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VOLUME:118 No.06, NOVEMBER 30TH, 2020
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SIX STOLEN YEARS Record $640K in damages to Kenyan illegally held and beaten at detention centre By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net DOUGLAS Ngumi, a Kenyan national who endured cruel and inhumane treatment during an unlawful six-and-a-halfyear imprisonment at the Carmichael Road Detention Centre, has been awarded $641,950 in damages by the Supreme Court. It is the largest award of its kind in the country’s history. Justice Indra Charles awarded Mr Ngumi $386,000 in damages for false imprisonment, assault and battery, $50,000 in aggravated damages, $100,000 in exemplary damages, $105,000 in constitutional damages by way of compensation and vindication and $950 in special
‘THREAT TO CLIMATE YET WE’RE OK TO DRILL’
damages. She delivered her ruling on Friday. Justice Charles said although Mr Ngumi was lawfully arrested in January 2011, authorities’ failure to charge and arraign him within the statutory period and to deport him within a reasonable time rendered his six-and-a-half-year detention unlawful. She said the testimony and evidence Mr Ngumi brought to the trial were credible and mostly unchallenged since government lawyers did not call witnesses or produce evidence in the trial. Mr Ngumi, 49, testified last year that he arrived in The Bahamas in 1997 to visit a family friend studying at the College of The Bahamas. SEE PAGE FIVE
THE Bahamas National Trust has declared it is “categorically opposed to oil exploration in The Bahamas.” “The BNT stands with every Bahamian speaking out against the proposed oil exploration in our ocean nation,” the organisation said in a statement recently. The Bahamas Petroleum Company will begin its oil exploration work in the southern Bahamas before Christmas. BPC has argued that it has reduced the environmental risks surrounding its first exploratory well to an irreducible minimum. It says it has obtained all necessary approvals, including an environmental authorisation and go-ahead for its environmental impact assessment and environmental management plan. SEE PAGE SEVEN
PM AIMING TO MOVE QUICKLY ON TURNQUEST REPLACEMENT By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net ANNOUNCEMENTS about who will be the new minister of finance and deputy prime minister could come this week, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis suggested on Friday. “I will announce very soon,” he told reporters in Exuma. “What I can say is that I most certainly won’t remain in the ministry of finance, I can say that with certainty. Tomorrow (Saturday) I’m travelling to Cat Island and I will meditate and discuss with some of my colleagues and by the time I come back sometime this week we will have to make announcements moving forward.” East Grand Bahama
MP Peter Turnquest resigned from Cabinet earlier last week after being referred to in a Supreme Court lawsuit relating to an alleged $27m fraud. Dr Minnis, meanwhile, spoke after marking the opening of a new dock at Barraterre that replaced the government’s old docking facility. Dr Minnis said the previous structure, which was constructed in 1990 using timber, was in poor condition and some of its sections had a high risk of collapse. “The economic stability of the community of Barraterre is highly dependent on the construction of a new and improved docking facility,” he said. SEE PAGE THREE
‘RISK WE ARE OPENING OUR DOORS TO A THIRD WAVE’
By KHRISNA RUSSELL Tribune Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net
DOUGLAS Ngumi pictured outside Supreme Court previously. Photo: Terrel W Carey Sr/Tribune Staff
LUCAYAN COULD OPEN BY MID-FEBRUARY By KHRISNA RUSSELL Tribune Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net TOURISM Minister Dionisio D’Aguilar hopes the Grand Lucayan in Grand Bahama can be turned over to its purchasers by January, telling reporters COVID-19 had brought “frustration” to the deal. Apart from the challenges brought on by the potentially deadly virus, Mr D’Aguilar said “everybody
THE GRAND Lucayan Resort. is suffering from cash flow deprivation”. His statement came after Minister of State for Grand
Bahama Kwasi Thompson’s announcement that officials were eyeing a turnover of the resort by the end of this year to the Holistica Group. “What is really frustrating about this project is the fact that the world has changed so significantly,” the minister said. “Back in March we had a deal. It was clear cut (and we were) very optimistic the hotel was going to be sold. SEE PAGE FIVE
Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper
WITH major resorts set to open by mid-December, consultant physicians are concerned the country could be on the brink of a third COVID-19 wave. Dr Sabriquet Pinder-Butler, Consultant Physicians Staff Association president, told The Tribune yesterday that tourism’s restart poses a concern considering the resurgence of cases in the United States and Europe. SEE PAGE FOUR
INSIGHT
WE NEED SOMEONE WE CAN TRUST
SEE PAGE EIGHT
PAGE 2, Monday, November 30, 2020
THE TRIBUNE
THANKSGIVING GIFT FOR CHILDREN By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net
IL Cares Foundation held a Thanksgiving dinner for the children at The Grand Bahama Children’s Home – an initiative started three years ago. Last year’s celebration had to be cancelled because of the relocation of the children as a result of damage to the home by Hurricane Dorian last September. Following full restoration of the home, 30 of the 43 children were brought back to Freeport after a year in New Providence. With the children’s return, the foundation decided to continue the Thanksgiving tradition celebration it started in 2017. “As the children are still adjusting to being back home, what better way to begin the holiday season than with a familiar celebration,” said a representative of IL Cares Foundation. “Through the foundation, we aim to continue ongoing initiatives with the goal of
THE IL Cares Foundation held a Thanksgiving dinner at the Grand Bahama Children’s Home. dramatically increasing the quality of life for hundreds of Bahamians. “By giving back to our community in ways that create stronger individuals and households, we can create stronger citizens and a stronger economy. It is our main focus and goal to directly affect those with the greatest needs.” Pauline Bowen-Forbes, administrator at GBCH, said it has been a challenging year at the children’s facility. “2019-2020 has been, as Queen Elizabeth once described, an ‘annus horribilis’. Our children have
had their share of trauma, repeated displacement and basically their lives once again interrupted with the effects of COVID-19,” she said. “It is necessary to do whatever we can to return them to some sort of normalcy, since their return they have left the home once since October.” Mrs Bowen-Forbes said they want the children to feel loved and remembered, and are appreciative of Island Luck Cares for caring enough to host the children for Thanksgiving dinner.
THE TRIBUNE
Monday, November 30, 2020, PAGE 3
THE OFFICIAL opening of Barreterre Dock, Exuma.
Photos: Yontalay Bowe/BIS
PM aiming to move quickly on Turnquest replacement from page one Approved funding included $419,08.60 for the replacement of the government dock. SJK Engineering and Construction was awarded the contract for the dock. “The project was completed in a timely manner,” Dr Minnis said. “Even though we had promised a grand celebration upon the opening of the dock, unfortunately the exigencies of the pandemic curtailed these plans.” Public Works Minister Desmond Bannister noted how “the dock is the heart of the community”. “It is critical in the Family Island communities to have your dock,” Mr Bannister said. “So I know that with this dock, Barretarre is now ready to welcome the world and the world is gonna come here as soon as we get over this pandemic.” Exuma and Ragged Island MP Chester Cooper called the dock a “gateway to the Exuma Cays”. “It has been a rough year for the Bahamas with COVID-19,” the Progressive Liberal Party MP said. “Exuma has not escaped, but what I find is that often when things get darkest the Lord will give you a glimmer of hope and this what the opening of this dock represents today. Hope for the future, hope for the resuscitation of our tourism product, and our tourism industry.”
The project also included the construction of a seawall. Dr Minnis also participated in a groundbreaking ceremony hosted by Caribbean Paving Solutions, a subsidiary of the Bahamas Striping Group, which launched its first ever mobile Asphalt Plant in George Town, Exuma. In addition, Dr Minnis said a contract of $8m was awarded to CPS for preparing and rehabilitating roads in mainland Exuma. “The works include clearing of verges, scarification of existing road surface, placing of new limerick base material, raising of low lying flood prone areas, installation of drainage culverts and concrete headwalls, sealing of the roads with 1.5” thick hot mix asphalt wearing course and installation of signs and new striping and road pavement markers,” he said. “The length of the contract is 52 weeks.” Dr Minnis said plans are also underway to design and construct a new terminal building and a new crash fire rescue building at the Exuma International Airport. He said tender documents have been issued for the project and three bids have been received. “The bids have been evaluated and the evaluation report submitted to the Inter-American Development Bank for their no objection,” he said. “The Air Terminal Building
PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis alongside Frankie Campbell MP, Minister of Social Services. Public Works Minister Desmond Bannister is pictured right. at Exuma International Airport will be transformational and forms part of a comprehensive redevelopment programme. The architect for this project is Alexiou & Associates. “The terminal building will accommodate multiple tenants including government regulatory agencies such as Customs and Immigration, the airlines (and)
the Airport Authority. Approximately 12 retail outlets will provide ample opportunity for local Exumians to participate in a meaningful way in the economic output of the airport. The landscape design features will be tourism and marketing focused to promote the tropical environment of the beautiful island and cays of Exuma.”
SYMONETTE: TURNQUEST RIGHT TO RESIGN By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net EAST Grand Bahama MP Peter Turnquest was right to resign last week as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, according to St Anne’s MP Brent Symonette. “I think he did the right thing and it’s now up to him to deal with the issues involved in the legal arena and once he has taken care of that, if he does so successfully, he can then resume a further post in government,” he said yesterday. Mr Symonette resigned as Minister of Immigration and Financial Services last year. Elizabeth MP Dr Duane Sands, former Minister of Health, was the second minister to resign from Cabinet this term. Mr Turnquest resigned after being named in a Supreme Court lawsuit relating to an alleged $27m fraud. He was not named as a defendant in the matter, however, and has maintained his innocence. An announcement on
who will succeed him as Finance Minister could come this week, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis said on Friday. “I will announce very soon,” Dr Minnis told reporters in Exuma. “What I can say is that I most certainly won’t remain in the Ministry of Finance, I can say that with certainty. Tomorrow (Saturday) I’m travelling to Cat Island and I will meditate and discuss with some of my colleagues and by the time I come back sometime next week we will have to make announcements moving forward.” The Minister of Finance must be a member of the House of Assembly, according to the constitution. If Dr Minnis decides to appoint someone to the Senate as minister of state for finance, one of the current ministers in the Senate – Carl Bethel, Dion Foulkes or Kwasi Thompson – would have to relinquish their seat in cabinet. Free National Movement members have been debating who, if anyone, will become the new deputy
prime minister. The position is not constitutional and Dr Minnis can decide not to appoint anyone at all to the post. If he does fill the position, however, some in the FNM hope he would do so only after the organisation chooses a new deputy leader. For this to happen, Mr Turnquest would have to resign as deputy leader of the party so that his vacancy can be filled at a party convention, a special convention or by the Central Council. Among party officials asked about the Deputy Prime Minister position, there was no clear
consensus about who the party would favour. However, Works Minister Desmond Bannister, the most senior elected FNM official in the House of Assembly was a popular choice and is seen as the one who would cause the least amount of controversy in the party. During his visit to Exuma last week to officially open a government dock on that island, Dr Minnis accidentally recognised Mr Bannister as “deputy” before quickly correcting himself during his remarks, prompting knowing laughs from the crowd.
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PAGE 4, Monday, November 30, 2020
THE TRIBUNE
‘Risk we are opening our doors to a third wave’ from page one Paradise Island resort Atlantis plans to open next week, while Baha Mar at Cable Beach is eyeing a December 17 opening. “The concern would be there because a lot of trends
that have occurred in our country have been similar to what we’ve seen in states in the United States as well as Europe,” Dr Pinder Butler said. “We know that we are set to open and have had travel and will have more travel and more persons to
TOTAL CASES
come in to allow the tourism industry to have some kind of kickstart and this will also mean that our residents will interact more amongst themselves and with guests. “So, when we look to what’s happening in the US where there is a resurgence
TOTAL DEATHS
7,517 163
SATURDAY
NEWLY CONFIRMED CASES 14 CASES THURSDAY
NEW PROVIDENCE GRAND BAHAMA
FRIDAY
9 5
7 CASES
14 CASES
NEW PROVIDENCE 6 GRAND BAHAMA 4 EXUMA 3 PENDING 1
of COVID cases occurring, some countries have had to again reinstitute lockdowns and other measures to try to safeguard themselves. Their people are certainly top priority perhaps the most important priority from a public health perspective and from a health perspective and so this is something that is concerning us. “Christmas time is approaching and we want people to be mindful of the things that have helped us thus far in terms of mask wearing, moving away from the gatherings and that sort of thing.” She continued: “We certainly don’t want to have a worst-case scenario in the county with COVID-19. We know how that has strained our healthcare system and we don’t want to do more harm than good.” But one thing is certain, Bahamians cannot let their guards down, she said. “We encourage everyone to just continue with what they’ve been doing that will also help as we continue
with this battle. “Other things that would be lofty goals, but would help further strengthening of the healthcare system. With a potential third wave we have to make sure that we have adequate hospital beds and healthcare staff to ensure all persons who may be in need of assistance.” Her concern comes as confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country continue to remain low. As of Saturday, the Ministry of Health said there were 14 new COVID-19 cases – nine in New Providence and five in Grand Bahama. Seven new cases were recorded on Friday—three in Grand Bahama and four in Eleuthera. On Thursday, health officials recorded 14 cases. The country’s death count stands at 163 and there have been 7,517 official cases confirmed. Health Minister Renward Wells declared in the House of Assembly last week that Bahamians are flattening the COVID-19 epidemic
curve. He noted that case numbers were dwindling and there have been no new recorded deaths for nearly two weeks. His comments came during debate in the House of Assembly on extending the Governor General’s emergency proclamation. The government has extended the state of emergency to January 31. “While it is true that the entire Bahamas only experienced one complete lockdown in April, 2020, other islands such as Grand Bahama and Bimini, experienced lockdowns for some two weeks to control the spread of the virus on these islands,” he said. “Controlled weekday and 24-hour weekend curfews have been most effective on the islands of Eleuthera, Exuma, Abaco and New Providence to bring the overall transmission down, ‘flatten the curve,’ reduce infections and avoid overwhelming our treasured health care system.”
