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Volume: 121 No.1, November 21, 2023

THE PEOPLE’S PAPER: PRICE–$1

‘CHAOS’ AS FERRY SANK, SAYS FAMILY Grandmother who died in incident ‘was given faulty oxygen tank’

By JADE RUSSELL Tribune Staff Reporter jrussell@tribunemedia.net THE granddaughter of the 75-year-old American woman who died when a Blue Lagoon Island ferry teetered last week claimed staff gave her grandmother a faulty oxygen tank that couldn’t be turned on.

“The oxygen they received needed a wrench, and no one had one,” Kayla Estep told Inside Edition, adding that her family is considering

taking legal action.

Gayle Jarrett, 75, had used her inheritance money to take her family on a five-day Caribbean cruise to honour a family matriarch who had passed away.

Her generous gesture ended with her own death last week.

Ms Estep said her father, the boat’s captain and another person tried to save Ms Jarrett as chaos erupted and people scrambled off the vessel.

SEE PAGE FIVE

‘NO PROBLEM’ SAYS PINTARD DESPITE MISSING DR MINNIS

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Staff Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net FREE National Movement leader Michael Pintard dismissed questions about Dr Hubert Minnis’ absence from rallies in the West Grand Bahama and Bimini constituency ahead of tomorrow’s by-election.

The FNM has held rallies showcasing current and past leaders of the party, including former Prime

Minister Hubert Ingraham and former leader Tommy Turnquest. Dr Minnis’ absence, which is not unusual under Mr Pintard’s term given the strained relationship between the two men, did not go unnoticed.

During a show on ZNS yesterday, talk show host Ortland Bodie asked Mr Pintard about the matter.

“There isn’t any particular problem that we wish to discuss with you,” SEE PAGE THREE

YO THE BEST MISSISSIPPI head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin holds the trophy after defeating Michigan in an NCAA college basketball game in the Battle 4 Atlantis at Paradise Island, Bahamas, Monday, November 20, 2023. She becomes the first Bahamian to win the event. See SPORTS for the full story.

Photo: Dante Carrer

$1.5bn profit - and not a cent in tax PARENTS OF BABY DANIEL ACCUSED OF CRUELTY

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

THE case for imposing a corporate income tax was yesterday said to have been strengthened by revelations that a Shell subsidiary paid not a cent in tax on $1.55bn of profits generated in The Bahamas.

The multinational energy giant, unveiling its 2022 global “tax contribution” report, revealed that Bahamas-based Shell Western Supply and Trading earned pre-tax profits equal to 12.4 percent of the country’s $12.556bn total public sector but none of this reached the Public Treasury in the absence of a corporate income tax.

Shell Western, which specialises in the buying and selling (trading) of crude oil sourced from Africa and Latin America, generated total revenues worth $28.29bn from these activities last year - a sum that is more than double, or twice as large, as The Bahamas’ total public sector debt.

FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS

ACADEMIC STAR CAMILLE DIES OF CANCER, AGED 19

By JADE RUSSELL Tribune Staff Reporter jrussell@tribunemedia.net A 19-YEAR-OLD Bahamian college student who died from ovarian cancer on Saturday had been determined to finish her education, according to her brother.

Kemel Mitchell said his

CAMILLE MITCHELL sister Camille Mitchell was diagnosed with cancer in

December 2022. He said the former Anatol Rodgers High School prefect captain of 2021 had always been an academic star. Some of her accomplishments included being in the Presidential Cup for a 4.0 GPA in her freshman year in college and serving as vice president of the Key Club.

SEE PAGE TWO

Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net THE parents of Daniel Nixon, a two-year-old found dead in bushes in Fox Hill last week, were remanded to prison yesterday for cruelty to children.

Douglas Nixon, 40, and Jenny Nixon, 31, were charged before Senior Magistrate Carolyn Vogt-Evans.

Police reportedly recovered the remains of the toddler in the bushes in the Fox Hill area on the night of November 14. The victim had apparent injuries to his neck and head area.

SEE PAGE THREE

PAGE 2, Tuesday, November 21, 2023

THE TRIBUNE

Academic star Camille dies of cancer, aged 19 from page one Despite her diagnosis, Camille continued her college studies while having rounds of chemotherapy, excruciating pain, and battling moments of depression.

Mr Mitchell said his sister majored in information technology at Benedict College in South Carolina, United States.

He said she complained of pain last November. Surgery and tests later led to the cancer diagnosis.

Camille, at some points, took breaks from college because of her illness, but she eventually gained the

strength to resume classes.

“Even though she took the break through January, she still went back to school, but she was doing classes online,” Mr Mitchell said. “So even though she was doing treatment, taking chemotherapy, she still went to school online.

In the hospital, she was on Zoom with her teachers still doing work.”

He said he was proud of his baby sister for being a sophomore in college, adding: “I had instilled in her from an early age that I really wanted her to go to college.”

Mr Mitchell said he was close with Camille and their other sister. They had an

CAMILLE Mitchell continued her studies throught chemotherapy, excruciating pain and moments of depression. unbreakable bond. They loved music and would sing and worship together in church when they were younger.

Camille received treatment for cancer in Maimi.

When she started improving, she returned to New Providence, where she received round-the-clock treatment from nurses at her home.

The day before she passed, her brother told her everything would be okay.

“She called me, and I

held her hand in the bed,” he said. “I was there. I saw the worst of it, and I saw the best of it.

“She was a fighter from it all started. She kept praising because the main thing that she did was praise God.” “It was a very scary process for her. She held on as long as she could.”

Mr Mitchell said cancer had affected others in his family, noting both his grandparents had the disease.

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, November 21, 2023, PAGE 3

‘No problem’ says Pintard despite missing Dr Minnis from page one Mr Pintard said. “Our family, when we spend time together, we talk about the issues that affect our family. I don’t expect Brother Bodie to discuss what happens at home with him and his family, and therefore, we

have no intentions of discussing it.”

Mr Pintard also dismissed questions about a pyramid scheme Bishop Ricardo Grant, the party’s candidate in tomorrow’s by-election, has been tied to with his wife.

Some people who participated in the scheme in 2020 lost their investments

and never received promised payouts. Critics claim Bishop Grant’s association with the scam reflects poorly on his judgement and financial acumen as he seeks to represent thousands in the House of Assembly. Some claim his wife was one of the leading organisers of the scheme in Grand Bahama.

Mr Pintard, however, dismissed the matter, saying PLPs close to Grand Bahama Minister Ginger Moxey also participated in the scheme.

“Our incoming member of parliament has made it abundantly clear that he, like many others, including you have a minister in Grand Bahama who is

assisted by a number of key persons who themselves played a role in inviting others to become a part of this programme,” he said.

“Any number of members of the Progressive Liberal Party have been involved with this programme at some level, and a number of people, again, determined that the

programme was not helpful, was not working for them, and they were victimised like everybody else.

“This is a red herring.

It is an attempt to distract voters from what is the pivotal issue, and the pivotal issue is the development of the West Grand Bahama and Bimini community.”

nice complex was full with water, you needed a boat to drive by. We need drains to be cleaned,” he added.

He also stated that senior citizens and disabled should have access to social

services in West Grand Bahama instead of having to take the bus to Freeport.

Former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham told residents that the PLP government neglected Obie Wilchcombe when he was the MP for West Grand Bahama and Bimini.

“I want you to know I knew Obie, he was a friend of mine. He did his best.

Now they got his name all up in their mouths. When Obie was alive, Obie was nothing to them. Now, the same people talking about him, were ones who kept him down, and neglected you.”

Mr Ingraham said the Holmes Rock Primary School is still not finished after eight long years. And the Administrator complex they just opened, he said is not yet providing service to the public.

“Obie was an articulate experienced man, a senior member of the government, but if he could not get it done. Tell me, how is Kingsley who could not fill out his form to get nominated properly, how is he going to get it done?

In Bimini, Mr Ingraham said there also significant neglect. He mentioned the dilapidate state of the old commissioners building and the roads.

“You can’t go to Bimini and not see neglect, he said.

I drove on their roads last week and a couple of areas need patching, but I can’t image why they need $2.8 billion for roads in Bimini,” he said.

Mr Ingraham indicated that t he government continues to demonstrate its lack of care for Bahamians by putting VAT on baby food.

“Every time, you buy $10 worth of baby food, you are paying government $1.

They are taxing the babies,” he said.

Mr Ingraham told voters that they must use this opportunity to pay back the PLP for hurting them.

BISHOP GRANT MAKES CLOSING PITCH AHEAD OF VOTE

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net BISHOP Ricardo Grant pledged to be a fierce advocate and a strong voice that will fight for West Grand Bahama and Bimini.

Mr Grant, who is from Eight Mile Rock, was speaking at an FNM rally in the community.

He promised that residents’ concerns, including their struggles with home repairs, keeping their businesses open, and putting food on the table, will not go unheard.

Mr Grant said there is massive decay in homes, with leaking roofs, and mould infestation.

Bishop Grant said residents lack banking services, access to medicine, and adequate educational, vocational and technical institutions in West Grand Bahama.

The PLP has neglected West Grand Bahama for the 40 years it held the seat, he said.

“The FNM is the best party for the governance of this country,” said the clergyman, adding that there were significant improvements during the nine years the FNM held the seat.

Bishop Grant encouraged residents to let their voices to be heard on Wednesday when go to the polls and mark their x.

“You need a voice, somebody who is not afraid to speak to the masses, someone who can communicate and articulate and share what needs to be shared.

When you go to the House of Parliament, you got to be sure of yourself you can’t babble, you can’t look around and you can’t lean on somebody else to speak for you, you got to be able

SCENES from the FNM rally in Eight Mile Rock last night.

Photos: Vandyke Hepburn to speak for yourself,” he said.

“This is serious business, WGB and Bimini. This is time to send a strong message to the governing party.

We will tell tonight that we will not ignored, played with, lied to, and tricked and fooled.”

Bishop Grant stressed

SUSPECT ACCUSED OF GUNNING MAN DOWN ON HIS PORCH

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net A MAN is behind bars after he allegedly gunned down a 21-year-old man on his porch in Kennedy Subdivision this spring.

Acting Chief Magistrate Roberto Reckley charged Alfred Coakley, 22, with murder.

Coakley and his accomplice, both armed with handguns, allegedly shot Demetrius Butler on his porch on Lily-Way in Kennedy Subdivision on

April 26. Although Butler attempted to run inside his house from his assailants, he collapsed and was later pronounced dead at the scene.

The defendant was told that his matter would be transferred to the Supreme Court through a voluntary bill of indictment (VBI).

Coakley will be sent to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services until the higher court grants him bail.

Coakley’s VBI is set for service on February 29, 2024.

PARENTS OF BABY DANIEL ACCUSED OF CRUELTY from page one The animal control unit took blood samples from stray dogs after the incident, but authorities have yet to disclose an official cause of death.

After pleading not guilty to the offence, the parents were informed that they would be sent to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services until their bail hearing on November 22.

that he remains focused on the issues, and will not let lies and political attacks deter him.

He said the PLP is focused on him. “My shoulders are broad, 35 years I am still standing, the old games, slander, lies, I am still standing,” he said.

The bishop mentioned his promotion within the Royal Bahamas Police Force to Superintendent, and other prominent positions he has previously held, including president of the Grand Bahama Chrisitian Council.

Mr Grant said he has a

plan for food security, home security and a plan for infrastructural improvement for the safety and well-being of citizens.

“Just the other day we had some rain and the

PAGE 4, Tuesday, November 21, 2023

THE TRIBUNE

MITCHELL SAYS VOTE BRIBE CLAIM ‘COMPLETELY FALSE’

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net PROGRESSIVE Liberal Party chairman Fred Mitchell said Michael Pintard’s claim that the party is buying voters to win the week’s by-election is “completely false” and “a disregard” of democratic principles.

He called the accusations serious and challenged Mr Pintard to make a complaint with the police or apologise for misleading the public.

“This is how serious accusations should be handled – through proper legal channels, not through media stunts,” he said. “The FNM chairman Duane Sands has already gone on record saying the party has zero proof, so the FNM has no credibility on this issue.”

