01192026 BUSINESS

Illegal charters warned:

‘We’re coming for you’

BY NEIL HARTNELL

Business Editor

INVESTIGATORS are warning

“hundreds” of suspected illegal foreign fishing charter operators that “we’re coming for you”, with Bahamian fishermen asserting: “We don’t want pirates and folks that don’t give a damn about our country.”

Mike Cenci, who has spent three decades investigating prohibited fisheries practices, and was part of the operation behind last week’s apprehension of a vessel suspected of conducting illegal sports fishing charters in Bahamian waters, told Tribune

• Unlicensed commercial fisheries operators ‘out of control’

• And costing Bahamas ‘millions of dollars in fisheries value’

• Fishermen assert: ‘We don’t want pirates’ after third bust

Business such activities are “out of control” and it will “take a while” for law enforcement and its partners “to turn this around”.

Hailing The Bahamas for cracking down on such practices, with the latest apprehension marking the third such vessel seizure in just 13 months, he voiced optimism thatas word of this latest arrest spreads among the Florida and US boating community - “the bad guys will realise the risk is not worth the reward and are hopefully deterred”.

A senior law enforcement advisor for WildAid, one of the

FTX liquidators get $38m from selling Bahamas properties

• Further $17m in sales ‘pending’ for Q1 ‘26

• 99% of 43,202 creditor claims adjudicated

BY NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

FTX’s liquidators had raised $38.2m from selling-off eight of the collapsed crypto exchange’s Bahamian properties by early December 2025, it has been revealed, with “pending deals” and the appraised value of others set to generate a potential further $155.8m.

BY NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

THE Bahamian Contrac-

tors Association’s (BCA) president says recently-unveiled first-time home buyer and real property tax concessions are “not as earth-shattering as they seem” and will likely represent “modest good news for a small number of people” in the middle class.

Leonard Sands told Tribune Business that the incentives revealed by Prime Minister Philip Davis KC in his recent national address will have limited impact on both The

GBPA chiefs avoid

and

and

jail on water supply Order breach

BY NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

A SUPREME Court judge has elected to impose a $6,000 fine, rather than send the directors of Freeport’s water supplier - including several Grand Bahama Port Authority (GBPA) principals - to jail after finding it breached an Order preventing it from disconnecting a condo complex’s services.

Justice Loren Klein, in a January 15, 2026, verdict agreed it was possible to “feel a considerable degree of sympathy” for Grand Bahama Utility Company, which is 100 percent owned by the GBPA’s Port Group

Apart from the deals that have closed, the FTX liquidator trio revealed that a further four sales worth a combined $17.2m are due

Brian Simms KC, the Lennox Paton senior partner, and the PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) accounting duo of Kevin Cambridge and Peter Greaves, in their latest report to the Supreme Court as liquidators for FTX Digital Markets, the exchange’s Bahamian subsidiary, revealed they are making headway in disposing of the 37-strong Bahamian property empire acquired by its disgraced and jailed founder, Sam Bankman-Fried, and his associates.

Corporate resilience means risk more than compliance

In the 2025 Hiscox Cyber Readiness Report, 33 percent of companies faced fines that damaged their financial health, while 30 percent reported reduced business performance and 29 percent experienced higher costs due to customer notifications resulting from cyber-related risk exposures.

This illustrates the reality that too many executives use “resilience” as a buzzword rather than a daily practice. Real resilience shows up in decisions about strategy, risk tolerance and governance. If you do not put risk at the centre of how work gets done, you weaken our capacity to sustain operations and protect stakeholders during disruptions.

An analysis by McKinsey defines ‘resilience’ as understanding the importance of business processes, the capability of underlying systems and how much risk a company can

Derek Smith By

tolerate. Risk-informed behaviour goes beyond continuity checklists. Simply put, resilience has a clearer practical meaning now than ever before.

This article examines business resilience through a risk management lens, going beyond continuity plans and regulatory checklists. It focuses on six areas that shape real outcomes: Risk framework design,

Jewel’s 2,300 passengers bring sparkle to Freeport

THE Norwegian Jewel cruise ship brought more than 2,300 passengers to Freeport in its first-ever call on the city. Representatives from the Ministry of Tourism, Investments and Aviation, Freeport Harbour Company and the cruise ship exchanged plaques to mark the occasion on January 16, 2026.Karenda Rolle, the ministry’s senior manager of guest services and training, said: “Our destination is beautiful, our harbour is always welcoming to our guests and the ships and its crew, and we look forward to continued support from vessels as such so that we can ensure that our guests enjoy the destination and our stakeholders, our industry partner, can benefit.”Captain Stefan Nordberg, of the Norwegian Jewel, said Norwegian was the first cruise line to sail out of Miami and has a long history with The Bahamas. He added that, while it is the ship’s first call at Freeport Harbour, he is certain it will not be the last.Charles Ellison Rolle, Freeport Harbour Company’s deputy port director, said the company has a very ambitious development plan for the harbour that will be unveiled shortly. He added that it will facilitate more cruise passengers coming to Grand Bahama.

Organisers reveal first Taste of Exuma festival

THE first-ever Taste of the Exuma festival will be held from May 14-17 in a bid to showcase the island’s food and drink products and provide a launchpad for culinary tourism.

The festival, which will be held at Grand Isle Resort & Residences, will feature ocean-to-farm-to table dining experiences showcasing two Bahamian chefs along with Chef Alyn Williams.

A ten-year visitor to Exuma, Chef Williams trained with personalities such as Gordon Ramsey. His family’s friendship with Grand Isle Resort & Residences investor, Peter Nicholson, sparked the idea for a festival headlining Chef Williams and Bahamian talent, together with local food and spirits.

In addition to nightly dinners, cooking classes and an Exuma marketplace, the event will highlight John Watling’s Distillery, creators of The Rum of The Bahamas. Rum tastings and a mixology experience will be a central feature, with events taking place at the adjacent beach club, 23 North.

“Once the idea was born, there was no turning back,” laughed Chef Williams, who will be joined by Chef Nigelle Thompson, head chef at Grand Isle and native of Exuma, along with Chef Antonio Wiilliams,

Board oversight, organisational structure, risk ownership, quality decision-making information and culture.

Frameworks provide structure

Using ISO 31000 and similar risk management approaches can help companies assess risk during planning and execution. Frameworks link risk to objectives and actions. Using it, resilience becomes an everyday governance outcome versus an after-thought.

Boards play a crucial role

Their oversight sets expectations for how risk is integrated into strategy discussions. Risk tolerance should appear alongside revenue and growth targets. It should shape how you weigh investment choices and resource allocation. By including risk in a strategic dialogue, Boards signal that resilience is a priority.

Companies often leave resilience to separate functions, such as business continuity or information technology (IT). This creates silos. Risk functions sometimes produce dashboards that describe exposures without connecting them to business performance and decision thresholds. Leaders need information that highlights areas of uncertainty and pressure, not just static lists of risks. Good risk reporting identifies where assumptions are weak, and early action can make a difference.

Ownership clarifies delivery Executives closest to operations must explain their exposures and how they manage them. Compliance and risk teams should support this by translating risk language into a concrete business context. Clear responsibility drives sharper thinking and consistent execution.

executive sous chef at the British Colonial hotel in Nassau.

Shona Perry, Grand Isle’s general manager, said Taste of Exuma will also partner with Bahamian farmers and fishermen to stage an event expected to boost Exuma’s economy while providing an authentic experience.

“Grand Isle is so pleased to launch the first Taste of Exuma,” said Ms Perry. “Our goal is to not only elevate the dining experience for our guests but appeal to the entire island of Exuma, and the boating and yachting community.  We hope this event raises the culinary profile for the destination as we look forward to getting the island’s best and brightest involved.”

Mr Nicholson, who first conceived the idea, added:

“For many leisure travellers, food is an incredibly important part of the overall tourism experience. It can make or break a holiday. So, we thought: Why not take our culinary game to the next level? Let’s create a tradition the whole island can be proud of.”

In addition to working with Bahamian food producers, the festival will feature an Exuma Marketplace offering vendors of goods, art and handmade crafts an opportunity to showcase and sell to attendees.

Culture is part of everyday resilience

People must feel able to raise concerns early and without fear. That means risk conversations are common and factual, not exceptional. Silence around emerging issues hides pressures until they look like crises. This matters because regulators and investors increasingly expect integrated risk governance. Boards that focus on risk strategy and oversight are better positioned to manage stakeholder expectations that value transparency and preparedness.

Here is what each group can do now.

* Boards should ask how risk tolerance has influenced recent strategic decisions, and what signals have shifted since the last plan.

* Companies should incorporate risk considerations into planning, budgeting and change

initiatives - not only in compliance reports.

* Risk and compliance professionals should translate risk into impact, exposure and options, so that executives and Boards act with clarity. In short, resilience reflects an operating stance. Managing risk becomes actionable when it is incorporated into a management discipline. If risk remains a compliance exercise, resilience remains an aspiration.

• NB: About Derek Smith Jr Derek Smith Jr has been a governance, risk and compliance professional for more than 20 years with a leadership, innovation and mentorship record. He is the author of ‘The Compliance Blueprint’. Mr Smith is a certified anti-money laundering specialist (CAMS) and holds multiple governance credentials. He can be contacted at hello@ pineapplebusinessconsultancy.com

“Our featured chefs are also planning interactive cooking demonstrations by the pool, and John Watling’s Distillery, our event spirits partner, will add special flair and fun with their rum tastings and mixology classes for guests,” Ms Perry added. Located at Nassau’s historic Buena Visa Estate, which dates back to 1789, the distillery welcomes thousands of guests annually and offers complimentary tours, rum tastings, signature cocktails in its historic tavern, rum bottling experiences and the We B Learnin’ Rum Academy granting certification to DRINK - See Page B6

Training Agency graduates 76

THE National Training Agency (NTA) held a graduation ceremony for the 76 members of its 26th class on January 15, 2026, at its Gladstone Road and Munnings Drive offices.

The graduates were trained under the mandatory workforce preparatory programme, which gave them skills after 14 weeks of training, four weeks of soft skills and ten weeks of technical skills.

Instruction was offered in fields such as auto body/service and care; soft skills; business applications and technology; teacher’s aide; culinary and baking; office procedure; butler service and food and beverage.

