HOUSE & HOME
The Tribune
1 IN 10 PEOPLE WITHOUT A JOB
...but govt says change in survey means figures don’t compare
By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune News Editor
rrolle@tribunemedia.net
annually
THE unemployment rate hovered around doubledigit territory during the third and fourth quarters of 2023. The rates –– 10.4 percent in the third quarter and 9.9 percent in the fourth quarter –– came after the country saw an 8.8 percent rate earlier last year, a 15-year low.
However, Bahamas National Statistical Institute (BNSI) officials said on Friday that the rates should not be compared because they launched a new series with a new survey design in July 2023. Information
GOVT WARNS ELEUTHERA FIRM AFTER WATER WOES ON ISLAND
By JADE RUSSELL
Tribune
Staff Reporter
jrussell@tribunemedia.net
WATER woes prevented some Central and South Eleuthera residents from bathing, flushing toilets and living like they are accustomed to, prompting the government to issue a stern warning to Aqua Design Bahamas, the company responsible for providing the critical service. Central and South Eleuthera Clay Sweeting and State Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister Leon Lundy said in a joint statement on Saturday that they were disappointed and frustrated by the recent reduction of water supply
$25K FOR INFORMATION ON GEOVANI’S MURDER
By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net
FRIENDS of one of the country’s latest murder victims, a man killed at Jet Nassau on Coral Harbour Road, are offering a $25,000 reward for anyone with information that leads to the arrest of a suspect responsible for his death.
Geovani Rolle, 38, was killed after arriving at work on June 16. Police said he was
approached and shot multiple times by the occupant of a white Nissan Note. Later, officers arrested a 25-year-old man from Fire Trail Road in the departure lounge of the domestic terminal at the Lynden Pindling International Airport. However, Chief Superintendent of Police Chrislyn Skippings has confirmed that the man was released
By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net
THE Prime Minister’s Office has pledged it is “actively addressing” accusations of conflicts of interest and other irregularities involving a confiscated vessel that was forfeited to the Government.
Creswell Sturrup, PS in Philip Davis KC’s office, confirmed in a June 17, 2024, letter that the claims surrounding efforts by Kevin Dean to fulfill the terms of a magistrate’s order and repurchase the boat, Silent Prayer, had been “duly noted” and the Government plans to respond “at the earliest opportunity”.
By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune News Editor rrolle@tribunemedia.net
THE University of The Bahamas has appointed a presidential search committee to find its next president.
UB said its board wants to ensure a seamless transition in leadership after acting president Janyne Hodder’s tenure concludes in June 2025.
GEOVANI ROLLE
RBC EMPLOYEES AND FAMILY MEMBERS TAKE PART IN BEACH AND PARK CLEAN-UP ON SEVERAL ISLANDS
Seaplane makes emergency landing in North Bimini
A SEAPLANE carry-
ing ten people had to make an emergency landing in North Bimni yesterday. No one onboard reportedly suffered any injuries.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Authority (AAIA) said it has opened
an investigation into the matter that took place around 3pm in North Bimini involving the Cessna 208 aircraft on floats with United States registration N384TA.
“Preliminary information received indicates that
an emergency landing was executed after a loss of power was observed. There were no reported injuries to the ten (10) persons on board,” AAIA said. AAIA said investigations into the matter are ongoing.
NEARLY 100 Royal Bank of Canada employees and their families recently volunteered to clean up several parks across New Providence, Grand Bahama, Abaco, Eleuthera, and Exuma in recognition of World Environment and Ocean Days. Together, they collected more than 1,900 lbs of debris from Bonefish Pond National Park, Lucayan National Park, Abaco National Park, Leon Levy Native Plant Preserve, and Moriah Harbour Cay National Park.
1 in 10 people without a job
from page one
about the unemployment rate will now be released quarterly, not bi-annually.
Third quarter statistics found that 64 percent of people worked in the private sector while 19 percent were government/ quasi-employees.
“The ‘community, social and personal services’ industrial group, which includes the public service, police service and domestic service, continues to account for the largest share (37 percent) of the workforce, while the ‘hotel and restaurants’ industrial group accounted for (20 percent),” experts found.
The sector with the biggest employee increase from quarter three to quarter four was ‘skilled agriculture and fisheries workers,’ with a 20 percent growth.
Although the overall number of unemployed people dropped from quarter three to quarter four by 1,130, the number of unemployed men increased slightly and the number of unemployed women decreased slightly. Youth unemployment was 20.5 percent, a 2.3 percent decrease compared to quarter three.
Fourth quarter data related to educational attainment found that 60 percent of the labour force completed high school, one percent had schooling
BAHAMAS National Statistical Institute acting managing director Nerissa
survey for quarter four of 2023 on Friday.
only to primary level or none at all and 20 percent completed university.
Twenty-one percent of the 237,755 people in the labour force had a bachelor’s degree or higher, while 25 percent had no qualifications.
BNSI officials noted that quarterly unemployment statistics tend to be cyclical, “based on timing and seasonality as the year progresses”.
Corporate Administrative Registry Services (CARS) portal officially launched
$25K FOR INFORMATION ON GEOVANI’S MURDER
from page one
from custody pending further investigations.
Melanie Rolle-Hilton, one of Geovani’s four sisters, suggested yesterday that the status of the case prompted her brother’s local and international friends to offer a reward for those with useful information.
A press release tied to the matter said: “Geoffrey Geovani Rolle (“Geo”) had a village of friends, both locally and internationally. That village wants to do its part to help in the fight for justice for him.”
“Anyone with information is asked to call the following number or send an email to the following address: 242-828-1020 or justiceforgeorolle@gmail. com.”
Geovani left behind a 12-year-old son and a sixyear-old daughter. He worked an early morning shift to spend that evening celebrating Father’s Day with his children. He died in the ambulance on his way to Doctors Hospital, surrounded by relatives.
GOVERNMENT officials hosted an event on Friday to celebrate the launch of the Corporate Administrative Registry Services (CARS) portal, which allows people to incorporate new companies, file corporate documents, pay annual fees and obtain certified copies of corporate documents without physically visiting the department.
Gibson speaks during a press conference to discuss the preliminary results of the labour force
Photo: Dante Carrer/Tribune Staff
Photo: Dante Carrer/Tribune Staff
Govt warns Eleuthera firm after water woes on island
to residents of Central Eleuthera.
“The level of service provided by Aqua Design Bahamas Limited is unacceptable and does not meet the standards we expect in The Bahamas,” they said.
They added that an “equipment failure at the reverse osmosis desalination plant and the subsequent delays in repairs are indicative of a significant lapse in service delivery. This is unacceptable for our communities to endure extended disruptions.”
They warned that the government’s contract with Aqua Design Bahamas could be terminated if things don’t change.
The water supply disruption particularly affected residents of Gregory Town, Governor’s Harbour, Palmetto Point, and Savannah Sound.
Mr Sweeting had similarly lamented in 2022 that supply disruption left residents without water for “some seven days” and had been inconsistent for months.
The statement added:
“The government will thoroughly revisit the contractual arrangements with Aqua Design Bahamas
Limited. If the current arrangement proves inadequate to meet the needs of our people, we will take the necessary steps to seek alternative solutions that ensure consistent and reliable water services.
Rock Sound resident Angela Thompson said she hasn’t had running water in her house at night for months.
She said waking up to no running water had often made her 12-year-old grandson and daughter late for work.
She said her family now keeps an emergency stack of bottled water to combat the unpredictable water supply.
“We have like six fivegallon jugs of water and we always have those filled up for backup just in case there’s no water,” she said. “We use it for everything. We use it to flush the toilet and to bathe. Then we have water that we buy that we use for tea or to make breakfast.”
Ms Thompson noted some families aren’t fortunate enough to have spare gallons of water. She said the longest her water has been off in the day was about “four hours”, but it constantly turns off every night.
She said she misses taking
Search begins for next UB president
UB previously appointed a presidential search committee in November 2020. In July 2021, it announced that Dr Erik Rolland, Dr Ian Strachan and Sir Anthony Seldon were shortlisted for president. The university took months to announce its presidential choice, prompting speculation that the board was anxious about how and when to reveal its non-Bahamian choice for the role.
The Union of Tertiary Educators of the Bahamas (UTEB) had advocated for Dr Strachan, the only nonBahamian shortlisted, to get the position. However, he was appointed executive vice president, and Dr Rolland was named president in May 2022.
Dr Rolland officially vacated his position on June 30, 2023, citing “personal, family reasons”.
The new presidential search committee will comprise ten members, including “representatives from UB, key stakeholders, and the broader public, all of whom recognise UB’s crucial role in national development and helping to lead the transformation of our nation”.
UB’s press release said:
“This diverse composition of the PSC ensures broad perspectives are considered for a thorough and inclusive selection process. Feedback from faculty, staff, students, alumni, and the public will be integral to this effort.”
UB chair Allyson Maynard-Gibson and vice chair
Gadville McDonald will cochair the search committee.
“The PSC’s terms of reference are to develop a statement of desired qualifications for the new president to guide the search and selection, adopt a timeline for the process and conduct an expansive national and international search with the assistance of AGB Search to attract highly qualified candidates,” UB said.
“To this end, a presidential profile document will be developed to provide potential candidates with essential information about UB’s trajectory and details of the search process. This document will be a crucial tool in recruiting prospective candidates. Listening sessions will also be held with members of the UB community and the wider public on a national level, including Grand Bahama and the Family Islands, to garner their insights and feedback.”
a “proper shower” as bathing with jugs of water is not comfortable.
Dr Kim Young, a health practitioner at Mindshift Coaching and Wellness, said she has been living
in Tarpum Bay, South Eleuthera, for two years. She said there have been challenges with the water supply since starting her home-based business about a year ago. She said she
bought a personal water tank months ago to operate her health practice safely. She said in recent weeks, patients have been affected by the unreliable water supply, with some cancelling
their appointments.
She stressed the importance of residents having a reliable water supply to cool during a heat wave.
“Water is not a want. It’s an essential need,” she said.
Young Tattiana singing her support for heart health
By JADE RUSSELL Tribune Staff Reporter jrussell@tribunmedia.net
ELEVEN-year-old Tattiana McNeil spends her time colouring, reading and scoring top grades in her class, but in her spare time, she is tackling the proliferation of heart disease by hosting a charity concert to raise funds for children needing heart surgery.
Tattiana, the head girl graduate from Carleton E Francis, said before she starts grade seven at Queen’s College this fall, she decided to host an “Old Fashioned SingSpiration” on June 28 at Christ Community Church, Bellot Road, to raise donations for the Sir Victor Sasson Heart Foundation.
The free-entry concert will include musical performances, testimonies from those who have battled heart disease, and others.
Fighting heart disease is a cause personal to her because her aunt and greatgrandmother died from a heart condition. Her grandmother is struggling with a heart condition currently.
