03052026 NEWS

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PM’S SPOUSE URGES

MARITAL RAPE FOCUS

Ann Marie Davis hopes new violence commission will bring scrutiny to spousal abuse issue

By KEILE CAMPBELL Tribune Staff Reporter kcampbell@tribunemedia.net

THE spouse of the prime minister said the newly established Protection Against Violence Commission could help bring greater scrutiny to marital rape, even though the act is not criminalised in The Bahamas.

Ann Marie Davis made the remarks while speaking with The Tribune on the sidelines of a domestic violence

workshop at the Royal Bahamas Police Force headquarters in New Providence.

The commission, which was formally appointed last month, was created under the Protection Against Violence Act to coordinate the country’s response to domestic and gender-based violence.

Asked whether the commission’s work could help address concerns raised by activists about marital rape, Mrs Davis said the issue remains unresolved but

O cer involved in fatal shooting of Tinker still on active duty

By KEILE CAMPBELL Tribune Staff Reporter kcampbell@tribunemedia.net

THE police ofcer involved in the recent fatal shooting of a man in New Providence remains on active duty, Police Commissioner Shanta Knowles said yesterday.

PM promises no increase to BPL bills despite rising global oil costs

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Chief Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

“There are protocols when an ofcer fres his or her weapon, and those protocols have been followed, and that case will be referred to His Majesty’s Coroner,” she said.

The shooting followed an altercation between the ofcer and 28-yearold Makaveli Tinker at the fatally-wounded man’s residence on St Margaret Road.

PRIME Minister Philip

“Brave” Davis said Bahamians need not fear electricity bill increases in the short or medium term despite rising oil prices driven by conficts in the Middle East. His comments followed reports of surging oil and

gas prices after the United States and Israel waged war on Iran. Some major regional suppliers have halted liquefed natural gas production after their facilities were struck by debris from missile interceptions.

Mr Davis addressed the war’s potential economic impact during his mid-year

Jet ski operators banned from riding with guests

By KEILE CAMPBELL Tribune Staff Reporter kcampbell@tribunemedia.net

JET ski operators are now barred from riding with guests under new maritime regulations designed to curb sexual misconduct and tighten safety oversight in The Bahamas’ water sports industry. The rule is among several that followed pressure

from the United States for stronger regulation of the water sports industry after several sexual assault allegations involving jet ski operators.

Acting Port Controller Senior Commander Berne Wright outlined the rule during a workshop hosted by the Royal Bahamas Police Force that focused on

‘Conversation on marital rape isn’t finished yet’

deserves greater attention.

“The conversation, I think, isn’t fnished yet on marital rape, but I do think that it happens, and I would like to see that come under, come into focus under the commission as well,” she said.

Her comments come as marital rape remains outside the criminal defnition of rape under Bahamian law, a reality she has previously criticised.

Mrs Davis has said previously she supports criminalising marital rape and believes the government should move forward with legislation to do just that.

In 2022, she said: “We must agitate and hold our policy makers accountable. We want them to upgrade our laws and we really need that. Imagine, we are still living in a society where no does not mean no. How could that be? I tell you no and you think I mean yes. No, sir. Of course I’m talking about marital rape right. No means no.”

Women’s rights activists have long criticised the status quo and have called for legislative changes to recognise rape within marriage as a criminal ofence.

In 2022, the Davis administration released a draft Sexual Ofences (Amendment) Bill proposing to redefne rape by removing the words “who is not his spouse” from the law’s defnition.

However, Attorney General Ryan Pinder said in February 2025

that legislation to criminalise marital rape is not expected before the end of the government’s current term.

The Protection Against Violence Commission forms part of the Protection Against Violence Act, passed in 2023. The law established a framework to coordinate national eforts to address domestic and gender-based violence, including improved data collection, victim support and oversight of policy implementation.

The commission is tasked with strengthening protections for women, children, persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups, and coordinating responses among government agencies and support services.

Mrs Davis said she hopes the commission’s work will encourage greater reporting of abuse within marriages and bring more attention to the circumstances that victims face.

Marital rape is not the only contentious issue on which she has taken a public position. Last year, she drew national attention when she said the killing of seven-month pregnant Lauren Saunders amounted to a “double murder,” even though Bahamian law does not recognise a foetus as a separate victim in homicide cases.

She also said at the time that abortion should be avoided “at all cost” unless a mother’s life is in danger, a stance that came amid the country’s sensitive debate over reproductive rights.

Commissioner tight-lipped on immunity deal for senior officer

Police previously reported that the victim was “unknown” to the ofcer. However, residents later told The Tribune that Tinker knew the ofcer who shot him.

A close friend of Tinker, speaking on condition of anonymity, said bystanders heard an argument between the two men before shots were fred.

Tinker had previously been charged as a minor in connection with the 2015 murder of Queen’s College teacher Joyelle McIntosh. He and two co-accused later had their convictions overturned. A retrial was pending at the time of his death.

In a separate matter,

Ms Knowles declined to comment on Superintendent Terrico Sweeting who, according to the Nassau Guardian, is expected to testify in the case involving former Chief Superintendent Michael Johnson, attorney Bjorn Ferguson and Police Sergeant 3726 Deangelo Rolle. The three men have pleaded not guilty to charges linked to alleged bribery and a $1.475m airport bank-truck robbery in November 2023. Supt Sweeting is reportedly expected to serve as a key prosecution witness and has been granted immunity. Commissioner Knowles directed reporters to the Director of Public Prosecutions, noting that the matter is before the Supreme Court and an adjourned date is approaching.

PM highlights lower bills for 82 percent of BPL customers

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Chief Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

PRIME Minister Philip

“Brave” Davis said yesterday that a sharp rise in government arrears and unpaid invoices refects active project execution, support for essential services and seasonal cash fow pressures, not overspending.

He addressed the issue after documents tabled in the House of Assembly showed that the government’s outstanding balances to suppliers, vendors and other service providers had nearly doubled, rising from $122.4m on December 31, 2024 to $241.9m.

Of the total, he said $60.5m represents arrears carried over from prior

fscal years. The remaining $181.4m consists of unpaid invoices from the current fscal year, which are typically settled within 90 days.

The Ministry of Works recorded the largest liabilities, he said. The ministry owed $46.3m in unpaid capital expenditure invoices and $21.5m in arrears, for a combined $68.1m. The Water & Sewerage Corporation accounted for $38.1m in unpaid invoices.

The Ministry of the Public Service recorded $18.251m in arrears and $6.1m in unpaid invoices, bringing its total outstanding balance to $24.3m as of December 31, 2025.

Mr Davis linked much of the increase to activity at the Ministry of Works, which is responsible for roadworks,

drainage management, building maintenance and major infrastructure projects, including airports, clinics and schools.

He said $24.4m in arrears and unpaid invoices were tied to the Ministry of the Public Service for ofce rent and building maintenance. Another $12.7m was attributed to the Ministry of Finance for capital projects and vehicle and equipment fees. The Department of Information and Communications Technology accounted for $10m for network support and cable services.

“This level of outstanding balance refects the interaction of project execution, support for essential services, and seasonal cash fows,” he said.

COSTS from page one

budget contribution in the House of Assembly yesterday, acknowledging the country’s heavy reliance on imported fuel.

He said any spike in global oil prices directly afects The Bahamas, but noted that safeguards are in place to cushion consumers during periods of volatility.

“Rest assured, we are fully committed to working on behalf of every Bahamian to reduce the cost of electricity and fuel prices,” he said.

Economic Afairs Minister Michael Halkitis recently told reporters the government is taking a wait-and-see approach before considering any revisions to its fscal plans.

He said ofcials hope the hostilities will end quickly, but warned that any prolonged disruption to regional oil supplies could raise costs across the import-dependent

Bahamian economy.

Concerning the government’s electricity reform, Mr Davis said the changes are delivering results.

He said 82 percent of BPL customers — about 78,000 households — are paying lower bills due to the equity rate adjustment. Of those, 44 percent saw reductions of at least 15 percent, while more than 63,000 households now receive monthly bills under $125.

“For those who had fallen behind, we did not simply look away,” he said, adding that 2,811 disconnected households were reconnected between November 2024 and January 2025. “Lower bills matter. But reliability matters just as much. Because what good is afordable electricity that is not there when you need it?”

He said power outage frequency fell by about 45 percent last year while outage duration dropped by 35 percent.

“The government is strengthening commitment controls, improving cash forecasting, and prioritising structured arrears reduction – all within the broader fscal consolidation framework to maintain debt sustainability and defcit reduction targets.”

Mr Davis said that if obligations to public corporations are excluded, the increase in outstanding balances at the end of December 2025 would have been about $29m.

Beyond the immediate fgures, he said the government is also addressing longstanding fscal vulnerabilities tied to state-owned enterprises and contingent liabilities.

He said fnancial losses within state-owned enterprises and the government’s role as guarantor for certain loans pose risks to the national budget, as those obligations can ultimately fall on the public purse.

However, he said the administration is tackling the issue through structured training programmes

for directors of stateowned enterprises and by introducing a comprehensive guarantee policy framework.

Mr Davis also acknowledged mounting pension obligations as “another pressing fscal challenge.”

Public service retiree obligations are projected to reach $4.1b by 2032.