The courses were in line with the Agency’s mandate of building a competency-based training and job placement system that is flexible and responsive to the actual requirements of the workplace.

The graduates received certificates, pins and jobs). Many were hired before the end of the training.

Photo:Kristaan Ingraham/BIS

Tax agency targets real property tax registration

BY FAY SIMMONS Tribune Business Reporter jsimmons@tribunemedia.net

A DEPARTMENT of

Inland Revenue (DIR) official says there has been a noticeable improvement in business tax compliance in recent years.

John Williams, the tax agency’s spokesman, speaking at a weekend event praised the private sector’s efforts to remain compliant

with all relevant government agencies including the National Insurance Board (NIB), Department of Physical Planning and Bahamas Customs.

“We definitely have seen an improvement, just in the fact of persons who are applying for their Business Licence renewals online. The steady flow of persons coming into the department, events such as this, where we have large turnout of persons coming

out, shows a higher level of compliance in the business community,” said Mr Williams.

“Persons always are vying for contracts and they know, in order to be paid by the Government for certain contracts, or even the private sector, they have to get their Tax Compliance Certificates (TCC’s). And in order to get your TCC, which tells us that you're compliant

with all government agencies, you know you got to be compliant.”

Mr Williams said there is ongoing activity related to real property tax, and the Department has been actively going into communities and leaving door hangers to encourage people to contact them. He explained that goal of these visits is not to issue tax bills, but to gather information and ensure properties are recorded correctly.

Opposition renews demand for tourism levy disclosure

BY FAY SIMMONS Tribune Business Reporter jsimmons@tribunemedia.net

THE Opposition’s deputy leader yesterday demanded that the Government provide a full accounting of how the funds collected through the $2 per person tourism enhancement levy have been used.

Shanendon Cartwright, in a statement, blasted the Government for failing to disclose what it has used the proceeds from this fee and the $5 environmental levy charged to cruise passenger for.

He claimed the tourism levy, which has been collected since last year and directed to the Tourism Development Corporation, has not yet been publicly accounted for and demanded a full breakdown

of the agency’s revenue and expenditures.

“As the Government is collecting money in the name of tourism development, then the Bahamian people have a right to get a full accounting. These are the Bahamian people's tax revenues and Parliament must be given a full breakdown of the amounts collected and for all related expenditure. There is no justification to withhold this basic information,” said Mr Cartwright.

He argued that the Davis administration has a pattern of “governing in the dark”, and called for the Government to disclose how much has been collected via tourism levies and details of procurement contracts over $25,000.

“The Office of the Prime Minister publicly claimed that these levies would ‘go back into the country so

entrepreneurs will benefit from it, and the redevelopment of tourism will benefit from it’. That promise demands proof,” said Mr Cartwright.

“Which entrepreneurs have benefited, where are the projects, and where is the accounting? These are questions of trust, accountability and basic financial stewardship. Tourism is the backbone of our economy, and Bahamians supported these levies because they were told the funds would be used responsibly and transparently to strengthen the country we all depend on.

“Until full disclosure is provided, the Tourism Development Fund will stand as yet another example of a government that demands public confidence while refusing public scrutiny.”

Chester Cooper, deputy prime minister and minister of tourism, investments and aviation, last week defended the Government’s handling of tourism funds, calling allegations of financial secrecy “absolute nonsense and mischievous” while urging the Opposition to stop making unsubstantiated claims.

During Parliament, a heated exchange took place between Opposition leader, Michael Pintard, and Mr Cooper regarding transparency in the Ministry of Tourism and the Tourism Development Corporation (TDC).

Mr Pintard raised concerns that the public has no clear understanding of how much the Ministry of Tourism has spent over the past four-and-a-half years, including contracts and other expenditures.

Ex-Abaco Chamber chief makes national lottery call

BY ANNELIA NIXON Tribune Business Reporter

AN EX-ABACO Chamber of Commerce president has called for The Bahamas to introduce a national lottery as a means to raise extra revenue and ease the burden of VAT and other taxes.

Daphne DeGregory-Miaoulis, also proprietor of Abaco Neem, said that although the Government has eliminated VAT from unprepared food items, farmers such as herself must still pay the tax on imports for their business which will produce “the food that eventually is going to be VAT free”.

“So if I'm a farmer growing onions, and I have to import things, again, related to the sale of those onions, I'm paying VAT, freight and all that but then when this goes to the food store, the food store can't charge VAT, or I, as a vendor, can't charge VAT, but I'm having

to pay it up front,” she added.

Mrs DeGregory-Miaoulis added that if the Government were to introduce a national lottery, which has proven to be “ a lucrative business” in other countries, it can generate extra revenue.

“We wouldn't even have to pay VAT if they increased rates in categories that don't affect the lower to middle income bracket households,” she said.

“Since they're allowing gambling houses, I think the Government should have a national lottery, because the national lottery could generate all the income that any VAT tax - or more income than the VAT taxis generating.

“And I'm not suggesting that gambling is the way to go, but they've clearly allowed the gambling houses to operate. The gambling houses have also proven that it's a very lucrative business. And if I wanted to gamble my money, and I knew that I was gambling, it was in a government-operated agency, and I lost, well, you never really lose if the money is going back to the people,” Mrs DeGregory-Miaoulis said.

“And they've been recently talking about having a moratorium so there's no more gambling houses allowed to be created. But I think that they've given those gambling houses a lot of protection long enough.

“Persons are inquiring about their bills. They're realising that they need to register their properties. We have had a lot of activity going out to communities, leaving door hangers on the door, letting persons know, ‘Hey, we want you to contact us. Is your property registered? You need to register. And folks need to understand that just because we visit you, it doesn't mean that you have a bill,” said Mr Williams.

In response, Mr Cooper insisted the Government has “nothing to hide” and assured Parliament that all financial details related to the TDC would be laid out “in due course” in accordance with legal reporting requirements.

“We have nothing to hide. All of the details of everything to do with the Tourism Development Corporation will be fully laid out to this place in due course, in the standard form of reporting. So the member’s innuendos about not knowing where money is spent is absolute, absolute nonsense and mischievous,” said Mr Cooper.

how and where tax monies are being spent.

And if I were in government, I would certainly be looking at a national lottery as a way of generating revenue for the country that everybody can benefit from.”

VAT should have never been placed on food items or medication, Mrs DeGregory-Miaoulis argued. Describing the Davis administration’s move regarding VAT removal on unprepared foods as “an election blur”, she challenged how long the change will last and how the Government plans to offset these costs.

The ex-Chamber president also called for more transparency regarding VAT, noting the Government works for the Bahamian people and owes them an explanation on

“We're just taking a log. We want to register all the properties in the proper names that they should be in because you could be living on a property currently, right now, in someone else's name after you've purchased it. So again, it's just about enforcing compliance and ensuring that everybody's up to date.”

He also defended the ministry’s operations, saying they are both legally compliant and appropriately adapted to the fast-moving, international nature of the tourism sector.

“The Ministry of Tourism by its very nature, because of its international dealings, because we have to respond quickly to changes in markets, we have special considerations as to how we go about certain matters,” said Mr Cooper.

“Anything that we are required to report under the law, under procurement laws, we have done so or will do so, in the general course of reporting.”

“I need to know where my VAT money is being spent,” she added. “We need a VAT account that is clearly available and easily accessible to the people who are paying VAT. I'm paying you VAT, but I can't see how you're using that money. That is unfair, and they need to stop juggling this 'it's important. It's not important.' It's extremely important. People need to know how their tax dollars are being spent. Bottom line.

“It's like hiring an operational manager for your business, giving them a budget of $100,000 and then not making them account for how that $100,000 is spent. No business person would do something like that. And government is a business, and we're the owners of the business. They're working for us, but they're not accounting to us for anything that they're spending. That's not fair.”

Foreign suspects told: Don’t market trips in the US and ‘pass as private’

Government’s key partners in the drive to uphold The Bahamas’ maritime laws and resource sustainability, he told this newspaper that the country is likely “losing millions of dollars in fisheries value” due to such unlicensed activities.

Disclosing that the latest seized vessel, Rayne Check, had been charging $45,000 for allegedly-illegal five-day sports fishing charters in Bahamian waters, Mr Cenci said that besides snatching income away from local fishermen and legitimate tour operators these actions also threaten the sustainability of the country’s fisheries resources.

Pointing out that The Bahamas’ maritime environment is a key attraction for hundreds of thousands of “honest” visitors to this nation every year, he warned that “remove the healthy marine resources and it becomes Haiti” in terms of the likely economic and social fall-out.

Mr Cenci’s concerns were echoed by Paul Maillis, the National Fisheries Association’s (NFA) secretary, who told Tribune Business that law-abiding Bahamians “should be overjoyed” this is happening. He added that seizure of the Rayne Check, plus the previous two vessel apprehensions, meant it was “an exciting time” for Bahamian fishermen because it means that the country’s maritime and fisheries laws are now being enforced to full effect.

Voicing optimism that the authorities’ actions will have a “chilling effect” on other illegal fishing and charter operators, Mr Maillis also expressed concern that - apart from the

economic losses - such activities are also damaging this nation’s international reputation and undermining the “Bahamian psyche” as locals constantly watch foreigners get away with “blatant law-breaking”.

And, warning that there are “many more perpetrators to be caught”, Mr Maillis urged Bahamians to support the crackdown by tipping-off authorities to illegal maritime operators now that “their ears should be piqued and eyes open to this” given the scale of the profits unauthorised actors are making.

The NFA secretary said the activities of unlicensed foreign fishing charter operators was one reason why Bahamian fishermen were ambivalent over the new and increased boating fees imposed from July 1 last year. He acknowledged there was a “split” in the fishing community over the issue, with many believing they were justified due to the economic loss and damage being caused by such illegal practices.

Should these be eliminated, or drastically reduced, Mr Maillis said there may be an argument for reducing the boating fees in future but, presently, The Bahamas needs to ensure all visiting vessels pay towards marine conservation and environmental protection as “right now we’ve got to get this under control”.

With the latest vessel seizure being widely-publicised in the Florida media, and boating and fishing social media blogs, it appears that The Bahamas’ move to enforce its laws is gaining attention. One blogger, Stephen360fishing, wrote: “This case wasn’t made by random patrols.

“Bahamian authorities confirmed they are now actively monitoring Instagram and Facebook, tracking captains who advertise Bahamas charters before they even clear Customs.

