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Florida court blocks $7.59m Bahamas ruling

A contractor’s bid to enforce a $7.59 million Bahamas Supreme Court judgment against a major global hotel chain has been blocked by a Florida appeals court, which ruled the latter was not involved in a $1 billion Bahamian joint venture.

Broker severs ties with ex-investor over $1m ‘misuse’

A Bahamian broker/dealer yesterday said it had severed all ties with a former shareholder after he allegedly misappropriated $1 million that was intended to be an equity investment in the firm.

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Private sector targets NHI concerns Christmas present

The Bahamian private sector is hoping to present the Government with a consolidated list of its National Health Insurance (NHI) concerns before Christmas, amid fears that the scheme’s cost estimates “might not be the most ideal”.

Bahamian insurers eye TCI CLICO deal

Two Bahamian insurance companies are in negotiations to acquire CLICO’s Turks & Caicos business, Tribune Business can reveal, with the deadline for the cancellation of the insolvent insurer’s local medical policies just two weeks away.

GB Power seeks ‘unique’ energy storage solution

Grand Bahama Power Company is planning to launch a tender for energy storage technology that is “maybe unique to the world”, in a move that could reduce operating time for at least two generation units.

MSC cruise port: No lease agreement yet

No agreement has yet been reached to transfer the lease of Ocean Cay to Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) for its private cruise port, with the current holder saying of the project: "It won't be done overnight."

Airport increases US bridge capacity 50%

Lynden Pindling International Airport (LPIA) is predicting that passenger numbers will grow by 2.4 per cent for the year to end-June 2016, as it moves to increase bridge capacity for US carriers by 50 per cent.

PHA exceeds bond target with $26-$27m

The Public Hospitals Authority's (PHA) $25 million bond issue closed slightly oversubscribed, its financial advisers estimating that between $26-$27 million has been raised from investors.

Ex-minister pledges to battle $2.57m reversal

An ex-Cabinet minister has pledged "to fight on principle" a $2.57 million damages award against himself and his law firm, which the Court of Appeal last week backed as enforceable.

Freeport losing investment since climate 'up in the air'

Freeport's largest investor has confirmed that nine-figure investments have been delayed because the Government has left the city's expiring tax incentives "up in the air".

Bahamas breaks global standards with jet fuel tax

The Bahamas is breaching international standards by levying 7 per cent import duty on jet fuel, warns a report produced for the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB).

Insurance recovery may wait until 2017

The Bahamian insurance industry may have to wait until mid-2017 to return to strong growth, with one leading underwriter saying its main goal is to “hold the fort”.

Insurer sees 38% fall from Summit

Summit Insurance blamed reduced real estate valuations for a 38.2 per cent year-over-year profits slump, as it focuses on “defending our book” in a year that will have “negative growth”.

Developer seeks $10m in new equity finance

The developers behind Eleuthera’s French Leave Resort and Marina yesterday said they were “cautiously optimistic” about securing an additional $10 million in equity financing to fund the build-out of 20 more villas.

Freeport consultation ‘a matter of survival’

The negotiations over Freeport’s expiring tax breaks are “very much a matter of survival” for the Grand Bahama Port Authority’s (GBPA) 3,500 licensees, an outspoken QC arguing that these incentives are among the few “not completely breached” yet.

Oil explorer: New fiscal regime does not apply to us

The Bahamas Petroleum Company’s (BPC) chief executive yesterday said the Government’s increased ‘take’ from oil exploration would not apply to its activities, because its fiscal terms were already set.

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Gov’t ‘ill-prepared’ on Bill amendments

An FNM MP yesterday slammed the Government’s failure to provide the Opposition with the 12 amendments to the Petroleum Bill before yesterday’s debate, saying: “It’s ridiculous the Government was so ill-prepared”.

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QC: ‘No more secrets’ over Freeport’s future

An outspoken QC yesterday made good on his threat to launch Judicial Review proceedings against the consultation on Freeport’s future, warning: “No more secrets. It’s finally time for government in the sunshine.”

BTC profits slump 26.4%

The Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) suffered a 26.4 per cent profits slump for the year to end-March 2015, as its revenues and staffing levels came under pressure in the run-up to mobile liberalisation.

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CWC: BTC ‘lags’ region despite $75m investment

The Bahamas Telecommunications Company’s (BTC) controlling owner yesterday conceded that its network quality “lags” much of the Caribbean and wider world, despite increasing its capital investment by 47 per cent last year.