Bahama Islands Information
Bahama Islands News, Articles and Information
The Royal Oasis sale
In his budget presentation in the House of Assembly on Wednesday, June 7, Prime Minister Perry Christie appeared to have no reservations at all in announcing that a buyer had been found for the Royal Oasis resort in Freeport, which has been closed since September of 2004 after sustaining serious damages from Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne."Mr. Speaker, as we speak, the representatives of the government are closing a meeting in New York, and at that meeting, Lehman Brothers and the government have agreed to a purchaser for the Royal Oasis," the Prime Minister assured members of the House.
Driftwood Freeport Ltd., which owns the Royal Oasis, was financed by Lehman Brothers, so obviously whatever decision they reached with regard to the sale of the hotel would have been binding.
US Pulls Funding
A major tool in the Bahamian government's environmental armory is at risk, thanks to "last minute, surprise" cuts in the US government's 2006 budget that completely eliminate federal funding for the Perry Institute's Caribbean Marine Research Center on Lee Stocking Island in the Exuma Cays. The center appears on the edge of catastrophe after the US government zeroed out the center's line in its 2006 budget, removing 70 percent of the center's funding, according to Executive Director John Marr. Without that money the center may close within a year. Mr. Marr told the Journal on Monday that while the Perry Institute works with other Bahamas government agencies such as the Bahamas Environment Science and Technology (BEST) Commission and the departments of Agriculture, Meteorology and Education, it is responsible to the Department of Fisheries.Blood banks push for better safeguards
WASHINGTON - Blood banks turn away up to 150,000 would-be donors each year on the slight chance they picked up malaria while traveling to any of dozens of countries.At the same time, concern is growing that a second parasitic infection from abroad - the Chagas disease rampant in parts of Latin America - increasingly threatens donated blood.
Both infections are rare here, but there's no way to test donated blood for either one. Now blood banks are pushing for better safeguards that also could help stretch the nation's tight supply.
First up, malaria: Next week, the Food and Drug Administration opens debate on how to balance the need for blood with Americans' increasing travel to malaria hot spots, and to urge manufacturers to develop a malaria test to solve the problem.
Support for OPBAT
United States Ambassador to The Bahamas John Rood had "fruitful" discussions with Bahamian and US officials during his two-week trip to Washington to reinforce the importance of the US/Bahamas counter narcotics partnership, said the US Embassy.Ambassador Rood also discussed the US pre-clearance facility in Freeport, Grand Bahama and the common efforts by The Bahamas and the US to combat illegal migration.
The ambassador was in Miami for other meetings, but then flew out to Washington to deal with the pressing OPBAT issue, along with other areas of concern such as the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, pre-clearance and FAA co-operation.
According to a statement released by the US Embassy, Ambassador Rood was able to share these fruitful discussions with Bahamian Ambassador to the US Joshua Sears, when he discussed the importance of the US maintaining the level of funding to support OBPAT.