“The old assumption that you can market trips in the US and ‘pass as private’ in The Bahamas is no longer holding up. Bottom line: If you’re running charters, permits matter. If you’re advertising online, they’re watching.”

Rayne Check and its two-man crew were apprehended near Black Point, Exuma, last week on the basis that they were allegedly operating an unlicensed commercial sports fishing charter while only possessing a private cruising permit.

Mr Cenci, a former fish and wildlife police officer, special agent and sheriff’s deputy in the US, told Tribune Business: “What makes this one unique from the others is what they charged - a really handsome fee of $45,000 for five days.” He added that the vessel was known to have made 17 trips to The Bahamas between March 23, 2024, and January 12, 2026, and “there were probably many more”.

The $45,000 charter fee works out to $9,000 per day, and Mr Cenci said that once expenses related to crew and stocking the vessel were subtracted, the profit margin for the boat owner/charter operators could have been as high as $6,500 per day. The Rayne Check was also equipped with “top of the line gear”, which “elevates the harvesting to a point where it’s not sustainable”.

Describing such activities as “freeloading” on The Bahamas’ national resources, he added: “We need to let these [illegal] charter businesses in Florida know we are coming for them and we will get them. Not just for the trips they make, but the previous trips as well. We are going to make sure it’s not going to

be a lot of business for them at the end of the day.

“But there are so many. It’s so prolific it’s going to take a while to turn this around. After a while, the bad guys will realise law enforcement is effective and there is a risk. Prior to the first apprehension, no illegal sports fishing charter business had been taken down. You now have three seizures in 13 months and there’s highly likely to be more.

“At some point the bad guys will realise the risk is not worth the reward and, hopefully, they are deterred. The level of investigation that goes into these things is pretty intense and doesn’t stop after the arrest. We expect to do more. We have support from three ministers of national security, finance and agriculture and marine resources. That’s a pretty powerful trio,” Mr Cenci said.

“We’re coming for them. I don’t mind them knowing we are coming for them because our objective is to stop the activity. We have another target in our sights.” He added that the latest apprehension involved, for the first time, the Maritime Revenue Unit that was created by legislation passed alongside the 2025-2026 Budget.

Giving an insight into the negative effects of unregulated, unlicensed fishing and charter operations, Mr Cenci told this newspaper: “Every fish they catch, that’s a fish, conch and lobster that’s not available for a Bahamian business or Family Island community member.

“I think it’s costing The Bahamas millions in lost revenue, lost value; fisheries value. Obviously these folks are attaching their value that marine resources are worth $45,000 for a fiveday trip to go catch fish. That’s pretty impressive. But if that marine resource crashes, so does the rewards. It’s worth so much more to The Bahamas than these illegal profits.

“Honest people come to The Bahamas because the marine ecosystem is in fairly good shape, and it’s truly an island paradise. Remove those healthy marine resources and it’s Haiti. This activity is prolific, it’s out of control and I think you’re losing millions of dollars in fisheries value.”

Mr Cenci called for marinas, in particular, to provide more support for law enforcement agencies by tipping them off to the presence of suspected illegal fishing charters. He argued: “The revenue that marinas get does not compensate

for the value of fisheries they are ripping off.”

Meanwhile, Mr Maillis described the series of arrests involving alleged “well-known perpetrators and lesser known perpetrators” of unlicensed fishing charters as “an exciting time for Bahamian fishermen” because such a crackdown - and its extent - has “never really happened before”. He added that The Bahamas is now showing it has the laws and “political will”, with agencies working together, to target violators of fishing, boating and Customs regulations.

“These are the types of folks that don’t give a damn, and we are going to show we don’t give a damn about them when they break the laws,” Mr Maillis told Tribune Business. “This is the one type of government action that everybody wants, and I can say that with 100 percent certainty.

Anyone who is a law-abiding citizen in The Bahamas should be overjoyed this is happening.

“These people compete with Bahamian fishermen and charter operators, and every day Bahamians want to go fishing close to home. That’s more reason for us, the reason why this is a concern and we have to keep fisheries sustainable. We support this effort wholeheartedly and would like to see it continue… Trust me. This is the beginning, really the beginning.”

Encouraging Bahamian fishermen to “not stay silent”, and provide information on suspected illegal foreign fishing charters to the authorities, Mr Maillis said enforcement action such as last week’s “builds trust and belief that we can get this thing under control” and that supplying tip-offs is worth it.

“It should have a chilling effect,” he added of the Rayne Check’s apprehension. “These are not the type of people we want coming into the country. We want tourists and business operators that want to follow the law, want to pay their fair share and have genuine concern for the country. We don’t want pirates.

“All they do is inflate tourist numbers and make it appear they are doing good work when they are not. We don’t want those types of people.” Mr Maillis said “the standard” catch limit under a cruising permit is 18 pelagic fish, which could be 100-pound tunas, wahoo and mahi mahi. Catch ceilings are also set for lobster and conch, he added, while the demersal fish limits are 20 in number of 60 pounds.

“Multiple that by a conservative 2,000 vessels a

year and that’s a lot of tons of fish potentially taken by law-abiding cruise permit people,” the NFA secretary said. “Now you have these illegal charter businesses, and we understand there are at least hundreds of them. They are trying to get as much weight as possible for their clients.

“If one of those operators earns $1m a year, and you multiply that by hundreds, that’s the economic impact. Then there’s also the damage it causes to our international reputation.. ‘I went on this illegal charter to The Bahamas, nobody bothered us, nobody stopped us’. It’s damaging our reputation and encouraging other people to do the same.

“This doesn’t happen in a vacuum,” Mr Maillis said. “These operators know each other, talk to each other and some sell what they catch in the US. That’s illegal. They are violating their laws and our laws. They are damaging tourism, causing tens of millions of dollars’ worth of damage in our country not to mention the opportunity cost for legitimate Bahamian operators who take their clients to a spot and it’s not what they paid for because a big yacht spent two weeks there catching everything.

“There’s a lot of negative impacts. There’s the damage to the Bahamian psyche that there’s this blatant law-breaking in remote areas, where law enforcement is sparse, and people see yachts parked up, people running illegal businesses, and they cannot do anything about it.”

Praising the ability of Bahamian law enforcement agencies, such as the police, Customs and Defence Force, to work together in combating maritime offenders, Mr Maillis added: “So far, so good but, equally, there are many, many perpetrators to be caught. Now the public has knowledge and awareness of how much these operators are costing, how much they are charging their clients, everybody’s ears should be piqued and eyes open to this issue.

“The more awareness there is of this problem, the more support the Government will get. From the fisherman’s perspective, this is awesome and we want it to continue.

Mr Cenci said law enforcement agencies and their international partners are also “working on” the problems created by Dominican and other foreign fishing poachers in the southern Bahamas.

Vacation rental explosion worsens housing shortage

BY ANNELIA NIXON Tribune Business Reporter anixon@tribunemedia.net

AN OVER-SATURATION of Airbnbs and vacation rental properties is continuing to impact both Exuma’s housing marketespecially long-term rentals - and its hotels.

Reginald Wood, management consultant at the Exuma Palms Resort, said many accommodations have been converted from long-term rentals to Airbnbs this contributing to the island’s housing crisis. He added that the market is not regulated and non-Bahamians have become operators in the rental property space - “a rather controversial topic here right now”.

“You build a rental property, you develop a rental property, and I guess you can rent it for long-term. If you want it to be an Airbnb... It's not regulated. So there's no quotas in place whereby you must have a certain amount of this class, for this market, at a certain amount. For Airbnb, it's just whatever you want to rent your property as,” he added.

“And that conversation can open into what is a rather controversial topic here right now, and that is who is being allowed to develop rental properties here in Exuma and The Bahamas at large. And when I say that I mean non-Bahamians, because a rental property, any income-generating

property, is a business. To operate a business in The Bahamas, you need what? A Business Licence, especially as a non-Bahamian.

“And if we got to move it from the narrow term and say, you need a Business Licence, what is the broader, more correct term nowadays is: Are there the proper permissions to operate that said business? We won't get into that here today, but then that is something that is a rather contentious issue right now.”

Mr Wood said Airbnbs and vacation rentals take away occupancies from hotels. “It affects the hotels,” he added. “We have our wonderful tourists who come in. They love the island. They say, 'Oh, I want

to buy a piece of property. I want to build a home here so we can have a second home, a third home to come and visit.'

“It always starts with one. But nowadays we're not at the starting point any more. We're well along in that. And so you have hundreds, hundreds of expats here, foreigners who came, liked what they saw and bought property [and] developed it.

“However, a vast majority of those properties are being utilised now as income-generating properties. They are being rented out as Airbnbs. These same homes the people got a permit to build a home or vacation home for themselves, they're renting their homes. And, obviously, every Airbnb night means a night that a hotel doesn't get. I mean, it's just simple math.”

Calling for the vacation rental market to be regulated, Mr Wood said that would include a collaboration between the Ministry of Tourism and Ministry of Housing.

“And from the genesis, it would also involve the Ministry of Works with the issuance of the permits to go and build these buildings because the Ministry of Works is issuing a permit

for what they are being told is a vacation home,” he added.

“So the Smith family is building a vacation home. When they come down, they can stay in their vacation home. So Ministry of Works is issuing these permits on that basis.

“If the Smith family said: 'We want to develop this property as an income generating property, an Airbnb,' the process is totally different. Inland Revenue becomes involved because, why? There's some tax that you have to pay on that - on the income generated,” Mr Wood continued.

“The property would then be registered under... housing and tourism. It would be monitored. They would have to do reports on the income being generated, and then there's taxes owed to the Government in the form of the daily room tax and VAT. It's a whole different dynamic. Like I said, it's unregulated right now.”

Mr Woods said Bahamians unable to afford upscale, high-priced accommodations struggle to find housing in Exuma. He said there is a need for more affordable housing for the “lower budget [and] for people coming through

to do work.” In recent months, Mr Wood had to source workers from New Providence to complete renovations to the hotel, resulting in a need for accommodations.

“But thankfully, because it's a hotel, we were able to utilise some of our rooms here,” he added. “Because we were closed, we had rooms unoccupied. So yes, that is a serious thing.”

