Cuba devalues currency to match US dollar
Cuba is devaluing its currency by about 8% compared to the US dollar as part of efforts to revive the economy.
The hard-currency convertible peso used mostly by tourists and foreign firms will now be on a par with the dollar.
The central bank said the aim was to boost exports and local production.
The move will increase the value of remittances received by many Cubans with relatives in the US, and is intended to make the island more affordable for tourists.
The government says it keep a 10% tax on exchanges with the dollar, which it describes as compensation for the "irrational and unjust" US economic embargo.
Each convertible peso will still be worth 24 of the standard pesos in which most Cubans are paid under the communist island's two-tier currency system.
It is the first time Cuba has revalued its currency in six years.
The decision will make foreign imports more expensive, but the government said it hoped to compensate for this by increasing domestic production, especially food.
Debt progress
In a statement published in the official communist party newspaper, Granma, central bank president Ernesto Medina said limits placed on payments to foreign companies introduced in 2008 had also been reduced.
He added that there had been "significant advances" in the renegotiation of debt with Cuba's main foreign creditors.
Last year Cuba launched a programme of major economic changes designed to reduce the state's overwhelming role in the economy and promote private enterprise.
Under the plan announced by President Raul Castro last September around a million state workers were due to be laid off and encouraged to find new jobs in the private sector.
Thousands have already applied for licenses to set up small businesses, although the timetable for redundancies has been delayed.
The changes to Cuba's socialist system are due to be discussed at a rare Communist Party Congress in April.
President Castro has said that the changes are vital to overhauling the economy, which is burdened by debt and the effects of the long-standing US trade embargo, as well having to fund costly social programmes,
Official: Remaining Workers Evacuated From Stricken Nuclear Plant
Japanese officials have suspended operations aimed at preventing a stricken nuclear plant from melting down, after a surge in radiation made it too dangerous for workers to remain there.
The chief government spokesman, Yukio Edano, told reporters that radiation levels at the quake-stricken Fukushima plant spiked at mid-morning. He said the remaining workers at the plant were evacuated to a safe area, because of the risk posed by the increased radiation.
Edano said levels have now receded somewhat, and that officials are monitoring them to determine when it would be safe to send the workers back into the plant.
Early Wednesday, what appeared to be white smoke was rising from one of the reactors at the plant, which was crippled by last week's devastating earthquake and resulting tsunami. Edano said officials were trying to determine the cause of the smoke, but that the most likely cause is steam escaping from a ruptured containment vessel in one of the reactors.
Japan's government is trying to avert a major nuclear disaster from the crippled plant. Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated from a 20-kilometer area around the facility.
Authorities also are rushing doctors and emergency supplies to thousands of people who have been left without food, water and shelter following the 9.0 magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami. Japan's NHK television on Tuesday quoted government officials as saying that 3,000 are confirmed dead, but more than 10,000 are missing and feared dead.
The scale of the triple disaster is enormous. U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs spokesperson Stephanie Bunker told VOA Tuesday she has not seen a disaster quite like this before.
Television pictures from hard-hit Sendai show people lined up for water and canned food, and some stores rationing food sales to 10 items per person. In other areas, the 100,000 personnel deployed by the government are attempting to rescue survivors stranded by the flood waters and mountains of debris.
Rescue crews still are struggling through debris-blocked roads to get to hundreds of thousands of people whose towns and villages were leveled by Friday's earthquake and tsunami.
The government says 15,000 people have been rescued and 450,000 have been evacuated nationwide.
Fire in Japan’s Troubled Nuclear Power Plant
A new fire has broken out at a troubled reactor of northeast Japan's quake-damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant.
The plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company, says the new fire started early Wednesday in the same reactor that had been on fire the day before. Japanese television showed a huge cloud of white smoke rising from the stricken plant at mid-day Wednesday.
The government also reported damage to the protective container shielding another Fukushima reactor . There have been explosions at two reactor locations inside the plant since the massive earthquake and tsunami damaged the facility on Friday.
Japan's government is trying to avert a major nuclear disaster from the crippled plant. About 200,000 of people have been evacuated from the area.
Authorities also are rushing doctors and emergency supplies to thousands of people left without food, water and shelter after the disaster.
Japan's NHK television on Tuesday quoted government officials as saying that 3,000 are confirmed dead, but more than 10,000 are missing and feared dead.
The scale of the triple disaster is enormous. U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs spokesperson Stephanie Bunker told VOA Tuesday she has not seen a disaster quite like this before.
Television pictures from hard-hit Sendai show people lined up for water and canned food, and some stores rationing food sales to 10 items per person. In other areas, the 100,000 personnel deployed by the government are attempting to rescue survivors stranded by the flood waters and mountains of debris.
Rescue crews still are struggling through debris-blocked roads to get to hundreds of thousands of people whose towns and villages were leveled by Friday's magnitude-9 earthquake and subsequent tsunami.