The top student of the year at her school said she loves to sing and dance for her family and previously participated in her uncle’s Feeding the Community initiative.
single mother, said she is proud that her daughter is passionate about helping those in need.
“I decided that when I go to Queen’s College, I am going to do Family and Consumer Science hoping that I will get to learn a little more like biology and cardiology,” she said.
Latanza Lookie, 35, a
The upcoming concert will be the first event she has organised. Tattiana, whose favourite subjects are math, science, and reading, wants to be a cardiologist when she grows up.
“I always tell her at the end of the day, once your willing to go as far as you, I’m willing to push you,” she said.
Said Tattiana: “I encourage others to come because my heart really does go out to the kids who have heart conditions and need heart surgeries.”
“You get the chance to help them in their early stage of life. You don’t want in their later stage of life they don’t make it and you know you could of help.”
from page one
CENTRAL and South Eleuthera Clay Sweeting and State Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister Leon Lundy said in a joint statement on Saturday that they were disappointed and frustrated by the recent reduction of water supply to residents of Central Eleuthera.
UB chair Allyson MaynardGibson
TATTIANA McNeil pictured with her mother and grandmother at her graduation from Carleton E Francis Primary School.
Review of alleged drowning of two Bahamians in Italy complete
By KEILE CAMPBELL kcampbell@tribunemedia.net
THE government’s internal review of the case of two Bahamians who allegedly drowned in a river in Turin, Italy, has been completed, but it will be up to their families to decide whether it will be released, according to Minister of Foreign Affairs Fred Mitchell.
However, he said he is apprehensive about speaking on the matter publicly out of consideration of the victims families as it is “a really tough file” with “lots of sensitivities”.
to review the file, but once I’m done with it, then it will go over to the police,” he said, explaining that amending the Coroners Act was a proposed idea “to allow the Coroner to actually do an investigation here”. When asked if the findings will be released to the public, Minister Mitchell said that decision is up to the victim’s families.
On whether the findings would be released Mr Mitchell said, “I think the families have to make those decisions...”
The Bahamas had its own internal council review the files on the Italian police’s investigation into the alleged drowning of Bahamians Alrae Ramsey, 29, and Blair John, 28, in 2019 who were staying at a bed and breakfast at Via la Loggia 2 in Turin where their bodies were found lifeless in the Po River.
Minister Mitchell revealed that he’s partially read the report by the internal council, explaining that there are “many other documents” to go through.
“I’ve spoken to one of the parents and told them that it’s up to them
“I think the families have to make those decisions, this is a really tough file to look at and lots of sensitivities and I’m even reluctant to talk too much about it in public because it awakens memories and expectations which I don’t want to lead, it is a very difficult case, but so much of it just does not make sense to me and that’s the reason why I keep reviewing it,” the foreign affairs minister said.
Ramsey was a foreign service officer on study leave in Vienna, while John was a St Mary’s University graduate.
The autopsy report provided by Italian authorities, stated that their deaths were likely accidental due to drowning, however, the two friends’ families reject that explanation and still seek answers.
MITCHELL: FNM MADE MISTAKE SELLING A GOVERNMENT PLANE
By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter
pbailey@tribunemedia.net
FOREIGN Affairs Min-
ister Fred Mitchell said the FNM made a mistake in 1992 when selling a government plane.
“There are millions of dollars being spent, economies can be employed as a result of it, and that’s basically the argument,” he said, defending the Davis administration’s decision to spend $2.5m on a confiscated plane officials are repurposing for government use.
Mr Mitchell added: “We just get ourselves distracted in so much nonsense in this country when there are actually serious issues we have to face. For example, you have the energy reform measures that have to take place. You have the housing issues which have to be addressed. You have the Grand Bahama Port Authority and its lack of performance. And then you have a history of an FNM government that has been derelict in its duty towards the country. Their view is to leave the status quo, kick
everything down the road and not make any hard decisions about the future of our country. I call them the party of ‘no‘. Dr Sands is ‘doctor no‘. Everything is no, no, no, no, no.”
“But if you are in government, you have to have an eye on the future. You have to make sure that our kids are properly educated. I am really pleased with the results this year. The education system has come back. These are the big issues we are dealing with, not running around making arguments about nonsense. And they all know it’s nonsense because if they were to win tomorrow they wouldn’t do a darn thing about it. They’d just employ what’s there and continue going on. It’s just politics.”
Last week, FNM leader Michael Pintard criticised the Davis administration’s decision on the plane, claiming that the maintenance cost of the aircraft would be “exponentially higher” than travelling on a local airline. He said the money would have been better used securing fire trucks for the Family Islands.
MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS FRED MITCHELL
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How we treat vulnerable animals is revealing
IN today’s Tribune, there is a story about a case that is before the courts of cruelty to dogs – with one of the dogs involved having died.
As the matter is being heard, we cannot of course comment on that directly, but all too often we hear stories of animals being mistreated.
Elsewhere in today’s Tribune, the Bahamas Humane Society’s Kim Aranha, a regular columnist in our Weekend section, laments the fact that animal shelters are full and reports of animal cruelty are increasing.
There are positive signs – people are more sensitive to cruelty these days, and when dogs have been dumped, they pick up the phone and alert the Humane Society to give those dogs a chance of a good home.
There is a famous quote from Mahatma Gandhi, in which he says: “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way in which its animals are treated. I hold that the more helpless a creature, the more entitled it is to protection by man from the cruelty of man.” By that measure, how great is our nation?
If we take a dog into our lives, it is our responsibility to care for it. Not just that, but to give the dog a happy life.
Why wouldn’t we? As many good dog owners will attest, dogs do so much to bring joy into our lives.
We know, collectively, that we can do better, don’t we? We know when we see dogs roaming the streets, sometimes limping from a collision with a car, that it
shows how little we care as a society, yes?
We see such bad examples every day. Well, it is time we tried to do something different. And not just by focusing on the bad. After all, we see those bad examples and it has not inspired those who treat animals badly to do better. So coming soon, The Tribune will be looking to celebrate those who are doing the right thing. And to give advice to help us all to love our dogs.
Watch this space.
Student celebration
School is out for many parents, if not all just yet. The long summer stretches ahead.
Already our thoughts here at The Tribune are turning towards the next term – and our Back To School supplement in August. We mention it now because the supplement also serves as a way of celebrating the achievements of students in the year now ending. If your child or someone you know has done particularly well and deserves to be celebrated, give them a spot in our student spotlight. Send their picture, name and a few sentences to say how well they’ve done to back2school@tribunemedia.net – and we’ll be sure to let the world know too. Goodness knows that students have worked hard for their achievements through the disruption of the COVID19 pandemic – so let’s celebrate them.
EDITOR, The Tribune.
THE uproar about Prime Minister Philip Brave Davis travelling is nothing more than an annoying, politically immature pessimist who would rather remain in the Dark Ages than move the Bahamas out of the third-world mentality and behaviour. Unfortunately, the gullible who do not read believe the worthless rhetoric they hear and quickly share foolishness.
Mr Davis’s staying home cannot yield good fruit, worrying about nagging naysayers. So it is prudent to ignore the talk completely, go to the sources, wherever they are, and search for a better way for the Bahamas. Lord knows we need to change the status quo.
From the beginning of the Davis government, he has decided to seek a firm footing and create relationships that will be meaningful to the Bahamian people. He decided to “Change the Status Quo”; thankfully, that is what he is doing. So he packed his bags and set on a course to meet with and discuss how he could network to make the Bahamas a better place than he had found it.
Davis, unquestionably a man of enormous wisdom, frequented countries that the West shunned and discouraged, carefully using planned rhetoric and propaganda to discourage association. His very calculated travel compiled information that would contribute to making the Bahamas better and beneficial to all at the end of the day.
her power. She is rich in history, minerals, brain power, advanced in science, and, most of all, pride. We would be wise to embrace our heritage and support those we know will support us in the end.
The monopoly of the Canadian, American and European Bank banking systems has fleeced Bahamians. They suffocated us with a system designed to enslave us in many cases for all of our lives, consumer lending only, but have no appetite for nation-building through entrepreneurship.
The banks had the blessings and permission to strangle the people with interest rates, raising them at any time they wished without any resistance, worry or repercussion from the authorities. The necessary regulatory framework to prevent them from increasing interest rates still needs to be implemented or enforced if it is.
But what Bahamians needed to learn was that influential oligarchs were on the boards, directing who got what. They determined which businesses survived and which were discouraged. Home and car loans are quickly approved, but new small business loans are reluctant to be facilitated.
Bahamians to realise their true potential. It’s time to level the playing field. No more Boards not sensitive to our needs or not interested in real progress
I applaud Mr Davis for creating opportunities for people to thrive. The economy is opening more comprehensively than it has ever been. Why not?
If I could offer some unsolicited advice, it would be for the prime minister to abandon ‘business as usual’, break monopolies and continue on the new path to changing the status quo. We must move above and beyond the third-world mentality and expectations. We are better than that, believing deep in our bones and gathering the will to embrace our new possibilities boldly. The presence of the Afrieximbank in The Bahamas is a paradigm shift. We now have a stronger sense of self; this new phenomenon unashamedly lifts our spirits.
Our hearts are in the right place, connected to our origin, the land of our heritage. There is no way to explain how powerful the presence of representatives of the motherland is.
The Bahamian people will now experience “Creating a New Middle Passage” and, for the first time, we will be “Owning Our Destiny”.
EDITOR, The Tribune.
I WRITE to express my deep disturbance and disappointment over the persistent use of the term “Davis-Cooper Administration” in reference to our current government. This term is not only misleading but fundamentally incorrect within the context of our Westminster system of governance. It is imperative that we, as citizens and leaders, understand and respect the principles that underpin our political system. In the Westminster system, there is a single head of government: the Prime Minister. The title and responsibility rest solely on this individual, who is elected by their party to lead the government. The usage of “DavisCooper Administration” implies a dual leadership structure, akin to the “Biden-Harris Administration” in the United States, which is entirely erroneous and misrepresents our governance model.
In the United States, the President and Vice
President are elected officials with distinct roles and responsibilities, thus the term “Biden-Harris Administration” is appropriate and reflects the shared leadership between Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. However, in The Bahamas, the Prime Minister alone is the head of government. The Deputy Prime Minister, while a significant figure, does not share this role in a manner that warrants joint attribution.
The Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) should immediately cease the use of this misleading terminology. It not only creates confusion but also undermines the integrity and clarity of our governmental structure. It suggests a misunderstanding of our political system and a departure from the norms that have been established and respected over decades. This misuse of terminology is not a trivial matter. It has the potential to erode public understanding and confidence in our political institutions. It is essential for political parties, especially
those in power, to adhere to accurate and respectful representations of our government. The proper and respectful term is the “Davis Administration,” reflecting the singular leadership of Prime Minister Philip Davis.
