The Big Story

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — The Ministry of Education (MOE) has seen an $11 million decrease in capital expenditure at the mid-point of the fiscal year due in large part to the discontinuation of on-campus/face-to-face instruction due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Education Minister Jeffrey Lloyd. Lloyd, who was making his contribution in Parliament to the mid-year debate yesterday, noted that...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — The Bahamas has been removed from the French list of non-cooperative states and territories in tax matters, the Ministry of Finance announced yesterday. The ministry noted that the list, which is updated annually by the French Ministry of Economics and Finance, was published in the Official Diary of the French Republic on March 4. It further noted...

Some express fear; others ask “why bother?” Consent form needed for residents of senior citizen homes for vaccinations NASSAU, BAHAMAS — With the government expected to begin coronavirus vaccinations of residents and staff of elder care homes in a matter of days, some of those have said they are not prepared to take the vaccine. Residents of the Good Samaritan...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Royal Fidelity (RF) has been engaged as the financial advisor and placement agent to raise up to $150 million through bond offerings open to Bahamian investors to finance the renovation and expansion of various Family Island airports, the investment bank has announced. The funds raised will provide the financing to renovate and expand various Family Island airports...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said yesterday that people who have been fully vaccinated can begin to do some of the things they have been limited or prevented from doing since last year, including gathering with other vaccinated people without wearing a mask or social distancing. This is the CDC’s first set of public...

Education minister says now is the time for students to become entrepreneurs NASSAU BAHAMAS — Destiny Cooper, 18, a University of The Bahamas (UB) student, is just one of the many young Bahamian students struggling to find a job amidst the country’s unstable economic climate. Destiny Cooper, 18, a University of The Bahamas (UB) BioChem major. Cooper, a BioChem major,...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — The Bahamas is expected to receive its first tranche of COVID-19 vaccines from the Indian government by Wednesday and its second tranche from the World Health Organization/Pan American Health Organization (WHO/PAHO) by the end of March, announced Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis today. During a national address, Minnis advised that while 20,000 vaccines were expected to arrive...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — The Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) yesterday promised that if elected to govern, it would recommend the country’s minimum wage be increased to $250 per week and reduce value-added tax (VAT) to 10 percent “across the board” for 12 months. Similar promises have been previously made by the current Minnis administration, which pledged to increase minimum wage and...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Authorities continue to search for two Bahamian men whose plane crashed in waters off Salina Point, Acklins, on Saturday. According to initial reports, the men departed New Providence en route to Inagua around 5pm but never arrived. Air Accident and Investigation Department (AAID) Chief Investigator Delvin Major advised members of the media that the aircraft was spotted...

D'Aguilar confirms group presented negative RT-PCR COVID tests on arrival NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Seven people were granted temporary exemption of a travel health visa to enter Grand Bahama over the weekend. A letter from the Office of The Prime Minister to Director of the Hotel Corporation Terrence Roberts, dated on March 5, advised that after consultation with the Ministry of...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) Leader Philip Brave Davis yesterday warned “things will go from worse to catastrophic” if this nation continues with “business as usual”. Davis, while giving an address at the launch of the PLP’s economic plan, stressed the need to build a resilient economy, create jobs and transform education. “First, we have to understand, as...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — A man is dead and five other people were hospitalized following a series of shooting incidents that occurred over the weekend, police said. According to reports, the first incident occurred shortly after 7pm on Key West Street when a man who was walking north was accosted by two men — one of whom produced a handgun and...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Pastor Mario Moxey, who leads the Bahamas Christian Council’s (BCC) COVID-19 Investigation Committee, said the church has not yet finalized its position on vaccines. According to Moxey, the committee plans to issue a report and definitive position on the available and approved vaccines, including Oxford’s AstraZenca, following the completion of its research centered around the scientific data and...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Convicted child killer Kofhe Goodman will have to wait a bit longer to learn whether the Court of Appeal will grant him permission to appeal his conviction. Justices of Appeal Sir Michael Barnett, Jon Isaacs and Roy Jones, who heard the arguments yesterday, have reserved their decision on the matter. Goodman, also known as Eduardo Ferguson, was convicted...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — A plane with two men onboard crashed in waters off Salina Point, Acklins, according to authorities. The men departed New Providence en route to Inagua around 5pm but never arrived. Authorities have begun searching for the aircraft. According to Air Accident and Investigation Department (AAID) Chief Investigator Delvin Major, the aircraft was spotted near Salina Point and...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Dismissing suggestions that the government or Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) have disrespected three senior officers whose special assignments have been extended for a further two years, Minister of National Security Marvin Dames said yesterday the deployment extension was determined because those ministries are in need of "significant help in terms of safety and security". “That’s certainly...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — The Bahamas will receive its first tranche of Oxford’s AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine on Sunday, according to the Office of the Prime Minister, which said the first batch will include 20,000 doses of the vaccine donated from India. “The vaccines were pre-qualified by the World Health Organization (WHO) and received Emergency Use Listing (EUL) approval by the WHO,”...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — While he initially announced that individuals on the government's 52-week program would become permanent and pensionable this year, National Insurance Minister Brensil Rolle backtracked those comments, insisting that the matter remains under consideration for finalization. During his presentation for the mid-year budget debate yesterday, Rolle said: "I can now announce that persons on the program who have...