THE Supreme Court trial to determine ownership of more than 300 acres on Long Island, which a blind Bahamian alleges he was deceived into signing away for a pittance, has been pushed back to January 2025.
Sir Ian Winder, in a brief December 9, 2024, verdict said last-minute legal filings by relatives of David Lawrence Adderley on the day the case was due to be heard forced its adjournment until the New Year so as not to prejudice the interests of a US-based Christian TV and radio network.
Nevertheless, the Chief Justice awarded Three Angels Broadcasting Network and its principals, plus its US and Bahamian attorneys, a combined $12,065 to cover costs incurred in attending the aborted November 11, 2024, hearing which must be paid by Mr Adderley’s family.
Three Angels’ bid to “quiet” a 304-acre site located at Dean’s, some four miles west of Clarence Town on Long Island, using the Quieting Titles Act to confirm its ownership and obtain a certificate of title is the latest move in a controversy involving a six-year legal battle in both the Florida and Bahamian courts.
Legal documents obtained by Tribune Business reveal how David Adderley, a “legally blind” former US army ranger with dual Bahamian and
Union leader slams ‘atrocious’ handling of bi-monthly wages
By NEIL HARTNELL
A UNION leader yesterday slammed the Government’s handling of proposed bi-monthly pay for public servants as “atrocious” after seemingly cutting out key employee representatives from the talks.
Kimsley Ferguson, the Bahamas Public Services Union’s (BPSU) president, blasted what he asserted were “union busting tactics” and “disrespect” from the Government after it proceeded with yesterday’s meeting on the proposed pay switch despite knowing both himself and Belinda Wilson, the Bahamas Union of Teachers (BUT) head, were unable to attend.
This, he said, came after himself and Mrs Wilson,
together with their respective vice-presidents, went to Customs’ headquarters on Thompson Boulevard on Friday for what they thought was to be a meeting with Ministry of Finance officials to discuss the bi-monthly pay situation.
Mr Ferguson, though, told this newspaper that their attendance was to “no avail” as “no one was aware the meeting was supposed to take place with the unions and Ministry of Finance” and no officials from the latter were present. He added that Mrs Wilson called Bernard Evans, the former union leader now working as a labour consultant for the Government to find out what was happening. He advised the BUT president he would “make some inquiries and get back to
Former BEC union chief loses $2.6m damage bid
her”, but the two union heads waited for 45-60 minutes before leaving.
The BPSU president, as the representative for between 15,000 t0 20,000 civil servants, is likely to be the most important union leader for the Government to engage with over its plan to shift public sector pay from monthly or weekly to a bi-monthly (fortnightly or every two weeks) cycle. And Mrs Wilson has been the most vocal and outspoken against the move.
Mr Ferguson, though, hit out at the Government’s decision to proceed with yesterday’s meeting despite knowing that he would be unable to attend after he informed officials he had a prior engagement. “Where were those persons last week that they met with today?” he asked.
“We would have done a little survey to some
By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net
A FORMER Bahamas Electricity Corporation (BEC) union leader has failed to increase the damages and compensation payout for his wrongful dismissal over 20 years ago to almost $2.6m.
Timothy Moore, who was president of the Bahamas Electrical Managerial Union (BEMU) and BEC’s training officer when he was terminated in July 2003, had been “dissatisfied” with the total $194,000 plus interest that was awarded to him last year by now-retired Supreme Court justice, Diane Stewart. As a result, he approached the Court of Appeal for a massive increase in compensation while acting as his own legal representative. Besides seeking $1.33m for wrongful dismissal and breach of contract, he also sought to be paid $1.254m in pension arrears and
extent, and the majority of people we come into contact with are diametrically opposed to it. Our concern is what is the significance and importance of the Government paying in a bi-weekly fashion, what are the benefits and is it going to disadvantage people or
“and a continuing monthly pension benefit in accordance with the Bahamas Electricity Corporation employees’ pension plan”.
Mr Moore’s termination caused significant upheaval at BEC when it occurred more than two decades ago, with the Bahamas Electrical Workers Union (BEWU) then threatening strike action unless he was reinstated. he was terminated for alleged “uncooperative and disruptive behaviour”, but Mr Moore denied the charges, stating that his dismissal was part of BEC’s effort to silence employees through “union busting”.
The situation prompted the intervention of then labour minister, Vincent Peet, with Mr Moore, a 24-year BEC veteran at the time, asserting that his performance and work ethics were never questioned, and he had been rewarded with increments and annual performance bonuses.
US citizenship, launched legal action against Three Angels, its principals and legal advisers in the south Florida federal courts in 2018 over a series of real estate transactions that were completed six to seven years earlier. Via three separate conveyances he was allegedly deceived into signing in 2011 and 2012 based on “fraudulent misrepresentations” by Three Angels and its attorneys, David Adderley claimed he transferred an entire 419-acre tract to the Christian broadcaster instead of what he thought was just a small portion of this site for it to use as a “sanctuary and for other religious purposes”.
The end result was that he signed away land said to be valued at between $22.9m and $32m for just $150,000, according to the lawsuit, which would have represented a massive discount for Three Angels. And he is claiming that he has yet to receive a single cent of the promised $150,000.
However, Three Angels and its founder, Danny Shelton, vehemently denied they had perpetrated what the blind Bahamian’s attorneys alleged was a “sham/ fraud” on their client.
“We disagree with your contentions that there was any fraud or coercion
By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net
ROCK Sound airport represents a “void” that needs to be filled given that “90 percent” of major investment projects are happening in Eleuthera’s south, the island’s Chamber of Commerce president warned yesterday.
Thomas Sands told Tribune Business that, with both the North Eleuthera and Governor’s Harbour airports receiving the Government’s attention and much-needed upgrades, there appears to be a “gap” in the aviation network coverage when it comes to the island’s south.
Besides Disney’s new cruise port destination on south Eleuthera’s tip, he pointed out that the area is also home to the planned $200m Ritz-Carlton resort project at Cotton Bay, the Cape Eleuthera property and potential investment on Windermere Island.
