12122022 NEWS AND SPORT

FTX

IS FROZEN OUT

Access to company records blocked - and documents could be lost forever

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

THE joint provisional liquidators for FTX’s Bahamian subsidiary have revealed a month-long block on access to the company’s records is “frustrating” their efforts to secure and protect assets.

Blaming John Ray, chief executive of the 134 FTX entities subject to Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, over the access denial, the provisional liquidation trio are warning it is becoming time-critical that this be restored as some documents related to the

collapsed crypto exchange “expire” after a 60-day period and will be permanently lost.

Asserting that negotiations with Mr Ray have made little to no progress, Brian Simms KC, senior partner with the Lennox Paton law firm, and Kevin Cambridge and Peter Greaves, the PricewaterhouseCoopers accounting duo, on Friday night filed an emergency motion with the Delaware bankruptcy court requesting that it order Mr Ray to grant the necessary access that has been denied since November 12.

BANKMAN-FRIED: WE TRIED TO DO RIGHT BY REGULATORS

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

FTX

FOUNDER

Sam Bankman-Fried yesterday denied claims of the company being non-compliant with the country’s digital assets regulations, insisting his team had spent an enormous amount of time “on regulations and compliance”.

The former FTX CEO said the company tried its best to do right by all the regulators it interacted with locally and added that for the most part, he was proud of the team’s response.

However, he acknowledged he was certain the company was “not as responsive as we could have been sometimes”, especially in the last month.

By JADE RUSSELL jrussell@tribunemedia.net

FREE National Movement leader Michael Pintard accused Minister of Works Alfred Sears of throwing Prime Minis-

Mr

BPL’s

support of his prime minister sought to conceal the fact that they had made a bad decision. And this is why we are here today.

They attempted to conceal that decision and now that it had been revealed, he threw the prime minister under the bus,” Mr Pintard claimed.

He added the decision of the government not to continue with the process

POLICEMAN ACCUSED OF CONSPIRACY TO MURDER

POLICE have charged a police officer with conspiracy to commit murder in relation to the death of a Passport Office employee.

Last night, the Royal Bahamas Police Force said a male police corporal and a 28-year-old man will be arraigned on murder conspiracy charges regarding the death of Jason Whitfield.

Whitfield was killed on Saturday December 3 in Garden Hills.

According to initial reports from police, the 43-year-old victim was found unresponsive with an apparent gunshot injury inside a government-issued vehicle on Crocus Avenue, Gardens Hills #3 around 7.30am on the day in question.

By JADE RUSSELL jrussell@tribunemedia.net

FOUR men are dead following four separate traffic fatalities over the weekend, two of the accidents having occurred in Eleuthera yesterday.

In one of the incidents, police in Eleuthera reported that a male passenger was left dead after a woman driver hit a wall and tree. The incident occurred shortly after 3am on Queen’s Highway, near a business in Governor’s Harbour.

Preliminary reports revealed that a black Honda Stream, driven by a woman and occupied by a male passenger, was travelling south on Queen’s Highway in the area of a business when the accident took place.

ter Philip Davis “under the bus” on the Bahamas Power and Light fuel hedging controversy.

Pintard’s comments came on Friday after Mr Sears finally admitted that he was in fact briefed on

fuel hedging requests and received an email on October 9, 2021. “He (Mr Sears) with the

THE CHRISTMAS tree in Rawson Square after the official lighting ceremony last night with, right, Chester Cooper, overseeing the occasion.

Two shot dead in ambush

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

A MAN in his early 20s and a teenage boy who was out on bail were shot dead on Friday morning when they were ambushed by gunmen in a parking lot on Ferguson Road off West Bay Street.

Their deaths have taken the country’s murder toll to 125 for the year, according to this newspaper’s records.

Police said the double shooting unfolded as the victims were pulling up to a parking lot outside some apartment buildings on Ferguson Road.

They were approached by two armed men who, upon getting out of their vehicle, fired shots in their direction, fatally wounding them.

Police suspect that high powered weapons were used to carry out the killings.

When The Tribune arrived at the scene, one of the men’s bodies was seen sprawled across the street, lying in a pool of blood.

Another body was leaning out of the backseat of

the bullet-riddled car.

As the men lay lifeless, loud music reverberated from the vehicle.

The sound of a cell phone ringing could also be heard in the background.

In an interview with reporters on Friday, Chief Superintendent Chrislyn Skippings said police were alerted to the double homicide shortly after 8am.

“Our initial investigations thus far revealed that two males, the occupants of a grey Hyundai, had recently pulled into the parking lot just here on Ferguson (Road) when two males exited a small white vehicle, both of whom were armed with weapons,” she said.

“They opened fire on the vehicle, hitting both males multiple times. Both of the males succumbed to their injuries on scene. Hence, we are investigating, and we are appealing to members of the public who have been in this area during that time who may have any information that can assist us with our investigations.”

One concerned person, who did not want to be named, said the incident has left her concerned about

her 82-year-old mother’s safety in the community.

“My mom lives here,” she told reporters. “This morning, as soon as I arrived to work, a friend of mine said, ‘did you hear that they had a double murder on the porch’ and I said ‘the porch, where on the porch?’

“When she showed me the picture, I got so horrified and I had a little anxiety and I said, ‘oh my God, that’s right in my mother’s parking lot where she parks her car.”

Thankfully, she said, none of her loved ones were at home at the time of the incident.

Although police do not believe the victims were residents of the Perpall Tract area, it is still not clear what their relationship was to each other.

Some residents allege that one of the deceased men was giving the other man a ride to work in the community just before the shooting happened.

As for the victims’ ages, CSP Skippings said that one was in his late teens, between 18 and 19, while the other was in his early 20s.

Police did not identify either of the victims and relatives declined to speak to the media at the scene Friday.

However, The Tribune can confirm that the murdered teen was released on bail for firearm possession and was being electronically monitored.

Asked if police were concerned about retaliation killings in view of the shooting, CSP Skippings told reporters it was still too early to say.

“However, we will follow the trends and see where it leads us,” she added. “I can tell you that the men and women of the Royal Bahamas Police Force, we remain firm and resolute and once we have information that suggests where this may have emanated from today, I can assure you that we are going to take quick and decisive action to get those persons into our custody in the event to prevent any sort of retaliation that may have occurred.”

The double homicide occurred just two days after a man was stabbed to death in the Pinewood Gardens area.

It also comes as the country faced a rash of homicides in recent months.

Yesterday, CSP Skippings called for Bahamians to partner with police to help keep communities safe.

“These incidents can only be minimised if we partner together, and you provide your local police department with the information. Many family members know who their children are having conflicts with,” she said.

“You know. Why not simply bring them into the Criminal Investigation Department? Let us sit down and try to resolve it so we don’t end up with incidents of this sort again. It has to be a collaborative effort between the community and the police, and the community has to trust their Royal Bahamas Police Force and the men and women from the criminal investigation department who do an extremely awesome job solving these matters through your assistance.”

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 328-TIPS or the nearest police station.

MARIJUANA FIELD FOUND IN ANDROS

OFFICERS in North Andros discovered a marijuana field on the island on Friday.

Police said around 6.30am, officers acting on intelligence conducted a search of a bushy area in Red Bays where they uncovered 152 plants ranging in height from one inch to ten inches. Officers also uncovered paraphernalia and fertilisers associated with the growing, preparation and packaging of marijuana.

No arrests were made in connection with the discovery. An investigation is ongoing.

MAN SHOT IN FOOT

POLICE are investigating a shooting incident that left a 26-year-old Grand Bahamian with foot injuries.

Shortly before 3am yesterday, the victim was standing outside of a business near Caravel Beach when he heard the sound of gunshots and realised that he had been shot in his foot. The victim was able to drive himself to hospital where he was treated and discharged. No arrests have been made in connection with the incident. Police investigations continue.

DRUGS AND GUN FOUND

IN TWO separate incidents, officers attached to the Drugs Enforcement Unit (DEU) on Grand Bahama confiscated a quantity of suspected marijuana and a firearm on Friday.

In the first incident, DEU officers confiscated an estimated ten pounds of suspected marijuana. Preliminary reports reveal that shortly before 2pm, officers acting on intelligence searched an abandoned building on Spinney Road where they discovered the drugs.

The drugs have an estimated street value of $10,000. In the second incident, around 6pm DEU officers acting on intelligence searched a generator room in a closed resort and discovered a handgun. No arrests were made in connection with either discovery. Police investigations continue.

TOURIST ROBBED

POLICE are searching for two men who robbed a tourist last week.

Shortly after 8pm on Friday, police were told that the victim was walking east along Shirley Street, east of Mackey Street, when he was approached by two men, one of whom was allegedly armed with a cutlass. The culprits reportedly robbed the victim of his Xiaomi Redmi 9 cellular phone and fled the area in an unknown direction.

FOUR KILLED IN WEEKEND CRASHES

from page one

The woman received minor injuries and was treated and discharged by the local doctor; however, the male passenger received serious injuries and died from his injuries on the scene, police said.

The second incident in Eleuthera occurred shortly before noon yesterday when a 30-year-old male of Hatchet Bay fell from a truck.

According to police, the deceased was a passenger on the back of a 2006 Chevy Silverado 250 truck that was travelling north along Queens Highway, when he accidentally fell from the truck, as the driver overtook a vehicle.

Meanwhile, in New Providence, a 19-year-old male motorcyclist was left dead after a traffic incident shortly after 4am yesterday.

Police said the accident occurred on University Drive in the area of Portago

Road and involved a red and green Yamaha Crypton Scooter and a silver colored Nissan Cube.

The motorcyclist received serious injuries; he was taken to hospital by EMS personnel where he later died.

In the fourth incident, a 70-year-old male of Sea Grape, Eight Mile Rock, was killed after being struck by a vehicle while crossing a street in Grand Bahama on Saturday.

The incident occurred around 12.15am, police said.

Preliminary reports revealed that a 31-yearold man, was driving west on Queen’s Highway in a silver coloured 2013 Cadillac XTS when he reportedly struck the victim, who was attempting to cross the street.

The victim received serious injuries and died at the scene.

Police are investigating and appealing to members

of the public to drive with due care and attention. Additionally, members of the public are encouraged to wear fluorescent-coloured clothing at night to ensure they are visible to the motoring public.

In October, Police Assistant Superintendent Stephen Rolle, the press liaison officer for the Northern Bahamas and Grand Bahama, told The Tribune that the traffic deaths are a concern.

“We are coming close to the Christmas season now, you will find more vehicles on the road, pedestrians, and even motorbikes. So, I want to say to those individuals who may be driving recklessly or within breach of the speed limit to be mindful of the other road users. And try to avoid any mishaps as much as possible. Like I said, we are nearing the Christmas season and we want this to be a safe Christmas for all,” he said.

THE SCENE of the fatal accident in Grand Bahama on Saturday.

Photo: Vandyke Hepburn

THE SCENE of the double murder in a parking lot on Ferguson Road on Friday.

Photo: Austin Fernander

Mitchell condemns BPSU for ‘disrespectful’ action

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

PUBLIC Service Minister Fred Mitchell has condemned the actions taken by members of the Bahamas Public Service Union (BPSU) at the House of Assembly last week, saying it was “unnecessary and disrespectful” for the union to confront acting Prime Minister Chester Cooper on the steps outside Parliament in a hostile fashion.

In a voice note released on Friday, Mr Mitchell admonished the BPSU over the way it handled the situation, saying all matters of concern could have been dealt with privately.

He also said the Davis administration was a government that acted on civility and not hostility, suggesting the union’s demonstration on Wednesday was the wrong course of action to take.

“You will all remember from the start that the government’s position has been one of seeking to solve labour issues. In fact, all contracts were settled but for one or two,” Mr Mitchell said.

“The main outstanding one, of course, is that of the general public service. Ministers were being stopped by public servants asking why the delay. The delay was not due to anything on the government side. We were ready, but it appears that it was driven by some other agenda or reasons.”

He continued: “The social partner wanted to pick a public fight. The government, the ministers, the negotiators were not interested in a public fight, and they are not now. On Wednesday past, a display, where they confronted the deputy prime minister on the steps in the street in a hostile fashion, was unnecessary and disrespectful - a matter and matters which can be settled privately.

“All of those things could have been done privately. The Ministry of Public Service, of course, is nonplussed as to what is actually in fact outstanding. The fact is, in December, when the pay packet comes,

employees of the public service will receive the remunerations which are due and settled in full.”

The Tribune reported last month that the government had presented its proposal on salary increases to BPSU, which among other raises, would see over 2,000 public officers receive higher wages.

However, BPSU president Kimsley Ferguson has called the government’s proposal unacceptable and a “slap in the face,” claiming it was made without the union’s consultation.

The union president also said it was unfair that some members of the public service were getting higher

salary increases than others. He made the comments during Wednesday’s demonstration outside Parliament and reiterated them again during a press conference on Friday, where he also responded to Mr Mitchell’s criticisms of the union’s action.

During Friday’s interview, Mr Ferguson defended the protest, saying it was the only way to get the government’s attention as their calls to officials had gone unanswered.

“During the course of time when this administration was in opposition, they would answer your call on the second ring. Today, you call their phones, they don’t

answer at all,” the BPSU president contended.

“…And so, when we are unable to get you via phone or get a response from you on communications that we would have sent, then we have to come where you are.”

He also noted that contrary to reports, the union has yet to begin negotiations with the government on the proposed industrial agreement and called on the ministers responsible for the public service to come to the table to start the negotiating process.

“In response to what I heard the substantive Minister for Public Service indicate that some public

fight was picked and there was a misrepresentation of the facts regarding the public service negotiations, I want to invite the substantive Minister of the Public Service and the Minister of State for the Public Service to give dates and times when the Bahamas Public Service Union would have met,” Mr Ferguson said.

“Now we have Amendment 2017 of the Industrial Relations Act that suggests upon receipt of a proposal from a recognised trade union, it says that the union and the employer shall meet to commence collective bargaining. I want to restate and reiterate that it never took place.”

He also said: “The government met with every other trade union, and I can say that for a fact because all of my other colleagues would have made me aware of the days on which they would have been negotiating. We have yet to sit to the table and commence our negotiations process.”

As for whether the union has plans to take industrial action, Mr Ferguson said the decision will ultimately be up to members.

“We do not wish to disrupt services anywhere,” he added, “but when we find that there is a misrepresentation of the facts concerning particular individuals and the benefits that they can receive by the signing of the various industrial agreements, persons are now aware of the truth concerning why funding is not being received.”

FNM: SEARS THROWING PM UNDER BUS

relatively low with stable rates.

subjected the country to the increase of fuel charges internationally.

On Thursday, Mr Sears admitted he misspoke in Parliament, which resulted in a misleading account of events leading up to the BPL fuel hedging trades’ rejection.

He confirmed that on October 9, 2021, he received a briefing on the rationale for executing transactions, known as “call option’’ trades, that would enable BPL to acquire additional cheaper fuel at below-market prices while keeping its fuel charge and overall electricity bills

Mr Pintard said he is not surprised by Mr Sears’ admission.

“I’m not at all surprised that he has once again admitted to having misled Parliament. Because what he expected, what the PLP administration expected, is that we would have relented on continually raising this issue. Here’s the problem, the government came to power, and received adequate information about the hedge programme.

“They received confirmation that for the time the hedge was in place it had saved the Bahamian people at least $25m. And if it had

been left in place and if the government had executed the ruling trades, it would have saved at least $55m,” Mr Pintard claimed.

Mr Sears said he initially did not “recall” receiving the email when first mentioned by Mr Pintard, the opposition’s leader.

“I did not recall having received that email. And I stated that I wrote BPL, and I also wrote the PS (permanent secretary), and I asked: ‘Could you refresh me, and did I receive it?’ I didn’t get a response, a confirmation,” he said.

“For several weeks, I was in New York, and I took a day and I brought my old iPad. I went back personally and did a search, and I

found that I did receive - I think it was on October 9I did receive an email with the attachments. It would have gone on to be sent on to the financial secretary, which is normal because they are the technical review in terms of financial clearance. It really was to access a loan which is managed by the Ministry of Finance,” Mr Sears said.

Mr Pintard argued that Mr Sears continuously tried to “cover up” that he was briefed on the issue and indicated it was the prime minister who made the final call on the fuel hedging.

“His attempt to cover up the fact that he was briefed earlier by indicating that it was the prime

minister’s call. There was a Cabinet paper, he said, drafted for the prime minister’s attention. And the prime minister, he said he referred to him as the ‘minister of finance’, made the determination.”

He added: “I want to make it very clear that what he said (Thursday), in that convoluted press conference that he had it was the second time that he has publicly acknowledged after more than eight times denying that he had been briefed verbally, to the minutes of the hedge committee through any correspondence.”

Meanwhile, Free National Movement chairman Dr Sands also called

for the resignation of Mr Sears as he said “Pintard had to skillfully tease this admission bit by bit” from the Fort Charlotte MP.

