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VOLUME:116 No.144, JULY 23RD, 2019

THE PEOPLE’S PAPER: $1

WOMAN: COPING WITH LIFE AS A YOUNG WIDOW

Sky Bahamas in fight to survive

Flights grounded and airline could face total collapse

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

SKY Bahamas’ chief executive Captain Randy Butler yesterday said the airline and its 63 employees are fighting for survival following a two-week long grounding due to delays in a key permit renewal.

Captain Butler said that the private Bahamianowned carrier had been told by the Bahamas Civil Aviation Authority, the industry regulator, to “discontinue” commercial passenger services from July 8.

While Sky Bahamas’ air

operator certificate - the approval required to carry fare-paying passengers - had expired on June 29, Captain Butler said normal protocol was for the previous licence to remain in effect until the new one was granted provided it was not “suspended or terminated”.

“We’re in a position where there’s not a lot to pull from any more,” he told Tribune Business. “It’s critical. I met with my folks today to tell them we need to get the air operator certificate today or tomorrow.

That’s how critical it is.”

BAHAMAS Electrical Workers Union president Paul Maynard wants BTC’s Chief Executive Officer Garry Sinclair to do one thing: to go back to Jamaica.

He also urged the government of The Bahamas to bar both Mr Sinclair and Liberty Latin America’s CEO Balan Nair from entering the country.

SEE PAGE FIVE

THE 26-YEAR-OLD son of a woman found dead last week in the trunk of a car was charged with her murder in the Freeport Magistrates Court yesterday.

Tineko Weyne Duncombe, of Kings Road, Freeport, appeared before Magistrate Charlton Smith where he was charged with the murder of Eudelle Bevans, 52, whose body was found last Wednesday in the trunk of a silver Chevy Malibu at a junkyard in Freeport.

It is alleged Duncombe, who said he is schizophrenic, killed his mother between July 16 and July 17. According to initial police reports, officers were called to a local car junkyard on East Beach Drive

SEARS IN THREAT TO SUE SANDS

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net

FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS

Mr Maynard, who is also first vice president of the National Congress of Trade Unions Bahamas (NCTUB), threw his support behind the union representing BTC staff as controversy is seemingly plaguing the telecommunication provider’s executive team, the latest a warning from Mr Sinclair to the union that their tactics “could be fatal” to business.

Mr Sinclair also bluntly

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Staff Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

SEE PAGE TWO

MAYNARD TELLS BTC BOSS: GO BACK TO JAMAICA - NOW

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Deputy Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net

SON ACCUSED OF KILLING HIS MOTHER

RUDY KING CHARGED

BAHAMIAN businessman Rudolph “Rudy” King was charged yesterday with defrauding the General Post Office of over a half a million dollars.

Full story - Page 3 Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff

HEALTH Minister Dr Duane Sands has been told to apologise for comments he recently made about Bahamas and Power and Light’s former board or face a defamation lawsuit.

The threat comes from attorney Alfred Sears, QC, who is acting on behalf of Darnell Osborne, Roy Dean and Nicola Thompson, the three former directors of BPL’s board who controversially departed last year.

During a radio appearance on the “Hit Back with Nahaja Black” show on July 2, Dr Sands said last year’s BPL “board drama delayed the acquisition of 100 megawatts of generation capacity” which could have mitigated BPL’s woes.

SEE PAGE SIX

SEVERE WEATHER HEADS NORTH

By FARRAH JOHNSON

TORRENTIAL rains which swamped New Providence are expected to clear up by later today with the damaging weather system heading north towards Florida. Yesterday’s rains prompted a severe weather warning but the chances of a tropical cyclone forming are considered “slim”.

Speaking to The Tribune yesterday, Bahamas Meteorologist Basil Dean said

while there is a 60 percent probability of a tropical depression forming, “no

further development from that point is expected”.

SEE PAGE SEVEN

Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper

FACE-TO-FACE BUTCH OR PLATI DREAD - LIFE’S UNPREDICTABLE

SEE PAGE EIGHT

PAGE 2, Tuesday, July 23, 2019

THE TRIBUNE

Son, 26, accused of killing mother

TINEKO Weyne Duncombe was yesterday charged with the murder of his mother, Eudelle Bevans. from page one where a tow truck driver had discovered the body of a woman in the trunk of a car he had been requested to move from the Queen’s Highway area earlier that morning. A man was taken into police custody for questioning shortly afterwards.

Duncombe was not represented by an attorney. However, a representative from the Department of Social Services was called to sit in and observe the proceedings on his behalf. During the arraignment, a woman identified as Ms Green from the Department of Social Services came forward and stood next to Duncombe, who appeared dishevelled.

Magistrate Smith asked who she was and why she was standing with him as the accused was

not a minor. Ms Greene told the judge the accused did not have an attorney and that no family members were in court on his behalf.

However, two women believed to be the sisters of the deceased sat quietly in court and the accused at one point during the proceedings acknowledged that one of the women was his aunt.

Woman Sergeant Rolle explained to the judge the accused was evaluated by a doctor and was diagnosed with a mental disorder.

“We were advised by the (Office of the) Attorney General to have someone from the Department of Social Services present with him (during the arraignment),” she explained.

Magistrate Smith told the accused that due to the nature of the offence he was not required

THE BODY of Eudelle Bevans, 52, was found last Wednesday in the trunk of a silver Chevy Malibu at a junkyard in Freeport.

Photos: Vandyke Hepburn to enter a plea to the charge of murder. When asked if he had anything to say, Duncombe said ‘no’.

When asked if he was on medication, he replied “Yes sir.”

The accused told the judge he is a patient at the Rand Memorial Hospital and was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 2013.

He told the judge he does not have the medication he needs right now because the hospital was out of it at the time.

Magistrate Smith ordered Duncombe attend the Sandilands Rehabilitation Centre for evaluation, however he was subsequently remanded to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services in New Providence until September 16.

The matter is expected to proceed by voluntary bill of indictment.

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, July 23, 2019, PAGE 3

DID RBDF OFFICERS BRING IN UNDECLARED ITEMS?

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net

CUSTOMS officers seized goods from a Royal Bahamas Defence Force vessel docked near the Coral Harbour base on Sunday.

In a statement yesterday, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of

Finance K Peter Turnquest said: “The customs investigation team assigned to the Ministry of Finance’s Revenue Enhancement Unit conducted an operation in the Coral Harbour area of New Providence on Sunday, July 21, 2019, which resulted in the seizure of goods pending review and determination of action.

“The matter has been referred for further investigation to assess compliance with prevailing customs laws and regulations. The investigation is ongoing. The Revenue Enhancement Unit will continue ongoing efforts to strengthen revenue collection and compliance in keeping with its mandate.”

Government officials were tightlipped yesterday and the RBDF did not respond formally to the matter. However a source in the force said officers visiting the US to conduct government business went shopping in Florida during their spare time. The source insisted that on their return

to New Providence, a customs officer cleared their items at the base as is the normal practice. Defence force officers nonetheless believe other customs investigators were tipped-off to the vessel’s arrival and showed up suspicious about whether the items had been properly declared and paid for.

RUDOLPH ‘Rudy’ King outside court yesterday.

Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff

King denies fraud charges

By NICO SCAVELLA Tribune Staff Reporter nscavella@tribunemedia.net BAHAMIAN businessman and impresario Rudolph “Rudy” King was charged yesterday with defrauding the General Post Office of over a half a million dollars,

then laundering that amount between 2012 and 2015.

