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Thursday, augusT 13, 2026

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Realtor and tour operator slam ‘fabricated, impertinent’ claims

BY NEIL HARTNELL TRIBUNE Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

CA Christie, Conch & Coconut accuse latter’s ex-partner of ‘mudslinging’

A TOP Bahamian real estate firm and Briland tour operator have slammed the latest “fabricated and impertinent allegations” levied against them by the latter’s former US partner as they bid to dismiss his “shotgun pleading”.

CA Christie and Julian ‘Shaq’ Gibson, together with the latter’s Conch & Coconut Ltd and other defendants, again joined forces in an August 7, 2026, legal filing to demand that the new “confusing, mudslinging attack” on them by Pablo Conde and the US half of the destination management business be struck out by the south Florida court.

They are asserting that Mr Conde’s amended pleadings fail to cure the deficiencies which led the south Florida court to previously dismiss CA Christie as a defendant,

Seek dimissal of ‘shotgun pleading’ by south Florida court for second time having found that there was no evidence to show the Bahamian real estate firm know of, or was responsible for, Mr Gibson’s alleged actions despite him being their Harbour Island agent.

Describing Mr Conde’s revised lawsuit as “bloated”, Mr Gibson and the other defendants also assert that allegations featuring purported trademark violations, unjust enrichment and tortious interference should also be rejected to end one part of a legal battle that is raging in both The Bahamas and Florida amid claims of illegal ‘fronting’ and more than $1m in unpaid taxes.

CA Christie, though, now finds itself attempting

to extricate itself from Mr Conde’s lawsuit for a second time after the south Florida federal court gave him 14 days to address the weaknesses in a case sparked by the latter’s messy split with Mr Gibson and the break-up of their respective arms of the Conch & Coconut operation.

Asserting that the south Florida court also has no jurisdiction over CA Christie, since it is a Bahamian company with no ties or nexus to Florida, the defendants’ collective response also argued that Mr Conde “fails to plead valid claims”.

“Plaintiffs have filed a bloated amended complaint, with nearly 100 new ‘factual’ allegations, asserting new

claims and largely failing to address the deficiencies identified by the Order,” they said of the first ruling.

“The amended complaint is a prolix, confusing, mudslinging attack on Shaquille Gibson, his companies, one of his employees, his (non-biological) father and father’s fiancé, and two real estate-related entities who have absolutely nothing to do with plaintiffs’ trumped-up grievances. The complaint in its entirety should be dismissed.”

Focusing on Mr Conde’s assertions that CA Christie is “vicariously liable” for Mr Gibson’s alleged conduct, the dismissal motion again argued that Conch & Coconut’s former US partner had again failed to supply facts or evidence to back-up this claim - the same deficiency that sank the first lawsuit’s efforts to rope-in the Bahamian realtor.

ASSERTIONS - See Page B8

Battle reignites on work halt at $200m Rosewood Exuma

BY NEIL HARTNELL TRIBUNE Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net THE WARRING parties in the $200m Rosewood Exuma conflict yesterday resumed battle over what sparked the developer’s “undertaking” to halt all Sampson Cay work until August 26 and the fall-out for their legal fight and the project’s future.

Miami-based Yntegra Group, the resort project’s lead developer, argued that the “undertaking” is designed to “break the cycle” of what it branded as delaying tactics

by its main opponent, the neighbouring Turtlegrass Resort & Island Club.

It signalled that its move is designed to give Turtlegrass “nowhere to hide”, and eliminate the latter’s ability to stall and drag out court hearings on its substantive Judicial Review challenges to Rosewood Exuma’s environmental permits and approvals.

To achieve this goal, Yntegra said in a statement that its work halt is directly tied to Turtlegrass and its attorneys identifying any “procedural

PROMISE - See Page B8

BPL union: Overtime change to force us to Bahamas Grid

BY FAY SIMMONS TRIBUNE Business Reporter jsimmons@tribunemedia.net THE BAHAMAS Electrical Workers Union’s (BEWU) president last night accused Bahamas Power & Light (BPL) of trying to pressure workers into joining Bahamas Grid Company (BGC) as it filed a formal trade dispute over an overtime policy it alleges was introduced without its consent.

Kyle Wilson said the alleged effort to move workers to BGC was linked to the transmission and distribution operator’s need for experienced technical staff, particularly as BPL workers continue to assist

with outages and other grid-related work. Some 120 BPL transmission and distribution staff had previously declined to transfer to Bahamas Grid Company for fear they would lose their industrial agreement benefits, plus years of seniority and pension benefits.

“I've been told, allegedly, it is an attempt to try and force BPL workers into BGC because BGC does not have the technical expertise needed to run this grid,” Mr Wilson said.

The union's concerns come as BPL continues to rely on its existing workforce to assist with restoration work amid ongoing reliability problems, with

CONCERN - See Page B9

Sebas: Bahamas cautious on ‘monstrous’ AI data centres

BY FAY SIMMONS TRIBUNE Business Reporter jsimmons@tribunemedia.net THE BAHAMAS is taking a cautious approach to attracting data centres due to the demands they will impose on alreadystrained electricity, water and other infrastructure resources, a Cabinet minister said last night.

Sbas Bastian, minister of innovation and national development, said the Government was developing a broader digital infrastructure strategy centred on boosting domestic computing capacity while avoiding

SEBAS BASTIAN a rush to attract large-scale artificial intelligence (AI) facilities that could place additional pressure on struggling resources.

EVOLVE - See Page B9

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TUC chief laughs off resignation call amid union turmoil Acting General Workers chief hits out at Obie Ferguson KC role in dispute Says union still fighting to gain bank account access after two-year fight TUC president blasts critic as ‘insignificant’; questions standing to make call

BY NEIL HARTNELL TRIBUNE Business Editor nhartnell@ tribunemedia.net A VETERAN trade unionist yesterday called for Obie Ferguson KC to step down from the Trades Union OBIE FERGUSON KC Congress (TUC) presidency following a near two-year legal battle that has left the Bahamas General Workers Union (BGWU) in turmoil.

Dave Beckford, who is now acting General Workers Union president until fresh elections are held, told Tribune Business that Mr Ferguson needed to resign from his post at the helm of arguably The Bahamas’ largest union due to the “clear conflict of interest” over his role in the BGWU dispute.

Rather than act as the General Workers Union’s impartial legal adviser, Mr Beckford alleged the TUC president had instead picked sides in the dispute that tore apart the union’s executive council and represented its late president and general secretary against himself and other union officers in their 18-month courtroom battle.

He argued that Mr Ferguson, instead of acting for the late Linda Sands and Natania Johnson, should - as the union’s external legal adviser - have remained above the fray and sought to help resolve both sides’ differences.

Mr Beckford, on behalf of the executive council, in an August 5, 2026, letter to Mr Ferguson said the General Workers Union is withdrawing from membership of the TUC amid the

DEMAND - See Page B4

PAGE 2, Thursday, August 13, 2026

THE TRIBUNE

Digital literacy not optional in fight to stay competitive NASSAU CRUISE PORT (NCP)

Nassau Cruise Port nominated as Caribbean’s leading terminal NASSAU Cruise Port (NCP) yesterday said it has been nominated as the Caribbean’s Best Cruise Terminal 2026 in the World Cruise Awards as it remains on target for a 600,000 year-over-year increase in passengers.

The Prince George Wharf operator, in a statement, said the nomination further recognises the port’s growing standing as a leading Caribbean gateway. The Bahamas has also been nominated as the Caribbean’s Best Cruise Destination 2026, highlighting the country’s continued strength and appeal within the global cruise industry.

“We are honoured to receive this nomination, and equally proud to see The Bahamas recognised among the Caribbean’s leading cruise destinations,” said Mike Maura, the Nassau Cruise Port’s chief executive and a director.

“These nominations reflect the collective efforts of our team, tourism partners, stakeholders and the wider Bahamian community to create memorable experiences for our guests. They also reinforce the significant role that cruise tourism continues to play in generating economic opportunities and showcasing the very best of The Bahamas to the world.”

Nassau Cruise Port is targeting a 9.8 percent yearover-year increase in cruise passengers for 2026. After receiving 6.1m in 2025, it said it is on track to welcome around 6.7m passengers this

year, reflecting continued growth and strong demand for The Bahamas as a top cruise destination.

The Prince George Wharf operator added that it continued to invest in culture, hospitality, entertainment and guest amenities. Recent developments include a yacht marina capable of accommodating vessels 100 feet and larger, along with new food and beverage offerings such as Blue Marlin Seafood Restaurant and Bahama Bay Pool & Day Club.

Nassau Cruise Port said it has also achieved milestones such as a record-breaking, single-day passenger count of more than 33,000 guests, underscoring the capital’s growing appeal and importance within the global cruise industry.

The World Cruise Awards recognise, reward, and celebrate excellence across the global cruise sector. Now in its sixth year, the annual awards programme honours leading cruise destinations, terminals, cruise lines, travel agencies, ships and other organisations helping to advance the industry.

Voting for the World Cruise Awards 2026 opened on July 13 and runs through August 21, 2026, with the nominees receiving the most votes in each category to be named the winners. The awards will be presented at the World Cruise Awards gala ceremony in Jamaica on October 14, 2026.

O

nce upon a time, dealing with technology was something a business owner delegated to the IT (information technology) department or the nephew who was good with computers. Those days are over.

Digital literacy has become as fundamental to business as reading a balance sheet or managing a payroll.

Bahamian enterprises that treat it as an optional skill are operating at a serious disadvantage.

Digital literacy does not mean knowing how to code or build websites. It means understanding how technology shapes your business and being able to make informed decisions about it. Can you read a Google Analytics report well enough to understand which marketing channels work? Do you know what a ‘CRM’ does and whether your business needs one? Can you assess whether a software vendor is offering genuine value or selling features you will never use? These are the new fundamentals.

The reason this matters has nothing to do with technology enthusiasm and everything to do with competitive reality.

Every industry has been reshaped by digital tools, and the businesses leading those industries are run by owners who understand the tools well enough to deploy them strategically. A

KEITH

ROYE II hotel manager who understands online travel agency dynamics negotiates better terms. A retailer who understands inventory software identifies waste invisible to competitors. An accountant who understands cloud platforms serves more clients with less staff.

The Bahamian context adds urgency. Our small population means our businesses must compete with international operators who have much larger talent pools and technology budgets. Our geography means digital tools often substitute for physical infrastructure that would otherwise be prohibitive. Our economic dependence on tourism means we must communicate effectively with visitors who arrive expecting digital experiences they receive everywhere else in the world.

Yet, across many local industries, digital literacy lags. Owners still print spreadsheets and hand them to bookkeepers for manual retyping. Restaurants still take reservations in paper books. Retailers still maintain inventory through guess work. Each of these gaps represents not just lost efficiency but lost competitive ground against operators who have moved on.

