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‘Double-edged sword’: Private aviation eyes near-100% surge in key airports’ charges

BY NEIL HARTNELL TRIBUNE Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net ELEUTHERA resort operators are branding new and increased airport fees “a double-edged sword” amid private aviation concerns that they represent a near-doubling for several popular aircraft types flying into Governor’s Harbour.

Ben Simmons, proprietor of the Little Island Hotels group, which features the Ocean View and The Other Side resorts on Harbour Island, plus The Farm on mainland Eleuthera and soon-to-be-fourth in The Current, told Tribune Business he was “definitely torn” by the charges due to take effect from New Year’s Day 2027 given the need to balance improved airport and airlift capacity with traveller access and affordability.

He spoke out as CST Flight Services, whose director is Bahamas flying ambassador, Rick Gardner, and which provides flight co-ordination and trip support services to the private aviation industry, warned in a September 4, 2026, website posting that the proposed fees represent 84 percent and 92 percent increases, respectively, for popular aircraft flying into Governor’s Harbour.

Noting that the proposed charges “significantly increase the cost of operating at” all three impacted airports - North Eleuthera, Governor’s Harbour and Georgetown (Exuma) - compared to existing levies for private and all aviation industry operators, CST Flight Services said: “We modelled a Pilatus PC12 (turbo prop) and a Hawker 800 (twin-engine jet) each with four passengers staying for four nights on an international arrival and departure to/ from Governor’s Harbour.

“First, we estimated the costs of these two scenarios using the actual 2026 fees in place today, and then we compared the same scenarios with the new 2027 fees that Island Airport Development Partners is reportedly planning for these three airports starting January 2027.

“The costs of each scenario increased by 84 percent for the PC12 and 92 percent for the H25B (Hawker). There are also additional new, significant fees for domestic operations for those operators planning inter-island flights to/from North Eleuthera, Governor’s Harbour and Exuma International Airport.”

FLYING - See Page B6

National debt surges $1bn in year amid lower deficits

BY NEIL HARTNELL TRIBUNE Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net THE BAHAMAS’ national debt increased by more than $1bn during the first Davis administration’s final year in office, the Central Bank has revealed, breaching the $13bn mark and driving several key debt ratios higher than their end-fiscal year 2024 and 2025 comparatives.

The banking and monetary policy regulator, unveiling its 2026 second quarter economic review, affirmed that the latest debt surge was driven by nearly $700m in net new borrowings plus a $373.5m

year-over-year increase in contingent liabilities, which represent debt that the Government has guaranteed repayment of on behalf of struggling or loss-making state-owned enterprises (SOEs.).

The 8.8 percent yearover-year increase in The Bahamas’ national debt to $13.17bn is likely to fuel questions about the extent of pre-election spending, as well as the seeming disconnect between the size of the debt surge and seemingly much-lower annual GFS deficit. The latter, which is supposed to measure the net increase in the Government’s debt,

SPEND - See Page B5

Judge rejects specialist reports in resort dispute

BY NEIL HARTNELL TRIBUNE Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net THE $200M Rosewood Exuma project’s key opponent yesterday pledged “this is not the end of the matter” after a Supreme Court judge refused to admit all six specialist reports it had commissioned as evidence supporting its Judicial Review legal challenge.

Turtlegrass Resort & Island Club, in a statement to Tribune Business, asserted that the findings contained in the reports each of which deals with

separate potential environmental impacts from the resort development on East Sampson Cay - will “come to light one way or another” after Justice Leif Farquharson refused to admit their 11th hour introduction into the proceedings.

Noting that the Supreme Court’s civil procedure rules require Judicial Review applications to be made “promptly”, and no later than six months from the date when the grounds giving cause for the action arose, Justice Farquharson ruled that Turtlegrass’s

VERDICT - See Page B4

OLD BAHAMA BAY

Court battle erupts over Old Bahama Bay control

BY NEIL HARTNELL TRIBUNE Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net THE FURIOUS battle for control at Old Bahama Bay has switched to the Supreme Court amid competing claims of $2.2m in unpaid bills, a phony lease and a “take over by force” that purportedly “barricaded” the resort.

Island Ventures & Resort Club (IVRC), the entity formed by the resort’s condo owners to manage the west Grand Bahama hotel following Ginn’s demise 15 years ago, has launched legal action to overturn its early August ousting with its general manager asserting he had “never witnessed anything like” the hotly-contested ousting in his 29 years at the property.

IVRC, which has been joined by its affiliates and three Old Bahama Bay condominium

Condo owners bid to regain GB resort from owners Claims of $2.2m unpaid bills and questionable lease Veteran GM: ‘Never seen anything life’ take over associations, is urging the Supreme Court to grant “phased relief” via a series of injunctions that would prevent the resort’s owners from “obstructing, barricading, gating, locking, fencing in” or using any other mechanism to block access to the property and its amenities for the 73 condo owners.

They are also demanding that the Supreme Court prevent interference with the “management, operation and maintenance” of Old Bahama Bay, and Order that IVRC’s control be reinstated through provision of “the locks, keys, access controls and utilities”.

Finally, legal documents obtained by Tribune Business show IVRC and its affiliates are seeking a full Supreme Court trial over their claims against the resort’s owners for trespass, trademark breaches and alleged “unjust enrichment”. They assert that, based on Old Bahama Bay’s August 2025 performance, their ousting will have caused the loss of $580,000 in room revenue by the 2026 month-end.

However, LRA-OBB and Resorts Holdings, the two corporate entities that own Old

DISPUTE - See Page B5

PAGE 2, Monday, September 7, 2026

THE TRIBUNE

Accountability must become clearer, not weaker, with AI T

he use of artificial intelligence (AI) is changing the way companies make decisions. Priority is given to fraud alerts. Transactions are flagged. Applications are assessed, and a score is assigned to customer behaviour. Decisions affecting people, money and access are increasingly influenced by technology.

The apparent efficiency argument is compelling.

However, the question of accountability is less settled. When an AI-supported decision causes financial loss, customer harm or regulatory exposure, who bears the consequences?

IN THE first of a threepart series that addresses accountability, controls and board oversight as they relate to AI, we start with: The accountability gap

Respectfully, the writer believes the answer cannot be an algorithm. It is common for AI implementation to distribute responsibility across several functions. The system may be implemented using technology. The business uses it.

Risk provides a challenge.

Compliance considers regulatory exposure. Internal audit provides independent assurance. Even external providers may control the underlying model. Everyone may have responsibility, but accountability remains difficult to identify. This is becoming increasingly difficult to defend.

In July 2024, the US National Institute of Standards and Technology published its Generative AI Profile to supplement its Artificial Intelligence Risk Management Framework.

The guidance identifies risks specific to generative AI and provides actions

companies can consider across the AI life cycle. Its underlying message is relevant beyond generative AI: Trustworthiness must be managed deliberately rather than assumed.

Start with the decision Boards and executives should therefore begin somewhere else. Do not start by asking what the technology can do. Start with the decision it will influence. What is the business purpose? What happens if the system is wrong? How much authority are we delegating? Who can challenge the output?

When must a human intervene? The answers to these questions should determine the level of governance.

An AI tool summarising an internal document does not create the same exposure as one that influences fraud detection, credit,

recruitment, insurance or access to financial services. Governance should be designed for the risks involved.

Professional judgement can also be affected. AI may identify patterns faster than humans, and process volumes of information no individual could reasonably assess. Professionals must still determine when to rely on an output, when additional investigation is required and when human judgement should prevail.

Accountability before scale In 2025, the Institute of Internal Auditors reiterated this point. Among other recommendations, it suggests maintaining a living inventory of AI systems, models and embedded tools, as well as examining governance roles, escalation paths and decision rights.

As a result, companies have

a practical starting point.

Identify material AI systems. Establish accountable business owners. Document their decision authorisation. Determine monitoring requirements.

Establish the escalation procedures.

Include third-party AI. It is extremely important to emphasise that outsourcing technology does not transfer responsibility for its consequences.

In short, AI creates a governance paradox. As machines gain increased influence over company decisions, human accountability should become clearer, not weaker. AI's potential is no longer the defining question. Instead, we must ask what we are prepared to let it influence, and who will answer when the outcome is wrong. While judgment can be supported by technology, it cannot absorb accountability.

Transparency critical to balancing airport upgrades and affordability

BY CAPTAIN RANDY BUTLER Dear Editor, THE RECENT reporting concerning proposed new and increased airport fees for North Eleuthera, Governor’s Harbour and Exuma raises important questions that deserve careful consideration before the proposed January 1, 2027, implementation.

I write not in opposition to airport development, private investment or reasonable cost recovery. The Bahamas needs modern, safe and resilient airports, particularly throughout our Family Islands. Investors who commit capital under properly structured arrangements are also entitled to a reasonable opportunity to recover legitimate costs and earn an appropriate return.

My concern is with the process.

Having spent many years in aviation as an operator, former regulator and aviation safety professional, I have seen occasions where public discussion, newspaper reports, individual conversations or reactions after a proposal becomes public are subsequently characterised as evidence that “the industry was consulted”.

Public awareness is not necessarily consultation.

Media interviews are not consultation. Receiving a

THE LETTER TO

EDITOR

schedule of charges is not, by itself, consultation.

A meaningful consultation process should give affected users adequate information and a reasonable opportunity to examine and comment upon a proposal before material decisions are finalised.

The September 3 Tribune Business report is particularly noteworthy because the president of the Bahamas Association of Air Transport Operators reportedly said he was unaware of the proposed increases until contacted by the newspaper.

The Government, meanwhile, has indicated that the proposed charges are under review and discussions with Island Airport Development Partners (IADP), the private sector consortium set to take over operations at the three airports, and industry stakeholders are continuing.

The September 4 follow-up raises further questions. The newspaper reports that IADP has a 50-year design, build, finance, operate and maintain concession covering

the three airports, and that about $132m in investment is involved. The same report says IADP and Plenary did not answer questions concerning how the proposed fees were calculated, whether prior stakeholder consultation occurred, or whether competitiveness benchmarking was undertaken.

Those circumstances make a transparent consultation particularly important.

Before implementation, I respectfully suggest that the Government and IADP publish sufficient information to permit stakeholders to answer several straightforward questions: 1. What constitutes the $132m investment, and what portion represents private capital actually at risk?

2. What public funds, government expenditure, grants, guarantees, land, existing infrastructure or other state contributions form part of these projects?

3. What rate of return is contemplated under the concession, and over what recovery period?

4. What traffic and passenger forecasts support the proposed charging structure?

5. How were the passenger facility, processing, landing, terminal and parking charges calculated?

BENCHMARK - See Page B5

BY

DEREK

SMITH • NB: About Derek Smith Jr Derek Smith Jr has been a governance, risk and compliance professional for more than 20 years with a leadership, innovation and mentorship record. He is the author of ‘The Compliance Blueprint’. Mr Smith is a certified anti-money laundering specialist (CAMS) and holds multiple governance credentials. He can be contacted at hello@ pineapplebusinessconsultancy.com Seated from L to R: Cerone Dean, BAMSI chairman; Leonardo Lightbourne, minister of state for agriculture and marine resources with responsibility for BAMSI and Dr Raveenia Roberts-Hanna, BAMSI president.

said Leonardo BAMSI kickstarts academic sciences,” Lightbourne, minister of for agriculture and marine resources year with ‘renewed energy’ state He said BAMSI’s conA CABINET minister says the Bahamas Agriculture and Marine Science Institute (BAMSI) has opened its 2026-2027 academic year with “renewed energy” as he pointed to new student residences, expanded classroom and laboratory facilities and

continued investment in the North Andros campus.

“We have worked diligently to strengthen the Institute, improve our facilities and student accommodations, and create greater opportunities for hands-on training in agriculture and marine

tinued development also has implications beyond the classroom, particularly for North Andros and The Bahamas’ efforts to strengthen food security and build national capacity.

“I am especially proud of the progress BAMSI continues to make, not only as an educational institution but as an important economic and developmental pillar for North Andros,” Mr Lightbourne added.

“Every student we train, every programme we strengthen and every investment we make here contributes to building our national capacity, strengthening food security and creating new opportunities for our people.”

Dr Raveenia Roberts-Hanna, BAMSI’s president, said building that capacity is becoming increasingly important as the Institute prepares Bahamians to take a more active role in shaping the country’s food systems, natural resources and economic resilience.