The 50-year-old stood before Senior Magistrate Derence Rolle-Davis charged with five counts each of fraud and money laundering concerning allegations he defrauded the post office’s

savings account of $632,416 between June 2012 and April 2015.

According to the prosecution, King allegedly defrauded the GPO’s savings account of $125,688 between June 13, 2012 and April 2, 2015; another $243,225 between June 11, 2012 and April 15,

2015; another $151,252 between August 12, 2014 and March 26, 2015; an additional $9,437 between October 30, 2014 and April 8, 2015; and another $102,814 between November 11, 2014 and March 5, 2015.

King is also alleged to have laundered the

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individual amounts from June 11, 2012 straight up to April 8, 2015.

King denied all of the allegations.

Given his not guilty pleas, the matter was adjourned to November 4 for trial. He was ordered to be remanded into custody until that

time, however, his attorney Damian Gomez, QC, told the court that his legal team had already taken the liberty of preparing his bail application ahead of the arraignment, and intended to apply immediately to the Supreme Court for bail.

PAGE 4, Tuesday, July 23, 2019

THE TRIBUNE

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

LEON E. H. DUPUCH,

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jamaaltheartist@gmail.com

Publisher/Editor 1903-1914 Kt., O.B.E., K.M., K.C.S.G., (Hon.) LL.D., D.Litt .

Publisher/Editor 1919-1972 Contributing Editor 1972-1991

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

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Beware the mess Boris is sure to create IMAGINE the worst politician you’ve ever seen. A liar, adulterer and buffoon who makes himself, his party and his country look a laughing stock. What can you do with such a person. Well, it’s obvious isn’t it? Make him Prime Minister.

Barring a miracle that defies every poll that’s almost certainly going to be the case in London later today when Boris Johnson takes over the leadership of the Conservative Party and makes his way into Number 10 Downing Street on Wednesday.

Can Britain take much more after month after month of Brexit back and forth?

Brexit, you will remember, was driven by Boris and a few zealous anti-Europeans who seized on the influx of Eastern Europeans into the UK and declared, Enough is enough, the EU can go to hell.

No one was more shocked than Boris himself when the campaign actually succeeded by the tightest of margins, plunging the country into an interminable, painful debate which eventually cost Theresa May her job and put Boris within grasp of the premiership.

All the signs are - despite predictions of 73 percent support from party members - Boris’ rule is going to be a challenge from the moment it begins.

Ministers - including the current Chancellor Phillip Hammond and Justice Secretary David Gauke - have already declared they won’t serve in a Boris cabinet.

Others are certain to follow.

As a sign of how things play out around Boris one of the contenders for the leadership, Rory Stewart, met with Boris yesterday to be asked if he would join the cabinet. Stewart later revealed he didn’t believe Boris actually knew who he was and was shocked when Stewart revealed he didn’t support Boris’ idea of walking away from the EU with no deal in place. A perfect example of how Boris doesn’t do his homework,

jumps at the first solution and invariably gets its wrong.

Many are expecting a Boris government to provide as much controversy as that produced by President Trump in the Oval Office.

Both men are incredibly thickskinned, convinced of their own brilliance and seem happy to stumble from one self-created fiasco to another leaving whatever chaos they’ve created for others to try and clear up.

For the people of Britain - and indeed for all its neighbours and friends, ourselves included - these are worrying times.

How is Boris going to deal with the likes of Iran? A few days ago the Iranian Republican Guard seized a Britishflagged tanker in international waters under the noses of a British warship.

Why? Because of the UK’s sycophantic relationship to to the US in enforcing trade restrictions on Iran which have brought the country to the brink of an economic collapse.

Is Boris going to be a strong, independent voice in Downing Street able to whisper sound advice to President Trump after he sends out a threatening tweet to Tehran in the middle of the night? We doubt it.

If you haven’t already take a few minutes and enter Boris’ name in your search engine. Trust us, you’ll be hard pressed to find a single commentary or interview which serves him well. Outside the Conservative Party everyone knows this but is powerless to stop the process about to be completed.

Some months ago there was an announcement Britain was intending to reopen an embassy here in The Bahamas. After months of Premier Boris we suspect there could be many hands in the air among the diplomats at the Foreign Office who would fancy the posting to get away from the mess the UK has created for itself.

As if BTC didn’t have enough problems already AS IF Bahamas Telecommunications Company didn’t have enough problems with its own unions, up stepped Paul Maynard yesterday to pour petrol on the fire.

The Bahamas Electrical Workers Union president - speaking in his capacity as first vice president of the National Congress of Trade Unions Bahamas - let rip at BTC’s CEO Garry Sinclair.

For a moment you could imagine it was President Trump doing the shouting.

“Put him on a stop list... get your *** back to Jamaica... no foreigner going to speak to Bahamians like that.”

All very spicey and confrontational and certain to wind up the troops. All that’s missing is the idea we put up a wall to keep the damn foreigners out.

Mr Sinclair’s crime? He’s asked his own unions to heed his warnings that

BTC - like many companies today - is in a fight for survival and must adapt to modern working practices if it is to survive. He’s not threatening compulsory redundancies rather a voluntary severance programme with terms better than any BTC has offered before.

We remember a similar programme at BPL when Whitney Heastie came in as CEO and offered a voluntary severance programme along the lines Mr Sinclair is suggesting. BPL got knocked down in the rush by the numbers who applied.

Time will tell whether BTC’s staff will be as combative as their union leaders - even with Mr Maynard cheering on from the sidelines.

BTC’s own unions have already set down their marker declaring they reject Mr Sinclair’s leadership and want him gone.

All change on Bay Street EDITOR, The Tribune MY late maternal grandmother, born in 1900, would often reminisce about the sleepy town of Nassau, with its quaint little Bay Street shops, many of which buildings are still here today. The proprietors of these shops (un-airconditioned as they were) would sit by the front door and if you asked for anything in particular, you would be directed, or pointed, to go right over there in the back, on the so-and-so shelf. The proprietor could not get up from (normally) his comfy chair until you found what you were looking for and were ready to pay.

Somehow between those sleepy, lazy days of yesteryear, the merchant class of

Bahamians have died off, or looked for other opportunities elsewhere and in their dying wakes have left a cadre of foreign entrepreneurs, who no one seems to be sure what they are selling or doing, but they have no idea of what the Main Street American tourist comes to Nassau for. If one would take the time to walk the sidewalks of Bay Street today, instead of our laid back Bahamian proprietors of yesterday, we see a plethora of young middle-eastern men, working the sidewalks, with their hip-hop music blasting across Bay Street and up and down the sidewalks, as if that were the key to the Main Street American’s heart.

Notwithstanding the continuing miles of red

tape that must be traversed to gain a business licence, who is controlling, if anyone or anything, the kind of businesses that are granted licences, or the way they conduct those businesses? Is there anymore a requirement to “keep the peace”, and does one have to make formal complaints to the police, or can we expect the police to maintain the “peace” on their own, and when one shopkeeper’s music permeates the next door shopkeeper’s premises, maybe the peace has been broken.

Assuming that there are any police at all beating the Bay Street pavement!

BRUCE G RAINE Nassau, July 21, 2019.

