Bahamas News

The Bahamas will give “the utmost consideration” to the United Mexican States candidature for a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council for 2009-2010, as both countries pledged renewed support on diplomatic levels, Governor General, His Excellency Arthur Hanna said Thursday.

The commitment was made as the Governor General accepted Letters of Credence presented by Her Excellency Rosaura Leonora Rueda Gutierrez, Ambassador of the United Mexican States to the Commonwealth of The Bahamas in a ceremony at Government House.

The Governor General expressed “warmest thanks” to Mexican President Felipe Calderon Hinojosa for renewing Mexico’s commitment to the further strengthening of relations between both countries.

“The establishment of diplomatic relations between our two countries three decades ago was predicated upon our mutual desire to forge closer and friendlier ties and to uphold the principles of the United Nations Charter of the Organisation of American States,” the Governor General said. “This cooperation is a benchmark for developing and strengthening our bilateral relations.”

Mexico is being viewed as an emerging global power and in this vein; the Governor General said The Bahamas welcomes its awareness of the importance of multilaterism.

“We welcome especially, the call for the consolidation of multilaterism in objective institutions such as the United Nations,” he said. “This is significant because the United Nations deals with both issues of common international significance as well as threats to peaceful and progressive co-existence.”

The Governor General said of importance to The Bahamas is Mexico’s stated commitment as a member of the Organsiation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) to ensuring that the OECD’s regulations follow principles in a “fair, just and equitable environment for all.”

He also relayed The Bahamas’ appreciation to Mexico for assistance in the educational, technical, scientific and cultural areas in collaboration with both the public and private sectors.

The Governor General told the Mexican Ambassador that given her background in international economic relations, her tenure will mark “a sound, expanded mutually beneficial partnership between both countries.”

Ambassador Rueda-Gutierrez, 52, is a career diplomat and has worked for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mexico since 1974. She is also the Ambassador of Mexico to Jamaica.

She said Mexico shares with The Bahamas the commitment to consolidate multilaterism and the United Nations organisation as the priviledged forum for the settlement of disputes, the promotion of cooperation and development to achieve the Millennium Development Goals for the joint solution to face the world and regional challenges.

“Promoting the common goals of peace, the values of democracy, respect for the rule of law, human rights and freedoms, international cooperation, the fight against poverty, the search of sustainable development as well as the regional integration are some of the important coincidences between our nations,” Ambassador Rueda-Gutierrez said.

She said that both countries could enhance their shared interest, dialogue and efforts in areas such as reform to the UN Security Council, climate change, and the fight against drugs. She also commended The Bahamas for ratifying the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-ban Treaty last November.

“My Government has instructed me to reiterate its readiness to meet cooperation requirements from the Government of the Bahamas, both in technical and scientific as well as in the cultural and educational levels,” Ambassador Rueda-Gutierrez said.

Source: Bahama Journal

The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism has shaped a plan to make the island of Grand Bahama a major player in tourism once again, according to Minister of Tourism Neko Grant.

At the 10th Annual Grand Bahama Business Outlook held at the Our Lucaya Resort, he announced that through the Ministry’s community based tourism programmes, spearheaded by Jeritzan Outten and her team, the ministry can now deliver 35 new tours and activities to visitors to the island.

The tours will be available to visitors and residents alike, ranging from two tank reef dives to eco-tours, he said.

“The idea of community based tourism is not new, but our approach to it is innovative. We have determined that the communities on Grand Bahama Island have a vital role to play in ensuring that the overall tourism industry is sustainable,” Mr. Grant said.

He said that the Ministry of Tourism is currently finalizing assessments for the development of tourism resources in these communities and expects to be able to increase the number of destination experiences on the island by 16 from 35 to 51 activities by the third quarter of this calendar year.

Last year at a town meeting held in Freeport by the Ministry of Tourism, it was reiterated by stakeholders in the industry that tourists complained that there was nothing for them to do on the island.

