Afghans sentenced in Canada �honour killings�

KINGSTON, Canada: An Afghan immigrant couple and their son were found guilty in a Canadian court Sunday of first degree murder in the 2009 “honour killing” deaths of four female family members, and sentenced to 25 years in prison.

The jury in Kingston, Ontario, deliberated for two days before pronouncing a guilty sentence against Mohammad Shafia, 58, his 42-year-old wife Tooba Muhammad Yahya and their 21-year-old son Hamed.

Judge Robert Maranger called the crimes “heinous” and “twisted” as he sentenced the accused to 25 years in prison, and said the evidence clearly supported the charges. The three defendants were found guilty to the deaths of the couple’s three daughters and Shafia’s first wife in his polygamous marriage after a four-month-long trial that heard dozens of witnesses testify.

The bodies of the victims — Zainab Shafia, 19; Sahar Shafia, 17; Geeti Shafia, 13; and Rona Amir Mohammad, 50 — were found in a car submerged in a canal lock near Kingston, Ontario in June 2009.

Prosecutor Laurie Lacelle told the court during the trial that the deaths were “honour killings” committed to remove the perceived shame the women had brought on their family. Court testimony told of an abusive home gripped by fear and where the victims receive frequent death threats, in part over the fact that the two eldest daughters had boyfriends without their father’s approval.

Shafia and his family had come to Canada in 2007, after living in Australia, Pakistan and Dubai over the previous 15 years. On the morning of the deaths, a car was discovered underwater at the upper lock at Kingston Mills with the four bodies inside. A post-mortem examination indicated they died of drowning.

Canada has seen 13 such killings — which are usually seen in countries in the Middle East and South Asia — since 2002, according to Amin Muhammad, a psychiatry professor at Memorial University in Saint John’s, Newfoundland.

Primerica to Host Over 5,000 Representatives in Large Corporate Event in Toronto Marks the 2012 “Kickoff” of its 26th Year in Canada

TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Primerica, the largest independent financial services marketing company in Canada with more than 9,500 licensed representatives, announced that on Saturday, January 7, 2012, it will host some 5,000 of its current and prospective independent representatives at the Metro Toronto Convention Center. The event will be among the largest corporate meetings of the year in Toronto. This meeting will be the first of 6 events across Canada, kicking off 2012 with important business announcements and motivational speakers from within the company. In total, it is anticipated that more than 10,000 representatives and new recruits will attend these meetings which will span 6 cities and provinces. In addition to Toronto, the other Kickoff meetings will be held in Vancouver, Edmonton, Montreal, Halifax and Winnipeg, respectively.

Glenn Williams, President of Primerica, Inc., which includes all North American operations, said, “The Company’s 1986 expansion to help families in Canada get on track toward financial independence has been enormously successful. Today, Primerica Life of Canada has over $90 billion of life insurance protection in force, ranking us as the seventh largest life insurance company of in force business in Canada. We also feature the largest mutual fund licensed sales force in the country with 5,300 reps. As a result, we administer more than $7.5 billion of client investments, and more than 380,000 clients maintain investment accounts through PFSL, our Canadian Broker/Dealer.”

“Primerica is proud to stand resolute in our conviction that Main Street families, today, more than ever, need our help with their family finances. Twenty–five years ago, we brought our crusade to help Main Street families to get the life insurance coverage they need and teach them how to save and invest for their futures. One of the main goals of our Kickoff Meetings is to help even more families by building distribution in Canada by providing a great entrepreneurial business opportunity as a Primerica representative,” said John A. Addison, Jr., Chairman of Primerica Distribution and Co-CEO of Primerica.

About Primerica Canada

Primerica, headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario where it has some 200 employees, is the largest life insurance and mutual fund distribution force in Canada with approximately 9,500 and 5,300 licensed representatives, respectfully. The company and its representatives offer clients term life insurance, mutual funds, variable annuities, segregated funds and other financial products. Primerica’s mission is to serve Main Street families by helping them make informed financial decisions and providing them with the strategies and means to gain financial independence. Additional information about the company can be accessed through www.primericacanada.ca

About Primerica, Inc.

Primerica, Inc., headquartered in Duluth, GA, is a leading distributor of financial products to middle-income families in North America. Primerica representatives educate their Main Street clients about how to better prepare for a more secure financial future by assessing their needs and providing appropriate solutions through term life insurance protection, investment and savings, and other financial products. In addition, Primerica provides an entrepreneurial full or part-time business opportunity for individuals seeking to earn income by distributing its financial products. Primerica insures more than 4.3 million lives and approximately 2 million clients maintain investment accounts with the company. Primerica is a member of the Russell 2000 stock index and is traded on The New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “PRI”.

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KGHM says Canada, U.S. don't object to Quadra buy

WARSAW | Wed Jan 4, 2012 10:16am EST

The closure of the transaction will depend on other conditions set in the agreement, KGHM said in a statement.

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