News from Bahamas:
'Believe in The Bahamas' resonated among voters, researchers say
May 16, 2012
NASSAU, Bahamas -- The international research firm that explained to the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) why it lost the 2007 general election in The Bahamas and told it how to turn things around is congratulating the party on its success at the polls.
Airlift is an immediate concern, says new Bahamas tourism minister
May 15, 2012
NASSAU, Bahamas -- The new minister of tourism says that the new administration is “firmly committed” to boosting airlift into The Bahamas and addressing the major increase in arrivals needed to sustain both Atlantis and Baha Mar.
No regrets, says former Bahamas PM
May 15, 2012
NASSAU, Bahamas -- Former prime minister of The Bahamas, Hubert Ingraham, said that, while he is sorry that the Free National Movement (FNM) was defeated in the May 7 election, he is not sorry to be relieved of the “great burden” that came with public life.
Bahamas PM renews crime pledge as ministers sworn in
May 12, 2012
NASSAU, Bahamas -- Prime Minister Perry Christie promised on Thursday to “launch the most sustained assault on crime” The Bahamas has ever seen. “This is no longer about winning votes; it’s about stopping the slaughter on our streets...
Former Bahamas PM hints at bribery in opposition win
May 12, 2012
NASSAU, Bahamas -- Former prime minister of The Bahamas, Hubert Ingraham, suggested on Thursday that one of the reasons the Free National Movement (FNM) lost the general election on Monday is that the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) bribed voters.
Letter: The oxymoron - ungrateful voters
May 12, 2012
I would be remiss if I didn't compliment Mr Obie Pindling, dressed in his gold PLP shirt and holding the hand of Sir Durwood Knowles many years his senior decked in his red FNM shirt while casting their respective votes in Nassau.
Bahamas cabinet appointments announced and new opposition leader elected
May 11, 2012
NASSAU, Bahamas -- The Bahamas Cabinet Office has announced that Prime Minister Perry Christie has advised the Governor-General to make the following cabinet appointments: Dr Bernard Nottage – Minister of National Security and...
NBC anchor appears on Caribbean-based television show
May 11, 2012
MIRAMAR, USA -- The Caribbean-based hit television show “Dare To Be Great” recently went on the road to South Florida, where NBC 6 anchor/meteorologist Trina Robinson appeared as a special guest. Robinson is an Emmy Award-winning journalist...
Commentary: PLP ousts ruling FNM in The Bahamas
May 11, 2012
Even though we did not have the benefit of the type of scientific polling that made Sunday’s election results in France anticlimactic, the triumph of Hon. Perry Christie and his Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) over Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham and his Free National...
Letter: Preliminary autopsy report on the general election in The Bahamas
May 11, 2012
The following is my preliminary autopsy report on the May 7, 2012 general election in The Bahamas, which resulted in the crushing defeat of the Free National Movement (FNM) party and its now deflated leader, Hubert Alexander Ingraham.
New Bahamas PM sworn in
May 10, 2012
NASSAU, Bahamas -- Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) leader Perry Christie was sworn in as prime minister of The Bahamas during a brief ceremony on Tuesday afternoon. The new prime minister pledged that he and the PLP would work tirelessly...
Bahamas opposition strikes gold
May 9, 2012
NASSAU, Bahamas -- Perry Christie led his Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) to a landslide victory in Monday’s general election in The Bahamas, wiping out Hubert Ingraham and the Free National Movement (FNM) in one of the biggest wins in Bahamian...
OAS observers release preliminary statement on Bahamas election
May 9, 2012
NASSAU, Bahamas -- At the invitation of the government of The Bahamas, the Organization of American States (OAS) deployed an electoral observation mission (EOM), composed of 12 international observers. This was the first time that the OAS...
Opposition wins in Bahamas
May 8, 2012
NASSAU, Bahamas -- Perry Christie led his Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) to a landslide victory in Monday’s general election in The Bahamas, wiping out Hubert Ingraham and the Free National Movement (FNM) in one of the biggest wins in...
Bahamas tourism minister in clash with senior staff
May 5, 2012
NASSAU, Bahamas -- A bundle of documents from the files of the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism reveals that Minister of Tourism Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace was in a war with the most senior officials of his ministry, as he ignored their advice.
Bahamas PM raises vote buying concerns
May 4, 2012
FRESH CREEK, Bahamas -- Prime minister of The Bahamas Hubert Ingraham said on Tuesday night he had received “troubling reports” of alleged bribery in order to influence the vote in the May 7 general election. “I do not want to believe... that money is being...
OAS electoral observation mission arrives in Bahamas
May 4, 2012
NASSAU, Bahamas -- The Organization of American States electoral observation mission to The Bahamas (OAS/EOM) has arrived in Nassau ahead of the May 7 general elections. The team is led by chief of mission, Ambassador Alfonso Quiñonez.
Bahamas government suspends oil drilling licence
May 4, 2012
NASSAU, Bahamas -- The government of The Bahamas has rejected the Bahamas Petroleum Company's (BPC) bid to renew its drilling licences and returned nearly $300,000 in "rental fees". The surprise statement from the Ministry of the Environment...
Bahamas megaresort needs 30 percent more airlift by 2014
May 4, 2012
NASSAU, Bahamas -- The president of Baha Mar, the new multi-billion dollar megaresort in The Bahamas, says approximately 400,000 more "seats" will be required by the time the resort opens, to accommodate all tourism stakeholders in the country.
