DIGICEL PLAY ANNOUNCES NEW CONTENT LICENCING AGREEMENT WITH CBS STUDIOS INTERNATIONAL
Digicel Play today announced a new content licensing agreement with CBS Studios International (CBS) to bring even more riveting content to Digicel Play subscribers across the region.
Digicel Play customers will enjoy an even more memorable viewing experience with content from the home of Emmy award-winning talk show “Dr. Phil”, the popular “The Late Show with Steven Colbert” and the most successful television broadcast in history, 60 Minutes.
Other daily programming available to Digicel Play subscribers will include “48 Hours”, “America’s Next Top Model”, “Hot Bench”, “The Doctors”, “Entertainment Tonight”, “CBS Face the Nation”, “The Late Late Show with James Corden”, “Judge Judy”, “Inside Edition”, “The Insider”, “Jeopardy”, “The Rachael Ray Show”, “Survivor”, “The Talk” and “Wheel of Fortune” – and for sports lovers, both the “SEC regular season basketball” and “NCAA regular season football” which had a viewership of over 120 million per week last season.
The agreement with CBS Studios International also provides captivating content exclusive to Digicel Play for all ages to enjoy. Drama-lovers will be hooked on “Blue Bloods”, “The Game”, “The Good Wife”, “Hawaii Five-0”, “Matlock”, “Survivor” and “Touched by an Angel”, while children will glued to the pizza-loving crime-fighting foursome “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”.
Digicel Play is a new frontier in home entertainment, giving customers the power to have their entertainment access and access to the internet the way they want it. Digicel Play is jam-packed with cool features, making it the most attractive home entertainment experience around as it turns homes into the ultimate entertainment zones and delivers TV, superfast broadband and telephony, coupled with the best channel and content line-up and the best viewing experience.
Digicel Play CEO Caribbean and Central America, John Suranyi, said; “CBS International Studios offers some of the most exciting content around with a wide range of different genres including kids, drama and exclusive rights to college sports. It truly is an exciting time for our customers and there’s more to come over the next few weeks and months.”
Barry Chamberlain, President of Sales, CBS Studios International, said; “We are thrilled to be working with Digicel Play to bring CBS’s world class content to the Caribbean region.”
Turks and Caicos Promotes Diversity of Attractions at World Travel Market
Brazil is becoming an increasingly important tourism source market for the Turks and Caicos Islands. For these reasons, a delegation from the Turks and Caicos attended the World Travel Market – Latin America (WTM-LA) with executives from the Tourism Board, including the Honorable Porsha Stubbs-Smith, Minister of Tourism, Environment, Culture and Heritage; Ralph Higgs, Director of the Tourism Board; Gardè Alleyne, Personal Assistant to the Minister; Don Gardiner, Chairman of the Tourism Board and Wayne Garland, Member of the Tourism Board.
For about more than a year, Net Hospitality has been representing the destination in the Brazilian market. Since then, the destination has had an increase in the volume of Brazilian tourists and Brazil went from being the ninth to the fourth largest tourism source market for the Turks and Caicos, just behind the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.
In meeting tour operators and media professionals at WTM-LA, the Honorable Porsha Stubbs-Smith stressed that Brazil is a major source of business for the destination. "Brazil became the fourth most important source market for Turks and Caicos. We hope that with our presence and networking at WTM-LA we will foster new relationships and continue to see growth not only from Brazil but also from other Latin American countries," said Smith.
According to Ralph Higgs, Director of the Tourism Board, the biggest challenge at the moment is to show that the destination is much more than honeymoons and weddings. "We are a very plural destination. We have one of the largest coral reefs in the world and a strong emphasis on water sports and diving. Another important attraction is the observation of whales and dolphins, which takes place between January and March." Higgs also mentioned that the destination has several food festivals during the month of November.
"Our beaches, the main attraction sought by Brazilians, are gaining more popularity with Grace Bay Beach recent recognition as the best beach in the world by TripAdvisor," said Higgs. "Exclusivity is another advantage. We have 40 islands and cays, of which only 20% are inhabited," he concludes.
