10222022 NEWS, SPORT AND BUSINESS

Bishop: Wherever rape happens, it is called rape

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

BISHOP Laish Boyd said the Anglican Dio cese “wholeheartedly” supports the proposed amendments to the Sexual Offences Act so that “wherever rape happens it is called rape”. When stating the support of the legislation, which would make marital rape a crime, he said this is a “simple and no-brainer” step in pursuit of justice and

basic human rights for all parties.

The Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of The Bahamas and The Turks and Caicos Islands added that no person, whether single or married, should be subject to degrading violent behaviour.

Bishop Boyd made these comments in his address at the opening service of the 119th Session of the Synod at Christ Church Cathedral on Wednesday night.

MOTHER ‘WILL KEEP FAITH’ AS SEA SEARCH CALLED OFF

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

SEARCHES at sea have been called off for a 28-year-old Eight Mile Rock man who went miss ing almost two weeks ago, according to his mother. Police informed Natasha Ferguson this week that all searches at sea for her son have been discontinued by rescuers and the US Coast Guard. However, police continue to look for the

man on land, she said. She said she would “keep the faith” but said Shaquille Ferguson, who has a mental condition and requires medication, was wearing underwear and a cloth around his waist when he went in waters off Lover’s Beach.

According to a miss ing person’s flyer posted by police, Mr Ferguson, of Hepburn Town, Eight Mile Rock, is six feet tall and weighs 190 pounds.

BAIN AND EIGHT OTHERS CHARGED

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Court Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

LINCOLN Bain and eight others were charged in Magistrate’s Court yesterday with unlawful assembly and obstruction in connection with Wednes day’s protest in Parliament Square.

Tempers flared on Wednesday when officers tried to relocate Bain and other protestors trying to deliver their own bill to address their proclaimed “immigration crisis” from the steps of Parliament to

Rawson Square.

When protestors resisted such a move, things esca lated to the point that nine people were arrested in con nection with the incident and taken to Central Station.

Bain, the leader of the Coalition of Independents (COI), along with eight of his supporters faced numerous charges before Magistrate Samuel McKin ney in connection with their standoff with authorities.

$19.9M OF METEOROLOGY EQUIPMENT UNINSURED

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Tribune Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net

DEPARTMENT of Meteorology equipment worth at least $19.9m has been left uninsured and vul nerable to loss or damage, Auditor General Ter rance Bastian has revealed following a probe of opera tions there.

The uninsured equip ment includes five doppler radars — only three of which are fully functional — responsible for monitoring the southern Bahama islands and several airport weather observing systems (AWOS).

$1.2BN IN PROJECTS FOR EXUMA

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

DEPUTY Prime Min ister Chester Cooper yesterday asserted that the Davis administration has approved $1.2bn in invest ment projects “for Exuma alone” as he touted a vari ety of resort developments.

Photo: Moise Amisial

LINCOLN

ment

Photo: Moise

Contest heats up in the kitchen

STUDENTS from sev eral senior high schools participated in the Ministry of Education’s 30th annual Young Chef Culinary Competition semi-finals yesterday.

The competition took place at Doris Johnson Senior High School and

selected representatives from each participating senior high school’s food and nutrition/hospitality and tourism studies depart ments took part.

On Wednesday, junior high school students took part in the semi-finals at LW Young Junior High School.

SUNSET

BY DENISE MAYCOCK

THE Sunset Pilot Club of Grand Bahama has announced that Ms Toni Hudson-Bannister is the 2022-2023 1st PIFF (Pilot International Founders Fund) Club Ambassador.

Ms Bannister served along with other pilots as a part of the 2021-2022 Club Building Team under the leadership of Governor Karen Ferguson-Bain.

The team assisted with the historic chartering of the Sunset Pilot Club of Grand Bahama on January 22, 2022.

It is the first and only

co-ed Pilot Club on the island of Grand Bahama, with a male president, Pilot Franklyn McCoy.

Pilot Toni was installed as a charter member of that while still holding dual membership with Pilot Club

of Lucaya.

She serves as the Sunset Pilot Club of Grand Bahama Club Projects Coordinator.

Ms Bannister has been valuable asset to the organi sations here on Grand Bahama.

“This well-organised, busy Pilot utilises her pro ject management skillset to ensure club community ser vice projects and donations are prepared efficiently and carried out effectively, according to a press release issued.

“Her diligent deter mination and focus are well-regarded, and her eagle eyes are meticulous.

Pilot Toni is also a budding author. Her bold presence is recognised as an impact ful Pilot mover and shaker.

Pilot Toni’s uniqueness and infectious smile allows her to complete her tasks with pleasure, integrity, and honour. This passionate and excited Pilot is always willing to share her Pilot journey with others.”

Ms Bannister, an expe rienced Pilot member, is often called upon to host Pilot meetings, sessions and events locally, nationally and internationally.

She is a past president of the Pilot Club of Lucaya and a Past Secretary of the Bahamas District

Administrative Committee.

Ms Bannister is also sup portive of the Anchors, the youth arm of Pilot.

“Toni re-energised the Anchor Club of Lucaya and assisted the club with regaining Pilot Interna tional Anchor Awards, as well as, skillfully coordi nating a dynamic Cultural Exhibition presentation and entertaining choreographed production. Recognising her good works in assist ing the Anchors on Grand Bahama, Pilot Toni was appointed as Bahamas District 2022-2023 Anchor Coordinator by Governor Dorian Cox,” the statement read.

Ms Bannister has also been appointed to serve at the international level. She was recommended to serve as an Appointee on the Pilot International 2022-2023 team. And she is currently serving as 20222023 Pilot International Projects Coordinator.

The Bahamas District was made proud as she confidently presented an Informercial at the 2022 Pilot International Con vention and Leadership Conference’s Council of Leaders Session in Roch ester, New York entitled, “Act as if what you do matters… Because it does!”

TONI HUDSON-BANNISTER

CHIEF chef judge Gerald Rolle and guest chef Allen Onneal compare notes on Wednesday.

Photo: Austin Fernander

PARTICIPANTS in the young chef culinary competition semi-finals on Wednesday Deja Taylor, representing Queens College, Destiny Cleare, representing LW Young, Amina Eneas, represending Akhepran Academy, Rishantae Spence, representing AF Adderley, and Ezra Pinder, representing SC McPherson.

Photo: Austin Fernander

YOUNG chefs have their work assessed in the senior high schools contest yesterday.

Photo: Moise Amisial

STUDENTS taking part in the senior high school contest yesterday, left, and the junior high school contest on Wednesday.

Photos: Moise Amisial and Austin Fernander

THE FOOD ready for judging yesterday.

Photo: Moise Amisial

Anglicans support marital rape law

A draft amendment to the Sexual Offences Act that seeks to criminalise marital rape and redefine what consent is, among other terms, was met with mixed reactions from reli gious leaders when it was released last month.

The draft legislation repeals Section 3 of the current act that defines rape, adding a new defini tion of rape that recognises the act within a marriage, and amends Section 2 to redefine what consent and indecent assault is.

Under the proposed bill, rape is redefined as “the act of any person not under fourteen years of age having sexual inter course with another person without the consent of that person where he knows that person does not consent or is reckless as to whether the person consents.”

Bishop Boyd argued that rape is a heinous act of vio lence perpetrated against another person using sex as a weapon.

“It is not an act of love by any stretch of the imagi nation,” he said. “Force is used to overpower a person who does not consent to the act. A fundamental human right for all persons is to have equal protec tion under the law without discrimination. No person whether single or married should be subject to degrad ing and violent behaviour.

“Married persons should not lose that right simply because they are married. Marriage is a sacrament

before God where per sons covenant to love and protect each other until death. Rape is not love or protection.”

He added like any crimi nal offence, incidents like these must be proven beyond all reasonable doubt in order to obtain a conviction.

“It is acknowledged that the institution of marriage implies a consent of the parties to love each other sexually, however it cannot

be reasonably interpreted that this consent is given only once on the marriage day and lasts until death or until the dissolution of the marriage. Rape like any criminal offence is subject to the criminal standard of proof, and the accused is innocent until proven guilty.”

The bishop pointed out that the proposed amend ment seeks to remove the phrase “who is not his spouse” and to include a

BISHOP LAISH BOYD

further qualification which states “where the perpe trator does not reasonably believe the complainant consented.”

He added this provides a possible defence which speaks to the nuances of an intimate relationship where words may not always be spoken to give consent and body language may confer consent.

“My friends this is a difficult, sensitive, and delicate issue but it must

be addressed in the public forum responsibly and with ample dialogue. A spouse is entitled to the control of his or her body, and should only willingly give in when he or she wishes,” the bishop said.

“If there is a problem with a spouse being willing to give consent, there is a fundamental concern with the marriage itself and the parties should seek spiritual and professional help.

“However, in the absence

of a serious issue in the marriage, a spouse should be able to give consent each time that the parties have sexual relations. If the sex is taken without that consent, it is rape.”

Bishop Boyd also said: “Let me repeat for the sake of emphasis that we support the proposed amendment to the legislation. This is a simple and no-brainer step in pursuit of justice and basic human right for all parties.”

BISHOP WARNS OVER LACK OF TRANSPARENCY

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

BISHOP Laish Boyd said the real cause of problems that many nations face arise out of a lack of transpar ency, accountability, and fair play by national leaders and systems.

The Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of The Bahamas and The Turks and Caicos Islands made these comments in his address at the opening ses sion of the 119th Session of the Synod on Wednesday.

“When life is unusu ally hard and when life is hard for too many people it creates so many other problems and societal stresses. We are often so consumed with focusing on and lamenting — even treating a myriad of symp tomatic national ills - that we neglect to address their root cause. Hence, social unrest, economic woes, and deficient governance by both parties all continue to haunt us,” he said.

“If we persist along this path, we will soon tire ourselves after needlessly wasting precious time and valuable resources and we will make no meaningful progress. The real cause of national problems that many nations face arises out of a lack of transpar ency, accountability and fair play by national leaders and national systems.

“This deficiency subse quently breaks down into various forms and degrees of injustice, oppression, and self-gratification at the expense of the poor and the vulnerable.”

He suggested an effective remedy for preventing this “corrosive malady” would include putting into place and strengthening exist ing structures that promote or reinforce transparency, accountability, and equity among the major pillars of society like the govern ment, the church, industry and civil society.

Such safeguards would comprise things like a “real respect and regard” for the Office of the Auditor

General and other stand ards’ inspectorates in the country, the Freedom of Information Act and an Integrity Commission, the Ombudsman, and the Min isters’ Codes of Conduct programmes.

He added: “It also includes more respect for something as simple as the Public Disclosure regime in our country which per sons who run for public office are supposed to sat isfy, but, unfortunately, we do not really check for this process and there is no strict enforcement of appli cants submitting all of the things they are supposed to submit.

“Though not a cure-all, the offices and structure which I have outlined will help to create and strengthen checks and bal ances. And checks and balances facilitate the achievement of public confidence, longevity, prosperity, and security within The Bahamas for the common good of all Bahamians and the greater good of humanity. Here I would like to note that we in The Bahamas could learn a whole lot from the Turks and Caicos islands in these areas.”

In May, Bishop Victor Cooper, chairman of the Public Disclosure Com mission, reportedly told The Nassau Guardian that some first-time MPs were not aware that there was a legal requirement for them to file financial disclosures under the Public Disclo sures Act.

He updated later that month there had been a considerable increase in the number of officials who have filed their financial records.

On Wednesday, Bishop Boyd also addressed the crime issue in The Bahamas and Turks and Caicos.

“We note with con cern the recent increase in crime, murder in particu lar, in both The Turks and Caicos Islands and in The Bahamas. In The Turks and Caicos Islands on Octo ber 2, there was that awful

incident leaving three dead and five wounded,” the bishop said.

“The territory has had 27 murders to date compared to 14 in the same period last year. Here in The Baha mas, we are at a staggering number of 108 murders to date, with brazen gangrelated assaults and killings in homes, schools, busi nesses, and on public jitneys.

“This is so distressing and frightening for citizens, but we must not panic: just be vigilant, be more cau tious, and stay away from hot-button areas and from bad company. We cannot simply move around as we please; we have to be more careful.

“Do not cloak your rela tives, friends, or even your children in shady business,” he urged. “If it is not honest, stay far from it. Support the police. Do what is right— we cannot do wrong and expect for our two coun tries to progress.”

Bishop Boyd also lamented the cost of living and the poverty issue in The Bahamas.

“All of us are distressed, I know, as we observe the alarming rise in the cost of living and the accom panying food insecurity, and the fact that the ranks of the poor are increasing so rapidly in this country. Hurricane Dorian hit the northern islands of Abaco and Grand Bahama hard and they are still recov ering, but COVID-19 hit everyone hard.

“The effect on local economies across the world, on shipping and supply lines, have pushed prices up. More and more people from many walks of life are feeling the squeezeespecially the middle and poorer classes. This is a uni versal phenomenon which even the largest and rich est countries in the world cannot control, so imagine the small Turks and Caicos Islands and the Bahamas. We struggle on with these.”

He indicated that these realities are complicated by some things that are

happening in The Bahamas right now, such as Baha mas Power and Light (BPL), Grand Bahama Power Company (GBPC) and Cable Bahamas are all increasing their rates.

Bishop Boyd said: “I do not wish to go into the dis cussion about the reasons for these increases now because the reasons are

complex. The decisions that these companies have made have not been easy and because this is not the place for those discussions.

“However, I only make this point to note that the reality is that it will become more and more devastating for more and more families and businesses. Devastat ing when you consider how

many families are already struggling, and how many households already have their power and cable disconnected.”

However, he commended the government for the increase in the minimum wage. He encouraged all workers to work hard and for employers to treat them with respect and fairness.

Numerous other unin sured equipment and instruments are also being housed at the department’s Upper Air Station at Wind sor Field Road. As of the auditors’ walk through of the property in July, the building needed exten sive repairs, leading to an engineering team from the Ministry of Public Works determining that the build ing be “condemned”.

“None of the depart ment’s equipment and instruments are insured against loss or damage,” the report, which was tabled in the House of Assembly on Wednesday, said.

The Tribune sought clari fication from the Office of Auditor General yester day. It was confirmed that none of the department’s equipment, including the expensive radars and AWOS, had current insur ance protection.

On October 27, 2016, the Ministry of Transport and Aviation, now the Ministry of Transport and Local Government, signed a contract with an interna tional company to acquire several doppler radars and airport weather observing systems, with a price tag of $19,136,110, which included value added tax.

The government moved to purchase the equipment in the aftermath of Hurri cane Joaquin in 2015. The decision also came with the realisation that the existing doppler radar was not suf ficient to cover the southern islands of Long Island, San Salvador, Rum Cay and MICAL. These islands were outside of the sole doppler radar’s effective range of 150 miles.

Initially, the contract’s deliverables were for the installation of four doppler weather radars through out The Bahamas and nine airport weather observ ing systems together with

associated software and services.

On March 6, 2017, the contract was amended and signed on July 22, 2019.

According to the audit report, amendments were made to the contract including additional supply containers, updated project plans and additional costs and late payment interest of a 12 percent charge if bal ances remained unpaid.

“This project is fully funded by the government of The Bahamas and is being managed by DOM (Department of Meteorol ogy),” the audit report said.

“Five doppler radars have been installed. However, three are fully operational: LPIA in New Providence; Marsh Harbour, Abaco; and Millerton, Long Island.

“Ragged Island and Mayaguana are awaiting BTC and BPL connections.

“Further, the following islands AWOS installations have been completed: New Providence; New Bight,

Village Road finish set for end of year

By LETRE SWEETING lsweeting@tribunemedia.net

AFTER several months of construction, more work has been added to the Vil lage Road Improvement Project, however comple tion is still scheduled for the end of the year.

Albrion Symonette Jr, who is the resident engi neer of the project, said yesterday that although the current sewer works were not included in the original scope of the project, the work was added a few years early to “consolidate the inconvenience” for busi nesses and the public.

“It was originally envis aged to do the sewer work in a few years from now. We opted to add the sewer work now so we could con solidate the inconvenience. We added that to ensure that we don’t excavate the road in years to come after we’ve paved it,” Mr

Symonette said.

He also said: “Presently on Village Road, we are installing a sewer main as well as a water main on the northern portion of Vil lage Road. The water work would have started in the last few days and the sewer works would have started last week.

“Overall, the current timeline is December 2022 at this point. That’s subject to weather conditions as well as site conditions.”

Mr Symonette also gave some progress on the con struction of the roundabout on Village Road.

“We have also com menced clearing for a roundabout at Queen’s College and The Baha mas National Trust (BNT). We are getting coopera tion from the stakeholders nearby to do the clearing activities,” he said.

“We’ve recently placed a temporary fence at The

Bahamas National Trust. That’s to secure the prop erty while the work goes on.

Very shortly a new wall will be built to set back for the perimeter of the rounda bout,” he said.

Some businesses on Village Road remain frus trated, but hopeful about the project.

Eric Carey, executive director for BNT, said the road works while frustrat ing and disruptive, should hopefully bring positive results by the end of the year.

“Yes, it’s an inconven ience, but the government explains that it’s in the interest of development and improving the infra structure. So you just have to roll with the punches,” Mr Carey said.

Cat Island; Fresh Creek, Andros; Matthew Town, Inagua. Also, two AWOS are awaiting reinstalla tion, these were destroyed by Hurricane Dorian and they are located in Marsh Harbour and Treasure Cay, Abaco.

“The government of The Bahamas at the end of our reporting period June 31, 2021, has funded an amount of $19,946,235 towards the project.”

A further break down of how this money was paid showed that the gov ernment paid the foreign company $6,687,639 in the 2016/2017 fiscal year, $7,654,444 in 2017/2018, $2,880,417 in 2018/2019 and $$2,723,736 in 2019 to the same year December.

Concerning the Upper Air Station, an inspection was carried out there on July 13, 2021, at 12.30pm.

“The building is in need of extensive repairs as most of the weather instru ments for the department

are stored there,” Auditor General Terrance Bastian said in his report.

“A team of engineers from the Ministry of Public Works recently inspected the property and recom mended the building be condemned. However, the department is presently awaiting the report from the Ministry of Works.

“During our inspection of the building, we observed extensive damage to the roof which can lead to the con tents in the building being damaged. Also, ceiling tiles displayed evidence of mould. The air conditioning in the server room is not opera tional, all instruments are dependent upon the A/C unit.

“Additionally, we observed trees growing on the flat roof of the building. Roots have penetrated the roof and are allowing water to enter the structure. We observed a steel tower on the roof that seems to be structurally compromised.”

The report also noted: “The

building is equipped with an alarm system monitored by Sure Alarms Security Ser vices. The technical staff of the department utilises the building, however during hurricanes they are often required to remain there for an indefinite period.”