The encouraging news is that closing these gaps does not require a degree in computer science. It requires curiosity, patience and a willingness to invest a few hours each week in learning. Free resources abound. You Tube tutorials cover virtually every business software platform.

LinkedIn Learning offers structured courses on specific tools. Local industry associations increasingly host workshops on digital adoption. The barriers are not knowledge availability.

They are the cultural belief that this work belongs to someone else.

For owners building digital literacy in their companies, a few habits help. Set aside one hour weekly to learn one new tool or feature. Subscribe to a newsletter focused on your industry's technology trends. Encourage staff to suggest software improvements and act on the suggestions. Stop saying you are not a technology

Former Club Med site’s $250m revival gets Chamber backing THE planned $200m-$250m revival of the former Club Med resort site has drawn backing from the Eleuthera Chamber

of Commerce, which yesterday praised the project as a “real opportunity” for Bahamian businesses.

Thomas Sands, the Chamber president, said the Myles Ahead project, which is aiming to develop a 40-60 key boutique hotel and up to 100 residences on the now- vacant 93 acre site, and its principals have pledged to support commerce-related initiatives on the island.

Speaking after Myles Ahead’s August 6 town meeting with Governor’s Harbour residents, Mr Sands said: “As the Chamber of Commerce, we are glad to see an experienced Bahamian-led team bringing this kind of investment to Governor's Harbour, Eleuthera, and that they are starting the conversation with the community early.

“From what I heard and saw, a project like this has the potential for real opportunity for local businesses, and we look forward to the continued engagement as it moves forward. We are encouraged that the developer has committed

to supporting commerce initiatives and fund-raising efforts to execute those efforts.”

Myles Ahead, in a statement, said the project is expected to generate around 250 construction jobs at peak development plus some 165 permanent, full-time positions once complete. It is targeting a mid-2027 construction start, and aiming for a partial opening in 2029 with full completion of the redevelopment occurring in 2030.

The developer is headed

by Bahamian businessman Anthony Myers, the Bahamas Hot Mix chairman and founder, and James Lyle, founder of Lyford Cay-based investment management firm, Fulmar Advisors.

Myles Ahead added that it will also partner with Bahamian training institutions, local schools and hospitality partners to create apprenticeships and long-term career pathways, not just entry-level positions.

On local business engagement, it added

person. The phrase guarantees you will not become one.

The economic stakes of widespread digital literacy in The Bahamas are substantial. A workforce comfortable with technology attracts foreign investment, supports remote work opportunities and keeps our enterprises competitive against regional rivals. Government efforts to digitise services are only as effective as the citizens prepared to use them.

Banks rolling out new platforms only succeed when customers can navigate them.

Digital literacy is not optional, and it is not a technology department problem. It is a leadership responsibility, a competitive necessity and, increasingly, the price of staying in business at all. The Bahamian owners who accept this reality and act on it will define the next decade of our economy. Those who do not will be left to wonder why their competitors keep pulling ahead.

• NB: About Keith Keith Roye II is a highly analytic and solutions-driven professional with extensive experience in software development.

He holds a BSc in computer science and his career includes leading and delivering global software projects in various industries in The Bahamas and the US. that it is committed to sourcing Bahamian-made products and services during construction and throughout operations, alongside mentorship, hospitality-readiness training and ‘preferred vendor’ pathways to help local businesses grow through the resort.

In response to community feedback, Myles Ahead said it has committed to specific community projects in Governor's Harbour, including a playground, dock and ramp access, plus fencing improvements at Cupid's Cay, while continuing to engage the community to help shape additional initiatives.

“Support like this from the Chamber means a great deal to us,” said Mr Myers.

“It reflects exactly the kind of partnership we're hoping to build with this community as the project moves forward. As we continue our engagement and learn more about the community’s expectations, we intend to provide greater details on our commitments.”

The former Club Med site has been abandoned for more than 26 years since Hurricane Floyd’s passage in 1999. Myles Ahead

CONSTRUCT - See Page B5

THE TRIBUNE

Thursday, August 13, 2026, PAGE 3

to invest $3m Union body warns affiliates Gov’t into AI skills training back taxi union action threat

BY ANNELIA NIXON TRIBUNE Business Reporter anixon@tribunemedia.net THE BAHAMAS’ tourism industry could face disruption as the Bahamas Taxi Cab Union (BTCU) yesterday renewed threats of industrial action over its escalating dispute with livery operators. The Trade Union Congress (TUC), its umbrella bod, warned its affiliates are in support.

Tyrone Butler, the BTCU president, said the union has exhausted its patience with the Government and does not see a path towards resolving the dispute without industrial action. “I think it’s fair to assume that I don’t see any way of resolving this matter without any kind of industrial action,” Mr Butler said.

The warning comes as the TUC, led by Obie Ferguson KC, threw its support behind the taxi union and said its roughly 30 affiliates could stand with drivers if they are called to take action.

Mr Ferguson, speaking alongside the taxi union, said the TUC will not allow drivers to be “tampered with” and called on union members throughout the country to follow the direction of the leadership.

“We’re going to do what we have to do for you, taxi drivers, officers, with all of us here together,” Mr Ferguson said. “If you catching hell, I catching hell. One for all, all for one.”

The prospect of industrial action carries significant implications for the tourism-dependent economy, particularly because the dispute centres on operations at the country’s main international gateway, Lynden Pindling International Airport (LPIA). Mr Ferguson described taxi drivers as critical to the tourism industry.

“Tourism is our number one industry, and who plays the critical role in that? Taxi drivers,” he said.

Mr Butler, however, rejected the suggestion that responsibility for protecting the tourism industry should fall on the taxi union if

Union chief blasts ‘insignificant’ critic

BY ANNELIA NIXON TRIBUNE Business Reporter anixon@tribunemedia.net THE TRADES Union Congress (TUC) president yesterday dismissed a veteran unionist’s call for his resignation, branding his critic “insignificant” and asserting he has no standing to make such arguments as he is not a fully paid-up Bahamas General Workers Union (BGWU) member.

Obie Ferguson KC hit back at Dave Beckford, acting BGWU president, following the Supreme Court ruling that found for the latter and his fellow council members and inflicted a total defeat on late union president, Linda Sands, and Natania Johnson, the secretary-general, who the TUC chief had represented legally in the court battle.

“Mr Beckford is insignificant,” Mr Ferguson, rejecting his criticism and challenging him to publicly

produce the court documents concerning the BGWU dispute. He said Mr Beckford had failed to tell Bahamians that the court had ordered an election within the union.

“The court ordered him to have an election,” Mr Ferguson said. “Did he tell you that? Did he tell you that in about 14 days or thereabouts there will be an election? No, he didn’t tell that to you.”

Acting justice Raynard Rigby KC, in his July 29, 2026, verdict, had called on members of the Bahamas General Workers Union’s (BGWU) executive council to “move quickly” in setting dates for the nomination and election of new officers following his verdict on a dispute that splintered its leadership into two rival factions. However, he gave no specific dates or timeline for when this was to take place.

Mr Beckford yesterday told Tribune Business that, while no final dates have

BY FAY SIMMONS TRIBUNE Business Reporter jsimmons@tribunemedia.net

industrial action is eventually taken. Asked whether he was concerned about the potential impact on tourism, Mr Butler said that question should be directed to the Government.

“They run the country,” he said. “They should be the first ones thinking about the tourists. We feel disappointed that we have a government who doesn’t see the importance of doing what is in the best interest of tourism, and you’re leaving it to us to decide for you something you should be doing.”

Mr Ferguson said the TUC’s support for the BTCU extends beyond the taxi industry, arguing that the labour movement must stand together when the interests of one of its affiliates are threatened.

He said the TUC would take the same position if Customs officers, Immigration officers, doctors or air traffic controllers faced similar circumstances. He also warned that the situation could become volatile if large numbers of taxi drivers are called to the airport.

“We’re going to have to call all them taxi drivers and tell them meet down to the airport,” he said. “And anything is likely to happen.”

Mr Ferguson also addressed the two-week trial agreement he said was reached with the Government.

“They said two weeks,” he said. “That’s what the minister said - both ministers, beginning from Monday gone, it would go for two weeks. We’d see how it works, which makes sense to me. And if we have to make minor adjustments, we’ll make it. But you got to do it.”

The Ministry of Transport, however, maintains that its position is for the two sides to meet, negotiate in good faith and reach a mutually acceptable agreement.

“At this stage, the Ministry is awaiting the outcome of the meeting between the two parties,” the ministry said. It added that once the parties reach an agreement, the ministry would do its part to ensure that the terms

STRIKE - See Page B10

THE GOVERNMENT is preparing to spend $3m from an Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) loan on technology and artificial intelligence (AI) training as it seeks to prepare Bahamians for jobs emerging from the digital economy.

Sebas Bastian, minister of innovation and national development, said the investment would support both basic artificial intelligence (AI) literacy and more advanced training aimed at helping Bahamians develop and create technology.

“One of the first things we did, as one of the first Cabinet papers I passed through Cabinet, was on approval to spend $3m out of that same IDB loan you talked about to build capacity,” said Mr Bastian.

He added that the Government could not simply introduce new technology without also ensuring Bahamians have the skills needed to use and develop it.

been announced, nominations for new officers will likely be set for the final week in August with elections held in either the first or second week of September 2026.

Mr Ferguson, meanwhile, also questioned Mr Beckford’s standing within the union, alleging that he had not paid union dues for around three years. “He is not a financial member of that union,” Mr Ferguson said. “We discovered that for the last three years he hasn’t paid dues to the union.”

He challenged Mr Beckford to provide evidence of his membership status and the court’s ruling. “You ever seen when they catch a fish?

When they catch a fish and put it in the dinghy, the fish is all over the place trying to find life, because he’s going to die,” Mr Ferguson said, appearing to compare Beckford’s position to that of someone fighting to retain his standing.

Mr Beckford, giving evidence at the Supreme Court trial on the leadership dispute, “confirmed that he did not pay dues regularly and he could not remember the last time he paid dues”.

“He in fact stated that ’he haven't paid in a while, you know,” acting justice Rigby wrote. “He confirmed that he ‘haven't paid in 2026’ and suggested that ‘I would have paid some dues in 2025’. He further stated when pressed under cross examination that ‘I think it was about six months somewhere around...as I can recall, ... I paid to Brian Smith the treasurer’.”

Mr Beckford later “suggested that he was likely in arrears for 12 weeks before his purported dismissal by the president of the union.

He also confirmed that when he received the termination letter of December 17, 2024, he did not challenge it and did not provide to the president any evidence that he was current with his dues”.

As a result, Mr Ferguson had argued that Mr

“If we're going to just start building up all kind of tools and training people to use tools, we're missing a golden opportunity of what's truly possible for our citizens,” he said.