In order to promote the attractions, the Turks and Caicos tourism team envisions actions with the largest tour operators and trainings for major travel agencies of São Paulo, Belo Horizonte, Curitiba, Brasilia and Porto Alegre. "We will hold more than 40 trainings, including online sessions via Skype. In 2015 we made over 30 big trainings at the capitals cities around the country," concluded Mauricio Vianna of Net Hospitality.
11th TURKS AND CAICOS POST CABINET MEETING STATEMENT
Her Excellency the Acting Governor, Anya Williams, chaired the 11th meeting of the Cabinet on Wednesday, 30 March 2016, at the Hon. Hilly Ewing Building on Providenciales.
All Ministers were present except the Hon. Minister of Tourism, Environment, Heritage and Culture and the Hon. Minister of Infrastructure, Housing and Planning.
At this meeting Cabinet:
· Noted the recommendations of the Procurement Board on the award of contracts for the following projects in line with the provisions of Section 38 of the Public Procurement Ordinance:
Development Fund Project No. 5238 – Equipment for the police;
Development Fund Project No. 5116 – Purchase of software for information management at all schools;
Development Fund Project No. 5046 – ICT upgrade for all schools;
Development Fund Project No. 5235 – Antennae for Radio Turks and Caicos;
Development Fund Project No. 5236 – Shore Club/Long Bay Subdivision Water Project;
· Noted the recommendations of the Procurement Board to award contracts in line with the Public Procurement Ordinance 2012 as follows – TR15/14 Replacement vehicle for the Deputy Governor’s Office; TR15/24 Medical supplies and equipment for the National Stepwise Health Survey; TR15/42 Furniture and equipment for the Wellness Centre, Grand Turk; TR15/48 Packing centre, Agriculture Centre (North Caicos); TR15/50 Furniture and equipment for the Juvenile Centre, Grand Turk; TR15/58 Road Development Programme, Bellfield Landing Road, North Caicos; TR15/61 Additional works, Community Clinic, Salt Cay; TR15/62 Furniture and equipment for the Sammy Been Building, Providenciales; TR15/67 Upgrading air-conditioning at the NJS Francis Building, Grand Turk; TR15/69 Furniture and equipment for the Ministry of Tourism, Environment, Culture and Heritage; TR15/72 Renovation works to the Police Station, Grand Turk; TR15/73 Fencing project, North Caicos Port; TR15/76 Rapid assessment of informal settlements in TCI; TR15/77 IT equipment and network installation for the RTCIPF; TR15/78 Furniture and equipment for the Ministry of Finance, Investment and Trade; TR15/83 Consultancy review of the Providenciales Airport Master Plan; TR15/74 Construction of the Early Childhood Centre, Ona Glinton Primary School, Grand Turk;
· Agreed a temporary moratorium of up to four weeks on the receipt of new applications for the processing of work permits (excluding temporary work permits), residence permits, permanent residency and Turks and Caicos Islander status to enable Ministry of Border Control and Employment staff to be trained on and the general public to familiarise themselves with the new forms, processes and procedures which are necessary to implement the requirements of the new Immigration Ordinance and the new Turks and Caicos Islander Status Ordinance, both of which come into force on 1 April 2016, so as to provide an improved and more efficient service to customers;
· Advised Her Excellency the Acting Governor to approve a proposal to amend Section 68 of the Customs Ordinance 2009 (Duties, Drawback, Prohibitions and Restrictions) (the Ordinance) to allow reassessments of customs duty to be conducted as part of the post customs clearance process;
· Received a progress report on the work of the TCI Multi-Agency Compliance Task Force in the areas of prevention and clearance of litter; ensuring that all businesses have the required business licences; ensuring that food handlers are licensed and comply with conditions; ensuring that derelict vehicles are removed from both roadside and residential properties and preventing reoccurrences; prevention of squatting on Crown Land; and stopping and preventing unlicensed street vending. Cabinet agreed that the Task Force should henceforth operate under the auspices of the Joint Law Enforcement Committee (JLEC);
· Advised Her Excellency the Acting Governor to agree to the following appointments:
Prison Categorisation Board: George Blenman (Chair); Steve Barrett, Superintendent of Prison (Member); Lorna James (Member); Pamela Joseph (Member) to be appointed for the period 1 April 2016 – 31 March 2017.
