St Lucia, Royal Caribbean ink port deal
The St Lucia government Tuesday signed a multimillion-dollar agreement with the United States-based Royal Caribbean International to develop Port Castries into a cruise-ship destination in the southern Caribbean.
The Saint Lucia Air and Sea Port Authority chairman Isaac Anthony said that the US$25-million plan for Port Castries is part of a wider redevelopment project for the capital, Castries, to transform it into a modern and attractive city, which the government is beginning to roll out.
The project may span 10-15 years, Anthony said.
"To those behind the plan for Port Castries, the change is to be done in phases and would involve most of the Castries waterfront. The redevelopment of this prime piece of real estate will include a vendors' craft market, a waterfront pedestrian zone, a new ferry terminal complete with shops, restaurant and car park," said Anthony, who is also the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Finance.
He said the plan will be implemented in a manner that did not require any financial outlay by the government.
"I was encouraged by the IMF's (International Monetray Fund) recently concluded Article 1V consultation on St Lucia that it had endorsed the government's decision to pursue public-private partnership as a strategy for creating and promoting growth while keeping the national debt within manageable limits," Anthony said.
- CMC
Long Service Employees Recognised at FortisTCI’s Awards Ceremony
On Wednesday, November 09, 2011, FortisTCI honoured fifty-six of its employees with Long Service Awards at the Company’s Staff Appreciation and Recognition Dinner.
Human Resources Ms. Judy Missick, who gave the opening remarks at the event, reminded staff that their continued commitment to FortisTCI, and
the execution of their daily tasks, give form and shape to the vision and mission of the Company. Ms. Missick also reminded the employees that the
high level of service, which is extended to customers, is dependent to a great extent on the performance of each member of the team, whether
employed for one year or thirty years.
Employees serving five or more years with FortisTCI were honoured for reaching these milestones during the Ceremony, with Japhus Rigby receiving
a standing ovation for his 30 years with the Company. Representatives from the T&D department also made a heartfelt tribute to Juancita Ewing, who
has been with the Company for 28 years but is currently on sick leave.
Guest speaker Mr. Stanley Marshall, Fortis Inc’s President and CEO, expressed his gratitude stating, “We are here tonight to recognise outstanding achievements and years of dedication and commitment.
Fortis Inc made a promise to staff five years ago when we took over ownership of the Company. We promised to provide you with infrastructural developments,
which would enable you to carry out your daily tasks more effectively. We promised to provide you with the support needed to enhance your workforce,
thus creating a Company with human resources necessary to extend reliable and excellent service to all customers. We have employees here this
evening who have served for more than 25 years and that tells me they have faith in the Company and have claimed “ownership” of FortisTCI. I would
like tonight to therefore congratulate all staff members for demonstrating the same faith in the Company that we demonstrated five year ago.”
The evening’s proceedings also saw recipients of FortisTCI’s Customer Service Training programme, being presented with certificates from
facilitator Bridgette Thomas of BNC Consulting Group. Guests were also entertained by the sweet sounds of saxophonist Janardo Laporte and soloist
Nicole Cox and received a surprise guest appearance by the Company’s mascot Electro Gecko.
Study suggests homicides dropping in Haiti capital
Haiti's capital has seen a significant drop in homicide rates in recent years despite a public perception that the poor Caribbean country is rife with crime and violence, two social scientists said yesterday.
In addition, most Haitians view the national police force favourably and see no need to bring back the disbanded army, according to the preliminary findings of a study shared with The Associated Press.
The findings contradict a widespread view that the Haitian National Police force is unpopular and people have felt under siege from violent crime both before and after the devastating earthquake nearly two years ago.
International development experts Robert Muggah and Athena Kolbe collected their data from four separate household surveys done from 2005 through last month with the help of Haitian researchers. Two of the surveys each included 1,000 people who moved into the settlement camps that sprang up after the January 2010 quake.
