05042023 NEWS AND SPORT

Shanty win - but for juSt

OAG sought demolition for more

than 260 shanty sites in Nassau and Abaco

By LEANdRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

CHIEF Justice Ian

Winder ordered the demolition of shanty town structures belonging to just two people in The Bahamas yesterday, far fewer than the government had sought.

The Office of the Attorney General wanted the Supreme Court to order the demolition of more than 260 structures in New

Providence and Abaco that were built despite an injunction prohibiting such construction. However, the Chief Justice found that people were not properly notified of that injunction and could not be penalized for the breach. If it stands, the ruling closes one avenue the Davis administration pursued to begin eradicating shanty town structures. The onus is

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Pinder tell S un, gbV bill to be relea Sed to Public in m ay

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

ATTORNEY General

Ryan Pinder said a bill addressing gender-based and domestic violence would be released for public consultation this month and is expected to pass Parliament this year.

His comment came yesterday at the 43rd Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review in Geneva,

F t X chieF uPSet uk l awyer in VolV ement barred locally

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

FTX’s US chief yesterday blasted The Bahamas’ “closed legal system” and argued his team will “find it difficult to protect our rights” due to challenges in gaining approval for their chosen UK KC to act before this nation’s courts. John Ray, who oversees 134 FTX entities currently in Chapter 11 protection in Delaware, asserted that “meaningful participation” in Bahamas-based litigation involving the collapsed crypto currency exchange “may not even be possible”

g ame on? b ahamian S could P lay in ca S ino S

By FAY S I mmONS Tribune Business Reporter jsimmons@tribunemedia.net

Switzerland.

Elaine Sands, a gender expert in the Ministry of Social Services Department of Gender and Family Affairs, went into greater depth about the draft bill.

She said the bill would provide protection support for victims of violence, fulfilling the country’s international obligations.

“The Draft Bill establishes a central authority or commission whose mandate expressly prescribes that it

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crackdown coming on n ational Symbol S uS age

By LETRE SWEETING Tribune Staff Reporter lsweeting@tribunemedia.net

AUTHORITIES are seeing an increase in the unlicensed use of national symbols, with National Security Minister Wayne Munroe warning that unsanctioned use of symbols could prompt a $250 fine or a six months prison sentence.

naTional

The Ministry of National Security released a statement yesterday noting that people using national symbols on merchandise connected to business or

GAMING regulators are mulling measures to ban persons receiving welfare benefits as part of a package of reforms that would also eliminate discrimination against Bahamians playing in hotel casinos if approved.

Officials from the Gaming Board, speaking yesterday at the Caribbean Gaming Conference, said they are also studying the possible removal of restrictions that presently disqualify Cabinet ministers

Front Porch

jobs must obtain a license or written permission from the minister.

Mr Munroe told The Tribune: “The Officerin-Charge of the area indicated that they’re improving enforcement of the symbols and they were noticing that there are a lot of items coming out with a flag or a Coat of Arms, and they had no record of having received an application or approval so just

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‘I violated parole to look after children since mom’s murder’

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A MAN pleaded guilty in court yesterday to violating bail - but said he did so because he must care

for his children after their mother was found dead in a canal last month.

John Knowles, 44, said he is the father of children born to Yinka Strachan, who was murdered last month. He stood before

Magistrate Samuel McKinney on two counts of violating bail conditions. He initially fought the charges but told the court he pleaded guilty because he must care for his children. He said he is trying to

get custody of the children.

Knowles was granted bail for charges of assault with a deadly weapon and possessing an unlicensed firearm.

While on release for these charges on October

6, 2022, and November 15, 2022, Knowles failed to charge his electronic monitoring device.

Magistrate McKinney ordered Knowles to pay a collective fine of $1,000 for the offence or serve a

three-month prison term.

As the accused is currently serving time for a drug possession charge, the magistrate told him if he fails to pay the fine the sentences would be served concurrently.

Tribu T e paid To K9 comrade

A SALUTE to a fallen canine soldier was held yesterday, as officers and their four-legged companions paid tribute to police service dog Rexo. Rexo passed away on May 1 after nine years of service with the Royal Bahamas Police Force, and fellow officers of the K9 unit paid tribute yesterday alongside their own police dogs.

Photos: Austin Fernander

Shanty win - but for just 2 homes

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now fully on the Minister of Works to initiate a process under the Building Regulations Act.

Before ruling earlier this year that the Minnis administration’s shanty town eradication policies were lawful, Justice Cheryl Grant-Thompson made an Order prohibiting the construction, erection or alteration of buildings or structures in shanty towns throughout the country.

After the injunction was discharged, the OAG asked the Supreme Court to demolish structures built in breach of that injunction.

An affidavit from Building Control Officer Crag Delancy said there had been an “exponential increase in the amount of illegal structures,” a conclusion CJ Winder accepted.

Mr Delancy found that illegal structures expanded by 41 on the north side of SC Bootle Highway, Marsh Harbour; by 53 on the south side of SC Bootle Highway, Marsh Harbour; by 80 in the Farm near Treasure Cay, Abaco; by 13 in All Saints Way, New Providence; and by 15 and 27 in the New Providence communities of Montgomery Road and Butlers Way.

Government lawyers argued shanty town residents had adequate notice of the injunction, citing press statements and communications from government officials.

“…I do not find that there is adequate evidence that anyone other than the parties to this action could be said to have properly had notice of the injunction,”

CJ Winder said in his ruling.

“The respondents took no steps in accordance with the rules, to substitute service of the injunction on persons who they say are/were unknown to them.

A simple Order for the posting of the Orders on the doors of the residents, as was done to cause the additional occupants to attend court in this application, could have been obtained. Further, while there may have been press statements and notices placed in certain communities, this was not done with the authority of an Order for substituted service.”

“I am satisfied that (their) breach is willful,” he wrote. He said while the power to demolish buildings that fail to comply with the building code rests with the Minister of Works, the Supreme Court can enforce a court order by ordering the demolition of a structure constructed in defiance of that court order.

“In a case such as this, where the Order of the Court is being openly flouted, the administration of justice is being brought into disrespect and disrepute,” he wrote. “The Court has an inherent jurisdiction to protect its process and I am satisfied that the Court is empowered to cause those applicants who have breached the Order to remove these offending structures.”

‘The respondents took no steps in accordance with the rules, to substitute service of the injunction on persons who they say are/were unknown to them. A simple Order for the posting of the Orders on the doors of the residents, as was done to cause the additional occupants to attend court in this application, could have been obtained.’

“It is only persons who can be fixed with notice of the Order that could be said to have been in breach. The broadcasting of the information or its general distribution could not properly suffice.”

Nonetheless, CJ Winder said two people, Rose St. Fleur and Aviole FrancoisBurrows, were aware of the injunction Order, having consented to it.

CJ

Winder ordered that Ms St Fleur and Ms FrancoisBurrows’ “offending structures” be removed within 45 days, failing which the government may remove them at the expense of the women.

Yesterday, Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis said he had not studied CJ Winder’s ruling. “We’ll abide by that decision unless it is overturned,” he said.

Works and Utilities Minister Alfred Sears, chairman of the Unregulated Communities Action Task Force, declined to comment on the ruling.

CHIEF Justice Ian Winder ruled that only two properties were approved for demolition in a case where the government asked for more than 260 structures to be pulled down. The Chief Justice gave two people 45 days to have their homes removed after finding them in wilful breach of an injunction that prevented shanty town expansion.

A SHANTY town in Joe Farrington Road.

Davis says ‘I cannot’ halt Haiti migrant deportations

By LETRE SWEETING

Tribune Staff Reporter lsweeting@tribunemedia.ne t

PRIME Minister “Brave” Davis reiterated that The Bahamas would continue deporting Haitians, not least because the international community is not doing enough to help the migrants or improve Haiti’s situation.

Mr Davis responded to the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, which once again urged countries to temporarily halt deportations to Haiti as the country experiences civil unrest, gang violence and kidnappings.

The UN committee expressed concerns of abuse against Haitian migrants in the Bahamas, as well as other places.

“I have heard the United Nations’ plea to us, but unfortunately, it’s a plea that I cannot accede to,” Mr Davis said on the sidelines of the 2023 annual reception at the United Kingdom’s House of Lords. “The Bahamas cannot afford the burden of continuing of housing and keeping the amount of migrants fleeing from Haiti to our shores.

“We are already overburdened by the fact of interception, detention and

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physically the public servants seeing it and knowing that that hadn’t come in is what prompted them to address it.”

A licence to use national symbols can be approved after applying to the ministry and paying $20. The licence would be valid from January 1 to December 31 of each year, no matter when permission is obtained.

Mr Munroe stressed that those violating the law need to comply quickly. “The cost of (a licence) is $20 right, so let’s assume you have, out of ignorance, offended the law; it just takes $20 to come in compliance,” he said.

“Now there are some uses that we don’t approve, if it would put the flag or the coat-of-arms in a degrading light. So, if you want to have a rag for people to clean their cars with the Bahamian flag, we’re not going to approve. But most things within reason are approved and if persons are currently in breach of the law, it only takes an application to the ministry and $20 to come into alignment.”

Mr Munroe said the application process for the

Prime Minister

‘Brave’ Davis called on regionl countries to assist with the crisis in Haiti as the Bahamas is overburdened already with the issue. “I have heard the United Nations’ plea to us, but unfortunately, it’s a plea that I cannot accede to,” he said on the sidelines of the 2023 annual reception at the United Kingdom’s House of Lords. “The Bahamas cannot afford the burden of continuing of housing and keeping the amount of migrants fleeing from Haiti to our shores.”

sending them back. Our resources are limited. We have to address the climate change issues that continue to impact us and affect us. We are still recovering from (hurricane) Dorian and most of our issues are externally driven.”

Mr Davis continued his call for other regional

countries to assist with the crisis in Haiti, as The Bahamas cannot support too many migrants.

“Those countries who are out there, who can help Haiti, I call on them, please come and help Haiti. That is my cry, as presently advised and (in) our present situation, we cannot. We will do

crackdown coming on n ational Symbol S uS age

our part to protect our borders. We will continue to be as humane and compassionate for the Haitian people.

“We understand the challenges in Haiti, but at this time, we are unable to respond in a manner in which we are being called upon by the international community, when the

international community themselves are not doing enough to help the situation in Haiti,” he said.

On Tuesday, Immigration Minister Keith Bell revealed that over 2,000 people had been repatriated from The Bahamas between January and the end of March this year.

“It is the long-held position of the government of The Bahamas that the international community must assemble the resources needed to provide Haiti with an economic package of debt forgiveness and aid to assist in improving its economic outlook,” he said.

Bimini Pilots donate computers to Bimini Primary School

Students at Bimini Primary School have received ten brand new desktop computers with ten storage drives from Bimini Pilots.

