOTICE is hereby given that ELVIN GARCONVIL of #7 Ida Street, New Providence, Bahamas is applying to the INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS COMPANIES ACT Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for (No. 45 of 2000) registration/naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/ UKE LIMITED naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days In Voluntary liquidation from the 30thday of March, 2017 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, “Notice is hereby given that in accordance with Section 138 (4) of the International Business Companies Act (No. 45 of 2000), Bahamas.

UKE LIMITED is in Dissolution.”

NOTICE

The date of commencement of dissolution is the 28th day of March, 2017.

EXXONMOBIL EXPLORATION AND PRODUCTION ANGOLA (VENTURES) LIMITED ____________________________________________

Aquitaine Services Limited Level 5, Mill Court La Charroterie, St Peter Port Guernsey, GY1 1EJ Liquidator

Creditors having debts or claims against the abovenamed Company are required to send particulars thereof to the undersigned c/o P.O. Box N-624, Nassau, Bahamas on or before 25th day of April, A.D., 2017.

In default thereof they will be excluded from the benefit of any distribution made by the Liquidator.

Dated the 30th day of March, A.D., 2017.

T.A. Parmenter Liquidator 22777 Springwoods Village Parkway Spring, Texas 77389 U.S.A.

MARKET REPORT WEDNESDAY, 29 MARCH 2017

t. 242.323.2330 | f. 242.323.2320 | www.bisxbahamas.com

BISX ALL SHARE INDEX: CLOSE 1,903.57 | CHG -0.04 | %CHG 0.00 | YTD -34.64 | YTD% -1.79 BISX LISTED & TRADED SECURITIES 52WK HI 4.38 17.43 9.09 3.56 4.70 0.12 7.20 8.50 6.10 10.60 15.27 2.72 1.60 5.83 10.00 11.00 9.30 6.90 12.01 11.00

52WK LOW 3.20 17.43 8.19 3.50 1.64 0.12 3.80 8.15 5.56 8.50 11.00 2.18 1.31 5.80 6.79 8.56 7.00 6.35 11.92 10.00

1000.00 1000.00 1000.00 1000.00

900.00 1000.00 1000.00 1000.00

PREFERENCE SHARES

1.00 106.00 100.00 106.00 105.00 105.00 100.00 10.00 1.01

1.00 105.50 100.00 100.00 105.00 100.00 100.00 10.00 1.01

SECURITY AML Foods Limited APD Limited Bahamas Property Fund Bahamas Waste Bank of Bahamas Benchmark Cable Bahamas CIBC FirstCaribbean Bank Colina Holdings Commonwealth Bank Commonwealth Brewery Consolidated Water BDRs Doctor's Hospital Famguard Fidelity Bank Finco Focol ICD Utilities J. S. Johnson Premier Real Estate Cable Bahamas Series 6 Cable Bahamas Series 8 Cable Bahamas Series 9 Cable Bahamas Series 10 Colina Holdings Class A Commonwealth Bank Class E Commonwealth Bank Class J Commonwealth Bank Class K Commonwealth Bank Class L Commonwealth Bank Class M Commonwealth Bank Class N Fidelity Bank Class A Focol Class B

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

52WK LOW 100.00 100.00 100.00

SYMBOL AML APD BPF BWL BOB BBL CAB CIB CHL CBL CBB CWCB DHS FAM FBB FIN FCL ICD JSJ PRE CAB6 CAB8 CAB9 CAB10 CHLA CBLE CBLJ CBLK CBLL CBLM CBLN FBBA FCLB

SECURITY Fidelity Bank Note 17 (Series A) + Fidelity Bank Note 18 (Series E) + Fidelity Bank Note 22 (Series B) +

