Cuban doctors & nurses to stay put
PRIME MINISTER Kamla Persad-Bissessar says Government will not be terminating the contracts of Cuban doctors and nurses who were recruited under the previous PNM administration to fill vacancies in the health sector until those positions could be filled by qualified nationals.
She made the point while giving the assurance that there was no health crisis in the country, following the suspension of five doctors and four nurses at the San Fernando General Hospital (SGFH) in the wake of the death of Chrystal Ramsoomair at the institution on March 4.
On Monday, Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley claimed Government will not be renewing the contracts of Cuban doctors and nurses when their contracts expire in August and December respectively.
“Until the Government can tell us that we are in a position to fill all the positions with nationals, they must also tell us how they will treat with the vacancies that they will exacerbate when they do not renew the contracts of the Cuban support staff that we have working here,” Rowley said.
Speaking with reporters after addressing the opening of an EMA business forum at the Hilton Trinidad on Wednesday, Persad-Bissessar said, “No. No such decision (not to renew the contracts of Cuban doctors and nurses) has been taken by the Cabinet.” Asked whether she felt there was a health crisis in the country in the wake of the suspension of medical personnel at SFGH, Persad-Bissessar replied, “There are several concerns with respect to the health sector. It is a matter that is ongoing. We will do what we can to bring to an end whatever impasse there may be.”
TNT had 450 dengue cases in 2010
THERE was a total of 450 cases of dengue fever reported in this country last year. This finding is contained in the first report of the Government Ministries joint select committee (JSC) which was laid in the Senate on Tuesday.
The report also said over the last 20 years, there has been an increase in the number of peak periods of dengue due to environmental conditioning and climate change. The report added that this pattern has occurred throughout the Caribbean, Central and South America.
The JSC noted that while the Health Ministry has developed several effective systems and programmes to deal with vector-borne diseases such as dengue, there were a few shortcomings.
These shortcomings included the “limited use of the media by the ministry outside of the peak dengue periods”; the non-implementation of a water barrel project in Trinidad while this project was successfully done in Tobago and “some deficiencies in the competence of the personnel charged with the first stage diagnosis of dengue fever.”
Among the recommendations made by the JSC for the Health Ministry to improve its ability to deal with dengue were a sustained public education campaign throughout the year; implementation of a water barrel replacement programme in Trinidad and working with the Local Government Ministry to find a solution to the health risks presented by vacant and abandoned private lots within municipalities.
Independent Senator Corinne Baptiste-McKnight is the chairperson of this JSC. Other members include Energy Minister Carolyn Seepersad-Bachan, Diego Martin Central MP Dr Amery Browne and Opposition Senator Faris Al-Rawi.
TNK-BP blocks BP Russian Arctic venture with Rosneft
Russian shareholders of TNK-BP have blocked BP's Arctic exploration deal with state-owned Rosneft.
"We won," said a spokesman for the oil joint venture's Russian shareholders.
A Swedish arbitration panel in London agreed that the Arctic deal violated a previous agreement between them and BP made when they set up TNK-BP.
BP said it was disappointed at the decision, and hoped it could still go ahead with a share swap agreed with Rosneft as part of the deal.
"BP looks forward to finding a way to resolve its differences with its Russian partners to allow these important Arctic developments to proceed in future," said the UK oil firm in a statement on the arbitration panel's decision.
However, the UK firm faces an effective deadline for breaking the deadlock of 14 April, according to the BBC's business editor, Robert Peston.
That is the date on which BP's agreement with Rosneft must be consummated by, or else it will expire.
The oil giant signed the controversial new deal with its Russian state-owned counterpart in January, in order to exploit potentially huge deposits of oil and gas in Russia's Arctic shelf.
But TNK-BP's Russian shareholders claimed BP broke an agreement to inform them of any other Russian oil business deals.
The "strategic global alliance" with Rosneft would have seen the UK and Russian firms exchange expertise in exploring the region.
As part of the deal, the pair had agreed that Rosneft would take 5% of BP's shares in exchange for approximately 9.5% of Rosneft's shares.
It is this share exchange that is said to have particularly upset TNK-BP's Russian shareholders.
The Alfa-Access-Renova (AAR) consortium, which represents the Russian shareholders, won a High Court injunction in London last month that put the BP-Rosneft deal on hold until the dispute could be resolved by arbitration.
It was hoped that the joint venture might be given a role in the Arctic exploration deal, but TNK-BP's shareholders failed to agree on this.
The arbitration panel has now ruled that the temporary injunction "should continue" according to BP.
"Wilfully ignoring the provisions of the shareholder agreement was a serious misjudgement by BP that has severely damaged the relationship between the TNK-BP shareholders," said Stan Polovets, chief executive of AAR.