The group is an organisation operating under Independent Maritime Services based in Grand Bahama and is licensed and authorizsed to pilot vessels in the Greater Bimini area and more specifically RW Cruise Pier.

licence would be digitalized.

“Like any crime, it’s enforced in so far as you’re able to detect people breaching the law and then go ahead to enforce it,” he said. “(The police) have been tasked with putting a proposal forward. “So whether you use the police

to go around businesses and see if anybody is displaying goods that are not approved or things that are not approved; I know they’ve started doing web searches to see online if things advertised have been approved. It’s a policing issue.”

“Every year we commit to giving back to some

organization or group,” said Independent Maritime Services President Captain Justin Wallace. “These donations are usually done in Freeport, because that’s where our main base of operation is located. But when we started to expand our operations in the Greater Bimini area, we decided we had to do something for Bimini. Last year, we donated over 15 tablets to the high school, because

they were really needed by the students. This year, we connected with the administrator Desiree Ferguson and the former principal at the primary school to get an idea of what were their needs, which she said that were computers. So, we decided to purchase the computers for what will now be the school’s computer lab.” School officials and the island administrator expressed gratitude.

Philip

NatioNal Security Minister Wayne Munroe warns people concerning the use of The Bahamas national symbols without proper approval.

Pinder tells UN, GBV Bill to be released to public in May

inter alia: strengthens involvement in multi-sectorial stakeholders through public private partnerships to combat and respond to violence with effective policies and strategies; and facilitate the provision of care and support services for victims of violence through shelters, counselling services, and care and custody of affected children,” Mrs Sands said.

“Recognising the importance of data and importance in eradicating violence, especially violence which results in death, the bill also establishes a protocol to be allowed. Under the draft bill, a fatality review team is duly empowered to investigate cases and make determinations which will ultimately enable the commission to collect and analyse data and maintain an accurate database to create effective solutions to eradicate violence, as well as report on the rate of femicide in the jurisdiction.” Documents distributed to the press outlined that the commission would be empowered to grant

funding to service providers for community programmes and projects as well as to provide technical assistance in programme and project management.

Other abilities of the commission would be to consult, coordinate and cooperate with other regional and international violence-based organisations and institutions; and engage private healthcare facilities to provide sensitive medical examinations and treatment to victims of violence.

“The Bill prescribes the procedure for the making and handling of complaints by victims and outlines the care and support services available to victims of sexual and physical abuse, namely: medical treatments; safe housing and shelter for victims and children; psychological, medical and legal assistance; access to spaces and community; and re-adjustment programmes to assist with re-assimilation into public life post violent event,” a statement from the government said.

Ms Sands said the government continues implementing a National Strategic Plan to address

gender-based violence. She noted that a Family Island Coordination Council to address gender-based violence was recently introduced.

Attorney General Pinder also noted the work of the council.

“The National Task Force for gender-based violence continues to be active, particularly in the implementation of genderbased violence Family Island councils having been recently implemented on the islands of Grand Bahama and throughout the Abaco chain of islands,” he said.

“This focus will be on community-based partnerships to prevent gender-based violence in the island communities to ensure that survivors of gender-based violence receive support and service needed for their recovery.

The Department of Gender and Family Affairs works with law enforcement and has conducted genderbased violence prevention exercises, with over 900 law enforcement officers and just over 500 residents from these island communities.”

Minister of Education Glenys Hanna Martin has called for the end to corporal punishments in school. Attorney General Ryan Pinder while speaking to a UN council review human rights issues in The Bahamas said that The Bahamas governments ‘policy expectation’ is that corporal punishment is not carried out in schools.

AG: ‘Policy ex PectAtion’ th At corPor A l Punishment should not h APPen in schools

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune News Editor rrolle@tribunemedia.net

ATTORNEY General

Ryan Pinder said the “policy expectation” of the government is that corporal punishment should not be inflicted in schools.

He was speaking during the 43rd session of the Universal Periodic Review of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC).

The council has repeatedly urged The Bahamas to ban corporal punishment.

Noting The Bahamas is a signatory to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, Mr Pinder said the Ministry of Education introduced a Safe Schools Protocol to regulate student discipline matters in government-maintained schools.

“Inappropriate student behaviours are divided into four categories,” he said. “Level I and II infractions are addressed by the classroom teacher while Level III and Level IV infractions are advanced to a school administrator. At no level is corporal punishment recommended, and the policy expectation of the government is that it should not have to be used in schools.”

Despite Mr Pinder’s comment, the Ministry

of Education’s policy still allows a school principal to administer corporal punishment.

Education Minister Glenys Hanna Martin and her predecessor, Jeff Lloyd, have both called for national discussions about corporal punishment, but the government has yet to say it is even considering an outright ban on the practice in schools.

Mr Pinder said since the last UPR review in 2018, there have been three reported cases of corporal punishment in schools.

“In those cases,” he said, “the Ministers of Education called for the country to denounce the cultural practice of corporal punishment. In the most recent incident, the school administrator was placed on administrative leave.”

The latest reported incident of corporal punishment occurred in March after the principal of the Bimini Primary School called on a police officer to discipline several children.

Parents of the children shared pictures with The Tribune showing bruises on the children’s bodies after they were beaten.

The Royal Bahamas Police Force has yet to reveal the outcome of its investigation into that matter. The officer involved remains on active duty.

Countries

share reCommendations on human rights issues with the Bahamas

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

A UNITED Nations representative for the Netherlands recommended yesterday that The Bahamas extend full marital rights to same-sex couples. This was one of several country’s representatives who recommended the Bahamas adopt more liberal policies on rights for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) people.

The recommendation came as the UN Human Rights Council reviewed The Bahamas’ human rights record in Geneva, Switzerland.

One by one, countries submitted recommendations to The Bahamas, some of them about controversial domestic issues unlikely to be supported by most Bahamians.

“Adopt a normative framework that recognises the civil rights

to a consensual same-sex or same-gender relationship between persons of the age of majority, including the right to live a life free of discrimination and violence,” said a representative from Argentina.

Many countries recommended The Bahamas criminalise marital rape.

For example, a representative from the United States said: “Pass a law to criminalise spousal rape, including for couples who are not separated or in the process of divorce.”

Many countries also pushed The Bahamas to improve efforts to combat gender-based violence and abolish the death penalty.

Ecuador urged the government to find noncustodial alternatives for asylum seekers and refugees.

Many countries called for imposing a moratorium on the death penalty and eventually abolishing capital punishment.

The United Kingdom’s

representative expressed concern about statelessness among people born in the country who are not automatically afforded Bahamian citizenship.

Attorney General Ryan Pinder addressed the UNHRC.

He said although The Bahamas has executed no one for more than two decades, it does not plan to impose a moratorium on the death penalty or abolish the penalty. He noted that his administration has circulated draft legislation to criminalise spousal rape, which is up for consultation.

He also said the government is awaiting a Privy Council decision on whether the constitution automatically confers citizenship to children born out of wedlock to Bahamian men and foreign women before advancing legislation that eliminates discrimination concerning how citizenship is conferred.

The Tribune Limited

Court ruling shows up process flaws

THE government has won the right to demolish a grand total of two shanty town homes. Two. Not two hundred. Not two thousand. Just two.

This is the outcome of the Supreme Court case, in which the government had sought a court order for the demolition of more than 260 shanty town structures in New Providence and Abaco.

As a success rate, two out of 260 is hardly anything to sing about.

One wonders how much time and money went into producing such an outcome and whether it might not have been cheaper in the end to buy a whole new property for each of the evictees.

Chief Justice Ian Winder, in his ruling, leaned heavily on two elements in his decision – first, that while it was clear that orders to stop construction had been ignored that it must be shown that someone had known about those orders for action to be taken against them.

Perhaps more crucial is the second element, that he was not satisfied that proper notice was given to residents in those areas. He could not find adequate evidence that anyone other than those involved in the court case had proper notice.

That is a staggering indictment of the inefficiency of the process – that the failure to properly notify people of the possibility of demolition could result in all but two properties being allowed to stand.

Government officials were unsurprisingly slow yesterday to claim victory – with both Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis and Works Minister Alfred Sears they had yet to see the ruling.

But after all the talk of action against shanty towns, after all the pledges to deal with the issue, for the legal process to deliver the possibility of demolishing just two structures seems to have been a staggering waste of time, money and energy by all concerned.

It will be interesting indeed to see what the government response to this will be – will there be a new effort to

demolish those properties? Will that effort properly notify those involved?

Or will we end up in court again with flaws in the process exposed and another sizeable legal bill to be paid?

The Chief Justice has given 45 days for the people in those two homes to have them removed – but at the rate that shanty towns sometimes seem to pop up, it seems likely that in 45 days’ time, while there may be two fewer, there will likely be plenty more elsewhere.

The lesson to learn here should of course to ensure that legal processes are followed properly to ensure they do not undermine the action if it is challenged in court – as is likely.

But that seems to be a lesson we seldom learn.

The previous administration had a habit of losing case after case at court, especially in high-profile immigration issues. And now here the government may be able to claim the most modest of wins, but in truth it is a greater win for the residents in hundreds of properties that will not be demolished after this ruling.

Where does that leave us? With a problem over shanty towns that remains unresolved. And whatever side of the immigration debate you might be on, shanty towns are a problem – they can be an issue for fire safety, with close proximity of buildings proving a risk, they can prove a danger in hurricane season, as we so terribly saw during Hurricane Dorian, and they can be a health risk, without proper utilities being connected and questions over sanitation and water supplies.

All these are issues that need to be dealt with regardless of where one stands over immigration – and regardless of the fact that previous surveys have shown 80 percent of shanty town residents have some form of legal status to live in The Bahamas.

So where next? We shall wait to see what the government says after this case – but we doubt many will claim it as a victory.

Golf course shows bi-partisan hope

EDITOR, The Tribune.

THE recent announcement of a new one-of-a-kind

18-hole Jack Nicklaus golf course in Jacks Bay, Eleuthera, was refreshing and heartening, but not for the usual economic reasons although those are also very important.

It must not have gone unnoticed to even the most undiscerning, that the principals of the venture, Sir Franklyn Wilson and Tommy Turnquest are also very prominent and respected members of the two major political parties in The Bahamas, the Progressive Liberal Party and the Free National Movement.

In a time and place where every thought and action is driven by political consideration, what appears to simply be a rational business arrangement in spite of political affiliation is as classic an example of how Bahamians need to revise our thinking about how we conduct politics or continue to sink in the morass of mediocrity, political polarization and under development that has gripped this nation for too many years.

I believe we must always highlight positive developments such as these, as a way of teaching without

is true role of UN?

EDITOR, The Tribune.

AFTER reading today’s Tribune edition, Monday May 1, 2023 and a story, the top story ‘Nation to answer over human rights,’ and how it suggests that the Government’s position on key issues will be under scrutiny by the UN Council.’

