FLOW AND MANCHESTER UNITED PARTNERSHIP LAUNCHED
Cable & Wireless’s retail brand Flow has delivered yet another major landmark deal in the Caribbean with Manchester United. The deal between Manchester United and Flow, the only telecoms provider in the region with extensive partnership and broadcast rights for the world’s most popular football club was officially launched in Kingston, on Thursday, February 18.
Flow will also have exclusive distribution rights of the dedicated MUTV channel in the region. This will give Flow subscribers access to exclusive Manchester United programming as well as behind-the-scenes access to the club, starting with the upcoming 2016/17 Premier League season.
As the region’s leading quad-play operator, Flow will also enable access to Manchester United content “on the go” via mobile, tablets and desktop devices. Fans will be able to access Manchester United’s Red Alerts and download the Manchester United App. Manchester United is an industry leader making an excellent fit with C&W as the Caribbean’s most innovative operator providing products and services across multiple platforms.
The Manchester United partnership provides Caribbean fans with unique experiences including the chance to win tickets to Manchester United games, signed merchandise, as well as interaction with Manchester United Legends.
John Reid, C&W’s President Consumer Group welcomed the exciting regional partnership and said, “This deal with Manchester United is certainly paving the way for Flow to truly become the undisputed Home of Sports in the Caribbean. FLOW is bringing sports fans closer to football through our new association with the biggest club in the world. With Flow and Manchester United, we can truly say, ‘together we are in a different league.’”
Manchester United has a global community of 659 million followers.
The Indian Premier League Has A New Home in the C'bbean
Flow Sports – the region’s newest and only Caribbean-based High Definition (HD) sports TV network – today announced that it has become the Official Broadcast Partner of the Indian Premier League (IPL) T20 cricket tournament starting in 2016.
In securing the broadcast rights, Flow Sports will be the only broadcaster in the region to provide HD coverage of all the IPL action. The deal also gives Flow exclusive digital rights for the IPL, which will be available for free to all Flow mobile and broadband customers via the cricketgateway.com platform – making it easy for working fans to catch the daytime games.
Entering its ninth season, the IPL is the largest and most popular professional T20 cricket tournament in the world, and features West Indies’ superstars including Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Kieron Pollard, Lendl Simmons, Dwayne Smith, Samuel Badree, and Jason Holder. The IPL is also the most popular regular-season cricket tournament in the Caribbean, and often the most watched event in the annual sporting calendar. Flow Sports will be showing all 60 games of the 8-team tournament live, with up to two games being broadcasted per day, all in crystal clear HD.
“Our customers consistently tell us that, as the biggest and most exciting T20 tournament in the world, the IPL is their favourite regular season cricket competition – the IPL is to cricket fans what the English Premier League is to football fans. We are therefore thrilled to announce our agreement with the IPL to confirm what is the region’s best cricket and, indeed, sports line-up” said John Reid, President of Flow.
The IPL deal comes hot on the heels of the recent announcement that Flow Sports had secured broadcasting rights for two other global cricket tournaments – The Pakistan Super League (PSL) T20 and the ASIA Cup 2016. During its recent coverage of the PSL, Flow Sports was consistently the most popular sports network on the Flow TV platform, demonstrating the enduring popularity of cricket in the Caribbean.
“With IPL rights, we have cemented Flow Sports as the “Home of Cricket” in the region,” said Reid. “Thanks to this deal with the IPL, as well as the partnerships we’ve secured with the New Zealand Home Series, South Africa Home Series, Bangladesh Premier League T20, the Ram Slam T20 and more recently the PSL20 and Asia Cup, our customers can watch their favourite West Indies players in action from leagues all around the world, and never miss a ball.”
Flow’s TV customers can catch all of the IPL 2016 season action between April 8th and May 29th, 2016 on Flow Sports, with further announcements set to made to Flow customers on how to access digital coverage.
C&W BUSINESS WINS 2015 TOP FORTINET PARTNER AWARDS
C&W Business, part of Cable & Wireless Communications, Plc (CWC), today announces it has been named as Fortinet’s Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP) of the Year 2015 and the Enhanced Technologies Partner of the Year 2015 for the Caribbean and Latin American region. C&W Business was recognized during the Fortinet Global Partner Conference, an annual gathering of more than 1,200 top partners from around the world. The Fortinet Partner Awards acknowledge the outstanding achievements delivered by Fortinet partners and distributors. This year’s award winners were selected from a group of nominations based on their commitment to meeting customers’ cyber security requirements, their market impact and exemplary use of Fortinet solutions.
