NASSAU, Bahamas ? Former Parliamentarian Claudius Leander Minnis, hailed as "an outstanding no-nonsense son of the Bahamian soil? who loved his family, God and church, was laid to rest Wednesday, September 9, 2009.

The three-hour State-recognizd funeral services at St Barnabas Anglican Church, conducted by Fathers Michael Maragh and Carlton Turner, was drew hundreds of mourners from across he social and political spectrum.

The service reflected on the life of Mr Minnis in special tributes, music led by St Barnanas Senior Choir, prayers and scripture readings. Governor General, His Excellency Arthur Hanna said, ?all of us of whatever political persuasion know of the valuable contribution of Mr Leander Minnis to our people and our homeland and are particularly saddened by his passing.

Prime Minister the Rt Honorable Hubert Ingraham described Mr Minnis as a ?good and decent man." He said Mr Minnis was among those crusaders who made a ?significant contribution to the movement for Majority Rule in The Bahamas? and who served his constituents and country well.

?He also contributed significantly to his political party in and out of season and gained the respect of his colleagues as well as those on the other side of the political divide. A successful businessman who entered the political arena, Mr Minnis earned a reputation for trustworthiness and was made a trustee of the Progressive Liberal Party.?

Following the service, official pallbearers and a colour party of Police and Defence Forces officers placed the casket bearing Mr Minnis? body into the official hearse and proceeded to Lakeview Memorial Gardens Mausoleum for interment.

Mr Minnis was appointed to the Senate October 1973 and made Chairman of the Town Planning Committee. In 1977 he was elected Member of Parliament for the Bamboo Town Constituency where he served for two consecutive terms. He was a founding member of the Bahamas Trade Union Congress and a member of the Stalwart Council of the Progressive Liberal Party.

Photo 1: Draped in Bahamian national colours, the coffin with the body of former Parliamentarian Leander Minnis and is taken by members of the Royal Bahamas Police and Defence Forces into the Lakeview Memorial Gardens. (BIS photo/Patrick Hanna)



Photo 2: Family members are pictured at the State-recognized funeral services for former Parliamentarian Claudius Leander Minnis, September 9 at St Barnabas Anglican Church. (BIS photo/Patrick Hanna)




Photo 3: The casket bearing the body of former Parliamentarian Leader Minnis is taken by official pallbearers to Lakeview Memorial Gardens. (BIS photo/Patrick Hanna)

NASSAU, Bahamas -- Students and staff at Lyford Cay International School are celebrating their BGCSE and BJC exam results.

Lyford Cay International School (LCIS) is proud to offer a high standard Nursery through Grade 12 education and, while it is authorized to teach the full International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) program, it continues to benchmark itself locally.

This past June, for the first time in the school?s history, LCIS students were offered BGCSE exams on campus and the results show that the students have maintained the school?s consistently high academic standards.

In this first session of exams, the students overall achieved a 95% A to C pass rate resulting in the groups average being an outstanding B plus.

Mrs. Judith Reiach, LCIS Secondary School Guidance Counselor commented; ?We are very proud of the results of this first session of exams. We had 75% of the students receive A passes in Mathematics; 63% received A in French; and 100% of the students who sat the Spanish exam received A grades. These results will enhance the students? college application profiles.?

LCIS is especially proud of the fact that many of the students who sat the BGCSE?s this year were from grades 7-9.

Principal Ms. Stacey Bobo was delighted at the results; ?Our students have proved it is possible to achieve outstanding examination results while pursuing and succeeding in many other areas that contribute to a well rounded, excellent international education. We are very proud of our students and the teachers that supported them in their choice to take the BGCSE exams. ?

LCIS is a leading school in the Caribbean because of its engaging and rich curriculum program, its excellence in education, its care for students, and its kind hearted and spirited community. The programs of the IBO represent the very best in international education and prepare students for a life of active and responsible citizenship.

Local Stock Market Commentary:


The week began with 55,870 shares trading in the local market today.

AML Foods Limited (AML) traded 2,120 shares, falling by -$0.05 to close at a new 52-week low $1.15.

Cable Bahamas (CAB) traded 51,000 shares, gaining +$0.25 to close at $11.00.

Commonwealth Bank Ltd. (CBL) traded 1,000 shares, declining by -$0.01 to close at $5.49.

Finco (FIN) traded 1,750 shares, decreasing by -$0.20 to close at a new 52-week low of $9.30.


