06132023 NEWS AND SPORT

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HOTELS SUPPORT INCREASE IN NIB

By LETRE SWEETING Tribune Staff Reporter lsweeting@tribunemedia.net

H O TEL S are in full support of an increase to the contribution rate for the N ational Insurance Board planned for next July, according to Robert S ands, the Bahamas Hotel and Tourism A ssociation’s president.

Last week, Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis announced in a press statement that the contribution rate for N IB would rise for the first time since 2010, when it rose from 8.8 percent to 9.8 percent. He added that the increase would be accompanied by improvements to N IB’s service delivery, accountability, compliance efforts, and sustainability. However, the statement did not reveal the amount of the increase.

Mr S ands, who spoke to reporters yesterday, said: “The hotel industry supports an increase.

“We believe an investment in our social security programme is an extremely important element about the safety net of persons who have contributed to the plan for a long period of time and we would like to see it improved and not meet its

SEE PAGE FI V E

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

PRIME Minister Philip “Brave” Davis said he was pleased there was no loss of life after parts of Exuma suffered severe flooding. Mr Davis was speaking yesterday as he led a government delegation to examine the aftermath of the flooding.

He said: “What we recognise here again is a consequence of climate change. It is evident for why it is

PM views aftermath of Exuma fooding

important for us to ensure that the world appreciates that the consequences of climate change does to our country such as ours.”

He revealed there was recently a vulnerability study done for each of the islands of The Bahamas.

Education Minister Glenys Hanna-Martin said schools were closed yesterday as roads leading to schools were impassable.

“I’ve brought with me our

BAHAMIAN BUSINESSES NOT READY FOR STORMS

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

BAHAMIAN businesses have warned that commerce on islands hit by future Dorian-type natural disasters will almost completely shutdown with this nation forecast to be the worst-impacted of major Caribbean territories.

The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), in its Caribbean quarterly bulletin, revealed that just one percent of Bahamian business owners believe they will be able to “remain open for business” following a natural disaster such as a hurricane, tying the country with Barbados as the worst.

Atl A ntis VP s Ays RCi A ddRessed ‘some ConCeRns’

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

A SENIOR Atlantis executive yesterday said Royal Caribbean has “addressed some of our concerns” about the impact its project will have on Paradise Island’s coastline but the mega resort will “certainly” be submitting more questions.

Vaughn Roberts, Atlantis’ senior vice-president

of government affairs and special projects, told Tribune Business that the

cruise giant’s $100m Royal Beach Club development is “clearly taking shape” after taking several of the issues raised by the resort and other observers into account.

Describing last week’s second public consultation as “just a step in the process” that Royal Caribbean has to follow to obtain the necessary environmental approvals, he declined to comment when asked by

VAUGHN ROBERTS, Atlantis senior vice-president

PRIME Minister Philip ‘Brave Davis’ yesterday speaks with a resident of Exuma while he and a delegation viewed the impact of recent flooding on the island.

Photo: OPM Communications

PM views aftermath of Exuma flooding

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chief individual for the physical plan who ensures throughout the nation you know that schools, accommodation for teachers are intact. so, we’re making an assessment now where there are issues - making our notes to respond quickly and appropriately,” she said.

“We spoke to one teacher and she said it was three hours of non-stop torrential rain and seriously high levels of water. In fact, the one I spoke to, she had to leave her home to go to higher ground with her family.”

National exams are finished but there are some end of school exams that have to take place.

In Parliament, Minister of State Myles Laroda detailed the severe flooding that took place in parts of the Exuma mainland. He explained that five shelters were activated at 9am on Sunday.

“Officials of the Bahamas

Department of Meteorology reported that rainfall in the amount of 8.92 inches were recorded in Exuma on Wednesday, June 7, with an additional 2.73 inches recorded on Thursday, June 8. It is estimated that an additional 12 inches of rainfall occurred in Exuma over the Friday, Saturday and Sunday period.”

Staff from the Ministry of Public Works, the Department of Local Government and the Water and Sewage Corporation collaborated to determine the swiftest and safest ways to reduce water levels in order to avoid some of the potential hazards associated with flood water.

He said their actions included using heavy equipment to create drain-offs for the floodwater to the ocean.

Listing some of the areas affected, he detailed: “In Georgetown, flooding in the area of AID. Flooding at the airport roundabout and airport road near Berlies and there was flooding near Regatta Park. In the forests, there was major flooding in two areas of the main road leading to this community that made it impassable.”

“Farmer’s Hill, overflow from several connected ponds in the area, as a result of heavy rainfall, resulted in major flooding in this area. Emergency response personnel determined that the runoff from the pond to the sea was obstructed by excess sand at the Farmer’s Hill beach.”

At Roker’s Point, a number of yards were flooded. There were two locations that experienced major flooding in the settlement of Rolleville. Initial reports indicate some road

erosion as a result of this flooding.

The initial damage assessment at the airport building indicates there was extensive damage to the roof of the extended portion of the building in Exuma. Mr Laroda gave an assurance that further assessments will be undertaken.

PM SET TO RETURN TO JA M AICA FOR

CONTINUING DISCUSSIONS ON HAITI

PRIME Minister Philip “Brave” Davis will be returning to Jamaica today to finish talks over the situation in Haiti in his official capacity as chair of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).

Mr Davis was hosting a gathering with key Haitian groups to address Haiti’s current political, security, and economic challenges.

Yesterday, he was in Exuma with Bahamian officials observing the flooding on that island.

He said: “I’m going back tomorrow evening to close out, get an update from the eminent persons and group, and

address the stakeholders once more. And only for a few hours just to close out that event.”

While previously speaking at Jamaica, he insisted on the importance of ending the suffering of the people of Haiti.

“Today, the fight is to end the suffering of the people of Haiti. We have heard the many, many stories of the killings; the rapes; the kidnappings; the wanton acts of violence; the robberies and lootings; and the intimidation of the gangs, which currently plague large parts of Port-au-Prince and other areas of the country.

“My friends, we are here to help. Ultimately, there must be a Haitian solution led by the people of Haiti. We have heard the many cries for help and we cannot, in good conscience, stand by and watch the continued suffering of the Haitian people.

“To do nothing violates every notion of decency, every idea of what it means to be a good neighbour and a fellow human being. We believe that a solution can be found, and we are determined to do all that we can to find that solution, and support its success.”

FLOODING from heavy rains over Exuma last week impacted residents and revealed drainage issues in the area. yesterday Prime Minister Philip ‘Brave’ Davis and a delegation visited the island to view the aftermath.

Photos: OPM communications

Attorney General’s office begins medical insurance benfit enrollment; govt pledges to cover 80 percent

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS Tribune Staff Reporter lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

ATTORNEYS and Magistrates of the Office of the Attorney General will be provided with medical insurance, it was revealed yesterday.

Attorney General Ryan Pinder said this process has been ten years in the making, saying it would increase the retention of lawyers.

“I’m a firm believer that the Attorney General’s Office is the largest and most prestigious law firm in The Bahamas and we should treat our attorneys as you would be treated in the private sector.

“So, this is one step to putting in a benefit scheme that’s comparable to what you would find in law firms in the private sector. It’s going a long way on our journey to increase the retention of lawyers, as you would know, and I’m not the first Attorney General to have said this, but attorney retention is difficult in the office of the Attorney General.

“Private sector pay scales are much higher than we offer in government and so we need to supplement that with other types of benefits to ensure that we can recruit, retain, and be attractive to attorneys working in the Bahamas and so this is one step in that direction.”

The government has pledged to cover 80 per cent of the premium with Colina Insurance. The insurance plan is inclusive of medical, vision, dental, life and accidental death.

Mr Pinder said enrolment commenced yesterday, and will become effective in the new budget year, which begins on July 1.

He said staff “work harder for less money”, suggesting different initiatives will be implemented at a later date for the development of staff.

“I am not blind to the fact that one of the most enormous challenges we face as the Office of the Attorney General is attorney retention. The fact is we are paid less and we do more and that within itself creates an atmosphere that serves as a challenge to retention,” Mr Pinder said yesterday.

“So, we are mandated to do whatever we can, even if we have to do it in particular disciplines to ensure that we have the retention and the best performers that we could get.

“You have my pledge and commitment to ensure that we listen to what your demands are and not only that but put together a framework that is acceptable and promotes the retention and advancement of our lawyers. After all, we are lawyers, we are professionals and we need to demand to be treated as such.”

PINDER: PASSPORT OFFICE SEES INFLUX OF A PPLICATIONS AFTER PRIVY COUNCIL CITIZENSHIP RULING

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS Tribune Staff Reporter lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

ATTORNEY General

Ryan Pinder said the passport office has received an influx of applications following the recent Privy Council ruling granting citizenship to children born out of wedlock to Bahamian men.

Last month, Immigration

Minister Keith Bell said about 1,500 applications for Bahamian citizenship at the Department of Immigration would have been affected by the Privy Council ruling.

Officials have struggled to determine how many people now expect to be recognised as citizens because their unwed father is a Bahamian and

their mother is a foreigner.

However, yesterday Mr Pinder said those applications would have been to the passport office pursuant to the recent ruling.

“That number is probably higher now because I think that was a few weeks ago that that report was given and applications continuously roll in,” the attorney general said

yesterday.

“I had an opportunity to speak to the chief passport officer today and we have drafted and prepared amendments to the passport rules, amendments to the Naturalisation Act and amendments to the Registrar General framework in order to be able to put the institution required to be able to attend to these

applications.

“Cabinet has heard the recommendations of the Office of the Attorney General on how to approach the issue and we should be rolling that out in very short order.”

He noted that the drafted documents are before the Minister of Immigration for review and comments, which

will have led to public consultation.

The landmark ruling paves the way for the Davis administration to amend the Bahamas Nationality Act to further equalise access to citizenship, an objective it said it would pursue once the Privy Council rendered its judgement on the narrower citizenship issue.

Coleby-Davis C alls Meteorology Ca Det Progra MMe ‘very iMP ortant initiative’

A LAUNCH was held yesterday for the Niccolo P Small meteorology cadet programme, which aims to give Bahamian students, aged 14-25, a pathway to learning about meteorology, science and climate change.

Transport and Housing Minister JoBeth

Coleby-Davis attended the launch yesterday, which she praised as a “very important initiative”, saying that they wanted to “make sure people understand the importance of meteorology in The Bahamas and how successful we could

be in responding to climate change”.

Veteran meteorologist Basil Dean, who will be the lead lecturer in the programme, said: “The cadets will be taught the structure and composition of the atmosphere, we will teach them about pressure systems, air

masses and show them how these impact our weather and climate. Having a background in knowing how these weather systems work, we will introduce them to forecasting tools and techniques and at the end of the programme, we shall introduce them

to production and presentation of weather for television.”

Application forms can be obtained by emailing npsmc@bahamas.gov.bs or can be collected from the Department of Meteorology or the Ministry of Transport and Housing.

The deadline to submit appications is June 22, 2023. The programme will run from June 26-August 4. Sessions will be held Monday to Friday from 10am-3pm at the Department of Meteorology. There also will be a financial stipend.

ATTORNEY General Ryan Pinder said attorneys and magistrates of the Office of the Attorney General will be provided with medical insurance, adding that it would increase the retention of lawyers. The government has pledged to cover 80 per cent of the premium with Colina Insurance. The insurance plan is inclusive of medical, vision, dental, life and accidental death.

Photo: Moise Amisial

TRANSPORT and Housing Minister JoBeth Coleby-Davis attended the launch for the Niccolo P Small meteorology cadet programme, which aims to give Bahamian students, aged 14-25, a pathway to learning about meteorology, science and climate change.

Photo: Austin Fernander

Glover-Rolle’s ‘Superwash stimulus programme’ comment starts heated argument with FNM leader

By JADE RUSSELL Tribune Staff Reporter jrussell@tribunemedia.net

RIVAL politicians

sparred during an argument in the House of Assembly yesterday, as FNM leader Michael Pintard interrupted State Minister for Public Service Pia Glover-Rolle to refute allegations she made about the previous administration.

Mrs Glover–Rolle claimed the Minnis administration introduced one of the largest tax increases on Bahamians - while at the same time it lowered duties on washing machine parts.

“They successfully introduced one of the largest tax increases in Bahamian history when they increased VAT by 60 percent, stifling the economy in the process,” Mrs Glover–Rolle said during her Budget debate contribution. “They successfully lowered duties on washing machine parts – that was their very successful Superwash Stimulus Programme.”

Mrs Glover-Rolle seemingly made reference to former Minister of Tourism and Aviation Dionisio D’Aguilar, owner of Superwash, who served in the Minnis Cabinet.

Mr Pintard stood up on a point of order in the House to refute the claims of Mrs Glover-Rolle.

“When we came to office, we came to office with a Budget having already been drafted,” Mr Pintard said. “In the Budget, washing machines, not commercial

washing machines but regular washing machines, in fact, had the exemption. “This has been clarified over and over. Because you are suggesting that by virtue of a member of the Cabinet being the owner of a business that there may have been some correlation.”

“It was their Budget, and it was them who put in the Budget the exemption on washing machines.

It was the Progressive Liberal Party,” Mr Pintard shouted.

In 2017, when Prime Minister Phillip “Brave” Davis was the opposition leader, he questioned why the Minnis administration was providing Budget tax

breaks to wealthy individuals and businesses given its claim that “the cupboard is bare”. He argued that in contrast to its “cupboard is bare” claim, the Minnis administration was foregoing “much-needed revenue” on equipment and products such as washing machine parts, aircraft

parts and maintenance, paints and salmon.

“Those wealthy enough to own airlines, paint supply stores and wash houses must be extremely pleased with how it’s their time,” Mr Davis said in his 2017 Budget debate contribution.

