Wednesday, July 03, 2024

UK

Child poverty: 'Schools are becoming the fourth emergency service for families in crisis' 

Alongside their day jobs in the classroom, more teachers across the UK are acting as welfare advisers, housing officers, and social workers, ITV News' Social Affairs Correspondent Sarah Corker explains.

 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.

FDA Bans Brominated Vegetable Oil, Food Additive Used in Soda

By Marina Zhang
July 2, 2024

(Brent Hofacker/Shutterstock)

On Tuesday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it will ban brominated vegetable oil (BVO), a food additive.

The ban will take effect on Aug. 2, 2024.

BVO is a vegetable oil modified with bromine, a toxic gas.

In the late 1960s, the FDA authorized using BVO in small amounts (not exceeding 15 parts per million) in citrus-flavored sodas to keep the flavoring from floating to the top. Manufacturers also use it in other products.

“The agency concluded that the intended use of BVO in food is no longer considered safe after the results of studies conducted in collaboration with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) found the potential for adverse health effects in humans,” the FDA wrote in its statement.

“The FDA no longer allows for the use of brominated vegetable oil (BVO) in food,” a FDA spokesperson told The Epoch Times, adding that it is part of the agency’s regulatory process to reassess “previously evaluated food ingredients and addressing safety concerns.”

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Global Branded Food Products Database lists over 600 products that may still contain BVO. The accuracy of these listings is uncertain since the USDA relies on manufacturers to update entries for their own products.

Public advocacy against BVO has led major soda brands to phase out its use.

However, Dr Pepper/Seven Up’s Sun Drop still uses the food additive. It is also present in generic citrus sodas like Dollar Tree’s Stars & Stripes orange soda, Mountain Lightning and Orangette from Walmart, and Clover Valley from Dollar General.

BVO is also used less commonly in sports drinks, fruit-flavored beverages, snacks, and baked goods.

Health Risks

Though health concerns about BVO have circulated for over 50 years, research on BVO is limited, with most studies having been conducted on animals.

Several studies have suggested that BVO may harm the thyroid, liver, and heart and is linked to neurological problems.

Consuming BVO has been associated with an increased accumulation of bromine fatty acids. Excessive accumulation of these substances can result in bromine toxicity, which damages the central nervous system and causes headaches, nausea, memory loss, and poor coordination.

Only one case report identified the BVO in soda as a source of bromine toxicity. This type of toxicity is mainly caused by occupational exposure, particularly among agriculture and sanitation workers.

In 2022, the FDA tested BVO in rodents, feeding them amounts of BVO that would be found in real-world scenarios.

Both male and female rats were found to have increased bromide content in their blood and elevated levels of bromine fatty acids in the heart, lungs, and fat tissue. The rats’ thyroid hormone levels also changed.

Another report showed that bromine can replace up to 40 percent of iodine, a trace element needed to make thyroid hormones.
A Long Time Coming

BVO has been used in foods since the 1920s.

The FDA initially designated it as generally recognized as safe (GRAS), but it was later removed from the “GRAS list” after the FDA became aware of its safety concerns.

In the late 1960s, the agency limited the use of BVO as a flavoring oil stabilizer. In 1970, the FDA concluded that using BVO in food was not GRAS due to toxicity concerns under the conditions of use at that time. The agency began regulating it as a food additive while additional safety studies were conducted.

Between then and the 2020s, the FDA improved methods to measure BVO more accurately and identified new areas where additional information was needed to assess health effects.

On Nov. 2, 2023, the FDA entertained banning BVO, proposing a rule that, if finalized, would prohibit its use in food.

The FDA will officially revoke the regulation allowing the use of BVO in food on July 3, 2024, effectively banning the additive.

The ban will take effect on Aug. 2, 2024, and manufacturers of food containing BVO have one year from that date to comply with it.
VP Kamala Harris has a better chance of retaining White House than Joe Biden, says CNN poll

TAKE THAT RACIST MISOGYNISTS WHO HAVE DISMISSED HER

The approval rating of Biden, 81, has plummeted after his dismal debate performance in Atlanta last week against his predecessor Donald Trump


PTI Washington Published 03.07.24

Kamala HarrisFile Photo

Vice President Kamala Harris, who is of Indian and African heritage, has a better chance of retaining the White House in the November presidential polls than her boss President Joe Biden has, according to a latest CNN poll.