I have been following the demands, opinions, duress, threats made by the UNSC and its UNHCR, for decades now...this same body that is tasked with dispensing with these balanced principles, catering to the global peace security nation, but have they?

I have my concerns for small countries that were desirous of staying true to its country’s laws, when this group and others find it so convenient to try to trash the laws of small countries, using threats, duress and God knows what else to force change is unlawful anywhere where the true spirit of the Law is being practised.

than on the perpetrator countries? Which is the method of operation that the UNSC has deployed for decades. If they would like to dispense, and protect peace, they should not go about creating enemies, and global discontent?

having to say that when the period of electioneering ends, so should the rabid partisanship and tribalism that cripples national development.

As an example, Fred Mitchell, the Member of Parliament for Fox Hill and Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Public Service, recently used his allotted speaking time in the House of Assembly during the debate on the amendment to the Central Bank Act to focus on the disrespect being shown to Bahamians by local banks. A lightning rod if there ever was one locally, Mitchell wants the government to commit to appointing a committee to investigate (I don’t know why that is necessary at this point!) and suggest possible solutions to include but not limited to, passing laws to whip the banks back in line. He invited the Opposition FNM to join him.

This is another perfect opportunity for our political leaders to display leadership and the bipartisanship needed to create better living conditions for Bahamians, the people they were elected to serve, instead of just providing sinecures and contracts for cronies and other hangers on. Both FNM leader Michael Pintard and East Grand Bahama Member of Parliament

Kwasi Thompson could be heard from their seat (and Thompson upon his rising to debate) commit to supporting any such effort by the government.

In my view, the politics aside, that was the correct position for the FNM to adopt even as they took the government to task for again breaking the law by drawing down on funds provided by the IMF from the Central Bank, contrary to the Central Bank Act. Make no mistake about it, making the Central Bank Amendment Bill retroactive confirms, despite any protestations to the contrary by the government that they were not again breaking the law, as they have done with the Procurement Act since coming to office in September 2021. Just because you don’t like a law is no justification for ignoring it!

The obvious common good should always trump the petty partisan bickering that seems to be the order of the day in our parliament. My hope is Mr Mitchell continues his push to correct the wrongs being meted out to Bahamians and that he is joined by the FNM. For the people’s sake!

There was a point where an agent of the Council visited the Bahamas to discuss about the Bahamas Detention Centre on Carmichael Road, and alleged that the condition of that detention centre was below human standard, etc?

But you know, it is what we have, we are able to afford...and we didn’t ask them to come, so what you find here is what we have. You don’t have better in Haiti, Cuba, and/ or Jamaica, what luxury do you want? You have built it then, Bahamian taxpayers feeding and securing you, is what we have, period?

The overall taste of her contribution was anything, but objective, as I recall this Creole heritage individual, we were convinced wasn’t here really based on a fact-finding mission, but one of intimidation, geared at threatening the Bahamas Government to either make repairs, or else? In my opinion this was the tenor of the duress made at the time, but why?

There was also an arranged US assembly in Miami agitating and attempting to embarrass the Bahamas and its people, but why?

Editor, your publication is not hearing these claims for the first time, you literally have secured those stories, articles in your vault for safekeeping, etc?

I was so troubled by this that I sought a sidebar with Father God on the external threats being levied against The Bahamas, and by the UNSC who were supposed to be the upholders of the enforcement laws countries, but why not?

Here is what Father God had to say: ‘I have a problem with the United Nations Human Rights Organisation who were to bring a message of peace, global peace, but are sowing seeds of discord around the world. I gave nations upon the earth the right to organise, to have laws, and be able to enforce those laws.’

I never intended that a foreign group be able to tell nations how to regulate its people. I want them to stop interfering with the lawful right of countries to enforce their laws.

As for the UNHRO, they are merely trouble makers and support for wrong-doers, said God Almighty has spoken. I did not approve that body, and shall disband it sooner, than later, said God Most High has spoken. Check their record, and you will soon see that every side that they err on the side of, were contrary to the maintenance of law and order the absolute right of nations to govern their own affairs? Lord, your words are forever settled in the Heavens, hallelujah, amen. It cannot be right to apply more pressure on the potential receiving nation,

Finally, a short note to the Attorney General of the Bahamas Senator Ryan Pinder. Sir, never mind what they try to tell you at that Forum in Europe, because you are not Father God, you are not the one that enacted a democratic form of government, nor are you the one that compiled the Bahamas’ Constitution, and so you are only there out of the goodness of your heart, not obligated to attend, their one-sided affair. And if there was a need to change the Constitution, would have to consult the Bahamian electorates in a referendum, is this how the law behaves, no other way, otherwise?

Now I saw where the UN has demanded that the Commonwealth of The Bahamas give asylum to seekers of this designation, but why?

All of these minute questions they have for The Bahamas...but aren’t there more pressing global matters happening in the world? Like the Russian Federation’s invasion of Ukraine and the hundreds of thousands of citizens being slaughtered?

Right in the US for the UNSC, the invasion of the US southern border, etc? The scores Of school age children being slaughtered in their classrooms - in American schools, China operating in the Southern Pacific, Iran on the nuclear issue, North Korea’s intention to bomb the US, etc? Shouldn’t this be a right of countries, after interviewing the candidates, to qualify would have to acquire a certain category of facts?

REPAIR work is continuing on Government House. Here, workers are pictured yesterday carrying out repairs on the exterior walls of the property.

Photo: Austin Fernander

Taxi fare rate increase to be done by ‘early summer’

By JADE RUSSELL Tribune Staff Reporter jrussell@tribunemedia.net

TRANSPORT and Housing Minister JoBeth

Coleby-Davis said yesterday taxi fare rates would be increased by early summer.

Man’s body found in waters near Prince George Wharf

By LETRE SWEETING Tribune Staff Reporter lsweeting@tribunemedia.net

POLICE are investigating the drowning death of a 67-year-old man found yesterday in waters off Prince George Wharf near downtown Nassau.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Dellareece Ferguson said police were alerted to the lifeless body of a man floating in Prince George Wharf around 7.15am. The

man was reportedly a resident of Faith United Way in the Golden Gates area.

Royal Bahamas Defence Force officers assisted in retrieving the body.

“It appears as if he is a Bahamian, but once our investigations are concluded, that will be determined, and the next of kin will be advised,” ACP Ferguson said.

She added the victim was “clothed in a top and short pants”.

She added: “We are currently actively investigating this matter. And once investigations proceed, we will be able to determine exactly who the individual is and if there is any foul play suspected. That will be determined once our investigation continues.”

She said police could not say how long the body was in the water. She said no wounds were observed on the body.

Jury finds man guilty on charge of causing harm, not attempted murder

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A JURY yesterday found Joseph Dickenson guilty of causing harm but not guilty of attempted murder.

In 2021, the Court of Appeal quashed Dickenson’s 28-year sentence after he allegedly shot Reginald Mackey multiple times at close range in 2015.

The Court of Appeal ordered his case to be retried. Appellate judges noted that relevant knowledge of the victim and his father’s past convictions was withheld during the trial.

During the retrial, the victim and his father testified about the incident, with Mackey’s father saying he witnessed it.

Dickenson claimed he was not in the area at the

time of the alleged incident and outlined the criminal history of both the victim and his father as a reason they framed him for the shooting.

A nine-person jury unanimously found Dickenson not guilty of attempted murder. However, they found him guilty of the lesser charge of causing dangerous harm in an eight-to-one verdict.

The accused appeared both relieved and disappointed as the verdict was read.

Supreme Court Justice Archer Minns ordered that Dickenson be sent to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services.

Before being taken into remand, Dickinson’s lawyer requested that a probation report be ordered and informed the court of their intention to appeal Dickenson’s conviction.

m an sentenced for over two years on gun charges

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A MAN was sentenced to two and a half years in prison after he was found guilty of a firearm offence.

Cyrus Mott, 43, represented by Alphonso Lewis, appeared before Magistrate Samuel McKinney on charges of possession of an unlicensed firearm and possession of ammunition.

On April 23, 2022, near a construction site in the area of Bahama Avenue and Second Street officers approached Mott for suspicious behaviour. A search

of Mott’s person uncovered a black Austria Glock 9mm pistol concealed in his waistband. At the time of his arrest he was also found with seven unfired rounds of 9mm ammunition. After hearing testimony from several witnesses, including Mott’s arresting officer, in previous court dates, Magistrate McKinney convicted Mott and sentenced him to two and a half years in prison for the firearm charge and one year for the ammunition charge to be served concurrently. He has the right to appeal sentencing within seven days.

Marianne Cadet represented Joseph Dickenson. Sentencing proceedings are set to begin on June 14.

Her comments came during a press conference about the Taxi Industry Service Improvement Programme, a collaboration among stakeholders, including the Bahamas Taxi Cab Union (BTCU) and the Bahamas Hotel & Tourism Association (BHTA).

“The Taxi Union has been advocating for some time for a fare increase,” Mrs Coleby-Davis told reporters. “Even with people getting their own taxi, they’re still not seeing the benefit so much as they would wish to see because of the cost of living rising. And so, we just sat together internally to find a way to bring it all under one umbrella and make sure it works for all.”

“The draft (bill) is being created. It goes to the Attorney General’s Office. Once they sign off and approve it, then we’ll have it gazetted and (we would) bring into effect those fares. And so, like I said, we’re hoping to have that early summer, and it shouldn’t take that long.”

Mrs Colbey-Davis did not say how much the rate

TRANSPORT and Housing Minister JoBeth Coleby-Davis said yesterday taxi fare rates would be increased by early summer.

would increase. She said her ministry’s efforts to improve the taxi industry include implementing a Code of Conduct & Service Standards for taxi drivers. She said officials have created an app, “Rate Your Ride,” to help manage fares.

“That’s going to help to survey and rate our taxi drivers,” she said. “But it also helps to manage the fares that people are being charged because the app would have indication embedded in them on what the rate should be or an idea closely related to what it should be.”

For his part, Wesley Ferguson, president of the BTCU, said his relationship

with Mrs Colbey-Davis has improved since he called for her to resign a few months ago.

“We had a lot of issues and concerns as she came into office, and we were promised that they were going to be addressed, and somehow we were sidetracked,” he said. “So right now, we are back on the right track and so now the relationship has been repaired. And we are now happy to work hand-inhand in partnership with the minister.”

Mr Ferguson said taxi drivers have recently been making decent wages because of high tourist arrivals. He said a fare rate increase would help them make a profit.

POlice are investigating the drowning of a 67-year-old man found in waters near Prince George Wharf yesterday.

Photo: Austin Fernander

After the warning of Dorian, what is our strategy for the next storm?

IN the closing days of August 2030, a peak period for Atlantic hurricanes, Bahamians and residents nervously eyed a gathering storm. It began as an unreported weather phenomenon off West Africa, travelling westerly and eventually funneled toward The Bahamas as a tropical storm.

