Denzel Washington dishes on his Thanksgiving plans
Denzel Washington likes to keep his Thanksgiving holiday simple. The Oscar-winning actor says he'll be spending Thursday with family, doing three things he enjoys.
"Eating... sleeping... and football," Washington tells ABC Radio with a smile on his face. Washington, a longtime Dallas Cowboys fan, says he will be watching and rooting for his team on Thanksgiving Day.
In addition to relaxing and spending time with his family, Washington adds that he hopes to find out more about what his kids are up to.
Washington admits, "They don't talk to me about what they're doing....Maybe I'll find out over Thanksgiving."
He does know what his oldest son is doing, though.
"John David is starring in Black Klansman with Spike [Lee] and...[Jordan Peele]," he tells ABC Radio.
Washington's referring to the upcoming crime thriller, which Lee will direct and co-produce with Peele. John David will star as Ron Stallworth, a real-life police detective who infiltrated the KKK in 1978.
Washington's latest film, Roman J. Israel, Esq., is now in theaters nationwide.
Source-ABC
Kevin Spacey may be subject of new Scotland Yard investigation
London police are investigating another sexual claim that may involve Kevin Spacey.
Per their policy, the Metropolitan Police -- aka Scotland Yard -- doesn't reveal details about alleged perpetrators or victims during an investigation. However, they do confirm that the alleged crime occurred in 2005 in the London borough of Lambeth, and the alleged perpetrator is the same person already under investigation for an alleged sexual assault in 2008, also in Lambeth.
Spacey is widely considered to be the person being investigated in connection with the alleged 2008 assault, as reported earlier this month by The Guardian newspaper. Lambeth is also the location of the Old Vic Theatre, of which Spacey was artistic director from 2004 to 2015.
ABC News has been unable to confirm whether Spacey is in fact the subject of the investigations.
Late last month, actor Star Trek: Discovery Anthony Rapp told Buzzfeed that when he was 14, Spacey made a sexual advance on him. Spacey, who apologized to the actor with a controversial tweet in which he also came out as gay, has since become the target of other complaints and charges of sexual assault of varying degrees against Spacey, who has remained publicly silent since his initial statement regarding Rapp.
Since the Rapp accusation, Netflix formally terminated its relationship with Spacey, who starred in their hit drama, House of Cards. Final production of a film starring Spacey as writer Gore Vidal was cancelled, and director Ridley Scott cut all of Spacey's scenes from the fact-based film drama All the Money in the World, in which Spacey played billionaire J. Paul Getty. Those scenes are currently being re-shot with actor Christopher Plummer in the role.
Source-ABC
FORECAST FOR THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT FRIDAY 24TH NOVEMBER 2017
GENERAL SITUATION: THE COMBINATION OF STREAMING TROPICAL MOISTURE FROM THE CARIBBEAN SEA ALONG WITH PRE-FRONTAL ACTIVITY ASSOCIATED WITH A WEAK COLD FRONT IN THE VICINITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA WILL MAINTAIN UNSTABLE CONDITIONS MAINLY ACROSS THE NORTHWEST AND CENTRAL BAHAMAS TODAY.
NORTHWEST AND CENTRAL BAHAMAS:
WEATHER: PARTLY TO MOSTLY CLOUDY AND WARM WITH A FEW SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THE CHANCE OF ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS MAINLY IN THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS THIS AFTERNOON. MOSTLY FAIR TONIGHT WITH THE CHANCE OF A FEW ISOLATED SHOWERS.
ADVISORY: BOATERS SHOULD BE ALERT FOR GUSTY WINDS AND HIGHER SEAS IN OR NEAR HEAVY SHOWERS OR THUNDERSTORMS.
WINDS: SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST AT 10 TO 15 KNOTS, FALLING LIGHT AT TIMES OVER OPEN WATERS.
SEAS: 2 TO 4 FEET OVER THE OCEAN.
TURKS & CAICOS:
WEATHER: PARTLY TO MOSTLY CLOUDY AND WARM WITH THE CHANCE OF ISOLATED SHOWERS THROUGH TONIGHT.
WINDS: EAST TO SOUTHEAST AT 10 KNOTS OR LESS OVER OPEN WATERS.
SEAS: 3 FEET OR LESS OVER THE OCEAN.
DAYTIME HIGH TEMPERATURE: 85F 29C
OVERNIGHT LOW TEMPERATURE: 74F 23C
SUNSET: 5:20PM SUNRISE: 6:34AM SAT.
