11302022 NEWS AND SPORT

Aid for hurricane-hit areas costing treasury purse ‘$50m a year’

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

THE MINISTRY of Finance’s top official last night warned that Dorianrelated tax breaks “cannot go on indefinitely” in their present form as they are costing the Public Treasury “probably $40m-$50m per annum or higher”.

Simon Wilson, speaking prior to tomorrow’s expira tion of the existing Special Economic Recovery Zone (SERZ) order for Abaco and Grand Bahama, told Tribune Business a “rebal ancing” more than three years after the Category

Five storm struck is now necessary because New Providence taxpayers and those on other islands cannot “cross-subsidise” these concessions for ever.

Asserting that the tax revenue foregone, in a bid to speed up both islands’ recovery, is “significant” and “not inexpensive”, he added that the govern ment was also concerned about the SERZ orders being abused for tax eva sion, fraud and other illicit purposes at a time when the Public Treasury needs every cent it can get due to the precarious fiscal position.

BPSU NEGOTIATIONS ‘TO BE SATISFIED THIS WEEK’

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

CHIEF labour consult ant Bernard Evans said negotiations between the Bahamas Public Service Union will be satisfied by the end of the week.

Last week, a local daily reported that BPSU presi dent Kimsley Ferguson hinted at industrial action

during an appearance on a radio show, noting the union had sent a letter to the Office of the Prime Min ister at the beginning of the month, however, there had been no response to date.

In response to these claims, State Public Service Minister Pia Glover-Rolle had previously told this

By LETRE SWEETING lsweeting@tribunemedia.net

the Ministry of Works for which we are part and we use. Their engineers and inspections occur on a periodic basis that they come in and they evaluate and we go out and get quotes on what the work costs and we build all that into our costs,” Mr Longley said at a press conference.

MUNROE LEFT ‘DISAPPOINTED’ BY INCREASED MURDER TALLY

By JADE RUSSELL jrussell@tribunemedia.net

NATIONAL Security Minister Wayne Munroe expressed disappointment yesterday in the country’s murder toll which is the highest since 2017, saying “if one person is murdered, I am disappointed.”

“We are disappointed when people decide that they want to kill other people. It’s our job to stop them from wanting to do that. And if they do it, catch them and imprison them and correct that behav iour. “For the record if one person is murdered, I am disappointed,” Mr Munroe told The Tribune

His comments came in response to the nation’s rising murder toll, which has now surpassed last year’s count of 119.

SURVEYS BEGIN OVER SHANTY TOWNS ISSUE

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

He said yesterday that surveys will have to be expanded to more islands that are also grappling with the vexing issue.

A multi-agency com mittee, composed of representatives from various government depart ments, ministries and law enforcement agencies, was formed earlier this year

Basil Longley, chairman of the Bridge Authority, said yesterday that due to the age of the Paradise Island bridges, the entity has devised a plan for dealing with concerns about the integrity of the structures.

“We have a very structured plan. We have a maintenance team. We have consultants that work with us. We have

“The bridges have some age to them. But the last assessment which was done fairly recently, the structure of the bridges are sound. We don’t have any issues there,” he said.

“What we’re looking to do now is to kind of get some assessment on the traf fic impact on the bridge. So the cars for example are fine, but periodically there is heavy equipment that has to travel

ALICIA WALLACE: 16 DAYS TO TAKE STEPS TO END VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

THE GOVERNMENT’S shanty town committee has started surveying several irregular communities in the country as it seeks to crack down on the grow ing problem, according to Works and Utilities Minis ter Alfred Sears.

THE Bridge Authority yesterday announced a possible toll increase for vehicles with heavy equipment and weight restrictions on the Paradise Island bridges next year pending an assessment on the traffic impact on the structures.

Three-year agreement signed between BCPOU and Bridge Authority

By LETRE SWEETING lsweeting@tribunemedia.net

THE Bridge Author ity and the Bahamas Communications and Public Officers Union signed a three-year indus trial agreement yesterday that includes increased increments and salary scales.

September made three years since the previous agreement between the two entities expired, with negotiations having started before the expiration of the agreement. The new threeyear agreement covers January 1, 2022, until December 31, 2024.

With this agreement being beneficial to some 38 union members, BCPOU president Sherry Benjamin said though she wanted a bit more compensation for the union members, she is “happy” with what was set tled on during negotiations.

“I am grateful that we have come to this place and this time where we can finally put to rest these negotiations for a new industrial agreement for the staff at the Bridge Authority. The agreement is something I person ally would have liked to have seen some other stuff happen with the agreement.

“However, it’s not about me. It’s about the staff at the Bridge Authority. And once we would have gotten to a place where we were given an offer, we took it to the membership and the membership agreed that that was acceptable to them,” she said.

“We would have hoped that the years that would have gone that was expired, we would have been able to get something for those years.

“However, Mr Longley and Mr (Bernard) Evans, the labour consultant, pointed out to us that the economic conditions of the country at this time was not favourable to allow for us to be able to get compensa tion for those years and we

don’t want to seem unreal, unreasonable or unrealistic because we live in the same environment that they live in,” Ms Benjamin said.

“While I personally would have liked more for the members of the Bridge Authority, the members and the Bridge Authority also understand the eco nomic conditions of the country. And my executive team and I also understand and so we went ahead with the viewpoints of the labour consultant and the chair man, and we decided to because they gave on a lot of stuff.

“They did increase the increments, they increased the salary scales a bit. And so I think the longevity of

those increases is going to pay out for the staff more than that, just getting a little something here for those expired years,” Ms Benja min said.

“I’m happy, my team is happy, and the staff is happy that we are bringing this to closure with the sign ing of this agreement and we look forward to a very, very productive and harmo nious working relationship with the bridge, board and executive management team,” she said.

When asked if nego tiations were in any way contentious, Ms Ben jamin said, “It wasn’t it wasn’t contentious, you know, of course we have in negotiations, you have

strong-willed people some times and so, but it was not contentious. It was not heated. Mr Longley, he did his part to control his team. And Mr Evans did his part to control everybody else. We had very good negotiations.”

Basil Longley, Bridge Authority chairman, said though negotiations were ongoing for a long time, the new board made it a prior ity to settle the talks.

“I am happy to say that we were able to execute this agreement in a fairly short time. And I say short time, because we are a new board. And we’ve been in place for the last few months,” Mr Longley said.

“We came in place with an expired agreement. We saw we flagged this as a priority to get this agree ment completed and signed off as quickly as possible. I think we were successful in achieving that,” he said.

When asked about the specific amount settled on by both parties in terms of payment and increments for union members, Mr Longley said, “I’m unable to give a dollar value. However, I can say that a number of benefits were increased. For example, the increments, as Ms Benja min said, the salary scales were expanded, because as you increase it, each staff member would move closer and closer towards the top of their salary scales.

“So, we wanted to ensure that after the increments are awarded, that there was still room within the salary scales for any fur ther increases for example, performance increases, because these increments are pretty much across the board increases,” Mr Long ley said.

BRIDGE TOLLS MAY GO UP - BUT NOT FOR CARS

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over the bridge and that is a major concern for us and we are unable to assess what impact that has on the structure,” Mr Longley said.

“We will be addressing all of those issues and con cerns in a very positive and effective way in collabora tion with consulting and engineering companies, which we already have a relationship with in Canada and the United States,” he said.

When asked if the Bridge Authority plans to impose any weight restric tions on the older eastern bridge, Mr Longley said, “It could very well. That is our concern, it’s with the weight and how do we control that. If the weight is not a violation or is not causing a problem with the bridge, then certainly. But over time everything would create a problem.”

He added that after reviewing the findings pre sented in the assessment and upon consultation from experts, the bridge toll for vehicles with heavy equipment, loaded with steel or concrete, may see an increase next year.

“We may need to look at adjusting fees to deal with that. We don’t know what the study will reveal and then coming out of that study, if it means that, you know, we need to put some things in place to ensure that we boost the revenue to be able to do

the work that we need to do to maintain the bridges more effectively and more securely. Then we would have to do that,” he said.

“We’re focusing on heavy equipment. For example, when construc tion is going on. There’ll be demolition of build ings, then you would have trucks coming over, empty when they leave, they leave loaded right with concrete, steel, every thing,” Mr Longley said.

“We don’t have any way of monitoring the weight of those vehicles (on the eastern bridge) now. Common sense would tell us that, you know, that is something that’s critical and we need to do it, and the consultants with their advisors as to the extent of what we need to do, how we do it, how we manage it, etc,” he said.

“I don’t have all the answers to the questions that you’re asking. But that is why we’re engaging consultants to assist us and guide us with that and we will be guided by whatever advice that they give us,” Mr Longley said.

The eastern Paradise Island bridge has been in existence since 1966, giving it an age of 56 years and the newer Sir Sidney Poi tier Bridge is 24-years-old, having been constructed in 1998, according to Bridge Authority officials.

In 2016, tolls for the Sidney Poitier Bridge dou bled for private vehicles from $1 to $2 — the first increase in 17 years.

newspaper that the gov ernment had submitted a proposal to the BPSU and was awaiting a response from the union.

However, Mr Evans told reporters on the sidelines of an event yesterday that following the announce ment of the minimum wage increase, there has been a change in the original pro posal from the government to the union.

He added that some

public servants can expect as much as four to five increments within the first year to meet the new mini mum wage rate of $260.

The chief labour consult ant noted that the revised proposal has been delivered to the union’s president for review, and any addi tional adjustments as to Mr Ferguson’s request will be reviewed.

“But given the announce ment (minimum wage increases), some people may recognise as much as four or five increments in

the first year just to bring them up to the minimum wage rate.

“And so that has caused for the Ministry of Finance to do some new juggling. It is safe to say that we’ve reached a point where those adjustments, as far as the proposal for the gov ernment recognising those changes, have been now sent over to Mr Ferguson,” he said.

He continued: “He (Mr Ferguson) has reviewed them for the most part, it’s just one or two things

he would like to see happen. We believe in the coming days, what he’s asking for has been reviewed. So hopefully in a couple of days, in a few days, he would get his answer.”

Mr Evans acknowledged that the wage increase is insufficient considering the high cost of living within The Bahamas. However, he noted that it is a “step in the right direction”.

He also credited Mr Ferguson, president of BPSU, for addressing the

Additionally Mr Evans noted that the Prime Min ister is aiming to eliminate contract employees, as he said contract work does not contribute to “true wealth”.

“The Prime Minis ter, always insisting that he wants to get to a liv able wage. One of those things he wants to do is to do away with a bunch of these quote unquote,

contract employees,” he said yesterday.

“Because

liveable wage.

“It would not happen overnight. But certainly 5, 10, 15 years, if successive governments stay on that path we will get to the point of liveable wage.”

“uniqueness” of the union, adding that BPSU is “broad and unique” in comparison to other labour unions.

a contract worker cannot really build true wealth. They cannot go to the bank and all that stuff. And so you want to try to convert those contract employees to full-time so that they can begin to build wealth and begin to get to the point of

LABOUR Board consultant

Bernard Evans with BCPOU president Sherry Benjamin yesterday.

Photo: Moise Amisial

BCPOU president Sherry Benjamin signs yesterday as Bridge Authority chairman Basil Longley watches on.

Photo: Letre Sweeting

Munroe left

‘disappointed’ by increased murder tally

On Monday, a man believed to be in his mid20s, was found with gunshot wounds on Cowpen Road, as his death pushed the country’s murder toll to 120, according to this news paper’s records.

In 2021, 119 killings were recorded; 73 in 2020; 95 in 2019; 91 in 2018 and 122 in 2017.

“Worldwide homicides and crimes of violence have escalated since the end of the lockdown,” Mr Munroe explained.

When asked if it was expected that the coun try’s crime level would get worse before it got better, Mr Munroe responded: “It’s difficult to say it’s expected, but it’s easy to say we see it all over the world.”

He highlighted that

other countries are also battling the issue of crime as he described it as a phenomenon the world is facing.

“All we need to do is look to the south of us in the Turks and Caicos. Look to the north of us in the US, look at Jamaica, in Trini dad. Look, in every country it’s a phenomenon that the world is facing.”

The rise in crime has caused residents to be con cerned about safety issues.

Asked what he would say to people about these concerns, Mr Munroe responded: “I would say that we are all a part of the potential solution. Just as we can all be a part of the problem.”

Mr Munroe pointed out that people have the choice to either help, do nothing, or even instigate when it comes to crime. However, he said people’s choices can

affect the overall outcome of those violent situations.

Meanwhile, Free National Movement deputy leader Shanendon Cart wright yesterday called on the government to wake from its “slumber” on the issue of crime, adding that the Bahamian people are “angered” by the ongoing bloodshed.

“The Bahamian people have been passed concern and are angered. As the peace and tranquillity that Bahamian people expect in their country continues to be interrupted by gunshots and bloodshed, the middle of the day,” he said.

“No one is free from becoming a victim. Gone are the days when crime was something that was limited to nighttime activ ity, or crime was limited to isolated areas. Now people are being shot in broad daylight.”

When asked his thoughts on the nation’s murder count, Mr Cartwright said if the country’s crime level continues on this trend it would be “very sad” as more lives would be lost

and affected.

He continued: “I prefer for us to put our energies on how we could prevent it from getting there. Nobody wants to reach that nega tive milestone at all. But

MINISTER CONTRADICTS PRESS SECRETARY ON VILLAGE RD COMPLETION

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

DAYS after press sec retary Clint Watson announced that work on Village Road should be completed by December 12, Works and Utilities Minis ter Alfred Sears said paving of the road is actually expected to last through the end of next month, but should be “substantially” completed before the start of the new year.

“I never said December 12,” Mr Sears told reporters before yesterday’s Cabinet meeting when asked for an update on the project.

“Let me just tell you that the roadworks in Village Road (are) progressing very well. And I thank the stakeholders who have been inconvenienced - and several stakeholders have also had to provide land for the expansion of the road.

“The work is progressing. The Water and Sewerage Corporation has had to do some additional work in terms of the water mains and I had a meeting with Water and Sewerage, BPL and BTC with the Ministry of Works and also with the

contractor and they have a coordinated strategy.

“The paving of the road will begin in the first week of December, near the end of the first week of Decem ber, and it will be in three phases.

“So, those phases of paving will take us through December, and it is expected by the end of December 2022, they will be substantially completed.”

The $6.4m road project was started in the hope of rehabilitating and improv ing utilities. It is also designed to install new electrical and water utilities along with improving traffic control.

