South Africa Currency Falls
South Africa's currency has fallen to an all-time low against the US dollar. It briefly hit a rate of 14 to the dollar amid concerns about the strength of the Chinese economy, reports the Reuters news agency. Economies that rely on the sale of commodities - such as South Africa's - have been hit by the slowdown in growth in China, a major source of demand. The problem was compounded when China unexpectedly devalued its currency earlier this month. The rand is particularly vulnerable because it is one of the globe's most highly traded emerging market currencies, South African economist Martyn Davies told the BBC. He added that South Africa's central bank will find it hard to defend the currency against a slide in value, instead the government needs to address some of the fundamental economic issues such as the problems in the power sector.
DIGICEL LUCKY CUSTOMERS WIN $1000 EACH IN SUMMER IN THE FAST LANE PROMOTION
With only two weeks into the “Summer in the Fast Lane promotion”, two lucky customers have now joined the Digicel winner’s circle by each winning cash prizes of $1000.
The winners, Hudson Gardiner and Arneld Walkin were awarded their prizes during a call on radio station 93.9 Island FM broadcasting live from the Digicel store on August 14th.
Hudson Gardiner, a local plumber of Bottle Creek, North Caicos was overjoyed when he when received the call on August 14th announcing that he was the winner of $1000 cash for simply topping up his phone with $20 credit. Hudson, stated that he was in disbelief when he received the call as he had never won anything before. He further stated that he could not have asked for a better gift since it was also his birthday. When asked what he would do with his cash prize, Hudson stated, that the much needed cash would go towards paying bills.
Arneld Walkin, also a local resident of Blue Hills, Providenciales was another shocked customer when he was contacted live on the air. Walkin initially lost for words, came around and expressed his gratitude to Digicel on winning the $1000 cash. Walkin recently purchased a new Digicel smartphone and was entered into the draw to win. He stated that he will be saving his $1000 cash prize for a rainy day.
A third winner of a Digicel smartphone Roman Bowlyn was another elated customer to win on August 14th for simply being the 50th customers to walk in the Digicel flagship store at IGA on that day. While other customers walked away with one month free data services.
“Congratulations to all our winners to date,” Trina Adams, Digicel Marketing manager stated. “The heat is on and it’s going to get more exciting over the next two weeks. Every customer can be a winner but they must participate in order to win. Simply purchase a featured LTE handset, signing up for a LTE postpaid or prepaid plan, activating a LTE data plan or topping up $20 or more.”
At the end of the promotion on August 31st, four customers would have each win $1000 in cash Prizes. One lucky customer will win one year of free Digicel service - mobile, TV and Home broadband. Other customers will walk away with free handsets, data and credit amongst other prizes – over $10,000 in cash and prizes to be won.
The next cash prize winners will be called live on 93.9 Island FM on August 28th between 12-4:30pm.
DIGICEL PLAY DISPATCH STAFF TRAINED TO INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF CABLE TELECOMMUNICATIONS ENGINEER STANDARDS
As part of its evolution into a total communications and entertainment provider, Digicel Play continues to invest in its network and employees to ensure that customers experience the best and most reliable home broadband and TV services in the TCI. Most recently, Digicel has focused on providing training to nine Digicel Play staff who completed a Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineer (SCTE) professional certification.
Following its US$8 million investment in network rebuild, Digicel Play has ensured that the company’s installers, services technicians & dispatch team have been trained to international SCTE Standards.
SCTE certification is the cable industry’s premier endorsement for professionals. SCTE certifications are based on in-depth testing and ongoing professional development maintenance through continuing technical education requirements. SCTE certifies cable telecommunications professionals in various levels of expertise across all areas of the cable network. This initial training for the Dispatch team segment will be further endorsed with additional training to ensure that all employees reach the Broadband Premises Expert (BPE) level of attainment.
Digicel Play announced its network rebuild on July 22nd and highlighted the investment made into the rebuilding the network with the installation of over 30 km of fibre optic cable, 11 km of coaxial cable and the doubling of it’s international bandwidth capacity – all of which will deliver an unbeatable, superfast broadband experience to homes and businesses across TCI.
The company has since added, 6 new vehicles to its fleet including 2 bucket trucks along with other vehicles which will result in quicker installation and response times for customers.
Digicel CEO Erik Staaf, stated that “Our employees are our greatest assets and investing in and developing staff is at the heart of Digicel because it is vital to the service level that Digicel can provide to our customers.”
Congratulation to all nine employees on their SCTE certification.