“Michael Pintard, who was forced to resign as FNM chairman for unethical behaviour and Duane Sands, who was photographed handling money

SCENES from last night’s PLP event.

Photos: Vandyke Hepburn

KINGSLEY Smith last night.

Photo: PLP

on the campaign trail, have no moral authority to lecture the PLP on campaign ethics.”

“The time for theatrics is over.”

During a rally in Bimini on Friday, Mr Pintard accused the PLP of giving people $1,000, claiming the money was concealed in T-shirts during the opening of the Obediah H Wilchcombe Administrator’s Complex last week.

“The silence from Mr Pintard and his candidate, Bishop Ricardo Grant, on their own issues is loud and clear,” Mr Mitchell said.

“Their failure to respond to allegations about their campaign calls into question their ability to lead with transparency.”

“The PLP remains focused on advancing the well-being of all Bahamians and will not be deterred by these attempts at political distraction. We will continue to stand for truth and integrity in politics, and we call on our opponents to do the same.”

DAVIS: NOT A HARD CHOICE

SCENES from last night’s PLP rally.

Photos: PLP

PINTARD SAYS GOVT LYING ABOUT FNM PROJECTS

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net FNM leader Michael Pintard said Bahamians are worse off under the current government.

At a rally in Eight Mile Rock on Monday, he highlighted the firing of several Urban Renewal workers in Grand Bahama after the PLP came to office.

Mr Pintard said those workers were earning $250 per week, including a woman whose was the sole breadwinner for her family due to her husband’s illness.

He said the woman lost her apartment in EMR after she was fired and she could not take care of her husband.

Mr Pintard said

PRIME Minister Philip “Brave” Davis said it was not a hard choice for voters in this week’s by-election and they should choose PLP candidate Kingsley Smith.

Praising Mr Smith as the reason there is a new passport office in Bimini, Mr Davis went on to note the new $80m publicprivate partnership deal for a redevelopment of the South Bimini International Airport, before going on to cite record visitor numbers, 24 labour agreements in 24

months, and a raise in minimum wage as PLP achievements.

Meanwhile, Mr Smith listed goals such as new job creation, a Defence Force base in West End, a new West End police station, a new school, a new airport for Bimini, a new resort in Bottle Bay, new docks for fishermen, a new fish house in West End, a West End Fish Village Project, affordable housing and free wi-fi in parks.

Mr Smith declared that he believed “in action - in getting things done”.

government workers are also not being paid on time and deductions are not making it to the insurance and mortgage companies on time.

“The government is cash strapped and has their priorities mixed up, he said.

This government is all about pomp and pageantry to create the illusion that all is well.”

According to the FNM leader, some Bahamian contractors in Grand Bahama have not been paid from May to June.

He wanted voters in West Grand Bahama to send a strong message to the government.

He said: “They do not love you and is only using you and are more concerned with parties, trips,

and pomp and pageantry.”

He said residents in West Grand Bahama are in need of medical attention but equipment is not available in clinics and hospital.

“We are meeting at a time when there are Bahamians in need of medication for serious condtions and medication is not in our clinics and hospitals,” he stressed.

Pintard asked where is the love for residents who are living in homes with holes in their roofs, and mould and mildew infestation.

“Where is the love when there are carpenters and masons who have to leave their families to go other islands looking for opportunity because this administration has failed to do so when they give

contracts to only a select few,’ he said.

Mr Pintard also said the government had lied about major projects that were executed under the FNM government.

“I find it amazing when they lie and it is so easy to verify the information,’ he said, referring to shipyard expansion, the Carnival port project, and others.

“Why would lie about being responsible for Carnival. It was solidfied under the FNM, you came and inherited it,” he said.

Mr Pintard said the FNM is government for all Bahamians.

“I believe EMR, West Grand Bahama and Bimini, clearly recognise that they have no love in their heart for the people,” he said.

PRIME Minister Philip “Brave” Davis speaking last night.

Photo: PLP

renewable energy and facility upgrades.

Ocean Cay is in Bimini.

The signing comes days before a by-election is held in West Grand

Bahama and Bimini to replace the late Obie Wilchcombe.

The agreement approves a $100m expansion plan for Ocean Cay, building on a reported $400m investment.

The project is expected to be completed next year and will be undertaken in two phases, according to a press release from the Office of the Prime Minister.

“The expansion project entails a new Marine Conservation Centre specialising in coral research, upgraded facilities, amenities, accommodations, and infrastructure, a deepening of the marina, the creation of a solar farm, and a sustainable, biophilic landscaping plan, which incorporates native flora,” OPM said in a release.

“MSC has engaged BRON

Development Consultants to assist in implementing innovative environmental solutions.”

Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis highlighted yesterday’s agreement during a HOA signing event.

“My government has fully embraced the development of our Family Islands,” he said. “Whether through capital infrastructure

EXPANDED HEADS OF AGREEMENT SIGNED FOR OCEAN CAY THE Davis administration has signed an expanded Ocean Cay heads of agreement with MSC Cruises that incorporates a new marine conservation centre,

projects, partnerships, or in support of private sector investments like this one, we are committed to developing and growing the economy of every island in our archipelago.”

He said: “This project represents the kind of corporate responsibility effort and environmental stewardship we want to see from all major developmental projects moving forward.”

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, November 21, 2023, PAGE 5

‘Chaos’ as ferry sank, says family from page one “The ferry kept teetering, and she kept falling into the deep end of where the water was, on the right side, and then she got stuck between the staircase and the pole,” she told FOX31.

“She was already gone, but my dad did try to do compressions. He watched her go.”

She said her grandmother was vulnerable as the ferry began teetering because she didn’t know how to swim and relied daily on an oxygen tank. She said she could see the fear in her grandmother’s eyes when the situation deteriorated.

She said her family was on the bottom deck of the catamaran.

Relatives on the trip included her father, mother, grandparents on her mother’s side, her husband and two children, including a six-year-old and a one-year-old.

She told FOX31 on Friday that staff abandoned hundreds of passengers when the ferry began to take on water. She showed images of black and purple bruises on her legs, which she received while fighting to save her two children and grandmother.

“The crew members, other than the captain, left,” she said. “They got

on their life vests and went up the steps crying and telling everyone that the ferry is sinking and they don’t know what to do. They’re not trained for this. I was terrified, scared and just adrenaline kicked in.”

She said passengers would’ve reacted sooner by putting on life vests and jumping into the water if they weren’t awaiting instructions from staff.

Although the family has not received Ms Jarret’s autopsy report yet, Ms Estep believes the lack of oxygen and the fear her grandmother experienced contributed to her death.

In another interview with CBS News, she described her grandmother as “an angel on earth.” She said they loved shopping together.

Blue Lagoon Island said on Sunday that a “rigorous, independent forensic” investigation has been launched into the incident, the first of its kind for the company. The company did not respond to messages from The Tribune yesterday about Ms Estep’s claims.

Acting Port Controller Berne Wright said last week that the vessel and its captain complied with regulations. He said issues related to how staff reacted are covered by the company’s operational procedures, not regulations.

KAYLA Estep speaking to FOX 31.

CRUISE PASSENGER BEAT COUSIN’S HEAD INTO BATHROOM BASIN

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net AN American cruise passenger admitted to beating her cousin in the bathroom of their room while their cruise was near Abaco last week.

Magistrate Shaka Serville charged Faith Davis, 26, of Texas, with grievous harm.

Ms Davis reportedly got into a fight with her cousin

Martavia Davis and beat her aboard the Carnival Spirit on November 14. The defendant seriously injured the victim, slamming her head into the bathroom basin.

After admitting to the offence, Ms Davis was placed on a conditional discharge where she must return to court on March 5, 2024, to determine the financial compensation she owes the victim.

DR CLIVE GASKINS REMEMBERED

A MEMORIAL service for the late Dr Clive K Gaskins will be held at St Agnes Anglican Church, Blue Hill Road, at 6.30pm on Wednesday, November 22.

Officiating will be Archdeacon Keith Cartwright.

SCABIES OUTBREAK INVESTIGATED A POSSIBLE outbreak of scabies at the Harbour Island All Age School in North Eleuthera has been assessed by the Ministry of Health and Wellness.

A statement by the ministry said that nine children attending the school displaying symptoms had been treated and cleared, and there were no additional

suspected cases.

The statement added: “Health officials assure that the clinic on Harbour Island is equipped with the required medication and health education resources to provide a positive intervention. Further, guidance was provided to school officials on disinfection methods.”

GAYLE JARRETT, 75, with her granddaughter Kayla Estep.

PAGE 6, Tuesday, November 21, 2023

THE TRIBUNE

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Climate change hits women’s health harder MANJU Devi suffered in pain for two months last year as she worked on a farm near Delhi, unable to break away from duties that sometimes had her standing for hours in the waistdeep water of a rice paddy, lifting heavy loads in intense heat and spraying pesticides and insecticides. When that pain finally became too much to bear, she was rushed to a hospital.

The doctors’ verdict: Devi had suffered a prolapsed uterus and would need a hysterectomy. She hadn’t said a word to her family about her discomfort because of societal taboo over discussing a “women’s illness,” and with two grown children and three grandchildren looking to the 56-year-old widow to help put food on the table, Devi had relied on painkillers to stay in the fields.

“I endured excruciating pain for months, scared to speak about it publicly. It shouldn’t take a surgical procedure to make us realize the cost of increasing heat,” she said, surrounded by women who told of undergoing a similar ordeal.

As the annual UN-led climate summit known as COP is set to convene later this month in Dubai, activists are urging policymakers to respond to climate change’s disproportionate impact on women and girls, especially where poverty makes them more vulnerable.

Their recommendations include securing land rights for women, promoting women’s cooperatives and encouraging women to lead on developing climate policy. They also suggest that countries — especially developing countries like India — commit more money in their budgets to ensure gender equity in climate policies.

Group of 20 leaders who met in New Delhi in September also recognised the problem, calling for accelerating climate action with gender equality at its core by increasing women’s participation and leadership in mitigation and adaptation.

Devi is a farm worker in Syaraul, a village of about 7,000 a couple of hours southeast of Delhi in Uttar Pradesh, India’s biggest and most populous state.

Several other middle-aged and older women from the village described similar injuries leading to hysterectomies.

The link between phenomena like uterine prolapse and climate change is indirect but significant, said Seema Bhaskaran, who tracks gender issues for the nonprofit Transform Rural India Foundation.

“Women in rural, climate-affected communities often bear the brunt of physically demanding agricultural work, made more strenuous by climate change-related challenges like erratic weather and increased labor needs,” Bhaskaran said. “While climate change doesn’t directly cause uterine prolapse, it magnifies the underlying health challenges and conditions that make women more susceptible to such health issues.”

About 93 miles away, in Nanu village, 62-year-old farm worker Savita Singh blames climate change for a chemical infection that cost her a finger in August 2022.

When her husband moved to Delhi to work as a plumber, she was left alone to tend the couple’s fields. As rice and wheat yields fell due to shifting climate patterns and a surge in pest attacks, Singh’s husband, who retained decisionmaking power, decided to increase the use of pesticides and insecticides. It was up to Singh, who had opposed the increases, to apply the chemicals.

“With the rise in pest attacks in farms, we have started using more than three times pesticides and fertilizers in our farms and without any safety gears my hand got burned by the chemicals and one of my fingers had to be amputated,” she said.

In Pilakhana, another Uttar Pradesh village, 22-year-old wage laborer Babita

Kumari suffered stillbirths in 2021 and this year that she attributes to the heavy lifting she endured daily in working a brick kiln for long hours in intense heat. Climate change at least doubled the chances of the heat wave that hit the state this year, according to an analysis by Climate Central, an independent US-based group of scientists that developed a tool to quantify climate change’s contribution to changing daily temperatures.

“My mother and her mother all have worked in brick kilns all their lives but the heat was not this bad even though they worked for more than eight hours like me. But for the past six-seven years the situation has worsened and heat has become unbearable to withstand but what option do we have than to endure it,” said Kumari, who lives in a makeshift camp with her husband.

