02272023 NEWS AND SPORT

SAIL BOAT CRASHES ON ROCKS AT HYBOURNE CAY

A SAIL boat crashed onto rocks at Hybourne Cay, Exuma, on Thursday - despite the efforts of the crew of another boat to raise the alert.

The boat appeared to be under sail power but with no one on the deck.

Crew members from another boat sailed close to the vessel, shouting to raise the alert but with no response.

At one point, the crew considered jumping between vessels in an attempt to stop the collision with rocks - but were unable to intervene. The boat struck the rocks head on. It is reported that crew may have been below deck at the time tending to an oil leak. It is understood no one was injured.

US EMBASSY HOLDS FIRE DRILL

ON FRIDAY, February 24, at 11am, US Embassy Nassau’s Regional Security Office (RSO) in cooperation with the local fire department conducted a routine Fire Drill at the US Embassy. The Embassy thanks the Bahamians who helped ensure US Embassy staff and visitors are prepared in the event of an actual emergency.

Pintard questions Attorney General’s authority over PAC

parameters for the PAC.”

He added: “That is not within the remit of the executive branch of government and so the Speaker has to intervene and step up and not permit the Speaker, their chair, from being bullied or directed from the executive.

“So, this is an important moment, we believe in our democracy to ensure that there is an independence of the legislature from the executive and so we intend to formally ask the Speaker to opine on this issue and whether or not she has departed from the ruling which now governs how information is shared.”

Last week, Mr Pintard expressed the opposition’s outrage over Attorney General Ryan Pinder’s attempt to “handcuff” and “muzzle” the PAC after Permanent Secretary Luther Smith did not appear before the committee on Tuesday.

The party leader said Mr Smith’s non-appearance was on the instructions of Mr Pinder, who has since

argued that the scope of the committee’s request went beyond the powers granted to them by the House of Assembly’s rules.

It is for this reason, Senator Pinder said it was denied.

Responding yesterday,

Mr Pintard said the Attorney General was “flat out wrong” in his assessment and accused him of exceeding his authority.

He also agreed with recent comments made by former House Speaker Halson Moultrie, who told The Tribune last week that Mr Pinder was incorrect in his position on the limits of who the PAC can summon and what it can investigate.

In 2021, Mr Moultrie overturned a controversial ruling that his predecessor had made that restricted the powers of the PAC.

Mr Moultrie explained that the PAC has “unfettered” investigatory powers and said Mr Pinder was “overreaching.”

“We are aware, fully aware that the Attorney General is wrong and is attempting to subvert the work of the PAC and

frustrate it,” Mr Pintard added. “We will continue to press the Prime Minister, because we would have to assume that the Attorney General, given how this government works, is operating on the instruction of the Prime Minister.

“And so, we will continue this week to press the Prime Minister, both through the media and when we go in the House of Assembly on Wednesday, to repudiate what is being done and said by the Attorney General.”

Additionally, Mr Pintard

said the PAC intends to follow up on its letters written to various ministries and departments requesting copies of contracts entered into or on behalf of the ministries since September 21, 2021. He said the committee just wants to know how funds approved by Parliament are being spent and noted that it was within their remit to ask questions related to that.

“You would recall,” Mr Pintard added, “that we wrote permanent secretaries asking them not only to provide the listing of contracts under their ministry but we wanted them to do it for these same items—boards, authorities and corporations — but just for the sake of completeness, if one or more of the permanent secretaries when they do answer, if they are claiming that, that they do not have statutory responsibility for, we want for completeness to ask the head of those bodies, as well.

“And so, I’ve instructed the secretary to the PAC to write those persons and

I expect that those letters would have all gone out from last week.”

The PAC’s main function is to scrutinise government spending. It is the only parliamentary select committee on which the official opposition holds a majority and can thus seek to set the agenda.

Committee members include East Grand Bahama MP Kwasi Thompson, Central Grand Bahama MP Iram Lewis, South Beach MP Bacchus Rolle and Wayde Watson, who is the MP for Bains and Grants Town.

Mr Pintard said Mr Rolle and Mr Watson —both government MPs — have been a “no show” at the meetings up to this point.

Nonetheless, the opposition leader added: “This is going to be for us a busy week, working with the secretary to the PAC and ensuring that we are continuing to work. We are going to be active every week following through on these matters.”

SMITH: PM DID NOT DELIBERATELY MISLEAD

The inference in this remark is that the FNM did not wait for the end of the talks, but rushed to the airport, leaving the government to dot the “i’s” and cross the “t’s” on The Bahamas’ most important document.

When contacted by The Tribune, Sir Arthur said not only were the Prime Minister’s comments false but it was a discredit to him and his fellow colleagues such as former opposition leader, the late Kendal Isaacs.

He also called for an apology from Mr Davis.

In a statement released yesterday, FNM leader Michael Pintard echoed similar comments and said the Davis-led administration “falsely wished to monopolise credit for the building of the modern Bahamas.”

The opposition leader added that “no matter how often they tell untruths, it won’t change historical facts.”

Yesterday, Mr Smith said he didn’t believe that Prime Minister Davis would intentionally make a statement that seeks to misrepresent the facts.

He recalled when the PLP delegation, which he was a part of, along with former opposition delegates went to London to

attend the Constitutional Conference.

“The conference was technically over,” he told this newspaper yesterday.

“The FNM delegation left and so did four members of the PLP delegation because the six remaining PLP members of the delegation ie, Sir Lynden Pindling, Arthur Hanna, Paul Adderley, Carlton

TWO HIT-AND-RUNS AND A SUSPICIOUS DEATH

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS Tribune Staff Reporter lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

A SWIMMER died after he was hit by a jet ski driver on Saturday.

Police said the 49-yearold victim was swimming near the shoreline at a beach on Paradise Island when he was struck by a man operating a jet ski. The victim suffered serious head trauma and later died.

The suspect fled the scene, however, police are said to be following significant leads.

Meanwhile, an Abaco pedestrian died after a hitand-run on Friday.

Shortly after 11pm in Marsh Harbour, the pedestrian was in the area of Candyman Bar and Restaurant when he was hit by a dark Nissan Note, which fled the scene. Paramedics visited the scene and found no vital signs of life.

Police have not released the identity of either victim. However, a loved one of the Abaco victims expressed outrage about his death on Facebook.

“Wow, wow, my grandson father was knock down and kill last night and the driver didn’t even stop. Reds was an awesome father, a loving and kind person to all [who] know him. These are some dangerous people living amongst us and I know that someone see and know who it is but they will say nothing but God knows and sees it all (sic),” the person wrote.

Police also reported a suspicious death of a Bimini man.

The deceased was found in waters near Alice Town, Bimini, shortly after 7am on Friday.

Police said a visitor on board a vessel docked near Bimini Bay discovered the man’s body partially submerged in the water and alerted officers.

The man’s lifeless body was retrieved from the water and taken to a local clinic where a medical officer pronounced him dead.

The body will be flown to New Providence for an autopsy to determine an official cause of death.

Francis, Loftus Roker and myself, George A Smith, were the last remaining.

“And it is seen in a photograph that is often published in the supplements leading up to independence, where Sir Lynden … and Arthur Hanna on his right, who was the then deputy prime minister, signing the instrument, the same instrument

that the FNM delegation had signed and the other PLPs who were in the delegation had signed.

“I had signed. Carlton Francis had signed. Loftus Roker had signed. Paul Adderley had signed and AD (Hanna) had signed.

The last person to sign was Sir Lynden Pindling and that signing was the last act that had to happen.”

He added: “Now, later on, after we returned to Nassau in late December, Arthur Hanna and Paul Adderley went back to London to meet with the people who were drafting the constitution. So, it is wrong to say that the FNM delegation left in advance of the talks’ completion because they signed on the

signature page and so did the rest of us.”

“Now, some of them left London in advance before the six of us. That could be true, but it didn’t mean that they left the conference because they had to fix their signatures as did the others to authorise the British to proceed to independence.

“So, to suggest that the FNM left in advance of the completion of the work, that would not be true, and I was there at all material times, in the campaign before election, in the election campaign, making paper the green paper and all of the other documents that we had assembled to share with the Bahamian people and at the debate at the House of Assembly.”

Last week, Mr Davis told Parliament: “The FNM was on the side and they were arguing no to independence. That’s the point he made now, after the people rejected the view of the FNM.

“Right, and then the issue of the constitutional conference came up. It was only right for the opposition to have their say in the crafting of the constitution.”

Mr Davis added: “They left; Christmas was coming. They signed off and said ‘Sir Lynden whatever y’all say’... And they came back home, that’s all part of the record.”

CARTWRIGHT: GOVERNMENT NEEDS TO STOP ‘TAX AND SPEND’ POLICY

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS Tribune Staff Reporter lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

OPPOSITION deputy leader Shanendon Cartwright called out the Davis administration for failing to prioritise the needs of vulnerable Bahamians, saying the government must stop the practice of “tax and spend policy”.

Mr Cartwright has repeatedly called on the government to provide relief to the thousands of struggling Bahamian families, narrowing in on the “poor and marginalised”. In a press release yesterday, the St Barnabas MP scolded the government for creating a “tax heavy” environment and neglecting to create policies that would bring relief to Bahamians.

“The recent mid-year budget communication by the Prime Minister was uninspiring, off the mark and void of any meaningful projections or policies that would bring

significant hope and relief to thousands of struggling Bahamian families particularly the poor and vulnerable in our society,” Mr Cartwright said.

“The Davis administration continues to fail the poor and those who are most in need. The government has not prioritised nor brought adequate relief to the poor and marginalised who continue to struggle in this inflationary and tax-heavy environment the government has created.”

Mr Cartwright highlighted promises of the Davis administration preelection, noting that to date numerous initiatives

have not come to fruition.

“On coming to the office, this administration promised a war on poverty, signalling that it would champion the cause for the poor and vulnerable Bahamians,” Mr Cartwright said yesterday.

“Despite this announcement, the government put a burdensome tax on breadbasket items, making those items less accessible to the poor and the marginalised.

In addition, the government cut the Department of Social Services’ budget by more than $32 million.”

He continued: “The government also promised the launch and relaunch of additional social assistance programmes over a year ago. To date, those programmes are nowhere to be found as the economy tightens its grip on the pockets of the poor and Bahamians at large.”

Recently, there has been controversy as to whether or not the government will further increase Bahamian healthcare costs, due to a

new VAT law interpretation set to take effect from April 1.

In response, Mr Cartwright said it will “disproportionately affect the poor”.

He said: “The government’s recent tax announcement on healthcare services will disproportionately affect the poor and economically vulnerable who have already had to face issues of affordability and accessibility as it relates to healthcare. Couple this with the government’s ill-advised taxes on medication and prescription drugs, and the most susceptible Bahamians have been made more exposed economically.”

He also noted government’s failure to strengthen the previous administration’s “pioneering” programme: the Over-TheHill initiative, which seeks to revitalise the economies of Over-the-Hill communities through strategic economic, social, and environmental projects.

FNM LEADER, Michael Pintard, asks House speaker for for intervention over what he said is the AG’s attempt to ‘handcuff’ and ‘muzzle’ the Public Accounts Committee.

SHANENDON Cartwright

FORMER Prime Minister Sir Lynden Oscar Pindling signing the constitution of The Commonwealth of The Bahamas in 1972 at the Constitional Conference in London, England.

Church forum divided over criminalisation of marital rape

By LETRE SWEETING lsweeting@tribunemedia.net

THE proposed amendment to the Sexual Offences Act criminalising marital rape continues to receive mixed reviews from various Bahamian stakeholders.

Last year, the government released for consultation the proposed Sexual Offences (Amendment) Bill that seeks to criminalise marital rape and redefine the meaning of consent.

The draft legislation continues to be met with mixed reactions from religious leaders, with some believing rape cannot happen within a marriage.

On Friday, more mixed feelings were expressed by various stakeholders, including attorney and former Cabinet minister Elsworth Johnson, recently retired Social Services officer Cheryl Carroll, Devon Rolle of Kingdom Discipleship Centre and Pastor Gregory Munroe

of Church of God Temple, Freeport.

The comments were made during a forum for the 58th Annual General Assembly of the Highway Church of God Bahamas under the theme “Let the Fire Fall”.

Pastor Munroe referred to a ruling handed down by Justice J Denise LewisJohnson on August 29 involving a divorce case in which a woman claimed her husband would force intercourse and make her feel like a “rape victim”.

While ruling that a husband was cruel for forcing his wife to have sex against her will on several occasions, the Supreme Court justice found that “there is no rape in marriage” under Bahamian law.

Pastor Munroe said that the law of cruelty, which allowed the wife to get a divorce in this case, is sufficient and there is no need for the implementation of new laws that would concern the bedroom of married couples.

“If we look at the Gospel according to 1 Corinthians, chapter seven, (it says), ‘the wife had not power over her own body, but the husband. Likewise, the husband had not power over his own body, but the wife’. Marital rape has been outlawed in countries such as the United States and Canada, and other so-called developing countries,” Pastor Munroe said.

“Our preamble (of the constitution) always talks about a Christian nation and that’s what we are, so I don’t think we should go along with adopting this other stuff that we see from the world,” he continued.

The preamble refers to “an abiding respect for Christian values” and declares the establishment of a nation “founded on Spiritual Values”.

“You have to go by the law, you cannot just haphazardly throw this on the other person. The law of cruelty is in the books already. There is no need for us to go into trying

to implement new laws,”

Pastor Munroe said.

“We cannot legislate morality. Either you have it or you don’t have it. Simple as that. And if we allow this to go forward, if you have laws that go into the bedroom, how much further will they go?” he asked.

However, Mr Johnson disagreed. While expressing his respect for the sanctity of marriage and the church, Mr Johnson said that if the law stays out of the bedroom, what would happen if women or men are threatened, beaten or murdered in the bedroom?

“In certain circumstances, yes, a man can rape his wife,” he said.

“The law could stay outside the bedroom, but women are murdered in the bedroom. The law could stay outside the bedroom, but women are sodomised inside the bedroom. The law could stay out of the bedroom, but they’re brutally beaten in the bedroom, and women beat men too,” Mr Johnson said.