Moreover, this issue speaks to a larger concern about the political education and awareness among our leaders and citizens. We must strive for a deeper understanding of our political systems and resist adopting foreign terminologies that do not align with our own. The integrity of our political discourse depends on this understanding.
In conclusion, I urge the PLP and all political actors to abandon the use of “Davis-Cooper Administration” and to commit to terms that accurately reflect our Westminster system. This change is not only a matter of accuracy but of respect for our political traditions and institutions.
THE GATE KEEPER June 20, 2024
So his visits took him to several African countries, among others, with the expertise, money, and genuine willingness to help The Bahamas rather than exploit us. We’ve tolerated the carefully orchestrated financial suffocation that stifled and retarded our growth individually and as a nation long enough.
For the record, Africa has been superior in many aspects of human existence, but the stories were intentionally skewed or hidden. Therefore, we on this side of Jordan are naive about
These practices controlled the country’s finances and, thus, its direction. We were kept in the third world simply because it was feasible. These policies turned us into beggars.
Now, Davis is “Changing the Status Quo”.
The financing will not come from the banks already having a stake but from a new relationship with Afrieximbank, embraced by The Bahamas and the Caribbean.
The game is about to change. It cannot be business as usual, and the money can only stay in the same pockets for a while because Afreimbank brings the much-needed relief. It is high time for
Those unafraid to be honest must applaud Philip E Brave Davis for being unwavering in his quest to make a positive difference, ignoring what those whose greed drives them say or do.
The prime minister’s travels were worth every penny, and he should continue to embrace new and innovative ideas that will help us feel better about ourselves. This will undoubtedly usher in a new, much-needed sense of pride.
Awake, Bahamas awake!
“You don’t make progress by standing on the sidelines, whimpering and complaining. You make progress by implementing ideas” - Shirley Chisholm. IVOINE W INGRAHAM JP Nassau, June 16, 2024.
EDITOR, The Tribune
SURPRISED the FNM didn’t pounce on the decision to exclude the annual graduation of graduates of UB from use of the stadium after just days the stadium was ‘fit’ to be used for an International Event — IAAF Relays.
Might have been Mr Pintard was too busy in the leadership race but… to be a Leader whether in
contest or the Opposition has a required position to support the public where a highly questioned decision was made for a very public event attended by 00’s celebrating the graduation of their children and passing into the professional world.
Editor — the casual washing away of this decision needs clarification of the Minister of Sports…if the stadium was safe and
ready for IAAF relays why not for a Bahamian university event?
Denying the students and the families was wrong... very wrong. The stadium was safe for IAAF, a foreign event, but not safe for Bahamians... something wrong!
MARCIA FLOWERS Nassau, June 5, 2024.
AN ANTIQUE Volkswagen Beetle, known in Mexico as a “vocho,” parades through the streets a day after World Vocho Day, in Mexico City, yesterday.
Photo: Marco Ugarte/AP
Bahamas Humane Society president says shelter is at capacity and reports of animal cruelty are increasing
By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net
BAHAMAS Humane Society president Kim Aranha said animal shelters have reached their capacity and reports of animal cruelty are increasing. Her comment came after two people were charged with cruelty to animals for abusing 10 dogs at their Goggle Eye Road residence, one of whom died in May.
Ms Aranha said people are more sensitive to animal cruelty than they used to be.
“People are finally alerting us when they find dumped dogs,” she said. “It does seem to be extreme at the moment. Every different neighbourhood seems to be reporting oh this dog has just suddenly turned up, he’s running around like he doesn’t know where he is and then we’ll go and pick them up and bring them in and try to find a home for
TWO CHARGED WITH ABUSING TEN DOGS AFTER ONE DIES
By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net
TWO PEOPLE were granted bail after they were accused of abusing ten dogs last month, resulting in the death of one animal.
Magistrate Anishka Pennerman charged Edward Nicholls, 51, and Shantell Lockhart, 44, with two counts of cruelty to animals and possession of
unlicensed dogs. The pair allegedly abused ten unlicenced adult dogs by depriving them of food, water and shelter at their residence on Goggle Eye Road on May 7. This alleged abuse resulted in the death of one adult dog. The defendants both pleaded not guilty to the charges. The accused were released on their own recognizance until their trial begins on August 7.
MAN ACCUSED OF HAVING AMMO WITH INTENT TO SUPPLY
By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net
A MAN was fined in court last week after he admitted to having nearly 50 rounds of ammunition in New Providence last week.
Magistrate Lennox Coleby charged Deonte Bodie, 22, with possession of ammunition with intent
to supply. Bodie was found with 41 rounds of .40 ammunition on June 13. After pleading guilty to the charge Bodie was fined $10,000. Failure to pay this fine would risk a two year prison term.
Mark Penn represented the accused.
Assistant Superintendent of Police Lincoln McKenzie served as prosecutor.
WOMAN ACCUSED OF STEALING $50 AND $3,630 GOLD CHAIN
By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net
A WOMAN was remanded in custody on Friday after she allegedly stole almost $4,000 worth of property last month.
Magistrate Kendra Kelly charged Anastacia Moree, 45, with stealing. Moree allegedly stole $50 cash and one 14 carat gold rope chain
valued at $3,630 belonging to John Bowleg at Marathon Road on May 24. After pleading not guilty to the charge, prosecutor Sergeant Deon Barr objected to Moree’s bail. The defendant will be remanded to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services until her bail hearing on June 26. Ian Jupp represented the defendant.
MAN ADMITS TO POSSESSION OF DRUGS WITH INTENT TO SUPPLY
By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net
A man was placed on probation after he admitted to having a quantity of marijuana last week.
Senior Magistrate Raquel Whyms intially charged Jermaine Coakley, 20, and Charlton Williamson, 32, with possession of dangerous drugs with intent to supply.
The charge was reduced to simple possession of
dangerous drugs. Coakley was found with a small quantity of marijuana on June 19 in New Providence. Coakley was the sole defendant to plead guilty to the charge. The charge against Williamson was withdrawn.
Magistrate Whyms placed Coakley on six months probation for which being found in default would carry a four-month prison term. Ian Cargill represented the defendant.
them. “ She said with shelters full, some animals have been turned away. “They are just so many we actually are having to turn away any animal that is turn-away-able,” she said. “And then I worry what people are going to
do with them if they didn’t want them and they were bringing them to us and we say we can’t take them right now. Are they going to find their own evil ways of disposing of them? I worry.”
“There are dogs all over this island being starved to
death and I just don’t get why. They tie them up and they fail to feed them. We go over and over again into people’s yard where there is no food, no shelter and no water. The animals are just skin and bones. They walk past him every day and he lies there slowly
dying from lack of food. You tell me what kind of person is capable of that.”
“More people have to be charged, more people have to be prosecuted, more people have to be held accountable for their acts. Only then do I believe things will change.”
THE STORIES BEHIND THE NEWS
MONDAY, JUNE 24, 2024
Why not debate?
By MALCOLM STRACHAN
THERE is a familiar pattern in our country when it comes to elections – specifically surrounding the idea of leadership debates.
Routinely, you will find that the opposition favours such a move, while the incumbent does not.
The topic is timely not just because FNM leader Michael Pintard has, in time-honoured fashion, said that as the opposition leader, he would participate in such debates before the next general election.
If you look east and west of our shores, you will see leadership debates taking place in elections in the UK and the US.
Over in the UK, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who looks like he is well on the way to a landslide defeat for his Conservative party, stood up and faced the heat of the debate stage anyway.
The other direction, in the US, President Joe Biden and his predecessor, Donald Trump, will face off on Sunday – with things much more balanced electorally.
So why is it that here in The Bahamas, we do not think it a routine part of our election build-up that the leaders will directly state their cases and have the opportunity to counter
one another in order to receive our votes?
Mr Pintard’s commitment is welcome – although bear in mind he has only just emerged from an election, that for the leadership of the FNM. There was no suggestion of a debate between him and his rival for that role, Dr Hubert Minnis. Perhaps there should have been. I’m sure there are rules and regulations that might have been quoted as reasons why not – but it would have certainly backed up his determination to take on Philip Davis in such an arena in future.
Now Mr Davis may not buck the trend of incumbents resisting the urge to join such a debate –although he is a more practised speaker than Mr Pintard, whose sparring in Parliament often tends to fall a little short of delivering a knockout blow. But electoral debates are not the only possible changes that parties have edged towards, then backed away from. Campaign finance reform was on the Minnis agenda – but was never fulfilled.
Dr Minnis said back in 2021 that the legislation had been drafted, but not finalised due to unnamed concerns. At the time, he still promised it would be
brought forward. It never was. At the time, Mr Davis was leader of the opposition, and when Dr Minnis suggested that some of the concerns had been raised by Mr Davis, he rose in Parliament to say he had never seen any such legislation. Ultimately, Dr Minnis’ promise for such reform was broken. But Mr Davis took up the gauntlet. In his Blueprint for Change, there was a clear commitment on several points, including campaign finance
Whistleblower Act, Electoral Reform Act, and Procurement Act.”
It added: “We are committed to ensuring that the voice of the people is heard and we will create numerous opportunities to enhance citizen governance.”
As yet, there is no sign of that campaign finance reform. Party after party successively not so much failing to hand on the baton but to join the other in tossing it into the bush.
I have spoken in this column before of the
Across the board, there seems a commitment to do nothing, no matter what is promised on the campaign trail.
reform.
The blueprint said: “We commit to fully implementing the Freedom of Information Act, an Integrity Commission Act, Ombudsman Bill, new Public Disclosure Act, Anti-Corruption Act, Campaign Finance Reform, Code of Conduct,
absence of any apparent effort to push through the Freedom of Information Act to a state where people can actually use it, but the pitiful budget allocated by the government for it this time around shows how little the Davis administration thinks of it.
Now put all of these together.
We have an absence of top-level debate ahead of elections so that people can get a real idea of what each party is committed to in government. That includes an inability to really challenge and hold representatives to their words.
We have a lack of commitment to campaign finance reform – so we have no idea if, say, a major deal for a public body is a payback for funding on the campaign trail or not.
And we have no legal way to demand information is released from the government that would shed light on decisions or spending.
None of these are particularly outrageous things to require. Plenty of other democracies manage them just fine.
But we lack not just one, but the whole lot.
Our current administration could happily get on with them – they have the electoral majority to push through whatever they want. But they don’t. Previous administrations could have done the same. But they didn’t. Across the board, there seems a commitment to do nothing, no matter what is promised on the campaign trail.