MOONSET: 10:33PM MOONRISE: 11:58AM SAT.
LOW TIDE: 5:56PM HIGH TIDE: 11:52PM
LOW TIDE: 5:51AM SAT. HIGH TIDE: 12:10PM SAT.
OUTLOOK FOR THE WEEKEND: THE PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED COLD FRONT WILL GRADUALLY DRIFT SOUTHEASTWARDS THROUGH SUNDAY WITH DRIER CONDITIONS IN ITS WAKE.
TROPICAL WEATHER OUTLOOK: TROPICAL CYCLONE FORMATION IS NOT EXPECTED DURING THE NEXT 5 DAYS.
Amazon workers on strike in Italy and Germany
Hundreds of Amazon workers in Italy and Germany are on strike during one of the busiest shopping days of the year.
Over 500 employees are carrying out their first ever strike at Amazon's warehouse in Piacenza near Milan over pay.
Piazcenza is Amazon's main Italian hub, employing 4,000 people.
Amazon said: "The vast majority of our employees in Italy and Germany came to work and remained focused on delivering the best customer experience."
It added: "We are proud of our record of job creation and are confident we will deliver for our customers this holiday season."
E-commerce is growing fast in Italy, but online sales account for only 10% of overall retail sales, according to consultancy EY, half the European average.
The Verdi trade union said people are also striking at six warehouses in Germany over pay and working conditions.
In a statement, Verdi board member Stefanie Nutzberger, said workers faced "high pressure to create more and more in less time, permanent performance controls and monitoring, [and] a poor leadership culture".
Luigi Giove, Secretary General of Italy's CGIL union, said those on strike are calling for shifts which are "not exhausting" and for Amazon to redistribute its profits.
Source- BBC
Porsche aims to meet EU emissions targets
Porsche expects it won't have any trouble meeting the EU's next round of CO2 emissions reduction targets because more than half of its sales by 2025 will come from electrified vehicles.
The European Commission has proposed a 30 percent reduction in fleet CO2 emissions from new cars by 2030 – equating to less than 67 grams per km when expressed under the outgoing NEDC testing cycle. Half of that must be achieved by 2025 as an interim milestone to guarantee progress.
"Technically we certainly won’t struggle with that [target]," said Porsche development chief Michael Steiner, when asked about the new emission cap.
Porsche is taking a much different stance from the rest of its German peers. The lobby organization VDA has called into doubt whether the targets were even reachable, saying it was "more than questionable from today's perspective."
In an interview with Automotive News Europe, Steiner was more concerned that politicians might regulate combustion engine cars out of existence, as some lawmakers have proposed. Steiner wants Porsche's lineup to be so attractive that owners will flock to its electrified models, while still allowing purists the chance to buy conventionally powered Porsches.
"Customers should be the ones to decide," he said, adding the result of the emissions targets should not be to favor one technology over another. "The attractiveness [of Porsche's electrified lineup] should lead to a powertrain mix that ensures we are compliant," he explained.
So far Porsche is confident that customers are slowly starting to migrate towards its more eco-friendly range. The ongoing discussion about diesel city bans is encouraging buyers to switch and go straight to an electrified vehicle to ensure access years from now. Roughly two thirds of all Panameras sold in Europe come with a plug-in hybrid powertrain.
Porsche plans to add at least one additional battery electric model by 2025 in addition to its upcoming Mission E to help achieve its target of selling more than half of its cars with an electrified drivetrain.
As part of its electrified future, Porsche will start sales of the 600-hp Mission E electric sedan in Europe in 2019 and in late 2019 or early 2020. An electric Macan "could be a possibility for us," Porsche Cars North America CEO Klaus Zellmer told Automotive News earlier this year.
Source-AutoNews
Mnangagwa sworn in as Zimbabwe president
Emmerson Mnangagwa was sworn in as Zimbabwe's president on Friday, marking the final chapter of a political drama that toppled his predecessor Robert Mugabe after a military takeover.
Mnangagwa, until recently one of Mugabe's closest allies, took the oath of office at the national sports stadium on the outskirts of Harare to an explosion of cheering from the full-to-capacity crowd.
"I Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa swear that as the president of the republic of Zimbabwe I will be faithful to Zimbabwe and obey, uphold and defend the constitution and all other laws of Zimbabwe," he said as he took the oath of office before the chief justice.
He then received the chain and sash of office, and took salutes and pledges of allegiance from the country's military and security chiefs.
