Lloyd praises Simmons but knocks comments
Chairman of selectors Clive Lloyd has praised suspended West Indies head coach Phil Simmons for his role in helping to build the regional side, but says his controversial comments were ill-advised.
The legendary former captain said that differences of opinion on the selection panel should be dealt with through dialogue.
"It must be noted that in the short time that Phil has been involved as head coach, he has done a good job in building team unity and morale, and the players have warmed to his coaching methods," Lloyd said.
"Phil has apologised to all for his recent public statements and how strongly he would have felt on certain selection matters of the team."
He continued: "We agreed -- at times -- that we will have a difference of opinion, but we cannot condone such outbursts.
"Therefore, we will always seek discussion and dialogue at every stage of the selection process and work towards the best interest of West Indies cricket."
Last Friday, Simmons courted controversy when he claimed that "interference from outside" was behind the continued non-selection of Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard on the one-day team.
Simmons told media in Barbados that he and Lloyd were in favour of the Trinidadian duo being selected but had been out-voted by fellow selectors Courtney Walsh, Eldine Baptiste and Courtney Browne.
However, the 52-year-old Trinidadian contended that it was "disappointing for me to know that in any aspect of life ... [people would use] their position to get people into a squad or in this case, get people left out of a squad".
Simmons has been suspended over the comments and will face a WICB disciplinary panel shortly.
Source-CMC
VW takes 4,000 cars off the UK market
Volkswagen is suspending the sale of 4,000 vehicles in the UK in the wake of the emissions scandal.
The company said the vehicles may be equipped with the device that cheated emissions tests in the US.
The move will involve vehicles across the VW group including the VW, Audi, Skoda and Seat brands.
VW said it was a temporary measure and that it intended to return the vehicles for sale once a fix is identified for the cars.
Despite the scandal that began almost two weeks ago, VW customers could still buy vehicles that had the rogue software.
The cars taken off the market represent 3% of VW's stock in the UK.
The company will continue to sell new vehicles, with the latest, cleanest engine technology.
From last month all new diesel cars sold in Europe must be fitted with the latest Euro 6 engines, designed to significantly reduce the levels of pollutants emitted.
EU rules also allow manufacturers such as VW to continue to sell cars with the older, more polluting, Euro 5 engines to clear stock. These models will continue to be on the market well into next year.
Source-BBC
Hackers steal T-Mobile data on 15 million US customers
Hackers have stolen personal information on about 15 million T-Mobile US customers and applicants.
The breach was at a unit of the credit agency Experian, which T-Mobile uses to process information on subscribers.
Names, birth dates and social security numbers are among data stolen, but not financial details, the firms said.
Chief executive John Legere said his company would review its link with Experian. "Obviously I am incredibly angry about this data breach," he said.
Subscribers who were credit-checked between 1 September 2013 and 16 September 2015 are most at risk.
In a statement, Mr Legere said: "I take our customer and prospective customer privacy very seriously. This is no small issue for us.
"I do want to assure our customers that neither T-Mobile's systems nor network were part of this intrusion and this did not involve any payment card numbers or bank account information.
"Experian has assured us that they have taken aggressive steps to improve the protection of their system and of our data."
Experian North America chief executive Craig Boundy said in his own statement, "We sincerely apologise for the concern and stress that this event may cause."
It was unclear when the breach was discovered, but Experian said the matter was reported to the authorities immediately it learned of the hack.
The company said in a statement: "We continue to investigate the theft, closely monitor our systems, and work with domestic and international law enforcement. Investigation of the incident is ongoing.
"Experian is notifying the individuals who may have been affected and is offering free credit monitoring and identity resolution services for two years. In addition, government agencies are being notified as required by law."
The firm said there "is no evidence that the data has been used inappropriately".
There have been a string of high-profile hacks of businesses and other organisations in recent years affecting millions of people, including adultery website Ashley Madison, Sony Pictures, and retailers such as Home Depot, Target, and eBay.
