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Rejected Ginn buyer settles COVID fraud
The Government has rejected a US hotel group, which last week agreed to pay $325,000 in sanctions to settle COVID fraud allegations, as a buyer of the 2,012 acre former Ginn development in Grand Bahama’s West End.
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‘Not so fast’ on Royal Caribbean’s PI plans
EARLIER this week, the Government of The Bahamas announced that Royal Caribbean International’s (RCI) proposed beach club project on Paradise Island will be permitted to move forward pending approval of an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Environmental Management Plan (EMP). I believe the green light is premature, with so many unanswered questions regarding the project’s environmental and economic impact still to be addressed.
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Gas station operator’s relief faith ‘now 120%’
A gas station operator yesterday said his faith was now “120 percent” restored over the Government’s intention to provide relief for the sector’s plight following Monday’s meeting with the Prime Minister.
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Tit-for-tat over FTX
Greetings. And thank you for the space in your daily publication to proffer up these several points Of view.
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‘Point taken’ over Auditor General’s independence
A CABINET minister yesterday said “the point is taken” after Opposition senators yesterday questioned whether legal reforms interfere with the Auditor General’s constitutional independence to safeguard taxpayer monies.
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INSIGHT: There’s no excuse for failing on disclosures
THERE is nothing else that quite shows the disregard for any government for the notions of transparency and accountability than the annual fuss over public disclosures.
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Christie: Be careful on favouring cruise lines
FORMER Prime Minister Perry Christie said there should be a “New Providence experience” – and that “we have to exercise the greatest care” in being partial to a cruise line.
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WORLD VIEW: Can political parties agree social contract for national progress?
AUTHORITATIVE international bodies – among them, the respected Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA) – have concluded that “democracy is under both literal and figurative assault around the world.” The countries of the Caribbean have not been exempted from this judgement which is based on more than a decade of studies.
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Increasing $136m outbound transfers cause for ‘concern’
The Bahamas has “reason to be concerned” about the “growing trend” of outbound money transfers that hit $136m in 2022 as it represents incomes that are lost to this nation, it was argued yesterday.
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Bahamas lost $32.5m aviation financing as ‘bar kept moving’
The Bahamas used just 32 percent of an Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) loan provided to overhaul its aviation industry because it failed to implement safety reforms essential to unlocking the $32.5m balance.
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Kwasi Thompson: IMF holds ‘serious concern’ on fiscal reforms
The Opposition’s finance spokesman yesterday asserted that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) had voiced “serious concerns” over legal reforms that seemingly reduce the Fiscal Responsibility Council’s (FRC) independence.
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Farmer: ‘Blowing smoke’ of 30 years seems over
A Bahamian poultry farmer last night voiced optimism that the Government is finally serious about ending three decades of “blowing smoke” on food security as it formally unveiled its $15m egg self-sufficiency ambitions.
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PM doubles down over $6.4m provider licence
The Prime Minister last night doubled down on accusations that a payments provider which has failed to remit $6.4m to the Government was not licensed to collect funds on its behalf.
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DIANE PHILLIPS: The mystery of the missing medical test
THERE must be a million medical tests out there. You can check your blood type, heart rate, hearing loss, even your vestibular, whatever that is.
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Online civil registry disabled to help ‘protect data integrity’
The Attorney General has revealed online access to the civil registry at the Registrar General’s Department was shut down “to preserve the integrity of the data” that it holds.
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PI project concern over ‘compelling opportunity’
A senior Atlantis executive yesterday warned that concerns over Royal Caribbean’s Paradise Island project could harm downtown Nassau’s revival and “the most compelling real estate opportunity in The Bahamas” if not resolved.
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DPM: ‘Three credible offers’ for Lucayan
Three “credible offers” to acquire the Grand Lucayan resort are presently being studied, the deputy prime minister said yesterday, as he and others touted $1bn worth of investments being “in the pipeline” for Grand Bahama.
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DIANE PHILLIPS: New mooring hotspot at Montagu, but are there plans to accommodate?
A STRANGE phenomenon has been taking place in Montagu Bay in recent months, growing exponentially in recent weeks.
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Airlines dispute threatened ‘huge’ $43m consequences
The US airline industry’s challenge to The Bahamas’ air navigation services fee regime had potentially “huge consequences” by putting close to $43m in annual revenues at risk, it was revealed yesterday.
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Beware cutting-off ‘rocking and rolling’ private aviation
A Bahamas Flying Ambassador yesterday warned this nation not to follow Mexico and Costa Rica by “killing the goose that lays the golden eggs” when outsourcing management of multiple airports to private operators.