While it was originally expected to be completed in September, there were several delays after more work was added to the project, causing frustration among some businesses and homeowners in the area.

Yesterday, Mr Sears gave some additional insight into the cause of delays, citing the need to some times repair ruptured pipes among other things.

“With this kind of work,” he added, “as they are excavating sometimes

you have the pipes and cables which are buried, and which may not be on the diagram and when you have a disruption that par ticular utility entity has to come and repair it because it would have been rup tured inadvertently.

“So, there have been a number of cases like that. Also, the Water and Sew erage Corporation has determined that it will utilise this opportunity for a major expansion of the sewer system in that community and also the infrastructure is intended to also serve certain parts of Paradise Island as well.

“So, you have a major upgrade and redevelop ment of the infrastructure that is the water, the power and the telecommunica tions infrastructure so that it can be adequate for the expected expansion of that particular community as well as the surrounding communities so that has been the reason why there has been some delay.

“But I’m very pleased with the briefing I got, that by the end of December 2022, the project will be substantially completed,” he continued.

SEARS APOLOGISES FOR ELEUTHERA WATER PROBLEMS

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

residents

officials are aggressively addressing.

He also gave an update on efforts made by the Water and Sewerage Corporation (WSC) to remediate the vexing problem that con tinues to plague residents in parts of the island.

“That is a matter of deep concern and I want to really apologise to the residents of Eleuthera,” he told reporters yester day. “There have been a number of disruptions with the desalination plant that is Aqua designed and they’ve been working.”

Residents there, particu larly in Central Eleuthera, have been hit with water supply disruptions a number of times this year.

In June, some residents experienced days long water disruptions due to a major mechanical failure at

the WSC naval base desali nation plant.

At the time, WSC said it would execute a $2.7m contract for two one-mil lion-gallon tanks and an additional $525,000 for related support work, which the corporation eventually did.

Mr Sears told reporters yesterday that the tanks have already been ordered and should be ready by mid-next year.

“I want to really com mend the chairman and the staff of the Water and Sew erage Corporation, which, as a result of the disrup tion, have had to go into the well fields and work in many instances overnight trying to restore the supply of water in Eleuthera,” he said.

“We have ordered two storage tanks — one mil lion imperial gallons each — those tanks are being manufactured and I understand will be avail able near the middle of

next year.

“In the intervening period, temporary tanks are being secured and also the water wells in Eleuthera are being rehabilitated because as you know, the supply is by way of desalination.”

He also addressed the “legacy” debt owed to water suppliers like Aqua Design, saying the corpora tion has also been making headway to reduce arrears.

“I don’t recall the exact amount, but arrangements were made to pay in instal ments and that is being done,” the minister said.

“Some of the contracts, I think that there are about 20 contracts, some of them were expiring at differ ent times and that is being addressed by way of tempo rary expansion.

“So, currently, we are working. The Water and Sewerage Corporation is working very aggressively to address the problems not just in the immediate, but also long term, because the

objective is to ensure that we have a sustainable reli able supply of water.”

Mr Sears continued: “One of the challenges as well has been that BPL (Bahamas Power and Light) because when you have the disruption of elec trical power supply, you also have a direct impact on the pumping of water so clearly, and I say this, because it is a core value of the public policy of the government, we have to increase the incorporation of renewable energy in degeneration of power.”

To do this, he said, the government has been working closely with the Inter-American Development Bank to facilitate the roll out of a number of solar micro grids in southern islands as well as in Eleuthera and Abaco.

This is in keeping with the government’s goal of generating 30 percent of its renewable energy by 2030.

again, that’s why we’ve asked the government con sistently to lead. Come up with a comprehensive plan. This is not satisfactory to any Bahamian from any walk of life.”

WORKS and Utili ties Minister Alfred Sears yesterday apologised to

in Eleuthera for the continued disruption of water supply on the island, saying the matter is one of “deep concern” that

NATIONAL Security Minister Wayne Munroe.

Photo: Austin Fernander

CONSTRUCTION work on Village Road.

Former AG: Will exists to change sex offences laws

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

FORMER Attorney General Allyson Maynard Gibson believes that public officials have the politi cal will to actually make changes to sexual offences legislation.

She agreed with Senate President LaShell Adder ley’s statement last week that rape is rape. Speaking on the issue yesterday, Mrs Maynard Gibson added the importance of everybody giving their contribution in discussing new legislation.

“I noted what she said, and I do agree with what she said. I think what’s

important is what I previ ously said and that is that as the government or agen cies that are responsible for bringing about new legisla tion, engage with the public, it is extremely important for all members of the public to participate. This is how we celebrate our democracy,” she told reporters.

“Democracy is most meaningful when people participate in it. So as the consultations go out on the draft legislation, I hope that men and women get involved and make their contributions.”

Currently, there is a pro posed draft amendment to the Sexual Offences Act. The draft legislation repeals

Section 3 of the current act that defines rape, adding a new definition of rape that recognises the act within a marriage, and amends Section 2 to redefine what consent and indecent assault is.

There have been varied opinions on the changes with some in the religious community opposed to them.

When asked if the church’s opinion should be weighed heavily, Mrs May nard Gibson said she thinks that everybody’s opin ion should be taken into account.

The University of The Bahamas’ board of trus tees chairwoman added: “I

SURVEYS BEGIN OVER SHANTY TOWNS ISSUE

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in response to the illegal developments.

The group was given a 45-day deadline in Septem ber to review and survey people living in the unreg ulated developments and another 15 days to report back to ministry officials with recommendations on the way forward.

When asked for an update on the committee’s work yesterday, Mr Sears said an assessment of those communities was already underway, but he could not say when preliminary reports would be completed by the group.

However, once com pleted, the minister said officials will compare the data with previous surveys to determine the degree of expansion in those areas.

“They’ve started to work,” he told reporters before going to a Cabinet meeting yesterday. “There are a number of surveys which are being done. Those surveys will have to be expanded because it has come to our attention in other islands, other than the ones we were focused on initially, that there are communities which are irregular, which are squat ting on land, so, the scope has had to be expanded.

“And that means more resources in terms of aerial surveys, in terms of persons going in and ascertaining

who are in these commu nities. So the preparatory work is ongoing and you know, this is not a matter that has just developed overnight.”

He added: “It really requires a national survey, because it is not restricted to one or two islands, but there are multiple islands and we want to address it comprehensively. Clearly, there will be international implications.

“And our communication is being made with multilat eral bodies concerned with emigration and resettle ment issues so that we are dealing with the national issues, but certainly, the rule of law has to be main tained and the response has to be comprehensive.”

There have been height ened calls in recent months for the government to address the issue of shanty towns due to an increasing number of illegal communi ties springing up on several islands, including Abaco, Eleuthera and Andros.

Mr Sears said yesterday before action can be taken, there must be preparation as the matter calls for a multi-agency approach.

“It involves multiple government agencies, the natural resources of the country and multiple inter ests, because in some areas from the intelligence we are getting, you have Baha mians who are leasing land on which some of these

irregular communities are located,” he added.

He also highlighted Andros as one such island where these activi ties were taking place, saying “Andros is one of the places which has been brought to our attention most recently.”

“We are undertaking an aerial survey,” he con tinued. “And in some of the areas we have a base, because at the time, which was, I think 2020 when the application was made into 2019, data was collected of certain areas in New Provi dence, as well as in Abaco and subsequent surveys are being compared with that base data, so that we can ascertain the degree of expansion that would have taken place since the basis data was collected.”

The Supreme Court in 2018 granted an injunc tion protecting shanty town homes in New Providence and parts of Abaco from destruction pending an out come of a judicial review over the matter.

After Hurricane Dorian hit Abaco in 2019, the gov ernment sought to have the 2018 injunction varied to exclude Abaco shanty towns and their residents and started demolishing newly built structures on the island post Dorian.

However, the govern ment was ordered to cease and desist from further demolitions when Justice

RESIDENTS AWAIT DECISION OVER EXTENSION OF SERZ ORDERS

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

RESIDENTS in Grand Bahama and Abaco are anxiously awaiting gov ernment’s decision on the extension of the SERZ order, or a new exigency order since the recent pas sage of Hurricane Nicole, Kwasi Thompson, member of Parliament for East Grand Bahama, said.

He stressed that the needs of residents have only been made more urgent by the hurricane.

“The people of Grand Bahama and Abaco are eagerly awaiting either the renewal of the order or new orders that will provide the same benefits and conces sions,” he said recently.

His comments came during debate last week in Parliament on a Mental Health Bill. Mr Thompson, who indicated his support of the new bill, said Hurricane Nicole brought back memo ries of Dorian and caused anxiety and mental health issues among residents of East Grand Bahama.

He noted that Sweeting’s Cay, which was ordered by NEMA to be evacuated, is still in a very vulner able position in terms of the dredging of the passage.

He indicated that an assessment needs to be done to ensure that the sand has not returned as two boats were stuck in the sand last week.

The dock there on the cay also needs repairs, said Mr Thompson, who is appeal ing to the government to get the repairs done.

In terms of the East End settlements, he renewed the call for the urgent repair of the sea wall in High Rock, where some residents expe rienced roof damage and flooding.

“The government must fix the High Rock sea wall. The community is rebuild ing, and we need the protection of that sea wall. We were spared this time, however we must be pre pared for the next storm,” he said.

“Officials touted in a public meeting that I attended that the govern ment has the funding, so we again reiterate the call for it,” said the MP.

He said some constitu ents in the vulnerable areas of Lady Lake and Over the Bridge are still in need of home repair assistance.

“They have asked me to remind the government,” he said. “They were already approved. Yes, significant progress was made since

Dorian, but they are still a long way away from pre-Dorian.”

Mr Thompson also recalled a story in the press regarding home repairs by the Disaster Reconstruc tion Authority on Grand Bahama and Abaco.

He said it was reported that the DRA is target ing 800 homes on Grand Bahama and Abaco.

“They have a work crew of ten, and 17 houses are under repair. There is a $2m budget. If my numbers are correct that is $2,500 per house. Is this sufficient?” the former Finance Minis ter asked.

Turning to Water Cay, Mr Thompson noted that the road from East Grand Bahama to Water Cay’s dock is in urgent need of repair. He said the road had been washed out and filled with debris as a result of Hurricane Nicole.

He stated that the dock from East Grand Bahama to Water Cay was also washed away by Nicole and is also in urgent need of repair.

Mr Thompson said that while the number of resi dents living there is small, they are Bahamians and deserve the same level of attention as any place else.

think it is extremely impor tant that we acknowledge women in particular. We are the bearers of children, par ticipate, as this is a family matter and it is strong families that build strong communities and a strong world, a peaceful world.”

The university had a study on the frequency of marital rape and sexual abuse which found that one in 12, or an estimated 4,000 married women, have been raped by their husbands. The study suggested that around 6,000 wives claimed being victims of sexual abuse.

Mrs Maynard Gibson commented that a study like that will just show the

“tip of the iceberg”.

“I know that other stud ies have shown and when I was the attorney general it was very clear that incidents like this that are actually reported are just the tip of the iceberg. So the more that we bring this out into the public, the more that we create safe spaces for dis cussions and research and discussing the research and discussing what we would like to see our community be like.”

As for if public offi cials have the political will to actually make these changes, she answered: “Absolutely. There’s no question in my mind about it. And I would just point to

in these 16 days of activism we are also talking about what the suffragettes did. Look what they did, they came together across all boundaries, across all politi cal boundaries, religious and other boundaries as well.

“And so it’s the same thing we have to do today, not just in respect of rape, which is a very important matter, but citizenship. How are we going to have women truly be equal in our country? These are very important issues that have to be discussed that have to be aired, and we have to create safe spaces for them to be discussed. Your gen eration is very important.”

Cheryl Grant-Thompson ordered an extension of her injunction to include all unregulated communities in Abaco.

Officials were told that

they must now get approval from the court before demolishing any further structures.

Mr Sears vowed that any action taken will be done

in accordance with the law, while adding that the com mittee’s strategy to address the problems of shanty towns also will be guided by that.

MINISTER of Works and Utilities Alfred Sears.

Publisher/Editor 1903-1914

LEON E. H. DUPUCH,

SIR ETIENNE DUPUCH, Kt., O.B.E., K.M., K.C.S.G., (Hon.) LL.D., D.Litt .

Publisher/Editor 1919-1972 Contributing Editor 1972-1991

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

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Protect our children

EDITOR, The Tribune.

“WE owe our children, the most vulnerable in our society, a life free of vio lence and fear.” — Nelson Mandela.

Nobody ever thinks it can happen to them. Nobody thinks they know a child predator. Until it is too late!

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Hurricane survivors left in limbo by rules change

THE aftermath of Hurricane Dorian hit The Bahamas hard. First, there were the personal losses – the deaths of so many in the storm. Second came the challenge to rebuild.

Abaco and Grand Bahama both faced huge reconstruction, with some buildings completely wiped out by the monster storm that struck in September 2019.

The Tribune was there first-hand to see the storm, with reporting staff at the scene even as the hurricane hit the islands.

There was absolutely a need for a helping hand for the survivors as they started to rebuild – a process no one could have foreseen would be further disrupted by a global pandemic, a war in Europe that sent fuel prices surging and global problems with both supply chains and inflation.

So when Financial Secretary Simon Wilson warned last night that tax breaks introduced after Hurricane Dorian “cannot go on indefinitely”, it should be of no surprise that people in those islands are concerned.

The existing Special Economic Recov ery Zone (SERZ) order for Abaco and Grand Bahama is due to expire tomorrow.

Mr Wilson says, however, that those orders are “not inexpensive” and sug gested that SERZ orders were being abused for tax evasion, fraud and other illicit purposes.

Instead, he suggested that the govern ment will move away from orders where everyone affected qualifies to a case-bycase basis.

He said that “anyone who has a valid” claim for tax relief would be “hon oured”. He said: “The best way to put it is if you have a valid claim for Dorian damage it will be honoured. So what some folks have done, because of ship ping delays and so forth, is they have come to us in advance and said they have purchased supplies but, because of supply chain issues, they are going to arrive after December 1. We’ve accom modated those persons. In Abaco I think there’s a fair few, but we’ve accom modated them.”

What Mr Wilson does not provide is evidence of this so-called fraud and tax evasion. And our courts do not appear to have been troubled by anyone being arrested for such behaviour.

Instead, we appear to be moving to a system where people have to plead per sonally for assistance. That has raised concerns.

