Bahamas News

Tropical storm Zeta has formed in the Atlantic Ocean – a month after the official hurricane season came to an end.

Zeta is the 27th storm recorded in what was an already record-breaking season.

According to an Associated Press report, the storm formed in the eastern Atlantic yesterday about 1,000miles south-southwest of the Azores islands.
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Confusion over which Oil Company was responsible for the fuel supply to aircraft was part of the problem that led to chaos at Nassau International Airport over the Christmas holidays, The Tribune has learned.

Many problems, including radar failure, and, according to informed sources, a sever fuel shortage, left more than 2,000 travelers stranded.
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The energy company AES is only seeking to build an LNG facility in the Bahamas so that it can circumvent US laws and restrictions, it was claimed last night – a claim the company has denied in the past.

Sam Duncombe, president of the local environment watch group ReEarth, stated that although the Bahamas Environment Science and Technology Commission (BEST) gave the proposal the green light, none of the officials in BEST are expert on LNG.
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The first Johnny Rockets Restaurant has this month opened at the Marina Village on Paradise Island, taking the village’s retail and restaurant line up to the point where all outlets are open.

Bahamian franchisee, Paradise Restaurants Ltd, will be operating the restaurant, which primarily serves hamburgers and hand-dipped shakes.
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Airline operators are today set to meet with the oil companies who supply aviation fuel to Nassau International Airport (NIA) to determine the reasons behind the Christmas weekend fuel shortage in the Bahamas, The Tribune was told yesterday, amid reports that the Government was set to sign the airport management contract for NIA within a week or two.

We’re not getting anything at all from the oil companies, one member of the Airline Operations Committee (AOC) said yesterday. We the airlines are trying to get to the bottom of this.
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An economic think-tank yesterday said it appeared common sense has now prevailed in the Bahamas and there approach to PetroCaribe, after both the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and CARICOM warned about the pitfalls signing on could cause in term of an increased debt burden.

The Nassau Institute, which has been the leading critic of PetroCaribe and its chief advocate, Leslie Miller, minister of trade and industry, pointed out that Augustin Cars tens, the IMF’s deputy managing director, and Edwin Carrington, CARICOM’s secretary-general, had this month warned about the potential negative implications PetroCaribe could cause.
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Bahamian hotels face a heightened challenge to contribute to sustainable tourism because of the high operating costs they face, a report has found, as this makes it more difficult to remain profitable and enhance the environment at the same time.

The report by Dr T Jennifer Edwards, which won the award for Best Empirical Study at this year’s National Tourism Conference, drew on a 11995 Pannell Kerr study of hotel performance in the Caribbean region to show how the high costs base impacted efforts on sustainable development.
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The mystery bidder interested in buying into the Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) is unlikely to complete due diligence on the state-owned carrier, the minister of stat for finance told The Tribune, describing the process as still a work in progress.

James Smith said the latest attempt to privatize BTC had suffered a set back in terms of the due diligence start date and the interested bidder being able to access relevant information and meet with senior management.
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The fate of 17 dolphins at the Marine Life Oceanarium in Gulfport, Louisiana that were left homeless after hurricane Katrina and are supposed to be on their way to Atlantis is now in the hands of the courts.

According to The Associated Press, a court order is preventing Marine Animal Productions the company that owns the dolphins, from moving them.
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Three of the men who died in the plane crash in South Caicos where Bahamian-born.

Inspector Hilda Whittaker press liaison officer of the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands police, confirmed yesterday that Paul Cartwright, Cleverson Forbes and Carson Hoyte Garland, the pilot, who perished in Monday’s crash, were Bahamian born.

Robert Cox, the fourth victim, was reportedly a native of Turks and Caicos Islands, and lived in South Caicos.
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