IGNORE THE DENIERS
Global shift toward green energy accelerating
Jul 2, 2024
A global shift in the way the world produces energy has started. According to the International Energy Agency, the world will spend twice as much on clean energy in 2024, including solar, wind and nuclear, as it will on fossil fuels. John Dickerson explains.
Kamala Harris reacts to Trump immunity ruling, Biden debate performance
July 2 (UPI) -- Hurricane Beryl, the earliest Category 5 hurricane on record in the Atlantic, has killed at least six people and caused severe damage after slamming the Caribbean. The downgraded Category 4 storm was heading toward Jamaica on Tuesday with sustained winds of 155 mph.
"Devastating hurricane-force winds, life-threatening storm surge and damaging waves are expected in portions of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands on Wednesday and Wednesday night," the National Hurricane Center warned, as it forecast up to 12 inches of rain.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's satellites captured the first four days of Beryl, as the storm grew from a "tropical cyclone in the western Atlantic Ocean to a Category 5 hurricane in the Caribbean Sea."
Since Monday, the hurricane has torn through the island of Cariacou in Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, as well as Venezuela. At least six people have died, as Cariacou was "flattened" in half-an-hour, according to Grenada Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell.
Mitchell reported three people were killed in Cariacou on Monday, with another death reported in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Two people were killed in northern Venezuela, according to officials.
At least five other people are missing in Venezuela, according to Remigio Ceballos Ichaso, the Venezuelan minister of Interior Relations.
In addition to the deaths, Beryl's heavy rains and winds have caused landslides, leveled buildings and taken out power systems, as scientists have warned of a more active and extreme hurricane season this year.
Jamaica's two main airports -- Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay and Norman Manley International Airport in the capital of Kingston -- were closed Tuesday night.
"This decision has been made in the interest of safety for staff and passengers and the protection of airport infrastructure," PAC Kingston Airport said in a statement.
Hundreds of evacuees fled Jamaica on Tuesday for South Florida, at the urging of Jamaica's Prime Minister Andrew Holness.
"I'm encouraging all Jamaicans to take the hurricane as a serious threat, but now is not a time for panic," Holness said.
"We are also continuing our drain-cleaning efforts across the island as we prepare for Hurricane Beryl," Holness added Tuesday in a post on X.
Cruise lines in the Caribbean were rerouting their ships Tuesday night.
"The safety of our guests and crew is paramount," Carnival Cruise Line said in a statement, "and we are continuing to monitor forecasts and factor in guidance from the National Hurricane Center, U.S. Coast Guard and local port authorities to provide timely updates to our guests as more information becomes available."
President Joe Biden announced Tuesday that the United States is ready to provide assistance.
"People, impacted islands and communities are in our prayers, and we stand by to provide assistance to them," Biden said during an event on extreme weather.
"Ignoring climate change is deadly and dangerous and irresponsible," Biden added. "These climate-fueled extreme weather events don't just affect people's lives. They also cost money."
On Tuesday afternoon, NOAA's WP-3d Orion hurricane hunter aircraft flew inside the eye of Hurricane Beryl over the Caribbean, producing some stunning photos in a post on X.
Hurricane Beryl churned towards Jamaica Tuesday, with forecasters warning of potentially deadly winds and storm surge, after the storm killed at least seven people and caused widespread destruction across the southeastern Caribbean.
The powerful hurricane, which is rare so early in the Atlantic season, weakened Tuesday but was still an “extremely dangerous” Category 4 storm, and is expected to pass “near or over” Jamaica on Wednesday, meteorologists said.
Beryl is the first storm since US National Hurricane Center records began to reach the Category 4 level in June, and the earliest to reach Category 5 in July.
A hurricane warning was in place for the island nation, according to the NHC, which said rain and flash flooding was to be expected in addition to the life-threatening wind and high water levels.
Across Jamaica, emergency response preparations were underway, with shelters stocking up on provisions, people safeguarding their homes and boats being pulled from the water.
“I urge all Jamaicans to stock up on food, batteries, candles, and water. Secure your critical documents and remove any trees or items that could endanger your property,” Prime Minister Andrew Holness said on X.
Hurricane warnings were also issued in the Cayman Islands, which Beryl is “expected to pass near or over” on Wednesday night or early Thursday, according to the NHC.
In the Dominican Republic, massive waves were seen crashing into the shore along Santo Domingo as the storm passed to the country’s south, AFP photographers reported.
‘No communication’ –
Beryl has already left a trail of death in its wake with at least three people killed in Grenada, where Beryl made landfall Monday, as well as one in St Vincent and the Grenadines and three in Venezuela, officials said.
Grenada’s Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell said the island of Carriacou, which was struck by the eye of the storm, has been all but cut off, with houses, telecommunications and fuel facilities there flattened.
