CARICOM SG congratulates Dr Rowley
Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Ambassador Irwin LaRocque has extended congratulations to the new Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago Dr. the Honourable Keith Rowley.
The Secretary-General said; "I congratulate Dr the Honourable Keith Rowley on his ascension to the office of Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago. His long Parliamentary career and his varied experience in Cabinet will no doubt have assisted in preparing him for this position. I look forward to working with him in continuing to strengthen our integration movement in the interest of the people of Trinidad and Tobago and the entire Caribbean Community," said LaRocque.
Dr Rowley's party, the People's National Movement (PNM) won 23 of the 41 seats in Monday's general election.
Another tropical storm forms
THE BAHAMAS DEPARTMENT OF METEOROLOGY is reporting another TROPICAL STORM HENRI.
THE FORECAST OFFICE SECTION of the Met office BAHAMAS DEPARTMENT OF METEOROLOGY FORECAST OFFICE SECTION, said in its bulletin, issued 6:00 o’clock this morning THURSDAY 10TH SEPTEMBER 2015, TROPICAL STORM HENRI IS MOVING SLOWLY NORTHWARD WITH NO CHANGE IN STRENGTH.
AT 05:00 AM EDT, THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM HENRI WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 31.4°NORTH AND LONGITUDE 61.0 WEST OR ABOUT 230 MILES EAST-SOUTHEAST OF BERMUDA.
HENRI IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTH NEAR 3 MPH AND THIS GENERAL MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE WITH AN INCREASE IN FORWARD SPEED THROUGH TONIGHT. A FASTER NORTH-NORTHEAST MOTION IS PREDICTED ON FRIDAY. ON THE FORECAST TRACK, THE CENTER OF HENRI WILL PASS WELL EAST OF BERMUDA LATER TODAY.
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 40 MILES PER HOUR (MPH) WITH HIGHER GUSTS. SOME STRENGTHENING IS FORECAST DURING THE NEXT DAY OR SO.
THE NEXT NEWS ITEM WILL BE ISSUED AT 12PM THURSDAY.
QUICK RESPONSE BY POLICE CREDITED FOR ARREST OF A BURGLARY SUSPECT
Police are also reporting that quick response by officers from the Beat & Patrol Division is being credited for the arrest of a 34 year man who according to reports had burglarized a home early this Wednesday morning (September 09, 2015).
According to Astwood, shortly after 4am, police received a report that a man had burglarized a home in The Bight area. Officers from the Mobile Division responded to tat report, and upon arrival in the area they arrested the suspect after they found that suspect with an item in his possession believed to be stolen from the home that he was allegedly seen leaving.
The suspect was taken into custody and will be formally charged for Burglary this week.
Fire officials are battling an early morning fire in Providenciales
RTC News is learning of Structure Fire on 16 Tranquility Lane in Leeward Estate Providenciales.
Police Public Relations Officer, Audley A. Astwood says the Fire Department, police and Medical unit were all informed are still on scene battling the fire.
He said several people were treated for smoke inhalation but no fatalities reported. We will have further updates in our later news cast today.
British Airways blaze pilot: 'I'm finished flying'
The pilot of a British Airways plane which caught fire at a Las Vegas airport, forcing the evacuation of 170 people on board on emergency slides, has told NBC he is "finished flying".
Chris Henkey, from Reading, said he was "unlikely" to make a trip to Barbados, after which he was due to retire. His fiancee said she was "very shocked", but praised him as a "hero".
Officials in the United States said the left engine of the Boeing 777-200 caught fire before take-off. At least 14 people were taken to hospital with minor injuries after the incident on a runway at McCarran International Airport.
Describing the incident, Mr Henkey told NBC: "There was a loud bang and the aircraft sort of veered to the left. Because we had a third pilot he actually opened the door and went down into the cabin, saw how serious it was."
He told the network he had been due to fly to Barbados on Saturday and return the following Tuesday "and that would be it." But he reportedly added: "It's safe to say I'm finished flying."