Parole Board: Pastor Frederick Braithwaite (Chair); Steve Barrett, Superintendent of Prison; Elva Williams (Member); Carolyn Ingham (Member); Marie Carter Glasgow (Member) to be appointed for the period 1 April 2016 – 31 March 2017.
Prison Visiting Committee: Leo Missick (Chair); Jennifer Forbes (Member); Michael Robinson (Member); Belinda Lightbourne (Member); Mark Kendall (Member); Leo Selver (Member); Permanent Secretary; Director of Social Development; Superintendent of Prison; Karen Higgs (Member) to be appointed for the period 1 April 2016 – 31 March 2017.
Telecommunications Commission: Ejay Saunders (Chair); Arthur Hamilton (Member); Leron Ingham (Member); Pedro Ariza (Member); Marvin Simmons (Member); Diedra Been (Member); Permanent Secretary (Ex-Officio); Director General (Ex-Officio – Secretary) to be appointed for the period 1 April 2016 – 31 March 2018.
Radio Turks and Caicos Board of Governors: Ryan Williams (Chair); Stanley Astwood (Member); Jermaine Fulford (Member); Audley Astwood (Member); Allison Ingham (Member); Permanent Secretary; Bridgette Newman (Secretary) to be appointed for the period 1 April 2016 – 31 March 2017.
· Reviewed and discussed proposed changes to the draft Development Agreement between TCIG and the developers of the proposed Toscana development site at Grace Bay on Providenciales for further discussion with the developers.
Chinese Steel Tariffs Effect On UK Companies
The Government has played down the effect of the latest Chinese steel tariffs on UK firms amid growing fear of a damaging trade war with Beijing.
Ministers have been under pressure to act after the Chinese ministry of commerce announced on Friday that it was imposing levies of up to 46% on some types of specialist steels imported from the European Union, South Korea, and Japan.
The move deepened anger among trade unions and MPs following news that Tata Steel was to sell off its loss-making UK assets - largely due to the “dumping” of cheap Chinese steel on world markets - threatening the loss of up to 40,000 British jobs.
In a bid to cool the situation, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills insisted that Britain actually exported “very little” of grain-oriented flat-rolled steel covered by the new Chinese tariffs, the Press Association reports.
“Tata themselves have confirmed that they have not exported this type of steel to China in recent times from their UK operations,” a spokesman said.
However Gareth Stace, the director of the industry body UK Steel, warned that the knock-on effects of imposing the new levy on South Korea and Japan could still cause problems for British producers.
“That means that Japan and Korea don’t have that export market now so where will they ship their grain-oriented electrical steel?” he told Sky News.
“They might ship it here to the UK, to Europe, so therefore we might see the indirect effect being much more significant than the direct effect of this tit-for-tat trade war that we’re seeing from China.”
He called on the Government to step in with direct financial support for the industry in order to show potential buyers of Tata’s UK plants - including Port Talbot in South Wales - that the sector had a long-term future.
“We need reassurance that the Government is prepared to temporarily step in to support our sector financially, directly, and even push the boundaries of the very narrow and tight European state aid rules that the steel industry is governed by,” he said.
“The Government is looking for a buyer for Tata Steel. It needs to give the confidence to any of those buyers that the UK steel sector has a future.”
The calls for Government intervention were backed by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn who said workers at the threatened plants were facing an “appalling” situation.
Source-Huff Post
'WINDIES' ARE WORLD T20 CHAMPIONS
Proud Sponsors of West Indies cricket, Digicel, congratulates the men and women West Indies T20 cricket teams on becoming ICC Twenty20 World Cup Champions after defeating Australia and England by eight wickets and four wickets respectively.