SYMBOL FBB17 FBB18 FBB22

Bahamas Note 6.95 (2029) BGS: 2014-12-3Y BGS: 2015-1-3Y BGS: 2014-12-5Y BGS: 2015-1-5Y BGS: 2014-12-7Y BGS: 2015-1-7Y BGS: 2014-12-30Y BGS: 2015-1-30Y BGS: 2015-6-3Y BGS: 2015-6-5Y BGS: 2015-6-7Y BGS: 2015-6-30Y BGS: 2015-10-3Y BGS: 2015-10-5Y BGS: 2015-10-7Y

BAH29 BG0103 BG0203 BG0105 BG0205 BG0107 BG0207 BG0130 BG0230 BG0303 BG0305 BG0307 BG0330 BG0403 BG0405 BG0407

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

113.70 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00

MUTUAL FUNDS 52WK HI 2.03 3.92 1.94 169.70 141.76 1.47 1.67 1.57 1.10 6.96 8.50 6.30 9.94 11.21 10.46

52WK LOW 1.67 3.04 1.68 164.74 116.70 1.41 1.61 1.52 1.03 6.41 7.62 5.66 8.65 10.54 9.57

LAST CLOSE 4.38 15.85 9.09 3.54 1.77 0.12 4.50 8.50 6.00 10.46 11.86 2.29 1.55 5.83 9.75 9.85 9.25 6.90 12.01 10.00 1000.00 1000.00 1000.00 1000.00 1.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 10.00 1.01 LAST SALE 100.00 100.00 100.00 105.74 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00

CLOSE 4.38 15.85 9.09 3.54 1.77 0.12 4.50 8.50 6.00 10.46 11.86 2.25 1.55 5.83 9.75 9.85 9.25 6.90 12.01 10.00

CHANGE 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 -0.04 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

1000.00 1000.00 1000.00 1000.00 1.00 100.00 100.00 100.11 100.00 100.00 100.00 10.00 1.01

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

CLOSE 100.00 100.00 100.00

CHANGE 0.00 0.00 0.00

105.60 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00

-0.14 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 FG Financial Preferred Income Fund FG Financial Growth Fund FG Financial Diversified Fund FG Financial Global USD Bond Fund Royal Fidelity Bahamas Opportunities Fund - Secured Balanced Fund Royal Fidelity Bahamas Opportunities Fund - Targeted Equity Fund Royal Fidelity Bahamas Opportunities Fund - Prime Income Fund Royal Fidelity Int'l Fund - Equities Sub Fund Royal Fidelity Int'l Fund - High Yield Fund Royal Fidelity Int'l Fund - Alternative Strategies Fund

VOLUME 500

20,000

VOLUME

NAV 2.03 3.92 1.94 168.44 141.76 1.47 1.64 1.56 1.04 6.96 8.50 6.30 9.80 11.13 9.63

EPS$ 0.029 1.002 -0.144 0.170 -0.130 0.000 -0.030 0.607 0.430 0.450 0.110 0.102 0.080 0.300 0.520 0.960 0.820 0.294 0.610 0.000

DIV$ 0.080 1.000 0.000 0.210 0.000 0.000 0.090 0.300 0.220 0.360 0.490 0.060 0.060 0.240 0.400 0.000 0.330 0.140 0.640 0.000

0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000

0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000

P/E 151.0 15.8 N/M 20.8 N/M N/M -150.0 14.0 14.0 23.2 107.8 22.1 19.4 19.4 18.8 10.3 11.3 23.5 19.7 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 6.25% 6.25% 6.25% 6.25% 6.25% 6.25% 6.25% 7.00% 6.50%

INTEREST 7.00% 6.00% Prime + 1.75%

MATURITY 19-Oct-2017 31-May-2018 19-Oct-2022

6.95% 4.00% 4.00% 4.25% 4.25% 4.50% 4.50% 6.25% 6.25% 4.00% 4.25% 4.50% 6.25% 3.50% 3.88% 4.25%

