09072023 NEWS AND SPORT

OBITUARIES

UNION: CUBAN TEACHERS ‘CAN’T SPEAK ENGLISH’

BUT leader has received complaints from parents about language barriers

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

THE BAHAMAS Union of Teachers said it is concerned that a number of Cuban teachers recently hired by the government cannot speak English and called on the Ministry of Education to investigate the issue.

BUT president Belinda Wilson told The Tribune yesterday that teachers in

Abaco, Grand Bahama and New Providence have been complaining about language barriers.

“Within the last few days,” she said, “I would’ve received concerns from several schools where some of the new Cuban teachers that have just arrived within the last few weeks, there seems to be a language barrier and some of them are having difficulty speaking

SANDS CALL S FOR VACCINE A S DENGUE CA SES RISE

By LETRE SWEETING Tribune Staff Reporter lsweeting@tribunemedia.net

FREE National Movement chairman Dr Duane Sands has called for the Davis administration to bring in a dengue vaccinewith cases having risen to 66 as of yesterday, according to The Ministry of Health and Wellness.

Dr Sands was a guest on Rodney Moncur’s Freedom

March talk show yesterday.

In the space of two days, 14 more cases of dengue fever have been confirmed according to a Dengue Alert, released by the ministry yesterday.

The alert sent out reiterated symptoms of the disease including, headache, fever, nausea, vomiting, rash and aches and pains in certain areas of

POLICE LOOK INTO ALLEGED ABUSE BY SENIOR OFFICER

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

POLICE are investigating an incident allegedly involving a high-ranking male police officer in plain clothes, accused of punching a woman in the eye - leaving her unable to see through her left eye.

Officer-in-charge of inspection and review and president of the court of inquiry tribunal Chief Superintendent Marino

PRIVY COUNCIL orders man’s RESENTENCING

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

CONVICTED child

killer Roger Watson has been ordered to be resentenced after a successful appeal before the Privy Council. Watson was formerly on death row after he was convicted in 2006 of the January 2003 murder

OPERATORS OF JET SKIS CLAIM THEY WERE TOLD TO LEAVE BEACH

By JADE RUSSELL Tribune Staff Reporter jrussell@tribunemedia.net

ACCESS to the beach near the Melia Hotel has been restricted, prompting fear from some water sports operators as to how they will be able to continue their businesses.

A licensed jet ski operator told The Tribune yesterday

Hinds confirmed the investigation on the TV programme Beyond the Headlines that aired on Tuesday night. Also on the show was officer-in-charge of complaints and corruption Chief Superintendent Marlin Fulford who said the report was made Monday afternoon and he has already assigned an investigator to

While Hurricane Lee moves closer to The Bahama Islands, NEMA says they stand ready

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

WITH all eyes on Hurricane Lee, Captain Stephen Russell says the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) is as ready as can be and has completed all shelter inspections in the event of an approaching storm.

“In April, like we do every year, our shelters are normally inspected,” the NEMA director said.

“Up to last week Thursday, when Social Services gave a briefing to the prime minister, 145 shelters had been inspected and ready for use.”

He said crews are also

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carrying out tree trimming exercises and added that all telecommunication systems are up and running to get the message out if a hurricane were to hit.

“BTC, BPL - all those institutions that utilise power lines etcetera and where trees may be encroaching on power lines, they have been conducting their tree trimming prior to the start of the hurricane season. That is still ongoing.”

Lee strengthened to a Category One hurricane yesterday, carrying sustained winds of 75mph. The storm is forecast to become a major hurricane at the end of the week.

Meanwhile, local weather officials said it’s too early to tell whether the storm could seriously impact The Bahamas.

Nonetheless, Captain Russell offered these tips to help Bahamians get prepared.

“We encourage persons to ensure that there homes are in a state of readiness for what may come this hurricane season in terms of having adequate shutters for their homes making sure that their roofs would’ve been checked as necessary,” he said.

“We urge persons who have concern about flooding in their areas, if you don’t think that you can ride out the storm in their respective homes, find alternate locations as to where they can ride out the storm or become familiar with where our nearest shelters are and likewise find ways to safeguard their documents and other equipment around their homes.”

“We encourage persons to be mindful of their vehicles and boats to secure those as well. So we have been giving out a series of tips. We have been speaking to various communities making presentations as to how people can prepare for what may come for the remainder of the hurricane season.”

“We are approaching the peak of the season sometime the end of this week - Sunday the 10thand we expect the tropics to be active.”

Island-wide roadblocks aim to curb crime

By LYNAIRE MUN NINGS Tribune Staff Reporter lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

AN island-wide series of roadblocks were held yesterday as police conducted traffic stops and aimed to curb crime.

In launching Operation United Force yesterday, Chief Superintendent Craig Stubbs said the operation is geared towards the reduction of crime, with the operation expected to continue throughout the month.

“One of the primary focuses of this operation, we’re going to be targeting suspected stolen vehicles.

I know for the year so far, I think we have more than enough stolen vehicles recorded in New Providence,” CSP Stubbs said yesterday.

“We will also be targeting our prolific offenders. Persons who are known to be committing serious offences, armed robberies, and persons who tend to be involved in a lot of these shooting incidents that we see in New Providence will also be targeted.

“We will also be targeting persons who we believe to be involved in illicit drug sales. We’re going to be targeting all hotspots for the duration of the operation, with the hope to bring calm in those communities where we

have a lot of these incidents occurring.”

A total of 100 police officers from various departments of the RBPF were accompanied by members of the media for the operation in both the Western and Eastern areas of New Providence.

In the Eastern area, police conducted traffic stops at the intersection of Kemp Road and Wulff Road and the Fox Hill Park Roundabout.

Areas such as the six-legged roundabout, Sir Milo Butler Highway, Gladstone Road and Fire Trail Road were visited in Western New Providence.

RBPF Assistant Commissioner of Information and Communication Technology Zhivago Dames said yesterday that the operation’s launch is deemed successful.

“We want to ensure members of the public that with the commissioner’s mandate with these operations, with this aggressive stop and search, that the police are out there,” ASP Dames said yesterday.

“That we are out here ensuring that those criminals who think that they can take back the streets, the police are here to take back the streets from them.”

He insisted that the police would continue to enforce traffic regulations.

POLICE LOOK INTO ALLEGED ABUSE BY HIGH -RANKING OFFICER

information is in its preliminary stages. As far as I’m aware this alleged incident was just reported to have happened on Friday and so what is important to us at this stage is to get all of the facts.”

ASP, which is an assistant superintendent of police, there’s a certain decorum that is expected of him or her and I know that this is

the real world that we live in but I have not seen this kind of behavior from the officers that I have encountered. I will not say that we

investigate the matter.

“Even though our policy gives us between six months to a year to investigate a matter you know when matters of interest remake every effort to make sure that a speedy resolution is brought to it and so that matter was assigned to a superintendent and the investigation started immediately as early as this morning (Tuesday),” Mr Fulford explained.

Latique Perpall is pursuing legal action of the punch. which, it is claimed resulted in a detached retina. It is not determined yet if she has been permanently blinded in that eye.

She identified the officer to The Tribune as an assistant superintendent of police.

Speaking on the matter, Mr Hinds said: “The information received by us are allegations and the commissioner of police is the complaint made by the young lady and here to say that we are actively investigating this matter and so wherever the chips fall we have a purpose and we have constitutional mandate to bring equity and justice to the Bahamian people.”

The 29-year-old said her ordeal started on Friday when the officer made a lewd comment to her.

“I was walking coming from ordering my food and someone came up behind me and told me ‘Your p---- fat’.”

“I was like mister who the ---- you is and he was like ‘oh carry your fat p---’. So I start to argue back with him. I tell him ‘Oh no carry your little d---’ so he got mad because people through the corner was laughing.”

The two had an exchange of words after the comment. Before she went to her yard, a police truck pulled up in front of her yard.

“He point at me and

say her lock her up. He say carry her to my station. They carry me to The Grove. When I went there, they start to book me.

“He said ‘ain’t I tell y’all to take her to my station’... bear in mind I still do not know who this man is. I still didn’t even know he was an officer at the time.”

“I was in handcuff. Before I got carried… he yuck me at the police truck, punch me in my eye while I was in handcuff. Then put me back in there and ram my head against the police truck door.”

Some activists have condemned the high-ranking officer alleged actions. Pressed if the officer is on administrative leave while the investigation is ongoing, Mr Hinds responded: “This

“Once we gather all of facts, we see all of the surveillance videos, we speak to all of the witnesses, and we gather the physical evidence if there is any. We then present the information, when I say we I’m taking about the complaints and corruption and the investigative team, to the commissioner and the senior executive leadership team and then they would make administrative decisions.”

Both Mr Fulford and Mr Hinds gave his thoughts whether this behaviour, if it is true, is befitting of a senior officer.

Mr Fulford argued: “It’s definitely not good behaviour for a senior officer, a junior officer, no officer and so if the complaint once investigated and the evidence suggests that the officer is responsible the recommendation would be the officer is dealt with accordingly.”

Meanwhile, Mr Hinds had tougher stance on the topic.

“I cannot fathom a senior officer making such an assertion. Once an officer becomes gazetted which that that officer has attained the rank of an

More than 300 matters before police complaints and corruption branch

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

MORE than 300 matters have been reported to the police Complaints and Corruption branch so far this year.

Officer-in-charge of complaints and corruption Chief Superintendent Marlin Fulford gave the number while a guest on the TV programme “Beyond the Headlines” that aired Tuesday night.

The discussion was surrounding a high-ranking male police officer in plain clothes allegedly punching a woman in the eye - leaving her unable to see through her left eye.

He responded to concerns about whether the police would be actually carrying out the investigation.

The officer-in-charge mentioned the Police Inspectorate - a civilian organisation that should provide oversight of the Complaints and Corruption Unit of the Royal Bahamas Police Force.

“We have a police inspectorate and even though when a matter is

investigated and a person feels as if police either find that the complaint was either malicious or false and they say that the officer was exonerated - we have checks and balances,” Mr Fulford said.

are perfect but I hasten to say that this is not a behavior that is demonstrated on a regular basis by my colleagues.” from page one

“So if they feel in any which way that their rights or the complaint wasn’t investigated properly. We have the police inspectorate and they would call on from time to time to view and get an update on all of the matters that are reported to complaints and corruption branch as well as they would like to know the results. Our books are open and we welcome all.”

