BCC CHIEF CALLS OUT
C HUR C H HYPO C RISY
‘Can I get a church that will just shout for God no matter?’
By JADE RUSSELL
Tribune Staff Reporter jrussell@tribunemedia.net
BAHAMAS Christian Council president Bishop Delton Fernander has condemned what he described as a culture of hypocrisy within the church, accusing many pastors of failing to live by the values they preach and only speaking out when it benefits their political affiliations.
Bishop Fernander said
too many religious leaders selectively raise their voices, celebrating when their preferred political party is in power but remaining silent in the face of wrongdoing by that same party. He called on such leaders to step aside.
“I will be the first to admit there’s been some hypocrites in the church,” he said during his sermon at the Independence Ecumenical
BRICE BACKS CHANGE TO LAW KEEPING HER OUT OF C A BINET
By JADE RUSSELL Tribune Staff Reporter
jrussell@tribunmedia.net
SEABREEZE MP
Leslia Brice says she supports amending the Gaming Act, a law some believe may have cost her a spot in Cabinet.
Ms Brice, who is not in Cabinet, has faced speculation that the rule may have influenced her political trajectory.
Asked whether she believes she could contribute more if that restriction were lifted, she
The Act currently bars Cabinet ministers and their immediate family members from holding gaming licences.
By JADE RUSSELL Tribune Staff Reporter jrussell@tribunmedia.net
TWENTY-FIVE vendors, musicians, dancers, and patriots were among those left disappointed after heavy rain disrupted The Bahamas’ 52nd Independence celebrations on Wednesday.
Many Bahamians had eagerly anticipated the annual Clifford Park event on New Providence. However, for the first time in years, it was postponed due to inclement weather.
The Office of the Independence Secretariat announced that, out of caution, the Ecumenical Service and Flag Raising Ceremony would be broadcast only, with no inperson attendance. When The Tribune arrived at Clifford Park on Wednesday night, hundreds of Bahamians were wearing national colours. While many gathered at Arawak Cay to celebrate, dozens remained in the bleachers at Clifford Park,
SCENES from the Clifford Park flagraising for independence - after rain saw a curtailed ceremony. Some still came out regardless - while the cultural show was delayed until yesterday.
Photo: Dante Carrer/Tribune Staff
The Bahamas celebrates
Grand Bahama
Photos: Vandyke Hepburn
Photos: Dante Carrer/Tribune Staff
A little rain not enough to spoil the nation’s party
from page one
braving the gloomy weather to witness the raising of the flag.
Food vendors scrambled to protect their goods from the rain, with some staying the entire night in hopes of making a profit from the small crowd.
Leslia Brice, chair of the Bahamas Independence Secretariat, said this year’s theme was “Together We Rise”. She praised the team for pushing through despite the challenges.
“When I turned around and I saw the amount of Bahamians here, that is what I call national pride,” she said. “That is what I call being patriotic, sun, rain, shine. They were here, and they were here to celebrate.”
“Tonight is a perfect example of what it means to be resilient, to be
strong, to think out of the box and to keep moving forward, and that is what this country is built on.”
Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis, Governor General Cynthia Pratt, and other officials attended the flag raising. Later that evening, Governor General Pratt inspected the Honour Guard as officers from the Royal Bahamas Police Force, Royal Bahamas Defence Force, and the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services stood at attention.
After midnight, a dazzling fireworks display lit up the sky, drawing cheers and prompting many to capture the moment on their phones.
The Ecumenical Service was held at Bahamas Harvest Church on JFK Drive. The cultural celebration was rescheduled and held yesterday at Clifford Park.
Photos: Dante Carrer/Tribune Staff
Pompey Rolle heads list of over 200 Bahamians recognised in this year’s Independence Honours
POMPEY Rolle, the enslaved man who led a revolt in Exuma nearly 200 years ago, has been named a National Hero, the highest honour in the country. He tops the list of 231 Bahamians being recognised this year under the National Honours Act, which celebrates citizens who have made significant contributions to national life in areas ranging from politics and religion to the arts, sports, education,
Order of The Bahamas COMPANION
and public service. The honours will be formally conferred by the Governor-General later this year.
In 1830, Pompey defied orders to relocate 77 enslaved people from Exuma to Cat Island, sparking one of the first documented acts of slave resistance in The Bahamas. He and others seized a boat and headed for Nassau, hoping to appeal to the Governor. Though captured and punished,
his stand is remembered as a turning point in the fight for freedom. Among those to receive the title of Companion of the Order of The Bahamas are artists Stan Burnside and Jackson Burnside, alongside Bahamas Christian Council president Bishop Delton Fernander, politicians such as Leslie Miller, Earl Deveaux and Neko Grant, and Junkanoo icons Percy “Vola” Francis and Winston “Gus” Cooper.
OFFICER
Service Medal
Order of Excellence
Order of Distinction COMPANION
MEMBER
Order of Merit COMPANION
MEMBER Order of Lignum Vitae
OFFICER
POMPEY ROLLE
BCC chief calls out church hypocrisy
Brice backs change to law keeping her out of Cabinet
told reporters on Wednesday: “Only time will tell.”
“What I will say is, no matter where I’m placed, no matter what position I’m placed in, I’m going to do my absolute best. That is what I pray for daily.”
“I’m going to give 110 percent every time.”
Pressed on whether she would support a change to the law, she said: “I do support it. Let’s just see what happens in the future.”
An amendment to the Act could have implications beyond her.
Sebas Bastian, a owner and founder of Island Luck, is seeking the PLP’s nomination in Fort Charlotte. He has confirmed he’s considering a run and has described public service as “never off the table”.
Service, held Wednesday night at Bahamas Harvest Church. “Some people who shout when the FNM in, some people who can only shout when the PLP in. Can I get a church that will just shout for God no matter?”
He said Bahamians are increasingly recognising the growing political hypocrisy in some churches.
He also criticised the disparity between appearances and values among clergy, highlighting that many pastors don religious robes and drive luxury cars while failing to embody the Christian lifestyle.
“We don’t live the life that we preach about,” he said. “We don’t live the life that we declare from the pulpit.”
He urged pastors to walk sincerely with God and to embody the messages they deliver.
The service was attended by parliamentarians, members of the Royal Bahamas Police Force, and various government officials.
Bishop Fernander also addressed those in public service, urging them not to neglect their spiritual responsibilities while serving the nation.
He acknowledged the challenges of moral leadership, emphasising the importance of courage and faith.
“It’s not easy to speak up, because when you speak out, people put you under their tongues,” he said. “God is still looking for a few of us that will stand up.”
from page one
BAHAMAS Christian Council president Bishop Delton Fernander speaks during the Independence Day Ecumenical service at Bahamas Harvest Church.