“Is it fair to say to this lady, who is about to have a baby or who just had a baby and had a C-section, your body belongs to me? We have to be as spiritual as possible, we have to be as sensible as possible and we have to look at these things,” he said.

Mr Johnson also addressed the possible issue of false accusations that may be made should marital rape be put into law, adding that false accusations are a possibility with many of the laws in place now.

“There’s this other concern about false accusations, but there will always be false accusations,” Mr Johnson said.

Meanwhile, Mrs Carroll agreed with Mr Johnson, sharing some instances from her 36 years at the Department of Social Services, where some men and women visited her and expressed their issues being involved in “domestic violence situations”.

Ambassador Rolle said marriage is God’s idea and

the constitution sought to capture the intent behind this idea for the institution of marriage and attempt to protect its sanctity.

Ambassador Rolle said despite this, there is always a likelihood of abuse in every institution known to man. He added that the Bible does not sanction forced intimacy as there should be no need for it. He said sex should not be used as a tool of manipulation or coercion and any law giving unfair authority to any one party is unjust.

Last month, Bishop Walter Hanchell said legislators cannot deny the church “its say” on the issue of marital rape in response to some who criticise the government for continued consultations on the matter.

Earlier this month, Social Services Minister Obie Wilchcombe said he could not confirm a timeline for when consultations for the marital rape legislation will be done, adding discussions are still continuing.

BAIN AND SUPPORTERS TRY TO DEMOLISH SHANTY HOMES

by Mr Bain and his supporters, with some alleging they were paying rent to live there.

But Mr Bain and his group dismissed their claims and continued to make their rounds in the community.

They were eventually stopped from demolishing the homes after police intervened.

In an interview with The Tribune yesterday, Mr Bain insisted the group’s actions were lawful and police had no right to stop them.

He claimed the shanty town dwellers were squatting on Crown land given to a retired civil servant named Justina Curry for

farming. He said Ms Curry had pleaded with the government to help her reclaim the land, adding they had papers to prove she had the legal right to the property.

Mr Bain said while the former administration sought to assist Ms Curry and even issued eviction notices, the situation was still not properly dealt with and eventually prompted her to seek his help.

He accused residents of threatening Ms Curry, destroying her crops and home, which he said was not acceptable.

“We went there in September and served notices on them in Creole. We also went there three weeks ago with police and the

police actually served the notices on those persons in Creole and they were given one week to leave. They had received four notices before,” the former Pinewood candidate told this newspaper.

“We gave them an extra two weeks to leave and we went there yesterday (Saturday) and we told them that we had come to carry out the mission and when I said we, I meant her because it was her property and she was really doing it and we were just assisting her.

“Basically, what she wanted to do at the time was remove the vacated buildings so some of the buildings, persons might have moved out or persons were occupying it, so she wanted to demolish buildings that were not occupied.

“If you look at the live (video), we started out by saying that’s what we really doing.”

The Tribune pointed out to Mr Bain that some of the homes seen in the video were occupied by residents who they questioned and instructed to leave.

To this, he said: “There were some (homes) that people were living in but we would not have demolished any that people were living in at the time. That was

not the plan but there were persons who were willing to voluntarily move on that day and so we were asking them to move.”

He also claimed that some residents, including a Haitian pastor, even admitted to wrongfully building on the property and then went on to describe the situation as “sad” and worrying. Mr Bain insisted Ms Curry had every right to evict residents off the land.

Mr Bain also insisted the group would have proceeded with the demolition process if a high-ranking

police officer did not stop them and escort him off the property. He said officers told him he was not under arrest.

“We started the process, but we couldn’t complete it and again, I want to make it clear that before we went there, we went to Carmichael Police Station and we got the assistance of police and this time, we went there and they assigned police officers to us and they were there with us the whole time while we were doing what we had to do, but then there was interference that came in from this assistant commissioner of police,” he alleged.

Mr Bain said they had tractors, heavy trucks and other equipment to carry out the exercise, though he stopped short from saying who funded the effort and only told The Tribune: “It’s the effort of concerned Bahamians that did this to help make it happen.

“We are terrified that the government would step in and interfere with the constitutional rights of a Bahamian, Ms Curry, who was violated, to throw this woman off this land and trespass on her land is a criminal offence,” Mr Bain continued.

“These people did several major felonies against this woman, and she got no justice, and they could send an assistant commissioner of police to tell us that we can’t demolish.”

Mr Bain and his supporters have repeatedly spoken out on the issue of shanty towns and have even held several protests over what they term to be an “immigration crisis” in the country.

This comes as the Davis administration has reconvened a shanty town task force following the lifting of a Supreme Court injunction that had previously banned government from demolishing shanty town homes. Works and Utilities Minister Alfred Sears recently said the Bahamian public will soon be given a road map which the government will use to address the issue of illegal structures.

PASTORS Friday discussed the ramifications of the proposed amendments to the Sexual Offences Act criminalising marital rape. Pictured: Elsworth Johnson, pastor Devon Rolle, Cheryl Carrol Mininstry of Social Services chief probation officer, and pastor Gregory Rolle.

Photo: Austin Fernander

COALITION of Independents leader Lincoln Bain went to a shanty town off Bacardi Road and told residents they had 15 minutes to collect their beloning before their home would be demolished.

‘Enough is enough’ say gas dealers

In addition to staff layoffs, Mr Bastian suggested that “something bigger” is in the works.

“Our association is scheduled to have a meeting I think in the next week to finalise our next train of thought or action in regard to this margin increase and how we are going to deal with this,” he told The Tribune.

“We’re getting a lot of pressure from dealers who are ready to do what they have to do and the pressure is on me. I’m having a

lot of sleepless nights dealing with this group of men and women who are now telling me that... enough is enough.”

When asked by this newspaper if the association was threatening to strike, he said: “We are not in the business of threatening no government, we negotiate with governments.”

Despite “pressure” from association members, Mr Bastian said he remains optimistic that the government will acknowledge the issues relating to retailers.

Last year, petroleum dealers called for a 50

percent increase in their gasoline retail margin which, if granted, would have raised it by 27 cents per gallon, from 54 cents to 81 cents.

However, Mr Bastian said despite a series of meetings with government officials last year no change in the margins was granted. He said: “We haven’t met with the government for the year. We continue to write the government letters and try to reach out to the government to see if they would accommodate us to have another sit down.”

While acknowledging

BERLICE LIGHTBOURNE-PINTARD: ‘WE STILL HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO’

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

FREEPORT attorney Berlice Lightbourne-Pintard says there is still a long way to go regarding the advancement of women in the world of work and other sectors of society.

“We must boldly continue to make strides with our advancement within and out of the workplace,” she encouraged women in Grand Bahama.

Mrs Pintard, wife of Opposition Leader Michael Pintard, was invited to speak at the Grand Bahama FNM Women’s Association meeting on Thursday evening at the FNM Headquarters in Freeport. She was speaking on the topic: “The Advancement of Women in the Corporate World.”

She admits that women have come a long way from a world when there were limited opportunities for them outside of the home.

The Bahamas, she said, is witnessing the highest participation of women in Parliament, with 11 female parliamentarians.

“Women have distinguished themselves in every sector of our society, however, we still have a long way to go,” added Mrs Pintard.

Some challenges women still face in terms of advancement at work, she said are gender-bias, hate disparity, sexual harassment, and lack of opportunities for promotion.

Mrs Pintard shared five things that women can do to help themselves change this pattern: increase collaboration among women, pursue professional development, exude confidence,

find balance, and collaborate with men.

Women, she said, must commit to networking and supporting other women, and not view each other as competition.

“Since there are typically limited opportunities for women at the top, we find ourselves competing against each other instead of working together, the attorney said.

“We must not let the system divide us; we must learn to collaborate rather than compete. We must hold ourselves to the same standard that we hold the men.”

She noted that mentoring is also important because women can provide exposure and guidance to other young women as they enter their careers.

Mrs Pintard encouraged women of all ages and stages in their careers to collaborate with each other and share experiences.

“There is no use being the first if there is no one behind you. We must bring other women along. We must give constructive criticism without undermining each other,” she said.

In terms of professional development, Mrs Pintard said the opportunities are endless. Whatever your occupation or chosen vocation, women must equip

RAISING AWARENESS TO REDUCE INSTANCES OF KIDNEY FAILURE

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS Tribune Staff Reporter lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

WITH March observed as kidney month, The Bahamas Kidney Association is urging people to wear green in support.

This year’s kidney month will be celebrated under the theme ‘Kidney Health for All-Preparing for the unexpected, supporting the vulnerable’. Every Friday in the month of March the association is encouraging people to wear green to spread awareness.

Tamika Roberts, president of BKA, said the association’s vision is to reduce the instances of kidney failure in The Bahamas and to improve the lives of those persons affected by kidney disease.

“March is kidney month, and the Bahamas Kidney Association joins the kidney community around the world in raising awareness of kidney health,” Ms Roberts said.

“During the month of March, our efforts are heightened as we encourage the public to take the necessary steps to keep their kidneys safe and healthy. And more importantly, we focus on bringing to the forefront those who fight lifelong battles every day.”

With a mission of increasing public awareness of the functions of the kidneys and the measures to prevent

themselves with necessary skills and tools to take up positions and opportunities in the workplace.

The attorney encouraged women to exude confidence.

“We also have to be our own advocates,” she said. “Advancement is not going to fall in our laps, we are going to have to go out and get it.”

“So, women, it is a difficult battle, but we must overcome the tendency to sit small. If you are amiable and nurturing, they say you do not have enough fire in your belly, you are not qualified for leadership, you do not have the grit to lead. And if you are assertive and confident, you are too bossy, and nobody likes you. And so, I say, let us all be our most confident self whichever category you lean toward.”

Finding balance between work, family and self is also important, said Mrs Pintard.

Lastly, she noted that women cannot continue to advance without men.

Mrs Pintard said she is grateful for those men who seek to advance women as equal members of society.

“I salute men like my husband, our party leader, who always has been a constant support and source of strength for me in my career development. Men who shun the patriarchal bias and recognize that women are not their property, but their equal,” she stated.

She urged women not to allow society to put limitations on them that God did not place there. “Do not allow anyone to put you in a box based on their stereotypical belief of what you are able to achieve,” said Mrs Pintard.

the industry’s gross profit margin is largely fixed at a time when a wide variety of expenses are rising, he noted that payment of business licences for fuel retailers is approaching.

With the payment deadline scheduled for March 31, Mr Bastian said that fuel operators are seeking the assistance of the government in adjusting the cost, as they are required to pay based on gross turnover.

“You have to file (the business licence) by December 31, and then payment is due by March 31,” he told this newspaper

in a recent interview.

“We’ll be trying to get them to see if we could have a look at that because you could only imagine what gas station operators throughout the Commonwealth of The Bahamas pay for business licences.”

He continued: “You know, we (fuel operators) pay business licences on gross turnover, not net profit. When gas was at $7.39, I think it was the highest last summer, you could only imagine what it costs to purchase that and to now have to pay business licence on gross

turnover, not on net profit doesn’t make any sense.”

Margins for petroleum dealers have not been increased since 2011, when the last Hubert Ingraham-led Free National Movement administration was in office.

Mr Bastian had previously credited the Progressive Liberal Party for being the “most” accommodating administration within the last 15 years, while emphasising the importance of the association maintaining a “professional” level of communication with the government.

JIMMY’S WINES & SPIRITS CONTINUES SUPPORT FOR THE CANCER SOCIETY

kidney disease, BKA will use the month of March to heighten the public on the necessary steps to keep their kidneys health.

“We encourage everyone to wear green Friday during the month of March to show your support and love to those who wake up and go on a dialysis machine three to four hours for three days a week,” said Ms Roberts.

“Despite how difficult it is, some of them still show up for their employers, they still show up for their spouse, they still show up for their children, they still show up for family and friends, they still show up at church.

She continued: So, during the month of march let us show up for them, Bahamas let us support, be kind, show love and let’s donate.”

BKA will be rolling out various initiatives for kidney awareness month, said Ms Roberts.

March 3 through 4 they will deliver 300 care packages to “kidney heroes”. On Sunday, March 5, they will gather at Grace Community at 11am for worship and March 9 will be observed as world kidney day. She also mentioned that BKA will host a high school and essay and video completion. Prizes include laptops, tablets and cell phones. Lastly, BKA will also host a fun, run, walk on March 15 at Goodman’s Bay.

JIMMY’S Wines & Spirits continues its support of the Cancer Society of The Bahamas with three donations to various fundraisers.

“The Cancer Society of The Bahamas has been one of our go-to philanthropic partners,” said executive sales and marketing manager Wellington Seymour. “In fact, very early on, we aligned our Pink Sands brand with the work they have been doing and we kicked things off with a major donation in honour of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.”

The company’s ‘Drink Pink for a Cure’ campaign has been an annual October promotion with funds earmarked for the cause. “We allocated funds from the sale of all Sands Pink Radlers as well as pink-hued wines and spirits from brands like Svedka Rose Vodka, Beefeater Pink, Absolut

Raspberri Vodka, and Notorious Pink Rose’” he said. “At the end of the month, those funds were part of a special donation which was presented to the Cancer Society team at our Jimmy’s Wines & Spirits East Bay Street location.”

To close out 2022, Jimmy’s joined forces with the Cancer Society as a partner for its holiday event ‘A Night At The Races’ at the Old Fort Bay Club. The event is a major fundraiser in aid of the Cancer Society’s Cancer Caring centre. Since 2004, the facility has housed Family Island residents undergoing treatment in the capital.

“Coming off the heels of a major hurricane, and then a global pandemic we couldn’t have possibly considered bringing back an event like this without the help of partners like Jimmy’s Wines & Spirits,” said Sue Roberts of the

Cancer Society planning committee. “Thankfully partners like Jimmy’s made it possible for us to meet the demands of the centre and work toward its expansion.”

Sands Beer and the Tito’s Vodka brand became major sponsors of this year’s Cancer Society Golf Tournament on Majority Rule Day at Baha Mar’s Blue Ocean Golf Course. Andrew Bell and Marcus Farrington emerged as the champions.