“It is time for the minister to do the honourable thing and resign. Resign your post as minister. The people of The Bahamas must be able to believe that the words that arise from communications from their ministers in Parliament are truthful and factual.

“And while your resignation will not undo the suffering caused by the bad decisions that you have made, it may demonstrate some respect for a time on a tradition of parliamentary accountability,” Dr Sands said on Friday.

from page one

THE SCENE in Rawson Square last week as members of the BPSU held a gathering outside Parliament.

Photo: Moise Amisial

‘Tax and spend govt’ raises road traffic fees

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

THE Free National Movement has accused the Davis administration of being a “tax and spend” government due to the impending increase in Road Traffic Department fees.

The opposition party said compounded with inflation, the decision is even more “unjust” given the poor state of many of the country’s roads.

Road Traffic officials have confirmed the department’s plan to increase service fees in the new year, with the changes set to take effect January 1, 2023.

The driver’s licence fee for one year is $20, however it is set to increase by $5 to $25. Currently it costs $60 to renew a driver’s licence for three years, but the new

price will increase to $75.

Additionally, the fiveyear driver’s licence fee stands at $100, but is expected to increase to $125.

The replacement of a driver’s licence, title certificate and public service badges is $15, however, as of January 1, 2023 the price will be $25.

Motor vehicle licence fees for Class A remain at $160, but an increase is expected in both Class B and Class C.

When contacted Michael Pintard, Free National Movement leader, said the Davis administration is seeking to “claw back” funds from the Bahamian public after “squandering” a number of opportunities relative to the management of finances.

These comments are following the circulation of the

proposed price increase on social media.

“The government is seeking to claw back from members of the public funds that are now badly needed for the recurrent expenditure throughout different ministries in the Commonwealth of The Bahamas,” said Mr Pintard.

He urged the government to thoroughly explain to the Bahamian public the reasoning for the uptick in fees, as he suggested the “financial pressures” the government is experiencing may be the reason.

In a statement released yesterday, FNM deputy leader Shanendon Cartwright said the fee increases are an additional tax burden during a time when people are already struggling with high prices because of inflation.

“As government spending increases, so is the tax burden on the Bahamian people,” Mr Cartwright said. “They are a ‘tax and spend’ government. The recent announcement by the government of major increases in fees at the Road Traffic Department on a number of services presents an additional tax burden on the Bahamian people particularly during this inflationary time.

“The tax burden has increased on the Bahamian people due to this government’s decisions and lack of effective economic policies. This tax and spend approach is even more unjust as the Bahamian people contend with horrible pothole filled roads and no water to flush their toilets and take a bath.

“The Bahamian people

are not receiving adequate government services that they pay for. They have been inundated with increases on the cost of food brought on by the government’s tax on breadbasket items. Electricity cost is rising due to the government’s rejection of a sound fuel hedging strategy and a delayed decision that has cost the Bahamian people millions of dollars in savings.

“The Bahamian people are being asked to sacrifice everything and carry a heavy tax load yet the government continues to spend with what seems to be no consideration for the burden on the pockets of the Bahamian people.

“There is much economic despair in our population and the government must not rely on prosperity on paper and halt its tax and

spend approach. The Bahamian people need relief not more taxes,” the St Barnabas MP said.

Initial reactions from the Bahamian public about the increased fees have been critical on social media.

“Unless the roads in this Bahama land have been fully repaired, not patched up and experimented on, there should be no increase on any service rendered by RTD (Road Traffic Department),” one Facebook user said.

“Is this to aid more trips for Brave and crew because (an) increase for what and these roads are a mess,” said another user.

When contacted on Friday, an official from the Road Traffic Department said a press release on the matter would be released today.

BANKMAN-FRIED: WE TRIED TO DO RIGHT BY REGULATORS

from page one

He also disagreed with the characterisation of The Bahamas’ digital assets regulatory regime in international media, saying he believed the commentary made was due to a “lack of awareness”.

“I mean, we never tried to throw regulation and compliance to the wind,” he said while appearing as a guest on “On The Record” with host Jerome Sawyer. The nearly hour-long interview was aired last night.

“We were spending more than half our time as a company, I think, on regulation and compliance by the end and you know, that was through here in The Bahamas, where we had, we built out an entire local team to interface with Bahamian regulators and behaviour and regulation.”

“You know, over the course of a year we transitioned, you know, most of the global business to the Bahamian entity, mostly customers to the Bahamian entity and this became the nexus of our global business. It was where minded management was. It’s where the bulk of the employees were.

“It’s where the technology was built and it’s where our primary regulator was with the Securities Commission here and so, there was an enormous effort and engagement on this part to shift a global business here which we did this year,” he also said.

FTX, Alameda Research, and “dozens other affiliated companies” filed a bankruptcy petition in Delaware last month after facing a liquidity crisis.

The firm’s collapse is currently being investigated by local and international law enforcement agencies, who

SAM BANKMAN-FRIED

are probing the handling of FTX customers’ funds.

“It was tough to see,” the FTX founder said of the crypto giant’s collapse. “It was a little bit shocking to see things unravel so quickly. And I had to try to adapt pretty quickly to doing the best I could, you know, given what had happened.

“I wish I’d been quicker than I was to make that change but everything came unravelling at the same time.”

Before FTX’s downfall, Mr Bankman-Fried said the company had enjoyed a good relationship with local regulators in The Bahamas, adding that he really appreciated having an “open line of communication” with the Securities Commission of The Bahamas.

“I’ve been in countries where, you know, I’ve been told that I absolutely needed to come in and register,” he said. “And then when we reach out to the regulators to register, they’re not taking meetings and at that point, I don’t know what to do next. That was never the case here. They always were interested, were curious, they always wanted to

know more and welcomed engagement.”

As for his relationship with the Bahamian government, the former billionaire described Prime Minister Phillip “Brave” Davis as a great leader who has been “incredibly empathetic” and “incredibly well intentioned”.

“I think I’ve seen that more broadly with most of the government that I’ve interfaced with,” he added.

“And I think it’s something that we saw, frankly, prior to the election last year here as well. I think we’ve seen it on both sides. It was an approach, which was constructive, which was practical, which got things done.

“...and I’ll tell you what I haven’t seen much of from the island. I haven’t seen that much focus on partisan bickering and look, obviously there is some. There always will be some and I don’t want to say that everyone has the same view on everything but when you look at what’s happening in the United States in DC right now, partisan bickering is most of what happens.”

When asked whether he had spoken with the Prime

MAN ADMITS ASSAULTING AND THREATENING SISTERS

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Court Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A MAN was bound to keep the peace for a year by a Magistrate’s Court on Friday after admitting to assaulting and threatening his sisters.

Wayde Moncur, 61, of South Beach Drive, represented by Alphonso Lewis, stood before Senior Magistrate Carolyn Vogt-Evans. There he faced charges of assault and two counts of threats of death.

Moncur is said to have kicked in his sister Erica Moncur’s door and got into an argument with her on December 7 at his home. Things escalated to the point that the accused punched his sister at the back of her head. When Moncur’s other sister, Theresa Moncur intervened, the accused threatened to kill both of them.

While Moncur pleaded guilty to the charges before the magistrate he claimed that it was Erica that kicked him first. The accused

apologised for his actions.

Mr Lewis said that his client is remorseful for his actions and that Moncur would try to not repeat his mistake. The attorney asked that the court show mercy and spare Moncur’s clean record.

In view of this, Magistrate Vogt-Evans granted Moncur a conditional discharge where he was bound to keep the peace for a year. Should the accused be found in default during this time he would face a $1,000 fine or six months in prison.

POLICEMAN ACCUSED OF CONSPIRACY TO MURDER

from page one

Police did not release further details at the time, but

did say the man was a resident of the community.

This killing was one of a series of violent incidents in the past few months, as the

country’s murder toll continues to climb.

The two men are expected in court at noon today.

Minister or any other senior government official since FTX’s implosion, Mr Bankman-Fried replied he had been in contact with SCB, adding that those conversations were the “primary point of interface”.

When pressed on the issue again, Mr BankmanFried paused for a bit before answering.

He eventually replied: “We have made sure that we are responsive to anything that comes down.

“I think frankly and one of the reasons I had to think a bit for answering is it would be an easy answer if we had one member of the government who is telling

us we had to do X no matter what, and some other members telling us we couldn’t do X no matter what and we were having separate meetings with different, you know, different ministers, different representatives that were conflicting, and managing that (but) we haven’t seen that.”

“But, we’ve seen has been a fairly cohesive, constructive approach here to the point that sort of intentions and actions that we’ve been seeing from different players, they’re all part of the same hole which is trying to do right by customers.”

The former FTX CEO also couldn’t recall ever

being asked for anything by any government official but said the company has supported the country in the past by donating to local citisens and charities.

FTX Digital Markets, which is headquartered in The Bahamas, is the Bahamian subsidiary of FTX Trading Ltd, the owner and operator of FTX.

It was incorporated in The Bahamas in July 2021.

Earlier this year, the crypto exchange broke ground to start construction on its $60m headquarters.

The project, however, has since been put on hold, according to Mr Bankman-Fried.

NULLIUS ADDICTUS JURARE IN VERBA MAGISTRI

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-

Published daily Monday to Friday Shirley & Deveaux Streets, Nassau, Bahamas N3207

TELEPHONES

(242) 322-1986 Advertising Manager (242) 502-2394

Circulation Department (242) 502-2386 Nassau fax (242) 328-2398 Freeport, Grand Bahama (242)-352-6608 Freeport fax (242) 352-9348

Biden looks to build trust with Africa leaders

PRESIDENT Joe Biden is set to play host to dozens of African leaders in Washington this week as the White House looks to narrow a gaping trust gap with Africa — one that has grown wider over years of frustration about America’s commitment to the continent.

In the lead-up to the three-day USAfrica Leaders Summit that begins Tuesday, Biden administration officials played down their increasing concern about the clout of China and Russia in Africa, which is home to more than 1.3 billion people. Instead, administration officials tried to put the focus on their efforts to improve cooperation with African leaders.

“This summit is an opportunity to deepen the many partnerships we have on the African continent,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said when asked about the shadow that China and Russia cast on the meetings. “We will focus on our efforts to strengthen these partnerships across a wide range of sectors spanning from businesses to health to peace and security, but our focus will be on Africa next week.”

To that end, White House officials said that “major deliverables and initiatives” — diplomatic speak for big announcements — will be peppered throughout the meetings. The White House previewed one major summit announcement on Friday, saying that Biden would use the gathering to declare his support for adding the African Union as a permanent member of the Group of 20 nations.

The summit will be the biggest international gathering in Washington since before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Talks are expected to centre on the coronavirus, climate change, the impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Africa, trade and more, according to White House officials. Biden is set to deliver remarks at a US-Africa business forum, hold small group meetings with leaders, host a leaders’ dinner at the White House and take part in other sessions with leaders during the gathering.

Biden has spent much of his first two years in office trying to assuage doubters on the international stage about American leadership after four years of Donald Trump’s “America First” foreign policy. With this summit — a follow-up to the first such gathering held eight years ago

by President Barack Obama — Biden has an opportunity to assuage concerns in Africa about whether the US is serious about tending to the relationship.

Biden’s effort to draw African nations closer to the US comes at a complicated moment, as his administration has made plain that it believes that Chinese and Russian activity in Africa is a serious concern to US and African interests.

In its sub-Saharan Africa strategy unveiled in August, the Biden administration warned that China, which has pumped billions into African energy, infrastructure and other projects, sees the region as an arena where Beijing can “challenge the rules-based international order, advance its own narrow commercial and geopolitical interests, undermine transparency and openness”.

The administration also argues that Russia, the preeminent arms dealer in Africa, views the continent as a permissive environment for Kremlin-connected oligarchs and private military companies to focus on fomenting instability for their own strategic and financial benefit.

Still, administration officials are emphasising concerns about China and Russia will not be central to the talks.

“The United States prioritises our relationship with Africa for the sake of our mutual interests and our partnership in dealing with global challenges,” Molly Phee, assistant secretary of state for African affairs, told reporters before the summit. “We are very conscious, again, of the Cold War history, we’re conscious, again, of the deleterious impact of colonialism on Africa, and we studiously seek to avoid repeating some of the mistakes of those earlier eras.”

The administration has been disappointed that much of the continent has declined to follow the US in condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but Biden is not expected to dwell on differences publicly. The president is expected to participate with leaders in a session on promoting food security and food systems resilience. Africa has been disproportionately impacted by the global rise in food prices that has been caused in part by the drop in shipments from major grain exporter Ukraine.

By AAMER MADHANI, FARAI MUTSAKA and MOGOMOTSI MAGOME, Associated Press

Getting nowhere fast

EDITOR, The Tribune.

I HAVE finally made my way through back issues of the two plus weeks of newspapers that accumulated during my trip to Europe recently.

During this exercise, I came across the Supplement for Public Service Week which l was interested in perusing since l had heard that during the official motorcade to celebrate the event, apparently no Bahamian songs or music had been played! - but that’s another story that needs to be fully analysed on its own ‘demerit’ for another time!

What l do want to point out for what it’s worth is a sad state of affairs under the Ministry of Youth, Sports & Culture’s segment in the supplement – and let me point out firstly that we, in the Cultural/Creative/Orange Economy professions, have constantly decried the fact that our unique Bahamian Culture - our flowing fountain of rich resources and tremendous talent that is naturally enshrined in the very essence of “we, the people” - has sadly always been ‘tacked on’, like an aberrant frivolous afterthought, to one Ministry or another for decades because Art and Culture is not considered to have

any value by the ‘mustards’ nor the ‘ketchups’ - even though the ‘condiments’ have called on us over and over again over generations (since the time Clement Bethel was appointed the first Director of Culture after Independence) - to waste our valuable time talking for countless hours to deaf ears; and writing tomes of proposals for blind uncaring eyes that only end up gathering dust on some dark shelf!

Yet in spite of the ‘condiments’ deafness and dumbness, and because ‘we’ understand the enormous power and potential of our Bahamian Art and Culture, and are driven by our creativity, we make it all happen on our own steam using our own finances to try and show them better than we can tell them – but ‘they’ still just do not get it! – and because they do not know, nor understand, nor have the interest to learn, or listen to those who dothe ‘same story, different day’ scenario of ‘getting nowhere fast’ on the ‘condiments’ front continually repeats itself - to the whole country’s detriment!

So here is the travesty in the Supplement under The Cultural Affairs Division of the Ministry’s segment that is a blatant example of the

above statements: one small paragraph cut and pasted straight from the government website with the last sentence stating: “The Cultural Affairs Division is headed by a director, Dr Linda Moxey-Brown.”

Dr Moxey-Brown left that post in 2016, l believe (I stand to be corrected); and the position was then filled by Rowena PoitierSutherland for several years; and Dereka Deleveaux-Grant is the now Director of Culture, having been appointed, l believe, in 2021!

Come on man! Who is checking and who is in charge? Say ya sorry and do better!

This is as bad as the 41th Independence anniversary celebrations when I received an invitation at the last minute to attend a ceremony at which my late husband would be one of the cultural legends being honoured, but the official Independence invitation highlighted the image, cut and pasted directly from the internet, of an Hawaiian man blowing a conch shell!

We turn 50 in a matter of months, and, yes, these types of details do indeed matter!

PAM

BURNSIDE Nassau, December 10, 2022.

Issues in the courts

EDITOR, The Tribune.

GREETINGS and thanks very much for the opportunity to write these several points to ponder. Back in June of 1978 as a young recruit fire officer attached to the Royal Bahamas Police Fire Department one of the things I prided my Senior Officers, my instructors, not only did they want to align us with family life, but they insisted that we purchase very early on property, or land, stressing that while cars are a good thing to have, the truth is that you cannot live and shower in a car or vehicles.

So, from early on they saw to it that we were given the right foundations upon which to begin our lives, and I will forever be indebted to them.

I have been out of the service for 20 years now and I do not know whether or not these very sound and basic principles remain among the police and fire forces?

I heard a true story about a man, a married Bahamian man who had acquired a mortgage for a new house in one of the local housing subdivisions, but after paying that note off, problems arose in the marital home and his wife then filed for divorce. But, during the filing because he had been served court papers there were children coming out of this union...not sure how the courts would divide the assets?

He pursued another mortgage unbeknown to his soon to be divorced wife - a process that took a couple of years to neutralise. Because of the children, as the story goes, the court awarded the house to the man’s wife and the children.

Finally, the divorce was approved and each went their separate ways. Now, this woman was committed to seeing to it that he only leaves with the clothes on his back. Never stop digging into how he got along, who were his female friends, of which he had, but she was grudgeful that she could not have them legally appear in the divorce proceedings - she kept on him.

