Tag: travel and tourism

Hong Kong scraps some restrictions for travelers, ends contact tracing | CNN Business

[ad_1]

Hong Kong
CNN
—

Hong Kong on Tuesday announced it would scrap some remaining restrictions on travelers and end contact tracing, after Beijing shifted away from its hardline zero-Covid stance.

The city’s health secretary is due to formally announce the removal of curbs on international visitors and the end of requirements to scan a government health app to enter public venues, the city’s leader John Lee told a regular news conference on Tuesday.

Lee said the measures will take effect from Wednesday, when travelers arriving in the city would no longer be issued an “amber code” barring them from entering restaurants and bars in their first three days. However, a vaccine requirement to enter venues including restaurants would remain, he added.

“There is no longer a need to scan the Leave Home Safe app, but we will keep the vaccine pass requirement for certain premises,” Lee said.

International arrivals are still required to undergo a PCR test on arrival in Hong Kong and on the second day of their visit, while mask wearing remains mandated in all public venues, including outdoors. Those testing positive must isolate.

The incremental easing of restrictions comes after Hong Kong removed mandatory quarantine for overseas travelers in September, following more than two and a half years of isolation that threatened its status as an international business hub and plunged the economy into recession.

Since 2021, people in Hong Kong have been required to scan a QR code using the government’s Leave Home Safe app before entering places like restaurants, bars and gyms.

Lee said one of the reasons for scrapping the measures was because the infection risk to the local community posed by imported cases was now lower.

China made a major pivot from its hardline zero-Covid position following protests across the country in November.

On Monday, authorities in China announced a deactivation of the “mobile itinerary card” health tracking function. The system, which is separate from the health code scanning system required in a number of places in China, had used cellphone data to track people’s travel histories in order to identify those who had visited cities with zones designated as “high-risk” by authorities.

[ad_2]

Source link

December 12, 2022
Jury deliberations in Harvey Weinstein’s 2nd sexual assault trial enter 6th day in Los Angeles | CNN

[ad_1]

CNN
—

The second sexual assault trial of Harvey Weinstein, the former movie producer accused of using his Hollywood influence to lure women into private meetings and assault them, entered its sixth day Friday in the hands of a Los Angeles jury.

Weinstein, behind bars in a medical unit, awaits a verdict on two counts of forcible rape and five counts of sexual assault involving four women – a model, a dancer, a massage therapist and a producer. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges against him.

Jurors began deliberating Friday after hearing weeks of testimony from dozens of witnesses. As of Thursday evening, jurors have been in deliberation for about 20 hours.

At trial, four of the original 11 charges against Weinstein tied to one of the Jane Does were dropped without explanation.

Weinstein could face 60 years to life in prison, plus an additional five years, if the jury finds him guilty.

Weinstein is already serving a 23-year sentence after being convicted of a criminal sex act and third-degree rape during a 2020 trial in New York. His attorneys have appealed the conviction.

Weinstein’s publicist, Juda Engelmayer, told CNN the former producer is in a detention facility’s medical unit, and is anxious but “hoping for the best.”

The trial in Los Angeles included testimony from the four accusers identified as Jane Does in court, and other witnesses, including experts, law enforcement, friends of accusers and former aides to Weinstein.

Additionally, four women testified they were subjected to similar incidents by Weinstein in other jurisdictions.

All the accusers were asked in court to recount the details of their allegations against Weinstein, provide details of meetings with the producer from years ago and explain their reactions to the alleged assaults.

Jennifer Siebel Newsom, a filmmaker and the wife of California Gov. Gavin Newsom – identified by her attorneys as Jane Doe 4 – alleged Weinstein raped her in a hotel room in 2005.

In closing arguments Wednesday, Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Marlene Martinez called Weinstein a “titan” who used his power in Hollywood to prey on and silence women.

“Rapists rape. You can look at the pattern,” fellow prosecutor Paul Thompson told jurors.

“You have irrefutable, overwhelming evidence about the nature of this man and what he did to these women,” Thompson said.

Meanwhile, Weinstein’s attorneys have maintained the allegations are either fabricated or occurred consensually as part of a “transactional relationship” with the movie producer, repeatedly saying there is no evidence of assault.

Defense attorney Alan Jackson called the accusers “fame and fortune seekers.”

Each morning at trial, Weinstein was brought from a correctional facility and wheeled into the Los Angeles courtroom wearing a suit and tie and holding a composition notebook.

His accusers all began their oftentimes emotional testimonies by identifying him in the courtroom as he looked on.

“He’s wearing a suit, and a blue tie and he’s staring at me,” Siebel Newsom said last month, before what was one of the most emotional moments of the trial.

On Thursday of last week, defense attorney Jackson asked jurors if they could “accept what (the Jane Does) say as gospel,” arguing what they said was a lack of forensic evidence supporting their claim.

“Five words that sum up the entirety of the prosecution’s case: ‘Take my word for it,’” Jackson said. “‘Take my word for it that he showed up at my hotel room unannounced. Take my word for it that I showed up at his hotel room. Take my word for it that I didn’t consent. Take my word for it, that I said no.’”

Siebel Newsom described an hourslong “cat-and-mouse period,” which preceded her alleged assault. She, like other accusers, described feeling “frozen” that day.

