#Nassau, The Bahamas – January 6, 2021 – Along with his former colleagues and many Bahamians, I was saddened today to learn of the death of Sir William (Bill) Allen, KCMG.
Sir William loved his country.
Sir William Allen, former Bahamas Central Bank Governor, former Minister of Finance and former Member of Parliament and Senator, passed today Jan 6
He was one of the most accomplished Bahamians of his generation.
He joined the Bahamas Monetary Authority as Manager of Research in 1970. He was named Deputy Governor of the Central Bank, the successor to the Authority, in 1974.
Sir William became Governor on June 1, 1980 on the resignation of Mr. Timothy Baswell Donaldson from the post, serving until his retirement in 1987.
Sir William was called to further service of his beloved Bahamas when the Free National Movement (FNM) won its historic first victory in August 1992. Having one of the best financial minds ever produced in our country, he was appointed to the Senate and served as Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance and Planning.
In November 1994, Sir William was elected to the House of Assembly for the Montagu constituency. Upon his election he was appointed Minister of Finance, a position he held until May 2002. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II knighted him in 2000 in her New Years Honours List for his service to banking, civics and politics.
Sir William was instrumental in the Cabinet of The Bahamas in helping to transform The Bahamas after the Free National Movement’s win in 1992.
The Bahamas was stagnant before the change of Government. The leadership of the Ingraham Administration, of which Sir William was a key part, led to record economic growth, infrastructure expansion across the country and the rebound of our international reputation.
The investments in the tourism sector and expansion of the Bahamian economy due to the policies of that Administration created new opportunity for tens of thousands of Bahamians. The Bahamas was fundamentally bettered by Sir William’s service.
He was a man of integrity who gave his all to his country. I also wish to express my gratitude for his advice and assistance when I served as Leader of the Opposition. On behalf of the Government and people of The Bahamas, and on my own behalf, and that of my wife, Patricia, I offer condolences to Sir William’s wife, Aloma, his children, siblings and other family members and his many friends and former colleagues.
The Bahamas has lost a distinguished statesman. May he rest in peace.
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#TheBahamas, March 27, 2023 – Trinidad and Tobago’s Soca Warriors dominated the Bahamas at home, at the Thomas Robinson Stadium in Nassau, for the 2022/2023 Concacaf Nations League on Friday, with a 3-0 victory.
The Soca Warriors struck their first blow within the first 5 minutes of the game, with Kareem Moses making the first shot in the top left corner of the net giving T&T one to the Bahamas’ zero (1-0).
Soon after, in about 26 minutes, they made another shot giving them 2-0 away from home; the scorer Joevin Jones. By the 34th minute mark, the winning goal was made by Ryan Telfer, T&T now at three.
Neither team scored any additional goals as the match progressed despite attempts made by various players.
Trinidad’s win gives them 12 points through five matches. Next match for the Soca Warriors is against Nicaragua; that clash is set for Monday March 27 (at home in Tobago at the Dwight Yorke Stadium), in a tussle of winner-take-all on the final match day. The victor takes home a promotion to League A and a spot in the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup.
Angus Eve, T&T’s head coach expressed that the job is only half done, keeping aware that more challenges are coming their way, one of which is the nearing match against Nicaragua who is one point ahead of the Warriors.
Meanwhile, The Bahamas will journey to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines with hopes of emerging victorious there.
March 24, 2023 – Without immediate and widespread efforts at curbing salt intake, 7 million lives will be lost by 2030 according to the World Health Organization. The warning follows the first-ever Global Report on Sodium Intake Reduction, which revealed that the world would not meet its sodium intake reduction target of 30 percent by 2025 on its current path.
With only 5% of WHO Member States protected by mandatory and comprehensive sodium reduction policies, the rest of the world must immediately implement ‘highly cost-effective sodium reduction policies to protect against some of the most common non-communicable diseases.
No Caribbean country was mentioned in the group of nine countries with comprehensive salt laws, but Barbados is currently set to make effective stringent regulations to govern food consumption and food quality.
Tedros Ghebreyesus, the WHO Director-General said:
“Most countries are yet to adopt any mandatory sodium reduction policies, leaving their people at risk of heart attack, stroke, and other health problems. The WHO calls on all countries to implement the ‘Best Buys’ for sodium reduction, and on manufacturers to implement the WHO benchmarks for sodium content in food.”
North America and the Caribbean have the highest child diabetes statistics in the world, with the second highest prevalence in adults as well. In Turks and Caicos in particular, over 300 hundred residents have failing kidneys, a number described as ‘alarming’ by experts. Kidney disease is fueled in most cases by diabetes and hypertension.
The WHO is then advising Governments to do four things:
Reformulating foods to contain less salt, and setting targets for the amount of sodium in foods and meals.
Establishing public food procurement policies to limit salt or sodium-rich foods in public institutions such as hospitals, schools, workplaces, and nursing homes.
Front-of-package labelling that helps consumers select products lower in sodium.
Behaviour change communication and mass media campaigns to reduce salt/sodium consumption.
With these measures in place, the salt reduction target can still be achieved, according to the WHO.
#TheBahamas, March 17, 2023 – The FBI is investigating a woman’s ‘suspicious’ death on a Carnival Cruise ship in February. The unnamed woman and her husband boarded the Carnival Sunshine on February 27th, for a trip to the Bahamas, but she was dead before they arrived in the port in The Bahamas.
The FBI said Carnival’s team had administered life saving measures when the woman was reported unresponsive, but they were unsuccessful. The body and the woman’s husband were released to the Bahamian authorities when the cruise arrived in the country.
In a statement shared with US media houses, Carnival Cruises claimed the death has been a natural one. The Nassau Guardian said a source told them the police findings had concurred with that assessment saying it was a “normal sudden death of a tourist who wasn’t feeling well.”
The FBI was waiting for the cruise and when it got back to South Carolina on March 4th, they immediately boarded and began to investigate the room based on ‘evidence of a crime.’ The FBI also searched the couple’s car.
No updates have been shared to contradict the currently established cause of death.