Mnangagwa, 75, had said this week that Zimbabweans were witnessing "a new and unfolding full democracy", although critics say he is a hardliner in the ruling ZANU-PF who gained power in a de facto military coup.
He is known as "The Crocodile" for his ruthlessness and is accused of overseeing ethnic massacres and political violence.
"We are excited and expecting a lot from Mnangagwa. We have been under a dictatorship for a very long time," 23-year-old Sharon Mauyakufa said, referring to Mugabe.
The 93-year-old former president, who ruled the southern African country for 37 autocratic years, was ousted when the military intervened after he had sacked Mnangagwa as vice president on November 6.
"We thank you our soldier," said one banner in the sports ground. "The people have spoken," said another.
A group of elderly women dressed in blue and white gyrated in time to a big band to wild applause from the crowds ahead of the swearing in.
Snipers had taken up positions around the stadium amid tight security as jubilant Mnangagwa supporters streamed in, many dancing as music played.
Mugabe is in increasingly frail health and had been positioning his wife Grace as his successor, but the army chiefs acted to halt the plan and usher in Mnangagwa.
State-run media had earlier claimed that Mugabe may even attend his successor's swearing-in — but later suggested that after he and Mnangagwa talked about the inauguration, he agreed he "needed time to rest".
Mnangagwa also "assured him and his family maximum security and welfare" for their future as private citizens, the state-run Herald news site also reported.
Source-AFP
More than 100 undocumented Haitians arrested in Dominican Republic
Members of the Dominican Republic security forces have detained more than 100 undocumented Haitians, including pregnant women and children, during several exercises over a 72-hour period.
The authorities said that the 10th Battalion of the Dominican Army had apprehended on Dominican territory 108 undocumented Haitians, including 16 minors and 15 pregnant women.
They said that in the community of Palo Blanco de Dajabón, adjacent to Haiti, the largest number of pregnant women, and minors accompanied by their parents, were arrested.
Some of the women were reported as saying that they had intended to give birth in hospitals in the Dominican Republic, because in Haiti in addition to the limitations of access to health care, they have to pay for maternity services.
The military authorities said that since the children and adolescents were accompanied by their parents or other relatives, they will be returned together to Haiti.
They said members of the army accompanied by a representative of the public prosecutor's office and immigration agents detained 38 undocumented Haitians who were found hiding on a private property near the Hospital Matías Ramón Mella in Dajabón.
They said the illegal migrants, who had intended to travel to Santiago, Valverde and Puerto Plata, had paid between 4,000 and 5,000 pesos (One peso=US$0.02 cents) to smugglers to drive them to their destination.
They also admitted to paying other smugglers in Haiti the equivalent of 5,000 to 7,000 pesos to transport them and illegally cross the border.
The military said that all the Haitians who were arrested have now been handed over to the immigration service that will be responsible after identification for their deportation.
Sources-CMC
Brexit-charged inflation bites into Christmas spending
Shoppers at Nottingham's Christmas market complain about higher prices and volunteers hand out food parcels just a few streets away, even as retailers seek to dispel Brexit gloom with Black Friday sales.
The price of everything "is shooting through the roof and wages are pretty much staying the same, so every month you cut back on a little bit more," council housing worker Amy Cupit told AFP, as she helped distribute tins in a church, home to one of the city's 15 food banks.
The 33-year-old has taken on a second part-time job to help pay for Christmas, but fears she may one day end up being on the receiving end of the food bank.
Britain is gripped by a cost-of-living crisis sparked in part by the nosedive in the value of the pound after the country voted for Brexit in June 2016, pushing up the price of imported foodstuffs.
With inflation at a five-year high, Brexit has effectively chopped nearly a week's worth of wages off the average family's pay packet, according to research group, The UK in a Changing Europe. The squeeze in purchasing power has made many shoppers cautious in cities such as Nottingham, where official statistics show that people earn around eight per cent less per week than the national average.
British retail sales fell for the first time in four years on an annual basis in October, pulled down by poorly performing food stores, the latest data show. , With wages rising more slowly than prices for the past six months, many shoppers have turned to budget options such as Lidl, a German cut-price retailer currently growing faster than any other supermarket in Britain.
The poorest have been forced to resort to food banks.
2017 Fall College Showcase and Identification Camp
The Turks and Caicos Islands Football Association (TCIFA) will be hosting the 2nd annual College Showcase and Identification Camp for Turks and Caicos Islands players, age 16+ years. On November 30th to December 3rd, five American College Football Coaches will be visiting the TCIFA National Academy in Providenciales to conduct technical and tactical training sessions and, additionally assess the Youth Players during competitive matches.