The approval rating of Biden, 81, has plummeted after his dismal debate performance in Atlanta last week against his predecessor Donald Trump.

Since the debate, there has been increasing voices in the ruling Democratic party for Biden to step down and let someone else run the race for the crucial November 5 presidential elections.

According to the CNN poll conducted by SRS, Trump is ahead of Biden by six points.

The poll also finds Harris within striking distance of Trump in a hypothetical matchup: 47 per cent of registered voters support Trump, 45 per cent Harris, a result within the margin of error that suggests there is no clear leader under such a scenario.

“Harris’ slightly stronger showing against Trump rests at least in part on broader support from women (50% of female voters back Harris over Trump vs. 44% for Biden against Trump) and independents (43% Harris vs. 34% Biden),” the polls said.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre refrained to give a direct comment on the polls.

“I'm constrained to speaking directly to your poll and I get it and I hear the question. I got to be mindful, that is something for the campaign as you started saying, what the campaign has laid out their argument of the case. That is something for them to take up and that is something for them to answer,” she told reporters when asked about it.

“What I can speak to is the president's record. What I can speak to, what he's been able to accomplish and the things that he's been able to do and get done is actually in line with majority of Americans. And I think that's important too, to note. And again, I will say with age comes wisdom and experience and that's certainly something that the president brings,” she said.

Former First Lady Michelle Obama leads Trump by a whopping 11 points in an Ipsos poll—50 per cent to 39 per cent — though her office told NBC News in March she would not be running for president this year.

Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Telegraph Online staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.

Veteran Democrat calls for Biden to stand aside, as poll shows Harris now more popular



By Farrah Tomazin
July 3, 2024 —

Washington: The White House is resisting calls to release medical reports detailing President Joe Biden’s mental and physical health as the fallout over his devastating debate against Donald Trump continues.

Five days since Biden’s confused and incoherent performance sparked fresh questions over his fitness for office, Democratic state governors were holding crisis talks, and party elders and officials were still scrambling to defend the president.


US President Joe Biden at the DC Emergency Operations in Washington on Tuesday.CREDIT:BLOOMBERG

A CNN poll conducted after the debate found most Americans believe the Democrats would have a better chance of beating Trump with someone else at the top of the ticket.

In another blow to America’s 81-year-old president, veteran Texas politician Lloyd Doggett on Tuesday became the first Democrat in the US Congress to publicly call for Biden to withdraw from the 2024 race


“My decision to make these strong reservations public is not done lightly nor does it in any way diminish my respect for all that President Biden has achieved,” said Doggett, who is the second-highest ranking Democrat in the powerful House and Ways Committee.

“Recognising that, unlike Trump, President Biden’s first commitment has always been to our country, not himself, I am hopeful that he will make the painful and difficult decision to withdraw. I respectfully call on him to do so.”

Five months out from the election, the Trump campaign is gaining momentum, emboldened not only by the debate but also this week by the Supreme Court’s immunity ruling, which has shielded the twice-impeached Republican from prosecution over acts he took as president.

The White House, on the other hand, has been in damage control and spent its first press briefing since the debate fielding questions about Biden’s ability to do his job, including whether he is senile or suffering from a degenerative condition.

“It’s a no, and I hope you’re asking the other guy the same question,” said White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, in reference to Trump, who is 78 and also one of the oldest candidates to run for office.

Similar comments were also made by former house speaker Nancy Pelosi, who told MSNBC it was legitimate to ask if Biden’s debate performance was “an episode” or “a condition”.


March 2022: Biden delivers his State of the Union address, as Vice President Kamala Harris (left) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi applaud.CREDIT:AP

However, Pelosi, who is 84, added: “When people ask that question, it’s completely legitimate – of both candidates.”

Asked if the White House would be prepared to release more fulsome reports on Biden’s health, Jean-Pierre said the president had already released the results of his annual medical examinations.

The latest examination took place in February and in a five-page memo released at the time, Biden’s longstanding physician, Kevin O’Connor, declared that there were “no new concerns” since the president’s previous physical checkup in February 2023.

The medical team had assessed Biden’s stiff gait, sleep apnoea and a root canal, but overall, O’Connor said at the time: “President Biden is a healthy, active, robust 81-year-old male, who remains fit to successfully execute the duties of the Presidency.”

Jean-Pierre insisted this assessment remained the case, and told reporters: “We’re not taking away from what you all saw, or what the American people saw. We understand it was a bad night.

