The GraceKennedy Financial Centre was officially opened in downtown Kingston Wednesday March 7.
The centre, situated at 2 Duke Street (the corner of Duke and Harbour Streets) opened for business on February 13, the eve of GraceKennedy’s 90th anniversary.
It houses offices of First Global Bank, First Global Financial Services, and Jamaica International Insurance Company.
Speaking at the ceremony, Minister of Finance, Planning and the Public Service, Hon. Dr. Peter Phillips said the opening of the financial centre represents an important step in efforts to ensure that efficient banking services are continuously offered in the island.
He noted that offering these services in a “secure, regulatory, environment” is paramount in the process.
Dr. Phillips said the provision of financial services is an essential component in the economy, adding that he is encouraged by developments in the sector.
“I am therefore confident, based on the successes of your organisation, that your 2020 vision of transforming the company from a Caribbean trading enterprise to a global consumer group is one that is likely to succeed,” he said.
He commended GraceKennedy for establishing the financial centre in the heart of downtown Kingston, noting that “it will go a far way in revitalizing and redeveloping downtown Kingston”.
The Finance Minister encouraged other institutions to follow the example of
GraceKennedy which he said has: demonstrated a strong commitment to the financial services sector in Jamaica; committed to its production base in Jamaica and this is manifested by the establishment of its new agro processing facility in St. Elizabeth that was opened in July, 2011; committed itself to assist in the revitalization of downtown Kingston; and, has done excellent work through its corporate citizenship programme via continued community involvement and commitment to education through its two Foundations – the GraceKennedy Foundation and the Grace and Staff Community Development Foundation.
In his remarks, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), GraceKennedy, Don Wehby said the building represents a “one stop financial centre, right in the heart of downtown Kingston”.
“We commit to continued innovation and consistently excellent customer services as we look to build these companies. And as always, honesty, integrity and trust will guide us all the way,” he said.
He underscored that GraceKennedy is committed to Jamaica, pointing out that the company’s capital expenditure over the last 10 years has been $10 billion. “Last year, that figure was $1.01 billion, with us looking to commit approximately $1.39 billion this year. This is a reflection of the confidence in the future of our company, our confidence in Jamaica, and confidence that our investments will give us a proper return to our shareholders,” he said.
CEO, GraceKennedy, Financial Group, Courtney Campbell, informed that the centre is the first of its kind, with the other one opened in Montego Bay in 2010.
By Chris Patterson, JIS Reporter
“We expect that this new financial centre will go a far way towards the achievements of our objectives. This space, which is over 10,000 sq ft will provide a very convenient service access point,” he said.
GraceKennedy started in Jamaica as a small trading establishment and wharf operators and has now expanded and diversified from a privately-owned enterprise to a public trading company listed on the stock exchanges of Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago.
The company comprises a network of some 60 subsidiaries and associated companies located across the Caribbean, North and Central America and the United Kingdom, and are involved in: food processing and distribution; banking and financing; insurance and remittance services, and, building materials retailing.
On March 12 and 13, 2012, the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Commerce and Georgetown University, will sponsor a conference titled “Making Latin America and the Caribbean a More Equitable Society: Education, Economic Growth, and Corporate Social Responsibility” at Georgetown University.
The international conference will bring together leaders from throughout the Western Hemisphere to share strategies and jointly design a road map to create prosperity in the region through education for workforce development. Speakers include high-level representatives from government, academia, business, civil society, and international organizations. The schedule of speakers and sessions open to the press can be found at http://www.trade.gov/educationconference.
Members of the media interested in attending must RSVP to Rob Mathis at (202) 687-4328 or rwm33@georgetown.edu to get details for coverage and access. Valid press credentials must be presented upon arrival at the event. Open press events will take place in Gaston Hall at Georgetown University, located at 37th & O Streets, NW, Washington, D.C. Please note that some sessions may be in Spanish with English translation.
For information about President Obama’s “100,000 Strong in the Americas” international student exchange initiative, see http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/184476.pdf. For more information about the U.S. Department of State’s engagement with U.S. businesses in the promotion of responsible and ethical business practices through corporate social responsibility, see http://www.state.gov/e/eb/eppd/csr/.
KINGSTON, Jamaica — The lighthearted tone of Prince Harry’s Caribbean tour changed Wednesday as the British royal modified his schedule at a military camp in Jamaica out of respect for six British soldiers reported killed in Afghanistan.
Harry, a British Army captain who recently qualified as an Apache attack helicopter pilot, was scheduled to rappel down a new training wall at a Jamaican military camp in the capital of Kingston but instead watched local soldiers do so.
