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Bowleg tables CARIFTA figures

YOUTH, Sports and Culture Minister Mario Bowleg tabled an unaudited financial statement about the 2023 CARIFA Games in the House of Assembly yesterday.

BPSU protests conditions at Registrar General office

BAHAMAS Public Services Union president Kimsley Ferguson warned the government against harsh work conditions and delayed promotions for union members of the Office of the Registrar General, threatening to suspend services.

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Minister’s $185k CARIFTA ‘surplus’ came from 360% subsidy overshoot

A Cabinet minister yesterday asserted that last year’s CARIFTA games generated a $185,503 “net surplus” even though this was only made possible by a taxpayer subsidy over four times’ higher than budgeted.

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Bowleg hits back on audit findings

YOUTH, Sports and Culture Minister Mario Bowleg said the government did not overspend on last year’s CARIFTA and Jubilee Games, which cost more than $7m than was allocated, according to audit reports from the Office of the Auditor General.

CARIFTA TV payment cut in half on contract breach

An upfront $50,000 cash payment related to broadcasting rights for last year’s 50th CARIFTA track and field championships was cut by 50 percent after organisers breached the contract.

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$7m overspend on sports events

BAHAMIAN taxpayers incurred an extra $7m bill to cover cost overruns for two much-hyped sporting events that were hosted last summer, the Government’s financial watchdog has revealed.

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Bannister: No safeguards in Electricity bill

FORMER Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Works Desmond Bannister said the recently tabled Electricity Bill would empower the government to transfer Bahamas Power and Light (BPL) assets to subsidiary companies.

Commonwealth hails $63.5m profit amid 91% claw back fall

COMMONWEALTH Bank yesterday hailed its “second most profitable” year-ever through $63.5m in net income that was generated despite a near-91 percent drop on COVID loss provision write-backs.

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Multiple fiscal failures found in Bahamas Jubilee games audit

UNAUTHORISED vehicle purchases and salary increases, misuse of petty cash, and a failure to pay National Insurance Board (NIB) contributions are some of the fiscal shortcomings highlighted in the Office of the Auditor General’s examination of last year’s Bahamas Jubilee Games.

Lodge owner ‘can’t deal’ with BPL power outages

South Andros and Mangrove Cay residents yesterday urged the Government to “put their foot on BPL” after a 24-hour power outage knocked out all the area’s utilities and Internet service.

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Lloyd hosts book signing at UB

FORMER Education Minister Jeff Lloyd hopes to inspire the future generation of Bahamians eager to share their life stories about their journeys to success with the launch of his new book.

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Energy bill opens door to BPL move

The Government yesterday unveiled a major overhaul of the country’s energy regulatory regime to provide a platform for rescuing Bahamas Power & Light (BPL) from its $1bn debt and investment hole.

Adapt to tourist profile so we ‘blow past’ 2019

Family Island hotels must adapt to a visitor demographic profile that has been flipped upside down over the past decade if they want to “blow past” pre-COVID numbers, a top tourism official is warning.

FOCOL targets wide growth in ‘preparing for the next 50 years’

FOCOL Holdings’ top executive last night said it is targeting growth “in every sector of our business”, including gas stations and electricity generation, and added: “We’re preparing for the next 50 years.”

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GBPA braces for govt to launch arbitration

THE Grand Bahama Port Authority (GBPA) is bracing for the Government to formally initiate arbitration proceedings as early as this week after talks failed to break the deadlock over the latter’s $357m demand.

African bank eyes $700m investment in Caribbean

The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) is eyeing a $700m investment in the Caribbean as it prepares for its annual general meeting (AGM) that will be held in The Bahamas this June.

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US: Bahamas not equal for women

THE latest United States human rights report says the Bahamian government is contributing to statelessness “through discrimination against women in nationality laws” and is failing to effectively implement laws related to contracts and procurement.

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DPM: ‘Cracks’ showing in Briland’s tourism product

The deputy prime minister has raised the alarm that “cracks” are appearing in Harbour Island’s tourism product, as he warned: “Unless we manage the paradise we have we stand the risk of losing it.”

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East GB microgrids set to hire up to 50

Up to 50 workers will be hired for the proposed build-out of five solar microgrids designed to help “ease cost of living concerns” and entice former residents to return to Dorian-ravaged east Grand Bahama.

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‘Explosive’ hurricane forecast predicts over 20 named storms for 2024 season

THE Atlantic 2024 hurricane season, expected to begin in less than two months, has been forecast to be “explosive”, with weather forecasting company AccuWeather projecting 20 to 25 named storms, and eight to 12 hurricanes – with four to seven of those expected to be major hurricanes.