“I think Rock Sound is a gap,” Mr Sands told this newspaper. “Ninety percent of foreign direct investment is south of Rock Sound. You have the Ritz-Carlton going in at Cotton Bay, the De Vos family south of the Cape, You have something going on at Windermere Island.
“We have argued that there is one airport [international port of entry] for one island. The dynamics of this island are very unique. One of the voids that a lot of my developers are harping on is the Rock Sound airport needs to be a priority.”
Speaking after several Eleuthera communities
were forced to endure more than 24-hour power outages over the weekend, Mr Sands said the challenges were worsened by the high winds and inclement weather that impacted the island. Prior to the weekend, he added that both Bahamas Power & Light (BPL) and the Water & Sewerage Corporation had made “some improvements on a regular basis” to service reliability.
The Glass Window Bridge’s closure, due to the high winds and waves, made power restoration in the island’s north especially challenging because all BPL’s repair trucks and linesmen were caught south of the bridge and were unable to cross.
“Again, the reality, the impact is that if you don’t have a back-up generator, if you don’t have back-up water, it’s across the board,” the Eleuthera Chamber chief said. “It’s your power, your water, phone and Internet. All these things are critical. The impact is still the same; if you’re out
Bimini shrugs off rise in Flamingo Air’s prices
By ANNELIA NIXON Tribune Business Reporter anixon@tribunemedia.net
BIMINI businesses yesterday shrugged off Flamingo Air’s increase in ticket prices to the island as commerce is “booming” and there are multiple other transportation means available.
Ashley Saunders, owner of the Dolphin House museum, said: “Earlier this morning, there was a great load of people in front of
my door and then people are here even before I open. So, you know, everybody’s making money in Bimini.
“I don’t think anybody could complain. I mean, everybody can make a dollar if they really want to. You could come over there and sell a conch shell or coconut and make money. That’s how good the business is down here.”
Mr Saunders said many Biminites travel to Freeport for medical services, and the rise in travel costs
to that destination as a result of Flamingo Air’s air fare hikes “is a little steep because, you know, a lot of us from Bimini go to Freeport to see the doctor or see the dentist. So when you’re going for medical reasons, every dollar counts.
“A lot of vendors go to Freeport just to shop; the straw vendors, to pick up the merchandise from Freeport. So most of the people who travel to Freeport are either going to be straw vendors, some business people going to shop
for merchandise, or else going for medical reasons. We have students in Freeport, too. A lot of kids here from Bimini going to school in Freeport. So now, you know, they got to pay the ticket.”
Mr Saunders added that the cruise ships, Carnival in particular, and the mailboat bring in more tourists than the airlines so he therefore does not see Flamingo Air negatively impacting business.
SIR IAN WINDER
THOMAS SANDS
KIMSLEY FERGUSON
BAHAMAS LAUNCHES NATIONAL
CYBER SECURITY STRATEGIC PLAN
THE Bahamas has launched its National Cybersecurity Strategy (NCS) in a bid to better protect its digital infrastructure from rapidly-evolving online threats.
The Cabinet-approved strategy, which is founded on five core objectives, sets out a road map for how The Bahamas plans to fortify its cyber security framework against the growing threat from cyber attacks. Its launch occurred at the National Cybersecurity Strategy workshop, which was held from December 3-6 at the British Colonial Hotel.
The event brought together local stakeholders and international partners with the support of the US Embassy and US Department of State. Representatives from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Research and Engineering (MITRE) were present, along with government agencies,
infrastructure providers and private sector leaders.
Kimberly Furnish, chargé d’Affaires at the US embassy in Nassau, said: “The United States has long supported a collaborative approach to combating cyber crime. That is why we’re pleased to galvanise support from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Research and Engineering (MITRE) to support such important efforts led by the CIRT-BS.”
CIRT-BS is The Bahamas’ Computer Incident Response Team (CIRT).
Ms Furnish added: “Digital solidarity is when we stand together to combat bad actors in cyber space. We are all vulnerable to bad actors, especially government-funded bad actors, who carry out these acts for either financial gain or to undermine world peace and security.
“We will continue to support Bahamian efforts to fight these bad actors,
which includes the implementation of The Bahamas’ National Cybersecurity Strategy.” The strategy is designed as a comprehensive framework to address the growing cyber security challenges The Bahamas faces, and is founded on five key concepts or pillars. These involve strengthening governance frameworks to establish clear roles and responsibilities for cyber security management; boosting The Bahamas’ ability to detect, prevent and respond to cyber incidents; protecting critical infrastructure such as banking, healthcare and utilities from potential cyber attacks; educating businesses and individuals on best practices to safeguard their data; and strengthening legal frameworks and enforcement to combat cyber crime.
Sametria McKinney, director of CIRT Bahamas, said: “This strategy empowers us to tackle both immediate and long-term cyber security challenges, outlining critical objectives
to enhance our national resilience and safeguard the digital future of our nation.
“Its success depends on the collective commitment of both the public and private sectors, uniting efforts to strengthen defenses, protect vital infrastructure and secure a resilient digital economy for generations to come.”
Since its launch in December 2023, the National Computer Incident Response Team of The Bahamas (CIRTBS) has been the primary authority responsible for implementing the National CyberSecurity Strategy. It is the focal point for co-ordinating responses to cyber attacks and providing realtime monitoring of these risks.
The Team offers various services including awareness training, incident management support, event monitoring and vulnerability assessments. As a result, The Bahamas is the first English-speaking Caribbean country to secure membership in the Forum of Incident Response and Security Teams (FIRST), reflecting its growing reputation as a regional cybersecurity leader. It also has affiliations with other premier international cyber security organisations, including CSIRT Americas of the Organisation of American States (OAS) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) of the United States. The initiative is one component of a $30m project financed by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) in 2019. It falls under the Ministry of Economic Affairs’ digital transformation unit.
Nassau and PI targeting winter-weary Londoners
THE Nassau & Paradise Island Promotion Board (NPIPB) last week marketed the destination’s warm weather attractions to a UK audience through an event held at London’s Canary Wharf.