ELEUTHERA 4 GRAND BAHAMA 3
TOTAL TESTS
43,233
HOSPITALISED
18
CASES IN ICU
1
RECOVERED
5,867 MINISTER of Health Renward Wells (left), and Dr Conville Brown, founder and physician-in-chief, as well as chief cardiologist at Bahamas Heart Centre and the Medical Pavilion Bahamas, who facilitated the donations. Photo: Ulric Woodside/BIS
FOUR MORE VENTILATORS DONATED THE Ministry of Health has received four ventilators to help the fight against COVID-19. The ventilators were donated by two prominent families of Canada – the Munks and the Rogers families – and were presented to Minister of Health Renward Wells on Friday. Procurement of the machines was facilitated by heart specialist Dr Conville Brown, founder of Bahamas Heart Centre and the Medical Pavilion Bahamas. “On behalf of the government and people of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, the Ministry of Health extends gratitude for these donations of ventilators from the Munks and Rogers families,” said Mr Wells. “Their generosity aids
in our country’s overall healthcare advancement and is especially beneficial during this pandemic where so many have needed the assistance of a ventilator to survive.” He also acknowledged Dr Brown, and thanked him for receiving the donation from the Munks and Rogers families. “It is my understanding that early on in the COVID19 pandemic, when similar to the rest of the world, our necessary medical supplies were declining, two Canadian families decided to assist our healthcare system by procuring much soughtafter ventilators,” Mr Wells said. Valued at just over $100,000, the families were able to secure four dual electronically and battery powered ventilators. Two
of the ventilators are being donated to the Ministry of Health and the other two will be deployed to Grand Bahama to a private health facility. Currently in the public healthcare system, there are just fewer than 90 ventilators available, with 15 at the Rand Memorial Hospital in Grand Bahama, and the remainder in New Providence. “As much as it is hoped that those accessing our healthcare system will never have to use a ventilator, the reality is that emergency situations constantly occur. Having the increased capacity to assist in saving more lives is invaluable,” said Mr Wells. Dr Brown said he was pleased to have been able to facilitate the donation of the ventilators.
CARNIVAL Corporation on Saturday completed a routine embarkation of fresh crew on to a number of their vessels in accordance with established COVID-19 protocols, officials said. According to a press release from the Ministry of Transport, “every aspect of this operation was carefully planned to assure safety and health safety, and was reviewed and approved in accordance with the cruise ship protocols in effect” under the latest Emergency Order and in accordance with all other relevant health and safety rules. “In an operation supervised for safety and health safety in all of its aspects, Carnival Corporation has completed a routine embarkation of some 160 fresh crew members on to 13 of their ships offshore Nassau Harbour,” the ministry said on Saturday. “The crew members arrived at 6.30 this morning (Saturday) on a private charter flight from
Amsterdam, Netherlands and complied in all respects with all of The Bahamas’ medical, immigration and customs requirements including the production of a required individual negative COVID-19 test prior to entry. “They were transferred nonstop directly to the harbour, where waiting chartered launches ferried them directly to their ships. The entire operation – from arrival at the airport to embark aboard their ships – took little more than eight hours, and has been completed safely.” The operation was reviewed and agreed with the Office of the Chief Medical Officer, the Port Department and the Bahamas Maritime Authority. All measures, including hygiene, masking, distancing, disinfection, cleaning, were specified and compliance was carefully monitored. The operation was for crew embarkation only and no existing crew or
shipboard personnel were allowed to leave any ship or to have any contact with any shore-side personnel. During this operation – and at no time – has any permission ever been given for the ships to undertake discharges in Bahamian waters, the ministry said. “Due to COVID-19 restrictions, many crew (members) have been unable to move from their ships for protracted periods of time. The provision of fresh crew assures continued smooth operation in accordance with international standards and requirements. We are also proud of the fact that The Bahamas has played a role in complying with the United Nations’ call for the essential movement of seamen, and that we have done so in such a safe, rapid and efficient manner,” the ministry added. “We thank our citizens for their continued vigilance in enquiring regarding this operation.”
FRESH CREW TRANSFER TO CRUISE SHIPS IN NASSAU
THE TRIBUNE
Monday, November 30, 2020, PAGE 5
Six stolen years from page one He said he later married Gricilda Vanessa Pratt in 2000. He said she reluctantly applied for a spousal permit for him in 2001 that he never received. The couple are now estranged but not divorced. Mr Ngumi said in 2005 he received a work permit but his application for renewal was denied. He claimed that to avoid violating immigration laws he frequently travelled to Cuba, the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas between 2006 and 2011. Arrested by immigration officers at his home in 2011, Mr Ngumi was taken to the Magistrate’s Court where he pleaded guilty to overstaying. A magistrate recommended he be deported to Kenya but that never happened. On June 4, 2012, he was arraigned at the Magistrate’s Court on possession of dangerous drugs. A magistrate again recommended deportation after he pleaded guilty to the offence. He testified last year that the drugs were planted on him. He said he only pleaded guilty so he could go back to the detention centre and not be sent to prison. A habeas corpus application, which requires officials to bring a detainee to court, was filed on his behalf on July 20, 2017 and he was released from the detention centre on August 4, 2017. Mr Ngumi cried during last year’s testimony as he discussed his treatment at the detention centre. One episode in particular was recounted in detail: he said he was stripped naked, tied, handcuffed under a table and beaten repeatedly with a PVC pipe.
DOUGLAS NGUMI, pictured with Fred Smith QC and attorney Crispin Hall outside Supreme Court previously. “(My back) was so sore some people had to wipe the pus out of my back,” he said. “The next days after, they were using tissue, taking the pus out of my back. I wasn’t taken to the hospital. “This man wasn’t stopping,” he said. “I don’t know what happened to him but he was just upset with something. He was just beating and beating and beating. Somebody had to tell him, ‘We gon’ call the police for you if you don’t stop beating him.’” Mr Ngumi recalled three occasions when teargas was used on detainees. “If you can’t breathe,
they don’t help you,” he said. Damning the conditions of the facility, he said one dorm held 500 people even when it had a capacity for only 50. He said the bathroom wasn’t clean, the toilet never flushed and detainees were forced to drink dirty water. He testified that over the years he contracted pink eye and a “scratching disease”. Mr Ngumi said when he left the detention centre in 2017, he was soon diagnosed with tuberculosis and was eventually detained for eight months at Princess Margaret Hospital. He said he was homeless
LUCAYAN COULD OPEN BY MID-FEBRUARY from page one “Of course, the main investor was the Royal Caribbean. So, everybody knows what happened to Royal Caribbean’s core business. It got destroyed and it still isn’t clear when it’s going to resume. So, they now have cash flow concerns and their partner ITM gets most of its revenue from businesses that cater to cruise customers and so the dynamic has changed in that regard. “However, what is extremely encouraging is they are determined to complete the deal and they want to continue and they’re at the table all the time. “Obviously the dynamics have changed as to what you can do and how fast you can do it and how much you can spend and all of that given what’s happened in the world of COVID as it relates to the cruise industry. But they are determined to complete the deal and they are always there always fighting to make sure that the deal comes to fruition. “So, I am encouraged that the interest is extremely keen but just frustrated by the fact that the world has changed so significantly since March and it’s not bringing a timely conclusion to this project.”
Mr D’Aguilar continued: “Now everybody is suffering from cash flow deprivation and so they are having to work it as best as they can in order to make it work and it’s just very unfortunate that again Freeport seems to have on the cusp of launching this wonderful project with reputable investors who were well healed and well monied to run into this crisis of epic proportions, which has once again thrown a wrench in our well-intended plans. “So, compound Hurricane Dorian on top of that makes it extremely frustrating but we remain…all indications are through the end of the year.” Asked if the turnover would come by January, the minister said: “Yeah. There are two elements to this project. The first element is the hotel and the next element of course is the development of the substantial cruise port in Grand Bahama and so both of those projects have timelines and obviously you want both of them to happen at the same time. So, for the hotel they are dealing with us (and) for the port they are dealing with Hutchinson (Whampoa). “So, first of all, you’ve gotta bring all four parties together at the same time in order to make the project go. That is somewhat
complex, but it isn’t as if on January one they take control of the company. Let’s say then the hotel starts to fill up there is still substantial work that needs to be done to that property and a redevelopment and of course they have their development plans for that property. So, sadly it’s going to take some time even if you hand over operational controls there is going to be the need to do some investment to develop the product that you wish to have.” COVID-19 has also altered the pace of the investment. “There is no doubt that the speed at which they were going to do the investment has changed primarily because of the cash flow situation of the principles so certainly Royal Caribbean has indicated that they can only spend money on certain things because they have borrowed money. “If they have borrowed billions of dollars and the condition of the loan is you can only do certain things with it. They are trying to navigate through the covenants of their loans in order to make sure that they don’t become in violation of them. On the other hand, they are able to make an investment. So, it makes for a challenging negotiation given the fact that COVID19 has affected everybody, including us.”
for several weeks after he was released from PMH. He said he lost his identification documents in the detention centre. Justice Charles said although immigration officers had reasonable suspicion to arrest Mr Ngumi without a warrant, he was not charged within the statutory period of 48 hours. She also said he should have been deported as soon as practical as the magistrate initially recommended. She said three months would have been sufficient time within which he should have been deported. She did not accept the defendants’ claim that Mr Ngumi
Photo: Terrel W Carey Sr/Tribune Staff
refused to cooperate to return to Kenya and that he could not be released into the Bahamian community because of national security concerns, noting the defendants did not support these claims with evidence at the trial. Attorney Fred Smith, QC, sought $11m in damages for Mr Ngumi, believing this would send a strong message to authorities. However, Justice Charles found this request “fantastical”. In deciding on appropriate damages, she relied heavily on the case of Atain Takitota, a Japanese national who was arrested by immigration officers in
1992 and spent eight years in the maximum-security wing of the Fox Hill prison without charge. He attempted suicide at least three times. Justice Charles said Mr Ngumi’s treatment was not as appalling as that of Mr Takitota, who was awarded some $500,000 in damages in 2006 by the Court of Appeal. “I owe a great depth of gratitude particularly to Mr Smith, QC, for his extensive research and formidable submissions,” she said in her submission. “He has truly enlightened the court on matters of this nature.”
PAGE 6, Monday, November 30, 2020
THE TRIBUNE
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The price of freedom DOUGLAS Ngumi was wronged by this country. He had his liberty stripped away for six and a half years, and the paltry compensation he receives for that is $641,950 in damages. If his case seems familiar, it is because this kind of thing happens too often. In September, we asked the question “What is the value of a year of your freedom?” That wasn’t in relation to Mr Ngumi’s case – it was the case of Matthew Sewell, a man who was locked up for even longer than Mr Ngumi. Mr Sewell spent nine years and nine months fighting for his freedom despite never being convicted of a single crime. We can go back further – to 1991, when Atain Takitota was arrested by immigration officers in Nassau. He had no money, no passport, spoke no English but claimed to be a Japanese citizen, although authorities in Tokyo denied it. His only crime was to be a homeless foreigner. For that, he spent eight years behind bars in maximum security at Fox Hill prison, where he tried to kill himself three times. After his imprisonment was finally deemed unconstitutional in 2004, he was awarded a mere $1,000 in damages. A later appeal pushed that up to $500,000 plus costs. Which brings us to Mr Ngumi, whose case was mostly unchallenged since government lawyers did not call witnesses or produce evidence. The failure of authorities to charge and arraign him and deport him within a reasonable time means his detention was ruled unlawful by Justice Indra Charles. Further, he was beaten brutally at the detention centre, describing one occasion when he was stripped naked, tied, handcuffed under a table and beaten repeatedly with a PVC pipe. He described occasions when tear gas was used on detainees. Mr Ngumi’s award of compensation was largely based on Mr Takitota’s $500,000 award, with Justice Charles saying Mr Ngumi’s treatment was not as appalling as Mr Takitota’s. Part of Mr Ngumi’s award was based on how much he might have expected to earn per day had he not been locked up – but that seems a strange way to calculate the value of one’s liberty. Does a rich man get more for being locked up? Does a poor man deserve any less for the loss of his freedom? In punitive terms, the sum is not large enough to encourage the authorities to make sure this never happens again. The exemplary damages portion of the award was just $100,000 – or about $15,400 a year for the period spent
locked up. While Mr Ngumi’s lawyer, Fred Smith QC, had his plea for $11m in damages described as “fantastical”, we do wonder what it will take to make authorities think twice. We see these cases all too often – and it makes us wonder who still is behind bars being treated this way. More than that, will this be the last we hear of this case, brushed away under the carpet as over and done? Where is the independent probe into the allegations of abuse? Who was responsible for the beatings, the tear gas? An occasional court case, barely fought by the government, and the payout to go with it should not be the price of doing business when that business is unlawful detention and brutal treatment of detainees. Mr Ngumi’s award is the largest award of its kind in the country’s history. Previous awards have sparked no calls from leadership for a fundamental change in the way we deal with long-term detention without charge. Will Mr Ngumi’s case prompt that discussion? Or will it just be filed away and nothing is done. Not for his case. Or the next. Or the next. That cannot be justice.