Obie stays above fray EDITOR, The Tribune I MUST commend former Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) MP and Tourism Minister Obie Wilchcombe for demonstrating civility and political maturity amid vicious propaganda attacks against him in recent days. Choosing instead to remain above the fray, the Wilchcombe camp has not responded in kind. Whatever criticisms levelled against the PLP

by Wilchcombe has been mild in tone. For instance, the party holding its convention sporadically, rather than annually, as mandated by its constitution, is a valid criticism. But obviously not everyone is happy about Wilchcombe voicing his frustration with the party’s inconsistency in holding its convention.

Apparently, these political attacks are emanating from certain elements within the political organisation he has been a member of since the days of his political mentor, the late Sir Lynden Pindling. And all because he dares to challenge for the chairmanship position, which is his democratic right. PLP Leader Philip Brave Davis and PLP National Chair Fred Mitchell want Wilchcombe to stand down. The reason behind this unusual request is that the duo wants to project an united image to the Bahamian people. But the issue of unity was not the reason the PLP was rejected resoundingly in 2017. Over two years into its current stint as the official opposition, the party has yet to undergo the sweeping reforms which were promised in the wake of the Free National Movement’s (FNM) landslide election victory. In an effort to sabotage Wilchcombe’s potential political campaign AFTER the PLP and the DNA said the ruling to ban discussions in the House related to the lease of Town Centre Mall is unjustified, readers responded on tribune242.com DDK asked: “How long did we go without a post office and essential mail service and how long is this ‘discussion’ to go on while the country is falling apart at the seams? The way successive

LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net for the chairmanship, someone within the PLP has sent the political hounds after the former MP – unscrupulous propagandists who are on a mission to smear Mr Wilchcombe’s reputation.

Obviously these people are afraid of Wilchcombe unseating the incumbent, Mitchell – the latter winning the post by 208 votes in 2017. If these people want to cite Wilchcombe’s political affiliation with the erstwhile Christie administration as a reason for him not being given the opportunity to serve within the PLP, the same can be said about Messrs Davis and Mitchell. These PLP operatives seem to think that the Bahamian people have forgotten that Davis was the deputy prime minister in that government. If Davis can be given a new lease on his political life, why can’t Wilchcombe, who was the least of the Christie administration’s problems? Davis and Mitchell were just as much a part of that administration as Wilchcombe.

Consequently, Wilchcombe should be extended the same courtesy. Granted, a Wilchcombe chairmanship would present an awkward situation for Davis, who has publicly endorsed Mitchell. But Wilchcombe comes off as an individual who is easy to get along with.

This latest development gives one the impression that Davis does not want Wilchcombe to be active again within the party. With the race for the PLP nomination in West End having already begun in earnest, it will be interesting to see if Davis is willing to set aside his political differences

governments are running our country IS very sad!”

Sheeprunner12 said: “PLP and FNM are simply feuding over ‘their man’ to get a fat contract for the ‘team’ . . . nothing new, just

with Wilchcombe and allow him to get the nod.

As a former PLP chairman, Wilchcombe has the experience and background for such an important post.

He is an excellent orator and organiser, who is far less combative and does not have a boorish demeanor.

We can fault Wilchcombe for the sorry state of West End in Grand Bahama as much as we want, but the stubborn facts remain that that constituency is tied at the hip of Freeport, whose economy had flatlined before the demise of the former Grand Bahama Port Authority executive, Edward St George, in December 2004. As Nassau serves as the economic nerve centre for all of New Providence, Freeport serves as the economic nerve centre for all of Grand Bahama. With Freeport’s current economic malaise, it is hard for any MP to jumpstart West End’s economy. When Wilchcombe first became MP in 2002, Freeport was already on a precipitous decline.

The FNM has no dog in this political fight within the PLP. Consequently, this smear campaign against Wilchcombe is being orchestrated by persons sympathetic to the current leadership, I think. The PLP leadership must call off the political hounds who have gone after Wilchcombe. A smear campaign does not augur well for true party unity. It accomplishes the exact opposite, especially given the fact that the former MP has his PLP sympathisers, who will not be too happy with him being unfairly broadsided by political operatives within the party.

KEVIN EVANS Grand Bahama July 22, 2019 full of drama with race, class, rhetoric.”

There was this from TheMadHatter: “With email and DHL and local on-the-ground couriers why do we even need a post office? In ten years there probably won’t be a post office or library anywhere.

Shut it down now. This is a chance for the Bahamas to be FIRST for once on something of importance.”

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, July 23, 2019, PAGE 5

Maynard tells BTC boss: Go back to Jamaica

ABOVE, BTC’s Chief Executive Officer Garry Sinclair; right, Bahamas Electrical Workers Union president Paul Maynard from page one told the Bahamas Communications and Public Officers Union and Bahamas Communications and Public Managers Union to “stop finding a dark cloud behind every silver lining” otherwise the former government monopoly will face “an existential crisis” as it tries to “win again” in a fiercely competitive communications market.

The comments were not welcomed by Mr Maynard who yesterday unleashed a tirade against Liberty, BTC’s parent company and accused the Minnis administration of “going soft” on foreigners. He used Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis’ response to Mr Nair’s comments last week and this

most recent situation as an example.

He said the government needed to make its voice heard as it had significant stake in BTC. “See Minnis them joking,” Mr Maynard told The Tribune yesterday.

“They need to put Sinclair and Nair on the stop list.

“Let me tell you something: no one can talk about our prime minister or the Bahamian people bad, that’s our job we do that among ourselves. That ain’t for no one to get involved in.

“And he ain’t going to give the unions them no damn orders. They talking about negotiating? How the hell you negotiating and he telling them get with it or else?”

He added: “I invite, as the first vice president of the

NCTUB, Liberty Global to put their shares in the market since we are such a problem for them. Put the shares on the market.

“I am also asking the PM to put both of them on stop list. Don’t let these damn [expletive] come into The Bahamas and talk down to Bahamians. [Are] they crazy?”

Asked if he was concerned that his comments would be seen as xenophobic, Mr Maynard said: “I don’t care what the hell they say. This a Bahamian thing.

“The point is no foreigner gonna come in here and make demands of Bahamians. He come in our country, we ain’t in Jamaica.”

The union boss insisted that in recent weeks it has been evident that

Bahamians aren’t respected in their own country.

“They just said, they say they apologised to Bahamians, but obviously you didn’t [because] you still come here this morning with this [expletive]?

“Who the hell he think he is? He need to carry his ass back to Jamaica, that’s what he need to do.

“He (is) living in this country. “. . .The union and the Bahamian people ain’t got to do a goddamned thing but stay black and die,” Mr Maynard said. “The union ain’t got to do nothing because the service is [poor] anyway and they messed it up. Liberty has it that way.”

In an impassioned call for unity within BTC, Mr Sinclair told Tribune Business both the line staff and

management union must “resist the temptation to fall back into ancient habits and practises from the monopoly days” if the carrier is to adjust its business model and properly compete with the likes of Cable Bahamas and Aliv.

Revealing that BTC had just agreed terms on a new industrial agreement with its management union, following closely behind a similar deal agreed with the BCPOU for the line staff, Mr Sinclair said he was at a loss when it came to identifying their continued grievances and instinct to “fight at every step”.

Voicing disquiet at the two unions’ seeming tendency to “sow dissent and extend controversy at the first sign of adversity”, Mr Sinclair argued that the “vast majority” of BTC workers and consumers

now wanted to “move on” following last week’s controversy.

