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The Tribune

Established 1903

Volume: 120 No.136, July 19, 2023 THE

BELL ADMITS CHINESE HOTEL WORKERS FREED

Minister refuses questions over ‘irregularities’

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

IMMIGRATION Min-

ister Keith Bell admitted yesterday that some Chinese nationals working at the British Colonial Hilton in January were released from custody and returned to the construction site despite the “irregularities” that prompted officers to

detain them.

Mr Bell said “it was determined that given all of the circumstances”, taking the people to the detention centre for processing was unnecessary.

He did not say who determined this, and he refused questions from reporters.

Free National Movement leader Michael Pintard has

SEE PAGE TH R EE

MONITORING SYSTEM BL AMED for man’S death on bail

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS Tribune Staff Reporter lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

RELATIVES of a man killed at a nightclub in Fox Hill believe he would be alive if the ankle bracelet system that monitors people on bail worked better.

Orlando Curtis, 26, was

shot and killed after a physical altercation on Sunday around 3am.

His relatives said that even though he failed to charge his ankle bracelet or adhere to curfew rules for weeks, authorities never contacted or arrested him.

In fact, his sister,

SEE PAGE SEVEN

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

A BAHAMIAN financial institution yesterday asserted it “has been proactively cooperating” with a US Secret Service probe that seized its bank account on the basis that $58.465m in fraud proceeds were laundered through it. Deltec Bank & Trust, in a statement responding to Tribune Business inquiries, also revealed it will seek to recover the $5.643m taken from the same US-based account by the federal authorities after the seizure was authorised by the eastern Virginia district court via warrants executed between June 12 and June 28, 2023.

FULL ST O RY - SEE BUSINESS

$15,000

reward offered to fnd missing Kyle

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

TWO months after 20-year-old Kyle Carey went missing, his family still hope for his return.

Tracey Carey said the family still believes her son is alive and is offering a $15,000 reward for anyone

who can lead them to him.

“It’s very difficult for everybody,” she told The Tribune yesterday. “Me, my husband and his siblings, we’re just trying our best to still trust in God that we’re going to find him. We had one or two leads, but nothing came out of it.”

“Persons calling and

BIMINI LOCA L GOVT MEMBER ARRESTED WHIL E IN MIAMI

ARLINGTON Rolle, a member of the Bimini District Council, was arrested in Miami for alleged drug possession.

saying they believe they saw him this place and the next place and we did follow-ups but nothing came out of it, and at this point, we’re just still trying to look into it.”

“Some persons were apprehended for questioning, but nothing was

SEE PAGE FIVE

Assistant Superintendent of Police Stephen Rolle could not provide additional information.

However, The Tribune understands the district council representative was elected in 2021. The council was expected to hold a general meeting yesterday to discuss a number of issues, including Rolle’s arrest.

Lucayan Towers South condo association president refuses to answer questions as GBPA ultimatum looms

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Staff Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

THE head of a condominium association responsible for a complex in Freeport that could have its occupancy certificate revoked dismissed questions from a reporter yesterday about the longstanding concern.

The Grand Bahama Port Authority (GBPA)

issued a “final notice” to the Lucayan Towers South condominium board, demanding it discloses a plan in 30 days to address purported code violations and safety hazards or have its certificate of occupancy revoked.

When a Tribune reporter contacted Maurice Glinton, president of the Lucayan Towers South

Condominium Association, to ask him about the state of the building, he said: “Who are you that you should want to know?”

After the reporter identified herself, he said yesterday: “I know where you’re from but you make it sound as if you have some proprietary in this matter.”

He referred the reporter to the port authority.

Pressed about the matter, he eventually said: “Ma’am, I think I’ve accommodated you, and you can’t seem to understand how I’ve tried to finesse really embarrassing you.”

One resident who spoke to The Tribune anonymously expressed disgust with the state of the building. The resident said

revoking the occupancy certificate would not be ideal, but the port authority’s push is welcomed.

The resident said owners do not know the way forward for the complex.

Another resident expressed concern about an elevator that frequently breaks down and balconies that fall apart. Fire alarms are said not to be

working. The resident complained the building looked deplorable.

The owner said several derelict vehicles are in the parking lot and that promised amenities are unavailable due to poor upkeep.

The owner wants the board to meet with the owners to resolve the longstanding concerns.

Bell admits Chinese hotel workers freed

claimed senior immigration officials sent a letter to the permanent secretary expressing concern about Mr Bell’s intervention in the January 17 matter.

Citing information from unnamed officials, Mr Pintard said buses were loaded with Chinese nationals,

but Mr Bell intervened to release them.

“The government was advised that the hotel required extensive renovation works,” Mr Bell told reporters before a Cabinet meeting yesterday. “The work, as with other large projects, necessitated the importation of temporary foreign workers. Given the

construction processes, varying workers are required for elements of the project.

As specialised workers complete their tasks, they leave the country and new specialists re-enter.

“In January of this year, the Department of Immigration, as part of its ongoing efforts to ensure compliance with

our immigration laws, discovered a number of irregularities with the status of workers at the British Colonial Hilton construction site.

“Whilst the irregularities required immediate action, it was determined that given all of the circumstances, taking the persons at the detention centre was unnecessary. It is important to note that the employer, as with almost every other major hotel redevelopment, has a heads of agreement with the government of The Bahamas to permit the temporary importation of foreign construction workers.

“Secondly, the irregularities found at the site could and were expeditiously cured by the employer. And thirdly, the completion of the renovation works at the British Colonial property will address and add critically needed hotel rooms

on New Providence and create additional employment and opportunities for Bahamians.”

Former Immigration Minister Brent Symonette said he would have allowed officials of the Department of Immigration to do their job.

“A minister,” he said yesterday, “shouldn’t interfere at that level unless it’s a matter of national security or public interest or something way beyond that, but if there are workers working there illegally, they should be arrested and whatever happens happens, especially since his prime minister said he won’t tolerate whatever.

“You can’t be half pregnant. In other words, if they paid their fees and haven’t got the permit, that’s one thing, but if we haven’t got a permit whatsoever, you deport them. The law must be allowed to take its

course. A minister shouldn’t intervene.”

FNM chairman Dr Duane Sands said there are unanswered questions about the episode.

“What,” he said, “were the irregularities, and how were they cured so quickly when it takes months sometimes for work permits to be processed?

“Was the proper procedure and documentation for work permit applications received and processed? Were the proper fees paid before the release of the work permits? How did the workers arrive in The Bahamas? When did they arrive and what was their status upon admission by immigration when landed?

“Can the good minister show us where in the Heads of Agreement it says that the employer can import whoever they want without reference to and approval from immigration?”

By LETRE SWEETING Tribune Staff Reporter lsweeting@tribunemedia.net

FAMILY Island Affairs

Minister Clay Sweeting said if representatives of the North Andros District Council violated the law by accepting funds to clean up a local beach, they would be punished.

The permanent secretary in the ministry, Neil Campbell, appeared to confirm on Monday that the council did violate the law, though he said an investigation is ongoing.

Councils can only accept money from the central

government, according to the Local Government Act.

Some North Andros residents were alarmed to learn the North Andros District Council was paid to clean up Cedar Beach after a party over the Independence weekend. Although the $400 payment is not substantial, residents fear this may point to a deeper problem.

The payment was revealed when a party promoter responded to claims that Cedar Beach was not cleaned after his event. He disclosed a receipt on social media with a note that said: “$400 for cleaning Cedar

Beach after beach party July 8, 2023.” The name on the receipt was the North Andros District Council. It is unclear whether the promoter knew giving money to the council was unlawful.

“We are looking at the matter,” Mr Sweeting said yesterday. “I understand the concern, and I’ve been apprised yesterday. So we’re looking at it. You know, it’s an allegation.”

“We will follow that out of the law, so, but over the law states, if they breach the issue, and whatever there should be, then we will follow that.”

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

were transferred to Bahamian authorities.

“Those attempting to illegally migrate to the US in an overloaded, unsafe vessel are putting themselves and their loved ones in extreme danger,” said Lt Cmdr Matt Spado, Coast Guard liaison officer to The Bahamas. “The Coast Guard and our partners

are committed to stopping anyone who attempts an unlawful and unsafe voyage at sea.”

One hundred and sixty eight adult men, 47 adult women, 46 minor boys and 14 minor girls were detained. Two people required immediate medical assistance.

SURVEILLANCE of a Haitian sail freighter approximately 26 miles east of Punta de Maisi, Cuba on Sunday. All people aboard were transferred to Bahamas, on Monday.

Photo:

‘We are looking at the matter’ of local govt receiving money says sW eeting

LOCAL Government and Family Island Affairs Minister Clay Sweeting.

Photo: Moise Amisial

from page one

IMMIGRATION Minister Keith Bell admitted yesterday that some Chinese nationals working at the British Colonial Hilton in January were released from custody and returned to the construction site despite the “irregularities” that prompted officers to detain them.

Photo: Moise Amisial

Safety issues raised by US and local government officials concerning recreational watercraft

A NEW travel advisory has been issued by the United States warning over the lack of regulation of commercial water craft – and an FNM senator has called for action at Goodman’s Bay to ensure public safety.

The US warning said: “Activities involving commercial recreational watercraft, including water tours, are not consistently regulated. Watercraft may be poorly. maintained and some operators may not have safety certifications.

Due to these concerns, US government personnel are not permitted to use independently operated jet-ski rentals on New Providence and Paradise Islands.”

Meanwhile, following an apparent drowning that occurred at Goodman’s

Bay on Saturday, FNM

Senator Maxine Seymour extended her sympathies to the family of the man who died in the “heartbreaking incident”.

She also warned of the “urgent need for lifeguards” to protect beachgoers across The Bahamas.

She said: “The absence of lifeguards on our beaches poses a significant risk to patrons, particularly children, who require vigilant supervision. It is critical that the government hire, train, and station lifeguards on beaches to provide first-aid and CPR, and to safeguard lives.

“Furthermore, the actions of some persons on jet skis who recklessly bypass buoys to ride up to shore, frequently

performing stunts, pose a direct threat to the safety of swimmers. I encourage the government in partnership with the Royal Bahamas Police Force to provide increased regulation and supervision by intensifying foot and marine patrols, and strictly enforcing the law, to ensure the responsible operation of watercraft.”

Concerns have been raised on a number of occasions about the maintenance of buoys to protect swimmers from watercraft, as well as policing areas to ensure such separation is abided by.

Senator Seymour also noted a shortage of trash cans, with the ones present often brimming over, and added: “The government must swiftly rectify these

vexing issues. It is off-putting to witness public funds being allocated to ventures that do not directly benefit everyday Bahamians, while the condition of the facilities at our beaches deteriorates. Showers do not work, bathrooms are locked or malfunctioning, supplies are restricted or unavailable. This is unacceptable for those who seek comfort and convenience. Such negligence undermines the experience and leaves a negative impression on families and all who come to enjoy our shores.

“I have experienced firsthand the issues plaguing our beaches. This weekend, as on previous occasions, our family spent time driving to multiple beaches on New Providence seeking parking and a free square

foot of sand. It is sad that tens of thousands of citizens are regularly crammed on limited beaches while access to other parts of the island are illegally restricted and the government fails to address the issue. When we finally settled on a beach, my time was mainly spent picking up broken glass and debris, worrying about unsupervised children, avoiding unleashed dogs running freely on the sand, and fearing a group of jet ski riders who exhibited dangerous behaviour. This atmosphere of anarchy overshadowed what should have been a joyful family outing for me and so many others.”

She concluded: “It is time for the government to take immediate action

and allocate the necessary resources to ensure that accidents are prevented, and Bahamians do not have to contend with broken amenities or unsanitary conditions during their visits to our beaches.”

The US travel advisory also cautioned visitors to exercise “increased vigilance” in the Over the Hill area where “gang-ongang violence has resulted in a high homicide rate primarily affecting the local population. Violent crime, such as burglaries, armed robberies, and sexual assaults, occur in both tourist and non-tourist areas. Be vigilant when staying at short-term vacation rental properties where private security companies do not have a presence.”

FNM Senator Maxine Seymour warned of the “urgent need for lifeguards” at Goodman’s Bay, adding that “the actions of some persons on jet skis who recklessly bypass buoys to ride up to shore, frequently performing stunts, pose a direct threat to the safety of swimmers.”

Photos: Austin Fernander

Campers showcase creativity with original camp theme song on the UN’s SDGs

A SONG has been created by children at a summer camp to capture the spirit of goals set by the United Nations aiming towards sustainability.

The Sustainable Me camp seeks to promote sustainability and environmental stewardship among children - and during the first week of camp participants created the song, showcasing their creativity and talent as they rap

about Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The collaboration between campers and counsellors saw everyone contribute to the lyrics, melody and rhythm.

Inspired by the 17 SDGs set forth by the United Nations, the lyrics of the theme song reflect the campers’ understanding of these global goals and their commitment to taking action.

“Our campers are the voices of change, and this theme song beautifully captures their passion and dedication to making a difference,” said camp director Kya Nguyen. “We are immensely proud of their creativity and their ability to express complex ideas in an engaging and memorable way.”

The creation of the theme song was a collaborative process led

by Grammy awardwinning producer and camp counselor Cy Fyre, who encourages campers to think critically, collaborate, and express themselves during the camp’s weekly music sessions.

“Working with the campers on this theme song has been an incredible experience,” Mr Fyre said.

“Their passion and creativity are truly inspiring. Music has the power to bring people together and convey powerful messages, and this song encapsulates the campers’ commitment to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. I am honoured to be a part of this journey and help them amplify their voices through music.”

The song will be available for download on

several streaming platforms in the upcoming weeks. It can be heard in full now by visiting the camp’s Youtube channel: https://www.youtube. com/@SUSCAMP. The Sustainable Me Summer Camp runs until August 11 at the New Covenant Baptist Church. To learn more about the camp, visit: https:// www.sustainableme.org/ summer-camp.

$15,000

REWARD OFFERED TO FIND MISSING KYLE

from page one

fruitful or came out of it, but they have been helpful with us so far.”

Relatives said they last saw Mr Carey on May 11.

“We just got some other posters printed out, so we’re going to go and still continue to post them up,” Ms Carey said. “All of my family and friends have still been continuing to

post on social media for the reward. The reward is out there as well. It’s been put up as well and we’re still continuing to just post stuff up on Facebook and post stuff up with the posters around Nassau and stuff like that.”

Any one with information about Mr Carey’s whereabouts can contact his father at 816-1330 or 822-7821 or their nearest police station.

PRAYER SESSION IN RAWSON SQUARE

A PRAYER session will be held in Rawson Square tomorrow night.

The Gang Reduction Intervention Programme and Bahamas Public PRayer Ministries will hold a Prayers For Bahamas event at 7pm.

People attending are urged to wear Bahamian flag colours and to bring flags. For details, contact Apostle Henry Higgins on 803-4423.

CHILDREN at Sustainable Me Summer Camp are engaged in a variety of activities while learning about sustainability and good stewardship of the environment. The Sustainable Me Summer Camp runs until August 11 at the New Covenant Baptist Church.

The Tribune Limited

Exec tells UN: Big tech can’t be trusted on AI safety

The handful of big tech companies leading the race to commercialize AI can’t be trusted to guarantee the safety of systems we don’t yet understand and that are prone to “chaotic or unpredictable behavior,” an artificial intelligence company executive told the first U.N. Security Council meeting on AI’s threats to global peace on Tuesday.

Jack Clark, co-founder of the AI company Anthropic, said that’s why the world must come together to prevent the technology’s misuse.

Clark, who says his company bends over backwards to train its AI chatbot to emphasize safety and caution, said the most useful things that can be done now “are to work on developing ways to test for capabilities, misuses and potential safety flaws of these systems.” Clark left OpenAI, creator of the best-known ChatGPT chatbot, to form Anthropic, whose competing AI product is called Claude.

He traced the growth of AI over the past decade to 2023 where new AI systems can beat military pilots in air fighting simulations, stabilize the plasma in nuclear fusion reactors, design components for next generation semiconductors, and inspect goods on production lines.

But while AI will bring huge benefits, its understanding of biology, for example, may also use an AI system that can produce biological weapons, he said.

Clark also warned of “potential threats to international peace, security and global stability” from two essential qualities of AI systems – their potential for misuse and their unpredictability “as well as the inherent fragility of them being developed by such a narrow set of actors.”

Clark stressed that across the world it’s the tech companies that have the sophisticated computers, large pools of data and capital to build AI systems and therefore they seem likely to continue to define their development

In a video briefing to the U.N.’s most powerful body, Clark also expressed hope that global action will succeed.

He said he’s encouraged to see many countries emphasize the importance of safety testing and evaluation in their AI proposals, including the European Union, China and the United States.

Right now, however, there are no standards or even best practices on “how to test these frontier systems for things like discrimination, misuse or safety,” which makes it hard for governments to create policies and lets the private sector enjoy an information advantage, he said.

