The Big Story

A local foundation has been working feverishly to change the landscape of local youth sports. According to Island Luck (IL) Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Dirk Simmons, the company’s recent support of local sporting events has been part of its mission to provide the nation’s youth, particularly athletes, with as much opportunities for exposure as possible. “At IL Cares, we truly...

Poaching of Bahamian fisheries by neighboring countries, particularly the Dominican Republic, was at the forefront of discussions during the Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) regional conference for Latin American and the Caribbean meeting in Montego Bay, Jamaica last week. Agriculture and Marine Resources Minister Renward Wells told parliamentarians during the mid-year budget debate last evening that when he attended the...

Local wholesalers, who currently import certain produce items from abroad, have agreed to sell only Bahamian grown produce to their customers as long as the items are of a good quality, according to the agriculture minister. However, Renward Wells, minister of agriculture and marine resources said, wholesalers will still be able to import the items which Bahamian farmers cannot produce....

The Bahamas was added to the European Union (EU) blacklist of tax havens on Tuesday. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Peter Turnquest called the move “regrettable”. In a statement Tuesday, the finance minister said the decision was made “without discussion” but he remains hopeful that the country will be removed from the listing “in the shortest time possible.”...

A man is fighting for his life in hospital after he was stabbed multiple times during a domestic dispute late Monday night. Police said the incident took place shortly after 11:00 p.m. off Bernard Road. According to investigators, the victim was at his home when he got into an altercation with a female known to him that resulted in him being stabbed multiple times....

Minister warns of reckoning for lack of due diligence on blacklisting issue                  Minister of State for Legal Affairs Elsworth Johnson warned that the “axe will fall” if it is found that proper accounting did not take place in an effort to avoid blacklisting by the European Union (EU). Despite the “black eye” to the financial services sector, Johnson said...

Financial woes persist at the Bahamas Agricultural and Industrial Corporation (BAIC), according to Executive Chairman Michael Foulkes, who detailed in Parliament, among other things, that the corporation’s bills left by the former administration are in excess of $3 million, including $1 million owed to the National Insurance Board (NIB). “BAIC is in absolutely dire financial straits and lacked the fiscal...

“Women are not property,” charged Minister of State for Legal Affairs Elsworth Johnson, as he gave his contribution to the mid-year budget in Parliament Tuesday. The government is currently looking to amend the Sexual Offenses Act to provide for aggravated spousal sexual abuse or marital rape. Johnson told parliamentarians that consultation on the controversial issue continues, especially within church groups....

Over 1,000 Bahamians have joined the labor force thanks to the ‘Labour on The Blocks’ initiative launched by the government at the beginning of the year, according to the labour chief. The initiative is touted as a proactive programme which takes the services of the labour department throughout various communities. Labour Minister Dion Foulkes told Eyewitness News Online Tuesday, that...

CIBC FirstCaribbean has appointed Paul Michael Jenkins to the post of Private Wealth Investment Advisor, according to a recent release. Jenkins will work with CIBC FirstCaribbean clients in The Cayman Islands, Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, to provide international investment advice, the bank said. According to the release, Jenkins boasts an extensive portfolio in the areas of Private Wealth Management,...

Following a successful showing last year at both the Caribbean Free Trade Association (CARIFT) and Commonwealth Youth Games, The Bahamas has been selected to host the Judo World Junior Championships. Although the exact dates have not been confirmed, the International Judo Federation (IJF) sanctioned tournament is set for October 2018. In December, The Bahamas was shortlisted, along with Thailand and...

With a new mandate and a renewed focus to uplifting and providing opportunities for today’s youth, the newly owned Miss Teen Bahamas International has soared to new heights etching a page in the history books of pageantry and youth development. At a time when many of the local pageants have been accused of exploitation and hidden agendas, MTBI has started...

The Bahamas National Trust (BNT) said Monday that under no circumstances will it support the proposed Oban Energies project for Grand Bahama. In a statement issued yesterday, BNT said the proposed location for the refinery is in close proximity to three national parks – The Lucayan National Park, the East Grand Bahama National Park, and the North Shore - The...

The Financial Services Sector got dealt another blow yesterday when at least a dozen employees of Pictet Bank and Trust Limited were handed their walking papers and have now been added to the unemployment line. Minister of Labour Dion Foulkes, however, confirmed to Eyewitness News Online that the offshore banking institution gave notice to his Ministry nearly a month ago....

Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) officers captured nearly 300 illegal Haitian migrants in three separate incidents waters surrounding Inagua over the weekend, officers said. RBDF reported that the first incident, which occurred on Friday, saw the capture of nearly 100 migrants shortly before 8:00 p.m. on a sloop just over 20 miles south east of Great Inagua. The sloop, the...

More than 1000 persons engaged in the public service under the former administration and told to just “report to work”, remain without status, according to Minister of the Public Service and The National Insurance Board Brensil Rolle. In his contribution to the mid-year budget Monday morning, Rolle lambasted the former Christie led administration for a job empowerment programme, which he...

Power cuts detrimental   The instability of electricity in Abaco continues to be a vexing situation for residents, who on Sunday evening, had to endure more than 12 hours without power supply, which also led to a disruption to running water. Since the Wilson City power plant had a complete generation breakdown more than a month ago, residents reported to...