Will Mr Pintard change that? Will he not just agree to an election debate, but put his job on the line if he wins election and doesn’t carry out such reforms? Do it or quit. And what of us, the voters? Will we tolerate such unfulfilled promises? The Freedom of Information one is particularly galling. No one made the PLP put it in their campaign document. They chose to. Now they choose to ignore both it and their pledge. Can we believe their pledges next time around if this is how they treated their own promises? What we need is a fundamental change in the way governments are held to account. Measure them by what they said they would do. Measure them by how they went about the things they promised. And the promises they ditched? Make them explain why they did so. That can start in an election debate. Not just one, but several. Get the deputy leaders involved too. After all, the more information voters have, the better the decision they can make. And that is the basis for needing all of those changes. Over to you, Mr Davis, you have an opportunity to give an answer. Will you take it?
PRIME MINISTER PHILIP ‘BRAVE’ DAVIS
FNM LEADER MICHAEL PINTARD
Joining NATO binds countries to defend each other – but this commitment is not set in stone
By DAN REITER Emory University
THE outcome of the upcoming US presidential election is going to have major consequences for the relationship between the US and its allies. While President Joe Biden is a firm believer in the value of the transatlantic alliance, Republican contender Donald Trump has for years railed against US participation in the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, the military alliance commonly referred to as NATO.
In February 2024, for example, Trump said that if he were reelected president, he would tell Russia to do “whatever the hell they want” against NATO members that are “delinquent” in not having invested enough in their own military capabilities. Foreign policy commentators viewed that as an invitation for Russia to attack these NATO countries.
In September 2022, six months after Russia’s fullscale invasion, Ukraine applied to join NATO. Now, Ukraine’s potential membership is one of the top questions that representatives from NATO’s 32 member countries in North America and Europe will consider when they meet in Washington in July 2024.
At the root of debates over policy toward alliances such as NATO is the assumption that NATO requires its members to step in and help with defence if another member of the alliance is attacked.
As political scientists who study the role of international organizations like NATO, we think it is important to understand that, in reality, alliance agreements are more flexible than people think.
In practice, it is possible for the US and other Western countries to stay out of a conflict that involves a NATO country without having to break their alliance commitments. The NATO treaty’s language contains loopholes that let member countries remain out of other members’ wars in certain situations.
What does Article 5 really mean?
One key part of the NATO treaty that countries sign when they join the alliance is called Article 5. This says that an “armed attack” against one NATO member in
Europe or North America “shall be considered an attack against them all.”
In the case of such an attack, NATO countries agree to assist the country that requires help, including through “the use of armed force, to restore and maintain the security of the North Atlantic area.”
But the treaty does not include a clear definition of a what an “armed attack” actually is.
This mattered in February 2020, when Turkey asked for a NATO meeting and requested that NATO intervene with military force in response to Russian and Syrian forces’
attacks on its territory, which had killed 33 Turkish soldiers, during the Syrian civil war. NATO allies chose not to defend Turkey with military force, arguing that the level of violence against Turkey wasn’t enough to call it an “armed attack”.
Other exceptions to the rule
Even when NATO members decide that Article 5 should apply to a specific situation, each country can still individually decide how to act. That is, while NATO does have administrative staff based in Brussels, there is no central NATO authority that tells each country what it must do.
Instead, each country tells NATO what it is – and is not – willing to do.
NATO members have only formally invoked Article 5 once – following the Sept 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon outside of Washington. At that time, 13 NATO countries sent fighter aircraft to help the US patrol its skies from mid-October 2001 to mid-May 2002.
But most NATO allies chose not to send troops to Afghanistan to support the US in its fight against the Taliban. This lack of action on the part of some NATO allies was not seen as breaking the treaty and didn’t prompt a major debate – and the countries that chose not to join the fight were not sanctioned by or ejected from the alliance.
The NATO treaty also
provides some exceptions based on geography. When Argentina went to war with the United Kingdom (a NATO member) over the Falkland Islands in 1982, the US and other NATO members were able to use the fact that the alliance only applies to the North Atlantic region as a reason to stay out of the conflict.
Would public opinion force the president’s hand?
Some political scientists argue that voters will demand their leaders take the country to war to defend an ally. This implies that what really binds the members of an alliance together is not the legal text of an international treaty itself, given that no international court is empowered to enforce the treaty, but rather the public’s expectations of what it means to be an ally.
As part of our research into how the American public thinks about international legal obligations, we decided to construct an experiment to see if presidents could use alliance loophole language to justify keeping the US out of a war involving an ally.
In 2022 and 2023, we conducted a pair of surveybased experiments that involved asking nearly 5,000 American adults to consider a hypothetical scenario in which a US ally comes under attack from a powerful neighbour.
Some of the respondents were told that the text of the alliance treaty would allow the US
government to avoid having to send troops to defend the embattled ally, while others were not told that information. Though the survey did not mention a specific alliance, we described the terms of the alliance in a way that matches the language used in treaties like NATO’s. We then asked the respondents to tell us their views on sending US troops to defend the ally under attack.
Our results revealed a big difference between the people who were told about the flexibility in the alliance treaty and those who were not. While respondents from both groups were generally inclined to come to the defence of an ally, their willingness to do so was significantly lower when they were told that the alliance treaty did not necessarily require the US to send troops.
This suggests that political leaders can, under certain circumstances, manage to convince a large segment of the public that it’s OK to abandon an ally in a time of need.
So, when it comes to debates about US policy toward its alliance partners – and whether it should admit new members like Ukraine – it is important for both sides to appreciate that alliance commitments are not quite as binding, either legally or politically, as the conventional wisdom suggests.
• Originally published on www.theconversation.com
MEMBER country flags fly outside NATO headquarters.
Photo: Virginia Mayo/AP
Caribbean integration: How the OECS outpaces CARICOM
THE seven-nation Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), which marked its 43rd anniversary on June 18, 2024, is arguably one of the most successful integration projects in the world. It is second only to the 27-nation European Union (EU).
The OECS represents a deeper integration movement than the Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM), of which its member states are a part, along with eight other Caribbean countries. While the OECS was formed in 1981, CARICOM was founded in its original form as the Caribbean Free Trade Association (CARIFTA) in 1968. Despite CARICOM’s 14-year head start, the OECS have proven to be a more successful and beneficial integration project.
On October 19, 1978, at the 23rd meeting of the West Indies (Associated States) Council of Ministers (WISA) – a loose consultative group of seven Leeward and Windward Islands - Lester Bird, then Deputy Premier of Antigua and Barbuda, outlined a vision of an organisation that became the OECS. I worked closely with him on elaborating that vision.
At that time, of the seven countries, only Grenada had attained independence from Britain in 1974. Dominica was on the cusp of independence, which it attained in
World View
By SIR RONALD SANDERS
November 1978. St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines were also contemplating independence, eventually achieving it in February and October 1979, respectively. Meanwhile, for Antigua and Barbuda and St KittsNevis, independence was not yet imminent, although leaders in both countries aspired to be free from the dictates of the British authorities in London. The seventh country, Montserrat, also hankered for greater local power over its affairs. However, it was clear to any informed analyst that while independence from a colonial power was imperative, the burden for countries with micro economies and small populations was not sustainable. Separate independence for these small and underresourced countries, along with the dismantling of joint governance mechanisms, could leave them worse off than they were. Grenada served as a case in point. Although it had been nominally independent for four years by 1978, it continued to participate in several institutions established by Britain for the seven countries,
including a common currency and a currency authority. Grenada did so because it quickly realised it could not afford to establish its own currency, central bank, judiciary, and regulatory bodies. This was especially true as, with independence, it also had to assume the costs of its own defence and foreign affairs.
Against this background, a course of “independence within interdependence” was proposed in the 1979 address. This proposal included several key elements: solidifying, in a binding structure, the concept of WISA, which was rooted in the recognition of regional cooperation; building on the “special relationship” of the Leeward and Windward Islands, based on geography, history, economic reality, and common bonds; and, while retaining individual sovereignty, pooling that sovereignty to be stronger together.
The vision took root, and two years later, in 1981, after extensive consultation and discussion among the seven countries, the Treaty of Basseterre was signed, and the OECS was born. The treaty was
drafted by Abbas Bundu, a Sierra Leonese constitutional lawyer from the Commonwealth Secretariat, whom I accompanied on his journey of consultation. The underlying theme of those discussions was reflected in the words of the 1979 address: “We have integral ties of parenthood, history, and tradition; essentially, we are the same people.”
Achieving the treaty was aided considerably by four factors. First, the standing of then Prime Minister of St Lucia, John Compton, and his dedication to the concept, presented in the Antigua 1978 presentation, of independence “within a framework of interdependence”. Second, the support of Antigua’s influential leader, Vere Cornwall Bird, for the idea of common responsibilities and shared costs. Third, the endorsement of Maurice Bishop, who led a bloodless revolution in Grenada in March 1979 to oust the tyrannical Eric Gairy, despite having an uneasy relationship with the leaders of the six other countries. Fourth, the support of radical intellectuals such as Leonard Tim Hector (Antigua), George Odlum (St Lucia), and Ralph Gonsalves (St Vincent and the Grenadines).
On June 18, 1981, the OECS was born, retaining from their colonial administration, integration factors that took the EU decades to build and which CARICOM has yet to achieve. CARICOM
announced in 1989 its intention to advance to a Single Market Economy but failed to do so for 22 years before “pausing” it in 2011. The integration mechanisms that the OECS retained included a common currency, which facilitated the free movement of goods and services; a common Currency Authority (later the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank), which ensured effective and respected financial and monetary regulation; a common judiciary; a Regional Security System; and other regulatory bodies such as the Eastern Caribbean Civil Aviation Authority.
Between 1986 and 1988, there was a failed attempt to initiate a political union of the OECS countries by then Prime Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines, James Mitchell, with active support from St Lucia’s John Compton. Although the initiative had considerable merit, it failed due to political rivalry that made little provision for meaningful involvement by opposition political parties in the formulation of the concept.
As Ralph Gonsalves put it at the time, “the balance of the political forces as represented in the political parties, in and out of government, favour(ed) the slowing down or even halting of the unity train”.
Nonetheless, 29 years later, in 2010, the OECS governments revised the Treaty to formalise two further aspects of a
Common Market. They made the movement of people, including for work, easier across their countries and laid down the principles for achieving an Economic Union. While the latter remains a work in progress, the OECS is nearly at the point of establishing a Customs Union.
There is still much work to be done to harmonise joint positions on incentives for foreign investment and to end competition in sectors like cruise tourism and the Citizenship by Investment schemes operated by five of the member states. Rival politics for national gain have undermined the collective good. Nonetheless, the OECS stands today as the most mature and successful integration project of sovereign states outside the EU. It provides a model for the CARICOM group, highlighting that their future success, particularly in facing global challenges such as compensation for the damage of climate change, international bargaining, access to financing, and threats to peace and security, depends on deeper and more effective integration.