Minister Grant said that the new attractions include a south Grand Bahama tour, East End Trip and excursion to the Abacos, Holmes Rock Nature Trail and Cave Tour, Lighthouse Point in Pinder’s Point; the Eight Mile Rock Boiling Hole in Hepburn Town, Grand Bahama Museum, Sculpture Points at Junkanoo Beach Club, Coastline Cruise and Shopping Tour, Coastline Cruise to Paradise Cove and Beach Party, and Rafting the Lucayan Creek.

Many of the onshore tours will include visits to native restaurants and bars for drinks and local snacks coupled with indigenous music and cultural entertainment.

“Regardless of our less than stellar performance in recent years, world tourism is on the rise,” Mr. Grant said.

Global estimates for 2007 suggest a six percent increase in the world’s tourism economy according to United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), he said.

“An expanding global tourism economy represents opportunity for Grand Bahama Island to expand its tourism performance moving forward,” continued Mr. Grant.

One of the fastest growing sectors is the cruise industry, where interest from an aging US population, an expanded cruise season, and successful introduction of new ships have combined with demand to produce record profits for some US cruise providers in the third quarter of 2007, he said.

“Despite the threat that cruise vacations pose to our core stopover visitor business, this remains an important sector, providing a source of incremental tourism revenue that has the added advantage of flowing immediately, and directly into the hands of a large cross section of independent small Bahamian business persons,” he said.

Mr. Grant also noted that if it had not been for the intervention of the ministry, Discovery Cruise Lines daily cruise ferry service would have come to a stop in the fall of 2007.

He said that for sustainable growth to take place in the tourism sector, the ministry must work assiduously to ensure that on-shore experiences exceed expectations.

“Only in this way will we be able to boost the average visitor spend from $53 to the industry standard in the region of $100 per person. This is achievable provided Grand Bahamians are prepared to invest in tourism products that complement the destination,” Mr. Grant said.

He noted that that the $100 million new cruise port that was foreshadowed in the government’s plan is being actively pursued and “drawing closer.”

“We have negotiated additional new non-stop jet service from other gateways that you will be hearing about shortly as we advance our plans to reposition and re-launch this destination in true partnership with the private sector,” Mr. Grant said.

Source: Bahama Journal

At least 4.14 million tourists came to The Bahamas last year, according to the details of a new economic report released by the Central Bank of The Bahamas, although the Ministry of Tourism has yet to release the total figures for visitor arrivals to the country in 2007.

Five million had become somewhat of a local benchmark for success in tourism once the feat was achieved a few years ago. However, in the last several years, The Bahamas has failed to hit the mark.

The Central Bank noted in its Monthly Economic and Financial Development Report for December 2007 that over an eleven month period last year visitor arrivals fell by 3.8 percent [0.18 million] to 4.14 million.

The figures reflected a contraction in the main air and sea components by 1.7 percent and 4.8 percent respectively.

“In terms of the major markets, broad based declines were noted for visitors to New Providence [1.3 percent], Grand Bahama [6.8 percent], and the Family Islands [7.4 percent],” the report said.

The weakness detected in the local tourism sector was reflected in the worldwide picture last year.

The recent United Nations World Tourism Barometer report indicated recently that although confidence has weakened, international tourism is projected to still grow this year despite a global economic slowdown, worries about a recession in the US economy, turbulence in the US housing market and spiking oil prices.

According to UNWTO, international tourist arrivals grew by an estimated six percent to reach a new record figure of 900 million. It meant that there were nearly 52 million more tourist arrivals last year over the year before, in what officials said was an astonishing achievement given that the 800 million mark was reached in 2005.

In the Caribbean region, there were 19.3 million international tourist arrivals, according to the report, which also indicated that the overall prospects for 2008 are positive.

Central Bank analysts also noted that weakness continued to hound the main driver of economic activity in The Bahamas late last year ultimately contributing to a lag in the economy.

“Initial data for the month of December [2007] suggest a slowing in the pace of economic activity, as signs of weakness in the tourism and construction sectors offset growth in consumer demand,” the report added.

