Monthly Archives: June 2017

Seychelles seat capacity up 27% thanks to the arrival of Qatar Airways and Turkish Airlines; Asia and Europe lead growth – anna.aero

Posted: June 28, 2017 at 6:38 am

Qatar Airways CCO Dr. Hugh Dunleavy was welcomed by Seychelles Minister of Tourism, Civil Aviation, Ports and Marine, Alain St Ange, after the touchdown of the oneworld members inaugural flight to the Seychelles from Doha in December. OAG schedules show that weekly seat capacity to the nation is up 27% in S17 when compared to S16.

The Seychelles is an archipelago of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of East Africa. Its home to numerous beaches, coral reefs and nature reserves, as well as rare animals such as the giant Aldabra tortoises. This predominately leisure destination (only 3.0% of visitors to the Seychelles in 2016 travelled for business) has a population of around 94,200 inhabitants according to the countrys National Bureau of Statistics.

Last year, the Seychelles welcomed303,177 visitors, of which only 0.3% did not arrive by air. In 2006 the nation welcomed 140,627 visitors, meaning that international visitor numbers to the Seychelles have grown 116% when compared to over 10 years ago. Of those who arrived via Mah Airport in 2016, the countrys only international hub, 300,356 ended their journey at Mahwhile 1,932 (or 0.6%) transited.In 2016 the top three geographical regions for visitors to the Seychelles were Europe (63% of visitors), Asia (23%) and Africa (11%). When compared to 2015, visitors from Europe and Asia increased by 11% and 17% respectively. The National Bureau of Statistics states that visitors from Africa decreased by 8% between 2015 and 2016.

For the w/c 27 June, schedules show that weekly seat capacity to the Seychelles is up 27% when compared to the same week of the previous year, no doubt helped by the arrival of Qatar Airways and Turkish Airlines towards the end of 2016. Looking at annual one-way seats for the nation between 2007 and 2016, the results show that the average year-on-year increase in capacity is 6.2%. With 2016 capacity rising by nearly 19%, and 2014s having grown by close to 36%, it indicatesthat the popularity of the Seychelles has increasedduring the past few years when compared to the start of the decade.

Source: OAG Schedules Analyser data.

Referring to OAG schedules, the number of available seats from the nation is certainly higher than the visitor numberspublished by theNational Bureau of Statistics. Even if we doubled the visitor statistics to give a representation of one departure and arrival count per passenger, it still falls short of the total one-way seat capacity. However what both sets of data show is that the popularity of the Seychelles as a destination is certainly on the rise during the past few years.

Air Seychelles is the largest carrierof the 10 airlines (up from eight in S16) that serve its home nation, with it occupying just under 60% of all seats, however its overall share of the market has dropped 0.4% when compared to the same week last year. It currently has a fleet of: two A320s; two A330-200s; and six DHC-6 Twin Otters for intra-island hopping. Overall the carrier has increased its seat capacity from the nation by nearly 26% during the past 12 months.

Source: OAG Schedules Analyser data. *SriLankan Airlines, while a new carrier, replaces Mihin Lanka on the route to Colombo, so therefore it is not a brand new service unlike Qatar Airways and Turkish Airlines.

The Seychelles has welcomed three new carriers during the past year Qatar Airways, Turkish Airlines and SriLankan Airlines. While the latter is a new carrier to the nation, it replaced Mihin Lanka (which has now ceased operation) on the route to Colombo, so therefore it is not a brand new service unlike Qatar Airways and Turkish Airlines (highlighted in light green). Of the top 10 serving airlines, only one (highlighted in red) has posted a capacity decline over the last 12 months, that being Etihad Airways (-9.3%). A summary of the new routes launched in the last year from the Seychelles include: Air Seychelles to Dsseldorf and Durban (both launched 30 March); Qatar Airways from Doha (12 December); and Turkish Airlines from Istanbul Atatrk (31 October). One city pairthat has ended in the past year is Air Seychelles service to Beijing (ended 15 February).