Roscoe Thompson, the head of the Marsh Harbour/Spring City Township, was wary a case-by-case system could lead to “political favouritism”. He said “there’s no confirmation or clarity” on what will happen from tomorrow, especially with regard to what documents will have to be pro vided to secure tax exemptions – or even to whom those papers should be submitted.

Mr Thompson said: “A lot of Aba conians feel disenfranchised, a little perturbed, a little upset. We thought we would get a little longer. This

government, during election time this was one of their campaign promises, and they’ve gone back on it.

“It’s only been three years since Dorian, and we lost a year-and-a-half to COVID. A lot of people have not had the funds and financing to rebuild. Now people are finally getting the money, but can they still rebuild or bring in a car they had approval for in 2020 but did not have the means to do then?

“It’s really going to hurt the econ omy… you don’t have to go to a case-by-case basis. I believe it’s a way of getting rid of the SERZ and not extend ing it. It’s going to hinder Abaco big time.”

According to Mr Wilson, a “rebalanc ing” is now needed because taxpayers in New Providence and other islands cannot “cross-subsidise” these conces sions forever.

Putting it simply, this means less fund ing is going to be available across the islands hit by Hurricane Dorian. Cutting the tax breaks means less support, it’s as simple as that. In a case-by-case basis, if one person gets told yes, they can have this, and a second person is told no, then that’s halving the support available to begin with. So those islands will not have as much aid as previously.

Now if the person who gets the sup port is a friend of a minister and the one who does not get help does not have that relationship, suddenly you get con cerns over why awards are granted.

And consider this – Mr Wilson is essentially saying that islands not affected cannot be asked to help those that are.

One of the signatures of this adminis tration is that it has been travelling the world asking for nations not affected by climate change to reach into their pockets to support those, such as The Bahamas, that are being hit.

Why should the US or China have to pay up to support The Bahamas if The Bahamas won’t pay up to support its own?

As East Grand Bahama MP Kwasi Thompson pointed out too, there are repairs that need to be done that directly affect the impacts from climate change such as increased storm surge –he called for the High Rock sea wall to be fixed, while he said there were still residents in areas such as Lady Lake and Over The Bridge in need of home repair assistance.

All this is not even taking into account the fact that applying for help from the government and actually receiving it can be a long drawn-out process.

If it costs $50m a year to help rebuild after the storm, this is the cost we need to be touting internationally over cli mate change – and we shouldn’t be skimping on the bill when it comes time to pay it.

Can such tax breaks go on forever? No. But while it is easy to walk into a community and find homes where the reconstruction is still going on? We owe it to our fellow Bahamians.

After the storm, a common rallying cry was Bahamas Strong. We shouldn’t let that turn into Bahamas Cheap.

No one can fully under stand or appreciate what a parent goes through at such a time, unless they have faced a similar tragedy.

On any given day in this country a child faces poten tial harm and danger by someone they trust. It is time we say something!

November is National Child Safety and Protection Month, a nationwide effort to promote awareness of potential hazards and dan gers that children face in everyday situations. In rec ognition of child health and welfare in The Bahamas, partners of the Coalition of Child Advocates are spear heading several initiatives, events, and awareness cam paigns around the island that focus on this topic.

Child predators are not always a stranger in a dark alley, they are oftentimes in our midst. They are people we all know. They are our spouses, friends, our rela tives, and even trusted individuals. Ignorance and naiveté are dangerous in this situation.

The best way to keep your children safe from any danger is to learn the pred ator’s tactics.

Article 19 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child provides for the protection of children in and out of the home.

Child Safety and Pro tection encompasses the safeguarding of children from violence, exploitation, abuse, and neglect.

While we have made some progress, there is more that needs to be done to raise community awareness and educate our society about the impor tance of protecting our children.

For over 50 years, we taught our children about “stranger danger”, the idea that all strangers can potentially be danger ous. Nowadays, teaching children simply to avoid strangers doesn’t work. Most strangers will help rather than harm children. Conversely, it is often people known to chil dren that pose the greatest threat.

Therefore, it is cru cial that we change our approach in fighting for the rights and safety of a child.

The United Kingdom has recently created a pilot pro gram “Clever Never Goes” which is a more effective alternative to Stranger Danger. This latest concept helps children to recognise specific situations that are unsafe and gives them the tools to respond. It’s about giving the child practical safety skills and the confi dence to engage with the outside world.

As a parent or guard ian, the key is to trust your gut instinct, and to keep the communication open

between you and your child.

Look for warning signs and address them right away. Understand that no role or position exempts a person from being a predator.

Talk to your child about their time away from you. Speak with your child about body safety and safe touches.

Talk to your child about sexual abuse; and arm them with knowledge. Listen to your child, allow them to express their feelings.

As parents, you should have a healthy dose of skepticism about who cares for your child. Conduct your due diligence when hiring careers.

Develop a code word your child can use when they are feeling unsafe away from you. Always believe your child and tell them it’s not their fault.

Be on the alert, a common practice of a child predator is gaining the trust of the parent or guardian.

“No matter the circum stance, every child has the right to be protected from violence, exploitation and abuse”. — UNICEF

To learn more tips about stranger danger training or child sexual prevention follow our Facebook page @ SaveOurChildrenAlliance.

#seesomethingsaysome thing

SHERVONNE HOLLIS Child Advocate, Presi dent, Save Our Children Alliance VP, Coalition of Child Advocates

Nassau, November 17, 2022.

National health care system plan

EDITOR, The Tribune.

FROM the very early days of the late great and deeply lamented Sir Lynden Oscar Pindling , The Baha mas has been debating and talking about a National Health Care system, as nauseum. We have talked and talked this critical sub ject almost to death. Tens of thousands of Bahamians have died and many more are dying on a daily basis while we have this totally discourse as to whether or not we actually need and are able to afford this vital component in national development. They time for bogus debate and talk has come to an end.

While the bulk of our population has been referred to as ‘young’ , the debilitating and serious effects of the ability of the average ‘ older ‘Bahamian to access dental; vision and cardiovascular , on a timely basis, is costing individu als their very lives and the nation, at large, a massive degree of loss of produc tivity and send scores of Bahamians to a latter life of neglect ; punishment and national productivity . It seems as if we have unilat erally have consigned our ‘older’ people to the pro verbial bone yards.

Good eyesight and vision are critical to all, at some point in our lives. If you are unable to see or to see properly you will not be able to perform on your job or in your chosen pro fession. Eyes examinations could cost in excess of hun dreds of dollars. If you may need glasses and lens that could be another few hun dreds of dollars.

Many Bahamians, diet wise and genetically start to ‘lose’ vision in one or both eyes. many contract cataracts or total blindness which some say, is prevent able. Appointments at the government operate Eye Clinic up at Soldier Road are next to impossible and even when they are set, they are subject to ad hoc cancellations, even if you would have travelled to New Providence from a Family Island, with impu nity. Why is it that in this day and age, Bahamians

are still obliged to travel to New Providence for what should be minor tests and procedures?

Dental care is yet another long-neglected health com ponent for the average Bahamian? Many Bahami ans, young and old would have suffered tooth/teeth losses due to any number of reasons and may need examinations; treatment and replacement either by implants or affordable den tures. Dental procedures are exorbitantly, in my view by personal experience, off the dental and economic charts. As a result, you would see thousands of Bahamians with no teeth; a missing tooth or two and gum diseases. Is it any wonder that many Bahami ans ‘welcomed’ the mask mandate and now that it has been lifted, they are still not widely smiling ?

Non hereditary or com municable medical issues like high blood pressure and hypertension are liter ally, again, killing thousands of otherwise apparently healthy Bahamians. Heart and mental issues are yet more things that are contributing to the early demise, I submit, of tens of thousands of ordinary Bahamians.

While I fully support the recently passed Mental Health Act, that is not enough. Being ‘crazy’ has long been a societal stigma and it will not go away simple because on a revamped Mental Health Act and unspecified decla rations as to the objectives of that Bill. The intentions are, no doubt good ones, but what will really be achieved by plastering a ‘new’ label on ‘crazy’? Nothing was said, definitively about reclassifying ‘crazy’. By what yardstick do we label someone as ‘crazy’ when it would appear that a gang of Bahamians may well, in fact, have mental issues?

Private health insur ance is beyond the reach most Bahamians. espe cially since COVID and a contraction of the national economy. Many policies and contracts of insurance would have lapsed or been cancelled due to lack of payment. Insurance

companies, without, I am sure, any malicious intent, would have been ‘happy’ to see thousands of such con tracts and/policies declared’ lapsed; but that is a pure business outcome.

Heart surgery and most other organ transplants are beyond the economic reach of numerous Bahamians. This could and must have led to the untimely deaths of huge numbers of Baha mians. We are all able to recall some of the first heart transplant pioneered by a South African doctor. His name escapes me but even then , the costs were pro hibitive. Little has changed, fee and cost wise, since then.

Some of you will recall a few years ago, when our beloved (to some) then leader of the Opposition, the Hon Philip ‘Brave’ Davis, MP, KC (PLP-Cat Island) contracted COVID. He had the means to be placed in a medical bubble and evacuated to the USA where he was able to utilise updated medical facilities and treatment. He, thanks be to The Lord Jesus Christ, survived and went on to become Prime Minister of this wonderful nation. Alas, scores more, who could not afford the same as the now PM, have died and are where ever they might find themselves today.

One may say or even think whatever they may like about the late great and deeply lamented Sir Lynden Oscar Pindling nut none is able to deny that he was a visionary leader. Brave, with all due respect, is no Pindling but he has the innate ability to emu late and possibly exceed his societal and economic successes with the soon est implementation of two critical things: a National Health Care Scheme and a National Youth Service..... plain and simple. He can bite the proverbial bullet now or reap the unwanted and half ripe fruits later on in the season. To God then, in all things, with your leave Editor, be the glory.

ORTLAND H BODIE Jr Nassau, November

20, 2022.

A WOMAN looks at her photo while riding a camel in Mesaieed, Qatar. Throngs of World Cup fans in Qatar looking for something to do between games are leaving Doha for a classic Gulf tourist experi ence: riding a camel in the desert. But the sudden rise in tourists is putting pressure on the animals, who have almost no time to rest between each ride.

Photo: Ashley Landis/AP

MAN GRANTED BAIL AGAIN AFTER VIOLATING CONDITIONS

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Court Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A MAN was granted $6,000 bail in a Magistrate‘s Court after being accused of failing to charge his elec tronic monitoring device while on bail for murder.

This comes nearly three months after the accused was fined for a similar bail violation citing the same issues of not charging the device.

Nahshon Rolle, 26, faced Magistrate Kendra Kelly on three counts of violating his bail conditions.

This is in connection with his pending murder charge for his alleged involvement in the death of 17-year-old Jason Joseph on May 5, 2020.

Between October 31 and November 5 in South Andros and New Provi dence, Rolle is accused of failing to keep his EMD charged on three separate

occasions.

In court, he pleaded not guilty to his most recent charge. Rolle explained to the magistrate that he had had issues with his EMD for months. He said that while he had requested a new monitoring device from Metro Security he has yet to receive it.

The prosecution con firmed that the accused had previously been fined $2,500 and placed on 18 months probation before Magistrate Samuel McKin ney for a similar bail violation on September 8. He also had no objections to bail for this charge.

Bail was then granted to the accused at $6,000 with one or two sureties. In addition to being expected to continue signing in at Carmichael Police Station every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday, Rolle must be issued a new electronic monitoring device before his release.

ATTEMPTED MURDER CASE DROPPED

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Court Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

THE prosecution dropped its case against a man who was accused of attempted murder after the complainant withdrew the charges.

This came a day after the accused had been denied bail for the same offence before Senior Justice Ber nard Turner in the Supreme Court.

Mario Brown, 32, rep resented by attorney Ian Cargill, stood before Mag istrate Shaka Serville on a charge of attempted murder.

Brown was alleged to

have attempted to kill Richard Turnquest with a handgun on September 4.

In a previous court appearance, it was indicated to the prosecution that the complainant wished to drop the charges.

Upon receiving a letter from the Director of Public Prosecutions Garvin Gaskin, Magistrate Serville informed the accused that the prosecution was no longer going to pursue its case.

This resulted in Brown being officially discharged for the matter. Before leav ing court, Mr Cargill stated his intention to bring this recent development to Jus tice Turner’s attention.

$1,000 FINE FOR STEALING PARTS

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Court Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A MAN was fined $1,000 in court yesterday after admitting to stealing car parts from a vehicle he said was on a vacant lot.

Prescott Strachan, 25, faced Magistrate Kendra Kelly on a charge of stealing.

Since he was first arraigned on November 15, the accused maintained that while he did take the car parts, he assumed that the vehicle had no owner as he

said it was on vacant land.

However, in his latest court appearance, Stra chan pleaded guilty to the charge.

Prosecutor Sergeant Vernon Pyfrom then told the magistrate that the accused had prior convictions.

Magistrate Kelly ordered the accused to pay a $1,000 fine or risk a six-month prison sentence.

Strachan was also told to ensure that all vehicle parts were returned to their rightful owner.

DISCHARGE OVER DRUG POSSESSION

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Court Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A MAN was ordered to give 50 hours of commu nity service yesterday after admitting to the possession of drugs.

Braydon Dixon, 28, appeared before Magistrate Kendra Kelly on a charge of possession of dangerous drugs.

Police on mobile patrol stopped Dixon for suspi cious behaviour around 8.45pm on November 24 at Kool Air Subdivisions Road.

The accused was then arrested after police found two grams of Indian hemp in a foil wrapping on his person.

In court, the accused

pleaded guilty to the offence. Dixon said to the magistrate that he had found the drugs while cleaning a neighbour’s yard.

In addition to saying that he doesn’t smoke marijuana, he claimed that he intended to destroy the drugs, but was stopped by the police before he could do so.

In view of this and the fact that the accused had no prior convictions, Mag istrate Kelly placed Dixon on conditional discharge.

As such he is expected to give 50 hours of community service before returning to court for a mention hearing on December 19.

Before leaving court, Dixon was warned that defaulting on these con ditions would result in a two-week prison sentence.

$525,000 donation boosts university

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

LYFORD Cay Foundations donated $525,000 to the University of The Bahamas which will increase scholarship grants to the university, boost study abroad scholarships for students and enhance the college bridging programme.

Basil Goulandris, the foundations’ chair, highlighted that they have now invested some $10m in the institution to date and strengthened that com mitment with a special grant in the amount of more than half a million dollars.

“Our grants to the College of The Bahamas and now University of The Bahamas have aimed to help people achieve their dreams and obtain skill sets most needed in our country. Our grants have enabled need-based scholarships with the aim of equalis ing opportunities for Bahamians,” he said at a press conference yesterday.