A third wave?
The measures we have taken in the fight against COVID-19 have largely been justified on being based on medical advice. But what happens when doctors oppose the lifting of those measures? The reopening of the country to tourism has a number of doctors concerned we might be about to face a third wave of the virus, with Atlantis and Baha Mar both preparing to open their doors. The president of the Consultant Physicians Staff Association warned: “We certainly don’t want to have a worst-case scenario.” Recently, the number of new cases has taken a downturn thankfully – but even tonight The Tribune was investigating unconfirmed reports of a number of new cases in Lyford Cay, possibly linked to someone returning to the country. There were no further details of that as we went to press – but it shows the level of concern we are facing, and the risk that one case in a gathering might prompt a renewed surge. The doctors are consistent in one other way however – we must keep doing what we are doing, in terms of masks, washing, social distancing and not going to large gatherings. That has helped us flatten the curve, it can help prevent another surge.
Unworkable rules EDITOR, The Tribune.
I HAVE been coming to Nassau for most of my life. I came first as a schoolboy when my late Father worked for the Bahamas Government civil service. Our family have returned regularly because we like the surroundings, the lovely weather and the friendly and welcoming Bahamians. I grew up reading The Tribune and have been following your online service regularly. I have been struck lately by the many Canadian and UK letters complaining about the harsh requirements for entry. These are sincere letters from genuine friends of The Bahamas who want to return despite the health pandemic. I am disappointed to read some of the nasty responses from your local people under these letters. Unlike Canada and the UK, The Bahamas depends upon tourism for their economy. To have a drastic decline in tourists has affected the Canadian and UK economies
but is nowhere as catastrophic as it is becoming for nations such as yourself who must rely on tourism. When we went to our local travel agent to book again for Nassau they confirmed the rules. For us, they are completely unworkable. British Airways has not resumed service but we could take Air Canada from London and connect through Toronto to Nassau at a reasonable fare. However we cannot get a COVID-19 PCR test very easily here due to waiting lists at the government health centres because leisure travel is a low priority. We have no certainty about timings between taking the tests, getting results, scanning these to Nassau, waiting for confirmation and being on the ground in five days. Who could ever have dreamed up these rules? They are expensive and time consuming to complete and are turning away people who would otherwise book to come. Our travel agency is advising travel to several other destinations saying The Bahamas
rules are destroying any tourist trade. Our agent has also regularly booked clients on cruises which come to The Bahamas but cannot see any potential cruise passenger willing to go through with all these rules just to spend a day or two in Nassau or an offshore island. They will book people to other ports of call. I would have thought by now that your Government officials would have seen the errors of their ways. Most people are aware of the current travel precautions and are willing to take and bring a test. Many are retired or work from home so a fourteen day quarantine on return is not a major problem. However the whole entry scenario should be changed immediately or there will surely be no tourist season at all. We are not going to book elsewhere but are waiting for developments in the hope we can make our annual trip once again. JOHN R PALMER Kent, England, November 29, 2020.
A response to hate EDITOR, The Tribune. In response to Kevin Evans’ bigoted and hateful letter published in your newspaper on Friday, please see below an article that was published shortly after the tragic shooting at a Pittsburgh Synagogue in 2018. I have highlighted several lines that are particularly relevant as a response to Kevin Evans’ myopic view of his fellow man (and woman). First published on October 31, 2018 “Jews are the children of Satan” and the danger of taking biblical passages out of context In the aftermath of Saturday’s tragic mass shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue, much attention has been given to the gunman’s social media presence and virulent anti-Semitic statements. Robert Bowers reportedly yelled “All Jews must die” as he opened fire. His Gab profile appalled many with its use of the biblical verse John 8:44 – “Jews are the children of Satan” – as a sort of slogan and introduction to his account. But is there really such anti-Semitic sentiment in the Bible? Or was the line twisted and taken out of context? John 8:44: “Uses of that passage and other passages that we find in the New Testament that give evidence of tensions that were there between religious communities in the first century, take them out of that historical context and use them in ways that they were never intended to be used,” explains Harold Attridge, Sterling Professor of Divinity at the Yale Divinity School. “The Gospel of John does not support or encourage persecution of Jews. It doesn’t support or encourage persecution of anybody.” Rather, the passage in question is a somewhat heated dialogue between Jesus and the crowds in Jerusalem. According to the story in John, people have been plotting against Jesus for some time, trying to arrest him and stone him to death. So Jesus reacts rather strongly and calls them children of the devil. According to biblical scholars, however, this statement was never meant to be showcased in isolation. “The Gospel of John is, in some ways, the most Jewish of the gospels. And at the same time, it is the one that displays some of the most polemical lines,” says Attridge. “Those who cite John, saying that ‘Jews are children of the devil,’ ignore statements in John, like ‘Salvation comes from the Jews’.” Those that utilise John 8:44 for anti-Semitic purposes are also likely overlooking the fact that Jesus himself was a Jew. And while we may never know the precise identity of the author of the Gospel of John, he is most often identified as John, the son of Zebedee, who is a Jew, as well. “All of the immediate followers of Jesus were Jews,” explains Attridge. “And one of the major controversies in the first generation after the death of Jesus was whether non-Jews could even be part of the movement.” Still – despite the fact that Jesus was himself a member of the Jewish
LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net people – there are many examples throughout history of passages in the New Testament being wielded for anti-Semitic purposes. Anti-Semitism in the New Testament “The passage that was probably most widely cited in the persecution of Jews, especially in German antiSemitism with Nazis and the like, was Matthew 27:25,” explains Attridge: “May his blood be upon us and upon our children.” That passage occurs in the Gospel of Matthew, when the Jewish crowds in Jerusalem are given the option of releasing either Jesus or the prisoner Barabbas – and they choose to release Barabbas. “That line was, I think, originally meant by Matthew to say, look, we can explain something about what has happened in our lives with the destruction of Jerusalem by what happened to Jesus,” explains Attridge. “But it was taken out of that context and used as a way of saying Jews are responsible for the death of Jesus from the get-go.” That sentiment, whether inadvertently or as part of a deliberate strategy by early Christians to rationalize their connection to Judaism, laid the groundwork for centuries of anti-Semitism. Stories about the death of Jesus sparked violence by Christians against their Jewish neighbours, often abetted or actively instigated by local authorities across Europe. In fact, long before the Nazis devised racial theories to push for the annihilation of the Jewish people, leaders of the Christian church itself painted the Jews as a “despised people” meant to wander the Earth in misery and marginality. Though the Catholic Church came out against such teachings in the mid-20th century, centuries of damage had already been done. The seeds of animosity were sown long ago for those seeking a biblical justification for their modern white supremacist and anti-Semitic views. Another passage sometimes used for such purposes is First Thessalonians 2:15, where Paul refers to the people in Jerusalem as being responsible for Jesus’s death. But according to Attridge, that passage is controversial as well, because historically speaking, the crucifixion of Jesus was not primarily a Jewish decision. “Jesus was executed as a Roman political criminal. There’s no doubt about that,” the Yale biblical scholar explains. “The person responsible for making that decision was Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor. And the method of execution was a Roman method of execution: crucifixion. There was probably collaboration between the priestly authorities in Jerusalem and Pilate, but it’s mainly a Roman decision, based on the judgment that Jesus was probably a political revolutionary.” Racism and homophobia The wielding of biblical passages for hate-fueled ends is sadly nothing new to the Jewish community. It is also all too familiar to black Americans and to members of the LGBTQ community, as well.
There are numerous examples of Bible verses which have been used through the course of history to justify the institution of slavery, with all its racial connotations in this country, and that are still being heralded by white supremacists today. First Corinthians 7:21, First Timothy, Second Timothy, Ephesians, Colossians, an entire letter that Paul writes about a fugitive slave... the list goes on and on, with several biblical examples in which the same advice is given to slaves: “Obey your masters.” “They are there in the Bible and we now recognize that they are not moral guides to what we should do or be,” explains Attridge. “But you know, 150 years ago, people were quoting the Bible to support the institution of slavery. That heritage has lasted in terms of some of the racialism we see on the streets today.” In addition, some of those who condemn homosexuality point to biblical passages like Leviticus and Romans 1:24-27 as proof that the Bible agrees. But in this case, too, Attridge argues that these passages are being taken out of their proper historical context. “Paul talks about men having sexual relations with men and women exchanging the natural for the unnatural,” says Attridge. “They’re probably reacting not in general to homosexual activity, but to specifically the forms it was taking in the GrecoRoman world, reacting to the ways in which people were exploiting people of the same sex, as well as people of other sexes, for various personal reasons. This has to be, I think, understood in the same way as a lot of stuff in the Bible that simply reflects the cultural assumptions of the period, which have long since proven to be problematic – that the world is flat, that lending money at interest is evil, etc. “Lots of things in the Bible that were assumed to be correct at the time without a careful analysis, human experience has corrected over the course of the last couple millennia,” he said. So, as the world reels from yet another hate crime at the hands of a man justifying his actions with a misinterpreted biblical verse, scholars are emphasizing the importance of understanding the full context and deeper meaning of the text. “I think any serious engagement with the Bible has to take it, not in terms of the particularities of an individual verse, but in terms of the whole of the witness,” says Attridge. “And the whole of the witness of the Bible is God’s relationship with humankind and God’s call to do justice and live rightly and walk humbly before your God. Unfortunately, there are a lot of people who don’t recognize those as the governing principles that should be used in engaging any particular text. But I think all passages need to be read within, first of all, a historical context and what the assumptions were governing that historical context, and then critically evaluated on the basis of what we now know about life.” SASKIA D’AGUILAR Nassau, November 28, 2020.
THE TRIBUNE
Monday, November 30, 2020, PAGE 7
ACTIVISTS from Greenpeace protest the drillship Stena Icemax before it leaves port in the Canary Islands last week.
‘Threat to climate yet we’re ok to drill’ from page one The BNT nonetheless said: “Bahamian communities rely on healthy ocean ecosystems to support jobs in fishing, recreation, and tourism. The oil industry’s track record in often failing to protect the environment effectively makes such developments too big a risk to be allowed in our fragile ocean nation. “An oil spill can irreversibly damage our oceans, threaten our tourism industry, and our very way of life. The 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon disaster proves that no amount of reward from oil drilling is worth the risks of a potential disaster. “The proposed initial well by BPC is incredibly close to the Cay Sal Bank, one of the most ecologically productive and economically important marine systems in the country. “The Cay Sal Bank Marine Protected Area (MPA) was declared a protected area by the Bahamas government in September 2015. The Cay Sal MPA protects thriving marine life inclusive of commercially important species, most notably one of the last remaining viable populations of the queen conch. This large MPA also protects crucial marine mammal habitats, coral reefs, seagrass meadows and open ocean ecosystems.” BNT executive director Eric Carey said the country risks turning its coastal tourist destination into an oil nation. “The nation’s tourism industry relies on clean, swimmable waters and healthy ocean ecosystems to thrive. Oil drilling and exploration threaten clean coastal economies,” the
BNT’s statement said. “Furthermore, The Bahamas is known to be one of the most vulnerable nations on the planet to the impending impacts of climate change, which is now recognised as an existential threat to The Bahamas. The country, our people, and our way of life could disappear if we are not successful as a global community in reversing the factors of a changing climate. “The Bahamas has stood in the presence of the United Nations, demanding urgent action to combat climate change. We cannot therefore cry out to the world that our country is being severely threatened by climate change, and still allow the exploration for
fossil fuels, one of the main drivers of climate change on the planet. “The country would be sending a careless signal of hypocrisy to the world. The benefits of fossil fuels are finite and insignificant compared to the cost of global climate change. We should not compound the damage of increased storm activity and sea levels due to global climate change with the risks associated with oil exploration. Drilling for oil would require us to ignore the damage of Hurricane Dorian and other storms. We would be overlooking the harm done to Grand Bahama in the Equinor spill. We would be turning a blind eye to obvious risks to our own well-being.”