“The Bahamas cannot afford to rely on external expertise or imported food supplies for matters tied directly to our national survival and economic resilience,” she added. “BAMSI is vital to the development of this country because we are actively building local capacity - training young Bahamians to innovate, cultivate and protect our food systems from land to sea.”

That preparation, Dr Hanna said, is not limited to producing graduates who can fill existing jobs.

BAMSI is also focused on

FARM - See Page B6

THE TRIBUNE

Monday, September 7, 2026, PAGE 3

Cruise line ‘unifies’ Princess, Half Moon Cay private ports

BY NEIL HARTNELL TRIBUNE Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net PRINCESS Cruises says it is consolidating operations at its Eleuthera-based private port destination, Princess Cay, with those at nearby Half Moon Cay in a move that will create a 420strong Bahamian workforce that has added almost 200 persons this year.

The operator, whose parent is Carnival Cruise

Lines, in a statement responding to Tribune Business inquiries said Princess Cay is neither closing to cruise ships nor terminating any staff amid online reports that it was discontinuing ship calls on the destination located just off Eleuthera.

“Princess Cays stays open to all cruise lines year-round – that's not changing,” spokesman said in an e-mailed reply to this newspaper. “What’s new, starting November 1, is this

Industrial deal tensions at Clifton Heritage Authority

BY ANNELIA NIXON TRIBUNE Business Reporter anixon@tribunemedia.net CLIFTON Heritage Park employees remain without a completed industrial agreement more than two months after negotiations stalled with union representatives warning a communication breakdown could trigger escalate workplace tensions.

Sherry Benjamin, president of the Bahamas Communications and Public Officers Union (BCPOU), said negotiations were halted after concerns were raised by Clifton Heritage staff about management.

“We were at the table negotiating the contract, then the negotiations were halted due to some concerns allegedly raised by members of staff at Clifton concerning the management of Clifton,” Ms Benjamin said. “Those concerns have caused a stall in the negotiation process. We have yet to get back to the table. That’s been over two months now.”

The dispute has since been compounded by a change in leadership at the Clifton Heritage Authority. Ms Benjamin said the Authority has since failed to engage directly with the union.

She added that when the BCPOU reached out to the new chair, it did not receive a response about a courtesy call or meeting. Ms Benjamin said she was instead contacted by their assistant and asked to submit the union’s concerns through her for review and subsequent forwarding to the chair.

“I don’t know if that’s how she thinks this relationship is going to work but, as far as we’re concerned, we’re not going to tolerate that,” Ms Benjamin said.

“We’re not going to stand for that.”

The union president also raised concerns about management allegedly attempting to meet directly with employees and union officers on the ground while negotiations over an industrial agreement remain unresolved. “They haven’t met with the senior leadership of the union yet, but they want to call a meeting with our officers on the ground,” she said.

Ms Benjamin said the union understood that management was also seeking individual meetings with members potentially involving discussions about salary increases. She stressed that the BCPOU was formally recognised as the bargaining agent for Clifton Heritage Authority employees following a determination by Pia Glover-Rolle, minister of labour, in December 2025.

“We are the duly recognised bargaining agents for all staff at Clifton Heritage,” she said. Beyond the breakdown in labour and management relations, Ms Benjamin outlined a series of workplace concerns she said have remained unresolved for months.

She said prolonged power outages at Clifton Heritage Park have created safety concerns, particularly for employees working during evening hours when inadequate lighting becomes an issue. The outages also affect bathroom facilities

because they depend on an electrically-powered pump.

While management has provided a small stand-by generator, Ms Benjamin said employees must continually supply it with fuel during extended outages.

She said lighting installed at the site is also inadequate and poorly positioned.

“Recently, the power has been out for three or four days at a time out there at Clifton Heritage, and it honestly is becoming frustrating,” Ms Benjamin said.

She said the union has also been pressing management for basic workplace safety supplies, including first-aid kits and personal protective equipment (PPE).

“For months, we’ve been asking them to provide safety equipment for the staff, as simple as first aid kits; to refill the first aid kits,” she said. “And they can’t get the basic amenities to carry out their duties.”

Ms Benjamin said the union had repeatedly been told the requested supplies were on order, but claimed some items had remained outstanding for about six months. The union is also challenging what it describes as disparities between employees’ actual salaries and the starting points on their respective bargaining-unit salary scales.

“You have staff who are in a certain bargaining unit, and the starting salary for that bargaining unit is far more than what the staff is actually making,” Ms Benjamin said. She argued that employees should not be earning below the minimum stated for their job classification.

The BCPOU subsequently wrote to the minister responsible for Clifton Heritage Authority, Leslia Miller-Brice, seeking government intervention before the dispute escalates further. Ms Benjamin initially warned that the union would take whatever steps were necessary to force management back to the table if its concerns continued to go unanswered.

However, she later told Tribune Business the intervention has already produced a breakthrough.

Ms Benjamin said Mrs Miller-Brice agreed to convene a meeting for today involving the relevant parties to address the union’s concerns.

“She responded graciously, and we had a conversation with her,” Ms Benjamin said. “And she has agreed to convene a meeting on Monday to resolve all of the issues that we are having with them.

She’s going to have all the players in the room to make sure that they understand the union’s position at Clifton, and that they respect our position there and co-operate with us.”

Ms Benjamin said she was encouraged by the minister’s immediate response and was prepared to give her an opportunity to resolve the dispute. “First thing on her agenda,” she said, describing the planned intervention. Ms Benjamin said she believes Mrs Miller-Brice’s intervention also prompted a call from the Clifton Heritage Authority chair.

unifies staffing and operations with RelaxAway, Half Moon Cay to create one team 420 Bahamians strong.

“Nearly 200 are new this year, with room for every current employee in our growing family. Same great guest service with more flexibility behind the scenes.

So, no lay-offs.”

Princess and Carnival reacted after it was reported online that they were replacing Princess Cay with calls on Half Moon Cay and the $600m Celebration

Key destination with effect from fall 2026. The former port, operational since 1992, was said to be no longer listed in Carnival's Paradise Collection.

Princess Cruises had earlier confirmed the change, saying "the majority of published calls have shifted to Half Moon Cay”. Passenger reaction was said to have been mixed.

"Yes, we booked a 2027 winter cruise on the Star Princess and Celebration Cay is one of the stops.

I looked into it, and it appears that it is wonderful place to spend the day," wrote one.

But another said they were looking forward to returning to Princess Cay and would have preferred it instead of a visit to Celebration Key. "Princess Cays was my first stop on my first cruise in 2001. The Regal was supposed to stop there in February 2027, and I was so looking forward to

Bahamas Grid set to bring in cable repair specialists

BY FAY SIMMONS TRIBUNE Business Reporter jsimmons@tribunemedia.net NEW Providence’s energy grid operator yesterday said it is bringing in a team of international cable repair specialists to tackle a series of legacy underground faults as it steps up efforts to stabilise and strengthen transmission and distribution (T&D) infrastructure.

Bahamas Grid Company, in a statement, said it is leveraging its professional network and global partnerships to accelerate system upgrades and improve grid performance following multiple island-wide and localised summer outages.

It added that the immediate work will focus on repairing legacy underground cable faults across the network, and warned that motorists may experience temporary traffic disruptions in some areas as excavation and repair activities get underway. Bahamas Grid Company pledged efforts will be made to minimise inconvenience and complete improvements

as safely and efficiently as possible.

The company acknowledged the challenges business and household customers have faced in recent months, and said the latest repair programme forms part of its continued efforts to build a more reliable and resilient electricity grid.

“The work continues,” Bahamas Grid Company said. The latest intervention comes as it continues a wider grid modernisation programme that has already seen more than the $130m initially earmarked for upgrades invested in the network.

Dareo McKenzie, Bahamas Grid Company’s chief executive, said last month that it has completed the major foundational upgrades under the programme and invested more than the original $130m figure.

“We've completed that and more,” Mr McKenzie said, while declining to provide an exact investment figure because the company was in the process of financing additional work.

He said the focus is now turning to legacy infrastructure that remains a weak point in the system, particularly underground cables and equipment at the interface between generation, transmission and distribution.

Mr McKenzie said The Bahamas' environment creates particular challenges for electrical infrastructure, with high salinity, humidity and a high-water table all contributing to the deterioration of equipment.

Underground cable repairs can be especially difficult, he said, because crews can encounter water just a foot or two below the surface. As excavation begins, water can quickly refill the area, requiring crews to continuously pump it out while carrying out the repair work.

The complexity of the existing network also presents a challenge. Mr McKenzie said the New Providence system evolved from a number of independent systems that were subsequently connected, leaving a diverse network operating across 132 kV

revisiting," they said. "It is now changed to Celebration Key, and the only free thing is a lounger and a boxed lunch with water.

One posted: "I avoid any itinerary that goes to Princess Cay.” However, this was contradicted by another cruiser, who said: "I like Princess Cay and will miss it if gone. I find it relaxing and peaceful.

Personally, I much prefer a natural beach vibe over an amusement park vibe."

"It's like you have the place all to yourself once you leave the established area. And when in the actual beach area, the snorkelling is actually better than at the other private islands we have been to,” one passenger said of Princess Cays. (kilovolts), 33 kV, 11 kV and 7.2 kV. As part of the modernisation effort, Bahamas Grid Company is working to simplify the grid and move towards Florida Power & Light-based specifications, which Mr McKenzie said are better suited to The Bahamas' hurricane-prone and marine environment.

He said standardising the system should also improve operations and make procurement more efficient, particularly because the existing British-based system requires equipment to be sourced overseas with long lead times.

Mr McKenzie said the network's biggest challenge is not necessarily a lack of generation capacity, but the ageing infrastructure used to move electricity from generation through transmission and into distribution.

“We don't have a generation problem per se,” he said, noting that The Bahamas has significant generation capacity and capability. The weakness, he said, is at the transition points where legacy equipment remains.

That infrastructure will also become increasingly important as renewable energy is integrated into the grid, including larger solar projects planned for New Providence.

PAGE 4, Monday, September 7, 2026

THE TRIBUNE

$200m project’s opponent: ‘Not the end of the matter’ VERDICT - from page B1 application for the reports to be admitted as evidence was “exceedingly late by any possible standard”.

He noted that they were only served on the court in June 2026, some ten months after Rosewood Exuma’s neighbouring resort had launched the Judicial Review claim, and just weeks before the substantive trial over its bid to overturn the project’s environmental approvals was due to be heard on July 20-22, 2026, which caused the date to be postponed to end-September 2026.

Justice Farquharson also agreed with the arguments by Rosewood’s developer, Miami-based Yntegra

Group, and the Government in asserting that he was “not satisfied that the reports are necessary” because Turtlegrass had already made “extensive representations of a scientific or technical nature during the public consultation on the project.

And, asserting that Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) will not satisfy every professional analyst, Justice Farquharson found favour with the comment by Edward Fitzgerald KC, the London-based attorney representing the Government, that “descent into the minutia” is not appropriate on Judicial Reviews dealing with questions over whether such a study is adequate.

Turtlegrass, in response, said it is now exploring “all

options available to us” to ensure the reports are “properly heard” including a possible legal appeal as well as their use “in other forthcoming proceedings”.

The latter phrase is likely a reference to the upcoming Subdivision and Development Appeal Board hearing, where Turtlegrass and fellow developer, Over Yonder Cay Holdings, are seeking to overturn the Rosewood Exuma’s preliminary site plan approval from the Town Planning Committee.

The six reports rejected include an assessment by Dr Craig Dahlgren, of the Perry Institute for Marine Science, which conducted March 2026 marine habitat surveys on the potential impact of Rosewood Exuma’s service dock and shipping channel

servicing it, plus a study by Mark Gash, of Turnstone Ecology, which was “critical” of the quality of ecological and bird surveys performed for the project.

Andrew Baker, of Baker Consultants, similarly assessed the ecological risks and impacts, while Brent Williamson, a maritime consultant, explored marine safety and navigation issues associated with the North Bay supply dock and shipping access - including dredging. Other studies, which Turtlegrass unsuccessfully sought to have admitted at the last minute, focused on groundwater resources plus coastal engineering and process issues.

Yntegra, not surprisingly, welcomed Justice Farquharson’s decision as “significant” as he also rejected other “freestanding challenges” to several of Rosewood Exuma’s earlier certificates of environmental clearance (CECs) that were also submitted as late

amendments to its application for permission to launch Judicial Review proceedings.

“This is a significant and welcome decision,” an Yntegra spokesperson said. “The court’s findings reinforce the importance of keeping these proceedings focused and bringing the substantive issues to a timely resolution.

