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NEW YORK (AP) — Serena Williams lost what is expected to be the last match of her transcendent tennis career Friday night, eliminated from the U.S. Open in the third round by Ajla Tomljanovic 7-5, 6-7 (4), 6-1 before an electric crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Unwilling to go quietly, Williams staved off five match points to prolong the three-hours-plus proceedings, as some spectators stood to watch, camera phones at the ready. No one — save, of course, Tomljanovic — wanted this to end.

It did on Tomljanovic’s sixth chance, when Williams netted a shot.

Ajla Tomljanovic, of Austrailia, returns a shot to Serena Williams, of the United States. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Williams turns 41 this month and recently told the world that she is ready to start “evolving” away from her playing days — she expressed distaste for the word “retirement” — and while she has remained purposely vague about whether this appearance at Flushing Meadows definitely would represent her final tournament, everyone assumes it will be.

Serena Williamsreacts during a match against Ajla Tomljanovic. (AP Photo/John Minchillo).

If this was, indeed, the last hurrah, she took her fans on a thrill-a-minute throwback ride at the hard-court tournament that was the site of a half-dozen of her 23 Grand Slam championships. The first came in 1999 in New York, when Williams was just 17.

But she faltered against Tomljanovic, a 29-year-old Australian who is ranked 46th. Williams gave away leads in each set, including the last, in which she was up 1-0 before dropping the final six games.

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If Bajan farmers can grow it on island and meet local demand then it should be banned.

This is the opinion of the largest agricultural organisation in Barbados.

Chief executive officer of the Barbados Agricultural Society (BAS), James Paul made the call during a press conference today at the Beckles Road, St Michael headquarters.

“There is no reason that we’re importing commodities such as pumpkins, cucumbers, [and] watermelons into this country. I believe they should be banned whether or not they come from CARICOM…I don’t believe that we should be importing any of those commodities in this country because Barbadian farmers possess the capability to produce those products at very competitive prices,” Paul insisted.

He asserted that the ban will help to reduce the country’s hefty import bill, which averages $700 million dollars annually,by at least $2 million.

Paul maintained that the importation of produce needed to be better regulated. While disputing claims that local farmers were incapable of large demand at competitive prices, the BAS chief stated that farmers wanted to increase production but they were deterred by the high risks of a market saturated by imported goods and a possible glut.

“When those products are imported, what happens is that they force the prices below the cost of production of those farmers because already we see in Barbados, there are times when we have gluts…the price goes below the cost of production. This is unfortunate.”

Paul stressed that an organised and coordinated effort between Commerce, the Ministry of Agriculture and the BAS was needed to ensure the development of the sector and achieve the 2025 goal of reducing the food import bill by 25 per cent.

“We have seen an attempt from the persons in the Ministry of Agriculture to contact us when there is a request for the sale and importation of certain commodities. I would like to see that across the board, in terms of all commodities across Barbados, that we don’t have a situation where import licenses are granted without consultation with the farming representatives [about] what is on the ground.”

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Police investigating

A 57-year-old chef died on Saturday following a vehicular wreck at Cane Garden Bay Hill, according to the Police Information Office.
Joyce Orine George, of Romney Park, was pronounced dead on arrival at Dr. D. Orlando Smith Hospital on Saturday, the PIO stated.

Ms. George, of Dominica, worked as a chef at Quito’s Gazebo in Cane Garden Bay, according to the company. Police said they responded to the scene of the collision shortly before 8 p.m. on Saturday. They found a vehicle with extensive front-end damage against a retaining wall, and Ms. George, the driver, was unresponsive, according to the PIO.

Late on Saturday night, Quito’s Gazebo updated its Facebook page with a note announcing the death.

“She was a loved member of our kitchen team,” the company stated. “We were all blessed to have shared time with her and for all she shared with us. She was a ray of sunshine every day.”

In the comments section under the post, tributes poured in from customers, co-workers and friends. “So heartbreaking! My deepest condolences to her family and friends,” one Facebook user posted. “She was a beautiful and kind lady and will be sorely missed.”
The cause of the collision is still being investigated, police said.

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A Jamaican woman, 34-year-old Sakoya Blackwood, has been arrested and charged in New York for allegedly catfishing and extorting the CEO of an unnamed public company, according to the United States Department of Justice (DOJ).

According to prosecutors, Blackwood, dubbed the ‘Jamaican Tinder Swindler’ based on the name of a popular Netflix documentary, threatened to release sexually explicit photographs and communications involving the CEO, referred to as “Victim-1” in court documents. She reportedly threatened multiple other victims.

Blackwood, who lives in the Bronx in New York, is charged with making interstate communications with intent to extort, cyberstalking and extortion, according to court documents.

The charges each carry a maximum sentence of two, five and 20 years in prison, respectively, meaning Blackwood could face up to 27 years in total in prison if convicted of all the charges.

“No one should have to fear public humiliation and financial loss from the release of personal, private information,” U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement.

“As alleged, Sakoya Blackwood created that very fear and sought to capitalise on it for her own personal gain,” he said, adding that “I commend the victim for reporting this alleged criminal activity, and encourage anyone else who believes they may have been a victim of this scheme to contact the FBI.”

The DOJ said Blackwood used multiple online identities to target the CEO and other wealthy, high-profile men in the scheme.

Court documents show authorities found six different identification cards from multiple states while searching Blackwood’s home, which she shares with her mother in the Bronx.

Her aliases included Lila Cohen, Louren Hennessy, Susannah Forest, Harper Dean, Nataya Romeo and Jessica Bottomley, MD. Authorities said they believe Blackwood was using the aliases while claiming different addresses and academic degrees to apply for jobs.

Blackwood allegedly sent “numerous” intimidating and threatening text messages to the CEO, also using threats of economic and reputational harm from the photos’ releas, in attempts to receive payment.

“Most people hope for a personal human connection in life, and scam artists twist that desire into illicit schemes to steal more than hearts,” FBI Assistant Director Michael Driscoll said in a statement.

“We believe Blackwood used tactics we allege in this indictment to blackmail and extort money from other victims,” Driscoll continued. “We are asking those people to contact us so we can help them, but also to ensure no one else ever falls victim to Blackwood’s alleged deception.”

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PARAMARIBO — De Historische Database van Suriname en Curaçao (HDSC) is op 1 september in de prijzen gevallen tijdens het Open Science

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