• The writer is Antigua and Barbuda’s Ambassador to the US and the OAS. The views expressed are entirely his own. Responses and previous commentaries: www. sirronaldsanders.com.
OECS DIRECTOR GENERAL, Dr. Didacus Jules (second from right), met with the EU Director for the Caribbean and Latin America, Félix FernándezShaw, on Monday, January 23.
EVENTS ANNOUNCED FOR 51ST ANNIVERSARY OF INDEPENDENCE
WITH the countdown under way to the 51st anniversary of Independence, the list of events to mark the occasion this year has been revealed. The theme for this year’s events is “One People: United in Love
and Service”, and celebrations begin with the National Flag Day on June 28. Bahamians are encourage to show off their national colors in their clothes and by waving flags. On June 29, a National
Buy Bahamian Day will be held, before the traditional Beat Retreat on June 30 in Parliament and Rawson Squares from 6pm. A National Day of Prayer and Reflection will be held on July 1, and a National Day of the Family
FUNERAL HELD FOR FORMER ACTING JUSTICE OF THE SUPREME COURT
on July 2. There will be further national days throughout the rest of that week - National Wellness Day on July 3, National Day of Learning on July 4, National Culture Day on July 5 and National Day of
Service on July 6. On July 7, there will be Independence church services, then a National Day of Unity on July 8. The traditional Clifford Park show on the eve of Independence will start at 8pm and count down to
midnight, and will be an ecumenical service and cultural show. On July 10, there will be the annual Independence State Reception at Government House, while Clifford Park will host a Family Fun Day from 4pm.
A STATE-recognised funeral was held for former Acting Justice of the Supreme Court, Thomas Arlington Edison Evans, KC, on Friday, at Christ Church Cathedral. Acting Prime Minister and Minister of Education and Technical and Vocational Training Glenys Hanna-Martin spoke at the funeral. Interment was at St Matthew’s Anglican Church Cemetery. Photos: Patrick Hanna/BIS
Netanyahu says Israel is winding down its Gaza operations, warns a Lebanon war could be next
JERUSALEM Associated Press
ISRAELI Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that the current phase of fighting against Hamas in Gaza is winding down, setting the stage for Israel to send more troops to its northern border to confront the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
The comments threatened to further heighten the tensions between Israel and Hezbollah at a time when they appear to be moving closer to war. Netanyahu also signalled that there is no end in sight for the grinding war in Gaza.
The Israeli leader said in a lengthy TV interview that while the army is close to completing its current ground offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, that would not mean the war against Hamas is over. But he said fewer troops would be needed in Gaza, freeing up forces to battle Hezbollah.
“We will have the possibility of transferring some of our forces north, and we will do that,” he told Israel’s Channel 14, a proNetanyahu TV channel, in an interview that was frequently interrupted by applause from the studio audience. “First and foremost, for defence,” he added, but also to allow tens of thousands of displaced Israelis to return home.
The Iranian-backed Hezbollah began striking Israel almost immediately after Hamas’ Oct. 7 cross-border attack that triggered the Gaza war. Israel and Hezbollah have been exchanging fire nearly every day since then, but the fighting has escalated in recent weeks, raising fears of a full-blown war.
Hezbollah is much stronger than Hamas, and opening a new front would raise the risk of a larger, region-wide war involving other Iranian proxies and perhaps Iran itself that could cause heavy damage and mass casualties on both sides of the border.
White House envoy Amos Hochstein was in the region last week meeting with officials in Israel and Lebanon in an effort to lower tensions. But the fighting has continued.
Netanyahu said he hoped a diplomatic solution to the crisis could be found but vowed to solve the problem
BEIRUT Associated
Press
THOUSANDS of fighters from Iran-backed groups in the Middle East are ready to come to Lebanon to join with the militant Hezbollah group in its battle with Israel if the simmering conflict escalates into a full-blown war, officials with Iran-backed factions and analysts say.
Almost daily exchanges of fire have occurred along Lebanon’s frontier with northern Israel since fighters from the Hamascontrolled Gaza Strip staged a bloody assault on southern Israel in early October that set off a war in Gaza.
The situation to the north worsened this month after an Israeli airstrike killed a senior Hezbollah military commander in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah retaliated by firing hundreds of rockets and explosive drones into northern Israel.
Israeli officials have threatened a military offensive in Lebanon if there is no negotiated end to push Hezbollah away from the border.
Over the past decade, Iran-backed fighters from Lebanon, Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan fought together in Syria’s 13-year conflict, helping tip the balance in favour of Syrian President Bashar Assad. Officials from Iran-backed groups say they could also
“in a different way” if needed. “We can fight on several fronts and we are prepared to do that,” he said. He said any deal would not just be “an agreement on paper.” He said it would require Hezbollah to be far from the border, an enforcement mechanism and the return of Israelis back to their homes. Tens of thousands of people were evacuated shortly after the fighting erupted and have not been able to go home. Hezbollah has said it will continue battling Israel until a cease-fire is reached in Gaza. The group’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, warned Israel last week against launching a war, saying Hezbollah has new weapons and intelligence capabilities that could help it target more critical positions deeper inside Israel. Hezbollah already has unveiled new weapons during the low-level fighting, including hard-todefend attack drones that strike with little warning. An Israeli soldier was badly
wounded Sunday in a drone strike.
But Israel says it too has shown Hezbollah only a small part of its full capabilities, and that Lebanon will be turned into a second Gaza if there is a war. Israel’s army last week said it had “approved and validated” a new plan for a Lebanon offensive.
In the interview, Netanyahu said that Israel’s offensive in Gaza is winding down. The Israeli army has been operating in the southern border town of Rafah since early May. It says it has inflicted heavy damage on Hamas in Rafah, which it has identified as the last remaining Hamas stronghold after a brutal war stretching nearly nine months. But he said Israel would have to continue “mowing” operations — targeted strikes aimed at preventing Hamas from regrouping.
Israel launched its air and ground invasion of Gaza immediately after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, which killed some 1,200 people and took
join together again against Israel.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said in a speech Wednesday that militant leaders from Iran, Iraq, Syria, Yemen and other countries have previously offered to send tens of thousands of fighters to help Hezbollah, but he said the group already has more than 100,000 fighters.
“We told them, thank you, but we are overwhelmed by the numbers we have,” Nasrallah said. Nasrallah said the battle in its current form is using only a portion of Hezbollah’s manpower, an apparent reference to the specialized fighters who fire missiles and drones. But that could change
in the event of an all-out war. Nasrallah hinted at that possibility in a speech in 2017 in which he said fighters from Iran, Iraq, Yemen, Afghanistan and Pakistan “will be partners” of such a war.
Officials from Lebanese and Iraqi groups backed by Iran say Iran-backed fighters from around the region will join in if war erupts on the LebanonIsrael border. Thousands of such fighters are already deployed in Syria and could easily slip through the porous and unmarked border.
Some of the groups have already staged attacks on Israel and its allies since the Israel-Hamas war started Oct. 7. The groups from the so-called “axis of
about 250 others hostage.
The Israeli offensive has killed over 37,000 Palestinians, unleashed a humanitarian crisis and triggered war crimes and genocide cases at the world’s top courts in The Hague.
It also has raised tensions with the United States, with President Joe Biden and Netanyahu clashing publicly over the course of the war. Earlier on Sunday, Netanyahu again repeated his claim that there has been a “dramatic drop” in arms shipments from the US, Israel’s closest ally, hindering the war effort.
Biden has delayed delivering certain heavy bombs since May over concerns of heavy civilian casualties, but his administration fought back last week against Netanyahu’s charges that other shipments had also been affected.
Although the US and other mediators are pushing a cease-fire plan, Netanyahu has ruled out an end to the war until Israel releases all hostages held by
resistance” say they are using a “unity of arenas strategy” and they will only stop fighting when Israel ends its offensive in Gaza against their ally, Hamas.
“We will be (fighting) shoulder to shoulder with Hezbollah” if an all-out war breaks out, one official with an Iran-backed group in Iraq told The Associated Press in Baghdad, insisting on speaking anonymously to discuss military matters. He refused to give further details.
The official, along with another from Iraq, said some advisers from Iraq are already in Lebanon.
An official with a Lebanese Iran-backed group, also insisting on anonymity, said fighters from Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces, Afghanistan’s Fatimiyoun, Pakistan Zeinabiyoun and the Iranbacked rebel group in Yemen known as Houthis could come to Lebanon to take part in a war.
Qassim Qassir, an expert on Hezbollah, agreed the current fighting is mostly based on high technology such as firing missiles and does not need a large number of fighters. But if a war broke out and lasted for a long period, Hezbollah might need support from outside Lebanon, he said.
“Hinting to this matter could be (a message) that these are cards that could be used,” he said.
Hamas and until it destroys Hamas’ military and governing capabilities.
The current phase of the war “is about to end,” Netanyahu said. “That doesn’t mean the war is about to end.”
Netanyahu spoke as his defence minister, Yoav Gallant, was in Washington for talks with American officials about the war and tensions with Lebanon. And next month, Netanyahu has been invited to address Congress for a speech that already is dividing Washington along partisan lines. Some Democrats, angry at Netanyahu’s public fighting with Biden, say they will not attend.
American officials also have been pressing Netanyahu to spell out a clear post-war plan for Gaza.
The US has said it will not accept a long-term Israeli occupation of the territory.
Netanyahu spelled out a very different vision. He said the only way to guarantee Israel’s security is for Israel to maintain military control over the territory.
Israel is also aware of the possible influx of foreign fighters.
Eran Etzion, former head of policy planning for the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at a panel discussion hosted by the Washington-based Middle East Institute on Thursday that he sees “a high probability” of a “multi-front war.”
He said there could be intervention by the Houthis and Iraqi militias and a “massive flow of jihadists from (places) including Afghanistan, Pakistan” into Lebanon and into Syrian areas bordering Israel.
Daniel Hagari, Israel’s military spokesman, said in a televised statement this past week that since Hezbollah started its attacks on Israel on Oct. 8, it has fired more than 5,000 rockets, antitank missiles and drones toward Israel.
“Hezbollah’s increasing aggression is bringing us to the brink of what could be a wider escalation, one that could have devastating consequences for Lebanon and the entire region,” Hagari said. “Israel will continue fighting against Iran’s axis of evil on all fronts.” Hezbollah officials have said they don’t want an all-out war with Israel but if it happens they are ready.
“We have taken a decision that any expansion, no matter how limited it
“There is no one else” capable of doing that, he said. But he said he is seeking a way to create a Palestinian “civilian administration” to manage day-to-day affairs in Gaza, hopefully with backing from moderate Arab countries. He ruled out any role for the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority, which was ousted from Gaza by Hamas in a violent 2007 takeover.
