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Volume: 120 No.194, October 11, 2023

THE PEOPLE’S PAPER: PRICE–$1

LEFT TO STRUGGLE WITHOUT POWER Andros residents Starting tell of constant outages on island in style

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net WHEN Bahamas Power & Light couldn’t keep its power on in August, seamstress Raquel Beneby had a choice: temporarily relocate to New Providence to complete school uniforms for her customers or buy a generator and finish

the work in Andros.

She chose the latter and has regretted the decision ever since.

“The money I spent maintaining that generator ate up all of my little profit,” she said yesterday. “Maintaining that the generator hurt me more than if I had picked up my SEE PAGE THREE

denial oF work leave caused miscarriage, woman claims

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net A WOMAN claimed yesterday that her employer denied her request to work remotely, leading to a painful miscarriage.

Alana Major miscarried her son, Che Karson Major, on July 31, 2019, while working as the assistant

vice-president of the Bahama Health Group division of Family Guardian.

She requested to work from home after her doctor recommended that she take bed rest because of her high-risk pregnancy.

She said Family Guardian offered her two choices: take sick leave with reduced SEE PAGE SEVEN

THE GARVIN Tynes Children’s Choir perform during the opening ceremony of Caribbean Week of Agriculture at Breezes Resort yesterday. See Story PAGE FOUR. Photo: Dante Carrer

Ministry of Education looks into children left by shanty town raid

By JADE RUSSELL Tribune Staff Reporter jrussell@tribunemedia.net THE Ministry of Education will investigate the failure of some children in shanty towns to attend school, acting Director of Education Dominique McCartney-Russell said

yesterday.

The absence of some school-aged children from school was highlighted last week after the government restarted its effort to eradicate shanty towns by posting eviction notices throughout the Kool Acres and All Saints Way communities.

The Tribune encountered children playing in Kool Acres rather than attending classes when it visited the community.

A 12-year-old boy said he and his siblings couldn’t attend school because they had no money after

“I am not, quote unquote, being dismissed as the candidate by the party, or for that matter, anyone else,” she told The Tribune yesterday. “We have found an amazing individual whom we think will represent West Grand Bahama and Bimini very well in the form

THE Bahama Shipyard Ltd, in partnership with Royal Caribbean Group and Carnival Corporation, has approval for a project estimated to have a significant economic impact on Grand Bahama’s economy over the next 25 years.

The $600m transformation project includes the construction, delivery to Freeport, and commissioning of two world-class floating docks that will allow the shipyard to service the entire range of cruise ships in operation and under construction, as well as much of the world’s

SEE PAGE FIVE

SEE PAGE FIVE

SEE PAGE THREE

Pakesia: ‘i am not being dismissed’ by Fnm

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrrolle@tribunemedia.net FORMER West Grand Bahama and Bimini MP Pakesia Parker-Edgecombe said she does not feel overlooked as the Free National Movement tries to select a candidate for the West Grand Bahama and Bimini

PAKESIA PARKER-EDGECOMBE

$600m gb shiPyard Project gets aPProval

by-election.

Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper

PAGE 2, Wednesday, October 11, 2023

THE TRIBUNE

Memorial Service for

CLARA RUTHMAE TAYLOR-BELL, 55

Police prepare for burial of West GB and Bimini MP Obie Wilchcombe

of Adelaide Beach Road, will be held at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday (TODAY) 11th October, 2023 at the Sir Lynden Pindling Center (PLP Headquarters), Farrington Road.

FUNERAL SERVICE

will be held at 10:00a.m. on Saturday 14th October, 2023 at St. Francis Xavier, West Hill Street. Officiating will be Fr. Glen Nixon, assisted by other ministers of the clergy. Interment will follow in Woodlawn Gardens, Soldier Road.

Clara was preceded in death by her Mother: Erma Jane Taylor; Father in-law: Anthony Alexander Bell; Grandmother: Mary Small.

Left to cherish her life and legacy are her Husband: Keith Ricardo Bell Sr.; Children: Keith Jr. (Keba), Dominic Frederick Anthony Bell and Nicholas Francis Dorian Bell; Father: Frederick Kendal “Chicken”Taylor; Mother-in-Law: Patricia Eva “Sweetie”Bell; Siblings: Kendal Frederick Taylor, Monique Taylor-Lincoln (David) and Falayna Taylor Nephew: Tre Ferguson Aunt: Patsy Taylor; Further relatives (Clara side) Four Aunts: Melanie Darville-Swaby (Anthony), Carol Bain-Burrows, Nellie Darville-Butterfield, Cynthia Thomas-Lightbourne; Cousins: Charles (Gia) Saunders, Cutelle (Sinclair) Higgs, Chavale Hepburn, Cansharah (Leon) Miller, Chantell Saunders, Devon and Terrance Saunders, Howard & Quenten Symonette, Latoya Woodside, Sherrise, Michaella, Tanica, Jennifer Darville, Sheena & Ryan Grant, Alexander & Daniel Byran, John Butterfield, Dr. Arlington Lightbourn, Romel (Kartrina) Lightbourn, Alfreda (Gregorye) Ellis, Nikia, Aaron Lightbourn; Christian, Nicholai, Charles Jr., Kadeem, Khyle, Lauren Ashley, Leon, Quintia, Tajah, Keishan, Azaleah, Sierra, Daylan, D’nae, Mia, Jeremiah, Gabrielle; Jayanne Davis: Freeport Cousins and their families: Freddie & George Johnson, Genevie, Angela & Kenneth Butterfield, Deborah Sweeting, Sharon Curry, Tyrone & Yoland Thompson, Florence Johnson, Gina Ritchie, Cheryl Bethel, Barbara Douglas, Alda Tynes, Gary, Clifton, Lowell, Calvin Edgar, Bernard, Rochelle, andGrant; Further relatives (Keith side) Sisters-in-Law: Vandria Prosper (Lloyd), Kim Stuart (Rev. Carlton Stuart), Marva Morrison, Sophia Moss and Natasha Bell; Brothersin-Law: Anthony Bell (Christine) and Shane Bell; Aunts: Portia Taylor (Cessil), Faith Pennerman, Andrea Keane (Dr. Molton), Pam Wilson and Claudette McAlpin; Uncles: Barry Wilson (Stephanie), Otto McLounder (Marilyn), Godfrey McCalpine (Monalisa) and Keith McAlpine; Cousins: Chrystal & Kendrick Hadaway, Cecily & Pedro Seymour, Tamara & Warren Storr, Cecil, Kevin, Trevor & Simone Taylor, Lavern & Dwight Charlow, Patrice & Gregory Bodie, Shakera & Corey Wilkins, Lashonda Leary, Lisa & Travis Hart, Mortiva, Andrew & Shameko Pennerman, Tracy James, Euneka Gaitor-D’Aguiar, Ingrid, Margo & Drexel Gaitor, Stephen & Faith Rolle, Nicole & Dwayne Van Valen, Sirnario, Michael & Shari Keane, Eltoya & Donovon Higgs, Pakell Williams, Bradea, Bradley & Verneska Cash, Nethra & John Pinder, Barelle & Barriel Wilson, Vernon, Shira, Indira, Savannah & Eddie McLounder, Shante, Godfrey Jr, Gabriel, Kieshiel & Micah McAlpine, Donna, Wayne & Kenny Strachan; Nieces & Nephews: Tamika & Amy Prosper, Stacy & Perriette Kemp, Lisa & Terrell Young, Angel & Ivory Hadaway, Carla & Brittany Stuart, Angel, Shazario, Shane Jr, Drew, Leander Bell, Candace & Carlos Bethel, Brooke & Gary Rolle, Racquel Morrison, Travis & Preston Moss, Gabrielle Kelson, Herbert Rolle, Pedrya Seymour, Dwight Charlow Jr, P’Andray & Christian Saunders, Kyle, Kade & Koen Bodie, Chia Wilkins, Bryshon Mackey, Tillia & Tilshon Leary, Deja Campbell, Melaja Maycock, Lethesia Greene, Kiandrea, Israel, Andrew Jr., Shameko Jr., Shameka & Myracle Pennerman, Elissa & Quentin James, Desiree & Deidre D’Aguiar, Neko Flowers Godfrey Virgil Jr., Oratio, Trevado, Tanesha, T’Shae, Treniece, Tanzania, Trevonya, Treyvar, Kevin Jr.,Keilo, Kevon & Lesean Taylor, Deontrae Russell, Wiam-Eva Storr, Khadisha, Rashad, Donard, Devar, Daron, Shanay Strachan, Chavette & Francis Gibson, Drexel Jr, Dakota, Everette Jr, Fayonte, Keneisha, Allanique & Stephon Rolle, Alexandrea Benedict, Malachi & Aria Keane, Dillon, Morgan, Aria & Evan Higgs, Amari Musgrove, Jeffrenique & Jaylin Trembley, Yorick Carroll, Brayden Cash, Steven Grant, Jamaal Bullard, Kalayah McIntosh. Other relatives, Special friends & their Families: His Grace ArchBishop Patrick Pinder, Priests, Deacons, Sisters & Parishioners of St. Francis Xavier Cathedral, Holy Family, St. Paul’s and the wider Catholic Arch-diocese Community His Grace ArchBishop Laish Boyd, Bishop Delton Fernander, Pastor Raymond Wells, Bishop Ross Davis, Father James Palacious and their families The Hon. Dr. Cynthia ‘Mother” Pratt, Governor General & family, The Hon. Philip Edward & Ann Davis, Prime Minister & family, The Hon. Perry Gladstone & Bernadette Christie & family, Lady Marguerite Pindling & family, Sir Orville Turnquest & family, the Cabinet, the Legislature, Chairman, Secretary General, Stalwart Councilors & Party Officers of the Progressive Liberal Party, Chairman, Executives & Constituents of the Carmichael Constituency Angela Brown-Ferguson, Kim Kelly & family, Patrice, Barry & Ann Wilmott & family, Perry Forbes & family, Tavares & Shaniel LaRoda & family, Charles Forbes & family, Ivan Miller, Vaughan Ferguson & family, Kapry Kemp & family, Charles & Rochelle Sealy & family, Vernon Lopez & family, Francina Beneby & family, Nathaniel Cooper, Donavon Dorsett & Sheila Hepburn & family, Gawaine Ward & family, Elsworth Johnson & family, Sandy & Philip Wilson, Max Lordeus & family, Octavius Aurelhomme & family, Douglas & Monique Hanna & family, Kyron & Zandra Strachan & family, Sean & Sharonique Smith & family, Randy Taylor & family, Beauford & Shelly Curtis & Family, Ernest Theodore & Nelson Burrows & family, Adrian Fox & family, Brian Smith, Nadia Loussaint, Tracy Halkitis, Julian & Allison DeSouza, Inger Johnson & family, Kayla Johnson-Darville & family, Carlene Farquharson & family, the Basden, Rahming and Fox Hill families Dr. Harold Munnings, Dr. Williamson Chea and Dr. Betty Chea & family Sir Franklyn & Lady Sharon Wilson & family, Sir Michael Barnett & family, Sir Brian Moree & family, Hon. Justice Diane Stewart & family, Hon. Justice Renae McKay & family, Hon. Justice Deborah Fraser & family, Mr. Van Gaitor, Mr. Oscar Johnson & family, Surinder Deal & family, Max & Allyson Maynard-Gibson & family, Hartlyn Roberts & family Class of 1985 of St. Augustine’s College; Class of 1985 of R. M. Bailey Senior High School Principal, Staff, Mrs. Jacinth Barnett and 2024 Graduating Class of St. Augustine’s College 2024 Graduating Class of the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill, Barbados (Natural Sciences) Mrs. Carolyn Hanna & family, Mrs. Dorothy Roberts & family, Mrs. Melvina Major & family, Janice Moss & family, Israel Bodie & family, the Charlow family, Shelly Cooke & family, Annatol Bain & family, Sanford Rolle & family, Nad Baker, Chantal Butler & family, Daniel Gabriel & family, Suzette Gray & family & Troy Webb Mr. Randol Dorsett, Mr. J. Carlton Wright & Management & staff of Utilities Regulations Competition Authority (URCA), BPL, Sharon Wilson & Co. family, Arawak Homes and the Sunshine Group of Companies family, Ministries & Departments of Immigration, Labour, Housing and Urban Renewal and National Security The communities of Sands Subdivision, Coppice Estates, Nassau Village, Winton Meadows, Killarney Shores and Adelaide.

May Her Soul Rest in Peace!

Friends may pay their last respects at Bethel Brothers Morticians & Crematorium, #44a Nassau Street on Friday 13th October, 2023 from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and at the church on Saturday 14th October, 2023 from 9:00 a.m. until service time.

PREPARATIONS are underway in West End, where a monument is being constructed for the burial of the late Obie Wilchcombe, the MP for West End and Bimini. Police officers are seen practicing drills for the graveside procession. Wilchcombe will be laid to rest on Saturday, October 14.

Photos: Denise Maycock

TEENAGE GIRL HOSPITALISED AFTER ALLEGEDLY ATTEMPTING SUICIDE

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrrolle@tribunemedia.net A TEENAGE girl is hospitalised after allegedly trying to commit suicide –– the fifth attempted suicide in three weeks.

Police said the incident happened shortly after 7pm on Monday.

Attendants were reportedly making routine checks at a local housing facility when they found the 14-year-old girl with abrasions to her wrists and legs following an argument with another female resident.

She was taken to hospital while investigations continue.

Earlier this month, Police Commissioner Clayton Fernander said he is alarmed by the increasing number of attempted suicides and wants more officers to become certified in mental

health management.

“Mental health is very serious, and we have to pay attention to that,” he said.

“Here talking about mental health, I’m trying to get a training course for our officers to deal with that situation, not only for themselves, but I’m talking about dealing with members of the public out there.”

He urged relatives to support family members suffering from mental health challenges.

“We encourage families to pay attention to their loved ones,” he said.

“You know, sometimes you could see signs of what is going on. Don’t ignore it.

Don’t ignore it.

“Pay attention and reach out to the professionals or somebody who you could trust, who will steer you in the right direction to avoid incidents like this.”

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, October 11, 2023, PAGE 3

Left to struggle without power from page one uniforms, my machinery and went to Nassau.”

Family Island residents like Ms Beneby are familiar with inconveniences, but the power woes in North Andros are forcing some of them to contemplate life-changing decisions like whether to abandon their life on the island or reduce their businesses.

Residents there say problems have persisted since a fire destroyed all units at a BPL station in July.

Now, the electricity goes out randomly and without announcement, often for five or six hours, sometimes all night.

Randy Butler, the former SkyBahamas CEO who lives on the island, said the outages affect what people elsewhere take for granted, like the availability of ice cream in stores.

“You can’t find that in most places in Andros because they’re not going to store it,” he said yesterday. “If you go with medicine that needs to be in the fridge, the doctors are trying to find some alternatives.”

Darin Bethel, president of the North Andros Chamber of Commerce, said power was especially unreliable over the weekend.

“We get the mail boat once per week,” he said.

“That’s how we buy most of our perishables, and with

RESIDENTS in North Andros say problems have persisted since a fire destroyed all units at a BPL station in July. not having the consistent or reliable power services to maintain and support those perishables, business owners are reducing their amount of perishables.”

BPL yesterday acknowledged “intermittent challenges” in North Andros.

“In most cases, when issues arise, the team has

been able to resolve them fairly quickly,” the company said in a statement to The Tribune. “Over the weekend, most of the challenges were actually experienced on our transmission lines. The faults took some time to locate and repair. For the most part, generation has stabilized, but we still have work

to do to reduce generator downtime and provide uninterrupted supply.”

Ms Beneby, 55, has been a seamstress for 32 years.

She visited New Providence earlier this summer.

“It was so bad, at one point I considered not going back to Andros because of the outages,” she said.

Ultimately, she returned to Andros to avoid the hassle of sending crates of supplies to another island and having to find accommodations.

“I was very, very sorry I did that,” she said.

She said she usually completes uniforms within the first week of the school term. This year, she was

delayed by three weeks.

“I don’t know what’s going on all over here, ma’am, but it has me lost for words,” she said, calling the failure to complete her job on time “very, very hurtful.”

“Frustration have me can’t even speak to you clearly where it’s that bad.”

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION LOOKS INTO CHILDREN LEFT BY SHANTY TOWN RAID from page one immigration officers apprehended their mother last week Monday.

A mother-of-six recovering from a house fire in August said she was too broke to send her children to school.

Mrs McCartney-Russell told The Tribune yesterday that sometimes children in shanty towns don’t attend school because their guardians fear immigration officers would apprehend them.

“I remember when I was a district superintendent, we went into areas where I couldn’t carry my car with the red plate because if I did that, people would hide from us, so sometimes they are afraid that if they attend school, that immigration will pick them up from school.

“When they come to school, immigration does

not come to the school.

We ensure that whoever is presented to the school, that they have sorted enrollment.”

Mrs McCartney-Russell said that, usually, there is a monthly report about chronically absent students.

“When students are not in school, our guidance counsellor is made aware,” she said. “We would actually call in social services to assist to make sure those students can get into school. In fact, social services will normally help with the basics, the uniform, those kinds of things, so that there’s no barrier, no hindrance for those children being in school.”

Human Rights Bahamas said immigration officers were “ruthless” last week Monday while posting eviction notices in two shanty towns. Sixty people were reportedly apprehended.

“Human Rights Bahamas was disgusted and ashamed

to read of the latest ruthless crackdown on communities of Haitian ethnic background and in particular the arbitrary detention of a mother, leaving her young children utterly alone and without support, guidance or protection,” the group said in a statement.

“This is only a single case of forcible abandonment of children that has recently come to light – it is not the first, and it will sadly not be the last. Who knows how many more children have suffered this fate in silence because of the inhumane, arbitrary, and unlawful policies of the Bahamas Immigration Department?

“If they were born here, the Immigration Department would do well to remember that these children who they heartlessly leave with no way to feed or clothe themselves, find shelter or attend school, are

Bahamian citizens in the making. Such insensitive, brutal policies are creating the next generation of disaffected, disenfranchised, alienated, and angry young people.”

