NASSAU, Bahamas A judge in the Bahamas has fined a Canadian clothing manufacturer $50,000 for violating a court order to stop dredging near his beachfront home.

The environmental group Save the Bays, which brought the case against Peter Nygard, calls the ruling an extraordinary triumph for environmental justice in the Bahamas.

In a statement, a lawyer for the group says Supreme Court Justice Rhonda P. Bain has found Nygard in contempt of court for violating her 2013 order to stop the dredging.

Lawyer Fred Smith says Nygard has nearly doubled the size of his property over the years by digging up sand and placing it along his beachfront.

Smith says the judge has given Nygard until March 21st to pay the fine or be sent to prison for two weeks.

Officials for Nygard were not immediately available for comment.

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Canadian clothing manufacturer fined $50K for illegal dredging in Bahamas - 680 News

By RICARDO WELLS

Tribune Staff Reporter

rwells@tribunemedia.net

STABILITY in the countrys economic, education and environmental sectors were hailed as successful examples for Caribbean states by President of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana David Granger this weekend during an exit interview with local press.

In an address moments before he boarded his return flight Saturday, concluding a three-day state visit to The Bahamas, the retired Brigadier General commended the Christie administration for sustaining one of the regions premier countries in the wake of one of the worlds most severe economic downturns.

General Granger, in the presence of Prime Minister Perry Christie at the Lynden Pindling International Airports VIP Lounge Saturday, said he viewed the three sectors as important lessons that could be adopted and adapted by every other country in the region, adding that his economic visit to The Bahamas would be viewed as a success in his country despite not returning with any written agreements.

General Granger, who throughout his time in The Bahamas pointed out that the Caribbean stood as a fragmented region that could advance through cooperation, said his belief was emboldened by what he witnessed specifically in Grand Bahama.

He said that the sincere and successful effort to by the government to deal with the economic issues plaguing the communities there showed him that patience, passion and forward-thinking were factors that could aid in his countrys efforts.

General Granger accompanied Mr Christie on a trip to Freeport, Grand Bahama, last Friday.

Of the trip, he said: We liked what we saw. It may just be container terminals, it may be just shipyards; but we saw at the second level, and I like to mention this, the work that is being done in education and for the youth. Because just going to the Hugh Campbell Primary School, you could feel the energy from those young people and I would like to come back 20 years from now.

The Bahamas has set an example to the rest of the Caribbean as to how we can transform smallness and poverty into economic power, he stated.

General Granger said his country would adopt the premise, smallness doesnt necessarily mean weakness, from The Bahamas moving forward.

There is no doubt, the government of The Bahamas has shown the way for small states and is a lesson and example for other states to learn. I have also emphasised that in some areas, particularly in the areas of our economical development, our tourism, we could learn from the tremendous years of experience and the wealth of expertise that we saw in The Bahamas, to develop our tourist product.

He added: I would like to feel that in more business like visits, my ministers would be coming back to work one on one with the responsible minister on the Bahamian side to ensure that these lessons are not just filed away, but that they become the pillars of partnership between what they call, the northern most English speaking Caribbean state and the southern most English speaking Caribbean state. So you have not seen the last of us.

Last weeks visit marked General Grangers first official visit to The Bahamas.

His country, like many other nations in South America, is battling through a massive economic decline.

In addition to that ordeal, the country is reported to be locked into a territorial dispute with neighbouring Venezuela, something that has seen battle ready warships move into Guyanese waters over the course of the last two years.

According to General Granger, his journey to The Bahamas was geared around finding feasible logistical concepts that could be implemented by his country to ease the grip of the continents economic woes.

Grateful

In response to his praise of the Bahamas on Saturday, Mr Christie said the objective praise was something his administration was intrigued to hear, adding that the Bahamian populace could now see and hear from countries in similar conditions and compare and contrast the rate at which The Bahamas is performing.

Mr Christie, noting how grateful he was for the presidents comments, said his administration has from a fiscal point of view done all it could given the demands of our country.

Cautioning the public over the oppositions doom and gloom talk, Mr Christie added: Unlike any other country in the region, and I argue even in the hemisphere, we have an island nation that requires duplication resources - schools, hospitals, clinics, roads, water and it is a work in progress, it costs a lot of money.

Advancing his argument, Mr Christie contended that his government has to manage and promote a total of 28 airports, several of which have to operate international flights.

He said his administration has gauged estimates on how much it would take to move these facilities to international standards - $150m, he noted.

Mr Christie added: You dont earn that, you have to go out and borrow it it adds to the national debt.

The point was supported by General Granger who noted that his country, which is larger than The Bahamas, has only two airports to manage.

Mr Christie noted that most countries in the region are grappling with similar problems and a united effort, in time, could alleviate the pressures faced by all in the region.

To thank The Bahamas for hosting him and members of his delegation, General Granger presented Mr Christie with a painting of a jaguar; the animal is considered noble in Guyana.

Additionally, General Granger pledged to ship several of his nations national tree crops to the Bahamas as a part of Guyanas National Tree Day celebration later this year.