“We have so far for the year over 300 matters that has been reported to the complaints and corruption branch and we investigate them all that requires investigation because a lot of the complaints are reported don’t require large scale investigations and so even though we have 300 plus matters reported all of them are not for investigations. We ensure that we are transparent and we inform persons who make complaints against police officers.”

AN island-wide series of roadblocks were held yesterday as police conducted traffic stops and aimed to curb crime.

Photos: Moise Amisial

BRUISES a woman alleges she obtained when a senior officer was abusive to her.

Operators of jet skis claim they were told to leave beach

from page one

that he, along with other operators, was told that the eastern end of the Melia beach would be closed to them. The operator claimed the decision came from Baha Mar and authorities.

However, he said after being harassed by hotel security and police on the beach, eventually a “temporary solution” was arrived at.

“We got a temporary solution until further notice and decision from officials from the port department, they sent word for us to work at an area that is suitable for us and still in walkin g distance from the guests,” said the jet ski operator, who wished to remain anonymous.

The experienced water sports operator of 25 years said the eastern end of the beach was never closed.

“They come now to the eastern end of Melia where they want us to move and shut down,” he said.

The operator said a meeting was held by Berne Wright, the acting port controller of the Port Authority, Berne Wright.

“They had a meeting without notice to the operators because I was not aware of it and many other operators weren’t aware of it. They had a meeting and came this morning and said the beach is shut down,” he said. “The Melia water park is about 50 feet away from the construction zone that is in full operation. Guests are still allowed to walk on the beach, still allowed to relax on the beach. Everything is in full operation except for the water sports operators.”

When asked if the water sports operators were conducting business on Melia’s property, he said “no” they were only operating from the water edge. According to the law, all beaches in The Bahamas are considered public

property from the water to the high water mark.

“By law, we have ten feet off the high water mark, so we operate just above that,” he said.

“When the guests come down and they ask, we tell them we are nowhere affiliated with the hotel.”

The jet ski operator said it was “disrespectful” to be harassed by hotel security. He added the security even stopped the tourists from walking down to the operators.

“I think it’s unprofessional to us as business license owners who just came out of C OVIDpaying $1,000 for a licence to licence our jet ski, insure our jet skis, and paying national insurance and everything to get bullied and disrespected like that. Made us look like criminals on the beach with a policeman coming at us and the hotel security stopping the guests.”

Asked where operators were placed temporarily by officials, he said they are on the Baha Mar side

of the beach now. When The Tribune contacted Baha Mar, they said the access to the beach has been restricted.

“As the staged demolition of the Melia is progressing, access to the beach directly connected to the property has been restricted due to safety precautions. The Bahamas Port Authority has been notified and is managing the water sports operators in the area,” Baha Mar’s statement said.

In February 2021, the Melia Nassau Beach resort closed its doors for two years to undergo renovations.

However, in July, Baha Mar’s owner sought to completely demolish the former Melia Nassau Beach R esort before the 2023 winter tourism season started. The demolition came months after Baha Mar’s president, Graeme Davis, said plans to redevelop the Melia resort would be unveiled imminently.

Dividend Notice

TO ALL SHAREHOLDERS

The Board of Directors of Commonwealth Bank Limited has declared a Quarterly Dividend for Common Shares, to all shareholders of record at September 15, 2023.

Common Shares 3¢ per share

The payment will be made on September 29, 2023 through Bahamas Central Securities Depository, the Registrar & Transfer Agent, in the usual manner.

Charlene A. Bosfeld Corporate Secretary

MAN ON CRUISE FROM MIA M I TO BIM INI REPORTED M ISSING

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS Tribune Staff Reporter lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

A CRUISE passenger was reported missing on Monday while aboard a Carnival Cruise from Miami to Bimini.

According to international reports, the passenger, Kevin McGrath, “mysteriously disappeared” shortly before the ship returned to the Port of Miami.

The 26-year-old was reported missing at approximately 7am on Monday after he failed to meet his family for breakfast before the ship’s return.

It was reported that after the cruise company’s failure to locate the victim, the US Coast Guard and Miami police were alerted.

“The guest was not detected by surveillance systems, including US Customs and Border Patrol during the debarkation process,” the Carnival Cruise spokesperson told The Post.

“A search of the ship’s cameras and security devices did not indicate he went overboard.”

On Tuesday, Miami-Dade Police issued a missing person alert, saying that he was last seen in a black shirt, shorts and grey sneakers.

Authorities described Mr McGrath as 5ft 9in, weighing 170lb, and having brown hair and brown eyes.

According to the New York Post, the US Coast Guard used a helicopter in search of the victim.

Royal Bahamas Defence Force Commodore Raymond King said his agency was not directly involved as the victim went missing near Florida, which is the US jurisdiction.

ACCESS to the beach near the Melia Hotel has been restricted, prompting fear from some water sports operators as to how they will be able to continue their businesses.

Union: Cuban teachers ‘can’t speak English’

the English language.”

“Some of the students have raised the issue and teachers have raised the issue.”

When contacted by The Tribune yesterday, acting education director Dominique McCartneyRussell said she was not aware of the claims, but promised to look into it.

She confirmed that 46 Cuban teachers were placed in schools throughout the country to address staff shortages.

“We would’ve interviewed them. We had a team in Cuba and they would’ve interviewed all of the teachers,” she said when asked about the vetting process. “From our recruitment exercise, we

identify the best and the brightest teachers and we have offered them a position so they are serving in our schools for the needs that we have.”

Meanwhile, Mrs Wilson said while the new hires are desperately needed, the union would not sit idly if the situation is not addressed.

“If the children are unable to understand what they’re saying, or they’re unable to understand what the children and teachers are saying, then its counter-productive so, as I said earlier, we are grateful for our colleagues from Cuba, but once a complaint comes to the union or a concern, we must follow up,” she added.

Sands calls for vaccine as dengue cases rise

from page one

the body.

The alert added that: “Prevention and control of dengue depend on vector control. There is no specific treatment for dengue/severe dengue, and early detection and access to proper medical care greatly lower fatality rates of severe dengue.”

Yesterday, Dr Sands said: “We ought to have a conversation in this country — I know vaccines are something that some people have a serious issue with, not that they should, but let’s ask the government if I want to get the dengue vaccine, would you bring it in?

“There is a vaccine available. It is commercially available. Depending on which vaccine you choose, it can either be used only in young people, people younger than the age of 16. Or another version can be used in young people and adults.

“It can be purchased by the government and I think we should be proactive, get a supply and make it available to people that want it.

“People that have never had dengue, probably are not candidates for vaccination. The problem with dengue is, many people get dengue and don’t know it, because the majority of people who get dengue have very mild symptoms.

“I think if we look at the

official numbers and that is the number of people that have been tested and if we say that there have been 60 that have been confirmed, then it is not unreasonable to infer that you probably have more than 600 people already infected with dengue. The numbers can increase, they can explode.

“Given the fact there are a number of people in the country who have been previously infected with different stereotypes of dengue, when they come in now, if they get bitten by a mosquito that’s carrying the fourth stereotype or the third stereotype and they had the first or the second, then some of those people come in with what we call haemorrhagic dengue and they can die from it,” Dr Sands said.

According the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the 2022 approved Dengvaxia dengue vaccine is recommended for children ages nine to 16, who have a previous history of “laboratory-confirmed”

dengue infection, living in areas where dengue occurs frequently or continuously.

The CDC said: “Children without previous dengue infection are at increased risk for severe dengue disease and hospitalisation if they get dengue after they are vaccinated with Dengvaxia.

“Vaccine providers give three doses administered

subcutaneously and each dose given 6 months apart (at 0, 6, and 12 months) for full protection.”

On August 2023, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said: “For the prevention of dengue disease caused by dengue virus serotypes 1, 2, 3 and 4. Dengvaxia is approved for use in individuals six through 16 years of age, with laboratory-confirmed previous dengue infection and living in endemic areas.”

A second “vaccine”, is called Qdenga or TAK003, created by the Takeda Pharmaceutical Company in Asia. On July 11, Takeda revealed: “The Company has voluntarily withdrawn the United States Biologics License Application (BLA) for its dengue vaccine candidate, TAK-003, following discussions with the FDA on aspects of data collection, which cannot be addressed within the current BLA review cycle.

“The future plan for TAK-003 in the United States will be further evaluated given the need for travellers and those living in dengue-endemic areas of the United States, such as Puerto Rico.”

The Ministry of Health and Wellness announced the reappearance of the dengue fever last month, with confirmed cases steadily increasing each week.

THE BAHAMAS Union of Teachers president Belinda Wilson said it is concerned that a number of Cuban teachers recently hired by the government cannot speak English and called on the Ministry of Education to investigate the issue.

FREE National Movement chairman Dr Duane Sands has called for the Davis administration to bring in a dengue vaccine - with cases having risen to 66 as of yesterday, according to The Ministry of Health and Wellness.

The Tribune Limited

Harris says Trump shouldn’t be exception

US Vice President Kamala Harris said yesterdy that those responsible for the effort to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election and the ensuing violence at the USCapitol must be held accountable — even if that means Donald Trump.

“Let the evidence, the facts, take it where it may,” Harris said in an interview with The Associated Press in Jakarta, Indonesia, where she was attending a regional summit, noting: “Everyone has their right to their day in court.”

Federal prosecutors have indicted Trump, the front-runner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, for his efforts to cling to power in 2020. The former president also has been charged in Georgia in a scheme to subvert the will of voters who elected Democrat Joe Biden instead of giving Trump a second term.

“I spent the majority of my career as a prosecutor,” said Harris, who served as California’s attorney general before moving to Washington as a US senator. “I believe that people should be held accountable under the law. And when they break the law, there should be accountability.”

The White House has been circumspect in addressing the issue of criminal charges against Trump, who has pleaded not guilty, to avoid any whiff of political meddling in the work of prosecutors, particularly as Biden seeks a second term in 2024. But both Biden and Harris have been outspoken about what they view as the very real danger to American democracy the aftermath of the 2020 election exposed.

“Democracies are very fragile,” the vice president said in the AP interview. “They will only be as strong as our willingness to fight for it.”

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said with her comments, the vice president was affirming her belief “in our system of laws,” a belief the president shares.

“This is something that of course the president shares and believes in ... but I’m going to let the Department of Justice do their job independently,” Jean-Pierre said.

Harris is representing the United States at a summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in place of Biden.

The president’s absence disappointed some, but the White House emphasized that it remained committed to the region, which Harris reiterated in her interview.

