01302023 NEWS AND SPORT

PM: HOSPITAL IS IN A CRISIS

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

PRIME Minister Philip Davis admitted Princess Margaret Hospital is in a state of “crisis” after a tour of the public health facility on Saturday.

Mr Davis along with Health and Wellness Minister Dr Michael Darville, Public Hospitals Authority managing director Dr Aubynette Rolle and other officials toured wards, in particular those that are

under renovation.

Speaking to the media afterwards, Mr Davis acknowledged the state of PMH and the government’s commitment to addressing it.

“A government has (the) responsibility of ensuring that its citizens have access to public health services in a manner that is dignified, and in surroundings and facilities that accord to best practices. The challenges we see, or we saw this morning, is not new.

IMMIGRATION OFFICER RULED TO HAVE ASSAULTED DETAINEE

By TANEKA THOMPSON Tribune News Editor tmthompson@tribunemedia.net

A SUPREME Court judge has ruled that an immigration officer falsely imprisoned, sexually assaulted and battered a Jamaican woman who was released into his custody eight years ago.

The January 27 ruling by Senior Justice Indra Charles

INSURERS AND GOVT IN ROW OVER VAT ON HEALTHCARE

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

THE government and insurance industry last night traded blows over fears that Bahamian healthcare costs will further increase due to a new VAT treatment set to take effect from April 1, 2023.

The row erupted after the Bahamas Insurance Association (BIA) issued a late Friday statement warning that medical bills and treatment costs for thousands of Bahamians will increase due to the Ministry of Finance’s decision to stop insurers recovering the 10 percent VAT paid on health insurance claims payments from the Government. Such a move, the trade body warned, will likely make private healthcare less accessible for more Bahamians as they will now be responsible for paying VAT on top of their actual medical bill. However, this was disputed by the Ministry of Finance.

CRIMES AGAINST PERSON GO UP BY 23 PERCENT

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

brings an end to a saga which saw Claudia Edwards Bethel file a civil suit in 2019 against immigration officer Norman Bastian, the attorney general, minister of immigration, director of immigration, and the commissioner of police years after her rape case against Mr Bastian was tossed out of the Magistrate’s Court.

SEE PAGE THREE

‘INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE’ OVER COLEBY-DAVIS

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

COMMISSIONER of Police Clayton Fernander said there is “insufficient evidence” to proceed with investigations into claims made against Housing and Transport Minister JoBeth Coleby- Davis.

Commissioner Fernander was referring to claims that Mrs Coleby-Davis allegedly assaulted a police officer with her vehicle during an

exchange at the Carnival Road March last May. The Elizabeth MP has repeatedly denied any

wrongdoing and Prime Minister Phillip “Brave” Davis has since defended her, saying he was satisfied with her account of what happened that day.

During a press conference at police headquarters on Friday, the police chief was asked for an update concerning the status of investigations into the incident.

“I wish to say that the investigators in our legal

POLICE Commissioner Clayton Fernander revealed on Friday that crimes against the person increased by 23 percent last year when compared to the same period in 2021, including murders, armed robberies and sex crimes that also trended upwards. Despite an uptick in these offences, he said serious crimes and crimes against the property decreased by two percent and nine percent respectively.

INSIGHT HAITI TEETERS ON THE BRINK OF CIVIL WAR SEE PAGE EIGHT

‘We will fix it’ says Davis as he highlights the need for action

PRIME Minister Philip ‘Brave’ Davis tours Princess Margaret Hospital with chief hospital administrator Mary Walker to view conditions and the status of renovations on Saturday.

Photo: Austin Fernander

‘REALITY HASN’T SET IN’ AFTER GUIDANCE COUNSELLOR’S ROAD DEATH

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

A 27-YEAR-OLD school guidance counsellor died in a traffic accident on Queen’s Highway, Eleuthera on Friday.

The victim is Chara Major who had recently relocated to Eleuthera in September.

Police reported that the incident occurred shortly before 5pm. The victim was travelling south on Queen’s Highway, Eleuthera, in a charcoal grey Nissan Note, when she reportedly lost control of the vehicle and ran into a casuarina tree.

The vehicle was extensively damaged and Major, trapped inside, had to be extricated.

A local doctor visited the

scene and pronounced the victim dead.

In an interview with this newspaper yesterday, DeLicia Taylor, the best friend of the deceased, described her as a “sweetheart” and “affectionate”.

“She was someone who was always considerate of other people,” the grieving friend said.

“You know, she was always loving. She was so strong minded, but she was still a sweetheart.”

Friends for more than ten years, Ms Taylor told this newspaper the friendship was filled with timeless memories and growth.

Before her untimely

death, the deceased was pursuing her master’s degree at university.

Ms Taylor said since experiencing the initial disbelief of learning the news of Major’s death, reality has not “set in yet”.

“Reality hasn’t set in as yet, but I know that when I have to stand there to do my friend’s makeup that’s not going to be easy,” Ms Taylor said.

“It’s nothing like when you know someone and know exactly what they want, but we never discuss ‘oh when I die, this is what I want you know.’

“We never discussed that (death) because it was

always a happy time, it was always a fun-loving time.”

However, she wants Major’s legacy to live on saying she was a phenomenal friend, counsellor, daughter, and colleague.

Education Minister Glenys Hanna Martin, along with scores of colleagues, family, and friends took to social media to express their condolences.

“It is with profound sadness that we have learned of the death of one of our guidance counsellors, Ms Chara Major, in a traffic accident in Eleuthera last evening (Friday),” said Ms Hanna Martin.

“This is a tragic and

tremendous loss to the nation.”

She continued: “I extend to her family on behalf of the entire team in the Ministry of Education our heartfelt condolences. We pray God’s strength on her loved ones during this difficult and painful time.”

Police are appealing to members of the public to adhere to the rules and regulations of the Road Traffic Act.

Chief Superintendent David Lockhart of the Royal Bahamas Police Force Traffic Division said this brings the country’s traffic fatality numbers to four for the year.

CHARA MAJOR

A STATE-RECOGNISED funeral was held on Friday for Justice (Retired) Rodger Gomez at St Agnes Anglican Church, Baillou Hill Road, Grants Town, with interment at St Agnes Cemetery.

Photos: Patrick Hanna/BIS

No new work permits for Haitians until protocols are revised

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg @ tribunemedia.net

LABOUR and Immigration Minister Keith Bell announced on Friday that no new work permits will be processed for Haitians until revised protocols are introduced to ensure the authenticity of documents produced by Haiti’s government.

Existing work permit applications and renewals will face vigorous review and scrutiny. He also announced that existing and new permits to reside applications for Haitian citizens will only be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Approvals will be granted in “exceptional cases” only.

“Applicants should note that as a consequence, the timeframe for the processing and determination of such applications will be impacted,” the minister said.

This move comes after Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis ordered all diplomatic personnel in Haiti to immediately leave the country as soon as security conditions permit, citing the rapidly devolving and unstable conditions there.

“On Thursday, January 26, the Haitian National Police paralysed Port-auPrince, Haiti by blocking streets and forcing their way into Haiti’s main airport. Reports indicate that the officers also attacked Haiti’s head of government Ariel Henry’s official residence. Roads in several cities in the north of Haiti were blocked by protesters,” Mr Bell said.

“(Thursday’s) protest by the Haitian National Police followed the departure from office of Haiti’s last remaining senators and represents a further decline in the functioning and stability of the Haitian government.”

Mr Bell said The Bahamas maintains a strict regulatory framework for the review and

from page one

Mr Bastian had denied the rape and claimed the sex was consensual.

In a tragic turn of events, Mrs Bethel died of COVID19 complications at Princess Margaret Hospital in May 2021, a day after giving birth to her fourth child. However, her estate continued with the civil action after her death.

Mrs Bethel was married to a Bahamian man and had been living in The Bahamas since 2010. She was arrested along with other women around 1am on December 13, 2014, after authorities raided a bar where she worked. She told them she had a spousal permit but was still taken into custody to confirm her immigration status.

After spending some time at a police station, she ended up being transferred to the Carmichael Road Detention Centre pending verification of her spousal permit. On Monday, December 15, 2014, Mrs Bethel was released into Mr Bastian’s custody to verify her correct home address.

He initially had a female friend in the car with them and made several stops before dropping the friend off. He then took Mrs Bethel back to his home where she said he kept her imprisoned against her will overnight and raped her.

While Justice Charles ruled that Mrs Bethel was assaulted, she said the government was not liable for Mr Bastian’s actions.

“The fifth defendant (Mr Bastian) was on a frolic of his own when he deceived the acting director of immigration that he was taking the plaintiff to verify her correct address and he was accompanied by a female, knowing full well that the female was his friend and not an employee,” Justice Charles ruled. “His unauthorised acts

processing of all immigration applications. He added: “This process requires each applicant to produce various reports and certifications from their home countries. A key report is a character certificate from local police authorities to confirm any criminal history of an applicant.

“Additionally, in many instances, the Department of Immigration may require applicants to attend the Bahamian embassy or consulate in the applicant’s home country when immigration officials require enhanced verification.

“In response to (Thursday’s) events, the Department of Immigration hereby advises the public of changes to its policies concerning the acceptance and processing of applications for work permits and permits to reside from the Republic of Haiti with immediate effect.”

Asked to elaborate on what would be considered exceptional circumstances for approval of Haitian permit applications, the minister gave examples but said in previous cases they have still been denied.

“I would have intimated to the media on several occasions persons (of) Haitian nationals who are on work permits in the country have applied to immigration for the grant of a permit to reside for their children or their spouse. I have intimated to the media and to the public that we have not in most circumstances granted those permits.

“Exceptional circumstances would mean in the case where a father, mother, children would have been killed or executed or instances where we know that they have been hiding. We know that the gangs have put threats and they’ve actually carried all those threats on those families but even then I can give two examples.

“There is a case where a Haitian father has applied

of sexually assaulting and battering the plaintiff was not within the course of his employment and/or sufficiently close to make it right and just for the employer to be held liable under the principle of natural justice.

“Although I believe that Mrs Bethel could have refused to go with Mr Bastian, having heard the evidence, I believe that she was not told that she could refuse. I accept Mrs Bethel’s evidence that (she) did not believe that she had freedom of movement and she was afraid. I believe that Mr Bastian misused and abused his authority as a senior immigration officer to make Mrs Bethel believe that she had no choice but to go with him. As such, Mrs Bethel was falsely imprisoned by Mr Bastian for 22.35 hours. She is, therefore, entitled to damages for false imprisonment.”

She also ruled: “He had no duties beyond investigating Mrs Bethel’s correct address and he was fully aware that a female officer ought to be with him. He put aside his role as an immigration officer and embarked on a frolic of his own. Therefore, the government is not vicariously liable for his actions, namely falsely imprisoning Mrs Bethel for 22.35 hours; assault and battery. Mr Bastian must pay damages to Mrs Bethel to be assessed by the registrar.”

Justice Charles also found that Mrs Bastian’s “unlawful imprisonment by the government” for 48.55 hours “was not malicious or outrageous but done, albeit wrongly,” to verify her immigration status.

“Mrs Bethel’s right under Article 19 of the Constitution had been breached. She is, therefore, entitled to damages from the government for 48.55 hours. Such damages are to be assessed by the registrar,” Justice Charles ruled.

for a permit to reside for four children to come to The Bahamas. Those applications have consistently been refused and it’s a conversation I’ve had with my permanent secretary and the director and the team seated before you.

On the last occasion, I’ve been presented with an application where one

of the children has been executed and they have presented the death certificate. They presented evidence whether the children are in hiding, they cannot go to school, etc. But even then the applications of the three remaining children have been refused. “So it isn’t an easy decision to be made but it is

a very one that has to be made. Again, we know the floodgates argument and so we have to take into account each case as the situation presents itself but some very tough decisions will be made. We are up to the task with the recommendations and, of course, to make those decisions.”

Nearly 400 Haitian

migrants are detained in Inagua after they were caught on a vessel in Bahamian waters last week. Another group of Haitian migrants landed on Andros later last week. Mr Davis has said the crisis in Haiti poses a substantial threat to The Bahamas due to an increase in irregular migration.

SITUATION IN INAGUA ‘STABLE’

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

ASSISTANT Director of Immigration Peter Joseph reported on Friday that the situation in Inagua is “stable” and officials have not apprehended any more migrants in the area.

However, he said a group of 26 Cuban migrants were arrested in Bimini and were to arrive in Nassau later on Friday.

“As far as Inagua,

everything is stable down there at this time and we’re looking at trying to see if we can increase the comfort level for the persons in the area and we should be supplied with sufficient food, other supplies, medical supplies in the event that we may have to hold them longer than anticipated,” he said.

Nearly 400 Haitian migrants are being detained on Inagua after they were apprehended several days ago.

On Friday, Labour and Immigration Minister Keith Bell responded to claims that a recently apprehended migrant had a work permit.

“I can confirm that the permit that was issued or the permit that was circulating - it is a genuine permit,” he said.

“A Bahamian individual made an application to (the Department of) Immigration for that individual – we have done our due diligence, and having regard that we would have been satisfied

that the individual met all of the requirements the recommendation was made, and I would have approved the permit. Unfortunately, his means of getting to The Bahamas was one, was illegal and unlawful, and in those circumstances, I have directed that the permit be cancelled and revoked and he will be deported.”

He added: “We are waiting on word on the 400 persons down there to be deported now to Haiti.”

BAHAMIAN DIPLOMATS SAFELY OUT OF HAITI

THE Foreign Affairs Ministry confirmed on Friday that all seven Bahamian diplomats, including the spouse of the Charge d’Affaires, were airlifted out of Port-au-Prince, Haiti by helicopter. They have landed safely in the Dominican

Republic.

“The Prime Minister has expressed his deep gratitude and highest consideration to the President of the Dominican Republic Luis Abinader and the Foreign Minister of the Dominican Republic Roberto Alvarez for

the execution of this process,” the ministry said in a statement, adding that diplomats are likely to be home shortly.

On Thursday, Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis ordered all Bahamian diplomatic personnel in Haiti to immediately

leave the country as soon as security conditions permitted, citing the rapidly devolving and unstable conditions there. The order comes amid reported violent gang killings of police officers and protests in Haiti.

‘INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE’ OVER COLEBY-DAVIS

from page one

team have viewed the file with respect to the Honourable JoBeth Coleby-Davis and the result is that there’s insufficient evidence at this time to proceed with that matter, so that matter is closed,” Commissioner Fernander told reporters.

He declined to comment further on the matter. However, he pointed out that there was “a lot of talk” on social media, adding that accurate facts and evidence were used to conclude the matter.

He said the officer is expected to

return to work.

“There were a lot of things thrown out there on social media. We don’t investigate in the media, we need facts and evidence to put matters before the court. Other than that the magistrate and judge will say ‘man y’all go from here’ there is no evidence to connect it, that’s what we deal with,” the police chief said.

Last year, Commissioner Fernander denied claims that investigations are being “drawn out” because of Mrs Coleby-Davis’s position as a Cabinet minister.

Earlier this month, the police

chief also confirmed reports that officers had questioned former Free National Movement Cabinet minister Lanisha Rolle and her husband as a part of their investigations into the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture.

On Friday, Commissioner Fernander said investigations into the matter of the former Cabinet minister are still “very much active”.

Mrs Rolle resigned from Cabinet in February 2021 for “personal reasons”, and has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, saying her track record spoke for itself.

STUDENTS walk past a burning barricade that was set up by members of the police protesting bad police governance in Port-auPrince, Haiti, on Thursday.

Photo: Odelyn Joseph/AP

Crimes against the person go up by 23 percent

The police chief unveiled the latest crime statistics during a press conference at the Paul Farquharson Conference Centre. He said data showed that murder increased by eight percent in 2022 which saw a total of 128 incidents recorded. During the same period in 2021, police recorded 119 murders. New Providence recorded the most homicides followed by Grand Bahama.

“Out of that 128 murders, detectives with a combined team effort across the board with uniform officers, we were able to charge and solve 86 of those matters out of the 128 which represents a solvency rate of 69 percent,” Commissioner Fernander added.

He said police investigations found that 35 suspects had killed someone while out on bail.

Another 34 alleged offenders, he added, were also murdered while on release.

Meanwhile, armed robberies jumped by 34 percent

last year, with firearms continuing to be the weapon of choice for criminals. There were 555 of these incidents recorded in 2022 when compared to 415 reported in the year before.

Robberies and shop breakings also saw increases, while housebreaking incidents declined.

Police reported that there were 124 robberies recorded last year versus 96 in 2021.

For shop breaking, there were 524 incidents in 2022 compared to 495 in 2021.