“HRB further calls for the adoption of a modern, humane, and internationally acceptable immigration enforcement policy.”

“HRB is in the process of reporting these matters to its international partners, including Amnesty International and the InterAmerican Commission on Human Rights.”

On Friday, Immigration Minister Alfred Sears said he ordered an investigation into reports that a 12-yearold boy and his two siblings were left to fend for themselves after officers arrested their mother in the Kool Acres shanty town.

The investigation, he said, will also look into whether residents were abused as

POLICE SEARCHING FOR CULPRITS THAT STOLE $80,000 WORTH OF EQUIPMENT FROM THE BAHAMAS RED CROSS ON MONDAY

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS Tribune Staff Reporter lmunnings@tribunemedia.net A MANHUNT is on for those who robbed the Bahamas Red Cross of nearly $80,000 worth of equipment on Monday.

The incident occurred at The Bahamas Red Cross headquarters on John F Kennedy Drive.

Press liaison Chief Superintendent Chrislyn Skippings said several people breached a northern fence at the Red Cross headquarters on John F Kennedy and entered several containers containing caterpillar generators and power equipment.

She appealed to members of the public to assist police with investigations.

“The Bahamas Red Cross is a non-profit association that seeks to assist Bahamians throughout the length and breadth of this country whenever

a disaster hits our country, and so we’re very concerned,” she said.

“We have launched an investigation. It’s going to be ongoing, and so members of the public, if you saw something or you heard something, you have a moral responsibility to contact the Royal Bahamas Police Force, in particular the criminal investigations department, and provide us with any information you may have as relates to who the suspects are in this particular incident.”

Aliesha Pinder, director general of The Bahamas Red Cross, said the situation is frustrating because the organisation cannot assist in a natural disaster after the theft.

“We learned a lot of those items are what we really need in order to be prepared,” she said, adding the items are used to respond to disasters.

“This type of loss really

THE Ministry of Education will investigate the failure of some children in shanty towns to attend school, acting Director of Education Dominique McCartney-Russell said yesterday.

TRAVEL ADVISORY ISSUED BY MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS CHIEF Superintendent Chrislyn Skippings (left) held a press conference with Aliesha Pinder (right), director general of The Bahamas Red Cross after the non-profit was robbed of nearly $80,000 worth of equipment on Monday.

Photo: Moise Amisial speaks to the nature of yet to rebound from the people that through selfish COVID-19 pandemic. measures, I would think, “We really need these would prevent the support items as coming out of a of thousands of Bahamians pandemic, and we say it a in the event of a disaster.” lot, we’re not as strong as Ms Pinder acknowledged we actually would like to that the non-profit has be,” she said.

THE Ministry of Foreign Affairs has advised against all but essential travel to Israel and occupied Palestinian territories.

In a press statement yesterday, the ministry urged Bahamians not to visit various places under any circumstance, including Gaza; Sheba’a Farms and Ghajjar; any location within 500m of the border with Lebanon east of Metula, including the northern edge of the town and within 500m of the border with Syria; areas north of and including Jenin city, Burquin and Arranah in the north of the West Bank; the city of Nablus, Joseph’s Tomb, and the Balata and New Askar refugee camps near Nablus and the village of Huwara, south of Nablus.

The travel advisory comes after Hamas, the Palestinian militant group, attacked Israel on Saturday, sparking a war that has killed more than 1,500 people.

Food security focus at opening of Caribbean Week of Agriculture PAGE 4, Wednesday, October 11, 2023

THE TRIBUNE

By JADE RUSSELL Tribune Staff Reporter jrussell@tribunemedia.net PRIME Minister Philip “Brave” Davis welcomed the kickstart of Caribbean Week of Agriculture 2023 yesterday, stressing the importance of food security and farming.

Several representatives from Caribbean countries gathered for the Caribbean Week of Agriculture opening ceremony at Breezes Club.

“The need for more resilient agri-food systems looms large,” Mr Davis said. “This year, as you would have heard, CARICOM’s research suggests that 52 per cent of the English-speaking Caribbean faces food security issues.

The region has seen acrossthe-board food inflation in double digits over the past few years largely due to supply chain issues related to COVID-19 and the Russia-Ukraine war.”

Mr Davis noted food systems and economies are also susceptible to natural disasters and climate -driven extreme weather events.

“Despite these challenges, I remain hopeful about our agricultural prospects,” he said. “In the past year, the percentage of people facing food security issues has decreased, and we are well on our way to achieving the goal of reducing regional food imports by 25 per cent by 2025. In fact, collectively, we have achieved 50 per cent of this ambitious target. This represents a great stride forward when it comes to feeding ourselves and creating a sustainable agriculture industry.”

Mr Davis said the government is making food production and security efforts through climate, land, research grants, and infrastructural support.

“We are uniquely prepared to overcome the

GROUP photo of delegates during the opening ceremony of Caribbean Week of Agriculture at Breezes Resort yesterday.

Photos: Dante Carrer

existing challenges,” he said. “While the global community has recently come to terms with the fragility of international food

systems, for us in the Caribbean, this has always been the reality.”

Agriculture and Marine Resources Minister Jomo

Campbell said that through the conference, stakeholders can discuss sustainable strategies to transform the country’s food system.

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, October 11, 2023, PAGE 5

GB SHIPYARD Pakesia: ‘I am not being $600M PROJECT GETS APPROVAL dismissed’ by FNM

A SHIP on dry dock at Grand Bahama Shipyard. from page one

FORMER FNM MP for West End Grand Bahama and Bimini Pakesia Parker-Edgecombe. from page one of Bishop Ricardo Grant, whom I support, and wish all the best for this campaign.”

“My support of that will be demonstrated in the coming weeks, and I do hope that the people of West Grand Bahama and Bimini would give him an opportunity to lead them as they did me in 2017.”

Mrs Parker-Edgecombe represented West End Grand Bahama and Bimini

for one term before Obie Wilchcombe, who died unexpectedly earlier this month, defeated her in 2021.

The FNM has quickly rallied around Bishop Grant to fill Mr Wilchcombe’s old seat. Bishop Grant declined to speak yesterday, saying he wants the nomination process to run its course.

Mrs Parker-Edgecombe said she would be politically active in the coming months and years

leading to the next general election.

“I’m not going anywhere, God’s will, and I will be here to fight another day,” she said.

Nevertheless, she agreed that successive administrations, including the Minnis administration, have not done enough for the constituency she once represented.

She said more jobs, youth centres, and upgrades to old infrastructure are needed.

“I do believe that more could have been done for West Grand Bahama and Bimini,” she said. “I’ve never been afraid to say that, for so many years, we have basically been overlooked by all governments, successive governments, for the most part.”

“I think that we could have done more. I see that we started that process. We didn’t finish. You know, elections were called early, but we were on the right track to making it happen.”

commercial shipping fleet.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism, Investments & Aviation Chester Cooper said in a statement yesterday: “The timing of the Grand Bahama Shipyard expansion project coincides beautifully with our efforts to revitalize Grand Bahama’s tourism industry. This project is just the impetus that Grand Bahama needs to further boost the island’s economic growth. It is a strong show of confidence that Grand Bahama Shipyard is establishing the world’s largest ship repair facility in The Bahamas.”

Grand Bahama Minister Ginger Moxey said: “The $600m transformation of Grand Bahama Shipyard marks a monumental investment for Grand Bahama.

The

shipyard has always been an important contributor to Grand Bahama’s economy, and this ambitious project will continue the revitalisation of our local economy. As the shipyard undergoes this remarkable evolution, it will serve as a beacon of progress, bringing jobs, entrepreneurial spinoff opportunities and a renewed sense of pride to the people of Grand Bahama. Together, we embark on a journey toward a brighter and more prosperous future.”

Already the largest private non-tourism employer in The Bahamas, the expanded shipyard operations will reportedly provide opportunities for Bahamians, local businesses, and contractors, including hundreds of full-time jobs at the shipyard once it is in full operation.

PAGE 6, Wednesday, October 11, 2023

THE TRIBUNE

The Tribune Limited

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Publisher/Editor 1919-1972 Contributing Editor 1972-1991 C.M.G., M.S., B.A., LL.B. Publisher/Editor 1972-

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Familiar refrain as Family Islands talk of neglect THE difference in treatment that some Bahamians get in comparison to others ought to shame our nation.

Family Islanders often find themselves not given as high a priority as residents of New Providence – with even Grand Bahamians often left to feel as though they are somehow second-class citizens of The Bahamas.

Since July, islanders on Andros have been plagued with power supply issues following a fire that destroyed all generator units at a BPL station.

Andros is far from the only Family Island experiencing power issues – nor are the recent problems the only time the island has struggled with power supply, but the fire has been disastrous for residents there.

Take seamstress Raquel Beneby, who was so frustrated by power problems that she considered renting an Airbnb in New Providence just to be able to get her work done as she tried to complete an order for 150 school uniforms. The power outages were so bad that it took until three weeks after the first week of school for her to complete her work.

Randy Butler, the former CEO of Sky Bahamas, who lives in Andros, talked of how you simply will not find some products on the island because there is a lack of confidence in being able to store refrigerated items. Ice cream? Not a lick of it. Medicine?

Doctors look for an alternative.

Meanwhile, over in West End and Grand Bahama, with a by-election looming following the passing of Obie Wilchcombe MP, former representative Pakesia Parker-Edgecombe has acknowledged that more could have been done in the constituency.

This comes as both political parties prepare to battle for the seat – and despite having talked of no politics ahead of Mr Wilchcombe’s funeral, the PLP seems caught up in a dispute over whether any former MP, such as Shane Gibson, should run for the seat, while the FNM has had an internal debate over whether to run at all.

Such arguments about the political representation for an area bypass entirely the residents of the constituency who just want to be able to get the MP that will give them what they deserve, and not be left short as Ms Parker-Edgecombe admits.

Perhaps it’s too easy for MPs to ignore the needs of the Family Islands.

The demands never reach the ears of many of the MPs, and Cabinet may focus on the islands with larger populations rather than address long-held needs for power, for jobs, for water supply, for all the things that New Providence enjoys.

It is interesting to note the tour of Family Islands being taken up by members of the US Embassy – we wonder what the stories are that will be heard by US representatives.

It is a familiar refrain that we hear from Family Island residents, however, that they are left short, that they do not get the same support as New Providence.

Our Family Islands must not be an afterthought – after all, that first word is important. Family. It is what they are. It is who we are.

Andros should just be the start – the fire was in July, why are people still struggling to keep their lights on? And how long must they expect to wait?

They deserve better.

Just say ‘no’ to Atlantis water drome EDITOR, The Tribune.

I refer to a published Notice of a meeting to be held this evening (October 10) at Queen’s College, hosted by Atlantis, who are seeking government and public support for establishment of a water drome in Montagu Bay to operate seaplanes.

While the planned location is outside of the established shipping channel access to the harbour, the proposed location will of necessity become a restricted area.

Those immediately impacted will be the commercial fishermen, jet ski

operators and pleasure boaters who use the Montagu ramp. The proposed area is also used for wind surfing, waterskiing, and kiteboarding from Montagu Beach.

In addition, the activities of the National Sailing School and events like the very recently held Opti National Championships hosted by The Nassau Yacht Club, and The Bahamas Sailing Association native sloop regattas would all be severely impacted.

It makes a mockery of the National Sport, sailing.

This area is also heavily travelled by pleasure

boaters sailing out of various moorings and docks in the bay area to access The Narrows and points east to Porgy Rocks and beyond.

With development already having deprived most Bahamians of beach access, are we now going to encroach on their boating and sailing liberties and deprive them of the use of Montagu Bay also in order that Atlantis can offer seaplane excursions?

In my opinion, approval for this project should be given a resounding NO! IAN MABON Nassau, October 10, 2023

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AN ISRAELI firefighter kneels to compose himself after he and his colleagues extinguished cars set on fire by a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip in Ashkelon, Israel, Monday.

Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg/AP

‘Paradise’ has highest inequality EDITOR, The Tribune, “Paradise.” A phrase echoed by many, especially tourists visiting The Bahamas. With our sunkissed sandy beaches and crystal-clear blue seas, our islands have continued to live up to its international reputation as a bastion of beauty. However, many Bahamians do not feel that the term “Paradise” encapsulates their lived experiences. For many the following questions may frequently linger in their minds: “How will I pay the light bill?” “How will I pay the water bill?” “Will I be able to put food on the table for my family?”

In essence, the cumulative question for all of these inquisitions would be “Will I survive to see another day?”

On paper, these sentiments are translated into statistics as the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and The Caribbean (ECLAC) reports that The Bahamas boasts the highest level of inequality (Gini coefficient of 0.57) in the Caribbean.

Based on the GINI coefficient, The Bahamas has a higher level of inequality than neighbouring Barbados, Haiti and Jamaica.

This means that only a small minority of Bahamians enjoy the full rewards of the economy while the masses struggle day by day to make ends meet. Additionally the average cost of living has only gone up for ordinary Bahamians as their salaries prove to be insufficient for purchasing basic necessities, such as groceries and utilities.

The Bahamas also suffers from high structural unemployment alongside an over concentration of industry in New Providence. These problems were exacerbated during Hurricane Dorian and the COVID-19 pandemic in which the inherent flaws of our social welfare systems were exposed as thousands attempted to obtain assistance from the government.

In response to these flaws, the Bahamian government has rightly tried to repair the current economic order. Examples such as an increase in the national minimum wage, conditional cash transfers to the underprivileged along with continual investment in the education, health and social services sectors must be commended as steps in the right direction towards an equitable Bahamas.

Yet despite these “traditional” policy solutions, many of the problems

LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net endemic in Bahamian society have remained and in some instances worsened. These “traditional” policy solutions are only one half of the solution towards solving our nation’s problems.

Enter Universal Basic Income. According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) a universal basic income (UBI) can be defined as “an income support typically intended to reach all (or a very large portion of a population) with no (or minimal) conditions. In other words, a UBI is income provided to all persons with no strings attached on a frequent basis. This characteristic distinguishes UBI from a salary obtained from a job or a welfare cheque obtained without having one. The concept of a UBI has existed for centuries in various iterations and has been advocated by figures as wide-ranging as Bill Gates, Elon Musk, Martin Luther King, Jr, and Pope Francis, to name a few.

Presently the call for a UBI has only grown louder globally due to an unstable global economy.

Rising income inequality and technological automation, which has been associated with unemployment have been touted as logical reasons to support a form of basic income. These calls have also begun to permeate throughout the Caribbean as Barbadian Prime Minister Mia Mottley has voiced her support for the eventual implementation of basic income in Barbados.

Hence, what are the benefits of a UBI? A UBI would allow for the following goals to be achieved: i) Poverty Alleviation - A UBI would give the lower and middle classes a fighting chance. Thousands of families would no longer be torn between putting food on the table and paying the light bill.

Rather than sacrificing one choice for the other, a UBI would personally grant Bahamians greater agency to utilize both choices for their survival. In summary a UBI would break the chain of systemic poverty in our nation. ii) Social Stability - Alongside poverty alleviation, a UBI would provide greater societal stability. With a UBI, persons would be less likely

to participate in criminal activity that is directly linked to poverty conditions. Gender equality would also increase as a UBI would act as a “blanket payment” for traditionally unpaid work done by Bahamian women in the household. iii) Economic Stimulus - Lastly, a UBI would stimulate growth in the Bahamian economy. With cash in hand, greater consumer spending would heighten aggregate demand for goods and services which would stimulate economic activity. Bahamians would also be granted the agency to better transition to different job professions that will positively benefit society as a whole. With this agency, Bahamians may even be compelled to relocate back to the Family Islands and contribute to the local economies there.

In essence, a UBI extends paradise to all Bahamians. A UBI would allow for some degree of leveling of the playing field for all Bahamians irrespective of gender, race and social class.

While critics will point at affordability issues, this retort distracts from acknowledging potential alternative sources of funding. These sources can range from tax reform, a reallocation of welfare spending or even a climate reparatory fund financed by former colonial powers such as the United Kingdom and multilateral development banks such as the IMF. Continual retorts can also discourage further meaningful discourse on devising innovative economic policies for the Bahamian people.

A 21st century economy requires 21st century economic solutions and I am confident that a UBI is a 21st century economic solution.

Former Prime Minister the late Sir Lynden Pindling once said that “Bahamians are nevertheless, still the victims of an unbending social order which, if it now refuses to bend, must now be broken.” While a UBI should and would not serve as an answer to all of our problems, a UBI would bend our socio-economic order in a manner that allows for greater efficiency and equity in the 21st century. It is my hope that this article can spur a national conversation moving forward.

LIAM MILLER Nassau, October 10, 2023.

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, October 11, 2023, PAGE 7

Denial of work leave caused miscarriage, woman claims from page one pay and a doctor’s certification that she couldn’t work or continue working as usual.

Yesterday, attorney Sharon Wilson, KC, claimed both options were unlawful. She argued that Family Guardian’s actions discriminated against a pregnant woman, which is prohibited under Section 6 of the Employment Act. She said the stress Mrs Major endured at work led to the intrauterine death of her son in the 23rd week of her pregnancy, hours after a company executive allegedly denied her remote work request while meeting with her.

Mrs Major was responsible for 40-plus people and had extensive responsibilities.

Robert Adams, Family Guardian’s lawyer, crossexamined her yesterday.

The court heard that sometime in April or May of 2019, Mrs Major contacted Family Guardian’s president and vice president, Glen Ritchie and Dr Kerry Higgs, to tell them she was 12 weeks pregnant and had a high-risk pregnancy. She reportedly told them the pregnancy was significant to her husband, Terrell Major, and that she suffered a miscarriage in 2015.

She reportedly created a business continuity plan with them, outlining how her duties would be handled during her pregnancy.

According to the plan, senior Bahama Health team members would handle day-to-day duties during her absence, while Mr Ritchie and Dr Higgs would handle executive decisions.

In June 2019, Mrs Major became ill and took eight days of sick leave after obtaining a medical certificate from her doctor.