“We as Americans, I believe, have a very significant interest, both in terms of our security but also our prosperity, today and in the future, in developing and strengthening these relationships,” she said.

Southeast Asia is a critical arena for the rivalry between the US and China,

particularly when it comes to the South China Sea. One-third of global shipping traverses its waters.

Beijing recently released a new government map that emphasizes its disputed territorial claims to the sea.

“It’s a violation of the law. And that’s where I put that map,” Harris told the AP. ASEAN has struggled to make progress on issues such as the military coup in Myanmar, but Harris said the organisation “absolutely” remains a critical forum.

“The fact that so many leaders are convening in this one place at the same time to address some of the biggest challenges facing our world is a sign of strength of both the commitment that each nation has to the coalition and the potential for collaboration,” she said.

Harris sounded a strong warning about reports that Russia was talking with North Korea about obtaining weapons for its invasion of Ukraine, calling the possible alliance “ill-advised”.

“Russia has been levied a strategic failure,” she said. “Their aggressive, unprovoked actions in Ukraine have resulted in a situation where the aura and myth of the Russian military has now been dispelled.”

Harris dismissed concerns about Biden’s age, 80, even though he’s widely seen as too old for office. A recent AP/ NORC poll showed that 77 percent of Americans and 69 percent of Democrats think he’s too old for a second term.

Harris is next in line for the presidency, a position that increased scrutiny of her as she serves with a president who would be 86 at the end of a potential second term. Some Republican presidential hopefuls claim that a vote for Biden would really end up being a vote for Harris — and not in a good way.

“I see him every day. A substantial amount of time we spend together is in the Oval Office, where I see how his ability to understand issues and weave through complex issues in a way that no one else can, to make smart and important decisions on behalf of the American people have played out,” she said. “And so I will say to you that I think the American people ultimately want to know that their president delivers. And Joe Biden delivers.”

Harris described the idea of possibly stepping into the role of president as “hypothetical” but said she was ready.

“Joe Biden is going to be fine, so that is not going to come to fruition,” she stated. “But let us also understand that every vice president — every vice president — understands that when they take the oath they must be very clear about the responsibility they may have to take over the job of being president.”

Harris added, “I’m no different.”

By CHRIS MEGERIAN Associated Press

Failure of eforts on environment

EDITOR, The Tribune.

ENVIRONMENTAL efforts by Government are a failure so far.

We speak a big game when speaking at these world forums about the effects of global warming on tiny island states such as the Bahamas. We speak about the effects of hurricanes on our islands and the economic impact to our economy.

However, the only major environmental change we have made recently is the ban of plastic grocery bags in our stores and use of reusable shopping bags. Secondly, the creation of New Providence’s Ecology Park, formerly known as the city dump, was a great achievement, done under the previous administration. Sometimes believing in Bahamians is your best bet, and the collective association of money manager, Providence Advisors and

Waste Resource Development Group made a significant impact on the future of recycling.

Outside of this, we have not enacted or enforced any clean air standards. Pollution by diesel, gas and vehicles in need of service is rampant. The non-enforcement of littering laws and the lack of garbage receptacles in public spaces is the norm and not the exception. The inability to have consistent public workers cleaning our beaches, thoroughfare, parks, continue to be a challenge.

We missed an opportunity with the creation of New Providence Ecology Park, as a momentum to implement a recycling programme in Nassau. At a minimum we should

have been able to separate bottles and cans, paper and cardboard from general garbage. This would have energised the efforts of New Providence Ecology Park.

Unfortunately, we have sold out to contracts for cronies who sometimes are ill equipped to do the job at hand. I must give kudos to the gentleman who picks up the trash from Cable Beach Manor Beach in the morning. He does an excellent job and only needs assistance from the Government in deploying standardized public garbage bins.

A ministry as important as the environment seems to always be second class which is so sad in a tiny island state where environmental matters should always be first.

BA SWEETING

Nassau, August 31, 2023.

Readers react to reshu fe

AFTER Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis reshuffled his Cabinet, readers of www.tribune242. com had their own views on the moves.

Realfreethinker said: “Not earth shattering. Nothing special most of them will continue to underperform. Why is Sears and Bell still in the cabinet?”

Themessenger added: “Nothing more than a reassignment of all of his underachieving deadwood expecting a different result. Garbage in, garbage out!”

ThisisOurs said: “All of this for what? To make us believe the past 2 years didnt happen? Seriously was the additional production and cost really necessary? What we really want is accountability, and transparency not the sweeping of the dirt under the carpet.

“All we’ve seen for the past 2 years is the Davis administration striving hard to be as non transparent as possible. Sun Oil? RM Bailey? Cornish? Bell and Cooper? That there are two sitting cabinet ministers, one the DPM, who have polar opposite stories of unusual calls being made to bypass established immigration law and policy in order to secure the release of 62 illegally residing immigrants who for all we know “could” have been a part of an intl smuggling operation. Fred Mitchell tell Bell not to say anything to the public. I hope the gun

smuggler caught in the US rat out everybody, top to bottom.

“Does anyone really believe that Keith Bell won’t be Keith Bell at Housing? How many rules can he bypass there? So they take that from Jobeth, what pray tell does the minister of Energy do? And Jobeth for that role??? Did the jetski operator accused of sexually assaulting a tourist have a licence to operate? What happen to the taxi driver who charge the tourists 600 dollars for a drop off service then abandoned them?

“That the ministry of works bpl I never saw any communication on the hedge, roadworks, school roof no contract no insurance didnt happen? That Cornish is still sitting next to the PM in parliament? That Vaughn Miller is deadwood at environment while Sun Oil’s fine is somehow a secret? Why is that do you wonder that while the PM travels the globe on a platform of climate change, he reappoints such an underperforming environment minister who wouldnt be the wiser on any violation committed by an investor?”

DonAnthony said: “Total waste of time. Just shuffled the same incompetent ministers around. Zero accountability, same old PLP, Brave has learned nothing.” Bahamianson added: “So, if you are a person whom makes bad judgement, you are moved. So, you are moved from one place to another place to still make bad decisions. That is how the gobment system works. You do something inappropriate at one ministry, you are moved to another ministry to make the same mistakes. What about firing people? Oh. Sorry, my bad. That would mean that 60% of the gobment work force would be home.” Birdiestrachan said: “Moses who saw and spoke with the almighty face to face spoke of a wise and intelligent people, and today Bahamians can truly say PM Davis is a wise and intelligent man the Bahamas will do well with him as leader.”

Dawes added: “If these ministers were doing a good job, why move them. If they were not doing a good job then why move them to another department where they can continue to make bad decisions? The problem is that to remove these people takes someone who is brave enough to make the hard decisions. Unfortunately our leader is not.”

AN unmanned aerial craft passes in front of the Supermoon during a demonstration flight on the first day of Teknofest technology and aerospace festival in Ankara, Turkey, on Wednesday.

Photo: Emrah Gurel/AP

Privy council orders man’s resentencing

from page one

of 12-year-old Eddison Curtis-Johnson.

During his trial, it was revealed that Watson had a feud with the victim’s stepfather.

On the night of the boy’s death, Watson reportedly fired an assault rifle into the victim’s wooden house, resulting in Eddison being shot in his head as he watched TV in the living room.

Watson was sentenced to death in 2007. He then went before the Court of Appeal in 2009 and had his murder conviction reduced to manslaughter after it was determined that he had no intention of killing the child.

His lawyers argued that Watson didn’t know anyone was at home at the time as the lights were off. Watson was instead ordered to serve a 50-year prison term.

Lords David Lloyd-Jones, Michael Briggs and Ben Stephens of the Privy Council found that the Court of Appeal failed to hear sentencing submissions from Watson’s attorneys prior to his prison term being issued. Lord Lloyd-Jones found that such a move was a serious breach in procedural fairness.

“In the present case, it was a basic requirement of

procedural fairness that, following his successful appeal against conviction for murder, the appellant should have been given the opportunity to address the Court of Appeal as to the correct factual basis on which he should be sentenced for the offence of manslaughter, as to the range of sentences imposed by the courts for manslaughter and as to where his offence stood within that range,” Lord Lloyd-Jones said.

It was also found that the Court of Appeal failed to take into consideration the three years Watson spent on remand in their sentencing. “Section 186(2) of The Bahamas Criminal Procedure Code states that a sentence of the court takes effect from the day on which it was imposed unless the court directs otherwise.

In passing sentence in the present case the Court of Appeal ordered that the sentence of 50 years’ imprisonment was to run from the date of conviction. As a result, the sentence fails to take account of the period of some three years which the appellant spent in custody on remand pending trial,” Lord Lloyd-Jones said.

The Privy Council directed the Court of Appeal to take these factors into consideration in its resentencing.

MAN CHARGED WITH ATTE MPTED MURDER RE M ANDED TO PRISON

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A MAN was remanded in custody yesterday after he was accused of shooting a man outside his house in Pinewood Gardens over the summer.

Acting Chief Magistrate Roberto Reckley charged Shaquan Dean, 28, with attempted murder and possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life.

Dean reportedly approached Ricardo Bullard with another armed suspect as he sat in his

Honda vehicle outside his home on Thatch Palm Avenue on the night of July 26.

The defendant is accused of shooting the 29-year-old victim multiple times about the body with a handgun. Bullard survived after being treated for his injuries in hospital. The accused was told the matter would be transferred to the Supreme Court through a voluntary bill of indictment due to be served on December 7. He was remanded in custody until bail is granted by a higher court.

MAN ACCUSED OF SEVERAL AR MED ROBBERIES RE M ANDED UNTIL TRIAL

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A MAN was sent to prison yesterday after he was accused of a recent string of armed robberies and a house break-in last month.

Magistrate Kendra Kelly charged Nakito Pinder, 30, with housebreaking, stealing, receiving, possession of an unlicensed shotgun and two counts of armed robbery.

Pinder allegedly broke into the Lancaster Road home of Christio Edgecombe on August 17. The accused reportedly stole $1,700 in cash belonging to Edgecombe along with black coloured Moss Long 12 gauge shotguns valued at $1,500.

The following day, Pinder is further accused of threatening Ricardo Darville with the same shotgun and stealing his white 2015 Toyota Hilux Truck, valued at $15,000. Pinder is also said

to have stolen Darville’s $750 gold coloured iPhone 12.

On the same day, Pinder is also alleged to have robbed Zulima Cartwright at gunpoint of her Gucci wallet containing $50 cash.

Pinder was reportedly arrested on September 1 after he was found by police with the shotgun without a licence.

