11092022 NEWS, SPORT AND BUSINESS

By JADE RUSSELL jrussell@tribunemedia.net

AS

began

to Tropical Storm Nicole’s approach, government offi cials continued to urge vulnerable residents in vulner able areas in the storm’s path to seek safer ground as some residents still have failed to evacuate areas considered unsafe.

This comes as some 500

residents in Cooper’s Town, Abaco, were said to be cut off due to the main road being flooded. However officials said those residents could still access basic facilities in the immediate area.

Director of the National Emergency Management Agency Captain Stephen Rus sell said yesterday during a press briefing that 70 percent of the people who occupied trailers in Abaco evacuated.

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Tribune Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net

PRIME Minister Philip “Brave” Davis told heads of government that as the world enters a new climate era, the situation will only get worse requiring bind ing commitments instead of statements alone that have been used to postpone real action.

Should the status quo remain, Mr Davis painted a sobering picture that there could be hundreds of

millions of climate refugees, placing pressure on bor ders, security and political systems across the world.

The prime minister made the remarks at the World Leaders’ Summit of the United Nations Climate Change Conference during COP27, which is being held at Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt this year.

Mr Davis said many Bahamians have questioned why its government was yet

‘FTX FORCED SALE WILL NOT UNDERMINE’ NATION PLANS

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

THE seemingly-forced sale of The Bahamas’ flag ship digital assets investor will not undermine the country’s ambitions to become a major “hub” in this space, argued Fidel ity Bank (Bahamas) chief executive Gowon Bowe yesterday.

Mr Bowe, a member of the government’s Digital Advisory Panel, said FTX’s potential purchase by rival crypto currency exchange Binance does not reflect poorly on this nation’s regu latory regime.

FTX’s Bahamas execu tives were yesterday tight-lipped on what the company’s sale to/merger with Binance might mean for its plans locally. Valdez Russell, FTX’s vice-pres ident of communications, did not directly respond to questions on the potential impact the proposed deal will have on its planned $60m Bayside Execu tive Park headquarters or recruitment of several hun dred Bahamians.

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

ALICIA WALLACE: SPEAKING OUT AT CLIMATE EVENT

A SENIOR executive with Baha Mar’s main con tractor urged employees to better conceal “fake” construction work amid assertions that it failed to “properly perform” its duties to the project and its original developer.

SHUTTERS going up in Grand Ba hama yesterday.

Photo: Vandyke Hepburn

‘Seek

from page one

“I also mentioned that some 100 or more mobile trailers were being occu pied by government employees and others in the Marsh Harbour, Abaco (area). And from the report I got from the executive chairman from the DRA this morning (yesterday) I think. . .70 percent of the persons adhered to the warning and they are now seeking alternative loca tion,” Captain Russell said. Evacuation efforts on the islands of Abaco and Grand Bahama have been

ongoing. Captain Russell confirmed that 36 of 46 residents had been evacu ated out of Sweeting’s Cay, Grand Bahama.

He added that 25 workers on Guana Cay who lived in trailers were evacuated as well.

Yesterday, Tropical Storm Nicole was heading west with 60 mph winds, on a projected path to impact the northwest Bahamas, according to Captain Rus sell. He said Nicole was now at the “warning” stage, noting that communities could be impacted within 36 hours.

Myles Laroda, State

Minister for Disaster Pre paredness, revealed officials were already receiving reports about flooding in Cooper’s Town, Abaco.

“We are hearing about flooding in certain areas, in the Cooper’s Town area. I’m advised by Mr Greene that the tide won’t crest for another three hours. So those areas probably are going to get worse,” he said.

Mr Laroda said due to the deteriorated conditions, the Glass Window Bridge in Eleuthera was closed.

He urged residents to take the necessary precau tions to prepare for Nicole. He appealed to people who

36 PEOPLE EVACUATED FROM SWEETING’S CAY

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

THIRTY-SIX residents from Sweeting’s Cay were evacuated yesterday after noon from East Grand Bahama where coastal flooding is expected to occur with the passage of Tropical Storm Nicole.

According to an Emer gency Operations Centre official, some 46 persons were on the cay at the time of assessment. It is reported that the 31 adults and five children were evacuated. However, some ten people have opted to stay on the small cay.

Bus transportation was provided free of charge by the government for those persons who decided to leave.

It was reported that 18 people from Sweeting’s Cay were transported by bus, and the remainder by pri vate vehicles.

Sweeting’s Cay is a small fishing village that is about three metres above sea level. In 2019, the cay took a direct hit from Hurricane Dorian, which devastated every home there.

Kwasi Thompson, the MP for East Grand Bahama, was on the ground in High Rock urging residents to take necessary precautions for Tropical Storm Nicole.

There were no reports of people seeking evacuation from West End, which is also expected to experience coastal flooding along the north shore road.

Shelters opened at noon yesterday on Grand Bahama for those who may not feel safe at their residences.

Maurice Moore Primary School is the designated

shelter for residents of East End Grand Bahama. At 2.30pm yesterday, only two people were registered at that shelter – one resident from Pelican Point and one from McClean’s Town.

Many homes are still in need of hurricane repairs since Dorian.

In Freeport, some busi nesses started to put on their shutters. And many residents were out and about at gas stations filling their vehicles with gasoline and purchasing bags of ice.

It was also a busy day at the food stores and hard ware stores. Although there were no long lines, there was a constant flow of shoppers.

James Rolle, manager at Dolly Madison, said people are taking the weather system seriously.

“We had a steady flow of customers since we opened this morning,” he reported when contacted shortly after 2pm yesterday.

Mr Rolle said residents were purchasing hurricane items and supplies, includ ing tarps, candles, lanterns, batteries, sandbags, pro pane canisters, and portable gas stoves.

He said that contractors were also coming in to pur chase nails and screws, etc.

Residents also headed to water depots to fill up their five-gallon bottles.

The Rotary Club opened its Grand Bahama emer gency water relief station, located near Hawksbill, for residents in need of fresh potable water.

By tonight, Nicole is expected to strengthen to a category one hurricane, with winds in the range of 74 mph to 95 mph.

Residents are not fearful, but cautious. The system is

expected to generate storm surge that would result in four to six feet of coastal flooding.

Public health facilities on Grand Bahama, par ticularly the community clinics and outpatient ser vices were suspended at 4pm yesterday.

The vaccination centre at the Seventeen Shop ping Centre will close on November 9 and 10.

The Public Hospitals Authority has announced the activation of the Emer gency Command Centre at the Rand Memorial Hospi tal. Satellite phone numbers are also activated, and health facilities buildings are secured.

At the Rand, clinicians have assessed patients with respect to early safe dis charges to decompress the hospital. Medical and nurs ing staff will be deployed to Foster B Pestaina Hall (Christ the King), which serves as a Special Needs shelter.

PHA and manage ment of Grand Bahama Health Services (GBHS) have cancelled all surger ies effective today and tomorrow.

All patients are asked to contact their relevant spe cialty clinic at 350-6700 or 350-6760.

The Eight Mile Rock Clinic and the Rand Memo rial Hospital Emergency Department will serve as emergency response centres.

National Emergency Medical Services (NEMS) teams will respond to emer gency calls made to 919; however, NEMS will sus pend services depending on hazardous conditions or should wind speeds exceed 50mph.

RESIDENTS preparing in Grand Bahama for the storm.

Photos: Vandyke Hepburn

GRAND Bahama residents loading up sandbags yesterday.

safer ground’

live in low lying or considered “vulnerable areas” to seek safer ground.

Regarding Cooper’s Town, one reporter asked about a road blockage which was being caused in that area because of the flooding.

An official at the NEMA press conference responded that more than 500 residents in that area of Abaco were currently affected by the road blockage. However, the official said those residents still would have access to the facilities such as the clinic, shelters, and assistance of the police officers that reside in the community’s area.

The official explained that those 500 residents were not “trapped” because of the road blockage.

“In many of our islands we have areas that because of topography, you have where they are prone to flooding. Once those areas are flooded, we have (places) where trans portation cannot rarely cross,” the official said.

In those instances, the offi cial said they had heavy duty equipment that would collect those residents in the area that was cut off.

The official noted he did not know if that action had been activated as yet.

Tropical Storm Nicole is expected to intensify by this morning as it crosses the North Abaco area, according to Chief Meteorological Officer Geoffrey Greene.

Nicole is to become a cat egory one hurricane today.

Residents in Abaco and Grand Bahama on Monday began preparing for the worst, stocking up on emergency supplies as the anticipation of Tropical Storm Nicole brought up the horrors of Hurricane Dorian, which brought devas tation to both islands in 2019.

‘ANXIOUS’ ABACO RESIDENTS SEEK OUT SHELTER

By LETRE SWEETING lsweeting@tribunemedia.net

SOME residents of tem porary homes in Abaco sought shelter ahead of Tropical Storm Nicole’s arrival, with one woman saying she was “very afraid” and had an “anxiety level of 1,000”.

This comes after evacu ation orders were sent out Monday and yesterday urging Grand Bahama and Abaco residents living in low-lying areas and tem porary structures such as domes and trailers to seek shelter.

Upon getting the evacu ation notice, Ann Kilmore, who had been residing in a dome in Abaco with her family, said she was extremely anxious after

losing everything in 2019 after the devastation from Hurricane Dorian.

“My anxiety level is prob ably 1,000, because you know it really brings back the most terrible thing I ever lived through. It’s like I’m reliving all of this prep aration and everything all over again,” she said.

“The government asked us to move out of the trailer and the domes, you know for safety reasons, so we’re securing everything as best as we can, you know gathering up the personal documents and making sure you have water and food supply and medication and ride it out you know,” Ms Wilmore said.

She added, “I did my shopping yesterday, it was a madhouse. I would say we

were in the shop for about an hour trying to cash out, but we were still able to find the necessary things to keep us safe.”

Ms Wilmore said she with her sister, her 28-year-old daughter, and her grand children who are ten years old and two years old, will be riding out the storm in a building under construction on her property.

“I have managed to con struct a little two-bedroom on the property, it’s not complete, but it’s pretty safe. So we’re going to ride out the storm in that build ing,” Ms Wilmore said.

“I pray to God that He protects us this time as well,” she said.

Another resident, Edna Deveaux-Cornish, who immediately moved out

HOSPITALS ‘READY’ FOR STORM

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

PUBLIC Hospitals Authority officials say they are prepared in the event of an increase in patients due to Tropical Storm Nicole.

Aubynette Rolle, PHA managing director, told reporters yesterday that they are ensuring the hos pitals and clinics on the various islands have the capacity and equipment to assist those who may be affected.

“One of the things we’ve done is start an activation of our command centre as of 7pm in Grand Bahama, and it’s just a partial activa tion to ensure that we can manoeuvre throughout,” she said yesterday.

“We have done also, we have topped up our food supplies and medical surgi cal supplies. We have the assistance of Bahamasair to facilitate some of those.

“We also have the abil ity to fuel up generators to ensure that we have gen eration in the event that electricity goes out and we also have propane for cooking.

“We’ve also been liais ing with partners who assist with what we call a special

needs centre to be able to care for those persons who require some medical attention.”

According to Ms Rolle, PHA is also working alongside the Supplies Man agement Agency (SMA) to supply the various Family Islands with medicines and medical supplies.

Due to damage from Hurricane Dorian at the Rand Memorial Hospi tal in Grand Bahama, Ms Rolle said there will always be a concern for flooding, however they have taken the necessary precautions ahead of Nicole.

She said sandbags have been purchased and the roof of the facility has been secured “as much as possible”.

“We’ve also sort of moved where we are going to be caring for patients so that they are not right in the face of flood hopefully,” said Ms Rolle.

“We have secured the roofs as much as possi ble, so there are concerns and we’re just praying for the best in relation to the flooding,” she added.

As for flooding at Prin cess Margaret Hospital in New Providence, she said PHA has completed roof

repairs, so she anticipates there will be no leaks as it has withstood the rain over the past few weeks.

Charlene Bain, direc tor of community health services at the Ministry of Health and Wellness, said that the healthcare capacity in Abaco is “good” despite its setbacks from Hurricane Dorian. She said the clin ics on the island are fully equipped to weather Tropi cal Storm Nicole.

Ms Bain said: “Their buildings are intact. The roofs are intact. The gen erators are working. We have a backup water supply system. We have medi cation, we have medical surgical supplies, we have hurricane supplies. The vehicles are all fueled and working and that speaks to every clinic in Abaco.”

She said the only chal lenged medical facility on the island is the Moore’s Island clinic, due to the recent relocation into a new clinic, therefore they are currently sourcing a new generator.

According to Ms Bain, the generator at the old clinic is fully functional, and in the event of a crisis they will work between both facilities.

of her dome dwelling in Dundas Town, Abaco, after evacuation orders were sent out on Monday, took shel ter with family in Spring City, Abaco.

She said she was too afraid not to take immedi ate action.

“I moved out of the dome already. Once I heard about the storm I moved from yesterday. I am by some family members,” she said.

“My dome is leaking, so I had to come out of there and I don’t want to be inside there I was get ting afraid, so I don’t want to be in it,” Mrs DeveauxCornish said.

A hurricane warning was in effect for Grand Bahama, Abaco, Bimini, and the Berry Islands yesterday. A tropical storm warning was in place for Eleuthera, New Providence and Andros.

The Bahamas Depart ment of Meteorology yesterday said weather conditions were begin ning to deteriorate with life-threatening sea con ditions in the northwest Bahamas.

The Cabinet Office yes terday announced that all government offices, except for essential services, were closed as of noon yesterday.

NEMA

director

Captain Stephen Russell at yesterday’s briefing.

Photo: Austin Fernander

GOVT MAY CONSIDER EXTENDING RELIEF CONCESSIONS

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

IN the aftermath of Trop ical Storm Nicole, officials will look at all of the tools available to the govern ment, including the possible extension of storm relief concessions, acting Prime Minister Chester Cooper said yesterday.

Mr Cooper made this rev elation when asked if Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis plans to extend the Special Economic Recovery Zone deadline to January 1 to accommodate the delays of imports because of the storm.

He answered: “The Minister of Economic Affairs (Michael Halkitis) will speak to that. We are having a briefing today on (Tropical Storm) Nicole, we are going to see what hap pens - we are prepared. We have advised people in the impacted areas to exercise precautions.

“We’re now focused on riding out the storm. We’re praying for the best. All of our agencies

(are) - engaged and are on board. And when we come to the issue of recovery we will look at all of the tools available to the govern ment, including extension of concessions, etc, if that is required.”

On Monday, Mr Cooper told the nation that Grand Bahama and Abaco were in the direct path of the storm.

Grand Bahama is expected to feel hurricane conditions while Abaco is expected to feel tropical storm impact. Both islands were devas tated by Hurricane Dorian in 2019 and are trying to recover.

There have been numer ous calls for a SERZ extension.

Abaco’s Chamber of

Commerce president Daphne deGregory-Miaou lis has voiced fears that Nicole will “dampen” vital Thanksgiving tourism busi ness while arguing that the storm’s emergence rein forces the need to renew the Dorian-related tax break as is.

Earlier this month, Kwasi Thompson, ex-minister

of state for finance in the Minnis administration, advocated that the pre sent SERZ for both Grand Bahama and Abaco be extended beyond month’s end because the govern ment lacks the resources and capacity “to restore all the persons” in both islands to pre-Dorian status.

Although he is in Egypt for the COP27 conference, Mr Davis said in a state ment yesterday that he is being briefed on the storm.

“As we await landfall of the storm, I’m receiving briefings about the storm’s development and trajec tory,” he said in a post on his Facebook page. “I have ordered the full mobi lisation of government resources for preparation and response, and I’m in frequent communication with the Deputy Prime Minister. I want to thank the Deputy Prime Minister and all officials involved for their efforts in leading the country’s preparations.”

He spoke of his plea to world leaders to take action on climate change.

“Earlier today, I

addressed world leaders at the United Nations Cli mate Conference, and told them that the people of the most beautiful nation on earth were facing yet another storm. There have always been storms, but as the planet warms from carbon emissions, storms are growing in intensity and frequency. While progress on climate change isn’t hap pening fast enough, there have been some important developments in policy and technology, and we will never stop fighting to get larger countries to cut emis sions and for fair climate finance so countries like ours can adjust to this new climate era.

“For those in Grand Bahama and Abaco, I know it is especially difficult for you to face another storm. I’ve already heard many stories about those of you going out of your way to help neighbours take smart precautions, and I thank you for your generosity towards each other. You are all in my heart and prayers. We will get through this safely together.”

ELECTRIC DISCONNECTIONS SUSPENDED IN STORM ISLANDS

By LETRE SWEETING lsweeting@tribunemedia.net

BAHAMAS Power and Light has suspended elec tricity disconnection in islands subject to storm warnings, Works and Utili ties Minister Alfred Sears said yesterday.

This comes as residents of Grand Bahama, which is projected to take a direct hit from Tropical Storm Nicole, are urged to take shelter or evacuate any lowlying areas or compromised structures. Those in tempo rary structures in Abaco, especially North Abaco, were urged to evacuate as well.

Both islands began to feel tropical storm force winds yesterday.

Mr Sears said that resi dents living on those islands that are in the forecasted path of the storm will not be interrupted in terms of disconnection, during the warning period.

“What we’re talking about is disconnection, we’re not talking about power failure. I am advised by Mr Cambridge (Baha mas Power and Light CEO) that they don’t anticipate any power failures,” he said.

“They have taken and put in place certain redun dancies. But with respect to those consumers who have arrears, and due to the arrears, may be subject to disconnection, that pro cess has been suspended in those islands subject to a warning,” Mr Sears said.

He said BPL is engaged in an aggressive prepara tion protocol for the storm.

This protocol includes, “stocking up in terms of fuel and emergency vehi cles, so that they will be ready for a response” and getting “an inventory of the various generation plants to ensure that the adequate supply of fuel to take us through the hurricane”, Mr Sears said.

He added that he per sonally took steps to make sure that BPL power plants and offices throughout the Family Islands are secure.

“I also had an oppor tunity to speak with our team members in Andros, in Grand Bahama, in Eleuthera and in Abaco,” he said.

“I received a report in

terms of the preparatory work that’s being done, the measures being taken to deal with flood mitigation in those flood prone areas. I will receive another report from them today at 3pm (Tuesday),” Mr Sears said.

BPL CEO Shevonn Cam bridge also said yesterday he does not anticipate any disruptions in power in New Providence as the storm makes its way through The Bahamas.

Mr Cambridge said, “The level of service will be normal, usual good service, quality service. We will continue to pro vide power as long as the weather conditions pro vide. With the exception of North Eleuthera and North Abaco, we don’t anticipate

any major issues.”

He continued, “If the winds go above 40kph, our work crews come in because the safety rules are such that we don’t send the bucket trucks. We don’t send out climbers in condi tions such as that.”

Mr Cambridge urged cus tomers not to attempt to fix any connection issues them selves or leave their homes and pointed to technology available at BPL to solve major issues remotely as well.

“For most of our systems now we have auto reclosers and other forms of protec tion that allow us to attempt at least one reclosure remotely. And so we’re able to restore supplies safely. We will do so as quickly as possible,” he said.

He added, “If you have a power concern, we ask you to call BPL, our call centre, then they would be able to advise accordingly. Depending on whether it’s a wind problem or whether we have a lot of rain and flooding then that’s a dif ferent type of problem so the advice depends on the circumstances.

“We never advise people to come out of their homes during storms, once the advisories are such that you should take shelter. Stay away from down power lines and the like,” Mr Cambridge said.

Residents are urged to contact BPL’s call centre at 242-225-2572 for advisories on any power-related issues they may face during the storm.

NEW PROVIDENCE RESIDENTS AT EASE

By JADE RUSSELL jrussell@tribunemedia.net

NEW Providence resi dents seemed generally unbothered by the arrival of Tropical Storm Nicole as many were casually prepar ing around town.

Forecasters predicted that residents in New Providence would begin to experience tropical storm conditions last night. The storm is expected to affect Grand Bahama as a cat egory one hurricane today, while bringing tropical storm force winds to Abaco.

The Tribune canvassed several grocery stores yes terday where shoppers were casually stocking up on a few items for Nicole.

Anthony Eulin, who was at Xtra-Value, said he was not fearful about Nicole and the impact it may have.

“There’s no hurricane coming here, we’re only going to have a lot of rain, that’s it. We are going to be straight; this is a pray ing nation and country,” he said.

Mr Eulin told this news paper he was just in the store stocking up as he reg ularly does.

Many shoppers shared the same opinion as Mr Eulin in terms of them not feeling a sense of urgency to rush to the store, but mainly went to get essentials items.

The aisles in the food stores were scarce with

shoppers throwing a few items into their carts.

Another shopper, Debra, who was accompanied by a friend, said she had waited in a long line at Purity Bakery before going to the store.

She said: “We were loaded down with loaves of bread. I got about six and she got about five. Up at the bakery they had a long line, it’s amazing to see the people out already on the streets.”