“This year’s tournament was a huge success” explained Tournament committee member Phil Andrews. “We raised close to $100,000 for the Cancer Society of The Bahamas, and we couldn’t have done so without the support of amazing corporate sponsors like Sands Beer and Tito’s Vodka of Jimmy’s Wines & Spirits.

BERLICE Lightbourne-Pintard with her husband Michael Pintard

JIMMY’s Wines and Spirits presents a check to the Cancer Society of The Bahamas

The Tribune Limited

Haiti policy: What happens next?

THE question “what happens next?” is very useful when examining public policy.

Today we ask this question with regards to our policies surrounding Haiti.

After the CARICOM meeting, it seems we have chosen our horse to back when it comes to dealing with the situation in Haiti.

Member states of CARICOM after the meeting here in The Bahamas agreed to provide direct support to the Haitian National Police in a bid to bring stability to a nation that is in desperate need.

Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis is the chairman of CARICOM at present and he declared that support, saying the goal was “building up the security mechanism that is in place”.

He said: “That is the Haitian police. Working and resourcing them as best we can and, for example, ensuring that food is provided to them and that they are paid and at the same time expanding for the force to be able to ensure that they have the capacity to deal with the issues that are there.

“So, we are not there yet with boots on the ground.”

So let us ask that question – what happens next? Having backed the police, how do we support them?

Last week, a senior US State Department official said that “we are in a situation where the [police] cannot defend itself or assure the security of the national territory”, according to The Miami Herald.

In Haiti itself, more and more police have been abandoning their posts. A humanitarian programme from the Biden administration meanwhile is being used by public officials and police officers in Haiti to leave the country.

There are reports that about a third of the police force is quitting – so who is it that we are backing? Our support mechanism may be too little, too late. If that is the case … what happens next?

We can provide food and pay to the officers who remain, but will they have the numbers to control the gangs in Haiti? The evidence of recent times suggests not.

Over the weekend, it was noticeable that a number of public officials took the time out to mark the first anniversary of the war in the Ukraine, and to speak out against it.

Far fewer have spoken out about the disaster taking place on our own doorstep, for disaster is what Haiti is experiencing.

One of the symptoms of that disaster is the increase in migration as people get out of a country controlled by gangs and with no elected institutions in place.

And there we face our own “what happens next” question with regard to shanty towns, in terms of what happens to the people who are displaced if shanty towns are knocked down by authorities. If they are demolished by proper authorities – and not by vigilante action as some are unwisely encouraging – then it must go through a proper process. But in that process, we should ask where the residents go.

According to past surveys, as many as 80 percent have some form of status in The Bahamas, be it being Bahamian or having an appropriate permit – so where do they live instead?

Shanty town living is not anyone’s first option, we would imagine. Many are paying some form of rent – but we have a shortage of legal and affordable accommodation so they turn instead to such homes.

If all 20 percent of those who do not have some form of legal status here are deported, that still leaves 80 percent looking for somewhere to live. What happens next to stop the problem repeating in a new location, and another, and another.

In Abaco, for example, many living in shanty towns have been employed as part of rebuilding efforts there. With nowhere to live, that workforce will either find somewhere else to set up, or if they do leave, then who fills the gap in workers? We repeat, many have legal standing, so even if those without permits are removed, that is still likely to leave a shortfall to get the work done that needs doing.

This needs to be the second half of the plan – not only the removal of shanty towns, but the replacement with affordable places to live for those who are here legally.

What happens next? Ask the question next time someone tells you what they’re going to do about a problem. It might just show how much thought has gone into it.

China’s Ukraine position

EDITOR, The Tribune

RE: CHINA’S position on the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis:

1. Respecting the sovereignty of all countries. Universally recognised international law, including the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter, must be strictly observed. The sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of all countries must be effectively upheld. All countries, big or small, strong or weak, rich or poor, are equal members of the international community. All parties should jointly uphold the basic norms governing international relations and defend international fairness and justice. Equal and uniform application of international law should be promoted, while double standards must be rejected.

2. Abandoning the Cold War mentality. The security of a country should not be pursued at the expense of others. The security of a region should not be achieved by strengthening or expanding military blocs. The legitimate security interests and concerns of all countries must be taken seriously and addressed properly. There is no simple solution to a complex issue. All parties should, following the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security and bearing in mind the long-term peace and stability of the world, help forge a balanced, effective and sustainable European security architecture. All parties should oppose the pursuit of one’s own security at the cost of others’ security, prevent bloc confrontation, and work together for peace and stability on the Eurasian Continent.

3. Ceasing hostilities. Conflict and war benefit no one. All parties must stay rational and exercise restraint, avoid fanning the flames and aggravating tensions, and prevent the crisis from deteriorating further or even spiraling out of control. All parties should support Russia and Ukraine in working in the same direction and resuming direct dialogue as quickly as possible, so as to gradually deescalate the situation and ultimately reach a comprehensive ceasefire.

4. Resuming peace talks. Dialogue and negotiation are the only viable solution

to the Ukraine crisis. All efforts conducive to the peaceful settlement of the crisis must be encouraged and supported. The international community should stay committed to the right approach of promoting talks for peace, help parties to the conflict open the door to a political settlement as soon as possible, and create conditions and platforms for the resumption of negotiation. China will continue to play a constructive role in this regard.

5. Resolving the humanitarian crisis. All measures conducive to easing the humanitarian crisis must be encouraged and supported. Humanitarian operations should follow the principles of neutrality and impartiality, and humanitarian issues should not be politicized. The safety of civilians must be effectively protected, and humanitarian corridors should be set up for the evacuation of civilians from conflict zones. Efforts are needed to increase humanitarian assistance to relevant areas, improve humanitarian conditions, and provide rapid, safe and unimpeded humanitarian access, with a view to preventing a humanitarian crisis on a larger scale. The UN should be supported in playing a coordinating role in channeling humanitarian aid to conflict zones.

6. Protecting civilians and prisoners of war (POWs).

Parties to the conflict should strictly abide by international humanitarian law, avoid attacking civilians or civilian facilities, protect women, children and other victims of the conflict, and respect the basic rights of POWs. China supports the exchange of POWs between Russia and Ukraine, and calls on all parties to create more favorable conditions for this purpose.

7. Keeping nuclear power plants safe. China opposes armed attacks against nuclear power plants or other peaceful nuclear facilities, and calls on all parties to comply with international law including the Convention on Nuclear Safety (CNS) and resolutely avoid man-made nuclear accidents. China supports the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in

playing a constructive role in promoting the safety and security of peaceful nuclear facilities.

8. Reducing strategic risks. Nuclear weapons must not be used and nuclear wars must not be fought. The threat or use of nuclear weapons should be opposed. Nuclear proliferation must be prevented and nuclear crisis avoided. China opposes the research, development and use of chemical and biological weapons by any country under any circumstances.

9. Facilitating grain exports. All parties need to implement the Black Sea Grain Initiative signed by Russia, Türkiye, Ukraine and the UN fully and effectively in a balanced manner, and support the UN in playing an important role in this regard. The cooperation initiative on global food security proposed by China provides a feasible solution to the global food crisis.

10. Stopping unilateral sanctions. Unilateral sanctions and maximum pressure cannot solve the issue; they only create new problems. China opposes unilateral sanctions unauthorized by the UN Security Council. Relevant countries should stop abusing unilateral sanctions and “long-arm jurisdiction” against other countries, so as to do their share in deescalating the Ukraine crisis and create conditions for developing countries to grow their economies and better the lives of their people.

11. Keeping industrial and supply chains stable. All parties should earnestly maintain the existing world economic system and oppose using the world economy as a tool or weapon for political purposes. Joint efforts are needed to mitigate the spillovers of the crisis and prevent it from disrupting international cooperation in energy, finance, food trade and transportation and undermining the global economic recovery.

12. Promoting post-conflict reconstruction. The international community needs to take measures to support post-conflict reconstruction in conflict zones. China stands ready to provide assistance and play a constructive role in this endeavour.

Provided by Chinese Embassy February 24, 2023

QUEZON City Mayor Joy Belmonte (right) releases white pigeons during ceremonies marking the 37th anniversary of the near-bloodless coup popularly known as “People Power” revolution that ousted the late Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos from 20-year-rule, at the People’s Power Monument in Quezon city, Philippines on Saturday. It is the first year marking the event under the rule of Marcos Jr.

Photo: Aaron Favila/AP

Two youths among four persons shot last week

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS Tribune Staff Reporter lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

A TEN-year-old boy who left home to purchase food was shot and injured on Friday.

He was one of four people — including two juveniles — who were shot and injured in separate incidents since Thursday.

Another juvenile, a 15-year-old, was shot on Thursday.

Following the news of the children being shot, Free National Movement Senator Maxine Seymour expressed concerns about crime, particularly against juveniles, calling it “disheartening”.

According to police, around 1am on Friday, a ten-year-old boy was shot by occupants of an orange vehicle while in the area of Lyon Road. He received injuries to his right leg and was listed in stable condition.

The victim is Davantai Strachan, a fourth-grade student at Uriah McPhee Primary School.

In an interview with this newspaper on Friday, Davantai said he was going to purchase food for himself and his grandmother, with whom he lives, when he was hit by stray bullets.

“I was going to get food because my grammy only cooked rice and then I went to buy some wings so me and her could eat the rice and chicken,” he said.

“Then when I was walking back, because plenty people was in front of me by the food place, so I walk back home, and all I heard was ‘bam bam’. Then my foot got shoot, and I kicked off my shoes and then I run.”

Davanti said he ran to a neighbour’s house for assistance, adding that he was scared. The boy’s mother, Carametta Butler, declined to comment, however, she expressed gratitude he survived the incident as she

has already lost two of her seven children.

Ms Butler is also the mother of the sevenyear-old girl who died in September last year after a swing set collapsed on her.

Although seen limping and having to rely on crutches, Davanti, a resident of the Freetown community, remains in high spirits.

Another child was shot on Windsor Lane shortly after 7.30pm on Thursday. Police said a 15-year-old boy and a group of people were outside in a community setting when a lone gunman, dressed in dark clothing opened fire on the group.

In an attempt to flee, the victim was shot in his lower torso, but later taken to the hospital in a private vehicle. At last report, he was in stable condition.

On Friday, Senator Seymour said the news was saddening.

“I’m not happy at all,” she said.

“We have to be able to protect our children of this nation, I mean at ten and 15 years old you certainly

should not be nursing gunshot wounds and so there needs to be a harsher penalty.”

She continued: “We need clear plans in terms of addressing the crime situation, especially impacting our women, children, and our men because the reality is that when a man is hurt, the whole family is hurt because that man is the provider and involved with the family.

“But it’s very disheartening to me and very frustrating and I’m so moved, knowing that a ten-year-old was shot, a 15-year-old in a separate incident, like what is going on in our country, when children can’t just be children.”

As a mother of four, Ms Seymour sympathised with the parents of both victims, saying more must be done to make the country a “safer place”.

Police also reported that shortly after 5am on Saturday, a 39-year-old male resident of Sandilands Village was approached by two gunmen who ordered him to give up his vehicle.

FOUR BREACHES OF CURFEW EARNS MAN ON BAIL SIX MONTHS IN JAIL

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

A MAN on bail for armed robbery and attempted murder was sent to prison Friday for breaching his curfew four times.

Police arrested Devon Carey, 27, after he was found in breach of his 9pm to 6am curfew four times between January and February this year. He admitted to the offences during his appearance before Magistrate Kendra Kelly on Friday.

In a mitigation plea, Carey’s lawyer suggested that his client broke his curfew because he was working long hours.

He said Carey loved to work because he wanted to provide for his three children and asked the court to

either impose a fine or give him a strict warning.

In response, Magistrate Kelly said the matter was not negotiable, stressing that four breaches were not a small number that could be taken lightly.

She told Carey she did not care that he worked long hours and argued that he should’ve been at home before 9pm as stipulated in the conditions of his release.

The magistrate also reminded the accused that there was a process he could’ve gone through to have his bail conditions varied to accommodate his work schedule.

But his failure to do so showed that he did not care, Magistrate Kelly added.

As a result, she sentenced him to six months in prison on each count, which will

run concurrently, meaning at the same time.

Shawn Thompson, 32, also appeared in court for violating his bail conditions. Thompson, who is out on bail for attempted murder, was arrested after being accused of breaking his curfew three times between January and February.

The accused pleaded guilty to the offences.

However, his sentence was deferred to Wednesday after he denied having antecedents when the matter was brought up in court.

According to the Crown prosecutor, police files showed that Thompson had previously been charged with armed robbery.

But, Thompson denied this. As a result his case was adjourned to next week to allow the prosecutor to verify his claim.

MAN CHARGED WITH STEALING PAYS $3K FINE IN LIEU OF PRISON TIME

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

A 46-YEAR-OLD man was fined in the Magistrate’s Court on Friday for stealing over $3,000 worth of supplies from a mechanical company last year.

Magistrate Kendra Kelly ordered Bernard Stubbs to pay $3,000 after he changed his plea to guilty to the stealing offence during his second appearance in court.

Before being sentenced, the Crown prosecutor, while reading the facts in the case, reported that Stubbs was arrested last February after police found him with the stolen items.

Police said the stolen items matched the description filed by the complainant.

They included 12 four-inch PVC pipes, four two-inch white PVC pipes and two three-inch PVC pipes, all together valued at $3,841.20

After Stubbs admitted to the offence, his attorney asked the court for leniency in its sentencing.

The attorney described Stubbs as a family man and said he had a wife and two children.

He also noted that Stubbs had an “unblemished” record before the incident and asked the court not to impose a custodial sentence, but instead to grant him a conditional discharge.

This was rejected by Magistrate Kelly who said that while she commended Stubbs for owning up to the offence, she could not overlook the fact that he went on someone’s property to

The victim resisted and was shot multiple times about the body. The suspects then fled the scene on foot and the victim was taken to hospital by a private vehicle where he is listed in serious condition.

Shortly before 10pm on Thursday, a man was shot and robbed of his 2022 Crypton motorcycle in the area of Cockburn Street. However, police later located the stolen motorcycle in the immediate area, and also pursued occupants of a white Japanese vehicle who may have been responsible for the incident. One suspect was taken into custody while the victim remains in stable condition.