“We’ve had virtually no communication with Carriacou in the last 12 hours except briefly this morning by satellite phone,” Mitchell told a news conference.
The 13.5-square mile (35-square kilometer) island is home to around 9,000 people. At least two people there died, Mitchell said, with a third killed on the country’s main island of Grenada when a tree fell on a house.
In St. Vincent and the Grenadines, one person on the island of Bequia was reported dead from the storm, and a man died in Venezuela’s northeastern coastal state of Sucre when he was swept away by a flooded river, officials there said.
World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus expressed concern about the region, saying on X that his organization “stands ready to support the national authorities with any health needs.”
‘Alarming precedent’ –
Experts say it is extremely rare for such a powerful storm to form this early in the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from early June to late November.
Warm ocean temperatures are key for hurricanes, and North Atlantic waters are currently between two and five degrees Fahrenheit (1-3 degrees Celsius) warmer than normal, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said Beryl “sets an alarming precedent for what is expected to be a very active hurricane season.”
NOAA said in late May that it expects this year to be an “extraordinary” hurricane season, with up to seven storms of Category 3 or above.
Climate crisis ‘chief culprit’ –
UN climate chief Simon Stiell, who has family on the island of Carriacou, said climate change was “pushing disasters to record-breaking new levels of destruction.”
“Disasters on a scale that used to be the stuff of science fiction are becoming meteorological facts, and the climate crisis is the chief culprit,” he said Monday, reporting that his parents’ property was damaged.
As of 2300 GMT, Beryl had maximum sustained winds of 150 miles (240 kilometers) per hour as it headed towards Jamaica and the Cayman Islands on Tuesday, according to the NHC.
A hurricane watch and tropical storm warnings have also been issued for parts of Haiti.
The Canadian Press
Northvolt says it will continue construction of a $7-billion factory on Montreal's South Shore "as planned" — hours after its CEO said the Swedish battery manufacturer would hit the brakes on its international development plan to refocus on its plant back home.
The company has two massive plants in the works — one in Canada and the other in Germany — and has fallen behind on the building schedule of its mega-factory in the Scandinavian country.
Northvolt spokesman Laurent Therrien says it is carrying out a strategic review that will determine timelines for its various projects.
He says it is "undeniable" that the company faces pressure from customers to deliver on its order book.
Nonetheless, the nine-year-old outfit says that "at this time" it still aims to play a key role in the global energy transition by generating electric batteries in Quebec.
As of last month, the plant was supposed to begin manufacturing electric battery cells and producing cathode active material by 2026.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 2, 2024.
, The Canadian Press
When the Tampa Bay Lightning made moves at the NHL draft to clear salary cap space, general manager Julien BriseBois hoped a variety of factors would entice players to sign as free agents.
One, of course, was the organization's penchant for winning and the talent already on the roster. Another, he pointed out, was the “favorable taxation situation.”
It has become difficult to deny the impact of favorable tax situations around the league in recent years. Four of the past five Stanley Cup champions are based in places with no state income tax, and that benefit continues to draw free agents who know they will take home more money there than elsewhere around North America.
“There is a distinct advantage for those teams that are in states with no tax — always,” said Alan Pogroszewski, who has studied and worked with players on tax matters for more than a decade. “There will always be an advantage.”
It is not necessarily the deciding factor for a player, but it certainly doesn't hurt. The US$69 million contract Sam Reinhart got to re-sign with the reigning champion Florida Panthers is worth more there than it would have been had he signed for the same terms in many other markets.
Averaging out Reinhart's salary to $8.625 million annually, he owes $3.15 million in taxes in Florida. He would pay $1.1 million more in California, $1.5 million more in New York and $1.4 million more in Toronto, according to a calculator provided publicly by Cardinal Point Athlete Advisors.
Over the length of the contract that could save him up to $12 million.
“That’s part of the reality,” San Jose Sharks general manager Mike Grier said. “I think it is an advantage for those teams: They can obviously pay guys a little bit less, and guys are happy to go there. So not to their fault or anything, those teams take advantage of the situation as they should.”
And they do. Nashville, Florida, Tampa Bay, Dallas, Vegas and Seattle — the six teams in the 32-team NHL in states with no income tax — combined to spend nearly a quarter of the $1 billion-plus in salaries committed Monday when free agency opened.
Winger Jake Guentzel, who played his first seven-plus seasons with Pittsburgh before being traded to Carolina in March, just signed a seven-year deal worth $63 million with the Lightning. Their winning culture was part of the draw, along with the lack of winter weather, but tax experts will point out that he's coming out ahead financially, too.
“I guess that’s always a good thing if you can make more money,” Guentzel said. “There’s just the positives about Tampa, and there just seems to be so many of them: living the lifestyle, the atmosphere in the rink is unbelievable and if that’s part of it, too, that’s great. There’s just a lot of things behind the scenes that you’re really excited for.”
