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Volume: 119 No.168, July 26, 2022

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THIRD ARREST IN BOAT DISASTER Rescue services move to recovery mode after no survivors are found

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net SEARCH and recovery efforts for missing Haitian passengers from Sunday’s boating incident continued yesterday with negative findings, according to the Royal Bahamas Defence Force - as a third person was arrested over the tragedy.

In an interview with The Tribune yesterday, a RBDF spokesperson said rescue teams will continue to comb the area near Blackbeard’s

MCKELL Bonaby, executive chairman at Bahamas Public Parks and Public Beaches Authority, says more than half a million dollars is owed to contract workers.

He said that everyone who has been verified to date can be expected to be paid between now and August 5.

He told reporters during a press conference yesterday that the completed report states that 83 persons have been verified, 147 unverified, 33 duplicates and two incompletes.

He said: “We said that give or take we will be able to have a verification process, but considering the fact that we have been able to resolve this issue, it’s completed. All of the SEE PAGE FIVE

- SEE PAGE EIGHT

ROTHSCHILD ADVISING ON TOTAL DEBT OVERHAUL

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

Cay – where the vessel capsized- and surrounding areas in an effort to locate survivors or the remains of missing passengers.

“The search has advanced to search and recovery mode,” a RBDF spokesperson said.

Police initially said some 50 to 60 people were travelling on a twin engine vessel that was en route to Miami, Florida from New Providence when it overturned in rough seas around 1am Sunday.

SEE PAGE TWO

The government has hired Rothschild & Co, a major global financial group, to advise on what could become a “massive refinancing” of much of the country’s $11.8bn national debt, it was revealed yesterday.

FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS

LAWYER BANKED FORGED CHEQUES

$500K NEEDED TO PAY BEACH CONTRACTORS

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

FACE TO FACE: MEET THE BAHAMIAN TOOTH FAIRY

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

DEADLY MISTAKE A BODY is taken from the scene after a shooting in Pinewood Gardens yesterday - when police say a man was accidentally shot and killed by his accomplice in a murder attempt. See PAGE FIVE for the full story.

Photo: Moise Amisial

FOR TAMARA, GIVING UP IS NO OPTION

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS lmunnings@tribunemedia.net A MOTHER-of-three who is battling stage four breast cancer has appealed for financial help to cover the cost of medical bills.

Before finding out her diagnosis in January 2020, a vibrant Tamara Smith said she enjoyed life to the full.

However, with cancer now ravaging her body, it has become more

TAMARA SMITH challenging for her to do the things she loves.

“In the beginning part, it was kind of easier to be honest with you,” she told

The Tribune. “It’s just this last relapse has been a little harder dealing with it.”

As a former straw market vendor and owner of Island Queen Boutique, she is determined to fight, saying giving up is not an option.

“Treatment at this time is very difficult. I had a port in before that I got treatment in, but I had to take that out because it got infected, so I don’t have that anymore.

I recently had something SEE PAGE THREE

Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper

A BAHAMIAN attorney has been ordered to pay Scotiabank some $165,000 after his business account became overdrawn due to two bank drafts that were discovered to be “forgeries or counterfeit”.

Justice Indra Charles, rejected Glendon Rolle’s claim after he accused the bank of a “breach of fiduciary duty and/or negligence”.

FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS

PETER YOUNG: WILL RUSSIANS STICK TO NEW BREAKTHROUGH?

- SEE PAGE NINE

PAGE 2, Tuesday, July 26, 2022

THE TRIBUNE

Third arrest in boat disaster from page one

However, a RBDF commander told reporters yesterday afternoon that officials now believe some 45 people were on the vessel.

The boating tragedy left 17 Haitians, including a young girl, dead, while several people are believed to be still missing.

Twenty-five people, including two Bahamian men, have since been rescued following the accident.

Police said yesterday they arrested another Bahamian man for alleged involvement in the matter.

This means three Bahamian men have been taken into custody so far in connection with the smuggling operation, including the two locals who were rescued out at sea.

“Preliminary information confirms that officers from the Criminal Investigations Department acting on intelligence, arrested the male at a residence in central New Providence shortly after 9pm on Sunday July 24, 2022 without incident,” the report said.

Yesterday, Minister of National Security Wayne Munroe said if investigations find that the men were operators of the vessel, he expects them to be charged with several human smuggling offenses and possibly a “homicide offence” as a result of negligence.

He also noted passengers could also be

hauled before the courts should officers discover that they arrived in the country “illegally.”

“I would have every expectation that if it is found that the two persons recovered are the captains of this vessel that they would be charged with the appropriate human smuggling offenses and to my mind, we also have to consider a homicide charge as well because it’s one thing to smuggle people and you can smuggle people safely or unsafely,” Mr Munroe told reporters yesterday.

“So for instance, I can take a 40ft boat and smuggle two people to the US and that’s illegal and that’s human smuggling or you can have an event like this, an overcrowded boat, no flotation device. That is actually dangerous.

“And so, the first example of the human trafficker is bad but it’s not as bad as somebody who traffics people and traffics them in an unsafe manner and I think that we have to demonstrate that we are labelling events according to their severity and according to person’s culpability.

Mr Munroe also pledged to uncover more details about the suspected human smuggling operation, noting the illegal activity could be apart of larger transnational organised crime.

“The human smuggling event on the weekend seems to not have been the classic vessel coming up from Haiti. It appeared to be an amalgamation here when you see a description of the vessel,” Mr Munroe also said.

A PHOTOGRAPH posted to social media by the Royal Bahamas Defence Force showing survivors after the boat capsized.

“In my mind, something like that doesn’t just pop up and happen so we may be contending with international criminal organisations and…so there will be investigations to discover how this operation is put together.

“Is it localised? Does it involve persons in the US? Does it involve persons from Haiti? Is it a transnational gang? And our law enforcement officials will address that as expeditiously as they can.”

Mr Munroe spoke at the sidelines of the RBDF’s opening ceremony for the Exclusive Economic Zone Protection Course.

He was accompanied by RBDF Deputy Commodore, Captain Shonedel Pinder, who also gave media an update on the agency’s rescue efforts.

Cpt Pinder said yesterday’s search – a joint agency effort involving multiple government and international agencies – included aerial and submersible drones being utilised to scan key areas of interest.

He also noted the RBDF was being assisted by The US Coast Guard.

Meanwhile, at the event, British High Commissioner Sarah Dickson spoke on the importance of countries like The Bahamas protecting their marine environments.

“Over the course of a number of years, countries have become increasingly aware of the value of the maritime environment, and the threats to our safety, security and prosperity if that maritime environment is inappropriately, or inefficiently, managed,” Mrs Dickson said.

“This region comprises maritime nations – something that every country and OT has in common with the UK. This provides an inherent appreciation for the sea – and the threats and opportunities presented to us as maritime nations.”

“But,I would suggest that as the world has become more globalised, and countries have reached further in order to exploit maritime resources or to develop trade, and as criminal organisations have increased their trafficking operations, we have become more aware of the need to manage, indeed protect, our maritime environment.”

HAITIAN LEADERS REACH OUT TO FIND VICTIMS’ FAMILIES

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net LEADERS of the local Haitian community are planning to visit several neighbourhoods in New Providence in an effort to locate the families of those who lost their lives in Sunday’s human smuggling incident.

“We are trying now to look into the process of finding the family members.

Some of the people don’t want to come forward at

this time and we are trying to get more information,” a local Haitian leader, who asked to remain anonymous, told The Tribune yesterday.

Police said some 50 people were travelling on a twin engine vessel that was enroute to Miami, Florida, from New Providence when it overturned in rough seas early Sunday morning.

Seventeen Haitian migrants, including a young girl, were confirmed to have died as a result

of the incident, with several people said to be still missing.

Meanwhile, 25 people, including two Bahamian men, have since been rescued. Another man was arrested in connection with the incident on Sunday night.

Police Commissioner Clayton Fernander said investigators had collected some identification that was found on the deceased.

Still, he appealed for anyone with information on the tragedy or who suspects

their loved one was among the dead to contact them.

The Tribune understands that an emergency meeting was supposed to be held by local Haitian leaders last night to determine how best to respond to the tragedy.

“In those kinds of incidents, a lot of people don’t bring themselves forward and many are afraid and so we have to go in the community itself,” another leader, who asked to remain anonymous, added.

Shortly after news of the boating incident broke,

photos of the deceased were widely circulated on social media, sparking outrage in some circles.

Yesterday, Minister of National Security Wayne Munroe was asked about police protocol to guard against such incidents.

He said: “There’s a force order against that in the police force and the defence force and it would be a matter of discovering how it happened. In every circumstance, the persons present are always only law enforcement and so the

SENATOR Darren Henfield yesterday.

starting point will be to discover if its circulated by law enforcement or by a civilian who was present.

“We can’t control civilians. We can control law enforcement and we can subject them to discipline, but we cannot subject civilians to discipline.”

Government officials are also communicating with Haitian community leaders to help identify the deceased.

Meanwhile, rescue operations are said to be continuing.

Photo: Austin Fernander

TRAGEDY ‘A LONG-TERM ISSUE’

By JADE RUSSELL jrussell@tribunemedia.net SENATOR Darren Henfield said yesterday Sunday’s tragedy is just another example of a longterm issue that needs to be addressed.

Mr Henfield said that these incidences in which an untold number of Haitian migrants have perished over the years highlights the plight of the Haitian people and their hopes of a better future that continues to fade.

The senator stressed that persons should not

encourage others to take such risks on these ill-fated trips because they often end in tragedy.

“This has been a longstanding problem of which I think the Prime Minister is absolutely correct. The Bahamas is in no position to absorb great numbers of migrants. In, fact I believe the international community has to do much more.”

The senator explained that Haiti can be categorised as a “failed state”. It is the most impoverished country in our region and people will continue to leave Haiti to find a better life, he noted.

“Unless we can give them

reasons as labourers of the international community to stay there’s no reason why Haitian migrants can’t come into The Bahamas through a regularised fashion by a regular work permit, stay for a period of time and then go home. And give others the opportunity to do so.”

The senator explained that Haiti is a peculiar place, that first needs to restore law and order. There has to be a return to normalcy and governance since the death of Jovenal Moise, the former Haitian president who was assassinated, Mr Henfield added.

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, July 26, 2022, PAGE 3

For Tamara, giving up is no option from page one that they call a PICC line injected, but that got infected after two weeks so that had to come out.”

Despite the difficulties she has faced with treatment, Ms Smith remains optimistic.

After her trial-and-error treatments, Ms Smith recently found out that she was anaemic, which led to her blood levels dropping.

“My blood levels dropped to three - normally your blood count should be up to 12,” she said.

With one of the rarest types of blood, AB-, with a form of Rh negative, Ms Smith said she was recently hospitalised as she was awaiting a blood transfusion.

“I was in the hospital waiting on blood, because again leave it to me to have the rarest kind of blood.

So, that means only certain kinds of blood I could accept. I been in the hospital for a week waiting for it.

I got one pint so far.”

She explained her fight against cancer has also affected her family both emotionally and financially as she has not been able to work for quite some time.

“Cancer is very difficult to deal with, not just on the patient, but on the family members, friends and people surrounding.”

Ms Smith currently has a GoFundMe: gofund. me/3aa7636e - to get assistance from members of the public and is grateful for the assistance she has received thus far.

TAMARA Smith pictured with her family. The mother-of-three is battling stage four breast cancer.

AG REHA ILITATION ACT TO CORRECT ‘GRAVE IN USTICE’

By JADE RUSSELL jrussell@tribunemedia.net ATTORNEY General Ryan Pinder says the amendment to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act will correct the “grave injustice” to people criminally convicted under the Emergency Powers Orders.

Mr Pinder told the Senate during his contribution to the debate that the amendment will be used to correct imposing criminal violations and records on Bahamians for minor or unintended violations under the Minnis administration.

