President Trump's Hollywood Walk of Fame star was smashed to pieces
President Donald Trump's star on the Hollywood walk of Fame was destroyed by a man with a pickax early Wednesday morning, according to Los Angeles police officer Ray Brown.
LAPD said they have a man in custody and are currently questioning him. According to LAPD, a man turned himself in at the Beverly Hills Police Department Wednesday morning.
Trump's star has repeatedly been the target of vandalism and protests since the reality TV star's turn to politics. In April 2016, a Superman impersonator on Hollywood Boulevard said he had seen visitors make obscene gestures next to the star, deface it with paint, and allow a dog to relieve itself on the landmark.
"People often stomp with anger on the star, others kick their heels over the star, and some spit. The last time, someone put a sticker over the star," Francisco Javier, another street performer said at the time.
A street artist constructed a tiny wall around Trump's star in July 2016, and in October of that year, the LAPD arrested a man who they said vandalized the star with a sledgehammer and a pickax.
Ivanka Trump closes down her fashion brand
President Donald Trump's daughter, Ivanka Trump, has decided to close down her fashion brand.The move comes over a year after she split from the company to enter the White House as a senior adviser.
Ms Trump launched the brand in 2014, but after her father's election was faced with boycotts from shoppers.
Ms Trump had reportedly become frustrated by the difficulties posed by avoiding possible conflicts of interest while serving in the White House.A spokesperson for the company said the decision "has nothing to do with the performance of the brand and is based solely on Ivanka's decision to remain in Washington indefinitely."
After 17 months in her White House role Ms Trump said she did not know "when or if I will ever return to the business".
"But I do know that my focus for the foreseeable future will be the work I am doing here in Washington, so making this decision now is the only fair outcome for my team and partners," Ivanka Trump said in a statement.
The brand had already been dropped by several retailers such as the Nordstrom chain and - just last week - Canada's largest department store chain Hudson's Bay.
Ms Trump's company is private and does not release sales figures.
But according to the Wall Street Journal, which cited research from Rakuten Intelligence, online sales at Amazon, Macy's and Bloomingdales fell almost 45% in the year to June.
Facebook plans office in China
Facebook has secured a licence to set up an office in China in an apparent attempt to break into the lucrative market where its website is blocked.
The firm said it would be an "innovation hub to support Chinese developers, innovators and start-ups".
If the office opens, it would be the firm's first formal presence in China.
However, the office's registration has since been removed from the Chinese government website, suggesting possible complications.
China is the world's biggest social media market, but access to websites such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube is blocked in the country.
Instead, Chinese users can only access domestic social media sites such as Weibo, Renren and YouKu, which the government can monitor.
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has already made several attempts to charm Chinese officials, even going so far as to learn Mandarin.
The Facebook subsidiary has been registered in the southern China city of Hangzhou and financed with an investment of £30m, according to the details of the filing, which were seen by Reuters and the New York Times on China's National Enterprise Credit Information, before they were removed.
Sergio Marchionne, the CEO who saved Fiat and Chrysler, dies at 66
Auto legend Sergio Marchionne, the charismatic executive who turned Fiat and Chrysler around before combining the companies as a profitable business, died Wednesday. He was 66.
Fiat Chrysler had announced Marchionne's abrupt resignation as CEO on Saturday, citing "unexpected complications" while he was recovering from surgery. Marchionne was also chief executive of Ferrari, and both FCA and Ferrari announced successors who took immediate control of the companies.
Over a long career, Marchionne left an indelible mark on the industry. He was the CEO of Fiat when it bought Chrysler out of bankruptcy in 2009 following a US government bailout. The companies merged about four years ago.
He was known for his witty comments, fearless decision making, trademark black sweaters and an aversion to neckties.
In 2009, Fiat made a deal with Chrysler that queued up Fiat to become the primary stakeholder in the American company, and Marchionne was installed as CEO.
Under his leadership, the company eventually emerged as a profitable global automaker.