One of the two routes launched by Air Seychelles in the last year was Dsseldorf, with the first flight being greeted in the German city with a water arch salute. The carriers capacity from its home nation has increased by close to 26% during the past 12 months, with it occupying just under 60% of all seats from the nation in S17.

Seychelles seat capacity up 27% thanks to the arrival of Qatar Airways and Turkish Airlines; Asia and Europe lead growth - anna.aero

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How to Experience A Taste of the Caribbean in Los Angeles – HuffPost

Posted: at 6:37 am

This past weekend Hollywood Blvd. came alive with the sounds and energy of the islands. Trinidad, Barbados, St. Lucia, Haiti and beyond, all "getting on bad" through dance in the name of unity and tradition. While other U.S. cities like Miami and New York are well-known for their Caribbean carnival celebrations and demographic, Los Angeles is stepping to the forefront with its annualCulture Festival and Hollywood Carnival Paradein hopes to put the city's Caribbean pride on the international map.

Founded in 2012, the annual week-long event includes dance, crafts, food and music from around the world. Trinidad's soca superstar Machel Montano hosted EPIC MAS Band this year with hundreds of men and women in colorful costume dancing to the best soca mixes down Hollywood Blvd. The parade ended at Carnival Village, where various food vendors offered a taste of the Caribbean and a lively performance by Machel.The energy was palpable, with people proudly singing the words to some of Trinidads biggest soca songs.

Hollywood Carnival

Hollywood Carnival has continued to grow over the years. If you are thinking about getting road ready for the next one, here are just a few ways to make sure you are doing it right:

1. Bring a flag: If you own your countrys flag, bring it. Wave it. There is a pride in being from the Caribbean that carnival parades capture perfectly. Dont worry about cues. There are plenty of people around you and songs that will tell you exactly when to raise it high.

2. Do your research: Its wonderful to dance freely amongst strangers and friends, but learning the history of Carnival is important too. Beyond the bacchanal and wining, Carnival honors the legacy of slaves who forged their own celebration through masquerading in the fields. Carnival is the culmination of people finding a way to freedom through movement.

3. Choose a band. Groups of people form bands for Carnival day. Each band has a section that wears its own costume. Some carnivals can have up to 20 different bands. Budget, age demographic, and interests are just a few of the deciding factors that may help you choose the right group for you. For Hollywood Carnival, EPIC MAS band is great choice, with some of the biggest djs, most diverse crowds and best costumes.

4. Let go. No, really. Leave your problems and stress at home. Being on the road is all about freedom the kind that makes adults smile like children. All body shapes and sizes are welcome. All positive energy is manifested and magnified. This is the magic of Carnival.

5. Come with an appetite. Nothing works up an appetite quite like dancing for hours in the sun. Carnival planners know this well and are ready to feed the crowds with some of the Caribbeans best dishes: bake and shark, pelau, jerk chicken, roti, and, if youre lucky, some good ole Trini doubles.

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How to Experience A Taste of the Caribbean in Los Angeles - HuffPost

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Photos: NOLA Caribbean Festival showcases local and international flavors – OffBeat Magazine

Posted: at 6:37 am

Photo by Colin Yaccarino.

This past Saturday, a city often deemed the Northernmost in the Caribbean and its truly-Caribbean counterparts dug up their common roots in the back of a barbecue joint, celebrating their shared heritage of smoked meats and African-inspired rhythms.

Central City BBQ hosted the NOLA Caribbean Festival, showcasing a variety of local and international music and vendors, many of which proudly displayed the flag of their country of origin, ranging from Haiti to Honduras.

Underneath the lights strung across the restaurants outdoor courtyard, the first day of the festival featured DJ Lion, Nkruka African Dance, Alexey Marti, Zyanhigh, Etana and a Dancehall Queen Competition on their one stage.