And like clock work,

she found out that he was nearing the construction of that second home. What do you think she did? She went back to court, alleging that her now divorced husband prior to the finalising the union by the court, was building another home, and what do you think happened? That property became the subject of another court’s investigation, with the view of apportioning the assets to the same - this now disgruntled divorcee - but is this fair?

Editor, what am I saying? Lots of blood, sweat and tears goes into these acquisitions of not only buildings, but they had had to secure the property firstly, many undertook to pay off for the property, then put a savings plan together to be able to approach the Mortgage Corporation, etc?

I for one am a byproduct of Andros heritage, by virtue of grandmother who is a Russell. In the same vein, my Dad was a descendant of the Gilbert Clan of New Bight, Cat Island. But my Grandmother that I grew up with, married a Gibson from Savannah Sound, Eleuthera, Bahamas.

What my grandmother did was that she ensured that the two acres of Generation property remained for her descendants, down through the ages-if-Father God delays His coming.

What am I saying? The Bahamian people who have handed down to them these real estates, should be taken seriously, especially if either or others were Adverse Claimants, and or just squatting on the land? I know for one thing, my grandmother worked the land, so much so that if she were to shake your hands, there would be no question that the woman was a farmer of the highest order and as I quizzed her about her mother, Matilda, said she worked that way because it was all her mother did to sustain them, work the farm, but I called

it the ‘Field.

It behooves me why, and how a person(s), company whomever, not knowing the story of the land and the levels of the sacrifices that entailed? Would you try to steal it from under you?

This is perhaps a common theme all across the Commonwealth of The Bahamas.

But the sad part of it all, and where thieves of the property (properties), were concerned, the only place to lodge that complaint or those complaints were in a Court of Law, and as it relates to the Bahamas takes literally years even to reach the Courts, much less debate, cross-examine litigants and make a sound judgement based entirely on the physical evidence presented, but this is unacceptable, why?

Having said all of this, I draw your attention and that of the scores of Bahamians who were asking why for an example this deceased Bahamian icon Mr John “Chippy” Chipman and his Estate has not been concluded in the Courts of The Bahamas? A matter involving prime Real Estate at West Bay Street, next to what I believe is Dunmore Avenue, or Dunmore Street, referred to as Chippingham Road opposite the Fish Fry at Arawak Cay? On the front of that property sits the Bus Stop for visitors traversing their West Bay Street lodgings, and I must say that across from it is some kind of waterway, but and, oh boy, that area is filthy, no excuse and I know the Bahamian readers of The Tribune must be wondering how come I am the only one trying to point out the garbage?

And to the Chief Justice Hon Winder, sir, you have inherited quite a complex load of legal work, and, therefore, I will continue to pray for God’s guidance and His enabling. Can you please, sir, cause that Chipman/others - land disputed case file to be brought to your office for perusal? Thank you, sir.

FRANK GILBERT Nassau, December

9, 2022.

Eugene Duffy

EDITOR, The Tribune.

THANK you for your wonderful tribute to my friend and colleague over very many years, Eugene Duffy. You’ve very much captured the essence of the man.

Eugene spoke passionately about The Bahamas

and his life there.

He was an incredible journalist and communicator, who wanted to change lives for the better.

To know Eugene was a gift and a privilege.

I wish to thank everyone in The Bahamas who shared his humanity and a

genuine care and interest in each other’s well-being. He will be truly missed.

GARY JONES Editor-in-Chief,

Daily and Sunday Express, London, England, December, 2022.

SKIERS dressed in Santa Claus outfits hit the slopes for charity at the Sunday River Ski Resort, in Newry, Maine, yesterday.

Photo: Robert F Bukaty/AP

Abaco residents hit out at ‘absurd’ grocery prices

By JADE RUSSELL jrussell@tribunemedia.net

SEVERAL Abaco residents have expressed frustration over the “absurd” prices of food in grocery stores on the island.

Yesterday, The Tribune spoke to several residents after receiving numerous complaints about items being overpriced for the average person.

One resident, Crystal Williams, said she is forced to buy her groceries from the United States because she simply cannot afford the increasing prices in the local stores.

“You can’t afford it, like I tell people I’m not a single parent, I’m the only parent. So, therefore being an only parent, I have to maximise my money,” she said.

Ms Williams believes there’s a lot of “price

gouging” going on in Abaco food stores.

As a taxi service owner, Ms Williams said when she took her visiting clients to the grocery store, they were shocked by the price of food items.

“A lot of times they were baffled and asked things like how do you guys live with these prices?” she said.

She said items such as butter, milk, cheese, and other dairy products are “ridiculous in price”, as she explained a stick of butter is almost $4.

Another resident, who is an owner of a local restaurant, expressed concern that some businesses on the island are overcharging customers for items that are in high demand.

The business owner, who asked to remain anonymous, revealed that she shops almost daily at the

two main food stores on the island — Abaco Groceries and Maxwell’s Supermarket — to stock up on inventory.

However, she said certain items at the store always seem to be climbing up in price compared to the last grocery trip she made.

“There are so many atrocities being committed, it’s unbelievable,” the resident claimed. “I’ve been buying (food) trays for $20 for the last I’d say three weeks or so have now gone up to $50. To me, it’s just nonsensical the way they’re behaving with these prices.

“The French fries, they’re now $50 for the box, and especially when the food store sees that you’re purchasing a certain item, the price increases. Individualsize drinking water is sold at Sams for $3 to $4 and is being sold for $15 and at times, $22. I need to know where

Price Control is because this doesn’t make sense.”

Errily Russell, another resident of Abaco, said as Christmas approaches many residents are worried whether they will be able to afford food. “Christmas is coming up, people are saying they don’t know how they’ll make it in the store with their little couple of dollars,” Ms Russell said. “When it comes to Christmas, they (food stores) know that people will buy a turkey, ham, and macaroni you know, your regular Christmas dinner. So those particular items skyrocketed and it’s really deplorable.”

Meanwhile, Gersil Edgecombe, owner of Keva’s Convenience Store, said it has been difficult sustaining his inventory off the local supermarket in Abaco called Maxwell’s.

“I have to pass the prices

$3,000 FINE FOR MURDER BID SUSPECT’S BAIL BREACH

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Court Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A MAN on bail for five counts of attempted murder was fined $3,000 in court after admitting to failing to adhere to the conditions of his bail.

Iking Stubbs, 30, represented by Alphonso Lewis, appeared before Magistrate Samuel McKinney on six counts of violation of bail conditions.

It is alleged that on December 5, 2017, Stubbs

shot at Trevor Stubbs, Karesia Darling, Bernard Smith, Danyel Stubbs and Jamal Bethel at a park in Nicholls Court, Yellow Elder Gardens.

While on bail for those pending charges, between November 5 and 29, the accused failed to charge his court imposed electronic monitoring device on five separate days.

Stubbs also failed to sign in at his local police station for a total of 15 days between October 7 to November 14.

In court, Stubbs pleaded guilty to the bail violations. He said he only failed to sign in due to scheduling conflicts with his work, claiming that he tried to sign in the following days after he missed.

Stubbs then pleaded with the magistrate for mercy so that he can continue to provide for his family and be with them over the holidays. Mr Lewis reiterated his client’s sentiments during his plea of mitigation saying that Stubbs is his family’s breadwinner

and is remorseful for his actions.

In view of this, Magistrate McKinney fined the accused $3,000 for the bail breaches, of which half must be paid before his release. Failure to pay this fine would result in a sixmonth prison sentence. An 18-month probationary period was also imposed on Stubbs. If he violates this, he faces a year in prison.

During his probation, Stubbs was told to comply with his pre-established sign-in conditions.

on to my customers. And one of the disadvantages of buying from Maxwell’s is more like a middleman, you have to pay the same prices as ordinary customers and then retail it to somebody else. So, it makes it more expensive, and the way things are going it’s just ridiculous,” Mr Edgecombe said.

When contacted for comment, Chad Sawyer, managing director of Maxwell’s Supermarket in Marsh Harbour, Abaco, said the store was doing its best to accommodate customers.

Mr Sawyer said: “We are doing everything we can to try to keep the prices down. The rising cost of doing business from insurance, shipping, repairs, and maintenance on everything. All of the stuff goes up and everything is going up, it’s just

not us. We do all we can to try to keep prices down.”

Mr Sawyer said he hopes residents will realise the supermarket is doing its best to accommodate everyone in these times.

“What’s the advantage of me trying to steal from you (customers)? We do everything we can to keep prices down,” Mr Sawyer stressed.

In October, Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis announced that 38 new categories of items will be subject to price controls, in efforts to grapple with a high cost of living crisis due to inflation, among other factors.

There was a push back from food retailers and those in the pharmacy sector over the move.

Negotiations between the government and retailers have been ongoing since.

BAIL GRANTED IN FIREARM CASE

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Court Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A MAN was granted bail in Magistrate’s Court on Friday after reportedly being found with a loaded gun in Eleuthera earlier this month.

Dale Miller, 29, of Eleuthera, stood before Magistrate Kara TurnquestDeveaux on charges of possession of an unlicensed firearm and possession of ammunition.

On December 5 in Green Castle, Eleuthera, Miller was arrested

after he was found with a black and brown Taurus 9mm pistol with five live rounds of 9mm ammunition.

In court, the accused pleaded not guilty to both charges. Miller was granted $9,000 bail with three sureties.

Under the conditions of his bail, the accused is expected to sign in at Rock Sound Police Station every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.

Miller’s trial will be held in Rock Sound on March 27, 2023.

How would the Alfred Sears of yesterday judge his actions today?

By TYLER MCKENZIE

THE story of Alfred Sears and his slow steps toward admitting that he had indeed misled Parliament is a curious one.

I have been firmly of the opinion that Mr Sears is one of the genuine people in politics. There are people who go into politics and you look at them and think they’re there for the money, or the importance, the influence. Mr Sears has always seemed to be more thoughtful and sincere about his commitment to serve in politics.

Back in 2016, when he launched a “listening tour” around the islands as part of an ultimately unsuccessful bid to become leader of the PLP, he raised a number of issues of genuine concern, and wasn’t afraid to criticise his own party. At one point, he criticised the failure of the PLP to follow its own constitution, saying that such a failure compromised the party’s “integrity, viability, resilience and nimbleness”.

He called for the party a financial auditor, and said there should be “an annual report of income, expenditure, campaign contributions and expenses and balance sheet to the National General Convention”.

Mr Sears has always shown a sense of care about doing things the right way, about being transparent about the process, and about accountability.

In fact, he launched a 26-page manifesto, in which he laid out a plan for core

values that would “commit us to honest government, Bahamian servant leadership, giving priority to the interests of the whole over the interest of the privileged few”.

He offered himself as “a transformational servant leader and change agent for the Progressive Liberal Party” and called for “transparent, efficient, accountable and limited government”.

He quoted not once, but twice, former chief justice Sir Burton Hall saying: “We are convinced that Bahamian society is more threatened by a pervasive culture of dishonesty, greed and a casual disregard for social norms and formal regulation than it is by crimes in the narrow sense previously described.”

He talked of the need to establish an independent Integrity Commission to investigate alleged acts of misconduct and corruption by public officials.

It was a thoughtful, thorough document that put the emphasis on doing things the right way, and rebuilding with an eye to the future.

That his manifesto and his candidacy for leadership were rejected by the party does not make his suggestions any less valid – or any less appropriate for today.

Which brings us to the situation we have now – which as I say is curious indeed.

Last month, I wrote about the question of whether or not the House had been misled by the comments Mr Sears made about BPL and the fuel hedging policy that

was on the table.

That revolved around an email from October 9, 2021, that Mr Sears now says he “did not recall having received”. He had been asked about it in the House by FNM leader Michael Pintard and said he was not provided with such information.

Mr Pintard tabled the letter from then CEO of BPL Whitney Heastie. As that sat sizzling in public view, things began to change.

First, Mr Sears said that actually a Cabinet paper on the BPL fuel hedging trades did exist.

It was addressed to the Ministry of Finance, and the ministry decided to reject the recommendation. The move was said to be “not in the interest of the country at that time”.

The

happen

ing right now is the price we all have to pay.

As for Mr Sears, last week he said: “I did not recall having received that email. And I stated that I wrote BPL, and I also wrote the PS (permanent secretary), and I asked: ‘Could you refresh me and did I receive it?’ I didn’t get a response, a confirmation.

I did not recall having received that email.

And I stated that I wrote BPL, and I also wrote the PS (permanent secretary), and I asked: ‘Could you refresh me and did I receive it?’ I didn’t get a response, a confirmation.

“For several weeks, I was in New York, and I took a day and I brought my old iPad. I went back personally and did a search, and I found that I did receive – I think it was on October 9 – I did receive an email with the attachments.

importance of this is that the failure to sign up to more BPL fuel hedging caught the country on the hop when fuel prices soared – and the increased bills

“For several weeks, I was in New York, and I took a day and I brought my old iPad. I went back personally and did a search, and I found that I did receive – I think it was on October 9 – I did receive an email with the attachments. It would have gone on to be sent on to the financial secretary which is normal because they are the technical review in terms of financial clearance. It really was to access a loan which is managed by the Ministry of Finance.”

Just let me reiterate here, the matter he was questioned about in Parliament was easily found by a search of his personal email for the time that was already established. The email was forwarded to the Ministry of Finance for review – and it was for a matter that involved tens of millions of dollars. Weeks had also passed since the question was made.

Mr Sears added last week: “The Leader of the Opposition made the allegation again. I could not sit there, knowing that the first representation I had made was not correct and, as is my duty, I got up and I stated on the record of the House of Assembly that I had done a search of my email and I had found the email of October 9, 2021, and the response of the financial secretary. I stated it on the record because it was incumbent upon me to correct the previous statement that I had made.”

So Mr Sears recognises that he was wrong, and he recognises the importance of putting things right.

Meanwhile, a draft Cabinet prepared by the Ministry of Finance and dated September 30, 2021, suggests Mr Sears had also been briefed before that October 9 email. That paper said: “The Ministry of Finance has also shared this Cabinet memorandum with the Minister of Works and Utilities to provide his

Last week, government sources said that the reason the fuel hedging strategy wasn’t pursued was because the government and BPL lacked the $40m in available funds to finance the deal. Simply put, there was a $246m loan due to mature and no funds to repay it.

So there appears to have been a process of receiving the information, deliberating on it and coming to a conclusion – again on a matter involving tens of millions of dollars.

And Mr Sears tells us he had no memory of that. And that’s how he came to mislead the House.

If that is accurate, he needs to resign. We cannot have public servants failing to correctly inform the House over decisions made and advice received on multi-million dollar matters.

The Parliamentary norm when the House is misled is to resign. The Alfred Sears who twice quoted a former chief justice about the danger of disregarding social norms would probably have agreed.

There is no reason Mr Sears cannot come again to the decision-making table. But his own actions would not sit well with his own previously-expressed opinions.

The Mr Sears who campaigned to become a servant leader would agree. He has to go.

comments at the [Cabinet] table.”

ALFRED Sears in Parliament and, below, his manifesto during his leadership challenge.

Photo: Moise Amisial

A smile in September

IN January 2020, while getting ready for church, my patient sat in his living room chair to put on his shoes. Leaning forward his chest felt tight and his breathing became so laborious that he began to sweat. He attempted to stand but fell back down. Within seconds he was wheezing deeply and struggled to breathe. At age 71, he slowly and carefully walked over to the bedroom to find his wife and began to vomit blood so violently his throat burned. He didn’t have enough oxygen to yell for assistance so, clutching his chest, he slowly signaled to his wife. As she screamed running to support him before he collapsed, he felt in that moment that these would be the last moments of his life.

Known to his closest friends as Smiley, my patient was born in 1949 in Nassau and grew up in abject poverty. His neighbourhood barely had running water and electricity and he attended free public school barefoot for many years until he was gifted a pair of shoes by Catholic nuns. At 15, he left school, needing to find work to support his family. What he lacked in formal education for advancement, he more than made up for by his work ethic.

After a stint as a food store clerk, he went to work at a hardware store where that work ethic paid off. Smiley was promoted to manager.

With an extraordinary gift for selling and interacting with people, he took those skills to several other jobs until he ultimately answered an ad in the newspaper and landed at an insurance company working as a messenger clerk. Before long, he was promoted to the role of underwriter when the position suddenly became available. In this new role, he reviewed insurance applications, evaluating and analysing the risks involved with approving them. A job as such typically requires a college degree but Smiley’s strong interpersonal skills were obvious to all who met him and that coupled with an exceptional mathematical and analytical prowess made him an ideal candidate for the job.

As he rose further in rank from senior underwriter to office manager then treasurer, he travelled to New York and Puerto Rico before ultimately being awarded the position of general manager at the age of 24, less than ten years after he started.

Seven years later, Smiley had expanded the company by developing a subsidiary in St Maarten making it a multinational success but his external triumphs did little to mitigate his personal family struggle.

