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y747 Thomas uses big drives and putts to hold lead in BahamasSportscaster Greg Gumbel dies from cancer at age 78

MONTHS after securing a 44.8% stake in Caribbean Producers (Jamaica) Ltd (CPJ), AS Bryden and Sons Holdings Ltd (ASBH) has acquired an additional 30.4% share, with plans to offer the remaining shareholders the option to sell, paving the way for a full takeover. This was announced by the Jamaica Stock Exchange yesterday where ASBH, which is owned by Seprod, is listed. According to the announcement nearly 95 million shares in ASBH were given to the previous CPJ shareholders as payment. “A.S. Bryden & Sons Holdings Ltd, a reporting issuer and company incorporated in Trinidad and Tobago, with offices located at 1 Ibis Avenue, San Juan, Trinidad, today announced that it has acquired an additional 30.4% stake in Caribbean Producers (Jamaica) Ltd in exchange for 94,871,379 newly issued ordinary shares of ASBH to the sellers of the CPJ shares. As a result of this additional purchase, ASBH owns 75.3% of CPJ and CPJ is now a subsidiary of ASBH,” the notice yesterday stated. The closing price for ASBH shares on the Jamaica Stock Exchange yesterday was JA$30.95, valuing the 94,871,379 shares at JA$2,936,269,180.05 ($126,806,742.84). “ASBH recognises that its increased ownership represents more than 50% of the issued share capital of CPJ and consequently ASBH will extend a Mandatory Offer to all remaining CPJ shareholders within 30 days in accordance with the Jamaica Stock Exchange's General Principles relating to Takeovers and Mergers,” it stated. “ASBH’s increased ownership of CPJ is consistent with our objective of purchasing additional shares we shared following the acquisition of our strategic stake in July. We will soon extend an offer to purchase shares from all CPJ shareholders on equivalents terms subject to CPJ remaining a listed company,” ASH director Nicholas A Scott stated. On July 9, CPJ announced that ASBH had acquired a 44.8% strategic stake in the company. “We are committed to becoming the leading distributor of food and premium beverages to hotels, resorts and restaurants in Jamaica and across the Caribbean. As a member of the Brydens Group, CPJ will now have access to greater resources and a regional platform. This is an exciting time for both ASBH and CPJ. I look forward to working with the combined team to grow our business and deliver value to our customers, principals, employees and shareholders,” ASBH chairman P.B. Scott stated. CPJ is a distributor of global food and beverage brands in Jamaica and St. Lucia. Founded in 1994, CPJ is headquartered in Montego Bay and specialises in providing a wide range of food, beverages, and non-food products mainly to the hospitality industry. They supply items such as meats, seafood, dairy, wines, and spirits, as well as offering logistics and supply chain solutions. CPJ operates “CPJ Market” retail stores in Jamaica and St. Lucia. The company is also listed on the Jamaica Stock Exchange. ASBH is a distributor based in Trinidad and Tobago with operations in Guyana and Barbados. Established in 1923, the company distributes food, premium beverages, consumer products, pharmaceuticals and industrial supplies in the Caribbean region. The Bryden Group operates several subsidiaries and affiliates including AS Bryden Trinidad and Tobago, Bryden Pi, F.T. Farfan, BPI Guyana, ICON Guyana, Micon Marketing, Armstrong Healthcare and Stansfeld Scott (Barbados).Ghana counted ballots on Saturday after a tight election with the ruling party's Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia trying to shake off anger over economic woes and rebuff a challenge by opposition party candidate ex-president John Mahama. Ghana's struggling economy dominated the election, after the west Africa gold and cacao producer went through a debt default, high inflation and negotiations for a $3 billion IMF bailout. Voters were choosing a successor to Bawumia's boss, President Nana Akufo-Addo, who steps down after serving the maximum of two four-year terms. They will also elect the country's new parliament. Voting was mostly calm, but one person was shot dead and four people arrested at a polling station in Nyankpala in the country's northern region, police and local media said. After polls closed at 1700 GMT, election teams immediately began tallying ballots under the watch of agents from political parties before sending them to collation centres. Preliminary results are expected early Sunday, with full presidential results scheduled by Tuesday. "Everyone is complaining prices are high. So I want a change, I want a good