The government says 15,000 people have been rescued and 450,000 have been evacuated nationwide.
Prosecutors: Berlusconi Had Sex with Teenage Girl 13 Times
Italian prosecutors say Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and a suspected teenage prostitute engaged in sex acts at his house 13 separate times.
The prosecutors wrapped up their investigation into allegations that Mr. Berlusconi paid an underage girl for sex — a crime in Italy. They also recommend that three friends of Mr. Berlusconi be tried on charges of procuring prostitutes for dinner parties at his house.
The alleged prostitutes include the young Moroccan nightclub dancer called “Ruby,” who is at the center of the Berlusconi sex scandal. She and other girls allegedly were brought to the prime minister's home for dinner, at which time he allegedly would choose one or more of the girls for sex.
Mr. Berlusconi goes on trial April 6 on charges of paying Ruby for sex last year when she was just 17 years old — a charge both deny. Mr. Berlusconi calls himself a victim of left-wing politicians.
Prostitution is legal in Italy, but not with women younger than 18.
Moderate Earthquake Shakes Uganda
A moderate earthquake shook parts of Uganda Tuesday, but there were no immediate reports of damage.
The U.S. Geological Survey says the preliminary magnitude of the quake was 5.0.
Its epicenter was in the Lake Albert region of the country, about 200 kilometers northwest of the capital, Kampala.
The USGS says the earthquake struck at a depth of 10 kilometers.
Petraeus positive about US Afghanistan progress
The US commander in Afghanistan has said the Taliban's momentum has been halted in key areas, keeping the US on course to start withdrawing in July.
Gen David Petraeus, commander of US forces in Afghanistan, was giving his first formal assessment to Congress since taking over the role last June.
He said progress so far meant officials could recommend shifting some control to the Afghan forces in the spring.
US forces in Afghanistan number 97,000, alongside 45,000 from Nato allies.
Gen Petraeus took over command of US forces in Afghanistan after Gen Stanley McChrystal was asked to step down in June 2010.
Testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Gen Petraeus said that the Taliban's momentum "has been arrested in much of the country and reversed in a number of important areas".
He said he was optimistic about the course of the fight going forward, after the coalition's recent military successes.
"We believe that we will be able to build on the momentum achieved in 2010, though that clearly will entail additional tough fighting," he said.
However, he warned that the successes so far were "fragile and reversible" and that adequate funding was necessary to avoid jeopardising military gains to date.
"I am concerned that levels of funding for our State Department and USAID partners will not sufficiently enable them to build on the hard-fought security achievements of our men and women in uniform," he said.
In his opening statement, Senator John McCain, the top Republican on the Armed Services panel, suggested that "strategic patience" should be cultivated.
"This patience will be all the more essential as we wrestle with two other key challenges," he said.
"The first is governance and corruption. American taxpayers want to know that the vast resources they are committing to this war effort are not being wasted, stolen, or misused by Afghan officials.
"A second key challenge stems from Pakistan."
Members of Congress are due to roll out a resolution calling for Mr Obama to withdraw US forces from Afghanistan either in 30 days or no later than the end of 2011.
The measure represents impatience with the war and increasing budget pressures, but it has failed in the past and is likely to fail again.
Gen Petraeus made his comments as a new ABC News-Washington Post poll showed a record low in support for the war in Afghanistan among American.
Only 31% of those surveyed said the decade-old war had been worth fighting, with 64% saying it was not worth fighting.
The poll also suggests 73% of Americans believe the US should withdraw a substantial number of its combat forces from Afghanistan this summer, but only 39% think it will.
Last week US defence secretary Robert Gates, on an unannounced visit to Afghanistan, said the US was "well-positioned" to begin withdrawing troops from Afghanistan in July.
He also apologised over the deaths of nine Afghan boys the weekend before in a Nato air strike.
President Barack Obama has said that civilian deaths are the main cause of a worsening in the relationship between Afghanistan and the US.
Track N Field in Provo starts on Wednesday
Track & Field in the Turks & Caicos Islands will culminate at the National Stadium tomorrow Wednesday March 16th & Thursday March 17th,2011.
High Schools & Invitational groups will do battle on the track for medals, trophies and the quest to be number one.
Defending Champions HJ Robinson from Grand Turk will return to the city Providenciales to defend their championship. Second place rivals Clement Howell from Blue Hills will be aggressive as they felt they were robbed of the 2010/2011 Championships.
Head Coach for HJ Robinson told RTC Sports, 'We have better caliber athletes with a heart of gold and that's what we are carrying back to the capital of Grand Turk.' Other strong contenders are Marjorie Basden from South Caicos & Raymond Gardiner from North Caicos.