Chester Cooper, deputy prime minister and Exuma’s MP, last year acknowledged Exuma’s housing crisis and announced that with Keith Bell, minister of housing, the Government is looking to build affordable subdivisions. Mr Cooper said the construction of homes in the island’s capital, Georgetown, would be announced.

“In addition, we are seeing some new builds on the island,” he said. “We will announce shortly the construction of homes in the area of Georgetown behind the Exuma Health Facility.

“This is an area where government owns extensive acreage, and we have been looking, along with the mMinister of housing, to see how we can create subdivisions in that immediate vicinity. So yes, this is an issue. It's not only an issue in Exuma – it’s an issue all across the islands.”

Mr Wood said Mr Cooper’s announcement was noble but “with government projects, the usual response is, 'We'd like to see it’.”

“We're in an election cycle so a lot of things become thought-up for the campaign trail,” he added.

“We are smack dab in the middle of an election season. Not to undermine or disparage anything the DPM has said, but it is what it is. We've been doing this for a while. But it's like I said, it's very much needed, and it will be very noble. Whether it's the private or the public sector, we do need more affordable housing here in Exuma.”

to be completed during the current 2026 first quarter. And the remaining 25 properties have been appraised at a collective $138.6m, meaning that - if the full appraised values are realised on all - a total $194m could be generated by liquidating FTX’s Bahamian real estate portfolio for the benefit of creditors and former clients.

“As at the date of this report, eight property sales have been completed for a combined gross sales price of $38.2m,” Messrs Simms, Cambridge and Greaves wrote in their second Supreme Court report as official FTX Digital Markets liquidators.

“An additional four properties are pending sale for a combined gross sales price of $17.2m, which are expected to complete by the first quarter of 2026.

The aggregate appraised value of 25 properties not yet contracted for sale is $138.6m.” The fact these are gross values suggests that they are not the net sums creditors will recover, as there may well be closing costs - such as attorney fees and realtor commissionsthat have yet to be paid out.

Still, should the four “pending” deals close at the presently-stated combined prices and on the suggested timeline, the FTX Digital Markets liquidators will have recovered a combined $55.4m from the crypto exchange’s real estate investments on behalf of creditors by end-March 2026.

More than half of the closed sales to-date involve properties at Albany, the high-end southwestern New Providence community founded by Lyford Cay-based billionaire Joe Lewis and his golfing friends, Tiger Woods and Ernie Els, and which housed the residences used by Mr Bankman-Fried and his closest and most senior executives.

Sales of units in Albany’s Orchid, Charles, Cube and Gemini complexes have raised $3.6m, $7m, $3.9m and $3.6m, respectively. A further $10.5m was generated by the sale of Albany’s Lot 44, resulting in the FTX Digital Markets liquidators realising some $28.5m from closing deals at the south-western New Providence community to-date.

Of the other completed disposals, two involved units at the Goldwynn development on Goodman’s Bay, which sold for $1.9m apiece, with the final deal labelled “formerly Bayside - Pictet” - likely a reference to the former Pictet Bank & Trust property at Bayside Executive Park on West Bay Street, which raised $5.9m As for the “pending” sales, two involve units at Albany in the Honeycomb and Charles complexes featuring gross sales prices of $4.5m and $10.2m respectively. The liquidators’ report puts the latter’s “net sales price” at $9m. Meanwhile, the final two deals set for completion during the 2026 first quarter are the sale of Pineapple House on Western Road for $1.7m (net price of $1.5m) and

a Blake Road property valued at $0.9m. However, even if the 37 properties fetch at or near the $194m figure once all sales are closed, the latter valuation will still be some way short of both the “approximately $222m” aggregate purchase price that Mr Bankman-Fried and his associates paid to acquire them in the first place in 2021 and 2022.

That was disclosed in early 2024 by John Ray, head of the 134 non-Bahamian FTX properties in Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, after he and the Bahamian liquidators settled their year-long jurisdictional dispute. His revelations also suggest that the $194m, if realised from the disposals, is also significantly less than the $256.291m loaned by FTX Digital Markets to FTX Property Holdings, the vehicle that bought all the Bahamian real estate.

Tribune Business had been told that the FTX Digital Markets liquidators have been releasing the Bahamian properties for sale gradually, rather than all or a batch at the same time, in a bid to avoid flooding or over-saturating the high-end real estate market in a manner that could depress the price purchasers are willing to pay.

This was confirmed by their Supreme Court report, which stated: “The joint official liquidators are gradually releasing properties in a conscious effort not to flood the market in an effort to maximise recoveries.” However, they added that their joint effort with Mr Ray to recover Bahamas real estate that was acquired by FTX - but then conveyed to the exchange’s former individual employees - had generated no

recoveries over the 12 months to early-December 2025.

“As part of the GSA (global settlement agreement), the joint official liquidators and the FTX Recovery Trust have been working together to recover further real estate assets located in The Bahamas that were paid for by FTX but conveyed to individual former employees. Recovery efforts remain in progress for properties conveyed to insiders. However, no further assets have been recovered during this report period,” the FTX Digital Markets trio said.

And several FTX real estate assets, particularly those at the Ocean Terrace property on West Bay Street just east of Caves Village as well as at Old Fort Bay, remain mired in legal disputes that are disrupting and delaying their sale and disposal. Tribune Business reported last year that the assets involved were valued at around $30m.

“Since the last report, the joint official liquidators continue to oppose allegations made by two claimants in separate actions before the Supreme Court of The Bahamas which seek to interfere with the title of the Ocean Terrace property. The claimants seek similar and/or identical relief,” the FTX Digital Markets liquidators added.

“In November 2024 and February 2025, claims were filed against PropCo (FTX Property Holdings) stemming from unfulfilled purchase agreements made in 2008 between Wyndhams Property Bahamas Ltd and Leo International Holding Ltd with a third party. The joint official liquidators have filed applications to strike out these claims.

“PropCo has also been made a defendant to two separate proceedings commenced by third parties each making voluminous allegations including proprietary interests in the Ocean Terrace property. The joint official liquidators consider these claims as unmeritorious and vexatious, and are actively engaged in taking steps to have these proceedings dismissed.”

Tribune Business records show Leo International Holding is a corporate vehicle for Dr Fabrizio Zanaboni, who headed

Festival to put Exuma on the culinary map

DRINK - from page B2

those who partake in the sipping and studying the art of mixing rum-based cocktails.

“We are honoured to be the official spirits partner of Taste of Exuma. The event promises to be one of the finest and most fun experiences of the culinary calendar,” said Pepin Argamasilla, one of the distillery’s founders and its chief marketing officer.

Stellar Energy, the wasteto-energy entity behind a proposal for the New Providence landfall that was at the heart of the Renward Wells Letter of Intent (LOI) saga. Dr Zanaboni has launched legal action in relation to Ocean Terrace before.

Meanwhile, the FTX Digital Markets liquidators said the “adverse claims” relating to Lot 5B at Old Fort Bay “remain under ongoing review”, and they are “taking steps to expeditiously resolve the same and will seek a court order permitting the sale of the property if no formal steps are taken by the party asserting ownership of Lot 5B”. A corporate entity, Burchfield Universal, is asserting that Lot 5B was previously conveyed to it by Old Fort Bay’s developer and that itself - not FTX Property Holdings - is the true owner.

Elsewhere, the Bahamian liquidators disclosed that they have raised some $1.2m by selling-off 50 autos from the failed crypto exchange’s Bahamian vehicle fleet. “The joint official liquidators have continued to advertise for sale the remainder of the fleet of vehicles owned by FTX Digital through consignment with local dealerships,” they added.

“As of the date of this report, the joint official liquidators have realised a total of $1.2m from the disposal of 50 vehicles owned by the company. The joint official liquidators have been assessing options to efficiently realise the sundry chattel assets owned by FTX Digital currently held at FTX Digital’s offices or in rented storage facilities, including computer and office equipment, as well as branded marketing materials and merchandise. The joint official liquidators have taken steps to consolidate the storage requirements and plan to realise the existing assets through to the 2026 first quarter.”

Meanwhile, the settlement with Mr Ray has enabled the Bahamian liquidation trio to focus on the task of processing, adjudicating and validating creditor claims and returning what is rightfully due to FTX’s former clients. Of the 43,000-plus claims

submitted in the FTX Dig

ital Markets process, only 424 remain to be adjudicated with another payout set to take place at the 2026 first quarter end.

“A total of 43,202 customers elected into The Bahamas process, of which 99 percent - by number 42,778 - of these claims have been adjudicated to date, with an aggregate agreed claim value of $787.2m. In total, approximately $444.1m has been paid to customer creditors to-date,” the FTX Digital Markets liquidators said.

“The 424 claims pending adjudication as at the date of this report account for balances per FTX Digital’s records of $31.7m, with such claims requiring additional information or evidence from the customer that has not yet been provided…. In the convenience class (customer balance less than $50,000), 28,755 customers have been paid in full and are no longer creditors of the estate.

“A number of claims could not be substantiated and have been rejected…. Remaining convenience class claims not paid are currently disputed or in the process of confirmation. Some 2,786 customers are in the process of submitting or verifying their payment details, and 2,073 customers have had their claims adjudicated and KYC-verified but reside in potentially restricted foreign jurisdictions and therefore cannot currently be included in distributions.”

As for supplier/vendor creditor claims, the FTX Digital Markets liquidators said 15 worth a combined $396.3m have been rejected. Some $88.8m in professional fees related to the liquidation, including $14.7m in legal fees and $74.1m associated with asset recovery, claims processing and administration, were incurred between May 2024 and March 2025 and approved by the Supreme Court and FTX Digital Markets creditors’ committee. A further $5.2m in costs were incurred from dealing with the Bahamian real estate portfolio.

“With the sea in front of us at 23 North, and a Michelin Star chef plus local talent behind this, Taste of Exuma will prove that even the best in Family Island travel goes better with a great culinary experience.”

“Exuma has become a special place for me and my whole family,” Chef Williams explained. “So, I want to give back. There is already so much talent on the island, and I think combining all The Bahamas has to offer, we can really build something special for the future that will be a staple on the tourism calendar for years to come.”

Mr Nicholson’s company also founded the Run for Pompey, an annual race, and the Tour de Turquoise, a cycling event that raises more than $100,000 each year for local causes.