Bhaskaran noted that women in India often assume primary roles in agriculture while men migrate to urban areas, which makes the women especially vulnerable to the direct effects of climate change. A government labor force survey for 2021-22 found that 75% of the people working in agriculture are women. But only about 14% of agricultural land is owned by women, according to a government agriculture census.

For Bhaskaran, it adds up to a picture of women sacrificing their health by working long hours in intense heat, exposed to insecticides and pesticides, and with uncertain access to clean water.

On top of that, many are undernourished because they “often eat last and least within patriarchal structures,” she said.

Poonam Muttreja is a women’s rights activist who also directs the Population Foundation of India, a non-governmental organisation that focuses on issues of population, family planning, reproductive health, and gender equality. She said it’s essential that COP28, the meeting in Dubai, take concrete action to help women.

She said COP28 should go beyond providing financial aid, and actively promote and facilitate the inclusion of gender considerations within all climate-related policies, initiatives, and actions.

“It must prioritise awareness programs that emphasise the specific health challenges women face in the wake of climate change as a critical step towards increasing public knowledge. These efforts will also serve as a call to action for governments, institutions, and communities to prioritise women’s health and well-being as a central component of their climate initiatives,” she added.

Anjal Prakash, a professor and the research director at the Bharat Institute of Public Policy at the Indian School of Business, coordinated a working group that examined gender for a recent assessment by the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

He said it will take international pressure to overcome some countries that may quietly oppose gender-sensitive climate policies due to conservative ideologies and political barriers.

Finding money will also be a formidable challenge, he said.

Shweta Narayan, a researcher and environmental justice activist at Health Care Without Harm, said women, children and the elderly are among the most vulnerable to extreme climate events.

She saw reason for optimism at COP28 because of a dedicated Health Day at the conference.

“Definitely there is a very clear recognition that climate has a health impact and health needs to be considered more seriously,” she said.

By UZMI ATHAR, Press Trust of India

To advertise in The Tribune, contact 502-2394

A MAN cools off in a water fountain at Madureira Park amid a heat wave in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Wednesday last week.

Photo: Bruna Prado/AP

Downtown Nassau ‘very dirty’ EDITOR, The Tribune.

MY DAILY commute takes me along the city centre and on to my final destination, but on yesterday, I took a detour ending at Starbucks, John Bull, Bay Street and as I await my coffee, I just couldn’t help myself from overhearing a part of a conversation that a guest to our country was having on his telephone: *I am in The Bahamas, the city is dirty, I will just get something in Starbucks then off to the ship, he said.

Now, as a Bahamian hearing this international tourist refer to our main shopping district as very dirty, sent a cold spell down my spine and then the thought arose, but isn’t he right?

Reluctantly, and yes, I supposed that he is, got my item and left, walking east along Bay Street, south side of that Mecca...reaching the CIBC Bank at Parliament Street Bay, that verge you wouldn’t believe what I saw, all of that filth, or an example of it just there near that bank, just opposite the Parliament building...those tiles had all of the kitchen grease one could imagine accumulated.

And as I tried to put it into perspective, remembering that recently there was a Bahamas Goombay showcase along that area, with the sellers of food products lining that area...but, from that longtime, why hasn’t this been noticed, well, it had to have been noticed, because t’was unavoidable, I found.

In conclusion, it appears that the authorities were not taking the tourism product seriously. They advocate and spend Bahamian taxpayers funds to advertise globally, that

LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net people should come, but the welcoming mat is anything but welcoming - why?

Finally, a noted politician has ventured to suggest that former Prime Minister Hon Hubert Ingraham had done nothing for the people.

I, we, many Bahamians have to differ with such a pronouncement...judging by the declarer’s young age, and Mr Ingraham came to power under the Free National Movement’s banner in 1992, I don’t think that she had been born yet, or so young didn’t know what politics or Mr Ingraham were?

For behold, I just keep telling people to stop pointing fingers, because so many are coming back at you...and really, the Bahamian people were wary of the kinds of politics occurring in the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, austere, very simple and easy twotier way to politicize their functions: 1. the protection of the state, 2. the utmost care about the welfare of its people, how difficult is that? Have been having problems out of both political parties for the better part of 50 years, so, none qualified to speak evil of the other.

Here were some of what Hon Prime Minister Ingraham did - he paved Charlotte, Parliament, Frederick, and Shirley Streets - those same tiles he had laid on Bay Street, even those around the Parliament building, he did the four legged highway, he paid off the balance of what was owed the Mosko family for the Hawkins Hill Immigration building,

now owned totally by the Bahamian people, built the government complex in Grand Bahamas, so that the space leasing would cease.

And some has him in for the BaTelCo sale, but that is unfair because, the sale was not decided by Ingraham, it was the consent of the Parliament of the Bahamas, that sold it.

But, something obviously spooked Prime Minister Ingraham to opt to sell it. One thing we knew of Ingraham, he doesn’t act on a whim, he always goes after the facts, is a very methodical and perceptive man, he is well versed and it is easy to see the high levels of his wisdom, knowledge and understanding of politics, not only in the Bahamas, but globally,I daresay - second only to Sir Lynden Pindling...Ingraham gets nod, absolutely.

But, you don’t have to take my word for it, just ask the man, he is of age, able to answer that question for himself. PM Ingraham also replaced the cast iron water pipes, water-mains along Prince Charles Drive and took quite a hit with people in opposition to it, claiming the roads were “dig-up“, but if he hadn’t gone all out to complete in one sitting, might still be tugging at it.

As we have not been able to have the main shopping district clean, kept clean

by Bahamas Government maintenance departments, then award that contract to a private concern, that way we’ll see all of those tiles steamed cleaned if only twice a month, especially around the garbage bins, etc?

FRANK GILBERT Nassau, November 16, 2023.

$5 fee for a cent debt EDITOR, The Tribune.

KINDLY allow me a little space in your valuable newspaper to inquire if the one cent $0.01 drop or added to your bill has been changed or dropped. I paid a BTC Bill during the month of October 2023 with a balance of $00.56 cent and a payment of $00.55 cents was made and change was given back.

The November billing had a $5.00 late fee charged to it. I inquired at the company the reason for the

$5.00 late fee charged to it.

One of BTC’s CSR’s informed me that there was an outstanding balance of $0.01 cent due and owing therefore the $5.00 represented the late fee charged. This she stated is the company’s policy and she could not do anything about it.

Was there a change of policy regarding dropping of the one and two cents?

What would happen if all businesses in The Bahamas would adopt this policy and start charging the Public

a late fee of $5.00 because they are one cent short?

Should my $5.00 not be refunded?

Being a senior citizen, my telephone is very important for me, it is a necessity not a luxury and VAT should not be added?

It requires clarification and my $5.00 should be refunded.

A DISSATISFIED SENIOR CITIZEN CUSTOMER Nassau, November 10, 2023.

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, November 21, 2023, PAGE 7

Witness accused of wrong calculations in Gibson trial case

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net A SENIOR manager of the Water and Sewerage Corporation (WSC) denied a defence attorney’s suggestion yesterday that she made the wrong calculations when estimating the cost of painting WSC tanks.

Deidre Taylor, head of the WSC’s engineering and planning department, defended her calculations under cross-examination from attorney Raphael Moxey in Adrian Gibson’s corruption trial.

Mr Moxey represents Peaches Farquharson, one of five people on trial.

Last week, Mrs Taylor testified that she estimated the cost of painting water tanks to be between $164,000 and $213,000 after WSC’s former general manager, Elwood Donaldson, another defendant, had asked her about the work’s cost.

Ms Taylor said she estimated the costs to be between $8.18 per square foot and $10.65 per square foot.

She said the price did not include VAT and agreed that the total square footage of the tank’s painted area was around 48,800 square feet.

“If you multiply $8.18 by 48,000 square feet, I’m going to suggest to you mathematically, it’s $399,184,” Mr Moxey said.

“I’m going to suggest to you

that the minimum price the corporation should’ve paid would’ve been $399,184.”

Mrs Taylor disagreed, saying her calculations were not based on those exact measurements.

“I would not have done a straight 8.18 and 10.65 as part of the total cost of painting the tanks. You are dealing with two different specifications,” she said.

Mr Moxey asserted that based on her calculations, the maximum price to paint one tank was $519,720.

“In fact, the corporation paid $235,000 to paint the tanks,” he added. “That is a savings of your lower estimate, $164,184. Do you agree with the corporation saved on your lower estimate? That $164,000 represents a discount of 41 per cent. Do you agree?”

Mrs Taylor again disagreed.

“I have Blue Hill Windsor paint area equals 20,096 square feet,” she said.

Said Mr Moxey: “That is incorrect because the painted area is 48,800 square feet, as you just agreed to me.”

Mr Moxey was pushed to move on from the topic because the witness answered the question repeatedly.

When asked if the tanks were refurbished to the WSC’s standards, Mrs Taylor said they were satisfactorily done.

She will return for continued cross-examination at the next hearing.

‘SUSPECT’S DNA FOUND UNDER VICTIM’S NAILS’

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net A DNA analyst testified that Rodrigo Rolle’s DNA was found under Janice Kissinger’s fingernails after the elderly American woman was killed in Cat Island in 2017.

Rolle, 33, allegedly killed Kissinger, 74, during a home invasion in Orange Creek, Cat Island, on September 29, 2017. Rolle also allegedly stole a 2006 Ford Explorer and a $500 safe containing a $5,000 Rolex.

Kelsey Neary, of the Broward County Sheriff’s Office, said yesterday she had completed a DNA comparative analysis report on July 17 that showed the victim scratched Rolle in a struggle before her death.

She said strong results showed traces of Rolle’s DNA under Kissinger’s fingernails.

Blood samples from Rolle and Marcello Hepburn were taken after their arrest.

Hepburn had testified earlier that he gave the defendant a pickax to break into the safe stolen from Kissinger’s home because he feared Rolle.

Geoffrey Farquharson, the defendant’s attorney, argued that the results of DNA analysis are not 100% accurate.

Sgt Brian Coakley of the homicide unit of the Criminal Investigations Department said he was present during Rolle’s police interview on October 4, 2017, in New Providence.

He testified that he saw the defendant sign a blood consent form before he was taken to PMH, where blood samples were drawn and handed to forensics.

Mr Farquharson told the officer that the blood sample was taken from the defendant in breach of the Police Act. He claimed there was no mention of a blood sample in Rolle’s detention record.

The attorney said the purpose of such a record was to prevent officers from making false reports.

While Sgt Coakley disagreed that officers breached the Police Act, noting they had the defendant’s written consent, he said he could not find a mention of a blood sample in his detention record. He also admitted that he did not put one there.

Mr Farquharson suggested that his client never signed a consent form, claiming the signature was “dramatically” different from other documents. The officer responded that Rolle willingly signed the RBPF’s form and that he witnessed him do so.

TOURIST HELD AFTER DRUGS FIND

By JADE RUSSELL Tribune Staff Reporter jrussell@tribunemedia.net A 30-YEAR-OLD woman was arrested at the Lynden Pindling International Airport for possession of drugs yesterday.

The incident occurred shortly after 2.30pm when officers received information involving a tourist in the US pre-clearance hall at the Lynden Pindling International Airport.

A quantity of suspected cocaine was found in the woman’s luggage, which led to her arrest.

• Meanwhile, a 25-yearold male is being guarded in hospital following a shooting incident on Sunday.

Police said shortly after 10pm the 25-year-old male went to a residence on Sandilands Village Road where he was in an

argument with another man, leading to a scuffle.

During the altercation, the 25-year-old male produced a firearm, which led to him being shot to his chest.

He fled and was taken to the hospital by a private vehicle. He received medical treatment and is listed in stable condition.

Police searched an abandoned building on Bernard Road where a firearm was recovered. In addition, two women aged 17 and 28 were taken into custody.

• Police are also searching for two armed robbrers. Shortly after 7am on Sunday, two men on a Krypton motorcycle, both with firearms, approached a woman near a business on Collins Avenue and robbed her of her vehicle, a 2010 blue Honda Fit with licence plate AX5732.

