NATIONAL NOTES
The travel advisory issued against The Bahamas was quickly rescinded
once US officials liaised with Royal Bahamas Police Force officials. In
a radio message to the nation Prime Minister Ingraham blamed the whole
episode on a person he referred to as 'a compulsive liar'. He also noted
that US/Bahamian relationships were as strong as they have ever been.
A small bomb detonated outside the Havanatur travel agency in Nassau
on Sunday 3rd August. Nobody was hurt in the blast and there was little
damage. Next day an explosion occurred in a luxury hotel in Havana, the
second such target within a month. The Havanatur travel agency is operated
by the Cuban government and it appears the Nassau explosion may be connected
with efforts by Cuban exile groups to destabilise the Cuban tourist industry.
Abaco's Sevatheda Fynes won the bronze medal in the Women's 100 metres
final at the World Track and Field Championships in Athens, Greece. She
ran a personal best of 11.03 seconds while placing third behind Marion
Jones (US) and Zhanna Pintusevich (Ukraine). Eldece Clarke and Debbie Ferguson
of The Bahamas reached the semi-final round of the 100 metres competition.
The Women's 4 x 100 metres relay team reached the final with the second
best time but were unable to repeat their Olympic silver medal run.
A national debate on the worthiness of the casuarina tree as a shoreline
feature has been boiling over the past few weeks after the government removed
casuarinas from a public beach in Nassau. Proponents point out the tree's
shade benefits while others would prefer its replacement by native trees.