Attorneys for Weinstein do not deny the incident occurred, but said he believed it was consensual.

Jackson called the incident “consensual, transactional sex,” adding: “Regret is not the same thing as rape. And it’s important we make that distinction in this courtroom.”

Women’s rights lawyer Gloria Allred, who is representing Jane Doe 2 in the case, told CNN she hopes the jury sees her client “has no motive at all to do anything but tell the truth.”

“She never sought or received any compensation … She doesn’t live in California anymore. But she is testifying because she’s been asked to testify and I hope that they see her as the young woman that she was when she met Harvey Weinstein, and the woman that she is today approximately nine to 10 years later. Her life has changed,” Allred said.

“To be willing to subject yourself to what could be a very brutal cross-examination. That takes a very special person to do that. And she is a special person. I’m very proud,” Allred said.

In her closing arguments, Martinez also highlighted that the women who testified chose to do so despite knowing they would face tough conditions in court.

“The truth is that, as you sit here, we know the despicable behavior the defendant engaged in. He thought he was so powerful that people would … excuse his behavior,” Martinez said. “That’s just Harvey being Harvey. That’s just Hollywood. And for so long that’s what everyone did. Everyone just turned their heads.”

[ad_2]

Source link

December 9, 2022
China Eastern takes delivery of the world’s first made-in-China C919 jet | CNN Business

[ad_1]

The world’s first C919, a Chinese-made narrowbody jet, was delivered to launch customer China Eastern Airlines

(CEA) in Shanghai on Friday and took off for a 15-minute flight to mark the historic moment.

The plane, a rival to the Airbus

(EADSY) A320neo and Boeing

(BA) 737 MAX single-aisle jet families, is expected to make its maiden commercial flight next spring, according to state-owned Xinhua News Agency.

It was certified for safe operations in September and mass production in November.

The plane, delivered to China Eastern, has 164 seats and was painted with “the world’s first C919” on its side in Chinese and English. Its maiden route will be between Shanghai and the capital Beijing, industry sources have said.

China Eastern said Friday it plans to receive the remaining four of its first batch of C919 orders over the next two years, according to Shanghai’s The Paper, a state-owned newspaper. That compares with earlier plans to get all four next year.

The airline did not respond immediately to a request for comment.

China’s narrowbody jet ambitions intensified over the last few years amid conflicts with the United States from trade to technology that made China increasingly concerned about being overly dependent on Airbus and Boeing.

Commercial Aviation Corp of China (COMAC) is expected to produce around 25 C919s per year by 2030, far lower than the current monthly rates of narrowbody production at its rivals, according to Jefferies analysts.

COMAC did not immediately respond to request for comment.

The C919 currently relies heavily on Western components, including engines and flight control systems, from companies such as GE

(GE), Safran

(SAFRF), and Honeywell International

(HON).

China is trying to raise the proportion of domestic parts in the C919 and an alternative engine called the CJ-1000A is under development.

[ad_2]

Source link

December 8, 2022
Biden faces a broad set of challenges at home this holiday season | CNN Politics

[ad_1]

CNN
—

This holiday season looks very different from the last for many Americans, when Covid-19 test shortages and an Omicron variant surge disrupted numerous family celebrations.

But the country is contending with a new set of complex challenges this late fall and winter. Even though Covid tests as well as an updated booster are largely accessible and Thanksgiving holiday travel nearly returned to pre-pandemic levels, a slew of pressures on the global economy and a recent surge in respiratory illnesses are expected to continue to impact on Americans in the coming months, leaving President Joe Biden with the challenge of addressing how to quell national anxieties over matters sometimes outside of the executive branch’s control.

The latest data from the University of Michigan’s consumer sentiment index shows American consumers are still not feeling very confident about the state of the US economy this holiday season. Concerns remain, for example, about high costs across spending categories associated with the holidays, despite some moderation in inflation.

While prices on airfares, gas and hotel rooms are down from the record levels hit earlier in 2022, they’re still among the highest on record for this time of year. The ingredients for a traditional Thanksgiving meal had been estimated to cost shoppers 13.5% more this year compared to last, the market research firm IRI predicted earlier this month, using data from October – although some food costs appear to have declined closer to the holiday.

The White House maintains that Biden remains laser focused on tackling inflation and lessening the impacts of high prices – a major strain this year that’s been felt globally as a result of a myriad of factors, including supply chain disruptions and Russia’s war on Ukraine.

“We are seeing signs of progress ahead of the Holiday season – grocery prices rose by 0.4% in October, a significant deceleration from the increases this summer, and the smallest increase since December of last year,” a White House official told CNN, adding that input costs (the cost to produce a good or service) “have declined for the last 2 months, which points to more progress on grocery prices in the months ahead.”

Other potential product shortages and price hikes could be seen as early next year, as concerns over a potential rail strike have resurfaced after the largest rail union recently announced its rank-and-file members rejected a tentative agreement forged in September.

Brian Dodge, president of the Retail Industry Leaders Association, had told CNN that Christmas holiday inventories are not likely be broadly impacted by a strike. But he conceded that a rail strike in early December could disrupt the shipment of some larger and bulky items that are transported by rail this holiday season.