Palace press officer Nick Loughran said Harry decided not to take part in a military activity considered peripheral to the duties of an Apache pilot when the day’s focus should be on the British Army’s core roles and “looking after the bereaved of those tragically killed in Afghanistan.”
Six British soldiers were believed killed Tuesday evening when an explosion hit their armored vehicle in southwestern Afghanistan, according to Britain’s Ministry of Defense. If confirmed, it would be the biggest loss of life for British forces in the country since a plane crash in 2006.
Dressed in camouflage, helmet, protective goggles and a flak jacket, Harry did take part in target practice, firing rounds with a M4 rifle on an outdoor 30-meter (98-foot) range at the Jamaica Defense Force’s Up Park Camp. He scored 39 out of 40 on two targets.
“He’s an excellent shot,” said Jamaican military Sgt. Anthony Forbes, holding up one of the paper targets which the prince autographed “Capt. Wales,” as the third-in-line to the British throne is known in the British military.
Before getting down in the dirt for target practice, a grinning Harry quipped to the dozens of photographers behind him filming his every move: “Anyone with a camera want to stand at the other end?”
Afterward, the 27-year-old flew in a helicopter to Jamaica’s north coast, where he planned to visit a cruise ship port in the coastal town of Falmouth, stop off at an 18th century plantation house called Good Hope, and dine at the Sandals Royal Caribbean resort in Montego Bay.
Harry is touring the Caribbean as part of a Diamond Jubilee tour in honor of Queen Elizabeth II as she celebrates 60 years on the throne. The prince, who made earlier stops in the Bahamas and Belize, arrived by private jet and received a 21-gun salute from members of the Jamaica Defense Force.
Harry is scheduled to depart Jamaica on Thursday. He plans to travel to Brazil at the request of the British government on a trip to promote ties and emphasize the transition from the upcoming 2012 London Games to the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
M-Edge’s covers and accessories will be available at Best Buy and medgestore.com
ODENTON, Md., March 7, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — M-Edge Accessories, leading designer of mobile device accessories for iPad, e-reader, and smartphones, announced today a revolutionary line of protective cases for Apple’s new iPad. These products will be available for sale at Best Buy as well as on the M-Edge website within days of launch.
M-Edge Trip Jackets and kid-friendly, shock-absorbent SuperShells for the new iPad are available at Best Buy and medgestore.com. (PRNewsFoto/M-Edge Accessories)
The groundbreaking new feature included in all of M-Edge’s new iPad covers is the uView Mounting System(TM). The uView Mounting System is a molded polycarbonate four-corner iPad frame that snaps in via a universal attachment clip that mounts into the jacket in landscape or portrait modes, or can be detached for lower profile protection. All M-Edge iPad jackets provide unobstructed access to the camera and all ports and buttons.
A unique feature of the uView Mounting System is the capability to attach additional accessories to the frame for easy access and storage. Among the planned attachments are a stand and handle, a stylus clip, gaming accessories and more.
M-Edge CTO Adam Ashley says, “Our customers want their iPads to do it all, and they expect their accessories to do it all too. We asked ourselves, how could we give them the ultimate in versatility, style, function, and protection? This universal mount, uView, works in countless stand positions and angles, can be used in and out of the jacket, and incorporates many of the add-on accessories our customers are clamoring for. We can’t wait for iPad fans to get their hands on it.”
Below is a list of M-Edge’s products for the new iPad, available soon at medgestore.com, Best Buy, and other major retailers.
Incline Jacket – $49.99: This versatile microfiber leather jacket has three stand positions and is perfect for home or office. Its soft microsuede interior keeps the screen smudge-free.
Hampton Jacket – $49.99: This jacket’s sleek microfiber leather design includes three internal stand positions that allow it to be used at low, middle, or high viewing angles.
Trip Jacket – $49.99: Available in this season’s hottest neon colors, this popular canvas jacket features three stand positions and an elastic strap to keep the cover securely closed.
SuperShell – $34.99: You’ve probably seen M-Edge’s kid-friendly, shock-absorbent iPad case in action (it bounces!) Made from closed-cell foam, it offers extreme protection from bumps and drops.
Latitude Jacket – $39.99: A perennial M-Edge bestseller, this rugged, full-coverage jacket is constructed of durable ballistic nylon with a double zip-around closure and an exterior pocket sized for additional accessory storage.
To see a full list of currently available and upcoming M-Edge products for the new iPad, click here. Visit the M-Edge website to sign up for e-mail notification of updated launch information, or follow M-Edge on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest for the latest news, giveaways, promotions, and insider scoop from the M-Edge team.