Mr Bastian also noted that the work of the Depart ment of Meteorology has potentially been impeded as its hydrogen weather bal loon has not been used for over a year due to problems with sourcing power for the hydrogen generator.

He went on to note that during a review of employee files, it was observed that a worker was indebted to the government in the amount of $1,500. The employee’s file did not indicate that the money was repaid.

The details of the findings were outlined in Mr Bas tian’s report for the periods July 1, 2018, to June 30, 2019; July 1, 2019, to June 20, 2020, and July 1, 2020, to June 30, 2021.

He said he is currently concerned about disrup tions that could cause limitations for an upcom ing BNT event to be held at The Retreat park and garden on Village Road.

“I would assume that there’s probably been fewer people who have been coming into The Retreat. Our biggest concern is we have our Wine and Art Festival coming up and so we’re hoping we can work with the contractor to try and minimise the disruption next weekend,” Mr Carey said.

Graham Weatherford, owner of Sure Alarm Sys tems Ltd on Village Road, said yesterday that his business has continued to experience challenges since road works have started.

“It did hurt business and it was on top of (Hurricane) Dorian. Dorian crippled

a lot of businesses here.

Then right after that we had corona (COVID-19), where we took a year and half off.”

He also said, “So yeah, Village Road, it’s going to be survival of the fittest, but it made a lot of people go digital. So instead of coming in to pay bills or buy products, you simply did it online and that brought a whole new set of frustration with the Canadian banks. If you could do business in The Bahamas, you can do it on Mars.

“Will businesses hold?

I don’t know. But they’ve done the best they could to accommodate where people can navigate.

And I don’t think he has

blocked the road (com pletely) at all ever for any business. But customers just didn’t come, because they felt it was blocked. So it did hurt people to some degree,” Mr Weath erford said.

Despite the challenges, Mr Weatherford said the ongoing road works on Vil lage Road are a “necessary evil” so that the busy road is improved.

In September, Works and Utilities Minister Alfred Sears said in reference to the $6.4m project, “There is disruption, but at the end of the day, it will improve the quality of life of all of the stakeholders on Vil lage Road and the general public.”

MAINTENANCE JOB OPPORTUNITIES

DRIVERS navigating construction work on Village Road.

Photo: Moise Amisial

Mother ‘will keep faith’ as sea search called off

hard for me, right now,” she said. “Today, is 12 days he has been missing.”

He has a dark brown com plexion, with dark brown eyes, and short dreadlocks. He was last seen in a dinghy boat at Lover’s Beach, clad in grey Hanes briefs and a multi-coloured scarf around his waist.

Ms Ferguson received a call from police this week regarding an update of search efforts.

“The police called me to tell me about their investigation. They said they searched the Berry Islands and West End. They said the Coast Guard and several boats were out searching for three or four days and they didn’t find nothing,” she said. “They told me they have exhausted the search at sea, and are now doing their investigation on land.”

On Sunday, a concerned resident contacted police following the discovery of a partially decomposed body in the Tyne Beach area. The male victim was clad only in multi-coloured boxer underwear.

Acting Deputy Com missioner of Police Theophilus Cunningham said police did not have a positive ID of the victim and that an autopsy will be performed to determine

SHAQUILLE FERGUSON

the cause of death.

Ms Ferguson told The Tribune that her son has suffered from a mental con dition from the age 18 and was on medication. She said he did not want people to know because he feared they would think he was mentally challenged, she said.

She said that her son was spotted drifting on the bottom part of a jet ski, and not a dinghy as initially reported. Some people saw him, yet no one alerted the authorities, said the mother.

“He had a piece of cloth tied around his waist and a boxer. He was naked, no shoes, no shirt,” said Ms Ferguson.

“I have 11 children and he is my 10th. That is my baby boy, and everyone is taking it hard. This is very

She described her son as a quiet person. He had been employed for three months during a recent road cleanup project and had purchased a vehicle.

Ms Ferguson said that her son had a mental issue and whenever he smoked mari juana he would “trip out”. She said sometimes he would go swimming out to the jetty. She recalled that her hus band almost drowned trying to rescue him.

“Sometimes at 3am my husband and I are out there looking for him when he on them trips. When he smokes, it would trip him. So, he would not know himself and would not know what he is doing. He would cut up himself, but he doesn’t harm anybody,” she said.

Ms Ferguson said her son told her he had stopped smoking marijuana many years ago, but had since resumed the habit.

“I was dealing with him and this since he was 18 years old. But he did not want to admit that he had a problem because he did not want people to see him as retarded. He refused to accept the fact that he needed medication. So, I would put his medication in

his tea,” she said.

“When I went to Nassau, I did not give him any thing going on three weeks because he was doing so good. I did not think to say let me put it in there just in case he goes and smokes.”

When she called home to check on him, she heard that her son had gone out swimming.

“He went into the water. He jumped in something, but it was not a boat; it was the bottom part of a jet ski. He was sitting in it and drifted off,” said Ms

NATASHA FERGUSON

Ferguson. She said that a woman saw him sitting on a small object drifting at sea.

“The woman said that he was sitting with his hands folded and just staring, and he did not wave like he was in any distress. She watched him drift by. And then, some guys at the Fish Fry (in EMR) also saw him drifting around there.”

Ms Ferguson believes that her son was also spot ted as far as West End.

“Some fellas in West End said it looked like a man

in a little boat and that he was just sitting there,” she recalled.

Despite the sightings, she said no one called the police to report it. “I hope he is fine; He is in God’s care. I am not going to give up until God says so. I will keep the faith that God will give me closure,” Ms Ferguson said.

Police are actively investigating three recent missing person’s reports, including a young girl in Freeport, and a 56-year-old woman of Eight Mile Rock.

ABACO FRUSTRATION OVER GROWING SHANTY TOWNS

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

CONCERNED Abaco residents who have repeat edly voiced frustrations about the growing shanty towns on the island want the government to “put their money where their mouth is” when it comes to dealing with the unregu lated communities.

The residents were responding to recent com ments made by Works and Utilities Minister Alfred Sears who said it was time for “considered action” to address the expansion of shanty towns.

He also told report ers on Wednesday that the government hopes to host a press conference soon to announce their plans to address the illegal developments.

However, according to Abaco residents, it’s some thing that they have heard before and still nothing has been done to date to resolve the problem.

“All you are doing is talk, talk, talk. Do something and let us see you do some thing. Don’t tell us what you’re going to do and in the same voice, you are mis treating the Bahamians,” said Stephanie Hield, of Treasure Cay. “We can’t go in nobody else country and do what they’re allowed to do in The Bahamas.”

Ms Hield said that just about every day, she wit nesses truckloads of building supplies being delivered to the Farm area, a growing shanty town that has mushroomed to 200 acres from 50 acres since 2019.

“Not only that, but just look at the main highway — why so many houses were allowed after the hurricane and after that ban was put on those houses, why are they still building? I went out south the other day and the same thing is happen ing,” she said.

“It’s okay for them to come in and build as they feel like, but when Baha mians do something, it is like they are foreigners in their own country, and it is unfair.”

She also raised concerns about Bahamians leasing their properties out to shanty town dwellers, allowing for expansion of the illegal com munities, insisting that those responsible should be hauled before the courts.

“I feel like the govern ment should put them before the court and charge them for every house they allowed them to build with out a permit so whoever that property belongs to, they should charge them for every one of those houses they are allowed to build on their property,” the Abaco resident continued.

For his part, Roscoe Thompson, head of the Marsh Harbour/Spring City Township, also agreed the situation is out of hand and now is the time for action.

However, he also warned demolishing the unregu lated structures may prove a challenge now because many of shanty town dwellers are Bahamians of Haitian descent who other wise have no place to go due to the housing crisis there.

He also recommended that the government find a suitable area to develop as a housing subdivision and make it affordable to house those residents as an alter native solution.

“They need to, I think, find an area because a lot of them are Bahamians you know and they have a right to be here and first of all they have to find a location that’s adequate or accept able and then open it up for Bahamians or nationals like a subdivision,” Mr Thomp son said.

“They need to find 40 or 50 acres and do a proper subdivision and what they need is 80 by 80 lots and open it up to Bahamians as well as foreign nationals that have a right to be here so they could purchase a piece of land for whatever the infrastructure costs is going to be.”

“I mean that’s one sug gestion. The other thing is if someone in the private industry built an apartment project that is (a) low rent apartment complex, but it’s getting out of hand, but where do you expect the people to go?”

A recent operation on Abaco resulted in 52 arrests and exposed the scope of the worsening shanty town problem.

This comes as a special committee, formed under the auspices of the Min istry of Works, continues its investigations into the irregular communities.

Last month, Mr Sears said the group had a 45-day dead line to review and survey

people living in the unregu lated developments and another 15 days to report back with recommendations on how to deal with them.

Before Hurricane Dorian decimated them in 2019, shanty towns across Abaco had more than 1,000 homes and an estimated popula tion of 3,500, according to government reports.

However, after the storm hit the island, the

government issued an immediate ban on the construction of any new buildings in the four major shanty towns on Abaco and later began demoli tion exercises of newly built structures there.

Those exercises were stopped after Supreme Court Justice Cheryl GrantThompson ordered the government to cease and desist further interference

with those communities until the judicial review of the matter was completed.

Officials were also ordered to get approval from the court before demolishing any further structures. “As we move, we have to move in a very rational, compassionate (manner), but also, we have to uphold the rule of law and that is what we intend to do,” Mr Sears said last month.

ADDICTUS JURARE IN VERBA MAGISTRI

Bound to Swear to The Dogmas of

Master”

Bishop adds a reasoned voice to the debate

ON today’s front page of The Tribune, Bishop Laish Boyd expresses the view of the Anglican Diocese on the issue of marital rape laws.

Many viewpoints have already been expressed on the issue – from those denouncing such laws to those who are ardent supporters. Despite all that has been said already on the topic, Bishop Boyd’s views are very well worth considering.

He spells out first of all that the dio cese supports the proposed amendments to the Sexual Offences Act, and says that “wherever rape happens it is called rape”.

He said: “It is not an act of love by any stretch of the imagination. Force is used to overpower a person who does not consent to the act. A fundamental human right for all persons is to have equal protection under the law with out discrimination. No person whether single or married should be subject to degrading and violent behaviour.”

Equal protection. Weigh those words carefully. The same action carried out against a single woman is currently treated differently if carried out against a married woman. There stands an inequality.

More than that, though, Bishop Boyd spells out what such an act of violence means in the context of marriage, as understood by the Anglican church.

He said: “Marriage is a sacrament before God where persons covenant to love and protect each other until death. Rape is not love or protection.”

He added: “It is acknowledged that the institution of marriage implies a consent of the parties to love each other sexually, however it cannot be reasona bly interpreted that this consent is given only once on the marriage day and lasts until death or until the dissolution of the marriage.”

Bishop Boyd clearly understands the delicacy of some areas of the debate, calling it a “difficult, sensitive and deli cate issue”, but made clear “a spouse is entitled to the control of his or her body, and should only willingly give in when he or she wishes. If there is a problem with a spouse being willing to give con sent, there is a fundamental concern with the marriage itself and the parties should seek spiritual and professional help.”

He concluded: “If the sex is taken

without that consent, it is rape.”

The debate about marital rape has been going on for many years now – with even a UN representative highlighting it as the major area where action needed to be taken to prevent violence against women.

The recent University of The Baha mas survey reported in The Tribune that stated one in 12 married woman had been raped by their partners was a wake-up call to the scale of the problem.

There has been long-running, deter mined campaigning by activists seeking for the law to change to make marital rape illegal – no matter what the gov ernment’s press secretary, Clint Watson, might have claimed when he said that such groups had been “quiet” on the issue. They haven’t, and he has admit ted he was wrong. They were loud enough, perhaps he just wasn’t listen ing. He does, of course, have a platform he could offer them, the podium at the Office of the Prime Minister, if he truly wants to help amplify their voice.

The scale of the problem has been highlighted, the government has previ ously made international commitments on the issue, and there appears to be an alignment in terms of government proposals and the response from the community.

But in the move towards turning that proposed legislation into reality, voices such as Bishop Boyd’s are potent. He talks of love in a marriage. There is no love in an act of rape. Someone who perpetrates such an act does not love their partner. Violence of any kind has no place in a marriage, and anyone con sidering such an act needs, as Bishop Boyd says, “spiritual and professional help”.

When people marry, they promise to love. Above all, love. What this law would do is offer protection for those who are subject to a crime committed by someone who no longer respects that command to love.

We commend Bishop Boyd, and urge our readers to listen carefully to his words.

We would also recommend that read ers read the second article featuring Bishop Boyd, on page three of today’s Tribune, where he talks of issues of transparency, poverty and crime.

His is a reasoned voice, and one to which it is well worth listening.

Readers have say on issues

AFTER Pastor Carlos Reid revealed that gangs are in mediation with an aim of ending violence, readers had their say on the issue.

M0J0 said: “I never believed we have a gang problem, we have a lack of jobs, lack of guidance and knowledge and skills given to our young men.”

Themessenger said: “Will Rodney Moncur, the highly qualified and taxpayer paid “Violence Interrupter”, please stand up, Pastor Reid and Wayne Munroe need your advice and assistance.”

ThisisOurs, quoting Pastor Reid, said: “‘Once we get violence interrupt ers rolling...’. ‘Once??’ How many pay cheques has Rodney Moncur received?”

JohnQ added: “These gang thugs can play the game and possibly fool some of the citizenship. At the end of the day there is an old saying that goes like this. ‘You ain’t going to change the stripes on that tiger’.”

After a study reported that one in four Bahamians has skipped meals because of a lack of money or other resources, readers chipped in with their perspectives.

K4C turned the focus on government spend ing, saying: “As many members of government travel world wide spending money that could have feed Bahamians.”

Bahamianson said: “Mindboggling. I was taking to a fellow whom has three kids. He was trying to encourage me to have another child seeing that I have two already. I told him that I could not afford

letters@tribunemedia.net

another mouth to feed. In this same conversation, he tells me that he has to send his children to school with no lunch money, sometimes. So, why is he encouraging me to have more kids that I can afford, when he cant afford the three.that he had? People need to make better decisions. The gov ernment needs to educate Bahamians on economics and family planning.”

SP cast doubt on the survey, saying: “This ‘sta tistic’ is as inaccurate as the recent so-called census. My household only received a letter shoved in the door saying they would return, while several family mem bers were available at the time of the visit!

“Many, many, more than 28 percent of Baha mians have skipped meals for lack of money or other resources!

“The government is sticking its heads in a hole AGAIN talking out their backsides. We need to get rid of 15,000 ex-pat bluecollar workers immediately if we are serious about unemployment and crime.”

Birdiestrachan said: “I believe these people mean well but are they been told the Truth many are genuine but many work the system.”

After Bahamian medi cal students in Cuba called for an end to “discrimina tory practices” that make it difficult to be hired in The Bahamas, readers discussed the issue.

Moncurcool said: “It

is what it is, just study in Jamaica or the states. When you went to Cuba, you knew what was at stake. You should hsve taken your head out of the sand. It is the same with nurses and tea hers. All who want to pursue nursing and tea hing in the Bahamas, watch the news. You will be con fronted with the same problems your professions face today. Do not act sur prised when you graduate and are faced with the same problems.”

ThisisOurs said: “Theres no inalienable “right” to give medical treatment. Youre either qualified to or not. A major part of qualifi cation is whether or not you attend an institution where some independent expert has examined the curricu lum, the teaching practices and methods, quality of the students and deemed the institution credible.

“Like every profession not everyone in a white coat should be let loose on society.”

Sheeprunner12 said: “The Bahamas Medical Board is a nasty clique. How can the BMB have that much power???

“Our Govt can go to Cuba and recruit their doctors, nurses & teach ers to work for PHA... So where are these Cubans trained??”

Rosiepi added: “The Bahamas welcomed Cuban trained nurses with open arms when even Bahami ans nurses wouldn’t deign to work for peanuts under ongoing conditions.”

• Join in the debate on issues in the news at www. tribune242.com.

Food security

EDITOR, The Tribune.

ZIMBABWE was known as the breadbasket of Africa until 2000 exporting wheat, tobacco, and corn to the wider world, especially to other African nations. However, today Zimbabwe is a net importer of food stuffs from the Western World. Many farm owners and farm workers have been killed during violent takeovers.

Land reform has had a serious negative effect on the Zimbabwe’s economy and heavily contributed to

its collapse in the 2000s.

The heartless and corrupt ZANU-PF took all the farms from whites now they failed to maintain it. Due to insufficient knowledge around how to use technol ogy to improve farming, high levels of unemploy ment, and low levels of interest in farming.

It is highly traumatic and hard to understand that Zimbabwe is endowed with rich fertile soils, yet Zimbabweans are leav ing their country in record numbers in search of food among other economic

reasons going to neigh bouring countries such as Botswana, South Africa and Namibia. The onus is now on the neighbour ing countries to advise, rebuke and warn the Zim babwean president that a collapsed Zimbabwe will have contagion effects on South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, and Zambia.

KUDZAI CHIKOWORE Citizens Coalition for Change London,

A LIVELY discussion at Baha Mar’s gallery creative house grand opening with Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Mario Bowleg. For more on the opening event, see today’s WEEKEND section.

Photo: Austin Fernander

Photo: Moise Amisial

Bain and eight others charged

Bain, 45, Rakino Sey mour, 35, George Griffin, 47, Travis Bodie, 33, Mario Bain, 47, Charlotte Green, 41, and Conroy Ingraham, 47 were accused of unlawful assembly, and obstruction of the Senate and House of Assembly.

Other members of the COI faced addi tional charges in connection with this clash

with authorities. These include Leonardo Sands, 36, who faced charges of assaulting a police officer, resisting arrest, and disor derly behaviour and the youngest protestor, Cara Ellis, 22 who faced a sole charge of obstruction.

Ingraham faced further charges of assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest while Greene had an additional charge of disor derly behaviour.

During the arraignment,

Magistrate McKinney told the accused that while being gathered at Parliament Square, they acted tumul tuously in such a manner that it disturbed the peace. He further stated that the defendants put persons in the neighbourhood of such assembly in fear. The magistrate’s amendment to the charges to include the tumultuous act line was met with protest by the defend ants’ lawyers, including attorney Maria Daxon.

It is further alleged that the defendants obstructed members of Parliament from entering the House of Assembly as well as obstructing multiple RBPF officers while they attempted to execute their duties.

All nine defendants pleaded not guilty to all charges against them. Mag istrate McKinney then granted each defendant bail at $1,500 with one surety.

After being released on

bail, Bain told the assem bled press and throngs of party supporters of his intention to continue to push for the government to ban children born in The Bahamas to “illegal immi grants” from applying for citizenship. He, along with Ms Daxon, also stated their intention to pursue charges against the officers they claim assaulted them during the incident.