Mr Bastian said the training programme would include opportunities for members of the public to learn how to use AI tools as well as how to develop and create products using the technology.

“In a very short time, we will start to announce what these various training opportunities are going to be to the general public, and it is going to be a combination of training people on tools, and it's going to be also training people how to develop and create things using AI,” he added.

Mr Bastian said AI represented an opportunity to broaden access to technology and entrepreneurship because the cost and infrastructure required to develop software has fallen significantly. “Technology has a lot of capabilities, and one of them is democratising opportunity,” he added.

PREPARE - See Page B9 Beckford could not be elected as the union’s thenvice president because he was not in good standing and in arrears on his dues.

However, acting justice Rigby disagreed and found that Mr Ferguson and his clients had “failed to discharge the burden on them to show that Dave Beckford and Brain Smith were non-financial members as of December 17, 2024”.

PAGE 4, Thursday, August 13, 2026

THE TRIBUNE

Union faces ‘terrible’ situation with members’ ‘morale low’ DEMAND - from page B1 fall-out from a dispute that has “detsabilised and embarrassed” the union.

Mr Ferguson, in response to Mr Beckford’s resignation demand, laughed and told Tribune Business the latter has no standing to make such a call because he has allegedly failed to pay his union dues and is thus a “non-financial member” of the BGWU. The TUC chief also branded Mr Beckford as “insignificant”, and rejected both his “conflict of interest” claims and assertions that he had unduly “interfered” in the General Workers Union’s internal affairs (see other article on Page 3B).

The backlash comes after acting Supreme Court justice Raynard Rigby KC, in a July 29, 2026, verdict, inflicted a total defeat on Mr Ferguson and his clients by finding for Mr Beckford and his executive council faction, who included Brian Smith, the treasurer; Phillippa Dixon, assistant secretary general; and trustees Ivy Minnis and Richard Johnson. He ruled that the General Workers Union’s constitution did not empower Ms Sands, as president, to dismiss them as she did in December 2024.

Now, in the ruling’s aftermath, Mr Beckford said he and the remaining executive council members have been left to pick up the

pieces and put the General Workers Union back together ahead of elections for new officers which are likely to occur during the first half of September 2026.

Acting justice Rigby had urged them in his ruling to “move quickly” in setting dates for the officer nominations and election following his ruling.

However, Mr Beckford yesterday told this newspaper that the General Workers Union faces multiple obstacles in its bid to refocus on its core reason for being - advocating for, advancing and protecting the welfare and interests of its members and Bahamian workers. These barriers include a present inability to access the union’s bank account, which was frozen

by Commonwealth Bank after the executive council split erupted.

Mr Beckford said he and remaining council members are also unsure how many members remain with the General Workers Union, who are in good standing and at which companies. He explained that the union had initially been recognised as the bargaining agent for line staff workers at three entities the Bahamas Agricultural and Industrial Corporation (BAIC), the Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute (BTVI) and Bahamas Waste.

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However, due to the leadership split and in-fighting, members quickly became disenchanted with the General Workers Union. A determination poll taken at BTVI in December 2024 resulted in its replacement as the bargaining agent for that institution’s line staff by the Bahamas Union of Auxiliary Professionals in Education (BUAPE).

A similar union representation poll was set to take place at BAIC in March 2025, which would have resulted in the Bahamas Public Sector and Health Professionals Union (BPSHPU) replacing the General Workers Union, but this was halted - at least temporarily - by a Supreme Court injunction that Mr Ferguson obtained on the latter’s behalf. Mr Beckford yesterday said he and the executive council were now trying to determine the current situation, and if the injunction remains in place.

As for Bahamas Waste, the now-acting General Workers Union president said no mechanism had been put in place to collect union dues from members at the company, meaning none are in good standing and, therefore, are unable to participate in the upcoming officer elections.

Amid the effort to discover whether the General Workers Union is still functioning, and has any members, Mr Beckford, in an August 5, 2026, letter told Mr Ferguson that the executive council had “unanimously agreed to withdraw its membership from the Trades Union Congress (TUC) effective immediately”.

He wrote: ”The Council has concluded that the union have lost all trust and confidence in you as leader of the Congress, and we find it very difficult to be a part

of any organisation that falls under your leadership.”

Mr Beckford added that the legal battle had “caused damages to the union financially and socially”, resulting in it becoming “destabilised and embarrassed” and requiring “some time for us to get back to a degree of normalcy”.

Speaking to Tribune Business yesterday, Mr Beckford said the General Workers Union’s executive council had “a right” to withdraw from the TUC even though it has elections for new officers coming up.

He added that he was now “respectfully” calling for Mr Ferguson to step down from the TUC presidency, arguing that he had exceeded his role as the General Workers Union’s legal adviser by becoming involved in representing one of the parties in an internal dispute.

“What Mr Ferguson did was kind of interfering with the running of the union through the president and general secretary,” Mr Beckford alleged. “In our case, his job was to advise and not pick sides in the circumstances. His job was to advise, not to try and run the union through the president.

“I know Mr Ferguson is a brilliant labour attorney, one of the best in the region. My colleagues are disappointed in the role he played in this case. He was an advisor to the council, but he represented the late president and appointed general secretary. When the president passed away, he argued that Ms Johnson, the general secretary, that she is the acting president when the constitution makes clear the deputy president takes office. He went contrary to that.”

Mr Beckford also challenged Mr Ferguson’s and the TUC’s moves to hold

their own Labour Day marches over the past two years, plus seemingly strained relations with the Davis administration. “As leader of one of the biggest umbrella unions, it’s time for Mr Ferguson to step down and let others lead the organisation,” he argued.

The leadership battle has left the General Workers Union with a $100,000 legal bill which, ultimately, its members will have to pay from their dues. Mr Beckford also disclosed that the union’s industrial agreement with BAIC expired in 2023, leaving its members exposed, and - while the agency’s management confirmed a proposal for a new deal was submitted - he and the existing council members know nothing about it because it came from Ms Johnson and the late Ms Sands.

“After the elections, whoever takes charge of the union will have to rebuild the union in terms of members, the finances of the union and getting more membership and moving the union forward in a strategic way,” Mr Beckford told Tribune Business. “The members are disenfranchised. The agreement has expired from 2023.

“The members’ morale is low. They are very confused, don’t know what is going on and saying we’re not benefiting from this. It’s really been a terrible situation that’s negatively impacted the members, especially at BAIC.” Mr Beckford estimated that the General Workers Union may have had 100 members at BAIC but, due to the in-fighting, many were now not in good standing because they had failed to keep up with their union dues.

THE TRIBUNE

Thursday, August 13, 2026, PAGE 5

Minister: Bahamas and region must retain digital sovereignty A CABINET minister says The Bahamas and wider Caribbean must retain sovereignty and control over their digital development or face a new form of “colonisation”.

Senator Jerome Fitzgerald, minister of economic affairs, used his address to the 41st CANTO regional communications conference to challenge Caribbean governments, technology providers and regional stakeholders to rethink their approach to digital development. He warned that connectivity and technology adoption must not come at the expense of ownership, control and national sovereignty.

Speaking on the theme ‘Who holds the Keys?

Digital colonisation and the Caribbean claim to sovereignty’, Mr Fitzgerald’s address examined the growing influence of data, cloud infrastructure, artificial intelligence (AI), algorithms and digital platforms on the Caribbean.

He questioned whether the region is building genuine digital capability or creating new forms of dependency.

The minister recalled remarks made by Prime Minister Philip Edward Davis at the 40th annual CANTO conference in Nassau the previous year on the issue

of digital colonisation in the Caribbean.

“Today, I want to explore who holds the keys of our digital revolution, who should hold them and what can we do to protect ourselves from the digital colonisation he spoke about while preserving our sovereignty,” Mr Fitzgerald said.

“The issue before us is no longer whether the Caribbean will become digital.

It will. The issue is who, in the digital Caribbean, will hold the keys, and whether the Caribbean truly remains sovereign.”

He warned that the Caribbean is entering the digital age through an architecture that risks reproducing aspects of the colonial economic model and “extraction without ownership, participation without power, and dependence presented as development”.

Mr Fitzgerald said Caribbean countries generate data, governments purchase digital systems, consumers pay subscriptions and Caribbean land and energy may host infrastructure, while intelligence, intellectual property, profits and governing authority associated with those systems can accumulate elsewhere.

“Value flows outward. Rules flow inward,” he added.

Club Med redevelopment eyes 165 full-time jobs CONSTRUCT - from page B2 had previously pledged to Tribune Business it will preserve beach access and rights of way for Bahamians and the local community after concerns over this issue resurfaced. And it also confirmed that it is in a legal fight with the nearby French Leave Resort over allegations relating to “dune

destruction” and property access, although it declined to give further details.

“For clarity, Myles Ahead has no intention of eliminating public beach access.

Public access to the beach will be maintained as part of the proposed development.

Our intention is to provide access in an environmentally-responsible manner, including properly designed elevated wooden walkways

The minister stressed that digital transformation must be measured not simply by connectivity or access to technology, but by the region’s ability to understand, govern, control and recover its critical digital assets and systems.

“Digital consumption is not digital sovereignty,” Mr Fitzgerald said. “Connectivity is not capability.

Hosting is not ownership.

And dependence does not become development merely because the dependency is fast.” He defined digital sovereignty as the ability to own, combined with the power to know, choose, refuse and recover information.

Among the questions Caribbean governments must consider, Mr Fitzgerald said, are where critical information resides, who can inspect it, who controls encryption keys, which laws can compel its disclosure, whether systems can be moved if prices increase or providers withdraw, and how quickly essential government functions can be restored following major disruption such as a hurricane.

“If we cannot audit a critical system, replace its provider and keep essential services running after disruption, then sovereignty exists in our anthem but

over sensitive dune areas.

This will allow residents and visitors to reach the beach without trampling vegetation, destabilising the dunes or contributing to further erosion,” Myles Ahead said.

“On the question of legal action involving French Leave Resort, there is a matter presently before the courts relating to dune destruction and access across the property. As it remains before the courts, it would not be appropriate for us to comment further on it at this time.”

In the Estate of KENDALL LIVINGSTONE LIGHTBOURN late of Philox Close, Kiskadee Drive, Tropical Gardens in the Western District of the Island of New Providence one of the Islands of The Commonwealth of The Bahamas, deceased.

NOTICE NOTICE is hereby given that al persons having any claim or demand against hte said estate are required to send the same duly certified in writing to the undersigned on or before the 13 day of October, AD. .

2026, after which date the Executrix wil proceed ot distribute the estate having regard only to the claims of which she shall have had notice.

AND notice is hereby given that all persons indebted to the estate are required to make full settlement on or before the date hereinabove mentioned.