Mr Gibson is charged with Mr Donaldson Jr, Ms Farquharson, Rashae Gibson, Joan Knowles and Jerome Missick.

Together, the group face 98 charges, including conspiracy to commit bribery, bribery, fraud, receiving and money laundering.

Damian Gomez, KC, Murrio Ducille, KC, Bryan Bastian, Mr Moxey, Christina Galanos, Ian Cargill and Donald Saunders represent the defendants.

Ms Cordell Frazier, Cashena Thompson and Karine MacVean are the Crown’s prosecutors.

ADRIAN Gibson outside court yesterday.

Photo: Dante Carrer

PAGE 8, Tuesday, November 21, 2023

THE TRIBUNE

From Long Island to leadership FRANK Watson, former Deputy Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, was one of six honorees who were recently commended for outstanding loyalty and for putting service above self by the Long Islanders’ Association (LIA). Long Island has long been known to produce great Bahamians who have contributed significantly to national development.

They include at least three Governors General born in Long Island: Sir Henry Milton Taylor, Dame Ivy Dumont, and Sir Cornelius A Smith, and at least one descendant, Sir Orville Turnquest.

Watson was born in Gordon’s, Long Island - a far flung, quaint settlement at the southernmost point of the island, boasting of one of the most beautiful beaches in the country. There, his parents William Watson and Olga Watson (nee Major) epitomised the sweet island life. They raised seven children: William, Frank, Solomon, Brendon, Harold, Agatha, and Warren with love, Christian values, and a spirit of self-sufficiency.

William Watson and his brothers: Edgar, Bruce and Thomas and their families were the only inhabitants of Gordon’s, the land chosen by their father, William W Watson.

The nearest settlement, Mortimer’s, was hours away by foot. This seclusion allowed the Watson

Face to Face

By FELICITY DARVILLE

children to roam free, riding horses, playing by the salt pond, picking fruit from their farm, tending to sheep and goat, and fishing their days away. Government facilities, doctors and other services were far, far away and therefore, the Watsons learned how to rely on the bounty of the earth and the ocean for their sustenance.

The young Frank first attended school in Mortimer’s before moving on to Clarence Town All Age School. Like many young islanders, he was eventually sent to Nassau to family to further his education. His good marks allowed him entrance to the Government High School, where he excelled.

After graduating high school, his lengthy career in the Public Service began.

Born on March 24, 1940, Watson grew up in a time before Independence; so his first job would be working for the British Crown.

He was first employed as a clerk at the Colonial Security Office. Eventually, the Customs Department decided to augment its corps, and Watson was among those decided to

FROM left, Frank Watson, former Deputy Prime Minister with his siblings Warren, Solomon, Agatha, and Brendon.

be brought on as a trainee officer in 1958. He was 18 years old. At the Customs Department, he would find his path and purpose, and his career flourished.

At the Customs Department, his bright mind, diligence, and strong work ethic shone. The leaders took note and prepared him to be amongst the future leadership of the Customs Department. He was sent to London, where he attended the United Kingdom Customs and Excise Training Course in 1962. In 1968, he earned a diploma in public administration from the University of the West Indies.

By 1968, Watson’s steady progress allowed him to move up the ranks, and he was officially appointed as Deputy Comptroller of the Customs Department. His thirst for knowledge led him to continuously engage in efforts towards self development that took him throughout the country and the region.

In 1975, his educational journey led him all the way to Helsinki, Finland where he attended a course for senior customs officers from Commonwealth countries under the auspices of the European Economic Council.

He held the position of Deputy Comptroller until 1977. In the same year, he resigned from the Public Service and entered into politics. Leaders of the Free National Movement saw his worth and entreated him to join them and to serve as a candidate for the FNM in the General Elections in the Carmichael Constituency.

He did not win in this first go around, just four short years after the Progressive Liberal Party led the country into Independence from the United Kingdom.

By 1982, however, he won his seat, and there began a long-term love affair between himself and the people he swore to serve. His hands-on, personal approach made him a well-loved Member of Parliament.

In the House of Assembly, MP Watson would show himself a formidable colleague. His level of respect for all MPs was reciprocated, and his contributions were well-acknowledged across the political divide.

In 1987, he was successful in winning his seat once again, this time in the constituency of Adelaide. To this day, elder residents of Carmiachael and Adelaide sing his praises as a caring individual who worked tirelessly to meet their needs. Following the 1992 General Elections, Watson was appointed Minister of Works and Public Utilities.

His most notable achievements include: the cleaning and beautification of the island of New Providence, the capital; the repair of dilapidated schools and public buildings throughout The Bahamas; the construction of new schools and public offices; expansion of electricity, telephone and street light infrastructure throughout New Providence and Family Island communities; the reconstruction of public roads, docks, and airports; and the construction of new roads in New Providence and in

FRANK WATSON, above, and, right, with his daughters Colene, centre, and Sheila. such places as South Abaco, Long Island, Acklins and Crooked Island, in areas where there was a desperate need for paved roads.

His success as a Cabinet Minister in the FNM administration, led by former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham, led to his assignment as Minister of Tourism and Public Enterprises in 1995. At the Ministry of Tourism, he made formidable connections and partnerships within the hospitality industry to include industry stakeholders in the promotion, advertising and marketing of the tourism product. As a consequence, the annual Cacique Awards was established, incorporating the recognition of outstanding performances by individuals and corporate entities in the tourism industry and the public sector.

At the same time the ministry strengthened its support for small hotels across The Bahamas, recognising the importance of sports fishing, especially yachting and bonefishing at small resorts in the Family Islands. Special programmes such as the International Bonefish Tournament came about, which led to an uptick in the development of bonefish lodges throughout the Family Islands.

Watson continued his successful trend at the polls and in Cabinet, and in 1997, he was appointed to the portfolio of the Ministry of National Security. During his tenure, he was responsible for the re-engineering of the Royal Bahamas Police Force with emphasis on restructuring and upgrading the Police College; the RBPF Human Resources Division, with emphasis on training and promotions; and the Central Detective Unit, using intelligence as a vital tool.

During that period, the police divisions were decentralised, giving more autonomy to regional commanders and designating those divisions as community police centres and the first line of defenses in the fight against crime in the region. The Royal Bahamas Defence Force had its fleet increased by the addition of two long range patrol vessels under his leadership. A harbour patrol was also instituted, as well as an emergency disaster relief unit.

Watson’s reach also touched Her Majesty’s Prisons, now the Bahamas Department of Corrections, where the cell block plan was expanded for the first time in 50 years. He led the construction of a modern eighty cell block and 22,000 sq ft Vocational Skills Training Centre, designed to facilitate the introduction of a proper rehabilitation programme for inmates.

As a Member of Parliament, Watson sought to keep in contact with his constituents, addressing their needs and promoting a spirit of community by developing parks and playgrounds in practically every community under his purview. He assisted in bringing services such as public health facilities, a police station, schools, a post office, and a library in close proximity to his constituents.

Watson retired from politics in 2002 with an excellent track record as a Member of Parliament and Minister of government.

In 2007, he was appointed chairman of the Airport Authority, and was given the task of the redevelopment of the Nassau International Airport, now the Lynden Pindling International Airport.

His public life is not to be overshadowed by his family and civic life. He was married to the late June Watson, and is father to Sheila Watson Gibson (deceased) and Colene Watson. He is a grandfather and a great-grandfather, and beloved patriarch, as the eldest living son of William and Olga Watson. On November 15, 2023, he said farewell to his brother Solomon at a funeral service held at St Anne’s Anglican church, Fox Hill. As my uncle, he has been a constant source of strength and encouragement, and the accolades he receives from the outside world are just as fitting from all within his family.

The Long Islanders’ Association (LIA) honoured him as a founding member and the first secretary of the association. He later served as President, and he continues paying his dues after 50 years. According to LIA president Taynia Farquharson, it’s 50th anniversary is made even more special because it aligns with the The Bahamas’ 50th anniversary of Independence, making it a true golden jubilee. Other honorees included: Thomas Treco; C Henderson Burrows; Stephanie Harding; Cheryl Deal; and Algier Cartwright. The honorees were treated to a golden soiree at the Nassau Yacht Club on Saturday, November 11, 2023.

Watson was also an active member and past president of the New Providence Sailing Association where he promoted sloop sailing throughout The Bahamas.

He is also an honorary member of the Kiwanis Club of Over the Hill. His love of country continues to shine even in his senior years, as politicians, government officials, civic leaders and young people continue to flock to him for advice and moral support.

THE WATSON clan gathers regularly at the home of patriarch Frank Watson

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, November 21, 2023, PAGE 9

Remembrance Sunday is emblem of Britain’s soul as a nation AS the news cycle moves on remorselessly and public attention is inevitably diverted elsewhere, I should like today to comment once more on the controversy surrounding last weekend’s pro-Palestine march in London.

I wrote last week that there were displays of violence but, bad as these were, they were relatively limited and the number of arrests not unduly excessive given that there were an estimated 300,000 participating in the march. I suggested that, despite the bellowing and spewing out of hatred with banners condemning Israel in vitriolic language, the decision to allow it to go ahead was, arguably, in the end the correct one given people’s right in a democracy to protest publicly and that an outright ban would have been unjustified.

On reflection, however, and following further study of UK media reports, I am now less confident about making that judgement.

In Britain, Armistice Day is always observed on November 11 itself – “the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month” of 1918 when the Armistice was signed to end the First World War. Remembrance Sunday is held on the second Sunday of November. This commemorates British service members who have died in wars and other military conflicts since the onset of the First World War. Commemorative ceremonies are held on both days. These are a sacred landmark in the UK’s national calendar and there is a sombre mood of reflection as the community pays its respects.

This year, the two days followed each other at the weekend and there was an atmosphere of profound solemnity in the nation’s capital. But, as one commentator put it, what should have been a time for quiet reflection and respect was turned into “an arena

The Peter Young column of fear and friction”. Many in the UK are now saying that because of the significance of last weekend to the whole nation it was disgraceful that the organisers should have gone ahead with the march and that they were being deliberately provocative in doing so.

Apart from letting off steam, the march was never going to achieve anything other than revealing their disdain for the nation’s history as they shouted their political views – and it is said that far-right and farleft are two sides of the same coin in so far as both are guilty of intolerance, authoritarianism and a fixation with ethnic identities.

The far-right thugs think of themselves as defenders of British nationhood, but, in reality, their aggression and intimidation stops them from being true patriots.

Thinking about all this further, one begins to wonder how it has happened in Britain that the liberal belief in tribal identity should somehow have become more important than patriotism and national unity. Whether or not this is indeed the case, it often seems that, in apparently failing to treat all citizens equally,

THANKSGIVING - A TIME TO SAVOUR HAVING enjoyed a year at a boarding school in Massachusetts as an exchange student, I was lucky to learn at an early stage about the best of America – and this included Thanksgiving.

Across the pond, however, I suspect that relatively few will be aware of what exactly it is and its significance in the US. They will know that it is an American festival which takes place towards the end of the year and some will be able to tell you that it is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November.

They may even be aware that it is a federal holiday while they may have been told, too, that it is regarded by some Americans as more significant than Christmas.

They will also have heard that it has been described as a time of warm-hearted togetherness especially for families. But beyond all that they will probably not know much about it.

It is likely that they will associate Thanksgiving with their own Harvest Festival in England which is usually held in September to give thanks for the successful gathering-in of a bountiful harvest. They will assume it can trace its origins back to such festivals expressing gratitude for an abundant harvest because this was in the cultures of both the Pilgrims who sailed from England in 1620 and the Native Americans they encountered when they arrived. The age-old tradition of the harvest festival in British history is celebrated in churches, schools and families, but it is a thoroughly subdued and limited event on a small scale compared to Thanksgiving in America.

It is probably safe to say that not many British people will be aware that the Pilgrims celebrated

Thanksgiving for the first time in 1621 after their initial harvest in the New World and that they were giving thanks, too, for their recent successful journey and for the new land they had acquired. The celebration was said to have lasted three days and was attended by some ninety Native American Wampanoag and more than fifty survivors of the Pilgrims’ ship, the Mayflower.