Moving to illegal firearms, Commissioner Fernander said 370 illegal weapons were retrieved in 2022 compared to 277 in 2021.

“We had 280 pistols and we see an uptick with the high-powered rifle which are being used in most of the murders. We see a trend of high-powered rifle. A total of 38 and you had 30 shotguns which brings the total to 370 as I mentioned,” he continued.

The police chief also noted a recent incident where a 15-year-old was

found in possession of a high-powered rifle, which he showed to reporters on Friday.

He said the young boy had an altercation with another student and left the campus and returned with the firearm. The commissioner said thankfully, the student was not there when he returned as there could have been a mass shooting on the school’s premises.

“There was an off-duty police officer who followed that individual and not being armed. . .what if the officer was harmed and engaged that youngster who would’ve maybe opened fire,” he said.

“There may have been a shoot-out, who knows? But the young man was charged and put before the court— a 15-year-old. I didn’t leave that just like that. I instructed the commander of CID to reach out to Social Services so that they could do an investigation at the home of this young man.”

With respect to sex crimes, there was a 14

percent overall increase, with 204 cases reported. The year before saw 179 incidents.

Specifically, for rape, there were 55 incidents reported, representing a 15 percent increase over 2021.

Eight of the victims were tourists, while 39 percent of the victims knew the assailant.

Additionally, police reported that there were

139 unlawful sexual intercourse cases - an 11 percent increase over 2021 numbers.

Commissioner Fernander called the sex crime numbers alarming during Friday’s press conference and pleaded with parents to keep a close eye on their children.

“The unlawful sexual intercourse (victims) are young ladies under the age of 16. We want to send a message to the parents –please try to monitor your children on social media. Watch their habits on social media.

“I want to send a strong message to the men out there who continue to prey on our little darlings, our young people, to stop now because if you don’t, we will find you and you will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”

Last year, police investigated 144 missing person cases; 67 of them have been solved, while 77 cases remain under investigation, police reported.

Commissioner Fernander also reported

increases in traffic fatalities, with 59 incidents reported last year. This represented an 11 percent increase over 2021, he added, noting that speed played a factor in many of the incidents.

He cited other causes like the use of cellphones, not wearing seatbelts and drivers falling asleep.

“Traffic fatalities decreased in all Family Islands with the exception of Eleuthera where it (increased) to seven in 2022 from one in 2021. That is a concern for us as well. The Family Islands, especially Eleuthera and Abaco.

“As a result of that, we have partnered with the Ministry of Transport where we conducted a town hall meeting in Eleuthera just last week relative to road safety and that went off well and this will continue throughout the family of islands.”

Police seized 1,137 pounds of cocaine and 9,659 pounds of marijuana last year while 1,336 people were arrested and charged for drug related matters.

POLICE COMMISIONER WARNS ‘ZERO TOLERANCE’

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

FOLLOWING an increase in murders and other serious offences last year, Police Commissioner Clayton Fernander warned that there will be a “zero tolerance” approach to crime this year as he highlighted several new crime fighting strategies geared towards tackling gun violence.

The police chief said there will be increased patrols, more targeted operations in hot spot areas and expanded resources, including a new fleet of police vehicles.

“We’re going to have a zero-tolerance approach to crime,” Commissioner Fernander said during a press briefing at RPBF’s headquarters Friday. “We want to expand (the)

capacity of Operation Ceasefire that will continue to target prolific offenders and wanted persons.

“Also, covert operations – we’re going to continue that and we’re talking about provisional operations and the uniform branch is continuing to be visible out there, continuing to do an excellent job in the communities.

“I want to see more (feet) on the ground, boots as we would call it, within the communities to continue to walk in these communities.”

In addition to this, there will be more active police mobile patrols, Commissioner Fernander said, adding that some squads will be working four-totwelve shifts.

“That four-to-twelve shifts will be on the road in the Montel Heights area.

You have the foot patrol and the mobile patrol and they’re spending that fourto-twelve shift in Montel Heights,” he added.

“The van is there being manned. All of the computer systems (are) set up to be able to do name checks.”

Noting that prevention is key, Commissioner Fernander said officers will be taking a more serious approach when dealing with minor crimes.

He admitted that there were times when officers dropped the ball in this regard.

“If someone comes to the van to make a complaint that ‘John Brown slap me, I want to make a complaint.’ We take the complaint right there and (there will be) a zero (tolerance) approach to these minor crimes to avoid it being escalated,” he added.

“And we fell down a lot with these same minor crimes where names are called, and we don’t pay attention and then it escalates to something different.”

He also revealed that police will introduce a new and improved saturation patrol system and foreshadowed the arrival of new police vehicles.

“We are going to upgrade the fleet. We’re changing the vehicles to 100 trucks,” Commissioner Fernander said.

“We did our homework. We know the areas, the hotspots. The trucks will be on the ground as early as (this) week. They’re coming in piece by piece. They’re already signed off on and by mid-February, this will be in full swing.”

The police chief continued: “We’re also going to up our motorcycles (to)

50 to assist with traffic management; 100 police reserves — new, young men and also of today, we have 120 officers’ recruitment going into training today (Friday).”

He said 100 of those are located in New Providence and the remaining 20 in Grand Bahama.

He noted that the government in Turks and Caicos is sending an additional 19 officers to The Bahamas for training.

The commissioner said the police also have a plan to deal with people out on bail who breach the conditions of their release.

Police reported that 35 suspects had killed someone while out on bail last year.

“What we are doing now is once you have breached your bail, you are arrested and put before the court and now, when they go to

court, they are charged for breach of bail and the magistrate now will remand him so that they can make an application to the Supreme Court to revoke the initial bail and that turnaround time now, you would see a week and a half or two weeks,” he also said.

“So those individuals now they are charged with the breach and now we’re looking to revoke the initial bail that they’re on and the turnaround time now from the Supreme Court because the magistrate or the judge warned them that if you breached them while you’re out on bail, your bail is revoked.

“So now we are working closely with the system to do just that, and we are reaping some great success with respect to those individuals who continue to offend while on bail.”

CORONER’S COURTS INQUESTS WILL SOON RESUME

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle @ tribunemedia.net

AFTER a near threeyear absence of inquiries into police-involved shootings, Commissioner Clayton Fernander said he’s been advised that Coroner’s Courts inquests into these matters will soon resume. He suggested that it could be as early as next month.

The police chief gave the update during a press briefing at the Royal Bahamas Police Force’s headquarters Friday.

“I’m happy to say that this time that I have communicated with the coroner

and she said that as early as next month, you would see some movement in the Coroner’s Court with respect to a number of these police-involved shootings,” Commissioner Fernander said.

Lawyers and family members of victims have long complained about the Coroner’s Court and how long it takes before inquests are held.

Although the pace significantly improved during the Minnis administration, it came to a halt during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

Later, former Coroner Jeanine Weech-Gomez

was sworn in as a Supreme Court justice, causing further delays as officials waited to replace her.

Magistrate Kara Turnquest-Deveaux was named acting coroner in September 2021.

While inquests into other deaths have since resumed, inquests into policeinvolved killings have not as the director of public prosecutions has yet to appoint a lawyer to marshal the cases.

Earlier this month, The Tribune spoke to a few relatives and friends of victims who say they are still waiting for answers on their loved ones’ killing.

Last year, there were 16

police-involved shootings recorded, 10 of which were fatal.

In 2021, 21 policeinvolved killings were reported.

So far, the country has already recorded two police-involved shootings for the year. One of them was fatal.

The incident happened on January 21 when officers were on routine patrol in the area of Kemp Road and Edwards Avenue.

Police said officers saw a man with a gun and pursued him onto Hillbrook Close, where he allegedly engaged the police and was fatally wounded.

The family of the 18-yearold has disputed the police’s version of events and have also asked to see CCTV footage from the area.

However, Commissioner Fernander told reporters Friday that police could not release the footage as it must be handed over to the coroner for the investigation.

“There was a lot of talks out there with respect to the police-involved shooting, the latest one and there was some questions put out there for the police,” he said.

“I can’t speak directly to it because the matter is presently before the

Coroner’s Court.

“There was (a) question about footage. There was also (a) question about body worn cams at the time. We have footage. I cannot release it. It will be handed over to the coroner to assist with the investigation, but I can say that the police, we are trained to eliminate any kind of threats or threat level either to you, to me directly, to my colleagues or citizens.

“And that officer is trained to do just that - to eliminate the threat if his life or his partner or some civilian’s life is in danger. We are not trained to fire no warning shots. That’s not the position.

“A fellow shooting at you and you fire shots in the air to tell him to stop? We have to be real with this and that’s why we continue to investigate properly - to ensure that justice is served across the board,” he also said.

The commissioner also insisted that no form of police brutality will be condoned under his leadership or this Davis-led administration.

“If you’re wrong, then you’ll face the music if you’re not justified in that. You’ll face the music like anyone else. You have to account for your actions,” he added.

“Everyone has to account for their actions and we continue to do just that – to train our officers to ensure that what they do and how they execute their duties, that they are fair and upright.”

There were 170 complaints made against police last year, according to data released by RBPF. This was a 27 percent decrease from 2021, which saw 234 reports filed. Meanwhile 106 cases remain under investigation, while 21 were withdrawn and 28 were said to be unfounded.

POLICE Commissioner Clayton Fernander seen here during a passing out cermony in October of last year.

PM: Princess Margaret Hospital is in a crisis

from page one

“You would have heard during the tour yourselves how long many of the departments and units of the hospital had been in a state of disrepair and not being used.

“So what we see here is not challenges, but truly crisis, and I indicated then that we had a health crisis and part of that crisis is exacerbated by the COVID pandemic, which exposed the infrastructural challenges in crisis we had that require immediate attention - we have the responsibility of providing those services. We see patients in corridors on gurneys. We see the tight spaces in which the nurses and doctors are operating and it just heightens the urgency of now that we do what we need to do and do it very swiftly and quickly.”

He added: “We were hearing about it. We were seeing the news about it, but to come and walk and experience it is truly heart wrenching to see what we have today but we will fix it — we are fixing it. Hence, we trust that you will see what we’re up against and as an aside I said I see why you brought me because you’ll need money but we will do what we have to, because I take a very serious view.”

He told PMH officials that they have his support in getting the health crisis fixed.

For her part, Dr Rolle also conceded the hospital was in a crisis, adding that action is needed.

“I’d like to continue what the prime minister stated and I would term

this as crisis - it’s crisis. So it’s at a point to where we really need to action and that’s exactly what we’re doing now because a few of the things that we’re dealing with now in terms of infrastructural have been there for a while but we have we failed to just move forward and have them done, and what you’re actually seeing now is the actioning of that, so that we could move forward, but it’s just one level of pandemic after the other. So right now you see it happening with another level of pandemic, which is the sick population.”

There have been complaints for years about a lack of adequate bed space and poor infrastructure at PMH. People have also complained about long wait times to be seen and alleged negligence.

In December, an agreement to allow for the transfer of PMH patients to Doctors Hospital West to facilitate much needed repairs at PMH was announced. It was previously reported that the hospital renovations would take place for approximately 14 weeks.

PHA’s managing director said there were around 356 patients in the hospital on Saturday but officials have had up to 424 patients at one point.

“Not all of those patients being in physical beds on the ward, but really being in that virtual space and that is where the levels of concerns are because that is really in the corridor, in emergency room, in the chapels, sitting in chairs because that is what we’re seeing,” Dr Rolle said.

“Doctors Hospital is

UPTICK’ IN COVID-19 NUMBERS SEEN AT PMH

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

COVID-19 units at Princess Margaret Hospital are full due to a slight increase in cases, a hospital official said.

PMH Medical Chief of Staff Dr Caroline BurnettGarraway spoke about admission trends at the hospital during a tour of the facility on Saturday.

“So our patient mix, we see about 25 percent paediatric patients and there was recently a surge with the RSV and different viruses that were circulating in the US and also in The Bahamas,” she said.

“And our COVID numbers there’s a slight uptick now as well. Meaning elderly persons, so they’re coming in for other reasons. We test all our admissions, and then we find that some of them are COVID positive. So our COVID units are actually full right now.”

Other diseases are leading to overcrowding at the hospital as well as trauma

cases such as gunshot victims, she said.

“The non-communicable diseases - so diabetics out of control, hypertensive emergencies, heart attacks, strokes, those are the common things that we’re seeing. Pneumonias as well, mainly in the elderly and, of course, we have our trauma patients. So the assaults, gunshot wounds that continue to challenge us from New Providence and the Family Islands.”

Asked if there may be an increase in people seeking care for ailments that were not treated during the COVID-19 pandemic, she said: “That was a challenge because we weren’t able to do any elective surgery and we’re still challenged with that.

“We have elective cases like ladies who are bleeding who need a hysterectomy. Gentlemen with hernias or urological problems. Our eye surgery is also backed up. So certainly, the pandemic did affect that.”

taking our patients under our contractual agreement, however they have to be more stabilised patients. As I expressed previously, what we are now seeing is unstable patients that really have to remain here for closer observation. So our census is down to Doctors Hospital - we’ve been up to about 41.

“Of course, as with every patient, there’s a discharge date. So we have 13 stable patients there now, we have about 13 boarders here now, and for admissions, we have 13 – We have 13 patients awaiting admission and so we just have to continually look. The number of patients fluctuates. It’s

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

WITH allegations of negligence at Princess Margaret Hospital, Health and Wellness Minister Dr Michael Darville said the hospital “definitely” has “elements of possible malpractice”, adding it was up to officials to minimise such incidents.

Public outrage was ignited earlier this month after the death of Kenise Darville, who went live on Facebook days before her death. The distraught mother of three claimed that she experienced negligence and poor healthcare at PMH.

News of her death prompted other persons to share their alleged bad experiences at the hospital.

After a tour of PMH

very, very fluid, but we try to accommodate as much as possible all of the unstable patients.”

PMH had some 20 longterm boarders at one point, however, officials are working along with private sector groups and elderly homes to ensure that these people have places where they can live and open up critical bed space.

Dr Darville also spoke more about the plans for the new hospitals in Grand Bahama and New Providence.

He reported that the hospital for Grand Bahama that is being led by the Beck Group is in advanced stages.

Furthermore, officials

on Saturday, Dr Darville was questioned about the level of concern about the number of allegations and persons afraid to go to the institution. He answered: “Well, you know, allegations for the delivery of healthcare services is something that is age old. Every facility throughout the world, there’s elements of possible malpractice and the legal parameters associated with it. I cannot point to one hospital anywhere that I’ve been involved in where these allegations have not been brought forward.

“There’s a system that’s in place, and there’s a legal system that is tied in with the PHA legal system and any person who feels as if there’s an element of malpractice, they have a right to seek legal advice. But

are now finalising the topographic studies and the geotechnical studies on the new piece of property that is now confirmed for the construction of that facility in Grand Bahama. Our medical planners have clearly indicated on completion of that hospital we plan not to have two campuses. The hospital at Rand Memorial Hospital will go down to a secondary facility where we will provide geriatric care as well as psychiatric care and we have a very robust and decent operating theatre where we will do some same day surgeries.”

He reported that the feasibility study for the hospital in New Providence is

while that’s happening, it is our responsibility to minimise those allegations by improving our customer service relations by putting advocates in place so that loved ones can constantly be in contact with their loved ones on the ward and any aspect as it relates to malpractice can be brought to the forefront.

“I can assure you, the PHA, the Ministry of Health and Wellness, we’re an open book and we definitely have elements of possible malpractice. You can see it - it happens in the court system. But while that’s happening it is our responsibility to improve the service and to ensure that we minimise that and to stay in communication with family members who have reports of possible mistreatment of their loved ones.”

completed.

“That particular hospital based on the planners will be a specialty hospital focusing on maternity care, adolescents, paediatric care. There will be a reference lab. There will be a national morgue and there will be expanded diagnostic services.

“I will unveil to the press very shortly, our planned structure for that facility because it will be two phases. The first phase will be the specialty hospital and the second phase that we possibly will not get to in this term in office will be a second campus that would reflect the services that will happen here at the Princess Margaret Hospital.”

Mrs Darville’s mourning family has demanded answers surrounding the circumstances of her death and has called for changes in the public healthcare system.

In the wake of the controversy, Dr Darville said that an investigation was underway.

“I was familiar with the case,” he told The Tribune in a previous interview. “I’ve seen the posting on social media, and instructed the Princess Margaret Hospital and the Public Hospitals Authority to do an immediate investigation into the allegations. I’m certain that is already being done. And in short order, the PHA and Princess Margaret Hospital will be issuing a statement once all the factual information has been obtained.”