C&W Business is the leading managed services provider in the Caribbean and Latin American region comprising the best talent, processes and technology capabilities to deliver state of the art information security and risk mitigation services. Fortinet is the worldwide leader in Unified Threat Management (UTM) technology, with a complete ecosystem of security solutions that allow the Company to design dynamic security architectures that protect their clients from advanced threats.
Last month, C&W Business announced that it had been recognized as a Fortinet Platinum Partner, having achieved the highest level of certification within Fortinet’s partner program. C&W Business also received the Enhanced Technologies Partner of the Year 2015 award. This recognition enhanced C&W Business’s credibility as the only provider offering the latest technology and managed services to prevent security intrusions and protecting customers’ data and networks.
“It is a great honour for us to receive these recognitions and we are very proud of being the only service provider in the Caribbean and Latin American region to receive both the MSSP and the Enhanced Technologies Partner of the Year recognition,” said John Maduri, President C&W Business. “We are excited to partner with Fortinet and to bring innovative security solutions and managed services that drive customer success to businesses and government entities throughout the region,” added Maduri.
“We are pleased to recognize C&W Business with two Fortinet Partner Awards for their dedication to providing the best cyber security solutions in the Caribbean and Latin America,” said Pedro Paixao, General Manager, Latin America, at Fortinet. “C&W Business delivers the most innovative technology to customers so they can safeguard their data and networks from rapidly evolving cyber security threats,” added Paixao.
Fortinet’s annual Global Partner Conference (GPC) provides the Fortinet partner community with access to key marketing and business strategies, leadership, and information regarding specific customer solutions designed to help partners succeed in the marketplace. Along with informative learning opportunities covering sales, marketing, services and technology, the Fortinet GPC presents an ideal setting for partners to take away valuable knowledge from their peers and from Fortinet. In addition, technology alliance partners sponsor a live tech expo highlighting their innovations and Fortinet implementations, providing the partner attendees an opportunity to learn about new ways to serve and meet their customers evolving cyber security needs.
World Travel Awards 2016 nominees unveiled
World Travel Awards (WTA) has revealed the nominees for its Grand Tour 2016, with thousands of hospitality leaders from across the globe in the running for the prestigious titles.
Voting is now underway ahead of the Latin America, Europe, Caribbean & North America, and Asia & Australasia Gala Ceremonies, so make your voice heard by registering to vote here.
World Travel Awards President Graham Cooke said: “Revealing the nominees for our annual Grand Tour is always an exciting time of year for World Travel Awards.
"We have carefully selected the leaders in international hospitality, be that hotels, airlines, destinations, or operators, and offered our voters a chance to select the very best among them.
“Sign up now to make your voice heard as part of our Grand Tour 2016.”
Each year WTA covers the globe with a series of regional Gala Ceremonies staged to recognise and celebrate individual and collective successes within each key geographical region.
Each WTA Gala Ceremony offers unrivalled networking opportunities to members of the travel and tourism industry, with the events welcoming government and industry leaders as well as international print and broadcast media.
WTA was established in 1993 to acknowledge, reward and celebrate excellence across all sectors of the tourism industry.
Today, the World Travel Awards brand is recognised globally as the ultimate hallmark of quality, with winners setting the benchmark to which all others aspire.
TOURISM STATISTICS 2015 – TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS
The Turks and Caicos Islands welcomed and hosted some 1,315,268 million tourists to its shores in 2015. Backed by an 8.1 percent increase in stay-over arrivals, the destination continues to reach new heights with noted growth in stay-over arrivals recorded for each month of the year, and within the majority of its major source markets. Further assessment of the 1.3 million visitors in 2015 shows 385,531 visitors were stop-over guest arriving primarily at the Providenciales International Airport (PLS) and 929,737 visitors came via cruise.
Stop-Over Arrivals
Moving towards the inclusion of arrivals at the destination fixed based operations (FBOs) to the overall stop-over arrivals, the Turks and Caicos Islands recorded 8,206 tourist arrivals via private aircraft in 2015. An outstanding 3,253 tourists arrived to the destination via private aircraft in the first quarter alone. Stop-over arrivals via private aircraft however were excluded from the overall statistical information for both years as the recordings lacked demographical details. *Once the demographical details are received, this data will be added to the overall stop-over arrivals for 2015 and used in comparisons for 2016.