Unimaginable storms were now more common in the Caribbean, a hotter atmosphere breeding a wetter atmosphere.

A National Geographic story instructed: “Warm ocean water is fuel to a hurricane, powering it like an engine. The warmer the water, the more the engine revs, growing faster, larger, and capable of dumping more water.” Climate change boils the water needed for stronger brews of storms.

Travelling north of Hispaniola and heading northwest, the 2030 storm first spied Mayaguana, surging through the archipelago, venturing toward the central Bahamas, rapidly churning into a Category 5 hurricane in ever warming tropical Bahamian waters.

The usual superstitions, debate about where the storm would make landfall, religious reckoning and bargaining, and conspiratorial thinking were pervasive. There was uncertainty as to where the storm and its well-formed eye wall, “where the most damaging winds and intense rainfall is found”,

would cause the most damage.

Most people in the archipelago were largely disconnected from the reality and threats of climate change, indifferent, mostly unaware. Despite the ritual speeches with rhetoric of an “existential crisis”, and regular attendance at international conferences, neither major political party had significantly built up the resilience and adaptation measures required throughout the archipelago.

The country failed to fully appreciate the warning of the United Nation’s Development Programme (UNDP) for The Bahamas: “Costs associated with planned adaptation will be high but the cost of not acting will be measured directly in loss of life, loss of competitiveness in the tourism sector and often at the expense of the environment.”

Residents of New Providence were strongly advised to make preparations for the potential impact of the Category 5 storm, and if necessary, move to shelters. Because the island had not received a direct hit in decades, many thought they would once again avoid the brunt of the disaster.

Most made some preparation. But many refused to evacuate to shelters. Many of them would be found dead after the hurricane. Expecting the worst, upwards of 2,000

flew out of the country.

The hurricane first made landfall on New Providence in the surrounds of Adelaide Village, a marshland on the southwestern coast, established in the early 1830s for freed slaves.

Adelaide was obliterated, devoured by the sea surge and drowned by the relentless downpour. No structures were left intact. Most of those who refused to evacuate died.

The slow-moving monster storm took its time, hovering, creeping over New Providence and Paradise Island, unleashing a tyranny of wind and water.

Like a weapon from the sky, the blasts of the hurricane moved outward, affecting the entire landmass of New Providence.

The topography of the island is made up of a higher central ridge, including Mount Fitzwilliam. With little other elevation,

New Providence is mostly flat, with some hilltops, a number of which were excavated.

Moving south and Overthe-Hill, there are extensive low-lying areas which form a bowl in which water easily collects, with limited drainage, despite various infrastructural upgrades. It was now a lake filled with bodies and demolished buildings with waterborne diseases like cholera about to explode.

Areas like Pinewood Gardens, always at risk from heavy rain, were inundated with water reaching rooftops. Quite a number, including children, drowning from the admixture of sea surge and rainfall as the hurricane stalled over New Providence for deadly hours.

When the 2030 hurricane struck, most of Over-the-Hill, and many other communities, could only be accessed by jet skis and boats.

The death toll in these communities was numbering in the many hundreds. There would never be a full accounting of the dead, including the number of undocumented immigrants.

The hurricane that punished New Providence proved as powerful as Hurricane Dorian, which devastated much of Abaco, the Abaco Cays and parts of Grand Bahama 11 years earlier.

The stark differences this time were the population density of New Providence and the vastly larger economic and public infrastructure.

This time, the central government, which coordinated the Dorian response, mostly collapsed, with few assets and resources left to command, including public health facilities, medicine and adequate health personnel.

Hours before the New Providence hurricane struck, the Cabinet agreed that the Governor General, the Chief Justice and half the Cabinet should be evacuated to Grand Bahama.

Some contingencies were in place, with many of these proving inconsequential as the security infrastructure of the Police Force and the Defence Force, as well as the central administration, including the Office of the Prime Minister, the Cabinet Office and many government ministries either destroyed or unusable.

With most of the overhead electrical grid, and the telecommunications infrastructure destroyed, food and water scarce, and other basics of life unavailable, New Providence was now in need of the mercy of foreign governments and international agencies.

Widespread panic and looting ensued. Many residents, including those with generators, were banding together and barricading themselves in their homes. There was a quick and

Potential future scenario back to the P resent

According to UN Secretary General António Guterres, approximately four billion people have been affected by climaterelated disasters in the last decade.

Most Bahamians, especially the residents of New Providence, because they did not personally experience the effects of Dorian, remain largely unconcerned about or do not understand the degree and danger of climate change.

In The Bahamas, we do not possess a depth of patriotism forged from shared trauma of a major climate event. Humans move toward conversion or tend to change because of lived experience.

Our sense of national identity is often sentimental and nostalgic. Residents of New Providence may boast of Family Island ties or enjoy a homecoming weekend. But most are oblivious to the circumstances and needs of other islands.

Days after the devastation of Dorian, some public sector union leaders were calling for pay increases as the country faced “estimated damages and losses … [of] US$3.4 billion (IDB, 2019), a number equivalent to a quarter of the country’s GDP.” It was an act of disgraceful selfishness and self-absorption at a grave hour.

Smaller countries in the Pacific and others recognize that while discussions and pledges on limiting carbon emissions and moving toward netzero are critical, much of this debate is in some ways irrelevant to countries already being eaten by the sea, island by island.

The Caribbean, the Pacific and coastal communities around the world are on the frontline of an

brutal uptick in gun crimes and violence.

Desperate for help, even those who criticized the then government’s assistance to Dominica in 2017, were begging for help from Caricom, the United States and the world.

As beggars desperately needing assistance, we were no longer selfishly choosy about who might be deserving of our assistance or from whom we would accept help.

The Cabinet quickly agreed to ask the United States and Caricom to send in several thousand armed military and other security personnel, and assets to restore basic law and order. The Government had nearly no capacity left to administer the state. Curfews and other emergency regulations were instituted indefinitely.

Cruise ships were brought in as offices and facilities for the civil service, security agencies, international aid groups and others. A decision was made to relocate the capital and the heads of the government bureaucracy to Freeport.

The Bahamas began negotiations with other countries to accept students, older citizens and others with health care needs, and climate refugees. Internal refugees in the tens of thousands moved to various Family Islands.

emergency that is already killing citizens and destroying homelands. We cannot wait on the rich countries of the world to do what is just and right. We will have to work tirelessly and collectively to get even minimal aid for resilience and adaptation. And, we will have to work quickly as the impending and gathering storms are on the horizon. Academics, commentators, businesses and the media in The Bahamas have a tremendous responsibility to educate and inform Bahamians about climate change, to press governments for clear strategies, and to push citizens toward greater personal and civic responsibility.

As one commentator observed, getting citizens to understand the need for action and change, is also a cognitive and emotional battle. Our collective indifference, ignorance and obliviousness will diminish, either through education and greater consciousness or through the wrathful instruction of a monster hurricane to the residents of our most populous island.

We can shout as loudly and as frequently as we want at international conferences about climate change. But the struggle for survival before the proverbial coming monster storm is to have a strategy for adaptation and resilience, leveraging what we can from international resources and our own imagination. Enough speeches and platitudes by political leaders! What is the plan and the strategy for our survival? Dorian was but a prelude. The worst is yet to come!

‘Enough speeches and platitudes by political leaders! What is the plan and the strategy for our survival?’

Is American political, economic and military dominance diminishing in the world?

IT seems like every couple of days there is a news story reporting on mounting evidence that increasing numbers of countries around the world are choosing to sit out the growing conflict between Russia and U s -led NATO that is being played out on the fertile fields of Ukraine. Last week, several national publications in the Us noted that big international players like Brazil and India were moving toward adopting a formal neutral stance in the intensifying european war.

While Republican support has been generally solid for American President Joe Biden in his efforts to keep the supply lines open and full for Ukraine, overwhelming support for the West at the UN doesn’t seem as predictable as it may have been six months ago.

STATESIDE

with Charlie Harper

maybe Donald Trump’s boorish insensitivity on the international stage and casual abandonment of long-observed American foreign policy tenets accelerated a weakening of support overseas for the Us maybe lessdeveloped economies are weary of American and Western hypocrisy and inconsistency on issues from climate change to financial regulations.

And it’s entirely possible that the current concerns are overblown, simply the natural effects of stories leaked

for particular bilateral or even multilateral purposes.

But a recent report from south Asia suggests that under certain conditions, some nations are moving away from the Us dollar in transacting their international business, and that could also signal a step away from American international hegemony.

A press report last month suggested that Bangladesh has formally approved repayment of a $318m loan to a Russian nuclear power plant developer – in Chinese

DWINDLING SUPPORT FOR TAIWAN

yuan. In this particular case, use of the Chinese currency was needed because of international sanctions imposed on Russia as punishment for moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

still, it’s another small piece of what may be a much larger emerging puzzle that points to a gradual, perhaps inexorable, diminishing of the American political, economic and military dominance in the world.

It’s definitely something worth keeping a careful eye on.

Re ADy FOR A COMP e TITIV e NBA S e MI-FINAL ROUND

It was just a brief Associated Press wire-service report, dated almost exactly 26 years ago this morning.

“Taiwan and the Bahamas severed diplomatic relations sunday because of the Caribbean country’s decision to establish ties with rival China.

Taiwan, the erosion of Taiwan’s diplomatic position continues.

The total of 31 countries that recognised Taiwan in 1997 dwindled last month to just 13 with the decision by Honduras to switch sides.

Here’s a bet that the NBA’s conference semifinal series will earn really large, lucrative TV ratings this spring. That’s because the middle of the country got scoured right out of the playoffs in the previous round: Cleveland, minnesota, sacramento, memphis and milwaukee all exited, every one of them except the Timberwolves as favorites.

The Los Angeles Clippers, Brooklyn Nets and Atlanta Hawks, coastal squads all, were also eliminated, but they were expected to depart as lower seeded teams.

This week brought a report that the Game seven between the sacramento Kings and Golden state Warriors was the most-watched NBA playoff game in 24 years.

Now, eight teams remain, from big markets and/or rich histories and, at least in three of the four matchups, really enticing historical rivalries with their opponents.

The miami Heat, having dispatched the east’s topseeded Bucks, now square off against New York’s true traditional entry, the recently mostly hapless Knicks. Under veteran

defensive maestro coach Tom Thibodeau, however, the Knicks outperformed the Cavaliers in the last round and figure to be a tough out even for the battle-tested Heat and their brilliant coach eric spoelstra.

The Heat, with Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and the gang, won by seven points in sunday’s opener. But regular playoff star Butler hurt his ankle in that first game, didn’t play Tuesday and the Knicks bounced back to even the series. If Butler can return, though, the Heat looks like a solid bet to advance. New York vs miami is always a rich encounter, whether in basketball, football or baseball.

elsewhere, the Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers face off for the latest installment of a truly fascinating rivalry whose most classic episodes featured Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain half a century ago. But these two teams, especially Boston, have featured so many stars over the NBA’s past 50 years that their matchups are generally riveting.

