McCartney interested in FNM leadership bid
While stressing that the Free National Movement has a leader whom he supports wholeheartedly, Bamboo Town MP Branville McCartney confirmed yesterday that he is interested in vying for the leadership of the party down the road.

18-year-old man stabbed to death
The murder count climbed to 17 with the stabbing death of an 18-year-old resident of Kemp Road, police revealed yesterday.

Six arrested after police search uncovers over US$250K
A routine search of a vehicle in the Cumberland Street area by police lead to the discovery of over $250,000 in US currency on Sunday.

FNM chairman hits out at Bradley Roberts over McCartney's resignation
Free National Movement chairman Carl Bethel is taking issue with statements made by his Progressive Liberal Party counterpart, Bradley Roberts, regarding the resignation of Bamboo Town MP Branville McCartney from the Cabinet on Sunday.

Laing outlines govt's plans for economy
Minister of State for Finance Zhivargo Laing yesterday outlined some of the government's immediate and medium-term plans to grow the economy - which he said is showing signs of rebounding after struggling in 2009.

Teenager's apparent suicide was unexpected, say friends, family
While police say they are expected to wrap up their investigations into the apparent suicide of an 18-year-old woman in the next few days, the teen's family and friends say her death was completely unexpected.

Businesses warned to protect private data
Bahamas-based financial institutions must protect against creating a black market for stolen data, as the theft of such information for cash reward is becoming a "norm", the data commissioner of the Bahamas said yesterday.

Embryos may inject livestock boost
Government is currently mulling over a new date for a second session of an embryo transplant and artificial insemination project, set to save local farmers thousands of dollars in imports, the Minister of Agriculture told Guardian Business.

Grand Bahama Power company considers LNG
FREEPORT -- Grand Bahama Power Company is pursuing the development of an liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal on Grand Bahama in a bid to lower the cost of fuel for electricity generation, it was confirmed yesterday.

South Ocean home owners 'Abandoned' by $867m project
The more than 50 homeowners living near the still-closed South Ocean resort yesterday accused the developers and government of effectively abandoning them, arguing that the development's dilapidated buildings were now an "eyesore" depressing their property values.

PLP partners' company 'three months in arrears'
Ex-PLP Senator, Pleasant Bridgewater, was said to be frantically searching for funds to meet her company's rental debt to Florida-based Associated Grocers last Thursday. Bridgewater is accused of trying to extort money from actor John Travolta and will appear in court in September.

'No danger' of government missing debt payments
The Government is in "no danger whatsoever" of missing any interest payments on its $3.9 billion national debt, a senior government minister said yesterday, as a former finance minister suggested the Ingraham administration may need to "go back to the drawing board" over its revenue projections.

$3m home services market 'untapped'
FREEPORT -- There is a $3 million home services market on Grand Bahama currently going untapped by Bahamian entrepreneurs, a government minister said yesterday, as he urged persons to focus on the "possible" and take more risk.

Interest rate cut needed 'more than ever'
A one per cent interest rate cut that releases an additional $60 million per annum into the Bahamian economy is "needed more than ever" with the Government's fiscal stimulus having reached its limits, a well-known businessman said yesterday, as he urged banks to lower their interest spreads and commitment fees.

http://www.bahamaslocal.com/newsitem/1249/Date_set_for_Travolta_Extortion_Trial.html

Criticizing the Ministry of Tourism's '14 Islands Film Challenge', educator and columnist Nicolette Bethel said she doubts the project will have lasting effects and wonders at the governments lack of faith in local talent.

The ministry's competition will award $21,000 (converted from pounds) for the best films about The Bahamas and some of the footage may end up in future tourism campaigns. Only filmmakers from the United Kingdom were eligible, drawing criticism and leading about a dozen filmmakers and photographers, including Bahamas Film Festival founder and director Celi Moss, to protest in a demonstration on George Street, calling on the government to encourage local talent first.

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Responding to the criticism, the ministry said in a statement: "It would certainly have made headlines in The Bahamas if, instead of devising a search among Britain’s young film makers to be selected to come to The Bahamas to shoot, we’d announced that we were selecting 14 of our own people to shoot promotional videos of their country to show in Britain, but it would have had minimal impact in Britain.

"Aside from the interest British citizens will have in the output of their own young film makers, their output is likely to be perceived as more credible than material produced by Bahamians about their own country."

Bethel said both arguments were valid. But she said the project could have accomplished all its goals and incorporated local talent by allowing Bahamians to compete with the British filmmakers, "Rather than assuming — and stating that assumption publicly! — that Bahamian work is 'less credible' than UK work in Britain."

The former Director of Culture argued that the campaign will be short lived, perhaps partly because of its limited investment in local filmmakers.

"The government of The Bahamas, no matter its colour, stripe or initials, in the end, has absolutely no confidence in the people of The Bahamas to do anything of worth," Bethel said. "And because of that, government funds, whether collected from the taxpayers or borrowed from some international agency, are almost never invested in projects that will do more than maintain the aging status quo in our economy and our society."

Read more of Nicolette Bethel's perspective at her blog, 14 Films Challenge & the Ministry of Tourism

About Nicollette Bethel

Filmmakers protest ministry's UK initiative from The Tribune

14 Films Challenge films are ready to watch – Voting ends March 14th from The Bahamas Weekly

Film-makers line up for second 'best job in the world' in the Bahamas From The Guardian (UK)