France marked its hottest June day since World War II
France marked its hottest June day since World War II on Wednesday as overheated residents across swathes of Europe coped with another day of sizzling temperatures.
A nationwide average of 26.4 degrees Celsius (79.5 Fahrenheit) made Wednesday the hottest day in France since 1945, the national weather agency said Thursday, with the thermometer hitting 37 C in some parts of the country.
Paris magistrates and lawyers were finally allowed to take off their heavy traditional robes as the French capital sweltered, while a peak in pollution linked to the heat forced regional authorities to restrict traffic in the city.
Relief was due in the form of cooling thunder storms in the western half of France on Friday, according to the weather agency.
Across the border in Switzerland, high temperatures forced the Muhlberg nuclear reactor to reduce its output to avoid heating an already hot Aar river, a spokeswoman for the BKW Energie company that runs the plant told the ATS news agency.
While the mercury was still hitting 35 C in parts of Europe, in Portugal cooler temperatures of below 30 C were helping firefighters to finally bring under control the forest fires that have ravaged the centre of the country since the weekend, killing 64 people.
But authorities warned that the risk of fire remained high in the tinder-dry Pedrogao Grande and Gois regions, and as far away as western Switzerland its weather agency reported a layer of ash from the Portuguese fires as having finally reached its skies.
In Spain, Agriculture Minister Isabel Garcia Tejerina described a "worrying" drought. The southeast in particular is in urgent need of rain, she said, with water reserves dropping to 50 percent as long as 10 days ago.
Belgium officially entered a heatwave overnight, while Italy has reported temperatures around eight degrees above the seasonal average -- up to 39 C in Milan.
T&T father sentenced to 20 years for incest
A High Court judge has sentenced a 50-year-old father of four to 20 years in jail after he was found guilty of having sex with one of his daughters.
The man, whose name is not being disclosed, had been found guilty in April after he pleaded not guilty to two counts of indecent assault, two counts of grievous sexual assault and attempted incest.
But Justice David Harris on Thursday said the sentence imposed on the man had to reflect the court's abhorrence and serve as a deterrent to people thinking about committing similar acts.
He said that the most serious of five offences against the father was attempted incest, which carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. The judge said that the single parent had betrayed the trust between father and daughter.
The court heard that the father began sexually interfering with his daughter on March 31, 2008, when she was 15 and it continued until October 2009. Most of the acts took place on the child's bed when her sisters were not around. The children's mother did not live with them.
During the trial, however, the girl, now 24-years-old, refused to give evidence, saying that she was trying to rekindle her relationship with her father for the sake of her daughter.
However, in passing sentence Justice Harris said the victim's compassion for her bread-winning father, the passage of a mere 10 years nor the father's admirable traits cannot change the facts and gravity of the offences.
He noted that there were several aggravating factors in relation to the offences, noting the only mitigating factor, the judge said, was the absence of violence.
Defence attorney Ramesh Deena said that the father was working, took care of his children financially and had no previous convictions or pending matters. But the judge said the father showed no remorse.
After deducting two years each from the sentences, the judge ordered that he serve 16 years each on the grievous sexual assault charges, five years each of the indecent assault charges and 20 years on the attempted incest charge.
Justice Harris also ordered that six days be deducted from each of the sentences for the time he spent in custody awaiting trial.
Turks and Caicos Department of Statistics Conducting the Country's National Labour Force Survey
The Department of Statistics, is currently in the process of conducting a Labour Force Survey. This survey is being conducted during the period June 21st to July 21st 2017. Enumerators with IDs and special vests will visit selected households on each island. The department is asking for the support and cooperation of the general public with this exercise. A Labour Force Survey provides estimates of employment and unemployment. These are among the most important measures of economic performance of any economy. The Labour Force Survey will be conducted in the Turks and Caicos Islands twice yearly.
The data collection will be based on a sample of households throughout the Turks and Caicos Islands, drawn from an overall Listing of Households. The data is being collected through face–to–face interviews with members (or a member) of the sampled households. The information provided by these respondents will be used to produce a picture of the activities of the entire population.