The Celtics are the higher seed, but this bestof-seven series figures

to be tightly contested, especially if Philly’s mVP candidate Joel embiid can stay healthy. The 76ers outhustled Boston in the series opener without recently-crowned league mVP embiid, but this matchup looks like a good bet to go to six or seven games.

Out west, we have san Francisco vs Los Angeles. It’s seth Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green against LeBron James and Anthony Davis. There are lots of recent championship rings on these rosters, and injuries may play a role, as both Davis and James have been hurt recently.

much is being discussed about LeBron’s playoff history with the Warriors, particularly when Golden state was buoyed by the prolific presence of Kevin Durant. And many are recalling the NBA Finals of 2015, when James carried a wounded Cleveland Cavaliers team to a sixgame defeat virtually by himself. Then, the following year, Cleveland won its first major sports title since 1964 by reversing a 3-1 deficit to beat the Warriors for the championship.

most attention in this series is likely to gravitate toward Curry v. James. Both are at their best on the biggest stage and when the lights are brightest. It’s a shame we may have to stay up so late to watch.

The Lakers prevailed in the series opener on Tuesday night, but this series has epic potential and will likely extend over the full seven games.

Finally, there is Phoenix, recently reinforced with the huge addition of Durant, against the Denver Nuggets and their two-time mVP Nicola Jokic. Of course, our own Deandre Ayton anchors the middle for the suns, who lost the first two games in Denver and won’t be favored to advance. This one might depend on how quickly Durant can integrate his versatile game with his teammates.

And Chris Paul got hurt in the playoffs again. This champion without a title is a great player who cannot stay healthy when it most counts. Here’s hoping Ayton steps up and the suns can make this series more competitive.

“Taiwan decided to break off relations after ‘honest and deep’ discussions with the Bahamian government, Vice Foreign minister Chen Chien-jen said. But at almost the same time, a Taiwanese Foreign ministry statement said that over the past year, the Bahamas has ‘succumbed to Communist China’s temptations.’

“Bahamas Foreign Affairs minister Janet Bostwick said in a statement that the decision to switch diplomatic links with China was made ‘after careful and deliberate consideration.’

“The Bahamas is one of just 31 countries that recognise Taiwan, which China tries to keep isolated diplomatically.”

That report appeared in 1997. Britain was about to cede Hong Kong to China. The Far east, and China in particular, would likely never again be the same.

meantime, China has been far more visible here in The Bahamas than Taiwan ever was. evidence of Beijing’s influence is certainly plentiful in New Providence.

And despite the efforts of both former House speaker Nancy Pelosi and her successor Kevin mcCarthy to demonstrate their continued loyalty to democratic

The basic reason for the change wasn’t much different than The Bahamas’ decision a generation ago.

Honduras’s relationship with Taiwan, which dates back to the 1940s, was initially based on resistance to communism during the Cold War era. This relationship evolved to trade ties after Taiwan began giving development assistance to Honduras and received diplomatic support in return.

Honduras is now in financial trouble. Their Foreign minister eduardo has said his country was “up to its neck” in debt, including $600m owed to Taiwan.

Attempting to leverage economic assistance in the ongoing China-Taiwan contest for diplomatic acceptance, Honduras reportedly sought $2.5bn in further aid from Taiwan.

Taiwan’s Foreign minister accused Honduras of making a request that was “a bit like bribery.”

The defection of Honduras continued a trend in our region. Its decision to recognize China followed similar moves by Panama in 2017, el salvador and the Dominican Republic in 2018, and Nicaragua in 2021.

Belize, Haiti and Guatemala have remained aligned with Taiwan.

The CiTy of Taipei, Taiwan.

Photo: eagan hsu

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) and Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton (22) in the first half of Game 2 of an NBA secondround playoff series Monday, in Denver.

Photo: David Zalubowski/AP

Demolition begins on burned buildings at International Bazaar in Freeport

for all the building structures remaining at the bazaar,” he said. “We want them to come

speak with us to see how we could assist them in the process,” Mr Wilchcombe said.

Mr Karagregiou said the GBPA is working with the police to ensure that there are no more fires or

vagrants in the bazaar area, and that people are not permitted on the demolition site.

By DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

DERELICT structures in Grand Bahama will continue to be removed, it was pledged yesterday, as bulldozers moved in to tear down fire-hit structures at the International Bazaar.

Nakera Wilchcombe, president of building and development services, said the Grand Bahama Port Authority will continue to rid the city of such buildings.

She said they are appealing to owners of derelict buildings to give them the necessary permission to demolish them to improve the city’s image.

Yesterday, the GBPA started demolition of firedamaged buildings in the Asian and African sections of the bazaar.

Darren Woods, president of the Bahamas Hotel Catering and Allied Workers Union, and Chris Paine, president of the International Bazaar Owners Association, have given their consent for the buildings to be demolished.

Ms Wilchcombe said they are continuing to reach out to business owners there to seek permission to demolish the remaining derelict buildings.

“There are 50 owners at the bazaar, and we are making contact with all those owners who have derelict structures or firedamaged buildings to give us the consent,” she said.

Ms Wilchcombe said the GBPA never retains the properties once they are demolished.

“They remain in the hands of the owners, and we want to make that clear. The only benefit we seek is to... make sure we keep the city looking beautiful.”

“We are also agitating for greater legislation that allows us to do so even in the absence of owners, where we see these buildings as structurally unsound and hazardous to people.”

Renardo Karageorgiou, assistant city manager at GBPA, indicated they have been involved in ongoing communication over the past 18 months with Mr Woods and Mr Paine concerning demolition of the present buildings.

“We continue to appeal to owners to take necessary action to work with us to take down fire-damaged structures,” he said.

Mr Wilchcombe said the historic landmark has fallen into a state of disrepair.

“We had a fire a few months ago (there) which had made it even more important to begin the process to demolish the buildings.

“We hear the concerns of residents, but they must understand that without the legislation we need, we do not have power to just knock down structures at will,” he explained.

“We hope this starts a momentum going forward

Building that was destoyed in a fire late last year at the International Bazaar in Freeport being demolished.

Photo: Vandyke Hepburn

Real or not, reported Kremlin drone attack unsettles Russia

ESTONIA Associated Press

As RussiAn officials tell it, two ukrainian drones flew into the very heart of Moscow under the cover of darkness, reaching the Kremlin before they were shot down at the last minute.

A cloud of questions hangs over the claim.

Why did the Kremlin announcement come about 12 hours after the purported incident? Why did no reports of explosions emerge prior to the announcement on the messaging apps that remain full of chatter despite Russia’s crackdown on media and criticism of the war in ukraine? Why didn’t videos of the purported attacks appear until after the announcement? Why haven’t the images been verified?

A drone attack on the Kremlin would be the most severe penetration of Russian airspace since German teen Matthias Rust landed his little single-engine plane on the fringes of Red square in 1987. Announcing the attack — or even faking it — risks Russia undermining its citizens’ trust in its frequent assertions of military superiority.

Adding to that humiliation is that the incident occurred less than a week before Victory Day, Russia’s paramount military holiday. in some of the videos of the claimed attack, the decorated viewing stands and tribune for the day’s ritual Red square military parade can be seen prominently.

For President Vladimir Putin, the confession of ukrainian drones reaching the Kremlin could be justification for a brutal step-up of attacks on ukraine.

Russian officials persistently contend — repeated evidence to the contrary — that the military goes after only military targets. severe retaliation is already in the wind, including threats aimed specifically at ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who denied attacking the Kremlin.

“After today’s terrorist act, no variant remains other than the physical elimination of Zelenskyy and his clique,” said former Russian president and deputy chairman of the Russian security council, Dmitry Medvedev, The chairman of the powerful lower house of parliament, Vyacheslav Volodin, compared the ukrainian government with the terrorist islamic state and said he will demand “the use of weapons capable of destroying it.”

Russia’s nuclear doctrine says the country can use nuclear weapons if it comes under a nuclear strike or if it faces an attack with conventional weapons that threatens “the very existence” of the Russian state. The West has accused Putin of nuclear saber-rattling during the ukraine war But Phillips O’Brien, a professor of strategic studies at university of st. Andrews, downplayed the possibility related to the alleged Kremlin attack.

“You’re not going to say, now that there has been an attack with a tiny drone, now we can go nuclear,’” he said.

Commentator Abbas Gallyamov, a former Putin speechwriter who has fled the country, also raised doubts.

“if enemy drones reach the Kremlin, it means that any other object on

the territory of the European part of Russia is generally defenseless,” he said. “Therefore, i do not believe that this was a provocation conceived by the Kremlin in order to influence public opinion.”

if ukraine had indeed attacked, “consider it a performative strike, a demonstration of capability and a declaration of intent: Don’t think Moscow is safe,” said Mark Galeotti, a Russian military and security analyst at university College, London.

Less clear, he said on Twitter, “is whether it shakes Russians’ nerve or angers them.”

Russians’ nerves already have been frayed by attacks, either likely from ukraine or from domestic opponents, that have risen sharply in recent weeks.

Two freight trains derailed this week in bomb explosions in the Bryansk region that borders ukraine. notably, the region’s authorities did not blame ukraine, which could be an attempt to whitewash ukrainian sabotage capacities.

But Bryansk authorities in March claimed that two people were shot and killed when alleged ukrainian saboteurs penetrated the region. The region also has been hit with sporadic cross-border shelling, including one that killed four people in April. ukrainian drones reportedly have penetrated deep into Russia several times. in December, Russia claimed to have shot down drones at airfields in the saratov and Ryazan regions. Three soldiers were reported killed in the attack in saratov, which targeted an important military airfield.

A

Earlier, Russia reported shooting down a ukrainian drone that targeted the headquarters of its Black sea Fleet in sevastopol in Russia-annexed Crimea.

in addition, two prominent supporters of Russia’s

war in ukraine have been killed on their home ground. Darya Dugina, a commentator with a nationalist TV channel, died in a car bombing outside Moscow that officials blamed on ukraine. And

authorities said ukrainian intelligence was behind the killing of prominent pro-war blogger Vladlen Tatarsky, who was killed in April when a bomb inside a statuette he was handed at a party exploded.

view of the Red Square closed for Victory Parade preparation, with the Spasskaya Tower in the center, in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, May 3, 2023. Russian authorities have accused Ukraine of attempting to attack the Kremlin with two drones overnight. The Kremlin on Wednesday decried the alleged attack attempt as a “terrorist act” and said Russian military and security forces disabled the drones before they could strike. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

SPORTS

Kingsway, Teleos BSAA track and field champions

By TENAJH SWEETING tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

The Bahamas Scholastic Athletic Association (BSAA) hosted a two-day meet at the original Thomas A Robinson stadium which ended yesterday.

