Unprecedented release from Joe Biden to reduce fuel costs
US President Joe Biden has ordered a major release of oil from America's reserves in an effort to bring down high fuel costs.
The release of up to 180m barrels of oil over six months is the largest since the reserve was created in 1974.
Oil prices dropped on reports of the move, which is aimed at easing a supply crunch sparked by war in Ukraine.
But the release - of about 1m barrels a day - is unlikely to fully resolve the energy crisis, analysts say.
Mr Biden promised further action to boost US output, saying the release would "serve as [a] bridge until the end of the year when domestic production ramps up".
He called for companies to pay extra if they choose not to use oil wells on land they lease from the government, as well as investments to speed up the adoption of greener energy sources.
Following Mr Biden's remarks, US oil benchmark West Texas Intermediate was more than 7% lower at about $100 a barrel, while Brent Crude fell roughly 5.4% to around $107.
The soaring cost of fuel has become a major political issue around the world, including in the US, which hosts mid-term elections in November.
Mr Biden said the scale of the release from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve - which together amounts to less than two days of global consumption - was "unprecedented".
Thursday's announcement marked the third time in six months Mr Biden has moved to draw down America's crude oil stockpiles
But the release of additional reserves is unlikely to be enough to compensate for lost supplies from Russia - the world's second-biggest oil exporter after Saudi Arabia.
"While stock releases will help to keep a lid on prices in the short term, we think it will take an increase in global production to spark a sustained fall in prices," said Edward Gardner, commodities economist at Capital Economics.
Brent crude - the global benchmark for oil prices - hit $139 a barrel earlier this month after Russia's invasion of Ukraine and sanctions slapped on Moscow by the US and its allies.
Energy prices have fallen back since then, but oil is still almost 70% higher than it was a year ago.
Source- BBC
China's WeChat suspends some accounts linked to NFTs
China's popular WeChat messaging app has suspended some accounts linked to non-fungible tokens (NFTs), to prevent speculation in the digital assets.
The platform says it has "rectified" accounts which it found to be promoting NFT market speculation, that can help to drive up prices.
There are no regulations against NFTs in China, although the trading of cryptocurrencies was banned last year.
NFTs can be bought and sold in China like any other piece of property.
For this reason they have been touted as the digital answer to collectibles. However, they have no tangible form of their own, and experts have warned about risks in the market.
On Thursday, WeChat responded to local media reports that the accounts had been banned.
The platform said it had "recently standardised and rectified public accounts and small programmes for speculation and secondary sales of digital collections".
It added that this was done "according to relevant national regulations, in order to prevent the risk of speculation in virtual currency transactions".
Chinese technology giant Tencent, which owns WeChat, declined to comment further when approached by the BBC.
The move comes as China's technology industry has come under intense scrutiny by authorities.
The sector has seen a large amount of official action against it since last year, including crackdowns on ecommerce firms, online finance services, social media platforms, gaming companies, cloud computing providers, ride-hailing apps and cryptocurrency miners and exchanges.
Even after all the measures, the trading of NFTs is still not illegal in China. However, the digital assets are built on technology which is regulated by Beijing.
Under the rules, buyers have to purchase NFTs in the local currency, the yuan, rather than cryptocurrencies, which are banned.
The "one of a kind assets" have been sold for thousands - and even millions - of dollars.
Source- BBC
Dodge Replacing Hellcat With 800-HP Hydrogen-Powered 'Hydra'
"The Hydra represents the next evolution of the muscle car without compromising our brand integrity," Ivan Tobrakfri, Director of Muscle Car Development at Dodge told CarBuzz. "The Hydra name is symbolic for us. While legislation may have cut the head off of our ICE-powered muscle cars, two more will grow back in its place. Muscle cars won't go down that easily."
The second 'head' Tobrakfri refers to is electrification. "We'll admit that the announcement of the electric muscle car lineup was a kneejerk reaction to the incoming legislation," he says, "but our engineers have been working hard to create a combustion engine that burns cleanly while still delivering the aural delight and emotional connection to a muscle car that our loyal supporters expect." He explains that electrification is needed, however. "In order to expand our product offering, electrification is a must, which is why we will have electric family SUVs. But, our muscle cars must be powered by combustion - this is non-negotiable."
