CDB gives update of the 44th Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors
Caribbean countries ended 2013 on a more solid economic footing than it had done since the start of the 2007/2008 global economic recession, according to figures released by the Barbados-based Caribbean Development Bank (CDB).
The CDB, which is holding its 44th Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors here, said that many of its borrowing member states (BMCs) recorded increases “albeit modest in economic activity”.
CDB President Dr. Warren Smith said, “At the regional level, growth and sustainability were recurring themes in discussions about performance”.
The CDB said that preliminary estimates indicate that the economic activity in the region grew by an average of 1.5 per cent last year, up slightly from a revised figure of 1.2 per cent for 2012.
The CDB said that moderate growth of between one and three per cent were recorded here in the Turk & Caicos Islands, in Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Grenada, St. Vincent and St. Kitts and Nevis. These showed improved economic position to the general improvement in construction and tourism.
“Notably, there was significant public investment in critical economic infrastructure, including roads in Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Belize, Jamaica and Turks and Caicos Islands, as well as construction of a new airport in St.Vincent and the Grenadines and airport expansions in Antigua and Barbuda and here in our Turks and Caicos Islands.
WIV CEO addresses problems with service
WIV’s CEO, E. Jay Saunders, says WIV is working feverishly to address the issues and to improve upon the Customer Service Experience.
In a release to RTC News, the CEO said: As part of its commitment to delivering unmatched cable TV and broadband internet service to our customers, WIV has been performing upgrades to its network over the last few weeks. As a result, customers in certain areas have experienced intermitted service interruptions. Some areas, unfortunately experienced extended service outage, longer than what was anticipated.
Mr. Saunders continued, “At WIV, the customer experience is of paramount importance to us and we apologise for the service interruption a number of our customers have been experiencing. While unavoidable, but disappointing nevertheless, we want our customers to know that we are doing our utmost to address their concerns. As such we have more than doubled our customer care personnel so we can better address our customer’s needs. During this time we have also extended our call centre hours – we will be operational from 8 am – 6pm Monday – Friday and on Weekends from 8 am – 5pm.”
E. Jay further stated, “Some areas are already boasting of improved service, with some customers stating that it’s the best TV experience they have ever had. The process will take some time to reach everyone but we politely ask that customers remain patient as we go through this process to bring them TCI’s best cable and internet service”.
Ukraine PM Yatsenyuk in Russia border demand
Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk has called on Russia to control its border to stop "terrorists" from crossing into his territory.
Mr Yatsenyuk said Kiev could solve the crisis quickly if Moscow stopped meddling in the situation.
But Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned that Kiev's policies were pushing Ukraine into "fratricidal war".
Earlier this week rebels and government forces were embroiled in some of the worst fighting of the crisis so far.
The separatists say they lost up to 100 fighters as they tried to seize Donetsk airport from pro-Kiev forces.
Ukraine's interior ministry says the military is now in full control of the airport, although gunfire was reported in Donetsk itself on Wednesday.
Speaking on a visit to Germany, Mr Yatsenyuk said the situation in the east was deteriorating and Russia's involvement was causing huge difficulties.
"A number of trucks full of live ammunition, full of Russian-trained guerrillas crossed the Russian border into Ukraine," he said.
The French government faces a 14bn-euro black hole in its public finances
French President Francois Hollande has raised income tax, VAT and corporation tax since he was elected two years ago.
The Court of Auditors said receipts from all three taxes amounted to an extra 16bn euros in 2013.
That was a little more than half the government's forecast of 30bn euros of extra tax income.
The Court of Auditors, which oversees the government's accounts, said the Elysee Palace's forecasts of tax revenue in 2013 were so wildly inaccurate that they cast doubt on its forecasts for this year.
It added the forecasts were overly optimistic and based on inaccurate projections.
The figures come a week after French Prime Minister Manuel Valls, who was appointed in March following the poor showing of Mr Hollande's Socialists in municipal elections, appeared to criticise the president's tax policy by saying that "too much tax kills tax".
Opinion polls put Mr Hollande's approval rating among voters consistently below 20% and critics say his tax policies have hurt France's chance of a sustained economic recovery.
Despite being elected on a wave of anti-austerity sentiment, Mr Hollande has had to implement a series of spending cuts, alongside a number of tax rises.