Bahamas lowest in regional business confidence, says survey
May 3, 2012
NASSAU, Bahamas -- A comprehensive survey involving thousands of accountants from around the world notes that business confidence in The Bahamas is the lowest in the Caribbean. The Global Economic Conditions Survey...
Bahamas government rejects oil drilling licences
May 3, 2012
NASSAU, Bahamas -- The Bahamas government says it will return "rental fees" paid by the Bahamas Petroleum Company (BPC) and suspend the company's bid to pursue oil drilling in The Bahamas. The statement from the Ministry of the Environment...
CARICOM election observers arrive in Bahamas
May 3, 2012
NASSAU, Bahamas -- A 12-member Caribbean Community (CARICOM) mission will observe the May 7 general elections in The Bahamas. The team will be drawn from ten member states and the CARICOM Secretariat.
Chevron concludes sale of Caribbean assets
May 2, 2012
NASSAU, Bahamas -- Chevron has concluded the sale of its fuels marketing and aviation business in The Bahamas, Cayman Islands and Turks and Caicos to a French multinational energy company. Vitogaz, a wholly-owned subsidiary of RUBIS, will acquire a...
Bahamas resort deal approved
April 30, 2012
NASSAU, Bahamas -- The government of The Bahamas announced on Friday that it has approved the ownership transfer of Kerzner International’s Atlantis Resort and the One & Only Ocean Club on Paradise Island to Brookfield Asset Management.
Letter: Drilling for oil in The Bahamas
April 30, 2012
The response of the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) deputy leader, Mr Philip “Brave” Davis, to the question of conflict of interest in relation to his law firm’s connection to the Bahamas Petroleum Company, instigates more questions than answers.
Bahamas begins talks with US over borders
April 28, 2012
NASSAU, Bahamas -- Defining a maritime border between The Bahamas and the United States will allow for more efficient management of the country’s marine resources, according to Brent Symonette, minister of foreign affairs and deputy prime minister.
Crime in Bahamas down six percent
April 27, 2012
NASSAU, Bahamas -- Crime in The Bahamas is down six percent overall for the first four months of 2012 compared to the same period last year, according to statistics released by the Royal Bahamas Police Force on Wednesday.
Bahamas oil company market value plummets following PM's statement
April 23, 2012
NASSAU, Bahamas -- Bahamas Petroleum Company (BPC) stock has lost a fourth of its market value on the heels of a declaration by Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham that his government would not allow BPC to drill for oil.
Bahamas PM promises stronger action on poaching
April 21, 2012
NASSAU, Bahamas -- Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham announced Wednesday night that unauthorized fishing boats caught in Bahamian waters will be seized and destroyed. “We have already engaged the government of the Dominican Republic...
Caribbean states strengthen capacity in combating illicit firearms trafficking
April 19, 2012
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad -- On Monday, the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs, through its Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC), launched a training course to...
Ancient mariner sets sail from St Maarten to Bahamas
April 18, 2012
PHILIPSBURG, St Maarten -- An 86-year-old grandfather and a plucky crew of over-50s recently set sail from St Maarten in the Caribbean, bound for the Bahamas, on a raft made from water pipes. They hope to raise £50,000 for the international charity WaterAid.
First ferry service launched to Bahamas
April 18, 2012
MIAMI, USA -- Baleària Bahamas Express, owned by Spanish ferry operator Baleària, and the Capo group, has announced the first ferry service between mainland America and the picturesque shores of The Bahamas.
Local contracts surpass $110 million at Bahamas megaresort
April 16, 2012
NASSAU, Bahamas -- Bahamian companies have been awarded more than $110 million in contracts since the multi-billion dollar Baha Mar resort broke ground just over one year ago – and more work is on the way.
Letter: Defacement and destruction of political posters and signs in The Bahamas
April 14, 2012
The defacement and destruction of FNM posters and signs could be noticed throughout the island of New Providence. On my way out of my community of Mt Pleasant Village today, I have noticed that the sign and posters of the FNM leader and...
Bahamas opposition welcomes election announcement
April 12, 2012
NASSAU, Bahamas -- Bahamas opposition Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) leader Perry Christie on Tuesday night asked voters for their support following an announcement that the highly anticipated election date is May 7.
May 7 election day for Bahamas
April 11, 2012
NASSAU, Bahamas -- Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham announced in a national address on Tuesday night that the next general election in The Bahamas will be held on May 7. The national address came six hours after Parliament was officially dissolved.
Pastors urge action on gambling in The Bahamas
April 10, 2012
NASSAU, Bahamas -- A Baptist pastor in The Bahamas last week urged the nation’s leaders to put the issue of gambling to a referendum and determine ways to tax the dozens of numbers houses that are in business. Dr Victor Cooper of New Bethany Baptist Cathedral...
On the beach in The Bahamas in three hours
April 10, 2012
GRAND BAHAMA, Bahamas -- Starting Monday, travelers can book nonstop flights between Grand Bahama Island and four US cities, including Richmond, Virginia; Louisville, Kentucky; Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina and Baltimore, Maryland.
Letter: Constantine and the Austin Healey Restoration
April 4, 2012
The great works of art from many years and even a few centuries past were commissioned by wealthy or powerful benefactors. The Sistine Chapel in the Vatican and its famous ceiling works by Michelangelo, were done under the patronage of...
Oil could be billion-dollar business for Bahamas, says analyst
April 3, 2012
NASSAU, Bahamas -- The oil deposits found in The Bahamas could translate into billions of dollars for the national economy, according to business analyst Wayne Johnson. Johnson, president of Wayne Johnson International, told Guardian Business...