FORT-LIBERTE, Haiti, March 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — Haiti’s comprehensive disaster preparedness strategy advanced significantly with today’s groundbreaking ceremony for a new emergency operations center, disaster relief warehouse, and fire station in Fort-Liberte. As the first of 10 such emergency operations centers and disaster relief warehouses, eight community clusters and 14 fire stations to be constructed throughout Haiti, the Fort-Liberte facility marks the beginning of the next phase of construction under the auspices of the U.S. Southern Command’s Humanitarian Assistance Program in partnership with the Government of Haiti.
FORT-LIBERTE, Haiti
Daniel Foote, Deputy Chief of Mission, U.S. Embassy, representing the U.S. Southern Command, noted that Haiti’s civil preparedness projects have entered construction phase and are one step closer to helping the Government of Haiti provide vital services to communities in the Nord-Est Department. “This Emergency Operations Center will allow local emergency response personnel to collect and analyze reported information, make decisions, and manage Haiti’s collective response to emergencies or natural disasters.”
He added that by providing additional fire-fighting and emergency service capabilities to the Fort Liberte area, the fire station facility will play a significant role in the event of a larger-scale emergency within Haiti.
Minister Mayard-Paul concluded “The new facilities will also enable us, through the Civil Protection Agency (DCP), to improve the quality of life of our communities, providing vital safety services. We could not do this without the unwavering support of our friends in the United States who, through Southern Command, the embassy and USAID, along with the United Nations Development Program, World Food and others in the international community, help us turn necessities into plans, and plans into reality.”
The new facilities are expected to be used as soon as available, with plans to hold community first aid trainings as part of the DPC’s recently-launched annual campaign, “Civil Protection is Everyone’s Responsibility,” already under way.
“At the Ministry of the Interior, we are following through on our commitment to identify the most pressing needs of the Haitian people, and turn those needs into plans that materialize into actual infrastructure, tools and programs that will benefit communities across the country,” said Mayard-Paul. “That is the essence of our community-based decentralization program.”
Training and reconstruction work by civilian and military teams onboard the HSV SWIFT reinforce capacity building in key areas of health, security and rule of law in Haiti
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, March 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — International civilian and military teams aboard the U.S. naval vessel HSV SWIFT have completed their three-week mission of knowledge-sharing and capacity building in Northern Haiti, significantly strengthening the nation in key priority sectors and advancing the Martelly administration’s strategy for decentralization. Presiding over a ceremony marking the departure of the vessel and crew, Haiti’s Minister of the Interior, Thierry Mayard-Paul, expressed the gratitude of the Haitian government, saying, “Thank you for your training and reconstruction work.
Haiti's Minister of the Interior, Thierry Mayard-Paul,
This is the cornerstone of what our administration calls community-based decentralization-providing the tools that will enable each and every neighborhood across Haiti to build the basic network of safety, infrastructure and knowledge that will empower that community to generate jobs locally and to better serve the Haitian people.”
Noting that Northern Haiti is one of the priority regions for U.S. development assistance, Commander Wright, the SWIFT’S mission commander commented, “Over the last three weeks, the ship’s crew, both civilian and military, worked together with our Haitian and international partners in support of the U.S. government’s commitment to help the Haitian people build a better future here.”
While moored in Haiti, at Cap Haitien, the High Speed Vessel SWIFT performed a number of projects aligned with the Martelly administration’s priority sectors: agriculture, infrastructure, rule of law and governance, and health. Concentrating on health and security, “the SWIFT” crew partnered with the Haitian Ministry of Public Health, the Haitian National Police, and the National Port Authority to increase the capacity to serve the Haitian people. Naval medical specialists conducted seminars with their Haitian medical peers, and Navy Seabee engineers completed four reconstruction projects for medical facilities.
Working to strengthen security and rule of law in Haiti, investigators from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, along with marine and navy security experts, trained with the Haitian National Police and officials from the National Port Authority. The USMC, in cooperation with the United Nations Police, trained 38 Haitian National Police and Haitian Coast Guard officers at the Chilean Battalion in Cap Haitien. Doctors and medical experts on board the HSV SWIFT conducted Subject Matter Expert Exchanges with doctors from Cap Haitien’s Justinian Hospital.
Members of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service trained the security officers from the National Port Authority (APN) and the Haitian National Police in order to better secure the Port of Cap Haitien, training a total of 40 officers in two weeks.