While all the acts had the comfortably crowded courtyard swaying, the stand out of the night was Etana. With a stage presence that wove together the intimacy of your high school best friend and glamorous ease of your high school prom queen, the Jamaican-born signer delivered her reggae beats with a playfulness that put you at awe and at ease. She took a special interest in her audience, joking with the crowd and dancing along to her music as she reminded them of what they had gathered to celebrate in the first place: good caribbean music.

Between the drum beats, festival goers shopped and snacked on mostly local fare with an international flare. People could buy everything from local hand-made soap to shark meat sandwiches from Trinidad and Tobago. Food vendors included Johnnys Jamaican Grill, Taylor Made Wings, Boswells, The Pupusa Lady, Fritai, Island Paradise, Karibu Kitchen, Trini Queen, Amina Dadas Rasta Burgers, Zippy Fruit and Irie Nyammings.

NOLA Caribbean festivals Sunday line up included DJ Megatron, Neptune Steel Pan Orchestra, Merengue 4, Yard Squad Band, I-Majesty and T-Rock.

All photos by Colin Yaccarino.

NOLA Caribbean Festival 2017

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Photos: NOLA Caribbean Festival showcases local and international flavors - OffBeat Magazine

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Harmony of the Seas 2017 Live Blog – Cruise Preview – Royal Caribbean Blog (blog)

Posted: at 6:37 am

Royal Caribbean Blog (blog)

Harmony of the Seas 2017 Live Blog - Cruise Preview
Royal Caribbean Blog (blog)
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Harmony of the Seas 2017 Live Blog - Cruise Preview - Royal Caribbean Blog (blog)

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Exclusive: ‘Pirates of the Caribbean 5’ Concept Art Shows the Evolution of the Ghost Soldiers – Collider.com

Posted: at 6:37 am

One of the neater aspects of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales was the design of Captain Salazar (Javier Bardem) and his band of ghost soldiers. The movie utilized a neat kind of underwater effect so that the partial bodies of the soldiers would always seem to be submerged even when they were on dry land. It was a nice way of differentiating this group of baddies from the skeleton pirates of the first film, Davy Jones crew from the second two films, and whatever the hell the bad guys were in the completely forgettable fourth movie.

Today, were pleased to show you some concept art (courtesy ofMPCs Culver City based Concept Art team) that shows the development of the ghost soldiers. As you can see, all the designs made use of the submersion effect, but this early concept art shows that there was originally an idea to have burn marks as well so that the soldiers would also look like they were on fire. Perhaps they ditched it because it was too similar to Blackbeards smoldering beard in On Stranger Tides, or maybe it was just too much going on when combined with the submersion effect, but whatever the case may be, the final film dropped it.

Image via Disney

Heres what MPC had to say about designing the ghost soldiers:

MPC also created the majority of the ghostly crew that Captain Salazar leads as well as the Ghostly form of Salazar himself starting with concept art designs created by MPCs Culver City team to show how the crew could look. The idea behind the ghosts was that they are preserved in the exact form that they died in when their ship exploded in the Devils Triangle. Salazar has a giant hole in his head and other pirates are in similarly maimed states. In addition their hair and clothes were meant to appear as if underwater. Some of these characters were entirely digital throughout the movie, while for the more hero characters, actors were filmed with tight fitting costumes and close cropped hair. MPC closely rotoanimated the actors and created digital doubles of each, with maimed parts and resimmed hair and clothes.Salazar has thousands of hairs that needed to collide, interact and be directable. MPCs RnD team developed tools that allowed the animators to have control over the performance of the hair, whilst at the same time running physics simulations to keep it feeling natural.The second challenge was to augment the practical make up and extend it to include a giant hole on the left side of his head. His eyes were also given a ghostly texture and pattern.

Check out the Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales concept art below. The film is currently in theaters.

Heres the official synopsis for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales:

Johnny Depp returns to the big screen as the iconic, swashbuckling anti-hero Jack Sparrow in the all-new Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, a rip-roaring adventure that finds down-on-his-luck Captain Jack feeling the winds of ill-fortune blowing strongly his way when deadly ghost sailors, led by the terrifying Captain Salazar, escape from the Devils Triangle bent on killing every pirate at seanotably Jack.

