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Volume: 119 No.103, April 21, 2022

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INFLATION COULD HIT BPL BILLS

MINISTER of Works and Utilities Alfred Sears

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

AMID concerns of soaring inflation and rising fuel prices, Works and Utilities Minister Alfred Sears said “there is always the possibility” of an increase in Bahamas Power and Light bills due to external factors.

However, Mr Sears said the Davis administration intends to maintain BPL’s fuel hedge strategy, which he said seeks to “minimise” the unpredictable international market.

Asked if he would be able to say if it’s possible that consumers can expect an increase in their BPL bills considering inflation and rising fuel prices, Mr Sears told reporters yesterday: “I think there’s always the possibility.”

SEE PAGE THREE

Photo: Donavan McIntosh/ Tribune Staff

...AS PM SAYS GOVT WILL DO ALL IT CAN TO MINIMISE IMPACT

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Tribune Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net PRIME Minister Philip “Brave” Davis said yesterday his administration will do what it can to ensure the impact of a projected 7.3 percent rise in consumer prices is minimised for Bahamians.

Mr Davis was asked yesterday

by The Tribune how his administration intended to tackle the expected increase in prices as foreshadowed by the International Monetary Fund in its World Economic Outlook. The IMF said this was due to the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia.

“Well we are looking at measures and initiatives now to do

that,” the prime minister said when asked how the government planned to combat the IMF’s prediction.

“We are talking now with shipping companies to lower the cost of freight coming in and to try and get discounts on containers.

“We have already successfully (done) that with one company and we are now talking about

how we could assist through the logistical supply chain to reduce costs in those areas.”

Asked whether he was surprised by the IMF’s prediction, Mr Davis said: “We’re not surprised because a lot of the factors that inform the inflationary numbers we can’t control, we have no control of it.

SEE PAGE THREE

MINNIS: GOVT IS FAILING ON CRIME

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net FORMER Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis said crime in New Providence escalated as his successor travelled “all over the place with large delegations on very expensive trips in the early months of his term.”

His comments in the House of Assembly yesterday came as parliamentarians debated The Evidence (Amendment Bill), the Magistrates (Amendment) Bill, the Juries (Amendment) Bill and the Criminal Procedure Code (Amendment) Bill.

SEE PAGE SEVEN

CARBON BILL ‘FIRST STEP’ IN BRINGING PAYMENTS

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Tribune Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net

PRIME Minister Philip “Brave” Davis said yesterday that the Climate Change and Carbon Market Initiatives Bill 2022 is his administration’s first step in securing carbon credit payments for The Bahamas.

Mr Davis said the country has 28 years to optimally benefit from the carbon market initiatives in the vibrant carbon credit marketplace that currently exists.

He said the sale of carbon credits could aid in further protecting the country’s seagrasses, mangroves, forests and coral reefs.

SEE PAGE FIVE

CRYPTO ‘CHANCE TO MAKE UP LOST GROUND’

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

THE Bahamas has “an incredible opportunity to reclaim lost ground and be part of finance’s new frontier”, digital asset specialists argued yesterday, as they hailed the Government’s release of its “vision” for the $3trn industry.

Andrew Rolle, the Bahamas Investments and Securities Business Association president, told

PRIME Minister Philip “Brave” Davis yesterday.

Tribune Business that the policy position unveiled by the Prime Minister in Parliament “is another step

in The Bahamas positioning itself as a world digital assets leader”.

The white paper, entitled The Future of Digital Assets in The Bahamas, seeks to balance signalling to crypto, blockchain and non-fungible token (NFT) providers that this nation is open for business with the necessary risk-based regulatory approach to protect the country’s reputation and the interests of investors/consumers.

FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS

Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper

FRONT PORCH: THE HUBRIS AND DELUSIONS OF AUTOCRATS

- SEE PAGE EIGHT

PAGE 2, Thursday, April 21, 2022

FORMER Senator Rodney Moncur, left, and former Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis.

THE TRIBUNE

‘DOES RODNEY MONCUR HAVE A JOB IN THE GOVERNMENT?’

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net

THE Davis administration did not respond to former Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis yesterday when he asked in the House of Assembly whether Rodney Moncur has been hired as a consultant on crime in the Ministry of National Security.

Dr Minnis did not elaborate on the matter.

Latrae Rahming, director of communications in the Office of the Prime Minister, declined to comment, saying it will be addressed at today’s press briefing.

Mr Moncur hosts a talk show, “Freedom March,” on ILTV. Before he became Minister of National Security, Wayne Munroe was a frequent guest on that show.

“I close with some questions for the government,” Dr Minnis said in Parliament. “I will sit and wait for the answers.

“Has Mr Rodney Moncur been hired as a consultant on crime? If he has been hired, which ministry has he been hired to work for?

“Did the minister of national security want this

appointment? What is Mr Moncur’s role and his list of responsibilities and duties?

“What is his expertise?

How much is he being paid and is he receiving other benefits?

“Is he physically working out of a particular office?

“Does he have an office in the Ministry of National Security?”

Dr Minnis’ comments came as parliamentarians debated amendments to various crime and judiciary related bills.

He also criticised the administration for its economic policies.

“Even as most governments in the world are trying to tackle high food costs, this uncaring government added ten percent to breadbasket items,” he said.

“This is making inflation and costs worse and higher for poorer Bahamians, and all Bahamians, including middle-class Bahamians.

“VAT on breadbasket items could add fuel to our problems and make our social tensions worse.

“This could cause greater inequality. We have a crime crisis now connected to a growing food crisis,” he said.

MAN IN HOSPITAL AFTER SHOOTING A MAN is in critical condition in hospital after he was shot on Tuesday. Police said they responded to the incident on Nassau Street shortly after 3pm.

Officers were told that a man and a woman were walking along the street

when a small white vehicle approached them.

An occupant discharged a firearm at the pair, hitting the male about his body.

The suspect then fled the scene. The victim was taken to the hospital and is listed in critical condition.

THE TRIBUNE

Thursday, April 21, 2022, PAGE 3

PM SAYS GOVT WILL DO ALL IT CAN TO MINIMISE IMPACT

from page one “The disruption in the supply chain over the last several months following the pandemic and now with the war in Russia all those things of which we have no actual control over is fuelling the rise in inflation but we are going to do what we can do locally.

“Things that we can control we will control and try to minimise the impact on our people.”

Meanwhile, Social Services and Urban Development Minister Obie Wilchcombe said the economic climate coupled with consumer inflation had sparked an increase in the need for assistance from his ministry. However, he said there would be additional measures announced by Mr Davis when he delivers his budget communication in the coming weeks.

“We’ve decided to approach where we will provide more assistance,” Mr Wilchcombe said. “Expect the prime minister to make some announcements when he makes his budget communication which is about a month away now and at the

time he will unveil what our plans are.

“In the meantime, however, we’re providing additional assistance. We’ve seen the numbers increase significantly and there are more people who are seeking assistance not only for food assistance (but) rental assistance (and) health assistance. We’ve seen the numbers increase.”

The minister reiterated the government’s plans to increase assistance, adding “because we have to meet the needs of our people”.

“These are situations that you didn’t plan for but the circumstances are what they are. Our job is to respond to them and we will.”

The IMF’s 7.3 percent increase of consumer pricing in The Bahamas for 2022 is highest when compared to the projections for 2023 and beyond. In 2023, the IMF projected a 4.5 percent rise and 2.4 percent by 2027.

It comes at a time when consumers are already contending with high gas prices with all fuel suppliers above $6 per gallon and inflation driving up prices at retail and wholesale grocery stores.

FOOD shoppers yesterday as concerns continue over rising prices with inflation soaring.

Photo: Racardo Thomas/Tribune Staff

Inflation could hit BPL bills from page one

He also said the government is focused on bringing renewable sources of energy to the market, adding that a “major project” for solar power in New Providence as well as initiatives in the Family Islands will be announced soon.

He added: “The government, as a matter of public policy, intends to maintain the hedge strategy and as you know the hedge strategy is intended to minimise, not eliminate, but to minimise the volatility of the fuel (price) in the global market.

“The support for the hedge remains, but I think that what is important is that as we deal with the short-term challenges that we begin to lay the foundation for a more sustainable future and that sustainable future means that we have to fulfil our commitment to go green in terms of more solar power generation and you will hear very shortly (of) a major project in New Providence for the generation of solar energy and also projects in many of our Family Islands as well as the commissioning of the solar micro-grid in Ragged Island.”

In early March, BPL announced in a press statement that electricity prices

were set to increase due to rising fuel costs. About an hour later the press release was recalled.

The next day, Mr Sears said the government had not approved any rate increase for power, nor was it considering doing so.

Meanwhile, in recent weeks there have been complaints about frequent power cuts throughout New Providence.

When asked why these issues have been occurring, Mr Sears said the question would be best directed to BPL. However, he repeated the goal for renewable energy.

“All of us live in the Commonwealth of The Bahamas. All of us have been experiencing load shedding, so it isn’t a recent phenomenon,” he said yesterday. “What we have committed to is to incorporate more into the power generation so that this big $1 billion bill that we spend every year importing fuel, primarily crude fuel, would be eventually something of the past and the sun, which is abundant in The Bahamas, through solar and other forms of renewable energy would be part of the power generation.

“Currently, The Bahamas compared to its regional counterparts does not have a significant integration of renewable (energy) in its

power generation infrastructure and in the Speech from the Throne, in the Blueprint for Change, we made a commitment that by 2030 there will be 30 percent of the power generated will be from renewable sources.

That’s a very ambitious objective and therefore we have asked that BPL very aggressively pursue this energy policy objective and that process I know that they’re working, they’re reviewing. We also have Ragged Island which we will bring on within a matter of a month or so, a micro-grid based on solar generation power.”

Last month, the government signed a $9m

non-reimbursable financing agreement with the European Union and InterDevelopment Bank to assist with renewable energy reform in the country.

The signing ceremony was held at the Ministry of Finance and attended

by Economic Affairs Minister Michael Halkitis along with IDB and EU representatives, Daniela Carrera-Marquis and Marianne Van Steen.

Speaking at the event, Ms Carrera-Marquis from the Inter-Development Bank (IDB) said the grant will allow for the construction of several solar energy projects throughout The Bahamas.

PAGE 4, Thursday, April 21, 2022

THE TRIBUNE

Infections declining, but vaccine rates ‘plateaued’

By PAVEL BAILEY WHILE a Pan American Health Organisation official acknowledged that COVID-19 infections and deaths are declining throughout the region, she also stated that vaccine rates have “plateaued” in the Caribbean.

In yesterday’s virtual press briefing, PAHO director Dr Carissa Etienne said while there had been a spike in COVID cases connected to regional tourism, overall cases and deaths are declining in the Americas.

“As the borders have reopened and tourism has ramped up, cases have also surged in some Caribbean countries and territories, with St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, Barbados and St Martin recording the largest relative increases. Nonetheless, on a broad scale cases and deaths are declining in the Americas.”

She attributed the decrease in COVID-19 deaths and infections to the significant progress in regional vaccination, as over two thirds of people in Latin America and the Caribbean received two doses of COVID-19 vaccine.

PAHO DIRECTOR DR CARISSA ETIENNE However, Dr Etienne said that vaccinations have slowed down in the Caribbean and that only 30 percent of some nations’ populations have received their first dose of the COVID vaccine.

“In some areas vaccinations have slowed or plateaued. In the Caribbean fewer than 30 percent of the population completed their primary series in Haiti, Jamaica, St Vincent and the Grenadines and St Lucia.

And across Latin America,

Guatemala, Guyana and Paraguay have yet to reach half of their populations.”

To combat this, Dr Etienne said that PAHO has worked with regional governments and donors to distribute millions of COVID vaccines more evenly throughout the Americas.

“We now have enough supplies of vaccines to meet demand everywhere in our region. As of this month PAHO’s revolving fund has delivered more than 141

million doses of COVID vaccines in partnership with COVAX and with the support of donors.

“But we have learned that supply is just the first step, that is why PAHO is working closely with countries to also provide technical assistance, planning and communications support to fill the remaining gaps.”

In addition to emphasising the safety of the COVID vaccines, Dr Etienne said that PAHO’s

upcoming vaccination week in the Americas is a perfect opportunity to get vaccinated for both COVID and other communicable diseases.

“COVID-19 vaccines work and they are very safe.

They are protecting most people in our region from the worst consequences of COVID-19 infection.

We need to extend this benefit to everyone in the Americas.

“There is no better time to do so than during vaccination week from April 23 to April 30 when health services across the region will be mobilised in order to get vaccines out. PAHO’s recommendation is that we first ask caretakers and heads of families to use this moment to get their loved ones vaccinated to make sure they are protected not only from COVID-19, but also other diseases.”

According to Dr Etienne, flu shots as well as tetanus and whooping cough vaccines will be offered to pregnant mothers and families as part of PAHO’s vaccination week. PAHO also encouraged countries to integrate their COVID19 vaccine efforts with their routine immunisation systems.

As countries across the world rollback on COVID safety measures, the PAHO director discussed how the WHO still classifies the pandemic as a public health emergency of international concern.

As such, Dr Etienne said that countries should be prepared to scale up public health measures rapidly in case of another COVID spike.

“The World Health Organisation emergency committee last week declared that the COVID19 pandemic still constitutes an extraordinary event that continues to adversely affect the health of populations around the world and poses an ongoing risk of international spread and interference with international traffic and requires a coordinated international response,” she said.

“So, we are still in a public health emergency of international concern and the expert advice that countries should be prepared to quickly scale up public health and social measures rapidly if the rates of hospitalisation and deaths start increasing again. Also, countries are advised to continue using public health measures.”

of festivals, they should be allowed to return if cases are low and it is safe to have them. However, one has to balance it and you also have to balance your risk for COVID-19.”

Still she cautioned against removing restrictions too quickly. She acknowledged that some cities in America have removed public mask mandates, but noted that some had to reinstate those policies when cases spiked.

Because of this Dr Forbes said any similar moves in The Bahamas should be done judiciously.

“As we rollback restrictions we have to look at the situation and we have to be very, very prudent as we remove these restrictions.