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Guyana President Hails Bahamas As Example To The Caribbean - Bahamas Tribune

NASSAU, Bahamas (CMC) The Bahamas government has taken issue with the reports of the United States and Amnesty International on human rights issues in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country.

The Perry Christie government in separate statements said that it is preparing an official response and intends to issue a formal protest on the matter.

The government said that prior to the release of the US State Departments 2016 report on human rights in The Bahamas, the government spoke with representatives of the United States government prior to the release of the report on human rights in the Bahamas.

During those conversations, it was made clear to the US that the proposed report contained significant inaccurate information with no basis in fact and in some cases incomplete information.

Now that the US report has been publically released, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Immigration is preparing an official response from The Bahamas Government and intends to issue a formal protest in this regard.

In the report, Washington noted that on July 8, last year, a foreign citizen reported he had been beaten by two or more corrections officers at the Bahamas Department of Corrections (BDOC).

He said that following an altercation with an inmate, prison guards placed him in handcuffs, bent him over a cart, beat him with a PVC plumbing pipe wrapped in duct tape, and then took him back to his cell without providing any medical attention.

The report also indicated that a migrant held in the immigration detention centre in Freeport faced alleged unprompted, regular beatings from the guards, as well as inappropriate sexual behaviour toward female detainees.

Prison and detention centre conditions failed to meet international standards in some areas, and conditions at the governments only prison remained harsh due to overcrowding.

Overcrowding, poor sanitation, and inadequate access to medical care remained problems in the mens maximum-security block. In October 2015 the commissioner of corrections reported the maximum-security block of the prison held 625 inmates in spaces designed to hold approximately 375 inmates when constructed in 1953. The minister of national security reported that the BDOC, which was originally built to hold 1,000 prisoners, held 1,727 inmates as of October 2016.

The report noted that inmates reported receiving only two meals per day, and often only one, with a meal sometimes consisting only of bread and tea.

Fresh fruit and vegetables were rare to non-existent. Prisoners also reported infrequent access to drinking water and inability to save potable water due to lack of storage containers for the prisoners. A few cells also lacked running water, and in those cells, inmates removed human waste by bucket.

The report also noted that prison guards complained about the lack of a full-time dentist and a failure to appoint a staff psychiatrist.

There were four inmate deaths through October 2015, reportedly due to HIV infection, natural causes, an apparent suicide, and injuries resulting from fighting. Reports from the coroners court were pending on the latter two deaths.

The government did not provide updated statistics in 2016. In August 2016, upon the conclusion of a Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) hearing that was closed to the public, the Bahamian government cleared five RBDF marines accused of beating five Cuban detainees at the CRDC in 2013, Washington reported.

It also noted that numerous Haitian migrants reported being detained by immigration officials and solicited for bribes of B$1,000 to B$3,000 (One Bahamas dollar =US$1.00), with the CRDC front office functioning as a clearinghouse.

Many claimed that immigration officers targeted their dwellings once their undocumented status was discovered demanding multiple bribes. Haitian migrants and civil society organizations complained of frequent warrantless searches of Haitian homes without probable cause.

Regarding the 2016-17 Amnesty International report, the London-based human rights group criticised Nassau for its discriminatory posture towards lesbian, gay, bisexual transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people and for the countrys constitutional referendum on gender equality.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the government takes no acts to discriminate against people based on their orientation, race, colour, creed, gender or religion.

The Bahamas Government shows that it is an equal opportunity protector of all citizens and residents of this country. In addition, the Government takes all appropriate steps to ensure that its citizens of whatever description are safe.

It is unfortunate, even in countries which are strong democracies with good human rights records, when there are public views espoused that are discriminatory. Nevertheless, The Bahamas Government is firmly committed to the protection of all its citizens.

On the question of right to privacy of citizens, the Bahamas government said it wanted to reiterate without qualification there is no threat to privacy in the Bahamas.

The reports of any such threat are entirely misplaced, it added.

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Bahamas govt denies US and Amnesty human rights reports - NYCaribNews

NASSAU, Bahamas, March 6, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Bahamas is excited to host Fyre Festival 2017, slated to take place on April 28-30 and May 5-7 of this year. Set in the surrounding natural beauty of The Exuma Islands, Fyre Festival will deliver a one-of-a-kind immersive experience in music, culture, art, culinary delights and luxury for an unprecedented event over two weekends.

The musical performances, which will be staged in The Exumas, will feature popular artists such as the G.O.O.D. Music Family, Major Lazer and Disclosure (DJ set). Fyre Festival organizers recently announced that Blink 182, Migos, Lil Yachty, Matoma, Claptone, and Le Youth will also be performing. Additionally, Fyre Festival has partnered with ZERO to bring artists Lee Burridge, Rampue, Bedouin, Nicone, Daniel Cowel, Jan Blomqvist, Lovecraft, Bo, and Stephanie Roxanne to Fyre's "Pirate's Cove" stage. Thug******, Blond:ISH, Tensnake, and Beto Abrahao will also perform. This enclave for electronic music will host a sunset to sunrise curated set and an array of top electronic / deep house talent. Additional headliners and the full music lineup will be announced soon.

