The Big Story

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — US Coast Guard Atlantic Area Commander Vice Admiral Steven Poulin said yesterday the Coast Guard has been working assiduously to develop strategies to counter illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing in the western hemisphere, including expanding bilateral relations with smaller Caribbean states. During a United States Department of State special briefing, Poulin underscored the recent deployment of...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — For top-producing estate agent Timothy Smith, 2021 is off to a promising start as he is taking on a new role as partner in Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate MCR Bahamas Group. Smith — a real estate pro with industry honors, an entrepreneurial spirit and a social media following that numbers in the thousands — joins...

HAVANA, CUBA — Cuban authorities discovered approximately 2,000 pounds of marijuana on a speedboat with three purported Bahamians onboard in waters off the eastern coast of the country. The drugs have a street value of approximately $2 million. According to Cuban publication El Nuevo Diario, the intercepted vessel was attempting to pass between Cuba and Hispaniola, and then onto The...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — This nation must have a “workable plan” with measurable key performance indicators towards its economic recovery or will otherwise remain in the crosshairs of international ratings agencies, according to a Bahamian economist. Rupert Pinder, a University of The Bahamas (UB) lecturer, told Eyewitness News: “There are some very interesting parallels in terms of what is happening in...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — The Bahamas Football Association (BFA) looks to rejuvenate its women's program with the recent addition of former Canadian national team player and League1 Ontario women's division commissioner Carmelina Moscato as the director of women’s football. She also held assistant coaching positions with the University of Wisconsin and the Louisville Cardinals. Moscato, in a recent statement on social...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Bahamas Basketball Federation (BBF) officials have come forward to voice frustration with the Bahamian government, in particular, the Ministry of Sports, over a lack of funding ahead of international travel. The team leaves for San Juan, Puerto Rico, today to play in the third and final leg of the FIBA 2020 AmeriCup Qualifiers, however, BBF President Mario...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — A viral video of Free National Movement (FNM) hopeful for Nassau Village Nicole Martin introducing herself as the next representative for the constituency and dancing to dancehall music is not an official campaign video, Eyewitness News can confirm. When contacted, Martin, the former Bahamas Hotel Catering and Allied Workers Union (BHCAWU) president, said: “It’s not an official video....

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Bahamas Christian Council President Bishop Delton Fernander has expressed concern about an escalation of violence and domestic abuse in The Bahamas as unemployment remains high and the country’s economy remains sluggish amid the coronavirus pandemic. “What we are seeing in terms of these murders, I am not certain, so I would think there’s some intelligence out there...

Constituencies Commission to make a determination for govt. consideration by next week NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Speaker of the House of Assembly Halson Moultrie, who also serves as chair of the Constituencies Commission, said yesterday that the commission will make a determination as early as next week on whether displaced storm victims from East Grand Bahama and Abaco, who have since...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Director of the National HIV/AIDS and Infectious Disease Programme Dr Nikkiah Forbes said The Bahamas has passed the point of flattening the curve of the second wave of COVID-19, but due to ongoing cases on a daily basis, the wave is not over. Speaking to Eyewitness News, Forbes said: “We have been seeing numbers that are in the single...

GRAND BAHAMA, BAHAMAS — Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis yesterday foreshadowed a further easing of restrictions on Grand Bahama, beginning with an extension of the recognized 10pm curfew on the island. Speaking to reporters on Grand Bahama, Minnis said once the island continues to perform well in preventing the spread of COVID-19, it will be “freed up”. “I have discussed...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — A trade union leader said yesterday that the time has come to take a “second look” at the redundancy issue, arguing that redundancy payments should be given to those employees who desperately need it. Obie Ferguson, Trade Union Congress (TUC) president, told Eyewitness News: “I support the view that the time has come for there to be...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Gym operators say their business levels have returned to 50 to 75 percent pre-pandemic levels, with one operator telling Eyewitness News “we’re not out of the woods yet”. Tangerine Curry-Dinnick, owner and director of Evolve Functional Fitness, told Eyewitness News: “I won’t complain. I’m a boutique-styled gym and I think a lot of people felt comfortable coming...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Environment and Housing Minister Romauld Ferreira said yesterday that the government’s decision to follow through with its contractual obligations to allow Bahamas Petroleum Company (BPC) to explore for oil is “water under the bridge now”. Speaking in Parliament yesterday, Ferreira noted that Bahamians must and will decide the direction to be taken on the controversial oil issue....

Approx. 200,000 voters expected to register for next general election NASSAU, BAHAMAS — More than 5,200 new eligible voters have registered for the next general election, according to the Parliamentary Registration Department. As of yesterday, there were 186,763 registered voters, the vast majority of which account for those who registered for the May 10, 2017 general election. In December, Parliament passed...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Exumas and Ragged Island MP Chester Cooper labeled as “delusional” Minister of Labour Dion Foulkes’ assertion that unemployment has drastically declined in The Bahamas. “How delusional; not supported by science,” he said. Exumas and Ragged Island MP Chester Cooper. (FILE PHOTO) “Not supported by statistics. It is not supported by the reality on the ground. “Happy talk...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — As Exumas and Ragged Island MP Chester Cooper once again accused the Minnis administration of “breaking the law” with respect to the reporting requirements of the Fiscal Responsibility Act, Leader of Government Business in the House of Assembly Renward Wells assured that the government will comply before the end of this month. Cooper said the government has...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — The government is moving ahead with legislation that, according to Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis, will improve the country’s fiscal governance and bring it in line with international best practices by fostering much-enhanced transparency and accountability. Minnis yesterday tabled a suite of new legislation in the House of Assembly, including the Public Debt Management Bill, 2021; the...