“We faithfully promised to expunge COVID convictions from the criminal records of those persons who had fallen afoul of the Emergency Powers Orders and were convicted of breaching the Covid-19 restrictions, or failing to comply with requirements,” Mr Pinder said

ATTORNEY General Ryan Pinder in the Senate yesterday.

The Attorney General offences in respect of which underscored that accom- conviction records may be panying the bill is an order expunged. declaring the relevant He added: “The Bill

BRENDA SUZANNE BETHELL

FUNERAL TO BE HELD FOR BRENDA BETHELL FUNERAL services for Mrs Brenda Suzanne Bethell, 92, who died at her home on Thursday, July 21, after a brief illness will be held at St Andrew’s Presbyterian Kirk on Thursday, July 28, at 4pm.

The Rev Bryn MacPhail will officiate and interment will be in the Bethell family plot in The Western Cemetery on Nassau Street.

Mrs Bethell was the wife of the late Hon Charles WF Bethell, CBE, of Nassau, who predeceased her.

Mrs Bethell was born during the 1929 hurricane

at “Windermere”, Nassau, on September 29, 1929, to the late Anna Johnson Brice and Carl Lorenzo Brice.

She is survived by her daughters Julie (Parker) and Kristin, her son Charles (Cindy), her grandchildren Anna Schaefer and her husband (Wes) and Parker Jr, and her two great grandchildren Grace and Charles.

She is also survived by her goddaughter Kim, and many friends.

She was predeceased by her sisters, Barbara Paton and Beverly Brice.

Photo: Austin Fernander provides for the general authority of the Minister to declare certain persons rehabilitated.

The Bill provides for the mechanism of an order that sets out what offences are regarded as rehabilitated.

In his criticism of the emergency orders, Mr Pinder stressed the bill is needed due to the “harsh” and “unfair” governance to The Bahamian people by the former administration during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We understand that no one had governed during such a global pandemic in our lifetime, but the fact remains, the FNM government governed themselves poorly and penalised Bahamians for trying to live during these incredibly difficult times. Arresting people trying to get water at the stand pipe, arresting coconut vendors trying to make enough to live, having us go to the food store by last name, double standards for some in the west as compared to the rest of us that live throughout this archipelago.”

From the opposing side, Senator Darren Henfield in his remarks noted that the world determined that segregation of infected individuals was the only way to treat the virus at the time.

He said: “The world, not only in The Bahamas, the world moved to segregate infected individuals.

So we saw the lockdown first coming in China and then because China lockdown was so effective there that lockdown then sort of waved all across Europe. And then eventually here.”

Mr Henfield noted his government was faced with a tremendous task and stressed the country’s health care system could not take an influx of infected people.

He added: “Did we do everything right with COVID-19? No, we didn’t.

You can judge us, history will judge us, but we did what we thought was in the best interest of The Bahamian people.”

PAGE 4, Tuesday, July 26, 2022

THE TRIBUNE

Mammogram unit running again at Rand Memorial

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net HOSPITAL administrator Sharon Williams has confirmed the Mammography Unit at the Rand Memorial Hospital is now back up and running.

For the past three years, there have been no screenings for breast cancer at the hospital due to Hurricane Dorian and the Covid pandemic.

This resulted in a significant decline in the screening rate in Grand Bahama, where breast cancer is prevalent.

Yesterday, administrator Williams said the unit is in operation and that the service is available by

appointment.

“Yes, I am happy to announce that it is back up and running and all the patients with requisite from their physician will need to call radiology for an appointment.

“They see patients by appointment, it’s not a walk-in service, they have to make it (the appointment) with the radiologist,” she said.

Ms Williams explained the suspension in screening at the Rand was due to damage to the mammograph machine as a result of Dorian.

Additionally, she stated travel restrictions during the pandemic also contributed to further downtime in terms of getting persons in

to repair the unit.

Currently, there are three mammography machines on the island - one at the Rand, and one each at two of the private clinics on the island.

Nikeia Watson, a registered mammographer and radiographer, said only two mammography machines are working and the public depends heavily on the services at the Rand.

She expressed concerns over the suspension of mammography services at the Rand.

She said that every time the island gets hit by a hurricane, the service is suspended and paused for a length of time with no update of when it would resume, causing a drop

each time in the screening rate.

The screening rate in Grand Bahama is estimated to be around 18 percent.

That rate was determined using statistics from the 2010 Census, and not the 2020 Census as incorrectly reported previously. Half of the 50,000 people in Grand Bahama were women, and 11,000 of those women were within the screening age.

Ms Watson, a former public health employee, indicated that the benchmark for screening conducted at the Rand in the year 2000 was roughly 2,000 women.

She noted that since Frances and Jeanne, in 2004, the number of

screenings had declined, and during other hurricanes that followed, there was a further decline each time.

“It dropped every year after a hurricane, and the issue is the length of time in which the service is paused, and when they resume the service.

“We had no service in 2019, 2020, and 2021, said Ms Watson. We are now 10 weeks before breast cancer awareness month, we need to hear something from them about the unit.

“We need a road map for mammography services, we need updates. It’s been three years going on four,” she stated.

“We have a large cancer rate. What about those

patients who have had cancer treatment and need surveillance?” she asked.

Ms Watson is the founder of Mammogram Access Program, which is a nonprofit foundation that assists women with accessing screening for breast cancer in the northern Bahamas.

The organisation recently screened a total of 100 women. The ultimate goal is to screen 2000 women which will restore the screening rate to pre-hurricane Frances and Jeanne levels.

MAP is currently fundraising to acquire a mammography machine to play a more active role in screening.

SHELL Service Champions with members of the Royal Bahamas Police Force Fire Branch at a recent preventative fire training exercise.

Photos: Ronnie Archer

FIRE SAFETY TRAINING HELD FOR SHELL SERVICE STAFF

FROM left, Corporal Conliffe 3027; Fabian Fernander, sales and marketing manager, Sun Oil; Edwin Thompson, retail sales representative; Sergeant Adderley 1328; WPC Smith 4133; Corporal Outten 3148.

SUN Oil Limited recently held a fire safety training course for its workers at Shell service stations.

Fabian Fernander, sales and marketing manager, said: “The safety of our employees and customers at Shell Service Stations is of paramount importance to us. We remain committed to reducing operational risks and ensuring our team members are trained and

equipped to respond to emergencies.”

Sun Oil partnered with the Royal Bahamas Police Force for the exercise at the Police Training College on University Drive. More than 30 staff from Shell stations across New Providence participated.

Officers from the Royal Bahamas Police Force Fire Branch led the training exercise, providing

participants with a briefing on firefighting, giving basic tips on firefighting and explaining the types of fires and extinguishers. The highlight of the training exercise was braving the heat of a real fire for an actual firefighting exercise.

Sun Oil Limited also presented the Royal Bahamas Police Force with a donation.

BAHAMAS WASTE HONOURS STAFF EIGHT members of the Bahamas Waste Operations department were recognised as part of the company’s achievement awards.

“The operations department is responsible for collecting solid and liquid waste around the islands,” explained operations manager, Ethelyn Davis. “There are some really dynamic individuals that make up this department and so it was fitting that their efforts be rewarded.

Our staff members go out every day.

Even at the height of the pandemic, they were not only helping provide the essential service of trash collection but also doing work that many people do not want to do.”

This year’s award ceremony saw employees presented awards for Safety, Most Productive Driver, and also for the category of Happy Helper.

In the safety division, Victor Johnson, Devon Bonaby, and Omar Nichols took home the awards for the individual categories of Roll Off, Packer, and Portable Sanitation respectively. Awards for

LYNDEN Johnson receives his Happy Helper award. the ‘Most Productive Driver’ were handed out to Jameico Stuart, Cardron Sealy, and Michael Pierre for the individual categories. Meanwhile the ‘Happy Helper’ awards were handed out to Lynden Johnson and Carlous Collie, who were individually awarded for the Packer and Portable Sanitation

categories.

During ceremonies at the company’s Gladstone Road headquarters, each of the honourees were presented with certificates of recognition, gift certificates as well as a special luncheon.

“We’re exceptionally proud of the work of all our team members, “ said Davis.

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, July 26, 2022, PAGE 5

$500K NEEDED TO PAY BEACH CONTRACTORS from page one individuals who have been verified today will be paid.

“I think it was maybe about a couple of days ago, maybe last week Thursday, I had indicated that we had good news, and so everyone who has been verified to date will be paid.”

This is following contract

workers claiming that they are owed payments from the authority from July last year.

They have expressed their frustrations over the issue and have held several demonstrations outside the Office of the Prime Minister, demanding to speak with Prime Minister Phillip “Brave” Davis.

“We are going to be here

until we’re satisfied about where our monies are.

Whether we get a letter, whether we get a meeting, if we get a statement.

Whatever gone cause us to be satisfied as a group,” protest organiser Richard Johnson said earlier this month.

However, Mr Bonaby said some of the protestors are unverified

as they are unable to produce the necessary documents, hence the delay in payment.

“What we found is a couple of weeks ago somebody came in to verify, who protested and we found that individual was not even in possession of a contract and was able to say she never had a contract.

So, we just wanted to open

the doors to hear the concerns of those persons who are protesting because in some instances they don’t have any legal bases on which the authority or the government to be able to pay,“ he said.

When asked if any efforts are being made to assist those who are unable to verify, Mr Bonaby replied: “It’s not

OFFICERS at the scene of yesterday’s fatal shooting in Pinewood Gardens.

as simple as people would make it seem as it’s a very complicated situation that we met in place, but we are trying to resolve it as quickly as possible for those who have their documentation.”

According to Bonaby, the process has been reduced to approximately 300 persons after starting off with 1400 individuals.

Photos: Moise Amisial

Deadly mistake as man shot dead by accomplice in murder bid

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS lmunnings@tribunemedia.net AN ARMED man was accidentally shot and killed by his co-assailant after they attempted to kill another man in Pinewood Gardens yesterday.

Press liaison chief superintendent Chrislyn Skippings told reporters at the scene that shortly after 1pm an orange coloured Nissan March with three men pulled up to a residence just south of Ficus Street, Pinewood Gardens.

“We understand that two of the males exited the vehicle with the intention of harming a male resident of the home that is just south of Ficus Street,” she

ARAWAK CAY IS ‘CLOSE TO LEVELS RE- ANDEMIC’

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

ARAWAK Cay vendors said despite the increase of business recently, sales are close to pre-pandemic levels, especially with the return of Junkanoo Summer Festival.

Following the twoyear hiatus, festival attendees were able to take advantage of authentic Bahamian-made products, cultural demonstrations, Junkanoo museums and more throughout the month of July.

Food and Beverage manager at Twin Brothers Arawak Cay said Saturdays are typically a busy day for the establishment, however, thanks to the Junkanoo Summer Festivals, there is a mixture of locals and tourists patronising.

“Normally, Saturday is one of our busier days, but

since the Junkanoo we have a mixture of the locals and tourists. So, we have benefitted pretty good,” Aniel Roker told The Tribune.

Despite the summer being their peak season, Roker said business has resumed to close to 100 percent normalcy following the pandemic.

“The summer is normally our busy period anyway, but during the COVID compared to now we are now back to close to 100 percent,” he said.

Sharing similar views, proprietor of the Ava Forbes Collection, said the event added to the businesses on Arawak Cay. “The festival has added to the businesses out here on Fish Fry because it brought a lot of visitors and locals out to this area in comparison to days when there are practically very few people despite the abundance of boats

in the habour. The festival has sort of highlighted Fish Fry as it allows people to get back into enjoying our own country as well as the visitors,” said Ms Forbes.

The local artesian said despite business not returning to 100 percent normalcy it has “rebounded” in some sense.

She said: “I cannot say its back 100 percent, but I do know that it has rebounded and it’s encouraging - I hope it continues, but to say it’s at 100 percent would be a little stretch.”