“For example, our Marilu Tolo scholarship award for young men and women of high academic achieve ment; the David A C Kelly Memorial award for small island sustainability majors; or the Ranfurly Home for Children award for current or past residents of the Ranfurly Home; or the Godfrey K Kelly award for Family Island students and many other simi lar awards for Family Island residents.

“Our partnership with this insti tution also now extends beyond traditional scholarship grants. This grant today includes provisions for study abroad scholarships for Uni versity of the Bahamas students, as well as awards for the college bridging programme. This programme pro vides incoming students with summer classes to prepare them for college. We’ve also extended the criteria to students in college prep classes, and part time studies.”

The university’s president, Dr Erik Rolland also mentioned the invest ment to the institution and their students nearing $10m.

He noted this is “quite frankly phe nomenal” and a reflection of the value as well as importance the Lyford Cay Foundations and its donors place on access to quality education within the country in addition to beyond its shores.

Dr Rolland added: “We are deeply honoured at the longevity of this part nership and proud of the work that both of our organisations are commit ted to the development of the young Bahamians by providing these oppor tunities for higher education.”

For her part, the university’s board of trustees chairwoman Allyson May nard Gibson also emphasised the importance of this partnership.

“I could name many more schol ars we share in common from the thousands of Bahamians who have

benefited from Lyford Cay Founda tions scholarship funding in some form or fashion and a UB education,” she said.

“This is a partnership and shared vision of immense value. This is the work and the support that builds leaders, develops a country and trans forms the world. Today, we’ve taken another step forward in this important work. We are truly honoured to be doing this work with you at the foun dation and on our UB day of giving and giving Tuesday internationally.”

As a beneficiary of the important work of the Foundations and UB, Lyford Cay Foundations, executive director Dr Nicola Virgill-Rolle said she knows firsthand why moments like this matter.

She said: “I benefited generously from the Lyford Cay Foundations’ donors who helped students like me achieve our dreams. As an alumna of the College of the Bahamas, now University of the Bahamas, I also ben efited from the outstanding education that this institution provides.

“This grant to the university is part of how we plan to advance educa tional opportunities in The Bahamas. We also operate an out of school tui tion free college readiness programme called FOCUS, which again is part of a partnership with the University of The Bahamas as we host our sessions right here at the University of The Bahamas.”

A DONATION of $525,000 to the University of The Bahamas from Lyford Cay Foundations will help the work of the university, including increasing scholarship grants.

16 days to take steps to end violence against women

LAST week Friday was the first day of the Global 16 Days Campaign which was started by the Centre for Women’s Global Leader ship in 1991. The campaign, which begins on Novem ber 25 — International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (IDEVAW) — every year and end on December 10 — Human Rights Day — was started to focus on ending violence against women.

Many organisations and individuals participate in the campaign all over the world, and these days become a time to raise awareness. At thousands of events and on thousands of flyers, the statistics we should all know well by now are announced. One in three women experience physical or sexual abuse in their lifetimes.

After decades of aware ness-raising, we must use these campaign periods differently. Thanks to the work of women, largely from the “Global South,” we have terms like “vio lence against women” and generally understand what they mean. Domestic vio lence and intimate partner violence are generally understood

By Alicia Wallace

to be wrong, they are crimi nalised in various (but not always comprehensive and appropriate) ways, and we are getting closer to eve ryone understanding that women are disproportion ately affected by this kind of violence.

Our greatest challenge today is not that people are unaware. It is that the connections are not being made between systems and behaviours which would necessitate transformation in both.

Intimate partner violence and domestic violence do not appear within relation ships and households out of nowhere. These behaviours are connected to ideologies about gender and relation ships, and the ways people learn from and manipulate laws, policies, religions, and cultural norms. Once we acknowledge that

Upcoming Global 16 Days Campaign Events

intimate partner violence and domestic violence are pervasive issues, to address them, we have to be prepared to look at the underlying systems in addi tion to the ways they affect various aspects of our lives and sectors of society and economy.

The World Health Organization (WHO) says: “Violence against women – particularly intimate part ner violence and sexual violence – is a major public and clinical health problem and a violation of women’s human rights. It is rooted in and perpetuates gender inequalities.”

It is understood that violence against women is a public health issue. We also know that healthcare professionals are among the best placed to recog nise signs that a woman is experiencing domes tic or intimate partner violence and have the opportunity to intervene. Where there is failure to prevent or intervene, domestic and intimate partner violence, among other forms of violence against women, can result in femicide.

Building a Femicide Observatory, December 1 at 6pm. Equality Bahamas will be in conversation with Myrna Dawson, Director of Canadian Femicide Observatory for Justice and Accountability (CFOJA) about its work to conduct and promote research on the gender-based killing of women. Register: tiny.cc/16daysobserve Yoga with Antonio, December 4 at 8am. Antonio Weech will guide us through a session to help us to release tension and take care of our bodies in the midst of this campaign focused on a difficult. Register: tiny.cc/16daysyoa Poetry Workshop: Writing Through It Together, December 8 at 6pm. Join Equality Bahamas at Poinciana Paper Press, #12 Parkgate Road or virtually (register at tiny.cc/16dayspoetry) for an interactive session with writer, visual artist, and small press publisher Sonia Farmer, poet Marion Bethel, and spoken word artist Brittany Delaney. They will share some of their work, and then we will be led through a process of writing our own poems or writing a poem together.

Let’s Make a Zine, December 10 at 3pm. Join Equal ity Bahamas at Poinciana Paper Press to get creative with Sonia Farmer who will help us make a zine—a self-pub lished, small-circulation publication, usually reproduced with the use of a photocopying machine. Feel free to bring supplies like old magazines and photos, or come and make sure of what we’ll have available at the press. This event is in-person only.

Femicide is the kill ing of a woman or girl because of her gender or sex. In “Understanding and addressing violence against women” WHO said, “Femi cide is generally understood to involve intentional murder of women because they are women, but broader definitions include any killings of women or girls.”

This is an important point because femi cide can be direct or indirect, and it can be the result of a failure to provide essential services and resources.

WHO also noted that “most cases of femicide are com mitted by partners or ex-partners, and involve ongoing abuse in

the home, threats or intimi dation, sexual violence or situations where women have less power or fewer resources than their part ner”. There are often signs of this that can be observed by or verbally commu nicated to healthcare professionals. WHO has acknowledged that it needs to train and sensitise health staff and to strengthen screening.

Dubravka Simonovic, former Special Rappor teur on Violence Against Women, said that femicide is “the most extreme form of violence against women and the most violent mani festation of discrimination against women and their inequality”.

This is a concise, strong statement as it makes a clear connection between the ideologies, systems, and behaviour. Discrimination against women and gender inequality are present in the law, so they are present in our lives. They inform the way we think about and interact with one another.

We can look, for exam ple, at the Sexual Offences Act and the stalling of the government on amending it to criminalise marital rape.

The definition of rape in Section 3 has “who is not his spouse” which suggests that sexual violence in a marital relationship is excusable. It also sends the message that women are the property of their husbands, married women do not have the right to bodily autonomy, and that women’s human rights are waived when they get married.

We know that the law sets a standard for the way we behave, so it should not be surprising that the exclu sion of married people from the law on rape encourages people to view and treat women as subhuman.

Because it is in the law, people accept it as the ulti mate truth, and this then makes it difficult to get the same people to understand that the law needs to be changed.

Law informs our beliefs which influences our behav iour, and our accepted behaviours can be taken as evidence of beliefs and they then affect the way we look at the law.

It is important to remem ber the gender-based violence is not limited to sexual or physical violence.

There is financial abuse and emotional abuse at the interpersonal level. In addition, there is structural violence.

This includes violence that is embedded in and caused by systems, includ ing the law. Femicide, then, can be the result of discrim inatory law.

Former Special Rappor teur on Violence Against Women Rashida Manjoo noted that femicide can be direct or indirect. The direct category includes killings as a result of intimate partner violence, “honour” kill ings, and killings related to gender identity and sexual orientation. The indirect category includes deaths due to unsafe abortions, maternal mortality, deaths related to human traffick ing, deaths caused by simple neglect, and deaths result ing from deliberate acts or

omissions by the State.

The Global 16 Days Campaign needs to go beyond awareness. It needs to deepen people’s under standing of the issues. It needs to mobilise people to take action. It has to go beyond symbolism.

Wearing purple shirts or orange pins will not change the country, much less the world. We need to develop tools and resources, we need legal reform, and we need to completely trans form our systems and beliefs related gender.

Equality Bahamas is committed to this work and invites the public to join its campaign events and the initiatives it will continue into 2023. Let sEndFemicide by ending gender-based violence, pri oritising legal reform along with provision of resources and services.

‘[Femicide is] the most extreme form of violence against women and the most violent manifestation of discrimination against women and their inequality.’

Dubravka Simonovic

NOTICE is hereby given that LEONARDO PIERRE of King Street, Blue Hill Road, New Providence, The Bahamas is applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for registration/ naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/ naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 30th day of November, 2022 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, Bahamas.

NOTICE is hereby given that WILLIO DOCTEUR of #23 Albatross Circle, Freeport, Grand Bahama, Bahamas is applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for registration/naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 30th day of November, 2022 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, Bahamas.

NOTICE is hereby given that JAMARIO DORSAN

CHARLES of #23 Hanna Hill, Eight Mile Rock Freeport Grand Bahama, Bahamas is applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for registration/naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/ naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 30th day of November, 2022 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, Bahamas.

COMPETITORS CHIPPING AWAY AT TESLA’S US ELECTRIC VEHICLE SHARE

By TOM KRISHER AP Auto Writer

DETROIT (AP) — New electric vehicle models from multiple automakers are starting to chip away at Tesla’s dominance of the U.S. EV market, according to national vehicle registra tion data.

But numbers collected by S&P Global Mobility show that Tesla still con trolled about 65% of the growing electric vehicle market during the first nine months of this year. And the competitors made gains in the sticker price range below $50,000, where Tesla barely competes.

From 2018 through 2020, Tesla had about 80% of the EV market. Its share dropped to 71% in 2021 and has continued to decline, said Stephanie Brinley, an S&P associate director.

“Tesla’s position is changing as new, more affordable options arrive, offering equal or better technology and produc tion build,” S&P Global Mobility said in a state ment Tuesday. “Given that consumer choice and con sumer interest in EVs is growing, Tesla’s ability to retain a dominant market share will be challenged going forward.”

According to S&P, elec tric vehicles have picked up 2.4 percentage points of U.S. market share this year, growing to 5.2% of all light vehicle registrations.

Of the 525,000 electric vehicles registered during the first nine months of the year, about 65%, or

340,000, were Teslas, S&P said.

Despite the smaller market share, Tesla will continue to see its sales grow as consumer inter est increases, Brinley said.

“The EV market in 2022 is a Tesla market, and it will continue to be so long as competitors are bound by production capacity,” she said.

A shortage of computer chips and other parts has stopped many competi tors such as Ford, General Motors, Hyundai, Kia and

Volkswagen from running factories at full capacity to meet demand.

Tesla also faces compe tition at the higher end of the market from BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Polestar, Rivian, Lucid and others.

S&P said there are 48 EV models on sale in the U.S. at present, and it expects that to grow to 159 by the end of 2025.

Tesla plans to introduce its Cybertruck pickup next year, and a new Roadster at an undefined date, but

otherwise its light-vehicle model lineup in 2025 will be the same as it is now, S&P said. The company has plans to deliver some electric semis to PepsiCo on Thursday.

S&P also found that consumers who bought battery-electric vehicles so far this year largely had owned Honda and Toyota vehicles before switch ing. Both companies have fuel-efficient internal com bustion and hybrid models, but have been slow to roll out EVs in the U.S. Toyota

has only one model, while Honda won’t have any until 2024.

Tesla’s Model Y small SUV and Model 3 small sedan were the top 2 SUVs, accounting for more than half of all electric vehicle registrations, Brinley said. Ford’s Mustang Mach-E was third, followed by two more Teslas, the Model S sedan and X SUV. Round ing out the top 10 EVs were the Chevrolet Bolt sedan and SUV, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6, Volkswa gen ID.4 and Nissan Leaf.

CHINA LAUNCHES THREE ASTRONAUTS TO COMPLETE SPACE STATION

BEIJING (AP) — China launched a rocket Tuesday carry ing three astronauts to complete construction of the country’s per manent orbiting space station, during which they will expand the facility to its maximum capacity of six crew aboard.

The crew of the Shenzhou-15 will overlap for several days with the existing 3-member crew of the Tiangong station, who will then return to Earth after their sixmonth mission.

Their spaceship blasted off atop a Long March-2F carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on the edge of the Gobi Desert at 11:08 p.m. Tuesday.

The six-month mission, com manded by Fei Junlong and crewed by Deng Qingming and Zhang Lu, will be the last in the station’s construction phase, according to the China Manned Space Agency.

Fei, 57, is a veteran of the 2005 four-day Shenzhou-6 mission, the second time China sent a human into space. Deng and Zhang are making their first space flights.

The station’s third and final module docked with the station earlier this month, one of the last steps in China’s more than decade-long effort to maintain a constant crewed presence in orbit.

After the Shenzhou-15 space ship makes an automated docking with the Tianhe core living and control module’s front port, the station will be expanded to its maximum size, with three modules and three spacecraft attached for a total mass of nearly 100 tonnes. Tiangong has room to accommo date six astronauts at a time and the handover will take about a week. That would mark the sta tion’s first in-orbit crew rotation.

Previous missions to the space station have taken about 13 hours from liftoff to docking.

China has not yet said what further work is needed to com plete the station. Next year, it plans to launch the Xuntian space telescope, which, while not part of Tiangong, will orbit in sequence with the station and can dock occasionally with it for maintenance.

Without the attached space craft, the Chinese station weighs about 66 tons — a fraction of the International Space Station, which launched its first module in 1998 and weighs around 465 tons.

With a lifespan of 10 to 15 years, Tiangong could one day be the only space station still up and run ning if the International Space Station retires in the coming years as planned.

NASA CANCELS GREENHOUSE GAS MONITORING SATELLITE DUE TO COST

By SETH BORENSTEIN AP Science Writer

NASA is cancelling a planned satellite that was going to intensely monitor greenhouse gases over the Americas because it got too costly and complicated.

But the space agency said it will still be watching humancaused carbon pollution but in different ways.