Biden got personally involved in discussions to reach the tentative deal that averted a strike with the nation’s major freight railroads earlier this fall. And White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre had said he’s been directly involved in discussions once again. But on Thursday, the president appeared to contradict his top messenger, saying he is “not directly engaged” with railway and labor negotiators. “I can’t (comment) because it’s the middle of negotiations, still. My team has been in touch with all the parties… and I have – I have not directly engaged yet because they’re still talking,” Biden said.

Ahead of this week’s holiday, White House officials shared a new graphic highlighting the president’s accomplishments “for chatting with your Uncle at Thanksgiving.” The talking points led with lines on efforts to lower costs and contended that “despite global challenges, we’re making progress.” One bullet point, however, misstated that there would be “NO taxes on people making above $400k – he kept his promise.”

Along with deploying a messaging strategy aimed at highlighting existing accomplishments, as Biden heads into the new year, the White House is looking to highlight ways the Inflation Reduction Act will lower everyday costs, the official told CNN. Since getting back from his latest foreign trip, Biden has already touted several provisions in the law that go into effect on January 1 – including home energy efficiency tax credits and a $35 cap on the cost of insulin for seniors on Medicare.

Home heating costs are also on the rise – up 18% nationwide on top of last year’s 17% spike, according to the National Energy Assistance Directors Association.

Several factors are driving hikes in home heating prices, including the war in Ukraine, OPEC+ cuts, a surge in energy exports, lower energy inventories, and a high demand for natural gas in the US electric power sector, according to the Energy Information Administration.

The Biden administration in November announced the distribution of $4.5 billion in federal assistance to help lower many Americans’ heating bills this winter through the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. However, advocates say additional funding is needed. This month the Department of Energy also announced the allocation of nearly $9 billion to states and tribes for home efficiency programs under the Inflation Reduction Act.

And just as Americans gather with loved ones across the country this holiday season, there have also been concerns about cases of respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, influenza and Covid-19.

The administration is embarking on a new, six-week push to deliver more updated Covid-19 boosters into arms. More than 35 million people in the United States have already received the updated bivalent booster shot, but that’s just a fraction of those eligible to get it.

Dr. Ashish Jha, the White House Covid-19 response coordinator, said on “CNN This Morning” Wednesday that he is confident that the US will get through the current influx of respiratory viruses that are going around the country.

When it comes to RSV, Jha said “certainly a problem, we have seen it now, looks like it has peaked nationally, starting to turn down.”

“In terms of hospital capacity, we have been in touch with every jurisdiction around the country, we have been very clear if you need extra help, the federal government is ready to help, ready to send in support staff, ready to support, send in additional supplies,” he said. “I am confident we’re going to get through this, particularly if people step up and protect their families by getting the Covid and flu vaccine.”

[ad_2]

Source link

November 27, 2022
Mexico issues arrest warrant for US citizen accused of killing her friend while on vacation in San Jose del Cabo | CNN

[ad_1]

CNN
—

An arrest warrant has been issued in Mexico for a woman suspected of fatally assaulting a friend from North Carolina while on vacation last month in San Jose del Cabo, a prosecutor says.

Shanquella Robinson, 25, was traveling with college friends from Winston-Salem State University when she died while staying in a vacation rental property, said her father, Bernard Robinson.

Robinson, with six friends, arrived October 28 in Mexico, according to a Thursday statement by Mexican prosecutors working on extradition proceedings with their country’s attorney general and Foreign Affairs Ministry.

Evidence shows the death resulted from “a direct attack, not an accident,” and involved a female friend of the victim, the prosecutors said.

Mexican authorities have said the death occurred in San Jose del Cabo. The FBI said it occurred in nearby Cabo San Lucas, and the agency has not answered CNN’s request for comment.

Mexican officials have not named the suspect but confirmed she is a US citizen who is believed to be in the United States. No one has been charged in the case, and authorities have not released the names of Robinson’s friends.

CNN has reached out to the US State Department, FBI and US Justice Department for comment.

Lawyer explains two ways Shanquella Robinson investigation can go

02:08

– Source:
CNN

The extradition process was underway for the suspect, the attorney general for Mexico’s Baja California Sur, Daniel de la Rosa, told local media Wednesday.

“There is already an arrest warrant issued for the crime of femicide to the detriment of the victim and against an alleged, responsible for these acts, a friend of hers,” de la Rosa said Wednesday.

The death did not result from a “quarrel” but from “a direct aggression that this person made,” de la Rosa said.

“We are already carrying out all the relevant procedures, both the Interpol file and the extradition request,” he said.

The arrest warrant is valid in Mexico, prosecutors said, adding they are in consultation with federal government officials in both countries about the extradition request.

Mexico and the US have a longstanding extradition treaty and a history of cooperation on such matters, CNN legal analyst Joey Jackson said Friday.

“On the one hand, you could see Mexico engage in the prosecution,” Jackson said. “On the other, we certainly have a statute in the United States that would provide for our government to be involved. … In the event that you go overseas and an American citizen is ultimately killed by another American citizen, there’s a statute that could provide for the prosecution to take place in this country.”

