07272023 NEWS AND SPORT

REVIEW PLEDGED IN IMMIGRATION ROW

PM makes promise over allegations as Bell a no-show

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS Tribune Staff Reporter lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

PRIME Minister Philip “Brave” Davis said the government would review how immigration decisions are made and strengthen the processes. His statement came as the Free National Movement and other critics continued

to scrutinise Keith Bell, the immigration minister they say has repeatedly superseded the authority of senior immigration officials.

With leaks bolstering

FNM leader Michael Pintard’s criticism of Mr Bell, Mr Davis said it is unlawful for civil servants to share the names and personal

HOTEL AND IMMIGRAT ION STATEMENT S DIFFER FROM PREV IOUS COMMENT S

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune News Editor rrolle@tribunemedia.net

PRESS statements from the Ministry of Immigration and the owner of the British Colonial Hotel appeared to differ from previous conclusions of senior immigration officials and comments from Minister Keith Bell, creating a muddy picture about the status of a

Public servants protest for better treatment

DAV IS: WART SILA ENGINES AT BPL ‘never worked ProPerly’

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

PRIME Minister Philip “Brave” Davis said Bahamas Power and Light’s Wartsila engines “never worked properly”.

He responded to former Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis’ criticisms about rising electricity costs and reliability issues.

He noted the government discontinued his administration’s fuel hedge programme, which the Inter-American

group of Chinese nationals when they were released from custody in January.

The Ministry of Immigration said the Chinese nationals were here legally and that their employers were applying for their work permits when the workers were detained and quickly freed earlier this year.

Likewise, Strategic

US S AYS GOVT ‘stalling anticorruP tion’ LEGISLAT ION

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

SCORES of disgruntled social services and healthcare workers demonstrated outside the House of Assembly yesterday, demanding promotions and better workplace benefits.

The public servants, including Ministry of

Health dental department employees, called for hazardous pay, scarcity allowance, and the regularisation of workers, among other things.

“I have been in social services ten years and I ain’t get my letter yet,” said Jason Rolle.

“I want permanency. I is a maintenance man. I is do all sorts of things. That’s all

you does do under government. You does do all kinda people work and only get one paycheck.”

Patrice Glenda Rolle Curry, a chief social worker, said staff morale is at an alltime low.

“We are losing social workers left, right and straight,” she said. “The

THE US State Department yesterday accused the Government of “stalling full implementation of anticorruption legislation that would promote transparency and good governance” such as the Freedom of Information Act.

The Biden administration, in its newly-released 2023 ‘investment climate statement’ on The Bahamas, also reiterated prior concerns that laws and regulations to combat graft have been “inconsistently applied”.

BPSU president Kimsley Ferguson (holding poster), who represents social services and healthcare workers, yesterday during a protest in Rawson Square, accused the government of taking advantage of public servants. See PAGE FIVE for story.

Photo: Austin Fernander

GB Popup Market and Expo to feature 35 young entrepreneurs

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

More than 30 young entrepreneurs will launch their new businesses at a Popup Market and Expo in Grand Bahama on Saturday at Bishop Michael Eldon School.

The event is from 10am to 4pm and is being hosted by Boss Club Bahamas, a summer entrepreneurship programme launched on July 11. The programme is in its second year.

A total of 35 youngsters have made it to the final stage of the programme, where they will be taking their business products/ services to the Bahamian market.

Borderless Creative Group founder Shemia Williams, programme coordinator, and facilitator, said there will be homemade dog treats and accessories, homemade pastries, eyeglasses accessories, a snack shop, and jewelry among others on sale at the pop-up shop.

She is encouraging the public to support young entrepreneurs from grades seven through 12.

The students were involved in an Interactive Boot Camp this week which reinforced what they learned. They learned how to create a prototype business in groups, and completed an online digital training course which is self-paced.

They also attended sessions with mentors who shared their stories and provided advice.

Ms Williams said the mentors were Taleah Fox, of Ebony Made Curls; Alleandra Pinder, Your Faith Recruitment, Education and Consultants; Cranston McDonald, of Cranston McDonald Productions, and Arianna Roberts, of Artistic Soul Production Studios.

Boss Club Bahamas is founded by Agape House. The Grand Bahama Port Authority and Borderless Creative Group were major sponsors, and several local entrepreneurs also assisted.

Ms Williams said the programme was launched by entrepreneurs to give back and empower students to explore the possibilities of entrepreneurship. Some 55 students had registered this year, she said.

MORE than 30 young entrepreneurs are expected to launch their new businesses at a Popup Market and Expo in Grand Bahama on Saturday at Bishop Michael Eldon School.

Review pledged in immigration row

details of people from files in a department’s custody.

“As you know, the Opposition raised some questions in Parliament, and the Department of Immigration is releasing a statement to address those questions,” Mr Davis said.

“It is my understanding that, in many instances, the Opposition’s questions were based on wrong and inaccurate information.

“It is fundamentally important that Bahamians have confidence that every immigration matter is handled fairly, in accordance with the law, and in the best interest of The Bahamas and the Bahamian people.

“There has always been a substantial amount of ministerial discretion in the enforcement of immigration laws in our country and in other countries in the Westminster system. There are practical reasons for that, including the need for flexibility to respond to unique or complex situations and the need to respond to new and changing circumstances without requiring constant legislative changes. And, of course, that discretion operates within a system of checks and balances to promote fairness and due process.

“But just because a system has always operated a particular way doesn’t

mean it can’t be strengthened or improved. As you have heard me say on many occasions, I didn’t come here to defend the status quo, I came here to change it. When there are ways to improve governance, we

Pintard: i t’s Bell’s joB to show uP and EXPLA IN HIS ACT IONS

For instance, the ministry denied that Mr Bell approved an application for someone who was intercepted on a boat trying to smuggle into the US. The ministry said the person’s application was denied three times and never approved.

The ministry said it is not illegal for applications to be made while an applicant is detained at the Detention Centre, adding that sometimes people are arrested while an application for approval is pending.

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

FREE National Movement Leader Michael Pintard said it is Immigration Minister Keith Bell’s “job to show up and explain” his actions, noting the minister was absent during the evening sitting of the House of Assembly yesterday.

“The minister didn’t even show up today who we’re expecting,” Mr Pintard said. “He promised he would tell us, tell the public. He didn’t show up, possibly on the advice of the minister of the public service. It’s his job to show up and explain, to face the music. It is his responsibility.”

Mr Pintard read from a Nassau Guardian editorial and a headline story featuring former Minister of National Security Loftus Roker, who questioned the circumstances surrounding Chinese nationals released from custody in January.

He said: “It says the justification used by the government was the hotel rooms are critically needed to create opportunities for Bahamians and the article is saying that’s not germane in this case. There is no scenario in which a Bahamian should benefit at the expense of developers being allowed to shirk immigration laws and

possibly exploit foreign labourers. Bell was out of order in his initial directive and wildly inappropriate in his public response to the matter.

“There is no longer any reason for the public to have any faith in him as an immigration minister. We should extend as a labor minister either. We should extend as a minister in any capacity because if there’s a problem of judgment, if there’s a problem of behaving in an unlawful and unethical manner, no matter where you place someone, it’s likely to be a behaviour repeated.”

He raised questions about the event.

“Imagine this, the explanation used for causing someone to breach the law by releasing people who should be in custody. Today we don’t even know where they are. We don’t know who they are, where they are, how they came, who facilitated them on the government side, on the private sector side. We don’t even know the company that hired them.”

Meanwhile, former Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis said Mr Bell should do the “honourable thing and resign” and if not the prime minister must fire him.

He urged the member to resign by today, saying he will “bury him” if he doesn’t.

are going to modernise the system instead of maintaining it.”

“I have had a lot of conversations with Bahamians in recent weeks about immigration –– and I want to let you know that I hear

you. I hear your concerns about how things work in this country and intend to address them.

“Every Bahamian deserves to have confidence that the rules promote efficiency, fairness, and

accountability to the greatest extent possible.”

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Immigration responded to numerous allegations Mr Pintard made, disputing the accuracy of some of his claims.

The ministry said: “On a more general note, several concerns were raised about the approval process for permits. It is important to note that current practice at the Department of Immigration does not require employers to submit financial information. Therefore, it is challenging to accurately determine employers’ ability to sustain employment. In respect of the claim that approvals were granted without interviews being conducted, or unsupported by proper documentation, we consider that instances of such cases are highly unlikely, given the stringent checks and balances in place. However, we urge the leader of the Opposition to provide specific instances for further investigation.”

HOTEL AND IMMIGRAT ION STATEMENT S DIFFER FROM PREV IOUS COMMENT S

from page one

Property Holding, the owner of the British Colonial Hotel, said it “wishes to express its grave concern regarding recent unfounded accusations made concerning the immigration status of our workers”.

“We unequivocally affirm that all our workers at the British Colonial Hotel operate under a Heads of Agreement for the British Colonial Renovation and we are in compliance with all applicable Bahamian law,” the company said. However, when he initially responded to the controversy, Mr Bell acknowledged that immigration officers encountered “a number of irregularities with the status of workers” at the construction site that “required immediate action”.

Furthermore, a January 18 letter from Chief Immigration Officer Chad Adams to Deputy Director of Immigration Fausteen Major-Smith highlighted problems with the status of

the workers. Mr Adams wrote that only three of the 65 people produced passports or identification.

“All of the others claimed they had no passports in their possession and were unable to contact the persons who may have them,” he wrote.

Mr Adams noted irregularities involving the three people who did show identification.

In one case, a man initially had a short-term permit as a technician sponsored by someone at Margaretville Beach Resort. But when his permit expired on April 23, no further request was made on his behalf. Mr Adams said the man overstayed nine months.

Another man, he said, had a short-term permit that expired on August 20, 2020. That man left the country and re-entered as a visitor, overstaying for four months.

He said the third person overstayed for 24 days.

Despite this newspaper’s requests, the Davis

administration has not provided The Tribune with the Heads of Agreement governing the renovations to the Hilton.

Strategic Property Holding said it anticipates creating 300 permanent jobs for Bahamians after renovations.

Achintya Garikaparthi

13th October, 1999 to 27th July, 2018

Kingsway Academy Elementary Valedictorian and Salutatorian St Augustine’s College Business Award

Princess Margaret Hospital

Distinguished Intern Physician of the Year

IMMIGRATION MINISTER KEITH BELL

OPPOSITION LEADER MICHAEL PINTARD

On the fifth anniversary of your departure, we continue to honour you and your pursuit of excellence through these awards:

Davis: Wartsila engines at BPL ‘never worked properly’

from page one

Development Bank had supported and praised.

Mr Davis said: “They started off with Wartsila plans — they are not working. They’ve never worked properly. I don’t

like looking backwards. I don’t, but I have to in this instance because there’s a lot of smoke that surrounds that transaction with the Wartsila engines. They’re not working. In fact, we want to understand why. I will bring the documents as well. I want

to understand why. It was present that those engines were tri-fuel.”

Dr Minnis asked the prime minister to table the log for Wartsila’s maintenance programme.

Mr Davis responded:

“That is coming because he would find out that

those engines was supposed to burn a particular type of oil.”

“You will find the engines were not able or capable of doing so, and as a result, it has caused an acceleration of maintenance to an extent where $3m has been lost in the

maintaining of those engines.

“You’ll find that Wartsila, they’re not here, but they were being paid millions of dollars –– for what when Bahamians were doing it? You’ll find that those engines were constructed in a dilapidated

building therefore they can’t run for fear the building will collapse on it.” Works and Utilities Minister Alfred Sears said there would be a full communication on BPL, with documents laid along with the results of a forensic analysis.

Davis calls Parliamentary service Bill Being PasseD ‘transformative’

PRIME Minister Philip “Brave” Davis calls Parliamentary Service Bill perhaps the “greatest reformatory measure”, adding that “Having an independent parliament strengthens our democracy and allows for the work of the people to be performed more efficiently, effectively and transparently.”

Photo: Austin Fernander

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

ELECTED officials yesterday passed what Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis called perhaps the “greatest reformatory measure” impacting parliament’s operations since independence. Mr Davis said the Parliamentary Service Bill is transformative and groundbreaking, a bill that “begins a new chapter in the story of our Parliament”.

“There have been calls for such a bill for many, many years even before I was in this place prior to 1992,” he said.

“We have been hearing talks about such a bill.

Having an independent parliament strengthens our democracy and allows for the work of the people to be performed more efficiently, effectively and transparently.”

“These improvements are critical because the more independent and productive the parliament becomes, the more efficiently the government’s legislative agenda can be achieved. The ultimate beneficiaries of these improvements will be the Bahamian people, the one to whom we are accountable for all that we do and the laws that we passed.”

In a joint press statement this week, former

House Speakers Italia

Johnson, Alvin Smith, Dr Kendal Major and Halson Moultrie called the bill’s first reading an “exciting and historic undertaking”.

Under the bill, the Senate and the House of Assembly could generate revenue and receive grants so the Parliamentary Service Commission could control and manage the parliamentary service.

The service would have clerical staff, maintenance staff, security staff and advisory services for the Senate president, the speaker of the House of Assembly, committees of both houses and members of the Senate and House,

other than ministers. It would also include a parliamentary reporting division comprising the Hansard and the Parliamentary Channel.

“We are currently developing plans for the building of a new parliament building to serve the needs of a modern legislature through the provision of essential infrastructure, resources and technology,” Mr Davis said.

“This is yet another change that those advocating for greater parliamentary efficiency and improved conditions have wanted to see for years. It is now happening under this administration.”

Public servents hold protest in Rawson Square for better treatment

from page one

department right now is limping. We are very short of staff. The process to confirm persons is a very lengthy process for social serviced department. We don’t know why. The process needs to be done in a more swiftly manner.”