president who will bring in changes," Abdullah Mohammed, a student said after voting in Accra's Nima district. With a history of political stability, Ghana's two main parties, the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and National Democratic Congress (NDC), have alternated in power equally since the return to multi-party democracy in 1992. Touting the slogan "Break the 8" -- a reference to going past the usual two terms in power -- the NPP hopes Bawumia can lead them to an unprecedented third term. But he struggled to break away from criticism of Akufo-Addo's economic record. "I think we have done a lot of work with our message to the people and the message has been well received," Bawumia said after voting in his northern home Walewale. A UK-educated economist and former central banker, he points to an economy turning a corner and the government's continued plans for digitalisation to ease business, as well as free education and health programmes. More from this section But though inflation slowed from more than 50 percent to around 23 percent, and other macro-economic indicators are stabilising, the economic pain was still a clear election issue. Many Ghanaians still say they struggle with the cost of living, scarce jobs and a depreciated cedi currency. Frustration over the economy has opened the way for a comeback challenge from Mahama, who was president from 2012 to 2017 but has since failed twice in presidential bids. The NDC flag-bearer says he will "reset" Ghana and introduce a "24-hour economy", extending industrial hours to create jobs, and also renegotiate parts of the IMF deal. "Other elections have not been as obvious," Mahama said voting in his northern hometown. "With this one, everybody can tell the direction because of the abysmal performance of the Akufo-Addo-Bawumia government." Some analysts gave him an edge because of voter dismay with NPP, but the former president faced criticism from those who remember financial woes and massive power cuts during his time in office. Shoe saleswoman Esther Adobea said the economic situation hurt, but she was willing to give Bawumia a chance to make things better. "I can see he can handle the country for us. Our economy is not good, but he can do better," she said. Both major candidates are from the north of the country -- traditionally an NDC stronghold, but now more fragmented -- making the region a key battleground. While the economy was key, Ghana also faces an increasing risk of spillover in its northern regions from jihadist conflicts in Niger and Burkina Faso, where military juntas rule. The spread of illegal gold mining also became an election issue. Akufo-Addo promised to stop illegal mining, but it has expanded, poisoning riverways and impacting cacao farmlands -- a major source of export income. bur-pma/jm

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New York Giants rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers, who has been dealing with a toe injury, is active for Sunday's home game against the Indianapolis Colts in East Rutherford, N.J. Nabers was listed as questionable after missing practice on Thursday and being a limited participant on Friday. He had called himself a game-day decision on Thursday. Nabers, 21, has been one of the few bright spots for the Giants and leads the team with 97 receptions for 969 yards and four touchdown catches in 13 games (12 starts). The Giants (2-13) long have been out of playoff contention, while the Colts (7-8) are fighting to stay alive. "It's tough on everybody. It's not just tough on me. It's tough on everybody," Nabers said of the team's troubles. "I'm continuing to keep my mental (attitude) strong, continue to move forward, continue to try to better the team, better myself. Lead by example. I feel like that's really all we can do in this state of mind that we're going through." Selected sixth overall out of LSU, Nabers has caught 10 or more passes on three occasions but has just one touchdown catch over the past 10 games. Nabers needs three receptions to join former Giants Steve Smith (107 catches in 2009) and Odell Beckham Jr. (101 in 2016) as the only players in franchise history to haul in 100 receptions in a single season. The Giants inactives are defensive lineman Cory Durden, inside linebacker Micah McFadden, center John Michael Schmitz, cornerbacks Greg Stroman and Dee Williams, and emergency third quarterback Tim Boyle. The Colts inactives include quarterback Anthony Richardson, who already was ruled out. The others are defensive tackle Adetomiwa Adebawore, defensive end Isaiah Land, tight end Will Mallory and guard Dalton Tucker. --Field Level Media