Photo: Dante Carrer/Tribune Staff
LESLIA BRICE, Seabreeze MP, at the Independence Day flag raising ceremony at Clifford Park yesterday. PhotoS: Dante Carrer/Tribune Staff
from page one
The Tribune Limited
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Timely message from BCC president
BRAVO to the Bahamas Christian Council president.
Bishop Delton Fernander got up and spoke during the ecumenical service at this year’s Independence celebrations –and wasted no time in calling out those who are conveniently quiet when it suits them.
It was just a shame he did not have the whole of Clifford Park to hear his words, with the service relocated to Bahamas Harvest Church in the face of inclement weather than made this year’s celebrations somewhat less vibrant than previous years. It did not however diminish the importance of his words.
He freely declared that there have been hypocrites in the church. He said: “Some people who shout when the FNM in, some people who can only shout when the PLP in. Can I get a church that will just shout for God no matter?”
He talked of the political hypocrisy in some churches – naming no names, but if Bishop Fernander can see it and recognise it, we are sure plenty of readers can.
The bishop also criticised those who have a difference between the life they show and the life they live, the ones who wear robes at church and drive a fancy car while not living up to the values of Christ.
“We don’t live the life that we preach about,” he said. “We don’t live the life that we declare from the pulpit.”
He went on to say: “God is still looking for a few of us that will stand up.”
We applaud Bishop Fernander, and wholeheartedly endorse his call for others to stand up.
He is right when he says it is not easy to do so, as he notes that when you do, “people put you under their tongues”.
The Tribune knows that only too well – with regular accusations of political bias from across the political spectrum.
There are plenty of things to speak up about too. You do not need to look far to see poverty in this country. There are plenty – those at The Tribune included – who can speak to the damage caused by political victimisation. There is the vast divide between our country’s rich and the majority of our people. Millionaires come knocking on doors asking for your vote without there ever being any likelihood of you breaking into their level of wealth.
There is injustice in our country. There is the lack of equality for women. There is the struggle for those trapped within a court system that keeps them in limbo for years without being able to clear their name. There is the violence that plagues our nation – the murders, the rapes, the gender violence.
All these are things to speak out over.
So if your pastor does not and simply drives their expensive car… perhaps you know who Bishop Fernander is talking about.
Perhaps you know who needs to do better. Perhaps you know who is more concerned about lining their pocket than lifting up our society.
But it’s not just the pastors. We all have a part to play. We can all do better.
Thank you, Bishop Fernander. You said what needed to be said. Now let us hope your words do not fall on deaf ears.
Fort Charlotte needs more than promises
EDITOR, The Tribune. There is a tone we have grown too used to in this country. A tone that drips with entitlement, where people speak as though positions belong to them and not to the people they claim to want to serve. That is the tone I heard in Travis Robinson’s recent remarks about Sebastian Bastian. When asked about the possibility of Mr Bastian entering frontline politics, Mr Robinson scoffed, “What more does he want?” As if ambition, when it is grounded in service, is something to be mocked. As if someone who has already contributed at a high level must now justify any desire to do more. But the more troubling question is not about Mr Bastian. It is about Mr Robinson. Because if his worldview tells him that people step into public life purely for what they can take, then we have to ask: why is he trying to get back in? Especially after being rejected by the very constituents who gave him his first shot?
Let us remember, Mr Robinson did not run in Fort Charlotte. He ran in Bain Town. And Bain Town voted him out. Just as Fort Charlotte voted out
the then-sitting MP, Mark Humes. Two communities spoke clearly. They wanted different. They wanted better. So for Mr Robinson to now circle into Fort Charlotte and begin drawing lines in the sand before his own party has even ratified him, it says more about his ego than his readiness. Now, let me be transparent. I do not gamble. I never have. I do not encourage it either. But I also understand the difference between a personal conviction and a national responsibility. Just because I may not agree with an industry does not mean I can ignore the leader behind it. Mr Bastian has built successful ventures, created jobs, opened doors, and given back in more ways than he has ever publicised. And he has done it without asking for anything in return. That matters. You can disagree with his industry. You can even question his philosophy. But what you cannot do is deny his contribution. And if more businesspeople were willing to step forward, not because they need to, but because they feel called to, we might finally see a shift in the quality of leadership this country attracts. The problem is not that Mr Bastian might run. The
PICTURE OF THE DAY
Stop leasing crumbling properties
EDITOR, The Tribune.
A S we proudly mark 52 years of Independence this July, our streets are draped in flags and filled with celebration. We boast of progress and national pride. But just off Bernard Road, hidden behind peeling walls and overgrown landscape, there is a different kind of story unfolding. One that shames us all.
problem is that some are threatened by the kind of accountability and execution someone like him would bring. Because it would expose how little has been delivered by those who have had the chance.
Fort Charlotte does not need placeholders. We do not need politicians looking for second acts after being voted out elsewhere. We need people who are serious about this work. People who have been serious about it long before politics was even an option.
So if Mr Bastian decides to run, I do not believe it will be out of personal gain, and that alone is a good start. Frankly, after years of the same tired political cycle, we could use more of that kind of thinking around here.
We have seen what does not work. We have heard the speeches. We have watched the switch-ups. This time, Fort Charlotte needs more than promises. We need presence. We need capacity. We need courage. And if Mr Bastian is bringing that to the table, I say we pull up a chair.
FORT CHARLOTTE RESIDENT, AGE 19 July 10, 2025.
The Poinciana Inn, leased by the Department of Social Services to serve as a shelter for displaced, homeless, and abused Bahamians, has become a living nightmare for the nearly 70 residents who call it home. What was once a functioning inn has deteriorated into a place of misery and abandonment. And while the country celebrates, they are quietly suffering. I had the chance to speak with two residents of the shelter who, out of fear of retaliation, asked to remain unnamed. What they described was not just heartbreaking. It was infuriating. From the moment they were placed at the shelter, they said the conditions have been unliveable. Some units are without electricity. The lower-level floods regularly because water leaks down from broken toilets and showers upstairs. Residents have hung sheets in hallways, not for privacy, but to hold back the constant flow of dirty water from above. The smell is heavy, the walls are damp, and Mold clings to every crevice.
In some rooms, plumbing has completely failed. Toilets remain clogged with human waste. Pipes are damaged. Faucets are dry. The communal kitchen is infested with rats and roaches. Mold spreads across the refrigerator, the stove, and the walls. The entire shelter
reeks of neglect.
Now, to make matters worse, the residents have been informed that they will be evicted from the Poinciana Inn on July 31, 2025. No alternative shelter has been provided. No relocation plan has been announced. According to the residents I spoke with, they were simply told to find something on their own. Social Services, the very agency responsible for placing them there in the first place, has offered no assistance.
Let that sink in. These are not regular tenants behind on rent. These are Bahamian citizens receiving aid from the government because they are homeless. Many have no family, no income, no options. And in just a few weeks, they are being put out with nowhere to go and no one to turn to.