“Any sensible approach to regulation will start with having the ability to evaluate an AI system for a given capability or flaw,” Clark said. “And any failed approach will start with grand policy ideas that are not supported by effective measurements and evaluations.”

With robust and reliable evaluation of AI systems, he said, “governments can keep companies accountable, and companies can earn the trust of the world that they want to deploy their AI systems into.” But if there is no robust evaluation, he said, “we run the risk of regulatory capture compromising global security and handing over

the future to a narrow set of private sector actors.”

Other AI executives such as OpenAI’s CEO, Sam Altman, have also called for regulation. But skeptics say regulation could be a boon for deeppocketed first-movers led by OpenAI, Google and Microsoft as smaller players are elbowed out by the high cost of making their large language models adhere to regulatory strictures.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio

Guterres said the United Nations is “the ideal place” to adopt global standards to maximize AI’s benefits and mitigate its risks.

He warned the council that the advent of generative AI could have very serious consequences for international peace and security, pointing to its potential use by terrorists, criminals and governments causing “horrific levels of death and destruction, widespread trauma, and deep psychological damage on an unimaginable scale.”

As a first step to bringing nations together, Guterres said he is appointing a high-level Advisory Board for Artificial Intelligence that will report back on options for global AI governance by the end of the year.

The U.N. chief also said he welcomed calls from some countries for the creation of a new United Nations body to support global efforts to govern AI, “inspired by such models as the International Atomic Energy Agency, the International Civil Aviation Organization, or the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.”

Professor Zeng Yi, director of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Braininspired Cognitive Intelligence Lab, told the council “the United Nations must play a central role to set up a framework on AI for development and governance to ensure global peace and security.”

Zeng, who also co-directs the ChinaUK Research Center for AI Ethics and Governance, suggested that the Security Council consider establishing a working group to consider near-term and long-term challenges AI poses to international peace and security.

In his video briefing, Zeng stressed that recent generative AI systems “are all information processing tools that seem to be intelligent” but don’t have real understanding, and therefore “are not truly intelligent.”

And he warned that “AI should never, ever pretend to be human,” insisting that real humans must maintain control especially of all weapons systems.

Britain’s Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, who chaired the meeting as the UK holds the council presidency this month, said this autumn the United Kingdom will bring world leaders together for the first major global summit on AI safety.

“No country will be untouched by AI, so we must involve and engage the widest coalition of international actors from all sectors,” he said. “Our shared goal will be to consider the risks of AI and decide how they can be reduced through coordinated action.”

By EDITH M. LEDERER Associated Press

Cap in hand

EDITOR, The Tribune.

SEE we continue to go around the globe cap in hand....now reparations.

So the sole rightful decedents are who Prime Minister? The descendents of the original settlers of these rocks, cays and islands are all gone

Time to clean up Bay Street

EDITOR, The Tribune.

BAY Street...once a ‘Royale street’ that long time gone and from successive governments plenty talk and nothing…

Will the Davis Government do something or is it just too late and the market will not support a viable development?

The Christie concept of a ‘broad walk’ from Rawson Square to PI bridge was just ridiculous - who would ever walk from Rawson to the bridge? Let’s cancel that. Re-development must literally fall into the harbour water side this and that... preferred not a straight line bulkhead, make it exciting with inlets, etc.

So Government is going on a demolition campaign - then what? Better spruce the frontage of the existing buildings and leave them standing.

Ideally redevelopment was in the early mid1980’s...the Eastern Road folks were down-sizing and looking for suitable condos, etc, this area was not

available, so PI Caves and to an extent Old Fort were the choice.

Redevelopment of from Rawson Square east must have a magnet - a draw. I suggest the old Tropical dock the Bethels should be encouraged to expand into the harbour and be allowed to dredge out and offer the site to a cruise company. Having the 1,000’s of cruise passengers coming ashore will resolve the dead man’s land issue. No big decision, just make it.

Shirley Street - acquiring 50 Shirley Street and redevelop that site and the site to the east plus the site on the corner of Parliament-Shirley is total traffic management madness, let alone money stupid. Why spend millions on acquisition of 50 Shirley Street and adjacent site, east when you have a massive site free old

Post Office and adjourning?

Sorry, cancel that deal plus you are trying to remove traffic not add and congest. Let’s hear a definitive decision on Royal Victoria Hotel site...New Parliament complex? Open space? Decide. Central Bank relocate to possibly the long time empty site off Eastern Parade, believe the Bethell’s old property or Oakes Field or adjacent National Security/Atty General there is no need to have it downtown when relocated use the old building for the Parliament...save millions.

Talk cheap successive governments have talked the Queen, now King off the five-cent piece. Signage on Bay? Clean it up - it’s just ugly. We don’t want a series of parking lots after the Government’s demolition that’s for sure.

L WILSON Nassau, July 15, 2023.

Signs of political maturity

EDITOR, The Tribune.

PLEASE allow me to express my brief opinion on what I consider to be “a breath of fresh air’ (to use a familiar cliche) and signs of political maturity on behalf of the Davis administration.

— extinct so any claim goes to who?

Those of us of African stock certainly have zero claim - we were brought as slaves...yes we have a claim against the slave sellers in Africa, probably Africans! There seems to be a theme Climate change

— Reparations...Cap in hand trying to collect. How can we even contemplate a claim when we have no rights to it?

T MOSS Nassau, July 14, 2023.

During our recent independence celebrations, professional persons from various strata of society and of different political stripes received well deserved honours under the national honours umbrella. Of particular note was Mrs Eileen Dupuch Carron, long standing editor of The Tribune, among others I cannot mention because of limited

space. I was also heartened to see a photo of the late Mr Norman Solomon at one of the roundabouts. Mr Solomon crossed political swords with PLP parliamentarians from a bygone era from time to time in parliament, to advance the cause of justice - I might add. But that’s neither here nor there.

In this instance, the Davis led administration has risen above the politicking and demonstrated a degree of political maturity which heretofore was not readily discernible to me at least, in our brand of politics. We are a small country,

and if we are to further grow and developed, it is fitting that we recognise the contributions of persons past and present on both sides of the political divide. Further, we must harness the collective geniuses in all our people, because all wisdom, creative energies, and commitment to country are not reposed exclusively in any one political party or group of persons. All is not lost. Truth is oxygen for democracy.

M AN ACCUSED OF KILLING HIS brother’s murderer denied bail

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

THE Court of Appeal denied bail to a man accused of killing his brother’s alleged murderer in Exuma last year.

Justices Jon Isaacs, Sir Michael Barnett and Milton Evans considered the bail appeal of Alcott Fox, 29.

Fox was charged for his alleged involvement in the fatal shooting of 22-yearold Malik Fernander around 11pm on November 10, 2022, in Rolleville, Exuma.

Justice Bernard Turner denied the defendant bail on June 9.

During those proceedings, Justice Turner said anonymous witnesses who heard gunshots said they saw Fox fleeing the area with a gun in his hand.

Fernander had been on bail for two murder charges, including allegedly killing Fox’s brother.

In reviewing the evidence in Fox’s matter, Justice Turner concluded the case had the spectre of retaliatory killing. He denied Fox

bail out of concern for his life and the risk posed to the public’s safety.

Fox’s lawyer, David Cash, argued to appellate judges that the Supreme Court ruling was unreasonable. He claimed the evidence disclosed in the lower court against his client amounted to hearsay.

Justice Isaacs, however, concluded that Justice Turner relied on his prior experience with similar cases and that the evidence presented to him was sufficient to deny bail.

“The judge employed his common sense and experience to assess the hearsay evidence and utilised that to conclude that the hearsay evidence could be used and that it was cogent –which I understand him as saying that on a preliminary assessment of its strength or weakness for the purposes of bail, it was sufficient,” he said.

“In the premises, I agree with the respondent’s view. There was evidence placed before the judge upon which he could reasonably and rationally base his decision to refuse bail to the appellant.”

POSSESSION OF DRUGS AND GUNS GETS MAN OVER TWO YEARS JAIL

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A MAN was sentenced to two and half years in prison after admitting to owning two guns recovered when police raided his house last weekend.

Walter Fox, 39, and Cordero Miller, 29, were charged with possessing firearms with intent to supply and possessing ammunition.

The two faced an additional charge of possessing dangerous drugs with intent to supply.

Police entered the defendants’ residence on John Street on July 15. Authorities recovered a

Monitoring system blamed for man’s death on bail

from page one

Anthonique Curtis, said an official contacted her for the first time yesterday to ask about his whereabouts –– more than two days after he was killed.

“Y’all ain monitoring them,” she told them.

“They know they have a curfew. Why you don’t, you know, shake down on them, let the police do what they supposed to do? If y’all don’t be home at a certain time, y’all get lock up. They ain’ doing that. I feel like they know what they doing.

Every young man who come out on bail dying.”

One of Orlando’s brothers added: “My brother gone weeks without his ankle monitor charged, bey, and these people ain’t send the police to his location.” People are frequently arrested and taken to court for failing to charge their electronic monitoring devices. Furthermore, many murder victims are men on bail, an issue that has vexed authorities for

years. Prosecutors have increasingly urged judges to deny bail to men charged with murder for their safety. Despite their complaints about the effectiveness of the ankle bracelet system, Ms Curtis and her relatives are uncertain about whether people like Orlando should be kept in prison until the completion of their trial.

“I is the one who sign he bail, so right now it really hurting me,” Ms Curtis said. “You can’t take a life from these young man. They have children. My brother has a child, so for him to be incarcerated for something he didn’t do, that is not anybody right to take from him. So, I do not agree for my brother to be locked up or been in jail.”

Ms Curtis said Orlando was one of 11 children and the third brother she has lost to gun violence. She said he was employed in the construction sector.

“I don’t know my brother’s life in the streets, but I know he was a good father to his daughter, and he was a hard-working man,” she

said.

National Security Minister Wayne Munroe, meanwhile, said authorities search and apprehend people who fail to charge their monitoring devices.

“Sometimes we find you right away, sometimes we don’t,” he said. “That has been an issue from all along. When you get bail and you’re subject to monitoring, the courts tell you that if you don’t obey the rules, you are liable to have your bail revoked, but people break the rules all the time and quite often their bail gets revoked, or when they go to court they come up with some excuse –– the device wasn’t charging; they forgot; they’ll never do it again. But the device doesn’t stop you breaking the rules. The device simply tells the authorities that you are breaking the rules.”

Since December 2021, Metro Security Solution has monitored people on bail. Before that, Migrafill and ICS provided the service at different times in the last decade.

“There have been issues with this company, there were issues with Migrafill, there were issues with ICS,” Mr Munroe said. “It’s a piece of technology. Human beings will cheat and not follow the rules. When they cheat and not follow the rules, they create work for the police to find you and arrest you. No piece of equipment is 100 per cent, especially if it requires you to plug it in. The commissioner of police’s thing is, you don’t get bail and then it won’t be an issue.”

“The reality that has to be grasped is, if you are on bail for murder, there’s a high chance that somebody will come to seek revenge. We tell the courts this. The people still insist on asking for bail; the family still insists on signing the bail. So if the individual who was murdered, if none of his family had signed his bail, he would have been in BDCOS. He would have been safe. Nobody could kill him.”

black Sig Sauer G3C 9mm pistol, and a black Taurus 9mm pistol. During their arrest, the defendants were also found with 14 rounds of 9mm ammunition and a three-quarter ounce of Indian hemp.

Fox pleaded guilty to all three charges, while his coaccused pleaded not guilty. The charges against Miller were withdrawn.

Fox was sentenced to two and a half years for the offence. He was fined $3,000 for gun charges. He could face an additional six months in incarceration if he fails to pay. Fox was also fined $300 for the drug charge.

M AN ACCUSED OF FAILING TO CHARGE MONITORING DEVICE

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A MAN on bail for murder was remanded in custody after allegedly failing to charge his electronic monitoring device (EMD).

Joey Jolissaint, 28, faced four counts of violation of bail conditions before Magistrate Algernon Allen Jr.

The Supreme Court had granted him bail after he was charged with the murder of Edward Charles

show of support for r ay minus Jr’s family

on March 8, 2020, in the Carmichael Road area.

While released, Jolissaint allegedly failed to charge his EMD four times between February 5 and April 12.

After pleading not guilty to the charges, he was denied bail due to the severity of his prior charge.

Jolissaint will be remanded to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services until his trial date on September 7.

SECURITY GUARD CHARGED FOR P OSSESSION OF AMMUNITION

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A SECURITY officer was granted bail after he was accused of having almost 100 rounds of rifle ammunition in his home last weekend.

Magistrate Lennox

Coleby charged Marlon Young, 51, with possession of ammunition with intent to supply and possession of ammunition.

Alex Dorsett represented Young.

Police reportedly responded to a disturbance call at the Kamalome Club

on Solider Road on July 15.

Officers saw the security officer in the parking lot of the business establishment. After authorities found him with an imitation firearm, they searched his residence in Winder’s Terrace. They allegedly found 97 rounds of .22 ammunition and a single round of .308 ammunition.

Young pleaded not guilty to the charges. He was granted $6,500 bail with one or two sureties. He must sign in at the East Street Police Station every Sunday by 6pm. His trial begins on July 28.

AFTER supporting Ray Minus Jr when he held an all-female boxing match in his honour on March 31, Modelo beer and Jimmy’s Wines and Spirits want to continue to support Mr Minus Jr’s family after he passed away in late April.

Mr Minus Jr, a boxing legend in The Bahamas, suffered from ALS - or Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.

Bradante McDonald, a Modelo brand representative, said: “ALS disease is not highlighted much in

The Bahamas. Modelo goes hand in hand with boxing and we were proud to support the fundraising event so we could extend some extra assistance to Ray’s family.

Modelo now wants to help to continue to support

the next generation of boxers.

“Modelo and Jimmy’s want to help the Minus Jr family continue the boxing legends’ support of young and upcoming boxers in The Bahamas,” said Mr McDonald.

FROM left, are Iris Smith, Jimmy’s Nassau Warehouse Manager; Bradante McDonald, Modelo brand representative; Susan Warren, Jimmy’s training specialist; and Michelle Minus, the former wife of Ray Minus Jr.

Photo: J Co Photography/Barefoot Marketing

Creating space to talk

SINCE the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, virtual and hybrid conferences have become such a norm that attending in person is especially exciting. When people are able to be in the same room(s), in a bubble of sorts, there is a different energy. The possibilities are different because it does not all disappear with the press of a button. There is room for side conversations and discussions that spill into halls, extending beyond a regular session length. There are booths to visit and people to speak with about organisations, industries, and interests. There are, in most cases, fewer distractions than when we are occupying two spaces — one virtual and one in-person.

This week, I am attending Women Deliver, one of the largest conferences in the world with a focus on women’s rights. The theme for the conference this year is spaces, solidarity, solutions. More than 6,000 people from at least 170 countries are in Kigali, Rwanda to learn, advocate, share, network, and collaborate across countries and regions and, in many case, across thematic areas. Yesterday was the first official day of the conference, following pre-conferences that took place on Sunday and Monday and were largely limited to people with invitations and who were able to register in time and get accepted. At the time of the opening ceremony on Monday afternoon, many of us had already attended four to ten hours of preconferences on specific issues including bodily autonomy and the intersection of gender and climate change.

The agenda for this week is packed, and it is difficult for most delegates to decide which events they will attend. At any given

By Alicia Wallace

time, there are numerous sessions. As an example, on Tuesday at 7am, there were eight sessions ranging in topics from a model for preventing intimate partner violence that is working in Rwanda to resourcing feminist resilience in a state of constant crisis. In addition to there being many sessions to choose from, there is high competition for seats in some of them. Plenaries, of course, are held in auditoriums, but some sessions are held in rather small rooms that fill quickly, especially if people stay in one room for multiple sessions. Attending this conference and getting into the topchoice sessions requires good strategy and high energy. Sometimes a bit of luck is helpful too.

People working in the gender space and in thematic areas who recognise the intersection with gender occupy this space with both purpose and enthusiasm. It is an opportunity to make others aware of the issues they are facing, the ways they are working to change the situations in their geographic locations, and how they can be supported. It is also an opportunity to listen to and learn from the experiences of others, share ideas, and connect with champions and allies. In the midst of back-to-back events are dozens of booths with information on international non-governmental organisations, dedicated spaces for groups including young people, and the arts

and film festival. Yesterday, the screenings in the Kirunga tent included the trailer for Two-Faced: Gender Inequality in The Bahamas, a Gina Rodgers-Sealy film focus on gender-based violence that premiered in New Providence just a few months ago. It was a pleasure to see it screen at the Women Deliver Arts and Film Festival, in front of an incredibly diverse group of people, as it continues its run of festival and awards.

One of the most striking things about Women Deliver 2023 has been the warm welcome extended to the delegates by the people of Rwanda. Moving through immigration and customs was a smooth process, hotel information was readily available, shuttles were arranged to transport people to and from the airport, and there are shuttles running all day to transport delegates between the venues of this enormous conference.