"It has also harmed BP's reputation in Russia," he added. "We expect [BP chief executive] Bob Dudley to make every effort to rectify the situation and rebuild the trust that has been lost between BP, AAR and the management of TNK-BP."
Portugal Moves Closer to Emergency Bailout
Portugal's financial collapse now appears more likely following Prime Minister Jose Socrates abrupt resignation this week. "The opposition took away the government's ability to continue running the country. Consequently, I have presented to the president of the republic my resignation from the post of Prime Minister," Socrates said.
Markets took the resignation as a sign that debt-heavy Portugal has given up its year-long battle to avoid a bailout.
The announcement pushed interest rates on the government's 10-year bonds to a record high - making it more likely that Portugal will ask for emergency rescue funds just as Greece and Ireland did last year.
In Brussels, where anti-austerity protests have begun, the new crisis threatens to overshadow an EU summit meant to reassure markets that the euro is sound.
"There is another EU summit today [Thursday] at which the bail [out] package is due to be raised, so these new developments will influence that. We can definitely see an influence on the Euro which dropped two cents overnight," said Market expert Fidel Helmer.
Analysts estimate the cost of the Portugal bailout at 80 billion euro, or about $113 billion. Angus Campbell at London Capital Group says investors are waiting for concrete action from Brussels. "The difficulty for the euro at the moment is of course getting coordinated agreement and more than anything else, getting support from Germany which is of course the power house of Europe," Campbell said.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed disappointment. She was critical of the country's politicians for not being able to reach a compromise.
"It is about the future of the euro, it is financial stability and whether a country and its prime minister, whether a Social Democratic or Christian Democratic, shows responsibility. And it is regrettable that parliament did not support the reforms," Merkel said.
Portugal's outgoing leader says the country has enough cash reserves to meet a $6.4 billion debt repayment next month. But analysts say a smiliar payment in June is doubtful.
Portugal is one of the smallest economies in the 17-nation eurozone, but its financial collapse could trigger fresh worries about other debt-heavy euro countries such as Spain, Belgium and Italy.
EU Leaders Discuss Spreading Debt Crisis
European leaders are holding talks Thursday and Friday on ways to halt the spread of the eurozone debt crisis that has led to the resignation of Portugal's prime minister.
Even before European Union leaders gathered in Brussels, two events served to remind them that the economic crisis is far from over. Late Wednesday, Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Socrates submitted his resignation after the parliament rejected his latest austerity budget.
And thousands of workers demonstrated in the Belgium capital against economic reforms they claim are too pro-business.
EU leaders were supposed to agree during this summit to a comprehensive set of steps to prevent the spread of the financial crisis within the 17 nations sharing the euro currency. But analysts like Olivier Jehan, head of the Brussels office of the French Institute of International Relations, doubt that will happen.
"It's difficult to reach an agreement if you have a caretaker government in Portugal," said Jehan. "And also some political difficulties in Finland."
Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, whose population has balked at bailing out debt-strapped members like Greece, also is facing key regional elections. Berlin is likely to demand tougher conditions for lending to poorer members.
In Portugal, Prime Minister Socrates has been reluctant to follow the path of Greece and Ireland, which both accepted EU bailouts. Jehan doubts a debt measure for Portugal will be agreed to this month.
"The first thing is to find a new government," he said. "I'm not sure that the current government, after the resignation of the prime minister, is able to take any decision on this matter."
Libya also is expected to dominate the agenda, with EU members divided over the current military action. Observers say it is unlikely leaders will come to any major decision this week on Libya beyond humanitarian assistance.
US Stocks Rise
U.S. stock market indexes advanced sharply in Thursday's trading.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained seven-tenths of a percent to end at 12,171. The S&P 500 moved up nine-tenths of a percent to close at 1,310, and the NASDAQ advanced 1.4 percent to reach 2,736.
European stock markets closed higher. London's Financial Times 100 index ended up 1.5 percent to close at 5,881. The CAC40 in Paris moved up 1.4 percent to end the day's trading at 3,969, while the DAX in Frankfurt jumped 1.9 percent to finish at 6,934.
Earlier Thursday in Asia, Tokyo's Nikkei index lost two-tenths of a percent to close at 9,435. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index gained four-tenths of a percent to finish the day's trading at 22,915.
The price of gold fell more than $10 to trade at $1,426.95 an ounce.
The dollar rose against the yen but lost value compared to the euro.
Gold Hits Record Price
The price of gold has hit a record high — due largely, analysts say, to the turmoil across much of the globe.
Gold sold for nearly $1,448 an ounce on Thursday, pushing past the previous record set earlier this month.