There is a Social Services office on-site, managed by one of the department’s directors. Yet residents say their real help comes from local churches that drop off food and check in when they can. There is no job placement support. No wi-fi. No consistent guidance or therapy. Some residents work. Most do not. They are trying their best with what little they have, but the system is not built to help them succeed. It is built to keep them stuck. The shelter houses the elderly. Mothers with small children. Individuals with disabilities. And at its heart are the most innocent victims of this neglect “the children”. Babies crawling on wet floors. Kids growing up surrounded by rot. This is not a place of safety. It is a place of survival.
Under Bahamian law, every person has the right to adequate housing. This includes basic needs such as clean water, functioning sanitation, and protection from hazards. Government shelters whether owned by the government or leased must uphold these standards. Anything less is a violation of human dignity. The solution is clear. The government must stop leasing crumbling properties from landlords who profit from the desperation of the poor. Instead, it is time to invest in building proper transitional housing through public and private partnerships. Facilities must be clean, secure, and equipped to support families in crisis. That includes job training programs, mandatory placement assistance, group and private counselling, and on-site case managers who actually do the work of rehabilitation. Internet access is not a luxury. It is a necessity. We must create shelters that lift people up, not bury them in deeper despair. If we truly believe in the spirit of independence, we must start acting like it. Independence is not just about flags, parades, and anthems. It is about how we treat the most vulnerable among us when no one is watching.
Let the Poinciana Inn be the last place where Bahamians are forgotten. Let this be the moment we stop celebrating freedom in theory and start practicing it in truth. Because a country that ignores its poor is not free. And a government that abandons its people has no right to call itself great.
HEATHER McDONALD July 20, 2025.
Have a cool, fun, interesting, amazing photo? Have it featured here in The Tribune’s picture of the day! Email your high quality image to pictureoftheday@tribunemedia.net
A YOUNG boy plays the trumpet while rushing with the Way Forward Valley Boys yesterday. Photo: Nikia Charlton
Family of South African girl killed on yacht arrive in country to seek justice
By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net
THE parents of a 20-year-old South African stewardess found dead aboard a luxury yacht in Harbour Island last week have arrived in The Bahamas to repatriate her body and pursue justice for her killing after a fellow crewmember was formally charged with her murder. Paige Bell, a stewardess on the 43-metre charter yacht Far From It, was discovered in the vessel’s engine room shortly after 1pm on Wednesday, July 3. Police found her with injuries to her neck and arms. A man, also a crew member, was found nearby with serious arm wounds and taken into custody.
Authorities have since charged 39-year-old Mexican national Brigido Munoz, of Monterrey, with Bell’s murder. He was arraigned before Chief Magistrate Roberto Reckley on Wednesday
and was remanded to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services. Munoz was not required to enter a plea and will return to court on November 20 for a Voluntary Bill of Indictment (VBI). He was informed of his right to apply for bail through the Supreme Court. Both the accused and the victim worked aboard the yacht, which was docked at Romora Bay Marina at the time of the incident. Bell, who previously served aboard Sweet Emocean until December 2024, had reportedly been missing for a short time before police boarded the yacht and found her body. Her death reportedly came just days before what would have been her 21st birthday on July 14. Her grieving family — Chelsey Jacobs, Michelle Bell, and John Bell — have released a statement describing their anguish.
“We are devastated beyond words, and now we must also navigate complex and costly legal
proceedings in a foreign country — something far beyond our family’s financial means,” the statement read. “This heartbreaking loss has been deeply felt by everyone who knew and loved Paigey — her
former captain, the boat owner, the crew and our entire community.”
“We are humbly asking for your support. Whether it is by sharing this message or contributing financially, every bit helps.
Please keep our family in your thoughts and prayers as we fight for Paigey.”
A GoFundMe campaign launched by her former crewmates on Sweet Emocean has raised over $42,000, far surpassing the
original $16,000 goal, to support the family with travel, legal, and funeral expenses.
“Paige was more than a teammate, she was family,” the crew wrote in a tribute post.
Father fights for custody of daughter injured in recent murder-suicide in Montel Heights
By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter
THE father of a 12-year-old girl injured in a murder-suicide is fighting for full custody, claiming the system failed to protect his daughter after she pleaded to leave her mother’s home.
Shannon Davis, 37, said his daughter had expressed fears weeks before the tragedy unfolded inside a Montel
Heights residence early Tuesday morning. Her mother, Patricia Major, and her mother’s boyfriend were shot and injured. The gunman — Major’s ex, Jeffrey Mackey — was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot.
“I couldn’t do nothing because how [expletive] up the system is,” he told T he Tribune . “If the system aint find the mother unfit, they can never give the child to the daddy.”
Mr Davis said he learned about the attack through his brother, who urged him to go to the hospital.
“She was trying to get out of that house,” he said, describing her as bright, going into Grade 8.
Mr Davis said he was aware of Mackey’s violent past and had warned that the situation was unsafe. He is now in contact with the Ministry of Social Services and working to file for custody.
Man sentenced to 20 years jail for sex abuse of 7-year-old boy
By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net
A 28-YEAR-OLD man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after being found guilty of sexually abusing a young boy, whose subsequent suicide attempt was linked to the trauma of the abuse. Basil McDonald was convicted of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor of the same sex and indecent assault. He was sentenced before Justice Guillimina Archer-Minns on July 3. The abuse occurred when the victim was between the ages of 7 and 9, while McDonald was seen as a “big brother” figure. The victim reportedly idolised McDonald and referred to him as “King Basil”. Court testimony revealed that McDonald would babysit the child. During these times, he would instruct the boy to undress, lie naked with him, and watch homosexual pornography together. He also reportedly
engaged in oral sex with the child and kissed him on the mouth.
The victim initially did not report the abuse, believing the acts were normal. In March 2023, he disclosed the incidents to a classmate and teacher. Following a suicide attempt on March 31, he was taken to the principal’s office, and his parents were notified. The case was reported to police in April, and McDonald was arrested in June 2023.
Despite maintaining his innocence, McDonald was unanimously found guilty by a jury on February 25.
A probation report noted that McDonald was previously seen as a respected church member and dedicated employee and had been married for a year and a half.
During sentencing, defence attorney Jairam Mangra claimed the conviction was unjust and that McDonald’s freedom was unfairly taken. Prosecutors Shaneka Carey and Betty Wilson argued that McDonald showed no
remorse and had gravely violated the trust of the victim’s family.
Justice Archer-Minns acknowledged McDonald’s young age and clean record as mitigating factors. However, she emphasised the child’s vulnerability, the breach of trust, the convict’s lack of remorse, and the psychological toll on the victim.
The judge described McDonald’s actions as perverted and said he demonstrated a deceptive personality disorder. She noted the child now struggles with trust and self-identity and attempted suicide due to the abuse.