NASA on Tuesday announced that its GeoCarb mission, which was supposed to be a low-cost satellite to monitor carbon dioxide, methane and how plant life changes over North and South America, was being killed because of cost overruns.

When it was announced six years ago, it was sup posed to cost $166 million, but the latest NASA figures show costs would balloon to more than $600 million and it was years late, according to NASA Earth Sciences Direc tor Karen St. Germain.

Unlike other satellites that monitor greenhouse gases from low Earth orbit and get different parts of the globe in a big picture, GeoCarb was supposed to be at a much higher altitude of 22,236 miles (35,786 kilometres) from one fixed place in orbit and focus intently on North and South America. That different and further perspective proved too difficult and costly to get done on budget and on time, St. Germain said.

The equipment alone has more than doubled in price and then there were non-tech nical issues that would have added more, she said. The agency has already spent $170 million on the now-cancelled programme and won’t spend any more.

“This doesn’t reflect any reduction in our commit ment to the science, the observations associated with greenhouse gases and climate change,” St. Germain said in an interview Tuesday. “We’re still committed to doing that science. But we’re going to have to do it a different way because we don’t see this instrument coming together.”

Monitoring of greenhouse gases, the main cause of global warming, is important on many levels. It can help spot leaks, say of methane, or hold to account compa nies and countries that have pledged to reduce emissions. Beyond governments, many private companies now do satellite monitoring of green house gases.

Instead of its project, NASA is looking to launch a yet-to-be-decided Earthfocused mission, designed to be bigger and less risky.

The space agency also is getting methane data from a special instrument on the International Space Station that was meant to look at mineral dust but is monitoring the potent greenhouse gas as a bonu s, plus there are meth ane monitoring satellites from the European and Japanese space agency and some com mercial and non-profit firms, she said.

NEW electric vehicle models from multiple automakers are starting to chip away at Tesla’s dominance of the U.S. EV market, according to national vehicle registration data. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)

THE MANNED spaceship Shenzhou-15, atop the Long March-2F Y15 carrier rocket, blasts off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China on Tuesday. China launched the rocket Tuesday carrying three astronauts to com plete construction of the country’s permanent orbiting space station.

(Li Gang/Xinhua via AP)

Students sent home in China as police patrol to curb protests

BEIJING Associated Press

CHINESE universities sent students home and police fanned out in Beijing and Shanghai to prevent more protests yesterday after crowds angered by severe anti-virus restric tions called for leader Xi Jinping to resign in the big gest show of public dissent in decades.

Authorities have eased some controls after dem onstrations in at least eight mainland cities and Hong Kong but maintained they would stick to a “zeroCOVID” strategy that has confined millions of people to their homes for months at a time. Security forces have detained an unknown number of people and stepped up surveillance.

With police out in force, there was no word of pro tests yesterday in Beijing, Shanghai or other major mainland cities that were the scene last weekend of the most widespread pro tests since the army crushed the 1989 student-led Tiananmen Square prodemocracy movement.

In Hong Kong, about a dozen people, mostly from the mainland, protested at a university.

Beijing’s Tsinghua Uni versity, where students protested over the week end, and other schools in the capital and the southern province of Guangdong sent students home. The schools said they were being pro tected from COVID-19, but dispersing them to far-flung hometowns also reduces the

likelihood of more demon strations. Chinese leaders are wary of universities, which have been hotbeds of activism including the Tian anmen protests.

On Sunday, Tsinghua students were told they could go home early for the semester. The school, which is Xi’s alma mater, arranged buses to take them to the train station or airport.

Nine student dorms at Tsinghua were closed Monday after some students positive for COVID-19, according to one who noted the closure would make it hard for crowds to gather. The stu dent gave only his surname, Chen, for fear of retribution from authorities.

Beijing Forestry Uni versity also said it would arrange for students to return home. It said its fac ulty and students all tested negative for the virus.

At least ten universities have sent students home.

Schools said classes and final exams would be con ducted online.

Authorities hope to “defuse the situation” by clearing out campuses, said Dali Yang, an expert on Chinese politics at the Uni versity of Chicago.

Depending on how tough a position the government takes, groups might take turns protesting, he said.

Police appeared to be trying to keep their crack down out of sight, possibly to avoid drawing attention to the scale of the protests or encouraging others.

Videos and posts on Chi nese social media about

protests were deleted by the ruling party’s vast online censorship apparatus.

There were no announce ments about detentions, though reporters saw pro testers taken away by police, and authorities warned some detained protesters against demon strating again.

In Shanghai, police stopped pedestrians and checked their phones Monday night, according to a witness, possibly look ing for apps such as Twitter that are banned in China or images of protests. The witness, who insisted on anonymity for fear of arrest, said he was on his way to a protest but found no crowd there when he arrived.

Images viewed by The Associated Press of photos from a weekend protest showed police shoving people into cars. Some people were also swept up in police raids after demon strations ended.

One person who lived near the site of a protest in Shanghai was detained Sunday and held until yesterday morning, accord ing to two friends who insisted on anonymity for fear of retribution from authorities.

In Beijing, police on Monday visited a resident who attended a protest the previous night, according to a friend who refused to be identified for fear of retali ation. He said the police questioned the resident and warned him not to go to more protests.

Yesterday, protesters at the University of Hong

Kong chanted against virus restrictions and held up sheets of paper with critical slogans. Some spectators joined in their chants.

The protesters held signs that read, “Say no to COVID panic” and “No dictatorship but democracy.”

One chanted: “We’re not foreign forces but your classmates.” Chinese authorities often try to dis credit domestic critics by saying they work for for eign powers.

“Zero COVID” has helped keep case numbers lower than those of the United States and other major countries, but global health experts increasingly say it is unsustainable.

Beijing needs to make its approach “very tar geted” to reduce economic disruption, the head of the International Mon etary Fund told The Associated Press in an interview Tuesday.

“We see the importance of moving away from mas sive lockdowns,” said IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva in Berlin. “So that targeting allows to contain the spread of COVID without signifi cant economic costs.”

Economists and health experts, however, warn that Beijing can’t relax controls that keep most travelers out of China until tens of millions of elderly people are vaccinated. They say that means “zero COVID” might not end for as much as another year.

Yesterday, the National Health Commission

announced plans to encourage the elderly to be vaccinated with public ity campaigns, outreach through community cent ers and mobile vaccination sites to reach people who can’t leave home.

Public tolerance of the restrictions has eroded as some people confined at home said they struggled to get access to food and medicine.

The Chinese Communist Party promised last month to reduce disruptions, but a spike in infections prompted cities to tighten controls.

The weekend protests were sparked by anger over the deaths of at least ten people in a fire in Chi na’s far west last week that prompted angry questions online about whether fire fighters or victims trying to escape were blocked by anti-virus controls.

Most protester com plained about excessive restrictions, but some turned their anger at Xi, China’s most powerful leader since at least the 1980s.

In a video that was veri fied by The Associated Press, a crowd in Shang hai on Saturday chanted, “Xi Jinping! Step down! CCP! Step down!” Such direct criticism of Xi is unprecedented.

Sympathy protests were held overseas, and foreign governments have called on Beijing for restraint.

“We support the right of people everywhere to peacefully protest, to make known their views, their

concerns, their frustra tions,” said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during a visit to Bucharest, Romania.

Meanwhile, the British government summoned China’s ambassador as a protest over the arrest and beating of a BBC camera man in Shanghai.

Media freedom “is some thing very, very much at the heart of the UK’s belief system,” said Foreign Sec retary James Cleverly. Chinese Ministry of For eign Affairs spokesperson Zhao Lijian disputed the British version of events. Zhao said the journalist, Edward Lawrence, failed to identify himself and accused the BBC of twist ing the story.

Asked about criticism of the crackdown, Zhao defended Beijing’s antivirus strategy and said the public’s legal rights were protected by law.

The government is trying to “provide maximum pro tection to people’s lives and health while minimizing the COVID impact on social and economic develop ment,” he said.

Wang Dan, a former student leader of the 1989 demonstrations who lives in exile, said the protest “sym bolizes the beginning of a new era in China ... in which Chinese civil society has decided not to be silent and to confront tyranny.”

But he warned at a news conference in Taipei, Taiwan, that authorities were likely to respond with “stronger force to violently suppress protesters”.

OATH KEEPERS FOUNDER GUILTY OF SEDITIOUS CONSPIRACY

WASHINGTON Associated Press

OATH Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes was con victed Tuesday of seditious conspiracy for a violent plot to overturn President Joe Biden’s election, handing the Justice Department a major victory in its massive prosecution of the January 6, 2021, insurrection.

A Washington, DC, jury found Rhodes guilty of sedition after three days of deliberations in the nearly two-month-long trial that showcased the far-right extremist group’s efforts to keep Republican Donald Trump in the White House at all costs. Rhodes was acquitted of two other con spiracy charges.

The verdict marks a sig nificant milestone for the Justice Department and is likely to clear the path for prosecutors to move ahead at full steam in upcoming trials of other extremists accused of sedition.

It is also likely to

embolden investigators, whose work has expanded beyond those who attacked the Capitol to focus on others linked to Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election. US Attorney Merrick Garland recently named a veteran prosecu tor, Jack Smith, to serve as special counsel to oversee key aspects of a probe into efforts to subvert the elec tion as well as a separate investigation into the reten tion of classified documents at Trump’s Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago.

Using dozens of encrypted messages, recordings and surveillance video, prosecutors made the case that Rhodes began shortly after the 2020 elec tion to prepare an armed rebellion to stop the trans fer of presidential power.

Over seven weeks of testimony, jurors heard how Rhodes rallied his fol lowers to fight to defend Trump, discussed the pros pect of a “bloody” civil war and warned the Oath

Keepers may have to “rise up in insurrection” to defeat Biden if Trump didn’t act.

One of Rhodes’ codefendants — Kelly Meggs, the leader of the Florida chapter of the Oath Keep ers — was also convicted of the sedition charge, while three other co-defendants were cleared of the charge. Jurors found all five defend ants guilty of obstruction of an official proceeding: Congress’ certification of Biden’s electoral victory.

Rhodes and Meggs are the first people in nearly three decades to be found guilty of the rarely used Civil War-era charge at trial. Seditious conspiracy calls for up to 20 years behind bars.

Rhodes’ intends to appeal, defense attor ney James Lee Bright told reporters. Another Rhodes lawyer, Ed Tarpley, described the verdict as a “mixed bag,” adding, “This is not a total victory for the government in any way, shape or form.”

On trial alongside Rhodes, of Granbury, Texas, and Meggs, were Kenneth Harrelson, another Florida Oath Keeper; Thomas Caldwell, a retired Navy intelligence officer from Virginia; and Jessica Watkins, who led an Ohio militia group.

Caldwell was con victed on two counts and acquitted on three others, including the serious sedi tious conspiracy charge. His attorney David Fischer called the verdict “major victory” for his client and a “major defeat” for the Jus tice Department. He also said he would appeal the two convictions.

Jury selection for a second group of Oath Keepers facing seditious conspiracy charges is sched uled to begin next week.

Several members of the Proud Boys, including the former national chairman Enrique Tarrio, are also scheduled to go to trial on the sedition charge in December.

Defence attorneys accused prosecutors of twisting their clients’ words and insisted the Oath Keep ers came to Washington only to provide security for figures such as Roger Stone, a longtime Trump ally. The defense focused heavily on seeking to show that Rhodes’ rhetoric was just bluster and that the Oath Keepers had no plan before January 6 to attack the Capitol.

In an extraordinary move, Rhodes took the stand to tell jurors there was no plan to attack the Capitol and insist that his followers who went inside the building went rogue.

Rhodes testified that he had no idea that his fol lowers were going to join the mob and storm the Capitol and said he was

upset after he found out that some did. Rhodes said they were acting “stupid” and outside their mission for the day.

Prosecutors said the Oath Keepers saw an opportunity to advance their plot to stop the transfer of power and sprang into action when the mob started storming the Capitol. The Capitol attack was a “means to an end” for the Oath Keepers, Assis tant US Attorney Kathryn Rakoczy told jurors in her closing argument.

Jurors heard how Rhodes spent thousands of dol lars on an AR-platform rifle, magazines, mounts, sights and other equipment on his way to Washington ahead of the riot. They watched surveillance foot age from the Virginia hotel where some Oath Keepers stashed weapons for “quick reaction force” teams pros ecutors said were ready to get weapons into the city quickly if they were needed. The weapons were never deployed.

“We feel like we pre sented a case that showed through evidence and testi mony that Mr Rhodes did not commit the crime of seditious conspiracy,” Tar pley said.

PROTESTERS hold up white paper some with writings commemorating the Nov 24 deadly Urumqi fire during a gathering at the University of Hong Kong in Hong Kong, yesterday. Photo: Bertha Wang/AP

Stadium ‘baseball ready’

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

Although there is still some more cosmetic work to be done, architect and project manager Michael Foster said the newly constructed Andre Rodg ers National Baseball Stadium will be “baseball ready” for the fourth Caribbean Baseball Cup.

The tournament, featuring four visiting teams against the Baha mas national team, will run from Sunday, December 4 to Sunday, December 11 with the two teams qualifying to represent COCABE

Garvin

in the Central American Games in 2023 in Argentina.

And according to host Bahamas Baseball Association secretary general Theodore ‘Teddy’ Sweet ing, who serves as the chairman of the Local Organising Commit tee, the Bahamas will be ready to entertain Cuba, the US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and Curacao in the week-long tournament.

Sweeting revealed that Cuba is expected to arrive in town on Friday out of Cuba via Bahama sair. The other three teams will be coming in town on Saturday at various times.

“Everything is now set with all of the teams participating,” Sweeting

said. “Everything gets kicked off on Sunday. The stadium is baseball ready. It’s ready to go for the tour nament. It’s really coming together and it will definitely be the gem of the Caribbean.

“All of the countries are looking forward to come to the tournament to play in a new facility with a com plete artificial turf, which is a very good quality turf for the stadium. So I encourage the Bahamian people to come out and watch some exciting baseball again.”

The BBA, headed by Sam Rodg ers, is expected to officially name Team Bahamas during a press con ference at noon on Thursday at the Andre Rodgers Baseball Stadium.

All other details surrounding the tournament will be released at that time. This is the first time that the Bahamas will be hosting a major international tournament in base ball and already COCABE has designated the Bahamas and the stadium as the venue for all other international competitions until future notice.

During a tour of the facilities yesterday, Foster said the field with its artificial turf is complete and the padding for the outfield fence is being placed around, while the batting cages and pitcher’s warm up mound are being completed.