On June 11, 2019, she received an email from Dr Higgs verifying that the arrangements made for her

absence would be met.

On June 18, 2019, she received a letter from her doctor recommending that she take bed rest for the remainder of her pregnancy and work from home.

Mr Adams suggested that by using the word “recommended”, Mrs Major’s doctor was not certifying that she was unfit for work.

Mrs Major disagreed that her doctor’s wording was ambiguous.

She also disagreed with the suggestion that she did not interpret her doctor’s recommendation as a mandate to stop going to work. She said she did not immediately stop working because she wanted confirmation from her superiors first.

Mrs Major sent Mr Ritchie her doctor’s note on June 21 and requested leave to work remotely.

However, she did not get an email response from him until June 27. Under crossexamination, she agreed that, between June 21 and June 27, she discussed scheduling a meeting with her superiors to address the issue further.

She disagreed with the suggestion that Family Guardian wanted her doctor to clarify whether she should take sick leave, saying the doctor was clear she needed bed rest. She felt Dr Higgs disregarded her doctor’s recommendation.

On July 9, 2019, the plaintiff visited her doctor and expressed distress and fears concerning the pregnancy.

On July 31, 2019, she met Mr Ritchie in her office.

She testified that she felt aggravated pain and oppressed during the meeting. She disagreed with Mr Adams’suggestion that her pain had nothing to do with her superiors. She also disputed that she decided to remain at work, insisting she couldn’t leave the job until the company activated their agreed-upon continuity plan.

She agreed with Mr

US EMBASSY ON RELATIONSHIP STRENGTHENING TOUR VISITING FAMILY ISLANDS THIS week, October 10-13, US Embassy Nassau launches its journey beyond Nassau to further strengthen the US relationship with Bahamians across the archipelago.

The US Embassy’s first stop on #JusRoad242 tour is Grand Bahama, followed by visits to Bimini, Abaco, Exuma, and Long Island.

“Our goal is to extend our reach beyond New Providence and deepen our ties with Bahamians across the Lucayan archipelago. I look forward to meeting with local leaders and community activists in the Family Islands,” said US Embassy Chargé, Usha Pitts.

While in Grand Bahama, the embassy will provide passport and citizenship services by appointment at the Pelican Bay Resort Conference Room from Tuesday, October 10, to Thursday, October 12.

All applicants are asked to bring their original

documentation and copies as directed on the embassy’s website.

On Wednesday, October 11, at 6pm, the embassy will hold the 4th annual Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) information session. The meeting will be held in Pelican Bay Hotel’s Delphine Room. The embassy encourages all local businesswomen and aspiring entrepreneurs to attend this free event and learn how to launch and grow their businesses. Anyone interested in attending can register on the U.S. Embassy’s Facebook page.

With over 300 AWE alumnae across The Bahamas, the US Embassy is also excited to partner with Access Accelerator and the Women Investment Group (WIG) to launch the AWE Bahamas Alumni Network at the Pelican Bay Hotel on Thursday, October 12.

This event is by invitation only.

Adams that Mr Ritchie told her the company’s priority was her health. However, she claimed he said remote work was not in her best interest.

She said she felt Mr Ritchie disparaged her during the meeting. She claimed he asked her to elevate her feet on a box in her office so it would be fine for her to come to work, advice she found belittling.

She also said Mr Ritchie criticised her performance and claimed she didn’t answer his calls over the previous weekend.

Mrs Major said she felt wretched and weak in

the knees after the meeting. An ultrasound was performed during a subsequent visit to the doctor.

She miscarried later that day and was hospitalized in the United States for haemorrhaging.

She no longer works at Family Guardian.

Under questioning from her lawyer, Mrs Major said she felt her unborn son move before the meeting with Mr Ritchie. She said when she visited the doctor afterwards, she could no longer feel the child move.

She was comforted by her lawyer and family after testifying.

THE PARENTS of Che Karson Major arriving at court yesterday for the start of their court case against Family Guardian for the death of their unborn child.

Photo: Moise Amisial

PAGE 8, Wednesday, October 11, 2023

THE TRIBUNE

30 years since The Bahamas signed Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women FRIDAY, October 6, marked the 30th anniversary of The Bahamas ratifying the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).

It was marked by a proclamation, printed in both national newspapers, of October 6, 2023, as Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women Day. The Prime Minister called on organisations, businesses, and families to recognise the importance of women’s rights and the elimination of discrimination against women with relevant activities and programmes.

Follow three decades of work by the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), CEDAW was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1979. It came into force in 1981. Some may be familiar with CSW as it is a large annual event held at the United Nations in New York City, drawing not only Ministers with responsibility for gender and women’s affairs, but non-governmental organizations that advocate for the rights of women for two weeks of meetings.

In its official programming, CSW results in an outcome document that lays out the commitments made by member states.

Side and parallel events give non-governmental organisations and individual advocates opportunities to share knowledge, network, and build solidarity across countries and regions, and they also present opportunities to meet with state representatives

By Alicia Wallace and international organisations. It was the cumulative outcome of many years of CSW meetings that made the case for the drafting of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, recognising discrimination against women as a specific issue that needed to be addressed.

Since April 2022, Equality Bahamas has been hosting the CEDAW (Convention) Speaker Series, inviting experts — mostly from the CEDAW Committee — to lead discussions on the Convention, one Article at a time. The series started with Swiss human rights lawyer and former CEDAW Committee member Patricia Schulz leading the discussion on Articles 1 and 2. Article 1 focuses on the definition of discrimination against women and Article 2 focuses on the policy measures that must be taken in order to come into compliance with CEDAW, so those two Articles are discussed together just as they are dealt with together in the constructive dialogue in Geneva. Article 3 on basic human rights and fundamental freedoms was presented by CEDAW Committee member Esther Eghobamien-Mshelia, and it was followed by Article 4 on special measures

...the government has refused and/or failed to educate the public on human rights

which was led by Bahamian human rights experts Gaynel Curry. The series continued this way, with one expert discussing one Article (or two when they are handled together by the Committee) each month, presenting the text of the Convention, the relevance of the Article to the rest of the Convention, and the application of the Article to the Bahamian context.

I facilitated the CEDAW Speaker Series sessions, and each one deepened my understanding of the individual Articles and the Convention. Each speaker took time to give context for the Article of discussion, grounding it in the purpose and overall content of the Convention. They also made clear connections to other Articles. We tend to understand almost all of the Articles of the Convention as specific to a thematic area, but the overlaps and the interdependent nature of the Articles became with each session, especially as we considered them within the context of the work we are doing at the national level. For example, Equality Bahamas is currently conducting research on parental leave, and while we considered Articles 11 on employment and 12 on health, we realised that we also need PHOTO: L’ODYSSÉE BELLE to integrate Article 16 on marriage and family life.

Article 14 on rural women is particularly relevant and will feature prominently when, in our report, we delve into the specific experiences of women on the Family Islands and how their maternity leave is impacted by the requirement that they leave their home islands to give birth in a hospital.

I was on a radio talk show yesterday to talk about the 30th anniversary of the ratification of CEDAW by The Bahamas and a caller expressed his concern that women in Centreville and in Bain and Grants Towns do not know about CEDAW because they have a lot of children and would not understand what I was saying. My instinct was to respond to a number of implicit biases and incorrect assumptions. One is that women in townships or inner-city communities are all the same — more than the average number of children and less than the average education among other assumptions. This is, of course, not the case.

He also assumed that I am a “sophisticated” woman, whatever that means, who does not engage at the community level. Instead of responding to these assumptions, I listened to the rest of what he said. The point that he really seemed to want to make was that the people who are supposed to benefit from the international human rights mechanisms that the governments sign do not even know they exist, much less how to use them to their benefit. I can easily agree with that point, while making it clear that it is the responsibility of the government to educate the people, promote human rights, and meaningfully engage people on human rights, domestic law, and international law and obligations.

We have become accustomed to the government, with any administration at the helm, shirking its responsibility to the people.

It has normalised and continued its withdrawal from social protection, refusing

and/or failing to ensure that people’s basic needs are met. We continue to suffer the effects of structural adjustment programmes, even in the face of multiple crises in recent years.

Despite being urged to do so by advocates and the CEDAW Committee, the government has refused and/or failed to educate the public on human rights, the obligations of the government to promote and guarantee access to them, and the international mechanisms that monitor and hold the government accountable in addition to make clear recommendations that must be implemented. In its Concluding Observations following the sixth periodic review of The Bahamas, held in Geneva in 2018, the CEDAW Committee said it was “concerned that women in the State party, in particular those belonging to disadvantaged groups, are unaware of their rights under the Convention and thus lack the information necessary to claim them”.

It called on the Government of The Bahamas to “enhance awareness among women and girls of their rights and the remedies available to them under the Convention, including through awareness - raising campaigns, in cooperation with civil society organisations and community-based women’s associations”.

That the general public, and that women and girls themselves, are not aware of and do not understand CEDAW and its implications for all of our lives is not a failure of the public, women and girls, non-governmental organizations, or advocates. It is not due to an inability to gain new knowledge or to understand the content and application of the Convention. It has been thirty years since The Bahamas ratified CEDAW. The government is well aware of what CEDAW is and what it means for women and girls in The Bahamas.

It voluntarily ratified it and it has presented its reports to the CEDAW Committee, the most recent being in 2018 and one in progress now. It has decided that

women and girls knowing their rights is either unimportant or disadvantageous to the government and the institutions and people who benefit from the oppression, marginalisation, discrimination, and violence against women and girls. Thirty years is far too long for any excuse to hold.

Equality Bahamas has, with limited resources, run a speaker series in the lead-up to the thirties anniversary of the ratification of CEDAW. The recordings of past sessions are available on its Youtube channel and can be accessed at tiny. cc/cssplaylist. The series will continue during the Global 16 Days Campaign which runs from November 25 to December 10. In those sessions, experts will lead discussion on General Recommendations which elaborate on the Convention and address issues that are not articulated in it.

If you are interested in learning more about CEDAW or you would like to organise a session for a group, contact the Equality Bahamas team at equalitybahamas@gmail.com. If you would like to see the government step up to the plate and do the promotion and education part of its job as it pertains to human rights, say so. Contact the Department of Gender and Family Affairs to find out what it is doing, and contact the Office of the Prime Minister to urge the Prime Minister to properly resource the Department and transition it to the Ministry so that it can function as a national gender machinery and to build a national human rights institute which would monitor human rights, receive complaints, make recommendations, and provide education on human rights to the public. These have already been recommended by the CEDAW Committee and by member states through the Universal Periodic Review, so it will not be news to them. What would be news, however, is that members of the public are paying attention and have the demand, if not the expectation, that human rights be fulfilled.

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, October 11, 2023, PAGE 9

APP SHOWS HOW ANCIENT GREEK SITES TECHTALK HYUNDAI, KIA ELECTRIC LOOKED THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO VEHICLES TO USE TESLA’S NACS CHARGING PORTS

By DEREK GATOPOULOS and THEODORA TONGAS Associated Press

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Tourists at the Acropolis this holiday season can witness the resolution of one of the world’s most heated debates on cultural heritage.

All they need is a smartphone.

Visitors can now pinch and zoom their way around the ancient Greek site, with a digital overlay showing how it once looked. That includes a collection of marble sculptures removed from the Parthenon more than 200 years ago that are now on display at the British Museum in London.

Greece has demanded they be returned.

For now, an app supported

by Greece’s Culture Ministry allows visitors to point their phones at the Parthenon temple, and the sculptures housed in London appear back on the monument as archaeologists believe they looked 2,500 years ago.

Other, less widely known features also appear: Many of the sculptures on the Acropolis were painted in striking colours. A statue of goddess Athena in the main chamber of the Parthenon also stood over a shallow pool of water.

“That’s really impressive ... the only time I’ve seen that kind of technology before is at the dentist,” Shriya Parsotam Chitnavis, a tourist from London, said after checking out the app on a hot afternoon at the hilltop Acropolis, Greece’s most popular archaeological site.

“I didn’t know much about the (Acropolis), and I had to be convinced to come up here. Seeing this has made it more interesting — seeing it in colour,” she said. “I’m more of a visual person, so this being interactive really helped me appreciate it.”

The virtual restoration works anywhere and could

A MAN holds up a tablet showing a digitally overlayed virtual reconstruction of the ancient Parthenon temple, at the Acropolis Hill in Athens, Greece. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris) spare some visitors the crowded uphill walk and long wait to see the iconic monuments up close. It might also help the country’s campaign to make Greek cities year-round destinations.

Tourism, vital for the Greek economy, has roared back since the COVID-19 pandemic, even as wildfires chased visitors from the island of Rhodes and affected other areas this summer. The number of inbound visitors from January through July was up 21.9% to 16.2 million compared with a year ago, according to the Bank of Greece. Revenue was up just over 20%, to 10.3 billion euros ($10.8 billion).

The app, called “Chronos”

after the mythological king of the Titans and Greek word for “time,” uses augmented reality to place the ancient impression of the site onto the screen, matching the real-world view as you walk around.

AR is reaching consumers after a long wait and is set to affect a huge range of professional and leisure activities.

Medical surgery, military training and specialised machine repair as well as retail and live event experiences are all in the sights of big tech companies betting on a lucrative future in immersive services. Tech giants like Meta and Apple are pushing

into VR headsets that can cost thousands of dollars.

The high price tag will keep the cellphone as the main AR delivery platform to consumers for some time, said Maria Engberg, coauthor of the book “Reality Media” on augmented and virtual reality.

She says services for travelers will soon offer a better integrated experience, allowing for more sharing options on tours and overlaying archive photos and videos.

“AR and VR have been lagging behind other kinds of things like games and movies that we’re consuming digitally,” said Engberg,

an associate professor of computer science and media technology at Malmo University in Sweden.

“I think we will see really interesting customer experiences in the next few years as more content from museums and archives becomes digitised,” she said.

Greece’s Culture Ministry and national tourism authority are late but enthusiastic converts to technology. The popular video game Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, which allows players to roam ancient Athens, was used to attract young travelers from China to Greece with a stateorganised photo contest.

Microsoft partnered with the Culture Ministry two years ago to launch an immersive digital tour at ancient Olympia, birthplace of the Olympic Games in southern Greece.

Culture Minister Lina Mendoni said the innovations would boost accessibility to Greece’s ancient monuments, supplementing the recent installation of ramps and anti-slip pathways.

“Accessibility is extending to the digital space,” Mendoni said at a preview launch event for the Chronos app in May. “Real visitors and virtual visitors anywhere around the world can share historical knowledge.”

Developed by Greek telecoms provider Cosmote, the free app’s designers say they hope to build on existing features that include an artificial intelligence-powered virtual guide, Clio.

“As technologies and networks advance, with better bandwidth and lower latencies, mobile devices will be able to download even higher-quality content,” said Panayiotis Gabrielides, a senior official at the telecom company involved in the project.

GOOGLE PACKS MORE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE INTO NEW PIXEL PHONES

By MICHAEL LIEDTKE AP Technology Writer GOOGLE last week unveiled a next-generation Pixel smartphones lineup that will be infused with more artificial intelligence tools capable of writing captions about photos that can also be altered by the technology.

The injection of more artificial intelligence, or AI, into Google’s products marks another step toward bringing more of the technology into the mainstream – a push company executives signaled they were embarking upon during their annual developer’s conference five months ago.

“Our focus is on making AI more helpful for everyone in a way that is bold and responsible,” Rick Osterloh, Google’s senior vice president of devices and services, said during Wednesday’s event held in New York.

As if to leave no doubt about Google’s current priorities, Osterloh described the new Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro phones as a conduit for having “AI in your hand.”

The next moves will include allowing the 7-year-old Google Assistant to tap into the company’s recently hatched AI chatbot, Bard, to perform tasks. The expanded access to Bard comes just two weeks after Google began connecting the AI

chatbot to the company’s other popular service such as Gmail, Maps and YouTube.

Google is leaving it up to each user to decide whether to allow Bard to interact with its other services, an effort to address worries about AI sifting through potentially sensitive information as it seeks to learn more about language and people.

One of the new tricks that the Bard-backed assistant is supposed to be able to do is scan a photo taken on a phone powered by Google’s Android software and generate a pithy caption suitable for posting on social media.

As Google has been doing with most of its AI gambits, the Bardbacked Google Assistant initially will only be available to a test audience before it is gradually offered on an opt-in basis to more owners of the latest Pixels.

As has become common across the industry, most of the other technology in the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro phones unveiled Wednesday will be similar to what has already been available in last year’s models.

One of the main selling points of the new phones will be improved cameras, including more AI-empowered editing tools that will mostly be available on the Pixel 8 Pro. The AI features will be able to spruce up photos, zoom into certain parts

THE NEW Google Pixel 8 Pro smartphone. (Google via AP) of images, substitute faces taken from other pictures in group shots and erase objects and people from images.

Google is counting on the new AI twists added to this year’s lineup to be enough to justify a price increase — with the starting prices for both the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro increasing by $100 over last year’s comparable

models.

That will result in the Pixel 8 selling for $700 and the Pixel 8 Pro for $1,000 when they go on sale in stores next week.

Apple also raised the starting price of its top-end iPhone by $100 when its latest models came out last month, signaling inflationary pressures are starting to drive up the costs of devices that have become essential pieces of modern life.

The Pixel 8 Pro will also be able to take people’s temperatures — an addition that could be a drawing card in a post-pandemic era as various strains of COVID evolve. But Google is still trying to get regulatory approval to enable that capability in the U.S. A 2020 phone, the Honor Play 4 Pro made my Huawei, also was able to screen for fevers, so Google isn’t breaking totally new ground.

Despite generally getting positive reviews, the Pixel phones have barely made a dent in a market dominated by Samsung and Apple since Google began making the devices seven years ago.

But they have been gaining slightly more traction in recent years, with Pixel’s share of the high-end smartphone market now hovering around 4% from less than 1% three years ago, according to the research firm International Data Corp.