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

POLICE are investigating a bomb threat at the Ministry of Youth, Sports, and Culture Office located on University Boulevard.

Police reported on Friday that the scene had been cleared and employees have returned to their working environment.

“Preliminary reports indicate that shortly after 10.30am on Friday, 24 February, 2023, an employee of the office received a telephone call, indicating that a bomb is planted within the building,” the police news release reported.

“The Anti-Terrorism Unit and Fire Services responded to the location where at present, an evacuation has been enforced while officers conduct a sweep of the building to ensure that it is safe.”

Youth, Sports, and Culture Minister Mario Bowleg told The Tribune that the call was received at the ministry.

The minister also said he was not threatened when asked how he felt.

“They spoke to one of my sports officers I was told. They called the office and I was told they said if I don’t put them in charge of Bahama Games they gonna blow up the place. They ain’t call me.”

He added: “I was told that I must put them in charge of something,

Bahama Games or something, like that. I don’t know what they’re talking about. They left the name and number so I understand. I told them to call the police and let the police deal with it. I ain’t got to deal with people who playing crazy.”

Mr Bowleg emphasised the seriousness of the threat and dealing with the matter.

“No, they taking it seriously because in this country we got to stop allowing Bahamians to believe that they could just call and do what they want to do to higher officials in this country. And when they do like that they should grab them and charge them.”

This incident comes after a 21-year-old was sent to prison accused of threatening to kill Prime Minister Phillip “Brave” Davis.

Isaac Roberts faced Chief Magistrate Joyann Ferguson-Pratt on a charge of threats of death.

According to police reports, it is alleged that someone called Central Police Station around 8.20am on Saturday, February 18, and threatened to kill Mr Davis.

After this incident, a suspect was taken into police custody and had his cell phone confiscated. In court, the accused pleaded not guilty.

steal their supplies.

As a result, she fined him $3,000. Stubbs was warned that failure to comply would result in him spending six months behind bars. The case was adjourned to May 26.

Also appearing in court before Magistrate Kelly for a similar offence was former Rubis employee, Doniesha Wallace.

The 27-year-old was charged in court on Friday with stealing by reason of employment.

She is accused of stealing $500 from the gas station while employed there. Wallace denied the allegations.

She was fined $2,500 with one or two sureties and ordered to report to the East Street South police station once a week. Wallace returns to court on May 9 for trial.

FNM senator Maxine Seymour speaks to the press on Friday after two juveniles were shot last week.

Photo: Moise Amisial

Govern for today, not fight about 50 years ago

By MALCOLM STRACHAN

IT was a pleasure travelling around Nassau on Friday. Wherever I went, people were wearing the colours of the nation.

Whether it was official Countdown to 50 shirts or simply representing in black, aquamarine or gold in some other fashion, it was a real lift as we look forward to our anniversary celebration.

Picking out February 24 – 24/2 – as 242 day was a clever idea, and especially this year it sets the tone nicely as we lean towards our golden jubilee.

Elsewhere, there are a lot of other things going on that should give us pride in our nation. Particular credit this year to the organisers of the year of Bahamian theatre who are bringing us a Bahamian play every month throughout the year, for example. And I’m sure

there will be plenty of other moments in the countdown to give us pride.

When we celebrate together, we show our strength. When we fall into petty politics, however, it seems we show our weakness.

There was an unseemly dispute last week when former Governor General Sir Arthur Foulkes was moved to call out Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis for inaccurate comments in the House.

Mr Davis repeated a story previously told by PLP chairman Fred Mitchell back in 2014 that

‘Sometimes, it is worth taking a step back and looking at the political scene and asking if we were in the position of seeking independence today, how would the current crop of politicians deliver in comparison with those who actually achieved the task.’

the FNM, all the way back in 1972 at the independence conference in London, packed up and headed home early.

The suggestion has been in the past, reinforced by Mr Davis’ comments, that the FNM didn’t bother with putting in the effort over independence. Mr Davis said: “They left; Christmas was coming. They signed off and said Sir Lynden whatever y’all say… and they came back home, that’s all part of the record.”

Sir Arthur was forthright in response:

“It’s (false), it’s unfortunate

I don’t know who told him that. But obviously, somebody told him that and he repeated it.”

He added: “From what other reporters told me, he repeated the same thing that Fred Mitchell said that we left before the conference finished. That is not true. We left the same day, but it was hours after the conference finished. We were there for the end of the conference.”

Sir Arthur should know –he was there. But at a time when we ought to be celebrating what brings our nation together, this is the kind of politics that seeks to divide instead.

The narrative being pushed here is pretty clear – the PLP trying to take the credit for independence rather than the efforts of all who contributed being recognised. It’s just a line to push for the party’s base – saying look, the FNM

didn’t want independence, you have the PLP to thank for that, the FNM didn’t even stay to the end of the event. It undermines the efforts of people who should be recognised for contributing to the founding of our nation. That’s not to emphasis the FNM over the PLP in return, either – but let us celebrate what actually happened rather than trying to carve a narrative out of something from 50 years ago to benefit one party’s idea of itself over the other.

This is also the kind of squabble that sees us spending time talking about something other than our future. Never mind what happened 50 years ago, what are today’s statesmen doing to advance our nation?

In the spirit of those founding fathers, who forever changed our nation, what are the ambitious targets being set by those who govern us, or who would govern us, today?

It certainly isn’t empowering citizens through the Freedom of Information Act, which seems to have stalled so badly that it probably needs to go back to the garage for repairs.

Back in January, the press secretary said the government was still committed to the act, which he said was “in the process of being launched”.

And yet, no sign of any date for full implementation. The Information Commissioner said last September people could start making requests “soon”, yet his definition of soon does not seem to match up to ours. Perhaps that is the same “soon” that they keep saying about the end of road works in Village Road that were due to be finished back in September too.

Maybe it is the same “soon” that we hear about the seemingly endless consultation going on over marital rape legislation. It seems every time that gets closer, the government finds another churchman who suddenly needs to give his opinion on the matter, as if the subject hasn’t been under broad discussion for a long enough time that everyone has had the opportunity to speak who has wanted to speak.

Could our anniversary year be marked by giving married women the same rights as unmarried women to seek legal action if they are raped? Compared to founding a nation, that seems a far less difficult hurdle to clear and yet here we are, trying to avoid upsetting anyone who will tell their congregation to vote for the other side.

Creating the nation did take both sides – and there is part of the lesson. A united approach to issues such as marital rape legislation would take us forward, rather than the sniping politics of opportunism.

The same could be said of issues surrounding equality with citizenship – but we know what happened there, with a referendum beset by political factions and scaremongering over what would be the consequences of giving people the same rights as one another, be they a man or a woman.

Sometimes, it is worth taking a step back and looking at the political scene and asking if we were in the position of seeking independence today, how would the current crop of politicians deliver in comparison with those who actually achieved the task.

That can actually be measured in terms of the legislation that is passed or enacted that takes our nation forward.

Will our anniversary year see any kind of revolution in our rights, our access, in government transparency, in accountability?

We are an independent nation – our challenge now is to constantly improve our nation’s governance. Keeping our eye on that task should be the goal –not bickering about which party did what 50 years ago.

THE INDEPENDENCE Secretariat held a “242 Day Pop-Up” at the Independence Roundabout on East Street South and East West Highway on Friday, handing out bags while wearing Bahamian colours.

Photo: Anthon Thompson/BIS

Savour every moment spent with the ones you love

WE OFTEN learn life’s lessons, whether consciously or subconsciously, through our own experiences or by learning from what others have taught us but the lessons that resonate most deeply typically come from individual trials.

My patient Danielle, for example, encourages readers to savour every moment that you spend with your loved ones because no day or hour is promised.

It started with a stare of disbelief. Here is how the story unfolds.

Danielle vividly recalls the look of horror and confusion in her mother’s eyes when she told her that her husband of nearly six decades would not be coming home. Forever etched in her subconscious are lessons that she’ll never forget like learning that back pain can indicate heart damage and excessive sweating can be caused by organ failure.

Two years ago, Danielle’s father, Asa, (both names are aliases) walked into the treatment room of a local clinic suffering from intense back pain. He’d been sitting in the waiting room for almost three hours and his legs were stiff.

As he got up, his feet shuffled noticeably without reprieve and he walked slightly slumped, desperately fighting to maintain his balance as his legs threatened to give out.

Once he made it to the room and sat into the chair, he laid his head back against the wall, made a loud audible gasp for air and lost consciousness.

Danielle screamed for a nearby doctor and when he placed his hand on Asa’s throat, his brows knitted, he looked deeply confused and motioned for another doctor to come.

Danielle was asked to leave the room.

At the same time, her brother returned holding a sandwich for their father who hadn’t eaten all morning. They were both escorted into a waiting room near the back of the clinic but couldn’t understand why there wasn’t a frantic commotion of medical personnel rushing to resuscitate him.

They were left dumfounded when a doctor came in and notified them that their 85-year-old father who had come in because of back pain was dead.

Danielle screamed in horror with such soulcrushing intensity that the windows became eclipsed by a frosty haze and appeared to weep as the walls all shook in unison. Echoes of their spine-chilling bellows reverberated past the waiting area and into the parking lot.

Before this, Asa had been sweating profusely and his pain was obvious. Although he’d suffered from back pain for over 20 years, it was never to this extent.

Upon their arrival, Danielle notified the receptionist at the clinic that her father was in visible distress. But this was the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic and the waiting area was crowded with people who’d been waiting much longer. So, they sat and waited for their name to be called.

At the time, Asa’s breathing was laboured and he looked tired. That was when his son offered to get him a sandwich. Waiting, Asa drank some water and intermittently rested his head on Danielle’s shoulder.

It was only two days prior to going to the clinic that

Asa complained of pain in his back, attributing it to the fact that he dragged a heavy bag out of his closet on the day of pain onset.

Before that, though mild pain had come and gone for two decades, he’d been absolutely pain-free for quite some time.

So now, with no relief, despite a closely followed self-prescribed regimen of rest, heat and over-the-counter oral antiinflammatories, he sought professional treatment.

Given the fact that he wrestled with back pain for so long and he’d recently injured himself moving his bag, the decision was then made by his wife and children to take Asa to a clinic rather than the hospital.

Having gone from normal to progressively weak in such a short time, Asa slowly hobbled his way, unassisted, into that local clinic with his son and daughter dutifully by his side.

They opted not to let their mother come along because of her age and the high risk of being exposed to someone with COVID19. So, she waved goodbye to them as they left, hopeful that he’d get an injection and feel better before nightfall.

The last time that Asa had been in a medical facility was five years earlier when he suffered from a stroke, which occurred while he was attending his neighbour’s funeral. At the grave site, when his wife asked him a question, his words were slurred but she imagined that he was overcome with grief. He remained quiet for most of that evening, even when his daughter Danielle asked him a question. It wasn’t until his son noticed the distortion in his face that they realised what happened and took him to the hospital.

Within two days of admission, he was discharged from the hospital with no focal deficits other than a mild speech impediment and his responses required a more concerted effort on his behalf. The ordeal did however reveal an irregular heartbeat so

he was referred to a cardiologist who implanted a pacemaker to mitigate his palpitations.

Born in Nassau, Asa was the youngest of three children. He was a lodge member and chemist

by trade and his stroke occurred two months following the death of his brother. As a child, he had an accident while playing and broke his toe but never got it fixed. The digit eventually became fixed in a

misaligned position and, for the rest of his life, stood as a dormant reminder of the ramifications of inappropriate or delayed healthcare.

Growing up, many would have described him as brave and strong. Those traits carried over into adulthood and although Asa was quiet, he was also honest, loyal and direct.

He loved Bahamian food and news and he was most appreciative of the fact that the stroke hadn’t hindered his ability to play the organ.

Music, particularly Christian hymns, came from inside his soul and flowed out of his body through his fingertips in a steady stream of grace. Playing filled him with passion and kept a smile on his face no matter the obstacle he faced.

‘May your whole life prove that God is good’ is a lyric sung by gospel artist Travis Greene and Asa sought to do just that.

At the age of 27, he met and fell in love with his wife. They met in church and were married for 58 years and had three sons and one daughter. On their wedding day, they danced, laughed and celebrated the start of their life with many of their loved ones.

Once alone, the newlyweds toasted to the start of what they hoped would be a beautiful life together. And it was. Up until that moment in the clinic when he rested his head against a wall, and gasped his last breath.

It’s been said that you’ll never really know true peace until you’re dead. The part of this saying that’s

rarely iterated, however, is that your death then simultaneously robs peace from your loved ones. And no matter the age, if it’s perceived that you still have more to offer, it will always feel as though your life was cut short and ended before it truly began.

To cope, loved ones then muster their way through the darkness and in time try their best to adjust to life’s new normal, holding their breath and dreading the day that the next crisis unfolds.

While young, and with his whole life before him, Asa couldn’t wait to grow up, eager to see what adventures, disguised as challenges, lay ahead. From then forward, he always remained hopelessly optimistic that someday, with blessings from above, he’d forever be surrounded by family.

And, like so many of us, unaware of how his life might end, he simply and consistently prayed for his future to be filled with love, happiness and good fortune.

This is The KDK Report.

• Nicknamed ‘The Prince of Podiatry’, Dr Kenneth D Kemp is the founder and medical director of Bahamas Foot and Ankle located in Caves Village, Western New Providence. He served as the deputy chairman for the Health Council for five years and he currently sits on the board of directors for the Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation in his role as co-vice-chairman.

“...savor every moment that you spend with your loved ones because no day or hour is promised.”

The war on Ukraine is now a global war

THE people of Ukraine are the principal victims of the unjustified and unprovoked war, launched against them by Russia on February 24, 2022. But in the year since then, it has become clear that other victims - on a different scale - have been all the nations of the world, particularly the small, poor and powerless.

When the Russian tanks rolled into Ukraine, the global economy was still struggling from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic that had battered economies around the world, especially those of developing countries.

The supply of food and other goods had been severely affected by border closures, ships trapped in ports, airplanes grounded, and the resultant high costs of scarce goods.

World View

By SIR RONALD SANDERS

nor is it only a contest for supremacy between Russia and the member states of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, it is a war that engulfs every nation with grave consequences.