Hotel staff and staff of other venues consistently offer excellent service and do everything they can to assist guests. The talent and skills of the people of Rwanda are regularly demonstrated in their performances of dance and spoken word, the beautiful textiles and designs, and music and singing.

At the opening of a preconference on Sunday, there was a performance that involved a woman playing a traditional

instrument, accompanying another woman who recited a piece as the English translation appeared on the screen. Even without reading the translation, the meaning was deeply felt. It was about the beauty of Rwanda, the sorrow contained in its history, and the grace of acknowledging the sorrow and moving forward together. At the opening ceremony of the conference, there was a performance by the National Ballet of Rwanda, also known as Urukerereza National Ballet, featuring traditional music.

The ceremony included speeches by numerous officials including president of Rwanda Paul Kagame and UN Women executive director Sima Bahous. The president talked about the importance of gender equality and the action Rwanda has been taking to achieve it. One can only imagine how many times that speech was quoted the next day. One of the most memorable statements he made was that it is okay for women to outnumber men on panels. This seems like a simple statement, but he was pointing out that there was an imbalance for a long time, and that a 50:50 split is not more important than centering women in conversations about gender equality and ensuring that we have the ability to participate, to speak, and to lead. There were also panel discussions which included some people whose messages were well-received and others who, most agree, should not have been there except to listen and learn.

Politicians and heads of United Nations agencies are often given speaking roles at large events, especially with international audiences. They are thought to bring legitimacy, and maybe the suggestion of alignment with a greater mission.

More often than not, these speakers detract from the event and the purpose.

In almost all cases, they deliver speeches with predictable, safe lines, talking about their “commitment” to improving the pressing issue being discussed. Their words are so often repeated that they are utterly boring and border on insulting. It is definitely unusual for these people to break away from the state mission or focus of the event and take aim at it, but it does happen. Sometimes, it is an unintentional slipping of veil, showing what they really think.

At the Women Deliver conference opening ceremony, there were several disturbing statements. They were all delivered with a casual indifference, as if the speakers did not even know that what they were saying was absurd, offensive, or violent. This is what is happening in advocacy and policy spaces. People are being invited based on their titles rather than their values. They are given platforms, and they misuse and abuse them. The people who truly care about the issues have to face that others, especially with power and influence, are bringing harmful ideology, and sometimes it is wrapped up in a package that, at first, appears quite different.

Last night, Equality Bahamas hosted a side event, with the support of the Global Campaign for Equal Nationality Rights and Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC) at Women Deliver. It was focused on the issue of gender inequality in nationality law, and it made connections to migration and climate change.

Deepti Gurung and Neha Gurung, a mother-daughter activist duo and co-founders of the Citizenship Affected People’s Network, shared

their story of being denied citizenship rights. Aneesah Abdullah from the United National Country Office talked about the obligations of the State, in general and during crisis. Rachel Gore, vice president and lead programme officer at UUSC talked about what is needed from funders now in order to respond to the current needs of activists and movements. Participants were engaged in the discussion, thinking and talking about what citizenship does and does not mean, how this is a gender issue, and what can be done, in our lifetimes and beyond, to address issues gender inequality. Being in the same space does not mean that we are aligned. Using the same language does not mean that we are aligned. This is what we have to remember, not only at conferences, but as we move through the world. Everything is not as it appears. We have to pay attention to what is said and how it is said. We have to take note of what is not said. We have to take our interactions with people as evidence. We also have the responsibility to curate our own spaces and communities. Rights-minded people will come across people who fundamentally do not support human rights. We will also come across people who believe they should have human rights, but not those people over there. We will have to confront them. We, however, must not be overwhelmed by them. We have to spend time with other rights-minded people, to commiserate, to plan, to celebrate, to imagine, and to find new ways to collaborate. We must be a great resource to one another. We have to make the best use of the spaces available to us, be intentional in our solidarity, and be innovative as we build solutions.

FACEBOOK PARENT META MAKES

PUBLIC ITS CHATGPT RIVAL LLAMA

MENLO PARK, Calif.

(AP) — Facebook parent company Meta Platforms has built an artificial intelligence system that rivals the likes of ChatGPT and Google’s Bard but it’s taking a different approach: releasing it for free.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said Tuesday that the company is partnering with Microsoft to introduce the next generation of its AI large language model and making the technology, known as Llama 2, free for research and commercial use.

Much like tech peers Google and Microsoft, the social media company has long had a big research team of computer scientists devoted to advancing AI technology. But it’s been overshadowed as the release of ChatGPT sparked a rush to profit off of “generative AI” tools that can create new prose, images and other media.

Meta has also tried to distinguish itself by being more open than some of its Big Tech rivals about offering a peek at the data and code it uses to build AI systems. It has argued that such openness makes it easier for outside researchers to help identify and mitigate the bias and toxicity that AI systems pick up by ingesting how real people write and

communicate.

“Open source drives innovation because it enables many more developers to build with new technology,” Zuckerberg said in a Facebook post Tuesday. “It also improves safety and security because when software is open, more people can scrutinise it to identify and fix potential issues. I believe it would unlock more progress if the ecosystem were more open, which is why we’re open sourcing Llama 2.”

Zuckerberg pointed to Meta’s history of opensourcing its AI work, such as with its development of the widely used machinelearning framework

PyTorch. But the research paper introducing the new model reflects less openness than Meta has shown previously in its work to build models that require ingesting large troves of digitised writings such as books, news articles and social media feeds.

Data

It says the latest model was trained on “a new mix of data from publicly available sources, which does not include data from Meta’s products or services,” but does not specify what data was used. It does say that Meta removed

data from websites known to contain a “high volume of personal information about private individuals.”

Meta used the acronym LLaMA, for Large Language Model Meta AI, to describe the first version of its model, announced in February. It’s now dropped the capital letters for its second version, Llama 2. Zuckerberg said people can download its new AI models directly or through a partnership that makes them available on Microsoft’s cloud platform Azure “along with Microsoft’s safety and content tools.” The financial terms of that partnership were not disclosed.

While Microsoft is described by Meta as a “preferred” partner, Meta said the models will also be available through Amazon Web Services, which is Microsoft’s main cloud rival, as well as AI startup Hugging Face and others. Microsoft is also a major funder and partner of OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT. Neither ChatGPT nor similar offerings from Microsoft or Google are open source.

Partnership

Microsoft and Meta also revealed the new AI partnership at Microsoft’s annual event for business customers on Tuesday. Microsoft said in a separate statement that the two companies “share a commitment to democratising AI and its benefits and we are excited that Meta is taking an open approach.”

Meta already is a customer of Microsoft’s Azure cloud computing platform.

Microsoft also used the virtual event, called Inspire, to reveal that it will be charging businesses a monthly fee of $30 for each user of its flagship generative AI tool, Microsoft 365 Copilot, on top of what those organisations are already paying for Microsoft services.

EASY CAR SAL ES UNV EILS NEW LINE OF ALL-EL EC T RIC V EHICL ES

EASY CAR SALES,

the first and only 100 percent Electric

Vehicle dealership in The Bahamas, unveiled a range of JAC brand consumer and commercial EVs at an event held at the Mall at Marathon over the Independence weekend.

At the official launch of the new vehicles, attended by JAC representatives, the public was invited to see and test drive the JAC SUV, a sedan and a dual cab pickup truck, all fully electric. JAC cargo and passenger vans are on the way, and flatbed and box trucks are available for ordering.

“We started on the road to electric mobility seven years ago, and in that time, we have been at the forefront of the EV revolution in The Bahamas,” said Pia Farmer, managing partner of Easy Car Sales. “We introduced the popular BYD brand and now we are expanding the choices with JAC. Our job is to make it easy for the public to transition to fully electric transportation, which is more economical to run and better for

Tesla’s 1s T elec T ric PICKUP H AS ROLL ED OFF THE ASSE MBLY LINE, COMPANY SAYS

TESLA says its first production Cybertruck electric pickup has rolled off the assembly line, nearly two years behind the original schedule.

The company tweeted a photo on Saturday showing scores of workers in helmets and yellow vests surrounding the truck.

“First Cybertruck built at Giga Texas!” Tesla tweeted, including a cowboy hat-wearing emoji. Owner Elon Musk retweeted the post.

Musk unveiled the truck in late 2019, and Tesla had said production would start in late 2021, although the company has since cautioned that production would begin slowly and in smaller numbers than Tesla’s other vehicles. With its wedge shape and stainless-steel body — which Tesla calls the exoskeleton — the Cybertruck looks nothing like a traditional pickup.

Some analysts have panned it as a niche product that won’t have broad appeal.

Musk said in April that the company expected to deliver the first truck probably in the July-through-September quarter.

He said that as with other new products, production would start slowly and then speed up.

“It takes time to get the manufacturing line going,” he said, “and this is really a very radical product. It’s not made in the way that other cars are made. So let’s see.”

MICROSOFT AGREES TO K EEP C ALL OF DU T Y ON SONY PLAYS TAT ION A FTER I T BUYS AC T IVISION BLIZZARD

NEW YORK (AP) — Microsoft has signed an agreement with Sony to keep the Call of Duty video game series on the PlayStation console after the tech giant acquires video game maker Activision Blizzard. The announcement was made Sunday in a Twitter post by Phil Spencer, who heads up Microsoft’s Xbox division.

“We look forward to a future where players globally have more choice to play their favourite games,” Spencer said in the post.

the environment. Our customers love their EVs, so we are giving them more options to suit their lifestyle.”

Established in 1964 and best known for its trucks and commercial vehicles, JAC Motors has a footprint in more than 130 countries. Through almost 60 years of development, it has offered a comprehensive range of automobile products and delivered over 10 million vehicles globally. Last year, it sold more than 500,000 units.

JAC’s mission is to deliver best quality

automobiles and top craftmanship to global users. In 2010, the firm started manufacturing New Energy Vehicles (NEVs), driving forward through new technology and innovation.

As a pioneer in the field of electric mobility, it has partnered with 40 Fortune 500 companies around the globe for a greener future.

Tony Ge, regional director for JAC International, who was present at the launch, said: “We are delighted to partner with Easy Car Sales, a company committed to promoting pure electric vehicles and

dedicated to providing high-quality products and services. JAC vehicles have earned praise from drivers for their quality and reliability. Together, we are very confident that we will provide Bahamian consumers and businesses with a new range of more economical transportation solutions.”

Easy Car Sales backs their JAC brand with a five-year manufacturer warranty, full after-sales support and parts for the models they sell or lease.

“Our EV technicians just travelled to Chile for a two-week immersive training course on JAC vehicle maintenance and we are proud to say the Easy Car Team earned top marks, so we are confident we can offer excellent local support to our clients,” said service manager Spencer Roberts.

For more information visit www.easy242.com, call 461.0100 or drop into Easy Car Sales on Gladstone Road for a test drive.

Call of Duty has been at the centre of a corporate tugof-war between Microsoft’s Xbox and Sony’s PlayStation over Microsoft’s planned $69 billion purchase of Activision Blizzard, which makes the best-selling Call of Duty lineup.

As it tried to persuade regulators around the world to approve the deal, Microsoft struck deals with Nintendo and some cloud gaming providers to license Activision titles like Call of Duty for 10 years and offered the same to Sony.

Until now, Sony hadn’t signed on. It has now, as Microsoft inches closer to completing the buyout.

JAC International representatives were on hand at the launch of new consumer and commercial fully electric vehicles now available at Easy Car Sales.

Photos: Allan Clare Media

TOP: The new JAC T8 Dual Cab pickup truck was a hit with the public. ABOVE: Easy Car Sales launched their new JAC brand of fully electric vehicles at their “Independence from Gas” event held at the Mall at Marathon.

FACEBOOK’S Meta logo sign is seen at the company headquarters in Menlo Park, California. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar, File)

Israeli protesters block highways, train stations as Netanyahu moves ahead with judicial overhaul

JERUSALEM

Associated Press

TENS of thousands of protesters on Tuesday blocked highways and train stations and massed in central Tel Aviv during a day of countrywide demonstrations against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s contentious judicial overhaul plan.

The protests, now in their seventh month, have taken on a sense of urgency in recent days as Netanyahu and his allies in parliament march ahead with the program. The first bill in the package – a measure that seeks to limit the Supreme Court’s oversight powers –could become law as soon as next week. The unrest also cast a shadow over a visit to the White House by Israel’s figurehead president, Isaac Herzog, who was invited to Washington to celebrate Israel’s 75th anniversary.

Herzog, a political centrist, has been involved in behind-the-scenes efforts to broker a compromise on the judicial overhaul, which has strained relations between Netanyahu and President Joe Biden.

In a meeting with Biden in the Oval Office, Herzog acknowledged that Israel was “going through a heated debate as a society.” But he said that debate shows that Israeli society is “strong and resilient.”

He added that the country should seek an “amicable consensus.”

Biden, who has criticized the overhaul plan, said that the US commitment to Israel was strong and the bond between the two countries was “unbreakable.”

Netanyahu and his allies say the overhaul is needed to rein in the powers of an

unelected judiciary – particularly the Supreme Court – that they believe is overly interventionist in government decisions. Their opponents, representing a wide cross section of Israeli society, say the plan is a power grab by Netanyahu and his ultranationalist and ultraOrthodox allies that will destroy the country’s fragile system of checks and balances. They also say the prime minister, who is on trial for corruption charges, and his allies are motivated by various grievances against the justice system.

Late Tuesday, protesters thronged outside the US diplomatic offices, packed the central square of Tel Aviv and crippled the city’s main highway. Police on horseback galloped among the crowds, trying to clear them away.

Earlier, protesters gathered outside Israel’s stock exchange and military headquarters. Business leaders have repeatedly warned that a weakened legal system will deter foreign investors. Reservists in key military units, including fighter pilots and cyber warfare agents, have threatened to stop reporting for duty.

Demonstrators, many of them reservists, created human chains and blocked one of the entrances to Israel’s military headquarters in central Tel Aviv.

Protesters flooded train stations during afternoon rush hour. Many blew horns or held up blue and white Israeli flags.

Outside the Tel Aviv stock exchange, demonstrators ignited smoke bombs, drummed and chanted, and held up signs reading “save our startup nation.”

“We came to the stock exchange because this is

the symbol of what this craziness of dictatorship is doing to Israel’s economy,” said protester Tzvia Bader.

“We’ve become a third world country. There is no chance for our economy.”

A group of 161 reservists signed a letter to the commander of the Israeli air force saying they would not report for duty, and that the overhaul was “leading to dictatorship.” Israel’s military chief, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, warned that a refusal to report for duty “harms the army and the security of the state of Israel.”

The Israel Medical Association also announced that doctors would hold a twohour strike in protest of the legislation on Wednesday. Emergency operations will proceed as normal, said Dr. Hagai Levine, a former head of Israel’s association of public health doctors. Police said at least 45 people were arrested on public disturbance charges.

Netanyahu heads the most ultranationalist and religiously conservative government in Israel’s 75-year history. His overhaul plan has exposed wide rifts in Israeli society – largely based on religious and economic differences.

Netanyahu’s allies are motivated by an array of grievances against the court system.

His ultra-Orthodox allies, for instance, fear the courts will strip away exemptions that allow young religious men to skip otherwise compulsory military service in order to pursue seminary studies. Others have spoken out against rights for LGBTQ+ people, while several Cabinet ministers are hard-line settler leaders who remain furious about Israel’s withdrawal from the Gaza Strip in 2005 and accuse the courts of siding with Palestinians.

The protesters, on the other hand, are largely

RESCUED AUST RA LI A N M A N A DRIFT 3 MONTHS in Pacific with dog ‘grateful’ to be alive

MEXICO

Associated Press

AN AUSTRALIAN sailor who was rescued by a Mexican tuna boat after being adrift at sea with his dog for three months said Tuesday that he is grateful to be alive after setting foot on dry land for the first time since their ordeal began.

Timothy Lyndsay Shaddock, 54, disembarked in the Mexican city of Manzanillo after being examined on board the boat that rescued him, the Maria Delia.

“I’m feeling alright. I’m feeling a lot better than I was, I tell ya,” Shaddock, smiling, bearded and thin, told reporters on the dock in the port city about 210 miles west of Mexico City.

“To the captain and fishing company that saved my life, I’m just so grateful. I’m alive and I didn’t really think I’d make it,” Shaddock said, adding that he and his “amazing” dog Bella are both doing well.

Shaddock described himself as a quiet person who loves being alone on the ocean. Asked why he set out in April from Mexico’s Baja Peninsula to cross the Pacific Ocean to French Polynesia, he was initially at a loss.

“I’m not sure I have the answer to that, but I very much enjoy sailing and I love the people of the sea,” he said. “It’s the people of the sea that make us all come together. The ocean is in us. We are the ocean.”

The Sydney man’s catamaran set sail from the Mexican city of La Paz but was crippled by bad weather weeks into the journey. He said the last time he saw land was in early May as he sailed out of the Sea of Cortez and into the Pacific. There was a full moon.

