Car makers offer scrappage deals
Renault-Nissan and Kia are the latest car companies to launch car trade-in schemes, aimed at persuading UK customers to swap older, more polluting, car models for new ones.
Earlier Volkswagen and Toyota announced diesel scrappage schemes, joining BMW, Ford, Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz and Vauxhall who have all launched schemes.
The car companies will accept trade-ins from any brand registered before 2010.
It comes as the "toughest ever" new-car emissions tests begin to be rolled out.
Kia and Renault are offering £2,000 off new models, for part-exchanged vehicles, all of which will be taken off the road.
Nissan is calling its scheme a "switch" scheme since not all the cars traded in will be scrapped. The firm is also offering a £2,000 incentive and encouraging customers to consider buying their all-electric Leaf model.
VW will give discounts of up to £6,000 to trade in diesel vehicles when buying a new car. Meanwhile, Toyota is offering up to £4,000 off models more than seven years old.
Amongst the biggest firms marketing cars in the UK only Peugeot, Landrover, Honda, Citroen, Fiat and Volvo, have not announced trade-in schemes.
Car manufacturers have been under increasing political pressure, especially in Germany, to encourage consumers to buy less polluting cars.
Source- BBC
Wayne Rooney charged with drink-driving
Everton striker Wayne Rooney has been charged with drink-driving, British police said Friday.
Rooney, England's all-time record goalscorer and former captain, was stopped by police near his home in Cheshire, northwest England, in the early hours of Friday.
"The man was arrested shortly after 2:00am (0100GMT) today, Friday 1 September, after officers stopped a black VW Beetle," said a police statement.
Police said 31-year-old Rooney "has since been charged with driving whilst over the prescribed limit."
Rooney had been released on bail and is due to appear at Stockport Magistrates' Court on September 18.
He was seen posing in a selfie with cricketer Jack McIver in a bar in the upmarket town of Alderley Edge, near his home, on Thursday, August 31.
McIver shared the photo of the pair in the Bubble Room on Instagram at around 10:00pm (2100 GMT) that day with the comment: "International Break #legend".
Rooney announced his retirement from international football last week, having scored 53 goals in 119 appearances.
He made his decision despite England manager Gareth Southgate offering to recall him for the World Cup qualifier against Malta on Friday.
Rooney re-joined boyhood club Everton in the pre-season after a successful 13-year spell at Premier League rivals Manchester United.
He has seemed rejuventated by the move to the Liverpool-based club and scored in his first two Premier League games of the 2017/18 campaign, a 1-0 win over Stoke City and a 1-1 draw with Manchester City.
Source-AFP
Caribbean Wellness Celebration to start in September 2017
The Ministry of Health, Agriculture and Human Services will kick off its Health Promotion Campaign with the celebration of the 10th year anniversary of Caribbean Wellness Day (CWD) during the entire month of September 2017.
Caribbean Wellness Day is celebrated annually on the second Saturday in September throughout the Caribbean Region. This year it will be celebrated on the 9th of September. The aim of CWD is to increase awareness and promote activities to address the epidemic of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) e.g. cancers, hypertension and diabetes which continues to severely impact the health, economy, and development of the region.
Every year, the overall theme of Caribbean Wellness Day is "Love that body." Aside from the overall theme, Caribbean Wellness Day also has a special theme each year. This year, the theme is "Securing a future generation through eating healthy and not smoking" with a slogan "Be fresh, be cool, reduce the risk" with a focus on youth ages 15 – 29.
Recognizing the threat posed by NCDs, the CARICOM Heads of Government outlined key strategies to prevent, control and reduce NCDs through the life course. This includes the need to improve nutrition and increase physical activity in the entire population, especially among children and youth.
The Ministry of Health, Agriculture and Human Services joins CARICOM in their efforts to promote healthy lifestyles and eradicate NCDs. The Ministry recognizes that all individuals have a responsibility when it comes to healthy living and wants to encourage all individuals in the Turks and Caicos Islands to make a least one lifestyle change during the month of September.
Activities planned for Turks and Caicos Islands for Caribbean Wellness during the month of September are as follows:
Thursday, 31st August – Official announcement from the Minister of Health, Agriculture and Human Services opening the month of September Nationwide as Caribbean Wellness Month including all health promotion events and activities planned for the month.