Although Debra said she did make the effort to get a few food items to prepare for Nicole, she said she was not in a state of panic about the arrival of the storm.

She said: “I did not panic, for me I didn’t even know the schools were closing today (Tuesday) and that government offices were closing until this morning (Tuesday morning).”

However, when this newspaper visited the water depot of Chelsea’s Choice on Abundant Life Road there was a massive line of cars that wrapped around the street causing a halt in traffic.

Customers were anx iously waiting in their cars bumper-to-bumper, as they hoped to eventually get served.

Larry Martin told this newspaper he was on the water line for over two hours as he waited to get his water bottles refilled.

“I was parked on the line from 9am this morning; it’s 11.30 am now. It’s just ridic ulous you know. The line is moving, but it’s just slow at snail’s pace.

“I got my seven bottles to fill because we aren’t sure what this storm is going to do,” Mr Martin said.

Another customer on the line also complained about the long wait, but said she was grateful that the line was moving. She also sug gested police should have been in the area to con trol traffic so things could have been smoother.

An assistant opera tions manager at Chelsea’s Choice Water admitted that yesterday morning was chaos with the number of customers waiting to get drinking water.

“At 7.15 am (yesterday) we started serving the cars to get them out, not only because of the storm trav elling. We normally do that because people have to go to work or do school runs.

But this morning (yester day) was chaotic. I had the line around the corner. I had two lines this morning, so I opened the gate extra early to get traffic off the street,” the manager said.

The manager also clari fied that the water depot did not run out of water yesterday, but had a tech nical issue with one of its machines that caused a delay.

LONG queues of traffic at Chelsea’s Choice in Abundant Life Road yesterday. Photo: Moise Amisial

RESIDENTS queuing in Grand Bahama to stock up on supplies ahead of the storm yesterday.

Photo: Vandyke Hepburn

PM: Climate issues will only get worse

again attending the climate change summit and pointed to Tropical Storm Nicole, which began affecting cer tain islands last night.

“I say that we have come, because we have to believe that a safer, better future is possible,” Mr Davis said. “I say that we have come, because we believe that action - real, concerted, action - can save the planet, and save our human race.

“And I say that we have come, because each nation here, acting in its own, enlightened self-interest, knows, in a most profound way, that we need each other to make this work.

“I live in the most beau tiful country on earth. But right now, even as I speak, Bahamians are mobilising to prepare for the impact of yet another powerful storm, Tropical Storm Nicole. So, I come here with a simple request: let’s get real.

“What we need most at this conference is to con front the radical truth. Big, ambitious goals are impor tant - but not if we use aspirations to obscure real ity. The goal to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees, is on life support. This is a hard truth for many to admit, because even the best-case scenarios will mean almost unimaginable upheaval and tragedy.

“The realities of war, economic headwinds, the hangover from the pan demic, and competition among world powers, cannot be used as justifica tion not to confront these imminent dangers.

“Let’s get real: it’s only going to get worse. We are entering a new climate era that will drive extreme geopolitical and economic instability.

“Statements without

binding commitments or enforcement mechanisms have been used again and again as a way to postpone real action. Yes, the world’s wealthiest carbon pollut ers should pay for the very extensive loss and damage caused by their emissions.

“But ‘getting real’ means understanding that it will be self-interest that drives decision-makers.”

He continued: “So, I am not here to ask any of you to love the people of my country with the same pas sion as I do, or even to act on behalf of future genera tions in your own country.

“I’m asking: what is it worth to you, to prevent millions of climate refugees, from turning into tens of

millions, and then hundreds of millions, putting pressure on borders and security and political systems across the world?”

Mr Davis said he was not telling world leaders to agitate for the World Bank to be overhauled for this new climate era, but he was of the view that they needed to get smart and act quickly to address the systemic risk of climate change.

“Multilateral banks must play a crucial role in scaling up financing options that will provide real solutions.

“I’m not here to tell the private sector to give up caring about profits. I’m here to say that in a world of profound instability,

ELEUTHERA WATER A ‘SERIOUS PROBLEM’

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

WORKS and Utili ties Minister Alfred Sears said the water system in Eleuthera is a “serious problem” that the Water and Sewerage Corporation (WSC) is addressing.

He said he is advised that the corporation has called an “extraordinary general meeting” of its board to address this concern.

Central Eleuthera resi dents had been hit with water supply disruptions a number of times this year. In June, WSC announced it will execute a $2.7m con tract for two one million gallon tanks and an addi tional $525,000 for related support work in view of water supply interruptions in the area.

Before yesterday’s weekly Cabinet meeting, Mr Sears explained what WSC is doing to remediate the water issue.

“The water system in Eleuthera is a serious prob lem that the Water and Sewerage Corporation is addressing. The operator of the desalination plant, Aquadesign, there are cer tain challenges that they have had. And to mitigate against the frequency of these disruptions the gov ernment has commissioned a manufacturer in the United States to produce two storage tanks which have been designed with a certain level of resilience in terms of glass lining and so on and the timeframe for that is six months,” he said.

“Those orders and I know the first payment would have been made about two months ago, and

in the interim temporary storage facilities, each one million imperial gallons being installed to basi cally provide a temporary solution pending the instal lation of the tanks which are being manufactured.

I’m advised that the Water and Sewerage Corporation has called an extraordi nary general meeting of its board to address this con cern and it’s been a concern for some time, and I expect that the board will address and I know their ongoing discussions with the opera tor of the arrow plant Aqua design and I will keep you briefed or they will keep you briefed as we progress in this matter.”

Pressed on the cost, he said: “The tanks, about three point something mil lion dollars and that was approved by the cabinet roughly approximately three months ago.”

He also spoke about the progress for a new Parlia ment building.

Foreign Affairs and Public Service Minister Fred Mitchell said last November the govern ment wants to construct a new Parliament building reflective of modern-day Bahamian culture that he hopes will be completed in the next three years.

Mr Sears explained the plans when answering a question about increasing accessibility for people with disabilities.

“And the most dramatic example is that if you are in a wheelchair, you cannot enter our Parlia ment unless you are lifted up. So, the government has assembled a team of archi tects, engineers, and they are currently looking at

different jurisdictions at the Parliament of these vari ous jurisdictions, and will be coming forward with a design for a new Parliament building. This is a high pri ority for the government and we have to symbol ise and reflect and really comply with the law.

“Sidewalks which are being built, being built with the ramps, so that there can be accessibility and ease in terms of the roadway. And we are also looking at some new methods, discuss ing it within the ministry, because when I went to Japan about two weeks ago.

In the airport, you have on the ground a Braille-like structure, which can help persons with their cane or whatever to navigate.

“So I think that we have a fantastic opportunity to leapfrog rather than just doing a little bit here and a little bit there as we build these new infrastructures and as we carry out major rehabilitation of public infrastructure to put some of the latest technology and systems in place because as a matter of our democracy, constitution, legislation, we have to ensure diversity. And for those persons who are disabled, they have the same right as all of us here to access the public goods of The Bahamas.”

Asked if the new Parlia ment will be in the same site, he replied: “I don’t know. A number of sites are being considered. But the site has to be determined and the recommendations put forward, but a number of sites because it should be at the heart of the city, downtown and various sites are being considered.”

your profits are very much in danger. So, we need to work together to transi tion the world to clean energy.”

Mr Davis said Baha mians, as descendants of African slaves, had a duty to fight for survival, adding the country had made pro gress in fighting the impact of climate change rather than wait for the remainder of the world to act.

“We know we have what it takes to provide the kind of leadership and

innovation that contribute to meaningful solutions.

Our mangroves, seagrasses and salt marshes are a critical carbon sink. While others were talking, we took action, and passed innovative new legislation to deal with blue carbon.

“We created a regulatory framework for dealing and trading in carbon credits.

“Other countries are already considering adopt ing our model. And just this past Sunday, we agreed in principle with the IMF, to

partner together, among other things, to determine how carbon credits can be used productively, as a new asset class.

“Yes, this is what real, life-changing action looks like. We in The Bahamas are not sitting still.

“We will not flinch from confronting the hard truth. We will continue to offer our leadership.

“And we will continue our drive for innovation and ingenuity,” Mr Davis said.

PRIME Minister Philip “Brave” Davis speaks at the COP27 UN Climate Summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, yesterday.

Photo: Peter Dejong/AP

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Double blow to economic hopes

WHILE all eyes have been on the storm rolling towards Grand Bahama and Abaco this week – understandably given the destruction those islands expe rienced in Hurricane Dorian – there has also been economic turbulence to keep a watch on.

As the government shifted into emer gency mode yesterday to deal with the tropical storm Nicole as it blooms toward hurricane status, a press release emerged announcing the end of the deal for the Grand Lucayan property.

On a day when the storm would domi nate the news, the press release bizarrely left the announcement of the end of the deal until the fourth paragraph.

Instead, it started by claiming: “The Board of Lucayan Renewal Holdings Limited continues to work towards suc cessfully closing the sale of the Grand Lucayan Resort to secure the best outcome for Grand Bahama and the Bahamian people.”

Successfully is a remarkable word to use in the press release announcing the failure of the deal that was on the table.

It then goes on to spell out that the buyers, Electra America Hospitality Ltd, had trouble securing financing at appro priate terms – with Electra pointing towards “shifting global capital markets and related inflationary pressures”.

Back in May, when the deal was done, Deputy Prime Minister Chester Cooper said: “We truly believe Electra will be good for Grand Bahama. Today is the beginning of the renaissance and rebirth of Grand Bahama island.”

Touting the PLP’s election slogan, he added: “This is truly a new day for Grand Bahama.”

He also took the time to lambast the previous administration led by Dr Hubert Minnis, claiming there was a series of mistakes by the FNM government.

He added: “We sought a buyer for the Grand Lucayan that was well resourced, well intentioned, desired to become a strong community partner, a vision for the resort, and a willing partner in the shared vision for the growth of Grand Bahama.

“With this sale, to a solid committed partner we will recoup a significant por tion of the investment to people’s money and put Grand Bahama on track to once

again be the vibrant entertainment capi tal of The Bahamas.”

But speed bumps soon began to develop, it seemed. Due diligence was taking longer than expected. Deadlines got extended. And now, on the eve of a storm, the deal is off.

There are also questions left unre solved – one of the things touted at the sale announcement was a $5m deposit being paid by the buyer – but in Sep tember the Grand Lucayan’s chairman was tight-lipped about whether a sales contract had been signed and a deposit paid, and the latest press statement left us no clearer as to whether the nation was $5m richer or poorer.

Two successive administrations have now tried and failed to find a new owner for the property, and having blasted the FNM for putting money into keeping the property going, the PLP will now face a tricky decision over whether to invest in upkeep for the property while it tries to find a replacement buyer.

This is a bitter blow for the govern ment – but more than that it is a blow for Grand Bahama, where residents might have hoped the reopening could have re-energised the economy.

A second blow has also come in the shape of the shock news of cryptocur rency business FTX being insolvent and potentially being bought up by a rival.

In April, Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis, at the groundbreaking for FTX’s headquarters in Nassau, had said the development was expected to bring 400 jobs.

The success of FTX would have been a strong card in The Bahamas’ bid to attract further digital businesses.

The apparent failure of FTX is not the fault of the government – but it is a blow to efforts to bring in other similar busi nesses. We cannot point to them and say look, they are thriving here, so can you.

More directly, there will be worries over what will happen to those working at FTX. It is far from unclear whether the potential buyer will want to continue to operate out of The Bahamas, and it must be a worrying time for employees.

Two pieces of bad news, all as Nicole marches on towards Abaco and Grand Bahama. Stay safe, and let’s hope that the storm doesn’t make the news any worse.

It is firearm possession, Minister

EDITOR, The Tribune.

IT IS commendable that, in his search for answers to our vexing crime prob lem, Minister Wayne Munroe would allude to the complexities involved in sentencing and would point out, rightly, that, contrary to the opinions of some, we actually have comparatively stiff sentencing for a variety of offences.

But with respect, the minister is missing a point that is finally being seized upon all over our region, where governments are facing the exact same kinds of challenges with violent crime that we are.

That point is that there is one particular criminal offence that is particularly deserving of hefty sentences both because it is an ingre dient of almost every other violent crime and because its prosecution usually does not involve civilian wit nesses and victims, who can be intimidated out of testifying in court. As a result, conviction rates are extremely high.

That offence is the pos session of illegal firearms.

And it is our sentencing norms for this offence that stand out for their light ness both in our region and among countries (like the United Kingdom) with similar prohibitions on firearms.

Ever since Hubert Ingra ham decided to repeal the measly four year mini mum sentence for firearm possession, judges and mag istrates typically hand out sentences for possession of even the most terrifying, dangerous weapons that are measured in months, rather than years.

The result has been a bloodbath, often involv ing people who would have been in jail for a previous firearm offence had our sentencing been as strict as our peers.

Mindful of this special place of firearm sentencing in controlling the gen eral rise of violent crime,

Jamaica recently passed a minimum 15 year sentence for anyone possessing an illegal firearm. Each addi tional piece of ammunition carries its own sentence, to run consecutively to the first.

Then, just last week the Barbadian govern ment introduced a bill that will impose a minimum sentence of 10 years, not exceeding 20 years for the first offence. A second offence would mean life imprisonment.

These are the kinds of sentences that an offence as utterly unacceptable as illegal firearm posses sion should carry in any country that is serious about protecting the safety of its citizens – which is the very first duty of any government.

There can be little doubt that if we followed suit, there would be a measur able decrease in firearm related murders in The Bahamas.

ANDREW ALLEN Nassau. November 9, 2022

Readers have their say

AFTER Monday’s Insight column by Malcolm Strachan asked what the government’s plan to tackle crime was, readers had their say.

SP said: “The gov ernment’s strategy has not changed for dec ades and is quite simple, straightforward, and fully understandable.

“In a nutshell, the strat egy is and always has been... Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah!”

Bahamianson added: “Call commissioner and Rodney. They both were supposed to have the solu tion. Ask the plp, they brought both in.”

Godson said: “MAL COLM STRACHAN you asked the question “what will we do?”.

“And you went on to state “So whatever we’re doing, we expected it to do better. Whatever we are doing, it isn’t working”.

“You also said, “All of that still doesn’t tell us how we’re going to solve this”.

“Then you assert “No one should want to see any administration fail when it comes to dealing with crime”.

“Malcolm Strachan, have you ever heard of the saying “fattening frog for other people’s snake”? This may mean one thing to most but what it means to me is, why should I do the work and others get the recognition?

“Back to your question “what will we do?”. Brace yourself for more Malcolm because it will get worst

before it gets better. Why?

Because the very persons, like myself, Godson John son, AKA Nicodemus, who can and had hoped to make a positive difference, have been ostracized, alienated, and rejected by this and other government admin istrations from serving the people of The Bahamas.

“My answer to your ques tion then is that the people of The Bahamas need to decide whether they want a government leader, or, a government for that fact, that is more interested in global climate change than in the fact of “more of our Bahamian brothers and sisters lying dead in the street”.

“The answer and people to address all of the social ills that affect The Baha mas are in The Bahamas.

The people need to stop being so gullible to the political exploits of the two governing parties, the PLP

and FNM.

“I recognize that there seems not to be any viable alternative to govern this Country; but if we reflect, we would recall that it has always been an independently elected can didate, who came along and reshaped the political landscape and direction of our Country for the good. In any event, one thing is for certain, the PLP and FNM have finished the end of the course as to any vision, insight, and ability to lead this Country out of this drudgery of mur ders. Instead, they run off to tackle global climate change.

“That is what I call a psychological escape from one’s responsibility. They are in over their heads and are winging it for their own benefit.”

DEMOCRAT WES MOORE, second from left, hugs his daughter, Mia, as Moore’s mother, Joy Thom as Moore, left, his son, Jamie, second from right, and his wife, Dawn, look on after he spoke to supporters during an election night gathering after he was declared the winner of the Maryland gubernatorial race in Baltimore last night.

Photo: Julio Cortez/AP

Overstaying in country for 4 years brings fine

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

A PERUVIAN man was yesterday fined $3,000 after he admitted to overstaying in the country for over four years.

Eddye Juan Maica Panana, 54, was among sev eral men who were charged

in Magistrate’s Court yes terday with either illegal landing or overstaying.

He was arrested on November 4 after officers found him at a residence on Warren Street.

According to the facts read in this case, officers were acting on intelligence when they went to the home where Panana was staying.

MAN JAILED FOR PUNCHING HIS CHILD’S MOTHER IN THE MOUTH

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

A 32-YEAR-OLD man who punched his child’s mother in the mouth last week was sentenced to two months behind bars yesterday.

Wendal Adderley, 32, of Exuma appeared before Magistrate Kendra Kelly yesterday after he was accused of causing harm to his three-year-old child’s mother on November 2.

Crown Prosecutor Sgt Vernon Pyfrom said the complainant reported that Adderley caused bruises to her upper and lower teeth when he punched her at her home last week.

Adderley admitted to the offence during his hearing yesterday.

“She burst my car so I punch her once in the mouth,” he told the court.

However, the prosecutor clarified that Adderley had actually hit the complainant before she had damaged his car.

It was also revealed in court that the two had a his tory of having conflicts over co-parenting.

Magistrate Kelly, who seemed familiar with their challenges, told Adder ley that what he did was inexcusable.

As a result, he was sen tenced to two months in prison.

Justin Henry, 27, also appeared in court after he was accused of causing $4,880 worth of damage to

Police said Bethel, Jr, reported that he was at his girlfriend’s residence when the accused showed up and damaged his car.

After being arrested, Henry told police he threw a rock at the vehicle because he claimed Bethel Jr was trying to knock him down.

He also gave the same explanation during his appearance before Senior Magistrate Derence Rolle-Davis.

He claimed that Bethel Jr, to whom he referred as the ex-boyfriend of his exgirlfriend, had damaged his tyres and later tried to knock him down.

“I told police he had hit the wall when he was trying to knock me down,” he said.

When asked how he knew the complainant had damaged his tyres, the 27-year-old replied that he found him “bending down” at his car.

Henry also told the court that he tried to make a com plaint at a police station one day, but then saw the complainant at the same station and decided to leave because he did not want an argument.

However, the Crown prosecutor told the court that Henry’s account of what happened did not coincide with what the com plainant had reported.

Ultimately, Magistrate Rolle Davis adjourned the matter to next Tuesday.

WOMAN FACES FRAUD CLAIM

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

A 53-YEAR-OLD woman accused of fraud was charged in Magistrate’s Court yesterday.

Pamela Farrington faced Senior Magistrate Derence Rolle-Davis yesterday on eight counts each of posses sion of a forged document, uttering a forged document, fraud by false pretences and money laundering (posses sion) for a combined total of 32 charges.

Police allege that Farrington had in her pos session several forged Bank

of the Bahamas (BOB) external payment request forms, uttered the same and fraudulently obtained over $50,000 from Cays News and Gifts, Parma Pizzeria and LPIA Rhythm Café’s BOB accounts between May and August of this year.

The accused, who was represented by attorney Keevon Maynard, pleaded not guilty to the fraud related offences.

She was subsequently granted $15,000 bail with two sureties and the case was adjourned to December 20 and 21 for trial.

$8K BAIL IN FIREARM CASE

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

A 20-YEAR-OLD man, allegedly found with a 9mm pistol and six unfired rounds of ammunition, was granted $8,000 bail yesterday.

Dillan Simon stood before Magistrate Kendra Kelly yesterday charged with possession of an unlicensed firearm and pos session of ammunition.

Police allege that they found Simon with the fire arm on November 5.

However, Simon, who was represented by attorney Wendawn MillerFraser, denied the offences.

When the issue of bail

was brought up, the Crown prosecutor objected due to the nature of the offences.

However, Mrs MillerFraser argued that her client was innocent until proven guilty and also was of good character.

She said there was no indication her client would not return to court and said if the magistrate had any misgivings, there were bail conditions she could impose.

Having listened to both arguments, Magistrate Kelly granted the accused $8,000 bail with two sureties.

He was also ordered to report to the Grove Police Station twice a week.

Upon arrival, officers met a woman who they informed that a search would be conducted.

While searching the resi dence, they found Panana lying on the bed. He later gave them his passport upon their request.

A check of the pass port revealed that he had entered the country on May 5, 2018 and was given permission to stay for three weeks.

However, he ended up overstaying by four years, five months and ten days.

During his hearing before Magistrate Kendra Kelly, Panana admitted the offence.

When asked his rea sons for overstaying, the 55-year-old said he was vis iting family and was trying to find an opportunity for work.

He also apologised for his actions.

As a result, he was fined $3,000 or one year in prison.

After paying the fine, Panana will be handed over to immigration authorities for deportation.

Also appearing in court was Haitian national Elisson Fleureus who overstayed his time in the country by more than a month.

Police arrested the 39-year-old in Great Har bour Cay, Berry Islands on November 2.

Officers said they were

on routine patrol when they observed Fleureus leaving a residence in the area.

He was stopped and while being questioned by police, he admitted to entering the country in August and being employed with a local construction company as a painter from September.