Shaddock said he had been well-provisioned, but a storm knocked out his electronics and ability to cook. He and Bella

survived on raw fish.

“There were many, many, many bad days and many good days,” he said.

“The energy, the fatigue is the hardest part,” he said. He passed the time fixing things and stayed positive by going into the water to “just enjoy being in the water.”

When the tuna boat’s helicopter spotted Shaddock’s catamaran about 1,200 miles from land, it was the first sign of humans he had seen in three months, Shaddock said. The pilot tossed him a drink and then flew away, returning later with a speed boat from the María Delia, he said.

Grupomar, which operates the fishing fleet, didn’t specify when the rescue occurred. But it said in a statement that Shaddock and his dog were in a “precarious” state when found, lacking provisions and shelter, and that the tuna boat’s crew gave them medical attention, food and hydration.

Shaddock said the tuna boat became his land and that Bella was an immediate hit with the crew. He also explained how he and the dog met.

“Bella sort of found me in the middle of Mexico. She’s Mexican,” he said. “She’s the spirit of the middle of the country and she wouldn’t let me go. I tried to find a home for her three times and she just kept following me onto the water. She’s a lot braver than I am, that’s for sure.”

Perhaps for that reason, Bella did not leave the boat until Shaddock had driven away Tuesday. He had already chosen Genaro Rosales, a crew member from Mazatlan, to adopt her on the condition that he would take good care of the dog.

Shaddock said he’ll be returning to Australia soon and that he’s looking forward to seeing his family. There have been other

12,

stories of extreme ocean survival, but they do not all end happily.

In 2016, a Colombian fisherman was rescued after spending two months adrift in the Pacific Ocean. Three of his crewmates died. He was rescued by a merchant ship more than 2,000 miles southeast of Hawaii. He and the others had been fishing off Colombia’s coast when their skiff’s motor failed, leaving them adrift.

In 2014, a Salvadoran fisherman washed ashore on the tiny Pacific atoll of Ebon in the Marshall Islands after drifting at sea for 13 months. Jose Salvador Alvarenga left Mexico for a day of shark fishing in December 2012. He said he survived on fish, birds

members of Israel’s secular, middle class who believe the government is planning to clamp down on their way of life and on the country’s liberal traditions.

The coalition took office in December after winning the country’s fifth election in under four years. That election, like the previous four that ended in deadlock, were referendums on Netanyahu’s fitness to serve as prime minister while on trial.

The weekly mass protests led Netanyahu to suspend the overhaul in March but he revived the plan last month after compromise talks with the political opposition collapsed.

The Israeli parliament gave initial approval last week to a key portion of the overhaul that would prevent the Supreme Court from striking down decisions it finds “unreasonable.” Netanyahu’s coalition spent Tuesday rejecting 26,000 objections to the bill filed by opposition lawmakers.

The law is meant to serve as a safeguard against corruption and improper appointments to key positions. But Netanyahu’s allies look at it as an infringement on the powers of elected officials.

The judges invoked the clause earlier this year when they said the appointment of a veteran politician to the Cabinet was unreasonable because of his past conviction for accepting bribes and plea bargain over tax offenses.

The bill has already received preliminary approval in parliament and is scheduled to receive formal approval next week unless N etanyahu decides to freeze the legislation.

Other proposed laws in the overhaul would grant lawmakers greater control over the appointment of judges and give parliament the power to overturn high court decisions and pass laws impervious to judicial review.

The protests continued as Herzog landed in Washington. He was to address Congress on Wednesday.

The visit has drawn attention to Biden’s refusal so far to invite Netanyahu to the White House. Such visits are standard protocol for Israeli prime ministers. But Biden has said he is unhappy with Netanyahu’s new government – both because of the overhaul and because of rapid expansion of West Bank settlements, built on occupied lands claimed by the Palestinians.

Biden spoke with Netanyahu by phone on Monday and invited him to meet in the US this fall. But he did not say whether the meeting would take place at the White House or a more neutral location, such as the United Nations General Assembly.

and turtles before his boat washed ashore 5,500 miles away.

In other cases, boats are found, but without survivors or are lost entirely.

More than 20,000 migrants have died trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea to Europe since 2014, according to the International Organization for Migration.

Antonio Suarez, Grupomar’s president, said Tuesday that this could be the María Delia’s final trip because he is modernizing the company’s fleet and the boat is its smallest and is more than 50 years old.

If so, it would be a “marvellous farewell, saving human lives,” Suarez said.

KOREA Associated Press

RESCUERS searched Tuesday for nine people still missing in landslides and other incidents caused by more than a week of torrential rains in South Korea, as the country’s military dispatched more than 10,000 troops to support rescue works.

The downpours pounding S outh Korea since July 9 have left 41 people dead, nine missing and 35 others injured. The rainfall has also forced about 12,780 people to evacuate and left about 28,600 households without power.

During a Cabinet Council meeting Tuesday, President Yoon S uk Yeol ordered officials to mobilize all available resources to rescue any possible additional survivors, assist victims and conduct recovery works.

Yoon said the government plans to designate major rain-stricken areas as special disaster zones to help speed up the recovery.

The Defence Ministry separately said it was sending equipment and 11,000 soldiers on Tuesday to support government efforts to find

the missing people and restore damages.

Much of the severe damage has been reported in S outh Korea’s central and southern regions, with the nine missing people listed in the southeastern N orth Gyeognsang province or the southeastern city of Busan.

Also, 14 fatalities were reported from a tunnel in the central city of Cheongju, where 17 vehicles including a bus were trapped in a flash flood that may have filled up the passageway. Authorities earlier mobilized divers and other workers to rescue survivors and retrieve bodies before they reportedly ended searches inside the tunnel on Monday night.

S evere weather was also affecting many other places around the world.

E arlier this month, relentless flooding also deluged parts of India, Japan, China, Turkey and the U S

Although the destructive floods are occurring in different parts of the world, atmospheric scientists say they have this in common: With climate change, storms are forming in a warmer atmosphere, making extreme rainfall a more frequent reality now.

IN this July

2023 photo provided by Grupomar/Atun Tuny, Australian Tim Shaddock sits with his dog Bella after being rescued by a Mexican tuna boat in international waters, after being adrift with his dog for three months. Haddock and his dog, Bella were aboard his incapacitated catamaran Aloha Toa some 1,200 miles from land when they were rescued.

Photo: Grupomar/Atun Tuny/AP

ISRAELIS protest against plans by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to overhaul the judicial system scuffle with police in Tel Aviv, Israel, yesterday.

Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg/AP

SOUTH

A SOUTH Korean Marine’s assault amphibious vehicle is mobilized to search for missing people in the Sam River in Yecheon, South Korea, yestersday. Rescuers continued their searches yesterday for people still missing in landslides and other incidents caused by more than a week of torrential rains.

Photo: Kim Dong-min/AP

SPORTS

Gardiner produces world-leading time

By BRENT STUBBS Senior sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

Steven Gardiner produced the world’s fastest time and lowered his meet record in the process to win the men’s 400 metres at the Gyulai Istvan Memorial in Szekesfehervar, Hungary.

As one of three Bahamians competing in the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting, the 27-yearold Gardiner clocked 43.74 seconds, surpassing his meet record of 44.30 that he established in 2015.

On returning home over the weekend of July 5-7 for the Bahamas National Championships title at the Thomas A Robinson National Stadium, Gardiner delighted the fans with his victory in 44.64.

Prior to competing in Szekesfehervar on Monday at a press conference, Gardiner said he felt like his “old self” after making his return this year from an injury.

“I think that is my old self again out there and I’m happy,” said Gardiner after the race yesterday as he now prepares for his return to Hungary in August for the World Championships in Budapest.

“It gives me more confidence to know that I can do anything, it’s possible. I went out there and I did what I had to do and I surprised myself today.”

After winning the world title in 2019 in a lifetime and Bahamian national record of 43.48, Gardiner went on to take the Olympic Games title in 2020, but he didn’t defend his World title in 2022 in Eugene, Oregon, because of an injury.

Trailing Gardiner was Rusheen McDonald in second in 44.03 with his second-fastest ever time behind his Jamaican national record. American Vernon Norwood was third

SEE PAGE 14

Anthaya Charlton transfers to Florida

AFTER producing a stellar freshman season for the University of Kentucky Wildcats track and field team, sprinter/long jumper Anthaya Charlton has moved on to the Florida Gators.

Charlton, who will turn 20 on July 28, entered the transfer portal after her sprint coach Tim Hall left Kentucky for another job at South Carolina.

“I was exploring my options with a couple of visits and Florida just turned out to be the best for me,” said Charlton, who leaves the Bahamian connection with head coach Rolando ‘Lonnie’ Greene and women’s assistant coach Debbie FergusonMcKenzie at Kentucky.

“This was a big thing for me. It was a difficult decision, but I did what I felt was best in making the move to Florida. It’s closer to home and it feels like home.”

With her concentration on the 100 metres and the

DEANDRE ‘THINKING ABOUT’ PLAYING FOR THE NATIONAL TEAM

By TENAJH SWEETING Tribune Sports Reporter tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

The Phoenix Suns centre also shed light on his postseason woes and new goals for the upcoming NBA season, and talked about his latest shoe release.

With the FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying tournament scheduled for August 12-20, many were curious about whether the Bahamian centre will join the men’s national basketball team. Ayton left the door open on his commitment to the team.

“You guys are going to have to find out for yourself. I am just keeping everything under wraps, just making sure I train everyday, [but] I am thinking about it for sure,” Ayton said.

After coming under scrutiny for his play following the Suns’ loss in the semifinals against the Denver Nuggets in six games, Ayton wants to change the narrative going into next season.

SEE PAGE 13

SWIMMERS CONVINCED SHAVING DOWN IS A KEY TO FAST TIMES

By PAUL NEWBERRY AP National Writer

long jump, Charlton will be entering her sophomore year after she returned to competition this past season for her freshman year.

She enrolled in Kentucky in 2022 after she graduated from St Augustine’s College, but she took the year off.

“I’m looking to improve on my sprints and jumps,” said Charlton, who has posted personal bests of 11.11 seconds in the 100m with a wind-aided mark of 10.98 at the Texas Relays and 6.74 metres in the long jump.

The economic major racked up some credible accolades this past season that included the following:

2023 Outdoor USTFCCCA First-Team All-America as a member of the 4 x 100m relay team; Outdoor USTFCCCA second-team All-America in 100m; NCAA Outdoor silver medallist in 4 x 100m relay; Outdoor second-team All-SEC; SEC Freshman of the Week; SEC Co-Field Athlete of the Week; SEC Indoor long jump bronze medallist;

Indoor USTFCCCA Second-Team All-American in long jump; SEC Outdoor Championship silver medallist in 4 x 100m relay and SEC Outdoor Championship silver medallist in long jump. “Coming back after taking a year off, I think I exceeded my expectations, so all in all, it’s been a good season,” Charlton said. “It didn’t end up how I would like, but I’m still proud of myself.”

Having shut down her season after competing in the Central American and Caribbean Games in San Salvador, El Salvador, Charlton said she’s gearing up for her first global competition at Olympic Games in Paris, France, in 2024. She noted that she will miss the University of Kentucky where she developed a great rapport with the coaches and her team-mates, as well as her

sister, Devynne Charlton, a graduate assistant who is training under Greene.

“When we go headto-head, it’s going to be interesting. It’s even more exciting because we are going to be at different schools,” said Charlton, who holds a slight edge over Devynne in the 100m, but conceded to the Bahamian national record holder in the 100m hurdles.

As she moves on to Florida where she will continue to compete in the Southeastern Conference (SEC), Charlton expressed her gratitude to the coaching staff, the medical team and her advisors, who all helped her to make the transition in getting to where she is.

“I really like their programme. It speaks for itself,” Charlton said.

“The people are so nice and they are welcoming. Even after the transfer portal, the athletes were encouraging and supporting me.”

Now she’s closer to home and is just as eager to get the support from the Bahamian people.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — For all the high-tech suits and advancements in training techniques, there is one time-honoured — and sometimes painful — tradition that swimmers cling to before every big meet: shaving down.

While there is scant scientific evidence that a razor helps produce faster times, good luck finding anyone who will say the sleek look is not just as important as strenuous workouts, good nutrition and proper strokes.

“I don’t know (about the science), but I can tell you it works,” said Bob Bowman, who was Michael Phelps’ longtime coach. “It definitely works.”

Cullen Jones agrees.

The winner of four Olympic medals, including a pair of golds, the now-retired swimmer always felt faster after clipping off every bit of hair that might come in contact with the water.

“The big reason we shave is it does knock off time,” Jones said. “You will see people swimming faster when they have less hair on them because they’re more hydrodynamic. We’re trying to be like fish.”

Still, for all the importance that swimmers place on it, there’s actually been

SEE

PAGE 14

SPRINTER/long jumper Anthaya Charlton.

Diamondbacks end 4-game skid by outlasting the Braves 16-13

ATLANTA (AP) — Geraldo Perdomo gave Arizona the lead with a two-run double in the ninth inning and the Diamondbacks took advantage of Atlanta’s worst pitching effort of the season to beat the Braves 16-13 last night.

It was Arizona’s first game in which each team had at least 13 runs and the first in the majors since the Chicago White Sox beat the Cubs 17-13 on Aug. 27, 2021. The NL East-leading Braves have lost three straight. Arizona snapped a four-game losing streak.

Christian Walker homered twice and had three hits and five RBIs for Arizona. Corbin Carroll had two hits, scored three runs and drove in two.

Miguel Castro (5-3) pitched a scoreless eighth and Kevin Ginkel struck out the side in the ninth for his first save. With the game tied at 13, Arizona pinchhitter Jake McCarthy led off the ninth with a bloop single off Braves closer Raisel Iglesias (3-4).

RANGERS 5, RAYS 3

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — All-Star righthander Nathan Eovaldi pitched two-hit ball over six scoreless innings and matched the major league lead with his 11th victory as the AL West-leading Texas beat Tampa Bay.

Marcus Semien and Corey Seager homered for the Rangers (57-39), whose fifth consecutive victory since the break matched their season-best winning streak.

Eovaldi (11-3) struck out two, walked three and hit a batter, though the Rays stranded six runners on base against him. Will Smith, the third Texas reliever, worked a perfect ninth for his 17th save in 19 chances.

Randy Arozarena and Brandon Lowe went deep for the Rays (60-38), who still have the AL’s best record and a one-game lead over Baltimore in the AL East despite losing their last three games. They have lost 10 of 13 overall in July.

Tampa Bay starter Taj Bradley (5-6) struck out nine pitching into the sixth inning. The rookie righthander gave up two runs and walked two.

DODGERS 10, ORIOLES 3

BALTIMORE (AP)

— Jason Heyward hit a three-run homer during a five-run second inning, and Los Angeles routed Baltimore.

Michael Grove won his second outing in a row for the NL West-leading Dodgers, who picked up their eighth victory in nine games.

Aaron Hicks drove in two runs for Baltimore, which has lost on back-to-back nights to Los Angeles after entering the series on an eight-game winning streak.

The Orioles, who began the night trailing first-place

Tampa Bay by one game in the AL East, need to win Wednesday to avoid being swept for the first time this season.

Wells (7-5) was pitching for the first time in 10 days and lasted two innings, his shortest outing of the season. He allowed five runs and struck out two.

Grove (2-2) gave up Hicks’ RBI double in the second but didn’t allow another runner past first until the first two batters reached in the sixth. That ended the night for the rookie right-hander, who struck out four and has lowered his ERA from 7.54 to 6.40 in three appearances this month.

PADRES 9, BLUE JAYS 1 TORONTO (AP) — Juan Soto hit a two-run homer and Joe Musgrove pitched six sharp innings to win his eighth straight decision.

Manny Machado, Gary Sánchez and Trent Grisham each hit solo homers for the Padres, who ended a threegame skid.

Musgrove (9-2) allowed one run and five hits. He walked one and struck out seven. Soto finished 2 for 4 with a walk and three RBIs and scored three runs. His homer off Alek Manoah (2-8) in the first was his third since June 23 and 17th this season. Soto added an RBI double in the third.

PHILLIES 4, BREWERS 3

PHILADELPHIA (AP)

— Aaron Nola struck out six in 7 1/3 innings, Kyle Schwarber homered and Philadelphia moved a season-best 10 games over .500.

Bryson Stott, Trea Turner and Alec Bohm each had two hits to help the defending NL champion Phillies improve to 52-42 with their fourth consecutive victory.

Philadelphia began play a half-game out of a playoff spot. All nine Phillies starters had at least one hit.

Andruw Monasterio had two hits and drove in a run for the NL Central-leading Brewers. Milwaukee had won four in a row.

Nola (9-6) retired the first 14 batters, getting the second out in the fifth inning on Schwarber’s leaping catch against the left-field wall to rob Owen Miller of extra bases. Nola gave up five hits and walked none. Craig Kimbrel pitched around a pair of errors in the ninth for his 16th save.