The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism has yet to reveal the total tourist arrival figures for 2007. However according to the ministry’s preliminary data, between January and October there were just under four million visitors to The Bahamas which was 3.8 percent less than the total number of tourists here between January and October 2006.

The figures also showed that 2.3 million of those visitors who came to The Bahamas in that period arrived in New Providence, while the other 540,000 were recorded for Grand Bahama and another 1 million traveled to the Family Islands.

In the month of October alone there were over 298,000 tourist arrivals, the data showed.

The Ministry of Tourism is expected to operate with a larger marketing budget soon to raise this country’s profile and draw more visitors to The Bahamas. Director General of Tourism Vernice Walkine has welcomed the additional $12 million boost from the government.

It would supplement the ministry’s 2007-2008 advertising budget of around $5 million.

Source: Bahama Journal

The Hugh Campbell Basketball Tournament entered day five on Friday at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium with more than a half dozen eliminations games on the schedule and the defending Champions C.C. Sweeting Cobras took on the Queen’s College Comets during the afternoon session with both teams facing elimination.

It was the struggling champions that scaved off defeat against the Comets, 49-34. The victory gave the Cobras new life. They will advance to the next round where they will meet the winner of the Telios Academy and Temple Christian who will play on Saturday morning.

For the Cobras, Dwight Rolle led with a game high 15 points. His teammate Gabi Laurent contributed 12 points. Nathaniel Carter and Eleazor Johnson settled with 9 points each in the loss.

The Cobras attacked early and stifled the Comets with tough hardnosed defense in the first quarter and they took and early 14-6 edge.

By the end of the first half the Cobras had increased their lead to 26-12, as they continued to play strong defense and pressured the Comets forcing them into multiple turnovers.

In the second half of the game, the Comets showed signs of life. Their offense came to life as a result of a trapping defense that began to affect the play of the Cobras, at one point forcing the champions into a shot clock violation.

The Comets picked up the majority of their points at the free throw line. The Cobras committed six team fouls in 45 seconds in the fourth quarter, which gave the Comets many opportunities to score without the game clocking running and it gave them a chance at the upset, but it was not meant to be.

During Friday’s morning session, another three teams were eliminated in addition to the four from Thursday’s evening session. Those teams eliminated on Friday morning included the S.C. Bootle Dolphins, South Andros High Cheetahs, and the Bimini All Age School.

In the feature game of the morning session, the Clement Howell Eagles out of the Turks and Caicos Islands took on South Andros.

In the first half, the Eagles played a strong defense breaking down the offense of the Cheetahs and forcing them to commit turnovers.

Down by 15 points, the Cheetahs made a charge in the third quarter, and shut down the scoring attack of the Eagles forcing a tie at 35 all.

In the fourth quarter the game was close, as both teams traded baskets. With two minutes left in regulation the score was tied 52-52. The Eagles added an additional five points to bring the score to 57-52.

The Cheetahs however forced the Eagles to commit two turnovers in the last 59 seconds allowing them to hit a three pointer and a lay up to tie the game once again at 57-57 with 25.8 seconds on the clock. The game was forced into overtime and both defenses stood tall in the final seconds.

In the overtime period, the Eagles dominated with more of their pressure defense which forced the Cheetahs turnovers. In addition the Cheetahs missed valuable free throws which resulted in them not being able to force a second overtime, and they lost 63-60.

Eagles Steve Bras scored 21 points, his teammate Krishna Penn dropped in 15, while the Cheetah Shemeko Greene had a game high 29 points in the loss. His teammate Travis Sands contributed with 14 points.

In the first elimination game of the day during the morning session, the Comets took on Bimini All-Age handing them a defeating 45-44.

The team from Bimini played a very good defensively and although they struggled offensively they were in a position to win the game but their strong defense began to fall apart down the stretch and suffered defeat and elimination.

In the second game of the morning session, the Harbour Island Panthers defeated the S.C. Bootle Dolphins, 48-34.

For the Dolphins this was their second loss of the tournament. They were beaten on Thursday by the Tabernacle Baptist Falcons.