Ms Forbes said more programmes such as the Junkanoo Summer Festivals are needed to improve the economic landscape of the local vendors.

The festival is hosted by the Ministry of Tourism, Investment and Aviation, in partnership with the Junkanoo Corporation of New Providence.

said. “It is reported that two males who exited the vehicles with handguns discharged the shots at the intended target who was able to evade them and during the time that they were firing shots at the intended target, they accidentally shot one of the males that came with them to this residence,” she said.

Police said the victim, who is believed to be in his early 20s, died of his injuries at the scene.

Police have in custody two males along with the intended target, as he is said to be assisting police in investigating this particular matter.

When asked by reporters about any concerns about violence in this area,

Skippings said: “We’re actually concerned about the level of crime in The Bahamas in general and so we want to appeal to residents. You know exactly who your family members have conflicts with, and, as I said, I stand here with chief superintendent Johnson, I’m going to ask you as a mother, as a grandmother, reach out to chief superintendent Johnson and the team at the criminal investigations department so that we can resolve these issues.”

“If we fail to sit down and have a conversation with these individuals, we will continue as a country to see this carnage on our streets.”

Police are actively investigating the matter.

PAGE 6, Tuesday, July 26, 2022

THE TRIBUNE

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Pope apologises for Canada school policy POPE Francis issued a historic apology Monday for the Catholic Church’s cooperation with Canada’s “catastrophic” policy of Indigenous residential schools, saying the forced assimilation of Native peoples into Christian society destroyed their cultures, severed families and marginalised generations.

“I am deeply sorry,” Francis said to applause from school survivors and Indigenous community members gathered at a former residential school south of Edmonton, Alberta. He called the school policy a “disastrous error” that was incompatible with the Gospel and said further investigation and healing is needed.

“I humbly beg forgiveness for the evil committed by so many Christians against the Indigenous peoples,” Francis said.

In the first event of his weeklong “penitential pilgrimage,” Francis traveled to the lands of four Cree nations to pray at a cemetery and then deliver the long-sought apology at nearby powwow ceremonial grounds. Four chiefs escorted the pontiff in a wheelchair to the site near the former Ermineskin Indian Residential School, and presented him with a feathered headdress after he spoke, making him an honorary leader of the community.

Francis’ words went beyond his earlier apology for the “deplorable” abuses committed by missionaries and instead took institutional responsibility for the church’s cooperation with Canada’s “catastrophic” assimilation policy, which the country’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission said amounted to a “cultural genocide”.

More than 150,000 native children in Canada were forced to attend government-funded Christian schools from the 19th century until the 1970s in an effort to isolate them from the influence of their homes and culture. The aim was to Christianize and assimilate them into mainstream society, which previous Canadian governments considered superior.

Ottawa has admitted that physical and sexual abuse was rampant at the schools, with students beaten for speaking their native languages. That legacy of that abuse and isolation from family has been cited by Indigenous leaders as a root cause of the epidemic rates of alcohol and drug addiction now on Canadian reservations.

The discoveries of hundreds of potential burial sites at former schools in the past year drew international attention to the schools in Canada and their counterparts in the United States. The revelations prompted Francis to comply with the truth commission’s call for an apology on Canadian soil; Catholic religious orders operated 66 of the country’s 139 residential schools.

Reflecting the conflicting emotions of the day, some in the crowd wept as Francis spoke, while others applauded or stayed silent listening to his words, delivered in his native Spanish with English translations. Others chose not to attend at all.

“I’ve waited 50 years for this apology, and finally today I heard it,” survivor Evelyn Korkmaz said. “Part of me is rejoiced, part of me is sad, part of me is numb.” She added, however, that she had hoped to hear a “work plan” from the pope on what he would do next to reconcile, including releasing church files on children who died at the schools.

Many in the crowd wore traditional dress, including colorful ribbon skirts and vests with Native motifs. Others donned orange shirts, which have become a symbol of school survivors, recalling the story of one woman whose beloved orange shirt, a gift from her grandmother, was confiscated at a school and replaced with a uniform.

“It’s something that is needed, not only for people to hear but for the church to be accountable,” said Sandi Harper, who traveled with her sister and a church group from Saskatchewan in honor of their late mother, who attended a residential school. “He recognises this road to reconciliation is going to take time, but he is really on board with us,” she said, calling the apology “genuine.”

Despite the solemnity of the event, the atmosphere seemed at times joyful: Chiefs processed into the site venue to a hypnotic drumbeat, elders danced

and the crowd cheered and chanted war songs, victory songs and finally a healing song. Participants paraded a long red banner through the grounds bearing the names of more than 4,000 children who died at or never came home from residential schools; Francis later kissed it.

“I wasn’t disappointed. It was quite a momentous occasion,” said Phil Fontaine, a residential school survivor and former chief of the Assembly of First Nations who went public with his story of sexual abuse in the 1990s.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who last year apologised for the “incredibly harmful government policy,” also attended, along with other officials.

As part of a lawsuit settlement involving the government, churches and approximately 90,000 survivors, Canada paid reparations that amounted to billions of dollars being transferred to Indigenous communities. Canada’s Catholic Church says its dioceses and religious orders have provided more than $50m in cash and in-kind contributions and hope to add $30m more over the next five years.

While the pope acknowledged blame, he also made clear that Catholic missionaries were merely cooperating with and implementing the government policy, which he termed the “colonizing mentality of the powers.” Notably he didn’t refer to 15th-century papal decrees that provided religious backing to European colonial powers in the first place.

Jeremy Bergen, a church apology expert and professor of religious and theological studies at Conrad Grebel University College in Waterloo, Ontario, said Francis made clear he was asking forgiveness for the actions of “members of the church” but not the institution in its entirety.

“The idea is that, as the Body of Christ, the church itself is sinless,” he said via email. “So when Catholics do bad things, they are not truly acting on behalf of the church,” Bergen added, noting it’s a controversial idea on which many Catholic theologians disagree.

Francis said the schools marginalised generations, suppressed Indigenous languages, led to physical, verbal, psychological and spiritual abuse and “indelibly affected relationships between parents and children, grandparents and grandchildren.” He called for further investigation, a possible reference to demands for further access to church records and personnel files of priests and nuns to identify perpetrators of abuses.

“Although Christian charity was not absent, and there were many outstanding instances of devotion and care for children, the overall effects of the policies linked to the residential schools were catastrophic,” Francis said. “What our Christian faith tells us is that this was a disastrous error, incompatible with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”

The first pope from the Americas was determined to make this trip, even though torn knee ligaments forced him to cancel a visit to Africa earlier this month.

The six-day visit follows meetings Francis held in the spring at the Vatican with First Nations, Metis and Inuit delegations. Those encounters culminated with Francis’ apology April 1 for “deplorable” abuses at residential schools and a promise to do so again on Canadian soil.

Francis recalled that one of the delegations gave him a set of beaded moccasins as a symbol of children who never came back from the schools, and asked him to return them in Canada. Francis said in these months they “kept alive my sense of sorrow, indignation and shame” but that in returning them he hoped they can also represent a path to walk together.

Event organisers had mental health counselors on hand Monday, knowing the event could be traumatic for some people.

Later Monday, Francis visited Sacred Heart Church of the First Peoples, an Edmonton parish whose sanctuary was dedicated last week after being restored from a fire. The church incorporates Indigenous language and customs in liturgy, and both were on display during the event, with folksongs and drums and providing the backdrop to the pope’s visit.

By NICOLE WINFIELD and PETER SMITH Associated Press

POPE Francis puts on an indigenous headdress during a meeting with indigenous communities, including First Nations, Metis and Inuit, at Our Lady of Seven Sorrows Catholic Church in Maskwacis, near Edmonton, Canada, yesterday.

Photo: Gregorio Borgia/AP

Baldwin’s approach EDITOR, The Tribune.

I TOOK note of Mr Natino Thompson’s response to an opinion piece I had forwarded to the dailies recently. Thompson’s LGBTQI polemic brought to mind progressive “Christian” author Jan Hatmaker’s affirmation of same-sex marriage in 2016.

Hatmaker, Troy Perry and Rob Bell have failed to successfully repudiate the historic church’s entrenched position, dating two millenia, on LGBTQI. The apostle Paul, Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Martin Luther and John Calvin all condemned homosexuality as a deviation from the natural order prescribed in Genesis 1:26-28 and 2:23-24. Thompson and an increasing number of Black LGBTQI apologists recognises this, and have consequently aligned themselves with the militant atheism of African American novelist James Baldwin.

I came to this assumption based on Thompson’s antiChristian letter. Baldwin was a homosexual. His performance in a 1965 debate about the American Dream and the Negro with William F Buckley at Cambridge University is considered legendary within the LGBTQI community. Born in 1924 in Harlem to a father who was a factory worker and Baptist preacher and a mother who was a domestic worker, Baldwin dabbled in the Christian ministry at age 14, when he preached for three years at Harlem’s Fireside Pentecostal Church.

According to a Washington Post eulogy published on December 2, 1987 -- a day after his demise in France due to stomach cancer -- Baldwin believed that the “church was in part responsible for the oppression of Blacks in America.”

Two of his novels, “Go Tell It on the Mountain” and “Giovanni’s Room,” are largely autobiographical, according to The Washington Post. The former is considered Baldwin’s public acknowledgement of his sexual orientation. His 1948 relocation to France

LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net was his way of escaping racial and sexual discrimination in the US. He would eventually move back to the US in 1958, where he, along with another prominent African American homosexual named Bayard Rustin, assisted Dr Martin Luther King, Jr in the Civil Rights movement. Baldwin would serve in the Congress of Racial Equality.

Perhaps the involvement of Baldwin and Rustin in the movement to end racial inequality has led LGBTQI apologists to conflate homosexuality with race.

I also suspect that Baldwin’s radical opposition to Christianity was due to the traditional church’s refusal to affirm his sexual orientation. This would lead him to embrace militant atheism. Bahamian LGBTQI members, at least many of them, seem to be following in the footsteps of Baldwin.

Like Baldwin, they have fallen prey to a false narrative that Christianity is the White man’s religion. However, nothing can be further from the truth.

According to African American Christian apologist Jerome Gay, Namibia, Mauretania, Byzacena and Libya all had thriving Christian communities a full millennium prior to the German Reformation.

In fact, the Cappadocian Fathers Basil the Great, Gregory of Nazianzus and Gregory of Nyssa were all deeply influenced by the African Patristic Fathers Origen, Didymus the Blind and Tyconius. Moreover, the African theologian Athanasius was nicknamed “The Dark Dwarf,” which suggests that he was short and black. And Augustine, considered to be the greatest theologian in church history not named Paul the apostle, was an African. Other notable African church fathers are Clement, St Anthony, Cyprian, Lactantius, Minucius Felix and Tertullian. Had Baldwin known this, maybe he would’ve had a different

perspective on Christianity, without excusing the blatant racial discrimination within the evangelical church in North America.

Moreover, like Baldwin, Mr Thompson, assuming he’s an atheist, must repudiate the Big Bang Theory; the Cosmic Microwave Background; Hubble’s Law; Pascal’s wager; Thomas Aquinas’s five arguments for the existence of God and the Second Law of thermodynamics.

I know of no atheist who has been able to do so. In the final analysis, militant atheism appeals to LGBTQI Bahamians because it absolves them of the moral responsibility that they intuitively know that they have to their Creator Who will one day judge them. And I stand by my original position that the Davis administration does not need to specifically mention the LGBTQI community in its Blueprint for Change. As Thompson has already rightly or wrongly noted, this current administration is the queerest in history. At this point, I am left to wonder if Thompson and his camp will soon agitate for the creation of a ministry of LGBTQI+ affairs.

In closing, I would like to leave two important quotes from Pastor Jerome Gay, of which I hope Mr Thompson will read: “The whitewashing of Christianity and its Eurocentric focus has led to growing sentiment among people of African descent, as well as people across the globe, that Christianity is a Western-created, European-influenced, white-owned religion of oppression.”