Robinson last spoke to her mother, Salamondra, on the phone on the morning of October 28, her father told CNN last week. The next day, Shanquella Robinson was found dead at her vacation rental, US and Mexican authorities said.

The cause of death was “severe spinal cord injury and atlas luxation,” which is instability or excessive movement in the uppermost neck vertebrae, states a copy of her death certificate obtained by CNN affiliate WBTV. She was found unconscious in the living room of the rental residence on October 29, the document states.

The death certificate classified Robinson’s death as “accidental or violent,” noting the approximate time between injury and death was 15 minutes.

Video posted online appears to show a physical altercation inside a room between Robinson and another person. It’s not clear when the video was taken or if it depicts the moment she suffered the fatal injury.

It is Robinson seen in the video being thrown to the floor and beaten on the head, Bernard Robinson confirmed to CNN.

It’s unclear what led to the altercation or how many people were in the room at the time. It’s also unclear if anyone tried to intervene.

The FBI Charlotte Field Office has opened an investigation into Shanquella Robinson’s death, it has confirmed.

Her family had been waiting for more information from her friends and Mexican authorities, her father said a week ago.

“You took my only jewel from me,” he told CNN by phone. “You put a big hole in my heart. The only thing I can do is fight for her; I cannot let her die in vain.”

[ad_2]

Source link

November 25, 2022
Snow and thunderstorms could hinder holiday travel this week | CNN

[ad_1]

CNN
—

As millions of Americans gear up to travel during the Thanksgiving holiday week, many will have to deal with rain, snow, blustery winds and cold temperatures.

Over 5 million people from Michigan to New York are under winter weather alerts as additional lake-effect snow is expected to fall Sunday.

Meanwhile, rain and thunderstorms will be the main concern for some southern states.

More than 2 feet of snow has fallen across portions of Wisconsin, Michigan, and Minnesota the past few days, and a blockbuster over 6 feet of snow has fallen in New York state. Since temperatures will barely exceed the low 40s the next few days, a lot of that snow will be sticking around.

The cold temperatures after the snow ends can also be dangerous.

“On a day where you have snow that quickly falls, you’re already almost blinded visibility-wise while driving,” Jonathan Guseman, the Warning Coordination Meteorologist for the National Weather Service in State College, Pennsylvania, tells CNN. “The snow melts on the highway and then the cold surge of air behind the snow squall freezes that melted snow and produces what we call a flash freeze, where it makes it almost impossible to keep traction and drive safely on the highway.”

Get the travel forecast for where you are headed right here >>>>>

This week more than 70% of the US population (over 230 million people) will see temperatures at or below freezing.

Sunday will start with practically everyone east of the Mississippi River and most of Texas feeling more like January than November with temperatures 10 to 20 degrees below normal.

St. Louis is forecast to have a high temperature on Sunday of only 40 degrees – that is their normal high temperature for January of 10 degrees.

Cincinnati is forecast to have a high temperature on Sunday of only 32 degrees – 20 degrees colder than their normal high temperature of 52 degrees.

Even a southern city like San Antonio isn’t much better. Their forecast to have a high temperatures on Sunday of only 49 degrees – their normal high temperature is 70 degrees.

A series of storms will push into the Pacific Northwest bringing rain to the coast and valleys, and snow to the Olympic and Cascade mountains this week.

“A weak weather system moves through the area late Sunday night or Monday morning, followed by a stronger one Tuesday,” the National Weather Service office in Portland said.

CNN Weather

The northern Rockies will also see precipitation chances on Tuesday through Wednesday with the frontal system passing through.

Rain accumulation is not expected to be very high, with most areas picking up less than 1 inch through Wednesday.

The southern US, however, will see slightly higher amounts of rain this week.

A low pressure system in the Gulf of Mexico is allowing for rain showers across Texas Sunday, pushing into Louisiana Monday and Alabama and Georgia on Tuesday.

Areas of Florida, however, have rain chances every day from Sunday through Wednesday, including Orlando, Miami, and Key West.

In total rain accumulations across Texas and Louisiana will remain between 1-2 inches, but slightly higher along the east coast of Florida which could pick up as much as 3 inches through mid-week.

The Weather Prediction Center (WPC) cautions that isolated flash flooding could be a concern across urban areas.

The biggest weather concern this holiday week looks to take place starting Thursday across the middle of the country.

Here’s a preview of the Thanksgiving holiday forecast. It appears that unsettled weather will spread into the eastern half of the U.S. with an intensifying storm possible near the East Coast. However, details are uncertain at this time so please stay tuned to forecast updates. pic.twitter.com/lI2154AQfY

— NWS Weather Prediction Center (@NWSWPC) November 19, 2022

For now, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York should be able to play out without rain, but by Friday you may need that umbrella in the Northeast for any Black Friday shopping.

“A couple of low pressure systems including a possible Nor’easter could cause meaningful precipitation across eastern parts of the US late next week,” the WPC said this weekend.

This could bring rain/snow and nasty travel conditions to many major cities east of the Mississippi River through Saturday.

“Current forecasts indicate that wintry precipitation is a better possibility for the Interior Northeast while the metropolitan areas along the I-95 corridor are more likely to get rain,” the WPC said.

But stay tuned to future forecasts this week as details like snow versus rain could change over the next few days.