‘DEFINITELY HAVE ELEMENTS OF POSSIBLE MALPRACTICE’ AT HOSPITAL SAYS MINISTER OF HEALTH AND WELLNESS

‘SLIGHT

MINISTER of Health and Wellness Dr Michael Darville toured Princess Margaret Hospital with Prime Minister Philip ‘Brave’ Davis on Saturday, inspecting conditions and renovations amidst concerns over conditions at the facility.

Photo: Austin Fernander

The Tribune Limited

Tyre Nichols case revives calls for police culture change

AN UNARMED black man dies after a videotaped beating by police.

The officers involved are fired. After a thorough review of the evidence, criminal charges are swiftly filed against the offending officers.

Investigation, accountability and charges.

This is often the most black citizens can hope for as the deaths continue. Nationwide, police have killed roughly three people per day consistently since 2020, according to academics and advocates for police reform who track such deaths.

Tyre Nichols’ fatal encounter with police officers in Memphis, Tennessee, recorded in video made public on Friday night, is a glaring reminder that efforts to reform policing have failed to prevent more flashpoints in an intractable epidemic of brutality.

Nearly 32 years ago, Rodney King’s savage beating by police in Los Angeles prompted heartfelt calls for change. They’ve been repeated in a ceaseless rhythm ever since, punctuated by the deaths of Amadou Diallo in New York, Oscar Grant in Oakland, California, Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and so many others.

George Floyd’s murder in Minneapolis in 2020 was so agonising to watch, it summoned a national reckoning that featured federal legislation proposed in his name and shows of solidarity by corporations and sports leagues. All fell short of the shift in law enforcement culture black people in America have called for — a culture that promotes freedom from fear, trust in police and mutual respect.

“We need public safety, right? We need law enforcement to combat pervasive crime,” said Jason Turner, senior pastor of Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church in Memphis. “Also, we don’t want the people who are sworn to protect and serve us brutalising us for a simple traffic stop, or any offence.”

The five black officers are now fired and charged with murder and other crimes in the January 10 death of Nichols, a 29-year-old skateboarder, FedEx worker and father to a four-year-old boy.

From police brass and the district attorney’s office to the White House, officials said Nichols’ killing points to a need for bolder reforms that go beyond simply diversifying the ranks, changing use-of-force rules and encouraging citizens to file complaints.

“The world is watching us,” Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy said. “If there is any silver lining to be drawn from this very dark cloud, it’s that perhaps this incident can open a broader conversation about the need for police reform.”

President Joe Biden joined national civil rights leaders in similar calls to action. “To deliver real change, we must have accountability when law enforcement officers violate their oaths, and we need to build lasting trust between law enforcement, the vast majority of whom wear the badge honorably, and the communities they are sworn to serve and protect,” the president said.

But Memphis, whose 628,000 residents celebrate barbecue and blues music and lament being the place where the Rev Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated, has seen this before. The city took steps advocates called for in a “Reimagine Policing” initiative in 2021, and mirrored a set of policy changes reformers want all departments to implement immediately, known as “8 Can’t Wait”. De-escalation training is now required. Officers are told to limit uses of force, exhaust all alternatives before resorting to deadly force and report all uses of force. Tennessee also took action: State law now requires officers to intervene to stop abuse and report excessive force by their colleagues.

Showing unusual transparency for a police department, the MPD now publishes accountability reports that include the race of people subjected to use of force each year. They show black men and women were overwhelmingly targeted for rougher treatment in 2019, 2020 and 2021. They were subject to nearly 86% of the recorded uses of guns, batons, pepper spray, physical beatings and other force in 2021, the total nearly

doubling that year to 1,700 cases.

Seven uses of force by Memphis police ended in death during these three years.

“I don’t know how much more cumulative black death our community should have to pay to convince elected officials that the policing system isn’t broken — it’s working exactly as it was designed to, at the expense of Black life,” said AshLee Woodard Henderson, co-executive director of the Highlander Research and Education Center, a Tennessee-based civil rights leadership training school.

The Nichols case — just one of the brutality cases to make national news this month — exposes an uncomfortable truth: More than two years since the deaths of Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Rayshard Brooks touched off protests, policing reforms have not significantly reduced such killings.

States approved nearly 300 police reform bills after Floyd’s murder, creating civilian oversight of police, more anti-bias training, stricter use-of-force limits and alternatives to arrests in cases involving people with mental illnesses, according to a recent analysis by the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism at the University of Maryland.

Despite calls to “defund the police”, an Associated Press review of police funding nationwide found only modest cuts, driven largely by shrinking revenue related to the coronavirus pandemic. Budgets increased and more officers were hired for some large departments, including New York City’s.

Still stuck in Congress is the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which would prohibit racial profiling, ban chokeholds and no-knock warrants, limit the transfer of military equipment to police departments, and make it easier to bring charges against offending officers. Biden said he told Nichols’ mother that he would be “making a case” to Congress to pass the Floyd Act “to get this under control”.

The Rev Al Sharpton said his eulogy at Nichols’ funeral on Wednesday will include a call for new laws. NAACP President Derrick Johnson also took Congress to task.

“By failing to write a piece of legislation, you’re writing another obituary,” Johnson said. “Tell us what you’re going to do to honour Tyre Nichols… We can name all the victims of police violence, but we can’t name a single law you have passed to address it.”

Advocates want state and federal legislation because local changes vary widely in scope and effect and can be undone by a single election after years of grassroots activism. But some say strict regulations are just the start — and the video of Nichols’ agony proves it.

“Changing a rule doesn’t change a behaviour,” said Katie Ryan, chief of staff for Campaign Zero, a group of academics, policing experts and activists working to end police violence. “The culture of a police department has to shift into actually implementing the policies, not just saying there’s a rule in place.”

The five officers charged — Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills Jr, Emmitt Martin III and Justin Smith — were part of the so-called Scorpion unit. Scorpion stands for Street Crimes Operations to Restore Peace in our Neighborhoods. The Memphis police chief, Cerelyn “CJ” Davis, disbanded the unit on Saturday.

Prior to the move by Davis, Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland said it was clear that the officers involved in the attack on Nichols violated the department’s policies and training.

“I want to assure you we are doing everything we can to prevent this from happening again,” Strickland said in a statement. “We are initiating an outside, independent review of the training, policies and operations of our specialised units.”

The Memphis police union extended condolences to Nichols’ family, saying it “is committed to the administration of justice and NEVER condones the mistreatment of ANY citizen nor ANY abuse of power”. The statement also expressed faith that the justice system would reveal “the totality of circumstances” in the case.

By AARON MORRISON, CLAU-

AFTER

Equal access to education for everyone

EDITOR, The Tribune.

PLEASE allow the publishing of this open letter to the Minister of Education &

Dear Minister,

I write to you in two capacities – as a mental health professional/advocate and as a parent of a recently discovered special needs child who has a learning disability, visual-spatial disorder to be precise.

Visual-spatial disability is a non-verbal learning disorder (NVLD). It is a processing deficit whereby a child struggles to organise and process visual information. It creates a challenge to appropriately conceptualise space and can present with a struggle with concepts in math and complex verbal instructions. They are not dumb. They have a Learning disorder (LD). More accurately, they learn differently from a normal neurotypical child.

As such, unless the traditional way of teaching is adapted to maximise his learning experience, he and other children suffering from similar disabilities will be left behind. And that is wrong. NVLD is much more common than what is reported according to experts in the field. Further, the prevalence of learning disability is estimated at 5% (that’s one in every 20 students) making it quite common.

The Bahamas is a signatory of the Conventions on Rights of Persons with Physical Disabilities (CRPD). As written in the document, Article 7 states

that “Parties shall take all necessary measures to ensure the full enjoyment by children with disabilities of all human rights and fundamental freedoms on an equal basis with other children.”

Further, The Child Protection Act 2007 Section 8 states “(2) The Minister responsible for education shall take appropriate steps to ensure that children with disabilities are afforded equal opportunities to education.”

There is a policy/practice of the Bahamas government to provide subventions to private educational institutions to support those entities in teaching our children.

My son recently enrolled into a private secondary institution. But he is struggling. Like most private secondary schools, the school that he attends does not have an individualised educational programme commonly known as an IEP. Programmes like IEP are proven interventions for children with LDs. Adapting such programmes in all schools allows for all children of various academic ability to strive and grow at their individual pace. This does not change the school’s curriculum but expands the educational environment to be more inclusive which is the aspirations of CRPD and Human Rights. It does not mean added cost to education. It

means investing in specialised teachers and developing programmes for children with special ways of learning.

The solution is not to have separate schools, as that approach goes against the CRPD right of equality, and also the spirit of the Child Protection Act mandating “equal opportunities to education.” Further, as argued in Brown v Board of Education (1954), although related to race, the essence of the argument holds firm: separation could never be equal.

If a private school is receiving government funds, and those funds are mostly derived from taxpayers, then those institutions are receiving taxpayers’ money.

Receiving taxpayer’s money should mean that those institutions provide appropriate education for all taxpayers’ children. ALL.

In other words, they should expand their programme to accommodate students with special needs. If they are not doing so, then they should not receive taxpayers’ money. We are sacrificing too many children and excusing away the desire not to change and embrace a better way. Education is a fundamental right to all children. Subsidising private schools that do not embrace inclusion is unfair to all Bahamian children with any disability.

DR THOMAS SMITH MRCPsych, DM, MBBS, BSc. Nassau, January 25, 2023.

War of words

EDITOR, The Tribune.

IT IS not my practice to engage in lengthy correspondence with another through the pages of your newspaper. However, circumstances alter cases, and I find myself engaged in one with the Hon Fred Flag Burning Mitchell, me by letter to the editor and him by voice note on social media.

However, as much as I have enjoyed and been amused by our tete a tete,

I am calling it quits, but, if the converted PLP now chairman wants to continue he can do so with my blessings.

But, before I put down my pen I wish to thank the Hon Minister for proving my case beyond a reasonable doubt that he is unsuited to hold the office of Foreign Minister.

For, with Haiti in turmoil, envoys being recalled, crime out of control and other problems in the country, our well paid and

well travelled Minister has the time to issue voice notes filled with diatribe and insults against me, a private senior citizen, with no clout. Really, Mr Mitchell!

I would commend the following words from the bard to Mr Mitchell - “Those whom the gods would destroy they first make mad.”

JEANNE THOMPSON Nassau, January 27, 2023.

Passenger spending

EDITOR, The Tribune.

I WOULD appreciate you publishing my open letter to Mr Michael Bayley, CEO, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines.

Dear Mr Bayley, Paradise Island Lighthouse and Beach Club Co

Ltd has partnered, with other interested parties, to conduct a voluntary survey of cruise passenger spending for the purpose of gathering analytical data with a short, electronic questionnaire.

We have selected Little Stirrup Cay, aka Coco Cay, as one such location and we would be grateful to receive

your permission to conduct such on this Bahamian Cay. Thank you very much.

CAPT TOBY SMITH Lighthouse Keeper, Paradise Island Lighthouse & Beach Club No 1 Paradise Island, The Bahamas. Nassau, January 27, 2023.

Tribune readers raised concerns over a sign put up by Rentokil and were worried that racoons may be being killed, Rentokil replied in Friday’s Tribune to make clear that any such animals were caught and released in a rural area. And just to round things off, they amended the sign that stirred up concerns in the first place.

‘Magnificent opportunity’ as Lyford Cay International School to offer additional scholarships for Bahamians

By LETRE SWEETING lsweeting@tribunemedia.net

LYFORD Cay International School is looking to increase its more than 40 percent Bahamian student population through the implementation of ten new scholarships.

The scholarships of the Bahamian Leaders of Tomorrow programme at LCIS, available for Bahamian students of all primary and high school grade levels, will range from paying for 25 to 100 percent of the student’s LCIS tuition. It will also offer leadership mentoring from various industry leaders.

Deputy Prime Minister Chester Cooper, who is also an LCIS parent, spoke on the significance of these new scholarships on Friday

during an event for the school’s 60th annual Founder’s Day celebration.

“Over the many years at LCIS, the board and the founders and the many philanthropists associated with LCIS have done a

tremendous job in attracting students from across The Bahamas who ordinarily would not be able to afford to come to LCIS,” the Tourism, Aviation and Investments Minister said.

“This is going to be a magnificent opportunity for students across The Bahamas to get the education that’s offered here at LCIS, this international school that is well-rated, not only in The Bahamas, but also in the Caribbean,” he said.

“I hope that Family Island students will also feature prominently in the selection process for these scholarships. We hope that as a result of this scholarship that we will be able to find some diamonds in the Family Islands, in the innercities, in some of the areas across the islands of The

HUNDREDS OF JOBS ON THE WAY FOR RESIDENTS OF SOUTH ABACO

By LETRE SWEETING lsweeting@tribunemedia.net

SOUTH Abaco residents have been told to get ready for the “hundreds of jobs and economic activity” that the proposed Kakona South Abaco Development will bring to the island, with airport redevelopments not far behind.

This is according to Tourism, Aviation and Investments Minister Chester Cooper who spoke about the $800m development and other items addressed in a town meeting in South Abaco last week.

“So, in our town meeting in South Abaco (on Thursday), we wanted the people of South Abaco to be ready for the hundreds of jobs, but more importantly the economic activity for entrepreneurs,” Mr Cooper said on the sidelines of an event at Lyford Cay International School on Friday.

“This is going to cause a massive shift, if you will, in the way of life in this community. It’s going to create an economic centre. Most people now travel to Marsh Harbour or go to the Abaco cays for work, this is going to cause there to be a development of housing and shopping and various essential services that’s needed for this community,” he said.

“Naturally, there are some concerns about infrastructure and roads. They want to ensure that they will have the type of healthcare and schools that can match the population that’s going to come. All of these things are within our sights. We have negotiated with the developer to ensure they understand the socioeconomic issues that come as a result of these developments,” Mr Cooper said.

“It is important that we develop all of the islands of The Bahamas. We hope that as we move through the various communities, this will trigger the excitement that we saw in South Abaco, that this will cause a movement of residents back to build these islands with their own hands,” he said.

Mr Cooper added that following the signing of a heads of agreement last month for the Kakona South Abaco Development, most of the approvals for the project are now completed, with construction set to begin shortly.

“Most of the approvals are completed. They are in the final stages of sign off for their environmental assessment. Once this is completed and reviewed by the Department of Environment, I expect that construction is going to start real soon,” Mr Cooper said.

“The developers have already put $40 million in the ground and they’ve been working for years, they’re very eager to begin

MINISTER of Tourism, Aviation and Investments Chester Cooper revealed Friday that work on a $800m development in South Abaco is set to begin soon, offering ‘hundreds of jobs and economic activity’.

for the people of South Abaco,” he said. Regarding plans for the re-development of Family Island airports, Mr Cooper said: “As it relates to the airports, we’re going to have a request for proposals (RFP) come out in the next 14 days. “This is going to trigger the redevelopments of these airports.

“(At the town meeting in South Abaco on Thursday) we had our director of aviation talking about the airports in Sandy Point, where there will be a PPP (public private partnership), in Treasure Cay and in Marsh Harbour,” he said.

“We hope that when we redevelop the Marsh Harbour airport, Treasure Cay and Sandy Point will be a part of that as well. There’s some work to be done after Hurricane Dorian, we’re going to have to move the tower and we’re going to have to do some other remedial work in Marsh Harbour,” Mr Cooper said.

“We’re going to return to North Abaco, there are many other developments in Abaco and we want the community and the residents of these islands to be prepared, getting into business in advance, preparing their family and their children who may have moved abroad, to let them know the opportunities are coming so that they can return home,” he said.

Mr Cooper added that there are many other Family Island airports that are going to be developed around the same time as well.

“We are breaking ground at Grand Bahama before the end of March, so that’s going to be the first one out the gate, and hopefully shortly thereafter we will see North Eleuthera and then we will see the airports in Abaco, in that order. That’s what we anticipate will happen,” he said.

Bahamas who can benefit from the education at LCIS, that they wouldn’t ordinarily be able to afford,” Mr Cooper said.

LCIS principal David Mindorff said the scholarship programme is aimed at emerging student leaders, with strong academics, strong leadership potential, who have active co-curriculars and talents that can be honed.

“So for the very first

“The point we make to the citizens across The Bahamas is that while we attract these investments and they’re good for The Bahamas, we’re not doing them for the development itself, we’re doing them for the benefit of the Bahamian people,” Mr Cooper said.

time we have imple-

mented a block of ten scholarships, normally we have quite a long tradition of students who attend the school on scholarship, but it has usually been a little more limited. So through various strategies the (school) board has come up with, we now can expand the number of students that we can offer this education for,” Mr Mindorff said.

