Category Archives: Bahamas

Last week, Moberly Area Community College women's head basketball coach Chad Killinger signed Paula Greene, a 6-2 forward, from Bishop Michael Eldon High School in Freeport, Bahamas. Greene, who was named the 2017 Player of the Year in the Bahamas, averaged 15 points, nine rebounds, and over two blocks per game this past season. "Paula is still a little raw, but she has tremendous potential," said Greyhound women's coach Killinger. "She reminds me a little of Anisha (George) and how she was when she first joined our program. There is obviously an adjustment period anytime you add freshmen, and sometimes that adjustment period takes a little longer for international players, but having Anisha to learn from will definitely benefit her." Killinger said he has finalized MACC's 2017-2018 roster and he plans to announce the program's final additions later this week.

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MACC women sign POY from the Bahamas - Columbia Daily Tribune

By AVA TURNQUEST

Tribune Chief Reporter

aturnquest@tribunemedia.net

DEPUTY Prime Minister and Minister of Finance K Peter Turnquest yesterday pledged the governments planned $166m rescue for Bank of The Bahamas will be fully debated in Parliament.

Mr Turnquest acknowledged that a second bail out for the beleaguered bank tests the patience and confidence of the public, but ultimately defended the move as the governments duty to act in the best interest of its shareholders and the industry.

We intend to go to Parliament to have the rescue fully debated which should have been done with the prior deal, he told The Tribune in an interview yesterday.

He also committed himself to disclosing the details surrounding the first Bahamas Resolve transaction, telling The Tribune to the extent that we can, I will.

We fully appreciate that the publics patience and confidence has been tested with this second effort, Mr Turnquest said, but we believe that the bank, operated without political interference and free of a book of bad loans that should have been addressed years ago, will pay off in the medium term.

The government of The Bahamas as the majority shareholder has an obligation to its depositors and minority shareholders to act in their best interest as well as the industry. We are confident that the action taken to secure the banks path to profitability and return of shareholder value is the best option available.

He continued: We are likewise confident in the newly elected board of directors and their plan to restructure and strengthen the banks governance and market position.

Resolve is a state-owned and controlled company that was established in October 2014 to assume liability for $100m of BOBs non-performing commercial loans.

The bail out came under scrutiny on the general election campaign trail earlier this year after former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham questioned how the deal was authorised without the approval of Parliament.

In early February, then Prime Minister Perry Christie said his administration would soon make a full disclosure on the current affairs of BOB and Resolve Bahamas. However, no such disclosure was made.

According to Tribune Business, the new bail out is essentially a repeat of the first Bahamas Resolve transaction, although the sums involved are much higher.

The latest rescue will remove some $166m worth of toxic commercial loans from BOBs balance sheet and transfer them to the Bahamas Resolve special purpose vehicle (SPV).

The loans, which are to be paid for at gross book value, will be exchanged for promissory notes (government IOUs or bonds) that will be provided by Bahamas Resolve.

While in opposition, the Free National Movement was critical of the Christie administrations actions relating to BOB and Resolve Bahamas.

In January 2015, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis, leader of the Official Opposition at the time, led about 100 supporters on a march to BOBs Shirley Street location.

We have assembled here at the peoples bank to declare with one loud voice that enough is enough, Dr Minnis said on the steps of the bank at the time. The government must act and they must act now. The use of government voting power to prop up failed leadership in the bank is unacceptable, when the Bahamian taxpayers have been made to swallow a $100m increase in the public debt load in order to prop up the same bank.

The banks present leadership must go and they must go now.

At the time, Dr Minnis also called on the government to cause for an immediate forensic audit to be conducted of all decisions made by senior management which contributed to the potential collapse of the bank, the need for intense Central Bank intervention and ultimately the need for a government bail out.

Shortly after winning the May 10 general election, the government announced BOB, among other institutions, would undergo a forensic audit.

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Bank Of The Bahamas Bailout To Be Debated By Parliament - Bahamas Tribune

From staff reports

The Nicholls State University mens basketball team finished its preseason tour of the Bahamas with a perfect record.

Nicholls wrapped up a 3-0 mark Monday night with a 85-76 win over NBBA All Stars in an exhibition game at Sir Kendall Isaacs Gym in Nassau, Bahamas on Monday night. Individual stats from the game were not available.

The Colonels, under second-year coach Richie Riley, led 19-16 at the end of the first quarter and extended their lead to 41-35 at halftime and 65-56 at the end of the third quarter.