The Dolphins did secured one victory in the tournament. They defeated the Bishop Michael Eldon Warriors.

Rolando Davis led the winning Panthers eight points with his teammate Robert Knowles contributing seven points.

In the loss the Dolphins Oryshawn Rolle had a game high 12 points with his team mates Rashad Moxey and Edward Burrows contributing eight.

Source: Bahama Journal

The new 30-year agreement between Foxwoods, North America’s largest casino operator, and Royal Oasis owners Harcourt Development could mean a complete renovation of the former resort before it reopens, hopefully in a couple of years.

Foxwoods, the company owned and operated by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation in Connecticut, has been tapped to manage the resort, marks a welcome addition to Grand Bahama business community, according to Tourism Minister Neko Grant, who congratulated Harcourt on inking the deal with the Foxwood Development Company.

“We are confident that Foxwoods’ reputation as high quality resort, casino, entertainment and retail operators will be a strong compliment to the re-launching of Grand Bahama Island as a major Bahamas destination,” the minister said.

A Harcourt press release asserts that both Harcourt and Foxwood are eager to begin work, with plans already afoot.

“Once the property is expanded and renovated, the resort will be home to more than 650 hotel rooms and suites, a casino, convention/meeting facilities, spa, fitness center, restaurants, retail shops, recreation facilities and a host of other amenities,” the release said.

“The two on-site golf courses will be restored to their former glory.”

The Royal Oasis Resort has been closed since it was damaged in Hurricane Frances in 2004. More than 1,000 Bahamians lost their jobs.

Chairman of Foxwoods Development Company Board of Managers Joseph Colebut said the group is pleased to partner with Harcourt Developments on what he called “such an exciting project to restore the former Royal Oasis property to a premiere destination resort.”

“In the gaming resort world, the name Foxwoods is synonymous with quality and innovation. We look forward to bringing this same level of excellence to the project and Grand Bahama Island,” Mr. Colebut said.

With regards to Foxwoods, according to Harcourt founding director Mike Murphy, “We have hit the jackpot.”

Speaking at the Grand Bahama Business Outlook on Thursday, he said Foxwoods is a legend in the gaming industry.

“They’ve got the largest casino resorts in the Unites States. They are now going to be our partners. They’re a good bunch. We were simply amazed at the scale of what they do. We have never seen anything like it. The traffic going through it numbers approximately 40,000 people per day. Isn’t that something else?”

Mr. Murphy was referring to the six million square-foot Foxwoods Resort Casino, which boasts three hotels, extensive entertainment venues, top-flight restaurants and retail stores.

In the Harcourt press release, Harcourt Director of Development Pat Power touted Foxwood’s experience and expertise in the leisure industry.

“We look forward to our working relationship with Foxwood for many years to come and their involvement in the project is a testament to the future of Grand Bahama,” Mr. Power said.

Foxwood’s parent organization, the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, has formed a business partnership with MGM Mirage – the international gaming giant – and in the spring will open the MGM Grand at Foxwoods in the Connecticut countryside.

When the new MGM Grand is opened in late May, Foxwood will have grown to more than eight million square feet in size.

The Royal Oasis represents a major expansion of Harcourt’s interests in Grand Bahama. The company also owns multiple sites in Bahamia, and is the estate manager for the entire area.

According to the release, the redevelopment of the resort reflects Harcourt’s commitment to the island.

Source: Bahama Journal

A former Member of Parliament in the Progressive Liberal Party administration wished the government good luck in any attempt to legalize gambling in The Bahamas. George A. Smith, who once represented the Exuma constituency, said the Lynden Pindling-led PLP proposed similar legislation approximately two decades ago, but was forced to retract it in the midst of fierce criticism from religious leaders.

“Yeah, we tried that,” said Smith while on the Love 97 talk show ‘Jones and Company’ that aired yesterday. “There was a bill before Parliament, when Paul Adderley was Minister of Finance, to establish a board to legitimize the numbers business and the money had been earmarked to go into education, health services,
sporting and other social things.