The West Indies teams faced formidable opponents in the finals – England having an impressive win/loss rate for the tournament and Australia entering the competition as the defending champions. The players were determined to put on a good show for the fans and that they did as the teams rose to the occasion and posted fantastic scores and fielded well to bring home their tournament trophies. The partnership of women's captain, Stephanie Taylor and 18 year old, Hayley Matthews, saw them both making half centuries to reach a record 120-run and ending Australia's T20 world dominance by winning the tournament for the first time. After a less than stellar start to their chase of 155 runs set by England, Marlon Samuels and Carlos Brathwaite dug deep and found the win in the final overs with Samuels posting 85 runs while Brathwaite sent England home with a fantastic display of skill by smashing four sixes in a row – all in the final over.
Commenting on the teams' successes, Digicel Group Marketing Director, Peter Lloyd said; "Digicel and fans of West Indies cricket are delighted to see the teams continue to achieve success on the global stage as part of the ICC World Cricket T20 tournament. The 'Windies' teams fought hard and were rewarded with a well-deserved win against England and Australia – both formidable opponents. We wish all the West Indies teams continued success as we look to continue supporting them through our partnership with the West Indies Cricket Board."
Digicel brand Ambassadors from across the region gave their full support to both teams through videos which were posted on all of Digicel's Facebook pages. These included the World's fastest man, Usain Bolt, Olympic Gold medallist, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, and Trinidadian soca music superstars, Kes and Machel Montano.
West Indies cricket has been experiencing a run of success as the U19 team also were victorious in their World Cup clash against India earlier this year. Digicel has been a sponsor of West Indies Cricket since 2004 which is part of the company's overall strategy to help develop sporting talent across the region. Some of the members of the World Cup winning Under-19 team will celebrate their victory with revelers who will take part in Jamaica's Carnival road march.
WATER AND SEWERAGE CONSULTATION PLANNED
The Ministry of Infrastructure, Housing and Planning, commenced work leading to the drafting of a National Water and Sewerage Policy for the Turks and Caicos Islands and the modernization of the legislative and regulatory framework governing the sector.
A second round of consultation meetings has been scheduled, giving stakeholders the opportunity to contribute to this important undertaking.
The Energy and Utilities Department would like to invite the management of water and sewerage services and other stakeholders across the island of Providenciales, to a consultation meeting on Friday 8th of April, 2016 at 10:00 AM at the Department of Environment and Maritime Affairs, located on lower Bight Road, Providenciales.
The main objectives are to:
1. Ensure the long term availability and sustainability of water supply and the provision of safe water and sewerage services across the islands;
2. Implementation of measures that contribute to the preservation and sustainability of watercourses and coastal waters;
3. Improve the quality of life and the protection of public health and the environment through effective management , accountability and oversight of service providers;
4. Modernize the regulatory regime governing the water and sewerage sector across the TCI to improve compliance to established standards.
Stakeholders will be updated on the progress made thus far and will be allowed to make further contributions to the process, to ensure all of the concerns and issues are addressed before project finalization. The management of hotels and resorts with water processing and waste water processing facilities; as well as operators of water trucking services are strongly encouraged to have a representative attend this meeting.
DIGICEL PLAY JUMPS TO 20,000 SUBSCRIBER MILESTONE IN JAMAICA
Digicel Play has announced that its service has passed the 20,000 subscriber mark in Jamaica, less than sixty days after reaching 10,000 customers. To celebrate the occasion, the company traced its 20,000th customer, Rosalin Marshall, to Portmore and gave her a mind-blowing surprise.
Corporal Rosalin Marshall, a police officer for 17 years, thought she and her husband, Roger, were being taken to a secret location to participate in a focus group session. However, her eyes popped wide open when she saw Digicel Ambassador and the world’s fastest man – Usain Bolt - waiting to present her with a brand new 55-inch LG TV, three months of free service and goodie bags courtesy of Digicel Play.