At five years old, his son began having epileptic fits. Watching his little body become tight and contorted without warning and then jerk and shake violently was devastating for Smiley and his wife. Before coming to join Smiley in St. Maarten,

his wife took their son to a hospital in Miami and their worst fears were realised when he was diagnosed with a high grade, malignant brain tumor. His chances of survival were slim the first time he had brain surgery in the US and even slimmer two years later when his cancer returned and he had to undergo a second brain operation. Fortunately, Smiley’s son survived and today, against all odds, he is thriving.

During his son’s health crisis, Smiley left his job to be with his son and wife and help her take care of their daughter. But now that things felt stable at home, he set his sights back on his career and started his own insurance company. Trading on skills that he’d learned readily over the past decade, the process came naturally and in no time, he was up and running. But the pride and price of ownership are incontrovertibly fastened to the stress its success demands. The tensity took its toll one day while Smiley was driving to work.

His chest constricted, he became light-headed and pulled over. Almost as quickly as it started, his symptoms resolved but with a deep appreciation for following up immediately on health issues, Smiley travelled to the US for a routine check-up.

He was diagnosed with an irregular (arrhythmic) heartbeat and was given electric cardioversion treatment where his heart was shocked everyday with quick, low energy electrical impulses. The treatment worked for a while, but not long after he was diagnosed with a blockage and Smiley had to have the aorta (main artery) in his heart replaced. Seventeen years later when he began experiencing heart palpitations and shortness of breath once again, he underwent a second cardiac procedure, this time to replace his malfunctioning mitral valve.

Unfortunately, Smiley’s health complications didn’t end there. Shortly after his valve replacement he began experiencing severe headaches lasting days at a time. A local physician ordered a CAT scan of his brain and diagnosed him with a sinus blockage but one night his headache was crushingly severe and he couldn’t stop vomiting. Afraid and concerned, Smiley and his wife travelled back to the US where in a Florida emergency room they were informed that a vein had burst in his brain and so much blood had pooled in the area that his surgeons were shocked that he was still able to walk and speak.

Because of the blood thinner medication Smiley

took for his heart, his surgeon couldn’t operate that night and waited till the following morning. The operation lasted seven hours, pure agony for his loved ones. Twenty-four hours later, Smiley regained consciousness. Several weeks passed before he was cleared to travel back home but his celebration was short-lived. The incision site, a visual reminder of where his surgeon used a sharp blade to cut into his skull to enter his brain and remove a deadly mass, was critically infected.

The bacteria colonizing his brain were spreading quickly and time was not on Smiley’s side. Nearly 50% of Smiley’s skull was removed and couldn’t be salvaged. Weeks later, following an aggressive course of intravenous antibiotics, Smiley was supposed to have a metal skull implanted but the risks of a third brain surgery following two major heart surgeries were as high as it gets. So, he refused and since then has lived with a sunken depression on the right side of his head where his skull once existed.

For over a decade, Smiley enjoyed normal health until January 18, 2020, when he was getting ready for church and could no longer breathe. Smiley’s wife ran to help and got their daughter to take him to the hospital. On the way, his situation worsened. His skin turned a faint blue and the pain to his chest was so intense that he began to tell his family goodbye. His daughter, swerving between cars with fortunately light traffic screamed for him to pray and to keep fighting. Her attention painfully divided between him and the road, she punched his chest then wiped away her own tears. Smiley says the blow helped ease some of his pain.

At the hospital, attendants helped Smiley as his wife and daughter ran behind, their minds confused and their hearts racing. Smiley was immediately placed on life support and transported to the intensive care unit. He was in a coma for three days after which he was airlifted to the US at his family’s request. Smiley’s doctors there had seen him through unimaginable medical crises and for the fifth time, he would need them once again. Smiley was diagnosed with a severe form of pneumonia. One week later, he was released from the hospital and given the okay to travel home.

Smiley’s take home message is to always be an advocate for your health because no one will understand and care about your own body better than you. Having an internal locus of control will ensure that you

remain in the driver’s seat of your wellness. Although doctors saved his life more than once, he says do not wait for a doctor’s analysis. If you feel something is not right, take charge and seek immediate attention. Listen to the message your body is trying to send you. Stop being the brave guy, be the smart one. Smiley thanks his family immensely for their unconditional love

By DR KENNETH D KEMP

and support and as a true walking miracle, he emphasized that he wants to continuously live a life in the status of his Christian faith.

Nicknamed Smiley as a child because he always had a smile on his face, now at 73 he is still living up to his nickname. Eternally grateful for his loving and beautiful wife, healthy children, a successful business

and for surviving so many health crises, he has even more reasons to smile today than ever before but particularly on his birthday, when his smile is about as big as it gets, every 29th day of September. This is the KDK Report.

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

Funeral Service For Mrs. Elaine Cecelia Malone, 85

of Windsor Estates, Nassau, The Bahamas, will be held at Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church, Shirley Street, Nassau on Thursday, 15th December, 2022 at 11:00 a.m.

Father Anselm Russell will officiate and interment will follow in Woodlawn Gardens Cemetery, Soldier Road, Nassau.

She was predeceased by her husband, Nehemiah Malone; her parents, Ivan and Gertrude Simms; brothers, Martin, Paul and Michael Simms; sisters, Rose Dauchot, Agnes Lehmann and Maria Simms.

She is survived by her daughters, Dorothy Albury and Lisa Roberts; grandson, Christopher Albury; granddaughter, Victoria Albury (Kai Kang); son-in-law, Thomas Albury; brothers, Terrance Simms (Linda Simms) and Lawrence Simms; sisters, Angela Simms, Gloria Bauer-Helmut and Alice Madley (Dave Madley); brother-in-law, Yvon Dauchot; sisters-in-law, Sheila and Kathy Simms numerous nieces, nephews and many other relatives and friends including, Mary and Richard Parks, her caretaker Althea Melville for 5 years and Pansy McKoy and all her colleagues at Kelly’s Home Centre.

In lieu of flowers the family request that donations be sent to the Cancer Society Of The Bahamas, P.O. Box N 6539, Nassau direct deposit Cancer Society Of The Bahamas, CIBC FCIB, Shirley Street branch account #52200112 branch transit #24667-010 or the Bahamas Humane Society, P.O. Box N 242 Nassau direct deposit Bahamas Humane Society, CIBC FCIB, Palmdale account # 1086176, swift code FCIBBSNS in memory of Mrs. Elaine Cecelia Malone.

Relatives and friends may pay their respects at Kemp’s Funeral Home Limited, 19 Palmdale Avenue, Nassau on Wednesday, from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p m.

Arrangements by Kemp’s Funeral Home Limited.

How do floating wind turbines work?

By MATTHEW LACKNER UMass Amherst

NORTHERN California has some of the strongest offshore winds in the US, with immense potential to produce clean energy. But it also has a problem. Its continental shelf drops off quickly, making building traditional wind turbines directly on the seafloor costly if not impossible.

Once water gets more than about 200 feet deep – roughly the height of an 18-storey building – these “monopile” structures are pretty much out of the question.

A solution has emerged that’s being tested in several locations around the world: wind turbines that float.

In California, where drought has put pressure on the hydropower supply, the state is moving forward on a plan to develop the nation’s first floating offshore wind farms. On December 7, 2022, the federal government auctioned off five lease areas about 20 miles off the California coast to companies with plans to develop floating wind farms. The bids were lower than recent leases off the Atlantic

coast, where wind farms can be anchored to the seafloor, but still significant, together exceeding $757m.

So, how do floating wind farms work?

THREE MAIN WAYS TO FLOAT A TURBINE

A floating wind turbine works just like other wind turbines – wind pushes on the blades, causing the rotor to turn, which drives a generator that creates electricity. But instead of having its tower embedded directly into the ground or the seafloor, a floating wind turbine sits on a platform with mooring lines, such as chains or ropes, that connect to anchors in the seabed below.

‘Globally, several fullscale demonstration projects with floating wind turbines are already operating in Europe and Asia. The Hywind Scotland project became the first commercial-scale offshore floating wind farm in 2017, with five six-megawatt turbines supported by spar buoys designed by the Norwegian energy company Equinor.’

These mooring lines hold the turbine in place against the wind and keep it connected to the cable that sends its electricity back to shore.

Most of the stability is provided by the floating platform itself. The trick is to design the platform so the turbine doesn’t tip too far in

strong winds or storms.

There are three main types of platforms:

• A spar buoy platform is a long hollow cylinder that extends downward from the turbine tower. It floats vertically in deep water, weighted with ballast in the bottom of the cylinder to lower its center of gravity. It’s then anchored in place, but with slack lines that allow it to move with the water to avoid damage. Spar buoys have been used by the oil and gas industry for years for offshore operations.

• Semisubmersible platforms have large floating hulls that spread out from the tower, also anchored to prevent drifting. Designers have been experimenting with multiple turbines on some of these hulls.

• Tension leg platforms have smaller platforms with taut lines running straight to the floor below. These are lighter but more vulnerable to earthquakes or tsunamis because they rely more on the mooring lines and anchors for stability.

Each platform must support the weight of the turbine and remain stable while the turbine operates. It can do this in part because the hollow platform, often made of large steel or concrete structures, provides buoyancy to support the turbine. Since some can be fully assembled in port and towed out for installation, they might be far cheaper than fixed-bottom structures, which require specialty vessels for installation on site.

Floating platforms can support

wind turbines that can produce ten megawatts or more of power – that’s similar in size to other offshore wind turbines and several times larger than the capacity of a typical onshore wind turbine you might see in a field.

WHY DO WE NEED FLOATING TURBINES?

Some of the strongest wind resources are away from shore in locations with hundreds of feet of water below, such as off the US West Coast, the Great Lakes, the Mediterranean Sea and the coast of Japan.

The US lease areas auctioned off in early December cover about 583 square miles in two regions – one off central California’s Morro Bay and the other near the Oregon state line. The water off California gets deep quickly, so any wind farm that is even a few miles from shore will require floating turbines.

Once built, wind farms in those five areas could provide about 4.6 gigawatts of clean electricity, enough to power 1.5 million homes, according to government estimates. The winning companies suggested they could produce even more power.

But getting actual wind turbines on the water will take time. The winners of the lease auction will undergo a Justice Department anti-trust review and then a long planning, permitting and environmental review process that

typically takes several years.

Globally, several full-scale demonstration projects with floating wind turbines are already operating in Europe and Asia. The Hywind Scotland project became the first commercial-scale offshore floating wind farm in 2017, with five six-megawatt turbines supported by spar buoys designed by the Norwegian energy company Equinor.

Equinor Wind US had one of the winning bids off Central California. Another winning bidder was RWE Offshore Wind Holdings. RWE operates wind farms in Europe and has three floating wind turbine demonstration projects. The other companies involved – Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, Invenergy and Ocean Winds – have Atlantic Coast leases or existing offshore wind farms.

While floating offshore wind farms are becoming a commercial technology, there are still technical challenges that need to be solved. The platform motion may cause higher forces on the blades and tower, and more complicated and unsteady aerodynamics. Also, as water depths get very deep, the cost of the mooring lines, anchors and electrical cabling may become very high, so cheaper but still reliable technologies will be needed.

But we can expect to see more offshore turbines supported by floating structures in the near future.

• Originally published on www. theconversation.com.

AN OFFSHORE wind farm is visible from the beach in Hartlepool, England.

Photo: Frank Augstein/AP

No time to waste

PROTECTING SCHOOL CHILDREN AND ENDING GANG VIOLENCE

GANG violence, particularly in schools, and directed at school children, is fast becoming a grave concern throughout the Caribbean.

Recent reports of school children being attacked by hooded gangs with knives and cutlasses and suffering serious injuries, have alarmed parents in Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Jamaica, St Lucia and Trinidad and Tobago. Especially troubling, is an observation, made in November 2021, by the Commissioner of Police of St Lucia, Milton Desir, that criminals have been targeting school children for recruitment into gangs and a life of crime.

In The Bahamas, concerns heightened about school safety earlier this year, following several stabbings and violent encounters between students at public schools. This led to the Education Minister, Glenys HannaMartin, telling Parliament that there will be “zero tolerance” for school violence.

In Barbados, after two years of incidents at schools, including stabbings, and several violent crimes that resulted in many deaths, the popular on-line publication, Barbados Today, in an Editorial on October 14, warned that if “authorities do not get in front of this issue it will fester and grow”.

World View

By SIR RONALD SANDERS

completely disregarding any form of the rule of law.

Of course, the dastardly and awful conditions of Haiti, which have consigned the majority of its population to abject poverty, and little opportunity for social and economic improvement while a small elite profits, are at the root of the emergence of gangs. But Haiti’s disorder is also a warning to other Caribbean countries that social, political, and economic circumstances should not deteriorate to the point where remedying them become a mammoth, costly and difficult task.

‘In The Bahamas, concerns heightened about school safety earlier this year, following several stabbings and violent encounters between students at public schools. This led to the Education Minister, Glenys Hanna-Martin, telling Parliament that there will be “zero tolerance” for school violence.’

The Ministry of Social Transformation in Antigua and Barbuda is clearly so anxious about the emergence of gangs and violence against school children, that one of the remedial actions it proposed in late November, is “developing legislation that makes gang membership and [gang] activity illegal”.

There are strong reasons for this anxiety, and good cause for a national consultation on how the issue of gang violence should be handled, involving all stakeholders in the society. The problem won’t be solved by governments alone, though they must organise national consultations.

Gang violence in school is not only a threat to the safety of children, it has the potential to grievously disrupt the education system, and, also, to feed the development of gangs, which foment criminal activities that terrorise societies and stunts economic growth.

Haiti is a deeply disturbing example of how armed gangs have taken control of large parts of the country, confronting police, kidnapping persons for ransom, “barbecuing” people they regard as enemies, and

The illegal entry of weapons into Caribbean countries, in support of drug trafficking and other criminal activity, is growing. If this trend continues, along with an increase in gangs which recruit and groom school children, the implications for peaceful and sustained stability and growth are worrying.

Just four months ago, the US Department for Homeland Security (DHS) disclosed that they had found a substantial increase in the number of weapons being illegally trafficked to the Caribbean. A spokesman for the DHS said, “In the wrong hands, these weapons could cause mass casualties”, adding that “guns trafficked from the US have been linked to a surge of gang-related and reprisal murders in The Bahamas this year”.

The problem of school violence, therefore, has two dimensions. The first is the safety of children and the impact on the education system. The second is the looming prospect that gangs would become so emboldened, that they would seek to control countries, challenging law enforcement bodies in the process.

Apart from Haiti, developments in two Central American countries – El Salvador and Honduras –should be closely studied by Caribbean authorities, such as the CARICOM Implementation Agency for Crime and Security, for the lessons they present.

In El Salvador, between March 25 and 27, eightyseven people were murdered in violence that Salvadoran authorities blamed on two of the country’s most notorious criminal gangs – both of them had migrated from Los Angeles in the US

The victims varied widely demographically and most of them had no known connection to any gangs.

In response, the government declared a thirty-day state of emergency that curtailed several constitutional rights, including freedom of assembly and the right to legal counsel. The President of the country also authorised the national police to conduct warrantless raids and mass arrests; as of April 26, more than seventeen thousand suspected gang members had reportedly been arrested. Almost 60,000 suspected gang members have been arrested since March.

The Salvadorian government was criticised for its methods by international human rights bodies. However, the government’s actions resulted in a considerable drop in homicides, and a significant easing of fear in the society.

In neighbouring Honduras, the government, also faced the criminal activities of gangs that held sway over businesses in the capital, Tegucigalpa, and the northern hub of San Pedro Sula. Taking a leaf from the El Salvador playbook, on December 5, the Honduras government imposed a ‘state of exception’ suspending some constitutional rights to help fight street gangs. A former Police Commissioner said, “The intent is to penetrate these criminal structures to get to the leaders, noting that it would also be important to go after lesser criminals, as well as repeat offenders”.

Armed gangs are already an unwelcome phenomenon in Caribbean countries. This is not a problem that can afford delays.

The approach of the governments of El Salvador and Honduras came after the activities of gangs were so grave that they could not be ignored. Consequently, draconian measures were introduced which encroached on civil liberties. Those governments would argue that, in fulfilment of their duty to keep their populations safe, they had no choice.

Caribbean countries, except Haiti, still have time to address this growing problem within the rule of law. Dealing with it, based on national consultations and consensus, is urgent.

• Reponses and previous commentaries: www. sirronaldsanders

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

CONVICT Ronald George Simmons speaking to students about making the right decisions in lifeand the consequences of making the wrong ones - during a forum at AF Adderley school in April.

EDUCATION Minister Glenys Hanna Martin has said there must be “zero tolerance” for school violence in The Bahamas.

Photo: Austin Fernander

COVID CASES RISE FOR US SENIORS

CORONAVIRUSRELATED hospital admissions are climbing again in the United States, with older adults a growing share of US deaths and less than half of nursing home residents up to date on COVID-19 vaccinations.