Further checks revealed that he was admitted into The Bahamas for a month, but overstayed his time by a month and seven days.

When asked why he overstayed in the coun try, Fleureus told the court he had planned to return home as scheduled but said “problems” in Haiti pre vented him from doing so.

Asked to elaborate on what those problems were, he claimed that airports in Haiti were not operational at the time.

However, he was reminded that he still should have followed the law and applied for an extension.

“I was not aware,” he replied through an interpreter.

As a result, Magistrate Kelly fined him $1,000 or three months in prison and ordered that he be transferred to immigration officers for deportation.

In a separate arraign ment, Wilbenson Desir, 20, was fined $500 after being charged with overstaying.

Officers said they took Desir in custody on

November 3 after he arrived in Andros on a plane from New Providence.

While conducting status checks of the passengers on board, police discovered that Desir arrived in the country October 18 for one week and overstayed by nine days.

When given the chance to speak in court, the 20-yearold claimed he overstayed because he was unwell to travel on the date of his scheduled return.

Asked why he was in Andros, he told the court he was going to visit a cousin to assist him with his health.

Desir was subsequently

convicted and fined $500 or one month behind bars.

Tonton Pierre, 25, also appeared before Magistrate Kelly, but on charges of ille gal landing. Pierre was taken into custody November 4 after he could not provide police with the proper legal documentation.

While in custody, he told immigration officers that he arrived in the country last August by boat.

After admitting to the offence, he was fined $300 or six months in jail. Upon paying the fine, he will be transferred to the Immi gration Department for deportation.

Bradley Bethel Jr’s Toyota Passo on August 20.

Speaking out with a strong voice on climate action

OVER the next few days, there will seem to be no end to the conversations about COP27.

COP is the Conference of Parties, the annual meet ing and decision-making body under the United Nations Convention on Cli mate Change (UNFCCC).

COP27 is the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference of Parties which brings together heads of state, civil society, and the private sector to dis cuss, plan, and commit to responses to the rapidly worsening climate crisis.

This year, COP is being held in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. COP is generally composed of negotiations which take place between States, side events that are hosted by various bodies, including non-govern mental organisations and companies, and exhibitions.

COP is a large conference with tens of thousands of attendees. COP26 in Glas gow was attended by over 30,000 people. Its five prior ities, as outlined by COP26 president Alok Sharma, were adaptation and resil ience, nature, energy transition, accelerating the move to zero-carbon road transport, and finance.

By Alicia Wallace

There was also a call for more attention to loss and damage, a theme that car ried over from COP25 in Madrid.

The COP26 space was sprawling and challeng ing to navigate, and many terrible decisions were made with the obvious intention of blocking civil society from accessing cer tain spaces. It remains to be seen how COP27 will compare.

In addition to being diffi cult to navigate, COP26 was not particularly successful for many reasons.

Negotiations between States is always challenging. There are States that work and vote together in blocks, there are States with very specific needs, and there are States that do not have the same level of risk as other, and this determines their interest in contributing.

At COP21, the Paris Agreement

– a legally-binding inter national treaty – was adopted, coming into force in November 2016. The goal of this agreement was to limit global warming to 2 degrees Celsius with a pref erence for staying below 1.5 degrees Celsius.

The chant has been “One point five to stay alive” for several years.

In order to keep this agreement, commitments must be made and actions taken to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Following the Paris Agreement, countries were to develop and submit plans known as nationality determined contributions (NDCs).

These plans detail how countries will reduce GHG emissions to slow climate change and as well as how they will adapt to climate change.

Importantly, the Paris Agreement addressed

finance. Countries have large financial differences as well as difference in emis sions that contribute to the climate crisis and difference in risk of being affected by climate disasters.

Considering this, the Paris Agreement identified “developed” countries as those that provide financ ing to more vulnerable countries. It took the same approach to technology and capacity building, calling on those with more to support those with less.

This year, “developing” countries are at COP to call for climate financing. Leaders of countries dis proportionately affected by the climate crisis while contributing less than one per cent of global emissions have been highlighting the disparity, especially in recent years.

Heads of government from Antigua and Barbuda that have experienced the direct effects of the climate crisis have been calling for “developed” countries to take necessary action — reduce their own emissions and make financial con tributions to help smaller, more vulnerable nations in their mitigation and adapta tion efforts.

In September 2017, Hur ricane Irma made landfall at 185mph and resulted in the death of a two-year-old child, the damage of 90 per cent of properties in Bar buda, and two-thirds of the people leaving for Anti gua when Hurricane Jose threatened to follow the same path.

In the same month, Dom inica saw over $90 billion in damage caused by category five Hurricane Maria.

In 2019, Grand Bahama and Abaco saw the dev astation of Hurricane Dorian, and The Bahamas is still trying to recover. This month, more climate events are disturbing the Caribbean.

At COP, the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) is an important body comprised, as the

name suggests, of lowlying coastal and small island countries. Its 44 members include Antigua and Barbuda, The Baha mas, Barbados, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Fiji, Samoa, Vanuatu, and Mauritius.

Members of the coali tion recognised their shared vulnerabilities and needs and they were the first to acknowledge the threat of climate change. They, of course, were and are also the first to experience the reality of the climate crisis. These are the “canaries in the coal mines”.

We have been fortunate to have the strong, clear voice of Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Mottley who has unwaveringly spoken with urgency for years.

At COP27, she said that this is the COP where action is needed, and there has been “horror and dev astation” since COP26. She referenced the devastation in Belize caused by Tropical Storm Lisa and the severe flooding in St Lucia, all evidence that the climate crisis is here now, and not a threat.

She said: “We have the collective capacity to trans form. We’re in the country that built pyramids. We know what it is to remove slavery from our civilisa tion. We know what it is to be able to find a vac cine within two years when a pandemic hits us. We know what it is to put a man on the moon[…] But the simple political will that is necessary, not just to come here and make promises, but to deliver on them, and to make a defin able difference in the lives of the people who we have a responsibility to serve seems still not to be capable of being produced. I ask us how many more and how much more must happen.”

Mottley noted that her country has big ambi tion, but the ability to access what is necessary is constrained because the “Global South” is at the

mercy of the “Global North”, and she used the example of getting electric cars in country.

She noted the difference in interest rates for bor rowing for these countries, calling attention to the injustice.

“It is critical that we address the issue of loss and damage. The talk must come to an end. It can’t only be an issue of asking State Parties to do the right thing, although they must, but we believe that the non-state actors and the stakeholders, the oil and gas companies and those who facilitate them need to be brought into a special convocation between now and COP28. How do com panies make $200 billion in profits in the last three months and not expect to contribute at least 10 cents in every dollar of profit to a loss and damage fund? This is what our people expect.”

Over the next few days, we will hear about the negotiations. We will find out who listened to Mottley and many others who spoke up for vulnerable countries. We will hear a lot less about the hours long debates over one word here and two words there because certain countries want to limit their contri butions, regardless of their culpability and the damage it causes others, but that is sure to happen.

As that takes place, there will be panel after panel of brilliant speakers who are experts in their fields and committed to climate action. Few govern ment officials will bother to attend these events to increase their own knowl edge and networks, but non-governmental organi sations and activists will be there. They will listen, learn, share, and collabo rate, and everything gained at COP27 will be taken for ward and used over the next year to advocate for greater commitment which is nec essary to keep us alive.

Recommendations

1. What My Bones Know by Stephanie

In this memoir, Stephanie Foo shares

to share her diagno sis with her. It was C-PTSD. While Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder may be caused by a single event, Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Dis order is caused by ongoing trauma. Foo looks back at her childhood and the way her family treated her, her behavior in school, the intervention and lack of intervention by adults around her, and her many years of different types of therapy, research, and understanding the connection

between the brain and the body and their effects on one another. She recounts many incidents of abuse which can make it hard to read. Still, it is educational and it has sparks of hope as she finds her way.

2. She Begat This by Joan Morgan. “You might win some, but you just lost one.” “Eve rything is everything, what is meant to be will be.” “Now the joy of my world is in Zion.” If you started singing any of those lines, you may have been around in 1998 when The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill was released. You may even have an idea of the impact Lauryn Hill had on Black women, R&B, and hiphop. In She Begat This, Joan Morgan celebrates this album and what Lauryn Hill brought to the world through it.

Foo.

her experiences of childhood abuse and trauma and her search for information on and heal ing for her mental health. She had been in therapy for years before her therapist finally offered

MIA MOTTLEY, Prime Minister of Barbados, speaks at the COP27 UN Climate Summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, yesterday.

Photo: Peter Dejong/AP

ITALIAN EV STARTUP TAKES ON U.S. AND CHINESE RIVALS WITH DESIGN

By COLLEEN BARRY AP Business Writer

MILAN (AP) — Elon Musk’s Tesla paved the way nearly two decades ago. Now, the global transition to fully electric vehicles is lit tered with startups, inspired by a new era in mobility and drawn by the lower cost of building EVs compared with their fossil-fuel-guzzling forebears.

Gone are the billion-dollar investments that have made legacy auto-making into such a cash cow. Suppliers offer ready-made generic electric platforms and manufactur ers can take on contracts for assembly — approaches that translate into savings on jobs and infrastructure.

What has been missing in the new EV formula, accord ing to a Milan-based startup, AEHRA, is a fresh design concept.

“Electric vehicles are looked at as being boring by the general public,” AEHRA CEO Hazim Nada said. “It is very easy to build an extremely powerful elec tric vehicle. It is not so easy to build an electric vehicle that has character. And I think that’s one of the ele ments that Italian-ness has to express.”

Nada has hired a former Lamborghini designer to help infuse his vehicles with Italian emotion and is emphasising aerodynamics over performance.

But the company wants to enter an increasingly crowded market of EV startups and traditional car makers that are being pushed to tackle car emissions that contribute to climate change. Some startups have had little success.

AEHRA doesn’t plan to

launch its first vehicles — an SUV and a sedan — until mid-2025, with annual pro duction starting at 20,000 to 25,000 vehicles. The ultra-premium cars also plan to come with a price tag to match — $160,000 to $180,000.

They are expected to roll out first in the United States and key European markets before expanding to China. That would follow an initial production investment of 700 million euros (dollars).

“We are not spending much,’’ Nada said. “This is due to the fact that we’re evolving the materials in such a way that the chain of production is very asset-light compared to the existing production ways.”

Nada earned most of the startup money trading crude oil in London and honed his passion for aerodynamics building the world’s largest vertical wind tunnel, Aero Gravity, an attraction north of Milan that allows anyone to experience freefalling.

While AEHRA’s cars are for a wealthy demo graphic as inflation bites the middle class and low-income earners, battery-powered vehicles generally have gained broader consumer acceptance and governments are nudging automakers away from internal combus tion engines.

U.S. asset management and research firm Bernstein predicts one-quarter of all cars sold by 2025 will be battery electric or plug-in hybrids, doubling by 2030. It cites ambitious rollout sched ules and regulatory support.

The European Union is banning sales of new fossil fuel-burning cars by 2035, giving rise to new play ers with lower startup costs

while potentially penalising legacy carmakers that have invested billions in hybrids as bridge technologies.

Battery electric vehi cles recorded the strongest growth of all fuel types in the third quarter, up 22% to over 259,000 units, according to the European Automotive Manufacturers Association. That accounts for a 12% market share.

The U.S. market share is slimmer, at around 6%, but Bernstein expects that to accelerate significantly with U.S. policies like tighter fuel efficiency standards.

As interest grows, dozens of new startups are entering a crowded market alongside pioneer Tesla and traditional carmakers, some with a cen tury-long track records. The U.S. alone has 417 EV start ups, according to research by Bernstein, some of them pro viding cautionary tales.

California-based Faraday

Future has invested billions in an electric car it has yet to build. Others, like Lucid or Rivian, which have gotten into production, have strug gled to get components due to global supply chain short ages, said Sam Abuelsamid, principal e-mobility analyst at Guidehouse Insights.

At the same time, Chinese manufacturers are making inroads in Europe, with an eye on the U.S. market. In the Italian luxury market, Ferrari and Lamborghini have announced plans for their own EVs.

“It’s going to be much more difficult now than it was a decade ago for Tesla when they were basically the only brand doing a premium high-performance EV. And now there’s dozens of brands doing this, competing for that same dollar,” Abuels amid said.

Another risk is service and support, especially when

launching across big geogra phies without built-in sales and service networks, Abuel samid said.

AEHRA’s plans call for mostly online sales and regional service centres, Nada said.

Design is where AEHRA hopes to grab market atten tion — moving away from the architecture of an inter nal combustion engine that Nada said has been conditioned by thermal management.

The AEHRA vehicle body is moving away from edges that have defined the muscularity of supercars in recent years and is returning to a gentler line reminiscent of pre-war car design.

This aesthetic shift improves the car’s aero dynamics, which will help extend range, according to AEHRA chief design officer Filippo Perini. Recon structing the classic internal architecture will create more cabin space for passenger comfort, he added.

Nada is convinced that young consumers are not so attached to their previous generations’ nameplates and will be willing to buy a car from a new player that offers an emotional change.

“We’re not in the market of Ferrari, we’re not in the market of Lambo,’’ he said. “Our vehicles are not the same segment of Tesla. We think we can coexist.”

RENAULT AND CHINA’S GEELY ANNOUNCE POWERTRAIN JOINT VENTURE

BEIJING (AP) — Renault SA and China’s Geely announced plans Tuesday for a jointly owned venture to pro duce gasoline-powered and hybrid powertrains, adding to a series of partnerships between global automakers to share soaring technol ogy costs.

The venture will have 17 plants with annual production capacity of 5 million powertrains, five research and develop ment centres on three continents and some 19,000 employees, the companies said.

They gave no finan cial terms but said each partner will own half of the venture.

It will supply brands owned by or linked to Renault and Geely including Nissan, Mitsubishi, Volvo Cars, Renault, Dacia, Geely Auto, Lynk & Co. and Proton, the companies said.

They said it might later supply third-party brands.

Global automak ers have been forming partnerships over the past decade to share the multibillion-dollar development costs of electric vehicles and more efficient gasoline engines.

The Renault-Geely agreement will “enable the creation of a global leader in hybrid technol ogies to provide highly efficient advanced solu tions for automakers around the world,” Eric Li, chairman of Geely Holding Group, said in a statement.

By MARCIA DUNN AP Aerospace Writer

CAPE

Only one of the two

Northrop Grumman officials assured NASA that there’s enough power from the solar panel for Wednes day’s planned space station rendezvous, but the space agency was still assessing the situation.

It’s too early to know whether the capsule would be stable enough to be captured by the space station’s robot arm, if the problem persists, said NASA’s Dina Contella, a space station manager.

Northrop Grumman launched the capsule from coastal Wallops Island with more than 8,200 pounds of equipment and experiments, including brackets needed for upcoming spacewalks to upgrade the space station’s power grid.

It’s dubbed the S.S. Sally Ride after the first American woman in space who died a decade ago.

The Virginia-based company has been sending ship ments to the space station since 2013. There’s been only one failure in its previous 18 supply runs, a launch explo sion in 2014.

SpaceX is NASA’s other contracted delivery service.

THE AEHRA new electric vehicle is lit on a set for a photo shoot in Milan, Italy.

(AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

NORTHRUP Grumman’s Antares rocket lifts off the launch pad at the NASA Wallops Flight Facility Monday. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A Northrop Grumman cargo capsule ran into trouble with a solar panel after Monday’s liftoff to the International Space Station.

solar panels on the Cygnus cap sule opened successfully following the predawn liftoff from Virginia.

By AMY LIEBERMAN The Conversation

AS ELECTION Day

results are counted, uncer tainty and concern about potential chaos – from violence at polling sites to candidates refusing to accept defeat – continue to rise.

Problems that have his torically plagued the US electoral and political system – like voter intimi dation – are cropping up ahead of the midterms. But so, too, are less familiar issues, like how previously run-of-the-mill state elec tion positions are becoming opportunities for political activism.

Here are seven key issues that affect the midterm elections, drawn from sto ries in The Conversation’s archive.

1.

Who is voting

Voter participation during midterm elections is typically low – though some experts say that there could be heavy turnout this year. But the question of who actually heads to the polls will also be critical, as races in key swing states tighten.

Young voters are much less likely to vote during midterms than older people, as opposed to their higher turnouts during presidential elections, American Uni versity government scholar Jan Leighley wrote. Young voters are also more likely to identify as Democrats.

“So if younger voters are underrepresented in the November 2022 elections, more Republicans may be elected, as well as candi dates less likely to reflect younger citizens’ views on key issues,” Leighley wrote.

This year, meanwhile, record numbers of Latinos are also expected to turn out to vote. In 2020, most Latinos voted for President Joe Biden – but increas ing numbers of Latino voters are also supporting GOP candidates, including former president Donald Trump, wrote University

of Tennessee social work scholar Mary Lehman Held.

One reason is that Latino voters have differ ent backgrounds, values and priorities. And not all would be turned off by Republican candidates’ restrictive immigration politics.

“Immigration poli cies only affect a subset of Latinos, most notably Mexicans, followed by Sal vadorans, Guatemalans and Hondurans,” Lehman Held explained.

2. What voters want It’s the economy, stupid, as the famous 1992 politi cal adage about voters’ top concern goes.

Soaring inflation rates top voters’ concerns this year, even though neither politi cal party has been found

particularly more effective at tackling the issue and bringing down inflation, as Texas State University finance scholar William Chittenden wrote.

There was a flurry of political activism around the Supreme Court’s deci sion to overturn Roe v Wade in June 2022, undoing the federal right to an abor tion. But just four months later, men and women both say that abortion politics are not bringing them to the polls, according to Harvard Kennedy School and North western University social science scholars Matthew A Baum, Alauna Safarpour, Jonathan Schulman and Kristin Lunz Trujillo.

“The Supreme Court’s Dobbs v Jackson decision may have initially mobilised some voters in June and July, particularly women,

but its effects appear to have diminished when we asked Americans about their intentions to vote again in August and Octo ber,” they wrote.

3. Elections aren’t what they used to be Gone are the days when election administrators were considered low pro file, conducting essential – but not flashy – work, like organising voter lists, staffing polling places and counting election results. Overall mistrust in elec tions is high in the US following the 2020 elections – and former President Trump’s refusal to accept his defeat. It’s a new era in politics, where it is not necessarily a given that “elections happen, votes are counted, the winners are declared and democracy

moves on,” wrote Arizona State University’s Thom Reilly, a public governance scholar and former state election official.

One complicating factor is that the US is the only democracy that elects many of its election officials, and high-ranking mem bers of the Republican or Democratic parties usually oversee elections at the state level.

“That partisan system largely worked until now because, in essence, each party checked the other party’s ability to influence election outcomes. As long as states were politically diverse, members of the two major parties acted in good faith, and this model functioned – albeit imper fectly,” wrote Reilly.

But there’s already evi dence that newly minted

and highly partisan poll workers and election observers plan to disrupt the elections, potentially diminishing public faith in this essential democratic institution and weakening democracy itself. And a high number of candidates running for state election administration roles are election deniers. If they win, wrote Reilly, that will further erode public confi dence in election integrity.

4. Black voters face pos sible intimidation

Amid warnings from the Department of Homeland Security about political violence on Election Day – which University of Mar yland, Baltimore County security researcher Rich ard Fornorecently explored – there’s an increased risk that polling sites will become yet another place for political violence.

The threat brings to mind long-standing efforts by white supremacists to intimidate and threaten Black voters.

Georgia is one place with a long history of voter intimidation that is roll ing out election reform laws, making it actually harder for voters – espe cially people of color – to vote. One part of this new law, called SB 202, removes some voting drop boxes, which people of color pre dominantly use. This comes as Black voters gain number and power in Georgia – and the tightened voting rules are reminiscent of the 1940s and other times when white conservatives cracked down on voting rights in response to rising Black political strength.

“The almost immediate passage of new election laws at a time of growing Black political strength sug gests the persistence of a white backlash in Georgia,” wrote Emory University political science scholar Richard Doner.

• Originally published on www.theconversation.com.

ELECTION worker Patrick Schmeichel prepares to process ballots that just arrived from a ballot drop-box on Election Day at the King County Elections headquarters, in Renton, Washington, yesterday.

Photo: Ken Lambert/The Seattle Times via AP

KEY FUEL DEPOT IN HAITI REOPENS FOR FIRST TIME SINCE SEPTEMBER

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti Associated Press

DOZENS of trucks lined up at a main fuel terminal in Haiti’s capital yesterday to fill up their tanks for the first time since a powerful gang seized control of the area nearly two months ago.

The drivers were pro tected by a heavily armed police convoy formed two

days after gang boss Jimmy Cherizier, a former police officer nicknamed “Barbe cue”, announced that the G9 gang federation he leads was lifting a fuel blockade and allowing drivers to fill up at the depot.

Government officials said that gas stations. which have been closed since mid-September, would be resupplied Wednesday through Friday and open to

customers on Saturday.