The demonstration came a day after State Minister for Public Service Pia Glover-Rolle said significant progress had been made to address the promotion backlog and other outstanding concerns of social services workers.

BPSU president Kimsley Ferguson, who represents the workers, accused the government of taking advantage of public servants.

“We’re very, very disappointed in that every time the government gets wind of the fact that there may be industrial action, you see a written press statement being released by the minister of the public service indicating what was done. The government needs to

be a little bit more proactive than that.”

He continued: “We need to be respected and instead of us speaking to the government through the media, I believe we are a more civilised country than that and so there can be dialogue.”

Speaking in the House of Assembly yesterday, Mrs Glover-Rolle denied claims that no communication or progress was made relating to public service matters, calling such assertions “erroneous” and “disingenuous.”

She added: “Our chief negotiator continues to extend as we have been continuously extending to all union leaders an open line of communication and, let me say, that there are multiple means available for any trade union leaders in our nation to access information from the ministry of public service.”

“There’s no shortage of information coming out of the public service, and I think we’ve done a great job of communicating where we are in these processes.”

POLICE INVESTIGATE TWO ALLEGED SEXUAL ASSAULTS AND A TRAFFIC FATALITY

POLICE in New Providence are investigating two alleged sexual assaults that occurred on Monday.

In the first incident, a 30-year-old woman reported on Tuesday that shortly after 9pm, while driving west on Marshall Road, she slowed down near the Faith Avenue intersection and was approached by two men on foot.

According to reports, one of the men produced a firearm and forced her out of her vehicle. The armed culprit then took her to nearby bushes and sexually assaulted her before escaping in an unknown direction.

In the second incident, on Tuesday around 3.15pm, a 32-year-old woman reported that shortly after 9pm, while walking on Fleming Street, she accepted transportation from a male known to her. The suspect reportedly drove her to a dirt road off Gladstone Road, where he allegedly produced

a firearm and sexually assaulted her.

Meanwhile, police said a 22-year-old man died following a traffic fatality in Abaco on Tuesday.

Police said shortly after 7pm, the victim was driving east on Forest Drive in Murphy Town when he lost control of his black 2013 Honda Civic and hit a utility pole. Due to the extensive damage to the vehicle, the victim was removed with the “Jaws of Life”. He was taken to the Medical Centre in Marsh Harbour, where he died of his injuries.

Police in Andros also arrested a 24-year-old man on Tuesday for possessing an illegal firearm and a quantity of ammunition.

Preliminary reports revealed that, around 8.30pm, officers acting on information, proceeded to a business establishment in Queens Highway in San Andros, where they saw a man acting suspiciously. This resulted in him being searched and the items discovered.

POLICE INVESTIGATING TWO SHOOTINGS LAST NIGHT

A MAN was shot in an incident last night in Cottonwood Street in Pinewood Gardens. The 29-year-old was shot multiple times and was reported to be in hospital at the time of going to press.

In addition, police are investigating a shooting of a man in Grand Bahama. No further details were available late last night.

For more information, see www.tribune242.com.

BPSU president Kimsley Ferguson leads social worker protest in Rawson Square where he accused the government of taking advantage of public servants.

Photo: Austin Fernander

EMERGENCY personnel work to extract a 22-year-old man from his vehicle after he lost control and hit a utility pole on Forest Drive in Abaco. The driver died of his injuries.

Essentials of Migration Training Seminar

COURT OF A PPEAL UPHOLDS SENTENCE FOR WOM AN CHARGED WITH MURDER

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

THE Court of Appeal upheld the 42-year prison sentence of a Jamaican woman who fatally stabbed her girlfriend in 2018.

Natasha Beckford, 35, argued with Lakeisha Mackey outside the Mayfair Hotel on West Bay Street on the night of February 20, 2021. She dragged Mackey to the ground and fatally stabbed her with a beer bottle.

In an interview with police submitted during Beckford’s Supreme Court trial, she admitted to stabbing the victim twice with a beer bottle.

Cheryl Russell, an eyewitness, testified that she saw Beckford fight and stab the victim outside the hotel.

A phone call between Beckford and Lakeria Mott shortly after the incident was submitted as evidence that the two women fought.

Beckford appealed the sentencing on the grounds that it was unduly severe and that the jury only took an hour to deliberate before

reaching a verdict. She also objected to the submission of the expletive-filled phone conversation she had with Ms Mott, saying it was more prejudicial than probative.

The justices dismissed the first two grounds of appeal, saying the sentencing aligned with similar cases.

While admitting that the appellant’s Jamaican accent was not easily understood, which may have alienated some jurors, Sir Michael Barnett found the audio admissible. He also noted that the audio was the only evidence submitted supporting Beckford’s selfdefence claim.

“It cannot be said that the audio records had no probative value and its contents were irrelevant to the issues in the case,” Sir Michael Barnett said. “The appellant’s defence was one of self-defence. There was no evidence from which a jury could discern a basis for the argument of self-defence otherwise from the audio recording. The appellant, in her ROI, never suggested that she acted in self-defence. The

evidence of Ms Russell did not support and indeed contradicted the claim of self-defence. According to Ms Russell, the deceased was walking away from the appellant. The appellant was driving away, stopped her car, came out of it, ran toward the deceased, grabbed her by her hair and dragged her down.”

“The audio recording was the only bit of evidence that could remotely support the defence of self-defence. In the audio recording, the appellant repeated, ‘what about me’, “glad everybody saw (expletive) she just try to do to me just now”, “she try to hurt me”, ‘she try to fight me’”.

“Moreover, the audio recording helped the jury in assessing the appellant’s credibility. In her interview with the police, she denied saying, ‘I’m a vampire. I cut her throat and drink her blood.’ However, the jury was able to hear her say that on the audio recording.’”

Justices Sir Michael Barnett, Brian Moree and Indira Charles presided over the matter.

MEN ON SEPARATE CHARGES OF MURDER AND ATTE MPTED MURDER RE M AIN ON BAIL

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

TWO MEN denied involvement in separate murder and attempted murder incidents in New Providence last year.

Machino McKenzie, 22, was charged with murder before Justice Cheryl Grant-Thompson. He is accused of killing Averyon

Duncanson outside a bar in Chippingham on the night of November 12, 2022.

After pleading not guilty, McKenzie was informed that his bail would continue. His trial date will be fixed for August 3 before Justice Gregory Hilton. Justice Grant-Thompson also charged Christian Gordon with attempted murder.

Gordon, and an accomplice, is accused of trying to kill Quinton Rolle in New Providence on September 28, 2022.

After pleading not guilty to the offence, Gordon was also told his bail would continue. He was informed that an attorney would be appointed for him before his trial before Justice Guillimina Archer-Minns.

MAN ON BAIL FOR AR M ED ROBBERY ACCUSED OF CURFEW BREACH

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A MAN was imprisoned after he was accused of failing to obey his residential curfew while on bail for armed robbery.

Senior Magistrate Carolyn Vogt-Evans charged Michael Adderley, 31, with ten counts of violation of bail conditions.

While on release, Adderley allegedly failed to obey his residential curfew ten

times between January 24 to June 17.

After pleading not guilty to the charge, Magistrate Vogt-Evans denied Adderley’s bail application, citing the seriousness of the offence for which he was on bail.

Adderley will be remanded to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services until his trial begins on August 16.

In a separate matter, Justice Cheryl GrantThompson charged Edward

Rolle, Jr, for his involvement in an armed robbery of a Wendy’s restaurant last July.

Rolle, Jr, and an accomplice allegedly robbed Ashanti Adderley of $294 at gunpoint while she was working at a Wendy’s store on July 11, 2022.

After pleading not guilty to the offence, Rolle was told the court would appoint his attorney before his trial before Justice Guillimina Archer Minns.

GB MAN CHARGED WITH MURDER ACCEPTS LESSER CHARGE OF MANSLAUGHTER

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

A GRAND Bahama man charged with murder has pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter.

Damien Sterling appeared before Justice

Andrew Forbes on Tuesday. He was initially charged with murdering Jamal Russell, who was choked to death during an altercation three years ago. At the proceedings, Sterling decided to avoid a trial and take a plea deal for the

AN ESSENTIALS of Migration Training Seminar took place yesterday. Speakers included US Charge d’Affaires Usha Pitts and Immigration Minister Keith Bell.

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Photos:

Our celebration of independence should not be confused with the birth of our nation

TRITE and simplistic cliches on Bahamas nationhood are enemies of history, memory and myriad freedom struggles and movements for equality, including the fight for majority rule and women’s rights.

Easily deployed, misleading, superficial, treacly, these cliches insult intelligence. They are like cluster bombs loaded with multiple bomblets designed to indiscriminately maximise harm.

Half a century ago, in 1973, a major cluster bomb exploded at independence: the destructive cliché that independence was the beginning of The Bahamas as a nation. The debris field is widespread. We are still cleaning up the mess half a century later.

The Cluster Munition Coalition observes: “Cluster munitions … can saturate an area up to the size of several football fields. Anybody within the strike area of the cluster munition … is very likely to be killed or seriously injured.”

Following the initial devastation and damage, cluster bomb-like cliches leave behind minefields of highly explosive falsehoods that are dangerous for generations, requiring immense effort and resources, and decades, if not centuries to eradicate.

A dangerous cliché-cluster bomb was expressed and delivered in Priscilla Rollins’ song, “Independence Morning, It’s like a Baby Borning”, a catchy tune that has delighted audiences since 1973.

Ms Rollins captured much of the enthusiasm and excitement of independence. Still, the Bahamian nation is much older than 50 years. We are centuries older.

The analogies we create and refine about nationhood, including various metaphors and similes, play an essential part and instructive role in our national storytelling, history, aspirations, mythologizing and symbolising.

Our preeminent historian, Dr Gail Saunders, who recently passed away, would be horrified that Bahamians who should know better, including government leaders, would use misleading and imprecise language on certain aspects of our history.

At the recent 50th independence celebration on Fort Charlotte, Prime Minister Philip Davis unfortunately unleashed his own cluster bomb, adding fuel to the proverbial fires in remarks that got a central feature of our history terribly wrong and that is misleading.

Mr Davis inaccurately

misstated of Bahamian history:

“In just a few short hours, come midnight, our Bahamian flag will be raised once again. It will be an echo of that moment, 50 years ago, on July 10th, 1973, which marked the birth of our nation. ...”

He continued: “On that night, as the flag slowly ascended, with it were raised the hopes and aspirations of the Bahamian people, to carve out our own identity, to make our own way, to seek to build the best little country in the world. And we seized the charge. We set about building this nation…”

Mr Davis noted: “But Independence was not just a moment in time. It was not just the throwing-off of the shackles of colonialism … Independence was the first big step on the long journey that continues to take our nation forward and upward.”

The first big step? The Bahamas Prime Minister has an obligation to get basic civics right, especially for young Bahamians and successive generations. Unfortunately, Mr Davis doubled down on his incorrect version of history.

At independence we celebrate the status of a sovereign, independent state, not the beginning of The Bahamas. Our people, our history, our resilience, including our triumph over the subjugation of colonialism and slavery, are centuries old.

The Bahamian nation and experience are exceedingly older than the 50 years following independence from Great Britain. A deeper appreciation of our rich history is diminished when we say, “Happy birthday” on July 10th. It is more accurate and more meaningful to say, “Happy Independence!”

Respectfully, Prime Minister: From those who revolted against slavery, like Pompey and others, to those who got together

NOTICE TO SHAREHOLDERS

as the Ballot Party in 1925, to those who launched the PLP in 1953, to those who started the FNM in 1971, we have been building a nation for centuries.

The suffragettes, those involved in the Burma Road march of 1942, the General Strike of 1958, the Labour Movement of the 1950s and more, and others who forged a Bahamian nation did so before 1973.

While independence was the culmination of the fight for sovereignty and the unshackling from colonial rule, it was not the birth of the nation. Moreover, the struggle to decolonise our mindsets continues 50 years later with the final decoupling from a foreign head of state still to be achieved.

Even the autocratic Sir Stafford Sands, who kept black Bahamians and poor whites subjugated, appreciated much of what it meant to be uniquely Bahamian, because he understood something of Bahamian history and that we have been forging a national identity for centuries in this archipelago.

As noted by Bahamianology, The Nassau Guardian quoted Sir Stafford as he moved for the appointment of a Constitution Committee in the House of Assembly on 25 January 1960: “I have had the pleasure of moving for the appointment of a constitution committee several times and it is always with hope that we can take another step toward self-government. “I would rather serve under a Bahamian who was my worst enemy than under another man who was my friend. I am convinced that this Colony can only reach its fullest flowering under self-government.”

Independence was decidedly not “the first big step on the long journey that continues to take our nation forward and upward”.

What is a nation? In his remarks in the House of Assembly a few weeks ago former Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis offered: “The dictionary defines a nation as ‘a large body of people united by common descent, history, culture, or language, inhabiting a particular country or territory’.”

He further noted: “Also according to the dictionary, a nation-state is defined as ‘a sovereign state of which most of the citizens or subjects are united also by factors which define a nation, such as language or common descent’.” The distinction between nation and nation-state is critical.

Dr Minnis continued: “At independence, we celebrate

The Board of Directors of Finance Corporation of Bahamas Limited hereby notifies its Shareholders that a dividend payment of fifteen cents ($0.15) per Ordinary share and a special dividend payment of nine cents ($0.09) per Ordinary Share will be paid on 10th August 2023 to all Shareholders of record as at 3rd A ugust 2023.

Corporate Secretary

national sovereignty, not the birth of the broader Bahamian enterprise and experience.”