“In just three weeks you’ve been able to leave an indelible mark in the Northeastern part of Haiti, one that can withstand the test of time and Mother Nature,” commented Mayard-Paul. “Your mission served to improve our physical infrastructure, and made big contributions for knowledge transfer and capacity building, which are at the core of strengthening Haiti’s institutions and advancing decentralization.”
BY JENNIFER SALTMAN, POSTMEDIA NEWS
VANCOUVER — Fariba Amani, an esthetician from Port Moody, B.C., was on her way back to the U.S. after a two-day stay on Grand Bahama Island when she went missing from her cruise ship.
Fariba Amani, missing from a cruise ship that was sailing between the Bahamas and Florida, is believed to have fallen overboard.
Her disappearance sparked an intense search involving local police, the U.S. Coast Guard and the FBI.
But no sign of her has been found.
Glenn Ryerson, spokesman from Celebration Cruise Line, said Amani’s boyfriend — identified in reports as 46-year-old Ramiz Golshani — reported her missing at 8 a.m. Feb. 29 after the ship docked at the Port of Palm Beach in Riviera Beach, Fla. He last saw her around 1 a.m., shortly before he went to sleep, he said.
The entire 350-person crew of the Bahamas Celebration undertook an “extensive search” for Amani, 47. After failing to find her, they alerted local police and the FBI.
Rose Anne Brown, spokeswoman for the Riviera Beach police said her department received the first notification that someone was missing but because Amani disappeared before the ship went through customs, the investigation was turned over to the FBI.
The Miami Division of the FBI declined Tuesday to comment on the investigation, including answering questions about whether Amani’s disappearance is considered suspicious or if any suspects have been identified.
The Port Moody Police Department confirmed in a statement that it is assisting with the FBI investigation. Amani’s sister, Saloumeh, went to the police station last week and reported that she was missing.
The U.S. Coast Guard called off its search in the evening of the next day without finding Amani.
Golshani did not respond to an interview request Tuesday.
HOUSTON (AP) — Texas tycoon R. Allen Stanford spent more than 20 years charming investors, who handed him billions of dollars they had spent their lives accumulating through hard work and saving.
Stanford promised them safe investments that would help fulfill their dreams of being able to retire comfortably or pay their children’s college tuition. All the while, he was pulling their money out of his Caribbean bank to pay for a string of failed businesses and a jet-setting lifestyle.
R. Allen Stanford, center, leaves the Bob Casey Federal Courthouse, Tuesday, March 6, 2012, in Houston. Stanford, once considered one of the wealthiest people in the U.S., with a financial empire that spanned the Americas, was convicted Tuesday on charges he bilked investors out of more than $7 billion. (AP Photo/Houston Chronicle, Nick de la Torre)
Stanford, once considered one of the wealthiest people in the U.S., with a financial empire that spanned the Americas, was convicted Tuesday on charges he bilked investors out of more than $7 billion.
Prosecutors said his business acumen was nothing more than an old-fashioned Ponzi scheme, and jurors convicted him on 13 of 14 charges, including conspiracy, wire and mail fraud. He was acquitted on a single count of wire fraud that accused him of bribing a regulator with Super Bowl tickets.
Stanford looked down when the verdict was read in federal court in Houston, where his financial empire was based. His mother and daughters hugged one another, and one of his daughters started crying.
“We are disappointed in the outcome. We expect to appeal,” Stanford attorney Ali Fazel said after the hearing. He said he couldn’t comment further because of a gag order placed on attorneys in the case.
Prosecutors and Stanford’s relatives declined to comment on the verdict, but former investor Cassie Wilkinson found comfort in it.
“As an investor, you have to doubt whether or not you were stupid or just taken advantage of. This relieves that doubt. It’s a vindication,” said Wilkinson, 62, who lives in Houston. She declined to say how much money she and her husband lost.
Investor Cassie Wilkinson talks about her financial losses after a guilty verdict was announced on all but one of 14 counts in the fraud trial of financier R. Allen Stanford Tuesday, March 6, 2012, in Houston. Stanford, a former Texas tycoon, whose financial empire once spanned the Americas, was convicted Tuesday for allegedly bilking investors out of more than $7 billion in a massive Ponzi scheme he operated for 20 years. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan)
A civil trial in which prosecutors hope to seize about $300 million from more than 30 Stanford-controlled accounts in countries including Switzerland, Britain and Canada started later Tuesday before the same jury and will continue Wednesday. U.S. District Judge David Hittner will likely set Stanford’s sentencing date after the civil trial, which could last as little as a full day.
Jurors have been told not to comment on the case until the civil trial ends.