Clement Howell Principal Mr. Lloyd Ferron told RTC Sports that HJ was a little lucky but their luck will run out over the next two days. RTC will have the action live on radio and via www.rtc107fm.com.
Sports Watch analysts Donavan Fulford, Rex Swann & Eddie Astwood will be joined by their commentators, track stars past and present to highlight this years prestigious event.
The TCI Sports Commission Director Mr. Alvin Parker has said in his release that this years event is a must see. Mr. Parker believes this will be the biggest event yet. He anticipates us witnessing great races, broken records and is inviting the nation at large to be apart of this years event.
Gates to the stadium opens at 8am with action kicking off at 10am.
Tickets for London 2012 Olympics now available
As you read this, there are now only 499 days left until the Games of the XXX Olympiad.
In other words, the already much-talked about London 2012 Olympics are practically upon us.
And to celebrate the ‘500 Days to Go’ milestone, London 2012 yesterday opened its online applications for competition tickets – one of sports most precious commodities.
Not be left out of the festivities was Barbados.
At a joint Barbados Olympic Association/British High Commission press conference yesterday, local officials of the Olympic and Paralympic movement joined with UK government officials to usher in what they collectively termed a “a key date in the Olympic movement.”
“We want to share these Games with everyone around the world, including the people of Barbados,” said Phil Culligan, Deputy British High Commissioner.
Relaying a message from British Prime Minister, David Cameron, Culligan added: “Beyond 2012, we want to ensure these games deliver a strong legacy, not just by regenerating a part of East London, but by boosting our national economy. However and most importantly, the aim is to inspire a new generation to get active and get involved in sports.”
Across the globe yesterday, international sales agents officially began receiving requests for Games tickets. Barbadians, however, will have to go through the secretariat of the Barbados Olympic Association (BOA).
“As has been our practice in the past, the BOA has appointed Cartan Tours International to be our official travel agent”, Cameron Burke, Barbados’ Chief de Mission for London 2012, said.
“Their staff has thoroughly investigated accommodations, transportation and locations in the London area. They have developed various travel programs for multiple needs, budgets and desires. We are extremely satisfied that this company pays considerable attention to detail which ensures our patrons of an enjoyable Olympic Games.”
Burke, who highlighted that time was of the essence, said that persons wishing to attend the Games must make a request through the BOA via its email address – info@olympic.org.bb.
“These requests will then be forwarded to the ticket agent who will subsequently contact you. To start the process, a deposit of US$250 must be lodged with Cartan Tours. Having competed the transaction with our agent, tickets can then be collected on arrival in London from the Cartan Tours office.”
One downside from a Barbadian perspective was the lack of tickets available for events such as basketball, swimming, cycling and gymnastics – not to mention the Opening and Closing ceremonies of the Games, the two marquee non-sporting events.
With the 2012 Games being held in London, it is seen as the first viable opportunity many Barbadians have ever had of making their dreams of attending an Olympic Games a reality – certainly not since the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.
To this end, Burke said the BOA was cognizant of the wishes of the many Barbadian citizens who have already expressed an interest in attending the Games.
“Although the BOA has been allotted a reasonable amount of tickets for track and field . . . we did not receive a significant amount of ‘Prime Time’ tickets – tickets for the Opening and Closing ceremonies, basketball, swimming, cycling and gymnastics. However, we are appealing to the organizers to increase our allocations.”
Burke will be attending a Chief de Mission meeting in August in London to review plans and programmes as well as visit some of the venues, including the highly-touted Games village.
Steve Stoute, long-standing president of the BOA, along with Erskine Simmons, the BOA’s Secretary General, were recently in the United Kingdom where they had an opportunity to tour the Olympic Park – 75 per cent of which is reported to be already complete.
“We were able to tour the Olympic Park and we were extremely impressed with the sports venues and the neighboring Olympic village. Barbados is very much looking forward to being a part of the 2012 Olympic Games in London,” he said.
The 2012 Sumer Olympic Games will take place in London from July 27 to August 12. London will become the first city to officially host the modern Olympic Games three times, having previously done so in 1908 and in 1948.
The 2012 Summer Olympic programme features 26 sports with a total of 38 disciplines while the 2012 Paralympic Games, which will run between August 29 and September 9, will include 20 sports with a total of 21 disciplines.
Cricketers released
Former West Indies middle order batsman Runako Morton and Leeward Islands all rounder, Tonito Willet, have been released from police custody today, after the West Indies Players Association (WIPA) met the bail conditions for their release on drug related charges.
WIPA president Dinanath Ramnarine also that the two cricketers, who were arrested last Friday night, had since apologized to their families, friends and teams.
He said WIPA was assembling a team of lawyers to represent the two cricketers when they re-appear in court on Thursday charged with being in possession of 470 grammes of marijuana with a street value of TT$6,000 (US$1,000).