Teleos came out on top of the high school division and Kingsway Academy emerged victorious for the primary schools. Teleos Christian School led all combined scores for another BSAA championship win with 1,097 points after two days of action.

Greenville Prep Academy secured the second place position in the competition with 794 points.

Third place belonged to Believers Faith Christian Academy who collected 627 points. This year’s BSAA championships included an under 7, 9, 11 and 13 for the lower schools and the under 15, 17 and 20 divisions for the high schools.

Emerett Taylor, secretary general of BSAA, talked about this year’s track and field championships. He said this year’s championships had some stiff competition between the schools as the teams really battled hard to see who would be crowned champions.

He added that it’s always good to see the athletes of the smaller schools compete at the championships, especially after seeing five of their athletes compete at the 50th CARIFTA Games.

High School Division Nevaeh Mackey notched a pair of first place finishes

HIGH SCHOOL SOCCER NATIONALS RETURN MAY 19-27

By TENAJH SWEETING tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

THE national high school soccer championships will return May 19-27.

The soccer championships were derailed for three years but now there is renewed excitement surrounding the return of the hands-free sport.

This year’s championships will feature 16 teams of eight boys and eight girls scheduled to compete.

The nationals are being held by the Bahamas Football Association (BFA), in conjunction with the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture (MOYSC) in honour of the late Samuel P Haven Jr.

The teams from New Providence, Abaco and Grand Bahama will all showcase their best soccer skills.

Anton Sealey, president of the BFA, talked about the excitement surrounding the return of the soccer championships this May.

“We are very excited to revive the Samuel P Haven Soccer Championships. We have been slow in coming back around but we are back and in a big way,” Sealey said.

in both the girls 400m and 800m finals. In the 400, she bested her competitors with a time of 1:03.86. For the long distance race, she claimed first place after clocking 2:57.40.

The Teleos athletes were also victorious in the girls’ 4x100m relay finals. Their team crossed the line with 59.49. Believers Faith followed behind with 1:00.50 for second place finish. Third place belonged to Greenville Prep with 1:00.51.

In the girls 4x400m finals, the Cherubims blitzed the competition with a time of 5:15.72. Greenville Prep this time earned second place in the race in 5:30.80. San Pedro International capped off the race in third. Teleos took home first

place honours in the boys’ 4x100m relays with 54.05 to narrowly edge out Believers Faith who finished 0.04 seconds behind. Greenville Prep secured third place with 55.00.

Following the momentum of the girls, the Teleos boys’ 4x400m relay finals saw the school nab yet another first place finish.

The team crossed the finish line far before the competition with 4:37.91.

Greenville followed behind with 5:00.00. Believers Faith notched third place with 5:20.54. Lathone Collie, head coach of Teleos, talked about how impressed he was with his team.

“We dominated track for a number of years but it’s good to see the amount of young talent coming out today just to showcase what we can do as a school,” Collie said. The coach said he was very impressed with his athletes, especially the younger ones that are up and coming.

He added that he is grateful to give back to his alma mater because he did not have the coaching when he attended the school, therefore he is

GSSSA soccer season begins

By TENAJH SWEETING tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

WITH most sports returning to the track, court and soccer field after being derailed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government Secondary Schools Sports Association (GSSSA) soccer season made its debut.

The sport was shelved for three years due to the pandemic but got underway for the government junior and senior schools last week Wednesday.

Yesterday’s games featured the Anatol Rodgers Timberwolves versus the LW Young Golden Eagles.

The HO Nash Lions also battled against the CH Reeves Raptors.

For the seniors, the CR Walker Knights took on the CC Sweeting Cobras in both senior boys and girls competition.

Meanwhile, RM Bailey Pacers matched up with the Doris Johnson Mystic Marlins.

The day saw eight games played across both divisions. For the juniors, the Timberwolves dominated the junior girls of

LW Young. The first half of gameplay saw the team go up 2-0 despite a slow start by them overall. After coming out of the second half the Timberwolves’ Anaya Riley was determined not to let the Golden Eagles get a score on the board.

Riley delivered a final kick to the soccer ball, scoring a powerful goal for the visiting team. The young player scored two of

the three goals for the winning team.

Cleon Carnegie, soccer coach for the Timberwolves, talked about the junior girls’ big win. “It’s a good win. It was a slow start but the girls came together and they made some adjustments after halftime and the girls went on the field and executed those plans.”

He added that, in the second half, the team

looked to increase the pace, have more awareness on defence and improve their ball-handling.

The head coach credited Riley’s effort on offence. He said that she is an intelligent player and brings a lot of technical play to the Timberwolves team.

The Timberwolves’ junior boys dominated in their games against the

happy to teach them the ins and outs of track and field.

In more under-15 action, the Teleos Cherubims’ Malachi Davis edged out the pair of Believers Faith athletes to finish first in the 200m finals.

The one-two punch of Raven Young and Azaria Anderson finished first and second respectively for the Cherubims. Young clocked 1:11.77 meanwhile, her schoolmate ran 1:18.58 in the 400m finals.

The duo bested Greenville Prep’s Khassidy Campbell for third.

Anderson followed up her 400m win with another, this time in the 800m finals. She outran Greenville Prep’s pair of Jordin Forbes

SEE PAGE 15

The president said that he is excited to see some of our major islands in competition and it is the goal of the association to incorporate more Family Islands in the future.

The majority of this year’s championship costs will be funded by the BFA. The competition is set to feature four quarter finals.

The Abaco champions will travel to Grand Bahama to play and then the team will commute to New Providence for the nationals.

In New Providence, the Bahamas Association of Independent Secondary Schools (BAISS) winners will battle against the third best Government Secondary Schools Sports Association (GSSSA) soccer team.

Additionally, the winner of GSSSA will match up

SEE PAGE 14

As Erling Haaland breaks goals record, Guardiola issues ominous warning

By JAMES ROBSON AP Soccer Writer

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — As if the sight of Erling Haaland scoring his 35th Premier League goal of the season wasn’t daunting enough for defences across Europe, Pep Guardiola delivered an ominous warning to Manchester City’s rivals.

The Norwegian goal machine, who set a new scoring record in English soccer’s top division on Wednesday, has only just begun.

“Of course this record will be broken sooner or later, maybe by him in the future,” Guardiola said.

“He will score a lot of goals. His mentality is to score more, more. But when he scores, (he’s like) ‘I want to score in the next action.’”

Haaland’s 70th-minute strike in the 3-0 win against West Ham at Etihad Stadium helped fire City back to the top of the table, one

point above Arsenal with a game in hand.

He moved clear of Alan Shearer and Andy Cole’s previous record of 34 goals in a season — and with five league games still to play, could further extend his new benchmark.

“I have the feeling he will score goals for his mentality,” Guardiola added.

“When you are anxious in both boxes you are not a good striker or defender and he is so calm.

“I learn a lot as a manager from this type of mentality and the ambition is there, otherwise he cannot score here or (for) Dortmund or Salzburg.”

Those are telling comments from a manager who has coached some of the greatest goal-scorers of all time at Barcelona, Bayern Munich and City.

Guardiola’s Barcelona team included Lionel Messi, and at Munich he had Robert Lewandowski.

ON THE FAST TRACK: Primary and high school students compete in the Bahamas Scholastic Athletic Association’s two-day track and field meet at the original Thomas A Robinson stadium yesterday.

Photo: Tenajh Sweeting

SOCCER IS BACK: Anatol Rodgers Timberwolves in battle against the LW Young Golden Eagles’ junior girls on CH Reeves playing field.

Photo: Tenajh Sweeting

KACY LYN SMITH LEADING JUNIOR JUMPER AT LEXINGTON SPRING PREMIERE

BAHAMIAN rider Kacy

Lyn Smith had a stellar showing at the Lexington Spring Premiere last weekend, riding her two horses Chicago M and Costbar 2 to multiple high placings and being named as the overall leading junior jumper of the competition.

The Lexington Spring Premiere heralds the opening of the Virginia Horse Center’s annual Festival of Champions in Lexington, VA, and the beginning of the equestrian show season in the mid-Atlantic area.

Riding Chicago M., Kacy Lyn won the Medium/High Junior Amateur Jumper class on the first day of

competition, and after multiple high placings over the remainder of the weekend, the pair finished as Reserve Champions in the 1.30m Medium/High Junior Jumper Division.

Kacy Lyn also had successful rounds with her young horse Costbar 2 in the 1.20m Low Juniors Division, including riding a double clear round for 4th place one class and placing 6th in the Speed Class.

Overall, her performances with both horses earned her the title of leading junior jumper at the competition. Last year

Kacy Lyn and Chicago M. made history as the

first duo to represent The Bahamas at the FEI North American Youth Jumping Championships in Traverse City, Michigan. This year the pair have qualified to represent The Bahamas in Individual Jumping once again, this time at a higher level, moving up from the Pre-Juniors to the Junior Division.

CHURCHILL DOWNS INVESTIGATES FOUR HORSE DEATHS

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP)

— The death of four horses at Churchill Downs over a span of five days has overshadowed preparations for the Kentucky Derby.

Two horses trained by Saffie Joseph Jr collapsed on the track and died over the past week. Two other horses also died as either a result of racing or training, including Derby entrant Wild On Ice.

Joseph is set to saddle Lord Miles in the first jewel of the Triple Crown on Saturday. But he has said he’s unsure of plans after the two deaths from his barn. Churchill Downs Racetrack, in a statement yesterday, expressed concern over the deaths and said officials would press for answers.

“While a series of events like this is highly unusual, it is completely unacceptable,” Churchill Downs said.

“We take this very seriously and acknowledge that these troubling incidents are alarming and must be addressed. We feel a tremendous responsibility to our fans, the participants in our sport and the entire industry to be a leader in safety and continue to make significant investments to eliminate risk to our athletes.”

The deaths happening in different manners points to factors beyond the racing surface.

There was no cause of death immediately available for either of Joseph’s horses, 4-year-old Parents Pride, who died after a race Saturday, and 5-year-old Chasing Artie, who died after a race Tuesday.

Wild On Ice and 3-yearold filly Take Charge Briana broke down with musculoskeletal injuries during training or racing and each was transported to Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital for assessment before being euthanised.

Wild On Ice was trained by Joel Marr, and Take Charge Briana by Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas. Joseph told reporters at the track yesterday that blood work showed nothing out of the ordinary.

‘We are very excited to revive the Samuel P Haven Soccer Championships’

FROM PAGE 13

against the third place BAISS soccer team.

The second overall teams will showdown against each other.

The games will be 25 minutes per half for the girls and 40 minutes per half for the boys’ gameplay.

GSSSA

FROM PAGE 13

Golden Eagles. The team capped off the soccer matchup 5-0 to defeat the team. The LW Young junior boys and girls will look to avenge the ugly losses against the AF Adderley Tigers today on the D W Davis soccer field. In more junior action, the Lions and Raptors soccer showdown ended in a draw with the score 0-0.