McDonald was sentenced to 20 years for unlawful sexual intercourse and five years for indecent assault, to be served concurrently. His 22 days on remand will be credited toward his sentence.
The court recommended that he receive counselling and be given the opportunity to pursue educational programmes while incarcerated.
Attorney Shantelle Munroe, a civil litigator specialising in family law, said he has legal grounds to seek custody, especially if the child was exposed to violence.
She said courts typically act out of caution in such cases, prioritising the child’s welfare while weighing both parents’ actions or inaction.
Relatives of the mother said Tuesday’s incident wasn’t a random outburst but a tragedy years in the
making.
Ms Major reportedly filed complaints against her ex-boyfriend of 21 years, and recently attempted to have him bound over to keep the peace. Their daughter, 18-yearold Tresia, told The Tribune her father had been unravelling for some time, writing disturbing notes and issuing threats.
“I know he wanted to kill her,” she said. “The police know that, so
instead
This
She recounted how her father would leave notes suggesting he planned to kill her mother and take his own life, writing things like: “She treat me like a dog so I gotta take her away with me.”
Tresia said her father was emotionally volatile, threatening her if she didn’t convince her mother to visit him.
of the police lock him up, I don’t know why the police left him alone.
isn’t the first time.”
PAIGE BELL, 20-year-old
South African stewardess, was discovered dead aboard a charter yacht ‘Far From It’ while in Harbour Island on July. The yacht (pictured right) is currently docked in Lyford Cay.
Calming our wild, wild West waters
IT IS impossible to think of The Bahamas without thinking water. Our history, our lives, our livelihoods are enriched by it and immersed in it.
We are surrounded by the seas, the ripples, waves and flat calms that engulf us, living on our little slice of hard ground scattered somewhere in the universe of 100,000 square miles of open ocean running freely from the northern tip just off the Palm Beach coast of Florida to the southern border at Cay Lobos. There, just 15 miles off the Cuban coast, lies the old Bahama Channel, a major transit route for merchant shipping vessels as well as cruise ships transiting from Florida to the northern Caribbean. Our waters define us. More than five hundred years ago, they were the gateway to the New World. Our ancestors made their way to this land crossing the Atlantic until they reached these seas. Until the recent advent of travel by air, people, goods and supplies arrived by sea and even today, our country’s number one economic engine, tourism, is driven in large part by the cruise industry which is projected to deliver 6.2 million passengers to our shores this year.
TAKE OUR BREATH AWAY
Despite our absolute dependency on these waters, we have not always been kind to them. We have overfished them and told ourselves there would always be more fish in the sea. We have allowed others to come in and disrespect them, anchoring on coral reefs or taking marine resources when the only thing they should be allowed to take is photos. In the 1700s, our forebears felt helpless as pirates ruled the waves. In the 1800s, it was the illegal trade supplying the Civil War in America. In the 1980s, it was the drug trade zipping across from Colombia and elsewhere to packaging houses here and on to the big market to the north. Throughout, these beautiful waters that take our breath away just looking at them have been the highways of the west for human trafficking. Despite the gun and drugs, slave and rare tropical bird smuggling, the waters treated us as if we were not their abusers. The most horrific human abuses took place in the holds of ships carrying slaves and the waters just laid down and let it pass. They were the innocent pad on which ugly trade passed. But a change is in the making. Our relationship with our waters is changing. We are more aware
By Diane Phillips
of the treasures they hide, the reefs, the resources, the food, the potential blue carbon credits of our sea grass meadows and at the same time, we are more reckless in how we scour and scar, how we travel over these once-willing partners to whatever we carried on their back. We want to be more protective, yet we are more vulnerable than ever as more people than ever before have the ability to do harm. And it is our own fault for we do not enforce rules that others would obey if we showed the courage to stand up and do the right thing. Instead, what is happening is a new kind of ugly, a disrespect for the water and for those who swim, snorkel or dive in them, a disrespect for those in boats smaller than the yachts and superyachts that treat this as a personal playground and play by their own rules since we don’t seem to have any. Foreign-operated and local boats tear through bays. If there is a no wake zone, there is no visible enforcement. If there is a speed limit, there are no signs. If there are rules, no one is bothering to pay attention to them. Many may not even know.
Many destinations require licences simply to ride a bicycle but in The Bahamas anyone with a credit card can operate a boat even if they never set foot on one before.
BOAT S A GREATER
THREAT THAN SHARKS EVER WERE
Boats have become a greater threat to safety in the water than sharks ever were. And sharks are protected because people paid attention to their value. Boats and boaters on the other hand have been left to their own devices because we thought that every kid who grew up in The Bahamas grew up around boating and knew the basics. Not so. The more the population grows and especially in the inner city, the greater the numbers of those who can gaze at the waters but not have the slightest knowledge how to run a boat.
TRAGIC AGE OF THE SEA
And so we find ourselves at this crossroads in our legacy. Welcome to the new age, the tragic age of the sea around us. The waters of The Bahamas have become the wild, wild West of this land that
is 90 percent water and ten percent hard earth.
The latest incident of a visitor in Exuma being hit by a speeding boat that failed to stop thrust a microscope on a boil that has been brewing for years and is about to pop. That father visiting with his family from Texas was lucky to have been rescued by volunteers. He was fortunate and so was The Bahamas that he went on national TV in the US and thanked those volunteers including well-known Exumian Reno Curling instead of calling The Bahamas out for allowing unsafe conditions.
The man was only 20 feet offshore when the boat hit him. The rule is a boat under power is to be 200 feet offshore of any swimming area but then there are no signs in the water anywhere with such rules and no enforcement.
A couple in a small boat off Staniel Cay in the Central Exumas wasn’t so lucky. They were hit in their dinghy last year by a larger boat whose captain said he never saw them because they were below the level of his freeboard and no charges were ever filed. The larger vessel ran right over them. The woman died from her injuries and the man was left in critical condition clinging to life, all because they chose to vacation in a country that lures people to its waters but does nothing to protect them or ensure their safety.
If ever there were a need to take the issue of safety around the waters seriously, the most recent incident in Exuma should arouse our resolve to do better. Let it serve as the catalyst.
NO BOAT S IN BAYS
We must not allow shipping, supply delivery or commercial vessels of any kind to enter bays where swimmers are. We must stop turning a blind eye to commercial vessels and snorkellers sharing the same close-to-shore space.
At a minimum, DEPP must be aware of any application that requests permits for any development in T he Bahamas that would allow a supply or passenger vessel to come within 200 feet of a shore frequented by swimmers and deny such applications, requiring the applicant to find a different, safer solution. At a minimum, foreign boaters should be required to show a license or certification if they are renting a boat in T he Bahamas. At a minimum, any Bahamian operating a vessel powered by anything over 15 hp should be required to pass a physical operator’s exam.