This comes after the 750-foot Stena IceMAX drillship has sailed from the Canary Islands en route to Grand Bahama in preparation to drill an exploratory oil well off the coast of West Andros. The ship sailed last week in the face of notification that attorneys are in the process of filing judicial review proceedings, asking the Supreme Court to scrutinise BPC’s environmental approvals process. Among the points raised is the absence of a proper public consultation process as mandated by law. Activists from Greenpeace protested the drillship before it left port in the Canary Islands last week.
THE STORIES BEHIND THE NEWS
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2020
Whoever jumps into Turnquest’s shoes need to fill us all with confidence By Malcolm Strachan THE LAWSUIT naming former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Peter Turnquest as part of allegations over a $27m fraud scheme last week spurred a wide range of emotions. While some defended the Member of Parliament for East Grand Bahama, others noted a distraction of this nature saw it necessary for Turnquest to resign with immediate effect. Initially, it wasn’t clear that would be the path taken, but in the end, we now have an Acting
MOVING on: Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis is serving as Acting Finance Minister but has promised a permanent appointment soon after the resignation of Peter Turnquest, top.
Minister of Finance in Prime Minister Dr Minnis – the second time during the pandemic that he has had to become an acting minister. In April, former Minister of Health Dr Duane Sands resigned in a controversial fashion at a most inopportune time – amid a first wave while we were still trying to gain an understanding of how this virus works. Similarly, we could not name a worse time to be substituting the person in the post of Finance Minister. Yet, such are the cards we have been dealt. Although both Sands and
Turnquest would have done things some citizens found fault with during their tenures, they continue to be highly respected professionals. That said, replacing Turnquest will not be easy, however, it surely isn’t impossible. A sober contribution on this issue came from Fidelity Bank CEO Gowon Bowe late last week as the country was still in a state institution, to which, Turnquest of uneasiness contemplating the served as the chief executive – next steps. not the institution itself. He said: “No one individual is Honestly, I could not have said irreplaceable. The reality is the it any better than that. TurnMinistry of Finance is a func- quest, while a likeable character, tion and whilst the Minister was the face of an entity that of Finance would be the chief was in existence long before him executive officer, and one that will the actual execu- ‘No one individual outlast all of our tive team which lifetimes as it is a would be his is irreplaceable. necessary function financial secretary, The reality is the of the governhis advisers, the Ministry of Finance ment. The belief it deputy financial is at risk of simply secretary report to is a function and crashing and burnhim. They should whilst the Minister ing in his absence still be in existence of Finance would is an insult to the and it’s really from hard-working men the perspective of be the chief and women that saying there would executive officer, essentially keep have to be a new the lights on, not the actual executive chief executive just in the buildofficer so we have team which would ing, but essentially to say that his be his financial in the country. leadership and his Whether we agree secretary, his planning for the with the policies future is one that advisers, the deputy handed down to we hope is already financial secretary them is a debate put in place and for another time. they are the same report to him.’ Unequivocally, people that he however, we can would expect to run it even if he agree the Ministry of Finance was there. has many astute professionals. “I think it’s important to note Nonetheless, when we take that he would not be doing cal- into consideration the distress culations personally. He would we’ve experienced with the not be drafting budgets per- departures of both ministers, sonally. He would not be doing the question of why these events elements that would be creating caused such hysteria come to our economic strategy person- mind. After all, Mr Bowe said it ally. His primary role would be perfectly, “No one individual is to review, provide input, pro- irreplaceable”. duce ideas, guidance and While some may argue Minprovide direction. ister of Health Renward Wells’ “Will we miss that? I think we personality or communication certainly will because he’s been style may not be as favourable in the room for three plus years. as Dr Sands, he is getting the job The personnel would have done. Cases are down and we already become accustomed to will hopefully continue to trend his working style. They would in the right direction. Likebe accustomed to the nature of wise, although Turnquest may information that he would have have sparked the ire of many requested and also the instruc- Bahamians when he led the tion of how things get executed.” government’s efforts in increasIn saying all of that, Mr ing VAT from 7.5 to 12 percent, Bowe’s final analysis is that those wounds have also become we need to “depersonalise the less prominent after some time. conversation” and recognise Perhaps the greater challenge the Ministry of Finance is an with watching those whose minds
and talents we respect leave such positions in government is the possibility our leaders largely do not inspire the confidence of the Bahamian people. As we’ve tried to parse through Cabinet to see who would be fit to take on Turnquest’s former role, my bet would be that most of us saw slim pickings. Not to say that there was no one who could be slotted in the Ministry of Finance, but the risk of removing one such person from their current ministerial post and creating another void is also a great challenge. This is an unfortunate and sobering realisation. More than the Prime Minister’s comfort with Cabinet Ministers, how well-rounded and how much confidence they engender in the Bahamian people is a far more valuable asset in forming a government. As Cabinet’s shuffle, which we’ve seen in this administration and others prior, along with unfortunate situations that lead to resignations amid a pandemic, while not the everyday situation, it is no less a signal governing is a wise man’s business. It will be a surprise if Acting Minister of Finance and Prime Minister Dr Minnis decides to hold on to this post as it is doubtful he would be interested in the never-ending criticisms that we are assured will come. That being said, we can be certain he is mulling over who would be able to put the minds of the populace at ease. At least, I certainly hope so because this spectacle has already taken up too much of the people’s time. There is still a pandemic that has left a crater in our economy and we don’t have any assurance of where the light at the end of the tunnel is. It is time to get back to more pressing business. But in so doing, it is my sincere hope the Prime Minister, or any other aspiring leader, puts the people they serve at the forefront when building their team.
EMAIL: insight@tribunemedia.net
By HANS HEESTERBEEK This can occur when Professor of Theoretical effective control has Waning immunity Epidemiology, eliminated the infection In diseases that give perUtrecht University elsewhere, or because the manent immunity after conditions needed for effec- infection, each new child WE CAN’T say with any tive transmission can only born is susceptible after the certainty what the future of be found in specific loca- immunity obtained from COVID-19 is. But based on tions. This is the case for the mother wears off. This our experience with other malaria and many other is why childhood infecinfections, there is little infections transmitted by tions such as measles are reason to believe that the mosquitoes. endemic in many parts of coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 Theoretically speak- the world where the birth will go away any time soon, ing, an infection becomes rate is high enough. even when vaccines become endemic if on average each In diseases that only available. A more realis- infected individual trans- give temporary immunity tic scenario is that it will mits it to one other person. through natural infection, be added to the (large and In other words, when the people lose that immune growing) family of infec- reproduction number (R) = protection to become sustious diseases that are what 1. In comparison, during an ceptible again. A virus or is known as “endemic” in epidemic when the spread bacteria can also evade the the human population. of the disease is increasing, immune memory by mutaWith the worldwide R is more than 1, and when tion so that people with spread of the disease the spread is decreasing immunity to an older strain increasing through con- will become susceptible to again, it measures the new version of the disWith the worldwide trol seems or population ease. Influenza is a prime unlikely that spread of the immunity, R example. the currently disease increasing is less than 1. We don’t yet know how available In prac- long immunity from infecmeasures can again, it seems tice, there tion from COVID-19 will do more unlikely that the are a number last, or how good vaccines than bring currently available of patterns will be at protecting people. that spread that can be But other coronaviruses under con- measures can do observed in that are endemic in the trol – except more than bring endemic dis- human population, such as in countries that spread under eases. Some those that cause colds, only that can exist at confer temporary immunity control – except in can effectively low levels of about one year. isolate them- countries that can throughout Another important selves from effectively isolate the year, point is that people with the outside while others immunity, whether from world. The themselves from might show infection or vaccination, are fact that the the outside world. periods of rarely evenly distributed vast majority higher trans- throughout a community of people are still suscepti- mission interspersed with or country, let alone the ble to some degree means periods of low transmis- world. Certainly in the case that there is sufficient fuel sion. This might happen if of COVID-19, there are for the fire to keep burning seasonal factors influence areas where the infection for quite some time. how much contact people has spread more intensively This will be the case even have with one another, how and areas that have been if specific locations reach susceptible they are to the relatively spared. Without what is known as popula- disease, or other organ- even distribution, there is tion (or herd) immunity isms that spread it such as no population immunity (and it’s not clear how insects. even if enough people have likely this is to happen). As long as there is a suf- been vaccinated to meet When a sufficient number ficient supply of people still the predicted necessary of people become immune susceptible to the disease threshold. to a disease, either through for each infected person In these cases, the avervaccination or natural infec- to pass it on to, it will con- age R can be low enough tion, its spread starts to slow tinue to spread. This supply that the infection is under down and the number of can be replenished in vari- control, but in the unprocases gradually decreases. ous ways, depending on tected pockets it will be But that doesn’t mean it the characteristics of the well above 1. This leads will disappear instantly or disease. to localised outbreaks completely. Outside any areas with population immunity, there are likely to be plenty of locations that still have enough susceptible individuals to keep transmission going. No measure of isolation is so strong that it will completely stop human interaction between regions, within and between countries, or globally. It’s also possible that the spread of an infection will eventually stabilise at a constant level so that it becomes present in communities at all times, possibly at a relatively low, sometimes predictable rate. This is what we mean when we say a disease is endemic. Some infections are present and actively spreading almost everywhere (such as many sexually transmitted YOUR FOR THE FAMILY infections and childhood infections). But most infections are endemic in specific WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/JOYFM1019 parts of the world.
CHOICE
SORRY FOLKS, COVID’S HERE TO STAY
INSIGHT
and allows the disease to remain endemic. It continues to spread from place to place, seeded by a few locations where population density and interaction are high enough, and protection low enough, to sustain transmission. How we respond How we deal with COVID-19 once it becomes endemic will depend on how good our vaccines and treatments are. If they can protect people from the most severe outcomes,
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2020 PAGE 9
the infection will become manageable. COVID-19 will then be like several other diseases that we have learned to live with and many people will experience during their lives. Depending on whether immunity – either from natural infection or from vaccination – is permanent or temporary, we may need yearly vaccine updates to protect us (like influenza). Or it could be controlled by vaccination at some optimal age (like many childhood infections).