These alarming signs portend a difficult winter for seniors, which worries 81-year-old nursing home resident Bartley O’Hara, who said he is “vaccinated up to the eyeballs” and tracks coronavirus hospital trends as they “zoom up” for older adults, but remain flat for younger folks.

“The sense of urgency is not universal,” said O’Hara of Washington, DC. But “if you’re 21, you probably should worry about your granny. We’re all in this together”.

One troubling indicator for seniors: Hospitalisations for people with COVID19 rose by more than 30% in two weeks. Much of the increase is driven by older people and those with existing health problems, said Dr Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

PIONEERING FEMINIST HUGHES DIES

DOROTHY Pitman Hughes, a pioneering black feminist, child welfare advocate and lifelong community activist who toured the country speaking with Gloria Steinem in the 1970s and appears with her in one of the most iconic photos of the second-wave feminist movement, has died. She was 84.

Hughes died on December 1 in Tampa, Florida, at the home of her daughter and son-in-law, said Maurice Sconiers of the Sconiers Funeral Home in Columbus, Georgia. Her daughter, Delethia Ridley Malmsten, said the cause was old age.

Though they came to their feminist activism from different vantage points — Hughes from her community-based work and Steinem from journalism — the two forged a powerful speaking partnership in the early 1970s, touring the country at a time when feminism was seen as predominantly white and middle class.

Libyan accused in Lockerbie bombing now in US custody

WASHINGTON Associated Press

A LIBYAN intelligence official accused of making the bomb that brought down Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, in 1988 in an international act of terrorism has been taken into US custody and will face federal charges in Washington, the Justice Department said yesterday.

The arrest of Abu Agila Mohammad Mas’ud Kheir Al-Marimi is a milestone in the decades-old investigation into the attack that killed 259 people in the air and 11 on the ground.

American authorities in December 2020 announced charges against Mas’ud, who was in Libyan custody at the time. Though he is the third Libyan intelligence official charged in the US in connection with the attack, he would be the first to appear in an American courtroom for prosecution.

The New York-bound Pan Am flight exploded over Lockerbie less than an hour after takeoff from London on December 21, 1988. Citizens from 21 different countries were killed.

Among the 190 Americans on board were 35 Syracuse University students flying home for Christmas after a semester abroad.

The bombing laid bare the threat of international terrorism more than a decade before the September 11 attacks. It produced global investigations and punishing sanctions while spurring demands for accountability from victims of those killed. The university’s current chancellor, Kent Syverud, said in a statement that the arrest

was a significant development in the long process “to bring those responsible for this despicable act to justice”.

Stephanie Bernstein, a Maryland woman whose husband, Michael, was among the 270 victims — he was a Justice Department official returning on the flight from government business — said the news was “surreal” because there had been times in the past two years when victims’ families had been told that “it looks promising” only to find that was not the case.

“At first I thought I was dreaming when I was told what had happened, but it’s happened, and I’m incredibly grateful that this man will be tried in the United States,” Bernstein said.

The announcement of charges against Mas’ud on December 21, 2020, came on the 32nd anniversary of the bombing and in the final days of the tenure of thenAttorney General William Barr, who in his first stint

as attorney general in the early 1990s had announced criminal charges against two other Libyans intelligence officials.

The Libyan government initially balked at turning over the two men, Abdel Baset Ali al-Megrahi and Lamen Khalifa Fhimah, before ultimately surrendering them for prosecution before a panel of Scottish judges sitting in the Netherlands as part of a special arrangement.

The Justice Department said Mas’ud would appear soon in a federal court in Washington, where he faces two criminal counts related to the explosion.

US officials did not say how Mas’ud came to be taken into US custody, but late last month, local Libyan media reported that Mas’ud had been kidnapped by armed men on November 16 from his residence in Tripoli, the capital. That reporting cited a family statement that accused Tripoli authorities of being

silent on the abduction.

In November 2021, Najla Mangoush, the foreign minister for the country’s Tripoli-based government, told the BBC in an interview that “we, as a government, are very open in terms of collaboration in this matter”, when asked whether an extradition was possible.

Torn by civil war since 2011, Libya is divided between rival governments in the east and west, each backed by international patrons and numerous armed militias on the ground. Militia groups have amassed great wealth and power from kidnappings and their involvement in Libya’s lucrative human trafficking trade

A breakthrough in the investigation came when US officials in 2017 received a copy of an interview that Mas’ud, a longtime explosives expert for Libya’s intelligence service, had given to Libyan law enforcement in 2012

after being taken into custody following the collapse of the government of the country’s leader, Col Moammar Gadhafi.

In that interview, US officials said, Mas’ud admitted building the bomb in the Pan Am attack and working with two other conspirators to carry it out. He also said the operation was ordered by Libyan intelligence and that Gadhafi thanked him and other members of the team after the attack, according to an FBI affidavit filed in the case.

That affidavit said Mas’ud told Libyan law enforcement that he flew to Malta to meet al-Megrahi and Fhimah. He handed Fhimah a medium-sized Samsonite suitcase containing a bomb, having already been instructed to set the timer so that the device would explode exactly 11 hours later, according to the document. He then flew to Tripoli, the FBI said.

Al-Megrahi was convicted in the Netherlands while Fhimah was acquitted of all charges.

Al-Megrahi was given a life sentence, but Scottish authorities released him on humanitarian grounds in 2009 after he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He later died in Tripoli, still protesting his innocence.

In announcing charges against Mas’ud in 2020, Barr said the US and Scotland would use “every feasible and appropriate means” to bring him to trial.

“At long last, this man responsible for killing Americans and many others will be subject to justice for his crimes,” Barr said at the time.

TENSIONS RUN HIGH IN NORTH KOSOVO AS SERBS BLOCK ROADS

the deployment of 1,000 Serb troops in the Serb-populated north of Kosovo, saying they are being harassed there.

TENSIONS were high in northern Kosovo yesterday, with Serbs blocking roads as shots and explosions rang out and the Serbian president warned that Serbian troops are ready to defend their “homeland” if peace doesn’t prevail.

The roads in Serbia’s former province of Kosovo, which proclaimed independence in 2008, were blocked with heavy vehicles and trucks a day after Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said he would ask the NATO-led peacekeeping force in Kosovo to permit

The roadblocks, which Serbs say were erected to protest the recent arrest of a former Kosovo Serb police officer, came despite the postponement of the December 18 municipal election opposed by Kosovo Serbs.

“Kosovo reduced tensions by postponing local elections,” said German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock yesterday.

“Recent rhetoric from Serbia did the opposite. Suggesting sending Serbian forces to Kosovo is completely unacceptable. So are

the latest attacks on EULEX,” she said.

Vucic said yesterday after a meeting of Serbia’s top security body that he will do everything to preserve peace, but that the army is ready to protect the minority Serbs in Kosovo.

“We have taken certain measures to protect our homeland,” Vucic told Serbia’s state RTS television. “I have issued orders and the National Security Council has accepted them. I am very proud of our soldiers and policemen. Before they receive orders… we will try for a million times to preserve peace,” he said.

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin

Kurti accused Belgrade of trying to destabilize Kosovo. He said Serbia also is trying to bring an end to the EU-mediated dialogue on normalising bilateral ties and take it to the United Nations Security Council, where Belgrade hopes to get support from Russia and China.

Kurti called on Kosovo’s Serbs “to distance themselves from the criminal groups and Vucic’s regime that is funding them and looking for a war”.

The European Union rule of law mission, known as EULEX, reported that a stun grenade was thrown at an EULEX reconnaissance patrol overnight. There were no injuries or damage.

PRISTINA, Kosovo Associated Press

UNIDENTIFIED crash investigators inspect the nose section of the crashed Pan Am flight 103, a Boeing 747 airliner in a field near Lockerbie, Scotland, on December 23, 1988.

Photo: Dave Caulkin/AP

CARIBBEAN BASEBALL CUP

Bahamas 4th overall

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

Team Bahamas finished the 2022 Caribbean Baseball Cup in fourth place and missed out on an opportunity to qualify for the 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games.

The team concluded tournament play with a 4-2 loss to defending champion Curacao in the bronze medal game yesterday at the Andre Rodgers National Stadium.

D’Shawn Knowles’ tworun home run in the sixth inning briefly gave The Bahamas the lead before Curacao responded with four runs in the bottom half to take the lead for good.

Warren Saunders finished 2-3 with a run, Knowles finished 1-4 with a run and two RBI while Daunte Stuart, Yeshua Saint and Keithron Moss each added hits.

Gio Tomlins got the start and pitched three hitless, scoreless innings.

Travvis Ferguson was tagged with the loss in relief after 2.1 innings of work, surrendering four hits and three earned runs before McKell Bethell closed out the inning.

Evan Sweeting pitched two hitless innings and finished with two strikeouts.

A tied game through four innings, Curacao’s

Rayshelon Carolina got the first hit of the game with a single to right field.

The Bahamas got their first hit and first base runner when Saunders singled to left field in the top of the sixth inning. With two out, Knowles hit his two-run shot to give the home team the lead and send the crowd into a frenzy. The umpiring crew initially ruled the play a foul before the call was overturned.

Curaçao responded offensively when they singled twice to place runners in scoring position, then Ortwin Vargas doubled to tie the game at 2. Vargas eventually advanced to third and scored on a wild pitch to give Curacao a 3-2 lead. The lead reached 4-2 when Shurendell Mujica hit a sacrifice fly for the game’s final run.

Unable to mount a late rally, The Bahamas left runners on base in both the seventh and eighth innings.

The tournament will qualify two teams for the CAC Games, June 23 to July 8, in El Salvador.

Cuba already qualified for the event prior to the Caribbean Cup. Puerto Rico, who advanced to the championship game, and bronze medallist Curacao advanced as CAC qualifiers.

The five participants in the tournament were world No. 9 Cuba, No. 16 Puerto Rico, No. 60 Curaçao, and No. 66 US Virgin Islands. The Bahamas is ranked No.80.

The Bahamas opened the competition with a 4-3 win over the US Virgin Islands. They followed with

a 12-10 loss to Curacao, a 9-3 loss to Cuba and a 14-2 loss to Puerto Rico to complete the round robin stage 1-3. They lost 9-3 to Puerto Rico in the semifinals prior to yesterday’s loss to Curacao in the bronze medal game.

Managed by Geron Sands, the staff also included assistant head coach Albert Cartwright, alongside coaches Dominique Collie, Donovan Cox and Trae Sweeting.

Team Bahamas’ roster included a cross section of

talent across various levels of play, including the minor leagues, independent baseball, collegiate baseball and locally.

The infielders included St Louis Cardinals prospect Adari Grant, New York Mets prospect Warren Saunders, Texas Rangers prospect Keithron Moss, Miami Marlins prospect Cherif Neymour along with Northwestern State’s Daunte Stuart, and Kennesaw State’s Jay Knowles. The outfielders were led by

5TH DON’T BLINK HOME RUN DERBY IN PARADISE BEGINS ON WEDNESDAY

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

ONE of the mainstays on the sports tourism calendar, the Don’t Blink Home Run Derby In Paradise is set to begin its week of festivities for its fifth edition.

Don’t Blink week begins December 14 with The Cancer Treatment Centers of America Celebrity softball game, Atlantis Paradise Harbour.

Gametime is at 7pm and will feature event attendees along with Bahamian influencers and local public figures.

The Harbour will also be the location of the Don’t Blink Kids’ camp the following morning, December 15 at Atlantis Paradise Harbor.

The camp is free of charge, open to both boys and girls ages 7-18. The night concludes with the event’s official welcome party “Man Overboard Part 3” aboard Black Beard’s Revenge.

The main event takes place on December 17 at 12pm (noon) with the Home-Run Derby’s return to the Montagu foreshore.

The first three editions were hosted at Montagu,

NCAA Indoors: Athletes reach new milestones

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

BAHAMIANS continue to reach new milestones early in the NCAA Indoor Track and Field season.

Collinique Farrington had a stellar season opener for the Southwest Baptist University Bearcats in Division II Great Lakes Valley Conference over the weekend.

The sophomore sprinter took first place in both the 400m and 200m at the Cream and Gold Invitational in Pittsburg, Kansas. In the 400m, she hit a

national qualifying mark and had a new meet record with a time of 54.90 seconds. Farrington also hit a national qualifying mark in the 200m with a time of 24.46.

Northern Colorado teammates Wendira Moss and Craiesha Johnson competed at the University of Purdue’s Edmonds-Wilt Invitational.

Moss placed second in the 300m in 39.87 and 15th in the 60m in 7.99 while Johnson was second in the 200m in 25.64 and 10th in the 60m in 7.83. The duo teamed with Ruby Ann Gregory and Regina Mpigachal to

finish first overall in the 4x400m in 3:55.57.

Several student athletes also received conference wide recognition for their performances the previous week.

Liberty Flames sprinter Indea Cartwright was named the ASun Conference Women’s Track Athlete of the Week.

Cartwright got her first season with the programme

off to an impressive start at the Liberty kickoff in Lynchburg, Virginia.

In the 60m hurdles, Cartwright posted a dominating victory in 8.23.

That time ranks No. 2 nationally this season.

Cartwright improved her own school record from earlier that day (8.40 in the prelims) and took down the ASUN all-time record of 8.27.

USC’s Williams wins Heisman after leading Trojan turnaround

By RALPH D RUSSO AP College Football Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Caleb Williams brought sizzle, excitement and star power back to Southern California football.

And now the Heisman Trophy, too.

Williams, the dynamic quarterback who was the catalyst for the Trojans’ turnaround season, won the Heisman on Saturday night to make USC the first school to take home college football’s most prestigious player of the year award eight times.

Williams received 544 first-place votes and 2,031 points to easily outpoint TCU quarterback Max Duggan (1,420).

Williams, who played last season at Oklahoma, is the fourth transfer to win the Heisman in the last six years, joining Baker Mayfield (2017) and Kyler

Murray

Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud was third in the voting after coming in fourth last season. Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett, the first Bulldogs’ player to attend the award’s presentations in 30 years, finished fourth. The topranked Bulldogs will face Stroud and the fourthranked Buckeyes in the College Football Playoff on December 31.

Duggan and the thirdranked Horned Frogs will play No. 2 Michigan in the other CFP semifinal on New Year’s Eve.

“I may be standing up here today, but y’all get to the College Football Playoffs. Guess you can’t win ‘em all,” Williams said as he started his acceptance speech by thanking the other finalists.

Before taking hold of his big bronze trophy, Williams

Williams was as meticulous and thorough with his 10-minute speech as he is preparing for a game. And

Williams got a little choked up talking about coach Lincoln Riley, who he followed from Norman to Los Angeles, and really had to hold it together when thanking his parents.

He called his mother, Dayna, who paints his nails

In Division I’s Atlantic Coast Conference, Wanya McCoy of the Clemson Tigers was named one of the ACC Performers of the Week at last week’s season opener.

McCoy broke a school and facility record in the 300m with his time of 32.53, the third-best in NCAA history.

He also took first place in the 60m at the event after posting a qualifying time of 6.69, which currently ranks fourth nationally.

Minnesota State junior sprinter Denisha Cartwright was named the USTFCCCA Women’s

Track and field Athlete of the Week for her efforts last weekend at the Chuck Petersen Open.

She set provisional qualifying times in the 60m hurdles (8.18), the 60m dash (7.31), and the 200m dash (24.21).

Her time of 8.18 in the 60m hurdles is the fifth fastest time in Division II history and her time of 7.31 in the 60m dash is the sixth fastest.

It was the second time Cartwright has been named the USTFCCCA Division II Women’s Track and Field Athlete of the Week (February 9, 2021).

CRAWFORD KNOCKS OUT AVANESYAN IN 6TH ROUND, KEEPS WBO TITLE

By ERIC OLSON AP Sports Writer

OMAHA, Nebraska

(AP) — Unbeaten world champion Terence Crawford knocked out David Avanesyan in the sixth round Saturday night to retain his WBO welterweight belt.

Crawford, fighting for the first time in more than a year, had the sixth-ranked challenger wobbling with a flurry of blows before landing a right cross to the chin that put Avanesyan to the canvas 2 minutes, 14 seconds into the round.

“I was touching him to the body, and I was seeing that had an effect,” Crawford said.

“He had a high guard, and I picked up the pace. There were punches in bunches, I saw an

opening and took it and the rest is history.”

Crawford was fighting in his hometown for the sixth time as a professional and first time since 2018, and cheers of “Craw-ford! Crawford!” started before introductions.

The pay-per-view bout was made after negotiations for an undisputed welterweight championship fight between Crawford and Errol Spence Jrbroke down in October.