CEDRIC .L PARKER & CO. Attornevs for the Executrix 9 Harcourt (Rusty) Bethel Drive Nassau, Bahamas

NOTICE IN THE ESTATE OF DIANNA ZERLINE KNOWLES late of #14 Strachan’s Alley off Kemp Road in the Eastern District of the Island of New Providence, one of the Islands of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, deceased.

Notice is hereby given that all persons having any claim or demand against the above Estate are required to send their names, addresses and the particulars of their debts or claims duly certi#ed in writing to the undersigned on or before the 20th September, A. D. 2026, after which date the Executors will proceed to distribute the assets having regard only to the proved debts or claims of which notice have been given.

And Notice is hereby given that all persons indebted to the said Estate are requested to make full settlement on or before the date herein before mentioned.

EDWARD B. TURNER & CO. #24 Leonie Place Flax Terrace off Malcolm Road Nassau, Bahamas Attorneys for the Executors of the Estate of the late Dianna Zerline Knowles

MINISTER Fitzgerald calls for Caribbean Region to hold the keys to its digital future. not in our architecture,” Mr Fitzgerald said. “We occupy the house. We pay for the house. We may even have built the house. But someone else holds the keys.”

Mr Fitzgerald said these issues are particularly evident in discussions surrounding data centres, and the concessions and resources that may accompany major technology investments.

He challenged policymakers to consider what capability, ownership, resilience, tax revenue and recurring value will remain in the Caribbean after land, electricity, water, roads and other resources have been provided.

“Should we give the land, provide the power, supply the water, build the road, grant the concessions, and then pay rent to use services generated from our own resources while the knowledge and profits leave our shores?” Mr Fitzgerald asked.

He said the decisions being made today will determine whether the region is pursuing genuine digital transformation or “simply an extraction agreement with a different branding”.

Mr Fitzgerald emphasised that the Caribbean’s size should not be viewed as its greatest obstacle. “Being a small state is not the decisive fact. Fragmentation is, and fragmentation is a political choice,” he said.

“Digitally, our traffic moves through the same submarine cables. Our economies run on the same networks. Our vulnerabilities cross borders in milliseconds. A cyber attack does not respect the water between us. Neither does an algorithm.

“Alone, each island approaches a platform as a customer. Together, we approach it as a market.

Alone, each government bargains for a facility.

Together, we can bargain for an ecosystem. Alone, we ask for access. Together, we can require reciprocal agreements.”

Mr Fitzgerald outlined four priorities he has identified for strengthening Caribbean digital sovereignty. He called for the establishment of a Caribbean Digital Sovereignty Compact to establish a regional baseline for data centre incentives, resource

obligations, cyber security, data protection, government cloud contracts, portability and disaster recovery. Such a framework, he added, should prevent investors from playing one Caribbean country against another for strategic resources.

Second, the minister proposed a Federated Caribbean Cloud and Compute Network, consisting of resilient nodes distributed across several islands and linked through diverse cables and network hardware, additional renewable energy generation, shared cyber security capabilities and treaty-protected protocols and back-ups.

“Our risk will be distributed, and our sovereignty should be too,” he said. Mr Fitzgerald also called for major technology contracts to be treated as matters with constitutional and sovereignty implications.

Public contracts, he said, should require open standards, usable data exports, independent audits, Caribbean-controlled encryption, exit rights and knowledge transfer.

“Public money must purchase public capability,” Mr Fitzgerald said. Finally, he called for Caribbean data to be treated as an economic, cultural and national security asset.

He pointed to health records, agricultural knowledge, speech patterns, music, archives and images, warning that the Caribbean’s collective knowledge and cultural assets should not simply become proprietary intelligence elsewhere without Caribbean participation in the resulting value chain.

Mr Fitzgerald said the issue has become more urgent with the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI), questioning whether systems developed elsewhere adequately reflect Caribbean accents, histories, cultures and values.

“We should use these global tools, but we must also build Caribbean datasets, evaluation standards, models and research institutions,” he said. “We must be authors of technology, not merely subjects inside it…. It is not enough to only ask who holds the keys. We must be able to change the locks.”

Mr Fitzgerald also highlighted the growing cyber

security implications of artificial intelligence, adding that the same technologies capable of drafting documents can be used to clone voices, forge official statements, enhance phishing attacks and continuously probe networks for vulnerabilities.

He pointed to ransomware attacks on government systems, telecommunications breaches and leaked citizen data as evidence of the Caribbean’s exposure, and called on telecommunications operators and other technology stakeholders to strengthen regional co-operation by pooling threat intelligence, sharing monitoring and response capabilities, establishing common standards for critical infrastructure and deploying AI for cyber security defence.

Mr Fitzgerald also called for investment in engineers, AI and cyber security specialists, data stewards, lawyers, regulators, economists and public officials capable of interrogating contracts and algorithms and, when necessary, saying ‘no’.

He also proposed the development of a Caribbean AI laboratory, owned by the region and capable of training models using Caribbean languages, archives and history on computing infrastructure under regional control.

“We do not wait for capability before negotiating.

Every negotiation must build capability,” he said.

Mr Fitzgerald characterized this as the post-colonial approach required for the digital age.

“Post-colonial does not mean anti-foreign. It means anti-subordination. It does not mean rejecting capital.

It means disciplining capital toward sustainable development in our national and regional interest,” he added.

Mr Fitzgerald warned that political independence alone does not guarantee sovereignty in a rapidly-changing technological environment.

“When we gained political independence, we acquired flags, Parliaments, constitutions and seats among nations. Those achievements were hardfought and profound. But sovereignty is never fixed in the annals of time. Power moves. Each generation must identify where it has moved and build institutions capable of meeting it there,” he said.

Power is increasingly moving into code, compute, cloud, data, algorithms, standards and infrastructure,” Mr Fitzgerald added.

“The next colonial office may have no building in our capital,” he warned. “It may exist in a platform’s terms of service.”

He added that authority could increasingly be exercised through an algorithm that cannot be inspected, a cloud service that cannot be exited, or an account that can be switched off without appeal. “The decree may come as a software update,” Mr Fitzgerald said.

PAGE 6, Thursday, August 13, 2026

THE TRIBUNE

seen. 35221! he goes.

THE TRIBUNE

Thursday, August 13, 2026, PAGE 7 I 543454 that, and whenever we 5234 2345 the 1225 I always give him 5221. As for retiring at a 1454 twenty years of age, he never got the 1412.

5

Solution in Monday’s puzzle pull-out

JUDGE PARKER

CARPE DIEM

SUMTHING

Fit the missing numbers into the grid so that all the sums are correct – reading left to right or on single lines top to bottom. There are 11 squares to fill, with one digit in each, and the 11 digits you must use are listed below.

But where do they all go?

Solution in Monday’s puzzle pull-out

MARVIN BLONDIE

We’ve given you one digit to get you started.

Here are the missing digits to fit in:

1, 1, 1, 2, 3, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9

HAGAR THE HORRIBLE

TIGER

SAMURAI SUDOKU 5 9 3 6 4 1 8 7 2 5 8 9 7 4 1 6 3 2 2 1 8 5 7 3 4 6 9 7 1 3 6 8 2 9 4 5 7 4 6 9 8 2 5 3 1 4 6 2 5 9 3 1 7 8 6 5 1 3 9 8 7 2 4 6 2 8 9 1 4 3 5 7 3 7 4 2 5 6 9 1 8 3 7 4 8 5 6 2 9 1 8 2 9 7 1 4 3 5 6 9 5 1 3 2 7 8 6 4 1 8 7 4 2 5 6 9 3 1 2 7 8 4 5 1 6 9 7 2 3 4 3 5 1 6 9 2 8 7 4 5 9 1 3 6 2 7 5 4 8 9 9 6 2 8 3 7 1 4 5 6 3 8 2 9 7 4 3 8 5 1 6 8 6 1 9 7 4 3 5 2 9 3 2 8 6 5 4 7 1 5 7 4 3 1 2 9 6 8 6 1 4 7 9 5 3 2 8 5 4 6 7 1 9 3 4 5 6 2 8 7 2 3 8 6 1 4 5 9 7 8 1 6 2 3 8 9 7 1 5 4 5 8 9 2 4 3 7 1 6 2 9 3 5 8 4 6 1 2 7 9 3 2 5 8 4 7 6 1 9 3 8 4 5 9 7 3 2 6 1 1 4 7 5 3 9 6 8 2 1 3 7 2 8 6 5 4 9 9 3 6 1 8 2 5 4 7 2 9 6 4 5 1 3 8 7 3 6 2 9 1 4 8 7 5 3 5 8 7 2 9 4 1 6 8 9 1 6 5 7 2 3 4 4 6 2 1 3 8 9 7 5 4 7 5 3 2 8 9 6 1 9 7 1 5 6 4 8 3 2

SMALL CROSSWORD

CALVIN & HOBBES

Across: 1 Subtracts, 7 Heroic, 9 Cowslip, 10 Know, 12 Gem, 13 Amateur, 14 End, 15 Same, 17 Trouser, 19 Serene, 20 Translate.

Down: 1 Sickness, 2 Udon, 3 Bow, 4 Relations, 5 Arises, 6 Tiger, 8 Commerce, 11 Warren, 13 Anger, 16 Meat, 18 Sea.

TARGET

DENNIS THE MENACE

W

CRYPTOQUOTE

BENEFITED beet, befit, benefit, BENEFITED, bent, betide, bidet, bite, debit, debt, deft, dent, diet, dint, edit, feint, feinted, fete, feted, fetid, teed, teen, tend, tide, tied, tine

AXYDLBAAXR is L O N G F E L L O W One letter stands for another. In this example, A is used for the three L’s, X for the 2 O’s, etc. Single letters, apostrophes, the length and formation of words are all hints. Each day the code letters are different.

Yesterday’s Sudoku Answer

CHALLENGER

Yesterday’s Answers

B 2 A S S C M H

C

A D

S

8

Sudoku is a number-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1 to 9 in the empty squares so the each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. The difficulty level of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday

MICRO CROSSWORD

T

PAGE 8, Thursday, August 13, 2026

THE TRIBUNE

Yntegra and Turtlegrass both assert credit for undertaking PROMISE - from page B1 issues” that may delay the substantive hearings by this Monday, August 17. The two sides would then meet to resolve these issues before the August 26, 2026, case management hearing before Justice Leif Farquharson.

However, Turtlegrass last night countered that, rather than being part of a strategy to force it to ‘put up or shut up’, the Yntegra undertaking was only offered at “the 11th hour” due to the “pressure” it created through yesterday’s bid to obtain a Supreme Court injunction forcing the Rosewood Exuma developer to halt all work on Sampson Cay. The neighbouring resort project, whose principal is Bob Coughlin, argued that the undertaking came “just hours before the Supreme Court was to hear” its emergency injunction application. And it hailed the outcome as “another win” for environmental protection.