While acknowledging the hurt and upset caused

by Mr Nair’s recent remarks about Bahamian worker productivity and attitudes, Mr Sinclair said the necessary apologies had been made quickly.

And he used the comments by the head of BTC’s ultimate parent to lay down a challenge to his staff and the two trade unions.

He argued that the fallout “should stiffen resolve” among BTC workers to achieve the vision he has set out for the carrier, namely to “prove” that it is the best communications operator in the region and then the world.

Editorial View - Page 4

PAGE 6, Tuesday, July 23, 2019 from page one He did not specifically refer to Mrs Osborne, Mr Dean or Mrs Thompson.

Ms Black, the show’s host, had said the need for additional generation capacity was known well before this summer. She then mentioned BPL chairman Donovan Moxey’s claim that there would be no load shedding this season.

Dr Sands responded: “It is possible, I got to be very careful since this thing is now a legal issue, it is possible that had we not had that drama at BPL that this 100 megawatt of generation capacity would have been here six to eight months earlier.”

Asked again if he believes the drama delayed the generators, he said: “I will go further than saying I think...yes, the unfortunate fallout, the impact of that drama is that it delayed the acquisition of 100 megawatt generating capacity.”

Dr Sands’ comments, Mr Sears wrote in a letter on Friday, “were false and malicious” and were made with a “clear intention to deflect blame over the current BPL power crisis to our clients and to create the perception that they are the cause for the current energy crisis at BPL.” Mr Sears said when his clients were removed from BPL’s board, “they were not and could not have been aware of the decision of BPL to purchase 100 megawatts of generation capacity.”

“Unfortunately, your comments have created the view that our clients are the cause of the current BPL crisis and this leaves a permanent damage to our clients’ reputation and further exposes them to shame, hatred and contempt from the public,” he wrote. “Our clients, as a result of your comments, have been injured and they continue to be injured by the careless and reckless comments made by you.”

Mr Sears demanded that Dr Sands cease and desist defaming his clients and provide written assurance within five days that he will stop doing so. He also demanded that the Elizabeth MP issue “a suitable retraction, correction and apology.”

THE TRIBUNE

Apologise for BPL comments or face going to court, Sears tells Sands

ALFRED SEARS QC, left, and Health Minister Dr Duane Sands Photos: Terrel W Carey Sr/Tribune Staff “The apology should include that each and every allegation that you made or implied in relation to [my clients] and the current BPL energy crisis is false. The apology shall be drafted by our chambers in conjunction with you. Before the

apology is produced or published, it shall be approved by us after we have consulted our clients. Once the apology is approved, it shall be thereafter broadcasted on Star 106.5, specifically on the ‘Hit Back’ talk show with Nahaja Black,

and in all daily publications and media platforms, including but not limited to Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. It shall further be published prominently in The Tribune, The [Nassau] Guardian and other media websites, channels, papers,

as agreed between us and you.”

Mr Sears gave Dr Sands until Friday to comply with his demands or face legal proceedings.

Asked about the matter yesterday, Attorney General Carl Bethel said: “The

claim of defamation is, in my professional opinion, ill-founded. I have instructed Crown counsel in the office to respond.

I suppose I might be sued for defamation for saying that. But that is my opinion.”

DNA RAISES MORE CONCERNS OVER BPL POWER PLANT

By RIEL MAJOR Tribune Staff Reporter rmajor@tribunemedia.net

DEMOCRATIC National Alliance Leader Arinthia Komolafe

yesterday demanded Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis and Works Minister Desmond Bannister address lingering concerns surrounding Bahamas Power and Light.

Speaking to reporters at a DNA press conference outside BPL, Mrs Komolafe raised concerns about the construction of BPL’s new $95m power plant at Clifton Pier.

In March, BPL officials announced they contracted Finnish group Wärtsilä to install a $95m, 132-megawatt plant, powered by seven high efficiency engines.

At the time, BPL officials said the new plant will not affect ongoing Shell North America negotiations for a deal to create a new multi-fuel power plant, but instead fortifies it.

Yesterday, Mrs Komolafe said the Minnis administration has yet to make it clear if the government will be reimbursed by Shell for the $95m investment or if BPL will be given an equity stake in the new plant.

She added: “We want to know what are the further conversations and the negotiations that are going on between Shell and we want an update on that,

considering the fact that the government did not discuss this issue or solidify this issue before (committing to the project).”

Mrs Komolafe said the DNA wants “clarity” on who is funding the plant and details on the training of Bahamian workers.

“Other issues that we want to address is issues about the generators that are coming in and the fact that Bahamian workers are unable to manage this plant or to work on the plant because they don’t have the level of experience as it has been reported in the media.

We want to know what are the plans for Bahamian workers to be trained on these particular engines.”

When asked how she would describe the current state at BPL, the DNA leader said there is a lot of

ARINTHIA KOMOLAFE “confusion” going on and lack of communication with executives and the unions involved.

Omar Smith, DNA chairman, said there is a “morale” problem at BPL. Mr Smith said: “The workers here have uncertainty, they don’t know where their future lies with this company.

“For a government, a party that campaigned on transparency, I think this is hypocrisy. How could you campaign on transparency and then no one knows what’s going on? We’re saying is the PLP and the FNM are much of the same.

How can we separate them?

“There has to be a different way in this country, and it cannot be the same old same old. Bahamians are demanding different.”

The installation of seven new Wärtsilä tri-fuel generation engines represents 132megawatts of power, and the plans outlined for Shell’s LNG gas-to-power project featured a 220-250 megawatt power plant.

In June, a Shell spokesperson told The Tribune the project was progressing.

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Buddy hosts clinic

THE TRIBUNE

By FARRAH JOHNSON

THE University of the Bahamas has partnered with Sacramento Kings’ Buddy Hield to host an elite invitational basketball clinic for top high school players in the country.

At a press conference yesterday, UB president Rodney Smith revealed that UB Athletics will work with the NBA player as he hosts the Hope 24 basketball clinic, which will feature “24 elite high school male basketball players.”

“Buddy Hield will lead a team of his NBA colleagues and UB men’s head basketball coach Baccus Rolle, along with high school and college coaches,” Mr Smith said. “...At the end of the clinic the MVP will be offered a full scholarship to the University of The Bahamas inclusive of a book award and a meal plan.”

Stating that he is “always big on helping [and] giving back to the community,” Mr Hield said that he was “really excited” about the initiative and felt “blessed to be a part of the opportunity.”

“It’s always going to be about kids and giving them better opportunities,” the Grand Bahama native said. “…So that was instilled in me and I’m just grateful to be able to give back to the community and inspire the next generation because that inspired me to be where I am today.”

Tuesday, July 23, 2019, PAGE 7

Mr Hield also commended UB for offering a scholarship to the most valuable player of the clinic and said that it was very important because it gives a young man a chance to receive his education locally.

“This is not focused on Freeport and Nassau because everybody knows that I’m more about giving the whole Bahamas an opportunity,” he added.

“We have kids from San Salvador there, the Berry Islands, Abaco, Andros … so I want to give everybody a fair chance.

“Thank you to everybody for making this dream come true and I’m sure the child who receives this scholarship will be grateful too.”

Bacchus Rolle, UB Men’s Basketball head coach, said he was also pleased about the partnership and was excited to see the university’s athletic department grow.

