ANDRE CURTIS

Premier Ewart Brown's political campaigner Andre Curtis was arrested in connection with an alleged securities fraud run by a convicted fraudster and money launderer in the US.

Daniel Two Feathers was being investigated over claims he and a business partner convinced at least five individuals to invest more than $1 million into a scheme which falsely promised returns of up to 400 percent per week. Mr. Curtis was described as an authorised signatory for banking purposes for one of Mr. Two Feathers' firms, in a document filed by the Securities Department of the Montana State Auditor.

The 31-page document contained several references to Mr. Curtis, including a statement that Mr. Two Feathers wrote to him telling him to wire $340,000 worth of bonds called US Treasury STRIPS into a Swiss bank account. Mr. Two Feathers, his partner Shawn Swor, Mr. Curtis' company Harvest Investment Holdings, and three other firms were named as respondents in the document.

Harvest Investment Holdings is also said to have received $2 million from an American investor in recent weeks. The Montana State Auditor's Office has listed 24 violations against Mr. Curtis for his part in the alleged multi-million dollar fraud. Mr. Curtis could face fines of up to $120,000 and have to repay any money owed to investors.

He is already being investigated by Auditor General Larry Dennis after his handling of Bermuda's faith-based tourism initiative in 200?. He has repeatedly failed to answer questions over what has happened to hundreds of thousands of taxpayers' dollars allocated to Harvest to run the initiative.

Just 238 tourists attended the events, while preachers from both sides of the Atlantic have claimed they have not been paid.

BEACH BAR

New Environment Minister Glenn Blakeney provoked outcry by upholding an appeal for a beach bar at Warwick Long Bay.

Environmental campaigners said they were "incredulous" at his decision, which overturned the earlier refusal of planning permission for the 'Sandbar' – a 60-seat restaurant and cocktail bar west of the beach's car park. More than 100 residents raised objections to the beach bar, citing noise, litter, potential parking overflow and environmental concerns.

Mr. Blakeney upheld the appeal despite a DAB (Development Applications Board) rejection of the planning application.

Planning officers refused permission for the 'Sandbar' as Warwick Long Bay is zoned as Open Space and a National Park Conservation Area. The DAB report said: "Warwick Long Bay is the last of Bermuda's pristine beaches. The proposal will have a dominating and detrimental impact on the natural aesthetic of the beach."

It said the development was contrary to the Bermuda National Parks Act 1986 and the Bermuda Plan 1992 Planning Statement.

The 'Sandbar' will consist of a split-level wooden decking, with panels anchored into the sand to enable their removal in the event of a hurricane, or at the end of the summer season. Applicant Belcario Thomas said he wanted to create an "ambient, Ibiza-type bar" and would follow Government conservation and environmental guidelines to make it "as environmentally-friendly as possible".

Protestors however, vowed to fight on, together with the Bermuda Environmental and Sustainability Taskforce (BEST).

DEATHS

The death of 27-year-old Andrew Jackson marks the 16th road fatality of the year the first time in ten years the number has reached more than 14. Son of Police Commissioner George Jackson, the Pembroke resident was riding his motorcycle and collided with a wall near the junction of Riddell's Bay and Middle Road in Warwick. He died four days later, on Christmas Day.

STATISTICS:

The Island's birth rate is falling, according to an annual report.

A survey of births, marriages and deaths reveals the birth rate has dropped from 830 in 2002 to 798 in 2006.

The Annual Report of the Registrar General for the year ending December 31, 2006, also revealed a third of babies born out of wedlock. However, there were no children born to teenagers under the age of 16.

The survey also reveals commitment among twenty-somethings is experiencing a renaissance. For the first time in 14 years, more couples under the age of 30 are getting married – 425, or 24.3 percent of those getting hitched in 2006 fell within this age range. The most popular period to get married was between the ages of 25 and 29.