Pension and gratuity payments already account for nearly 6.2 percent of recurrent expenditure for the six months to December 2025.

Mr Davis said the government plans to address the issue through comprehensive pension reform legislation.

He said the fnance minister has prepared a white paper outlining what he described as a “comprehensive and carefully considered policy framework.”

“Under the policy framework both employees and, the employer, which is the government, will contribute under a rate framework that will be determined,” he said.

“Contributions will be credited to individual pension accounts, protected against negative investment returns. It provides for immediate vesting of employee contributions, graduated vesting of employer contributions, and fexible retirement beneft options, including lump-sum payments or lifetime annuities. In cases of death or permanent disability, accrued benefts will be payable to the employee or designated benefciaries, ensuring security for families and dependents.”

Mr Davis also pointed to rising public sector wages. He said total public sector salaries have grown from $738.4m when his administration took ofce to a projected $937.9m in the current fscal year. Base salaries have increased from $649m to more than $807m. Allowances have also been adjusted to address recruitment challenges and the same cost-of-living pressures facing working Bahamians.

Police arrest 45 in water sports industry crack down

interagency cooperation in responding to crime, safety risks and victims. Ofcials from the Royal Bahamas Police Force, Royal Bahamas Defence Force, the US Embassy and other agencies attended.

Mr Wright said the restriction aims to reduce the risk of sexual assault or misconduct involving operators and tourists.

“That is a very critical point. If an operator rides with a guest, it cracks the door for unwanted sexual misconduct, so in order to mitigate or limit that, at no time should an operator be riding with a guest for no reason — that should never happen,” Mr Wright said.

Mr Wright also said the Port Department must be notifed immediately if a licence holder is charged with a criminal ofence, placed under electronic monitoring or convicted of a crime, with the licence subject to suspension.

He said amendments to maritime laws that took efect on July 1 last year introduced stricter rules for the industry. Operators must now hold a Class D operator’s licence issued by the Port Department and undergo more extensive background checks.

“We have great assistance from the Royal Bahamas Police Force with vetting of these individuals,” he said.

“In the past, we only used the police record, but now we have deep-dive vetting.”

The rules also set operational limits for jet ski operators. They must remain at least 200 feet from shore except at designated access points intended to protect swimmers and beachgoers.

“Additionally, they should remain in their assigned areas, and they are prohibited from going into the hotels with the guests,” Mr Wright explained.

All personal watercraft must carry a valid certifcate of registration, with identifcation numbers displayed on both sides so authorities can easily identify vessels operating in the industry. Authorities also introduced a code of conduct requiring operators to wear

visible identifcation cards, company-issued uniform shirts and register with the Port Department. The code sets behavioural standards when dealing with visitors. Operators are prohibited from harassing tourists, using profanity, engaging in disorderly behaviour or fghting. They are also barred from carrying weapons while working.

The rules also seek to limit aggressive sales tactics and disputes among operators. Visitors must approach operators voluntarily rather than being solicited.

A rotation system determines which operator may approach the next potential customer, with violations carrying the risk that an operator’s activities will be shut down for the day.

Mr Wright said oversight has also increased through the Jet Ski Task Force, a multi-agency initiative that coordinates enforcement and engages operators.

The task force brings together several agencies that regularly meet with operators and conduct joint

enforcement eforts. This includes training with the Royal Bahamas Defence Force to strengthen monitoring of jet ski activities on beaches.

Mr Wright said there are several designated rotation points where operations take place, including Goodmans Bay, Meliá, Paradise Island East and West, Sandals and Arawak Cay.

Police Commissioner Shanta Knowles opened the workshop with enforcement statistics from Operation Tidal Wave, a crackdown launched last year following several criminal matters linked to watersports activities.

She said the operation resulted in 3600 stop-andsearches, 3650 name checks and 45 arrests.

Authorities also inspected 5400 vessels and conducted 4000 business checks.

Ofcers executed 48 search warrants, confscated two tour vessels and six jet skis and apprehended four illegal immigrants.

Commissioner Knowles said strengthening cooperation between agencies

was a central focus of the workshop, particularly in improving responses when victims seek help.

“The issues we seek to address cannot be solved by one organisation alone. They require a coordinated, unifed and deliberate efort

across agencies and across sectors,” Commissioner Knowles said. “Each agency represented here today brings expertise, resources and unique capabilities to the table. When these strengths are combined, we create a powerful network

of protection that benefts both residents and visitors.”

Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy Kimberly Furnish also addressed the gathering, referring to victims connected to water sports incidents.

She said the embassy has mourned with American and Canadian families who have “lost loved ones to preventable accidents and crimes”.

Ms Furnish said Bahamian waters remain a source of national pride and a pillar of the tourism economy, but they have also been the site of tragedies involving both Bahamian families and visitors.

She described the jet ski task force and the development of a comprehensive plan as “signifcant steps forward”.

“Today’s focus is interagency collaboration in responding to sexually based violence, accidents and criminal activities associated with the jet ski and small watercraft industry,” she said. “No single agency can address the challenges alone.”

The Tribune Limited

NULLIUS ADDICTUS JURARE IN VERBA MAGISTRI

“Being Bound to Swear to The Dogmas of No Master”

LEON E. H. DUPUCH, Publisher/Editor 1903-1914

SIR ETIENNE DUPUCH, Kt., O.B.E., K.M., K.C.S.G., (Hon.) LL.D., D.Litt .

Publisher/Editor 1919-1972

Contributing Editor 1972-1991

RT HON EILEEN DUPUCH CARRON, C.M.G., M.S., B.A., LL.B.

Publisher/Editor 1972-

Published daily Monday to Friday Shirley & Deveaux Streets, Nassau, Bahamas N3207

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Lipstick on a pig

EDITOR, The Tribune.

HOW is it that the nation’s leading newspapers were so easily taken in by the PLP’s notorious spin machine? That can perhaps be excused from the party’s die-hard supporters, the very young or easily impressionable, but one would expect more wisdom from seasoned career journalists.

For all its sound, fury and admitted theatrical prowess, the government lost its claim against the Grand Bahama Port Authority - in spectacular fashion. It really is as simple as that.

millions to the public, to argue the case. What came of that? As of today, the Port Authority owes nothing. Zero.

The government May be able to claim a comparatively modest annual amount from the Port Authority going forward. Or maybe not. The ruling does not order that anything at all is to be paid by the Port Authority.

@tribune242 tribune news network

unpredictable oil reality

THE war launched by the US and Israel against Iran is already having an impact half a world away – with oil prices spiking on Monday and briefly topping $84 a barrel.

And yet Prime Minister Philip Davis was confidently saying yesterday that Bahamians need not fear a rise in their electricity bills.

Mr Davis said safeguards were in place to cushion customers in volatile times such as these, without spelling them out, before insisting the government was working to reduce the cost of electricity and fuel.

Economic Affairs Minister Michael Halkitis took a more cautious tone than the Nostradamus-like predictions of his boss, as he said the government was taking a wait-and-see approach, and hoped that the hostilities would end quickly.

Such hopes have had mixed indicators to cling to from comments in the US. Washington officials were yesterday stressing that the action will be over in a matter of weeks and won’t be a “forever war”. However, US President Donald Trump boasted in a post on Trump Social that the US has “a virtually unlimited supply” of weapons, and that: “Wars can be fought ‘forever’, and very successfully, using just these supplies.”

It is fair to say that the outlook at present is uncertain – so predicting how long there will be volatility is no simple task.

One independent oil analyst, Tom Kloza, an advisor to Gulf Oil, told CNN he expects retail gas prices to rise five to ten cents a day for at least a while.

Geography will also play a part in considerations. In the world, there are crucial pinch points where sea traffic passes through – and one of those is the Strait of Hormuz.

Around a fifth of the world’s oil and liquified natural gas passes through the strait. It is described as the world’s most critical oil chokepoint. It is bordered to the north by Iran, and oil and gas passes through from Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, the UAE – and also Iran itself.

Back in February, Iran temporarily shut down parts of the strait

for what it said was a military drill.

Within days, oil prices jumped by about six percent.

Since the attacks at the weekend, Iran has already fired on some vessels in the strait. How long it will be able to pose a threat, we shall see, with its navy being targeted by the US attacks as a matter of priority. Without navy vessels, its only possibility is mining the strait, but that will still need ships.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it has full control of the strait, while there have been reports that the guard has said it is “impossible for any ships to pass through” and that more than ten tankers have already been targeted.

A shipping data tracking company, Clarksons Research, has estimated that about 3,200 ships are presently idle in the Gulf, which is about four percent of global ship tonnage – though about a third of that is shipping that only operates in that region.

Still, even if this only ends up a temporary pause, time costs money, and that may well be reflected in rising prices.

For us here in The Bahamas, the question as far as Mr Davis’ safeguards are concerned is how long a period of rising prices we might be facing.

There are ways to protect yourself in a time of rising prices. Readers may remember much discussion about fuel hedging, particularly after fuel prices rose when the then new Davis administration backed out of a hedging arrangement.

Hedging is essentially a bet – you pay a set price, which is honoured, whether or not prices rise or fall. If they rise, you won your bet. If they fall, you perhaps lost, but at least you could depend on the stability.

Beyond that, price rises ultimately need to be picked up by the customer. That is you, and all of us.