20-Nov-2029 15-Dec-2017 30-Jul-2018 16-Dec-2019 30-Jul-2020 15-Dec-2021 30-Jul-2022 15-Dec-2044 30-Jul-2045 26-Jun-2018 26-Jun-2020 26-Jun-2022 26-Jun-2045 15-Oct-2018 15-Oct-2020 15-Oct-2022

YTD% 12 MTH% 4.30% 4.30% 3.82% 3.82% 2.73% 2.73% 3.95% 3.95% 6.77% 6.77% 0.40% 4.04% -1.76% 1.06% -0.34% 2.70% -0.95% 1.55% 4.35% 4.69% 4.13% 4.28% 4.22% 4.64% 6.19% 3.43% 2.77% 2.98% -3.66% -3.90%

NAV Date 31-Dec-2016 31-Dec-2016 31-Dec-2016 31-Dec-2016 31-Dec-2016 31-Jan-2017 31-Jan-2017 31-Jan-2017 31-Jan-2017 30-Nov-2016 30-Nov-2016 30-Nov-2016 30-Nov-2016 30-Nov-2016 30-Nov-2016

MARKET TERMS 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

YIELD 1.83% 6.31% 0.00% 5.93% 0.00% 0.00% 2.00% 3.53% 3.67% 3.44% 4.13% 2.67% 3.87% 4.12% 4.10% 0.00% 3.57% 2.03% 5.33% 0.00%

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

N O T I C E EXXONMOBIL EXPLORATION AND PRODUCTION ANGOLA (VENTURES) LIMITED ____________________________________ N O T I C E IS HEREBY GIVEN as follows: (a) EXXONMOBIL EXPLORATION AND PRODUCTION ANGOLA (VENTURES) LIMITED is in dissolution under the provisions of the International Business Companies Act 2000. (b) The dissolution of the said Company commenced on the 28th day of March,2017 when its Articles of Dissolution were submitted to and registered by the Registrar General. (c) The Liquidator of the said Company is T.A. Parmenter, of 22777 Springwoods Village Parkway, Spring, Texas 77389, U.S.A. Dated the 30th day of March, 2017

TO TRADE CALL: CFAL 242-502-7010 | ROYALFIDELITY 242-356-7764 | FG CAPITAL MARKETS 242-396-4000 | COLONIAL 242-502-7525 | LENO 242-396-3225

HARRY B. SANDS, LOBOSKY MANAGEMENT CO. LTD. Registered Agent for the above-named Company

THE TRIBUNE

Call 502-2394 to advertise

Thursday, March 30, 2017, PAGE 15

PAGE 16, Thursday, March 30, 2017

THE TRIBUNE

#BlackWomenAtWork highlights daily challenge of race, gender Associated Press – A pair of testy exchanges between high-profile black women and white men in the political spotlight launched a tweetstorm under the hashtag BlackWomenAtWork, validating the experiences of thousands of professional black women who say such slights are all too common.

It began Tuesday morning with Fox News host Bill O’Reilly ridiculing veteran congresswoman Maxine Waters, referring to her hair as “a James Brown wig,” after watching a video of the California Democrat criticizing Republican President Donald Trump’s policies. Later that day, during a White House press briefing, American Urban Radio Network host April Ryan was admonished by

April Ryan, a veteran White House correspondent for American Urban Radio Networks, asks President Barack Obama about race relations in the U.S., during a news conference in the Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington. A pair of testy exchanges between high-profile black women and white men in the political spotlight Tuesday, March 28, 2017, launched a tweetstorm under the hashtag BlackWomenAtWork. (AP Photo)

She said that she watched the exchange between Ryan and Spicer and saw a black woman being treated like a child and that the O’Reilly remarks about Waters felt familiar.

“When he attacked her hair, we all felt that as black women,” Lassiter said.

“These women were doing their jobs, but instead of them doing their jobs, the men wanted to insult and chastise them.”