At a minimum, authorities must monitor Nassau harbour and the waters off Montagu Beach and Arawak Cay where nearly every hour of every day violators tear through too close to shore,
threatening children, seniors, the regulars who swim daily and the visitor who has dreamed of one day soaking in the turquoise waters of T he Bahamas.
PRIME M INISTER PLEDGE
Just a week ago, Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis stood at a podium, his back to the harbour off the western end of Arawak Cay. He was opening the new facilities at LJM Maritime Academy pledging stepped up enforcement of laws about speeding vessels in the harbour. The Exuma incident was fresh and raw on everyone’s mind and the audience applauded. We could not hear his next sentence. Right behind him, a vessel sped by, its engines roaring, followed by another and another, three during the few minutes he spoke. It was all the evidence anyone would need to see the point he was making. The point we think he was making since we couldn’t fully hear him over the noise of the engines. The time has come and passed. Before there is another Exuma incident, swimmer hit by boat, let us take the necessary steps to turn the wild, wild West of the waters into the waters we all take such pride in, the waters that gave our ancestors life and will one day feed the generations to follow, giving life to our children and their children to come.
BRENT SLOUGH, a man visiting the Exumas with his family, was hit and seriously injured by a speedboat while snorkelling. He was taken to the local clinic and later flown to Jackson memorial Hospital in Miami, Florida.
Photos: Slough Family
Has Trump awakened to who Putin really is?
SOMETHING significant
might just have happened on Tuesday afternoon in hot, humid Washington, DC.
In the midst of the appropriately saturated news coverage of the tragic flash floods in Texas’ picturesque Hill Country along the Guadalupe River between Austin and San Antonio, CNN and other cable news outlets switched to the White House.
In the presidential mansion’s impressive Cabinet Room, President Donald Trump was holding forth during the portion of a regular cabinet meeting that was open to reporters. He took questions from a couple of reporters on the RussiaUkraine War. As he did so, it seemed that at long last, Trump has figured out what even casual observers have known for 25 years. Vladimir Putin is a ruthless, implacable foe of the West in general, and of the United States in particular. This unreconstructed cold warrior looks and acts the part of a cynical assassin, with his thin lips, aquiline nose, trim build and ominously menacing Slavic countenance.
Putin can nonetheless
STATESIDE
with Charlie Harper
clearly be charming. When he was president, George W Bush thought he had figured out Putin. “I can see into his soul,” Bush naively intoned at one point. Putin, who like his Soviet predecessors seems to instinctively feel more comfortable dealing with conservative Republican presidents than with their more social justice-minded Democratic counterparts, had obviously charmed Bush II
Like Bush, Trump since 2017 has believed that he enjoys a special relationship with and insight into the mind of Putin. For almost a decade, Trump has boasted about his mutual admiration society with Putin. To almost anyone with even a slight knowledge of Russia, its history and political makeup, this seemed nonsensical. And since the US and
Russia still possess massive nuclear arsenals, Trump’s silly, narcissistic, innocent fascination with Putin represented a potentially disastrous, existential threat to the future of our world.
Putin, fundamentally, is just what most of us think he is: He is a cunning, skilled, experienced advocate for Russian nationalism and its return to the international power and glory of his young professional life as a KGB agent in the post-war Soviet satellite entity then known as East Germany.
Putin is not our friend. On Tuesday, Trump may have finally figured this out. If so, we can all breathe a sigh of relief. Ukraine is still standing, defying the patched-up Russian army even as Putin launches ever more savage attacks on civilians in Kyiv and elsewhere in a persistent
attempt to bring this former Soviet satellite nation to a point of capitulation.
Trump and Putin have spoken a couple of times recently. Here’s how Trump described their conversation as the news cameras rolled: Trump said he was “very unhappy” with Putin, with whom he spoke for more than an hour last Thursday.
“We get a lot of bullshit thrown at us by Putin, if you want to know the truth,” Trump said. “He’s very nice all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless.”
If Trump has finally awakened from his inexplicable slumber on Putin, well, better late than never.
At a June NATO summit meeting, Trump appeared to soften his resistance to continued support for Ukraine and its president Volodymyr Zelensky. He has mused
publicly that the US might indeed need to ramp up military support for Ukraine.
“I don’t know what the hell happened to Putin,” Trump had said in May, before posting on social media, “he has gone absolutely CRAZY.”
News coverage of Trump’s recent conversations with Putin have mostly followed a similar narrative.
In speaking with Trump, Putin reportedly reiterated his resolute position on negotiations for a ceasefire, which has led many Western officials to question whether he is serious about peace talks. According to a Kremlin spokesman, Putin told Trump that Russia would continue its aggressive pursuit of its war aims and resolve the “root causes” of the conflict. That “root causes” phrase is Kremlin shorthand for Moscow’s demands that Ukraine cede territory, embrace neutrality, be excluded from joining NATO or other military alliances and be subjected to limits on its military.
“Russia will not retreat from those goals,” the spokesman said, without describing them.
But the Russian goal is
simply the demilitarisation and neutralisation of its western neighbour Ukraine, establishing a dependable buffer against aggression from the West. Together with northern neighbour Belarus, whose status as a Russian satellite is already further along and well established, a neutralised Ukraine would represent achievement of Russia’s historical number one foreign policy goal –security against Western assault.
Absolutely nothing new about that. It’s been the bedrock principle of Russian and Soviet foreign policy for hundreds of years. And from Napoleon to Adolf Hitler and their momentous attempts to overrun Russia, it’s not hard to understand why. The Russian spokesman said that during recent talks with Putin, “Donald Trump again raised the question of the quick end to the military action. Vladimir Putin, for his part, answered that we are continuing to try to search for a politically negotiated solution to the conflict.” Will Trump reinvigorate Western resistance? We can always hope so.
Keep your shoes on
THERE’S a report circulating that, if it is confirmed, should ease some of the inconvenience imposed on air travellers by the security response to 9/11 and the number of airliner hijackings in recent decades.
You might not have to take off your shoes as you pass through airport security on the way to your airport departure lounge any more.
The following statement was issued the other day: “TSA and DHS are always exploring new and innovative ways to enhance the passenger experience and our strong security posture,” a TSA spokesman said. “Any potential updates to our security process will be issued through official channels.”
The TSA spokesman continued. “Air travellers should feel relieved knowing that technology has advanced so significantly that TSA officers can detect threats while you continue wearing your shoes,” he said. “In the old days, this wasn’t the case.”
The TSA has been requiring passengers to take off their shoes since 2006, nearly five years after a terrorist tried to detonate an explosive in his shoe while aboard an American Airlines flight from Paris to Miami. Let’s see how this plays out. But keeping our shoes on at the airport would be a welcome change.