“We have to do our very best to try and keep our talent home,” he said.

“The more athletic or the better players usually try to or look to go to Canada or the United States to fulfill their academic or athletic aspirations but if we can keep those players here, we will really see this programme begin to take off and grow.”

The clinic, scheduled for July 22-26, will take place in the Kendall Isaacs Gymnasium.

BASKETBALL star Buddy Hield yesterday announced a special partnership with the University of The Bahamas to increase sporting capacity and access to education at the university.

Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff

SEVERE WEATHER HEADS NORTH from page one “The good news is the area is over us and the development is expected perhaps within the next 48 hours,” he said.

“By that time it will be out of The Bahamas and into the northwest or north

of us because that is the expected movement of the system.”

Mr Dean added that while rain may prove to be a “major factor” on Monday night and Tuesday morning, the public can expect the rain to “lighten up” by this afternoon.

“Until then, a couple more heavy downpours in parts of the northwest Bahamas with improvement expected certainly

by Wednesday,” he said.

“We advise persons during such time to remain indoors and away from windows until such a situation improves.”

The Small Business Development Centre (Access Accelerator) is looking to hire an Operations Analyst to its team.

DESCRIPTION The operations analyst is a key member of the operations team supporting data management, client reporting, and problem resolution.

This person will work closely with the Project Coordinator and all members of the operations team and reports to the Senior Business Analyst.

This position requires strong computer skills,attention to detail, a positive professional attitude, and the ability to work in a team environment

The responsibilities of the Operations Analyst include: • •

• • •

•

Manages Client-Advisor relations Scheduling training classes in New Providence, Grand Bahama and the Family Islands Manage all SBDC databases Collects, analyses, and reports data Work on the SBDC GrowthWheel platform and be in direct communication with GrowthWheel Organize client classification

QUALIFICATIONS

The Operations Analyst position typically requires the following qualifications: • Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited college or university • A friendly professional demeanor and ability to excel in a team

oriented environment • Strong proficiency with Microsoft Office suite and Google suite • Strong analytical and detail-oriented aptitude; a high degree of

accuracy is required • Excellent communication and organizational skills • Ability to manage time effectively, set priorities and meet deadlines • Ability to learn and adapt to change • Desire/ability to work successfully in a small company environment

Please submit a resume to

hr@sbdcbahamas.com by July 26th

PAGE 8, Tuesday, July 23, 2019

THE TRIBUNE

A

TREND is growing in Nassau. More and more people are becoming interested in alternatives to traditional ways of living. They are engaging in healthier lifestyles, trying out new diets like the Keto craze currently underway; buying herbal remedies and vegan or gluten-free food products; taking an exercise regimen seriously; exploring acupuncture, massage and other forms of healing.

They are even considering other forms of religion and spirituality.

What may have seemed weird or even crazy in the general society as little as ten years ago, are now becoming accepted forms of behaviour.

Long before these trends were catching on, Dr Tyrone “Butch” Bartlett was always unconventional. Yes, he’s a general practitioner, but he’s spent decades on a path of enlightenment and he doesn’t hesitate to share his knowledge if you ask. If you visited his office back then, you would have found him in his white coat wearing crystals around his neck and a crown of dreadlocks during a time when they weren’t as popular as they are today.

Before the dreadlocks, he wore plaits and even that was unconventional for a doctor. When you visit his office, people are greeted by the scent of essential oils and meditation music. His shelves are lined with not only a plethora of medical books, but also books on religion, spiritual consciousness, history and self improvement. Even the art on his walls points to an individual with unconventional beliefs.

He says his practice incorporates a blend of eastern philosophy and traditional western medicine to deliver a holistic brand of health care.

In addition to being a family physician, Butch branched out into music.

He took the stage name ‘Plati Dread’ and released singles, an album and numerous music videos as a recording and performing artist. He performed at the Battle of the Bands with his band ‘Naykid I’ and as a solo artist at the first Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival, among numerous other performances.

“I needed an outlet for my personality that I was not allowed to express as Dr Bartlett,” he said. “I began forming bands back in the late 1980s, releasing my first single in 1990 called After the Passion Passes. My whole foray into music was directed by a desire to convert my metaphysical poetry into music.

I was driven by a need to share the knowledge that I was discovering through my studies. It was never an ego thing. My career path in music ultimately led to an album, six music videos and numerous singles. I performed in many venues throughout Nassau and gained the respect of the local musical community.”

Today, he is still a doctor and a musician but he has trimmed his hair. He is still adorned with crystals around his neck and he

PLATI Dread and his band, Naykid I; below, Dr Bartlett and his wife of 31 years, Marsha

Butch or Plati Dread - life’s never been conventional released a book this month to share his spiritual journey with others. The Key to Light – an Inner Life Guide on the Road to Enlightenment stands as a testament to his personal experience.

Butch kept a diary of poetry that mapped the changes he experienced in the past 30 years, including the metaphysical path his life had taken. The first half of the book is called “Key Notes” and includes chapters on consciousness, dimensions, the aura, chakras and ascension. The second half is called “The Path” and describes the advancement of human consciousness in seven stages – the awakening, the search, confrontation, attunement, setback, recovery and enlightenment.

“It is not an effort to preach or proselytize, but merely to offer an alternative explanation to anyone who has been frustrated with the choices they have been exposed to,” Butch says of his book.

“I know I had once felt that way and over a lifetime of challenges, hardships and tragedies, I needed answers that offered clarity, not blind acceptance and unquestioning faith. My mind is wired to be analytical and logical. I intuitively felt that such an approach

would eventually leads to answers that would satisfy the pragmatic mind, as long as I was willing to search ‘outside the box’. I found answers to my deepest questions and that allowed me to understand my true spiritual nature and gain mastery over my life. Discovering a way to reconcile the experience of the spiritual life with science was a huge relief. My book is a contribution to that conversation for others who are on that journey.”

Butch earned his nickname from his parents Albert “Chickie” Bartlett and Valerea Bartlett (nee Campbell) when he was born, because he reminded them of the bulldog in the Looney Tunes Cartoons.

He grew up through Hillside Estate off Mackey Street. Back then, Mackey Street was the centre of commerce for the OverThe-Hill community. He and his family were in walking distance from the Shirley Street Theatre, the Wulff Road Theatre, Palmdale and the first Kentucky Fried Chicken.

As a child, Butch could walk to Maura’s Toyland and to see Junkanoo on Bay Street at Christmas.

He went fishing at Potter’s Cay dock and swimming at Montagu Beach.

Death Notice

EVANGELIST MARION MARIA STURRUP HUTCHESON, 86

“I lived a fabulous life in my childhood,” Butch said.

“We were what you would consider ‘middle class’, but the house was pretty small, so I didn’t feel especially privileged. I have two brothers and a sister, and we all enjoyed traditional Christmases and Easters with the whole Santa Claus and Easter bunny thing. My parents made those experiences real, including costumes and fireworks at Halloween.

We would troll the entire Palmdale neighbourhood to trick or treat without fear back then. We grew up spinning tops, shooting marbles, playing rounders and hop scotch, building box cars, roller skating and playing bean gun wars. The 60s was a magical time to be a child and I count myself fortunate to have grown up with the values created by an emergent black Bahamian consciousness that culminated with Independence in 1973.”