“Now we can breathe,” said Gabriel Salny, a truck driver who was relieved to be again working and earn ing money. “Hunger almost killed me.”

He said the fuel block ade “had an impact on the country, on all Haitians”.

It wasn’t immediately clear if the gang federa tion retained control of the area surrounding the

depot in Port-au-Prince that contains about 10 mil lion gallons of diesel fuel and gasoline and more than 800,000 gallons of kerosene.

On Monday, Haiti’s Min istry of Defence issued a statement saying that sol diers and police seized control of the fuel terminal after 16 operations as it congratulated those efforts. The situation had prompted Prime Minister

Ariel Henry to request the immediate deployment of foreign troops in early October, a request that the UN Security Council has yet to vote on. So far, the Security Council has only voted to place sanctions on Cherizier.

If gas stations open as planned, hospitals and businesses including banks and grocery stores are expected to resume normal

operations.

The government has not said whether an increase in fuel prices announced in September would remain in place. At the time, Henry said his administra tion could no longer afford to subsidise fuel, sparking large protests and the fuel blockade by the G9 gang federation that demanded the prime minister’s resignation.

US Congress control hangs in balance after mid-terms

WASHINGTON Associated Press

CONTROL of Congress hung in the balance early this morning, with both parties notching victories in some of the most com petitive races in a mid-term election that centered on voter frustration over high inflation and the sudden rollback of abortion rights.

Democrats held a crucial Senate seat in New Hamp shire, where incumbent Maggie Hassan defeated Republican Don Bolduc, a retired Army general who had initially promoted former President Donald Trump’s lies about the 2020 election but tried to shift away from some of the more extreme positions he took during the GOP primary. Republicans held Senate seats in Ohio and North Carolina.

A district-by-district fight was underway for con trol of the House, where Democrats held closely watched seats in moder ate suburban districts from Virginia to Kansas and Rhode Island. Rep Elaine Luria, a Navy veteran who serves on the House com mittee investigating the Jan 6 insurrection, was the first Democratic incumbent to lose a highly competi tive House district. Many of the districts that could determine House control in states like New York and California had not been called.

The outcome of races for House and Senate will determine the future of President Joe Biden’s agenda and serve as a referendum on his admin istration as the nation reels from record-high infla tion and concerns over the direction of the country. Republican control of the House would likely trigger a round of investigations into Biden and his family, while a GOP Senate takeo ver would hobble Biden’s ability to make judicial appointments.

Democrats were facing historic headwinds. The party in power almost always suffers losses in the president’s first midterm elections, but Democrats had been hoping that anger from the Supreme Court’s decision to gut abortion rights might energise their

voters to buck historical trends.

In Pennsylvania, Demo cratic Attorney General Josh Shapiro beat Repub lican Doug Mastriano to keep the governorship of a key presidential battle ground state blue. Shapiro’s victory rebuffed an election denier who some feared would not certify a Demo cratic presidential win in the state in 2024. Florida Gov Ron DeSantis and Texas Gov Greg Abbott, two future possible Republican presidential contenders, beat back Democratic chal lengers to win reelection in the nation’s two largest red states.

In Georgia, Democratic Sen Raphael Warnock and Republican challenger Her schel Walker were vying for a seat that could determine control of the Senate.

AP VoteCast, a broad survey of the national electorate, showed that high inflation and con cerns about the fragility of democracy were heavily influencing voters.

Half of voters said infla tion factored significantly, with groceries, gasoline, housing, food and other

costs that have shot up in the past year. Slightly fewer — 44% — said the future of democracy was their pri mary consideration.

Overall, 7 in 10 voters said the ruling overturning the 1973 decision enshrin ing abortion rights was an important factor in their midterm decisions.

VoteCast also showed the reversal was broadly unpopular. About 6 in 10 say they are angry or dis satisfied by it, while about 4 in 10 were pleased. And roughly 6 in 10 say they favor a law guaranteeing access to legal abortion nationwide.

There were no wide spread problems with ballots or voter intimida tion reported around the country, though there were hiccups typical of most Election Days.

Voters also were deciding high-profile races for Senate or governor in places such as Pennsylvania, Nevada, Wisconsin, Arizona and Michigan. Contests also were on the ballot for sec retaries of state, roles that typically generate little attention but have come under growing scrutiny

as GOP contenders who refused to accept the results of the 2020 campaign were running to control the man agement of future elections.

In the first national election since the Jan. 6 insurrection, some who par ticipated in or were in the vicinity of the attack on the US Capitol were poised to win elected office, including several running for House seats.

In Ohio, Rep Marcy Kaptur defeated Republi can JR Majewski, who was at the US Capitol during the deadly riot and who misrepresented his military service.

Democratic Reps. Abigail Spanberger and Jennifer Wexton held off spirited Republican chal lengers in Virginia districts the GOP had hoped to flip.

The 2022 elections are on track to cost a projected $16.7 billion at the state and federal level, making them the most expensive midterms ever, according to the nonpartisan campaign finance tracking organiza tion OpenSecrets.

All House seats were up for grabs, as were 34 Senate seats — with

cliffhangers especially likely in Pennsylvania, Georgia and Arizona.

Trump lifted two Repub lican Senate candidates to victory in Ohio and North Carolina. JD Vance, the bestselling author of “Hill billy Elegy”, defeated 10-term congressman Tim Ryan, while Rep Ted Budd beat Cheri Beasley, the former chief justice of the state Supreme Court.

Thirty-six states were electing governors. The GOP faced unexpected headwinds in flipping the governor’s office in conserv ative Kansas. Democrats, meanwhile, were nervous about their prospects in the governor’s race in Oregon, typically a liberal bastion.

Democrats easily repelled Republicans backed by Trump in several left-leaning states, while tougher tests that could decide control of Congress and the future of Biden’s presidency awaited in more competitive territory.

Despite their liberal history, states like Mas sachusetts, Maryland and Illinois have elected moderate Republican gov ernors in the past. But

the Republicans this year appeared to be too con servative in these states, handing Democrats easy victories in midterm elec tions that could otherwise prove difficult for the party.

Massachusetts and Mary land also saw historic firsts: Democrat Maura Healey became the first woman elected as Massachusetts governor, as well as the first openly lesbian governor of any state, and Wes Moore became the first Black gov ernor of Maryland.

Healey bested Geoff Diehl in Massachusetts and Moore beat Dan Cox in Maryland, while Illinois Gov JB Pritzker defeated state Sen Darren Bailey. Bolduc, Cox and Bailey were among the far-right Republicans that Demo crats spent tens of millions of dollars to bolster during the primaries, betting they would be easier to beat in general elections than their more moderate rivals.

An especially strong elec tion for the GOP could have put pressure on Biden to opt against a reelection run in 2024. Trump, mean while, may try to capitalise on GOP gains by formally launching another bid for the White House during a “very big announcement” in Florida next week.

The former president endorsed more than 300 candidates in the midterm cycle and is hoping to use Republican victories as a springboard for a 2024 pres idential campaign.

“Well, I think if they win, I should get all the credit. And if they lose, I should not be blamed at all. But it will probably be just the opposite,” Trump said in an interview with NewsNation.

It could be days or even weeks before races — and potentially, control of Con gress — are decided. Some states with mail voting, such as Michigan, saw an increase in ballot returns compared with the 2018 midterm. Those votes can take longer to count because, in many states, ballots must be postmarked by Tuesday but might not arrive at election offices until days later. In Georgia’s Senate race, the candidates must win at least 50% of the vote to avoid a Dec 6 runoff.

POLICE officers protect fuel trucks filled with gas as they drive from the Varreux fuel terminal, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, yesterday.

Photo: Odelyn Joseph/AP

INCUMBENT Florida Republican Gov Ron DeSantis holds his son Mason as he celebrates winning reelection at an election night party in Tampa last night.

Photo: Rebecca Blackwell/AP

Carey seeks another term as BAAA boss

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

Aftersitting on the sidelines for the past four years

watching, Rosamunde Carey will be back to seek another term in office as president of the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations.

While her nomination and that of a full slate of officers was made to BAAA Chief Executive Officer May Miller on Thursday, Carey revealed that they will have an official launch of their cam paign on November 19.

Her team, dubbed: “21st Century Athletics,” has indicated that they are “committed and ready to serve from day one,” once the election of offic ers is completed 10am on Saturday, December 3 at the Thomas A Robin son National Stadium, if elected.

“Having served previ ously as the treasurer and president, I decided to

come back and run again as president,” Carey said.

“I still believe I have what it takes to run the association effectively and I believe I have a capable team of executives to assist me.”

Contrary to the asser tions by certain persons that they are running indi vidually and not on any particular slate, Carey said they decided to run a slate because it’s the best way in order to properly run the organisation collectively as a team.”

Running on her slate once again will be Carl Oliver, an Olympic 4x400m relay team member, who will be seeking the post of first vice president. Grand Bahama’s Sandra Laing will be running for second vice president.

The vice presidents with portfolios are coach Cedricka Rolle as vice president of business operations, coach and administrator Bernard Newbold as vice president of technical operations and

Tua Tagovailoa’s leap has Dolphins eyeing deep playoff run

By ALANIS THAMES AP Sports Writer

MIAMI GARDENS, Florida (AP) — A lot of people were shocked when Tyreek Hill, only a few months into his Miami Dolphins tenure, called Tua Tagovailoa the “most accurate” quarter back in the NFL.

Maybe he was on to something.

At the midway point of the season, the highly cri tiqued Tagovailoa leads the league in several pass ing categories, despite missing two games, and has steered the Dolphins to a 6-3 record.

The Dolphins were expected to be a much better team this season after adding Hill and other offensive pieces in

the offseason. But Tago vailoa has elevated his game, and the Dolphins are clearly better when he’s on the field.

“He’s playing at a tre mendous level,” Hill said.

“He’s making me look right about everything

I said about him in the offseason.”

Tagovailoa, in his third NFL season, leads the league in passer rating (115.9), yards per attempt (9.2), touchdown percent age (6.9) and net yards per play (8.5).

One of his biggest knocks since entering the league was his deep ball. Now he’s pushing the ball down the field more effi ciently than he has in his professional career.

Entering Sunday’s game against the Bears, Tago vailoa had twice as many completions (32) to the middle of the field over 10 air yards as any other quarterback this season, according to Next Gen Stats.

NEWCOMER TRAMMELL SCORES 18, NO. 19 SDSU SAILS PAST BASTIAN AND TITANS

By BERNIE WILSON AP Sports Writer

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Darrion Trammell hit three 3-pointers during a 29-10 run to open the second half and finished with 18 points for No. 19 San Diego State, which beat Cal State Full erton 80-57 Monday night to begin one of the most eagerly anticipated seasons in school history.

Fellow newcomer Jaedon LeDee and Lamont Butler scored 11 points apiece and Nathan Mensah had 10 for the Aztecs, who won their 10th straight opener and their 17th in 18 seasons.

Vincent Lee scored 11 and Jalen Harris 10, and Lathaniel Bastian helped out with three points and two steals for the Titans, the defending Big West Conference champions.

Much of the hype sur rounding the Aztecs is

ADIDAS APPOINTS BOSS OF RIVAL PUMA AS CEO AFTER YE FALLOUT

BERLIN (AP) — Adidas has appointed Bjørn Gulden, the CEO of rival Puma, as its new chief exec utive, and he will take over the German sportswear brand in January as the company weathers the fall out from its split with the rapper formerly known as Kanye West.

Gulden will replace Kasper Rorsted, Adidas’ CEO since 2016, whose departure was announced in August. Adidas said at the time that Rorsted would hand over during the course of next year but said yesterday that he and the supervisory board “mutu ally agreed” that he will step down and leave the company Friday.

Kiwis prepared for recharged Pakistan in T20 World Cup semis

By RIZWAN ALI AP Sports Writer

IN-FORM New Zealand returns to a happy hunt ing ground today to meet a pace-packed, recharged Pakistan in the first of the Twenty20 World Cup semifinals.

New Zealand made a rol licking start to the Super 12 stage at the Sydney Cricket Ground last month when it thrashed host Australia by 89 runs.

It was a win that avenged a defeat in last year’s world T20 final and a margin that ultimately cost the defend ing champions a spot in the semifinals.

Glenn Phillips smashed a century at the SCG later to outscore Sri Lanka as the Kiwis topped Group 1 on superior net run-rate after finishing equal on seven

competition points with England and Australia.

Pakistan got a barely believable entry into the semis after South Africa’s shocking 13-run loss to Netherlands on Sunday, one of the biggest upsets in a global limited-overs

tournament. Now Pakistan is one win away from a final.

Had South Africa not stumbled yet again in a major ICC event, Paki stan’s win over Bangladesh wouldn’t have been enough to lift Babar Azam’s lineup into the playoff stage. Former Australia opener Matthew Hayden, work ing as a team mentor for Pakistan, described the combination of results as a “Magic day.”

Pakistan had a bumpy start but, like 2021 runnersup New Zealand, has fond memories of SCG where Shadab Khan’s brilliant maiden T20 international half-century and two wick ets in two balls led them to victory over South Africa in the group stage.

THE BAHAMAS Baseball Association held its in-person and Zoom Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Saturday at the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture’s office. In attendance from members from the New Providence: Freedom Farm, JBLN, Community Baseball League (on Zoom), Ed Armbrister Baseball League, Grand Bahama: Grand Bahama Little League, Grand Bahama Amateur, Legacy Baseball League(on Zoom) and Abaco: North Abaco Baseball League (on Zoom). Photo: L-R: Alonzo Pratt-GB, Curtis Malone-JBLN, Jeffrey Walcott-JBLN President, Sam Rodgers-BBA President, Greg Burrows-FF President, Theodore R Sweeting-BBA Secretary General, Joe Moss- GBLL & BBA 2nd VP, Mike Butler-Ed Armbrister League President, Shane Albury-JBLN Commissioner & BBA 1st VP, Kenny Mondesir-BBA Treasurer, Clarence McKenzie-FF Director & BBA 3rd VP, Nathaniel Butler-Ed Armbrister League.

TUA Tagovailoa

PAKISTAN’s Mohammad Haris bats during the T20 World Cup against Bangladesh Sunday. (AP Photo/James Elsby)

‘Building Holistic Champions

RED-LINE ATHLETICS TRACK CLUB HOSTS ANNUAL MOTIVATIONAL, HEALTH AND WELLNESS SEMINAR

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

IN an effort to continue to sensitize its athletes to a holistic approach to track and field, the RedLine Athletics Track Club hosted its third annual Motivational Health & Wellness Seminar 2022.

The one-day event took place on Saturday at the National Training Agency on Gladstone Road where the athletes and parents heard from a number of dynamic speakers that addressed the overall theme: “Building Holistic Champions.”

Dawn Sands spoke on “Good Nutrition Equals Energy,” physical fit ness therapists Shakeitha Henfield and Sasha John son combined to address “Injury Prevention for the High School Stu dent,” businesswoman Tia Thompson did the “Boo merang Effect” and parent Melissa Major spoke on the preventative care of “Are You Aware?”

Coach Rachante Cole brooke, who along with coach Earl Rahming Jr, conducted the seminar, said it’s in keeping with their mandate to encour age the athletes in all areas of their lives, including aca demics, athletics, holistic, mental and emotionally to ensure that they reach their full potential.

“We do our best to seek persons they may or may not be familiar with,” Cole brooke said. “We bring in experts who would have walked the same path they have or walked similar paths to share their sto ries and enlighten them on some of the things they can do to attain their level of success.”

Colebrooke said they were impressed with the involvement of the athletes as they interacted with each speaker.

“We believe they were very receptive with the questions and advice they were given,” she said. “I don’t think we could ask for more.”

DOLPHINS

FROM PAGE 12

“I think I’ve grown a lot with the deep balls, huh? Don’t we think?” Tago vailoa said sarcastically last week.

“That was probably a subtle jab, but it was a jab.”

He’s having such a good season that the Dolphins sent away their only 2023 first-round pick, once essential in case they needed to draft another quarterback, to add defen sive help.

“The growth has been unbelievable in how he’s playing the position,” McDaniel said of Tago vailoa, “learning the whole system, and then how he’s handling the ebbs and flows of natural in-game momentum.”

WHAT’S WORKING

Given how the first half of the season has gone, there’s no reason to believe a team has an answer for Tagovailoa’s connection

Thompson is a 26-yearold graduate of St Augustine’s College, who was previously employed at JCN and Eyewitness News as well as Fidelity Bank. Last year, she ven tured full-time into the ownership of her Miss Teen Bahamas International Franchise and Painted Cosmetics.

She instructed the ath letes on the importance of social media and the effects of using it in a nega tive light, the proper use of emails and how to use social media for jobs and universities and the effects of cyber bullying.

“I think the kids really enjoyed it. It was defi nitely more than I thought it would be,” she said. “It made me happy that they listened and that it is some thing that they could listen to.”

Major, a breast cancer survivor, shed some light on the awareness of cancer and things they can put in place for their future to make it easier to prevent it from occurring.

“I think it was very good. Everybody went away feel ing informed,” she said. “We want to remind of cancer because it is still a concern for people in our community, and nobody wants to talk about it. “When we talk about cancer, it’s that fear of death. So, I was glad that we had the conversation, and we were able to put some things in place so that we could prevent it.”

Clinton Laguerre, a 12th grader at St Augustine’s

with Hill and Jaylen Waddle.

Against the Bears, Hill became the first player this year to surpass 1,000 yards receiving. He’s now at 1,104 on an NFL-leading 76 catches and is on pace for the best season of any wide receiver ever.

Waddle doesn’t have nearly the amount of touches (47) as Hill, but has been incredibly efficient with the fifth-most yards receiving in the NFL (812) and six touchdowns.

WHAT NEEDS HELP

The defence.

Miami’s inability to stop teams has left it in some close games.

The Dolphins gave up a combined 91 points in their three losses this year and haven’t generated much pressure with their fourman rush.

Miami added former Broncos pass rusher Brad ley Chubb, who has 5½ sacks this season, at the trade deadline to address that.

College, said the seminar once again was quite ben eficial to him.

“I learned a lot about what I want to be and moving forward, I learn what to do and not to do in life,” he said.

“I learn the positive and the negatives. This was a very well set up seminar. I really appreciate all of those who came.”

Hopefully, as he heads into the upcoming season, Laguerre said he has a lot to look forward to.

“Looking at the times I want to run, I think all of the nutritional stuff that I learned today will lead me into running those times,” he said, with hopes to drop his personal best times to under the 22-second bar rier in the 200m, at least run 46 seconds in the 400 metres and about 50 in the 400m hurdles.

STOCK UP

The passing game. Hill and Waddle’s speed in the open field and Tagovailoa’s improvement have ele vated Miami’s passing game to a level that hadn’t been seen in recent years.

Where the Dolphins defence was once the driving force behind their success, this season the offence is produc tive enough to outscore its opponents when the defense has struggled.

STOCK DOWN

Cornerback Xavien Howard has been play ing through a groin injury and hasn’t had cornerback Byron Jones (Achilles) opposite him. That has clearly affected his play.

Howard does not have an interception this season after five last year and 10 in 2020.

He did have an inter ception wiped away by a penalty Sunday, but he also allowed a 16-yard touch down catch from Justin Fields to Darnell Mooney.

Club founding president and head coach Tito Moss said they want to use this seminar to speak to the whole athlete and they felt they achieved their goal.

“We don’t just do these things to be cute, but we realise the need and the fact that the kids need to know the value of eating properly and training and working hard as well as taking their rest,” Moss said.

Moss, who will be vying for the post of vice presi dent of operations during the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations’ election of officers on Sat urday, December 3, said they were quite pleased with what transpired and so they are excited about the upcoming season. “The numbers in the club has grown, but not only have we grown, but we added

INJURIES

Four defensive play ers have gone on injured reserve through the first half of the season: CB Trill Williams (knee), CB Nik Needham (Achilles), LB Trey Flowers (foot) and S Brandon Jones (knee).

CB Byron Jones, who had surgery on his lower left leg in the offseason, has not returned from the physically unable to per form list.

Miami has also had several injuries on the offensive line. LT Terron Armstead is playing through a toe injury. RT Austin Jackson (ankle) just came back from IR. LG Liam Eichenberg (knee) recently went on IR.

KEY NUMBER 14 -- Tagovailoa is 12-2 in his last 14 starts and 13-1 in the last 14 games he has finished.

UP NEXT After their bye-week break, the Dolphins return home to face the Cleveland Browns on November 13.

some quality pieces,” Moss said. “We look for mem bers of Red-Line to be very dominant in the under-15 boys and girls, under-17 boys and girls and under20 boys and girls. “We are going to have some of the best athletes in these age groups and we look for ward to having several members of Red-Line as a part of Team Bahamas at CARIFTA in 2023. So, our club has grown, we have added some pieces and we are continuing to push them to do their very best.”

Red-Line Athletics will begin their track season over the weekend of Janu ary 28-29 at the Thomas A Robinson Track and Field Stadium.

The CARIFTA Games is scheduled for the Easter holiday weekend of April 7-10 at Thomas A Robin son National Stadium.