Crawford didn’t call out Spence directly, saying he would consider anyone who wants to fight, preferrably in the spring. “We don’t know what is next,” Crawford said. “We’ve got to go back to the drawing board and be

GOOD EFFORT: Team Bahamas ended tournament play with a 4-2 loss to defending champion Curacao in the bronze medal game of the Caribbean Baseball Cup yesterday at the Andre Rodgers National Stadium. They finished in fourth place and missed out on an opportunity to qualify for the 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games.

Photo: Austin Fernander/Tribune Staff

(2018) of Oklahoma and Joe Burrow (2019) of LSU.

hugged Mike Garrett, USC’s first Heisman winner in 1965, Garrett was one of 23 previous winners — and three former Trojans along with Matt Leinart and Carson Palmer — to attend the ceremony near Lincoln Center.

almost as poised as when he plays.

SOUTHERN California quarterback Caleb Williams holds the Heisman Trophy after winning the award on Saturday in New York.

(Todd Van Emst/Pool Photo via AP)

before last year’s event shifted to the grounds of the Atlantis resort. This year’s event will relocate to its original location. A live rake and scrape concert will take place immediately following the derby. General admission is free of charge while VIP is $30.

A new initiative to the week of festivities will be the Prayer to Praise event, featuring a concert by former minor league prospect turned gospel singer, Todd Dulaney, 6:30pm on December 18 at Baha Mar.

The event is the brainchild of pro baseball players Lucius Fox and Todd Isaacs Jr.

“Five years of hosting anything in life is a blessing so we’re truly grateful, truly humbled and truly honoured, humbled and blessed that God gave us this opportunity to bring this vision to fruition, not just for us baseball players but for The Bahamas in its entirety,” Isaacs said. “Through sports, we have an opportunity to highlight The Bahamas for what it is, the beautiful beaches, the warm weather and the welcoming people.”

Fox added that the Don’t Blink brand continues to expand its reach by partnering with several organisations including the Major League Baseball Players Association and the Players Alliance.

“We joined forces with MLBPA, executive Tony Clark, and the members of his team. The MLBPA acts as the voice for all players in the game of baseball. We also have the Players Alliance,” he said.

“This group is so special because they work hand in hand in minority communities to provide assistance, equipment and leadership to the youth. They make baseball accessible to all races and they give everyone a fair playing chance to learn the game, get introduced, and hopefully make the most out of it. They have been instrumental in the United States so we look forward to what they can do here in The Bahamas.”

Bo Bichette, of the Toronto Blue Jays, won the inaugural event in 2018 and repeated as champion in 2019. Miami Marlins outfielder Lewis Brinson captured the title in 2020 and Kansas City Royals catcher MJ Melendez was the most recent winner in 2021.

Joel Embiid scores 53 points, 76ers rout Hornets 131-113

PHILAELPHIA (AP) — Joel Embiid had 53 points and 11 rebounds to power the Philadelphia 76ers to a 131-113 victory over the Charlotte Hornets last night.

With the crowd serenading him with MVP chants, Embiid had his second 50-plus point performance of the season and the fourth 50-plus point game of his career. He was 20 for 32 from the field and hit all 11 of his free throws.

Tobias Harris added 17 points and James Harden had 14.

Kelly Oubre Jr and Terry Rozier each scored 29 points for Charlotte. The Hornets have lost five straight games before being pulled with two minutes left.

LAKERS 124, PISTONS 117

DETROIT (AP) — LeBron James scored 35 points, Anthony Davis had 34 points and 15 rebounds and Los Angeles beat Detroit to end a three-game losing streak.

Davis also had seven assists as the Lakers overcame 38 points from Bojan Bogdanovic. Lonnie Walker IV added 18 points for Los Angeles and Russell Westbrook had 11 points and nine assists.

Rookie Jaden Ivey had 16 points for Detroit. The Pistons have lost three in a row.

ROCKETS 97, BUCKS 92

HOUSTON (AP) — Jalen Green had 30 points and seven rebounds, Kevin Porter Jr added 18 points and seven assists and Houston beat Milwaukee to extend its home-winning streak to four games.

Houston was coached by assistant coach John Lucas with head coach Stephen Silas away from the team following the death of father and long-time NBA player and coach Paul Silas.

Jrue Holiday had 25 points and eight assists for Milwaukee,

Bobby Portis added 17 points and 15 rebounds and Giannis Antetokounmpo had 16 points and 18 rebounds. The Bucks had won four in a row.

HAWKS 123, BULLS 122, OT ATLANTA (AP) — A.J. Griffin hit a 6-footer on an alley-oop pass at the overtime buzzer and Atlanta beat Chicago to snap a three-game losing streak, DeMar DeRozan made three free throws with 0.5 seconds remaining in overtime to finish with 33 points and give the Bulls the lead. But Griffin took the alley-oop pass from Jalen

Johnson on the sideline and scored on a turnaround jumper.

Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 17 of his 28 points in the first half for Atlanta.

Trae Young had 19 points and 14 assists.

KNICKS 112, KINGS 99

NEW YORK (AP) — Julius Randle and RJ Barrett each scored 27 points and New York beat Sacramento for its winning streak to a season-high four games.

Randle had all 27 points by halftime, then was ejected with 3:35 left in the third quarter after

arguing a non-call and receiving two technical fouls.

Domantas Sabonis led Sacramento with 20 points. The Kings were held under 100 points for the first time this season.

MAGIC 111, RAPTORS 99

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Franz Wagner scored 23 points, Paolo Banchero added 20 points and 12 rebounds and Orlando beat Toronto for its third straight victory.

Orlando’s last three-game winning streak was in February 2021. Gary Trent Jr. led Toronto with 24 points.

WARRIORS BEAT CELTICS 123-107 IN NBA FINALS REMATCH

SAN FRANCISCO

(AP) — Klay Thompson scored 34 points, Splash Brother Stephen Curry added 32 with six 3-pointers and Golden State beat the Boston Celtics 123-107 on Saturday night in a rematch of this year’s NBA Finals won by the Warriors in six games.

Jordan Poole had 20 points starting in place of injured Andrew Wiggins despite shooting 1 for 9 from long range.

Thompson scored 12 of his points in the opening quarter shooting 5 of 9 and had 24 by halftime. Curry shot 12 for 21 and had seven assists and six rebounds playing 37 minutes.

Jaylen Brown had 31 points and nine rebounds, Jayson Tatum scored 18 points and Malcolm Brogdon added 16 off the bench for Boston, which had won eight of nine and three straight.

Brown scored five straight midway through the fourth with his 3-pointer at the 6:37 mark pulling the Celtics to 105-97. Grant Williams was ejected with 1:52 left. Poole found Draymond Green for a transition dunk the next time down for the Warriors.

NETS 136, PACERS 133

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Cam Thomas scored a

FROM PAGE 13

ready for whoever.” Brian McIntyre, Crawford’s trainer, said his fighter would be open to moving up from 147 pounds to 154.

“I don’t think anyone at 54 or 47 can beat him,” McIntyre said. “The only question is, ‘Who is willing to fight him?’”

The 35-year-old Crawford (39-0, 30 KOs) showed no signs of rust in his first fight since he stopped Shawn Porter in the 10th round on Nov. 20, 2021.

Avanesyan (29-4-1), who previously fought in March and won by technical knocked over Oskari Metz, stood in there with Crawford for the first five rounds. Crawford came

career-high 33 points, Patty Mills added 24 and Brooklyn beat Indiana while resting its top seven scorers.

Brooklyn won its third straight and for the sixth time in seven games, playing without All-Stars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving and five more. And the Nets did it by outrebounding the Pacers 59-30 overall and 29-7 on the offensive end. Tyrese Haliburton finished with 35 points, the most since he joined the Pacers in February, and nine assists.

The Nets had to sweat out Andrew Nembhard’s 3 to force overtime at the buzzer before celebrating a win that came with only nine players in uniform.

Somehow Brooklyn managed to keep it close and then turned it around after trailing 120-113 with 5:04 to play.

SPURS 115, HEAT 111

MIAMI (AP) — Keldon Johnson scored 21 points, Romeo Langford added 19 and San Antonio celebrated the 26th anniversary of Gregg Popovich’s first game as coach by beating Miami.

Devin Vassell had 18 points for the Spurs, hitting a jumper with 1:13 left that put them ahead to stay.

Jimmy Butler scored 30 points for Miami.

out in an orthodox stance, but switched to southpaw midway through the first round and fought that way for the duration.

Crawford used an effective jab to neutralise Avanesyan, but the Russian never backed off. Crawford shook him up with a combination to the head and body in the fourth, landed a couple solid body shots in the fifth and then took full control in the sixth.

Crawford landed three straight uppercuts to the chin, wobbled him with a couple shots to the body and then landed the decisive blow that put down Avanesyan.

In the featured bout on the undercard, former MMA star Cris Cyborg won by unanimous decision over Gabrielle Holloway (0-3) in

The Spurs were up 113111 and used two timeouts with 14.7 seconds left to try to get the ball inbounds. But Zach Collins was called for his sixth foul on the second inbounds attempt, and Miami got the ball back with a chance to tie or win.

The Heat elected to go for the win — Tyler Herro missed a 3-pointer, then Caleb Martin missed a

four rounds in her professional boxing debut.

Cyborg was the aggressor throughout and in the third round had Holloway bent over along the ropes with a flurry of shots to the head and body. After the standing eight count, Cyborg landed a couple more shots to finish the round and continued her onslaught through the fourth.

In other fights, light heavyweight Steve Nelson (18-0, 15 KOs) knocked out James Ballard (10-4) in 2:41 of the first round; Jeremiah Milton (8-0) won by unanimous decision over 388-pound heavyweight Dujuan Calloway (5-2) in six rounds; and super bantamweight Arnold Khegai (19-1-1) won by split decision over Eduardo Baez (21-4-2) in 10 rounds.

right-wing 3 as well, and the Spurs finished it off at the line.

The game was played 26 years to the day of Popovich’s debut — a 93-76 loss at Phoenix on Dec. 10, 1996.

NUGGETS 115, JAZZ 110

DENVER (AP) — Nikola Jokic had 31 points, 14 assists and 12 rebounds in his 80th career

triple-double and Denver held off undermanned Utah.

Jamal Murray added 30 points for the Nuggets, who scored the final five to finally put away a Utah team missing four of its top six scorers.

Making his second start of the season, Nickeil Alexander-Walker had a season-high 27 points for the Jazz. They lost for the eighth time in 11 games after a surprising 12-6 start.

Lauri Markkanen (illness) and Mike Conley Jr. (injury management) didn’t make the trip to Denver, while Jordan Clarkson (bruised right hip) and Collin Sexton (right hamstring strain) were out with injuries for the Jazz.

BULLS 144, MAVERICKS 115

CHICAGO (AP) — DeMar DeRozan had 28 points and nine rebounds and Chicago took advantage of NBA scoring leader Luka Doncic’s absence to rout Dallas.

Doncic sat out with a strained right quadriceps. Swingman Josh Green also was out with a right elbow sprain and forward/center Maxi Kleber missed the game because of a sore right foot. Doncic had 33 points and 11 assists in the Mavericks’ 106-105 home loss to Milwaukee on Friday night.

Nikola Vucevic added 20 points and eight rebounds and Ayo Dosunmu had 17 points to help Chicago win its second straight game. The Bulls shot a seasonhigh 63.5% from the floor in their biggest-offensive output of the season.

Spencer Dinwiddie had 27 points for Dallas.

CLIPPERS 114, WIZARDS 107

WASHINGTON (AP) — Nicolas Batum made a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 23.8 seconds remaining and Los Angeles sent Washington to its sixth straight loss. Paul George scored 36 points for the Clippers and John Wall added 13 in his return to Washington, but it was Batum who made big shots in the final quarter. He hit three 3-pointers in the last 4:52 and finished with 12 points.

Kyle Kuzma scored 25 of his 35 points in the first half for Washington. Kristaps Porzingis had 30 points and 15 rebounds.

CAVALIERS 110, THUNDER 102

CLEVELAND (AP) — Caris LeVert scored 22 points, Evan Mobley had 21 points and 12 rebounds and Cleveland never trailed against Oklahoma City, Jarrett Allen had 21 points and 11 rebounds, and Darius Garland added 13 points and eight assists for Cleveland, which is an NBA-best 12-2 at home. All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell missed his second straight game with a sore right lower leg.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the third-leading scorer in the NBA at 31.1 points per game, led Oklahoma City with 23.

TRAIL BLAZERS 124, TIMBERWOLVES 118

PORTLAND, Oregon (AP) — Damian Lillard had 36 points and eight assists, Anfernee Simons added 31 points and Portland beat Minnesota.

Portland overcame a 10-point deficit in the second half to beat Minnesota in the opener of a two-game set. They will meet again in Portland on Monday night.

Anthony Edwards led Minnesota with 26 points.

WARRIORS guard Klay Thompson, left, shoots next to Celtics forward Jayson Tatum in the second half on Saturday. (AP Photo/Godofredo A Vásquez)

TERENCE Crawford raises his fist after knocking out David Avanesyan in the sixth round during a World Boxing Organisation welterweight world title boxing match on Saturday. (AP Photo/Rebecca S Gratz)

PHILADELPHIA 76ers’ Joel Embiid, second from left, goes up for a shot against Charlotte Hornets’ Jalen McDaniels, from left, Terry Rozier, P.J. Washington and Mason Plumlee during the second half yesterday in Philadelphia.

(AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Ayton has 28 points, 12 rebounds in 129-124 loss to Pelicans in overtime

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

THE Phoenix Suns are mired in a losing streak, but Deandre Ayton continues to enjoy one of his best statistical stretches for the season.

Ayton finished with 28 points, 12 rebounds and five assists, but fouled out after 33 minutes of the Suns’ 129-124 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans yesterday at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. He shot 13-18 from the field.

Since November 18, Ayton has posted a double double in 10 of 13 games while averaging 20 points, 12 rebounds and a blocked shot.

In the month of December, the Suns have lost four consecutive games and five of their last six.

Ayton began the month with just eight points and six rebounds in a 122121 loss to the Houston Rockets.

He followed with 25 points and 10 rebounds in a 133-95 win over San Antonio, 20 points, three blocks, and eight rebounds in a 130-11 loss to the Dallas Mavericks, eight points and seven rebounds in a loss to the Boston Celtics, and 25

points with 14 rebounds in the first game of a back to back against the Pelicans on December 9.

Through 24 games, Ayton is averaging 17

points, 9.7 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game on 63 percent shooting from the field.

He notched 30 doubledoubles last year in only 58

games played and already has 13 double doubles this season.

“There aren’t any mistakes in these Ls,” Ayton said. “We just got to break

out of it and get back to our rhythm.”

The Suns continue their road trip against the Rockets in Houston, Texas, on Tuesday night.

Brittney Griner’s home, but WNBA players still competing overseas

By DOUG FEINBERG AP Basketball Writer

Brittney Griner is back in the United States after an arduous 10-month saga in Russia. Yet nearly half of her WNBA peers opted to compete abroad this winter to supplement their incomes.

None are playing in Russia, for obvious reasons — Griner’s ordeal and the country’s ongoing war with Ukraine — but 67 of the league’s 144 players are in Australia, Turkey, Italy and about a half-dozen other countries.

“Our players are going to do what’s best for them in consultation with their families and their agents,” WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said. “And we’re certainly here to help them think through the security risks and things like that. I think you’re seeing players take advantage of other opportunities, and we’re certainly going to provide them more opportunities to do things with the league in the offseason and keep the momentum going around the great play that they put on the court every year.”

Griner, an All-Star with the Phoenix Mercury and a two-time Olympic gold medalist, was detained following her arrest at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport in February on drug possession charges while returning to Russia to play for her overseas team. She was convicted and sentenced to nine years in prison in Russia before the U.S. and Russia made a high-level prisoner exchange Thursday that allowed her to return home.

Griner has not spoken publicly nor announced her career plans since she was freed. But if she wanted to return to the court, she would be welcomed back by the WNBA, the Mercury and USA Basketball. Engelbert said she’d give Griner and her family some space and time before any discussion about returning to the league, whose season begins May 19. South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley, who coached Griner on the 2020 Olympic team, feels that playing again could be helpful to the dominant center.

Playing overseas brings in salaries for a handful of WNBA players that top $1 million. It’s a lucrative alternative to the marketing deals that the WNBA offers players to remain in the U.S. during the offseason and promote the league; top players like Griner can now make $700,000 when factoring in all possible revenue streams offered by the WNBA.

But there’s no denying that the disparity in pay between professional men’s basketball players and professional women’s basketball players — Griner included — is still vast.

The top salaries for WNBA players are much less than the minimum salary of about $953,000 for NBA players (excluding those on two-way contracts) for various reasons, primarily the difference in profit margins and media rights.