The public is hereby advised that I, LYNDEN MARCELLUS ANDERSON RAMSEY of 183 Market Street, New Providence, Bahamas, intend to change my name to LYNDEN MARCELLUS YESHUA ANDERSON. If there are any objections to challenge the name by deed poll, you may write such objections to the Chief Passport Officer, P.O. Box N-742, Nassau, The Bahamas no later than thirty (30) days after the date of the publication of this notice.

level of activity within the construction industry. Instead, he encouraged the Government to follow through on statements that it plans to increase the supply and availability of affordable housing. The BCA chief told this newspaper that, with a “waiting list” of around 7,000 to 8,000 applicants, the Davis administration needs to increase the Department of Housing’s annual Budget allocation to around $80m if is to make a swift and rapid dent in that number. Michael Halkitis, minister of economic affairs, on Thursday last week confirmed that - besides increasing the first-time home buyer VAT exemption threshold from the present $500,000 to $600,000 - the Government is also extending the real property tax exemption for duplexes and triplexes worth less than $300,000 to

the whole property rather than just the owner-occupied portion. Presently, if the owner of a duplex or triplex valued below this threshold occupies 50 percent of the property, the tax exemption only applies to his portionmeaning that while no real property tax is paid on the owner’s half, the other 50 percent occupied by tenants is taxable. Now, under the planned changes, the owner will enjoy the full 100 percent exemption below $300,000. And extending the firsttime buyer exemption threshold from $500,000 to $600,000 means more Bahamians can qualify for VAT relief on the purchase of a home, thereby reducing upfront tax payments and their closing costs to make home ownership more affordable and accessible. If the VAT is split 50/50 between buyer and seller, this will increase the maximum relief available from

$25,000 to $30,000 on a $600,000 home. However, Mr Sands suggested the incentives are not as generous as the Government is letting on. “I don’t really think the impact will be felt at all,” he told this newspaper. “The challenge is not what the Government is doing. The challenge starts with the banks having the desire to lend money in the mortgage market. The fact we have expanding product, people need to get bank mortgages. “The Government has very little leverage with that. You’re now talking about real property tax. That’s after you build a home. That will not help persons build a house. No impact for construction there. And the target number of people seeking to buy a home is under $300,000, so increasing the threshold to $600,000 will not help them as much. The impact is modest at best.”

Mr Sands said it is the owner/occupier, or landlord, who will benefit most from the extension of duplex/triplex real property tax relief. “You know who the burden shifts to?

The landlord will shift the burden to the tenant,” he argued.

“I know a number of people whose rents have increased because the landlord has to make up for property tax on the rental portion. I know rents have not gone down. It may mean that the additional money that now goes to the Government stays with the landlord. It’s not going to spur economic activity. And they don’t cost $300,000 any more.

“We still have a challenge where the cost of the housing product it higher than the mortgage persons are allowed to get because of the economic state of The Bahamas. They cannot afford to get what they need. Developers have their mark and don’t build under a certain threshold. Why sell something for

Ukrainian

$300,000 when they can get

$600,000?” Mr Sands said it was “noteworthy” that both the Prime Minister and Mr Halkitis had talked about increasing the supply of affordable housing and inventory, describing this as “the right approach”. However, he argued that with homes now costing around $200,000, the Government needs to increase its housing budget to $80m and build around 400 homes per annum to make a dent in the housing ‘waiting list’ and create work for hundreds of small contractors.

“This whole conversation is not as earth-shattering as it sounds,” the BCA president told Tribune Business of the concessions, pointing out that most inner-city properties fall below the $300,000 value and are thus real property tax exempt.

“There’s more relief for the middle class than anyone else,” Mr Sands added, pointing out that $500,000 to $600,000 properties are typically found in communities such as Blair Estates and Stapledon Gardens. “It’s modest good news for a smaller group of people than suggested. For many of the population, it means nothing and doesn’t change anything in their lives.

“This is good for the middle class. Those are the ones going to feel the effects of this. They have been complaining that many of the policies do not impact them as those on lower incomes. This is their win. Will it have any impact on construction? It’s negligible. It’s not a benefit that will be felt by all. It’s a benefit that will be felt by some, and that’s the biggest point.”

drone strikes cut power to hundreds of thousands in Russia-occupied southern Ukraine

KYIV, Ukraine Associated Press

UKRAINIAN drone strikes damaged energy networks in Russia-occupied parts of southern Ukraine, leaving hundreds of thousands of people without power on Sunday, according to Kremlin-installed authorities there.

Meanwhile, Moscow has kept up its hammering of Ukraine's energy grid in overnight attacks that killed at least two people, according to Ukrainian officials.

More than 200,000 households in the Russia-held part of Ukraine's southern Zaporizhzhia region had no electricity on Sunday, according to the Kremlin-installed local governor.

In a Telegram post, Yevgeny Balitsky said that nearly 400 settlements have had their supply cut, because of damage to power networks from Ukrainian drone strikes.

Russia has hammered Ukraine's power grid, especially in winter, throughout

the nearly four-year war. The strikes aim to weaken Ukrainians' will to resist in a strategy that Kyiv officials call "weaponizing winter."

Russia targeted energy infrastructure in Odesa region overnight on Sunday, according to Ukraine's Emergency Service. A fire broke out and was promptly extinguished.

At least six people were wounded in the Dnipropetrovsk region from Russian attacks, the emergency service said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a Telegram post that repairing the country's energy system remains challenging, "but we are doing everything we can to restore everything as quickly as possible."

He said that two people were killed in overnight attacks across the country that struck Sumy, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, Khmelnytskyi and Odesa.

In total, more than 1,300 attack drones, 1,050 guided aerial bombs and 29 missiles of various types were used

by Russia to strike Ukraine this week, Zelenskyy said.

"If Russia deliberately delays the diplomatic process, the world's response should be decisive: more help for Ukraine and more pressure on the aggressor," Zelenskyy said.

He spoke the day after a Ukrainian delegation arrived in the United States for talks on a U.S.-led diplomatic push to end the war.

On Friday, Zelenskyy said that the delegation would try to finalize with U.S. officials documents for a proposed peace settlement that relate to postwar security guarantees and economic recovery. If American officials approve the proposals, the U.S. and Ukraine could sign the documents next week at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Zelenskyy said at a Kyiv news conference with Czech President Petr Pavel. Trump plans to be in Davos, according to organizers. Russia would still need to be consulted on the proposals.

BRITISH BEACHES

ROCK

SANDBANKS ● SANDSEND ● SAUNTON SANDS

SKEGNESS ● WHITBY ● WOOLACOMBE

thE alphaBEatEr

Black squares: 1, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 17, 18, 27, 29, 34, 36, 38, 40.

across: Buffet, Car, Fovea, Jovial, Pork, Quizzing, Daylights, Excesses, Jaws, Baking, Taxer, Two, Asylum. down: Placement, Fevered, Canto, Aye, Exam, Shrew, Unite, Corgi, Maps, Zit, Cacti, Spatial, Religious.

thE alphapuZZlE

Across: Lash, Quayside, Flounce, Anger, Bumpy, Extent, Lawyer, Object, Alpaca, Angel, Thank, Biscuit, Presence, Bloc. Down: Lifebelt, Stop, Storm, Welfare (clue), Enzyme, Ankle, Uneven, Iambic, Yeast, Brassy, Ingenue, Gruel, Earl, Athletic.

tV croSSword

across: 1 Madoc, 6 Days, 8 LaPaglia, 10 Human, 11 Brown, 12 Yvonne, 15 Sale, 16 Declan, 17 Kemp, 19 Elliott, 21 Lark, 22 Rowdy. down: 2 Amir, 3 Clunes, 4 Ugly, 5 Bannatyne, 6 Dougray, 7 Son, 9 Problem, 13 Eddy, 14 Rockford, 17 Karl, 18 Park, 20 Leo. _x000B_

tV show: Pushers

arrow-word across: Melody, Carter, Has, Boy, Cool, Than, Opt, Ash, Peel, Lawn, Priests, Icy, Wells, Eli, Estensen, Ago, Dregs, Told, Lee, Oar, Adie, God, Danny, Men, Bend, Plank, Art, Nas. down (left to right): Beta, Ribs, Rudder, Rhythmic, Toe, Ian, Kofta, Eyre, Glenda, Escapes, Nose, Dyer, One, Twos, Egypt, Else, Eat, Lola, Len Goodman, Wall, Ola, Ena, Ton, Sid, Drinks. Shaded letters: Kent Paul MODEL wordS

Goodbye, Mr. Chips Supergirl The Ruling Class MuddlESoME clock-wiSE Deva, Vale, Lest, Stem, Emma, Made QuiZ of thE wEEk 1 One Direction, 2 Basketball, 3 The Magic Roundabout, 4 Legs, 5 Poland, 6 Michael Caine, 7 Greece, 8 Beyonce, 9 Croatia, 10 Zn.

1 Donald Duck, 2 Cornwall, 3 Easy Company, 4 Kurt Vonnegut, 5 Dumas, pere, 6 Chicory Tip, 7 Willy Russell, 8 Assisi, 9 Terry Scott, 10 Ivan Turgenev

7x3=21, 2x6=12, 5+9=14

triVia wordSEarch SuMthiNg SMall croSSword 1 13 Players in a Rugby League Team, 2 12 Countries in South America, 3 1 Thumb on a Human Hand, 4 4 Strings on a Violin, 5 3 Witches in Macbeth, 6 40 Winks

across: 1 Faultless, 7 Able, 8 Pence, 10 Tom, 11 Teeter, 13 Antiviral, 14 Peseta, 16 Tan, 18 Idiot, 19 Zinc, 20 Challenge. down: 1 Fantastic, 2 Absent, 3 Lent, 4 Leg, 5 Entered, 6 Semblance, 8 Prevent, 9 Petunia, 12 Rating, 15 Size, 17 Col. croSS douBt across: KNEAD down: PITTA

Judge admits GB Utility ‘tied in knots’ by Orders

Ltd affiliate, because it has been “tied up in knots” by various injunctions and Orders preventing it from collecting on $427,878 in arrears owed by the Lucayan Towers South Condominium Association.

However, the latter and its attorneys in late 2025 accused GB Utility Company of breaching a prior Supreme Court Order by cutting-off water supply to Lucayan Towers South for a five-day period between October 16-21, 2025. To remedy the breach, the demanded that the court either levy a fine or commit its directors and officers to prison for contempt of court.