In earlier exhibition play in the Nassau, Nicholls posted a 106-103 win over the Bahamas All-Stars on Friday and 94-73 victory over IBA Elite on Sunday.

College basketball teams are allowed preseason international trips once every four years.

Any time you can take a foreign tour it is a huge opportunity for your team, Riley said before the team left Thibodaux. We have a lot of new faces that will be playing together for the first time, so it is certainly a bonus for them to get the chance to compete together. Im proud of the way that our guys have approached the practices leading up to the tour. They have had a business-like approach each day and a commitment to improving.

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Colonels wrap up Bahamas tour with 3-0 record - Daily Comet

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United States, August 4, 2017 A new Ambassador to The Bahamas is being processed in the United States and some words used by the candidate have rubbed some people the wrong way and sent up red flags about Bahamas-US relations. President Trumps nominee for the position, Douglas Manchester during an August 2ndhearing of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations said that The Bahamas was a protectorate of the US. This description would mean that the United States not only protects The Bahamas but controls it.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in addressing those concerns explained that, the Ministry understands and appreciates that this is part of an internal process and the comments made do not necessarily reflect the views of the Government of the United States. Another part of the process will be a full briefing by the Department of State with the successful nominee before taking up the assignment, which will bring a fuller understanding of the relationship between the two countries.

Manchester explained that he based his view on the presence of Coast Guard and Department of Homeland Security officers in our island nation. An article by a US news agency added that the Royal Bahamas Police Force is the national law enforcement agency.

The nominee for Ambassador to The Bahamas said also, We are obviously working with the Royal Bahamian Police Force, which we want to continue to support, who are doing a great job in the interdiction of human trafficking and drugs and also gunrunning.

Foreign Affairs, in that media release further explained, Just recently on 4 July the US marked 241 years of independence and on 10 July the Bahamas celebrated 44 years of independence. Indeed, this independence is a mutual and shared pillar in the strong and enduring relationship between the two countries. While our interests often align, The Bahamas as a sovereign country pursues its own interests independently.

#MagneticMediaNews

#DouglasManchester

#USAmbassadortotheBahamas

Photo credit: San Diego Union Tribune

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Trump US Ambassador candidate has wrong idea about US-Bahamas relations say some - Magnetic Media (press release)

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Bahamas, August 4, 2017 Nassau The governments public sector employee verification of workers which begins next Tuesday could lead to a cost saving of $80M per year in recurrent revenue on salaries; so says John Pinder, the President of the Bahamas Public Services Union. Pinder is reporting that he supports the move by Prime Minister Hubert Minnis, explaining that the process will weed out phantom workers and end other unethical practices which are costing the Bahamian people.

The figure of $80.1M comes from a belief, by John Pinder, that Government could save 3% of the $2.67B national budget . Pinder said that dead, incarcerated and missing people are all still being paid by Government and in some cases families are collecting the money. Pinder added that there is even more roomto cut back by reviewing those who continue to be employed by Government despite being unfit or unsuitable for their jobs.

The Union President recommended that more attention be given to what he called, succession training. The verification programme, explained the Minister of Finance and DPM, Peter Turnquest is to clean up and see where there can be cuts to the over $650M government current pays per year in public workers salaries.

#MagneticMediaNews

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Estimated $80M savings through Bahamas Govt employee ... - Magnetic Media (press release)

Details August 07, 2017

The Bahamas Minister of Tourism Dionisio D'Aguilar is making his frustrations with the cruise industry known, sounding off in local media.

He told Tribune Business, in an article posted on Tribune 242, that the cruise lines "make all the money, and we have nothing."

He did concede that the Bahamas needed to upgrade its product offering to continue to attract the business and economic impact.

He went on to say the current situation with the cruise lines was unsustainable, including complaints that cruise lines point passengers to specific land-based businesses, where the companies dictate margins and mark-ups.

"The cruise industry's increasing use of Bahamian private islands is also a concern, as the lines typically run and control the attractions there themselves, leaving little opportunity for Bahamian entrepreneurs and creating just a few local jobs," the article said.

"I would challenge anyone to drill down and focus on stopover visitors, as they spend the money in our economy, and whether that's improving," the Minster said. "That's what I'm focused on."

"We've got lots and lots of cruise passengers," he added, "and it's not important to grow that number. We have to find out ways for them to spend more money when they come here. That's the challenge."

See the article here:

Bahamas Tourism Minister Not Happy with Cruise Industry - Cruise Industry News

By Kelly McElroyStaff Writer

The Nicholls State University mens basketball team moved to 2-0 during its preseason tour of the Bahamas with a 94-73 exhibition victory over IBA Elite at Sir Kendall Isaacs Gym in Nassau, Bahamas on Sunday afternoon.