Thursday, 31st August – Announcement of Shopping Basket Cook-off in Grand Turk (for teams including Government departments, private organizations, churches, civic groups, NGOs, etc.) – who will use five ingredients selected by the Ministry, plus any optional extra ingredients that they may have in their own store cupboards at home to prepare a healthy dish as a team. Each team will compete against other teams on their island, and a panel of judges will award 1st, 2nd and 3rd place prizes. The competition will rotate from island to island.
A Press Conference in Providenciales on the 7th to announce Caribbean Wellness Day and upcoming health promotion week to address risk factors associated with NCDs. During the week following CWD, the Ministry encourages all individuals in the TCI to make a least one lifestyle change.
1st – 30th September – A Caribbean Wellness "Love that body" health promotion message will be played daily on multiple radio stations throughout the day. See enclosed sample list of messages.
9th September – Caribbean Wellness Day, will signify the start of health fairs that will be held on the islands of Grand Turk, Providenciales, South Caicos and North Caicos. Mini fairs and clinics will be held on Salt Cay and Middle Caicos.
There will be mini health clinics, fairs and talks on the islands of Middle Caicos and Salt Cay – members of the community will be invited to come to the clinic for a full physical examination. Also, health personnel will conduct community outreach to visit those who may not come to the clinic. Additionally, on the same day, mini health fair and talks will be held with community residents to discuss health promotion, risk factors for NCDs, and chronic disease management.
Caribbean Wellness Days – As a nation, we will celebrate health promotion by addressing a risk factor of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, etc. on each day of the week:
11th September – Mental Health Monday
12th September – Take a Fruit to Work/School Day
13th September – Drink Water Wednesday
14th September – Walk, Run, Cycle (Fitness) Thursday
15th September – Rest and Relaxation Friday
Irma forecasted to remain a 'powerful hurricane for days'
Hurricane Irma in the central Atlantic is expected to remain a "powerful hurricane" as it heads towards the Caribbean, US weather monitors said Friday.
Irma, a Category 2 storm, formed just days after the first major hurricane of the Atlantic season, Harvey, unleashed massive rain and floods over Texas.
The hurricane is packing winds of 110 miles (175 kilometers) per hour, and is moving west at a speed of 13 miles per hour.
Irma is swirling in the mid-Atlantic some 1,580 miles east of the Leeward Islands, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said at 1500 GMT.
Its tropical storm-strength winds extend outward up to 90 miles -- meaning these strong winds have already reached Puerto Rico and the Antilles Islands.
The storm reached powerful Category 3 status on the five-level Saffir-Simpson scale Thursday when its winds were clocked at 115 miles per hour.
"Irma is forecast to remain a powerful hurricane for days," the NHC said, adding that strength fluctuations "are possible" over the weekend.
The hurricane's center is forecast to reach the Lesser Antilles islands on Tuesday.
South Florida meteorologist Craig Setzer said it was too early to tell if the storm would impact Florida or the Gulf of Mexico region.
Anxiety is running high over the risk of another storm in the southern United States after Harvey pounded the Texas coast, making landfall last week as a Category Four.
Source- AFP
US ban on N Korea travel comes into force
Washington's ban on US citizens travelling to North Korea came into force on Friday, with the two countries at loggerheads over Pyongyang's weapons ambitions.
The measure was imposed following the death of student Otto Warmbier in June, a few days after the 22-year-old was sent home in a mysterious coma following more than a year in prison in the North.
He had been convicted of offences against the state for trying to steal a propaganda poster from a Pyongyang hotel and sentenced to 15 years' hard labour, with President Donald Trump blaming Pyongyang's "brutal regime" for his plight.
On its website the State Department said it took the decision due to "the serious and mounting risk of arrest and long-term detention of US citizens".
Three Americans accused of various crimes against the state are behind bars in the North, which is engaged in a tense standoff with the Trump administration over its banned missile and nuclear weapons programmes.
Earlier this week Pyongyang launched a missile over Japan, in a major escalation, and it has threatened to fire rockets towards the US Pacific territory of Guam.
In July it carried out its first two successful tests of an intercontinental-range missile, apparently bringing much of the US mainland into range.
