News for Thursday, March 7, 2013

Food self-sufficiency is an illusion for the Bahamas

OPENING the newspaper this week, I was confronted with a huge load of BS.

Commissioner on custody deaths

The Commissioner of Police is expected to address the media shortly for the first time since the recent incidents where young men have died while in police custody or were shot and killed by members of the Royal Bahamas Police Force.

Christie pledges to investigate deaths personally

PRIME Minister Perry Christie said yesterday he will personally look into all of the recent incidents in which young men have died while in police custody or were shot and killed by members of the Royal Bahamas Police Force.

Church to keep jailed sex offender as leader

MEMBERS of the Pilgrim Baptist Temple, church of Bishop E Randy Fraser who was convicted of unlawful sexual intercourse, last night voted on whether to have the embattled pastor removed as leader.

Families demand Nottage resignation

FAMILIES of persons who died in police custody called for the resignation of National Security Minister Dr Bernard Nottage when he “ignored” and “avoided” them during a demonstration outside the House of Assembly yesterday

Grant: Stop parading the poor for political gain

CENTRAL Grand Bahama MP Neko Grant called on Prime Minister Perry Christie to stop the “parading” of disadvantaged Bahamians on television as part of Urban Renewal coverage by the press, while Mr Christie argued the importance of the country having a “true perspective of what exists” to make certain that poverty is not “swept under the table”.

Fire breaks out at Police Headquarters

A FIRE erupted at Police Headquarters yesterday afternoon a few feet from the fire services department. However, all of its fire trucks were out on call.

Gray denies approval for Africa visit

MINISTER of Agriculture, Marine Resources and Local Government V Alfred Gray yesterday denied claims that he authorised Local Government in Freeport to pay for the island administrator to go to a conference in Africa.

FNM deputy in House row

LONG Island MP Loretta Butler-Turner accused House Speaker Kendal Major of being “partial” following yesterday morning’s House session when he warned her that she would be asked to leave the House if her “disruptive” comments continued.

Armed robbery trial is discontinued

THE case of a man standing trial in connection with a Halloween night armed robbery was discontinued yesterday in Supreme Court. Charges of three armed robberies against Kendal Lord were dropped when prosecutors presented a nolle prosequi signed by the Attorney General asking that the matter be discontinued.

Murder suspect seeking bail

A CAT Island man waiting for his murder case to be fast tracked to the Supreme Court for trial appeared before a judge seeking to be granted bail.

Burrows denies suggestion of ZNS political appointees

THE Broadcasting Corporation of the Bahamas has come out firing in the defence of two of its journalists, who they claim were unfairly portrayed as political hirees on a Cable 12/Nassau Guardian newscast on February 25 of this year.

BTC services restored after tower collapse

BTC services are now fully restored to Bullocks Harbour in the Berry Islands, nine days after an external contracting company accidently caused the collapse of the BTC communication tower.

Ministry of Grand Bahama 'a waste of public funds'

CENTRAL Grand Bahama MP Neko Grant dubbed the Ministry of Grand Bahama a “waste of public funds” and accused the ministry of being over-staffed and over-paid.

Alumni join QC effot to raise funds

QUEEN’S College alumni spent two days placing calls to other alumni and friends as part of a fundraising drive that was kicked off with a donation by Sir Durward Knowles.

BAIC: Entrepreneurs should be applauded

THE Bahamas Agricultural and Industrial Corporation said agri-business entrepreneurs should be applauded for their ability to compete in an open market, showcasing the resilience of an agricultural industry which is vital to the country.

Marine tells court he heard gunshot

A DEFENCE Force officer charged with protecting the Chinese Embassy the morning a Chinese restaurant worker was robbed and shot said he heard what “sounded like a gun”.

Failed broker: $9.7m hangs in the balance

A successful winding-up of Owen Bethel’s Montaque Capital Partners is dependent on recovering $5.35 million owed by the insolvent Bahamian broker/dealer’s clients and affiliates, plus the fate of $4.3 million being claimed by a Canadian provider.

Cable's $89m deals win US national security approval

The US government has taken its foot off Cable Bahamas’ $89 million worth of US transactions, its national security and law enforcement agencies saying they have “no objection” to the Summit Broadband and US Metropolitan Telecom deals.

NAD grounds airline's 5% 'collect fee' plan

A well-known Bahamian airline has been ordered by the Nassau Airport Development Company (NAD) to “cease and desist” from plans to impose a 5 per cent ‘collection processing fee’ on all taxes it remits to the LPIA operator.

Albany eyes expansion 'more than ever before'

The multi-million dollar Albany development is aiming to become “more than a place to own a home”, with a recording studio and business and financial centre among the expansion options being assessed by developers.

THE ART OF GRAPHIX: Coping with the pressure points

Hands up, those who become nervous and foam at the mouth when asked to stand up in front of an audience and say a few words.

Jamaica's 'Reggae Boyz' to face Spurs in May 23 exhbition

ONE of the first major events to be hosted in the new state-of-the-art Thomas A Robinson National Stadium has marked the “beginning of a new era,” according to Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Dr Daniel Johnson.

Quick start for the Big Red Machine

St Augustine’s College head coach William “Knucklehead” Johnson said he wanted his Big Red Machine to get off to a “fast start” on day one of the Bahamas Association of Independent Secondary Schools (BAISS) Track & Field Championships yesterday, but even Johnson couldn’t have predicted the the perennial powerhouses would distance themselves so quickly on their path to a 25th consecutive title.

The Tribune