That appears to be the “approved” version of history – but nonetheless accurate for that. It is unlikely that many British people will have heard about the cynics who say that, for Native Americans, Thanksgiving is really nothing more than a holiday commemorating the AngloSaxon invasion of a country that already belonged to somebody else.

They assert that the interpretation of Native Americans is that European colonialists landed near Plymouth Rock in Massachusetts and had a peaceful meeting with the Wampanoag tribe. The history books state that the two groups did indeed celebrate Thanksgiving together in 1621. But, after relations soured – and, later, immigrants arrived in large numbers - Native Americans across the continent were forced to accept the centuries of oppression that followed.

Historians, who like to look at all aspects of the past, understand the reality and inevitability of this. But what is surely significant today is how Americans generally view this national holiday. It seems they see it as a chance to appreciate the good things in life like family, community and the riches of the land, to share their blessings and to give thanks for all that they have.

BRITAIN’S King Charles III salutes as he attends the Remembrance Sunday ceremony at the Cenotaph on Whitehall in London, on Sunday, November 12.

Photo: Kin Cheung/AP a supine British state is reluctant to protect traditional values and is more interested in diversity, multiculturalism and recognition of minorities in the name of diversity.

One example of this is the excessive attention given to the views of race campaigners while many believe the police should be dealing more effectively with genuine, intentional and orchestrated racism such as the current surge in anti-Semitism.

Some argue that much of this is theoretical and

that, rather than speculating about the police’s attitudes, what matters most is what happens on the ground. In particular, it must have been heartening and encouraging to so many that, in contrast to the weekend violence, the traditional rituals and practices of Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday were carried out this year in time-honoured fashion to pay tribute to those who made the supreme sacrifice for their country.

These included the twominutes silence, the march

past the Cenotaph in central London of thousands of veterans and armed forces personnel from all three services and the laying of wreaths led by King Charles to honour the fallen. It was evident that the pomp and ceremony of these historic rituals was executed perfectly and showed Britain at its best – and, of course, everyone has come to expect this, not only because historically the precision of the military has been legendary but also after such high standards were displayed recently at

The Queen’s funeral and at the Coronation.

It comes as no surprise to learn that this year many people were overwhelmed by all this – and some commentators in the UK suggest it may have been because of the relief and reassurance it gave them about the continued respect in their country for tradition and the display of national unity compared to the sickening displays of violent thuggery and aggression perpetrated by the demonstrators over the weekend.

PAGE 10, Tuesday, November 21, 2023

THE TRIBUNE

25 crew taken hostage on Bahamas-flagged ship JERUSALEM Associated Press YEMEN’S Houthi rebels seized an Israeli-linked cargo ship in a crucial Red Sea shipping route on Sunday and took its 25 crew members hostage, officials said, raising fears that regional tensions heightened over the Israel-Hamas war were playing out on a new maritime front.

The Iran-backed Houthi rebels said they hijacked the ship over its connection to Israel and would continue to target ships in international waters that were linked to or owned

by Israelis until the end of Israel’s campaign against Gaza’s Hamas rulers.

“All ships belonging to the Israeli enemy or that deal with it will become legitimate targets,” the Houthis said.

Mohammed AbdulSalam, the Houthis’ chief negotiator and spokesman, later added in an online statement that the Israelis only understand “the language of force.”

“The detention of the Israeli ship is a practical step that proves the seriousness of the Yemeni armed forces in waging the sea battle, regardless of its costs and costs,” he added. “This is the beginning.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office had blamed the Houthis for the attack on the

HOUTHI rebels seen storming the deck of the Galaxy Leader in footage released by the attackers. The Galaxy Leader is pictured right previously.

Bahamas-flagged Galaxy Leader, a vehicle carrier affiliated with an Israeli billionaire. It said no Israelis were on board.

The ship’s Japanese operator, NYK Line, said the vessel had no cargo at the time of the hijacking.

Its crewmembers are from the Philippines, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine and Mexico, NYK said.

Japan on Monday condemned the hijacking.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said the Japanese government was

doing its utmost for an early release of the crew through negotiations with Houthi rebels, while also communicating with Israel and cooperating with the governments of Saudi Arabia, Oman and Iran.

The Houthis said they were treating the crew members “in accordance with their Islamic values,” but did not elaborate on what that meant.

Netanyahu’s office condemned the seizure as an “Iranian act of terror”.

The Israeli military called

the hijacking a “very grave incident of global consequence”.

Israeli officials insisted the ship was British-owned and Japanese-operated.

However, ownership details in public shipping databases associated the ship’s owners with Ray Car Carriers, founded by Abraham “Rami” Ungar, who is

known as one of the richest men in Israel.

Ungar told The Associated Press he was aware of the incident but couldn’t comment as he awaited details. A ship linked to him experienced an explosion in 2021 in the Gulf of Oman.

Israeli media blamed it on Iran at the time.

Authorities confirmed

on Monday that the captain and the first mate on the Galaxy Leader were Bulgarians.

Bulgaria’s top police officer, Zhivko Kotsev, told reporters that they were in touch with their families. “Nobody has sought contact with us up to this moment,” he said.

International shipping often involves a series of management companies, flags and owners stretching across the globe in a single vessel.

Two US defence officials confirmed that Houthi rebels seized the Galaxy Leader in the Red Sea on Sunday afternoon local time. The rebels descended on the cargo ship by rappelling from a helicopter, the officials said, confirming details first reported by NBC News.

The ship’s seizure resembles others previously conducted by Iran, which has long armed the Houthis.

Twice in the last month, US warships have intercepted missiles or drones from Yemen that were believed to be headed toward Israel or posing a threat to American vessels. The USS Carney, a Navy destroyer, intercepted three land attack cruise missiles and several drones that were launched

by Houthi forces toward the northern Red Sea last month.

SHAKIRA COMES TO TAX DEAL OVER DISPUTE ON WHETHER SHE LIVED IN SPAIN OR THE BAHAMAS BARCELONA, Spain Associated Press AFTER having maintained her innocence for nearly five years, pop star Shakira struck a last-minute deal on the opening day of her tax fraud trial in Barcelona to avoid the risk of going to prison.

Shakira told the presiding magistrate, José Manuel del Amo, on Monday that she accepted the agreement reached with prosecutors.

She answered “yes” to confirm her acknowledgment of six counts of failing to pay the Spanish government 14.5 million euros (about $15.8m) in taxes between 2012 and 2014.

The trial, which was expected to include more than 100 witnesses over several weeks, was instead called off after just eight minutes.

Under the deal, Shakira is to receive a suspended three-year sentence and to pay a fine of 7.3 million euros ($8m) in addition to the previously unpaid taxes and interest. She will pay another fine of 432,000 euros ($472,000) in exchange for having her prison sentence waived.

However, she now has it on her legal record that she was found guilty of tax fraud, which could affect another pending tax case.

The fraud allegations had hinged on where Shakira, now 46, lived during 2012-14. Prosecutors in Barcelona alleged the Colombian singer spent more than half of that period in Spain and therefore should have paid taxes on her worldwide income there even though her official residence was still in the Bahamas.

Prosecutors said in July that they would seek a prison sentence of eight years and two months and a fine of 24 million euros ($26m) for the singer, who has won over a fans around the global with her hits in Spanish and English in different musical genres.

Shakira said in a statement provided by her public relations firm that she had wanted to fight on but put her family, career and peace of mind first.

“I have made the decision to finally resolve this matter with the best interest of my kids at heart who do not want to see their mom sacrifice her personal

COLOMBIAN performer Shakira leaves court in Barcelona, Spain, on Monday.

Photo: Joan Mateu Parra/AP well-being in this fight,” she additional 3 million euros said. “I need to move past (about $3.2m) in interest.

The defence team for the stress and emotional toll of the last several years Shakira, the Barcelona firm and focus on the things I Molins Defensa Penal, said love, my kids and all the in November 2022 that she opportunities to come in had not spent more than 60 days a year inside the my career.”

The multiple Grammy country during the period in and Latin Grammy winner question, adding she would waved and blew a kiss to a have needed to have spent small crowd of bystanders half the year in Spain to be before entering the court- considered a fiscal resident. house. She briefly sat in Her defence argued that she front of the panel of judges, was away from Barcelona flanked by teams of pros- for long stretches on a world ecutors on one side and the tour in 2011 and then spent a lot of time in the United defense on the other.

“This has been a diffi- States as part of a jury for cult decision that took time the NBC television music to reach,” defence lawyer talent show The Voice.

Spanish prosecutors Miriam Company told reporters. “Her legal team disagreed, and the invesjudge, Marco had prepared the trial and tigating were convinced we could Juberías, wrote in 2021 on demonstrate her innocence, the conclusion of a threebut the circumstances year probe into the charges changed and (Shakira) that he found there existed “sufficient evidence of crimopted to accept the deal.”

Shakira turned down a inality” for the case to go to deal offered to her by pros- trial. Shakira defended her ecutors to settle her case in innocence when she was July 2022, saying, via her questioned by Juberías in Spanish public relations 2019. She lost an appeal to firm Llorente y Cuenca, have the case thrown out that she “believes in her last year.

Shakira established her innocence and chooses to leave the issue in the hands fiscal residency in Spain in of the law.” The details of 2014 at the same time her that potential deal were not oldest child was enrolled in school in Barcelona, accordmade public.

Shakira was named in ing to her defence team.

In a separate investhe “Paradise Papers” leaks Spanish state that detailed the offshore tigation, tax arrangements of numer- prosecutors charged Shaous high-profile individuals, kira in September with including musical celebri- alleged evasion of 6.7 milties such as Madonna and lion euros in taxes on her 2018 income. They accused U2’s Bono.

Shakira’s public relations her of using an offshore firm had previously said company based in a tax that she had already paid haven to avoid paying the all that she owed and an taxes.

SPORTS PAGE 11

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2023

Rebels run away with Battle 4 Atlantis title Coach Yo - first Bahamian coach to win the crown - and Ole Miss make history

By TENAJH SWEETING Tribune Sports Reporter tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

T

he University of Mississippi Ole Miss Rebels pulled off a decisive 60-49 win over the University of Michigan Wolverines in the championship round of the third Bad Boy Mowers Battle 4 Atlantis women’s tournament yesterday at the Imperial Arena, Paradise Island.

The win not only marked their first championship victory in the tourney’s history but it also made Grand Bahamian coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin the first Bahamian coach to accomplish this feat at the three-day event.

Placing third in the tournament were the University of Arizona Wildcats, who fell 56-47 to the Ole Miss Rebels in the semifinals, after they toppled the South Dakota Coyotes 61-52 in the third place game yesterday.

Coach Yo was elated as she basked in the historic moment in Bahamian and team history with her players.

“It means a lot and when I saw the conch shell I almost broke down and cried. The conch shell on the trophy was elite. Usually, I let the trophies stay at work but this one I may try to sneak to the house for at least a week. It feels great to win. I am happy but we had three straight games in a row so I am really exhausted but inside I am screaming with joy,” the Grand Bahama native said.

In the first two games of the Battle 4 Atlantis women’s tournament, the Ole Miss Rebels got off to a slow start and rebounded to win in the second half against their opponents.

However, from the opening tip to the final buzzer

MISSISSIPPI head coach Yolett McPheeMcCuin holds the trophy after defeating Michigan in an NCAA college basketball game in the Battle 4 Atlantis at Paradise Island, Bahamas, Monday, November 20, 2023. (Tim Aylen/Bahamas Visual Services via AP) of the championship game versus the Wolverines, the Rebels played with a chip on their shoulders and led the entire game.

The former national team coach said the Ole Miss Rebels’ strategy coming into yesterday’s game against the 4-1 Wolverines was to get off to a hot start. “It was key. I have a lot of respect for Kim. She is a veteran in coaching, she is someone I look up to so I have been watching for a long time.

I knew they would be prepared and well coached.

We wanted to win the first four minutes of the game.

We wanted to send a message that we were here to win a championship as well and I thought our team did that,” she said.