STARTING NEXT YEAR

By MICHELLE CHAPMAN AP Business Writer

HYUNDAI and Kia say that they’re adopting North American Charging Standard ports for their electric vehicles in the U.S. and Canada, which will give the vehicles access to thousands of Tesla Superchargers across the two countries and Mexico.

Tesla’s Superchargers are coveted by other automakers because it has more direct current fast-charging plugs in the U.S. than any other network, and its stations are in prime locations along freeway travel corridors.

Hyundai Motor North America said last Thursday that new Hyundai electric vehicles in the U.S. will come with the NACS port starting in 2024’s fourth quarter. It will begin in Canada in the first half of 2025. Hyundai’s luxury brand, Genesis, will also start using the NACS ports.

Kia said it plans to build the NACS port into new electric vehicles sold in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, also in the fourth quarter of next year.

“Having this kind of sprawling access to chargers will no doubt boost customer satisfaction, elevate the EV ownership experience, and enable drivers to reach more destinations across the continent on electricity,” Seungkyu (Sean) Yoon, president & CEO, Kia North America and Kia America, said in a statement.

ELIGIBLE ELECTRIC AND PLUG-IN VEHICLE BUYERS WILL GET US TAX CREDITS IMMEDIATELY IN 2024 DETROIT (AP) — Starting next year, people who want to buy a new or used electric or plug-in hybrid vehicle will be able to get U.S. government income tax credits at the time of purchase.

Eligible buyers, including those that bought an EV or hybrid this year, have had to wait until they filed their federal income tax returns to actually get the benefits.

The Treasury Department says the near-instant credits of $7,500 for an eligible new vehicle and $4,000 for a qualifying used vehicle should lower purchasing costs for consumers and help car dealers by boosting EV sales.

Under the Inflation Reduction Act, which included the credits, buyers can transfer the credits to dealers, which can apply them at the point of sale starting Jan. 1.

Plus, the government says people can get the full credits from dealers regardless of how much they owe in federal taxes.

PAGE 10, Wednesday, October 11, 2023

THE TRIBUNE

Girlfriend of FTX founder says Sam BankmanFried hoped to become US president someday NEW YORK Associated Press CAROLINE Ellison, the tech executive who ran Sam Bankman-Fried’s hedge fund while sometimes dating him, testified Tuesday that he directed her to commit crimes before his cryptocurrency empire collapsed last November. She also revealed that her former boss and boyfriend thought he might be U.S. president someday.

With Bankman-Fried looking on from his seat in the courtroom, Ellison, 28, testified at the New York City trial that she committed fraud, conspiracy to commit fraud and money laundering along with Bankman-Fried and others.

“He directed me to commit these crimes,” she said of Bankman-Fried, when asked by a prosecutor about his involvement.

Repeatedly, Ellison made clear that Bankman-Fried was behind the biggest financial moves in his companies, to the point that bitcoins he created were sometimes called “Sam’s coins.”

She described him as “very ambitious” and envisioning eventually leading huge companies and using his money influentially.

He even thought there was a 5% chance he’d become president someday, Ellison said.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Danielle Sassoon asked her what he thought he’d be president of.

“Of the United States,” Ellison answered.

Shortly after Ellison’s highly anticipated turn on the witness stand began, she was asked to identify Bankman-Fried in the courtroom.

Ellison stood and scanned the courtroom for a long minute, at first unable to spot him, before gesturing his way with a flip of her hand and saying he was “over there wearing a suit.”

The appearance of Bankman-Fried, who sat at a table among his lawyers, has changed dramatically in recent months as he has lost weight and trimmed his well-known wild coif into a tightly cropped look more traditional among financial professionals.

Bankman-Fried could face decades in prison if he is convicted of charges lodged against him when he was brought to the United States from the Bahamas last December. He has pleaded not guilty.

Bankman-Fried, 31, was one of the world’s wealthiest people on paper, with an estimated net worth of $32 billion, when his cryptocurrency businesses collapsed as investors and customers sought to empty their accounts last November.

Bankruptcy proceedings followed as prosecutors alleged that stolen funds were used to fund his businesses, make donations and contribute to political campaigns in the hopes of influencing cryptocurrency regulation in Washington.

At one time, FTX was the second-largest cryptocurrency exchange in the world.

Ellison testified under a cooperation deal that could win her leniency when she is sentenced. It could also be pivotal when the jury decides whether BankmanFried is guilty of fraud charges among seven counts in an indictment against him.

Bankman-Fried has been jailed since August, when Judge Lewis A. Kaplan concluded that he had tried to influence Ellison and other potential trial witnesses and could no longer be trusted to await trial under a $250 million bond and confinement to his parent’s Palo Alto, California, home.

As Ellison testified, several of her friends or online fans were in attendance at the courthouse. In an overflow courtroom where spectators could watch proceedings on a television monitor, some of them, smiles on their faces, rushed toward a screen to see her up close.

Ellison, a Stanford University graduate, met Bankman-Fried while working as an intern at the investment firm Jane Street before joining his company after he formed Alameda Research in 2017.

She then volunteered that they had “dated a couple years.”

Ellison seemed composed throughout the testimony, even when it touched on her romantic relationship with

IN this courtroom sketch, Caroline Ellison testifies in Manhattan federal court, yesterday, in New York. The former fellow top executive and ex-girlfriend of Sam Bankman-Fried, Ellison, began testifying against him, immediately blaming her former boyfriend for directing her to commit crimes before his cryptocurrency empire collapsed last November.

Image: Elizabeth Williams/AP Bankman-Fried. She said the executives were sleeping together by fall 2018 and had begun a romantic relationship by summer 2020. After a breakup, they resumed the relationship in fall 2021 before breaking up for good in spring 2022, she said.

Eventually, BankmanFried installed Ellison as chief executive at Alameda, where she was paid $200,000 in salary with her biggest bonus of $20 million occurring in 2021.

Ellison said

Bankman-Fried set up systems that enabled Alameda to withdrawal unlimited sums of money from FTX accounts and he “directed us to take FTX money to repay our loans.”

She said Alameda eventually withdrew up to $14 billion from FTX, although some of it was paid back.

Some of the money, she said, went to political donations, including $35 million funneled through one political operative to Republican candidates and another $10 million that Bankman-Fried

steered to President Joe Biden, money that she said Bankman-Fried thought bought him a measure of influence and recognition.

Ellison’s testimony immediately followed two days of testimony from Gary Wang, an FTX cofounder and another key figure in Bankman-Fried’s inner circle. He also testified under a plea agreement with prosecutors that he was directed by the defendant to set up software loopholes that allowed Alameda to drain FTX accounts of unlimited funds.

MAN CHARGED WITH SEPTEMBER MURDER OF MACENZI CAJUSTE

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net A MAN is behind bars after he was accused of killing a man on bail outside a grocery store in Coconut Grove last month.

Acting Chief Magistrate Roberto Reckley charged Alvin Janvier, 22, with murder yesterday.

Janvier and an

accomplice allegedly shot and killed 21-year-old Macenzi Cajuste at the rear of SuperValue on First Street on September 26.

Cajuste was on bail for an alleged armed robbery at the time of his death.

Janvier’s matter will be transferred to the Supreme Court by a voluntary bill of indictment (VBI). His VBI is set for service on February 1, 2024.

BRAZILIAN MAN CHARGED FOR $10M DRUG BUST ON LONG ISLAND

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net A BRAZILIAN man was taken into custody accused of smuggling more than $10m worth of cocaine through Long Island’s Stella Morris Airport in August.

Magistrate Samuel McKinney charged Andre Acosta, 34, with conspiracy to possess dangerous drugs with intent to supply, possession of dangerous drugs with intent to supply, conspiracy to import dangerous drugs and importation of dangerous drugs.

Acosta is accused of smuggling 21 crocus sacks of

cocaine into the Stella Morris Airport in a white coloured Piper Aztec Aircraft on August 6.

Two Bahamians were arrested on that date during the initial drug bust.

Through the help of an interpreter, Acosta pleaded not guilty to all four charges.

Although the accused was denied bail by the magistrate, he was told of his right to reapply for it in the Supreme Court.

Acosta will be remanded to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services until he is granted bail.

His trial begins on November 8.

WOMAN PASSENGER DIES AFTER CAR CRASHED INTO UTILITY POLE A 36-YEAR-OLD woman is dead after a traffic accident on Bernard Road early yesterday morning.

Police said a grey Toyota Rav4 with two occupants was travelling east on Bernard Road before 2am when the male driver reportedly lost control of the vehicle and hit a utility pole on the street’s eastern side.

EMS were called and took the driver and female passenger to hospital.

However, the woman later died from her injuries.

Meanwhile, police

are looking for two men accused of sexually assaulting a 31-year-old woman.

The incident reportedly happened around 7pm Monday in western New Providence.

“Initial reports indicate that the victim was in the company of a male known to her when she was taken to an unfamiliar location where they were met by a second male before both men sexually assaulted her and robbed her of a cellphone and an undetermined amount of cash,” police said.

To advertise in The Tribune, contact 502-2394

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, October 11, 2023, PAGE 11

Palestinians scramble for safety as Israel pounds sealed-off Gaza Strip JERUSALEM Associated Press ISRAELI warplanes hammered the Gaza Strip neighbourhood by neighbourhood Tuesday, reducing buildings to rubble and sending people scrambling to find safety in the tiny, sealed-off territory now suffering severe retaliation for the deadly weekend attack by Hamas militants.

Humanitarian groups pleaded for the creation of corridors to get aid into Gaza and warned that hospitals overwhelmed with wounded people were running out of supplies. Israel has stopped entry of food, fuel and medicines into Gaza, and the sole remaining access from Egypt shut down Tuesday after airstrikes hit near the border crossing.

The war, which has claimed at least 1,900 lives on both sides, is expected to escalate. The weekend attack that Hamas said was retribution for worsening conditions for Palestinians under Israeli occupation has fired Israel’s determination to crush the group’s hold in Gaza. New exchanges of fire over Israel’s northern borders with militants in Lebanon and Syria on Tuesday pointed to the risk of an expanded regional conflict.

Hamas militants stormed into Israel on Saturday morning, slaying hundreds of residents in homes and streets near the Gaza border and bringing gunbattles to Israeli towns for the first time in decades.

Hamas and other militant groups in Gaza hold about 150 soldiers and civilians hostage, according to Israel.

Israel stepped up its offensive on Tuesday, expanding the mobilization of reservists to 360,000.

Israel’s military said it had regained effective control over areas Hamas attacked in its south, and of the Gaza border.

A looming question is whether Israel will launch a ground assault into Gaza — a 40-kilometer-long (25mile) strip of land wedged among Israel, Egypt and

the Mediterranean Sea that is home to 2.3 million people and has been governed by Hamas since 2007.

Rescue officials in Gaza said “large numbers” of people were still trapped under the remnants of levelled buildings, with rescue equipment and ambulances unable to reach the area.

On Tuesday, a large part of Gaza City’s Rimal neighbourhood was reduced to rubble after hours of airstrikes the night before.

Residents found buildings torn in half or demolished to mounds of concrete and rebar. Cars were flattened and trees burned out on residential streets transformed into moonscapes.

Palestinian Civil Defence forces pulled Abdullah Musleh out of his basement together with 30 others after their apartment building was flattened.

“I sell toys, not missiles,’’ the 46-year-old said, weeping. “I want to leave Gaza.

Why do I have to stay here?

I lost my home and my job.”

The Israeli military said it struck hundreds of targets in Rimal, an upscale district home to ministries of the Hamas-run government, universities, media organizations and the aid agency offices.

In a new tactic, Israel is warning civilians to evacuate neighbourhood after neighbourhood, and then inflicting devastation, in what could be a prelude to a ground offensive. On Tuesday, the military told residents of the nearby alDaraj neighbourhood to evacuate, and soon after new explosions rocked it and other areas, continuing into the night. One blast hit Gaza City’s seaport, setting fishing boats aflame.

“There is no safe place in Gaza right now. You see decent people being killed every day,” Hasan Jabar, a Gaza journalist, said after three Palestinian journalists were killed in the Rimal bombardment. “I am genuinely afraid for my life.”

Tuesday afternoon, Hamas fired barrages of rockets toward the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon and Tel Aviv. There were no immediate reports of

casualties. On Tuesday night, a group of militants entered an industrial zone in Ashkelon, sparking a gunbattle with Israeli troops, the military said.

Three militants were killed, and troops were searching the area for others.

Israel’s new tactics could point to its new objective.

Four previous rounds of Israel-Hamas fighting between 2008 and 2021 all ended inconclusively, with Hamas battered but still in control. This time, Israel’s government is under intense pressure from the public to topple Hamas, a goal considered unachievable in the past because it would require a reoccupation of the Gaza Strip, at least temporarily.

“The objective is for this war to end very differently from all of the previous rounds. There has to be a clear victory,” said Chuck Freilich, a former deputy national security adviser in Israel. “Whatever has to be done to fundamentally change the situation will have to be done,” he said.

The devastation also sharpened questions about Hamas’ strategy and objectives. Hamas officials have said they planned for all possibilities, including a punishing Israeli escalation.

Desperation has grown among Palestinians, many of whom see nothing to lose under unending Israeli control and increasing settlements in the West Bank, a 16-year-long blockade in Gaza and what they see as the world’s apathy.

Hamas may have been counting on the fight to spread to the West Bank and possibly for Lebanon’s Hezbollah to open a front in the north. Days of clashes between rockthrowing Palestinians and Israeli forces in the West Bank have left 15 Palestinians dead, but Israel has clamped down heavily on the territory, preventing movement between communities. The violence also spread into east Jerusalem, where Israeli police said they killed two Palestinians who hurled stones at police late Tuesday.

Brief exchanges of fire

SMOKE rises from an explosion caused by Israeli airstrikes on the border between Egypt and Rafah, Gaza Strip, yesterday.

Photo: Hatem Ali/AP across Israel’s northern border have taken place nearly daily.

Palestinian militants fired rockets into northern Israel from Lebanon and from Syria on Tuesday, each bringing Israeli artillery and mortar fire in return. But so far they have not escalated.

In hopes of blunting the bombardment in Gaza, Hamas has threatened to kill one Israeli civilian captive any time Israel targets civilians in their homes in Gaza “without prior warning.”

The militants’ attack stunned Israel with a death toll unseen since the 1973 war with Egypt and Syria — and those deaths happened over a longer period of time. It brought horrific scenes of Hamas militants gunning down civilians in their homes, on streets and at a mass outdoor music festival, while dragging men, women and children into captivity.

The Israeli military said more than 1,000 people, including 155 soldiers, have been killed in Israel.

In Gaza, 900 people have been killed, including 260 children and 230 women,

according to authorities there; Israel says hundreds of Hamas fighters are among them. Thousands have been wounded on both sides.

US President Joe Biden said Tuesday at least 14 US citizens were killed in Hamas’ attack and that Americans are among those being held hostage in Gaza.

Biden, who spoke earlier in the day with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said “there is no justification for terrorism.”

Biden added an apparent warning to Hezbollah, saying, “To any country, any organization, anyone thinking of taking advantage of the situation, I have one word: Don’t.”

The State Department announced that Secretary of State Antony Blinken would travel in the coming days to Israel to deliver a message of solidarity and support.

Hamas responded to Biden, saying his administration should “review its biased position” and “move away from the policy of double standards” over Palestinian rights to defend themselves against Israeli

occupation.

The bodies of roughly 1,500 Hamas militants were found on Israeli territory, the military said. It wasn’t clear whether those numbers overlapped with deaths reported by Palestinian authorities. Tens of thousands of people in southern Israel have been evacuated since Sunday.

In Gaza, more than 200,000 people have fled their homes, the UN said, the most since a 2014 air and ground offensive by Israel uprooted about 400,000. The vast majority are sheltering in schools run by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees. Damage to three water and sanitation sites have cut off services to 400,000 people, the UN said.

The UN’s World Health Organization said that supplies it had pre-positioned for seven hospitals in Gaza have already run out amid the flood of wounded. The head of the medical aid group Doctors Without Borders said surgical equipment, antibiotics, fuel and other supplies were running out at two hospitals it runs in Gaza.

HEAVY FLOODING IN SOUTHERN MYANMAR DISPLACES MORE THAN 14K PEOPLE BANGKOK Associated Press FLOODING triggered by heavy monsoon rains in Myanmar’s southern areas has displaced more than 14,000 people and disrupted traffic on the rail lines that connect the country’s biggest cities, officials and state-run media said Monday.

State television MRTV reported Monday evening that the number of displaced people in Bago township, about 68 kilometers (42 miles) northeast of Yangon, the country’s biggest city, had climbed to that figure, and they were taking shelter in 36 relief camps. It said almost 1,000 more people in Mon state’s township, just east of Bago, were sheltering in three relief camps, and there some evacuations in a northern part of Yangon.

A senior official at the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement, Lay Shwe Zin Oo, said that constant rainfall in the Bago region that began last week caused the flooding in the low-lying areas of its capital, Bago township. She said there were no casualties reported so far.

Bago township recorded 7.87 inches (200 millimeters) of rainfall, its highest level in 59 years, Myanmar’s Meteorological Department said Sunday. Rain or thundershowers was forecast for across the country until noon on Tuesday.

One of the leaders of an emergency rescue team in Bago told The Associated Press that the flooding was

LOCAL residents wade through a flooded road in Bago, about 80 kilometres (50 miles) northeast of Yangon, Myanmar, Monday. Flooding triggered by heavy monsoon rains in Myanmar’s southern areas has displaced more than 14,000 people and disrupted traffic on the rail lines that connect the country’s biggest cities, officials and state-run media said Monday.

Photo: Thein Zaw/AP up to about eight feet (2.3 Charity Foundation said by people from low-lying areas and her family members meters) deep in low-lying phone on Monday. “It is the as much as they can.” were living on the second areas and four feet (1.2 third flood in the town this A 55-year-old resident and third floors of their meters) downtown. year and the worst in many of Bago’s Pan Hlaing ward house.

