Weapons-drone student fights expulsion
A teenager who posted videos of drones firing a gun and a flamethrower is suing his university after he was expelled, the AP news agency reports.
Austin Haughwout claims he was kicked out of Central Connecticut state university over the footage.
The institution says he was expelled over threats to shoot people there. Mr Haughwout argued he was only joking.
Last month, Mr Haughwout and his father were ordered to give information about the drones videos to the authorities.
Burning turkey
Two separate videos showed drones rigged up to carry to the weapons hovering low in woodland in Connecticut, in the north-east United States.
The first, posted in July 2015, showed a handgun firing rounds of ammunition.
The second, which appeared in December that year, featured a flamethrower attached to a drone burning a turkey on a spit.
The Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) opened an investigation into whether or not Mr Haughwout had broken any laws, though local police said they did not believe he had.
Ruling last month, a judge said that he and his father, Bret, must hand documents over to the FAA, relating to the purchase of the gun, the drone and any money made from having posted the videos on YouTube, among other information.
Mr Haughwout, 19, blamed his expulsion on the notoriety that followed the posting of the drone videos and is taking legal action in the New Britain superior court in a bid to be allowed to return, AP reports.
It says Central Connecticut state officials denied that claim and instead pointed to the alleged threats.
But a lawyer for Mr Haughwout said that what some may have interpreted as threats, were actually jokes, which are protected by the right to free speech.
Beach
Mr Haughwout has also been in the news over two other incidents.
In June this year, local police said they had charged him with enticing a minor with a computer, attempted sexual assault and possession of images of child abuse after officers said they had found images of child abuse on his mobile phone, AP reports.
It says Mr Haughwout's lawyer reportedly called that arrest warrant "overly broad" and suggested that Clinton police had it in for his client because of the drone videos.
Last year, Mr Haughwout was also charged with assaulting police officers. That case continues.
And, in 2014, before the posting of the weaponised drone videos, a woman was charged with assaulting Mr Haughwout because she was upset that he had been using a drone to record video above a beach. Mr Haughwout posted footage of that confrontation on YouTube.
2017 Infiniti QX30 to start at $30,945
Infiniti has released pricing for its latest vehicle, the 2017 QX30, as compact crossover sales stay hot in the U.S.
The crossover, which is available in six trims, starts at $30,945, including shipping, for the base model. It is set to arrive at dealerships in September, Infiniti said.
“The all-new QX30 is a tremendous addition to the Infiniti lineup -- a powerful statement of our design and technology leadership and a vehicle that we predict will bring a new generation of premium buyers into our showrooms,” Infiniti Americas Vice President Randy Parker said in a statement.
The Luxury trim starts at $33,595, Premium starts at $36,295, Sport starts at $39,495, Luxury AWD starts at $35,395 and Premium AWD starts at $38,695. All prices including shipping.
Infiniti also noted that a reservation program is now available on its website. Buyers who sign up for the program will receive a gift of their choice: a GoPro camera, Bose headphones, a hotel stay, an online shopping experience or a culinary experience.
The QX30 figures to compete with the Audi Q3, BMW X1 and Mercedes-Benz GLA class, with which it shares DNA. The QX30 will cost slightly less than its competition.
The 2017 Audi Q3 starts at $32,750, the 2017 BMW X1 starts at $33,795, and the 2016 Mercedes-Benz GLA class starts at $33,425. All prices include shipping.
The QX30 arrives at a time when Infiniti’s U.S. sales could use a boost, and it will fill a void in the compact premium crossover segment.
Infiniti sales fell 4.7 percent in the U.S. in July to 9,945 vehicles, according to the Automotive News Data Center. Through the first seven months of 2016, Infiniti sales were essentially flat, up 0.3 percent to 74,923 vehicles, compared to the same time frame last year.
Compact premium crossover sales in the U.S. have totaled 192,335 vehicles through the first seven months of 2016, a 28 percent increase from 2015.
The QX30 is built in England and shares its chassis and powertrain with the Mercedes-Benz GLA as part of the global Renault-Nissan-Daimler product-sharing campaign.
While Infiniti designed the QX30’s exterior and much of the interior, the crossover is powered by Mercedes’ 2.0-liter, turbocharged, four-cylinder engine. Mercedes also provides the transmission, the all-wheel drive for the QX30 AWD models and the vehicle’s suspension, including a rear multilink setup.
Initially, Infiniti planned to offer two compacts, the Q30 hatchback and QX30 crossover. However, because of their similar looks, Infiniti renamed both as crossovers. The Q30 is now the QX30, and the previously named QX30 is now the QX30 AWD.
Ford starts shipping Super Duty pickups from Kentucky factory
DETROIT -- Ford Motor Co. has begun shipping its new aluminum-bodied Super Duty pickup, one of its most profitable models, from a Kentucky factory, the automaker’s top North American executive said.