After pleading not guilty to housebreaking, stealing and receiving, Pinder was told he was not required to enter a plea for the armed robbery charges. He was informed that those charges would be moved to the Supreme Court through a voluntary bill of indictment (VBI). He will be sent to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services unless, or until, the higher court grants him bail. Pinder’s VBI is slated for service on November 17, and his trial for the remaining charges begins on October 23.

P OLICE INVESTIGATING AR MED ROBBERY IN H A MPTON ROAD AREA

NEW Providence police are investigating an armed robbery incident that occurred on Tuesday.

The incident took place sometime around 10.11pm.

It was reported that upon leaving a friend’s residence in the area of Hampton Road, the victim

was approached by two armed men. The victim was robbed of his black Nissan Cube, licence plate AP8118, watch, cellphone and electronic tablet. The suspects then fled the area in the stolen vehicle.

MINISTER of Transport and Energy JoBeth Coleby-Davis introducing Minister of Housing and Urban Renewal Keith Bell to the Department of Housing where he meet the team this week.

Racism and its denial is tragic and dangerous

THIS column is a reprint from 2018, with some additions

TWO stories here at home showcase the vicious and bitter legacy of racism, which many seek to ignore or sideline with comments like, “that was such a long time ago” and “why can’t we move on.”

A dear friend was sitting outside at a local eatery with an acquaintance. Also sitting outside were three white women, who appeared to be expats. One of the women had a dog with her.

A truck pulled up outside the eatery and two black Bahamian men got out of the vehicle. The dog barked ferociously. The acquaintance of the friend asked the owner of the dog why it was barking so loudly.

The owner replied that the dog did not like men. But her friend quickly added that the truth was that the dog did not like black men. The three women then laughed to the shock of this writer’s friend and her acquaintance.

The men also heard the racist comment, which the women who laughed obviously thought they could say openly and then laugh about.

At another store, this columnist listened as two of the female employees, in their 20s, talked about a mutual friend. One of the employees noted that their friend was pretty and has a nice body.

The only “problem”, she noted was that the mutual friend was too dark.

Neither these young black Bahamian women nor the white expats saw the need to publicly bleach their statements. While there is no moral equivalence between the incidents, imagine what is said in private.

The colonial masters and perpetrators of racism did not solely intend to victimise. They also intended for the victims of their racism to internalise their supposed inferiority.

The legacy of racism remains insidious. A number of those who would adamantly declare that they are not racist offer views and commentary drenched in racist mindsets and the often seemingly incurable disease of white privilege.

The controversy surrounding the Windrush Generation in the United Kingdom is but another example of the bitter and vicious legacy of slavery and racism perpetuated by the colonial powers.

The Windrush generation emigrated from the English-speaking Caribbean to Great Britain from 1948 to 1971. Most arrived as British citizens, a fact critical to what subsequently happened to many of the emigres.

They were named after

SS Empire Windrush, the ship that took the first group from the West Indies to Britain in 1948.

Eventually over 500,000 left for employment and a new life in what many viewed as their mother country because of the impact of British colonialism on their Caribbean colonies over many generations.

The British colonies in the Caribbean were deeply immersed in British culture. Students in these countries knew more British history than Caribbean and world history. Very little to no African history was taught.

More was known about the Anglo-Saxons than the Yoruba or Ashante.

West Indian children knew numerous martial and other British songs, including fight songs for British schools.

During World War II, Britain was happy to have West Indian soldiers join in the fight to defeat Germany and its allies. The Bahamas sent a number of men, and a significant amount of material to help the war effort.

Other British colonies in the West Indies sent even more men, including fighter pilots who braved the skies and fought valiantly and ferociously in the service of Great Britain.

West Indians served as ground forces and on the seas. Many succumbed on numerous fronts in the war. The brave men of the Caribbean were lionised for their bravery and service.

At the end of the war, during which Britain lost many men, there was an acute labour shortage, especially in England. The shortage afforded an opportunity for British citizens from the Caribbean to work in the United Kingdom.

These West Indies were thoroughly familiar with British history, culture and customs. They were English-speaking and Christian.

But they were also black, and brought with them their own Caribbean heritage and historical and other accents.

The same Britain that

welcomed West Indians during the Second World War now want them out of the cities and towns of the United Kingdom. The West Indians were good enough to fight for Britain. But they were not good enough to live in Britain.

The racist backlash against the men and women from the West Indies was nasty and ferocious. Again, the vast majority of the Windrush generation were British citizens.

For decades, these men and women faced all manner of racism and discrimination, including in housing and in the job market.

Bahamians of a certain generation may remember Conservative MP Enoch Powell, who famously delivered his “Rivers of Blood” speech, which criticised mass immigration to the UK, especially from the New Commonwealth. He opposed anti-discrimination legislation being proposed at the time.

To his credit, then Conservative Party Leader Edward Heath removed Powell as the Shadow Defence Minister. The speech was widely criticised, though polls showed that an overwhelming number of the British public agreed with Powell.

The “River of Blood” speech, delivered on 20

April 1968, was on what Powell deemed would be the consequences of what he viewed as unchecked immigration. A portion of the speech is an allusion to Virgil the Roman poet.

“As I look ahead, I am filled with foreboding. Like the Roman, I seem to see ‘the River Tiber foaming with much blood’. That tragic and intractable phenomenon which we watch with horror on the other side of the Atlantic but which there is interwoven with the history and existence of the States itself, is coming upon us here by our own volition and our own neglect. He continued: “Indeed, it has all but come. In numerical terms, it will be of American proportions long before the end of the 20th century. Only resolute and urgent action will avert it even now. Whether there will be the public will to demand and obtain that action, I do not know. All I know is that to see, and not to speak, would be the great betrayal.”

Though there has been considerable racial progress in Britain in the ensuing years, racism remains a horrible legacy in Britain and elsewhere.

In 2010, records which would have proven the citizenship of many of the Windrush generation

were purposely destroyed despite warnings from public offices that the destruction would cause considerable harm.

The harm included the detention and deportation of some who could not prove their British citizenship. Some who left the country were denied re-entry.

Some were unable to access services in the National Health Service and services to which they were entitled as British citizens. Some people reportedly died because they could not access health care benefits.

As the Home Secretary, former Prime Minister Theresa May helped to perpetuate a “hostile environment” toward immigrants, and individuals from the Windrush generation.

Great Britain, like the United States of America, is inherently racist, evidenced in the killings and brutalisation of black men by some police and shooters.

Late last month, a 21-year-old gunman in Jacksonville, Florida, “fired eleven rounds at one woman sitting in her car in Jacksonville, before entering a shop and shooting another two people”.

Sheriff TK Waters noted:

“Finely put: this shooting was racially motivated and he hated black people. He

knew what he was doing. He was 100% lucid. He knew what he was doing and again, it’s disappointing that anyone would go to these lengths to hurt someone else.”

Today. a majority of the British public is outraged at the treatment of the Windrush generation.

Labour MP David Lammy, who is Opposition Leader Sir Keir Starmer’s Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, and whose family hails from Guyana, some years ago expressed in the Commons his moral outrage at what happened to many in the Windrush generation.

After one of his speeches, he was inundated on social media with vile comments which reveal the bile and depth of racism still prevalent in Britain.

One writer wrote to Lammy: “For God’s sake man stop your vile and obscene speeches knocking this country down. Be grateful that we have taken you in as a black man and given you a life here, as we have done for all those black people who came to live here.

“Be grateful man for the country that gave you a life, and stop knocking it. Otherwise, go back to your country of your forbears and let’s be rid of you.”

The writer continued: “If you cannot say good about us, then go back, it is as simple as that.

“Your recent speeches have been vile and so unforgiving to a country that has given all that you are, but believe me, we can very well do without you.”

“Be grateful or go back to wherever you originally came from. You are like a little child and do not realise how lucky you have been and how well treated, by the country you so easily knock.”

Many, including some here at home, seek to wish away and turn a blind eye to the evils of slavery and the history of racism against black people, including the diabolically false equivalence of the Atlantic slave trade with other slave trades in history.

The traumatised citizens of Jacksonville, especially the families of those brutally murdered, and those of the Windrush generation and their families, know that such racism and its denial are tragically, perniciously and unrelentingly still with us.

JUNE this year marks 75 years since the arrival of HMT Empire Windrush at Tilbury Docks in Essex. Over 800 of its 1,027 passengers came from the Caribbean; many of whom, like Sam King MBE, had served as military personnel during the 2nd World War. In the context of war-torn Britain, their labour was critical and made a significant contribution to the rebuilding of the country.

Tourism performance has outpaced projections according to MOT report

By LETRE SWEETING Tribune Staff Reporter lsweeting@tribunemedia.net

THE Ministry of Tourism revealed yesterday that The Bahamas has had more than five million arrivals in the first seven months of this year, predicting a visitor rate of more than eight million by the end of the year.

In a statement released yesterday, the ministry hailed this year as one of the best in Tourism with notable rises in visitors, tourist spending and hotel occupancy rates. In addition, cruise arrivals are up by 72.1 percent from January to July 2023, compared to the first seven months of 2022.

“Tourism performance has outpaced projections for the first seven months of 2023, with The Bahamas recording more than 5.89 million arrivals from January through the end of July. Current tourism performance puts the country well on the way to closing out the year at 8 million plus visitors,” The Ministry of Tourism said.

“Of the 5,893,118 total visitors who came to the islands of The Bahamas in the first seven months of the year, 1,133,494 arrived by air and 4,759,624 by sea.”

July 2023 has been the busiest July since 2019, with March being the “busiest arrivals month in our history”, the Ministry of Tourism said.

“July year-to-date arrivals are pacing 59 percent ahead of 2022 and 30 percent ahead of 2019, the busiest year on record.

“Comparing 2023 overall arrivals by month, March arrivals peaked at 951,311, making it the busiest arrivals month in our history. To contextualize how significant the gains were in the first seven months of 2023, during the entirety of 2022, 1,470,244 visitors came to

our shores by air; another 5,530,462 visitors arrived by sea.”

The ministry noted that overall tourist spending has risen significantly.

“Major hotels in Nassau and Paradise Island experienced occupancy rates for 2023 eclipsing those of corresponding periods in 2019 and 2022. Average Daily Rate (ADR) is up an average of 59 percent compared to 2019 and room revenues are up 42% for the same period. More than 60 percent of visitors came to The Bahamas for the first time, with arrivals from nearly every region showing an increase over the same period last year.”

