On Tuesday, May 31, 2022, stakeholders at Lynden Pindling International Airport (LPIA) will conduct a full-scale emergency exercise. The exercise that was previously scheduled for May 18, 2022, will have a drill scenario that will begin at 10:30a.m. Tuesday, with a call to NAD’s Operations Center from Air Traffic Services concerning an aircraft inbound to LPIA, from Rock Sound, Eleuthera with 60 persons including crew onboard. The aircraft will be reported as having engine trouble and will be involved in a simulated crash.

Local and international aviation regulations require airports to establish an emergency plan commensurate with the aircraft operations and other activities conducted at the airport. Regulations also mandate that a full-scale emergency exercise should be conducted at intervals not exceeding two years to evaluate the Emergency Plan.

Bahamas Immigration and Royal Bahamas Defence Force recruits will pose as crewmembers and passengers involved in the incident and volunteers from The Bahamas Red Cross will act as distraught family members and friends. In addition, teams from local emergency response agencies including the Royal Bahamas Police Force, Royal Bahamas Defense Force, Civil Aviation Authority Bahamas, Bahamas Air Navigation Services Authority (BANSA), Air Accident Investigation Authority (AAIA), National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), National Emergency Medical Services (NEMS), Airport Authority, Bahamas Red Cross Society, Princess Margaret Hospital, Doctors Hospital, The Department of Public Health, Bahamas Immigration, Bahamas Customs, United States Customs and Border Protection, The US Embassy, The British High Commission, The Nassau Airport Development Company (NAD) and Bahamasair will participate in the drill. We are proud to advise that Bahamasair, the national carrier, will act as host airline for the exercise.

Deborah Coleby, NAD’s Vice President of Operations says putting LPIA’s emergency plan to the test allows all agencies involved to assess their individual level of preparedness and orchestrate a coordinated response.

“Upon completion of the exercise, a debrief will be conducted and a final report generated will provide feedback by local and international evaluators. Improvements are made based on the findings of the final report and the airport’s Emergency Plan is updated accordingly,” Coleby explained.

Tuesday’s exercise is expected to last approximately four hours. Passengers are advised that air travel to LPIA will not be impacted during the drill. Members of the general public are also advised that there will be emergency response vehicles in the vicinity of the airport during the drill. NAD encourages travelers to proceed with their travel plans as scheduled.

Bahamian Terrence Jones has arrived. The collegiate sophomore for the Texas Tech Red Raiders became the latest Bahamian to qualify for the World Athletics (WA) World Championships in Eugene, Oregon, USA, this summer, running a blazing personal best of 10.03 seconds in the quarterfinals of the men's 100 meters (m) at the National Collegiate Athletic Association ...
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The government intends to remove the customs duty from roughly three dozen food items amid a historic rise in inflation.

Prime Minister Philip Davis, after presenting his 2022/2023 budget communication, tabled the Excise (Amendment) Bill, 2022 and Tariff (Amendment) Act, 2022 in the House of Assembly last week, which detail the changes to the customs duty rate reductions.

The majority of the food items being made duty-free had a duty rate of five percent. These items include cheese, lettuce, salad beetroot, turnips, cucumbers, peas and beans, asparagus, celery, sweet peppers, hot peppers, eggplant, spinach, pumpkin, corn, beets, artichoke, yams, cauliflower, broccoli, cassava, sweet potato and all preserved vegetables, yeast and baking powder.

Additionally, prepared beef, pork and turkey are being reduced from 20 percent to duty-free; protein powder is being reduced from 40 percent, vegetable-based flours from 35 percent, raw ground nuts from 10 percent and mashed potatoes are being reduced from 35 percent to duty-free.

Other foods like chicken eggs are being reduced from 30 percent to five percent, chicken parts from 30 percent to 10 percent and duck from 10 percent to five percent.  

During his communication to the House of Assembly, Davis said these duty and excise reductions would assist in lowering the cost of living for Bahamians who have in recent months complained about rising inflation.

A wide variety of materials used in building are also being made duty-free, including lime, hurricane impact PVC windows, plastic roofing, ceramic roofing tiles, roof trusses and felt. Other building materials like joint compound, other sealants, PVC pipes and plastic bathroom fixtures like sinks and basins are being reduced to five percent.

Printers and computer parts have also been made duty-free, as well as video phone sets, telecommunication towers, electrical cables, headphones, Wi-Fi devices and voice handsets.

Walking sticks have been reduced from 45 percent to duty-free, electric lawn mowers from 35 percent to 10 percent, electric golf cars from 30 percent to 10 percent, gas tanks from 45 percent to 25 percent, and synthetic or reconstructed precious or semi-precious stones from 45 percent to duty-free.

On the other hand, the government intends to increase the duty rate on tobacco products. Tobacco leaves are being increased from 10 to 25 percent, cigars from $0.50 to $3 per stick, cigarettes from $0.15 per stick to $25 per stick and cigarillos are expected to see a 300 percent increase in customs duty.

The prime minister also announced that the government will reduce the duty on electric cars with a value of under $70,000 to 10 percent and for vehicles over $70,000, the duty will be 25 percent.

An internal audit commissioned by the financial secretary into the salary scales of finance and accounting officers found breaches of the Public Service Commission regulations. "The Treasury Department paid out to a list of officers sums which were in their estimation due without Public Service Commission review and approval and without authorized Ministry of Public ...
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