The trial in this matter is set for December 1.

MILLER ‘SATISFIED’ WITH EQUINOR CLEAN-UP

ENVIRONMENT and Natural Resources Minister Vaughn Miller says he is satisfied with the cleanup of the oil spill at Equinor South Riding Point and in the surround ing communities in East Grand Bahama, but added that the cleanup efforts continue.

“As far as I’m concerned and the conversations that I’ve had with them, the clean-up efforts are ongo ing, particularly the reforestation aspect of it,” said Mr Miller accord ing to an article from Bahamas Information Services.

He added that out of concern for Grand Bahama, he visited “to have some honest and frank conversations”.

His comments came following a courtesy call with the executives

of Equinor on Wednesday in East Grand Bahama. He, along with members of his ministry, were in Grand Bahama for a series of meet ings with companies and businesses that deal in natural resources.

“As Minister for the Environ ment and Natural Resources, with regards to our limestone and other aggregates that are mined here in Grand Bahama, we’ve come to sit with the businesses and compa nies involved in these areas, to pay them a courtesy call, to begin some meaningful conversations and dia logue with them,” said Mr Miller.

“We happened to come to Equinor first. The company is in ownership transition, so we’re basi cally waiting so that we can sit and have an official conversation with

the new owners. We’ve had an ini tial meeting - but we would like to sit for a longer period to really make certain that we’re all on the same page: that they understand us and our policies. We want to make sure that we get off to a great start because we would like to have a great working relationship with the new owners.”

Asked if he was satisfied with the clean-up by Equinor following the major oil spill that took place on the property and into the surround ing communities during Hurricane Dorian, Mr Miller said that he’s satisfied with the results that have come in.

Ultimately, he said that the gov ernment’s concern is for the people of Grand Bahama and as such he

wanted to sit with Equinor to clar ify even some questions he’s had.

“We’re about protecting the interest of Bahamians,” said Mr Miller.

He said since taking over the ministry, he was able to sit with Equinor and was informed of where the company was in terms of the clean-up process, and in what direc tion they were headed. He noted that for him, that was important.

During his three-day visit, Mr Miller called on Grand Bahama Minister Ginger Moxey at the Ministry for Grand Bahama; held meetings with executives at the Grand Bahama Port Authority, executives at Buckeye Bahamas Hub, and executives at Bahama Rock.

BAIL GRANTED OVER FIREARM AND BULLETS

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Court Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A MAN was granted bail in Magistrate’s Court yesterday on firearm and ammunition charges.

Adrian Clarke, 27, stood before Senior Magistrate Derence A Rolle Davis on charges of possession of an unlicensed firearm and pos session of ammunition.

On October 17 in New Providence, Clarke is alleged to have been found with a black G2C Taurus .9mm pistol and 12 unfired rounds of 9mm ammunition.

In court, the accused pleaded not guilty to the charges. Clarke was granted bail at $5,000 with one or two sureties.

The trial in this matter is set for December 12.

$300 FINE FOR INDIAN HEMP POSSESSION

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Court Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A MAN was fined in Magistrate’s Court after admitting to owning 18 grams of Indian hemp.

Matteo Rolle, 23, appeared before Magistrate Samuel McKinney on an initial charge of possession of dangerous drugs with intent to supply.

Rolle was arrested on October 18 after he was found with the drugs.

In court the accused pleaded guilty, but said he had only bought the drugs for his personal use.

As such, the magistrate reduced the charges to simple possession of dan gerous drugs.

Rolle was fined $300 or in default, will face a twomonth prison sentence.

LINCOLN Bain outside Parliament on

The lighter moments of a rainy night

I DREAMT that I learned how to play chess last night. As I said, I dreamt. My chances of thinking about what move to make six moves from now and getting it right are about the same as my chances of winning the lot tery, or maybe even less likely since there have been cases of people winning the lottery.

So why did I dream about chess? In despera tion for something to do on a rainy night. The Baha mas is not made for rainy Friday nights. It’s a country that commands our pres ence out of doors so when it rains and you don’t’ feel like reading at the end of a long work week and you are not a Netflix addict, and also you’ve gotten over being grateful for the rain on behalf of the plants and that tomato vine you hope will actually produce a tomato one day, you’re flummoxed.

Diane Phillips

So much for a rainy night in Georgia inspiring an unforgettable Brook Benton ballad about a man who lost his love. This is not Georgia, this is Nassau, there’s no loss involved, and I am just looking for a lighter moment on a rainy night.

So my attention turned to what can I do that is different and does not involve screen time, though secretly I wanted to go online and study person ality types, a subject that has captured my attention of late, prompted by the fact that I want to change a toilet in our house, being the spontaneous type, but

my husband says so long as it works on the second or third flush, no need, because he is the creature of habit type and is more resistant to change. He may also be more practical since there is a cost involved that could include having to retile the bathroom. I remind him that the house is going on 40 years old, and this is the original toilet. They don’t make them in dusty rose anymore. Exactly, he says, so a new one won’t match the dusty rose tub. I’m thinking we could change that, too, while we are it and install a walkin shower. But you pick your fights, and the second

bedroom’s bathroom is not worth waging war over. At least until the toilet stops working altogether and he decides to call the plumber and I get to choose the new one along with the white and light gray or tan beveled glass tile for the shower, and while we are at it, the cabinet, and, wait, let me not get ahead of myself.

So back either to that leather chess set that a neighbour gave us even before we moved into this house (so you know how old that is) or I break down and go online, read TED Talks and get on with the subject of studying person ality types, spontaneous vs creature of habit to start. (There are actually 16 defined personality types, I did sneak a peek.)

Back to the subject at hand. The temporarily, slightly troubling lack of something to do on a rainy night that excludes TV or other screen time, ruling

out googling a subject of interest, makes me wonder what our parents did. Of course, they probably did not live outdoors like we do (as an aside, our living room is a large deck under a waterproof awning, but while the awning keeps out the heavy rain, the deafen ing sound makes watching TV a challenge.) And besides, we just wanted something else to do.

Our parents probably listened to music or played a board game. I remember those – Scrabble, Monop oly, Parchesi, Chinese Checkers. They were fun. We laughed. Was that a real word? we asked, and before deciding to award or not award the points depending on absolutely nothing but our mood in the midst of a hot Scrabble game. Are you really going to buy the Boardwalk we asked incredulously at the investment wisdom of an opponent in Monopoly?

CONGRATULATIONS

DRUM roll, please… One of the greatest Baha mian talents ever to take The Bahamas to the world through his music, John Berkeley “Peanuts” Taylor, is being accorded the honour he deserves.

In a ceremony scheduled for tonight, October 21 at Margaritaville, the National Cultural Commission will celebrate the 87-yearold musical genius whose drumbeat has been heard round the globe.

Many know the story of the four-year-old who hap pened by a nightclub one day and had the nerve to tell the famed club owner and performer John Meeres that he could sing and dance “better than you.”

Meeres invited the little squirt he nicknamed Peanut to show him what he could do and the name stuck ever since.

To

Even before he was old enough for school, Peanut (later with an s) guessed what it took many in The Bahamas years to realize – that his was a once-in-ageneration talent. He beats the drums as if he were pulling everything out of the skins and instruments that they could possibly give, making them sing and shout and cry and explode.

A photo by Roland Rose shows Peanuts Taylor drumming in slow motion and even in slow-mo it is fast.

If you glance at Peanuts’ life and you don’t know him, you’d think he had all the recognition he needed.

It was simple, unsophis ticated, but we were in a room together. Now our attention span is so short and even when we are together, we are not. Entire families go out to eat and never speak, each one glued to a device of choice, fingers racing without realizing the time of being together is being spent apart.

We demand more and interact less. We crave infoedu-entertainment nonstop, coming at us so fast we can hardly absorb it and yet we think we are learning something new every hour. We are so hooked on what screams at us that it takes a book like “How to Break Up with Your Phone” by TED Talk author Catherine Price to remind us there is still a way to bring out the playfulness in all of us.

Let it rain. Chess, anyone? I’ll just dash inside for a minute and go on YouTube to learn how to play.

He’s opened shows or per formed for Johnny Carson, Jack Paar, Steve Allen, Ed Sullivan. He’s played to an audience of 30,000 in London, performed around the globe from Iran to China to Canada and more. He’s been featured in a dozen or more international publications from Harper’s Bazaar to Newsweek.

Bahamian prime minis ters at foreign conferences have confessed they are asked less about themselves and more often whether they ever met really famous Bahamians like (the late) Myles Munroe or Peanuts Taylor and when they say yes, they can see world leaders’ opinions of them jump a notch.

Life has not always been easy for Peanuts Taylor but he has always made it easy for everyone around him to feel at ease, never boasting about his fame but asking about them. I had the privilege of being one of those photographed for the original Bahamian Project in 2012 along with people who really mattered like Peanuts Taylor. No one remembers that I was in that group and that is abso lutely fine with me. What’s important is that no one will ever forget that Peanuts Taylor was and tonight, as a new honour is bestowed upon him, the country has reason to be proud of the little squirt who made it big by being the best at what he did and enriching our lives with the joy of music like only he can bring.

Funeral Service For

Kernita Erith Sands, 80 affectionately called “Kern”

of Roberts Street, Nassau Village will be held at St. George’s Anglican Church, Montrose Avenue on Saturday, October 22nd, 2022 at 10:00 a.m. Interment will follow at Woodlawn Gardens Cemetery, Soldier Road. Officiating will be Rev’d. Fr.Ivan Eldon assisted by Venerable G. Kingsley Knowles.

Left to cherish her memories are her son: James Johnson; 2 daughters: Teresa Sands and Maxine Franks Benjamin; five grandchildren: Raphael Lynes, Tershira McDonald, Jekel, Jadria and Jekiel Johnson; great grandchildren: Zaria and Zyon Lynes, Lavon Poitier, Mason and Ember Smith, Daniel Sears III and Shauntina Burnside; one great grandchild: Atreyis Poitier; daughter-in-law: Sandra Johnson; adopted sisters: Ms. Evamae Ingraham, Ms. Louise McPhee, Ms. Bullard and Ms. Renee Smith. Virginia Gay Thompson Bullard; aunts: Aunt Gretel Thompson Ford and Merle Sands; nephews and nieces: Godfrey (Helen) Deveaux, Warren Knowles, Victor Lavent (Delly) Sands, Vincent (Stephanie) Smith, Philip (Sheena) Smith, Keith Smith, Agatha (Glenn ) Lightbourn, Linda Rolle, Paulette (Philip) Wilson, Joyann (Ronald) Burgess, Patrice Deveaux, Stephanie (Geoffrey) Pearce, Philippa Strachan, Judy (Paul) Simmons, Sharon Sands, Reverend Rosslyn Speights, Dellena (Charles) Carter, Vangy (Jerry) Rolle and Paula Knight; numerous grand nieces and nephews; special mentions: Holly Pearce, Franklyn and Ginger Horton, Loretta Knowles, Christopher Hall, Chiquita Bethel; god children: Sharmon, Justin and Dwayne and Ricardo Ingraham, Shawn Major, Adrian Archer, Natori Clarke; extended family and friends including: Shakeita Bethel, Maris Carey and family, Edward and Johnette Strachan, Ori Rolle, Susie Lockhart, Mrs. Foulkes, Mrs. Maycock, Louis Junior Thompson, Teri Bowe, Shanique Taylor, Gloria McKenzie, Bridgette and Freddy Simpo, Tekoyo Rolle and family, Philip and Zetta Sands, Harry Horton, Ornan Johnson, Angie and Oral Ferguson, John and LucyMae Wright, Megan Jordan and Sandra Johnson, Allerdyce Strachan, Gardiner Hepburn and Kingsley Cooper, Rev. Carrington Pinder, Zach Glass, Cleomi and Sean Gibson, Delana Mackey Hurwitz, Emmett Smith, Cheryl Matthew's, Raquel Thompson, Michelle and Tony Russell, Jill Wallace, Bonita Wood, Audrey Burrows, the Monroe and the Union Village community, the family of Jane Moultrie, the family of Iris Maynard, the family of Louise Turnquest, the Robert’s Street families, the Rock Sound community, the Food Service staff and Mrs. Rosalie Foulkes of PMH, The Guild for the sick and needy, the Atlantis Casino family and The Royal Bahamas Police Force, Internal Security Division, The leadership of The Progressive Liberal Party including Right Hon. Philip Davis KC MP and Mrs. Ann Marie Davis, Hon. Chester Cooper MP, Minister Fred Mitchell MP, Right Hon. Perry G Christie, Secretary General, Barbara Cartwright, Ms. Lulamae Smith, Ms. Barbara Pierre and Hon. Jamahl Strachan MP and the Nassau Village Branch of the Progressive Liberal Party and other relatives and friends.

Viewing will be held at the PLP Headquarters, Farrington Road on Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

PEANUTS Taylor and photographer Roland Rose admiring a picture taken by Mr Rose of Mr Taylor in action.

Commodore: Steps being taken to prepare for Haiti deployment

By JADE RUSSELL jrussell@tribunemedia.net

ROYAL Bahamas Defence Force Commo dore Raymond King says officials are taking concrete steps to prepare marines in the event troops are deployed to Haiti.

Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis recently said if CARICOM decides that the Haitian situation requires the deployment of security troops, then The Bahamas “will abide by the outcome” of the organisa tion’s resolution.

Once that decision is made in collaboration with the United Nations, National Security Minis ter Wayne Munroe said the country will be “ready, willing and able to deploy” Royal Bahamas Defence Force marines to the trou bled state.

Mr King told The Tribune yesterday he hasn’t received any official instructions as to marines being deployed at this point, noting the gov ernment will make the final call.

“It’s going to be based on the context of CARI COM or the Organization of American States or the United Nations Security Council Resolution,” he added.

However, in the mean time steps have been taken to prepare in the event officers are deployed, Com modore King said.

“The preparation entails identifying persons who would have been trained

DEFENSE Force Commander Commodore Raymond King.

over the years — we’ve done a number of infantry training, courses and pro grammes. They may have worked regionally as well as with our US partners. So, we have an annual training programme then we have a training programme during the year for persons to acquire those infantry com petencies as consents.

“Secondly, it’s the ongo ing planning in terms of the medical vetting, security vetting, or everything else in terms of preparing them mentally and physically. And being able to resource and equip persons who they required to be deployed.”

Commodore King said it is anticipated the training of the troops will begin some time soon.

“Understand that we are taking concrete steps

so as the government directs, then we’ll have persons ready, resourced, equipped, and prepared to be deployed and to oper ate as safely as possible,” he said.

Additionally, when asked about the Royal Bahamas Defence Force’s efforts to protect the country’s borders, he gave an assur ance that the force has and will continue to defend the borders in an effective manner.

The security and social conditions in Haiti have deteriorated in recent years, especially since the assassination of President Jovenel Moise last July.

Many have raised con cerns about Haiti’s current state.

In September, CARI COM made a statement expressing concerns about the security situation and social circumstances in Haiti.

“The unrest is having a negative impact on the already weak economy leading to even more mass demonstrations. Espe cially the worsening social conditions and the lim ited availability of food require urgent and imme diate attention from the international community,” CARICOM said in a recent statement.

Foreign Affairs Min ister Fred Mitchell in September said the Davis administration agreed with CARICOM’s statement also acknowledging Haiti’s need for support.

MUSIC PRIMARY TEACHING JOB OPPORTUNITIES

MUSIC teacher needed.

A pre-eminent, well-established, independent, international school in Nassau is seeking a full-time qualified MUSIC TEACHER. Candidates should have sound classroom experience; a passion for innovative education; a professional attitude towards work; a friendly and cooperative disposition; a willingness to work in a team environment; a determination to grow professionally; and strong communication & organisational skills.

Successful candidates will be required to:

● Prepare and deliver well-planned learning experiences and curricula

● Differentiate curriculum objectives to support a diverse range of learners

● Show consistent, compassionate, classroom management skills

● Assess student learning and produce detailed reports

● Use learning data to inform and adapt instruction

● Contribute to the co-curricular programme and whole-school activities in a committed and enthusiastic manner

● Maintain high standards of professionalism

● Communicate positively with parents, staff, and administration

Please Forward your resume and introduction letter by email to teachingbahamas@gmail.com

GONE IN 45 DAYSTRUSS IS BRITAIN’S SHORTEST SERVING LEADER IN HISTORY

LONDON Associated Press

BRITISH Prime Minis ter Liz Truss quit yesterday after a tumultuous and his torically brief term marred by economic policies that roiled financial markets and a rebellion in her political party that obliterated her authority.

After just 45 days in office, Truss became the third Conservative prime minister to be toppled in as many years, and she will go down as the shortest-serv ing leader in British history. Her resignation extends the instability that has shaken Britain since it broke off from the European Union and leaves its leadership in limbo as the country faces a cost-of-living crisis and looming recession.

“I cannot deliver the mandate on which I was elected by the Conservative Party,” Truss, 47, said out side her 10 Downing Street office.

Financial markets breathed a sigh of relief, but now a divided ruling party must quickly find a leader who can unify its warring factions. Truss said she

will remain in office until a replacement is chosen, which the Conservative Party said it would do by the end of next week, an extremely fast timeline for choosing the next leader of one of the world’s largest economies.

Potential contenders include: former Treasury chief Rishi Sunak, who lost to Truss in the last lead ership contest; House of Commons leader Penny Mordaunt; Defense Secre tary Ben Wallace; and Boris Johnson, the former prime minister ousted in July over a series of ethics scandals.

The low-tax, low-regula tion economic policies that got Truss elected by her party proved disastrous in the real world at a time of soaring inflation and weak growth.

Her September 23 eco nomic plan included a raft of tax cuts that investors worried Britain couldn’t afford. It pummelled the value of the pound and drove up the cost of mort gages, causing economic pain for people and busi nesses already struggling from an economy yet to emerge from the pain of the pandemic.

That financial tumult led to the replacement of Truss’ Treasury chief, mul tiple policy U-turns and a breakdown of discipline in the governing Conservative Party.

Truss resigned just a day after vowing to stay in power, saying she was “a fighter and not a quitter”. But she couldn’t hold on any longer after a senior minister quit her govern ment amid a barrage of criticism and a vote in the House of Commons Wednesday descended into chaos and acrimony.

“It’s time for the prime minister to go,” Conserva tive lawmaker Miriam Cates said, echoing the sen timents of many others.

Before Truss, the short est-serving prime minister in Britain had been George Canning, who died in office in 1827 after 119 days.

The pound rose about 1% Thursday to around $1.13 after Truss’ resignation.

Where the Conservative Party goes from here is not clear. Its myriad factions — from hard-right Brexiteers to centrist “One Nation” Tories — are at each other’s throats.

“Nobody has a route plan. It’s all sort of handto-hand fighting on a day-to-day basis,” Con servative lawmaker Simon Hoare told the BBC on Thursday before Truss resigned.