“Almost the whole area years. All the monasteries interviewed by phone said The woman, who spoke of the town was flooded,” in the town have opened the floodwaters were as on condition of anonymity Thant Zin Maung, chair- relief camps. Charity organ- much as six feet (1.8 meters) because Myanmar’s miliman of the Mizzima Thukha izations are evacuating deep in her neighborhood, tary government prefers to

tightly control the release of information, said the water was still rising steadily in her neighborhood, which had never flooded badly before.

Social Welfare Ministry official Lay Shwe Zin Oo said Bago evacuees were sheltering in relief camps, schools and Buddhist monasteries, while the authorities were providing food, drinking water and other essential assistance.

Reports in the state-run Myanmar Alinn newspaper on Monday said that trains that departed from Mandalay, the country’s second-largest city in central Myanmar, and from southern Mawlamyine township were halted en route. Scheduled departures from Yangon, the biggest city in the country, were canceled after rail lines were flooded by the rapid flow of water from mountain torrents and the spillage from dams in the Bago region.

MRTV said almost 1,000 people in Mon state’s Kyaikto township, just east of Bago, were sheltering in three relief camps, and there some evacuations as well in a northern part of Yangon.

Myanmar experiences extreme weather virtually every year during the monsoon season. In 2008, Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 people.

In July and August this year, floods in Mon, Kayin and Rakhine states and the regions of Bago and Magway killed five people and displaced about 60,000.

SPORTS PAGE 12

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2023

Kai Jones requests trade KAI JONES

By TENAJH SWEETING Tribune Sports Reporter tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

N

ational Basketball Association (NBA) professional player Kai Jones requested a trade from the Charlotte Hornets via the X social media platform on Monday night.

The decision came following the Hornets’ announcement two weeks ago that the forward/center would not be joining them at this year’s training camp and will be away from the team due to personal reasons.

However, Jones’ latest social media post might cost him up to $150,000 in fines or a possible suspension as it violates Section 18 of the National Basketball Players Association’s (NBPA) Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

The former 2021 first round pick made his displeasure with the Hornets known on Monday night.

“I have officially requested to be traded from the Charlotte Hornets. #GOATLIFE” he posted.

The 6-foot-11 player has recently made some questionable posts on social media, including openly criticising his teammates and exhibiting erratic behaviour on Instagram Live in the NBA’s offseason.

However, his latest post on X might be his costliest of them all.

Section 18 of the NBPA CBA states that any player or, for clarity, any player representative or person acting with authority on behalf of a player who publicly expresses a desire to be traded to another team shall be subject to a fine and/or a suspension.

As previously mentioned, the fine levied if in violation of this rule is $150,000.

In response to Jones’ offseason antics on social media and absence from

NATIONAL Basketball Association (NBA) player Kai Jones has officially requested to be traded from the Charlotte Hornets. training camp, the Hornets released a statement which said there is not a set timetable for the Bahamian big man’s return.

“Kai Jones will not participate in training camp due to personal reasons.

There is currently not a

timetable for his return to the team.

“Out of respect for the personal nature of the situation, the Hornets will not have any additional public comment regarding the matter at this time,” the statement read.

The team ultimately declined not to comment on this most recent matter.

In 67 career games, the 19th overall pick of the 2021 draft averaged 2.7 points per game along with two boards for the Hornets.

HISTORIC START TO SEASON MEANS LITTLE TO DOLPHINS COACH

By ALANIS THAMES AP Sports Writer MIAMI GARDENS, Florida (AP) — When asked his thoughts on the Miami Dolphins’ historic start to the season, coach Mike McDaniel raised his eyebrows and smirked.

“Mission accomplished,” McDaniel said sarcastically.

“We had the whole time, the whole offseason, that was our goal — was output after five games.”

Miami has totalled 2,568 yards of offence — the most by any NFL team through five games. But McDaniel knows the Dolphins (4-1) haven’t reached their ceiling, and continued improvement is necessary if the team wants to make a deep playoff run.

“All that means is that people are going to give you their best shot,” McDaniel said, “and you’d better continue to work and progress in your game if you’re going to be satisfied because you’re going to have a bullseye on your back.”

During their 31-16 win over the undermanned New York Giants on Sunday, the Dolphins had some offensive miscues that could be a problem against a tougher opponent — like the Eagles, Chiefs or Bills, all of whom are on the schedule.

Tua Tagovailoa had two interceptions, one of which was returned 102 yards for a touchdown. He also threw for 308 yards and two scores. The Dolphins had 524 yards of total offence and averaged nearly 10 yards per play.

“If we just stuck with our plan and we stuck with our rules for each play, I think things were going really smooth,” Tagovailoa said.

“There were just times where we were misaligned, things didn’t play within the structure of our offence and things just got out of hand with some plays.”

SEE PAGE 15

Less than a year after Ronaldo FORMER CHELSEA, career seemed in crisis, Portugal on REAL MADRID STAR EDEN HAZARD RETIRES the brink of reaching Euro 2024

By JAMES ROBSON AP Soccer Writer MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Cristiano Ronaldo is on the brink of leading Portugal to another major soccer tournament less than a year after his international career appeared to be over.

It wasn’t clear what the future held for the fivetime Champions League winner when he walked away from Manchester United last November and was then dropped by his country as it made an early exit from the World Cup in Qatar.

His move to Saudi Arabia wasn’t exactly a guarantee of success, but Ronaldo has proven he is far from done. On Friday, Portugal can secure its place at next year’s European Championship in Germany.

It will be a personal triumph for Ronaldo, who

insisted his career wasn’t over after leaving European club soccer behind to join Al-Nassr last December.

Not only has he been the catalyst for a slew of soccer’s biggest names, such as Neymar and Karim Benzema, following him to the Saudi league, but he has helped Portugal to its best-ever performance in a European qualifying campaign with six wins from six matches in Group J. A win against Slovakia on Friday will guarantee qualification and, if Ronaldo is selected, the chance for him to repeat his 2016 triumph with Portugal at the tournament.

Things have also turned around for Portugal coach Roberto Martinez, who left his post as Belgium coach at the end of his contract after failing to advance from the group stage at the World Cup. He had been criticised for

By SAMUEL PETREQUIN AP Sports Writer

CRISTIANO Ronaldo and Portugal can secure a place at next year’s European Championship in Germany on Friday. (AP) failing to make the most of the country’s golden generation that included Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku, despite leading the team to the semifinals of the 2018 World Cup and to No. 1 in the FIFA rankings

— a position it held for four years. At the time of his appointment, one newspaper poll in Portugal claimed 75% of fans who responded were against it. But Martinez is on the

SEE PAGE 14

BRUSSELS (AP) — Eden Hazard is putting an end to a 16-year injury-hit career marked by great success at club level and unfulfilled promise with the Belgium national team’s “Golden Generation.”

The 32-year-old Hazard announced his retirement from all soccer yesterday after more than 700 matches and two Premier League titles during his time with Chelsea.

Before injuries slowed him down, Hazard was often unstoppable on the field with his quick pace, creativity and super dribbling skills.

The widely admired player had already retired from international soccer after his country’s aging generation of players was eliminated from the World Cup in the group stage last year. “You must listen to yourself and say stop at the

EDEN Hazard (AP) right time,” said Hazard, who had been without a club since his contract with Real Madrid expired in June.

“I was able to realise my dream. I have played and had fun on many pitches around the world.”

Hazard won eight trophies with Madrid, including the Champions League and two Spanish League titles, but his time in Spain was marred by

SEE PAGE 14

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, October 11, 2023, PAGE 13

ASTROS Arawak Homes sponsors ROUT employee Kaiwan Culmer’s TWINS 9-1, TAKE 2-1 journey to Paris Olympics ALDS LEAD

By TENAJH SWEETING Tribune Sports Reporter tsweeting@tribunemedia.net ARAWAK Homes Limited announced their decision to sponsor their fellow employee and triple jumper Kaiwan Culmer on his quest to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The company’s site supervisor had already made the choice to turn in his resignation letter nearly four weeks ago to focus on his athletic aspirations for next year.

However, his employer opted to keep him as an employee while also funding his journey.

With the full financial and professional support of Arawak Homes Ltd, Culmer is ready to proudly represent The Bahamas next July.

Franklyn Wilson, president of Arawak Homes Ltd, said initially the company had not known they were employing a professional athlete but after the discovery, he felt it was their corporate duty to support Culmer’s athletic journey and therefore declined his resignation.

“We said Kaiwan instead of you resigning we would wish to sponsor you in your efforts to make the Olympics, do not resign and what we would do is put you on a leave of absence,” Wilson said.

He added that the company granted him this opportunity so that he can solely focus on qualifying for the Olympics and

would not have the distraction of worrying about the future of his professional career after next year’s sporting event.

While employed at Arawak Homes Ltd as a site supervisor, Culmer would have the support of his co-workers who stepped up in his absences due to his participation in sporting meets or athletic training.

The 26-year-old expressed gratitude to everyone who supported his journey in athletics. He offered a special thanks to Drumeco Archer, president of the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations (BAAA), Romell Knowles, president of the Bahamas Olympic Committee (BOC) along with his parents, coaches, and co-workers.

“I thank God for just giving me this opportunity.

I do not take it for granted in any which way, I think it speaks a lot to the hard work that I have put in but it is not me, it is God who has created this opportunity for me,” he said.

With the weight of his professional career now lifted and the comfort of Arawak Homes Ltd sponsorship behind him, the three-time national champion is ready to push for a new personal best in the triple jump event.

After working with sprint coach Damarius Cash to improve his speed, Culmer will be under the tutelage of Olympian Leevan “Superman” Sands

By DAVE CAMPBELL AP Sports Writer

SHOW OF SUPPORT: Arawak Homes Limited has made the decision to sponsor triple jumper Kaiwan Culmer, the company’s site supervisor, on his quest to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics. at Florida State University in Tallahassee.

He currently has a personal best outdoor record of 16.52 metres (m) and is determined to undergo intense training to attain a new personal best over 17 metres.

The 26-year-old talked about what led to the decision of choosing the Bahamian triple jump legend to take him to the next level. “I just thought why wouldn’t it be best to go under one of the national heroes of our country who has already done it, who knows what it is to get there, and who tailored his body and put his body through that amount of stress in order to get to this level,” he said.

Although the decision to put his professional career aside to try and represent The Bahamas at the 2024 Paris Olympics was a difficult one, the triple jumper was happy it translated into a blessing. BOC president Knowles and BAAA president Archer both praised the dedication of Culmer and high corporate values of Arawak Homes Ltd. “Arawak Homes today [and] their social responsibility as a company speaks volumes in our corporate world. And I wish other companies will join the likes of Arawak Homes and I want to congratulate you on your corporate social values in terms of sponsoring athletes,” Knowles said.

Archer acknowledged that the sponsorship by Arawak Homes Ltd was great as they understood Culmer’s sacrifice of his professional endeavours for a greater opportunity.

“It is also a story about a company like Arawak Homes, for a company to recognise how profound that sacrifice is and for people to appreciate the depth of that sacrifice, to set aside one’s capacity to make money all for the glory of track and field and for the glory of the country,” the BAAA president said.

Culmer is dedicated and passionate as he embarks on a mission to achieve greatness in Paris next year.

Britain-Ireland to host soccer’s 2028 European Championship, Italy-Turkey to stage Euro 2032

By GRAHAM DUNBAR AP Sports Writer NYON, Switzerland (AP) — The trend of reaching friendly agreements to pick hosts of the Olympics or major soccer tournaments without a contested vote continued in Europe yesterday.

European soccer body UEFA made winners of all seven of its member federations who were competing to be future hosts of the European Championship in 2028 and 2032.

The four member nations of Britain will cohost with Ireland in 2028, and an unusual Italy-Turkey plan was picked for 2032.

Final approval from the UEFA executive committee appeared inevitable after former bid rivals Italy and Turkey united under one flag of convenience in July. That deal took Turkey out of the Euro 2028 contest, where the team of five neighbouring UEFA member federations — England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Ireland — was long favored to win.

The seven members “whose dedication, hard work and commitment have been duly recognised” were praised in a written statement by UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin.

The UEFA decisions followed six days after another deal was revealed

by FIFA to stage the 2030 World Cup in six countries on three continents. That arrangement added South American neighbours Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay to their former bid rival, the heavily favoured Europe-led cohosting plan of Spain and Portugal that this year added Morocco.

The 2030 deal allowed FIFA to fast-track opening the 2034 bidding contest reserved only for member federations from Asia and Oceania. That makes it look like a shoo-in for

Saudi Arabia. FIFA is aiming to finalise both 2030 and 2034 World Cup decisions late next year.

The International Olympic Committee set the trend of double awards when it changed rules midway through the 2024 Summer Games bid campaign to pick the 2028 host also. That let Los Angeles be rewarded without the risk of losing the 2024 vote that Paris was expected to win.

The IOC has since ended contested votes — often at risk of bribery — for Olympic hosts in favour of exclusive talks with a preferred candidate. The new process let Brisbane, Australia, be fast-tracked as the 2032 Summer Games host.

In soccer, Turkey appeared likely to lose a vote for 2032 even amid doubts Italy could finish a massive construction project to build and upgrade the stadiums needed for a 24-team, 51-game tournament.

“The challenges are enormous,” Italian soccer federation president Gabriele Gravina said.

“We’ve never had the courage to face them with full strength. So, Euro 2032 will be a great stimulus.”

The UEFA-brokered accord with Italy means Turkey finally will get to host a European Championship after several failed previous bids, including by one vote against France for Euro 2016.

Splitting the 2032 tournament between Italy and Turkey means each country need only provide five viable stadiums, making it easier on each co-host. That is despite UEFA bid rules stating that only neighbouring member federations can propose co-hosting. Rome and Istanbul are separated by about 1,400 kilometres (870 miles) with flights across the Mediterranean Sea and Aegean Sea taking more than two hours.

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin, fourth left, shows the name of UK and Ireland elected to host the Euro 2028 fooball tournament with Gareth Bale, third left, Welsh soccer player and Ambassador during the the UEFA EURO 2028 and 2032 hosts announcement ceremony after the UEFA Executive Committee, at UEFA Headquarters, in Nyon, Switzerland, yesterday.

(Jean-Christophe Bott/Keystone via AP) Britain and Ireland were widely expected to get Euro 2028 when it was clear UEFA’s preference was for Spain and Portugal to lead Europe’s attempt to secure the 2030 World Cup. “Today does help to vindicate that decision,” English Football Association CEO Mark Bullingham said yesterday, describing its 2030 option as “at least a real long shot to win.”

Co-hosting by five UEFA members in 2028 and two in 2032 follows the radical 13-member project that was agreed on for Euro 2020. It was cut to 11 when the tournament was eventually played during the COVID-19 pandemic one year behind schedule.

The Euro 2020 final and semifinals were played at the 85,000-seat Wembley Stadium in London and the plan is for those three games to return in 2028.

The UEFA picks are not even the most scattered and logistically challenging chosen this month for a major soccer event. The FIFA-backed plan for the 2030 World Cup requires teams, fans and officials to make flights of about 11

hours from a single game in each of the three South American co-hosts.

All six 2030 hosts will get automatic entry to that World Cup, and Italy and Turkey both get direct places at Euro 2032. But UEFA will not offer five automatic places for the 2028 hosts. One option is putting all five into traditional qualifying and awarding automatic places to the two best records among the non-qualifiers.

The Euro 2028 bid plan has six stadiums in England, led by Wembley along with the club venues of Aston Villa, Manchester City, Newcastle, Tottenham and the underconstruction new home of Everton in the dock area of Liverpool.

The national stadiums of Ireland, Scotland and Wales will also be used, plus a planned new stadium in Belfast at the currently derelict Casement Park.

“We are assured that the (British) government will put the funding behind this to make it happen,” said Patrick Nelson, CEO of the Northern Irish soccer federation. The project is set to cost at least 150 million pounds ($180 million).

Euro 2024, which will be held next year in Germany, is an increasingly rare example in modern soccer of a single host nation.

UEFA has targeted Euro 2024 and 2028 to be highprofit tournaments with revenues at each edition of at least 2 billion euros ($2.12 billion).

UEFA is hoping to rebuild its cash reserves above 500 million euros ($528 million) after being depleted during the pandemic.

The men’s European Championship funds much of UEFA’s organisational costs and pays for development costs to 55 member federations.

UEFA expects the programme, known as Hat Trick, to invest 935 million euros ($990 million) from 2024-28, paying members about double what they get from FIFA in each World Cup cycle.

Russia, the 2018 World Cup host, had applied to enter both European hosting races but was ruled ineligible by UEFA because of the invasion of Ukraine.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — José Abreu hit a threerun homer for Houston in a four-run first inning against Sonny Gray and piled on with a two-run shot in the ninth, powering the Astros past the Minnesota Twins 9-1 yesterday for a 2-1 lead in their AL Division Series.

Yordan Alvarez hit his fourth home run in three games and Alex Bregman had a homer and an RBI single for the defending World Series champions, who took charge from their first at-bat and moved within one win of a seventh consecutive AL Championship Series appearance.

Astros starter Cristian Javier took it from there with nine strikeouts in five scoreless innings. “This was one of the reasons why I signed with this organisation, to be in the best situation and compete, said Abreu, who hit a careerlow .237 in his Astros debut season, nearly 50 points below his career mark.

Game 4 is at Target Field today. If the Twins force Game 5, it would be in Houston on Friday.

“We were fighting an uphill battle as a team. I was fighting an uphill battle every inning,” Gray said.

Javier has been uneven at best this year, with a 4.56 ERA that was by far his worst in four major league seasons. He failed to finish five innings in five of his prior 11 starts. Manager Dusty Baker expressed confidence in the 26-yearold since the series began, a belief he connected to his extended experience of seeing Javier at his best.

The right-hander, who threw six hitless innings in World Series Game 4 last year to beat Philadelphia, lowered his career postseason ERA to 1.91 over 37 2/3 innings. With 13 misses in 16 swings at Javier’s slider, the Twins flailed through the late afternoon shadows in a feeble response to the early explosion by the Astros. Javier allowed only one hit, a one-out double by Max Kepler in the first that put two runners in scoring position. Javier responded with consecutive strikeouts of Royce Lewis and Carlos Correa.