The Turks and Caicos Islands saw an increase in stop-over arrivals for each month of the year ranging from a growth rate of 23.2 percent in January to 0.7 percent in March of 2015. The first and fourth quarters of 2015 posted the greatest growth in stop-over arrivals for the Turks and Caicos Islands – with increases of 9.9 percent and 9.7 percent respectively when compared to the same periods in 2014. The first quarter accounted for 115,979 stop-over arrivals. Of significance, the month of January experienced growth of 23.3 percent, the most of any month, whilst the month of March welcomed 41,690 stop-over arrivals, the most arrivals of any month in 2015.
"See attached for more."
Turks__Caicos_Tourism_Statistics_2015.pdf
Police visits Dock Yard
Investigators of the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force are investigating a number of offences that occurred over the past weekend.
On Saturday 5th March 2016 around 1:49 am complainant reported that he heard a loud noise from the outside of his home in Dock Yard and upon making checks he noticed a man known to him beating another known male. Police responded to the area and met the aggrieved who stated that he was beaten about the body and hit with a bottle on his head by a man he knows. He was taken to CHMC for medical treatment.
Also, on the same date at around 11:45 am complainant reported that the storage room of a building located in Long Bay was burglarized. Officers responded to the area where the complainant was met. He told officers that the laundry room of the building was secured on Friday 4th March 2016 and upon his arrival today, he made the discovered of the break in and five (5) televisions (three (3) 55inches and two (2) 32inches missing.
Another complainant reported to Police that the Tuck Shop at the Adelaide Oemler Primary School was secured on Thursday 3rd March 2016 at 2:45 pm and on Saturday 5th March 2016 at 8:20 pm it was discovered broken into. Missing were one box of M&M candy, one box of Candy, one box of Munch Bars and one box of warheads candy.
On Sunday 6th, March 2016 in the early morning Police responded to a home on Breezy Brae where a complainant stated that her home was secured at 5 pm the today before (Saturday 5th March 2016). When she arrived home at 2:26 am she discovered the house broke into. Three bedrooms were ransacked, and a black iPod was missing.
Also on Grand Turk on today’s date (Monday 7th March 2016), a complainant reported to officers that at around 4:15 am while in the districts he noticed the door of the Dominican Supermarket located on Pond Street open. As a result, officers visited the store and observed an East wooden door with hangers pulled off, and the inner glass door was broken. The store Manager was met and stated that the Supermarket was secured at 5 pm on Sunday 6th March 2016. Stolen were some meat from a cooler, a few bottles of Hennessy, Coconut Bambara Rum and three (3) cases of Budweiser can beer.
Officers are also investigating two separate reports of wounding that occurred earlier this morning at 809 Club located on Blue Hills Road, Providenciales. At 3:28 am officers responded to the Cheshire Hall Medical Centre where two males (brothers) were being attended to by doctors in the emergency room for serious stab wounds. Also, at 4 am, a 19year old male reported to the Police that while at the said Club he had an altercation with two men who he believe are brothers which resulted in a fight, causing him to receive two wounds to his right arm.
Investigations are ongoing on all offences.
Police are urging anyone with information about any of the crimes above to call Crime Stoppers on 1-800-8477 or use the Crime Stoppers online reporting page: www.crimestoppers.tc, Chalk Sound Police Station 3385901. 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.
Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force are investigating a number of offences
Investigators of the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force are investigating a number of offences that occurred over the past weekend.
On Saturday 5th March 2016 around 1:49 am complainant reported that he heard a loud noise from the outside of his home in Dock Yard and upon making checks he noticed a man known to him beating another known male. Police responded to the area and met the aggrieved who stated that he was beaten about the body and hit with a bottle on his head by a man he knows. He was taken to CHMC for medical treatment.
Also, on the same date at around 11:45 am complainant reported that the storage room of a building located in Long Bay was burglarized. Officers responded to the area where the complainant was met. He told officers that the laundry room of the building was secured on Friday 4th March 2016 and upon his arrival today, he made the discovered of the break in and five (5) televisions (three (3) 55inches and two (2) 32inches missing.
Another complainant reported to Police that the Tuck Shop at the Adelaide Oemler Primary School was secured on Thursday 3rd March 2016 at 2:45 pm and on Saturday 5th March 2016 at 8:20 pm it was discovered broken into. Missing were one box of M&M candy, one box of Candy, one box of Munch Bars and one box of warheads candy.
On Sunday 6th, March 2016 in the early morning Police responded to a home on Breezy Brae where a complainant stated that her home was secured at 5 pm the today before (Saturday 5th March 2016). When she arrived home at 2:26 am she discovered the house broke into. Three bedrooms were ransacked, and a black iPod was missing.