Newspapers that usually support the Conservatives were vitriolic. An editorial in the Daily Mail on Thurs day was headlined: “The wheels have come off the Tory clown car.”

Truss’ departure on Thursday sparked jubila tion for the tabloid Daily Star, which had set up a livestream last week fea turing a photo of the prime minister beside a head of lettuce to see which would last longer.

“This lettuce outlasted Liz Truss!” it proclaimed Thursday.

While many Britons joined the world in laughing at the lettuce joke, Bron wyn Maddox, director of international affairs thinktank Chatham House, said “there is no question that the UK’s standing in the world has been severely battered by this episode and by the revolving door of prime ministers”. She said Truss’ successor would need to have policies “based on economic stabil ity, but need also to include a resolution of the relation ship with Europe; much of the upheaval represents the bitter aftermath of Brexit”.

The Conservative Party said nominations for a new leader will close on Monday. Candidates need the signatures of 100 of the 357 Conservative lawmak ers, meaning a maximum field of three. Lawmakers will knock out one of those, and will ask the party’s 172,000 members to decide between the two finalists in an online vote. The new leader is due to be in place by October 28.

Truss’ resignation is the culmination of months of simmering discontent inside the Conservative Party, whose poll ratings have plunged.

Johnson’s government came undone after he was revealed to have held a series of parties in govern ment buildings at a time when people in Britain were barred from mingling with friends and family or even visiting dying rela tives. The Conservative Party spent the summer picking a replacement as the economy worsened amid spiking energy prices triggered by Russia’s inva sion of Ukraine. Truss had served as Johnson’s foreign secretary.

Whoever succeeds Truss will become the country’s third prime minister this year. A national election doesn’t have to be called until 2024, but opposition parties demanded one be held now, saying the gov ernment lacks democratic legitimacy.

Opposition Labour Party leader Keir Starmer accused the Conservatives of presiding over “utter chaos”.

“This is doing huge damage to our economy and the reputation of our country,” he said. “We must have a chance at a fresh start. We need a general election – now.”

Truss’ political unrave ling began after she and her Treasury chief, Kwasi Kwarteng, unveiled an economic plan with 45 bil lion pounds ($50 billion) in unfunded tax cuts. The notion of massive bor rowing to finance tax cuts hammered the value of the pound and caused interest rates on UK government bonds to rise. The Bank of England was forced to intervene to prevent the crisis from spreading to the wider economy and putting pension funds at risk.

Truss soon fired Kwarteng, and his replacement, Jeremy Hunt, scrapped almost all of Truss’ tax cuts, cut short her energy subsidies and abandoned her prom ise of no public spending cuts. He said the govern ment will need to save billions of pounds and that there are “many dif ficult decisions” to be made before he sets out a medium-term fiscal plan on October 31.

Speaking to lawmakers on Wednesday for the first time since the U-turn, Truss apologized and admitted she had made mistakes, but insisted she would not resign. Within hours, a senior Cabinet minister, Home Secretary Suella Braverman, quit, blasting Truss in her resignation letter, saying she had “con cerns about the direction of this government”.

For many Conservative lawmakers, the final straw was a Wednesday evening vote over fracking for shale gas that produced chaotic scenes in Parliament, with party whips accused of using heavy-handed tactics to gain votes.

Chris Bryant, a law maker from the opposition Labour Party, said he “saw members being physically manhandled ... and being bullied.” Conservative offi cials denied this.

BRITAIN’s Prime Minister Liz Truss and husband Hugh O’Leary leave 10 Downing Street to address the media in London yesterday. Photo: Alberto Pezzali/AP

Bahamas and EU ‘seek partnership’

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

THE Bahamas and the European Union are recommitted to building and strengthening a mutu ally beneficial partnership as they have concluded the dialogue on Article 8 of the Cotonou Agreement.

Bahamian and European representatives and officials meet on Tuesday during Diplomatic Week in regard to the agreement.

The Cotonou Agreement is the overarching frame work for EU relations with African, Caribbean and Pacific countries.

This agreement seeks to support sustainable devel opment in these states, with

a view to fostering global peace, security and promot ing a stable and democratic political environment.

The agenda of the meet ing covered developments in the relationships between CARIFORUM and EU, collaboration in the inter national arena, human rights, environmental issues and climate change, the EU’s anti-money

laundering/counter-financ ing of terrorism and taxation listing and the UkraineRussia conflict. The situation in Haiti was also addressed according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Foreign Affairs Minister Fred Mitchell along with EU Ambassador Marianne van Steen co-chaired the meeting.

“The dialogue between The Bahamas and the European Union is very important and will help strengthen our relations as we deepen ties and work towards mutually agreed outcomes,” said Mr Mitchell.

The EU ambassador expressed the importance of the political dialogue for the

EU. “It was very necessary that The Bahamas and the EU have a dialogue as the last one was before the COVID19 pandemic,” she said.

“The geopolitical situation has changed sig nificantly in that time, and we realised that we need each other and that we need to strengthen relationships between the EU and The Bahamas as well as the EU and the entire Caribbean.”

This political dialogue called for all parties involved to regularly engage in a deep political dialogue and facilitate con sultations and strengthen cooperation between both sides while promot ing a system of “effective multilateralism”.

FOUR ARMED ROBBERIES

By JADE RUSSELL jrussell@tribunemedia.net

POLICE are seeking help from the public to assist them in solving four recent armed robberies.

Officers are searching for two men who robbed a con venience store on Polhemus Street off Nassau Street yesterday, shortly before 4pm.

Preliminary reports reveal the suspects, one allegedly armed with a handgun, entered and robbed the store of an undetermined amount of cash. The men fled in a silver vehicle.

Regarding Wednesday’s incidents, according to police, the first robbery occurred sometime around 7.40am at an eatery in Palmdale. The business was robbed by three men, all allegedly armed with handguns and dressed in dark clothing.

“It is reported the sus pects entered and robbed the establishment and staff

members of an undisclosed amount of cash and per sonal items and fled the area on foot in an unknown direction,” police said.

The second incident occurred shortly after 10am in west New Providence. Two men reportedly robbed a mobile eatery of an unde termined amount of cash and a staff member of a grey Toyota Ram truck L/P AT5277, police said. The third incident occurred shortly before 7pm on Wednesday at a business on Baillou Hill Road south. A man wearing dark clothing with a grey backpack entered the estab lishment and demanded cash, while reportedly armed with a handgun. He took an undetermined amount of cash and fled.

Anyone with informa tion is asked to contact the police at 919, 911, the Criminal Investigations Department at 502-9991/2 or Crime Stoppers at 328-TIPS.

PRIMARY TEACHING JOB OPPORTUNITIES

FIFTH GRADE teacher needed.

A pre-eminent, well-established, independent, international school in Nassau is seeking a full-time qualified FIFTH GRADE TEACHER. Candidates should have sound classroom experience; a passion for innovative education; a professional attitude towards work; a friendly and cooperative disposition; a willingness to work in a team environment; a determination to grow professionally; and strong communication & organisational skills.

Successful candidates will be required to:

● Prepare and deliver well-planned learning experiences and curricula

● Differentiate curriculum objectives to support a diverse range of learners

● Show consistent, compassionate, classroom management skills

● Assess student learning and produce detailed reports

● Use learning data to inform and adapt instruction

● Contribute to the co-curricular programme and whole-school activities in a committed and enthusiastic manner

● Maintain high standards of professionalism

● Communicate positively with parents, staff, and administration

Please Forward your resume and introduction letter by email to teachingbahamas@gmail.com

Learning is for life. So is the need for love, support and nurturing. That’s why we created The Step - a dynamic community that fosters growth in a safe, secure and supportive environment. More than a home, this haven provides young Bahamians with the tools, resources and support they need to continue to thrive as they transition into independent living and learn to become productive members of society. With your help, we can put them on the right path for a successful and productive life.

MINISTER of Foreign Affairs Fred Mitchell.

currently

under construction

Ranfurly Homes for Children, Nassau, Bahamas

Beach soccer ladies first

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

Just hours away from tipoff, The Bahamas Beach Soccer Cup aims to provide an opportunity to reintroduce the game to the local public and the region, with a specific focus on the women’s programme.

While the men’s national team has had many mile stone moments - such as the 2017 Beach Soccer World Cup and CON CACAF Championships - this weekend’s event will provide the first opportu nity for the women in the local spotlight.

Competition begins tonight at the National Beach Soccer Stadium when the women open the tournament against Turks and Caicos at 6pm.

Head coach Daria Adderley said the team, ranked no.18 by Beach Soccer Worldwide, is eager to take the pitch before the home crowd.

“I don’t think The Baha mas realises that they have women that are playing beach soccer and they can be fantastic and wowing just like the men. I think we are going to come out,

showcase ourselves and prove to The Bahamas that we are a force to be reck oned with,” she said.

“We have some new players that have joined and this will be their first international competition. We also have veteran play ers, but they are young. We may have a veteran that is 19 years old but they have been playing for years and have had maybe three international competitions this year. So those players along with the newcomers have our spirits high. The chemistry is really great with the ladies and we are really excited to come out and showcase ourselves.”

The programme has existed for just three years, and like all sports, lost significant traction the last two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The first team was estab lished in 2019 to compete in the World Beach Game Qualifier in El Salvador. The most recent competi tion was at the El Salvador Beach Soccer Cup in April where the team had a -8 goal differential against the United States, Argentina and El Salvador.

“Our last competition was the El Salvador Beach Cup, we have been on a

DARIA ADDERLEY

little hiatus for a while so it has been about seven months for us since inter national competition,” Adderley said.

“This is our first inter national tournament here in The Bahamas so for the women here that will be playing, they are very excited to have the country see them perform.”

BFA vice president, chairman of beach soccer committee, head coach men’s team and former national player Gavin Christie, reflects on the two-year hiatus due to the global pandemic and is grateful to see the sport reemerge on Bahamian sand.

The men make their tournament debut at 8:30pm tonight against Trinidad and Tobago.

“It’s never easy in train ing to replicate game situations and we haven’t played at a high level for the last two years due to COVID. We tried to repli cate as best we can, game situations but the good thing is that we have an experienced team that has played at a high level for many, many years and I expect them to adapt fairly quickly. There may be some ups and downs, that’s expected in every game, but they should be able to adapt quickly due to the experience,” he said.

“We do have a few newer faces and younger players and this tournament will be a very good experience for them. They may have some challenges adapting to the speed of play, the level of play but my veterans I expect them to perform at a high level.”

Beyond this weekend’s current tournament, the programme’s ultimate goal is to qualify for elite level competition against the best national teams in the world.

“We’re looking to put a full programme in place,” Christie said. “Our goal has always been to qualify for the World Cup. The qualifying is in May of 2023

so we would have to put a substantial programme in place to ensure that we are ready for that.”

ALIV is the Conch Shell Title Sponsor and the Sand Dollar Silver sponsor is Bamboo Shack.

Additional sponsors for the BFA’s 2022 ALIV Beach Soccer Cup include Simplified Lending, Atlan tis, Jimmy’s Wines & Spirits, Tito’s and Insur ance Management.

Admission is free of charge to the general public. Gates Open at 4pm.

THE SCHEDULE TODAY

6pm - Trinidad and Tobago vs Turks and Caicos (Women)

7.15pm - Costa Rica vs Colombia

8:30pm - Trinidad and Tobago vs Bahamas

Saturday, October 22

6pm - Bahamas vs Turks and Caicos (Women)

7:15pm - Colombia vs Trinidad and Tobago

8:30pm - Bahamas vs Costa Rica Sunday, October 23

6pm - Bahamas vs Trini dad and Tobago (Women)

7:15pm - Costa Rica vs Trinidad and Tobago

8:30pm - Bahamas vs Colombia

Lathaniel ‘Tanny’ Bastian and Titans projected to finish 7th

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

THE Big West Confer ence hosted its media day this week and Lathaniel “Tanny” Bastian’s Cal State Fullerton Titans found out where the conference projects his programme to finish in the upcoming season.

The defending confer ence champion Titans came in at no.7 on the preseason men’s basketball coaches’ poll. Titans head coach Dedrique Taylor will enter his 10th year at the helm of the programme and Bas tian is expected to be an integral part of a talented group of seven newcomers to replace the six players lost from last year’s roster.

Bastian’s first opportu nity in a Titan uniform will be on Saturday, October 29 at Titan Gym for an exhibi tion game against La Verne at noon. Fullerton opens

up the season on the road against San Diego State on November 7.

The team’s first home game will be November 11 against Pepperdine.

“We’re excited to use these games to grow and develop our team,” Taylor said.

“I’m looking forward to the challenge of these games to help us prepare for making another run at winning the Big West Conference Championship and playing in the NCAA tournament!”

Cal State Fullerton fin ished with a 21-11 overall record and an 11-4 record in conference play last season. They were the champion of the Big West Conference Tournament and earned a No. 15 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

The programme also has a Big West Tournament Championship and NCAA Tournament appearance in 2018. Bastian, the 6’8”

In his lone season with the Rams in NCAA Divi sion II, Bastian was a Lone Star Conference

Honorable Mention selec tion. He led the Rams in rebounding and blocked shots, averaging 7.8 boards and 1.4 blocks per game. He pulled down 219 rebounds, 90 on the offen sive glass. He averaged 11.3 points per game on 61 percent shooting from the field. Bastian recorded nine double doubles on the year.

He scored a season high 23 points against Western New Mexico on February 3, also his best shooting night at 8-12 from the field.

His other season highs included 16 rebounds against West Texas A&M on March 3, four blocks against Northwest Naza rene on November 19, and four steals against Fort Lewis on November 14.

Bastian spent the previ ous two seasons with the Trinity Valley Community College Cardinals at the Junior College level.

As a sophomore with the Cardinals he averaged 5.9 points and 6.8 rebounds per game.

He also finished with 19 blocks, 11 steals and 14 assists on 53 percent shoot ing from the field.

Bastian is a product of the Doris Johnson Mystic Marlins programme at the high-school level before continuing collegiately in the United States.

Ronaldo fallout shades Man United win and upcoming Chelsea clash

By JAMES ROBSON AP Soccer Writer

MANCHESTER, Eng land (AP) — Cristiano Ronaldo has been removed from Manchester Unit ed’s squad — but not the headlines.

He will play no part in his team’s game against Chelsea on Saturday and he is still dominating the buildup.

United manager Erik ten Hag has acted swiftly after Ronaldo — an unused substitute — headed to the changing room before the end of Wednesday’s 2-0 win against Tottenham.

“Cristiano will not be part of the Manchester United squad for this Saturday’s game against Chelsea,” United said in a statement yesterday. “The rest of the

squad is fully focused on preparing for that fixture.”

Ronaldo will also train away from the first team until after that match, United said. But it is unlikely the story will end there in a season when the 37-year-old Portugal star’s most significant contribu tions are happening away from the field.

United’s preseason was clouded in uncertainty over whether he would stay or leave for a club competing in the Champions League.

He did not join the rest of squad on its tour of Thai land and Australia due to a family issue, and when he did return to action in July he was among play ers criticised by Ten Hag for departing Old Traf ford early during a friendly against Rayo Vallecano.

His clear frustration after United’s humiliating 4-0 loss at Brentford in August was caught on camera as he appeared to walk toward away fans and turn away gesticulating.

The latest episode over shadowed United’s best performance of the season and left a frustrated Ten Hag fielding questions again for which he had no answers.

“I don’t pay attention today,” the Dutchman said after the match. “We deal with that tomorrow. I want to keep the focus on this team. It was a magnificent performance from all the 11 players.”

It has been dealt with — but only for now as it feels like Ten Hag’s bet on

IN BFA, UB MEN’S

TEAM IN

THE University of The Bahamas men’s soccer team expected the biggest match of the season so far against BearsFC. It turned out like a normal day at the office for The Mingoes.

The UB Mingoes took out a depleted Bears side 5-1 in Bahamas Football Association action on Sunday, October 16 at The Roscow R.L. Davies pitch to take sole possession of first place in the league.

Mingoes midfielder Ron aldo Green again scored a hat trick plus one in the match in a very physically aggressive match. Green scored in the 22nd, 57th, 73rd and 89th minutes of the match.

The Bears’ lone goal came in the 56th minute. That goal celebration was short-lived as Green responded in less than one minute later.

The Bears top player was out of commission because of a red card penalty in a previous match.

O’Bryan Hinds scored first for the Mingoes on a brilliant shot in the 15th minute to start things off for The Mingoes. It was his second goal for the team and on the season.

Green said the match was not up to what the team expected but they got the job done.

“It was a brilliant win for us,” Green said. “The Bears didn’t have a few of their players due to a red card but we came out and got the job done for UB today.”

Green added that the team was focused and hopes to keep the momentum for the rest of the season.

“We kept the ball moving and as a team we learned from the mistakes that we had from the past few games,” he said. “We are learning and we’re going to keep improving.”

The Mingoes now have sole possession of the top spot in the BFA’s men’s league with a 4-0 record.

MANCHESTER United’s Cris tiano Ronaldo warms up prior to the start of a group E Europa League soccer match against Omonia at Old Trafford sta dium in Manchester, England.

(AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

junior forward and trans fer from the Angelo State Rams, chose the Titans over Charleston, Min nesota State Moorhead, Grenville State, Fort Lewis, Benedict College and Texas at Tyler.

LATHANIEL BASTIAN

UB midfielder Marlon Barnes

Fidelity Senior Nationals in full swing

THE Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association Fidelity Senior Nationals kicked off on Tuesday at the National Tennis Centre. The com petition continues through October 23..

Adult players are vying for championships in eight divisions in Men and Women 35 Singles, Men 45 Singles, Men 55 Singles, Men and Women 35 Dou bles, Men 45 Doubles and Mixed Doubles.

The BLTA is pleased that the competition has returned after a COVID19 imposed break. The players are showing their enthusiasm to return to the competition and we have witnessed a high level of competition on display and a healthy number of par ticipants in the tournament with a positive increase in mixed doubles, a heavily contested category.

President Perry Newton extended his thanks to the title sponsor Fidelity Bank Bahamas Limited for their support of the event.

In Tuesday’s competi tion, Men’s Doubles was featured, John Antonas and Godfrey Virgill won in a competitive two-setter over Neil Mactaggart and Bud Cambridge 7-5,6-4.

Larry Rolle and Pat rick Fernander won over Rudy Williams and Michael Cooper, Alexander Mur bach and Ivan Hooper won over Chigoze Ijeoma and Julian Robinson, Stephen Thompson and Cory Fran cis won over Perry Newton and Timothy Dames and Bjorn Ferguson and Ken Kerr advanced in a walko ver. In women’s singles, Sh’Ron Sauders won over Marva Conyers.