The Colonels, under second-year coach Richie Riley, trailed 26-17 at the end of the first quarter, led 35-34 at halftime and trailed 57-56 at the end of the third quarter.

The team wraps up the exhibition tour vs.the NBBA All Stars at Sir Kendall Isaacs Gym in Nassau, Bahamas at 8 p.m. tonight.

Nicholls posted a 106-103 win in the event on Friday over the Bahamas All-Stars.

College basketball teams are allowed preseason international trips once every four years.

Any time you can take a foreign tour it is a huge opportunity for your team, Riley said before the team left Thibodaux. We have a lot of new faces that will be playing together for the first time, so it is certainly a bonus for them to get the chance to compete together. I'm proud of the way that our guys have approached the practices leading up to the tour. They have had a business-like approach each day and a commitment to improving.

The rest is here:

Colonels move to 2-0 in Bahamas - Sports - Daily Comet ... - Daily Comet

Penn State just started its three-game summer tour down in the Bahamas. In the first game of the stretch, the Nittany Lions played the most intense exhibition game known to man, beating the NPBA All-Stars in two overtimes.

The Nittany Lions came back from 13 points early in the 4th quarter to win this game on the backs of Tony Carr and Shep Garner. Picking up from where he left last season, Carr took over the game near the end and willed his team to victory. Although they made a comeback in the fourth quarter, they found themselves down five points late in the first overtime, once again. When all looked lost in the first overtime (less than 10 seconds left, down two), Carr made a floater that sent the game to the second overtime. The Lions took over from there, using some key mistakes by NPBA to seal the victory.

As expected, this being the first game in a while meant a lot of working out of kinks for the team. So playing two overtimes may have been a blessing in disguise for these guys as it allowed them to settle more into the groove of things.

A few notes on players:

Satchel Pierce and Jamari Wheeler got a lot of run, and both looked like theyll be solid contributors during the season. Pierce had a double-double, with 13 points and 12 rebounds. Wheeler had three assists and three steals, and played 20 minutes in the game.

Shep Garner did not start this game, but was the sixth man off the bench (he still played 31 minutes in the game, though). Yet, in terms of stats, this is one of the best games Ive seen him play. 24 points on 8 of 16 shooting, all makes from three-point line. This may not be the case come November, but if Garner can come off the bench and provide scoring, he may have found himself a role he can excel in.

Lastly, Deividas Zemgulis, who played 10 minutes in this game, saw two of his shots go in (only took four total). Weve been waiting to see his sharp shooting ability to show itself in a game, and hopefully this was the beginning.

As a sidenote, it was announced sometime last week that Mike Watkins wasnt going to make it to the Bahamas, for undisclosed reasons. If you were one of those concerned this would have an effect on Watkins, he seems to be just fine:

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Penn State Basketball in the Bahamas: Nittany Lions 109, NPBA All-Stars 105 (2OT) - Black Shoe Diaries

NASSAU, Bahamas:

A former government minister was released on US$40,000 bail after he appeared in court in the Nassau, Bahamas, charged with various counts of bribery, extortion and misconduct in public office.

Former labour and national insurance minister, Shane Gibson, is due to return to court on October 3.

Justice Cheryl Grant-Thompson granted bail to Gibson, who is charged with 16 counts of bribery, 15 counts of extortion, two counts of conspiracy to commit bribery, two counts of conspiracy to commit extortion and one count of misconduct in public office. A magistrate had earlier denied him bail.

He is alleged to have extorted from a private citizen a total of US$610,000 during the period January 2 to April 30. He is also accused of conspiring to extort US$500,000 from the same citizen.

Gibson is the third former member of the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) government to be arrested following the May 10 general election.

The others are Kenred Dorsett, who is facing four counts of bribery, four counts of extortion and one charge of misconduct in public office; and Frank Smith, who is facing 13 counts of extortion, as well as one count of attempted extortion and one count of bribery.

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Former Bahamas gov't minister released on bail, charged with extortion - Jamaica Gleaner

Miami Herald

The conch is mostly gone from Florida. Can the Bahamas save the Queen? Miami Herald The queen of the sea, a monster mollusk that inspired its own republic in Florida but now is likely to be found in a frying pan or a gift shop as the ocean floor, is in trouble. A marine preserve in the Bahamas famed for its abundance of Queen conchs ...

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The conch is mostly gone from Florida. Can the Bahamas save the Queen? - Miami Herald