As for what will power the SRT Hydra, Dodge has developed an evolution of the brand's supercharged 6.2-liter V8 that is capable of running on hydrogen, similar in principle to what Toyota and Yamaha have achieved with the hydrogen Lexus V8. "Hydrogen combustion development has come a long way," says Dr. Mohammad Powababi, Advanced Powertrain Development Chief at Dodge. "We've found ways of increasing the compression ratio, reducing the risk of knock, and improving the power density of hydrogen in liquid form, which has enabled us to unlock its full potential. In base form, we've extricated 800 horsepower."
Internally, Dr. Mo Powababi said the motor functions in much the same way as a conventional gas-powered V8. "Modifications did have to be made to the existing Hemi's cylinder heads, intake manifold, injectors, and several other components, but we found the supercharger made the power goals easily achievable. 800 hp is just the beginning."
Source- Carbuzz
Turks and Caicos Weather Forecast
GENERAL SITUATION: A HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE ACROSS THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS WILL BEGIN TO RETREAT EASTWARDS TODAY AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING COLD FRONT THAT IS EXPECTED TO STALL JUST NORTH OF THE AREA ON SATURDAY MORNING.
SPECIAL WARNINGS: BOATERS IN THE EXTREME NORTHWEST BAHAMAS SHOULD REMAIN VIGILANT FOR POSSIBLE WATERSPOUT ACTIVITY WHILE BEACHGOERS SHOULD CONTINUE TO EXERCISE CAUTION DUE TO THE RISK OF RIP CURRENTS ALONG EAST AND SOUTH COAST BEACHES.
ALL AREAS
WEATHER:PARTLY TO MOSTLY SUNNY, BREEZY AND WARM WITH THE CHANCE OF A FEW PASSING SHOWERS MAINLY ACROSS THE EXTREME NORTHWEST BAHAMAS TODAY. MOSTLY FAIR AND MILD TONIGHT.
ADVISORY: A SMALL CRAFT CAUTION REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR ALL AREAS.
WINDS: SOUTHERLY AT 15 TO 20 KNOTS THIS MORNING, FALLING TO 10 TO 15 KNOTS BY THIS EVENING IN THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS AND EAST TO SOUTHEAST AT 15 TO 20 KNOTS OVER THE OCEAN IN THE CENTRAL AND TURKS AND CAICOS…WINDS GUSTY AT TIMES ACROSS ALL AREAS.
SEAS: 4 TO 7 FEET ACROSS ALL AREAS BUT SUBSIDING TO 2 TO 4 FEET BY TONIGHT IN THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS…SEAS HIGHER IN GUSTS.
DAYTIME HIGH TEMPERATURE 86°F 30°C
OVERNIGHT LOW TEMPERATURE 74°F 23°C
SUNRISE: 7:00 AM SUNSET: 7:25 PM
MOONRISE: 7:23 AM MOONSET: 8:00 PM
HIGH TIDE: 8:45 AM & 9:09 PM
LOW TIDE: 2:59 PM & 3:27 AM SAT.
EXTENDED FORECAST: (FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS) AS THE HIGH PRESSURE CONTINUES TO RETREAT, RESIDENTS AND VISITORS CAN EXPECT IMPROVING BEACHING AND BOATING CONDITIONS ACROSS MOST OF THE COUNTRY THIS WEEKEND. MEANWHILE, THE PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED FRONTAL BOUNDARY IS EXPECTED TO MEANDER JUST NORTH OF THE COUNTRY AND INCREASE RAIN AND POSSIBLE SEVERE WEATHER CHANCES ACROSS THE EXTREME NORTHWEST BAHAMAS THROUGH THE WEEKEND.
FORECAST FOR SATURDAY
WEATHER:PARTLY TO MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A FEW SHOWERS AND POSSIBLE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE EXTREME NORTHWEST BAHAMAS. PARTLY SUNNY AND WARM ELSEWHERE.
ADVISORY: SMALL CRAFT CAUTION REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE TURKS AND CAICOS.
WINDS: SOUTH-SOUTHEAST TO SOUTH-SOUTHWEST AT 10 TO 15 KNOTS IN THE NORTHWEST AND CENTRAL BAHAMAS AND EAST TO SOUTHEAST AT 15 TO 20 KNOTS IN THE TURKS AND CAICOS.
SEAS: 2 TO 4 FEET IN THE NORTHWEST AND CENTRAL BAHAMAS AND 4 TO 7 FEET IN THE TURKS AND CAICOS.