Coach Yo’s team got the advantage 10-6 to start the

SEE PAGE 14

NFL, Page 13

BAHA MAR HOOPS TAKES CENTRE STAGE

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net THE 2023 Baha Mar Hoops Pink Flamingo Championships for 10 NCAA division one collegiate women’s teams got started yesterday at the Baha Mar Convention Center with the Georgia Bulldogs, Ohio State Buckeyes and Florida Gators all producing early victories.

The Bulldogs routed the Columbus Lions 73-56, the Buckeyes pounded the East Carolina Pirates 79-56 and the Florida Gators held off the Purdue Boilermakers 52-49.

In the pair of evening games, Oklahoma State took on Penn State and the University of South Carolina met Seton Hall.

UÊ iÀi½ÃÊ >Ê ÃÕ >ÀÞÊ vÊ the games played: Gators 52, Boilermakers 49 In a game that went right down to the wire, Purdue

SEE PAGE 12

CONCACAF NATIONS LEAGUE: BAHAMAS VS PUERTO RICO

By TENAJH SWEETING Tribune Sports Reporter tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

MISSISSIPPI’s Madison Scott holds her MVP trophy yesterday after defeating Michigan in the Battle 4 Atlantis NCAA college basketball tournament at the Atlantis resort on Paradise Island, Monday, November 20, 2023.

(Tim Aylen/Bahamas Visual Services via AP)

THE Bahamas senior men’s national soccer team is slated to take on Puerto Rico at 7pm today at the Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium.

The CONCACAF Nations League match was supposed to be the final one of their November window but the collapsing of a highway wall, which resulted in the death of nine people, and inclement weather conditions in Santo Domingo, Puerto Rico, resulted in their match against Guyana being postponed on Sunday.

SEE PAGE 13

SPIA Relays Challenge turns THANKSGIVING out to be great event at UB BASKETBALL TOURNEY IN ITS 23RD YEAR

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net THE SPIA 2023 Relays Challenge had some challenges at the start of the competition on Saturday, but it turned out to be a great day for the participants at the University of the Bahamas.

Organiser Rashad Patton said they had to delay the start of the event because of the amount of water that had settled on the grass track from the downpour of the rain on Friday.

But once they got started, the participants from the UB Mingoes track team, local track clubs and schools, raced under the adverse conditions and there were even some falls in the puddles, but it in no way diminished the level of competition.

“It was a good experience to see in November

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

COACH Andrew Tynes with participants at the SPIA 2023 Relays Challenge on Saturday at the University of the Bahamas. where our athletes are at,” Patton said. “So we decided to invite some of the clubs to participate as well so that they can test their athletes.”

Despite not drawing a larger crowd of teams, Patton said those who participated performed very well. “I’m really thankful to the teams who showed up and participated,” Patton

said. “I was a little concerned because of the rain, but we still had some good performances out there today.”

Teams competed in the 4 x 800, 4 x 600 and 4 x 500 metre relays in the open, under-17, under-15, under13, under-11 and under-9

SEE PAGE 12

WHILE the ladies and men’s collegiate teams are in New Providence for the various basketball tournaments, Grand Bahama will showcase a number of visiting high school senior boys’ teams over the Thanksgiving weekend.

The Tabernacle Baptist Academy/Dale Burns Thanksgiving Basketball Tournament, now in its 23rd year, will feature three high school teams from Grand Bahama against five visiting teams from the United States.

The tournament will start on Wednesday and run through Saturday at St George’s High Gymnasium and, according to Norris Bain, the deputy

director of sports in the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture, the event will give the island an economic boost this weekend.

“We have the number one ranked school out of Georgia in Colombia High and the fifth ranked out of Georgia in 6A in Jonesboro,” Bain said. “They are two highly-ranked schools. We will also have a very good team in Oakridge High out of Tennessee.

“So we will have some very good high school basketball competition here in Grand Bahama, while they have the college teams playing in New Providence.”

The Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture is partnering with Tabernacle Baptist to sponsor the tournament, which is

expected to attract over 100 fans from the various schools coming in.

With the three local teams participating, Bain said they anticipate that the fans will have an exciting four days of competition as the island tries to reclaim the title as the sporting capital of the Bahamas.

“This will be a good test for the teams in Grand Bahama to see where they are because they will have some nationally ranked teams to compete against. This will also give the coaches the opportunity to match their skills against their American counterparts.”

Bain, a former coach of Tabernacle and the men’s national team, said

SEE PAGE 13

PAGE 12, Tuesday, November 21, 2023

THE TRIBUNE

BAHA MAR HOOPS PINK FLAMINGO CHAMPIONSHIPS

Bulldogs, Gators and the Buckeyes get early victories FROM PAGE 11 made three consecutive fouls in the final 10 seconds before Aliyah Matharu made it to the foul line and converted a pair of charity shots as they pulled away from a 50-49 lead to push their lead up three, 52-49.

Abbey Ellis attempted a “hail mary” three-pointer at the buzzer for the Boilermakers, but it bounced off the rim as the Gators celebrated the much-deserved victory.

Matharu, the pesky guard, ended up with a game high 15 points with four rebounds and two assists.

Guard Leilani Correa had 10 points and eight rebounds, centre Ra Shaya Kyle had nine points and nine rebounds, guard Laila Reynolds added six points with four rebounds and both Alberte Rimdal and Jeriah Warren came off the bench and contributed five points apiece.

Florida, coached by Kelly Finley, led 14-10 at the end of the first quarter, 26-22 at the half and 42-40 at the end of third. They held off Purdue, coached by Katie Gearlds, 10-9 in the fourth when it counted the most.

The Boilermakers got 14 points, five rebounds and three steals from guard Abby Ellis. Caitlyn Harper had 12 points and five rebounds and Jayla Smith came off the bench and helped out with 11 points, five rebounds and four assists.

Florida, competing out of the SEC, reached the quarterfinals of the postseason WNIT last year, while the Big Ten Purdue representative got to the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Buckeyes 79, Pirates 56 Guard Jacy Sheldon produced 20 points with five rebounds and a pair of assists to lead four other players in double figures as Ohio State improved to 3-1 on the season.

Guard Taylor Thierry had 14 points with eight rebounds, four assists and three steals, forward Rebeka Mkulasikova had 12 points, three assists, two rebounds and as many steals, forward Cotie McMahon had 11 points with seven rebounds, Rikki Harris came off the bench and also contributed 11

ON THE REPLAY: THE 2023 Baha Mar Hoops Pink Flamingo Championships for 10 NCAA division one collegiate women’s teams got started yesterday at the Baha Mar Convention Center with the Georgia Bulldogs, Ohio State Buckeyes and Florida Gators all producing early victories. The Bulldogs routed the Columbus Lions 73-56, the Buckeyes pounded the East Carolina Pirates 79-56 and the Florida Gators held off the Purdue Boilermakers 52-49.

points. Although they controlled the tempo of the game from start to finish, opening up with an 10-0 run, Ohio State had to endure a near shuffle with 1:29 left in the third quarter.

Officials held up the game for a considerable time to review a play that resulted in Jade Tillman of ECU being ejected, while

two players from OS got hit with a technical foul each.

Ohio State was leading 57-41 at that point.

Guard Synia Johnson scored 14 points with seven rebounds to pace East Carolina. Amiya Joyner had 12 points and nine rebounds and guard Micah Dennis added 10 points with four assists and three rebounds.

Ohio State, coached by Kevin McGuff in his 22nd season, is coming off its first NCAA Elite Eight appearance in 30 years with an 28-8 overall record, while East Carolina, coached by Kim McNeil in her eighth season, is coming off a first round appearance in the NCAA Tournament last year.

Bulldogs 73 Lions 56 Zoesha Smith led four players in double figures as Georgia, who are entering their second year under coach Katie AbrahamsonHenderson, picked up their third straight victory of the season. Smith, connecting on 8-for-11 from the field, had 18 points with seven rebounds. Javyn Nicholson had 17 points with seven rebounds as well, along

Photos by Dante Carrer with three assists, Chloe Chapman had 15 points and seven assists and DeMauri Flournoy added 11 points.

The Bulldogs led 37-29 at the half, but while they only scored nine in the third quarter, they held the Lions to the same tally in the fourth when they stepped on the gas, scoring 27 points to put the game away.

In a losing effort for Columbus, Riley Weiss scored 18 points, Kitty Henderson had 12 points with four rebounds, four assists and as many steals and Abbey Hsu contributed 10 points with seven rebounds and two assists.

SPIA RELAYS

FROM PAGE 11 men and mixed divisions.

Trophies and medals were awarded to the top performers. UB’s head coach Ednal Rolle, who also assisted in getting the meet off the ground, admitted that it was a rough start, but he too was pleased with what he saw.

“I just wanted to see where they are. We have our timed trials next week, so I wanted to see how they would handle the relays,” he said. “My cross country team won the 4 x 800m and the mixed relay. “Our team is much stronger than last year. The 4 x 400m team should break the school record this year because I’m looking for them to do much better this year. A few of them are running on our cross country team. So we’re looking good.”

The Mingoes men’s 4 x 800m team that dominated the event were Kenold Jewan, Dennis Williamson, Jackson Ozias and Lhevinne Joseph.

After getting sidelined by the rain from Friday, Rolle said the track was a little flooded, so they had to delay the start just so that some of the water could subside.

“But running events like this is all about the conditions on the course,” Rolle pointed out.

COACH Andrew Tynes with participants at the SPIA 2023 Relays Challenge on Saturday at the University of the Bahamas.

“It was a good condition for the athletes to get in the challenge, so they had to run through it. So we’re pleased with the performances.”

Andrew Tynes, coach of Swift Athletics, said they welcome any and every opportunity they get to compete under any condition. “This is November, so it’s good for us to take a look at them and to see how far they have come,” he stated.

“I was really grateful that they had this meet to compete in and the conditions on the grass is something that they have to get used to because if they get to go to college, they don’t know what conditions they have to compete under.”

Cedricka Rolle, coach of the 3PA Stallions, in assessing her 3PA Stallions’ team performances, admitted that she got a good chance to view their level of fitness as they move forward.

“We’re trying to get them prepared for an indoor meet in December in Ohio, so they are using these markers to know what we have to work on to get ready for that trip,” she said.

Rolle was impressed with her athletes, particularly Jasmine Mackey (Carifta athlete in the 800 and 1,500m), Dahjia Mesidor (800m, shot put) and Zantea Ferguson (triple jump).

Coach Clinton Smikle said his Quick Step

Athletics team did what they had to do.

“Our team performed very well. They are in pretty good shape and so going into the season, it was a good way for us to gauge what we are doing,” he said.

“We have the Carifta trials coming up and so we want to get them ready for that.”

His team consisted of Dillan Simon, Mario Miller, Clyde Richards and Yulianas Akompi.

Coach Latoya Bain-Sturrup, who brought a number of her athletes from Claridge Primary, noted that her team did an excellent job.

“It was a conditioning meet and some of the athletes are just getting in shape, so it showed where

we’re at and what we need to work on,” Bain-Sturrup said.

“So I was very pleased.

The kids also had fun and they competed against clubs and athletes who are always training, so I thought we had a wonderful time on Saturday.

“It was all about the kids being exposed to the UB track and to run against other clubs and schools. I was very pleased with their performances.”

UÊ iÀi½ÃÊ >Ê Ê >ÌÊ Ì iÊ results posted by the various teams during the event: Men’s Open 4 x 800m relay - University of the Bahamas - 9:09.50; SPIA Track Club - 9:45.15.

Open mixed 4 x 800m University of the Bahamas

The Lions, coached by Megan Griffith, are coming off their first Ivy League championship title last year, although they eventually fell short of making the NCAA Tournament. After taking a break today, the final day of competition for the women will be played Wednesday with the following games on tap: 11am - Seton Hall vs East Carolina 1:30pm - Columbia vs Florida 4pm - Purdue vs Georgia 6:30pm - Ohio State vs Oklahoma State 9pm - Penn State vs University of South Carolina - 10:53.17; Quick Step 11:05.06; SPIA Track Club - 11:18.06.