TSA is the US Transportation Safety Administration, whose staffers screen your passage from the departure hall at the airport through to the boarding gates when you travel by commercial airliner. DHS is the Department of Homeland Security, home agency to TSA and one of the principal responses of the George W Bush administration to the vulnerability of the US that was exposed by the terroristic attacks of September 11, 2001.
BOND RETURN GOOD FOR BAHAMAS
James Bond is coming back. And that’s often been good news for The Bahamas. As we know, The Bahamas, and Nassau in particular, has played a significant role in the 27-film James Bond film franchise. The relationship between James Bond and the Bahamas began with Thunderball (1965) and continued with Never Say Never Again (1983) and Casino Royale (2006). All three films relied heavily on locations in and around Nassau and Paradise Island, and the thrill of that never really gets old. And almost every James Bond film with an underwater scene was filmed in the Bahamas, including You Only Live Twice (1967), The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), For Your Eyes Only (1981), and The World is Not Enough (1999). There has been much speculation about the potential release of the next
Bond film, and even more about who would take over for Daniel Craig in the title role. Best current guess is 2027, but only rumour on the lead actor. But the film’s director has been picked, and that’s progress. French-Canadian director Denis Villeneuve will be at the helm.
“Some of my earliest movie-going memories are connected to 007. I grew up watching James Bond films with my father, ever since Dr No with Sean Connery. I’m a die-hard Bond fan. To me, he’s sacred territory,” said Villeneuve. Connery lived for decades at Lyford Cay until his death in 2020.
Amazon bought MGM in 2022 for $8.25 billion, acquiring the rights to distribute all 27 of the Bond films.
MGM’s Bond films are the studio’s most lucrative intellectual property, having brought in billions since first releasing “Dr No” in 1962.
RUSSIAN President Vladimir Putin speaks with Yuri Chikhanchin, the Director of the Federal Financial Monitoring System, at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday.
Photo: Mikhail Metzel/AP
Eleuthera: Island where heaven and earth meet
THIS spring marked 22 years since my first visit to the island of Eleuthera. During this time, I have helped facilitate over 1,000 visitors to the island, primarily in my roles as Campus Minister at Clemson University (2001–2013) and currently as President of One Eleuthera Foundation (OEF) of the US (since 2016). I am often asked by people in the States, “What makes Eleuthera so special?”
And my response usually goes something like this: “Well, Eleuthera is a beautiful island full of beautiful people. But the same could be said for many places around the world. What has made Eleuthera so special for me – and why I kept coming back and bringing friends with me over the years – is its ability to touch people’s hearts and souls in deeply meaningful ways. In my experience, Eleuthera has always been a ‘holy’ place - a place to experience long-lasting personal transformation.” I witnessed this once again this past week when one of my long-time friends, David Boudolf with John Wesley UMC in Charleston, SC, brought a group of 24 high schoolers and adults to the island for a week of retreat, reflection and service. The group was hosted by Wesley Methodist Church in Tarpum Bay, and the bulk of their service took place working on two farm-related projects in South Eleuthera.
The first took place at Preston Albury High School in Rock Sound where these American high schoolers worked side-by-side for a day with Bahamian high schoolers who are learning about various agricultural methods and approaches on their campus.
The second and the bulk of the students’ volunteer hours, however, were invested at The Farm at the Centre for Training and Innovation (CTI), working on a range of ongoing
By Rev Lane Glaze
projects connected to the Oasis Grow House and the creation of a new one-acre regenerative food forest. Ironically, this same church group visited the island three summers ago and were instrumental in assisting with the first planting season of the new cooling house.
Boudolf, who has been in youth ministry for nearly 25 years, described his group’s time on Eleuthera this way: “I saw our teenagers grow closer together as they put down their phones – whether they were serving on the CTI Farm or taking in the natural beauty of Eleuthera. They loved playing basketball with the local youth of Tarpum Bay and sharing ice cream with new friends in Rock Sound. They deepened their faith by worshipping at Wesley Methodist Church and studying the Book of James’ emphasis on how a full faith is lived out through good works. The week was a beautiful reminder that when we step away from distractions and step into service, God shows up in powerful ways.”
As I hear this reflection and others from the youth and adults who have forever been blessed by their time on Eleuthera, I am
reminded of literally hundreds of similar stories like theirs that I have heard over the years. A stressedout architecture student who leaves the island a week later with a calm, peace, and perspective that has sustained him for years now. A timid nursing student who was lacking in confidence before the trip, but leaves Eleuthera with a deep-seated conviction about her path forward in the profession. A college student majoring in engineering who finally hears and affirms a call to fulltime ministry. A 70-year-old widow who discovers that her best days are not behind her and that she still has much to offer to her community. What is it about Eleuthera that makes these kinds of personal transformation experiences so frequent?
For starters, Eleuthera has always been one of those “thin places” where it seems like heaven and earth meet. The natural beauty and the gracious, friendly people both contribute to a palpable experience of the Divine for most. But, as I noted earlier, there are many beautiful places and people all around the world, which leads
me to the “secret” of fully experiencing Eleuthera: Getting involved. So many of us when we travel end up spending our time sequested or isolated from the local community. For me and the groups that I have helped facilitate to Eleuthera, we have always strived for the exact opposite. We come expecting to roll up our sleeves, to get dirt under our nails and to break a sweat working, serving and breaking bread alongside local children, teenagers, and adults as
they “do life”. It is in these moments when the beauty and freedom connected to Eleuthera shine through.
Each year, OEF and CTI welcome dozens of school, church, retreat and civic groups to our campus to learn and serve. In some cases, our guests learn and serve with us for a few hours or a full day. But several times a year, we are blessed with teams like the one from Charleston, who collectively donate hundreds of man- (and woman-) hours to our
farm. Needless to say, this kind of gift gives a huge boost to our farm team and greater organisation’s efforts. If you and your group would like to create a similar experience where you can enjoy the beauty of Eleuthera and its people while also growing stronger personally and as a team, please reach out to info@ oneleuthera.org. We would love to welcome you to Eleuthera… an island of great beauty, freedom, and transformation.
A former CPA and private banker, Lane is a native of Charleston but now makes his home in Clemson, South Carolina with his wife Anne. An ordained United Methodist minister, Lane has served as president for OEF-US since its inception in 2016. He is also Professor of Practice at Clemson University, teaching in the area of non-profit leadership. Established in 2012, the One Eleuthera Foundation (OEF) is a non-profit organisation located in Rock Sound, Eleuthera. For more information, visit www.oneeleuthera.org or email info@oneeleuthera. org. The Centre for Training and Innovation (CTI) is the first and only postsecondary, non-profit education and training institution and social enterprise on Eleuthera. CTI operates a student training campus in Rock Sound, Eleuthera, with a 16-room training hotel, restaurant and farm. For more information about CTI’s programmes, email info@oneeleuthera.org.
of One Eleuthera Foundation
REV LANE GLAZE
EARLY Education undergraduate students from Emory University engage in experiential learning and hands-on classroom activities.