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Exclusive: 'Pirates of the Caribbean 5' Concept Art Shows the Evolution of the Ghost Soldiers - Collider.com

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From the Caribbean: The Truth About Venezuela – teleSUR English

Posted: at 6:37 am

Last week, the government of Donald Trump has executed a media strategy of intimidation, manipulation and political plunder against the Venezuelan people, instructing its diplomatic representatives to publish in unison a campaign of lies in the regional media to attack democracy and the legitimate, elected government of Venezuela.

OPINION:

CARICOM Deals a Blow to US Plans for Regime Change in Venezuela

In Barbados, the U.S. ambassador to the Eastern Caribbean has published an article riddled with falsehoods in The Nation, Barbados Today and Barbados Advocate, the sole function of which is to try to generate an international media smear campaign against the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, the American governments obsession since the very beginning of the government of ex-President Hugo Chavez in 1999.

This new offensive unveils what has been the United States of Americas foreign policy towards Venezuela in the last 18 years. They have not ceased their attempt to appropriate the riches of Venezuela by any means. They have used all possible means for this - from coups d'tat to economic sabotage and media attacks - and now they are trying to manipulate and blackmail the peoples and governments of the region.

The government of Donald Trump and his representatives must know that the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela is a free, sovereign and independent country that in the last 18 years - inspired by the teachings of Simon Bolivar and under the leadership of Commander Hugo Chavez and President Nicolas Maduro - has increased its Human Development Index with the implementation of an ethical, political, economic, social, cultural, educational and sports projects that today proudly shows its achievements and advances, despite the persistent attack that the Government of the North has taken up against Venezuela.

The U.S. government lacks any morals to criticize and try to protect any country because in their own nation they permanently violate the human rights of a good part of its population, especially Afro-descendants, Latinos, and Indians. According to figures from Amnesty International Report 2016-2017, at least 1,000 people died at the hands of the police during that period (according to what they were able to obtain in the press because the U.S. government does not release the figures), and a "disproportionate amount corresponded to black men."

We speak of the government of a country that a few weeks ago boasted of having launched the "mother of all bombs", which has military bases and war fronts in much of the planet, a country where racial and hate crimes have shot up since the election of Mr. Trump, who ordered the construction of a wall on the border with Mexico and who has planned to detain and quickly deport between 2 and 3 million immigrants. These and other issues should be dealt with by the U.S. government.

The institutions in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela are solid and independent. In Venezuela, for example, the judges of the Supreme Court of Justice, the Attorney General, the Ombudsman and the authorities of the electoral body are chosen after a strict evaluation system in which citizens are directly involved, and their removal is also a process which must be approved by powers other than the Executive branch. Could we say the same of the U.S.? "Trump removed the Attorney General for opposing the anti-immigration decree", "Trump chooses textualist Neil Gorsuch as the new Supreme Court magistrate", are just two headlines in the international press which explain how the representatives of those powers are selected and removed in that country.

Venezuela has a proven democratic system: 20 elections have been held in the last 16 years, which is an average of more than one election per year. A striking fact is that the opposition has never recognized the electoral arbitrator (National Electoral Council), or the election results when they were not in their favor. To understand the absurdity of this behavior, it is the same electoral arbitrator who has validated the triumph of Governors and Mayors of the opposition on different occasions, and that only in December 2015 certified the opposition triumph in the Parliamentary elections. Will the U.S. government have any morals to criticize democracy in Venezuela, since in that country they have such an undemocratic system in which the one who draws the least votes can win the presidency, as was the case with Mr. Trump?

Mr. Trump and his diplomats in the region should also look at child poverty rates. According to UNICEF, child poverty in the United States is among the highest in developed countries at 23.1 percent. Could we then say that there is a humanitarian crisis in the United States? Mr. Trump and his diplomacy should worry about stopping the suffering of their people and not, on the contrary, increasing it by eliminating the Obamacare health assistance program, which will leave more than 30 million Americans uncovered.