Under-17 mixed 4 x 800m - Speed Capacity Club - 13:08.58; SPIA Stallions - 13:20.03.

Under-17 men 4 x 600m Swift Athletics - 7:23.01.

Under-17 mixed 4 x 600m - Speed Capacity - 9:28.00; Unattached - 9:04.07.

Under-15 mixed 4 x 600m - 3PA Stallions - 9:04.80.

Under-13 female 4 x 600m - Speed Capacity 9:40.80; Claridge Primary - 12:37.79.

Under-13 male 4 x 600m - Swift Athletics 8:27.11; Claridge Primary - 12:50.39.

Under-11 female 4 x 600m - Prince Williams 12:37.11; Claridge Primary - 13.01.

Open men 4 x 400m Swift Athletics - 3:54.42; SPIA Track Club - 3:58.23.

Open female 4 x 400m 3PA Stallions - 5:01.73.

Under-17 male 4 x 400m - Swift Athletics - 5:245.83.

Under-17 mixed 4 x 400m - 3PA Stallions - 5:08.49.

Under-15 mixed 4 x 400m - 3PA Stallions - 5:18.37.

Under-13 male 4 x 400m - 3PA Stallions - 5:17.35; Swift Athletics - 5:23.88; Claridge Primary - 5:45.65.

Under-11 female 4 x 400m - Prince Williams 7:35.64; Claridge Primary - 10:58.50.

Under-9 male 4 x 400m - Swift Athletics - 10:34.24; Claridge Primary - 11:34.14.

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, November 21, 2023, PAGE 13

Eagles top Chiefs 21-17 in Super Bowl rematch and an interception in the end zone. Isiah Pacheco added 89 yards rushing for the Chiefs, who couldn’t overcome their two redzone turnovers and a plethora of penalties.

Unlike the Super Bowl, when the Eagles blew a 10-point halftime lead, the Chiefs took a 17-7 lead to the break Monday night.

It was knotted 7-all after Hurts and Mahomes traded first-quarter touchdown throws, and it was still tied when Mahomes hit Kelce on third down for the go-ahead TD with 1:45 left. And when the Eagles got the ball back, sacks by Trent McDuffie and George Karlaftis made them give it right back with 44 seconds remaining.

Plenty of time for Mahomes to get the Chiefs within range for Harrison Butker to add a 43-yard field goal.

But for all the praise the Chiefs get for their prolific offence, they’ve been abysmal in the second half this season, scoring a league-low 53 points entering Monday night. And after two

quick punts to start the half, Philadelphia finally capitalised on the good field position, marching downfield before Hurts finished the drive with a 10-yard touchdown run.

The Chiefs kept beating themselves — and the Eagles kept taking advantage.

Along with penalties that derailed their first two drives of the second half, Kelce fumbled the ball away at the Philadelphia 8 early in the fourth quarter. And when the Chiefs got the ball back and had to punt a few minutes later, Justin Watson was unable to down the ball at the Philadelphia 1, resulting in a touchback that gave Hurts and Co. some breathing room.

They proceeded to go 80 yards the other way, and Hurts’ sneak gave Philadelphia a 21-17 lead with 6:20 left.

UP NEXT Eagles: Host Buffalo on Sunday.

Chiefs: At Las Vegas on Sunday.

Giannis scores 42 points, Bucks extend winning streak to 5 games with a 142-129 win over Wizards

THANKSGIVING BASKETBALL TOURNEY IN ITS 23RD YEAR

By DAVE SKRETTA AP Sports Writer KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Jalen Hurts ran for a pair of touchdowns, including a go-ahead tush-push score in the fourth quarter, and the Philadelphia Eagles rallied from a 10-point halftime deficit to beat the Kansas City Chiefs 21-17 in a Super Bowl rematch last night.

The Eagles (9-1) insisted all week that they were not out for revenge for their 38-35 loss in February, but Nick Sirianni’s bunch exacted a bit of it anyway.

They shut out Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs (7-3) in the second half while defeating former coach Andy Reid for the first time in five games since he was fired

by Philadelphia and landed in Kansas City.

Eagles centre Jason Kelce also got the best of little brother Travis Kelce for the first time. The Chiefs tight end could have used some luck from pop star and love interest Taylor Swift, who had to

WASHINGTON (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 42 points on 20-of-23 shooting, and the Milwaukee Bucks won their fifth consecutive game, 142-129 over the Washington Wizards last night.

Washington dropped its sixth straight, but not without putting up a decent fight against the star-studded Bucks.

Antetokounmpo shot 87.0% from the field, the highest mark in a game by a player with at least 20 attempts since Mike Woodson of the Kansas City Kings went 22 of 24 (91.7%) in a 48-point effort against the Houston Rockets on February 20, 1983.

Antetokounmpo also contributed 13 rebounds and eight assists.

Jordan Poole scored 30 points for Washington, and Kyle Kuzma added 22 points and 13 assists.

Damian Lillard scored 22 points for the Bucks.

Khris Middleton scored 18 to move past Sidney Moncrief and into fourth place on Milwaukee’s career scoring list.

NUGGETS 107, PISTONS 103 DETROIT (AP) — Reggie Jackson scored 21 points and carried Denver in the fourth quarter after two-time MVP Nikola Jokic was ejected in the first half, and the Nuggets handed Detroit its 12th straight loss.

Jackson had eight points and three assists in the final period as he and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (20 points) shined against their former team. Michael Porter Jr. finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds for the defending NBA champion Nuggets (10-4).

Jokic and Denver coach Michael Malone were ejected after arguing calls.

Malone was thrown out for coming onto the court to dispute a call late in the first quarter, and Jokic was tossed for picking up a second technical with 1:22 left in the second period.

miss the game — he fumbled the ball away in the red zone in the fourth quarter, when Kansas City was trying to extend a 17-14 lead.

The Chiefs still had a chance with less than 2 minutes to go, converting on fourth down and then getting help from a roughing-the-passer penalty.

But a perfectly placed ball from Mahomes went right through the hands of Marquez ValdesScantling for a would-be 51-yard touchdown, and the Eagles stopped Kansas City on fourth down to put the game away.

Hurts threw for just 150 yards with a pick, but he made the plays Mahomes could not in the second half. He also got some help from D’Andre Swift, who ran for 76 yards and a score, and DeVonta Smith, who caught six balls for 99 yards.

It was only the ninth time that two teams that played in the Super Bowl met in the regular season the following year, and the champion had won the previous four matchups. The last to lose

Jokic finished with nine points, five rebounds and five assists in 15 minutes.

Cade Cunningham had 27 points and nine assists for the Pistons (2-13), while Marvin Bagley III finished with 18 points.

HORNETS 121, CELTICS 118, OT CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Miles Bridges hit a 3-pointer with 6.6 seconds left in overtime and Charlotte beat Boston to snap a six-game home losing streak.

LaMelo Ball finished with 36 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, and Gordon Hayward added 20 points for the Hornets, who rallied from an 18-point deficit.

Jayson Tatum finished with 45 points, but missed a free throw with 5.2 seconds left that would have tied the game after getting fouled on a 3-point shot.

He had made the first two before the crucial miss.

Gordon Hayward made two free throws to put Charlotte back up by three points with 0.8 left, and Bridges stole the inbounds pass to seal the win.

Peyton Pritchard had 21 points on five 3s for Boston, which had its six game winning streak snapped.

CLIPPERS 124, SPURS 99 SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Paul George scored 28 points, Kawhi Leonard added 21 and Los Angeles rolled past Victor Wembanyama and San Antonio, extending the Spurs’ losing streak to nine games.

James Harden added 13 points and 10 assists as Los Angeles won its sixth straight over San Antonio.

The Clippers won their second straight game with Harden after dropping their first five games since acquiring him from Philadelphia.

Wembanyama, the No. 1 pick in the draft, was held to nine points and three rebounds. Keldon Johnson had 22 points and 10 rebounds to lead San

KANSAS City Chiefs cornerback L’Jarius Sneed (38) intercepts a pass intended for Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown (11) during the first half last night.

(AP Photo/Ed Zurga) was Dallas against Buffalo during the 1993 season.

Mahomes was held to 177 yards passing with two touchdowns

MILWAUKEE Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, left, reaches to knock the ball away from Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma, right, during the second half of an NBA basketball game last night in Washington.

(AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) Antonio and Cedi Osman scored 17 points.

The Spurs’ losing streak matches the fifth-longest in franchise history.

HEAT 118, BULLS 100 CHICAGO (AP) — Bam Adebayo had 23 points and 11 rebounds, and Miami topped Chicago, two nights after blowing a 21-point lead in the same building.

Jimmy Butler scored 16 points against his former team, while Adebayo earned his eighth doubledouble of the season.

The Heat have won eight of their last nine games after a 1-4 start to the season. Zach LaVine was limited to 13 points on a season-low nine shot attempts. Alex Caruso also finished with 13 points along with a block and a steal.

Coby White led the Bulls with a season-high 20 points, including four 3-pointers. Nikola Vucevic scored 18 points, and DeMar DeRozan added

15. Rookie forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. scored 19 points and Kevin Love added 11 points and eight rebounds for a Heat bench unit that combined for 42 points, compared to 21 for the Bulls’ reserves.

TIMBERWOLVES 117, KNICKS 100 MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Anthony Edwards had 23 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, Karl-Anthony Towns scored 20 points, and Western Conferenceleading Minnesota beat New York Knicks.

Minnesota (10-3) is 6-0 at home — tying a franchise record to start a season — and has won nine of its past 10 games.

Jalen Brunson scored 25 points and Julius Randle had 21 for New York, which shot 34.8% (32 of 92) to Minnesota’s 51.3%.

Rudy Gobert scored 16 points for the Wolves.

Minnesota forward Jaden McDaniels left with a sprained right ankle in the first quarter and didn’t return. That opened up

extended minutes for Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who finished with 11 points, three rebounds and three assists. Naz Reid added 10 points as the Wolves’ bench outscored New York’s reserves 43-30.

PELICANS 129, KINGS 93 NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Brandon Ingram hit all five of his 3-pointers and led all scorers with 31 points, and Zion Williamson dominated the paint by scoring 26 points on 12-for16 shooting to power New Orleans over Sacramento.

The Pelicans trailed 47-43 midway through the second quarter and used a 44-10 scoring outburst spanning the second and third quarters to build an 87-57 lead.

Harrison Barnes scored 16 points and De’Aaron Fox 14 for Pacific Divisionleading Sacramento. Fox and Donatus Sabonis, who finished with 10 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, did not play in the fourth quarter.

FROM PAGE 11 through the tournament, they hope that a few more players from Grand Bahama will be able to obtain athletic scholarships to attend colleges and universities in the United States.

“This is a good opportunity for our boys to perform in front of some high level coaches and scouts, who are also expected to be in town to view the tournament,” Bain said.

At the same time, Bain encouraged the residents of Grand Bahama to come out as they usually do to support the tournament and, at the same time, get to view some high level competition from the high school level.

Stacked in pool A are Tabernacle Baptist Academy Falcons and St George’s Jaguars against visiting teams Columbus High and Lakeside High, both out of Georgia.

In pool B are the Sunland Lutheran Stingers against the visiting Oakridge High out of Tennessee and both SouthWest Dekalb and Jonesboro High out of Georgia.

UÊ iÀi½ÃÊ >Ê Ê >ÌÊ Ì iÊ schedule of games on tap: Wednesday 3:30pm - Jonesboro vs SouthWest Dekalb 4:30pm - Columbia vs St George’s 5:30pm - Tabernacle Baptist vs Lakeside 6:30pm - Oakridge vs Sunland Baptist Thursday 3:30pm - Jonesboro vs Oakridge 4:30pm - SouthWest Dekalb vs Sunland Baptist 5:30pm - St George’s vs Tabernacle Baptist 6:30pm - Columbia vs Lakeside Friday 3:30pm - Oakridge vs SouthWest Dekalb 4:30pm - Sunland Baptist vs Jonesboro 5:30pm - Tabernacle Baptist vs Columbia 6:30pm - Lakeside vs St George’s Saturday 10am - Semifinals 11:30am - Semifinals 5pm - Third place consolation 6pm - Championship game

the men’s national Barbuda at the Antigua and two matches so we want CONCACAF about team’s preparation for Barbuda Football Associa- to get the points because

FROM PAGE 11

The League B, Group D teams were initially scheduled to play the home game at the Thomas A Robinson National Stadium but due to ongoing renovations at the venue it was moved to the Estadio Olímpico Fèlix Sànchez.