The experts say their study, supported Canada's International Development Research Centre, indicates Haiti has seen a sharp drop in homicide rates in recent years, based on trends seen in the interviews. Homicides in three densely populated neighbourhoods in Port-au-Prince dropped from 19 per 100,000 people in 2004, when former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide was ousted, to three per 100,000 in 2009, their report says.
"We found that the security situation wasn't as lawless as portrayed in Haiti," said Robert Muggah, a fellow of international relations at the Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil.
Kolbe, a doctoral candidate in social work and political science at University of Michigan, said the decline in reported homicides coincided with a trend that Haitian police are being used less as a political tool.
The findings echo global crime trends.
Haiti does not feature among the top 58 most violent countries classified by the recently released Geneva Declaration on Armed Violence and Development, which sponsors studies on crime trends worldwide. Haiti is also an outlier in the Western Hemisphere. Jamaica, ranked third the most violent country in the world, had an average annual homicide rate of 60 per 100,000 from 2004 to 2009. Honduras had 50 per 100,000.
Source: jamaicaobserver
Kardashian boycott
An online petition was started to ask E! to boycott the Kardashian television programs in the wake of the Kim Kardashian-Kris Humphries divorce after just over 70 days of marriage.
Petition organizer Cyndy Snider says in a statement to Yahoo, "In a grass roots effort, we have collected [thousands of] signatures for a petition asking E! Entertainment to remove the Kardashian suite of shows from their programming. We feel that these shows are mostly staged and place an emphasis on vanity, greed, promiscuity, vulgarity and over-the-top conspicuous consumption."
The petition is called "No More Kardashian" and as of 8:15 a.m. ET on Thursday, Nov. 17, it is up to almost 107,000 signatures. The Facebook page supporting the petition is up to 113,000+ Likes.
Meanwhile: Filmmaker Tyler Perry is defending his controversial decision to cast reality television star Kim Kardashian in an upcoming film about marriage.
Perry announced that Kardashian will have a role in "The Marriage Counselor" shortly before she ended her 72-day marriage to NBA player Kris Humphries, creating a buzz on social media sites.
Perry says he wanted a younger cast, which Kardashian rounds out, to help attract younger viewers. In a statement on his website, Perry says he thinks "it would be a very responsible of her to be a part of this film" and good for young people who see her as a role model to "see her in a film that is about what happens in life when you make the wrong choices."
Perry asked for his fans' understanding.
Source-Yahoo/AP
Record matchplay loss for Woods
Tiger Woods suffered the biggest matchplay defeat of his career as Adam Scott and KJ Choi hammered him and Steve Stricker 7&6 in the Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne.
The defeat equalled the biggest-ever losing margin at the tournament.
It was the first time Woods had faced his former caddie Steve Williams, who apologised for words he admitted could be "construed as racist" this month.
Despite the loss, the United States lead 4-2 after day one of the event.
Woods and Williams, who split in June, shook hands on the first tee.
The former world number one failed to register a single birdie in the foursomes.
"They got off to a quick start, and we just couldn't keep up," said Woods.
"We kept falling to the wrong side of these slopes. The golf course is so difficult, it's hard to make up shots."
Only one other match has finished in 12 holes since the Presidents Cup began in 1994 - South Africa's David Frost beat American Kenny Perry by the same score in 1996.
Woods and Stricker won all four of their matches in United States' win at Harding Park two years ago. But they only hit four fairways and six greens on Thursday.
However, that would prove the only win of the day for the Internationals.
The Americans' opening pair of Bubba Watson and Webb Simpson put the first point of the day on the board for Fred Couples' men as they beat South African veteran Ernie Els and Japan's Ryo Ishikawa 6&4.
Dustin Johnson and Matt Kuchar rallied from three down with six holes to play and won the last two holes with pars to earn an unlikely halve against Aaron Baddeley and Jason Day.