Faced with this panorama of inequality in the United States that the mainstream media often hide, Venezuela has just been certified by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) as the country with the least inequality in the continent, with a rate of 0.381; according to the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) 2015 report, Venezuela has 6 percent unemployment, well below the vast majority of Latin American countries; the United Nations UNDATA report notes that Venezuela had 89 percent urbanization between 2014 and 2015, one of the highest in the region; in terms of university studies, the same UNDATA report establishes that Venezuela has 83 percent university enrollment; finally, the UNDP ranks Venezuela 71st in the Human Development Index.

OPINION:

Caribbean People do not Need Instruction from US on Venezuela Crisis

We must also point out to Mr. Trump and his diplomacy in the region that the Constitution of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela establishes - in its article 348 - that the President of the Republic has the right to convene a National Constituent Assembly, that the call made by the Venezuelan Head of State represents a constitutional, democratic, peaceful and electoral mechanism, and the opportunity that the Venezuelan people have to redefine some aspects of our Constitution that guarantee peace, as well as the consolidation of the values of justice, sovereignty and identity.

These aspects are substantive for a government, such as the government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, that is concerned about the happiness of its people and the guarantee of peace in the region. The weapons of our people are their ideas, their faith, their love for their neighbor, their dedication to collective work, the Homeland, solidarity with our Caribbean and Latin American brothers, a very different attitude to the war, genocide and coups d'tat which U.S. governments have been pushing for decades in our region and the world.

Venezuela banner of struggle will always be truth and peace. Against this, their campaigns of lies and defamation cannot win. As our Liberator Simon Bolivar from the Americas said, "Because I love freedom, I have noble and liberal sentiments; and if I tend to be severe, it is only with those who seek to destroy us."

David McD Denny is General Secretary of the Caribbean Movement for Peace and Integration. He can be reached at ahsaki66@hotmail.com

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From the Caribbean: The Truth About Venezuela - teleSUR English

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Royal Caribbean to launch new Quantum-class ship for China – Star2.com

Posted: at 6:37 am

China is getting another behemoth cruise liner built specifically to cater to Chinese travellers that will set sail in 2019. Royal Caribbean has announced plans to build a new Quantum Ultra-class ship specifically for the Asia-Pacific region.

The yet-to-be-named ship is touted as one of the most technologically advanced cruise ships that will feature new and cutting-edge experiences.

Cruise brands have been increasingly turning their sights towards Asia to meet rising demand from the fastest-growing market in the world.

This summer, the Norwegian Joy will lift anchor for the first time as the brands first purpose-built ship for the Chinese market.

Pitched as a first-class experience at sea, the ship will feature casinos, an open-air laser tag course, thrill rides, multi-story waterslides, and the industrys first Ferrari-branded racetrack at sea.

Likewise, Carnival also commissioned Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri to build two liners tailored specifically for the Chinese market in a US$1.5bil (RM6.43bil) deal that was inked earlier this year.

Meanwhile, along with announcing plans for a new Quantum-class ship for China, Royal Caribbean also unveiled their 2018-2019 itineraries for Asia-Pacific, that include seven-night sailings to Japan, along with trips focused on New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam. AFP Relaxnews

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Royal Caribbean to launch new Quantum-class ship for China - Star2.com

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Bahamas ‘Cannot Afford’ More Rating Downgrades – Bahamas Tribune

Posted: at 6:36 am

By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

Bahamas First's top executive yesterday warned that this nation "can't afford to have more sovereign downgrades" due to the negative impact on private sector credit ratings.

Patrick Ward, its president and chief executive, said ratings for the insurer and other Bahamas-based companies could be threatened by increased 'country risk' stemming from this nation's reduced creditworthiness.

"I don't think the Bahamas can afford to have more sovereign downgrades," Mr Ward said, "looking at it from the point of view of entities like Bahamas First that have ratings which are in some way linked to the sovereign rating of the country.