“Did you see my eyes popping out of my head when I saw Usain? I’m upfront and personal with him, wow,” shrieked an overly excited Rosalin. “My Pastor told me a few weeks ago that God is going to give me a mind-blowing experience. My mind is blown today – this is really a surprise.”
Rosalin also had high praises for the Digicel Play service. “The internet is so fast, I can’t catch it,” she said. “Another thing that stands out is that I can record my favorite shows and use pause and rewind to watch the news because I usually get home late at night. Plus my husband is a sports fanatic, so now he gets to watch the Super Bowl on his tablet even if he can’t be in the living room where the TV is – the service is just great," she added.
“Digicel Play has seen record-breaking growth since we launched in Kingston,” said John Suranyi, Group CEO for Digicel Play, Caribbean and Central America. “This is a clear indicator that customers want a better home entertainment experience and that is exactly what we are delivering to Jamaican homes using the fastest fibre in the region to give customers access to world-class content at the touch of a button.”
Suranyi adds; “And even as we’re celebrating this milestone, we have thousands of customers in the process of being connected in Kingston and Portmore and I want to take this opportunity to apologise for not being able to connect them as quickly as they wish; our team is working around the clock to get everyone connected to our service as soon as possible.”
“Kudos to our employees and business partners who continue to be instrumental in sharing this product with customers, and their success is evident by the satisfaction our customers are expressing with the new options that Digicel Play provides.”
Digicel Play recently announced that it has secured exclusive content deals with major global network operators including BBC, NBCUniversal, CBS and Bravo to give its customers more choice and flexibility in their content viewing experience.
DIGICEL KICKSTART CLINIC DEVELOPING TALENT IN THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS
The second installment of the Digicel Kickstart Clinic got off to an exciting start in the Turks and Caicos lslands as the players were put through high intensity training sessions hosted by youth football coaches from Manchester City FC.
The players were eager to develop their talent as they stepped on to the field at the TCIFA National Academy in Providenciales, and that they did as they were put through their paces by the Manchester City coaching team, which is being led by Alan Dixon, Project Manager for City Football Schools back in Manchester.
Commenting on the overall performance of the boys, Alan said; “It was great to see the boys apply themselves in the practices and to see how motivated they were to improve in every session.”
The sessions being delivered focus on putting players in realistic game situations to challenge their decision-making abilities during the game. Alan added; “It was encouraging to see the boys embrace the practices and to watch their confidence grow as they performed. By the second day, we saw more of their creativity and personality come out and they were able to really express themselves on the pitch.”
At the end of the Clinic, three successful boys were selected by the coaches to represent the Turks and Caicos Islands at the Digicel Academy: 14 year old Junior Paul, 15 year old Patrick Alouidor and 16 year old Mackensen Cadet. Commenting on the selects, Alan said; “The boys performed at a high level both on and off the field, they did their best to take on every challenge presented to them by the coaches and possess the qualities we think will help them to represent the Turks and Caicos Islands well at the next stage of the Digicel Kickstart Academy.”
At last year’s Digicel Academy, the MCFC coaches selected players from the Caribbean to continue training with them for a week at their City Football Academy, Manchester City’s elite training and youth development facility in Manchester, England. While there, they got a unique opportunity to experience life as a professional footballer – learning the tactics and strategies employed by Manchester City FC first team players.
The Digicel Kickstart Clinic programme is a once in a lifetime opportunity for thousands of aspiring young footballers. Through the Kickstart Clinics, participants not only learn football skills and technical abilities, but also develop an ethos of professionalism and a good attitude – key attributes of successful people across all walks of life.
FortisTCI Achieves ‘Investors in People’ Accreditation
FortisTCI Limited, recently achieved the internationally recognized Investor in People (IIP) Accreditation, demonstrating the Company’s commitment to high performance through good people management. This became official upon receipt of the Certificate of Accreditation in early March.