In addition to the oncourt action the BLTA is

McIlroy feeling like a heavyweight who wants his belt back

By DOUG FERGUSON AP Golf Writer

RIDGELAND, S.C.

(AP) — Rory McIlroy has reached the top of the world ranking eight times, and it’s still not enough. Even if the feeling is noth ing new, the reward never gets old.

McIlroy defends his title this week in the CJ Cup — which has moved from high above the Las Vegas Strip to the lowlands of South Carolina — with a mathe matical chance to reach No. 1 in the world for the ninth time.

“It sort of illustrates you can have your runs and you can stay there, but I think the cool part is the journey getting back there,” McIl roy said Wednesday. “It’s sort of like a heavyweight boxer losing a world title, and it’s a journey to get that title back.”

A year ago, McIlroy was No. 14 in the world when he raced by the field in Las Vegas to win the CJ Cup at The Summit. He is a twotime winner this year, the

FedEx Cup champion and has five straight top-10 fin ishes coming into this week. He will need some help at Congaree Golf Club.

According to “Nosfer atu,” the Twitter handle of a world ranking guru, McIlroy can reach No. 1 by winning the CJ Cup as long as top-ranked Scottie Scheffler doesn’t finish in a two-way tie for second or better, or by finishing alone in second provided Schef fler finishes out of the top 34.

Motivation is not lack ing for McIlroy, even at the end of a long year and with only two tournaments left. There is the chance to reach No. 1 again, and he leads the DP World Tour points race in Europe.

Scheffler won the PGA Tour player of the year and was poised to claim the FedEx Cup until McIlroy rallied on the last day. He had the best year in golf, even if it feels like the best stuff was a long time ago.

Scheffler first reached No. 1 in the world by win ning the Dell Match Play

playing Marcus Rashford on Wednesday were telling.

“Against this Tottenham we need good pressing,” he said.

pleased to honour past president Wesley Rolle at its 2022 Fidelity Sr Nation als event. The BLTA is pleased we are able to host the event and to also rec ognise Mr Wes Rolle who among his many contribu tions has also assisted with numerous adult tourna ments for the association.

“President Rolle has made numerous contribu tions to the growth and development of tennis in

The Bahamas over the years. He served as presi dent of the BLTA during the period 2007 to 2009. Post presidency, he remains actively involved in the sport.

He assumed the role as facility manager of the National Tennis Centre under two administrations.

Mr Rolle has not only focused his attention on making a difference in New Providence, but also on a

few Family Islands,” the organisation said in a press release.

“As a good leader, he also knows how to follow.

Besides serving as an exec utive and being a trailblazer for the association, he has served as a coach for many years, a senior nationals’ tournament director and tournament director for a few ITF junior tournaments held in New Providence,” said the release.

TYSON FURY TO FIGHT CHISORA IN DECEMBER, AIMING FOR USYK NEXT YEAR

LONDON (AP) — Tyson Fury will defend his WBC heavyweight title against fellow Briton Derek Chisora in London on December 3.

It will be the unbeaten Fury’s first fight since knocking out another British heavyweight, Dil lian Whyte, in front of 94,000 spectators at Lon don’s Wembley Stadium in April — after which Fury said he was retiring.

Fury has been enticed back into the ring, ini tially hoping to take on Oleksandr Usyk — the holder of the WBA, WBO and IBF belts — for the undis puted championship or yet another Briton in Anthony Joshua. He has turned to Chi sora, who he has already beaten twice — by unani mous decision in 2011 to claim the British and Commonwealth titles and then after Chisora’s 10thround retirement in 2014.

The latest fight will take place at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, where Usyk beat Joshua last year.

Fury’s promoter, Frank Warren, said Usyk has already been lined up for his fighter in 2023.

“Tyson can’t afford any slip-up in this fight,” Warren said, “as he has the much-publicised undisputed matchup with Usyk in the new year which we’re really look ing forward to.”

Tottenham’s sta dium is free to stage the fight because the Pre mier League is paused for more than a month before Christmas to accommodate the World Cup.

in Texas, his third victory in five starts, and then he ended his big run by win ning the Masters. The rest of the year wasn’t a dud, by any stretch. He lost in a playoff at Colonial and came within one putt of a playoff at the U.S. Open.

Scheffler needed time to relax, even though mind never strays to far from golf. That was particularly true this time.

“I’m very competitive and I was frustrated with how last season ended. I really want to win the FedEx Cup. So for me, it was kind of harder to check out this time of year,” he said.

He already made one big change with his putter. Scheffler said he was strug gling to line up his putts toward the end of the year. He grabbed a mallet-style

putter that he used in his junior amateur years and something clicked.

“I fooled around with that model, figured out what I liked and didn’t like and I talked to the guys at Titleist and they were able to get a putter to me in like a day from California,” he said. “I feel like I’m more consistent with it.”

The field features 15 of the top 20 players in the world, most of them seeing the course for the first time. Congaree also filled in for the Canadian Open, canceled last year because of travel restrictions from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The CJ Cup was still uncertain how travel would be to South Korea, so it decided in June to play another year in the United States. It was in Las Vegas the last two years.

Among those in the field last year was Tom Kim. Now the 20-year-old is back with some star power behind him, two PGA Tour victories in his last five starts, a spark at the Presi dents Cup and the No. 15 spot in the rankings.

“The rise that Tom’s been on over the last few months has been incredible,” McIl roy said.

Kim was in the press centre as McIlroy was speaking.

“Rory, I have a question for you,” Kim said. “What’s it like having so much suc cess as a young player?”

McIlroy laughed and replied, “I didn’t have as much success as you’re having at such a young age.”

And then he shared what Kim had missed ear lier about reaching No.

Chisora (33-12, 23 KOs) has challenged for the heavyweight title once before, in 2012 when he lost to Vitali Klitschko in Munich via a unanimous decision.

He is coming off a win on points over Kubrat Pulev in July, which fol lowed back-to-back losses to Joseph Parker.

Fury has won 32 of his 33 professional fights, drawing the other against Deontay Wilder in the first bout of their trilogy.

1. Staying there can be more difficult than getting there. Only two other play ers have reached No. 1 on more than eight occasions — Tiger Woods and Greg Norman, each with 11.

“The hard work is actu ally staying there,” McIlroy said.

Ronaldo is destined to fail.

He was reluctant to let the player leave in the summer — fearing his squad would be left short of a prolific goal-scorer. But that remains the case, even with Ronaldo still at the club.

A return of two goals in 12 appearances is evidence of his struggles and Ten Hag’s inability to coax him in to form.

The manager has con sistently claimed Ronaldo would be able to adapt to his high-pressing tac tics, but his reasons for

“We need good counterpress because from there you can create chances. We needed good pressing players. Offensive-wise you need dynamic, so that is what Marcus can bring.”

In a season in which Ron aldo scored the 700th club goal of his career, United has looked at its best with out him.

Standout victories against Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham have all come with Ronaldo on the bench.

In beating Spurs 2-0, United produced its slickest forward play yet even if Ten

Hag still lacks a clinical fin isher, with Rashford once again failing to make the most of his chances in front of goal.

But the England striker justified his start for the energy he brought in clos ing down defenders and his speed to exploit space.

Ronaldo’s issues have not appeared to be down to a lack of willingness to fit into Ten Hag’s system, rather a lack of ability to do so.

There has been evi dence of him pressing in wide positions – but his famed cutting edge in the penalty box has evaded him, perhaps because he is no longer preserving his energy for those decisive moments.

The outcome is unsatis factory for all concerned — and his walk off on Wednesday is unhelpful for Ten Hag at a time when he is still establishing himself at United.

In his news conference ahead of Saturday’s game at Stamford Bridge, Ten Hag will face fresh questions over Ronaldo’s future.

It has the potential to be an unwelcome distraction as he aims to secure his first significant away win as United manager, having beaten Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham on home soil. And Chelsea manager Graham Potter has already got the better of Ten Hag once this season — when he was in charge of Brighton

and beat United in its open ing game.

Ten Hag’s focus needs to be on Chelsea, not on more off-field drama around a player whose importance to the team is ever-diminishing.

A parting of the ways in January looks increasingly like the best solution for everyone.

RORY MCILROY, of Northern Ireland, gestures near the tournament trophy after winning the CJ Cup golf tournament on October 17, 2021, in Las Vegas.

(AP Photo/David Becker)

TYSON FURY

MEN’s doubles teams pose for a group photo.

LADIES singles and men in action during the Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association’s Fidelity Senior Nationals at the National Tennis Centre.

By KRISTIE RIEKEN AP Sports Writer

HOUSTON (AP) — Alex Bregman hit an early three-run homer, Framber Valdez pitched seven strong innings and the Houston Astros edged the New York Yankees 3-2 last night to take a 2-0 lead in the AL Championship Series.

Yankees slugger Aaron Judge just missed a tworun homer in the eighth when his drive was caught just in front of the short wall by right fielder Kyle Tucker.

The ball would’ve landed in the short rightfield porch at Yankee Stadium, Statcast showed — with the roof open at Minute Maid Park, the wind might’ve knocked down Judge’s bid.

A night after Justin Verlander fanned 11 in a 4-2 win in Game 1 of the best-of-seven series, Valdez turned in another solid pitching perfor mance and Bregman’s third-inning homer was all the offence Hou ston needed. The Astros improved to 5-0 this postseason.

Valdez allowed just four hits, walked none and struck out nine.

The only runs New York mustered were unearned, coming in the fourth after a flustered Valdez committed two errors on the same play.

But he quickly moved past the gaffe and shut down the powerful Yan kees lineup the rest of the way.

Valdez allowed just one baserunner after that inning on a single to Har rison Bader with two outs in the fifth and retired the last seven hitters he faced, capped by strik ing out the side in the seventh.

Featuring a mix of pitches, Valdez got 25 swings and misses. He also helped end the Yankees’ record run of 23 straight postseason games with a home run.

Bryan Abreu pitched a scoreless eighth. Ryan Pressly walked one in a scoreless ninth, striking out three for his second save of the series.

UB Athletics, US Embassy team up to host community basketball clinic at UB

THE University of The Bahamas and the United States Embassy teamed up Saturday to host a bas ketball clinic for area high school players at the uni versity’s courts.

The UB Mingoes men’s basketball team and coaches led the clinic that was coordinated through The American Corner at UB. The coaches and UB players ran drills with the nearly 50 local high school basketball players attend ing the clinic.

Director of Athletics at The University of The Bahamas Kimberley Rolle said the outreach effort for the community is a natural fit not only for UB but UB Athletics as well.

“The university is based in Oakes Field, and we are in the community and looking to give back. In whatever we do we seek to serve our community, and so we thought it was important to engage the community in such a clinic,” she said.

“When we were approached to engage with such a partnership with the United States Embassy, we were more than open and willing to it. Community

work is a part of what we push here at UB Athletics, because we believe that our student-athletes are fortu nate and blessed, and so to whom much is given much is expected.”

Rolle added that she hopes the partnership con tinues to grow to frequently make that impact in the community.

“We certainly are happy to engage in this collabora tion with the US Embassy and other partners,” she said. “We certainly look to build upon this as we

grow and to engage other stakeholders.”

US Embassy Consular Chief and Acting Deputy Chief of Mission Lance Posey, himself a former high school basketball coach in the United States, said he thought the collaboration was a great outreach oppor tunity for the embassy.

“Education is incred ibly important for all of us,” he said. “With so many students travel ling from The Bahamas to the United States to go to school, we want everyone

to understand what the United States has to offer.”

He pointed out that the outreach with the high school student-athletes in The Bahamas gives the embassy an opportunity to give them a taste of athlet ics in the USA. “We want to make sure that stu dents from The Bahamas understand the different opportunities available when they go to study in the United States,” he said.

“We are really happy to have Bahamian students in the United States.”

The clinic was coor dinated through the American Corner at The University of The Baha mas. The American Corner is a partnership between the US Embassy and UB and is part of the US State Department’s global Amer ican Spaces programme.

American Spaces aim to provide people around the world with accurate, compelling, timely and audience-appropriate infor mation about the United States and its history, cul ture, society and values.

By REX CLEMENTINE Associated Press

GEELONG, Australia (AP) — Dusan Shanaka’s patched-up Sri Lanka beat Netherlands but both advanced to the Super 12 stage at the Twenty20 World Cup yesterday.

The Dutch could thank the United Arab Emirates for knocking out Namibia in the last Group A games.

Former champion Sri Lanka beat the Netherlands

by 16 runs in its must-win game.

The Netherlands then needed the UAE to upset Namibia, and the Emirates delivered the favour by seven runs for its first win at a T20 World Cup.

The top two in both first-round groups will join the top eight teams in the next phase, which starts on Saturday with defend ing champion Australia taking on New Zealand in a rematch of last year’s final.

Muhammad Waseem scored 50 and skipper CP Rizwan posted an unbeaten 43 to lift UAE to 148-3.

Namibia slipped to 69-7 after pace bowler Zahoor Khan picked up two wickets in four balls with yorkers in the 13th over. The Dutch players who stayed to watch in the stands were clapping and cheering.

Things got more tense when David Wiese (55) and Ruben Trumpelmann (25 not out) went on the attack and combined for 70 runs to cut the equation to 20 runs needed from the last two overs. Namibia suddenly appeared more likely to win and advance.

With 10 needed off the last three balls, Wiese tried to hit Waseem over the long-on boundary but didn’t quite middle it and Alis han Sharafu took a catch just inside the rope to end Namibia’s hopes. Namibia finished on 141-8.

“It is a great moment. Really grateful,” Rizwan said of the droughtbreaking win. “It was just a matter of time. Today, all departments clicked together.

“We want to grow on this. We want to show we’re here not just to compete, but to make an impact.”

That will have to wait until the next tournament.

Sri Lanka and Nether lands finished with two wins apiece, with the Sri Lan kans ahead on run-rate.

They posted a competi tive 162-6, including 102

in the last 10 overs, on a two-paced pitch before restricting Netherlands to 146-9.

Kusal Mendis equalled his career-best T20 score of 79 and almost carried his bat through.

He faced 44 deliveries and hit five fours and five sixes before being dismissed in the last over. By then, he had done the damage.

The Netherlands was never really in the run chase, subdued by spin ners Maheesh Theekshana and Wanindu Hasaranga who shared five wickets.

Opener Max O’Dowd

batted through the innings but played a mostly lone hand and finished with an unbeaten 71 off 53 deliver ies, including six fours and three sixes.

Despite qualifying for the second round after losing its opener to Namibia, Sri Lanka has major injury concerns with three play ers already ruled out of the tournament. And

opening batter Pathum Nis sanka didn’t field against the Netherlands as he was taken to hospital for a pre cautionary scan.

“We had a bad first game. We were not too sure of

the conditions but I guess after that we settled down and played really well,” said Mendis, who was voted player of the match.

“I just tried to bat the first 10 overs and once I was set, I tried to cash in.”

The top two from Group B will be decided today in Hobart where all four teams are still in contention.

In winner-takes-all T20s, the two-time cham pion West Indies play Ireland, and Zimbabwe faces Scotland.

Only Zimbabwe has pre viously failed to get out of the first round.

CRICKET fans wave Sri Lankan flags during the T20 World Cup Cricket match between Sri Lanka and Namibia in Geelong, Australia, on Sunday.

(AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)

THE University of The Bahamas and United States Embassy teamed up Saturday to host a basketball clinic for area high school players at the university’s courts.

Ayton has double double, Suns rally from 22 points down to get win over Mavs 107-105

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

DEANDRE Ayton concluded last season in disappointment with a season low effort against the Dallas Mavericks but he began the 2022-23 cam paign with a double double in the latest edition of the budding rivalry.

Ayton finished with 18 points, 10 rebounds and two assists in the Phoenix Suns’ 107-105 come-from-behind win over the Mavericks Wednesday night at the Footprint Center in Phoe nix, Arizona.

He shot 8-11 from the field in just over 30 minutes.

Ayton notched 30 dou ble-doubles last year in only 58 games played and is already off to a fast start in his fifth season.

The Suns overcame a 22-point deficit capped by Damion Lee’s go ahead jumper with 9.7 left to play, but the main storyline emerging from the game was the efficiency of Ayton and and All-Star guard Devin Booker.

Phoenix was +25 in the 27 minutes the duo played together.

Suns head coach Monty Williams said Ayton was aggressive in spots and showed an ability to read what the defence was giving him playing off Booker.

“It’s something that we worked on for sure but they have to execute it,” Wil liams said of the two-man game. “We’ll give them structure and then a lot of times they’ll go out there and talk about the angle of the screen, where he needs to be in the pocket.

It certainly doesn’t work if you don’t have guys who can make plays on the back side but DA has become really good in the pocket.”

Booker, who finished with 28 points and nine assistsboth team highs - said the next evolution of Ayton’s game is the playmaking he displayed Wednesday night.

“For him to be a domi nant post-up big, mid-range big, I think that’s the next step he can take to his game — his playmaking,” Booker said of Ayton after the game. “Especially when a lot of attention is on me and Chris [Paul]. He’s usu ally around that free throw line being the first person you throw it to out of the double and it’s usually three-on-two or four-onthree on the back side. I think he’s going to find out that it’s going to make his

Ayton averaged 17.2 points on a career high 63 percent shooting from the field and 10.2 rebounds per game in 58 appearances.

The Suns finished with an NBA best and new fran chise record of 64-18 in the regular season before the second round exit at the hands of the Mavericks.

For the second consecu tive season, the Suns will be featured in a franchise record-tying 34 nationally televised games.

A total of 22 games will be broadcast on ABC, ESPN or TNT, with an additional 12 on NBATV.

The Sun will return to action tonight when they face the Portland Trail Blazers at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon.

Giannis scores 21, Matthews’ 3 sends Bucks past 76ers 90-88

By DAN GELSTON AP Sports Writer

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Wesley Matthews hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 23.8 seconds left, and Gian nis Antetokounmpo had 21 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a 90-88 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers last night.

Brook Lopez scored 17 points as the Bucks, who went 0-5 in the preseason, won their season opener after Matthews surprised the Sixers on the long 3. James Harden, who scored 31 and rallied the Sixers in the fourth, missed a jumper that could have won the game.

The 76ers lost their opener Tuesday night in Boston and had another weak defensive effort that had the Philly crowd booing them off the court in the third quarter. Joel Embiid had 15 points and 12 rebounds. Tyrese Maxey added 15 points for the Sixers.

a long time, especially if he gets hit,” coach Doc Rivers said. “Those are still raw moves. As a big, I’m assum ing he gets hit every game. You’re not injured, it’s just painful.”

Harden finally got the Sixers rolling in the fourth when he scored eight straight points and cut a 12-point deficit to single digits. Trying to bulk up the defensive lineup with toughness, Rivers turned to Harden, Tobias Harris, P.J Tucker, De’Anthony Melton and Daniel House Jr.