That has consistently been our position, and we welcome the clarity this ruling provides.

“Rosewood Exuma represents a major long-term investment in The Bahamas and will create meaningful opportunities for Bahamian workers, businesses and communities.”

Turtlegrass, whose principal is US investor and Exuma resident, Bob Coughlin, promised this will not be the last Bahamians hear of the six reports as they dealt with “the sensitive and ecologically significant marine and coastal environment at Sampson Cay”.

“These reports were not put together lightly. They were commissioned based on information that came to light in recent discovery proceedings – information which Yntegra kept hidden and our legal team had to fight rigorously to uncover,” Turtlegrass asserted.

“They were compiled by global leaders in their respective fields, each with decades of experience at the cutting edge of research relevant to this case. Together, the picture they paint is a serious one when it comes to the environmental impact of Yntegra’s stated plans for this pristine corner of the Exuma cays.”

The neighbouring Sampson Cay resort added: “We respect the court’s decision, but this is not the end of the matter.

“We believe this evidence goes to the heart of the case – whether the environmental assessment for this development was legally adequate, and whether decision-makers and the public were given the information the law requires before such an impactful development was allowed to proceed.

“We are considering all options available to us to ensure this evidence is properly heard, through possible appeal in the existing legal matters, submission in other forthcoming proceedings, as well as by bringing these expert findings directly before the public.”

Justice Farquharson, explaining why the six reports were rejected as evidence, said: “I am not prepared to allow the admission of the reports. First, the applications are exceedingly late by any possible standard…. The reports were served in June 2026, approximately ten months after the commencement of these proceedings and just weeks before the trial of the substantive claims scheduled to be heard in July 2026.

“Their predominant focus is EIA revision number two, which dates from March 2025. Sampson Cay Retreat Ltd (Turtlegrass) confirms being aware of the contents of ElA revision two since July 22, 2025, even before its application for permission to apply for Judicial Review.

The applicants have not adequately explained why the expert evidence they now seek to rely on could not have been obtained at an earlier stage.”

Besides not being satisfied that the reports are necessary, Justice Farquharson added: “Thirdly, in substantial part, the reports invite the court to decide whether the EIA and EMP were scientifically exhaustive, whether a different assessment methodology ought to have been adopted, the acceptability of environmental impacts and the sufficiency of proposed mitigation.

“Those are normally matters of planning and environmental merits, as opposed to matters for Judicial Review. An ElA is not required to address every issue that another expert considers desirable, or to eliminate all room for professional disagreement.

“I accept Mr Fitzgerald’s basic submission that what he described as a ‘descent into the minutia’ is not generally appropriate on a Judicial Review of the adequacy of an ElA or EMP, and that a significant margin of appreciation is to be afforded to the decision-maker.”

Justice Farquharson said several of the specialist reports commissioned by Turtlegrass admitted they

applied different, or higher, standards than those set out in Bahamian legislation governing EIAs and related environmental matters, namely the Environmental Planning and Protection Act 2019 and Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations 2020.

“It is also noteworthy that all six reports, on their face, are stated to have been prepared for both the Supreme Court and separate proceedings before the Planning and Subdivision Appeal Board,” the judge wrote. “Their possible utility in a merits-based challenge does not establish their necessity in these Judicial Review claims, and risks transforming the proceedings into a full re-run of the merits of the CEC applications.

“I do not accept the suggestion made by the applicants that the respondents [Yntegra and government] stand to suffer no prejudice by the admission of the expert reports.

“The CECs under challenge in this action were issued in June 2025. This action was commenced in August 2025. The application to adduce the expert reports was moved just weeks before the last scheduled trial date, after extensive preparations had been made by all sides.

The public interest in good administration also requires that the legality or otherwise of the challenged CECs be determined without unnecessary further delay.”

Justice Farquharson also rejected Turtlegrass’s bid to introduce amendments that amounted to “proposed free-standing challenges to the earlier CECs”, including allegations that two - CEC 2400 and CEC 2400A - were “unlawful” on the basis that the Department of Environmental Planning and Protection (DEPP) did not require an EIA or environmental management plan (EMP) for either, and the “decisions were pre-determined or made in secret”.

But, again, the judge said the latest changes ran afoul of the Supreme Court’s civil rule procedural requirements that Judicial Review applications be made promptly. Both targeted CECs were issued in 2024, and Turtlegrass had known of them for at least a year.

“In my view, no satisfactory explanation has been offered for the delay in seeking to convert this litigation into a direct challenge to CEC 2400 and CEC 2400A, or to mount a further or separate legal challenge to the extension decision,” Justice Farquharson wrote…..

“The proposed free-standing challenges would also make an already-lengthy proceeding even more unwieldy, expand the evidence and issues materially and detract from the core question as to the lawfulness of the assessment, consultation and decision-making in relation to the decisions already under review in these proceedings.

“Besides the obvious prejudice this would entall for the respondents, it is also highly prejudicial to the public interest in good administration for the legality of those CECs to be the subject of challenge at this juncture. CEC 2400, which in any event was revoked, was issued over 24 months ago and CEC 2400A was issued approximately 23 months ago.”

The only changes that Turtlegrass has been allowed to make by Justice Farquharson are those the Government and Yntegra are not objecting to. Mr Fitzgerald KC, for the Government, in his submissions had identified five key areas for dispute including the alleged “salami slicing” of the project’s approval process; scope and fairness of public consultation; and the “treasure hunt” and “paper chase” interested parties had to undertake in seeking information.

“The permitted amendments may reter to CEC 2400 and CEC 2400A where that reference bears directly upon the lawfulness of the decision-making process already under review,” Justice Farquharson wrote.

“This includes the contention that separate clearances formed part of an alleged ‘salami slicing’ of the project, and the contention that the omission of CEC 2400 and CEC 2400A from information provided to consultees affected the adequacy of consultation on the extant CEC decisions. Such references are relevant contextual allegations.”

THE TRIBUNE

Monday, September 7, 2026, PAGE 5

‘Irreparable’ harm fears for West End communities ‘speculative’ DISPUTE - from page B1 Bahama Bay, together with their managing agent, Reunion Cay Island Resort, vehemently rejected and opposed IVRC’s allegations and injunction bid during Supreme Court hearings before Justice Constance Delancy. She has reserved her decision.

Daniel Baker, a Reunion Cay representative, in an August 28, 2026, affidavit reiterated the ownership’s argument that, following the termination of both sides’ lease agreement for Old Bahama Bay in January 2019, it was replaced with a Bare Licence deal that gave IVRC no leasehold or any other kind of ownership interest in the West End resort’s real estate.

Asserting that IVRC was told on February 11, 2025, that the Bare Licence would terminate on March 28 last year, he argued that the management company’s refusal to vacate and surrender Old Bahama Bay to its owners forced LRAOBB and Resorts Holdings to ultimately seize control of the West End resort on August 4, 2026.

Mr Baker and Reunion who, together with LRAOBB and Resorts Holdings, are contesting the Department of Inland Revenue and Treasurer’s bid to seize and sell-off a separate 1,400-acre West End land parcel over near-$10m in allegedly unpaid real property taxes, are also claiming that IVRC itself has failed to pay a combined $2.2m in outstanding taxes, utility and security bills, plus payables owed by the three condominium associations.

IVRC, meanwhile, is asserting that LRA-OBB and Resorts Holdings lack the necessary approvals to operate a resort as those for Old Bahama Bay were instead issued to itself by the Department of Inland Revenue on August 5, 2026 - just one day after its eviction/ousting.

However, Mr Baker is countering that these “regulatory permissions” do not give IVRC any ownership interest in Old Bahama Bay’s real estate.

And he alleged that these permits, including a Business Licence and Hotel Licence, were purportedly obtained by the management company using a lease “granted” by Ricardo Pratt - who has been branded a “vexatious litigant” by the

Supreme Court after all his multiple rival claims to own the former Ginn project’s real estate were dismissed.

IVRC and its affiliates, who are being represented by attorney Mark Flowers, alleged in their August 26, 2026, claim that LRAOBB (which stands for Lubert-Adler-Old Bahama Bay) had “without notice, without process and without any Order of the court barricaded the resort, changed the locks upon the condominium units” and “excluded” itself, unit owners and their guests, and marina slip owners with effect from August 4.

Lubert Adler is the investment bank that financed Ginn.

It also alleged that LRAOBB, Resorts Holdings and their agents, including Candid Security and its principal, Cleveland Duncombe, “locked out the employees, took the bookings and revenues of the resort, and held the resort out to the public as [their] own under new management”.

John MacDonald, IVRC’s president, in a messaged reply to Tribune Business inquiries yesterday confirmed that the legal battle has been initiated and is ongoing. “Yes, we filed on them and are awaiting a ruling,” he said. “Hopefully, a ruling will be handed down next week.”

And, in an earlier September 1, 2026, affidavit, he alleged that LRA-OBB and Resorts Holdings have seized control of a resort they have no permits or approvals to operate while ousting the only entity IVRC - that does.

“The carrying on of a hotel at Old Bahama Bay requires a licence. By a Business Licence certificate granted under section 12 of the Business Licence Act 2023 upon August 5, 2026, the Department of Inland Revenue of the Ministry of Finance granted to Island Ventures Resort Club, trading as Old Bahama Bay/ Hotel Operation, an annual Hotel Licence expiring upon December 31, 2026,” Mr McDonald alleged.

“That licence is current.

IVRC holds in addition current licences in respect of the marina, the sale of gasoline and retail trading…

Those licences are granted to IVRC personally and are not transferable. LRAOBB holds none of them.

The position since August 4, 2026, is therefore that the

defendant is in occupation of a resort which it is not licensed to operate, and has shut out of it the only party which is.

“That is not merely a matter of private right as between the defendant and IVRC. It goes to the balance of convenience upon this application, because the relief sought would restore a state of affairs which is lawful, whereas the refusal of it leaves in place an occupation under which the business of the resort cannot lawfully be carried on at all.” Old Bahama Bay, though, is now being operated by a management company headed by veteran tourism executive and realtor, Don Churchill.

And Mr Baker, in his August 28, 2026, affidavit, countered: “The Business Licences on which [IVRC] rely are regulatory permissions to conduct specified businesses. They are not conveyances, leases, declarations of title or judicial determinations of a right to occupy LRA-OBB’s land. The fact that certificates were issued on August 5, 2026, after IVRC had already been excluded, does not confer possession or determine this dispute.”

He also alleged that IVRC’s reliance on the four licences “is materially incomplete” because it had failed to disclose to the Supreme Court, based on documents obtained by LRA-OBB’s attorneys, Scott & Company, that these permits were obtained “upon the strength of a purported lease or other authority granted by Ricardo Pratt”.

Mr Baker asserted: “Mr Pratt had no title to, or lawful right of possession over, the resort property, and no authority from LRA-OBB to grant IVRC a lease or licence.

His claim to possession and fee simple entitlement had been dismissed by the Supreme Court, and he had been declared a vexatious litigant….

“Further, [the] Bare Licence expressly prohibited IVRC from knowingly permitting Mr Pratt, or any of his employees, agents, contractors or representatives, to enter or come upon the [Old Bahama Bay] property. IVRC was therefore aware that Mr Pratt had no recognised authority from LRA-OBB in relation to the property, and that reliance upon him was

contrary to IVRC’s own covenant…..

“I do not know, and do not assert, whether the [lease] instrument itself was fabricated. I say only that, whatever its provenance, it was incapable of conferring any right upon IVRC. Any Business Licence application that presented the instrument as a valid basis for IVRC’s occupation would likewise have been misleading,” Mr Baker added.

“The licences were issued on August 5, 2026, after LRA-OBB had taken control, and long after the Bare Licence had expired and been terminated. A regulatory certificate obtained upon the strength of an instrument that conferred no right of occupation cannot establish lawful possession, cure the absence of the land owner’s consent, or confer a proprietary interest. It is not government confirmation of IVRC’s title or right to manage the resort, as MacDonald repeatedly suggests.”

Mr Baker, in a subsequent September 3, 2026, affidavit, said LRA-OBB and Resorts Holdings were partially motivated to regain control and oust IVRC because the latter allegedly owed “substantial sums” it was obligated to pay under its Bare Licence but had failed to do so.