Investors in People is the international standard for people management, defining what it takes to lead, support and manage people effectively to achieve maximum stakeholders’ value. Underpinning the IIP Standard is the Investors in People framework, reflecting the latest workplace trends, essential skills and effective structures required to outperform in any industry. Investors in People enables organisations to benchmark against the best on an international level.
FortisTCI embarked upon the process to accreditation with Investors in People in 2014, receiving a “Working with Investors in People” certificate in October of that year. Throughout 2015, the Company launched several initiatives geared toward achieving the Standard. Investors in People was undertaken by FortisTCI to maximise potential of its people by promoting employee engagement and participation and enhancing a culture of continuous learning and improving. This intense focus on people processes will have the effect of increasing corporate performance, improved operational efficiency, improved flow of communication within the Company and embed a positive corporate culture.
Eric Jenkinson of Management Solutions served as the Company’s Investors in People Advisor and FortisTCI successfully achieved its certification at the end of January 2016.To help achieve the Standard, some of the initiatives undertaken by the Company were: a staff sensitisation programme on employee recognition and rewards, regular celebration of employee milestones, the evaluation of training, improvements to the Company’s performance management process, including the introduction of self-assessments and the continued focus on leadership and management competencies through the launch of the International Leadership and Management programme (ILM).
FortisTCI employees serving on the IIP Advocate Team and the IIP Core Committee were: Sonia Williams, John Gardiner, Avi Adams, Kellie-Ann Evans- Hall, Bradley Jules, Tavardo Smith, Floyd Williams, Deanza Wilson, Lorenzo Fabien, Talisha Simons, Eustace Musgrove, Cecil Ingham, Ruth Forbes, Delma Harvey, Paulet Hall, Patricia Hamilton, Cleola Ward, Denard Sweeting, and Shequida Williams.
Paul Devoy, Head of Investors in People, said: “We’d like to congratulate FortisTCI. Investors in People accreditation is the sign of a great employer, an outperforming place to work and a clear commitment to success. FortisTCI should be extremely proud of their achievement.”
FortisTCI President and CEO Eddinton Powell commented on the success and said, “The foundation of our strategic vision is our employees, and that is why we continue with our focus on investing in our people for the long term. It is because of them we are a great organisation that keeps getting better.”
Burglaries on 4.4.2016 in TCI
Investigators of the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands are investigating a number of Burglaries which occurred over the weekend.
A complainant reported on Saturday 2nd Of April 2016 that he arrived home at 1:04 am and discovered his home located on Bay Road Blue Hills burglarized. Officers visited the scene where the complainant stated that he secured his home at 10:30 pm the night before (Friday 1st April 2016) and went away. Upon his arrival, he made the discovery. Stolen was a silver and gold Rolex watch.
On Sunday 3rd April 2016 at 1:10 am, officers responded to a home located on Anna lee Lane, Millennium Highway Blue Hills, where the complainant stated that she went to bed shortly after 11 pm the night before (Saturday 2nd April 2016) leaving her home secured.
Upon waking up at 12:49 am the next day (Sunday 3rd April 2016) she noticed her White Samsung Galaxy s6 Edge cell phone missing along with a black handbag containing keys, Bahamian Passport, vehicle keys, driver’s license and bank cards.
Also, police responded to a burglary of a home located in Norway Kew-town, where the complainant reported that she secured her home at 8 pm on Saturday 2nd April 2016 and went out. Upon returning on Sunday 3rd April 2016, she discovered that her home was Burglarized and ransacked. Stolen are Turks and Caicos Islands and American Passports and two (2) Samsung Galaxy Tablets, two (2) 32inches Flat Screen televisions (Element and Apex Brands)
Police are asking anyone with information about this incident to call Crime Stoppers on 1-800-8477 or use the Crime Stoppers online reporting page: www.crimestoppers.tc, Chalk Sound Police Station 338-5901 or 941-8082. The information you provide will be treated in the strictest of confidence. We remind people they should not report crime information via our Facebook and Twitter page.