The 76ers forced shot clock turnovers and forced the Bucks out of bounds.

Tucker stole the ball and hit Harden for the layup that made it 80-all with 6:41 left. Harden, whose nagging hamstring injuries from last season seem behind him, flexed for the crowd that roared in approval.

His bucket capped a 13-0 run, all done with Embiid on the bench.

Stackhouse eager to build on 1st winning season at Vandy

By TERESA M WALKER AP Sports Writer

NASHVILLE, Tenn.

(AP) — Scotty Pippen Jr finally left Vanderbilt for the NBA. Going into his fourth season, coach Jerry Stackhouse has a roster that should keep the Com modores from missing the Southeastern Conference’s top scorer.

“We’re trying to build that hierarchy of allowing our older guy to come in and do what they’re sup posed to do but got some young guys that’s knock ing on the door and really pushing them,” Stackhouse said. “And I think that’s going to make our team overall, make us better.”

Vanderbilt capped Stack house’s third season with his first winning record at 19-17. He also ended the Commodores’ postseason drought, guiding them to the NIT quarterfinals in their first postseason tour nament since reaching the 2017 NCAA Tournament.

Stackhouse has his best recruiting class so far and he

brought in a pair of trans fers in point guard Ezra Manjon from UC Davis and Emmanuel Ansong from Wisconsin-Green Bay.

It’s a roster that Stack house thinks can move the ball faster, helping his shooters get better looks at the basket. The Commo dores are helped by being healthier than a year ago when Tyrin Lawrence was recovering from an ACL torn in January 2021, and 7-footer Liam Robbins was limited to 15 games by a knee issue.

“Our development of some of our guys from last year to now is a big reason why we can play the way we want to play right now,” said Stackhouse, who received a recent contract extension. “I don’t think they were ready to play that way last year.”

NO MORE PIPPEN Pippen not only led the Commodores in scoring, he was the Southeastern Conference’s best scorer averaging 20.4 points a game. After testing his NBA draft stock for a

second straight offseason, this time Pippen signed with an agent. He went undrafted but signed a twoway contract with the Los Angeles Lakers. Vander bilt also lost starting point guard Rodney Chatman to graduation.

EXPERIENCED COMMODORES

Three starters are back along with Tyrin Lawrence and Liam Robbins, who started at least 10 games apiece. The Commodores are led by Jordan Wright, who was Vanderbilt’s second-leading scorer aver aging 12.3 points a game. Wright also ranked 11th in the SEC with 6.4 rebounds a game.

Myles Stute led the SEC shooting 43.2% beyond the arc, and Quentin Mil lora-Brown started 30 of his 36 games played. Mil lora-Brown led Vanderbilt taking 23 charges, and he ranked third with 42 assists.

Stackhouse has seven Commodores back, making up 61.1% of last season’s scoring and 68% of their rebounding.

Embiid, who had offsea son surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right thumb, had another four turnovers. He had six against the Celt ics. “It does affect you for

Antetokounmpo snapped the tie when he pushed through for Milwaukee’s first basket in more than four minutes.

TIP-INS Bucks: Coach Mike Budenholzer used a walking

cane before the game and hobbled in a walking boot during the game following surgery on his right ankle.

Rivers said Bucks guard Jrue Holiday reminded him of former 76ers point guard Mo Cheeks, whose No. 10 is retired by the team. Holi day, who started his career with the Sixers, missed 13 of 15 shots.

“I don’t think he gets enough recognition,” Rivers said. “I don’t know another guard that is a better defensive player than him. I would not want to see him every night.”

76ers: Fanatics founder Michael Rubin sold his stake in the company that owns the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils to David Adelman.

Adelman is the thirdlargest shareholder behind owners Josh Harris and David Blitzer.

UP NEXT Bucks: Play their home opener Saturday against Houston.

76ers: Trust the Process! Long-time coach Brett Brown, who shepherded the Sixers’ rebuilding pro cess that brought them Embiid, returns Saturday as an assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs.

KAWHI RETURNS, CLIPPERS GET WIN OVER LAKERS

By GREG BEACHAM AP Sports Writer

LOS ANGELES

(AP) — Kawhi Leonard had 14 points and seven rebounds in his first game in 16 months, and the Los Angeles Clippers opened a season of sky-high expectations with a 103-97 victory over the Los Ange les Lakers last night.

Paul George scored 15 points and John Wall added 15 in his debut for the Clippers, who held on down the stretch to beat their more pedigreed Los Angeles rivals for the eighth consecutive time.

Leonard came off the bench for the first time since 2013 and played 21 minutes in his first game since he tore a ligament in his right knee in a playoff game in June 2021.

The two-time NBA Finals MVP decided to ease back in a tempo rary reserve role after missing all of last season while recovering from surgery. The Clippers’

LAKERS forward LeBron James, right, shoots last night.

(AP Photo/Mark J Terrill)

high hopes for their first championship rest largely on Leonard’s ability to return to elite form. They failed to get out of the play-in last spring without Leonard and with only 31 games from George, but both are healthy now alongside five-time AllStar Wall, who provided an immediate spark.

Anthony Davis scored 25 points despite

apparently having reduced mobility after a midgame fall, while LeBron James had 20 points and 10 rebounds in the 20th home opener of his career. Lonnie Walker scored 26 points.

The Lakers dropped to 0-2, but still rallied from two large deficits and kept it close into the final minute despite nightmare shooting performances from Russell Westbrook (0 for 11) and fellow point guards Patrick Beverley (1 for 7) and Kendrick Nunn (0 for 7) in their Lakers home debuts. The Lakers went 9 for 45 on 3-pointers overall.

Westbrook again strug gled on offence, but made several impressive defen sive plays while guarding Leonard down the stretch.

The oft-injured Davis gave fans a fright when he crashed to the floor after being undercut in the third quarter. He got up and went to the tunnel to stretch, but returned a few minutes later.

job a lot easier because he’s automatic from that area where he catches it at the free throw line.”

PHOENIX Suns centre Deandre Ayton (22) blocks the shot of Dallas Mavericks centre Christian Wood, right, during the first half in Phoenix on Wednesday night.

(AP Photo/Ross D Franklin)

MILWAUKEE Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo, left, tries to get around Philadelphia 76ers’ Joel Em biid, centre, and James Harden during the first half last night in Philadelphia.

(AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Cardinals top Saints 42-34

By DAVID BRANDT AP Sports Writer

GLENDALE, Ariz.

(AP) — Marco Wilson and Isaiah Simmons scored touchdowns on two pick6s late in the first half and used that stunning change in momentum to lift the Arizona Cardinals over the New Orleans Saints 42-34 last night.

The Cardinals (3-4) snapped an eight-game home losing streak that was the franchise’s longest since 1958.

The game was tied at 14 when Saints quarterback Andy Dalton threw the game-changing intercep tions on consecutive drives that were barely a minute apart. The first one wasn’t necessarily his fault, but the second one was. The first came when Saints receiver Marquez Callaway bobbled a potential catch. Wilson was there to pluck it out of the air and then sprinted 38 yards to the end zone, diving over the goal line for a 20-14 lead.

The second happened when Dalton tried to throw over the middle. Simmons corralled the interception with one hand and then ran 56 yards down the right sideline for the score. The Cardinals crowd — which hadn’t seen a win since October 24 of last season against the Texans — roared its approval.

From there, the Cardi nals had control. The Saints pulled within 28-17 early in the third, but Kyler Murray found Greg Dortch for a 5-yard touchdown to push Arizona ahead 35-17.

Murray completed 20 of 29 passes for 204 yards and a touchdown.

New Orleans (2-5) has lost five of its last six games. Dalton threw for 361 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions.

The Saints led 7-3 late in the first quarter and looked as if they were going to score another touchdown, but Cardinals cornerback Antonio Hamilton inter cepted Dalton’s pass in the end zone.

New Orleans did push ahead 14-6 in the second on a 3-yard touchdown pass to Taysom Hill. The touchdown was set up by a 64-yard catch and run by Kevin White, who barely stayed in-bounds as he ran down the left sideline to Arizona’s 3-yard line. White was elevated to the active roster from the prac tice squad before the game.

Arizona rookie Keaon tay Ingram ran for a 2-yard touchdown late in the second quarter and Eno Benjamin converted on the 2-point conversion to tie the game at 14.

HAPPY HOP

The Cardinals welcomed back three-time All-Pro receiver DeAndre Hop kins, who was suspended for the first six games of the season after violating the NFL’s policy on perfor mance-enhancing drugs.

Hopkins finished with 10 catches for 102 yards.

Newly-acquired receiver Robbie Anderson — who had been with the team just three days since being

acquired in a trade with the Panthers — was also active and on the field for a few plays. He didn’t record a catch.

BAD COMPANY

Dalton was just the fourth quarterback since 2010 to throw two pick-sixes in the first half. The others are Josh Rosen, Tony Romo and Colin Kaepernick.

ANGRY KYLER Murray and Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury had a bit of a spat at the end of the first half that was caught

on camera. Whatever was said appeared to work. The Cardinals were trailing 14-6 before the argument and led 28-14 a few minutes later.

NICE PLAY, ROOK Dalton — starting his fourth straight game for the injured Jameis Winston — had a beautiful long throw on the first drive, connect ing with rookie Rashid Shaheed for a 53-yard touchdown.

Shaheed was an undrafted free agent who

made a big impact for a second straight week with his early touchdown.

He was brought up from the practice squad before last week’s game against the Bengals and showed blaz ing speed when he took a handoff on a jet sweep 44 yards for a touchdown on his first offensive play with the ball in the NFL.

UP NEXT Saints: Host the Raiders on October 30.

Cardinals: Travel to face the Vikings on October 30.

Chiefs rematch conjures bad Super Bowl memories for 49ers

By JOSH DUBOW AP Pro Football Writer

SANTA CLARA, Calif.

(AP) — San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan was forced to watch a horror film this week.

Instead of a Halloween slasher movie, Shanahan rewatched his most pain ful loss as a head coach when he put on video of the 49ers’ loss to Kansas City in the Super Bowl follow ing the 2019 season ahead of the rematch against the Chiefs.

“I hadn’t watched it for a while until these last two days,” Shanahan said. “I don’t like watching it, but this week it wasn’t about that. I had to watch it for schematic reasons and what our history is together.”

The history of that loss will was painful and it hasn’t lessened that much ahead of Sunday, when the Chiefs (4-4) will visit the 49ers (3-3).

San Francisco had a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter before Patrick Mahomes led three touch down drives and Jimmy Garoppolo and the Niners’ offence fell flat late in a 31-20 loss.

“I felt like that year we had the best team in foot ball, but we ended up being

the second best because we didn’t get it done in the end,” Shanahan said.

Mahomes was at the top of the football world back then, having won the MVP in his first season as a starter in 2018 and then the Super Bowl MVP the fol lowing season.

But since then, the Chiefs lost the Super Bowl the next year, fell in the 2021 AFC title game at home to Cincinnati and now are trying to get back to the big stage this year with an offence that has undergone lots of changes but still has Mahomes, star tight end Travis Kelce and coach Andy Reid.

“I think I just kind of thought that’s just what you did, you went out there and played football for coach Reid and you win the MVP, and you win Super Bowls,” Mahomes said. “But now I see ... the grind and being in there every single day and not succeeding and not winning the Super Bowl. I think if I had the chance to go out there and win another one, I think I’ll appreciate it even more.”

HELP ON THE WAY

Both teams could be get ting some reinforcements with the Niners hoping to get left tackle Trent Wil liams (ankle), defensive

end Nick Bosa (groin) and safety Jimmie Ward (hand) back from injuries.

The Chiefs could get firstround pick Trent McDuffie and linebacker Willie Gay Jr back this week as well.

McDuffie hurt his ham string in the opener against Arizona and the cornerback

returned to practice last week. Gay just concluded a four-game suspension for an off-the-field incident that happened earlier this year.

TIGHT END DAY

The NFL has designated Sunday as National Tight Ends day, a recently created

holiday that features one of the best matchups around.

Kansas City’s Kelce has long been the league’s top receiving tight end, while San Francisco’s George Kittle is viewed by many as the best all-around tight end based on his blocking and receiving.

“He’s a great tight end. He’s the best in the league right now,” Ward said of Kelce.

“I always root for my guy Kittle. But as of right now, Kelce is out there catching more balls. But blocking, I’m going with Kittle all day.”

RED-ZONE TRICKS

Kansas City is known for pulling out some tricks in the red zone. The Chiefs’ first TD drive in the Super Bowl featured one of those when Kansas City pulled out a play from Michigan’s 1948 Rose Bowl win over USC to convert a fourth down.

Kansas City lined up with four players in the back field, who all spun in unison before a direct snap to Darrell Williams led to the conversion on fourth-and-1.

“It was very creative,” linebacker Dre Greenlaw said. “We’ll be more alert and know what we’re get ting from Andy. We’ve got to be on our P’s and Q’s.”

FAMILIAR FACE Reid has a soft spot for San Francisco defen sive coordinator DeMeco Ryans.

It was Reid that acquired him from Houston in a 2012 trade in an attempt to upgrade the Eagles’ defence.

Ryans wound up leading the team with 113 tackles, though they still finished 4-12 and Reid was ulti mately fired.

“Phenomenal person, absolutely brilliant as a player, just understanding the game,” Reid said.

“I’m very happy for him. He’s one of those guys you pull for unless you’re play ing against him.”

REUNION WEEK

The Niners are honour ing another of their teams that fell just short at the end with a ceremony this weekend.

San Francisco is welcom ing back members of the 2012 team that lost in the Super Bowl to Baltimore.

Coach Jim Harbaugh is expected back for the first time since his “mutual part ing” following the 2014 season that sent him back to college at Michigan. It’s uncertain whether quarter back Colin Kaepernick will be among the players on hand.

BELICHICK, HISTORY SET TO COLLIDE AS PATRIOTS HOST BEARS

By KYLE HIGHTOWER AP Sports Writer

FOXBOROUGH, Mass.

(AP) — Bill Belichick has never hidden his affinity for football history.

New England’s coach is enamored with the game’s evolution and contributions by its pioneers, their names etched like hashmarks in the annals of the sport where he’s spent nearly four decades.

After the Patriots’ win at Cleveland last week, Belichick asked his play ers to walk back onto the field before leaving the sta dium to glance at its Ring of Honor and the names of Jim Brown, Paul Brown, Bill Willis, Marion Motley and Ozzie Newsome.

“I told them I thought they should go out there and just think for a minute about some of the sacri fices that those guys made,” Belichick said. “Not just on

the field. Not just as play ers, but as people and for what they stood for.”

It’s also been Belichick’s nature to shift any praise that’s thrown his way for his triumphs, always down playing his role in any of the Patriots’ six Super Bowl victories.

“Winning games in this league is about having good players and I’m very fortu nate to have a lot of them,” Belichick said this week as the Patriots prepared to host the Chicago Bears.

“I had them in New York. I had them in Cleveland. I have them here.”

But the common denomi nator is Belichick.

A victory Monday night would be the 325th of his career — including the playoffs — and break a tie with Bears founder George Halas for the second-most wins by a head coach in NFL history.

Hall of Famer Don Shula at 347 is the only coach with more.

Scott Pioli, who worked with Belichick as a person nel assistant in Cleveland before becoming New Eng land’s personnel director in 2000 and helping the Patri ots capture their first three Lombardi trophies, believes this milestone is special for Belichick.

“I think it means a ton,” Pioli told NFL Network. “Some of our earliest con versations were about the history of the game. The people. The franchises. ... I think he’s a little bit taken aback that his name is being mentioned along with those people.”

At age 70 and in his 23rd season with New England, Belichick became one of four people to coach at least 400 games with a single team, along with Halas (506 with Chicago), Tom Landry (454 with Dallas) and Shula (422 with Miami).

Among that group, Beli chick’s winning percentage

(.716) is the highest. He is 287-114 as New England’s coach, including playoffs.

Safety Devin McCourty, in his 13th season with the Patriots, said Beli chick’s success has roots in the coach’s standards and consistency.

“I think Bill creates that here, but just always been that same guy,” McCourty said. “Different people have sat in all the rooms and the chairs in (the team facility). And for a long period of time, you’ve seen the same result.”

JONES TO RETURN?

Signs are pointing to quarterback Mac Jones

returning to New England’s starting lineup this week.

He’s missed the past three games while recov ering from the left ankle injury he sustained in the Patriots’ loss to Baltimore on Sept 25.

In addition to moving well at practice this week, he’s also been spotted get ting extra work outside of the normal practice window.

Rookie backup Bailey Zappe has gone 2-0 in backto-back starts, including a 300-yard, two-touchdown performance last week against the Browns.

ON FIELDS

Bears quarterback Justin Fields went from taking a step forward to taking a beating last week.

The former Ohio State star was sacked five times, took 12 hits behind a shaky line and absorbed a few more blows by running 12 times in a Thursday night loss to Washington.

“I think you can make small, incremental improve ments as you go,” coach Matt Eberflus said. “I think that’s with anybody. I think you can learn to read your keys and see what the cov erages are faster. I think you can identify that presnap, post-snap a little bit faster and I think you can do that.”

Fields made some big plays, such as a 40-yard touchdown pass and a 39-yard scramble to the 5 near the end of the game that put Chicago in position to win.

But after setting career highs in completion rate (71.4%) and passer rating (118.8) the previous week against Minnesota, Fields completed 14 of 27 passes for 190 yards with one touchdown and one interception in the Bears’ ugly 12-7 loss to the Commanders.

SECONDARY MATTERS

One bright spot for the Bears is the secondary.

The Bears rank third against the pass, and it’s not just because teams are run ning at will against a team that’s near the bottom of the NFL in stopping the rush. Chicago has more interceptions (five) than touchdown passes allowed (four) and has held oppo nents to a 79.9 rating.

Safety Eddie Jackson has three interceptions after going two seasons without one. He had six in his 2018 All-Pro season and two more the following year when he was chosen for his second Pro Bowl. Jackson has 13 interceptions since he debuted in 2017.

PATRIOTS head coach Bill Belichick speaks in a microphone on the sideline during the first half of an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions on Sunday, October 9. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

CARDINALS wide receiver Greg Dortch celebrates his touchdown with teammates during the sec ond half against the Saints last night in Glendale, Arizona.

(AP Photo/Ross D Franklin)

49ERS defensive end Nick Bosa, top, sacks Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford during the first half in Santa Clara, Calif., on Monday, October 3, 2022. (AP Photo/ Jed Jacobsohn)

DPM touts $1.2bn in Exuma investments

likely seeking to convince Bahamians that the $1.2bn sum is for real. Many throughout The Bahamas have become increasingly sceptical over whether promised foreign direct investment (FDI) projects will actually materialise, given the country’s long history of stalled or failed developments, and only believe something is hap pening when construction starts in earnest.