The Bahamas, like other Caribbean jurisdictions, assimilated the contributions of many cultures into a new Bahamian and Caribbean culture, forging something unique out of what Caribbean Nobel Laureate Derek Walcott described as “fragments of epic memory”. At a One Bahamas event in 2010, former Governor General Sir Arthur Foulkes recalled the hundreds of

years of our history and the emergence of Bahamians as a unique people: “Over many years they came from Europe and Africa, and some from Asia; and they came by direct as well as by circuitous routes. Many of our forebears – diverse in race, colour, creed and ethnicity -- came by way of the United States, South America and the other islands of the Caribbean.

“But today we are one people with a distinct identity among the nations of the world. We are Bahamians. We have come through

many trials and tribulations but now we joyously celebrate the blessing of being able to live as one people, in peace and unity, and to call one of the most beautiful spots on the planet our home.”

The journey to independence has many chapters. Simplistically saying that The Bahamas was born in 1973 is more than factually incorrect. It is a cliche that negates a history of struggle and nation-building by ancestors who forged today’s One Bahamas. More in the weeks ahead.

FOLLOWING his Progressive Liberal Party’s historic victory in the January 10, 1967 general election, which established Majority Rule in The Bahamas for the first time, Premier Lynden Oscar Pindling is pictured in the foreground with British Governor Sir Ralph Gray and members of his first cabinet in the background. From left are: Cecil Wallace Whitfield, Milo Butler, Arthur Hanna, Clarence A. Bain, Jeffrey M. Thompson, Carlton Francis, Randol Fawkes, Warren Levarity, Dr. Curtis McMillan and Clement Maynard.

Independence was decidedly not “the first big step on the long journey that continues to take our nation forward and upward”

WOMEN PROTEST FOR THE RIGHT TO VOTE.

Messi makes and impact on Miami sports with a look at Mas Canosa’s impact on Cuban-US relations

WE all know about the close ties The Bahamas maintains with South Florida. It’s hardly a secret that the legal as well as the illegal commerce between us has over many decades proven to be enduring, necessary, lucrative and quite creative. Miami-Dade County has 30 “sister city” agreements with foreign municipalities around the world, including one with The Bahamas. And one of Miami’s two “friendship city” relationships is with Barcelona which might prove to be prophetic, as we will see.

This affinity with South Florida has long carried over into the sports arena as well. Especially with the Miami Dolphins football team and the Miami Heat basketball team, many of us are fans.

Now, the world’s most popular sport looks like it might be a future contender for some of our passion for sports. Club Internacional de Futbol Miami is now five years old and better known as Inter Miami, or Miami FC. Miami’s soccer expansion team hasn’t enjoyed much success in the American Major League Soccer so far, but that is likely to change, probably soon. And as it does, we may become more and more engaged.

As Miami’s soccer profile rises, it is also interesting to explore a bit later the story of their new owners.

Less than two weeks ago, a man regarded by most observers as one of the two or three greatest soccer players to ever play the game signed with Inter Miami. Argentine superstar and reigning world champion Lionel Messi signed his Designated Player contract on July 15, committing to lead the team through the 2025 MLS season.

Messi, finishing three

STATESIDE

with Charlie Harper

often unhappy years with perennial French league champion Paris St. Germain, reportedly turned down offers to stay in Paris or move to a Saudi Arabian league that is attempting to stockpile soccer superstars like we might load up on ribs or chicken in preparation for a big family cookout.

There are some good reasons for Messi to lend his immense worldwide fame and prestige to an American league that has struggled for economic viability and televised visibility since the 1980s. MLS is still an often-overlooked afterthought in the world’s soccer view, but Messi might lessen some of that disregard.

Messi and his family reportedly like Miami. At 36, he is nearing the end of his playing days, certainly as the world’s best current player. Like any sensible sportsman, he is looking for a place to retire and pursue other interests. While Paris is the City of Light, for most Latino families Miami is the better choice.

Lucky for us.

There are other reasons for Messi’s commitment to Miami. Like LeBron James at his various stops in Cleveland and Los Angeles (but not Miami), Messi was reportedly given a voice in the selection of Inter Miami’s head coach and some of his new teammates.

Fellow Argentine and former Barcelona

manager Gerardo “Tata” Martino was appointed as the head coach of the club just before Messi joined.

Messi’s former Barcelona teammates Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba have or will join him in South Florida.

Messi played for Barcelona for 18 glorious years before moving to Paris in 2021.

Lionel Messi’s instant impact at Inter Miami and life in the United States continued on Tuesday as he scored two goals and created another in the team’s 4-0 victory over Atlanta United in a club competition. Messi had made his first start for the MLS side last week after coming off the bench and scoring on a trademark free kick in “extra time” in another interleague competition.

There is more to this story. While former English and Manchester United star David Beckham has been visibly associated with Inter Miami for several years, the team’s owners are Jorge Mas and his brother. Heirs to a South Florida fortune built by their famous father Jorge Mas Canosa, the brothers bought out their partners recently to become the principal owners.

Mas Canosa, who died in 1997, was a massively important figure not only in South Florida but at the highest levels of American politics for decades. In 1981, along with two colleagues, he founded the Cuban American National Foundation. While it is now

a mere shadow of its former self, CANF was profoundly influential in Florida and national American politics for over 20 years.

CANF was founded following the election of Ronald Reagan when US Republicans sought a lobbying organisation made up of anti-Castro Cuban-Americans. The organization was molded after the significantly influential, pro-Israel organisation AIPAC and enjoyed significant backing from the Reagan administration. In its early days, CANF also received “sizeable contributions” from board members who were reportedly “leaders of Miami’s financial and import-export sector,” running companies invested in Latin America and stood to gain from Reagan’s policies that protected investment overseas.

As the tide of Cuban refugees ebbed and flowed from Cuba through The Bahamas to the US for many years, CANF and Mas Canosa strongly influenced how the US treated those Cuban refugees – an American policy that was notably differentiated from US treatment of other hopeful immigrants, including Haitians.

CANF was founded as part of a broader strategy to sideline more moderate perspectives within the Cuban-American community, and to convert anti-Castro activism in

EVER since the American Supreme Court basically outlawed race-conscious affirmative action in the admissions process of the many, many US colleges and universities who receive some kind of federal research or other funding support, American higher education has been in the headlines.

It would be well worthwhile for Bahamian families interested in college in America for their kids to pay attention to developments. One important such development is the US Department of Education’s decision this week to look at Harvard’s policy of socalled “legacy” admissions. This gives at least an implicit advantage to the sons and daughters of Harvard

South Florida from a militantly and potentially militarily hostile approach to the Cuban Communist regime to a more politically-oriented strategy. CANF was widely described during Mas Canosa’s tenure as one of the most powerful ethnic lobbying organizations in the US, and used campaign contributions to advance and secure its policy objectives in Washington, DC. Democratic officials believed that but for the outsized influence of Mas Canosa, the United States might have ended its infamous, consistently unpopular regime of heavy economic and political sanctions on a Cuban government from which Mas Canosa’s parents had fled. Throughout his leadership,

alumni. “Legacy status can break a tie,” one observer noted.

Meanwhile, reporters are scrambling to find programmes that seem to do diversity well, which is particularly valuable in light of the Supreme Court decision.

The New York Times spoke with the head of admissions for the medical school at the University of California at Davis (near Sacramento). “Mostly rich kids get to go to medical school,” he said.

In his role at the school, he has developed an unorthodox tool to evaluate applicants: the socioeconomic disadvantage scale, or SED.

The scale rates every applicant from zero to 99, taking into account their life circumstances, such as

Mas Canosa and CANF held immense influence over the US policy with Cuba. For instance, Mas Canosa is credited with aiding in the design of 1994 American legislation designed to tighten the US vise on Cuba. Whenever the American squeeze play on Cuba comes before the United Nations, it is roundly excoriated.

So a Cuban exile family in South Florida that certainly embodied the American Dream and long maintained political influence in American politics may regain some influence on our cultural life here.

This time, though, it might be on a soccer field rather than in political backrooms, on the high seas and in refugee camps.

family income and parental education. Admissions decisions are based on that score, combined with the usual portfolio of grades, test scores, recommendations, essays and interviews. This disadvantage scale has helped turn UC Davis into one of the most diverse medical schools in the country — notable in a state that voted in 1996 to ban affirmative action.

Still, more than half of medical students in the US come from families in the top 20 percent of income, while only four percent come from those in the bottom 20 percent, according to data from the Association of American Medical Colleges. Equality in college admissions has certainly been weakened. Restoring it will be difficult.

INTER Miami forward Lionel Messi (10) defends the ball against Atlanta United defender Ronald Hernández (2) during the second half of a Leagues Cup soccer match, Tuesday, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Photo: Rebecca Blackwell/AP

Chief councillor calls for ambulance for residents of West Grand Bahama

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

JIMMY Smith, chief councillor for West Grand Bahama District, has called for ambulance services to be made available in West Grand Bahama, and criticised the hospital administrator for her lack of compassion.

He expressed shock and extreme disappointment that hospital administrator Jessica Cartwright felt an ambulance was not needed in the west, particularly in Eight Mile Rock, which is the largest settlement in The Bahamas.

“The local government arm under my leadership will stop at nothing

to bring light and resolve to hospital administrator Cartwright’s wrong and dark assessment,” Mr Smith said in a recent statement.

“Eight Mile Rock, and by extension, the West Grand Bahama settlements, have long been neglected by successive governments in key areas. The hospital administrator’s dismissive statement is not surprising.”

“The administrator’s view marks a research that lacks acute competence and attentive compassion,” criticised Smith.

Mr Smith explained that an ambulance from Freeport takes too long and so residents do not call for emergency services

because there is no ambulance in the West.

“We call on the Prime Minister, the Minister of Health, and Parliamentary representatives directly responsible for Eight Mile Rock and West Grand Bahama, to ensure an ambulance service is made available for our good and deserving residents and visitors in this Western District,” he stressed.

In a statement issued by the Public Hospital’s Authority, PHA acknowledged that concerns raised by Chief Councillor Jimmy Smith are valid, but also represent some of the issues expressed through their dialogue with the residents.

PHA advised that the process has started to secure additional ambulances for both New Providence and Grand Bahama.

However, PHA said global demand and supply chain concerns are expected to cause some delays.

“Once the ambulances arrive in the country, we will ensure the respective communities are equipped with the emergency vehicles required,” the statement stated.

It was indicated that PHA and Grand Bahama Health Services are actuely aware of the importance of accessible healthcare services for all Grand Bahamians,

particularly in the East and West End.

“As we continue the work of raising the standard of care, our efforts will include the necessary assessments required to confirm the specific needs of the communities we serve and allocate the appropriate resources to address those needs.

“We wish to assure the chief councillor and the wider public that his concerns are not falling on deaf ears. Already, PHA and GBHS have begun the work of upgrading the island’s healthcare infrastructure. Coupled with ongoing training initiatives made available through the PHA Academy, these developments represent what we believe

are steps forward in enhancing the provision of healthcare.

“We believe that investing in the skills and expertise of our residents will help bridge the gap and ensure better access to quality healthcare services.

“PHA and GBHS reaffirm our commitment to fostering accessible, compassionate, and responsive health care services for all residents across the island. We stand united with officials of Local Government and our other stakeholders and partners in its pursuits of equitable healthcare access for all in Grand Bahama, and surrounding cays.”

Hunter Biden’s plea deal on hold after federal judge raises concerns over the terms of the agreement

DELAWARE Associated Press

THE PLEA deal in Hunter Biden’s criminal case unravelled during a court hearing Wednesday after a federal judge raised concerns about the terms of the agreement that has infuriated Republicans who believe the president’s son is getting preferential treatment.

Hunter Biden was charged last month with two misdemeanour crimes of failure to pay more than $100,000 in taxes from over $1.5 million in income in both 2017 and 2018 and had been expected to plead guilty Wednesday after he made an agreement with prosecutors, who were planning to recommend two years of probation. Prosecutors said Wednesday Hunter Biden remains under active investigation, but would not reveal details.

US District Court Judge Maryellen Noreika, who was appointed by President Donald Trump, raised

multiple concerns about the specifics of the deal and her role in the proceedings. The plan also included an agreement on a separate gun charge — Biden has been accused of possessing a firearm in 2018 as a drug user. As long as he adhered to the terms of his agreement, the gun case was to be wiped from his record. Otherwise, the felony charge carries 10 years in prison.

The overlapping agreements created confusion for the judge, who said the lawyers needed to untangle technical issues — including over her role in enforcing the gun agreement — before moving forward.

“It seems to me like you are saying ‘just rubber stamp the agreement, Your Honour.’ … This seems to me to be form over substance,” she said. She asked defence lawyers and prosecutors to explain why she should accept the deal. In the meantime, Hunter Biden pleaded not guilty to the tax charges.

The collapsed proceedings were a surprising development in the years long investigation, and a resolution that had been carefully negotiated over several weeks and included a lengthy back-and-forth between Justice Department prosecutors and Biden’s attorneys.

The plea deal was meant to clear the air for Hunter Biden and avert a trial that would have generated weeks or months of distracting headlines. But the politics remain as messy as ever, with Republicans insisting he got a sweetheart deal and the Justice Department pressing ahead on investigations into Trump, the GOP’s 2024 presidential primary front-runner.

Trump is already facing a state criminal case in New York and a federal indictment in Florida. Last week, a target letter was sent to Trump from special counsel Jack Smith that suggests the former president may soon be indicted on new federal charges, this time involving

his struggle to cling to power after his 2020 election loss to Joe Biden.