When Russia embarked on its war against Ukraine, it violated sacred principles that are enshrined in the United Nations Charter. Those principles, which are highly valued by small and powerless states, are sovereignty, political independence and territorial integrity.

‘By its aggression in Ukraine, Russia has significantly weakened the rules-based system upon which the world depends, particularly the small, the poor who are the least resilient.’

One year later, the global economy is in much worse shape as a consequence of Russia’s war. Inflation rates are soaring and the cost of living everywhere has increased dramatically. These rising costs of finance, energy and food, and a debt burden that has expanded, have pushed some countries to the edge of bankruptcy.

In a real sense, therefore, the Russian war is a war against the world, and while the people of Ukraine are the main sufferers, the peoples of other countries have not been spared. This war is no longer a “European war”,

As one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, which has responsibility for collective security, the Russian government was well aware of these principles. Yet, with no justification for its aggression and no provocation, it launched its war on Ukraine.

Today, it stands responsible for the humanitarian crisis that its actions have caused in Ukraine, including rape and murder of civilians, and destruction of civilian objects and the natural environment.

The world community depends upon a rules-based system for collective international security, and to ensure that order prevails in a predictable way to avoid wars and economic chaos. It is in the interest of every country in the international community, including those that are powerful in military and economic terms, to adhere always to a system of rules. For, while short-term national objectives might be achieved by breaking the rules, eventually such actions are not sustainable.

By its aggression in Ukraine, Russia has significantly weakened the rules-based system upon which the world depends, particularly the small, the poor who are the least resilient.

The war is having an enormous impact on the global supply chain, impeding the flow of goods, fuelling huge increases in the cost of food creating catastrophic food shortages. There are now protests and riots in many parts of the world over the rising cost of living and the immense difficulty people face in trying to make ends meet. These protests and riots are directed at their own governments, even though none of these conditions were a result of any policy decision taken or implemented by them.

Many governments, around the world, are now hapless victims of Russia’s

decision to wage a war against Ukraine. Further, having already accumulated a heavy debt burden, resulting from the COVID19 pandemic, the rise in interest rates in global commercial market, have rendered debt unpayable, except by diverting money from domestic social welfare and capital projects.

These governments now find themselves having to pay high interests on new loans. Many are spending as much as 45 per cent of their export earnings to service existing debt obligations. Some will fail, and the world might be confronted with yet another debt crisis.

Let it be said, however, that the greatest victims in terms of loss of lives and livelihoods, and the decimation of their country are the Ukrainians. They are fighting for their identity, their territory and their survival. They deserve the admiration and support of the world for their courage, their strength and their resistance.

Right now, the world needs peace to overcome the immediate harmful effects of this war; lasting peace is what the world will need to recover from the impact of the war on their economies and their people. More than anything else, the world needs renewed commitment by every nation to end the scourge of war, and to renew inclusionary engagement on supporting peace, including economic stability and predictability, and an end to dealing with territorial claims peacefully and within international law.

Russia needs that peace as much as Ukraine and the rest of the world. A great deal of Russian treasure is being spent on this war, which, after a year, has not given Russia the swift victory its government expected. The lives of Russian soldiers are being lost, and Russians are fleeing their country, depriving it of needed skills and talent. Russia, like Ukraine, will also suffer a prolonged period of agony, whenever the war ends, before it can recover from this unprovoked war.

Ending the war swiftly and returning to the principles of the UN Charter, are in every country’s interest.

• Responses and previous commentaries: www. sirronaldsanders.com

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

UKRAINIAN marine servicemen stand on a street in front of the residential building which was heavily bombed by Russian forces, in the frontline city of Vuhledar, Ukraine, on Saturday.

Photo: Evgeniy Maloletka/AP

Bird flu outbreak shows need for early detection

By TREANA MAYER Colorado State University

THE current epidemic of avian influenza has killed over 58 million birds in the US as of February 2023. Following on the heels of the COVID-19 pandemic, large outbreaks of viruses like bird flu raise the specter of another disease jumping from animals into humans. This process is called spillover.

I’m a veterinarian and a researcher who studies how diseases spread between animals and people. I was on the Colorado State University veterinary diagnostic team that helped detect some of the earliest cases of H5N1 avian influenza in US birds in 2022. As this year’s outbreak of bird flu grows, people are understandably worried about spillover.

Given that the next potential pandemic will likely originate from animals, it’s important to understand how and why spillover occurs – and what can be done to stop it.

HOW SPILLOVER WORKS

Spillover involves any type of disease-causing pathogen, be it a virus, parasite or bacteria, jumping into humans. The pathogen can be something never before seen in people, such as a new Ebola virus carried by bats, or it could be something well known and recurring, like Salmonella from farm animals.

The term spillover evokes images of a container of liquid overflowing, and this image is a great metaphor for how the process works.

Imagine water being poured into a cup. If the water level keeps increasing, the water will flow over the rim, and anything nearby could get splashed.

In viral spillover, the cup is an animal population, the water is a zoonotic disease capable of spreading from an animal to a person, and humans are the ones standing in the splash zone.

The probability that a spillover will occur depends on many biological and social factors, including the rate and severity of animal infections, environmental pressure on the disease to evolve and the amount of close contact between

infected animals and people.

WHY SPILLOVER MATTERS

While not all animal viruses or other pathogens are capable of spilling over into people, up to threequarters of all new human infectious diseases have originated from animals. There’s a good chance the next big pandemic risk will arise from spillover, and the more that’s known about how spillovers occur, the better chance there is at preventing it.

Most spillover research today is focused on learning about and preventing viruses – including coronaviruses, like the one that causes COVID-19 and certain viral lineages of avian influenza – from jumping into humans. These viruses mutate very quickly, and random changes in their genetic code could eventually allow them to infect humans.

Spillover events can be hard to detect, flying under the radar without leading to bigger outbreaks. Sometimes a virus that transfers from animals to humans poses no risk to people if the virus is not well adapted to human biology. But the more often this jump occurs, the higher the chances a dangerous pathogen will adapt and take off.

SPILLOVER IS BECOMING MORE LIKELY

Epidemiologists are projecting that the risk of spillover from wildlife into humans will increase in coming years, in large part because of the destruction of nature and encroachment of humans into previously wild places.

Because of habitat loss, climate change and changes in land use, humanity is collectively jostling the table that is holding up that cup of water. With less stability, spillover becomes more likely as animals are stressed, crowded and on the move.

As development expands into new habitats, wild animals come into closer contact with people – and, importantly, the food supply. The mixing of wildlife and farm

animals greatly amplifies the risk that a disease will jump species and spread like wildfire among farm animals. Poultry across the US are experiencing this now, thanks to a new form of avian flu that experts think spread to chicken farms mostly through migrating ducks.

CURRENT RISK FROM BIRD FLU

The new avian influenza virus is a distant descendant of the original H5N1 strain that has caused human epidemics of bird flu in the past. Health officials are detecting cases of this new flu virus jumping from birds to other mammals – like foxes, skunks and bears.

On February 23, 2023, news outlets began reporting a few confirmed infections of people in Cambodia, including one infection leading to the death of an 11-year-old girl. While this new strain of bird flu can infect people in rare situations, it isn’t very good at doing so, because it is not able to bind to cells in human respiratory tracts very effectively. For now, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention thinks there is low risk to the general public.

Active monitoring of wild animals, farm animals and humans will allow health officials to detect the first sign of spillover and help prevent a small viral splash from turning into a large outbreak. Moving forward, researchers and policymakers can take steps to prevent spillover events by preserving nature, keeping wildlife wild and separate from livestock and improving early detection of novel infections in people and animals.

• Originally published on www.theconversation.com.

DUCKS eat along the shore of Snoa village farm outside Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on Thursday. An 11-year-old girl in Cambodia has died from bird flu in the country’s first known human H5N1 infection since 2014.

Photo: Heng Sinith/AP

CIA director: Putin too confident he can grind down Ukraine

DELAWARE

Associated Press

AS THE war in Ukraine enters its second year, CIA Director William Burns said Sunday that Russian President Vladimir Putin is being “too confident” in his military’s ability to grind Ukraine into submission.

Burns, in a television interview, said the head of Russia’s intelligence services had displayed in their November meeting “a sense of cockiness and hubris” that reflected Putin’s own beliefs “that he can make time work for him, that he believes he can grind down the Ukrainians that he can wear down our European allies, that political fatigue will eventually set in.”

That conversation, in which Burns warned of the consequences if Russia were to deploy a nuclear weapon in Ukraine, was “pretty dispiriting,” Burns said.

Burns said he judged Putin as “quite determined” to continue prosecuting the war, despite the casualties, tactical shortcomings and economic and reputational damage to Russia.

“I think Putin is, right now, entirely too confident of his ability ... to wear down Ukraine,” Burns told CBS’ “Face the Nation” in an interview that aired Sunday. Burns said that “at some point, he’s going to have to face up to increasing costs as well,

in coffins coming home to some of the poorest parts of Russia,” where he said many of the conscripts “being thrown as cannon fodder” are from. Burns also said Putin was underestimating US resolve to support Ukraine, saying that it has been his experience that the Russian leader’s view is that Americans have “attention deficit disorder and we’ll move on to some other issue eventually.”

The comments came at a critical juncture for the war as the Biden administration is “confident that the Chinese leadership is considering” whether to provide “lethal” military equipment to Russia.

“It would be a very risky and unwise bet,” Burns said, adding that such a move could only further strain relations between the world’s two largest economics. “That’s why I hope very much that they don’t.”

Burns said China’s leader, Xi Jinping, has closely watched how the war has evolved, and “I think, in many ways, he’s been unsettled and sobered by what he’s seen.” The CIA director spoke of “where Putin’s hubris has now gotten Russia,” and said that in authoritarian systems, when “nobody challenges” a leader, “you can make some huge blunders.”

Meanwhile, the question

of military aid and the pace of the war is also a source of uncertainty in the US as Republican lawmakers criticized the administration for not sending F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said the US was providing Ukraine with the military aid needed to retake territory seized by Russia. The domestic politics of support for Ukraine are also complicated by

some GOP members of Congress who say the administration should pull back and focus more on the needs at home.

Rep. Michael McCaul, chairman of the House Foreign Relations Committee, said planes and long-range artillery could help end the war on a faster timeline. “This whole thing is taking too long,” McCaul said. “And it really didn’t have to happen this way,” said McCaul, R-Texas. Ukraine won support last month from Baltic nations and Poland in its quest to obtain Western fighter jets, but there have been no signs that nations such as the US and Britain will change their stance of refusing to provide warplanes to Kyiv.

Biden said in an ABC News interview on Friday that he’s “ruling it out for now,” saying that they are not the weaponry that Ukrainians need in the near term.

But Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, said the White House has been slow in providing what Ukraine seeks, including jets. “That has been a pattern with this administration from the beginning, where they have slow-rolled critical military weapons systems,” he said.

Jake Sullivan said the US is already providing parts to keep Ukraine’s fleet of Soviet-era jets flying, but supplying F-16s “is really a question for another day, for another phase” of the war.

G-20 MEETING IN INDIA ENDS WITHOUT CONSENSUS ON UKRAINE WAR

INDIA

Associated Press

A MEETING of finance chiefs of the Group of 20 leading economies ended on Saturday without a consensus, with Russia and China objecting to the description of the war in Ukraine in a final document.

The meeting hosted by India issued the G-20 Chair’s summary and an outcome document stating that there was no agreement on the wording of the war in Ukraine. The first day of the meeting took place on the anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The Group of Seven major industrial nations announced new sanctions against Russia on Friday, just as the talks of the G-20 group wrapped up in confusion in the Indian technology hub of Bengaluru.

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen condemned the “illegal and unjustified war against Ukraine” at a session attended by Russian officials and reiterated calls for G-20 nations to do more to support Ukraine and hinder Moscow’s war effort.

At the last major G-20 meeting, in Bali, Indonesia, in November, leaders had strongly condemned the war, warning that the conflict was intensifying fragilities in the world’s economy. The group includes Russia and also countries like China and India that have significant

trade with Moscow.

India’s Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman told reporters that the communiqué prepared for the Bengaluru meeting carried two paragraphs from the Bali declaration, but Russia and China demanded they be deleted and said they could not be part of the final document this time.

Their contention was they had approved the Bali declaration under the then prevailing circumstances, she said. “Now they didn’t want it,” Sitharaman said. She didn’t give any other details.

The Bali declaration said that “most members strongly condemned the war in Ukraine and stressed that it is causing immense human suffering and exacerbating existing fragilities in the global economy – constraining growth, increasing inflation, disrupting supply chains, heightening energy and food insecurity, and elevating financial stability risks.”

The declaration also said:

“There were other views and different assessments of the situation and sanctions. G-20 is not the forum to resolve security issues, we acknowledge that security issues can have significant consequences for the global economy.”

The second paragraph of the declaration, which is now unacceptable to Russia and China, said, “It is essential to uphold international law and the multilateral system that safeguards peace and stability. ... The use or threat of use of nuclear weapons is inadmissible. The peaceful resolution of conflicts, efforts to address crises, as well as diplomacy and dialogue, are vital. Today’s era must not be of war.”

Sitharaman said the meeting could not issue a communiqué because of the objections raised by Russia and China and decided to opt for a summary and an outcome document.

FINANCE MINISTRY, Australia’s Treasurer Jim Chalmers, left, meets with Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on the sidelines of G-20 financial conclave on the outskirts of Bengaluru, India, Saturday.

Photo: Indian Finance Ministry via AP

AS the war in Ukraine enters its second year, CIA Director William Burns said yesterday that Russian President Vladimir Putin is being “too confident” in his military’s ability to grind Ukraine into submission as well as the United States’ resolve to support the beseiged country.

Photo: Susan Walsh/AP

SPORTS

NBA, Page 17

36TH HUGH CAMPBELL BASKETBALL CLASSIC @ KENDAL ISAACS GYM

Stingers vs Rattlers in final

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

It was revenge time for the Sunland Baptist Stingers against their Grand Bahama arch-rivals Tabernacle Baptist Falcons, but it was all about earning the respect of the homecourt advantage for the CI Gibson Rattlers against the other Grand Bahama team, St George’s Jaguars.