If vaccines not only prevent clinical disease but also strongly reduce transmission and confer long-lasting immunity, we can envisage other scenarios, such as the potential eradication of the disease. But realistically this is unlikely. Eradication is notoriously difficult, even for diseases for which we have almost perfect vaccines and permanent immunity. Endemic disease is therefore the most likely outcome. • Originally published on theconversation.com
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INSIGHT
EMAIL: insight@tribunemedia.net
The Haitian people: sadly and badly in need of a champion HUMAN rights and constitutional violations in Haiti have been ignored for too long by the Organization of American States (OAS). The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) has also avoided dealing with incendiary political issues in Haiti. Meanwhile, more suffering is being piled on the poor people of Haiti whose body count from malnutrition and organised violence continues to grow. Against this background, it is not surprising Haitians are seeking every means of escape from their homeland. In desperate situations, criminals take advantage of the vulnerable. Thus, a brisk trade has begun in trafficking young Haitians – this time into the Caribbean. Evidence of this is the discovery by police in Guyana on November 7 of 26 Haitians, including two boys and five girls who were being transported to the Brazilian border by a human trafficking ring. Both the OAS and CARICOM are obliged under their charters and declarations to call to account member states whose governments act unconstitutionally or take actions that violate the human, civil and political rights of their people. The two organisations were active and vocal throughout the five-month impasse in the Guyana elections, from March to August this year, and afterwards. During that entire period, the constitutional and electoral situation in Haiti was worse. But not a word of condemnation of the Haitian Presidency was uttered by either body. Haitian President, Jovenel Moïse, has been running the country by decree with no elected parliament since 2019, amid accusations of corruption, protests and the deployment of the military which has been accused of atrocities. The chair of CARICOM did publicly declare,
DEMONSTRATORS ride past a burning police vehicle during a protest demanding the resignation of Haiti’s President Jovenel Moise on the 217th anniversary of the Battle of Vertieres in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on November 18. At least four people were shot and wounded during a small protest in Haiti’s capital after a speech by embattled President Moise. Photo: Dieu Nalio Chery/AP about the several incidents Venezuelan and Nicara- actively protesting poor of violence and the associ- guan governments. Hence, wages and conditions. ated and tragic loss of life”. the suffering of the poor The recently appointed Since then, CARICOM people of Haiti is ignored. Police Commissioner, Leon said nothing more. Whether by coincidence Charles, commanded his Yet, four months later, or cooperation, on the same officers to confront and in its April 2020 update on day – October 29 – US lock up colleagues who are Haiti, the World Food Pro- Under Secretary of State, “Fantom 509” members. By SIR RONALD SANDERS gramme said that almost David Hale, and SecretaryOn Friday, October 30, four million Haitians need General Almagro urged President Moïse officially urgent food assistance, Moïse to hold “overdue put the Constitution of in January 2020: “CARI- humanitarian and social and that at least one mil- legislative elections as soon Haiti “on hold”. He formed COM is deeply concerned situation in its Member lion of those are suffering as possible”. Moïse has a committee, to “revise” at the continuing unset- State, Haiti. Indeed, we from severe ignored them, the draft of a new constitled political, economic, are particularly concerned hunger. Presicontinuing to tution, which, reportedly, dent Moïse Haitian President, operate with was drafted by persons has been close- Jovenel Moïse, has untrammelled appointed by him. In any mouthed about been running the power, includ- event, the President has no the gangs that, ing by making authority to modify, reform according to country by decree appointments or change the Constitution. the Miami with no elected of personal This unconstitutional Herald’s loyalists to key behaviour is yet another parliament Jacqueline posts in vio- dangerous threat to democCharles (a Hai- since 2019, amid lation of the racy and political stability in tian expert), accusations Constitution Haiti if it continues unchal“have been on of corruption, which requires lenged. It violates both the a rampage in such appoint- Charter of the OAS and the poor neigh- protests and the ments to be Inter-American Democratic bourhoods deployment of the approved by Charter. It is also inconsist— kidnapping, the Senate. ent with the CARICOM military which raping and killRecently, he Charter of Civil Society. At has been accused has appointed the very least, they should ing at will”. An editorial of atrocities. the Com- rebuke Moïse for his violain the Trinimander of the tions of the constitution. dad Express Armed Forces, It is unlikely that between Newspaper pointed out the Head of the Police now and January 20, when on November 25: “The Force, the Governor of US President-elect Joe US position is particularly the Central Bank, and the Biden assumes the Presihypocritical in the context chairman of the National dency, that there will be any of its backing of Haitian Credit Bank. The hold- movement by the US govPresident, who has been ers of these offices were all ernment – by itself or in the ruling by decree since dis- appointed without the sena- OAS – to address the plight missing parliament, and torial ratifications required of the Haitian people. who continues to preside by the constitution. Conse- Nonetheless the OAS over unending human quently, they are not vested and CARICOM within it rights abuses and the rise with the administrative and - should act. of Tonton Macoute-style financial independence necThe Haitian people are death squads.” essary to carry out their not a political problem; It is well known in the duties as guaranteed under they are human beings OAS that it is the US the Constitution. They are sadly and badly in need of a government that is princi- instruments of the Presi- champion. pally behind no action on dent, vulnerable to his sole • Responses and previHaiti by the organization dictates. ous commentaries: www. whose Secretary-General, Unrest and violence sirronaldsanders.com. Luis Almagro, has been continue as groups demThe writer is Antigua and ardent in calling out other onstrate against corruption countries, particularly and call for elections. The Barbuda’s Ambassador to the Venezuela and Nicaragua, Police have been active United States and the Organion human rights. The US in breaking up protests, zation of American States. He is also a Senior Fellow at the and the “Lima Group” of reportedly shooting dead Institute of Commonwealth countries in the OAS have one protestor and injuring Studies at the University of been dependent on Haiti’s two more on November 18. London and Massey College vote to secure the bare Even within the Police in the University of Toronto. majority needed to secure force, protestors exist. The views expressed are adoption for controver- A secret group called entirely his own. sial resolutions against the “Fantom 509” has been
World View
THE TRIBUNE
Monday, November 30, 2020, PAGE 11
BOKO HARAM SUSPECTED OF KILLING 40 RICE FARMERS SUSPECTED members of the Islamic militant group Boko Haram killed at least 40 rice farmers and fishermen in Nigeria as they were harvesting crops in the country’s northern state of Borno, officials said. One said the death toll could rise to about 60 people. The attack on Saturday in a rice field in Garin Kwashebe came on the same day residents were casting votes for the first time in 13 years to elect local councils. The farmers were reportedly rounded up and summarily killed by armed insurgents in retaliation for refusing to pay extortion to one militant. Malam Zabarmari, a leader of a rice farmers association in Borno state, confirmed the massacre to The Associated Press, saying at least 40 and up to 60 people could have been killed.
TRUMP PAYS $3M FOR RECOUNT AND BIDEN GETS EVEN MORE VOTES WISCONSIN finished a recount of its presidential results on Sunday, confirming Democrat Joe Biden’s victory over President Donald Trump in the key battleground state. Trump vowed to challenge the outcome in court even before the recount concluded. Dane County was the second and last county to finish its recount, reporting a 45-vote gain for Trump. Milwaukee County, the state’s other big and overwhelmingly liberal county targeted in a recount that Trump paid $3m for, reported its results Friday, a 132-vote gain for Biden. Taken together, the two counties barely budged Biden’s winning margin of about 20,600 votes, giving the winner a net gain of 87 votes.
PEOPLE attend a funeral for those killed by suspected Boko Haram militants in Zaabarmar, Nigeria, on Sunday. Photo: Jossy Ola/AP
Top expert warns US may see virus surge in weeks ahead THE nation’s top infectious disease expert said Sunday that the US may see “surge upon a surge” of the coronavirus in the weeks after Thanksgiving, and he does not expect current recommendations around social distancing to be relaxed before Christmas. Meanwhile, in a major reversal, New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasio said the nation’s largest school system will reopen to in-person learning and increase the number of days a week many children attend class. The announcement came just 11 days after the Democratic mayor said schools would shut down because of rising COVID-19 cases. “We feel confident that we can keep schools safe,” he said. Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told ABC’s “This Week” that the level of infection in the US would not “all of a sudden turn around”. “So clearly in the next few weeks, we’re going to have the same sort of thing. And perhaps even two or
three weeks down the line... we may see a surge upon a surge,” he said. Fauci addressed the school issue, saying that spread “among children and from children is not really very big at all, not like one would have suspected. So let’s try to get the kids back, but let’s try to mitigate the things that maintain and just push the kind of community spread that we’re trying to avoid,” he said. Fauci also appeared on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” where he made similar remarks, adding that it’s “not too late” for people traveling back home after Thanksgiving to help stop the spread of the virus by wearing masks, staying distant from others and avoiding large groups of people. “So we know we can do something about it, particularly now as we get into the colder season and as we approach the Christmas holidays,” he said. The number of new COVID-19 cases reported in the United States topped 200,000 for the first time Friday. The highest previous daily count was 196,000 on November 20, according
to data from Johns Hopkins University. Since January, when the first infections were reported in the US, the nation’s total number of cases has surpassed 13 million. More than 265,000 people have died. Fauci said the arrival of vaccines offers a “light at the end of the tunnel”. This coming week, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices will meet with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to discuss a rollout of the vaccine, he said. He added that Presidentelect Joe Biden should focus on distributing vaccines in an “efficient and equitable way.” Fauci also said he planned to push the new administration for a rigorous testing program. “We’ve got to go beyond the symptomatic people and get a better understanding of the asymptomatic transmission,” he said. Health care workers will likely be among the first to get the vaccine, with the first vaccinations happening before the end of December, followed by many more in January, February and
March, he said. “So if we can hang together as a country and do these kinds of things to blunt these surges until we get a substantial proportion of the population vaccinated, we can get through this,” Fauci said. Other experts agreed that the coming weeks would be difficult, especially since so many traveled over the holiday and held in-person dinners indoors. Dr Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus response coordinator, said Sunday on CBS’ “Face the Nation” that Americans who traveled this past week should try to avoid people over 65. She said that those who were around others for Thanksgiving “have to assume that you were exposed and you became infected and you really need to get tested in the next week”. Birx implored people to take action, even if governors or local officials do not. “If your governor or your mayor isn’t doing the policies that we know are critical — masking, physical distancing, avoiding bars, avoiding crowded indoor
areas. If those restrictions don’t exist in your state, you need to take it upon yourself to be restrictive.” Meanwhile, a busy travel weekend continued, despite warnings for Americans to stay close to home and limit their holiday gatherings. Aside from the Thanksgiving holiday itself, anywhere from 800,000 to more than 1 million travelers made their way through US airport checkpoints on any day during the past week, according to Transportation Security Administration statistics. That’s a far cry from the 2.3 to 2.6 million seen daily last year. But it far surpasses the number of travellers early in the pandemic.
DARTH VADER ACTOR PROWSE DIES, AGED 85 DAVE Prowse, the British weightlifter-turnedactor who was the body, though not the voice, of arch-villain Darth Vader in the original Star Wars trilogy, has died. He was 85. Prowse died Saturday after a short illness, his agent Thomas Bowington said Sunday. Born in Bristol, England, in 1935, Prowse was a threetime British weightlifting champion and represented England in weightlifting at the 1962 Commonwealth Games before breaking into movies with roles that emphasised his size. Director George Lucas saw Prowse in a small part in “A Clockwork Orange” and asked the 6ft 6in actor to audition for Vader or the Wookie Chewbacca. Prowse later told the BBC he chose Darth Vader because “you always remember the bad guys”. Prowse’s West Country accent was considered less than ideal and his lines were dubbed by James Earl Jones.
PAGE 12, Monday, November 30, 2020
THE TRIBUNE
SPORTS PAGE 13
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2020
DSHON TAYLOR, left, competes for Team Bahamas in the FIBA AmeriCup 2022 Qualifiers yesterday as they lost to the USA on match day 3 of the latest window at Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, Indiana.
TYSON
PAGE 15
RODGERS’ 4 TD PASSES HELP PACKERS ROLL OVER BEARS 41-25 By STEPHEN WADE AP Sports Writer
USA runs past The Bahamas 99-59 in AmeriCup qualifier By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net
T
GODFREY Rolle in action for Team Bahamas yesterday. Photos by Marc Lebryk
Bodybuilding: 11-member CAC team selected By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net DESPITE the restrictions imposed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, the Bahamas Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation has selected a 11-member team, inclusive of seven competitors and four officials, to represent the Bahamas at the Central American and Caribbean Bodybuilding Championships. The team will leave town on Thursday for Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and return on Sunday, December 7. The weigh-in is scheduled for Friday and the competition will take place on Saturday. There will also be a professional segment on Sunday where the Bahamas will be presented by Jimmy Norius in the Classic Men’s Bodybuilding. Kaif Young, Jason Johnson, Wellington Wallace and David Dormaville will all carry the Bahamian flag in the Men’s Physique Tall Class and two female competitors - Fania Joseph and Norius’ wife Serena Salius
Decius-Norius - will be making their appearances in the Women’s Bikini Short Class. Federation president Joel Stubbs, who will accompany the team along with executive Brittany Hamilton, head coach Nardo Dean and his assistant Tim Rolle, said despite their size, they are taking an elite but very dangerous team to the championships this year. Stubbs and Hamilton will also participate in the CAC Congress and serve as judges during the championships. Of the four male competitors on the team, Stubbs said three are returning as medals from last year, placing first, second and fourth and so he anticipates that they will either duplicate or surpass their previous performances. As for the females, Stubbs said last year Joseph was fourth, but because of her improvement during her training this year in the restrictions imposed by COVID-19, he anticipates
SEE PAGE 14
he United States dominated both the boards and points in the paint en route to a lopsided win over a shorthanded Team Bahamas at the FIBA AmeriCup 2022 Qualifiers. Nashad Mackey led The Bahamas with 13 points, six rebounds and three steals in a 99-59 loss to the Americans on match day three of the latest window, yesterday at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, Indiana. D’Shon Taylor scored 12, Jaron Cornish and Mychel Thompson both scored seven and Godfrey Rolle led The Bahamas with five assists. The USA outrebounded The Bahamas 55-32 and had a 22-point
advantage on scoring in the paint, 42-20. The rebounding edge also helped the USA outscore The Bahamas 16-9 on second chance points. Amile Jefferson led five Americans in double figures and posted a double double with 17 points and 11 rebounds on 7-8 shooting from the field. John Jenkins and Tyler Hall each scored 12, Levin Randolph scored 11 and Travis Trice finished with 10 points and six assists. The Bahamas shot just 30 percent from the field and 24 percent from three-point range while The USA shot 51 percent from the field and 41 percent from beyond the arc. The Bahamas was in contention for much of the first before a Trice jumper as time expired gave
SEE PAGE 14
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Aaron Rodgers threw four touchdown passes and the Green Bay Packers beat the slumping Chicago Bears 41-25 last night to pad their NFC North lead. Green Bay (8-3) scored touchdowns on each of its first three possessions and grabbed a three-game division edge over Chicago (5-6) and Minnesota. Since winning five of their first six games, the Bears have dropped five straight. The Packers capitalised on mistakes by Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, who was making his first start since the third week of the season. Trubisky threw three touchdown passes — including two to Allen Robinson — but also committed three turnovers that led to Packers touchdowns. Darnell Savage picked off a pair of Trubisky passes for his first two interceptions of the season. After Za’Darius Smith sacked Trubisky and forced a fumble, Preston Smith picked up the loose ball and ran 14 yards for a touchdown that gave the Packers a 27-3 lead late in the second quarter. Trubisky went 26 of 46 for 242 yards while starting in place of Nick Foles, who injured his glute and hip in a 19-13 loss to Minnesota on November 16. Rodgers was 21 of 29 for 211 yards. Chicago’s David Montgomery hadr 103 yards rushing — including a 57-yard burst — and also had a 3-yard touchdown catch. Green Bay’s Aaron Jones rushed for 90 yards, while Jamaal Williams ran for 73 yards and a touchdown. Green Bay had struggled in its last two home games – a 28-22 loss to Minnesota and a 24-20 victory over the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars. The Packers also had blown a two-touchdown halftime lead last week in a 34-31 loss at Indianapolis. second-half collapse.