AUSTRALIA DEFEATS SLOVAKIA TO OPEN BILLIE JEAN KING CUP

GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) — Australia took an unassailable 2-0 lead against Slovakia yesterday in the first match of the Billie Jean King Cup in a strong start to its bid for a first title in 48 years in the biggest team event in wom en’s tennis.

Storm Sanders and Ajla Tomljanovic claimed vic tories in singles to earn the Australians the win in Group B before the closing doubles.

Sanders beat Viktoria Kuzmova 6-4, 6-3, while Tomljanovic was a 6-1, 6-2 winner over Anna Karolina Schmiedlova in the Scottish city of Glasgow.

Sanders was scheduled to return to the court to play doubles with Ellen Perez against Kuzmova and Tereza Mihalikova.

Australia is a seven-time winner of the competition formerly known as the Fed Cup. All of its titles came from 1964-74.

In the late match, host nation Britain takes on Kazakhstan.

There are 12 teams in the competition and they are split into four groups of three. Each match con sists of two singles and a doubles.

The group winners will advance to the semifinals on Saturday, with the final on Sunday.

MUSETTI GETS OFF TO STRONG START AT NEXT GEN ATP FINALS

a strong start at the Next Gen ATP Finals with a 4-2, 4-2, 4-2 win over Tseng Chun-hsin yesterday.

Musetti is the highestseeded player for the year-ending tournament for 21-and-under players after Paris Masters champion Holger Rune withdrew to be an alternate for the ATP Finals.

At No. 23, Musetti is also the only player in the eightman field ranked in the top 40.

Also, Jiri Lehecka beat Francesco Passaro 4-1, 4-3 (7), 4-1; and Bran don Nakashima defeated Matteo Arnaldi 2-4, 4-3 (7), 4-3 (4), 3-4 (4), 4-2.

This is the fifth edition of the event, which features shorter sets of first to four games and other experi mental format changes. New rules for this edition include no changeovers after the first game of each set and only one sit-down per set after three games; a 15-second serve clock after aces, double-faults and unreturned serves; and coaching during an oppo nent’s medical time out or toilet break.

US MARATHON TRIALS FOR 2024 OLYMPICS WILL BE RUN IN ORLANDO

INDIANAPOLIS

(AP) — The 2024 United States Olympic marathon trials will be held along the streets in Orlando, Florida.

USA Track and Field announced the decision yesterday. The site for the rest of the track and field trials is still being determined.

The top three men and women finishers in the marathon race to be held on February 3, 2024, will earn a roster spot for the Paris Olympics held that summer (provided they have met the qualifying standard). “We’re excited to see great competition and fast times,” USA Track and Field CEO Max Siegel said.

a world-class event.”

The US marathon trials for the Tokyo Games were held in Atlanta on February 29, 2020 — just before the coro navirus pandemic led to the postponement of the Olympics for a summer.

The rest of the US track and field trials for Tokyo were held in June 2021 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.

MILAN (AP) — Tour nament favourite Lorenzo Musetti got off to

Added US Olympic and Paralympic Committee CEO Sarah Hirshland: “As the pathway for making Team USA, the US Olympic Team Trials stand out as remarkable sporting events, and we have no doubt Orlando will welcome our elite runners and put on

RED-Line Athletics athletes and coaches flank speaker Tia Thompson.

TIA Thompson receives a gift basket from Tumani Skinner.

PRESENTERS Sasha Johnson and Shakeitha Henfield receive their gift baskets from D’Angelo Collie and Ezthia Maycock.

Analysis: Warriors’ Steph Curry shines spotlight on women

By TIM REYNOLDS AP Basketball Writer

STEPHEN Curry is grateful for the women in his life. He celebrates them every chance he gets.

Whether they want that treatment or not.

This is the story of Nanea McGuigan. Only the most ardent NBA fans likely know who she is, but mil lions saw her on their televisions three weeks ago when the Golden State Warriors handed out cham pionship rings to players. McGuigan unexpectedly got hers, too, that night after Curry and the War riors decided to pull off a surprise and show her — and the world — how revered she is.

“It’s about understanding the value that women bring into this male-dominated league,” Curry said in an interview with The Associ ated Press. “She was one of the first people I met when I got drafted. She made me feel right at home, my family feel right at home. She was a great ambassa dor for what the transition was going to be like. Now 14 years later, we felt it was right to honour her with the ring with everybody watching.”

Curry and his wife Ayesha have three young children, two of them girls. The girls aren’t currently interested in being like their

ADIDAS

FROM PAGE 12

Chief Financial Officer Harm Ohlmeyer will head Adidas until the end of the year. He takes the helm temporarily after the com pany ended a partnership with Ye late last month amid mounting outcry over the rapper’s offensive and antisemitic remarks.

Adidas, which followed other companies in cutting ties with Ye, is expected to take a hit of up to 250 mil lion euros (dollars) to its net income this year from the decision to immedi ately stop production of its line of Yeezy products and is left searching for another star to help it compete with ever-larger rival Nike.

Gulden, a 57-year-old Norwegian who was once a professional soccer and handball player, has been Puma’s CEO since 2013. He has worked at Adidas before and was its senior vice president of apparel and accessories from 1992 to 1999.

He also has served as CEO of Danish jewellery brand Pandora, manag ing director of footwear retailer Deichmann and president of Rack Room

dad. He’s hoping they want to be like McGuigan, whose official title is director of basketball administration and player programmes.

Translated, it means she runs a whole lot of stuff for the Warriors, their players and their families.

“I know my daughters are watching and they’re starting to get curious now: ‘What’s her role? What does she do?’” Curry said. “Neither one of my girls wants to play basketball. But they can still have an opportunity in the busi ness of sports. It’s amazing that’s being celebrated and encouraged more across the league.”

Not all the national NBA news involving women has been positive lately. Robert Sarver. Ime Udoka. Joshua Primo all have stories that aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. Sarver hasn’t sold the Phoenix Suns and Phoe nix Mercury yet. Udoka’s future — whether the Brooklyn Nets will hire him or not — will likely be decided soon. Primo’s problems may just be start ing. Those stories involving women merit attention and should remain in the news, though they have been overshadowed by the ongo ing Kyrie Irving saga.

But highlighting women’s roles isn’t a new or one-time stance for Curry. He’s been an advocate for women

within the game for a while, particularly this year as the 50th anniversary of Title IX was being marked.

A pair of one-of-a-kind, hand-painted shoes he wore during the NBA Finals against Boston back in June bore the words “Retire Inequality,” and they were designed by a team that included UConn women’s guard Azzi Fudd — who represents Curry’s SC30 brand through a name, image and likeness deal. The message on the shoes was in reference to, among other things, the gender pay gap.

He didn’t only wear them for warm-ups or just long enough to get it on Ins tagram. He wore them to

play. In the NBA Finals. With the world watching. Fudd and UConn open their season on Thursday night. With Paige Bueck ers out for the year with an ACL tear, UConn’s hopes might rest on Fudd. She’s a 3-point shooter. It’s not a coincidence that she and Curry — the most prolific 3-point shooter of all-time — were drawn to one another.

“I look at not just my daughters, but all the women in my life that have had such a major influence on who I am, their different personalities, the talents, value, morals and values that they instilled in me,” Curry said. “We have an opportunity to leverage the

“I learned as much about how to be a human being, how to protect my own, hard work, discipline and all that from my mom and both of my grandmas.”

His approach is also a tribute to his aunt, India Adams. She runs a Mon tessori school and played basketball at Belmont Abbey, a four-time all-con ference player there. She knows the game. And after every Warriors game, Curry gets a text.

“Look forward to it every game,” Curry said. “She’s as invested in what I do now as ever.”

The Warriors aren’t good right now. They’re strug gling, winless on the road and looking nothing like the team that won the NBA title five months ago.

There’s time to get it right. Same goes for a lot of teams off to slow starts. It has not been a banner three weeks for many in this league, Milwaukee and Utah and Giannis Antetok ounmpo and Luka Doncic among the few exceptions. Some teams will figure it out and turn things around.

And Curry wouldn’t mind a few more Nanea McGuigan stories, too.

SUSPENDED KYRIE IRVING MEETS WITH ADAM SILVER

Shoes and is board chair man at Danish food retailer Salling Group.

Gulden “knows the industry extremely well and draws on a rich net work in sport and retail,” Adidas supervisory board chairman Thomas Rabe said in a statement.

“As CEO of Puma, he reinvigorated the brand and led the company to record results,” Rabe said, adding that the Adidas board “is convinced that Bjørn Gulden will head Adidas into a new era of strength and is looking very much forward to a successful cooperation.”

Puma, which like Adidas is based in the southern German town of Herzogenaurach, said its chief commercial officer, Arne Freundt, will replace Gulden as its CEO.

BLATTER SAYS PICKING QATAR AS WORLD CUP HOST WAS A ‘MISTAKE’

By GRAHAM DUNBAR AP Sports Writer

GENEVA (AP) — Pick ing Qatar to host the World Cup was a mistake 12 years ago, FIFA’s president at the time Sepp Blatter said yesterday, again citing a meeting between Nicolas Sarkozy and Michel Platini for swaying key votes.

The 86-year-old Blat ter spoke with the Swiss newspaper group Tamedia in his first major interview since being acquitted with Platini in July of financial misconduct at FIFA after a trial at federal criminal court.

“It’s a country that’s too small,” Blatter said of Qatar, the smallest host by size since the 1954 tour nament in Switzerland. “Football and the World Cup are too big for that.”

The 32 teams will play 64 games in eight stadi ums in and around the city of Doha which has been transformed since 2010 by massive construction

projects to prepare for the World Cup.

Games start on Novem ber 20 with about 1.2 million international visi tors expected to arrive in Qatar during the World Cup. With limited places to stay in the host nation, some will commute in from neighboring states.

“It was a bad choice. And I was responsible for that as president at the time,” said Blatter, who has long said he voted for the United States. Its bid was beaten by Qatar in the final round of a five-can didate contest to be 2022 host.

It became part of FIFA lore that an expected U.S. victory swung toward Qatar at a meeting Sarkozy hosted in Paris in the week before the Dec. 2, 2010 vote by FIFA’s executive committee.

French soccer great Platini, then president of European soccer body UEFA and a vice presi dent of FIFA, was invited

by then-state president Sarkozy to his official residence.

Blatter yesterday repeated his claim that Sarkozy put pressure on Platini, and again gave his version of a telephone call Platini made to him after the Paris meeting that the World Cup voting plan had changed.

“Thanks to the four votes of Platini and his (UEFA) team, the World Cup went to Qatar rather than the United States. It’s the truth,” Blatter said of the 14-8 voting result.

FROM PAGE 12

because of Trammell, a senior guard who scored 1,010 points in two seasons at Seattle before trans ferring to SDSU. He and LeDee, a transfer from TCU, join four returning starters to give the Aztecs a deep, experienced team.

SDSU was the pre season pick to win the Mountain West Conference and Trammell was selected preseason newcomer of the year. “I just play basket ball,” Trammell said. “All the accolades are nice but I came here to win. I have bigger things on my mind, tournament dreams. I’m all about the team.”

Said Butler: “It was fun playing with him because he can get hot at any time of the game.”

SDSU went 23-9 last season, losing to Boise State in the Mountain West championship game and then losing in overtime to Creighton in the NCAA Tournament after leading by nine with 2½ minutes left in regulation.

Trammell made a 3-pointer to open the game.

The Titans stayed close throughout the first half and the Aztecs made only two shots in the last five minutes to lead 32-25 at halftime.

But SDSU came to life in the opening minutes of the second half. Trammell hit a 3 and Keshad Johnson and Matt Bradley had slam dunks for a 44-29 lead that prompted the Titans to call a timeout. SDSU continued to pour it on with two more 3-pointers from Trammell and 3s from Butler and Micah Parrish. The Aztecs pushed the lead to 61-35 with 11:25 to go.

“We can wear teams down,” Trammell said.

“We’ve got a very deep team. Everyone has their own thing that they do. That’s definitely going to carry us deep all year.”

San Diego State coach Brian Dutcher said the Aztecs had too many turn overs in the first half so he called more set plays in the second half to get them into a pattern. “I don’t want to do that. I want to run, I want to play free and I want them to make better decisions on the break,”

NEW

By BRIAN MAHONEY AP Basketball Writer IRVING

That

They finally did yes terday, the person told The Associated Press, speaking on anonymity because the meeting and its details were private.

Irving eventually deleted the tweet and issued an apology on Instagram, after failing to do so when he met with reporters earlier Thursday.

Dutcher said. “I think that will come as the season goes on. “Our depth kind of won out in the end,” he added. “That might be a formula for the whole season. We’re deep, we’re talented and we’re going to play a lot of people.”

BIG PICTURE

Cal State Fullerton: The Titans couldn’t keep up with the bigger Aztecs during the fast-paced first 9 1/2 minutes of the second half. The Titans return three starters from the team that won the Big West last season to reach the NCAA Tournament before losing to Duke in the first round.

San Diego State: It appeared SDSU’s depth would be tested right away when Johnson, a senior forward, took a hard fall less than a minute into the game and then was inad vertently hit in the face by another player’s leg and left the game. He returned sev eral minutes later.

UP NEXT Cal State Fullerton hosts Pepperdine on Friday night.

San Diego State hosts former conference rival BYU on Friday night.

game into a great oppor tunity for young girls and women to pursue posi tions where they can make a difference, like chang ing communities, changing industries, it all matters.

STEPHEN Curry shares a special moment with his son. The NBA superstar and his wife Ayesha have three young children, two of them girls. (AP Photo)

YORK (AP) — Suspended Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving met with NBA Com missioner Adam Silver yesterday, a person with knowledge of the meet ing said. The Nets banned Irving for at least five games without pay on Thursday after he refused to say he had no antisemitic beliefs.

came hours after Silver said Irving made a “reckless decision” to post on his Twitter feed a link to a film that con tains antisemitic material and said he would be meeting with him within a week.

CAL State Fullerton forward Lathaniel Bastian, centre, dives for the ball as San Diego State forward Nathan Mensah (31), right, looks on during the first half of their NCAA college basketball game on Monday night in San Diego.

(AP Photo/Denis Poroy)

PUMA CEO Bjorn Gulden. (AP)

FIFA President Joseph S Blat ter announces that Qatar will be hosting the 2022 Soccer World Cup on December 2, 2010.

Judoka Xavion Johnson clinches victory in Canada

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

XAVION Johnson con tinues to make his presence felt in the world of judo.

Over the weekend as he competed in the Quebec Open at the Claude Robil lard Sports Complex in Quebec, Canada, Johnson clinched the victory in the under-18 boys’ division of the 60-kilogram class over Luka Tsatsalashvili with a 3-0 decision in just two minutes and 49 seconds on the clock.

In the process, Johnson qualified for the Cadet World Championships.

“The competition was crazy,” said Johnson, who fought a total of five matches over Friday and Saturday. “I fought the best kid in the 60kg in Canada and won.”

Johnson, who is cur rently being trained by Russ Gallant in Leth bridge, Alberta, Canada, is coming off a bronze medal performance in the under-18 66kg division in October at the Mani toba Open at the Dakota Community Center in Manitoba, Canada where

he lost to Peter Velonas. He also won the bronze medal in the senior division 66kg division after he lost to Ashton Debruyne.

“The difference was I was more focused,” said Thompson when he com pared his performances in the two tournaments. “I was faster with my tech niques were better. I was listening more, and my conditioning was much better.”

The 16-year-old John son, who attends Capstone Academy in New Provi dence, will be back in action this weekend in the Ontario Open Judo Cham pionships at the Toronto Pan Am Sports Center on Friday.

He noted that he’s quite pleased with his progress made so far this season.

“I feel really good right now,” he said. “I believe I’m 10 times better than I was before Worlds and the US Open. I just need to work on how to protect my right arm because that’s my power arm.

“Once I can learn how to do that properly, I know for sure that I will be able to win a lot more competi tions in the future.”

FROM PAGE 12

newcomer Verna Bonaby as vice president of public relations and marketing.

“We feel we have a team of persons who are committed and dedicated to taking the BAAA to the next level,” Carey said. “These persons are proven individuals, who I am confident can get the job done.”

There are also 12 spots avail able as council members and an executive team will be running seven of the 18 candidates. They are Olympian Ramon Miller, nurse Jacqueline Rolle-Davis, Patrick Adderley and Stephen Murray, all from New Providence and Grand Bahama’s Nickito Johnson, former national long jump record holder Daphne Saunders and Jason Lar rimore, all of whom are now coaches.

The entire slate of Carey’s team will officially be introduced during an Official Launch Mix & Mingle on Friday, November 16 from 6-9pm at the Canon Neil Roach Center in the Holy Cross Anglican Church on Soldier Road.

Carey lost out to incumbent president Drumeco Archer during the last election. Archer is seek ing another term in office and will be challenged not only by Carey, but also former athlete, coach and administrator Dawn Woodside.

After starting with backto-back last-over losses in Group 2 to archrival India and Zimbabwe, Pakistan regrouped with wins over Netherlands, South Africa and Bangladesh but still needed a favour from Netherlands to sneak into the semifinals for a record sixth time.

The stars seemed to align for Pakistan, which 30 years ago came from nowhere to lift the 50-over World Cup trophy under Imran Khan in Australia.

After sneaking into the semifinals in ‘92, Khan’s famous ‘cornered tigers’ Pakistan lineup beat New Zealand and England.

Hayden said during a pre-match news confer ence that during the ups and downs of the cam paign, players told him: “Welcome to Pakistan cricket.”

“Meaning that on any given day, anything can happen. And on that particular day, when Netherlands beat South Africa, it was a significant moment for us in the tour nament and a very, very significant moment for the team in general around ... reaching that potential,” Hayden said. “Incredible experience ... it’s been a rollercoaster ride.”

The inclusion of powerhitter Mohammad Haris

in place of injured Fakhar Zaman sparked new life in an otherwise struggling top order as he blasted 28 off 11 balls against South Africa and then hammered 31 off 18 deliveries against Bangladesh in a fivewicket victory.

The luxury of having two spinning all-round ers Mohammad Nawaz and Shadab Khan, who both can bat as high as No. 4, allowed Pakistan to include Mohammad Wasim as the fourth fast bowler. Pakistan went with five specialist bowlers and left out Wasim against

India before Virat Kohli played the T20 innings of his life and took the match away from them.

The struggles of Babar and Mohammad Rizwan’s opening partnership is another headache for Pakistan with just one half century stand between them in four games.

Rizwan has scored 103 runs in five innings, while Babar had four single-digit scores before he strug gled to make 25 against Bangladesh.

Shaheen Shah Afridi, back from knee injury, appeared to get his

bowling rhythm back with a four-wicket haul against Bangladesh. And with Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah also in the ranks, Pakistan has a formidable pace attack to challenge New Zealand batters.

Kane Williamson’s team also lost the triangular series final at home to Pakistan just before the T20 World Cup, but New Zealand’s only loss since arriving in Australia was against England.

In Finn Allen and Devon Conway, the Kiwis have formidable openers. Wil liamson, Phillips and Daryl Mitchell form the nucleus of the middle-order.

Williamson, who strug gled with his strike rate in the earlier matches, hit form against Ireland in the last group game with 61 off 35 balls.

Left-arm spinner Mitch ell Santner leads the New Zealand wicket-takers with eight in four games, although the pace trio of Trent Boult, Lockie Fergu son and Tim Southee have picked 20 wickets between them.

Williamson said for all the focus on batting at this tournament, the consistency and threat of New Zealand’s bowl ing attack may have been overshadowed.

“They’ve played for us a long time, whether that’s taking wickets or,

in particular, adjusting to conditions,” he said.

“They’ve been out standing throughout this tournament. And tomor row we’re at another venue against another opposition, and we’ll have to make those adjustments again.”

The toss could be crucial for both teams as five out of six games at the SCG in this tournament have been won by teams batting first.

TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORYEVANDER HOLYFIELD UPSETS MIKE TYSON

NOVEMBER 9 1972 — John Bucyk of the Boston Bruins scores his 1,000th point with a goal in an 8-3 win over the Detroit Red Wings.

1984 — Larry Holmes scores a 12th-round technical knockout of Bonecrusher Smith to retain the IBF heavyweight title in Las Vegas. 1989 — The Milwaukee Bucks beat the Seattle SuperSonics 155-154 in five overtimes, matching the second-long est game in NBA history. The game is the longest game since the advent of the 24-second shot clock in 1954.

1991 — Marshall Faulk of San Diego State returns after missing three games due to injury and breaks the NCAA record for touchdowns by a freshman with his 20th in a 42-32 win over Colorado State.

1991 — Houston’s Roman Anderson becomes the first player in NCAA history to surpass 400 points by kicking a 32-yard field goal in the Cougars’ 23-14 victory over Texas.

1996 — Evander Holy field pounds Mike Tyson into submission at 37 sec onds of the 11th round to win the WBA heavy weight title in Las Vegas. Holyfield, a 7-1 underdog, becomes the second man to hold a piece of the heavy weight title three times.