Phil Mickelson and Jim Furyk won 4&3 over Retief Goosen and Robert Allenby.
Geoff Ogilvy and Masters champion Charl Schwartzel lost a late two-hole lead and had to settle for a halve against Bill Haas and Nick Watney.
Hunter Mahan and David Toms had little difficulty in putting away the Korean duo of KT Kim and YE Yang, winning 6&5.
Source-BBC
BA and Virgin face fine by Nigeria's aviation authority
Nigeria's civil aviation authority has fined British Airways and Virgin Atlantic in a row over ticket prices.
Nigeria's authorities have argued that BA and Virgin Atlantic charged more for routes to Nigeria than to neighbouring Ghana, and that they colluded over fares.
Harold Demuren, head of the authority said that BA would be fined $135m (£85m) and Virgin Atlantic fined $100m.
Both BA and Virgin Atlantic have denied the allegations.
Heathrow row
In a statement, Nigeria's aviation authority said: "BA and VAA did in fact collude, and in furtherance of that collusion periodically increased (passenger fuel surcharges), including against Nigerians."
However, British Airways told the BBC: "We reject the allegations made by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority and we are vigorously defending our position."
In a statement, Virgin Atlantic said: "We have fully assisted the NCAA with its enquiry and we do not believe we have breached Nigerian law. We will be robustly defending any suggestion to the contrary."
The fines come in the wake of a dispute over landing slots at Heathrow.
BA and Virgin share 21 return flights a week from Britain to Nigeria according to an agreement between the two countries called the Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA).
Nigerian airlines are also allowed 21 flights as part of the agreement, but Arik Air, the country's only carrier, has had its landing slots at Heathrow cut recently.
Two weeks ago the Nigerian Aviation Ministry threatened to cut BA flights to the country in retaliation.
The situation was apparently resolved in last-minute talks.
"BA flights will continue seven times a week to Lagos until the end of December," said Joel Obi, a Nigerian aviation ministry press officer on Wednesday.
Occupy Wall Street: Arrests at New York two-month rally
Dozens of people have been arrested in New York as hundreds of Occupy Wall Street protesters attempted to march on the New York Stock Exchange.
At a rally to mark two months of protest, police blocked streets and protesters massed at junctions on the edge of the city's financial district.
Scuffles broke out, with police dragging some protesters away.
Protests are planned for cities across the US, two days after police cleared a camp in Zuccotti Park, New York.
In New York, city officials said they expected the number of demonstrators could reach the tens of thousands.
A heavy police presence could be seen around the streets near the stock exchange, with community affairs officers and riot police on duty.
'Bad guys'
"You do not have a parade permit! You are blocking the street!" a police officer told protesters through a bullhorn.
A collection of protesters were arrested after they sat down in an intersection, while others were arrested as they tried to get closer to the stock exchange.
"All day, all week, shut down Wall Street!" the crowd chanted.
Police erected a barricade at the entrance to Wall Street, and only people with employee identification were being allowed past the barricade.
Gene Williams, a bond trader, joked to the Associated Press that he was "one of the bad guys" but said he empathised with the demonstrators.
"They have a point in a lot of ways," he said. "The fact of the matter is, there is a schism between the rich and the poor and it's getting wider."
Mike Tupea, a taxi driver and Romanian immigrant, had been stuck amid the traffic and protesters for 40 minutes.
"I have to make a living. I pay $100 for 12 hours for this cab. I am losing money every minute,'" he told Reuters. "I have all my sympathies for this movement but let me do my living, let working people make a living."
Thursday's event was planned before a police raid earlier this week on the New York Occupy camp.
'Direct action'
As well as the rally, organiser called for demonstrations in 16 New York subway stations at 15:00 (20:00 GMT), and a march from City Hall to the Brooklyn Bridge two hours later - although police have said this will not be allowed.
New York Deputy Mayor Howard Wolfson told reporters the authorities were braced for large crowds of protesters to congest subways and bridges.