Netanyahu said the Israeli army several months ago looked into working with prominent Palestinian families in Gaza, but that Hamas immediately “destroyed them.” He said Israel is now looking at other options. Netanyahu ruled out one option favoured by some of his ultranationalist governing partners — resettling Israelis in Gaza. Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005, ending a 38-year presence.
“The issue of settlement is not realistic,” he said. “I’m realistic.”
is, will be faced with an expansion that deters such a move and inflicts heavy Israeli losses,” Hezbollah’s deputy leader, Naim Kassem, said in a speech this past week.
The UN special coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, and the commander of the UN peacekeeping force deployed along Lebanon’s southern border, Lt. Gen. Aroldo Lázaro, said in a joint statement that “the danger of miscalculation leading to a sudden and wider conflict is very real.”
The last large-scale conflict between Israel and Hezbollah occurred in the summer of 2006, when the two fought a 34-day war that killed about 1,200 people in Lebanon and 140 in Israel.
Since the latest run of clashes began, more than 400 people have been killed in Lebanon, the vast majority of them fighters but including 70 civilians and non-combatants. On the Israeli side, 16 soldiers and 11 civilians have been killed. Tens of thousands have been displaced on both sides of the border.
Qassir, the analyst, said that if foreign fighters did join in, it would help them that they fought together in Syria in the past.
“There is a common military language between the forces of axis of resistance and this is very important in fighting a joint battle,” he said.
PEOPLE protest against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government and call for the release of hostages held in the Gaza Strip by the Hamas militant group, in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Saturday.
Photo: Leo Correa/AP
FIGHTERS from the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah carry out a training exercise in Aaramta village in the Jezzine District, southern Lebanon, Sunday, May 21, 2023. Thousands of fighters from Iran-backed groups in the Middle East are offering to come to Lebanon to join the militant Hezbollah group in its fight with Israel.
Photo: Hassan Ammar/AP
SPORTS
MONDAY, JUNE 24, 2024
Mako captures its sixth straight title
By BRENT STUBBS Chief Sports Editor bstubbs@tribunemedia.net
The Bahamas Aquatics’ 52nd National Swimming Championships abruptly concluded with the Mako Aquatics Swim Club capturing its sixth straight championship title after heavy rain and a freak accident took the spotlight. The four-day meet was close to being finished yesterday at the Betty Kelly Kenning Swim Complex when the rain came pouring down as the senior athletes were getting ready for their final individual event in the 200 metre backstroke.
But as they waited for the rain to subside and the pending lightning to ease up, one of the tents used by the officials and athletes at the starting blocks lifted resulting in a parent, who was working as an official, and a swimmer getting injured. Both were taken to the hospital for further evaluation.
Bahamas Aquatics president Algernon Cargill said
Heavy rain and ‘freak accident’ at swimming nationals
to avoid any further incident, they halted the meet and did not stage the final 400m freestyle relay. However, as the rain subsided, they put on the girls and boys 18-and-over 200m backstroke to accommodate the swimmers who came from around the world to compete in the final qualifying meet for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France. “As we noted, it was a freak accident, but the meet is a FINA qualifier and we have some swimmers who came here to qualify for the Olympics,” Cargill said. “It’s unfortunate. We don’t control the
SEE PAGE 18
Davis Cup: Bahamas relegated to Group IV
By BRENT STUBBS Chief Sports Editor bstubbs@tribunemedia.net
AFTER failing to win a tie in their American Zone III Davis Cup Tie last week, the Bahamas has been relegated to Group IV for the first time since playing in the top country team competition for men in 1989.
The Bahamas lost 2-0 to Jamaica on Saturday in the deciding relegation playoffs on the clay courts of the Club Internacional de Tenis in Asuncion, Paraguay. The loss dropped The Bahamas to the bottom of the eight-team pool.
The Dominican Republic beat Paraguay 2-0 to clinch the top spot, but the two countries were promoted to zone II, along with Venezuela, who got third with a 2-0 win over Puerto Rico.
In Saturday’s deciding tie, rookie Michael Major Jr once again played the opening singles, but lost 6-4, 6-1 to Jamaica’s Brandon Perez, while top seed Justin Roberts fell to Jamaica’s Ricardo Rodriquez-Pace.
With the tie already completed, the doubles match didn’t count, although the Jamaican team of Oscar Martinez de Freitad and Sebastian Pino won 6-3, 6-1 over the Bahamian duo of Donte Armbrister and Denali Nottage.
The Bahamas only won one of their eight matches played during the round robin.
The Bahamas opened up with a 2-1 loss to Costa Rica as Major Jr made his Davis Cup debut a successful one with his opening singles victory.
However, the Bahamas went on to lose 3-0 to both
BASKETBALL NEX-GEN CAMP THE third annual Nex-Gen Elite Training Basketball Camp, powered by Frazier’s Roofing, will begin today at the Teleos Indoor Gymnasium at the Remnant Tabernacle on Carmichael Road. The camp, which will continue until July 13, will begin at 9am and conclude at noon daily. It’s open to boys and girls between the ages of 8-19 years. The camp’s director JR Cadot, owner of JRC Basketball Academy, has invited coach Dalton Reitmeier to serve as the coach instructor. Reitmeier is the head coach for the Rabun Gap School and a four-year NCAA athlete.
Paraguay and Venezuela on Wednesday and Friday.
Despite the scores, captain Ricardo Demeritte said he was pleased with the overall performances of the team, which also included Denali Nottage and Donte Armbrister.
Rodney Carey Jr also travelled with the team, but didn’t participate.
“I think that we were in every single match that we played,” Demeritte said.
“The overall consensus was that we didn’t convert a lot of points. We were up in a lot of games, almost every other game that we played.
“Just the inability to convert points was our weakness during this week.
I think the team preparation prior to the trip, or the event, was spot on. A lot of hard work went into the preparation for this
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June, 2024
BASKETBALL DENYKCO BOWLES CAMP THE 11th annual Denykco Bowles Elite Skills Basketball Camp will begin today and run through July 19 at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium. The camp, to be held from 9am to 2pm daily, is designed for boys and girls between the ages of 4-18. The theme for the camp is “Take Your Basketball Skills To The Next Level.” For more information, persons can contact coach Bowles at 466-0049 or info/ibabahamas@gmail.com SOFTBALL MEMORIAL FOR SUNSHINE THE sporting community and friends have planned a series of
By BRENT STUBBS Chief Sports Editor bstubbs@tribunemedia.net
in the country, winning his third Bahamas Golf Federation National Amateur Golf Championship title, while teenager Maddison Carroll clinched her first female crown.
The winners were decided yesterday at the Royal Blue Golf Club at Baha Mar as the four-day tournament came to a close just before the rain came pouring down.
Gibson,
SEE PAGE 15
MIAMI (AP) — Nick Gordon and Jesús Sánchez homered and the Miami Marlins beat the Seattle Mariners 6-4 yesterday.
Jasrado “Jazz” Chisholm Jr. had two hits and an RBI for the Marlins, who clinched the three-game series against the AL Westleading Mariners.
A.J. Puk (1-8) relieved Marlins starter Kyle Tyler to start the fifth and threw two perfect innings. Tyler allowed two runs and three hits over the first four frames.
Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said the Mariners lineup turning a third time against Tyler in the fifth played a role in lifting him after 65 pitches and a 6-2 lead.
“We had the benefit of having three lefties in the bullpen,” Schumaker said. “And when you have the
‘JAZZ’ HAS TWO HITS AND RBI, MARLINS WIN 6-4 TO CLINCH SERIES SEE PAGE 17
COLLEGE PARK, Ga. (AP) — Sabrina Ionescu had 26 points and 11 assists to help the New York Liberty beat the Atlanta Dream 96-75 yesterday. Jonquel Jones added 15 points and 11 rebounds while Breanna
JONQUEL Jones scored 15 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to help the New York Liberty beat the Atlanta Dream 96-75 yesterday. (AP Photo)
MAKING A SPLASH: Top swimmers compete during the Bahamas Aquatics’ 52nd Bahamas National Swimming Championships at the Betty Kelly Kenning Swim Complex.
Photo: Dante Carrer/Tribune Staff
DENALI NOTTAGE, left, and Donte Armbrister celebrate.
BLTA Nationals: Juniors advance to semifinals
THE Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association (BLTA) Nationals got underway for the under-12 through under-18 divisions over at the National Tennis Centre (NTC) this weekend. Despite the event being interrupted due to inclement weather, some juniors were able to secure a spot in today’s semifinals.
Kingston Rees, who is playing out the number one position, downed Jebron Stuart in straight sets 6-0, 6-0 to advance to the semifinals. Rees will face off against Da’Shan Gardiner
Jr, who knocked off Mark Carey 6-0,6-0. Harrison Van Onselen, who is playing in the number two position, and Oliver Van Onselen were both dominant in their matches. The former won comfortably against Aiden Ebanks 6-0, 6-0 and the latter had identical results against Gregory Tynes. Patrick Mactaggart is playing in the top spot of the under-14 boys singles division. Mactaggart had a dominant showing against Noah Russell in consecutive sets 6-1, 6-1.
Ayai Bethel got the best of H Van Onselen in the quarterfinals. He won the matchup 6-1,6-1. Bethel and Mactaggart will battle for a chance at advancing to the finals. On the other side of the bracket, Dylan Sykes said goodbye to Alessio Battello, winning 6-4, 6-4 in their matchup. Synaj Watkins, who is playing in the number two singles spot, had a tough road to the semifinals against Chase Newbold. Watkins was victorious in the first set 6-2.
He came up short in the following set 3-6 but rebounded 6-1 to take the three-set thriller.
Caitlyn Pratt, who is in the number one singles spot, will take on Kaylah Fox in the semifinals for the under-14 girls singles.
Pratt was pushed to the brink against Marina Bostwick but prevailed 7-5, 6-2.
Fox had a much easier time against Hailey Parker who she defeated 6-0, 6-0.
Rebecca Bain will await her semifinals after besting Vonteneke Rolle 6-4, 6-1. Jackson Mactaggart is semifinals bound in the under-16 boys singles. He upset the no. 2
Natonal Tennis Centre.
gles player Aiden Ritchie
Davis Cup: Bahamas relegated to Group IV
tournament.”
Demeritte, got some backlash from some of the players as he was named to the team, made a recommendation to the BLTA for next year for whosoever is the captain or preparing the team.
He noted that they should keep in mind implementing some international exposure in terms of match play for the players.
“I think that real-life scenario and in-game pressure is what was missing in the preparation, playing a different variety of players in different situations,” he
said. “Overall, our players were sharp, ready and they performed very well.”
Carey, according to Demeritte, decided not to be a part of the team. He added that the BLTA will speak to that further in greater detail.
As for the players who played, both Major Jr and Roberts had mixed sentiments about their performances in the critical final match against Jamaica.