Exemptions to the travel ban are available for journalists, Red Cross representatives, those travelling for humanitarian purposes, or journeys the State Department deems to be in the national interest of the United States.
But NGOs working in the North privately express concerns about how the process will function and the potential impact on their work.
A few remaining US citizens in the country left on Thursday, reports said.
Source-AFP
TODAYS WEATHER FORECAST & HURRICANE IRMA
WEATHER: MOSTLY SUNNY AND HOT WITH ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS...
TURNING MAINLY FAIR TONIGHT
ADVISORY: A SMALL CRAFT CAUTION CONTINUES FOR THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS & THE TCI
WINDS: EAST TO SOUTHEAST AT 10 TO 15 KNOTS OVER OPEN WATERS IN THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS 15 TO 20 KNOTS IN tHE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS
SEAS: 2 TO 4 FEET OVER THE OCEAN IN THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS AND 4 TO 6 FEET IN THE TCI
DAYTIME HIGH TEMPERATURE: 94F 34C
OVERNIGHT LOW TEMPERATURE: 81F 27C
SUNSET: 7:28PM SUNRISE: 6:51AM SAT.
MOONRISE: 4:19PM MOONSET: 3:26AM SAT.
HIGH TIDE: 5:17PM LOW TIDE: 11:44PM
HIGH TIDE: 5:35AM SAT. LOW TIDE: 11:42AM SAT.
WEATHER OUTLOOK: FOR TOMORROW: PARTLY CLOUDY, HOT AND HUMID WITH ISOLATED SHOWERS AND FEW THUNDERSTORMS
TROPICAL WEATHER OUTLOOK:....PLEASE SEE THE LATEST NEWS ITEM ON HURRICANE BELOW, ELSEWHERE A TROPICAL WAVE IS LOCATED OVER THE FAR EASTERN ATLANTIC OCEAN OFF
THE WESTERN COAST OF AFRICA IS PRODUCING DISORGANIZED CLOUDINESS AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO BE CONDUCIVE FOR DEVELOPMENT
AND THIS SYSTEM COULD BECOME A TROPICAL DEPRESSION AFTER THE WEEKEND WHILE IT MOVES OVER THE TROPICAL ATLANTIC THIS SYSTEM HAS A 50 PERCENT FORMATION CHANCE
THROUGH THE NEXT 5 DAYS.
THIS IS A NEWS ITEM ON HURRICANE IRMA ISSUED BY THE BAHAMAS DEPARTMENT OF METEOROLOGY FORECAST OFFICE SECTION, AT 6PM FRIDAY, 1ST SEPTEMBER, 2017.
... IRMA TURNS WESTWARD WITH 120-MPH WINDS...
AT 5 PM EDT, THE CENTER OF HURRICANE IRMA WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 18.8° NORTH AND LONGITUDE 39.1° WEST OR ABOUT 1495 MILES EAST OF THE LEEWARD ISLANDS.
IRMA IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST NEAR 13 MILES PER HOUR (MPH). A TURN TOWARD THE WEST-SOUTHWEST IS EXPECTED TOMORROW.
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 120 MILES PER HOUR (MPH) WITH HIGHER GUSTS. IRMA IS A CATEGORY 3 HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON HURRICANE WIND SCALE. FLUCTUATIONS IN STRENGTH, UP OR DOWN, ARE POSSIBLE DURING THE NEXT FEW DAYS, BUT IRMA IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN A POWERFUL HURRICANE THROUGH THE WEEKEND.
THE NEXT NEWS ITEM WILL BE ISSUED AT 6AM, KEEP LISTENING AND FOLLOWING RTC ON ALL SOCIAL MEDIA SITES FOR MORE.
TCINT HOLDS ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
The Turks & Caicos National Trust hosted its Annual General Meeting for this year on the evening of Friday August 25th, 2017. One of the highlights for the evening's agenda was the launching of the Trust's Silver Jubilee Celebration Program. Goals and activities to celebrate such a significant achievement of 25 years of service to the people of the Turks and Caicos Islands are planned throughout the rest of this year, culminating in July 2018.