"We take it seriously. Our forces will be deployed accordingly."
After Tuesday's surprise pre-dawn raid, police allowed demonstrators to return but banned them from setting up camp again. Numbers dwindled to less than two dozen overnight.
Some of the 200 protesters detained during the eviction appeared in court on Wednesday.
"This movement is really not about tents as much as it is about an idea and we're keeping the idea through a number of direct action things planned [for Thursday]," protest spokesman Ed Needham was quoted as saying by Reuters.
Wal-Mart unveils Black Friday circular
They may as well call it Black Thursday. Joining a slew of other national retailers, Wal-Mart said it too will open its doors nationwide on Thanksgiving night.
Not to be one upped by Target (TGT, Fortune 500), which recently announced it would open at midnight on Black Friday, Wal-Mart (WMT, Fortune 500) said it will kick off its Black Friday deals at 10 p.m. on Thursday.
"Our customers told us they would rather stay up late to shop than get up early, so we're going to hold special events on Thanksgiving and Black Friday," Duncan Mac Naughton, Wal-Mart's chief merchandising officer, U.S., said in a statement.
Starting at 10 p.m., Wal-Mart is offering doorbuster deals on toys, clothes and home accessories like $5 Barbie's, jeans for less than $10, children's pajamas sets for $4.47 and a Black & Decker Coffeemaker for $9.44.
Then at midnight, the retailer said it will begin discounting electronics as well. Deals include a Samsung 51-inch plasma TV for $498, a Kodak 14 megapixel camera for $49 and a Magellan GPS for $69.
Another round of discounting will start at 8 a.m. and continue throughout the weekend, Wal-Mart said. Among those deals will be Goodyear tires starting at $59, a Vizio 42-inch 3D LED Wi-Fi HDTV for $598 and a selection of DVDs for $12.96 each.
Black Friday predictions: What should you buy?
This is the earliest look at the retailer's highly anticipated doorbuster deals, which are not usually released until the week of Thanksgiving. Last week, the retailer said it would give customers who sign up at Walmart.com or Facebook.com/Walmart an even earlier preview of its Black Friday sales.
For hard-core deal hunters, the retailer is also offering a downloadable map for all of its stores on its Facebook page so they can map out their route before they start shopping.
As the holiday season gets underway, retailers will have to work harder to motivate shoppers -- even on one of the biggest shopping days of the year, said Tom Julian, president of Tom Julian Group, a retail consultancy in New York.
"I expect there will be more Thanksgiving openings from other groups as a result," he said. "It's a marketing maneuver for those that really want to own Thanksgiving to Black Friday."
Best Buy (BBY, Fortune 500), Macy's (M, Fortune 500) and Kohl's (KSS, Fortune 500) have already announced openings at midnight.
But getting shoppers in the mood to spend has been particularly difficult for retailers as Americans feel increasingly protective of their discretionary dollars.
Last year, Black Friday sales totaled $11.8 billion, according to a report by research firm IBISWorld. This year, sales are expected to increase by only 1.2% to just under $12 billion.
Wal-Mart has also announced a number of additional shopping incentives in recent weeks, including price matching from now until Dec. 15, layaway on purchases over $15, free shipping on most Walmart.com products, no interest on Wal-Mart credit card purchases if they are paid for in full within six months and a 10-cent discount on each gallon of gas bought at participating Murphy USA or Wal-Mart stations.
CNNMONEY
New producers for Jamaica Jazz and Blues
The Art of Music Productions (AMP) is the new company that will produce the Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival 2012.
Making the announcement at the launch of the event yesterday at the Iberostar Suites in Montego Bay, AMP's CEO, Stephen Dear, said TurnKey Productions, under whom the event has been produced for the last 16 years, have been relinquished.