"Future downgrades could start to challenge the ratings Bahamas First and other companies have."

The negative consequences for Bahamas-based companies as a result of this nation's eight-year sovereign downgrade trend were recently highlighted by the Nassau Airport Development Company's (NAD) downgrade.

The move by the Fitch rating agency was directly linked to the Government's deteriorating creditworthiness, with Dionisio D'Aguilar, minister of tourism, saying it had a direct impact on NAD's debt servicing costs.

"Their [NAD's] debt got downgraded because Fitch said there's additional sovereign risk," the Minister previously confirmed to Tribune Business. "They went to downgrade NAD one rating below investment grade, and one effect of that was they needed to increase the bond reserve fund from $19 million to $38 million."

This, Mr D'Aguilar added, had forced NAD to increase passenger and other user fees at Lynden Pindling International Airport (LPIA) in a bid to meet the increased debt costs.

NAD's situation shows Mr Ward's concerns are not without merit, with the Bahamas First chief pointing out that the Bahamas was not alone on the issue.

He added that all Caribbean nations, apart from Trinidad & Tobago, which is barely clinging on, had lost their 'investment grade' creditworthiness with one or both of Standard & Poor's (S&P) and Moody's.

Mr Ward said the impact had already been felt by the region's insurance industry, with Barbados-based Sagicor - a multi-jurisdiction giant - having been placed on 'credit watch with negative implications' due to fiscal weaknesses in its home country.

Bahamas First and several competitors, including RoyalStar Assurance, Summit Insurance Company and Security & General, are also all rated annually by A. M. Best, the insurance industry rating agency, for their financial strength and creditworthiness.

Apart from focusing on each company, A. M. Best's analyses also factors in country risks such as the Government's fiscal position, state of the economy and condition of the insurance market.

Further downgrades by either Moody's or Standard & Poor's (S&P) would threaten to impact A. M. Best's ratings of Bahamian insurance underwriters, and the former has already indicated its alarm over the 2017-2018 Budget.

Moody's, as revealed by Tribune Business, warned the global capital markets that the Bahamas' fiscal condition is "significantly worse" than expected due to the new government's planned $722 million borrowing - intended in part to cover the expanded $500 million deficit for 2016-2017.

With rating agency trust in the Government's fiscal projections seemingly undermined, the Bahamas' sovereign credit rating will rely heavily on the Minnis administration's ability to provide a convincing explanation for the increased borrowing and deficits to remain at its current level.

Mr Ward yesterday said "there's a direct cost of capital imposed" on private companies by sovereign rating downgrades, explaining: "You have got to provide more capital to sustain a level of rating that would not have resulted if our sovereign rating was in good shape."

The Bahamas First chief also alluded to the "long-term impact if the Government's debt is written down", given that insurance and bank balance sheets are loaded with bonds and other debt for asset-liability matching purposes.

"I hope they're going to take a measured approach," Mr Ward added of the rating agencies, "and give this new administration an opportunity, but who knows."

Mr Ward said further exchange control liberalisation was key to Bahamas First's ability to both expand into other countries and diversify its investment returns.

"It's central to our focus in terms of expanding our footprint," he explained. "It makes the whole proposition to expand our footprint easier."

Glen Ritchie, Bahamas First's group vice-president and chief financial officer, recalled how the company had waited two months to obtain Central Bank approval to increase its equity stake in its Cayman affiliate, Cayman First.

He emphasised that had Bahamas First been competing with rivals to make such an investment, the wait for exchange control approval could have cost it the deal.

The exchange control regime has long been viewed as an obstacle to Bahamian companies expanding into other Caribbean nations. Mr Ward said it placed local firms at a competitive disadvantage to Caribbean rivals, some of whom - enjoying liberalised capital markets - were moving into this nation.

He argued that further exchange control liberalisation would also enable Bahamas First to diversify its investment portfolio and earn potentially greater returns, while reducing geographical risk associated with the current restrictions to this nation.