2011 — Joe Paterno is fired by the Penn State board of trustees despite saying he would retire as coach after the football season ended. Paterno is brought down by the grow ing furor over the handling of child sex abuse allega tions against assistant coach Jerry Sandusky. Penn State President Graham Spanier is also ousted.

2014 — Aaron Rodg ers throws six touchdown passes to tie the Green Bay game record and match the NFL record for a half in a 55-14 rout of the Chicago Bears. Rodgers ties the NFL mark for TD passes in a half set by Oakland’s Daryle Lamonica in 1969.

2014 — Landon Dono van scores three goals and sets up Robbie Keane’s goal, propelling the LA Galaxy into the Western Conference finals with a 5-0 victory over Real Salt Lake.

2016 — Golden State makes 17-of-33 three-point ers in a 116-95 blowout of the Dallas Mavericks, with teammates Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green all making four apiece. The Warriors are the first team to have four players hit four three-point shots.

2021 — 105 year-old Julia Hawkins sets a world record as the first woman and first American her age to run 100 meters in the Louisian Senior Olympic Games.

SYDNEY

In 1991 at the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas on a Mike Tyson undercard, judges declared his super featherweight bout with Ghana’s Azumah Nelson a draw.

But Fenech has been awarded the title retroac tively at a World Boxing Council convention in Acapulco, Mexico, where WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman formed a “spe cial committee” to review the fight.

“All the ring officials from all over the world

score the bout in favour of Jeff Fenech,” the con vention was told. “The WBC board of gover nors approve the motion to crown Jeff Fenech to become a four-time world champion.”

Fenech joins a select group including Thomas ‘Hitman’ Hearns and Sugar Ray Leonard to have won world titles across four weight divi sions. In retirement, Fenech also trained other boxers such as Tyson.

“It’s crazy, brother. It would’ve meant more to me back when I really won the fight. But for them, the WBC, to do this is so spe cial,” Fenech told News Corp. newspapers on Wednesday from Mexico.

JUDOKA XAVION Johnson on the medal podium after clinched the victory in the under-18 boys’ division of the 60-kilogram class in the Quebec Open in Quebec, Canada.

NEW Zealand

captain Kane Williamson, left, talks to bowler Tim Southee during the T20 World Cup cricket match between New Zealand and Ireland in Adelaide, Australia, on November 4. (AP Photo/James Elsby)

undefined Australian Jeff Fenech is finally joining an elite group of boxers to have won world titles in four weight divisions -- more than 30 years after the fact.

A FEW days before Rory McIlroy returned to No. 1 in the world, he was asked if he could accept being No. 2 for the foreseeable future.

The topic, of course, was the Player Impact Program, and McIlroy smiled.

“Hey, I gave him a pretty good run,” McIlroy said.

That would be Tiger Woods, who won the PIP bonus pool for the second year despite playing only nine rounds in three majors. He also was in town for the BMW Championship in Wilmington, Delaware, but only to attend a playeronly meeting that led to the PGA Tour reshaping its schedule.

McIlroy had a big year without adding to his major total. Along with winning the FedEx Cup for a record third time, two other tour naments and getting back to No. 1 in the world rank ing, he was the strongest and most frequent voice in support of the PGA Tour’s challenge from Saudifunded LIV Golf.

McIlroy said he was second behind Woods. As for that good run? McIl roy said he finished in the top 10 in all but one cat egory for the PIP. With the expanded programme, the

payout for McIlroy was $12 million.

That contributed to a big season, financially, too. McIlroy’s earnings, which includes bonus money, came out to $40,354,566.

That breaks down to $8,654,566 from prize money in 15 tournaments, $18 million for winning the FedEx Cup, $1.7 million for being sixth in the Comcast Busi ness Tour Top 10 for the regular season, and the $12 million from the PIP.

While that’s more than the $35.6 million Dustin Johnson earned from his eight LIV Golf events, Johnson also received a signing bonus reported to be worth around $150 million over four years, which ostensibly would put him north of $70 million for the year.

The PIP money is still being finalised, and the PGA Tour is expected to release the list sometime before or after Thanksgiv ing week.

Two lists were in play — the original PIP plan that used such metrics as social media engagement, brand exposure, Q-rating, Inter net searches and awareness,

and the new criteria that leans more on media mentions and broadcast exposure than social media.

The PIP also was expanded to 20 players instead of 10, and using both lists for 2022, some 23 players are expected to receive bonus money from the $100 million program.

Five players from the inaugu ral PIP list — Phil

Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau and Bubba Watson — are now with LIV Golf.

Starting with 2023, the top 20 players receive their PIP bonus after competing in the 13 elevated events for which they are eligible and three non-elevated events. One exception is Woods. The commissioner has dis cretion to award PIP money to those who don’t meet the tournament minimum because of serious injury or other emergency.

PARITY ON THE LPGA TOUR

Lydia Ko could become the fourth player to reach No. 1 in the world in women’s golf. Six players still have a mathematical chance to win LPGA player of the year.

Two tournaments remain on the LPGA Tour, and it’s already abundantly clear this season has been all about parity.

That point was driven home in the Toto Japan Classic last week when Gemma Dryburgh of Scotland became the 11th first-time winner on the LPGA Tour, tying a record set in 1995. New LPGA winners that year included Annika Sorenstam and Karrie Webb.

The 30 tournaments played so far this year have been won by 25 players (one was a team event), and the winners have come from 14 countries. The United States leads the way with seven titles, followed by South Korea with four.

Next up is the Pelican Women’s Championship, where Ko can clinch the points-based award for player of the year by win ning. She currently leads by one point over Minjee Lee (who is not playing), while Brooke Henderson and 19-year-old Atthaya Thiti kul are still in the mix. Two others, Jennifer Kupcho and In Gee Chun, will be eliminated if they don’t win this week.

Thitikul, the No. 1 player in women’s golf, also is on the verge of securing rookie of the year. Hye-Jin

Choi has to win the Pelican Women’s Championship to remain in the race.

Lydia Ko has two tour naments left to try to reach No. 1 again. Jin Young Ko, who slipped to No. 2, also can get back to the top of the ranking. It’s that close, as it’s been all year.

TIGER’S DECEMBER

Tiger Woods was last seen competing on Friday of the British Open, when he missed the cut at St. Andrews. He could be play ing as many as three times in December.

All that officially is on the schedule is another madefor-TV exhibition on Dec. 10 at Pelican Golf Club south of Tampa, Florida. He teams with Rory McIlroy in a 12-hole match under the lights against Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas.

That will be a week after the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas, where Woods is the tournament host and expected to play.

A week after the TV match is what might as well be a fifth major for Woods — the PNC Championship, where he and son Charlie were runner-up a year ago.

MACK ATTACK

Willie Mack III already was assured of some status on the Korn Ferry Tour next year. He gave himself a boost with a 66 on the final

day of Q-school to move well inside the top 40, tying for 12th.

That means Mack is guar anteed eight starts before the priority list is reshuffled.

It’s been quite a trek to this level for Mack, who won 11 times at BethuneCookman, became the first Black golfer to win the Michigan Amateur and spent the next decade toiling on mini-tours and sleeping in his car to not let go of his dream.

The biggest boost was the Advocates Professional Golf Association Tour, geared toward creating opportunities for minority golfers. Mack last year was the player of the year. Mack twice has made the cut in PGA Tour events. This will be the first time he has a guaranteed place on a PGA Tour-sanctioned circuit, which takes him at least to April.

Watching him Monday was his father, who twice put his house in foreclosure to help Mack pursue his dream.

“You don’t mind doing those things for your child when you’re doing some thing positive. He was doing something very great,” Willie Mack Jr. said. “I always told him, ‘If you believe in something, never give up.’ And he hasn’t.”

TIGER WOODS

EU’s Call of Duty: Probe Microsoft-Activision Blizzard deal

By MATT O’BRIEN AND RAF CASERT Associated Press

THE European Union has launched an inves tigation into Microsoft’s planned takeover of video game giant Activision Bliz zard, fearing the $69 billion deal would distort fair com petition to popular titles like Call of Duty.

Microsoft, maker of the Xbox gaming system, first announced the agreement to buy the California-based game publisher in January, but it still awaits scrutiny by antitrust regulators in the U.S., Europe and else where. If it goes through, the all-cash deal would be the largest in the history of the tech industry.

Members of the Euro pean Commission, the 27-nation bloc’s executive arm, said in a statement Tuesday that “the point is to ensure that the gaming ecosystem remains vibrant to the benefit of users in a sector that is evolving at a fast pace.”

“We must ensure that opportunities remain for future and existing distribu tors of PC and console video games, as well as for rival suppliers of PC operating systems,” the commission ers said. They have until March 23, 2023, to decide whether to approve the deal.

At the heart of the dis pute is who gets to control future releases of Activi sion Blizzard’s most popular games, especially the firstperson military shooter franchise Call of Duty.

Activision this week said its latest installment, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, has already made more than $1 billion in sales since its Oct. 28 launch.

Microsoft’s console rival Sony, maker of the PlayStation, has brought its concerns about losing access to what it describes

as a “must-have” game title to regulators around the world. In response, Micro soft has promised to keep Call of Duty on the Play Station “for at least several more years” beyond its cur rent contract with Sony. It also has said it might bring it to Nintendo’s Switch con sole, where the game isn’t currently available.

In a preliminary probe, the EU found potential antitrust issues with the distribution of video games and halting access to Micro soft’s rivals. The bloc said it has concerns that the pro posed acquisition could hurt competitors to Microsoft’s Windows operating system, because computers without Windows might not be able to get Xbox’s game-stream ing subscription service and growing collection of titles.

Microsoft said it will keep working with the European Commission on next steps “and to address any valid marketplace concerns.”

“Sony, as the industry leader, says it is worried about Call of Duty, but we’ve said we are commit ted to making the same game available on the same day on both Xbox and Play Station,” Microsoft said in a statement Tuesday. “We want people to have more access to games, not less.”

Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick said in an email to employees Tues day that global competition in the video game industry makes it “understandable

that regulators are trying to better understand the games business.” But he said the “process is moving along as we expected” and foresees the deal closing by June.

“We will continue to cooperate with the Euro pean Commission where, in the countries they rep resent, we have many employees,” Kotick wrote.

He highlighted Brazil’s recent approval, saying the country’s competition authority understood “we

PUBLIC NOTICE

INTENT TO CHANGE NAME BY DEED POLL

The Public is hereby advised that I, KERLINE PETITFRERE of Malcom Allotment, General Delivery, Nassau, Bahamas, intend to change my name to KERLINE MERCEDES PETIT-FRERE 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, Bahamas no later than thirty (30) days after the date of publication of this notice.

operate in a highly dynamic and competitive industry, and that the merger will not harm competition in any way.”

Saudi Arabia also has signed off on the deal, but it still awaits important deci sions from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and authorities in the U.K. and EU.

Tuesday’s decision was another example of how the EU has led the way on regu lating Big Tech companies, opening antitrust inves tigations, enacting strict regulations on data privacy and pushing through land mark rules that threaten online platforms with bil lions in fines unless they respect fair market condi tions and crack down on harmful content like hate speech and disinformation.

It’s possible regulators could impose conditions on the gaming deal that force

Microsoft to keep access open to Call of Duty for longer and ensure that its rivals aren’t getting a lesser version.

Among those listen ing to Sony’s concerns are antitrust regulators in the United Kingdom. Last month, they escalated their investigation into whether Microsoft could make Call of Duty and other titles exclusive to its Xbox plat form or “otherwise degrade its rivals’ access” by delay ing releases or imposing licensing price increases.

“These titles require thousands of game devel opers and several years to complete, and there are very few other games of similar caliber or popu larity,” according to a September report from the U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority.

NOTICE

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NOTICE

NOTICE

a written and signed statement of the facts

twenty-eight days from the 9th day of November, 2022 to the Minister

for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, Bahamas.

THE ACTIVISION Blizzard Booth during the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles, June 13, 2013. The European Union has on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022 launched an investigation into Microsoft’s planned takeover of video game giant Activision Blizzard, fearing the $69 billion deal would distort fair competition in the market. Microsoft, maker of the Xbox gaming system, first announced the agreement to buy the California-based game publisher in January.

Photo:Jae C. Hong/AP

“Sony, as the industry leader, says it is worried about Call of Duty, but we’ve said we are committed to making the same game available on the same day on both Xbox and PlayStation. We want people to have more access to games, not less.”

Microsoft

NOTICE is hereby given that DINESHA UTILE of Andros Avenue, Nassau, 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 2nd day of November, 2022 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, Bahamas.

is hereby given that ELDA TOUSSAINT RAYMOND of Fire Trail Road, P.O. Box CR 55016 Nassau, 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 2nd day of November, 2022 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, Bahamas.

is hereby given that HENRY CLAUDE TIDOR of #18 Quintine Alley, 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

within

responsible

No resolution over food price control ‘stalemate’

and categories included in its initial October 26, 2022, counter-proposal but still some way short of the Government’s initial 38 categories and 5,000-plus products.

“We met with the acting prime minister, Chester Cooper, and minister of economic affairs, Michael Halkitis,” he disclosed of the 9.30am encounter. “We drew the Government’s attention to the latest sub mission by the retailers and the wholesalers, and we have asked again that they consider them in the spirit in which they have been advanced - truly meeting the Government half-way in addressing pending inflation ary pressures and towards ensuring the Bahamian public are afforded better pricing during this Christ mas season.”

Mr Bostwick said the food distribution sector’s latest price controlled goods proposal covers “what is quite a wide range of items”, and added: “It still involves some whole categories of products, quite a few categories. We’re talking more than 1,000 individual products.

“They [the ministers] indicated they would

‘BUMP

FROM PAGE A24

anywhere from 16 to 17, maybe 18, vessel calls per week in the summer season.

Moving into winter, with November having arrived, we would see our numbers climb to 25 to 26 vessel calls per week, and climb as high as the mid-30s per week in the coming months.

“Most definitely, with the start of the winter season we would have seen around 25 vessel calls this week but eight were cancelled and went to ports elsewhere. Nassau has felt the impact of it, and Freeport as well to a lesser extent because they don’t have as much cruise traffic,” he added.

“This is November. We’re supposed to be looking at Christmas, not think ing of hurricanes. This is just a bump in the road, soon to be forgotten as we see the return of a strong winter season.” Mr Maura said Nicole’s fall-out will drop forecast vessel calls on Nassau to 110 for November.

“Leading up to this week, and prior to the arrival of this storm, we had fore casted 118 cruise calls for the month of November,” he told Tribune Business “With the loss of eight calls, we have adjusted down ward and are now expecting 110. For December we have forecast 121 calls.

“We had forecasted, prior to this storm, 411,570 total passengers for November and now that will have to be adjusted downwards by

discuss the matter with their Cabinet colleagues and we would hear from them in due course, taking note of the fact the country is under imminent threat from Nicole. At this present moment, the Retail Grocers Association and the whole salers continue to stand ready, willing and able to partner with the Govern ment towards achieving the shared objective of bringing relief to consumers.”

Philip Beneby, the Asso ciation’s president, declined to comment when con tacted by Tribune Business and instead referred this newspaper to Mr Bostwick. However, other well-placed sources described the food distribution industry as being in a “stalemate” and a “stand-off” with the Gov ernment on the latter’s plan for a major price control regime expansion to help ease the cost of living crisis for middle and low income Bahamians.

Mr Bostwick did not go that far, merely saying: “As far as I’m concerned we’re still talking and working on a solution for a good Christmas.” This newspa per, though, understands that the Government is still trying to push its initial 38 categories and 5,000-plus products while trying to

soften-up the industry by asserting such measures are temporary in nature and will only be in place for 45 days.

However, sceptical mer chants and wholesalers fear that once implemented these price controls will never be removed. The view among some is that the Government, having bitten off more than it can chew with its original pledge in the Prime Minis ter’s national address, and promised more than it can deliver, is now seeking to save face by pushing for reduced prices, margins and mark-ups to create a “feel good” Yuletide season for consumers.

One source, speaking on condition of anonym ity, told this newspaper: “I don’t know about the wholesalers but they want to put the retailers com pletely under price control. That would put 80-90 per cent of their items under price control, and there’s no way the retailers could accept that. Every category has 20, 30, 40, 50 items, and the retailers offered them over 1,000 items.

“I don’t think that the Government had any idea their 38 categories cov ered over 5,000 items. The Government is dealing

with an industry they don’t know and they’re dictato rial about it. They’ve laid an egg and don’t know how to hatch it. I don’t see how they expect one industry to absorb inflation for the entire country. I don’t know if there will ever be a reso lution. They want retailers to sell at cost and make up on volume.”

The Government’s ini tial proposal capped food wholesale margins, or mark-ups, at 15 percent for all 38 product catego ries listed, while those for retailers were set at 25 per cent across-the-board. The move, which was designed to ease the cost of living crisis currently battering thousands of middle and lower income Bahamians, employed the blunt tool of price controls - albeit on a “temporary” six-month basis - to achieve this.

The goods impacted, some of which are already price controlled, were baby cereal, food and formula; broths, canned fish; con densed milk; powdered detergent; mustard; soap; soup; fresh milk; sugar; canned spaghetti; canned pigeon peas (cooked); peanut butter; ketchup; cream of wheat; oatmeal and corn flakes.

The remainder were macaroni and cheese mix; pampers; feminine nap kins; eggs; bread; chicken; turkey; pork; sandwich meat; oranges; apples; bananas; limes; tomatoes; iceberg lettuce; broccoli; carrots; potatoes; yellow onions; and green bell peppers.

However, the move blindsided Bahamian food merchants and their whole sale suppliers, who had received no advance warn ing or consultation on the Government’s plans. They warned that the 38 selected categories included more than 5,000 product line items, and would lead to between 40-60 percent of a retailer’s inventory becom ing price controlled with mark-ups below their cost of sales.

This would result in a large portion, or the major ity, of their inventory being sold at a loss. Besides threatening hundreds of industry jobs, and the very survival of many operators, the RGA and its members also warned that the origi nal proposal could result in food shortages as retail ers/wholesalers decline to stock loss-making items while also increasing prices on non-controlled items,

thereby further fuelling already soaring inflation. However, the Govern ment has agreed to some of what the food distri bution industry has been requesting, namely higher mark-ups for Family Island retailers and perishable products that have a shorter shelf-life and go bad much quicker.

While the Association had supported 25 percent on all dry grocery items, it requested that this be increased to 30 percent for Family Island busi nesses due to the extra shipping, logistics and overall business costs they endure compared to New Providence.

And, due to “the rising costs of electricity and shrinkage (spoilage), the food retailers had called for a 35 percent mark-up in Nassau, and 40 percent in the Family Islands, for per ishable goods as opposed to the Government’s originally proposed 25 percent limit.

The Government has agreed to a five percentage point increase in the markup for price-controlled perishables, such as meats and vegetables, along with “a slight increase for the Family Islands to cover transportation”.

approximately 27,000. Then in December, which we do not expect to be negatively impacted by storms such as this, our 121 calls are

forecast to bring 412,634 passengers.”

Mr Maura said Nicole’s centre was projected to track sufficiently far

north such that the cruise port’s ongoing construc tion as part of its $300m

transformation project will “not be negatively impacted in any way”. And the

storm should clear Florida on Friday, enabling cruise ship home port turnarounds - the majority of which take place at the weekend - to occur as normal.

s s i s t i n t h e m a n a g e m e n t o f t y p i c a l h o u s e h o l d d u t i e s , s u c h a s c o o k i n g a n d c l e a n i n g w i t h a d d i t i o n a l p e r s o n a l c a r e o f a c h i l d r e s i d i n g f u l l t i m e i n A b a c o T h e r o l e w i l l w o r k d i r e c t l y w i t h t h e h o m e o w n e r s t o p r o v i d e d i r e c t c a r e a n d s e r v i c e t o t h e h o m e a l o n g w i t h d a i l y a c t i v i t i e s a n d s c h e d u l e d p r o g r a m m i n g

T h i s p o s i t i o n i s f u l l t i m e w i t h b e n e f i t s i n c l u s i v e o f :

C o m p e t i t i v e S a l a r y H o u s i n g A n n u a l T r a v e l A l l o w a n c e M e a l s

I n t e r e s t e d c a n d i d a t e s m u s t p o s s e s s t h e f o l l o w i n g : 1 0 y e a r s + o f e x p e r i e n c e i n H o u s e k e e p i n g C h i l d C a r e e x p e r i e n c e a n a d d i t i o n a l b e n e f i t M u s t b e a b l e t o r e l o c a t e M u s t b e a b l e t o w o r k s h i f t s I n t e r e s t e d q u a l i f i e d a p p l i c a n t s a r e a s k e d t o e m a i l t h e i r r e s u m e t o K e n y a F a r q u h a r s o n a t k e n y a f a r q u h a r s o n 2 8 @ g m a i l c o m b y N o v e m b e r 2 0 , 2 0 2 2

NASSAU CRUISE PORT

FLAGSHIP INVESTOR’S SALE NO DIGITAL ASSETS REGIME KNOCK

headquarters or recruit ment of several hundred Bahamians.