There is the chance to try to look for alternative markets – but those waiting on all those ships in the Gulf are also looking for those markets too. Supply and demand will tell you what will happen to those prices.

Mr Davis would have you not fear any rise in bills. He may well be right. He may well be wrong. Time will be the judge on that. PM’s power prediction faces

Trust, economic con dence and opportunity in Bahamas

EDITOR, The Tribune. RECENT commentary in The Tribune concerning the arbitration dispute involving the Grand Bahama Port Authority and the broader discussion of what has been described as a “deficit economy” raises an important national conversation about the future direction of The Bahamas. While political interpretations of legal decisions may differ, what matters most to ordinary Bahamians is not who claims victory in a courtroom, but whether our economic environment is improving for the people who live and work here. For residents of Grand Bahama in particular, the question remains simple: are opportunities expanding, are businesses growing, and are citizens able to build sustainable livelihoods?

The deeper issue highlighted by both discussions is the level of trust within our economic system. When citizens feel that success depends more on connections than competence, or that bureaucratic processes are unpredictable, confidence in institutions inevitably declines. This environment discourages investment, slows entrepreneurship, and ultimately harms the very communities policy makers aim to support. The Bahamas possesses enormous economic potential, particularly in islands like Grand Bahama that were historically positioned as industrial and commercial hubs. What is required now is not prolonged disputes or political messaging, but practical economic strategies that empower citizens directly. This can include expanding support for

small entrepreneurs, establishing transparent government procurement processes, strengthening dispute resolution systems, and creating targeted programmes that help Bahamians launch and grow businesses. When ordinary citizens are equipped with the tools to create wealth and employment, the entire national economy benefits. Ultimately, economic progress is measured not by press statements or legal interpretations, but by the tangible improvement in the lives of the people. A prosperous Bahamas will emerge when trust is restored, opportunity is accessible, and citizens feel confident that the system works fairly for all.

ROLAND ANDREWS Sr Nassau, March 4, 2026.

One paper’s weak, equivocal headline and front-page regurgitation of government talking points only served to confuse the public, when really the truth is plain to see. The other paper’s editorial bears little relation to the facts at all.

Here are the facts:

The government claimed GBPA owed $357 million, and brought in high-powered foreign KC lawyers at a cost of as-yet undisclosed

The public is out of pocket, and if the government wants even modest annual payments - capped previously at $500k, probably not too far from where the figure may land again, if it lands at all - they will have to go back to the negotiating table.

The Port Authority does not have the exclusive right to the running of Freeport? Well, it has not had that right for decades - again, that is hardly news to anyone even moderately informed on

the matter. Government brought an ill-conceived and costly claim against a private company that needs not have been brought, and lost. The private company brought a counterclaim and won on one of its grounds, meaning the government may actually end up having to pay damages to the Port Authority. Oh the irony! When the dust settles and the political circus quietens down, it will be obvious that the only clear loser here is a government that postured furiously over its claim, only to be publicly embarrassed by the total rejection of that claim.

Sadly, the PLP’s furious efforts to smear lipstick on this pig have met with success in the one place they should not. The public deserves journalism that that cut through the posturing, political theater and downright nonsense to provide clarity and facts

VOLTAIRE

Nassau, March 4, 2026.

A delicate truth

EDITOR, The Tribune. WHENEVER one speaks ‘Truth To Power’ in political jargon, that truth, such as it is or maybe, causes anxiety; guilt and more on the part of the listeners or viewers. A week or so ago, the Hon Frederick A Mitchell (PLP-Fox Hill) issued a stark ‘warning’ to current Members of the House of Assembly and the Senate, of the absolute necessity of being reelected, unless they are independently wealthy or may have a profession on which to fall back on if they are not returned or reappointed.

This may have seemed a bit strange but one must always keep in mind that our indomitable and extraordinary Minister of Foreign Affairs, is a seasoned political operative and an individual who seems to think with clarity. Politics is a brutal and unforgiving sport, so to speak. While successful in obtaining a constituency or a Senate post, the financial constraints are almost beyond the pale. To run a successful campaign, especially right here in New Providence, has long been a debilitating challenge.

Tens of Thousands of dollars are expended with no guarantees of success much less a Senatorial appointment. Of course, even after being elected or appointed, with each constituency now having an average of 5,000 constituents, the financial requirements to sustain and support them and their pet projects could exhaust the annual Constituency Allowance of B$150,000 within months. If the elected MP or Senator is brought into cabinet, the burden may be eased a little bit But then life styles changes, seemingly, overnight for many of the ‘elevated’ The Lord has been and continues to be wonderful towards me. I have

lived long enough to have witnessed scores of politicians from all camps, come and go into retail politics. Many of them, even some who would have served in cabinet, exit the political stage either dead broke or even pauperised. One of the late former founders of the iconic PLP, may The Lord bless his Soul, was reduced to toting a large straw bag up and down the streets of New Providence. One other former prominent politician from the other side, was charged and hauled before the courts on charges of bribery and corruption. In fact, he almost went to jail. His hot shot lawyer, now in Parliament, a good advocate, was able to persuade the court that his client was ‘too old’ to endure imprisonment! Yet one more, who has disappeared off center stage, was actually ‘detained’ in The People’s Republic of Cuba, a decade or more ago. Upon his return to The Bahamas, he never appeared to be the same individual.

A delicate truth But it is not just the frontline politicians who are directly affected by an electoral loss. It is well recognised that in retail politics, which have huge wholesale fallouts, to the victor goes the spoils. If the iconic Davis Administration, God forbid, were to be defeated at the upcoming polls, there are literally thousands of governmental issued contracts that Will Be stopped; reviewed and, far too often cancelled. These contracts, of course, will then be doled out to opposition forces and boot lickers. PLP contractors and their works and families, will be relegated to picking peas out of shaving cream. Thousands of Civil Servants Will Be Right Sized and sent home. Many Permanent Secretaries and

others of that rank, may not be sent home But will be reshuffled or even sent to the political boneyard. The new Hospital will not get built anytime soon. The Grand Lucayan Resort, a deal gone bad while the FNM was in government, will Never be sold, at least no time soon. The Freeport International Bazaar will continue to remain the 8th Wonder of the World. The last time around, when Messrs. Pintard; Sands & Company were ‘in charge’ they failed, miserably, to construct a single government sponsored home. Now they say that they’ll build in excess of 10,000 homes annually! Pie-in-the Sky Politics?

The ongoing issues with the GBPA will Never be resolved under an FNM regime. The leaders of the FNM, by their own admission, have been financially supported by that entity and Grand Bahama has always had a majority of FNM seats, in recent memory. Scores of Family Island projects and contracts Will Be stopped, reviewed and cancelled without fail. And so, it is not just the current crop of politicians, especially those who are confident and proud to call themselves PLPs, who Will Be negatively impacted if, God forbid, the fractured and headless political Crows. were to be returned to office. The Prime Minister and his team have much to boast of, without fear of contradiction But there is a whole lot more work yet to be done. PLPs Must view these upcoming general elections as vital to the very existence of our party and those under our Big Tent. To God then, in all things, be the glory.

ORTLAND H BODIE, Jr

Nassau, March 4, 2026.

12 aircraft rescue and fire instructors certified to train

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

TWELVE new aircraft rescue and firefighting instructors from The Bahamas were internationally certified after completing a training programme at the Central Florida State Fire College.

Six of the instructors will be stationed at Lynden Pindling International Airport; two will be based in Grand Bahama; and one each will be assigned to San Salvador, Exuma, Eleuthera and Abaco.

Officials said the goal is to build local capacity so firefighters can eventually complete training and recertification in The Bahamas, reducing the need to travel each year to Jacksonville, Florida.

Civil Aviation Authority

director of aircraft fire and rescue Niko Davis said the five-day programme will strengthen the authority’s ability to conduct training locally.

Mr Davis said staffing at Lynden Pindling International Airport was adequate, but recruitment is underway for the Family Islands.

“We are training 16 persons now to be aviation firefighters for Cat Island,” he said. “I am actually now in Eleuthera, recruiting another 18 to be trained as airport firefighters to come on stream and later on in the new financial fiscal year we are trying to hire additional persons for all of Andros, Long Island, Inagua, Black Point, Barry Island.”

The 12 newly certified instructors will be deployed to assist with the training programme.

LIMITED DATA AND INFRASTRUCTURE TO BLAME FOR RECENT AIRLINE NEAR MISSES

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

NEAR-miss incidents involving American Airlines aircraft at Family Island airports highlight longstanding safety concerns tied to limited data and infrastructure at uncontrolled airfelds, according to a senior aviation ofcial.

Michael Strachan, chief operating ofcer of the Bahamas Aviation, Climate & Severe Weather Network (BACSWN), said the recent events underscore risks that the organisation had previously warned about.

Mr Strachan spoke on the television programme Beyond the Headlines with Shenique Miller, as authorities investigate two close calls involving American Airlines fights last month.

The Bahamas Civil Aviation Authority has confrmed that internal investigations are underway.

One incident occurred on February 12 when an American Airlines fight approaching Exuma was forced to take evasive action to avoid a departing aircraft. Two fight attendants were injured.

A second incident on February 24 at North Eleuthera involved another aircraft passing overhead while an American Airlines plane was still on the runway preparing for takeof.

