Tour de France 2018: Geraint Thomas wins to make sporting history
Sporting history was made on the Champs-Elysees Sunday as Geraint Thomas became the first Welshman to win cycling's Tour de France.
Arm-in-arm with 2017 champion and Team Sky teammate Chris Froome, the 32-year-old Thomas crossed the finishing line after the 21st and final stage in Paris in triumph.
His eventual victory had been a mere formality after Saturday's individual time trial stage which left him with a one minute 51 second advantage over second-placed Tom Dumoulin of the Netherlands.
Jamaican Parliament Approves Minimum Wage Increases
The House of Representatives in Jamaica has approved two motions that will increase the national minimum wage and the minimum wage for industrial security guards.
The motions, which fall under the Minimum Wage Act and were piloted by Labour and Social Security Minister Shahine Robinson, were the National Minimum Wage (Amendment) Order, 2018, and the Minimum Wage Industrial Security Guards (Amendment) Order, 2018.
In June this year, Robinson announced a 12.9 per cent increase in the national minimum wage, from J$6,200 (US$46.71) to J$7,000 (US$52.73) per 40-hour work week. Additionally, security guards will receive J$9,700 (US$73.07), up from J$8,854 (US$66.70) per 40-hour work week, reflecting a 9.6 per cent increase.
Robinson said the new rates, which were approved by Cabinet, will take effect August 1, 2018.
She said laundry allowance for industrial security guards, firearm premium allowance, and dog handlers’ premium allowance will also be increased
Indonesia volcano: Hundreds of hikers trapped after earthquake
Nearly 700 people are trapped on a volcano on the popular Indonesian tourist island of Lombok, after a devastating earthquake killed more than a dozen people.
A rescue operation is currently underway for tourists caught in landslides on Mount Rinjani. According to National Disaster Management Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, 689 people are still trapped on and around the 3,726 meter (12,224 ft) mountain following the shallow 6.4-magnitude earthquake that struck Sunday morning.
At least 260 people had already been evacuated by Sunday afternoon, Sutopo said on Twitter, while a spokesman for Rinjani National Park said another 109 had been rescued as of 2 p.m. local time (3 a.m. ET) Monday afternoon. 149 climbers are still believed to be stranded on the volcano itself, while 500 people are trapped in Sembalun Village on the volcano's slopes, and an additional 40 tourists are in nearby Batu Ceper.
At least one climber had died after being struck by falling rocks, Sutopo said.
A rescue team of 184 people set off Monday morning to evacuate the hikers, including special military, police and medical teams.
So far 15 people across the island have been reported dead following the earthquake, while another 162 have been reported injured, according to Indonesia's National Disaster Management Agency.
Spanish taxis block roads in 'anti-Uber' protest
Taxi drivers across Spain have joined a strike against ride-hailing companies like Uber, demanding the government restrict their numbers.
The striking taxi drivers, some of whom have been camping out for days, say the services threaten their livelihood and are putting thousands of jobs at risk.
As a result, they have blocked main roads in the capital, Madrid, and in Barcelona with their parked cars.
A meeting on Monday to attempt to end the strike failed to reach a deal.
Taxi unions want the government to enforce a law which requires just one ride-hailing licence for every 30 taxi licences.
The government offered to give licensing powers to each of the regions during a four-hour meeting. This was rejected by taxi representatives, who say it would not fix the issue, but just pass it along.
Union representatives said in a statement that "Uber and Cabify are putting the viability of the taxi sector and 130,000 jobs at risk", adding it "considers this unfair competition intolerable".
Zimbabwe election underway as polls open in first Mugabe-free vote
Zimbabweans are voting in what many hope will be something the country has never seen before: a free and fair election, without the interference of former leader Robert Mugabe.
The landmark vote has been touted as the first time the African nation will hold an election without the former strongman in almost four decades, but although Mugabe is not on the ballot, his influence continues to be felt.
The now-disgraced 94-year-old could not resist stepping back into the political arena on the eve of the vote. In his first major political statement since being ousted from office last November, Mugabe said he would not vote for his former party Zanu-PF or the current president, Emmerson Mnangagwa.
At stake in the landmark presidential election is a chance for Zimbabwe to finally shed its reputation as a pariah state, and move to a democracy free from international sanctions.
The country, which suffered crippling hyperinflation under Mugabe, desperately needs the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to start giving it loans again. It also needs the United States, European Union and others to lift sanctions.
But those restrictions will remain in place until a free and fair election takes place -- anything less, and in international eyes at least, it may as well be Mugabe still in power.
Trump threatens shutdown over wall, immigration
President Donald Trump threatened Sunday to push the government into a shutdown ahead of the coming spending deadline in September if Congress does not fund his border wall and change the nation's immigration laws.
"I would be willing to 'shut down' government if the Democrats do not give us the votes for Border Security, which includes the Wall! Must get rid of Lottery, Catch & Release etc. and finally go to system of Immigration based on MERIT! We need great people coming into our Country!" Trump tweeted.