The Board, in a statement, said the four-day “activation” then moved into the UK capital’s South Bank area over the weekend. It included a pop-up ‘SADvert’, SAD standing for Seasonal Affective Disorder, that featured a destination video showcasing the sounds, sun and sea of The Bahamas.
The Board added that persons living in London experience less than ten hours of daylight a week in the winter months, due to shorter days and working hours, making the activation a timely message that encouraged residents to select Nassau and Paradise Island as a vacation destination.
“With pristine white sand beaches, clear ocean waters
and exceptional Bahamian hospitality, Nassau and Paradise Island are the ultimate escape from the winter blues,” said Joy Jibrilu, the Nassau and Paradise Island Promotion Board’s chief executive.
“We were delighted to bring this pop-up of paradise to London and showcase all that our destination has to offer in a fun way that immersed an audience of travel-ready people in the beauty that is Nassau and Paradise Island.”
Besides the pop-up “activation”, the Nassau Paradise Island Promotion Board ran an out-of-home campaign in Canary Wharf, Kensington and Sloane Square from December 1-15. Triggered by cold and wet weather, the advertisements showcased the sunny weather and current temperatures in New Providence, emphasising the stark difference between London and this destination.
KIMBERLY FURNISH, chargé d’affaires at the US embassy in Nassau, The Bahamas, on stage speaking at the National Cybersecurity Strategy Workshop.
FROM L to R: Sametria McKinney, director of the National Computer Incident Response Team of The Bahamas (CIRT-BS)m, and Kimberly Furnish, chargé d’affaires at the US Embassy in Nassau, are pictured together at the National Cybersecurity Strategy Workshop held from December 3-6 at the British Colonial Hotel.
FROM L to R: Ana Monterroso, economic infrastructure officer at the US Embassy, Nassau; Chuck Bennett, economic and commercial counsellor at the US Embassy, Nassau; Sametria McKinney, director of the National Computer Incident Response Team of The Bahamas (CIRT-BS); Kimberly Furnish, chargé d’affaires at the US. Embassy, Nassau; Patrick Davis, national co-ordinator for information technology/programme manager (NCIT) for the Ministry of Economic Affairs; and Sadiria Hall, economic specialist at the US Embassy, Nassau.
XMAS TREE VENDORS SATISFIED DESPITE RISING COST PRESSURE
By ANNELIA NIXON Tribune Business Reporter anixon@tribunemedia.net
CHRISTMAS tree vendors yesterday voiced satisfaction with festive sales despite having to cope with increased costs as they voiced optimism that the tradition will never lose popularity.
With more consumers turning to artificial trees, Bridgette Goodridge, manager of Yandi's Christmas Trees, said there “are still some people who like Christmas trees, no matter what”. With less than one-quarter of her tree inventory left from two container loads, she added that small and medium-sized trees were the best sellers.
Prince Albury, owner of Prince Albury Christmas
trees, and Daniel Hudson, co-owner of the Christmas Tree co-op, gave a similar appraisal. Mr Albury said he was not nervous about this holiday season and that he can only “roll with the punches".
“I've been doing this for 40 years,” Mr Albury said.” I learned how to spell life years ago. [It’s] just [a] four-letter word and plenty things in between that. You have life and you have death. I roll with the punches. You have to live your life. In business, you have to take chances. So nervousness, no. Everybody always get that pinch. You keep on going on.”
He added that the high cost of trees is due to a lack of “growers". “Well, I noticed that 10 years ago,” Mr Albury said. “I was supposed to get like three container loads of
Christmas trees. They were able to just give me two. It's just a shortage in the growers.
"A lot of growers, they left the business. The cartel took over. The cartel took over the Christmas tree business. When the cartel take over they tend to monopolise things hence the price of Christmas trees. I've seen it double, in some cases, triple from what I would have paid. That's on the supply side now.”
Mr Hudson said the higher costs are due to a tree shortage. “I feel that's mainly because at one point there was a shortage of Christmas trees,” he said. “So the dealers in the States went up, and then Customs going up and then trucking fees has gone up and gas gone up.
"So I feel like everything in the world just going up.
Union leader slams ‘atrocious’ handling of bi-monthly wages
put the country in a better position?”
The BPSU chief voiced misgivings that the Government had already spent several million dollars on acquiring the new Oracle payroll system prior to consultation with any of the relevant unions and public sector workers, which he argued showed it intended to press ahead with the salary cycle adjustment regardless of the feedback it received.
“This is another union busting tactic, this is another disrespect the Government is showing towards unions and employer representatives. This government is atrocious,” Mr Ferguson blasted. “If we call the Ministry of Labour and say to them we’d like a meeting on Tuesday, and they have a prior engagement, we’ll seek to rearrange it.
“They went ahead according to people today and had a meeting without the two major unions in the country. How is this bi-monthly thing going to benefit the Government? If you’re doing it in the interests of employees, don’t you think you want to get a view from them? I don’t know if this is going to cause the buoyancy of the economy to be where they want it to be. If that is the case, go ahead and say so.
“Again, people are trying to make the unions insignificant....This is going to cause a ruckus. We are not opposed to change, but the
decisions made to impact the people we represent have to make sense.” Mrs Wilson previously warned of industrial action if the Government fails to address concerns over the proposed bi-monthly pay switch.
Prime Minister Philip Davis KC announced plans to introduce the change when he unveiled the 20242025 Budget, adding that it was part of a series of public sector reforms. Pia GloverRolle, minister of labour and the public service, recently announced plans to make the switch in early 2025, but later backtracked and said the timeline had been extended for further consultation after union leaders expressed concern. However, she emphasised that the postponement does not mean the Government has changed its position and reiterated that it believes bi-monthly payments will benefit public servants by providing more consistent cash flow between pay periods.
During his contribution to the Budget debate in the House of Assembly, Mr Davis announced several
reforms for the public sector that he said would “revolutionise” the administration of payments for government employees.
He said these include introducing electronic salary notifications, online job applications and bi-monthly salary payments via Cloud Bahamas, a project launched by the Government in May to digitise the public service.