The success of the Labour Force Survey in accurately capturing persons' employment status, depends on the full cooperation of the public. Persons are informed that the work of the Department of Statistics is conducted under the authority of the Statistics Act, 2012. The public is therefore assured that information provided to the department is strictly confidential and would only be disseminated at the aggregate level. The Oath of Secrecy which will be administered to each interviewer before commencement of duties also guarantees to the public that information given would not be revealed. Anyone violating this oath can be prosecuted.
The Department of Statistics is soliciting the full support and cooperation from the general public, especially the households selected for interviewing. The public's positive response to completing the questionnaire accurately and to the best of your knowledge is important to the overall success of the survey. The information provided can positively impact the development of the Turks and Caicos Islands.
C'bean hoteliers regret new US policy regarding Cuba
The Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) Friday said it regrets the recent United States reversal of its travel policies on Cuba and the likely effects on the socio-economic development of Cuba and the wider Caribbean region.
In a statement, the CHTA said that it would continue to support the ending of the US-Cuba embargo and its restrictions on trade and travel, and encourage Cuba's active engagement in regional economic development.
CHTA said that the announced policy changes could stall or altogether reverse the heartening progress made in recent years.
In an overhaul of one of his predecessor's signature legacies, President Donald Trump last Friday issued new guidelines on the US policy toward Cuba, tightening travel restrictions for Americans that were loosened under President Barack Obama and banning US business transactions with Cuba's vast military conglomerate.
Caribbean American legislators have described as “misguided” Trump's new policy on Cuba.
The CHTA warned that if restrictions are indeed re-imposed on Cuba, it expects adverse effects for US businesses, not only for import-export companies, but also for the US-based travel-related businesses that have made considerable investments in Cuba since normalisation began.
“Even before full normalisation, Cuba's hospitality industry's growth outpaced the rest of the region and most of the world. Major global hotel chains from outside the United States have been investing in Cuba and today they manage tens of thousands of rooms. As latecomers, US firms are already at a competitive disadvantage in Cuba. They risk becoming marginal players in the travel industry's growth in Cuba and throughout the region,” the Caribbean hoteliers said.
It said it is urging Washington and Havana “to accelerate cooperation and collaboration between their governments, based on their mutual acknowledgment that the growth of travel and trade presents the greatest opportunity for breaking the long-standing social, political and economic barriers that have historically divided the two countries.
“CHTA urges that any new regulations continue to encourage small and medium enterprise opportunities, both Cuban and US-sourced. It also urges Cuban authorities to accelerate adjusting their investment and business licensing regulations to foster the local enterprises so crucial for a growing travel industry.”
The CHTA said that a vibrant travel industry both in Cuba and throughout the Caribbean basin benefits both the region and the United States, helping to ensure the security of the United States' “Third Border” while stimulating employment, entrepreneurial activity, trade and government revenues in the region.
Source-CMC
WEATHER & UPDATE ON CINDY FOR JUNE 22ND 2017
AT 11 EDT, THE CENTER OF TROPICAL DEPRESSION CINDY WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 31.0°NORTH AND LONGITUDE 93.5° WEST OR ABOUT 165 MILES NORTHWEST OF MORGAN CITY, LOUISIANA.
CINDY IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTH AT 13 MPH AND A TURN TOWARD THE NORTH-NORTHEAST IS EXPECTED LATER TODAY, FOLLOWED BY A TURN TOWARD THE NORTHEAST ON FRIDAY.
ON THE FORECAST TRACK, CINDY OR ITS REMNANTS WILL MOVE INTO SOUTHEASTERN ARKANSAS EARLY FRIDAY, AND INTO TENNESSEE LATER ON FRIDAY.
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 35 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS. ADDITIONAL WEAKENING IS FORECAST AND THE DEPRESSION IS EXPECTED TO BECOME A REMNANT LOW BY FRIDAY IF NOT SOONER.
CINDY CONTINUES TO POSE NO THREAT TO THE BAHAMAS OR THE TURKS & CAICOS.