In greetings received from Mrs. Patricia Bradley, wife of former Governor of the Turks Islands, Michael Bradley (deceased) who was instrumental in the inception of the National Trust in 1992, she expressed delight in congratulating the Turks & Caicos National Trust on such a memorable milestone with a formidable list of achievements. Mrs. Bradley did not fail to point out the awesome responsibility of the Trust in sustainable tourism and guarding and conserving the cultural, historical and natural heritage of the Turks and Caicos Islands. She reflected on the initial stages in the development of the organization, and how these were exciting, but yet challenging periods. She applauded the founding members and all those who have supported the work of the Trust up to this present time. Mrs. Bradley expressed regret in not being present at the event due to her being in the UK at the time for medical reasons, but wished the Trust further and greater achievements in the years ahead.
The National Trust was elated to honor the five past chairmen who steered the Governance Council in oversight of the organization over the twenty-five years. The first chairman being Mr. Oswald R. Williams, followed by Hon. Royal S. Robinson, Mr. Michael Taylor (deceased), Mr. Norman W. Hamilton and Mr. Princie S. Harris respectively.
On the evening's agenda as well was the very intriguing timeline video depicting scenes, events and achievements from 1992 to 2017.
The TC National Trust is very grateful to all who showed up to join in the celebration launch and would like to express special gratitude to the following persons who played a role in the Annual General Meeting's program: Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism, Environment, Heritage, Culture and Gaming, Mrs. Cheryl Ann Jones, Change Manager in the Tourist Board, Mrs. Cheryl-Ann Foreman and Mr. O'Brien Forbes, Moderator for the evening.
The Governance Council, Executive Director and Staff of the Trust give thanks to Almighty God for guiding this noble institution through the years and look forward to His continued lead as they forge forward in the service of country.
PUBLIC FORECAST FOR TUESDAY 29TH AUGUST 2017
THIS IS THE PUBLIC FORECAST FOR 12:00 PM THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT TUESDAY 29TH AUGUST 2017.
GENERAL SITUATION: THE NORTHERN PORTION OF A TROPICAL WAVE WILL APPROACH THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS TONIGHT BEFORE MOVING ACROSS THE TCI & SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS WEDNESDAY NIGHT.
SPECIAL WARNINGS: MARINERS SHOULD REMAIN ALERT FOR POSSIBLE WATERSPOUTS.
AREA: TCI
WEATHER: PARTLY SUNNY AND HOT WITH A FEW SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON. MOSTLY FAIR AND WARM TONIGHT WITH THE CHANCE OF AN ISOLATED SHOWER.
WINDS: EAST TO SOUTHEAST AT 10 TO 15 KNOTS OVER OPEN WATERS.
SEAS: 2 TO 4 FEET OVER THE OCEAN.
DAYTIME HIGH TEMPERATURE 92°F 34°C
OVERNITE LOW TEMPERATURE 81°F 27°C
SUNSET: 7:31PM
SUNRISE: 6:50AM. WED
MOONRISE: 1:51PM
MOONSET: 1:04AM.WED
HIGH TIDE: 2:33PM & 2:49AM. WED
LOW TIDE: 8:59PM & 9:01AM.WED
WEATHER OUTLOOK: TROPICAL WAVE WILL RACE THROUGH THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS EARLY WEDNESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY WHILE HIGH PRESSURE WILL DOMINATE ELSEWHERE.
TROPICAL WEATHER OUTLOOK: (1) PLEASE SEE LATEST NEWS ITEM ON TROPICAL STORM HARVEY, LOCATED JUST OFFSHORE OF THE MIDDLE TEXAS COAST. (2) PLEASE SEE LATEST NEWS ITEM ON POTENTIAL TROPICAL CYCLONE TEN, LOCATED JUST OFFSHORE OF THE NORTH CAROLINA COAST. THIS SYSTEM HAS A MEDIUM CHANCE OF 40 PERCENT FOR TROPICAL CYCLONE FORMATION DURING THE NEXT 48 HOURS AND A MEDIUM CHANCE OF 40 PERCENT DURING THE NEXT 5 DAYS. (3) A LOW-PRESSURE AREA NEAR THE CABO VERDE ISLANDS HAS BECOME BETTER ORGANIZED SINCE YESTERDAY. ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS ARE CONDUCIVE FOR DEVELOPMENT, AND A TROPICAL DEPRESSION IS EXPECTED TO FORM IN 2 OR 3 DAYS OVER THE EASTERN ATLANTIC. THIS SYSTEM HAS A HIGH CHANCE OF 70 PERCENT FOR TROPICAL CYCLONE FORMATION DURING THE NEXT 48 HOURS AND A HIGH CHANCE OF 90 PERCENT DURING THE NEXT 5 DAYS.