“The Bahamian Leaders of Tomorrow scholarship is exclusively for Bahamians. What’s new this year is that we’re open to younger students, typically we’ve left scholarships for older students,” he said. Within this 2022-2023 school year, LCIS has offered over $785,000 in scholarships to Bahamian families and over $1m in education assistance overall this year.

DEPUTY Prime Minister Chester Cooper speaking at Lyford Cay International School’s 60th annual Founder’s Day Celebration on Friday.

Photo: Moise Aimsial

LYFORD Cay International School principal David Mindorff speaking to guests at the 60th annual Founder’s Day Celebration as the school expands it’s scholarship opportunities for Bahamians.

Photo: Moise Aimsial

Photo: Moise Aimsial

ARTIST’s rendition of the proposed Kakona South Abaco Development

Haiti teeters on the brink of civil war with no solutions in sight

By MALCOLM STRACHAN

IN Haiti, we are witnessing what appears to be the complete breakdown of the law.

On Thursday, police officers took to the streets in protest, blocking roads and firing guns into the air. The gates at the airport in Port-au-Prince were broken down by protestors – with the gates at the Prime Minister’s house also being forced open.

By Thursday night, the streets belonged to the gangs with few working police officers in sight.

That same day, three armed masked men burst into the emergency room of Raoul Pierre Louis public hospital in Carrefour and dragged a patient off a stretcher to execute him outside.

Médecins Sans Frontières, who support the hospital, said: “Three armed masked men burst into the hospital’s emergency room, taking a patient lying on a stretcher who had been admitted for a gunshot wound. They violently dragged him out of the hospital, executing him with a bullet to the head about ten metres outside the hospital grounds.”

Benoit Vasseur, MSF’s head of mission in Haiti, said: “This is the second time we have this kind of incident in this hospital. We are again shocked by this act of brutal retribution, which violates all humanitarian principles and the protection this patient should have had inside a medical structure.

“Faced with this unacceptable level of violence, we have no other choice than to temporarily suspend all our activities in Raoul Pierre Louis hospital. We will suspend activities for as long as we cannot guarantee the safety of our staff and patients.”

This halts a 30-year effort by MSF to help Haiti, and if you look around, Haiti is finding help being withdrawn perhaps at the time it needs it most.

Our own diplomats have been airlifted out of Haiti after the Chargé d’Affaires reported the Bahamian group had been stopped by Haitian police and relieved of their vehicle and weapons. Meanwhile, Bahamasair staff found themselves trapped inside the airport.

The Bahamas has now announced no new work permits will be processed for Haitians until the authenticity of documents produced by the Haitian government can be confirmed. Existing applications and renewals will face “vigorous review and scrutiny’, we are told –while Turks and Caicos has imposed a six-month ban on visitor visas for Haitian nationals.

There has been an upsurge it seems in illegal migration, and now the legal path to reach other countries is getting harder - or being removed entirely.

Meanwhile, international groups continue to face a risk in the country - in 2021, for example, 17 members of a missionary group were kidnapped by the 400 Mawozo gang, which demanded a ransom of $17m for their release. All 17 were later released,

and it is understood a lower price was paid, though what that was remains undisclosed.

United Nations Secretary General António Gutierrez last Monday called for governments to halt deportations as Haiti slides deeper into disarray –but that’s not the action we will take, with Immigration Minister Keith Bell saying we have “a job to do” to protect The Bahamas, and the deportations will continue.

When nearly 400 migrants were detained here recently, one of the actions taken was to send a medical team to inspect them – because as well as everything else, Haiti is now battling against cholera.

Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis has spoken recently of acting “with the

Other global powers have been weighing in too. China’s UN Ambassador, Zhang Jun, called for an urgent review and update of sanctions and for the full implementation of such measures “in order to create the necessary deterrent to gang violence”.

Russia’s deputy UN Ambassador, Dmitry Polyanskiy, said the Haiti sanctions committee should seek to find “the true sources of funding of the gangs in Haiti and the routes of illegal weapons supplies to the island”.

All this weighs heavily on The Bahamas as a near neighbour – we know boats will head our way, and we know that some among us are part of these groups of human smugglers, and likely weapons smugglers too.

support and leadership of Haiti” – but there’s an open question about who leads the country. Earlier this month, the terms expired of the last remaining ten senators, after vacant seats had not been filled by the failure to hold elections in 2019. The end of the tenure of those senators leaves the country without any democratically elected institutions.

There is an interim Prime Minister, Ariel Henry, who was chosen for the post just days before President Jovenel Moise was assassinated but who was never sworn in.

Since 2021, he has promised a provisional electoral council to convene elections – that council has still never been appointed.

Gangs, meanwhile, are said to control large sections of the country – and blocked off the country’s fuel for a prolonged period of time last year after taking control of ports.

In short, there is no leadership, no law and order, and no way out.

How do we begin to tackle such a situation?

Last week, the United States was talking sanctions – with an asset freeze, travel ban and arms embargo on anyone who threatens the peace or stability of Haiti.

In a document last week, the US Congressional Research Service spoke of allegations circling of Prime Minister Henry’s possible involvement in the assassination of the President, noting “Henry has fired officials who have sought to question him about the Moise case”.

Further sanctions are proposed, including against the country’s most powerful gangster.

Haiti itself has called for intervention by a “rapid action force” to help combat gangs, a call also proposed by UN Secretary-General Gutierrez. However, Helen La Lime, the UN special envoy to Haiti, told the Security Council: “This has yet to materialise.”

She said: “Haitians overwhelmingly want this assistance so they can go about their daily lives in peace. Gang-related violence has reached levels not seen in decades. Murders and kidnappings increased for a fourth consecutive year.”

Despite the burden we face from this meltdown in Haiti, our actual ability to bring meaningful change there is limited. This is a task that needs a broad coalition.

An unstable Haiti is of benefit to no one – globally or for Haiti at home.

For ourselves, one of the biggest complaints among many Bahamians, whether right or wrong, is about immigration.

The solution to that is to fix Haiti, so that there is no need for people to flee for a chance to survive.

The size of that task is reflected by the many, many years of migration we have witnessed.

Right now, Haiti seems to be teetering on the brink of outright civil war. There seems to have never been a more important time to come together to bring a resolution. But with more sanctions, more travel bans, more international groups pulling out, that resolution has never seemed further away.

“An unstable Haiti is of benefit to no one – globally or for Haiti at home.”

CAPTURED migrants being transported to a BahamasAir flights in Inagua to send them back to Haiti in 2021.

A VESSEL with 87 migrants abourd is intercepted by the Royal Bahamas Defence Force in 2018.

ARMED police officers stand with weapons drawn in front of the police headquarters during a protest to denounce bad police governance, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Thursday.

Photo: Odelyn Joseph/AP

Not all heroes wear capes...

long proposed that the reason we love comic book superheroes is because we all secretly desire to be the heroes of our own lives.

As in sports, it’s both exhilarating and morally satisfying to watch the underdog win against all odds.

This, I believe, is because we often feel held down traversing day to day through a bottom-heavy corporatist society leaving us feeling that we have little or no control over the big things that happen in the world. We cannot change culture or finance or even our immediate surroundings.

But heroes rise up, jump out in front, then fight against the wrongs of society even if for a moment in time. And, in doing so, are celebrated for their efforts.

Legendary comic book writer Stan Lee, creator of beloved superheroes like Black Panther, X-Men, Fantastic Four, The Hulk and Spider-Man, often stated that anyone can win a fight when the odds are easy.

But, if you can win when it seems impossible, those are the times that matter and those are the heroes we can all believe in.

My patient, hereafter referred to as Tony, certainly understands what it means to have the cards stacked against you and still walk through the turmoil, battle scars in hand, yet heroically triumphant.

What makes his story all the more remarkable is that he fought his battle when he was just nine-months old.

Tony was in utero for 42 weeks, half-a-month longer than the typical gestation period. Normal vaginal delivery wasn’t an option because Tony’s umbilical cord was wrapped so tightly around his neck that any slight movement on his part could have easily strangled him so doctors induced labour. All seemed well until one week after his birth when his mother suffered a near-fatal seizure in hospital.

Physicians ran to her aid as she coded and life rapidly drained from her body. Fortunately, she was resuscitated in time by her own team of real-life superheroes. But much like in the comics, their job was far from over.

Over the next few months, Tony thrived. He exhibited some mild developmental delays, like being slower to crawl than his older brother, but he was a happy baby. He loved to laugh and dance and he loved to hug everyone, even strangers.

He suffered with asthma and chronic sinus issues, constantly being plagued by colds and allergens, but for the most part he was healthy and his medical morbidities were successfully controlled with anti-histamines, cold meds and a nebulizer.

Then, without warning, when he was nine-months old, he began leaning back every time he was held. He never cried or complained to indicate that something was wrong, but he didn’t like to remain in an upright position for an extended period of time.

It seemed innocuous enough to be considered a mild peculiarity so his parents dismissed it. With great care, they’d always hold his back firmly expecting that as soon as they picked him up, he’d fling his body backwards and elongate his stomach.

Then one night, their normally calm and happy baby wouldn’t stop crying. He cried off and on for several hours. Absolutely nothing worked to appease his distress. He was so lethargic and distressed that they knew something was seriously wrong so they rushed him to the emergency room. All standard tests came back normal but Tony was started on a course of antibiotics just in case he had an underlying infection.

His mother was advised to take him to see his paediatrician first thing in the morning. Unaware of what caused him to suddenly become so irritable, that night she couldn’t sleep and laid awake worried about what could be wrong.

At the first sign of light, she got up and checked on Tony once again before making herself some breakfast.

Then, at half past seven, she removed Tony’s blanket to get him ready to see his paediatrician. In doing so, to her unimaginable horror, she saw that his pamper was soaked with a lake of dark red blood.

Tony was quiet and barely moved when normally he’d be holding onto the rails of his crib and dancing.

His mother panicked, her heart pounding like fists to a drum and skipping beats erratically. She initially screamed but quickly blunted her emotions so that Tony wouldn’t become alarmed.

She quickly called his paediatrician and he told her to take him to the hospital, with his pamper secured for inspection, immediately. He arranged to meet them there.

She grabbed both of her kids and on the way, she called her husband, crying, emotional and without the necessary words to express her fear. But he didn’t need any words because he could deduce the seriousness of the situation amidst her disjointed outbursts and panicked pauses.

At the hospital, they were notified that Tony had a severe intestinal obstruction, confirmed via an abdominal ultrasound.

Tony’s mother subsequently learned through her own research that Tony’s small intestine was genetically inverted into his large intestine and the perforation in his intestinal wall caused the bleeding.

His doctors never confirmed what caused him to develop this blockage, only stating that his situation was critical and without treatment he could die.

Tony underwent surgery that night. He and his mother were wheeled down to the operating theatre and once they got to the door, she had to hand him over to the nurse and then wait in their room on the paediatric’s floor until his surgery was over. She feared the worst but her husband, mother and extended family soothed

her anxieties and together prayed for a miracle.

Miraculously, Tony survived. A feeding tube was inserted from his nose to his stomach because he couldn’t eat by mouth. He had a fever for several days post operatively and nurses constantly came in to tap him on his back. At the same time, as his mother regularly applied Vaseline to his dry lips, she tried not to show her own sadness when she saw how he looked at her, expressionless with sad eyes. She desperately longed to hold him in her arms

but because of the feeding tube, she couldn’t. Not until it was removed after five days. When she finally did, a mountain of fear fell off her shoulders.

Tony was released from the hospital after one week and recovered at home another two weeks after that, with frequent visits to his paediatrician’s office.

Now aged 19, he still has the scar from his navel to his mid-stomach, some seven inches long, to adequately remind him of the fight that nearly cost him his life.

He doesn’t remember that time at all, apart from what he’s been told by his parents. But it’s in part made him love superheroes, especially those created by Stan Lee like Black Panther

By DR KENNETH D KEMP

and Iron Man, because of the super human internal strength it took for him to survive and the real-life heroes like his parents and doctors who helped him to do so.

Fathers are also often over-looked but the steady guidance that Tony’s father provided and his calm, focused support shepherded their entire family through the storm. But it was his mother who jumped in front of his bus and flew to unimaginable heights.

Mothers are often unsung heroes but, in this case, her heroism cannot be overstated. The fact that she’d taken Tony to the hospital the night before, meant that doctors didn’t need to repeat unnecessary tests and were able to diagnose him much

every second mattered. His mother stresses that the lesson everyone should take from this story is that you have to follow your instincts and if they tell you to act, do so. Take the risk that you may be overreacting, but there is an equal chance that you can also be the hero who saves someone’s life.

Tony’s mother dreads to consider what may have happened if she hadn’t been vigilant and opted to take her son to see his compassionate, quick to react, paediatrician that morning rather than letting him sleep a while longer.

To this day, she continues to pray that both her sons and children all around the world will always have strength throughout their body, peace in their mind, love in their heart and boundless, incalculable, joy within their soul.

And for the times they don’t, through prayer and God’s mercy, there are heroes nearby ready and willing to save them. This is the KDK Report.

the lesson everyone should take from this story is that you have to follow your instincts and if they tell you to act, do so.

Being homosexual is not a crime - Pope Francis

World View

By SIR RONALD SANDERS

“BEING homosexual is not a crime. We are all children of God, and God loves us as we are and for the strength that each of us fights for our dignity.”

Those words were spoken by Pope Francis, easily the most radical pontiff that the Roman Catholic Church has ever had.

The Pope was speaking in an interview with the Associated Press that was published on January 25, ahead of a planned tour of two African countries, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The African continent ranks among the most homophobic regions of the world. Apart from South Africa, Mozambique and Angola, which are countries whose governments and peoples are most tolerant of homosexual rights, the majority of African nations rate equally with the intolerant governments of Russia, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Iraq. Throughout his papacy, Pope Francis has advocated a less doctrinal policy approach for modern Catholicism. Francis is a man of his time, determined not to harden the Church’s anachronistic positions in times, which have changed, with a greater emphasis on human rights, including gay rights. In the interview with the Associated Press, he emphasised the Holy See’s position that laws that criminalise homosexuality

outright are “unjust” and that the Church must work to put an end to them. He did not spare Bishops of the Church who support laws that criminalise homosexuality. He said that they need to “have a process of conversion” and should apply “tenderness, please, as God has for each one of us.” Whether he has opened the eyes, ears and hearts of the controlling hierarchy of the Church is left to be seen. What is certain is that Francis has succeeded in humanising the face of the Church which, for centuries, imposed repressive rules on its followers that, politically, supported colonialism, imperialism and racism. In a socio-economic context, its rules on abortion, caused suffering and hardship for poor communities around the world, particularly in Ireland and Latin America where Catholicism dominated.

The impact that his approach has achieved is evident in the leadership of Ireland and in parts of Africa. The current Taoiseach, or the head of government, of Ireland is Leo Eric Varadka who is the child of an Indian father and an Irish mother, and is a declared homosexual. Many prejudices – both racial and religious – were overcome with his election, in a remarkable tribute to the openness of the Irish people to change. But, the influence of Pope

Francis, now completing a decade as a change-agent of the Church, contributed immensely to the freedom of thinking and attitudes in Ireland. Similarly, his papacy has had a beneficial effect in Africa where recent statistics show 2.1 per cent growth in Catholic followers between 2019 and 2020. Out of a global population of 1.36 billion Catholics, 236 million are African or 20% of the total. Reports indicate that Catholicism is witnessing a “youth bulge” in Africa. This follows the effective transmission of Pope Francis’ message that churches, religious groups and governments show solidarity with young people. He calls them “the church of now.”

In November 2022, during a synodal consultation with African youth, he denounced the exploitation of Africa by external

forces and its destruction by wars, ideologies of violence and policies that rob young people of their future. That message by the Head of a Church, which conspired with many authoritarian regimes in Latin America, Europe and in parts of Africa and Asia, to exploit and repress their people, has a powerful appeal.

Nonetheless, his visit to South Sudan and the DRC will not be without its problems. In the interview with the Associated Press, Pope Francis acknowledged that in Africa and other parts of the world, there needs to be change in relation to anti-homosexual laws. Responding to the question, “Can the Church contribute to repealing these laws?” he was unequivocal, saying: “They have to do it. What happens is that they are cultures in a state and the bishops of that place, although they

are good bishops, [they] are part of the culture and some still have their minds in that culture. The bishops also have [to undergo] a process of conversion.”

Some of these reluctant Bishops exist in South Sudan and DRC as they do in other parts of Africa and the Caribbean. Having been nurtured in a culture of intolerance, they find adjustment to a new dispensation difficult.

