U.S. gives Bahamas $1.4 million to tackle corruption
The Bahamian government yesterday signed an amendment to the Letter of Agreement on Narcotics Control Law Enforcement with the United States, which would provide over $1.4 million to fight crime and corruption throughout the country.
“This most recent amendment will result in the United States providing over $1.4 million for law enforcement, professionalization support and rule of law, transparency and anti-corruption reform in The Bahamas,” said Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis, during the press conference. “Additional activities will include assistance with legislative reform, the creation of anti-corruption bodies and the provision of training, technical assistance and equipment to law enforcement and the financial, judicial, and civil society sectors.”
Minnis said the additional support from the U.S. will also help to facilitate the advancement of the country’s national security strategies to reduce crime, strengthen the borders and reduce the recidivism rate.
“Moreover, the scope of the amendments to the existing agreement with respect to transparency and anti-corruption will support public sector modernization and the ease of doing business,” he added.
“This lends well to the aggressive targeting of systematic corruption by my government which aims to reduce the significant burden which corruption places on the public purse; to further stimulate foreign direct investment by enhancing confidence in our institutions; improve the quality of and standard of government services and to decrease the level in inequality.”
USVI governor meets with US vice president, seeking additional support for hurricane recovery
US Virgin Islands Governor Kenneth Mapp met with Vice President Mike Pence at the White House on Monday to discuss the status of and to report on the territory’s preparations for the current hurricane season.
Mapp thanked the vice president and the Trump administration for its support in assisting the US Virgin Islands recover from the devastation of Hurricanes Irma and Maria. The governor also requested White House support in addressing the bureaucratic hurdles the territory has faced in order to accelerate the recovery process.
Mapp discussed with the vice president ways in which the administration could facilitate a faster and stronger recovery in the territory. He raised the need to waive certain rules on the FEMA Sheltering and Temporary Emergency Power (STEP) program and allow FEMA to fund permanent roofing on approximately 4,000 storm damaged homes in the Territory.
With significant damages to schools and other traditional hurricane shelters, as well as thousands of homes in need of repair, the governor urged the vice president to allow the use of FEMA funding to replace blue tarps and install permanent roofs to building code standards over the next few months. The permanent roof program is estimated to cost tens of thousands of dollars per home, with the total project cost estimated to exceed $250 million.
Bahamian Junior Baseball League of Nassau experience success this summer
Heading into its 30th season of organized baseball in the country, the Junior Baseball League of Nassau is gearing up for a transformative year in which more exposure is granted to players, and the level of play continues to improve.
Fresh off a third-place finish at the 2018 PONY Bronco (12-and-Under – 12U) Caribbean Zone Championships in Yaguate, San Cristóbal, and the Dominican Republic, the JBLN recently sent two teams to the Miami International Baseball Tournament in Miami, Florida, USA. The week-long tournament is organized by the World Baseball Foundation.
Teams from all over the United States (U.S.), the Caribbean and Latin America participated, and both of the Bahamian teams advanced to the medal rounds. The 10-and-under (10U) team fell in the final to a team they defeated a year ago, while the 18-and-under (18U) team lost its semifinal game on a play at the plate in the final inning.
In the 10U division, the top seeded Academia Latinoamericana A team, from the U.S., defeated the third seeded JBLN All-Stars, 5-3, in the championship game, to complete an undefeated tournament for them. In the 18U division, the second seeded JBLN All-Stars fell to third seeded Osos de la Chorrera, out of Panama, 4-3, in the semifinals. With a runner on third and one out in the final inning, the runner tagged and headed home on a deep fly ball to right in an attempt to tie the game. The runner was called out at the plate, and the Panamanian team prevailed.
The 10U team finished round-robin play with a 1-2-1 win/loss/tie record. They tied Academia Latinoamericana B team in their first game, 0-0; defeated the Curacao Eagles, out of the Netherlands Antilles, in their second game, 11-3; lost to Academia Latinoamericana A team, in their third game, 12-5; and lost to the Chivas Cubs, out of the US, in their fourth game, 10-9.
The JBLN All-Stars then went on to defeat the Cubs in their semifinal game, 11-6, before losing to Academia Latinoamericana A team in the final.
The 10U games were played at the Grapeland Baseball Complex and the Brothers to the Rescue Memorial Park in Miami.
Georgia Hall wins Women's British Open
There was something in the air as Georgia Hall strode down the 18th fairway at the Women's British Open with a three-shot lead over playing partner and nearest rival Pornanong Phatlum.
But it wasn't the smell of victory, it was the stench of her dad's four-day-old, unwashed socks.
After shooting an opening-round 67, Hall -- a superstitious golfer, to say the least -- ordered her father and caddie, Wayne, not to change or wash his socks for the rest of the Open.
"I'm quite superstitious and my dad is even worse, so he was like: 'I'm going to keep them on. It's going to be worth it, hopefully,'" the 22-year-old Hall told the BBC. "It was.
"They weren't smelly after day one, but after four days ... yeah, they were."
Hall began day four one shot behind Phatlum, but a birdie on 16 and a double bogey from her Thai opponent on 17 handed Hall the advantage.
Standing on the 18th green, even a bogey couldn't stop Hall from turning a dream into reality.
Sunday's victory was not only Hall's first major, it was her first win of any kind of the LPGA Tour or Ladies European Tour.