T-Mobile is now the third biggest mobile firm in the US, having surpassed Sprint this year.
Source-BBC
At least 11 dead in Afghanistan Hercules crash
At least 11 people have died after a US Hercules aircraft crashed at an airport in Afghanistan, the US military says.
The C-130 plane crashed at around midnight local time (19:30 GMT Thursday) in Jalalabad airport.
US Army Colonel Brian Tribus told AFP that six of those killed worked for the US military, while the others were civilian contractors.
The C-130 is a military aircraft primarily used to carry troops and heavy cargo.
Close to 10,000 US troops are still stationed in Afghanistan after plans for a gradual withdrawal were changed earlier this year.
President Obama has promised to leave only a small force in Afghanistan, based in the US embassy, by the end of 2016.
Some 1,000 foreign troops are based in eastern Afghanistan, where the crash occurred, according to Nato. They are working alongside 40,000 Afghan troops.
In July, a Hercules plane owned by Indonesia's military crashed in a residential part of Medan, in northern Indonesia.
More than 140 people were killed, and it later emerged a number of civilians were being transported in the plane.
Source-BBC
Lauryn Hill Working on Follow-Up to The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, Says Producer
After contributing to the soundtrack for Netflix's Nina Simone documentary, Lauryn Hill is said to be working on a possible sequel to her 1998 classic album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.
In a recent feature in The FADER, Jayson Jackson, producer and associate of Hill, reveals that she's been inspired to create new music. "The Nina Simone experience pushed her hand in a way," Jackson says.
He then spoke on Lauryn's creative space these days. "I can say this, I know creating makes her very happy," he says. "I couldn’t see her doing as much as she did [on the Simone project] in any state other than happiness."
Another indicator comes from producer Phil Nicolo, who was a co-founder of her old label, Ruffhouse Records. "She is closer than ever to finishing the follow-up to Miseducation," he says. "She wants to be right. She wants to be perfect."
Source-ABC
10 Dead, 7 Wounded in Oregon College Shooting
An angry President Barack Obama demanded the American people push Congress to pass "common sense" gun laws after a gunman murdered 10 people Thursday and wounded seven at an Oregon college.
A grim Obama appeared on television hours after the shootings to remind the nation that the majority of Americans, including law-abiding gun owners, want tougher laws.
He said Americans have become numb to what has become routine in the U.S. — a mass shooting, followed by his White House statements, and the response by those who oppose more gun control. He said the argument that more guns make people safer cannot be done with a straight face.
Obama appealed to voters to remember who supports and opposes gun laws in next year's elections.
Details of the shooting at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon, on the U.S. Pacific coast, remain unclear, including the exact number of victims.
Earthquake rattles St Lucia
The National Emergency Management Organization, (NEMO) says sections of the island were rocked by an earthquake on Thursday afternoon.
The Seismic Research Centre at the University of the West Indies (UWI), St Augustine campus in Trinidad and Tobago, confirmed that a 4.8. Magnitude quake was felt in St Lucia, Dominica, St Vincent, and Martinique at approximately 2:30pm (local time).
According to a NEMO official here, reports of tremors were received from the north and south of the island.
Earlier this week NEMO Director Velda Joseph called on residents to be prepared for hazards outside of tropical cyclones, citing a series of earthquakes in the region recently, including four tremors on Sunday.
Source-CMC
Former Transport and Works Minister slams UK prison plan as Cameron tells Caribbean to look beyond reparation for slavery
Veteran Jamaican parliamentarian Mike Henry yesterday said that Britain was adding "insult to injury" with its £25-million grant to help construct a new prison in Jamaica and vowed to take his fight for reparation for slavery to the International Court of Justice.
Henry expressed his annoyance with London as British Prime Minister David Cameron urged the region to "move on" from the issue of reparations and focus on the future.
"Slavery was and is abhorrent in all its forms. It has no place whatsoever in any civilised society, and Britain is proud to have eventually led the way in its abolition," Cameron told a joint sitting of both Houses of Jamaica's Parliament.