Meanwhile, economic growth has been inconsistent and the unemployment rate hit a record high of 11% at the end of 2013.
The French economy saw zero growth in the first three months of 2014, compared with 0.2% growth three months earlier.
Drug bust in Caribbean Sea nets nearly US$388 million in cocaine
The United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency says its Office of Air and Marine aircraft while on night patrol in the Caribbean seized 93 bales of cocaine weighing more than 5,180 lbs and worth more than US$387,700,000. (Three hundred & eighty seven million, seven hundred thousand dollars).
“The opportunity to work with our partner nations to effect an interception and seizure of this size makes the hours our aircraft crews put in patrolling the endless miles of ‘blue ocean’ more than worth it,” said Doug Garner, CBP’s Director of National Air Security Operations Center, Jacksonville.
The crew reportedly detected a four-engine go-fast style vessel about 150 miles northeast of Panama City, Panama last week running at high speed with its lights out.
Colombian law enforcement responded to intercept the suspected vessel but before intercepting the crew the vessel beached in a remote region in the Colombian western territory.
When law enforcement arrived the crew had deserted the 93 bales of cocaine on-board.
Haiti's Government Announces New Measures To Cut Expenditure
Haiti has announced a series of measures aimed at reducing government spending.
Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe says resources are very limited and that there is no room for any waste or unnecessary spending.
Lamothe says he has already prohibited ministerial departments from purchasing expensive and luxurious vehicles, and that he has given up the vehicles inherited from his predecessors in exchange for a lower end one.
Economy and Finance Minster, Marie Carmelle Jean-Marie, said the new instructions would be fully implemented when it comes to reducing government expenditure.
Government departments have also been told they must furnish their buildings with materials made in Haiti.
Miss Teen Turks and Caicos Beauty Pageant
Another beauty pageant is on the horizon for the Turks and Caicos Islands. It’s the 1st Annual Miss Teen Turks and Caicos Beauty Pageant.
The Miss Teen Turks and Caicos Organization (MTTCO) in collaboration with the Department of Youth Affairs yesterday announced the 1st Annual Miss Teen Turks and Caicos Beauty Pageant on Tuesday, which will crown one of the nation’s most outstanding young lady to represent our “Beautiful by Nature” islands at the Miss Teen Universe Pageant.
The Miss Teen Turk and Caicos Organization is a non-profit organization, set up in accordance with the Teen Universe Organization franchise and according to the organization, it is their goal to unearth, train, and unveil the nation's finest young women through an annual national beauty pageant system in the Turks and Caicos Islands, by helping to nurture and reward the talent, creativity, communication skills, community service, healthy lifestyle, and academic achievement of young women between the ages of 15-19.
Could the Miss Teen accompany reigning Miss Universe Turk and Caicos Shanice Williams to this year’s Miss Universe? Well that will certainly be one of questions when the Miss Teen Turks and Caicos Organization officially announce the 1st Annual Miss Teen Turks and Caicos Beauty Pageant at a Press Conference at 3:00 o’clock this afternoon at the Blue Haven Resort and Marina Meeting Room on Marina Road, Leeward Providenciales. And of course RTC News will have the scoop in the evening edition of the news.
For additional information kindly contact the Miss Teen Turks and Caicos Organization at missteentci@gmail.com or via phone at (649) 332-3545 or (649) 431-3692. You can also follow them on Facebook: keyword “Miss Teen Turks and Caicos” or facebook.com/missteentci or follow them on Twitter: twitter.com/missteentci.
The PDM is calling on the Governor to act now to stop the unlawful acts of the Government
The People’s Democratic Movement (PDM) has expressed outrage at the way the Government has dealt with the matter of the Business License fees and is calling on the Governor to intervene and stop the unlawful acts of the Government.
“Firstly, its sudden assault with hiking the fees without consultation flaunts the requirement for consultation as set out in the Statement of Good Governance Principles. And even when exposed, the Premier’s response was less than
transparent and honest.
Secondly, the Government set July 1, 2014 as the date for which the new fees would take effect and without legal authority, has refused to accept payments for renewals before this date,” said the leader of the opposition Hon Sharlene Robinson in a press release to RTC News.
Hon Robinson said in an attempt to make legal its illegal instructions which has caused Businesses to operate without valid licenses between March 31, 2014 and July 1, 2014, the Government tabled an amendment to the Business Licensing Ordinance. She said TCIG’s withdrawal of the Bill, removed the protection needed after giving unlawful and erroneous instructions.