Republicans claim a double standard, in which the Democratic president’s son got off easy while the president’s rival has been unfairly castigated. Congressional Republicans are pursuing their own investigations into nearly every facet of Hunter Biden’s dealings, including foreign payments.

“District Judge Noreika did the right thing by refusing to rubbers tamp Hunter Biden’s sweetheart plea deal,” said House Oversight Committee chairman Rep. James Comer, R-Ky. “But let’s be clear: Hunter’s sweetheart plea deal belongs in the trash.”

Wednesday’s hearing quickly veered into confusion, with Hunter Biden at one point answering “yes” when asked if he was pleading guilty of his own free will, before later pulling back in moving forward with the plea.

The judge said she was concerned about a provision in the agreement on the gun charge that she said would have created a role for her where she would determine if he violated the terms. She argued such a role doesn’t exist for judges; the lawyers said they were only asking for the court to play a factfinding role as a neutral party in determining if a violation happened.

“We wanted the protection of the court,” Biden’s attorney Chris Clark said. She also raised concerns that the agreement included a non-prosecution clause for crimes outside of the gun charge.

The attorneys appeared to squabble over the deal’s terms, too, retreating to their corners to discuss the issues, before they met at the prosecutors’ table and, at one point, could be heard yelling at each other. “Well, we’ll just rip it up!” Clark was heard shouting.

The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The judge also asked Biden to be more specific about his business relationships

and to discuss his substance use issues as she combed through the plea agreement. She asked him to name the Ukrainian and Chinese entities referred to without name in the agreement. She also asked him the last time he used alcohol or drugs and whether he was currently receiving treatment.

Biden answered June 1, 2019 and said he was not currently in treatment, though he did say he was in an anonymous support program for his substance abuse issues.

“Hunter Biden is a private citizen, and this was a personal matter for him,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. “As we have said, the president, the first lady, they love their son, and they support him as he continues to rebuild his life. This case was handled independently, as all of you know, by the Justice Department under the leadership of a prosecutor appointed by the former president, President Trump.

President Biden, meanwhile, has said very little publicly, except to note, “I’m very proud of my son.”

WHISTLEBLOW ER TO CONGRESS:

WASHINGTON Associated Press

The U.S. is concealing a longstanding program that retrieves and reverse engineers unidentified flying objects, a former Air Force intelligence officer testified Wednesday to Congress. The Pentagon has denied his claims.

Retired Maj. David Grusch’s highly anticipated testimony before a House Oversight subcommittee was Congress’ latest foray into the world of UAPs — or “unidentified aerial phenomena,” which is the official term the U.S. government uses instead of UFOs. While the study of mysterious aircraft or objects often evokes talk of aliens and “little green men,” Democrats and Republicans in recent years have pushed for more research as a national security matter due to concerns that sightings observed by pilots may be tied to U.S. adversaries.

Grusch said he was asked in 2019 by the head of a government task force on UAPs to identify all highly classified programs relating to the task force’s mission. At the time, Grusch was detailed to the National Reconnaissance Office, the agency that operates U.S. spy satellites.

“I was informed in the course of my official duties of a multi-decade UAP crash retrieval and reverse engineering program to which I was denied access,” he said.

Asked whether the U.S. government had information about extraterrestrial life, Grusch said the U.S. likely has been aware of “nonhuman” activity since the 1930s.

The Pentagon has denied Grusch’s claims of a coverup.

In a statement, Defense Department spokeswoman Sue Gough said investigators have not discovered “any verifiable information to substantiate claims that any programs regarding the possession or reverse-engineering of extraterrestrial materials have existed in the past or exist currently.” The statement did not address UFOs that are not suspected

of being extraterrestrial objects.

Grusch says he became a government whistleblower after his discovery and has faced retaliation for coming forward. He declined to be more specific about the retaliatory tactics, citing an ongoing investigation.

“It was very brutal and very unfortunate, some of the tactics they used to hurt me both professionally and personally,” he said.

Rep. Glenn Grothman, R-Wis., chaired the panel’s hearing and joked to a packed audience, “Welcome to the most exciting subcommittee in Congress this week.”

There was bipartisan interest in Grusch’s claims and a more sober tone than other recent hearings featuring whistleblowers celebrated by Republicans and criticized by Democrats. Lawmakers in both parties asked Grusch about his study of UFOs and the consequences he faced and how they could find out more about the government’s UAP programs.

“I take it that you’re arguing what we need is real transparency and reporting systems so we can get some clarity on what’s going on out there,” said Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md.

Some lawmakers criticized the Pentagon for not providing more details in a classified briefing or releasing images that could be shown to the public. In previous hearings, Pentagon officials showed a video taken from an F-18 military plane that showed an image of one balloon-like shape.

Pentagon officials in December said they had received “several hundreds” of new reports since launching a renewed effort to investigate reports of UFOs.

At that point, “we have not seen anything, and we’re still very early on, that would lead us to believe that any of the objects that we have seen are of alien origin,” said Ronald Moultrie, the undersecretary of defense for intelligence and security. “Any unauthorized system in our airspace we deem as a threat to safety.”

US Air Force (Ret.) Maj David Grusch, testifies before a House Oversight and Accountability subcommittee hearing on UFOs, yesterday, on Capitol Hill in Washington.

Photo: Nathan Howard/AP

SPORTS

THURSDAY, JULY 27, 2023

Bahamas women fall to Barbados

By TENAJH SWEETING Tribune Sports Reporter tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

The Bahamas’ national women’s volleyball team suffered their second straight loss at the 18th Senior Caribbean Volleyball Championships in Paramaribo, Suriname.

Team Bahamas opened up the competition with a debut win over the host country but have since endured two heartbreaking losses.

The team played Barbados in competition on Wednesday while the men worked to remain undefeated against Jamaica.

For the women’s national team, Barbados got the upperhand in three sets.

The Bahamas’ opponent opened up with stiff competition in set one. Barbados won the initial set 26-24. The Bahamas once again kept it close in set two as they looked to avenge last game’s loss to Trinidad and Tobago.

However, in set two, Barbados once again had the edge 25-21. In the final set of the game, Barbados earned their first win of the competition after wrapping up the set 25-20.

Jason Saunders, head coach of the women’s team, talked about the back-toback losses.

“Barbados showed that they needed this match more than us. They played well. I must give them credit [but] we are going to be in the semi-finals despite this loss.

“I think we must learn from this game,” Saunders said.

ITF/COTECC U-12 TENNIS: INCLEMENT WEATHER HALTS PLAY FOR TEAM BAHAMAS

By TENAJH SWEETING Tribune Sports Reporter tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

TEAM Bahamas had a busy day yesterday in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The tennis players competed in the beginning of the Billie Jean King Cup Americas Group ll tournament, and day three of the ITF/ COTECC U-12 Sub Region 3 competition. However, plans to advance or finish matchups were stopped by the inclement weather. With matches scheduled to resume tomorrow, Team Bahamas looks to take care of business.

Team Bahamas matched up against Paraguay in Pool B at the Centro Nacional de Tenis Parque Del Este.

The teams were able to wrap up the first match with The Bahamas’ Elana Mackey losing in two sets 6-3, 6-2.

The match lasted more than an hour between the two competitors. Mackey had the advantage on the first serve ins with 44/58 for 76%. Lara Escauriza, her opponent, averaged 68%. However, in the first serve points won category, the Paraguay player was more efficient with 81% for 26/32.

The men’s team put their unblemished record to the test against Jamaica’s volleyball team.

In the competition, they have earned wins against Trinidad and Tobago in three sets and Curaçao in their debut match.

The results for the men’s volleyball match were not available up to press time

last night. However, The playoffs are scheduled to begin on Friday and the final games will be played on Sunday.

The men’s national team consists of captain and middle blocker

Byron Ferguson Jr, middle blockers Shonari

Hepburn and Donovan Wilmott, libero Jamaal

Ferguson, setters Renaldo Knowles, Je’Vaughn Saunders and Gaege Smith, right side hitter Eugene Stuart and outside hitters Jesse Delancy and Prince Wilson. The women’s team consists of middle blocker and right side hitter Sari Albury, outside hitters Melinda Bastian and

Women’s World Cup: Americans face tougher task against the Dutch

By JENNA FRYER AP National Writer

AUCKLAND, New Zealand (AP) — The United States and the Netherlands meet again on the Women’s World Cup stage — with smaller stakes than the 2019 title game won by the Americans — and the Dutch team collecting injuries at a terrible time of the tournament.

The Netherlands will most likely be without forward Lineth Beerensteyn, who was hurt early in her team’s 1-0 victory over Portugal to open the tournament, when they play the Americans today in New Zealand’s capital city of Wellington.

The Americans are the two-time reigning World Cup champions and Netherlands coach Andries Jonker said on the eve of the match “we would need a miracle” for Beerensteyn to be ready to play.

“And if that doesn’t happen, then she won’t participate,” he said.

The Netherlands came to the tournament in Australia and New Zealand already missing leading scorer Vivianne Miedema,

who ruptured her ACL while playing for Arsenal in December. The forward is the Netherlands’ leading scorer with 95 goals.

Just before the team’s first match against Portugal in Dunedin, Miedema posted a photo of herself on social media as a little

girl cheering for her team. She’s cried, she said, watching the Netherlands play without her.

“Although I’ve known I won’t be able to play in this World Cup for about seven months now, it’s still been pretty tough and emotional,” she wrote.

Jonker said the team is considering shifting players to shore up its attack, and he could try a one-to-one replacement with Katja Snoeijs.

Today’s game is a rematch of the 2019 World

SEE PAGE 22

Brittany Bonamy, middle blocker/right side hitter La’Tavia Braynen, right side hitters Jannelle Curtis, Raechel Knowles and Venessa Sawyer, setters Laval Sands and Je’Nae Saunders (captain).

In addition, middle blocker Ashley Webb and liberos Franceska McBride and Chandra Mackey.

Meanwhile Mackey, from The Bahamas, was 20/44 for 45%. In the second match of three, Syndey Clarke is engaged in a set one battle with Leyla Risso Britez. The Paraguay player currently has the edge on Clarke, leading 5-3 in the initial set.

SEE PAGE 23

A GUIDE TO HOW PARIS WILL WELCOME FANS AND STAGE 32 SPORTS AT FIRST POST-PANDEMIC OLYMPICS

By GRAHAM DUNBAR and JOHN LEICESTER Associated Press

PARIS (AP) — The Olympics is on track to be back in business with millions of visitors coming to Paris for the 2024 Games.

The French capital has the expert experience to stage the event and welcome guests for the first Olympics of the post-pandemic era. That should be a relief after a chaotic lead-in to the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics and uncertainty from postponing the Tokyo Olympics in 2020 with no guarantee it would eventually happen one year later. It did, but in almost entirely empty venues.

Organisers, athletes and fans preparing for competitions in Paris — and regional French cities like Lille and Marseille, plus the far-away surfing venue of Tahiti in the South Pacific — can be confident the show will go on.

we can expect from the 2024 Paris Olympics:

WHAT ABOUT TICKETS? About 10 million tickets were made available for the Paris Olympics with 329

A WOMAN enjoys the sun in the Tuileries gardens, Monday, July 10, 2023, in Paris where temperatures are expected to rise. The use of Paris monuments as outdoor venues for competition will be televisual. But they could also be insufferably hot if France is baking through another of its worsening heat waves. (AP Photo/ Thomas Padilla, File)

medal events in 32 different sports spread across 18 different days of competition.

Close to 7 million have already been sold with one year to go before the opening ceremony on July 26.

UNITED States’ Lindsey Horan (10), Megan Rapinoe (15) and Sophia Smith top, celebrate after Horan scored their third goal during the second half of the Women’s World Cup Group E soccer match against Vietnam at Eden Park in Auckland, New Zealand, on Saturday. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

GOOD EFFORT: The Bahamas women’s national volleyball team last night suffered their second straight loss at the 18th Senior Caribbean Volleyball Championships in Paramaribo, Suriname.

A GUIDE TO HOW PARIS WILL WELCOME THE FANS AND STAGE 32 SPORTS AT FIRST POST-PANDEMIC OLYMPICS

FROM PAGE 19

The system for selling tickets has been streamlined through the organising committee’s own online sales point and a new hospitality programme run by American company On Location.

Organisers are directly selling about eight million tickets with the promise that one million will be available for all sports priced at 24 euros ($26), and many more costing 50 euros ($55) or less.

Would-be buyers had to register for the chance to be allocated tickets in the first two sales phases but the current wave is first-come, first-served for events in cities outside Paris.

That could mean seeing arguably France’s two biggest stars: top NBA draft pick Victor Wembanyama in Lille and soccer great Kylian Mbappé in Marseille and Nice.

Lille, about three hours northeast of Paris, will stage all the group games in basketball at its soccer stadium. The cheapest seats at 50 euros ($55) remain for women’s games but expect now to pay 120-200 euros ($133-$221) to see a men’s game. Mbappé wants to play for France as one of its three overage players in what is an under-23 tournament for men, and seats for 30 euros ($33) were available this week for its two scheduled group games in Marseille. The first is on July 24 when Olympic events start two days ahead of the opening ceremony.

Expect to pay at least 50 euros ($55) to see France in Nice on July 27.

Soccer games will also be played in Bordeaux, Lyon, Nantes and Saint-Etienne as well as in Paris, at the Parc des Princes.

Those city authorities have an allocation of tickets among the remaining 2 million of the 10 million that also includes the hospitality program, plus the “Olympic Family” — national sponsors of Paris and global sponsors of the IOC, broadcast rights holders and sports bodies.

Hospitality prices start at 85 euros ($94) and run to 11,000 euros ($12,200) for a prime spot by the River Seine to see the athletes sail by in the opening ceremony.