The Phillies gave Nola an early cushion with single runs off Julio Teheran (2-4) in each of the first three innings. Schwarber led off by driving the first pitch over the wall in left for his career-best fourth straight game with a homer. It was the 26th dinger of the season for Schwarber.

ROCKIES 4, ASTROS 3 DENVER (AP) — Ezequiel Tovar lined a go-ahead triple in the

fourth and Colorado won a bullpen game using seven pitchers.

This had all the hallmarks of a high-scoring Coors Field affair when it was 3-3 after the first inning. But the pitching took over and the only run allowed after the early fireworks was courtesy of Tovar, who lined a shot off the fence in right-center to score C.J. Cron. Reliever Jake Bird was roughed up for three runs as he opened the game on the mound for the Rockies. From there, the bullpen surrendered just five hits. Fernando Abad (1-0) earned the win by recording four outs. Justin Lawrence picked up save No. 6 with a perfect ninth.

Kris Bryant and Ryan McMahon provided the offensive pop in the first with back-to-back homers off Hunter Brown (6-7). Brown settled down after a rocky start and lasted 5 1/3 solid innings.

CARDINALS 5, MARLINS 2 10 INNINGS ST. LOUIS (AP) — Nolan Arenado’s three-run homer in the 10th inning lifted St. Louis over a slumping Miami.

Arenado’s homer off A.J. Puk (4-4) was his first gameending homer since August 14, 2019, and the fourth of his career.

JoJo Romero (2-0) pitched a perfect 10th for the Cardinals, who have won four straight games.

The Marlins have lost five straight, matching a season high from May 2-6.

Cardinals starter Jordan Montgomery threw 92 pitches in his return after leaving his last start on July 7 with right hamstring tightness.

He allowed one run and six hits, struck out five and walked two.

Marlins starter Edward Cabrera was dominant in his return from the 15-day injured list as he recovered from a right shoulder impingement suffered in his start at Seattle on June 13.

Cabrera, who was on a pitch count, went 5-plus innings, allowed just one run on two hits. He struck out five and walked three.

ATHLETICS 3, RED SOX 0

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Ryan Noda and JJ Bleday homered in the second inning and Oakland ended an eight-game losing streak.

Noda, who was 14-for-86 over his previous 25 games, homered off Boston starter Joe Jacques (1-1) leading off the second.

After Aledmys Díaz reached on an infield single and advanced to second on a throwing error by shortstop Yu Chang, Bleday hit his sixth homer and first off a left-hander this season.

Luis Medina (3-7) allowed three hits in 5 2/3 innings for his first win since June 10. Medina made a nice play on a comebacker in the second, pitched out of a jam with a runner on second in the fourth, then

struck out the side swinging in the fifth.

Trevor May, the A’s fourth reliever, got the final three outs for his seventh save.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora had hoped to avoid reaching deep into his bullpen, but was forced to go to his relievers after Jacques retired only four batters in his first major league start. He allowed four hits and three runs with one strikeout and one walk.

ANGELS 5, YANKEES 1 ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP)

— Shohei Ohtani had an RBI triple, Mickey Moniak hit a two-run homer and Patrick Sandoval pitched two-hit ball into the eighth inning of Los Angeles’ victory over New York.

Moniak had three hits and drove in three runs for the Angels, who have won three of four after a six-game skid. With its first series victory since June 16-18 against Kansas City, Los Angeles is back at .500 while attempting to make enough progress this month in the AL postseason race to justify keeping Ohtani.

Gleyber Torres’ thirdinning homer was New York’s only hit until Anthony Volpe’s one-out single finally chased Sandoval (5-7). The Yankees are 1-4 on their trip out of the break, losing both series in Denver and Anaheim.

Domingo Germán (5-6) struck out nine for the third time in his last four starts for New York, but also yielded five runs on four hits and three walks.

GUARDIANS 10, PIRATES 1 PITTSBURGH (AP)

— Josh Naylor homered twice, including a three-run shot that keyed a five-run first inning against All-Star Mitch Keller, and drove in six runs and Cleveland rolled over Pittsburgh.

Rookie left-hander Logan Allen (4-2) pitched five scoreless innings of one-hit ball after being recalled from Triple-A Columbus prior to the

game. The lone hit was a one-out single in the fifth inning by Jared Triolo, who extended his hitting streak to 11 games. Allen struck out eight and walked one. Keller (9-5) was tagged for eight runs and 10 hits in six innings. Josh Bell hit a two-run homer in the third, his 10th of the year.

Connor Joe’s solo homer in the sixth inning off Eli Morgan accounted for the Pirates’ lone run.

CUBS 17, NATIONALS 3

CHICAGO (AP) —

Seiya Suzuki homered and drove in three runs on a four-hit night, and Chicago poured it on late to beat Washington.

Patrick Wisdom hit his team-leading 17th homer in the seventh inning to put the Cubs ahead 4-3, and Chicago went on to score five more runs in the seventh and eight in the eighth.

Amaya had a two-run single to cap Chicago’s seventh-inning outburst against relievers Amos Willingham (0-2) and Jose Ferrer.

The Cubs sent 13 men to the plate in the eighth. Nico Hoerner had two RBI singles in the frame.

Michael Fulmer (1-5), the first Chicago reliever, got four outs — three via strikeout.

METS 11, WHITE SOX 10 NEW YORK (AP) —

David Robertson retired Tim Anderson on a gameending flyout that stranded runners on second and third, and New York beat Chicago after building a seven-run lead behind a pair of Francisco Álvarez home runs.

Álvarez and fellow rookie Brett Baty hit consecutive home runs off Lucas Giolito (6-6) as the Mets took a 5-0 lead in their highest-scoring first inning this season. Álvarez added another two-run homer in the sixth off Tanner Banks for his third multihomer game. Giolito gave up a season-high eight runs, one shy of his career high, Grant Hartwig (2-1) gave up two runs in 1 2/3 innings. New York won for the eighth time in 12 games.

ROYALS 11, TIGERS 10

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Dairon Blanco tripled, doubled twice, singled and drove in three runs and Kansas City overcame Spencer Torkelson’s two-homer night to beat Detroit.

Daniel Lynch (3-4) completed five innings, allowing five runs on six hits and two walks. He struck out three.

Detroit left two runners on base after scoring four in the ninth against Scott Barlow.

Detroit’s Tarik Skubal (0-1) made his third start of the season after missing almost a year after surgery on his left elbow. He allowed seven runs on eight hits, striking out three over four innings.

ARIZONA Diamondbacks centre fielder Alek Thomas catches a fly ball from Atlanta Braves’ Sean Murphy in the third inning of a baseball game yesterday in Atlanta.

DIAMONDBACKS’ Christian Walker watches his three-run home run in the sixth inning against the Atlanta Braves yesterday.

(AP Photos/John Bazemore)

Deandre Ayton donates $10,000 to Junior Achievement Bahamas

By TENAJH SWEETING Tribune Sports Reporter tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

PHOENIX Suns centre and Bahamian native Deandre Ayton returned to home soil to donate $10,000 to Junior Achievement Bahamas.

The announcement was made yesterday at the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture (MOYSC) in support of the worthy cause.

The donation will be allocated to support various programmes in Junior Achievement, including the Elementary Programme, 4 Juniors Program, Aspire Programme, Company Programme and Stem Summit.

Additionally, it will help to facilitate access, and provide vital items needed for the success of the junior achievers staff, and schools affiliated with the nonprofit organisation.

Ayton talked about why he chose Junior Achievement Bahamas for this generous donation.

“The reason why I am so big on JA having resources in The Bahamas [is] I was blessed to be put in this position, being in this position. I had the opportunity to go to the United States and see so many resources and risks they take, even when they fail they can try again.

“I am just happy to be on this platform to give kids in The Bahamas a chance to try something they would like to do and fail and try at it again and just bring the resources to us instead

DEANDRE AYTON

“I can feel the whole world hating me in a way. I think I am the guy a lot of people point at and I see it and feel it but mainly what I have been working on five to six days a week since we have lost is just motivating myself to change the narrative of what people think about me,” he said.

of seeking it overseas,” the Phoenix Suns centre said. Ayton’s donation will aid in helping over 100 kids to participate in Junior Achievement Bahamas by covering admission fees and also providing adequate meals. Also, it will help the organisation to get more volunteers on board to assist in their financial literacy programmes across the various islands of The Bahamas for kids in K5-Grade 12.

“No matter how you put I feel like I have no fans out here and I can feel it because the whole world is saying it and my goal this whole summer is to change the narrative, just unlock whatever it is and completely focus on me and change the whole thing,” the Phoenix Suns centre added.

Despite the overt criticism and adversity he has faced, Ayton is optimistic ahead of the 2023-2024 NBA season following the Suns’ latest acquisitions

Tammy Lecky, executive director of Junior Achievement Bahamas, said the organisation was grateful for the donation from the Bahamian star.

“On behalf of JA Bahamas we wish to wholeheartedly thank you for your generous donation to the organisation and of course we look forward to collaborating with you in the future and [with] other initiatives that will benefit communities as well as

of former Washington Wizards shooting guard Bradley Beal and recently centre-forward Bol Bol from the Orlando Magic.

“It’s a lot pressure and heat coming, it’s a lot of great team-mates and guys, Bradley Beal is a scoring champion and Bol Bol is another guy that is really talented and has a lot of potential. I am truly happy that he came to a winning team…it’s no excuse now to just to have our heads down and go for the whole thing,” he said.

students all over The Bahamas,” Lecky said. She added that the organisation relies on the support of the government, corporate Bahamas, and donors like Ayton who understand their mission to promote financial and economic literacy. “The support is not only vital to our programme but allows us to inspire future leaders while preparing them to succeed in the global economy,” the executive director said.

Before his appearance at the press conference where he donated $10,000 to Junior Achievement Bahamas, Ayton released an unboxing video of his newest signature shoe - the Puma Rise Nitro DA1 PEs - which represents both the Bahamian and Jamaican flag colours. The Bahamian star was born and raised in The Bahamas but his mother is Jamaican and he wanted to represent both sides of his ethnicities. “That is just me showing both sides and

Ayton was adamant that he intends to support future educational opportunities in The Bahamas. He said he does not only want to support sporting categories but also kids having an education.

“I don’t want people to feel like coming from The Bahamas you have to have some sort of athleticism or gift when it comes to physicality to reach your goal or some type of success in life … it’s a lot of talented,

showing the world who I am.

“Yes I was born in The Bahamas and I love The Bahamas but also on my mom’s side she is not going to let me forget where I really and truly am from, which is Jamaica as well,” he said.

The professional player will look to continue his offseason training as he hopes to play an integral part in the Phoenix Suns quest to go all the way in the upcoming NBA season.

WNBA expansion a topic of discussion for league, players as second half of season tips off

By DOUG FEINBERG AP Basketball Writer

WNBA expansion seems to always be a topic of discussion around the league.

It happens during the offseason, around the preseason and the draft, and it always comes up at Commissioner Cathy Engelbert’s state of the league news conference at the All-Star Game.

This past weekend was no different. As the WNBA tips off the second half of its season, add expansion to the list of topics on the minds of players and the league.

For several years, Engelbert has said the league would expand when the time was right and the 12 current teams were in good standing financially. The league hasn’t had an expansion franchise since Atlanta in 2008. Both Las Vegas and Dallas were existing franchises that relocated.

Engelbert says it’s not just picking the right cities. What’s more important is finding ownership groups that would be a good fit for the league. Las Vegas owner Mark Davis has been a welcome addition, investing in the defending champion Aces, including building a new state-ofthe-art practice facility. During All-Star weekend,

Engelbert said the league should have some expansion news later this season.

“Our conversations with potential ownership groups are headed in the right direction,” the commissioner said.

While no specific cities have been named as possible expansion locations, Engelbert mentioned the success of the preseason game in Toronto between Chicago and Minnesota that drew nearly 20,000 fans.

“We were thrilled with the outcome there,” she said. “We’re still talking about it. There’s still a lot of buzz, and we appreciate our counterparts in Canada making it so successful.”

While the league is looking for the right ownership groups, players aren’t so quick to want expansion, feeling there are other things that the league should be focused on such as travel and salary benefits.

“I feel like we have some holes that we can work on currently,” said Aces guard Kelsey Plum, who is the first vice president of the WNBA Players Association. “We can do a better job of figuring out ways to fix some of the current issues we have coming up.”

Plum knows the league needs to expand its footprint, but believes players

need to be treated better first.

“I understand expansion is important, I understand growing the league, I understand growing in cities, and I do think that’s something to come,” Plum said. “I don’t think that should take precedence over charter flights. I don’t think that should take precedence over salary benefits.”

AP WNBA POLL Las Vegas, New York and Connecticut remained the top three teams in the rankings. Dallas and Washington were next, followed by Atlanta and Minnesota. Chicago was eighth and Los Angeles ninth.

Indiana, Phoenix and Seattle rounded out the poll.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

A’ja Wilson had another impressive week before the All-Star break, averaging 22.5 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks to help the Aces win both their games. Las Vegas enters the second half of the season on a record pace at 19-2. Other players receiving votes included Sabrina Ionescu of New York and Arike Ogunbowale of Dallas.

INVESTING IN THE WNBA

Three-time NBA champion Dwyane Wade is joining the ownership group of the Chicago Sky once he gets approved by the WNBA board of governors. “It’s an incredible feeling being on this side of history. To see growth, on the business side, for something that I’ve been passionate about my whole life is an amazing feeling. There are amazing things happening in the WNBA It’s official! This is for the home team– literally,” Wade wrote on Twitter. Wade, who is from Chicago and retired from the NBA in 2019, has also joined ownership groups for the Utah Jazz and Real Salt Lake of Major League Soccer.

VISITING THE PRESIDENT

The Las Vegas Aces will make a trip to the White House on August 25 to be honoured by President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden for winning the WNBA title last season. The Aces play the Washington Mystics the next day.

RATINGS BOON

The WNBA All-Star Game was in prime time for the first time and had its strongest ratings in 16 years with 850,000 viewers. That’s up 16% from last year. The skills competition and 3-point shootout had a 43% increase over last season.

GRINER WATCH

Brittney Griner had a triumphant return to the WNBA All-Star Game one year after she was an honorary member of the contest while she was stuck in a Russian jail.

Griner scored 18 points, including two dunks, as her team won the exhibition game. The Mercury play two games at home before a four-game road trip.

GAMES OF THE WEEK Connecticut vs Atlanta. The Sun and Dream play a home-and-home set this week. Atlanta is one of the hottest teams in the league, winning six straight before the All-Star break.

gifted people here. I just think we need the resources like we are trying to work on right now,” Ayton added.

The Junior Achievement Bahamas organisation is grateful for Ayton’s humble donation and will continue to do the work they started in 1979, teaching and helping students to understand the importance of financial literacy and its significance in their daily lives and communities.

RHYNE HOWARD HELPS DREAM EXTEND THEIR WINNING STREAK TO SEVEN GAMES

COLLEGE PARK, Ga. (AP) — Rhyne Howard had 21 points and seven assists, Nia Coffey added 13 points and 10 rebounds and the Atlanta Dream beat the Minnesota Lynx 82-73 last night to extend their winning streak to seven games.

Atlanta (12-8) led by 22 points in the first half before Minnesota rallied behind Napheesa Collier, who scored a career-high 35 points, to get within 70-68.

Howard made Atlanta’s first field goal in over seven minutes to extend the advantage to 72-68 with 2:44 left. That started a 10-0 run that also included Howard’s three-point play that made it 78-68 with 1:37 left.

Minnesota (9-12) couldn’t recover.

Howard also set a WNBA record with her 18th consecutive game of making two or more 3-pointers.

AD Durr, who had a combined 14 points over her last five games, scored all 13 of her points in the first half for Atlanta (12-8), which has its longest winning streak since the 2018 season.

Allisha Gray added 12 points and six assists. Cheyenne Parker did not play in the first quarter before finishing with three points in 13 minutes.

Atlanta was 12 of 19 from distance (63%) in the first half.

Durr made Atlanta’s 10th 3-pointer and added a free throw for a four-point play to make it 48-27. Coffey’s 3-pointer a few minutes later gave the Dream their biggest lead of the game at 51-29.

Collier helped Minnesota chip away at the lead. Kayla McBride added 12 points and Dorka Juhasz grabbed 12 rebounds for the Lynx.

NBA STAR Deandre Ayton, a centre for the Phoenix Suns, can be seen on Monday as he donated $10,000 to the Junior Achievement Bahamas programme.

CATHERINE ENGELBERT, commissioner of the WNBA, speaks at a news conference before basketball’s WNBA AllStar Game on Saturday. (AP Photo/John Locher)

GARDINER CLOCKS WORLDLEADING TIME TO WIN 400 METRES

FROM PAGE 11

MINISTRY/BAAA TRACK & FIELD SUMMER CAMP IN HIGH GEAR

By MALIQUE WALLACE Tribune Intern

THE Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture and the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations’ Track and Field Summer Camp is now in high gear at the original Thomas A Robinson track and field stadium.