“In deciding to enforce its control over access to its property, LRA-OBB also took account of substantial sums then outstanding in connection with the property and its operation,” he alleged. Mr Baker said these were calculated, as at August 4, 2026, as amounting to outstanding licence fees and interest owed

by IVRC to LRA-OBB of $98,44. Other fees and interest for the continued use and occupation of the property after the Bare Licence ended were pegged at $283,265.

Mr Baker alleged that real property tax arrears and interest stood at $599,483, along with unpaid dockage fees and interest of $189,981, and a $120,493 outstanding VAT bill. He claimed that “IVRC’s share of security costs and interest” stood at $140,744, and - combined with the unpaid taxes and sums owed to LRA-OBB - these stood at $1.432m.

Unpaid utility and telecommunications charges for Old Bahama Bay included $367,541 due to Grand

Bahama Resort Utility Services for water and electricity, a further $101,730.93 owed to the Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) and B$33,373 due to Cable Bahamas, totalling $502,645, Mr Baker alleged.

And he further claimed there are “outstanding payables of the three condominium associations then administered by IVRC, being a security cost share of $137,121 due to OBB Hospitality and water, wastewater and electricity charges of $142,567.54 due to Grand Bahama Resort Utility Services, totaling $279,688. “The aggregate of those sums is $2.215m,” Mr Baker asserted.

However, James Culmer, Old Bahama Bay’s general manager under IVRC and a 29-year veteran at the West End property, said of the management firm’s ousting in an August 14, 2026, affidavit: “In my 29 years at the resort I have never witnessed anything like the events of the past week.

“On and since August 4, 2026, the resort has been barricaded and taken over by force by persons acting for or in concert with the defendant, LRA-OBB. The dispute is deeply concerning to me as the manager responsible for the property, the staff and the guests.”

Turning specifically to the alleged impact on Old Bahama Bay staff, Mr Culmer said: “The LRA-OBB parties have effectively locked out most of the workforce of the resort. Approximately 50 of the 100 employees under my management have been barred from their place of work since August 4, 2026.

“Those employees are employed in the operation of a business which is carried on validly and under licence: IVRC holds the four subsisting 2026 Business Licence Certificates for the hotel, marina, gasoline and retail businesses of the resort, and to the best of my knowledge, information and belief, no other person or entity holds any licence to operate any business at the resort…..

“I must also speak to what this has done to the employees themselves.

Morale among the staff has collapsed. These are men and women I have worked beside for years - some for decades - housekeepers, maintenance men, dock hands, front-desk staff, cooks, gardeners and security officers, most of them

from West End and the surrounding settlements, where the resort is among the largest employers and where in many households more than one family member depends on a resort pay packet….

“They have been given no notice, no explanation and no assurance by the persons who barred them from their workplace,” Mr Culmer added. “The uncertainty is itself doing damage that cannot be undone by money. Trained and experienced staff are the resort’s most valuable asset after the property itself.

“A workforce of this quality, in a settlement of this size, has taken years to build and cannot simply be re-hired if it scatters. Some employees are already speaking of leaving Grand Bahama to seek work elsewhere; others cannot afford even a fortnight without wages. Every day the lock-out continues, the likelihood grows that when the resort reopens it will do so without the people who know how to run it, and the guests, bookings and reputation that depend on them will go with them.

“As the person responsible for these employees, I say plainly that the harm now being done to the workforce, to their families and to the community of West End is immediate, compounding and irreparable.”

Mr Baker, though, blasted Mr Culmer’s affidavit as “substantially hearsay and inference” as he rejected the impression it gave of IVRC’s ousting being “a violent and unlawful seizure”.

He added: “The transition was carried out without violence, with security arrangements intended to preserve safety and order. Barriers and controlled access were necessary because IVRC had refused to surrender possession following termination and a confrontation had developed…..

“Persons employed

by IVRC ceased to have authority to enter and operate upon LRA-OBB’s property once IVRC’s authority had ended. They were not employed by LRA-OBB, and LRA-OBB did not dismiss them. Culmer’s opinions concerning morale, the future dispersal of staff and irreparable damage are speculative.”

where there was bank debt ($91.4m) and “The publication of fiscal year 2025-2026 as a Debt exceeds $13bn amid backdrop no national emergency such multilateral and bilat- financing components in source of financing. a Hurricane Dorian-style eral debt ($32.1m), and net terms, which provides “Where there is a matedeficit disconnect with rise asstorm or COVID-19 increases due to exchange only an end-of-period sum- rial deviation from the

SPEND - from page B1 as well as by how much its spending exceeds tax/revenue income, stood at only $121.2m at end-April.

The more than $1bn jump in the national debt came despite a slight drop in the Government’s direct liabilities during the three months to end-June 2026. “For the quarter ended-June 2026, the direct charge on the Government fell by $7.1m (0.1 percent) to $12.466bn while, on an annual basis, it grew by $697m (5.9 percent),” the Central Bank confirmed.

“The Government’s contingent liabilities increased by $358.7m over the review quarter, and by $373.5m year-on-year, to $703.4m.

Consequently, the national debt, inclusive of contingent liabilities, rose by $351.6m (2.7 percent) over the three-month period, and by $1.071bn (8.8 percent) on an annual basis, to $13.17bn as at end- June 2026.

“As a ratio to GDP, the direct charge decreased by 0.2 percentage points on a yearly basis to 70.7 percent at end-June. However, the national debt-to-GDP ratio increased to an estimated 74.7 percent from 72.8 percent in the second quarter of 2025.” The latter indicator was also ahead of the 74.2 percent national debt-to-GDP ratio at the 2024 mid-point, while total public sector debt - having fallen from 76.6 percent to 75.2 percent at the half-way mark in 2025 - is now back up to 77.3 percent of GDP. Much of the contingent liability increase is related

to the borrowings that the Government guaranteed for its $280m Grand Bahama Power Company acquisition and working capital, plus its liquefied natural gas (LNG) energy reforms and Public Hospitals Authority (PHA) in the months leading up to the general election.

However, the Central Bank report will likely reignite Opposition questions as to why the Government’s direct net debt has increased by almost $700m when the fiscal deficit at end-April 2026 - with just two months left in the fiscal year - was shown as $121.2m. And the re-elected Davis administration, as late as end-June 2026, was forecasting a $32.7m Budget surplus for 2025-2026, albeit reduced by some $42.7m or more than 50 percent from the original $75.5m target.

The surplus, if achieved, should mean the national and direct government debt decreases rather than goes up by a much higher amount. The Opposition has already charged that the Davis administration has been using the National Investment Fund to hide the scale of government borrowing and debt, placing borrowed funds into this rather than the Consolidated Fund, which enables it to treat these monies as equity rather than debt.

Based on a 400,000strong population, The Bahamas’ national debt is equal to $32,925 per citizen and resident, and represents the per capita amount that the country must repay. The $1bn national debt increase also occurred against a

pandemic.

The Government’s debt, and how this has been financed through borrowings, also recently attracted the attention of the Fiscal Responsibility Council, the public finances watchdog, in its report on the 2026-2027 Budget.

In particular, it noted that the borrowing amounts and types were inconsistent with what had been set out in the annual borrowing plan (ABP) for the 20252026 fiscal year, with more than $290m in Central Bank advances taken out during the nine months to endMarch 2026 even though this financing form was not included or mentioned in the ABP. “Loan disbursements ($240m) for projects funded through multilateral development banks against net repayments of commercial

rate depreciation accounted for the expansion in external debt,” the Council’s report said of 2025-2026.

“Net issuances of Treasury Bills ($338.7m) and Bahamian dollar bonds ($40m), and a net increase in Central Bank advances ($290.3m), against net repayments of treasury notes ($100,000) and commercial loans ($79.8m), and decreases associated with exchange rate appreciation ($3.1m), explained the increase in domestic debt.

“The Fiscal Responsibility Council notes the Government’s publication of key financing components in net terms, in contrast to the reporting framework in the annual borrowing plan (ABP), which identifies scheduled debt repayments and planned borrowing activity separately,” it added.

Stakeholder consultation vital over airport fees BENCHMARK - from page B2 6. What regional and international benchmarking was undertaken?

7. What consultation has occurred with Bahamian airlines, international carriers, charter operators, private aviation, tourism stakeholders and affected Family Island communities?

8. What mechanism exists for stakeholders to submit comments and receive a reasoned response before the charges are approved?

9.

Who ultimately approves the charges, and

what economic regulatory test is applied?

10. How will Government ensure that publicly-financed infrastructure is not inadvertently included again in a private cost recovery base?

These are not arguments against development. They are questions intended to help ensure that development remains financially sustainable for the investor, aviation operators, residents, visitors and the Bahamian economy.

The International Civil Aviation Organisation’s

mary position, precludes an assessment of how actual borrowing and repayment activities for the period compared to expectations.

“The Fiscal Responsibility Council is of the view that the Government’s financing should be presented in a manner that is consistent with the presentation in the APB, which would allow for comprehensive assessment of the Government’s adherence to that Plan and support greater transparency.”

Turning to the practical realities, the Council added: “The Fiscal Responsibility Council also notes that while Central Bank advances feature significantly in the Government’s domestic financing for the period, this form of borrowing was not included in the annual borrowing plan for

planned financing, the Fiscal Responsibility Council encourages the Government to provide an explanation for such deviation, including the factors necessitating the departure from the plan and any implications the deviation might have for debt and cash management.

“The Fiscal Responsibility Council further notes that the reported debt outstanding as of the end of March 2026 was $12.473bn, while the stated end of 2025-2026 projection is $11.387bn representing 64.6 percent of projected GDP. Meeting this end-of-year projection would require a net repayment of $1.087bn over the final three months of the fiscal year.” The Central Bank report signals that the Government was far from close to achieving this.

(ICAO) airport charging policies emphasise principles including cost-relatedness, transparency, consultation with users and non-discrimination. These principles are especially relevant for an archipelagic nation such as The Bahamas, where aviation is not merely a tourism product but essential transportation infrastructure.

I therefore respectfully suggest a formal, documented consultation before implementation of the proposed charges, including publication of the charging methodology and appropriate supporting financial assumptions. Participants, submissions, Government/IADP responses and

resulting amendments should form part of an identifiable consultation record.

That would also remove future uncertainty over an important question: Was the aviation industry actually consulted, or was it simply informed after the proposed charges had already been developed?

Airport modernisation and affordability do not have to be competing objectives.

Transparency and genuine consultation can help us achieve both.

Captain Randy L. Butler Principal consultant Aviation Safety & Security Consultants Ltd

PAGE 6, Monday, September 7, 2026

THE TRIBUNE

Hoteliers: ‘Strike right balance’ on fees and Out Islands affordability FLYING - from page B1 Tribune Business revealed last week that Island Airport Development Partners, the group that is upgrading and taking over operations/management at these three airports, is aiming to recover its combined $132m outlay on the trio’s’ new terminals, improved fire crash rescue facilities and enhanced runways plus earn a return on its investment via a 50-year contract.

This concession is structured as a design, build, finance, operate, maintain contract, and is following a tried and tested global model, also used for Lynden Pindling International Airport’s (LPIA) $409.5m transformation, where the user/traveller pays for the improved facility and services. However, many in the tourism and aviation industries are questioning whether the cost, and extent of the fees being charged, are starting to tip the balance against The Bahamas’ affordability as a destination.

CST Flight Services added that “the great unknown” was what impact the Island Airport Development Partners deal will have on the two impacted fixed base operators (FBOs) that serve private pilots and general aviation - White Crown in North Eleuthera, and Odyssey Aviation in Exuma. Tribune Business understands that, while in the past they have rented their locations from the Airport Authority, going forward these deals will be with the private sector consortium.

Likely rental rates, and lease terms, are understood to have yet to be disclosed or discussed. “The great unknown now is what impact this privatisation will have on the existing FBOs in North Eleuthera and Georgetown,” CST Flight Services wrote.

“We fully expect these fees to apply at these airports even if an operator uses the FBO terminal and ramp, so the increases will pass through to everybody

using the airport. The remaining question is whether Island Airport Development Partners will increase the rents that these FBOs have to pay the airport operator, which will in turn force the FBOs to also have to increase their fees as well. This would have a doubly negative impact on operating costs at those airports.”

Island Airport Development Partners, which comprises Plenary Americas as lead developer and equity investor, as well as Phoenix Infrastructure, a US infrastructure advisory and investment firm, and Avports, an airport and fixed-base FBO operator, has already taken over management of Bimini’s airport following its $80m investment in improvements there. The fee schedule for its latest three airports mirrors what has been put in place there.