Robert Adams KC, the Delaney Partners attorney and lead counsel for Yntegra, in an August 11, 2026, letter to Justice Farquharson said the developer was willing to pause all development and construction activity on Sampson Cay

between August 15-25 apart from receiving equipment which is already en route and being transported to the Exuma cay.

In return, Yntegra wanted Turtlegrass to agree that its challenge to Rosewood Exuma’s preliminary site plan approval be completed before end-September 2026, plus “consolidate” itsnow two Judicial Review challenges into one provided the Department of Environmental Planning and Protection (DEPP) and all the other government agencies named as defendants also agree.

“We write to advise that, in an effort to progress all of the applicant’s pending claims to a hearing on the merits as soon as possible, Sampson Cay Bahamas is prepared to carry out no further activity on Sampson Cay, save for the acceptance of delivery of equipment which has already been arranged and scheduled to arrive at the Cay between 15-25 August, 2026, weather permitting,” Mr Adams said of Yntegra’s wholly-owned project vehicle.

However, Mr Adams made this “subject to” Turtlegrass agreeing that its Subdivision and Development Appeal Board challenge to the project’s planning permits “be heard and completed prior to the

end of September 2026”. He added that this was reasonable, given that Turtlegrass’ lead attorney, Peter Village KC, had signalled he would be available after September 8.

The other condition set

by Mr Adams was that Turtlegrass combine its two Judicial Review actions into one, provided the Government also agrees, with the substantive hearings on both also occurring before end-September 2026. The first Judicial Review is challenging the project’s environmental approvals, with the second attacking DEPP’s decision to extend one certificate of environmental clearance (CEC) after it had expired.

Turtlegrass last night seized on the undertaking as “a significant win” given that Yntegra has “agreed to halt all construction, clearing, excavation and related works until the next court date”.

“The commitment is a direct result of Turtlegrass’ application for an emergency injunction following weeks of accelerating works on East Sampson Cay that we repeatedly informed the court, since July 30, were being carried out without the required approvals.

Yntegra was pressing forward, and Turtlegrass moved to stop the works

before further damage became irreversible,” Turtlegrass and its assistant, Bob Coughlin, asserted.

“Yntegra initially opposed the application, filing papers contesting Turtlegrass’s case. Turtlegrass replied with evidence of what it says was unlawful work: Bulldozing and clearing of vegetation, the pushing of top soil and sand into the sea, the erection of a dock, the delivery of pre-fabricated buildings, large-scale excavation to a depth of several feet, and the digging of more than two dozen foundation footer holes - all in an area of high ecological sensitivity that includes seagrass beds, coral habitat and hypersaline wetlands.

“It was only on the eve of today’s scheduled hearing, after Turtlegrass had opposed Yntegra’s papers, and with the court about to hear whether the works were lawful, that Yntegra came forward with an undertaking to stop.”

Yntegra’s view of events, not surprisingly, was sharply different. “Yntegra has taken a major step forward to bring the real issues to trial and force Turtlegrass to stop its procedural delays,” the Rosewood Exuma developer said.

“Yntegra has offered a temporary undertaking to

pause further activity on Sampson Cay until August 26, 2026, clearing the way for the Turtlegrass Judicial Review proceedings to move swiftly toward a hearing on their merits.

“This is a deliberate, good-faith effort by Yntegra to break the cycle of procedural disputes, prevent further unnecessary delays and move the proceedings forward. During this period, no further activity will take place on Sampson Cay, except acceptance of equipment already scheduled for delivery between August 15 and 25, weather permitting,” it added.

“In return, Turtlegrass must identify by August 17 any outstanding procedural issues it says prevent the cases from proceeding. The parties can then seek to resolve those issues before the August 26 case management conference, where the court can determine anything remaining and set a date for the consolidated substantive hearing.

“Yntegra is ready for the merits to be heard. There should be no further procedural delay. Yntegra remains committed to the responsible development of Sampson Cay and to delivering jobs, economic opportunities and lasting benefits for the Exumas and The Bahamas. The time for

procedural disputes should end. The time for a hearing on the merits has come.”

Turtlegrass, according to court documents seen

by Tribune Business, was set to push for a Supreme Court injunction that would have prohibited Yntegra, its contractors and their workers “from undertaking any works of development, including building operations, engineering or other operations in, on, over or under Sampson Cay and the foreshore, waters and seabed around Sampson Cay to a distance of 200 feett from the mean high water mark”.

“In short, the application is made because Sampson Cay Bahamas and/or Yntegra are undertaking works on Sampson Cay without lawful authority,” Turtlegrass and its attorneys, Callenders & Co, alleged.

“They do not have the requisite approvals. The works and any further works, conducted on an island of high ecological value, are or have the potential to be irreversible and will or have the potential to cause permanent harm to the marine and terrestrial environment on and around Sampson Cay.”

Latest legal claim in Briland tour operator battle a ‘mess’ ASSERTIONS - from page B1 “The amended complaint makes precisely the same vague and conclusory allegations about CA Christie’s and Corcoran Group’s (its franchisor) alleged control over Gibson’s actions,” the dismissal bid added. “Nowhere does the amended complaint allege how CA Christie and Corcoran Group controlled Gibson’s actions or identify any steps they allegedly undertook to do so. The reality is that they did not control Gibson’s actions….

“Plaintiffs’ failure to plead a viable theory of vicarious liability dooms their efforts to assert personal jurisdiction over CA Christie. Plaintiffs hope to assert jurisdiction by arguing that CA Christie comes within the long-arm statute

because Gibson was its agent, and his actions satisfy the long-arm statute. But to rely on this approach, they must properly allege an agency relationship, which they have not done.

“Plaintiffs were required to plead that CA Christie has ‘operational control’ over Gibson, meaning ‘day-to-day control of the internal affairs or basic operations’ of his business.

Plaintiffs have not come close to meeting this pleading standard. Thus, CA Christie is not subject to long-arm jurisdiction.”

Mr Conde and his Florida-domiciled Conch & Coconut LLC, in the latest version of their complaint, had alleged: “Gibson, as a real estate agent for Corcoran CA Christie and the Corcoran Group, uses the Conch & Coconut marks to

rent, sell or offer to sell or rent real estate properties in The Bahamas to consumers in the US and Florida.”

This, he claims, employs “at least a portion of the Conch & Coconut trade secrets to market for Corcoran CA Christie and the Corcoran Group. Gibson infringed the Conch & Coconut marks, and counterfeited the LLC services, in furtherance of his job at Corcoran CA Christie, and to the benefit of Corcoran CA Christie and Corcoran Group….

“Gibson runs both his real estate services for Corcoran CA Christie and his infringing concierge business under the [Conch & Coconut Ltd] out of the same office – the Bungalow, in order to expose the LLC’s customers to his real estate services,” Mr Conde alleged.

“Gibson has further sold properties to, and listed properties for rent, for Conch & Coconut customers, and after breaching and misappropriating Conch & Coconut’s trade secrets.

“Gibson has sold at least four properties - Tickled Pink, Luna Sea, the Playhouse and Rosebud - and has at least three active listings that had been rented to Conch & Coconut customers through the Conch & Coconut platform - Java Estate, Sea Breeze Villa and White House Villa. Gibson will continue to market his real estate services for Corcoran CA Christie and Corcoran Group using Conch & Coconut’s misappropriated trade secrets.”

Meanwhile, turning to the claims against the other defendants, the dismissal motion added: “The

amended complaint is a classic example of shotgun pleading. The body of the amended complaint consists of 182 paragraphs of ‘factual’ allegations purportedly supporting 13 counts by.. Conch & Coconut LLC and Pink Sands Spirits, an alcoholic beverage company.

“The 13 counts are asserted against eight named defendants. Despite the wide range of largely fabricated and impertinent allegations against each of those defendants, the amended complaint incorporates by reference every one of the 182 ‘factual’ paragraphs into each of its 13 counts.

“Thus, for example, allegations about Silverman’s alleged interference with the customers of Pink Sands are incorporated by reference into the LLC’s unrelated claim solely against Johnson for breach of a non-disclosure agreement. In short, the amended complaint is a mess.”

The dismissal motion reiterated previous arguments that Mr Conde’s claims of trademark and copyright violations should be dismissed because they granted “a naked licence” permitting Mr Gibson and the Harbour Island business to use the Conch & Coconut marks free from any oversight or control by his US partner.

As for the interference allegation, the motion added: “Here, as LLC [Conde] well knows, The Bahamas prohibits foreign entities such as LLC from providing services reserved for Bahamians. Indeed, LLC has never actually provided any concierge services in The Bahamas, either before or after the disputes giving rise to this lawsuit, and the amended complaint does not allege otherwise.” It argued that all other allegations should be rejected for failing to assert “a viable claim”.

NOTICE Conti Columbus (Bahamas) Shipping Limited NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN as follows: (a) Conti Columbus (Bahamas) Shipping Limited is in dissolution under the provisions of the International Business Companies Act, 2000. (b) The dissolution of the said Company commenced on the 10th day of August 2026 when its Articles of Dissolution were submitted to and registered by the Registrar General. (c) The Liquidator of the said Company is Brian Selvadurai.

Dated the 11th day of August 2026.

H&J CORPORATE SERVICES LTD. Registered Agent for the above-named Company

THE TRIBUNE

Thursday, August 13, 2026, PAGE 9

Gov’t mindful of infrastructure strain imposed by data centres EVOLVE - from page B1

English-speaking population, political stability and regulatory framework.

“On the backstop of that, that’s going to be kind of our AI data centre strategy - not big monstrous ones, but ones that have the compute power, that have the regulatory framework that’s attractive to the international community that wants to put their data in The Bahamas,” said Mr Bastian.

He added that the Government will consider larger proposals on their individual merits, particularly where developers could provide the power generation required without

placing additional strain on the national grid.

“If there is a proposal and somebody wants to build a hyper-scale data centre in Andros, there’s an abundance of water, which there is, and they want to make the investment and put the power plant that’s necessary, and it’s not a strain on our grid, we would look at proposals on the individual merit, but holistically and how it impacts our environment and our country as a whole,” Mr Bastian said.

He added that there would be limits to what can be accommodated on New Providence. “There’s no hyper-scale data centre that

BPL union files trade dispute as overtime move not agreed

Mr Wilson said BPL workers therefore had little interest in transferring to BGC. “No one’s gonna leave the comfort for that,” he said. “Come on, and that’s plain and simple.

The benefits at BPL are far greater, and it offers far more protection.”

He added that workers ultimately had a choice over whether to remain with BPL or accept employment with BGC. “They have their choice to make. They can leave their jobs and go to Bahamas Grid, or they can stay with BPL. It’s simply their choice and theirs to make,” said Mr Wilson.

“They do not want to leave BPL for Bahamas Grid, and that’s their choice. And I respect that.”