“In order to accurately present the gospel and the Christian faith, we must understand that Christianity is not the cultural property of any single racial or ethnic group; rather, it has always existed as a family of chosen people composed of every nation, tribe, and tongue.”

KEVIN EVANS Freeport, Grand Bahama.

July 25, 2022.

The old rules EDITOR, The Tribune.

THE newest strain of COVID-19 is spreading like a wild fire on the west coast, fiercely and uncontrolled.

Researchers are discovering how and why these strains affect us in different ways.

Findings published in the journal Hypertension declare that nearly half of Americans have high blood pressure, and that alone more than doubles their chances of being hospitalised if they are infected with the Omicron variant of COVID-19. The kicker to this is that even if you have been vaccinated and boosted against COVID19, you can still acquire the variant.

Avoid infection. That’s it.

And the only way you can do this? Well, you all know, don’t you?

Avoid contact with others

outside your community (Family/home).

Wear a mask when you are with strangers and in crowds.

Wash your hands constantly.

The three-meter tool still works you know.

People with hypertension (high blood pressure) who acquire COVID-19 are at a much higher risk than those physically healthy.

A research study in Britain studied 912 patients who had acquired Omicron while having been vaccinated. 145 ended up in hospital. Many of those hospitalised had hypertension and no other risk factors.

This was, of course, critical information. 38% of British subjects have hypertension, and almost 50% of Americans too. The risk factors are severely pronounced.

Investigators also found out that patients infected

in 2020 who were obese and diabetic had a greater chance of being hospitalised. These illnesses and conditions boost the risk of hospitalisation during this omicron surge.

Healthy habits and dispositions are critical conditions in preventing hospitalisation of those infected with Omicron.

Stay well - Be Well- Stay safe.

STEVEN KASZAB Bradford, Ontario July 25, 2022.

Correction IN captions in Monday’s Tribune, Paul Thompson was incorrectly described as a forrmer Police Commissioner. He is in fact a former Assistant Commissioner. Our apologies for any confusion.

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, July 26, 2022, PAGE 7

LEADERS OF TOMORROW

AN awards ceremony last week celebrated millennials as part of a countdown towards the nation’s 50th anniversary of independence.

Project Bahamas, organised by the Grace Management Group, held a pinning ceremony for the top 48/49 millennials at Living Water Kingdom Ministries.

Organiser Stefphen Sands said that it was done to celebrate the nation’s best.

More than 600 millennials had their names put forward over the past two years as the group sought to highlight emerging leaders.

Mr Sands said: “I was inspired by seeing the accomplishments and achievements of so many talented and intelligent millennial Bahamians.

Despite their trials and tribulations, they still trumphed through it all.”

Photos: Austin Fernander

SANDENA Neely with Carlos Palacious.

SANDENA Neely with Gregory Cash at the pinning ceremony.

LINCOLN Deal with Jack Thompson, permanent secretary to the Governor General.

SENATOR BARRY GRIFFIN, a top 49 nominee, with lifetime achievement award winner Phyllis Garraway.

JOE Stubbs with Jack Thompson.

APOSTLE Raymond Wells with Herbert Cash.

SUSPECT ACCUSED OF ASSAULT WITH INTENT TO RAPE

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Court Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net A MAN was remanded to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services from a Magistrate’s Court yesterday after he was charged of assault with intent to rape.

The act was allegedly against a 23-year-old woman.

Jason Pinder, 44, appeared before Senior Magistrate Carolyn VogtEvans yesterday.

On July 22 in New Providence, Pinder is alleged to

have assaulted a 23-year-old woman intending to have sexual intercourse with her against her will.

Due to the severity of the offence the accused was not required to enter a plea. However, he was informed that his case would proceed by way of a Voluntary Bill of Indictment (VBI).

The accused was further told that he could apply for bail through the Supreme Court, where his trial will ultimately be held.

While discussing the topic of his bail the accused informed the

Magistrate that he had not had contact with his family since his arrest last week.

Although Pinder indicated that he doesn’t know any of his family members’ telephone numbers, Magistrate Vogt-Evans told him that the court would assist him in trying to contact them.

Until such time that bail is granted to Pinder he will be remanded to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services (BDCS).

Pinder is expected to return to court for service of his VBI on October 17.

NOMINEE Anthia Butler with Apostle Raymond Wells.

ANDREW Knowles with Sandena Neely.

CHARGED OVER MURDER BID

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Court Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A MAN was remanded in Magistrate’s Court yesterday after being accused of trying to kill another man with a gun.

Marvin Williams, 22, stood before Senior Magistrate Carolyn Vogt-Evans on a charge of attempted murder. He was also charged with possession

of a firearm with intent to endanger life.

On July 20 in Wilson Track, Williams is alleged to have attempted to kill Demetrius Saunders with a black handgun.

Due to the nature of the offence, the defendant was not required to enter a plea in court.

Williams was then informed that his case would proceed by way of Voluntary Bill of

Indictment (VBI).

The accused was also told that he could apply for bail through the Supreme Court, where his trial will ultimately be held.

Until such time that bail is granted to him, Williams will be remanded to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services (BDCS).

Williams is expected to return to Magistrate’s Court for service of his VBI on October 17.

MAN ACCUSED OVER PI STABBING

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Court Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net A MAN was arraigned in a Magistrate’s Court yesterday for allegedly stabbing to death a man on Paradise Island last week.

Elroy Hamilton, 29, stood before Magistrate Shaka Serville on a charge of murder.

According to police at around 8am on July 21 in a docking area on Paradise

Island Hamilton is alleged to have caused the death of Barry Williams.

The men reportedly got into an altercation and Williams was stabbed in the upper body, with the resulting injuries proving to be fatal.

Due to the severity of the offence the defendant was not required to enter a plea.

Hamilton was then informed his case would proceed by way of

Voluntary Bill of Indictment (VBI).

The defendant was further told that he could apply for bail through the Supreme Court, where his trial will be heard. Until such time that bail is formally granted to him Hamilton will be remanded to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services (BDCS).

Hamilton will return to Magistrate’s Court for service of his VBI on October 5.

TEEN BOYS DENY GUN POSSESSION

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Court Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

TWO male juveniles were granted $7,000 bail yesterday after being found in possession of a loaded pistol.

The 16- and 15-year-olds, whose names are being withheld because they are minors, faced Magistrate

Kara Turnquest-Deveaux on charges of possession of an unlicensed firearm and possession of ammunition.

On July 23 in New Providence, the accused were allegedly found with a black Smith & Wesson 9mm pistol without a licence.

The two juveniles also had eight unfired rounds of 9mm ammunition in their possession.

Both accused pleaded not guilty to the charges.

As there were no objections, $7,000 bail with one or two sureties was granted to each accused.

Under the conditions of their bail, they are both expected to be fitted with electronic ankle monitoring bracelets.

Their trial is booked to begin on October 26.

NAVARDO Dawkins with Simmone Bowe.

TYRHONDA Glinton with Simmone Bowe.

PAGE 8, Tuesday, July 26, 2022

THE TRIBUNE

Samantha and Seasuna bring something magical SEASUNA the Bahamian Tooth Fairy made her debut appearance right in time for the 49th anniversary of Bahamian Independence.

Children – and even adults – were transported to a magical underwater land filled with fascinating creatures and stories of hope. Seasuna appeared at the Atlantis Library, Reef Wing, at the Coral Towers on Sunday, July 10. The library was transformed with sea bubbles, underwater scenes, dress-up costumes, face painting, mermaid cupcakes and more. Most importantly, Seasuna brought it to life reading her book that highlights the wonders of the Bahamian sea and the happiness it brings.

The author, Samantha C Black, is the living Seasuna, and those gathered at the library took to her as she brought the fairy to life.

Kids were all smiles and gave the event rave reviews, while even a parent or two commented that Seasuna’s story gave them a sense of hope in their own lives.

That’s exactly what Samantha wanted to achieve. She believes in touching lives and spreading a bit of happiness with the touch of her magic wand and a Bahamian flair.

Obiecheryl Bowe, Atlantis’ Kids Concierge Manager said that Seasuna’s visit was “Epic!”

“Story time was one of our main events for children prior to the pandemic,” she explained.

“To relaunch it, we wanted to create an interactive platform where kids could feel comfortable and

SEASUNA with Obiecheryl Bowe, Kids Concierge Manager, Atlantis Resort. feel like they belong. It’s all for our little ones. We wanted to make it our own, so we invited Seasuna to be the one to relaunch it and make it fun.”

Samantha surpassed expectations, not only because of her book, but because of her personality.

Her desire to see children happy and able to transform their own lives with positive attitudes comes from a personal place.

She was born in the settlement of Green Castle, Eleuthera, to Euletha Fraser and Leroy Musgrove (both deceased). Euletha

was just a teenager when she had Samantha. Therefore, Samantha was raised by her grandmother, Cola Fraser, in Nassau.

“Money was always short and we had to live day by day,” she recalls.

“I watched my grandmother struggle to keep food on the table for my aunts and uncles – including myself.

Although frustrating at times, I would keep hope alive by chanting quietly to myself while sitting on the floor with my back to the bedroom door: ‘One day it’s going to get better’. That ‘one day’

SEASUNA and the kids having fun in an underwater fairy land at the Atlantis library. seemed to be a thousand years.”

Samantha also ended up becoming a teenage mother: “The days seemed endless and tiring, but I had to pull through. I was taught at a young age that there was a God who loved and cared for me. This carried me through many of the difficult times as persons would be placed in my path who, at most times, were a blessing. What I did not realize was that all of this was a strategic plan to my overall success.”

Samantha attended Uriah McPhee Primary School, CI Gibson Junior High School and RM Bailey Senior High School. She took courses in typing and became an efficient typist. She also took computer courses and numerous workshops in a constant quest of self-improvement.

At the age of 18, Samatha married Anthony Black, Sr. They have been married for 32 years and bore four children: Anthonique, Anthony Jr, Travis and Benjamin. She is also sister to Waynett, Anthony, Giovanni, Dezmond, Monique and Vanessa. In every aspect of her life’s journey, she has learned to appreciate the value of family while understanding that the power to change her own circumstances must come from within.

“From the roles of housewife, housekeeper to cashier, then receptionist – to media and public relations director, I continued to grow. I became a video editor, then went on to senior video editor, executive assistant and now media specialist and author. I decided to venture out into furthering my education at the Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute (BTVI). It was after attending this institution that my idea to pursue book writing was born.

I would like to highlight the support of my English teachers, Ms Archer and Ms Josier. The many challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic (including the lockdowns) contributed to me finding the time to settle down and write, then make the book a reality.”

The teachings of Dr Myles Munroe, as well as

Joseph Murphy’s book “The Power of the Subconscious Mind”, served as motivation for Samantha to become an author. She watched many of his sermons and read his books, understanding the power of the subconscious mind to make dreams a reality.

These were all pathways on her journey to becoming an author and making her dreams a reality, she told me.

“It was thrilling! I said to myself, ‘This is interesting!’ I had my mind on another type of fairy, but this idea happened to override my original fairy idea.

I was passionate about it because from a young age, I always loved to read and write. So, I put pen to paper and began writing down my thoughts. After reading it back to myself and sharing it with some immediate family members, I realized that this was something special. I began to research how to go about writing a book. It was during this time that I found my amazing illustrator Zhanna Kibassova, who brought my character to life. This is the overall product today - the book Seasuna, the Bahamian Tooth Fairy by a self-published Bahamian author.”

Samantha transformed herself into Seasuna for the kids at Atlantis. The

rave reviews have opened her mind and heart even further to the possibilities that her creative talents can bring. She realizes that once it comes from the heart, people will receive it well; and she is ready to continue to explore her skills and talents.

The smiles on the faces of the many kids touched by Seasuna are also inspiring for her.