Mr Strachan said many Family Island airports operate without air trafc control or other infrastructure common at larger airports.

“Working along with the local counterparts to make sure that we have a frm and robust plan in place to improve the safety around these airports, especially the Family Islands, which most of them operate in uncontrolled manner without air trafc control and other infrastructure that would happen,” he said.

He described the incidents as unfortunate but said they reinforce concerns

BACSWN raised when its heads of agreement was signed.

Mr Strachan said preventing such incidents requires ensuring pilots and air trafc controllers have simultaneous reliable data when operating through Bahamian sovereign air space.

“We've been doing an extensive upgrade and maintenance programme on the existing infrastructure,” he said. “We have teams that are being dispatched to Abaco, San Salvador, and a few of the other operating airports to upgrade and maintain the AWOS systems, the ATIS systems. But also we're in the advance stages of infrastructure planning. We want to be able to install the relevant equipment that's under our mandate at all of the operating airports.

BACSWN is in the advanced stages of planning infracstructure upgrades which will include, but not be limited to, the installation of fight tracking radars and multi-function phased-array radars from US defence contractor Raytheon – all aimed at transforming aviation data and real-time weather services across Bahamian air space.

“We're excited to work with the local regulators and also the counterparts to not only provide the infrastructure, but to share the data,” he said. “So these instances that happen at these uncontrolled airports, it all boils down to lack of data and lack of information.”

Mr Strachan also pointed to the fatal aviation collision in Washington, DC earlier this year as a reminder of the risks.

In January 2025, an Army Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter collided with an American Airlines regional jet near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, killing all 67 people on board the two aircraft. He said The Bahamas is

not immune from similar risks if infrastructure gaps remain.

Some improvements may take time. Exuma International Airport is currently

being redeveloped, while a new agreement has been signed to rebuild North Eleuthera Airport. Installing permanent equipment at those

locations now would be impractical because construction could require its removal.

Mr Strachan said temporary measures are being

introduced to improve weather reporting and provide pilots with critical information while redevelopment projects continue.

Is the Iran bombing just a distraction?

THE worldcertainly looks a bitdifferent thismorning thanitdidjust aweekago.To make senseof it all,a former university professor and mentor tonumerous politiciansand governmentofficials had some ideas.

Richard haslived inWashington and New York for most of his77 years.While it s not quitetrue thathehas doneit all and seen it all, it is fair to say thathe’s doneand seena lot morethan most ofus. He was sitting onhis side porch earlier this week, reflecting on everything that s beenhappening.

I thinkthere s aconsensus building around Donald Trump’sinvasion ofIranand decapitating its repressive leadership,” Rick said. “The first question iswhy did Trumpdo it?While muchof the punditry has focused on an apparentlack ofplanningfor the aftermath of the staggering success ofthe USmilitary in largely defanging the Iranian military and killing many of Iran s senior theocratic leadership,Trump andthoseofficials closestto himhave offered no clear explanation for why he did it, and why he did it now.

“ButI thinkthepresident knows very well why he did it. He invaded Iran because he needed a headline reset from Jeffrey Epstein.Trump and his allies inthe US Department of Justiceand House of Representatives havespent much of hissecond term obfuscating, delaying, and trying to distract American voters from that astounding scandal that continues to spread, with Epstein at its epicentre,” Rick concluded.

Andin thefirst daysafter last weekend s initiation of the

US-Israelijoint waragainst Iran,this ployseemed tobe working.The nation--andthe world--was appropriately stunned at Trump’s action, despite the predictivereality of the massive,inexorable buildup of USforces in and aroundthe MiddleEastahead of theattacks. Newsanchors rushed to Israel to begin broadcastingfrom thewar zone.Banner headlinescompeted witheach otherto magnifythe latestwar events.Epstein slipped away from the commentary and probably fromthe generalconsciousness.

But thisEpstein scandal looks like it’sgoing to be harderto eradicatethan Trump must have thought, and hisplans wereinadvertently nearly undoneby hisclose allies onthe HouseOversight Committee.

This committee is responsible forinvestigating governmentoperations, anditscurrent chair is Rep. James Comer of Kentucky,a strong right-wing Trumpacolyte and leading attacker of Joe and Hunter Biden.Other prominent Republicans on this groupinclude keymembers like Jim Jordanof Ohio, also chair ofthe JudiciaryCommittee,and LaurenBoebert, the Coloradocongresswoman who has become well-known for herunflinching supportof Trump, gun rights, whittling away theconstitutional divisions between church and state and various far right conspiracy theories.

Marjorie TaylorGreene was also amember of the Oversight Committeebefore her falling out with Trump late last yearand hersubsequent resignation fromCongress. Nodoubt Comer&company

believed theywere helping out the presidentwhen they subpoenaedboth Billand Hillary Clintonto investigate their ties to Epstein. The resulting depositions were taken late last week, right on the eve of Trump s invasion of Iran.

Farfrom shiftingtheEpstein spotlight awayfrom the president andonto theClintons,however, theOversight Committee madethemselves and the Trump administration lookfoolish. HillaryClinton clearlyhad nothingto dowith Epstein, and Bill Clinton managedtoavoid anyverbalmisstepsthat mighthave aidedin the development of a narrative todistract attentionfrom Trump’sown longassociation with Epstein.

Hillary Clinton,as revealed when the transcripts of the deposition werereleased, suggested logically that Trump himself would be a much more logicaland appropriate for depositionson Epstein than either of the Clintons. It’s pretty hard to argue with that. It might eventually happen.

Even as Trumpwas trying todistract attentionfromEpstein, ironically, his own allies forced thenation’s attention right backto Epstein.Bad luck for the president. Yesterdaymorning, forinstance,a bigstory onEpstein wasprominent onthesecond pageof theWashingtonPost. This storyis notgoing away soon,and especiallybecause ofthe president’s obsession with it,it’s beginningto seem

like it mighteven eventually bring him down. Trump sreal politicalforebearin Americanpoliticsis not RonaldReagan or Abraham Lincoln ashe sometimes asserts. It’s Richard Nixon, and Trump s Epstein problem is beginning to resemble theWatergate scandal that ultimatelyforced Nixon fromoffice in1974.Like Trump, Nixon tried in various ways tosweep thatissue away, but itdogged him until hehad toleaveWashington. Will thatforce outTrump or criticallyweaken hisposition?

Rick thoughtabout that. We really haveno idea about that,” he said. “I absolutely agree that Nixon is Trump s true political antecedent, and that there are many similaritiesbetween thesetwopresidentsand theirresponseto dissent. But Trump s position is still strong,politically. I wouldn’t get too engaged in forecasting hisimminent demise.”

Theart ofpoliticaldistraction is hardly new. Democratic and autocratic leaders have often resortedto creatingor inflamingoverseas crisesto deflect negativepopular opinion at home.

Wikipedia tellsus that “a diversionary foreign policy, or a diversionary war, is an international relationsterm that identifies a warinstigated by a country'sleader inorderto distract its population from his own domestic troubles. Diver-

To find living donors for kidney transplants, a pilot program turns to social networks

By MARK SCOLFORO Associated Press

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) Fernando Moreno has beenon dialysis for abouttwo years,enduring an"unbearable"wait foranewkidney tosavehis life.His limitedworldof socialcontacts hasmeant thathishopeshave hingedon inching upthe national waiting listfor a transplant.

That wasuntil earlier thisyear, when the Philadelphia hospital where he receivestreatment connectedhim witha promising pilotproject thathas paired him with "angel advocates" Good Samaritan strangers scattered around the countrywholeverage theirownsocial media contacts to share his story.

So far, the Great Social Experiment, as it was named by its founder, Los Angeles filmmakerDavid Krissman,hasn'tfound the Vineland, New Jersey,truck driver a living kidney donor. But there are encouragingearly signstheangel advocateapproach is working, andthere's no question it has given Moreno new optimism.

"This process is great," said Moreno, 50,whose ownfatherdied ofkidney failure at 65. "I'm just hoping there will be somebody out therethat's willing to take a chance."

Moreno is part of a pilot program with 15 patients that began in May at three Pennsylvania hospitals.It's testing whether motivated,volunteer strangers can help improve the chances of finding a life-saving match for anew kidney particularly for people with limited social networks.

"Weknowhow thishasalwaysbeen done, andwe're tryingto putthat on steroids andreally getthem thehelp that theyneed," Krissmansaid. "Mostpatientsaretoo sicktodothis ontheirown manydon't havetheskillsto doiton their own."

Seeking a blueprint for the future

The Giftof LifeDonor Program, which serves as the organ procurement network foreastern Pennsylvania, southernNew Jerseyand Delaware,is supporting the pilot programwith a grant of more than $100,000from its foundation.

Sofar,twoof thefivepatientsinthe program through Temple University Hospital have found kidneydonors, and one ispreparingfor surgery,accordingto Ryan Ihlenfeldt, thehospital's director of clinical transplant services.One of the five patients at theUniversity of PittsburghMedical Centrein Harrisburghas also undergone a transplant.

The approach Krissman has developed issomething new,saidRichard HaszJr., Giftof Life'schiefexecutive, andmay helpidentify thetypesof messagesthat attract and motivatepotential live kidney donors.

"This isthe first ofits kindthat I'm aware of," Hasz said. "That's why, I think, the foundation was sointerested in doing it -- studying itand hopefully publishing it so we can create that blueprint, if you will, for the future."