Mr Wilson also accused BGC of being resistant to unionisation, claiming that workers there would not have the same collective bargaining protections as BPL employees.

“Our strategy, as we approach our data centre strategy, is first, it’s going to be rooted in sovereignty,” said Mr Bastian.

“We have to ensure that we have a local sovereign compute power available domestically.”

He added that The Bahamas will not seek to become a hyper-scale data centre jurisdiction simply for the sake of attracting large investments, arguing that the country’s appeal to international businesses had historically been based on factors such as its proximity to the US,

CONCERN - from page B1 Mr Wilson arguing that BPL employees have the technical training and experience needed by BGC to assist in carrying out specialised work such as underground services.

“Come to find out, our guys are far greater, far trained and far superior.

But now they have to call on our guys, especially for underground services, and rely heavily on the assistance of BPL,” he added.

Mr Wilson alleged that the dispute over overtime was being used as part of a broader effort to put pressure on workers and weaken their existing protections.

The union yesterday informed its members that it had filed a trade dispute with the Department of Labour over an overtime policy it said management had presented as having the union’s agreement.

The union said the policy concerned Clause 30 of its industrial agreement, and alleged that management was seeking to change the provision with the belief that the union had “signed off” or agreed to the change.

As a result, the BEWU has instructed members to work to rule - working only their normal or standard hours of work until further notice - a move that could result in potential worker shortages to address nighttime network outages.

Mr Wilson said the union was particularly concerned about what he described as an attempt to undermine the protections provided by its industrial agreement.

“They’re trying to attack

the industrial agreement to dumb it down, to scare persons, and try to force them probably over to Bahamas Grid,” he said.

Mr Wilson said BPL employees have little incentive to leave their current positions for BGC because of the protections they currently receive through the union and collective bargaining.

“They are unionised workers. They’re used to their union, they’re used to their benefits, they’re used to collective bargaining, they’re used to job protection. BGC offers none of that,” he said.

“And so you’re asking them to leave the comforts of their job at BPL. You’re not going to get your tenure of service. You’re not going to receive anything other than what they offer you.”

Mr Wilson said workers moving to BGC would also lose the protections of the existing industrial agreement governing increments, promotions, salaries and other employment matters.

“You don’t have an industrial agreement to tell you how you’re going to get increments and jobs and promotions and salaries, and they send you into the darkness of uncertainty without the certainty of having a union that will protect you,” Mr Wilson said.

“And if it’s so good, why don’t they want unions?

Why don’t they want collective bargaining? Why don’t they want to just have the people at the whim that they can handle them anyhow or any which way they desire?”

can ever come in New Providence unless they build their own power station to complement it with,” the minister said.

He added that water availability will also have to be considered before large-scale data-centre development could proceed. “Data centres, especially AI data centres, require power and water.

Both of those things have to be made available before any aspiration for a data centre is possible,” said Mr Bastian.

He said the Government is also looking to establish a legislative framework that would make The

“They definitely won’t meet with the unions because they said they don’t want unions. And these people don’t want unions in BGC because they want to be able to take full advantage of persons and their ignorance to labour laws, and that’s what I think,” he said. “I mean, come on, unions built this country.”

The minister said the country also needs to rethink how it prepares workers for a rapidly-changing economy, arguing that traditional four-year education pathways could be too slow to respond to emerging skills requirements.

“What we’ve seen is that our educational system over time has been a little

slow to react to the job demand, and I think that is the gap that we have to concentrate on closing,” Mr Bastian said.

“For some professions, it’s going to be highly unreasonable for us to expect that we’re going to respond to rapid changing technologies with four-year journeys.”

Mr Bastian said The Bahamas should not

impact rather than actively pursuing them.

“We’re not against hyperscale centres possibly coming to somewhere in The Bahamas, but they will be analysed on their own merit, their own individual impact,” he said.

Mr Bastian said the wider objective was to ensure that businesses, citizens and the Government itself have access to domestic AI computing capacity. “We do know that there’s no version of a modern society where domestically AI compute power in a country is unavailable for businesses and citizens and governments alike,” he said.

Mr Wilson also criticised what he described as the Government’s failure to address BPL’s wider problems. He pointed to the continuing difficulties faced by consumers, including the need for some households to manage their electricity use around outages.

“As workers, as Bahamian people, as business owners, taxpayers, people

who pay the light bill, we have to sell light, because even light right now is on shifts,” he said.

“It’s on shifts. You have to take different shifts cutting on the light. You got to go on the beach. You got to unplug your air conditioning and plug your appliances, and that’s what we call leadership.”

Mr Wilson also questioned what he described as BPL’s focus on employee overtime while BGC continues to receive payments for its work.

“Instead of focusing on the $8m that they’re not getting value for that they’re giving BGC, they’re focusing on overtime and the hard work of BPL workers who even have to assist BGC on overtime that BPL has to pay for,” said Mr Wilson.

Christina Alston, BPL’s executive chair, declined to comment on the dispute when contacted by Tribune Business.

abandon degree-based education but combine it with shorter, skills-based training. “We have to expand our mindset from a degreebased economy, and also realise that we also need a skill-based economy and blend both if we really want prosperity,” he said.

The Davis administration is partnering with General Assembly on skills training, with Mr Bastian saying its programmes are designed around global job demand.

He said the curriculum was developed by examining areas where businesses

were struggling to find qualified workers and combining that information with international data.

Mr Bastian also acknowledged the potential for AI to displace some jobs but argued that the focus should be on preparing workers for new roles created by technological change. “Innovation has always impacted jobs, always. AI is no different,” he said. “What we cannot miss is preparing citizens for those jobs.

LYNDEN PINDLING INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (LPIA)

Degrees and skills must combine for prosperity PREPARE - from page B3

Bahamas attractive to companies seeking to house data locally.

“We’re going to start with legislation because we know that if we get legislation right, the attractiveness of the jurisdiction for companies, international companies, local companies to house their data in the data centres here is going to be based on reliability and legislative framework that is attractive,” said Mr Bastian.

He added that the Davis administration is not opposed to hyper-scale facilities being developed elsewhere in The Bahamas, but would assess their wider

PAGE 10, Thursday, August 13, 2026

THE TRIBUNE

Livery drivers reject agreement assertion STRIKE - from page B3 are respected and both sides honour their commitments. The ministry said its focus remains on finding a “fair, practical” solution that protects the livelihoods of transportation workers and the country’s tourism product.

The Bahamas Livery Drivers Union has rejected

the taxi union and TUC’s account that an agreement was reached with all stakeholders. Livery union president, Tory Austin, said his organisation was not present when the alleged agreement was reached.

“I saw the statement that the TUC president would have said that there was some agreement that all stakeholders were in place,

and that is incorrect,” Mr Austin said. “We were not in place during any agreement.”

Mr Austin questioned how the Government could implement an agreement that airport stakeholders and the livery industry were allegedly unaware of.

“If there was some kind of agreement, how come nobody knows about it

from the airport, NAD is not aware of it?” he said.

“No one else is aware of it other than the taxis.”

He said the livery industry remains concerned about the dispute but will continue operating. “Any time we talk about disrupting the tourism sector, I always worry,” Mr Austin said. “But we will continue to conduct business.”

Despite the potential consequences for tourism, Mr Butler said the BTCU is not preparing an alternative strategy should industrial action fail to achieve its objective.

“We don’t need a back-up plan,” he said. “Our plan is to correct what is being done, one way or the other, come hell or high water. We looking to have no bac-up

plan. When we go, we going.

It’s as simple as that. Either we win or we lose.”

The union has not disclosed what form the industrial action would take or when it could begin. Mr Butler said the union would first consult with its members, supporters and the TUC before deciding its next steps.

Chinese automaker Chery buys Nissan plant in Africa as EV production shifts to new markets

BY ALLAN OLINGO Associated Press CHINESE automakers are increasingly shifting from exporting vehicles to building them in Africa, betting that rapid urbanization, a growing middle class and supportive government policies will make the continent one of the industry’s last major growth markets.

It’s part of a strategy for coping with slowing demand at home and rising trade barriers in Europe and North America.

Analysts say the shift could reshape Africa’s automotive industry by creating jobs, developing local supply chains and accelerating adoption of electric vehicles, although weak infrastructure and policy uncertainty remain significant obstacles.

In July, Chery, China’s largest auto exporter, acquired Nissan’s former Rosslyn plant near Pretoria, South Africa, where it plans to make plug-in hybrids, battery-electric vehicles and models under its Jetour brand.

The move reflects a broader strategy by Chinese automakers to manufacture closer to African consumers rather than rely solely on imports, though the trend is just getting started.

Beijing Automotive Group (BAIC) has an automotive manufacturing and assembly facility in Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth), South Africa, and China’s Great Wall Motor has some localized assembly and component distribution capacity.

“Africa has become known as the next frontier for the automotive market,” said Hiten Parmar, executive director of The Electric Mission, a South African nonprofit promoting sustainable mobility.

Transition to EVs is accelerating in Africa Analysts say South Africa, Morocco, Kenya, Ethiopia and Ghana are among the countries best positioned to attract Chinese EV investment because of their industrial capacity, supportive policies or growing electricity

infrastructure. Morocco also benefits from proximity to European export markets, while Zimbabwe’s large lithium reserves could support battery supply chains.

Local manufacturing could eventually lower vehicle prices by avoiding import duties while stimulating investment in charging infrastructure, component manufacturing and battery production.

Africa’s first large-scale battery gigafactory is already planned in Morocco.

Rapid urbanization, rising incomes and the relative affordability of Chinese brands are enabling Chinese automakers to capture markets historically dominated by European, Japanese and American giants.

“Whilst African consumers have been thriving on used cars, the affordability of Asian brands is providing a wider accessibility reach for new vehicles,” Parmar said.

Nick Hedley, an energy transition research analyst at Zero Carbon Analytics, said Africa’s fast-growing population and expanding

WORKERS assemble the Zeekr 001 EV models at the Chinese automaker Zeekr assembly plant in Ningbo, east China’s Zhejiang Province, April 17, 2025.

Photo:Andy Wong/AP middle class create a natural market for affordable electric vehicles while helping governments reduce dependence on imported fuel.

“Africa is also a net importer of refined fuels, which drains foreign reserves and weighs on local currencies and budgets,” Hedley said.

“Switching to local electric cars for transportation is in African countries’ national interest.”

“As electric vehicles become more cost-competitive, their uptake will accelerate across Africa, and Chinese automakers will benefit,” Hedley said.

The shift is also being driven by changing economics inside China.

Tombo Banda, managing director of CrossBoundary Group, a renewable energy consultancy, said Chinese factories are producing

more vehicle s than the domestic market can absorb while exports face mounting barriers.

“Onshoring production on the continent is a sound long-term investment,” Banda said, noting that local manufacturing helps companies navigate tariffs while positioning themselves closer to fast-growing markets.