Meanwhile, the new $300m Nassau Cruise port opened in May, has seen the largest number of cruise arrivals in recent years, up 72 percent from last year and 43 percent ahead of 2019, before the pandemic measures.

“In our cruise business, The Port of Nassau welcomed the largest share of cruise arrivals followed by The Berry Islands (Coco Cay), Bimini (mainland and Ocean Cay), Half Moon Cay, Grand Bahama and Abaco (Castaway Cay), respectively,” The Ministry of Tourism said.

“Overall cruise arrivals, January through July, are up 72.1 percent over the corresponding period last year, and 43 percent ahead of the 2019 historic cruise arrival figures. Overall air stopover arrivals, which represent, ‘heads in beds’, surpassed the same period 2022 numbers by 24 percent, and matched 2019 figures.”

The Ministry of Tourism said 90 percent of visitors through the port hail from the United States, with 70 percent of stop over visitors coming in for vacation.

Fifteen percent came in for weddings, six percent to play in casinos, four percent for business and

Call for nominees for Hidden Heroes

A CALL has gone out for people to nominate their Hidden Heroes.

People are urged to nominate citizens or residents of The Bahamas who are making a difference to the country.

five percent for other/undisclosed reasons.

In the statement, Chester Cooper, Tourism, Aviation, Investments Minister said: “The stronger than expected results speak to vibrancy of The Bahamas’ brand, methodical business strategies and the hard work of tourism industry professionals and stakeholders. We are seeing record arrivals, because we have all worked together to resuscitate our tourism industry, coming out of the pandemic, and, because we continue to improve our tourism product,” said Mr Cooper.

Mr Cooper elaborated on the country’s tourism performance:

“With a better developed downtown to complement the new cruise port and added destinations within The Bahamas coming on stream, the numbers will only continue to grow, if we continue to deliver great service and experiences. The plan for the redevelopment of Family Island airports and the construction of the new airport in Grand Bahama will reap rewards for Bahamians well into the future.”

“The last seven months of 2022 were the strongest in our history, prior to 2023. The first seven months of 2023 exceeded the expectations of tourism officials. Our job is to stay ahead of the demand.”

Mr Cooper added: “We are experiencing explosive growth in tourism that can no longer be explained by pent up post-pandemic demand.

“Great jobs and career opportunities are to be had in tourism, but there is also massive potential for ownership. The government is putting in place systems to allow Bahamians access to the training, certification, support and capital they need to take advantage of the country’s popularity as a tourist destination.”

The nominee may not be someone who is well known, but it should be someone who goes the extra mile and makes a difference to their community or work.

The search comes as companies took part yesterday in a Corporate Character Day luncheon.

Yesterday’s luncheon saw participants receive information, as well as ideas on how to foster the theme of the power of love in their workplaces, as well as nominating Hidden Heroes and encouraging a positive work environment – ahead of Corporate Character Day itself on October 18.

The nomination deadline for Hidden Heroes is September 30, and people can find out more – including how to make their own nominations – at www.characterdaybahamas.org.

This is the second year that Corporate Character Day has been held after last year’s inaugural event.

VANESSA

CORPORATE Character Day Lunch and Learn 2023

at the Balmoral Club.

the

in the front

(L-R)

president PACE Foundation, Dr Niambi Campbell Hall Dean, presenter and UB professor, Cherrylee Pinder, program lead, Charlene Carey, program coordinator, Claudette Rolle PACE board member and director of Catholic education, and Patrice Taylor, presenter, and HR consultant. Company representatives in the photo include Water and Sewage Corporation, BAF Financial, EY Bahamas, National Workers Co-operative Credit Union, Nassau Airport Development Company, Princess Margaret Hospital, Lennox Paton Corporate Services, Colina Insurance, Bahamas Association of Clearing Houses, and BTVI.

Sonia

Photos: Azaleta Ishmael-Newry.

CORPORATE Character Day Lunch and Learn kicked off and attendees have their packages to start their programs at their work. Some of the Character Day team members shown are (L- R) Cherelle Charlton assistant, Charlene Carey, program director, Presenter Patricia Taylor, HR consultant and CEO, Hephzibah and Cherrylee Pinder, Corporate Character Day lead and CEO, CP Consulting. Photo Azaleta Ishmael-Newry.

from left) of BAF shares what activities her company did for Character Day 2022.

Black, National Workers Co-operative Credit Union, Vanessa Albury,

was held

Shown in

photo

row

are

Brown,

Albury (second

From left to right are Lakeisha

Takessa Johnson, BAF, and Patricia Bain, Colina Insurance Company.

UAW strike appears imminent as they wait for a response from auto makers

STATESIDE

with Charlie Harper

EVERY year at the beginning of September, Americans pause as Labour Day, always celebrated on the first Monday in September, marks the end of another summer and the return to school for students and (at least traditionally) the return to the office or factory for white- and blue-collar workers alike.

The US is a real outlier in celebrating organised labour in September.

More than 150 nations around the world designate May 1 as Labour Day or some variation on the same theme.

The Bahamas, commemorating a long-ago labour uprising, celebrates Labour Day on the first Friday in June in order to create a long weekend for workers. This date invites us to remember a significant workers’ strike that began on June 7, 1942.

This year, the stealthy return of a new COVID variant means that fewer workers will actually return to the office this year, but Labour Day also means that Americans are almost forced to consider the presence of organised labour. This is something they have only occasionally needed to do since the presidency of Ronald Reagan.

Over the past 40 years, American labour unions have seen their membership numbers dwindle. Reagan is given much credit for this, mostly for two reasons. First, his easygoing, wry humorous nature, general unpretentiousness and relaxed good looks endeared him to working-class Americans in a visceral, emotional fashion that challenged the longstanding political alliance between organised labour and the Democratic Party.

Reagan was a blue-collar favourite.

Secondly, only seven months after he took office and in what may have been a challenge to his still-developing leadership, the nation’s air traffic controller union called a strike in defiance of a presidential order to remain at work. The Reagan administration, citing valid national security and economic reasons, quickly fired the 11,345 striking air traffic controllers who had ignored the order, and banned them from federal service for life.

The union was decertified by Reagan’s Federal Labour Relations Authority on October 22, 1981. Union attempts to use the courts to reverse the firings proved fruitless.

After the firings and

decertification, who would keep the skies safe and orderly? Under normal conditions, it took three years to train new controllers. Until replacements could be trained, the vacant positions were temporarily filled with a mix of non-participating controllers, supervisors, staff personnel, some non-rated personnel, military controllers, and controllers transferred temporarily from other facilities.

In the aftermath of this robust Reagan administration action, it took closer to ten years before the overall staffing levels returned to normal. Some former striking controllers were allowed to reapply after 1986 and were rehired; they and their replacements were now represented by the new National Air Traffic Controllers Association, which had no connection with the former union that led the strike.

Reagan had broken the old union, and organised labour in the US got the message. So too did union members, who increasingly wondered how their union dues were benefiting them.

But now, in addition to Labour Day, American organized labour is in people’s minds now for another reason. The US is facing a work stoppage by one of its most powerful entities, the United Auto Workers union.

In the heyday of the American labour movement, the UAW would target one of the “Big Three” Detroit automakers almost every three years when the union contracts expired. It was almost a foregone conclusion that a strike would ensue, and shock waves would reverberate throughout the American economy.

While Detroit is the acknowledged centre of American automaking, Michigan is far from the only state whose economy and jobs picture is directly dependent on the health and vitality of Ford, General Motors and Chrysler (now part of an international consortium with Fiat and others called Stellantis).

The economies of Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio especially, Pennsylvania and New York states are all heavily linked to Detroit automakers.

Smaller cities of 30,000 or so throughout these states sustain themselves in significant ways from the contracts from the Big Three for everything from tyres to brake pads to manifold clips to spark

plugs to windshields to … well, you get the picture.

Many observers still attribute Barack Obama’s somewhat surprising 2012 victory that ensured a second presidential term to his bold and aggressive bailout of the American auto industry starting in the previous year. Obama is credited with saving hundreds of thousands of Midwest jobs, and this led to his subsequent triumph in states that voted four years later for Donald Trump. The bailout won that election.

The introduction of largely non-union American manufacturing plants staffed by American workers but constructing Toyotas, Hondas, Hyundais, Kias, Mercedes and Volkswagens weakened the grip of the traditional Big Three, but only enhanced America’s love affair with the motor vehicle.

Over a period of decades, American-based automaking has remained a vital part of the national Gross Domestic Product. That makes a recent development pretty scary for the Biden administration and many others with a strong interest in the vitality of the current American economic recovery.

Now, for the first time in a long time, there is the threat by the UAW of a strike against one or more of the Big Three – likely Stellantis, but still possibly all three of them.

Biden, the legitimate heir to Reagan as the candidate with the greatest affinity for the working man and woman, has to be worried.

A key element in the current impasse is the rapid escalation of electric vehicle manufacturing. A possible strike date looms in around a week.

The talks are playing out as automakers are spending tens of billions of dollars to transition to electric vehicles, which require fewer workers to assemble than traditional gasoline-powered cars and trucks. The terms of any new contract will determine how both autoworkers and the companies fare in an EVcentric industry.

Historically, the UAW stare downs with the giant American automakers served as a bellwether for labour relations generally in the US. Some observers feel that significant wage and benefit gains for the union now could provide reinforcement for the revitalization of the American union movement that has been gaining strength in several other industries

Biden said: “The UAW deserves a contract that sustains the American middle class. The middle class did build America, and unions built the middle class. The need to transition to a clean energy economy should provide a win-win opportunity for auto companies and unionised workers. It should enable workers to make good wages and benefits to support their families, while leading us into a future where America is leading the way in reducing vehicle emissions and producing autos that will successfully compete domestically and globally. Companies should use this process to make sure they enlist their workers in the next chapter of the industry by offering them good paying jobs and a say in the future of their workplace.” Ominously for the

Democrats, the UAW has so far and surprisingly withheld any endorsement of Biden’s re-election bid, partly because of concern over the union’s share of EV-related jobs funded by federal subsidies. One respected observer of the American auto industry told reporters that “the UAW leadership is in a position now where they have to prove to the members that they are fighting for them, so it’s pretty unlikely there won’t be a strike.”

According to several publications, the auto industry as a whole, including foreign-owned companies with operations in the United States, makes up about three percent of US GDP. A ten-day strike against the three Detroit automakers would result in total wage losses of $859m and manufacturers’ losses of $989m.