“We’ve approved a devel opment and operations of a major resort destination, including an airport, marina and golf course on one of the cays,” Mr Cooper said, adding that this involves a $150m investment although he did not identify the location.

“We’ve approved a US group to acquire Roker’s Point Estates, a 58-acre property that has been stalled. They’re going to ensure a resort and marina development.” This project, the deputy prime minister

added, will feature 50 resi dences tied to some 65 boat slips. “The first phase will being next year, and it will take four years to com plete,” he said. “Overall investment is to be more than $260m.”

Moving down his list, Mr Cooper said the Davis administration has “also approved an investor to acquire the remainder of the leasehold interest” in a 155-acre tract on Little Sampson Cay and a fur ther three acres on Middle Sampson Cay. This pro ject will initially focus on “renovation of all existing structures”, which include a restaurant, rental units, bar, houses, a marina and docks.

The second phase, the deputy prime min ister added, will see the construction of further resort-related accommo dation and amenities via a $30-40m investment. Mr Cooper said Big Sampson Cay will also see a $150m resort and marina project, although he did not indi cate if the developments

INTENT TO CHANGE NAME BY DEED POLL

on all three islands were connected or name the developers involved.

“There’s an application to develop even further Little Fowl Cay with a unique high end and environmen tally sustainable private island boutique resort for $11m,” the deputy prime minister continued. “On Elizabeth Island, there is a unique zero carbon inte grated residential resort and yacht community over 35 acres.”

The latter’s developer, he added, plans to build 28 “low impact”, solar pow ered residences varying in size from three bedrooms to six bedrooms. “This rep resents another $56m of investment,” Mr Cooper said, adding that the Gov ernment has also approved the $3m development of a boutique resort on Staniel Cay.

Rounding off the Gov ernment’s Exuma focus, the deputy prime minister pointed to a $170m pro ject on Hog Cay featuring a hotel, airport, estate lots,

marina and spa. And, for Cave Cay, he added that the Davis administration has “approved a significant development of a luxury mixed-use resort” featur ing a hotel, marina and golf course involving an invest ment of “nearly $550m”.

“These are the new projects I can comfort ably speak to today,” Mr Cooper said. “There’s more to come for Exuma.” No details were provided on any of the developers/inves tors behind the projects he named, while specifics on construction/operational starts and timelines were also absent.

Dates can be difficult to pin down because develop ers, once they get a Heads of Agreement with the Government, then have to go through the process of securing a Hotels Encour agement Act agreement on their tax breaks and incen tives plus other underlying agreements. And they also have to obtain the necessary planning and environmen tal permits, with the latter

PUBLIC NOTICE

INTENT TO CHANGE NAME BY DEED POLL

involving going through the Department of Envi ronmental Planning and Protection (DEPP).

This all takes time. Trib une Business records, meanwhile, identified the developer behind the Hog Cay project as PMR Baha mas, which is promising to create up to 300 full-time jobs - plus several hundred more in the construction phase p via the build-out of an 81-slip marina, 161 resi dential lots, boutique resort with 40 keys, and an 18-hole golf course.

Research by this news paper showed that PMR stands for Penske Media Real Estate. And the person heading up its Exuma project appears to be former Chamber of Commerce executive direc tor, and ex-New Providence Development Company head, Philip Simon.

“The key to every pro ject we approve is not just an opportunity for jobs, but business and entrepreneurial opportu nities, investment in the

community and the integra tion of Bahamian music, arts and culture,” Mr Cooper explained of the Government’s investment strategy.

Elsewhere, he reiterated the Prime Minister’s pledge that construction work on Exuma International Air port’s redevelopment will resume “this month”. Mr Cooper said the project, on which ground was broken under the Minnis admin istration just prior to the general election, had come to a standstill due to inad equate funding with the contractor - Woslee - said to be owed some $10m.

The necessary financ ing was now in place, the deputy prime minister added, and said: “We’re in the final stages of organising funding for a private-public partnership (PPP) to ensure the ongoing development of airside as well as land side works for this world class airport,” Mr Cooper asserted.

The Public is hereby advised that I, CHRISTEKA WALTESHA TAYLOR of Prince Charles, P.O. Box SB50872 Nassau, Bahamas, intend to change my name to BLUDIAMOND CHRISTEKA WALTESHA DANIELLE TAYLOR CARTER If there are any objections to this change of name by Deed Poll, you may write such objections to the Chief Passport Officer, P.O.Box N-742, Nassau,

than

(30)

the

NOTICE is hereby given that SOPHIA ANNMARIE GREG-HUGHES of P. O. Box EE-17738, #18 Lightbourne Avenue, New Providence, The Bahamas is applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for registration/naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/ naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 14th day of October, 2022 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, Bahamas.

The Public is hereby advised that I, JERMAINE PLAKARIS of Lower Bogue, Eleuthera, The Bahamas, Father of J’NIAH JANÉE YOUNG A minor intend to change my child’s name to J’NIAH JANÉE PLAKARIS If there are any objections to this change of name by Deed Poll, you may write such objections to the Deputy Chief Passport Officer, P.O. Box N-742, Nassau, Bahamas no later than thirty (30) days after the date of publication of this notice.

NOTICE

NOTICENOTICE is hereby given that MICKECIA ABIGAIL QUAMINA of P. O. Box S-5952, #13 Sheila Frazer Street, Mount Tabor Estates East, New Providence, The Bahamas is applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for registration/naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 21st day of October, 2022 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, Bahamas.

PUBLIC NOTICE OF APPLICATION IN THE PROBATE DIVISION OF THE SUPREME COURT IN THE SUPREME COURT 2022/PRO/npr/00 PROBATE DIVISION

In the Estate of KEVIN ROBERT BARRETT, late of 1032 Long Point Road in the Town of Grasonville, in the State of Maryland, one of the United States of America, deceased.

IT IS HEREBY NOTIFIED, for the information of those it may concern, that SALENA LEIGH VALDES, of 1032 Long Point Road in the Town of Grasonville, in the State of Maryland, one of the United States of America has made application at the PROBATE DIVISION of the Supreme Court, for a GRANT OF PROBATE in respect of the real and personal estate of KEVIN ROBERT BARRETT, late of 1032 Long Point Road in the Town of Grasonville, in the State of Maryland, one of the United States of America, deceased.

This advertisement is published from the 20th day of October, 2022 to the day of 21st day of October, 2022 and NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the application will be heard by the court at the expiration of 21 days from the last date hereof.

Dated this 20th day of October, 2022

MILLER-FRAZER & CO. Chambers Suite No. 4 No. 27 Chesapeake Road

Bahamas

for the Applicant

‘FUTURE GENERATIONS WILL SAY WE DID NO FAVOURS’

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our workforce not covered by a plan whatsoever,” he told Tribune Business, pointing to a participation rate towards the lower end of the 20-30 percent range. “We need to be concerned.

“The real point is that we have several things going on concurrently. One, you have the low participation rates in pension funds and plans of any kind. That’s number one. Number two, you have a change in demo graphics that will affect NIB and the pension element of those plans because we are rapidly aging and have less people in the workforce to support those who retire. The ratio is going further against us every year.

“Number three, we have an economy that has really been flat for the last 10-12 years. The growth in 2021 and 2022 is simply because we are coming off a low base [due to 2020’s COVID contraction] and moving back to normal activity. We’ve been in this low to no growth environment for many years. There are multiple issues we need to address down the line,” Mr Gibson continued.

“In the short-term we need to be really mindful of our balance of payments and make sure to finance imports for critical con sumption. We need to make sure that pre-conditions exist where domestic sav ings are mobilised. People need to have confidence, and we need to make reforms.

“The Governor [of the Central Bank] said exchange controls will be with us for a long time because we need to do some structural reforms. I guess that’s a cut way of saying there are some headwinds on the horizon. We’ve got to pick up the pace of reform.”

Mr Gibson explained that these macroeconomic chal lenges will weigh heavily on The Bahamas’ existing sav ings, and further complicate efforts to encourage more persons to set aside funds that will ensure they main tain their current living standards in retirement.

“I’ve written extensively about it over the years and my position hasn’t really changed,” he told Trib une Business. “This is a crisis because as we go on people’s general financial position is deteriorating, and they have this expecta tion that the Government will bail them out. A lot of them retire with small sums that can’t do much for them.

“COVID certainly doesn’t help in any form or fashion whatsoever. What we elect to do is bury our heads in the sand and ignore it, and every year we ignore it, it gets worse. The pensions industry has been saying this for years to no avail. It always gets put on the backburner.

“One somebody’s watch you’re going to have a dis aster, and then we will have an absolute crisis. My fear is for future generations. They’re going to look back and say the current gen eration didn’t do them any favours.”

While The Bahamas is not an outlier in terms of its economic and social chal lenges, Mr Gibson added: “Where we are unique is we don’t have the safety net, the defined social security structure, the mandatory pensions. We don’t have this blanket of savings whereas other countries have more leeway. COVID certainly took up the coun try’s overall debt level, so that’s reduced the longterm headroom we have.....

“Yet what’s going to happen is they’re [retirees] going to then look to cen tral government. For some

reason everybody has the expectation that it’s the Government’s problem, and they have no contribution to make towards provid ing towards their long-term financial security. That has to change. It’s everybody’s problem. Everyone has a role to play. The Govern ment just doesn’t have the headroom.”

The Government also has its own woes with the unfunded civil service pension liabilities, which previous research by the KPMG accounting firm suggested would likely have reached $2bn by this stage without any reforms. None have yet been made.

Participation in private pension schemes, and their provision by employers, is voluntary in The Bahamas. Prior administrations have explored introducing man datory pension legislation, and Mr Gibson recalled sitting on several commit tees tasked with drawing up reforms, only to see their efforts ultimately shelved and progress no further.

Conversely, this meant COVID’s impact on the Bahamian pension industry in terms of drawdown by plan beneficiaries “nowhere near what we saw with our Caribbean counterparts”. This, though, was simply because lower Bahamian participation rates meant there were fewer people seeking to access their retirement funds and longterm savings.

In the Cayman Islands, which mandates almost 100 percent participation in a pension plan, Mr Gibson said about one-third to 35 percent of all plan assets were withdrawn to facilitate COVID survival. But the impact was “more modest” in Bermuda where around 10-15 percent of pension plan assets were withdrawn.

He added that, in The Bahamas, a number of employers sponsoring pension plans for their staff amended the rules to allow workers to make “hardship” withdrawals. “Overall, our impact was not as big,” Mr Gibson said.

RF Bank & Trust’s Ms Farquharson, speaking to this earlier this week, said: “What we saw, in addi tion to the monies that were given out by NIB (the National Insurance Board), in excess of $200m worth of funds - pension savings - actually went to help per sons with COVID-19 and the challenges they have right now financially.”

Pointing to pension and retirement savings challenges that existed preCOVID, she added: “I sit with too many persons that come to me and their stress levels are unbelievable when it comes to money management. Financial stress is one of the leading problems in a lot of com panies.” She added that selecting the right pension plan also requires choos ing the correct investment strategy.

“For employees, in order to have a comfortable retirement, they need to have about 70 percent or 80 percent of their [working income] to live comfort able when it comes time for retirement,” Ms Far quharson said. “If your employees have debt, which is unfortunately what you will find in the country, we find that they need to have about 100 percent to 120 percent.

“And when you start looking at that in terms of numbers, if you have an employee that’s retired, and they’re making $20,000 a year, when they stopped working they need $150,000. At $40,000 they need about 600,000, at $50,000 about $820,000 and at $70,000 they would need just under $982,000.”

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MINISTER:

towards. This can offer a boost of income and a pathway out of poverty for many, and make our nation more prosperous. We must take bold and swift steps to solve this problem today if we want a better tomor row. The wheels are turning to progress. Now we know that we have a long road to go, but we will continue to persevere and drive change towards food security.”

A 25 percent reduction in The Bahamas’ $1bn food import bill would imply a savings of $250m, which would be a huge sum to realise in just two to three years given the current level of domestic agriculture output. Many observers will likely argue that such a target is more than “ambitious”, and the Davis administration has yet to set out a road map, with deliverables and dead lines that can be measured, specifying exactly how this can be achieved.

Mr Sweeting, though, argued that current circum stances made it necessary for The Bahamas to set lofty goals. “Over the last few years, The Bahamas has seen many disruptions to our economy. We’ve weathered the effects of a devastating hurricane, joined the rest of the world in enduring a global pan demic and, most recently, witnessed the volatile effects of growing inflation inextricably linked to the

FOOD IMPORT CUT ‘AMBITIOUS ASPIRATION’

“BAMSI is looking to invest $7m in these green house parks with the hope of cutting vegetable imports down by 30 per cent. Vegetables such as tomatoes, sweet peppers, onions, cabbage and lettuce are among the products targeted through this pro ject. BAMSI is looking to place these greenhouses in Exuma, Eleuthera, Cat Island and North Andros.

“Further, the Institute is seeking to encourage fish farming to expand our opportunities. Through BAMSI, the ministry will also conduct studies to train farmers on the best practices for poultry farm ing. We continue to place a special emphasis on poultry farming. This is not a new opportunity, but it’s one that is an ambitious strategy towards the goal of food security.

“two state-of-the-art slaughter houses - one in New Providence and another in Eleuthera”.

And the Bahamas Agri cultural and Industrial Corporation (BAIC) was presently assessing whether to construct a new feed mill “which will help enhance the product offering to farmers throughout the entire country”.

The minister added: “Fisheries continue to thrive in our country. Our waters have been good to us, and fishermen this year are reporting a 30 percent increase in their

catch in crawfish. We have expanded duty-free con cessions for fishermen and have made it easier to apply for their necessary licenses through a digitalised appli cation process through MyGateway.

“We continue to encour age fishermen to explore more compelling opportu nities and investments such as stone crab, which can also be a lucrative market. Simultaneously, the Depart ment of Marine Resources continues to work towards a conch management plan to ensure that we protect what we now enjoy.”

conflict between Ukraine and Russia.

“All of these unfortu nate series of events have affected what and how much we eat. These calami ties have caused Bahamians to work harder to feed their families. The hard truth is that many Bahamians are suffering financially and are unable to enjoy this basic human right because of sky rocketing food prices.

“This inflation crisis, which is not unique to The Bahamas, has a devas tating impact on our society

as it diminishes the quality of life for many. We also recognise that we continue to grapple with an unsus tainable food import bill that is pegged at $1bn.”

Unveiling some of the initiatives designed to cut into this figure, Mr Sweeting added: “The Bahamas Agriculture and Marine Science Institute (BAMSI) has embarked on a greenhouse project that will engage Family Island farmers and pro vide training in greenhouse technology to increase crop yields year-round.

“At present, we only produce about 5 percent of the chicken we consume. Meanwhile, we spend $30m annually to import it. So we are endeavouring to create an environment where we can grow the poultry sector and make the transition from emerg ing to commercial farms where Bahamians would be able to purchase locallyproduced chicken and eggs for cheaper prices. The potential and opportuni ties in this industry are truly endless.”

Mr Sweeting also pledged that the Gov ernment will construct

CLAY SWEETING

GROWTH ‘SEVERELY OUTSTRIPS OUR INFRASTRUCTURE’

visitor arrivals in 2019, the last full-pre COVID year which saw a record 7.2m tourists travel to the entire Bahamas, but numbers through August 2022 were “roughly 22 percent more than 2019 levels”.

“Exuma is truly a suc cess story in the business of tourism, and I will tell you that we can fill twice the number of rooms we have on Exuma given the trends we see on Bahamas. com and various book ing platforms,” the deputy prime minister added. “I can tell you that the Gov ernment has been working, and we are reaping tangi ble rewards for the country with the amazing level of development for Exuma.”

Calling on hotels to con struct more rooms, and Exuma residents to invest in vacation rental properties, Mr Cooper acknowledged that Exuma’s infrastructure had failed to keep pace with the tourism and foreign direct investment (FDI) driven growth that the island is experiencing.

“Forgive me for saying what has become obvious, but our growth has severely outstripped the capacity of our infrastructure,” he told the conference. “Baha mas Power & Light, the Water & Sewerage Corpo ration and our schools all need a significant capital injection.”

Turning to Exuma’s minihospital, with direct airlift connectivity to new desti nations and source markets being eyed, Mr Cooper

said: “With all this devel opment it will mean more people visiting our home, and a critical part of taking care of them is ensuring we have a properly outfitted hospital.

“We’ve added some resources and personnel to the mini hospital, but we’re still not where we want it to be and I will confess this has been a source of great disappointment for me. However, we continue to explore our options and I will update the community as further developments occur.”

X-ray machines have already been installed.

Mr Cooper said the recent threat posed to Mayaguana by Hurricane Fiona, which saw elderly residents of that island evacuated to Exuma, had further solidi fied his “vision” that the island can become a health care and aviation “hub” for the southern and central Bahamas.

Tourists would fly into Exuma directly, with domestic airlines then dis tributing them to the more remote and less travelled southern Bahamas islands. In so doing, the deputy prime minister added that his constituency would “make itself a player in the region”.

Elsewhere, Mr Cooper said the Government is working on a private-public partnership (PPP) for the construction and financing of a “new multi-purpose government complex” on Exuma that is being mod elled on the existing facility in Abaco. Various public

Bahamasair now exploring Barbados, Antigua routes

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Bahamasair, he explained, was upgrading its jet fleet to the Boeing 737-700 model. These offer 18 extra passenger seats, at 138 com pared to the 737-500’s 120, thereby allowing greater revenue yield at full or very high load factors. Mr Storr said the national flag carrier had just taken delivery on Saturday of a 737-700 air craft with 148 seats, and is now “doing some last-min ute preparations and it will be placed in service in short order”.

“We’re looking at a mini mum of adding one aircraft to our fleet every year going forward between now and 2025,” the deputy managing director explained. “What we’re looking at, and been mindful of, is how the market is going and tourism is coming back by leaps and bounds.

“We have to look at air craft with larger capacity. We’re looking at the Boeing 737-800 which runs up to 170 seats. This helps with the growth of the airline, and helps us carry more customers going forward. It will help with our revenue streams.”

The cost of the four additional planes, whether they will be leased or fully owned, and how this will be financed was not disclosed. Including the $32m esti mate for the current fiscal year, Bahamasair will have required more than $140m in taxpayer subsidies to keep it in the air and ensure its survival over the past three fiscal years from - and including - 2020-2021.

While Bahamasair is working closely with the Ministry of Tourism ahead of the imminent launch of flights from Raleigh, North Carolina, to Freeport - and by extension, Nassau - on November 17, Mr Storr said the national flag carrier is eyeing other route expan sion possibilities.

“We’re also in discussions to launch services in other parts of the Caribbean,” he revealed. “Antigua and Bridgetown, Barbados. Those are in the discussion stage. We’re also looking at the Georgetown to Fort Lauderdale route. We rec ognise interest is growing by leaps and bounds.”