With five walks and one hit batter, Javier provided the Twins plenty of opportunities to catch up. They loaded the bases on walks in the fifth inning, but Kepler and Lewis ended the inning with strikeouts.

The Twins left nine men on base and went 1 for 9 with runners in scoring position. Correa, who has a hit in all five postseason games and is 9 for 19 with four RBIs, scored on Willi Castro’s one-out single in the sixth. But Jeremy Peña made a diving stop at shortstop of a grounder rocketed

by Ryan Jeffers and leaped to his feet to start a double play. “It was a difficult day to hit, so them jumping out early was very, very important,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said.

PAGE 14, Wednesday, October 11, 2023

THE TRIBUNE

Bahamas Professional Golf Tour season opens with a bang at Baha Mar IT was an exciting start to the Bahamas Professional Golf Tour season when Riccardo Davis, founder of the tour, secured the victory at the BPGT Classic in September after some drama on hole 18 ensued between him and David Harris.

Playing at the Baha Mar resort’s Royal Blue Golf Course, Davis and Harris finished their round tied at two-over par 74 and needed a playoff to break the tie.

After they were tied at the end of the first round of playoff, Davis’ short game helped him to hold off a fierce Harris to start the season off with a bang as he made a birdie on that second playoff hole. Harris had to settle for second.

Next on the agenda is the Hillshire Farms Classic by Asa H Pritchard set for 2pm on Saturday, October 28.

“We are thrilled to have Hillshire Farms continue their sponsorship of the tour, their brand is one that is synonymous with golf development, and we continue to value their support,” Davis said.

Nolan Johnson won the amateur division in the Classic last month while Christopher Callendar won the junior division. All three division champions will be back in the Hillshire Farms Classic to defend their title.

As mentioned earlier, golfers of all skill level can participate whether they are a professional, amateur or junior as they will each have their own category.

There are great prizes in each division and golfers are encouraged to come out and give support to the professionals and those striving to reach the professional level as they hone their skills to excel professionally.

We have great sponsors such as Bahamas Waste, Breezes Resorts, Royal Blue Golf Club, R & E Imports & Sales, Sun Tee, Signature Events and Wild Flowers.

Anyone wishing to support the tour can do so by contacting the tour at bahamasprofessionalolftour@ gmail.com The tour is also in contact with the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture and the Ministry of Tourism to support the tour so that we import professional golfers to our home-grown tour.

By TALES AZZONI AP Sports Writer

MADRID (AP) — With his “batteries charged” again after an exhausting Ryder Cup week, Jon Rahm is back home to try to surpass idol Seve Ballesteros with a fourth Spanish Open title.

Rahm matched Ballesteros’ three titles by winning in Madrid last year, and he arrives as the favourite again this week following a successful — yet emotionally grueling — appearance at the Ryder Cup. “The Ryder Cup week is different than any other. I was more mentally exhausted than I’ve ever been in any other Sunday that I’ve played,” said Rahm, who won three points to help Europe defeat the United States at Marco Simone in Italy two weeks ago. “For me this week is very, very important. Last week obviously I wanted to enjoy the Ryder Cup win, but also rest to be with the batteries charged for this tournament.”

Rahm will be making his fifth appearance in Madrid, with his victories coming in 2018, 2019 and 2022. Ballesteros won the last of his 50 titles on the European tour at the Spanish Open in 1995.

“It would be an honour to surpass Seve,” Rahm said yesterday. “Any time you get your name alongside Seve’s name in the history of Spanish golf, it’s a great honour for me. He’s been the reference, and to get to four titles this quick would be incredible.”

The third-ranked Rahm and No. 36 Justin Rose are the only players from the top 50 in the field this week at Club de Campo Villa de Madrid. Angel de la Torre is a five-time winner of the event, which had its prize fund nearly double from a year ago to $3.25 million.

More than 40,000 spectators were on hand over the four days last year, and an even bigger crowd is expected this weekend with a holiday on Thursday in Spain.

“Obviously there is more pressure and more motivation to try to win at home,” Rahm said.

RICCARDO DAVIS, far roght, winner of the professional division.

NOLAN JOHNSON, centre, winner of the amateur division.

CHRISTOPHER CALLENDAR, centre, winner of the junior division.

RONALDO FROM PAGE 12

verge of getting another chance to deliver the major trophy he never managed to win for Belgium.

BRILLIANT BELLINGHAM Jude Bellingham continued his sensational start with Real Madrid on Saturday by equalling Ronaldo’s record of 10 goals in his first 10 games. That is the best scoring start for Madrid since Ronaldo achieved that feat when he joined from Manchester United in 2009.

Bellingham has emerged as one of the brightest stars in Europe since the departures of Ronaldo and Neymar for Saudi Arabia and Lionel Messi for Inter Miami. He is now a key figure in the England team, which plays Italy at Wembley Stadium next week in a repeat of the Euro 2020 final.

MBAPPE MISSION Things haven’t gone too well for Kylian Mbappe at Paris Saint-Germain in what could be his final season at the club, but at least he’s close to qualifying for Euro 2024 with France.

PSG is in third place in the French league and last week lost to Newcastle in the Champions League.

Mbappe, who has said he will leave the club when his contract expires, was initially made to train away from the first

RAHM LOOKS TO SURPASS BALLESTEROS AT SPANISH OPEN

PSG ’s Kylian Mbappe during the French League One soccer match between Rennes and Paris Saint Germain, at the Roazhon Park Stadium, in Rennes, France, Sunday, Oct. 8, 2023.

(AP Photo/Jeremias Gonzalez) team as a result, but was then recalled. That led to renewed hope at PSG that he would extend his contract, but as it stands he will be a free agent at the end of the season.

PSG’s loss to Newcastle also raises questions about its credentials to finally win the Champions League — European club soccer’s biggest trophy and one that Mbappe craves. The France forward has won several domestic honors with the club.

With the national team, Mbappe won the World Cup in 2018 and finished runner-up last year. At least qualification for next year’s European Championship would give him the opportunity to win another major prize for his country. France plays the

Netherlands in Amsterdam on Friday.

SPAIN’S WONDERKID Barcelona teenager Lamine Yamal returns to Spain’s national team with yet another record to his name after becoming the youngest player to score in the Spanish league at the weekend.

The 16-year-old forward scored in Barcelona’s 2-2 draw at Granada on Sunday to surpass Malaga player Fabrice Olinga, who was a few days older when he scored against Celta Vigo in 2012. Yamal was already the youngest player to debut in the league, and the youngest to start in the Champions League.

Yamal made his debut with Spain last month, and became the youngest

scorer in a European Championship qualifier.

He was also the youngest player to appear for Spain, and the hype surrounding the youngster has only increased since his first match with La Roja.

Yamal has gained a more prominent role with Barcelona, and the same is expected to happen with the national team. Spain plays against Scotland on Thursday and is at Norway on Sunday. Scotland leads Group A with 15 points, six more than Spain, which has a game in hand. Norway is third with seven points.

Scotland can qualify for Euro 2024 by beating Spain. Scott McTominay warmed up for that match with two late goals for Manchester United on Saturday.

The midfielder is a surprise name toward the top of the scoring charts in European qualifying, with only Romelu Lukaku ahead of him with eight goals. McTominay is in second place along with United teammate Rasmus Hojlund with six goals so far.

ITALY’S REVIVAL Napoli’s loss appears to be Italy’s gain. Luciano Spalletti left Napoli at the end of last season after leading the club to its first Serie A title in 33 years and was later appointed Italy coach following Roberto Mancini’s resignation.

While Napoli is currently looking like a shadow of the team that won the league title, Spalletti seems to have Italy playing like his former team.

His first match in charge was a drab 1-1 draw at North Macedonia but the attacking flair that characterised Napoli last season was evident in Italy’s 2-1 win over Ukraine that got the Azzurri’s Euro 2024 qualifying campaign back on track.

Italy moved into second place in Group C, above Ukraine on head-to-head record — with the return match scheduled for Nov. 20.

The Azzurri have played a game less than Ukraine and England, which leads the group by six points.

Italy hosts Malta on Saturday before playing England at Wembley three days later.

HAZARD FROM PAGE 12

injuries — including a fracture in his right foot during his first season — and coincided with his decline.

After starting his professional career with French club Lille, where he won the league and cup double, Hazard moved to Stamford Bridge in 2012. He spent seven seasons with Chelsea, becoming a fans’ favourite with his 110 goals in 352 games.

In addition to the two Premier League titles, he also helped Chelsea win the Europa League twice, and the FA Cup and League Cup once. “During my career I was lucky to meet great managers, coaches and teammates — thank you to everyone for these great times, I will miss you all,” Hazard said. “I also want to thank the clubs I have played for: LOSC, Chelsea and Real Madrid; and thank the RBFA for my Belgian selection.”

At international level, Hazard made his debut with the national team in 2008 at the age of 17. He made 126 appearances and scored 33 goals.

He was part of the socalled Golden Generation of Belgian players who were tipped to win a major title but could ultimately only make it to the semifinals of the 2018 World Cup and repeatedly failed at other international tournaments.

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, October 11, 2023, PAGE 15

Dunkin’ Donuts donates $10,000 to ‘Junkanoo Jingle to Bay’ 5k Race

By TENAJH SWEETING Tribune Sports Reporter tsweeting@tribunemedia.net DUNKIN’ Donuts Bahamas donated $10,000 towards the ‘Junkanoo Jingle to Bay’ 5k Holiday Race fundraiser to support youth development in The Bahamas.

The event’s title sponsor is also joined by Legacy Church, who will receive a part of the event’s proceeds, along with the Bahamas Humane Society. With the holiday season right around the corner, the festive event is slated to take place at 6am on December 16 at Arawak Cay. The event is opened to adults, children, and pets wanting to experience the holiday spirit for worthy causes.

Eldira Backford, director of marketing for Dunkin’ Donuts Bahamas, said it is a proud moment for the company to align itself with organisations that share the same goals.

“At Dunkin’ Bahamas we are proud to stand along organisations that have a shared passion for bringing

awareness and action to relevant causes where support is needed in our communities,” Backford said.

She added that the idea behind the holiday race is not only to bring a fun and festive event to the community, but also bring local organisations, schools and communities together to support the development of the country’s youth.

Legacy Church will also greatly benefit from this year’s festive and fitness event as the non-profit organisation regularly works with the youth inside and outside of the church walls.

Rosemary Pena, apostle at Legacy Church, expressed gratitude to both Dunkin’ and Four Seasons Race Management for partnering with them and supporting the programme which caters to youth from 12-18 as well as young adults.

“Your sponsorship is not going to go to waste, our youth are already planning and plotting how they are going to maximise the donation and what they are

going to launch, they are planning so many things,” Pena said.

The holiday fundraiser is set to be an exciting one, according to Marcel Major, chief executive officer and RRCA certified race director for Four Seasons Race Management.

“The race is dear to our hearts as we are deeply rooted in Junkanoo, we are also runners, health enthusiasts and community builders.

“JJtoBay5k blends all of our shared ideals while raising funds for youth development in The Bahamas,” Major said.

The route for the winter event will begin at Arawak Cay through downtown Nassau, Rawson Square and participants will turn around at Rubis East Bay near Commonwealth Bank and head back to Arawak Cay. The cost for adults is $45, children are $35 and adults with one pet are $55.

Civic groups, churches, companies or friends are encouraged to form teams of ten for a cost of $35 per

DUNKIN’ Donates Bahamas has donated $10,000 towards the “Junkanoo Jingle to Bay” 5k Holiday Race Fundraiser in support of youth development in The Bahamas. person. Santa suits will also be provided to participants to complement the holiday theme. “This will be such an exciting, family and pet-friendly holiday event, you won’t want to miss on Saturday, December 16 at Arawak Cay,” he said.

Registration is said to be going well as the community supports the youth and bringing awareness to nonprofit organisations Individuals can register for December’s event at www.fourseasonsracemanagement.com. Persons that

wish to become a corporate sponsor or form a team can email jjtobay242@gmail. com or call 242-804-8595.

The event is also sponsored by Oaktree Medical Center, 100 Jamz, WalkIn Clinic, and IL Cares Foundation.

DOLPHINS FROM PAGE 12 SRI Lanka’s Kusal Mendis plays a shot as Pakistan’s Mohammad Rizwan watches during the ICC Cricket World Cup match between Pakistan and Sri Lanka in Hyderabad, India, Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

PAKISTAN BEATS SRI LANKA IN RECORD RUN-CHASE AT CRICKET WORLD CUP, ENGLAND DEFEATS BANGLADESH HDYERABAD, India (AP) — Mohammad Rizwan and opening batter Abdullah Shafique hit centuries yesterday as Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by six wickets in a record run-chase at the Cricket World Cup. Chasing a target of 345, Rizwan played with a pulled right calf and scored an unbeaten 131 off 121 balls. Shafique, replacing out-of-form Fakhar Zaman, scored 113 to help Pakistan reach 345-4 in 48.2 overs.

Pakistan stretched its World Cup record against Sri Lanka to 8-0 as has four points from two victories. Pakistan have beaten both the qualifiers — the Netherlands and Sri Lanka — going into the marquee game against rival India in Ahmedabad on Saturday.

“Always proud when you perform like that,” Rizwan said after a knock which featured eight fours and three sixes. “It was difficult and when you chase like that, it’s always special.

Every player in the dressing room had the belief we can chase that.”

Sri Lanka has had plenty of bowling problems at the World Cup in the absence of injured star legspinner Wanindu Hasaranga. The team also lost its opening game against South Africa, which scored 428 runs against the Sri Lankans.

Pakistan’s big chase surpassed Ireland’s previous Cricket World Cup record when it made 329-7 to beat England in 2011.

The hundreds from Shafique, who hit 10 fours and three sixes, and Rizwan overshadowed Kusal Mendis’ 77-ball 122 and Sadeera Samarawickrama’s 108 — maiden ODI hundreds that pushed Sri

Lanka’s total to 344-9 on a day when bowlers got walloped from both sides on a perfect batting pitch.

Mendis and Samarawickrama showed plenty of aggression in the middle overs with a 111-run thirdwicket stand off 69 balls, hitting 25 fours and eight sixes in between them.

Mendis capitalised on two early dropped catches inside the powerplay when first off-colour Shaheen Afridi (1-66) couldn’t hold onto a sharp return catch and Imam-ul-Haq dropped a sharp chance at point.

Mendis hit 14 fours and six sixes, including a flicked six over midwicket against Pakistan’s best bowler of the day — Hasan Ali (4-71) — that brought up his century off 65 balls.

Samarawickrama took charge after Mendis holed out to a well-judged catch

by Imam at mid-wicket fence. Pakistan pulled back in the final 10 overs despite Samrawickrama raising his century with Haris Rauf (2-64) picking up both his wickets in the final over.

“We should’ve finished stronger in the end,” Sri Lanka captain Shanaka said. “The way the wicket behaved, we were 20-25 runs short. … I can’t ask too much from the bowlers.”

Pakistan had a sluggish start to the chase when Dilshan Madushanka got the key wickets in the powerplay as Imam pulled to fine leg and captain Babar Azam (10) edged a leg side flick to the wicketkeeper.

Shafique and Rizwan then began Pakistan’s second highest ever runchase in an ODI as Sri Lankan bowlers like Matheesha Pathirana sprayed plenty of wayward

PAKISTAN’s Mohammad Rizwan plays a shot during the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup match between Pakistan and Sri Lanka in Hyderabad, India, yesterday.

(AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool) deliveries with his slingy action to end up with 1-90.

In the earlier game in Dharamsala, Dawid Malan’s century set up England’s first win when it beat Bangladesh by 137 runs.

Malan scored 140 off 107 balls — his fifth ODI hundred — as England reached 364-9 to bounce back from losing to New Zealand in the tournament opener.

Left-arm pacer Reece Topley returned figures of 4-43 as England bowled out Bangladesh for 227 in 48.2 overs.

It was England’s fourth biggest win by runs in World Cup history.

Put in to bat, England made a strong start as Malan and Jonny Bairstow (52) shared 115 runs for the first wicket. Shakib Al Hasan bowled Bairstow, but Malan and Joe Root added 151 runs for the second wicket.

Malan hit 16 fours and five sixes overall, and

reached his hundred off 91 balls. After the landmark, he cut loose to score 40 off only 16 balls, hitting four fours and three sixes.

“It was fantastic to put in a performance like this and win a game (for the team).

Hopefully my form will continue ahead,” Malan said. “With Root at three, it allows us to play freely.

I am desperate to do well in this format and prove a point.”

Root also scored quickly, reaching 50 off 44 balls.

Overall, he hit 82 off 68 balls, including eight fours and a six, as he continues to rediscover his form.

England lost its way a bit in the last phase of the innings.

After Malan’s dismissal, the English went from 296-2 to 307-5, losing Root and Jos Buttler (20).

Liam Livingstone, who has a good IPL record at the stadium, was bowled for a golden duck. Harry Brook (20) guided the

score past 350 along with the lower middle-order.

Topley then destroyed Bangladesh’s chase with the new ball. He sent back Tanzid Hasan for one, and then Najmul Hossain Shanto was caught for a golden duck in the second over.

Four overs later, Topley bowled Shakib for one.

Chris Woakes had Mehidy Hasan Miraz caught behind for eight as Bangladesh struggled at 49-4 in 8.3 overs.

The game was effectively already over, even as Litton Das top-scored with 76 to help stabilise the innings. He put on 72 runs with Mushfiqur Rahim, the only time Bangladesh looked comfortable.

Rahim scored 51 runs, but there weren’t any lower-order heroics to jeopardise England’s win.

England and Bangladesh, which beat Afghanistan in its opener, both have two points after two games.

McDaniel has repeated the importance of progress from one game to the next, and the Dolphins showed improvements on defence after a poor performance against Buffalo last Sunday.

Miami didn’t allow an offensive touchdown and limited the Giants to 85 yards rushing.