“But it is not uncommon for incumbents to have a bad night on their first debate, and we are going to continue to do the work that we have been doing on behalf of the American people.”


Behind the scenes, however, Democrats remained in panic mode, particularly after various reports suggested Biden’s performance during the debate – in which he struggled to complete sentences, forgot details and at one point froze – was “not a one-off”.

“There have been 15, 20, occasions in the last year and a half when the president has appeared somewhat as he did in that horror show that we witnessed,” veteran Watergate journalist Carl Bernstein told CNN’s Anderson Cooper on Monday, citing unnamed sources who had witnessed this first hand.



Lloyd Doggett is the first Democrat congressman to publicly call on Biden to pull out of the presidential race.CREDIT:BLOOMBERG

A CNN poll taken after the debate and released on Tuesday provided some good news for the president, showing that the six-point lead Trump held over Biden two months ago had not changed despite last Thursday’s event.

The same poll, however, also showed that most Americans now believe that another candidate would have a better chance of beating Trump than Biden, with Vice President Kamala Harris within striking distance of Trump (45 to 47 per cent).




California Governor Gavin Newsom has been raised as a potential presidential candidate over Biden.CREDIT:AP

Other contenders – such as California Governor Gavin Newsom, Transport Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer – trailed Trump by about 4 to 5 percentage points on a hypothetical match-up.

Biden, however, insists he is not going anywhere.

In a bid to counter concerns, he spent part of the day at the District of Columbia’s emergency operations centre to discuss the dangers of extreme heat and used his speech to take aim at Trump and “MAGA Republicans” for climate change denialism.


He later met with governors who had concerns (but were not calling for him to stand down).

The White House also announced he would hold a press conference at next week’s NATO summit in Washington and a first post-debate interview on Sunday with US ABC’s George Stephanopoulos.



  Kamala Harris reacts to Trump immunity ruling, Biden debate performance

 

 Former Rep. Tim Ryan says Kamala Harris should replace Biden as nominee

 

CLIMATE CRISIS

Six dead across Caribbean as downgraded Hurricane Beryl heads toward Jamaica



 Intense waves as Hurricane Beryl advances in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, on Tuesday. The Dominican Republic began to feel the indirect effects of Hurricane Beryl, keeping the country's emergency services on alert. Hurricane Beryl caused severe damage in several Caribbean countries and killed at least six people. Photo by Orlando Barria/EPA-EFE

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 kills seven as it churns towards Jamaica

July 3, 2024

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.

'Almost whole island homeless' in Hurricane Beryl's wake

By Will Grant,
 BBC News, Mexico,
 Central America and Cuba Correspondent
Alizee Sailly

Having survived the night as Hurricane Beryl tore across her idyllic home of Union Island with ferocious force, Katrina Coy was taken aback by the extent of the devastation which lay before her.

Virtually every building on the island, which lies off St Vincent and the Grenadines, has been razed or badly damaged, she said.

“Union Island is in a terrible state after Beryl passed. Literally, almost the whole island is homeless,” said Ms Coy in a video message.

“There are hardly any buildings left standing. Houses are flattened, roads are blocked, the electricity poles are down in the streets.”

Fisherman and fishing guide Sebastien Sailly agreed.

“Everything is lost. I have nowhere to live right now,” he said.

A resident of Union since 1985, he lived through Hurricane Ivan in 2004. But Hurricane Beryl, he said, was on another level.

“It’s like a tornado has passed through here. Ninety percent of the island – easily 90% – has been erased.”

The extent of the shock and fear is still evident in his voice.

“I was sheltering with my wife and daughter and, to tell you the truth, I wasn’t sure we would make it out at all.”

His cousin, Alizee, who runs a hotel with her family, described a horrific experience as Beryl passed over their town.

She said they had to push furniture against the doors and windows to keep the sustained winds and huge gusts from blowing them open.

Alizee Sailly
Alizee Sailly


“The pressure was so intense that you felt it in your ears. We could hear the roof coming apart and smashing into another building. Windows breaking, flooding.”

“No one knew it would be this bad, everyone is traumatised.”

An organic farmer and beekeeper as well as a fisherman, Sebastien’s two farms and his beehives have been completely destroyed as well.

Still, he said the community’s immediate priority is shelter. People have been trying to gather wood and plastic sheeting to make some kind of temporary accommodation for their families.

“And obviously, finding water and food is going to be tough,” he added.