PAGE 14, Monday, November 30, 2020
THE TRIBUNE
REPORTS: COST OF TOKYO OLYMPIC DELAY PUT AT ABOUT $2 BILLION By STEPHEN WADE AP Sports Writer
NASHAD MACKEY, who led The Bahamas with 13 points, six rebounds and three steals, competes for Team Bahamas yesterday in the FIBA AmeriCup 2022 Qualifiers as they lost to the USA on match day 3 of the latest window at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, Indiana. TOP RIGHT - Robert Nortmann, far right, in action for Team Bahamas yesterday. Photos by Marc Lebryk
AMERICUP from PAGE 13
the USA a 24-14 lead. They outscored The Bahamas 29-15 in the second to take a 53-29 lead at the half. The lead reached as much as 43 in the second half.
CAC TEAM from PAGE 13
that she should definitely be able to climb up the ladder and take one of the top two spots. And although this is the first time Decius-Norius will be participating in the CAC Championships, Stubbs said she has been training with her husband, Jimmy, who already had her competing in two competitions this year where she performed exceptionally well for a novice. “We are grateful enough that these are athletes and
Eleven of the 12 players on the USA roster scored and all logged at least seven minutes of playing time. Trice, Randolph and Hall were the only players to log over 20 minutes. The Bahamas had just eight players available and Taylor played a game high 32 minutes followed by 30 minutes from Mackey and Rolle.
being athletes, they already know what they have to do,” Stubbs said. “You already know the steps, the protocols, the intensity, the fortitude and of course the energy and what it takes to really get your body to where it needs to be for the competition at hand. “Secondly, they already know what the looks entail as far as their physique is concerned. So they know exactly how long it takes to start getting geared up and getting their act together so they can be the best them on stage.” Without any actual competition this year, Stubbs
It will be a quick turnaround for Team Bahamas as they face Puerto Rico this afternoon at 4pm local time. Games will be streamed live on the FIBA Facebook page and on ESPN+, but no fans or outsiders will be allowed inside the bubble for the games. The United States (3-0) is the lone unbeaten team in Group D
said they had a chance to view the competitors in a private setting last weekend before the team was announced and he is confident that the athletes have put in the time and made the sacrifices to be the best that they can be. “Kudos to all of them who would have put in the extra sacrifices and energy and whatever it really took to get their bodies to where it has to be,” he stated. “The gyms were closed, so it was all about what you have home and whatever you could improvise and innovatively use to make it some training platform to make it happen for them.
thus far. Mexico and Puerto Rico faced off in the second game of the double header last night, however, results were unavailable up to press time. The top three teams from each group will qualify for the FIBA AmeriCup 2022. AmeriCup is the FIBA Americas championship. The United States won the last edition of the event in 2017.
“So I’m very pleased to see during the assessment and elevation how those who expressed an interest in competing this year, were able to present their bodies before us in the actual sit down. I am very pleased and excited that we can still go out there and represent.” Having secured his pro card in 2008 when the CAC Championships was held here, Stubbs noted that from time to time during their interaction in a chat group that was formed, he was able to encourage them to stay focused on the task ahead of them and they were able to achieve that goal.
Norius, who earned his pro card in 2018, said his wife is excited to represent the Bahamas after competing in her second competition this year with her participation in the NPC Ultimate Grand Prix Bodybuilding and Fitness Championships. “This is her first time and she just wants to feel how it is to represent the Bahamas,” he said. “It’s a small team. She expected the team to be bigger than it is. Normally we have about 20-25 athletes, but she’s looking forward to it. “She wants to give it her best shot. “But for both of us, it’s not just about competing to win, but competing as a couple. We just want to celebrate life in this COVID-19 environment. It’s about giving your best shot and leaving it for the judges.” Coning off a second place finish in the Novice Class A bikini class and fifth overall at the NPC Ultimate Grand Prix Bodybuilding and Fitness Championships Boca Raton, Florida at the end of October, Norius said Decius-Norius is eager to see how well she does at the CAC Championships. “Sometimes you might have a body shape or body type that the judges like or they don’t really favour,” he said. “But the fact of the matter is the judges could never deny a conditioned body, someone who diets hart, someone who worked hard. “But of course, in the bikini (division), she can’t be too ripped, too lean, but we tried to soften her look a little bit, but at the same time, have her to be conditioned. She loves her body.” In a conversation with her, Norius said DeciusNorius told him that she loves her body and if they don’t like it, there’s nothing she can do about it.
TOKYO (AP) — The cost of the one-year postponement of the Tokyo Olympics is estimated to be just under $2 billion, or about 200 billion yen. Japan’s Kyodo news agency and the Yomiuri newspaper both reported the figure yesterday citing unnamed sources close to games organisers. The reported cost of the delay because of the COVID-19 pandemic is in line with repeated estimates over the last several months. The organisers, the Tokyo metro government and the Japanese national government are expected to report next month how the costs will be shared. The International Olympic Committee has said it would chip in about $650 million to cover some of the costs of the delay, but has offered few public details. Tokyo is becoming very expensive. The official cost of putting on the Tokyo Olympics is $12.6 billion. However, a government audit last year said it was probably twice that much. All but $5.6 billion is public money. Tokyo said the games would cost $7.3 billion when it won the bid in 2013. The $2 billion only adds to the total. A University of Oxford study published early this year — calculated before the postponement — said Tokyo was the most expensive Summer Olympics on record and the meter is still running. The IOC and organisers have been campaigning over the last several months to convince sponsors and a sceptical Japanese public that the Olympics can be held safely in the middle of a pandemic. The Olympics are to open on July 23, 2021, followed by the Paralympics August 24. They involve 15,400 athletes and tens of thousands of officials, judges, staff, VIPs, sponsors as well as media and broadcasters. “Everyone is different. Everyone has different genetics, different body types and everybody should try to be the best they can be and not look and shape like anyone else, which is powerful,” he stated. With COVID-19 finding a lot of people depressed and frustrated, Norius said he and his wife just want to encourage them to just let it go and be themselves. “Find things you like to do. If you like to write a book, write a book. If you like to draw or paint, then do it,” he said. “We like to paint and instead of painting on paper, we paint on our bodies and present it to the judges and see how they will judge us.” Stubbs is encouraging all of the athletes who have not been able to prepare for the CAC Championships because of COVID-19, to take advantage of the extended off season time and to look forward to a bigger and brighter future in 2021. “We are keeping our fingers crossed that the gyms will be given the all clear to resume operations very soon,” he said. “We, the executives, will do our part to ensure that all safety measures and protocols are being adhered to in our travels and whenever we are given the all clear to ensure that our sport is safe in the Bahamas.”
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Monday, November 30, 2020, PAGE 15
Mike Tyson returns to the ring, draws in exhibition with Jones By GREG BEACHAM AP Sports Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Mike Tyson stepped through the ropes in his signature black trunks and heard the opening bell in a boxing ring for the first time in 15 years. The former heavyweight champion of the world traded lively punches with Roy Jones Jr for eight entertaining rounds that ended with two middle-aged legends wearily hugging each other in mutual admiration. Their fight was only an exhibition, and it ended in a draw. But for Tyson, the experience evoked the joy and excitement he felt so long ago at the start of his boxing career — and it was likely the start of a new chapter in his epic life. “I’m happy I’m not knocked out,” Tyson said. “I’ll look better in the next one.” Tyson showed glimpses of his destructive prime Saturday night during the 54-year-old boxing icon’s return to the ring against the 51-year-old Jones. Tyson had the most impactful punches, showing off versions of the footwork and combinations that made him the world’s most feared fighter. After eight two-minute rounds, both Tyson and Jones emerged from Staples Center smiling and apparently healthy. “This is better than fighting for championships,” Tyson said of the heavyweight exhibition, which raised money for various charities. “We’re humanitarians now. We can do something good for the world. We’ve got to do this again.” Tyson’s return to the ring for this show attracted international attention, and Iron Mike did his best to demonstrate his months of work to recapture a measure of the form that made him a legend to a generation of boxing fans. Tyson tagged Jones with body shots, head shots and a particularly nasty uppercut during a bout that was required by the California State Athletic Commission to be a reasonably safe, glorified sparring session. Tyson was exhausted two hours afterward, but also clearly energised as he recounted his emotions with his wife and team looking on. “I took my youth for granted,” Tyson said. “This event made me find out what I was really made of. ... My body feels splendid. I want to beat it up some more.” Tyson intends to fight in more exhibitions next year, perhaps heading to Monte Carlo next to challenge a European fighter. He didn’t close the door on the possibility of a full-fledged comeback, although that would be many fights in the future. For one night, Tyson and Jones were back at the centre of the sports world, and they revelled in it. “I’m happy to scratch that off my bucket list and move on with my life,” said Jones, the former four-division world champion widely considered the most skilled boxer of his generation. “He hit harder than I thought. Everything hurt. His hands hurt. His head hurts. Everything hurt when I made contact. He’s an exceptional puncher still. He can do anything he wants next.” Neither fighter was deceived by the quality of the bout. While both came out throwing punches that evoked echoes of their glorious primes, they also tied up frequently on the inside, and their occasionally laboured breathing could be heard on the microphones in the empty arena. Hip hop star Snoop Dogg’s witty television commentary was among the loudest noises inside Staples, and he had a handful of zingers: “This is like two of my uncles fighting at the barbecue!” But Tyson and Jones were the headliners in the most improbable pay-per-view boxing event in years, engineered by social networking app Triller and featuring fights interspersed with hip hop performances in an empty arena. The event was derided as an anti-sporting spectacle by some critics, yet both Tyson and Jones appeared to handle themselves capably and safely. Their fans were clearly enthralled, with the show getting enormous traction on social media. Some of that success was due to the co-main event, in which YouTube star Jake Paul knocked out former NBA player Nate Robinson in the second round of Robinson’s pro boxing debut. Paul, in his second pro fight, recorded three knockdowns against Robinson, the three-time NBA Slam Dunk contest champion, before an overhand right
MIKE Tyson throws a punch during the third round against Roy Jones Jr. in an exhibition boxing bout Saturday in Los Angeles.
MIKE TYSON, centre, heads to the ring for an exhibition boxing bout against Roy Jones Jr.
IN a photo provided by Triller, Mike Tyson throws a punch during the third round against Roy Jones Jr in an exhibition boxing bout Saturday, November 28, 2020, in Los Angeles. The bout was unofficially ruled a draw by the WBC judges at ringside. Tyson and Jones fought eight two-minute rounds, and both emerged smiling and apparently healthy from a highly unusual event. Photos: Joe Scarnici/ Triller via AP)
KIKI TYSON, Sophie Watts, Mike Tyson, John Ryan and Azheem Spicer, from left, pose in the locker room after Tyson’s exhibition boxing bout against Roy Jones Jr in Los Angeles. (Joe Scarnici/Triller via AP) put Robinson flat on his face and apparently unconscious. But most of the fans tuned in to watch Tyson, many for the first time. Any boxing fan who came of age after Tyson retired from boxing in 2005 had never seen a live fight from the legendary figure — and within the bounds of this event, Tyson delivered. Tyson said he no longer had “the fighting guts or the heart” after he quit in a dismal loss to journeyman Peter McBride in his final bout. Finally free of his sport’s relentless pressure, Tyson gradually straightened out his life, kicking a self-described drug addiction and eventually succeeding in acting,
stage performance, charity work and even marijuana cultivation while settling into comfortable family life in Las Vegas with his third wife and their children. The idea of a boxing comeback seemed preposterous, but Tyson started toward this unlikely fight when he started doing 15 daily minutes on a treadmill a few years ago at his wife’s urging in a bid to lose 100 pounds. The workouts soon became multi-hour affairs encompassing biking, running and finally punching as he regained a measure of his athletic prime through discipline and a vegan diet. Tyson posted a video of himself hitting pads on social media early
in the coronavirus pandemic, and the overwhelming public response led to several lucrative offers for a ring comeback. With the chance to make money for himself and for charity, Tyson eventually agreed to take on Jones long after the chance of their dream matchup seemed dashed. Tyson and Jones negotiated with the California commission over the limitations of their bout, eventually arriving at eight twominute rounds of hard sparring with only ceremonial judging and no official winner. The WBC still stepped in to award a ceremonial “Frontline Battle Belt” to both fighters.
MIKE Tyson is interviewed after an exhibition boxing bout against Roy Jones Jr on Saturday.