One should be careful because if you roll restrictions back too quickly there will be an uptick in cases and that is happening in many places at the moment.

“For example, there are places in the United States where cases are going up, they’ve doubled in some locations and they are reinstituting things like recommendations for wearing

masks in public places. And so, all things considered when you roll back restrictions you have to do it in a measured and prudent manner, if you don’t and there’s an uptick in cases you will have to reinstate some of the guidelines and restrictions, you don’t want to do that.”

Dr Forbes also discussed how there had been a decline in general vaccination for various diseases over the course of the pandemic. She said that Bahamians should aim for higher vaccination coverage to help things get back to normal.

“In the COVID pandemic there was a reduction in general vaccination coverage, not just for COVID, but for other vaccine preventable diseases. It’s time for us to catch up on that and overall, it’s still important for us to aim to have high vaccination coverage against COVID-19, upward of 70 percent. That will protect the healthcare systems and it will help for things to get closer to normal, reducing further restrictions for example.”

‘ROLL BACK RESTRICTIONS GRADUALLY’, EXPERT ADVISES

By PAVEL BAILEY

A LOCAL infectious disease expert says that while COVID-19 cases are low, public health measures should be rolled back gradually to ensure people’s safety.

Dr Nikkiah Forbes, the Ministry of Health and Wellness’ National HIV/ AIDS and Infectious Disease Programme director, told The Tribune that while The Bahamas has achieved a low rate of weekly infections in recent weeks, it still

must exercise caution when it comes to the rollback of public health restrictions.

According to the Ministry of Health, only five new cases were recorded on Tuesday and five people are in hospital with the virus.

In March, the government announced loosened mask requirements for those in hotels or outdoors and adjusted protocols for social gatherings, allowing larger events to take place.

This month, churches and places of religious worship were allowed to have services will full occupancy.

On Tuesday, Deputy Prime Minister Chester Cooper said he anticipates over the next several weeks that there will be a consistent reduction of the COVID protocols.

Yesterday, Dr Forbes said once people continue to follow the measures which remain in place, public health should still be protected.

“It’s important to note that overall if cases are fairly low, and they are, that the public health measures that are in place will be very effective to reduce spread.

And that is mask wearing, everyone has to do it, you want to keep your distance, social distance six ft, hand hygiene, stay home if you’re sick, if you’re having symptoms definitely stay at home. And generally, try to reduce crowds that will still be very effective.”

Dr Forbes said that while a further easing of restrictions is necessary it needs to be done slowly to safely maintain public health.

“Two years into COVID we have to learn how to live with COVID-19. And so that’s the backdrop for ‘what about restrictions?’

They do have to be rolled back and we do have to learn to live with COVID. And when we think about removing restrictions, we have to do it in the safest possible way as it relates to public health,” Dr Forbes said.

In addition to noting that a measured scaling back of restrictions is important, Dr Forbes said festivals should be allowed to return as long as cases remain low.

“And so, a measured prudent approach is important. And so, in the context

THE TRIBUNE

Thursday, April 21, 2022, PAGE 5

Carbon bill ‘first step’ in bringing payments from page one

PRIME Minister Philip “Brave” Davis yesterday.

Photo: Donavan McIntosh/Tribune Staff

“One of the key outcomes of the discussions in Glasgow was agreement that significant financial support is needed for our country, and others, to mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change,” the Cat Island, Rum Cay and San Salvador MP said yesterday. “And central to that agreement was the recognition that an important tool to support these efforts is engagement in carbon markets.

“Carbon markets set a price for a unit of carbon dioxide which can then be traded between a buyer and seller. At COP26, after six years of negotiations, countries finally agreed on rules for international cooperation through carbon markets.

“The new rules as outlined in Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, state that countries around the world could trade ‘units’ (carbon credits) with one another in order to access more cost-effective emissions reductions, or, in the case of

The Bahamas, to sell excess emissions credits.

The Bahamas has significant resources that, with conservation and restoration, can remove carbon from the earth’s atmosphere. The sale of carbon credits can aid the country in further protecting our seagrasses, mangroves, forests, and coral reefs.

“This means that high carbon-emitting countries could buy credits from us, both compensating us for the role our country can play as a carbon sink and reducing the overall total amount of carbon being emitted. Carbon markets are an important bridge to a net-zero future.”

The Bill, which was tabled in the House of Assembly yesterday, seeks to give effect to the Paris Agreement to aid in the global response to the threat of climate change and to create and implement initiatives to offset carbon emissions.

Through this framework, government will be able to create incentives and implement initiatives to support

the overall global target of greenhouse gas emissions reduction consistent with its nationally determined contributions; to ensure compliance by The Bahamas of its obligations under the Paris Agreement taking into consideration the common but differentiated responsibilities, respective capabilities and flexibility provisions acknowledged under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change for small island developing states to address climate change; and to enable the establishment of a market in The Bahamas to trade in carbon credits.

The Bill will also create shared ministerial responsibility between the prime minister/minister of finance and the minister responsible for the environment and natural resources; the appointment of a management company, and the appointment and functions of an advisory council, which will have responsibility for serving as a technical advisory body to a management company.

WORKSHOP HELPS PROTECT RIGHTS A WORKSHOP designed to help protect the rights of Bahamian children and persons with disabilities was recently held.

The event brought together United Nations officials and government agencies which make up the National Reporting Cooperation Mechanism.

The mechanism is chaired by the Office of the Attorney General and Ministry of Legal Affairs.

George Abualzulof, senior human rights advisor for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, trained participants on the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).

In a press release, organisers said: “By facilitating the workshop, the interministerial human rights committee is in a better position to provide timely

submissions of the CRC and CRPD reports to the United Nations. The last review, before the committee, was in 2005 at which time, the report was ten years after the due date.

“The 5th and 6th report on the CRC from the Bahamas was to be submitted in 2012; and the CRPD in 2017. Both are expected to be submitted by the Bahamas Government this year.”

Jewel Major, assistant director of legal affairs, and leading attorney for the National Reporting Cooperation Mechanism, said the country’s legal system requires the transformation of international conventions into domestic law to render them applicable.

“In a small state with limited resources,” she explained, “this can pose serious obstacles to the effective and efficient domestication of international human rights.”

“Nevertheless, the government is committed to this process and is determined to improve the domestication of such instruments. This was done with the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which was domesticated in the Child Protection Act; and the Hague International Child Abduction Convention in the International Child Abduction Act.” “Hence, the reason that we are now, due to failure of two referendum, have a draft Nationality Act 2021, that will give a mother married to a foreigner, the legal right to confer her nationality to her children.”

She said that as a nation, “our greatest assets are our people and the most vulnerable are our children and persons with disabilities”.

For this reason, she called the workshop “extremely helpful”.

ART on show includes pieces titled Man on the Rocks - Throw Your Line.

SCHOLARSHIP FUND TO BENEFIT FROM CATHEDRAL ART EXHIBITION AN exhibition is being held by artist Jé-Rome Harris Miller, titled Colours of Celebration 2022. The event will be held tonight at the Dean Patrick L Adderley venue at Christ Church Cathedral Hall on George Street, at 6pm.

The artist, who was born in Nicholls Town, Andros, is an active member of the

cathedral congregation in various ministries, who holds to a personal philosophy of “be kind and help someone”.

His first exhibition, Bold, was held at the former British Colonial Hilton in 2006.

Part of the proceeds will be in aid of the University of The Bahamas Winston V Saunders Memorial Scholarship Fund.

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PAGE 6, Thursday, April 21, 2022

The Tribune Limited

THE TRIBUNE

PICTURE OF THE DAY

NULLIUS ADDICTUS JURARE IN VERBA MAGISTRI “Being Bound to Swear to The Dogmas of No Master”

Publisher/Editor 1903-1914

LEON E. H. DUPUCH,

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Publisher/Editor 1919-1972 Contributing Editor 1972-1991

EILEEN DUPUCH CARRON,

C.M.G., M.S., B.A., LL.B. Publisher/Editor 1972-

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We cannot turn back the rising tide THERE is a well-known story about a long-ago King of England, called Cnut the Great, also known as Canute – you may well know the story.

One day, the king set his throne down by the sea shore, and commanded the incoming tide to halt and not wet his feet and robes. Needless to say, the tide came on in regardless and left the king with damp toes.

There have been various versions of the story, but the general interpretation was that Canute knew very well he could not command the tide to stop but did so anyway to show his courtiers that there were things that were far beyond his control.

Which brings us to one particular rising tide approaching our shores – that of inflation.

Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis yesterday vowed that his administration will do all it can do to minimise the impact of a rise in consumer prices that could be as much as 7.3 percent according to the International Monetary Fund.

You will note what he did not do was say he would do all he could do to stop inflation coming – because he can’t.

He is not alone. US President Joe Biden yesterday took to Twitter to point out the causes of the current spike in prices. He said: “I know that families are still struggling with higher prices. I grew up in a family where if the price of gas went up, we felt it. Let’s be absolutely clear about why prices are high right now: COVID and Vladimir Putin.”

He added: “Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has driven up gas prices and food prices all over the world. We saw that in the most recent inflation data.

Last month, about 70 percent of the increase in inflation was a consequence of Putin’s price hike because of the impact on gas and other energy prices.”

Even prior to the Ukraine war, there

was already an impact from supply chain problems exacerbated by COVID – and that drove up prices too.

So when Mr Davis says the government will do what it can to minimise the impact, there is a limited amount to what can be done. Perhaps some taxes might be eased here or there – but that will have an effect on revenue. Perhaps some extra support measures can be put in place for families who are struggling.

Mr Davis has also said he is talking to shipping companies to get discounts on containers – though such businesses will be feeling the pinch of rising gas prices too.

In the meantime, get used to higher prices. It already costs more to fill your tank. Minister of Works and Utilities Alfred Sears said higher BPL bills might be possible too – some might say that is more probable than just possible. Expect it in all avenues of life – in today’s Tribune Business section, fishermen are warning of the increased costs they face even before they get the boat out to sea, and the reduced profits they are coming home with as a result of those costs. Those costs may well be passed on to customers too – and we saw over Easter increased costs for bread and fish already.

So be ready for it to affect you, even if you don’t think you drive very much or if you think it’s not likely to have a big impact on your lifestyle.

Credit to the government for not promising too much, however. What is being suggested are reasonable measures to soften the blow not a promise to avert the blow entirely.

Down the years, Canute has been pictured as a foolish figure rather than someone trying to show others that leaders are not omnipotent. Our own leaders would do well to ensure we are not caught out by our own rising tide.

VOLODYMYR LUKYANOVYCH, 63, cooks his dinner outside his house since his building was destroyed by Russian shelling in Irpin, on the outskirts of Kyiv, yesterday. Citizens of Irpin are still without electricity, water and gas after since the Russian invasion began.

Photo: Emilio Morenatti/AP

My Winn Dixie nostalgia EDITOR, The Tribune.

A PROMINENT Grand Bahamian fisherman informed me today that he saw a 10 pound bag of chicken wings going for $35 minus VAT in a major grocery store.

At the 10 percent rate, that price goes up to over $38. Chicken wings are now a delicacy dish for struggling Bahamians. On Easter Monday I saw in a local convenience store a carton of eggs priced at nearly $11.

Government officials and Bahamian economists are blaming the Russian/ Ukrainian War for the current inflation in over the counter medicine, food and oil prices.

The current inflation crisis brought to mind a 1996 Freeport News Winn Dixie ad I saw posted on a business establishment in Freeport. The ad was a reminder of how affordable

LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net the cost of living was in the mid nineties. The ad was published around March 1996.

Bill Clinton was US president and Hubert Ingraham was serving his first term as prime minister of The Bahamas. Sir Lynden O Pindling was still Progressive Liberal Party leader and Senator Bob Dole was frontrunner for the Republican Party presidential nomination. That was when a gallon of gasoline was around $2.30; a two-piece KFC combo meal in Freeport was just under $4 and a conch was $1 each.

I recall the furor among irate Grand Bahamians when the Ingraham government decided to grant fishermen their request to increase the price of conch to $1.50.

Concerning the Winn Dixie ad, it had a 16 ounce package of bacon at $1.68; steak at $5.98 per pound; hot and mild Italian sausage at $1.38 per pound; skinned Grouper at $3.68 per pound; lamb chops at $1.10 per pound; Butterball turkey at $1.48 per pound; ground beef at $1.38; cheddar cheese at $1.68 per pound; boneless rib roast at $1.98 per pound; smoked ham at $1.38 and picnic ham at .98 cents.

If I had HG Wells’ time machine, I would travel back in time to the nineties in order to purchase the aforementioned items -which are much lower than items on sale today in the grocery stores. I truly miss the Winn Dixie days when $100 could overfill a trolley with groceries.

KEVIN EVANS Freeport, Grand Bahama April 20, 2022.

Travel rules EDITOR, The Tribune.

YOUR Tourism and Hotel Association officials are hailing the decision of the American Government to upgrade the travel advisory for travel to The Bahamas. They say that now conferences and conventions will return. The Americans have done their part. Now we await your Government abolishing all the ridiculously difficult entry rules to make that happen.

There is a massive disconnect between your travel policies and the reality on the ground. Most people who attend these conferences and conventions are busy professional working

people. Very few have the time or will to go through the hassles just to come to Nassau for a few days. How can you expect busy medical and legal people and others to take time to find a clinic to get a rapid antigen test, wait for the result, scan all the documentation with the double vaccination certificate, wait for approval to travel and be there within three days? The designers of these complicated rules have done a great disservice to The Bahamas for you are losing needed visitors and the revenue they bring to your struggling economy.

My own professional association came to Nassau for years. My brother’s medical association also

annually visited. However, both of our groups are going elsewhere for the third time because they simply are not willing to go through all the road blocks you have imposed for travel. With COVID-19 declining there seems no justifiable reason to keep these expensive and anti-visitor policies. Many people are in disbelief about the need for a Health Visa to visit our neighboring country. For your sake I hope that common sense will immediately come to your Government’s entry regulations.

JOHN W ROBSON Interlaken, New Jersey USA April 20, 2022.