That’s a pretty big hit, despite the reality that the UAW is much smaller than it used to be, and that GM, Ford and Stellantis only employ about 150,000 UAW workers. Furthermore, those companies now make only around 40 percent of the cars and trucks sold in the US market.

Nevertheless, the UAW entered this year’s talks in a much stronger negotiating position than in recent years. In most of the last several contracts, GM, Ford and Stellantis had to get concessions on wages and benefits to survive. But in the year just past, the Big Three automakers racked up profits in the tens of billions of dollars, stoked by sales of SUVs and trucks. We should know this month how things turned out.

UNITED Auto Workers President Shawn Fain is interviewed yesterday in Detroit. Fain, who won the UAW’s presidency this spring in the first direct election by members, says the union plans to go on strike against any Detroit automaker that doesn’t have an agreement by the time contracts expire next week.

Photo: Carlos Osorio/AP

take part in summer student

employment programme offered by GBPA

JOB VACANCY

A prominent car dealership is seeking an SENIOR AUTOMOTIVE TECHNICIAN/ WORKSHOP FOREMAN

The ideal candidate must have a wide range of experience in the automotive business as well as good written and oral communication skills.

QUALIFICATIONS:

diagnostic equipment

real world experience in the automotive field. management skills

for all dealership-owned tools at all times. tools.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: times.

giving detailed explanation; status, location, etc. all tools as required. when required. allotted. lead the team. multitask. control checks. passed on to the service advisor to be communicated to the customer. completed is recorded on the repair order. wheel alignments, transmission diagnostics. equipment, process/procedures and staff dress code.

AN ATTRACTIVE COMPENSATION PACKAGE WHICH INCLUDES:

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Staff Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

MORE than 70 students took part in the Summer Student Employment Programme at the Grand Bahama Port Authority (GBPA) this year.

The programme was held from May to August, and upon completion, participants received certification in Internet Care Competency (IC3) Level 1. Ian Rolle, president of the GBPA, said he believes their training in digital literacy will prepare them to excel in a technologydriven world.

“Each year, we aim to improve aspects of the programme to meet the evolving needs of our economy and the next generation,” he said. “We thought it wise to have this year’s students enroll in the IC3 programme.”

Dr Telina Smith, GBPA director of human resources, noted that in addition to gaining work experience, the certification presented a unique opportunity to enrich the students’ lives and allow them to obtain a tangible asset.

“We are proud to report a successful pass rate of 98 percent for the IC3

Level 1 certification,” said Ms Smith. Student Janaiya Pinder, a returning participant, said the inclusion of the IC3 certification in this year’s programme was very beneficial.

“I am pleased to have completed it and now have this certification,” said Janaiya, who also gained work experience in the engineering field at the building and development department at the GBPA.

Anyone interested in participating in next year’s programme can visit the company’s official social media pages or www.gbpa. com for updates.

DR TELINA SMITH, director of Human Resources at the Grand Bahama Port Authority (center), is seen with some of the students who participated in their Summer Student Employment Program this year.

GOVERNOR General Cynthia ‘Mother’ Pratt, administered the requisite oaths to Justice of Appeal, the Justice Jon Isaacs to act as president of the Court of Appeal during a brief swearing in ceremony in the Diplomat Room at the Office of the Governor General on Monday.

Photo: Letisha Henderson/AP

This summer was a global record breaker for the highest heat ever measured, meteorologists say

GENEVA

Associated Press

EARTH has sweltered through its hottest Northern Hemisphere summer ever measured, with a record warm August capping a season of brutal and deadly temperatures, according to the World Meteorological Organization.

Last month was not only the hottest August scientists ever recorded by far with modern equipment, it was also the second hottest month measured, behind only July 2023, WMO and the European climate service Copernicus announced Wednesday.

August was about 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer than pre-industrial averages. That is the threshold that the world is trying not to pass, though scientists are more concerned about rises in temperatures over decades, not merely a blip over a month’s time.

The world’s oceans — more than 70% of the Earth’s surface — were the hottest ever recorded, nearly 21 C (69.8 F), and have set high temperature marks for three consecutive months, the WMO and Copernicus said.

“The dog days of summer are not just barking, they

are biting,” United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a statement. “Climate breakdown has begun.”

So far, 2023 is the second hottest year on record, behind 2016, according to Copernicus.

Scientists blame ever warming human-caused climate change from the burning of coal, oil and natural gas with an extra push from a natural El Nino, which is a temporary warming of parts of the Pacific Ocean that changes weather worldwide. Usually an El Nino, which started earlier this year, adds extra heat to global temperatures but more so in its second year.

Climatologist Andrew Weaver said the numbers announced by WMO and Copernicus come as no surprise, bemoaning how governments have not appeared to take the issue of global warming seriously enough. He expressed concern that the public will just forget the issue when temperatures fall again.

“It’s time for global leaders to start telling the truth,” said Weaver, a professor at the School of Earth and Ocean Sciences at the University of Victoria in Canada. “We will not limit warming to 1.5 C; we will not limit warming to 2.0 C. It’s all hands on deck now to prevent 3.0 C

global warming — a level of warming that will wreak havoc worldwide.”

Copernicus, a division of the European Union’s space program, has records going back to 1940, but in the United Kingdom and the United States, global records go back to the mid 1800s and those weather and science agencies are expected to soon report that the summer was a record-breaker.

“What we are observing, not only new extremes but the persistence of these record-breaking conditions, and the impacts these have on both people and planet, are a clear consequence of the warming of the climate system,” Copernicus Climate Change Service Director Carlo Buontempo said.

Scientists have used tree rings, ice cores and other proxies to estimate that temperatures are now warmer than they have been in about 120,000 years. The world has been warmer before, but that was prior to human civilization, seas were much higher and the poles were not icy.

So far, daily September temperatures are higher than what has been recorded before for this time of year, according to the University of Maine’s Climate Reanalyzer.

While the world’s air and

oceans were setting records for heat, Antarctica continued to set records for low amounts of sea ice, the WMO said.

“Antarctic sea ice extent was literally off the charts, and the global sea surface temperature was once again at a new record,” WMO’s secretary-general, Petteri Taalas, said in a statement released to the media. “It is worth noting that this is happening BEFORE we see the full warming impact of the El Nino event, which typically plays out in the second year after it develops.”

A strong El Nino

FOOTBALL COACH WHO GOT JOB BACK AFTER SUPREME COURT RULED HE COULD PRAY ON FIELD HA S RESIGNED

Bremerton School District isn’t a surprise,” said R achel Laser, the group’s chief executive. “It’s just one more example of why the Supreme Court should not have taken this case in the first place.”

Kennedy was back on the sideline for the first time in nearly eight years

last Friday night, but he said beforehand that he had mixed feelings about it and wasn’t sure he’d keep coaching.

“Knowing that everybody’s expecting me to go do this kind of gives me a lot of angst in my stomach,” Kennedy told the A P. “People are going to

coincided with the all-time high temperatures in 2016.

The U.N. weather agency earlier this year rolled out predictions that suggest Earth would within the next five years have a year that averages 1.5 degrees Celsius warmer than in the mid 19th century. Each year at or near 1.5 matters. It also predicted 98% chance of breaking the 2016 record between now and 2027. The new readings on high global temperatures came as WMO released Wednesday its latest bulletin on air quality and climate, noting that extreme heat,

freak out that I’m bringing God back into public schools.”

A fter the game — a 27-12 win over visiting Mount Douglas Secondary School — Kennedy strode alone to midfield, then knelt and prayed for about 10 seconds.

Kennedy was not joined by any athletes or others on the nearly empty field. T here was scattered applause from the modest crowd.

Kennedy’s fight to get

compounded by wildfires and desert dust, has had a measurable impact on air quality, human health and the environment.

WMO scientific adviser Lorenzo Labrador lamented the deteriorating air quality around the globe and cited “recordbreaking wildfire season” in many parts of the world, including western Canada and Europe. “If heat waves increase as a result of El Nino, we may probably expect a further degradation in air quality as a whole,” he said.

his job became a cultural touchstone, pitting the religious liberties of government employees against longstanding principles protecting students from religious coercion. H e appeared at a 2016 rally for Donald Trump. H e and his wife recently had dinner with Florida Gov. R on DeSantis, a GOP presidential hopeful who asked for his help on the campaign trail. Kennedy declined, saying he’s loyal to Trump.

BREMERTON High School assistant coach Joe Kennedy takes a knee and prays at the 50-yard line after Bremerton’s win over Mount Douglas in a high school football game at Bremerton Memorial Stadium in Bremerton, Washington, on Sept. 1, 2023. Kennedy, the praying football coach who had a long legal battle to get his job back, resigned yesterday after his first game back on the job. He cited multiple reasons for his resignation including taking care of an ailing family member out of state.

SEATTLE

Associated Press

A H IG H school football coach in Washington state who won his job back after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled he could pray on the field resigned Wednesday after just one game back.

A ssistant Bremerton H igh School coach

Joe Kennedy made the announcement on his website, citing several reasons, including that he needed to care for an ailing family member out of state. H e had been living full-time in Florida, and before the first game last Friday he said he didn’t know if he’d continue coaching.

“I believe I can best continue to advocate for constitutional freedom and religious liberty by working from outside the school system so that is what I will do,” Kennedy wrote. “I will continue to work to help people understand and embrace the historic ruling at the heart of our case.”

Kennedy was not immediately available for comment Wednesday.

H is publicist, Jennifer Willingham, told T he A ssociated Press he was on a plane back to Florida.

In a statement, the Bremerton School District confirmed Kennedy had submitted his resignation. School officials declined to comment on

his exit, calling it a personnel matter.

Kennedy lost his job in 2015 and waged a sevenyear legal battle to get it back.

School district officials had asked him to keep any on-field praying nondemonstrative or apart from students, saying they were concerned that tolerating his public post-game prayers would suggest government endorsement of religion, in violation of the separation of church and state.

H e insisted on praying publicly at midfield after games, and the district placed him on leave and declined to renew his contract.

Last year, the U.S. Supreme Court’s conservative majority sided with him, with Justice Neil Gorsuch writing that “the best of our traditions counsel mutual respect and tolerance, not censorship and suppression, for religious and nonreligious views alike.”

A mericans United for Separation of Church and State, a nonprofit organization that represented the school district in the case, argued that the Supreme Court should have been dismissed the case as moot, as Kennedy no longer lived in Bremerton and had failed to notify the court of his 3,000-mile (4,800-kilometer) move to Florida.

