Government money affairs 'disastrous'

Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham said government earnings were in a bad state in the House of Assembly Wednesday.

The PM said "January, February and March have been disastrous." Minister of State for finance Zhivargo Laing said the government collections are more than $100 million lower than expected.

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Government said company should turn over funds paid

The government released court documents on Tuesday that stated Global United had collected but not turned over much of the money it owes.

GUL CEO Jackson Ritchie said he is going to close his company today (Friday) after government demands that he pay $8 million in debt.

But the Finance Ministry said the company has been already been paid much of this money from its clients - including Carnival Cruise Lines and Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines – and that some of the debt has been outstanding since 2006.

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15-year-old dead in apparent suicide

GRAND BAHAMA: A 15-year-old boy was found dead in his closet, as though he hanged himself with a necktie.

Police said they were called to the home of Carlton Hall Jr by his mother around 7pm Tuesday and soon after discovered his body.

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'Mother' Pratt's husband dies after diabetes struggle

Josepth Pratt, the husband of St. Cecelia MP Cynthia Pratt, died Wednesday afternoon after a long struggle with diabetes that included amputating both legs.

Pratt, the country's first female deputy prime minister, had said that deciding whether to authorize surgery on her husband's leg was one of the hardest decisions she has had to make.

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Bahamas thinks Britain should take it easy on Turks

Following a decision by CARICOM, The Bahamas has decided to file a report asking the British government to shorten the amount of time it plans to control the Turks and Caicos.

Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham said each country plans to file a report in with Britain after CARICOM members decided that suspending major functions of the nation's government would weaken democracy, especially for the two years proposed.

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Chinese workers protest again

About two dozen Chinese workers protested Wednesday, saying they have not been paid for months of work.

The workers held placards outside the T G Glover Primary School, their worksite, protesting the E R Hanna construction company.

The construction company said it has paid the salaries to a Chinese company responsible for the men but was now planning to send them home to China because of the conflict.

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Man said police wanted him to lie about murder

Speaking in court yesterday, Dwight Knowles said Vaughan Carey accused him of murder after police offered each of them a chance to lie about the other.

Knowles said he did not know Vaughan Carey and that they had never talked about robbing Keith Carey, who was killed in 2006.

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Driver fined $2,500 after killing his friend in crash

A man whose best friend was killed in an accident when he crashed into a pole has been ordered to pay $2,500.

Dominique Moss told the court he lost control of the car when he swerved to avoid a cow on Gladstone Road.

In passing sentence, Justice Isaacs said, "This is a tragic case... all sides have been saddened and brought to tears more than once."

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