In the final four of the prestigious Hugh Campbell Basketball Classic last night at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium, Sunland Baptist clobbered Tabernacle Baptist 66-55 to avenge

their defeat in the Grand Bahama Secondary Schools Athletic Association to the Falcons to secure their berth into tonight’s final.

The Stingers will now play CI Gibson, the Government Secondary Schools Sports Association champions, who eliminated the third Grand Bahamian team St George’s, 66-62, to set up the much anticipated Grand Bahama versus New Providence showdown in the final which is scheduled to begin at 8pm.

Rattlers 66, Jaguars 62: Tashon Butler and James Delia provided a 1-2 punch with 17 points apiece to help lift CI Gibson into the

final and a chance to win their first Hugh Campbell title since they last did it in 2014.

Butler also had three rebounds, three assists and a block and Delia added three rebounds with two assists and a steal. Dieunel Joseph chipped in with 12 points and 11 rebounds and Gerrad Rolle nine points and 10 rebounds.

“It feels real good. It was a hell of a game. I know the fans enjoyed it,” said CI Gibson’s coach Kevin ‘KJ’ Johnson. “St George’s is a very good team, very good shooting team. We didn’t underestimate them. We watched them

Bahamian athletes take spotlight at indoor track and field meets in US

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

IT was a big weekend for the various indoor track and field conference meets around the United States of America where Bahamians

Terrance Jones, Antoine Andrews, Shaun Miller, Wayna McCoy, Anthaya Charlton, and Charisma Taylor were among those in the spotlight.

Big 12 Jones record-breaking performance

Terrance Jones, a sophomore at Texas Tech, took advantage of their surface in the Sports Performance Center at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas in a time of 6.48 seconds to easily win the men’s 60m to erase the meet record of 6.51 that was previously set by Ronnie Baker of TCU in 2016.

In adding his name to the facility record of 6.45 that he established last year, Jones, a native of Grand Bahama, led a clean sweep for Texas Tech in the top four spots with his nearest rival being his team-mate Don’dre Swint, a senior, in 6.57. He had the fastest qualifying time of 6.46.

Two other Bahamians had to settle for second in their respective 60m hurdles finals.

On the men’s side, Antoine Andrews, in his freshman year at Texas Tech, picked up his runneraward award in 7.59 behind

junior team-mate Caleb Dean, who won in 7.62.

Dean also had the fastest qualifying time of 6.72.

Gabrielle Gibson, a senior at Kansas, finished second in the women’s 60m hurdles in 8.11. The winning time was 8.04 by Demisha Roswell, a senior at Texas Tech, in 8.04. Gibson had the second fastest qualifying time of 8.20 behind Roswell’s leading time of 8.04.

AAC Championships McCoy wins

MVP honour

In Louisville, Texas,

freshman Wanya McCoy was named ACC men’s

track MVP after he clocked the second-fastest time in Clemson history after he sped to victory in the men’s 400m in 45.91 to erase the facility record of 46.75 that was set by Judson Lincoln of Virginia Tech.

Lincoln, by the way, was fourth in the race in 46.75. DaeQwan Butler, a senior at Florida State, was second behind McCoy in 46.45. McCoy had to settle for fifth in the 200m in 20.86. Cameron Miller, a junior at Louisville, won the event in a personal best of 20.27 for new records for the meet and facility. McCoy

had the fifth fastest qualifying time of 20.95, while Miller cruised with the best time of 20.33.

SEC Championships

Charlton and Taylor clash

In Fayetteville, Arkansas, it was a Bahamian duo competing head-to-head in the women’s long jump with Kentucky’s sophomore Anthaya Charlton posting a third place finish with a lifetime best of 21-51/4 (6.53m) with Tennessee’s senior Charisma Taylor trailing in fourth with 20-101/2 (6.36m).

“This meet was a great one for me,” said Charlton,

Thompson scores 42 points, Warriors beat Rockets 116-101

By JANIE MCCAULEY AP Sports Writer

SAN FRANCISCO

(AP)

— Only last week ahead of the All-Star break did Klay Thompson even receive medical clearance to play on back-to-back nights, 13 months after his return from a more than 2 1/2-year absence recovering from knee and Achilles surgeries.

He is flourishing again as he defiantly promised he would.

Thompson scored 42 points and matched his season high with 12 3-pointers, leading the undermanned Golden State Warriors past the Houston Rockets 116-101 on Friday night.

“I don’t like to talk about vintage me or am I my old self?” Thompson said. “I just think I’m being myself

and I was capable of these things in the past and as long as my wrists still work, my feet work, I’ll forever be able to shoot the rock.” It was Thompson’s third career game with 12 or more 3s — NBA career 3-point leader Stephen Curry has done so twice, and Thompson let him know it.

“It was one of those nights I had the hot hand,” he said. “It felt great, I can’t lie to you all.”

Donte DiVincenzo added 15 points as the Warriors hung tough in the second game of a road-home backto-back following a 124-111 loss at the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night. Jordan Poole’s 38-footer beat the halftime buzzer to put Golden State ahead 66-49 at the break, and he scored 15.

KJ Martin had 22 points and eight rebounds, TyTy Washington Jr. scored 15 and Jae’Sean Tate 14 for the NBA-worst Rockets (13-46), who lost their

SEE PAGE 17

who moved up to sixth on the NCAA indoor nationals list.

On competing against Taylor, Charlton said it was amazing. “I looked up to Charisma and this was the first time I ever competed against her,” Charlton said. “She kept me motivated and cheered me on as we competed.”

The duo are expected to clash again when they compete in the NCAA National Indoor Championships in two weeks.

Florida’s junior Jasmine Moore established a

SEE PAGE 15

all tournament and so we knew they were going to be tough to beat.

“But we wanted it a little more in terms of our defensive end. There’s some things we need to clean up in terms of our offensive end and be sharper.

Number 21 (Shamar Davis) is a freak of an athlete. They played extremely well. Hats off to coach (Calvin McIntosh) and St George’s.”

In a losing effort for St George’s, who put up a gallant effort, Devorne Rigby had a game high 25 points with seven assists, five rebounds and three steals.

SEE PAGE 16

FIBA: TEAM BAHAMAS FALLS TO PANAMA 88-66

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

THE Bahamas men’s national basketball team wrapped up its final two games in the FIBA Americas World Cup Qualifier with another loss.

The team, coached by Moses Johnson, John Nutt and James ‘Jimmy’ Clarke, suffered a 88-66 decision against Panama yesterday. The loss came after the Bahamas was handed a 11770 rout against Venezuela on Thursday in Caracas. Panama took a slim 21-20 lead at the end of the first quarter, but went ahead 43-24 at the half. They used another 25-15 spurt in the third to take a commanding 68-49 advantage into the final period where they outscored the Bahamas 20-17 for the 22-point rout. Domnick Bridgewater and Kadeem Coleby paced the Bahamas offensively. Bridgewater, in 32 minutes, was 5-for-14 from the field and was 1-for-1 from the free throw line for his 11 points with five assists and steals and three rebounds. Coleby came through with 11 points, shooting 5-for-12 from the field and was 1-for-4 from the free

SEE PAGE 16

Haaland breaks scoring record, Manchester City keeps pace with Arsenal

By STEVE DOUGLAS AP Sports Writer

ERLING Haaland has already taken one of Sergio Aguero’s scoring records for Manchester City. At this rate, surely more will fall.

With one of City’s goals in a routine 4-1 win at Bournemouth on Saturday, Haaland made it 27 for the season in the English Premier League. That’s more than any player has scored in a single campaign for City since the league started in 1992.

Aguero had the previous highest total of 26 in 2014-15, part of his record all-time haul of 260 for City in all competitions.

The scary thing about Haaland is that he still has 13 matches remaining in the league. He is closing in on Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah’s record haul of 32 in a 38-game season as well as the 34 of Andy Cole and Alan Shearer — achieved back when there were 42 games per season. Haaland won’t score many easier goals than his finish from three meters at Vitality Stadium that helped City ease to a win to keep on the shoulder of Arsenal in the title race. Arsenal earlier won at Leicester 1-0, a result that was more resounding than the scoreline suggested.

eighth straight and fifth in a row on the road. Thompson shot 12 for 19 — all of his made shots

GOLDEN State Warriors’ Klay Thompson applauds during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game between California and Washington State in Berkeley, California, on Saturday. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

A PROUD Anthaya Charlton with her medal.

TERRANCE Jones celebrating.

Team Bahamas all set for Jr Billie Jean King Cup, Davis Cup in Guatemala

THE Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association (BLTA) has fielded the first two international tennis teams for 2023 - The Bahamas Jr Billie Jean King Cup and Jr Davis Cup teams.

Top tennis juniors in the U16 division will participate in the tournament and tennis talent from the region will be on display.

Jalisa Clarke, BreAnn Ferguson and Saphirre Ferguson along with Coach Marion Bain will represent on the Jr Billie Jean Cup team.

Jerald Carroll, William McCartney and Jackson Mactaggart along with coach Bradley Bain will represent the Jr Davis Cup team. This team saw great success last year in the Boys U14 World Juniors competition, advancing to the finals. The teams travelled on Saturday, February 25 and had a practice day yesterday as matches get underway this morning.

The week-long tournament will run until Saturday, March 4.

BAHAMIAN ATHLETES TAKE SPOTLIGHT AT INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD MEETS IN US

FROM PAGE 14

championship and meet record with a personal best of 20-8 (6.91m) for the win. Taylor ended up with a third place finish in the final of the 60m hurdles in 8.03. Kentucky’s senior Massai Russell won the race in a time of 7.77 for both the meet and championship records. Ackera Nugent, a sophomore at Arkansas, was second in a personal best of 7.81.

In the preliminaries, Taylor had the fourth fastest qualifying time of 8.02 behind Russell’s leading time of 7.90.

Taylor wasn’t done yet as she also contested the women’s triple jump where she placed second with her best of 45-41/4 (13.82m).

The winning leap was 46-23/4 (14.09m) by Moore.

REVENGE FOR NORRIE AGAINST ALCARAZ AT RIO OPEN

By MAURICIO SAVARESE AP Sports Writer

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Cameron Norrie waited a week for his revenge against top-seeded Carlos Alcaraz, rallying from a set and 3-0 down to beat the Spanish teenager in the Rio Open final yesterday for his first title of the year.

Second-seeded Norrie won 5-7, 6-4, 7-5 to win the fifth title of his career after defeats in the final to Richard Gasquet in Auckland in January and to Alcaraz in the Argentina Open championship match last weekend.

Alcaraz’s failure to retain his title at the claycourt tournament in Rio de Janeiro also stopped him from tying with Novak Djokovic in points at the top of the rankings. Djokovic would still have been No. 1 due to other results.

The competition will take place in Guatemala City, Guatemala. The BLTA wishes both teams all the best as they play tennis on this

international stage proudly representing the nation. There are 12 nations competing in the Jr BJK Cup and 17 nations in the Jr Davis Cup. This is a

wonderful opportunity for our young players to compete at a high level. It is a great experience that will further develop them. The Bahamas Jr BJK Cup team

will be playing in Group B against Guatemala and St Lucia.The Bahamas Boys are in a pool with Nicaragua, Barbados and Jamaica.

Alcaraz and Norrie went head to head in a tightly fought first set, which was eventually decided by Alcaraz’s drop shots breaking Norrie’s serve. Alcaraz showed more confidence with his powerful forehand shots at the start of the second set, and opened a 3-0 advantage against Norrie. But the British player recovered in the middle of the set as Alcaraz felt pains in his right leg, which hindered his movement and serve.

Norrie led most of the deciding set but had to work hard against a recovering Alcaraz. Norrie’s strong returns helped him to prevail in 2 hours, 42 minutes, clinching the title with an ace.

Norrie dropped to his knees and roared to celebrate in front of a crowd that was mostly supporting Alcaraz.

NO 1 SWIATEK UPSET BY KREJCIKOVA IN DUBAI FINAL

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) —

Topranked Iga Swiatek was upset by Barbora Krejcikova 6-4, 6-2 in the final of the Dubai Championships on Saturday. Krejcikova closed the tournament by beating the top three players in the WTA rankings: No. 3 Jessica Pegula in the quarterfinals, No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinals, then Swiatek. No. 8 Daria Kasaktina was also overcome in the second round.

The Czech is the fifth woman in the Open era to beat the world’s top three at the same event.

“It’s a big achievement and I think it’s going to give me a lot of confidence that I can play with the best ones,” Krejcikova said.

The former French Open champion dominated the final, breaking Swiatek five times.

MEDVEDEV BEATS MURRAY IN FINAL

DOHA, Qatar (AP) —

“All of my events overlapped so the plan for the long jump and hurdles on Friday was to get a couple warm up approaches in, then get on the line with my hurdles preliminaries,” Taylor said. “Saturday was just as hectic as Friday, but I got to triple jump first before the hurdles final before I had to change gears to hurdles and I had to make the most of it.”

Despite the rush, Taylor got a medal for Tennessee. She thanked God for granting her good health

and strength to get through the meet.

World Athletics Indoor

Tour Gold Series

Strachan in the mix

Across the waters in Birmingham, England, Anthonique Strachan had to settle for sixth place in the women’s 60m in 7.25.

The race was swept by the Great Britain’s duo of Dana Asher-Smith in 7.05 and Neita Daryll in 7.13. American Destiny Smith-Barnett was third in n 7.15. Strachan’s Jamaican training partners Shericka

Jackson and Tracy Morrison were fourth and fifth in 7.18 and 7.24 respectively.

Big Ten Championships Miller soars

At the Spire Institute in Geneva, Ohio, Shaun Miller, in his junior year at Ohio State, finished second in the men’s high jump with a leap of 7-1 (2.21m). It was the same height that Nebraska’s senior Mayson Connor used to win the title, pulling it off on fewer knockdowns. Oscar Smith, a junior at Ohio State, placed fifth in the final of the men’s

60m hurdles in 7.78. The winning time was 7.65 by Darius Luff, a junior at Nebraska.

Smith went into the event with the fifth fastest qualifying time of 7.78 in the preliminaries.

Purdue’s freshman Zachary Evans had a false start in the finals of the men’s 60m after he advanced with the third fastest qualifying time of 6.74.