“No matter what you or I may say, children’s beliefs are magical,” Samantha stated.

“I believe in happiness.

With magical thoughts, happiness and a Bahamian underwater theme - where could one go wrong? The Bahamas is one of the most beautiful places on planet earth and I am so grateful that I could put a smile on the faces of many children that would encounter the most amazing Bahamian underwater experience with Seasuna.”

To be touched by the Bahamian Tooth fairy, email bahaseasuna@gmail. com; call (242) 454-0053; or check out Samantha’s Bookmark on Facebook.

Samantha gives special thanks to all of her family members, friends and supporters who helped her to make her book a reality.

She is motivated to continue her quest to touch lives with happiness.

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, July 26, 2022, PAGE 9

A breakthrough of sorts - but will the Russians stick to it?

A MAJOR development in the war in Ukraine has raised faint hopes of peace in the longer term. An agreement with Russia was signed last week to restart the export of grain, though there is a danger that it may have already been derailed because of the firing of missiles at the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Odesa over the weekend.

The war has been littered with falsehoods and broken promises. So, given Russia’s reputation for covering up the truth, it perhaps came as no surprise that at first it denied responsibility for this strike barely 24 hours after the deal had been signed to allow resumption of vital grain exports through Black Sea ports.

Despite its initial denials, Russia has subsequently admitted its forces targetted Odesa, though it maintains they were aiming at military installations which,

The Peter Young column they claim, is not prohibited under the terms of the agreement. Whether or not that is true, the Ukrainians say the Russians are already in breach of the deal. Moreover, this action is likely to

undermine trust that they will keep their side of the agreement to allow the safe passage of loaded cargo ships through the Black Sea which they are currently blockading.

Brokered by the United Nations and Turkey, the deal was seen as a major diplomatic breakthrough after lengthy negotiations.

UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, called it a beacon of hope since it could lead eventually to an ending of the conflict. He added that he considered it to be his most significant achievement during his time in office.

Ukraine and Russia together export nearly a third of the world’s wheat needed to feed millions around the world, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East. If implemented, the agreement should help to avert famine by putting more

LIZ TRUSS, left, and Rishi Sunak, who are vying to be the next British Prime Minister.

IT’S GOING TO E A CLOSE CALL TO FILL ORIS’ SHOES IN BRITAIN, the Conservative Party leadership race has been top of the news agenda since Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s resignation earlier this month. I wrote last week briefly about the contest to choose his successor. Since then, the process has advanced to the extent that Conservative MPs have now whittled the number of contestants down to two finalists – former Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, and Foreign Secretary, Liz Truss. Now they face a vote by Party members up and down the country before the winner is announced on September 5, and in the coming weeks they have an opportunity to explain their ideas and proposed policies.

Who becomes leader of the Conservative Party and thus Prime Minister is inherently important given the UK’s standing in the world. So it is worth examining developments further.

It is, of course, the job of the Fourth Estate to hold politicians to account. The UK press is invariably critical of the political class, with one acid-tongued reporter famously labelling politicians as “duplicitous and deceptive double-dealers”. But I wonder how accurate the headline in one newspaper will turn out to be - “Rishi or Liz? Not even the most fervent Tory could pretend it’s a great or inspiring choice”.

That remains to be seen as people recall the slow start made by Margaret Thatcher, one of the nation’s most famous leaders.

Having held office as a government minister, each has much relevant experience.

So far, the consensus seems to be Liz Truss is marginally in front, with people praising her qualities as a potential leader.

She is credited with securing a number of post-Brexit trade deals and has a reputation for being self-assured and tough with a strong work ethic and a robust commitment to Conservative principles and values.

Rishi Sunak is similarly well qualified and is the better speaker of the two. He was the frontrunner from the start but his popularity appears to have waned because of his vast personal wealth and controversy

over his wife’s tax affairs. He is also being blamed, as Chancellor, for the nation’s current economic woes and cost of living crisis and for increasing the tax burden -- and he is being criticised for disloyalty in precipitating Johnson’s downfall.

The indications are that the contest will end up as a close call. A variety of issues, including the thorny one of immigration, will doubtless come up during the coming weeks. But, mindful of the phrase - “It’s the economy, stupid” - which became the slogan for Bill Clinton’s successful US presidential campaign in 1992, perhaps it will all come down eventually to how each promises to manage the national economy.

Britain is now faced with high inflation, and the cost of food, fuel and mortgages is set to soar. This is similar to the 1970s when the new Thatcher government successfully navigated its way out of the mess by cutting taxes and revitalising the nation’s entrepreneurial spirit. From the evidence so far, Liz Truss seems to be shifting the more recent economic debate by saying she will cut taxes, stimulate growth and bring public spending under tighter control while reducing the size of the state and increasing the pace of deregulation to boost productivity. For his part, Rishi Sunak is probably at a disadvantage because of criticism of his existing record as Chancellor when he raised taxes. But he has said that his priority will be to get inflation under control and rebalance the public finances before considering a reduction of the tax burden.

In the coming weeks, both will surely explain their policies more fully on the hustings across the country and in the media as they vie for the top job. The month of August is traditionally a time for holidays, travel and getting away from it all. But this year it will be fascinating to watch the progress of both as they seek to persuade Tory members of their suitability and fitness for the highest office – and the rest of us can only watch and wait until the winner is announced at the beginning of September.

IN OTHER NEWS - IF ONLY PEOPLE WATCHED IT AN EXAMPLE of the US media’s apparent reluctance to cover foreign news stories is the current unrest in Sri Lanka. Violent demonstrations by huge numbers of protestors sparked by the country’s severe economic crisis, which has led to shortages of basic necessities, are being covered daily by the BBC, but, as far as I can see, not by TV and radio stations on this side of the Atlantic.

Since many viewers and listeners in America often have little interest in events beyond their shores and media organisations are driven by commercial needs, perhaps it is no surprise that they concentrate on domestic issues. Nonetheless, there are those in modern America who

consider that news outlets ought to be required at least to keep people informed generally about what is going on in the rest of the world.

International observers now suggest what is happening in Sri Lanka could spread to other Asian countries. Put simply, Sri Lanka is reported to have run out of money. It has high debt levels and is struggling to pay for crucial imports like food, fuel and medicines for its population of 22 million.

Despite forcing through political change at the top, with a new President and Prime Minister, public unrest continues and may only get worse.

According to the International Monetary Fund, other countries in the region with high debt

levels are similarly vulnerable economically. Fears are now being expressed that those like Laos and Myanmar, among others, are being affected by rising inflation, interest rate hikes, depreciating currencies and dwindling foreign currency reserves.

Some commentators now wonder whether China sees all this as an opportunity to become involved in picking up the pieces with a view to spreading its influence in the region. If so, that ought to be of interest to the US given China’s long-term international goals which have been well publicised.

But perhaps this will only apply to the policy-makers because, unless he sees it on TV, the man in the street will be unaware of what is going on.

wheat, corn, sunflower oil, fertiliser and other products on to world markets – and, despite the new threat of it being scuppered by the Russians before it has even started, the successful negotiation of it in the middle of a war is surely a remarkable feat.

In order to assess whether this might lead to peace in the longer term, people will no doubt listen to the views of no less an authority than William Burns, Director of the CIA and a former US ambassador to Moscow.

His most recent comments have come after the US announced it would provide Ukraine with more longrange weapons and after the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, warned that Russia’s military focus was no longer “only” in the east of the country.

The CIA director has said that Putin - who reportedly, despite the rumours, is not seriously ill - is convinced his destiny as Russia’s leader is to restore the nation as a great power and that the key to doing this is to recreate a sphere of influence in the region.

He thinks that cannot be done without controlling Ukraine which he genuinely believes is not a real country separate from Russia.

But Burns contends Putin’s plans for “a special military operation” were based on flawed assumptions, especially about Ukraine’s will to resist and fight back.

He had thought he could quickly establish dominance over the whole of the country, but events have shown he had seriously miscalculated the situation and the invasion had been a strategic failure.

RESCUERS remove debris following a Russian missile attack in Chuhuiv, Ukraine, yesterday.

Photo: Evgeniy Maloletka/AP Despite Lavrov’s latest warning, five months since the start of the war, and having failed in its original aim of capturing Kyiv, Russia has claimed its main objective was liberation of the eastern Donbas region whose Russian-speaking population had, allegedly, been victims of genocide.

But, as Burns goes on to say, Putin considers that a scaled-down strategy of attrition will grind down the Ukrainian forces and break the will of the US-led alliance which will become distracted by some other world crisis.

Meanwhile, reports have surfaced of the 91-year-old former leader of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, being upset by Putin’s actions – not only his invasion of Ukraine but also his crackdown on domestic dissent about the war with authoritarian laws making criticism an offence.

Gorbachev was General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985-91 and its last President. He ushered in changes that led to the

downfall of communism and of the USSR itself. He instituted economic reforms and political freedoms – known as perestroika (restructuring) and glasnost (openness) – that allowed for multi-party elections, greater freedom of speech and open discussion about politics. These reforms also led to an easing of tensions between Moscow and the West and a decrease of NATO forces in Europe.

Reportedly, Gorbachev now feels that his life’s work is being destroyed by Putin, since his reforms have been turned to ashes and his legacy has been undone.

Notwithstanding all this, while continuing to condemn the horror and evil unleashed by Putin with his invasion of Ukraine in February, more and more commentators are now increasingly optimistic that the grain deal might lead eventually to at least a limited cessation of hostilities.

But, as someone has said, the Russians are “predictably unpredictable” and a return to peace may still be a long way off.

Death Notice Brenda Suzanne Bethell (née Brice) of Nassau, The Bahamas, passed away peacefully at her home after a brief illness on Thursday, July 21, 2022. She was 92.

A Funeral Service for Mrs. Bethell will be held at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Kirk, Princes’ Street, Nassau, on Thursday, 28th July, 2022 at 4:00 p.m.

Rev. Bryn MacPhail will officiate and interment will be in the Bethell Family Plot in The Western Cemetery, Nassau Street, Nassau.

She was the wife of the late Honourable Charles W. F. Bethell, C.B.E. of Nassau, who pre-deceased her.

Brenda was born during the 1929 hurricane at “Windermere”, Nassau on September 29th, 1929 to the late Anna Johnson Brice and Carl Lorenzo Brice.

She is survived by her daughters Julie (Parker) and Kristin, her son Charles (Cindy), her grandchildren Anna Schaefer and her husband (Wes) and Parker Jr, and her two great grandchildren Grace and Charles. She is also survived by her God daughter Kim, and dear friends.

She was pre-deceased by her twin sister Barbara Paton and sister Beverly Brice.

Brenda’s long time, trusted caregivers whom she adored, are Doan Davis, Edith Caparas, Josie Hanna and Olibrune Desir.

Brenda spent her life devoted to her husband Charlie and her family. Her happiest times were off on their boat “Pretty Girl” and at their home in Hope Town, Abaco with family and friends.

Brenda was an outstanding wing shot, and travelled extensively with her husband and friends shooting. Her true passion was fishing. She was one of the first lady anglers of blue water fishing. She was also an outstanding water skier and tennis player.

Brenda was the life of the party. She had a great sense of humour, lovely laugh and was feisty and fun. She loved life, and was always game to throw a party at home or play poker, backgammon or the Ouija board with friends.

Brenda was a true Bahamian lady.

She was a member of the Bahamas Angling Club, Hopetown Sailing Club (founding member), Royal Nassau Sailing Club, Lyford Cay Club (her husband was a founding member) and the Nassau Lawn Tennis Club.

Donations in Mrs. Bethell’s honour can be made to The Elbow Reef Lighthouse Foundation (www.elbowreeflighthousesociety.com) or the Bahamas National Trust (bnt@bnt.bs) Friends may pay their respects at Kemp’s Funeral Home Limited, 19 Palmdale Avenue, on Wednesday, 27th July, 2022 from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

May she rest in Peace.