Pakistan election: Dozens killed as voters go to polls
Violence has erupted as millions head to the polls in Pakistan, with at least 31 dead in the worst attack, a bomb in the city of Quetta.
Elsewhere, minor blasts and clashes between party workers left several injured and two dead.
Opinion polls suggest the election battle will be between the parties of ex-cricket star Imran Khan and the disgraced former PM Nawaz Sharif.
But the campaign has been overshadowed by concerns of fraud and violence.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan says there have been "blatant" attempts to manipulate the polls.
Mr Khan has vowed to tackle corruption but his rivals accuse him of benefiting from alleged meddling by the military, which has ruled Pakistan for nearly half of its history.
Mr Sharif, who won the last election, has been jailed for corruption after a scandal stemming from the Panama Papers leak.
InterCaribbean Flights Added To Curaçao, Aruba
InterCaribbean Airways is introducing new routes from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic to Aruba and between Curaçao and Kingston, Jamaica. These new services add to the airline’s nonstop flights to Tortola, St. Maarten and Providenciales, Turks and Caicos.The announcement came from InterCaribbean’s Chairman and Founder Lyndon Gardiner, and the airline’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Executive Director Trevor Sadler.
“At interCaribbean Airways, we know that the Dominican Republic currently leads the region as an economic engine and as a strategic commercial and business point,” said Sadler. “Our intention is to facilitate the opportunity through the introduction of these new routes.”
The new destinations of Aruba and Curaçao will also serve as new routes for the British Virgin Islands with connections to and from Tortola via Santo Domingo. Direct flights from Tortola, InterCaribbean’s second hub, include services to San Juan, Puerto Rico, Antigua, St. Maarten, Santo Domingo, St. Lucia and Providenciales with connections to Kingston and Nassau.
The date of the service’s commencement will be confirmed soon, the company said. The carrier, which connects 22 destinations and 14 countries in the Caribbean, will also be adding a larger aircraft to its fleet, increasing its passenger, and nonstop and direct flight capacity.
“The company also said it would be adding a new Embraer 145 jet, a 50-seat aircraft that would soon join the company’s fleet of Twin Otter and Embraer 120 planes.
Stephen Curry, Andre Iguodala invest in Team SoloMid's parent company
Golden States Warriors stars Stephen Curry and Andre Iguodala invested in multigame esports organization Swift, the parent company of Team SoloMid and its affiliated businesses, the organization and players announced on Tuesday.
Curry and Iguodala are part of a greater $37 million investment round that was led by Bessemer Venture Partners, a San Francisco and Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm that contributed $25 million itself to the round. Bessemer recruited both Curry and Iguodala, as well as a number of other investors such as Indiana Pacers ownership heir Steve Simon, NFL Hall of Famer Steve Young and a slew of other tech and sports companies and executives.
With the investment, Curry and Iguodala become the third and fourth current Warriors players to invest in the esports space. In September 2016, forward Jonas Jerebko led a group that acquired Renegades, an esports organization that it subsequently relocated to Detroit; Jerebko moved to the Warriors in July after being waived by the Utah Jazz. Additionally, 2018 NBA Finals MVP Kevin Durant is a minority owner in Vision Venture Partners, the parent of Rick Fox backed esports team Echo Fox. The only other active NBA player outside of the Warriors to invest in esports is the Thunder's Paul George, who is an owner of Endemic Esports.
Bryant told ESPN that Curry's investment was partly motivated by the increasing participation of NBA ownership groups and the league itself in the rapidly growing industry.
Weather Forecast 24th July, 2018
BAHAMAS AND TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS PUBLIC FORECAST THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.
GENERAL SITUATION: A MID TO UPPER LEVEL TROUGH NORTHWEST OF THE BAHAMAS CONTINUE TO CREATE UNSETTLED WEATHER OVER THE AREA WHILE SURFACE RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE GENERATE MODERATE TO STRONG BREEZES OVER THE ISLANDS.