Although, as Pope Francis pointed out, “In the catechism of the Catholic Church it says that people of homosexual tendency have to be welcomed, they do not have to be marginalised”. He makes it clear that “Every man and woman has to have a window into his life where he can pour his hope and where he can see the dignity of God. And being gay is not a crime. It’s a human condition.”

Throughout most of the world, societies and governments have accepted that “being gay is a human condition”. The result is that members of the LGBTQIA community have attained high positions in all sectors of society. While there may be little hope in authoritarian countries, such as Russia, Afghanistan and Iran, it is past time for more progressive societies to heed the counsel and wisdom of Pope Francis, who has emerged as an enlightened, caring example of the best of humanity. I had the privilege of working with a former Justice of the High Court of Australia, Michael Kirby, when we were members of the Commonwealth Eminent Persons Group, which was commissioned by Heads of Government to propose ways of reforming the Commonwealth in 2010. Justice Kirby urged all members of the Group to recommend abolition of the homosexual laws, which were imposed on its colonies by the colonial British government – laws which Britain itself repealed but are retained to this day by some Commonwealth countries in Africa and the Caribbean.

He made this telling point to the group – if governments and civil societies had not taken a strong and determined stand against Apartheid in South Africa, and before that in Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), institutional racism would still exist in Africa, robbing the majority black populations of their right to equality, fairness and justice.

Kirby’s irresistible argument resonates in the words of Pope Francis.

• Responses and previous commentaries: www. sirronaldsanders.com

(The writer is Antigua and Barbuda’s Ambassador to the United States of America and the Organization of American States. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, University of London and Massey College in the University of Toronto).

POPE Francis during his interview with The Associated Press at The Vatican on Tuesday last week.

Photo: Andrew Medichini/AP

A one-shot COVID-19 vaccine approach?

Five questions answered

THE US Food and Drug Administration’s key science advisory panel, the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee, met on January 26 to chart a path forward for COVID-19 vaccine policy.

During the all-day meeting, the 21-member committee discussed an array of weighty issues, including the efficacy of existing vaccines, the composition of future vaccine strains and the need to match them to the circulating variants of SARS-CoV-2, the possibility of moving to an annual-shot model, the potential seasonality of the virus and much more.

But the key question at hand, and the only formal question that was voted on, following a proposal from the FDA earlier in the week, had to do with how to simplify the path to getting people vaccinated.

The Conversation asked immunologist Matthew Woodruff, who has been on the front lines of studying immune responses to COVID-19 since the early days of the pandemic, to walk us through the big questions of the day and what they mean for future COVID-19 vaccine strategies.

What exactly did the advisory committee vote on?

The question put before the committee for a vote was whether to move to one COVID-19 vaccine consisting of a single composition for all people - whether currently vaccinated or not - and away from the current model that includes one formulation given as a primary series and a separate formulation administered as a booster.

Importantly, approved formulations could come from any number of vaccine manufacturers, not just those that have currently authorised vaccines.

The CDC currently requires that the primary series of shots, or the first two doses of the vaccine that a patient receives, consist of the first generation of vaccine against the original strain of SARS-CoV-2, known as the “Wuhan” strain of the virus.

These shots are given weeks apart, followed months later by a booster shot that was updated in August 2022 to contain a bivalent formulation of vaccine that targets both the original viral strain and newer subvariants of omicron.

The committee’s endorsement simplifies those recommendations. In a 21-to-0 vote, the advisory board recommended fully replacing, or “harmonising”, the original formulation of the vaccine with a single shot that would consist of –at least for now – the current bivalent vaccine.

In doing so, it has signaled its belief that these new second-generation vaccines are an upgrade over their predecessors in protecting from infection and severe illness at this point in the pandemic.

Will the single shot remain a mixed-strain, or bivalent, vaccine?

For now, the single shot will be bivalent. But this may not always be the case.

There was a general agreement that the current bivalent shot is preferable to the original vaccine targeted at the Wuhan strain of the virus by itself. But committee members debated whether that original Wuhan vaccine strain

should continue to be a part of updated vaccine formulations.

There is no current data comparing a monovalent, or single-strain, vaccine that targets omicron and its subvariants against the current bivalent shot. As a result, it’s unclear how a monovalent shot against recent omicron subvariants would perform in comparison to the bivalent version.

What is immune imprinting, and how does it apply here?

A main reason for the debate over monovalent versus bivalent - or, for that matter, trivalent or tetravalent - vaccines is a lack of understanding around how best to sharpen an immune response to a slightly altered threat. This has long been a debate surrounding annual influenza vaccination strategies, where studies have shown that the immune “memory” that forms in response to a prior vaccine can actively repress a robust immune response to the next.

This phenomenon of immune imprinting, originally coined in 1960 as “original antigenic sin”, has been a topic of debate both within the advisory committee and within the broader immunological community. Although innovative strategies are being developed to overcome potential problems with routinely updated vaccines, they are not yet ready to be tested in humans. In the meantime, it is unclear how bivalent versus monovalent vaccine choices might alter this phenomenon, and it is very clear that more study is needed.

Is the committee considering only mRNA vaccines?

While a significant portion of the discussion focused on the mRNA vaccine platform used by both Pfizer and Moderna, several committee members emphasised the need for new technologies that could provide broader immunological protection. Dr Pamela McInnes, a now-retired longtime deputy director of the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, highlighted this point, saying: “I would make a plea for ongoing research on broader protection, maybe different platforms, maybe a different approach.”

A good deal of attention was also directed toward Novavax, a protein-based formulation that relies on a more traditional approach to vaccination than the mRNA-based vaccines. Although the Novavax vaccine has been authorized by the FDA for use since July 2022, it has received much less national attention – largely because of its latecomer status. Nonetheless, Novavax has boasted efficacy rates on par with its mRNA cousins, with good safety profiles and less demanding long-term storage requirements than the mRNA shots.

By simplifying the vaccine schedule to include only a single vaccine formulation, the committee reasoned, it might be easier for competing vaccination platforms to break into the market. In other words, newer vaccine contenders would not have to rely on patients’ having already received their primary series before using their products. Companies seemed ready to take advantage of that future flexibility, with researchers from Pfizer, Moderna and

Novavax all revealing their companies’ exploration of a hybrid COVID-19 and flu shot at various stages of clinical trials and testing. Would the single shot resemble flu vaccine development?

Not necessarily. Currently, the influenza vaccine is decided by committee through the World Health Organization. Because of its seasonal nature, the strains to be included in each season’s flu vaccine for the Southern and Northern hemispheres, with their opposing winters, are selected independently. The Northern Hemisphere’s selection is made in February for the following winter based on a vast network of flu monitoring stations around the globe.

Although there was broad consensus among panelists that the shots against SARS-CoV-2 should be updated regularly to more closely match the most current circulating viral strain, there was less agreement on how frequent that would be.

For instance, rapidly mutating strains of the virus in both summer and winter surges might necessitate two updated shots a year instead of just one. As Dr Eric Rubin, an infectious disease expert from the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, noted: “It’s hard to say that it’s going to be annual at this point.”

• Originally published on www.theconversation.com

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THE US Center for Disease Control and Prevention voted unanimously to simply the COVID-19 vaccine, making it an annual shot, similar to the influenza shot.

In face of mass shootings, activists plead ‘Don’t be numb to this’

NEW YORK

Associated Press

INCREASINGLY it feels like America is at war with itself.

In New Orleans, just days into the new year, a 14-yearold girl was shot to death, along with her father and uncle.

A few days after, in a Virginia classroom, a 6-year-old boy pulled out a gun and shot his first-grade teacher. That news was eclipsed by a mass shooting at a California dance studio last weekend that left 11 people dead. A day later and a few hundred miles away, a farmworker opened fire in a beachside town, killing seven coworkers. Three more were killed and four wounded in a shooting at a short-term rental home in an an upscale Los Angeles neighbourhood early Saturday.

Just keeping track of all the shootings has become overwhelming, with the locations, circumstances and the names of the victims running together into a seemingly endless trail of bloodshed and grief.

And many Americans are deeply pessimistic that anything will soon change.

When President Joe Biden signed a bill last year to fight gun violence - the first such measure to pass congress in a generation - a substantial majority supported it. But 78 percent

said they believed it would do little or nothing at all.

The sheer number of killings and the glacial pace of the political response “breeds a sense of powerlessness and despair,” said Pedro Noguera, the dean of the school of education at the University of Southern California and a sociologist who has studied gun violence for more than two decades.

“I don’t think anybody feels good about where we are at - even gun enthusiasts,” he said.

But if all that might make you think America has gone numb to gun violence, Zeneta Everhart would disagree. Fiercely.

Everhart’s then-19-yearold son, Zaire, was working his part-time job at a Buffalo supermarket last May when a gunman stormed in, looking for Black people to kill.

Ten died in the attack. Zaire was shot in the neck but survived.

“I don’t think that the country is becoming numb to it, but I think that the country is frustrated,” she said. “I think that people are tired.”

But that makes Everhart and others even more determined to find ways to stem the violence.

The month after the supermarket shooting, she and other victims’ relatives went to Washington, DC, testifying before a House committee about the need for gun safety legislation.

Two weeks later, Biden signed the gun violence bill. That success, and her son’s continuing recovery, keep her energised.

But in a country where attitudes about guns and violence are often contradictory, charting a course of action makes for uneasy calculus.

Overall, 71 percent of Americans say gun laws should be stricter, according to a 2022 poll by the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. But in the same poll, 52 percent said it is also highly important to protect Americans’ right to own guns for personal safety.

Last year’s gun violence law was designed to incrementally toughen requirements for purchases.

This year, though, the number of shooting deaths are already deeply discouraging.

The nation’s first mass shooting last year happened on Jan 23. By the same date this year, the nation had already endured six mass shootings, leaving 39 people dead, according to a database compiled by The Associated Press, USA Today and Northeastern University. It tracks every attack in the U.S. that has claimed at least four lives, not including the shooter’s, since 2006.

“Unfortunately, I think we have become immune to it,”

said Mark Gius, a professor at Quinnipiac College who studies gun violence and public policy. “It’s become a part of life.”

Fred Guttenberg, whose 14-year-old daughter Jaime was killed when a gunman rampaged through a Parkland, Florida, high school in 2018, knows too well how overwhelming the violence can be.

The immediate instinct to these shootings, he said, is to think “Here we go again.”

But it doesn’t end there.

“It’s not that Americans don’t care. It’s that we’ve let it go too far,” he said. “America is paying attention. People are more engaged on this issue than they’ve ever been.”

For years, he’s been

pushing in congress and Florida for legislation known as “Jaime’s Law,” which would require people buying ammunition to undergo the same background checks required to buy a gun. The bills have stalled repeatedly, but he’s not giving up.

While mass killings like Parkland grab much of the attention, more than half of America’s roughly 45,000 annual firearm deaths are from suicide.

Of gun killings, the vast majority leave only one or two people dead. Many of those deaths get no attention, beyond from the authorities and the people left behind.

“That’s the sad thing,” said USC’s Noguera. “It almost takes being directly impacted to understand how

dangerous the situation is right now.”

“It’s understandable,” he said. “People think: If the state can’t protect us, then we must protect ourselves.”

Eight months after the Buffalo supermarket attack, doctors have been unable so far to remove all the bullet fragments lodged inside the body of Everhart’s son, some of them dangerously close to vital organs. But his survival motivates her to keeping pushing government for change, and she urges others not to give up fighting when they hear about yet another shooting. “Don’t be numb to this,” she said. “This should hurt you. You should feel something.”

IRANIAN DEFENCE FACTORY TARGETED IN DRONE ATTACK AS TENSIONS RISE

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES Associated Press

BOMB-CARRYING

drones targeted an Iranian defence factory in the central city of Isfahan overnight, authorities said yesterday, causing some damage at the plant amid heightened regional and international tensions engulfing the Islamic Republic.

The Iranian Defense Ministry offered no information on who it suspected carried out the attack, which came as a refinery fire separately broke out in the country’s northwest and a 5.9 magnitude earthquake struck nearby, killing three people.

However, Tehran has been targeted in suspected Israeli drone strikes amid a shadow war with its Mideast rival as its nuclear deal with world

powers collapsed. Meanwhile, tensions also remain high with neighboring Azerbaijan after a gunman attacked that country’s embassy in Tehran, killing its security chief and wounding two others.

Details on the Isfahan attack, which happened around late Saturday, remained scarce. A defence ministry statement described three drones being launched at the facility, with two of them successfully shot down. A third apparently made it through to strike the building, causing “minor damage” to its roof and wounding no one, the ministry said. The state-run IRNA news agency later described the drones as “quadcopters equipped with bomblets.” Iranian state television later aired footage of debris from the drones, which resembled

commercially available quadcopters.

State TV aired mobile phone video apparently showing the moment that drone struck along the busy Imam Khomeini Expressway that heads northwest out of Isfahan, one of several ways for drivers to go to the holy city of Qom and Tehran, Iran’s capital. A small crowd stood gathered, drawn by anti-aircraft fire, watching as an explosion and sparks struck a dark building.

“Oh my God! That was a drone, wasn’t it?” the man filming shouts. “Yeah, it was a drone.” Those there fled after the strike.

The defence ministry only called the site a “workshop,” without elaborating. Isfahan, some 350 kilometers south of Tehran, is home to both a large air base built for its fleet of American-made F-14 fighter jets and its Nuclear Fuel Research and Production Center.

The attack comes after Iran’s Intelligence Ministry in July claimed to have broken up a plot to target sensitive sites around Isfahan.

A segment aired on Iranian state TV in October included purported confessions by alleged members of Komala, a Kurdish opposition party that is exiled from Iran and now lives in Iraq, that they planned to target a military aerospace facility in Isfahan after being trained by Israel’s Mossad intelligence service.

Activists say Iranian state TV has aired hundreds of coerced confessions over the last decade. Israeli officials declined to comment on the attack.

Meeting later alongside his Qatari counterpart, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian criticized the “cowardly attack” when asked if it would affect the country’s nuclear program.

“Such moves can’t impact our nuclear scientists will and intentions to achieve peaceful nuclear energy,” Amirabdollahian said.

Qatar’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said he passed a message from the Americans to Iran that related to its nuclear program, without offering specifics.

Separately, Iran’s state TV said a fire broke out at an oil refinery in an industrial zone near the northwestern city of Tabriz. An IRNA report later blamed the fire on “wear and tear” of the site’s piping. Tabriz is some 520 kilometers northwest of Tehran. State TV also said the magnitude 5.9 earthquake

killed three people and injured 816 others in rural areas in West Azerbaijan province, damaging buildings in many villages.

Iran’s theocratic government faces challenges both at home and abroad as its nuclear program rapidly enriches uranium closer than ever to weapons-grade levels since the collapse of its atomic accord with world powers. Nationwide protests have shaken the country since the September death of Mahsa Amini, a KurdishIranian woman detained by the country’s morality police. Its rial currency has plummeted to new lows against the US dollar. Meanwhile, Iran continues to arm Russia with the bomb-carrying drone that Moscow uses in attacks in Ukraine on power plants and civilian targets.

Israel is suspected of launching a series of attacks on Iran, including an April 2021 assault on its underground Natanz nuclear facility that damaged its centrifuges. In 2020, Iran blamed Israel for a sophisticated attack that killed its top military nuclear scientist.

The US and Israel also just held their largest-ever military exercise amid the tensions with Iran. However, a US military official, who spoke on condition of anonymity citing the sensitivity of the situation given regional tensions, told the AP on Sunday night that “no US military forces have conducted strikes or operations inside Iran.”

Meanwhile, tensions remain high between Azerbaijan and Iran as Azerbaijan and Armenia have fought over the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Iran in October launched a military exercise near the Azerbaijan border. Azerbaijan also maintains close ties to Israel, which has infuriated Iranian hardliners, and has purchased Israeli-made drones for its military.

Anwar Gargash, a senior Emirati diplomat, warned online that the Isfahan attack represented one more event in the “dangerous escalation the region is witnessing.” The United Arab Emirates was targeted in missile and drone attacks last year claimed by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

It “is not in the interest of the region and its future,” Gargash wrote on Twitter.

“Although the problems of the region are complex, there is no alternative to dialogue.”

BULLET holes are seen in a window as an investigator works at the scene of a fatal shooting at a supermarket in Buffalo, NY, May 16, 2022. A white man is accused of shooting several people days earlier at the Tops Friendly Market in a predominantly Black neighborhood of Buffalo.

Photo: Matt Rourke/AP

IRANIAN Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, speaks with his Qatari counterpart Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani as they arrive for a joint press briefing, in Tehran, Iran, yesterday.