The NBA’s revenues topped $10 billion for the first time last season, and the league has a $24 billion, nine-year television deal. Its next one, set to kick in around 2025, is expected to be worth significantly more. The WNBA does not publicly release its revenue numbers. WNBA players have never asked

to make the same as their NBA counterparts — they acknowledge it’s impossible — but have asked for an equal revenue share.

So, the WNBA players look outside of the U.S., and Turkey has become the main destination for this winter with nearly two dozen of them playing there.

Top players can make a few hundred thousand dollars playing in Turkey — significantly less than what they could earn in Russia.

Breanna Stewart, who plays for the Seattle Storm, chose to play in Turkey because it was closer to her wife’s family in Spain.

“You want to have a better lifestyle, a better offthe-court experience, and just continue to appreciate other countries,” she told The Associated Press

during the FIBA World Cup in September.

Last offseason, 73 WNBA players went overseas. Five years ago, it was about 90 players. The decline points to the growing options in the U.S., especially with the marketing agreements, which Englebert said tripled this year. “The owners really stepped up on the compensation side for the players in this collective bargaining cycle,” Engelbert said at the WNBA Finals, “and I think the kind of quid pro quo for that was prioritization, showing up on time for our season.”

Players also can take part in the Athletes Unlimited league, which started last year in the U.S. The fiveweek season has 13 WNBA players signed for this year, up from two during the league’s inaugural year.

METS ADD LATEST PRICEY ARM, LAND JAPANESE ACE SENGA FOR $75M

By MIKE FITZPATRICK AP Baseball Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Japanese pitcher Kodai Senga and the New York Mets have agreed to a $75 million, five-year contract, according to a person familiar with the negotiations.

The person spoke to The Associated Press early yesterday on condition of anonymity because the deal was pending a physical.

It is the latest big move for free-spending owner Steve Cohen and the busy Mets during a dizzying week. Senga figures to slot into the middle of a revamped rotation headed by three-time Cy Young Award winners Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander.

Hours earlier, the Mets completed a $162 million, eight-year contract Saturday to bring back free agent centre fielder Brandon Nimmo. New York also finalised deals with free agent pitchers Verlander, José Quintana and David Robertson in the past few days, after re-signing AllStar closer Edwin Díaz to a $102 million, five-year deal last month.

Within the last week, the Mets have committed $359.7 million to five free agents, including Senga. Throw in Díaz, who resigned before other teams were permitted to negotiate with him, and it’s $461.7 million to six free agents this offseason — five pitchers.

Those moves push New York’s projected 2023 payroll to around $340 million right now — well beyond the highest luxury-tax threshold of $293 million. And that’s without any other major additions this winter.

Under Cohen, who bought the club in November 2020, the Mets became baseball’s biggest spender this year for the first time since 1989. Their payroll was $273.9 million as of Aug. 31, with final figures that include bonuses yet to be compiled.

Senga, a hard-throwing right-hander, did not have to go through the posting system with the Japanese big leagues because he has 11 seasons of service time. Several teams in the United States were said to be pursuing him, including the Boston Red Sox.

“I like him,” Mets manager Buck Showalter said Tuesday in San Diego at baseball’s winter meetings. “It’s tough to project those guys. But a good pitcher is a good pitcher.”

Senga, who turns 30 in January, was 11-6 with a 1.94 ERA in 22 starts for the Pacific League’s Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks last season. He tossed three scoreless innings in two outings for Japan against the U.S. in the Olympics last year, allowing one hit and striking out six with two walks.

“You’re always thinking about the load of pitching every fifth day compared to (once a week in Japan), but they said that about some really good Japanese pitchers that came over here and did well,” Showalter said.

NEW YORK (AP) — Centre fielder Brandon Nimmo and the New York Mets finalised their $162 million, eight-year contract on Saturday.

Nimmo gets a $2 million signing bonus and salaries of $18.25 million this year and $20.25 million annually from 2024-30.

A quality leadoff hitter with a .385 career on-base percentage, Nimmo became a free agent last month for the first time.

He was a key performer as the Mets returned to the playoffs this year for the

first time since 2016. “Brandon has been part of the Mets family since he was drafted over 10 years ago,” Mets owner Steve Cohen said in a statement.

“Throughout his career, Brandon has contributed so much to the club both on and off the field. His hustle and personality are a part of what makes this team so special.”

Nimmo hit .274 with 16 homers and a team-high 102 runs this year, a career best.

Hampered by injuries in the past, the left-handed

hitter also set career highs with 64 RBIs and 151 games played. His seven triples tied for most in the National League.

Bringing back the affable Nimmo means New York is poised to return its entire everyday lineup intact from a team that tied for fifth in the majors in runs and won 101 regular-season games — second-most in franchise history.

But the Mets remain busy replenishing a pitching staff gutted by free agency, including Jacob deGrom’s departure for Texas and

Taijuan Walker’s deal with Philadelphia that is pending a physical.

Nimmo was selected by New York with the No. 13 pick in the 2011 amateur draft. He declined a $19.65 million qualifying offer from the Mets last month.

The 29-year-old Wyoming native made his big league debut in 2016. He is a .269 career hitter with 63 homers, 213 RBIs and 23 triples in 608 games.

He has an .827 career OPS and has improved his play in centre, becoming a solid defender.

PHOENIX Suns centre Deandre Ayton (22) slam dunks in the second half of an NBA basketball game against the New Orleans Pelicans in New Orleans yesterday. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

PHOENIX Mercury centre Brittney Griner sits during the first half of Game 2 of the WNBA Finals against the Chicago Sky on October 13, 2021, in Phoenix. Russia has freed WNBA star Brittney Griner in a dramatic high-level prisoner exchange, with the U.S. releasing notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.

(AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

IN this image made from video provided by Russian Federal Security Service, WNBA star and two-time Olympic gold medallist Brittney Griner sits in the plane as she flies to Abu Dhabi to be exchanged for Russian citizen Viktor Bout, in Russia, Friday, Dec. 9, 2022.

(Russian Federal Security Service via AP)

METS’ Brandon Nimmo bats during the second game of the team’s doubleheader against the Philadelphia Phillies.

(AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

Morocco reaches World Cup semis, tops Portugal, Ronaldo

By STEVE DOUGLAS AP Sports Writer

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Africa finally has a team in the World Cup semifinals, and so does the Arab world.

Morocco delivered a seminal moment in the nearly 100-year history of soccer’s biggest tournament, beating Cristiano Ronaldo and his Portugal team 1-0 Saturday in another shocking result in the first World Cup staged in the Middle East.

While a tearful Ronaldo headed right down the tunnel — and maybe into international retirement — after the final whistle, Morocco’s players tossed their coach in the air and waved their country’s flag as they linked arms in front of celebrating fans.

“Pinch me, I’m dreaming,” Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou said. “Morocco is ready to face anyone in the world. We have changed the mentality of the generation coming after us. They’ll know Moroccan players can create miracles.”

Youssef En-Nesyri scored the winning goal in the 42nd minute to continue an improbable run that has generated an outpouring of pride in the Arab world, inspiring displays in Arab identity from fans in different countries.

Africa is also rejoicing at finally having a nation

advancing to the levels typically only reached by European or South American teams. Cameroon (1990), Senegal (2002) and Ghana (2010) all reached the quarterfinals but got no further.

Morocco has broken through, setting up a semifinal match against defending champion France.

The 37-year-old Ronaldo, one of soccer’s greatest players but now a fading force, didn’t start for the second straight game and came on as a substitute in the 51st minute. He missed his only chance to equalise in stoppage time.

The five-time world player of the year is set to finish his career without capturing the World Cup or ever getting to the final. He walked right off the field after the final whistle, only briefly stopped by two Morocco players wishing to shake his hand and a spectator who confronted him near the entrance to the tunnel, and was crying as he headed to the locker room.

If this is the end for Ronaldo at international level, he’ll finish with 118 goals — a record in men’s soccer — and a European Championship title but not soccer’s biggest prize. He only got as far as the semifinals at the World Cup, in 2006.

“Our players are distressed,” said Portugal

coach Fernando Santos, who shrugged off questions about his own future and added that he didn’t regret not starting Ronaldo.

“Cristiano is a great player and he came on when we thought it was necessary. But no, no regrets.”

There’s no reason why this Morocco squad — coached by French-born Walid Regragui and containing 14 players born abroad — cannot go all the way to the title.

They topped a group that included second-ranked Belgium and fellow semifinalist Croatia and have now taken down two of Europe’s heavyweights in Spain — after a penalty

France advances to

By JAMES ROBSON AP Soccer Writer

AL KHOR, Qatar (AP)

— France’s players reacted as if they had already won the World Cup. What they were actually celebrating, though, was Harry Kane’s missed penalty.

The match wasn’t over yet, but France was leading 2-1 when Kane, England’s captain and its best player, stepped up to take a penalty that would even the score in the 84th minute of Saturday’s match at Al Bayt Stadium.

He sent his shot high over the bar and defending champion France held on to win 2-1 for a spot in the semifinals.

“That’s football,” England coach Gareth Southgate said. “There is nobody I would rather have in that situation and if we had one tomorrow, I’d feel exactly the same way.”

France is looking to become the first country to successfully defend its World Cup title since Brazil — led by Pele — won backto-back tournaments in

1958 and 1962. Italy also won two World Cups in succession in 1934 and 1938.

France will next face Morocco on Wednesday for a spot in the final.

“We are getting to the semifinals. We are closer to the final and this was an important achievement tonight and we can believe, but we have an important game on Wednesday,” France coach Didier Deschamps said. “In the past the world champions didn’t always do well in the next World Cup and we’ve managed to do that.”

France knows that all too well.

As defending champions in 2002, the French team was eliminated in the group stage.

France reached the final in 2006, losing to Italy in a penalty shootout, and then was knocked out in the group stage four years later in 2010.

On Saturday, Aurelian Tchouameni gave France the lead but England evened the score when Kane converted from the

(AP

shootout in the round of 16 — and Portugal in the quarterfinals.

“Why shouldn’t we dream of winning the World Cup?” Regragui said. “If you don’t dream, you don’t get anywhere. It doesn’t cost you to dream.”

Morocco’s defence has yet to concede a goal by an opposition player at this year’s World Cup — the only one it has allowed was an own-goal — and it stifled a Portugal team which beat Switzerland 6-1 in the last 16 to thrust itself among the favourites.

In a game played to the backdrop of non-stop whistles and jeers by Morocco’s passionate fans, the team

relied almost exclusively on counterattacks and scored from one of them.

A cross was swung in from the left and En-Nesyri leapt between Portugal goalkeeper Diogo Costa and defender Ruben Dias to head into the empty net.

Ronaldo, who will be 41 by the time of the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada, barely got a touch of the ball until stoppage time when he got in behind Morocco’s defence off a long ball forward.

His low shot was saved by Bounou.

“I was afraid he might play,” Regragui said of Ronaldo, “because I know he can score out of nothing.”

Substitute Walid Cheddira was shown a red card for Morocco early in stoppage time for collecting a second yellow card in as many minutes.

After Portugal centre back Pepe headed wide from inside the six-yard box in the sixth minute of added time, Ronaldo fell to his knees in dejection.

While Lionel Messi will be in the semifinals with Argentina, the other soccer great of this generation won’t be.

RONALDO Cristiano Ronaldo has failed to score in the knockout stage in any of the five World Cups he has played. He has scored eight goals in the group stage.

semis, tops England 2-1

are still 85% (accurate), so even the best are going to miss at times.”

Kane sank to his knees after the final whistle. His earlier goal put him in a tie with Wayne Rooney as his country’s leading scorer, but that wasn’t what mattered.

At the same time, an elated France team ran across the field in a blue wave of celebration before gathering together in a huddle, bouncing up and down joyously. The singing and dancing continued into the locker room.

CROATIA BEATS BRAZIL ON PENALTIES

By TALES AZZONI AP Sports Writer

AL RAYYAN, Qatar (AP) — Neymar is again going home without a World Cup title. Luka Modric’s quest continues unabated.

Modric converted one of the penalties as Croatia knocked Brazil out of the World Cup on Friday, beating the five-time champions 4-2 in a shootout to reach the semifinals for the second straight time.

Neymar tied Pele’s record for most goals for the national team, giving Brazil the lead in extra time. But he wasn’t among the four Brazilian players to take a penalty in the shootout, instead reduced to tears on the field at Education City Stadium while the redand-white clad Croatians celebrated.

“It feels like a nightmare. It’s hard to believe this is happening,” said Neymar, who kept his future with the national team open after the defeat.

Brazil coach Tite said he had saved his best player to take the fifth penalty.

“That’s the one with the most pressure, and he would be the player with the most quality and mental preparedness to take the shot,” Tite said.

Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic saved the first penalty attempt by Rodrygo and Marquinhos later hit the post. Livakovic had already produced some key stops as the teams drew 0-0 in regulation and 1-1 in extra time.

“We are raised as fighters, giving our best,” Livakovic said. “And that’s the recipe for success.”

Five of Croatia’s last six matches at World Cups have gone to extra time, including its penalty shootout win over Japan in the round of 16 in Qatar. The team has been successful in eight of its last 10 knockout matches at the tournament.

Croatia came from behind in every game of the knockout stage in 2018, and again in the two elimination matches it has played in Qatar.

penalty spot in the 54th minute.

Olivier Giroud put France back in front with a header in the 78th minute, setting up Kane for that chance to equalise again against his Tottenham teammate, France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.

That’s when he blasted his shot over.

“It is very difficult when you get a second penalty and, of course, a goalkeeper that knows you really well as well,” Southgate said. “There’s a lot involved in that situation. He’s the best, but the best

Morocco, the first African team to reach the semifinals of a World Cup, now stands in the way of France’s bid to make history. “Allow us to savour our victory tonight against a very good England team,” Deschamps said when faced with questions about his next opponent.

For Southgate, it’s time for reflection as he decides whether to carry on in the England job after leading the team through three tournaments since he was hired in 2016.

“We have a strong character and we do not give up,” Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic said. “We were prepared for everything today. We knew that as the game unfolded, our chances improved.”

Nikola Vlasic, Lovro Majer and Mislav Orsic also converted their penalties for Croatia, while Casemiro and Pedro scored for Brazil.

Both goals came in the additional 30 minutes, first with Neymar scoring late in the first half of extra time to give Brazil the lead, and then with Bruno Petkovic equalling in the 117th.

Lionel Messi, Argentina advance to the semifinals

By STEVE DOUGLAS AP Sports Writer

LUSAIL, Qatar (AP) — Lionel Messi started the match by delivering another soccer clinic. The Argentina superstar ended it sporting a bloodied top lip, shouting abuse to opponents and even blasting the referee.

And of course there were goals, too, for one of the greats of the game whose bid to win the World Cup for the first time is still on track.

Messi is heading to the semifinals with Argentina after a chaotic penaltyshootout victory over Netherlands that had just about everything on Friday.

Argentina took a 2-0 lead, conceded an equaliser in the 11th minute of second-half stoppage time to send the match to extra time at 2-2, and then won the shootout 4-3 amid a deafening noise inside

Lusail Stadium. Messi, who scored a penalty in regulation time, converted his penalty in the shootout while goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez made two saves to help Argentina secure a semifinal match against Croatia, which beat Brazil earlier Friday.

After Lautaro Martinez scored the clinching penalty, Messi — with his arms outstretched — sprinted toward the goalkeeper, who had fallen to the ground to the side of the goal, and lay on top of him.

“We had to suffer,” Messi said, “but we got through.”

Messi did, especially, in an often violent match that featured 17 yellow cards — a record for a World Cup match — two of which went to Netherlands defender Denzel Dumfries, leading to him getting sent off after the game.

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni called the game

“ugly” and Messi was critical of the Spanish referee, Antonio Mateu, saying: “I don’t think he was up to the standard. He was very harmful for us.”

In a side of Messi rarely seen, he also broke off from

his post-match interview on the field to shout abuse at the scorer of the Netherlands’ two goals, Wout Weghorst.

“What are you looking at, stupid?” Messi was heard saying.

Messi and his teammates hung around on the field for 20 minutes at the end, taking turns dancing and jumping up and down in front of Argentina’s celebrating, scarf-waving fans.

Messi said the late Diego Maradona was looking over the team.

“Diego is watching us from heaven,” Messi said of the former Argentina captain and coach who died two years ago. “He is pushing us. I hope it stays like that until the end.”

It is only the second time Argentina has reached the last four since 1990. In 2014, Messi was part of the team that lost to Germany in the final and he looks in the

mood to get there again in a tournament that he is turning into his own personal highlight reel.

Messi delivered a mesmerising piece of skill and vision to set up the opening goal for Nahuel Molina in the 35th minute. He twisted free in central midfield and burst forward, unbalancing Netherlands defender Nathan Ake and then delivering a no-look reverse pass for Molina to finish for his first international goal.

His penalty in the 73rd minute, which came after Marcus Acuna was tripped by Dumfries, was his fourth goal of the tournament and took him to 10 overall in the World Cup — tied with Gabriel Batistuta for the most for Argentina. Messi now has 94 goals in his 169 international games.