The local Exuma community looks forward with delight to serving as host to Fyre Festival 2017. Local authorities have been working hard over the past months to prepare for the inaugural kick off on April 28. No efforts have been spared to ensure a wonderful experience for each of the thousands of guests coming for Fyre Festival 2017.

"We are very excited that The Exumas have been selected as the home of Fyre Festival. This music festival will bring to The Bahamas one of the largest events ever hosted in our destination, and we are delighted to welcome all attendees to our island. We're working closely with the Fyre Festival Team to ensure that visitors have an unforgettable trip to the Exumas. The Exuma Islands and surrounding seas are one of the most beautiful and pristine destinations in the world. We're looking forward to sharing the beauty of our island with guests of Fyre Festival, just eight weeks away" - The Hon. Obediah H. Wilchombe, M.P., West Grand Bahama and Bimini; Minister of Tourism.

For more information on Fyre Festival, please visit their website, http://www.fyrefestival.com and contact the organizers, concierge@fyreapp.com.

About The Bahamas The Islands Of The Bahamas have a place in the sun for everyone. Each island has its own personality and attractions for a variety of vacation styles with some of the world's best golfing, scuba diving, fishing, sailing, boating, as well as, shopping and dining. The destination offers an easily accessible tropical getaway and provides convenience for travelers with preclearance through U.S. customs and immigration, and the Bahamian dollar is on par with the U.S. dollar. Do everything or do nothing, just remember It's Better in The Bahamas. For travel packages, activities and accommodations information, call 1-800-Bahamas or visit http://www.Bahamas.com. Look for The Bahamas on the web on Facebook Twitter and YouTube

A photo accompanying this release is available at: http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=42245

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UPDATE: The Islands Of The Bahamas Welcome Fyre Festival to The Exumas - Yahoo Finance

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Each year, thousands of spring breakers head to the Bahamas on vacation, many of them via cruise ships. Hoping to help them avoid danger and even time behind bars, the Bahamian Embassy issued an advisory, saying that by following their tips and [exercising] caution and good judgment, travelers would make their own stays both safer and more pleasant.

Avoid Jet Ski Operators

If renting a jet ski while in the Bahamas is on your must-do list, proceed with caution. Jet ski operators, the advisory warns, continue to commit sexual assaults and other crimes against tourists, including U.S. citizens. U.S. Embassy personnel are instructed not to use jet ski rentals on New Providence and Paradise Beaches, including Cabbage Beach and Cable Beach. We strongly recommend you also avoid patronizing jet ski rental operations.

Noting that every year, U.S. citizens are killed or very seriously injured in scooter accidents, the Embassys advisory suggests renters inspect the equipment carefully and avoid old or rundown machines. It goes on to suggest tourists do something that few likely do, which is ask to see a copy of the operators business license and inquire about their medical and liability insurance coverage. Given how many folks might be new to riding scooters, they also suggest you ask for training before using the equipment, and offer a reminder that traffic in the Bahamas travels on the left side of the road and can be difficult to navigate. They also say that unlicensed scooter operators and rental services have been linked to assaults, including sexual assaults. Crime & Punishment While some tourists seem to think that people in the Bahamas simply walk around openly toking all day, the Embassy reminds that the possession or use of illegal drugs, including marijuana, cocaine and ecstasy, is a criminal offense that can result in jail time. And dont think youll get off easy as a minor, as all persons 16 years of age or older are tried as adults in the Bahamas! Its also worth remembering that entrapment is a frequently used law enforcement technique in the Bahamas and individuals offering drugs for sale may very well be undercover police officers.Finally, the Embassy points out that despite what you may have seen on television, they probably wont be a whole lot of help should you wind up in hot water. Your U.S. citizenship will not help you and will not exempt you from full prosecution under the Bahamas criminal justice system, they warn. U.S. Embassy officials can visit you in jail, provide information about the Bahamas legal system, and give you a list of local attorneys or doctors. [But] we cannot arrange for reduction of charges, your release from jail or payment of medical, hospital or other bills. They do, however, say they should definitely be contacted if you are a victim of crime or your passport has been lost or stolen.

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Embassy Issues Warning to Bahamas Visitors - Cruise Radio (blog)

Carnival Splendor docked at Miami as planned on Sunday morning, disembarking those passengers who sailed on last week's less-port-intensive cruise.

Due to propulsion issues, the line had beenforced to cancel port calls at St. Thomas and Amber Cove.

Guests on thatvoyage endingSunday received a 50 percent refund and a 50 percent credit toward a future cruise, as well as a $100 per person shipboard credit.

Over the weekend, though, the line confirmed that Carnival Splendoris still experiencing thattechnical issue that's affecting the vessels maximum cruising speed. "The ships technical team is currently working on assessing the repairs," the statement said.

So, the seven-day cruisethat departed on Sunday has a sizably modified itinerary. With its engine issues, the ship simply can't go as fast as planned.

The new, modified itinerary will include an overnight stay in Nassau and a full day in Freeport, both in the Bahamas.

That's a big change, as the ship won't even get to the Caribbean.Originally, this cruise's itinerary included port calls inGrand Cayman; Belize City; Mahogany Bay in Roatan, Honduras andCozumel, Mexico.