“This Budget washes you, cleans you and presses you,” he added,

seemingly referring to the presence of Mr D’Aguilar. Rising on a point of order, Mr D’Aguilar accused Mr Davis of misleading the House of Assembly, as the 20172018 Budget duty cuts related only to residential washers and dryers - not the commercial washers imported by laundromats such as Superwash.

DRAFT LEGISLATION FOR A CONTRIBUTORY PENSION PLAN TO BE SOON MADE PUBLIC

By JADE RUSSELL Tribune Staff Reporter jrussell@tribunemedia.net

STATE Public Service

Minister Pia Glover-Rolle said yesterday that a contributory pension plan will be presented soon to public sector unions for feedback.

Mrs Glover-Rolle spoke during her Budget debate contribution at the House of Assembly, saying: “The government, led by the Ministry of Finance, is

exploring ways that a contributory pension plan can be feasibly introduced. The draft legislation will soon be presented to public sector unions for feedback.”

The minister explained the “ideal” format of the pension plan, noting the more public servants contribute the more benefits they will receive.

“The way this will work is that the benefits will be larger, on average, than those experienced under

the existing plan, and will also be proportionate to the amount of public servants’ contributions. The more you contribute, the more you will receive.”

Mrs Glover-Rolle said existing public servants will still be entitled to their current pension plan along with NIB. She added: “They will be able to opt into this contributory pension plan so that when they retire they will receive NIB benefits, the

N ATIONAL PUBLIC SERVICE SCHOLARS PROGRAMME TO BE TABLED SOON

By JADE RUSSELL Tribune Staff Reporter jrussell@tribunemedia.net

A NATIONAL Public Service Scholars Programme will be sent to Cabinet for approval, according to State Public Service Minister Pia Glover-Rolle.

“I am announcing that this week, we will be bringing the National Public Service Scholars Programme to Cabinet for approval,” Mrs GloverRolle said in the House of Assembly during her

Budget debate contribution. “This collaboration with the University of The Bahamas will provide training and educational opportunities to prepare public servants for promotions and upskill them so they can do their best work.”

She said while public service policies continue to be improved, so will the workforce as well. She said officials will ensure that every public servant who wants to educate themselves will be able to

existing pension plan benefits, as well as the expanded benefits from the contributory pension plan.”

In terms of new public servants, they will be streamlined into the contributory pension plan. Mrs Glover-Rolle said this will provide better benefits for the beneficiary in a “financially sustainable” way as well as the government.

“The plan is also intended to be portable,” she said. “This means that

if you start your career in the government but then decide to explore private sector opportunities, you can take the plan with you. And even begin to contribute more so that you can receive more benefits upon retirement. This is a modern pension plan for a modern Bahamas.”

The government was previously said to have hired KPMG to analyse how the government should best structure a contributory

pension scheme for new civil service hires.

In November 2021, Mrs Glover-Rolle told the Office of the Prime Minister’s weekly media briefing that the accounting firm would develop recommended contribution rates and other conditions for a scheme that will see new civil servants - for the first time in Bahamian history - contribute towards their pensions and retirement upkeep.

Sweeting ShareS planS to create a ‘S afe haven’ TO ASSIST ANIMALS THAT ARE NEGLECTED OR ABUSED

be trained, certified, qualified, and accredited.

“This administration is all about the people,” she stressed.

Mrs Glover–Rolle added: “As these reforms and training initiatives are rolled out, we won’t forget about the people who have been waiting for us to take action on their individual situations. The promotions and payments backlog will continue to be cleared as we get the careers of hundreds of public servants back on track.”

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

AGRICULTURE and Marine Resources

Minister Clay Sweeting announced yesterday that his ministry plans to lease land to establish a safe haven for abused, neglected and special needs animals.

According to Mr Sweeting, the sanctuary will include an animal hospital to provide on site care and will also have an adoption centre. He said the initiative is a part of his ministry’s efforts to end the “unnecessary” suffering of all animals in The Bahamas.

“As Mahatma Gandhi said ‘The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated’,” Mr Sweeting

said during his contribution to the budget debate yesterday.

“The sanctuary will incorporate an animal hospital to provide on site care. The animals will be rehabilitated with an ultimate goal of adopting them to loving homes.

“The sanctuary will have an adoption centre and enter into strategic partnerships with reputable rescue organisations abroad, and local institutions to provide for opportunities for visitors to adopt their very own Royal Bahamas Potcake.”

Mr Sweeting said the sanctuary will complement BAARK’s spay and neuter initiative.

He also noted that a learning centre will be incorporated to focus on educating Bahamians, particularly children, on

how to treat animals with care.

Meanwhile, regarding dog attacks, Mr Sweeting said the government has made an amendment to the Animal Control Act to allow for the microchipping of dogs.

He said: “While this isn’t mandatory it is revolutionary in the sense that once dogs are microchipped, they can be scanned to provide information such as the owner of the animal, the animals medical history as well as whether it has been spayed or neutered.”

“This will be an added defence in animal attacks in identifying the owners of the animals involved in the crimes. In order to incentivise this service, once implemented, there will be no charge instead of the regular dog licence fee.”

AGRICULTURE and Marine Resources Minister Clay Sweeting.

Photo: Moise Amisial

RIVAL politicians sparred during an argument in the House of Assembly yesterday, as FNM leader Michael Pintard interrupted State Minister for Public Service Pia Glover-Rolle (pictured) to refute allegations she made about the previous administration.

Hotels support increase in NIB

from page one

demise. So, the industry absolutely supports some increase to the national insurance programme.”

Mr Sands’ comments come as the tourism industry experiences a major boost from

the opening of the new $300m cruise port in downtown Nassau.

“We must grow tourism in all it’s different facets, cruise tourism is a substantive part of what The Bahamas is about. Land based tourism is also an important part of

what tourism is about. The development of Air BnBs is another significant part of that. Together we will raise the tide and make The Bahamas, the enviable tourism destination in the region,” he said. Mr Sands said he expects

this rise in tourism to continue through the country’s 50th Independence celebrations, with several “major events” planned at hotels next month.

“I can tell you that certainly every hotel is making their own plans to celebrate the 50th anniversary. They have also

been partnering with the government in executing a number of the government’s issues.

“For our internal guests who are our associates, we also have major events planned at major hotels for them to also join in the celebration,” he said.

UB SIGNS $750K MOU WITH N ASSAU/PARADISE ISLAND PROMOTION BOARD

By LETRE SWEETING Tribune Staff Reporter lsweeting@tribunemedia.net

THE University of The Bahamas yesterday signed a memorandum of understanding with the Nassau/ Paradise Island Promotions Board pledging $750k to establish a scholarship award and endowment fund to assist students in the culinary and tourism fields.

Students of the university’s College of Tourism, Hospitality, Culinary Arts and Leisure Management can apply for this new award with the opportunity to intern at one of the Nassau/Paradise Island Promotion Boards 16-member hotels. Student recipients will also receive leadership development and financial support for tuition, books, supplies, room and board and other miscellaneous expenses.

Joy Jibrilu, CEO of the Nassau/Paradise Island Promotion Board, says through a partnership with the Cable Beach Resort Association, and the Paradise Island Tourism Development Association, the 750k donation will be provided over the next five years, to support deserving students at the university.

“In this regard, $250,000 of funding will go into the establishment of the Direct Award, which will

provide $50,000 per year, for five years, to support up to eight students at a time (funding two new awardees per year), for the duration of their studies.

“Another $500,000 of funding will go into the Endowment Fund, which is expected to be fully capitalised within five years. From that point, the Endowment will ensure that funding to cover tuition and other needful expenses for eligible students will continue into the foreseeable future, with two new awards made every year.”

She said: “The first year of the Direct Award is given in honour of the late George Myers, one of the original founders of the Nassau Paradise Island Promotion Board, who was legendary for his many contributions to the development of Bahamian tourism. In the future, we intend to honour more of the many noteworthy contributors to the advancement of Bahamian tourism, for whom other Direct Award Scholarships will be named.”

The university’s president, Dr Erik Rolland, said the landmark investment gift is much needed to ensure a continuous pipeline of talent to the country’s tourism and hospitality industry.

“Students at UB are fortunate to have an array of scholarship offerings

and now to receive this tremendous $750k donation, it demonstrates that the Nassau/Paradise Island Promotions Board values the importance of educating our students to become successful leaders or entrepreneurs and ensuring The

Bahamas Tourism remains relevant and more importantly leading edge,” he said.

“The scholarship award will enable students to participate in leadership programmes and internships, at one of 16-member

properties, just phenomenal. The recipients of the Nassau/Paradise Island Promotions Board award will be prepared, empowered and motivated for their future careers.

“They will also be trained and practice experiential

education while in the programme collaborating with the 16 different facilities. So please be assured that this grant will help us attract the best students to our programmes and retain them for the duration of their degrees.”

Nassau/Paradise isla Nd PromotioN board ‘welcomes all busiNesses’ to Paradise isla Nd

By LETRE SWEETING Tribune Staff Reporter lsweeting@tribunemedia.net

A HIGH-RANKING representative of the Nassau/Paradise Island Promotion Board said the board welcomes all businesses to Paradise Island, especially those partnered with the entity.

Joy Jibrilu, CEO of the Nassau/Paradise Island Promotion Board, spoke yesterday after Tribune Business last month revealed that Atlantis had teamed up with other Paradise Island hotels and developers to thwart Aetos Holdings’ plans to convert the former Scotiabank site into a fast-food destination for its Wendy’s and Marco’s Pizza brands. The bank is at the junction of Harbour Drive and Paradise Beach Drive.

At the time, Vaughn Roberts, senior vice president for Atlantis, said the resort does not believe a Wendy’s on Paradise Island would be stiff competition for its restaurants, insisting

Atlantis merely believes the franchise doesn’t fit the ethos and aesthetics of Paradise Island.

When asked by reporters on the sidelines of an event at the University of The Bahamas yesterday, Ms Jibrilu said: “We have a very specific mandate and that mandate is to market and promote our member property hotels, so that is anyone who is a member of the Nassau/Paradise Island Promotion Board.

“In addition, we promote and we market our destination so whoever is at that table no matter where they are if they fall within Nassau/Paradise Island Promotion Board, it’s our role to showcase them in the best possible way, but primarily our member property hotels who support us and support us financially, we are charged to get out there and let the world know about them. That is our primary focus.”

The Nassau/Paradise Island Promotion Board CEO is the

Paradise Island hotels in an effort to bar the fast-food franchise from developing in the community.

Last month, the mega resort presented a bid to overturn the permission granted by the Town Planning Committee for Aetos Holdings to “change the use” of the former Scotiabank site to that for fast-food restaurants. However, the “restrictive covenants” governing how the location is to be used do not appear to provide an iron-clad case by themselves for that decision to be overturned.

However, the “restrictive covenants” governing how the location is to be used show the site acquired by the Wendy’s and Marco’s Pizza franchise owner was limited to use as a bank branch and related offices for only a five-year period. The original conveyance of the property is dated November 9, 1970, which means the restriction expired more than 47 years ago at the end of 1975.

THE University of The Bahamas yesterday signed a memorandum of understanding with the Nassau/Paradise Island Promotions Board pledging $750k for a scholarship award and endowment fund to assist students in the culinary and tourism fields.

Photo: Moise Amisial

ROBERT SANDS, Bahamas Hotel and Tourism Association’s president.

The Tribune Limited

Young climate activists sue Montana

RIKKI Held decided to join other young plaintiffs in a lawsuit to force Montana officials to do something about climate change after watching wildfires blacken the sky over her family’s ranch, drought stress the cattle and violent floods erode the banks of a nearby river.

Held and 15 other young people finally got their day in court yesterday after suing state officials three years ago for failing to take action to curb global warming. The case is the first climate change lawsuit to reach trial among dozens filed across the US in the last decade.

They are trying to persuade state District Judge Kathy Seeley over a twoweek trial that the state’s allegiance to fossil fuel development endangers their health and livelihoods and threatens future generations.

“I know that climate change is a global issue, but Montana needs to take responsibility for our part,” testified Held, now 22. “You can’t just blow it off and do nothing about it.”

The state court case centres on a government’s obligations to protect people against worsening climate change. Experts say it could set legal precedent but isn’t likely to spur immediate policy changes in fossil fuel-friendly Montana.

A lawyer for the state sought to minimise the case’s significance and said sparsely-populated Montana produces a “minuscule” emissions on a global scale.

Held’s family ranch in southeastern Montana is near some of the planet’s most abundant coal reserves in the sprawling Powder River Basin. State officials have continued to promote that fuel for export to out of state and overseas markets despite scientific consensus that fossil fuels are largely to blame for worsening climate change.

Held spoke on Monday about getting heat alerts on her phone for temperatures up to 110 degrees and about a fire that burned power lines and left her ranch powerless for a month, meaning they couldn’t pump water for their cattle.

“It’s stressful,” Held said, her eyes welling with tears, when asked her feelings about climate change. “That’s my life, and my home is there and it impacts the wellbeing of myself, my family, my community.”

Attorneys for the state declined to question Held while she was on the stand.

Montana Assistant Attorney General Michael Russell said during opening arguments that the state had little control over global emissions. The harms alleged by Held and the other plaintiffs can’t be traced to specific actions by state officials, he said.

“Montana’s emissions are simply too minuscule to make any difference,” Russell said. “Climate change is a global issue that effectively relegates Montana’s role to that of a spectator.”

Russell also suggested that the plaintiffs, who are backed by a well-financed Oregon law firm, had exaggerated the case’s importance, which he said was “far more boring than the plaintiffs would make it out to be”.

In the three years since the lawsuit was filed, the scope of the case has been narrowed to whether Montana’s Environmental Policy Act — which requires state agencies to balance the health of the environment against resource development — is unconstitutional because it does not require officials to consider greenhouse gas emissions or their climate impacts.