[ad_2]

Source link

November 20, 2022
Airbnb CEO on the tech downturn: ‘It’s like we’re all in a nightclub and the lights just came on’ | CNN Business

[ad_1]

CNN
—

After years of seemingly unstoppable growth, the tech industry is now facing the “ultimate reality check” as it confronts broader economic uncertainty and waves of layoffs, Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky told CNN on Thursday.

“It’s like we’re all in a nightclub and the lights just came on,” Chesky said in an interview on “CNN This Morning.” After a period of “exuberance and euphoria,” he added, “now we all have to, like, take a hard look at things.”

His remarks come at a difficult moment for the tech industry. Facebook-parent Meta said last week it was cutting 11,000 jobs after nearly doubling its staff during the pandemic. Amazon confirmed this week that lay offs had begun in its corporate workforce, with reports saying it plans to cut 10,000 positions. And Twitter recently cut approximately 50% of its staff as new owner Elon Musk races to bolster its bottom line.

Airbnb may be an exception. Chesky said the company is not undergoing layoffs at this time, and in fact is hiring. But that is due in large part to the company cutting 25% of its staff at the start of the pandemic as the travel industry was clobbered, and losing more employees by attrition after.

“Two-and-a-half years ago, we lost 80% of our business in eight weeks,” Chesky said. “People were predicting we were going to go out of business.”

“We just hunkered down,” he added. “We rebuilt the company from the ground up, and we stayed really lean.” Now, Chesky said, “we’re stepping on the gas, we’re not putting on the brakes.”

While the reckoning hitting much of Silicon Valley is painful, Chesky appeared to suggest that a more sober reassessment of the industry could also provide an opportunity for the tech sector to rethink its place in society, after years of criticism for the impact its products can have on people.

“I think Silicon Valley has done so many amazing things for the world, but we have to be careful having a fetishization of new technology, as if the new technology is going to solve all the problems that the last technology created,” Chesky said. “We need more diversity in Silicon Valley, but that diversity should not just be demographic diversity. We need artists, humanists in this industry.”

[ad_2]

Source link

November 19, 2022
Western New York slammed with more than 5 feet of snow, triggering road closures and flight cancellations the weekend before Thanksgiving | CNN

[ad_1]

CNN
—

New Yorkers in the western part of the state are still being slammed with a massive snowstorm that has shut down roads, triggered driving bans and canceled flights the weekend before the Thanksgiving holiday.

By Friday evening, 5.5 feet of snow had covered streets in the town of Orchard Park, New York, near Buffalo in hard-hit Erie County, according to the National Weather Service. As the snowfall intensified, two county residents died from cardiac complications related to shoveling and attempting to clear the grounds, said County Executive Mark Poloncarz.

“We send our deepest sympathies and remind all that this snow is very heavy and dangerous,” Poloncarz said.

Forecasters and officials have been sounding the alarm on the life-threatening nature of this snowstorm, which has the potential to be historic even for the Buffalo region where heavy snow is the norm during winter months. And the forceful snowfall is expected to continue through the weekend with little periods of relief.

“Historic snowfall exceeding 4 feet will be possible south of Buffalo, New York. Very cold air will accompany this event with temperatures 20 degrees below normal forecast by the weekend,” the National Weather Service wrote Friday.

See snow building as New York faces historic snowstorm

Areas northeast of Lake Ontario – from central Jefferson County to northern Lewis County – were being inundated with heavy snow late Friday, when the snowfall rate was up to 3 inches per hour, according to the weather service in Buffalo. Places between Watertown and Harrisville were also seeing treacherous conditions.

“Travel will be extremely difficult, if not nearly impossible. … Visibility will be near zero at times with deep snow cover on roads,” the local weather service warned.

Dozens of flights arriving and departing from Buffalo Niagara International Airport were canceled as storm conditions worsened, according to the airport’s website.

A new daily snowfall record of 13.9 inches Saturday was set at the airport, nearly doubling the 7.6 inches seen on the same date in 2014, according to the local weather service. This month is also Buffalo’s third snowiest November, with 29.3 inches recorded for the entire month, the weather service added.

Heavy snow is expected to continue smashing the Buffalo region early Saturday, with some respite Saturday afternoon as the storm moves farther north. A final bout is expected through Saturday evening and into the overnight hours before snow tapers off early Sunday.

The colossal storm has been pounding the region for days, prompting local and state officials to issue states of emergencies to bolster response. But with a storm that big, it only takes one or two vehicles to slow down clearing operations, Poloncarz noted.

“A reminder to all employers: if your business is located in a driving ban area or your employees are currently in a driving ban area, it is illegal to make them come into work,” Poloncarz said online.

The snowstorm, which came with a forecast for the Buffalo region not seen in more than 20 years, has been making travel miserable for many drivers, despite authorities’ emphasis on staying off the roads.

“I can say that our deputies have been just absolutely inundated with calls for service as it pertains to disabled motor vehicles and stranded motorists,” Erie County Undersheriff William J. Cooley said during a news conference Friday night. “We implore the residents to just, please, obey the travel ban, you become part of the problem very quickly when you’re out there on the streets.”

Erie County issued a combination of travel bans and travel advisories that remain in effect as of 9 p.m. Friday, including a travel ban for the southern portion of Buffalo.