With general tickets to that riverside ceremony already sold out, “the only way to attend these events will be through the official hospitality programme,” On Location said this week. That’s also the case for sailing races in Marseille.

Also sold out are hospitality tickets at iconic venues for judo — staged next to the Eiffel Tower in a temporary venue and featuring one of France’s greatest modern athletes, Teddy Riner — and equestrian in the gardens of the Palace of Versailles.

IS THERE ROOM FOR EVERYONE?

Paris touted its large and diverse accommodation options — everything from campsites along the River Seine to some of the world’s most famous luxury hotels

— when it was bidding for the Olympics, boasting that it has “more than sufficient accommodation” to host France’s first Summer Games in a century and millions of visitors.

The Paris region has France’s greatest concentration of hotel accommodation, its 160,000 rooms making up one-quarter of the country’s total of 640,000. Nearly 90% of Paris region hotels are classed two stars or above. Adding rented accommodation, campsites and other options, the Paris tourism office says the region has a total of 261,800 rooms for the Olympics, which is considerably more than it had in 2019 before the COVID19 pandemic.

When the pandemic ebbed, Paris once again became a top tourist destination. Visitor numbers so far this year are now very close to their pre-pandemic levels.

The city’s tourism office predicts that up to 15.9 million people could visit the Paris region during the July-September period that includes the Olympics and Paralympic Games. That would be busier than Paris has been used to since the pandemic but not ridiculously so. The tourism office expects the region will still have rooms available, predicting occupancy rates of between 56% and 76%. That would be either a little bit less or somewhat more than the 61% occupancy at the same period in 2019.

“There is not going to be an accommodation crisis. There shouldn’t be people arriving and saying, ‘My God, we can’t find a place to stay in Paris,’” said Pierre Rabadan, City Hall’s vice mayor for Olympic planning.

Many Parisians leave for summer vacations in July or August and officials expect the same to happen next year, further helping to make space.

Some Parisians are hoping to make a mint by renting out their homes. On Airbnb, many hundreds of dollars per night are being asked for apartments. In the 11th district of Paris, a 1-bedroom apartment with two beds that was asking for 99 euros ($110) per night for four people this summer from July 26 to August 2 is asking 877 euros ($972) per night for the same period during the Olympics.

HOW WILL OLYMPIC VISITORS GET AROUND?

The Olympics and Paris’ transport network upon which the 2024 Games are relying have an intertwined history dating back over a century. The city’s first Metro service, Line 1 from Porte Maillot in the west to Porte de Vincennes in the east, was opened during the 1900 Paris Olympics as part of the World Exhibition that the French capital hosted that year.

Next year, public transport is again expected to play a starring role. Organisers are counting on spectators to rely overwhelmingly on the Paris

region’s dense network of Metro lines, suburban trains, buses and other transport to help the Olympics reach its target of halving its carbon footprint compared to previous editions.

Some of the transport promises that organisers made have fallen by the wayside.

They shelved a pledge that ticketed spectators would travel on public transport for free to competition sites in Paris and beyond, opting instead to save themselves an estimated 44.7 million euros ($50 million).

An express train they said would whisk visitors from Paris’ main international airport, Charles de Gaulle, to the centre of the city in 20 minutes is not now slated to open before 2027.

Another line under construction, Metro 17, that organisers said would transport athletes in 30 minutes from the airport to their accommodation in Paris’ northern outskirts also won’t be ready, with a first stretch not now scheduled to open before 2026.

But a newly extended Metro service, Line 14, from Paris’ second major airport, Orly, to an Olympic hub in the northern outskirts that includes the athletes village, main stadium and an aquatics centre

remains on schedule to open a month before the Olympics.

Transport operators are gearing up to carry between 600,000 to 800,000 Olympic visitors per day, “it’s like being in a permanent rush hour,” said Transport Minister Clement Beaune.

Paris’ regional transport operator is promising extra trains as well as shuttle buses where needed, including for people with disabilities, for the 31 competition venues in the French capital and its surrounds.

“It’s a major challenge. We’ve never had an operation like this,” Beaune said. “We will be ready.”

Paris is also using the Olympics to further its progress as an increasingly bike-friendly city, adding more lanes to its cycle network. City Hall says there will be at least 3,000 more bikes for hire and spaces to park 10,000 bikes close to venues.

WHAT WEATHER TO EXPECT?

World record heat has been a global theme in July 2023 and the European summer does not figure to cool down next year.

Measures to control extreme heat were not much on the minds of Paris officials when bidding for the Olympics in 2017. They are now. “Obviously

since the candidacy, we have worked a lot on these subjects,” organising committee CEO Etienne Thobois said this month, “because we now realise that it’s becoming a near certainty that we will have high temperatures in the summer of 2024 in Paris.”

Thobois said organisers must be “very, very vigilant” to find a balance between compensating for the heat felt by athletes and workers against the need to control the games’ carbon footprint.

Air-conditioning was not planned in the design of the $1.1 billion athletes village being built in Saint-Denis, though that is not unusual for a city in central or northern Europe.

Paris temperatures have peaked at 34 degrees Celsius (93 degrees Fahrenheit) this July and often rose to 30 degrees C (86 degrees F). When similar temperatures hit the first week of the Tokyo Olympics two years ago, the actual heat index on the field of play was higher.

On the tennis court in Tokyo, the temperatures felt like 37 degrees C (99 degrees F) and heatstroke forced Paula Badosa to retire from her women’s singles quarterfinal match and leave the arena in a wheelchair. Asked last week about a Parisian

heatwave, International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach noted “we have some very good experience with our heat mitigation measures in Tokyo where we were already facing these problems.”

For Tokyo, the IOC pressed World Athletics to move the marathons out of the city and seek cooler early mornings in coastal Sapporo.

The Paris marathons will start and finish in the city and take runners on uphill sections toward historic Versailles.

HISTORIC VENUES

Students of the history of France, Paris and sports itself can feast on the places the Olympics will take them.

While the marathons will head to Versailles, equestrian events will actually be held in the grand grounds of the royal palace where Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette lived and the victors of World War I led by U.S. president Woodrow Wilson gathered in 1919 and redrew many borders on the global map.

Place de la Concorde, where both Louis and Marie Antoinette were beheaded, will stage the Olympic debut of breakdancing, and other urban youth sports skateboarding, BMX freestyle and 3-on-3 basketball.

One hundred years after hosting track and field plus other sports at the 1924 Paris Olympics, Colombes Stadium in the northwest suburbs will this time stage field hockey.

Colombes is one of two 2024 Olympic venues to have staged soccer’s biggest game, the men’s World Cup final. Its turn was in 1938, while Stade de France saw the host nation triumph in 1998. Stade de France will stage track and field, rugby sevens and the August 11 closing ceremony. The Eiffel Tower will dominate the opening ceremony on July 26 as thousands of athletes are carried on fleets of boats along the Seine river toward the city’s defining landmark.

PEOPLE relax at the Champ-de-Mars garden in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The Champ-deMars will host Beach volleyball and Blind football at the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. (AP Photos/Michel Euler)

CARS make their way up the Champs-Elysees avenue with the Arc de Triomphe in background. Paris is on track to host millions of visitors and successfully stage 32 sporting events next year when the 2024 Olympics open on July 26. That’s a welcome return to business as usual for the first post-pandemic Olympics.

PEOPLE walk by the Stade de France stadium in Saint-Denis, north of Paris. The stadium will host the athletics and para athletics and Rugby Sevens for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. (AP Photo/ Thomas Padilla)

ALCÁNTARA THROWS HIS 2ND COMPLETE GAME THIS SEASON, MARLINS BEAT RAYS 7-1

By MARK DIDTLER Associated Press

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Sandy Alcántara threw a five-hit complete game and the Miami Marlins stopped a 10-game road losing streak by beating the Tampa Bay Rays 7-1 yesterday.

Reloaded Bahamas teams get ready for Florida tournament

YOUNG BASEBALL PLAYERS PARTICIPATE IN PRACTICE SESSIONS AHEAD OF TOURNEY

By TENAJH SWEETING Tribune Sports Reporter tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

THE Reloaded Bahamas 9-and under (9U) and 10-and under (10U) teams will get ready to compete in the 10U PG Florida Summer Select Championship (Open).

The 30-member team commuted to Orlando, Florida, on Tuesday as part of their collaboration with I-Elite Sports Academy to compete in their first international tournament.

The Reloaded club got practice sessions underway yesterday at the Northeast Regional Park, Polk County, for the competition. The practice was led by some of the juniors from the I-Elite team who taught the younger players various skills ahead of the July 28-31 tourney.

Stephen “Bishop”

Beneby, head coach of the 10U team, said ahead of the tournament, his focus along with the Reloaded programme is on the development of the younger players.

“My only expectation is to see growth in the players. The Reloaded programme is not about the

wins and losses, it is about the development because the kids at this stage may not be able to make a national team, but give us a year or two, they have the potential to be there,’’ Beneby said.

He emphasized that the collaboration with I-Elite Sports Academy has been one of the best things to happen for the Reloaded programme.

“They are gonna help us do what we want to do which is taking these kids to the next level,” Beneby added.

While at yesterday’s practice, the I-Elite team members practiced some agility drills, stretches, sprinting, batting and catching with the younger teams before their games on Saturday and Sunday.

The 10U and 9U players will continue practicing at the park today in efforts to be ready to play.

Mandell Curry, head coach of the 9U Reloaded team, was confident in the abilities of his team.

“This will be our first international tournament representing Reloaded. The expectations are really high, especially for the 9U group, they have been

PREPARING FOR ACTION: Reloaded Baseball’s 9-and under (9U) and 10-and under (10U) teams practice in Orlando, Florida, for the 10U PG Florida Summer Select Championship (Open) July 28-31.

playing together for a while and always try to motivate and encourage each other,” Curry said. With this being the first time both teams compete away from home, the 9U coach also talked about how important it was for the teams to compete internationally. “Some of them are playing here for the first

Photos: Tenajh Sweeting/Tribune Staff

time but it’s easier for them because they have known each other for a very long time. “This helps in terms of stability because you are already comfortable at home so it’s preparing you for high school, college, and major leagues which start here,” Curry said.

The Reloaded team’s title sponsor is Cargo

Shippers. Additionally, the team was sponsored by Rush Imports and URCA Bahamas.

Blue Plate Catering has also provided meals to the team three times a day which is a part of their preparation for the tourney. The games will commence at 10am on Saturday.

Alcántara (4-9), the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner, struck out seven and walked one in his second complete game this season and 11th overall. He had been 0-3 in four July starts with one no decision.

“(Felt) great,” Alcantara said after a 97-pitch outing. “I need it. I threw my first complete game this year I think my second game in the season. So, I feel happy about it.”

Alcantara also went the distance April 4 against Minnesota. His 11 complete games since 2019 are the most in the majors. St. Louis’ Adam Wainwright is second with six.

“Really, really good stuff,” Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash said. “Very challenging for us today at the plate. He did mix well. Kept us off balance. We just didn’t hit that many balls hard.”

Tampa Bay starter Zach

Eflin (11-6), who was bidding to become the AL’s first 12-game winner, left after four innings with left knee discomfort. The righthander dropped to 10-2 in 12 home starts this season after allowing five runs and seven hits.

Eflin was hurt while attempting to field Garrett Hampson’s bunt single leading off the fourth and will undergo tests.

“It just kind of grabbed him,” Cash said. “I think his cleat got caught a little bit. Don’t know much more.”

Miami’s Luis Arráez went 2 for 4 and had his major league batting average go from .375 to .376. He drove in a run with a double in the fourth and hit a run-scoring, sixth-inning single.

The Marlins are 2-9 since the All-Star break, while Tampa Bay is an AL-worse 5-15 in July. Miami is just 3-19 against the Rays since May 14, 2019.

“I felt like we played baseball today,” Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said.

Jacob Stallings had an RBI double during a tworun second and added a run-scoring single in a three-run fourth as the Marlins took a 5-1 lead.

Bryan De La Cruz made it 6-1 when he homered on Calvin Faucher’s first pitch in the fifth.

PIRATES HIT THREE HOMERS TO HOLD OFF PADRES IN 3-2 WIN

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Ji

Man Choi, Bryan Reynolds and Carlos Santana hit home runs for the Pittsburgh Pirates, who held off the San Diego Padres 3-2 yesterday to win two of three games.

David Bednar loaded the bases with one out in the ninth inning and then walked pinch-hitter Juan Soto before getting rookie Taylor Kohlwey to foul out and then striking out Trent Grisham for his 20th save of the season.

The Padres, who have baseball’s third-highest payroll but are mired in fourth place in the NL West, went 1-5 this season against Pittsburgh, which is in last place in the NL Central.

BREWERS 3,

REDS 0

MILWAUKEE (AP) —

Freddy Peralta pitched six strong innings and matched a career high with 13 strikeouts, and Tyrone Taylor hit a two-run homer to lead Milwaukee.

The Brewers (57-46) took two of three games in the series and extended their lead in the NL Central to 1 1/2 games over the Reds (56-48). This marked the final matchup of the season

between the teams, with Milwaukee winning the season series 10-3.

After Abraham Toro singled with one out in the seventh off Cincinnati starter Ben Lively (4-6), Taylor followed with a 417foot blast to left field to break a scoreless tie.

NATIONALS 5,

ROCKIES 4

WASHINGTON (AP) — CJ Abrams’ two-run single capped a four-run ninth inning and Washington rallied to beat Colorado.

Lane Thomas and Jeimer Candelario opened the ninth with walks against Daniel Bard (4-2). Joey Meneses, whose three-run homer was the difference in Tuesday night’s win, singled to load the bases. One out later, Bard hit Dominic Smith with a pitch to walk in a run and make it 4-2.