Judge Seeley has said she could rule that the state’s climate change exception in its environmental law is at odds with its constitution, but she can’t tell the legislature what to do to remedy the violation.

The plaintiffs and their attorneys were cheered by supporters as they arrived outside the courthouse on Monday. Inside, Seeley’s small courtroom was packed with observers and members of the media. Environmentalists have called the bench trial a turning point because similar suits in nearly every state have already been dismissed. A favorable decision could add to a handful of rulings globally that have declared governments have a duty to protect citizens from climate change.

The attorneys plan to use witness testimony to document the widespread effects climate change is having on Montana’s environment and the profound consequences for its people. Climate researcher Steve Running, who with other scientists was awarded the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for their work on the topic, said Monday there was “no doubt” climate change was being felt in the state.

Running described an increasingly dire situation of wildfires getting more severe and more frequent in western North America — causing health impacts across the nation — as heavy fossil fuel use continues to churn out emissions at levels problematic for the atmosphere.

“There’s no alternative explanation,” Running said. “If we do nothing and continue with business as usual, the planet models... suggest these accelerating disturbance rates, accelerating sea level rise, accelerating glacial retreat.”

One reason the case may have made it so far in Montana is the state’s constitutional requirement that government “maintain and improve a clean and healthful environment”. Only a few states, including Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and New York, have similar environmental protections in their constitutions.

The plaintiffs criticise state officials for their alleged failure to curb planetwarming emissions while Montana pursued oil, gas and coal development that provides jobs, tax revenue and helps meet the energy needs of people in Montana and elsewhere.

They cite smoke from worsening wildfires choking the air they breathe; drought drying rivers that sustain agriculture, fish, wildlife and recreation; along with reduced snowpack and shortened winter recreation seasons.

Attorney Roger Sullivan said his young clients and their families already were suffering health problems and economic losses as climate change dries up rivers and worsens wildfires. He said Montana has a obligation to protect residents from climate change under its unusually protective state constitution.

“The state has approved numerous large fossil fuel related permits that are responsible for enormous quantities of greenhouse gas emissions,” Sullivan said. “Every ton of CO2 we keep out of the air matters.”

Experts for the state are expected to counter that climate extremes have existed for centuries.

Carbon dioxide, which is released when fossil fuels are burned, traps heat in the atmosphere and is largely responsible for the warming of the the climate. Carbon dioxide levels in the air this spring reached the highest levels they’ve been in over 4 million years, the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration said earlier this month. Greenhouse gas emissions also reached a record last year, according to the International Energy Agency.

By AMY BETH HANSON and MATTHEW BROWN Associated Press

What is climate change?

EDITOR, The

THIS letter is intended for novices and not for the scientifically astute. Experts in the field of science agree that climate change is the greatest threat to the survival of mankind, second perhaps only to nuclear annihilation, and if current trends are not reversed, we as humans could become architects of our own destruction.

But ask the average person on Wulff Road what climate change is all about and invariably, you will be greeted with a blank stare, a “wa you say”or a “wa dat is” response. Some persons are clueless, while others couldn’t care less because they don’t view this issue as priority. This is partly our fault because we have failed to educate our people. Too often those in the know wrap their speeches or communications in scientific terms or technical language in an effort to sound impressive

to prove that “I been to college” - well not everyone.

Simply put, climate change is a long term change in the earth’s temperature. It is caused by burning substances like coal, oil, gasoline and like substances in the environment, while producing carbon dioxide, methane and other gases as waste products. These greenhouse gases -as they are sometimes called -trap the sun’s energy near the earth, causing the earth’s temperature to rise. As a result, the ice at the north and south poles could melt, which could lead to lead to flooding and by extension, population displacement and much more. Natural disasters like hurricanes could become more frequent because hurricanes need warmer waters in order to develop.

So, what can we as

citizens do to prevent such calamities?

Firstly, we could plant trees which would help to remove carbon dioxide from the air.

Secondly, we could dispose of our garbage properly, thus reducing the amount of methane gas escaping into the air, because rotting garbage produces methane gas.

Thirdly - you ready for this? - we could drive our cars one less day each week, resulting in less carbon-monoxide entering the atmosphere.

Walking or cycling could provide much needed exercise which could lead to welcoming weight lost. Now that’s a bonus.

It sounds simplistic, but it’s effective and rewarding. So, help save our planet for future generations. We all have a part to play.

ZEPHANIAH BURROWS Nassau, June 9, 2023.

Pride Month

EDITOR, The Tribune.

PRIDE Month finds us in turmoil once again, not with peaceful minds, and a universal acceptance of humanity’s equality before God and State, but divided by social-religious-economic lines. The Christian Right flows across North America and Africa as well, preaching its sermon of biblical intolerance, standing against the rights of womanhood, sexual rights and freedoms of those of us that maybe different in colour, sexual preference, political ideology or social status. Right Wing Legislators in Florida, Texas and Southern US attempt or have passed laws limiting services to a large sector of their populations, and have come to ignore people’s diversity, uniqueness and Federal Constitutional protected rights. Voting limitations directed towards blacks and members of the pride rainbow are found in Southern US States. It‘s like the old days where communities were ruled by southern men with prejudiced righteous attitudes. I would not be surprised if the KKK horde will ride into Montgomery, Austin or Miami soon. One of this movement’s leaders is running for the Republican Party

Leadership (Ron DeSantis) while “The Trump” is continuing his pilgrimage return to power next year.

Governors, Aldermen, City Councilors, Congress and Senatorial members support this Religious Right Wing Folly, not because its right, but because it could bring them fortune, fame and power. President Biden and Kamila Harris (VP) stand against this movement, but the odds are very much against them. His age and health are a factor, while Vice President Harris may not have the chutzpah to win the election.

Retail and Corporate firms show their priderespect and support only to be attacked by the Christian Right. Protest against firms that honour our constitutional values, eh? In Toronto, Catholic school boards refuse to raise Pride Flags, stating that God loves everyone, but being a member of the LGBTQ+ Community is morally wrong, as same sex functionally is a sin. School boards, PTAs, and communities across North America are struggling amongst themselves trying to find a peaceful commonality, all the while right wing antagonists pressure churches, social clubs and organisations to confront any form of progressive

thought whether it be religious, political or social in nature.

If The Trudeau Liberals lose the next election and Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives win a majority, will Canada fall into the hypocritical hands of right wing antagonists determined to crush any form of progressive governmental service provided presently. Yah, I am talking about changes or an end to affirmative action, abortion rights, equal pay initiatives, and even end or stall payments promised to the indigenous. The emotions elicited by Religion of most faiths can become politicalise, with fundamentalist attitudes of all faiths empowered. Whoever thought of uniting religious and political into a singular force of power was both ingenious and probably a Conservative, uniting the powers of emotion with practical self empowerment. The enemies of progressiveness, love everything about themselves, even the unacceptable. To achieve Power for their God and themselves are the goals of these antagonists, progressiveness face today.

STEVEN KASZAB Bradford, Ontario June 10, 2023

PEOPLE create a human chain along the Sao Conrado coast for a symbolic group hug with the sea, to mark World Oceans Day, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Thursday, last week.

Photo: Bruna Prado/AP

Sweeting: $30k of rental arrears collected as government looks to improve services and areas for public markets

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

AGRICULTURE, Marine Resources and Family Island Affairs Minister Clay Sweeting said his ministry has collected more than $30,000 in rental fees and arrears from vendors at Potter’s Cay Dock between January and April this year.

Mr Sweeting, who has responsibility for the administration of public markets, said during his Budget contribution yesterday: “The payment of these fees are essential as they offset some of the cost that we incur for providing the necessary government services.”

He also said his ministry plans to partner with the Ministry of Works and Utilities to pave the causeway at Potter’s Cay to allow for smoother traffic flow.

Concerning vendors at Arawak Cay, he said his ministry was partnering with vendors to bring their leases up to date as well as regularise those who have been subleasing for an extended period of time.

Regarding the market at Gladstone Road, he said a number of upgrades at the market remain underway

“We want to construct semi-permanent stalls to house vendors and these stalls will serve multiple purposes, as they will also be used for the ministry’s annual Agri-fest, which takes place at that site,” he said in the House of Assembly.

He said the government also plans to restructure the stalls at Montagu ramp, adding “these plans would take on a multi-governmental approach” that includes building semi-permanent stalls that can withstand hurricanes and restructuring the seawall to address water surges, among other things.

Mr Sweeting said the government is transforming the Blue Hill Road Farmers Market into a “wholesome space” that represents the spirit and people of Golden Gates.

“As we move to further develop this market, it is our intention to construct an administration building to house the market manager and staff,” he said. “We also intend to address stall design and layout, landscaping and fencing needs, amongst other things. There is also the need to construct restroom facilities at this market as no such facilities presently exist.”

“Rental leases will have to be prepared and executed as we bring this public market in line with markets across New Providence. We intend to provide for daily collection and disposal of garbage, as well as provide security services. There is much work to be done at this market and the partnership forged to see this to fruition continues to speak to the teamwork that exists among colleagues of this administration.”

AGRICULTURE, Marine Resources and Family Island Affairs Minister Clay Sweeting said his ministry has collected more than $30,000 in rental fees and arrears from vendors at Potter’s Cay Dock between January and April this year. “The payment of these fees are essential as they offset some of the cost that we incur for

MAN HELD ON CHARGES OF HOSPITAL L ANE MURDER AND ATTEMPTED MURDER

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A MAN is behind bars after being accused of causing the death of a 20-year-old male last month and wounding three people in a shooting incident early in January.

Chachino Thompson, 20, faced Chief Magistrate Joyann Ferguson-Pratt on

a charge of murder and three counts of attempted murder. He was remanded in custody.

Thompson, with an unnamed male accomplice, allegedly shot and killed Bryan Smith at around 11.30pm on May 26 in the Hospital Lane area.

Thompson is also accused of getting out of a white Honda vehicle

BBSQ DEVELOPS MOBILE METROLOGY LAB WITH AIMS TO IMPROVE MEASUREMENT STANDARDS

and opening fire on three people on Wilkinson Street at around 9am on January

10. There, Delerease Rahming, Gariniko Rahming and Roger Nelson were all injured.

The accused’s Voluntary Bill of Indictment is due for service on August

1. Thompson will remain in custody until he is granted bail by the Supreme Court.

MAN ACCUSED OF SEX ASSAULT OF 8-YEAR-OLD BOY THREE TI M ES

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A 26-YEAR-OLD man accused of sexually assaulting a young boy three times over the course of a year was sent to prison on Monday. The first assault may have taken place when the boy was as young as eight years old.

Basil McDonald was charged with three counts of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor of the same sex and a single count of indecent assault at his hearing before Assistant Chief Magistrate Subusola Swain.

Between September 1, 2019, and December 31, 2020, McDonald allegedly sexually assaulted an

underage boy between the ages of eight and nine on three occasions.

During this same timeframe, McDonald is said to have indecently assaulted the same minor. Service of McDonald’s voluntary bill of indictment is set for August 30. The accused will remain in prison until he is granted Supreme Court bail.

MAN CHARGED WITH M AKING CHILD PORNOGRAPHY, AIDING SEX ASSAULT

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A 20-YEAR-OLD man has been accused of aiding in the sexual assault of a 12-year-old girl - and of making child pornography of the incident.

Jean Saintil was charged with abetment to unlawful

sexual intercourse before Senior Justice Carolyn Vogt-Evans. He was also charged with production and dissemination of child pornography. Between April 1 and 30 in New Providence, Saintil allegedly aided and abetted in the sexual assault of a 12-year-old girl. During

this same incident, Saintil recorded a nude video of the minor engaged in sexual acts which was spread on the internet.

Saintil’s voluntary bill of indictment will be served on September 29. The accused will be sent to prison until the Supreme Court grants him bail.

MAN SENTENCED TO 30 M ONTHS IN JAIL FOR UNLICENCED FIREAR M

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A MAN who had a banned assault rifle in his home last week has been sentenced to 30 months in prison.

Elisha Dumercy, 30, and Glendysha Hanna, 22, stood before Chief Magistrate Joyann Ferguson-Pratt. There, they faced

charges of possession of a prohibited weapon and possession of ammunition with intent to supply.

On June 9, at the defendants’ residence on Rosedale Street, officers acting on a search warrant uncovered

Assault Rifle with the serial number erased. This prohibited weapon was also found with 26

unfired rounds of 5.56 ammunition.

Ms Hanna pleaded not guilty, and Dumercy pleaded guilty to all charges. The charges against Hanna were formally withdrawn.

Dumercy was sentenced to 30 months in prison for the offence, plus a fine of $5,000 or risk an additional 12 months in custody.

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

A MOBILE metrology lab - aiming to improve measurement standards - has been developed by the Bahamas Bureau of Standards and Quality (BBSQ).

The lab was detailed by Devin Griffith, a marketing consultant at G&A Communications, who said the BBSQ team went to Grand Bahama, and held a metrology workshop to increase standards and strengthen quality infrastructure.

He said increased standards will bring value and allow Bahamians access to bigger markets such as the United States.

“We want to ensure they understand this initiative in terms of the value it can bring, increasing standards, and having a national quality of infrastructure where we use the system of metrology, which is the science of measurement, to ensure there is consistency in how we do business in the Bahamas,” he said.

The goal is to engage with stakeholders in Freeport both in government agencies

and private commercial entities. During the workshop, participants were be educated on metrology and standards.

According to Griffith, BBSQ provides services such as calibration of scales, equipment, etc, in manufacturing.

“This would be done in the country and would reduce cost, and ensure that there is consistency, enhance standards, enhance the verification process, and the management and control of compliance of standards,” he explained.

“The BBSQ will take on that responsibility and make it more convenient for businesses to be able to access those services right here in The Bahamas.”