Seniors The Knights have been claiming their dominance in GSSSA sports all year long. The school nabbed victories at the 2023 GSSSA track and field championships and recently added volleyball championship hardware to their collection.

The team will now look to make their mark in soccer as both the senior girls and boys team kept their opponents scoreless on the day.

Fans can also expect to see an overall Most Valuable Player (MVP) selected after the championships, making for an exciting competition.

Lionel Haven, brother of the late Samuel Haven Jr, talked about how he felt about his brother’s legacy being carried on by the BFA at this event.

The Knights’ senior girls defeated the Cobras 10-0 for a comfortable win. Additionally, the seniors boys followed suit, shutting out the team 7-0 to go home with a big win.

The RM Bailey Pacers faced off against the Doris Johnson Mystic Marlins at the DW Davis playing field. The Pacers’ senior girls took care of business against the Mystic Marlins, defeating them 6-1. Meanwhile, the boys dominated 4-0 to add a win to their season total.

The GSSSA soccer season rolls on as the juniors of S C McPherson will take on the Raptors next. Also, AF Adderely Tigers will match up against the Golden Eagles.

For the seniors, the Knights will go up against the Timberwolves and the CV Bethel Stingrays will battle against Government High School Magic.

“This event gives the opportunity for his legacy to live on and so I am very pleased.

“I know the family is quite pleased. We intend to show up in great numbers to the upcoming event even if it’s in Freeport to ensure we support what the BFA is doing to support his legacy,” Haven said.

HAALAND

FROM PAGE 13

At City, he inherited a team with Sergio Aguero, who would go on to become the club’s all-time leading scorer. Haaland, however, has given a new dimension to a team that has already dominated English soccer since Guardiola took over in 2016.

He has now scored 51 goals in all competitions in his first year in English soccer, and yesterday, his achievement earned him a guard of honour from his teammates as he left the field.

“When there is a special occasion we have to show how special it is,” Guardiola said. “Today it was with Erling and to overcome the position of Andy Cole and Alan Shearer. They are incredible top strikers so it’s special.”

It is not just the Premier League title that Haaland’s goals are firing City toward, but the Champions League and FA Cup as well as the

With the BAISS soccer champions already crowned and the GSSSA soccer season underway, both associations believe that their schools will reign supreme. The Queen’s College Comets took home the hardware for the junior and the senior girls. The junior boys championships

club pursues a treble of trophies.

Guardiola is yet to win the Champions League without Messi, having won European soccer’s elite competition twice with the Argentine great at Barcelona.

Haaland feels like he could have a similarly inspirational effect on City to end his manager’s search for a first European crown since 2011.

“We cannot achieve if the club does not provide us with great strikers, top quality players upfront. It’s not possible,” Guardiola said.

Haaland, meanwhile, does not seem to be distracted by his march toward the history books.

“We cannot keep thinking of these records, my head would become crazy so I don’t think of these things,” he said. “I will go home, play some video games and then sleep.”

Nathan Ake set City on course for a ninth-straight win in the league that moved it above Arsenal,

belonged to the St Andrew’s International School Hurricanes and the Lyford Cay International School Dragons claimed the senior boys’ title. The BFA president encourages Bahamians to come out to an exciting family-friendly event to support the local and Family Island athletes.

“When you don’t know something, that’s when it worries you the most,” Joseph said. “Something is wrong. A lot of thoughts run through your head, but you can drive yourself insane. But I’m very uneasy right now. It’s not something I would wish on anybody.”

The deaths brought back unpleasant memories of 2019, when 42 horses died at Santa Anita Park in California before reforms were instituted. California and New York, which hosts the Belmont Stakes, each have thorough reporting requirements and a database cataloging equine injuries and fatalities, while Kentucky does not.

ERLING Haaland has scored his 35th Premier League goal of the season. (AP)

heading in Riyad Mahrez’ free kick in the 50th minute.

Haaland made history when he lifted the ball over Lukasz Fabianski in the 70th and Phil Foden’s deflected effort in the 85th sealed the win with the 1,000th goal of Guardiola’s time in charge at City.

LIVERPOOL

CLOSE IN

Liverpool’s Champions League hopes may be slim, but they are not over yet.

Despite a disappointing season for the Merseyside club, a run of five straight league wins has moved it to within four points of fourthplace Manchester United.

United has two games in hand, but will be looking over its shoulder as Liverpool applies the pressure in the final weeks of the campaign.

Mohamed Salah’s 39thminute penalty secured a latest win for Jurgen Klopp’s team, which has finally found some consistency in the latter part of the season.

“We just have to win our games and see where it takes us,” Klopp said. “At the moment I’m happy with our direction. We just have to keep going and in the end we’ll look at the table and take what we can get.”

KACY celebrates as her young mount Costbar 2 finished with a double clear to place 4th in the 1.20m Low Juniors.

KACY Lyn Smith and Chicago M. won 1st place in the 1.30m Junior Jumpers at the Lexington Spring Premiere.

Reloaded Baseball and IElite unite for youth development

By JEFFARAH GIBSON Tribune Writer jgibson@tribunemedia.net

AN exciting alliance between Reloaded Baseball and International Elite Sports Academy (IElite) has been sealed as both entities shook hands on the development of youth baseball players across the archipelago.

Reloaded Baseball is a new development programme with the sole interest of developing youth in baseball fundamentals and skill set.

Started by a group of coaches/parents, Reloaded seeks to help develop kids with sound baseball skills and on the field intelligence.

As a unit, Reloaded Baseball embraces opportunities to take its non- profit programme to the next level, therefore forging an alliance with IElite was strategic according to Peron Burnside, executive team member of Reloaded.

“We are proud to announce, as we pursue to take our kids to international standards, a strategic partnership with The IElite Baseball Academy whose qualifications and expertise in the baseball arena places them on par, and above par with some, in baseball development internationally.

“We are excited for our kids as, with the IElite team on board, we can fine tune our programme to further enhance the development of the kids in the programme. We are confident in what the two programmes stand on and are excited to see how our children can develop and play at standards we have witnessed throughout the US and Caribbean.”

As for Geron Sands, cofounder of IElite, he too is looking forward to what will birth from this alliance.

“International Elite Sports Academy (IElite) is proud to support the development of baseball in the Bahamas. We are excited to work along with the Reloaded programme to build and develop as many kids as possible.

“Our goal is to help as many Bahamian kids achieve higher education through sports. We also believe now is the time to move to the next level.

Mr Burnside previously shared with Tribune Sports that the Reloaded programme came about after attending a PG Tournament (Orlando) in the summer of 2022 and noticing the disparity in skill level between Bahamian youth ball players and their international counterparts. A few coaches, he said, made a conscious decision to chart the way forward in the fundamental development of our kids.

Since September 2022 that programme has hit the ground running, creating opportunities for local training and local competitive play.

Just recently, Reloaded hosted its inaugural invitational tournament from March 31 to April 2 that saw teams from the Family Islands travel to Nassau for friendly match-ups. The event, Mr Burnside said,

BSAA

FROM PAGE 13

and Khassidy Campbell to finish first in the long distance race.

The boys’ 800m finals belonged to Teleos once again as Dennis Black completed a feat similar to his schoolmate.

The under 17 competitor bested the Greenville duo of Jahmar Gibson and Lashawn Wright to take home the victory.

The girls’ 1,500m finals only had two registered competitors. Jazmine Bonas of Teleos finished first in 9:15.58 and Jordin Forbes notched 9:30.85 to complete the track event.

For the boys, Teleos’ Desir Bien and D Black dominated for first and second place finishes.

turned out to be an overwhelming success.

“We were able to host, through a collaborative effort, Troy Feaste and team (AYBL Warriors Legends) out of Abaco, Oscar Greene and team (Grand Bahama Youth Baseball) out of Grand Bahama and Elline Sineus and team (Twin City Legends) out of Eleuthera. We were able to come together in pursuit of baseball development and were also able to have conversations as to how to chart the way forward in regards to our baseball development journey,” he said.

Once the tournament wrapped up, the Reloaded team met with coaches from each island for feedback on the tournament experience.

“We have also engaged each team that participated in the tournament to see how we can assist them with some of their needs whether it be equipment, and in one instance a muchneeded mound, and with arranging to have training clinics on their respective islands.

“The Reloaded development programme has only been in existence from September of 2022 and we are moving at a swift rate to develop and take our kids to international standards.”

Reloaded has started to assist with enhancing one of the fields at the Baillou Hills Sporting Complex with soil. Plans are also underway to build a batting cage and bullpen with a focus on assisting in development for all.

Coach OJ Green, who travelled along with his team to Nassau, hailed the experience.

“It was a pleasure to be a part of The Reloaded Baseball Tournament. The athletes were excited to travel and enjoyed the entire experience of the tournament.

“We were happy to see that the rules of the tournament fostered development, primarily the pitchers. We look forward to future stagings of this event.”

As for coach Troy Feaste, who led the Abaco team to Nassau, he is looking

Greenville’s Tachi Rolle trailed behind the pair to take home third.

The defending champions got a win in the under 17 girls 4x400m relays after defeating their lone competitor Lighthouse Prep.

The winning team finished in 6:41.13 and the latter wrapped up in 7:40.58. The boys relay team also brought home the victory in the same event after running 4:12.77.

Teleos were once again dominant but this time in the under 20 division. The school secured wins in the girls 400m, 800m and 1,500m finals courtesy of CARIFTA team member Jazmin Mackey.

Additionally, the school collected more first place finishes in the girls and boys 4x400m relays, girls shot put, girls javelin throw, girls

forward to engaging with like-minded entities that can help develop baseball on the island. “The interaction between coaches from the various islands was very memorable to say the least, because coaches were very helpful sharing their experience and knowledge giving out pointers to the kids from other programmes like Abaco. It was less about the competition but more about the growth and development of the kids. It gave me a sense of ‘man I want to be a part of this organisation’ so that the children in Abaco would benefit from the opportunities in baseball.

and boys high jump, boys 200m, 400m, 800m, and 1500m finals.

Primary Faithway and Kingsway Academy exchanged victories on the final day of the two-day BSAA meet in the primary division.

In the under 7 division, Kingsway’s Summer Strachan emerged as the victor with 10.34 in the girls 50m dash. Teleos’ Hanna Brook finished second and Strachan’s fellow schoolmate Amila Munning nabbed third.

For the boys, Kingsway’s Leslie Munning completed the 50m finals in 9 seconds flat. Faithway’s Christian Gibson joined him for second and Kingsway’s Zayne Sands wrapped up with third. Strachan once again collected another first place win as she finished

“Since the genesis of the Abaco Youth Baseball League in 2018, our goal has always been about development of the people in particular the kids, the coaches and volunteers that contribute to the growth and development of our league, “ he said.