They included Sarah St George, also the GBPA’s co-chair; Rupert Hayward, its director; Ian Rolle, the GBPA’s president; Karla McIntosh, its in-house attorney; Deann Seymour; its chief financial officer; and Hadassah Swain. However, Justice Klein opted for the proverbial ‘slap on the wrist’ and imposed a $6,000 fine on GB Utility Company especially since it had voluntarily already remedied the Order’s breach.

He ruled that Freeport’s water supplier had become ensnared by two separate Supreme Court decisions that have stemmed from the long-running battle for control of the Board and management at Lucayan Towers South.

The first, delivered on July 18, 2024, and then reinforced days later on August 14, 2024, involved an injunction that prevented the GBPA, plus GB Utility and Grand Bahama Power Company, from terminating the provision of utility and other services to Lucayan Towers South after the trio issued a joint notice that the condo complex’s occupancy certificate was to be revoked on the basis it was no longer compliant with the building code and safety requirements.

That injunction Order still remains in effect but, subsequently, Justice Klein issued a March 31, 2025, verdict in which he granted GB Utility’s claim that Lucayan Towers South pay it the outstanding $427,879 in unpaid water bill arrears. That ruling prevented the water supplier from disconnecting

services for non-payment for six months and, with that period having expired and arrears still mounting, GB Utility cut-off the condo complex on October 16, 2025.

It restored services five days later, and Justice Klein found that the ‘six-month non-disconnection’ ruling “did not supersede” the earlier 2024 injunction Order preventing utility supply cut-off in any form which still remains in effect to this day.

“The claim out of which the Order arises is the most recent in a lengthy saga of claims and applications by the first claimant [Lucayan Towers South] against the Grand Bahama Port Authority (GBPA)and its associated companies,” Justice Klein wrote.

“They are all concerned with satellite litigation arising out of an acrimonious legal dispute between rival boards of the claimant Association over the right to manage the condominium complex located in Freeport, which dates back to 2013. This is now my eighth judgment arising directly or indirectly out of this legal dispute….

“This protracted litigation has crippled the Association financially and deeply divided its membership. It has also stripped its ability to pay for utilities and carry out maintenance and repairs to the building. In fact, the water arrears judgment was a claim for arrears of over $400,000 owed to the defendant {GB Utility] by the first claimant for the supply of water and sewerage services accumulated since 2014, and the court granted a claim to the defendant for the sum of $427,878.”

That occurred at endMarch 2025, but Justice Klein said the Order that the Association Lucayan Towers South alleged GB Utility violated stemmed from July and August 2024.

“The Order which falls for consideration in this application was obtained in a claim in which the claimants sought to challenge a notice issued by the GBPA and associated entities, the Grand Bahama Power Company and the Grand Bahama Utility Company, to revoke the occupancy certificate of the condominium,” Justice Klein wrote.

NOTICE

NOTICE is hereby given that DRIVELIA OMILUS of P.O. Box CR-54802, #7 Cowpen Road West, Nassau, The Bahamas is applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for registration/ naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/ naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 19th day of January, 2026 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, Bahamas.

NOTICE

NOTICE is hereby given that SANDRA PIERRE of Marsh Harbour, 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 19th day of January, 2026 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, Bahamas.

NOTICE

NOTICE is hereby given that DANIEL PIERRE-REBERT of Twynam Avenue, Mackey Street, 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 twentyeight days from the 19th day of January, 2026 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, Bahamas.

“The notice, by letter dated 2 July, 2024, was issued on the purported basis that the building no longer complied with the Freeport Building Code and other safety requirements.. The claimant Association sought to prevent the GBPA and its entities taking any action pursuant to the notice by seeking various declarations as to the legality of such action in the context of the Hawksbill Creek Agreement (HCA), and by seeking injunctive relief in the interim, which resulted in the Order with which this application is concerned.”

That Order prevented GB Utility Company and the other two entities from revoking the occupancy certificate; interfering with the Association’s “right of enjoyment” of the property; and disconnecting or interrupting water and utility services. It was the October 16, 2025, disconnection by GB Utility that sparked the contempt of court application by the Association - first on October 20, 2025, and then via a December 9, 2025, follow-up.

Godfrey Bowe, an Association director and its property manager, alleged that “he received some calls at about 5.30 pm on Thursday, 16 October, 2025, from several residents of the condominium that they were not receiving any water in their units.

“On investigation, he discovered that a locking device had been placed on the water by persons then unknown, but whom he assumed were agents or servants of the GB Utility Company. He avers that

neither he, nor any other officer of director of the claimant, received notice from GB Utility Company of its intention to disrupt the water supply, so the residents were unable to make any alternative plans or accommodations”.

Ms McIntosh, a GBPA vice-president and GB Utility Company’s secretary, countered by arguing that it “cannot have been the intention” of Justice Klein’s March 31, 2025, verdict for Lucayan Towers South to “not pay one single cent” on its water bills subsequent to that verdict.”I am now convinced that the reason it has not made a single payment is because it believed it did not have to,” she alleged.

“Based on the belief that the Order for injunction in the action regarding non-payment expired on October 1, 2025, water supply services to Lucayan Towers South was disconnected on Thursday October 16, 2025, at 4pm due to non-payment. This was not an unreasonable belief based on the Order made in the judgment in the action regarding non-payment.”

Ms McIntosh argued that Justice Klein’s March 31, 2025, ruling had superseded the 2024 non-disconnection judgment, and she added: “GB Utility Company has abided by repeated orders made against it preventing it from enforcing its rights while suffering financial loss and damage. The suggestion that, after all of these years of obeying such orders, GB Utility Company willfully breached this Order has no basis.”

NOTICE

NOTICE is hereby given that GREGORY DORILAS of Soldier Road, Nassau, The Bahamas is applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for registration/ naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/ naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 19th day of January, 2026 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, Bahamas.

Justice Klein noted that water supply was restored to Lucayan Towers South by midday on October 21, 2025, and that GB Utility Company “did not deny shutting off the water”. And he added: “I accept the contention of the claimants [the Association] that the remit of the Order was wider than a prohibition relating only to action in pursuance of the revocation notice.

“While it was grounded on the revocation notice, the terms specifically enjoined the defendants from ‘otherwise’ interfering with the enjoyment of the building by disconnecting water and electricity. On a plain reading, this prevented any disconnection of the water pending the trial of the revocation of occupancy claim or until further Order…..

“In my judgment, the Order granted in the water arrears judgment which prevented the disconnection of the water by the defendant for a period of six months was a co-existing order which did not supersede the terms of the (earlier) Order,” Justice Klein added. “Any other interpretation would leave it to parties to discern by implication whether or not a later Order dealing with the same subject matter superseded or varied an earlier order which was said to last ‘until further order’.

“This would create great uncertainty and an impressionistic approach to determining compliance with the court’s orders, which cannot be countenanced. Unless and until they have been expressly discharged, superseded or

varied, or have expired by effluxion of time, orders of the court continue to be in force according to their terms and must be obeyed.” Finding that the Association had made out its case for contempt, and that the summer 2024 non-disconnection Order had been breached, Justice Klein said that while cutting-off water supply has serious health implications - especially where there is a monopoly provider as in GB Utility’s case - the violation did not last for long and was swiftly remedied.

“I am conscious of the full litigation background to this application, and in this regard one may feel a considerable degree of sympathy for the position of the defendant in light of the significant unpaid arrears for water and the multiplicity of proceedings by the claimants, which has made it impossible for it to discontinue the supply, though they would otherwise have a legal right to do so in the absence of any payment being made for their commercial services,” he said of GB Utility. “In some respects, the defendant has found itself - like ‘Gulliver’ at the hands of the ‘Lilliputians’ - tied up in knots.”

However, he added that GB Utility had other legal options open to it rather than cutting-off supply, including applying to vary or set aside the summer 2024 Order and initiating a claim against the Association for “abuse of process”.

NOTICE is hereby given that SARAHY PARDO MENÉNDEZ of P.O. Box CB-11763, #4 Silver Palm, Imperial Park Sea Breeze, Nassau, The Bahamas is applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for registration/ naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from

Syrian government forces sweep into Raqqa in ongoing push into Kurdish-held areas

By GHAITH ALSAYED and OMAR ALBAM Associated Press

SYRIAN government forces Sunday entered the city of Raqqa in its ongoing push in areas held by Kurdish-led forces in eastern Syria.

The military push into the city deep into eastern Syria came after tensions between Damascus and the U.S.-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, flared up earlier this month, leading to deadly clashes and the government taking control of three Aleppo neighborhoods from Kurdish fighters. The SDF is also losing ground in Deir el-Zour province.

The SDF didn't immediately comment on the Raqqa developments, but earlier said its forces prevented attacks by the Islamic State group in some neighborhoods in the city.

An Associated Press reporter in the area said that large military convoys swept into the city and were greeted by residents. It appeared that the SDF had withdrawn.

US efforts to bring calm

Earlier, the military seized Tabqa in the province of Raqqa, which is viewed as critical because of a dam that controls the southward flow of the Euphrates River, and is also home to an air base. The government took control of oil fields in the province.

U.S. envoy Tom Barrack met with Syrian President

Ahmad al-Sharaa in Damascus. Washington's efforts to bring about calm between both sides, their key allies in Syria, have thus far been unsuccessful. Since leading an insurgency to oust longtime President Bashar Assad in December 2024, al-Sharaa has struggled to assert full control across the country and appeal to minorities skeptical of Syria's Islamist-led rule. The government and the SDF have traded accusations of violating an agreement in March that would reintegrate northeastern Syria and Kurdish-led forces with the government.

After the government's military push, Syrian official news agency SANA said Sunday that a statement would be made about integrating the SDF into Syrian state institutions, after reports surfaced of SDF leader Mazloum Abdi resuming talks with Damascus.

The SDF has controlled large swaths of northeastern Syria for years, including its oil fields, and has been Washington's key ally in combating the extremist Islamic State group. Since Assad's ouster, however, the United States has developed strong ties with Damascus and tried to

SOMALI BUSINESSES STRUGGLE DURING THE MINNEAPOLIS ICE CRACKDOWN

By SARAH RAZA Associated Press

ROWS of businesses stood shuttered inside a sprawling complex of Somali businesses on a recent afternoon.