Stone Garrett was out on a slow roller before Candelario scored Washington’s third run.

Luis Garcia was intentionally walked and Ildemaro Vargas drew a four-pitch walk to tie the score. Matt Koch came on to face Abrams, who grounded a single between first and second to score

pinch runner Michael Chavis for the winning run. MARINERS 8, TWINS 7 MINNEAPOLIS (AP)

— Dylan Moore hit two home runs, including a three-run shot in the fifth inning, and Seattle held on to beat Minnesota. Julio Rodríguez added a home run and two doubles as the Mariners won for the fifth time in their past seven games.

The AL Central-leading Twins dropped their second in a row following a fourgame winning streak. Moore’s three-run homer off reliever Jordan Balazovic in the fifth inning gave Seattle a 7-3 lead.

GUARDIANS 8, ROYALS 3 CLEVELAND (AP) — José Ramírez hit a two-run homer in the first inning and a solo shot in the fourth, leading Cleveland

past Kansas City. Ramírez, who had his 22nd career multi-homer game, was 3 for 4 with a check-swing infield hit in the sixth and a walk in the second followed by a stolen base, and he scored three runs.

David Fry hit a tworun homer in the fourth and Steven Kwan had two RBIs. Cleveland moved to 51-51 and trails Minnesota by two games in the AL Central.

CARDINALS 11,

ARIZONA

7 PHOENIX (AP) — Nolan Gorman hit two of St. Louis’ five home runs in a win over Arizona. Gorman connected leading off the second against All-Star starter Zac Gallen, then hit a two-run blast to dead center in the eighth off Scott McGough. Lars Nootbaar, Paul Goldschmidt and Andrew Knizner also homered to give the Cardinals the series victory over the slumping Diamondbacks. They have lost six of seven and are 3-9 since the All-Star break.

BLUE JAYS 8, DODGERS 1

LOS ANGELES (AP)

— Whit Merrifield hit a three-run homer, Danny Jansen also went deep and Toronto took two of three from NL West-leading Los Angeles. Merrifield sent an 0-2 pitch from Tony Gonsolin (5-4) over the wall in left with two outs in the fifth inning, scoring Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who both singled. Merrifield was 2 for 4 with four RBIs, two runs scored and a strikeout.

PITTSBURGH Pirates’ Carlos Santana (41) celebrates yesterday after hitting a home run during the ninth inning against the San Diego Padres in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Spain, Japan move on to knockout stage as La Roja beat Zambia 5-0

By MAX RALPH Associated Press

AUCKLAND, New Zealand (AP) — As she has many times before, Jennifer Hermoso answered the call for Spain last night.

She scored twice and assisted in her 100th international appearance to push La Roja past Zambia 5-0, a victory that locked both Spain and Japan into the Women’s World Cup knockout round.

Spain and Japan are the first teams to clinch berths in the tournament’s round of 16. They will play on Monday in Wellington to decide seeding.

“I’m very happy to be in the last 16, I’m proud of moments during the game,”

Spain coach Jorge Vilda said. “And I’m very happy that Spain is a team of 23 football players. We saw that today.”

Hermoso, Spain’s alltime leading scorer, deposited a one-time header off a perfect cross from Alexia Putellas in the 13th minute. She then gathered a rebound and scored on an empty net in the 70th minute. The goal was initially wiped away for offside, then eventually confirmed after a lengthy review. “To score two goals in the World Cup,” Hermoso said through a

translator. “I will keep that forever.”

Teresa Abelleira launched a 58-mph strike from well outside the box in the ninth minute and beat Eunice Sakala to the top side of the net, her second goal with the Spain national team. Like Hermoso, Alba Redondo also scored twice,

in the 69th and 85th minutes. Her first goal was an impressive run off of a long pass, while her second was on a rebound in front of an empty net.

Spain’s attack benefitted from facing Zambia’s thirdstring goalkeeper. Sakala started Monday night after the starting goalie and her

backup were injured and received a red card, respectively. The game was played before 20,983 fans in chilly Eden Park, the lowest attendance of the four games played so far in New Zealand’s largest city.

KEY MOMENTS

Barbra Banda registered Zambia’s first shot

IN THEIR OWN WORDS

“Jenni is magic on the pitch. Her style of play is very different, she has a lot of experience, that’s what she’s good at. She had a great performance with two goals this match, and we’re very happy,” Spain forward Salma Paralluelo.

“On one-versus-one situation, I think they took advantage because they were able to eliminate our defenders. That was one of the strengths that they had,” Zambia coach Bruce Mwape.

WHY IT MATTERS

Spain’s win moved La Roja and Japan on from Group C. Both enter their upcoming match with six points, meaning the winner would leave as the higher seed. In the event of a draw, Spain has the tiebreaking edge on goal differential. Zambia, making its Women’s World Cup debut, is still searching for its first point and goal in the tournament.

WHAT’S

on goal of the tournament in the eighth minute, a good chance to turn early momentum toward the Copper Queens. Spain’s Misa Rodriguez saved the rolling shot.

Abelleira scored in the next minute, and Spain held a clear advantage through the rest of the match.

Olympic champion Canada comes back to beat Ireland 2-1

PERTH, Australia (AP) — Conceding a goal directly from a corner kick against Ireland yesterday, Olympic champion Canada was in trouble in its second game of the Women’s World Cup.

After a disappointing 0-0 draw with Nigeria in its opening match of the tournament, and with iconic forward Christine Sinclair on the bench, Canada’s hopes of advancing from the group stage were under threat.

Up against a determined Ireland, an inspired Katie McCabe and torrential rain at Rectangular Stadium, the odds were stacking up against the Canadians.

But with the character of Olympic gold medallists, a touch of fortune and some help from the bench, Canada recovered.

Adriana Leon scored the decisive goal early in the second half to complete a come-from-behind 2-1 win that moved her country to the top of Group B and

within sight of the round of 16.

That hadn’t looked like being the case when McCabe curled a fourthminute corner into the back of the net to give Ireland the lead and its first ever goal at a World Cup.

Launching her kick from the right, it was too high for anyone to get a touch and drifted beyond the reach of Canada goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan before dipping under the bar. It was a stunning strike and a contender for goal of the tournament.

“It’s bittersweet. Of course it’s nice to score and get us off to a good start, but it’s results that matter in this game, at this level and in these type of tournaments,” said McCabe, who was named player of the match and was in tears after the final whistle.

“I’m heartbroken for the girls and I felt we deserved something from the game.”

Ireland, in its debut at the World Cup, was

eliminated after back-toback losses.

The Irish lost to co-host Australia 1-0 in their opening match.

“To captain these girls is an absolute honour and an absolute privilege. I’m so proud of each and every single one of them, we’ve done so much to get here and it’s about pushing on now,” McCabe said. Both teams knew a win was vital to their hopes of advancing from the group.

After her team got off to an underwhelming start against Nigeria, Canada coach Beverly Priestman benched Sinclair, international soccer’s all-time leading scorer, for the second game.

In her absence, Canada continued to struggle, going behind early and conceding more chances as Ireland applied the pressure.

Vanessa Gilles wasted a chance to even the score when she sent a shot over from close range as Ireland

looked set to go into the break in front.

That was until Megan Connolly’s own-goal in the fifth minute of added time at the end of the first half granted Canada a lifeline. Connolly got the slightest touch on Julia Grosso’s cross to take the ball beyond Ireland keeper Courtney Brosnan. It was a let off for Canada and Priestman responded by making three halftime

substitutions, bringing on Sinclair, Sophie Schmidt and Shelina Zadorsky.

That depth of quality proved the difference, with Schmidt making a quick impact by providing the assist for Leon’s goal in the 53rd.

WHAT’S NEXT

Canada plays co-host Australia in Melbourne on Monday, while Ireland and Nigeria meet in Brisbane.

Nigeria undaunted against Australia after its opening draw against Canada

By BROOKE EVANS Associated Press

BRISBANE, Australia

(AP) — The Super Falcons looked at the draw and saw back-to-back games against Olympic champion Canada and co-host Australia to open their run at the Women’s World Cup. Onome Ebi and her Nigeria team didn’t flinch, despite the brutal twomatch opener.

After holding Canada to a 0-0 draw, Nigeria is determined to continue its unbeaten start to the tournament today against the home team.

Four years after advancing to the round of 16, No. 40-ranked Nigeria wasn’t given much chance by pundits of making it out of the group. That’s a scenario Ebi revels in.

“We like it when people don’t believe in us, so they will think we are just pushovers,” the Nigeria captain

said. “That motivates the team so we’ll go out there and prove everybody wrong and make ourselves proud.”

Coach Randy Waldrum recognises that facing the Matildas will present a different set of challenges than what they faced against Canada. The Australians “are extremely dangerous in their transition moments,” Waldrum said.

“Canada is more possession-based, but Australia has the ability to attack quickly on the counter.”

Nigeria will welcome back Rasheedat Ajibade and Halimatu Ayinde who are returning from suspension.

Australia, on the other hand, will be without injured superstar striker Sam Kerr and her understudy, Mary Fowler, who played in the 1-0 opening win over Ireland. Nigeria is no stranger to

the Women’s World Cup, having qualified for all nine tournaments. Advancing beyond the group stage has been a challenge, however, with the team only doing so twice. One explanation for the team’s struggles at the World Cup has been its vulnerability on defence, having conceded more

goals at the World Cup than any other team.

The shutout of Canada was a first for Nigeria in a World Cup opener, giving the team confidence that its defence could hold up against Australia.

“Everyone is throwing their bodies on the line, defenders, forwards and midfielders,” Nigeria’s

Houston Dash defender

Michelle Alozie said. “We are defensively sound and we can do that with a really big team.”

The 23-player roster Waldrum selected contains 12 players who are making a Women’s World Cup debut.

Seven of those players were in Nigeria’s starting lineup against Canada with three in the defence and four in midfield.

Ebi, who made her World Cup debut in 2003 and has been with the team longer than any other staff member or player, is impressed with how her younger teammates have handled their first World Cup.

After entering the tournament coming off a disappointing fourthplace finish at the Women’s African Cup of Nations, Nigeria was the only African team to avoid defeat in its opening game.

NEXT

Spain takes on Japan on Monday in Wellington to decide Group C’s seeding in the knockout stage. Also Monday, Zambia meets Costa Rica in Hamilton. Both Zambia and Costa Rica are eliminated from advancing out of Group C.

WORLD CUP

FROM PAGE 19

Cup final, which the United States won 2-0 for the team’s second straight title and fourth overall. The United States is undefeated in all but one of its meetings with the Dutch — the first game in 1991.

“America has been one of the best teams in world for a long time. I think they still have so much quality on the pitch,” Netherlands midfielder Jackie Groenen said. “But I think we’re growing, too. And that makes the distance maybe different now than it was before.”

The United States, a 3-0 winner over Vietnam in the opener, and the Netherlands are even on points atop Group E. But the Americans hold the edge with more overall goals. The results of today’s match will be crucial to determine placement in the round of 16.

The top finisher in the group opens the knockout round in Sydney against the second-place finisher in Group G, which includes Sweden, South Africa, Italy and Argentina.

The second-place finisher heads to Melbourne against the top Group G team.

AUSTRALIA vs NIGERIA

Australia opened the tournament with star player Sam Kerr out injured for at least two matches, and now Kerr’s replacement is hurt, too, heading into a Group B match against Nigeria.

Mary Fowler joined Kerr on the injury list one day before today’s match in Brisbane. Fowler, a striker who also plays for Manchester City, suffered a concussion in a recent practice.

PORTUGAL vs VIETNAM

One team could earn its first ever victory in the Women’s World Cup when Portugal and Vietnam meet in Group E.

Odds were stacked against both teams when they landed in the same group as the United States and 2019 runner-up the Netherlands. It’s the first appearance at World Cup for both Portugal and Vietnam, and both were losers in opening matches against the two powerhouses.

Portugal’s tournament started with a 1-0 loss to the Dutch and Vietnam dropped a 3-0 match to the Americans.

CANADA’s Julia Grosso celebrates after Canada scored their opening goal against Ireland in Perth, Australia, yesterday. (AP Photo/Gary Day)

SPAIN’s Jennifer Hermoso jumps into the arms of teammate Alexia Putellas celebrating after scoring her side’s second goal during the Women’s World Cup Group C soccer matchm against Zambia at Eden Park in Auckland, New Zealand, yesterday.

(AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

NIGERIA’s Michelle Alozie heads the ball during the Women’s World Cup Group B soccer match against Canada on July 21. (AP Photo/Hamish Blair)

O’CALLAGHAN SETS A WORLD RECORD AT SWIMMING WORLDS

By STEPHEN WADE AP Sports Writer

FUKUOKA, Japan (AP)

— Australian swimmer

Mollie

O’Callaghan picked up a knee injury about five weeks ago, described as anything from a dislocation to a simple tweak. She said it slowed her some in practice, and modified her training schedule. But heck, what’s a little injury matter. The 19-yearold O’Callaghan broke the world record yesterday in

the 200-metre freestyle at the world championships, clocking 1 minute, 52.85 seconds to erase Federica Pellegrini’s mark of 1:52.98 — the oldest women’s record set in 2009 in the fast-suit era. “I’m just really shocked,” O’Callaghan said. “I was just expecting to have fun tonight and whatever I did I was going to be really happy. To come away with a world record is just amazing.”

She also picked up a check for $30,000, which

INCLEMENT WEATHER HALTS PLAY FOR THE BAHAMAS’ TENNIS TEAMS IN ITF/COTECC U-12 - ACTION ALL SET TO RESUME TODAY

FROM PAGE 19

The match was postponed due to rain and will resume today at 9am.