The religious leaders objected to it and the bill was withdrawn by the then Prime Minister Lynden Pindling, because the principal spiritual leaders in this country felt uneasy about it. There has been no indication yet that they have withdrawn their objections.”

Smith was right on target with his prediction, because on the same day that the radio show was recorded, Thursday, The Bahamas Christian Council responded to Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham, who told the House of Assembly the day before that he was considering legalizing gambling.

Ingraham argued last Wednesday that the existing anti-gambling law could not be enforced, and that it might be best if the government sought to regulate the business.

“I told the Commissioner of Police last week,” said Ingraham, “that it seems to me that we are unable to enforce that [illegal gambling] law and that I was going to give consideration to legalizing the numbers business.” The Prime Minister went on to say that there were web shops all over the islands.

But the Bahamas Christian Council quickly responded to the nation’s chief, saying it could not support legalized gambling for Bahamians. “We urge the Prime Minister and his government to reinforce the law as it stands on the operation of number houses, as they are illegal,” council president John Humes outlined in a statement last Thursday. “Furthermore, legislation should be put in place to control the amount of web shops that are opening.”

George Smith said he did not agree with the position of the religious leaders, adding that there was already gambling in The Bahamas - done everyday in the casinos. He pointed out that it was not justifiable for Bahamians to continue to face discrimination under the existing anti-gambling law, which strangely condones the “illegal” activity if the person taking part in it is a foreigner.

“The constitution of The Bahamas is one of the few constitutions in the world that permits discrimination against nationals in favor of foreigners by permitting foreigners to gamble at the casinos when Bahamians and residents of The Bahamas cannot,” said Smith.

“The great fear at the time, and I think it may have been displaced then and certainly is now, [was that] Bahamians don’t have sufficient discipline to control how much they will spend.”

Smith went on to say that the people should decide whether they want to legalize gambling. “If we are to permit gambling in the country, there has to be a tremendous debate and obviously it should be a matter that necessitates some referendum to determine where the money will go,” he explained. “If you legalize gambling for Bahamians and the money ends up in the public treasury, the consolidated fund, it then gets gobbled up by all these other things that governments can do to spend money.”

He suggested that the money be set aside for education and sporting initiatives, and to tackle the country’s social problems such as crime, homelessness and poverty.

Last October, The Guardian spoke to half a dozen operators of number houses who all agreed that only certain ‘webshops’ houses are raided. One of the most vocal operators, who called himself the Number King, said any attempt to crack down on numbers would be hypocritical and a “big joke”, as it was a well-known fact that police officers play numbers. He said, “Everybody dealing with numbers right now are paying for their window. Anything that you’re dealing with like this, you have to pay for your window. And when I say your window, I mean once you pay your people, nobody will bother you. Most of my customers are police. All the big money making from numbers is from police, big-time politicians and government workers. Everyone else is only be giving us a quarter, 50 cents or a dollar.”

Two years ago, the them tourism minister Obie Wilchcombe told Parliament that there were at least 45 illegal gambling houses in New Providence and 12 in Grand Bahama. He estimated that 60 percent of the population were playing the lottery.

Source: Nassau Guardian

The Bahamas Communications and Public Officers Union (BCPOU) is rejecting a proposal by the Bahamas Telecommunications Company to cut 23 benefits that existed under the previous industrial agreement BTC had with its workers.

Scores of disgruntled workers demonstrated their frustrations during their lunch hour on Thursday at the company’s John F. Kennedy Drive headquarters.

The company is apparently attempting to remove temporary employees; two weeks’ pay in lieu of notice of termination for those individuals who are on probation; accrued benefits paid upon termination; written notice of why an increment is denied following a performance review and time without pay granted for up to four months to complete a degree programme.

The company is also proposing to end the time back granted while on vacation for the death of a loved one; a lump sum payment for full time union officers; payment for vacation days; shift privilege after 20 years of service and travel allowances.