PUBLIC NOTICE

INTENT TO CHANGE NAME BY DEED POLL The public is hereby advised that I, RICARDO PROSPER of Eastern Districk, Nassau, Bahamas intend to change my name to RICARDO BETHEL. If there are any objections to challenge the name by deed poll, you may write such objections to the Chief Passport Officer, P.O. Box N-742, Nassau, The Bahamas no later than thirty (30) days after the date of the publication of this notice.

NOTICE NOTICE is hereby given that I EUNISHA MICHA DUVERNIE of Price Street, Nassau Village, New Providence, Bahamas, applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for Registration Naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 6th day of August, 2026 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, New Providence, The Bahamas.

NOTICE NOTICE is hereby given that I JESSICA ST JUSTE of Acklins Street, New Providence, Bahamas, applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for Registration Naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 6th day of August, 2026 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, New Providence, The Bahamas.

NOTICE NOTICE is hereby given that I STEPHEN DAVIS FERGUSON of Cowpen Road, New Providence, Bahamas, applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for Registration Naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twentyeight days from the 6th day of August, 2026 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, New Providence, The Bahamas.

THE TRIBUNE

Thursday, August 13, 2026, PAGE 11

Radiation vest tested on NASA moonshot can cut astronauts’ exposure in solar storms, study suggests

By MARCIA DUNN AP Aerospace Writer A NEW study suggests a protective vest tested on a manikin during NASA’s first Artemis moonshot could drastically cut the radiation exposure of lunar astronauts during severe solar storms.

Scientists reported Wednesday on the radiation-shielding vest worn around the moon by a female test dummy in 2022. No one was aboard that Artemis I debut flight, which paved the way for humanity’s long-awaited return to the moon in April by a flyby crew of four.

Radiation remains one of the biggest threats to astronauts as NASA works toward a moon base. Shielding garments could keep lunar crews safe when solar storms strike and even allow them to venture beyond their shelters if necessary, the U.S., German and Israeli team reported

in the journal Science Advances.

A version of the vest was previously tested on the International Space Station. It didn’t travel with the Artemis II astronauts since it was a short 10-day mission with limited room, but may wind up a carry-on for future moon crews.

Meant to be worn only during high-radiation and potentially cancer-causing solar events, the vest covers the most vulnerable human organs and tissue: lungs, stomach, bone marrow, breasts and ovaries. Women are believed to be especially susceptible to radiation-induced cancer.

Artemis I carried two female manikins that spent nearly a month flying to the moon and back. Dubbed Zohar and Helga, the manikins — each a life-size 3 feet from head to lower torso — were strapped into the passenger seats of NASA’s Orion capsule.

Zohar wore the 57-pound (26-kilogram) AstroRad

vest, developed by the U.S.-Israeli startup StemRad and Lockheed Martin.

The companies had already tested a prototype on the space station for comfort and function, modeling it after gear worn by nuclear disaster teams.

Helga flew vest-less, but like its companion contained thousands of radiation sensors.

The study’s lead author, StemRad’s Jordan Houri, called it “the largest experiment ever conducted to determine astronaut radiation exposure beyond low-Earth orbit.” NASA, the German Aerospace Center and the Israel Space Agency provided the funding. Radiation exposure is much less for space travelers closer to home, thanks to Earth’s protective atmosphere and magnetic field.

Artemis I encountered no major solar outbursts. But based on measurements gathered as NASA’s Orion capsule zipped through the inner Van Allen radiation

belt, Houri and his team simulated how much protection the vest would provide during extreme solar particle events like those in 1972 and 1989 that detonated magnetic sea mines and collapsed a power grid.

Lucky for NASA, the 1972 solar outburst occurred in between that year’s two moon landings, keeping the crews of Apollo 16 and 17 safe from potentially lethal radiation exposure.

The latest findings showed the vest could reduce an astronaut’s radiation dose by about 60% in a solar storm as fierce as the one in 1972 and by nearly 40% in a calamity mirroring 1989. That’s equivalent to 193 days and 131 days, respectively, of unnecessary deep space radiation exposure, the scientists noted.

While none of the Apollo moonshots exceeded two weeks, the moon-base stays envisioned by NASA will

IN this photo provided by NASA, Helga and Zohar, two female manikins in the Matroshka AstroRad Radiation Experiment investigation, undergo post-flight payload inspections, Jan. 17, 2023, inside the Space Station Processing Facility at Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island, Florida.

Photo:Kim Shiflett/NASA/AP likely last weeks, if not months, driving up the risk of enduring a dangerous solar storm. Mars expeditions will last even longer — months, years and possibly entire lifetimes if SpaceX CEO Elon Musk achieves his goal of building a city on the red planet.

The scientists are using their observations to trim more weight from the vest without sacrificing protection. They’re also investigating how to make

Lawsuit seeks to ban Trump Media from charging for early access to president’s posts on US policy

By BERNARD CONDON AP Business Writer PRESIDENT Donald Trump was sued in federal court Wednesday to stop him from making money off a new, paid service at his Truth Social company offering early, exclusive access to his posts on U.S. policy.

The lawsuit alleges the service offering paying customers sneak peeks of his posts about U.S. policy on war, tariffs and other issues violates the Constitution and that official announcements should be made available to everyone at the same time. The new subscription service rolled out earlier this month is charging Wall Street firms as much as $100,000 a month to trade off the market-moving posts before others.

“A president selling priority access to news he himself generates for the benefit of a private company he controls is so blatantly corrupt and unconstitutional that it would have been hard to even fathom just a few years ago,” said Seth Stern, chief of advocacy at the Freedom of the Press Foundation, a plaintiff in the case along with news outlet The Intercept.

Truth Social’s parent company, Trump Media & Technology, said selling fast access to traders is common

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in its industry, and that the plaintiffs are just trying to silence the president.

“Information from President Trump is disseminated by countless platforms and news outlets, many of which offer subscription APIs,” it said in a statement, using the acronym for the fast access service.

“Now, left wing activists are trying to wrongfully weaponize the courts to censor him again and harm our shareholders.”

The early access service comes as the publicly traded Trump Media loses hundreds of millions of dollars each quarter and its stock has dropped below $10 from $62 shortly after going public two years ago.

The plaintiffs allege the service violates two parts of the Constitution — the First Amendment right to access a president’s comments on equal terms with other members of the press and public and the Fifth Amendment prohibitions on charging unreasonable conditions for government benefits.

The lawsuit asks that Trump Media be forced to end the new paid service, called Truth API, which offers access milliseconds faster.

Trump Media also benefits separately from a deal with Trump that gives its

The Tribune wants to hear from people who are making news in their neighbourhoods. Perhaps you are raising funds for a good cause, campaigning for improvements in the area or have won an award. If so, call us on 322-1986 and share your story.

Legal Notice International Business Companies Act (No.45 of 2000 ) In Voluntary Liquidation

Notice is hereby given that, in accordance with Section 138 (4) of the International Business Companies Act, (No.45 of 2000), KIVIK LIMITED (the “Company”) is in dissolution.

The date of commencement of the dissolution is August 7, 2026. Delio José De León Mela is the Liquidator and can be contacted at Bloc Office Hub, Fifth Floor, Santa Maria Business District, Panama, Republic of Panama. All persons having claims against the above-named Company are required to send their names, addresses and particulars of their debts or claims to the Liquidator before September 7, 2026.

radiation shielding from items already aboard a spacecraft — recycling that could save the lives of crews.

Houri doesn’t anticipate a need for further deep-space testing anytime soon, since Zohar and Helga “provided us with an exceptionally large, high-fidelity dataset.”

Zohar and her vest are now on display at Florida’s Kennedy Space Center, where their journey to the moon began.

THE download screen for the Truth Social app is displayed on a laptop computer, March 20, 2024, in New York.

Photo:John Minchillo/AP

Truth Social six hours of exclusive access to his posts before he can distribute them elsewhere. The plaintiffs appeared to take aim at that, too, asking the court to stop him from “posting official government information exclusively” on his own site.

Trump is the largest shareholder of Trump Media, owning more than 40% of its shares through a trust.

Even before the new API service was started earlier this month, ethics watchdogs criticized Trump’s posting on Truth Social as

a brash attempt to profit off the presidency, similar to other money-making venture s, including ones related to cryptocurrencies. Earlier this year, the president filed a required annual financial disclosure report that showed he took in more than a $1 billion

last year from new crypto businesses that his administration regulates.

Among other moves since he was reelected, Trump’s digital finance company, World Liberty Financial, got a $500 million investment from a company tied to the government of the United Arab Emirates and sold hundreds of millions of dollars worth of special souvenir Trump meme coins to his fans and possible federal favor seekers, including a billionaire fighting a federal lawsuit that was later paused, then settled.

In addition to the president, the lawsuit filed in the Southern District of New York names his deputy chief of staff Daniel Scavino and his executive assistant Natalie J. Harp as defendants.

Legal Notice International Business Companies Act (No.45 of 2000 ) In Voluntary Liquidation

Notice is hereby given that, in accordance with Section 138 (4) of the International Business Companies Act, (No.45 of 2000), IPSONE LIMITED (the “Company”) is in dissolution.

The date of commencement of the dissolution is August 7, 2026. Delio José De León Mela is the Liquidator and can be contacted at Bloc Office Hub, Fifth Floor, Santa Maria Business District, Panama, Republic of Panama. All persons having claims against the above-named Company are required to send their names, addresses and particulars of their debts or claims to the Liquidator before September 7, 2026.

PAGE 12, Thursday, August 13, 2026

THE TRIBUNE

Trump is making a rare Western trip to raise cash for Republicans and talk about the economy

By DARLENE SUPERVILLE Associated Press

THE entrance to Trump National Golf Club Los Angeles, in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., is seen in this photo, July 2, 2020.

Photo:John Antczak/AP

PRESIDENT Donald Trump is making a rare visit to California and Nevada this week to try to draw contrasts with Democrats on the economy, border security and crime, seeking to shore up support for Republicans in November elections that will determine whether his party keeps control of Congress.

The Republican president has struggled to connect with voters on the economy as elevated inflation and Americans’ feelings of uncertainty have overshadowed the stock market gains he often cites along with a low national unemployment rate.

Just before Trump arrived in Los Angeles on Tuesday to speak at a Republican National Committee fundraising dinner at a golf club his family owns in Rancho Palos Verdes, authorities revealed that a California man who was carrying ammunition and had a gun in his car had been arrested Sunday at the golf course.

The man appeared to have been monitoring security preparations.

On Wednesday, Trump will discuss the economy during an event at Red Rock Casino in Las Vegas.

Only 32% of U.S. adults approved of Trump’s handling of the economy in an AP-NORC poll conducted in late July. In the same poll, most Americans, 69%, characterized the state of

Newsom taunts the president with frequent social media posts.