The most serious charges against Stanford carry up to 20 years in prison, and if Hittner ordered him to serve his sentences consecutively, the 61-year-old could spend the rest of his life behind bars.
In a similar but unrelated case, disgraced financier Bernard Madoff was sentenced to 150 years in prison for orchestrating the largest Ponzi scheme in history.
Prosecutors say Stanford used investors’ money to fund a string of failed businesses, bribe regulators and pay for luxuries such as yachts and private jets. His attorneys portrayed Stanford as a visionary entrepreneur who made money for investors and conducted legitimate business deals.
Stanford’s net worth was once estimated at more than $2 billion, but he received court-appointed attorneys after his assets were seized or frozen.
During the more than six-week trial, prosecutors presented testimony from ex-employees, emails and financial statements that they said showed how Stanford took billions of dollars over 20 years from certificates of deposit, or CDs, at his bank on the Caribbean island nation of Antigua. They said he lied to investors from more than 100 countries, telling them their funds were being safely invested in stocks, bonds and other securities.
The prosecution’s star witness — James M. Davis, the former chief financial officer for Stanford’s various companies — told jurors he and Stanford worked together to falsify bank records and other documents to conceal the fraud.
Stanford did not testify in his own defense.
His attorneys told jurors the financier was trying to consolidate his businesses to repay investors when authorities seized his companies. They accused Davis of being behind the fraud and lying to get a reduced sentence.
Davis pleaded guilty to three fraud and conspiracy charges in 2009 as part of a deal with prosecutors.
Three other former Stanford executives are scheduled for trial in September. A former Antiguan financial regulator accused of accepting bribes from Stanford also was indicted and awaits extradition to the U.S.
Stanford, the largest private employer on Antigua, was widely known as “Sir Allen” after being knighted by the island nation’s government.
The financier’s trial was delayed after he was declared incompetent in January 2011 due to an anti-anxiety drug addiction he developed in jail. He underwent treatment and was declared fit for trial in December.
A U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission lawsuit that also accuses Stanford and his former executives of fraud is pending.
HOUSTON—A federal jury convicted international financier R. Allen Stanford on 13 of 14 charges of money laundering and fraud in a Ponzi scheme that lost billions of dollars for investors.
The jury of eight men and four women found him not guilty on one count of wire fraud.
LONDON — Jamaica’s Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller said it was time for the Caribbean island to cut all ties with Britain and ditch the monarchy, as she prepared to meet Prince Harry on Tuesday.
"It's time for us to achieve full independence," Simpson Miller told BBC television (AFP/File, Ratiba Hamzaoui)
“It’s time for us to achieve full independence,” Simpson Miller told BBC television, ahead of a lunch with Harry in Kingston.
The prince, third-in-line to the British and Jamaican thrones, is touring Caribbean realms to mark Queen Elizabeth II’s diamond jubilee year.
Jamaica achieved its independence from Britain in 1962 but retained the monarchy, meaning Queen Elizabeth is the island’s head of state and Queen of Jamaica in her own right.
“We came on a long journey from slavery to adult suffrage to our independence and we are now a nation, I believe, our maturity is now saying that we should look to a form of government that would, at this time, take full charge of our destiny,” Simpson Miller said.
“It’s not about getting rid of the Queen. Who could get rid of the Queen?
“I admire the Queen; I am fond of her, she’s a wonderful lady — a beautiful lady.
“But in terms of our history, we have some things to do. It’s no disrespect at all to the Queen.”
In one of the quirks of Jamaica’s system, the London-based privy council remains the country’s highest court of appeal.
Simpson Miller took office in January pledging to begin this year the process of becoming a republic.
She said there were other Commonwealth states in the Caribbean which have become republics, “so I do not believe it should be taken in the context of us wanting to get rid of the Queen.”
She said that even if the monarch was replaced by a president, Queen Elizabeth would be welcome to visit Jamaica “at any time” and would be received “no less than we have received her in the past”.
She has visited Jamaica six times during her 60-year reign.
Harry’s meeting with Simpson Miller is likely to be the most diplomatically tricky part of his first solo overseas tour, being conducted to mark the Queen’s diamond jubilee.
Prince Harry in the Bahamas ahead of his visit to Jamaica (AFP/Getty Images, Chris Jackson)
The 27-year-old army attack helicopter pilot visited Belize and the Bahamas on his grandmother’s behalf before arriving in Jamaica on Monday.
On behalf of the British government, he will start a three-day visit to Brazil on Friday.
Copyright © 2012 AFP. All rights reserved.
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