Ronald Cartwright, who is the head coach for the clinic, has been coaching for more than 50 years. He said he hopes that the kids will learn from what was said and use what they have learned to the best of their abilities.

Saying that even though they are not going to learn everything there is to know about track and field, at the end of the day they are going to walk away with learning something new.

Two campers G’anna Whylly and Gabriel Saunders talked about how their experiences were so far and why they attend this camp. Whylly says she feels good about attending the camp and she joined because she wanted to get more of a physical experience.

Saunders says he feels great that he joined this camp because he got to meet a lot of new people,make new friends,

and learn new things. He says that joined because he wanted to get more experience.

Coach Bernard Newbold is the coordinator of the track and field clinic. He says that this is the third

week of the camp, the last weeks being more focused on the sprints and jumps. He also says that this camp is more of a satellite camp with the Bahamas Athletic Association. He encourages parents to

bring out their kids aged 9-12 and even those who are already in clubs.

Newbold says that track and field is a sport that provides scholarships in the United States. “This is an easy sport where young

student athletes can find scholarships, and the kids who are graduating high school, if they continue doing the sport, they will have no problem getting a scholarship in the future,” Newbold said.

in 44.63. Although she didn’t compete, Shaunae Miller-Uibo still holds the women’s 400m record of 49.53 that she posted in 2018. Miller-Uibo, the reigning Olympic Games and World champion, is making her comeback after giving birth to her son, Maicel Uibo Jr, on April 20.

Meanwhile, sprinter Anthonique Strachan placed third in the women’s 200m in 22.45. Jamaican Shericka Jackson took the tape in 22.02 and Rhasidat Adeleke of Ireland was third in 22.45.

Strachan, 29, is coming into her own after producing her personal best of 10.98 in the 100m last year and 22.15 this year as she also gears up for the Worlds in Budapest where she’s aiming to compete in the sprint double.

And LaQuan Nairn, the 2022 Commonwealth Games gold medallist, was seventh in men’s long jump with 25-feet, 4 3/4-inches or 7.74 metres on his sixth and final attempt.

Nairn, who will turn 27 on July 31, had previous rounds of 24-7 (7.49m), 24-7 1/4 (7.50m), 24-6 1/2 (7.48m), scratch and 25-1 3/4 (7.66).

With a lifetime best stretched to 26-11 3/4 (8.22m), Nairn is aiming for another appearance at the Worlds after he made his debut on the global stage last year in Eugene.

Miltiadis Tentoglou of Greece won with 27-2 1/2 (8.29m) on his sixth attempt as well. Jamaican Tajey Gayle was second with 27-0 1/2 (8.24m) on his fourth and American Jarrion Lawson was third with 26-1 3/4 (7.97m).

Vingegaard closer to Tour win after sensational time trial extends lead to nearly two minutes

COMBLOUX, France (AP)

— Defending champion Jonas Vingegaard may have time-trialed his way to a second straight Tour de France victory.

A sensational time trial from Vingegaard yesterday saw the overall leader extend his advantage over two-time winner Tadej Pogacar to nearly two minutes with just five stages remaining — including Sunday’s largely ceremonial, final procession to Paris.

“No, there’s still a lot of hard stages to come so we have to keep fighting the next days,” Vingegaard said when asked if the race had already been decided. “And yeah, we’re looking forward to it.

“I’m really, really happy with the victory today and really proud

of it. It’s my first time trial victory in the Tour de France. So, yeah, I’m really proud.”

Vingegaard, who rides for the Jumbo-Visma team, started the day only 10 seconds ahead of Pogacar after little could separate the duo in a fascinating duel over the last two weeks.

However, when it came down to a direct head-to-head battle, Vingegaard was in a class of his own.

The Danish cyclist finished the 22.4-kilometre (14-mile) hilly route from Passy to Combloux 1 minute, 38 seconds ahead of Pogacar.

Wout van Aert was third at the end of the 16th stage, 2:51 behind Vingegaard.

The 26-year-old Vingegaard now leads Pogacar by 1:48 overall and it will take something equally sensational from the Slovenian cyclist to wrest the yellow jersey from his rival. Adam Yates moved into third overall, almost nine minutes behind Vingegaard.

Riders face a mammoth mountain stage, the hardest of the race, today.

The last of four climbs of the 17th stage is a 28.4-kilometre (17.6-mile) slog up Col de la Loze, before sweeping downhill to the Courchevel ski station which hosts World Cup slalom races.

Tuesday’s time trial had been seen as a potential tiebreaker but few could have imagined such a large gap.

“I think today I even surprised myself with the time trial I did. I didn’t expect to do so well,” Vingegaard said.

Pogacar himself put in an impressive performance and flew through the first time check 26 seconds up on the rest of the field. However, Vingegaard — who had rolled down the ramp last — was 16 seconds faster than Pogacar at that point, after just 7.1 kilometres, and had extended that to 30 seconds after 12 kilometres of racing.

Pogacar opted to change from his time-trial bike to a lightweight road bike at the foot of the second-category climb, with 5.3 kilometres remaining, and that helped him on the ascent.

But he was unable to match an extraordinary ride from Vingegaard, who could almost see his rival on the approach to the finish line, such was his time gain. Van Aert took his cap off to his teammate and smiled at the camera. “It’s hard to understand what happened because it was extraordinary,” Van Aert said.

“But we’ve seen it throughout the whole Tour — those two are just so much stronger than the rest. In the end, I’m happy to make it into the top three. “It’s a positive step forwards to secure yellow. We’re looking really good ... The stages in the next few days will be tough and crucial. Now we need to recover and make sure we’re ready for tomorrow.”

SWIMMERS CONVINCED SHAVING DOWN IS A KEY TO FAST TIMES

FROM PAGE 11

little research on whether shaving down significantly reduces drag in the water — a key factor in producing faster times. Certainly, there’s more data on snugger suits, tighter-fitting caps and more aerodynamic goggles.

A study from the late 1980s found that shaving down had little effect on such important factors as distance per stroke, heart rate or blood lactate, though it did, indeed, appear to provide a reduction in drag.

Bowman believes the most beneficial aspect to shaving down is the feel it gives a swimmer after he or she dives into the pool.

“What it really does, in my opinion, is it takes off the first layer of skin, so your body is more sensitized to the water,” Bowman said. “You definitely feel different when you do it. I think that’s the

key. You take off the top layer of your skin and your body is more sensitive to the feel of the water.”

At the very least, shaving down provides a psychological edge: If you feel like you’re faster, chances are you actually will swim faster. “I don’t know, like, the physiology of it. I just know when I shave I feel higher in the water. I feel fast,” said backstroker Ryan Murphy, a four-time Olympic gold medalist.

Shaving down occurs only before the biggest of meets, such as the Olympics or the world championships, which are being held this week and next in Fukuoka, Japan.

In the lead-up to those important competitions, many swimmers let the hair on their head and body grow as much as possible. Some men will show up looking like they’re hockey players who grew wooly beards for the NHL playoffs.

Then, the night before they hit the water, they’ll lop it all off.

“There’s a myth that swimmers shave all the time,” Jones said. “No, they shave for big meets. A lot of times throughout the year, most swimmers want to have as much drag as possible, to kind of feel like they’re training harder.”

Jones remembers wearing pantyhose-style tights and other forms of

weight-adding suits during his training routines. Another swimming great, Ryan Lochte, often would go the other direction, competing at less-important meets in tiny training suits, so he wouldn’t get any of the edge provided by jammers covering more of his legs.

“Much like a baseball player with a bat with a weight on it, it was to try to have drag,” Jones

explained. “So, when you’re in the water, you feel like you have to do a lot more. When you took those pantyhose or the drag suit off, you felt like a superhero.

You were flying through the water.”

Shaving down provides many of those same benefits, even if it’s mostly in a swimmer’s head. Jones acknowledged that scaling back on training leading into a major competition — known as tapering — also helped him knock close to a second off the times he put up in practice for the 50-meter freestyle.

“I don’t have scientific evidence,” Jones said. “I think some it is mental. I’m sure a lot of it is mental. But I do think most swimmers shave because there is a feel for the water you get when you don’t have the hair, you don’t have the dead skin on your body anymore. There’s that edge.”

Shaving down can be a time-consuming process,

often requiring the help of a teammate for hard-to-reach areas such as the back, and one needs a gentle touch to avoid agonizing nicks and scrapes.

More experienced swimmers have learned how to make the process go much faster.

“I’m a professional at it now,” the 28-year-old Murphy said with a grin. “I can get it done in like 15 minutes. I just go boom, boom, boom, and I’m good.”

Another Olympic gold medalist, breaststroker Lilly King, believes shaving down has more impact on the men’s side. Noting her blond hair and fair skin, she said she doesn’t even bother shaving her arms anymore.

“I think for the girls, it’s mental,” King said. “Look at me. I’m a blond woman. I’m probably not that hairy to begin with. For the guys, I do think it makes a difference. But for me, it’s not that big a deal.”

ASPIRING track and field athletes take advantage of the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture and Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations Track and Field Summer Camp at the original Thomas A Robinson track and field stadium.

RYAN Murphy participates in the men’s 200 backstroke during wave 2 of the U.S. Olympic Swim Trials on June 17, 2021. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Lobster season fears over boat registration fee reform

look at eliminating VAT on vessels brought in for commercial fisheries use as it has now done for private boats and pleasure craft.

Having previously described the ten-fold increase in the annual cost for registering boats as “distressing”, Mr Maillis said the NFA swiftly took its concerns to Clay Sweeting, minister of agriculture, marine resources and Family Island affairs, and the relevant authorities.

“We spoke with minister Sweeting and spoke with members of the Port Department, and they agreed they were going to meet to discuss amending the fee schedule for commercial fishermen,” he told Tribune Business. “We submitted our opinion on the matter, and the relevant authorities are currently working out the new fees schedule.

“We’re told that the new fee schedule will be coming out shortly, and we applaud them for reacting swiftly to our concerns. I was just told it will be coming out soon but was

not given a specific date. Hopefully it will go through as promised.” Reforms to marine-related legislation mean a 50-foot commercial fishing boat that would have previously cost $250 to register for a year is now $2,300 plus a $125 inspection fee. And the first-time registration fee was also raised to $10,000.

First-time registrants of vessels between 40 to 49 feet in length, and 50 to 59 feet, saw fees increase from the previous $1,000 to $7,000 and $10,000, respectively. And a 200-foot yacht presently has to pay a $35,000 first-time registration compared to the current $4,000, which represents an eight-fold hike, although the Government’s position is that this has been more than offset by the removal of a 20 percent tax rate via Customs duty and VAT elimination.

The Government, though, had already signalled its willingness to make adjustments given the fishing industry’s concerns. Tavares LaRoda, the New Providence Port Authority’s chairman, previously told this newspaper: “It was

NOTICE

IN THE ESTATE OF IRVIN R. PYFROM a.k.a. IRWIN PYFROM, late of Ridgeland Park West, in the Southern District of the Island of New Providence, one of the Islands of the Commonwealth of Te Bahamas, deceased.

NOTICE is hereby given that all persons having any claim or demand against the above Estate are requested to send their names, addresses and particulars of the same duly certifed in writing to the undersigned on or before “18th September, A.D., 2023”, and if required, to prove such debts or claims, or in default be excluded from any distribution; afer the above date the assets will be distributed having regard only to the proved debts or claims of which the Administrator shall have had Notice.

AND NOTICE is hereby also given that all persons indebted to the said Estate are requested to make full settlement on or before the date hereinbefore mentioned.

Dated the 17th day of July, A.D., 2023.

NATHANIEL DEAN & Co. CHAMBERS

Attorneys for the Administrator

55 Rosetta Street, Palmdale Nassau, Te Bahamas

something that was raised, and is definitely something that can be looked at.

“Once they review the fees, and think that they create a commercial disincentive to expand their craft and operations, that’s something the Government will be open to consider. Our intent is not in any way to impair the fishermen; it’s to assist the fishermen, the industry to expand. We’d be open to reviewing it, and the Government would to what it can to assist.”

Mr Maillis, though, said the fisheries industry’s greatest concern now was whether the changes will be enacted in time for crawfish season. “Let me tell you what the problem is right now,” he explained. “The unfortunate reality is this legislation took effect on July 1, and lobster season opens on August 1.

“Commercial fishermen have been greatly disadvantaged by this. A lot of commercial fishermen only activate their vessels in time for lobster season, so right now they are faced with a drastic situation where they have no choice but to accept the registration fees as they stand or not go out to sea.

“Many fishermen are faced with this situation. They know the fee schedule is going to be amended, but cannot wait. It’s our hope that the fishermen who submit and pay their registration fees during this period are given some credit towards future

annual renewals as compensation,” Mr Maillis continued.

“It would be very unfair for them to pay the higher fees that the Government is adjusting, while anyone who can wait for the revised fees has the luxury of paying x, y and z, but all those who can’t wait are stuck. We’re hopeful there will be some sort of credit for them. We’re happy this is being done and they are coming to a solution with us.

“It’s really unfortunate that the Government passed this ahead of the lobster season. The lobster industry is our primary export industry in the country, and putting commercial fishermen at a disadvantage is very unwise in this legislative cycle,” he added. “It’s an unfortunate and avoidable circumstance.

“Had the fishermen been properly consulted before the passage of this legislation, and it is alleged the industry was, but as a representative of the largest fisheries body in the country we were not consulted. We were blindsided. We had no apprehension this was coming, otherwise we would have intervened ahead of time to come to a more reasonable fee schedule.”

Mr Maillis also argued that the tax treatment for imported commercial fishing vessels, acquired overseas then brought back to The Bahamas, “needs to be revised” because the

CALL 502-2394 TO ADVERTISE.

PUBLIC NOTICE

INTENT TO CHANGE NAME BY DEED POLL

The Public is hereby advised that I, STANLEY JAMAL FORBES of P. O. Box N-9079, Bartlett Addition Road off Johnson Road, New Providence, The Bahamas intend to change my name to JAMAL STANLEY FORBES. If there are any objections to this change of name by Deed Poll, you may submit such objections to the Chief Passport Offcer, P. O. Box N-742, New Providence, The Bahamas no later than Thirty (30) days after the date of the publication of this notice.

Budget reforms have placed them at a disadvantageand in a worse spot - than pleasure craft and private boats. While the latter categories now have VAT and duty both eliminated on their importation, commercial fishing vessels still only enjoy a duty exemption - and must still pay the 10 percent VAT.

And, away from the commercial fishing implications, Mr Maillis said he was concerned about the financial impact the first-time and annual renewal fee hikes will have “on the average Bahamian who owns a boat”. He warned that it could act as a disincentive to access the sea and enjoy the ocean, while leading to an increase in unregistered and illegal vessels.

‘I myself, as a boat owner in a commercial and recreational capacity, find it very hard to swallow that the average Bahamian who owns a boat and uses it once or twice a year to go out with the family, go fishing or go to the cays.. whatever they do to enjoy the culture of this country is faced with a very expensive fee schedule to register their boat,” he added.

“Even though we’re grateful the concerns of commercial fishermen are being addressed, it still pains me as a Bahamian to see everyday Bahamians who own vessels are going to be so financially impacted for the foreseeable future just for having a boat. It’s going to

discourage every Bahamian from being able to go out and enjoy the ocean.

“If the Government is of the mindset these fees are to take advantage of new foreign vessels being registered in The Bahamas as part of a push to have more vessels registered in this country they should have really continued with the distinction between Bahamian-owned and foreign-owned vessels,” Mr Maillis said.

“While I applaud the Government for seeking to make more money from people taking advantage of this country’s lax tax code and not paying their fair share of financial costs, it’s distressing that in attempting to appear fair to foreigners they are making Bahamians pay the same fee. It seems contrary to the ‘Bahamians first’ stance of this government. It’s very hard to swallow and I hope they will have a rethink.

“I hope in time that the entirety of this policy will be retooled and reworked. As I warned the Port Department, this new policy is going to lead to a drastic reduction in Bahamian-registered vessels period. Not only is it going to reduce Bahamian access to the ocean, it’s going to lead to a lot of illegal vessels on the sea. People are not in a financial position or are unwilling to pay this exorbitant ten-fold fee increase.”

Soaring water demand queezes bottle supply

FROM PAGE A20

“I think it’s the regular amount of water. I think what’s happening now is I understand that another supplier is actually down in terms of their machines, so I guess with them being down it causes a lot of other places to be out as well. But I don’t see this to be a significant increase in demand.”

Earlier this week, retailers complained they have encountered difficulties in obtaining one-gallon water bottles from suppliers in

recent weeks. Mr Maury, Phoenix Supermarkets’ manager, said: “Plenty people coming for ice and then the problem is we can’t keep up with the water. The one-gallon water either, they can’t keep up with. “Aquapure doesn’t have any bottles, [Chelsea’s] Choice doesn’t have any bottles, Echo doesn’t have any bottle. The gallon bottles, they don’t have none. They can keep up with the water but they can’t keep up with the bottles.”