The Democrat’s press office put out a statement Tuesday saying that Trump was traveling to California not to help survivors of the wildfires but to raise money and attack the state with lies.

“More than anything, we’d like the President to keep the promise he made on January 24, 2025: to ‘take care of Los Angeles,’” Newsom said. “18 months later, survivors are still waiting. And while you’re here, Mr. President, welcome to the world’s fourth-largest economy — growing faster than Texas and Florida combined. Enjoy your stay.”

“Trump treats California like his personal political punching bag — right up until he needs someone to write a check,” California Democratic Party Chair Rusty Hicks said in a statement. “He may hit up a few billionaire donors who bankroll his political operation, but the people of California have already made it clear: they want nothing to do with his chaos and corruption.”

the economy as “poor,” and many said the cost of everyday essentials like groceries and gas was a “major” source of stress in their lives.

Trump’s overall approval rating is at 33%, slightly below where he stood at this point in his first term.

Trump is likely to take aim at Democratic Gov. Newsom During the trip, Trump is likely to throw barbs at California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat eyed as a likely candidate for his party’s presidential nomination in 2028. Newsom has become one of the

NOTICE International Business Companies Act (No.46 of 2000) AMBIKA DREDGING LIMITED Registration No. 202267 B In Voluntary Liquidation NOTICE is hereby given that in accordance with Section 138 of the International Business Companies Act No. 46 of 2000, the windingup and dissolution of AMBIKA DREDGING LIMITED has been completed in accordance with the Articles of Dissolution.

president’s highest-profile opponents.

White House spokesperson Olivia Wales said the president plans to “draw a sharp contrast between his commonsense agenda and the radical policies of Democrats like Gavin Newsom,” touting his own efforts to cut taxes, reduce fraud in government programs, and crack down on immigration and crime.

California was one of Trump’s first domestic stops after returning to office in January 2025. He surveyed the aftermath of wildfires that had wiped out whole neighborhoods of Los Angeles County, left thousands of people homeless

and killed more than two dozen.

Newsom greeted Trump at the airport on that trip, and they chatted amiably and gestured toward cooperation despite a bitter history. But the comity did not last. Six months later, Newsom argued in a speech that “democracy is under assault” by Trump after the president sent National Guard troops and U.S. Marines into Los Angeles without Newsom’s consent.

This came after protests following a series of immigration raids by federal authorities.

Trump routinely mocks Newsom and refers to the governor using a derogatory nickname, while

NOTICE

Housing prices are a big issue at Trump’s second stop: Nevada Nevada, where Trump will be on Wednesday, is led by a Republican governor,

Joe Lombardo, who faces Democratic Attorney General Aaron Ford in a battle for reelection in November.

The contest is considered one of the most competitive governor’s races in the country.

The Nevada State Democratic Party is putting up billboard signs about Trump’s visit that tie him to Lombardo and higher costs.

The state is grappling with a shortage of affordable housing, exploding energy demand from artificial intelligence data centers and federal cuts to key state programs.

Trump has tried for several months to sell voters on his income tax cuts and claims of a manufacturing renaissance. But interest rates are high, a gallon of gasoline costs more because of the Iran war, tariffs are still reshaping the economy and, by the White House’s own estimates, there is a national shortage of housing.

The president called his own housing bill a “yawn,” and past speeches advertised by the White House as being about the economy, including one he delivered at a General Motors facility in Michigan last week, gave way to Trumpian weaves about his political enemies and construction projects in the nation’s capital.

THE NORIS GROUP LTD.

International Business Companies Act (No.46 of 2000)

LIQUIDATOR’S NOTICE

ALACRITY ENGINEERING & CONSTRUCTION LIMITED

Pursuant to Section 138(6) of the International Business Companies Act

Registration No. 203109 B In Voluntary Liquidation NOTICE is hereby given that in accordance with Section 138 of the International Business Companies Act No. 46 of 2000, the winding-up and dissolution of ALACRITY ENGINEERING & CONSTRUCTION LIMITED has been completed in accordance with the Articles of Dissolution.

NOTICE is hereby given that THE NORIS GROUP LTD., a company registered under the International Business Companies Act, has been dissolved and struck off the Register as of the 13th day of July, 2026.

Dated on the July 7, 2026.

Dated on the July 7, 2026.

Redcorn Consultants Limited Liquidator

LEGAL NOTICE

Redcorn Consultants Limited Liquidator

___________________________ Sterling (Bahamas) Limited Liquidator

NOTICE International Business Companies Act (No.46 of 2000)

NOTICE International Business Companies Act (No. 46 of 2000)

JAL ENERGY LIMITED Registration No. 210942 B In Voluntary Liquidation

HAYMAKER CAPITAL LIMITED Registration No. 175671 B In Voluntary Liquidation

NOTICE is hereby given that in accordance with Section 138 of the International Business Companies Act No. 46 of 2000, the windingup and dissolution of JAL ENERGY LIMITED has been completed in accordance with the Articles of Dissolution.

NOTICE is hereby given that in accordance with Section 138 of the International Business Companies Act No. 46 of 2000, the winding-up and dissolution of HAYMAKER CAPITAL LIMITED has been completed in accordance with the Articles of Dissolution.

Dated on the July 7, 2026.

Dated on the July 7, 2026.

Redcorn Consultants Limited Liquidator

Redcorn Consultants Limited Liquidator

NOTICE

NOTICE International Business Companies Act (No.46 of 2000)

FERROTRADE (MIDDLE EAST) LIMITED Registration No. 148655 B In Voluntary Liquidation

International Business Companies Act (No.46 of 2000) ANANTARUPA MOORINGS LIMITED Registration No. 202206 B In Voluntary Liquidation

FORGE X LTD. Registration No. 207764 B In Voluntary Liquidation

NOTICE is hereby given that in accordance with Section 138 of the International Business Companies Act No. 46 of 2000, the windingup and dissolution of FERROTRADE (MIDDLE EAST) LIMITED has been completed in accordance with the Articles of Dissolution.

NOTICE is hereby given that in accordance with Section 138 of the International Business Companies Act No. 46 of 2000, the windingup and dissolution of ANANTARUPA MOORINGS LIMITED has been completed in accordance with the Articles of Dissolution.

NOTICE is hereby given that in accordance with Section 138 of the International Business Companies Act No. 46 of 2000, the windingup and dissolution of FORGE X LTD. has been completed in accordance with the Articles of Dissolution.

Dated on the July 7, 2026.

Dated on the 8th of May, 2026.

Redcorn Consultants Limited Liquidator

Sovereign Directors Limited Liquidator

International Business Companies Act (No.46 of 2000) HSN CORPORATION Registration No. 141826 B In Voluntary Liquidation NOTICE is hereby given that in accordance with Section 138 of the International Business Companies Act No. 46 of 2000, the windingup and dissolution of HSN CORPORATION has been completed in accordance with the Articles of Dissolution.

Dated on the 8th of May, 2026.

Redcorn Consultants Limited Liquidator

NOTICE International Business Companies Act (No. 46 of 2000)

Dated on the 8th of May, 2026.

Redcorn Consultants Limited Liquidator

THE TRIBUNE

Thursday, August 13, 2026, PAGE 13

Wall Street rises near a record as AI stocks climb and worries about inflation ease a bit TRADER FRED DEMARCO, right, and Specialist Michael Pistillo, left, work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Friday, Aug. 7, 2026, in New York.

Photo:Yuki Iwamura/AP

By STAN CHOE AP Business Writer WALL Street finished just shy of a record Wednesday after several AI stocks reported better growth for the spring than analysts expected, while a report showed inflation across the United States was slightly less bad last month.

The S&P 500 rose 0.3% for its first gain since setting its all-time high on Friday.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 21 points, or less than 0.1%, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 0.5%.

Stocks in the artificial-intelligence technology business helped lead the way after strong profit reports bolstered hopes they can continue to deliver big-enough growth to justify the huge gains their prices have made.

Super Micro Computer, which sells servers and other equipment, jumped 19% after reporting earnings per share for the latest quarter that were 84% higher than analysts expected. It also gave forecasts for upcoming profit and revenue that topped analysts’ expectations.

CoreWeave, which offers AI computing power to customers over the cloud, leaped 19.3% after reporting better revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected, along with a milder loss. CEO Michael Intrator said demand is accelerating from customers as big businesses adopt AI. CoreWeave gives its customers access to AI chips from Nvidia, and Nvidia climbed 3%. It was the single strongest force lifting the S&P 500.

It’s a return to strength for AI stocks, which have been veering on a roller-coaster ride.

After surging to records, AI stocks came under pressure on worries that they shot too high. Investors wanted to see big spenders on AI prove their investments are yielding enough in profits and productivity to make them worth it. That in turn could lead to continued

demand for chips and other AI infrastructure.

Wall Street also got some support from easing yields in the bond market. Treasury yields fell after a report showed that U.S. consumers paid prices for gasoline, groceries and other costs of living last month that were 3.4% higher than a year earlier.

That’s higher than anyone would like, but it’s

not as bad as June’s 3.5% inflation rate.

The deceleration could give the Federal Reserve more leeway to hold off on hikes to interest rates.

Higher rates would help keep a lid on inflation, but they would do so by making it more expensive for U.S. households and companies to borrow and

forcing a slowdown in the economy. Higher interest rates also would undercut prices for stocks and other investments.

The Fed’s members are notably split about whether they should have already begun hiking interest rates.

But Wednesday’s update on inflation pushed traders to pull back on bets the Fed will hike its main interest rate at its next meeting in September.

Traders are betting on a 40% chance of it, down from the coin flip’s chance seen the day before, according to data from CME Group.

That helped pull the yield on the 10-year Treasury down to 4.68% from 4.70% late Tuesday. It, though, still remains well above its 3.97% level from before the war with Iran, which sent oil prices and worries about inflation spiking.

Oil prices swung between modest gains and losses Wednesday, and the price for a barrel of Brent crude added 0.1% to $88.98.

Higher yields have already pulled long-term

mortgage rates to their highest levels in a year.

That’s hurting the housing industry, and losses for homebuilders on Wednesday helped keep the market in check.

D.R. Horton fell 3.3%, and PulteGroup lost 2.5%.

Builders FirstSource, which sells countertops and other building materials, dropped 3.6%.

All told, the S&P 500 rose 20.30 points to 7,748.50.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 21.58 to 53,770.27, and the Nasdaq composite gained 143.04 to 26,588.49.

In stock markets abroad, indexes dipped in Europe following a mixed showing in Asia.

South Korea’s Kospi jumped 3.7% for one of the world’s bigger gains. It’s been at the center of the jarring swings for AI stocks because it’s dominated by two tech giants, Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix.

PAGE 14, Thursday, August 13, 2026

THE TRIBUNE