Pressure to release blood data 'almost abuse'
Paula Radcliffe feels like she has been "almost abused" by calls for her to release her blood data.
The former British athlete, 41, says she has been implicated by a parliamentary hearing on blood doping, following a Sunday Times investigation. Radcliffe has now released the three 'abnormal scores' after earlier telling the BBC she would not be "forced" into a "knee-jerk reaction". She claims the results are "not even suspicious".
The marathon world record holder scored 114.86, 109.86 and 109.3 in three blood test results, which were followed up and cleared by the IAAF at the time they were given.
Any score above 103 recorded by a female athlete can trigger further action, but Radcliffe, who set her world best time in 2003, said those three tests analysed by experts employed by the Sunday Times lacked context.
Global food prices fall at fastest rate in seven years
Last month saw a 5.2% fall in global food prices, the biggest drop in seven years, according to the UN.
Its Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) saw monthly falls in all major commodities, from milk and vegetables to oils, sugar and cereals.
Food producers are being hit by slowing demand in China and a Russian embargo on Western products.
Now the European Commission is to release €500m ($557m) to help Europe's farmers.
The commission said the most significant part of the package would support the dairy sector in all EU member states.
Dairy farmers have suffered a 20% fall in European wholesale milk prices in the past year.
The European Commission aid comes on top of extra help for European fruit and vegetable farmers, who have been hit by the Russian embargo on Western food imports in retaliation for EU and US sanctions over the crisis in Ukraine.
Uber dealt another blow over driver status
App-based taxi service Uber has been dealt another blow in a legal row that questions the status of its drivers and threatens its business model. It has emerged that a government body has already ruled that Uber drivers are employees not independent contractors.
The distinction is crucial because employees are entitled to a raft of benefits. It could strengthen the case for Uber drivers currently taking legal action against the company. The ruling emerged in court documents published by a lawyer representing the drivers - all based in San Francisco.
The California Employment Development Department (EDD) determined that a former Uber driver in southern California was an employee, not an independent contractor as the company had claimed.
Uber appealed against the decision, but both appeals were rejected - by an administrative law judge and then by the California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board. The EDD decision is the third such ruling on the status of Uber - which has quickly become a huge issue for the company.
British trio of acts through to finals of America's Got Talent
Three British acts have advanced to the finals of America's Got Talent, the US TV talent search.
Comic and magician John van der Put, who performs as Piff the Magic Dragon, ventriloquist Paul Zerdin and Stevie Starr, The Professional Regurgitator, made it through. Van der Put and Zerdin hail from London, and Starr from Glasgow.
They join a line-up of 10 competing for the top prize of $1m (£645,000) and their own Las Vegas show. Van der Put, who often performs with Mr Piffles, a Chihuahua in a dragon costume, secured his place by performing card tricks with the panel of judges.
He was the opening act for Mumford and Sons on their UK tour, recently performed his show Breakfast at Piffany's at the Edinburgh Festival and has already had a Las Vegas residency.
Stephen Colbert makes Late Show debut
Hollywood actor George Clooney and Republican White House contender Jeb Bush were among Colbert's first guests.
The former host of Comedy Central's satire programme, The Colbert Report, opened the show with a sketch, singing the national anthem around the country. He also paid tribute to his predecessor Letterman, calling himself "a fan".
"We will try to honour his achievement by doing the best show we can and occasionally making the network very mad at us," said Colbert. "As long as I have nine months to make one hour of TV, I could do this forever," he added.
The comedian played a hardline conservative in his previous show, Comedy Central's satirical news show The Colbert Report, but he appeared as himself for his mainstream debut.
He was first seen singing the Star Spangled Banner with people at a bowling alley, in a factory and at a youth baseball game - where an "umpire" took unmasked himself as Jon Stewart - Colbert's former colleague on The Daily Show .
As the segment ended, and Colbert walked on stage he was given a standing ovation by the studio audience, who chanted, "Stephen, Stephen, Stephen". "If I knew you were going to do that, I would have come out here months ago," he joked.