IN OUR WEATHER:
GENERAL SITUATION: THE NORTHERN EXTENT OF A TROPICAL WAVE JUST SOUTH OF THE ISLANDS WITH LITTLE FANFARE WHILE A BROAD HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM MAINTAINS MODERATE TO FRESH BREEZES ACROSS THE AREA.
SPECIAL WARNINGS: BOATERS AND BEACHGOERS SHOULD CONTINUE TO BE ALERT FOR THE HIGH RISK OF RIP CURRENTS AT BEACHES MAINLY ALONG THE NORTHERN AND EASTERN SHORELINES.
FOR ALL AREAS:
WEATHER: MOSTLY SUNNY, WARM AND BREEZY WITH THE CHANCE OF A BRIEF PASSING ISOLATED SHOWER OR ISOLATED THUNDERSTORM MAINLY ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS THIS AFTERNOON. FAIR AND BREEZY WITH THE CHANCE OF A STRAY SHOWER MAINLY IN THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS TONIGHT.
ADVISORY: SMALL CRAFT CAUTION IS IN EFFECT. BOATERS SHOULD ALSO BE ALERT FOR GUSTY WINDS AND HIGHER SEAS IN OR NEAR HEAVY SHOWERS OR THUNDERSTORMS.
WINDS: EAST TO SOUTHEAST AT 15 TO 20 KNOTS OVER OPEN WATERS.
SEAS: 4 TO 7 FEET OVER THE OCEAN.
HIGH TEMPERATURE TODAY 91F 33C
LOW TEMPERATURE TONIGHT 77F 25C
SUNSET: 08:03 PM
SUNRISE: 06:21 AM FRI.
MOONSET: 06:36 PM
MOONRISE: 05:55 AM FRI.
LOW TIDE: 12:48 PM HIGH TIDE: 07:14 PM
LOW TIDE: 01:42 AM FRI. HIGH TIDE: 07:33 AM FRI.
TROPICAL WEATHER OUTLOOK: SEE LATEST NEWS ITEM ON TROPICAL DEPRESSION CINDY...ELSEWHERE TROPICAL STORM FORMATION IS NOT EXPECTED OVER THE NEXT 5 DAYS.
GM safety practices no longer under NHTSA
General Motors' safety practices are no longer under the oversight of federal regulators, but the automaker said it plans to keep meeting with them at least monthly about potential defects.
GM said on Thursday it forged a "positive and productive relationship" with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in the three years since it admitted failing to recall faulty ignition switches before they contributed to 124 deaths and hundreds of serious injuries.
The oversight, part of a $35 million settlement with NHTSA reached in May 2014, ended last month. GM said it has proposed continuing regular monthly meetings with senior agency officials about field investigations, recalls and other safety issues it encounters, with more frequent discussions when warranted. It also has offered to meet periodically with NHTSA and other stakeholders about industrywide safety matters.
"Over the past three years, we have taken significant strides toward our goal of setting a new standard for customer safety," Jeff Boyer, GM's vice president for global vehicle safety, said in a statement.
"GM's goal is to bolster lessons learned and to continue a cooperative relationship between GM and NHTSA to help further advance motor vehicle safety," Boyer said. "In the spirit of continuous improvement, we will constantly evolve this approach to help keep the safety of our customers at the center of everything we do."
GM said it has received and responded to "hundreds of product safety concerns" submitted by employees through the Speak Up for Safety program it created soon after the ignition switch recalls began.
The defect affected millions of small cars with ignition switches that could be easily bumped out of position by a driver's knee or rough terrain, cutting off power to the airbag, steering and braking systems. Some GM employees became aware that the switches were too flimsy more than a decade before the recalls.
GM CEO Mary Barra in June 2014 dismissed 15 employees, including a number of high-level lawyers who settled cases brought by victims' families to keep the problem quiet. Barra has apologized repeatedly for what she characterized as a "pattern of incompetence and neglect" that allowed the defect to fester unchecked, and GM has since paid more than $2 billion in fines, penalties and victim compensation.