The hashtag quickly became a Twitter trending topic. And according to TwitterCounter, which logs follower numbers periodically, Waters’ follower count has increased by more than 77,000 since March 13, though it’s unclear how much of that has come in the last few days. Similarly, Ryan has seen a signifi-

press secretary Sean Spicer, who told her to “stop shaking your head” as he responded to her question.

After the exchanges, Black Lives Matter activist Brittany Packnett took to Twitter and urged her followers: “Share your Maxine and April moments, so people don’t think this is rare. Use #BlackWomenAtWork.”

Packnett added that black women meet at least three O’Reillys and five Spicers a day, and she went on to list her own examples — including a time when she was asked about her blue nail polish at a meeting and another when a college dean discouraged her from wearing braids.

Davia Lassiter saw the hashtag and felt inspired.

Johnson said. “It’s a tool, a vehicle, for us to affirm and nod and raise our hand up and say, ‘Yeah, me, too,’ and, ‘No, not today.’”

The hashtag attracted everyday women as well as women in politics and entertainment. By Tuesday night, Waters had joined the conversation, tweeting: “I am a strong black woman. I cannot be intimidated, and I’m not going anywhere.”

Black women shared stories on Twitter of unwanted hair touching, having their ideas overlooked or taken, disrespect from subordi-

cant increase in followers, from 58,100 on Saturday to 100,960 on Wednesday.

The hashtag was a reminder that black women have long had to steel themselves against such exchanges, highlighting the challenge of balancing race and gender, said Alexis McGill Johnson, executive director of the Perception Institute, a consortium of researchers, advocates and strategists focused on bias and discrimination.

“It helps us understand the lived experiences of black women every day,”

THE WEATHER REPORT

5-Day Forecast

TODAY

ORLANDO

High: 91° F/33° C Low: 66° F/19° C

TAMPA

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

MONDAY

Mostly sunny and pleasant

Mainly clear

Mostly sunny and breezy

Partly sunny

Mostly sunny

Mostly sunny and beautiful

High: 85°

Low: 68°

High: 85° Low: 69°

High: 86° Low: 68°

High: 85° Low: 68°

High: 85° Low: 69°

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

91° F

65° F

88°-68° F

96°-75° F

98°-71° F

90°-66° 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.

N

almanac

E

W

ABACO

S

N

High: 75° F/24° C Low: 69° F/21° C

7-14 knots

S

High: 83° F/28° C Low: 68° F/20° C

4-8 knots

FT. LAUDERDALE

FREEPORT

High: 83° F/28° C Low: 70° F/21° C

E

W S

E

W

WEST PALM BEACH

N

uV inDex toDay

TONIGHT

High: 84° F/29° C Low: 68° F/20° C

High: 80° F/27° C Low: 67° F/19° C

MIAMI

High: 83° F/28° C Low: 71° F/22° C

7-14 knots

Statistics are for Nassau through 2 p.m. yesterday Temperature High ................................................... 79° F/26° C Low .................................................... 64° F/18° C Normal high ....................................... 80° F/27° C Normal low ........................................ 67° F/19° C Last year’s high ................................. 86° F/30° C Last year’s low ................................... 72° F/22° C Precipitation As of 2 p.m. yesterday ................................. 0.00” Year to date ................................................. 1.93” Normal year to date ..................................... 4.40”

ELEUTHERA

NASSAU

High: 85° F/29° C Low: 68° F/20° C

Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2017

High: 77° F/25° C Low: 70° F/21° C

N

KEY WEST

High: 83° F/28° C Low: 75° F/24° C

High: 77° F/25° C Low: 69° F/21° C

N

S

E

W

7-14 knots

S

6-12 knots

ANDROS

Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.

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.)

Today

10:16 a.m.

10:45 p.m.

2.9 3.3

4:16 a.m. -0.7 4:28 p.m. -0.8

Friday

11:06 a.m.

11:37 p.m.

2.8 3.2

5:08 a.m. -0.6 5:18 p.m. -0.7

Saturday

12:00 p.m.

