The Bahamas is marking its 40th year of independence with a series of events, including an exhibition match between Tottenham Hotspur and the Jamaican national team on 23 May.

Tickets for the game taking place at the Thomas A Robinson Stadium in Nassau are available online. Other festivities forming part of the celebration – including concerts, regattas and sporting events – will be detailed on a new website launching later this week.

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Co-chair of the 40th Independence Anniversary Committee Charles Charter (left) announced the Calendar of Events in Commemoration of the 40th Anniversary at a press conference at the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture April 8, 2013. (BIS photo/Kristaan Ingraham)

The 40th Anniversary of Independence Celebrations Committee launched the calendar of events in commemoration of the 40th anniversary at a press conference at the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture April 8, 2013.

Co-chair of the 40th Independence Anniversary Committee Charles Charter said the calendar of events include an extensive variety of celebratory activities from homecomings, regattas, annual festivals, concerts, sporting events and official state ceremonies.
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Nassau Airport Development Co has announced the addition of two directors and two managers to its overall leadership team.

Former financial controller, Paula Rigby, has been promoted to director of finance at the airport management company, which operates the Lynden Pindling International Airport in Nassau.

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ATLANTA, April 11, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — Cummins Power South today announced plans for expansion in the Caribbean as the official Cummins Power Generation distributor for the Bahamas and Turks & Caicos. Through a network of dealer and distributor locations in Florida, Georgia, Chattanooga, TN and parts of the Caribbean, Cummins Power South provides sales and service expertise for Cummins diesel engines, power generation products and Cummins Genuine Parts throughout its territory.

While the company has maintained a presence within the Caribbean through local dealers who specialize in the sales and service of Cummins marine engines and generators, the company plans to grow its power generation business over the next year by providing dedicated support for Cummins commercial and residential generators. David Hagewood, Vice President of Power Generation Sales and Marketing stated, “We are pleased to have the opportunity to serve the generator needs of the Bahamas and Turk & Caicos Islands. We look forward to partnering with local businesses to provide world class support of Cummins Power Generation products and providing the exceptional customer service for which Cummins is well known.”

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The Minister for Grand Bahama Michael Darville led a delegation of Grand Bahama based business executives on a trade mission to Sao Paulo, Brazil, last week.

Comprising the delegation were the executives of the Grand Bahama Port Authority (GBPA) group of companies lead by chairman Ian Fair and GBPA vice president Henry St George; executives of Hutchinson Port Holdings; the Grand Bahama Shipyard; and V-Trade.

While in Sao Paulo, the group visited the Transamerica Expo Center for the Intermodal South America expo, the second largest international exhibition for the logistics, cargo transport and international trade sectors.

Both Minister Darville and Fair gave country specific presentations at an early morning conference held April 3 at the expo.

The expo attracts more than 45,000 visitors–65 per cent of which are cargo shippers in search of new solutions, best practices and networking with the big players in the Brazilian and international markets.

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Addressing a regional symposium on US Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA), Prime Minister Perry Christie praised the financial services industry for its role in the country’s economic development, and said that the sector will soon be adding new offerings, such as arbitration and yacht and airplane registries.

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Representatives from the US Treasury and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) are seeking to reassure the financial sector ahead of the implementation of the US Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA), which is due to come into full force next year.

At a regional FATCA conference held in Nassau yesterday, Danielle Rolfes (pictured, left), International Tax Counsel with the US Treasury, told members of the Bahamas’ financial community that the new legislation was the result of extensive consulation with the private sector and had been drafted to minimize the administrative burden where possible.

“We are keenly aware that FATCA imposes new requirements on financial institutions [and] we have had ongoing dialogue with the financial community,” she said. “We think we have gotten FATCA to a place where it can be implemented without being overly burdensome. Wherever possible, we have tried to build on existing practices.”

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Pictured: (left) A photograph taken by a member of Expedition 34, aboard the International Space Station. Click on the photo to enlarge.

Back in November, the astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) began Expedition 34, and entered into the 13th year of its continuous human habitation. Some of the research goals for Expedition 34 included investigations into the human cardiovascular system in microgravity, the gravity-sensing systems of fish, and the impact of changes in the sun’s electromagnetic radiation on Earth’s climate. The crew of six astronauts from the United States, Russia, and Canada also took hundreds of photographs of life aboard the ISS and the spectacular views from orbit.

This is an excerpt from The Atlantic Magazine (online) as it appeared on April 10, 2013. For updates or to read the current version of this post in its entirety, please click here.

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The Ministry of Financial Services is continuing to prepare the Bahamas’ financial services sector for the implementation of the US Foreign Accounting Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) with a two-day conference being held in Nassau April 9-10.

Representatives from both the US Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) are attending the event being held at the British Colonial Hilton in Nassau.

The Complying With FATCA conference is organized by the Ministry in collaboration with the Bahamas Assocation of Compliance Officers (BACO) and has attracted financial professionals from across the Caribbean.

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