09222022 NEWS AND SPORT

...but requirement stays in classrooms, healthcare facilities and care homes

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

BEGINNING October 1, people will no longer be required to wear a mask in the country except for those accessing healthcare facili ties, visiting senior care homes or in an indoor class roomPrimesetting.Minister Phillip “Brave” Davis announced further relaxations to the country’s mask mandate on his Twitter account yesterday.Hesaid adjustments to

the mask mandate were rec ommended by the advisory committee at the Ministry of Health and Wellness yesterday.Whilemask wearing is not currently required in outdoor settings, it is still largely required indoors. However, once the new policy takes effect, mask wearing will not be required in most settings. In a statement released yesterday, the Ministry of Health explained the cases where mask wearing will still be required.

STABBED TO DEATH IN BUILDING STAIRWELL

By JADE RUSSELL

SATELLITE IMAGERY HELPING TO BOOST GOVT REVENUE

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

THE government is employing satellite imagery to boost revenue collections that are 4-5 percent ahead of projections, financial

secretary Simon Wilson saidHeyesterday.saidsatellite imagery was especially effective in detecting undeclared prop erty construction in the Family Islands.

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

POLICE are investi gating another homicide after a man was found yesterday sitting at the top of a building’s stair well with stab wounds to hisPressbody. liaison officer Chief Superintendent Chrislyn Skippings said the victim appeared to be in his Shemid-50s.toldreporters that it was shortly after 10am

yesterday when police were alerted to the inci dent at Boyd Road and Pilgrim Street.

“At present, we do not know the circum stances surrounding this particular incident, but from what the injuries we observed, it can be said that there was a struggle. At this time, I am unable

THE Village Road works project is now expected to be completed by December.

Albrion Symonette, Jr, who is the resident engi neer of the Village Road Improvement Project, said yesterday the updated com pletion date for the project, including a planned round about, is the end of the year.

“So the Village Road

works are progressing steadily,” he said yester day. “God willing, end of December, the latest, is the

current projected timeline, provided there is no other unforeseeable conditions. What we’re looking at now is some additional work is projected to be done. So, if that work is done, that’s what you will see.”

Mr Symonette said he and his crew have been installing duct banks under the length of Village Road to ensure that in the future, the need for digging up the road is minimised.

NON-PROFIT RETURNS

ON the third anniver sary of Hurricane Dorian, a non-profit organisation helping people and com munities impacted by disasters returned to Abaco last week to start their third phase of relief work focus ing on home repairs and giving residents who have been displaced or living in unhealthy conditions, a safe, secure and functional home.With approximately $1m in funding for The Bahamas Hurricane Relief programme, All Hands and Hearts (AHAH) plan to perform critical interior and exterior work on more than 20 homes through mid-December, including the installation of new ceil ings, drywall, subflooring, plumbing, electricity and hurricane-resilient shutters and“Forroofing.three years now, the people of Great Abaco and The Bahamas have been trying to put their lives back together following the country’s most devastat ing hurricane on record,” said Jess Thompson, CEO of AHAH. “In that length

of time, most non-govern mental organisations have left the country. All Hands and Hearts is dedicated to assisting, not only the displaced residents, but community members who are looking to make their home more resistant to these disasters.”regularly-occurringInadditiontodeploying40volunteerstohelpwithhomereconstruction,AHAHalsointendstoemployworkersnativetotheareaonrebuildingprojects,providingthemwithtrainingandexperienceindisaster-resilientrepairsandrenovationstobetterpreparethemforfuturedisastersinTheBahamas.Oncephasethreeisfinalised,AHAHwillhavecompleted$11.5mworthofrebuildingprojectsinGreatAbaco,theorganisation’slargestsingleprogrammetodate,withnearly200homes,schoolsandothercommunitystructuresbeingrepairedorrebuilt.Oftheeightschoolsthathavebeenreconstructedsince2019,fourrequiredacompleterebuild,including

the area’s only school for students with dis abilities. The Every Child Counts Primary School, a 12,620-square-foot campus, consists of five buildings serving more than 60 stu dents with Hearts.org.visitAHAHsupportinPeruKentucky,Guatemala,hurricanesindisasters,tiesto100unteersmobilisedthanaffectedAllallingmakingof1,100AbacoHurricanedisabilities.DorianstruckonSept.1,2019.AHAHestimatesthathomesarestillinneedrepairinTheBahamas,donationsforongorepairsandconstructionthemorecrucial.Establishedin2017,HandsandHeartshasthelivesofmore1.2mpeopleandover63,000voltoapproximatelysitesacrosstheglobehelprebuildcommuniaffectedbycatastrophicincludingwildfiresButteCounty,California,inLouisianaandtornadoesinearthquakesinandMexico,tsunamisJapanandmore.Thoselookingtodonate,orlearnmoreaboutareencouragedtowww.AllHandsAnd

54 records expunged by rehabilitation committee

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

THE Rehabilitation of Offenders Committee has received 112 applications from people seeking to have their records wiped clean between January and June of this year, with 54 of those applicants said to have already had their records

workancommittee’searly.whilePrerogativehaveAnotherexpunged.15applicantsbeenreferredtotheofMercy,13appliedalittletooPaulFarquharson,thechairman,gaveupdateonthebody’sinaninterviewwith

The Tribune yesterday and also provided the statistics for the first half of the year.

He said the committee has expanded and is made up of new members, some of whom are from the

Family Islands. “We do a report for the ministry every six months,” Mr Farquharson said. “The grand total of applica tions that we received was 112. Fifty-four of those were recommended for expungement.“Fourteenof them were referred to the Preroga tive of Mercy. Thirteen applied a little too early and there are 15 that are waiting for the final decision of the govern ment to deal with curfew violations.”MrFarquharson said some of the cases that have been reviewed by the group include people who have been convicted of offences ranging from assault, disor derly behaviour and minor drug related matters. He also revealed that the committee continues to receive applications and inquiries from people who

received convictions for Emergency Order viola tions, especially as it relates to the curfew.

In July, the government amended the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act to allow people convicted of certain Emergency Order viola tions to make an immediate application to have their recordsPointingexpunged.tothe new amendment, the chairman said it is his belief that the government intends to grant a blanket expunge ment of people who were charged with curfew breaches during the height of the “Well,pandemic.wehave inquir ies everyday about those,” he said. “As you would be aware, the honourable Minister Wayne Munroe tabled in the House of Par liament, I think sometime in July, an amendment through the Act which

would give him, because he’s the expungement min ister, the power to have those records in addition to the others - the breach of restrictions during the emergency powers (expunged).“Inthis amendment, I think what is intended, I believe, is to grant a blan ket expungement for all of those persons who would have been convicted under the Emergency Orders. That was the intention of the amendment when I listened to the debate in the House of Parliament. That was the intention and I think we are very near that. I think the minis ter, I’m sure, will make an announcement in the not too distant future on that particular matter.”

When contacted about the matter yesterday, National Security Minister Wayne Munroe suggested

that it is not the govern ment’s intention to do so, noting that the law requires for an application to be made in order for some one to have their record expunged.“Ihave asked the Reha bilitation of Offenders Committee to consider a simplified process for this class of convictions,” the minister also said.

As it relates to out standing applications, Mr Farquharson said there are eight in Bimini, 17 in Grand Bahama and 84 pending applications.Headded: “They are going through the process of gathering reports, but what I do want to say, this committee’s work could not be as effective without the support of other persons and I want to congratulate the rehabilitative service of social services who supply reports on each applicant.

“And it’s a whole lot of work that has to go into this so I want to single them out and thank them for their partnership in this process and, of course, we get reports from the least criminal record and where persons are incarcer ated from the department, we get a report from the Department of Corrections and so I want to single them out and thank them for their support for the work of the conviction.21erstheymostexpunged.cannotarmedmanslaughter,haveersRehabilitationUndercommittee.”theamendedofOffendAct,peoplewhocommittedmurder,treason,robbery,rape,etc,havetheirrecordsAfterfiveyears,however,othersareeligibleifarefirst-timeoffendorwereyoungerthanatthetimeoftheirfirst

STABBED TO DEATH IN BUILDING STAIRWELL

When asked how long the police suspect the victim’s body was in that location, she said: “Could have been

possibly no more than maybe four hours.”While saying she would have to confirm this, CSP Skippings said from all indications the victim is not known to police.

Police are asking anyone with infor mation that might help this investigation to contact them at the Criminal Inves tigations Department at 502-9991/2, Crime Stoppers at 328-TIPS (8477) or the nearest police station.

‘LITTLE TO NO DAMAGE’ FROM HURRICANE FIONA

Abraham’s Bay, Betsy Bay, and Pirates Well.

“We did an assessment through the three settle ments and spoke to various persons to make sure that they had no issues during the night and that there was no damage,” Mr William son

Foradded.his part, Marlon Leary, the administrator for Inagua, said things on the island were back to normal since Tuesday night.

“We have no power issues, no damage, no inju ries, nor deaths,” Mr Leary said.A resident of Inagua, Luther Mortimore described Hurricane Fiona as having little impact on the island.

He said residents such as himself have become accus tomed to preparing for hurricanes.Headded: “We have been on this ride for quite some time, our last storm was Hurricane Irma, but we are very familiar with the

routine. So, we pay close attention to NEMA. So generally, we know what to do.”Additionally, The Tribune spoke to a resi dent of Crooked Island who wished to remain anonymous.TheCrooked Island resi dent said there was a little rain and wind experienced from Hurricane Fiona high lighting that the island did not experience any major impact.Theresident noted there was no flooding or damage

shown to anyone’s homes either.Acting Prime Minister Chester Cooper visited Mayaguana yesterday along with a team of government officials to assess the island post Hurricane Fiona. He was accompanied by Cabinet ministers Obie Wilchcombe, Clay Sweet ing, and Myles Laroda, MICAL MP Basil McI ntosh, Captain Stephen Russell, NEMA direc tor, and officials of the Disaster Reconstruction Authority.

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

A 14-YEAR-OLD male student of Doris John son Senior High School is in critical condition in hos pital after he was stabbed on Tuesday in the Fox Hill area, police said.

Another 14-year-old stu dent is in custody and is assisting police with their investigation.Policesaid the incident occurred shortly before 4pm.“Preliminary reports reveal that the victim was walking north on Fox Hill Road with a group of male students when a male pas senger on a public service transportation stabbed him in the upper body,” police said in a crime report.“The victim was taken to the hospital via EMS per sonnel where he is detained in critical condition.”

Press liaison officer Chief Superintendent Chrislyn Skippings told reporters yesterday that police took a 14-year-old boy into cus tody to question him in relation to the incident.

She said police were con cerned about recent violent acts involving children.

“We’re very concerned as a department of the escalation that we see hap pening among, especially our nation’s youth, and what I want is to encourage young people. Conflicts will always arise. Conflicts will always be present. Conflicts

will not go away. Conflicts are a natural part of life,” she“Ifsaid.they’re handled prop erly, conflicts can actually take you to another level in your maturity and so what I want to encourage young people to do, especially knowing that conflicts are going to arise, whenever you are confronted with a conflict, I need you to stop, think about it, stop, think, and then react.

“And in your reaction, consider what may be the consequences. Because every action, there’s going to be a consequence for it.

“We have a number of country counselling agen cies, persons who are ready and willing to sit and talk with you, persons who want to show you step by step, how to resolve your conflicts.”Butshe had a message for parents as well.

“And so I want parents as well, to talk to (the chil dren) to let them know that there will be conflicts. But let’s work together to show them how to resolve those conflicts and, two, parents are to be role models for their children because chil dren are going to emulate exactly what they see their parents do. And so parents, it’s incumbent upon you to also play a role in this crime or these activities that the young people are getting into. These unnecessary, I call them, conflicts unneces sary resulting to violence. Violence is never the answer to a conflict.”

A BODY being taken from the scene yesterday.

Photo: Earyel Bowleg/Tribune Staff

Mask mandate lifted on Oct 1

They include people accessing a health care facil ity for any reason, including workers, patients, visitors and vendors or any non-res ident worker of a long-term care residential facility.

Mask wearing is also required “in any indoor classroom setting in an edu cational institution, except where Rule 27 (20 of the Health Services Rules (COVID) Prevention and Management of Commu nity Spread 2021)” applies.

Despite the upcoming change in policy, officials said some Bahamians might still choose to wear masks in crowded settings and added that their decision to do so should be respected.

The mask mandates are among the few restric tive measures still being enforced in the country.

Plans to further relax the country’s mask measures were hailed by many yester day, especially those in the tourism sector who have long been calling for an end to the restriction.

One of them was Darrin Woods, president of the Bahamas Hotel Catering and Allied Workers Union, who said the move will likely boost tourism num bers and in turn, aid the nation’s economic recovery “It sends a positive mes sage that as things begin to decline and I think the prime minister would have said this - as things begin to decline and we are able to hold our numbers, we will see more relaxation of some of the COVID-19 protocols coming into play,” he said.

“I don’t think we will ever get away from the sanitisation, washing of the hands and even in your mind, psyche, people will still be social distancing so it’s a welcome to us because we believe that the time has come now.”

For his part, Free National Movement chair man Dr Duane Sands said while the policy change was not an “unreasonable step,” it also didn’t mean that the virus was behind us and fur ther reminded Bahamians to be on guard.