The two men had been granted bail on Monday to the tune of TT$100 000 (US$16 600) each, but spent the night in police custody after no one came forward to meet the conditions. The court had also given an alternative bail of TT$20 000 (US$3 330) cash each for the two cricketers.
“Yesterday when the magistrate ordered that they could get bail, we were trying to do it through a deed and the deed obviously needed certain clearance…and it took some time and it was not able to be done….but with the guys in police custody since Friday we therefore want to make sure they are out,” Ramnarine told reporters.
He said that arrangements have also been made for Willet to remain on the island until the conclusion of the court case.
“All of those arrangements are being made as we speak, He said, noting that none of the cricketers would address the media.
Police said the two cricketers were stopped and searched during an exercise on Friday night and a black plastic bag containing the illicit drug was found in the vehicle.
The 32-year-old Morton, who has played 15 Tests for West Indies, is in his first season for Trinidad and Tobago after previously representing the Leewards.
Willett, meanwhile, is a seasoned first class campaigner and a virtual fixture in the Leewards side in recent seasons.
Source:(CMC)
Woods has to back up big talk on course
Tiger Woods was all smiles as he signed for his closing 66 in the WGC Championship at Doral. It gave the former world number one his first top-10 finish of the year and had him nodding enthusiastically when asked whether he liked his chances for the Masters.
His fine round of golf included seven birdies, five of which were converted from inside six feet of the hole. So was this the round that told us that the 35-year-old American is at last back to his best and ready to challenge for the first major of the year?
Discount a 14-time major champion at your peril but it is just as likely that this six-under-par round will prove another false dawn.
Woods has had several impressive finishes recently. There was a 67 at the Barclays in August and a 68 in Boston the following week. Then there was a 68 in Shanghai at the final WGC event of 2010, followed seven days later by a 65 in the Australian Masters.
And there were plenty of positive quotes coming from his mouth.
"Very close," "If I just putt well I'm right there," "I'm pleased with the progress," were some of his encouraging assessments of his revamped game.
Yet the debate about the state of his game and the merits of the swing changes he is making under the tutelage of Sean Foley still rages.
Lee Trevino, winner of six majors, suggests Woods should ditch his teacher because it is clear he remains a very long way from being at his consistent best.
And it is also worth noting that the encouraging final rounds I highlighted earlier were compiled while Woods had no chance of winning the tournament. This was also the case with the 66 at Doral that has had so many observers purring with admiration.
Woods remains upbeat. "Overall, it feels really good," he said. "My trajectory is becoming better. My shapes of my shots are getting tighter. The driver is still not quite there. I'm not quite shaping the golf ball like I want to yet. But I'm hitting it flush again, which is good, so that's just a matter of time before that comes around."
And does he like his Masters chances? "Oh yeah," he said.
Woods realises he needs to talk up his game as much as he can in order to maintain the aura he built up with his brilliance on the golf course. That is because he knows - and he always has - that his aura and reputation can help him win tournaments.
As Johnny Miller put it so superbly before Woods destroyed a five-shot deficit to eclipse Sean O'Hair at the 2009 Bay Hill Championship: "He is the sun and you are the butter when you are with Woods in the final pairing."
That 2009 victory for Woods came at a time when his final rounds counted for something, when his putting stroke was the envy of the rest and the notion that he might switch putters mid-tournament was unthinkable.
To gauge how Woods is faring currently, it is worth a look at his PGA Tour statistics. They tell us he averages 1.78 putts per green this year - and there are 99 players performing better in that regard at the moment.
Of course, you can turn stats to win any argument.
It is worth noting that Woods has played only two US Tour strokeplay events this year. His Greens In Regulation figures are much improved, too, which, in turn, means he will be putting from longer distances and thus less likely to single putt.
Even so, Woods lies 102nd for success with putts inside five feet - damning evidence of his current inconsistency with the short stick.
As for the long ones, he still cannot break into the top 190 for driving (distance and accuracy combined) - as was the case for the whole of the 2010 season.
As we know, Woods is rebuilding his swing and tinkering with his short game to make himself a better player. And he believes Foley can help him achieve his goal.
Foley is trading blows in the media with Hank Haney, a former tutor of Woods, over the path the player has taken. Haney, who split with Woods soon after the player had returned to action at last year's Masters following the player's well-documented personal problems, points out that his former charge won 45% of the events he played and claimed a top-10 finish 85% of the time during the last three years he was his coach.
There is no doubt that Woods is still piecing his life back together on and off the golf course, while a new generation of players have caught up and, for the moment at least, overtaken the man who once so utterly dominated the game.
Since long-time rival Phil Mickelson won last year's Masters, all the majors and World Golf Championships events have been won by players younger than Woods, who celebrated his 35th birthday in December. Nick Watney, who was victorious at Doral, is 29, which is exactly the average age of the winners of these elite tournaments.
Source: BBC Blog