NOTICE

NOTICE is hereby given that ANNA-KAY STEWART of P. O. Box SB-52108, Zenia Street, Kennedy Subdivision, New Providence, 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 19th day of July, 2023 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, Bahamas.

NOTICE

NOTICE is hereby given that DANIELLA BEAUCHAMP, of Rugby Drive, Winton Heights New Providence, The Bahamas applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for Registration Naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 12th day of July 2023 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, New Providence, The Bahamas.

NOTICE

NOTICE is hereby given that SHANDLENE CASSANDRA DURENA of Treasure Cay, Abaco, 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 12th day of July, 2023 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, Bahamas.

However, Deltec Bank & Trust’s “proactive cooperation” assertion is contradicted by Christopher Saunders, the US Secret Service agent who supplied the affidavit evidence to support the account’s seizure. For he branded the Bahamian institution as “an overseas bank known not to be co-operative with foreign law enforcement requests”.

Other serious allegations in the Saunders affidavit are that Deltec Bank & Trust “misrepresented” to Mitsubishi UFJ Trust and Banking the nature and purposes for which the account would be used. According to the latter, the account was supposed to be a “custodial account” where all transactions were to be for the Bahamian institution’s benefit only.

However, the US Secret Service agent said the account - which was only opened in September 2021 - appeared to be used for services more commonly associated with correspondent banking activities. These facilitate transactions for third-party clients, and the Saunders affidavit alleged that this misrepresentation by Deltec effectively enabled the “pig butchering” scam’s perpetrators to “avoid the scrutiny” their dealings would otherwise attract.

And the US secret service agent also asserted that Deltec Bank & Trust failed to provide Know Your Customer (KYC) documents on two “shell companies” purportedly associated with the scam despite these being requested by Mitsubishi UFJ Trust and Banking.

The account’s freezing, and subsequent multi-million dollar seizure, represent a further regulatory headache for Deltec Bank & Trust just months after it was caught up in the FTX crypto exchange’s multi-billion dollar collapse.

It was named as a defendant in at least one FTX-related ‘class action’ lawsuit by the exchange’s former clients, and was also forced to deny that its Ansbacher (Bahamas) purchase in early 2022 was financed by FTX or Alameda Research.

The Lyford Cay-based institution, which has aggressively embraced the digital assets evolution by setting up its Delchain subsidiary to target this area, refuted any “credit or asset exposure by the bank to FTX”. However, it later confirmed that its parent was attempting to repay a $50m loan received from FTX while Jean Chalopin, Deltec’s chairman and creator of the Inspector Gadget cartoons, also came under scrutiny over his US bank, Moonstone’s, links to the crypto exchange.

Mr Saunders, the US secret service agent, explained in his June 28, 2023, affidavit that was recently unsealed that the laundered fraud proceeds were generated by a scam known as “pig butchering”. This involves scammers and con artists setting up “spoofed” domains and websites, with addresses and features similar to those of legitimate crypto currency trading and investment platforms. They then target victims with “unsolicited” phone calls, using techniques common to those employed in so-called ‘romance’ frauds to groom them, develop a relationship and gain their confidence. Finally, the victims are fooled into investing in crypto currency via the fake platforms that have been created, with the fraudsters stealing all their money.

Justifying the seizure of Deltec’s US account, and the funds it contained, Special Agent Saunders alleged: “Law enforcement has been investigating organised, international criminal money laundering syndicates operating crypto currency investment and other wire fraud scams.

“Victims were fraudulently induced to transfer money into shell companies, at which point the money underwent a series of transfers, generally ending overseas, designed to conceal the source, nature, ownership and control of the funds.”

Referring to the role played by the Deltec bank account, Special Agent Saunders asserted: “Specifically, 74 different shell companies received wire fraud proceeds and subsequently transferred those proceeds to and through the subject account [Deltec account] to ultimate beneficiaries overseas.

“The subject account received at least $58.465m from these shell companies since June 2022. As will be discussed in more detail herein, the criminal enterprise used the subject account to send wire fraud proceeds indirectly to accounts in The Bahamas and structured the transfers in such a way as to avoid scrutiny that typically applies to international wire transfers.

“Law enforcement identified approximately 157 victims who had transferred money to 63 of these shell companies and interviewed approximately 43 of them.

Approximately $13.4m from the 43 victims interviewed by law enforcement flowed through the subject account,” the US secret service agent continued.

“Approximately $50.2m from the 63 victim-associated shell companies flowed through to the subject

account. Law enforcement also identified another 11 companies that had similar characteristics and money transfer patterns to the 63 victim-associated entities. These 11 companies transferred an additional $8.2m to the subject account.

“The evidence indicates there is probable cause to believe that the $58.465m that has passed through these shell companies and into the subject account represents the proceeds of wire fraud and/or is property involved in money laundering.”

Tribune Business was last night told by sources familiar with the matter that “Deltec is not a target of the investigation”. They added that neither of the two individuals formally indicted over the “pig butchering” scheme were Deltec clients or were the beneficial owners of bank accounts with the Bahamian institution.

Suggesting that the $58.465m figure was inflated and/or exaggerated, some contacts even suggested that the Deltec account’s seizure had been unsealed in a bid to draw media and other attention away from the nine-ten US banks that also provided accounts for the scheme. They suggested the move was intended to place the focus on both Deltec and The Bahamas given the FTX links.

Special agent Saunders’ affidavit said accounts at JP Morgan Chase and Bank of America were also used in the scheme, and this newspaper understands that facilities at M&T Bank, Choice Financial Group, Evolve Bank & Trust and Lakeland Bank were also employed by the fraudsters.

However, Bahamian financial services executives, speaking on condition of anonymity, yesterday voiced fears that the situation threatens to cause a further reputational hit for this nation so soon after FTX’s collapse. “I have clients who bank with Deltec. This is a very serious concern to me,” said one. “I’d be surprised if Deltec can find intermediaries in the US to conduct correspondent banking.

“The Bahamas’ ambitions as the new crypto centre in the western world have basically taken the financial services industry down the drain. The Bahamas is attracting the reputation of being a regulatory free zone for crypto.” Another contact questioned whether there was sufficient oversight and due diligence by Deltec of the entities and individuals involved given the sheer volume of transactions that took place. The situation is almost certain to attract Central Bank of The Bahamas scrutiny.

And special agent Saunders raised further concerns. “Additionally, it appears that Deltec Bank & Trust has misrepresented the purpose and use of the subject account to Mitsubishi UFJ Trust and Banking (MUFJ),” he alleged. “According to MUFJ, the subject account is intended to be a ‘custody account’, which means that all transactions are for the benefit of Deltec.

“MUFJ noted that the stated purpose of the subject account is for custodial services, including but not limited to the safekeeping of securities; receipt and delivery of securities; funds transfer and corporate action processing. However, it appears that in addition to the money laundering transactions discussed above, Deltec has also allowed the account to be used by other third parties, in activity that would not reasonably be anticipated in a custody account and that has allowed individuals to avoid the scrutiny and vetting that international transactions might otherwise receive.”

Deltec, in its reply to Tribune Business, did not respond to questions on the “misrepresentation” allegations, whether the necessary KYC and due diligence processes were followed, and if it became aware of any concerns regarding the funds flow generated by the “pig butchering” scam.

Acknowledging that the seized funds “were under the control of Deltec Bank”, it added: “The seizure warrants relate to fraud charges against two individual defendants.

According to the documents made public by the Eastern District of Virginia, the individual defendants directed the fraudulently obtained money into a number of bank accounts including, among others, a Deltec Bank account at Mitsubishi UFJ Trust and Banking, from which money was seized....

“Deltec Bank is committed to abiding by all relevant anti-money laundering laws and maintains that all actions taken by the bank are in line with applicable policies and regulatory requirements... Deltec Bank takes its responsibility to clients and the financial centre as a whole very seriously, and ensures that the highest standards of conduct

are upheld. As a matter of practice, Deltec Bank continuously enhances its compliance and control framework, which is evident in our ability to proactively work with the authorities.”

Special agent Saunders named one of the alleged fraudsters as Hailong Zhu, was said to have confessed to his role in the scam, and his affidavit also refers to an “Asian woman” as one of the unsolicited callers who targeted victims. He revealed that tracing techniques ultimately tracked the fraud proceeds, representing victim monies, via a series of transactions to the Deltec Bank & Trust account.

Several payments, representing tens of thousands of dollars, were allegedly made to Deltec bank accounts beneficially owned by two companies, Axis Digital and GTAL. Special agent Saunders said these entities were used to “send money overseas without complying with the regulatory scrutiny and requirements that normally accompany international transfers”.

He added: “MUFJ informed law enforcement in April 2023 that they learned that Deltec appeared to be treating the subject account in part as a correspondent account, which is not the original purpose established at the time of account creation. Custodial services generally do not include receiving funds from third parties for the benefit of another customer.”

MUFJ then conducted its own investigation which revealed “the high volume” of wire transfers to Axis Digital and GTAL. “MUFJ reported that they found these transactions suspicious because the source of funds was unknown and an economic business purpose could not be determined,”

Special agent Saunders alleged.

“Additionally, MUFJ conducted open-source research on the companies originating the suspicious transactions and concluded they appeared to be shell companies. Separately, MUFJ was unable to obtain KYC documentation related to Axis Digital or GTAL from Deltec.”

This left MUFJ in breach of US law, and Special agent Saunders added: “Law enforcement has also not yet been able to identify the registered agents, business locations or business purposes of Axis Digital and GTAL. MUFJ records revealed 224 wire transfers from June 2022 to the present into the subject account, totalling approximately $29.5m, that records clearly show were transferred to either Axis Digital or GTAL.

“Law enforcement then analysed the other transfers into the subject account and identified approximately 253 additional wire transactions totaling approximately $29m. Although the records do not clearly show the direction further transferring funds to Axis Digital or GTAL, I submit that they were made as part of the same fraud and money laundering scheme.......

“The use of the custody account reduced transparency by routing the funds through a large central account where they became ‘mixed’ with Deltec’s own funds. Only Deltec - an overseas bank known not to be co-operative with foreign law enforcement requests - has records detailing the breakdowns of funds within its own accounts. As a result, it became more difficult to track the proceeds of the fraud once they entered the subject account.”

NOTICE

INTEGRATED SECURITY SERVICES LTD.

Registration No. 54381 C

(In Voluntary Liquidation)

NOTICE is hereby given in pursuance of Section 218(e) of the Companies Act, 1992 as amended by the Companies (Winding-up Rules Amendment) Act, 2011 that the Members of Integrated Security Services Ltd., (the “Company” ) by resolutions passed on the 13th day of July 2023, authorized the voluntary winding up of the Company and the appointment of Philip Holdom c/o 303 Shirley Street, Nassau, Te Bahamas as the Liquidator.

All persons having claims against the Company are requested to submit particulars of such claims and proof thereof in writing to the Liquidator, Philip Holdom, c/o 303 Shirley Street, P. O. Box N-492, Nassau, Te Bahamas not later than the 18th day of August, 2023 afer which the books will be closed and assets of the Company will be distributed. DATED this 19th day of July, A.D., 2023.

Philip Holdom Liquidator

PORT AUTHORITY LIMITED OVER UNSAFE BUILDINGS

change Freeport’s by-laws so it gains these powers.

THE GRAND Bahama Chamber of Commerce’s president yesterday said the Grand Bahama Port Authority (GBPA) remains restricted to revoking occupancy certificates because it has no powers to demolish unsafe buildings.

James Carey told Tribune Business that the Hawksbill Creek Agreement, the city’s founding treaty, does not provide the quasi-governmental body with the necessary authority to order the demolition of dilapidated, unsafe or unsanitary properties despite efforts to

Responding to the 30-day notice issued by the GBPA to the Lucayan Towers South condominium complex, demanding that its Board fix multiple safety woes and other deficiencies or otherwise its occupancy certificate will be revoked, Mr Carey said: “One of the things the GBPA has been fighting for in recent times is seeking the amendment of the by-laws for Freeport so that they can freely demolish buildings that are in a state of disrepair or vacant or unoccupied.

“That, to my knowledge, has not happened yet because that requires government permission.”

Revoking Lucayan Towers

South’s occupancy certificate is thus the only option the GBPA has in its arsenal, as the Hawksbill Creek Agreement does not permit it to demolish dilapidated buildings.

The agreement gives the GBPA the authority to manage Freeport in its sections 13 (1) (a) and (b) with respect to all factories, warehouses, office buildings and housing. To demolish buildings in the Freeport area, the GBPA needs the co-operation of the property owner and/or landlord. Absent that, it has to ask the central government to intervene and force owners to address the issues with their buildings.

Mr Carey said: “The Government can only work

within the boundary of the legislation, which gives them existence, and that is primarily the Hawksbill Creek Agreement. If that agreement does not provide for certain things then they just can’t do certain things.

“The GBPA is not responsible for the police force, Immigration or Customs officers, which obviously limits the powers of the GBPA in terms of border security. They are not a government, they have certain authorities, but one of the things they can’t do is legislate.”

“The Government has the force of legislation with them. For example, they can demolish certain buildings and they can also take certain properties in the

public interest. The GBPA does not have the ability to do that.”

Efforts to contact the Lucayan South Towers Board of Directors have proven unsuccessful. The 30-day occupancy certificate warning has also arisen just when relations between the Government and the GBPA and its owners, the Hayward and St George families, have become increasingly frosty due to the public spat over Freeport’s governance structure and whether both this and the Hawksbill Creek Agreement are living up to their development obligations.

Mr Carey said: “I guess something extra is going on in the background, or the GBPA may be saying

CONTRACTOR CHIEF: STOP HEADS OF AGREEMENT ‘BLANK CHEQUES’

FROM PAGE A20

this several billion dollars a year sector” and ensure that Bahamians and the wider economy maximise its benefits.

Mr Sands spoke out after Keith Bell, minister of labour and Immigration, in a prepared statement

where he took no questions

confirmed that the Department of Immigration had uncovered “irregularities” concerning the status of workers at the British Colonial’s construction site adjacent to The Pointe in downtown Nassau.

“The Department of Immigration, as part of its

IN THE COMMONWEALTH OF THE BAHAMAS IN THE SUPREME COURT

COMMON LAW AND EQUITY DIVISION BETWEEN

DENISE WILSON Plaintiff AND MONICA SMITH Defendant

TAKE NOTICE THAT:

1. On 21st October 2022 BEORE HIS LORDSHIP the Honourable Justice Andrew Forbes at the Supreme Court Registry, Garnet Levarity Justice Centre, The Mall Drive, Freeport, Grand Bahama the Court ordered that the:

1. Plaintiff’s List of Documents fled on September 2nd , 2022.

2. Plaintiff’s Statement of Facts and Issues fled on September 2nd, 2022.

3. Witness statement of Denise Wilson fled on September 13th, 2022.

4. Plaintiff Bundles of Documents (1) fled on September 13th, 2022.

5. Plaintiff Bundles of Documents (2) fled on September 13th, 2022.

6. Plaintiff Bundles of Documents (3) fled on September 13th, 2022.

7. Plaintiff Listing Questionnaire fled on September 13th, 2022.

8. Plaintiff’s Bundle of Pleadings fled on November 3rd, 2022 and all other documents in the said action be effected on you by virtue of this advertisement (“the Order”).

2. Publication of this Notice constitutes service of the aforementioned documents and the Order, copies of which may be obtained from the Supreme Court Registry, Garnet Levarity Justice Centre, The Mall Drive, Freeport, Grand Bahama, The Bahamas or McIntosh and Co, Peach Tree Street, Grand Bahama, The Bahamas during normal business hours.

AND TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that the trial in this matter is scheduled for September 8th 2023 and September 22nd, 2023 at 1:00 p.m. and that the Court may proceed in this action in your absence and make such Order as it deems just.

MCINTOSH & CO., Chambers, Peach Tree Street, Freeport, Grand Bahama, BAHAMAS Attorneys for the Plaintiff

ongoing efforts to ensure compliance with our Immigration laws, discovered a number of irregularities with the status of workers at a British Colonial construction site. Whilst the irregularities required immediate action, it was determined, and given all of the circumstances, taking the persons to the detention centre was unnecessary,” Mr Bell said.

It is important to note that the employer, as with almost every other major hotel redevelopment, has a Heads of Agreement with the Government of The Bahamas to permit the temporary importation of foreign construction workers. Secondly, the irregularities found at the site were expeditiously cured by the employer.

“And, thirdly, the completion of the renovation works for the British Colonial property will address and add critically needed hotel rooms on New Providence and create additional employment and opportunities for Bahamians.”

Mr Bell did not specify the irregularities involved, or the number of workers in question, although the former almost certainly involved persons without the necessary work permits or other relevant Immigration status.

The unnamed employer is almost certainly China Construction America (CCA), developer of The Pointe and the British Colonial’s developer. The latter property is in the middle of a $50m renovation ahead of its late 2023 re-opening

ahead of the Christmas season.