“Bi-weekly salary payments mean that our employees will now be able to be paid every two weeks,” he said. “This will allow for more frequent paydays, which will almost certainly support employees to improve their cash flow. This, in turn, will hopefully shield employees from highinterest consumer loans in order to fund everyday expenses.”
Mr Davis added that the change will also help small businesses “which rely on the uptick in economic and financial activity fuelled by government workers”, while the Cloud Bahamas project would also address other issues facing civil servants such as long-term pay
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So trees is just a part of that, too. And if you really look back at the pricing list that we had it's only off about maybe $10 a year for the past like five years.”
Ms Goodridge added: “Just like everything else, people come into your establishment and they don't understand what you have to pay to get the trees here. Shipping has gone up, electricity has gone up, just like at home. Look at the price of eggs. Seven dollars for a dozen.
"So if a small carton of eggs went up like 100 percent, what do you think of a big, large item like a Christmas tree? Now, if the Government will give people a break on duty on trees, ham and turkey, then the Bahamian people will be happy. But the Government gets their money first.”
discrepancies and employee accountability.
The Prime Minister also announced that public sector salaries would be reviewed because they are too low. His administration has budgeted $10m for this review.
“If we do not offer salaries at competitive rates, people will not want to work in the public service,” he said. “If we do not offer salaries at competitive rates, people will not stay in the public service. Salaries must keep pace with inflation and be at a level which is competitive and fair,” he added.
300-acre Long Island battle delayed to 2025
involved in either the establishment of the trust or the transfer of the real property. We further believe that the intention was to transfer the entirety of the property, not the one or two acres that you are now discussing,” attorneys for Three Angels and Mr Shelton countered on May 4, 2018.
They subsequently argued that Mr Adderley’s case was “ripe for dismissal” but, after Judge Robert Scola only threw out some - but not all - of the former US army ranger’s grounds of complaint, Three Angels and its adversary ultimately sealed an undisclosed settlement of the Florida case on April 14, 2020, with both sides bearing their own legals costs.
This, though, has failed to end the legal battle and dispute over the land. For Ambrose Adderley, cousin of David Adderley, has filed an adverse claim against Three Angels’ quieting action claiming that he has used the site for subsistence farming and therefore has a possessory claim to its title. This is the fight Sir Ian and the Supreme Court now have to resolve via the January trial.
The controversy will likely raise new concerns about Bahamian land rights and ownership and the practices deep-pocketed investors use to acquire property in this nation. The disputed 304-acre site is said to be presently fenced off with ‘no trespassing’ signs placed around its boundaries by Three Angels, which has brought in construction equipment and cut roads as well as a wooden deck overlooking the sea.
Mr Shelton, Three Angels’ founder, is now a
permanent resident of The Bahamas and, together with his wife resides in Long Island. They were pictured with Prime Minister Philip Davis in May 2023 donating “jaws of life” equipment to rescue road accident victims. Media reports have suggested Mr Shelton and Three Angels plan to develop a health and wellness centre on the site, along with a real estate project.
Meanwhile Tribune Business can also reveal that the three conveyances at the centre of the dispute were drawn up by nowSupreme Court Justice Denise Lewis-Johnson before she was appointed to the bench. There is no suggestion that she did anything wrong when she drew up the documents, which transferred the land from David Adderley to Three Angels, when still in private practice with the Lewis & Longley law firm.
Online research by this newspaper uncovered that Justice Lewis-Johnson is a Seventh Day Adventist, which is the same Christian denomination that David Adderley and his father belonged to. And Three Angels, while described as a non-profit for US legal purposes, states on its website that “many of our employees and volunteers are members of the Seventhday Adventist Church”.
“Adderley grew up in the faith of the Seventh Day Adventist Church, and Adderley has been a parishioner and firm believer in the doctrines and theology of the Seventh Day Adventist Church from birth throughout his childhood, adulthood and entire life,” David Adderley’s revised 2018 Florida lawsuit alleged.
“Due to his lifelong religious convictions and parishioner relationship with his church, Adderley discussed the donation of a small portion of his existing property along Queens Highway to his church to build a sanctuary and for other religious purposes to carry out the wishes of his father, Wellington Adderley.”
The action alleged that Roy Hunt, a Three Angels director, promised “they would facilitate the donation and/or use of a small portion of his property to Three Angels for building of a sanctuary and other religious purposes consistent with the beliefs of the Seventh Day Adventist Church.
“Adderley trusted Hunt and Three Angels to be truthful and moral in character because he thought Hunt and Three Angels were working in conjunction with the beliefs, doctrines and mission of his church,” the lawsuit added.
Three Angels allegedly hired US attorneys to create a “charitable” trust to facilitate the property’s transfer from David Adderley to itself, but “although there were discussions about donating a small portion of Adderley’s property, there was never any final determination made as to the portion of property Adderley intended to donate to Three Angels”.
David Adderley and his US attorneys claimed that he signed the trust documents despite having no independent legal advice or presence. “Moreover, since Adderley is legally blind, he could not read the documents prior to execution. Instead, he relied on the representations made by Three Angels and Hunt,
which representations were false,” the lawsuit claimed.
“The 419-acre tract, valued at approximately $32m, belonging to Adderley represents a substantial portion of Adderley’s estate assets..... Hunt, [Richard] Benton and Three Angels retained the services of J. Denise Lewis- Johnson of Lewis & Longley in The Bahamas to prepare three indentures of conveyance for Adderley to execute.
“In December 2011, Hunt and the representatives of Three Angels informed Adderley that they were going to take him to the Bahamian Embassy in Miami, Florida, to discuss the donation of a small portion of his property for the benefit of Three Angels for the building of a sanctuary and for religious purposes consistent with the beliefs of his church.
“Adderley purportedly signed the following three indentures of conveyance prepared by Lewis & Longley, all of which are dated December 30, 2011, notarised on January 24, 2012, and contain an affidavit of Bahamian citizenship signed and notarised on May 8, 2012.”