Despite not playing the last scheduled game, Team Bahamas will now face Puerto Rico in Bayamon, Puerto Rico in a critical match for determining their fate in the League B, Group D rankings.

Nesly Jean, head coach for Team Bahamas, talked

Puerto Rico after their last game was postponed with no new date in sight.

“It is an unfortunate situation that happened in the Dominican Republic but again we have to move on and try to get our mindset focused on different tactics for what we want to do against Puerto Rico,” Jean said.

Team Puerto Rico is currently second in the CONCACAF Nations League standings for League B, Group D with a 3-0-2 win/loss/draw record and 9 points. Their most recent victory (3-2) came against Antigua and

tion’s Technical Centre in Piggotts.

The Benna Boys, of Antigua and Barbuda, were Team Bahamas’ last opponents in the October window, their match ended in a 2-2 draw.

Team Bahamas remains last in the rankings with a 0-1-3 record and a lone point.

With the possibility of relegation to League C looming for the fourth ranked team, coach Jean said the team is ready despite the odds.

“I think any match we play at the moment is important. This is our last

we want to move up in the group stage. The guys were really anxious to play so let’s see what happens in Puerto Rico. They are ready so we are gonna go ahead and give 100 per cent and try to get the three points,” he said.

After participating in some practice sessions yesterday, Team Bahamas is looking to pull off a big win today.

The victor of the group will be promoted to League A, the second and third ranked teams will remain in the League B and the fourth team will be relegated to League C.

BAHAMAS senior men’s national soccer members in training ahead of their CONCACAF Nations League match against Puerto Rico 7pm today at the Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium.

PAGE 14, Tuesday, November 21, 2023

THE TRIBUNE

BAD BOY MOWERS BATTLE 4 ATLANTIS LADIES’ CHAMPIONSHIP

No. 24 Ole Miss Rebels beat Michigan 60-49 FROM PAGE 11 game and pushed the lead to 16-11 to close out the first period of play.

Despite a strong showing by the team in the opening quarter, starting point guard Kirsten “KK” Deans went down with an apparent knee injury at the 2:29 mark and tried to return to action but only managed to play less than six minutes in the ball game. The status of her injury remains unknown at this time.

Although she was a notable loss for the 5-1 team, backup rookie point guard Marija Avlijas provided a bright spot for the team and embodied the next woman up mentality in her efforts on the court. She mailed in a team-high 11 points, along with three assists, two steals and shot 5-for-10 for 50 per cent in the championship win.

Madison Scott, who has been a standout performer for the Lady Rebels all tournament long, dropped 10 points to pair with seven boards, and one block shot.

Scott was the engine of the team’s stingy defence and energy on offence in the tournament which earned her the Battle 4 Atlantis women’s MVP award.

The newly-named MVP wanted to improve on her consistency in the women’s tournament and was happy to pull off the win.

“It feels really good. We have been working really hard so to win the title we are seeing our hard work pay off. We saw our point guard KK Deans go down and that was really hard for us but it was the next man up mentality. We wanted to win for her and we knew that we have been working so hard to continue to improve each and every day,” “This game we showed strength and resilience.

Marija, our freshman point guard, came in and worked her butt off. On the bench everybody gave everything they had so I am so proud,” the MVP said.

Defence was the name of the game for the Lady Rebels, especially headed into the second half of basketball. The team collectively held the Wolverines to 15-for-62 shooting for 24 per cent from the field and at the halftime mark they shot 14.8 per cent through two quarters.

For the no.24 ranked Lady Rebels, it was their first time leading going into the halftime break (27-19) in the tournament and the rest was history.

The Southeastern Conference (SEC) National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) D1 team’s swarming defence forced 16 turnovers in the final round which translated to nine fast-break points.

The third period of play saw the Lady Rebels outscore the Wolverines 21-11 in the quarter.

Meanwhile, in the fourth quarter they advanced to their biggest lead of the game, 20, at the 6:42 mark to cement their Battle 4 Atlantis championship win.

The Grand Bahama native talked about why she was so passionate about getting this year’s trophy.

“Last year when we lost it was in the tournament but we ended up losing a game.

The junkanoo music started playing and I couldn’t even dance. That is why I made it a point to go dance once I heard the junkanoo music today because I love junkanoo music. The fact that I couldn’t dance last year has kept me up at night,” she said.

She acknowledged the team’s grit and determination against some of the top NCAA D1 women’s teams in the third edition of the tournament. She added that this win is a step in the right direction for the Ole Miss

MISSISSIPPI head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin and her ladies’ team with the trophy after defeating Michigan in an NCAA college basketball game in the Battle 4 Atlantis at Paradise Island, Bahamas, yesterday.

Rebels women’s basketball programme.

“I hope we can play even better basketball but this is a step in the right direction, that’s why we wanted to come play in this tournament. A lot of people that have situations like mine shy away from competition to protect rankings and reputation, that has never been my take. I wanted to come to a tournament like this to play quality opponents. All of them are between 25-30 in the net, that’s tournament worthy teams. This is definitely a step in the right direction and hopefully we can just use this and continue to improve,” coach Yo said.

As for the Wolverines, guard Laila Phelia carried the team with a game-high 21 points. Although she shot 11-for-12 at the charity stripe, the Lady Rebels’ defensive effort bothered her from the field where she shot 4-for-18.

The Michigan women’s team got the edge on the Rebels in second chance points 21 to 9. However, the Rebels dominated them inside the paint 36 to 14.

Additionally, their bench players outscored the Wolverines 27 to 10 in the victory.

The Battle 4 Atlantis tournament ended yesterday for the women’s segment and picks back up on Wednesday at the Imperial Arena for the men’s basketball teams.

Photos by Dante Carrer

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, November 21, 2023, PAGE 15

Careers fair opens up options for future

BY DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net ST GEORGE’S High School hosted a local college-career fair recently to expose students to postsecondary opportunities available in the Bahamas.

About ten institutions were invited this year, including BAMSI, Bahamas Technical Vocational Institute (BTVI), LJM Maritime Academy, Bahamas Institute of Business and Technology (BIBT), Cyber Tech Career College and Terreve College.

The uniformed branches, including Bahamas Customs and Immigration, the Royal Bahamas Police Force, and the Royal Bahamas Defense Force also participated.

The event was well attended by students from both public and private schools on the island, according to Principal Bronwen Smith.

The main goal of the event was to make students aware of the educational institutions, career paths, and potential job opportunities available locally to them upon graduation.

Ms Smith said: “We often think we have to go overseas, but there are lots of opportunities here in the Bahamas and in Grand Bahama that students can take advantage of.

“The event focused on the local colleges in Grand Bahama, Nassau, and Andros, as well as the uniformed organisations that came out in full force because they are always looking to recruit students.”

This year, students from Jack Hayward Senior High, Eight Mile Rock High, Hampton Academy, St Paul’s Methodist College, and

MANY students attended the local college career fair held at St George’s Senior High School recently.

Blaze Sports Academy attended the fair is important because it gives stuevent, and many have already signed dents a jump start in preparing for up and registered with some of the their future. He stated that some institutions. parents cannot afford to send their The event was initially for the 12th kids abroad, and oftentimes they will graders, but 11th and 10th graders graduate without knowing what they also attended and showed interest in are going to do. Therefore, attending the participating institutions. the fair can help students to meet with Carlene Davis-Williams, school local colleges and institutions, learn guidance counselor, noted that this about what they offer, and establish a year students received giveaways, fast connection and a relationship that will food vouchers donated by the PTA, give them an advantage in the future. breakfast treats, a light lunch, and cerThe guidance counselors hope to tificates of participation. make the local college career fair a Jonathan McMinns, guidance coun- floating event by holding it at a differselor, said the local college career ent school each year.

THE NATIONAL coordinator of the Bahamas Maritime Cadet Corps, Clayton Curtis, seated, centre, is flanked by instructors from every island where the BMCC has a presence, as they met recently in a conclave.

MARITIME CORPS THRIVING - WITH SOME CHALLENGES RECENTLY, the instructors involved in the Bahamas Maritime Cadet Corps (BMCC) held a conclave to discuss both progress and challenges.

The organisation is now in previously uncharted waters in that there were 449 students nationwide who had attended at least one class during the month of October. These are numbers which have never been achieved in their 20-year history.

In addition to these unprecedented numbers there is further achievement in that there is at least one student from at least 25 schools in New Providence and also a home-schooled individual.

In New Providence alone, there are over 200 cadets with the vast majority of them attending classes at the original campus at the CR Walker High

School which houses just under150 students. There is a second campus at the Anatol Rodgers High School.

After just the first three classes of this academic year there were 90 students who had registered at that southern campus.

For the first time there are more female than male cadets enrolled in the marine engineering segment of the programme.

The BMCC has also expanded to now include a total of six islands, namely Abaco, Eleuthera, Inagua, Grand Bahama, New Providence, and now, Exuma. The centre at the LN Coakley High School opened on September 19 with a total of 24 cadets.

There are three schools on the island with students who are eligible to participate in the BMCC. All of this success did not come

without its share of challenges, as there were logistical issues in transporting the cadets to and from the two locations where classes are held.

In fact, literally very island is experiencing some sort of transportation challenge or another.

Having immediate access to sufficient classrooms as well as the availability of sufficient instructors to cope with the surge in numbers also had to be addressed. Rather than turn students away, the programme coordinator has had to return to the classroom and serve as an instructor at the Anatol Rodgers School.

Further growth and improvements are expected as the BMCC seeks to expose high school students to the opportunities which currently exist and those expected to become available in the immediate and near future

PRAISE FOR JERVON - THE NATION’S NEW RHODES SCHOLAR THE Ministry of Education and Technical and Vocational Training has praised the nation’s newest Rhodes Scholar, Jervon Sands, a graduate of Saint John’s University.

Being only the second in the university’s history, Sands’ achievement comes more than 50 years since the last scholar from Saint John’s University was awarded.

On Tuesday November 14, Sands was selected to represent the Commonwealth Caribbean in a presentation at the State House in Barbados by the President of Barbados, Sandra Mason.

The ministry said in a statement: “Today, our country is infused with a distinct sense of pride as one of our native sons makes an indelible mark in history. Sands is an astute 2019 graduate and valedictorian of Saint Augustine’s College in New Providence. He also matriculated through the Bahamas Ministry of Education’s Technical Cadet Corps Programme, graduating as the salutatorian in 2019.”

Sands, 21, an applied science physics major who most recently graduated from Saint John’s University summa cum laude, will pursue his Master of Sciences (MSc) in Environmental Change and Management, and MSc in Sustainability, Enterprise and the Environment at the University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom beginning in October 2024.

The ministry said:

“Historically, the Rhodes Scholarship is an honour bestowed only on a select group which includes the likes of former world leaders and influencers. At such a young age, Sands has proven himself to be an exceptional leader, outstanding academic, with esteemed character, and he is heavily endowed with the energy and zeal to commit to solving some of humanity’s challenges.

“Last year, Sands was among a group of students who travelled to the United Nations climate conference in Egypt. This was a part of his unwavering commitment to find solutions to the global environmental challenges. Accordingly, upon completion of his studies, Sands intends to return to The Bahamas to aid in the promotion of climate education.”

Sands was chosen from among ten finalists that hailed from Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Antigua, Barbados and The Bahamas. As the fourth Bahamian to receive this honour, Sands now joins Dr Desiree Cox, Dr Christian Campbell and Dr Myron Rolle as Bahamian Rhodes Scholars.

The ministry said: “The Ministry of Education and Technical and Vocational Training again salutes this young extraordinary Bahamian and Rhodes Scholar, Jervon Sands for his remarkable achievements that will forever be etched in the annals of world history.”

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