With this, he said businesses will increase standards of their products and services and be able to compete on the world stage and have access to bigger markets. In the US, there are strict regulations and requirements for the importation of products. BBSQ is based in Nassau and employs about 25 employees. He said one of the key facets of the programme is training and education.

Mr Griffith said a metrology consultant will remain in Grand Bahama for three weeks to engage with people. He said they also share information via the web, social media, and traditional media to educate the public.

“We want to get the message across about the programme and the value of it over the next few weeks and to keep people engaged,” he said.

providing the necessary government services.”

Photo: Austin Fernander

DEVIN Griffith Ceo and chief branch Strategist of G and A Communication.

Love in life and in theatre

WHEN the curtain call is made for the superstars of Bahamian theatreones who have helped to shape performing arts in the country into a viable activity that has propelled Bahamian culture - Philip A Burrows and his wife, Nicolette Bethel, will be there. Individually, they have blazed their own paths in literature, theatre and performing arts. Together, they are a formidable pair leading a team of some of the most talented playwrights, directors, technical producers, artists and actors in the country.

Their work is world renowned, and because of Philip and Nicolette’s sacrifices to help to keep this artform alive in the country, it thrives this year as the official “Year of Bahamian Theatre”. Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis has taken it a step further when he recently announced in the House of Assembly during the Budget debate that the government has allocated funding for a School for the Creative and Performing Arts, “fulfilling the dreams of many”.

“I think it’s a great idea because the more people trained in the arts, the stronger our existing theatrical community will grow, and performers will finally be able to make a living doing what they can only do now for love,” said Philip.

“The implementation will be a key factor in how such an institution would succeed and I’m pretty sure that the people who have worked to continue to make theatre happen in this country over the years will be supportive of such a venture.”

Philip is the artistic director of Ringplay Productions and Shakespeare in Paradise. Nicolette serves as president of Shakespeare in Paradise and chair of the Dundas Centre for the Performing Arts. She is also president of the Shakespeare Theatre Association (an international association of Shakespeare-producing theatres).

In honour of the 50th Anniversary of Bahamian Independence, Philip and Nicolette are at the helm of “A Year of Bahamian Theatre” - one play per month by a different Bahamian playwright for 13 months (October 2022-October 2023) - all taking place at the Dundas Centre for the Performing Arts. Featured playwrights are: E Clement Bethel; Philip A Burrows; Nicolette Bethel; Sam Boodle; James J Catalyn; Patrice Francis and J Ben Hepburn; Michael Pintard; Patrick Rahming; Winston V Saunders; Ian Strachan; Jeanne L Thompson; Telcine Turner-Rolle; Susan J Wallace; and P Anthony White.

Currently showing at the Dundas is “An Evening of Susan Wallace” featuring “The Last One to Let You Down” and “Single Seven”, showing

Face to Face

By FELICITY DARVILLE

June 15-17 at 8pm nightly.

Expect a night of comedy featuring these two plays, which are inspired by 70s sitcoms and live studio audiences, as well as a few mini sketches by Valicia Rolle, inspired by Susan Wallace’s poetry. With Shakespeare in Paradise, in 2018 Philip and Nicolette established the Short Tales incubator, a place for the development of new Bahamian playwrights, directors and actors, now in its fifth year. She has served as editor of collections of original Bahamian short plays: Short Tales Vol 1, 2, 3 and 4, produced by Shakespeare in Paradise. On Monday, Shakespeare in Paradise announced that ten Short Tales have been selected for 2023. Nicolette shares how A Year in Bahamian Theatre is going thus far: “Better than expected! We took a risk to do it while the Dundas main stage is closed, but thank heaven for the Black Box! The plays are sometimes better than we remembered. I am so impressed with the actors who have totally stepped up! Many people may think that we all get paid to do this, but that is not the case. The only people who get any remuneration are the authors, who we are paying royalties to, and technical and set building crews. The rest of us - producers, directors, actors - are doing it ‘gratis’. We make enough to pay our rent to the Dundas (which needs it if we are going to get the AC back up and running) and to pay the production bills. Our company is doing this all for the love of it and for our own national pride.

I am so super proud of our directors. Five years ago, we were only four regular directors - Philip, Erin, Skeebo Roberts and myself. But thanks in large part to Short Tales, we have expanded our pool of directors to a total of 14! It blows my mind.”

For 26 years since Philip and Nicolette said “I do”, they have walked hand in hand, lifting each other up in their personal and professional pursuits. Their passion for each other and for theatre has helped them to work together to create performing arts excellence for The Bahamas.

“We are partners in every sense of the word,” says Philip.

“Theatre has really become our life’s work. All of the major creations like ‘Shakespeare in Paradise’, ‘Short Tales’, ‘A Year of Bahamian Theatre’ and practically whatever happens at the

Dundas came out of discussions between the two of us. It’s never a situation of who thought of what or who created what because the final implementation of any of those things came from us sitting down and discussing, arguing, thinking about it and discussing it once again before we even present it to our colleagues. There is always something to create or some dream to bring into reality and when we present something like that to the public, we speak with one voice.”

Nicolette also shared candid thoughts of their marriage: “Working together in theatre is what brought us together in the first place. I don’t know what he saw in me but I totally admire and respect his ability and expertise as a director, actor, all-round theatre person. Philip Burrows set the standard for Bahamian theatre - it is world class and professional, never mind that we don’t get paid. He is one of the best directors in the world - and I say that without exaggeration. People who are sceptical are welcome to do the research, attend plays internationally as we have, and compare the quality of what he produces and has trained us to produce with anywhere in the world - Broadway, the West End, the Globe, the RSC, Stratford, Shaw, Oregon, you name it.”

“We have mutual respect. We do not always agree. We are not afraid of conflict. We argue constantly while we’re working, but we know how to listen to one another and not dismiss each other’s perspectives even if ours is different. I find that makes us better as a couple and better as a team. And then we fundamentally agree on the big things - like big questions of morality and right and wrong and what is good for the theatre and what is good for the country. We are, in the end, concerned with what is good for one another and for our mutual vision. Also, there’s the question of space. We give one another space to be individuals. We have our own working spaces and we do not do everything together. We trust one another. He encouraged me to develop my academic career and I have tried to support his creative career.”

The academic and creative careers of which she speaks are phenomenal.

Philip started in performing arts when he was about five years old. His cousin, Allan Lee, was directing a play at Central

Gospel Chapel and he was a cast member. From there, he did various theatre productions in the schools that he attended, including Aquinas College, where he participated in plays under the direction of Andrew Curry.

Today, he is a director, teacher and actor, who graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and the National Theatre Institute at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre Centre.

Philip was the artistic and resident director of the Dundas Repertory Season from its beginning in 1981 straight through to 1997. In August 1991, he headed a contingent of some 30 performers who took part in the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Under his direction, the first production of “Music of The Bahamas” was staged, which was co-written for the stage by Philip and Nicolette.

He left The Bahamas in 1997 for three years to introduce and teach a theatre arts programme at Lester B Pearson College in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. He later put his musical ability to work as co-director of E Clement Bethel’s “Sammie Swain” and of the first Bahamian opera, “Our Boys”; of the latter he was also responsible, with Winston Saunders, for the libretto. He wrote the book and co-wrote the script for the original Bahamian Musical “Der Real Ting”. For the Ministry of Tourism, he has directed five Cacique Award Ceremonies and has written and directed “Bahamian Rhapsody” which was performed at The Apollo Theatre in New York. He was responsible for the co-direction of the 20th and 25th “Anniversary of Bahamian Independence” productions staged on Clifford Park and he directed the 30th, 32nd

and 34th anniversary productions. He will serve as the director of the 50th Independence celebrations on July 9-10, 2023.

Philip also directed productions of “You Can Lead A Horse to Water”, in 1984 in San Francisco with the Eureka Theatre Company and co-director Richard Seyd; and again in 2005 at Grand Valley State University, in Michigan, with students from that institution. He also directed a production of this play in Trinidad for Carifesta. Philip is a noted television and film producer, as well as an accomplished theatre actor. Altogether, he is responsible for the direction of over one hundred theatrical productions.

Nicolette’s repertoire is just as amazing. She holds BA (Hons) in literature and French from the University of Toronto; and an MPhil (Masters in philosophy) and a PhD in social anthropology from the University of Cambridge.

In addition to her work in theatre, she is helping to shape the futures of students at the University of The Bahamas.

Nicolette has lived, studied and worked in the United Kingdom and Canada. She was a United World College scholar at Lester B Pearson College, Victoria, British Columbia, and later returned as a teacher of English and anthropology there. She served as Director of Culture for The Bahamas for five years (2003-2008).

She was the founder and editor-in-chief of tongues of the ocean, an online literary journal (2009-2014).

She is a playwright, poet, fiction writer, anthropologist and theatre director.

In 2015, she was shortlisted for the Hollick Arvon Prize in Poetry of the Bocas Literary Festival, and her submissions have been featured in Thicker than Water (Peekash, 2018). Other publications have appeared in

Social Identities, The Oxford and Cambridge May Anthologies 1993; The Caribbean Writer; Calabash; The Caribbean Review of Books; Poui; sx: Small Axe Salon; Caribbean Quarterly; New West Indian Guide; and International Journal of Bahamian Studies, among other places. In 2010 her first poetry chapbook, “Mama Lily and the Dead” was published by Poinciana Paper Press. Her second chapbook, Lent/Elegies, was published by the A Place Without Dust Nanopress in 2011, and in 2015 a third collection of poems was published in If, a publication designed to accompany the installation of the same name in Transforming Spaces 2015. Their national pride and mutual respect is fueled in part by their rich heritage. Philip’s grandfather was a policeman and the ADC to the Duke of Windsor when he was the Royal Governor of The Bahamas. His father was a turtle shell jeweler and owner of Lee’s Carpet craft, and his mother was born and raised in Long Island. The Burrows children excelled in their artistic talents. Nicolette grew up in a family of educators, civil servants, religious leaders and creative people. Her father is a cultural icon, the late great E Clement Bethel, a world-class concert pianist who chose service to his country over a life of performing internationally. Her mother is the late great Keva Bethel, CMG, a veteran educator and first President of the College of The Bahamas.

To learn more about A Year of Bahamian Theatre, visit https://www. shakespeareinparadise. org. To find Nicolette’s literary works, visit the gift shop at the National Art Gallery (NAGB) or search on Lulu.com, Amazon and Smashwords.

ABOVE: Nicolette Bethel and Philip Burrows - a married couple at the helm of A year of Bahamian Theatre. Bottom left: Once on this Island; Bottom right: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, both performed at the Dundas Centre for the Performig Arts.

Sunak’s trade agreement with the United States a considerable success for his administration

STUDYING the US media coverage of last week’s two-day visit to Washington by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, I was struck by comments that somehow the UK had turned in on itself after withdrawing from the European Union. Such a claim is not borne out by the facts. There has been no retreat by Britain from the world stage. On the contrary, the reverse is the case.

One of the reasons for the nation’s decision, following its 2016 referendum, to leave the EU was to secure once more its capacity to play an independent role internationally, after being freed from what many saw as the shackles of the dictatorial and controlling bloc. Since its formal withdrawal in January 2020, Britain has been taking steps to increase its role as a global player while pursuing its national interests; and this has included signing new bilateral trade deals with a variety of countries.

Against this background, Mr Sunak has just made his first official visit to the US. Doubtless, he was intent on reminding everyone he met that a post-Brexit Britain –as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, the sixth-largest national economy in the world and with its leadership role in the Commonwealth – still matters as a strong, competent and reliable player globally, especially after its

The Peter Young column

domestic political upheavals and uncertainty during 2022.

He will also have wanted to reassure his interlocutors in Washington that his country remains a valued ally of the US, particularly on major defence and security issues and in dealing specifically with China and Russia, not least in relation to Ukraine. As the two biggest donors of financial and military aid to this beleaguered country, the US and UK both believe in the importance of their support and are both committed to continuing it for “as long as it takes”.

By all accounts, the Prime Minister was generally well received in the US with meetings across a

ES NEEDED TO PROTECT AGAINST DANGERS OF ARTIFICIA L INTELL IGENCE

AS A Stanford University MBA graduate, Rishi Sunak is said to have a dream of creating a British Silicon Valley. He has also floated the idea that the UK could be a centre for regulating the developing technology of AI.

Some people believe that the country would be well placed to take such a prominent role given that it has become a leader in the field, though it is clearly behind the US which, of course, has its own major tech companies that are leading the charge at the forefront of AIdriven research. Sceptics in the UK, however, wonder whether efforts by a postBrexit prime minister may be enough to spur industrial leaders to act. They question whether the UK can lead in setting norms for best practice when the US and EU are already consulting closely about such action.

That said, the UK has unveiled in a White Paper an approach to handling innovation in AI that is also designed to turbocharge growth. According to reports, the White Paper is a guide on how to use AI to drive responsible innovation. At the same time, in order to maintain public trust in this revolutionary and fast-moving technology, it also sets out a new approach to regulating it.

Research shows that there are already a host of different definitions of AI. But, to my eye, a notably clear one is “the ability of a digital computer or computer-controlled robot to perform tasks currently associated with intelligent beings or tasks normally requiring human intelligence”.

AI is already widely used in carrying out tasks in daily life - but not necessarily replacing human-beings - from helping medical diagnoses to making other decisions that seriously impact people’s lives like bank loans and mortgages. In the UK, the AI industry is thriving, employing over 50,000 people which is more than any other European country.

Thus, AI is delivering real social and economic benefits. But it is clear

wide spectrum, including congressional leaders and business executives and a rare joint press conference with President Biden after a formal meeting with him. This was the fifth time the two leaders had met – most recently at the G7 summit

in Japan –and it appears that their relationship has improved significantly. Certainly, it will have been music to the premier’s ears when Biden publicly hailed the famous special relationship between the two countries and said that

“there is no country closer to us than the UK”.