Photo: Meegan M Reid/AP

A WORLD Youth Day volunteer uses a small fan to cool off from the intense heat, as he waits ahead of the Pope Francis arrival at Passeio Marítimo in Algés, just outside Lisbon, August 6, 2023. UN weather agency says Earth sweltered through the hottest summer ever as record heat in August capped a brutal, deadly three months in northern hemisphere.

Photo: Armando Franca/AP

SPORTS

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2023

TOP TIER FIRMS SIGN ON TO TEE-OFF FOR HUNGER FUNDRAISER

WITH two weeks to go before teams hit the greens for the 2nd Annual Tee-Off for Hunger golf tournament to raise funds for the Bahamas Feeding Network (BFN), organisers said they are seeing “unprecedented interest” in supporting the cause that has become a powerful partner in the fight against hunger.

Fidelity will repeat as title sponsor for the tourney to be played at Ocean Club Golf Club on September 18 when more than 100 golfers are expected to hit the course.

“This year the Bahamas Feeding Network is proud to announce that in addition to Fidelity coming back on as title sponsor, we have an unprecedented number of platinum sponsors from a cross section of industries, and we want to thank them for stepping up to the plate,” said James Palacious, BFN Executive Director.

“Despite a return to pre-COVID employment, rising prices and a period of catching up have created ongoing challenges for many families who continue to struggle to put food on the table.

Nashad Mackey joins UT Martin Skyhawks coaching staff

By TENAJH SWEETING Tribune Sports Reporter tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

Bahamian Nashad Mackey will now join the University of Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks men’s basketball coaching staff as an assistant coach. The former senior national team player will transition from his previous role as the assistant coach of the Daytona State Falcons.

He will now be the newest Bahamian to join the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) division one coaching ranks.

Mackey was grateful for his newest opportunity to coach the division one basketball squad.

“I am extremely thankful and excited to be in the great city of Martin and working with Coach Ridder and the rest of the staff. I look forward to representing such a proud programme and helping to elevate the Skyhawks,” Mackey said.

Mackey got his first coaching gig in 2020 when he made his transition from playing basketball to coaching as a graduate assistant. He served on the coaching staff of the Embry-Riddle Eagles for the team’s NCAA Division ll Tournament debut at the time.

After working two years as a graduate assistant he returned to his alma mater, the Falcons, as the men’s basketball assistant coach and worked alongside the team’s head coach Joey Cantens.

Mackey has consistently proven himself not only on the court as a player but also on the sidelines as a coach which has led to this latest endeavour.

“I am really grateful for the path I have journeyed to get this far,” he said. “I have an unbelievable support system in both The Bahamas and United States. I give all glory to God and I pray he continues to lead, guide and protect us as we continue on this journey,” he said.

While a part of the Falcons coaching staff this year, the team finished with a 27-4 record in the Central Conference of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA). The team also wrapped up as Central Conference Champions and were ranked eighth in the national polls. Cantens, who served as the head coach, came away with coach of the year honours.

Mackey will now join the likes of Yolett McPhee-McCuin on the NCAA Division one basketball coaching scene.

“I am honoured to be amongst the few and the many more that

The Bahamas Feeding Network is the safety net they rely on.”

The Bahamas Feeding Network distributes groceries and coupons providing some 60,000 meals a month through a network of nearly 100 churches and feeding centres.

The golf tournament, hosted by Better Homes and Gardens MCR Bahamas, is a major fundraiser for the organisation that operates in large part through volunteers.

Last year, the event raised more than $50,000 and BFN is hoping to top that figure this year.

Simplified Lending and Kanoo, gold sponsors in the inaugural tournament, upped their participation to platinum for the 2nd annual Tee-off for Hunger. Texas-based Beck Group again came in with a major donation – providing more than 120 custom golf shirts, vaulting it to the platinum level.

Other platinum sponsors include Doctors Hospital, which rallied last year, and Nassau Agencies Ltd., participating for the first time.

“We believe in the cause, the unquestionable need to feed, but we also appreciate how the Bahamas Feeding Network operates and the business model it follows as a nonprofit with accountability, transparency and maximum efficiency,” Fidelity’s Vice President and donations chairman Crestwell Gardiner said.

More than two dozen other corporate sponsors are joining the fund-raiser in other categories of sponsorship or gifts, including hotel stays, dinners, cigars, rum cakes and art with a valuable Amos Ferguson original being donated by Nassau Glass.

To sign up to play, sponsor, volunteer for the event or learn more, go to www. bahamasfeedingnetwork. org/golf.

will follow. The Bahamas has a wealth of great athletes and coaches and I am grateful to have an opportunity to represent the 242,” he said.

The former Eagles all-time programme leader is ready to make his

The BGDBA regular seasons ends, playoffs begin tomorrow night

By TENAJH SWEETING Tribune Sports Reporter tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

The 2023 Bahamas Government Departmental Basketball Association (BGDBA) playoffs are scheduled to begin this Friday at the AF Adderley gymnasium.

The regular season concluded with the eighth-seeded Police Royals defeating the Bahamas Department of Corrections Challengers in a 20-point blowout win. Additionally, the fourth-seeded Airport Authority Avengers ended their regular season on a two-game winning streak after dropping the Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) Rampage 82-77.

season as the only undefeated team – with a flawless 11-0 win/loss record.

The team will face-off against the 5-6 Police Royals, who are riding a two-game win streak into the postseason. The latter will have their work cut out for them this Friday night at 7:30pm.

BGDBA PLAYOFFS

Bain and Grants Town Cybots v Police Royals

Police Crimestoppers v RBDF Rampage

With the regular season now in the rearview mirror, teams will now start their quest towards the 2023 BGDBA Finals. They will first have to get through the opening round of the playoffs where competition is expected to be stiff across all brackets.

MOYSC Panthers v Real Deal Rangers

Airport Authority Avengers v Bamboo Shack Patrollers

The Police Crimestoppers ran teams off the court all season but were unable to stop the Cybots. The team dropped down to second seed in the regular season standings and are now matched up against the seventh-seeded RBDF Rampage. The RBDF team are going into the playoffs on a dismal four-game losing streak but will look to turn things around in the “second” season. The teams compete on Saturday at 7:30pm.

Joining the league’s top teams in the playoffs are last year’s defending champions the Ministry of Youth, Sports, and Culture (MOYSC) Panthers.

mark and pledged to do whatever the Skyhawks men’s basketball programme needs him to get done. He expressed thanks to the Ridder family and UT Martin for granting him the opportunity to advance his career.

CH REEVES RAPTORS AIMING TO KEEP LAST SEASON’S MOMENTUM GOING

By TENAJH SWEETING Tribune Sports Reporter tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

With schools recently reopening for the new academic and sporting year, the CH Reeves Raptors are looking to keep last season’s momentum going.

The Raptors had quite the year in the return of most Government Secondary Schools Sports Association (GSSSA) sporting events. The junior school emerged as champions in girls basketball, repeated as winners for the 30th GSSSA track and field championships, and the girls won the Noble Preparatory Academy (NPA) basketball tourney in the spring.

The Raptors are well known for their sporting success that has expanded nearly two decades and their physical education department expects to continue that this sporting year.

Varel Davis, Raptors’ physical education teacher, believes the junior school has attained and maintained a high standard in sports and this year is no different.

club meets in preparation for the various sporting disciplines throughout the year.

“We are going to try to get involved in more tournaments and track club meets to prepare our kids for these events. Once we do that I think we should have a great season with our athletes,” she said.

Despite being short-staffed with only two physical education teachers stationed at CH Reeves Junior High School, Davis maintains that adequate training along with confidence in the athletes goes a long way.

James Price, president of the BGDBA, believes that the playing field is even because there are no clear-cut favourites going into the 2023 postseason.

“Right now we have no clear-cut team expected to go to the finals. I am expecting some upsets because some of the bottom teams have stepped up in the last few games and were playing pretty well,” Price said.

In the spirit of competition, he warned top teams that regular season records are now out the window and in a best-of-three series on a bad night any of the lowerseeded teams can pull off an upset and get a win.

Some of the league’s top teams will be in action this weekend, including the league leading Bain and Grants Town Cybots and the second-seeded Police Crimestoppers.

The Cybots are no doubt on a mission with their sights set on the championships. The team’s head coach put the league on notice earlier in the 2023 BGDBA season claiming that his team will be in the finals.

The 2022 BGDBA champions have flown under the radar this season due to the dominance of the Cybots and Crimestoppers. However, the team is entering the 2023 playoffs riding five consecutive wins in their last five games right on par with the Cybots. The Panthers will battle against the 6-5 Real Deal Rangers on Saturday night.

In Friday night’s action, the Avengers and Bamboo Shack Patrollers will compete in what might be the most tightly-contested match of the opening round. Both teams ended the regular season with identical 7-4 records and will look to take down each other in round one.

Price urged the public to attend the 2023 BGDBA playoffs to witness competitive basketball across the various government departments.

“It is going to be some exciting basketball and I know whichever teams are playing in the championship games it is going to be a fight to the end,” the president said. Games will be held on Friday and Saturday this weekend beginning at 7:30pm on both days. The event’s cost is $4 at the entrance.

“My expectations for the CH Reeves Raptors are always high. I always tell my kids that this is a winning school and we have continued with that name of being the top junior school when it comes to sports in the country,” Davis said.

The sporting events are soon to get underway for the GSSSA and the Raptors have commenced practices and training for cross country.

According to the physical education teacher, 40 students have shown up to practice in the early stages, which is great for their plan to start preparing for sports earlier.

“Our plan this year is to start preparing our teams early, especially for the first sport so that they could train,” she said. Davis added that she wants the Raptors to be involved in more tournaments and track

The coaches at the junior school focus on training with the students from their entrance in grade 7 and consistently work with them in sports until their departure in grade 9 for senior school.

“We try our best to get our children to believe in themselves and to believe that they can use their sporting abilities to get them somewhere,” she said.

With expectations high for the 30th anniversary of GSSSA sports and sporting events returning to normal, Davis wants the junior school to accomplish much more.

She said they hope to accomplish a lot this school year which includes winning more sporting activities in, not just track, but other disciplines.

She added that once everybody works together and trains consistently there is no reason why the CH Reeves Raptors should not be on top for junior sports again.

The Cybots backed up their lofty championship aspirations by ending the regular

NASHAD Mackey joins the University of Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks men’s basketball team as an assistant coach.

