Rashaed Esson

Staff Writer

#TheBahamas, December 10, 2023 – Victims of the Potter’s Cay fire in November, will soon be assisted by the government of The Bahamas through a credit line organized with a reputable  Bahamian company.

This is being done through the Ministry of Agriculture and Marine Resources on a mission to rebuild the stalls lost in the fire on November 19th, 2023.

According to the ministry, they will assist with a sum of $64,823.62 which is $16,205.88 per stall, to aid business with quickly bounding back, especially given that the holiday season is near, expressed Jomo Campbell, Minister of Agriculture and Marine Resources.

Campbell spoke to the unfortunate incident saying,

“It was reported that a boat caught fire and drifted to the western side of the dock. As such, four stalls were completely destroyed. We thank God that there wasn’t any injury or loss of life. However, we know that the fire caused damage to the livelihoods of Bahamians and even our fishing industry, which plays a vital role to our food supply.”

Considering this and the ministry’s mission, the credit will be established with [Premiere Importers] Campbell said.

This investment also comes as Potter’s Cay dock, as Campbell pointed put, is a crucial aspect of Bahamian culture.

“It has a vital role to play in our economy,” he said.

For disasters such as this, the minister continues to highlight that the ministry is doing the work to implement preventative measures by fortifying safety protocols, carrying out regular inspections and providing training and resources to businesses in the fishing industry to better equip them to handle emergency situations.

Campbell, in responding to questions as he made the announcement in a video on the ministry’s Facebook, said that insurance for the stalls is an issue that will also be addressed going forward in the new year.

Rashaed Esson

Staff Writer 

December 10, 2023 – There is an urgent need for a global methane agreement to drive the fight against worsening the climate crisis. Otherwise temperatures will continue to increase and more lives will be lost.

Mia Amor Mottley, the Prime Minister of Barbados, known for her firm advocacy and award winning dedication to vocalising the path toward creating a safer planet, made the remark at this year’s Cop28 conference in the UAE.

With 180 seconds to speak, Mottley made powerful points regarding the needs for winning against climate change effects.

She expressed that without change in the approach to the climate crisis, the results will be catastrophic.

Regarding the global methane agreements, which she says the world needs, to help drive “concrete action,” to control methane, as the damage I can cause in the near future, exceeds that of Carbon Dioxide (CO2).

For progress to be made with methane control, she says oil and gas companies need to agree to fix leaks in their pipelines  as well as stop flaring.

Mottley highlights this against the fact that “oil and gas operations are the largest sources of methane methane emissions from the energy sector,” according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).

In continuation, Mottley continues to speak about other factors in relation to methane, that need reform to cater to a safe and more resilient earth in light of climate change.

The prime minister refers to farming and waste management practices which she maintained must change in order to control the level of methane that the world is seeing.

Emphasizing her argument she said, “ the science is simple, to turn down the heat, you simply have to turn down the methane, and until we accept that, we will go over a tipping point.”

Tying the issue of capital into her argument, Mottley, expressed that she has exhausted the point that long term capital is needed to stop the world leaders from choosing between people and planet. Regarding this, the attitude towards access to capital must change, she also said.

Calling attention to the Bridgetown Initiative and the Paris Plan for action, she said they all outline that the issues of methane and capital are “tipping points” that the world needs to pass.

Rashaed Esson

Staff Writer 

December 10, 2023 – Multiple earthquakes were felt last weekend, Friday night into Saturday, a cause for concern among citizens.

Recorded near Guadeloupe, Antigua and Barbuda and Monsterrat, was a 6.0 magnitude at around 4:48 am at a depth of 16 kilometers (km).

The University of the West Indies, Seismic Research Centre’s (UWI-SRC) Automatic Earthquake Location informed that it struck Point-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe at 71 km north-east, Saint John’s Antigua and Barbuda at 89 km south-east and Brades, Montserrat at 120 km east.

After this, another tremor with a magnitude of 4.4 was recorded northeast of Guadeloupe, southeast of Antigua and east of Montserrat at around 6:29 am local time, with a depth of 10 km.

The Automatic Earthquake Location says for Point-à-Porte it was 76 km northeast, Saint John’s, 91 km south-east and Brades 123 km east.

On Friday, several earthquakes were recorded in the same chain of islands, reports say.

At 10:31 pm, a magnitude 4.3 hit in the same area with a depth of 7.7 km.

Then, a 4.4 magnitude was picked up with a depth of 34.8 km at around 11 pm local time; Pointe-à-Pitre, 120 km northeast, Saint John’s 131km east-south-east and Brades, 164 km east.

Not even 2 minutes after, a 3.6 magnitude occurred at 11:01 pm with a 5 km depth and shortly after another at 11:13 pm, with a 3.8 magnitude at a depth of 10 km; 115 km of Pointe-à- Pitre, north-east, 138 km, east-south-east of Saint John’s and 173 km east of Brades.

St Kitts and Nevis was also affected as a 3.8 magnitude struck near the islands as well as Antigua and Barbuda dams Montserrat at about 8:17 pm, a depth of 80.6 km.

As informed by the Automatic Earthquake Location from the UWI SRC, it is 70 km north of Basseterre, St Kitts and Nevis, 133 km northwest of Saint John’s Antigua and Barbuda and 134 km northwest of Brades, Monsterrat.

Despite the multiple tremors felt, no injuries or damages were reported.

Responding to concerned citizens, the UWI SRC in a statement said, “please note that our region is a seismically active one and we can feel events in a short period of time. This is why we always urge persons to plan, prepare and practice for any earthquake event.”

Just about a month ago, Jamaica was struck by a 5.4 magnitude earthquake, one the strongest it has felt in about 30 years, leaving many shaken up.