Mr Ward said investments abroad by Bahamian companies would ultimately benefit this nation by bringing foreign exchange earnings back to these shores.

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Bahamas 'Cannot Afford' More Rating Downgrades - Bahamas Tribune

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Bahamas Environment Takes Surprising Centre Stage at Global Conference – Magnetic Media (press release)

Posted: at 6:36 am

United States, June 27, 2017 Utah More than 300 environmental rights advocates, environmental organisations trustees, supporters and volunteers who monitor the worlds waters gathered for the 2017 Waterkeepers Alliance conference in Park City, Utah, earlier this month but it was one of the smallest countries of all that took centre stage The Bahamas.

We were completely surprised that so much of the spotlight was on The Bahamas, said Joe Darville, chairman of Save The Bays. There were so many countries represented Australia, the U.S., Mexico, Asian nations like China and Bhutan and African nations like Senegal but the spotlight really shone on The Bahamas. I think it was because of the fragile nature of our coral reefs, the beauty of our waters and the very energetic legal battles we have launched in recent years to protect this rare gift from Mother Nature.

In fact, no other country was invited to make two presentations, only The Bahamas. The messages delivered were very different.

Waterkeepers Bahamas Executive Director Rashema Ingraham spoke of engaging diverse communities to create awareness about the importance of the environment.

Whether you are raising awareness with schoolchildren, bank presidents, the well-to-do or the person scraping to get by you need to make the environment real that wetlands are not swamp to be trampled, they are the nurseries that serve as infant habitats for the fish you will catch and eat later. If they are gone, the fish will be, too. We are always about how the health of our waters and our wetlands impacts you in a very real way today and how what you do today determines what you will leave for the Bahamians of tomorrow, said Ingraham.

Clifton-Western Bays Waterkeeper Fred Smith, QC, revealed the challenges of trying to protect the environment, fighting case after case for environmental rights in the face of a government that made secret deals for large developments without public consultation. Such projects, said Smith, disrupt life as it was known in a local community and may displace populations. They interrupt nature, paying no attention to what has allowed that community to survive for hundreds, if not thousands of years, and many of the projects outright destroy vast acres of precious natural resources, including coral reefs that protect many of the islands of The Bahamas from storm surge.

Waterkeepers Alliance grew out of an effort to restore the Hudson River in New York with now chairman of the largely volunteer non-profit organisation Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., a professor of Environmental Law at Pace University, leading the legal charge. The goal of Waterkeepers around the world is to monitor and find means to improve the local waters to make them swimmable, fishable and drinkable. In The Bahamas, monitoring is now underway on three island coastlines.

Kennedy, who also serves as Co-Director of thePace Environmental Litigation Clinic and Chief Prosecuting Attorney for the Hudson Riverkeeper Fund and Senior Attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council, praised The Bahamas, Save The Bays and Waterkeepers Bahamas highly.

We are thrilled that the dedicated water and human rights guardians from The Bahamas Save the Bays and Waterkeeper Bahamas Frederick R.M. Smith, QC., Rashema Ingraham and Joseph Darville brought the spirit of the islands to Waterkeeper Alliances annual conference at Deer Valley. Thank you, Fred, for acknowledging our longtime partnership in pursuit of ocean conservation and environmental justice during your group presentation about issues in the Bahamas, said Kennedy.

Press Release: Save the Bays

#GlobalConference

#SavetheBays

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Bahamas Environment Takes Surprising Centre Stage at Global Conference - Magnetic Media (press release)

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Hawks Assistant Darvin Ham To Coach In Basketball Without Borders In Bahamas – Hawks.com

Posted: at 6:36 am

NEW YORK, NASSAU, MIES -- The National Basketball Association (NBA), the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and the Bahamas Basketball Federation (BBF) today announced the top 66 boys and girls from 16 countries and territories who will travel to the Bahamas for the ninth Basketball without Borders (BWB) Americas Camp. The camp will be held July 5-8 at The Kendal G.L. Isaacs National Gymnasium in Nassau, marking the first time that the NBA and FIBAs global basketball development and community outreach program will be held in the Bahamas. Nike will serve as the official partner.