He attended primary school at St Anne’s and moved on to St Augustine’s in 1969. “My teenage years caught the emergence of the disco age and the arrival of the postmodern generation. Black culture was rich with music and style back then with bell bottoms, miniskirts and afros,” he said.

“St. Augustine’s College was the premier destination at that time and I pretty much sleep walked through my first four years there and underachieved. I was jolted awake when I failed my mock GCE exams and chose to transfer to St John’s College. I repeated my fourth year so that I could start my GCE syllabus over in the science subjects that I was denied at SAC. I went on to become an A student overnight, passing them all with A’s and B’s, and becoming the valedictorian of my graduating

class. I never looked back, going on to get my A levels at Government High School and gaining a scholarship to attend UWI in Jamaica.

“I successfully entered medical school after just one year of Natural Sciences and graduated with a Medical degree in 1982.

My failure at SAC was the pivotal moment in my life that taught me the power of discipline and will. Those are my greatest attributes to this day.”

After interning at Princess Margaret Hospital, Butch completed two years as a Senior House officer in Obstetrics and Gynaecology and one year in Accident and Emergency.

He had no desire to specialize because he didn’t want to bury his life in an academic prison, he said, which is what he perceived a specialty to be. Even though the financial rewards were enticing, he recognized the challenges and demands that were associated with it.

“I was pretty much burnt out academically and just wanted to earn a good living and raise a family,” said Butch, who has been married for 31 years to educator and counsellor Marsha Bartlett and is a father-of-four.

“I was never driven by materialism, so the pursuit of wealth was never a motivation in my life. I became a General Practitioner entering private practice in 1986.

I felt privileged to share the relationships that family medicine introduced me to.

I delivered over a thousand

babies in my 33-year career, and became a father, brother, friend and mentor to many of my patients along the way. Their friendships are my greatest wealth. I never allowed any of my patients to call me Dr. Bartlett or ‘sir’. I insisted they call me by my childhood name ‘Butch’ because it made me feel more connected to them.”

He is currently working on an album of songs taken from poems in the book, to be released later this year under his alias ‘Plati Dread’. He also plans to release more books in the future. His official book release took place at the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat on July 6.

The Key to Light can be found at local book stores including Logos and Book World and Stationers. It is also available for purchase online in paper back form on Amazon, as well as in eBook on Amazon and Google Play.

“As rewarding as my career as a medical doctor has been, it is my artistic pursuits that have given me the ultimate satisfaction because I know that their footprint will continue to contribute to humanity long after I am gone,” he said.

Evangelist Marion Maria Sturrup Hutcheson, a resident of Blair Estates. Loving mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, aunt, friend, and beloved educator, passed away peacefully into her eternal rest on Thursday, July 18, 2019 at Princess Margaret Hospital.

Left to cherish her memories are 4 Daughters: Marceia, RN; Dr. Stephanie; Joan; and Melanie Hutcheson; 4 Sons: Jerome Eugene, III; Rev. A. Dewitt; Edward; and Steven Hutcheson; 16 grandchildren: Vonyia, Jerome IV, Ramon, Giovanni, Shamir, Tashmar, Dario, Kahlil, Nichelle, Armon, Teddy, Zuri, Judah, Zoey and El’Lucia Hutcheson and Khyla Jones; 9 great grandchildren: Jordan Hutcheson; Diara Armbrister; Tré Alday; Ethan Sweeting; Jerniece, Jerome V, Kamilaih, Nylah, and Skylar Hutcheson; 2 Sisters: Dorothy Carey and Jennie Williams; 5 Brothers: Vincent, Earl, George, Sidney, and Basil Sturrup; Numerous nieces and nephews, and a host of other relatives and friends.

Funeral details are forthcoming.

DR Bartlett and his wife, Marsha with children Travis, Tempestt and Tanner

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, July 23, 2019, PAGE 9

BREAK-IN LIKELY TO COST DUNDAS CENTRE $7,000

VIP SERVICES MANAGER Are you an energetic individual with a drive for excellence? If you are, Blue Lagoon Island invites you to join its dynamic team of professionals.

JOB SUMMARY The primary responsibility of the VIP Services Manager is to manage all day to day operations of the VIP Beach/Events/Groups in accordance with Blue Lagoon’s policies, practices, and procedures to ensure guest satisfaction and revenue optimization. The manager is expected to interface and engage with VIP guests to provide a warm welcome and a higher level of personalized service.

By MORGAN ADDERLEY Tribune Staff Reporter madderley@tribunemedia.net A BREAK-IN at the Dundas Centre for the Performing Arts has left the iconic non-profit with more than $7,000 worth of damage, according to manager Delores Adderley, who made appeals for donations to offset repair costs.

Mrs Adderley, who has been the building’s manager for the past four years, said doors had been wrecked, telephone wires cut and and alarm system damaged. The break-in occurred between late Sunday night and early yesterday morning.

She said the theatre can ill-afford such a “setback”, adding the non-profit is also seeking donations for the construction of a perimeter wall to increase security, which will likely cost thousands.

The Dundas is currently hosting its summer youth programme, which is scheduled to put on a performance this weekend. It is also currently preparing for the October Shakespeare in Paradise production.

“A terrible, terrible break in,” Mrs Adderley said. “They have not tampered with any props…it’s

the destruction of the property, the physical structure,” she continued. “Seven doors, cables cut, wires cut, alarm system cut, internet system cut, phone wires cut. So I’m saying we have no form of communicating and getting stuff out for the performance, especially our internet system.

“Our alarms are destroyed. Every cable, every wire has been cut…

It behooves me that they destroyed eight doors required to get into everything and when you got into everything you didn’t take anything. They just kept cutting wires and I’m trying to figure out what is it about the technical aspect of the robbery. All our internet system is down, all our telephone system is down, all our cameras are down.

“Let the people know that we can’t build if they’re going to keep destroying it.

It’s your theatre. It’s a community theatre.”

Mrs Adderley added a television was stolen as well as inventory.

“I’m estimating the damage is now at over $7,000. Between seven doors and labour and the alarm system and the [exterior] door…approximately $7,000 or more.”

She added she has had to replace one door already, because the building had to be secured.

“We need help now to keep it open…(this situation) setting us back now, it’s an appeal now to get these things done. One door is going to cost nearly $1,000 to put back up. On the outward side…we’re going to be at a setback, and we’re trying to go into the season with setback.

We just need to let persons understand it’s your theatre, so why destroy it? Why destroy your theatre? Try to build your theatre, try to keep it open. You know, we need help, we need sponsors, we need grants…and we’re not getting that. So we don’t need an setbacks.”

When asked if the summer youth programme weekend performances will go on as planned, Mrs Adderley replied: “We’re trying to appeal to the public now that they can assist us by if they decide they want to donate something we appreciate that to get it on the run…But presently as we stand, the sound system is intact and the lighting system is intact.”

Regarding the youth participants, she said: “We’re trying to make them feel secure.”

DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES Include but not limited to; • Lead and manage scheduling, hiring, training as well as coaching of VIP staff to deliver exceptional service standards.

• Ensures quality services and standards are maintained on a daily basis.

• Maintains inventory of all VIP areas.

• Develops and coordinates operational procedures with the Beach Service and Food and Beverage Manager to ensure operational / service standards are achieved.

• Implements best practices and pilot new initiatives as requested.

• Responds to and resolves guest complaints on a timely basis.