Fox Sports to broadcast 2018 Hero CPL in Australia
Pay-television broadcaster Fox Sports has renewed an agreement for exclusive rights in Australia to the Caribbean Premier League Twenty20 cricket competition.
The four-year deal has been signed as the 2018 CPL season gets underway today (Wednesday).
Fox Sports Australia will provide live coverage of all 34 games during this year’s CPL, which runs until September 16.
Australian cricketers set to compete in this year’s tournament include Steve Smith, David Warner, Chris Lynn, Ben Cutting and Chris Green.
Venezuelan President survives apparent drone assassination attempt
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro survived an apparent assassination attempt Saturday after several drones armed with explosives flew toward him during a speech at a military parade.
Live footage of the event showed him suddenly looking up startled mid-speech, while beside him his wife, Cilia Flores, winces after a loud bang.
Dozens of soldiers are also seen scattering during the event to commemorate the 81st anniversary of the Venezuelan national guard in the capital of Caracas.
Seven members of the national guard were hurt during the attack, which the president blamed on far-right elements and Colombia's outgoing president, Juan Manuel Santos.
A Colombian presidential source said that Maduro's accusations were "baseless."
"I'm alive and victorious," Maduro said in a national television address hours after what he described as an assassination attempt.
The president added that there were two explosions, seconds apart, and that he initially thought they were fireworks as part of the military parade.
Venezuela's Minister of Communication, Jorge Rodriguez, said preliminary information showed the explosions came from several "drone-type flying devices" containing explosive charges that detonated in the vicinity of the presidential stage and in some areas of the parade.
Mazda, Suzuki Admit to Cheating on Emissions and Fuel Economy Testing
According to a Nikkei report, Mazda and Suzuki are the latest Japanese automakers to come forward with evidence of tomfoolery in the arena of emissions and fuel economy testing.
Apple removes 'wrong apps' in gambling purge
Apple has been accused of accidentally removing apps from the App Store in a crackdown on gambling content.
Several developers complained via social media that their apps, which they said had nothing to do with gambling, were taken down.
The affected apps included a Polish magazine, a gif-sharing service and a platform for sending clips of Xbox games to friends.
The BBC has contacted Apple for comment.
A message sent to affected developers said that Apple was removing gambling-related apps made by individuals in an effort to "reduce fraudulent activity... and comply with government requests to address illegal online gambling activity".
Recently, Norway succeeded in getting Apple to ban all gambling apps from its App Store in the country, although the recent removals appear to have been effected worldwide.
Some of the removed apps are now coming back online.
"Apple says these apps contain gambling but they don't reveal how they have detected this," said Simon Stovring, a Copenhagen-based developer behind a gif-sharing app called Gifferent.
"It seems like an unfortunate but honest mistake," he told the BBC.
Mr Stovring said about 10 fellow-developers had contacted him to say that they too had been hit by the ban.
Wojtek Pietrusiewicz, co-owner of the Polish app iMagazine, said it had also been "caught in the crossfire".
US suspect was 'training children to commit school shootings'
A man arrested after 11 malnourished children were found in a remote desert compound was training them to commit school shootings, US media report.
According to prosecutors' documents, Siraj Ibn Wahhaj was teaching some of the children, who are aged one to 15, how to use weapons.
Mr Wahhaj was one of two armed men arrested at the scene on Friday in New Mexico. Three women were also arrested.
Police say the remains of a boy were also discovered at the compound. Found on Monday, the remains are those of Mr Wahhaj's missing three-year-old son, Abdula-Ghani Wahhaj, the Taos News reports.
Mr Wahhaj is suspected of abducting the boy from his Georgia home in December, and it was the search for him that led to the arrests. The toddler suffered from seizures according to the missing person's report filed by his mother. But Mr Wahhaj believed the boy needed to be exorcised, say court papers.
Mr Hasson requested that Mr Wahhaj be held without bail.
"He poses a great danger to the children found on the property as well as a threat to the community as a whole due to the presence of firearms and his intent to use these firearms in a violent and illegal manner," Mr Hasson wrote in court documents.
The complaint cites a foster parent of one of the 11 children as saying Mr Wahhaj "had trained the child in the use of an assault rifle in preparation for future school shootings", US media say.
Three women, believed to be the children's mothers, were also "arrested without incident" and booked into the Taos Adult Detention Center, according to the sheriff's office.
The officers who discovered the children said they looked "like Third World country refugees not only with no food or fresh water, but with no shoes, personal hygiene and basically dirty rags for clothing".
Police said they had been aware of the compound for some time but had to wait for a search warrant before entering, as the occupants were "most likely heavily armed and considered extremist of the Muslim belief".
Argentina abortion: Senate defeats bill after polarising debate
Argentina's senate has rejected a bill which would have legalised abortion in the first 14 weeks of pregnancy.
After a marathon debate, 38 senators voted against it and 31 in favour. Its defeat means lawmakers must wait until next year to resubmit legislation.
Currently abortion is allowed in Argentina only in cases of rape, or if the mother's health is in danger.
Some pro-choice campaigners started fires and lobbed missiles at police in Buenos Aires after the vote.
Demonstrators on both sides of the debate had rallied outside parliament as voting took place.
Anti-abortion activists have been jubilant. "It's a joy to see that our society can be based on such an important principle as the defence of the most defenceless, the child," said one.