FORECAST FOR SUNDAY
WEATHER: PARTLY CLOUDY WITH A FEW SHOWERS AND POSSIBLE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE EXTREME NORTHWEST BAHAMAS. SOME SHOWERS MAY BE HEAVY AND THUNDERSTORMS STRONG TO SEVERE AT TIMES. MOSTLY SUNNY AND WARM ELSEWHERE.
ADVISORY: NONE
WINDS:WEST-SOUTHWEST TO WEST-NORTHWEST AT 10 TO 15 KNOTS IN THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS…VARIABLE AT LESS THAN 10 KNOTS IN THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS AND EAST TO SOUTHEAST AT 10 KNOTS OR LESS IN THE TURKS AND CAICOS.
SEAS: 2 TO 4 FEET IN THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS AND 3 FEET OR LESS IN THE CENTRAL AND TURKS AND CAICOS.
Dreadful evidence on road outside of Kyiv points to war crime
Footage of Russian troops shooting a man with his hands up on a highway outside Kyiv at the beginning of March was shared around the world. Now the Russians have been pushed out of the area and the BBC's Jeremy Bowen has been to see the grim aftermath of their short-lived occupation. We counted 13 bodies on a nightmarish stretch of road not much more than 200 yards long, between Mria and Myla, villages whose Ukrainian names translate as Dream and Sweetheart.
Two of the dead are confirmed as Ukrainian civilians who were killed by the Russians. The others have not been identified yet - they lie where they were killed - but only two are wearing recognisable Ukrainian military uniforms.
Our BBC team was able to get to the area, on the main E-40 highway as it approaches Kyiv, because Ukrainian forces had captured the sector only 10 hours earlier.
The marks of battle and of heavy shelling were everywhere. Petrol stations and a hotel that was well-known for its spa and restaurant were in ruins. Shell holes and craters pockmarked both carriageways.
Ukrainian troops changing a wheel in the ruins of a roadside garage said the Russians were about 4km (2.5 miles) away and had pulled their remaining men and armour back after a hard fight, lasting several days, in the early hours of the morning.
Left behind in the heart of the desolation were the dead bodies, and a mass of questions and concerns about who they were and how they died.
Some answers already exist for a couple who were killed by the Russians and left to decompose on 7 March. Their rusty, shrapnel riddled car lies in the road next to one of the petrol stations, reduced to a shell by fire. Next to it are the burnt and twisted remains of a body that is just about recognisable as the remains of a man. A wedding ring is still on the corpse's finger. Stretched out inside the hulk of their car is what is left of the incinerated body of a woman, the mouth opened in what looks like a scream.
Their deaths were filmed by a Ukrainian drone on 7 March, operated by the Bugatti unit of Territorial Defence. The unit released the video, which was republished by news organisations around the world. It caused outrage because it showed the cold-blooded killing of a man who had raised his arms to show he was harmless, in the classic gesture of surrender.
The bodies, the BBC discovered in an investigation this month, are of Maksim Iowenko and his wife Ksjena. They were part of a convoy of 10 civilian vehicles who were trying to escape the Russians and get to Kyiv.
As they drove down the road, they spotted a Russian tank in position, dug into the grass verge. The drone video shows it was clearly marked with the letter V, one of the identifiers used by the Russian armed forces. The other cars did quick U-turns and drove away at speed. But Maksim's car stopped, most likely because it was hit.
As soon as the car stopped, Maksim leapt out and raised his hands. Within seconds he was shot dead. His wife was killed in the car. Also in the car were their six-year-old son and the elderly mother of one of Maksim's friends. Both of them survived and were eventually released by the Russian soldiers.
They were found walking back down the road,and the woman told her family that Maksim was shouting that a child was in the car when he was killed. Both survivors, according to the Bugatti drone unit, are now safe but deeply traumatised.
Source- BBC
French intelligence chief, Gen Viduad, fired for inadequate predictions
The head of French military intelligence, Gen Eric Vidaud, is losing his job after failing to predict Russia's war in Ukraine, reports say.
Seven months after he took on the role, one report said he was blamed for "inadequate briefings" and a "lack of mastery of subjects".
The US correctly assessed that Russia was planning a large-scale invasion, while France concluded it was unlikely.