“The strategic location of these four privatised airports with higher fees: Bimini, North Eleuthera, Governor’s Harbour and Georgetown, and the fact that two of them are amongst the few options for fuel in The Bahamas, implies that general aviation operators should be prepared to either pay significantly more for airport fees or reconsider their destinations,” CST Flight Services warned.

“Additionally, those operators planning to use these airports as refuelling stops should be prepared to pay significantly more for their airport fees or choose Marsh Harbour or Stella Maris as alternative options for refuelling.”

This newspaper previously calculated that the new passenger facility and processing fees of $51 and $15 - totalling a combined $66 - when added to the existing $29 per head departure tax, $9 security fee and $1 passenger levy that are paid separately paid to the Government mean that persons leaving Exuma and Eleuthera for international destinations will directly pay $105 for the privilege to do do.

BAMSI expands faculty and improves campus FARM - from page B2 developing agri-preneurs persons equipped to build enterprises, introduce new ideas, create opportunities for others and help set the direction of agriculture and related industries.

She added that the goal is to produce not only skilled professionals, but owners, innovators and industry leaders capable of turning knowledge into viable businesses and expanding what

is possible within the Bahamian economy.

Dr. Hanna said the expanded infrastructure at BAMSI’s North Andros campus is intended to enhance both the residential and academic experience.

“The opening of our new residence hall and classroom complex in North Andros directly elevates the student experience. It provides our scholars with the space, dignity and cutting-edge facilities required

The passenger facility and processing fees paid by domestic travellers are pegged at $25.50 and $7.50 for a total $33 and, when added to what they already pay to the Government (including a $7, rather than $9, security fee, the total works out to $70. These are extra costs that will add to the burden of air fare prices already driven higher by the Middle East conflict and the resulting oil price spike.

Eleuthera resort operators, meanwhile, recognised the need to improve and expand the island’s airports to enable greater airlift and connectivity capacity, and provide a better first and last impression for visitors and Bahamians, but said this needs to be balanced with ensuring the destination remains affordable and cost competitive, and not pricing it out of the market.

“It’s a double-edged sword,” the Little Hotels Group’s Mr Simmons told Tribune Business. “My response to it is different depending on the hat I’m wearing. As a business owner, this is obviously an improvement in service.

There’s probably additional value going to be given to guests so I understand there’s a requirement to increase the fees. We’re getting an upgrade, so hopefully we will get facilities and service that matches.

“I’m definitely torn. We need a better facility, but I think the reality is that there’s a limit to how much people can swallow in terms of price sensitivity. I know that for a lot of our clientele, which is the wedding market, there’s 2,000-2,500 wedding guests that come to our resorts per year. That [fee increases] is pretty hard on a decision 20-25 couples make. They are going to be sensitive to price and what they subject their guests to.

“I would definitely be concerned as to what the potential knock-on effect is the affordability position for that market,” Mr Simmons added. “There’s definitely a broader market that is less price sensitive because Harbour Island is seen as a premium destination, but there’s an element that is

not ultra-premium. There’s definitely concern for a knock-on effect.

“For what it’s worth, we’ve reason as a destination to be respectful of the quality of airports, there’s got to be recognition that while we need better facilities that has not necessarily made the destination more successful. It’s the quality of the experience. Maybe 1 + 1 = 3 or maybe it does not; it puts people over the limit of what they want to pay.

“I was looking at it the other night; a comparison of what it takes to get to Costa Rica, what it takes to get to Jamaica. Some of those destinations that have high-end weddings. In some cases, we are double the price to get to those locations. It may push the limit out even more,” Mr Simmons also voiced concerns over whether the new Island Airport Development Partners fees will take effect, and be charged, before travellers can experience the new terminals and improved arrival/departure experience, although the consortium last week told this newspaper all upgrades are scheduled to be completed by 2027.

“I don’t think it’s fair to the community to implement these fees until the facilities are completed and the upgrades can be appreciated by clients and people footing the bill,” he added.

“It’s definitely a point of concern.

“Maybe there’s a chance for a higher air drop if people are able to get directly from New York to Eleuthera. In that light, maybe the math makes sense. It’s whether people are willing to pay these fees to come to the destination, particularly if this destination cannot keep the light on and water flowing in the pipes. It’s tough.”

Carlton Russell, the 22-year Atlantis executive veteran who oversaw The Cove Eleuthera’s $64m upgrade as managing director before branching out into real estate, told Tribune Business that “striking the right balance” between competitive and affordable visitor access on one hand,

to train the next generation of Bahamian scientists, agri-preneurs and industry leaders,” she added.

Cerone Dean, BAMSI chairman, said: “We have worked diligently to prepare our facilities and strengthen the learning environment.

Students can look forward to new developments, expanded opportunities and continued investment in agriculture and marine science.”

The new academic year has also brought new faculty members to North Andros, adding expertise across a range of disciplines. Programmes including art and environment, agribusiness,

agronomy, animal science, environmental science and aquaculture give students opportunities to pursue studies that connect science, business, food systems, environmental stewardship, the sustainable use of natural resources and creative expression.

“We are immensely proud to welcome our incoming faculty members alongside a vibrant new cohort of students representing islands across our archipelago.

The Family Islands are the heartbeat of our nation’s natural resources, and having students bring their local knowledge, passion and perspectives from

and commercially viable airports on the other, is key to the Government’s Family Island renaissance initiative.

“My initial view is that the proposed fee structure for North Eleuthera and Governor’s Harbour deserves very careful consideration before implementation,” Mr Russell said in reply to this newspaper’s questions. “From the Eleuthera tourism perspective, improved airport infrastructure is both necessary and welcome.

“Modern, efficient airports are essential if Eleuthera is to continue attracting additional airlift, supporting larger volumes of visitors and improving the overall arrival and departure experience. North Eleuthera, in particular, is a critical gateway not only for central Eleuthera, but also for Harbour Island and the wider northern Eleuthera tourism economy.”

However, he added: “The concern is whether the cost of financing these improvements is being placed too heavily and too quickly on the traveller and the airlines.

“Based on the proposed structure reported today, international passengers could face an additional $66 in passenger facility and processing fees, while domestic travellers would face $33 in new charges.

When combined with existing government taxes and security-related fees, the total cost of departing these airports becomes significant. In addition, airlines and charter operators will face increased landing, terminal and parking fees, which, realistically, will ultimately find their way into ticket prices.

“For a destination such as Eleuthera, accessibility and affordability are inseparable. Unlike destinations that visitors can drive to, every visitor must absorb the cost of air or sea transportation before they begin spending at a hotel, restaurant, attraction or local business.

We are already a relatively high-cost destination, particularly for Family Island travel, and any further increase in the cost of getting here has the potential to affect travel decisions.”

Mr Russell, urging The Bahamas and Island Airport Development Partners to examine the bigger picture, and not look at the latter’s fee schedule in

isolation, said: “My principal concern would be the cumulative impact rather than any single fee. A family considering a stay in Eleuthera is already evaluating air fare, accommodation, ground transportation and the overall cost of the experience.

“If airfares increase materially because of these additional airport charges, Eleuthera could become less competitive, particularly among price sensitive leisure travellers who have numerous Caribbean alternatives.

“There is also a potential issue for private aviation and charter traffic, both of which are important to Eleuthera’s luxury tourism market. Increased passenger, landing and parking fees could discourage shorter stays, day trips and discretionary travel,” Mr Russell added.

“The experience in Bimini, which has been cited by several aviation operators in today’s reporting, should at least prompt a detailed examination of the likely demand impact before these fees are finalised.

“That said, I do not believe the answer is to oppose airport investment. On the contrary, Eleuthera needs better infrastructure to support its continued growth. The objective should be to strike the right balance between creating commercially sustainable airports and ensuring that access to the island remains competitive and affordable.”

As to the way forward, Mr Russell added: “From my perspective, I would encourage further consultation with airlines, resorts, tourism stakeholders and aviation operators, together with a proper assessment of the likely impact on visitor demand and airlift.

“It may also be worth considering a phased implementation or alternative fee structure that allows the destination to absorb the improvements without creating a sudden and significant increase in the overall cost of travel.

“In short, the airport improvements are positive and necessary. My concern is that if the cost of accessing Eleuthera rises too far, too quickly, we risk undermining the very tourism growth that the investment is intended to support.”

every corner of The Bahamas enriches our entire campus community,” Dr Hanna said.

“We want to see our graduates take what they learn here and continue moving industries forward.

Over the years, BAMSI graduates have gone on to work as scientists, researchers and professionals, while others have established farms, developed

businesses, introduced new technologies and created opportunities of their own.

“BAMSI has been producing people who are helping to shape agriculture, marine science and the wider natural resource sectors in The Bahamas, and we intend to continue building on that impact in the years ahead.”

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THE TRIBUNE

Monday, September 7, 2026, PAGE 7

Stocks fall after a surprisingly strong jobs report raises prospects of an interest rate hike SPECIALIST James Denaro works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, in New York.

Photo:Yuki Iwamura/AP

By ALEX VEIGA AP Business Writer U.S. stocks fell and Treasury yields rose Friday after the government reported that employers unexpectedly added 162,000 jobs last month, a development that could increase chances that the U.S. central bank will raise interest rates later this month.

The S&P 500 fell 0.4%, though it managed to eke out a modest gain for the week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.5%, and the Nasdaq composite gave back 0.3%.

Wall Street expects the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates before the year ends in an effort to cool inflation, which has been running hot due to rising oil prices amid the U.S. war with Iran and remains well above 3%.

The Fed has a stated goal of cooling inflation to a target of 2%.

The surprise increase in hiring last month could give the central bank’s policymakers leeway to raise the Fed’s benchmark shortterm interest rate to fight inflation at their next policy meeting in less than two weeks.

“Today’s jobs report does lean toward the Fed increasing rates,” said Terry Sandven, chief equity

strategist at U.S. Bank Asset Management Group, noting, however, that a rate hike is “not a foregone conclusion.”

The Labor Department reported that hiring in August far exceeded the 65,000 forecasters had expected, according to a poll by FactSet. Labor Department revisions also looked good, adding 55,000 to June and July payrolls.

The unemployment rate held steady at 4.1%.

The stronger jobs market could make matters more

complicated for the Fed, which has to balance supporting job growth with fighting inflation. Raising interest rates can help tame inflation, but it can also slow economic growth as borrowing costs rise for households and businesses.

Expectations for a rate hike in September increased to 60.4% on Friday following the release of the jobs report, up from 49.4% Thursday and from 57% a week ago, according to CME FedWatch.

“Given the strength of the payroll report, a rate

hike on Sept. 16 appears increasingly likely,” according to Jeffrey Roach, chief economist for LPL Financial. “Ironically, a rate hike may generate less market volatility than another meeting in which policymakers choose to stand pat.”

The government will release August inflation figures Sept. 11, shortly before the Fed’s policymaking committee’s next meeting, which ends on Sept. 16. The closely watched consumer price index, or CPI, which

measures costs for consumers, is expected to show that inflation rose last month at a 3.4% rate, the same as in July. Inflation has held stubbornly above 3% for most of the year.

“With the August CPI report now on deck, the question is whether the combined impact of stronger-than-expected hiring and a stiff inflation tail wind will push policymakers to the tipping point of raising rates later this month,” said Jim Baird, chief investment officer with Plante Moran Financial Advisors.

Fed Chair Kevin Warsh said last week at the Fed’s annual economic symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, that inflation had not shown sufficient improvement and that the central bank might have “more work to do,” a sign he is weighing a rate increase at the Fed’s next meeting.

On Thursday, Federal Reserve governor Christopher Waller said that if new data next week shows inflation is cooling, he “would be inclined” to keep the Fed’s benchmark interest rate unchanged. Should the data show hotter inflation, he would consider a rate hike.

Pressure in China helps convince Volkswagen it’s time to change

US issues sanctions on Turkish bank that it calls a ‘critical financial lifeline’ for Iran

By DAVID McHUGH AP Business Writer

By FARNOUSH AMIRI and ANDREW WILKS Associated Press

VOLKSWAGEN’S sweeping restructuring underlines the force of the China shock hitting Germany’s economy as the world’s biggest car market, short years ago a major profit center, rapidly becomes a major competitive challenge.

The stiff headwinds from China facing Germany’s largest carmaker helped break a logjam on the board of directors and convince employee, union and local government officials that Volkswagen needed rapid change. The plan announced Thursday will include the loss of 50,000 jobs and probably four German auto plants where manufacturing costs can no longer compete.