FTX has also made multi ple donations, worth in the millions and thousands of dollars, to non-profits such as the Agricultural Develop ment Organisation (ADO) and other charities and good causes. That funding source may now dry up depend ing on whether the sale to Binance goes through and whether the latter share’s FTX’s interest in doing business in this nation. The company is also understood to employ around 50-60 persons already in The Bahamas.

Mr Russell instead referred this newspaper to the already-published Twit ter tweet by FTX’s chief executive, Sam BankmanFried. The latter, noting that Binance was FTX’s first investor, said: “Things have come full circle, and http:// FTX.com’s first, and last, investors are the same.

“We have come to an agreement on a strategic transaction with Binance for http://FTX.com (pend ing due diligence etc.). Our teams are working on clearing out the withdrawal backlog as is. This will clear out liquidity crunches. All assets will be covered oneto-one. This is one of the main reasons we’ve asked Binance to come in. It may take a bit to settle etc. -- we apologise for that.

“A huge thank you to CZ (Changpeng Zhao, Binance’s chief executive),

Binance and all of our sup porters. This is a user-centric development that benefits the entire industry. CZ has done, and will continue to do, an incredible job of building out the global crypto ecosystem and creat ing a freer economic world.”

FTX, though, appears to have been a forced seller and was forced to turn to Binance for help after suffering “a significant liquidity crunch”. Mr Bank man-Fried, in a letter sent to FTX staff yesterday that was obtained by the Reu ters news agency, revealed that the crypto currency exchange suffered $6bn of withdrawals in the previous 72 hours.

He wrote: “On an average day, we have tens of millions of dollars of net in/outflows. Things were mostly aver age until this weekend; a few days ago. In the last 72 hours, we’ve had roughly $6bn of net withdrawals from FTX.” The FTX chief added that withdrawals from FTX.com were “effectively paused”, while there was no definitive answer on details surrounding the Binance deal.

Binance chief, CZ, con firmed that the two sides had agreed a “non-binding Letter of Intent” for its acquisition of FTX.com subject to the due diligence results proving satisfactory.

“This afternoon, FTX asked for our help,” tweeted CZ. “There is a significant liquid ity crunch. To protect users, we signed a non-binding [letter of intent], intending to fully acquire FTX.com

and help cover the liquidity crunch. We will be conduct ing a full due diligence in the coming days.”

Binance will thus acquire FTX.com on undisclosed terms to bail it out of its liquidity crisis. The latter’s sharp, and sudden, descent into trouble was sparked by reports that Alameda Research, FTX’s sister com pany, held around half of its multi-billion dollar assets in the FTT crypto tokens previ ously created by FTX.

CZ responded by reveal ing that Binance would be selling $2bn worth of FTT tokens that it held, and the move send the latter’s price crashing through the floor despite the best efforts of Mr Bankman-Fried and FTX to halt the rout. With Binance’s plans for FTX unclear, and the deal yet to be sealed, the fate of FTX’s $60m West Bay Street headquarters - the proposed location for a 700strong workforce - is now shrouded in uncertainty.

FTX Digital Markets, in the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the complex at Bayside Execu tive Park, indicated it was targeting a January 2023 building start with the con struction workforce set to hit a monthly peak of 345 in August. Just 40, or 11.6 percent, of those posts will be held by skilled expatriate managers and labour.

“The FTX headquarters will positively impact the economics of The Bahamas by hiring local Bahamians through the various phases of the project, and stimulat ing the economy through tourism,” the EIA said.

“Sixty million dollars is the total estimated capital of this project [and] Bahamians will be hired through con struction phases and during operation.

“During operation it is proposed that over 100 Bahamians will be hired to work within the crypto com munity, which will advance the skill development of the country in this new and growing field. Even more Bahamians will be hired for maintenance and support throughout the project site.”

The 4.95 acre site, located between Bayside Executive Park’s existing buildings and the Orange Hill Beach Inn, is to feature two boutique hotel buildings covering a total 77,000 gross square feet and spanning seven levels, with a parking area 51,000 gross square feet in size. Residential and office spaces, also spread over seven levels, will cover 116,000 gross square feet and be accompanied by a 205,000 square feet parking area.

Other planned facili ties include an athletic and wellness area; a theatre; auditorium; conference centre; cafe/restaurant; retail; a daycare centre; and “vertical farm”. Some 30 percent of the energy needed by the FTX Digi tal Markets head office will come from solar photovol taic panels located on the hotel and office buildings.

Mr Bowe yesterday warned against speculating how the Binance deal may pan out. He pointed out that mergers and acquisi tions transactions of this

nature are a regular feature of the corporate world, and suggested that this one is being “over romanticised” because of FTX’s com munity activities and the publicity surrounding Mr Bankman-Fried who was treated in some quarters as “almost a mythical charac ter, almost a Wizard of Oz type operator”.

However, one high-level financial services source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the fallout from FTX’s sale could be far-reaching. Besides the fact that The Bahamas has employed the crypto currency exchange as the flagship to attract other digital assets investors, they pointed out it has also been “spraying money around” among Bahamian nonprofits, charities and good causes.

The source added that FTX and its executives have also boosted the high-end real estate market in west ern New Providence via the purchase of high-end homes, which may now all have to be placed back on the market at the same time, thus impacting prices. “FTX was the linchpin of the strat egy to grow the digital assets economy and it has just col lapsed,” they added.

Mr Bowe, though, said the most critical aspect for The Bahamas is that the DARE Act’s integrity - and that of the wider regulatory regime and digital assets business strategy - remains intact. “While they were the first to be attracted to the jurisdiction as a result of the legislation, that was

really hoping it would be the catalyst for more players to come,” he told Tribune Busi ness of FTX.

Pointing to last week’s announcement by OKX, another crypto currency exchange, that it has become licensed and registered with the Securities Commission under the DARE Act, Mr Bowe added: “Equally I would hope that the intent of the Government with the digital assets strategy is that it is not pegging our hopes on one particular institution.

“As a jurisdiction, our focus is: Were the activities that were regulated under scrutiny? The answer is ‘no’, which means the legisla tion and regulatory regime held up well.” The Fidelity Bank (Bahamas) chief also warned against becoming carried away over what the potential sale may mean for FTX’s Bahamas plans.

“We need to pause,” he argued. “We have this news but it could mean a whole number of things. Binance is an exchange and maybe it’s interested in registering under the DARE Act and registering in The Bahamas. FTX has been quite busy in terms of all the impacts they seem to have had by contrib uting to the local economy, but we don’t know if these elements will be unravelled.

“At the end of the day there’s a lot more to be understood, and until we understand we in The Bahamas should keep our powder dry. The reality is we will have players come in, players come out, and the hope is that our regulatory authorities will allow them to thrive and operate in a well-regulated environment. So far nothing has indicated to the contrary.”

NOTICECITIZENS’ ‘BASIC NEEDS’ THE LIVEABLE WAGE GUIDE

IN THE ESTATE of NICHOLAS RAYMOND WARD late of the Western District of the Island of New Providence, one of the Islands of The Commonwealth of The Bahamas, deceased.

Notice is hereby given that all persons having any claim or demands against the above named Estate are required to send their names, addresses and particulars of the same duly certified in writing to the undersigned on or before the 21st day of November A.D., 2022, and if required, prove such debts or claims, or in default be excluded from any distribution; after the above date the assets will be distributed having regard only to the proved debts or claims of which the Executrix shall then have had Notice.

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

MICHAEL A. DEAN & CO., Attorneys for the Executrix Alvernia Court, 49A Dowdeswell Street P.O. Box N-3114 Nassau, The Bahamas

N O T I C E CHINA EXCEED LIMITED

N O T I C E IS HEREBY GIVEN as follows:

(a) CHINA EXCEED LIMITED is in voluntary dissolution under the provisions of Section 138 (4) of the International Business Companies Act 2000.

(b) The dissolution of the said company commenced on the 2nd November, 2022 when the Articles of Dissolution were submitted to and registered by the Registrar General.

(c) The Liquidator of the said company is Leeward Nominees Limited, Vistra Corporate Services Centre, Wickhams Cay II, Road Town, Tortola, British Virgin Islands.

Dated this 9th day of November, A. D. 2022.

Leeward Nominees Limited Liquidator

NOTICE

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS COMPANIES ACT, 2000

ARTSE WAKAN CO LTD.

Registration number 206241 B

Notice is hereby given that in accordance with Section 138(8) of the International Business Companies Act 2000, the dissolution of ARTSE WAKAN CO LTD., has been completed. A Certificate of Dissolution has been issued by the Registrar General on the 26th day of October, 2022.

Denise De Fatima Rocha LIQUIDATOR

NOTICE

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS COMPANIES ACT, 2000

HAWKLAND LTD.

Registration number 203096 B

Notice is hereby given that in accordance with Section 138(8) of the International Business Companies Act 2000, the dissolution of HAWKLAND LTD., has been completed. A Certificate of Dissolution has been issued by the Registrar General on the 26th day of October, 2022.

Marcos Grodetzky LIQUIDATOR

FROM PAGE A23

on its push for a liveable wage for all Bahamians. The Bahamas, though, had the second the highest minimum wage in the Car ibbean behind Aruba based on a 40 hour-work week back in 2015. “You will see that in 2015, with our last minimum wage adjustment, we were actually spending $5.25 an hour,” Mr Sumner said. “Aruba is the only country ahead of us paying $5.58 an hour, and this is all based on a 40-hour work week.

“If you look all the way down at the bottom of the chart, you’re going to see where Haiti was earning only 25 cents an hour for eight more hours of work a day.” The Bahamas now has the highest minimum wage in the region at $6.50

an hour, while Aruba has only just reached $5.90 an hour.

Mr Sumner said: “The question is now: Is the minimum wage enough? Throughout the entire pro cess of determining the issue of minimum wage, there has to be stakeholder engagement.

“There has to be a col laboration, which I think has happened in the past. It’s happening now, where private sector employ ers have to now be able to negotiate with the work ers’ representatives and the Government. They can then determine if the mini mum wage is sufficient and whether there ought to be the advancement of a living wage in in the Bahamas.”

N O T I C E

SPECTACULAR HOLDINGS LIMITED

N O T I C E IS HEREBY GIVEN as follows:

(a) SPECTACULAR HOLDINGS LIMITED is in voluntary dissolution under the provisions of Section 138 (4) of the International Business Companies Act 2000.

(b) The dissolution of the said company commenced on the 2nd November, 2022 when the Articles of Dissolution were submitted to and registered by the Registrar General.

(c) The Liquidator of the said company is Leeward Nominees Limited, Vistra Corporate Services Centre, Wickhams Cay II, Road Town, Tortola, British Virgin Islands VG1110.

Dated this 9th day of November, A. D. 2022.

Leeward Nominees Limited Liquidator

NOTICE

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS COMPANIES ACT, 2000

ARG INVESTMENTS LTD.

Registration number 206088 B

Notice is hereby given that in accordance with Section 138(8) of the International Business Companies Act 2000, the dissolution of ARG INVESTMENTS LTD., has been completed. A Certificate of Dissolution has been issued by the Registrar General on the 26th day of October, 2022.

Renan Gravena LIQUIDATOR

‘Rethink’ Lucayan deal via complex break-up

FROM

the resort by selling off separately the two other properties - the Lighthouse Point and former Memories hotel.

This, he argued, would result in fresh investment that drives commercial value while also increas ing the potential sale price for Breaker’s Cay. “I think the Government needs to rethink their way of sell ing the hotel,” Mr Leonard said. “Whether they like it or not, they need to reno vate and open up Breaker’s Cay with 550-odd rooms.

“There’s no reason why they shouldn’t find a man agement company to run the hotel for them. Marri ott, for example, operates hotels without owning them. Yes, the Government is going to lose some money on it, but the original Board suggested right from the beginning that it open up the larger hotel, Breaker’s Cay.

“It’s just that successive governments have been desperate to sell rather than understanding how to sell. I think they need to open up

Breaker’s Cay, use a com pany to run it and sell-off the other two properties with other brands or devel opers. Break it up and sell it as individual units.”

The Davis administra tion, having blasted its Minnis predecessor for costing Bahamian tax payers $150m-plus in purchasing the hotel and subsequent monthly sub sidies to keep it afloat, will be loathe to commit fresh investment into a property that it remains desperate to exit. Upon announcing the Electra America deal’s col lapse, it promptly asserted that it has begun talks with a new, unnamed potential purchaser.

However, all previous efforts and strategies to sell the Grand Lucayan have failed to meet with success, and Mr Leonard asserted that his break-up plans merits a closer look. Turn ing to Lighthouse Pointe, which has around 194 rooms, he said: “Lighthouse Pointe has had several interested people want ing to turn it into high-end residences.

“Those companies wanted to flatten Light house Pointe and develop it into a high-end residen tial building. That seems something that’s do-able. You’d get some of your money back on that if you were the Government, and by causing additional com mercial development you will improve the revenue the Treasury receives from Grand Bahama.

“And by opening a 550odd room hotel you actually have some rooms. We’re bringing in passengers, and I’m delighted that we’ve got flights from Carolina and all those destinations, but if we don’t have the hotel rooms where are they to go?”

Meanwhile Magnus Alnebeck, the Pelican Bay resort’s general manager, said the Electra America deal’s failure - which was announced with great fan fare in early May - was the latest example of suc cessive administrations “over promising and under delivering” when it came to Grand Lucayan and Freeport/Grand Bahama in general.

“The reality in the shortterm is that the majority of that hotel has not been open for six years,” he told Tribune Business. “It just continues the doom and gloom. It doesn’t get any worse; it continues the doom and gloom. A lot of people were waiting for this deal to happen to do other investments and do their own thing.

“I think everybody understands the importance of getting this done, but it’s not an easy deal to get done. Successive govern ments have over promised and under delivered and that’s just where we are. I sometimes think they are announcing these things prematurely and that is part of the problem.

“It needs to be repeated. It’s as simple as that. It just means that people who come to Grand Bahama, and go past that area, see the big empty hotel with no lights on just standing there. They ask: ‘How long has that been closed?’. Six years. They can’t under stand what’s going on,” Mr Alnebeck continued.

“We need to find some body to take it on and get it going in a good way. When it comes to the Grand Lucayan, it was a Westin and Sheraton, then became a Radisson and Reef, and then became a Radisson and closed down. It’s gone through a steady down ward spiral over the past 20 years.”

Mr Alnebeck said its only period of “decent occu pancy” and airlift occurred when the Reef was oper ated by Memories, which via its links with Sunwing, its airlift partner and affili ate, was better able to control costs. Memories pulled out after Hurricane Matthew struck Grand Bahama in late 2016, and it was unable to agree new terms with owner Hutch ison Whampoa - especially over the use of the insur ance claims proceeds.

Resolving the Grand Lucayan’s fate is vital “to getting us back on the map”, the Pelican Bay chief said while, agreeing that this will not be achieved overnight - even if a sale is concluded - because much of the resort will have been

Baha Mar’s contractor: ‘Fake’ your work better

FROM PAGE A24

within the podium to Baha Mar in a timely manner. Spaces turned over by CCA were also incomplete and/or not constructed in accord ance with the contract documents or including the required finish standards for a high-end luxury hotel and casino,” Mr Collins alleged.

Referring to the e-mail from Mr Zou, he added: “Internal CCA e-mail cor respondence that appears to have been inadvertently sent to Baha Mar indicates that CCA management staff were aware of qual ity issues and, rather than address them, instructed its workers to do a better job of concealing them from Baha Mar. Testimony from Patrick Murray provides additional context to this e-mail as follows.”

The report then quoted Mr Murray, who asserted: “There was no pretense that what was being installed was in any way a mistake. That was being acknowledged by one of CCA’s senior fit-out guys that what nonconforming work could be progressed without sancture [sic], without any concern as long as they didn’t get caught. As long as it wasn’t obvious and wouldn’t be detected.”

Detailing the difference between the planned and actual number of hotel rooms to be turned over by CCA to Mr Izmirlian’s team, as per the construc tion schedule as the race to complete Baha Mar inten sified in late 2014, Mr Collins wrote: “CCA was approximately 487, 1,446 and 789 rooms behind the planned quantities of rooms to be turned over to Baha

Mar through the months of November 2014, Decem ber 2014 and January 2015, respectively.

“CCA’s failure to turn over rooms to Baha Mar in a timely manner was one of the primary factors for reductions to the amount of scope to be included in TCO One (the first temporary occupancy certificate that had to be obtained from the Ministry of Works) from what was originally required in the November 2014 agreement.

“Many of the rooms that were turned over by CCA between December 2014 and March 2015 were incomplete and/or had unre solved quality issues, which exceeded the minor cor rections that are typically captured in a punch-list. In other words, these rooms were not progressed enough to be considered substan tially complete as defined by the contract documents or general accepted indus try practices, preventing Baha Mar from perform ing its follow-on inspections as intended and impacting installation of furniture, fix tures and equipment.”

However, CCA is coun tering by attributing the project’s delayed comple tion to “mismanagement” by Mr Izmirlian and his

team coupled with factors beyond its control. The Chinese state-owned con tractor, in its own New York Supreme Court filings and counter-claim, is alleging: “One of the biggest chal lenges throughout the life of the project involved the late issuance of design drawings by Baha Mar and its archi tects and consultants.

“For CCA Bahamas to begin construction on any particular building or area of the project, design draw ings for that particular building or area had to be first issued by Baha Mar. But the issuance of draw ings by Baha Mar was often incomplete and late, and in 2012 Baha Mar fired the project’s architect conclud ing it was failing to perform its ‘financial and operational obligations’.”

CCA produced a June 20, 2012, letter from Tom Dunlap, then-Baha Mar’s executive vice-president of construction and develop ment, requesting permission from the project’s financier, the China Export-Import Bank, to replace RMJM Inc with AECOM Tech nology Corporation as the project’s architect. He wrote that RMJM’s “apparent financial and operational struggles” at its New York office presented

an “unnecessary risk” for Baha Mar’s progress.

While CCA and the developer subsequently entered into an April 2013 Memorandum of Under standing (MoU), which committed Baha Mar to issue design drawings by particular dates, AECOM was apparently not much better. “Only months later, in July 2013, Baha Mar wrote that its new project architect was ‘not meeting’ the deliverables in the MoU and ‘all dates have been missed’,” the contractor alleged.

It produced a draft letter alleging that all the dates for delivering key architectural drawings had been missed, and which said: “Following the above evidence provided relative to AECOM’s per formance on delivering the envelope scope of works, it has become apparent that it has taken AECOM four drawing revisions and 17 months from appointment to produce drawings that are fit for purpose.

“The consequences of the above actions have provided CCA with the required ammunition to make a substantial delay

closed for over six years and renovations will take time.

“It needs somebody who either has a brand or rela tionship that comes with airlift, a Sunwing/Memories or Sandals type, somebody attractive enough to imme diately get going,” Mr Alnebeck said of the poten tial buyer. “Or the new Sir Sol Kerzner. Sometimes you have to take the chance with them.

“When Sir Sol came to The Bahamas he wasn’t the most well-known hotel brand in the world, and Atlantis was a dream in the back of his head. When Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart opened his first hotel in Montego Bay, he was a used air conditioning sales men and look at what the Sandals brand is today.”

Describing the Grand Lucayan as “the number one thing that has to be solved in Grand Bahama”, Mr Alnebeck added: “That’s just standing there. It doesn’t work. Any inves tor who comes to look at the island, they say: ‘Why doesn’t this work?” We need to get it open and get it going.”

claim relative to the envelope works design deliverables, which has yet to be expressed. We also record that the impact of AECOM failing to deliver adequate draw ings in accordance with the agreed dates has caused CCA and their contrac tor’s additional work having to interpret information contained on numerous con flicting documents.”

CCA added: “Throughout the project CCA Bahamas regularly informed Baha Mar that these design prob lems were causing delays to construction and threatened the December 31, 2014, substantial completion date in the master construction contract.”

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EX-NBA winner spearheading $50m carbon-removal homes

AN EX-NBA title winner is spearheading a $50m investment that aims to construct the world’s first carbon-negative housing community in The Bahamas, it was revealed yesterday.

Rick Fox, the former Los Angeles Laker who is now one of The Bahamas’ sports ambassadors, unveiled a “pilot project” to construct 30 affordable homes using the technology - an initiative that could ultimately extend to 1,000 such properties over the following three years provided the carbon-related benefits can be verified.

Partanna, Mr Fox’s ven ture in partnership with architect Sam Marshall, has already constructed a prototype carbon-negative house adjacent to its New Providence-based construc tion facility on Bacardi Road. The company’s Mem orandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Govern ment, which will lead to the creation of 100 jobs during

the pilot phase, was unveiled yesterday at the COP27 cli mate conference in Egypt.