In addition to being closer to south Florida, the Bahamas is also home to Grand Bahama shipyard, where Carnival Splendorreceived a drydock update last year. Those shipyard resources could prove helpful to Carnival as it works to fix the propulsion issue.

Guests who opted to sail on this revised itinerary are now receiving a 50 percent refund of their cruise fare and a 50 percent future cruise credit, as well as a $100 per person credit posted to their shipboard accounts.

Carnival also said it had allowed guests on thiscruise the option of canceling and receiving a full refund.

"Wesincerely apologize for this disruption to our guests vacation plans," Carnival said in its statement.

Visit goccl.com

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Carnival Splendor Is Sailing on Revised Itinerary to the Bahamas ... - Travel Agent

National Post

For Sale: $8.75M beachfront property in the Bahamas National Post Craving some winter sun? For a mere $8.75 million, the Abaco Club on Winding Bay in the Bahamas could be the solution. House of the day. Homes and cottages we'd love to have whether we can afford them or not. Key details: 5,834 sq. ft. 6 ...

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For Sale: $8.75M beachfront property in the Bahamas - National Post

Branville McCartney has resigned from the position of Leader of Opposition Business in the Senate, a few months after the Opposition Leader from a rival party chose him for his position. (Photo credit: The Tribune)

NASSAU, The Bahamas, Monday March 6, 2017 Less than three months after Opposition Leader Loretta Butler-Turner tied the political knot with Democratic National Alliance (DNA) leader Branville McCartney, that marriage has ended in a bitter divorce.

In an unexpected move, McCartney, who was appointed as Leader of Opposition Business in the Senate, announced his immediate resignation from the post, declaring that his team was disassociating itself from the farce that has become the official opposition.

He was appointed mid-December 2016, after Butler-Turner created history first by replacing Hubert Minnis as head of the Free National Movement (FNM) and becoming the first female Opposition Leader, and then again by choosing the head of another party to fill the post of Leader of Opposition Business in the Senate.

At a news conference last week, McCartney charged that Butler-Turner had only sown seeds of confusion and had brought no real leadership or ideas to the post.

As leader of the DNA, in consultation with the executives of the party, I feel that we must now divest ourselves of the farce that has become the official opposition and fully direct our efforts to securing victory in the next general election, he said.

He told journalists he accepted the proposal to work with the Butler-Turner in Senate with the understanding that the DNA was separate and apart from any other opposition force, but would lend its voice, ideas and strength in official opposition to the failed [Perry] Christie administration.

FLASHBACK: Loretta Butler-Turner and Branville McCartney shake hands after the latters appointment as Leader of Opposition Business in the Senate was announced to the media.

McCartney suggested it was an error and lamented that there was currently no opposition party or personality in the House of Assembly that exemplifies the traits of leadership.

It was now obvious that Bahamian people will be better served by a DNA not complicit in the dysfunction that hobbles in Parliament at this time, he added.

Insisting that Bahamians deserved better, McCartney wasted no time in offering his party as the best option to tackle the problems facing the country.

To the people of the Bahamas, we say that if you want a government serious about fighting crime and putting the fear of God into these savage criminals who apparently have free reign on our streets, look to the DNA; if you want an end to this corruption that pollutes and perverts governance in our country, look to the DNA; if you want real accountability for where in the world our billions of tax dollars have been funneled without our knowledge, look to the DNA; if you want a government that stands for you and will return power and prosperity to the rightful owners of The Bahamas, look to the DNA, he insisted.

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After Brief Alliance, Opposition Parties in Bahamas Split ... - Caribbean360.com (subscription)

Prime Minister Perry Christie (in black jacket) watches as the dump fires. (Photo: Facebook page of the Office of the Prime Minister)

NASSAU, The Bahamas, Monday March 6, 2017 An immediate evacuation has been ordered after a massive fire broke out at the city dump in The Bahamas capital, Nassau, in the island of New Providence yesterday and continues burning.

The order to leave the area immediately, applied to residents living in the surrounding area of Jubilee Gardens who have been advised to take all necessary precautions to ensure their safety. Evacuation facilities were established at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium.

The National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, has activated its Emergency Plan, and all available resources have been mobilized, a statement from the government said.

Although it is too early to be certain, officials say it appears that a number of fires were started in the area and because of the high winds being experienced on New Providence, at least one of those fires blew across the boundary and ignited the public landfill.

Prime Minister Perry Christie was on the scene shortly after the scale and intensity of the blaze were confirmed.

The number one priority is to ensure that everyone is safe. I am confident that the Emergency Services are doing whatever is required to make certain that no-one comes to harm. We have already made every resource available to limit the damage to property, and to minimize environmental harm, he said.

Christie added that the government would reach out to international partners for assistance, if the situation warrants that.

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Evacuation Ordered As Landfill in The Bahamas Burns - Caribbean360.com (subscription)

Pigs can't fly, but they can swim.

In the Bahamas there are beaches where you can swim with pigs. And feed them.

You can imagine they're a huge tourist attraction.