Arrangements by Kemp’s Funeral Home Limited.

PAGE 10, Tuesday, July 26, 2022 CONTRACT workers hired by the State of California carry giant sequoia seedlings to be planted on a hillside in Mountain Home State Demonstration Forest outside Springville, California, in April this year.

Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez/San Francisco Chronicle via AP

THE TRIBUNE

US TO PLANT A BILLION TREES AS CLIMATE CHANGE KILLS FORESTS BILLINGS, Montana Associated Press THE Biden administration yesterday said the government will plant more than one billion trees across millions of acres of burned and dead woodlands in the US West, as officials struggle to counter the increasing toll on the nation’s forests from wildfires, insects and other manifestations of climate change.

Destructive fires in recent years that burned too hot for forests to regrow naturally have far outpaced the government’s capacity to plant new trees. That has created a backlog of 4.1 million acres in need of replanting, officials said.

The US Agriculture Department said it will have to quadruple the number of tree seedlings produced by nurseries to get through the backlog and meet future needs. That comes after Congress last year passed bipartisan legislation directing the Forest Service to plant 1.2 billion trees over the next decade and after President Joe Biden in April ordered the agency to make the nation’s forests more resilient as the globe gets hotter.

Much of the administration’s broader agenda to tackle climate change remains stalled amid disagreement in Congress, where Democrats hold a razor-thin majority. That has left officials to pursue a more piecemeal approach with incremental measures such as Monday’s announcement, while the administration considers whether to declare a climate emergency that could open the door to more

aggressive executive branch actions.

To erase the backlog of decimated forest acreage, the Forest Service plans over the next couple years to scale up work from about 60,000 acres (24,000 hectares) replanted last year to about 400,000 acres (162,000 hectares) annually, officials said. Most of the work will be in western states where wildfires now occur year round and the need is most pressing, said David Lytle, the agency’s director of forest management.

Blazes have charred 5.6 million acres so far in the US this year, putting 2022 on track to match or exceed the record-setting 2015 fire season, when 10.1 million acres burned.

Many forests regenerate naturally after fires, but if the blazes get too intense they can leave behind barren landscapes that linger for decades before trees come back.

“Our forests, rural communities, agriculture and economy are connected across a shared landscape and their existence is at stake,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a statement announcing the reforestation plan. “Only through bold, climate-smart actions... can we ensure their future.”

The Forest Service this year is spending more than $100m on reforestation work.

Spending is expected to further increase in coming years, to as much as $260m annually, under the sweeping federal infrastructure bill approved last year, agency officials said.

SPORTS PAGE 11

TUESDAY, JULY 26, 2022

Bahamas wins Billie Jean King Cup opener

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

T

he Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association ladies team made a spectacular showing on day one of the prestigious Billie Jean King (BJK) Cup Americas Group II in the Dominican Republic.

The Bahamas, sponsored

by Fidelity Bank and Trust Bahamas Limited, took advantage of their top seed ranking in their impressive 3-0 win over El Salvador yesterday at the Centro Nacional de Tenis Parque del Este.

Playing in her first singles match as the team’s No.2 seed, Elana Mackey made it look so easy, disposing of Daniela Aguilar of El Salvador in straight sets 6-2, 6-0 in a match that lasted just one hour and eight minutes.

National champion Sydney Clarke, playing as the team’s top-seeded player, needed one minute more than Mackey in following with her 6-3, 6-1 decision over Michelle Irigoyen in one hour and nine minutes.

And with the tie secured, Clarke teamed up with player/captain Simone Pratt of Grand Bahama and used one hour and five minutes to put the icing on the cake with their 6-0, 6-3 win over Irigoyen and Santos Marmol in the doubles match for a clean sweep.

When contacted in the Dominican Republic, the team noted that they were extremely pleased with the way they played on day one. “In the beginning of the match, I had a slow start and me and my opponent were alternating games until the score was 3-2,” Mackey said. “Then after that, I was warmed up and I started to play looser.”

After a rain delay, Clarke said she was able to get the job done. “I think that helped me because I was able to clear my mind,” Pratt said.

“The first three games was pretty rough for me.

I really had to relax, calm

GOLD medallist Shaunae Miller-Uibo on the podium after winning the final of the 400 metres at the World Athletics Championships.

(AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

SHAUNAE MILLER-UIBO ON 400M EVENT: ‘I’M PUTTING IT TO REST’

By PAT GRAHAM AP Sports Writer

SHOWN, from left to right, player/captain Simone Pratt, Sydney Clarke, Sierra Rodgers and Elana Mackey after Team Bahamas’ 3-0 win over El Salvador yesterday at the Centro Nacional de Tenis Parque del Este on day one of the prestigious Billie Jean King Cup Americas Group II in the Dominican Republic.

down and find myself.

When I did, my performance got better as the match went on.

“Overall, it was what I expected. I just got off to a slow start. Once I got into it, things were looking up.

“In doubles, we met the expectations. We played pretty well. The chemistry was great and I’m just looking forward to what is in store for us going forward.”

Mackey, a tennis player and cross country runner

at Mars Hill University, said she expected the team to pull off the win and she was just elated that she was able to contribute to the teams’ success.

“I’m hoping that we are able to beat the rest of the teams in our pool,” Mackey said.

“I’m looking to build on my performance and playing better each match.”

Clarke, one of the top players at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, said after getting off to such

a good start, she expects them to get better. “I just hope that we all push ourselves and just get through those tough moments, whether mentally or physically and just be able to defy the obstacles and challenges and don’t give up on things when they are not going our way.”

The 20-year-old Clarke said their performances yesterday was a clear indication of how they can overcome any obstacle and that is what they need to

be successful for the rest of the tournament.

Also on the team is rookie Sierra Rodgers who, at age 16, is the youngest player to play for the Bahamas.

Hopefully before they are done, Rodgers will get a chance to get on the court.

The Bahamas is expected to play against Bermuda today. They will wrap up on round robin play against the Dominican Republic on Wednesday.

EUGENE, Oregon (AP) — Shaunae Miller-Uibo ran away with the 400-metre title at world championships. Now, she may be walking away from the onelap event for good.

From now on, the sprinter from the Bahamas will dabble more in the 200metre realm.

Although she’s hinted at that particular plan before, this time it seems more permanent.

She’s already a two-time Olympic gold medallist in the 400 and just captured a world title Friday — the one crown missing from her résumé.

“I’m putting it to rest.

I’ve accomplished it all in the event,” said MillerUibo, who finished in 49.11 seconds to beat Marileidy Paulino of the Dominican Republic. “Perfect way (to go out). I’ve checked all the boxes. This is the last one to check off (in the 400) and I did. I’m very proud of myself.”

Miller-Uibo’s eager for a new challenge. This definitely counts: Stepping down in distance into a 200 where Shericka Jackson of Jamaica just ran the second-fastest time ever on her way to gold Thursday night.

“They’re setting the stage pretty high,” Miller-Uibo said. “I’m so proud of the girls and I think that they’re really showing out right now and showing the world exactly what we can do. I can’t wait.”

The runner with the long aqua/turquoise-coloured hair was in no hurry to leave the track after her win at Hayward Field.

She took off her shoes after the race and headed

SEE PAGE 13

MLB players’ union Sydney McLaughlin anchors US on record- rejects international setting day at worlds draft proposal

By RONALD BLUM AP Baseball Writer

By EDDIE PELLS AP National Writer EUGENE, Oregon (AP) — It only made sense that Sydney McLaughlin would run the last, victorious lap of world championships for the United States.

It only made sense she would win that race by a lot.

America’s burgeoning speed star turned a close 4x400-metre relay into a laugher on the anchor leg Sunday, putting the final stamp on the first worlds held in the US and delivering America’s record 33rd medal of the meet.

It was the 13th gold for the US, one short of the all-time mark. “We’re deep,” McLaughlin said. “We have a lot of really amazing athletes and we all put our 100 percent best out there every time we perform.”

After taking the baton from Britton Wilson, McLaughlin turned a .73-second lead into a 2.95-second blowout over Jamaica, adding this burst of speed to the world record she set two nights

SYDNEY MCLAUGHLIN, of the United States, wins the 4x400-metre relay final at the World Athletics Championships on Sunday.

(AP Photo/Ashley Landis) earlier in the 400 hurdles, when she finished in 50.68.

SEE PAGE 14

NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball’s goal of an international amateur draft was thwarted again when the players’ association rejected management’s final offer yesterday and retained direct draft-pick compensation for free agents.

The quirky tie between the two provisions was established in the March 10 agreement that ended the 99-day lockout and preserved a 162-game season.

The sides gave themselves until July 25 to reach an agreement on an international draft, which MLB has sought since 2002, and specified the draft-pick provision would be dropped in the event of a deal.

There was little movement over the four months.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred speaks during the 2022 MLB baseball draft on Sunday, July 17 in Los Angeles.

(AP Photo/Jae C Hong) The union made an offer during a Zoom meeting Saturday, and MLB presented what it termed its final proposal in an email Sunday.

Union officials forwarded that plan to the players’

executive board and said they planned to reject it.

Hearing no opposition, union deputy executive director Bruce Meyer telephoned deputy commissioner Dan Halem with the rejection at about 3:45pm yesterday.

The decision, announced about eight hours before the deadline, was the final step needed to complete the collective bargaining agreement that expires on December 1, 2016.

Retaining compensation is likely to limit the market for some older players set to become free agents, a group set to include Anthony Rizzo, J.D. Martinez, Chris Sale and Charlie Morton.

“Each of our proposals was focused on protecting against the scenario that all players fear the most — the

SEE PAGE 12

PAGE 12, Tuesday, July 26, 2022

THE TRIBUNE

Lashann Higgs signs with basketball club in Spain

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net LASHANN Higgs will remain in Spain this upcoming season but will sign with a new club in the LF Challenge league.

Higgs signed with Hozono Global Jairis for the 2022-2023 campaign of the country’s second division of women’s basketball.

Jairis head coach Lucas Fernández said he has lofty expectations for the impact Higgs will have on the basketball club.

“Lashann Higgs is a player who, within her humility and effort, has a great capacity to generate advantages from her one on one skills, with the ability to finish, to assist, and with great physical abilities in defence,” he said.

“She is a player who from the beginning has shown us great enthusiasm for joining our team and who I am sure will work hard to offer us her best version.”

Jairis finished last season 24-6, second in the standings.

“From the club, we welcome Lashann to Alcantarilla and we hope that her adaptation will be the best possible,” Fernández said. “We have no doubt that she will bring all of her quality, effectiveness, and experience to this exciting season ahead.”

A release from the club describes the 26-year-old

guard as: “A very physical and explosive player, extraordinary in the open court and on the run and with a good shot from the perimeter. She is also very versatile and, being able to occupy the positions of both guard positions.”

Higgs spent her rookie season of pro basketball with Bembibre PDM in the Liga Femenina Endesa the top division.

Higgs, the team’s most valuable player, earned several Player of the Week honours and finished as the third leading scorer in the league at 15.8 points per game on 54 percent shooting from the field. She also shot 33 percent from threepoint range, 76 percent from the free throw line and was third on the team at 4.2 rebounds per game.

The Harbour Island native made the move to Germany the following season. She played just two games with Rutronik Stars Keltern Damen-Basketball-Bundesliga (DBBL), the premier women’s basketball league in Germany.

Higgs averaged just 10.5 minutes per game in the two contests and scored 3.5 points per game for a Rutronik team that claimed the 2020-21 title with a 21-3 regular season record and an undefeated 7-0 run in the playoffs.

She spent last season with Lointek Gernika Bizkaia of Liga Femenina Endesa. In 25 games she averaged 9.8 points, 2.6

Aces beat Sparks 84-66, clinch playoff berth LAS VEGAS (AP) — Kelsey Plum hit four 3-pointers and finished with 29 points and A’ja Wilson scored 28 to help the Las Vegas Aces beat the Los Angeles Sparks 84-66 Saturday night and clinch a playoff spot.