“We want to be sure that lifting the mask mandate doesn’t mean that COVID has gone away and certainly, we would encourage people who feel that they would benefit from the protections

of a masks to continue to do so and to have parents who are concerned about their children to do so,” he told The Tribune

Still he said the party would not oppose further

relaxations of the health protocol.Thedecision to further relax the national mask mandate comes as the nation continues to record low COVID-19 cases.

The Bahamas has recorded more than 37,000 cases of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic.

However, only 115 virus cases were said to be still active at last report.

BAHAMAS AMONG COUNTRIES AT RISK OF POLIO OUTBREAK

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

THE PAN American Health Organization has warned that 12 countries in the region, including The Bahamas, are considered to be at high or very high risk of experiencing a polio outbreak.According to PAHO, the dwindling vaccination rates, worsened by the COVID19 pandemic, have left many people in the region unprotected against the disease.

PAHO said the polio vac cination coverage is below 80 percent in nearly all of South America, which is the lowest it has been since 1994. PAHO also said polio has “now been detected among unvaccinated com munities in New York”.

PAHO director Dr Carissa Etienne said the polio situation is considered to be a “serious” problem. “I don’t have to stress that this is a serious prob lem, and one for which we have a clear solution: immunisation with a polio vaccine provides complete

protection against polio infection,” she said.

PAHO provided an update on COVID-19 and monkeypox in the region during the virtual press briefing yesterday.

Dr Etienne said despite the decline in cases, there is no indication that COVID19 will go away soon.

“The risks are significant if we simply let the virus continue to spread freely. Active transmission can lead to new variants, and we should learn from the past and remain prepared to respond to new surges.

“Even if most COVID-19 cases are mild, this disease can have long-term conse quences for patients and for our health systems. If we remain committed, we can keep COVID-19 under control.”The PAHO director also urged countries of the region to step up their COVID-19 vaccination campaigns, particularly in the“IfCaribbean.weremain committed, we can keep COVID-19 under control,” she said. “Not by ignoring it, but by continuing to make use of

the many tools we have at our disposal to trace, and most importantly prevent, infections.”PAHO representatives said monkeypox cases are rising in parts of the region.InJuly, the PAHO direc tor said monkeypox was declared a public health emergency of international concern by the World Health Organization and the region is now home to the “highest burden of monkeypox cases worldwide”.Todate,five deaths have

been reported in the region, due to the virus.

“Our region has regis tered five deaths due to this virus. These deaths remain extremely rare, but it is critical to remember that people with weakened immune systems are at risk of complications from monkeypox infection,” the director

Earliersaid.this month, a PAHO official revealed batches of monkeypox vac cines are on the way for countries, including The Bahamas as part of their revolving fund.

RECORD NUMBER OF LYFORD CAY SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS

A RECORD number of appli cations for scholarships have been received by the Lyford Cay Foundations - with STEM pro grammes leading the way.

The Lyford Cay Foundations awarded more scholarships for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) pro grammes than ever this year.

“We received hundreds of applications for scholarships this year, perhaps our most ever,” said Dr Nicola Virgill-Rolle, execu tive director of the Foundations.

“This shows the demand for edu cation assistance. Meanwhile, the job of our independent screen ers to select recipients from an outstanding pool of applicants is only becoming

is the country’s lack of necessary gear to recover from hurricanes, as demonstrated by Hurricane Dorian. Considering mechanical engineering is such a broad topic, I wish to contribute to The Baha mas in a variety of ways.”

Thirteen recipients hail from New Providence, 11 from Grand Bahama and one from Abaco.

Fifty-two percent of awar dees are first-generation college students, including Denisha Demeritte, the inaugural recipient of the Sir Godfrey Ken neth Kelly Graduate Award. Demeritte will pursue a master’s degree in Public Health Epi demiology at the University of Minnesota so she can help The Bahamas face potential pan demics and address healthcare inequalities.“Ibelieve it is my responsibility to champion for better health out comes for those marginalised and investigate health issues nega tively impacting my community,” she said in her essay. “The goal is to ultimately drive solutions to crises through research, planning and effective interventions.”

Basil Goulandris, chairman of Lyford Cay Foundations, said: “We are grateful for the generos ity of the Kelly family who have created this new award which honours Sir Godfrey – a former Minister of Education, noted legal mind, businessman and sportsman.”Anothernew scholarship pro gramme was the Resilience and Excellence Graduate and Technical Awards for study in Canada. This year’s recipients are: Raneisha Higgs-Brice (mas ters in logistics and supply chain management from the University of Windsor), Gabrielle PintardNewry (masters in global affairs at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto); WhitTia Morley-Barrett (diploma in health information management at St Lawrence College), Therize Pennerman (advanced diploma in mechnanical engineering technol ogy – automated manufacturing from Conestoga College Institute of TheTechnology).application process for 2023 opens in February.

“We will continue to prioritise those with the greatest need,” Dr Virgill-Rolle said. “We also hope we receive more applica tions from students hoping to study in Canada as we support many educational opportunities in RecipientsCanada.” of this year’s under graduate scholarships include: Mateo Bethel, bachelor of engi neering at University of Guelph; Dominique Bowleg, bachelor of science in marine biology and bio logical oceanography at Spring Hill College; Altia McDonald, bachelor of commerce in finance, minor in analytical economics at Concordia University; Yoshi Moxey, bachelor of science in actuarial science/mathematics at Dalhousie University; Car lisa Smith, bachelor of science in animal biology at University of Guelph; Donique Whylly, bachelor of economics, Univer sity of Toronto; Diovante Bain, bachelor of science in computer science at Acadia University; Jee’von Pratt, bachelor of sci ence in mechanical engineering at Howard University Kaylee

Smith, bachelor of science in computer science at Acadia University.Recipients of this year’s graduate scholarships include: Terrinique Bullard, master of science in architectural research and design at Tulane Univer sity; Denisha Demeritte, naster of public health in epidemiol ogy at University of Minnesota – Twin Cities; Jade Gray, master of science in public health at University of Western Ontario; Raneisha Higgs-Brice, master of science in logistics and supply chain management at Univer sity Windsor; Lashan Martin, LLM maritime studies at BPP University; Gabrielle PintardNewry, master of global affairs, Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy at the Uni versity of Toronto; Leandra Moonsammy, master of science in data science at the Techni cal University of Catalonia and Amber Turner, master of sci ence in natural resources and environmental management at The University of the West Indies.

FREEPORT WOMAN ACCUSED OF $40K FRAUD

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

A FREEPORT woman was charged yesterday with committing more than $40,000 worth of fraud.

Kate Valencia Lock hart, 45, of Almond Road, appeared before Deputy Chief Magistrate Debbye Ferguson where she was arraigned on six counts of credit by false pretences totaling some $42,000.

On count one, it is alleged that between March 19 and March 25, at Freeport, the accused, being concerned with others with intent to defraud on incurring a debt at Balearia Caribbean,

obtained credit in the amount of $691 by means of false pretences.

It is also alleged that between April 5 and April 14, at the same place Lock hart obtained credit in the amount of $5,769.

It is alleged that between May 4 and May 26, the accused obtained credit in the amount of $5,892.

It is alleged that between June 1 and June 30, Lock hart obtained credit in the amount of $13,113.

It is alleged that between July 1 and July 30, the accused, being con cerned with others, with intent to defraud on incur ring a debt at Balearia

Caribbean, obtained credit in the amount of $15,017.Itisalleged that between August 3 and August 10, Lockhart being concerned with others with intent to defraud on incurring a debt at Balearia Carib bean obtained credit in the amount of Lockhart$1,531.pleaded not guilty to the offences. She was granted $7,000 bail with three suretors for each count.Deputy Chief Magistrate Ferguson imposed bail conditions and ordered the accused to sign in at the police station on Mondays and Fridays.

THE ANNOUNCEMENT on Twitter by Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis.

buildingaskedagencyInternationaltobetoupgradecode

By LETRE SWEETING lsweeting @ tribunemedia.net

THE Ministry of Works plans to have the country’s building code upgraded by an international agency due to concerns about the cur rent outdated code and as part of the recent launch of a coastal management programme.Duringthe launch of the Climate Resilient Coastal Management and Infra structure programme at Balmoral Club yesterday, the planned updates to the building code, which have not been updated since 2003, were announced in an effort to be better pre pared for climate related disasters.Works and Utilities Min ister Alfred Sears said that with the future expectation of natural disasters more intense than Hurricane Dorian, buildings and struc tures in The Bahamas need to be made less vulnerable.

“The United Nations have declared that The Bahamas as an island nation state is amongst the most vulnerable within the world from climate change and the rising sea levels. The experience that we had in 2019 is unlike any thing that we would have experienced before. So, it requires that we review the current code so that we

can ensure that we have more resilience, because it is predicted that with cli mate change with rising sea levels, we will have more severe hurricanes and weather (phenomena),” he said.Mr Sears said upgrades to the building code are pro gressing steadily and right now he is waiting on recom mendations for the draft of the“Well,changes.first of all, I need to receive the recommen dations. And then we will engage as is taking place now with various stake holders and get the input to consider the feedback of stakeholders. And then we will take a number of recommendations for amendments to the Cabinet for the Cabinet’s considera tion. And when necessary, if we are amending a statute, we will have to go to Parlia ment and have the debate and make the case in our national Parliament.”

Mr Sears said the upgrade to the building code would ensure that buildings, sea walls, docks and materials used in construction are of better quality, which may cause a rise in the cost of materials.“Wehave to make sure that the built environment is strengthened and that we have to better protect our mangroves, wetlands and put more resilience in

our sea walls, in our docks in the buildings, the loca tion of those buildings and the material that we use to construct the built environ ment,” he “Becausesaid.we are not manufacturing the mate rial ourselves, that depends on the global stream of commerce. And when you have the disruption in the supply chain due to the war in Ukraine, the pan demic, and other factors, of course, it contributes to the increase of costs. “And, therefore, we are doing the very best that we can to source material from more closer locations, so that we are not as impacted by the transportation disruption. So, all of those measures are being considered as we deal with this very volatile global environment,” Mr SearsPetersaid.Phipps, a rep resentative of Mott MacDonald Limited, said that the updated building codes, currently in the draft phase, will be constructed in collaboration with the International Code Coun cil. Mott MacDonald is a consultancy agency work ing with the government on the issue of climate change interventions.“(Thegoal is) to sup port best practice of construction of coastal infrastructure. That is not just concrete and steel,

but also looking at other significant greener types of management infrastruc ture that could be required or best suited in differ ent environments, that provides coastal protec tion and flood mitigation impacts. It (the current building code) also offers buildings in and around the coastal zone and what can be done to buildings in order to actually enhance their overall resilience to coastal impacts. So they’re very wide ranging, but this is an important part of the overall enhancement,” Mr Phipps said.

He said the gen eral objective of the

government’s consultancy with reference to the build ing code is to carry out a comprehensive assessment of existing codes used in The Bahamas and prepare and produce an upgraded building code that incor porates appropriate coastal climate hazard exposure and risk.

COASTAL MANAGEMENT SCHEME TO TACKLE CLIMATE THREAT

By LETRE SWEETING lsweeting@tribunemedia.net

THE Ministry of Works in collaboration with sev eral other stakeholders has launched a coastal man agement programme for The Bahamas as a “vulner able nation” to combat the looming threat of climate change.Works and Utilities Minister Alfred Sears announced the launch of the Climate Resilient Coastal Management and Infrastructure pro gramme also known as the Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) Bahamas project yesterday morning at Balmoral Club. This programme is based on the loan agree ment signed between the

government and the Inter American Development Bank on June 14, 2018, in the amount of $35m, he said.The project is spear headed by the Ministry of Work’s Project Implemen tation Unit (PIU).

Mr Sears said the over all goal of the project is to build infrastructure help ing with coastal resilience throughout the country, including New Providence, central Long Island, Andros and East Grand Bahama.

“As we launched this ini tiative, the end goal is that it will map the way forward for the management of our coastal resources. We have to look at the geopolitical context of climate change and our region, a region which has been declared by the United Nations as the

most vulnerable to climate change,” he said.

“Our protection from the impact of climate change depends heavily on the health and sustainability of our coastline. When we protect our coastlines, we protect ourselves. In light of Hurricanes Joaquin, Matthew, Irma, and most recently, Dorian, it is abun dantly clear that we must act now to avoid the disas trous impact accompanied by climate change,” Mr Sears added.

He said the recent and consistent rise of global sea levels is a very pressing con cern for The Bahamas as a country completely sur rounded by water.

“The most notable impact of climate change is the rising sea levels. Are you aware that global sea

levels have increased by 3.7 millimetres per year between 2006 and 2018? And experts believe with great confidence that sea levels will continue to rise over the next century. This is frightening for a flat coastal country,” Mr Sears said.He added that because of the expected rise in sea levels, coastal countries like The Bahamas are likely to experience more extreme weather events, such as storms and coastal flooding as a result of storm surge as well as damage to natural resources along the island’s coasts.“Our coastal resources also provide us with a myriad of benefits, such as food, medicine, storm protection, tourism, trans portation, and cultural

and spiritual inspiration. However, this precious and invaluable resource is under threat by pollu tion, coastal erosion, illegal and under-regulated activ ity, unsustainable use of coastal resources, lack of protected legislation and management of coastal zones, lack of funding, training and planning and the most prominent threat, climate change,” Mr Sears said.“With such loom ing threats to our vital resources,” he added. “It is a clear and pertinent need for a programme that will help us better manage this God-given gift to the Baha mian people and adapt to any adverse changes in cli mate. Hence, the need for integrated coastal manage ment programmes within

the Commonwealth of The Bahamas.”TheClimate Resilient Coastal Management and Infrastructure consists of four interventions identi fied to build resilience to coastal risk: first, those associated with climate change, second, sustain able coastal protection and infrastructure, third, natu ral resources and fourth, integrated management of theThecoast.launch of this pro gramme comes one day after Prime Minister Phillip “Brave” Davis’ statements at the New York Times’ Climate Week Confer ence, where he called on industrialised nations who contribute heavily to cli mate change to pay for the hardships brought on by the phenomenon.

