Bahamas

A US federal appeals court ruled Friday that Anna Nicole Smith's heirs will not receive a penny of the more than 300 million dollars she claimed to her billionaire husband's inheritance.

Dubai's Atlantis hotel frees female whale shark whose captivity had been criticized. A resort hotel on one of Dubai's manmade islands said Thursday it has freed a whale shark whose captivity had been criticized by environmentalists.

`Anna Nicole' opera to premiere next year in London. The world premiere of Mark-Anthony Turnage's "Anna Nicole" will be presented by the Royal Opera next Feb. 17, starring Dutch soprano Eva-Maria Westbroek as the late model and Playboy playmate.

Two people were killed and 14 injured when massive waves slammed into a cruise ship carrying some 2,000 people in the western Mediterranean Wednesday, the ship's owners said.

NEW YORK/HOUSTON (Reuters) - The newest threat to a vulnerable U.S. oil refining industry may be looming 80 miles off the coast of Florida, on the Island of Grand Bahama.

US tourist wounded by machete-wielding robbers inside Bahamas bed-and-breakfast. Bahamas police say machete-wielding robbers wounded an American tourist during a break-in at the bed-and-breakfast where he was staying.

Carnival to raise prices starting March 22 for summer cruising as bookings strengthen. Carnival Cruise Lines said Wednesday it will raise prices by about 5 percent for summer bookings, effective March 22, after a strong showing during the busiest time of the year for cruise reservations.

Turks & Caicos ex-premier trying to sell beachfront mansion amid corruption probe by UK. For sale: gated, beachfront mansion with glass-sided pool, wine and cigar room, full-floor servants' quarters, secret stairway, and two spacious guest homes ringed by tropical gardens.

By common measures, Graham Hale Gardner could not communicate. Traveling in a wheelchair or a jogging stroller that accommodated his 110 pounds, he uttered not a word, and cerebral palsy rendered his hands unfit to navigate a keyboard. Instead, blue-green eyes that seemed flecked with gold sent silent messages to the complete strangers drawn to his side. He had the kind of silky brown hair that people want to run their hands through, and many did. ``His face had a radiance, and he had a beautiful benevolence about him, so that when he looked at you and connected with you, you felt like the sun shone on your whole being,'' said his mother, Cynthia. ``He just made you a better person with his incredible grace and enthusiasm and kindness, and it was all done without conventional words.'' Her son loved water. Buoyed by a flotation collar, he drifted beatifically in pools and oceans where waves soothed his recalcitrant muscles. While swimming with his father earlier this month at the YMCA i

North American Poker Tour and ESPN2 reach deal to televise 16 hours of poker tournaments. The newly formed North American Poker Tour says it has reached an agreement with cable network ESPN2 to air 16 one-hour episodes of its tournaments.

CELTICS NOTEBOOK SACRAMENTO, Calif. - This is the point in the season where teams start smelling the playoffs. If the second half differs from the first half in any way, it's that teams have a clearer idea of what position they're in and if they have a realistic picture of whether they'll be around when the postseason starts. ``You know where you're at,'' said Celtics coach Doc Rivers. ``It's 30 games, and you can look and see where you're at. There were teams that came in in the beginning of the year with playoff aspirations and they're looking at their records and they're 20 games below .500 and they're thinking, `I don't think we're going to make the playoffs.' ``Then there's the other teams that are right there. There are teams that are higher, that are playing for playoff position. So I think the second half is a faster pace.'' The Celtics, used to playing a front-runner role the past two seasons, are one of the teams jockeying. At 32-18, they're fourth in the East behind Clevelan

NBA ALL-STAR NOTEBOOK DALLAS - Celtics captain Paul Pierce hopes the mini vacation that is the All-Star break will help his team rebound from a rocky first half of the season that was marked by injuries, inconsistency, blown leads, and bits of turmoil. The Celtics (32-18) entered the break with the bad taste of a loss to New Orleans still lingering. They're four games ahead of Toronto in the Atlantic Division, but nine games behind Cleveland for first place in the East. A couple of days away, Pierce said, will make it easier for the team to regroup. ``I think it definitely could help brush off that first half; we were disappointed, really disappointed, with the way we finished off the first half of the season,'' he said. While Pierce - who won the 3-Point Shootout Saturday night - was here with Rajon Rondo and Kevin Garnett for the All-Star Game, Ray Allen said he was in the Bahamas with family. But the break hasn't been a quiet one with Thursday's trade deadline looming. Deals with Ch

DALLAS - During the training camp after the Celtics won banner No. 17, Rajon Rondo made his personal goals public. He said he wanted to be an All-Star and he wanted to be named to the All-Defensive team. The point guard checked off the all-defense goal quickly, getting the nod last season. He got the call about this season's All-Star Game when the Celtics were in Orlando late last month, as they were set to start a treacherous stretch against the Magic, Hawks, and Lakers. General manager Danny Ainge called him at 7 a.m. ``I didn't know why he was calling me,'' Rondo said. ``It was early. I was trying to get my rest.'' He was excited, but he also believed he was deserving. After digesting the news, he went right back to sleep. ``It was early,'' Rondo said. ``It was a game day.'' Finally in Dallas and able to breathe the All-Star air yesterday in advance of tonight's game, Rondo looked somewhat unimpressed. The lights were bright. The hype surrounding the game seemed to never stop. The m

Haitian-American leaders say return of Haitians to quake-ravaged nation was 'inhumane'. Haitian leaders in Miami say it was "inhumane" to return nearly 80 Haitians to their earthquake-ravaged homeland.

(Reuters) - Bottler PepsiAmericas Inc <PAS.N>, which is being bought by PepsiCo Inc <PEP.N>, posted a lower-than-expected quarterly profit, hurt by forex pressures and charges related to restructuring its Caribbean business.

US Coast Guard repatriates dozens of Haitian migrants intercepted last weekend in the Bahamas. A U.S. Coast Guard cutter has repatriated 78 Haitian migrants whose overloaded sail freighter was stopped in Bahamian waters last weekend.

Receiver takes over paralyzed luxury resort in Anguilla codeveloped by US media mogul. Lenders have assumed ownership of a stalled luxury resort in Anguilla that has the tiny tourism-dependent island's only golf course and was codeveloped by a U.S. media mogul, officials said Monday.

Bahamas police investigate airport security officers for alleged theft ring targeting Haitians. Two more airport security officers have been arrested on theft charges as Bahamian authorities investigate a possible scheme targeting Haitians flying to their native country, police said Friday.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - John Travolta, returning to the spotlight after the sudden death of his teenage son a year ago, said his faith had helped him get through the tragedy.

John Travolta credits his faith for helping him cope with 16-year-old son's death last year. John Travolta said faith has helped him survive the tragic death of his 16-year-old son, Jett.