A major achievement of the visit was signature of a new agreement called the Atlantic Declaration which has been lauded as a new economic partnership for a new age. It sets out plans for greater economic cooperation on a variety of issues; for example, global supply chains, critical minerals and computers including, most significantly, Artificial Intelligence (AI). An overarching trade agreement with the US by 2022 was once seen as Britain’s biggest prize postBrexit. But any such deal no longer appears to be a priority for either side.

Even though lobby groups in the UK have been pushing for a narrower pact covering trade in critical minerals and digital cooperation, critics are calling the Atlantic Declaration a modest substitute that is too limited. However, Rishi Sunak is now saying that the two countries should be focused on “making sure our economic partnership reflects the particular challenges and opportunities of the time that we’re in right now and into the future”. He explained that his talks in Washington had concentrated on “specific and targeted ways to improve trade relations between our two countries” – and, in order to boost business, a trade pact was needed on things

like “critical minerals that provide essential components in products such as electric vehicles, solar panels, flat screen TVs and pacemakers”.

For many UK observers, Sunak’s visit overall was a considerable success. This was a high-profile engagement for the 43-year-old leader who has held office only since last October. Being photographed with the US president helps his image as an international statesman and conveys a message of a united Western alliance. It may also help him domestically as the political storm clouds appear to be gathering again in Britain following the sudden resignation as an MP of former prime minister Boris Johnson.

In addition to all this, a significant result of his visit was possible cooperation with the US in connection with AI. Reportedly, the prime minister wanted to discuss the promise and perils of AI in an attempt to assert himself on the issue while the US and EU were already conducting talks about it. For his part, Biden described AI as an unprecedented fundamental technological change that has the “potential to do great damage” if it is not controlled.

With this in mind, it might be interesting to examine this subject further in a separate piece today.

A DAY IN HISTORY NEVER TO FORGET

that risks also exist in relation to issues like fairness, transparency, safety and security, protection of privacy and human rights, responsibility, accountability and redress. In particular, there is a need to protect against deliberate and calculated misuse. According to the White Paper, the public needs such protection because, even though AI can benefit humanity in numerous ways, it can only realize its potential if it is widely trusted -- “AI has the potential to make the UK a smarter, healthier and happier place to live and work”, and rules are needed to ensure it is developed safely.

Interestingly, the UK is proposing not to give responsibility to a new single regulator but rather to empower existing regulators in different fields to come up with tailored, context-specific approaches that are applicable to the way AI is actually used in their sectors. With the emphasis on ensuring the protection of the public against misuse for nefarious purposes, the UK’s context-driven approach is judged to be the most effective way to help regulation keep pace with the development of AI while supporting innovation and mitigating future risks. Meanwhile, looking to the future, since Britain is well placed to be a powerbroker in relation to the issue, it is due to host this autumn the first major international gathering on the risks posed by AI.

To sum all this up, the British Prime Minister was quoted as saying during his Washington visit that AI has “an incredible potential to transform our lives”, but he stressed the need “to make sure it is developed and used in a way that is safe and secure”. As he has said, no country can do this alone. It will require a global effort – and “with our commitment to an open, democratic international system, the UK will stand together with our allies and lead the way”.

THIS time of the year is a moment for remembrance of D-Day the Sixth of June. It seems to slip off the tongue easily and has a resonance about it because even the laziest of schoolboy history pupils knows what it signifies.

During the Second World War, it was the day in 1944 of the launch of the greatest amphibious operation ever undertaken in the history of warfare. Known as Operation Overlord, landings were made on the French coast in Normandy. Its objective was the defeat of Nazi Germany and the liberation of Europe. The scale was enormous: 5,000 ships - together with thousands of lesser craft backed

by 11,000 aircraft - were, in the space of 48 hours, to hurl nearly 200,000 men against what was called Hitler’s much-vaunted Atlantic Wall behind which the German Army was lying in wait in huge numbers. In the process, the Allies suffered massive casualties and losses of supplies and equipment. This incredible venture has been described as a story of epic heroism and sacrifice, but also of victory and success. It constituted the opening of the Second Front that led, after heavy fighting across Europe, to Germany’s surrender and the celebration of “Victory in Europe” less than a year later on 8 May, 1945.

There is an enormous amount of archival material about D-Day. The breadth of documentary evidence, including a massive collection of film and photographs, is extraordinary. It shows in amazing detail exactly what happened during the landings and their aftermath.

For many people, this is important because the reality is there for all to see and the temptation by latter-day “Revisionist” historians to rewrite the story of it is made all the more difficult. Reportedly, however, that did not prevent such historians –fifty years later - levelling criticism against Britain’s famous wartime leader,

Winston Churchill, for failing to negotiate with Hitler in the summer of 1940 that would have avoided war but would have led to German occupation of Britain.

Today is not the time or place to debate the merits and demerits of historical revisionism that some maintain is the lifeblood of historical scholarship and, at its basic level, is a useful and acceptable tool in understanding the past properly. But the events and significance of D-Day, which has been said by the Royal British Legion to have earned its place as one of the most significant battles in history, cannot realistically be challenged.

RUL

IN this June 8, 1944, file photo, under heavy German machine gun fire, American infantrymen wade ashore off the ramp of a Coast Guard landing craft during the invasion of the French coast of Normandy in World War II. June 6, 2023, marks the 79th anniversary of D-Day, the assault that began the liberation of France and Europe from German occupation, leading to the end World War II.

Photo: US Coast Guard/AP

BRITISH Prime Minister Rishi Sunak listens as President Joe Biden speaks during a news conference, as seen in a reflection, in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Thursday, June 8, 2023.

Photo: Susan Walsh/AP

Jeffrey Epstein victims settle sex trafficking lawsuit against JPMorgan for $290 million

Associated Press

JPMORGAN Chase announced a tentative $290 million settlement Monday with the victims of Jeffrey Epstein who had accused the bank of being the financial conduit that allowed the financier to continue operating a sex trafficking operation.

Epstein was arrested in 2019 on federal charges accusing him of paying underage girls for massages and then molesting them at his homes in Florida and New York. He was found dead in jail in August of that year, at age 66. A medical examiner ruled his death a suicide.

The lawsuit filed in Manhattan federal court in November sought to hold JPMorgan financially liable for Epstein’s decades-long abuse of teenage girls and young women. A related lawsuit has been filed in the US Virgin Islands.

The proposed settlement comes roughly two weeks after JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon testified in a deposition for the case, where he denied knowing about Epstein and his crimes until the

financier was arrested in 2019, according to a transcript of the videotaped deposition released last month.

“We all now understand that Epstein’s behaviour was monstrous, and we believe this settlement is in the best interest of all parties, especially the survivors, who suffered unimaginable abuse at the hands of this man,” JPMorgan Chase said in a written statement early Monday.

The proposed settlement, which must still be approved by the judge in the case, totals $290 million, according to lead plaintiff attorney David Boies.

According to the lawsuits, JPMorgan provided Epstein loans and regularly allowed him to withdraw large sums of cash from 1998 through August 2013 even though it was aware of his participation in sex trafficking. The anonymous victim in the suit, referred to as Jane Doe, said she was sexually abused by Epstein from 2006 and 2013.

Also on Monday, a judge ruled in favour of making Doe’s lawsuit into

game sales tied to Bethesda’s space title ‘s tarfield’ on XBoX

a class-action lawsuit for all victims of Epstein’s sex crimes. “Money, which for far too long flowed with impunity between Jeffrey Epstein’s global sex

trafficking enterprise and Wall Street’s leading banks, is decisively being used for good,” said Sigrid McCawley, an attorney for Jane Doe and other Epstein victims, in a prepared

statement. “The settlements signal that financial institutions have an important role to play in spotting and shutting down sex trafficking.”

The bank continued to count Epstein as a client despite the fact that he was arrested and pled guilty in 2008 to sex crimes in Florida.

Any association with him was a mistake and we regret it,” the bank said in a prepared statement. “We would never have continued to do business with him if we believed he was using our bank in any way to help commit heinous crimes.”

Both lawsuits were filed after New York state in

November enacted a temporary law letting adult victims of sexual abuse to sue others for the abuse they suffered, even if the abuse occurred long ago.

Lawsuits are still pending between the US Virgin Islands and JPMorgan Chase, and the bank is still pursuing its lawsuit against JPMorgan former executive Jes Staley.

The bank has denied the allegations and sued Staley, saying he hid Epstein’s crimes to keep him as a client. Staley left JPMorgan in 2013 to later become CEO of the British bank Barclays. Staley stepped down from that role in 2021 due to his prior relationship with Epstein.

Associated Press

ONE small step for an intrepid crew of 24th century space explorers could be a giant leap — or flop — for Microsoft when the Xbox-maker launches its long-awaited video game Starfield.

Players must fend off pirates, navigate strange moons, build outposts and fix their own starships in a space epic that is due out on Xbox in September after years of development and delay. Microsoft gave its most detailed glimpse of the upcoming game at a Los Angeles event Sunday.

The release could be one of the most important in Xbox’s history as it looks to attract gamers with a headliner on par with Nintendo’s latest Zelda game and PlayStation’s upcoming Spider-Man 2, said Mat Piscatella, a game industry analyst for market researcher Circana.

After months of watching Nintendo’s Switch console and Sony’s PlayStation steal the momentum in a lagging market — with boosts from Hollywood adaptions of Nintendo’s Super Mario and the PlayStation exclusive Last of Us — Microsoft could use a blockbuster to drive sales of its Xbox consoles and its monthly game subscription service.

“Starfield may have the potential to be as big or bigger than” popular games on rival platforms, especially thanks to the strong track record of the studio that made it, Piscatella said. “But the ‘may’ there is a big one.”

Much of the anticipation centres on the past commercial successes of Microsoft-owned Bethesda Softworks, the studio behind long-running series such as Doom, Elder Scrolls and Fallout. Bethesda describes Starfield as its “first new universe in over 25 years.”

Bethesda was already well on its way toward developing it when Microsoft acquired its parent company ZeniMax Media for $7.5 billion in 2021. In

fact, Bethesda first sought to trademark the Starfield name a decade ago, and teased the game in a brief trailer five years later in 2018.

Now Starfield is caught up in another planned Microsoft takeover -- of Call of Duty maker Activision Blizzard. Sony has raised antitrust objections to the $69 billion deal over concerns that Microsoft could make some of Activision’s best games exclusive to Xbox.

PlayStation has its own exclusives — including top-sellers Last of Us, the Marvel Spider-Man games and some Final Fantasy games. But Sony has argued to British and European antitrust regulators that Microsoft’s decision to make ZeniMax games like Starfield and Redfall exclusive to Xbox provides “further compelling evidence of Microsoft’s ability and incentives to foreclose rivals” to games it acquires through acquisitions.

British and US antitrust authorities have sought to block the Activision deal, though neither has mentioned the Starfield example as a concern. Other countries, including regulators representing the 27-nation European Union, have approved the acquisition.

Microsoft’s ongoing battle to close the Activision deal and build enthusiasm for its existing stock of games comes at a slow period for game sales after interest soared at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Consumer spending on video games and hardware in the US was $4.1 billion in April, a 5% drop from a year ago, according to Circana.

A 6% decline in game revenue was partly offset by 7% growth in hardware sales, particularly for the PlayStation 5 and Switch. It marked the best April for console sales since the pandemic caused a sales spike in 2020.

PHIL SPENCER, Head of Xbox, welcomes fans as the countdown to the 2023 Xbox Games Showcase and Starfield Direct began Sunday in Los Angeles.

Photo: Casey Rodgers/AP

JPMORGAN Chase is defending itself against a lawsuit by the US Virgin Islands accusing it of empowering Jeffrey Epstein to abuse teenage girls. Lawyers for the giant bank said in court papers in May that it was the islands that enabled the financier to commit his crimes.

Photo: Michel Euler/AP

KYLIAN MBAPPE INFORMS PSG HE WILL NOT TRIGGER CONTRACT EXTENSION, AP SOURCE SAYS

By JAMES ROBSON AP Soccer Writer

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Kylian Mbappe has told Paris Saint-Germain he will not take up the option of a 12-month extension on his contract, which expires at the end of next season.

The France superstar confirmed his decision in a letter to PSG, a person with knowledge of the correspondence told The Associated Press on Monday.

The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to comment publicly.

The person also said PSG would not allow Mbappe to leave as a free agent, raising the possibility of an immediate bidding war by other clubs and potential transfer this summer.

The French club, which is owned by Qatar Sports Investments, has already seen Lionel Messi leave for nothing in return, with the Argentine great making a stunning move to MLS team Inter Miami.

There is also uncertainty about the future of another PSG star — Brazil international Neymar.

But the potential departure of the 24-yearold Mbappe would be the greatest loss to PSG, given that he is a national icon and widely considered one of the few players capable of taking over from Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as soccer’s biggest star.

Mbappe had until July 31 to trigger a one-year extension to his contract. He has been at the club since 2017 after signing from Monaco in a transfer worth a reported $190 million.

In 2021, PSG turned down a bid of $190 million from Real Madrid for the World Cup-winning forward, who went on to sign his current contract.

Mbappe hoped to help PSG win its first Champions League title, but the team suffered another disappointment in European soccer’s top competition, which Manchester City went on to win by beating Inter Milan 1-0 in the final on Saturday.

The young striker is likely to be linked with a move to Madrid, particularly after Karim Benzema left the Spanish giant for Saudi Arabian team Al-Ittihad.

Madrid has already agreed to a deal for England midfielder Jude Bellingham. The potential acquisition of Mbappe would be a major statement of intent after it relinquished its Spanish league and Champions League titles this year.

PSG was planning a change of strategy after moves for the biggest stars failed to bring success in Europe. The new focus would be on young, French talent. Mbappe was expected to be at the heart of that shift and it had been hoped he would sign a longer-term contract.