GiftofLifeagreed tofundabroader

sionary war theorystates that leaders who arethreatened by domestic turmoilmay initiate an internationalconflict in order toimprove their standing. Election cycles have alot todo withdiversionary wars because awar ideally increasesthe chancethat the incumbent administration will remain.

Accordingto Wikipedia,diversionary war theory identifies several major potential advantages for theleader pursuing overseas distractions: (1) Asuccessful diversionaryforeign policy could increase support for the domestic regime. This in turn increases that government'stime toaddresstheir internal troubles;(2) Artificial tensioncreated fromtheinternational conflict may justify a leader's suppression of dissent; (3) Thewar abroadcould distractthe populationfromthe issues that induced the original dissatisfaction withthe government.

Doesany ofthis soundapplicable tothe currentsituation?

Trump is, of course, not the only contemporary leader to resort to diversionary war theory.A 2017study inthe journalSecurity Studiesfound thatRussia's seizureofCrimea in early 2014"increased nationalpride amongRussians while support for President Vladimir Putin rose dramatically, and they suggest that the two processes were causally linked."

It has also been widely speculated thatthe timingof the 2025 Israelistrikes onIran coincided with an ongoing motion of no confidenceagainst thegovernment ofIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The embattled Israeli PM has for many years re-

mainedaloof frompersistent legaltroubles thatreportedly would land him in jail if not for the lengthy stateof emergency in Israelthat hasso farindemnified Netanyahu from such inconvenient pressure. Is it too much to analogise thesituations ofPutin,Netanyahu and Trump? Rick had some thoughts.

Well, these three contemporaryleaders dosharesome attitudes.Theyall seemtoregard electionsand evendomestic dissent as inconveniences that should be ignored, if not forciblyeliminated. And theyareall doggedbypersistent problems at home.

“Putin clearly wants to return Russia to the glory years ofthe ColdWar whereit shared the apex of the world political andmilitary order withtheUnited States.Butas hehaspursued thataimin Crimea and nowUkraine, the Russian economy is being decimatedby thecripplingexpenseofhis Ukrainewarand bythe internationalsanctions that have resulted.

“Netanyahuhas longlusted for a territorial expansion of Israelintothe WestBankofthe JordanRiver, GolanHeights and Gaza that would buffer his nation’s security posture. But he andhis wife havefor years facedcharges ofbriberyand political corruption that have threatenedthem bothwith prison time.

Trump, lest we forget, was twice impeached and faced numerous ruinouslawsuits relating not onlyto his official conduct as president but also in his personal life.

“Is it a coincidence that Putin and Netanyahu are among the leaders Trump appears tomost sympathise with?

test and helped Krissman identify five patients each at Temple, UPMC-Harrisburg andJefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia.

Hasz said the pilotprogram's approach combines social media outreach with Krissman's storytelling talents andaggressive efforts tomobilise thepatients' own connections.

"Weknowthat patientswhoare waiting don't always havethe energy or theresources todo thisthemselves," Hasz said.

Therehavebeen otherwaysforpatientsto setup"microsites "wherethey can telltheir stories and seeka donor match.But thepilot programcurrently underwayin Pennsylvaniaaims toconnect patients with awide universe of potentialdonorsand producevideosand

gram withthree patientsin NorthCarolina that ended last year, helped match all three with living donors.

Becca Brown, director of transplant services at UPMC-Harrisburg,thinks it might be a game changer.

"There's potential forthis to really snowball," Brown said."I'm anxious to see what happens and if we can roll it out to other patients."

Some 90,000 people in the United States are on a list for a kidney transplant,

other ways to spread their message.

Potential to 'snowball' Krissman's bout withan illness about two decades ago inspiredhim to tackle the sticky challenge of increasing live kidney donations. Hewas debilitated for more than ayear before medication helped himrecover, explaining,"It gave me my life back. And I never forgot what it's like to be chronically sick."

After producing a podcast on kidney transplantation, Krissmanrecruited four patients through Facebookwho were waiting forkidneys. Hewas ableto help two of them. A secondeffort, a pilot pro-

and most of the roughly 28,000 kidneys that were transplanted last year came from deceased donors. Livingkidney donations are hardto come by about6,400 were transplantedlastyear. Thousandsdieeach year waitingfor an organ transplantin the United States.

Living kidney donations can be a better match, reducingthe riskof organrejection. Theyallow for surgery tobe planned for a time that is optimal for the donor, the recipient and the transplant team. And, the foundation says, livingdonor kidneys, on average, lastlonger thankidneys fromdeceased donors.

Italian cooking and its rituals get UN designation as world heritage

By PAOLOSANTALUCIA, SILVIA STELLACCI and NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press

ROME (AP) Italian food is known andloved aroundthe world for its fresh ingredients and palate-pleasingtastes. TheU.N.'s cultural agency gavefoodies on Wednesday another reason to celebrate their pizza,pasta and tiramisu by listing Italian cooking as partof theworld's "intangible" cultural heritage.

UNESCO added the rituals surrounding Italianfood preparation andconsumption to itslist of theworld's traditionalpractices and expressions. It's a designation celebrated alongsidethe more well-knownUNESCO listof World Heritage sites, on which Italy is wellrepresented with locations likeRome's Colosseum and the ancient city of Pompeii.

The citation didn't mention specific dishes,recipes orregional specialties, but highlighted the culturalimportance Italians place onthe ritualsof cooking and eating: theSunday family lunch, the traditionof grandmothers teaching grandchildren how to fold tortellini dough just so,eventhe actofcomingtogether to share a meal.

"Cookingisa gestureoflove, a wayin which wetell something about ourselves to others and how we takecare ofothers," saidPier Luigi Petrillo,a memberof the ItalianUNESCO campaignand professor of comparativelaw at Rome's La Sapienza University.

"Thistraditionof beingatthe table, ofstopping fora whileat lunch,a bitlongerat dinner,and evenlongerfor bigoccasions,it's not very commonaround the world," he said.

PremierGiorgia Melonicelebrated the designation, which she said honored Italians and their national identity.

"Because forus Italians,cuisine isnot just food ora collection of recipes. It is much more: it is culture,tradition, work, wealth," she said in a statement.

Many gastronomic cultures get recognition

It's by no means the first time a country's cuisinehas beenrecognizedas acultural expression:In 2010, UNESCO listedthe "gastronomicmealof theFrench"as part ofthe world'sintangible heritage, highlightingthe French custom ofcelebrating important moments with food.

Other national cuisines and cultural practicessurrounding them have also been added in recentyears:the "ciderculture"of Spain's Asturian region, the Ceebu Jenculinary traditionof Senegal, the traditional way of

making cheese in Minas Gerais, Brazil.

UNESCO meets everyyear to consideradding newcandidates to itslists of"intangible heritage." There are three types: One is a representativelist, another listspractices thatare in"urgent" need of safeguarding and the third isalist ofgoodsafeguarding practices.

Thisyear, thecommittee meeting in New Delhi considered 53 nominations forthe representative list, which already had 788 items. Othernominees included the Swissyodelling, thehandloom weaving technique used to make Bangladesh'sTangail sarees, and Chile's family circuses.

An Italiancampaign focusing on sustainability and diversity In its submission, Italy emphasized the "sustainability and bioculturaldiversity" ofits food.Its campaign notedhow Italy's simple cuisine valued seasonality, fresh produceand limitingwaste, while its varietyhighlighted its regional culinarydifferences and influences from migrants and others.

"For me,Italian cuisineis the best,topof therange.Number one. Nothing comesclose," said Francesco Lenzi, a pasta maker at Rome's Osteriada Fortunata restaurant, nearthe Piazza Navona. "There are people who say 'No, spaghetti comes from China.'Okay,fine, butherewe haveturned noodlesinto aglobal phenomenon. Today,wherever you goin theworld, everyone knowsthe wordspaghetti.Everyone knows pizza." Lenzi credited hispassion to hisgrandmother, the"queenof this big house bythe sea" in Camogli, a small village on the Ligurian coastwhere hegrew up. "Irememberthat onSundaysshe would make ravioliwith a rolling pin."

"This stayed with me for many years,"hesaid intherestaurant's kitchen.

MirellaPozzoli, atouristvisiting Rome's Pantheon from the Lombardy regionin northern Italy, saidthe mereact ofdining together was special to Italians: "Sitting atthe tablewith familyor friendsissomething thatwe Italianscherish andcare about deeply. It's a tradition of conviviality that you won't find anywhere else in the world."

Italyis alreadywell-represented on list Italy alreadyhas 13other culturalitems onthe UNESCOintangible list,including Sicilian puppet theatre, Cremona's violin craftsmanship and the practice ofmoving livestockalong seasonal migratoryroutes known as transhumance.

The ongoing work of emancipation

Themost importantareaof domination [is] the mental universe of thecolonised, the control, through culture, of how peopleperceive themselves and their relationship to the world.

-- Jason Hickel

AUTHOR, andchronicler of Bahamian culture, Arlene NashFerguson, wroteabook about Junkanooentitled, I Cometo GetMe: AnInside Look at the Junkanoo Festival. The name of the book was inspired by theyoung men who referred totheir involvement in Junkanoo as, I come to get me.” For these men and generations of Bahamians, Junkanoo expresses their identity andsense ofbelonging.