PHOTO: Vahid Salemi/AP

Mullings shatters his national record

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

Amove to Illinois on January 1 to continue his training has already paid off big dividends for Bahamian national decathlon record holder Ken Mullings.

Competing over the weekend in his first indoor meet for the year at the Illini Challenge, Mullings accumulated a total of 5,933 points to shatter the Bahamian national indoor heptathlon record of 5,426 points that he established on February 2, 2019 at the Fred Will Open in West Lafayette, Indiana.

The 25-year-old opened the competition by taking the 60m in 6.90 seconds for 918 points and followed that with a second place in the long jump with 7.24m for 871 points (1,789 total), second in the shot put with 13.71m for 711 points (2,500 total) and cleared 2.08m for the victory in the high jump for 878 points to close out day one on Friday with a 3,378 total.

On Saturday, he came back and took the 60m hurdles in 7.93 for 999 points, pushing his total to 4,377. He also won the pole vault

with 4.77m for 840 points (5,217 total) and completed the competition in the 1,000m in a time of 2:54.83 for fourth place with 716 points for his final tally.

His nearest rival, Cade Amborn of Wisconsin, finished with 5,478 points.

“I was planning to score that high because I just made a move to change with this coach and we were working on a few things to get better in the pole vault and the long jump,” said Mullings, who is training with Petro Kyprianou.

“I was stuck for a while in those events, so after getting in some training, we just decided to go for the heptathlon and I ended up coming out with a bunch of PRs (personal best) performances. I wasn’t really expecting it, but I scored really high in the meet.”

Mullings, who is still training locally with Ednal Rolle, said he was shocked from his PR in the 60m as he improved on his previous best of 7.13. But he said the biggest shocker for him came in the pole vault because he didn’t have the poles to extend his performance over the higher heights.

“We went into this meet for a workout and I ended up coming out with at least

ROCKETS KNOCK OFF GIANTS 87-73, EXPRESS ROLL PAST EAGLES 75-53

THE Discount Distributors Liquors Rockets and the Produce Express both had a big night on Saturday at the AF Adderley Gymnasium as the New Providence Basketball Association continued its regular season.

While the Rockets knocked off the TMT Giants 87-73 in the division one feature game, the Express rolled past the RC Liquors Eagles 75-53.

In Friday’s action, the Caro Contractors Shockers shocked the Tucker Boys 71-63 in the division one feature contest, while the Rebels won by default over the BIBT Great Whites. Rockets 87, Giants 73: Livingstone Munnings exploded for a game high 34 points with 17 rebounds, four blocked shots and a pair of assists and steals to pace the Discount Distributors to victory.

five PRs, so that was a shocker,” Mullings said.

“I really didn’t know what to expect, but I knew based on my training, I would be performing very well.”

Mullings, however, said he would only be competing in some individual events, but he won’t do another heptathlon indoors.

He said his focus will now be placed on the decathlon where he will attempt to qualify for the various international meets this summer, including his second World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, August 19-27.

“I want to get stronger and more explosive as I get ready for Worlds,” he said.

“This is just a taste of what

to expect as I continue to get any type of coaching outside of the Bahamas.”

Mullings, whose national decathlon record is 7,866m that he set at the World Championships in Eugene, Oregon, July 23-24, also thanked strongwoman Aymara Albury for her assistance in his training prior to heading off to Illinois.

Roosevelt Whylly had 15 points, 13 rebounds and three assists, Dion McPhee added 10 points with six rebounds and five assists and Abel Joseph chipped in with nine points, 10 rebounds, eight assists and three steals.

For TMT, Daniel Hall had 25 points with six rebounds, Brian Jennings had 14 points and eight rebounds, Randy Miller had 12 points and nine

SEE PAGE 17

Track, field athletes Robynn, Charisma take spotlight

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

WHILE Robynn Rolle-Curry inked her name on another record-breaking performance on the track, Charisma Taylor soared high to victory in the women’s triple jump on the field as the duo led a list of Bahamians in action over the weekend for their respective colleges and universities.

UND Open

After lowering Minnesota State University at Moorhead’s record in the women’s 400 metres twice in two weeks, Curry-Rolle dropped down to the 200m where she posted another school record in the 200m on Saturday at the UND Open at the North Dakota High Performance Center in Grand Forks, North Dakota.

Her winning time was 24.59. Also in the event was Angel Pratt of North Dakota State, who was fourth in 25,04. Pratt, however,

was entered in the 400m where she placed seventh in 58.07. The winning time of 56.37 was done by Cerington Jones of South Dakota State.

Rolle-Curry also competed in the 60m where she was fifth in the preliminaries in 7.76, but she didn’t come back for the final that was won by North Dakota State in 7.50.

On the field, Daejha Moss, competing for North Dakota State as well, won the women’s high jump with a leap of 5-3 ¾ (1.62m). Pratt was fourth in the long jump with her best of 18-2 ½ (5.55m). The winning leap was 19-7 (5.97m) by Grace Emineth of North Dakota State.

Grand Bahamian Shaquiel

Higgs was fourth in the men’s 60m final in 7.00. The winning time was 6.95 by Drew Olson of South Dakota. Higgs had the fifth fastest qualifying time of 7.09 and teammate Shyrone Kemp was 13th overall in 7.16.

ANTETOKOUNMPO SCORES 50 FOR BUCKS, PELICANS LOSE 8TH GAME IN ROW

By STEVE MEGARGEE AP Sports Writer

MILWAUKEE (AP) —

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 50 points and 13 rebounds as the Milwaukee Bucks trounced New Orleans 135-110 yesterday, handing the Pelicans their eighth straight loss.

Anteotkounmpo’s 50 points were five off the career high he set January 4 in a 123-113 victory over the Washington Wizards.

He shot 20 of 26 from the floor, including 3 of 4 from 3-point range, and went 7 of 12 on free-throw attempts. The Bucks never trailed and won their fourth straight as

they opened a four-game homestand.

They also reached the 130-point mark for the fifth time in their last seven games.

Antetokounmpo collected 29 points and 10 rebounds in the first half alone, helping the Bucks build a big lead early. This was Antetokounmpo’s 10th game this season with at least 40 points.

Jose Alvarado stepped up to lead the Pelicans with 18 points, while Trey Murphy III and Jonas Valanciunas had 16 each.

Jrue Holiday scored 17 and Brook Lopez added 15 for the Bucks, who shot 55.2 percent.

Kemp picked up a victory on the field in the men’s long jump with his best leap of 23-feet, 8 ½-inches or 7.22 metres.

In the 200m, Higgs was ninth overall in 22.50 and team-mate Kendrick Major was 11th in 22.54.

Jacob Levin of North Dakota State won the event in 21.89. Higgs also contested the 60m hurdles, but only did the preliminaries where he had the third fastest time of 8.75. He did not contest the final.

Ty Dawkiins, also from Grand Bahama, was eighth in the men’s 400m in 50.29. The winning time was 47.39 by Jacob Rodin from North Dakota State.

Clemson Bob Pollock Invitational Charisma Taylor, leading a field of sprinters at the Clemson Bob Pollock Invitational, produced a winning leap of 45-feet, 6 ¾-inches in the women’s triple jump on Saturday. Her nearest rival was Makenzy Mizera of Liberty with41-3 ¾ (12.59m).

Charlton also had the sixth fastest qualifying time of 8.26 in the preliminaries of the women’s 60m hurdles. She came back in the final for second in 8.10 as Rosealee Cooper of Miss State won

in 8.07. Javonya Valcourt of Tennessee posted a winning time of 53.67 in the women’s 400m. Her nearest rival was Maya Singletary of Charlotte in 54.04. Valcourt competed in the 200m as well on Saturday where she was 21st overall in 24.51. Kayla White, representing Nike, won the event in 22.63.

Wanya McCoy of Clemson had the fastest qualifying time of 6.69, but he had to settle for second in the final in 6.66. Alex Lang of North Carolina State took the title in 6.61. McCoy came back in the 200m on Saturday and ended up third in 20.70. Javonte Harding of Tennessee won the event in 20.60. Emmanuel Brnum, also of Tennessee, was second in 20.69.

Texas Tech Invitational

Two Bahamians clashed in the men’s 60m hurdles with Texas Tech’s freshman Antoine Andrews getting the better of

SEE PAGE 17

Liverpool’s FA Cup defence over, Reynolds sees Wrexham draw

By STEVE DOUGLAS AP Sports Writer

LIVERPOOL’s FA Cup title defence is over. Fifthtier Wrexham, under its Hollywood owners, is still alive and well in the famous old competition.

On a dramatic day of late goals, Liverpool became the latest high-profile club to exit the FA Cup as the defending champions conceded a goal in the second minute of stoppage time to lose 2-1 at Brighton in the fourth round.

It’s only January but Liverpool is already out of the FA Cup and League Cup, languishing in ninth place in the Premier League and its only realistic chance of silverware this season is in

the Champions League — where a last-16 matchup against Real Madrid awaits next month.

“I feel sorry for the fans ... We let them down again,” Liverpool defender Andy Robertson said.

Sheffield United left it even later than Brighton — much to the despair of Ryan Reynolds. The movie star, who coowns fifth-tier Wrexham with fellow Hollywood actor Rob McElhenney, flew in to watch the match at the atmospheric Racecourse Ground with one of his daughters.

He was put on an

PERSONAL BESTS: Bahamian national decathlon record holder Ken Mullings.

WREXHAM’s Paul Mullin celebrates scoring against Sheffield United during the English FA Cup fourth round soccer match at The Racecourse Ground, Wrexham, Wales, yesterday. (Peter Byrne/PA via AP)

CHARISMA TAYLOR

ATLANTIS BASKETBALL OFFICIAL LAUNCH ON FEBRUARY 6

THE Atlantis Basketball League’s 2023 official launch is set for February 6 at 6:30pm when there will be an opening ceremony at The Betty Cole Park. All games are open to the public and Atlantis staff for the entire season which ends April 28. Games will be held every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 6:30pm for the first game and 9:30pm for the final game of the day.

Atlantis’ 2023 Basketball League is packed with 12 teams of upcoming stars that are ready to go all out for a chance to bring home the championship and bragging rights for their division. Who will be crowned the 2023 Champions of Atlantis Basketball League this year?

When it’s all said and done, who will be the champions? Will it be Cove Impalas, Royal Towers Sharks, Dolphin Cay Assassins, Water Park Predators, Banquet Bombers, Casino Aces, Water Park Warriors, ISD Lions, Room Service Grave Diggers, Surveillance Eagles, Cascade Ballers or Housekeeping Pitbulls?

Don’t miss this season’s lineup where we’ll find out which teams will qualify to play in the championship game on April 28 and who will ultimately walk away with the victory.

Chiefs top Bengals 23-20 on last-second kick for AFC title

By DAVE SKRETTA

AP Sports Writer

KANSAS CITY, Mo.

(AP) — Patrick Mahomes scrambled for a first down on his badly sprained right ankle, then was shoved late out of bounds by Joseph Ossai, giving Harrison Butker a chance to kick a 45-yard field goal with 3 seconds remaining and give the Kansas City Chiefs a 23-20 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC title game last night.

The Chiefs finally beat the Bengals after three straight losses, including a

three-point overtime defeat in last year’s title game, and will play the Philadelphia Eagles — coach Andy Reid’s old team — in their third Super Bowl in four years.

Mahomes, who hurt his ankle against Jacksonville in the divisional round, threw for 326 yards and two touchdowns, even though he was missing three of his wide receivers to injuries by the end.

Marquez Valdes-Scantling led the way with 116 yards and a touchdown, while Travis Kelce — bad back and all — had seven

catches for 78 yards and a score.

Yet it was Mahomes on his balky right ankle, rather than with his strong right arm, that rescued the Chiefs.

The Chiefs got a crucial sack from Chris Jones to force a punt with 39 seconds left, and shaky return man Skyy Moore broke free for 29 yards on the return. On third-and-4 at the Bengals 47, Mahomes eluded pressure and scrambled toward the Bengals sideline, barely picking up the first down before Ossai gave him a shove from behind.

The penalty flags flew, the ball moved 15 yards closer and Butker’s kick barely had enough to get over the crossbar.

Joe Burrow, who was sacked five times and wobbly by the end, finished with 270 yards passing to go with a touchdown and two interceptions for the Bengals. Tee Higgins had six catches for 83 yards and the score. The Chiefs were able to do early what the Buffalo Bills could not in last week’s divisional round: They ran roughshod over an ailing Bengals offensive

line missing two starters to injury with another bothered by a sore knee.

Burrow was sacked three times in the first quarter alone and the Bengals offence did not gain a single yard.

Mahomes, whose ankle had been the subject of speculation all week, looked just fine leading Kansas City to a field goal on its opening possession. And when the Chiefs got the ball back, Mahomes did it again, but only after Kadarius Toney failed to pull in a nifty throw for a would-be touchdown — the

incompletion was upheld upon review. Cincinnati finally moved the ball in the second quarter, but it also had to settle for Evan McPherson’s chipshot field goal. So much for two of the league’s highest-scoring offences.

UP NEXT The Chiefs are headed to their third Super Bowl in four seasons. They ended a 50-year championship drought when they rallied to beat the San Francisco 49ers in 2020, then lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers the following year.

Hurts, Eagles soar into Super Bowl, rout 49ers for NFC title

By DAN GELSTON AP Sports Writer

PHILADELPHIA (AP)

— Jalen Hurts had one of Philadelphia’s four rushing touchdowns and the Eagles soared into the Super Bowl, forcing both of San Francisco’s quarterbacks out of the game with injuries and beating the wounded 49ers 31-7 in the NFC championship game yesterday.

The Eagles, who won the Super Bowl five years ago with a different coach and quarterback, will try to do it again behind the formidable duo of Hurts and coach Nick Sirianni. Philadelphia will play either the Cincinnati Bengals or former Eagles coach Andy Reid’s Kansas City Chiefs.

“We get to do it because we did it better than anyone in the NFC this year,” Sirianni said.

Hurts had a modest game by his standards after a season in which he was a finalist for MVP. He was 15-of-25 passing for 121 yards and ran for just 39. Hurts sat alone at his locker dressed all in purple and he took a few puffs of a cigar as the Eagles celebrated around him. He understood there was one more game to win.

“I never knew how far we’d go,” Hurts said, “but I never said it couldn’t be done.”

Miles Sanders ran for two touchdowns and linebacker Haason Reddick made the hit that forced 49ers rookie quarterback Brock Purdy out of the game with an elbow injury. Reddick also recovered a fumble by Purdy’s replacement, Josh Johnson, who later suffered a concussion.

That forced Purdy back into the game, but his injury was clearly a factor as the

49ers all but gave up on throwing the ball, even while trailing by multiple scores. San Francisco’s bad luck at quarterback was finally too much to overcome as its 12-game win streak ended.

The Niners lost both Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo to season-ending injuries, and Purdy — the final pick in April’s draft — lost as a starter for the first time.

Philadelphia police greased traffic and light poles in what proved again to be a futile attempt to slow the postgame revelry.

The city now has its beloved Birds in the Super Bowl just three months after the Philadelphia Phillies reached the World Series. “You see this city and the

passion they have for this team. We’re so appreciative of these fans,” Sirianni said.

“Look at this place. There’s no place like this in the NFL. It’s a hard-working city, it’s a blue-collar city. We think that’s the type of team we have.”

The game disintegrated in the waning minutes and Philadelphia’s K’Von Wallace and San Francisco’s Trent Williams were ejected for their roles in a brawl. Williams yanked Wallace from behind and slammed him to the ground.

At that point, who cared?

Eagles fans waved their green towels and went wild as confetti fluttered around them. They sang the fight song — one more emphatic “E-A-G-L-E-S Eagles!” — in celebration of a franchise

that advanced to its fourth Super Bowl.

The Eagles broke the game open in the final two minutes of the first half, getting a rise out of a crowd that had been quiet with nervous energy since a touchdown on the opening drive.

Sanders broke free for a 13-yard run for a 14-7 lead, concluding a 14-play, 75-yard drive extended by three 49ers penalties. Johnson bobbled a shotgun snap and fumbled on the next drive, and Reddick — the free-agent pickup from Carolina having one of the great defensive seasons in franchise history — recovered at the San Francisco 30. Boston Scott scooted 10 yards for a touchdown and 21-7 lead.

Even with Hurts almost a non-factor — he had 97 yards passing in the first half — the Eagles were firmly in control. His 1-yard rushing touchdown on Philadelphia’s signature rugby-style QB sneak made it 28-7 late in the third quarter.