Precious Metals:

Gold closed at $996.70, Silver at $16.29, Platinum at $1,267.00 and Crude Oil at $68.00 a barrel.

Foreign Currencies:

Against the US Dollar, the Euro closed at 1.434, Pound Sterling at 1.6348, Yen at 92.98 and the Canadian Dollar at 0.9283.

Stocks:

Consolidated Water Company Ltd. (CWCO) remained unchanged at $18.45.

International Stock Market News:

US Markets were closed today in observance of Labour Day

Asian stocks rose, giving the MSCI Asia Pacific Index its biggest advance in two weeks, as the Group of 20 nations agreed on steps to shore up the financial system, while merger speculation boosted technology shares.

European stocks rose for a third day as a resurgence of merger speculation boosted food and beverage stocks and mining companies and the Group of 20 nations agreed on steps to shore up the global financial system.

Oil was little changed at $68 a barrel as the U.S. driving season wound down and the profit margin for turning crude into gasoline declined, further depressing demand.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average remained unchanged at 9,441.27.

iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Index remained unchanged at $36.40.

The Standard and Poor's 500 Index remained unchanged at 1,016.40.

The Financial Times 100 Index in London climbed by +81.48 points or by +1.68% to close at 4,933.18.

NIKKEI 225 Stock Average soared by +133.83 points or +1.31% to close at 10,320.94.

TROPICAL DEPRESSION ERIKA ADVISORY NUMBER 9
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL AL062009
500 PM AST THU SEP 03 2009

...ERIKA WEAKENS TO A TROPICAL DEPRESSION...ALL WARNINGS
DISCONTINUED...

AT 5 PM AST...2100 UTC...ALL TROPICAL STORM WARNINGS ASSOCIATED WITH
ERIKA HAVE BEEN DISCONTINUED.

INTERESTS IN NORTHERN CARIBBEAN SEA SHOULD CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE
PROGRESS OF ERIKA.

FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA IN THE UNITED
STATES...INCLUDING POSSIBLE INLAND WATCHES AND WARNINGS...PLEASE
MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED BY YOUR LOCAL NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
FORECAST OFFICE. FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA
OUTSIDE OF THE UNITED STATES...PLEASE MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED
BY YOUR NATIONAL METEOROLOGICAL SERVICE.

AT 500 PM AST...2100 UTC...THE CENTER OF TROPICAL DEPRESSION ERIKA
WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 16.7 NORTH...LONGITUDE 65.3 WEST OR ABOUT
130 MILES...205 KM...SOUTH-SOUTHEAST OF SAN JUAN PUERTO RICO AND
ABOUT 325 MILES...525 KM...EAST-SOUTHEAST OF SANTO DOMINGO IN THE
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC.

THE DEPRESSION IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST NEAR 12 MPH...19 KM/HR. A
TURN TOWARD THE WEST-NORTHWEST IS EXPECTED TONIGHT...AND THIS
MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE UNTIL DISSIPATION. ON THE FORECAST
TRACK...ERIKA OR ITS REMNANTS ARE EXPECTED TO PASS SOUTH OF PUERTO
RICO TONIGHT...AND BE NEAR OR OVER HISPANIOLA ON FRIDAY.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 35 MPH...55 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER
GUSTS. SOME WEAKENING IS FORECAST IN THE NEXT 24 HOURS...AND ERIKA
IS EXPECTED TO BECOME A REMNANT LOW ON FRIDAY. ERIKA COULD ALSO
DEGENERATE INTO A TROPICAL WAVE AT ANY TIME.

THE LATEST MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE REPORTED BY AN AIR FORCE RESERVE
HURRICANE HUNTER AIRCRAFT IF 1007 MB...29.74 INCHES.

ERIKA IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE TOTAL RAINFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF 2 TO 4
INCHES OVER THE CENTRAL AND NORTHERN LESSER ANTILLES...PUERTO
RICO...AND THE U.S. AND BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS...WITH ISOLATED
MAXIMUM AMOUNTS OF 6 INCHES POSSIBLE.

...SUMMARY OF 500 PM AST INFORMATION...
LOCATION...16.7N 65.3W
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...35 MPH
PRESENT MOVEMENT...WEST OR 275 DEGREES AT 12 MPH
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...1007 MB

THE NEXT ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER AT
1100 PM AST.