The Big Story

Defending champions Saxons Superstars prepared to put on show, welcome vaccine announcement NASSAU, BAHAMAS — As 20,000 AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines arrived in The Bahamas yesterday, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis said he looks forward to granting approval for Junkanoo groups to prepare for the end-of-year parades — mass gathering events that were canceled last year. “The Junkanoo chaps had called...

PM says vaccination “trial run” set for this weekend, with full rollout to begin next week NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis yesterday heralded the arrival of 20,000 donated AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines from India as the most “delightful and joyous day” of his life. He assured that with the rollout of the government's vaccine program by early next...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — The 12 new coronavirus cases confirmed on Abaco on Tuesday after several days of a lull is cause for “alarm”, Central and South Abaco MP James Albury said yesterday. “The bottom line is people are people; they’re going to do what they want to do, sometimes going around the proper guidelines and then they, unfortunately, bring it...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Disney executives yesterday expressed confidence that the company has addressed all outstanding concerns regarding its Lighthouse Point development in an extensive 550-plus-page environmental impact assessment (EIA). Lighthouse Point, Eleuthera. (FILE PHOTO) Disney Cruise Line Vice President of Communications and Public Affairs Kim Prunty said yesterday: “There are a number of environmental and conservation organizations we have engaged...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — The Disaster Reconstruction Authority (DRA) has spent just over $17 million to date on the Hurricane Dorian Small Home Repair Programme (SHRP) for individual’s whose homes were destroyed in the deadly 2019 storm, said newly-appointed Minister of State for Disaster Preparedness, Management and Reconstruction Pakesia Parker-Edgecombe on Wednesday. During her first presentation in the House for the...

Tourism minister notes revenue cruises expected to resume in Q3 2021 NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Three cruise companies have expressed interest in making Nassau their homeport, according to Tourism Minister Dionisio D’Aguilar, who noted that the economic implications of such a development would be significant. During his contribution to the mid-year budget yesterday, D’Aguilar said: “Three companies have approached us about...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — An effective COVID-19 vaccine rollout strategy, coupled with keeping COVID cases low, could help boost economic activity, the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employer’s Confederation’s (BCCEC) chairperson said yesterday. In an interview with Eyewitness News, Khrystle Rutherford-Ferguson suggested that private establishments could be used as vaccination sites once vaccines become readily available to the general public. “There...

Vaccinations will position Bahamas to “blow open the borders and let the good times roll again”, says D’Aguilar NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Tourism Minister Dionisio D’Aguilar yesterday stressed that the tourism industry is dependent on Bahamians getting vaccinated, arguing that the economy will not improve until the country’s tourism sector rebounds. D’Aguilar, who was making his contribution to the mid-year budget...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Disney executives said yesterday that the COVID-19 pandemic has delayed its Lighthouse Point project by “a year to a year and a half”, with the development now slated to open in the first half of 2024. Disney executives, while addressing members of the media yesterday on the environmental impact assessment (EIA) for the South Eleuthera project, noted...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Following a breakout season, including five Southeastern Conference (SEC) wins and three top-25 wins, Ole Miss University has inked coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin to a new four-year contract. McPhee-McCuin is now under contract through 2025. Along with the new contract, the university has added additional financial commitments to McPhee-McCuin’s coaching staff. “When I took this opportunity three years...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — The Bahamas is now in a position to demand the proper respect and appropriate compensation for its ancestral knowledge, said Minister of the Environment and Housing Romauld Ferreira yesterday. Ferreira made the comment during his presentation to the mid-term budget debate as he pointed to the recent passage of the Biological Resources and Traditional Knowledge Act. “What...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Police seized 13 bags of suspected marijuana around 7am today, from a home on Fire Trail Road East. Police seize suspected marijuana at a home on Fire Trail Road East on Wednesday, March 10, 2021. Acting on police intelligence, officers from the DEU along with the K-9 unit executed a search warrant of the home where they...

At least seven Caribbean countries have begun vaccinating citizens NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis assured yesterday that The Bahamas has not fallen behind other countries in the region that have rolled out vaccination programs in the last few weeks and already vaccinated thousands of citizens. “We are not falling behind,” Minnis told Eyewitness News. “We are doing...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Minister of National Security Marvin Dames said yesterday there is “no place” in the armed branches of law enforcement for rogue officers who act in contravention of the law and act improperly against the people they swore an oath to serve and protect. He was referring to an officer being placed on administrative leave pending an investigation...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Royal Caribbean Cruise Line yesterday decided to extend the suspension of sailings for its global fleet through May 31. While cruise executives say they have no definitive timeline on when they will resume sailing from US ports, yesterday’s announcement indicates that any return to this destination will not be over the next few months. In its latest...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — “I’m Haitian. This is not my land. My decision is not to stay here,” said 49-year-old Mary Pierre, a mother of two who moved to The Bahamas 15 years ago with her husband to begin a better life, but now wishes to return to Haiti. She spoke with Eyewitness News with the assistance of a Creole translator....

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Director of the National HIV/AIDS and Infectious Disease Programme Dr Nikkiah Forbes said yesterday that she expects local coronavirus measures to soon reflect the level of “flexibility” offered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in its first COVID-19 vaccine guidelines. In an interview with Eyewitness News, Forbes said the guidelines are very clear on what...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — A Bahamian digital payments provider yesterday acknowledged that more must be done to educate Bahamians on the use of digital wallets as this nation moves aggressively towards a cashless environment. Jeffrey Beckles, Island Pay’s managing director, while addressing a REV/Cable Bahamas Think Beyond Webinar Series on the benefits of digital transformation, noted: “I think digital wallets are...