According to the conveyances, David Adderley was supposed to receive a $50,000 purchase price for each land parcel making for a $150,000 total. However, the Florida lawsuit claimed: “Adderley never received any consideration for any of the indentures of conveyance, and even if he had received $150,000, such consideration was grossly inadequate for the transfer of property valued at $22.9m....
“Hunt and Three Angels’ representatives never disclosed to Adderley that the three indentures of conveyance were for the transfer
Airport ‘void’ for 90% of Eleuthera’s
of business, you’re out of business.
“The telephone was still kind of on and off on the BTC side until yesterday [Monday], and the Internet was down in some areas. It’s amazing how reliant we are on power and water. What we are having to do with the Internet is going to Starlink as redundancy between the two telecommunications companies [BTC and Cable Bahamas]. It’s crazy.”
Eleuthera’s frequent infrastructure challenges, especially with electricity and water, are the culmination of years of neglect by successive administrations when it comes to replacing and upgrading key components such as generation/
reverse osmosis plants and distribution systems. And the rapid growth of the island’s economy has outpaced existing capacity. Mr Sands yesterday acknowledged that Eleuthera was starting to receive some of the required attention, with its road infrastructure set for a significant improvement via the Government’s partnership with the Bahamas Striping Group of Companies and local contractors, and both BPL and Water & Sewerage Corporation each investing in their own upgrades. However, he also urged the Government to revive its focus on supporting domestic, Bahamian-owned businesses in the Family Islands through targeted tax
incentives and other concessions to lessen the cost and improve the ease of doing business in these locations.
Companies that have “stayed the course” deserve greater backing, Mr Sands said, explaining they do not have access to the same support and spare parts networks that firms in Nassau and Grand Bahama enjoy.
“The reality of doing business in these islands, there are just so many factors that are significantly different from doing business in Nassau or Grand Bahama where you have access to more alternatives and solutions,” he said.
“I think there’s a big promise that we, as a Chamber, want to see back with this domestic investment priority and support for
of his entire 419 acre tract.
Despite Hunt and Three Angels’ misrepresentations and omissions, the indentures of conveyance signed by Adderley transferred the entire 419-acre tract.” The 304 acres now before the Chief Justice are part of this parcel.
Three Angels received an Investments Board permit, approving its Long Island land acquisition, on August 31, 2012 - a date now more than 12 years ago. The Florida lawsuit alleged, though, that David Adderley only understood the consequences of the transactions he had signed-off on in 2016 when he hired an independent attorney to help sell the Long Island property.
His attorneys, in a March 26, 2018, letter to Mr Shelton, demanded that Three Angels cease entering and working on the Long Island property. “As you must be aware, Mr Adderley is blind. While Mr Adderley may be blind, he is completely cognisant and understands fully what he is saying and has a clear memory as to what transpired with the church and Three Angels,” his Florida counsel wrote.
“Mr Adderley trusted his church and Three Angels, which he thought at that time was the charitable division of his church, to carry out his intentions with a portion of his property no larger than one or two acres for use as a church sanctuary.
“Unfortunately, it is clear that Three Angels, which we now understand to be a wholly separate entity from the church, had Mr Adderley sign documents which purport to transfer his property to a “charitable trust. Mr Adderley is adamant that no discussion ever took place regarding
investments
businesses that are domiciled in these islands trying to make a go of it given all these circumstances. The cost of doing business when you operate here is so drastically different and the costs are so significant.
“There needs to be the realisation of a local, domestic investment programme; incentives, concessions, broad attention to reduce the costs of doing business in the islands and creating that environment that is conducive for us to maintain the product offering we have,” Mr Sands continued.
“This is the greatest period of investment in the Family Islands, Abaco, Exuma and Eleuthera, that we have seen in a lifetime and it’s important to maintain that investment and return that investment.
We believe it’s through the empowerment of businesses that are domiciled here, and have stayed the course, trying to upgrade,
be energy efficient and climate resilient.
“The environment of doing business is actually much more difficult than being in a city environment. I cannot explain how totally different it is trying to operate. You take each business, a resort, a grocery store.... any business. It’s just a different type of ecosystem. It’s the equivalent of being in the wilderness so the support ecosystem must be unique if we want the country to succeed, the islands to succeed.”
Mr Sands told Tribune Business that he has to fill multiple roles to ensure the smooth functioning of his business, including acting as plumber, AC repair man and refrigeration specialist, given that there are so few on Eleuthera. This, he added, is critical to his companies’ survival.
“I’ll give you a prime example of my experience,” the Eleuthera Chamber chief said. “I have a business
Bimini shrugs off rise in Flamingo Air’s prices
any trust and he never has had an intention to donate his entire property to Three Angels or to a trust in his name.” David Adderley’s attorneys then referred to an affidavit he was set to file in the Bahamian courts, adding: “The statement and sworn testimony of Mr Adderley are alarming and raise allegations of fraud and undue influence against Three Angels and its representatives.
“This serious matter requires an immediate resolution, including the execution of all necessary documents to terminate any so-called trust and ensure Mr Adderley is the rightful owner of his property.” Three Angels and its attorneys were unmoved.
“We are in disagreement with you in your contentions that the trust is invalid,” they replied. “We believe that Mr Adderley had a number of meetings with Three Angels regarding a proposed gift to the entity. Those discussions culminated in the drafting and signing of a trust on August 22, 2011.
“The transfer of the real estate to the trust occurred shortly thereafter. We believe that the establishment of the trust was valid and that the transfer of real estate was also validly accomplished.... Three Angels is willing to do whatever is necessary to uphold the transfers to the trust.”
Three Angels is being represented in the Supreme Court quieting action by Luther McDonald KC, Keri Sherman and Rashea Newbold of Alexiou, Knowles & Company. Bradley Cooper is the legal representative for Ambrose Adderley, the adverse claimant.
degree and finished at the University of Miami. My family’s business has existed for 48 years, and I grew up in the supermarket business. My father grew up here, and taught me that in the supermarket business I have to be the plumber, AC repair man and refrigeration specialist in order to survive.