Mbappe has won five French league titles with PSG and was a World Cup winner with France in 2018.

MAN CITY CELEBRATE WINNING TREBLE OF MAJOR TROPHIES WITH OPEN-TOP BUS PARADE IN RAIN

MANCHESTER, England

(AP) — Champagne and rain poured as Manchester City’s players celebrated winning the treble of major trophies with an opentop bus parade through the city center in front of tens of thousands of fans on Monday.

The start of the evening parade was delayed because of what City called “adverse weather conditions and lightning storms” but two blue buses — complete with the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League trophies aboard — eventually wound their way through the city streets, with the players and cigar-smoking manager Pep Guardiola wearing T-shirts bearing the words “Treble Winners.”

“It had to be the best parade with this rain, otherwise this is not Manchester,” Guardiola said after the squad reached a stage on St. Peter’s Square in the middle of Manchester, led by a shirtless Erling Haaland and Ruben Dias with three medals around his neck.

“We don’t want sunshine, we want rain, so it was perfect.”

City beat Inter Milan 1-0 in the Champions League final in Istanbul on Saturday to complete the

treble and emulate the achievement of Manchester United’s class of 1998-99.

It was a first Champions League title for City, along with a fifth

Premier League title in six years and a second FA Cup in Guardiola’s seven-year reign. It has been one long party since City returned from Istanbul on Sunday and the celebrations were far from over.

“For the past 24 hours I’ve had the best day and night,” City winger Jack Grealish said. “To be fair, I don’t think I’ve had any sleep.”

Elton John weighed in with a video tribute — just over a week after the 76-year-old pop icon bumped into City players on the tarmac at the Manchester airport after the FA Cup win. Players had serenaded John by signing “Your Song.”

“You did it, I’m so happy and thrilled for you all,” John said. “What a season, what an achievement. Enjoy the celebrations in Manchester, you deserve it.”

HAVERTZ HELPS GERMANY SALVAGE 3-3 DRAW WITH UKRAINE, PROCEEDS GOING TO WAR VICTIMS

BREMEN, Germany

(AP) — Kai Havertz helped Germany salvage a 3-3 draw with Ukraine in a charity friendly that left neither team happy from a sporting perspective on Monday.

Viktor Tsyhankov had scored twice for Ukraine to come from behind and lead 3-1 in Serhiy Rebrov’s debut as coach, putting his team on course for the country’s first ever win over Germany.

But Havertz pulled one back in the 83rd and was then fouled for a penalty that Joshua Kimmich converted in stoppage time for the equaliser.

The German soccer federation was donating the proceeds to victims of Russia’s war in Ukraine. The match was also billed as the federation’s 1,000th, but the team’s performance will do little to restore battered German confidence a year before the country hosts the European Championship.

The buildup was overshadowed by the war in Ukraine with both teams taking to the field accompanied by children who had fled their country to escape the invasion.

Every visiting player was draped in a Ukrainian flag. The teams posed for individual photos — with Ukraine’s in front of another giant blue-and-yellow flag — before German and Ukrainian players posed for a mixed photo behind a banner with the word “peace.”

The German players also

had a peace symbol on the arms of their jerseys.

Niclas Füllkrug, playing in his home stadium, was gifted a huge chance by Mykhailo Mudryk in the second minute but the Werder Bremen forward missed with only the goalkeeper to beat.

Füllkrug was credited with the opening goal in the sixth when he deflected Marius Wolf’s shot past Anatoliy Trubin in the visitors’ goal.

Germany missed further good chances against the disorganised visitors before Tsyhankov equalised on a counterattack in the 19th.

Mudryk forced an own goal from Antonio Rüdiger four minutes later to make it 2-1, delighting the visiting supporters. The Ukrainian ambassador to Germany, Oleksii Makeiev, celebrated with restraint beside German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who smiled and held out his

hand to congratulate him.

Buoyed by the goals, Ukraine pushed for more before the home team recovered.

But it was a typical display of late from Germany — seemingly in control, creating chances, yet still prone to costly mistakes.

Coach Hansi Flick reacted by bringing on Havertz and Lukas Klostermann for the second half, but little changed.

Artem Dovbyk

capitalized on another mistake to set up Tsyhankov for the third goal in the 56th. Further German mistakes led to whistles from some in the crowd. They were finally given reason to cheer when Rüdiger sent a long ball forward for Havertz to score.

Havertz was then fouled as he pushed for the equalizer and Kimmich, the Germany captain, made no mistake from the spot.

MANCHESTER City’s team ride during the parade to celebrate winning the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League in Manchester, England, Monday. (Danny Lawson/PA via AP)

MANCHESTER City’s Bernardo Silva lifts the Premier League trophy during the parade. (Peter Byrne/PA via AP)

GERMANY’S KAI HAVERTZ, right, scores his side’s second goal during a friendly soccer match between Germany and Ukraine in Bremen, Germany, Monday. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

KYLIAN Mbappe

SONEGO UPSETS DEFENDING CHAMPION BERRETTINI 6-1, 6-2 AT STUTTGART OPEN

STUTTGART, Germany

(AP) — Lorenzo Sonego eliminated defending champion Matteo Berrettini from the Stuttgart Open on Monday, beating the Italian 6-1, 6-2.

Berrettini had been going for his third win in three appearances at the grass-court tournament. But he struggled from the start against the 41st-ranked Sonego, who saved all six break points he faced.

“Today I played my best tennis. This is my first tournament on grass, my first match, and I played really well. I’m really happy about that,” said Sonego, who added that Berrettini is his “best friend on tour and it’s tough to see him like that. I hope the best for him in the next tournament.”

Berrettini had been riding a nine-match winning streak on grass, including his wins last year in Stuttgart and at Queen’s Club in London.

Lorenzo Musetti defeated Croatian qualifier Borna Gojo 7-6 (4), 6-3, and Jiri Lehecka rallied to beat Marcos Giron 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Also, Richard Gasquet defeated American qualifier Christopher Eubanks 7-6 (2), 6-4 and Yosuke Watanuki ousted Spanish wild card Feliciano Lopez with a 7-6 (5), 6-3 win.

SAKKARI, VEKIC WIN 1ST-ROUND MATCHES AT GRASS-COURT

NOTTINGHAM OPEN

NOTTINGHAM, England (AP) — Top-seeded Maria Sakkari won her opening match at the Nottingham Open on Monday, while former champion Donna Vekic also advanced to the last 16 at the grass-court tournament.

Sakkari, the No. 8-ranked Greek, beat Xiyu Wang of China 6-2, 7-6 (6) after Vekic of Croatia defeated Cristina Bucsa of Spain 6-2, 4-6, 6-1. Vekic won the event in 2017 and lost in the final in ‘19.

Beatriz Haddad Maia of Brazil is the defending champion in Nottingham and is coming off reaching the semifinals at the French Open last week. She plays Tuesday along with a slew of British players including new British No. 1 Katie Boulter, who has taken over from Emma Raducanu.

ANDY MURRAY WINS SURBITON FINAL TO SET AGE RECORD AHEAD OF WIMBLEDON

LONDON (AP) — Andy Murray hailed his “perfect start to the grass season” as the three-time Grand Slam champion stepped up preparations for Wimbledon in style.

The 36-year-old Murray became the oldest grasscourt champion at an ATP Challenger Tour event, beating Austrian Jurij Rodionov 6-3, 6-2 Sunday in the final of the Lexus Surbiton Trophy to earn a seeded position at Wimbledon next month.

It was his first singles title on grass since winning Wimbledon in 2016. Murray withdrew from the French Open to prioritise Wimbledon, where he has won two of his majors on grass.

Murray showcased a powerful shot collection which dismantled Rodionov in just more than an hour. Heavy rain suspended play during the second set before Murray sent down more punishing serves to claim the win.

The downpour caused a near three-hour delay and meant Murray’s children missed seeing him win.

“They didn’t tell me they were coming, then obviously I won the first set and my wife decided to bring (the kids) in case I won,” Murray said.

“They arrived as the rain came and then left as they took the covers off. She messaged me saying, ‘Well done, we have just got home, I can’t believe we didn’t stay.’”

Wimbledon begins on July 3.

ANALYSIS: NOVAK DJOKOVIC HAS 23 SLAMS, SO IS HE THE GOAT? HE LEAVES THAT DEBATE TO OTHERS

By HOWARD FENDRICH AP Tennis Writer

PARIS (AP) — The query was swift and direct. Novak Djokovic’s reply was slow, thoughtful and revelatory, delivered in paragraphs.

“How does it feel,” a reporter wanted to know, “to be the greatest male player in history?”

First, a quick bit of background: Djokovic’s championship at the 2023 French Open, earned via a 7-6 (1), 6-3, 7-5 victory over Casper Ruud on Sunday that included a so-so start and then a cascade of brilliance, provided his 23rd Grand Slam title.

No man has won as many. After spending his entire career trying to accumulate as much hardware as rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, Djokovic now stands alone atop the list. He had been tied at 22 with Nadal; Federer, who announced his retirement last year, has 20.

So, now, back to that question. For years, as that so-called Big Three dominated men’s tennis, the debate has swirled over which should be considered the “GOAT” — “Greatest of All-Time.” Federer has his backers. So does Nadal. Djokovic, too.

There are those who want to make it purely about numbers, and Djokovic earns that crown: In addition to the majors count, he has spent a record number of weeks at No. 1 in the rankings and has won each of the Masters 1000 events twice, while the other guys haven’t won each once.

There are those who want to make it about style. There are those who want to look at other intangibles.

Then there are those who believe all three men deserve to be lauded and appreciated equally. No need to take a side.

And so, let’s hear Djokovic’s reply.

“I mean, I don’t want to say that I am the greatest, because I feel — I’ve said it

before — it’s disrespectful towards all the great champions in different eras of our sport that was played in a completely different way than it is played today,” Djokovic said Sunday night, wearing a red jacket with “23” stitched on the front. “I feel like each great champion of his own generation has left a huge mark, a legacy, and paved the way for us to be able to play this sport in such a great stage worldwide.”

He was just getting started.

“So,” the 36-year-old from Serbia continued, “I leave those kind of discussions of who is the greatest to someone else. I have, of course, huge faith and confidence and belief (in) myself and for everything that I am and who I am and what I am capable of doing. So this trophy obviously is another confirmation of the quality of tennis that I’m still able to produce, I feel.”

He went on to say what he’s said before about the significance of the four major tournaments — the Australian Open (which he’s won 10 times), French Open (three), Wimbledon (seven) and the U.S. Open (three) — and called them “THE biggest priorities on the checklist for not just this season, but any season, especially at this stage of my career.”

There was more.

About how he didn’t fare particularly well during the clay-court portion of the season leading up to Roland Garros. About how he is a different player when the best-of-five-set format arrives at majors (“He has this software in his head that he can switch (on) when a Grand Slam comes,” was the explanation offered by his coach, Goran Ivanisevic). About the inner and outer pressure and expectations he feels leading into the tournament. About the satisfaction and relief and pride and fulfillment he feels when it’s over and he’s won it.

And then Djokovic veered again.

Although he was not asked about what the future might hold, he did spin things forward a bit, certainly implying he is intent on continuing to add to his trophy total.

“Of course, the journey is still not over. I feel if I’m winning Slams, why even think about ending the career that already has been going on for 20 years?” Djokovic said. “So I still feel motivated. I still feel inspired to play the best tennis (at) these tournaments, the ... Grand Slams. Those are the ones that count, I guess, the most in history of our sport.”

In the end — 450 words into a response to a question of 12 — he gave some insight into his mindset.

Remember: He is halfway to a calendar-year Grand Slam, something last done by a man in 1969, and play begins at the All England Club on July 3. Djokovic wrapped up by adding six more words to form a sentence that should make every other player wary: “I look forward, already, to Wimbledon.”

SERBIA’s Novak Djokovic plays a shot against Norway’s Casper Ruud during their final match of the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, Sunday. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)

SERBIA’s Novak Djokovic holds the trophy as he celebrates winning the men’s singles final match of the French Open tennis tournament. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)

SERBIA’S Novak Djokovic hugs his family and members of his team as he celebrates winning the men’s singles final match of the French Open tennis tournament. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)

Nuggets take home 1st NBA title in rugged 94-89 win over Heat

By EDDIE PELLS AP National Writer

DENVER (AP) — Confetti flying in Denver. The Nuggets passing around the NBA championship trophy.

Those scenes that, for decades, seemed impossible, then more recently started feeling inevitable, finally turned into reality Monday night.

The Nuggets outlasted the Miami Heat 94-89 in an ugly, frantic Game 5 that did nothing to derail Nikola Jokic, who bailed out his teammates with 28 points and 16 rebounds on a night when nothing else seemed to work.

Jokic won the Bill Russell trophy as the NBA Finals MVP — an award that certainly has more meaning to him than the two overall MVPs he won in 2021 and ‘22.

“We are not in it for ourselves, we are in it for the guy next to us,” Jokic said. “And that’s why this (means) even more.”

Denver’s clincher was a gruesome grind.

Unable to shake the tenacious Heat or the closing-night jitters, the Nuggets missed 20 of their first 22 3-pointers. They missed seven of their first 13 free throws. They led by seven late, before Miami’s Jimmy Butler went off, scoring eight straight points to give the Heat a one-point lead with 2:45 left.

Butler made two more free throws with 1:58 remaining to help Miami regain a one-point lead. Then, Bruce Brown got an offensive rebound and tip-in to give the Nuggets the lead for good.

Trailing by three with 15 seconds left, Butler jacked up a 3, but missed it. Brown and Kentavious CaldwellPope made two free throws each to put the game out of reach and clinch the title for Denver. Butler finished with 21 points.