WHY DID WOMEN’S NATIONAL BASKETBALL TEAM NOT TRAVEL?

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

WHO is responsible for the financial fiasco that forced the Bahamas Bas ketball Federation to leave the women’s national bas ketball team home, instead of travelling last week to compete in the Centrobas ket Tournament.

The team, having quali fied for the tournament when they clinched the bronze medal at the FIBA Caribbean Women’s Bas ketball Championships in July, was preparing to head to Mexico for the tournament that ran from November 20-27.

But after exhausting all avenues, the federation decided at the last minute to pull the plug on the trip and just concentrated on the men’s national basketball

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

GARVIN Tynes and Palmdale Primary have booked their tickets to the girls’ softball champi onship game for the New Providence Public Primary School Sports Association as they wrapped up the preliminary rounds yes terday at the Baillou Hills Sporting Complex.

While the two teams are set to square off against each other on Friday, the boys will determine today who will advance to play in their baseball champion ship that will be played on the same day and venue.

TG Glover had a chance to knock out either one of the teams in the girls’ divi sion when they played the final game of the elimi nation process, but they needed to score at least 14 or more runs.

In the one hour played where they used a system where after you score five runs in one inning, the next team switches on offence, they only completed two innings and ended up with a 10-3 win over Sandilands

More

By ALANIS THAMES AP Sports Writer

MIAMI GARDENS, Florida (AP) — Tua Tago vailoa’s career-altering turnaround can be traced in part to a confidence-induc ing moment with Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel.

Before the season, McDaniel compiled a high light reel of about 700 of Tagovailoa’s best plays in an attempt to boost his young quarterback’s selfassurance. That detail was first reported on the CBS broadcast of Miami’s 30-15 win over Houston on Sunday.

Tagovailoa’s first two NFL seasons were filled with turmoil. He dealt with various injuries. He was benched multiple times in his rookie year. When he failed to take a leap in Year

Primary. And In other games played yesterday, Eva Hilton knocked off TG Glover 7-2, Garvin Tynes nipped Eva Hilton 8-7 and Palmdale got by Carlton E Francis.

On Monday in games played, Eva Hilton nipped Sandilands 5-4, TG Glover def. Garvin Tynes 4-1, Palmdale def. Carlton E Francis 8-7, Garvin Tynes blanked Sandilands 10-0.

Association president Latoya Bain-Sturrup said it’s a great start to what they are anticipating to be a great week of softball and baseball.

“The kids are having fun and they are getting into the development of the sport. That is what it’s all about,” she said. “They are having a lot of fun with the softball, even though some of the teams were disap pointed that they didn’t get to the finals.”

Crystal Eneas, who along with Janice Williams coach Garvin Tynes, said their girls are happy to be in the “big dance” and they are eager to “show their skills” when they face Palmdale, coached by Ashley Oem bler. “I think the children

did a great job, considering that we are only working on the fundamentals,” she said. “We are at the elementary stage so it’s imperative that we prepare them for junior high school and beyond.”

Oembler was just as thrilled about the perfor mance of her Palmdale team and is looking for ward to the matchup against Garvin Tynes.

“Our team is doing an exceptional job, as the majority of the girls on the team are learning how to play softball for the first time,” Oembler said.

“From the time we got started and going into the championship, they have improved tremendously.

“We hope to execute well and perform to the best of our abilities and come out with the win.

“We have much more to improve on, but it is a learning experience for all of the girls.”

As the public relations officer for the NPPPSSA, Eneas said having played soccer already this year, they are looking forward to the completion of softball/

baseball before they head into basketball and eventu ally track and field.

“We are just excited to get back to our regular competition,” Eneas said.

Today, the boys will begin competition in base ball. “These teams are very competitive, so I would advise persons to come on out if they are not working to come out and cheer the kids on,” she stated.

Also on hand to view the games was Sheniqua Curry, the principal at TG Glover and president of the Primary Principals Asso ciation for the past five years, said it’s exciting to see sports being played in the primary schools again.

“We have been locked down for so long and to see the children now engaged in outdoor sports is just exciting,” Curry said.

Curry, however, was hoping her TG Glover team, coached by Brad Wood Jr and William McFall, would have scored the 14 runs they needed to get into the finals, but nonetheless, she was pleased with the team’s effort. “It’s been a long

has

2, Miami actively shopped for his replacement.

Tagovailoa told CBS that he looked at himself in the mirror multiple times last year and asked, “Do I suck?” as the Dolphins’ belief in him seemed to wane with each passing week.

McDaniel, hired by Miami in February, wanted to make sure Tagovailoa knew he had greatness inside him.

“Anybody that’s drafted as a quarterback in the top 10, top five, they want to be good,” McDaniel said.

“To be drafted super high and then fall short of the franchise’s expectations, that is a tough place to live in. That was the motivating factor behind everything.”

In Year 3, Tagovailoa has more support than he’s ever had in his pro career. And

that has made a difference in his play. He has led the Dolphins to an 8-3 record and has the NFL’s best passer rating (115.7).

“I think anyone here can attest to someone believing in them,” Tagovailoa said, “and how that changes how they see themselves but

also things around them, so perspective.”

Tagovailoa is 14-2 in his past 16 starts. His .875 winning percentage since November 21, 2021 is the best by any starting quar terback in the NFL.

Before being pulled in the third quarter of Sun day’s game, which the Dolphins led 30-0 at half time, Tagovailoa completed 20 of 34 passes for 278 yards and one TD. He has posted a passer rating of at least 90 in each of his past six home starts.

“He had the stuff on the tape. I think that’s a credit to him,” McDaniel said. “To his credit, he’s really listened, taken the coaching that he’s good. Said ‘OK, Coach, I believe you.’ And I think you guys have seen the residuals up close and personal for a while.”

time since the kids have been exposed to the fun damentals of the sport, but in the time frame they had to work with them, I think they did a good job,” she said. “I think all of the schools should be com mended for getting their kids ready to play in the tournament.”

John Rolle, one of the top softball/baseball play ers in the past, was also in attendance to support the tournament, especially TG Glover where his grand daughter is playing on the team. He said this is where it all gets started for the future players to play the game. “On behalf of the parents who are here to support their kids during their working hours, I think it’s great,” he said.

“I know I miss playing. At my age, I can just sit back and watch my grand kids play. I know I had some great days playing and I hope that they will enjoy it just as much as I did.”

Chief umpire Martin ‘Pork’ Burrows and a crew of umpires officiated the games.

MILLER RECEIVES TWO INTERNATIONAL APPOINTMENTS

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

NEWLY minted National Hall of Famer Wellington Miller continues to be rec ognised for his leadership role, having been reappointed to serve on two prestigious international sports boards.

The immediate past pres ident of both the Bahamas Boxing Federation and the Bahamas Olympic Com mittee has been asked to serve on the Sports Tech nical committee for the Centro Caribe Sports for the Central American and Caribbean Games and on the Technical Committee for the Panam Sports Exec utive Board.

“I’m just happy to know that the Bahamas’ name is being placed out in the technical world of sports and we have a qualified Bahamian who can sit on these two boards and help

Mavericks edge Warriors in replay of West finals

DALLAS (AP) — Luka Doncic scored 41 points in his NBA-leading fifth triple-double, and the Dallas Mavericks beat the Golden State War riors 116-113 last night in the first meeting of last season’s Western Confer ence finalists.

The fourth quarter had plenty of playoff intensity as the Mavericks ended a four-game losing streak, their longest in two sea sons under coach Jason Kidd.

The Warriors, who beat the Mavericks in five games last spring on their way to the title, lost for just the second time in seven games after a slow start to their season.

Stephen Curry scored 32 points for Golden State, including a quickdraw 3-pointer over Maxi Kleber for a 110-108 lead,

but Dallas responded by scoring the next five points to go ahead for good.

Tim Hardaway Jr, who scored 22 points, answered Curry’s 3 with one on Doncic’s 12th and final assist. Josh Green’s short jumper came after Doncic blocked Curry’s layup try.

The Warriors were down two when Curry was called for travelling — the 10th of the game between both teams — with 10 sec onds remaining.

Golden State had one more chance after Dorian Finney-Smith missed one of two free throws to keep the deficit at three. Klay Thompson got a good look off for 3, but the shot was short as Curry’s Splash Brother finished 1 of 6 from deep with five points.

THE PALMDALE Primary Panthers girls, coached by Ashley Oembler (far right), are slated to square off against Garvin Tynes.

Photo: Austin Fernander/Tribune Staff

Tiger doesn’t ‘have much left in this leg’ to compete

By DOUG FERGUSON AP Golf Writer

NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) — Tiger Woods painted an uncertain pic ture about how much golf he can play, saying yes terday that “I don’t have much left in this leg.”

He also doesn’t have much hope the PGA Tour and the Saudi-funded rival league can get along unless Greg Norman is out as LIV Golf’s leader.

“Not right now. Not with their leadership. Not with Greg there and his animos ity toward the tour itself,” Woods said. “I don’t see that happening.”

Rory McIlroy also said in Dubai two weeks ago that Norman needs to “exit stage left” before there can be any meaningful discus sions between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf.

Woods artfully skirted around other questions yesterday, such as details on two unexpected surger ies he had last year and whether the 20-man field at the Hero World Challenge should be getting points toward the world ranking. He was forceful on the effect of LIV Golf, refer ring to friction the rival league has caused and how lawsuits stand in the way of any reconciliation.

“If one side has so much animosity — someone trying to destroy our tour — then how do we work with that?” Woods said.

Phil Mickelson was among 10 players who filed an antitrust lawsuit against the PGA Tour in August, a lawsuit since taken over by LIV Golf. Bryson DeChambeau, Peter Uihlein and Matt Jones are the only players still involved as plaintiffs.

The PGA Tour since has filed a countersuit. A trial date is tentatively sched uled for January 2024.

Woods said the lawsuits would have to be settled — he used the word “stay” on more than one occasion — or there is no way forward.

Woods is at Albany Golf Club strictly as the tournament host. He had to withdraw on Monday because of plantar fasciitis in his right foot that makes it too difficult to walk over 72 holes, even on a relatively flat course for a holiday event.

Woods said he was post ing low scores at home in Florida while riding in a cart. And his next two events — a made-for-TV match over 12 holes on December 10, and the PNC Championship with his son the following weekend — allow for carts. “I can hit the golf ball and hit what ever shot you want,” he said. “I just can’t walk.”

He said the plantar fas ciitis was related to injuries he suffered in the Los Angeles car crash in Feb ruary 2021, which ended any hope of him playing on a regular basis.

A year ago, Woods was just starting to take full swings with the driver and his ambition was to make it to St Andrews for the 150th edition of the British Open. He wound up play ing the Masters and the PGA Championship, too. That amounted to nine rounds — four at Augusta National, three at the PGA Championship (he with drew after the third round) and two at St. Andrews.

Woods felt he was making progress in the months after the British Open, only to hurt his right foot while trying to pre pare for a 72-hole event in the Bahamas.

“When you get plantar fasciitis, the worst thing you can do is walk, and I was walking more and

more and more, trying to get my legs ready for this event, and I just kept making it worse,” he said. “So had to shut it down.”

He said he would take a month or two to rest, which won’t affect his golf sched ule because he wasn’t going to play that much, anyway. This has been coming. Woods turns 47 on Decem ber 30, and he has had roughly as many surgeries as majors he was won (15).

“The goal is to play just the major championships and maybe one or two more. That’s it. Physically, that’s all I can do. I told you that (at) the beginning of this year, too,” he said.

“I mean, I don’t have much left in this leg, so gear up for the biggest ones and hopefully, lightning catches

in a bottle and I’m up there in contention with a chance to win, and hopefully, I remember how to do that.”

He said he did every thing to prepare for St Andrews, only for his leg to act up on him and lead to an early depar ture packed with emotion. Woods does not anticipate returning to another Open at St Andrews.

His health wasn’t great that week beyond his leg, though it wasn’t COVID-19.

McIlroy, in a wideranging interview with the Sunday Independent in Ireland, said he and Woods played a practice round at Ballybunion on the Thursday before the Brit ish Open and McIlroy was feeling ill afterward.

He said sweat was pouring off him and his temperature spiked.

McIlroy called Woods, who reported he was feel ing fine. But then Woods texted him that night and said he had chills and a fever.

“And I’m like, ‘(Exple tive), I’ve just given Tiger COVID!’ This is horren dous!’” McIlroy said. “So we both had COVID going into the Open.”

Woods said he tested for the coronavirus and it came back negative.

“Was I feeling under the weather? Yes, wasn’t feel ing great the whole week,” Woods said. “But I never got a positive test.”

TIMEOUT: COLTS’ SATURDAY ADMITS MISTAKE IN LOSS TO STEELERS

By MICHAEL MAROT AP Sports Writer

INDIANAPOLIS (AP)

— Indianapolis Colts interim coach Jeff Satur day spent Monday night defending the team’s lategame clock management.

Less than 24 hours later, Saturday acknowledged he made the wrong call.

After watching game tape, rethinking the situa tion and reflecting on what could been done differ ently, Saturday essentially owned up to making a rookie coaching mistake.

“I wish I had that third down back. In all honesty, I wish I would’ve used a timeout. Just looking at it on film — I looked at it last night again, looked at it this morning again,” he said yesterday. “From a time perspective I felt good. But you could tell we were in disarray. Looking back, it’s a learning experience.”

Perhaps that’s to be expected from some one with no prior coaching experience at the pro or college level and who wasn’t even with the team until November.

But Saturday isn’t the only one experiencing growing pains this season in Indy (4-7-1).

First-time play-caller Parks Frazier thought he could catch Pittsburgh offguard with a quick running play on third-and-3 in the final minute. Instead, a miscommunication had the Colts scrambling to line up properly — costing them 29 precious seconds and eventually the game.

It’s been a mess all season, filled with a mish mash of lineups and just general mistakes.

The Colts spent most of the first half this season trying to patch a leaky offensive line before finally settling on rookie Bern hard Raimann at left tackle and second-year lineman Will Fries at right guard.

Both have struggled with penalties and missed assignments though Satur day appears content to live with their miscues, at least for now.

Second-year quarter back Sam Ehlinger lost his first two NFL starts despite having only one turnover.

Still, he was sacked 11 times before Matt Ryan reclaimed the starting job. Ryan produced solid show ings in Saturday’s first two games as coach before committing two more turn overs in Monday’s 24-17 loss.

Andre Rodgers National Stadium ‘baseball ready’

He also noted that the players will have state-ofthe-art locker rooms in which to enjoy.