“On top of that I have to maintain an inventory of compressor parts, refrigerator parts, tools. I have to be first call when something goes wrong in my business. I have to learn every system. Otherwise, I’m in the perishables business, and I may have lost a couple hundred thousand dollars of business.
“You take a construction or heavy equipment business. The level of knowledge required is so much more significant because you don’t have the reserve. That’s our reality. That’s the reality. But it’s still a good place to live with all the challenges. I wouldn’t go anywhere else.”
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“Every time the Carnival is in, it gets really busy because Carnival is like, you can call it a money ship in a sense, because they bring more business and more activity than the other cruise boats,” he added. “The visitors, they rent golf carts and they catch taxis and they get bicycles. And then they patronise the straw market and the Dolphin House and all the local businesses, like the conch salad stands and the deli.
“Tourists who come in on flights also spend money, but it don’t be as many people arriving on flights like you do the cruise boats. So there is some activity by the people who arrive by airlines, but then that’s only a handful compared to the cruise boats. You know, the cruise boat bring thousands of people.” Janay kemp, owner of 700 Adventures, a sightseeing company, said business is good and she does not see that changing with the increase in air fares Flamingo Air. “A lot of our visitors are coming from the US,” she said. “So Flamingo, their raising prices isn’t really affecting our overall business.”
Former BEC union chief loses $2.6m damage bid
Justice Stewart, in ruling that Mr Moore was wrongfully dismissed and entitled to damages, also found that he was not hired on a fixedterm contract and that he was “entitled to gratuity benefit and not a pension under the pension plan”.
She awarded $72,262 for wrongful dismissal, inclusive of the $33,550 already paid by BEC, plus a $61,732 gratuity and pre-judgment interest of $60,266. Postjudgment interest was also running.
The Court of Appeal, though, in a unanimous verdict delivered yesterday declined to increase or vary the damages award.
“The appellant commenced his employment with the respondent as a training officer on June 1, 1980. He had been employed for more than 23 years before
he was dismissed from his employment without cause,” its judgment said. “By letter dated July 18, 2003, the appellant was issued a first termination letter, which informed him of his termination with the respondent [BEC] with immediate effect.
The appellant then filed a trade dispute pursuant to the terms of the industrial agreement, alleging that he was not properly informed of the accusations, was not given a verbal or written warning, and was not given an opportunity to respond to the accusations.
“The respondent then withdrew the first termination letter. The appellant’s employment was again terminated by the respondent by letter dated March 5, 2004. Justice Evans, as he then was, determined that the effective termination date was July 18, 2003.”
Mr Moore argued that the Supreme Court failed to account for the fact that an arbitration tribunal had ruled in his favour over the dispute with BEC. “The appellant submits that the learned judge ought to have found that he did not only raise a trade dispute but that he followed the grievance procedure set out in the industrial agreement,” the Court of Appeal said.
“Further, an Independent Arbitration Tribunal, agreed by the parties and constituted in accordance with the provisions of the Industrial Relations Act, heard and determined the trade dispute in his favour on July 27, 2003. According to the appellant, the Arbitration Tribunal found that: ‘There were no justifying circumstances warranting the termination of the plaintiff and that he should be
Energy chief Granholm warns against ‘unfettered exports’ of liquefied natural
By MATTHEW DALY Associated Press
THE United States should proceed cautiously as officials consider new natural gas export terminals, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said Tuesday, warning the incoming Trump administration that "unfettered exports" of liquefied natural gas, or LNG, could drive up domestic prices and increase planetwarming greenhouse gas emissions.
Granholm's statement came as the Energy Department released a long-awaited study on the environmental and economic impacts of natural gas exports, which have grown exponentially in the past decade. The analysis found that U.S. LNG shipments drive up domestic wholesale prices and frequently displace renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power.
Increased LNG exports also would lead to higher
gas
global greenhouse gas emissions, even with use of newly developed equipment to capture and store carbon emissions, the report said.
"Unfettered exports of LNG would increase wholesale domestic natural gas prices by over 30%,'' costing American households an additional $100 a year by 2050, Granholm said "We have recently lived through the real-world ripple effects of increased energy prices domestically and globally since the
What does Big Tech hope to gain from warming up to Trump?
NEW YORK Associated Press
IN A string of visits, dinners, calls, monetary pledges and social media overtures, big tech chiefs — including Apple's Tim Cook, OpenAI's Sam Altman, Meta's Mark Zuckerberg, SoftBank's Masayoshi Son and Amazon's Jeff Bezos — have joined a parade of business and world leaders in trying to improve their standing with Presidentelect Donald Trump before he takes office in January.
"The first term, everybody was fighting me," Trump said in remarks at
Mar-a-Lago. "In this term, everybody wants to be my friend." Tech companies and leaders have now poured millions into his inauguration fund, a sharp increase — in most cases — from past pledges to incoming presidents. But what does the tech industry expect to gain out of their renewed relationships with Trump? During an interview Tuesday, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff said the incoming Trump administration seems more interested in hearing about issues that are important to the industry than the Biden administration.
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returned to his position with the defendant’.
“The appellant submits that the learned judge ought to have found that he was dealt an injustice in accordance with Article 13.7 of the industrial agreement and should have been reinstated and compensated for working days lost.” Mr Moore also argued that his termination was unjust and wrongful, but the Court of Appeal did not agree.
“The appellant’s submission that the learned judge ought to have found that he was dealt an injustice in accordance with Article 13.7 of the industrial agreement, in the light of the Arbitration Tribunal’s decision, is unfounded since that finding does not bind the learned judge, whose task was to assess damages in a case of wrongful dismissal,” it determined.
(COVID-19) pandemic, she said, adding that an "exportinduced price increase" would make it harder for some families to meet basic needs.
"Today's publication reinforces that a businessas-usual approach (to LNG exports) is neither sustainable nor advisable," Granholm said.
The Energy Department report comes after the Biden administration paused approvals of new LNG projects in January to study the effects LNG exports have on the planet. Natural gas emits methane, a potent greenhouse gas, when burned, leaked or released.