Board members representing employees had rejected CEO Oliver Blume’s plan in July, and Volkswagen’s worker-friendly structure, with employee representatives holding half the board seats and the local government of Lower Saxony two, had raised doubts about whether Blume could push through his plan.

The board decision was a “much better than feared outcome,” wrote Deutsche Bank analysts on Friday.

While it doesn’t solve VW’s challenges overnight, “it removes one of the biggest investor concerns: whether the company is still capable of making the difficult decisions required to address them.” Volkswagen shares rose 8% Friday on the news.

They said it could have a “halo effect” on other German manufacturers and encourage them to make similar difficult adjustments.

Blume has pointed to the turbulence hitting the company in China, where rapid change is overtaking a market where before the pandemic Volkswagen earned a large chunk of its profits. Dozens of Chinese competitors have launched 500 new models just this year, into a market where sales have declined over 20% and prices have fallen.

The Chinese auto sector has benefited from government support for electric autos and is marked by ferocious competition, low costs and rapid adoption of new technology. While German sales in China have fallen, Chinese carmakers BYD, Geely and Chery have started to take market share in Europe.

That has spread anxiety throughout German

industry and the electorate. The German economy — Europe’s biggest — has stagnated for several years, shrinking in 2023 and 2024 and showing only 0.2% growth last year. Although the unemployment rate of 4% is lower than the EU average, Germans can see the unsettling headlines about job reductions at companies that have defined the German economy for decades: 50,000 at Volkswagen, with media reports of plans for more; 8,000 buyouts at BMW by the end of next year; and a reduction of 13,000 at auto technology firm Bosch by 2030.

China now produces many of the complex goods that Germany specializes in. Trade figures show that since last year, China sold more industrial goods such as cars, trucks, locomotives, and medical device to Germany than Germany sold to China.

The headwinds for Volkswagen are a “warning sign for the entire German automobile industry,” said Stefan Bratzel, director of the Center of Automotive Management (CAM) in Bergisch Gladbach.

“Volkswagen as a volume manufacturer has the biggest problem, but also Mercedes and BMW have to cut costs and have the challenge of transforming the whole industry.”

“What we see now is a fundamental crisis of Volkswagen and other incumbents of the automotive industry,” he said. “It’s technological change, it is a change with new players coming into the automotive universe.”

VW has also been hit by higher U.S. tariffs on cars imported from Europe. It faces a 15% tariff on cars from Europe and up to 27.5% on cars imported from its plants in Mexico.

Volkswagen’s profits fell by 31% in the first half of the year to 3.1 billion euros ($3.6 billion), even though outside of China it sold more cars worldwide than the same period last year.

It has set up a design center in Hefei to develop vehicles tailored to the Chinese market, under an “in China, for China” strategy.

Volkswagen said that “currently” it plans to phase out production over 203134 at four plants, in Emden, Zwickau, Hannover und Neckarsulm, saying that it could not foresee cost-competitive production of new models there past those dates.

THE Trump administration announced Friday that it has imposed sanctions on a Turkish financial institution as part of its latest effort to sever “critical financial lifelines” for the Iranian government.

The actions against Golden Global Yatirim Bankasi Anonim Sirketi come after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent last week launched “Operation Economic Outcast, “ Washington’s new effort to isolate already heavily sanctioned Iran from its remaining trading partners to try to get it to capitulate to U.S. demands after more than six months of war.

The Treasury Department accused the Turkish bank and its entities of being established to enable Iran’s efforts to transfer oil revenues from China to Turkey, where they could then be converted to cash and gold. It also said the institution “knowingly offered” banking services to Iranian

financial entities, including those already sanctioned by the U.S. government in 2022 for funneling Tehran’s oil sales.

Bessent, who had told The Associated Press earlier this week that another bank would face economic penalties, said financial institutions with ties to Iran will “continue to find out the hard way that we are serious about Operation Economic Outcast.”

“While we hope no more banks will need to be sanctioned, that ultimately depends on how quickly the international community comes to its senses and ceases support of the murderous Iranian regime,” he said in a press release Friday. “We know who you are, we know where you are, and we will continue to take action together with our allies and partners until we have buried the head of the Iranian snake.”

But so far, the goal to force those that still do business with Iran to cut off financial ties or face U.S. retaliation has fallen flat, with promises of an

“economic D-Day” for a group of countries that could include China and India quickly turning into warnings and negotiations with Iran’s trading partners.

Bessent had previously told reporters that he wanted countries to have an opportunity to shift away from Iran before it was too late in a bid to avoid upending the global financial system.

The Trump administration’s reluctance to penalize major trading partners that still do business with Iran was on display last week when the U.S. took steps to limit an Egyptian bank’s operations in the United Arab Emirates but stopped short of imposing sanctions.

The U.S. also has resumed military strikes in recent days, prompting Iranian retaliation in the region. It’s unclear what the outcome of the two-pronged strategy will be for President Donald Trump, who has struggled to end an unpopular war with an intransigent Iranian government as energy prices rise and pose problems for Republicans before

U.S. government bond yields, which had eased the last couple of days, rose as the bond market weighed the implications of the jobs report.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury, which influences mortgage rates, rose to 4.78% from 4.77% late Thursday. It has been rising steadily throughout the year and was as low as 4.20% at the beginning of 2026.

The yield on the 2-year Treasury, which closely tracks expectations for Federal Reserve moves on interest rates, rose to 4.37% from 4.34%. It remains significantly higher for the year, though, and was as low as 3.50% at the beginning of 2026.

Meanwhile, gains in technology stocks helped limit declines in other sectors Friday. Nvidia rose 0.8%, Advanced Micro Devices added 4.7%, Sandisk jumped 11.9% and Micron Technology gained 6.1%.

Lululemon Athletica sank 17.4%, the biggest decline among S&P 500 stocks, after the retailer reported quarterly revenue that fell short of analysts’ estimates and lowered its fiscal full-year outlook again.

November’s midterm congressional elections.

Targeted in the latest U.S. sanctions is Golden Global Investment Bank, which was founded in 2019 as Turkey’s first investment bank to offer “banking services and alternative financing methods” to foreign companies, according to its website.

The Istanbul-based bank, which is largely unfamiliar to most Turks, says it aims to increase Turkey’s foreign trade through target markets in neighboring countries.

The Treasury announcement came a day after Turkey’s state-run Halkbank declared it had reached a settlement with the U.S. Justice Department in a nine-year case focused on violating sanctions with Iran.

In that case, senior officials at Halkbank were said to have illegally moved about $20 billion worth of Iranian oil revenues.

U.S. prosecutors claimed high-ranking Turkish government officials received millions of dollars in bribes to protect the scheme.

The Halkbank case caused a rift in U.S.-Turkey relations, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan personally lobbying the White House to have the case dropped.

The Quieting Petition of Everette Hart 2024/CLE/qui/01084

The Petition of Everette Hart in respect of ALL THAT parcel of land being a portion of Crown Grant C-55 to Dennis Rolle and known as Exuma Point and containing 9.499 acres and being made up of Parcels A, B and C as is shown on the Plan filed with the Petition and situate at Exuma Point which said parcel of land is bounded on the Northeast by the sea and running thereon Four hundred (400) feet more or less on the Southeast jointly by other portion of Grant C-55 and an existing paved road and running thereon Six hundred and Seventy (670) feet more or less on the Southwest by other portion of Grant C-55 and running thereon Three hundred and Twentyone and Sixty-one hundredths (321.61) feet more or less on the Southeast again by other portion of Grant C-55 and running thereon Two hundred and Ninety-six and Seventy-five hundredths (296.75) feet more or less on the Southwest again by the sea and running thereon Sixty-three (63) feet more or less on the West by the sea and running thereon Four hundred and Seventy-five (475) feet more or less and on the NORTHWEST by other portion of Grant C-55 and running thereon Seven hundred (700) feet more or less which said parcel of land is more particularly described on or by the said plan or diagram and is thereon coloured Pink.

The Petitioner, Everette Hart, claims to the legal and beneficial owner in fee simple in possession of ALL THAT parcel of land hereinbefore described and the Petitioner has made application to the Supreme Court of The Bahamas under Section 3 of the Quieting Titles Act, 1959, to have his title to the said land investigated.

Copies of the filed plan may be inspected during normal working hours at:a) The Registry of the Supreme Court, British American Building, Marlborough and George Streets, Nassau, N. P., Bahamas; or b) The Chambers of Martin, Martin and Co, Vet CF Place, 8th. Terrace East, Nassau, N. P. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that any person having dower or right to dower or any adverse claim or claim not recognised in the Petition shall on or before the 1st. day of September, 2026, file in the Registry of the Supreme Court and serve on the Petitioner or the undersigned a statement of such claim in the prescribed form and which shall be verified by an affidavit to be filed therewith. Failure of any such person to file and serve a statement of such claim on or before the 1st. day of September, A. D. 2026, will operate as a bar to such claim.

Dated the 24th. day of April, A. D. 2026 Martin Martin and Co. Attorneys for the Petitioners Kind regards, C. A. Martin

PAGE 8, Monday, September 7, 2026

THE TRIBUNE

US strikes 3 Iranian oil tankers after saying warships were targeted with ballistic missiles

By AMIR VAHDAT, TOQA EZZIDIN and CARA ANNA Associated Press U.S. forces struck three Iranian oil tankers after Navy warships were targeted with ballistic missiles, the American military said Saturday, warning that it would “if necessary, destroy Iran’s limited and exposed oil fleet.” Experts called it a dangerous escalation after Iran’s previous attacks at sea targeted commercial shipping.

The strikes — a day after U.S. President Donald Trump sought to minimize the conflict as “small potatoes” — keep up a new tilt back toward fighting after six months of on-again, offagain war that began with U.S. and Israeli attacks on the country on Feb. 28. Both sides have sought to inflict both military and economic pain, and negotiations have collapsed.

The military’s statement said an American aircraft carrier and a destroyer evaded “multiple unprovoked Iranian attacks” while patrolling in the region and no U.S. personnel were hurt. It wasn’t clear when the Iranian missiles were fired. The statement said that two Iranian oil carriers were “permanently disabled” and the third, unladen one, was destroyed.

The U.S. statement called the tankers part of a shadow network helping to fund Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guard and its armed proxies in the region.

Iran says it struck back in response Iran’s state broadcaster said later Saturday that Iran targeted three oil tankers and three American vessels in response to the U.S. strikes. This couldn’t be immediately confirmed.

A spokesperson with Iran’s joint military command warned that strikes against U.S. military ships would be more severe if the U.S. continues to interfere with Iranian shipping, the state broadcaster reported.

That Iran targeted a U.S. aircraft carrier with a ballistic missile “indicates that Tehran is becoming increasingly willing to accept risks it previously sought to avoid, including directly threatening some of the most important U.S. military assets in the region,” Danny Citrinowicz, an Iran expert at Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies, said on X.

A SWIMMER remains near the shore as a motorboat passes commercial vessels anchored in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran, Friday, Sept. 4, 2026.

Photo:Vahid Salemi/AP Earlier, Iranian state television had said that four U.S. missiles struck a tanker about 6 miles (10 kilometers) from Kharg Island, home to a terminal through which the country exports most of its oil. Kharg Island has been repeatedly targeted during the war, including in U.S. strikes on military sites there in March.

The U.S. said that one tanker was struck off Kharg Island and another was struck near Jask, east of the Strait of Hormuz. The unladen tanker was hit in the Gulf of Oman, and the U.S. said its crew had been “directed to abandon ship.”

The statement shared what it called video footage of the strikes.

After the U.S. statement, Iran’s state broadcaster reported the attack of the two other tankers, saying their crews had evacuated.

“We will not hesitate to defend American forces, and if necessary, destroy Iran’s limited and exposed oil fleet,” said Adm. Brad Cooper, the head of U.S. Central Command.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry called the attacks a war crime, and said that the consequences for continued U.S. aggression, including “economic warfare,” would rest with Washington and its allies.

Between the war and the disabling of ships during the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports, it’s not immediately clear how many Iranian oil tankers have been targeted.

On May 8, the U.S. military said that it fired “precision munitions” into the smokestacks of two Iranian oil tankers, both unladen.

Strikes come a week after fighting resumed The latest strikes came nearly a week after the U.S. and Iran resumed attacks following a month of relative calm, with the Strait of Hormuz, and Iranian communities along it again, being targeted. At least five people were killed earlier in the week during a U.S. bombardment of southern Iran.

