SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – (AP) More than five dozen Haitian migrants detained as they sailed north through the Bahamas will be returned directly to the earthquake-ravaged country, the Bahamian prime minister said Monday.

Two Royal Bahamas Defense Force vessels intercepted a boat carrying the 62 Haitian on Saturday, Prime Minister Huber Ingraham said.

While the Bahamas has made it easier for Haitian immigrants already in the country to stay since the earthquake, Ingraham said the government will not change its policy toward undocumented migrants found at sea.

"We will do all we can to assist Haiti except we cannot absorb Haiti's population in the Bahamas," Ingraham told The Associated Press...

SHANGHAI—China heralded a major bust of computer hackers to underscore its pledge to help enhance global online security, with state media saying officials had shut what they called the country's largest distributor of tools used in malicious Internet attacks.

Three people were arrested on suspicion of making hacking tools available online, the state-run Xinhua news agency said on Monday. Their business, known as Black Hawk Safety Net, operated through the now-shuttered Web site 3800cc.com and generated around $1 million in income from its over 12,000 subscribers, the report said.

(Associated Press) Despite four decades of slogging through Everglades marshes and mangroves, wildlife ecologist Frank Mazzotti had never experienced anything like the aftermath of frigid January. The confirmed casualty count so far:

• At least 70 dead crocodiles.

• More than 60 manatee carcasses.

• A bright-side observance of multiple frozen-stiff Burmese pythons, the scourge of the Everglades.

And also, perhaps the biggest fish kill in modern Florida history...

Nassau, Bahamas - United States and Bahamian government officials together with principals, teachers, students, and family members attended the U.S. Embassy’s fourth annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., essay competition awards ceremony on Friday, February 5.  The ceremony was held at the British Colonial Hilton Hotel.  A total of 65 essays were received from fourteen public and private schools in New Providence and the Family Islands.

Students were asked to use a quote from Dr. King about personal integrity and responsibility to answer one of the following questions: “How can you or how have you demonstrated personal integrity and responsibility to improve conditions in your community?” or “Choose an important figure in your life who best exemplifies Dr. King’s quote and explain how that individual has demonstrated personal integrity and responsibility...”

Nassau, Bahamas, New York and London - International Private Banking Systems, the specialist provider of wealth management software for the private banking sector, today announced the launch of an enhanced e-Banking module. The software allows wealth management providers to deliver a superior user experience to their customers with enhanced banking and investment facilities using state of the art secure online access to data. The platform supports a wider range of transaction types and features fully revised comprehensive online reporting.

Bruce Raine, Founder and President of IPBS said, "We have invested a significant amount of development work into the new e-Banking module. The resulting product delivers powerful and flexible ebanking functionality allied to ease of use and the highest levels of user security to meet the demanding needs of today's banking industry...

TORONTO, ONTARIO - In two separate developments, Schneider Power Caribbean Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Schneider Power Inc. (TSX VENTURE:SNE) today announced the achievement of important new milestones on respective wind projects in the Commonwealth of the Bahamas and the Dominican Republic.

The Bahamas Renewable Energy Corporation ("BREC"), a joint-venture between Schneider Power Caribbean Inc. and WINSO Company Ltd. of Nassau, has been notified by the Bahamas Electricity Corporation ("BEC") that BREC has been short listed under the Renewable Request for Proposal process and will proceed to the next stage. BREC has submitted proposals for three renewable power generation facilities totalling 24 MW, spread across three islands (New Providence, Abaco and Harbour Island)...

“Caribbean youth dream of being the best that they can be, but their dreams and aspirations, under the influence of family, friends and the communications media as well as their own knowledge and perceptions of the opportunities, rights and privileges available in developed countries, are oriented outside the Region.  Some, in particular older youth, are afraid to dream because of the pain and frustration that comes from their social and economic reality and the acceptance of the fact that their dreamed cannot be realized.” – Report of CARICOM Commission on Youth Development.  

History was made last week (25^th-31^st January, 2010), as the first Heads of Government Meeting with CARICOM Youth Ambassadors and National Youth Council Presidents from nearly all Caribbean countries, was held in Paramaribo, Suriname...

Bahamas Habitat’s aviation relief operation passed a milestone Feb. 2, completing its 150th relief mission to Haiti. Volunteer pilots and aircraft have delivered more than 125,000 pounds of medical supplies and food, as well as medical personnel and equipment to Haiti’s outlying airports using general aviation aircraft.