• Provides inspection of all VIP Beaches prior to guest arrival.

• Establish and maintains an inspection program to ensure all standards of cleanliness and food quality are maintained.

• Ensures the beaches are set up and broken down on a daily basis.

Qualifications/Skills: • Degree in business management or diploma or equivalent • Computer literate • Minimum 5 years’ experience in V.I.P. Service as a manager or assistant with exceptional leadership skills • Experience working with high-end guests - such as Villa Service, Guest Service, or Casino Services.

• Experience in training and mentoring employees in individual and teams skills • Outgoing personality • Goal-oriented • Able to work a flexible schedule Submit resumes to hr@dolphinencounters.com or operations@dolphinencounters.com Only qualified applicants will be contacted.

PAGE 10, Tuesday, July 23, 2019

THE TRIBUNE

CONGRADULATIONS

FORMER Bahamas Hotel Catering and Allied Workers Union president Nicole Martin is celebrating having just graduated in Law. Ms Martin joined other graduates at the Bahamas Baptist Community College to mark her Associate Degree in Law and Criminal Justice. Ms Martin was awarded the British Empire Medal in this year’s New Year Honours.

Pictured is Ms Martin with friends and family including, centre, Robert Dupuch-Carron, President of Tribune Media Group, and his wife Elizabeth.

MAN ON ATTEMPTED MURDER CHARGE

By NICO SCAVELLA Tribune Staff Reporter nscavella@tribunemedia.net

SHANNON Wilson outside court yesterday.

Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff

A 24-YEAR-OLD man recently acquitted of attempting to murder a police officer in 2016 was charged yesterday with trying to kill a woman two months ago.

Shannon Wilson, of Cotton Wood Street, stood before Chief Magistrate Joyann Ferguson-Pratt accused of attempting to kill Adena Young on April 1.

But despite the allegation, police did not have Young listed as one of the witnesses—much less the complainant—on the charge sheet, as noted by Wilson’s attorney David Cash.

As a result, Chief Magistrate Ferguson-Pratt noted that if the complainant is not listed on the charge sheet, the offence is “clearly” not made out.

“How could you charge a man with attempted murder, and the virtual complainant is not listed?

Come on!” the chief

magistrate asked.

The police prosecutor, Woman Corporal Samantha Miah, told the court officers at Central Detective Unit (CDU) admitted the omission of Young’s name as the complainant was a “grave” oversight, and that they would rectify the issue.

However, Mr Cash noted Young’s name should have been the first name printed on the document.

Additionally, Mr Cash told the court that at the time of the alleged incident, Wilson was wearing an ankle bracelet as part of his bail conditions for his trial over the alleged attempted murder of Detective Constable 3569 Kendrick Brown on June 10, 2016.

Mr Cash told The Tribune that Wilson was acquitted at the no-case submission stage by Justice Gregory Hilton in May. To that end, Mr Cash submitted his observation that no representative of Migrafill Security Company, which owns the ankle bracelet Wilson was wearing, is listed as a witness, despite the company likely

being able to provide a report outlining Wilson’s whereabouts on the date in question.

The chief magistrate noted Mr Cash’s concerns, and adjourned the matter to September 4 for service of a voluntary bill of indictment (VBI). Bail was denied and he was ordered to be remanded to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services (BDCS) in the interim.

However, Mr Cash told the court he intends to apply to the Supreme Court for bail for his client.

According to initial reports, shortly after 7am, on the date in question, Young was standing at the rear of a vehicle in front of her home on Boatswain Hill, when she was approached by two males armed with a firearm. The men, one of whom is alleged to be Wilson, opened fire in her direction, wounding her, before fleeing the scene in a silver Honda vehicle.

Young was transported to hospital where she was listed in critical but stable condition.

MOTORIST DENIES CAUSING DEATH BY DANGEROUS DRIVING

SHAQUILLE Bethel Hamilton. Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff

By NICO SCAVELLA Tribune Staff Reporter nscavella@tribunemedia.net A 26-YEAR-OLD MAN yesterday denied allegations that his dangerous driving in a car he had no permission to operate caused the death of a 25-year-old woman last month.

Shaquille Bethel Hamilton entered a not guilty plea to causing Yoandra Roberts’ death after the car he was driving slammed into a tree and rolled into a ditch on June 14.

Hamilton further denied allegations that sometime prior to the accident, he removed the car without the consent of its owner, Sharlene Strachan. He further denied allegations that at the time of the accident, he did not have a valid driver’s licence.

According to initial reports, shortly after 4am on the date in question, Hamilton and Roberts were riding in a black Honda Civic in the north bound lane of Sir Milo Butler Highway, when Hamilton lost control of the vehicle. As a result, the car ultimately collided into a tree before rolling down a ditch.

Fire Services officers were called to the scene and removed both Hamilton and Roberts from the vehicle.

Paramedics were also summoned to the location, however, Roberts was pronounced dead.

Hamilton, meanwhile, was transported to hospital.

Given Hamilton’s not guilty pleas, the matter was adjourned to October 1 for trial. He was granted $9,000 bail with two suretors.

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, July 23, 2019, PAGE 11

VISITORS and residents enjoyed Bahamas Goombay Summer 2019 festivities in San Salvador last Friday.

Photos: Kemuel Stubbs/BIS

Goombay summer fun for all

PAGE 12, Tuesday, July 23, 2019

THE TRIBUNE

HONG KONG CRISIS ESCALATES AFTER MOB ATTACK ON PROTESTERS HONG KONG Associated Press

AN overnight attack by white-clad assailants apparently targeting pro-democracy protesters raised tensions to new levels in Hong Kong yesterday as China harshly criticised the weekend demonstration, saying “central authority cannot be challenged”.

The Chinese rebuke came after its Hong Kong office was targeted on Sunday night by protesters who pelted it with eggs and spray-painted its walls. It made no mention of the violent attack hours later at a subway station

by men wielding iron pipes and wooden poles as they beat up people clad in the pro-democracy movement’s black shirts. Dozens were injured.

The attack on China’s Liaison Office was an escalation of the weekslong protests, during which demonstrators besieged Hong Kong’s legislature and police headquarters but did not direct their ire at China itself. It came after more than 100,000 people marched through the city to demand democracy and an investigation into the use of force by police to disperse crowds at protests.

As demonstrators made their way home, a gang of men descended on a group of them at a subway station. Video of the attack in Hong Kong’s Yuen Long neighborhood showed the protesters being beaten by the assailants as they retreated into the trains, intimidated by the gangs of men waiting for them outside the turnstiles. The attackers then entered the trains and beat the people inside as they tried to defend themselves with umbrellas.

At least 45 people were injured, and 15 remained hospitalised yesterday afternoon, including one man in critical condition.

FIGHTING inside a train car in Hong Kong

Subway passengers filmed by Stand News and iCABLE angrily accused police officers of not intervening to protect the demonstrators, who have been critical of the police use of force.

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said that allegations that police had colluded with the assailants were “unfounded.”

The Sunday night assault on Beijing’s Hong Kong Liaison Office touched a raw nerve in China. China’s national emblem, which hangs on the front of the building, was splattered with black ink. It was replaced by a new one within hours.

PUERTO RICANS DEMAND GOVERNOR STEPS DOWN IN MASSIVE PROTEST SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico Associated Press WAVING flags, chanting and banging pots and pans, tens of thousands of Puerto Ricans jammed a highway yesterday to demand the resignation of Gov. Ricardo Rosselló in a crisis triggered by a leak of offensive, obscenity-laden chat messages between him and his advisers.