“At this current point in time we’ve completed, substantially completed,the BPL duct bank, we are preparing to commence the water main installation materials land to the site. Today, (Wednesday) we’ll be doing an inspection of who is preparing for the installation. At the moment crews are installing duct banks, crossing ducts up and down the road. So if you notice crews are work ing day and night to get work done. We were out there last night till about five in the morning, install ing cross ducts.”

The project, which was started this summer, caused concern and frustration for businesses, facilities and motorists in the area, espe cially due to the continued inconvenience of road repairs.Yesterday morning, Works and Utilities Minis ter Alfred Sears expressed gratitude to the public for enduring the inconven ience and promised that the benefits and improve ments from the project would be worth the disrup tion

“Thecaused.Village Road Pro ject going really well

and I first want to say thank you to our public, to the stakeholders, to busi nesses, residents in the Village Road area, espe cially I would like to thank all of the various stake holders who have been very cooperative in this whole process,” Mr Sears said.“We are in conversation with the National Trust

and with Queen’s College as we would like to put a roundabout to facilitate the efficiency of traffic to both of those institu tions and the contractor is moving on schedule. (Also), the underground installation is just about completed. And once that’s done, we would have the paving and the side walk improvements and so

on,” he “Theresaid.isdisruption, but at the end of the day, it will improve the quality of life of all of the stakeholders on Village Road and the

general public.” Mr Sears added that the project team from the ministry, headed by Mr Symonette Jr, has been giving him weekly

updates.The$6.4m project was expected to be completed by September. In August, officials pushed that date to November.

MINISTER of Works and Utilities Alfred Sears yesterday. Photo: Moise Amisial

Missed opportunity in mask announcement

THE lifting of the mask mandate is a major moment in the history of the pan demic in our country.

It will also likely prompt mixed feel ings for Bahamians.

The announcement came via Twit ter from Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis, followed up by a statement from the Ministry of Health.

The news brought swift reaction on social media – largely in favour of the move, often enthusiastically so. But there were other voices too that still raised concern. FNM chairman Dr Duane Sands cautioned that while the move was not “unreasonable”, the virus is not behind us and people should still be on their guard.

Despite that, his party is open to more relaxations.Thereare three areas where the mandate will remain in force, how ever – in healthcare facilities, in senior care homes, and indoors in school classrooms.Thisisa tacit acknowledgement that risk remains – by keeping the measure in place in medical settings and for both the very old and the very young, it shows there remains a danger to individuals, and we should remember those indi viduals at risk do not just exist in those settings where the mandate remains, but throughout our society.

The Tribune heard from several read ers yesterday in response to the news.

One was a woman whose partner is immuno-compromised due to a cancer scare. Despite taking every round of vac cinations, no antibodies have developed to protect him. Due to his situation, the couple have been careful throughout the pandemic, and she expressed concern that lifting the mask mandate put her husband more at risk.

Another reader, a parent of a child too young to receive the vaccination yet – it is available for children from the age of five – was glad that the mandate would remain in the classroom but wary of a child with no vaccine protection being exposed in other school settings.

Still another reader, a supermar ket worker, asked what this would mean for staff in shopping outlets and whether they would have their exposure increased with the attendant risks to their

Therehealth.may be answers to some of these questions – but to get some of those perhaps we should remember the start of the epidemic, when then Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis would hold televised conferences alongside senior medical experts of the country, fielding questions raised by the media.

When this change was announced

yesterday, it came by tweet – not by press conference where the decision could be explained as to why it was decided that the risk had reduced enough that the mandate could be lifted.

This was an opportunity to thoroughly explain to people the reasoning behind the decision – and to reinforce what measures people could continue to take to protect themselves, and others.

This was also a chance to reinforce to people that although they would not be compelled by law to wear masks why it might be wise to choose to continue to wearQuestionsmasks.

could be answered over such things as what would happen if an employer insists to an employee that they should not wear a mask, but the worker has concerns for their health.

Broadly, this administration has been focused more on getting rid of restric tions – scrapping the curfew was one of the first acts of the new government a yearButago.it should not neglect the value in advising people of what the basis of decisions are, and the level of risk that people should consider before making their own decisions.

This was an opportunity missed.

Village Road

The Village Road construction, you’ll be shocked to discover, is going to stretch on into December. First, it was going to be ready for the schools reo pening – that didn’t happen. Then it was going to be November – that’s not going to happen either. And now it’ll all be over by Christmas. Maybe.

Part of the problem, it seems, is as the engineer says there is additional work to be done. A roundabout at Queen’s College appears to have been added to the plan in mid-flow, and changing plans partway through is never a good thing forThedeadlines.businesses

along Village Road must be facing a nightmare in trying to keep customers coming to their doors, along with any other disruption along theMeanwhile,way.

children at Queen’s Col lege are faced either with dust-filled roads as they come to and from the site or, with a truck sometimes passing through spraying water to dampen down the dust, thick cloying mud to fight through.When you change the plan during the process, it shows it wasn’t planned well enough at the start. Will this be the last delay? We don’t have great confidence in that.

PICTURE

parades, but Atlantis - Baha

So, are to

PAULA MINNS SeptemberNassau, 21, 2022.

EDITOR, The Tribune. I JUST stopped by to indulge you in allowing me the small space in your let ters column to highlight several points worth men tioning and in the interest of MovingBahamians.right along, for years now I have been trying to prick the con science of those managers and the hierarchy of the Beach and Parks Section of Environment Health concerning the deplorable condition of the sidewalks on Bay Street, downtown Nassau coupled with the overwhelming number of old, unoccupied buildings in the city centre – it is quite an eyesore, I might add?

And the proclamation by the powers-that-be that the Bahamas is open for business is really an affront to every decent and Godfearing Bahamian as they sought to promote a “dirty and filthy tourist” prod uct - unashamedly, I might add. This is cause for con cern it cannot be that all you care about is getting tourists’ money and to hell with the condition of the product. This is problem atic and unfair to visitors. It is also an insult to me and my family as a disciple of fairness.Well, earlier on today, Wednesday, 21st Septem ber 2022 as customary, I was tracking through town to hire the Jitney Bus Ser vice needing to get to my place of work.

But, suffice it to say, on reaching Frederick and Bay Streets, and await ing this particular Route jitney I just couldn’t help myself as my attention was drawn to the garbage bin at the corner street next to one of the columns holding up the building that houses business ‘A Baker & Sons’ and while the bin had recently had its garbage bags changed, oh, those tiles around and upon which that

area.This is the same story all along Bay Street where trash receptacles were deployed.AndI wondered about what kind of people The Bahamas Government has working for it in the Beach and Parks Department?

Better yet, have they not checked in on their employ ees, these supervisors to ascertain what if anything was being done, or needed to be done?

As I think about it,I am left wondering, could it be that those supervisors who are not supervising may need to be supervised themselves, and is it fair to deduceMaybesuch?something is wrong with the principles and standards that I try to live by and that I, appar ently, am trying to impose upon these people who, while Nassau sleeps were supposed to be out there preparing the environ ment to receive, not only locals, but, more espe cially, our tourists -this level of dereliction of duty has me feeling ashamed of the keepers of the tourist product and forced me to formulised in my mind’s eye the solution to the problem. I contemplated that the only resolution was to hire the right staffers and relieve those currently holding those positions. And this complaint is not new, this has been a sore point for many months now and is it getting better? I don’t think so tourists squirm anytime they arrive at those inter sections where the trash bins are Really,located.Idespise point ing fingers because ideally

it achieves nothing. What I will do now that I have identified the prob lem, being the disciple for fairness that I am, here is another solution:

1. Why won’t the Beach & Parks Ministries acquire several of those Steam Cleaners? The likely cost per cleaner under $200, plus say 5-units should suf fice, I think?

2. And after the garbage bag changers get done doing that, the steam clean ers come along and spray clean those tiles?

3. Those vagrants that frequent Bay Street just sit ting near the liquor stores hustling the next drink and disposing of residue of the alcoholic beverages spill ing onto the sidewalk tiles - before entering gar bage bins contributes to the decay. These people sit by them practically all day and drink, harass passersby, etc.,therefore, the police need to see to it that they are introduced to an orderly system, which penalises wrong doers especially those blatantly giving the Com monwealth of The Bahamas a bad

Therename.is a legal obliga tion to have them removed and the various charges are plainly stated in the Books for which they could be tried?Something should be done about the rundown and deteriorating condition of the main access point for our visitors...and they should not be introduced to this level of filth, etc.

Finally I am really not one that gripes for the least little thing, but I am con vinced that small can lead to big and if no one com plains, then the tolerance likely will destroy us ulti mately, I Submittedthink?with love and for what it is worth.

garbage sat - words cannot adequately depict the deplorable and inexcusable condition of that immediate

OPRAH WINFREY, a producer of “Sidney,” poses in front of a picture of the film’s subject, Sidney Poitier, at the premiere of the documentary yesterday at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles. The movie is available on the Apple+ streaming service fromPhoto:tomorrow. Chris Pizzello/AP

TWO ACCUSED OF BAIL VIOLATIONS

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Court Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

TWO men faced the Magistrate’s Court yes terday on separate charges of violating the conditions of their Supreme Court bail for murder and attempted murderCharlesrespectively.Whyms, 29, stood before Senior Mag istrate Carolyn Vogt-Evans on a charge of violation of bail conditions. This was in connection with his bail granted in the Supreme Court after he was accused of the murder of Omar Dorsette on December 27, 2017.Between April 30 and September 19, Whyms is accused of failing to charge his electronic moni toring device (EMD).

In court, the accused pleaded not guilty to the charges.

As there was no objection to bail, it was granted to Whyms at $9,000 with two sureties. The condition of his bail requires him to sign in at Central Police Station every Monday, Wednesday and Friday by 7pm.

Whyms’s trial for this matter will begin on Janu ary 26, 2023.

The second man, Dion Exelant, 20, represented by attorney Ciji SmithCurry, faced Magistrate

Vogt-Evans on four counts of bail violation. He is on bail for the attempted murder of Tarrico Bowleg on April Between23.September 6-15, the accused is said to have failed to charge his EMD.

In court Exelant pleaded not guilty to all charges against him. The accused said that he had been unable to charge his EMD for three days while in police custody.

It was at this point that Magistrate Vogt-Evans acknowledged that there had been apparent issues with charging EMDs.

This comes after Police Commissioner Clayton Fer nander confirmed earlier this week that 38 men on bail were charged with bail breaches, with many citing issues with their monitoring devices.With reference to Exelant’s matter, he was granted bail at $9,000 with two sureties and was ordered to sign in at Carmichael Road Police Station every Monday, Wednesday and Friday by 7pm.

In addition to being expected to continue wearing his EMD the accused was also sternly warned by the magis trate not to breach his bail conditions.Exelant’s trial is set for October 3.

MAN FACES MURDER BID CHARGE

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Court Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A MAN was put on remand after being charged with attempted murder yesterday.Mario Brown, 32, was before Magistrate Shaka Serville on charges of attempted murder and possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life.Brown is accused of attempting to kill Richard Turnquest with a firearm on September 4 in New Providence.Dueto the gravity of the offence, he was not required to enter a plea in court. He was informed that his case would go the Supreme Court.

It was at this point that Mr Turnquest said he wanted to withdraw the complaint. Magistrate Serville instructed the com plainant to talk to the director of public prosecu tions on how he wanted to proceed.Themagistrate also told Brown that he had the right to apply for bail through the Supreme Court because he as magistrate lacked the jurisdiction to grant bail due to the severity of the charge.Until such bail is granted, the accused will be remanded to the Bahamas Department of Correc tionalBrownServices.will return to court on September 28. He is represented by Ian Cargill.

TWO ACCUSED OF BURGLARY

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Court Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

TWO men appeared in Magistrate’s Court yester day on separate charges of housebreaking and burglary.Ambrose Gibson, 35, faced Magistrate Samuel McKinney on charges of burglary, stealing and receiving.Gibson is accused of breaking into Brandon Henley’s residence in Andros where he is also said to have stolen $80 in cash on September 17.

In court, Gibson pleaded not guilty to all three charges.Denied bail, he was placed on remand at the

Bahamas Department of Correctional Services (BDCS).Gibson’s trial is set to begin on December 12.

The second man, Elna than Flowers, 28, faced Magistrate Kara TurnquestDeveaux on charges of housebreaking and stealing.

Between August 21-22, Flowers is alleged to have broken into Linda Smith’s residence on Talbot Avenue in Nassau Village. There, he is said to have stolen $65 in cash.Incourt, Flowers pleaded not guilty to the charges.

As there was no objec tion to bail, the defendant’s police bail of $2,000 was extended.Flowers’s trial will start on November 25.