Ohio State’s senior Adrian Curry was 14th in the preliminaries in 6.88. Evans was also 10th overall in the 200m in 21.31.

Daniil Medvedev won the Qatar Open on debut when he defeated Andy Murray 6-4, 6-4 in a final matchup of former No. 1s on Saturday.

Medvedev converted fast starts in each set. He reached 4-1 in the first and 3-1 in the second.

Murray fought back but Medvedev stifled him and earned his 17th singles title.

“Sometimes we were playing bad, then suddenly both of us were playing amazing,” Medvedev said.

“I’m happy to win.”

Medvedev also won in Rotterdam last weekend and his winning streak is at nine matches.

GO TEAM BAHAMAS - Coach Marion Bain, far left, will represent Team Bahamas on the Jr Billie Jean Cup team with Jalisa Clarke, BreAnn Ferguson and Saphirre Ferguson.

WANYA MvcCoy with his award.

CHARISMA Taylor with her medal.

TEXAS Tech’s Caleb Dean and Bahamian Antoine Andrews in action.

FIBA: TEAM BAHAMAS FALLS TO PANAMA 88-66

FROM PAGE 14

throw line in 26:33 minutes and he pulled down nine rebounds. Kentwan Smith scored 10 points with nine rebounds and two block shots, both Ahmad Pratt and Roosevelt Whyllly had seven points with four and three rebounds respectively, Bradley Nairn added five points with four rebounds and two steals, Livingstone Munnings Jr had four points with two rebounds, Godfrey Rolle III three points and Robert Nortman chipped in with two points. Panama had a well-balanced scoring attack led by Tony Bishop Jr with a game high 20 points. Carlos Rodriguez had 15, both Trevor Gaskins and Eric Romero

ERLING

FROM PAGE 14

Arsenal stayed two points clear of secondplaced City with a game to spare.

There was more movement at the bottom of the standings, with victories for Leeds and West Ham lifting both teams out of the relegation zone and dropping Everton and Bournemouth into it.

EASY FOR ARSENAL

Arsenal looks to have gotten over its blip.

Since collecting one point from a three-game stretch that let City back into the title race, Arsenal has gained back-to-back wins on the road with manager Mikel Arteta saying the team has gone back to basics. Gabriel Martinelli scored the 46th-minute winner at King Power Stadium, poking in a finish after running onto Leandro Trossard’s pass. Trossard and Bukayo Saka had goals

had 13 and Josimar Ayaza and Ernesto Oglivie had 10 apiece.

Panama out-rebounded the Bahamas 43-41 and made only 11 turnovers, compared to 18 by the Bahamas.

The Bahamas dropped to the bottom of the six-team pool in Group E with a 3-9 win-loss record, identical to that of Panama that moved into fifth place.

Canada topped the list at 11-1 with the Dominican Republic in second at 9-3 and Venezuela in third at 8-4 as all three teams moved onto the next round of the World Cup.

Argentina was also 8-4, but dropped to fourth by virtue of losing to Venezuela. Panama got fifth and the Bahamas was sixth, both with the same record.

FINAL

FROM PAGE 14

Shamar Davis finished with 17 points, 11 rebounds and a pair of assists and steals and both Leon Evans and Kevaro Russell helped out with seven.

“We have to prepare tomorrow (today),” said Johnson as they get ready for the final. “Sunland (Baptist) is also a very good team, so we have to be prepared for a fight.”

Stingers 66, Falcons 55: Tianno Roberts exploded for a couple of slam dunks and five three-pointers for a game high 25 points to power Sunland Baptist back into the final, having won the last Hugh Campbell title. He also had seven rebounds and two steals. Jordan Saunders added 11 points with five assists, three rebounds and three steals and Uriel Delancy had 10 points with 19 rebounds. De’Nage Kelly had nine points and six rebounds.

disallowed either side of Martinelli’s strike.

It built on the 4-2 win at Aston Villa last week.

“Sometimes the wave is created very far from the beach,” Arteta said. “Then it’s too late to avoid what is going to happen. We had to improve on those things and today we’ve done that really well.”

EASIER FOR CITY

Haaland scored either side of Julian Alvarez and Phil Foden, with an owngoal by Chris Mepham wrapping up the scoring for City against Bournemouth. It is six consecutive matches without a clean sheet for Pep Guardiola’s team, however, after Jefferson Lerma’s 83rd-minute strike for the hosts.

WINNING START

Javi Gracia launched his Leeds reign with a 1-0 win over Southampton in a match between teams who started as the bottom two. Junior Firpo scored in the 77th minute to

secure Leeds’ first win since December 26. Leeds jumped two places and out of the relegation zone, leaving Southampton rooted to last place and four points adrift of safety.

Bournemouth is in nextto-last place and on the same number of points as Everton, which was beaten at home by Aston Villa 2-0 thanks to goals by Ollie Watkins — who has scored

in five straight games — and Emi Buendia.

West Ham started the day in third-to-last place but swept past Nottingham Forest with a 4-0 thrashing.

All of the goals came in the final 20 minutes, with Danny Ings scoring twice before Declan Rice and Michail Antonio added others.

LIVERPOOL HELD

After conceding five goals to Real Madrid in the Champions League in midweek, Liverpool at least tightened up at the back in a 0-0 draw at Crystal Palace. Jurgen Klopp’s team was short of attacking inspiration, however, with Darwin Nunez out injured. Mohamed Salah curled a shot against the crossbar in a game of few real chances at Selhurst Park.

Liverpool moved up one place to seventh and is six points off the Champions League qualification positions with a game in hand.

“This was a revenge game for us. We knew that we were the number one team in Grand Bahama until we lost in the championship,” said Sunland’s coach Jay. “We went back to the drawing board, regrouped, fixed some things and we came back. The guys executed very well. So I am very proud of these guys.”

The Stingers led coastto-coast as they opened a 19-16 first quarter lead. They extended it to 37-28 at the half and pushed it to 51-37 at the end of the third. They also out-rebounded the Falcons 40-31 and had two less turnovers with an 18-20 advantage.

In a losing effort for Tabernacle Baptist, Noah Bain led the way with 15 points, four assists and four steals. Aiden Miller and Joshua Williams both had 13 points with six and five rebounds respectively. Bradleon Miller added eight points, nine rebounds and a pair of block shots.

After having their undefeated winning streak snapped during the final, Jay said they are now looking forward to going all the way in the Hugh Campbell tourney and right now the only team standing in their way is the Rattlers.

MANCHESTER City’s Erling Haaland applauds to fans at the end of the English Premier League soccer match between Bournemouth and Manchester City at the Vitality Stadium in Bournemouth, England, on Saturday.

(AP Photo/David Cliff)

COACHES Moses Johnson and John Nutt giving some instructions.

KAADEEM COLEBY, far left, goes up for a block.

BAHAMAS men’s national basketball team in Panama.

Bucks outlast Ayton and Suns 104-101 for 14th straight win

By STEVE MEGARGEE AP Sports Writer

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo’s absence couldn’t prevent the Milwaukee Bucks from extending the longest winning streak in the NBA this season.

Jrue Holiday scored 33 points and produced a critical steal, Brook Lopez made a tiebreaking layup with 24.8 seconds left and the Bucks edged the Phoenix Suns 104-101 yesterday for their 14th consecutive victory.

The rematch of the 2021 NBA Finals didn’t include either Antetokounmpo or new Suns superstar Kevin Durant, but it still featured 14 lead changes and plenty of late drama.

“Both teams obviously have history,” Lopez said. “Those are the fun games, where the refs let it get physical a little bit, you can really go after each other. It was a great atmosphere.”

Durant has yet to appear in a game for the Suns and

hasn’t played since January 8 because of a sprained right medial collateral ligament. Antetokounmpo was out with a bruised right quadriceps after leaving in the first quarter of the Bucks’ 128-99 victory over the Miami Heat on Friday.

“It’s enough where he can’t play today, but I think we’re also confident that this is just a fairly common occurrence in our league,” Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said before the game. “You hit knees, you knock, sometimes it takes a day or two, and it’s really nothing more than that.”

Holiday led all scorers, while Lopez had 22 points and 12 rebounds. Khris

Middleton added 11 points and 10 rebounds.

Devin Booker scored 24 points, Deandre Ayton had 22 and Chris Paul added 18 for Phoenix. Ayton also had 11 rebounds. After Booker made a game-tying jumper with 33 seconds left, the Bucks called a timeout and got the ball to Middleton, who

MORANT, GRIZZLIES BEAT NUGGETS IN MATCHUP OF WEST LEADERS

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP)

— Ja Morant had 23 points and seven rebounds as the Memphis Grizzlies raced to an early lead and coasted to a 112-94 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Saturday night in a matchup of the Western Conference’s top teams.

Tyus Jones finished with 17 points, and Luke Kennard, Xavier Tillman and Dillon Brooks scored 12 apiece for Memphis, which trails Denver by six games in the conference race.

Nikola Jokic led the Nuggets with 15 points and 13 rebounds, and Jeff Green added 12 points.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Christian Braun each scored 11 points as Denver’s four-game winning streak came to an end. Denver was hampered by a 40% shooting game. The Nuggets’ starters were 17 of 47 from the field in the game.

Denver’s 94 total points was a season low.

CELTICS 110, 76ERS 107

PHILADELPHIA (AP)

— Jayson Tatum buried a go-ahead 3-pointer for Boston with 1.3 seconds left, Joel Embiid didn’t get his desperation heave off in time to tie and the Celtics held on to beat Philadelphia.

Tatum finished with 18 points, 13 rebounds and six assists. Jaylen Brown scored 26 points and Derrick White added 18 for the Celtics.

Embiid finished with 41 points and 12 rebounds.

James Harden scored 21

KLAY FROM PAGE 14

coming from long range — and helped Golden State get rolling beginning the second on a 18-5 burst to build a 44-31 lead. Two off his career best for 3-pointers and four points shy of his season high, Thompson sat down for good to a roaring ovation with 1:41 remaining.

“He was brilliant tonight and it’s just so great to see him now at the point where he can do this,” said coach Steve Kerr, who challenged Thompson to be a better rebounder. “I’m really happy for Klay, he’s put in the work. I really loved the fact he got seven rebounds.”

The Warriors had lost two straight and four of five, but won their sixth of seven at home.

found Lopez for the goahead layup.

Holiday said he initially expected Middleton to shoot the ball. “It’s a great play,” Holiday said.

“At first, I kind of saw it, but I thought that Khris was going to shoot it because that’s just what ‘K’ does. But he’s a playmaker. He’s not just a scorer.” Phoenix called a timeout and went back to Booker, who lost possession as Holiday forced the steal and

Lopez got the loose ball. “That’s just the defender he is, the player he is,” Lopez said of Holiday.

“He’s one of the top twoway players in the league, at least the top three. Just absolutely phenomenal. Just the best two-way player in the league.

“Those are the plays he makes just time and time again.” Booker said there was contact on the play, but no foul was called, a reflection

of the game’s physical nature.

“I was touched,” Booker said. “But I did the same thing to Jrue on the other end. On that play, he hit my arm. But it’s playofftype basketball and refs are going to let things go. And that was that.”

Joe Ingles made the first of two free throws to extend Milwaukee’s lead to 103-100 with 11.3 seconds left. Ingles missed the second free throw and the ball initially was ruled out of bounds on Milwaukee.

But after Budenholzer challenged the call, replays determined the ball actually went out on Phoenix’s Terrence Ross. Holiday sank the first of two free throws with 10 seconds left but also missed the second, making the score 104-100.

Booker was fouled on a 3 by Ingles with 0.9 seconds left but missed the first free throw. Booker made the second and intentionally missed the third, but Lopez got the rebound to seal the victory.

DAVIS LEADS RALLY FROM 27 DOWN AS LAKERS BEAT MAVS 111-108

By SCHUYLER DIXON AP Sports Writer

DALLAS (AP) — Anthony Davis dunked a missed shot and screamed after giving the Los Angeles Lakers the lead for good with two minutes to go.

So much for the 27-point deficit in a showcase of stars that went from a laugher to a thriller with 13 fourthquarter lead changes. Davis had 30 points and 15 rebounds, LeBron James scored 26 and the Lakers completed their biggest rally in 21 years, beating the same team again in a 111108 victory over the Dallas Mavericks yesterday.

The fourth win in five games for LA came after trailing by 27 in the middle of the second quarter — the same deficit the Lakers faced at the start of the fourth at home against Dallas on December 6, 2002, before finishing a 30-point rally in a 105-103 victory.

Luka Doncic scored 26 points for the Mavs, but the youngest of the four superstars was limited and frustrated, largely by the defence of Jarred Vanderbilt, after a 14-point first quarter that sent Dallas on its way to the huge lead.

points and Tobias Harris had 19.

The late-game thriller proved worthy of a showdown between two of the top teams in the East. Boston, though, proved it’s still the team to beat.

HORNETS 108, HEAT 103

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Gordon Hayward scored 21 points, rookie centre Mark Williams posted career highs with 18 points and 20 rebounds and surging Charlotte beat Miami for its season-best fourth straight win.

LaMelo Ball had 16 of his 19 points in the second half and finished with 13 assists for his sixth straight double-double. Kelly Oubre Jr. and Dennis Smith Jr. each had 15 points off the bench for the Hornets.

Tyler Herro had 33 points on six 3-pointers and Jimmy Butler added 28 points as Miami lost its fourth straight. Kevin Love had 13 points and 13 rebounds in his second game since joining the Heat.

JAZZ 118, SPURS 102 SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Lauri Markkanen scored 27 points and recent signee Kris Dunn added 15 as Utah rallied from a 14-point deficit and beat struggling San Antonio.

Markkanen sealed the game with 14 points in the fourth quarter, and Walker Kessler recorded four of his five blocks in the final minutes.

Kessler added 12 rebounds and nine points.

Kevon Looney grabbed 13 rebounds for his fifth straight game with at least that many. He had been the first to do so in four consecutive games since Andrew Bogut in 2014.

Draymond Green had been listed as probable with a bruised right knee but didn’t play, leaving the defending champions down three starters with Stephen Curry and Andrew Wiggins also missing. Green is likely to return Sunday.

