The Big Story

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — A shortage of staff, dispersed court buildings across the capital and the need for more effective legislation are some of the roadblocks and hurdles slowing down the court system, according to Chief Justice Ian Winder, who said that they are in need of more resources. Winder told Eyewitness News that if he could wave a magic wand...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — The Central Bank is warning merchants over a point of sale (POS) systems scam, noting that it has been made aware that a person or persons purporting to represent the regulator have approached local merchants seeking to validate their POS systems. “It has come to the attention of the Central Bank of The Bahamas (CBOB) that a...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Christmas sales this year were similar to sales in 2021, according to The Bahamas Federation of Retailers (BFR), with a strong December start driving those results. The Christmas season is the prime season for many retailers hoping to capitalize on the consumer rush leading up to the holiday, with many Bahamian retailers generating a significant portion of...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — The extensive holiday displays downtown and at Arawak Cay aim to reflect the creativity of Bahamians and the government's commitment to supporting the country’s orange economy. The designer of the displays is Linda Stubbs, who has been in the business for decades and decided to elevate the artistry a step further by collaborating with a variety of...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — The Securities Commission of The Bahamas (SCB) said yesterday that it has applied for directions from the Supreme Court of The Bahamas as to whether it can provide FTX's US debtor representatives with information regarding some $3.5 billion in digital assets under its control. The regulator said in a statement that it has requested the court’s direction...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Deputy Prime Minister Chester Cooper yesterday expressed confidence that the government will come to a resolution with the group of US airlines who have alleged that charges being levied against them for using this nation’s airspace are “astronomical” and “unreasonable”. Cooper yesterday suggested that the issue was a “misunderstanding.” “We value the contribution of our partners as...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Amid controversy over the commercial rights and monetization of the Junkanoo Parades, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Progressive Liberal Party Chairman Fred Mitchell highlighted the need for public discourse over compensation for contributions to the seasonal parade. Mitchell added that the government is now looking into bringing about regulations to standardize the cultural parade, so that participants...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — The push to use cleaner, greener fuel and the pledge to limit greenhouse emissions is leading the government to make more eco-friendly decisions, something that Bahamas Power and Light CEO Shevonn Cambridge said will aid in reducing the strain on the utility. Additionally, in efforts to embrace more renewable energy, the government has earmarked several projects across...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — The Bahamian constriction industry could see significant activity in 2023, according to Bahamian Contractors Association (BCA) president Leonard Sands, who noted that contractors could see pre-pandemic activity. Sands said: “All indicators are that there will be a lot of work for contractors in 2023. There is a lot of activity going on in New Providence. If you...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — A high-medium prison constructed to American Correctional Association (ACA) standards is among one of the many plans underway on the Ministry of National Security's agenda in 2023 for the Bahamas Department of Corrections (BDOCS), and Human Rights Activist, and Director of Equality Bahamas, Alicia Wallace said that the upgrades are absolutely necessary. In addition to the high-medium...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — FTX Trading Ltd and its affiliated debtors announced last week that they will seek the return of any contributions made by the failed crypto exchange. The company has reportedly been approached by a number of recipients of contributions or other payments that were made by or at the direction of the FTX Debtors, Samuel Bankman-Fried, or other...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — As 2022 comes to an end, the government has not reached a decision on whether the National Insurance Fund increase will be introduced in the upcoming year nor specifics on the amount, according to Minister of State in the Office of the Prime Minister with Responsibility for National Insurance, Myles LaRoda. On Wednesday, the minister said that...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Deputy Prime Minister Chester Cooper said yesterday that the government intends to formally respond to the complaint lodge with the US Department of Transportation (DOT) by a group of US airlines alleging that “unjustifiable, unreasonably discriminatory, anticompetitive and unreasonable charges have been levied against its member airlines by The Bahamas. The Airlines for America (A4A) alleges that...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Swift Justice is expected to make a return as early as the first quarter of next year, according to Minister of National Security Wayne Munroe who explained that he believes the program will help to address the ongoing issue with the backlog of court cases. The backlog has been a mounting concern over the last several months,...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — From January to October total visitor arrivals to this nation have rebounded to 5.3 million visitors, a 341.5 percent increase over the same period in 2021. Underscoring the continued. Robust growth in the tourism sector, the regulator noted that visitor arrivals between January to October had rebounded to 5.3 million from 1.2 million during the same period...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — New legislation is on the table for 2023 as the government and law enforcement seeks to make changes to the drafted Parole and Reentry Act which is expected to be made as early as January. Minister of National Security, Wayne Munroe said that they are also looking at bringing back the Swift Justice Program and school early...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — The country’s external reserves declined in November to just under $3 billion, according to the Central Bank, which has also revealed that foreign currency outflows declined by nearly $60 million. The regulator in its Monthly Economic and Financial Developments Report for November noted that external reserves declined by $116.2 million to $2.9 billion in November in pace...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — The war-ready One Family Junkanoo and Community Organization have emerged from the two-year hiatus as the unofficial victors of the 2022 Boxing Day Junkanoo Parade for the A division. Under the theme “Empires: Rise of the Warriors, Battle-Tested, War Ready”, One Family went head to head with The Valley Boys and conquered Bay Street on Monday night...