DJOKOVIC TO

PART IN RYDER CUP

ALL-STAR GOLF MATCH BEFORE UPCOMING EVENT IN ITALY

ROME (AP) — Novak Djokovic will replace his tennis racket with a golf club when he competes in the AllStar match preceding the upcoming Ryder Cup outside Rome.

Djokovic, Formula One driver Carlos Sainz and soccer players Gareth Bale and Andriy Shevchenko were among those named to compete in the Sept. 27 event by Ryder Cup Europe on Wednesday.

“I can’t wait to tee it up in Rome and experience the incredible atmosphere of a Ryder Cup, which has become legendary,” said Djokovic, a 23-time Grand Slam champion who is currently competing at the U.S. Open.

American actress Kathryn Newton and former Super Bowl champion Victor Cruz were also included on the teams that will be led by former Ryder Cup captains Colin Montgomerie and Corey Pavin. The Ryder Cup will be held Sept. 29-Oct. 1 at the Marco Simone course. Europe captain Luke Donald and U.S. captain Zach Johnson recently named their 12-man teams for the event.

Doncic ejected and Canada tops Slovenia in World Cup, Germany and Serbia make the Olympics

By TIM REYNOLDS AP Basketball Writer

MANILA, Philippines (AP)

— Luka Doncic argued with the referees all night. And that’s why he wasn’t around in the final minutes, as Canada clinched a trip to the Basketball World Cup semifinals.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points, RJ Barrett added 24 and Canada topped Slovenia 100-89 on Wednesday night. The win sends Canada into a semifinal matchup with Serbia on Friday.

“It’s an honour,” GilgeousAlexander said after Canada’s first World Cup semifinal berth was clinched. “It’s an honour in itself. But we’re not satisfied.”

Doncic had 26 points for Slovenia, but was ejected with 6:37 left after picking up his second technical of the game — both of them coming after he argued with referees over calls or non-calls. Slovenia was down by 15 at the time and wound up getting within nine shortly after Doncic departed, but it wasn’t enough.

Doncic returned to the court, in flip-flops instead of sneakers, as time expired to congratulate Canadian players.

“Playing for the national team, it’s a lot of emotions. A lot of times I don’t control myself, which I’ve been having problems with,” Doncic said. “But you know, the referees told one of the guys they’re not going to call a foul on him because he’s coming at us. I think this is not fair. I know I complained a lot, but I don’t think it’s fair. They’ve been playing very physical with me, but if you say that, it’s not fair.”

Canada — which saw Dillon Brooks ejected shortly before Doncic departed, also after a technical — will play Serbia in Friday’s semifinals, with the U.S. and Germany set to meet in the other semifinal. The winners of those games will play for the World Cup on Sunday night.

Brooks met his teammates in the hallway by the locker room after the game, wearing boxing gloves and punching the air. Indeed, Canada has been a fighter so far at this World Cup. And Doncic — who lauded the way Brooks played — didn’t have a chance to land a knockout blow.

“Guys like him, they can get

hot. ... But we wore him down,” Gilgeous-Alexander said.

Slovenia was bidding to make the World Cup semifinals for the first time since gaining its independence in 1991.

Slovenia will play Lithuania on Thursday in the start of the consolation playoffs that will be used to determine fifth through eighth place.

The win was big for Canada, and big for Germany and Serbia. The top two finishers from Europe are guaranteed automatic berths into the Paris Olympics — and with Slovenia now assured of finishing no better than fifth, while Germany

and Serbia cannot finish lower than fourth, it’s those two nations who’ll be heading to France next summer.

Slovenia still has a chance at the Olympics, but will have to win a qualifying tournament next July.

Canada won the silver medal at the 1936 Olympics — and in 22 trips to the Olympics or what’s now called the World Cup since, it has not added to that medal collection. And no matter what happens the rest of the way in Manila, this will be Canada’s best World Cup finish; it was sixth at the tournaments in 1978 and 1982. The first half couldn’t have been more even.

It was 50-50 after 20 minutes — Canada won the first quarter 26-24, Slovenia won the second quarter 26-24, the biggest lead for each team in the half was exactly four points, and even the rebound total was tied 14-14 at the break. Back and forth they went, with 18 lead changes and six ties in those opening two quarters. Canada changed everything with a 19-5 run to start the third quarter and kept the lead the rest of the way. It wound up shooting 33 free throws to Slovenia’s 19.

“Congratulations to Canada,” Doncic said. “They played great.”

NOVAK Djokovic

CANADA’S SHAI GILGEOUS-ALEXANDER, centre, collides with Slovenia’s Luka Doncic, left, as Slovenia’s Zoran Dragic defends during the second half of a Basketball World Cup quarterfinal game in Manila, Philippines, Wednesday.

(AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

FRANCE AND ALL BLACKS UNDER IMMENSE PRESSURE BEFORE RUGBY WORLD CUP OPENING NIGHT SHOWDOWN

By FOSTER NIUMATA Associated Press

IT IS debatable who is under the most pressure between France and New Zealand on Friday in their monumental Rugby World Cup opener that does and does not matter.

Coach Fabien Galthie and Co. have pulled off a buildup designed to peak France at their home World Cup. The team’s first World Cup cycle of the 2020s contrasts starkly with the 2010s when France wallowed in putrid mediocrity.

The renaissance has collected 31 wins from 39 tests, trophies, awards, milestones and adoring support in droves for Les Tricolores.

Every home game since November 2021 has been won to also skyrocket expectations and excitement. France is, at this moment, perfectly placed to finally win the World Cup at a 10th attempt.

The pressure on France is to deliver.

No team has managed expectations better or longer than New Zealand. The All Blacks have lived with outsized expectations of victory from within and without for more than 120 years. And they have usually delivered.

No All Blacks defeat is brushed off or forgotten, and they are fresh off their largest ever loss by margin, a 28-point difference to South Africa two weeks ago. That battering shattered a confidence forged by a brilliantly won Rugby Championship, where the All Blacks’ improvements in physicality and discipline were blown away at Twickenham.

The pressure on New Zealand is to respond.

Step

While the winner on Friday in Paris will be lauded, the loser shouldn’t feel disheartened. It’s just the first step. France and New Zealand should get past poolmates Italy, Uruguay and Namibia to reach the quarterfinals, where lurking for them will probably be No. 1-ranked Ireland or No. 2 South Africa. Between a rock and a hard place is an understatement. The Les Tricolores-All Blacks winner will probably meet the Ireland-South Africa loser, and vice versa.

New Zealand has a proud record at the World Cup of being the only team to have never lost a pool game. The record is 31-0, including France in 2011.

But opponents smell blood in the water around these All Blacks after some notable firsts in this World Cup cycle: First to lose to Argentina, first to lose three tests in a row in 24 years; first to lose a home series in 28 years; and first to lose to France in Paris since 1973.

That result in 2021 was No. 3 in France’s ongoing 14-win home streak. With

nine players meeting New Zealand for the first time, France won 40-25. It was overpowering up front and daring from the back.

“There’s still a knot in our gut from the last time we were here,” All Blacks assistant coach Scott McLeod said this week.

“That hurt.”

New Zealand has 12 survivors from the match. France has 15. But neither are at full strength.

France was without key back Romain Ntamack and forward Paul Willemse for the tournament.

Cyril Baille, Anthony Jelonch and midfielder Jonathan Danty were nursing injuries. New Zealand’s wounded included first-choice players Tyrel Lomax, Brodie Retallick, Shannon Frizell, and back Jordie Barrett, while winger Emoni Narawa was departing with a back issue.

Matchups

But there were still plenty of tasty matchups:

Julien Marchand vs. Codie Taylor and Gregory Alldritt vs. Ardie Savea up front; Antoine Dupont vs. Aaron Smith, Matthieu Jalibert vs. Richie Mo’unga, Damian Penaud and Gabin Villiere vs. Will Jordan and Mark Telea.

“This game,” Smith said, “is not about me against him, it is about me doing my role for the team. Defensively, we will have a big eye on Dupont and what he can do, and shutting it down, but that’s as a collective. They have got plenty of players who are very dangerous.”

There were gasps in the Paris room in December 2020 when France and New Zealand were drawn in the same pool.

Theirs is a matchup dripping with history. New Zealand has beaten France in two World Cup finals. France’s only two wins gave New Zealand its two worst World Cup results. New Zealand’s 62-13 quarterfinal win in 2015 is France’s worst result ever.

This will be their tournament-leading eighth matchup.

France President Emmanuel Macron huddled with the players and staff on a field this week. Not to put pressure on the team, Macron said while doing exactly that, but France had an incredible opportunity hosting the World Cup. Duties were attached, he added. “You are at home with 67 million French people behind you.”

All Blacks coach Ian Foster, part of two World Cup wins, wondered if the French will be able to handle the hype around them.

“Part of World Cups is the mental side, about having the confidence and courage to play the game you need to play at the right time,” he said. “It is only when it all starts will we see where people are at.”

THE WEBB Ellis Cup is on display during a press conference in Paris, Monday, ahead of the France 2023 Rugby World Cup.

(AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

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MBAPPÉ AND FRANCE HOST IRELAND IN EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP QUALIFYING

A LOOK at what’s happening in European Championship qualifying on Thursday:

GROUP B

Two-time champion

France will look to maintain its perfect start in Group B when it hosts Ireland at Parc des Princes. That’s the home stadium of World Cup star Kylian Mbappé, who will look to add to his 40 international goals and could likely be paired in attack with veteran Olivier Giroud. France has not conceded a goal. Ireland is struggling with only one win from its first three matches. Netherlands faces Greece in Eindhoven, where a win would move the Dutch level with the Greeks on six points.

GROUP E Poland is already in trouble after losing two of its opening three games, including a loss to lowranked Moldova last time out. Another slipup at home to the Faeroe Islands would be costly. Poland has not missed out

on qualifying for a European Championship since 2004. The Czech Republic and Albania occupy the group’s two qualifying spots ahead of their game in Prague.

GROUP G

The two unbeaten teams at the top of the group meet as Serbia hosts Hungary. It’s the first game for Serbia since two of its key players, midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and forward Aleksandar Mitrovic, opted for lucrative transfers to Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal. Montenegro can close the gap on the top two by beating last-place Lithuania.

GROUP H Kazakhstan hosts Finland in a battle for the top spot. Both teams have nine points after four games, with Finland ahead on goal difference. Thirdplace Denmark hosts winless San Marino. Slovenia, trailing Denmark only on goal difference, hosts Northern Ireland.

PSG’S Kylian Mbappe (AP)

BARCELONA’S Robert Lewandowski. (AP)