Trump has previously floated the possibility of a government shutdown over border security and immigration, and on Sunday he made his threat explicit, saying he would do so unless Congress funds his proposed wall, which he promised Mexico would pay for, and puts in place his preferred immigration policies. "They don't want the wall," Trump said. "But we're going to get the wall, even if we have to think about closing up the country for a while."
A shutdown over Trump's wall at the September deadline would mark the third lapse in appropriations this year, following a shutdown in January as Democrats battled with the Trump administration and congressional Republicans on protections for "Dreamers" as well as a brief shutdown when Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky blocked a spending vote.
Delano Williams to participate in Europeans Championship in Berlin, Germany
Our very own Delano Williams making strides... Keep up the great work!
Delano's statement
"It's with great pleasure that I announce my selection for Great Britain to the Europeans Championship in Berlin,Germany. I am taking part in the 200m and 4x4 relay. Life has a way of turning things around in the right direction. I want to say thanks to my Sponsors Flow TCI and Nike for believing in me and giving me an opportunity to showcase my talent to the world. My day one supporters who show me love daily , friends and family I say Thank you. 2 years until the Olympics in Japan and that's my main focus."
TCI CADETS CORPS CONDUCTS TWO WEEK SUMMER TRAINING CAMP
The Turks and Caicos Islands Cadets Corps under the auspices of the Cadet Commandant and the Ministry of Education, Youth, Culture and Library Services conducted a two-week summer training camp at the Long Bay High School.
The Camp commenced on Monday, July 9 2018 and the cadets received training in:
•Youth empowerment
•Drills and turned out and military knowledge
•Skill at arms
•Use of maps and Compass
•Field Craft
•Adventurous training, and
•Physical Activities.
The Turks and Caicos Islands Cadet Corps is no ordinary youth organization. It caters to the total development of TCI’s youth who are desirous of having fun and adventure while making a difference to their fellowmen. The main objective of the Cadet Force is to train and inspire young men and women to be model citizens.
With a strong focus on leadership and confidence, the Turks and Caicos Islands Cadet Corps caters to the holistic development of young people, mainly high school students, aged 12 to 18, by providing mental, moral and physical training. Additionally, the aim of the Turks & Caicos Islands Cadet Corps aims so to build discipline and character while instilling in our youths; positive values and attitudes, and the ideal of civic responsibility to community and country.
After the experience of this camp, cadets were not only able to work independently, but also as a team. They became more confident and displayed leadership qualities to help them into life’s next chapter.
At the recent Commandant’s parade on Friday, July 20 2018, some cadets who were involved in this year’s camp were awarded for the successful completion of different aspects of their military training, including badges for particular levels of training.
The summer camp provides cadets with the opportunity to complete their various star levels which they pursued during the course of the school year.
The Ministry of Education, Youth, Culture and Library Services would like to encourage all TCI youths to join the Cadet Corps. It is an opportunity to take part in a wide variety of activities that offer personal development, building discipline, life skills, and also contributing to their communities.
US to provide Jamaica with US$4.5m to aid human trafficking fight
The government of the United States of America has committed to providing assistance of US$4.5 million to Jamaica to aid the island in the fight against human trafficking.
Mark Seibel, Deputy Chief of Mission of the United States Embassy in Jamaica, made the announcement at the National Task Force Against Trafficking In Person's (NATFATIP) conference at the Melia Braco Hotel in Trelawny on Wednesday.
According to Seibel, the monetary assistance is part of a collaborative effort by both governments to stamp out human trafficking in Jamaica and will be done over a period of four years, with multiple agencies of both countries working together for the cause.
Seibel said that the initiative is part of the US$12 million security assistance that the US will provide to Jamaica and will help to strengthen the island's efforts to prosecute and punish child traffickers, provide comprehensive services to victims and help prevent trafficking in the first place.
He said that the State Department, USAID and the Department of Homeland Security in the United States have sponsored training programmes, public sensitisation campaigns and guest speakers to address trafficking from the perspective of prevention, protection and prosecution.
Seibel said that the Department of Homeland Security has provided support for trafficking in person investigators in Jamaica, that resulted in the island's first-ever human trafficking conviction.
The blood moon lunar eclipse is here (and so is Mars)
The longest total lunar eclipse of the century arrives Friday night, showcasing a blood moon for most of the Eastern Hemisphere. Coincidentally, Mars is also at its brightest, putting two bright red objects in our sky.
The lunar eclipse happens during daylight hours for those in the Western Hemisphere, so people in North America will miss it.
Lunar eclipses can occur only during a full moon, and this one is extra special because it's also the blood moon. The moon will be in perfect alignment with the sun and Earth on Friday, with the moon on the opposite side of the Earth from the sun.
The totality of this lunar eclipse will last about an hour and 43 minutes, but a partial eclipse before and after the total phase means the moon will spend nearly four hours crossing the Earth's shadow.
When the full moon moves into Earth's shadow, it will darken, but it won't disappear. Sunlight passing through Earth's atmosphere will light the moon in a dramatic fashion, turning it red. Depending on the weather conditions in your area, it may be rusty, brick-colored or blood-red.
This happens because blue light undergoes stronger atmospheric scattering, so red light will be the most dominant color highlighted as sunlight passes through our atmosphere and strikes the moon.