BCPOU President Robert Farquharson said the union refuses to accept those conditions on behalf of the 1,400 union members of BTC.

“We want to send a very strong message: The first message goes to [BTC] President Leon Williams; the same goes to Chairman of BTC Julian Francis and the same message goes to Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham. The message is that the BCPOU will not be moved and we will not yield one article,” he said.

The previous industrial agreement ended last September. Mr. Farquharson said the union has been trying to start negotiations with the company since then.

“We have not began contract negotiations as yet and we anticipate that those negotiations will come in a couple of weeks,” he said.

“This is no longer a joke. We want to demonstrate what we do with garbage.”

In a dramatic move, the president shredded the proposed industrial agreement, loaded it in a Depends diaper and placed it in an envelope to be forwarded to Mr. Francis.

“We want them to know that we will fight to the death for the rights of those workers,” he said.

Earlier this week, Prime Minister Ingraham announced that the government was in negotiations with Blue Waters Communications, a US-based company, to privatize BTC.

He said there will be a 15-day discussion period between the government and the company this month.

On Thursday, Mr. Farquharson said while privatization is in the best interest of the company it cannot happen while the workers of BTC are at a disadvantage.

“We need to speak with the investors and we need to let them know that they cannot come in this country to try to take over this company while the workers are at a disadvantage,” he said. “So whoever is thinking of buying BTC, they need to sit down and talk to us.”

The Bahama Journal attempted to contact the executives at BTC, but was told that they were in a management meeting.

Source: Bahama Journal

Former Housing and Immigration Minister Shane Gibson and his wife, Jackie, were among scores of mourners that gathered yesterday at Lakeview Memorial Gardens on John F. Kennedy Drive, to mark the one year anniversary of the death of former U.S. reality t.v. star Anna Nicole Smith.

Members of the U.S. media were kept behind barricades as Smith’s former attorney turned boyfriend Howard K. Stern recalled the memories he shared with the former Playboy Playmate.

He said Anna Nicole should have lived to hear her daughter call her “momma,” rather than the child only knowing her mother through photographs.

He said if she had lived, Anna Nicole “would be bragging to everyone who would listen” about her baby girl.

“She would make people listen about how beautiful and smart DannieLynn is, and she would be right,” Mr. Stern said.

“That’s how things should be and no matter what anybody tells me it doesn’t make things any easier that that’s not how things are.”

On February 9, Anna Nicole was found unconscious in her room at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino near Hollywood, Florida.

The former Playboy centerfold later died the same day at a hospital. Her sudden death started a tabloid frenzy in a Broward County courtroom over her body and the paternity and custody of her infant daughter.

Eventually, Anna Nicole was buried at Lakeview next to her 20-year-old son, Daniel.

Daniel died at Doctors Hospital on September 10, 2006, three days after his mother had given birth to his half-sister.

A coroner’s inquest into the young man’s death has so far revealed that Smith had a combination of eight different drugs – a mixture of stimulants and depressants – in his system at the time of his death.

According to expert testimonies, the methadone – a drug used to treat heroine addicts – was the most lethal.

Mr. Stern told those attending the memorial that he just can’t stop thinking, “Why?”

“Why are things the way they are instead of the way they shoud be?” he questioned.

“I stand behind what I said at Anna’s funeral, the truth, the only real truth is what you live. It’s not what is said in the media. It’s not what’s said in court. It’s what you are hearing with your own senses, and the truth about Anna, what I know for a fact, is that there was nobody stronger, nobody smarter, nobody more compassionate, nobody funnier and certainly no body more beautiful.”

Mr. Stern said those who really knew Anna Nicole, knew what she was “really all about.”

“We loved her. We respected her. I worshiped her and I still do,” he confessed.

Mr. Stern added that Anna was “right about everything.”

“The people who she thought was using her – they were. They people who she thought were trying to get famous off of her – they were. The people who she thought would sell her out – they did. The people who she thought were liars and thieves – they are. Few people who knew Anna might not realize how smart she actually was because unless she wanted you to know you didn’t know,” he said.