Mr Storr said Bahama sair was “working towards a post-pandemic business environment”, his presenta tion noting that the airline’s revenues fell by 22 percent

year-over-year in the year to end-June 2020 - a period when the last three months coincided with the peak of COVID lockdowns. To par tially offset these losses, the national flag carrier has cut operating expenses by 15 percent.

He added that Bahama sair was “poised” to play a key role in plans to develop Exuma as an aviation hub for the southern and cen tral Bahamas, a project that while “in its infancy” is “being discussed at gov ernment level”. This, if it proceeds, would see the national flag carrier restruc ture its routes and increase the frequency of flights to and from Georgetown - not only domestically but with direct service to US airports such as Miami and Fort Lauderdale.

“Another project we’re excited about is Bahamasair venturing into international cargo” services,” Mr Storr added. “We want to provide that service to our custom ers from all the destinations we travel from to Nassau, and from Nassau to places like Haiti and Cuba.... We’re really excited about that and in the coming months will get that out more to customers.” His presentation suggested the airline is targeting 10 per cent annual growth in cargo services moving forward.

Mr Storr also described Bahamasair as “the pric ing police in the industry”, adding that it kept costs low for passengers - both its own and with rivals - on all the routes that it services.

“Large airlines like Ameri can Airlines, when they fly to destinations with us, we have an effect on the pricing model because they seem to follow us,” he added.

The Bahamasair deputy managing director said the airline was also putting a bag tracking and tagging system in place so it could quickly locate missing pas senger luggage, retrieve it and ensure it is sent on to the right destination. New systems have also been installed to “streamline maintenance” and ensure more efficient use of crews, thereby ensuring planes are in the air and fly more frequently.

The SAGE account ing system has also been installed to produce more timely financial report ing, while the provision of check-in kiosks will allow travellers to escape long queues before their flights.

services can then be offered from one central location.

“Banking is another con cern,” he added. “One of the clearing banks is explor ing providing services on mainland Exuma. That is something that is in the works, and I will update you more when there is more certainty on the time line for opening.”

Gowon Bowe, Fidel ity Bank (Bahamas) chief executive, addressing the same Exuma Business Out look conference later in the day confirmed that the BISX-listed institution was the one referred to by Mr Cooper. He indicated that it will not be a conventional ‘bricks and mortar’ or physical branch presence, but one more geared to the digital and electronic pay ments era.

The deputy prime minis ter, meanwhile, said work on laying water mains in Little Exuma will begin in 2023. And a further five miles of roads are to be completed and fully repaved before year-end, taking the total to 12. Mr Cooper also foreshadowed that the Forbes Hill Cul tural Village will open in the new year at the former all-age school, offering a farmer’s market, gifts and souvenir sales and a

WATER CORP LOSS SLASH EFFORT IN $100M SAVING

By YOURI KEMP Tribune Business Reporter

AN $83m project to slash the Water & Sewerage Corporation’s system losses has more than paid for itself by generating more than $100m in savings, its con tractor asserted yesterday.

Mario Tavera, the Miya Bahamas project manager, who led the execution of the Inter-American Devel opment Bank (IDB) funded effort to cut the Corpora tion’s non-revenue water losses on New Providence, said the savings returns exceeded the value of the financing.

“We estimate the project was $83m, but we probably saved more than $100m. Much more. Because water here is very expen sive at almost $9 for 1,000 gallons,” Mr Tavera told the Caribbean Water and Wastewater Regional Con ference (CWWA).

The project is forecast to save 13m gallons of

water by December 2022. Based on a cost of $9 per 1,000 gallons, he added that the Water & Sewer age Corporation has saved a “significant” amount of money because of Miya’s intervention through IDB.

Mr Tavera said: “Con sidering a marginal cost of production of $8.88 per 1,000 gallons, this is over $120m. So we have over come the cost of the project by far. When we started we still had two main supply stations, one in the east that supplies 70 percent of the island, and the rest is sup plied by pumping station in the west.”

Maintenance and tech nology upgrades, though, are critical to sustain this level of savings. “The tech nology needs to be updated every five years. For exam ple, some valves we are already replacing. Even if

we have to forego some profit we are changing them,” Mr Tavera said.

“Also, the flow meters for the main, they have a life of ten years. The technologies are consistently changing, and when we started it was a totally different water industry. That’s for eve rything and not only for water.”

The project was initiated in 2011, and was supposed to last ten years. It was extended to leave Miya operating under four dif ferent administrations but, come December 2022, it will be exiting The Baha mas to leave the Water & Sewerage Corporation with responsibility to main tain what it has put in place. “We will leave behind operations manuals and information for Water & Sewerage Corporation staff

to operate the new system,” said Mr Tavera.

Suggesting that publicprivate partnerships (PPP) should be used to manage efforts to reduce non-rev enue water as part of the Water & Sewerage Cor poration’s ‘master plan’, Mr Tavera said continual training for the state-owned utility’s staff is a “concern” after Miya leaves.

Mr Tavera said this was a “major concern” for the IDB, but added that this was why the project was designed to last ten years. “Because of this we did sev eral training sessions in the first years with several dif ferent personnel over four different governments, but this was a turnkey project which we will turnover to the Water & Sewerage Cor poration and it is able to be separated,” he added.

URCA chief: ‘Much to do’ on better Internet access

By YOURI KEMP Tribune Business Reporter ykemp@tribunemedia.net

THE Bahamas’ top com munications regulator yesterday admitted there is “much work to do” on ensuring affordable, wide spread access to broadband Internet and mobile data.

Carlton Smith, the Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority’s (URCA) chief executive, told the annual Exuma Business Outlook con ference that a Universal Service Fund (USF) will be created to help finance the provision of broad band Internet services to far-flung, small and under served communities in

the Family Islands. Even though The Bahamas enjoys an 85 percent Inter net penetration rate, he argued that the “most vul nerable” still lack access.

“Despite a high pen etration rate, our Internet speeds are about one-third of the developed countries in the world. So accessibil ity isn’t just availability but responsiveness in a highly competitive digital world where the need for instant, uninterrupted and afford able service is a daily reality,” he added.

“On the affordability front, we still have much work to do. The IDB pegs The Bahamas’ broadband rates as 113 percent higher than the average OECD states, and mobile inter net rates at 24 percent higher. As a regulator we are presently working to establish and implement a USF that would sup plement the cost of basic Internet services for those who cannot afford access.”

The US has such a Uni versal Service Fund, which operates as a system of telecommunications subsi dies and fees managed by the Federal Communica tions Commission (FCC). It is designed to promote universal access to telecom munications services.

The main drawback of a Universal Service Fund is that it keeps grow ing despite affordability improving many areas. Persons exploit, and take advantage of, the availabil ity of free Internet service, opting not to pay in favour of using government-spon sored services.

Mr Smith said: “Pro viding supplemented

access only addresses the needs of one vulnerable group. There is still a chal lenge with providing the same standards to those in our communities who are differently abled. As a regulator, it remains in our scope of work to ensure that, as technolo gies emerge, all Bahamians, regardless of ability have an equal opportunity to partic ipate in digital societies.

“We realise that access also means ensuring that our people are trained to use these technologies. Along with investment and infrastructure and universal access is also the need to bridge the skills gap. Sta tistically, older people over the age of 65 represent less than 6 percent of total Internet users. Through local programmes and ini tiatives, such as our ICT seniors virtual workshop introduced in 2021, we must continue to find ways to ensure greater access.

“As a national regulator, access to technology is not controlled within our bor ders, yet relying on them for our own economic sus tainability is certainly a major concern and one we must carefully consider,” Mr Smith added.

“The Bahamas’ digital transformation journey is a unique one encompassing geographic and socio eco nomic factors that must be carefully considered for our Family Islands, including the Exumas, which contrib ute to our nation’s GDP and stands as one of the most recognisable symbols of our Bahamian and tourism product internationally.”

How to deal with employee misfits

FROM PAGE A23

Be firm in your deci sions and strictly schedule a procrastinator’s work. Give them deadlines and schedule their work on dayto-day basis. Make your workers understand the importance of their tasks and how it will affect the company if not done on time.

Absentee employees

There are times when you have noticed one of your team members does not turn up for important events, such as meetings at the office. You can call that person an absentee. They fall sick every week, or say their children, par ents or grandparents are hospitalised. An absen tee will always let you and your company down and

force others to pick up their slack.

Most workplaces simply give a set number of casual or sick days to employees. When this is exhausted, the employee suffers the consequences of being absent. The employee will soon learn to use their days wisely or for when there are real cases of emergency.

• NB: Ian R Ferguson is a talent management and organisational develop ment consultant, having completed graduate studies with regional and interna tional universities. He has served organsations, both locally and globally, pro viding relevant solutions to their business growth and development issues. He may be contacted at tccon sultants@coralwave.com.

Share your news

The Tribune wants to hear from people who are making news in their neighbourhoods.

Perhaps you are raising funds for a good cause, campaigning for improvements in the area or have won an award. If so, call us on 322-1986 and share your story.

How to deal with employee misfits

EMPLOYEES are the most essential part of any company. And skilled recruiters will try to source the best workers for their business. Yet often, when quality human resources practices are not functional and do not allow standard functions to thrive, you end up with a workplace lit tered with misfits. Today’s definition of a “misfit employee” is one who knows they are out of place by virtue of their inexperi ence, lack of qualifications,

flawed character, unimpres sive personality and - as my grandmother would saydull wit.

The misfit employee is usually the disrup tive team member who leads the office gossip and meddle’s in everyone’s affairs due to their lazy, unproductive and idle ways. We this week identify the antics of such employ ees and provide solutions for helping them find the path to productivity.

Over-friendly wandering employees

There are employees who get over-friendly not only with their bosses but also with their colleagues. These employees give poor value, as they neglect their work and just wander around to trouble their col leagues. They are not only failing to meet their own personal and professional responsibilities, but they are preventing others from accomplishing business goals and objectives as well.

HIT BY BANK OBSTACLES

By YOURI KEMP Tribune Business Reporter ykemp@tribunemedia.net

A CABLE Bahamas executive yesterday sug gested that commercial banking practices are an obstacle to the faster uptake of mobile money, adding: “We need to get on it right now.”

Delmaro Duncombe, the BISX-listed com munications provider’s director of B2B (business

to business) sales and inno vation, told the Exuma Business Outlook confer ence: “Mobile money… You really have to think about it and how you can implement it into your busi ness because this was the future of business like three years ago.

“I talked about Airbnb, and this was the new thing three years ago. Get involved with mobile money because this is going to change the game. It’s already changed the world,

it is already huge in Africa, particularly Nigeria, huge in South America and is grow ing in the Caribbean.

“We need to get on it right now, but I know what the problem is. We’ve got a banking system that’s big and strong and knows a lot of people, and we have some other people who may want to do some other things. But we have an opportunity to make the transfer of money, and the way of doing business, so much more easier and so

much more seamless just by being able to use and lever age this technology.”

Mobile money, such as the Central Bank-backed digital currency, the Sand Dollar, is designed to make all payments and their set tlement much cheaper and more efficient to conduct. “We have other players in the market. We have Island Pay, we have Kanoo, Sun Cash, you have Mobile Assist. We partner with all of those, we support all

In a leadership role, it is important to maintain a professional relationship with this employee and help them realise that they are responsible for their share of the work. Part of the laziness and wandering is that we have not done our due diligence in providing adequate and meaningful work for them to do. We have to ensure we provide the training, equipment and resources employees need to experience success.

of them,” Mr Duncombe added.

“So you have all these different platforms that you can use to transfer funds. I know Cash n’ Go has an app. If you can find a way to get this implemented into your business, where people can come with their phone and pay you without having to dig in their pocket for cash or a plastic credit card, then do it.”

Mr Duncombe contin ued: “The success rate of messaging to mobile phones is way above 90 per cent. You can bet whatever you have in your pocket that person will look at the

Procrastinating employees

Every workplace has one, even several, procrastina tors. Beware. Do not allow your employees opportu nities to delay their work. This is sometimes a sign of laziness where employ ees find a way to escape and postpone their work. Postponing the work puts unnecessary stress on the rest of the team.

message when you send it to them.

“Right off the bat we have a number of our cus tomers that use it. Some of the banks would use it for notifications - you made a deposit or you just need to verify something, so banks will use it. Some insurance companies use it as well.

“So we have some small businesses that take advantage of it by again promoting some specials that they would run from time to time. So think about it. But, like I said, more importantly, you want to start collecting data from customers - the phone num bers in particular.”

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generations will say we did no favours’

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

COVID has worsened The Bahamas’ looming sav ings and retirement crisis, a pensions specialist warned yesterday, adding: “Future generations will say we did them no favours.”

Larry Gibson, chief oper ating officer of CG Atlantic Pensions, told Tribune Business that the problem of inadequate retirement income for thousands of Bahamians will eventually morph into a social and eco nomic “disaster” unless this nation “picks up the pace of reform” in multiple areas.

Arguing that the pandemic had deepened these woes, he said this nation can no longer afford to “bury our heads in the sand and ignore” chal lenges that grow every year for a workforce that has to support an ever-growing pool of retirees who are living

longer but lack the means to support themselves.

Speaking after Cleora Far quharson, RF Bank & Trust’s vice-president of pension services, revealed earlier this week that financially-stricken Bahamians drew down on more than $200m in long-term pension assets to ensure they survived COVID, Mr Gibson said this had only exacerbated issues that have “been put on the back burner” for too long.

While many Bahamians still expect the Government to “bail them out” financially in retirement, he told this newspaper that it no longer has the “headroom” to do so especially following the debt and fiscal deficit blow outs produced by COVID-19. The Government itself paid out $237m in unemployment benefits to furloughed and terminated workers during the pandemic, while the National Insurance Board

LARRY GIBSON

(NIB) suffered a $189.m defi cit (loss) for 2020.

Describing those pay outs as “phenomenal”, Mr Gibson said COVID had fur ther added to long-standing savings and retirement chal lenges stemming from the fact that too few Bahamians have private pensions. “We just have so many persons in

Exuma’s growth ‘severely outstrips our infrastructure’

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

THE deputy prime minister yesterday admitted Exuma’s growth has “severely out stripped the capacity of our infrastructure” with tour ist arrivals 22 percent ahead of 2019’s record-breaking

levels through to end-August 2022.

Chester Cooper, the local MP, told the Exuma Business Outlook conference that the pace of progress in outfitting its mini-hospital to cater to an ever-expanding population was “a great dis appointment for me” given ambitions for the island to become the “healthcare and

aviation hub” for the central and southern Bahamas.

With American Airlines set to “shortly” restore direct flights to Exuma, he told attendees via a recorded video address: “We’re work ing hard to prime the pump in tourism, and we are marking a remarkable recovery almost back to 2019 levels. Our prod uct is very strong, our brand is amongst the most recognised

in the tourism industry and if we continue to build they will come.

“We’ve had a very strong September, which is typi cally one of our most slowest months, and I predict that by the year-end we will match the record-setting 2019 arriv als volumes.” Mr Cooper said Exuma attracted around 70,00

Bahamasair now exploring Barbados, Antigua routes

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

BAHAMASAIR is aiming to add at least one new aircraft to its fleet every year through 2025, a senior executive revealed yesterday, with ambitions to expand its routes to more Caribbean territories.

Prince Storr, the national flag carrier’s deputy man aging director, told the Exuma Business Outlook conference that it is look ing at the possibility of acquiring Boeing 737-800 jets with an expanded 170seat capacity so it can cope with tourism demand that is increasing “by leaps and bounds” and thus capture more revenues.

And, besides direct ser vice between Georgetown and Fort Lauderdale to service Exuma’s expanding tourism market, he revealed that the airline is “in the early stages” of exploring the opening of new routes from The Bahamas to Anti gua and Barbados.

“We’ve made a con scious effort to reinvent and modernise our fleet,” Mr Storr told attendees.

“We’ve replaced the Dash8s with ATR turbo props. You’ll see them coming into Georgetown more often, 70-seaters and 40-seat ers. We’re still sticking in the Boeing 737 family, but replacing the 500 series.”

Minister: 25% food import cut ‘ambitious aspiration’

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

A CABINET minister yesterday admitted that slashing The Bahamas food import bill by 25 percent come 2025 is “an ambitious aspiration” but one that the country must strive for given its present challenges.

Clay Sweeting, minis ter of agriculture, marine resources and Family Island affairs, told the Exuma Business Outlook confer ence that the COVID-19 pandemic - coupled with “skyrocketing” inflation and the fall-out from Rus sia’s invasion of Ukraine - had shown “the urgent

need to strengthen our domestic food supply”.

Seeking to achieve this by attracting a crop of new, younger farmers to agricul ture, he said: “We seek to cut our imports by 25 per cent by 2025 – that’s just two [sic three] years. The goal is to achieve this by drastically increasing pro ductivity. We are hoping that the incentives given to fishermen, farmers and agribusiness practitioners will dramatically amplify resilient food production in our country.

“We can, and we must, produce more. It is simply an ambitious aspiration that we must continuously strive

DPM touts $1.2bn in Exuma investments

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

THE deputy prime minister yesterday asserted that the Davis administration has approved $1.2bn in investment projects “for Exuma alone” in the year since it was elected as he touted a variety of resort developments.

Chester Cooper, also minister of tour ism, investments and aviation, reassured the Exuma Business Outlook conference that all the projects he cited had been “fully vetted” by the Bahamas Investment Authority (BIA) and had supplied the Government with “proof” they have the financing in place to turn ambitions into reality.

Among the developments listed by the Mr Cooper, the Exuma and Ragged Island MP, as having been approved by the Government were a $550m “mixed-used resort” develop ment for Cave Cay; a $56m “unique zero carbon integrated residential and yacht resort community” on Elizabeth Island; a $170m project on Hog Cay in the Little Exumas; and investments on Little Sampson, Middle Samp son and Big Sampson Cays worth nearly a collective $200m.

And a US investor group, who he did not name, has been approved to acquire the “stalled” 58-acre Roker’s Point Estates pro ject and revive it with an investment that could reach up to $260m.

“In terms of Exuma, we have approved over $1.2bn in new investment since coming to office. That’s right, $1.2bn for Exuma alone,” the deputy prime minister told attendees via a pre-recorded address. “These are projects that have been fully vetted by the Bahamas Investment Authority (BIA) and have proof of financing.”

Mr Cooper, doubtless taking a keen inter est in his constituency’s economic growth, was

All projects ‘vetted’; gave financing ‘proof’

US group acquiring ‘stalled’ Roker’s Point

Millions set for Cave, Hog, Sampson cays

COVID worsens savings and pension ‘crisis’

Bahamas must ‘pick up the pace of reform’

‘Buried heads in sand’ on looming ‘disaster’