“I want to go on record,” Mr Sands told Tribune Business in response. “One of the questions the BCA would have is this. When would the Government of The Bahamas, whether it’s this administration or future administrations, foresee a time in our future when they would determine The Bahamas has workers that are qualified to carry out construction work?

“The Bahamas has been engaged in the construction practice since the 1680s, when it first became a democracy. Apparently, it has become clear that no administration believes we have the skills or capacity to construct buildings which, I must be very honest with you, are very linear in nature and not more complicated than what we have constructed, and are not beyond the capacity and scope of any of the large contractors in the Commonwealth of The Bahamas.

“Again, at the Heads of Agreement level, the only persons who believe we should not be there, and do not have a seat at the table in our country, is the Government that represents us. Until such time as that changes, nothing will in my view take away the right of the developer to ask for foreign labour. The [Government] response should be: Show me where the Bahamians are unable to perform.”

The issue of how many Bahamian contractors and construction workers were

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employed at The Pointe, a $200m development now featuring the Margaritaville resort, condo hotel, parking lot, retail, office and other amenities, was a longrunning controversy amid work that largely took place under the Minnis administration following the Heads of Agreement struck with its Christie predecessor.

There were frequent complaints that Bahamians were largely being excluded from work they could perform by a Chinesedominated workforce that Beijing insists accompanies its capital investments wherever they are located. Numerous calls were made for the Department of Labour to investigate whether CCA was breaching the project Heads of Agreement, and denying contractors and their employees much-needed income.

Mr Bell alluded to the Heads of Agreement terms in his statement yesterday.

“Subsequent to the closure of the [British Colonial] hotel, the Government began discussions with the owners of the hotel with the objective of ensuring that the hotel that is the Hilton would be open in the shortest possible timeframe. And as you all aware, we have a Heads of Agreement,” he added.

“The Government was advised the hotel required extensive renovation works that, as with other large projects, necessitated the importation of temporary foreign workers. Given the construction processes, varying workers are required for elements of the project. As specialised workers complete their tasks they leave the country and new specialists re-entered in January of this year.”

However, no explanation was presented for why these “specialists” entered The Bahamas and began working despite seemingly being in breach of Bahamian labour laws. Mr Sands said he and the BCA have “implored” Mr Bell to allow the Bahamian construction industry to aid the Government when applications are made for work permits and to bring in foreign contractors, but nothing had changed to-date.

we are doing due diligence as best we can. I think that when this back and forth started, somebody in government made the comment that there are unsightly buildings and properties in Grand Bahama that the GBPA is not dealing with.

“So, are they now responding to that by dealing with a property that is occupied, and maybe in a certain state that it could be hazardous to occupants?

And I haven’t seen anything about the GBPA’s request for an amendment to the by-laws so that they can take down dilapidated and unoccupied property.”

“We have reached out on occasion to the minister, have had a conversation with the minister, implored the minister to allow is to help him and his department to do the job they’re trying to do by inviting us into the process when hotel groups and developers make applications for permits and ask us if we have persons able to fill these skilled positions,” he added. “In all instances I can guarantee we will find contractors or persons to fill the skills you are looking for.

“I have been advised of an experience with a hotel property in Nassau in January, again, where local contractors submitted a bid to perform remedial work: Dry wall finishing and the construction of some additional rooms. The contract was almost signed, and they were almost engaged, but the owners decided to make an application for 25 Spanish-speaking to do ‘technical work’ in other parts of the hotel.

“It was later discovered by the contractor that those persons were brought in and completed the work that the Bahamian bid on despite it being nothing special at all.” Declining to name the resort involved, Mr Sands cited this episode as further evidence that “the system is being abused rampantly because the Department of Immigration does not have the manpower, the capacity and the knowledge to police the sector.

“It is too wide,” he added.

“They need the assistance of the BCA and other industry groups to police this several billion dollars a year industry. Until such time as they seek our help, Bahamian contractors will continue to lose opportunities to legitimate permit holders approved by the departments of labour and Immigration.

“I don’t have any issue with that. We have issues with the fact we’re not able to properly police the sector so abuse occurs every day, and that has to be addressed. The way to address it has to be from the Heads of Agreement. The Heads of Agreement cannot give a blank cheque to bring in whoever and how many you want. That has to be stopped.”

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Greenhouse farming to launch in August

By YOURI KEMP

A CABINET minister yesterday said the Government’s greenhouse farming initiative is set to launch before the end of August 2023.

Clay Sweeting, minister of agriculture, marine resources and Family Island

affairs, speaking ahead of the weekly Cabinet meeting, said: “In Eleuthera we have almost completed the greenhouses there. They have to put the automotive equipment in. So probably within two to three weeks we should get that one up and going.”

The initiative, designed to facilitate more consistent agricultural production in a controlled environment less

susceptible to heat and other weather conditions, was first announced by the Bahamas Agriculture and Marine Science Institute (BAMSI). The Chinese government subsequently offered $800,000 in technical assistance to help support Bahamian farmers with the development of greenhouses this May.

Mr Sweeting said the partnership with Beijing is “deeper” than just

greenhouses. “So the programme there is that we have two technicians. Where we provide a property, they will provide three large greenhouses and will provide technical assistance to farmers to do a seed bank," he explained.

“So the technicians are in country. We are clearing the land, one acre of property. So you should see that and we are just waiting for the

greenhouses to come from China.” Meanwhile, the Golden Yolk egg initiative is also progressing. Mr Sweeting said: “The feed mill is shipped from India. That should be here in the next four to five weeks. We're finalising the plans for the feed mill with the Ministry of Works. We should get those plans this week, and should go out to tender to build the

facility so that, in time, we could get the feed mill up and running.

"The Golden Yolk programme, we are finalising the ordering of the houses - the layer houses - so we're hoping by the end of the year you should see things in production.” The plan is to have an increased volume of Bahamian eggs on local tables by next January.

the Government, through the latter’s section 55 (1) to extend a loan to a government business enterprise such as BPL. However, he pointed out that section 55 (2) requires that “all investments made under subsection (1) shall be made under an appropriation”.

Hence the Opposition’s case that the $110m loan to BPL requires parliamentary approval. “But even outside of this provision the expenditure outlays to BPL for this loan would in any case have come from borrowed funds or government revenue that, by law, had to be deposited into the Consolidated Fund” under the constitution’s article 128,” Mr Pintard argued.

“Accordingly, these outlays must comport to the Article 131 provisions of the constitution, which

limits public spending strictly either to parliamentary appropriated sums or to statutory expenditure.”

Given that the 2022-2023 Budget and projections for the current fiscal year did not clearly identify provisions for the $110m BPL financing, Mr Pintard argued it did not fall under statutory expenditure.

“If no such sums have been made available from authorised appropriations, then consistent with the provisions of the constitution and the Public Financial Management Act 2021, it is our considered view that you will require a supplementary appropriations bill to cover this sum,” he added.

“We anticipate that this undertaking will cause a readjustment in the spending projections for this fiscal year equal to that sum once it is properly appropriated

and expensed consistent with the law. We also require a copy of the loan documents and all the related terms and conditions, including if and how this loan impacts the fuel charge imposed on BPL customers.”

Tribune Business revealed in mid-May 2023 that government loans to stateowned enterprises (SOEs) and agencies near-tripled during the first nine months of the current fiscal year to enable BPL to pay off its fuel bill arrears.

Simon Wilson, the Ministry of Finance’s financial secretary, said then that the $80m increase in such “bilateral loans” during the three months to end-March 2023, which took the nine-month jump to $110m, represented financial support to the state-owned electrical utility to enable it to pay-off past due and outstanding debts.

“You’re correct. That’s BPL,” he replied, when asked about the figures, which were contained in the Ministry of Finance’s last quarterly public debt statistical bulletin for the quarter to end-March. Asked whether these loans were to help finance payments to Shell, Mr Wilson confirmed: “Yes, that’s correct.”

Under the heading “debt owed to government”, the debt bulletin confirmed: “Agencies and government business enterprises’ (GBEs) bilateral loans with the central government increased by $80m over the review quarter to $150.8m at end-March 2023, and by $110m since end-June 2022.”

Figures provided in the bulletin showed that BPL’s debt had risen from $113.6m at end-December 2022 to $192.3m at end-March 2023,

the increase matching the $80m rise noted earlier on the report. This sum had also risen from $85m at end-June 2022, again matching the $110m increase for the ninemonth period.

The Opposition is eager to seize on the $110m loan because it allows it to target a perceived government weak point - the failure to execute the trades to secure increased cut-price fuel volumes that would have supported BPL’s fuel hedging strategy. This has triggered a series of events leading to this summer’s soaring energy bills for businesses and households.

With fuel hedging, utilities such as BPL typically do not lock-in a price that secures 100 percent of their needs.

This is done to minimise risk, cost and exposure in case they find themselves on the wrong side of an unexpected oil price move. As an example, they may hedge 80 percent of their fuel needs

for the first year, 50 percent in the second and 30 percent in the third.

The Davis administration, faced with a cash-strapped Treasury and a $200m-plus BPL loan coming due in February 2022, elected not to execute the trades that would have secured the extra cut-price oil volumes necessary to cover 100 percent of BPL’s fuel needs.

However, they also held BPL’s fuel charge at the original 10.5 cents per kWh for a further 12 months until October 2022 even though - without the extra hedged volumes - the actual cost was considerably more. The Government effectively subsidised BPL to ensure this price could be maintained - something that the regulations accompanying the Electricity Act prevent it from doing, as fuel costs are supposed to be 100 percent passed through to the consumer.

Bahamas bank’s account seized over $58.5m ‘pig butcher’ scam

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

A BAHAMIAN financial institution yesterday asserted it “has been proactively cooperating” with a US Secret Service probe that seized its bank account on the basis that $58.465m in fraud proceeds were laundered through it.

Deltec Bank & Trust, in a statement responding to Tribune Business inquiries, also revealed it will seek to recover

the $5.643m taken from the same US-based account by the federal authorities after the seizure was authorised by the eastern Virginia district court via warrants executed between June 12 and June 28, 2023. The Lyford Cay-based institution said its account, held with US-based Mitsubishi UFJ Trust and Banking, was among multiple facilities opened with a variety of US-based banks - none of whom were aware of or played an active role in

Lobster season fears over boat registration fee reform

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

BAHAMIAN fishermen were yesterday “eagerly awaiting” promised revisions to the over “ten-fold” increases in annual boat registration fees amid fears the reforms will not take effect before lobster season’s August 1 start.

Paul Maillis, the National Fisheries Association’s (NFA) secretary, told Tribune Business that following meetings with Cabinet ministers and Port Department officials the industry had been informed that a new boat registration fee

schedule for both firsttime payments and annual renewals will be unveiled to ease the financial impact for commercial fishermen.

However, no timeline for when the changes are to be introduced has been confirmed, and he voiced concern that fishermen who have yet to register

Soaring water demand squeezes bottle supply

WATER suppliers yesterday said they are running out of one-gallon bottles as quickly as they restock since the extra hot summer means consumers are demanding “way more water”.

Shaquille, a manager at Chelsea’s Choice, said the manufacturer is selling out of one-gallon water bottles shortly after restocking due to increased demand from Family Island clients and increased summer temperatures.

He said: “We are out of gallon water bottles. We have boat orders, and they ordered a lot of water. Soon as our one gallons come in stock they go. It’s about the heat. They are asking for way more water. We had gallons earlier but they are all gone. As soon as they come out, they go. We will have some more in the morning.”

Geron Gibson, manager at Echo, said that while the company currently has one-gallon water bottles in stock it has been experiencing machinery “challenges” and is not producing at full capacity. He added that one-gallon water bottles have been selling quickly as soon as they are restocked.

“I think we have one-gallon bottles in stock. But I’ll tell you: Barely in stock,” Mr Gibson said. “Everybody is rushing to us to get the one-gallon product. Everybody. I think customers just prefer the one-gallon bottles to the other sizes.

“I mean, there has been a challenge in terms of our machines working. Getting it back online has been a challenge. One is partially back up, and we are still trying to get the other two as well now, so we are not at 100 percent capacity.”

Mr Gibson said that despite the production issues, his company is seeing a “normal level” of business this summer. He added that other distributors are also experiencing machinery issues. “For our business I don’t think it has really spiked that much. I don’t think it has. It seems to be a pretty normal level for us,” he added.

their vessels - because they only take them out on the water when lobster season begins - will be hit with the current higher fee hikes because the reforms will not be implemented by August 1. Calling on the Government to provide a “credit” for future annual

boat registration fees to fishermen caught in this predicament, Mr Maillis said the fall-out and subsequent push back to the hikes unveiled with the 2023-2024 Budget were entirely “avoidable” if the fishing industry had been consulted beforehand. Describing the NFA and other fisheries industry groups as “blindsided” by both the increases and their magnitude, he also urged the Government to distinguish between Bahamian-owned and foreign-owned vessels in the registration fee structure. And it also needed to

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Opposition ‘to hammer’ Gov’t on BPL’s $110m

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

THE OPPOSITION’S leader has pledged to “continue to hammer” the Government over the accounting treatment it is using for the $110m loan advanced to Bahamas Power & Light (BPL) to pay off its fuel arrears.

Michael Pintard told Tribune Business the Free National Movement (FNM) is going “to continue to press the issue” as BPL customer bills skyrocket amid peak summer energy consumption to enable the cash-strapped utility to repay debts owed to Shell, as its fuel supplier, and the Government.

He spoke out after publicly releasing a letter, previously sent to Prime Minister Philip Davis KC and Terrance Bastian, the auditor general, urging the Government to clarify how the $110m BPL loan was made given the absence of any parliamentary approval for such an advance and where it has been booked in the public finances.

The issue was raised during the 2023-2024 Budget debate’s committee stage and discussion on all spending line items, but the Opposition is arguing the assistance provided to BPL must cause “spending projections” for the current fiscal year to be adjusted as the Government has to come to Parliament to debate and pass new legislation to give effect to this sum.

“We are going to continue to hammer the issue,” Mr Pintard told this newspaper. “He [Mr Davis] has a legal responsibility to deal with this. We are going to stay on this issue. It shows the Government is not committed to being open and transparent with

the public, so we are going to continue to press on with this issue.”

The Opposition leader said he had given the Prime Minister “what I thought would be a reasonable time for him to respond” after the latter committed to review the matter following the Budget debate. “He actually said that somewhere in Finance it will no doubt be reflected,” Mr Pintard said of Mr Davis.

“That’s not what the constitution says in article 30. When you make funds available to a government entity, it has to come through an appropriation by Parliament. It doesn’t give him that flexibility. It is further blocked by the Public Debt Management Act. There’s no wiggle room for him in this regard. He has to be able to explain in a very simple way where they have booked this loan and what the terms are.”

Mr Pintard, in his letter to the Prime Minister and Mr Bastian, agreed that both the Public Debt Management Act and the Public Finance Management Act versions in effect at the time allowed

the scheme - to launder funds from a crypto currency investment scam commonly known as “pig butchering”.

Stating that it has been working with the federal probe, Deltec Bank & Trust said: “Deltec Bank has been proactively co-operating with the related investigation of the US Attorney’s Office for the eastern district of Virginia in order to provide information and assistance consistent with applicable laws.

“We believe that Deltec Bank has a legitimate claim, under US laws, that the cash seized from its account at Mitsubishi UFJ Trust and Banking should be returned, and it intends to assert such claim as part of the forfeiture process defined under US law.” There is nothing to suggest that Deltec, its executives, staff and agents have done anything wrong in relation to the account’s seizure.

Contractor chief: Stop Heads of Agreement ‘blank cheques’

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

THE BAHAMIAN Contractors Association’s (BCA) president yesterday demanded that the Government stop giving developers “a blank cheque” to bring in foreign contractors and workers amid the latest British Colonial/Pointe controversy.

Leonard Sands told Tribune Business that successive administrations, whether PLP or FNM, need to stand up for Bahamian contractors and the sector’s local workforce given that the industry has the “scope and capacity” to meet most - if not all - construction demands in this nation.

Arguing that administrations of both political persuasions have yet to show they believe in the skills and competencies of Bahamian construction professionals, he also urged the Government to involve the BCA and other industry groups when developers were seeking work permits and other approvals to bring in foreign firms and personnel as they were best-placed to advise whether these needs could be met by locals instead.

Pointing to a separate January 2023 incident, when a Bahamian contractor thought he had secured a contract to perform dry wall finishing and construct a few rooms at a New Providence hotel, only for the work to ultimately be performed by 25 Spanishspeaking workers brought in to handle “other tasks”, Mr Sands told this newspaper that the work permit system is being “rampantly abused”.

Asserting that the departments of labour and Immigration lack the manpower, resources and knowledge that is required, he renewed calls for the Government to work with the BCA and other industry bodies “to properly police

SEE PAGE A18

LEONARD SANDS

MICHAEL PINTARD

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