PDM CALLS FOR RESIDENTS TO PARTICIPATE IN CONSULTATION ON IMMIGRATION BILLS
The PDM has today, August 20, 2015 received Notice of a 3 day House of Assembly Meeting scheduled for September 14, 2015. On this Agenda, there are 11 Bills to be debated and voted on for passage. Included are the two Immigration Bills - The Immigration Bill and the Turks and Caicos Islander Status Bill.
The PDM last year voted down the continued passage of the Bill to the 2nd reading due to the Government's failure to consult on the very new provisions that it was now presenting and in many respects very different from the recommendations of the people contained in 3 separate Reports over the past 11 years. Whilst we believe that there is need to reform immigration and all its related areas, we do not believe that real and meaningful consultation should be sacrificed.
The Government has announced a consultation period from August 14 - September 4, 2015 with a strong online component and the possibility of face to face consultations if requested.
The PDM elected representatives have made representations over the months and have reduced these representations in writing and submitted to the Ministry requesting that public meetings be held on each Island. We await the Ministry's response.
However we wish to encourage the people of these Islands to call for and attend any stakeholder meetings that they are aware of. Let your voices be heard on this critical issue. Immigration - legal and illegal is at the root of this country's growth and development and/or stagnation.
We are therefore encouraging all residents to participate and ensure that all members of the House of Assembly are fully aware of your positions by September 14th when these two important Bills are debated and voted on.
Breaking Travel News interview: Delleriece Hall, general manager, LIME Turks & Caicos
LIME was the first to connect the Caribbean people, governments and businesses with best in class telecoms networks across broadband, fixed and mobile services.
Today the company remains a telecoms tour de force, unmatched in every market we serve in the Caribbean as the sole full service 'go to' provider.
Having recently linked with the World Travel Awards ahead of the upcoming Caribbean & North America Gala Ceremony 2015, Breaking Travel News editor Chris O'Toole sat down with Ms. Delleriece Hall managing director of LIME Turks & Caicos to discuss her recent appointment and the future of telecommunications in the Caribbean. Questioned on her feelings on taking on the top job, Ms. Hall said she feels both humbled and honoured at the same time to take up the new role.
“I am truly grateful yet humbled to be chosen for such a role especially being appointed as the first female general manger for LIME Turks & Caicos. With the help of my LIME TCI team, I plan to lead the team forward in providing excellent Telecommunications services here in the TCI,” she said.
Ms. Hall thanked Cable and Wireless for giving her the opportunity to serve in this capacity where she hopes to continue to bring good service to the people of TCI and to partner with them in common endeavours.
Asked what changes can be expect at the organisation under her leadership, Ms. Hall said quote…“Firstly, I would like to say that this is a time for really stabilising the organisation and building on the good work that LIME has been doing over the years.
I would like to focus more on our customers to deliver the best customer experience throughout the TCI while also focusing on keeping our company stable financially.
Focus on employee development and adequate training.
Additionally I would also like to give back to the community, not only in donations and sponsorships but with more community services and involvement from our LIME staff.
I can't emphasise enough on the importance of always looking for ways to impact customer service and that this will always be on the top of my agenda; also looking for ways to build on the good relationships I have developed with government and customers and most of all listening to customer feedback and taking those seriously,” end quote.
Ms. Hall has been with the parent Cable & Wireless for nineteen years now. She shared with Breaking Travel News editor Chris O'Toole the tremendous change in the telecoms sector in those 19 years, noting when she joined Cable & Wireless many years ago, they were exposed to landlines, then to introduction of the cellphone which gave the customers voice dialing.
“Today we now have both voice and data features on our smart devices. Technology changes every day it evolves, through great data speeds for example we have recently increased our data plans to the home through our superfast broadband speeds. Additional to that we have just rolled our superfast 4G LTE services on mobile devices.
This means faster more reliable and convenient internet both at home and also on your mobile devices. We offer faster delivery in service as one of the main achievements.
No days it takes minutes for a customer to have mobile service; available of on line chat, requesting service by e-mail, doing more businesses through telephone and other electronic means, cutting down wait time and giving back valuable time to customers to invest in their own business,” Ms. Hall said.
But just how important does she think cutting edge telecommunications are for a relatively small community like the Turks & Caicos Islands? Ms. Hall told BTN that the TCI is not as small as we may think.