Ugly as it was, the aftermath was something the Nuggets and their fans could all agree was beautiful. There were fireworks exploding outside Ball Arena at the final buzzer. Denver is the home of the Larry O’Brien Trophy for the first time in the franchise’s 47 years in the league.

“It was ugly and we couldn’t make shots, but at the end we figured it out,” Jokic said. “I am just happy we won the game.”

The Heat were, as coach Erik Spoelstra promised, a gritty, tenacious bunch. But their shooting wasn’t great, either.

Bam Adebayo had 20 for the Heat, but Miami shot 34% from the floor and 25% from 3. Until Butler went

It felt almost perfect that an unheralded and oncechubby second-round draft pick from Serbia would be the one to lift Denver to the top of a league that, for decades, has been dominated by superstars, first-round draft picks and players who lead the world in sneaker and jersey sales.

Over their near fivedecade stay in the league, the Nuggets have been the epitome of a lovable NBA backbencher – at times entertaining, adorned by rainbows on their uniforms and headlined by colourful characters on the floor and bench. But never quite good enough to break through against the biggest stars and better teams to the east, west and south of them.

Before this season, there were only two teams founded before 1980 – the Nuggets and Clippers – that had never been to an NBA Finals. The Nuggets took their name off that list, then joined San Antonio as the second original ABA team to capture the NBA’s biggest prize. The other two ABAers, the Pacers and Nets, have been to the finals but lost.

It was the Joker’s blossoming into a doeverything force – even before Monday, he was the first player to record 500 points, 250 rebounds and 150 assists in a single postseason – that made the Nuggets a team to watch. Not everybody did.

A shift to winning couldn’t change Denver’s location on the map – in a weird time zone in flyover territory – and it didn’t shift everyone’s view of the Nuggets.

off, he was 2 for 13 for eight points.

The Heat, who survived a loss in the play-in tournament and became only the second No. 8 seed to make it to the finals, insisted they weren’t into consolation prizes.

They played like they expected to win, and for a while during this game, which was settled as much by players diving onto the floor as sweet-looking jump shots, it looked like they would.

The Nuggets, who came in shooting 37.6% from 3 for the series, shot 18% in this one.

They committed 14 turnovers. Even with the clutch shots from Brown and Caldwell-Pope, they only went 13 for 23 from the line.

The tone of the game was set with 2:51 left in the first quarter, when Jokic got his second foul and joined Aaron Gordon on the

bench.

Jeff Green and Jamal

Murray, who finished with 14 points and eight assists on an off night, joined them there, too.

It made the Nuggets tentative on both sides of the court for the rest of the half. Somehow, after shooting 6.7% from 3 — the worst first half in the history of the finals (10-shot minimum) they only trailed by seven.

True to the Nuggets’ personality, they kept pressing, came at their opponent in waves and figured out how to win a game that went against their type. Their beautiful game turned into a slugfest, but they figured it out nonetheless.

“That’s why basketball is a fun sport,” Jokic said.

“It’s a live thing. You cannot say, ‘This is going to happen.’ There are so many factors. I’m just happy that we won the game.”

Even in Denver.

There’s little doubt that this has always been a Broncos-first sort of town. No single Denver victory will outshine the day in 1998 when John Elway broke through and that team’s owner, Pat Bowlen, held the Lombardi Trophy high and declared: “This one’s for John!”

But this one? It doesn’t take a back seat to much. It’s for every Dan (Issel), David (Thompson), Doug (Moe) or Dikembe (Mutombo) who ever came up short or got passed over for a newer, shinier model with more glitter and more stars. For the first time in 47 seasons, nobody in the NBA shines brighter than the Nuggets.

“The fans in this town are unbelievable,” team owner Stan Kroenke said. “It means a lot to us to get this done.”

DENVER Nuggets players, coaches and owners pose with the Larry O’Brien NBA Championship Trophy after their victory over the Miami Heat in Game 5 of basketball’s NBA Finals, Monday, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

ABOVE: Denver Nuggets centre Nikola Jokic, centre right, and Miami Heat centre Bam Adebayo, centre left, compete for a rebound.

RIGHT: Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) shoots a 3-point basket over Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler, left.

(AP Photos/ Jack Dempsey)

DENVER Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) tries to shoot over Miami Heat forward Caleb Martin (16). (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

BLTA CROWNS JUNIOR TENNIS CHAMPIONS

FROM PAGE 16

Sponsors AID said:

“AID is thrilled to be the official sponsor of the Bahamas Junior Nationals Tennis Championships. As an avid supporter of the tennis community in The Bahamas for over thirty years, we are honoured to support this tournament; the pinnacle of local tennis competition for the youth of this country.

“The company believes wholeheartedly that sports instills the discipline, perseverance, and responsibility needed to build wellrounded, productive citizens, and is excited to be a part of this remarkable sporting event.”

TORKELSON LIFTS TIGERS TO 6-5, 10-INNING WIN OVER BRAVES, STOPS 9-GAME SKID

By DAVE HOGG

Associated Press

DETROIT (AP)

— Spencer Torkelson sparked a three-run, ninth-inning rally against Raisel Iglesias with a two-run homer and hit a game-ending single in the 10th, lifting Detroit over the Atlanta Braves 6-5 on Monday night to stop the Tigers’ nine-game losing streak.

“This is huge, because the last 10 days haven’t been much fun,” Torkelson said. “We’ve felt in all 10 of these games that we were never out of it. Tonight, the pitching staff did a great job and there were a couple of defensive plays that kept us in it. We just kept chipping away.”

Andy Ibañez began the comeback from a 4-0 deficit with a seventh-inning homer and threw out Sam Hilliard at the plate from left field in the 10th as Detroit improved to 7-3 in extra-inning games this year.

Atlanta’s Marcel Ozuna was hit on the right wrist by a pitch from Garrett Hill in the fourth and left the game one inning later with what the Braves said was a bruise. Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said Ozuna was undergoing tests at a hospital.

Atlanta led 5-2 when Jonathan Schoop singled off Iglesias (2-3) leading off the ninth, and Torkelson drove a sinker 440 feet to left-center for his sixth homer.

“He caught me by surprise with his changeup on the first pitch, so I kind of dumbed down my approach,” Torkelson said. “I guess that’s what happens when you don’t try to do too much.”

Kerry Carpenter singled, Javier Báez struck out and Nick Maton bounced into a forceout at second, speeding down the first-base line to avoid a game-ending double play.

“To win a game like that, you need everyone to do something positive,” Hinch said. “Nick made a big play by getting down the line to keep the play alive.”

Matt Vierling, activated from the injured list after recovering from a sore back, singled and Zach Short tied the score when he singled to left on a changeup with a 1-2 count. Iglesias struck out Ibañez, sending the game to extra innings.

“I feel like the command and the pitchers were there,” Iglesias said. “They came out aggressive, looking to make contact, because I’m a pitcher who throws a lot of strikes. I think that’s all there is to it.”

Ibañez came up with the big throw when Eddie Rosario hit a 238-foot flyout off Alex Lange (4-2). Hilliard tried to get his right arm around catcher Jake Rogers’ left leg on a headfirst slide but was called out by plate umpire Jordan Baker, a decision that ended the inning and was upheld in a video review.

CARIFTA CHAMPION NABBIE VISITS CLEVELAND ENEAS PRIMARY SCHOOL

CARIFTA sprint champion Jamiah Nabbie visited the Cleveland Eneas Primary School last week where she celebrated with the members of the school’s track and field team.

Nabbie was invited to participate in the event through her former coach Mariska Thompson.

She coached Nabbie up until she entered Queen’s College two years ago.

During the CARIFTA Games over the Easter holiday weekend at the Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium, Nabbie captured the gold in the under-127 girls 100 metres in a time of 11.67 seconds and the 200m in 23.67.

She also ran on the second leg of the Bahamas 4 x 100m relay team with Shayann Demeritte, Darvinique Dean and Bayli Major as they clinched the silver in 47.13 behind Jamaica, the eventual gold medal winners in 46.18.

PI XI CHAPTER OF OMEGA PSI PHI FRATERNITY INCORPORATED TO HOST CHARITY GOLF EVENT

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

AS a part of their celebrations to commemorate their 30 years in the Bahamas, the Pi Xi Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Incorporated will host their inaugural charity golf tournament.

The event will take place at the Royal Blue Golf Club on Wednesday, July 12 and, according to co-sponsor James Clarke, will be second to none.

The tournament is a part of a week-long series of events from July 11-16 that include the Dr Moses C. Norman Sr International Leadership Conference at the Atlantis, Resort, revealed by Kevin O. Hudson, the Basileus of the Pi Xi Chapter.

The other events are Da’ Greasy Pit (Saturday, July 8); Boat cruise (Saturday, July 9); Junkanoo (Independence Day); International Youth Leadership Project (Wednesday, July 12th); 13th District 30th Anniversary Extravanganza (Wednesday, July 12th); Omega Stem Solar Car Race (Thursday, July 13th); Eneas Street Project (Thursday, July 13th); Quette Events (Thursday, July 13th); Exempler Awards (Friday, July 14th); Fun Walk/Run (Saturday, July 15th); Day Party (Saturday, July 15th) and Nigh Party/Boat ride (Saturday, July 15th).

Clarke said when the tournament tees off at 9am, there will be as four-man scramble best-ball format with players getting the opportunity to compete for two prizes for the hole-in-one.

The first hole-in-one on hole 12 will be a brand new BYD Tong,

offered by Easy Car Sales. The other on hole three will be a brand new golf cart, offered by ICON Bahama.

“We are imploring everyone to get your four-man team and go out there and register,” Clarke said. “We have some awesome prizes up for grabs.”

The tournament is open to the general public and Clarke

encouraged Bahamians to sign up early. He noted that they have some visiting members from around the world who will be coming for the week-long celebrations and will also be participating in the tournament. Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Incorporated, whose Pi Xi Chapter was established in the Bahamas in 1977, have a membership of around 900

members, Hudson said. Hudson added they are anticipating around 1,200-1,500 persons from around the world coming to The Bahamas to be a part of their celebrations, which coincides with the country’s 50th Golden Jubilee. Information on all of the events is available on www.pixichapter/ events.com and www.pixichapter. com/golf

PICTURED from left to right are Lunnon Gibson, Assistant Conference Marshall; Peter Mitchell, Conference Marshall; James Clarke, co-sponsor of the golf tournament; Eugene Horton, Assistant Conference Marshall; Kevin Huson, Assistant Conference Marshall and Todd Isaacs, member.

CARIFTA sprint champion Jamiah Nabbie with some of the Cleveland Eneas Primary School track team.

COACH Marissa Thompson and CARIFTA sprint champion Jamiah Nabbie.

ALEXANDRIA’S PASSIONS FOR SCIENCE AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP

AS COUNTRIES recognise World Environment Day and World Oceans Day this month, local marine-loving environmentalist, Alexandra Sinclair, marks the culmination of her third round of tertiary education.

Already equipped with an Associate of Science Degree in marine biology from the Bahamas Agriculture and Marine Science Institute (BAMSI) and a Bachelor of Science Degree in biology with a minor in chemistry from the University of The Bahamas, Alexandra is now set to graduate from the Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute (BTVI) this July with a diploma and certification in massage therapy and esthetics respectively.

Alexandra’s decision to attend BTVI was birthed at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in an effort to expand her professional background and learn a trade.

“With my science background, I started working at the Department of Marine Resources in 2020 as an Assistant Fisheries Officer

The BTVI Story

in charge of the Statistics, Data Collection and Permits Unit. Additionally, due to my interest in marine biology, I became a licensed boat captain and a certified dive master with various specialties,” she said.

Though widely known as an art, massage therapy is also a science with foundations in human anatomy, physiology, kinesiology and pathology. Alexandra recalls learning body mechanics as it relates to massage techniques specific to different types of pain and how they can be relieved.

“Massage therapy opened my eyes to beauty trades and how working with your hands can change how someone feels,” said Alexandra.

The budding dual therapist’s BTVI journey not only taught her

to be intentional with a client but to aim to provide a professional and satisfactory service.

Alexandra credits beauty trades instructors such as Rochelle Scavella, Inga Northe, Aja Strachan and Nadia Beneby for going above and beyond for students studying massage therapy and esthetics.

“As a dual therapist, I am passionate about providing services that leave my clients feeling relaxed and revitalised. From facials and massages to body treatments and waxing. The instructors have equipped their students with the skills to start our businesses and hit the ground running to continue what we started at BTVI,” she said.

Along with necessary practical skills, Alexandra said BTVI taught her that being an entrepreneur can be beneficial in assisting her achieve future goals. She noted that a water shiatsu massage certification can bring two of her passions, the marine and beauty fields, together to

provide a unique service in The Bahamas.

“The additional income is funding the graduate school pursuit I plan to soon embark on. As a massage therapist, I strive to continue learning and plan to obtain additional certifications in a variety of massage modalities such as water shiatsu, prenatal massage, Thai massage and many others by doing specialised courses.”

In the interim, Alexandra has already launched her business, A Touch of Sunshine Mobile Massage. With over eight massage types and various other beauty services available, she joins the list of BTVI students and alumni who have capitalised on their trade, transforming lives and communities while being globally competitive and economically independent.

CLEANING UP ABOVE AND BELOW WATER

By FAY SIMMONS jsimmons@tribunemedia.net

THE Bahamas Reef Environment Education Foundation (BREEF) held an above and underwater beach clean-up in commemoration of World’s Ocean Day last weekend.

The clean-up was held at Saunders Beach and allowed participants to snorkel and admire marine life while reducing the footprints of plastic waste pollution.

Casaurina McKinney-Lambert, executive director of BREEF, said clean-ups provide opportunities for the community to improve and protect the health of our waters.

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

She said: “We’re doing an underwater and above water beach cleanup. So realising that plastic pollution is a big threat in The Bahamas, and around the world, it’s a really tangible way for everybody to get involved with helping protect our waters, cleaning up plastic and also then taking steps to reduce the amount of plastic pollution that we’re generating.”