NashFerguson, alongwith atreasury ofotherhistorians, writers,artists, anddocumentarians, have preserved and retold Bahamian stories and history through art,film, literary works, culturalfestivals, and otherplatforms. Theyhave worked diligently to deconstruct anddemythologise various colonialtropes and stereotypes about Bahamian stories and history.

Like those young men finding themselvesand their identity throughthe rituals andheritage ofJunkanoo,the

ongoing decolonisationof a peoplerequires ustellingour stories from within, with all thebeauty, warts,andinconsistencies. While touristsmay experience Junkanoo as an enjoyable extravaganza,Nash Ferguson, exclaims that Junkanoo isnot primarilya parade or competition. It’s not primarilyentertainment tobe monetised. She insists that Junkanoo is about a triumphant peoplecelebrating their history and culture. Junkanoo is an essential part ofthe historyof struggle and transcendence for slaves andfreedslaves intheBahamas, acultural expression that helped unite various tribal groups into onepeople. No other countryin theworld has preserved or developed Junkanooas TheBahamas has. It s associatedwithno other country as much as ours, done with somuch operatic brilliance.

A milestonein theongoing discovery and unfolding of a deeper Bahamian sense of self and society, wasthe release lastyearof thetextbookTowards a Common Loftier Goal. Thenew historytext was launched duringa ceremonyat thehistoricSouthern Recreation Groundsin Nassau, commemorating the 60th anniversary ofBlack

Tuesday.

The text is a key partof the history curriculum forsecondary schools. Minister ofEducation andTechnical & Vocational Training, Glenys Hanna Martin, enthused at the launch.

“The history curriculum, as you ve heard, had to be updated and modernised for thefirst time unbelievably in 43 years It s myhope thistext will cause our young people to have a deeper understanding of our history and the shapingof this collectivespace wecall TheBahamas.

Like her father,the late Arthur Hanna, the former Minister of Education, who played a pivotalrole in the creation of the history textbook, GlenysHanna deeply appreciates theimperative of documenting andtelling our history from aBahamian perspective and imagination.

A national storyis woven together bymultiple narrative threads.Such threadsbearthe namesand personalnarratives

Suggestions on how to navigate distressing news stories and cope

By SARA CLINE Associated Press

BATONROUGE, La.(AP)

As peopleawoke to headlines over the weekend about deadly U.S.-Israelistrikes on Iran and potentialof widening conflict, alerts, social media and conversations atthe dining room table wereconsumed by the news.

Whilemedical expertssayit is normal for people to experience stressand anxiety or feeling that the world descended intochaos overnight it isimportantto findcopingmechanisms andways toresponsibly take in the news in order to protect one's mental health.

“Fear, sadness, confusion... these are very normal reactions to very extreme circumstances,” Michael S. Ziffra,a Northwestern FeinbergSchool of Medicine professorand psychiatrist, toldThe Associated Press. “People shouldn’t feel guilty, or theyshouldn t feel like it’s wrongto feelanxiety. It’sa verynormal humanresponse. The key is to know how to manage it.”

Normal feelings

Since 2020 a year marked by the deadly COVID-19 pandemic, socialand politicalunrest andweather-related disasters Ziffrasaidhe has “absolutely, withoutquestion” seen an uptick in patients bringing up

increased anxietyprovoked by current news.

Somepatients vent,some talk aboutobsessively scrolling on socialmedia andothers discuss feeling helplessand frustrated.

But,psychiatrists saythose feelings areabsolutely normal and to be expected. In fact, sometimes they can result in something positive from getting involvedin advocacy, joiningasocial orpoliticalorganisation orjust contacting lawmakers.

Other's mayseek tolearn more about whatis going on. But like with most things in life, moderation is important.

"The problemis, for alot of people, they just kind of wallow init. Theyruminate andobsess and just sort of stew in it," Ziffra said.

Consuming distressing news In today'sworld, peopleare justa clickaway fromlearning about practicallyanything they want sometimes even less, with apredetermined algorithm on social media pushing posts or alerts on their phone interrupting their day.People have accessto24/7 newscyclesand phone cameras cancapture, and disseminate, videosand images of disasters within seconds.

For years, Dana Rose Garfin, apsychologist andprofessorat University ofCalifornia, Los

Angeles, hasbeen studying “cascading collectivetraumas” and researched how the media's continuous coverageof COVID increased anxiety.Garfin said therealityis thatpeopledon't consume the news how they used to.Instead ofreading a newspaper orflipping onthe evening newsonce aday, people are muchmore exposed” to current events.

And aspeople learnabout disasters or breaking news, they become distressed. In terms of any kind of crisis, people turn to the media forinformation. Andthat’sa very logical,rational and helpful reaction,” Garfin said. But, what we'veseen in our research is there’s this sort of reciprocal effect.An eventhappens,peoplelearn aboutit,they turn to the mediato learn more about it, andthey re really distressed,” Garfinsaid, adding that what occurs nextis a cycle that people have ahard time removing themselvesfrom. “It sortof activatestheseprocesses where thenthey’re bothmore distressed and want to know more about thisevent because they’re distressed.”

Responsibly consuming media

While expertssaid theyunderstand people'sneed tocontinue to seek out news, there is a way to do it responsibly without becoming overwhelmedand

of peoples spanning the globe. One of the most pivotal events in ourhistory was the achievement of majority rule, our Second Emancipation, awatershed moment in our nationalist struggle and consciousness.The leadersof thatrevolution includemany who werefirst generationBahamiansor whoenjoyed Caribbean parentage, including Sir Lynden Pindling. The Pindling namehas become thoroughly identified withThe Bahamas,even though it s notacommon nameinthe country.TheBahamian family and experienceareconstituted byanalphabet soup of nationalities and family names.The researching and tellingof our storiesare anongoingenterprise, requiringa certainpassion andcritical patriotism

and honesty that eschews historical revisionism and falsehoods inthe serviceof narrow political agendas. Someyears ago,afterreturninghomefrom atriptoa sister Caribbean country, a former primeminister enthused thathe hadlearned during hisvisit overseasof what awonderful talentwe hadin suchaworldrenowned historianas Dr. GailSaunders. Dr.Saunders was already ascholar celebratedregionally andinternationally.Her prodigiouswork at theDepartment of Archives overmany decades helped to preserveand catalogue invaluable archival material.

Decades before the Clifton heritage site seizedthe popular imaginationand became a political battleground, Dr. Saunders was working to study and protect its ruins and artefacts.She isone ofthe foremostauthorities onBahamian history, who worked tirelesslyover manydecades topreserve artefactsandhistoric documents.

Yetthe primeministerof that day, who hadbeen in political life fordecades, was surprised by Dr. Saunders’ reputation. (Sheshould have been knightedin herlifetime.) Theignorance ofthat politician speaks to a certain

mindset.

Becauseof herextraordinary researchefforts and writing, including the twovolume Islandersin the Stream, co-authored with Michael Craton, weare able to better understand our place as islandersin thestream of Bahamianhistory. Todate these volumes arethe most comprehensive singlerecord of our history from aboriginal times to the twentieth century. Even beforeGail Saunders began her lifetime of research and service, others were telling Bahamianstories in literaryform. Onewas Sammy Swain, aCat Island folklorestory thatwaspopularised byE. Clement Bethel s opera.The storywas magically told by Sir Etienne Dupuch inserial formin The Tribune. Another, lesserknownwork, Blackbeard,A Romanceof theBahamas,is anepic poembyHenry Christopher Christie. How isit thatgenerations ofBahamiansare notasfamiliar with these texts as they are in otherworld stories? To lose one s stories,or notto know one’s history, is akin to losing one’ssoul. Thankfully, there are newgenerations of Bahamiansworking topass on and recreate Bahamian narratives.

emotionally exhausted.Their top suggestion wasto eliminate or cut down on social media and obsessive “doomscrolling.” I don’t immerse myself in socialmedia,and that’s a very conscious decision on my part to protectmy ownmental, and physical, health,” said Roxane Cohen Silver,a psychologistat theUniversity ofCalifornia, Irvine, and who co-authored the study withGarfin. Shespecificallyraised concernsabout graphic images and video that quicklycirculate onsocial mediathat cancausedistress andlong-term anxietywhen seen repeatedly.

“I thinkthat onecan stayinformedwithout immersingoneselfin graphicimages,"she said. Garfin suggestedfinding more “enjoyable” ways to consumenews, suchas aninformative newsarticle, listeningto a podcast or watching a news segment. That s different than this kind of letting the algorithm suck youin for eternityin a mindless fashion.

Expertsalso urgedpeopleto set timers, whenscrolling on their phone. BothiPhones and Androiddevices havecontrols to help regulate screen time. Ziffra suggestedchoosing

neutral newssources. “Try to avoid things where it’s very partisan and where there s going to be a lot of inflammatory content, because that’s going to likelyexacerbate youranxiety and make you feel anxious, angry, scared.

Identifying copingmechanisms Even if a worrisome news event is happening thousands of miles away,and evenif it doesn't directly impact a person reading about it,it can still cause intense stress and anxiety. For that reason,medical experts urgepeople toidentifyother ways to cope.