“This is an event that has hit the south towns with a vengeance, very hard and all these communities are in a state of emergency at this point,” Poloncarz said.

More than 300 citations were issued to drivers who violated the travel ban, Poloncarz said late Friday.

“Please, do not be the reason that an ambulance cannot get to the hospital,” he said. “There are many vehicles that are not only getting stuck but are just being abandoned by the owners.”

Poloncarz underscored the danger the storm is unleashing in communities, pointing out the impacts of heavy snow that are exacerbated by sheets of ice underneath it.

“There are vehicles stuck on roads who should not be driving. There are even some snow plows getting stuck in the worst parts of the storm. Do not drive if there is a travel ban,” said Poloncarz, adding that most residents have adhered to the ban.

Snow has been falling for an extended period of time at rapid pace, making it difficult for crews to respond.

“In some cases, we are going to far surpass five feet of snow and that’s in a 21-hour period of time,” said Bill Geary, the county’s public works commissioner. “It’s a remarkable amount of time.”

Blasdell, about eight miles from Buffalo, recorded 65 inches as of 8:30 p.m Friday, according to the National Weather Service. Several locations in the region were hit with at least 3 to 4 feet of snow, including Hamburg (51 inches), Elma (48 inches), East Aurora (43.7 inches) and West Seneca (36 inches).

[ad_2]

Source link

November 19, 2022
5 tips for taming travel tension over the holidays | CNN

[ad_1]

Editor’s Note: Dana Santas, known as the “Mobility Maker,” is a certified strength and conditioning specialist and mind-body coach in professional sports, and is the author of “Practical Solutions for Back Pain Relief.”

CNN
—

For many people, travel is a necessary part of celebrating the holidays with loved ones. This means enduring all the stressful hiccups that can come with traveling and spending time away from the comforts of your own home.

Every year, my family kicks off the season by watching the classic comedy “Planes, Trains and Automobiles,” starring Steve Martin and the late John Candy. In it, the two men are strangers who end up stuck together, dealing with a comically inordinate number of travel-related issues while trying to get home for Thanksgiving.

There’s a good chance your holiday travel won’t get as complicated as Martin’s and Candy’s, but you may face delays, diversions and many hours of sitting that can take a toll on you mentally and physically. So, whether you’re driving to Grandma’s for Thanksgiving or flying to see family in another country, try the five tips below to reduce stress and tension so you can enjoy the holidays.

When you sit for long periods while traveling, your posture often suffers. Given the intimate relationship of your breathing pattern and your posture, slumping while seated leads to shallow, rapid breathing, which incites your body’s stress response. It’s a vicious cycle that increases physical and mental tension.

That’s why it’s important to take control of your breathing at least once an hour while traveling to help restore your posture and cultivate a sense of calm. Taking just five or six long, deep breaths while focusing on getting your low ribs to move as demonstrated in this video can make a big difference!

Optimize your breathing with these tips

03:08

– Source:
CNN

Just 90 seconds of deep breathing elicits a relaxation response that decreases your heart rate, blood pressure and stress hormone production, according to research.

Those muscle cramps and achy joints you experience on the road may have a lot to do with your fluid intake. Considering that our bodies are mostly water, hydration is important for proper joint lubrication and circulation. But your hydration level doesn’t just affect you physically. When you’re dehydrated, it increases your body’s cortisol (primary stress hormone) levels, which can lead to feelings of anxiety, exhaustion and overall irritability.

Your access to drinking water may be limited while traveling, so it’s important to plan ahead. You can’t bring bottled water through Transportation Security Administration checkpoints, and no one likes to pay the exorbitant prices for bottles of water at the airport. Thankfully, most airports have filtered water stations to refill bottles for free. So pack a reusable water bottle and, if you’re driving, don’t forget to bring a cooler with water.

Even when you aren’t traveling, the holidays make it easy to become dehydrated. With all the festivities, we often forget to drink as much water as normal, especially when cocktails are flowing. But alcoholic beverages are no substitute for water because they’re dehydrating.

Alcohol suppresses natural production of the antidiuretic hormone vasopressin, which keeps us from urinating too much. Without it, we find ourselves in the bathroom more often. Counter the dehydrating impact of alcohol by drinking one glass of water for every cocktail.

Studies abound regarding the health dangers of prolonged sitting, yet few people seem to make an effort to avoid it while traveling. Looking around the airport, you’ll find most everyone sitting at the gate waiting to get on their plane, where they will inevitably remain seated for at least a couple of hours or more.

Break up bouts of sitting by taking advantage of opportunities to stand and walk around whenever possible. At the airport, take a walk around your terminal. Some airports even have yoga rooms with public access. When traveling by car, find a park or even a mall on your route where you can get out and take a 10-minute walk.

Lots of sitting during travel also means compressed side waist muscles, overused hip flexors and tight low-back muscles. If you want to be more comfortable and avoid pain when traveling, you need to stretch out those muscles whenever possible.

My go-to travel stretch is the warrior hip flexor release.

Here’s how to do it:

Stand to the right of a wall, chair or other stable surface. Place your left hand on it for support.

Step your right foot back into a short lunge position, dropping your back heel and pointing your toes out slightly, as shown.