But two weeks ago, eight swimming pigs were found dead at the Exuma Pig Beach, where the animals havelived for the last 30 years. You may have spotted the pigs freely roaming the beach on an episode of "The Bachelor."Recent visitorsincludeDonald Trump Jr., the US presidents son, and comedian Amy Schumer.

It's believed they died from food poisoning, and now the Bahamian government has put a stop to tourists feeding the pigs.

Wayde Nixon co-owns the swimming pigs along with his business partner Don Rolle. Nixonbrought a few pigs over in the 1990s to start a pig farm on Big Major Cay, part of the Exuma island chain in the Bahamas.

The area became known as Pig Beach.Until the deaths, the cay had been billed asa sort of porcine paradise.

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RIP swimming pigs: Several of the Bahamas' beloved porkers found dead - PRI

Perry Christie apologized in Parliament.

NASSAU, The Bahamas, Thursday March 2, 2017 A sombre and penitent Bahamian Prime Minister Perry Christie faced the nation yesterday and apologized for theobscene gesture he made at a political meeting earlier this week.

Christie, who has been at the centre of a public furor after sticking up his middle finger at a public meetingon Monday night, offered his deepest expression of regret in a statement delivered in the House of Assembly yesterday.

I really stand to express my regret, to indicate specifically that it related to specific individuals, he said.

At the political meeting held in Fox Hill, a pumped up Christie shocked his supporters when he made the gesture, after detailing that it was how he had responded to man who challenged him to deny that he owned a particular condominium.

Yesterday, a more composed Christie insisted the gesture was not him, but he took responsibility for losing control while defending his family.

There was never any intention to speak to any other person or issue other than those who were attacking me or my familyand I would hope that those who may have been offended by it who were present, would accept that that is a matter that I would not have wished that I did.

He used the occasion to vent his frustration about persistent malicious attacks against his family.

Christie said that he makes an effort to ensure his family is not subjected to any degree of embarrassment regarding his conduct, but admitted it was exceedingly difficult and sometimes he did not know how to respond.

He questioned why the public, even those in the Christian community, did not speak out against unfair and false allegations levelled against him and his family and, by extension, other members of the wider public.

What is it about Christian charity, or the lack of it, that stops right-thinking persons from making interventions in public life to say that what you said about that lady is not right; it is not the right thing to do?

However, the Prime Minister urged the countrys young people not to see his inappropriate action as an example to follow.

Asking and answering whether he would do it again, in that place, at that time, on that occasion, for the reasons I was speaking, he said, the answer is no.

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Bahamas PM Apologizes For Flipping Bird, Saying He Lost Control While Defending Family - Caribbean360.com (subscription)

03 MAR 2017 Press Release Monaco

With the deadline for preliminary entries now closed, the IAAF World Relays Bahamas 2017 is set to be the biggest edition of the event so far.

Based on the preliminary entry figures, more than 700 athletes from 42 nations have expressed an interest in competing in Nassau on 22-23 April. Seven of those nations Belarus, Democratic Republic of Congo, Czech Republic, The Gambia, Ghana, India, and South Africa will be making their IAAF World Relays debut.

Even with the expected slight drop in figures, the entries for this years World Relays should surpass the first two editions. The inaugural World Relays in 2014 welcomed 576 athletes, while 669 athletes competed in Nassau in 2015.

The 2017 programme will consist of five events over four relay disciplines: the 4x100m, 4x200m, 4x400m and 4x800m for both men and women, and a mixed 4x400m which will cap the competition's second day.

The top eight finishers in the 4x100m and 4x400m for both men and women will earn automatic entry for the IAAF World Championships London 2017 to be held later this year.

IAAF

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IAAF World Relays Bahamas 2017 set to be biggest one yet - International Association of Athletics Federations

A mysterious wave of deaths recently struckBig Major Cay, theuninhabited Bahamas islandfamous for its tourist-friendly swimming pigs.

Up tohalf of the pig colony died and the bodies were tossed into the sea, according to reports from over the weekend. Early investigationscould not identify an explicit cause of death.

Wayde Nixon, a Bahamas man who brought the pigs to the island decades ago, suggestedthat tourists killed the animals with a lethal diet. Withunrestricted access to the pigs, visitors had been seen giving the animals junk food as well as booze.

We had the government vet in there [and] examined them all thoroughly, Nixon told the Nassau Guardian.Seven or eight pigs died, he said, leaving about 15 alive. The ones that survived appeared to be healthy.

Kim Aranha, president of the Bahamas Humane Society, indicated to the Nassau-based newspaper Tribune 242 that there were fewer pigs remaining on the island than initially reported.

I understand there are seven or eight pigs still alive, Aranha said, though she said this was about equal to the number of deaths.Veterinarians collected samples of the dead pigs,but it was unclear how long a laboratory analysis would take.

Its really a mystery as to what killed these beautiful animals. I believe most of the carcasses were in the ocean, Aranha told the Tribune. It could just be a horrible accident where they ate something poisonous. It could be malicious but I dont really see why someone would go out of their way to hurt those lovely animals.

She added that there were silly sailors who were known to try to get the pigs drunk. But tour operators out of Nassau treated the animals with respect, she said.