“When Anna died part of me died. The best part.”

Mount Horeb Baptist Church Pastor Dr Lloyd Smith – who presided over the celebrity’s funeral service – presided over the memorial service yesterday, which lasted less than an hour.

One-year-old Dannielynn and her father Larry Birkhead was also in town for the memorial service, which was also attended by Mr. Gibson’s parents.

In the final months of the Christie Administration, Mr. Gibson had come under fire for his close relationship with Smith who was a permanent resident of the Bahamas.

The allegations at the time were Smith’s permanent residency application was fast tracked because of her relationship with Mr. Gibson.

The debacle eventually climaxed with his resignation from the Christie Cabinet right before the May 2, 2007 general elections.

During a Coroner’s Inquest into Daniel’s death, Frederick Taylor, an inspector at the Central Detective Unit, told the court how he arrived at the hospital to find the then Minister of Immigration and his wife in the hospital room as Daniel’s body lay on a nearby bed, waiting to be transferred to the morgue.

Source: Bahama Journal

Today marks one year since former starlet Anna Nicole Smith died suddenly in a Florida hotel and casino, leaving behind the controversy that had dogged her and her family and which gathered steam with the sudden death of her 20-year-old son Daniel Smith at a local hospital.

Born Vickie Lynn Hogan, the buxom beauty and former reality TV star, moved to The Bahamas to escape the critical glare of the international media and to give birth to her daughter Dannielynn.

However, her dreams of leaving the papparazzi behind came to a tragic end when her son colleaped in her hospital room at Doctors Hospital in September 2006 from what one forensic pathologist said was a lethal combination of per scri ption drugs.

Two toxicology reports indicated that Daniel had a combination of eight drugs in his system – a mixture of anti-depressants and stimulants.

Ironically, it was determined that Anna Nicole died from an accidental per scri ption drugoverdose as well some five months later.

Daniel was Anna Nicole’s child with her first husband.

A coroner’s inquest is still going on in a Bahamas court to officially determine what contributed to Daniel’s death.

The last time the court met, two, once close friends of Anna Nicole G. Ben Thompson and his son-in-law Ford Shelley recounted how they saw the young Smith’s lifeless body in the hospital room and that on September 10, 2006.

The inquest resumes on March 17, when the last four witnesses, including Dannielynn’s father Larry Birkhead and Mr. Stern, are expected to be called to the witness stand.

Although he now has full custody of the child, it had been a rough road getting to that point. Following Daniel’s death, a fierce custody battle over baby Dannielynn ensued which wound through both Bahamian and US courts.

At the end of the ordeal Birkhead was declared the biological father.He is now raising Dannielynn. She was then married to late billionaire J. Howard Marshall and battled with his family over his fortune following his death in 1995.Who will now get that money remains up in the air.

The Bahamas related angle to the Anna Nicole saga was one that reach the top levels in government. The biggest scandal revolved around her relationship with former housing and immigration minister Shane Gibson who was accused of fast tracking her application for permanent residency status because of his relationship with the former playboy starlet.

For many months Mr. Gibson and the former PLP administration vigorously defended themselves against all charges of impropriety. But eventually the saga escalated into even more criticisms when photographs were printed in the media of the two locked in an embrace.

Eventually, Mr. Gibson resigned as a cabinet minister, all the while declaring that his relationship with Anna Nicole and her family was above board.

It followed allegations that the former minister had received a Rolex watch from Ms. Smith as a thank you present for her approval as a permanent resident.

Anna Nicole Smith gained popularity in her youth as a Marilyn Monroe lookalike.

Conflict seemed the follow Anna Nicole in her adult years.

Born and raised in Texas, she had dropped out of high school and first married at the age of 17. Her highly publicized marriage to oil business “Corporate officer” executive and billionaire J. Howard Marshall, 63 years her senior, resulted in speculation that she married the octogenarian for his money, which she denied.