Karmel Mall in south Minneapolis contains more than a hundred small businesses in suites offering everything from clothing and food to insurance and accounting services. On Thursday, the noisy hallways inside lay quiet, save for occasional chatter between neighboring vendors. The smell of fried

food still wafted from the bakeries, the central heating hummed and the sound of Quran recitation flowed quietly from some shops. But many sellers sat alone in their clothing stores, waiting for the occasional customer to walk by. Everyone is afraid of federal immigration agents, business owners said. Sellers and customers, citizens and noncitizens. Some don't bother opening shop because they aren't expecting any customers. "It's been like this for three weeks now," said Abdi Wahid, who works

at his mom's convenience store in the mall. "Everywhere it's all been closed up, all the stores."

Karmel Mall is an economic hub for the area's Somali population, which is the largest in the U.S. But it also features housing, a mosque and Quran classes, serving as a robust community center for the area.

The economic impact of the Trump administration's "Operation Metro Surge" stretches beyond the Somali community: many immigrants are on edge, afraid to go to work or leave their

ease tensions between the two sides.

Syrian troops welcomed

An Associated Press reporter saw residents coming out of their homes to welcome the Syrian troops while waving the national flag. Another AP journalist saw Syrian government forces in control of oil fields in Raqqa province that had previously been under the control of the SDF.

The U.S. had urged calm after this month's Aleppo clashes left at least 23 dead and tens of thousands displaced. After the fighting halted, Abdi said Friday that the group

homes amid the immigration crackdown.

But President Donald Trump has made the Somali community a special target of his deportation rhetoric after a recent government fraud case in Minnesota included a number of Somali defendants. Since December, Trump has made numerous jabs at the community, calling them "garbage" and saying "they contribute nothing."

Wahid said early afternoons at the family business once meant 15 to 20 customers. These days, it's tough to get one.

Wahid is a citizen, but he said the fear extends beyond just immigrants. Citizens are also scared of coming in, especially following

RESIDENTS topple a statue of a female Kurdish fighter after the takeover of the town by Syrian government forces from U.S.backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), in Tabqa, eastern Syria, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. Photo:Ghaith Alsayed/AP

would withdraw its forces from the area to the east of the Euphrates following al-Sharaa's announcement on measures adopted to strengthen Kurdish rights in Syria.

SDF losing territory

Last week, Syria's Defense Ministry closed off a contested area in eastern Aleppo as a military zone, which includes part of a tense front line that divides the areas under government and SDF control.

It now appears that the SDF lost large segments of what was once under its control in northeast Syria, especially in Raqqa and Deir el-Zour provinces.

Syrian government troops are also backed by local armed Arab tribes that currently oppose the SDF.

In the Deir el-Zour province, further east, asked residents to stay home after reports of clashes with the SDF. Pressure has apparently mounted in the strategic province

Reports of executions

Meanwhile, the Syrian government, in a statement, accused SDF forces of killing prisoners in Tabqa before withdrawing from the area. The SDF denied the allegations, saying they had transferred the detainees out of the prison, and accused government forces of firing at the facility. It shared a video showing armed men in civilian clothing in the prison seizing munitions left there, with the person filming yelling: "We liberated Tabqa prison!" No bodies were seen in the short video.

An AP journalist visited two prisons in Tabqa and found them empty of prisoners. There were no bodies inside. However, he saw three bodies of people in civilian clothes who appeared to have been killed at a school near one of the prisons.

The SDF took Tabqa from IS back in 2017 as part of its military campaign to take down the Islamic State group's so-called caliphate, which at its peak stretched across large parts of Syria and Iraq. At the height of its control, IS declared Raqqa its capital.

Relations between the SDF and Arab tribes in the eastern province near a strategic border crossing with Iraq have been strained. Deir el-Zour is also home to the Al-Omar oil and Conoco gas fields, near where U.S. troops are based in the area. There have been unconfirmed reports that local armed tribes opposed to the Kurdish-led administration have taken control of the fields.

the killing of Renee Good and the ICE raid at Roosevelt High School in south Minneapolis.

"I think that caused a lot of people to not even want to come," he said, because they could be targeted "just because of their race."

Homeland Security assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement that law enforcement uses "reasonable suspicion" to make arrests under the fourth amendment.

"A person's immigration status makes them a target for enforcement, not their skin color, race or ethnicity," she said.

Upstairs, Bashir Garad runs Safari Travel & Accounting Services. Not only has the crackdown in Minneapolis meant he's lost

almost all his customers, but his existing clients are cancelling upcoming trips because they're worried they won't be let back into the country.

"They see a lot of unlawful things going on in the city," he said. "They look at something bad, and then they think some bad things may happen to them." The majority of his clients are East African, and nearly all are U.S. citizens. They still hesitate to travel.

"The government is not doing the right thing," he said. "If there's a criminal, there's a criminal. Regardless, there are ways to find the criminal, but to marginalize the community's name, and a whole people, that is unlawful."

Legal Notice NOTICE

N O T I C E IS HEREBY GIVEN as follows:

(a) RUBIS HOLDING LTD. is in dissolution under the provisions of the International Business Companies Act 2000.

(b) The Dissolution of said Company commenced on January 19, 2026 when its Articles of Dissolution were submitted and registered by the Registrar General.

(c) The Liquidator of the said company is Helvetic Management Services Ltd. of 2nd Terrace West, Centreville, Nassau, Bahamas.

(d) All persons having Claims against the above-named Company are required on or before February 19, 2026 to send their names and addresses and particulars of their debts or claims to the Liquidator of the company or, in default thereof, they may be excluded from the benefit of any distribution made before such debts are proved.

January 19, 2026

HELVETIC MANAGEMENT SERVICES LTD. LIQUIDATOR OF THE ABOVE-NAMED COMPANY

LEGAL NOTICE

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS COMPANIES ACT, 2000

GLOBAL INTERNATIONAL NETWORK LTD. Registration No. 136830 B (In Voluntary Liquidation)

GLOBAL INTERNATIONAL NETWORK LTD. has been fully dissolved and wound up by the appointed liquidator, GLC Corporate Services Ltd.

Thirty (30) days from the commencement of dissolution as outlined in the Plan of Dissolution has expired as of the 15th day of January A. D., 2026.

GLOBAL INTERNATIONAL NETWORK LTD. requests the Registrar General to strike the Company from the IBC Register of Companies.

Dated the 19th day of January 2026.

GLC Corporate Services Ltd. Voluntary Liquidator

Trump says 8 European countries will face 10% tariff for opposing US control of Greenland

By JOSH BOAK, EMMA BURROWS and DANIEL NIEMANN Associated Press

PRESIDENT Donald Trump said Saturday that he would charge a 10% import tax starting in February on goods from eight European nations because of their opposition to American control of Greenland, setting up a potentially dangerous test of U.S. partnerships in Europe.

Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Finland would face the tariff, Trump said in a social media post while at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida. The rate would climb to 25% on June 1 if no deal was in place for "the Complete and Total purchase of Greenland" by the United States, he said.

The Republican president appeared to indicate that he was using the tariffs as leverage to force talks with Denmark and other European countries over the status of Greenland, a semiautonomous territory of NATO ally Denmark that he regards as critical to U.S. national security.

"The United States of America is immediately open to negotiation with Denmark and/or any of these Countries that have put so much at risk, despite all that we have done for them," Trump said on Truth Social.

The tariff threat could mark a problematic rupture between Trump and America's longtime NATO partners, further straining an alliance that dates to 1949 and provides a collective degree of security to Europe and North America. Trump has repeatedly tried to use trade penalties to bend allies and rivals alike to his will, generating investment commitments

from some nations and pushback from others, notably China.

Trump is scheduled to travel on Tuesday to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where he likely will run into the European leaders he just threatened with tariffs that would start in little more than two weeks.

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said Trump's move was a "surprise" given the "constructive meeting" with top U.S. officials this week in Washington.

The European Commission's president, Ursula von der Leyen, and the head of the European Council, Antonio Costa, said in a joint statement that tariffs "would undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral." They said Europe would remain "committed to upholding its sovereignty."

There are immediate questions about how the White House could try to implement the tariffs because the EU is a single economic zone in terms of trading, according to a European diplomat who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity. It was unclear, too, how Trump could act under U.S. law, though he could cite emergency economic powers that are currently subject to a U.S. Supreme Court challenge.

Trump has long said he thinks the U.S. should own the strategically located and mineral-rich island, which has a population of about 57,000 and whose defense is provided by Denmark. He intensified his calls a day after the military operation to oust Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro earlier this month.

The president indicated the tariffs were retaliation for what appeared to be the

deployment of s ymbolic levels of troops from the European countries to Greenland, which he has said was essential for the "Golden Dome" missile defense system for the U.S., He also has argued that Russia and China might try to take over the island.

The U.S. already has access to Greenland under a 1951 defense agreement. Since 1945, the American military presence in Greenland has decreased from thousands of soldiers over 17 bases and installations to 200 at the remote Pituffik Space Base in the northwest of the island, the Danish foreign minister has said. That base supports missile warning, missile defense and space surveillance operations for the U.S. and NATO.

Resistance has steadily built in Europe to Trump's ambitions even as several countries on the continent agreed to his 15% tariffs last year in order to preserve an economic and security relationship with Washington.

French President Emmanuel Macron, in a social media post, seemed to equate the tariff threat to Russian leader Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine.

"No intimidation or threats will influence us, whether in Ukraine, Greenland or anywhere else in the world when we are faced with such situations," Macron said in a translated post on X.

'Important for the whole world'

Earlier Saturday, hundreds of people in Greenland's capital, Nuuk, braved near-freezing temperatures, rain and icy streets to march in a rally in support of their own self-governance. Thousands of people also marched through Copenhagen, many of them carrying Greenland's flag. Some held

Portugal’s presidential election may deliver another gain for populists in Europe

By BARRY HATTON Associated Press

A RECORD 11 candidates are standing in Portugal's presidential election Sunday, with a populist party leader poised to possibly bring another political breakthrough for Europe's growing far-right parties.

The large field makes it unlikely that any candidate will capture more than 50% of the vote for a first-round win. That would leave the two top candidates to compete in a runoff ballot next month.

Almost 11 million people are eligible to vote in the election, with most results expected late in the day. The winner will replace President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, who has served the limit of two five-year terms.