Bend your front knee to align above your ankle, while your back leg remains straight.

Inhale as you lift your right arm up and over your head.

Exhale as you side bend to the left, feeling your left lower ribs rotate inward.

Avoid arching your lower back.

Hold for three long, deep breaths. Repeat on the other side.

Check out the video at the top of this story for more exercises to combat the negative impact of sitting.

You might be so relieved to get to your destination that you think plopping down in a comfy chair is all you need. But it’s even more beneficial to get your legs up above your heart, which promotes venous blood flow and helps reduce lower-body swelling.

A great way to accomplish this is with the popular restorative yoga pose known as “legs up the wall.” You can do this on the floor with your straight legs up the wall or with your knees bent and calves resting on a chair seat. If you don’t want to lie on the floor, you can lay backward on your bed and put your legs up the headboard. Feel free to place a pillow or folded blanket under your head.

Once in the position, stay there a few minutes, taking some long, deep relaxing breaths.

In addition to changing your relationship with gravity to relieve tension, it’s important to get enough sleep. This is especially true if you have traveled to a different time zone. Work in naps, if necessary, to make up for any sleep deficits that could negatively affect your health and wellness.

Despite all the joys the holidays bring, it’s important not to overlook the ways seasonal trips can inadvertently drag you down. Using the five tips above will help keep travel tension at bay and your holiday spirits high.

[ad_2]

Source link

November 17, 2022
6 dead after a pair of vintage military aircraft collided at a Texas air show | CNN

[ad_1]

CNN
—

Six people are dead after two World War II-era military planes collided in midair and crashed at Dallas Executive Airport during an airshow Saturday afternoon, killing all on board, the Dallas County Medical Examiner’s office said Sunday.

“We can confirm that there are six (fatalities),” a spokesperson for the Dallas County Medical Examiner’s office told CNN in a phone call.

More than 40 fire rescue units responded to the scene after the two vintage planes – a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and a Bell P-63 Kingcobra – went down during the Wings Over Dallas airshow.

In video footage of the crash that was described by Dallas’ mayor as “heartbreaking,” the planes are seen breaking apart in midair after the collision, then hitting the ground within seconds, before bursting into flames.

Here are the latest developments as investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board are due to arrive at the scene Sunday.

The Federal Aviation Administration said the crash took place at around 1:20 p.m. Saturday.

The Allied Pilots Association – the labor union representing American Airlines pilots – has identified two pilot retirees and former union members among those killed in the collision.

Former members Terry Barker and Len Root were crew on the B-17 Flying Fortress during the airshow, the APA said on social media.

“Our hearts go out to their families, friends, and colleagues past and present,” the union said. The APA is offering professional counseling services at their headquarters in Fort Worth following the incident.

The death of Barker, a former city council member for Keller, Texas, was also announced by Keller Mayor Armin Mizani on Sunday morning in a Facebook post.

“Keller is grieving as we have come to learn that husband, father, Army veteran, and former Keller City Councilman Terry Barker was one of the victims of the tragic crash at the Dallas Air Show,” Mizani wrote.

“Terry Barker was beloved by many. He was a friend and someone whose guidance I often sought. Even after retiring from serving on the City Council and flying for American Airlines, his love for community was unmistakable.”

A 30-year plus veteran of the Civil Air Patrol’s Ohio Wing, Maj. Curtis J. Rowe, was also among those killed in the collision, Col. Pete Bowden, the agency’s commander, said on Sunday.

Rowe served in several positions throughout his tenure with the Civil Air Patrol, from safety officer to operations officer, and most recently, he was the Ohio Wing maintenance officer, Bowden said. Rowe’s family was notified of his death Saturday evening, the commander added.

“I reach to find solace in that when great aviators like Curt perish, they do so doing what they loved. Curt touched the lives of thousands of his fellow CAP members, especially the cadets who he flew during orientation flights or taught at Flight Academies and for that, we should be forever grateful,” Bowden wrote in a Facebook post.

“To a great aviator, colleague, and Auxiliary Airman, farewell,” he said.

In a Saturday news conference, Hank Coates, president and CEO of the Commemorative Air Force, an organization which preserves and maintains vintage military aircraft, told reporters that the B-17 “normally has a crew of four to five. That was what was on the aircraft,” while the P-63 is a “single-piloted fighter type aircraft.”

The Commemorative Air Force identified both aircraft as based in Houston.

No spectators or others on the ground were reported injured, although the debris field from the collision includes the Dallas Executive Airport grounds, Highway 67 and a nearby strip mall.

The B-17 was part of the collection of the Commemorative Air Force, nicknamed “Texas Raiders,” and had been kept in a hanger in Conroe, Texas, near Houston.

It was one of about 45 complete surviving examples of the model, only nine of which were airworthy.

The P-63 was even rarer. Some 14 examples are known to survive, four of which in the US were airworthy, including one owned by the Commemorative Air Force.

More than 12,000 B-17s were produced by Boeing, Douglas Aircraft and Lockheed between 1936 and 1945, with nearly 5,000 lost during the war, and most of the rest scrapped by the early 1960s. About 3,300 P-63’s were produced by Bell Aircraft between 1943 and 1945, and were principally used by the Soviet Air Force in World War II.