BAIL GRANTED IN DEATH THREAT CASE

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Court Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A MAN was granted bail in Magistrate’s Court yes terday after threatening to kill a woman and damaging herDenekophone. Deveaux, 27, stood before Senior Mag istrate Carolyn Vogt-Evans on charges of threats of death, damage and disor derly behaviour in a police station.Deveaux is accused of threatening to kill Raven Jones on September 20 at Kingston Street. He is also accused of damaging

Jones gold iPhone XS Max, valued at $379.

The accused was further said to have acted in a dis orderly manner while being detained at Wulff Road Sta tion at 4pm that same day.

The accused pleaded not guilty in court.

As there was no objec tion, Deveaux was granted $4,000 bail for the threats of death and damage charge and an additional $100 for the disorderly behav iour charge. Under the conditions of his bail he is expected to sign in at Wulff RoadDeveaux’sStation.trial is set to begin on February 9, 2023.

Speakers announced for Journey Home events

A HOST of speakers are to take part in events to mark October as African Holocaust Month, organ ised by Journey Home Group International.Theyinclude Dr Guy C Jeanty, university professor, mental health counsellor, marriage and family ther apist, and certified family mediator; and Dr Elaine Ferguson, a pioneer in the integrative and holistic medicine. Also featured is Dr Philippe Mat thews, host of the Philippe Matthews show, and co-author of Chicken Soup for the Soul.

The Journey Home Group Inter national will delve into Africa’s past, examine its present and chart the future of the people of African descent. Participants are antici pated from all over the world - not only to discuss African heritage and culture, but join in live celebra tions, music, food, entertainment and

In-personeducation.and hybrid events will take place, including in Nassau, Baha mas, where Dr Cleveland W Eneas II, also known as Pastor Anku Sa Ra of the Holy Qubtic Church, will host the events on October 15.

There will also be events in Green ville, South Carolina on October 2; the United Kingdom on October 22; and Trinidad on October 29. Each event will include an online element.

Topics include: ‘Your Cultural Immune System’; ‘Addicted to the Beat - Does Your Frequency Con trol You?’; ‘The Medical Apartheid that Still Exists’; and ‘Breaking the Chains of Miseducation and False Indoctrination’.IntheUSA, experts include Dr Dyas Tucker, Dr Nicole Ford, Steven

ATTENDEES include, clockwise from top left, Dr Phillippe Matthews, Dr Guy C Jeanty, Pastor Anku Sa Ra, and Dr Elaine Ferguson.

M Matthews, Mandrill Montgomery, and Diemiruaya Deniran, renown director and screenwriter. In the UK, panel experts include Dr Horace Wright, Dr Karen Hylton, and Diana Powell. Dr Sherline Chase will help to lead events in Trinidad.

A digital “Wall of Remembrance” will be erected during African Holo caust Month. Rev Dr AJ Varmah, Basesh (Bishop), of the Holy Qubtic Church, said the wall will be a vir tual sacred space to remember the departed. It will feature the names of great individuals, many of whom

would never have been heard of, but deserve to be commemorated and dignified.Tohave a loved one posted on this memorial wall, email the name(s) of those departed loved ones to wallof remeberance@gmail.com. To attend the virtual events, visit www.journey homegroup.com and tune in to events occurring every Saturday during the month of RegisterOctober.online, and use these hashtags on all social media platforms: #endourHolocaust; #fightbackagain stourholocaust; and #itmustend.

THE NECESSITY OF MEMORY, RITUAL AND SYMBOLS IN CIVIC LIFE

THE pomp, pag eantry, mythology and history marking the period of mourning and state funeral of Queen Eliza beth II were fascinating to observe and moving on many levels, a sort of magi cal and solemn theatre with certainManypurpose.rightly paid trib ute to her extraordinary life, even those who are not monarchists, and includ ing many who recognize the central role the Brit ish monarchy played in the imperial conquests and brutal colonisation by the United Kingdom.

But history is complex and multidimensional. The events surrounding the death and commemoration of the life of the late queen, telegraphed to billions and meticulously and brilliantly choreographed by the Brit ish state, were resplendent in Observers,meaning. whether ordinary citizen or keen observer of such events, were taken by the depth of meaning, the plenitude of symbolism and the richness and reach of memory in the rituals of state for the pass ing of the Monarch.

It has been many years since most of the world has experienced such spectacular and elaborate ceremonial displays rang ing from processions to the lying-in-state of Queen Elizabeth to her funeral, all of which were both exalted and simple. The funeral was viewed by 37.5 million people in the UK and four billion worldwide.

Her elegant funeral lasted approximately an hour. In The Bahamas, except for perhaps a few churches, an hour into a funeral is much nearer the beginning than the end of a final farewell.

The finest ceremo nies recognise the proverbial “less is more”. Here at home, we often tend to jam-pack events with meaningless excess:

of Canter

bury Justin Welby’s sermon at the late Queen’s funeral was less than ten minutes.

He spoke of her long life but more importantly of Christian hope and the the ology of the resurrection.

He was self-effacing, not self-referential and seeking to entertain as do some preach ers in The Bahamas at church services and state events. He understood the moment, the rituals, the meaning of a Christian funeral, especially that of the Monarch.

When a religious min ister, public servant or political leader does not understand the moment, the meaning of a ritual or history, their words and actions are typically empty, a sort of ersatz entertain ment mostly displaying egoism and ignorance.

ESSENTIAL

The lying-in-state of the late Queen was an essential ritual in the passing of the Monarch. Thousands queued for approximately five miles and up to 24-hours along the south bank of the River Thames, in chilly weather in the evening, to view the Queen’s coffin and to pay herTherespect.coffin sat atop the raised catafalque in the grand Westminster Hall, below its 11th century

medieval timber roof in the Palace of Westminster, which is at the heart of the British government. This signified the juxtaposition and constitutional relation ship between monarch and parliament.Hercoffin was draped in the Royal standard, a banner with four quadrants, with representations of England, Northern Ireland and

becameThecoffin?Queen’stoaformanyqueuewalksfromold,youngfeatured.Walesprincipality,tionallyisBecauseScotland.itconstituaisnotWhywouldandBritonsmanyoflife,forhourslessthanminuteviewthequeueitsown

and inspire new genera tions. Memory and history are easily lost.

Even as the Queen’s pass ing was a unifying moment in many ways, the Britain she leaves behind is more diverse and divided than when she ascended the throne. It is quite possible that Scotland will become an independent country.

‘It has been many years since most of the world has exaltedwhichherQueenlying-in-stateprocessionsrangingceremonialandsuchexperiencedspectacularelaboratedisplaysfromtotheofElizabethtofuneral,allofwerebothandsimple.’

entity cum event, a living memorial of grief and gratitude: quiet, respectful, dignified, civil.

The queue was reminis cent of similar large-scale events, including that of the queues to view the coffins of Pope John Paul II and Nelson Mandela.

BYGONE ERA

Those on the queue in the UK recognised they were part of something grander than themselves, participants in an historic moment. The participants were likely also mourn ing a certain bygone era. Tellingly, the very same people who are likely the most ardent Brexiters are also likely the more ardent monarchists.Still,those on the line and throughout the United Kingdom, paid respect to the Queen for her devotion to duty, service, life of sac rifice and unifying presence.

Civic rituals serve as his tory lessons, a renewal of shared citizenship and the inculcation of meaning for new generations. Countries must continually educate

Still, a state funeral was not solely about the roundingeventsstudymemory.totogetherbinddesignedexperiencesharedcommonthroughconnectedthenation-state,aboutItdeparted.isequallythecollective,atoapeopleandcreatenewAsemioticofthesurthe

Queen’s passing disclosed a treasury of signs and symbols about nationhood, British history, the monarchy and parliamentary government.

The commitment to continuity and change were writ large and in tell ing detail. The flowers on the Queen’s coffin were chosen by her son and successor, each flower signi fying meaning, memory and continuity.

REMEMBRANCE

The rosemary repre sented remembrance, the sweet pea, a favorite of the monarch, was the flower of her month of birth. “The English oak symbolise[d] strength, a nod to the Queen’s constancy and steadfast duty.”

As reported in the UK, the myrtle on the late Monarch’s coffin, a symbol of a happy marriage, “was cut from a plant grown from a sprig of myrtle that was originally included in the Queen’s wed ding bouquet in 1947”.

The British Monarchy, with its ancient traditions and contemporary neces sities are imbued with a

deep sense of the role of memory, vital for continuity and meaningful and neces saryEliechange.Wiesel, the late Nobel Prize winner, author and Holocaust sur vivor, wrote insistently of the necessity and role of memory. In his Nobel Prize address he explained: “Without memory, our existence would be barren and opaque, like a prison cell into which no light pen etrates; like a tomb which rejects the living… For me, hope without memory is like memory without hope.”

Last week’s column dis cussed the importance of continuity. Here at home, how well do we ensure civic continuity and promote the preservation of memory in civic life and government?

CIVICS

Most Bahamians learn the pledge of allegiance and the national anthem, and are typically respectful during the playing of the latter. But we are woefully ignorant of basic civics.

This includes quite a number elected to parliament in various governments who are egre giously ignorant about our Constitution and the history of parliamentary democracy.During our upcom ing 50th anniversary of independence, the govern ment may wish to create a number of engaging public education pieces on basic civics which can be replayed on social media, ZNS and the parliamentary channel.

It is disturbing how poorly we follow vari ous protocols because of a certain persistent dysfunc tion and a lack of memory in the public service. For many years, it seemed as if we could not even get the Order of Precedence cor rect for public events.

Despite 50 years of inde pendence, many public events often seem make shift and incompetently organized as if we are con ducting an event for the first time. Our political lead ers have also sometimes caused harm to the sense of

continuity.Weseem to play musical chairs with the appointment of the Governor General. The decision in 1992 for Sir Clif ford Darling to go on vacation rather than have him read the Speech from the Throne was a mistake. It was not an act of politicalEverymaturity.timeanew govern ment comes to office, many expect a new Governor General to be appointed. We should try to avoid the perception that the occu pant is a PLP or FNM head of state. Thankfully, none of them has been egregiously partisan in office.

Jamaica has been inde pendent since 1962, 11 years earlier than The Bahamas, yet they have only had eight governors general, two of whom acted for short periods.

Sir Clifford Campbell served for ten years, Sir Florizel Glasspole for 17 years, Sir Howard Cooke for 14 years and Sir Ken neth Hall for three years. The incumbent, Sir Patrick Allen, who has served 13 years, has been in office for four

“Without memory, there is no culture. Without memory, there would be no civilisa tion, no society, no future.”

– Elie Wiesel, Holocaust Survivor

too many songs, too many overblown speeches and tributes, and more for the sake of Archbishopmore.

THE HEARSE travels along the Long Walk as it makes its way to Windsor Castle, on the day of the state funeral and burial of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth, in Windsor.

Photo: Carl Recine/AP

Biden’s berecordimmigrationinflationage,andtotested

POLITICIANS are quite comfortable lobbing verbal grenades at an incumbent president of the opposing party, and the current crop of Republican office holders and job seekers is no differ ent. In the steady, numbing drumbeat of GOP criti cisms of Joe Biden and his administration, the loudest seems to be about his age. He is 79 years old. Even the Democrats must concede that Biden is, actually, old. He’s less than four years older than Donald Trump, but let’s face it: He looks a good deal older than the Trump we are accustomed to see on the campaign trail or even playing at one of his golfButcourses.apart from Biden’s age, what deficiencies of the current administra tion are GOP candidates campaigning against these days? According to recent polling, the biggest issue by far is inflation, which has continued to grow in recent

After Biden’s age and inflation, what’s next on the Republican list? It’s the current

better about their and their coun try’s prospects. Biden’s approval ratings have risen by 30 percent in the past couple of months.

One can argue about the roots of the current inflation, and some Dem ocrats are still blaming it on Trump’s consistent and very un-Republican deficit spending profligacy. But Biden was elected to the presidency nearly two years ago. By this point in his administration, he owns inflation. He is advised by lots of smart people with fancy gradu ate degrees in economics and finance, but if eco nomics is still an imprecise social science designed essentially to forecast human spending and saving behaviour, Biden’s ability to directly impact inflation is rather severely limited.

too, but they are less fre quently in the public eye. No GOP president since Eisenhower has spent much publicised time in this fancy place, which is also the scene in 1969 of Senator Ted Kennedy’s infamous bad driving incident in which a female campaign aide died. Kennedy report edly drove off the road into the water, left the scene of the accident and didn’t even report it until the following morning nine hours later. He got a two-month sus pended sentence.

Back to Biden and his immigration policy. During the 2020 campaign, it was pretty clearly enunciated as follows: “Joe Biden understands the plight of immigrants, who come to this country with little more than the clothes on their backs, the hope in their heart, and a desire to claim their own piece of the American Dream. It’s the reason we have constantly been able to renew our selves, to grow better and stronger as a nation, and to meet new challenges. Immigration is essential to who we are as a nation, our core values, and our aspirations for our future. Under a Biden Administra tion, we will never turn our backs on who we are or that which makes us uniquely and proudly American. The United States deserves an immigration policy that reflects our highest values as a Duringnation.”his first day in office, Biden reversed many of Trump’s policies on immigration, such as halt ing the construction of his predecessor’s “magnificent border wall” and ending Trump’s ban on travel from over a dozen foreign

nations. However, Biden has not rescinded a Trump administration border restriction that became practicable due to COVID19 public health concerns. Title 42 (of the US code) prohibits asylum seekers from lawfully petitioning for asylum in the United States, as well as expedit ing the return of families to Central America, if it can be demonstrated that their journey originated or passed through areas of high COVID incidence.