Pogroszewski, the founder, president and CEO of AFP Consulting LLC, which specializes in the tax preparation and consulting for pro athletes, said he and his colleagues have debated for years how much of a factor financial matters such as these should play in free agent decisions.
He points out there are things players can do to even the playing field — retirement compensation arrangements in Canada being one of them and establishing residency in a no- or low-tax state is another. Grier said players and agents are all aware of tax differences by state, acknowledging “that definitely figures into everything.”
Veteran defenseman Chris Tanev's situation featured a different variable. After finishing last season with the Dallas Stars, moving there and becoming a U.S. resident would have triggered Canada's departure tax on capital gains, while remaining a resident of Ontario would have mitigated the tax advantage of working in Texas.
"That plays a role into it," said Tanev, who played his first 14 years in Canada with Vancouver and Calgary and is now heading to Toronto after half a season with Dallas. “And family reasons. Just coming to a good team is obviously a big part of that. I didn’t want to leave Dallas and go to a team that wasn’t trying to win, and that was a huge reason why this happened.”
Some good teams do not have big-time tax benefits, such as the Oilers who went to the Cup final and pushed the Panthers to a Game 7. The Canadian dollar also plays a major role in league finances, with player salaries paid in U.S currency. Teams north of the border have said they can some $400,000 each time the Canadian dollar drops a penny in value, putting a strain on their ability to compete for or retain high-priced talent.
The vast majority of the league simply has to deal with paying players while considering state or provincial tax implications.
"If you can get New York state to go tax-free, I’m in," Buffalo's Kevyn Adams joked, before explaining his philosophy. “You try to focus your attention on building an organization the right way, where people recognize that and say, ‘That’s the culture, that’s the place that I want to play.’ ... If there’s players that flat out just don’t want to be in cold weather or don’t want to be in a state that has higher taxes, then they are probably not for us anyway.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 2, 2024.
, The Canadian Press
WestJet passengers faced more flight disruptions Tuesday despite a deal reached over the weekend to end a strike by its mechanics, as the airline says full resumption of operations "will take time."
The airline said it cancelled 75 flights scheduled for Tuesday and expected eight more cancellations on Wednesday. That was on top of 104 delays Tuesday according to tracking service FlightAware.
WestJet said it scrubbed 1,051 flights between Thursday and Monday.
Some 680 members of the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association had walked off the job on Friday evening despite a directive for binding arbitration from federal Labour Minister Seamus O'Regan.
The tentative agreement was announced late Sunday night, but the strike had already disrupted the travel plans of tens of thousands of travellers over the Canada Day long weekend.
WestJet said in a statement Monday that "further cancellations will be required over the coming days." It noted the following day that it had "taken significant strides" to resume normal operations, with 125 of WestJet's 180 fleet active across the airline’s network.
The Calgary-based airline said part of the challenge it faces is that its aircraft are parked at 13 airports across Canada, and in several cases, the crews need to be transported to the aircraft for retrieval.
But unlike disruptions during the labour stoppage, Gabor Lukacs, president of the Air Passenger Rights advocacy group, said WestJet is to blame for the travel woes Tuesday. He said it's reasonable for the airline to take up to 24 hours to ramp back up, but not much longer.
"When they park those planes across the country they still park them in a way that they know where they will be picking them up from," he said.
"That grace period has long passed. WestJet now has to deliver. If they're not able to deliver, that's fully within WestJet's control and it is not a safety issue. It's just not managing their business well."
For flights cancelled post-strike, Lukacs said WestJet is responsible for providing meals and accommodation, up to $1,000 in compensation, plus rebooking a flight that departs within nine hours of the original departure time on the carrier's network or that of its competitors.
"If they don't do it, the passenger can go out, buy a ticket for themselves, and then they can get a judge to order WestJet to pay up," he said.
On Tuesday, some WestJet customers were informed of a brief window to purchase discounted flights.
An email advertised a promotion to save up to 30 per cent on travel between July 9 and Feb. 16, 2025 when booking by Wednesday at 11:59 p.m. The carrier said the deal applied to more than 95 destinations.
In May, WestJet Encore reached a deal with its pilots to narrowly avoid a potential strike.
Air Canada customers are also hoping to sidestep a potential labour stoppage amid stalled negotiations between that airline and the union representing its pilots.
The Air Line Pilots Association, representing more than 5,000 Air Canada pilots, said last month the two sides are not close to a deal despite a year of contract talks, including close to six months of voluntary mediation.
The union had said it would request help from a federal conciliator after leaving the voluntary process on June 15.
The Canada Labour Code stipulates the federal minister of labour has up to 15 days to appoint a conciliator, after which a 60-day period of talks begin. If no deal is reached in the talks, there’s a 21-day cooling-off period before the union could be in a position to strike.
— With files from Christopher Reynolds in Montreal
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 2, 2024.