Source-AutoNews
WhatsApp rises as a major force in news media
WhatsApp is becoming one of the prevailing ways people discover and discuss news, according to a study.
But use of the messaging app appears to vary widely between countries.
In Malaysia, more than 50% of those surveyed said they used WhatsApp for news at least once a week. But in the US, the figure was only 3%, and in the UK it was 5%.
The Digital News Report also indicates the Brexit debate has led to growing mistrust of the UK's media.
It said only 43% of respondents declared that the news could be trusted - down from 50% last year - with the BBC in particular criticised for having both a pro-EU bias and failing to expose the "distortions" of the leave campaign.
The research was carried out by the Reuters Institute For The Study of Journalism and covered 34 countries in Europe, the Americas and Asia, in addition to Taiwan and Hong Kong. It was sponsored by the BBC and Google among others.
A total of 71,805 people were questioned by YouGov in January and February to generate its data.
Deaths from Venezuelan anti-government protests up to 75
A 22-year-old man was shot dead Thursday during an anti-government protest in Caracas, becoming the 75th victim in three months of unrest over the rule of President Nicolas Maduro.
The young man was killed during a demonstration in the capital's Altamira area, the public ministry said on Twitter, without specifying the type of weapon that killed him.
Opposition lawmaker Jose Manuel Olivares said the man had been shot by a member of the National Guard.
Near-daily protests against Maduro began April 1, with demonstrators demanding his removal and new elections.
The protests have often turned violent, with more than 1,000 people injured so far, prosecutors say, and more than 3,000 arrested, according to the NGO Forum Penal.
Maduro has been blamed for an economic crisis that has caused desperate shortages of food, medicine and other basic goods.
The socialist leader says the crisis is a US-backed conspiracy.
On Thursday, he slammed the Organization of American States, which met last week to advance a plan to deal with Venezuela's political instability, but failed to reach an agreement.
"The OAS will never again set foot in Venezuela," Maduro said during a briefing with foreign reporters.
He called the regional group's lack of agreement "a diplomatic and political victory," and added that he would ignore any future decision by the body.
Qatar wants 10% of American Airlines
American Airlines has received an "unsolicited" approach from Qatar Airways which wants to acquire 10% of the US carrier.
In a regulatory filing, American Airlines said Qatar intended to buy at least $808m (£638m) of its shares.
American Airlines said it would respond "in due course".
Shares in American Airlines, which is the biggest airline in the world, initially rose 5%, but fell back to a 1.1% rise by the end of trading.
Qatar Airways said it sees American as a good investment opportunity and would not involve itself in management, operations or governance.
"Qatar Airways believes in American Airlines' fundamentals," the firm said.
In 2015, Qatar Airways took a 10% stake in International Airlines Group (IAG), the owner of British Airways and Iberia.
Then in July 2015 it increased its stake to 20%, becoming IAG's biggest shareholder.
Earlier this month, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Libya, Yemen and the Maldives cut diplomatic ties with Qatar.
Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt all said they would stop flights in and out of Qatar, and close their airspace to the country's flag carrier, Qatar Airways.
US companies, including American Airlines, have also pressured the White House to take action against Qatar Airways and other Gulf airlines, which they say receive unfair government subsidies.
Source-BBC
FLOW wins 11 Telly Awards
FLOW Jamaica has copped 11 awards for multimedia campaigns in the international Telly Awards 2017 — the premier award for the best in TV and cable, digital and streaming, and non-broadcast productions.
The telecommunications firm said it received silver awards for the FLOW Lyf prepaid mobile campaign starring local dancehall superstar Shenseea and the introductory television campaign featuring double Olympic champion, Elaine Thompson, FLOW's newest brand ambassador.
The other awarded campaigns include FLOW's 2016 “Olympics” and “Most Wonderful Christmas” promotions, which received bronze awards in categories such as craft-videography/cinematography, visual effects and editing.
Founded in 1978 to honour excellence in TV commercials, the Telly Award is one of the most sought after by industry leaders from large international firms to production companies and advertising agencies.
To date FLOW (formerly LIME) said it has won more than 25 Telly Awards for its advertising work.