“We now have a very diverse culture with the mixture of other nationalities living and working among us. Additionally Turks & Caicos has been awarded the Best Beach in the world and Best Caribbean Country in the world, this therefore means we have had an increase in tourists over the years. With that increase, tourists while vacationing would want to browse, stream, keeping in touch with love ones back home, download and game. Hence cutting edge telecommunications is extremely important to these Islands to deliver the very best experience to our valued customers both in voice (dialing) and data usage,” Ms. Hall added.
She encourages TCI customers to really capitalise on the opportunities that telecommunications provide to small communities like the TCI.
Taking advantage of the fact that they can benefit from ease of doing business, conducting financial transactions in real time, the whole virtual opportunities it affords them in that they do not have to be on site or physically present in TCI in order to conduct business, emphasizing the savings that video conferencing provides and the opportunity for persons in different time zones to easily connect.
Ms. Hall also noted their focus on e-marketing and encourages all businesses to have websites and to trade on line and take advantage of off-site business opportunities that exist outside the borders of TCI.
The World Travel Awards is the Oscars of the TCI. Breaking Travel News editor Chris O'Toole suggested to Ms. Hall that she wasted no time in the job, already closing a prestigious deal, with LIME taking the role of Co-Sponsor of the upcoming World Travel Awards Caribbean & North America Gala Ceremony and questioned what ambitions she has for the event.
“I am so excited for the opportunity to work with partners such as the World Travel Awards organisation to achieve the objectives of this ceremony, including broadcasting the events, providing connectivity for the partners to conduct their business while on islands and providing the ability to showcase the best of TCI in terms of services and the fact that a small community can deliver world class service like anywhere else in the world,” said Ms. Hall.
Delivered by Hon Sharlene Cartwright Robinson
Mr Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge and congratulate the Tourist Board on the recent headlines that suggest that TCI is moving towards all year round tourism. This is a positive thing at this time but whilst I am grateful for the much needed revenue in this period, I wish to caution us all to be careful to continue to put so many eggs in one basket. In my Budget Response this year, I raise this matter of such a high dependence on tourism and the fact or reality that this industry is fickle and cannot be relied on so heavily. I again caution us all to move quickly in the right direction to begin to diversify our economy. Another Industry will not be a replacement perhaps but it can add to and this can only spell good economics.
While we focus on external shocks, we must look at internal factors that can also negatively impact this vital Industry. I note three today Mr Speaker:
Crime
Mr Speaker even as we celebrate, we have internal factors that can gnaw away at this vital industry. The increase in crime that is trending up for the year and the increase cases of gun violence, though small in comparison does not spell Beautiful By Nature. (Mr Speaker please allow me to digress for a split second to recognize the success of the Police a few days ago in getting two illegal weapons off the street through police led intelligence – it is a great start). We must work collectively on this issue and take a more aggressive approach.
International Negative Report on Forced Sexual Labour
Then Mr Speaker I note the fact that while we were quick to speak to the report that sought to blacklist us for non - compliance with international regulations, the Government has been silent on multiple reports (3 that I am aware of) that include these Islands among countries where there exists forced sexual labour. Mr Speaker this also has negative implications for our country's reputation. I wait to hear the Government's official response on this issue and then to address where these reports are coming from and to deal with the issue.
Interaction with tourists
Then Mr Speaker, equally important is how we interact with tourists. I must state that I was so disappointed when I was informed of a recent incident that involved an individual driving a Government vehicle in Providenciales who frightened a tourist threatening her arrest or rather "detention" for feeding a stray dog. Mr Speaker the tourist who had been coming to this country for several decades each year and who contribute to charities and help while here, was so afraid to leave this country for fear of being arrested for feeding a stray dog. Mr Speaker the context in which this occurred showed the ugliness of this country and the abuse of persons in certain offices. Mr Speaker I raise this because I sit with fingers crossed hoping that this report does not grow legs and move with the speed or mileage that sad stories such as this usually do. Mr Speaker I raise this here on this platform to highlight an obvious threat to this booming industry – that is the way we interact with tourists. I wish to remind us each of the role we all must play and the fact that what we do to tourists can bite us and Mr Speaker also to remind us that we all have a role to play in protecting and preserving this vital Industry. I will follow this report and seek to have this matter raised in another forum because these type incidences Mr Speaker will only hurt us all.