“We’ve got a chance to go out there and win it all,” Hurts said. “So we want to go prepare to do that.”

Purdy left the game with an elbow injury after he was drilled in the arm by Reddick on San Francisco’s first drive, leading to a fumble. The 23-year-old Purdy’s improbable rise from “Mr. Irrelevant” to playoff starter ended with a whimper as he failed to become the first rookie QB to lead a team to the Super Bowl. He was improbably

needed again in the third quarter after Johnson, a journeyman backup signed in December, was also hurt.

The Eagles used quick thinking as they scored on their opening drive for the second straight playoff game. DeVonta Smith made a sensational onehanded grab for 29 yards, but replays showed he appeared to lose control of the ball as he hit the ground. Smith popped up and frantically waved the Eagles to the line. Niners coach Kyle Shanahan did not challenge the call and the Eagles got off the next play. Sanders scored on a 6-yard run.

“Smart players do smart things,” Sirianni said. “He did a smart thing right there. I’m going to say he caught it, though.”

With little hope they could get anything going behind Johnson, the 49ers turned to Christian McCaffrey to get on the board. He broke three tackles on a 23-yard touchdown run that made it 7-7 in the second quarter. With no quarterbacks who could throw, that was about the end for Shanahan’s Niners, who managed 164 yards of offence and 11 first downs. At the end, Hurts led fans in a fight song singalong from a stage on the field. Championship banners hang atop the Linc rafters. Hurts wants to add one more. “We’ve got new moments,” Hurts said. “New moments and new times.”

IN THE HOUSE

First lady Jill Biden, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, actor Bradley Cooper, comedian Kevin Hart, Los Angeles Angels star Mike Trout and several 76ers, including Joel Embiid, attended the game.

EAGLES head coach Nick Sirianni, centre, is doused by defensive tackle Fletcher Cox (91) and teammates during the second half of the NFC Championship NFL football game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the San Francisco 49ers yesterday in Philadelphia.

(AP Photo/ Matt Slocum)

CHIEFS place kicker Harrison Butker (7) kicks a field goal against the Bengals during the first half yesterday.

(AP Photo/ Jeff Roberson)

Primary school coaches get ready for basketball

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemediia.net

IN preparation for their basketball tournament that will start today at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium, the New Providence Publics Primary School Sports Association hosted a twoday certification course.

All 25 of the physical education teachers who participated passed the course, which was held under the auspices of the Bahamas Basketball Federation in their effort to jump start the mini-basketball programme in the country.

“An integral part of mini basketball is not just coaching strategies, but also knowing the rules of mini basketball as they are modified from the official basketball rules to allow the kids to have fun and to develop their basketball skills.”

“While teaching them the rules of the game, we were also impressing upon them, the modification of isolation and adaptation that they used to introduce them into their games as these rules are specific for mini basketball, ages 12-and-under.”

During the sessions, Wilmore said they would have taken the coaches through the basic rules from the start of the game to the finish and hopefully they will be in a better position to officiate their own games, if necessary.

Freddie Brown, the second vice president of the referees’ association, led the theoretical aspects of the session and Yves Pierre joined in with a session on coaching strategies as it relates to mini basketball.

FA CUP

FROM PAGE 14

MITOMA DAZZLES

AGAIN Japan winger Kaoru Mitoma produced a brilliant piece of skill for Brighton’s winner against Liverpool by feigning a shot to deceive two defenders and then driving a closerange finish into the roof of the net.

Mitoma, who played for Japan at the World Cup, is proving a revelation in his first season at Brighton, scoring or setting up a goal in eight of the team’s last 11 games.

His latest strike earned Brighton a come-frombehind win, backing up a 3-0 thrashing of Liverpool in the Premier League two weeks ago. This was a closer contest than in the league, with Harvey Elliott’s 30th-minute opener for Liverpool cancelled out by a flicked finish from Brighton defender Lewis Dunk nine minutes later. Dunk said he knew little about his finish, which came off a speculative shot from Tariq

“Moving forward, we wish to see this implemented in all games,” he added.

Association president Latoya Bain-Sturrup said they were thrilled to get in the sessions before they start the basketball tournament that is being held in memory of the late coach Sherman Smith. “We made history in the Bahamas, The NPPPSSA were the first to have team coaches getting certified to participate in mini basketball. “The coaches are excited after this intense level of training that we got.”

Lamptey from outside the area.

Eleven Premier League teams have been eliminated before the fifth round. League leader Arsenal was eliminated by Manchester City on Friday, joining nine other top-flight clubs — including Chelsea and Newcastle — who were ousted in the third round.

Liverpool came close to winning a quadruple of major trophies last season, triumphing in both domestic cups, losing the Champions League final to Real Madrid and finishing second to Manchester City in the Premier League by a point.

This season is proving very different.

“We have to improve, body language, a couple of boys have to do much better,” Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said. “But the last game here we couldn’t have won. I think today nobody would have been surprised if we had won the game.”

Brighton was without Moises Caicedo after the Ecuador midfielder publicly declared his desire to leave amid reported interest from Arsenal and Chelsea.

NO REPEAT SHOCK

Stevenage wasn’t able to reproduce its exploits from the third round.

The fourth-tier team that delivered one of the most stunning wins in the last 64 — beating Premier League club Aston Villa away — was beaten 3-1 by second-tier Stoke.

While Wilmore, the youngest Bahamian referee to receive his international certification, closed out the two day session on Saturday at Claridge Primary School, Bain-Sturrup said they couldn’t ask for anything more than they got from the certification courses.

The NPPPSSA used the two-day certification course to get them prepared for the tournament, at least two of the coaches were more than pleased with the knowledge they gained from the presenters.

Eva Hilton Primary’s coach Tito Hanna, said he

got a whole lot of information that he hopes to implement with his team.

“Mr Wilmore was very precise and we certainly benefited from all that he and the other presenters imparted to them,” Hanna said. “I look forward to having some good, clean fun when the tournament is played. I hope that they will get to develop their skills, while I get to sharpen up my skills as a coach.”

Janice Rodgers, a PE teacher at Carlton E Francis Primary, found it to be more than informative. “Basketball is not one of

my strongest sports, so he simplified it so well that I feel like any young child could have understood and benefit from it. So I enjoyed it very much.”

As the tournament gets underway, Rodgers said she’s looking to get as much knowledge as possible. “I want to see how much I can remember and implementing them,” said Rodgers, adding that Carlton E. Francis should have a very competitive team in the tournament.

When the tournament kicks off at 9am today at the Kendal Issacs Gymnasium,

only the 13 teams will compete in the girls division through Tuesday. The 23 boys teams will be in action on Wednesday and Thursday. On Friday, the playoffs and championship games in the two divisions will be contested. During the tournament, members of the Ministry of Health will be on hand to provide some healthy tips for the players. The NPPPSSA will also honour Smith, who coached at Carlton E Francis before he passed away in 2020 as one of the first persons, who reportedly contracted COVID-19.

MCILROY LEADS BY 3 IN DUBAI, REED’S DRIVE GETS STUCK IN TREE

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Rory McIlroy delivered an exhibition of short iron play to shoot 7-under 65 in his third round and build a three-stroke lead at the Dubai Desert Classic yesterday.

The top-ranked McIlroy made eight birdies at Emirates Golf Club — four in a row from No. 1, three straight from No. 13, and another at No. 17 — and none of the birdie putts were from more than 7 feet.

“I drove the ball better today, which put me in better positions to attack and make birdies,” said the Northern Irishman, making his first start of 2023.

“It’s nearly there, not quite there, but I’m making the most of the good shots that I’m hitting and putting well. I’m just playing really efficient golf right now.”

McIlroy did, though, give the chasers some hope by making bogey at the par-5 No. 18, for his only dropped shot of the round, after hitting a fairway wood from around 250 yards into the water in front of the green.

After missing a par putt from 8 feet, McIlroy had a look of disappointment across his face as he walked off the green, despite holding a commanding lead.

The four-time major champion made the same mistake on the 18th hole in his final round in last year’s tournament to finish a shot behind the leaders, when a birdie would have won him the title.

“I love this golf course, this tournament. I have won here a couple of times ... but I don’t think I’ve won on my first start (of a year),” he said. “I’ve given myself an opportunity to

try to do something I’ve never done before.”

McIlroy was on 15 under overall, with English players Callum Shinkwin (67) and No. 484-ranked Dan Bradbury (68) tied for second place.

As the players on the leaderboard went down the stretch, there looked to be a strong chance of McIlroy and Patrick Reed being together in the last group in Monday’s final round. That would have been must-watch viewing after they made headlines with a pre-tournament spat. Reed, however, made bogey at the drivable par-4 17th when his tee shot got stuck up a palm tree after

the American attempted to cut the corner on a dog-leg right. Reed wound up shooting 69 and was in a seven-man group tied for fourth place on 11 under, four shots behind McIlroy.

“You know what, I hit that tee shot, I didn’t even see those palms,” Reed said. “I felt like it was on a good line, just left of the green and I guess I just need to be a little more right or a little higher.”

Reed and a rules official used binoculars to identify the player’s ball in the tree. That allowed Reed to take a penalty drop near the base of the tree instead of having to return to the tee.

“I would have gone back to the tee if I wasn’t 100%,” Reed told British newspaper The Daily Telegraph. “I got lucky that we were able to look through the binoculars and you have to make sure it’s your ball, and how I mark my golf balls is I always put an arrow on the end of my line.

“And you could definitely see and identify the line with the arrow on the end, and the rules official, luckily, was there to reconfirm and check it to make sure it was mine as well.”

The group on 11 under included France’s Victor Perez (66), the winner last week at the equally prestigious Abu Dhabi Championship.

Spanish player Adri Arnaus briefly held the lead on 13 under after eight holes of his round, but he fell away after bogeying No. 9 and making double-bogey at the par-5 13th. Arnaus was also one of those on 11 under.

The tournament is finishing today after bad weather cut short play on the opening two days.

RORY MCILROY, of Northern Ireland, tees off on the 8th hole during the third round of the Dubai Desert Classic, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, yesterday. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)

NPPPSSA coaches and instructor Christian Wilmore, bending down, pose for a group shot.

CHRISTIAN Wilmore conducting a demonstration with coach Tito Hanna.

CHRISTIAN Wilmore going over the rules.

YVES Pierre providing some coaching tips.

Grizzlies use

Morant’s triple-double, rally to beat Buddy Hield and Pacers

By CLAY BAILEY Associated Press

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP)

— Ja Morant had 27 points, 15 assists and 10 rebounds, Jaren Jackson Jr added 28 points and the Memphis Grizzlies overcame a lacklustre first half to defeat the Indiana Pacers 112-100 yesterday.

Brandon Clarke had 13 points, hitting all five of his shots as Memphis snapped a five-game losing streak and ran its home record to 21-3. It was Morant’s fifth triple-double of the season and second in a row.

Benedict Mathurin, the sixth pick in the 2022 draft, led the Pacers with 27 points and eight rebounds.

Aaron Nesmith had 16 points and Myles Turner added 15 points.

The Pacers dominated the first half, leading by as many as 19. First-half shooting, which hovered at 60% at the midway point of the second quarter, helped Indiana to a 62-50 lead at the break.

But 14 straight points brought Memphis back into the game early in the third quarter, and the Grizzlies outscored Indiana 30-17 in the third to retake the lead.

Memphis’ 13-2 run to open the fourth opened the game up. Both teams entered the game reeling from losing skids. Memphis was returning home after a winless five-game trip West, while the Pacers had lost nine of their last 10.

TIP-INS Pacers: Guard Tyrese Haliburton continued to

sit out with left knee and elbow sprains, but there were indications Indiana’s top scorer could return to action soon. Coach Rick Carlisle expects Haliburton to practice this week “and looking toward the real possibility that he could play this weekend.”

Grizzlies: Have won eight straight at home; their last home loss was Dec. 27 to

Phoenix. ... Guard Desmond Bane sat out with right knee soreness. Coach Taylor Jenkins classified Bane as day-to-day and expects him to return this week.

TURNER EXTENSION

Turner will stay with Indiana after agreeing to a two-year contract extension. Carlisle said the team has a Monday news conference planned.

MOMENT OF SILENCE

Sunday was the Grizzlies’ first home game since the video was released of Memphis police officers beating Tyre Nichols to death after a traffic stop. The Grizzlies held a pregame moment of silence for Nichols, 29, who died three days after the confrontation with police. Five officers were fired and indicted on an array of

ROZIER, WASHINGTON HELP HORNETS RALLY PAST HEAT 122-117

By STEVE REED AP Sports Writer

CHARLOTTE, N.C.

(AP) — Terry Rozier scored 31 points, P.J. Washington had 27 and the Charlotte Hornets stopped Miami’s three-game win streak with a 122-117 victory over the Heat yesterday.

LaMelo Ball scored 13 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter as Charlotte improved to 7-16 at home.

Gordon Hayward was a perfect 7 of 7 from the field for 20 points.

Rozier also had seven assists and six rebounds. He was 11 for 19 from the field, including a 5-for-11 performance from 3-point range. He made two buzzer-beater 3s at the end of quarters.

Jimmy Butler scored 28 points for Miami, and Tyler Herro had 24.

The Hornets, who have been hampered by injuries all season, have won four of six for the team’s best stretch of the season. Washington believes it’s a reflection of the team getting healthier.

CHARISMA

Charlotte’s projected starting five to begin the season is finally back on the floor and appears to be starting to mesh.

“Everybody is back and everybody is healthy — and that is a major difference,” Washington said. “At the end of the day we have to keep going the way we are right now.”

Hayward has struggled with shoulder and hamstring issues, limiting the team’s highest-paid player to just 24 games.

Sunday marked his best game in months.

“He’s playing confident and getting easy baskets and just bullying guys down low,” Washington said. “He’s playing great basketball and I expect that of him every night.”

Whether a now healthy Hornets team can make a playoff push remains to be seen, but coach Steve Clifford remains optimistic.

“Getting ‘Melo and Gordon back, obviously you’re a different team,” Clifford said. “If we can get into playing set groups then we’ll have a good chance

to hopefully put some good stretches together. (It helps) when they know who they’re playing with and they know where the shots are coming from.”

The Heat led 62-58 after Rozier banked in a 3 from the midcourt logo to close out the first half.

Miami went on a 10-1 run to start the third quarter. Herro knocked down two

3-pointers to help the Heat open a 13-point lead.

But Charlotte came storming back behind Washington and Rozier, who began knocking down shots from deep.

Charlotte pushed the lead to 12 with 5:54 left on a turnaround jumper by Rozier.

Miami rallied with a 10-0 run. Kyle Lowry found

Bam Adebayo inside for a layup to cut the lead to 108-106.

But Charlotte had another burst as Mason Plumlee got the ball after Rozier won a jump ball and drove to the basket for a score. Ball canned an open 3-pointer to put Charlotte back up 114-106 with 1:50 left.

Washington’s rebound and score off his own miss kept Charlotte up by seven and Plumlee dunked off a pass from Washington to put the game away in the final minute.

Charlotte shot 54.2% from the field and scored 25 points in transition. The Hornets also outrebounded Miami 47-36.

“They have had a lot of injuries but when they have been fully healthy, this team can score much different than their numbers may suggest for the season,” Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said.

“We did not step up defensively, they got a lot of easy run-ups that quickly changed the momentum of the game.”

charges, including seconddegree murder.

“Obviously, our city is going through a really tough time right now, I’m kind of focused on that more than basketball,” Jenkins said, adding that the video was “very disturbing.”

UP NEXT Pacers: Host the Lakers on Tuesday. Grizzlies: Host Portland on Wednesday.

By BRIAN DULIK Associated Press

CLEVELAND (AP)

— Cedi Osman tied his career high with 29 points while making all seven of his shots from behind the arc and the Cleveland Cavaliers built a 40-point lead on their way to a 122-99 rout of the Los Angeles Clippers last night.

All-Star starter Donovan Mitchell had 11 points in his return for Cleveland after missing three games with a strained groin. The Cavaliers never trailed adn took their largest lead of the season at 82-42 on Jarrett Allen’s first 3-pointer since November 5, 2021.

the matchup against Ohio State’s junior Oscar Greene.

Andrews got second in the race in 7.77 behind Darius Luff, a junior at Nebraska, in 7.70. Greene was fourth in 7.87. Smith and Greene was set to compete in another 60m hurdles, but this time, Smith didn’t compete as Greene got fourth in 7.91 with Luff taking the top time in 7.66. Andrews, however, took the top qualifying time in another 60m hurdles in 7.91.