Implementation of Title 42 can cause families to be repatriated within weeks,

compared to years for an average immigration case.

Biden’s Centres for Disease Control has repu diated Title 42. But despite scientific advances in preventing and treating COVID-19, border officials have reportedly continued applying Title 42, expelling thousands of asylum-seek ing migrants each month over the span of two years.

According to some com mentators, this accounts for over 75 percent of expul sions under the Biden policyadministration.Thishelter-skelterhasinspiredlittle

confidence or praise. During fiscal year 2021, the US Border Patrol reported more than 1.6 million encounters with migrants along the USMexico border, more than quadruple the number in the previous fiscal year and the largest annual total on record. While the actions of Abbott and DeSantis are widely criticized as opportunistic stunts that further vic timize hapless migrants, they do keep the public spotlight on what may be Biden’s weakest policy point.Early in his adminis tration, Biden assigned immigration reform to Vice-President Kamala Harris. It may not be fair to blame her for this admin istration’s failure so far to develop a cogent, coher ent immigration policy, but she has had little visible positive impact on this frag mented policy so far.

WHILE the world watched the final journey of Queen Elizabeth II to her final resting place at Windsor Castle just to the west of London, the Euro pean Union, and Germany in particular, continue to scramble to try to protect their industry and citizenry from the anticipated devas tation of a near or complete Russian natural gas cutoff as winter Accordingapproaches.to news reports, European Commis sion president Ursula von der Leyen has issued a call for “a mandatory target for reducing electricity use”, a “cap on the revenues” of low-cost energy pro ducers, and a “solidarity contribution” for fossil fuel producers.Thismeans rationing, price controls and excess profits taxes. Von der Leyen has said that Europeans

“have to be proactive. We have to prepare for a poten tial disruption of Russian gas. And this is a likely sce nario. That’s what we’ve seen in the past”. Russia supplies an esti mated 30 percent of natural gas that fuels German elec tricity production and heating for homes. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz wrote in an op-ed in the German press in July that “when Putin cuts gas sup plies, he uses energy as a weapon. Not even the Soviet Union did that during the Cold War”.

Germany remains Europe’s largest economy and arguably its conti nental economic engine room. It has signed new gas import deals with the US and Qatar. Some coal-fired power plants are back on line and the government in Berlin is

reportedly considering every option at its disposal under the assumption that Russian economic blackmail in the form of suspending all gas trans missions is likely.

This morning, a severe energy crisis is looming in Europe. A food crisis is already at hand in Africa and the Middle East. Putin is again ratting his nuclear saber. What is next?

with Charlie Harper

PRESIDENT Joe Biden speaks during the Global Fund’s Seventh Replenishment Conference in New York yesterday.Photo: Evan Vucci/AP what’sinflation,nexton the the

Small island, huge impact - historical facts and truths about Taiwan

By DAI toChineseQINGLIambassadorTheBahamas

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s recent visit to Taiwan was provocative, reckless and dangerous. The visit, which was the cul mination of misguided US moves to challenge China’s core national interests, left the political foundations of China-US relations shaken and drew an expectedly strong reaction from China.

The visit also revealed a routine lack of histori cal knowledge and respect for other people’s feelings among the American politi calUnderstandingelite. the his tory of the Taiwan question, its cardinal importance to the 1.4 billion people in China, and its centrality to the most consequential bilateral relationship in the world today is crucial for deciphering current devel opments in objective and balanced ways.

We will now go back in time and examine the ori gins of the Taiwan question and the one-China princi ple, trace their evolution in the context of China-U.S. relations and cross-Strait interactions, and assess where the situation is headed in a three-part series in these pages.

One country, one people Taiwan is the largest island of China, known as the “treasured island of the motherland”. It lies on the western edge of the Pacific Ocean and faces Fujian Province to the west through the Taiwan Strait, the narrowest point of which is only 80 miles, with some of the outlying islets of Taiwan just a few miles from the coast of Fujian.

The Taiwan Strait is part of a busy international shipping lane. Almost all the maritime traffic to and from China’s eastern coast and the Sea of Japan pass through it.

The island covers an area

of 36,000 square kilometers, slightly bigger than Belgium and smaller than Switzer land, and has a population of 23

Themillion.people of Taiwan are descended from the same Chinese ancestry and cul tural roots as those on the mainland. Ninty-eight per cent of Taiwanese are Han Chinese speaking the same language as their brothers and sisters on the mainland, and they speak the dialect of southern Fujian. People across the Taiwan-Strait learn from the same ancient Chinese classics and cel ebrate the same festivals.

The mainland is now Taiwan’s largest trading partner, and Taiwan the mainland’s eighth largest trading partner and third largest source of imports. In 2021, according to data by Taiwan, its exports to the mainland accounted for nearly 30% of Taiwan’s total exports, and its invest ment in the mainland over 30% of its total off-island investment.More than 150,000 Taiwan residents live on the mainland today. They increasingly enjoy the same treatments as their main land compatriots, including having social security accounts. The year 2019 saw 9 million visits made

between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait.

Lost and regained Taiwan has been part of China since ancient times. A large number of histori cal records document the development of Taiwan by the Chinese people in earlier periods. One of the earliest references was found in Seaboard Geo graphic Gazetteer compiled in 230 AD by scholar Shen Ying of the State of Wu.

The royal court of the Sui Dynasty (581-619 AD) had on three occasions sent troops to Taiwan, called Liuqiu at that time. Since the Song (960-1279 AD) and Yuan (1270-1368 AD) dynasties, the government of China set up adminis trative bodies to exercise jurisdiction over Taiwan.

In 1624, Dutch colonial ists invaded and occupied the southern part of Taiwan, only to be expelled in 1662 by General Zheng Cheng gong who was hailed as a national hero. The Qing court set up the Taiwan prefecture in 1684 under the jurisdiction of Fujian Province to strengthen its control over the island. In 1885, Taiwan’s status was upgraded to be the 20th province of China.

In 1895, the Qing court,

which was defeated by Japan in a maritime war, was forced to cede Taiwan and the Penghu Islands to Japan. Yet the long suffering Taiwan people were never forgotten. While resisting Japanese aggression, leader of the Communist Party of China Chairman Mao Zedong said to American journal ist Nym Wales in May 1937 that China’s goal was to “achieve a final victory in the war that would recover the occupied Chinese ter ritories and secure the liberation of Taiwan”.

In December 1943, China, the United States and the United Kingdom, as allied powers during WWII, issued the Cairo Declaration which stated that “It was the purpose of the three allies that all the territories Japan had stolen from China, such as North east China, Taiwan and the Penghu Islands, should be restored to China”. The Potsdam Proclamation signed by the three coun tries in July 1945 reiterated: “The terms of the Cairo Declaration shall be carried out.”In September of the same year, Japan signed the instrument of surrender. In October the Chinese gov ernment announced that it was resuming the exercise of sovereignty over Taiwan, and the ceremony to accept Japan’s surrender in Taiwan Province of the China war theater of the allied powers was held in Taibei (Taipei).

From that day on, China had recovered Taiwan de jure and de facto.

On October 1, 1949, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) was founded, becoming the successor to the Republic of China (ROC, 1912-1949). As a natural result, the govern ment of the PRC should enjoy and exercise China’s full sovereignty, which includes its sovereignty overDespiteTaiwan.the protracted political stand-off across the Taiwan Strait, the

sovereignty and territory of China have never been divided, and Taiwan’s status as part of China’s territory has never changed.

Separation Taiwan became an issue as the result of Chi na’s civil war and foreign interference.Duringthe war of resist ance against Japanese aggression (1931-1945), the Communist Party of China formed a united front with the then ruling Party the Kuomintang to fight Japanese imperialists.

After victory over Japan, the Kuomintang headed by Chiang Kai-shek, turned their guns on the Com munists and launched an all-out civil war.

Chiang thought victory was in the bag, as his army was more than three times bigger than the Commu nists’ and he had American backing of money, weapons and advisers. Yet his regime had long lost the support of the Chinese people due to its utter corruption and ineptitude. The government of the “Republic of China” in Nanjing was thus over thrown and the People’s Republic of China was pro claimed in October 1949.

Chiang retreated to Taiwan and created the division across the Taiwan Strait that has persisted to thisTheday. US adopted a policy of isolation and containment of the newly established People’s Repub lic. When the Korean War broke out in June 1950, President Truman ordered the Seventh Fleet into the Taiwan Strait and the U.S. 13th Air Force to set up base in Taiwan. In Decem ber 1954 the U.S. further concluded with the Taiwan authorities a so-called mutual defense treaty plac ing China’s Taiwan under U.S. “protection”. Hence forth Taiwan became a major issue between China and the United States.

Belated justice Although overthrown by the Chinese people and having retreated to Taiwan, the Kuomintang regime has continued to use the desig nation “Republic of China” and to occupy China’s seat at the United Nations due to the US hostile policy toward New China.

The Government of the PRC worked tena ciously for many years to build international sup port for the resumption of its lawful seat at the UN.

Finally, at its 26th Ses sion in October 1971, the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolu tion 2758, which undertook “to restore all its rights to the People’s Republic of China and to recognise

the representatives of its Government as the only legitimate representatives of China to the United Nations, and to expel forthwith the representa tives of Chiang Kai-shek from the place which they unlawfully occupy at the United Nations and in all the organisations related to Thisit”. resolution settled once and for all the politi cal, legal and procedural issues of China’s represen tation in the UN, which covered the whole country, including Taiwan. It also spelled out that China has one single seat in the UN, so there is no such thing as “two Chinas” or “one China, one Taiwan”.

One China only

On the day of its found ing, the government of the PRC declared to all coun tries in the world, “This government is the sole legitimate government rep resenting the entire people of the People’s Republic of China. It is ready to estab lish diplomatic relations with all foreign govern ments that are willing to abide by the principles of equality, mutual benefit and mutual respect for each other’s territorial integrity andTosovereignty.”thisday,all China’s diplomatic relationships have been predicated on the recognition of the gov ernment of the PRC as the sole legal government representing the whole of China, and on severing or refraining from establishing diplomatic relations with the Taiwan authorities.

Up to now, 181 coun tries have established diplomatic relations with the PRC on the basis of the one-China principle and they handle relations with Taiwan within the oneChina framework, whereby only unofficial economic and cultural links are maintained.Pelosi’svisit to Taiwan has nothing to do with ide ology and everything to do with challenging China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.Taiwan is central to the Chinese people’s concep tion of national identity and righting an historical wrong. The Chinese people have had painful memo ries of their country losing territory to invading imperi alist powers in all directions since modern times.

If there’s one thing that unites the 1.4 billion Chinese people, it is the profound yearning for the reunification of China and the firm resolve to safe guard national sovereignty and territorial integrity. The will of 1.4 billion people should never be taken lightly.

KYIV, AssociatedUkrainePress

RUSSIAN President Vladimir Putin ordered a partial mobilisation of reservists yesterday, taking a risky and deeply unpopular step that follows humiliating setbacks for his troops nearly seven months after invading Ukraine.

The first such call-up in Russia since World War II heightened tensions with Ukraine’s Western backers, who derided it as an act of weakness and desperation.

The move also sent some Russians scrambling to buy plane tickets to flee the country, and others into the streets to stage anti-war demonstrations.Inhis14-minute nation ally televised address, Putin also warned the West that he isn’t bluffing about using everything at his disposal to protect Russia — an appar ent reference to his nuclear arsenal. He has previously told the West not to back Russia against the wall and has rebuked NATO coun tries for supplying weapons to ConfrontedUkraine. with steep battlefield losses, expand ing front lines and a conflict that has raged longer than expected, the Kremlin has struggled to replenish its troops in

Ukraine, reportedly even resorting to widespread recruitment in prisons.

The total number of reservists to be called up could be as high as 300,000, officials said. However, Putin’s decree authorizing the partial mobilisation, which took effect immedi ately, offered few details, raising suspicions that the draft could be broadened at any moment. Notably, one clause was kept secret.

Despite Russia’s harsh laws against criticising the military and the war, pro testers outraged by the mobilisation overcame their fears of arrest to stage street protests in several cities across the country.

More than 800 Russians were arrested in anti-war demonstrations in 37 cities, including Moscow and St Petersburg, according to the independent Rus sian human rights group OVD-Info.Associated Press journal ists in Moscow witnessed at least a dozen arrests in the first 15 minutes of a night time protest in the capital, with police in heavy body armor tackling demonstra tors in front of Moscow shops, hauling some away as they chanted, “No to war!”“I’m not afraid. I’m not afraid of anything. The

most valuable thing that they can take from us is the life of our children. I won’t give them life of my child,” said one Muscovite, who declined to give her name. Asked whether protest ing would help, she said: “It won’t help, but it’s my civic duty to express my stance. No to war!”

In Yekaterinburg, Rus sia’s fourth-largest city, police hauled onto buses some of the 40 protesters who were detained at an anti-war rally. One woman in a wheelchair shouted, referring to the Russian president: “Goddamn baldheaded ‘nut job’. He’s going to drop a bomb on us, and we’re all still protecting him. I’ve said enough.”

The Vesna opposition movement called for pro tests, saying: “Thousands of Russian men — our fathers, brothers and hus bands — will be thrown into the meat grinder of the war. What will they be dying for? What will moth ers and children be crying for?”As protest calls circulated online, the Moscow pros ecutor’s office warned that organising or participating in such actions could lead to up to 15 years in prison. Authorities issued similar warnings ahead of other protests recently.