However, he stated that the fold back chairs that they ordered for the dug outs have been delayed in shipping from the United States, but they have some folding chairs for the players to use.

The spectators area and the VIP booths are all set, the lighting system for the stadium lights and the scoreboard are being powered up as they con tinue to meet all of their deadlines.

And even though the parking lot is expected to be paved, Foster said the remainder of the cosmetic work will be done after the tournament is done.

“Even though one week out is pretty close, we have about four or

five milestones to achieve, but we are hitting them off every other day,” said Foster, who revealed that some temporary things will be put in place until after the tournament is completed.

“As far as the facility is concerned, being com pleted for baseball, we’re good,” he pointed out. “Where we are gener ally, the concession boxes are also ready and the restrooms are ready to be used.

“So we are eager to note that the stadium is “baseball ready” for the tournament.

The tournament is expected to start at 11am on Sunday with Curacao taking on Puerto Rico.

After the official open ing ceremonies at 4pm, the feature game will be played at 7:30pm against the US Virgin Islands.

Defensively, the Colts have been unable to pro tect fourth-quarter leads in their past three home games and offensively, Indy has been unable to take advantage of its final possessions all three times.

The predictable result: since winning Saturday’s debut, Indy has lost two straight and five of six over all and has all but sealed its postseason fate with plenty of blame to go around.

“I thought we could get it off quicker than we did, that’s on me understand ing what personnel is in the game, what formations we were in and the guys get ting back to their natural positions of where they are going to line up,” Saturday said. “I thought we had

the advantage but unfor tunately, should’ve hit the timeout, given us our best play, best opportunity.”

WHAT’S WORKING

Tight ends. When Ryan was completing passes Monday night, it was largely because Jelani Woods and Mo Alie-Cox were on the receiving end. Ryan was 22 of 34 with 199 yards and Woods and Cox combined for 10 receptions and 112 yards.

WHAT NEEDS HELP Run defense. For the second straight week, run ners found open lanes to the end zone. Benny Snell Jr. and Najee Harris each exploited those holes and Steelers QB Kenny Pickett found yards on scrambles, too. Indy allowed 172 yards rushing on 36 carries.

STOCK UP Dallis Flowers. The rookie kick returner opened the second half with an 89-yard return that gave Indy the spark it needed. Four plays later, the Colts scored their first touchdown, and they moved inside the Steelers 5-yard line on each of their next two possessions.

STOCK DOWN Alec Pierce. Indy’s sec ond-round pick appears to have hit the rookie wall.

Ryan only threw two balls to him Monday and he fin ished no catches. In four November games, he had four catches for 51 yards and no touchdowns.

INJURIES

Pro Bowl CB Kenny Moore II left in the fourth quarter with a shin injury and did not return. Satur day did not have an update after the game or Tues day. It’s unlikely anything will be decided until later this week. DE Kwity Paye (ankle) did not play and it’s unclear when he might return.

KEY NUMBERS

Zero — The Colts got off to another slow start against Pittsburgh with a forgettable first quarter. Ryan was nearly inter cepted on his first pass and was picked off on his second. Indy finished the quarter with zero total yards.

NEXT STEPS

It’s hard to know where they go from here. The Colts now have a short week before visiting Dallas and Minnesota with a bye in between games. They’re not home again until the Monday night game after Christmas and any momentum they had from Saturday’s hiring has faded.

MILLER

FROM PAGE 11

to make the decisions to run the technical side of sports,” Miller said. It’s not Miller’s first rodeo with any of the organizations, having served on the coordination committee for the Panam Sports when the 2015 games was held in Toronto, Canada as they organ ized the games before they turned it over to the tech nical committee, while he served on the Cento Caribe Sports for the Central American and Caribbean Games in Peru in 2019.

“I wasn’t surprised when I got the letter informing me of being a part of the Panam Games Commit tee,” Miller said. “I was informed from the last one that I would be retained for this one, so I expected it.

“But I was surprised when I got the other invite from the Centro Caribe Sports. I think they were pleased with the work that I did and so they invited me to come back and serve again. I’m very pleased, not just for myself, but for the Bahamas because this will only benefit other Baha mians to be a part of the organizing of these major international games.”

Miller, ordained as a Deacon at New Covenant Baptist Church in May, was inducted into the Hall of Fame as an administrator during the National Sports month in November after he was invested with the Companion Order of Merit on National Hero’s Day in October.

The Andros native and a retired Immigration Officer said this bolds well for the Bahamas and eventually it sets the pace to have a Bahamian invited to serve on the Technical Commit tee for the Olympic Games. The Pan American Games, held similar to the Olympic Games every four years, features all 412 nations of the Americas. It also serves as a qualifier for the Olympics. First hosted in 1951 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the 19th edition of the Pan Am Games is set for Santiago, Chile from October 20 to November 5, 2023 with 39 different sporting competitions being staged.

The CAAC Games, which is also a multi-sport regional competition every four years, was first held in 1926 in Mexico City, Mexico. The 254th edi tion of the games is set for June 23-July 8, 2023 in San Salvador, El Salvador with 37 nations participating in 43 sports. It also serves as qualifier for the Pan Am Games.

NOT TRAVEL?

FROM PAGE 11

team that was playing in the FIBA Americas quali fying round for the Word Cup. During a sitting of the House of Assembly, Opposition Leader Michael Pintard blasted Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Mario Bowleg for the gov ernment’s inability to assist the ladies’ team in getting off to Mexico.

But during a press confer ence on Monday to launch the 34th Father Marcian Peters Invitational Basket ball Tournament, Bowleg refuted those claims and attempted to set the record straight on where the blame should fall.

“The government doesn’t have the authority to pre sent any team to represent this country in any sport ing discipline,” he said. “For all teams that are presented to represent this country, they are presented by the sporting federation

discipline. “Once the fed eration makes a decision on whether that team could travel or not, the govern ment doesn’t have the authority on whether or not that team should travel. The federation would seek financial assistance from the government. The gov ernment would provide the necessary assistance.”

As the immediate past president of the BBF, who agitated from time to time for more funding to assist their national team pro grammes, Bowleg said it’s important for the federa tions to be prudent in their spending of the funds that are allocated to them by the government.

“I think the decision was made after speaking with the president of the Baha mas Basketball Federation (Eugene Horton) that it was not in their financial decision to send that team to represent the country. “They felt that they had

some necessary outstanding bills that came about from the senior men’s team and they wanted to take care of them. All of us know it doesn’t make sense to put yourself in great debt by sending another team when you have some outstanding bills to take care of.”

Now sitting in the chair as the minister, Bowleg said he understands that it’s not practical for the govern ment to fund all national team trips and so they make their financial contribu tions to the federations, who in turn make the deci sion on how they will fund their national teams. “That is why this ministry has a budget, which it allocates funding for the 2022-2023 year. Those allocations also gives us some extra funding that we can give to federa tions if the need arises,” he revealed. “I think basket ball would have exhausted the necessary funding that was allocated to them.”

Bowleg cracked the joke that the allocation of fund ing is likened to a parent with 10 children.

“After I give one, I now have to look out for the next nine,” he quipped.

“So we do our best to ensure that we fund those associations to the best of our abilities. But I must say, federations have to find corporate sponsors and find means and ways to raise revenue.”

Bowleg said it is incum bent on all federations – present and future – to devise ways to secure fund ing and not be out there wondering where their dol lars are coming from.

As an administration, Bowleg assured the federa tions that his ministry will continue to assist wherever possible.

But only to the extent that they can while assist ing the various sporting bodies with their national programmes.

TIGER Woods stands on the 11th hole during the first round of the British Open golf championship on the Old Course at St. Andrews, Scotland, on July 14. Woods was out before he was officially back, withdrawing Monday from his Hero World Chal lenge with plantar fasciitis in his right foot.

(AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

JEFF SATURDAY

AYTON HAS 9TH DOUBLE-DOUBLE OF SEASON, SUNS TOP KINGS 122-117 FOR 5TH STRAIGHT

By CAMERON SALERNO Associated Press

SACRAMENTO, Calif.

(AP) — Devin Booker had 44 points, eight rebounds and six steals, and the Phoenix Suns extended their winning streak to five with a 122-117 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Monday night.

“That’s kind of what I get paid to do,” Booker said. “I was worried about getting everyone else involved. Late in the game we got a lot of open shots.”

Deandre Ayton added 17 points and 12 rebounds for his ninth double-double of the season for Phoenix, which has won six of seven.

“That’s impressive,” Suns coach Monty Williams said. “We really wanted to win it tonight. I was proud of the way we responded... across the board, everyone made a huge contribution. That team is loaded.”

Booker closed out his second-highest point total of the season by knocking down a pair of free throws with 6.8 seconds left after Torrey Craig secured an offensive rebound. He scored 49 points in a loss to Utah earlier in the month.

“Book was doing Book,” Sacramento’s Malik Monk said. “It’s kinda hard to stop an All-Star, especially when he’s rolling.”

Damion Lee scored 15 points off the bench, hit ting three 3-pointers. Mikal Bridges finished with 13 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. He hit a three-pointer with just over a minute left to stretch the lead to 10.

Monk scored 30 points for the Kings, his fourth game over 20 points this season.

Domantas Sabonis fin ished with 17 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds. The Kings have lost three

straight after a seven-game win streak.

“Next game, we’ve got to win,” Sabonis said. “We’ve got to figure it out. We can’t let these (losses) keep piling up. We’re at home and we’ve got to protect home court.”

Kevin Huerter scored 18 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Huerter’s dunk with 35 seconds left cut the Suns’ lead to three.

Keegan Murray scored 11 points. The rookie from Iowa had scored in single digits in the Kings’ last three games.

De’Aaron Fox scored 11 points, his second-lowest scoring night of the season.

“He’s our guy,” Kings coach Mike Brown said. “I’m going to keep press ing him to step up.”

The first half featured 16 ties and eight lead changes. Phoenix opened the second half on a 14-2 run after trailing by one.

ROOKIE NEMBHARD HITS 3 AT BUZZER, PACERS STUN LAKERS 116-115

By GREG BEACHAM AP Sports Writer

LOS ANGELES (AP)

— Rookie Andrew Nemb hard hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer, and the Indi ana Pacers rallied from a 17-point deficit in the fourth quarter for a stun ning 116-115 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night.

Tyrese Haliburton scored 24 points and hit a tying layup with 39 sec onds left for the Pacers, who trailed 101-84 early in the fourth. LeBron James hit a one-handed floater with 20.9 seconds left, and Myles Turner missed an ensuing 3-point attempt for Indiana — but Halibur ton got the long rebound and eventually found Nembhard alone on the perimeter with a crosscourt pass.

The Canadian secondround pick from Gonzaga drilled his fourth 3-pointer of the night over the onrushing James’ out stretched hand. The bucket crushed the LA crowd and set off a frenzied on-court group celebration that even included Pacers president of basketball operations Kevin aPritchard. “I think you stay calm (because) you work in the gym for

those types of moments,” Nembhard said. “You’ve just got to bring your con fidence, and when it comes, you’ve just got to step up for the team in that way. I think it was a great team win. We had a lot of contri butions from a lot of guys, and it was just my turn to step up in that moment.

Buddy Hield had 15 points, missing five of his six 3-pointers.

Haliburton had 14 assists while rookie Benn edict Mathurin added 23 points for the Pacers, who avoided their first back-toback losses since October in dramatic fashion.

“To be able to hang in, keep your sights on the rim and let it go over a 6-9, 6-10 player is special,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said.

“When you have suc cess like tonight, when you overcome some odds to find a way, it’s just a joyous moment for everybody to appreciate.”

Anthony Davis had 25 points and 13 rebounds for the Lakers, who were well on their way to their sixth victory in seven games before their defence and ball movement both fal tered down the stretch.

Davis missed one of two free throws right after the Pacers missed three consecutive layups and tip-in attempts in the final minute, leaving the door open for Nembhard’s even tual heroics.

James had 21 points and seven rebounds, while Rus sell Westbrook scored 17 of his 24 points in the second half and energised a crowd that seemed thrilled to be

witnessing a corner-turning evening for the slow-start ing Lakers — until Indiana closed with a 20-8 run in the catastrophic final five minutes.

“I wish we would have been a lot more aggres sive, continued playing with pace, and also being organised and continuing to move the ball,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham said. “And that falls on me.”

Westbrook, Hield and Turner were the main char acters in months of trade rumours between these clubs, but no deal was ever reached.

Turner’s positional ver satility and Hield’s outside shooting seem to make them ideal fits for the current Lakers, but the 17-time champions have been unwilling or unable to meet Indiana’s price.

RANDLE SCORES 36 AS KNICKS ROUT PISTONS 140-110

By DAVE HOGG Associated Press

DETROIT (AP) — Julius Randle scored a season-high 36 points, and the New York Knicks extended their win streak against the Detroit Pistons to 11 games with a 140-110 victory last night.

Quentin Grimes, RJ Bar rett and Jalen Brunson each scored 16 points for New York, which had lost four of five.

Mitchell Robinson grabbed 13 rebounds and reserve Immanuel Quickley had 15 points.

Isaiah Stewart scored 19 points for Detroit, which hasn’t beaten New York since January 7, 2020. Bojan Bogdanovic and Marvin Bagley III each had 13 points.

The Pistons were missing two starters — Cade Cun ningham (shin) and Jalen Ivey (knee) — but got back Bogdanovic (ankle) and Stewart (foot).

The Knicks led 70-56 at the break.

Randle went 6 for 11 on 3-pointers in a 26-point half as New York outshot Detroit 52.4 percent to 36.8 percent from behind the arc.

Randle scored three quick baskets to start the third and drew a technical foul when he was shoved after a dunk by Stewart. That moved New York’s lead to 21 at 80-59.

It was 108-77 at the end of the third, thanks to a 38-point quarter for the Knicks that included 10 more points for Randle.

TIP INS

Knicks: The 11-game winning streak against Detroit is the longest in the series since an early version of the Bad Boys beat New York 12 straight times in the late 1980s.

New York has scored at least 120 points in all three games against the Pistons this season.

Pistons: Bogdanovic hit one 3-pointer, giving him 1,283 for his career and tying him with Mookie Blaylock for 64th on the NBA list.

Alec Burks didn’t score, ending his streak of doubledigit games off the bench at six.

SUNS centre Deandre Ayton (22) shoots during the first half against the Utah Jazz on Saturday in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

LAKERS guard Lonnie Walker IV, right, shoots as Pacers guard Buddy Hield defends during the first half on Monday in Los Angeles.