“We came together as a defence and we told each other that we had to play as one,” linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel said. “Play as a team and everybody do your job so when you can come out and put pressure on the quarterback and get DBs playing aggressive. We were really shutting down receivers, that’s what it is all about.”

WHAT’S WORKING Balance on offence.

Miami’s run game was inconsistent last year, but this season the Dolphins are wearing teams down with their No. 1-ranked rushing offence.

Rookie De’Von Achane had 11 carries for 151 yards and a touchdown against the Giants.

“You don’t just expect that for the rookie to come up and perform the way I have been performing,” Achane said. “So I just hope that I can keep it up.”

His success opens up even more opportunities for the Dolphins’ potent passing game. Tyreek Hill had eight catches for 181 yards and a touchdown.

WHAT NEEDS HELP Turnovers have been an issue the past two weeks.

After fumbling twice in a Week 4 loss at Buffalo, the Dolphins had three giveaways Sunday. Also, pre-snap penalties were an issue for the second straight game.

STOCK UP The defensive front.

Miami took advantage of a banged-up Giants offensive line and finished with seven sacks and 14 quarterback hits. Defensive tackle Christian Wilkins had probably his best game of the season, and tackle Zach Sieler had two sacks, three quarterback hits and three tackles for loss.

STOCK DOWN Rookie cornerback Cam Smith. After a strong training camp, it seemed that Miami’s second-round pick could be a big contributor, especially with Jalen Ramsey injured and Nik Needham working his way back from an Achilles tendon tear. Smith has barely seen the field and only got action on special teams Sunday.

NEXT STEPS The Dolphins will host the winless Carolina Panthers next Sunday, which could provide an opportunity to clean up their mistakes before their Sunday night showdown at Philadelphia on October 22.

PAGE 20, Wednesday, October 11, 2023

THE TRIBUNE

Gov’ts health reform: ‘We cannot do it all’ FROM PAGE A24 implement the second phase of National Health Insurance, with the introduction of catastrophic healthcare cover. This will make healthcare more affordable for all Bahamians”.

While no specifics on how this will be accomplished, or the associated timelines, were provided, Dr Sands told Tribune Business: “I think if they are able to accomplish it, it will be a game changer.

It [catastrophic care] was a major plank in the FNM’s 2017 platform but we did not accomplish it. This was something that I believe is very important, and I continue to believe is very important.

“When we did the costing evaluation, and we did a tremendous amount of groundwork for advancing universal health care (UHC), including primary care and catastrophic care, the price tag was found not to be as large as thought. It wad found to be between $170m and $210m.”

The former health minister said the then-NHI Authority Board, chaired

by Dr Robin Roberts, “did a phenomenal amount of work in terms of advancing the concept. The Board did yeoman’s work, and it

would be a shame if that work was allowed to collect dust.

“We went so far as to get costing of the product, how it would integrate with private health insurance, and would do a tremendous amount to advance private healthcare in the country and to provide a sustainable means of funding healthcare in the country,” Dr Sands added.

“Government is continuous, and even though the NHI Authority is a quasigovernment agency, it has continued to grow. There has been a huge uptick in demand for NHI, the primary care component, and now I think it’s time to expand it again given the challenges people face, particularly if they encounter heart attacks, kidney failure, strokes or cancers.”

Dr Sands described The Bahamas’ present healthcare model, where private and public healthcare coexist side by side, as akin to “medical apartheid” because while clients of the former typically enjoy health insurance and can thus afford hospital-level catastrophic care those in the latter often cannot.

Successive administrations have spoken about the need to end cook-outs and other ways of raising funds for

those who cannot afford critical treatments.

Conceding that NHI’s proposed expansion will likely provoke some opposition, the FNM chairman added: “This is something that has been an elusive goal for a very long time.

People will cry bloody murder when they first hear about it, but I think this is an appropriate and necessary step in a civil society.

“Obviously, the devil is in the detail. This is one of those things where it is less an issue of whether we can afford it or repurpose the incredible spending we have, much of which is wasted. The Bahamas spends more money on health that most countries in the world. Part of that is due to the fact we have a horrible health profile that has been recorded over and over.

“We cannot afford to continue business as usual because of the massive drag on productivity, costly treatments, dialysis treatments, air ambulances. The idea that we provide everybody with with insurance, whether underwritten by the NHI Authority or third party payers, and elevate the quality of healthcare everybody gets, it allows us to become more competitive in retaining nurses and

allied professionals,” Dr Sands continued.

“It’s [catastrophic care] absolutely the right target.

Now let’s see how they are going to get there. This is an opportunity for collaboration and looking at the work that has been done.

A huge amount of work was done with the support of the Ministry of Health and Pan-American Health Organisation (PAHO).

Don’t reinvent the wheel.

The work has been done. If they have prioritised it, let’s get it done.”

Dr Sands, though, argued that the Government’s healthcare reform agenda is over-ambitious and too expensive, especially given the challenges it faces in securing the necessary financing with The Bahamas presently effectively cut-off from raising funds via the international bond markets because the interest rates demanded by investors are too costly.

“The one challenge that exists is how they will get it done when the National Insurance Board (NIB) finds itself in so much trouble,” the former health minister told Tribune Business. “The other problem is there are some misguided capital projects being considered, so we can’t do it all.

“They are talking about a new hospital in the face of a Critical Care Block at Princess Margaret Hospital that they cannot maintain. You cannot build a new hospital in Grand Bahama, build a new hospital in Nassau, expand NHI, save NIB, build a new prison. We’re in the middle of an international bond crisis so the cost of raising money is infinitely much more expensive if not impossible.

“I don’t know what they’re smoking, but they’re not going to be able to do everything.” Asked what the Government should focus its healthcare plans on, Dr Sands implied that it should not be a new hospital for New Providence.

“If they’re going to prioritise, it might be in the first instance trying to get the healthcare system working, focusing on getting Grand Bahama’s secondary and tertiary care up to scratch, getting the critical care block at Princess Margaret Hospital working as it should and go back to the phased expansion plan agreed for years, and focus on retaining nurses,” he added.

“I think they will find that, and strengthening the primary healthcare system, will give them far more bang for their buck. Catastrophic

care is absolutely necessary. We have hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of people on dialysis right now, and no sustainable means of paying it.”

The Davis administration tabled a revised NHI Bill in the House of Assembly in October 2022, with the intention that it would repeal and replace the existing 2016 Act. It sought to make the scheme’s Standard Health Benefit the minimum level of insured medical care for all Bahamians whether they are covered by private insurers or NHI. The Bill ran into opposition from the Medical Association of the Bahamas (MAB), which represents private physicians, urging that the Government “hit the pause button” and stating that it “cannot support the Bill” in its present form.

However, the Bill never move forward, and the proroguing of Parliament this summer meant that all outstanding legislation at the time was discontinued.

The Davis administration is now likely to resuscitate the legislation and bring it forward for tabling in the new session, based on the Speech from the Throne.

ATLANTIS SPARKS STRONG OPPOSITION OVER MONTAGU BAY SEAPLANE BID FROM PAGE A24 a Bahamian-owned airline based out of Odyssey Aviation on New Providence.

The seaplanes aim to add Family Island excursions from Nassau, with operations out of Montagu Bay intended to increase connectivity, expand the tourism market and create jobs through flights to Spanish Wells and Kamalame Cay. Scott Buckner, incoming commodore of a local sailing club, said that while he can see the project’s attraction it would be placed in the middle of “ground zero of sailing”. He added: “I’m

opposed, and the reason for it is not being against the seaplanes per se, but the landing area.

“We did have Chalks. It’s wonderful. It’s romantic.

I can see why people want to go on seaplanes. It’s not against the seaplanes. This landing area is right in the middle of where Bahamians sail; it’s ground zero of sailing.”

Jackson Parker, an instructor at the Nassau Yacht Club, voiced safety concerns about having the seaplane landing site close to where he tutors children in the country’s national sport.

He said: “My main concern is the safety of having these children on the water at the same time as seaplanes that are landing.

That runway is literally right where I will be having kids sail every single day of the week.

“Sailing is our national sport. What does Atlantis care more about?

Promoting youth sports in our country or profiting off Americans? What do we care more about? This project will severely limit our ability to learn and promote sailing in this country.”

Senior Commander Berne Wright, the Port Department’s acting port

controller, maintained that a decision on approving the seaplane project and associated licence has not been finalised and the consultation process will influence the outcome.

He added that placing the landing site at Montagu was “only a suggestion”, and that due to increased traffic the previous location at the former Chalks operations base on Paradise Island “is not suitable for continued operations”.

Commander Wright added: “It was the Port Department’s recommendation to have what we are having now. At the Port Department we don’t make

decisions in a silo, and we value what you bring to the table. Hence your input, your feelings matter in the decision we make.

“Since Chalks ceased operations there would have been considerable growth.

There’s more [boating] traffic and that is not suitable for continued operations. Montagu

was only a suggestion; this deal is not done. We at the Port Department, we hold no brief for Atlantis. We are the regulators and it is the decisions that we make along with the airside. No decision has been made.

Your input will influence the decision and that’s why we are here today.”

CITI EXECUTIVE ‘MILDLY OPTIMISTIC’ OVER TRAVEL FROM PAGE A22 there’s no data that I have to suggest that there would be a recession in travel.”

Mr Bailin added that the post-pandemic travel boom will level off over time, as increased fuel costs will affect airline ticket prices, leading to him have a “mildly optimistic” view for the global tourism industry over the next year.

“I would say it’s pretty clear that the level of travel this year does reflect the very last remnants of COVID, and the fact that people were locked down.

So everybody, you know, there was a burst of travel that lasted the better part of 12 months after COVID has been abating, and then normalisation is underway,” he said.

“And then secondly, you know, higher fuel prices, which have caused the airlines to have to increase fares has been a bit of a headwind, too. And right now, that doesn’t seem to be changing at all. So, I guess I would describe my view as sort of neutral to mildly optimistic rather than neutral to negative.”

Mr Bailin explained that although the US manufacturing and real estate markets are in recession, sectors of the economy such as travel and services are “doing extremely well”.

He said: “The big question that keeps coming back again and again in the US is: The yield curve has been inverted now for 14 months-plus. Are we going to have a recession?

“Everyone tells you that the yield curve has been a very reliable indicator of recessions in the US. And people even said: ‘Well, we had one last year’, but what’s very interesting to us is that the data suggests that right now we’re in a situation where parts of the US economy have already gone through a recession... large parts of our manufacturing industries.

“And certainly the real estate industry in America is in a recession relative to where it was. Real estate activity in the United States is down probably 23 percent year-over-year. So with that there are parts of the economy, like travel and services, that are doing extremely well.”

CHAMBER CHIEF CALLS FOR CARIBBEAN TRADE BOOST FROM PAGE A22 She added that although many Caribbean countries take advantage of the trade concessions with the UK and EU, a regional trade preference regime has not yet been established.

She said: “CARIFORUM, which are the countries of CARICOM, including the Dominican Republic, signed a trade agreement with the European Union called the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA).

That agreement not only

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established a framework for trade between CARIFORUM countries and the EU, but article 238 provided a framework for trade between the countries. That regional preference has not been started.

“The Bahamas has indicated that it would extend that preference to other CARIFORUM states, but I think as we move towards integration it’s really important that we press our governments to implement Article 238 of that trade agreement. So the same preferences that can be applied to the European Union, we also apply to each other in the context of that trade agreement.”

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, October 11, 2023, PAGE 21

GB Shipyard’s $600m go-ahead is ‘fantastic’ “As the Shipyard undergoes this remarkable evolution, it will serve as a beacon of progress, bringing jobs, entrepreneurial spin-off opportunities and a renewed sense of pride to the people of Grand Bahama. Together, we embark on a journey toward a brighter and more prosperous future.”

The Shipyard was described as the “largest private non-tourism employer in The Bahamas”, with its expanded operations will creating opportunities for Bahamians, local businesses and contractors, “including hundreds of full-time jobs.... once it is in full operation”.

“For half a century, we have worked side-by-side with The Bahamas and Bahamian businesses and contributed to the growth of the Bahamian economy while delivering unforgettable cruise vacations to millions of people,” said Josh Weinstein, chief executive and chief climate officer of Carnival Corporation.

“The success of our enduring partnership is built on our shared conviction that people must always be at the forefront of our thinking. That mindset is evident in the Grand Bahama Shipyard transformation project, which invests significantly in local businesses, creates jobs and contributes to a legacy of economic vitality in the country.”

“For more than 50 years we have partnered with The Bahamas to deliver exceptional vacations to millions of guests and create opportunities for local Bahamian communities,” said Jason Liberty, president and chief executive, Royal Caribbean.

“We are proud to expand our long-standing partnership and see establishing Grand Bahama, as a premier maritime destination for repair and revitalisation of all kinds of vessels, as a project that will drive economic growth for the Bahamian industry and create a positive impact for the people of The Bahamas for generations to come.”

Sarah St. George, the Grand Bahama Port Authority acting chairman, added: “We join our partners in celebrating this historic achievement, and congratulate Carnival Corporation and Royal Caribbean Group for their commitment to Grand Bahama and Grand Bahama Shipyard.

“We also thank the Government for their close collaboration on this transformational project. For the past four years, reestablishing Grand Bahama Shipyard as a premier global ship repair facility has been the single-minded focus of all parties. We’re tremendously excited for this huge expansion.”

ArawakX denies client fund ‘commingling’ allegations

May 8, 2023, which projected that it could earn fee income of between $2.4m to $4.7m from the crowd-fund offerings it had potentially lined up.

However, the Securities Commission chief alleged that, based on its analysis and ArawakX’s past fee earnings, the projections were likely overblown. Ms Rolle alleged: “Based on the historical success rates of the six concluded listings (with a 67 percent success rate and 32.56 percent actual versus projected fees on successful raises, the Commission estimates that the respondent could reasonably project income of approximately $806,411 on their pipeline of 18 companies.

“Given that only seven of the 18 are indicated as having a listing agreement, that projection should be reduced to approximately $176,703.” As a result, the Securities Commission chief implied this will do little to address ArawakX’s solvency concerns in the regulator’s eyes

FROM PAGE A24 accommodation and are able to deal with it, but it is fantastic news.

“Before the dry dock split, in some years close to 40 percent of our revenue came from the Shipyard,” Mr Alnebeck added. “It was a very material business. It had dropped since then, but is still significant overall. I would think 20 percent of our business at present is related to the Shipyard, but 20 percent now compared to a few years ago is a lot less.

“This is indeed significant, especially as they seem prepared to start work in the last quarter of this year. It has an incredible impact.” An April 2019 accident involving Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Sea cruise ship destroyed one of the Shipyard’s dry docks, while another was damaged several months later through the passage of Hurricane Dorian.

These accidents meant the Shipyard lost its status as the world’s busiest cruise ship repair facility, having serviced three-and-a-half times the number of vessels seen by any rival yard.

They also left the company functioning at just 25 percent capacity for the past four years until the $600m investment in the two replacement floating dry docks was confirmed.

Carnival and Royal Caribbean each own 40 percent of the Shipyard,

FROM PAGE A24 place. It was an accounting incongruity that was corrected with a fiduciary account. The Commission did not come and point that out. We prudently corrected that.”

However, Christina Rolle, the Securities Commission’s executive director, in affidavit evidence filed with the Supreme Court, alleged that ArawakX’s use of a loan from its largest investor to pay sums due to crowd-funding issuers and subscribers creates “the irresistible inference” it was using client funds to cover operating expenses.

She claimed in October 5, 2023, legal filings that The Bahamas’ first-ever crowdfunding platform “should not have needed to seek a loan” from James Campbell, the former Colina Insurance Company president, as it should have been holding the required funds “in a fiduciary capacity”.

The capital markets regulator’s top executive, in legal filings designed to rebut ArawakX’s assertion that it remains solvent and has committed no regulatory or governance breaches to justify its winding-up, said loan agreements with P J Enterprises, Mr Campbell’s company, showed the proceeds were

with the remaining 20 percent held by Port Group Ltd, the Grand Bahama Port Authority (GBPA) affiliate. The two cruise lines’ ability to finance the required investment was both delayed and severely impaired by the COVID-19 pandemic, which shut the cruise industry down worldwide for some 16 months until summer 2021.

Mr Alnebeck, meanwhile, said the Shipyard’s investment and expansion should “also be a great thing for our airlift” given the number of workers that will have to fly in. He also voiced hope that the move could spark progress in efforts to sell the Grand Lucayan resort given the need for extra hotel rooms, but added that Grand Bahama tended not to value the economic spin-offs from expatriate workers as much as it did tourist spending.

Terence Gape, a Freeport-based partner with the Dupuch & Turnquest law firm, yesterday described the Shipyard’s announcement as “wonderful” but added that Grand Bahama needs its airport’s and the Grand Lucayan’s transformation even more.

“I think it’s wonderful news, and will certainly form a very major part of what we hope is going to be the transformation of Freeport when the full harbour, hotel and airport projects come together,” he told Tribune Business. “The hotel and airport itself are

partially earmarked to pay sums due to companies that had raised equity capital via the platform or investors that had subscribed to such issues.

Ms Rolle said $95,500 would be used to finance a “payout” to Red Lobster, the restaurant brand which was ArawakX’s first successful crowd-fund raise.

Another $9,257 was to be allocated to cover Securities Commission “issuer fees”, while another later loan was to finance a $68,486 “refund” to an investor who had subscribed for shares in the unsuccessful Mifi offering.

Referring to “the use of client funds to fund the operations” of ArawakX, the Securities Commission chief alleged: “The Commission notes that in the case of each of these stated purposes, the respondent [ArawakX] should not have needed to seek a loan for these purposes as they should have been holding the required client funds in a fiduciary capacity.

“Based on this documentation, there is in the Commission’s judgment the irresistible inference that the respondent used client or fiduciary funds to defray shortfalls in the respondent’s financial obligations to other parties.” ArawakX has previously countered

the two critical components of a turnaround in our economy. We need these projects to start post-haste.”