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, centre, walks with Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Joseph Wu, left, as she arrives in Taipei, Taiwan, last week. Photo: Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs via AP

Jonquel Jones leads her team at FIBA World Cup

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

Justdays after her WNBA season came to an end, Jonquel Jones returns to international play with Bosnia and Her zegovina at the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup.Jones and her side are among the top 12 wom en’s national teams in the world, competing at the tournament September 22 to October 1 in Sydney, Australia.BIHwill play in Group A that also includes Belgium, China, Puerto Rico, Korea, and USA. They open

competition against Puerto Rico today at 2:30pm, fol lowed by a Friday matchup against China, Saturday against Korea, Monday against Belgium and Tues day against the United States.Atthe end of the Group Phase, the top four teams of each group will advance to the Final Phase.

A draw will deter mine the pairings of the Quarter-Finals.Thetwo best-ranked teams of each group (group A and group B) will be drawn against the two teams ranked third and fourth of the other group.

The USA has won the World Cup 10 times, fol lowed by the Soviet Union

By DOUG FEINBERG AP Basketball Writer

SYDNEY (AP) —

Brittney Griner’s absence is weighing on the minds of her USA Basketball team mates, who are trying to fill the void created by her absence as they prepare for the FIBA World Cup. The Americans are expected to win without the 6-foot-8 Griner, but replacing her spirit and impact on and off the court is a challenging task.

Griner starred for the US in the past two Olym pics, but she is not with the team in Australia.

The 31-year-old centre is 9,000 miles away in a Russian jail after being sentenced last month to nine years in prison for drug possession.

“I think we’re missing the fun-loving person that she was,” US star Breanna Stewart said. “Someone who could bring a group

together and was able to hold a conversation with anybody and that shows how grounded she is.

“The way she cared about people is something you don’t see all the time, especially in superstars. We miss her and we hope she’ll be home soon.”

US players are keeping Griner in their thoughts by having no one wear her No. 15. For years, the Americans wore jersey numbers 4-15.

In the World Cup, they will use 4-14 and No. 16 — which Brionna Jones will wear.“The best way to honour her was to not give her number out,” USA Bas ketball CEO Jim Tooley told The Associated Press.

“I put it to our staff and they liked the idea. Our numbering system is very sacred to us and we’ve only used four to 15 in the his tory of our organisation. Now we’re giving out 16 because we don’t want to give away Brittney’s 15 since she would have been here. It’s a small way to pay homage to her and that we’re thinking of her.”

Tooley said he sent an email to Griner through her lawyers a short while ago to let her know what USA Basketball was doing.He has known Griner since 2013 when she first

qualification. Jones led BIH to a 1-1 record and was named TISSOT MVP and a member of the AllTournament team at the World Cup Qualifying Tournament last February in Osaka, Japan.

She averaged 25.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game while shooting 52 percent from the field and 44 percent from three.

In game one, she fin ished with 15 points, five rebounds, five assists and two steals in a 96-64 loss to Canada.In the tournament clincher, she finished with 36 points and 23 rebounds in an 87-82 win over the host country. She shot

14-24 from the field, 2-6 from three-point range and also added four assists in 39 minutes.Jones continues to lead BIH to a series of mile stones for their national team programme. She led the team to an historic fithplace finish at Women’s EuroBasket 2021 and con tinued that dominance at the Eurobasket 2023 Qual ifiers last November.

She finished with 30 points and 17 rebounds in an 80 -64 win over North Macedonia and a career high 44 points and 22 rebounds in her team’s 87-81 win over Belgium.

BIH enters the World Cup

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

A PAIR of Bahamian minor league baseball play ers achieved another career milestone with promotions to the Arizona Fall League. Pittsburgh Pirates pros pect Tahnaj Thomas will join the Surprise Saguaros while Chicago Cubs pros pect BJ Murray was named to the roster of the Mesa Solar Sox for the upcoming season.The Saguaros include prospects from the Pirates, Philadelphia Phillies, Texas Rangers, Kansas City Royals, and Hou ston Astros. The Solar Sox includes Cubs, Miami Mar lins, Oakland Athletics, Tampa Bay Rays, and New York Yankees prospects.

The AFL begins play on October 3 in various cities in Arizona. Sixteen of MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 prospects are included on those ros ters, including four of the Top 20. Each Major League Baseball team sends six top prospects to the AFL, 180 players in all.

The games are played in the Spring Training stadi ums used by the Mariners, Padres, Cubs, A’s, D-backs, andTheRockies.league attracts many of the top prospects in the minor leagues. Late in the minor league seasons, MLB clubs hold a position draft to determine the players who will participate in the AFL. Most are Double-A and Triple-A players.

The league is designed for these prospects to refine their skills and perform in game settings in front of major and minor league baseball scouts and team executives, who are in attendance at almost every game.Several Bahamians have advanced to the AFL in recent history, includ ing Champ Stuart in 2016, Anfernee Seymour in 2017, Jasrado “Jazz” Chisholm Jr, Lucius Fox in 2018

Federer’s goodbye will be in doubles, maybe with Nadal

By HOWARD FENDRICH AP Tennis Writer

LONDON (AP) — Roger Federer is known for his elegant style of play, for his longevity, for his 20 Grand Slam titles — and for occasional tears in his most emotional post-match moments, whether after vic tory or Theredefeat.was none of that sort of sadness yester day, just smiles and some chuckles at his own jokes, as Federer appeared at a news conference to discuss his retirement from profes sional tennis at age 41 after a series of knee operations.

He will close his career with a doubles match at the Laver Cup on Friday — perhaps alongside longtime rival Rafael Nadal.

Federer said he is now at peace with the decision to walk away, which comes a few weeks after Serena Williams played what is expected to be her last match at the US Open, and he wants this farewell to be

a celebration. “I really don’t want it to be a funeral,” Federer said.

“I want it to be really happy and powerful and partyWearingmode.”a blue blazer with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and a white polo shirt, Federer took questions for about a halfhour at the arena that will host the team competition founded by his manage ment“I’mcompany.nervous going in, because I haven’t played in so long,” he said.

“I hope I can be some what atdownbe,”wasn’talsotingturnbelieveintoyougetting...feellevelaboutsurgerytioninafterunderstoodfromtotookafterthatlastFederer,competitive.”whoannouncedweekviasocialmediahewouldberetiringtheLaverCup,saidithimabittogetusedtheideaofsteppingawaycompetition.ButitwassomethingheheneededtodorunningintosetbacksJulyduringhisrehabilitafromwhatwashisthirdonhisrightkneein11/2years.“Youtrytogotothenextintraining,andIcoulditwasgettingdifficult.Then,Iguess,Iwasalsomoretired,becausehavetoputmoreeffortittobeabletosortofthatitwasgoingtoaround.Youstartgettoopessimistic.ThenIgotascanback,whichwhatIwantedittoFedererexplained.“Atsomepoint,yousitandgo,‘OK,weareanintersectionhere,ata

BRITTNEY

ROGER FEDERER

with five while Brazil and Australia have each won

once.Jones delivered a series of spectacular perfor mances en route to leading BIH to World Cup 2022

BAHAMIAN players emerged as breakout stars for Team Britain route country’s first-ever qualification for the World Baseball Classic. Veteran out fielder Anfernee Seymour led the tournament in several offensive categories while D’Shawn Knowles had one of the team’s best offensive performances in the finale in Regensburg, Germany. Seymour quickly became a fan favourite for his exuberant personality and play-making ability on the basepaths. He led the postgame team celebrations when he raced around the field with the Union Jack and planted the flag pole near home plate.

Photo: Great Britain Baseball SEE THE FULL STORY ON PAGE 15

JONQUEL JONES (AP)

JUDGE DOUBLES

TWICE, STAYS AT 60 HOMERS AS ROUTYANKEESBUCS

NEW YORK (AP) —

Aaron Judge disappointed fans by staying stuck at 60 homers but doubled twice and scored on Oswaldo Cabrera’s first-inning grand slam that started the New York Yankees to a 14-2 rout of the Pittsburgh Pirates lastJudgenight.doubled on the first pitch to him in the first and fifth innings. Given another time up during an eight-run eighth inning, Judge walked on four pitches from rookie Eric Stout as the sellout crowd of 46,175 booed loudly.Cabrera and Gleyber Torres had five RBIs each. Torres homered twice in the eighth inning, raising his season total to 23.

Luis Severino (6-3) returned from a strained right lat muscle that had sidelined him since July 13 and allowed one run and two hits in five innings with sixPiratesstrikeouts.rookie Roansy Contreras (5-5) struck out a career-high 10, allowing six runs and six hits in 4 2/3 innings.

BREWERS 6, METS 0

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Pinch-hitter Mike Brosseau greeted Drew Smith with a grand slam in the pitcher’s return from two months on the injured list and Milwau kee beat NL East-leading NewWillyYork.Adames hit a goahead home run in the sixth against Taijuan Walker, his fifth homer in 10 games

and 31st this season for the Brewers, who are chasing Philadelphia for the third and final NL wild-card berth.The Mets maintained a one-game division lead overMarkAtlanta.Canha was hit by pitches twice and Luis Guil lorme once, giving New York a big league record 106 hit batters this season.

Walker (12-5) had allowed only four runners before Adames homered leading off the sixth.

Adrian Houser allowed three hits in 4 2/3 scoreless innings and Hoby Milner, Trevor Gott (3-2), Brad Boxberger, Brent Suter and Cousins combined for onehit relief in the Brewers’ ninth shutout this season.

NATIONALS 3, BRAVES 2

ATLANTA (AP) — Joey Meneses hit a go-ahead, two-run homer off Jesse Chavez in the seventh inning, and Washington stopped Atlanta’s five-game winningRonaldstreak.Acuña Jr drove in an early run and scored another for playoff-bound Atlanta, which remained one game behind the New York Mets in the NL East.

Meneses put Washington up 3-2 with his 10th homer, a 420-foot drive to left for the 30-year-old rookie. Chavez (0-2) worked twothirds of an inning.

Andrés Machado (2-0) pitched a scoreless sixth, Carl Edwards Jr escaped a jam in the eighth and Kyle

Finnegan pitched a perfect ninth for his 11th save in 15 chances.

ORIOLES 8, TIGERS 1

BALTIMORE (AP) — Jordan Lyles threw the second complete game of his career, Kyle Stow ers homered and drove in three runs, and Baltimore avoided its first-ever season sweep by Detroit.

The Orioles snapped a nine-game losing streak to the Tigers dating to last season. Baltimore moved within 4 1/2 games of Tampa Bay in the AL wildcardLylesrace. (11-11) allowed one run with three hits with six strikeouts and no walks with 94 pitches. His previous complete game occurred on Sept. 30,

2012, for Houston against Milwaukee.MattManning (2-3) allowed five runs, three earned, with four strikeouts and a career-tying-high five walks over 5 1/3 innings.

ASTROS 5, RAYS 2 ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Kyle Tucker hit a tiebreaking two-run homer in the eighth inning, Lance McCullers Jr pitched seven effective innings and AL West champion Houston completed a three-game sweep of Tampa Bay.

McCullers (4-1) gave up two runs, six hits, two walks and had eight strikeouts. Tucker drilled his 29th homer into the right-center field stands off Brooks Raley (1-2). Ryan Pressly worked the ninth for his

30th save in 34 chances. Houston second baseman Jose Altuve was hit on the left elbow by Corey Klu ber’s pitch in the fifth and left one inning later with elbow discomfort.

REDS 5, RED SOX 1 CINCINNATI (AP) — Jonathan India and Kyle Farmer each drove in two runs, Donovan Solano added a solo homer and Cincinnati beat Boston at home for the first time since June 13, 2008. India drove in the tie breaking run in Cincinnati’s three-run fifth. The Reds had lost eight straight at home to Boston in their infrequent interleague meetings.Chase Anderson (2-3) gave up three hits and one

run with no walks in five innings, earning his second straight win in his fifth start of the season. Connor Seabold (0-3) threw four wild pitches and hit a batter in five innings while allow ing six hits and four runs.

CUBS MARLINS4, 3

MIAMI (AP) — Ian Happ hit a go-ahead sacri fice fly in the eighth inning and Chicago rallied to beat Miami.Patrick Wisdom hit his 23rd homer for the Cubs, who had only four hits. Down 3-1, the Cubs scored three in the eighth without a hit against Mar lins relievers Steven Okert (5-5) and Dylan Floro. Keegan Thompson (10-5) pitched three scoreless innings of relief.

Suspended Sarver says he’s decided to sell Suns, Mercury

By TIM REYNOLDS AP Basketball Writer

ROBERT Sarver says he has started the process of selling the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mer cury, a move that came barely a week after he was suspended by the NBA over workplace misconduct that included racist speech and hostile behaviour toward employees. The decision was quickly applauded by many

JONQUEL

FROM PAGE 11

ranked at no. 26. The 2022 season ended on a disappointing note for Jonquel Jones and her Connecticut Sun last Sunday when they were defeated by the Las Vegas Aces 78-71 in game four of the WNBA Finals.Jones had a 2022 season to remember fol lowing her 2021 MVP campaign. She was named to the All-WNBA Second Team, the All Defensive Second Team, and received her fourth WNBA All-Star selec tion, voted a starter for a thirdJonestime.led the Sun in points (14.6), rebounds (8.6) and blocks (1.2) per game. Jones hit a pleth ora of career milestones this season, moving into first all-time in blocks (270), third all-time in rebounds (1,633) and sixth all-time in points (2,657) in Connecticut Sun franchise history.