Part of the Exuma island chain, Big Major Cay, also known as Pig Beach, isin theCaribbean Sea to the southeast of Nassau. Until the deaths, the cay had been billed as a sort of porcine paradise. The pigs dog-paddled through the crystal sea, drank from the islandsspring of fresh water and got fat on a steady supply of food brought by tourists, who visited the island by the boatload.

But selfie-happy tourists were not the only indignitiesthat the four-legged residents survived in recent years. The pig colony endured an invasion of bikini-clad reality show contestants during an episode of The Bachelor. The pigs had a brief cameoin the 2013music video for Timber, the Pitbull dance-pop number featuring Ke$ha. Fueled by celebrity visits, a featureon NBCsToday show and a beach made for Instagram, the pigs popularity expanded.

So, too, did their origin stories. Ancient mariners had left the pigs behind on the island, some said. The cache of would-be pork was forgotten, then rediscovered. Or perhaps the beasts were the only living remainder of a crashed pirate ship.That foreigners had accidentally released pigs into the Bahamian wilds was not an alien narrative. Feral boarson the Great Inagua Island, to the south of Pig Beach, were descendants of pigs housed ina mid-1700sFrench garrison.

The truth, according to the Today show, was that the swimming pigs were the result of a more recent fable. When fears about thecataclysmic Y2Kmillennium bugreached a fever pitch in the late 1990s,two farmers, fearing that food supplies would crash along with computers,bought the pigs and raised them on the island.

After the pigs were discovered dead over the weekend, Nixon, oneof the two farmers, lamented that the Pig Beach phenomenon had spiraled out of control.

Right now its blowing out of proportion with people, anybody bringing food there, anybody doing whatthey [want to] do, he toldthe Nassau Guardian.We have people coming there giving the pigs beer, rum, riding on top of them, all kind of stuff.

The Bahamas government hasnow barred tourists from feeding the pigs. Nixon sought support from the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism to restrict visitors from getting too close to the pigs. Establishing a safe viewing distance would still allow tourists to photograph the famous swimming pigs, he said, while protecting theanimals that remain.

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Mysterious wave of death strikes the Bahamas' famous swimming pigs - Washington Post

Several of the Bahamas' famous colony of swimming pigs have died after tourists allegedly fed them junk food and alcohol, multiple sources report.

According to The Independent, seven of the pigs were found dead and floating in the water near the Exuma Cays last week, leaving around 15 members of the colony alive. Wayde Nixon, one of the pigs' owners who brought them to the uninhabited island years ago, stated that the cause of death was due to the animals being fed the "wrong food." However, local officials state that they're still investigating other possible causes.

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We had the government vet in there [who] examined them all thoroughly," Nixon told The Nassau Guardian. "He gave them shots, he gave them medicine, and I was there and I worked with them for three days straight. We had them pigs there almost 30 years, and never has this happened before, but now we are going to have to regulate it."

Right now its blowing out of proportion with people, anybody, bringing food there, anybody doing what they [want to] do," he continued. "We have people coming there giving the pigs beer, rum, riding on top of them, all kinds of stuff.

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The island's exceptionally friendly swimming pigs have long cohabited peacefully with tourists, who visit the island in hopes of getting to swim alongside them. However, because of this heartbreaking incident, officials now state that new regulations will be put into place that will prevent tourists from being able to feed them.

Its really a mystery, president of the Bahamas Humane Society Kim Aranha told a local newspaper. It could just be a horrible accident where they ate something poisonous. It could be malicious but I dont really see why someone would go out of their way to hurt those lovely animals.

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Famous Swimming Pigs in the Bahamas Found Dead After Tourists Give Them Alcohol - Cosmopolitan.com

Posted on 02 March 2017. by Jones Bahamas

The Democratic National Alliance (DNA) calls on Prime Minister Perry Christie to politely step down from the countrys leadership office.

DNA responds to prime ministers action of holding up his middle finger at Mondays outdoor Branch Meeting in front of Fox Hill, St. Annes and Marathon Constituencies.

The time has come and gone for the Prime Minister to politely step down from his office, and this action shows that he may do more harm to the office and the country if he allows petty and vague allegations to destabilize him, the party said.

This sends the wrong message to our populous, especially our young persons, as we are all faced with the task of teaching and learning appropriate conflict resolution skills.

Any leader of a country must show calm and restraint, even in the face of challenging and anger worthy scenarios.

We have already seen The Prime Minister place himself as a maximum God-like leader when he spoke about persons going to pastors and God, but ultimately having to go through him. This latest action shows that our Prime Minister is becoming or has become unhinged, and thinks too highly of himself that he could do this with no regard of the consequences.

The DNAs reaction comes alongside the same tone of Leader of the Free National Movement (FNM) party, Hubert Minnis.

What the PM did last night clearly shows the PM is no longer fit to be PM in this Bahamas, he is what I would term an obscene pm and his gesture was more than rude, his gesture was foul and has absolutely no place in the public domain, I along with all right thinking Bahamians was shocked and horrified by the public embarrassment by our Prime Minister, Dr. Minnis said.

This behavior to my knowledge is the first and hopefully the last time a sitting Prime Minister from our God-fearing nation publicly curse at the Bahamians by using such profane gesture.