Walter Elmore remains chairman and executive producer of the festival, but has added a fresh team from the business community that includes marketer Oliver Mair and accountant Winsome Minott. Financial guru Leo Williams complements an older group of directors which includes artiste management agent Jerome Hamilton, hotelier Carol Bourke and engineer Martin Elmore.
"We are providing a renewed platform for the new company to carry out the exciting projected plans. AMP will capitalise on the growing entertainment market across the world through the production and promotion of high-quality entertainment," Stephen Dear told the gathering.
Future revenue streams for the AMP will include large-scale music festivals; ticketing/box-office services; talent booking and artiste management; theatrical productions; equipment rentals and multimedia services.
Name change
"Turnkey was quite a popular name worldwide and, therefore, difficult to do international business, and so the name-change process started five years ago," revealed Dear.
With AMP's first major event being Jamaica Jazz and Blues 2012, the group announced a mega line-up of artistes who will perform come January 26, closing with headline act Celine Dion on the 28th.
"Bringing an act the magnitude of a Celine Dion is something I have dreamt of since the day I started the Jazz festival 16 years ago," Walter Elmore admitted, adding that he never thought he would be able to do it. With admiration, the AMP chairman spoke of the multi-million-dollar album seller, Dion, "A factor in the entertainment, when you see a Celine Dion performance, it is etched in your mind," he asserted.
"We wanted a name that was versatile and spoke to the product we currently offer," he concluded.
Dion, who really does not share the limelight with other artistes because of her reputation, will play alongside Kelly Rowland, Jamaican-Canadian Jully Black and jazz great Nicole Henry, an amazing performer who graced the stage in 2004.
In celebration of Jamaica's 50th year of Independence, AMP has announced a stellar mix of musicians who will showcase the evolution of the country's music. They include Toots Hibbert, Marcia Griffiths, Yellow Man, Shaggy, John Holt and Half Pint.
Celebrating its 17th year in 2012, Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival will operate with one of the largest budgets ever, said the new CEO.
He estimates that the event will cost approximately US$3 million this year.
Again this year, the event has attracted sponsors such as The Gleaner, RIU Resorts, Iberostar, Jewel Dunn's River, Sunset Beach Resort and Spa and the Jamaica Tourist Board.
Eddie Murphy quits Oscars after Brett Ratner exit
Actor and comedian Eddie Murphy has resigned as host of the 2012 Oscar ceremony, due to be held in February.
His decision comes a day after the resignation of producer Brett Ratner, a friend of Murphy, who used a derogatory term in public.
Mr Ratner used the word "fags" during a question and answer session on his latest film Tower Heist.
Mr Ratner recruited Murphy to be the Oscars' next host when he was hired as producer of the 2012 awards ceremony.
The Rush Hour director has been replaced by Brian Grazer, the Oscar-winning producer of A Beautiful Mind - and frequent producing partner of director Ron Howard.
"Brian Grazer is a renowned filmmaker who over the past 25 years has produced a diverse and extraordinary body of work," said Academy President Tom Sherak.
"He will certainly bring his tremendous talent, creativity and relationships to the Oscars.'
No replacement has been announced for Murphy.
Ratings push
Correspondents say the comedian's resignation could be a setback for the Academy Awards.
The ceremony has seen declining TV ratings in recent years and is battling the rise of newer awards ceremonies, which appeal to younger audiences.
Choosing Murphy to host for the 2012 ceremony marked a return to the traditional, well-tried formula of a comedian host - one very successful ceremony was hosted by Bob Hope, Johnny Carson and Billy Crystal.
Oscar officials and Eddie Murphy himself insisted the split was not an acrimonious one.
"I appreciate how Eddie feels about losing his creative partner, Brett Ratner, and we all wish him well," Sherak said of Murphy's decision to step down.
Murphy said: "I was truly looking forward to being a part of the show that our production team and writers were just starting to develop, but I'm sure that the new production team and host will do an equally great job."
An online campaign to replace Murphy with the Muppets was initiated on Wednesday.
-BBC