GRINER

FROM PAGE 11

— among them, NBA Commis sioner Adam Silver, the National Basketball Players Association and even Sarver’s partners in the ownership group that operates the Suns and Mercury.

Sarver made the announce ment yesterday, saying selling “is the best course of action,” although he initially hoped he would be able to keep control of the franchises — pointing to his record that, he claims, paints a

and Chavez Fernander in 2021.Fox and his Peoria Jave linas defeated Chisholm’s Salt River Rafters in the 2018 AFL namedperformances.eredMLBorganisationrankedhandERA50.2andfinishedCurveseasonqualificationWorldGreatandCyMostproducedleagues.havecentApproximatelyChampionship.60perofallAFLparticipantsreachedthemajorTheleaguehas278All-Stars,17ValuablePlayers,sixYoungAwardwinners29RookiesoftheYear.ThomasrecentlyhelpedBritaintoanhistoricBaseballClassicandspenthiswiththeAltoonaattheAAlevel.In37gamesthisyear,hewitha5-4recordthreesaves.Hepitchedinnings,witha3.02and52strikeouts.The22-year-old6’5”rightpitcher,iscurrentlyno.29inthePiratesaccordingtoPipeline,hasdelivaseriesofimpressiveThomaswastotheMLBPipeline

came to a US training camp and feels she would have been great with this young team that the Americans have.

“She enjoys every moment and makes everyone around her better,” Tooley said. “From the time she came into the

dramatically different picture of who he is and what he stands for.

“But in our current unforgiving climate, it has become painfully clear that that is no longer pos sible — that whatever good I have done, or could still do, is outweighed by things I have said in the past,” Sarver wrote in a statement.“Forthose reasons, I am begin ning the process of seeking buyers for the Suns and Mercury.”

Prospect Team of the Week for July 4-July 10.

Prior to the season, he was one of the club’s nonroster invitees to major league Spring Training in Bradenton, Florida last month. He spent last season at the High A level for the first time with the Greens boroMurrayGrasshoppers.andhis South Bend Cubs claimed the Midwest League Cham pionship series in High A baseball.TheCubs closed out the Lake County Captains in game three last night at Classic Park in Eastlake, Ohio.Murray hit .545 for the series capped by last night’s 1-3 performance with a run scored in the Cubs’ 7-4 win.

In a game one 11-8 loss, Murray finished 3-4, includ ing a double, and scored two runs. The Cubs won game two 4-3 and Murray doubled again en route to finishing 2-4 with a run scored.The 22-year-old infielder has made a successful transition to High-A base ball and his progression

programme in 2013, she was just such a great presence on and off the court. ... She’s just a good person.”Griner was one of the team’s leading scorers at the Tokyo Olympics, and her 6-foot-8 presence looms large over the US players even without her in Sydney. “It’s on their minds every day. It’s heavy,” USA coach

Silver said he “fully” supports Sarver’s decision. “This is the right next step for the organisa tion and community,” Silver said.

Sarver bought the teams in July 2004 for about $400 million — then a record price for an NBA franchise.Heisnot the lone owner of the Suns and Mercury, but the pri mary one. Suns Legacy Partners LLC, the ownership group, said its work to create a “culture of

respect and integrity” would con tinue. “As we’ve shared with our employees, we acknowledge the courage of the people who came forward in this process to tell their stories and apologise to those hurt,” the partners said.

Assuming no other team is sold in the interim, it would be the first sale in the NBA since a group led by Qualtrics co-founder Ryan Smith bought the Utah Jazz in 2021 for about $1.7 billion.

hit .305, slugged .461 with a .902 OPS, 39 hits, including three home runs, 11 dou bles, 31 runs scored and 25 RBI.Major League Baseball will test several new rule change initiatives in the AFL prior to its debut at the MLB level.

within the Chicago Cubs organisation.Sincethe start of July, Murray is one of only two players in the Midwest League with a batting average over .300 and an on-base percentage over .400.In 56 games with South Bend, Murray hit .273,

Cheryl Reeve said. “It’s really, really heavy, especially as we par ticipate in this USA Basketball competition. She’s such a big part of many of our lives. And so it’s challenging.”Stewart echoed Reeve’s thoughts, saying it will be difficult when the Americans play Bel gium to open the tournament. “I think what’s going be the hardest

slugging .406, with a .794 OPS, with 51 hits, 22 runs scored, eight doubles, five home runs, 28 RBI and eight stolen bases.

Murray began his 2022 season at the Low-A level with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans before he was promoted on June 14. In 39 games with the club, he

part about it is ... that first game, “Stewart said. “When we’re get ting ready to go, when we’re getting our names called out for introductions, and she’s not there.”It’snot just the Americans who are missing Griner in Australia.

Kia Nurse, Griner’s teammate with the Phoenix Mercury and a member of Team Canada for

The pitch timer coming to the Major Leagues in 2023 (15 seconds with bases empty, 20 seconds with runners on) will be imple mented during this year’s Fall League campaign, as will the larger bases and restrictions on defensive positioning (minimum four infielders on the dirt, two on each side of second base).The AFL will also use the Automatic Ball-Strike System (ABS) Challenge at Salt River and Chase Field games. Batters, pitchers and catchers can challenge a ball or strike call imme diately, and the call will be determined by the ABS system.Each side has three challenges per game, and a successful challenge is returned to the club.

the World Cup, was brought to tears when discussing Griner in a media availability this week.

“BG is the best of the best when it comes to human beings,” she said of the eight-time AllStar. “It was a lot this season to not have her on the court, To not have her spirit, her energy around ... and the fact that she’s not home yet is disheartening.”

TAHNAJ THOMAS BJ MURRAY

NEW York Yankees’ Aaron Judge gestures to teammates after hitting a double, next to Pittsburgh Pirates’ Rodolfo Castro during the first inning of a baseball game yesterday in New York.

(AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Pro Picks: Browns not among nine home dogs vs Steelers

By ROB MAADDI AP Pro Football Writer

NINE home teams are underdogs in Week 3.

Behind the Dawg Pound, the Cleveland Browns aren’t among them.

The Browns host the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday night to kick off a week featuring more road favorites than home. Both teams are aiming for a 2-1 start and coming off disap pointing losses.

The Browns, with Jacoby Brissett filling in for Deshaun Watson, are roll ing on the ground behind Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt.The Steelers, with Mitch ell Trubisky replacing the retired Ben Roethlisberger, still haven’t found a rhythm on offense despite a tal ented receiving corps.

The Browns are 4 1/2point favorites over the Steelers, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. That’s too many points in a matchup between bitter AFC North rivals.

The last time the teams met on a Thursday night in 2019, Myles Garrett smashed Mason Rudolph over the head with the quarterback’s helmet.

Expect cooler heads this time around.

BROWNS 20-17 Cincinnati (minus 4 1/2) at New York Jets

Joe Burrow has taken a beating and the defending AFC champions are win less. They’re set up to get back on the winning track against the improved Jets.

BEST BENGALSBET: 30-20

Green Bay (plus 1 1/2) at Tampa Bay

This could be a preview of the NFC championship. Brady and the Buccaneers destroyed the Packers 38-10 in the 2020 regular season and upset them on the road in the conference title game that season on their way to winning the Super Bowl. Tampa is too banged-up to do it again.

UPSET PACKERSSPECIAL:23-20 Baltimore (minus 3) at New England

After a defensive col lapse in the fourth quarter against Miami, the Ravens continue their seasonopening, four-game stretch against the AFC East with a trip to New England. The Patriots are still figuring out their offense while Balti more’s Lamar Jackson is a dynamic difference-maker.

RAVENS 26-20

Buffalo (minus 5 1/2) at TheMiamiBills have steam rolled the defending Super Bowl champion Rams and the Titans, who were the AFC’s No. 1 seed last season. They have a fran chise-best, seven-game win streak over Miami and outscored the Dolphins by a combined 61-11 in two meetings last year. Tua Tagovailoa and the rest of Miami’s high-flying offense will help keep this one close.

BILLS 30-26 New Orleans (minus 3) at TheCarolinaPanthers have lost seven in a row at home, nine straight games over all and coach Matt Rhule’s job status is in danger. The Saints couldn’t knock off the Buccaneers but have to avoid a letdown after an emotional game. Jameis Winston resorted to 2019 form against Tampa. Baker Mayfield is due for his first win with the Panthers if the offense relies on Christian McCaffrey.

PANTHERS 20-19 Kansas City (minus 6 1/2) at PatrickIndianapolisMahomes and the Chiefs are rested after

a Thursday night win over the Chargers. The Colts are embarrassed following a 24-0 loss at Jacksonville.

CHIEFS 27-23 Detroit (plus 5 1/2) at JaredMinnesotaGoffhas Detroit’s offense soaring. The Vikings are coming off a short week following a beatdown in Philadelphia on Monday night.

Kirk Cousins should have an easier time finding Justin Jefferson this time around.

VIKINGS 27-24

Theat(minusPhiladelphia61/2)WashingtonEagles

are flying high after dominating the Vikings. Jalen Hurts has been spectacular, setting up a showdown against Carson Wentz and the Commanders.Theroadteam has won the last three meetings in this division rivalry.

EAGLES 26-20 Las Vegas (minus 2 1/2) at TheTennesseeRaiders are still looking for their first win under Josh McDaniels after wasting a 20-0 halftime lead against Arizona.

The Titans are reel ing and have a short week

following Monday night’s debacle in Buffalo.

RAIDERS 24-20 Houston (plus 2 1/2) at TheChicagoTexans’ inability to finish games has cost them two wins. The Bears ran the ball well in a loss to Green Bay, and should rely on the ground game to take pres sure off Justin Fields.

BEARS 22-17 Jacksonville (plus 7) at Los Angeles Chargers Doug Pederson has not only changed the culture in Jacksonville but has the Jaguars playing like a team that should be in the mix in a wide-open AFC South. The Chargers, led by Justin Herbert, are on another level.

CHARGERS 29-17 Atlanta (plus 1 1/2) at TheSeattleSeahawks are strug gling to score points. The Falcons are staying close but searching for their first win.

SEAHAWKS 20-17 Los Angeles Rams (minus 3 1/2) at TheArizonaRams have been mistake-prone in two games but they’ve won 10 of the last 11 against the

Cardinals, including a play off win last season.

RAMS 28-24

San Francisco (minus 1) at RussellDenverWilson knows San Francisco quite well, and the Broncos have to get their sputtering offense going.The 49ers’ Super Bowl odds improved with Jimmy Garoppolo replacing the injured Trey Lance.

BRONCOS 23-20 Dallas (plus 2 1/2) at New York Giants

The Giants are looking for their first 3-0 start since 2009. Big Blue has reason to get hyped. They’re facing Cooper Rush, who filled in nicely for Dak Prescott in a win over the Bengals.

GIANTS 22-17

2022 RECORD Last Week: Straight up: 10-6. Against spread: 8-8. Season: Straight up: 17-15. Against spread: 14-18.Best Bet: Straight up: 1-0. Against spread: 1-0.

Season: Straight up: 1-1. Against spread: 1-1.

Upset Special: Straight up: 0-1. Against spread: 0-1. Season: Straight up: 0-2. Against spread: 0-2

By The Associated Press

SEPTEMBER 22

1927 — Gene Tunney wins a unanimous 10-round decision over Jack Dempsey at Soldier Field in Chicago to retain his world heavyweight title. The fight is marred by a long 10-count in the seventh round. Demp sey knocks Tunney to the mat, but Dempsey doesn’t go to a neutral corner. The referee doesn’t start counting until four or five seconds after Tunney is down. Tunney regains his feet and goes on to win.

1969 — Willie Mays becomes the second major league player to hit 600 homers with a two-run shot off Mike Corkins, giving the San Francisco Giants a 4-2 victory over the San Diego Padres.

1990 — Illinois’ Howard Griffith sets an NCAA record when he scores eight rushing touchdowns in a 56-21 rout of Southern Illinois. Griffith gets touchdowns on three consecutive car ries in the second quarter and ties an NCAA record with four touchdowns in the third quarter. Grif fith doesn’t play in the fourth quarter. It’s the most points scored in an NCAA game by a player other than a kicker.

1991 — Miami coach Don Shula gets his 300th career victory in the Dol phins’ 16-13 win over Green Bay.

2002 — New England’s Tom Brady completes 39 of 54 passes for 410 yards and throws touchdown passes to four different receivers, leading the Patriots to a 41-38 over time victory over the Kansas City Chiefs.

2007 — Graham Harrell of Texas Tech completes 46 of 67 passes for 646 yards, the fourthbest total in major college history, in a 49-45 loss to Oklahoma State.

2018 — Anthony Joshua retains his IBF, WBO and WBA heavy weight titles by stopping Alexander Povetkin in the seventh round at Wembley Stadium.

Early season downturn in offence avoids Ravens, Dolphins

By JOSH DUBOW AP Pro Football Writer

THE downturn in offence from the first two weeks of the NFL season hasn’t touched all corners of the league with a handful of players and teams put ting up staggering numbers.

Never was that more evident than from Miami’s comeback win at Baltimore last

Scoringweek. and passing efficiency are down signifi cantly from recent years and at their lowest level at this point of the season since 2017, with the 21.4 points per game average down from 24.0 last year at this point and the secondlowest since 2011 to the 20.1 points per game in 2017.

The 90 passer rating across the league is also the lowest through two weeks since the 87.9 in 2017.