Davis doubles down on victory claim in $357m GBPA arbitration

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune News Editor rrolle@tribunemedia.net

ALTHOUGH the gov-

ernment’s $357m demand against the Grand Bahama Port Authority was rejected by an arbitration tribunal, Prime Minister Philip Davis doubled down on claims of victory in the House of Assembly yesterday, saying the ruling proved the Port Authority must pay the government through 2054.

Speaking a day after the award was released, Mr Davis insisted the decision was a “game-changer” that established the Port Authority’s liability to the Bahamian taxpayer and confirmed the government’s authority in Freeport.

“The Port Authority has significant liabilities that are now enforceable because we took action,” he said in the House of Assembly.

The tribunal did not grant the $357m the government sought for administrative costs

between 2018 and 2022. Instead, it ruled that the clause the government relied on to calculate that sum had been replaced by a later payment arrangement negotiated in the 1990s when concessions under the Hawksbill Creek Agreement were extended. Under that arrangement, the Port Authority makes annual payments to the government, with the amount to be set through a review process.

Mr Davis acknowledged that the tribunal rejected the $357m claim under the earlier clause, but argued that the ruling nonetheless established that the Port Authority must make payments to the government under the later framework.

He argued the ruling confirmed the payment framework remains enforceable and that the government will now move to determine how much the Port Authority must pay.

“The initial ruling was a victory for us, because it established liability for

them,” he said. “They have to pay up.”

The prime minister said the next phase of arbitration would determine the amount.

The tribunal did not order the Port Authority to pay any specific sum. It confirmed that the payment mechanism under the Hawksbill Creek Agreement remains in force, but left the amount to be determined through the review process.

Opposition Leader Michael Pintard dismissed the prime minister’s claims of victory and said the ruling does little to address the challenges facing Grand Bahama.

“The issues in Grand Bahama remain the same before and after the address,” Mr Pintard said told reporters.

He argued the government’s dispute with the Grand Bahama Port Authority has distracted from more urgent issues on the island. “We have always said that the government's fight with the

Port Authority has been a side show that's not constructive in the way it was approached. And as far as we know, the claim the government submitted has been dismissed.”

Asked if he believed the prime minister was misleading the public about the ruling, Mr Pintard said: “Yes, the Prime Minister continues to mislead the public and will go to any lengths to do so.”

Mr Davis also emphasised that the tribunal rejected most of the Port Authority’s counterclaims, which had sought up to $1bn in damages and declarations that the Port Authority alone controlled key aspects of governance in the Freeport Port Area.

The tribunal rejected claims that the Port Authority had exclusive authority over matters such as business licensing, immigration, customs, utilities and land purchases.

The tribunal did uphold one limited counterclaim, finding that successive governments

failed to act quickly enough on proposed environmental bye-laws for the Port Area.

Mr Davis criticised statements from the Port Authority describing the ruling as a victory and also attacked opposition figures who have argued the government lost the case.

“The GBPA says it won. I put the question to this House, on what?” he said.

He accused critics of siding with the Port Authority rather than the Bahamian public.

“When,” he said, “the GBPA tells the nation it won, and the Leader of the Opposition echoes the Port Department instead of standing with his own government, the Bahamian people are entitled to ask a simple question, whose side are you on?”

PM

expects country’s employment to fall by 9.1

percent this year

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Chief Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

PRIME Minister Philip

“Brave” Davis expects the country’s unemployment rate to fall to 9.1 percent this year.

Unemployment dropped to 9.3 percent in the second quarter of 2025, down from 10.8 percent in the frst quarter, according to the latest statistics.

Mr Davis predicted a further drop yesterday, saying the rate is projected to ease slightly to 9.1 percent.

He credited increased investment, particularly in the cruise sector, for helping to to lower unemployment, citing projects such as Royal Caribbean’s Royal Beach Club and Carnival’s Celebration Key.

“In more recent years, unemployment averaged 14.1 percent between 2017 and 2020, then moved to

an average of 9.9 percent in the four years following the 2021 election, supported by a broad recovery in services particularly tourism and steady growth in construction and retail,” Mr Davis said during his midyear budget contribution yesterday.

On infation, he noted that May 2025 data showed a modest 0.4 percent increase compared with the same period in 2024.

The largest price rises were in furnishings and household equipment, clothing and footwear, and health services, while gasoline and diesel prices declined by 7.3 percent and 7.8 percent, respectively.

“Overall, The Bahamas continues to demonstrate steady economic progress, supported by strong tourism performance, improving labour market conditions, and contained infation,” he added.

Police denied planting gun and abusing suspect in murder trial

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

THE murder trial of a man accused of killing two teenage boys in Yellow Elder Gardens in 2017 continued yesterday as a police ofcer testifed fnding the accused with a gun on Lightbourne Avenue. The ofcer also denied planting a gun or abusing the defendant at the scene of his arrest.

Inspector Maurice Arthur testifed in the murder trial of Deon Scavella, 30, before Justice Jeannine Weech-Gomez.

Prosecutors allege Scavella shot and killed Devonte Lindsey, 15, and Keishon Williams, 13, on March 19, 2017. The bodies were found on a dirt road of Graham Drive in Yellow Elder. Inspector Arthur said that on the night of May 6, 2017, he received information about Malik Hanna. He said he went to a pink residence in Yellow Elder. After pulling up in a police car next to a silver vehicle, Inspector Arthur said he saw the defendant pull a Luger pistol from his waist and drop it on the ground near a trolley. He said he arrested the accused.

ofcer pushed him against a vehicle, pointed a gun at his head and said he would shoot him if he kept talking. She also suggested that the ofcer threw her client to the ground and planted the gun at the scene.

Inspector Arthur denied those suggestions.

When questioned by the prosecution, Inspector Arthur said he was unaware of Malik Rolle having any involvement in the matter. He said he had gone to the residence looking for Rolle and did not expect to fnd Scavella there.

Defence attorney Marianne Cadet suggested that when her client asked why he was being arrested, the

Shaneka Carey and Davina Pinder are the prosecutors.

Eleuthera man remanded on charge of sexually assaulting mentally ill woman

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A MAN accused of attempting to sexually assault a mentally ill woman in Eleuthera in January was remanded to prison yesterday.

The case was before Assistant Chief Magistrate Kara Turnquest-Deveaux. Prosecutors allege Glen

Higgs, 51, attempted to have sexual relations with a mentally ill woman in Harbour Island on January 2.

Higgs was remanded to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services until service of his VBI on May 7.

Inspector K Wilkinson was the prosecutor. Levan Johnson represented the accused.

Higgs was not required to enter a plea to attempted unlawful sexual intercourse with a person sufering from a mental disorder before Magistrate Abigail Farrington. He was informed that the case will proceed to the Supreme Court through a voluntary bill of indictment (VBI). He must apply for bail in the higher court.

Berry Islands teen accused of having loaded gun and marijuana at business

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A 19-YEAR-OLD man accused of having a loaded gun and marijuana at a business in the Berry Islands on Monday was granted bail yesterday. Prosecutors allege Elvis Butler was found with a black Beretta 9mm pistol, one round of ammunition and 14 grams of marijuana

at a business on William Dean Highway at 5pm on March 2. Butler allegedly injured Jimmy Joseph during a physical altercation at Hammer Head in the Berry Islands on February 21. Butler pleaded not guilty to causing harm, possession of an unlicensed frearm, possession of ammunition and possession of dangerous drugs with intent to supply before Magistrate

Lennox Coleby. He was granted bail at $8,000 with one or two sureties. Butler will be ftted with a monitoring device and must sign in at the Berry Islands Police Station every Monday, Wednesday and Friday by 6pm.

The defendant returns to court for trial on May 5.

Bjorn Ferguson represented the accused, while Inspector Lincoln McKenzie was the prosecutor.

RBPF officers, including Police Commissioner Shanta Knowles, conducted a walkabout in celebration of 186 years of policing. Ms Knowles joined in the Southern Division’s walkabout. She said she was pleased that many residents she met spoke highly of officers from the Southern Division, indicating that officers are present in communities and are addressing the residents’ needs. Ms Knowles said the response from residents showed the RBPF has regained trust in inner-city communities.

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A 62-YEAR-OLD man accused of indecently assaulting a 25-year-old woman last month was granted bail yesterday. Prosecutors allege Jeffrey McKinney grabbed the woman’s hip at Burial Ground Corner on February 20. McKinney allegedly trespassed on the property of Sherrie Demeritte at Burial Ground Corner on March 1. The defendant pleaded not guilty to indecent assault and trespassing before Magistrate Abigail Farrington.

Man accused of indecent assault of woman granted $3,000 bail $232K MARIJUANA SEIZED BY POLICE ON

POLICE seized more than 100 pounds of suspected hydroponic marijuana during a search in New Providence on Tuesday evening.

Ofcers from the Drug Enforcement Unit found the drugs shortly after

6pm while searching a bushy area on Dean Lane.

The suspected marijuana was discovered inside four black garbage bags and a box, according to police. Authorities said the drugs have an estimated

He was granted bail at $3,000 with one or two sureties. McKinney must sign in at the Central Police Station on the last Sunday of every month by 7pm. He returns for trial on May 7. Assistant Superintendent of Police K Bould was the prosecutor.

weight of 116 pounds and a street value of about $232,000. The suspected marijuana was confscated, but no arrests were made. Police said investigations into the discovery are continuing.