“This is one of the strongest products in our portfolio,” Joe Hinrichs, Ford’s president of the Americas, said in a presentation Tuesday at a JPMorgan Chase & Co. conference in New York. “This is the first all-new Super Duty in 18 years.”
The second-largest U.S. automaker said last month that its profit goals for the year are at risk because it no longer sees the U.S. vehicle market growing. The cost of introducing the new Super Duty pickups, such as the F-250, was already going to pressure margins in the year’s second half, Ford had said. But rising incentives and slowing sales are also taking a toll, as Ford’s North American pretax profit slid 4.8 percent in the second quarter to $2.7 billion.
The Super Duty, which began shipping this past weekend, will eventually provide some relief, once Ford gets through the costly launch phase when it’s spending to overhaul the factory in Louisville, Ky., and market the new truck. The automaker rolled out an aluminum-bodied version of its smaller F-150 pickup over the last two years, which can be seen as a guide to how Super Duty will eventually improve profit, Hinrichs said.
“There certainly are costs associated with the launch period,” he said. “Once we got past the F-150 launch, we set a record for every quarterly profit.”
Retro computer project directors row
The founders of a crowd-funded project to make a retro computer games console, backed by Spectrum inventor Sir Clive Sinclair, have distanced themselves from the company they used to run.
Retro Computers has received £417,375 ($542,000) from an Indiegogo campaign. But former directors Paul Andrews and Chris Smith said they had been unable to answer backers' concerns and were now "publicly distancing" themselves. The company accused Mr Andrews and Mr Smith of developing a rival product.
'Irreconcilable differences'
A company with a similar name, Retro Games Ltd, has a website registered to Mr Andrews. It has also attempted to crowd-fund a retro computer device - although its is based on the Commodore 64 - but failed to meet its target. Mr Andrews and Mr Smith said in a statement they had had no control of the Spectrum company, Retro Computers, since their resignation in April.
However, the pair do retain a joint 50% shareholding. Mr Andrews and Mr Smith said they had received many emails from the project's backers questioning the production status of the Vega+ handheld console but had not been able to get answers from the company.
In a joint statement, they said: "Andrews and Smith therefore feel they have no choice but to publicly distance themselves from Retro Computers Ltd, and make it very clear that as they have no knowledge, control or say in anything that has happened in the company since they resigned on 8 April 2016, they are unable to answer any questions relating to the company or its projects." Their resignation followed "irreconcilable differences" between the two men and company chairman Dr David Levy.
William Hill rejects Rank and 888's £3.16bn bid
Bookmaker William Hill has rejected a £3.16bn takeover offer from online operator 888 and casino giant Rank. The bid, in shares and cash, was called "highly opportunistic" by Gareth Davis, chairman of William Hill, who said it did not reflect its true value.
The deal would create the UK's third-largest online betting group with revenues of £2.7bn. William Hill shares have risen 22% to 334p since 888 said last month that it was considering a joint bid with Rank.
The bid would mean 888 taking over Rank, with the newly formed company then buying William Hill. Mr Davis said that it would involve some £2.2bn in debt. He said: "It is a very complex three-way combination at a low premium involving substantial risk for William Hill shareholders: execution risk, integration risk and risks of materially increased leverage."
The offer of 364p a share to William Hill shareholders is made up of 199p in cash and 0.725% per share in the new company, BidCo. But Rank and 888 argue that its business plan would increase the company's value to up to 408p a share - or £3.6bn.
888 and Rank said that they see "significant industrial logic in the combination, through consolidation of their complementary online and land-based operations, delivery of substantial revenue and cost synergies, and from the anticipated benefits of economies of scale which will accrue to all shareholders."
Delta cancels 300 more flights after power cut
US airline Delta has cancelled at least 300 more flights after a power cut on Monday that resulted in the cancellation of 1,000 flights and delays for about 2,800 more.
The company has not yet given details about the financial damage. But correspondents say it is likely to amount to millions of dollars. The meltdown exposes vulnerabilities in Delta's computer system, which is over-reliant on IT systems that date from the 1990s, correspondents say.
Although the airline was back online late on Monday, it was still dealing with the knock-on effects a day later.
Led Zeppelin lose fight to recoup legal fees from Stairway trial
The judge overseeing Led Zeppelin's Stairway To Heaven copyright trial has rejected the group's attempts to recoup almost $800,000 (£620,000) in costs.
While the rock legends were found not guilty of plagiarising Spirit's song Taurus in June, Judge R Gary Klausner said the case was not frivolous. He ruled there was no evidence that the estate of Spirit guitarist Randy Wolfe "harbored nefarious motives".
For that reason, the estate was not obliged to repay the band's legal fees. The trust for Wolfe, who was better known as Randy California, claimed Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page and Robert Plant stole the opening riff for 1971's Stairway to Heaven from Taurus, a short instrumental released three years earlier.