Also on Grand Turk on today’s date (Monday 7th March 2016), a complainant reported to officers that at around 4:15 am while in the districts he noticed the door of the Dominican Supermarket located on Pond Street open. As a result, officers visited the store and observed an East wooden door with hangers pulled off, and the inner glass door was broken. The store Manager was met and stated that the Supermarket was secured at 5 pm on Sunday 6th March 2016. Stolen were some meat from a cooler, a few bottles of Hennessy, Coconut Bambara Rum and three (3) cases of Budweiser can beer.
Officers are also investigating two separate reports of wounding that occurred earlier this morning at 809 Club located on Blue Hills Road, Providenciales. At 3:28 am officers responded to the Cheshire Hall Medical Centre where two males (brothers) were being attended to by doctors in the emergency room for serious stab wounds. Also, at 4 am, a 19year old male reported to the Police that while at the said Club he had an altercation with two men who he believe are brothers which resulted in a fight, causing him to receive two wounds to his right arm.
Investigations are ongoing on all offences.
Police are urging anyone with information about any of the crimes above to call Crime Stoppers on 1-800-8477 or use the Crime Stoppers online reporting page: www.crimestoppers.tc, Chalk Sound Police Station 3385901. 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.
Police update for Turks & Caicos
Complainant reported that at 10:45 pm on Tuesday 8th March 2016, he parked his White Toyota Corolla car in his yard in Kew town before going to bed. Upon waking up the next day he discovered where some unknown persons stole the stereo and battery from the said vehicle.
On Wednesday 9th March 2016 at 11:32 am complainant reported to Police on behalf of his stepdaughter that an unknown male had entered her home with a gun and took her Black Samsung Galaxy-4 phone. Officers responded where the aggrieved told them that she was at home in her room when she heard a noise from something that fell on the floor of her living room. Upon making checks she noticed a dark complexion male, about 6ft tall wearing a black shirt, green short army pants with a black shirt covering his head. She further stated that the man pointed a black short revolver handgun at her before taking her phone as she was screaming and ran in the bushes. Police made checks in the nearby bushes but no one was seen.
Update:
Investigators of the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force have arrested a 19year old male of South Dock Road Providenciales, for Inflicting Grievous Bodily Harm during a fight that occurred at Club 809 on Blue Hills Road. The fight occured on Monday 7th March 2016 at 3:28 am where two males sustained serious stab wounds and were taken to the Cheshire Medical Centre. Both men are still at the hospital but in stable condition.
Police are urging anyone with information about all incidents 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 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.
PDM LEADER RESPONDS TO ALLEGATIONS OF DISHONESTLY SERVING THE PEOPLE OF TURKS AND CAICOS
It is rather unfortunate but I have found it necessary to respond to misinformation placed in the public domain regarding my role and that of my Party in the drafting, presentation and carriage of the Retiring Allowances (Legislative Service) (Special Provisions) Bill 2015 passed January 27th last year.
Whilst I do not usually respond to attacks on my personal character and service to the people, my Party and I found it necessary to do so in this instance as this goes to the root of the misconception on the part of too many members of the public as to the role of the Opposition and the powers available to it in serving from this place.
I have never misled the people of this country and categorically deny all allegations that I am a liar and that I am compromised on any issue allowing myself to be limited and dishonest to obtain votes. On the contrary, I have had to speak to many tough issues over the years that has offended many as my role does not allow me to dodge issues and fly beneath the radar. I came to this office in 2012 with a pledge to serve my people fearlessly and selflessly.
To this end, I make the following statements:
The Leader of the Opposition and all other back benchers cannot bring money Bills or money Motions.
The fundamental issue at hand more importantly is the perceived role of the Opposition versus reality and the powers available to us. The money Bill alleged to have been brought by myself could not be brought. As I do not sit in Government and specifically in Cabinet, I am not allowed by the House Rules called Standing Orders to bring any money Bills or Motions. Non - Cabinet members cannot increase expenditure or make decisions on how the monies can be spent. That rest with the members of Cabinet which is comprised of the Governor, as Chair, the Premier, the Ministers, the Attorney General and the Deputy Governor. This is why we have had to craft the Motion as we did as it relates to Pensions and Gratuities and the issues relating to those civil servants who left the Service and have disputes of payments.