THE TRIBUNE

Thursday, April 21, 2022, PAGE 7

Minnis: govt is failing on crime from page one Dr Minnis said the bills, while needed, amount to administrative fixes at a time when bolder action is needed to thwart rising violent crime.

“These are not bills with a broader and more visionary scope to address crime and other pressing national issues,” he said.

“This legislation does

not appear to be a part of a broader and more comprehensive plan to make The Bahamas safer. These are functional bills. They chart no new territory or offer creative responses to the spiral of crime we are now facing, which seems to keep getting worse.

“I have been stunned, the people of Killarney have been stunned, and Bahamians everywhere have been stunned by the

government’s abject and miserable failure to keep our communities safe.

“Last month was one of the most violent months in our country’s history.

“Deputy Commissioner of Police Clayton Fernander said so in a briefing with the media on April 7. There were 22 murders in March, police reported.

There were also numerous shootings that left survivors with life-long injuries.

“Seven months into their term and the administration of the member for Cat Island is overseeing a spectacular failure to keep Bahamians safe.”

Dr Minnis said Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis and his administration have no comprehensive plan to counter crime, inflation or rising energy costs.

He added: “While the prime minister was all over the place travelling with

large delegations on very expensive trips in the early months of his term, things fell apart in our crime response. The man Bahamians entrusted with power to lead them and keep them safe has thus far failed in his most fundamental duty to our people.

“Sadly, the prime minister is so often out of the country. Perhaps he could not grasp or see what was happening on the ground

because he was often in midair...

“He and his government seemed to have been caught off guard.

“In normal times it is fine to come to Parliament and make amendments and administrative changes to laws as we are doing today.

“The problem is this government is making small changes at a time when the country needs a big and comprehensive crime plan.”

‘GET RID OF THE GUNS’ PUBLIC

NOTICE Please Note that I, ST Anne’s MP Adrian White yesterday.

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Tribune Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net WHILE urging for an aggressive push to remove illegal guns from the streets of New Providence, St Anne’s MP Adrian White said the law must be amended so that police can make arrests without formal complaints from victims of crime.

Speaking in Parliament yesterday, the leader of opposition business added that his constituency has been marred by crime leaving people in the community uncertain about what to expect next from criminals.

He was one of several members of Parliament who made contributions to several amendments yesterday that will allow simultaneous visual and oral presentations in courts by virtual means by all parties involved in a trial.

There was also an amendment debated that disallows the publication of juror addresses during the selection process for juries among other things.

“On reflection I am going to share with this honourable House a time when in the evenings we would go to sleep and wake the next day to the report of a shooting or a death occurring in the early morning hours after we had gone to sleep,” Mr White said.

“Those days have transformed into what we now see where we have shootings in broad daylight, gang members blasting gang members, and horrifically most recently women shooting women. They say that guns don’t kill people, people kill people. I say get the guns off the street. I say that we should go into every yard, every building, every home and get them all.

“People found in

Photo: Donavan McIntosh/Tribune Staff possession of an illegal weapon can be charged or not charged. Get the guns.

Illegal substances and other materials found during the raids can be confiscated with no charges. Just get the guns.”

He continued: “Two young men were almost killed in my constituency Sunday evening on April 3. Bullets snapped away like the sound of a BPL transformer sparking off.

The two young men were rushed to hospital by private vehicle - one with his intestines bulging out and from that incident two lives have been shattered, two families have been devastated and the community is in fear not knowing what to expect next.”

He said his constituency office had also been damaged through crime.

“Until our laws empower our police officers to arrest criminals without a formal

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complaint from the victim, we’re swinging at justice with two hands tied behind our backs.

“There is a fear imposed on the victims of crimes that is so severe it is crippling our judicial system. When a victim of a crime has to make a complaint in order for justice to be met, crime has a licence to go free.

“The moment a victim cannot take any more than what they have been subjected to and fear forces their withdrawal from making a complaint, crime is free. We don’t expect a perfect society where there is no crime, but we expect a protected society where the victim’s role in justice is exasperated.”

CLINTON O. CLARKE

Attorney-At-Law. I’m not the father of

CLINTON C. TAYLOR also known as

CLINTON C. CLARKE JR. Attorney-At-Law.

PAGE 8, Thursday, April 21, 2022

THE TRIBUNE

THE HUBRIS AND DELUSIONS OF AUTOCRATS AND POWER

RUSSIAN President Vladimir Putin yesterday.

Earlier in his life, then further articulated in his “1925 autobiographical manifesto”, Mein Kampf (“My Struggle” or “My Battle”), Hitler expressed his burning desire to conOPERATION Barba- quer the western Soviet rossa, the code name for Union, realising his dream Adolf Hitler’s and Ger- of a German empire, many’s invasion of the including repopulating the area with Soviet Union Germans. in 1941, ‘Hitler had long Many of exposed Germany’s the hubris, had his eye on Axis allies delusions of Soviet resources. joined in the power, and mammoth psychological Although Germany operation isolation of had signed a nonboth Hitler aggression pact with and the ambition he and Soviet the USSR in 1939, articulated Premier his Joseph Stalin. both sides remained from prison cell During suspicious of one in Mein the brutal Kampf: “We months of another, and the terminate the Opera- agreement merely the endless tion, named gave them more German drive after the to the south 12th century time to prepare for and the west Holy Roman a probable war.’ of Europe, Emperor and German king, Frederick and direct our gaze towards Barbarossa (“red beard”), the lands in the east. If we the depth of the isolation talk about new soil and terand mania of the Russian ritory in Europe today, we and German leaders was can think primarily only of demonstrated in stark and Russia and its vassal border states.” terrifying relief.

courage and warned of the coming invasion.

“THE antidote to hubris, to overweening pride, is irony, that capacity to discover and systematize ideas.” - Ralph Ellison, African American author.

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REFUSED

Hitler had long telegraphed his intentions toward the Soviet Union.

The Germans amassed a four and a half million-strong force for the Operation. As described in The Atlantic: “Hitler had long had his eye on Soviet resources. Although Germany had signed a nonaggression pact with the USSR in 1939, both sides remained suspicious of one another, and the agreement merely gave them more time to prepare for a probable war.”

Stalin sent his Foreign Minister, Vyacheslav Molotov, an old Bolshevik and politician, to meet with Hitler, who tried to convince the cunning diplomat that the two countries could work together to carve up various parts of Europe.

Molotov knew that Hitler was deceiving him on a number of fronts but the former was convinced that Germany was not ready to invade Russia, which he reported to Stalin.

But a German officer, who was secretly spying for Russia, started sending urgent communications warning of an impending invasion, as did Stalin’s spies in Switzerland, Romania and Japan.

Soviet general, Georgy Zhukov, who was terrified to communicate information Stalin did not want to hear, summoned his

Stalin refused to believe him, some of the reasons for which historians still question. Did Stalin simply tune out what he did not want to believe or hear?

Why was he immobilised?

How isolated was he?

British Prime Minister Winston Churchill warned Stalin, as did US President Franklin Roosevelt, who said, “It was as certain as that the night followed the day that as soon as Hitler had conquered France he would turn on Russia.”

The History Channel reports: “Soviet intelligence purportedly named the exact, or almost exact, date of the invasion no fewer than 47 times in the 10 days before ‘Operation Barbarossa’ went into effect.”

Both autocrats and democrats in office are often isolated, in a bunker mentality, believing what is in their minds to be correct.

Yet they are often wrong.

From the Bay of Pigs under John F Kennedy to terrible miscalculations in Vietnam under Lyndon Johnson, and the 1956 Suez disaster for the British and French, even leaders in democracies make terrible mistakes because of their delusions.

Democracies enjoy open and free media, opposition parties, cabinets with varying viewpoints, differing opinions from public officers and experts. Yet, despite contrasting information, prime ministers and presidents are often hobbled by hubris, one of the perennial human challenges for those who have great power.

What is it about power that sometimes blinds and deafens leaders to the obvious, including countervailing views? Theodore Roosevelt learned an essential lesson during the Coal Strike of 1902: do not always believe what your officials are reporting.

Go see for yourself what is really occurring on the ground during a crisis.

The Atlantic continues the storyline on Operation Barbarossa: “The Soviets were unprepared for the sudden blitzkrieg attacks across a border that spanned nearly 2,900 km (1,800 mi), and they suffered horrible losses.

Within a single week, German forces advanced 200 miles into Soviet territory, destroyed nearly 4,000 aircraft, and killed, captured, or wounded some 600,000 Red Army troops.

“By December of 1941, German troops were within sight of Moscow, and they

laid siege to the city. But, when the notorious Russian winter (nicknamed ‘General Winter’) set in, German advances came to a halt.

“By the end of this, one of the largest, deadliest military operations in history, Germany had suffered some 775,000 casualties.

More than 800,000 Soviets had been killed, and an additional six million Soviet soldiers had been wounded or captured.”

given the chance, will likely play a great price if the king survives.

Writing recently in the Wall Street Journal, the US columnist and academic, Walter Russell Mead, posits the historical worldview of Russian President Vladimir Putin, grounded in the Russian sense of empire and imperial conquest: “Under the Romanovs, the communists and Mr Putin, Russian political thought has been shaped by three beliefs: that Russia is different, that the difference is transcendentally important, and that it Hitler’s massive failure, gives Russia a unique role somewhat mirroring Napo- in world history.”

Mead chillingly conleon Bonaparte’s 1812 cludes: “Mr Putin and those invasion of Russia, proved to be a turning point in around him know that in World War II. The historic Ukraine they aren’t fighting blunders recall the advice only for an adjustment of of British Field Marshall frontiers. They are fighting Bernard Montgomery, who for their world, and it may famously declared the first be psychologically imposrule of war: “Don’t march sible for them to accept defeat until every measure, on Moscow!”

Hitler was also told to however ruthless, and every concentrate his attacks and weapon, however heinous, that there were great risks has been brought into play.

“For Vladimir Putin and of moving on too many fronts, which included Kiev the people around him, in Ukraine. The Babi Yar the stakes in Ukraine are massacre of approximately almost infinitely great.”

We do not know how the 33,000 Jews occurred war in Ukraine will end. during the Operation.

What has often been less But thus far, it appears that Putin and reported Russia may are the piv- ‘Mr Putin and those have miscalotal days as around him know culated on German and Axis troops that in Ukraine they a number of fronts, driven were headed aren’t fighting only by hubris, toward for an adjustment delusions Moscow. of power of frontiers. They Paralyzed and chronic with fear are fighting for their isolation. and indeciTo underworld, and it may sion, Stalin stand hubris, left his head- be psychologically Hitler, Stalin, quarters for impossible for the excesses a dacha near of power, them to accept Moscow. and Putin For some defeat until every today, the days there measure, however wisdom of was chaos the ancients, ruthless, and every and panic. found in the Some histo- weapon, however classical litrians believe heinous, has been erature and that Stalin history of the brought into play.’ feared that Greeks and his colossal other civilizations, offer blunder of not believing the German invasion was immi- warnings and lessons, which nent and not preparing for leaders have ignored to the assault might result in their peril and that of their his being removed by his nations for centuries.

Perhaps some misread generals. the warning of Julius Molotov travelled to the dacha and appears to have Caesar: “It’s only hubris if saved the day for Stalin, I fail.” The oldest surviving steadying the latter’s nerves play from Classical Athens and resolve. Because he is The Persians, written was not removed from by Aeschylus, the Greek power, Stalin reportedly tragedian, considered the realised that his associates father of tragedy. The story were weaker than him. In is told by the vanquished the years to come, he would Persians.

Xerxes the First or become even more murderXerxes the Great, who ous, brutal and paranoid. ruled from 486 to 465 BCE, was an extraordinary ruler and conqueror.

But dazzled by his foolAnother lesson of power: hardy pride and colossal Those who fail or refuse hubris, he is cast in history to execute the king when as “offending the gods with his arrogance and nearly [losing] his empire in the process.”

Why do we foolish mortals, including our leaders, relentlessly repeat the same historic blunders and obvious miscalculations?

The brilliant African American writer and scholar Ralph Ellison, author of Invisible Man, offers a similar conviction of the Greeks: “The antidote to hubris, to overweening pride, is irony, that capacity to discover and systematise ideas.”

And at the heart of irony is humour, the ability to pierce one’s isolation and egomania with the ability to laugh at oneself and to appreciate why others might find our conceits and prideful excesses laughable.

FAILURE

POWER

• More next week

THE TRIBUNE

Thursday, April 21, 2022, PAGE 9

ZELENSKY AT THE HEART OF THE STORM THE portentous announcement was made by a well-known, largely trusted source. “Now we can state that the Russian forces have started the battle for the Donbas that they have been getting ready for a long time.

A very large part of the entire Russian army is now focused on this offensive.”

The source for this news, which made headlines all across the US earlier this week? The president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky. This remarkable man, previously best known as a successful TV comedian and actor who was stunningly elected as president of his country in May 2019, is now often the source for “breaking news” of the attempt by Ukraine’s large, rapacious neighbour to essentially extirpate Zelensky’s homeland.

Zelensky’s highly public role as on-scene war correspondent seems to fit with a role he has defined for himself as the leading spokesman and cheerleader for his beleaguered nation.

He pops up almost daily on TV screens, alternately addressing legislatures from Vienna to London to Ottawa to Washington and many places in between, offering highly quotable commentary on a war that threatens to wipe out Ukraine – and eliminate him in the process.

One of the many amazing feats achieved by this man is

that he continues to survive in the face of what must be a concerted Russian effort to kill or otherwise blunt his inspirational effect on his country’s stout resistance so far to Moscow’s invasion.

Now, as the Russians gather their forces in what appears to be an effort to achieve some basis for claiming victory in a war they have so far been losing, the effects of their aggression and brutal criminality are being assessed in remote but powerful capitals.

In Brussels, NATO has unquestionably found new life. Faced with the potentially existential threat of a Russian land invasion for the first time in its life as an alliance, NATO has rallied around the US response to Russia’s Ukraine “operation,” displaying unprecedented unity. It looks ever more likely that long steadfastly neutral Finland and Sweden may react to the current war by formally applying to join the western alliance. The US has repeatedly recommitted its military might to defense of NATO member states, whose number includes several former Soviet provincial republics.