PAGE 16, Monday, November 30, 2020
THE TRIBUNE
Clash of heads raises concerns as Wolves defeat Arsenal
MATCHDAY: WEST HAM, ASTON VILLA MEET AFTER CONVINCING STARTS
By ROB HARRIS AP Global Soccer Writer LONDON (AP) — The sound of the thud from a clash of heads just added to concern. The game was only five minutes old at the Emirates Stadium when Wolverhampton forward Raul Jimenez and Arsenal defender David Luiz collided while jumping for the ball. The emptiness of the Emirates Stadium — with fans still excluded until next week due to the pandemic — made the troubling sound all the more audible. Concerns grew as Jimenez appeared motionless and was eventually wheeled off the field with an oxygen mask on. “I knew straight away that something was wrong,” Wolves manager Nuno Espirito Santo said. “Everyone called ‘red, red,’ which means it’s a bad situation. You see the panic in their eyes.” By the time the Premier League game ended — with Wolves beating Arsenal 2-1 — there was a more encouraging update from the London hospital with Jimenez said to be conscious and talking. One of the lingering concerns, though, was why a bandaged and bloodied Luiz played on until the interval at a time when there is growing scrutiny into the long-term impact of head injuries. Trials of concussion substitutes are only due to begin in 2021. Arsenal maintained that Luiz never lost consciousness. “They have some tests they have to do before they put him back on the pitch, and then David was just concerned about the cut, nothing else,” Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said. “They will continue to do some checks in the next few hours but he was fine.” The result was not fine for Arteta, with Arsenal
MANCHESTER United’s Edinson Cavani celebrates after scoring his side’s second goal during an English Premier League soccer match against Southampton at the St Mary’s stadium in Southampton, England, yesterday. (INSET) - Arsenal’s David Luiz holds a towel on a cut to his head following a clash with Wanderers’ Raul Jimenez. (AP Photos) languishing in 14th place and eight points off the lead after 10 games. That leader, unusually, is Tottenham, which drew 0-0 at Chelsea yesterday. Another former Premier League champion avoided a day as miserable as Arsenal’s. Manchester United fought back from two goals down to win 3-2 at Southampton. ARTETA’S STRUGGLES Exactly a year to the day after Arsene Wenger’s immediate successor, Unai Emery, was fired, Arteta is also struggling badly. With 13 points, Arsenal has its lowest tally after 10 games in 39 years. Wolves took the lead in the 27th minute when Pedro Neto slotted in a rebound after Leander Dendoncker’s header onto
the crossbar. Although Gabriel’s towering header drew Arsenal level three minutes later, Daniel Podence volleyed Wolves back in front after Neto’s shot bounced off goalkeeper Bernd Leno’s legs. Next up in the Premier League for Arsenal is one of the biggest games of the season: the north London derby against Tottenham next Sunday, on the first weekend with some supporters allowed back into the capital’s stadiums for the first time since March.
prospect of still being first in May, despite Tottenham showing defensive resilience to draw at Stamford Bridge where the team has only won once in 30 years. The point, following last weekend’s victory over Manchester City, put Tottenham ahead of champion Liverpool on goal difference and two points in front of thirdplace Chelsea. “We are not even in the race,” Mourinho claimed. “We are not a horse ... we are just a pony.”
MOURINHO’S PONIES While Jose Mourinho was accustomed to winning titles with Chelsea — three times — he is now in charge of a Tottenham side that hasn’t won the championship since 1961. No wonder he keeps downplaying the
UNITED COMEBACK Mourinho faltered in his previous attempt to win the title at an English club other than Chelsea, lasting only two full seasons at Manchester United before being fired in 2018. Successor Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
hasn’t fared any better. Even after the comeback at Southampton, United is in eighth place, a point behind the south-coast hosts. The game was turned around by United — following Jan Bednarek’s header and James WardProwse’s free kick for Southampton — after the halftime introduction of free summer signing Edinson Cavani. The 33-year-old former Paris Saint-Germain striker set up Bruno Fernandes to reduce the deficit, nodded in the equaliser and then turned in Marcus Rashford’s cross for a stoppage-time winner. “It’s a trait that Manchester United players always should have,” Solskjaer said, “never to give up, never to give in,” he added.
LILLE MISSES CHANCE TO MOVE LEVEL WITH LEADER PSG, LYON WINS By JEROME PUGMIRE AP Sports Writer PARIS (AP) — Lille missed the chance to move level on points with French league leader Paris Saint-Germain when it drew 1-1 at Saint-Etienne yesterday. Saint-Etienne avoided an eighth straight league defeat, taking the lead through forward Wahbi Khazri’s 32nd-minute penalty. Lille pressured strongly after the break and forward Jonathan Ikone equalised in the 64th, but
then veteran Turkey striker Burak Yilmaz scooped a shot over for Lille when ideally placed with 15 minutes left. Lille is two points behind defending champion PSG and leads Lyon, Monaco and fifth-place Montpellier on goal difference. Earlier, Lyon made it nine games unbeaten when it beat Reims 3-0 at home. Forward Karl Toko Ekambi put the home side ahead in the 21st minute when he volleyed in Memphis Depay’s brilliant cross from the left. Reims midfielder Moreto
Cassama was sent off 10 minutes later for fouling Depay as he was running through on goal. Lyon had a second goal ruled out shortly after when striker Tino Kadewere was given offside. Kadewere and Toko Ekambi also hit the post in a one-sided first half, and the second goal came soon after the break when Toko Ekambi set up midfielder Bruno Guimaraes. The day got even better for Lyon when Moussa Dembélé netted his first of the season, latching onto Toko
Ekambi’s pass and expertly dinking the ball over the goalkeeper in the 81st. Monaco also won 3-0, beating Nimes with goals from Sofiane Diop, Gelson Martins and Kevin Volland. In Sunday’s other matches, it was: Metz 0, Brest 2; Lens 1, Angers 3; Lorient 0, Montpellier 1, and Nice 1, Dijon 3. PSG’s 2-2 draw at home to Bordeaux on Saturday opened the door for Lille, and made it five goals conceded in two games for the defending champion’s shaky defence.
(AP) — A look at what’s happening around European soccer today: ENGLAND Aston Villa is at West Ham and looking to maintain its perfect away record in the Premier League which has helped lift Dean Smith’s side to eighth. The central England team, which only secured its toptier survival on the final day of last season, has enjoyed wins on the road at Arsenal, Fulham and Leicester without conceding a goal. But West Ham is only a point behind Villa. Despite being without Michail Antonio for more than a month, Sebastien Haller has stepped into the role up front and David Moyes’ east London side is on a two-match winning run. After losing to champion Liverpool last weekend, fourth-place Leicester hosts Fulham, which has only four points from nine games. Defenders Ricardo Pereira and Caglar Soyuncu, and midfielder Wilfred Ndidi are close to returning from injury for Leicester but may only be ready for the Europa League trip to Zorya Luhansk on Thursday. SPAIN Manuel Pellegrini’s Real Betis hosts Eibar in need of a victory and a good defensive showing after losing four of its last five matches. In those defeats, Betis has been outscored 14-2. Pellegrini is trying to rebuild a team without Spain midfielder Sergio Canales, who injured a tendon two weeks ago with the national side. He is expected to be out until 2021. Betis is in 14th place, while Eibar is 16th. Eibar has improved over the last two months, however, and lost only one of its last six matches. It will be without defender Paulo Oliveira and forward Quique González, who are both injured, and suspended striker Kike Garcia. ITALY Genoa and Parma face each other in a relegation fight and with both teams missing a number of players through injury. Genoa is in the bottom three, above last-place Crotone and level with Torino. Parma is just a point above the drop zone. Torino is also in action and will still be without coach Marco Giampaolo, who has the coronavirus, when it hosts Sampdoria. Torino, Genoa and Parma have all won only one of their eight league matches this season.
REAL MADRID LOSES AS ATLÉTICO WINS 6TH STRAIGHT LEAGUE MATCH By TALES AZZONI AP Sports Writer MADRID (AP) — As Diego Simeone keeps celebrating Atlético Madrid victories, Zinedine Zidane continues to look for answers to Real Madrid’s struggles. Atlético defeated Valencia 1-0 for a sixth win in a row in the Spanish league on Saturday, while Madrid lost to Alavés 2-1 at home for its third straight setback, dropping six points behind the city rival and having played one extra game. “I don’t have an explanation,” Zidane said. “We haven’t been consistent. We need to change this dynamic.” Lucas Pérez scored in the first half and Joselu in the second after a blunder by goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois for mid-table Alavés. Madrid was left in fourth place, six points off the lead. Casemiro scored their lone goal in the 86th. Atlético’s earlier victory put Simeone’s team tied on points with leader Real Sociedad with a game in hand. Sociedad hosts third-placed Villarreal on Sunday. Madrid also lost Eden Hazard because of an apparent injury in the first half, the latest injury woe for the Belgium forward who was making only his fifth start this season. “Hopefully it was just a knock and not a muscle injury,” Zidane said.
Madrid defeated Inter Milan in the Champions League midweek but was coming off two consecutive setbacks in the league. It has only seven wins in 14 matches this season. “We need to keep working hard and change things around,” Zidane said. Alavés had drawn three straight games, including 1-1 with Barcelona at home while playing with 10 men. “It was a deserved victory,” Alavés coach Pablo Machín said. “We could have scored even more goals. We had the most significant scoring chances. I’m very proud.” Pérez opened the scoring five minutes into the match from the penalty spot after a handball inside the area by Madrid defender Nacho Fernández. Courtois gave away the second goal in the 49th after his pass from the back to Casemiro came out too weak and was intercepted by Joselu, who sent a low shot into the open net from outside the area. Casemiro pulled Madrid closer late from close range. The best chance to equalise came when Francisco “Isco” Alarcón hit the crossbar in the sixth minute of stoppage time. A Diego Maradona jersey was put alongside the Real Madrid reserve players, and a moment of
Valencia defender Toni Lato in the 79th minute. Victory extended its winning streak to six matches in the Spanish league. “Luck also plays a role sometimes,” said Atlético midfielder Yannick Carrasco, who came into the match in the second half. “It’s always hard to play here, so we are happy to have won.” Atlético is yet to trail in the league and remains the only unbeaten team. It hasn’t lost in 25 league matches, going back to last season. Coach Diego Simeone was moved by a pre-match tribute to former Argentina teammate Diego Maradona at Mestalla Stadium. “I believed it was important to say one final goodbye by applauding him,” Simeone said. Valencia dropped to 11th place after failing to beat Atlético for a 12th straight time in the league since 2014.
REAL Madrid’s Lucas Vazquez, left, is fouled by Alaves’ Luis Rioja during their Spanish La Liga soccer match at Alfredo di Stefano stadium in Madrid, Spain, on Saturday. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue) silence was observed before the match as a tribute to the Argentina great who died this week.
ATLÉTICO’S STREAK Atlético Madrid defeated Valencia with an own-goal by
OTHER RESULTS Sevilla beat Huesca 1-0 for its fifth victory in a row in all competitions. Huesca remains the only winless team in the Spanish league. Elche and Cádiz drew 1-1 in a match between promoted clubs. Elche played a man from first-half stoppage time after scorer Lucas Boyé was sent off for a second yellow card.
THE TRIBUNE
Monday, November 30, 2020, PAGE 17
Henry batters Colts as Titans take command of AFC South INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Derrick Henry battered the NFL’s second-stingiest defence for 140 yards and three touchdowns in the first half, finished with 178 yards and led the Tennessee Titans to a crucial 45-26 rout of the Indianapolis Colts yesterday. The win gives Tennessee (8-3) sole possession of the AFC South lead, a split in the two-game season series and a tiebreaking edge based on current division records of the teams. Henry also padded his lead as he chases a second straight rushing crown. He has three straight 100-yard games and eight consecutive road games with 100 or more yards, tying former Titans running back Chris Johnson for the second-longest streak since the 1970 merger. Only Hall of Famer Barry Sanders (10 in 1996-97) had a longer streak. Henry touched the ball on six of Tennessee’s first 10 plays and capped the opening drive with a 12-yard scoring run. After the Colts (7-4) tied the score at 7 with an 11-yard pass from Philip Rivers to Trey Burton, Ryan Tannehill hooked up with A.J. Brown on a 69-yard scoring play. When the Colts tied it again on Jacoby Brissett’s 1-yard TD run, Henry went back to work. He scored on a 1-yard run midway through the second quarter, added an 11-yard TD run to make it 28-14, and was used as a decoy on Tannehill’s 1-yard TD run that gave Tennessee an insurmountable 35-14 halftime lead. CHIEFS 27, PATRIOTS 24 TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes threw for 462 yards and three touchdowns to outplay Tom Brady and lead Kansas City past Tampa Bay. Tyreek Hill scored on receptions of 75, 44 and 20 yards, backflipping into the end zone on his second TD, and finishing with 13 catches for 269 yards — the last an 8-yard catch on third-and-7 to give Mahomes an opportunity to run out the clock. The Chiefs (10-1) won their sixth straight game and clinched their seventh 10-win season in eight years under coach Andy Reid. The reigning Super Bowl champions improved to 6-0 on the road and have won nine straight away from home going back to last year. Brady was 27 of 41 for 345 yards, three touchdowns and a pair of second-half interceptions in falling to 2-2 in four career meetings against Mahomes, who built an early 17-0 lead and also had the Chiefs up by 17 entering the fourth quarter. Brady responded with TD passes of 31 and 7 yards to Mike Evans, the latter trimming Tampa Bay’s deficit to 27-24 with 4:10 remaining. The Bucs never got the ball back. VIKINGS 28, PANTHERS 27 MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Chad Beebe caught a 10-yard touchdown pass with 46 seconds left for Minnesota shortly after he muffed a punt that let Carolina pad its lead. Then Joey Slye missed a 54-yard field goal try with 1 second remaining that preserved the Vikings’ victory. Kirk Cousins went 34 for 45 for 307 yards and three scores for the Vikings (5-6), hitting Justin Jefferson for his second touchdown grab with 5:38 to go and finding Beebe for the winner to punctuate a seven-play, 75-yard drive that took 65 seconds. There were 38 points scored by both teams in a dizzying second half that started with Panthers rookie Jeremy Chinn turning fumble recoveries into touchdown returns on consecutive plays from scrimmage. Sixty-nine
the end zone in the second quarter, then watched Harrison Bryant drop another early in the fourth. Mayfield’s worst misfire was nearly costly. He threw behind Kareem Hunt in the flat on a third-and-1 play late, and Hunt failed to pick up the first down on the ensuing down. Jacksonville ended up with a chance to tie. James Robinson’s 4-yard run made it 27-25, but Mike Glennon threw incomplete on a 2-point conversion attempt for the second time in the game. The Browns improved to 8-3 for the first time since 1994, when they were 11-5 under Bill Belichick. It’s their most wins in 13 years. Mayfield completed 19 of 29 passes for 258 yards. Nick Chubb ran for 144 yards and a touchdown.