“This is an amazing accomplishment by everyone involved,” said John Armstrong, president. “When we first issued a call for help from the general aviation community, we had no idea of the magnitude of everyone’s generosity.

“We have had a rush of requests from other organizations to help get injured people out and more medical supplies in.."

"Most people know John Rood as chairman of Vestcor Companies, Inc. and JDR Companies, Inc. That’s because he began his career in real estate development when he founded Vestcor in 1983 with a dream and determination.

Since then he’s managed more than 50 investment partnerships which have acquired or developed more than 40 communities comprising more than 10,000 residential units.

Along the way he has also been involved in high-profile political campaigns, appointed U.S. Ambassador to the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, emerged as one of Downtown’s most passionate advocates and even dabbled in raising livestock..."

The Bahamas - ( The Freeport News) Local pilot Ricardo Laing returned to Grand Bahama on Friday after flying his plane full of medical supplies to earthquake-ravaged Haiti.

His trip was arranged by Bahamas Habitat, a United-States based Christian nonprofit organization, which has been delivering supplies and providing evacuation support for Haiti.  The organization, which operates a warehouse at the Nassau Airport where it stores the goods that people bring in, was looking for pilots to help transport those goods to Haiti.

"The Bahamas is a closer point to Haiti so they have a lot of volunteer pilots with airplanes who come and pick up the goods and deliver them to different airports in Haiti, not in Port-au-Prince because that airport is really overloaded," Laing told The Freeport News Sunday afternoon...

PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas and ENFIELD, Conn - This summer, LEGO Systems, Inc. and Atlantis, Paradise Island resort in The Bahamas - one of the top family resorts in the world, as ranked by Parents, Cond e Nast Traveler and Travel + Leisure Family - announce the world's first LEGO® Atlantis Fantasy Camp.

During three 5-day LEGO workshops this July, children will have a chance to work side-by-side with a LEGO Master Builder in group building events and hands-on, minds-on building challenges.  The camp sessions will take place from July 12-16, 2010 (Session One); July 19-23, 2010 (Session Two); and July 26-30, 2010 (Session Three) with a cost per session of $425 per child.  Space is limited.  Camp pricing excludes room cost and is available only in conjunction with a 4-night minimum stay at Atlantis. ..

PHOENIX -The Michael Jordan Celebrity Invitational is bringing joy to numerous seriously ill children whose wishes will be granted this year, thanks to a $140,000 contribution to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

“We are honored to receive this generous donation from Michael, Kerzner International and everyone involved with the Michael Jordan Celebrity Invitational”

Jordan, the Foundation’s Chief Wish Ambassador, presented the donation to Make-A-Wish^® representatives Thursday at Kerzner International’s Atlantis, Paradise Island resort in the Bahamas. The Make-A-Wish Foundation, James R. Jordan Foundation and Butch Kerzner Summit Foundation are the main beneficiaries of the ninth-annual charity golf event, which will distribute more than $500,000 to selected charities this year..

CYPRESS, Calif. - Mitsubishi Electric & Electronics USA, Inc. has confirmed that its UD5 and UJ6 photovoltaic modules can be installed near salt water. After extensive factory testing, Mitsubishi Electric found that its PV modules maintained a sufficient level of insulation from the corrosive effect of salt air and ocean front environment to maintain the power output specifications included in its warranty.

Mitsubishi Electric conducted substantial testing to verify the effects of salt water exposure on its PV modules. Gathering salt deposit rates for both U.S. and Japanese coastlines, and using these values to conduct accurate simulated testing

ORLANDO, Fla.- AirTran Airways, a subsidiary of AirTran Holdings, Inc. ( AAI), today launched a sale for travel to all the airline's destinations with fares starting as low as $44*. Travelers may purchase these sale fares at http://airtran.com, via AirTran Airways' reservations system at 1-800-AIR-TRAN or through your travel agent. For Spanish, call 1-877-581-9842.

These special fares are available for purchase through February 9, 2010, and are good for travel February 5, 2010, through March 10, 2010, for Florida, San Juan, Puerto Rico, Aruba, Montego Bay, Jamaica, Nassau, Bahamas , and Cancun, Mexico. Travel to all other destinations is valid February 5, 2010, through May 26, 2010...