Following Marshall’s death, she began a lengthy legal battle over a share of his estate; her case, Marshall v. Marshall, reached the U.S. Supreme Court on a question of federal jurisdiction.

She became involved in litigation with Marshall’s son E. Pierce Marshall and temporarily joined forces with his other son, James Howard Marshall III, whom the elder Howard had disowned.

In 1996, Smith filed for bankruptcy in California as a result of a $850,000 judgment against her for sexual harassment of an employee. As any money potentially due to her from the Marshall estate was part of her potential assets, the bankruptcy court involved itself in the matter.

Smith claimed J. Howard orally promised her half of his estate if she married him. In September 2000, a Los Angeles bankruptcy judge awarded her $449,754,134.

In July 2001, Houston judge Mike Wood affirmed the jury findings in the probate case by ruling that Smith was entitled to nothing and ordered Smith to pay over $1 million in fees and expenses to Pierce’s legal team. The conflict between the Texas probate court and California bankruptcy court judgments forced the matter into federal court.

In March 2002, a federal judge vacated the California bankruptcy court’s ruling and issued a new ruling but reduced the award to $88 million. In December 2004, a three-judge panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the March 2002 decision, affirming the Texas Probate jury findings that no misconduct had occurred, Smith was not one of J. Howard Marshall’s heirs and that the federal courts lacked jurisdiction to overrule the probate decisions of a Texas state court.

Source: Bahama Journal

While a supplemental agreement between the government and Baha Mar and its joint venture (JV) partner Harrah’s Entertainment has finally been signed – nearly a year after the resort developer was hoping to have it signed – don’t look for construction to begin next week.

A paragraph in the press release that accompanied the signing of the agreement warns that not all the hurdles have been crossed.

“Baha Mar JV Holdings Ltd. and Caesars Bahamas Investment Corporation are now proceeding to finalize documents for completion of the joint venture, following which construction of the project will immediately commence. Completion remains subject to certain conditions, including completion of definitive agreements, conveyance or other transfer to the joint venture of rights to certain parcels of real property, and Parliamentary action,” the document said.

Baha Mar executive Robert Sands confirmed that the signature of the supplemental heads of agreement was only “step one” in what he termed “a process” of getting the project underway.

He pointed to the requirement enshrined in the supplemental agreement for Parliamentary approval for certain actions.

“The prime minister confirmed that he would, in very short order, take those issues to Parliament, and that has to do with some of the land that can only be conveyed as a direct result of Parliamentary approval, such as the police and fire stations…in very short order.”

Mr. Sands said that once those matters have received Parliamentary approval, then the requirement to complete the documentation for the joint venture is “getting to the point of near completion.”

“You can’t put the chicken before the egg,” he said.

“These are very necessary steps to get us to the point whereby we would be in a position to have all our ducks in a row for the proper documentation of the agreement with our joint venture partners.”

The original heads of agreement, signed in 2005, calls for Baha Mar to identify the partners that would form its joint venture. Mr. Sands explained that the group is now “getting to that point.”

But even then, once the joint venture partners are identified, and once all the Parliamentary actions have been taken, there are still things that must happen before construction on the resorts begins.

“There are some other things that must happen first,” Mr. Sands explained. “We’ve always spoken about the roads.

“We’ve always spoken about the rebuilding in the commercial village zone area, because what that does is that gives us access to clear the ground for the podium – as it were – for the Caesar’s Palace and the Westin hotels to rise up from the ground.”

“These are all processes,” he said, “that are taking place.”

Mr. Sands pointed out that Baha Mar has already gone out to bid for road works and for the construction of the replacements of the buildings that will be demolished.

“We can jump start this project fairly quickly because we have done a lot of advance preliminary work to get it to the point whereby these projects can be up and running certainly within weeks, and not months,” he said.

Pressed for some sort of timeline within which Baha Mar expects construction to begin, Mr. Sands replied:

“I can’t tell you that on March 16th we will start, but we are very hopeful that that date might not be too far off, and we are very diligently accomplishing all the conditions that we outlined in the press conference.”

Source: Bahama Journal