The Shipyard’s two new floating dry docks are already under construction at CSSC Qingdao Beihai Shipbuilding Company in Qingdao, China, and are expected to arrive in 2025 and 2026, respectively. However, the project also includes supporting marine works and infrastructure construction in Grand Bahama, which is set to begin in 2023’s final quarter and finish in 2025.

Dollar figures for the Grand Bahama investment, and details on how many Bahamian and expatriate jobs will be created, were not provided in the Shipyard’s statement. No replies were received to Tribune Business queries on these issues, and the likely business boost from the dry docks’ arrival, before press time last night, although it was suggested the project will create “billions of dollars in economic impact” over a 25-year period.

However, the Shipyard added that the duo will be “among the largest floating docks in the Western Hemisphere”. One was described as “a mega dock that will have the largest lifting capacity in the world”, and be capable of servicing all existing and currently planned cruise ships worldwide, as well as multiple other commercial vessel types.

that the investor involved with the Mifi “refund” had agreed to convert those funds into an equity stake in the crowd-funding platform itself.

However, Mr Rahming questioned why Mr Campbell would be willing to lend the crowd-funding platform money if it was commingling client funds.

“If we were commingling, why would James Campbell give us money to correct that?” he asked. “It was an error done in the course of business.”

The ArawakX chief also alleged that the Securities Commission and Ms Rolle were wrongly taking snapshots, from a point in time, of historical data to make the case for the platform’s winding-up. “I think it’s unfair to use static data to prove ongoing things,” he added, referring in particular to the so-called “pipeline” of upcoming crowd-fund issues that ArawakX has leaned on to suggest it has strong prospects of becoming solvent.

“You can’t point back to when you were in primary

The Shipyard said it is also expanding its apprenticeship programme, with a goal to take on 16-20 new apprentices per year.

Designed to develop needed technical skills, the four-year apprentice initiative will be further enhanced through partnerships with technical colleges.

Prime Minister Philip Davis KC described the expansion project as “a new and promising chapter in the story of Grand Bahama”. Chester Cooper, deputy prime minister and minister of tourism, investments and aviation, said: “The timing of the Grand Bahama Shipyard expansion project coincides beautifully with our efforts to revitalise Grand Bahama’s tourism industry.

“This project is just the impetus that Grand Bahama needs to further boost the island’s economic growth. It is a strong show of confidence that Grand Bahama Shipyard is establishing the world’s largest ship repair facility in The Bahamas.”

Ginger Moxey, minister for Grand Bahama, said: “The $600m transformation of Grand Bahama Shipyard marks a monumental investment for Grand Bahama. The Shipyard has always been an important contributor to Grand Bahama’s economy, and this ambitious project will continue the revitalisation of our local economy.

school and say we will overlook what you did in university and only consider what you did in primary school. That’s what we’ve experienced with this regulator. She points to periods of time as opposed to looking at the whole picture. It’s painting an unfair picture.”

ArawakX had supplied the Securities Commission with a “pipeline forecast” that “represents a capital demand of over $60m.

These companies are at different stages of onboarding with an objective to be listed on the platform by the end of the year.

“There are other companies that we are in discussions with but are still being evaluated or working with their respective business development managers to fine-tune their products to meet our requirements. The companies represent a wide range of industries, and include companies from outside of The Bahamas seeking to raise capital and establish a presence locally, as well as local companies seeking to grow and expand their

operations outside of The Bahamas.”

This, though, made little impression on Ms Rolle and the Securities Commission.

She reiterated the regulator’s position that it cannot include unearned revenues or income in its calculation of ArawakX’s solvency.

“Tied to the respondent’s solvency claim is the assertion that there is pipeline business that should be considered by the Commission,” she acknowledged in her latest affidavit.

“In its assessment of the solvency and financial fitness of its registrants, the Commission is not able to entertain hypothetical projections about future earnings. The respondent should be aware of this and the Commission is gravely concerned that they would make such assertions nonetheless.”

Ms Rolle, though, said that “notwithstanding the Commission’s inability to consider the pipeline business as a solution for insolvency”, the regulator had reviewed the forecast provided by ArawakX on

PAGE 22, Wednesday, October 11, 2023

THE TRIBUNE

NORTH ABACO TARGETED AS MANUFACTURING HUB

By FAY SIMMONS Tribune Business Reporter jsimmons@tribunemedia.net THE Government was yesterday said to have initiated “the North Abaco project” in an effort to first lure Caribbean manufacturers, then those outside the region, to set-up plants for US export.

Winston Pinnock, The Bahamas’ ambassador to the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), disclosed the plan as part of this nation’s drive to boost its exports and foreign currency earnings while speaking at a Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters Association (JMEA) trade mission.

Suggesting that the “tax incentives” and other policies will make it attractive for manufacturers looking to export to the US market, he said: “The Government of the Bahamas through the Prime Minister’s Office has initiated the North Abaco project.

“The North Abaco project is one where we, the Government, have decided to invite manufacturers firstly in the region, and then to take it outside of the region, to set up manufacturing plants; primarily those companies who are exporting to the US market.

It is our view that the policies of the Government of the Bahamas are very favourable to encouraging food manufacturing by way of tax incentives.”

Mr Pinnock argued that The Bahamas is a prime location for manufacturers looking to export to the US from the Caribbean, while the project provides an opportunity for the country to lower its import bill.

He said: “We did a study and found out that in the region, we certainly seem to be the most favourable country to import more material imports, and to be able to have the freedom - no restrictions - on importing raw material and also being in an area that is tax free. Pretty much no corporate tax and all the rest of it.

“So there’s quite a lot of incentives that we have shared with the companies we’ve met with. And there is a significant interest in

them exploring the possibility of setting up shop and the premises to simply manufacture goods primarily to ship to the US market. And, at the same time, making those products available for local consumption.”

Mr Pinnock added that sudden shocks to the international market, such as COVID-19 and the ongoing war in Ukraine, have increased shipping costs and can lead to food shortages if international manufacturers choose to hoard supplies for themselves.

He said: “During the pandemic, for example, in addition to seeing the escalation of shipping costs, countries like The Bahamas, which imports more than 80 percent of our food from the US, came face to

face with the reality that their major US suppliers held on to these food stocks to ensure the North American market was serviced, which resulted in significant food shortages in some areas.

“If these stark realities don’t awaken us to look for our own self-interest, then nothing will. Now, more than ever, the cry of regional leaders who encourage us to grow what we eat, and eat what we grow, has once again become a clarion call. And, in my view, the time of reckoning is at hand and we can no longer turn a blind eye to this issue.”

Senator Barry Griffin, deputy chairman of the Bahamas Trade Commission, said this nation

is “open for business” and that facilitating more regional trade can boost the Caribbean’s economy and strengthen relationships.

He said: “The Bahamas is open for business and hopes to do more business with you. On the heels of this trade mission, I hope that Jamaica and The Bahamas can be shining examples in the region of what we can accomplish when we work together. Caribbean integration, regional trade and the promotion of Caribbean business as a whole must be what we base our future prosperity on.”

PM: CARIBBEAN HALF-WAY TO Chamber chief calls for 25% FOOD IMPORT SLASH GOAL Caribbean trade boost

By FAY SIMMONS Tribune Business Reporter jsimmons@tribunemedia.net THE Prime Minister yesterday said The Bahamas and wider Caribbean are half-way towards achieving their goal of reducing food imports by 25 percent come 2025.

Speaking at the opening of the Caribbean Week of Agriculture, Philip Davis KC said the number of persons in the region facing food insecurity has decreased over the past year with the Caribbean “well on our way” to reducing food imports and creating a sustainable agriculture industry.

He added: “In the past year, the percentage of people facing food security issues has decreased. And we are well on our way to achieving the goal of reducing regional food imports by 25 percent by 2025. In fact, collectively, we have achieved 50 percent of this ambitious target.

“This represents a great stride forward when it comes to feeding ourselves and creating a sustainable agriculture industry. We have learned from the challenges of the past few years and have emerged more resilient and purposedriven than ever.”

Mr Davis explained that The Bahamas and other Caribbean states have launched initiatives to invest in land, infrastructure and research for agricultural purposes in an attempt to boost the sector and become more self-sufficient.

He said: “Here in The Bahamas, we are making unprecedented investments in food production and food security in the form of climate, land and research grants, and the provision of infrastructural

JOMO CAMPBELL support through packing houses, abattoirs and other publicly-funded facilities.

We also have plans to drive a domestic takeover of egg production with long-term goals of targeting the lucrative poultry market.

“Countries like Belize are investing in significantly boosting agricultural production. In St Vincent and the Grenadines, the innovative OECS (Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States) n Agricultural Competitiveness Project linked domestic farms to opportunities within the local tourism market. In Jamaica, the work continues to expand and diversify food exports. And many others throughout the region are following suit.”

Jomo Campbell, minister of agriculture and marine resources, told the same conference that climate change has negatively impacted the agriculture sector. He called for more sustainable strategies to promote regional economic growth.

“Climate change continues to be a crucial threat to the world’s agriculture sector, and unpredictable financial conditions are often passed down to consumers. I believe a common goal that we must share is a sustainable strategy to empower our farmers to grow more food. Through our efforts, it is possible to make real and steady progress to reduce our imports

by 25 percent by 2025,” he said.

“There’s no denying that we’re seeing more severe storms and more extreme high temperatures. And so, we must prepare today for tomorrow’s threats. We are in need of new, out-of-the box thinking and solutions.

It will take unprecedented efforts on our part, but together we can brainstorm sustainable strategies to transform our food systems.

“We can utilise strategies such as precision agriculture techniques, remote sensing technologies and data analytics so that we can optimise resource utilisation and improve crop yields, all while minimising environmental impacts. Embracing these innovations will not only increase our productivity but also position our farmers as leaders in the global marketplace.”

Mr Campbell said that by diversifying the range of products provided in the region, the Caribbean can lower the amount of goods imported and create a positive socio-economic effect.

He said: “The Bahamas’ [food] import bill continues to hover around 90 per cent, a challenge shared by many Caribbean countries. However, by diversifying our agricultural production and promoting the cultivation of nutritious, locally-grown crops, we can enhance our food security, improve public health and stimulate economic growth within our region.

“We must also remember to engage our youth to provide them with opportunities to contribute, and provide our nations with diverse and fresh perspectives on how to achieve our goals. The Caribbean holds immense potential in agriculture.”

By FAY SIMMONS Tribune Business Reporter jsimmons@tribunemedia.net THE Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers Confederation’s (BCCEC) chairman yesterday called for more intra-regional trade to strengthen Caribbean economies amid ongoing COVID-related supply chain woes.

Khrystle RutherfordFerguson, speaking at a Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters Association (JMEA) trade mission to The Bahamas yesterday, urged solutions to increase and sustain region crossborder trade.

KHRYSTLE RUTHERFORD-FERGUSON She said: “COVID-19 highlighted vulnerabilities that it are incumbent upon us to resolve. And one of the main vulnerabilities that was highlighted was the fact that we do need to

CITI EXECUTIVE ‘MILDLY OPTIMISTIC’ OVER TRAVEL

By FAY SIMMONS Tribune Business Editor jsimmons@tribunemedia.net A SENIOR Citi executive yesterday said he was “neutral to mildly optimistic” that travel and, by extension, The Bahamas’ tourism industry will not be impacted by a global recession in 2024.

David Bailin, chief investment officer for Citi Global

Wealth (CGW), speaking with journalists from the Caribbean and Latin America region, said international travel industry performance now closely matches that of 2019, indicating volumes have returned to pre-COVID levels despite fears of a US slowdown.

Referring to expectations for the US economy’s performance in 2024, he

band together, we do need to support each other.

“In terms of the Caribbean region, we need to continue to open up the communication on trade, trade lanes, and figure out how best we can support each other in making sure that we do that cross border trade continuously.”

Brickell Pinder, director of trade in the Ministry of Economic Affairs, said the CARIFORUM agreement not only facilitates trade between the Caribbean and both the European Union (EU) and the UK, but also trade between nations in this region.

SEE PAGE A20 added: “We’re actually of the opinion that earnings will grow, that the GDP will be up and what’s very interesting about travel - when you start to look at the data for travel specifically - our travel rates now resemble a lot of 2019.

“If you look at American travel, in particular, this was a huge year for American travel in Europe; I think the highest on record potentially. And so in the event that travel cools, it will probably cool into more expensive destinations, like Europe rather than necessarily in the Caribbean. So

SEE PAGE A20

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Gov’ts health reform: ‘We cannot do it all’

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net DR DUANE SANDS

THE Opposition’s chairman has backed the Government’s pledge to introduce National Health Insurance’s (NHI) catastrophic care component as “a game changer”, but warned: “We cannot do it all.”

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Dr Duane Sands, a former minister of health, told Tribune Business that The Bahamas “cannot afford business as usual” when it comes to healthcare given the near-impossible “challenge” many Bahamians face to both afford and access potentially live-saving treatments for catastrophic illnesses.

Pointing to the “massive drag on productivity” and wider economy that results, he disclosed that the costing exercise performed when he held ministerial office found catastrophic care’s “price tag” under the NHI scheme was not as high as predicted, with the total expense coming in at between $170m to $210m per annum.

Urging the Davis administration not to “reinvent the wheel”, and carry on the work performed by its predecessor, Dr Sands acknowledged that “the devil is in the detail” as to how the Government plans to implement an NHI catastrophic care component that has been “an elusive goal for a very long-time”.

And he also effectively called on the Davis administration to place its proposed new $290m New Providence hospital at Perpall Tract on hold, arguing that there is insufficient funding to accomplish all its healthcare goals and it will have to prioritise its objectives.

The Speech from the Throne, which lays out the headline or broad brush objectives of the Government’s legislative agenda, last week pledged that the Davis administration is “moving aggressively to

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GB Shipyard’s $600m go-ahead is ‘fantastic’

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net A HOTELIER yesterday hailed confirmation that Grand Bahama Shipyard’s $600m dry docks investment is to proceed as “fantastic news” given that the company previously generated up to 40 percent of his annual revenues.

Magnus Alnebeck, the Pelican Bay resort’s general manager, told Tribune Business that the Shipyard’s expansion in a bid to status its position as the world’s largest cruise ship repair facility will have “a tremendous impact” on Grand Bahama’s stillstruggling economy.

Explaining that the effects will not just be felt through the creation of Bahamian jobs, but the spin-off effects from housing, food and other

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GRAND BAHAMA SHIPYARD spending by expatriate workers, he added that the go-ahead for a project to replace the two floating dry docks lost to a combination of Hurricane Dorian and industrial accident will be “huge in Grand Bahama”.

Speaking after the Shipyard and its shareholders confirmed the project’s approval, Mr Alnebeck

told this newspaper: “That’s fantastic news. It will have a tremendous impact. It’s significant.

When the Shipyard was up and running, I don’t have the exact numbers on the economic impact, but it was huge in Grand Bahama, huge in Grand Bahama.

“Our challenge now is our economy is a lot

smaller than in those days when the Shipyard was really working. We now have two big dry docks coming in and there is a shortage of rooms.

We now have to step up and make sure we have more hotel rooms available, more short-term

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IMF’s latest ArawakX denies client fund projections show ‘commingling’ allegations growth to ‘regress’

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net THE International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) latest projections for The Bahamas reiterate that medium-term economic growth may not generate sufficient revenues to escape new and/or increased taxes, it was argued yesterday.

Hubert Edwards, head of the Organisation for Responsible Governance’s (ORG) economic development committee, told Tribune Business that the Fund’s forecasts of 1.8 percent GDP growth for 2024, dropping to 1.5 percent by 2028, were consistent with previous predictions that this nation will “regress” back to traditional pre-COVID expansion rates.

These numbers, he added, “are not necessarily consistent” with the Government’s own forecasts as set out in last Fiscal Strategy Report, which affirmed the Davis administration’s focus on trying to grow The

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By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

THE Bahamas’ first-ever crowd-funding platform has vehemently denied there is any “ongoing commingling” of client and company funds and blamed an “accounting error” for the only occasion this occurred.

D’Arcy Rahming senior, ArawakX’s chairman, told Tribune Business that the company - not the Securities Commission - detected and then corrected this error as he pushed back against the regulator’s latest assertions it had used monies belonging to crowd-fund issuers and investors to pay its own operational expenses.

“Speaking to this charge if commingling, we have always maintained separate accounts,” he said. “We’ve always had internal controls, and always

had professionals between us and our accounts. That’s the first thing. And you take any fiduciary account, it’s never perfect.”

Fiduciary accounts are used by financial services providers, including law firms, to hold monies and assets that belong to clients. “Some of this goes to the bank, and they may charge you fees, and those fees have to be taken back. What we had in this case is that we were given information that was not accurate, so in one of the accounts there was an accounting error,” Mr Rahming explained.

“As with any good financial system, this error was discovered, we repaired it and applied controls so that it didn’t happen again. This happened around November 2021. There is no ongoing commingling or anything happening because it wasn’t happening in the first

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Atlantis sparks strong opposition over Montagu Bay seaplane bid

By FAY SIMMONS Tribune Business Reporter jsimmons@tribunemedia.net AN Opposition MP, nearby residents and the sailing community last night voiced opposition to Atlantis’ bid for a water aerodrome licence at Montagu Bay that would facilitate domestic seaplane tours for its guests.

Adrian White, the St Annes MP, questioned the choice Montagu Bay given that the area is already used for multiple water activities including sloop sailing, which is taught to local youths by nearby sailing clubs.

He strongly objected to the licence application, although he acknowledged the financial opportunities it presented and said Atlantis would be “putting a landing strip on top of a school”.

He said: “From a commercial perspective I understand that would be

ADRIAN WHITE a good opportunity for excursions, but you have a big resort over on Paradise Island and you have plenty of land…

“If you put that on Montagu Bay you will basically be putting a landing strip on top of a school, and that is not something that I will accept as member of Parliament and I know so many people here are not accepting that. Why would Atlantis ever think it prudent to put a landing strip in Montagu Bay?” Atlantis has teamed with Coco Bahamas Seaplanes,

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