Fitbit Ionic smartwatch introduces blood oxygen sensor
Fitbit has put on sale its first fully-featured smartwatch.
The Ionic differs from the firm's existing Blaze watch in that third-party developers will be able to release apps and watchface designs that can be installed on the device.
It also introduces a sensor that can detect blood oxygen levels.
Fitbit has also announced a forthcoming "special edition" in partnership with sportswear firm Adidas, mirroring the Apple Watch tie-up with Nike.
Until recently, Fitbit was ranked the world's bestselling wearable tech brand. However, market research firm IDC reported in June that it had been overtaken by both Xiaomi and Apple in terms of shipments over the first three months of the year.
Fitbit recently reported that its second quarter sales were 40% down on 2016's equivalent figure, leading to a $58.2m (£44.9m) net loss for the period.
"It's a tough market for Fitbit - not least the dramatic drop in North American sales it has experienced - and the whole wearables category has certainly not lived up to expectations," commented Ben Wood from the CCS Insight tech consultancy.
"But the firm is continuing to push forward."
The standard version of the Ionic has been priced at £300, making it more expensive than the current cost of Apple's entry-level smartwatch but less costly than the Apple Watch Series 2.
Although Fitbit has started accepting pre-orders, it has said shipments will not start until late September.
Ionic's release has been much-anticipated since Fitbit bought crowdfunding success story Pebble's smartwatch business in 2016.
It cancelled work on Pebble's own devices, but adapted its software to create a new operating system - Fitbit OS - which promises to work with the Android, iOS and Windows platforms.
The San-Francisco-based company aims to release a web tool to allow developers to create their own software for the device from next month.
This will include access to the device's NFC (near-field communication) chip, which could allow it to be used to open vehicles and building doors fitted with compatible smart locks.
By contrast, Apple has locked down access to its own mobile devices' NFC chips on security grounds, although this is expected to be relaxed later this year.
The new device also marks the first time Fitbit has included an SpO2 sensor in one of its wearables.
The component estimates the amount of oxygenated haemoglobin in blood.
The firm suggests this could be used to provide new types of health alerts, including warnings of sleep apnoea - a disorder that causes people to briefly stop breathing or take shallow breaths during rest.
The technology is relatively rare outside of medical equipment, although Nokia does include an SpO2 sensor in its Pulse Ox wristband.
Fitbit also says the Ionic's heart rate tracker is more accurate than those found in its other products.
The new watch's other advertised features include:
more than four days of use on a battery charge, although this drops to 10 hours if GPS location data or music playback via Bluetooth is used
water resistance to depths of 50m (164ft)
storage of 2.5 gigabytes, which Fitbit says allows 300 songs to be stored on board
touchless payments via the forthcoming Fitbit Pay facility
"The Ionic is very much orientated towards being fitness-first rather than fashion-first, and that will be a challenge," said Mr Wood.
Source- BBC
US stocks tick up as missile fear eases
US stocks recovered at the close from steep early losses brought by fears of escalation of hostilities in the Korean Peninsula.
US President Donald Trump had warned that "all options are on the table" after North Korea fired a missile over Japan.
The Dow Jones, a basket of 30 major US companies, rose 0.27% to 21,866.23, while the wider S&P 500 index was up 0.08% to 2,446.30.
The Nasdaq added 0.30% at 6,301.89.
The S&P 500 fell as much as 0.66% after Mr Trump's warning to North Korea.
"When the President says 'All options are on the table,' the best strategy for investors is sometimes to do nothing," said Brian Jacobsen, senior investment strategist at Wells Fargo Funds Management in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin.
Meanwhile, Storm Harvey closed refineries across Texas, but stocks in the energy sector were little changed, with declines in oil services companies mostly offset by gains in refiners and some producers.
Source-