Reloaded Baseball is currently planning dates for its next invitational that will

in 18.17 in the girls 100m finals. She was once again followed by Hanna Brook of Teleos. However, third place this time went to Ry’Anne Jolly of Faithway.

Leslie Munning, similar to Strachan, won the boys’ 100m finals after running 17.29. Faithway’s Frederick Rolle finished behind for second and Greenville’s Carlos Butler came in third.

In the under 9 division, Seth Bowe outran his competitors in the boys 100m finals. The young athlete finished in 16.24. Second place belonged to Ameer Wright of Faithway and third went to San Pedro’s Deno Campbell.

Chase Smith, winner of under 9 200m finals, bested his competitors to bring home the win for Kingsway.

Deno Campbell nabbed second for San Pedro

feature even more Family Island teams. The Reloaded executive team and coaches consists of Peron Burnside, Mandell Curry, Tarah Curry, James Clarke, Lisa Bostwick Dean, Javier Bowe, Desmond Ferguson, Barry Nairn, Kennellis Gibson, Stephen Hubert Beneby (Bishop), Thalia Culmer, Kenue Mcphee,

meanwhile, David Bien notched third for Teleos. Kingsway’s Omari Ferguson was crowned the winner after running 1:30.36 in the boys 400m finals. The school also emerged victorious in the mixed 4x75m relay finals after finishing the team race with 56.78.

Believers Faith came in second and Teleos followed behind for third.

In the under 11 division, Kingsway claimed victories in the 200m finals, girls 4x100m relays, boys 100m finals, 400m finals, 800m finals and 4x400m finals on the track.

On the field, the newlycrowned champions won the boys’ long jump for the under 11 division with Yorick Corroll taking home the win. In the under 13 division, Kingsway secured first and second place

Dcarl Rolle, Jay Seymour, Javardo Bain. Reloaded also is grateful for the participation of umpires and scorers during the tournament, including Sherry Beneby, Bonita Romer, Alexandria Gabriell, Lorraine Fowler, Stephen Beneby, Stephen Sands, Robert Gilbert, Donald MacGregor, Trea Bain and D’carl Rolle.

positions in both the girls 100m and 200m finals. Taree Forbes and Charlee Fisher held off San Pedro’s Ameerah Knowles in the 100m finals.

The duo of Symiah Strachan and Taree Forbes ran 27.18 and 28.45 to edge out Faithway’s Cheyanne Hepburn. Kingsway proved their dominance in this division as they collected wins in the girls 800m finals, the girls 4x100m and 4x400m relays and girls’ long jump.

This year’s BSAA track and field championships featured eight schools including Teleos Christian School, Greenville Prep Academy, Believers Faith Christian Academy, Kingsway Academy, San Pedro International, Faithway Christian Academy, Lighthouse Prep Academy and Boost Academy.

BASEBALL ALLIANCE: Reloaded Baseball and International Elite Sports Academy (IElite) have united in an effort to develop young, aspiring baseball players across The Bahamas. Here, participants enjoy the Reloaded Baseball Tournament. Photos courtesy of volunteer/parent Lorna Harvey

Jaylen Brown scores 25, Celtics spoil Embiid’s return in 121-87 rout

By KYLE HIGHTOWER AP Sports Writer

BOSTON (AP) —

Jaylen Brown scored 25 points and the Boston Celtics rolled past the Philadelphia 76ers 121-87 last night, spoiling the return of reigning league MVP Joel Embiid.

The Celtics tied the series at one game apiece as the Eastern Conference semifinals series shifts to Philadelphia for Game 3 on Friday.

Malcolm Brogdon added 23 points, connecting on six of Boston’s 20 3-pointers.

Derrick White and Marcus Smart added 15 points apiece.

Jayson Tatum played most of the game in foul trouble and was held to seven points.

Boston ratcheted up its defence and limited a 76ers team that hit 17 3-pointers in its Game 1 win to just 6 of 30 from beyond the arc last night. The Celtics led by as many as 36 points in the fourth quarter.

Tobias Harris led the 76ers with 16 points.

Embiid finished with 15 points, three rebounds and five blocks in his first game back from a sprained right knee that caused him to miss the final game of the 76ers’ first-round sweep of Brooklyn. He also sat out Philadelphia’s Game 1 win on Monday. Embiid’s return came a day after being voted MVP for the first time.

He was cleared to play by doctors and training staff following a pregame, on-court workout. That was after he did some light work during the 76ers’ morning shootaround.

Tatum picked up three fouls in the first half. He was called for his fourth at the 7:34 mark of the third quarter when he knocked Harden to the floor while trying to fight through a screen. It forced him to play a little less aggressively and helped Philadelphia cut what had been an 18-point Boston lead to 73-60 with just over four minutes to play in the third quarter.

TRIES TO RECREATE PLAYOFF MAGIC

By DAVID BRANDT AP Sports Writer

PHOENIX (AP) — Cameron Payne was a surprise hero for a few games during the Phoenix Suns’ run to the NBA Finals two seasons ago.

The team might need a similar effort from the backup point guard on Friday.

The Suns could be without veteran point guard Chris Paul for Game 3 as they try to climb out of a 2-0 hole against the Denver Nuggets in their Western Conference semifinal series.

Paul suffered a strained left groin Monday in Game 2 and is considered “day to day,” according to an update from the team late Tuesday. Coach Monty Williams didn’t completely rule out the 12-time All-Star for Game 3 during practice yesterday, but the Suns sounded like a team that’s preparing to play at least one game without him.

Three-time All-Star Devin Booker said the team has spent the past few days going through potential scenarios. In a strange bit of scheduling, the Nuggets and Suns have three days off between Games 2 and 3.

“You can’t replace what Chris brings to the team,” Booker said. “He’ll still be there, being a leader, being vocal, but the things he does on the court, we’re just going to have to find other ways to be effective.”

The good news for the Suns is they’ve been through a similar scenario in the playoffs and flourished.

During the team’s run to the Finals in 2021, Paul had a shoulder injury that limited his play for several games in the opening round. He also missed the first two games of the Western Conference Finals against the Clippers after being place in COVID-19 protocol.

Backup Payne was fantastic during Paul’s absence, scoring 29 points in a Game 2 victory over the Clippers that was arguably the best performance of his career.

He almost certainly will have a big role again on Friday.

Lakers withstood every Warriors run, hope for more in Game 2

By JANIE MCCAULEY AP Sports Writer

SAN FRANCISCO (AP)

— The Los Angeles Lakers expected a furious, final push by Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and the defending NBA champions. Golden State can score in bunches in literally no time at all.

So Anthony Davis, LeBron James and their teammates vowed to play at maximum effort and energy from the opening tip to the final buzzer facing the Warriors and their raucous home crowd. And that’s what it took to win 117-112 in a wild Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinals at Chase Center, with the Warriors making a late 14-0 run. Now, the Lakers will try to take that intensity to another level when the best-of-seven series resumes tonight, knowing the urgency the Warriors face.

“We just locked in for 48 minutes from the start to the finish,” D’Angelo Russell said.

“That team’s dangerous. They shoot a lot of 3s, a lot of 3s can get you back in the game when you’re down by a few possessions. Knowing that they can explode at any

whatever it may be, knowing that, every possession matters.”

Curry, Thompson and Jordan Poole each made six 3-pointers as the Warriors attempted 53 of them among their 106 total shots — so, yes, that’s half their attempts.

Davis expects Golden State to bring it at another level come tonight.

“It’s going to be a different game,” Davis said. “They’re going to make adjustments, we’re going to make adjustments, the building’s probably going to be a little bit louder, obviously they don’t want to go down 0-2. The crowd will be more into it.”

The Warriors will need to be, too.

They realise how challenging it was to win Game 7 at Sacramento on Sunday then come right back for Game 1 of the next round two days later. Curry is counting on a more focused performance.

“We’ll make those adjustments. Understand, again, quick turnaround from Game 7 against Sac, and locking in on what the Lakers do well,” he said. “Confidence is high, we can bounce back.”

Finding an answer to Davis will be one of Golden State’s most important tasks after he dominated on both ends of the floor with 30 points, 23 rebounds, five assists and four blocked shots.

He made 9 of his first 10 field goals and finished 11 for 19.

“Great rim protector and his shot was going,” Green said. “I felt like he made every one of those midrangers he took. You’ve got to live with some of those, but I think we can do a better job individually and

collectively taking some of those away.”

Steve Kerr was eager to get Golden State back into the film room Wednesday to find ways to counter the Lakers’ strengths.

“I think when you start the series, you really have to go through a game to really feel it and watch the tape and figure out what possible adjustments (to make),” Kerr said.

The Lakers have won Game 1 on the road for a second straight series.

“Game 1’s always important, especially on their

Schröder said.

James credited his team’s fight.

“That’s been us since we made acquisitions with our new guys,” he said. “We’ve been able to be very resilient in games.”

Still, he noted, defensively against a superstar roster with so many shooters: “We got to be better.”

LAKERS AT WARRIORS

Lakers lead 1-0. Game 2, 9 p.m. EDT Thursday, ESPN

— NEED TO KNOW:

Kevon Looney grabbed a career-high 23 rebounds in Game 1 and is the first player with four 20-plus rebound games in a postseason since Dwight Howard in 2009.

Looney is averaging an NBA-leading 16.1 rebounds during these playoffs — ranked first for total rebounds (129) and offensive boards (44).

— KEEP AN EYE ON:

Free-throw chances. The Lakers went 25 of 29 from the line while Golden State got just six chances total in the series opener, making five. The Warriors didn’t shoot a free throw until Jordan Poole converted a three-point play 38 seconds

before halftime. Davis made all eight of his free throws. Both teams committed just eight turnovers, so taking care of the ball is paramount.

— PRESSURE IS ON: Warriors. Green challenged himself to be more assertive on both ends in Game 2, allowing foul trouble to affect him in the opener. Golden State is now counting on salvaging a split on its home court to avoid falling a 2-0 hole like it did in the first round against the Kings before winning in seven. The series shifts to Los Angeles for Saturday’s Game 3 and then Game 4 on Monday. “I’ve just got to stay out of foul trouble. It’s kind of been a thing for me lately,” Green said.

— INJURY WATCH: Golden State will grab rest whenever possible, and that means few formal practices between games with only one day off this series.

“Given that the series is every other day, we won’t have anything other than walk-throughs on the off days,” Kerr said. “It’s kind of what the playoffs are about and then you might run into a situation where all of a sudden, you’ve got nine days off, which would be really nice.”

LOS Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (6) blocks a shot by Golden State Warriors guard Jordan Poole during the second half of Game 1 of their NBA basketball Western Conference semifinals in San Francisco on Tuesday night. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

BOSTON Celtics guard Jaylen Brown, left, drives between Philadelphia 76ers’ James Harden and Tyrese Maxey (0) during the first half of Game 2 in the NBA basketball Eastern Conference semifinals playoff series last night in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)