Las Vegas (20-8) has won five of its last six games and is one game back of league-leading Chicago, the defending WNBA champion and the only other team to have clinched a 2022 postseason berth.

Jackie Young added 11 points, nine rebounds and six assists for the Aces and Chelsea Gray scored 10 points.

Wilson scored the first seven points and Plum the final four in an 11-0 run that made it 57-53 late in the third quarter and Las Vegas led the rest of the

way. Jordin Canada scored to cut the Sparks’ deficit to two points about 2 minutes into the fourth but Riquna Williams and Wilson scored five points apiece in a 10-0 spurt that made it 69-57 midway through the period.

The Aces led by at least nine points the rest of the way.

Chennedy Carter led the Sparks (12-15) with 15 points. Canada and Liz Cambage scored 11 points apiece and Nneka Ogwumike and Katie Lou Samuelson each scored 10.

Plum and Williams hit 3-pointers to bookend an 8-0 spurt that gave Las Vegas a 16-6 lead midway through the first quarter but the Sparks scored 16 of the next 21 points to take their first lead when Carter made two free throws with 29.4 seconds left in the period.

MLB

international players becoming the latest victim in baseball’s prioritisation of efficiency over fundamental fairness,” the union said in a statement. “The league’s responses fell well

FROM PAGE 11 erosion of our game on the world stage, with

LASHANN Higgs will remain in Spain this upcoming season but will sign with Hozono Global Jairis for the 2022-2023 campaign of the country’s second division of women’s basketball. rebounds and 1.3 assists per game.

Higgs, the former Texas Longhorn, signed with Sports International Group

(SiG) following an accolade-filled collegiate career.

She played in 137 games as a Texas Longhorn with 52 as a starter. She ranked

as the seventh all-time in the Longhorns’ history for games played and 28th in career points scored with a total of 1,288.

SUN FEND OFF LYNX 86-79 FOR THEIR 3RD STRAIGHT VICTORY MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Natisha Hiedeman had 19 points, Brionna Jones scored 18 and Alyssa Thomas added a double-double to power the Connecticut Sun to an 86-79 victory over the Minnesota Lynx on Sunday night.

Hiedeman hit five 3-pointers and had five assists for Connecticut (199). Jones grabbed eight rebounds and Thomas finished with 15 points, 10 rebounds and five assists.

Jones had 11 points in the first half to help the Sun take a 42-32 lead into intermission.

Moriah Jefferson hit a bucket and 1 of 2 free throws to give Minnesota a 47-46 lead with 4:40 left in the third quarter. But DeWanna Bonner sank a jumper and 1 of 2 foul shots, Bria Hartley buried a 3-pointer and Bonner capped an 8-0 run with a basket and the Sun never trailed again.

Courtney Williams scored 12 for the Sun, who have won three straight and five of six. Bonner finished with nine points, eight assists, six rebounds and five steals.

Aerial Powers topped Minnesota (10-19) with 17 points. Rookie Nikolina Milic scored 14 before fouling out, while Rachel Banham came off the bench to score 11.

Tina Charles hits milestone in Storm’s 82-72 win over Dream SEATTLE (AP) — Tina Charles scored 27 points, becoming the fourth player in WNBA history to top 7,000 in a career, and the Seattle Storm beat the Atlanta Dream 82-72 on Sunday.

Charles, who signed with Seattle (18-10) on June 28, sank 9 of 13 shots — including 4 of 7 from 3-point range. She added 15 rebounds for her second straight double-double.

Charles, with 7,013 points, trails only Diana Taurasi (9,651, active), Tina Thompson (7,488) and Tamika Catchings (7,380) on the all-time list.

Charles had 20 points and 10 rebounds in the first half to help Seattle pull away from a 19-19 firstquarter tie for a 41-34 lead at intermission. Charles sank 7 of 8 shots, including 4 of 5 from 3-point range, in the half. short of anything players could consider a fair deal.”

As a result, the international signing bonus pool total for 2022-23 will remain at $167 million, its level in 2021-22, according

TINA CHARLES, right, scored 27 points, becoming the fourth player in WNBA history to top 7,000 in a career, and the Seattle Storm beat the Atlanta Dream 82-72 on Sunday. (AP) League scoring leader Brianna Stewart scored 11 of her 23 points in the third quarter and Epiphanny Prince buried a 3-pointer in the final minute as Seattle took a 63-53 lead into to a side letter between MLB and the union whose contents were divulged to The Associated Press. The total will increase starting in 2023-24 by any corresponding percentage rise in industry revenue since 2019 — the last year before the pandemic.

The decision keeps in place a system of qualifying offers for free agents that began in 2012. A club can make a qualifying offer following the World Series to a free agent who has been with the team since opening day, a one-year contract for the average of the top 125 deals by average annual value. Last year’s figure was $18.4 million.

If a player rejects a qualifying offer and signs elsewhere, the signing team is subject to a loss of one or two amateur draft picks and a reduction in international signing bonus pool allotment.

Craig Kimbrel and Dallas Keuchel, unhappy with offers during the offseason and spring training, delayed signing in 2019 until June, after the draft pick compensation no longer was attached.

Top players have found robust markets. This year’s free-agent group is headed

by Aaron Judge, Jacob deGrom and Trea Turner.

the final period and stayed in front. Stewart added 10 rebounds, four assists, three blocks and two steals.

Rhyne Howard — the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft — led Atlanta (12-16) “We are disappointed the MLBPA chose the status quo over transitioning to an international draft that would have guaranteed future international players larger signing bonuses and better educational opportunities, while enhancing transparency to best address the root causes of corruption in the current system,” MLB said in a statement.

An amateur draft was established for residents of the United States and Canada in 1965 and extended to residents of US territories such as Puerto Rico in 1990.

MLB has pushed for a similar international amateur draft, saying part of its rationale was to combat illicit agreements made before players are age eligible — at least 17 at the time of signing or 16 at the time as long as the player turns 17 by the September 1 of the contract’s first season.

MLB proposed last July 28 that a 2024 international draft include spending of $181 million for the top 600 players and $190 million in total, up from $166 million in the 2021 signing period.

Players waited until this July 8 to make a counteroffer.

They proposed a draft be allocated $260 million

with 23 points, but she made only 9 of 30 shots, including 4 of 14 from distance.

Cheyenne Parker and Tiffany Hayes scored 12 apiece. for the 2024 signing period, with teams having to guarantee slot values while having the flexibility to exceed them within bonus pools.

MLB increased its offer Saturday to $191 million for 2024 and said it was a final proposal. MLB dropped mandatory drug testing with penalties for positive tests and also changed its proposed medical combine from mandatory to optional.

Management also offered to guarantee a minimum of $5,000 in educational money, a figure rising to $10,000 if the player passes a General Educational Development Test.

The union said MLB’s offer was not sufficient and cited a change management made to its calculation of growth beyond 2024.

Players also wanted guarantees to maintain the current number of annual international signings and teams and jobs in the Dominican Summer League.

They asked for a $40,000 cap on bonuses for draftbypassed players, double MLB’s offer. They wanted MLB to contribute $10 million for an international human rights foundation and to hire a joint compliance officer.

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, July 26, 2022, PAGE 13

RARE 1952 MICKEY MANTLE BASEBALL CARD GOING UP FOR AUCTION

Bahamas water polo team qualifies for CAC Games

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

B

ahamas Water Polo achieved another milestone and earned a berth to one of the most advanced levels of play in the region.

They defeated Guatemala 8-6 yesterday as play continued in the open men’s category of the Central American and Caribbean (CCCAN) Water Polo Championships, being hosted in Wildey, Barbados.

The win placed Team Bahamas in the 5th-6th reclassification game for the tournament.

However, irrespective of the final result, the team has qualified for the 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games to be held in El Salvador.

This marks a first for Bahamian water polo following years of success at the junior level through CARIFTA, CCAN and Junior Pan Ams. The Bahamas opened the CCAN competition earlier this week with a 27-2 loss to Puerto Rico in their opening match in Barbados.

The 24th Central American and Caribbean Games are scheduled to take place in 2023. They were planned to take place in Panama City, Panama, until the government announced on July 24, 2020 that it had decided to withdraw as the hosts as a result of the COVID19 pandemic in Panama.

In May, 2021, San Salvador, El Salvador was chosen to replace Panama City as host. The event will feature a total of 37 disciplines.

The last time Bahamas Water Polo competed in El Salvador, they delivered a silver medal finish at the 2018 CCCAN tournament and

SHAUNAE Miller-Uibo wins the final of the 400 metres at the World Athletics Championships.

(AP Photo/David J Phillip)

SHAUNAE FROM PAGE 11

over to the trackside seats where her family watched.

She sprawled out on the track to catch her breath for a moment and hugged her husband.

HEALTHY NORMAN Michael Norman showed what he can do when he’s at full strength. The American 400-metre runner pulled away down the homestretch to finish in 44.29 seconds and beat Kirani James of Grenada by .19 seconds.

The 24-year-old Norman has been hampered by injuries in recent seasons.

He dealt with a hamstring ailment in 2019 and then with what was described as a tendon issue just above and behind his knee a year ago. “This is the first championship he actually came into it healthy,” his coach Quincy Watts said. “I’m just so excited for him.”

Norman’s celebratory meal? A healthy one featuring salmon, rice and veggies. “I have to stay disciplined,” Norman said.

WINGER’S MEDAL After two ACL surgeries and countless close calls at major meets, 36-yearold javelin thrower Kara Winger earned a medal at worlds. That silver felt

qualified for the UANA PanAm Championships. This is the fourth time Bahamas Water Polo has participated at the CCCAN level following the 2016, 2018 and 2019 editions.

The tournament is expected to host 50 matches over the eight days from July 19-26. The event will feature 20 women’s and 30 men’s games. In preparation for CCCAN, the team travelled to St Louis, Missouri to participate in a training camp with Club SLAP. They also participated in the Wally Lundt Senior Open where they finished with a 4-1 record.

GOLD medallist Shaunae Miller-Uibo greets her mother, May, and husband - decathlete Maicel Uibo - after winning the final of the women’s 400 metres at the World Athletics Championships on Friday, July 22, 2022, in Eugene, Oregon.

(AP Photo/Ashley Landis) like gold. “Very, very, very cool,” Winger said.

Winger earned it on her final throw. The longawaited medal was in front of basically a home crowd given she grew up about two hours north in Vancouver, Washington. It was the first medal for the U.S. in

the event at worlds. Next up, retirement. But not before a few competitions in Europe — a victory tour, she cracked. “I actually don’t know when my last throw will be, which maybe is fitting,” Winger said. “It just really helps me treat each (throw) as the last.”

NEW YORK (AP) — A decades-old, mint condition Mickey Mantle baseball card could break a record at auction.

The collector’s item from 1952 features one of baseball’s most celebrated and charismatic legends, and is widely regarded as one of just a handful in near-perfect condition.

It’s estimated the final cost of the card could exceed $10 million when the auction ends August 27.

The record is $6.6 million for a 1909 Honus Wagner card that was sold at auction a year ago, months after another 70-year-old Mantle card fetched $5.2 million.

Interest was already heavy yesterday when the auction debuted online, with bidding already up to at least $4.2 million.

No matter the final price for the rare Mantle rookie card, it will be a hefty profit for the current owner, a New Jersey waste management entrepreneur who bought it for $50,000 at a New York City show in 1991.

“Every time he got up to the plate, the crowd would go crazy, the roars would be there. And he never disappointed you. ... He had that aura about him,” card owner Anthony Giordano said of Mantle, who spent his entire career with the New York Yankees from 1951 to 1968.

“Whether you’re from the New York area or not, or a Yankees fan, it was always Mickey Mantle that was highlighted.”