In Beijing, President Xi Jinping must be wondering these days if his continuing public embrace of Russian President Vladimir Putin is worth the resulting public relations headaches. China has

built the world’s second most powerful economy and achieved worldwide political sway by trying to influence the present world order through largely socio-economic, and not military, means.

China advances its objectives best through peace and relative international stability.

Russia, on the other hand, relies for its foreign exchange on energy exports. It may well profit from instability in other parts of the world. And Russia’s economy, which was about the same size as China’s 30 years ago, is now estimated to total around ten percent of the Chinese GDP. And in Washington, the man sitting in President Joe Biden’s old Senate seat on the Foreign

IN THE world’s most popular sport, there’s little debate about who are now the best two teams. For this year anyway, you can overlook traditional powers such as Real Madrid and Barcelona in Spain, Paris St. Germain in France, Juventus in Italy and Bayern Munich in Germany, or several other annual contenders in England.

Europe’s – and probably the world’s – best two club teams both play in England, where the recent success of the national team in qualifying for this November’s World Cup tournament in Qatar has revived hopes for the first English world title since 1966.

Manchester City and Liverpool are simply better than anyone else, and soccer fans everywhere have been treated this month to two matches between them already with

another one likely on the horizon.

Last Saturday, these giants met in the semifinal of the world’s oldest club competition, the English Football Association (FA) Cup. City was hampered tremendously by the absence through injury of the Premier League’s most consequential player, Belgian midfielder Kevin De Bruyne, and a couple of other regular players.

Liverpool raced out to a three-goal lead at Wembley Stadium in London and held on to prevail 3-2 as City crept back into the game.

Less than a week earlier, current Premier League front-runners City held the upper hand at home throughout, but managed only a 2-2 draw against their closest competitors from Liverpool. These two teams had reached the same result when they played at

Liverpool at the beginning of October. Currently, only one point separates the two in the EPL standings.

And now, since they are drawn on opposite backets of the European Champions League, these two teams will be favoured to play for a fourth time at the end of May at the Stade de France in Paris, where the finals have been moved from St Petersburg in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The difference so far between the teams in the EPL has been their respective performances against the third best league team, Chelsea. While Man City has twice beaten the Blues by 1-0 scores, Liverpool has only earned two ties with Chelsea. That’s a significant edge for City, and may just be enough to ensure their third title in the past four years.

UKRAINIAN President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at a news conference yesterday.

STATESIDE

with Charlie Harper

THE BEST OF THE BEST IN SOCCER

Relations Committee, Chris Coons, told reporters this week that “if Vladimir Putin, who has shown us how brutal he can be, is allowed to just continue to massacre civilians, to commit war crimes throughout Ukraine without NATO, without the west coming more forcefully to his aid, I deeply worry that what`s going to happen next is that we will see Ukraine turn into Syria,” he said.

“Putin will only stop when we stop him.”

That sounds a lot like a call to arms. And a look back at the timeline of America’s and NATO’s increasing involvement in the fight for Ukraine’s future does reveal a picture of steadily increasing engagement. What happens if a US-escorted arms delivery or American military advisors somehow come to grief as the result of Russian aggression? What is the trigger for a much wider war?

It’s the stuff of nightmares for everyone, but especially for the Americans and their European allies.

Photo: Efrem Lukatsky/AP

SURGE IN HAITIAN MIGRATION THE dateline on the story was Summerland Key, Florida, home to some of the priciest real estate in the Florida Keys between Miami and Key West. The significance of that dateline is the fact that it was not Nassau, Marsh Harbour or Matthew Town.

The story of the recent Haitian migrant landing at Summerland Key underscores a surge of Haitian migration this spring, spawned no doubt by the tribulations afflicting Haiti.

The Coast Guard reports intercepting around four boats per month this year so far, with an average of around 150 people on board each. In fact, since the beginning of the American government’s fiscal year on October 1, over 3,000 Haitian migrants have been intercepted at sea. During the entire previous fiscal year, less than half that total was apprehended. And two years ago, the yearly total was only around 200.

The commander of the US Coast Guard’s Key West sector said human smugglers from Haiti “have figured out a way to reach South Florida by sailing through the Old

Bahama shipping route between The Bahamas and Cuba. We are adjusting our posture to respond to that,” he added.

The human smuggling business is booming. We seem to be catching a break for a change, and more of the traffic is taking a southerly approach which means it will likely miss The Bahamas. With the government facing numerous challenges here, that’s not bad news.

For law enforcement in the Florida Keys, illegal migration has reached unexpectedly high volume.

An estimated 800 Haitian migrants have landed in the Keys just this year so far. It may seem ironic to some that two of the bigger group landings occurred at the ritzy, exclusive Ocean Reef Club off Highway 1 in Key Largo.

“We have not seen this number of migrants in many years; it’s very unusual,” said the Monroe County sheriff. Monroe is the reddest county in South Florida, and residents are reportedly torn between sympathy for the migrants and their adherence to the rigidly anti-migrant policies of the Republican Party.

PAGE 10, Thursday, April 21, 2022

THE TRIBUNE

‘Take VAT off the breadbasket items’

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net FORMER State Finance Minister Kwasi Thompson has again called on the government to remove VAT on bread basket items, this time after an International Monetary Fund report projected consumer prices in The Bahamas would increase by 7.3 percent this year.

Mr Thompson, East Grand Bahama MP, said the report recommended that governments around the world take action to mitigate the effects of inflation.

“It also spoke to governments ensuring that they have fiscal restraint and fiscal responsibility because we are unsure and they are

unsure, one, how high inflation will get and also how long inflation will last.

“Their fear is that it will get worse and their fear (is) it will get worse quickly and so we are calling upon the government to act. They have been consulting but we are calling upon them to act,” he told reporters yesterday.

The IMF World Economic Outlook report noted that global economic prospects have worsened since its last forecast in January, due to the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Mr Thompson also said: “The IMF report specifically said that governments should take action to mitigate effects and at present we are not seeing those mitigating effects or

we are not seeing those mitigating actions by this government.”

The former Cabinet minister said “one easy very quick thing” that can be done is removing the VAT off breadbasket items, stating that it will have an “immediate effect” on the prices that people pay for food.

The opposition Free National Movement has frequently criticised the Davis administration for removing the zero rating on bread basket items when it reduced VAT from 12 percent to 10 percent after the 2021 general election.

Social assistance was another aspect the East Grand Bahama MP highlighted as well.

“Another thing that

needs to be done is we need to look at increasing social services assistance. We need to look at increasing social assistance for the (school) lunch programme. Those persons on the lunch programme and who have been paid on the lunch programme, they recognise that the monies that they were paid they will be able to buy less food with the money that they were paid. So we’re saying that they should increase the funding for school lunch programmes,” Mr Thompson said.

He also thinks the government should increase VAT back to 12 percent for wealthy people whose property transactions are above $2.

“The Fiscal Responsibility Council said that this was a fair thing to do. It would provide equity because it would be the rich who would (be) paying more and those funds that (are collected) you can then put that back into the economy and you can then provide the assistance needed,” Mr Thompson said.

KWASI THOMPSON MP

‘OFFICER ATTACKED MY CLIENT’, SAYS ATTORNEY

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

AN attorney representing a 35-year-old man accused of assaulting a police officer claimed he was attacked by the officer.

Joeneil Rolle, 35, was arraigned yesterday on charges of causing harm and assault.

Police allege that the 35-year-old assaulted a police officer with his motorcycle and caused him harm on April 18.

However, the accused has denied the allegations.

During yesterday’s hearing, Rolle’s attorney asked the court to take note of her client’s injuries which she claimed was caused by the officer on the day in question.

She said the officer kicked Rolle in the head and told the court he had to be taken to hospital for the injuries.

“The court could also reflect that he has blood

on his shirt,” the attorney added.

In response, Magistrate Serville made a note of the claims and subsequently granted the accused bail at $3,500 with one or two sureties.

He was also ordered to report to the Carmichael Police Station once a week.

The matter was adjourned to July 27 for trial.

In a separate matter, a 38-year-old man was ordered to attend anger management classes after threatening to harm his neighbour earlier this month.

Ryan Johnson appeared in court facing the charge after he threatened Indira Evans with harm on April 4.

He pleaded guilty to the offence during his hearing before Magistrate Shaka Serville yesterday.

Johnson’s attorney asked the court for leniency, noting his client was selfemployed and had no prior convictions.

He also asked the court to consider giving him a conditional discharge as he pleaded guilty early at the earliest opportunity and chose not to waste the court’s time.

The magistrate ordered him to attend anger management classes.

Johnson was told that failure to comply would result in a fine or prison sentence.

Jacque Jules, 42, also appeared in Magistrate’s Court yesterday after he was accused of assaulting and causing harm to a woman and further threatening her with death on April 17.

Police also allege that he caused damage to her phone the same day.

However, in court, the woman told the magistrate that she wished to drop the charges against Jules, which were ultimately withdrawn.

When asked if she was withdrawing the charges of her own free will, the woman replied: “Yes.”

RAPE ACCUSED DENIED BAIL

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

A 23-YEAR-OLD man accused of raping a woman last year was denied bail in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday.

Ottis Jordin Hanna was charged with rape after he was accused of having

sexual intercourse with a 21-year-old woman without her consent sometime between September and October 1 of last year.

He is also accused of indecently assaulting the woman during the same period.

Due to the nature of the offences, Hanna was not required to enter a plea to

either of the charges and bail was denied.

He was told the case will proceed by way of a voluntary bill of indictment.

Hanna was remanded to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services.

However, he can apply to the Supreme Court for bail.

His next court appearance is on July 25.

THE TRIBUNE

Thursday, April 21, 2022, PAGE 11

$1,300 fine over marijuana

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net A MAN was fined $1,300 yesterday after he pleaded guilty to possession of dangerous drugs with intent to supply.

Jean Simbert, 53, appeared before Magistrate Samuel McKinney after officers found one pound of Indian hemp at his home on April 18.

Police said they found the drugs while executing a search of the accused man’s home sometime around 2.30 pm that day.

While there, officers found a Ziploc bag containing several silver wrappings with suspected marijuana along with $200 cash in mixed currencies.

As a result, the accused was arrested and taken into police custody, where he admitted to the offence.

During yesterday’s hearing, Simbert took responsibility for the drugs found at his home.

His attorney Ian Cargill asked the court for leniency, noting his client’s early guilty plea and clean record prior to the offence committed.

He also told the court that Simbert was employed.

In response, Magistrate McKinney fined him $1,300 or six months in prison.

Also appearing before court yesterday on similar offences was 29-year-old Gabrielle Farquharson, a hairdresser.

Farquharson was charged with simple drug possession after officers found her with 17 grams of marijuana on April 18.

She pleaded guilty to the offence during her hearing before Magistrate Shaka Serville.

Her attorney claimed she used the drugs for medical purposes after suffering from chronic back pain.

The attorney also told the court his client — who had no previous convictions — was remorseful for her actions and promised not to reoffend.

In response, Magistrate Serville reminded the accused that marijuana possession for medicinal use or otherwise was still not legal in the country and encouraged her to refrain from using the substance.

Instead of imposing a custodial sentence for the

crime, he ordered her to attend drug counselling classes.

She was told that failure to comply could result in a conviction.

David Forbes, 18, was also arraigned on one count of drug possession after officers found him with four grams of marijuana on April 16.

After pleading guilty to the offence, his attorney told the court he was remorseful for his actions and was only smoking the drugs because of peer pressure.

Forbes also confirmed

this and told the court he had been smoking since he was 17.

When asked about his reasons for smoking, the 18-year-old said he was often teased about his size and thought smoking would help him to lose weight.

Due to his early plea of guilt and his youth, the magistrate gave him a stern warning and also placed him on probation for six months.

If he fails to be of good behaviour within that time frame, he risks facing a fine or prison sentence.

PAGE 12, Thursday, April 21, 2022

THE TRIBUNE

POLL: MAJORITY OF AMERICANS WANT TRAVELLERS TO WEAR MASKS By the Associated Press

A MAJORITY of Americans continue to support a mask requirement for people traveling on airplanes and other shared transportation, a new poll finds. A ruling by a federal judge has put the government’s transportation mask mandate on hold.

The poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds that

despite opposition to that requirement that included verbal abuse and physical violence against flight attendants, 56 percent of Americans favor requiring people on planes, trains and public transportation to wear masks, compared with 24 percent opposed and 20 percent who say they’re neither in favor nor opposed.

Interviews for the poll were conducted Thursday to Monday, shortly before a federal judge in Florida

struck down the national mask mandate on airplanes and mass transit. Airlines and airports immediately scrapped their requirements that passengers wear face coverings.

The Transportation Security Administration stopped enforcing the mask requirement, and the Justice Department announced on Tuesday that it will not appeal the ruling unless the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention determines it’s still necessary.

The poll shows a wide partisan divide on the issue. Among Democrats, 80 percent favour and just five percent oppose the requirement. Among Republicans, 45 percent are opposed compared with 33 percent in favor, with 22 percent saying neither.

Vicki Pettus, who recently moved from Frankfort, Kentucky, to Clearwater, Florida, to be near her grandchildren, said she enjoys the view of

Old Tampa Bay but doesn’t like the “very lackadaisical attitude” by Gov Ron DeSantis, a Republican, about masking. She said she will continue to wear her mask to protect against the coronavirus, including around her 55-and-older home community and on the plane when she travels to Kentucky in a few weeks.

“Especially in a plane where that air is recirculating,” said Pettus, 71, an independent who leans toward the Democratic

Party. “I think people are really dumb not to wear their mask. But, hey, that’s their decision, and if they want to get sick that’s fine.

I’m not going to.”

But Kriste Lee, who works in sales in South Florida, can’t wait to fly mask-free the next time she travels next month.

“I really wish I was on a plane when they made that announcement,” said Lee, 47. “I would have been dancing up and down the aisle.”