Alizee Sailly said many other goods are also urgently needed on Union Island – from tinned foods and powdered milk to sanitary products, first-aid kits and tents.





Plus, of course, generators.

With power and communications still down, she has only managed to send out messages by connecting to the Starlink network launched by Elon Musk's SpaceX.

For its part, the government in St Vincent and the Grenadines says it recognises the scale of the problem.

In a morning address, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves summed up the sense of the shock across the Caribbean nation: "Hurricane Beryl – this dangerous and devastating hurricane – has come and gone and it’s left in its wake immense destruction. Pain and suffering across our nation.”

He also promised to react as quickly as possible to tackle the long list of post-hurricane priorities facing his administration.

On Union Island, however, there remains some scepticism that the government has the funds, resources and manpower to cope.

“I hope they can send us the military and the coastguard to help us. I have no idea if they’re able to rebuild the island but I don’t think so”, said Sebastien. “This is going to take billions, it will take a year or more and is going to need international help.”

Katrina Coy, the director of the Union Island Environmental Alliance, also implored members of the Caribbean diaspora to help in any way they could.

“We’re in dire need of help. Emergency kits, food, evacuation, all of that is needed in this moment.”

For years, Ms Coy has carried out crucial work for Union Island’s water security, a vital resource for small island communities in the Caribbean.

Heartbreakingly, her international colleagues say, that work has been lost to Hurricane Beryl.

Beryl hit land on Monday as a category four hurricane, with sustained winds of 150mph (240km/h).

Thousands of people are still without power and many are in temporary shelters in St Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada and St Lucia.

Yet despite the chaos and the homelessness across every inch of the island Sebastian Sailly said he was just thankful things weren’t even worse.

“The most important thing is that we are still alive, not the material losses.”

“After witnessing the power of what we went through, today I was just pleased to see my neighbours were still here.”

Hurricane Beryl downgraded to Cat. 4 storm yet remains vicious threat to Jamaica
Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese headline WNBA All-Star team that will face US Olympic squad


Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) is fouled by Las Vegas Aces guard Jackie Young (0) during the second half of an WNBA basketball game Tuesday, July 2, 2024, in Las Vegas. 
 (Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun via AP)

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) defends against Las Vegas Aces guard Jackie Young (0) during the first half of an WNBA basketball game Tuesday, July 2, 2024, in Las Vegas. 
 (Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun via AP)

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) is defended by Phoenix Mercury guards Sophie Cunningham (9) and Sug Sutton (1) during the second half of a WNBA basketball game Sunday, June 30, 2024, in Phoenix.
 (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese (5) and guard Marina Mabrey (4) battle Indiana Fever forward Aliyah Boston (7) and forward NaLyssa Smith (1) for a rebound during a WNBA basketball game, Sunday, June 23, 2024, in Chicago. 
(Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune via AP)

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) and Las Vegas Aces center A’ja Wilson (22) chase after a rebound during the first half of an WNBA basketball game Tuesday, July 2, 2024, in Las Vegas.
 (Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun via AP)

BY DOUG FEINBERG
 July 2, 2024

NEW YORK (AP) — Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese will team up on the WNBA All-Star team to play against the U.S. Olympic team led by A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart.

The pair of remarkable rookies were selected Tuesday by a combination of votes from the media, players and fans as well as the league’s 12 coaches to play in the game in Phoenix on July 20. It’s the 20th All-Star Game in the league’s history.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been her teammate before, even at USA Basketball. I know people will be really excited about it, but I hope it doesn’t take away from everyone else,” Clark said. “This is a huge accomplishment for everybody on Team USA and everyone on Team WNBA. They all deserve the same praise. I don’t want it to take away from any of that and be the focal point of All-Star weekend because that’s not fair to them.”

Clark was the leading vote-getter from the fans, receiving 700,735 with her Indiana teammate Aliyah Boston finishing second 72,000 votes behind. Reese was fifth with 381,518 votes. Wilson and Stewart were third and fourth. Wilson garnered 607,300 votes and Stewart had 424,135.

Clark and Reese have been a boon for the WNBA in ratings, merchandise sales and attendance. They are also playing well on the court with Clark third in assists with 6.9 and Reese leading the WNBA in rebounds at 11.4.


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“They just told me I’m an All-Star. I’m just so happy,” an emotional Reese said after her Sky beat the Atlanta Dream. “I know the work I’ve put in. Coming into this league so many people doubted me and didn’t think my game would translate and I wouldn’t be the player I was in college, or better, or would be worse, or wouldn’t be where I am right now. But I trust the process and I’m thankful I dropped to No. 7 (pick in the draft) and was able to come to Chicago.”