Delivered by Hon Sharlene Cartwright Robinson
Mr Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge and congratulate the Tourist Board on the recent headlines that suggest that TCI is moving towards all year round tourism. This is a positive thing at this time but whilst I am grateful for the much needed revenue in this period, I wish to caution us all to be careful to continue to put so many eggs in one basket. In my Budget Response this year, I raise this matter of such a high dependence on tourism and the fact or reality that this industry is fickle and cannot be relied on so heavily. I again caution us all to move quickly in the right direction to begin to diversify our economy. Another Industry will not be a replacement perhaps but it can add to and this can only spell good economics.
While we focus on external shocks, we must look at internal factors that can also negatively impact this vital Industry. I note three today Mr Speaker:
Crime
Mr Speaker even as we celebrate, we have internal factors that can gnaw away at this vital industry. The increase in crime that is trending up for the year and the increase cases of gun violence, though small in comparison does not spell Beautiful By Nature. (Mr Speaker please allow me to digress for a split second to recognize the success of the Police a few days ago in getting two illegal weapons off the street through police led intelligence – it is a great start). We must work collectively on this issue and take a more aggressive approach.
International Negative Report on Forced Sexual Labour
Then Mr Speaker I note the fact that while we were quick to speak to the report that sought to blacklist us for non - compliance with international regulations, the Government has been silent on multiple reports (3 that I am aware of) that include these Islands among countries where there exists forced sexual labour. Mr Speaker this also has negative implications for our country's reputation. I wait to hear the Government's official response on this issue and then to address where these reports are coming from and to deal with the issue.
Interaction with tourists
Then Mr Speaker, equally important is how we interact with tourists. I must state that I was so disappointed when I was informed of a recent incident that involved an individual driving a Government vehicle in Providenciales who frightened a tourist threatening her arrest or rather "detention" for feeding a stray dog. Mr Speaker the tourist who had been coming to this country for several decades each year and who contribute to charities and help while here, was so afraid to leave this country for fear of being arrested for feeding a stray dog. Mr Speaker the context in which this occurred showed the ugliness of this country and the abuse of persons in certain offices. Mr Speaker I raise this because I sit with fingers crossed hoping that this report does not grow legs and move with the speed or mileage that sad stories such as this usually do. Mr Speaker I raise this here on this platform to highlight an obvious threat to this booming industry – that is the way we interact with tourists. I wish to remind us each of the role we all must play and the fact that what we do to tourists can bite us and Mr Speaker also to remind us that we all have a role to play in protecting and preserving this vital Industry. I will follow this report and seek to have this matter raised in another forum because these type incidences Mr Speaker will only hurt us all.
Steve Smith & David Warner battle for Australia at Oval
Steve Smith struck an unbeaten 78 as Australia made 287-3 on day one of the final Test against England at The Oval.
Australia, all out for 60 when losing the Ashes at Trent Bridge, were asked to bat on a cloudy morning.
In his final Test, Chris Rogers made 43 in an opening stand of 110 with David Warner (85), but both edged to slip.
Skipper Michael Clarke fell for 15 after receiving a guard of honour in his final match, before Smith shared an unbroken 101 with Adam Voges (47).
England hold an unassailable 3-1 lead after winning the past two Tests.
Source:BBC
Chelsea have signed Spain forward Pedro from Barcelona for £21m.
The 28-year-old has agreed a four-year deal and is the Blues' second signing in less than a week after the arrival of Ghana defender Baba Rahman.
"I am very happy to be here. I am very excited to start my adventure at Chelsea and I am here to keep winning titles," he told the club's website.
"Thanks to the club and the supporters for giving me the opportunity to put the blue shirt on."
Cilla described as Wonderful Lady Who had Touched All Our Lives
Fans, family and fellow stars have turned out to pay their respects to singer and TV presenter Cilla Black at her funeral in Liverpool. Hundreds of people applauded and threw flowers as her funeral cortege made its way to St Mary's RC Church.
Sir Cliff Richard told mourners the journey to the church had made him realise "how much people loved her". TV stars Paul O'Grady, Jimmy Tarbuck and Christopher Biggins joined her sons Robert and Ben in giving readings.
Sir Cliff performed the song Faithful One and told the congregation it seemed "outrageous" that she was gone. He said: "The one thing that hit me originally was that she was a woman of commitment and dedication. "She had the determination and above all she had the gift - she was able to do what she set out to do. "My memories of Cilla are going to be very, very happy ones."
The funeral Mass was celebrated by the Right Reverend Thomas Williams, Auxiliary Bishop of Liverpool. Two of Black's sons also delivered readings. Robert Willis described his mother as a "wonderful lady who had touched all our lives and brought joy and laughter" to those she knew.