Gold is often viewed as a safe haven during times of crisis. Analysts say many investors are uneasy about the value of other securities — especially with political uprisings in the Middle East, worries about European debt and concerns about the economic aftershocks of Japan's earthquake and tsunami.
Also at a record high is the price of another precious metal — silver. It reached a 31-year high of more than $38 an ounce Thursday.
Wendy Williams Sued for Being Salty During Paid Appearance
TMZ is reporting that Wendy Williams was sued by a concert promoter who claims she was paid $25,000 to appear at an Atlantic City resort, but her conduct at the event “was best described as … ungrateful.”
According to the lawsuit, Williams was scheduled to make a two-hour appearance at The Pool at Harrah’s Resort. The suit claims Williams hardly mingled with guests and left after only an hour — after complaining how she and her husband wanted to leave.
The talk show host and “Dancing With the Stars” contestant was supposed to take the mic on stage, but instead retreated to a cabana, the lawsuit states.
The suit also claims Williams “disappointed her fans who came out expecting her to host the party,” and alleges she demanded four bottles of Ace of Spades champagne and two bottles of white wine at her cabana.
The lawsuit states Williams and her husband said they wanted to be left alone while they drank.
Rihanna Tour May be Over Before it Starts plus dating 'Girls'?
Maybe Rihanna isn’t as cool as she thought she was. The pop star may be canceling the some of her tour dates due to low sales. Her upcoming Loud tour with opener Cee Lo Green hasn’t quite caught on with enough people, according to the NY Post.
“It has been a big disappointment,” claims the Post’s source. “The ticket sales in big US cities like Boston are so bad, they will barely cover basics like the lighting and other arena costs. Tour managers are begging local radio stations to do giveaways.”
Just to put it all into perspective, a show scheduled for July 24 at the TD Garden in Boston requires at least 15,000 ticket sales just to break even only sold 3,700, resulting in a $500,000 loss.
Yikes!
The tour kicks off on June 4 in Baltimore and will continue in major cities across North America. There is no word, however, which dates will be canceled. (Turks & Caicos sounds like a good bet next to Boston.)
In other RiRi News:Hollywood TV caught up with Rihanna last week in Los Angeles, where they asked the Bajan popstar about rumors that she’s dating actor Ryan Phillipe.
RiRi jokingly responded, “No, I hate to burst your bubble but I’m dating girls”.
When asked if the “girl” in question was Nicki Minaj, she responded “”I wish! Her butt is perfect.”
Chris Brown’s ‘F.A.M.E.’ to Top Billboard; J-Hud #2; Kirk Franklin #4
Looks like all of Chris Brown’s tomfoolery is about to pay off.
After several weeks in which the artist dyed his hair blonde, was seen naked in a leaked photo and trashed a dressing room, Billboard says his new album “F.A.M.E.” is poised to enter the chart at No 1 next week on sales of over 250,000. If the numbers pan out, this will be Brown’s first No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart.
Industry prognosticators suggest the set, released yesterday (Mar. 22), could shift anywhere between 250,000 to 300,000 by week’s end on Sunday, Mar. 27. Brown has charted three previous top 10 albums: his first, self-titled set debuted and peaked at No. 2 in 2005 and was followed by 2007′s “Exclusive” (No. 4) and 2009′s “Graffiti” (No. 7).
“Graffiti,” released after the Rihanna beating, began with 102,000, according to Nielsen SoundScan, in the thick of the Christmas shopping season and has thus far sold 341,000. His new set boasts four Billboard Hot 100 hit singles “Deuces” (No. 14), “Yeah 3X” (No. 15), “No BS” (No. 62) and “Look At Me Now” (No. 8).
Brown won’t be the only high-bowing act next week, either. He’ll be joined by Jennifer Hudson, who will see her second album, “I Remember Me,” perhaps starting in the runner-up slot with around 160,000. The Strokes’ newest, “Angles,” may enter at No. 3 with maybe 90,000 while Kirk Franklin’s “Hello Fear” could start at No. 4 with 80,000.
With this week’s No. 1, Adele’s “21″ — on Columbia Records — looking at perhaps the No. 5 slot next week, it would give Sony Music a monopoly of the top five. (Brown is on Jive Records, Hudson is on J, the Strokes are an RCA act and Franklin is on Gospo Centric through Jive.)
The last time a distributor had that sort of lock on the top five was on the Jan. 15, 2011 chart, when Universal Music owned the region. Taylor Swift’s “Speak Now” (Big Machine) was No. 1, followed by Eminem’s “Recovery” (Web/Shady/Aftermath/Interscope), Rihanna’s “Loud” (SRP/Def Jam), Nicki Minaj’s “Pink Friday” (Young Money/Cash Money/Universal Motown) and Kanye West’s “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” (Roc-a-Fella/Def Jam), respectively.