Paris Olympics

The Olympics are more than fun and games. They’re a billion-dollar business with political overtones.

Breakdance will make it’s debut as an Olympic sport in Paris.. Here’s what else will be different at this year’s games.

It’s the eighth time that two rookies have been on the team. The last was Shoni Schimmel and Chiney Ogwumike in 2014.

Joining the rookies on the WNBA team were DeWanna Bonner and Brionna Jones of Connecticut, Allisha Gray of Atlanta, Dearica Hamby of Los Angeles, Jonquel Jones of New York, Kayla McBride of Minnesota, Kelsey Mitchell of Indiana, Nneka Ogwumike of Seattle and Arike Ogunbowale of Dallas.

Ogunbowale was the MVP of the 2021 All-Star game which featured the same format of the U.S. team playing a league All-Star team. The WNBA team won that game.

“She’s had an incredible season to this point,” Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve said of McBride. “She’s doing everything for us, so deserving of this All-Star nod.”

The U.S. team, which will be going for an eighth consecutive Olympic gold medal in Paris later this month, also features Brittney Griner and Diana Taurasi. The pair of Phoenix players will get a chance to play in front of their home crowd in the exhibition game. Taurasi will be vying for a record sixth Olympic gold medal.

Three of Wilson’s Las Vegas teammates — Chelsea Gray, Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young — are on the U.S. team. Gray was on the Tokyo Olympic squad while Plum and Young both helped the Americans win the inaugural 3-on-3 gold medal.

Other returners from the Tokyo Games include Napheesa Collier and Jewell Loyd. Several first-time Olympians will join the team with Alyssa Thomas, Sabrina Ionescu and Kahleah Copper. All three played on the American team that won the World Cup in Australia in 2022.

Every player chosen for either the U.S. team or the WNBA squad is considered an All-Star making this Taurasi’s 11th time in the game. She’s now alone in second behind Sue Bird for most all time. Bird was a 13-time All-Star.

The league will have a 3-point challenge and skill contest the night before the All-Star game.

 

Northvolt says it will continue EV battery plant project near Montreal ‘as planned’


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.

 

NHL free agency shows teams in states with no income tax have an advantage

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.


 

More WestJet flights grounded as airline says resumption of operations to 'take time'

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.

Aer Lingus and pilots to meet at Labour Court in latest effort at resolution


Empty Aer Lingus Check-in Desk area at Dublin Airport (PA)

By Gráinne Ní Aodha, PA
Today 


Aer Lingus and the union representing its pilots are to meet at the Labour Court on Wednesday afternoon.

The meeting at the industrial dispute body is the latest attempt to bring the two sides together to hammer out a resolution.

After facilitating eight hours of discussions on Monday, the Labour Court decided to use its authority to have a formal meeting on Wednesday, after which it will issue a recommendation.

The meeting is being held a week after the Irish Air Line Pilots’ Association (Ialpa) began an indefinite work-to-rule, resulting in them withdrawing from out-of-hours services.

An eight-hour strike was also held on Saturday, during which hundreds of pilots marched around the airport, holding signs that read “two years talking, deal now” and “no pilots, no profits”.


Aer Lingus pilots march around Dublin Airport (Evan Treacy/PA)

The industrial action has resulted in almost 400 flights cancelled and tens of thousands of passengers’ travel plans affected.

The airline admitted the dispute had caused “significant financial and reputational damage”.

The pilots had been seeking a pay increase of 24%, which they say equates to inflation since the last pay rise in 2019.

However, Ialpa said it would be willing to consider a lower pay increase during a meeting with the airline at a hotel last week.

But it accused Aer Lingus of not making a similar compromise to move from its offer of 12.25%, without requests for pilots to improve productivity.

If these rounds of talks fail, Ialpa said it would return to consider an escalation of its industrial action.


An interim Labour Court recommendation for pay increases of 9.25% was rejected by Ialpa members last month, who then decided to pursue industrial action.

On Tuesday, Irish premier Simon Harris said he wanted to see engagement from both parties at the Labour Court and urged them to stay there for “as long as it takes”.

“We want to see meaningful engagement and as I’ve said, I don’t think there’s ever been an industrial relations dispute that has been resolved without two things – engagement and compromise,” Mr Harris said.