The objective of this event is for the Coaches to identify players for football scholarships to Universities in the United States. In the February 2017 edition of this event, Makenson Cadet, one of our youth players who developed through the TCIFA Grassroots and Youth Academies, was awarded a full Football Scholarship to ASA College, in Miami Florida. He’s just completed his first full season there and was selected as a Member of the All Conference Second Team, which in essence meant he was one of the top 22 players with the Conference in which his team competed.
The team of coaches comprise of Juan Carlos Gonzalez (Men’s Coach at ASA College Miami), Bart Sasnett (Men’s Coach at Daytona State College), Kyle Beard (Men’s Coach at Faulkner University in Alabama), Munga Eketebi (Men’s Coach at Broward College in Fort Lauderdale Florida), and Eric Dobrzanski (Women’s Coach at Johnson and Wales University).
General Secretary of the TCIFA, Oliver A. Smith, in commenting on the Camp indicated “this initiative is a recognition of the TCIFA of the need to create player pathways for our elite players so that they can receive the necessary intense training and competitive games that are critical to their development.
We have seen the success of this with players like Billy Forbes and Marco Fenelus who have both gone on to play at the professional level and we are optimistic that we have the talent in our Youth Programs to repeat that all to the benefit of the growth of football in the TCI”.
Schedule of Events: Thursday November 30th 05:00pm-08:00pm – Technical Session Friday Dec 1 04:00pm-07:00pm Boys game Saturday Dec 2 10:00am-12:00pm Tactical Session 01:00pm-03:00pm Meet the Parents Sunday Dec 3 10:00am-12:00pm Technical Session 04:00pm-08:00pm Boys Game
PREMIER ROBINSON ATTENDS UNITED NATIONS (UN) HIGH-LEVEL PLEDGING CONFERENCE
Premier Hon. Sharlene Robinson led a delegation to the CARICOM-High Level Donor Conference at the United Nations (UN) Headquarters on November 21, 2017 in New York. The objectives of the High-Level Donor Conference were to mobilize support and commitment of pledges, to help rebuild countries ravaged by hurricanes Irma and Maria and assist Small Island Development States (SIDS) with building resilience, given its inherent vulnerability.
The two-day conference explored how United Nation (UN) and CARICOM member states can cultivate a shared vision geared towards "Building a More Climate-Resilient Community". The Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) as a CARICOM associated member state, were provided the opportunity to deliver a presentation on the country's recovery needs, priorities and recovery strategies following the impacts of Hurricanes Irma and Maria.
Premier Robinson in her presentation to the United Nations and CARICOM under the theme Vision for A Resilient Caribbean – Building Partnership for Transformation said; "...Hurricanes Irma and Maria impacted all islands across the Turks and Caicos Islands. The immediate challenge apart from the provision of the basic human needs of food, water and shelter, were to restore communications- most essential in an archipelago, restore electricity, water, provide support to the hospital and to aid in the safe departure of tourists. Humanitarian Aid Critical assessments have shown that four to five feet of coastal erosion was recorded at the popular Grace Bay Beach. This paints a lucid picture of the adverse effects on our coastal environment, that is hinged on our main bread winner - Tourism. There is an urgent need to engage in coastal protection efforts. Humanitarian aid, particularly development action is also critical for the Turks and Caicos Islands at this time, CDEMA's Initial Damage Assessment Report revealed that 80% of the housing stock was damaged due to the impact of Hurricane Irma. Five hundred and eighty (580) households across the islands received Levels 1 through 4 damaged to their homes (level 4 being totally destroyed).
Premier Robinson also leveraged the opportunity to encourage experts with strong technical experience in urban and land planning and building code application; particularly, roofing design to assist the Turks and Caicos Islands in our rehabilitation process. Premier Robinson asked the conference to volte-face traditional development principles, such as, "relief first and development later."
Premier Robinson ended her remarks by saying; "Building back better is expensive, not an easily attainable goal, especially when a high percentage of our population have been adversely impacted with no insurance benefits. I urge all partners to honor your pledge to the 2030 Agenda commitment which states "leave no one behind," and collaborate with us in achieving a proactive, climate-smart, community driven, bottom-up approach to a more sustainable and resilient Turks and Caicos Islands."
The CARICOM-UN High Level Pledging Conference took place at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.