“We were shocked when the Government withdrew this, as this offered protection to those businesses that followed Government’s erroneous and unlawful advice.
After this issue was raised by the PDM, the Government has realized that it could not lawfully refuse to accept payments for renewals, but it in its seemingly “corrective” approach, has made another major illegal blunder by collecting on the new fees that are not scheduled to take effect until July 1, 2014. For the Government to collect payments based on fees and rates which are to take effect July 1, 2014, is again unlawful.
The Governor as the President of Cabinet needs to stop the unlawful acts of this Government and the Opposition is calling on him to act.
The Government is fumbling too much on the issue of business licensing reform and in a Private Members’ item filed with Parliament since May 16, 2014, the PDM will raise this in a substantive Motion on June 5th during the next
meeting of the House. It is our position that the Government needs to
withdraw the Regulations that are hiking the fees and causing confusion of
Businesses and we will continue to agitate for this,” said Hon Robinson.
The PDM in its release encourages the Government to observe the actions of
the Cayman Islands’ where, in its attempt to provide relief to its people and
businesses; it has taken on certain measures which include the ability to pay
its license fees in installments.
“We maintain that the Government is not a friend of businesses and it does
not understand that its very actions are further hurting the economy,” Hon Robinson added.
Ministry Responds to Oseta Jolly Primary School Demonstration
The poor condition of one of the primary schools on Providenciales caught media attention as kids picketed against the uncleanly condition of their classrooms.
The kindergarten section of the Oseta Jolly Primary School was reportedly not cleaned for extended periods and RTC News understands teachers & students felt they had no option but to call the media to highlight their situation.
A press release issued by the Ministry of Education, Youth, Sport and Library Services today said that it will not take lightly the event of Wednesday 28th May at the Oseta Jolly Primary School.
“The Ministry was informed that Teachers at the Oseta Jolly Primary School were reported to have called a media station and with cardboard signs proceeded to engage children in a demonstration to protest the lack of response from the Ministry of Government Support Services (GSS) regarding provision of cleaners for the school’s infant department
Although the Ministry understands the frustration regarding lack of cleaners; we were informed that at the time the Principal was with the Ministry of GSS identifying a relief cleaner. The action violates all principles of cooperation designed to strengthen work between the department, Ministry and other Ministries who work closely with us.
The Ministry of GSS assured us that the matter is resolved and additional cleaners were sent to the school on the same day. While we understand the frustration of teachers we believe that there are options for settling administrative matters without compromising the purpose for which children are at school and for engaging the students without permission from the authorities or their parents,” the release from the department of Education noted.
TCI’S MEN’S NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM AGAINST ARUBA
The Turks & Caicos Islands (TCI) Men’s National Football Team will play against the Aruban Men’s National team – tonight, Friday, May 30th, in a game that will be LIVE STREAMMED.
The match, which starts at 8PM EST, will be available on www.avbaruba.aw for all to watch and cheer on team Turks & Caicos.
The men’s team travelled to Aruba on Wednesday (May 28th) where they are competing in Group Two of the Preliminary Qualification Round of The 2014 Caribbean Cup. This group consists of three game days that will see team TCI pair up with matches against Aruba, the British Virgin Islands and French Guiana.
While in Aruba, the team lead by Craig Harrington, TCIFA’s Technical Director, coached by Tamiko Davila and Steven Kendrew, President of the TCIFA’s Men’s Football League, trained at the Franz Figueroa Stadium in Noord and the Guillermo Prospero Trinidad Stadium (Trinidad Stadium) in Oranje-stad, in preparation for the tournament. There, they practiced drills and games designed to improve shooting, ball control, communication, teamwork, defending, dribbling and heading.
The 20-men squad for the Turks & Caicos Men’s National Team include:
Raymondson Azemard,
Luis Turby-field,
Marc Fe-nelus,
Fred Dorvil,
Gavin Glinton,
Kely Loui-ma,
Wildens Delva,
Chris Gardiner,
Marcdonald Fene-lus,
James Rene,
Peguy Derilien,
Stevens Derilien,
Paul Collis,
Jack McKnight,
Philip Shearer,
Syed Hassan,
Rodney Davil-mar,
Jerry Liluce and Alex Bryan.