The oil and gas industry, along with Republican allies in Congress, have decried the LNG
“On the facts before her, the learned judge did not err in law or in fact when she determined that the appellant is to be treated as if he were properly terminated. This ground is unsustainable and must fail.... Under the pension plan, the learned judge was correct to find that the appellant did not qualify for a pension benefit due to the fact that he lacked the required years of service (30 years) and had not reached the requisite age upon his termination (60 years).”
The Court of Appeal also ruled that Justice Stewart was correct to find Mr Moore “caused numerous delays in this matter”, and added: “The learned judge opined that the appellant was responsible for the protracted delay of this matter proceeding in a timely fashion and, as such, she was
pause as unnecessary and counter-productive, and President-elect Donald Trumphas vowed to end the pause on his first day in office. The pause is on hold under a federal court order, but the Energy Department recently said it won't decide on two major LNG export projects in Louisiana until the independent Federal Energy Regulatory Commission completes environmental reviews.
Trump's transition team declined direct comment on the study, but said Trump "will make America energy dominant again" and protect U.S. energy jobs after four years of "war on American energy" under President Joe Biden.
"Voters re-elected President Trump by a resounding margin, giving him a
not satisfied that he is entitled to compound interest.
“She recounted the numerous delays due to the numerous interlocutory applications filed by the appellant and his changing of counsel on several occasions when the assessment was in fact scheduled.
“In the present case, the appellant cannot positively demonstrate that his contract of employment and/ or the industrial agreement confer on him any greater rights or better benefits as contemplated by section four of the Act. In the circumstances, the learned judge was correct to apply section 29 of the [Employment] Act to determine the compensation package to which the appellant is entitled.”
mandate to implement the promises he made on the campaign trail, including lowering energy costs for consumers,'' said spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt. Still, the study could hinder Trump's plans to immediately greenlight projects to export LNG. Trump said last week that anyone making a $1 billion investment in the United States "will receive fully expedited approvals and permits, including, but in no way limited to, all Environmental approvals."
Environmentalists have said they will use the DOE analysis in lawsuits expected over any Trump administration approvals of LNG projects. Activists decry the multi-billion dollar export terminals as "climate bombs."
"Put all the politics aside, everybody wants to reboot some things," said Benioff, who stressed he strives to stay nonpartisan because he also owns Time magazine. "We are just at a very exciting moment, it's a new chapter for America. I think we should all have our best intentions going forward. I think a lot of people realize there is a lot of incredible people like Elon Musk in the tech industry and in the business community. If you tap the power and expertise of the best in America to make the best of America, that's a great vision."
Clearing the way for AI development
A clue to what the industry is looking for came just days before the election when Microsoft executives — who've largely tried to show a neutral or bipartisan stance — joined with a close Trump ally, venture capitalist Marc Andreessen, to publish a blog post outlining their approach to artificial intelligence policy.
"Regulation should be implemented only if its benefits outweigh its costs," said the document signed by Andreessen, his business partner Ben Horowitz, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and the company's president, Brad Smith. They also urged the government to back off on any attempt to strengthen copyright laws that would make it harder for companies to use publicly available data to train their AI systems. And they said, "the government
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should examine its procurement practices to enable more startups to sell technology to the government."
Trump has pledged to rescind President Joe Biden's sweeping AI executive order, which sought to protect people's rights and safety without stifling innovation. He hasn't specified what he would do in its place, but his campaign said AI development should be "rooted in Free Speech and Human Flourishing."
Easier energy for data centers Trump's choice to head the Interior Department, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, has spoken openly about the need to boost electricity production to meet increased demand from data centers and artificial intelligence.
"The AI battle affects everything from defense to healthcare to education to productivity as a country," Burgum said on Nov. 15, referring to artificial intelligence. "And the AI that's coming in the next 18 months is going to be revolutionary. So there's just a sense of urgency and a sense of understanding in the Trump administration" to address it.
Demand for data centers ballooned in recent years due to the rapid growth of cloud computing and AI, and local governments are competing for lucrative deals with big tech companies. But as data centers begin to consume more resources, some residents are pushing back against the world's most powerful corporations over concerns about the economic, social and environmental health of their communities.
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SOFTBANK Group CEO Masayoshi Son smiles with Presidentelect Donald Trump during a news conference at Mar-a-Lago, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024, in Palm Beach, Fla. Photo:Evan Vucci/AP
Wall Street trims its stellar gains as Nvidia's star dims again
By STAN CHOE AP Business Writer
U.S. stock indexes pulled back on Tuesday to trim some of their stellar gains for the year.
The S&P 500 slipped 0.4%, though it's still near its all-time high set earlier this month. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 267 points, or 0.6%, and the Nasdaq composite gave back 0.3% from its record set the day before.
Nvidia, the superstar stock that's been a big reason for Wall Street's run to repeated records this year, fell 1.2% to weigh on the market. It's the eighth loss in nine days for the stock, which has dropped more than 12% from its record set last month, as its moonshot momentum slows.
Like the overall U.S. market, Nvidia's stock had climbed so much that critics warned expectations had become too high and that the stock price makes sense only if everything goes correctly for it from here.
Across a survey of global fund managers, strategists at Bank of America found many plowing into U.S. stocks and pulling out of their cash reserves to do so. The survey found fund managers are holding a notably small percentage of their overall portfolios in cash, similar to 2002 and 2011, which preceded tougher times for riskier investments.
The survey's broadest measure of optimism, based on expectations for economic growth and other indicators, is at its highest level since August 2021, strategist Michael Hartnett said in a BofA Global Research report. That's a potentially concerning signal for contrarians.
The S&P 500 is on track for one of its best years since the millennium, up nearly 27%, because the U.S. economy has remained remarkably resilient, hopes
are high that President-elect Donald Trump's policies will boost growth but not inflation too badly and the Federal Reserve has begun to make things easier by cutting interest rates from a two-decade high.
The Fed is widely expected to announce the third cut of the year to its main interest rate on Wednesday, and officials are also scheduled to unveil projections about where they see rates heading in upcoming years.