The switch-hitting Mantle — “the Mick” — was a Triple Crown winner in 1956, a three-time American League MVP and a seven-time World Series champion. The Hall of Famer, who died in 1995, was considered a humble player on the field. When he hit a home run, he would often run the bases with his head bowed.

“I figured the pitcher already felt bad enough without me showing him up rounding the bases,” Mantle once said.

As for the baseball card, its rarity is on par with its subject’s mythical reputation.

“The quality of the card is the key,” said Derek Grady, the executive vice president of sports auctions for Heritage Auctions, which is running the bidding. “Four sharp corners, the gloss and the colour jumps off the card.”

Grady said that the collectibles market is having a renaissance, noting that cards that are “the creme de la creme, the best of the best, are still selling despite the economy right now” and that Mantle, “the king” of baseball cards, “has always done well.”

PAGE 14, Tuesday, July 26, 2022

THE TRIBUNE

Nigerian Amusan gets world record on wild night in hurdles

By EDDIE PELLS AP National Writer EUGENE, Oregon (AP) — First she set the record.

Then she won the medal.

Even if the order was awkward, Sunday night at world championships was beautiful for Nigerian hurdler Tobi Amusan.

She won the 100-metre hurdles title about 90 minutes after she opened the final session of the championships by breaking the world record in her semifinal heat with a time of 12.12 seconds.

“When I watched the record, I was like ‘Whoa, who did that?’” Amusan said of her reaction upon seeing her time pop up on the scoreboard.

It was a strange sequence of events for the 25-yearold, who finished fourth at the Tokyo Games last year and fourth at the last world championships in 2019, and now has a place in history as a champion, record-holder

TOBI Amusan celebrates winning the 100-meter hurdles final at the World Athletics Championships on Sunday.

GOLD medallist Tobi Amusan, of Nigeria, poses during a medal ceremony for the women’s 100-metre hurdles at the World Athletics Championships on Sunday in Eugene, Oregon.

(AP Photos/Gregory Bull) and main character in a most unusual night.

The mark surpassed the six-year-old record held by American Keni Harrison by .08.

“Unbelievable,” said Switzerland’s Noemi Zbaren, who watched the record while she was waiting for her own semifinal.

“I had goosebumps when I saw it in the call room.”

Back on the track for the final, Amusan won the gold medal in an even faster time — 12.06 seconds, but the wind was too strong, so that didn’t go down as yet another record.

For the earlier race, she received a $100,000 bonus

for setting the mark at worlds.

It’s rare, but not unheard of, for a track athlete to set a record before the biggest race.

Florence Griffith-Joyner ran her still-standing record 10.49 in the 100 metres in a prelim at the 1988 Olympic trials.

“I believe in my abilities but I was not expecting a world record at these championships,” Amusan said.

“The goal is always just to execute well and get the win.”

Amusan went to college at Texas El-Paso. A person familiar with her career told The Associated Press she had been training partners with another Nigerian UTEP alum, Blessing Okagbare.

Okagbare is currently serving an 11-year ban for multiple doping violations, stemming from a federal investigation into an El Paso doctor who is accused of distributing human-growth

hormone and other banned substances.

The person providing the information to the AP spoke on condition of anonymity because Amusan is not connected to that case.

After her history-making night, there was nothing but appreciation for the new record holder and new world champion.

“I know what Tobi has gone through over the years. She’s been fourth twice,” said Jamaica’s Danielle Williams. “I know it’s not an easy position. She’s been close to throwing (in) the towel. To see her come out here and do this right now, it’s amazing.”

AMERICAN SYDNEY MCLAUGHLIN SHATTERS 400M HURDLES WORLD RECORD WITH 50.68

By EDDIE PELLS AP National Writer EUGENE, Oregon (AP) — In the hurdles world before Sydney McLaughlin, it took years to shave fractions of seconds off records, and winning races didn’t always mean rewriting history.

This once-in-a-lifetime athlete is obliterating that mindset as quickly as she’s destroying the records she sets again and again.

For the fourth time in 13 months, the 22-year-old McLaughlin set the world record. On Friday, she ran the 400-metre hurdles at world championships in 50.68 seconds. She shattered her old mark by 0.73 seconds, a ridiculous number for a race of this distance and an amount of time that, in the world before McLaughlin, it had taken 33 years to trim.

She beat second-place finisher Femke Bol of the Netherlands by 1.59 seconds. McLaughlin’s main rival, Dalilah Muhammad, finished third in 53.13 seconds, a time that would’ve won the world title with ease a mere seven years ago.

And yet, as McLaughlin summed up her takeaways from the evening — an evening in which she delivered in a race she has turned into one of track’s must-see events — she was far from ready to declare she had run the perfect race.

“I haven’t had a chance to watch it, so I’ll have to do that and go back and talk to my coach,” McLaughlin said. “But I think there’s always things to improve on. I think we’re pushing

WORLDS FROM PAGE 11

This one was especially sweet, as it also marked the 14th and final world gold for 36-year-old Allyson Felix, who came out of retirement to run in the preliminary of the 4x400 and, so, gets a medal. She finishes her career with a record 20 world medals, overall.

“She came back yesterday and I was like, I mean, if we’re gonna go do it, we might as well do it big,” McLaughlin said. “And I’m really happy for her amazing career.”

The U.S. team, also featuring Talitha Diggs and

the boundaries of the sport, especially in our event.”

After McLaughlin received her gold medal and listened to “The StarSpangled Banner,” World Athletics President Sebastian Coe handed her a $100,000 check — the prize for breaking the record at worlds. This marked the fourth straight major race in which she’s bettered the mark.

On a clear, perfect, 72-degree night at Hayward Stadium, McLaughlin left Bol and Muhammad behind by the 150-metre mark.

By the time the American reached the final curve, it was clear this would strictly be a race against the clock.

“It was crazy,” Bol said.

“She was so far in front at the end, I was almost doubting if I really had a good race. Then, I saw the time and I thought, ‘Wow, that explains a lot.’”

When McLaughlin finished, she bent to the ground, looked at the scoreboard and said, “That’s great, that’s great.” She clutched her knees and smiled. A minute later, the mascot, Legend the Bigfoot, photo bombed her while holding a sign saying: “World records are my favourite food.”

The 400-hurdles record of 52.34, held by Yuliya Pechonkina of Russia, had sat on the books for 16 years when Muhammad, not McLaughlin, lowered it to 52.20 at US championships in Iowa in 2019.

Back then, Muhammad’s coach, Boogie Johnson, said there had long been the thought that the Russian’s record seemed “a little soft” and ripe for a takeover.

Muhammad broke it again, Abby Steiner, who was part of the winning 4x100 relay team the night before, won the women’s race in 3 minutes, 17.79 seconds.

The 33 medals were three more than the U.S. collected in 2017, and two more than East Germany won in 1987.

Other records fell, too — in the very first and very last action of the last session at hot-and-sunny Hayward Stadium, the 25,000-seat gem built at University of Oregon to bring the worlds to Eugene.

Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan opened the evening by setting the record for the 100-metre hurdles in the semifinals: 12.12 seconds.

She came back about 90

GOLD medallist Sydney McLaughlin, of the United States, poses by a sign after winning the final of the women’s 400-meter hurdles at the World Athletics Championships on Friday, July 22 in Eugene, Oregon.

(AP Photo/Ashley Landis) at 52.16, at world championships in 2019. That was a race McLaughlin lost by a mere 0.07, and one that set her about making changes.

Since connecting with coach Bobby Kersee, she has broken the record at last year’s Olympic trials (51.90), the Olympics (51.46) and nationals last month. (51.41). Now, this — a 1.4% improvement on a four-week-old record and a maiden voyage into times in the 50s. “I definitely thought it was possible,” Muhammad said. “And after that race, I think 49 is possible.”

McLaughlin has set three of her four records on this

very track at Hayward Stadium. She has turned what used to be the best oneon-one showdown in track — her vs. Muhammad — into a one-woman show for the time being.

The big question: how?

Some answers lie in the mix of improved track surfaces, new technology in the spikes that hurdling great Edwin Moses compared to “having trampolines on your shoes,” and a new coaching regimen employed

by Kersee, who has worked with virtually all of America’s greats, in the run-up to last year’s Olympics.

But mostly, pure talent.

“It’s just putting everything

that you’ve done in practice into the race to the point where you’re just letting your body do what it does,” McLaughlin said.

Another way to look at McLaughlin’s dominance: Traversing the track while leaping 10 hurdles took her only 1.57 seconds longer than Shaunae Miller-Uibo of the Bahamas needed to win the 400-flat, held about a half-hour before the main event.

In the men’s race, American Michael Norman won the world title in 44.29 seconds, pulling away from 2012 Olympic champion Kirani James over the final 80 metres.

Norman received massive applause from the nearly full stands, thought the emotional centre of the evening came a few minutes earlier.

Javelin thrower Kara Winger, a 36-year-old coming off her second ACL surgery, threw 64.05 metres (210 feet, 1 inch) on her sixth and final attempt to finish second behind Australia’s Kelsey-Lee Barber.

It was the first medal in any major competition for the eight-time national champion, who rigged up a cable-and-pulley system in her backyard to keep up with her training during the pandemic.

minutes later to win the gold medal. Her medal-race time was actually faster — 12.06 — but the wind was too strong, so that mark doesn’t go in the books.

“When I watched the record, I was like ‘Whoa, who did that?’” Amusan said.

And after McLaughlin was done with her last lap, pole vaulter Armand Duplantis of Sweden cleared 6.21 metres (20 feet, 4 1/2 inches) to best his world record by .01.

“It’s like mania, and you’re just kind of going crazy,” Duplantis said of his reaction. “I barely remember the moment.”

As was the case through most of these 10 days,

America’s medals came from every corner of the track — and the field.

Athing Mu said she struggled in capturing gold in the 800, busting through the two laps in 1:56.30 — a .08 margin over Britain’s Keely Hodgkinson.

“I’m just glad I could make it to the line and finish the race,” she said.

“And thank God I won gold.”

The 20-year-old Mu is now the Olympic and world champion at that distance and, along with McLaughlin, part of a bright future for the United States with the Paris Olympics now two years away.

In between, a sprinter named Champion — Champion Allison — anchored the men’s 4x400 to an easy win for medal No. 32. The U.S. won in 2:56.17 for a 2.41-second margin over Jamaica.

Another medal went to U.S. pole vaulter Christopher Nilsen, who cleared 5.94 metres (19 feet, 5 3/4

inches), to clinch silver, then stepped aside to see what Duplantis would do.

The Olympic champion known as “Mondo” missed on his first attempt at the record, then waited for the relay, then got the crowd clapping in rhythm for him and cleared the bar.

Last year at the Olympics in Tokyo, the U.S. men got shut out of the sprints, leading to some questions about what was wrong.

Answer: Not much. With Fred Kerley and Noah Lyles leading the way, the men swept the sprints earlier in the week, and Ryan Crouser led a sweep in shot put. The 4x100 silver-medal relay team was messy — nothing new there — but it was a blip.

In all, the men walked away with four more medals than the women during this 10-day meet.

“It kind of fuelled us to make a mark and demonstrate that we are Team USA, instead of people doubting us,” Michael

Norman, who added the relay gold to his win in the 400 flat, said of the men’s reset after Tokyo.

“I think we really stepped up based on that,” Norman said In other action, Kevin Mayer of France won the decathlon, adding this to his title in 2017.

And the 5,000-metre title went to Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway, who finished in 13:09.24 in a special race.

That was the last race the legendary Steve Prefontaine of Oregon ran before a fatal car accident in Eugene in 1975.

It’s a city brimming with tributes to “Pre,” and in many ways, track’s biggest event, the world championships, ended up in this college town of 170,000 thanks to the tracks he laid down a half-century ago.

“This is probably the best place I could have won it,” Ingebrigtsen said.

All those U.S. medal holders would certainly agree.

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