BREEF is celebrating its 30th anniversary and is marking the occasion by activities throughout the year, highlighting education and ocean conservation.

Ms McKinney-Lambert said:

“Even though we’re a small island state, we’re a large ocean nation, 95% of our country is underwater, and we really want to encourage and make opportunities available for our own people to get out and enjoy the ocean. It’s not just for visitors to the islands, even

though having a pristine ocean is what encourages people to come. We want our own people to benefit from the incredible ocean around us.”

“We do regular snorkels where we invite students who are in our Eco Schools programme and just students in general. We have a number of students from Sandilands primary today who are out snorkeling and learning how to swim and enjoying the water.”

Ms McKinney-Lambert said:

“Climate change is one of the big threats that we have, particularly impacting our coral reefs so kids out here who are out snorkeling are getting a chance to see some corals in the water, living corals.”

“Corals are vulnerable to climate change and warming waters so it’s much easier to to take action for conservation when you’ve actually seen it yourself

and personally in it, rather than just learning about it in school and a classroom we want to get out into the ocean.”

Trinity Arhana, an eight-yearold student at Sandilands Primary School, said: “Snorkeling was pretty fun and exciting. We have to keep our water clean because it wouldn’t be nice if it got polluted and then there wouldn’t be any fish. And it’s important to protect or trees because they help to clean the air.”

• “The BTVI Story” is a biweekly column which highlights the who, what and why of the Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute (BTVI), a tertiary institution where individuals ‘Discover the Possibilities’ related to various trades. The column is produced by BTVI’s Office of Public Relations.

ETHAN MARTIN is a sixth grade student at Excelsior Elementary School and was a Bahamas Primary School Student of the Year 2023 finalist.

Ethan enjoys playing basketball and soccer, drawing, skating and watching his favorite shows on YouTube or Netflix.

He has earned first place in his school’s Science Fair, Spelling Bee, and two successive Literacy Week Speech Competitions.

His future career goal is to become CEO of his own company or become an engineer like his father.

A fun fact about Ethan is that he has an identical twin brother Evan, and they enjoy playing video games and discussing basketball stats.

Youth Climate Ambassador, said many Bahamians are interested in participating in conservation activities, but do not have access and are not aware of services and outreach programmes.

She said: “One thing I’ve noticed is that Bahamian youth are not as engaged and not as connected to the wider world. And considering we fall in the category of countries that are most vulnerable to climate change. This is something that needs to be addressed.”

HELPING TO OPEN A PATH TO MARINE SCIENCE

By FAY SIMMONS jsimmons@tribunemedia.net

THE Blacks in Marine Science (BIMS) Immersion programme in South Eleuthera offered free SCUBA diving certification courses to eight participants.

The Cape Eleuthera Institute and Perry Institute for Marine Science hosted and supported BIMS and the Nature Conservancy as they teamed up to host BIMS first international Immersion Program.

Dr Tiara Moore, BIMS founder and CEO, said the organisation aims to change the perception of of scientists and provide support to communities that do not have access to ocean literacy programs.

She said “Blacks in Marine Science is a nonprofit organisation that really tries to celebrate black marine scientists and inspire the next generation of scientists. A lot of the programmes that we do aim to increase ocean literacy in the most impacted communities, they tend to be black communities by providing opportunities, access to education, access to programmes like our BIMS immersion programme. So really, so we can really change the face of who people see as scientists, but also really provide that skill set that isn’t often given to our communities.”

Dr Moore said damage to our coral reefs due to climate change can impact the country’s tourism product and programs such as the immersion program empower locals to mitigate those changes and inform the wider community of the dangers of climate change.

She said: “We have climate change happening

and we see it impacting coral reefs, it also impacts economies, especially predominantly black communities, islands like The Bahamas. Tourism is a huge part of the economy, and because reefs are bringing in a lot of that tourism if people aren’t able to enjoy that on their vacation they’re wanting to move on. And that’s going to be a loss in the economy. So we really want the people who live here to really have that skill set to be able to mitigate these climate changes and to be able to talk with different folks in the community about what is going on.”

Charissa Taylor, a student at Kingsway Academy, said that becoming SCUBA certified was a “dream come true”. She said the costs associated with certification can deter many young people and the opportunity to participate in such a programme is historic.

She said: “I’m starting to pursue a future in marine biology and to be able to get SCUBA

certified was just really a dream come true for me because in terms of like the pricing over here, it’s so expensive. I’ve always wanted to but I just never got the opportunity to do so. And then this whole programme came about and I got that golden ticket to become SCUBA certified.

“We’re a part of history in the making, changing the script and showing other people that black scientists and black marine scientists can excel as well.”

Charissa added: “I’m graduating next week and going to university in the fall. I actually got a full scholarship. So thank God for that. After my four years of college, I want to work in a large, impactful company like National Geographic or the Nature Conservancy. I want to eventually come back in Bahamas, especially in the marine world because brain drain is a real problem and I want to just help my country.”

Jannelle Wilson, a marine scientist, also participated in the immersion programme as a part of her transition from teaching to working in marine science full time.

She said: “It was great to see that there is an organisation specifically for black people in marine science, because that is not a well represented group, especially seeing so many black women in marine science. The CEO and founder [of BIMS] being a well-established, black, powerful marine science female was inspiring to me.

She added: “I think if the Bahamian populace at large just was more considerate and aware about littering and how that affects the country. We have water surrounding us, and it’s very easy for things to just flow and reach the ocean.”

Ashawnte Russell, Bahamas

BLTA CROWNS 2023 JUNIOR TENNIS CHAMPIONS

AFTER two days of competition, the Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association crowned three champions in its 2023 AID Junior National Tennis Championships at the National Tennis Centre at the weekend.

In the under-8 girls division, Eden Storr captured the title over runner-up Christin McWilliam.

Londyn Mortimer was the winner of the under-20 girls division over runner-up Rebecca Bitan.

And Cory Conyers emerged as the champion in the under-10 boys division over runner-up Max Schick.

The BLTA congratulated Storr, Mortimer and Conyers on earning their titles. Conyers and Mortimer went all tournament long not dropping a set, while Storr captured the title in her first appearance at Nationals.

“We applaud the courageous young persons who competed at a high level in the U8/ U10 section,” the BLTA stated. “There were 13 new players to the Nationals scene in these 2 divisions.”

The BLTA commended newcomers in the girls U-10 Daliyah Culmer and Kennadai Major along with Aidan Nsuli and Benjamin Cartwright on the boys side.

The youngest players in the tournament were Caia Bowe and Tatum Culmer.

Support

“We want to encourage each player in their tennis journey as we saw very strong performances,” the BLTA stated. “We congratulate the parents and coaches who continue to support the players in their tennis growth.”

The BLTA also mentioned Esther Newton and Tara Mactaggart, the tournament referee and tournament director respectively, for a job well done over the weekend.

“We also saw growth in the umpires who were recently trained by Mickey Williams, putting their newfound knowledge into practice,” the NLTA further commented.

“Thank you for your time and energy in ensuring the event was successful.”

The BLTA will now turn its attention to this weekend when the U-12 through U-18 categories will complete their competition, starting on Friday, June 16th at 2pm at the NTC.

“The NTC continues to be the venue for young tennis athletes to display their skills in a competitive atmosphere,” the BLTA stressed. “The BLTA is excited by the explosion of young talent to the tennis scene as approximately 100 athletes will participate in the AID Nationals.”

It’s expected that 2022 champions will be defending their titles as the 2023 singles and doubles champions will be crowned.

SEE PAGE 14

Injured Strachan: I could have won first NCAA title

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

IT was a painful experience over the weekend as Bahamian national javelin record holder Keyshawn Strachan sat and watched the National Collegiate Athletic Assocation’s National Track and Field Championships rather than competing in it.

The Auburn University freshman had to skip the biggest collegiate track and field extravaganza of the year at the Mike A. Moore Stadium on the campus of the University of Texas in Austin, Texas, because of a grade one UCL sprain in his right throwing arm.

The injury happened in March and, for the past three months, Strachan has been recuperating with the view of getting ready to compete when he returns home for the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations’ National Championships from July 5-7 at the Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium.

“It was very difficult because I knew what I was capable of doing,” Strachan

said.

“I knew I could have won my first NCAA National title. It was tough for me, but I’ve been getting the therapy and treatment to help me get over it.

“I’m just trying to get back to the shape that I was in at the beginning of the season. But it was really tough because I knew I had the ability to win the title.”

Although he has had limited action since joining Auburn, Strachan threw his lifetime best of 276-feet, 5-inches or 84.27 metres to improve on his national record at the same site at the Texas Relays on March 31.

At the NCAA Championships, the winning throw was 261-9 (79.79m) by Tzuriel Pedigo, a junior at Louisiana State University. That was one of the reasons why Strachan was a little uneasy watching the event because he believed he had the potential to throw much further.

“The only thing going through my mind was that I felt I could have been right there and I probably could have had a good throw on

my first attempt and just sat down and watched the competition,” Strachan reflected.

“Looking at my progression before the injury, my workout predicted that I would have been able to throw about 87 or 88m. After looking at that, I was really upset. But it is what it is.”

Strachan admitted that things happen, injuries are sustained, and he just had to battle with it when it occurred. He got to see the team’s physiologist and did it tetrapodic work to try to stay focused.

“I don’t feel too bad or get down on myself because

things happen. I know I will get over the injury and so I’m just waiting for them to give me the clearance to compete again,” Strachan said.

“I was a little concerned, thinking about what if I don’t come back to the level that I was at, but they told me it’s just a mental thing. In three weeks I should be good and ready to go again. I should not let it get to my head or play with my mind. I am just trying to stay positive.”

The good thing is Strachan doesn’t have to undergo any surgery. He will remain in Auburn until it’s time for him to come home on June 24. In the meantime, he will continue to work on his therapy.

While he didn’t get the opportunity to pick up the coveted national title, Strachan said he was glad to watch as Rhema Otabor, a junior at Nebraska, secured her national title in the women’s javelin. She did it with a winning heave of 195-2 (59.49m), although her toss of 193-8 (59.04m) in the first round had pushed her in front of

the 12-woman field that didn’t have anyone come close to her performances.

“I wasn’t even shocked. I trained with Rhema for the past six plus years, so I know what she was capable of doing,” he said.

“She came into the event, almost didn’t make it. But things happen. I know when the competition starts, she will do her thing.”

Strachan said he knew his Blue Chips Throwers Club teammate would accomplish the feat.

He congratulated her and their coach, Corrington Maycock, who helped to prepare her for her collegiate journey before she got to Nebraska. Both Strachan, 19, and Otabor, 20, are hoping to make the Bahamas team that will compete in the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary from August 16-27. Aslnthough neither have done the qualifying standard, their performances have them in a position to earn an invite from World Athletics, the governing body for the sport.

CARIFTA RECORD BREAKER BRENDEN VANDERPOOL WINS MALE FIELD EVENT ATHLETE OF THE YEAR HONOUR

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

CARIFTA record breaker Brenden Vanderpool added another accolade to his collection when he was selected as the 2023 Male Field Event Athlete of the Year for the Georgia, Atlanta Track Club.

The award was presented to Vanderpool on Wednesday, June 7. He was one of four athletes who received awards as the Male and Female Track and Field Athletes of the Year.

“It’s kind of a surreal experience for the fact that I’m kind of being recognised, not just for the pole vault,” Vanderpool said. “This is my first time that I have been compared to the outstanding athletes in all of the events and I was declared the winner.”

Just before he was announced as the winner, a video was played featuring Sam Kendricks, the highly acclaimed American pole vaulter, declaring the female field champion.

Vanderpool said when he saw the video with Kendricks, he knew he had won the male field award.

“I was kind of taken aback. I wasn’t expecting it,” Vanderpool said. “It’s funny because I did see him at a local Atlanta meet where he was competing.

“I didn’t meet him because I had to compete. But when he made the announcement, he said he saw me competing in the meet and he was impressed with my performance.”

Vanderpool was also named to the 2023 All-Metro Track and Field team. The All-Metro team is selected based on scholastic performances in the Metro Atlanta area. Athletes are selected to represent each discipline based on their season best, head-to-head competition, and state performances.

“This has certainly been a great year for me,” Vanderpool stated.

“I’ve surpassed all of the expectations that I wanted to do and what I was able to do this year. “Last year, my outdoors was really bad. I didn’t like it at all. I jumped just about one inch better than my personal best, so this year was like a redemption for me.”

Vanderpool, 17, repeated as the champion of the under-20 boys pole vault at the CARIFTA Games held during the Easter holiday weekend at the Thomas A. Robinson National stadium.

He soared 16-feet, 7 1/4-inches or 5.06 metres to shatter the games’ record of 16-6 3/4 (5.05m) set by Baptiste Thiery of Martinique in 2018. His 57-year-old father, Brent Vanderpool, a former Carifta gold medalist in the same event, said he was thrilled to see the progress that his son has accomplished.

Prior to coming home for the games, Vanderpool broke his father’s national pole vault record of 16-0 ½-inches that he established in 1987 in Indianapolis, Indiana.

“I think everything he’s getting is well deserved,” said Brent Vanderpool. “He had some stiff competitors in the competition, but I’m proud to see that he was able to outshine them all. It’s just a great feeling. Well deserved.”

Over the weekend, Vanderpool competed in his latest meet where he captured another first place with a leap of 15-9. He will now compete in the Adidas Nationals next weekend in North Carolina. Vanderpool, who is completing his senior year at Whitefield Academy, will enrol at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama in August where the head coach is a pole vaulter who has ensured him that he will be able to improve on his performances.

KEYSHAWN Strachan in action. He is currently recovering from a grade one UCL sprain in his right throwing arm.

KEYSHAWN Strachan in training.