(AP Photo/Mark J Terrill)

Koulibaly’s goal puts Senegal into round of 16 at World Cup

By GERALD IMRAY AP Sports Writer

AL RAYYAN,

Qatar (AP) — Kalidou Koulibaly literally drew inspiration on his captain’s armband, writing the No. 19 on it in memory of one of Senegal’s most loved players.

Then Koulibaly became one himself.

The Senegal captain scored the winning goal in the 2-1 victory over Ecua dor yesterday, putting his team into the round of 16 at the World Cup despite the absence of the injured Sadio Mane, the team’s best player and one of the best strikers in the world.

The No. 19 was to honour Papa Bouba Diop, the Senegal midfielder who scored the winning goal against defending cham pion France in the opening game of the 2002 World Cup. It was one of Senegal’s greatest soccer moments and a victory that started that team’s run to the quar terfinals — still Senegal’s best performance.

“We wanted to make him proud. We wanted to give homage to him,” Koulibaly said of Diop, who died at the age of 42 exactly two years ago Tuesday.

“He was the one who made me dream when I was a boy. This was some thing we weren’t going to let slip.

“Thank God I was there to send that ball into the back of the net.”

Only a win against Ecua dor would have taken Senegal through to the next round from Group A,

and Koulibaly scored the goal that made it happen at Khalifa International Stadium.

A free kick from Idrissa Gueye bounced off an opponent and came his way. Koulibaly threw out his right foot and hit it past Ecuador goalkeeper Hernan Galindez in the 70th minute.

Koulibaly then sprinted toward the corner flag and slid on his knees to celebrate.

The African champions took the lead after a firsthalf penalty from Ismaila Sarr. But Moises Caicedo evened the score when he was left unmarked after a corner kick in the 67th minute.

At 1-1, Ecuador was going to advance and Sen egal was out.

That result would have been as agonising as Sen egal’s early elimination four years ago, when the team finished the group stage with a loss to Colom bia and even on points with Japan. Senegal was elimi nated on a fair play rule because it had picked up two more yellow cards than the Japanese.

This year, Senegal coach Aliou Cisse was forced to reinvent his forward line following the injury to Mane, who sent the team a message before the match.

Koulibaly said the Bayern Munich striker has also been an inspiration for the team despite not being in Qatar.

“When it came to his (Mane’s) injury, two thirds of the world probably

doubted that we would be able to qualify,” Koulibaly said.

Senegal lost its opening match against the Neth erlands 2-0 but gave itself a chance with a 3-1 win over host Qatar. Still, the team needed a victory over Ecuador.

“We were up against a brick wall,” Cisse said.

The 24-year-old Sarr won the penalty when he was knocked over by a clumsy challenge from Ecuador defender Piero Hincapie just before halftime. He side-footed his penalty into the bottom right corner in the 44th minute and almost the entire Senegal bench

and coaching staff ran to him. Sarr also headed over to the corner flag to cel ebrate while putting his hands over his eyes. He can look now, because Sen egal has at least one more match to play.

SENEGAL’S QUEST Senegal now has a chance match, or even better, the country’s scintillating run to the quarterfinals in 2002, when Cisse was the cap tain and the team equalled Africa’s best performance at a World Cup. No Afri can team has made the semifinals.

ECUADOR EMOTION

It was the end of a strong campaign for Ecuador

and striker Enner Valen cia, who had scored his team’s first three goals at this year’s World Cup and played against Senegal despite struggling with a bad knee strain.

Valencia was left con soling Galindez, who was tearing up near the end of the game and couldn’t hold back after the final whistle as he cried on Valencia’s shoulder.

WHAT’S NEXT Senegal will play Eng land in the round of 16 on Sunday. The Netherlands, which won Group A, will face the United States on Saturday.

England advances after beating Wales 3-0

By JAMES ROBSON AP Soccer Writer

RAYYAN,

The England forward had just scored against Wales at the World Cup, starting off a 3-0 victory that sent his team into the round of 16.

His celebration, he said, was in tribute to a friend who recently passed away after a long battle with cancer. It could have also been in celebration of working his way into the starting lineup in Qatar.

“Moments like this, this is what I play football for. The biggest moments, the best moments,” said Rash ford, who started his first game of the tournament. “I’m happy we are going through to the next round of the tournament because I have massive ambitions for this team and I think we can play even better than we did today.”

Rashford scored two goals at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, making him the co-leading scorer at the World Cup with three goals — the same as France striker Kylian Mbappe and two others. Phil Foden,

Rashford played at the last World Cup in 2018 and also at the 2020 Euro pean Championship, but the 25-year-old Manches ter United forward was considered to be fortunate to make England coach Gareth Southgate’s squad for this year’s tournament.

Ever since his miss in the penalty shootout loss to Italy in the Euro 2020 final, Rashford has been going through a turbulent period in his career, compounded by injuries. He and team mate Bukaya Saka, both of them Black, were racially abused after missing their penalties in the shootout at Wembley Stadium.

“It has been a challenge for him,” said Southgate, who also led the team to the World Cup semifinals four years ago in Russia. “I went and saw him in the summer, had a big chat with him and he had some clear ideas on things he felt he needed to think about.

“You can see with his club there has been hap piness in his performances and that has shown itself on the training ground. We have a different version

(of him) completely to the Euros. That’s great for him and for us.”

In Qatar, Southgate opted to leave Rashford and Foden on the bench in the first two matches against Iran and the United States, starting with Saka and Raheem Sterling up front alongside captain Harry Kane.

Rashford came on a sub stitute in the 6-2 victory over Iran and scored one of the goals. Foden played 19 minutes in that match.

Against the United States, England was held to a 0-0 draw with Rashford again coming in off the bench.

The lineup changed for the final Group B match against Wales, and both Rashford and Foden took

advantage of their time on the field.

Rashford put England in the lead with a free kick in the 50th minute, and fol lowed it with that tribute to his late friend. Foden added the second only one minute later, and Rashford made it 3-0 in the 68th.

The win guaranteed England first place in the group. The team will next face Senegal in the round of 16 on Sunday.

Wales, which was play ing at the World Cup for the first time in 64 years, finished last in the group and was eliminated. The United States ended up in second place and will next face the Netherlands, while Iran finished third and was also eliminated. It may have been captain Gareth

“He wants what’s best for the team. He understands that and he knew if he had gone back out he would have probably played at about 70%,” Page said. “When you are playing against a team like that you can’t carry anyone.

“I don’t think it will be the last time we see him in a Welsh jersey. There’s games starting again in March in the Euros (quali fying) and we want to get off to a flying start. We will see him in a jersey.”

SOUTHGATE DELIVERS

Southgate is coaching England at a third major tournament, and he has navigated the group stage successfully each time.

England reached the semi finals at the World Cup in Russia, and then went all the way to the final at Euro 2020.

The team hasn’t won a major trophy since its lone World Cup success in 1966 at home.

PULISIC GOAL ADVANCES US WITH 1-0 WIN OVER IRAN

By RONALD BLUM AP Sports Writer

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Christian Pulisic kicked the ball, scored the goal and then crashed into the goal keeper in a collision that sent the American star to the hospital and the United States into the second round of the World Cup.

More than an hour later, he contacted his teammates by FaceTime to join the celebration.

His 38th-minute goal held up, and the United States beat Iran 1-0 yesterday in their politically charged rematch to advance to the World Cup’s knockout stage.

“Every single player is ready to lay their body on the line to make sure this team is successful,” United States midfielder Weston McKennie said.

The Americans finished second in Group B with five points, two behind England, and will play the Netherlands on Saturday with the chance to reach the quarterfinals for the first time since 2002.

“I always say it’s us against the world,” forward Tim Weah said. “No one believed the U.S. could play good football.”

Pulisic was sprawled on the field and lying in the goal for about three minutes as he received treatment from the U.S. staff. He tried to continue playing but was substituted at the start of the second half with Brenden Aar onson and taken for abdominal scans. “I sent him a text and checked on him, and he said, `Best believe I’ll be ready on Sat urday,’” McKennie said.

U.S. coach Gregg Berhal ter said Pulisic sustained an injury below the abdomen and felt dizziness.

Back in the World Cup after missing the 2018 tour nament, the U.S. opened with draws against Wales and England and needed a victory to reach the round of 16.

Iran finished third with three points. The team has failed to advance in all six of its World Cup appearances.

“The dream is over with this result,” Iran coach Carlos Queiroz said. “The U.S. started the game much better than us, more quick with better control of the game.”

Raucous Iranian fans with horns and drums in the crowd of 42,127 filled the lower bowl behind one goal at Al Thumama Stadium and were far louder than the red-white-and-blue U.S. supporters at the other end and behind the American bench.

The U.S. outshot Iran 9-0 in the first half but didn’t break through until Puli sic came up with the big moment that a growing and increasingly demanding fan base back home had been pining for.

Netherlands beats host Qatar 2-0 to advance

By ANDREW DAMPF AP Sports Writer

AL KHOR, Qatar (AP)

— The Netherlands still has a long way to go to match the “total football” teams of the 1970s, or even the more offensive “Oranje” squads that reached the World Cup final in 2010 and finished third in 2014.

Still, a 2-0 win over Qatar yesterday ensured the Dutch advanced to the round of 16 by finishing first in Group A while the Qataris, who were already eliminated, became the first host to lose all three of its group matches at the World Cup. “If you play against Qatar everybody will think

and expect that you’ll win 5-0 or more, but this tour nament has shown that it’s very difficult,” Netherlands midfielder Davy Klaassen, who earned player of match honours, said through an interpreter. “We’re very critical of ourselves and we need to improve,” Klaassen added. “But we have pro gressed and we’re going to move on.”

Cody Gakpo put the Netherlands ahead midway through the first half with his third goal in as many matches and Frenkie de Jong doubled the advan tage five minutes into the second half.

The Netherlands, a three-time runner-up at the

World Cup, will next face the United States for a spot in the quarterfinals.

Qatar, which was making its tournament debut, won the 2019 Asian Cup. But the team’s Spanish coach, Félix Sánchez, said that the Asian Cup can’t be com pared to the World Cup.

“We came here trying to compete and we managed to do that,” Sánchez said, adding that he wasn’t sure about his future status with the team.

“One of the things about our national team is that we have a long-term plan that doesn’t depend on me or anyone else,” Sánchez said. “We’re going to rest for a few days and we’re

going to keep working and planning.”

The Netherlands, which failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, finished with seven points at the top of the group. Senegal, which beat Ecuador 2-1 in the other group game, advanced in second place with six points. Ecuador was eliminated with four points and Qatar ended up with zero.

The attendance at Al Bayt Stadium, which also hosted Qatar’s loss to Ecuador in the tournament opener, was given as 66,784 — nearly at full capacity. There were small pockets of orange-clad Netherlands supporters, and Qatar fans

behind one of the goals chanted in unison and jumped up and down.

At one point during the second half, Qatar fans held aloft a large Palestinian flag that said “Free Palestine” on it.

In the 26th minute, Gakpo took control outside the area, dribbled forward and unleashed a powerful side-footed shot between two defenders that entered inside the right post.

Gakpo became the fourth Dutch player to score in three consecutive World Cup games after Johan Neeskens (1974), Dennis Bergkamp (1994) and Wesley Sneijder (2010). He also became only the

second player to open the scoring for his team three times in the same group stage after Alessandro Altobelli for Italy in 1986.

“Cody Gakpo has every thing it takes to become a star,” 71-year-old Nether lands coach Louis van Gaal said. “Plus he has a wonder ful personality. He’s open minded to everything.”

De Jong’s goal came when he sprinted forward uncontested to knock in a rebound from close range following a shot from Mem phis Depay.

A possible third goal for the Netherlands by Steven Berghuis was waved off fol lowing a video review for a handball in the buildup.

AL

Qatar (AP) — Marcus Rashford dropped to his knees and pointed up to the sky.

another England player who made his first start in Qatar yesterday, got the other.

Bale’s last match for his national team.

The former Real Madrid player had to come off the field at halftime because of a hamstring injury, but Wales coach Rob Page said he expects Bale to continue.

ENGLAND’s Marcus Rashford celebrates after scoring his side’s third goal against Wales, at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)

SENEGAL’S KALIDOU KOULIBALY, right, celebrates with teammates scoring his side’s second goal yesterday during the World Cup group A soccer match against Ecuador at the Khalifa Inter national Stadium in Doha, Qatar. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

Fitzpatrick earns Hero Shot at Albany championship

MATT Fitzpatrick earned the Hero Shot at Albany championship yes terday to kick off the 2022 Hero World Challenge.

Fitzpatrick defeated Tom Kim in the final round, walking off with the championship thanks to a bullseye hit on the tricky, 87-yard shot into the wind.

Fitzpatrick defeated a star-studded field compet ing in the Hero Shot at Albany which also featured tournament host Tiger Woods, Justin Thomas, Max Homa, Tommy Fleet wood, Billy Horschel and Kim.

The players took their best shots at a floating target in the pond between the ninth and 18th greens at Albany.

The first round of the Hero Shot featured each player taking six shots at the target, with balls land ing in an outer ring worth 250 points, those coming to rest in the inner circle worth

500 and any ball splashing down in the two-foot-diam eter cup worth 1,000.

The sixth ball in each round – the “Hero ball” –was worth double points.

Fitzpatrick (1,500 points), Kim (1,250) and Homa (1,000) advanced through the first round.

In the second round, Homa hit first and totalled 1,000 points, and Kim sur passed him with 1,250.

Fitzpatrick then delighted the crowd by dunking his first shot, and hit his second in the outer ring to secure his place in the champion ship round.

Fitzpatrick was last to hit in the championship round, and made a big splash with his second dunk of the day to secure the title.

Hero World Challenge tournament rounds will be held on Thursday, Decem ber 1 to Sunday, December 4 at Albany, bringing the event back to The Bahamas for its seventh year.

Live television coverage of the 2022 Hero World Challenge will be provided by GOLF Channel during all four rounds and by NBC during the third and final rounds. Proceeds from this year’s Hero World Chal lenge benefit the TGR Foundation, Tavistock Foundation and Bahamas Youth Foundation.

HERO Shot winner Matt Fitzpatrick. Photos courtesy of TGR Foundation

A STAR-studded field compet ing in the Hero Shot also fea tured tournament host Tiger Woods, Justin Thomas, Max Homa, Tommy Fleetwood, Billy Horschel and Kim. The players took their best shots at a float ing target in the pond between the ninth and 18th greens at Albany.