STUDY abroad university students enjoy an immersive cultural exchange while living, working, and providing community service in local settlements across Eleuthera.
BUILDING bridges and economies through Education TourismDr Matt Brownlee, associate professor of parks, recreation and tourism management, Emory University; Dr Hala Nassar, Professor of landscape architecture, Emory University; Lane Glaze, president, OEF-US.
THIS spring, Dr. Jill Shellnut led a group of eight undergraduate students on a study abroad program to Eleuthera focused on early education development.
GBPC warns of outages for next four to six weeks due to scheduled maintenance
By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Chief Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net
GRAND Bahama residents are being warned to brace for brief power outages over the next four to six weeks as the island’s power company carries out scheduled maintenance and sources additional temporary generation to strengthen its electricity grid.
The notice from Grand Bahama Power Company (GBPC) follows a lightning strike on Wednesday that caused an island-wide outage, leaving hundreds of residents without power for several hours.
The strike occurred around 8.36am and
damaged a transmission line, triggering a complete loss of generation across the island. GBPC said the grid’s configuration led to the loss of a major generating unit at the Peel Street plant, resulting in a systemwide failure.
Restoration crews were immediately mobilised, with power returned to the first group of customers within an hour. Full restoration was completed shortly after noon, the company said.
Neilsen Beneby, GBPC’s energy transformation lead, said such weather-related incidents are unpredictable and can sometimes cause service disruption.
“As part of our ongoing efforts, we are currently sourcing additional temporary generation and advancing scheduled maintenance activities,” Mr Beneby continued. “We are committed to keeping customers proactively informed and are doing everything within our control to ensure reliable power delivery once this period of work is completed.”
Regarding its summer readiness plans, he said customers can be assured that officials have sufficient generation capacity in place to meet demand.
Nonetheless, he added that the company continues to implement a structured capital maintenance plan to improve long-term reliability.
IMF: Tourism spending data potentially overstated
By JADE RUSSELL Tribune Staff Reporter jrussell@tribunemedia.net
THE Bahamas may be overstating how much money tourists are spending, and the gap could be helping to mask larger economic problems.
That’s the message from a new report by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which flagged the country’s tourism estimates as potentially inflated and warned that outdated data collection is making it harder to track where money is really coming from or going.
The IMF said current estimates for how much tourists spend, known as “travel credits”, appear too high and are propping up the country’s balance of payments. The concern is that those numbers may not match what’s actually happening on the ground, especially as newer data from the Ministry of Tourism suggests lower revenue than what’s reported in official statistics. If those numbers are adjusted downward, the result could be a nearly $1bn hole in the national accounts.
The report highlights what it refers to as “Net Errors and Omissions” (NEOs), a category that tracks unexplained discrepancies in international transactions. The report says The NEOs for 2023 could swing to a negative $923m, or around 6.5 percent of GDP, if tourism earnings are revised.
“Estimates for travel credits may be concealing shortfalls in other parts of the balance of payments,” the IMF said. Most data used to estimate visitor spending is based on old surveys and assumptions. The IMF is urging the government to modernise how it collects that information through updated visitor surveys, better collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism, and more accurate tracking of what visitors actually do and spend when they’re here.
The report also highlights a much broader problem: large amounts of money are flowing into and out of the country through offshore entities — banks, funds, and shell companies — yet none of that activity is currently
captured in the country’s official statistics.
In 2023, countries like Luxembourg and Singapore reported receiving over $90bn in investments from The Bahamas. But locally, officials could only explain a small fraction of that amount. The rest likely comes from offshore financial activity that isn’t being properly monitored or reported.
The IMF is calling for an overhaul in how The Bahamas tracks its external finances. It wants the Central Bank to bring offshore entities into national reporting, survey real estate markets to better understand foreign property investment, and update systems that haven’t kept pace with how global money actually moves. Some progress has already been made. The Central Bank has started collecting more detailed information from local banks and insurance companies. Surveys have also begun for pension funds and investment vehicles. But for the system to be credible, the IMF says, the offshore sector must be fully integrated.
Rush for savings as shoppers flock to Hoffer’s clear out sale
A MASSIVE crowd gathered at a Cable Beach shopping plaza on Wednesday after word spread of Hoffer Sport’s clearance sale offering 50 to 75 percent off footwear and clothing. The event, shared largely via WhatsApp, drew shoppers from
across New Providence, many hoping to ease financial pressure ahead of the new school term. Amid rising living costs, residents described the sale as a rare opportunity to stretch limited budgets. Despite early chaos— overturned boxes and
scattered shoes—many managed to find deals. By afternoon, the crowd had thinned.
Some shoppers said such sales are increasingly vital as they struggle to meet household needs without exceeding their budgets.
SHOPPERS crowd the parking lot at Hoffer and Son’s West Bay location in search of deals as word spread of a big clearance sale.
CONSUMER PROTEC TION WARNS PUBLIC OVER RISE IN SOCIAL MEDIA MARKET PLACE COMPLAINTS
THE Consumer Protection Commission (CPC) is warning the public about a rise in complaints linked to social media transactions, particularly on marketplace, trade, and barter pages.
Officials say many of the complaints involve businesses with no formal registration, no physical address, and unreliable contact details.
“In our efforts to continue to educate consumers on their rights and safeguard their interests, we urge Bahamians to do more research before
engaging in online business that could lead to financial loss,” said executive chairman Senator Randy Rolle. “It is also critical to always request and retain receipts or documentation of all transactions.”
Despite the convenience
Man sentenced to five years of jail for drug-related charges
By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter
pbailey@tribunemedia.net
A 63-YEAR-OLD man was sentenced to five years in prison on Wednesday after being found guilty in connection with a $1.5m cocaine bust in Exuma in 2021.
Anton Johnson appeared before Senior Magistrate Raquel Whyms on four drug-related charges, including conspiracy to possess dangerous drugs with intent to supply, possession of dangerous drugs with intent to supply, conspiracy to import dangerous drugs, and importation of
dangerous drugs. According to police, around 1pm on June 13, 2021, officers on routine air patrol observed a white and blue twin-engine Piper Aztec flying at a low altitude over Steventon, Great Exuma. Officials reported seeing occupants of the aircraft discard two objects mid-flight. The plane continued northbound at a low altitude before landing on Staniel Cay, Exuma, where Johnson and another man were taken into custody. Authorities recovered 58 black-taped packages containing 150 pounds of cocaine. The drugs had an estimated street value of
$1.5m. After reviewing the evidence, Magistrate Whyms found Johnson guilty of the first two charges but ruled there was insufficient evidence to support the importation-related counts. Johnson was sentenced to five years at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services and fined $50,000. Failure to pay the fine could result in an additional year of imprisonment. Additionally, $3,100 seized during Johnson’s arrest was ordered forfeited to the Crown.