Gen Vidaud was blamed for that by France's military chief, a source said.
However, the military source told AFP news agency that his job was to provide "military intelligence on operations, not on premeditation". As Gen Vidaud's service concluded that Russia had the means to invade Ukraine, the source said that "what happened proves him right".
When contacted by the BBC, a military spokesman said French armed forces chief Gen Thierry Burkhard had no comment to make.
However, in early March Gen Burkhard acknowledged that French intelligence had not been up to the level of US or UK briefings, which were publicised to pile pressure on Russia's Vladimir Putin. "The Americans said that the Russians were going to attack, they were right," he told Le Monde newspaper.
"Our services thought instead that the cost of conquering Ukraine would have been monstrous and the Russians had other options" to bring down the government of Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky, he added.
France's misreading of President Putin was all the more embarrassing because President Emmanuel Macron had spoken to him regularly in the days leading up to the invasion on 24 February.
Intelligence specialist Prof Alexandre Papaemmanuel told AFP it was too easy to blame military intelligence for the failure, which lay with France's entire intelligence community.
But Gen Vidaud, France's former special forces commander, appears to have been squeezed out for other reasons too.
Weeks after he took charge of military intelligence, his service came in for criticism when Australia scrapped a multi-billion dollar submarine contract with France in favour of a security pact with the US and UK. The Aukus pact came out of the blue in France and prompted a diplomatic spat.
Source- BBC
Government extends income tax deadline
The Dominica government Thursday announced an extension of the deadline for filing income tax, saying that the measure is in response to requests from the public due to the negative impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on the island.
“As a government, which continues to listen to the concerns of every Dominican citizen and resident, we have, therefore, taken a decision, to extend the filing and payment due date for income tax returns and payments due today March 31, 2022 for income year January 2021 to December 2021,” Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit said, adding “the new due date for filing these returns is May 31, 2022”.
He said the additional time will allow businesses to complete their paperwork as well as amass additional funds to meet their obligations.
“We are happy that we are in a position to assist. COVID-19 has had a negative impact on countries across the world. Governments, businesses, and individuals have all been affected. We in Dominica are no exception. It is a prolonged storm that we have to weather collectively,” said Skerrit, who did not disclose the economic impact on the island.
He said he is sure that the new tax measure “will bring some relief, particularly to business owners, as together we devise ways to continue to build a resilient, sustainable economy and country”.
Dominica, like many other Caribbean countries, was forced to shut down its economic and close its borders at the height of the pandemic that killed 63 people and infected 11,839 over a two year period.
Source- CMC
Guyana considering another COVID-19 booster shot
Health Minister Dr. Frank Anthony Thursday said the government is considering the recommendation by the US-based Center of Disease Control (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to offer coronavirus (COVID-19) booster doses to persons 12 years and older.
The CDC has said that adolescents, who are age 12 to 17 years old, should receive a booster shot five months after their initial Pfizer-BioNTech vaccination series.
“That’s something we will also be looking at because our population between 12 to 17, we’ve only been giving them the primary dose, that’s the first and second dose, and now we’ll probably have to consider whether we should administer the booster dose,” Dr. Anthony told the daily COVID Update briefing.
The FDA announced earlier this week that countries can now administer a fourth COVID-19 booster dose to their population.
“The recommendation is that the fourth dose should be administered to people who have underlying conditions that result in immuno compromise… The second condition is that they have generally recommended it for anybody 50 years and older,” Dr. Anthony said.
He said scientific data has shown that a fourth dose vaccine is ‘very protective’ and as such the ministry will be considering the administration of a fourth dose for persons 50 years and older.
The Health Minister repeated the importance of getting vaccinated against the disease.
“When you get vaccinated, you’re giving your body a chance to quickly react when it comes in contact with the virus. If not [vaccinated], it would take a long time, and during that period you can develop other complications so it is important to get vaccinated.” Dr. Anthony said.
He reminded the population that immunity drops approximately six months after taking the second dose of a primary vaccine and therefore it is important that persons be boosted against the disease.
Guyana has recorded 1, 226 deaths and 63, 246 infections linked to the virus since the first case was detected in March 2020.
Source- BBC
Ukrainian refugee Andrii Kravchuk permitted to train with club
Manchester City have been given Premier League permission to let Ukrainian refugee Andrii Kravchuk train with the club.