His team trailing 2-0, Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal sent on two tall strikers — Weghorst and

Luuk De Jong — and even told centre back Virgil van Dijk to play up front. The game suddenly changed. Weghorst glanced in a header from a right-wing cross in the 78th — five minutes after coming on — and then scored the latest second-half goal in a knockout-stage game at a World Cup.

Off a cleverly worked free-kick routine learned by Weghorst at his Turkish club, Besiktas, Teun Koopmeiners feigned to take a shot at goal from the edge of the area but instead played it short and low into the middle of the area. It deceived the Argentine defence as Weghorst took a touch, held off his marker and slotted home a finish on the stretch.

Enzo Fernandez hit the post near the end of extra time and was then the only Argentina player to fail to score in the shootout.

MOROCCO’s Youssef En-Nesyri celebrates after scoring his side’s first goal during the World Cup quarterfinal soccer match against Portugal, at Al Thumama Stadium in Doha, Qatar, on Saturday.

Photo/Martin Meissner)

FRANCE’s Kylian Mbappe reacts during the World Cup quarterfinal soccer match against England at the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, Qatar, on Saturday.

(AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

ARGENTINA’s Lionel Messi celebrates at the end of the World Cup quarterfinal soccer match against the Netherlands at the Lusail Stadium in Lusail, Qatar, on Saturday. Argentina defeated the Netherlands 4-3 in a penalty shootout.

(AP Photo/Jorge Saenz)

Baha Mar Cup brings star tennis players to Bahamas

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

THE island nation’s most decorated tennis player brought the Baha Mar Cup back to the Bahamas for a third time with a line-up of some of the most accomplished male and female players in the world to the Baha Mar Tennis Club over the weekend.

Five-time Olympian Mark Knowles, who was the world’s number one ranked doubles player with Canadian Daniel Nestor, showcased a star-studded line-up that included a pair of former world No.1 singles players in American Andy Roddick and Australian Lleyton Hewitt.

Also adding to the dynamic feature were Americans James Blake, former No.4 ranked player on the men’s side and Jessica Pegula, currently the top American player ranked at No.3 in the world, along with Ukraine’s Olga Savchak, a retired player turned coach who is residing part-time in the Bahamas.

Top Bahamian rising players collegian Jacobi Mitchell and high school sensation Michael Major Jr also got in a series of exhibition matches on Saturday at Baha Mar courts as a part of the charity events put on by Knowles to help raise funds for the development of the game in the country.

Earlier in the day, they all participated in a youth camp for aspiring tennis players.

First hosted in 2019, the Baha Mar Cup was postponed in 2020 because of COVID-19, but although it returned last year, Knowles was unable to stage the event because of the inclement weather.

He was just glad that they were able to be back on the court this year. “It was awesome,” said Knowles, who was accompanied by two of his three children, 14-yearold Brody, a 6-foot, 5-inch tennis player and Presley. Graham, a football quarterback remained at home in Dallas, Texas.

“We were troubled by weather last year, but we couldn’t ask for anything better today. The weather was great and the participation was awesome. The line-up might have been the best ever that we have assembled here.

“To assemble this type of talent here at home was very special for me. I really appreciate the people who supported the event. We had a great crowd for the exhibition, which is why I do it. I want to bring some stars to our country, the Bahamas, which I love so much, for charity to give kids a chance to aspire the next generation of Bahamian tennis players.

Through the Mark Knowles Foundation, Knowles said they were happy to support Bain, who is now one of the top collegiate players.

He said he was delighted to see him and Major Jr match up in doubles against Blake and Pegula in a showdown.

The Americans won 6-3, but it was an entertaining match. So were the other matches that saw Roddick and Hewitt outlast Knowles and Blake 6-2 in men’s doubles, while in mixed doubles, Blake and Pegula

got the best of Knowles and Savchuk.

For Pegula, she would prefer no better place to be than in the Bahamas competing in the Baha Mar Cup. “It’s been so amazing. Everyone has been so nice and friendly. I’ve been here before, but I’ve never been to Baha Mar. It was so nice,” she said. “To come out here and play with so much legends was just amazing.”

She said she got thumbs up from Knowles’ mother, Vickie, a Bahamian legend tennis player in her own rights, so she’s looking forward to making a return to next year’s event as she makes the quick trip from South Florida where she resides.

“It was an amazing couple years for me where I feel I have been improving,” said Pegula, who earned her Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) rankings in singles and doubles on October 24 after she won two singles titles and five doubles titles on the WTA Tour, one WTA Challenger doubles title, and seven ITF doubles titles.

“It gets harder and harder to move up, but I will continue to go after the big titles and just keep trying to

have fun as I go through the journey. I love competing, so it’s fun for me.”

Since the inception of the Baha Mar Cup, Roddick has graced his presence and the former No.1 player in the world in 2003 when he captured the US Open title.

The three-time Wimbledon finalist in 2004, 2005 and 2009 as well as US Open in 2006, retired from professional tennis following the 2012 IS Open.

He said it’s a lot of fun to be able to be a part of an event that provides the opportunity for the younger players to get to the next level.

“Mark has always been passionate about the Bahamas and anytime you make kids tennis relevant, I’m all for it,” Roddick said. “But when it’s one of your closest friends doing it, it’s a no brainer to show up. I’m just humbled that I’ve been asked to do it.”

Married to American model and actress Brooklyn Decker since 2009 in a union that has produced two children, Roddick said he’s just enjoying life and there’s no better place to do it than in the Bahamas.

Also back for a third appearance at the Baha Mar, Blake said it’s good

that the weather has cooperated so that they could put on the display of their skills to the crowd.

The 2007 champion of the American Davis Cup team in 2007 got to showcase some of his renowned speed and powerful, flat forehand that elevated him to No.4 in singles in 2006 before he retired in 2013.

“Mark is such a great guy for what he’s doing for his community,” said Blake, who now operates the Miami Open Tennis Tournament. “I know how hard it is to put on an event like this. We appreciate it and we’re happy to help in any way that we can.”

Blake, a commentator for tennis for ESPN, was accompanied here by his wife, publicist Emily Snider and the parents of two daughters. He said that once invited, he will be back for an encore to the Bahamas.

After posting her best accomplishment reaching the third round of the 2006 Australian Open and earning a career-high singles ranking of No. 79 on 19 May 2008, Savchuk has since retired and is one of the two coaches of top-ten player Karolina Pilskova, along with Daniel Vallverdu and since November 2020 along with Sascha Bajin.

“I love being here. This is my first time playing here, but when he asked me to be a part of it this year, I couldn’t say no,” Savchuk said. “I now live here. I love everything here, especially the beach. I hope to be more involved in tennis here.”

Among those in attendance in the stands was Bahamas sports ambassador Rick Fox, a two-time National Basketball Association (NBA) champion with the Los Angeles Lakers, Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association president Perry Newton and other BLTA executives.

TEAM BAHAMAS 4TH OVERALL IN CARIBBEAN BASEBALL CUP

Los Angeles Angels prospect D’Shawn Knowles, who recently helped Great Britain qualify for the World Baseball Classic. The remainder of the outfield included Ellison Hanna of the Lake Eerie Crushers, Toby Simmons of the Miami Marlins, Kristin Munroe of the Los Angeles Angels, Kashon Conliffe of the San Diego Padres and highly touted International prospect for the class of 2023 - Janero Miller.

The pitching staff is headlined by Evan Sweeting who last pitched in the San Diego Padres organisation and D’Vaughn Knowles who was last with the New York Yankees organisation. Pitching staff also included Brandon Russell, Robin Haven, Carvin Dames, Derrinyj Russell, McKell Bethel, Gio Tomlins, Travvis Ferguson, Kennedy Cooper and Mateo

Ferguson. The catchers were Ural Forbes, Yeshua Saint and Diontwon James.

Stuart led The Bahamas with a .333 batting average, followed by D’Shawn Knowles at .280, Saunders at .278, Grant at .273, and Hanna at .267.

Grant led the team with 4 RBI followed by Saunders with two. Knowles, Stuart, Moss, Hanna and Munroe each finished with two.

Knowles topped the hit list with seven, Stuart and Grant each finished with six, Saunders finished with five and Hanna had four.

In pitching, Sweeting got the lone win for Team Bahamas.

He surrendered a single hit and struck out five in four innings of work and finished with a 0.0 ERA.

Brandon Russell finished with eight strikeouts in 10 innings, Haven had six strikeouts in 7.2 innings and Saint had four strikeouts through six innings.

ASH BARTY WINS AUSTRALIA’S TOP SPORTS AWARD FOR SECOND TIME

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Ash Barty’s Australian Open singles title in January was enough to ensure the former top-ranked tennis player won Australia’s most prestigious annual sports award -- despite retiring from the game less than two months later.

Barty has been given The Don Award, named after its most accomplished and famous cricketer Don Bradman.

Barty shocked the tennis world in March when she announced her retirement at the age of 25. The three-time major winner was the No. 1-ranked female player at the time of her retirement decision.

The Sport Australia Hall of Fame’s Don Award is given to an athlete or a team “which has provided the most inspiration to the country through performance and example in the past year.”

Barty (2019, 2022) joins Olympic gold medalwinning hurdler Sally Pearson (2012, 2014) and Olympic champion pole vaulter Steve Hooker (2008, 2009) as a multiple winner of the award.

Barty said she had decided before the Australian Open started that it would be her last major tournament.

“This year was certainly my most enjoyable Australian Open . . . because it felt free,” Barty said in a television interview Thursday.

“I played without consequence, I played like a little kid. In my eyes, there was no pressure. It was just about me trying to redeem myself, in a way, and playing how I’d always wanted to play — go out there and play like the kid that fell in love with sport.”

Barty said she has no plans to return to tennis.

PAUL SILAS DIES AT 79

By TIM REYNOLDS AP Basketball Writer

BASKETBALL taught Paul Silas how to be patient.

As a player, he waited 10 years before winning his first championship. As a coach, he waited 15 years for a second chance at running a team. As a father, he waited 20 years before seeing his son get a chance to lead a franchise.

“I always tried to remain positive,” Silas said in 2013, “and I think it usually worked out.”

Silas — who touched the game as a player, coach and president of the National Basketball Players Association — has died, his family announced yesterday.

He was 79.

“He combined the knowledge developed over nearly 40 years as an NBA player and coach with an innate understanding of how to mix discipline with his never-ending positivity,” Charlotte Hornets chairman Michael Jordan said.

“On or off the court, Paul’s enthusiastic and engaging personality was accompanied by an anecdote for every occasion. He was one of the all-time great people in our game, and he will be missed.”

Silas’ daughter, Paula Silas-Guy, told The New York Times that her father died Saturday night of cardiac arrest. The Boston Globe first reported Silas’ death. “We mourn the passing of former NBA All-Star and head coach Paul Silas,” NBA

said.

Adam

“Paul’s lasting contributions to the game are seen through the many players and coaches he inspired, including his son, Rockets head coach Stephen Silas. We send our deepest condolences to Paul’s family.”

MARCUS Samuelson is flanked by pro players Jessica Pegula, Olga Savchak and Milos Raonic.

AMERICAN Andy Roddick in action at Baha Mar.

TEAM Bahamas finished in fourth place in the Caribbean Baseball Cup and missed out on an opportunity to qualify for the 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games. They ended tournament play with a 4-2 loss to defending champion Curacao in the bronze medal game yesterday at the Andre Rodgers National Stadium.

Photo: Austin Fernander/Tribune Staff

Commissioner

Silver

BAHAMIAN tennis ace Mark Knowles in action.

JACOBI Bain and Michael Major Jr congratulate Americans.

MARK Knowles shares a moment with Donato Adderley, one of the youngsters at the Baha Mar Cup clinic.

Hurts, Eagles secure playoff spot, thump rival Giants 48-22

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Jalen Hurts threw for two touchdowns and ran for another as the NFL-best Philadelphia Eagles punched their ticket to the playoffs with a 48-22 victory over the fading New York Giants yesterday.

Hurts threw for 217 yards and hit DaVonta Smith on a 41-yard fourth-down TD strike and A.J. Brown on a 33-yarder as the Eagles (12-1) scored on their first three possessions. The third-year quarterback also ran for 77 yards, highlighted by a 10-yard TD scamper late in the third quarter.

yards and scored on runs of 3 and 40 yards as the Eagles handed the Giants their worst loss under first-year coach Brian Daboll. Phila delphia secured its second straight postseason appear ance and fifth in six seasons.

(AP) — Brock Purdy threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score in his first career start and San Francisco’s vaunted defense spoiled Tom Brady’s Bay Area homecoming.

NFL’s most accomplished quarterback ever was par tially overshadowed by another key injury for the 49ers (9-4).

terback Jimmy Garoppolo to a broken left foot that opened the door for Purdy to start, the Niners lost star receiver Deebo Samuel to an ankle injury that forced him to be taken off the field in tears on a cart.

21 for 185 yards and two touchdowns. Christian McCaffrey ran for 119 yards, including a 38-yard TD, and scored on a 27-yard pass.

for 253 yards with one TD and two interceptions. The Bucs still lead the lackluster NFC South.

Goff threw for 330 yards and three touchdowns, leading surging Detroit past NFC North-leading Minnesota.

needed a win or tie to clinch the division title.

Kirk Cousins threw for 425 yards, including a fran chise-record 223 to Justin

Jefferson on 11 catches. But Dalvin Cook ran for just 23 yards on 15 carries, and Minnesota couldn’t stop Goff.

Detroit (6-7) has won five of six, its best stretch since its last postseason appearance in 2016.

Goff completed 27 of

sage before each game, the most important woman in his life. He thanked his father, Carl, for instilling a relentless worth ethic.

for me making sacrifices in

The Broncos (3-10) lost QB Russell Wilson to a concussion, and the Chiefs (10-3) won their 14th straight over their rival.

Denver made a game of it by scoring three touchdowns in a 3 1/2-minute stretch spanning halftime after falling behind 27-0.

CHARGERS DOWN DOLPHINS 23-17

By JOE REEDY AP Sports Writer

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Justin Herbert threw for 367 yards and a touchdown and a shorthanded Chargers defense got the best of the Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa as Los Angeles beat Miami 23-17 last night.

The Chargers (7-6) moved into position for the final AFC playoff berth, ahead of the New York Jets.

Herbert — the sixth overall pick in 2020, one behind Tagovailoa — completed a career-high 39 passes on 51 attempts for his 21st 300-yard game. He became the first NFL quarterback to throw for 13,000 yards in his first three seasons.

Tyreek Hill scored two touchdowns for the Dolphins, one of them on an improbable recovery of Jeff Wilson Jr’s fumble that Hill took 57 yards to the end zone. But Tagovailoa had his worst game as an NFL starter, completing 10 of 28 passes for 145 yards and a touchdown as the Dolphins (8-5) lost their second straight.

The Chargers held Miami to 219 yards despite not having safety Derwin James, cornerback Bryce Callahan and defensive lineman Sebastian Joseph-Day because of injuries.

LA’s offense was buoyed by the return of Mike Williams, who had missed four of the last five games with a high ankle sprain.

Williams had six catches for 116 yards, including a 10-yard touchdown while getting both feet in bounds near the back of the end zone to extend the Chargers’ lead to 10-0 early in the second quarter.

Austin Ekeler, who finished with 104 scrimmage yards, had a 1-yard run off left tackle with 18 seconds left in the quarter to extend the lead to 17-7.

Keenan Allen added 12 receptions for 92 yards. Cameron Dicker kicked three field goals, including one from 29-yards that gave the Chargers a 23-14 advantage with 2:40 remaining. Dicker’s kick capped a 17-play, 79-yard drive that took 8:39 off the clock.

Hill finished with four catches for 81 yards, including a 60-yard TD in the third quarter on Tagovailoa’s best throw of the night, and became the Dolphins’ single-season leader in receiving yards.

He passed for 4.075 yards, 37 touchdowns and just four interceptions, setting a USC record for total offense with 4.447 yards. The 6-foot-1, 215-pound sophomore also ran for 10 touchdowns, drawing comparisons to Chiefs’ star Patrick Mahomes for his ability to improvise and deliver perfect passes from a variety of arm angles.

Williams finished with a kick, accounting for seven touchdowns in Top-25 victories against UCLA and Notre Dame that put USC in playoff position.

The Trojans could not close the deal, losing the Pac-12 title game to Utah with Williams hobbling through much of the game with a strained hamstring. Still, he threw for 363 yards and three touchdowns to give USC a chance, and solidified his status as Heisman frontrunner.

Williams is the 19th quarterback to win the Heisman since 2000, the third from USC and the third to do it after transferring to play for Riley. Mayfield and Murray took similar paths.

PHILADELPHIA Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) reacts after a touchdown against the New York Giants yesterday in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)