One strike hit a wedding.

Masoumeh Zarei, 13, was wounded in the attack. She spoke to The Associated Press at a hospital while being treated for injuries to her abdomen.

She said the wedding celebration had already begun when she set out to join it.

She never made it there. She was knocked unconscious when a telecommunications tower was struck. Her next memory was of waking up in a hospital.

“The party had just started, and we wanted to go there,” Zarei said, her voice hoarse. “I had made my nails really pretty for the party, but everything changed.”

Her friend, 14-year-old Kiana Karimi, also was wounded and in intensive care. She told the AP that she heard five explosions.

“The first three explosions at the telecommunications tower threw us to the ground,” Karimi said.

“I quickly got up to pick my brothers up off the ground.

Then there were two more explosions, and after that I don’t remember anything.”

U.S. had tried to turn to economic pressure The Trump administration appears to have

adopted a dual-prong approach to the conflict, responding militarily to attacks on the strait while going after foreign financial institutions that handle Iran’s money. U.S. Vice President JD Vance on Thursday said that there was no prospect for renewed talks as long as Iran goes after ships, while noting that major military operations ended in July.

But Tehran’s hard-line new senior leaders have signaled the willingness to dig in after weathering decades of sanctions. The elected government of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, however, has said that it favors a negotiated end to the war.

Iran has found ways over the years to circumvent sanctions — and now the U.S. blockade — and get its oil to buyers to help ease growing economic pressures. That relies in part on a shadow fleet transporting its oil.

Meanwhile, the issue that helped lead to the war — Iran’s nuclear program — was meant to be addressed in negotiations that fell apart soon after the U.S. and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding in mid-June. Now diplomats say the U.S., Britain, France and Germany seek to refer Iran to the U.N. Security Council for failure to comply with its nuclear nonproliferation obligations.

Instead, Tehran’s new leverage focuses on the strait that is crucial to global oil and natural gas shipments and was seen as an international waterway before the war began.

German far-right party set for regional election triumph but uncertain of governing

By GEIR MOULSON and KERSTIN SOPKE Associated Press THE far-right Alternative for Germany was projected to win a strong victory in a regional election Sunday, but it wasn’t immediately clear whether it would be able to fulfill its ambition of forming the country’s first far-right state government since World War II. The party of German’s unpopular leader, Chancellor Friedrich Merz, was set for a disastrous result in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt. The anti-migration and Russia-friendly Alternative for Germany’s candidate for governor said that “we have written history.”

Ulrich Siegmund, 35, told public broadcaster ARD that voters had sent a signal that “things cannot carry on like this” and that it was “also a signal toward Berlin.” Of Germany’s unpopular leader, he said: “A very good campaigner for us in this election campaign was Friedrich Merz.

Every day this man is in the chancellery is one too many.”

AfD wanted to govern on its own Alternative for Germany, or AfD, went into the vote seeking an absolute majority in the state legislature to govern on its own.

That would overcome the so-called firewall of mainstream parties’ refusal to work with AfD, but it was unclear long after polls closed whether it would happen.

A first state government would be the biggest prize in the anti-migration party’s 13-year history, at a time of widespread discontent with a national government that has yet to persuade voters that it can get the country’s sluggish economy moving.

Whether or not AfD can form a government, the projected result is a blow to Merz, whose center-right party has led Saxony-Anhalt for 24 years. Unlike other countries in Europe, modern Germany hasn’t yet had a far-right or right-wing populist party leading a national, state or major-city government.

AfD is the biggest opposition party in Germany’s national parliament and is strongest in the formerly communist and less prosperous east, where Saxony-Anhalt is located.

Its regional branch in Saxony-Anhalt is one of several classified as Its regional branch in Saxony-Anhalt is one of several classified as a proven right-wing extremist group by the domestic intelligence agency, which points to members’ denigration of migrants from Muslim countries among other things.

The party talks of “remigration,” a politically charged term for the deportation of immigrants. Its leader in a neighboring state appealed two convictions for knowingly using a Nazi slogan.

AfD vehemently rejects accusations of extremism and says they’re politically motivated.

a bit over 44% of the vote, more than double its showing five years ago in the region of 2.1 million people west of Berlin.

That was far ahead of Merz’s Christian Democratic Union which was seen polling 18% and losing about half its support.

The Left Party, the centerleft Social Democrats and Greens were seen taking around 9% each.

It was unclear whether the BSW party would get the 5% of the vote needed to win seats. The projections put AfD at least marginally short of an absolute majority, though that could change.

AfD’s national co-leader, Alice Weidel, described the projected result as “sensational” and said that “we have received a very clear mandate to govern here.”

The party’s “hand is outstretched to all who want to make Saxony-Anhalt better and move Germany forward,” she said.

A visibly disappointed incumbent governor, Sven Schulze, congratulated AfD on becoming the state’s strongest political force and said that “we as the CDU will also have to deal with this result,” without specifying how.

Franziska Hoppermann, the national general-secretary of Merz’s party, rejected the idea of backing off its refusal to deal with AfD. “AfD is a right-wing extremist party. It wants to leave the euro; that would be economic downfall ... it works closely together with Russia, it wants a completely different social model,” she said. “We will not work with them.”

There already has been one case in which AfD won a state election but didn’t end up governing. That was two years ago in neighboring Thuringia, where a CDU governor took power with a minority government, but against a regional AfD that was well short of a majority.

If the result allows Schulze to try to put together some kind of alliance with smaller parties, that would be delicate, because it would require at least some tacit support from the Left Party, a hard-left party with which the CDU refuses to form coalitions.

Germany’s states have extensive powers Germany’s 16 states have extensive powers, for example in overseeing security matters and running the education system.

Siegmund has listed among his top priorities “a deportation offensive” and dropping incentives for people to come to Germany and “exploit our social system.” He wants to initiate a long process to withdraw Saxony-Anhalt from the regional public broadcaster, citing concerns about “disinformation.”

AfD in Saxony-Anhalt wants to allow home schooling, which so far isn’t permitted in Germany. It pledges to ban schools from officially raising the rainbow flag and ensure they fly the national flag. It opposes taxpayers’ money being “given away” to Ukraine and says it would push to lift sanctions against Russia, but that isn’t a matter state governments can decide.

NOTICE

NOTICE

NOTICE is hereby given that I DWAYNE DWIGHT GREGORY of #2 Pink Cassia, Garden Hills, 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 31st day of August, 2026 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, New Providence, The Bahamas.

NOTICE is hereby given that I NACHEDALIE JOSEPH of #5 Kings Terrance, Emmanuel Drive, 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 31st day of August, 2026 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, New Providence, The Bahamas.

NOTICE

NOTICE

NOTICE

PetroChina International Panjiang Ltd.

LOM INVEST LTD. (In Voluntary Liquidation)

LOM INVEST LTD. (In Voluntary Liquidation)

Pursuant to the appointment of the undersigned as Liquidator of the above-mentioned Company, NOTICE is hereby given that all persons having any outstanding claims against the Company should send particulars thereof to the undersigned at the Chambers of Harley James Law., P.O. Box SP-63858, Nassau, Bahamas on or before the 5th day of October 2026.

In accordance with Section 222 Sub-section (2) of the Companies Act NOTICE is hereby given that an Extraordinary General Meeting of the above-named Company will be held at the Chambers of Harley James Law, #9 Pineapple Grove, Nassau, Bahamas on the 5th day of October 2026 at 10:00 a.m. for the purpose of considering and approving the Report of the Liquidator on the manner in which the windingup has been conducted and the property of the Company disposed of.

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN as follows: (a) PetroChina International Selat Panjiang Ltd. is in dissolution under the provisions of the International Business Companies Act, 2000. (b) The dissolution of the said Company commenced on the 4th September 2026 when its Articles of Dissolution were submitted to and registered by the Registrar General.

Big decline for German leader’s party Projections for ARD and ZDF public television, based on exit polls and partial counting, put AfD at

(c) The Liquidator of the said Company is Travante Russell.

Dated the 7th day of September 2026.

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

DATED the 2nd day of Sept., A.D., 2026

DATED the 2nd day of Sept. , A.D., 2026

THE TRIBUNE

Monday, September 7, 2026, PAGE 9

US envoys Witkoff and Kushner hold talks in Ukraine after meeting with Putin IN this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, center, walks with U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoys Jared Kushner, right, and Steve Witkoff at Mariinsky palace in Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026.

Photo2:Ukrainian Presidential Press Office/AP

By SAMYA KULLAB Associated Press U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held “encouraging” talks in Kyiv on Sunday in their first official visit to Ukraine, but made no breakthrough toward ending Russia’s fullscale invasion.

The Trump administration’s push to end the fighting has lost momentum, with the focus on the Iran war for the past six months.

The trip by the Americans, part of a renewed effort to end the war, followed a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Saturday, as both sides have escalated their aerial attacks in the more than 4½-year all-out war.

Despite the latest diplomatic push, the core demands of Moscow and Kyiv remain mutually exclusive, especially over territorial concessions, underscoring the difficulty of reaching an agreement.

Kushner acknowledged the challenge, saying the U.S. was working “behind the scenes” to create the conditions for a possible deal.

“It’s a very, very hard problem, but we’re going to try,” Kushner said.

Russia has recently been using fast-flying jet-powered drones, and the recurring wail of airraid sirens has become part of daily life in Kyiv.

Troops have struggled to make progress along the 1,250-kilometer (775-mile) front line.

Zelenskyy held three rounds of talks with the Americans on Sunday, the last of which brought in national security advisers from the United Kingdom, France and Germany.

Security guarantees and a winter plan Zelenskyy said at a news conference that the discussions covered air defense needs — including Patriot systems — and a “winter package” of support covering both air defense and energy infrastructure before the colder months. He said that Kyiv was seeking “serious volumes” of American support on that front, with backing from European partners as well.

The Ukrainian president said the U.S. planned

to increase production of Patriot interceptor missiles next year, with Germany also expanding its own production under existing licensing agreements.

Zelenskyy said that Russia had intensified strikes on Ukrainian cities before Russia’s State Duma election later this month, calling the attacks deliberate “terror” against civilians. He said Ukraine was working with 67 domestic companies developing systems to shoot down Russia’s jet-powered drones at scale.

The Ukrainian leader said the territorial question “remains relevant,” but reiterated his view that such difficult issues “can only be resolved at the level of leaders.” Zelenskyy said the talks also touched on longterm security guarantees and economic support for Ukraine’s postwar reconstruction. He said that a strong Ukrainian army remained “one of the main guarantees of security.”

Zelenskyy said the sides agreed to hold a follow-up meeting involving Ukraine, the U.S. and Europe, though a location has not been set.

Witkoff said the U.S. was pursuing “a diplomatic resolution to this conflict, not a kinetic resolution.” Referring to the previous day’s talks, he said the meeting in Moscow had produced “new ideas” that were later brought to Kyiv. He pointed to the presence of national security advisers from the so-called E3 nations — France, Germany and the

NOTICE

Pursuant to the Provisions of Section 138 (8) of the International Business Companies Act, 2000, (As Amended) NOTICE is hereby given that POLY LTD. has been dissolved and that the name has been struck from the Register of Companies with effect from the 22nd day of July, 2026

ENERVO ADMINISTRATION LIMITED LIQUIDATOR LUCAYAN COMMERCE PARK, NO. 1 NELSON ROAD, SUITE 169, NEW PROVIDENCE, THE BAHAMAS

NOTICE ASSIS CARNEIRO HOLDING LTD. Incorporated under the International Business Companies Act, 2000 of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas.

Registration number 1502530 B (In Voluntary Liquidation) Notice is hereby given that the above-named Company is in dissolution, commencing on the 4th day of September A.D. 2026.

Articles of Dissolution have been duly registered by the Registrar.

The Liquidator is MR. CARLOS ALBERTO CARNEIRO MOREIRA JÚNIOR whose address is Cond V Montagne Q 15 LT 35, 71.680- 357, Jardim Botanico, DF, Brazil. Any Persons having a Claim against the above-named Company are required on or before the 5th day of October A.D. 2026 to send their names, addresses and particulars of their debts or claims to the Liquidator of the Company, or in default thereof they may be excluded from the benefit of any distribution made before such claim is proved.

Dated this 4th day of September A.D. 2026

CARLOS ALBERTO CARNEIRO MOREIRA JÚNIOR LIQUIDATOR

to look for a “win-win” outcome.