The wording in the old version of the Standing Orders and the new Standing Orders which governs who can bring money Bills and money Motions remain the same and was in place since the beginning of Ministerial Government:
PUBLIC MONEY
Except on the recommendation of the Governor signified by a member of the Executive Council the Legislative Council shall not:—
(a) proceed upon any bill (including any amendment to a bill) which, in the opinion of the person presiding in the Council, makes provision for imposing or increasing any tax, for imposing or increasing any charge on the revenues or other funds of the Islands or for altering any such charge otherwise than by reducing it, or for compounding or remitting any debt due to the Islands; or
(b) proceed upon any motion (including any amendment to a motion) the effect of which in the opinion of the person presiding in the Council is that provision would be made for any of the purposes aforesaid.
1. The Leader of the Opposition did not craft the Attorney General's Bill
No member of the PDM nor myself assisted in drafting this Bill which was the sole work as usual of the AG's Chambers when Bills are brought and especially for those brought by the AG herself who answers for the Public and Civil Service in the House.
2. The Leader of the Opposition nor any member of her Team did not bring any Money Bills or Motions
A copy of the Parliamentary Agenda shows the Bill was brought by the Attorney General on January 27, 2015. (Attached)
3. The PDM's Position
There were prior discussions with myself which I raised with my Party as to whether we would be opposed to the MOF being allowed to retire as a former Chief Minister. This discussion included but expanded beyond the Parliamentary members and NO ONE expressed any objection to the allowance of the Minister of Finance to retire as a former Chief Minister.
During one of our many Pre Parliament meetings when the Bill was then crafted and presented, I raised the matter with my team and the objection was to the back pay and not to having a former Chief Minister retire as a Chief Minister like the others.
Our objection which I voiced in the House of Assembly as the lead on the Bill was to the back pay, how it was calculated and the justification for it.
There was a period where I was invited to bring a resolution to allow for the MOF to retire as a former Chief Minister but even on retirement, the increase in expenditure that would result barred me under the Standing Orders from assisting in this way.
We still believe that all former Chief Ministers should be allowed to retire at that level.
4. Request For Information Continues
The AG stated orally and it was contained in the Explanatory Memorandum of the House that the matter was raised with and approved by the Integrity Commission and that other pension anomalies were raised. Since February 9th 2015, we have requested information on the other pension anomalies, the calculations of the back pay and other queries from the Debate. These requests were made in writing by email again on April 1, 2015 and again as recent as last week March 6, 2016.
We invite the public to understand how government works, to access public records for truth: copies of Parliamentary Agendas and the Standing Order of the House are all public documents and then of course, all meetings of the House of Assembly are aired publicly over Radio, it is important to listen when you can.
We remain committed to serving our people honestly.
North and Middle Caicos Causeway Officially Reopened
The Minister of Infrastructure Housing and Planning, Hon. Amanda Missick, confirmed that the reconstruction of the North/Middle Caicos causeway has been completed and that that Causeway is now fully open to traffic between the two islands. The Public Works Department in the Ministry would like to thank the general public, especially regular users of the causeway, for their patience while the works were being carried out and apologize for any disruption.
The causeway has been reconstructed and is of a much higher standard than previously. The causeway has been enhanced by the raising of roadway sections, the reinstallation of a smooth bituminous pavement and the facilitation of additional waterways underneath. Other enhancements also include signage, solar powered lighting and pavement markers.
This was the second phase of reconstruction after the damage sustained by Hurricane Hanna in 2008; the first phase was completed in August 2013 and the second recent phase commenced on 18 May 2015. The total cost of rebuilding both phases was just over $5m.
The Acting Governor, H. E. Anya Williams, Hon. Premier and Minister Amanda Misick among other Ministerial Colleagues and MPs, PWD, JACA (Contractor), public servants and other well-wishers in the Community of North and Middle Caicos, attended the ribbon Cutting ceremony on March 8th, 2016 at 10:30 am at the site to celebrate the official reopening of the Missick Williams Causeway.
The official reopening also commemorates the passing of Javern Missick and Marco Williams in 2007. Many of their family members and friends were present to celebrate and assist in the ribbon cutting of the causeway, which was named "Misick-Williams Causeway" in their honor.
The Minister of Infrastructure, Housing and Planning, Hon. Amanda Misick stated; "The reconstruction of the North to Middle Caicos Causeway is critical to the people of these islands. The economy, residents' livelihoods and the growth of the islands, on a whole is dependent on good infrastructure between the islands and the causeway is a vital link. Our Government has agreed and is 100% committed to fund the rebuilding and upgrading of the causeway to help these islands prosper. The connection between these islands also means economies sharing infrastructure and facilities which make the lives of those dependent on them safer and more pleasant."
The Minister also expressed her sincere thanks to all the persons in her Ministry and Department of Public Works for their undying efforts to bring this project to fruition.