Expectations for coming cuts have been on the downswing, though, as inflation looks like it could stubbornly stick above the Fed's 2% target after slowing sharply from its peak above 9%.
A report on Tuesday showed sales at U.S. retailers strengthened by more last month than economists expected. That could be an indication of an economy that doesn't need much more help from easier interest rates. While lower rates can goose the economy, they can also give inflation more fuel.
"The Fed is still on track to cut rates (Wednesday), but more strong economic data could make it more likely they'll pause in January," according to Chris Larkin, managing director, trading and investing, at E-Trade from Morgan Stanley.
In the bond market, Treasury yields held relatively steady following the report. The 10-year Treasury yield held at 4.40%, where it was late Monday. The two-year yield, which more closely tracks expectations for the Fed, edged down to 4.24% from 4.25%.
On Wall Street, Broadcom fell 3.9% for its first loss following two big gains where it had led the market. The tech company's stock leaped 24.4% and then 11.2% in consecutive days after delivering a profit report and a forecast for upcoming revenue that
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topped analysts' expectations, in part because of demand for its artificialintelligence products.
Broadcom and Nvidia were the two heaviest weights on the S&P 500 Tuesday.
Pfizer helped limit the market's loss after rising 4.7%. It gave a forecast for profit next year that was stronger than some
analysts' estimates. Other pharmaceutical stocks were also near the front of the market, including a 3.2% gain for Bristol-Myers Squibb.
All told, the S&P 500 slipped 23.47 points to 6,050.61. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 267.58 to 43,449.90, and the Nasdaq composite dipped 64.83 to 20,109.06.
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In stock markets abroad, London's FTSE
100 fell 0.8% ahead of an announcement on interest rates by the Bank of England on Thursday.
Japan's central bank will also meet on interest rates later this week, and Tokyo's Nikkei 225 slipped 0.2%.
Unlike others around the world, the Bank of Japan is raising rates after keeping its policy rate below zero for years.
Bitcoin set a record above $108,000 before pulling back toward $106,500, according to CoinDesk. com. It's catapulted from roughly $44,000 at the start of the year, riding a recent wave of enthusiasm that Trump will create a system that's more favorable to digital currencies.
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A SCOOTER passes the New York Stock Exchange in New York’s Financial District on Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024.
Photo:Peter Morgan/AP
An underground detector in China will sniff out mysterious ghost particles called neutrinos
By ADITHI RAMAKRISHNAN and NG HAN GUAN
Associated Press
UNDERNEATH a gran-
ite hill in southern China, a massive detector is nearly complete that will sniff out the mysterious ghost particles lurking around us.
The Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory will soon begin the difficult task of spotting neutrinos: tiny cosmic particles with a mind-bogglingly small mass.
The detector is one of three being built across the globe to study these elusive ghost particles in the finest detail yet. The other two, based in the United States and Japan, are still under construction.
Spying neutrinos is no small feat in the quest to understand how the universe came to be. The Chinese effort, set to go online next year, will push the technology to new limits, said Andre de Gouvea, a theoretical physicist at Northwestern University who is not involved with the project.
"If they can pull that off," he said, "it would be amazing."
What are neutrinos?
Neutrinos date back to the Big Bang, and trillions zoom through our bodies every second. They spew from stars like the sun and stream out when atomic bits collide in a particle accelerator.
Scientists have known about the existence of neutrinos for almost a century, but they're still in the early stages of figuring out what the particles really are.
"It's the least understood particle in our world," said Cao Jun, who helps manage the detector known as JUNO. "That's why we need to study it."
There's no way to spot the tiny neutrinos whizzing around on their own. Instead, scientists measure what happens when they collide with other bits of matter, producing flashes of light or charged particles.
Neutrinos bump into other particles only very rarely, so to up their chances of catching a collision, physicists have to think big.
"The solution for how we measure these neutrinos is to build very, very big detectors," de Gouvea said.
A big detector to measure tiny particles
The $300 million detector in Kaiping, China, took over nine years to build. Its location 2,297 feet (700 meters) underground protects from pesky cosmic rays and radiation that could throw off its neutrinosniffing abilities.
On Wednesday, workers began the final step in construction. Eventually, they'll fill the orb-shaped detector with a liquid designed to emit light when
neutrinos pass through and submerge the whole thing in purified water.
It'll study antineutrinos — an opposite to neutrinos which allow scientists to understand their behavior — produced from collisions inside two nuclear power plants located over 31 miles (50 kilometers) away. When the antineutrinos come into contact with particles inside the detector, they'll produce a flash of light.
The detector is specially designed to answer a key question about a longstanding mystery. Neutrinos switch between three flavors as they zip through
Guangdong province on Friday, Oct. 11, 2024. Photo:Ng Han Guan/AP
space, and scientists want to rank them from lightest to heaviest.
Sensing these subtle shifts in the already evasive particles will be a challenge, said Kate Scholberg, a physicist at Duke University who is not involved with the project.
"It's actually a very daring thing to even go after it," she said.
China's detector is set to operate during the second half of next year. After that, it'll take some time to collect and analyze the data — so scientists will have to keep waiting to fully unearth the secret lives of neutrinos.
Two similar neutrino detectors – Japan's HyperKamiokande and the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment based in the United States – are under construction. They're set to go online around 2027 and 2031 and will cross-check the China detector's results using different approaches.
"In the end, we have a better understanding of the nature of physics," said Wang Yifang, chief scientist and project manager of the Chinese effort.
Understanding how the universe formed Though neutrinos barely interact with other particles, they've been around since the dawn of time.
Studying these Big Bang relics can clue scientists into how the universe evolved and expanded billions of years ago.
"They're part of the big picture," Scholberg said.
One question researchers hope neutrinos can help answer is why the universe is overwhelmingly made up of matter with its opposing counterpart — called antimatter — largely snuffed out.
Scientists don't know how things got to be so out of balance, but they think neutrinos could have helped write the earliest rules of matter.
MARINE FORECAST
THE $300 million detector is seen at the Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory located 2297 feet (700 meters) underground in Kaiping in southern China’s