-----

2.6 -----

6:03 a.m. -0.4 6:11 p.m. -0.5

Sunday

12:34 a.m.

12:59 p.m.

3.1 2.5

7:03 a.m. -0.2 7:10 p.m. -0.3

Monday

1:36 a.m.

2:04 p.m.

3.0 2.4

8:07 a.m. 0.0 8:15 p.m. -0.1

Tuesday

2:42 a.m.

3:13 p.m.

2.9 2.3

9:15 a.m.

9:25 p.m.

Wednesday 3:49 a.m.

4:21 p.m.

2.8 2.4

10:20 a.m. 0.1 10:33 p.m. 0.0

0.1 0.0

sun anD moon Sunrise Sunset

7:03 a.m.

7:25 p.m.

Moonrise Moonset

9:07 a.m.

10:22 p.m.

First

Full

Last

New

Apr. 3

Apr. 11

Apr. 19

Apr. 26

CAT ISLAND

E

W

nates, questioning of their academic credentials, accusations of being angry and criticism for wearing certain clothes drawing attention to curvier body types.

As the hashtag started trending, Packnett tweeted, “I sadly knew it would trend. Not because I’m special. Because I know how we get treated.”

Lassiter, a marketing executive who lives in Austell, Georgia, said navigating such incidents is “this thing we’ve gotten used to putting up with.”

SAN SALVADOR

GREAT EXUMA

High: 77° F/25° C Low: 70° F/21° C

High: 78° F/26° C Low: 71° F/22° C

N

High: 80° F/27° C Low: 70° F/21° C

E

W S

LONG ISLAND

insurance management tracking map

High: 78° F/26° C Low: 70° F/21° C

6-12 knots

MAYAGUANA High: 77° F/25° C Low: 70° F/21° C

Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.

CROOKED ISLAND / ACKLINS RAGGED ISLAND High: 76° F/24° C Low: 71° F/22° C

GREAT INAGUA High: 81° F/27° C Low: 72° F/22° C

N

N E

W

E

W

H

High: 77° F/25° C Low: 69° F/21° C

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: Friday: Today: Friday: Today: Friday: Today: Friday: Today: Friday: Today: Friday: Today: Friday: Today: Friday: Today: Friday: Today: Friday: Today: Friday: Today: Friday: Today: Friday:

WINDS SE at 4-8 Knots S at 7-14 Knots SE at 7-14 Knots SE at 7-14 Knots ESE at 6-12 Knots SE at 6-12 Knots ENE at 7-14 Knots ESE at 6-12 Knots SE at 4-8 Knots SSE at 7-14 Knots SSE at 6-12 Knots S at 8-16 Knots SE at 6-12 Knots SE at 6-12 Knots NE at 8-16 Knots E at 7-14 Knots E at 7-14 Knots ESE at 6-12 Knots ENE at 6-12 Knots ESE at 6-12 Knots SE at 4-8 Knots SSE at 8-16 Knots E at 8-16 Knots ESE at 7-14 Knots SE at 6-12 Knots SE at 6-12 Knots

WAVES 3-5 Feet 3-5 Feet 1-3 Feet 1-3 Feet 2-4 Feet 2-4 Feet 3-5 Feet 2-4 Feet 3-5 Feet 3-5 Feet 1-3 Feet 2-4 Feet 1-2 Feet 1-3 Feet 3-5 Feet 2-4 Feet 1-3 Feet 1-3 Feet 3-6 Feet 3-6 Feet 1-2 Feet 1-3 Feet 2-4 Feet 2-4 Feet 1-3 Feet 1-3 Feet

VISIBILITY 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles

WATER TEMPS. 73° F 73° F 77° F 77° F 76° F 76° F 77° F 77° F 74° F 74° F 79° F 79° F 76° F 76° F 78° F 78° F 78° F 78° F 76° F 76° F 75° F 75° F 77° F 77° F 76° F 76° F