The move follows intervention by City and Ukraine defender Oleksandr Zinchenko.
The pair played together at youth level at Shakhtar Donetsk.
Kravchuk was on a training camp in Turkey with his Russian club side Torpedo Moscow when the Russian invasion of Ukraine began.
The 23-year-old midfielder has now terminated his contract and fled to Manchester, where he will train with City's Under-23 squad for the remainder of the season.
"I felt really uncomfortable," Kravchuk said about playing for a Russian club.
"I was playing in a country that invaded my homeland. Leaving the club was the only decision. People in Ukraine would not understand me if I continued to play there."
Kravchuk's family remain in Kyiv, where his brother Aleks is fighting in the country's armed forces.
"I tell him every day how proud I am of him, for not only protecting our family but the whole country and the Ukrainian people. He is staying and fighting," Kravchuk explained.
"I'm really worried. I am in groups on my phone and always receiving messages with bombing alerts. Every time those alerts come through I am so anxious. Your only thought is that my family can die.
Kravchuk said he is "so grateful" to Manchester City for allowing him to train at the club and to his compatriot Zinchenko for help in finding a solution.
"The past few weeks and months have been so difficult, but to be back on the pitch means so much to me," he said.
Zinchenko said that he wished the "circumstances were very different" but it was "good to be back with Andrii".
"I know how much football means to him and how it can help us during these difficult times," Zinchenko said.
Earlier this month, the Premier League blocked Burnley's bid for Victor Moses from Spartak Moscow despite Fifa amending their rules to allow overseas players in the Russian Premier League to sign for clubs in other countries outside the transfer window.
But as Kravchuk is only training, they have agreed to let him join City, so he can maintain his fitness and continue his development.
Source- BBC
Will Smith slapping Chris Rock
Almost four decades ago it was "one little fight" that landed the Fresh Prince in trouble and saw the fictional Will moving to live with his auntie and uncle in Bel Air.
That scripted altercation on a basketball court launched the teenager's career as a comedian and actor - but now it's a real-life bust-up that could derail the life of an undisputed Hollywood superstar.
After Oscars presenter Chris Rock made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith's hair loss, Smith, her husband, leapt to the stage and gave the comedian a slap that was heard around the world.
But the tactless joke, Smith's violent reaction, and the fact that the award show continued without consequence, also sparked furious debate about what it means to "protect women", and American culture's apparent comfort with violence.
In a vain attempt to lighten the mood after a commercial break, comedian Amy Schumer joked that "the vibe had changed" and seemed to acknowledge that Rock wasn't the only one reeling.
Some joked Smith took method acting seriously and was channelling his hothead Bad Boys character Mike Lowrey. But others found the altercation alarming.
In a since-deleted tweet, director Judd Apatow said Smith "could have killed" Chris Rock and that Smith had "lost his mind". There were even calls for the actor to be arrested and charged with assault.
But actress Tiffany Haddish spoke for many when she praised Smith for defending his wife.
"Maybe the world might not like how it went down, but for me, it was the most beautiful thing I ever seen," she told People Magazine. Haddish, who co-starred with Pinkett Smith in the film Girls Trip, said black women are often the subject of jokes and ridicule, so seeing a black man stand up for his wife "meant so much to me".
Many black Americans noted the irony in the fact that Chris Rock produced the documentary Good Hair about how important hair is in black culture, only to joke about Pinkett Smith's chosen hairstyle. Pinkett Smith is one of many women who have recently gone public about their fight with alopecia, a condition that causes hair loss and affects many black women.
In a lengthy statement posted to Instagram on Monday evening, Smith apologised for behaviour he described as "unacceptable and inexcusable", stating: "I am a work in progress."
"Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive," the actor wrote. "I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness."
The actor also apologised directly to Chris Rock writing: "I was out of line and I was wrong."
Many online, including McKelvey, praised Rock for quite literally taking it on the chin and staying composed enough to continue the ceremony.
"I care about Chris Rock and Will Smith, two legends. Two Gods. I don't like seeing that between two black men, personally," he said. "We all laugh but that's still another human on the other end of that slap."
Smith and Rock are both comedians, and as the saying goes, the best jokes punch up not down. The Academy says it has now opened an investigation into the altercation and Smith.
If Smith is to learn anything from Fresh Prince, and this incident, it's that sometimes, "one little fight" can change the course of your life.
Source- BBC