‘Days or hours left’ as Russia tightens noose on Mariupol KYIV, Ukraine Associated Press RUSSIAN forces tightened the noose around the defenders holed up yesterday in a mammoth steel plant that represented the last known Ukrainian stronghold in Mariupol, as a fighter apparently on the inside warned in a video plea for help: “We may have only a few days or hours left.”

With the holdouts coming under punishing new bombing attacks, Ukrainian authorities struggled to open an evacuation corridor for people trapped in the ruined port city, a key battleground in Moscow’s drive to seize the country’s industrial east.

Meanwhile, the Kremlin said it submitted a draft of its demands for ending the fighting, the number of people fleeing the country climbed past five million, and the West raced to supply Ukraine with heavier weapons for the potentially grinding new phase of the war.

With global tensions running high, Russia reported the first successful test launch of a new type of intercontinental ballistic missile, the Sarmat.

President Vladimir Putin boasted it can overcome any missile defence system and make those who threaten Russia “think twice”, and the head of the Russian state aerospace agency called the launch out of northern Russia “a present to NATO”.

The Pentagon described the test as “routine” and said it wasn’t considered a threat.

On the battlefield, Ukraine’s military said Moscow continued to mount assaults across the east, probing for weak points in Ukrainian defensive lines. Russia said it launched hundreds of missile and air attacks on targets that included concentrations of troops and vehicles.

The Kremlin’s stated goal is the capture of the

UKRAINIAN soldiers walk on a destroyed bridge in Irpin, on the outskirts of Kyiv, yesterday.

Donbas, the mostly Rus- court, we’re waiting for posted a video plea on sian-speaking eastern a response”. He gave no Facebook urging world region that is home to coal details on the draft, and it leaders to help evacumines, metal plants and was not clear when it was ate people from the plant, heavy-equipment factories sent or if it offered anything saying, “We have more than vital to Ukraine’s economy. new to the Ukrainians, 500 wounded soldiers and Detaching it would give who presented their own hundreds of civilians with Putin a badly needed vic- demands last month. us, including women and tory two months into the A Ukrainian presiden- children.” war, after the botched tial adviser said Kyiv was The officer, who idenattempt to storm the capi- reviewing the proposals. tified himself as Serhiy tal, Kyiv.

Moscow has long Volynskyy of the 36th Analysts say the offen- demanded, among other Marine Brigade, said: “This sive in the east could things, that Ukraine drop may be our last appeal. We devolve into a grim war any bid to join NATO. may have only a few days or of attrition as Russia runs Ukraine has said it would hours left.” The authenticup against Ukraine’s most agree to that in return for ity of the video could not be experienced, battle-hard- security guarantees from a independently verified. ened troops, who have been number of other countries.

The Russian side issued fighting pro-Moscow sepaIn devastated Mariupol, a new ultimatum to the ratists in the Donbas for the Ukraine said the Russians defenders to surrender past eight years. dropped heavy bombs to yesterday, but the UkrainWith the potentially piv- flatten what was left of the ians have ignored previous otal offensive underway, sprawling Azvostal steel demands to leave the plant’s Russia said it has presented plant, believed to be the labyrinth of tunnels and Ukraine with a draft docu- last pocket of resistance bunkers. ment outlining its demands in the city. A few thouAll told, more than as part of talks aimed at sand Ukrainian troops, 100,000 people were ending the conflict — days by the Russians’ estimate, believed trapped in Mariafter Putin said the negotia- remained in the plant and upol, which had a pre-war tions were at a “dead end”. its labyrinth of tunnels and population of over 400,000.

Kremlin spokes- bunkers encompassing Deputy Prime Minisman Dmitry Peskov said about four square miles. ter Iryna Vereshchuk said that “the ball is in their Yesterday, a Ukrainian there was a preliminary

Photo: Emilio Morenatti/AP agreement to open a humanitarian corridor for women, children and the elderly to leave and head west to the Ukraine-controlled city of Zaporizhzhia yesterday afternoon.

Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boychenko urged residents to leave, though previous such agreements have fallen apart, with the Russians shelling escape routes or otherwise preventing buses meant to pick up evacuees from entering the city.

“Do not be frightened and evacuate to Zaporizhzhia, where you can receive all the help you need — food, medicine, essentials — and the main thing is that you will be in safety,” the mayor said in a statement.

Mariupol holds strategic and symbolic value for both sides. The scale of suffering there has made it a worldwide focal point of the war. Mariupol’s fall would deprive Ukraine of a vital port, complete a land bridge between

Russia and the Crimean Peninsula, which Moscow seized from Ukraine in 2014, and free up Russian troops to move elsewhere in the Donbas.

As Russia continued to funnel troops and equipment into the Donbas, Western nations rushed to boost the flow of military supplies to Kyiv for this new phase of the war, which is likely to involve trench warfare, long-range artillery attacks and tank battles across relatively open terrain.

US President Joe Biden is expected to announce a new weapons package in the coming days that will include additional artillery, and Canada and the Netherlands also said they would send more heavy weapons.

Also, a senior US defence official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the Pentagon’s assessment of the war, said the training of Ukrainian personnel on American 155 mm howitzers has begun in a European country outside Ukraine, and the first of 18 promised such weapons began arriving on the continent.

Putin, meanwhile, hailed the launch of the Sarmat as “a big, significant event” for Russia’s defence industry and praised the missile as having “no equivalents in the world”. The Sarmat is intended to eventually replace the Soviet-built missile code-named Satan

by NATO as a major component of Russia’s nuclear arsenal.

“This truly unique weapon will strengthen the combat potential of our armed forces, reliably ensure Russia’s security from external threats and make those who, in the heat of frantic, aggressive rhetoric, try to threaten our country think twice,” Putin said.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Russia notified the US that it planned to test the missile, and “we did not deem the test to be a threat to the United States or its allies”.

ARIZONA FIRE DOUBLES IN SIZE FLAGSTAFF, Arizona Associated Press

AN ARIZONA wildfire doubled in size overnight into yesterday, a day after heavy winds kicked up a towering wall of flames outside a northern Arizona tourist and college town, ripping through two dozen structures and sending residents of more than 700 homes scrambling to flee.

Flames as high as 100 feet on Tuesday raced through an area of scattered homes, dry grass and Ponderosa pine trees in a rural area on the outskirts of Flagstaff as gusts of up to 50mph pushed the blaze over a major highway.

Weather conditions were more favorable Wednesday with light breezes before a return to stronger winds Thursday “approaching a critical level,” said Mark Stubblefield, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Flagstaff.

No significant precipitation is in the forecast into next week, Stubblefield said.

Coconino County officials said during a Tuesday

A WIND-driven wildfire burns at the edge of US 89 on the outskirts of Flagstaff, Arizona, on Tuesday.

Photo: Jake Bacon/Arizona Daily Sun via AP evening news conference that 766 homes and 1,000 animals had been evacuated. About 250 structures remained threatened in the area popular with hikers and off-road vehicle users and where astronauts have trained amid volcanic cinder pits.

The county declared an emergency after the wildfire ballooned from 100 acres on Tuesday morning to over nine square miles by evening and to 26 square miles by yesterday morning.

The fire was moving northeast away from the more heavily populated areas of Flagstaff, home to Northern Arizona University, and toward Sunset

Crater Volcano National Monument, said Coconino National Forest spokesman Brady Smith.

“It’s good in that it’s not headed toward a very populated area, and it’s headed toward less fuel,” Smith said. “But depending on the intensity of the fire, fire can still move across cinders.”

Authorities won’t be able to determine whether anyone was injured in the wildfire until flames subside. Firefighters and law enforcement officers went door to door telling people to evacuate but had to pull out to avoid getting boxed in, said Coconino County Sheriff Jim Driscoll.

SPORTS PAGE 13

Jazz, Page 14

THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 2022

Rugby Sevens qualifiers on Saturday

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

R

ugby Americas North (RAN) officially announced its tournament schedule for its Sevens Qualifiers as The Bahamas prepares to host the top national programmes in the region.

A total of 20 programmes (14 men’s teams and six women’s teams) will compete in 55 matches, April

23-24 at the Thomas A Robinson National Stadium.

Team Bahamas’ roster includes Daquan Blyden, Kevin Charlton, Kyle Charlton, Dawayne Deveaux, Marcus Gouthro, Spencer Graham, Trevon Henfield, Justin Lewis, Keith McGregor, Travis Sherman, Taj Smith and Michael Watkins.

On day one, Team Bahamas will play two games, opening against Mexico

at 12:18pm and will return against the Cayman Islands at 6:54 pm. Much of day two will be determined by pool play on day one. The women’s bracket will also complete bracket play on day two.

Other participating men’s teams include Jamaica, Curacao, Guyana, The British Virgin Islands, Trinidad and Tobago, Canada, Turks and Caicos, Bermuda, Belize, The Dominican Republic and Barbados.

Women’s teams include Jamaica, Canada, Trinidad and Tobago, Mexico, The Dominican Republic and The Cayman Islands.

Action begins on Saturday at 9am with a Jamaica versus Curaçao matchup, and concludes with Bermuda taking on the Dominican Republic at 7:16pm. Competition on Sunday will conclude with the women’s final at 6:32pm and the men’s final at 6:54pm.

The tournament is a qualifier for a pair of major upcoming events - the Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022 in Cape Town, South Africa in September, and the Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham, England in July.

The top two men’s teams and one women’s team from the event will earn a spot in the Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022, while the highest-placed men’s team eligible to participate

in The Commonwealth Games 2022 will represent RAN, alongside Canada who have already prequalified for both men and women.

“We are expecting a high-level of competition over the two days to crown champions that will represent our region this year at two of the sport’s biggest events,” RAN General Manager Niall Brooks said

SEE PAGE 14

JOB WELL DONE TEAM BAHAMAS - Members of the 2022 CARIFTA Games track and field (shown below) and swimming teams (above) during their reception yesterday.

Photos: Racardo Thomas/Tribune Staff

CARIFTA teams enjoy welcome home reception

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net IT WAS a CARIFTA celebration for both the country’s athletics and aquatics teams following their performances at their respective regional championships.

Both teams were hosted to a welcome reception to acknowledge their accomplishments

yesterday at the Thomas A Robinson National Stadium.

The Bahamas Aquatics Federation’s 36-member team made history by winning their fourth consecutive title with their triumph Monday night at the 35th CARIFTA Swimming Championships in Wildey, Barbados. It was also their seventh title in the last eight editions of the meet.

Team Bahamas finished with 975 points to finish ahead of

Jamaica who scored 833.50 points.

The Cayman Islands was third with 754 points.

The Bahamas also finished with the most overall medals (65) in total - 14 gold, 22 silver and 29 bronze.

“It speaks to the collective accomplishment of this team,” said Bahamas Aquatics Federation President Algernon Cargill.

“We had a vision. We set a goal this year to four-peat. We are only

losing two senior members next year. And our goal is to five-peat as CARIFTA champions. The resiliency of our swimming team and of our federation, we made it possible. We have this dream and we know what it takes.”

The meet is expected to return to The Bahamas in 2024 for its 37th edition.

In Athletics, the Bahamas’ 54-member team finished second at the 49th CARIFTA

Championships in Kingston, Jamaica, with 17 total medals, including four gold, six silver and seven bronze.

The Bahamas is expected to host the 50th edition of the meet at the Thomas A Robinson Stadium in 2023. “I saw the will, the determination on each athlete that represented us proudly in Kingston,” said BAAA President

SEE PAGE 19

Groce has high hopes D’SHAWN KNOWLES’ RBI SINGLE for basketball ‘transfer LIFTS HIS TEAM TO 9-8 WIN product’ Sammy Hunter

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net HIGHLY sought after transfer product Sammy Hunter decided on the Akron Zips for the next step in his collegiate basketball journey and the defending Mid American Conference Champions have high expectations for their Bahamian signee.

“Sammy is a big addition to our frontcourt with a great motor that fits our style of play,” said Zips head coach John Groce.

“He can stretch the floor with his three-point shooting ability, attack the rim off the bounce and score in the post. Sammy’s size, strength and physicality allow him to impact the glass on both ends of the floor. We are excited to have Sammy in our programme.”

The Zips, coming off their first NCAA Tournament

SAMMY Hunter and Akron Zips head coach John Groce. appearance in nine years, lost leading scorer Ali Ali and Bryan Trimble Jr to the transfer portal.

After three years with the Ole Miss Rebels, the 6’9”

225-pound Hunter entered his name into the transfer portal at the end of March and announced his decision

SEE PAGE 14

A PERFECT night for D’Shawn Knowles came complete with a storybook ending - a walk-off hit in extra innings.

Knowles’ RBI single in the bottom of the 10th inning lifted his Inland Empire 66ers to a 9-8 win over the Stockton Ports Tuesday night at San Manuel Park in San Bernardino, California.

Facing a full count, his base hit to right field scored Werner Blakeley.

The starting centre fielder finished the night 4-4 at the plate with two RBI and scored one run.

Trent Deveaux got the start in left field and finished 1-4 on the night.

Knowles previously singled in the first, fourth and eighth inning. He currently leads the team with a .346 batting average. The Los Angeles

D’SHAWN Knowles Angels’ no.30 prospect, Knowles was assigned to the club’s Low A-affiliate - the Inland Empire 66ers of San Bernardino for the second consecutive season.

In 84 games last season, he hit .227 with a .280 OBP, a .635 OBP, five home-runs, 48 RBI, and a team leading 31 stolen bases.

“The fact that Knowles is a super high-energy player is a plus, but it’s

also an obstacle. While he’s capable of making hard contact from both sides of the plate, he needs to learn to slow things down and rediscover his approach,” his MLB Pipeline prospect analysis said.

“On the plus side, the Angels had encouraged Knowles to use that speed more aggressively on the basepaths and he responded by going 31-for-32 in stolen-base attempts last year. He’s a capable defender in centre field, but showed that not only can he handle all three outfield spots, but he started getting reps at shortstop as well.

“If he can get back to more regular contact, he could be an athletic super-utility type.”