But a jury found that Taurus "was not intrinsically similar" to Stairway's opening. Page and Plant, along with their publishing company Warner/Chappell, sought to recoup $793,000 following the verdict, arguing that their insurance company would not cover the legal fees because the copyright claim was so old.
Their lawyers argued that the case was an attempt to "shake down" the group. The judge acknowledged that the band had succeeded at trial and had shown a right to compensation - but in the end it was up to his discretion, and he sided with Wolfe's trustee.
Wolfe died in 1997. Meanwhile, the lawyer for his estate has promised to appeal the original decision. "The lawsuit was objectively reasonable, and we are confident that any appeal will be successful," Francis Malofiy told Rolling Stone.
Rio Olympics 2016: Usain Bolt calls for faith but questions if rivals are drug free
Usain Bolt has defended athletics at a news conference that featured a dance troupe and a rapping Norwegian. Amid the razzamatazz, the six-time Olympic champion, 29, made a serious point about the future of the sport.
The run-up to the Games was dominated by Russia's doping scandal, while American rivals Justin Gatlin and LaShawn Merritt have served drug bans.
"People should have faith," said Bolt. "We're weeding out the bad ones. We're going in the right direction." But the Jamaican added "nothing is guaranteed" when asked whether the sprint races at the Games, which start on Saturday, would be drug-free.
Bolt, who said in February he would retire from athletics after the 2017 World Championships, confirmed this would be his last Olympics. The sprinter, who holds the 100m and 200m world records, also said he was aiming to become the first man to run under 19 seconds in the 200m.
He could leave Rio with a third successive Olympic treble after winning the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay titles in 2008 and 2012. "The 100m is never stressful," Bolt said. "For some reason, when I get to the 200m, I'm always a little bit nervous."
PUBLIC FORECAST FOR TODAY AND TONIGHT
THIS IS A PUBLIC FORECAST FOR TODAY AND TONIGHT TUESDAY 09TH AUGUST 2016 ISSUED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF METEOROLOGY AT 6AM
GENERAL SITUATION: AN UPPER LOW NEAR THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS AND A LOW LEVEL TROUGH CONTINUE TO CREATE UNSETTLED WEATHER OVER THE BAHAMAS
NORTHWEST AND CENTRAL BAHAMAS:
WEATHER: PARTLY CLOUDY WITH SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS
ADVISORY: SMALL CRAFT SHOULD BE ALERT FOR GUSTY WINDS AND HIGH SEAS IN THUNDERSTORMS
WINDS:SOUTHEAST TO SOUTH AT 10 TO 15 KNOTS
SEAS: 2 TO 4 FEET
SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS :
WEATHER: MOSTLY SUNNY AND WARM WITH FEW SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS
WINDS:EAST TO SOUTHEAST AT 15 KNOTS
SEAS: 3 TO 5 FEET WINDS AND SEAS HIGHER IN THUNDERSTORMS
DAYTIME HIGH TEMPERATURE 92°F 33°C
OVERNITE LOW TEMPERATURE 75°F 24 °C
SUNRISE: 6:41 AM MOONSET: 12:14 AM LOW TIDE: 7:03AM
SUNSET: 7:49PM MOONRISE: 12:33 PM HIGH TIDE: 1:19 PM
EXTENDED FORECAST: THE UPPER LOW WILL CONTINUE TO CREATE UNSETTLED WEATHER THROUGH EARLY WEDNESDAY BEFORE WEAKENING AND MOVING OUT OF THE AREA
FORECAST FOR WEDNESDAY
WEATHER: PARTLY SUNNY AND WARM WITH SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS
WINDS: SOUTHEAST TO SOUTH AT 10 TO 15 KNOTS
SEAS: 2 TO 4 FEET
FORECAST FOR THUSRDAY
WEATHER: MOSTLY SUNNY WITH ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS
WINDS: SOUTHEASTERLY AT 15KTS
SEAS : 3 T0 5 FEET
TROPICAL WEATHER OUTLOOK: TROPICAL STORM FORMATION NOT EXPECTED THROUGH THE NEXT 5 DAYS.
FORECASTER: N. ARMSTRONG /C.G
The Peoples Democratic Movement is pleased to announce the introduction of its Grand Turk constituency candidates.
On Wednesday, August 10, 2016, Derek Rolle and Hon Edwin Astwood will be officially announced in the Nation’s Capital. The PDM wishes to invite the residents of Grand Turk to join us at 730pm at the Party’s Headquarters for this historic event.
Party Leader, Hon Sharlene Cartwright Robinson says, “I am pleased to have these great men offering themselves for service to the Island of Grand Turk and the Turks and Caicos Islands at large. We welcome them aboard this Movement yet again and are confident that the people of ED 1 and ED 2 will see their value and be a part of the change that is on the horizon. The residents of Grand Turk have been neglected for too long and they deserve more. We will present these men who possess a vision for their native Island on the Island of Grand Turk and we are excited about this.