Regardless of where he is, he represents The Bahamas, his arrogance has no limit.

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DNA Party: PM Offers More Harm Than Good In Office - The Bahama Journal

New York Post

Tourists may have killed Bahamas' famous swimming pigs New York Post A probe has been launched after a number of the famous swimming pigs of the Bahamas mysteriously died, prompting fears they could have been killed deliberately. Investigations are under way to determine what caused the deaths of the much-loved ...

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Tourists may have killed Bahamas' famous swimming pigs - New York Post

Rosewood Hotels & Resorts has been appointed by the Bahamian subsidiary of Hong Kong-based development company Chow Tai Fook Enterprises (CTFE) to operate and manage Rosewood Baha Mar in Nassau, Bahamas, which will open in Spring 2018. Set on the gorgeous white sands of Nassaus Cable Beach, Rosewood Baha Mar will be a sanctuary of exclusivity, located within the stunning Baha Mar Resort multi-property oasis in the Caribbean.

4Rosewood Hotels & Resorts has had a relationship with Baha Mar since 2011, and we are truly excited to re-engage as the operator of Baha Mars luxury resort through our partnership with CTFE, Baha Mar Resorts new owner, says Sonia Cheng, chief executive officer of Rosewood Hotel Group. We are fully committed to this project and look forward to raising our flag in The Bahamas as originally planned.

Featuring elegant British colonial architecture and interior styling, Rosewood Baha Mar will epitomize Bahamian refinement and sophistication. The resort will offer 185 ocean view rooms and suites, as well as five luxurious beachfront villas, which will be contemporary and residential in style. Each accommodation will be elegantly appointed with refined Bahamian art and dcor. Of note, all guestrooms will boast private balconies with outdoor living areas, while the luxurious four-bedroom villas will offer exceptional tranquility, exclusive services and a private pool.

Amenities at Rosewood Baha Mar will include four signature dining venues including Commonwealth, a farm-to-table restaurant that will include a private Rum Room for exclusive, island-style dinners; the Pool Grille an inspired, al fresco poolside restaurant that will serve fresh seafood, grilled dishes and cocktails; Bar Riva, a relaxed, nautical-themed bar where guests will enjoy craft cocktails and small plates, and the Library Lounge, which will feature Bahamian-style afternoon tea and unique tea cocktails. Recreational facilities will include Sense, A Rosewood Spa, salon, barber shop, fitness center, two private swimming pools and luxury cabanas. Additionally, guests will have direct and private beach access.

Eight meeting and event spaces will provide the perfect setting for corporate meetings, retreats and incentives. The venues including a 4,950-square-foot ballroom, meeting room, boardrooms, private dining room and two al fresco event areas will offer exquisite catering, refined service and state-of the art technology.

Rosewood Baha Mar will join a regional network of distinctive Rosewood properties in the Caribbean and Atlantic, including Jumby Bay, A Rosewood Resort, Rosewood Tuckers Point and Rosewood Little Dix Bay, which is slated to re-open in 2017.

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Rosewood Baha Mar in Nassau, Bahamas to open in 2018 | Rus ... - RusTourismNews

Authorities in the Bahamas are investigating the deaths of more than a half-dozen of the island nations famous swimming pigs.

The pigs, which are a big tourist draw on the uninhabited island of Big Major Cay in Exuma, were reportedly killed by visitors last weekend when the animals were given the wrong food, one of the pigs owners, Wayde Nixon, told The Nassau Guardian.

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About 15 of the pigs survived and have been checked over by a vet. Nixon said the incident wont stop tourists from coming to the island.

The other remaining pigs are alive and healthy and out on the beach and going, he said.

The government announced that it will begin regulating the pigs and that no feeding will be allowed, following this incident.

BRB, swimming with adorable pigs in the Bahamas.

We have people coming there giving the pigs beer, rum, riding on top of them, all kind of stuff, Nixon said.

After 30 years on the island, the swimming pigs popularity has exploded, and Nixon thinks the increase in unregulated feeding of the animals has become a problem.

The government has said part of the new plan to protect the pigs involves creating a new boundary between the surviving pigs and tourists.

Another difference between tourist and travelers. Be responsible when you travel people please!

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Bahamas famous swimming pigs dead from possible tourist feeding - MyStatesman.com

Seven of the Bahamas' famed swimming swine (who've splashed around with visitors in the Exumas for three decades) have been found dead, and the Bahamian government is currently investigating whether the tourists themselves are at fault.

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It seems, according to some reports, that the "swimming pigs" were poisonedthough it's unclear whether the deaths were accidental or intentional. One of the pigs' owners, Wayde Nixon, told The Nassau Guardian, "We have people coming there giving the pigs beer, rum, riding on top of them, all kind of stuff." Nixon says that the remaining 15 pigs are alive and well, but he's working with the government to better regulate the interaction between tourists and the animals going forward.

"If we have boundary lines, the people will be able to take photographs and see the pigs swim, all of that, but they will not be able to feed them things," said V. Alfred Gray, the Minister of Agriculture and Marine Resources. "[We] seek to implement that as soon as it is practical to do so."