Knowles last appeared with the Angels main club in Spring Training

SEE PAGE 14

PAGE 14, Thursday, April 21, 2022

THE TRIBUNE

RAMÍREZ SLAM, 5 RBIS AS GUARDIANS SWEEP WHITE SOX 11-1, 2-1

ST Louis Cardinals’ Tommy Edman (19) beats the throws to Miami Marlins second baseman Jasrado “Jazz” Chisholm Jr as he is safe stealing second during the third inning of a baseball game yesterday in Miami.

(AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

By BRIAN DULIK Associated Press

Arenado’s 2-run homer in 9th gives Cards 2-0 win over Jazz and Marlins MIAMI (AP) — Nolan Arenado hit a two-run home run in the top of ninth inning and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Miami Marlins 2-0 last night.

Arenado, who had struck out in his first three at-bats, launched a fastball from Miami reliever Anthony Bender (0-2) over the wall in left-centre for his fifth home run. Tyler O’Neill reached on a one-out walk before Arenado’s blast.

Genesis Cabrera (1-0) pitched the bottom of the eighth and Giovanny Gallegos worked around a single and walk in the ninth for his third save.

St Louis has beaten Miami in nine straight games. The Cardinals will try for their third consecutive three-game sweep against the Marlins on Thursday.

Starters Sandy Alcantara of Miami and Miles Mikolas of St. Louis combined to throw 13 scoreless innings in their outings.

Alcantara pitched eight innings and allowed four hits, with six strikeouts and one walk.

Mikolas matched Alcantara through the first five innings before he was lifted

SAMMY

FROM PAGE 13 on Akron the following week.

He has two years of eligibility remaining and joins fellow Bahamian national team member Garvin Clarke on the Zips roster.

The duo were both recently members of the senior men’s national team that finished 3-0 in San Salvador, El Salvador, to advance to the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Americas Qualifiers.

Hunter came to Ole Miss as a consensus three-star prospect in 2019.

This past season, he played just over 10 minutes a game

after allowing Garrett Cooper’s leadoff single in the sixth. Mikolas scattered four hits, struck out five and hit a batter.

The Marlins had just one runner reach scoring position until the ninth inning.

Alcantara allowed Tommy Edman’s leadoff single and walked Paul Goldschmidt in the first before retiring Tyler O’Neill, Nolan Arenado and Corey Dickerson to escape the 28-pitch jam.

TRAINER’S ROOM Marlins: RHP Paul Campbell (right elbow strain) was placed on the 10-day injured list.

LHP Daniel Castano was recalled from Triple-A Jacksonville.

CARLSON SITS Mired in a 1-for-24 slump, Cardinals outfielder Dylan Carlson didn’t play, and Tommy Edman moved into the leadoff spot.

Manager Oliver Marmol considered it a mental blow for Carlson and he will return to the lineup Thursday.

OUTSIDE VIEW The retractable roof at loanDepot Park has remained shut through the Marlins’ first six home games this season, but

MIAMI Marlins second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr, left, celebrates with outfielder Brian Anderson after an MLB baseball game on Sunday, April 17 in Miami.

(AP Photo/Mary Holt) there was a view of the downtown Miami skyline on Wednesday. The windows behind left and center field stayed open throughout the game.

and averaged 2.9 points, and 1.2 rebounds per game in 29 appearances.

As a true freshman, he played in 27 games, primarily off the bench, averaging 12.1 minutes per game and averaged 2.9 points and 1.4 rebounds per game.

As a sophomore, he appeared in 25 contests off the bench, averaging 2.2 points and 1.4 rebounds in 7.9 minutes per game.

He shot 48 percent from the field, 33 percent from beyond the arc. His sophomore season was highlighted by a career high 11 points in the Rebels’ 70-62 win over the Kentucky Wildcats and was amed to the SEC Winter Academic Honour Roll.

UP NEXT RHP Jordan Hicks (1-0, 0.00) will make his first career start for the Cardinals in the series finale today. After 114 relief

Prior to Ole Miss, Hunter concluded his prep basketball career at British Colombia Christian Prep and recognised as one of the top players in Canada.

As a senior for the Panthers, he averaged 27 points, eight rebounds and three assists per game and was named a BioSteel All-Canadian.

At the junior national team level, Hunter was also a member of the 2016 CBC U16 Championship team.

He averaged 12 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.

And Hunter played on the 2017 Centrobasket Under-17 Championship team when he averaged 14.6 points and 6.8 rebounds per game.

appearances during his first three seasons in St. Louis, Hicks initially will have limited innings and pitches as he adapts to his new role.

D’SHAWN FROM PAGE 13

2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic brought a halt to baseball.

In the 2019 season Knowles spent time with the Orem Owlz and was named to the Pioneer League’s All-Star Game roster for their midseason matchup against the Class A Short Season Northwest League.

Deveaux, 21, spent the 2021 season in the Arizona Rookie League. In 22 games he hit .300 with a .355 OBP, .728 OPS, 20 hits, eight RBI and two stolen bases. In 2019, Deveaux spent 52 games in the Arizona before he joined Knowles in a previous stint with the Orem Owlz in the Pioneer League.

In Arizona, he hit.247 with 53 hits, 23 RBI, 15 doubles, four triples, six home runs, 14 stolen bases, a .332 OBP and a .994 OPS. He spent just eight games with the Owlz and recorded five hits, home run and two RBI.

RUGBY

FROM PAGE 13 in the organisation’s press release. “I would like to thank Adam Waterhouse and the Bahamas Rugby Football Union, along with The Bahamas Government, for putting their hand up to host this event. With countries in our region at various stages of their COVID-19 vaccinations and recovery, we will be following strict protocols set forth by World Rugby, RAN and The Bahamas government in the lead up to and during the tournament. This is especially important, when we have a relatively large number of players, management, and spectators, all coming together in one place.”

Every tournament game will be live streamed on the RAN website www.rugbyamericasnorth.com.

Waterhouse, the BRFU president, said The Bahamas’ ability to host elite programmes in the region bodes well for the local development of the sport. “It means excitement, it means

progress and it means that rugby gets moving again. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been a tough two years for all nations, but in particular the Caribbean nations with restrictions, lockdowns and protocols making sport incredibly inaccessible. It is an exciting opportunity to play against some of North America’s (and the world’s) best Sevens teams in a showcase qualifying event for both The Commonwealth Games and the Rugby World Cup Sevens,” he said.

“This event will bring players back to the community, generate a buzz about the game and inspire Bahamian youth to come out and play our wonderful sport. This is a landmark event for both Rugby Americas North (RAN) and The Bahamas.

Together we have the potential to demonstrate that rugby is back and it’s back in a big way. Hopefully this will generate a lot of interest locally and further afield and The Bahamas can be seen as a premier sports tourism destination and all visitors can truly experience Sports in Paradise.”

CLEVELAND (AP) — José Ramírez hit his second grand slam of the season in an 11-1 win, then had an RBI double in a 2-1 victory as the Cleveland Guardians swept a doubleheader from the Chicago White Sox yesterday.

Ramírez, who signed a $141 million, seven-year contract last week, leads the majors with 20 RBIs. Manny Ramírez is the only player in baseball history with more RBIs in a team’s first 11 games, driving in 22 in 1999 with Cleveland.

“It’s crazy how good that guy is at baseball,” Guardians first baseman Josh Naylor said. “Watching José play is stellar, man.

He’s an All-Star. The guy’s a Hall of Famer, he’s incredible. I’m very thankful that he’s on our side.”

Former Tigers and Blue Jays outfielder Anthony Gose (1-0) retired all five batters he faced in the nightcap, striking out four, for his first big league victory. Triston McKenzie allowed one run in 4 1/3 innings before giving way to Gose.

“It’s completely different and harder to do it on this side, rather than as a hitter,” said Gose, who spent four years in the minors becoming a pitcher. “I didn’t even know I got the win until Triston told me. It means a lot.”

Ramírez and Oscar Mercado both had RBI doubles off White Sox starter Jimmy Lambert (0-2). Emmanuel Clase worked a 1-2-3 ninth for Cleveland’s first save this season.

The Guardians earned their initial home wins under their new name.

They had lost their first three games at Progressive Field to San Francisco.

LYLES STRIKES OUT 6 IN 5 SCORELESS INNINGS, ORIOLES BEAT A’S

By JANIE MCCAULEY AP Baseball Writer

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Jordan Lyles shut down Oakland’s batting order for five innings, then turned it over to a lights-out Baltimore bullpen that has gone from one of the worst in baseball a year ago to suddenly one of the best.

Lyles struck out six and walked one over five scoreless innings for his first victory with the Orioles as Baltimore beat the Oakland Athletics 1-0 yesterday.

Ryan McKenna scored Baltimore’s only run on a fielding error by Athletics shortstop Elvis Andrus in the fifth inning.

Lyles (1-1) gave up five hits in outdueling A’s righthander Daulton Jefferies (1-2), who allowed three hits and just that unearned run, struck out five and didn’t walk a batter in six sparkling innings.

Tony Kemp hit a leadoff single in the eighth against Bryan Baker, who then allowed Sheldon Neuse’s single before a pair of strikeouts and a groundout to escape the inning.

López finished for his second save.

“Our guys were fired up.

The dugout exploded after that last out,” Baltimore manager Brandon Hyde said.

The game time was pushed up 3 1/2 hours because of heavy rain in the forecast that could force cancellation of Thursday afternoon’s scheduled series finale.

“I think this was a great decision made to ensure that we got this game in,” A’s manager Mark Kotsay said.

THE TRIBUNE

Thursday, April 21, 2022, PAGE 15

SUNS’ BOOKER HAS HAMSTRING STRAIN, STATUS VS PELICANS UNCERTAIN

EMBIID HITS WINNING 3 IN OT, 76ERS BEAT RAPTORS FOR 3-0 LEAD

By IAN HARRISON Associated Press TORONTO (AP) — Joel Embiid made a 3-pointer with 0.8 seconds left in overtime to give the Philadelphia 76ers a 104-101 victory over the Toronto Raptors last night and a 3-0 lead in their first-round series.

After 76ers coach Doc Rivers called timeout to save the possession as the shot clock was running down, Embiid took an inbounds pass from Danny Green with 0.9 seconds left on the shot clock and hit a turnaround shot from near the sideline before running back to his bench in celebration.

Toronto’s OG Anunoby couldn’t get a shot off before the buzzer.

Embiid had 33 points and 13 rebounds, helping the 76ers rally from a 17-point deficit.

James Harden had 19 points and 10 assists before fouling out in the closing seconds of regulation. Tyrese Maxey scored 19 points and Tobias Harris had 11 points and 12 rebounds for the Sixers, who can wrap up the series in Game 4 on Saturday.

Anunoby scored 26 points, Gary Trent Jr. had a playoffhigh 24, and Precious Achiuwa had 20 for the Raptors.

Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet each had 12 points.

VanVleet shot 3 for 13, going 2 for 10 from 3-point range.

Philadelphia never held a lead in regulation, finally grabbing a 99-97 edge on Maxey’s shot with 3:27 left in overtime.

Anunoby’s 3 briefly put Toronto back on top, but Embiid’s basket with 2:36 left made it 101-100 for the Sixers.

Embiid fouled Anunoby with 26 seconds left, and the Toronto forward made the first but missed the second, knotting it at 101-all.

The 76ers, who shot at least 30 free throws in each of the first two games of the series, went 15 for 20 from the line in Game 3, with Embiid making six of nine attempts.

By DAVID BRANDT AP Sports Writer

BROOKLYN Nets’ Kevin Durant, centre, vies for the ball with Boston Celtics’ Al Horford (42) and Jayson Tatum (0) during the first half of Game 2 of an NBA basketball first-round Eastern Conference playoff series last night in Boston.

(AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

Celtics rally in 2nd half, beat Nets 114107 for 2-0 lead

By KYLE HIGHTOWER AP Sports Writer BOSTON (AP) — Jaylen Brown scored 22 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter, and the Boston Celtics rallied from 17 points down to beat the Brooklyn Nets 114-107 last night and take a 2-0 lead in their first-round series.

Jayson Tatum added 19 points for the Celtics, who held Kevin Durant without a basket in the second half. Al Horford had 16 points, Daniel Theis scored 15 and Payton Pritchard had eight of his 10 in the final period.

Durant finished with 27 points but struggled from the field for the second straight game, shooting 4 of 17. Kyrie Irving had just 10 points on 4-of-13 shooting a day after being fined $50,000 for directing obscene gestures and profane language at Celtics fans during Game 1.

The series shifts to Brooklyn for Game 3 on Saturday night.

Durant and Irving were a combined 1 for 17 in the second half.

Bruce Brown finished with 23 points and Seth Curry added 16.

Coach Ime Udoka said the approach to Durant is to get into his air space as much as possible.

“I think we did that,” Udoka said. “We want to make him work defensively and offensively have bodies on him the whole time and try to wear him down.”

The TD Garden faithful peppered Irving with boos throughout, beginning with the pregame introductions. The volume ratcheted up after tipoff with the addition of “Kyrie sucks! Kyrie sucks!” chants on each of Brooklyn’s first two possessions. The boos returned whenever he got his hands on the ball.

Boston trailed the entire first half but finally caught up to tie it at 79

on a short jumper by Theis. The Nets were able to settle in and took a 90-85 edge to the final period.

The Celtics tied it up again at 92 early in the fourth on a leaner by Jaylen Brown and took their first lead of the game with 7:48 left on a jumper by Pritchard.

It was part of 23-4 run that grew the Celtics’ lead to 108-96. The Nets went almost three minutes without a basket during the stretch.

The lead increased to 45-31 in the second, prompting another Celtics timeout. During the break, Marcus Smart, who injured his left thumb minutes earlier while diving on the floor after a loose ball, could be seen grimacing as trainers attended to him on the bench. He got the thumb taped and remained in the game, scoring six straight points.

Brooklyn settled in and got its lead as high as 15 before a late flurry by Boston helped it trim the deficit to 65-55 at half.