In another men’s 60m hurdles, Shakeem Smith,

NPBA FROM PAGE 14

FROM PAGE 14 rebounds; Ujamma Johnson had nine points and D’Angelo Mackey chipped in with eight points.

Express 75, Eagles 53: Maleak Johnson came up with 16 points and eight rebounds to pace the Produce Express.

Rumalo Ellis had 13 points, eight assists, five rebounds and two steals and Dion Brown had 12 points, eight rebounds,

representing the Bahamas, finished third in 7.97 behind winner Tyrin Lewis of UNAT West Texas A&M, who won in 7.87 with Taylor Rooney of UNAT Texas Tech second in 7.95. Smith also placed fourth in the men’s 60m in 6.95. The winning time was 6.64 by Benjamin Azamati of UNAT West Texas A&M, Also on the track, Adrian Curry, a senior at Ohio State, clocked 21.86 to win his heat, but was placed 39th overall. Carey also got third in his heat of the qualifying round of the men’s 60m in 6.85 for 27th place as Ian Myers, a freshman at Auburn, took the top spot

three blocks, two assists and a steal. Both Randy Blanfort (10 rebounds and two steals) and Rasean Minns (five rebounds and three blocks) added seven points. Cornelius Rigby had 15 points, nine rebounds, four steals and two assists to pace RC Liquors in the loss. Lorenzo Riley also had 15 points with six rebounds, four assists and as many steals; Mark Sawyer had 10 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals and Devon Seymour added eight points.

in 6.69. And on the field, Shaun Miller Jr, as junior at Ohio State, was fifth overall in the men’s high jump with 7-2 ¼ (2.20m). Omamuyovwi Erhire, a junior at Texas Tech, won with 7-3 ¾ (2.23m).

Shockers 71, Tucker Boys 63: Horris McKenzie (seven rebounds) and Rameno King (126 rebounds and five block shots) both scored 14 points to pace Caro Contractors to victory.

Dominique Fernander (eight rebounds) and Spurgeon Johnson (even rebounds) both had 11 and William Rigby contributed 10 points with nine rebounds, four steals and three assists.

In a losing effort, Leon Bain scored 25 points, eight rebounds, three steals and

Razorback Invitational

At the Razorback Invitational in Fayetteville, Arkansas, Anthaya Charlton, a sophomore at the University of Kentucky, was fifth in the women’s long jump with a personal best leap of 20-7 (6.27m). The winning leap was 21-9 ½ (6.64m) by Jasmine Moore, a junior at Florida.

Charlton also got eighth in the finals of the women’s 60m in 7.49 with McKenzie Long, a senior at Ole Miss, taking the tape in 7.28. In the preliminaries, Charlton was the eighth fastest qualifying time in 7.46. Long had the fastest time of 7.27.

two assists; Kieran Mortimer had 12 points and 120 rebounds; Clayton Tucker nine points and five rebounds and Randon Swaby eight with 15 rebounds, three assists and as many steals.

Tonight’s schedule 7pm - Your Essential Store vs Mekaddish Millionaires (DII).

8pm - Tuckers Boys vs Discount Distributors Rockets (D1).

Megan Moss, a junior at Kentucky, was third in her heat, but 30th overall in the women’s 400m in 54.82. Her former team-mate Abby Steiner, competing for the USA, won the event in a meet record and a worldleading time of 50.59 with fellow American Shamier Little, second in 50.64.

Commonwealth Games long jump champion LaQuan Nairn got in some speed work, competing in the men’s 60m where he had the fourth fastest qualifying time of 6.95.

Nairn, however, didn’t contest the final that saw Tinotenda Matiyenga of Zimbabwe win in 6.75.

Wednesday - 7pm - Discount Distributors Rockets vs Cyber Tech (DII).

8 pm Commonwealth Bank Giants vs Zulu Media Marketing (D1).

Friday 7 pm Produce Express vs BIBT Great Whites (DII).

8 pm Leno Regulators vs Sands Dollar (D1).

Saturday 7 pm BIBT Great Whites vs Your Essential Store (DII).

8 pm TMT Giants vs University of the Bahamas (D1).

The Clippers had won five in a row. They opted not to dress forward Kawhi Leonard and guards Paul George and Reggie Jackson, all of whom played Saturday in a victory in Atlanta. Officially, George and Leonard were reported as being out because of right knee trouble and Jackson has a sore right Achilles.

Turkey national team member Osman made 11 of 13 shots on Turkish Heritage Night at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. The Cavaliers have the best home record in the East at 21-5.

Darius Garland had 16 points and 10 assists for Cleveland.

Brandon Boston Jr. scored 24 points and Moses Brown had 13 points and 16 rebounds for Los Angeles.

Rookie Jason Preston from Ohio University had season highs of 12 points and eight rebounds.

The performance was in stark contrast to Cleveland’s 120-114 home loss to Golden State nine days earlier, when the Warriors sat Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins.

OSMAN TIES CAREER HIGH WITH 29 POINTS, CAVS ROUT CLIPPERS

INDIANA Pacers guard Buddy Hield (24) handles the ball against Memphis Grizzlies forward Xavier Tillman (2) in the second half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, Jan. 29, 2023, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photos/ Brandon Dill)

MEMPHIS Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (12) passes the ball over Indiana Pacers guard T.J. McConnell (9) in the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, Jan. 29, 2023, in Memphis, Tenn.

ANTHAYA CHARLTON

HEAT forward Jimmy Butler (22) drives into Hornets guard Terry Rozier (3) during the first half in Charlotte, N.C., yesterday. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)

NADAL WINS 21ST GRAND SLAM TITLE

By The Associated Press

January 30 1926 — The major league rules committee mandates that pitchers must have access to a rosin bag.

1971 — UCLA starts its 88-game winning streak with a 74-61 win over UC Santa Barbara.

1983 — John Riggins rushes for a Super Bowl-record 166 yards on 38 carries to spark the Washington Redskins to a comeback 27-17 victory over the Miami Dolphins. For Riggins, the game’s MVP, it’s his fourth consecutive 100-yard rushing game during the playoffs, also a record.

NOVAK DJOKOVIC CLAIMS 10TH AUSTRALIAN OPEN TITLE, 22ND SLAM

By HOWARD FENDRICH AP Tennis Writer

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Novak Djokovic climbed into the Rod Laver Arena stands to celebrate his 10th Australian Open championship and record-tying 22nd Grand Slam title yesterday and, after jumping and pumping his fists with his team, he collapsed onto his back, crying. When he returned to the playing surface, Djokovic sat on his sideline bench, buried his face in a white towel and sobbed some more.

This trip to Australia was far more successful than that of a year ago — when he was deported because he was not vaccinated against COVID-19 — although difficult in its own ways: a bad hamstring; some off-court tumult involving his father.

Yet Djokovic accomplished all he could have possibly wanted in his return: He resumed his winning ways at Melbourne Park and made it back to the top of tennis, declaring: “This probably is the, I would say, biggest victory of my life.”

Only briefly challenged in the final, Djokovic was simply better at the most crucial moments and beat Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (5). As a bonus, Djokovic will vault from No. 5 to No. 1 in the ATP rankings, a spot he already has held for more weeks than any other man.

“This has been one of the most challenging tournaments I’ve ever played in my life, considering the circumstances. Not playing last year; coming back this

year,” Djokovic said, wearing a zip-up white jacket with a “22” on his chest.

“And I want to thank all the people that made me feel welcome, made me feel comfortable, to be in Melbourne, to be in Australia.”

The 35-year-old from Serbia stretched his unbeaten streak in Melbourne to 28 matches, the longest run there in the Open era, which dates to 1968.

1993 — Monica Seles beats Steffi Graf 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 to capture her third straight Australian Open.

1994 — The Dallas Cowboys, behind MVP Emmitt Smith and safety James Washington, beat Buffalo 30-13 for their second straight NFL title while giving the Bills four straight Super Bowl losses.

1996 — Magic Johnson finishes with 19 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 128-118 victory over Golden State. It is Johnson’s first regular-season game back from a 4 1/2season retirement.

1999 — Martina Hingis wins her fifth Grand Slam title and third straight Australian Open with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over France’s Amelie Mauresmo.

He adds

trophy No. 10 to the seven from Wimbledon, three from the U.S. Open — where he also was absent last year because of no coronavirus shots — and two from the French Open, to match rival Rafael Nadal for the most by a man.

Only two women — Margaret Court, with 24, and Serena Williams, with 23 — are ahead of him.

This was also the 93rd ATP tour-level title for Djokovic, breaking a tie with Nadal for the fourth-most.

“I would like to thank you for pushing our sport so far,” Tsitsipas told Djokovic.

“He is the greatest,” Tsitsipas said, “that has ever held a tennis racket.”

Djokovic was participating in his 33rd major final, Tsitsipas in his second — and the 24-year-old from Greece also lost the other, at the 2021 French Open, to Djokovic.

On a cool evening under a cloud-filled sky, and with a soundtrack of chants from supporters of both men prompting repeated pleas for quiet from the chair umpire, Djokovic was superior throughout, especially so in the two tiebreakers.

He took a 4-1 lead in the first, then reeled off the last three points. He led 5-0 in the closing tiebreaker and, when it finished, he pointed to his temple before screaming, a prelude to all of the tears.

“Very emotional for us. Very emotional for him,” said Djokovic’s coach, Goran Ivanisevic. “It’s a great achievement. It was a really tough three weeks for him. He managed to overcome everything.”

Djokovic acknowledged all of the issues created strain for him.

“It took an enormous amount of mental and emotional energy,” Djokovic said, “to really keep it tight, keep my focus.”

Keep in mind: It’s not as though Tsitsipas played all that poorly, other than a rash of early miscues that seemed to be more a product of tension than anything. It’s that Djokovic was too unyielding. Too accurate with his strokes, making merely 22 unforced errors, 20 fewer than his foe. Too speedy and flexible on the run (other than when, moving to his left, Djokovic took a tumble).

“I did everything possible,” said Tsitsipas, who also would have moved to No. 1 with a victory, replacing Carlos Alcaraz, who sat out the Australian Open with a leg injury.

Perhaps. Yet Djokovic pushes and pushes and pushes some more, until it’s the opponent who is something less than perfect on one swing, either missing or providing an opening to pounce.

That’s what happened when Tsitsipas held his first break point — which was also a set point — while ahead 5-4 in the second and Djokovic serving at 30-40. Might this be a fulcrum? Might Djokovic relent? Might Tsitsipas surge?

Uh, no.

A 15-stroke point concluded with Djokovic smacking a cross-court forehand winner that felt like a statement. Two misses by Tsitsipas followed: A backhand long, a forehand wide. Those felt like capitulation.

Even when Tsitsipas actually did break in the third, Djokovic broke right back.

There has been more than forehands and backhands on Djokovic’s mind over the past two weeks.

There was the not-sosmall matter of last year’s legal saga — he has alternately acknowledged the whole thing served as a form of motivation but also said the other day, “I’m over it” — and curiosity about the sort of reception he would get when allowed to enter Australia because

pandemic restrictions were eased.

He heard a ton of loud support, but also dealt with some persistent heckling while competing, including applause after faults Sunday.

There was the sore left hamstring that has been heavily bandaged for every match — until the final, that is, when only a single piece of beige athletic tape was visible.

And then there was the matter of his father, Srdjan, being filmed with a group waving Russian flags — one with an image of Vladimir Putin — after Djokovic’s quarterfinal.

The tournament banned spectators from carrying flags of Russia or Belarus, saying they would cause disruption because of the ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Djokovic and his father said Srdjan thought he was with Serbian fans.

Still, Srdjan Djokovic did not attend his son’s semifinal or the final.

“We both agreed,” said the younger Djokovic, who did meet up with Dad for a hug after Sunday’s match, “it would probably be better that he is not there.”

No matter all of it, Djokovic excelled — as he so often does.

“It’s been a long journey,” he said, “but a very special one.”

ARYNA SABALENKA WINS 1ST GRAND SLAM TITLE

By HOWARD FENDRICH AP Tennis Writer

MELBOURNE, Australia

(AP) — One point away from her first Grand Slam title, Aryna Sabalenka faulted. And then she faulted again. She grimaced. She yelled and turned her back to the court. She wiggled her shoulders and exhaled.

Clearly, this business of winning the Australian Open was not bound to happen without a bit of a struggle Saturday night. Sabalenka knew deep inside that would be the case. She also knew that all of the effort she put in, to overcome self-doubt and those dreaded double-faults, had to pay off eventually. Just had to.

And so, as she wasted a second match point by flubbing a forehand, and a third by again missing another, Sabalenka did her best to stay calm, something she used to find quite difficult. She hung in

there until a fourth chance to close out Elena Rybakina presented itself — and this time, Sabalenka saw a forehand from her similarly powerful foe sail long. That was that. The championship belonged to Sabalenka via a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 comeback victory over Wimbledon winner Rybakina.

“The last game, yeah, of course, I was a little bit nervous. I (kept) telling myself, like, ‘Nobody tells you that it’s going to be easy.’ You just have to work for it, work for it, ‘til the last point,” said Sabalenka, a 24-year-old from Belarus who is now 11-0 with two titles in 2023 and will rise to No. 2 in the WTA rankings on Monday.

The only set she has dropped all season was the opener on Saturday against Rybakina, who eliminated No. 1 Iga Swiatek in the fourth round. It was telling that Sabalenka’s remarks during the post-match ceremony were directed at her coach, Anton

Dubrov, and her fitness trainer, Jason Stacy — she referred to them as “the craziest team on tour.”

Well, she had a lot to do with it, of course. Those serves that produced 17 aces, helping erase the sting of seven double-faults. Those hammered groundstrokes and relentlessly aggressive style that produced 51 winners, 20 more than Rybakina’s total.

And, despite her go-for-broke shotmaking, somehow Sabalenka limited her unforced error count to 28. One more key statistic: Sabalenka managed to accrue 13 break points, converting three, including the one at 4-3 in the last set that put her ahead for good.

“She played really well today,” said Rybakina, who has lost all four matches she’s played against Sabalenka, all in three sets. “She was strong mentally, physically.” While the latter has long been a hallmark of her game, even

Sabalenka acknowledges that the first has been an issue.

Her most glowing strength was also her most glaring shortfall: her serve. Capable of delivering aces, she also had a well-known problem with double-faulting, leading the tour in that category last year with nearly 400, including matches with more than 20.

After much prodding from her group, she agreed to undergo an overhaul of her mechanics last August.

That, along with a commitment to trying to keep her emotions in check — she used to work with a sports psychologist but no longer, saying she relies on herself now — is really paying off.

With seagulls squawking loudly while flying overhead at Rod Laver Arena, Rybakina and Sabalenka traded serious racket swings for nearly 2 1/2 hours.

The serves were big. So big.

Rybakina’s fastest arrived at 121

2001 — Daron Rahlves wins the super giant slalom, the first American to capture the event at the world championships.

2010 — Serena Williams ends Justine Henin’s hopes of a Grand Slam title in her return from retirement with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 victory in the Australian Open final.

2011 — MVP DeAngelo Hall has one of his team’s five interceptions and returns a fumble 34 yards for a touchdown to help the NFC match a Pro Bowl scoring record in a 55-41 victory over the AFC. AFC quarterbacks Philip Rivers, Peyton Manning and Matt Cassel each throw first-half interceptions to help the NFC blow open a 42-0 lead.

2015 — The Phoenix Open continues without Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. The biggest shock is Woods, who bogeys on his last hole for an 82, the worst score in his two decades as a pro. Mickelson shoots 76 and misses the cut by two shots.

2016 — Angelique Kerber upsets Serena Williams 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 to win the Australian Open title, ending the six-time champion’s unbeaten streak in finals at Melbourne Park.

2022 - Australian Open

Men’s Tennis: Rafael Nadal wins record 21st Grand Slam singles title with an epic 2-6, 6-7, 6-4, 6-4, 7-5 win over Daniil Medvedev of Russia.

mph (195 kph), Sabalenka’s at 119 mph (192 kph).

The points were over quickly. So quickly: Seven of the first 13 were aces. Sabalenka had been broken just six times in 55 service games through the course of these two weeks, but Rybakina did it twice in the opening set.

And never again. Sabalenka resolved to take the initiative even more, and the payoff for her high-risk, high-reward attitude was too much for Rybakina to withstand over the last two sets.

NOVAK Djokovic reacts during a press conference following his win over Stefanos Tsitsipas in the men’s singles final at the Australian Open tennis championship today.

(AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

NOVAK DJOKOVIC, of Serbia, reacts as he holds the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup after defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece in the men’s singles final at the Australian Open tennis championship yesterday.

(AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

ARYNA Sabalenka.