The demonstration appeared to be the biggest protest on the island in nearly two decades.

“Finally, the government’s mask has fallen,” said Jannice Rivera, a 43-year-old mechanical engineer who lives in Houston but was born and raised in Puerto Rico and flew in to join the crowds.

The protest came 10 days after the leak of 889 pages of online chats in which Rosselló and some of his close aides insulted women and mocked constituents, including victims of Hurricane Maria. The leak has intensified long-smoldering anger in the U.S. territory over persistent corruption and mismanagement by the island’s two main political parties, a severe debt crisis, a sickly economy and a slow recovery from Maria, which devastated Puerto Rico in September 2017.

PUERTO Rican singer Ricky Martin, far left, participates with other celebrities in a protest demanding the resignation of governor Ricardo Rossello in San Juan, Puerto Rico yesterday.

‘CIA spies’ facing the death sentence in Iran DUBAI Associated Press

IRAN yesterday announced the arrest of 17 Iranians accused of spying on the country’s nuclear and military sites for the CIA and said some of them have been sentenced to death. President Donald Trump called it “another lie” from Iran.

The arrests happened over the past months, an Iranian intelligence official said at a news conference in Tehran. He said those taken into custody worked on “sensitive sites” in military and nuclear installations.

The official did not say how many were given death sentences.

The announcement came amid weeks of rising tensions between Washington and Tehran over Trump’s decision to pull the United States out of Iran’s nuclear agreement with world powers last year and impose sweeping sanctions on the country.

The official said the 17 were recruited by the CIA and had “sophisticated training” but did not succeed in their sabotage missions.

Their spying missions included collecting information at the facilities where they worked and installing monitoring devices, he said.

He said some were staff members at the targeted facilities, and the rest were working as consultant and contractors. The official said the

PRESIDENT Trump CIA had promised them US visas or jobs in America. “That’s totally a false story. That’s another lie,” Trump said at the White House.

Trump also said Iran has “disrespected” the United States, adding: “If they want to make a deal, frankly it’s getting harder for me to want to make a deal with Iran because they’ve behaved very badly. They’re saying bad things.”

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, a former CIA director, declined to address specifics of the arrests but said: “The Iranian regime has a long history of lying.”

“I think everyone should take with a grain of salt everything that the Islamic Republic of Iran asserts today,” he said.

With tensions rising recently, the U.S. has increased its military presence in the region and is sending at least 500 U.S. soldiers to Saudi Arabia, Iran’s rival.

Last month, US officials said American military cyberforces struck Iranian Revolutionary Guard computers, disabling systems that controlled its rocket and missile launchers. The cyberattack came after Trump backed away from an airstrike in response to Iran’s downing of a US surveillance drone.

The Iranian official did not give his name but was identified as the director of the counterespionage department of Iran’s Intelligence Ministry. It is rare in Iran for intelligence officials to appear before media, or for any official to give a news conference without identifying himself.

The official said some of the agents recruited by the CIA had turned and are now working with his department against the United States.

He also handed out a CD with video of what Iran said was a foreign female spy working for the CIA. The disc also included the names of several U.S. Embassy staff members in Turkey, India, Zimbabwe and Austria who Iran said were in touch with the recruited Iranian spies.

• PRESIDENT Trump brought the leader of Pakistan to the White House yesterday to discuss a peace deal in neighbouring Afghanistan, breezily declaring he could end the longest US war in a week but doesn’t want to wipe the country “off the face of the earth.”

Afghanistan topped the agenda as Trump met with Prime Minister Imran Khan, with the president saying he hoped Pakistan would use its influence with the Taliban to advance a peace deal and help end the nearly two-decade old US war.

But even as he talked up diplomacy and the prospects of peace, Trump claimed he could also easily win a war that began when the US went after Osama bin Laden and his Taliban supporters following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

“I could win that war in a week.

I just don’t want to kill 10 million people,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “If I wanted to win that war, Afghanistan would be wiped off the face of the earth.

It would be gone. It would be over, literally, in 10 days.”

Nonetheless, sitting alongside Khan, Trump said he wanted a peaceful resolution. “So we’re working with Pakistan and others to extricate ourselves.”

Khan has bashed Trump too, but now says Pakistan is also eager to work with the United States to end the war.

INDIA LAUNCHES MOON MISSION A WEEK AFTER IT WAS ABORTED NEW DELHI Associated Press

INDIA successfully launched an unmanned spacecraft to the far side of the Moon yesterday, a week after aborting the mission because of a technical problem.

Scientists at the mission control centre burst into applause as the rocket lifted off in clear weather as scheduled at 2.43pm from Sriharikota in southern India. K. Sivan, head of India’s space agency, said the rocket successfully injected the spacecraft into orbit.

The spacecraft — named Chandrayaan, the Sanskrit word for “moon craft” — is scheduled to land on the lunar south pole in September and send a rover to explore water deposits confirmed by a

previous mission that orbited the Moon. If India did manage the soft landing, it would be only the fourth to do so, following the US, Russia and China.

India’s first Moon mission orbited the Moon in 2008 and helped confirm the presence of water. The country plans to send its first manned spaceflight by 2022.

India’s launch coincided with the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission this month. It came at a time when the world’s biggest space agencies are returning their gaze to the Moon, seen as an ideal testing ground for technologies required for deep space exploration, and with the confirmed discovery of water, as a possible pit stop along the way. The US is working to send a manned spacecraft to the Moon’s

LAUNCH of the spacecraft south pole by 2024. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the country’s lunar program will get a substantial boost, writing on Twitter that the country’s existing

knowledge of the Moon “will be significantly enhanced”.

The launch of the $141m Moon mission a week earlier was called off less than an hour before liftoff because of a “technical snag.”

Media reports said the launch was aborted after scientists from the Indian Space Research Organization identified a leak while filling helium in the rocket’s cryogenic engine. The space agency neither confirmed nor denied the reports, saying instead that the problem had been identified and corrected.

The spacecraft that launched yesterday is carrying an orbiter, lander and rover that will move around on the lunar surface for 14 Earth days.

It will take around 47 days to travel before landing on the Moon.

FIREFIGHTERS BATTLE WILDFIRE IN PORTUGAL COLOS, Portugal Associated Press MORE than 1,000 firefighters and 14 waterdropping aircraft battled a major wildfire yesterday amid scorching temperatures in Portugal, where forest blazes wreak destruction every summer.

As temperatures reached almost 40 C in the afternoon, and a wind blew up, the blaze that had been largely contained overnight rekindled in some areas.

Huge pillars of black smoke appeared on the horizon for a third straight day.

Officials said cooler overnight temperatures had allowed authorities to bring under control about 90% of the fire area in the Castelo Branco district, 200 kilometers northeast of the capital Lisbon.

But the Civil Protection Agency kept its firefighting assets, including 318 vehicles, in the area to move in quickly when they reignited.

The government said it had asked for help from neighboring Spain, which was sending two waterdumping airplanes. Forests in the region are tinder-dry after weeks with little rain.

The Portuguese Civil Protection Agency said the fire has injured 32 people, one seriously, as it raced through thick woodlands.

Police said they were investigating what caused the fire amid suspicions it may have been started deliberately.