For the U12 teams, Team Bahamas is one doubles win shy of advancing to the U12 Finals.

Caitlyn Pratt came up big for the team once again in singles action. She got her third consecutive singles win against Puerto Rico.

Pratt claimed victory in two sets 6-3, 7-5. She has not dropped any matches in the tournament.

Danielle Saunders, who was playing in the no.1 position, took a loss in two sets. Saunders dropped 6-1, 6-1.

The pressure is now on for the doubles team of Mariana Bostwick and Pratt as a win would determine which team advances to the U12 Finals.

Although the match was suspended until today, the action began with The Bahamas dropping set one. The team is currently down 2-1 and will look

to take charge in today’s competition.

For the boys, in their first match, Chase Newbold turned in a competitive performance against Puerto Rico. Both sets needed tiebreakers going 6-7 (5), 7-6 (5).

Ultimately, Team Puerto Rico ended the set three 6-3 to get the win. The match between the two competitors went on for three and-a-half hours.

Kingston Rees, who is playing in the no.1 position, is currently down 0-2 in set one action. The match will resume today.

Tennis play continues in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

goes to any record setter at this year’s worlds.

O’Callaghan overtook

Australian teammate Ariarne Titmus — she set a world record in the 400 free on Sunday — in the final 20 meters. Titmus finished in in 1:53.01 and 16-year-old Summer McIntosh of Canada took bronze in 1:53.65.

It took O’Callaghan a few minutes after the race to compose herself and digest the moment.

COACH Paula Whitfield with the girls’ under-12 tennis team of Danielle Saunders, Caitlyn Pratt and Marina Bostwick. They are representing The Bahamas in the ITF/ COTECC U-12 Sub Region 3 competition in in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

Another award for Golden Girl’s book

BLADDER CANCER AWARENESS

Although bladder cancer is less-known than other types of cancers, such as Breast, Prostate, and Lung cancers, it is the 10th most commonly diagnosed cancer in the world, devastatingly impacting the lives of millions of people globally each year. Tis month, many supporters and organizations, including Te Cancer Society of Te Bahamas, are striving to bring much-needed awareness to Bladder Cancer, especially as its prevalence continues to increase. Bladder Cancer is debilitating, but through education, we can help people lower their risk and inspire those who struggle with the adverse efects of this disease.

A disease of the urinary system, bladder cancer occurs when cells grow abnormally within the bladder, a muscular sac in the lower abdomen that stores urine. In the bladder, there are various types of cells, all of which can become cancerous and negatively afect the body. When examining patients, doctors classify bladder cancers based on the type of bladder cell growing abnormally, then use this information to prescribe the most efcient treatment.

Urothelial carcinoma, the most common type of Bladder Cancer, occurs in urothelial cells, which line the bladder, urethra, and ureters. Resulting from the atypical growth of cells that comprise the mucus-secreting glands of the bladder, adenocarcinoma is rare in most countries, while squamous cell carcinoma, usually associated with chronic irritation of the bladder, is most prevalent in areas where specifc parasites cause bladder infections.

While there are many symptoms of Bladder Cancer, the most concerning is blood in the urine, which may cause it to appear bright red or cola in color, depending on the amount of blood present. And though urine can appear normal with the naked eye, health professionals may detect blood when performing lab tests. Other symptoms of Bladder Cancer include frequent urination, painful urination, and back pain, which may begin gradually, but progress over time.

According to scientists, smoking is the leading risk factor for bladder cancer, contributing to approximately 50% of all cases. When smoking tobacco products, such as cigars, cigarettes, and pipes, scientists say that harmful chemicals in the smoke enter urine and damage the fragile lining of the bladder, increasing the risk of Bladder Cancer.

In addition to smoking, increasing age and gender are important risk factors for Bladder Cancer. Although Bladder Cancer can happen at any age, it most commonly develops in older individuals, with approximately 9 out of 10 Bladder Cancer patients being age 55 or older. Furthermore, Bladder Cancer is the fourth most common type of cancer in men, who are four times more likely to be diagnosed with the disease than women.

FOR the second time in as many weeks, the inspiring story of a Bahamian girl who ran sideways to guard against trouble lurking in bushes and sprinted her way all the way to two Olympic gold medals has captured the top spot in memoirs for 2023.

The Track and Field Writers of America just announced it has awarded Running Sideways, The Olympic Champion who Made Track and Field History, its TAFWA Coogan’s Book Award for best biography of 2022. Davis will receive the latest award at the World Athletics Championship in Budapest in August.

In words that rise and fall with the fast pace of a track star and details the stumbles and recoveries, the book details the life of world champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist Pauline Davis.

It lays bare the highs and lows of her life on and off the track, the determined rebounds, the wisdom and motivation she shares with young athletes today and her experiences as the unofficial dame of track taking the stories of The Bahamas to 177 countries.

Earlier this month, Running Sideways took top place in the biography category of the International Book Awards, one of the

most prestigious and coveted awards in publishing. That award was announced in Los Angeles in June.

Written with ghost writer and well-known Canadian author TR Todd with interviews over a year, the award places the track star alongside previous International Book Awards winners including Pope Francis, Amy Tan, Vanessa Williams and Julie Andrews. And in the latest accolade from track and field writers, Davis stands side by side with the winner of Track and Field Writers choice for best film, Mo Farah, the Somalian sensation four-time gold medalist in the 5,000 and 10,000-metre, and ambassador for Save the Children.

Davis, one of the original Golden Girls who won the 4x100 relay in the Sydney Olympics 2000 and the individual 200m during the same Games, was the first woman of colour to serve on the World Athletics Council. She was re-elected for 16 terms and is now an honorary member for life.

Lord Sebastian Coe, who chaired World Athletics, wrote the foreword to the story of her journey.

Davis said she is stunned and humbled by the attention and praise Running Sideways has received. “I am shocked if I am being honest with you,” she said,

“that this little Bahamian Girl who didn’t write her book for honours but to simply tell her story of her journey to the world and to encourage other persons who may have a similar journey to never quit and for them to understand that it is not how you start in life it is how you finish won such a prestigious award. Many, many thanks to you and your team for honouring the Girl who ran Sideways.”

Her ghost writer, TR Todd, said he met Davis when he was working in The Bahamas and asked her to be a patron of a race that he and a friend were starting in Exuma called Run for Pompey. The event was new, he said, and there was no guarantee it would attract a lot of runners, but Davis said if it would help provide a scholarship for a student in need, she was in.

“Her enthusiasm was unbelievable, she brought such joy, I just knew there was a story there,” said Todd, when the two decided to collaborate.

At the time, he was just wrapping up his previous work, Pigs of Paradise, The True Story of the WorldFamous Swimming Pigs.

“Every aspect of Pauline’s life is incredible and defies expectation. I hope this book is something the entire Bahamas can be proud of. But beyond that, it’s an opportunity for the whole world to know The Bahamas on a more intimate level, through the eyes of the original Golden Girl. In these challenging times, this is a story of perseverance that we all need.”

The book is available on Amazon.com, at the UB Bookstore or at the Farmers’ Market on Saturdays on Gladstone Road, Nassau.

Other risk factors include exposure to chemicals at the workplace or in the environment, chronic infammation of the bladder, and previous cancer treatment. Also, if you’ve previously battled Bladder Cancer, research shows you’re more likely to get it again.

Like other cancers, there are no guaranteed ways to prevent Bladder Cancer, but you can reduce your risk by not smoking, avoiding exposure to toxic chemicals, and choosing a diet rich in a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables. Also, since Bladder Cancer is highly treatable in its early stages, getting tested soon afer experiencing symptoms is vital to the successful treatment of the disease.

Over the years, Te Cancer Society of Te Bahamas has provided Support Groups and accommodation for cancer patients, giving them much-needed love and comfort as they bravely battle their disease. Not only are services available to cancer patients but also to their caregivers, who, too, can experience emotional turmoil and stress resulting from their loved one’s disease.

Our Caring Center, with its comfortable rooms and modern amenities, is the perfect temporary home for Family Islanders seeking treatment, and we strive to make them feel welcomed and at ease during their stay. Led by professional clinical personnel, our Adult Cancer Support Group ofers cancer patients ages 40 and over a safe space to express their emotions and experiences with others in similar circumstances, which can help them cope throughout their treatment

For further information on our services, kindly visit our website www.cancersocietybahams.org or call us at (242) 323-4441 or send an email to cancersociety@hotmail.com.

PAULINE Davis gets a congratulatory hug from Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis when she presented the first copy of her book, Running Sideways, to him in March 2022.

‘I am shocked if I am being honest with you that this little Bahamian Girl who didn’t write her book for honours but to simply tell her story of her journey to the world and to encourage other persons who may have a similar journey to never quit and for them to understand that it is not how you start in life it is how you finish won such a prestigious award.’

‘BRIDGING THE FUTURE’ TO HELP STUDENTS

FOR the past six years Summer Arts Immersion (SAi) has hosted an intensive arts programme for high school seniors and graduates as a preparatory experience for university studies or a career in the arts.

This scholarship-based opportunity has engaged over 100 students from Nassau, Eleuthera, Grand Bahama, Andros, Long Island, and Abaco who have worked under more than 27 Caribbean creative professionals as instructors, teaching assistants, guest artists, and scholars.

Hosted from July 17–21 at the Bahamas Technical & Vocational Institute (BTVI), this year’s programme was led by artist and designer Philece Roberts who worked alongside animator and art educator Jason Evans to co-facilitate drawing and painting classes.

Roberts said: “The combination of exceptional talent, vulnerability, and willingness to learn from their teachers and classmates made them an extremely special group. Co-teaching this year allowed us to support and challenge the students in a unique way that offered a blended classroom experience which is very different from how art is taught in schools.”

Former SAi student Charisma Perigord, who has been a part of the programme since 2019 and is currently a sophomore at the University of The Bahamas, worked alongside both instructors as a teaching assistant.

“After being a SAi student for five years, I found it enlightening to experience art-making through the lens of a teacher. I gained a lot of knowledge from the instructors who were very perceptive to

the students’ needs and incredibly resourceful. I learned how to explain new art techniques and how to draw creativity out of the students.”

Over the past three years, SAi has explored themes that have been tied explicitly to the student artwork. This year’s focus, ‘Bridging The Future’, was coined by founder Keisha Oliver, who said intergenerational bridging was the impetus for SAi in 2018.

She said: “It is rooted in our organisational, curricula, and conceptual frameworks. Our vision for blending art-making and community building has always asked the questions, how and what can be realised when experience and innovation across different generations come together; and what Bahamian cultural traditions can be preserved through arts education.”

An integral part of this year’s programme was the launch of a mentorship initiative. Each student was paired with a Bahamian artist whose work, artistic style, or use of materials bore similarity.

Mentors included: June Collie, Jason Evans, Steffon Grant, Dyah Neilson, Jordon Ritchie, Philece Roberts, Allan P Wallace, and Durelle Williams who reviewed the student’s work, advised on future

career and college options while sharing their creative professional journey.

On Saturday, July 22, SAi hosted its annual showcase and awards ceremony to recognise the participation of new students Shaiel Curry, Madison Cartwright, Logan Forbes, Judah Knowles, Nariah Pride, Jaá Rolle and returning students Reory Fox and Annalise Smith.

Entitled ‘Imprint’, the art exhibition included foundation compositions produced under the direction of instructors and conceptual paintings that students developed independently with instructor and mentor supervision. Forbes, Fox, Rolle, and Smith received awards for their performance and final pieces. Aquinas College senior Jaá Rolle was awarded the SAI 2023 Conceptual Composition Prize for her piece ‘Unceasing Admiration’, an abstract portrait that pays homage to Bahamian Master artist Stanley Burnside.

Rolle said: “I created this painting to immortalise Burnside’s contributions to Bahamian culture, I loved how he incorporates our country’s history into his artwork.”

SAi 2023 was made possible through a BTVI partnership and sponsorship through the Pictet Group Foundation.

SUMMER Arts Immersion participants at BTVI.

MENTOR Allan P Wallace with student Annalise Smith.

UNCEASED Admiration by Jaá Rolle (recipient of SAI 2023 Conceptual Composition Award(.

FROM left, instructor Jason Evans, Jaá Rolle (recipient of Conceptual Composition Award) and instructor Philece Roberts.

GN-2908

Applicants are advised that it is their responsibility to provide certified proof of all relevant academic and professional qualifications and school experience.

Applicants must submit a Letter of Interest and an Applicant Information Form, along with supporting documents, copied to their Head of Department, not later than 27 July, 2023

All candidates should submit their documents to https://forms.office.com/r/GUgHwdcigR by the deadline.

APPLICATIONS TENDERED AFTER THE STIPULATED DEADLINE AND WITHOUT THE REQUISITE DOCUMENTS ARE DEEMED INCOMPLETE AND UNACCEPTABLE.

Secretary Public Service Commission

VACANCY FOR SUBJECT SECRETARY – MODERN LANGUAGES

SCALE: SED6

EXAMINATION & ASSESSMENT DIVISION, NEW PROVIDENCE

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TECHNICAL AND VOCATIONAL TRAINING

Letters of Interest and completed Applicant’s Information Forms are invited from suitably qualified Bahamians presently serving in the Public or Private School Systems to fill the post of Subject Secretary – Modern Languages, (Spanish and French) Examination and Assessment Division, Ministry of Education and Technical and Vocational Training, for the beginning of the 2023/2024 academic year.