He said his father-inlaw, U.S. President Donald Trump, was focused not just on ending the fighting but on building “a framework that could actually lead to a durable peace,” and that he and Witkoff had held a “constructive and substantive” meeting with Putin, discussing what Russia, Ukraine and the wider world could each gain from a settlement.

Kushner said the two envoys hoped to revive trilateral talks involving Russia and Ukraine directly, a format last used roughly six months earlier, and said that Washington remained in near-daily contact with Ukrainian officials even between visits.

No breakthroughs in Moscow talks

IN this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy talks with U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff at Mariinsky palace in Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026.

U.K. — as evidence that “collaboration is critical” to reaching a deal.

Asked whether Washington was prepared to

increase pressure on Russia if the talks produced no breakthrough,

Kushner

said the U.S. approach was

Saturday’s meeting in Moscow lasted more than three hours behind closed doors and ended without any major developments being announced. Putin’s foreign policy adviser, Yuri Ushakov, described the talks as constructive, frank and useful, but he didn’t discuss specific outcomes.

While Moscow offered its “comprehensive assessment” of the battlefield situation in Ukraine, Ushakov said, the talks weren’t purely focused on the war.

“Economic issues and potentially large, mutually beneficial joint projects for Russia and America were

discussed in considerable detail,” he said.

The last known visit to Moscow by Witkoff and Kushner was in January when they also held talks with Putin at the Kremlin.

Russia and Ukraine continue to exchange fire Putin and Zelenskyy had agreed to pause strikes on each other’s capitals while the talks took place. Still, the two traded fire overnight into Sunday, officials said.

Air raids on the capital noticeably eased during the U.S. envoys’ visit, prompting Zelenskyy to joke that their presence in Kyiv appeared more potent than the Patriot missile systems Ukraine has been urgently seeking.

Russian attacks across multiple Ukrainian regions killed one person and wounded at least 10 others overnight into Sunday, Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said.

In Zaporizhzhia, drone strikes killed a 74-year-old man and wounded three people, while a drone damaged an apartment building, wounding seven people, in the Khmelnytskyi region.

Ukraine’s air force said Sunday it intercepted 82 drones out of 108 launched

by Russia overnight, along with six missiles. In Russia, a man was killed and a woman was seriously wounded when a Ukrainian drone struck a vehicle, local authorities in the Belgorod border region said.

THE TRIBUNE

Monday, September 7, 2026, PAGE 11

Brand New US tourism groups want to ‘Spider-Man: Day’ makes it 6 weeks in a at No. 1 as Hollywood win Canadian visitors back. row wraps a banner summer A testy trade war isn’t helping

By JAKE COYLE AP Film Writer

By RIO YAMAT AP Airlines and Travel Writer APPEALS from American tourism organizations seemed to be everywhere Josh Loewen looked over the last year. Billboards and banners proclaimed a state or city’s love for Canada.

Online and social media ads offered special deals for travelers from north of the border.

As a Vancouver resident and marketing executive himself, Loewen said he understands the conciliatory overtures. The number of Canadians traveling to the United States plunged after President Donald Trump returned to office with remarks about making Canada the 51st state. An acrimonious trade war between the two countries now is threatening to reinforce the informal boycott just as it appeared to be easing slightly.

“It’s such a big ask right now,” Loewen, 45, said of the U.S. tourism industry’s attempts to woo Canadians like him back before a new president occupies the White House. “It’s just a wasted effort.”

Relations between the U.S. and Canadian governments have deteriorated sharply since their trade negotiations collapsed last month. Trump imposed import taxes of up to 50% on a range of Canadian products. Canada’s government responded in kind.

Trump ordered the U.S. government to change the name of border-spanning Lake Ontario to “Lake America.” Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney dismissed insults from members of Trump’s Cabinet as childish and undignified.

The bilateral rift has not stopped state and local tourism officials and popular destinations like Graceland from trying to persuade Canadian visitors to return.

New York state launched a “NY Loves Canada” promotion this summer, offering discounts at hotels, restaurants and attractions.

Some downtown Las Vegas hotels are treating the Canadian dollar as equivalent to the U.S. dollar to give Canadian visitors more value for their money. Las Vegas tourism officials went to Canada last month to meet with travel advisers, tour operators and airline representatives.

“We’re here to make sure you know that we care about Canada,” Steve Hill, president of the Las Vegas

CITY Councillor Renaldo Agostino looks at the Detroit skyline across the Detroit River Monday, Aug. 24, 2026, in Windsor, Ontario Photo:Mike Householder/AP Convention and Visitors Authority, said while in Vancouver.

The outreach is happening at the national level, too. Brand USA, the U.S. tourism industry’s marketing organization, is bringing its Travel Week trade-event series to Canada for the first time in October, expanding and rebranding an earlier program known as Canada Connect.

Travel to the U.S. from Canada remains well below 2024 levels Canada traditionally sent more overnight international visitors to the United States than any other country. Amid last year’s consumer-led backlash, both same-day trips and longer stays nosedived.

Canadian residents made 25% fewer return border crossings and spent about $2.4 billion (CA$3.3 billion) less on travel to the U.S. in 2025 than they had the year before, according to Canada’s national statistical agency, Statistics Canada.

The retreat coincided with other headwinds, including a weaker Canadian dollar that made traveling to the U.S. more expensive and rising prices for airfares and hotels.

Canadian air travel to the U.S. started declining in September 2023, Statistics Canada data shows.

But the abrupt pullback in stateside travel that accompanied Trump’s second presidency and extended into this year signaled “a persistent shift away from the United States

by Canadian residents in their travel preferences,”

Greeks promised tax relief, wage hikes as protesters take to the streets over cost of living crunch

By COSTAS KANTOURIS and DEREK GATOPOULOS Associated Press GREECE’S conservative government promised sweeping tax breaks and pay hikes before a general election next year, as thousands gathered in protest late Saturday over the high cost of living.

“Our country has overcome stagnation and is now ready to taste the fruits of its efforts,” Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said.

“As the country stabilizes, there will be relief from heavy taxes, higher incomes and bold reforms.”

He spoke at an annual speech on the state of the nation’s economy in the northern city of Thessaloniki, where more than 25,000 people took part in unionled protests, according to police estimates.

Labor unions and multiple protest groups staged rallies across the city, with farmers driving tractors into the downtown area. More than 3,000 police officers were on duty, closing streets and subway stations near the venue where the prime minister spoke.

Greece delivered a budget surplus and economic growth of 2.1% last

year, while continuing to reduce its high public debt, but its workers had the lowest purchasing power in the European Union.

“Wages are low and prices are soaring, so affordability is the most serious problem,” said Yiannis Panagopoulos, head of Greece’s largest labor union, the GSEE. The support measures, worth more than 2 billion euros ($2.3 billion) over the next year, include tax breaks for self-employed professionals, farmers and residents of villages, as well as salary and benefit increases for retirees and public sector workers.

Mitsotakis, the 58-yearold son of late conservative Prime Minister Constantine Mitsotakis, has served as prime minister since 2019, as Greece emerged from a major financial crisis.

He’s seeking a third term in an election expected next April. But polls suggest that support for his centerright New Democracy party wouldn’t give it a governing majority in parliament.

Saturday’s event was overshadowed by a fighter jet crash several hours earlier at an air show near Athens that killed two air force pilots.

agency analysts said in a July report.

Tentative signs of improvement emerged in May, June and July, when border crossings picked up slightly, the agency reported. The latter two months coincided with the 2026 World Cup, which the U.S., Canada and Mexico cohosted. Canada’s national soccer team competed during the tournament’s early weeks, giving some Canadians a reason to head south. Carney attended the final match in New Jersey alongside Trump.

Trips by car accounted for most of the uptick in cross-border traffic, while air travel to the U.S. fell from year-earlier levels in every month through June, Statistics Canada said. The U.S. National Travel and Tourism Office estimates that during the first six months of 2026, Canadians made even fewer overnight visits, which typically generate more tourism spending, than they did during the same period last year.

Snowbirds may provide a barometer of Canadian sentiment A day after the World Cup ended, Trump announced that tariffs on $20 billion worth of Canadian goods would take effect in 30 days. The White House said the tariffs were

intended to address U.S. complaints over Canadian barriers to American-made automobiles, alcohol and dairy.

“You went from this really high, exciting moment for the U.S. in terms of international attention, to the next week, it’s negative again,” said Deborah Friedland, a hospitality consultant at financial services firm Eisner Advisory Group. “It’s one step forward and two steps back.”

With the summer now winding down, some of the U.S. destinations most dependent on Canadian visitors are heading into their most important season.

Large numbers of Canadian snowbirds typically flock to warm-weather locations in Florida, Arizona and California when temperatures drop at home, making the coming months a test of whether the grassroots boycott will extend into another winter.

“I’d be surprised if we’re talking a year from now and all of a sudden you see this huge uptick in Canadian travel over the winter months,” Friedland said.

Not all tourism officials are worried. Jennifer Adams, tourism director for the Destin-Fort Walton Beach area in Florida’s Panhandle, said she never panicked when headlines about Canadians shunning travel to the U.S. first appeared last year.

“SPIDER-MAN: Brand New Day” remained the No. 1 movie in theaters over the weekend, becoming just the second film this decade to top the box office for six straight weeks.

Since the end of July, the Sony superhero movie has ruled over cinemas with rare dominance. The last release to enjoy such a long stretch leading the box office was 2022’s “Avatar: The Way of Water.” “Brand New Day,” the fourth standalone Spider-Man film starring Tom Holland, collected $18 million over the weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Sony is forecasting $23.3 million for the four-day holiday weekend.

“Brand New Day” has grossed $2.4 billion worldwide.

Universal Pictures’ “The Odyssey,” as it has for much of the “Spider-Man” run, remained in second place.

Christopher Nolan’s epic added $13 million domestically over the weekend, bringing its global haul to $1.63 billion. More than $1 billion of that has come from overseas sales, making “The Odyssey” the first to achieve that international milestone since 2009’s “Avatar.”

Both blockbusters — “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” and “The Odyssey” — helped lead Hollywood to its best summer since before the pandemic. Through Aug. 31, the domestic box office totaled $4.6 billion for the season, according to Rentrak, an increase of 26.1% from 2025 and just shy of 2013’s record summer.

On Sunday, Rentrak forecast that, including the Labor Day weekend, the summer will end up with $4.759 billion, a whisker above the $4.758 billion of summer 2013. That time frame, though, spans 130 days this year, compared with 123 days in 2013.

Accounting for inflation and higher ticket prices, Hollywood’s summer wasn’t quite so historically sensational. Admissions are still well below pre-pandemic marks. But it’s nevertheless a remarkable rebound for a film industry that has struggled to string together such a hit-filled summer through the pandemic, labor strife and the expansion of streaming.

Labor Day weekend is typically a sleepy time in theaters. And neither new release — Paramount’s “By Any Means” and A24’s “Onslaught” — made much of a mark. One of the weekend’s best performers was “Coyote vs. Acme,” the hybrid live-action-animated Looney Tunes movie. It dipped a modest 29% to gross $11.3 million in its second weekend.

“Coyote vs. Acme” is turning out to be a good investment for Ketchup Entertainment. The indie distributor acquired the film for approximately $50 million after Warner Bros., which produced the $70 million film, opted to can it.

In two weeks, “Coyote vs.

Acme” has ridden strong reviews and good wordof-mouth to $33.8 million domestically.

“By Any Means,” a 1960sset civil rights action thriller starring Mark Wahlberg and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, opened with $7.4 million.

Paramount is projecting $9.2 million for the fourday holiday weekend.

Audiences gave it a “B+” CinemaScore.

“Onslaught,” however, flopped with $1.9 million on 1,918 screens for the three-day weekend and a projection of $2.3 million for the four-day weekend.

The A24 release, directed

by Adam Wingard, stars Adria Arjona as a former Army sniper who defends her trailer park home from three escaped, experimental super soldiers. “Onslaught” cost a modest $15 million to make. But reviews (57% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) and audience scores (a “C” CinemaScore) weren’t good.

Meanwhile, “Buddy,” a low-budget dark comedy, has turned into a surprise success. Made for just $3 million, the film, directed by Casper Kelly and from the producers of “Weapons,” is about a group of children trapped inside a surreal 1990s children’s television series. After overperforming in its opening weekend, “Buddy” actually increased its ticket sales over its second weekend. The film grossed $5.7 million, up 5%, to bring its two-week total to $14.3 million.