But there was plenty of offence on a record-set ting day in Baltimore on Sunday.Tua Tagovailoa threw for 469 yards and six TDs, becoming the ninth quar terback in NFL history to throw for at least 450 yards and six scores in the same game. He joined Patrick Mahomes, Drew Brees, Ben Roethlisberger, Peyton Manning, Matt Flynn, Joe Montana, Joe Namath and Y.A.

HeTittle.got most of his production throwing to

speedsters Tyreek Hill (11 catches for 190 yards and two TDs) and Jaylen Waddle (11 catches for 171 yards and two TDs). They are the first set of team mates to each have at least 170 yards receiving and two touchdowns in the same game.Baltimore’s Lamar Jack son also had a noteworthy day, becoming the first player in NFL history to have a TD pass and a TD run of at least 75 yards in the same Jacksongame.threw for 318 yards and three scores and ran for 119 yards and a TD. Jackson became the first player in NFL history to have multiple games with at least 100 yards rushing and 300 yards passing, also doing it in a playoff loss to Tennessee in the 2019 season.The Ravens and Dol phins weren’t alone in putting up some prolific numbers.JaredGoff and the Lions became the fifth team in the past 10 years to score at least 35 points in each of the first two games joining the 2020 Packers (Aaron Rodgers at QB), the 2020 Seahawks (Russell Wilson), the 2018 Chiefs (Patrick Mahomes) and 2013 Bron cos (Peyton successplayedAmon-RaSecond-yearManning).receiverStBrownhasabigroleinthewith17catchesfor

180 yards and three scores. St Brown has tied an NFL record with eight straight games dating to last season with at least eight catches, joining Antonio Brown (2014) and Michael Thomas (2019).Buffalo receiver Stefon Diggs had his third career game with at last three TD catches and 140 yards receiving. Only Hall of Famers Jerry Rice (seven)

and Randy Moss (four) have more in the Super Bowl

Alsoera.on Monday night, Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts threw for 333 yards and ran for 57 for his third career game with at least 300 yards through the air and 50 on theOnlyground.Steve Young (eight), Josh Allen (five), Wilson (four), and Mike Vick (four) have more of

those games in the Super Bowl era.

DIVISION DOINGS

It was a rough week in the AFC North with all four teams losing on Sunday. This was the ninth time since the start of the eightdivision era in 2002 that all four teams in that division all lost in the same week. It last happened in Week 3 of the 2019 season.

The eight weeks with an 0-4 record for the AFC North are the second most for any division in that span, trailing only the 10 for the NFC West. It has hap pened five times each in the AFC South, NFC East and NFC North, three times in the NFC South, twice in the AFC West and never in the AFC

TheEast.AFC East was on the other side of the equation with all four teams winning, including three head-tohead matchups against the AFC

ThatNorth.was the eighth time all four AFC East teams won in the same week, trail ing only the nine times it has happened in the AFC West. It has happened seven times in the NFC West, five times in the NFC South and NFC East, four times in the NFC North and three times in the AFC North and AFC South.

UNDER PRESSURE

The offseason upgrades to the offensive line in Cin cinnati haven’t helped keep

Joe Burrow clean so far this season.Burrow has been sacked 13 times in the first two games of the season, tied for the fifth most by a player through two games since the merger. Only David Carr (15 in 2002 for Houston), Jeff George (15 in 1998 for Oakland), Dave Krieg (14 in 1982 for Seat tle) and Joe Pisarcik (14 in 1979 for the Giants) had more.Burrow has now been sacked at least five times in 11 of his 32 career starts including the playoffs. In comparison, Tom Brady has been sacked at least five times in 10 of his 367 starts.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK There hasn’t been much to cheer for when it comes to football in the New York City area the last few years with the Giants and Jets posting the worst records in the NFL since the start of 2017.That’s what made Sunday so rare. The Jets rallied from 13 points down in the final two minutes for an improbable win at Cleve land and the Giants beat Carolina at home. That marked the fifth time in the past six seasons that the two teams won in the same week.It also happened in Weeks 4 and 12 last year, Week 16 in 2019 and Week 14 in 2014.

BALTIMORE Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) and wide receiver Demarcus Robinson (10) celebrate a touchdown during the first half of an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday in Baltimore.

(AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

DIAMONDSTENNISSHAPING

AT BAHAMAS’‘PLAYBLTA’STENNIS

THE “Play Tennis Baha mas” programme resumed on Saturday at the National Tennis Centre where kids ages five to 17 years old were instructed in tennis.

This programme, which has been instrumental in starting many tennis jour neys, continues to be a catalyst for the develop ment and growth for The Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association (BLTA).

In order to provide easy access to the sport that is sometimes considered exclusive, the requirement to pay for tennis lessons has been

Theremoved.programme only requires an admin fee of $1 and all tennis equipment is provided and tennis instruc tions are given at no cost. We are able to offer these free sessions due to the vol unteerism of tennis coaches, juniors and players.

The BLTA expressed thanks to those in the tennis community who continue to put service above self.

The organisation also asked persons who wish to assist in the programme in any way to email pr@blta. net or join us on Satur days at 9am at the National Tennis Centre. The pro gramme is expected to run for 6-8 weeks and will serve to introduce youngsters to the sport and hopefully start a fire for further tennis pursuits.LastSaturday’s session was sponsored by Fidelity Bank & Trust.

The BLTA expressed thanks for the support of Fidelity as they continue reaching the kids in the wider community. Under

their motto “We’re Good for you”, Fidelity provided oranges and water for the participants and coaches.

BLTA president Perry Newton extended his thanks to the Fidelity team who has partnered with the BLTA in this communitygeared programme.

He stated : “The pro gramme has recorded the participation of hundreds of children over the years and we know sports is a positive medium for the youth. We will never find those tennis diamonds if we do not offer these sessions to the wider population. We hope that many take advantage of these free sessions.”

The next session of Play Tennis Bahamas will be held at 9am on September

24.New entrants are asked to register via email at pr@ blta.net and to come out on Saturday at 8:45am to sign in. There are also wonder ful opportunities for adults to learn the sport - tennis is a sport for all ages. Rac quets will be provided and players are required to wear tennis shoes on the court.

The sport is open to all, and the BLTA seeks to remove the barriers to entry and we welcome persons to join in and play tennis.

It is our hope that every child who wishes to learn tennis will have the opportunity through this programme to pick up a racquet and play tennis. We will continue to foster tennis development in the community as we are not only building tennis players but also building a stronger nation.

In his online farewell message last week, Federer referred to retirement as a “bittersweet decision.”

crossroad, and you have to take a turn. Which way is it?’ I was not willing to go into the direction of: ‘Let’s risk it all.’ I’m not ready for that. I always said that was never my goal.”

And the hardest part came when he knew he needed to stop.

“You’re sad,” Federer said, “in the very moment when you realise, ‘OK, this is the Theend.’”lastprocedure on his knee came shortly after a quarterfinal loss to Hubert Hurkacz at Wimbledon in July 2021, which will go into the books as the last singles match of a superla tive career that began in the 1990s and included 103 tournament titles, a Davis Cup championship for Swit zerland, Olympic medals and hundreds of weeks at No. 1 in the ATP rankings.

He was asked yesterday what aspect was most bitter and what was most sweet.

“The bitterness: You always want to play for ever,” he said. “I love being out on court. I love playing against the guys. I love trav elling. ... It was all perfect. I love my career from every angle.”And then he added: “The sweet part was that I know everybody has to do it at one point; everybody has to leave the game. It’s been a great, great journey. For that, I’m really grateful.”

He will play doubles for Team Europe against Team World on Day 1 of the event, then will give way to 2021 Wimbledon runner-up Matteo Berrettini for sin gles over the weekend. That plan was run by the ATP and both team captains,

Federer would not say definitively — he said that’s up to Borg — but the notso-hidden secret is that it is expected to be Nadal, who

holds the men’s record of 22 majorBackchampionships.inFebruary, when word emerged that Federer would be in London this week, he said Nadal messaged him last year suggesting they play dou bles together again. They

teamed up to win a doubles match during the first Laver Cup in 2017.

“If we’re able to possibly share the court one more time as a doubles pairing,” Nadal said in February, “then this would be a truly special experience for us both at this stage in our careers.”While other contempo raries of Federer and stars of the sport are on Team Europe, such as 21-time Slam champ Novak Djoko vic and three-time major winner Andy Murray, the Federer vs. Nadal matchup will go down in history as among the greatest rivalries in tennis or any other sport.

They played each other 40 times in all (Nadal won 26), with 14 Grand Slam matchups (Nadal won 10).

Nadal came out on top in their classic 2008 Wimble don final, considered by some the greatest match in history; Federer won their

last showdown, in the 2019 semifinals at the All Eng land

“ItClub.could be quite, I don’t know, a unique situation, if it were to happen,” Federer said about the doubles pairing. “For us, as well, to go through a career that we both have had and to come out on the other side and being able to have a nice relationship, I think, is maybe a great message, as well, to not just tennis but sports and maybe even beyond.”Asforhis future?

The father of two sets of twins — girls 13, boys 8 — wouldn’t say exactly what he has planned, other than a vacation, but he did say he would remain connected to tennis in some capacity.

Recalling the way Borg stayed away from the sport for years after retiring, Federer sought to reassure his own fans by saying: “I won’t be a ghost.”

John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg, Federer said. As for his doubles part ner for the last hurrah?

ROGER Federer attends a training session ahead of the Laver Cup tennis tournament at the O2 in London,(APyesterday.Photo/Kin Cheung)

Seymour leads WBC qualifier in several categories

By RENALDO DORSETT

BAHAMIAN players emerged as breakout stars for Team Great Britain en route to the country’s firstever qualification for the World Baseball Classic.

Veteran outfielder

Anfernee Seymour led the tournament in several offensive categories while D’Shawn Knowles had one of the team’s best offensive performances in the finale in Regensburg, Germany.

Seymour recorded the most hits (seven), runs (six), stolen bases (five), and was only one of two players in the tournament to record a triple. He also finished tied for fifth in the tournament with five RBI and hit .583, with a .643 slugging percent age and 1.393 OPS.

Knowles finished the qualifiers tied for third with six hits, four runs scored, one home run and four RBI.He hit .500, with an .833 slugging percentage, .800 OBP, and 1.000 OPS.

Great Britain manager Drew Spencer said his roster - with 10 affiliated players currently in minor league baseball or inde pendent clubs - was built to make history for the programme after years of coming up short.

“The goal from the begin ning was to create a mindset that it’s no longer ok to be average. We wanted to win ballgames, but more impor tantly to win in the infinite game,” he said. “I couldn’t be more grateful to every one who bought in. Fearless. Selfless.

Seymour,Relentless.”who quickly became a fan favourite for his exuberant personality and play-making ability on the basepaths, led the post game team celebrations when he raced around the field with the Union Jack and planted the flag pole near home plate.

Seymour spent his season in the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball with the Charleston Dirty Birds

and briefly with the Long Island Ducks.

In eight games with the Ducks, Seymour hit .276 with a .783 OPS, eight hits, seven runs scored, seven RBI, and three stolen bases.

In 79 games with the Dirty Birds he led the club with 24 stolen bases and 18 doubles.Healso ranked second on the team with 50 runs scored, a .253 batting aver age, 75 hits, slugging .387 with a .317 OBP. He also had a .704 OPS with six home runs and 36 RBI.

Knowles, the Los Ange les Angels prospect, spent his season across the Low A (Inland Empire 66ers) and High A (Tri City Dust Devils) levels.

He led the 66ers with a .331 batting average, 23 RBI, an .889 OPS and nine stolen bases in his second season assigned to the club. With the Dust Devils, he hit .234 with 26 RBI, 13 stolen bases, 44 runs and 75 hits.

Great Britain is currently ranked at no.23 in the World Baseball Softball Confed eration team rankings.

The Great Britain roster included outfielders Sey mour, Knowles, pitchers Tahnaj Thomas and Chavez Fernander, catcher Ural Forbes and Albert Cart wright as a member of the coachingCartwrightstaff.has served as the first base coach through out the tournament.

GB opened the tourna ment with a 14-4 win over no. 22 France in a game that was stopped after eight innings due to the 10-run mercySeymourrule. went 3-5 with 3 RBI and scored three runs. Knowles went 1-3 with an RBI and scored two runs. Britain scored in each of the final six innings. Every Great Britain starter reached base at least once, and all but one had at least oneInhit. game two, Seymour and Knowles con tinued their production at the plate, while both pitch ers saw action in relief duty. Great Britain scored an 8-1

win over the host country Germany to advance to the first place Seymourgame.finished 2-4 with two RBI and scored two runs with a stolen base while Knowles was 2-4 with a stolen Fernanderbase. took the mound in the eighth inning

and recorded one strikeout. Thomas closed out the game in the ninth inning and also recorded a strikeout. Six Great Britain pitchers held Germany to just one run on four hits. The game went into a rain delay during the top of the fifth inning with Great Britain leading 3-1.

Once play resumed, they added five more runs, including Seymour’s tworunIntriple.thefinale, Great Brit ain trailed for nine innings and overcame a five-run deficit to defeat Spain 10-9 in extra innings. Knowles had his best game of the

tournament, powered by his two-run home run in the seventh inning. He finished 3-5 with three RBI and two runs scored. Seymour went 2-3 and scored two runs with two stolen bases. Thomas shut out Spain in the top half of the 10th inning on the mound.