Polls opened at 8 a.m. on a mostly sunny day across the country and were due to close 12 hours later.

By midday, just over 20% of registered voters had cast their ballot, up from 17% in the last presidential election in 2021, authorities said.

Main candidates

Among the front-runners, according to recent opinion polls, are André Ventura, the leader of the populist Chega (Enough) party. Chega's surge in public support made it the second-largest party in Portugal's parliament last year, just six years after it was founded.

One of Ventura's main targets has been what he calls excessive immigration, as foreign workers have become more conspicuous in Portugal in recent years. "Portugal is ours," he says.

During the election campaign, Ventura put up billboards across the

country saying, "This isn't Bangladesh" and "Immigrants shouldn't be allowed to live on welfare."

Such blatant anti-immigrant sentiment expressed in public was unthinkable in Portugal just a few years ago.

Other leading candidates are from the country's two main parties that have alternated in power for the past half-century: Luís Marques Mendes from the centerright Social Democratic Party, currently in government, and António José Seguro of the center-left Socialist Party.

A strong challenge is expected from retired Rear Adm. Henrique Gouveia e Melo, who is running as an independent and won public acclaim for overseeing the speedy rollout of COVID-19 vaccines during the pandemic.

Only one woman is among the candidates. Portugal has never had a female or non-white head of state.

Challenges for next president

Last May, Portugal held its third general election in three years in its worst spell of political instability for decades. Steadying the ship is a key challenge for the next president.

signs with slogans such as "Make America Smart Again" and "Hands Off."

"This is important for the whole world," Danish protester Elise Riechie told The Associated Press as she held Danish and Greenlandic flags. "There are many small countries. None of them are for sale."

The rallies occurred hours after a bipartisan delegation of U.S. lawmakers, while visiting Copenhagen, sought to reassure Denmark and Greenland of their support.

European training exercises

Danish Maj. Gen. Søren Andersen, leader of the Joint Arctic Command, told the AP that Denmark does not expect the U.S. military to attack Greenland, or any other NATO ally, and that European troops were recently deployed to Nuuk for Arctic defense training.

He said the goal is not to send a message to the Trump administration, even though the White House has not ruled out taking the territory by force.

"I will not go into the political part, but I will say that I would never expect a NATO country to attack another NATO country," he

said from aboard a Danish military vessel docked in Nuuk. "For us, for me, it's not about signaling. It is actually about training military units, working together with allies."

The Danish military organized a planning meeting Friday in Greenland with NATO allies, including the U.S., to discuss Arctic security on the alliance's northern flank in the face of a potential Russian threat.

The Americans were also invited to participate in Operation Arctic Endurance in Greenland in the coming days, Andersen said.

In his 2½ years as a commander in Greenland, Andersen said that he hasn't seen any Chinese or Russian combat vessels or warships, despite Trump saying that they were off the island's coast.

But in the unlikely event of American troops using force on Danish soil, Andersen confirmed that Danish soldiers have an obligation to fight back.

'Almost no better' ally to US than Denmark

Trump has contended that China and Russia have their own designs on Greenland and its vast untapped reserves of critical minerals.

He said recently that anything less than the Arctic island being in U.S. hands would be "unacceptable."

The president has seen tariffs as a tool to get what he wants without having to resort to military actions. At the White House on Friday, he recounted how he had threatened European allies with tariffs on pharmaceuticals and he teased the possibility of doing so again.

"I may do that for Greenland, too," Trump said.

After Trump followed through, Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., said "Congress must reclaim tariff authorities" so that they are not used solely at a president's discretion.

Denmark said this week that it was increasing its military presence in Greenland in cooperation with allies.

"There is almost no better ally to the United States than Denmark," said Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., while visiting Copenhagen with other members of Congress.

"If we do things that cause Danes to question whether we can be counted on as a NATO ally, why would any other country seek to be our ally or believe in our representations?"

Ventura, the populist leader, has sought to turn immigration into a campaign issue, but voters appear more concerned about a housing crisis and the cost of living.

A law permitting euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide in Portugal that parliament approved in 2022, but has been held up by constitutional objections, will likely land on the president's desk for approval.

What's at stake

In Portugal, the president is largely a figurehead with no executive power. Mostly, the head of state aims to stand above the political fray, mediating disputes and defusing tensions.

However, the president is an influential voice and possesses some powerful tools, being able to veto legislation from parliament, although the veto can be overturned. The head of state also possesses what in Portuguese political jargon is called an "atomic bomb" — the power to dissolve parliament and call early elections.

Political events in Portugal have little bearing on the overall direction of the European Union. It has one of the bloc's smallest economies, and its armed forces are of a modest size.

AP obtains documents showing Venezuelan leader Delcy Rodríguez has been on DEA’s radar for years

By JIM MUSTIAN, JOSHUA GOODMAN and ERIC TUCKER Associated Press

WHEN President Donald Trump announced the audacious capture of Nicolás Maduro to face drug trafficking charges in the U.S., he portrayed the strongman's vice president and longtime aide as America's preferred partner to stabilize Venezuela amid a scourge of drugs, corruption and economic mayhem.

Left unspoken was the cloud of suspicion that long surrounded Delcy Rodríguez before she became acting president of the beleaguered nation earlier this month.

In fact, Rodríguez has been on the radar of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration for years and in 2022 was even labeled a "priority target," a designation DEA reserves for suspects believed to have a "significant impact" on the drug trade, according to records obtained by The Associated Press and more than a half dozen current and former U.S. law enforcement officials.

The DEA has amassed a detailed intelligence file on Rodríguez dating to at least 2018, the records show, cataloging her known associates and allegations ranging from drug trafficking to gold smuggling. One confidential informant told the DEA in early 2021 that Rodríguez was using hotels in the Caribbean resort of Isla Margarita "as a front to launder money," the

records show. As recently as last year she was linked to Maduro's alleged bag man, Alex Saab, whom U.S. authorities arrested in 2020 on money laundering charges.

The U.S. government has never publicly accused Rodríguez of any criminal wrongdoing. Notably for Maduro's inner circle, she's not among the more than a dozen current Venezuelan officials charged with drug trafficking alongside the ousted president.

Rodríguez's name has surfaced in nearly a dozen DEA investigations, several of which remain ongoing, involving agents in field offices from Paraguay and Ecuador to Phoenix and New York, the AP learned. The AP could not determine the specific focus of each investigation.

Three current and former DEA agents who reviewed the records at the request of AP said they indicate an intense interest in Rodríguez throughout much of her tenure as vice president, which began in 2018. They were not authorized to discuss DEA investigations and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

The records reviewed by AP do not make clear why Rodríguez was elevated to a "priority target," a designation that requires extensive documentation to justify additional investigative resources. The agency has hundreds of priority targets at any given moment, and having the label does not necessarily lead to being charged criminally.

"She was on the rise, so it's not surprising that she might become a high-priority target with her role," said Kurt Lunkenheimer, a former federal prosecutor in Miami who has handled multiple cases related to Venezuela. "The issue is when people talk about you and you become a high-priority target, there's a difference between that and evidence supporting an indictment."

Venezuela's communications ministry did not respond to emails seeking comment.

The DEA and U.S. Justice Department also did not respond to requests for comment. Asked whether the president trusts Rodríguez, the White House referred AP to Trump's earlier remarks on a "very good talk" he had with the acting president Wednesday, one day before she met in Caracas with CIA Director John Ratcliffe.

Almost immediately after Maduro's capture, Trump started heaping praise on Rodríguez — this past week referring to her as a "terrific person — in close contact with officials in Washington, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The DEA's interest in Rodríguez comes even as Trump has sought to install her as the steward of American interests to navigate a volatile post-Maduro Venezuela, said Steve Dudley, co-director of InSight Crime, a think tank focused on organized crime in the Americas.

"The current Venezuela government is a criminal-hybrid regime. The only way you reach a position of power in the regime is by, at the very least, abetting criminal activities," said Dudley, who has investigated Venezuela for years. "This isn't a bug in the system. This is the system."

Those sentiments were echoed by opposition leader María Corina Machado, who met with Trump at the White House Thursday in a bid to push for more U.S. support for Venezuelan democracy.

"The American justice system has sufficient information about her," said Machado, referring to Rodríguez. "Her profile is quite clear."

Rodríguez, 56, worked her way to the apex of power in Venezuela as a loyal aide to Maduro, with whom she shares a deep-seated leftist bent stemming from her socialist father's death in police custody when she was only 7 years old. Despite blaming the U.S. for her father's death, she steadily worked while foreign minister and later vice president to court American investment during the first Trump administration, hiring lobbyists close to

Trump and even ordering the state oil company to make a $500,000 donation to his inaugural committee.

The charm offensive flopped when Trump, urged on by Rubio, pressured Maduro to hold free and fair elections. In September 2018,the White House sanctioned Rodríguez, describing her as key to Maduro's grip on power and ability to "solidify his authoritarian rule." She was also sanctioned earlier by the European Union.

But those allegations focused on her threat to Venezuela's democracy, not any alleged involvement in corruption.

"Venezuela is a failed state that supports terrorism, corruption, human rights abuses and drug trafficking at the highest echelons. There is nothing political about this analysis," said Rob Zachariasiewicz, a longtime former DEA agent who led investigations into top Venezuelan officials and is now a managing partner at Elicius Intelligence, a specialist investigations firm. "Delcy Rodríguez has been part of this criminal enterprise."

The DEA records seen by AP provide an unprecedented glimpse into

the agency's interest in Rodríguez. Much of it was driven by the agency's elite Special Operations Division, the same Virginia-based unit that worked with prosecutors in Manhattan to indict Maduro.

One of the records cites an unnamed confidential informant linking Rodríguez to hotels in Margarita Island that are allegedly used as a front to launder money. The AP has been unable to independently confirm the information.

The U.S. has long considered the resort island, northeast of the Venezuelan mainland, a strategic hub for drug trafficking routes to the Caribbean and Europe. Numerous traffickers have been arrested or taken haven there over the years, including representatives of Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán's Sinaloa cartel.

The records also indicate the feds were looking at Rodríguez's involvement in government contracts awarded to Maduro's ally Saab — investigations that remain ongoing even after President Joe Biden pardoned him in 2023 as part of a prisoner swap for Americans imprisoned in Venezuela.