Bubble Jimmy, or a new version, back at right time for Heat

By TIM REYNOLDS AP Basketball Writer MIAMI (AP) — These are Jimmy Butler’s three highest-scoring games in a Miami uniform: 40 points against Milwaukee, 40 points against the Los Angeles Lakers, 45 points against Atlanta. And those efforts have quite a bit in common.

He had at least 20 shot attempts and 12 free throws in each of those games.

The Heat won all three contests.

And all three happened in the playoffs.

Butler’s best Miami moments tend to come when it matters most — the postseason. His 45-point effort against the Hawks on Tuesday night gave top-seeded Miami a 2-0 series lead in their Eastern Conference first-round matchup that resumes on Friday in Atlanta. He said afterward that he simply took what the defence gave him. His teammates and coaches said it was far more impressive than that.

“Jimmy is a max guy, a go-guy, a killer,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.

“However you want to describe it, who cares?

He knows how to win. He knows how to help teams win. The game is played on both sides of the floor. It’s played with IQ. It’s played with toughness. It’s played with making plays in those winning moments. It’s not necessarily what everybody thinks it is.”

It wasn’t Bubble Jimmy, either. Butler himself shot down that comparison.

That moniker comes from when Butler was

Miami’s best player at the NBA’s season-restart bubble at Walt Disney World two years ago, when he carried the Heat on an improbable run to the NBA Finals. He’s still Miami’s best player, but this is a new version, he insists.

“I’m a different player now then I was then and I’m OK with that,” Butler said. “I just always want to play basketball the right way and do whatever it takes to help this team, this organisation win. That’s why they brought me here.”

The previous time a Heat player scored at least 45 points in a game, before Tuesday, was nearly eight years ago — May 12, 2014, when LeBron James scored a team playoff record 49 for Miami in a win at Brooklyn. The previous time it happened at home was March 3, 2014, when James put on a mask to protect a facial injury and scored a team regular-season record 61 for Miami in a win over Charlotte.

The Heat were the only team since James’ big playoff night against the Nets in 2014 that hadn’t had a player score 45 points in a game since. Butler changed that, emphatically, while sticking to his credo of just doing “whatever it takes to help this team win.”

Butler is unapologetically and manically driven, almost always grating on opponents and sometimes even grating on teammates — people are still talking about the dustup Butler had with Spoelstra and Udonis Haslem during an in-game huddle a month

MIAMI Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) shoots as Atlanta Hawks forward De’Andre Hunter defends during the first half of Game 2 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series on Tuesday night in Miami.

(AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) ago. But nights such as Tuesday remind the Heat of the level that Butler can reach at this time of year, when a championship is all that matters.

“I think you have to have that dark side, kind of that demeanour that you need to push other people to be better,” Heat point guard Kyle Lowry said. “But you also have to have the talent and work ethic to do it, right? You can talk about it, but if you’re not about it and you don’t show it, it’s different. He shows it.

He shows it when he plays,

he shows it when he comes to work. He’s always here.

He’s on time and ready to do his thing and go out there and go to battle.”

Butler’s statistical averages through the first two games of this playoff run for the top-seeded Heat: 33 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game, on 60% shooting from the field and — most surprisingly — 56% from the 3-point line, an area that hasn’t exactly been a strength of his throughout this season.

He’s gotten to the foul line more than any three of his

Heat teammates have combined in the series, plus has committed only two fouls in 72 minutes of play.

Again, though, he insists that this isn’t Bubble Jimmy.

“We’re a different team and I’m a different player,” Butler said. “We’re better this way.”

There is a work-life balance, even at this time of year for Butler.

After Miami’s Game 1 win on Sunday afternoon, Butler talked about getting out of the arena quickly to spend time with his daughter before she went to sleep that night.

Then, and only then, would he turn his attention toward Game 2. And in the hours before Game 2, he had his non-basketball habits as well.

He listened to the Backstreet Boys. (“I’m a huge fan,” Butler said.) He had lots of his BigFace brand of coffee. (“Need it,” he said.)

He played spades for a while. (“Rituals,” he said.)

Then he showed up at the arena and dropped 45 on the Hawks, going on a personal 7-0 run in the final moments to clinch the win.

Bubble Jimmy, Playoff Jimmy, whoever it was, the Heat just hope to see a lot more of him over the next few weeks.

“A guy like Jimmy, he can play defence, he can play offence,” Lowry said. “He hasn’t had an opportunity to get to his championship yet, but that’s the goal. His ultimate goal is to win a championship and I think he will do whatever it takes and be whatever type of player he needs to be to get that.”

PHOENIX (AP) — Phoenix Suns All-Star guard Devin Booker has a right hamstring strain, clouding his status for the remainder of the team’s first-round playoff series against the New Orleans Pelicans.

The Suns said Booker’s MRI yesterday confirmed a “mild” hamstring strain.

Booker was hurt in Tuesday’s Game 2 loss during the third quarter when he tried to defend a New Orleans shot on a fast break. The 25-year-old was sprinting downcourt, jumped and then grabbed at his right hamstring after he landed.

The Pelicans won the game 125-114 to even the series at 1.

Game 3 is on Friday in New Orleans.

The top-seeded Suns are trying to make it back to the NBA Finals after losing to the Milwaukee Bucks in six games last season.

They faced adversity during that run as well: All-Star guard Chris Paul missed time with a shoulder injury and COVID-19 during the playoffs.

Booker is the team’s leading scorer, averaging nearly 27 points per game during the regular season.

He had 31 points — all in the first half — when he left Tuesday’s game against the Pelicans with the hamstring injury.

DUKE’S BANCHERO MAKES NBA LEAP AFTER 1 YEAR WITH BLUE DEVILS

By AARON BEARD AP Basketball Writer DUKE’S Paolo Banchero is leaping to the NBA after one season as a candidate to be the No. 1 overall draft pick.

The 6-foot-10, 250-pound freshman announced his decision in a social media video yesterday, with the school saying he planned to hire an agent.

“It has always been a dream of mine to play at Duke, and it has always been a dream of mine to play in the NBA,” Banchero said. “Duke has prepared me for that on and off the court. ... It has been a great journey and I’m blessed to be a part of The Brotherhood for life.”

The freshman had been viewed as a likely oneand-done player even before he stepped foot on the Durham, North Carolina, campus from Seattle.

Blessed with a strong frame, size and perimeter skills, Banchero went on to become a third-team AllAmerica pick by the The Associated Press, and ranks No. 2 in ESPN’s latest list of draft prospects.

The headliner on a talented recruiting class, Banchero averaged 17.2 points and 7.8 rebounds, cracking the 20-point mark 15 times while failing to reach double figures only twice in 39 games. He helped Duke reach nowretired Hall of Famer Mike Krzyzewski’s record 13th Final Four.

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PAGE 16, Thursday, April 21, 2022

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Wimbledon bans players from Russia, Belarus over Ukraine war

By CHRIS LEHOURITES AP Sports Writer LONDON (AP) — Tennis players from Russia and Belarus will not be allowed to play at Wimbledon this year because of the war in Ukraine, the All England Club announced yesterday.

Among the prominent men’s players affected by the ban are reigning US Open champion Daniil Medvedev, who recently reached No. 1 in the ATP rankings and is currently No. 2, and No. 8 Andrey Rublev. The women’s players affected include No. 4 Aryna Sabalenka, who was a Wimbledon semifinalist last year; Victoria Azarenka, a former No. 1 who has won the Australian Open twice; and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, the French Open runner-up last year.

Medvedev, Rublev and Pavlyuchenkova are from Russia; Sabalenka and Azarenka are from Belarus.

Wimbledon begins on June 27. The All England Club confirmed in March that it was having discussions with the British government about whether Russians should be able to play in the grass-court Grand Slam tournament.

“It is our responsibility to play our part in the

widespread efforts ... to limit Russia’s global influence through the strongest means possible,” the All England Club said in a statement first posted on Twitter. “In the circumstances of such unjustified and unprecedented military aggression, it would be unacceptable for the Russian regime to derive any benefits from the involvement of Russian or Belarusian players with The Championships.”

Russian athletes have been prevented from competing in many sports following their country’s invasion of Ukraine. Belarus has aided Russia in the war.

Soccer, figure skating and track and field all banned Russian and Belarusian athletes and teams from their events because of the war. The Russian men’s national soccer team was excluded from last month’s World Cup qualifying playoffs, forcing them to miss a chance to reach this year’s tournament in Qatar.

Wednesday’s move signals the first time a tennis tournament has told players from Russia and Belarus they are not welcome — and the ATP was quick to criticise the All England Club for what the men’s tennis tour called a “unilateral decision” and “unfair.”

“Our sport is proud to operate on the fundamental principles of merit and fairness, where players compete as individuals to earn their place in tournaments,” the ATP said in a statement, adding that the decision “has the potential to set a damaging precedent for the game.”

The WTA also said it was “very disappointed” with the decision.

“As the WTA has consistently stated, individual athletes should not be penalised or prevented from competing due to where they are from, or the decisions made by the governments of their countries,” the women’s tour said in a statement. “The WTA will be evaluating its next steps and what actions may be taken regarding these decisions.”

The seven groups that run the sport around the world decided March 1 that players from those countries would be allowed to compete in WTA, ATP and Grand Slam tournaments but not under the name or flag of Russia or Belarus. Those two nations also were kicked out of the Billie Jean King Cup and Davis Cup team competitions; Russia had been the reigning champion in both.

The French Open, which starts on May 22, will be the first Grand Slam

ORGANISER: DJOKOVIC CLEARED TO PLAY AT ITALIAN OPEN

By ANDREW DAMPF AP Sports Writer

SECURITY guards work at the gates to the All England Lawn Tennis Club where preparations are underway for the Wimbledon tennis tournament in London. Tennis players from Russia and Belarus will not be allowed to play at Wimbledon this year because of the war in Ukraine, the All England Club announced yesterday.

(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) tournament held since Russia invaded Ukraine in February and is expected to permit Russian and Belarussian players to compete — just as so-called “neutral” athletes who may not represent their countries.

The US Tennis Association, which runs the US Open, said yesterday it has not made a decision about whether players from Russia and Belarus can compete at the year’s last Grand Slam tournament, which begins on August 29.

The All England Club said that if “circumstances change materially between now and June,” it would “respond accordingly.”

“We recognise that this is hard on the individuals affected, and it is with sadness that they will suffer for the actions of the leaders of the Russian regime,” All England Club chairman Ian Hewitt said.

“We have very carefully considered the alternative measures that might be taken within the UK Government guidance but, given the high profile environment of The

Championships, the importance of not allowing sport to be used to promote the Russian regime and our broader concerns for public and player (including family) safety, we do not believe it is viable to proceed on any other basis at The Championships.”

Some current and former tennis players from Ukraine — including two-time Grand Slam semifinalist Elina Svitolina and the recently retired Sergiy Stakhovsky — put up a statement on Twitter on Wednesday that called on the WTA, ATP and International Tennis Federation to ask players representing Russia and Belarus whether they support the invasion of Ukraine.

“In times of crisis, silence means agreeing with what is happening,” the posts said.

“We noticed that some Russian and Belarusian players at some point vaguely mentioned the war, but never clearly stating that Russia and Belarus started it on the territory of Ukraine.”

DJOKOVIC RALLIES TO BEAT DJERE IN THREE SETS AT SERBIA OPEN BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Novak Djokovic rallied from a set down to beat compatriot Laslo Djere 2-6, 7-6 (6), 7-6 (4) in the second round of the Serbia Open yesterday in a match that lasted almost 3 1/2 hours.

The top-ranked Serb struggled to find his rhythm in what was just his fifth match of the year and the 50th-ranked Djere created break-point opportunities in all four of Djokovic’s service games in the opening set.

Djokovic improved in the second and recovered from missing three set points in the 12th game to win the tiebreaker. Djere had a chance to go 5-3 up in the third set before

Djokovic broke back for 4-4, and the 20-time Grand Slam champion then won the last four points of the decisive tiebreaker.

Djokovic was coming off rare back-to-back defeats after opening his clay-court season with a surprising loss to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina at the Monte Carlo Masters last week, his first match since being eliminated in the quarterfinals of the Dubai Tennis Championships in February. Dubai was his first tournament of the year after he was barred from playing at the Australian Open because of his unvaccinated status, which also prevented him from playing tournaments in the United States last month.

NOVAK DJOKOVIC, of Serbia, serves a ball to Laslo Djere of Serbia during their tennis match of the Serbia Open tennis tournament in Belgrade, Serbia, yesterday.

(AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic) Djokovic next faces another Serb, Miomir Kecmanovic, who defeated John Millman 6-4, 7-6 (5) to reach the quarterfinals for the second year in a row. The Australian had

defeated Dominic Thiem on Tuesday.

Djokovic, who is looking for his first title of the year, has not lost to a compatriot since a defeat to Janko Tipsarevic in Madrid in 2012.

Third-seeded Karen Khachanov was handed a walkover win over Roman Safiullin earlier.

Eighth-seeded Filip Krajinovic was playing Thiago Monteiro later.

ROME (AP) — Fivetime champion Novak Djokovic can come to Rome and play at the Italian Open next month even if he is still not vaccinated against the coronavirus, the president of the Italian Tennis Federation said yesterday.

“The rules regarding players’ participation are established by the government and the ATP,” federation president Angelo Binaghi said at the presentation for the May 8-15 tournament.

Binaghi indicated that he had discussed the issue with Valentina Vezzali, the Italian government’s cabinet undersecretary in charge of sports, who was seated next to him.

Current entry rules for Italy require either proof of vaccination against COVID-19, proof of recovery from infection or a negative test. Djokovic says he has tested positive at least twice for COVID-19, with his last case coming in December.

Djokovic couldn’t defend his Australian Open title in January after he was deported from the country for not being vaccinated.

He also had to skip tournaments in Indian Wells, California, and Miami because he couldn’t travel to the United States for the same reason.

Djokovic recently returned to action at the Monte Carlo Masters, where he lost his opening match to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. The 20-time Grand Slam champion is playing at home in the Serbia Open this week.

Djokovic lost last year’s Rome final to Rafael Nadal, who is working his way back from a rib injury.

After two years of reduced capacity amid the pandemic, full crowds will be allowed at the Foro Italico for the combined men’s and women’s event.