NBA and FIBA players and coaches, including J.J. Barea (Dallas Mavericks; Puerto Rico), Dwight Powell (Dallas Mavericks; Canada) and Sasha Vujai (New York Knicks; Slovenia), will coach the high school age campers. Barea, Powell and Vujai, will be joined by WNBA Legend Ebony Hoffman (U.S.).

BWB, the NBA and FIBAs global basketball development and community outreach program, has reached more than 2,720 participants from 134 countries and territories since 2001, with 46 campers drafted into the NBA. Twenty-three former BWB campers, including four former BWB Americas campers, were on opening-night rosters for the 2016-17 season, including Bruno Caboclo (Toronto Raptors; Brazil; BWB Americas 2013), Thon Maker (Milwaukee Bucks; South Sudan; BWB Americas 2015) and Kelly Olynyk (Boston Celtics; Canada; BWB Americas 2009). Three former BWB campers were drafted in the 2017 NBA Draft: Lauri Markkanen (No. 7 overall pick Chicago Bulls; Finland; BWB Europe 2014/BWB Global 2015), Frank Ntilikina (No. 8 overall pick New York Knicks; France; BWB Europe 2015/BWB Global 2016) and Isaiah Hartenstein (No. 43 overall pick Houston Rockets; U.S.; BWB Europe 2015/BWB Global 2016).

Current NBA assistant coaches James Borrego (San Antonio Spurs), Jim Boylan (Cleveland Cavaliers), Darvin Ham (Atlanta Hawks) and David Vanterpool (Portland Trail Blazers) will also serve as BWB Americas coaches. Patrick Hunt (President of the World Association of Basketball Coaches; Australia) and Ronald Cass (FIBA Coach) will serve as camp directors for the boys and girls, respectively. Armando Rivas (Chicago Bulls) will serve as the camps athletic trainer.

Players and coaches will lead the campers through a variety of activities on and off the court, including movement efficiency, positional skill development, 5-on-5 games and daily life skills seminars focusing on health, leadership and communication. One boy and one girl will be named BWB Americas Camp MVPs at the conclusion of the camp.

BWB Americas will also include a Jr. NBA clinic with local youth in the Bahamas in partnership with community organizations, which will highlight the power of sport to promote cultural understanding while teaching the importance of a healthy, active lifestyle and the values of the game, including teamwork, integrity and respect.

Nike, a BWB global partner since 2002, will outfit the campers and coaches with Nike apparel and footwear.

The NBA and FIBA have staged 49 BWB camps in 30 cities across 25 countries on six continents. More than 230 current and former NBA, WNBA and FIBA players have joined more than 185 NBA team personnel from all 30 NBA teams to support BWB across the world.

The rest is here:

Hawks Assistant Darvin Ham To Coach In Basketball Without Borders In Bahamas - Hawks.com

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Monthly Archives: June 2017

Seychelles seat capacity up 27% thanks to the arrival of Qatar Airways and Turkish Airlines; Asia and Europe lead growth – anna.aero

How to Experience A Taste of the Caribbean in Los Angeles – HuffPost

Photos: NOLA Caribbean Festival showcases local and international flavors – OffBeat Magazine

Harmony of the Seas 2017 Live Blog – Cruise Preview – Royal Caribbean Blog (blog)

Exclusive: ‘Pirates of the Caribbean 5’ Concept Art Shows the Evolution of the Ghost Soldiers – Collider.com

From the Caribbean: The Truth About Venezuela – teleSUR English

Royal Caribbean to launch new Quantum-class ship for China – Star2.com

Bahamas ‘Cannot Afford’ More Rating Downgrades – Bahamas Tribune

Bahamas Environment Takes Surprising Centre Stage at Global Conference – Magnetic Media (press release)

Hawks Assistant Darvin Ham To Coach In Basketball Without Borders In Bahamas – Hawks.com

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