Sergeant 2257 Wilkinson served as the prosecutor.
of online shopping, the CPC said complaints often involved sellers disappearing after being paid or failing to deliver as promised. In some cases, goods arrived damaged—or not at all. Others reported phone numbers that didn’t work or were suddenly disconnected.
Unlicenced operators and those with no fixed location were among the top red flags cited. The CPC urged buyers to verify sellers and keep records of every transaction. The agency is now working with the Bahamas Trade Commission, the Bahamas Bureau of Standards and Quality, and law enforcement to track and respond to fraud. Consumers who believe they’ve been misled can file a complaint at complaints@cpcbahamas.gov. bs or call (242) 357-7898.
Photos: Dante Carrer/ Tribune Staff
EUROPE AN ALLIES ST EP UP PLANS FOR FUTURE UKRAINE STABILISATION FORCE, US ATT
ROME Associated Press
COUNTRIES prepared to provide troops for a post-cease-fire force in Ukraine agreed to set up a headquarters in Paris for a rapid deployment after hostilities end in Russia’s war on its neighbour. A US delegation was present for the first time at a meeting of the group on Thursday.
Retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, US President Donald Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, was on hand for the meeting, which took place on the sidelines of the fourth annual conference on Ukraine’s recovery held in Rome.
Also present were Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham and Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal, who have co-sponsored a new sanctions bill against Russia, calling in part for a 500% tariff on goods imported from countries that continue to buy Russian oil.
French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer joined the meeting via videoconference from Britain, where Macron is on a state visit.
In a statement, coalition members said they had agreed on a Paris headquarters for the first year of the force, which is to be known as the Multinational Force Ukraine, and then rotating it to London, with plans for a coordination cell in Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital.
The force, whose 30 or so members weren’t identified, is expected to provide logistical and training experts to help
reconstitute Ukraine’s armed forces, secure Ukraine’s skies and the Black Sea. No specific commitments were announced and Blumenthal and Graham ruled out any plans for US troops on the ground.
Starmer said the “reassurance force” is essential for delivering security to Europe.
“That is why the coalition of the willing is ensuring we have a future force that can deploy following a ceasefire to deter Russian aggression for years to come,” he said in a statement.
Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni said she was proud that Washington’s participation in the coalition meeting, the sixth since the war began, happened in Rome and said it was a “fundamental” sign of Western unity in backing Kyiv.
“I do agree on the fact that we must also increase pressure on Moscow to achieve as soon as possible a ceasefire that will
finally make way for diplomacy,” she said. “But as always we have to remind that it only can happen thanks to deterrence, it only can happen thanks to deterrence, as anyone who is not naive perfectly understands.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, for his part, also thanked Kellogg, Graham and Blumenthal for their attendance, as well as recent signs from Trump of support for Ukraine.
He repeated a comment that Blumenthal had made in the closed-door meeting, when he noted the number of countries willing to back Kyiv on the ground. Blumenthal said the picture of so many leaders “was worth more than 1,000 words.”
The announced aid packages for Ukraine, and very decisive signals about sanctions - I believe that these words aren’t empty, and the picture, as our American partner said today, is speaking for itself,” Zelenskyy said.
RESCUERS SE ARCH FOR MISSING CRE W OF RED SE A attack - US claimS Yemen
rebel S ‘kidnapped’ them
DUBAI Associated Press
RESCUERS found four more crew members Thursday who went missing after Yemen’s Houthi rebels sank a ship in the Red Sea as the United States alleged the group may “have kidnapped” others on board.
The Houthis released dramatic footage of the sinking of the Liberian-flagged, Greek-owned Eternity C, which the rebels targeted with gunfire and explosive drones for hours, killing at least three crew members.
The attack on the Eternity C, as well as the sinking of the bulk carrier Magic Seas after another attack Sunday, represent a new level of violence being employed by the Houthis after a months of holding their fire in a campaign they tie back to the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile, a new possible ceasefire in that war — as well as the future of talks between the US and Iran over Tehran’s battered nuclear program — remain in the balance. The Houthis said that they fired a missile at Israel on Thursday morning, which the Israeli military said that it intercepted.
A statement from the European Union naval mission in the Red Sea said the crew of the Eternity C included 22 sailors, among them 21 Filipinos and one
Russian, as well as a threemember security team.
Rescuers on Wednesday recovered five Filipinos and one Indian.
On Thursday, the EU force known as Operation Aspides said they found three more Filipinos, and a Greek national who was part of the ship’s security team, bringing the total number of those recovered alive to 10.
At least three people also were killed during the hourslong attack on the ship, the EU force previously said, and their nationalities weren’t immediately known. That leaves a dozen unaccounted for.
In footage released by the Houthis, a rebel can be purportedly heard on a VHF radio transmission offering those on board the ability to flee the sinking vessel. However, it wasn’t clear if any more crew fled and what happened to them. The Houthis said in a statement that their forces “responded to rescue a number of the ship’s crew, provide them with medical care and transport them to a safe location.” The statement offered no details on the number of the crew, their condition or where they were.
In a post late Wednesday on the X, the US Embassy in Yemen — which has operated from Saudi Arabia for about a decade now — denounced the Houthis as
having “kidnapped” the crew.
“After killing their shipmates, sinking their ship and hampering rescue efforts, the Houthi terrorists have kidnapped many surviving crew members of the Eternity C,” the embassy said. “We call for their immediate and unconditional safe release.”
The Houthis have held mariners in the past. After seizing a ship called the Galaxy Leader in November 2023, the rebels held the crew until January 2025.
In the Philippines, Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Cacdac said that he has been leading an effort to reach out to the families of the missing Filipino sailors to update them on the search and rescue efforts.
“It’s human nature that one should be terribly worried and distraught about the situation,” Cacdac told The Associated Press by telephone.
“It’s our role in government to be there for them in their utmost hour of need to ensure that not just government services, but throughout this hand-holding process, we will provide the necessary support.”
The Eternity C, flagged out of Liberia but owned by a Greek firm, likely had been targeted like the Magic Seas over its firm doing business with Israel. Neither vessel apparently requested an escort from the EU force.
UKRAINE’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks with reporters during the Ukraine Recovery Conference at La Nuvola convention centre in Rome, yesterday.
Photo: Gregorio Borgia/AP
THE LIBERIAN-flagged bulk carrier Magic Seas is seen in Ambelakia Bay, Salamis Island, Greece, Aug. 9, 2022.
Photo: Nektarios Papadakis/AP
THE SHOW
Photos: Chappell Whyms Jr
Independence Day Junkanoo celebration
Photos: Nikia Charlton