"I acknowledge that these wounds run very deep, indeed. But, I do hope that, as friends who have gone through so much together since those darkest of times, we can move on from this painful legacy and continue to build for the future," he said.
Cameron stated that his reason for wanting to come to Jamaica was because of his interest of the future relationship between the UK and the Caribbean.
"I'm here because we have common aspirations and interests that we can meet better by working more closely together. I passionately believe that our relationship now is more important than it has ever been -- for both of us," he said.
However, Henry, who represents Clarendon Central in the legislature, and a small group of placard-bearing demonstrators supporting reparations and who staged a peaceful protest outside Gordon House, were not convinced.
Henry, who has consistently led the fight for reparation in Parliament, boycotted the joint sitting.
"I still stand resolute that Britain has not apologised for slavery," Henry told the Jamaica Observer yesterday.
He said that he was aware that Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller has said that she had raised the issue with Cameron, "but is she satisfied with the response?"
Henry said that he would continue his fight to take the matter to the International Court of Justice.
Source-Jamaica Observer
TURKS AND CAICOS POST CABINET MEETING STATEMENT
His Excellency the Governor, Peter Beckingham, chaired the 24th meeting of the Cabinet on Wednesday, 30 September 2015, at the Hon. N J S Francis Building on Grand Turk.
The Hon. Premier and the Hon. Minister of Tourism, Environment, Heritage and Culture were present and the Hon. Minister of Finance, Trade and Investment and the Hon. Minister of Infrastructure Housing and Planning joined by teleconference from Providenciales. The Hon. Deputy Premier, the Hon. Minister of Home Affairs, Transportation and Communication and the Hon. Minister of Border Control and Employment were unable to attend.
At this meeting Cabinet:
• Approved the list of public holidays for TCI for 2016;
• Approved for public release and dissemination the TCI Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) Guidance Notes for the administration of the Intergovernmental Agreements (IGAs) with the UK and USA to improve international tax compliance;
• Discussed the proposed draft Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Development Bill (2015) and Regulations and agreed that further work would be carried out before bringing the draft Bill and Regulations back to the next meeting of Cabinet for further consideration;
• Received a presentation from the Planning Department on the findings of a Consultative Report following public consultation on proposed variations in the height and density of new buildings in Providenciales and, having considered the findings, recommendations and views of the public, instructed the Planning Department to make any necessary changes to the TCI Development Manual and to prepare a paper for the next meeting of Cabinet with proposed recommendations for re-designation of zoning areas for new applications for buildings up to 12 storeys in height;
• Agreed to convey to the TCI Airports Authority its support for the construction of a Forward Based Operation (FBO) in Grand Turk and requested the Airports Authority to give urgent consideration to the proposals received for the FBO;
• Instructed the Ministry of Finance to produce a paper for approval at the next meeting of Cabinet to introduce zero-rated import duty for individuals and businesses in TCI to purchase and import CCTV security equipment for domestic and commercial properties;
• Agreed that the Governor, Premier, Police Commissioner, and Minister of Border Control would meet on 14 October for a meeting of the National Security Council, proposed by the Police Commissioner. They would, in addition to considering responses to current security risks and longer term strategies, finalize membership of the proposed wider National Security Advisory Council to include representatives from the Opposition, and the business, education and church communities.
RTC News will have more on the following Cabinet meeting by Ministers.
Police begin investigations into death of a six year old boy
Police have begun investigations into circumstances surrounding the death of a six year old boy in North Caicos.
The six year old was reportedly found dead last night (Tuesday 29th September) by his father at their home in Bottle Creek.
Police Press Liaison Officer Audley Astwood confirmed the death of the youngster to RTC News, however say that a postmortem will be performed to determine the cause of death.
The father of the little boy reportedly told the media that his son, a student of the Adlaide Ombler Primary School, came home from school Tuesday and took a nap, but never woke up.
The little boy’s parents are said to be of Haitian descent.