“I think I had a good match today. I had my chances in the first set being up 4-2, but I think he just played tougher and I had certain lapses in different moments where I should
have won the games,” said Major Jr, the rookie member of the team.
“Overall, I think today I had a really good striking match, actually. The guy I played was a grinder from the baseline, so I think I could have switched it up more, hit a little bit more drop shots, come to the net more.”
As the only Bahamian player to win a match, Roberts said overall, he thinks he had a solid match.
“I just should have played a little bit different in certain moments and converted more,” he stated.
Roberts, on the other hand, said he was
disappointed with the result.
“Fought hard. Was able to break into both sets,” he recalled.
“Upped a lot of service gains I ended up losing. The level overall was very good. Just need to convert in certain scenarios.”
While he congratulated the Jamaica team, Roberts said it was a tough tie for the Bahamas as they were relegated.
“A lot of work to do and yeah,” he stated. “I guess we’ll be back.”
The Bahamas had its best performance in 1993 in Florida when they reached the World Group playoffs,
The Bahamas has
in Group III for a number of years, but has never been relegated to Group IV until Saturday when they lost to Jamaica in the playoffs.
The Bahamas is now tied with Syria for 90th position in the world.
The Dominican Republic took the top spot with a 2-0 decision over Paraguay. Veneuela ended up in third place with a 2-0 win over Puerto Rico and Costa Rica clinched fifth place with their 2-0 win over Bermuda.
300 (79-75-74-72) for second and Nolan Johnson was 15-over-par 303 (73-7481-75) for third. “I’ve been coming in second for the last few nationals, so I was happy that I finally won this one,” said Gibson, who dethroned Johnson, his friend, arch rival and travelling partner. “I just want to thank God for allowing all of us to come out and play.
“My performance wasn’t what I expected score wise, but I was still happy with it. I was just happy that I was able to get out early and maintain my lead throughout the tournament.”
Gibson Jr, who won the title back-to-back in 2017 and 2018, thanked Royal Fidelity for sponsoring him and in general, especially the juniors, for the past few years, helping with the growth and development of the sport.
Carroll took the spot in the ladies’ division with a 14-over-par 302 (73-77-7478), well ahead of second place finisher Chemari Pratt with 46-over-par 334
(83-82-86-83) and Anissa Robinson with 48-over-par (81-91-81-83) 336.
“I felt it was very tough, but I was happy that I won it,” said the 13-year-old Carroll, who is going into the eighth grade at The Tambearly School and one of the seven members of the Harris Golf Academy headed by the husband/ wife team of David and Georgette Rolle-Harris, who participated in the tournament.
“I wanted to use the tournament to get ready for the tournament we’re going away to compete in. Hopefully I can be competitive enough to win a medal for the Bahamas.”
Along with Carroll, the other Harris Golf Academy players who participated were Pratt and Robinson as well as male competitors Zachary Joseph (12th overall), Rashawn Hanna (tied for 16th), Juan Wilson (tied for 20th) and Angelino Cooper, who didn’t get to complete the tournament. Lynford Miller, who serves as the BGF
president, congratulated both Gibson Jr and Carroll for capturing the titles.
Johnson, who was 10th overall and third in the midamateur category with his 34-over-par 322 (76-76-8486), said the tournament was a very competitive one.
“Overall, we had a pretty good showing with about 61 competitors,” he said. “Due to a conflict with another event, it took away from
the number of competitors we anticipated, but it was still a very good showing from all of our golfers.” Tournament director Gina Gonzalez-Rolle, who also serves as the chairman of the BGF’s Junior Division, said they were pleased with the tournament, especially from the juniors, who are preparing to head off to compete in Jamaica from July 1-6.
“It was amazing to see how well our young people played,” she said. “We’re also pleased to see how well the women played, considering the fact that women’s golf is down in some parts of the world. We had a very good showing from our ladies.” The divisional breakdown showcasing the top three finishers are as follows:
Men’s RegularRichard Gibson Jr (6872-73-71) 284; Sebastian Calzada (79-75-74-72) 300; Heathcliff Kane (78-82-7671) 307. Mid-Amateur - Nolan Johnson (73-74-81-75) 303; Steven Kemp (79-71-76-78) 304; Lyford Miller (76-7684-86) 322. Seniors - Peter McIntosh (82-84-86-78) 330; Juan Trevor Gibson (78-93-8683) 340; John McCarroll (89-95-89-88) 361. Super Seniors - Broderick Pinder (88-84-79-83) 334; Raymond Gibson (8183-83-89) 336; Horace Miller (84-90-85-82) 341. Legends - Victor Skinner (94-91-89-85) 359’ Oswald Moore (90-87-91-93) 361;
led by Mark Knowles and Roger Smith, only to lose to the United States team led by Andre Agassi.
played
sin-
6-0, 6-0. The remaining semifinals matchups will be decided today at the
MICHAEL Major Jr celebrates after winning a point in Paraguay.
NATIONAL female champion Maddison Carroll, BGF president Lynford Miller, national men’s champion Richard Gibson Jr and tournament director Gina Gonzalez-Rolle.
CHISHOLM JR HAS TWO HITS AND RBI, MARLINS
WIN 6-4 TO CLINCH SERIES AGAINST MARINERS
FROM PAGE 14
lead, you go to your strength. Our strength is our bullpen. He did enough to put us in a position to win and our offence put us in position, then we go to our strength.”
The Mariners got to within 6-4 on Ryan Bliss’ RBI groundout off Huascar Brazoban and J.P. Crawford’s run-scoring single against Andrew Nardi in the seventh.
Marlins closer Tanner Scott allowed a leadoff single to Mitch Garver and walked Cal Raleigh in the ninth.
Bliss flied out to medium centre and Crawford struck out before Dylan Moore singled to right and loaded the bases. Miami second baseman Otto López leaped and caught Julio Rodriguez’s line drive for the final out and Scott’s ninth save.
The 27-year-old Tyler made his first major league start and was selected from Triple-A Jacksonville after
Braxton Garrett, Sunday’s scheduled starter, went on the injured list because of a left forearm flexor strain. Tyler made one relief appearance with Miami on April 26 in a earlier call-up. Tyler used a perfect opening inning as the motivator for the remainder of his outing.
“That was incredible,” Tyler said. “Just to know that that lineup is very dangerous, they can swing the bat really well, and to be able to go three up and three out feels good.”
Seattle (45-35) dropped to 2-4 on its nine-game road trip and 18-23 away from home.
“Just the consistency on the road hasn’t been there,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said.
“A lot of games to go. You’re going to have ups and downs throughout the course of the season. This trip has been a struggle for us. Wipe this one off and get to Tampa.”
Gordon’s three-run homer against Mariners
starter Bryce Miller capped a four-run first. Jake Burger put Miami on the board with an RBI single.
“Honestly, just get a ball that I could drive,” Gordon said of his approach. “Had a good at-bat, not too much thinking.”
Chisholm’s run-scoring single in the second made it 5-0. “We know how hard it is to play from behind and when you get that early lead on the other team, it’s hard to come back,” Chisholm said.
“They have one of the best rotations in the league and we have to jump on them early and get to their bullpen.” Sánchez connected off Miller (6-6) with a solo blast in the third. Sánchez’s 429-foot drive landed in the
gap on Luke Raley’s ninth homer, a two-run shot, in the fourth.
Miller gave up six runs and six hits, while striking out three in four innings.
PM throws the first pitch at special Bahamian heritage celebratory game
THE Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments and Aviation and Bahamas Consulate Miami participated in a special Bahamian Heritage celebratory game with the
FROM PAGE 14
events as they pay their last respects to the late Renee ‘Sunshine’ Davis.
A memorial service for Davis, 56, will be held at 7pm on Wednesday in the foyer of the Andre Rodgers Baseball Stadium.
On Thursday at 7pm, the Eastern Star Memorial will take place at Demeritte’s Funeral Home.
Then at 10am on Saturday, Davis’ homegoing funeral service will take place at Bible Truth Ministries on Cowpen Road through the corner opposite Gordon’s Liquor Store.
SOFTBALL BBSF
TOURNAMENT
THE newly formed Bahamas Baptist Sports Federation has pushed back its Co-Ed Softball Invitational Tournament to Saturday, July 6 at the Charles W. Saunders High School, Jean Street.
The tournament was delayed from starting on Saturday, June 22, due to the passing of the federation’s director of track and field, Renee ‘Sunshine’
Miami Marlins vs the Seattle Mariners held on Saturday, June 22 at loanDepot Park in Miami, Florida.
Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis threw the first
Davis, of Golden Gates Native Baptist Church.
The registration fee is $200 per team that will include a maximum of 28 players, including the manager and coach.
Interested persons are urged to contact federation president Brent Stubbs at 426-71265 or tournament director Thomas Sears at 424-2888 for more information.
TRACK BAAA NATIONALS
THE Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations will hold its National Track and Field Championships from Wednesday to Friday at the original Thomas A. Robinson Track and Field Stadium.
The meet will begin at 6pm and will serve as the qualifier for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France, July 27 to August 11. Junior athletes will also get a chance to qualify for the World Athletics Under-20 Championships, scheduled for August 27-31 in Lima, Peru.
BASEBALL FORD CAMP
THE annual Mario Ford Summer Baseball Camp is all set for July 1-12 from 9am to 1pm at Windsor
pitch to open the game and shared a special moment with Marlins player Jasrado “Jazz” Chisholm Jr on the sidelines. Meanwhile, Miami consulate general Kurt
Park on East Street and Wulff Road. It’s open to campers between the ages of 7-15 years. Interested persons are urged to contact Mario Ford at 556-0993 for more information and to register their child or children.
BASKETBALL
PEACE ON DA STREETS
THE annual Peace On Da Streets Basketball Classic, dubbed “Shooting Hoops instead of Guns,” is scheduled for July 15-21 at the Michael ‘Scooter Reid” Basketball Center at the Hope Center. All games will start at 6pm each day. Categories include 12-and-under, 16-and-under, 20-andunder, government ministry, church and open divisions. The event is being promoted by Guardian Radio and Radio House Outreach.
CLERGY VS POLITICIANS
AS a part of the annual Peace ON Da Streets Basketball Classic, organisers will once again stage the showdown between members of the Clergy against the Members of Parliament. The game is scheduled for 8pm Sunday, July 21 at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium.
Hollingsworth was on hand to rally the crowd with a “Let’s play ball”. Bahamians throughout Miami and the wider South Florida were also encouraged to attend the
game with flags and noisemakers to show their Bahamian pride.
Spectators were also treated to Junkanoo performances throughout the game.
seats in right-centre field for his seventh homer.
Seattle narrowed the
TOUGH SLIDE: Miami Marlins’ Jazz Chisholm Jr. slides into third safely during the first inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners yesterday in Miami.
(AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
BAHAMAS AQUATICS’ 52ND BAHAMAS SWIMMING NATIONALS
FROM PAGE 14
weather. But out of an abundance of caution, we want to take care of the swimmers.”
While they didn’t make the qualifying standard during the meet, Lamar Taylor and Ranishka Gibbs have both secured their berth to Paris based on their performances as they lead all Bahamian swimmers in the points standings and have been awarded the two spots.
Taylor helped Mako claim the title with a total of 2,192 points, well ahead of Gibbs, who led Barracuda Swim Club with 1,185 for second. Alpha Aquatic ended up in a close third place with 1,129.
Travano McPhee, the head coach of Mako, who has also been selected as the coach for the Olympic team, said they came out of the gate on the first day on Thursday and breezed through the next three days to build on their dynasty that they began seven years ago for their sixth straight crown. “We had an excellent three days. It’s unfortunate what happened tonight. We were unable to finish off a portoin of the meet. It’s unfortunate,” McPhee said. “I was very pleased with the performances of the swimmers over the weekend and we look forward to the international meets, including the Olympics.”
McPhee, however, said there was a lot of concern for the parent and swimmer who got injured, but he was pleased like everybody else that the medical staff on hand were able to rush to their aid and provided the assistance they needed.
While they gave it their best shot, Barracuda head coach Camron Bruny admitted that it was just too difficult to dethrone Mako.
“I think we did an excellent job. We had swimmers from under-eight to
18-and-over who swam very well,” he said. “We are in a good place to get ready to get better in the future. I’m happy with our placement. We will only get better as a result of this.”
There were unofficial qualifiers, but there were some impressive performances that led to a number of national, Bahamas and open record-breaking performances from both the local and international swimmers.
But while the swimmers coming in from various parts of the world competing in the final qualifying meet before the midnight deadline on Sunday, they were not allowed to compete for points or medals in their final events.
• Here’s a look at some of the record breakers: Christon Joseph of the Blue Waves Swim Club clocked 25.58 for the national record in the 11-12 50m free. Benicio Robinson of Mako was second in 26.75 and Dexter Russell of Freeport Aquatic was third in 28.38. Isabella Munroe of Mako took the Bahamas mark to 1:27.84 in the girls 9-10 100m breaststroke. Rinia Johnson of the Sea Waves Swim Club finished in 1:42.71 for second and Emma Wallace was third in 1:43.87.
Munroe had an outstanding meet, winning the 200m free in 2:30.07 for another new national record. Grace Nottage of the Barracuda was second in 2:44.64 and Makayla Ferguson was third in 2:44.80. Munroe also clinched the national record in girls 9-10 100m free in 1:07.46. Nottage came in second again in 1:15.53 and Jaleah Knowles of the Freeport Aquatic was third in 1:15.90. Munroe added another national record in girls 9-10 200m IM in 2:48.23.
Makayla Ferguson was second in 3:11.06 and
Cailyn Dean was third in 3:11.73.
Skyler Smith of Alpha Aquatic set the Bahamian record in the girls 11-12 200m back in 2:34.61. Alissa Ferguson of the Barracuda was second in 2:38.37 and Nai’a Velton of Mako was third in 2:42.02. Mako’s Ellie Theberge posted a time of 1:07.44 for the Bahamas open mark in the girls’ 145-17 100m back. Kyana Higgs of the Barracuda was second in 1:098.94 and Anjaleah Knowles was third in 1:12.69. Ellie Gibson of Mako won the boys’ 15-17 200m in a Bahamian record of 2:!4.63. Marvin Johnson, also of Mako, was second in 2:14.67 and Launy Duncombe of Alpha Aquatic was third in 2:27.02. Gibson also took the 100m back in 59.05 for the Bahamas record. Marvin Johnson of Mako was second in 1:00.69 and Donald Saunders of Lyford Cay Club got third in 1:03.21.
Christon Johnson inked his name on the boys’ 11-12 200m free national record with his time of 2:07.99. Mako’s Robinson was second in 2:17.09 and Blake Comacho was third in 2:22.14.
Nigel Forbes got the boys’ 18-and-over 200m butterfly in 2:10.75, Hodari Prince of the Barrauda was second in 2:24.66 and Lyle Maycock was third in 3:14.32.
Rhanishka Gibbs established a national record in the girls’ 15-17 50m breaststroke in 32.22. Katie
Goulandris was second in 35.96 and Erin Pritchard was third in 37.40.
Lamar Taylor, representing Mako, won the boys’ 18-and over 100m free in 49.44 for his national record.
Darren Laing of Alpha Aquatic was second in 52.42 and Joshua Murray of the Black Marlins got third in 53.92.
Christon Joseph of the Black Marlins broke the natonal record in the boys’ 11-12 200m IM in 2:26.21. Mako’s Blake Comacho was second in 2:41.43 and Benicio Robinson was third in 2:42.16.
Erald Thompson III of Mako pushed the boys’ 18-and-over 200m IM national record to 2:11.18. Mark-Anthony Thompson of the Alpha Aquatic was second in 2:17.28 and Jack Barr of the Barracuda Swim Club was third in 2:19.57. Emmanuel Gadson of the Barracuda was the Bahamas record breaker in the boys’ 18-and-over 100m freestyle in 1:04.69. MarkAnthony Thompson got second in 1:05.36 and Earl Thompon came in third in 1:06.75.
The meet was sponsored by CFAL, Lombard Odier, Albany Bahamas, Subway, CIBC, St Global Markets, KFC, the Bahamas Olympic Committee, National Sports Authority, Dr. Woodley Thompson Orthodontist, Equity Bank Bahamas, RoyalStar Assurance, Fast & Up, Nassau Agencies Ltd., QVS Pharmacy and Myrtha Pools.
JONQUEL JONES AND IONESCU LEAD NEW YORK TO 93-80
By DOUG FEINBERG AP Basketball Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — Sabrina Ionescu scored 31 points and Jonquel Jones added 22 to help the New York Liberty beat the Los Angeles Sparks 93-80 on Thursday night.
The Sparks were playing their first game since they lost star rookie Cameron Brink to an ACL tear in her left knee.
The Liberty (13-3) led 60-54 with 2:58 left in the third quarter before Ionescu and Jones combined to score the first 11 points of a 13-0 run to give New York a double-digit cushion.
Ionescu got it started with consecutive 3-pointers and Jones added one. Ionescu then found Jones
JONQUEL FROM PAGE 14
for an easy layin on the next possession.
“We talked about it right before the timeout understanding we had to go in and make a push and we did that,” Ionescu said. “Got stops defensively and got great looks offensively. Transition offence is one of our best offences. J had some big shots and went on a really big run there and that helped us to win the game.”
Zia Cooke hit two free throws with 3.6 seconds left in the quarter to end the drought for the Sparks (4-12).
Los Angeles chipped away at the lead and only trailed 82-76 with 2:56 left before consecutive 3-pointers by New York put the game away. Aari McDonald scored 15 points and Cooke added 13 to lead the Sparks. New York was missing guard Betnijah Laney-Hamilton. She has been bothered by a right knee issue the last few days.
Coach Sandy Brondello said that Laney-Hamilton had soreness as well as swelling and discomfort
after the team’s red-eye flight back from Phoenix on Tuesday night. The Liberty are still playing without Nyara Sabally (back) and Courtney Vandersloot (personal). New York held a moment of silence before the game for Vandersloot’s mom Jan, who died over the weekend, according to the team.
She had been diagnosed with advanced multiple myeloma in July 2022.
“We’re a family you know. As much as we love basketball, we understand it’s a business,” said Jones, who also had eight assists and seven rebounds.
“It makes you put things in perspective and there are a lot of other things going on in life. We want to support her.”
Neither team got off to a great start offensively and the game was tied at 33 with just over 3 minutes left in the first half before the Liberty closed the second quarter with a 10-3 run. Jones had the first five points of the spurt and Breanna Stewart had a turnaround shot on the baseline just before the half ended to make it 43-36.
Photos by Dante Carrer/Tribune Staff
SWIMMERS receive their medals on day 1 of Bahamas Aquatics’ 52nd Bahamas National Swimming Championships.
WINNING FEAT:
Carl Hield walks away with WBA Fedecaribe title
By TENAJH SWEETING Tribune Sports Reporter tsweeting@tribunemedia.net
BAHAMIAN pro boxer
Carl Hield saw his dreams come into fruition on Friday at the Gimnasio Yorby Mendoza at Boxing Night in Cartagena, Colombia.
Hield defeated Colombian Christian Bautista via knockout in the seventh round to leave the bout as the WBA Fedecaribe Super Welter champion. The latest victory helped the newly crowned title-holder to remain undefeated and improve to a 7-0-0 (win/ draw/loss record) in pro bouts.
The 37-year-old has always been passionate about wanting to vie for a chance at a world title. He talked about the tools needed to pull off the championship win.
“First of all, I want to give God thanks for giving me the strength and knowledge to be able to go in there and perform to be the WBA Fedecaribe Super Welterweight champion. Believing in God, going in there and just doing the things we did in training camp helped me to get the win. He was a very good fighter. I thought I was gonna get the stoppage earlier but it took me seven rounds to get the stoppage,” he said.
After battling against Bautista for six consecutive rounds, Hield exploited his opponent’s weakness en route to the title victory.
“I was just doing my normal style like we trained. We knew he was a fighter that came forward so I just kept moving, hitting and keeping my distance. As the rounds went on, I could see his conditioning wasn’t really there so with him missing the big blows in
the air he got tired. We figured it out in round five and instead of us boxing I went forward at him and, in the seventh round, he could not deal with the pressure I was putting on him and he just stopped,” he said.
The hometown favourite Bautista now owns a 6-3-0 record in nine pro bouts after falling to the Bahamian boxer.
The former Sugar Bert Boxing gold medallist has always dedicated his matchups to his late mother Norna Hield and, according to him, this win felt “very special.”
“This one is very special because I know she is in her grave right now jumping for me. This would’ve been an extra special moment if she was alive to be here. Doing it for her gave me extra motivation going into that fight and winning felt good,” he said.
Next up, Hield is looking forward to being in contention for a WBA Continental title and wants to put his title on the line at home when he gets the chance.
In addition to this, he wants to be ready for whenever the next opportunity comes knocking at his door.
“This is the start of a new beginning. I still have a long career ahead of me. I am just gonna enjoy this time, get back to the drawing board, focus on what’s next in the pros and amateurs, stay focused and stay ready for when the call comes,” he said.
He was grateful to all of his sponsors and supporters, including Rollin’ Tyre Imports (Trinidad and Tobago), West End Construction, the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture (MOYSC) along with the Bahamas Boxing Federation.
Bahamian pro boxer Carl Hield defeated Colombian Christian Bautista via knockout in the seventh round for the WBA Fedecaribe Super Welter Title on Friday in Cartagena, Colombia.