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Several of the Bahamas' Beloved Swimming Pigs Found Dead - TownandCountrymag.com (blog)

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) The London-based international human rights group, Amnesty International, has criticised the situation in three Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries on issues ranging from the ill-treatment of documented migrants to alleged crimes against humanity.

In its 2017 State of the Worlds Human Rights, Amnesty International paid attention to alleged human rights abuses in Haiti, Jamaica and the Bahamas. The other CARICOM countries were not mentioned in the report released over the weekend.

The report noted that in the Bahamas, there was widespread ill-treatment of undocumented migrants from countries including Haiti and Cuba.

It said the Dominican Republic deported thousands of people of Haitian descent including Dominican-born people who were effectively rendered stateless while often failing to respect international law and standards on deportations.

Upon arrival to Haiti, many people who had been deported settled in makeshift camps, where they lived in appalling conditions. Despite a commitment from newly elected authorities in the Dominican Republic to address the situation of stateless individuals, tens of thousands of people remained stateless following a 2013 Constitutional Court ruling which retroactively and arbitrarily deprived them of their nationality. In February, the IACHR described a situation of statelessness of a magnitude never before seen in the Americas.

Amnesty International said that rampant impunity allowed human rights abusers to operate without fear of the consequences weakened the rule of law, and denied truth and redress to millions.

Impunity was sustained by justice and security systems that remained under resourced, weak and often corrupt, compounded by a lack of political will to ensure their impartiality and independence. The resulting failure to bring the perpetrators of human rights violations to justice allowed organised crime and abusive law enforcement practices to take root and prosper.

Denial of meaningful access to justice also left huge numbers of people including in Brazil, Colombia, Guatemala, Mexico, Honduras, Jamaica, Paraguay, Peru and Venezuela unable to claim their rights.

Amnesty International said in Jamaica, impunity prevailed for the decades-long pattern of alleged unlawful killings and extrajudicial executions by law enforcement officials.

While more than 3,000 people have been killed by law enforcement officials since 2000, only a handful of officials have been held accountable to date. In June, the Commission of Enquiry into alleged human rights violations during the 2010 state of emergency made recommendations for police reform; by the end of the year Jamaica had yet to outline how it would implement the reforms.

The human rights group noted that in Haiti, no progress was made in the investigation into alleged crimes against humanity committed by former President Jean-Claude Duvalier and his former collaborators.

It said that States made little headway in tackling violence against women and girls. This included failing to protect them from rape and killings as well as failing to hold perpetrators accountable. Reports of gender based violence came from Brazil, Canada, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Jamaica, Nicaragua, the USA and Venezuela, among other countries.

Amnesty noted that legislative and institutional progress in some countries such as the legal recognition of same-sex marriage did not necessarily translate into better protection against violence and discrimination for LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex) people.

Across the Americas, high levels of hate crime, advocacy of hatred and discrimination, as well as murders and persecution of LGBTI activists persisted in countries including Argentina, the Bahamas, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, the USA and Venezuela.

In the Bahamas, Amnesty International noted Bahamians voted no in a constitutional referendum on gender equality in citizenship matters in June.

Discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people continued, it said, adding that in the June referendum Bahamians voted on gender equality in citizenship matters under Bahamian law.

The proposed amendments backed by the government would have strengthened anti-discrimination protections based on sex. The result maintained inequality in Bahamian laws so that women and men pass on citizenship to their children and spouses in different ways.

The result put at risk the citizenship rights of families, in particular the risk of separation of families with diverse nationalities or children born outside of the Bahamas to Bahamian parents.

Amnesty said that stigma and discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people continued and in April, activists founded the group Bahamas Transgender Intersex United.

In Jamaica, Amnesty said that unlawful killings and extrajudicial executions continued. Violence against women and discrimination against LGBTI people persisted. Children continued to be detained in violation of international standards.

It said that despite committing to the establishment of a national human rights institution, Jamaica had not established the mechanism by the end of the year.

Jamaica continued to have one of the highest homicide rates in the Americas, Amnesty International reported, saying that in June, a Commission of Enquiry published its much-anticipated report into the events that took place in Western Kingston during the state of emergency, declared on 23 May 2010, which left at least 69 people dead.

Almost 900 pages long, the report identified a number of cases of possible extrajudicial execution and produced a number of important recommendations for police reform. In an official response, the Jamaica Constabulary Force accepted a number of recommendations, such as committing to hold administrative reviews into the conduct of officers named in the Commissioners report.

But Amnesty said that the police continued to refuse to accept any responsibility for human rights violations or extrajudicial executions during the state of emergency.

By the end of the year, the government had still not officially indicated how it would implement the recommendations of the Commissioners. While the number of killings by police have been significantly reduced in recent years, 111 people were killed by law enforcement officials in 2016, compared with 101 in 2015. Women whose relatives were killed by police, and their families, experienced pervasive police harassment and intimidation, and faced multiple barriers to accessing justice, truth and reparation.

The human rights group said that Jamaica again failed to ratify the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, signed in September 2000, nor had it adhered to the UN Convention against Torture or the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.

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Amnesty Int'l critical of Jamaica, Haiti, The Bahamas - NYCaribNews