Repatriation flights ramp up as nations race to bring citizens home from war

By RIO YAMAT and R.J. RICO Associated Press

EXPLOSIONS inthe sky

woke Cory McKaneon Saturday, turning aquick visit to Dubai before a friend's wedding in Indiainto atense, multi-day search for a way out of the United Arab Emirates as the Iran war expanded.

Faced withlimited options, McKane and his friends eventually drove a rental car to the Oman border, where taxi drivers were charging up to $650 to take people to Muscat In ternational Airport.

The journey to Muscat took10 hours but paid off: McKane secured a last-minute flight toIndia, arriving Wednesday sleep-deprived but relieved.

Hundreds of thousands of travelers found them selves similarly strandedin theMiddle East afterIsrael andthe UnitedStates attackedIranon Saturday andIran struckback on Gulfstates aswell asIsrael. With muchof theregion's airspace closed and airstrikes intensifying, governmentsfrom North America andAfrica to Europe and Southeast Asia continued theirrace Wednesdayto bring their citizens home.

by land through neighboring Turkmenistan despite the former Soviet country's strict visa policies.

While repatriationefforts gained momentum, many travelers faced the choice of waiting or tryingto secureseats onthe diminished number of commercial flights operating. More than23,000 ofthe roughly 44,000 flights scheduled to fly to or from the Middle East between the start of the war and

izens from the UAE city of Abu Dhabi anda charterbringing 205 people from Israel.

"Our goal is to help repatriate asquickly aspossiblethe French peoplewho wishto return," Caroit toldFrench broadcaster TF1.

The U.S.State Department vowed inan Xpost on Wednesday to help evacuate Americans. Earlier in the week, thedepartment toldU.S.citizens toleave morethan adozen countries using any available commercial transportation op-

Thursday have been canceled, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.Flight-tracking service FlightAware reported more than 2,400 flight cancellations worldwide on Wednesday, downfrom about3,150on Monday.

Officials chartered jetsor deployed militaryaircraft toroute stranded travelersthrough Oman, Egypt andSaudi Arabia, whichemerged askeyexit points since airplanes still could landandtake offfromthose countries.

A plane carryingFrench citizens from Oman and then Egypt landed in Paris early Wednesday, the firstof several expected repatriation flights organized by France's government.A groupof studentsreturned to Italy after their government evacuated them from Dubai. More than200 people from 16 countries departed Iran

Helping the most vulnerable France estimates about 400,000 ofits citizensare in parts of theMideast affected by the conflict, eitheras residents or travelers, President Emmanuel Macron said.

Eleonore Caroit,the minister responsible for French nationals abroad, said about100 seats on the country's first evacuation flight were reserved for vulnerable passengers, including families with children, older people andthose withmedicalconditions.

Twomore flightswereexpectedWednesday a military aircraft carrying 180 French cit-

"Any Americanin the Middle East who wishes to leave:call theState Department and we will get your home," the postsaid, adding that 18,000 Americans had so far safelyreturned to the U.S., including 8,500 on Tuesday.

Mexican President ClaudiaSheinbaum said Wednesday that nearly 280 citizens had so farbeen evacu-

Britain said acharter flight would depart Oman late Wednesday tobring backsome of the thousands of U.K. nationals in the Gulf.

The U.K. Foreign Office said more than 130,000 British nationals inthe MiddleEast had registered their presence with the governmentsince theconflict began Saturday, though officials said not all are trying to leave.

Ireland's foreign minister saidEmirates airlinewouldoperateaflight fromDubaito Dublin on Wednesday. Foreign Affairs Minister Helen McEntee said an estimated22,000 to 23,000 Irish citizens were in the Middle East. The Irish government saidit alsoplanned to charteraflight forabout280 peoplefrom Omaninthe coming days.

Norway's ForeignMinistry said itwas sendingan "emergency team" toDubai to reinforce a Norwegian Embassy

Millions left without power after major blackout hits Cuba's western region

By MILEXSY DURÁN and DÁNICA COTO Associated Press

HAVANA (AP) A blackouthit thewestern halfof Cuba on Wednesday, leaving millions of people in Havana and beyond withoutpower in the latest outage to affect an island strugglingwith dwindling oil reservesand acrumbling electric grid.

Government radio station

RadioRebelde quotedanenergy officialas sayingthat it couldtake atleast72 hoursto restore operationsat oneof Cuba's largest thermoelectric power plants, which shut down earlier and sparked the outage.

The government'selectric utility said on social platform X that theoutage affectedpeople from the western town of Pinar del Rioto the centraltown of Camaguey.

The U.S. Embassy in Cuba issued asecurity alertand warnedpeople to"preparefor

significant disruptions"and conserve fuel, water,food and mobile phone batteries.

"Cuba's nationalpower grid isincreasingly unreliable,and scheduled and unscheduled power outages are prolonged and a daily occurrence across the country,including Havana," it said on X. By lateThursday afternoon, the government said crews had restoredpowerto 2.5%ofHavana, or some21,100 customers, noting that efforts were gradual andtied towhat the system's conditionswould allow.

"We trustin theexperience and effort of the electrical workers to overcome this situationin theshortestpossible time,"Prime MinisterManuel Marrero Cruz wrote on X.

Meanwhile, Energy and Mines Minister Vicente de la O Levysaid earlierthatone power plant affected by the outage wasup andrunning. "We are working to restore the

National ElectricSystem amid a complex energy situation," he wrote on X.

State media reported that the outagewascaused byashutdownof theAntonioGuiteras thermoelectric power plant east ofHavanafollowing aleakin its boiler.

Radio Rebelde quoted the plant's technicaldirector Román PérezCastañeda as saying that crews must first locate the fault, determine the repairmethod, repairit andthen start up and synchronize the unit.

Pérez Castañeda saidthat a pipe burst in the boiler, causing a water leakand subsequent firethat firefightersextinguished without major damage, according to Radio Rebelde.

Theoutage caught63-yearoldOdalis Sánchezout onthe streetwith hergrandson.She wasunable towalk becauseof a recent operation, so she called someonefor aride home.

teamthat washelping anestimated 1,500 Norwegians registered in the city.

South Africa's Foreign Ministry advised its citizens to take advantageof thelimitedcommercialflights afterputtingits own plans toevacuate citizens fromsome MiddleEastern countrieson holddueto airspace closures.

In the Indonesianresort island Bali,about 6,000people werestranded becausetheir flightsto Dubai,AbuDhabi and Dosha, Qatar,were canceled,officials said.Manyof thoseaffected weretourists fromEuropeor theU.S.trying to fly long-haul via those Middle Eastern airports.

Scrambling for plane tickets

Airspace closures and restrictionsremained inplace Wednesday across mostof the MiddleEast, accordingto flight-tracking serviceFlightradar24.Notices fromIran, Iraq,Qatar, Bahrain,Kuwait andSyria saidthecountries' no-fly zoneswould lastuntil at least early next week

The United Arab Emirates' airspace is partially closed, and Saudi Arabia continuesto partially restrict routes near its border withIraq andalong the PersianGulf. Israelprepared foraphased reopeningofits airspace that wouldallow arriving flights returning its citizensstarting earlyThursday.

Jordan liftedits previousnighttime flightban, restoring24hour operations.

Someof theaviationnotices governing theclosures allow authorities toreopen orrestrict portions of airspace on short notice depending on security conditions, meaningflight schedules can change rapidly as the conflict continues to unfold.

Commercialairlines haveresumed limited service, but seats filled quickly.British Airways saidits flightsscheduled todepart Muscatthrough Saturday werefully bookedand thatit would addservice "ifwe are able to." Etihad Airways and Emirates, based inAbu Dhabi

andDubai, saidtheircommercial flights werestill suspended due to regionalairspace closures, although both airlines operateda smallnumber ofrepatriation and cargo flights. Li Qian, a 44-year-old tourist from Hangzhou,China, has beenstuck inAbu Dhabiwith her family.She saidshe received repeatedmissile alerts on her mobilephone and saw smoke rising nearareas they had visited.

"It was frightening ... We just wantto gethomeas soonas possible,"she said,addingthat sheworried abouthermother's high bloodpressure medication and her child's return to school.

Some 200 people waited at a busstop nearher, butbuses were not runninggiven a lack offuel, sotheytriedto geta ridevia anymeansavailable, including hitchhiking.

"I need to be able to get home tosee whatI cando,"

Sánchez said. "Without power, you can't doanything. My grandson also is studying and I have to make him food. Public transportation isn't helping."

It is thesecond such outage to affect Cuba's western region in the past three months.

In earlyDecember, an outage that hit the island's western region lasted nearly 12 hours. Officials said a fault in a transmissionline linkingtwo power plantscaused anoverloadandled tothecollapseof the energysystem's western sector.

Authorities have noted that some thermoelectric plants

have beenoperating forover 30years andreceivelittle maintenance giventhe high cost.U.S. sanctionsalsohave prevented thegovernment frombuying newequipment and specialized parts, officials say.

Cubaalso isstrugglingwith dwindling oil reserves after the U.S. attackedVenezuela in early January,a movethat halted criticalpetroleum shipments from the South America country. Later that month, U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to impose tariffs on any country that would sell or supply Cuba with oil.