Curry, the reigning NBA Finals MVP, has sat out the past seven games with a left leg injury after getting hurt against Dallas February 4 in a collision while defending McKinley Wright IV as he drove to the basket. Wright’s knee hit Curry’s shin. An MRI exam showed partial tears to his superior tibiofibular ligament and interosseous membrane

Jeremy Sochan scored 22 points, Keldon Johnson had 18 and Zach Collins added 15 for the Spurs, who lost their 16th straight game.

KNICKS 128, PELICANS 106 NEW YORK (AP) — Julius Randle scored 28 points to lead New York to a rout of New Orleans as the Knicks celebrated the golden anniversary of their 1972-73 NBA championship team.

Six players scored in double figures for New York, which won its fifth straight. R.J. Barrett had 25 points and a seasonhigh seven assists. Jalen Brunson added 20 points, Josh Hart scored 15 points, Immanuel Quickley added 13, and Mitchell Robinson finished with a doubledouble of 11 points and 13 rebounds.

Brandon Ingram scored 19 points for the Pelicans,

who lost their third straight and fourth in five games overall. Josh Richardson added 16 points, C.J. McCollum finished with 13 and Jonas Valanciunas had 12 points and 10 rebounds. Trey Murphy III scored 11 off the bench.

PACERS 121, MAGIC 108 ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Myles Turner scored 24 points, Tyrese Haliburton had 15 points and 14 assists and Indiana ran away from Orlando in the second half. Indiana shot 59% in the second half and won for the fourth time in 21 games.

Bennedict Mathurin scored 19 points and Jordan Nwora had 18, both off the bench for the Pacers, while Jalen Smith added seven rebounds and five blocks.

Franz Wagner led Orlando with 21 points. Paolo Banchero scored 19 points and Markelle Fultz

18. The Magic struggled with their shooting, going 6 for 29 from 3-point range and finished the game at 38.9% overall.

RAPTORS 95, PISTONS 91

DETROIT (AP) — Pascal Siakam had 29 points and eight rebounds and Toronto extended its winning streak to four games with a win over Detroit.

Gary Trent Jr scored 19 points and Scottie Barnes added 12 as the Raptors won for the seventh time in eight games. Precious Achiuwa chipped in 10 points off the bench.

Detroit’s Marvin Bagley III had a season-high 21 points and 18 rebounds in his first game since fracturing his right hand on Jan. 2. Isaiah Livers, Hamidou Diallo and Bojan Bogdanovic had 11 points apiece for the Pistons, who lost their fourth straight.

Kyrie Irving had 21 points and 11 rebounds for Dallas, but didn’t take over in the fourth quarter the way he did in his first victory with Doncic since the trade from Brooklyn — over lowly San Antonio. “We have to grow up if we want to win a championship,” Mavs coach Jason Kidd said. “What the Lakers just showed us is it’s not the rabbit that wins; it’s the turtle. And they worked the game. And that’s what we have to get better at.”

HAWKS 129, NETS 127

ATLANTA (AP) — Trae Young sank a buzzer-beating jumper over Spencer Dinwiddie to lift Atlanta over Brooklyn.

Young finished with 34 points for the Hawks, who recovered after blowing an 18-point lead to overcome four Nets scorers with at least 20 points. Cam Johnson had 27 points for Brooklyn, including a 3-pointer from the corner to tie it at 127 with 7.8 seconds remaining. Mikal Bridges scored 24 for the Nets, who have lost four of five. Cam Thomas added 22 points and Dinwiddie had 20.

BULLS 102, WIZARDS 82

CHICAGO (AP) — DeMar DeRozan scored 29 points, Zach LaVine added 27 and Chicago overcame its shooting woes from long range to beat Washington. Alex Caruso and LaVine each sank 3-pointers midway through the third quarter to turn a one-point deficit into a 57-52 lead the Bulls wouldn’t relinquish. Before the consecutive 3s, the Bulls converted only one of their first 16 3-point attempts.

The Bulls won their second game in a row after losing six straight to close the first half of the season.

TIP-INS

Rockets: Houston limited its first-half turnovers to four and committed just seven for the game to Golden State’s 19 that led to 24 Rockets points. ... Houston hasn’t beaten the Warriors since a 135-105 win on February 20, 2020, and has dropped five in a row on the Warriors’ home floor. ... The Rockets are 7-32 vs. the Western Conference, including 2-20 away from Houston.

in his left leg. He also had a bruise. Rookie Patrick Baldwin Jr added 11 points with three 3s. The Warriors’ nine straight victories in the series marks their longest winning streak ever against Houston.

HEALING PASTOR Longtime Warriors and 49ers team pastor Earl Smith is healing from being hit by an Uber driver while attending the All-Star Game in Utah. His left

hand is in a soft cast and he’s wearing a walking boot on his right foot.

“I’m doing better,” Smith said by text to the AP. “I would appreciate all the positive prayers. Thank you.”

Warriors: Golden State missed scoring at least 122 points in a seventh straight home game. ... Wiggins missed his third straight game while dealing with a family matter. Kerr isn’t sure when Wiggins will return. ... The Warriors had scored at least 120 points in each of the previous three meetings with the Rockets. ... Golden State played its 13th set of back-to-backs.

BUCKS guard Jrue Holiday (21) drives against the Phoenix Suns during the first half yesterday in Milwaukee.

(AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps)

MEMPHIS Grizzlies guard Ja Morant is defended by Denver Nuggets guard Kentavious CaldwellPope (5) during the second half on Saturday.

(AP Photo/Brandon Dill)

GOLDEN State Warriors guard Klay Thompson celebrates after hitting a 3-pointer against the Houston Rockets during the fourth quarter on Friday in San Francisco. (Santiago Mejia/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

CHRIS KIRK, AFTER 8-YEAR WAIT, WINS THE HONDA CLASSIC

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Chris Kirk waited nearly eight years to win a PGA Tour event again. Waiting one more hole on Sunday was no problem.

Kirk stuck his approach to the par-5 18th to tap-in range, and his birdie on the first hole of a playoff lifted him past Eric Cole for the victory at the Honda Classic on Sunday.

SAN Diego Padres’ Manny Machado follows through on an RBI-double during the third inning in Game 2 of a baseball NL Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers on October 12, 2022, in Los Angeles. Machado has agreed to a new $350 million, 11-year contract that will keep him with the San Diego Padres through 2033, according to a person with knowledge of the deal, yesterday.

MANNY MACHADO RIPS RBI DOUBLE AFTER AGREEING TO $350M DEAL

By DAVID BRANDT AP Sports Writer

PEORIA, Ariz. (AP)

— Manny Machado continues to be a very rich man.

He also is still a very good hitter.

Machado ripped an RBI double yesterday, the same day he agreed to a new $350 million, 11-year contract that will keep him with the San Diego Padres through 2033, according to a person with knowledge of the deal.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because Machado must pass a physical before the deal is finalised.

Machado got a big cheer from Padres fans on a chilly afternoon in Arizona before a spring training game against the Diamondbacks. The third baseman struck out in his first at-bat before lacing a line-drive double off the base of the left-field wall in San Diego’s nine-run second inning.

The 30-year-old Machado had said that after this season, he planned to opt out of the $300 million, 10-year free agent deal he signed in 2019. With the $120 million he already has received, the new deal increases the free-spending Padres’ commitment to Machado to $470 million over 15 years.

Machado finished second in the NL MVP race last year. He’ll anchor a superstar-laden lineup that includes Xander Bogaerts, Juan Soto and Fernando Tatis Jr, who can return on April 20 from an 80-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs.

Machado batted .298 with 32 home runs and 102 RBIs last season.

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — Australia won the Women’s T20 World Cup yesterday, beating host South Africa by a comfortable 19 runs to underline its status as the best team in the world with a third straight title.

Australia has now won six of the eight T20 World Cups played. The latest victory at Newlands came through a disciplined bowling and fielding effort from the Australians, who batted first and scored 156-6, then shut down South Africa’s batters, who never came close. South Africa finished well short on 137-6.

“We felt like it was a good score but we had to bowl well,” Australia captain Meg Lanning said.

“We had to put pressure on South Africa. It was about enjoying the process

TROPHY DO-OVER

Marlins right-hander

Sandy Alcantara received his NL Cy Young Award trophy yesterday for the second time – and this time he has no reason to give it back.

“I want to keep it for the rest of my life,” Alcantara said. “I think that is for my mom.”

When the Baseball Writers’ Association of America originally presented Alcantara with the trophy at its January awards dinner, the plaque language dubbed both Alcantara and AL winner Justin Verlander the “most valuble” pitchers in their leagues, leaving out the second “a” in “valuable.”

Afterward, the group told him it would provide a new one.

The new plaque contains the more up-to-date “most outstanding” phrasing — and it’s spelled correctly.

Marlins owner Bruce Sherman presented the award to Alcantara at home plate before Miami’s spring training home opener against St Louis.

“I didn’t expect that I was going to get my award today,” Alcantara said. “I thought I’d go outside and have fun with my teammates. But when I saw the surprise, it made my day today.”

Alcantara went 14-9 with a 2.28 ERA in 2022, pitching a league-high 228 2/3 innings. The 27-year-old right-hander expects to contend for the Cy Young again this season.

“Yes, 100%,” Alcantara said. “If I’m healthy I can do it again.”

FOLLOW UP Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said Major League Baseball is providing updates — nearly in

real time — on the rules changes package that is making this spring training unique. The two major changes are a pitch clock and a limit on extreme infield shifts. “They did a really nice job of sending out a memo this morning with all the things that took place yesterday and questions that players and managers that just had to be addressed in order that you can cover it with your staff and club as you feel appropriate,” Marmol said.

“So we did that with our staff and brought two different points with our players because they’ve done a really good job of communication.”

The new rules already had an effect during the

first full day of games: Cal Conley of the Atlanta Braves thought he had just won the game with a twoout, bases-loaded walk-off walk on Saturday. But umpire John Libka ruled that Conley, facing reliever Robert Kwiatkowski of the Boston Red Sox, wasn’t set in the box as the clock wound under eight seconds. He was ruled out. The game ended in a tie. Braves manager Brian Snitker said yesterday that Conley’s situation was part of the learning process.

“It’s baseball. You’re going to see something you’ve never seen before,” Snitker said. “All to the point where I said I’m glad we’re starting these things

when we did. I’m glad we didn’t wait until March 15 or something where we can have a whole month of this, and hopefully in a few weeks that this thing is just normal.”

TWINS ADD

SANTANA (backslash)

The Twins claimed righthanded pitcher Dennis Santana off waivers from the Atlanta Braves.

The 26-year-old threw in 63 games, including one start, for the Texas Rangers last season, going 3-8 with a 5.22 ERA. To make room for Santana on the 40-man roster, the Twins put infielder Royce Lewis on the 60-day injured list.

Lewis is recovering from right knee surgery.

Cole had a chance, playing his third shot from the sand to just outside of 10 feet for a birdie that would have extended the playoff. But it lipped out, and Kirk nudged his ball in for his fifth career win — his first since prevailing at Colonial in 2015. “I was obviously very, very nervous today having not won in so long,” Kirk said. “Coming down the stretch, I felt good.”

And he’ll be the last Honda winner. The car company is ending its title sponsorship of the event after 42 years, with a new sponsor set to be in place — the PGA Tour hopes, anyway — in the coming weeks.

They finished 72 holes tied at 14-under 266, Kirk shooting 69 on Sunday, Cole shooting 67.

Kirk earned $1,512,000 for the win, and is now eligible to play the Masters again for the first time since 2016. Cole earned $915,600 for the runner-up finish, a check that more than doubles what the 34-year-old has earned in 14 previous tour starts.

Kirk went to the par-5 18th with a one-shot lead. His tee shot found the fairway. His second shot found the water, leading to bogey. Cole made par, giving Kirk new life in the playoff. “Bad swing at the wrong time. ... Thank God it worked out,” Kirk said.

Kirk hadn’t held a trophy since 2015. That’s not to say he hasn’t done any winning in that span.

He walked away from the game in May 2019 because of alcoholism and depression. He struggled with anxiety, struggled to deal with pressure, even though he had a penchant for making it seem like no big deal on the golf course — he was a four-time winner, plus made a big putt to help the U.S. win the Presidents Cup at South Korea in 2015.

The tour gave him a major medical extension for the time he missed, meaning he had a set number of tournaments to do well enough to regain his full status. He got it back by the slimmest of margins at the Sony Open in 2021.

And now he’s a champion again. “I just have so much to be thankful for,” Kirk said. “I’m so grateful for my sobriety, I’m so grateful for my family, I’m so grateful for everyone that has supported throughout the past three or four years.”

and do what we were doing, about keeping things simple when the pressure is on. Thoroughly enjoyed it.”

Lanning has now led Australia to four T20 World Cup titles and one ODI World Cup title, more ICC tournament wins than any other captain in men’s or women’s cricket.

Megan Schutt, Ashleigh Gardner, Darcie Brown and Jess Jonassen all took a wicket each for Australia.

But it was a team effort in the field as the Aussies’ big-match temperament shone through.

Australia was playing in its seventh straight final.

“You guys are very annoying,” South Africa captain Sune Luus said, jokingly, of Australia’s allconquering squad.

“But congratulations to Meg and the team. You are setting the benchmark for

other teams to live up to,” Luus said.

Australia’s total was built on opener Beth Mooney’s 74 from 53 balls and 29 off 21 from Gardner, who was promoted to No. 3. No one else got to the 20 mark for Australia but it was enough.

Opener Laura Wolvaardt top-scored for South Africa with 61 from 48 but Australia’s bowling was tight and disciplined throughout and the South Africans couldn’t ever break free.

The hosts only had a glimpse of a chance when they needed 59 off the last five overs with Wolvaardt still there.

AUSTRALIA players celebrate after winning the Women’s T20 World Cup cricket match against South Africa, in Cape Town, South Africa, yesterday.

of a

first

(AP Photo/Halden Krog)

MIAMI Marlins pitcher Sandy Alcantara throws live batting practice during spring training baseball practice on February 19 in Jupiter, Florida.

(AP Photo/Jeff Roberson

)

(AP Photo/Ashley Landis)