Please note that this position will not be filled if the anticipated vacancy does not materialize

Requirements for the post:

1. A Bachelor’s Degree in Education/Modern Languages (Spanish and French);

2. Professional Teaching Qualification from an approved institution;

3. A minimum of ten (10) years of experience as a Trained Teacher;

4. A minimum of five (5) years of experience as a National Examiner; and

5. Be Computer literate and have undergone training in Pre and Post Examination Procedures.

The successful candidate will be expected to:

• Have a sound knowledge of the processes in educational assessment;

• Have a general knowledge and understanding of the various assessment practices used in the development of BJC and BGCSE examinations in Modern Languages (Spanish and French);

• Have demonstrated the ability to effectively and efficiently plan, develop, monitor and evaluate the implementation of High School instructional programmes; and

• Possess a high level of administrative competence, interpersonal, organizational, written and oral skills and be a strong team motivator.

Specific duties of the post include:

• Offer professional advice on all matters concerning the subjects and maintain and ensure quality and efficiency of the examinations under his/her supervision;

• Advise the Assistant Director of Education, Examination and Assessment Division on all matters concerning BJC Spanish and French and BGCSE Spanish and French including training of examiners, syllabus development, question paper development, and all other matters related to the conduct and development of examinations;

• Act as secretary to subject committees on question paper development, question paper moderation, marking, grading, grade reviews and syllabi revision;

• Ensure that subject reports on the examinations are prepared according to schedules determined within the division;

• Coordinate the training of markers for the examinations under his/her supervision to ensure ongoing development of examiners to meet the needs of the division;

• Assist with the selection of persons as Chief Paper Setters, Paper Setters, Chief Markers, Team Leaders and Markers;

• Develop, maintain and keep current an item bank of quality items for inclusion in future question papers;

• Liaise with Curriculum Officers and coordinate and assume responsibility for the revision and implementation of all Curriculum and Syllabus material appropriate to the examination;

• Liaise with Cambridge International Examinations on all pre-examination activities leading to the accreditation of subjects under supervision; and

• Keep under constant review current trends in test development and scoring techniques and where appropriate adapt such changes to the local system;

• Advise and assist in school-based test development workshops and seminars for the professional and academic development of teachers and administrators; and

• Complete any other duties that may be assigned by the appropriate education authorities within the Department of Education.

The salary of the post is in Scale SED6 $35,400 to $46,600 per annum (September 2016 Salary Scales).

Documents that MUST be submitted are:

i. A Letter of Interest, with the applicant’s authentic signature, indicating the specific post, scale and island for which the applicant wishes to be considered;

ii. A completed Applicant’s Information Form, with the applicant’s authentic signature;

iii. Certified copies of all academic and professional documents (see Requirements for the post);

iv. A letter from the Ministry of the Public Service, confirming the applicant’s appointment to his/her current substantive post;

v. Two Letters of Reference are required from External Applicants supporting teaching and national examinations experience, and

vi. A recent passport-sized photograph (no more than 2”x2”) – copied on to the Information Form or the Letter of Interest.

Applicants are advised that it is their responsibility to provide certified proof of all relevant academic and professional qualifications and school experience.

Applicants must submit a Letter of Interest and an Applicant Information Form, along with supporting documents, copied to their Head of Department, not later than 27 July, 2023

All candidates should submit their documents to https://forms.office.com/r/GUgHwdcigR by the deadline.

APPLICATIONS TENDERED AFTER THE STIPULATED DEADLINE AND WITHOUT THE REQUISITE DOCUMENTS ARE DEEMED INCOMPLETE AND UNACCEPTABLE.

Secretary Permanent Secretary

MINISTER of State for Legal Affairs Jomo Campbell helping out with the distribution of Super Value gift certificates recently.

Mobile app adds Sand Dollar feature

A MOBILE app launched during the pandemic by Cash N Go Bahamas has helped customers to access all services offered at its stores - and a new enhancement offers people the chance to make greater use of the Sand Dollar. The Sand Dollar feature allows all users to access the Sand Dollar wallet on the home screen of their mobile wallet. This allows people to sign up for a Sand Dollar wallet or add their existing wallet from the home screen.

In a statement, Cash N Go said: “Some of the key functions for Sand Dollar are the ability to send or receive funds using another user’s Sand Dollar custom name or receiving address. Clients also have the ability to generate a unique QR Code to receive funds from another wallet remotely. Cash N Go also implemented the Bank Transfer feature via Sand Dollar allowing yet another way to transfer funds. Clients can also expect to see additional miscellaneous improvements such as the ability to view Sand Dollar account balances

and transaction history. “It is the company’s aim to continually evolve in finding ways to offer services conveniently, while ensuring that our app is user friendly and maintaining the same level of security. Cash N Go’s digital services have advanced considerably however we continue to push our existing services that can also be found within the mobile wallet. For instance, other additional app services include: CashNow Loans, Utility Payment, BAF Insurance Payment, e-Gift Cards, MoneyGram Transfer and Aliv or BTC Topup.”

STUDENTS TAKE ON THE WORLDWITH HELP FROM LYFORD CAY FOUNDATIONS

THE Lyford Cay Foundations has announced the award of two grants for $5,000 each to St John’s College and Aquinas College to assist students in defraying the cost of their travel expenses to the London Round of the World’s Scholars Cup.

Having already found success at the Nassau Round of the competition, St John’s College and Aquinas College have sent 21 and 20 students respectively to compete in the Global Round in London, England from July 24 to August 4 under the theme “Reconstructing the Past”.

The World’s Scholars Cup is an international team academic competition in which more than 15,000 students from over 65 countries participate each year.

Local competitions are held early in the year with qualifying teams moving to several global rounds held throughout the world.

The competition culminates with a Championship Round at Yale University.

Dr Nicola Virgill-Rolle, executive director of Lyford Cay Foundations, had the opportunity to view a portion of the Nassau round.

She said: “It was uplifting to see so many students excited about academic challenges, analytical questions, essays and debate.

Students were excelling at working as a team.”

In 2017, students from Aquinas College were able to compete in the World’s Scholars Cup both in Barcelona, Spain and at Yale University; they also competed in Sydney, Australia in 2018, winning awards for their achievements in both years.

It is also not the first year that St John’s College will be sending a team to compete at the international level, and the school is happy to be able to send a team again following the pandemic.

Lyford Cay Foundations vice chair Sarah Farrington, who also serves as chair of the Grants Committee, was on hand to meet representatives from both schools.

She said: “When Lyford Cay Foundations learned about this amazing competition, we wanted to help students in The Bahamas make this opportunity a reality. We are honoured to assist.”

Since 1969, Lyford Cay Foundations has disbursed more than $50m in the Bahamian community through its programmes which are aimed at providing learning opportunities for Bahamian children, young adults, families and communities who will benefit the most.

THE CASH N Go app features Sand Dollar services.

‘IMPROVE SECURITY AND CLOSE THE GENDER GAP’

THE regional telecommunications sector is being challenged to increase gender diversity, especially as it relates to cyber security and cyber threats.

The call comes from Janelle Pascall, senior manager of communications at C&W Communications and chair of the CANTO Women in ICT Committee.

“Including women and underrepresented individuals in cybersecurity is not only an ethical imperative but also a strategic advantage. Within the field of cybersecurity itself, we face a shortage of experts, further exacerbated by a gender gap,” she said.

Pascall was speaking as part of a panel discussion entitled ‘The Importance of Gender Diversity in Cybersecurity’ at CANTO’s recent 38th Annual Trade and Exhibition Conference in Miami, Florida.

“Women remain vastly underrepresented, comprising only a small fraction of the cybersecurity workforce. This gender disparity not only limits opportunities for talented individuals but also hinders our collective ability to address the multifaceted challenges of cyber threats,” she said.

The panel also included insights from Kamla Hamilton, manager of security at C&W Business; Dr Kim Mallalieu, senior lecturer at the University of the West Indies, St Augustine, and deputy chair at the Telecommunication Authority of Trinidad and Tobago (TATT); Shakera Rolle, director of information security at Cable Bahamas; and Korah-Jane Jude Grant, director of business development and culture at Symptai.

for the region,” said Kamla Hamilton, manager of decurity at C&W Business.

Dr Kim Mallalieu, senior lecturer in electrical engineering at UWI and TATT’s deputy chairman shed light on the disparities evident within STEM disciplines.

“Data in hand shows that women equal or outperform men in IT and computer science as well as in pure and applied mathematics at the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE). Yet women are in a significant minority in related STEM disciplines at the university level and even more so in the workplace throughout the Caribbean,” she said.

To help bridge the gap, the panelists said all sectors of the technology ecosystem have a role to play including governments, internet service providers, regulators, and suppliers.

For these groups, the panelists urged stakeholders to focus on mentorship, training, curriculum reform, and culture shifts, including unlearning existing heteronormative societal stereotypes as vital strategies to bridge the gender gap.

‘Including women and underrepresented individuals in cybersecurity is not only an ethical imperative but also a strategic advantage. Within the field of cybersecurity itself, we face a shortage of experts, further exacerbated by a gender gap.’

During the conference, the vice president of people at C&W Communications, Dom Boon, also gave a presentation to regional government representatives discussing the company’s efforts to transform its internal culture to achieve gender parity.

The panelists convened to explore the intersection of gender and cybersecurity, revealing the risks of excluding women in this critical field and offering vital insights for organisations and governments to bridge the gender gap.

“As the Caribbean navigates the ever-evolving cybersecurity landscape, it is imperative that organisations and governments seize the opportunity to promote gender diversity. By fostering an inclusive environment, providing mentorship, and training, and advocating for curriculum reform, we can unlock the potential of women in cybersecurity and ensure a safer, more resilient future

“We are proud to acknowledge that presently 49% of our people managers are female, due in part to our dedication to developing trust-based and human-centered policies for our employees. We look forward to continuing to support and increase the number of women at all levels of leadership, fostering their professional growth, and providing opportunities for collaboration and information sharing through our Employee Resource Groups (ERG),” he said.

FROM left, Shakera Rolle, director of information security at Cable Bahamas; Korah Jane Jude Grant, director of business development and culture at Symptai; Dr Kim Mallalieu, senior lecturer at the University of the West Indies, St Augustine; Kamla Hamilton, manager of security at C&W Business Jamaica; Janelle Pascall, senior manager of communications, C&W Communications at the 38th Annual CANTO Conference in Miami.

SOUTH FLORIDA WATERS HIT HOT TUB TEMPERATURE

By SETH BORENSTEIN AP Science Writer

THE water temperature around the tip of Florida has hit triple digits — hot tub levels — two days in a row. Meteorologists say it could be the hottest seawater ever measured, although some questions about the reading remain.

Scientists are already seeing devastating effects from prolonged hot water surrounding Florida — coral bleaching and even the death of some corals in what had been one of the Florida Keys’ most resilient reefs. Climate change has set temperature records across the globe this month.

The warmer water is also fuel for hurricanes.

Scientists were careful to say there is some uncertainty with the reading. But the buoy at Manatee Bay hit 101.1 degrees Fahrenheit (38.4 degrees Celsius) Monday evening, according to National Weather Service meteorologist George Rizzuto. The night before, that buoy showed an online reading of 100.2F (37.9C).

“That is a potential record,” Rizzuto said.

“This is a hot tub. I like my hot tub around 100, 101, (37.8, 38.3C). That’s what was recorded yesterday,” said Yale Climate Connections meteorologist Jeff Masters. If verified, the Monday reading would be nearly 1.5 degrees Fahrenheit higher than what is regarded as the prior record, set in the waters off Kuwait three summers ago, 99.7 degrees Fahrenheit (37.6 degrees Celsius).

“We’ve never seen a record-breaking event like this before,” Masters said. The consequences for sea corals are serious. NOAA researcher Andrew Ibarra, who took his kayak out to the area, “found that the entire reef was bleached out. Every single coral colony was exhibiting some form of paling, partial bleaching or full out bleaching.”

Some coral even had died, he said. This comes on top of bleaching seen last week by the University of Miami, when NOAA increased the alert level for coral earlier this month.

Until the 1980s, coral bleaching was mostly

unheard of. But “now we’ve reached the point where it’s become routine”, Enochs said. Bleaching, which doesn’t kill coral but weakens it and can lead to death, occurs when water temperatures exceed the upper 80s (low 30s Celsius), Enochs said.

Masters and University of Miami tropical meteorologist Brian McNoldy said while the hot temperatures do fit with what’s happening around Florida, Monday’s reading may not be accepted as a record because the area is shallow, has sea grasses in it and may be influenced by warm land in the nearby Everglades National Park.

Still, McNoldy said, “it’s amazing”.

The fact that two 100 degree measurements were taken on consecutive days lends credence to them, McNoldy said. Water temperatures have been in the upper 90s in the area for more than two weeks.

There aren’t many coral reefs in Manatee Bay, but elsewhere in the Florida Keys, scientists diving at Cheeca Rocks found bleaching and even death

in some of the Keys most resilient corals, said Ian Enochs, lead of the coral program at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory.

“This is more, earlier

than we have ever seen,”

Enochs said. “I’m nervous by how early this is occurring.”

This all comes as sea surface temperatures worldwide have broken monthly records for heat in April, May and June,

according to NOAA. And temperatures in the north Atlantic Ocean are off the charts — as much as 9 to 11 degrees Fahrenheit (5 to 6 degrees Celsius) warmer than normal in some spots near Newfoundland, McNoldy said.

weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.

Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.

IN this image provide by NOAA, the sun shines on coral showing sign of bleaching at Cheeca Rocks off the coast of Islamorada, Florida, on July 23, 2023. Scientists have seen devastating effects from prolonged hot water surrounding Florida — coral bleaching and some death.

Photo: Andrew Ibarra/NOAA via AP