The Partanna building material, from which the company takes its name, is designed to remove carbon dioxide from the atmos phere. The Prime Minister yesterday voiced hope that this technology will help generate additional carbon credits for The Bahamas, as well as ensure the coun try’s does its bit to combat climate change and global warming.

Philip Davis KC said Partanna “is both an excit ing innovation in helping to reduce carbon and, for The Bahamas, also a path to sustainable, long-term adap tation in the face of climate change”. He added: “Under the partnership announced today, Partanna will begin a pilot project to design, develop, finance and con struct 30 affordable homes.

“Under the MoU, Par tanna must provide proof

of verification for the carbon credit in relation to the technology used in the construction of the homes. Provided the verification process is successful, over the following three years the Government has committed that Partanna will increase that number to build 1,000 affordable, sustainable homes.

“This arrangement sat isfies two key priorities of the Government of The Bahamas. Firstly, to provide affordable, sustainable hous ing in The Bahamas, and secondly, to meet the carbon priorities of the country. The Government also wishes to create a new, carbon-nega tive building industry which will generate new job oppor tunities and training for Bahamians.”

Mr Davis pegged the investment by Mr Fox and Mr Marshall in establish ing their Bahamas-based manufacturing plant at $50m. “We hope that this is

just the beginning,” he said. “Partanna has committed to providing employment for at least 100 Bahamians over the life of the pilot pro ject. They will also provide training in the new skill-sets required to create the foun dation of this new global industry, with The Bahamas leading the way.

“The Partanna technol ogy is forecast to generate approximately 260 of the highest-valued carbon cred its on the market, per home, paving the way for a sus tainable future for The Bahamas. The company has also committed to enter into further negotiations with the Government to discuss the use of any carbon credits generated as a result of the pilot project.”

Mr Davis added that a fur ther benefit from Partanna’s investment, and work, will be that home ownership becomes more affordable for Bahamians. He said the Government’s partnership

with Mr Fox and his fellow investor shows The Baha mas is prepared to play its part in the fight against cli mate change.

“One of our initiatives was to invite entrepreneurs from around the world to bring their technologies, bring their climate-solu tions, to The Bahamas. It is extremely gratifying that one of our own responded so quickly and passionately to that call. The launch of this new, innovative industry in The Bahamas, is the result,” the Prime Minister said.

Mr Fox, speaking at the Partanna unveiling, said of The Bahamas: “We’re in the hot zone, we’re in the front line. Together, Sam and I got to work and we developed a technology that has the potential to change the way we build in the world.

“If you know anything about the construction industry, 38 percent of all emissions are gener ated from the construction

industry. Nine percent alone coming from the cement we create. We need to build better. We need to delink development from pollu tion. Partanna provides the opportunity for us to do that; for us to build in a more nature-positive way.

“We use recycled mate rials, which allows it to be carbon negative over its life cycle Our technology is affordable, scalable and completely sustainable, and for people living in coun tries like my country, homes can be built using Partanna and can create hurricaneresilient regenerative homes because our products get stronger when we’re exposed to seawater.”

Eastern New Providence grows on property buyers

BAHAMIAN real tors say New Providence’s eastern coast is becom ing increasingly attractive to investors because there are no restrictions on using their property purchases as long-term rentals.

Shamon Camp bell, BE Luxury Real Estate (BELRE) Group’s

president, said in a state ment that investors are recognising the oppor tunities to acquire properties in the surround ing areas where there aren no covenant or Heads of Agreement restrictions on rentals. This allow home owners, who wish to rent their properties, to do so

over long and short-term periods.

“There’s an extraordi nary increase in interest for waterfront properties along the eastern coast like we’ve never seen before,” Mr Campbell said. “There’s a huge benefit to foreign investors that seek to use

their home when travelling to the island.”

BE Luxury Real Estate (BELRE) Group vice-pres ident, Aaron Davis, said investors who are looking to renovate a property to its full potential could see waterfront Eastern Road properties trade for signifi cantly less than those in the west, especially as inventory for waterfront offerings in the west becomes lower.

“Many local buyers shy away from properties in the east, as they may have

grown up in these com munities, but international buyers that are looking for income-producing proper ties that can also be used for entertaining family and friends a few times a year find these deals ripe for the picking,” he said.

A $2.4m property was recently sold to an Ameri can investor, who sought a home near a canal that would provide him with quick access to boating, jet skiing and the water. Although his search started

in western New Providence, he ultimately shifted to the island’s east.

“In today’s market, properties at this price point and specifications do not last long. It was our precision and area intel ligence, understanding of the market and knowing what expect, that resulted in our client’s success,” Mr Campbell said. The licensed agents of BE Luxury Real Estate Group are associates of H.G. Christie, Christie’s International Real Estate.

BTC WELCOMES NEW CHIEF TO THE BAHAMAS

RICK FOX

THE Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) welcomed its new chief execu tive, Sameer Bhatti, at a corporate reception on November 3, 2022. The Prime Minister congratulated BTC’s Board on appointing the Bahamian industry executive with global experience and outreach to the post, and encouraged BTC to aggressively bridge gaps in the communications divide to improve access by Bahamian residents to opportunities at home and abroad.

Photo:Anthon Thompson/BIS

DPM: WE COULDN’T LET $100M GRAND LUCAYAN BUYER STALL

By

THE deputy prime min ister yesterday said the Government had grown tired of the prospective $100m Grand Lucayan buyer constantly stall ing over the deal by repeatedly asking for due diligence extensions.

Chester Cooper, also min ister for tourism, aviation and investments, speak ing ahead of the weekly Cabinet meeting said the Davis administration and Grand Bahama’s economy could not afford for Electra America Hospitality Group to keep delaying progress.

“Electra consistently asked for more time. We cannot continue to delay and delay. The art of making a deal is knowing when to move on,” he said. Electra indicated to us that due to changing circumstances in the marketplace, which we all are aware of increasing cost of debt and financing, mainly by the increase in interest rates in the global markets; the increased cost of construction; the threat

CHESTER COOPER

of a recession. The reality of the marketplace is where they found themselves.”

The Government, through Mr Cooper, first unveiled the $100m Grand Lucayan sale to Electra America in early May 2022.

However, the deal was really a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that gave Electra 60 days to con duct due diligence and pay a $5m deposit.

There was no confir mation, though, that the deposit was ever paid. The due diligence period, which expired in mid-July, was then extended until later than month before being lengthened for a further 45 days to mid-September

Ex-minister: ‘Very little we can do to combat inflation’

By YOURI KEMP Tribune Business Reporter ykemp@tribunemedia.net

A FORMER Cabinet minister yesterday said “there is no benefit” from the Central Bank raising local interest rates to fight infla tion because rising prices are largely “imported” by The Bahamas.

Zhivargo Laing, ex-min ister of state for finance in the last Ingraham adminis tration, told the Bahamas Institute of Chartered Accountants (BICA) week seminars that inflation is driven by external forces that cannot be countered by Bahamian monetary policy.

While the US Federal Reserve and other devel oped country central banks have raised their own domestic interest rates to increase the cost of bor rowed capital, and thus cool down consumer demand, he added that the most Baha mian policymakers can do is try to “mitigate” inflation’s impact on the most vulner able in society.

“This is a short-term thing. It will play itself out,” Mr Laing said. “The inflation we have in The Bahamas is imported, and there is very little policy makers can do about it.” Asked about the implications if the Central Bank were to raise its dis count rate, and Bahamian Prime, with the latter set ting the benchmark for local commercial bank lending rates, Mr Laing said: “I can’t see any justification for moving the prime rate upward, and I don’t see what the benefit would be.

“On the one hand, if you move the prime rate up then you increase mortgage rates, which is going to make it more expensive for you and most of your consumers. On the other hand, may be some savers will get some opportunities.”

ZHIVARGO LAING

2022. Electra than asked for, and was given, a further week’s grace before due diligence was extended for a fourth time to November 15, 2022. The Government announced the deal’s col lapse a week before that deadline.

Mr Cooper added: “In the intervening period, we announced that we did have an agreement for sale. It was subject to due dili gence, subject to agreeing to the Heads of Agreement. In that intervening period Electra has advised that things changed, and we simply cannot continue to wait.

“Therefore, we took the decision to move on. There are credible interests from potential buyers for the resort, and we have begun those conversations. In the final analysis we hope to be able to do what’s in the best interest of Grand Bahama and what’s in the best interest for the Bahamian people.”

Hinting that the Gov ernment may have learned its lesson, and will not announce the Grand Lucay an’s purchase prematurely, Mr Cooper added: “When we have a deal we will make

the announcement. We’re going to ensure that we have something definitive to tell before we make further announcements.

“The reality is that this is a very complex deal in a complex environment. We understand what it takes to make the deal happen. We’ve had a good deal before. We believe we will be able to conclude a deal on the hotel.” Mr Cooper added that Colliers International, the Cana dian-headquartered realtor contracted by the Govern ment to manage the resort’s sales process, will continue to vet potential suitors including the unnamed party that the Government is presently talking to.

“Colliers has done pre liminary due diligence on the entity,” Mr Cooper added. “We’ve indicated that it’s an entity with deep pockets. They’ve done recent transactions in the hospitality space. We’re not going to say more about that at this time. These are sensitive discussions, these are complex transactions, and the marketplace at the moment presents a compli cated set of scenarios…

“The threat of the reces sion, increasing costs of construction, changes in the global market, increase in interest rates really has presented a set of circum stances that need to be navigated by any buyer.”

This is the second time in three years that a deal to acquire the Grand Lucayan has failed to conclude. The previous Free National Movement (FNM) admin istration, led by Dr Hubert Minnis, signed an agree ment to sell the resort to the ITM Group/Royal Caribbean joint venture just weeks before COVID struck. With the pandemic delaying progress on a closing, and ITM/Royal Caribbean seeking to water down the terms, the Davis administration agreed to part ways after taking office.

Mr Cooper yesterday dis missed suggestions that the present condition of Grand Bahama International Air port was a major factor in the Grand Lucayan’s sale not proceeding. “I’ve heard these speculations and some of them are pretty wild,” he added.

“I would say I’m not going to speak to the stew ardship of the former

Commission eyes 20 DARE Act registrants

By YOURI KEMP Tribune Business Reporter ykemp@tribunemedia.net

THE Securities Com mission’s top executive yesterday said the regulator expects to have 20 entities registered under the Digi tal Assets and Registered Exchanges (DARE) Act by year-end 2022.

Christina Rolle, its exec utive director, told the Bahamas Institute of Chartered Accountants (BICA) week seminars that this growth bodes well for the country’s ambi tions to become a regional and Western Hemisphere hub for the digital assets industry.

issuance, sale and trade of digital assets.

“Under the DARE Act, The Bahamas has regis tered two of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges in the world (one of which is FTX) and there are other industry FinTech (finan cial technology) leaders moving through the appli cation process. This signals an excellent regulatory regime.”

OKX, another crypto currency exchange, just last week announced it had completed the Securities Commission’s licensing and registration process while unveiling plans to hire 30 Bahamians during its 12 months in operations and 100 by year three.

around stable coins, par ticularly algorithmic stable coins that may be backed by another digital asset.

“The Securities Commis sion is looking to amend DARE to provide a clear and concise definition of stable coins, reflecting the requirement that stable coins must be fully backed by assets, including fiat currencies, commodi ties or other financial instruments.”

Board, and we’re going to move forward. I’m going to speak to the stewardship of this Board and this gov ernment… There are many people who are speak ing. You have no moral authority to do so, and no credibility on these mat ters to speak on them, quite frankly, and they’re looking for relevance.

“We are commit ted to doing the ongoing refurbishments. We are refurbishing the domestic facility that was there to ensure that when Bahama sair comes on November 17, when Sunwing comes later in the month and we have our guests from Charlotte, North Carolina, and the additional airlift from Flor ida and we’re putting heads and beds across the island of Grand Bahama, that we could facilitate them smoothly.”

The Freeport Airport Development Company has narrowed the poten tial private sector partners for Grand Bahama Inter national Airport’s redevelopment down to two, Mr Cooper said.

CHRISTINA ROLLE

Mr Laing yesterday, looking at the impact if Bahamian prime was raised, said: “So you’ve just put a shock on the system that’s not likely to be reversible in the same period of time. So I don’t see that as sensible policy. I trust the wisdom of the Central Bank techni cians. I don’t see that they are going to do it.

“I don’t know that a decrease will be justifiable now either, because you have an economy that is recovering quite nicely and even growing at extraordi nary levels. Maybe when we get back after pre-pandemic economic activity, if the growth remains at 1 per cent and returns or maybe even negative, you could look at something like that. But I don’t see that being justified…”

Mr Laing acknowledged that it was difficult for poli cymakers not to take action when they were being criti cised for failing to protect Bahamians from something over which they have no control.

Citizens’ ‘basic needs’ the liveable wage guide

By YOURI KEMP Tribune Business Reporter ykemp@tribunemedia.net

A FORMER Chamber of Commerce chief executive yesterday said the Govern ment must look at meeting its citizens’ “basic needs” first to determine what is the proper liveable wage.

Edison Sumner, princi pal of Sumner Strategic Partners, told the Baha mas Institute of Chartered Accountants’s (BICA) Accountants Week semi nars that wages must allow workers to afford food, clothing and shelter.

Leaning on a study conducted by University of The Bahamas (UoB)

researchers in 2020, which pegged a liveable wage for a family of four at $2,625 and $3,550 per month, respectively, for New Provi dence and Grand Bahama, Mr Sumner said: “The methodologies for estimat ing liveable wage has to do with the cost of food, the cost of the potential need, the housing and other particulars.

“This constitutes the basic, decent life for a req uisite size family of four or five individuals, parents and children.” The Govern ment, having just increased The Bahamas’ minimum wage to $260 per week, has signalled it will not give up

Speaking as news broke of the potential forced sale of FTX, the flagship digi tal assets investment for The Bahamas, Ms Rolle said: “The Commission implemented a world-lead ing legislative framework for the regulation of digital asset businesses, and the

Ms Rolle reaffirmed that the Securities Commission is now focusing attention on the regulation of “stable coins” in the aftermath of TerraUSD’s collapse. She said: “The collapse of Ter raUSD earlier this year highlighted some of the serious regulatory concerns

She added that the reg ulator will also “create disclosure requirements bespoke to stable coins”. Ms Rolle added: “The require ments should be in addition to the general requirements of disclosure for token issuances, and include obli gations that issues of stable coins include in the offer ing document details on the operation and mechanics of the stable coin.

“Required disclosures around the standards and processes apply to the redemption of stable coins, and require

ongoing reporting to the Commission and inves tors as appropriate. The Commission is also look ing to ensure that issues of stable coins are subject to financial reporting, includ ing quarterly financial reports and annual audit requirements.”

Stablecoins are crypto currencies where the price is designed to be pegged to a referenced asset. The asset may be fiat money, exchange-traded commodi tie, or a cryptocurrency. Presently, the Securi ties Commission oversees or regulates 154 securities firms, one marketplace one clearing facility; 51 invest ment fund administrators; 702 investment funds; 265 financial and corporate service providers; and five digital asset businesses.”

John Rolle, the Central Bank’s governor, previously said raising interest rates in the Bahamian context is more a tool to dampen import demand and protect the external reserves that support the one:one cur rency peg with the US dollar rather than fight inflation.

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

THE seemingly-forced sale of The Bahamas’ flag ship digital assets investor will not undermine the country’s ambitions to become a major “hub” in this space, a prominent banker argued yesterday.

Gowon Bowe, Fidel ity Bank (Bahamas) chief executive and a member of the Government’s Digi tal Advisory Panel, which advises on the digital assets sector’s development, told Tribune Business that FTX’s potential purchase by rival crypto currency exchange, Binance, does

not reflect poorly on this nation’s regulatory regime. Emphasising that his views were his own, he added that this juris diction’s signature Digital Assets and Regis tered Exchanges (DARE) Act, and wider regula tory regime, had “held up” in the absence of any

concerns while pointing out that The Bahamas’ strategy in this sector went far beyond just one player.

FTX’s Bahamas execu tives were yesterday tight-lipped on what the company’s sale to/ merger with Binance might mean for its plans locally. Valdez Russell,

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

A SENIOR executive with Baha Mar’s main con tractor urged employees to better conceal “fake” construction work amid assertions that it failed to “properly perform” its duties to the project and its original developer.

Steven Collins, a senior managing director in Ankura Consulting Group’s

construction disputes and advisory practice, in an August 1, 2022, report cited numerous documents and e-mail communications as evidence that China Con struction America (CCA) “violated basic generallyaccepted industry practices that one would expect for a construction manager”.

The report, commis sioned by Baha Mar’s first developer, Sarkis Izmirlian, to buttress his $2.25bn fraud and breach of con tract claim against the Chinese state-owned con tractor, cited an e-mail sent by a senior CCA executive demanding that workers do better on concealing con struction deficiencies on the then-$3.4bn project.

“I have seen examples of CCA intentionally con cealing its construction deficiencies from Baha Mar,” Mr Collins wrote.

“On October 8, 2014, a rough translation of an e-mail inadvertently sent to Baha Mar showed CCA’s David Zou chiding CCA employees: ‘How could you fake the material in broad daylight?... If you really want to do it, you have to be careful’.”

That e-mail, incorrectly sent to Patrick Murray, pro ject manager with MACE Group, Mr Izmirlian’s representatives, provides fresh insight into the brew ing dispute with CCA that increasingly plagued efforts to complete Baha Mar’s construction and ultimately led to the missed March 27, 2015, opening deadline that sent the project on the road to its Chapter 11 bank ruptcy filing.

“CCA failed to turn over guest rooms within each hotel tower and areas

No resolution over food price control ‘stalemate’

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

THE BAHAMIAN food distribution industry was last night said to have reached a “stalemate” over efforts to strike a price control deal with the Gov ernment via a 1,000-strong product list designed to “more than half-way” meet its demands.

FTX’s vice-president

‘Rethink’ Lucayan deal via complex break-up

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

A FORMER Grand Lucayan Board member yesterday urged the Gov ernment to “rethink” its strategy for selling the resort by splitting up the complex and re-opening the largest hotel property.

Carey Leonard, speak ing after the Government confirmed that the $100m

deal struck with Elec tra America Hospitality Group had collapsed, told Tribune Business that suc cessive administrations “have been desperate to sell rather than under standing how to sell” Grand Bahama’s largest resort property.

He explained that the original Lucayan Renewal Holdings Board, of which he was part, had at the start of its tenure proposed

re-opening the 550-plus room Breaker’s Cay prop erty to give the Grand Lucayan complex critical visitor mass.

Suggesting that the Davis administration revisit this strategy, and find a hotel brand or management company to operate Breaker’s Cay on its behalf, Mr Leonard told this newspaper that it should also seek to split-up

‘Bump in the road’: Nicole costs Nassau 27k visitors

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

NASSAU Cruise Port’s top executive yesterday said Tropical Storm Nicole has likely cost the capital some 27,000 visitors this week after almost onethird of its vessel arrivals cancelled.

Michael Maura, the Prince George Wharf operator’s chief execu tive, agreed with Tribune Business that what was supposed to have been

the week representing the start of the winter cruise season “bump” had become a temporary bump in the road due to the storm’s emergence.

Based on numbers he provided, the storm appears to have cost Nassau Cruise Port some 6.5 percent of its Novem ber passenger forecast and a similar percentage of its anticipated vessel calls.

Mr Maura confirmed that half the eight cancella tions, those involving the Enchantment of the Seas

on Monday; the Disney Wish and Liberty of the Seas yesterday; and Free dom of the Seas today came following calls from the cruise lines themselves.

The other half, namely the Carnival Liberty, Independence of the Seas, Carnival Sunshine and Anthem of the Seas were due to the Port Depart ment’s decision to close all Bahamian ports with effect from 7am yesterday morn ing due to the approaching storm.

“I went back and looked at the passenger counts they carried last time they were in port, and com bined they would have totalled 27,000 passen gers,” Mr Maura explained of how he came up with the number. “That would have been the passen ger impact to downtown Nassau and the cruise port.

“It’s the first week of the bump in winter traffic coming out of the summer. We were used to seeing

John Bostwick, attor ney for the Retail Grocers Association (RGA), which represents more than 130 food store operators, con firmed to Tribune Business that no resolution was reached at yesterday morn ing’s meeting with senior Cabinet ministers which had to be cut short due to the threat posed by Tropi cal Storm Nicole.

Striking a more con ciliatory tone than other accounts provided to this newspaper, he said both Chester Cooper, acting prime minister in Philip

“more than 1,000 individ ual products”, a significant expansion on the 20 items

Davis KC’s absence, and Michael Halkitis, minister of economic affairs, prom ised to consult further with their Cabinet colleagues on the matter and report back to merchants and wholesal ers on the Government’s position in “due course”. Mr Bostwick told this newspaper that the indus try has expanded its list of price-controlled items to

of communications, did not directly respond to Trib une Business questions on the potential impact the proposed deal will have on its planned $60m Bayside Executive Park

CAREY LEONARD

JOHN BOSTWICK