Organisers said they will choose a project by July from seven finalists to build a retractable roof over the main court, Campo Centrale. The Italian federation is also awaiting approval from the ATP tour for a tournament upgrade starting in 2023, which would mean stretching the event over more days. “(ATP president Andrea) Gaudenzi is nearly at the finish line. He’s obtained approval from all of the stakeholders. The only thing missing is a question pertaining to TV rights,” Binaghi said, adding that he hopes an announcement on the upgrade can be made during this year’s tournament.

The upgrade plan could also involve the Madrid Open.

Alcaraz wins in 3 sets in opener at Barcelona Open BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Playing on home soil for the first time in nearly a year, Carlos Alcaraz defeated Soonwoo Kwon 6-1, 2-6, 6-2 in his opening match at the Barcelona Open yesterday.

The 11th-ranked Spaniard, seeking his third title in 2022, improved to 19-3 this season. He was coming off an early exit in Monte Carlo after winning in Rio de Janeiro and Miami.

The 18-year-old Alcaraz hadn’t played in Spain since losing to idol Rafael Nadal in the round of 32 of the Madrid Open last May. “It was tough to keep up with the score in the second set,” Alcaraz said after beating his 71st-ranked opponent from South Korea. “I think he started to play really well. And then I (started) very well at the third.”

The fifth-seeded Alcaraz will next face countryman

CARLOS Alcaraz Jaume Munar, who defeated ninth-seeded Nikoloz Basilashvili 6-1, 6-4.

Top-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas was 5-1 up in the first set when his match against 44th-ranked Ilya Ivashka had to be suspended overnight because of rain. The match will continue this morning.

Third-seeded Felix Auger-Aliassime earned his second clay-court win

of the year by defeating Spanish qualifier Carlos Taberner 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 in the second round, improving to a career-best 15-4 record in 2022 after winning his maiden title in Rotterdam and reaching the final in Marseille.

“It was unfortunate that I lost my rhythm a little bit in the second set, lost my serve too many times, but I credit him also for defending well, showing a great level for a clay-court player,” AugerAliassime said.

He will next face American Frances Tiafoe, who got past Bolivian qualifier Hugo Dellien 7-6 (3), 6-1.

Eighth-seeded Pablo Carreno Busta defeated qualifier Bernabe Zapata Miralles 6-3, 6-3 in an all-Spanish match, while Marton Fucsovics beat veteran Federico Delbonis 6-2, 6-1.

Alex de Minaur defeated Ugo Humbert 6-3, 4-6, 6-3.

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Thursday, April 21, 2022, PAGE 17

Real Madrid wins again despite Benzema’s missed penalty kicks

By TALES AZZONI AP Sports Writer MADRID (AP) — Not even an off-day for Karim Benzema was enough to keep Real Madrid from moving closer to clinching the Spanish league title.

Benzema missed two penalty kicks seven minutes apart in the second half but Madrid went on to earn a 3-1 win at Osasuna yesterday to open a 17-point lead over secondplace Atletico Madrid, which can no longer catch its rival as both teams have five games left to play. Barcelona is 18 points back but has seven games left to play, meaning it still has a theoretical chance to catch Madrid.

“It was another small step toward reaching our objective,” Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde said. “It was a difficult first half but we corrected our mistakes and finished playing well.”

Benzema went scoreless for only the second time in the last 11 games in all competitions. Both of his penalty kicks were saved

by Osasuna goalkeeper Sergio Herrera in the 52nd and 59th minutes. He targeted both of his shots to the same side, with Herrera diving to his right to make the saves.

“It’s not a big deal,” Valverde said. “It can happen.

He has scored many goals

for us but today it wasn’t meant to be. We know that he will still score a lot in the remaining matches this season.”

Benzema is the league’s leading scorer with 25 goals and has netted 15 times in the last 10 matches in all competitions. The French striker scored hat tricks and decisive goals to help Madrid reach the Champions League semifinals.

Madrid defender David Alaba opened the scoring in the 12th minute after an assist by Benzema, and forward Marco Asensio added to the lead in the 45th after the hosts had equalised through Ante Budimir in the 13th. Lucas Vázquez sealed the victory in stoppage time.

Osasuna, sitting in ninth place and coming off two straight victories, had a goal disallowed for offside in the 32nd.

Alaba had to be substituted at halftime because of an injury, creating a concern ahead of Madrid’s first leg against Manchester City in the semifinals of the Champions League next week.

ATLÉTICO STALLS Atlético Madrid’s struggles in attack continued in a 0-0 draw at home against relegation-threatened Granada.

It was the fourth time in the last five matches that Atlético failed to score. It had been winless in three

By STEVE DOUGLAS AP Sports Writer

REAL Madrid’s Karim Benzema reacts after his second penalty kick was saved by Osasuna’s goalkeeper Sergio Herrera during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Osasuna and Real Madrid at El Sadar stadium in Pamplona, Spain, yesterday.

(AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos) games in a row before a last-minute 2-1 win against Espanyol on Sunday.

The result left Diego Simeone’s team in second place, one point ahead of both Barcelona and Sevilla.

The Catalan club visits sixth-place Real Sociedad today, while Sevilla plays at second-to-last place Levante.

Atlético opened a four-point cushion over fifth-place Real Betis, the first team outside the Champions League qualification places. Manuel Pellegrini’s Betis lost 1-0

to Elche at home on Tuesday. Granada had lost two in a row and had conceded 12 goals in its last four matches, but Atlético managed only one shot on target from 22 total attempts at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium.

Granada coach Aitor Karanka made his debut.

The team stayed in the relegation zone despite the draw, one point from safety in 18th place.

Atlético has only 11 points of 30 possible against the bottom five clubs in the standings

— Mallorca, Cádiz, Granada, Levante and Alavés.

GETAFE MOVES UP Getafe moved five points clear of the relegation zone with a 2-0 win at Celta Vigo, with Borja Mayoral scoring a goal in each half.

It was the first away win for Getafe after 16 consecutive matches without a road victory, dating to last season.

Sitting in 14th place, Getafe is unbeaten in four straight league games.

Celta, in 11th place, lost its second in a row at home.

PSG ON VERGE OF RECORD-EQUALLING 10TH TITLE, MARSEILLE WINS

By JEROME PUGMIRE AP Sports Writer PARIS (AP) — Paris SaintGermain all but sealed a record-equalling 10th French league crown with five rounds to spare by winning 3-0 at Angers yesterday.

PSG is 15 points ahead of second-place Marseille and has a vastly superior goal difference, but still still needs one point at home against Lens on Saturday to clinch the title.

PSG is set to move level with Saint-Etienne, which won its 10th title in 1981 and is fighting to stay up this season. PSG only had two titles to Marseille’s nine when cashrich Qatari owners QSI bought PSG in 2011.

Kylian Mbappe fired PSG ahead from the edge of the penalty area in the 28th minute after swapping passes with right back Achraf Hakimi.

Former Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos headed in Angel Di Maria’s cross following a short corner just before the break, and

captain Marquinhos headed in another fine pass from Di Maria in the 77th.

It looked like PSG would be able to start celebrating the title as Nantes led twice at Marseille.

But Marseille rallied with Dimitri Payet netting two penalties and midfielder Amine Harit clinching a 3-2 win when he scored against his former club in the 75th.

Marseille strengthened its bid to finish second in the automatic Champions League spot as it now holds a six-point lead over Rennes and Strasbourg. Alsace-side Strasbourg beat Rennes 2-1 at home.

Mbappe’s league-leading 22 goals puts him two ahead of Rennes forward Martin Terrier, who equalised for Rennes before imposing striker Ludovic Ajorque grabbed Strasbourg’s winner as coach Julien Stephan defeated the club where he made his name.

Rennes stays third in the Champions League playoff place on goal difference ahead of fourthplace Strasbourg and fifth-place Monaco, which beat Nice 1-0 at home to leapfrog its local rival.

PSG’S KYLIAN MBAPPE, centre right, celebrates his goal with teammates during the League One soccer match between Angers and Paris Saint Germain, at the Raymond-Kopa stadium in Angers, western France, yesterday.

(AP Photo/Jeremias Gonzalez) At Stade Velodrome, Marseille fell behind midway through the first half when Brazilian midfielder Andrei Girotto was set up by midfielder Wylan Cyprien.

Payet equalised in the 39th but Marcus Coco restored the lead two

MATCHDAY: Barcelona tries to regain 2nd; Burnley-Southampton (AP) — A LOOK at what’s happening in European soccer today: SPAIN Barcelona tries to regain second place and stay in position to secure a Champions League place next season when it visits sixthplace Real Sociedad in the Spanish league.

Barcelona is one point behind Atlético Madrid with two games in hand.

Sevilla, sitting in fourth place tied on points with Barcelona, visits second-tolast place Levante.

Barcelona is coming off two consecutive home losses — to Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League and to Cádiz in the Spanish league. It hadn’t lost two matches in a row at home since 2003.

Sociedad is unbeaten in five straight matches, with three victories. It is five points from the final Champions League spot.

Cádiz, one point from the relegation zone, hosts eighth-place Athletic Bilbao.

ENGLAND Burnley can move one point from safety in the

BARCELONA’s head coach Xavi Hernandez holds a ball during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between FC Barcelona and Cadiz at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona, Spain, on Monday.

(AP Photo/Joan Monfort) Premier League by beating Southampton. It will be Burnley’s first game since the firing of its long-serving manager, Sean Dyche, with the club battling to avoid relegation. Mike Jackson, Burnley’s under-23 coach,

MAN CITY WINS TO STAY IN CHARGE OF PREMIER LEAGUE TITLE RACE

will take charge against Southampton on a temporary basis. Everton occupies the spot above the relegation zone and is four points ahead of Burnley after drawing 1-1 with Leicester yesterday.

minutes later for French Cup finalist Nantes.

Payet’s second penalty in the 55th made it 12 league goals for the former France playmaker, seven of them from the spot.

CHASE FOR EUROPE Monaco is right back in contention for third place, with Russia midfielder Aleksandr Golovin netting in first-half injury time following a cross from Brazilian Vanderson.

Match jerseys were to be auctioned to raise money for Ukrainians fleeing their country following Russia’s invasion.

Monaco is two points ahead of Nice and three ahead of seventhplace Lens, which beat Montpellier 2-0 at home to stay in the hunt for European places.

Eighth-place Lyon lost 2-1 at Brest and defending champion Lille was beaten 2-1 at Reims, which scored an injury-time winner through captain Yunis Abdelhamid.

Lille sits in ninth, one point behind seven-time champion Lyon.

IT’s still advantage Manchester City in the Premier League title race.

Three second-half goals earned City a 3-0 win over Brighton yesterday, lifting Pep Guardiola’s team back into first place after being ousted — only for 24 hours as it turned out — by title rival Liverpool.

Anxiety was sweeping around Etihad Stadium, with the groans becoming more audible as City’s players struggled to make their dominance count in the early stages of the second half.

The home fans needn’t have worried.

Riyad Mahrez broke the deadlock in the 53rd minute in slightly fortuitous circumstances, with his shot ricocheting off Brighton defender Joel Veltman and over goalkeeper Robert Sanchez.

Another deflection, this time off Phil Foden’s longrange shot, made it 2-0 in the 65th and Bernardo Silva added a third in the 82nd after City picked off the visitors as they tried to play the ball out from the back.

City can retain its title by winning its remaining six games, the next being against relegation-threatened Watford at home on Saturday.

Liverpool, which is one point behind, hosts Everton the following day.

“We know what we have to do,” Guardiola said. “If we drop two points, Liverpool will be champions.”

It didn’t escape the meticulous Guardiola that the victory assured City a top-four finish and a place in the Champions League next season. That was a given, though.

There were also a couple of injuries that might prove telling for City with the important fixtures coming thick and fast in the final weeks, including a pair of games against Real Madrid in the Champions League semifinals.

Both were in defence, with Nathan Ake going off with a twisted ankle — to be replaced by Ruben Dias for his first appearance in seven weeks after injury — and John Stones also coming off with muscle tightness.

PAGE 18, Thursday, April 21, 2022

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ROCKETS NPBA DIVISION 1 CHAMPIONS THE Discount Distributors Rockets celebrated with a three-game sweep of the New Providence Basketball Association men’s division one championship series, dethroning the Commonwealth Bank Giants.

Behind the most valuable player (MVP) performance from Able Joseph, Discount Distributors completed the men’s division one series on Thursday night at the AF Adderley Gymnasium with a close 84-82 encounter as they celebrated with their first title in the league’s abbreviated postseason play that resumed after being halted in 2020 because of the breakout of the coronavirus pandemic.

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Thursday, April 21, 2022, PAGE 19

Photos by Racardo Thomas/Tribune Staff JOB WELL DONE TEAM BAHAMAS - Members of the 2022 CARIFTA Games track and field and swimming teams (above) during their reception yesterday. Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Mario Bowleg, far right, and Algernon Cargill, below, give remarks.

CARIFTA teams enjoy welcome home reception FROM PAGE 13 Drumeco Archer. “We have one year to go and it is our expectation that we are not hosting the CARIFTA Games for a Jamaican party.

“We are hosting the 50th edition, perhaps the most important edition of the CARIFTA Games here in the Bahamas, and we promise to produce the best team the Bahamas has ever produced.

“It will take immediate planning and produce a collective effort.”

Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Mario Bowleg applauded the work of coaches, parents and officials behind the scenes while looking ahead to building upon this year’s success.

“I want to take this opportunity to thank the coaches and the parents.

I know how hard it is to put in this work. I know the dedication it takes. We appreciate you because without you your kids could not be who they are. We know that you motivated them and inspired them to

keep pushing and that’s why they are where they are today,” he said. “It is this administration, this minister’s desire to empower you to give you the inspiration, the tools, the facilities to be who you need to be and that’s the best in the world.”

He admonished the country to get behind the efforts of both teams as aquatics looks to extend its historic streak and athletics attempts to make history of its own as hosts in 2023.

“Let’s get together,” Bowleg said. “Let’s start our work now.”

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