TITANS running back Derrick Henry (22) salutes fans as he walks off the field following yesterday’s game against the Indianapolis Colts in Indianapolis. The Titans defeated the Colts 45-26. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings) seconds into the third quarter, the Panthers (4-8) suddenly were up 21-10. After Beebe dropped his fair catch and Myles Hartsfield recovered at the 9, shortly before the 2-minute warning, the Panthers played it safe with a pair of running plays. Bridgewater misfired for an open D.J. Moore on third down, and Slye — who had a short field goal blocked earlier — made a 21-yarder to push the lead to six points. Cousins responded with the kind of late-game goahead drive that’s been mostly missing during his three seasons with Minnesota. PATRIOTS 20, CARDINALS 17 FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Nick Folk kicked a 50-yard field goal as time expired and New England rallied in the second half to beat Arizona. James White rushed for two touchdowns for the Patriots (5-6). It was the second time this month that Folk hit a last-second game-winning field goal. His 51-yarder beat the New York Jets 30-27 on Nov. 9. Arizona (6-5) hasn’t beaten New England since 2012. Cam Newton struggled, finishing 9 of 18 for 84 yards and two interceptions, and New England had only 179 yards of offence. But the Patriots took advantage of Cardinals mistakes. New England’s defence was solid, holding Arizona’s top-ranked offence to 298 yards. Kenyan Drake rushed for 78 yards and two touchdowns for Arizona. Kyler Murray finished 23 of 34 for 170 yards and an interception. Murray had 31 rushing yards and was held without a touchdown pass for the first time this season. 49ERS 23, RAMS 20 INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Robbie Gould made a 42-yard field goal as time expired and the San Francisco snapped its three-game losing streak, sweeping the season series against Los Angeles for the second straight year. Nick Mullens passed for 253 yards and led two late scoring drives in his first victory as a starter since September for the defending NFC champion Niners (5-6), who stoked their flickering playoff hopes and became the first team to beat the Rams (7-4) at new SoFi Stadium. After a game largely dominated by defence, Gould hit a 44-yard field goal with 3:11 left before San Francisco stopped Los Angeles near midfield. Fullback Kyle Juszczyk converted a fourth-and-1 with 28 seconds to play during a 56-yard drive
in the final 2:10 to set up Gould, who nailed his third field goal of the day. Rookie defensive lineman Javon Kinlaw returned an interception 27 yards for a touchdown as San Francisco forced four turnovers, including two interceptions and a fumble by Jared Goff in his latest erratic performance. Aaron Donald forced a fumble and Troy Hill returned it 20 yards for a touchdown late in the third quarter, but the Rams’ topranked defence couldn’t keep the Niners out of field goal range late. Goff passed for 198 yards in a rough offensive game from the Rams, who slipped out of first place in the division. SAINTS 31, BRONCOS 3 DENVER (AP) — Taysom Hill’s two touchdown runs led New Orleans past Denver, which was thrust into a quarterback quandary when its passers failed to wear masks as mandated by the NFL’s COVID-19 protocols. In a grind-it-out slugfest reminiscent of pro football’s early days, the Saints (9-2) won their second straight game with Hill subbing for the injured Drew Brees. Hill wasn’t nearly as sharp as a week earlier against the Falcons, when he completed 18 of 23 passes for 233 yards. This time, he was 9 of 16 for 78 yards, no touchdowns, an interception and a paltry passer rating of 43.2. He also ran 10 times for 44 yards. And that was much better than Broncos QB Kendall Hinton, a rookie receiver and former Wake Forest quarterback from their practice squad who made a shaky NFL debut by going 1 for 9 for 13 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions. Tight end Noah Fant’s 13-yard catch was Denver’s only reception. Sometimes, the Broncos had their running backs take direct snaps. But the Broncos converted just once in 10 third-down tries. FALCONS 43, RAIDERS 6 ATLANTA (AP) — Deion Jones returned an interception 67 yards for a touchdown, Matt Ryan threw a pair of short scoring passes, and Atlanta Falcons thoroughly dominated Derek Carr and bumbling Las Vegas. The Raiders (6-5) lost their second in a row and looked very much like a pretender in the AFC playoff race, producing a listless, mistake-filled performance against an Atlanta team that’s playing out the season under an interim coach. Carr had
a miserable day, fumbling the ball away three times in addition to delivering the pick that the Falcons linebacker returned for his fifth career TD. Las Vegas had a seasonworst five turnovers in all and was flagged 11 times for 141 yards, with one penalty wiping out an interception and another allowing the Falcons (4-7) to keep the ball after a missed field goal. Atlanta led 16-3 at halftime, and Jones sealed the game early in the third quarter. Carr was swarmed by the pass rush and threw behind running back Devontae Booker on a short pass over the middle. The ball went right to Jones, who streaked all the way to the end zone with no one even close. DOLPHINS 20, JETS 3 EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Ryan Fitzpatrick threw two touchdown passes while starting in place of the injured Tua Tagovailoa and Miami kept New York winless. Tagovailoa was inactive with a left thumb injury, so Fitzpatrick stepped in against one of his many former teams. The veteran quarterback was 24 of 39 for 257 yards with TD throws to tight ends Mike Gesicki and Adam Shaheen, helping the Dolphins (7-4) bounce back after having a fivegame winning streak end last week. New York got its starting quarterback back as Sam Darnold played after missing the last two games with a shoulder injury. But he was unable to get much going for the offence, with coach Adam Gase appearing to reclaim play-calling duties after offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains had done so the last three games. Darnold was intercepted twice and the Jets (0-11) twice couldn’t take advantage of takeaways by the defense. Darnold was 16 of 27 for 197 yards. BILLS 27, CHARGERS 17 ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Tre’Davious White’s fourth-quarter interception set up Tyler Bass’ 43-yard field goal, helping Buffalo hold off Los Angeles. Josh Allen threw for a touchdown and ran for another score for the AFC East-leading Bills (8-3), who hung on after nearly blowing an 18-point thirdquarter lead. Receiver Cole Beasley also completed a touchdown pass. Buffalo turned the ball over on three consecutive possessions, but its defence limited Los Angeles to Michael Badgley’s 27-yard
field goal during the key stretch. Buffalo’s three drives ended with running back Devin Singletary losing a fumble at midfield, Allen muffing a snap at the Chargers 22, and then Allen throwing an interception to Michael Davis. Two plays after the Chargers (3-8) regained the ball at their 44, Justin Herbert faced third-and-6 when he forced a pass over the middle intended for tight end Hunter Henry, only to have White jump in front of the ball. Bass connected for the Bills with 3:26 remaining. Herbert finished 31 of 52 for 316 yards, upping his season total to 3,016 and joining Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes as the only players to top 3,000 yards passing in their first 10 career starts. BROWNS 27, JAGUARS 25 JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Baker Mayfield took advantage of his best game-day weather in a month, throwing two touchdown passes as Cleveland beat Jacksonville to remain squarely in the AFC playoff picture. The Jaguars (1-10) fired general manager Dave Caldwell after the game, which was its 10th straight loss. Mayfield connected with Jarvis Landry and Austin Hooper for scores, ending a three-game drought without a passing TD. Mayfield nearly had two more, but he inexplicably missed wideopen Rashard Higgins in
GIANTS 19, BENGALS 17 CINCINNATI (AP) — New York lost starting quarterback Daniel Jones to a hamstring injury in the second half but generated enough offence to beat Cincinnati. Jones went down after completing a short pass in the third quarter with the game tied at 10. He returned for two plays on the next series but then was relieved by backup Colt McCoy, who played the rest of the game. Wayne Gallman Jr ran for a 2-yard touchdown on fourth-and-goal in the first quarter, and Graham Gano returned from the COVID19 list to kick four field goals as the Giants (4-7) moved into a tie with Washington for first place in the woeful NFC East. The Bengals (2-8-1) started quarterback Brandon Allen, a player who was promoted from the practice squad, in place of rookie Joe Burrow, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in last week’s loss to Washington. Allen was 17 for 29 for 136 yards and Cincinnati mustered just 155 total yards of offense. Nonetheless, the Bengals had a chance late. A 1-yard touchdown pass from Allen to Tee Higgins — set up by a pass-interference penalty in the end zone — got the Bengals within two points with 2:33 remaining. Cincinnati got the ball back, but Allen fumbled while being sacked with 57 seconds left to seal it for the Giants.
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STAFF extinguish flames from Haas driver Romain Grosjean of France’s car after a crash during the Formula One race in Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir, Bahrain, yesterday. (Brynn Lennon/Pool via AP)
Hamilton wins Bahrain GP, Grosjean escapes burning car By JEROME PUGMIRE AP Auto Racing Writer FORMULA One champion Lewis Hamilton won a crash-marred Bahrain Grand Prix where Romain Grosjean somehow escaped with only minor burns after his car exploded into a fireball. The 34-year-old French driver slid off the track yesterday at high speed on the first lap and his Haas car burst into flames after being sliced in two by a barrier. Grosjean clambered out with the fire roaring behind him and his race helmet singed. He was conscious and stable and then taken by helicopter to a military hospital. Governing body FIA said in a statement that Grosjean was staying overnight in a military hospital to have treatment for burns on the back of both hands, but that he did not have any fractures despite hitting the barriers at an estimated speed of at least 200 kph (125 mph). Late on Sunday, F1 posted a video of a smiling Grosjean speaking from his hospital bed. “Just wanted to say I am OK,” Grosjean said. “Thank you very much for all the messages.” The crash happened with seven-time F1 champion Hamilton leading from Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Racing Point’s Sergio Perez. Hamilton, who secured his title at the Turkish GP on November 15, was subdued and did not celebrate his win after climbing out of his car, other than a brief fist-pump with the Red Bull drivers. “It was such a shocking image to see ... horrifying. It could have been so much worse,” Hamilton said. “I respect the dangers that are in this sport.” Moments after the race restarted about 90 minutes later, on Lap 3 of 57, there was another incident as Lance Stroll’s Racing Point clipped the AlphaTauri of Daniil Kvyat and flipped over. Stroll joked about hanging upside down in his car, before squirming out. The Canadian driver was unharmed. Kvyat was involved in both crashes but not at fault. The first accident happened when Grosjean lost grip and slid to the right,
where his back wheel clipped the front of Kvyat’s car and he flew off into the barrier. “At first I was angry that he had turned across me in the way he did, but that changed as soon as I saw the flames and what happened in my mirrors,” Kvyat said. “I was really worried. It was a scary moment.” Hamilton’s recordextending 95th win saw him finish ahead of Verstappen, who took his 41st career podium and a bonus point with the fastest lap. The 35-year-old Hamilton looked drained at the end. “It’s physical, this track has always been physical. We’ve got lots of high-speed corners so I was definitely feeling it,” he said. “I managed to just about reply to him (Verstappen) when I needed to but I was sliding around a lot out there and I wasn’t really quite sure how it would play out at the end.” Perez looked set to finish third and clinch his 10th career podium, but his engine blew with three laps left and flames poured from the back of his car as he pulled over to the side. That put Red Bull’s Alexander Albon into third ahead of the McLarens of Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz Jr while Hamilton’s Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas was only eighth. There is another race in Bahrain next Sunday — on Sakhir’s shorter outer circuit — before the 17-race season concludes in Abu Dhabi. Hamilton has a huge lead with 332 points compared to 201 for Bottas and 189 for Verstappen, who can still catch Bottas.
HAAS driver Romain Grosjean of France is helped by medical staff after he crashed his car during the Formula One race in Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir, Bahrain, yesterday. (Hamad Mohammed/Pool via AP)
MERCEDES driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain leads at the start of the Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix in Sakhir, Bahrain, yesterday. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)