SPECIAL WARNINGS: BOATERS SHOULD BE ALERT FOR POSSIBLE WATERSPOUT ACTIVITY IN THE EXTREME NORTHWEST BAHAMAS. BEACHGOERS IN THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS INCLUDING THE TURKS AND CAICOS SHOULD REMAIN ON ALERT FOR THE RISK OF RIP CURRENTS ALONG THE EASTERN COASTS.
SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS INCLUDING THE TURKS AMD CAICOS ISLANDS.
WEATHER: PARTLY SUNNY, HOT AND HUMID WITH ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON. MAINLY FAIR AND WARM WITH AN ISOLATED SHOWER OR TWO TONIGHT.
ADVISORY: SMALL CRAFT CAUTION REMAINS IN EFFECT.
WINDS: EAST TO SOUTHEAST AT 15 TO 20 KNOTS OVER OPEN WATERS.
SEAS: 4 TO 6 FEET OVER THE OCEAN.
NORTHWEST AND CENTRAL BAHAMAS
WEATHER: PARTLY CLOUDY TO CLOUDY WITH SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH TONIGHT. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL BECOME HEAVY TO SEVERE AT TIMES.
ADVISORY: SMALL CRAFT CAUTION REMAINS IN EFFECT.
WINDS: SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST AT 15 TO 20 KNOTS IN THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS AND SOUTHEAST TO SOUTH AT 15 TO 20 KNOTS IN THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS OVER OPEN WATERS.
SEAS: 4 TO 6 FEET OVER THE OCEAN.
DAYTIME HIGH TEMPERATURE: 91°F 33°C
OVERNITE LOW TEMPERATURE: 77°F 25°C
HEAT INDEX: 101°F 39°C
SUNSET: 07:57PM MOONRISE: 04:48PM HIGH TIDE: 04:57PM
SUNRISE: 06:34AM TUE. MOONSET: 03:53AM TUE.
LOW TIDE: 11:24PM
HIGH TIDE: 05:09AM TUE.
LOW TIDE: 11:16AM TUE.
TROPICAL WEATHER OUTLOOK: THE TROPICS REMAIN QUIET AND TROPICAL CYCLONE FORMATION IS NOT EXPECTED DURING THE NEXT FIVE DAYS.
UWI ranked 37th among best universities in Caribbean and Latin America
The University of the West Indies (UWI) has been named among the top third universities in Latin America and the Caribbean by a prestigious UK-based publication, Times Higher Education.
This is the first time that UWI is included among the publication’s world-class universities rankings, coming in at number 37 out of 129 institutions reviewed, from among 10 of the largest and richest countries in the Caribbean and Latin America, such as Brazil, Argentina, and Chile.
The 2018 Latin America University Rankings list, which includes the best universities across the region was released last Wednesday by Times Higher Education, the leading provider of higher education data for the world's research-led institutions.
Over the past three years, UWI has intensified its transformation thrust, and this reality of the ranking is testament to its progress. The rankings come on the heels of the regional university’s new outlook and direction guided by its five-year strategic plan, 2017-2022.
Themed the Triple A Strategy, the plan is centred around widening access to quality tertiary education, greater alignment of The UWI with academic-industry partnerships relevant to the region’s needs and agility and alertness in engaging global connections and possibilities.
This year also marks a milestone anniversary for UWI. The regional institution celebrates 70 years of service and leadership as the largest, most longstanding, higher education provider in the Commonwealth Caribbean.
Greece wildfires: 60 dead in holiday area
At least 60 people have died in wildfires in the Attica region around Athens, in Greece's worst fire disaster in more than a decade.
Flames fanned by strong winds devastated the seaside village of Mati, devouring homes and cars.
Rescuers found the bodies of 26 adults and children who had apparently hugged each other as they died, trapped by the inferno just metres from the sea.
Many calls have been made to the rescue services looking for missing persons.
Mati is located in the Rafina region which is popular with local tourists, especially pensioners and children attending holiday camps.
Hundreds of firefighters have been battling the blazes and the authorities are seeking international assistance.
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has declared three days of national mourning