The FAA was leading the investigation into the air show crash on Saturday, but the NTSB took over the investigation once its team reached the scene, the agency said at a news conference Sunday. The team dispatched by the NTSB consists of technical experts who are regularly sent to plane crash sites to investigate the collision, according to the NTSB.

“Our team methodically and systematically reviews all evidence and considers all potential factors to determine the probable cause, NTSB member Michael Graham said.

Investigators have started securing the audio recordings from the air traffic control tower and conducting interviews of the other formation crews and air show operations, according to Graham.

Neither aircraft was equipped with a flight data recorder or cockpit voice recorder, often known as the “black box,” he added.

Investigators surveyed the accident site using both an NTSB drone and a photograph of the scene from the ground to document the area before the wreckage is moved to a secure location, Graham said. A preliminary accident report is expected four to six weeks, but a full investigation may last 12 to 18 months before a final report is released.

Graham appealed to witnesses saying if anyone has any photos or videos of the incident, they should share them with the NTSB.

“They’ll actually be very critical since we don’t have any flight data recorder data or cockpit voice recorders or anything like [those devices],” Graham said. “They’ll be very critical to analyze the collision and also tie that in with the aircraft control recordings to determine why the two aircraft collided and to determine, basically, the how and why this accident happened and then eventually, hopefully, maybe make some safety recommendations to prevent it from happening in the future.”

According to Coates, the individuals flying the aircraft in CAF airshows are volunteers and follow a strict training process. Many of them are airline pilots, retired airline pilots or retired military pilots.

“The maneuvers that they (the aircraft) were going through were not dynamic at all,” Coates noted. “It was what we call ‘Bombers on Parade.”

“This is not about the aircraft. It’s just not,” Coates said. “I can tell you the aircraft are great aircraft, they’re safe. They’re very well-maintained. The pilots are very well-trained. So it’s difficult for me to talk about it, because I know all these people, these are family, and they’re good friends.”

Mayor Johnson said in a tweet after the crash, “As many of you have now seen, we have had a terrible tragedy in our city today during an airshow. Many details remain unknown or unconfirmed at this time.”

“The videos are heartbreaking. Please, say a prayer for the souls who took to the sky to entertain and educate our families today,” Johnson said in a separate tweet.

The Wings Over Dallas event, which was scheduled to run through Sunday, has been canceled, according to the organizer’s website.

[ad_2]

Source link

November 13, 2022
This company wants to make air travel sustainable | CNN Business

[ad_1]

New York
CNN Business
—

In 2019, Air Company made a splash when it launched vodka derived from recaptured carbon, in an effort to reduce the amount of the harmful greenhouse gas in the atmosphere.

Today, the Brooklyn-based startup has begun using the same process to make fuel for airplanes.

Air Company’s sustainable aviation fuel, which was recently tested by the US Air Force, could ultimately help the airline industry hit its goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Currently, the airline industry accounts for about 3% of total global carbon emissions each year, and mostly relies on traditional, fossil-based fuels that require various forms of environmental disruption to produce.

Already, some of the world’s biggest airlines are signing on to Air Company’s vision. The company announced last month that Jet Blue and Virgin Atlantic, as well as startup aircraft company Boom Supersonic, have agreed to purchase millions of gallons of its fuel in the coming years. Jet Blue Ventures, the airline’s investment arm, also invested directly in Air Company’s $30 million Series A funding round earlier this year.

“How we think about what the company does is trying to solve humanity’s toughest problems,” Gregory Constantine, co-founder and CEO of Air Company, told CNN in an interview last month. “For us, climate change is the greatest challenge that we’re facing as humanity to date … so if we can work on technologies that take what was once really thought of as a problem and turn it into a solution, then that’s a massive win.”

A number of producers of sustainable aviation fuel have emerged in recent years, including a major Finnish producer called Neste, many of them using ingredients such as plant material and cooking oil. But Air Company’s production process starts by pulling harmful carbon emissions out of the air.

The company first harvests carbon, mostly from industrial settings such as biofuel production facilities. It then takes water, separates the hydrogen from the oxygen, and blends the captured carbon with the hydrogen and a proprietary mix of other compounds, according to Air Company CTO Stafford Sheehan. It then distills that solution down, using what looks like a larger version of, say, a whiskey distilling system. The final products are ethyl alcohol, which is used to make the company’s vodka and other products such as perfume, as well as paraffin, which forms the basis of its jet fuel.

In some ways, Sheehan said, the process mimics how plants work: It takes in carbon, and aside from the final products, the only other offput is oxygen. And the company says its tests have indicated that planes should be able to fly using its fuel without blending it with fossil-based fuels or modifying their engines.

By the time a plane has flown using Air Company’s fuel, it will have released the same amount of carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere as was captured to make the fuel, meaning the process on the whole is carbon-neutral, Sheehan said. The company uses renewable energy sources like solar to power its production facility.

Air Company does still have some work to do until its carbon-derived fuel is ready to be used widely on commercial flights. It needs more testing, and it needs to grow its manufacturing footprint. Sheehan said the company’s next production facility is already in the works and will be about 100 times the size of its Brooklyn test facility, which is probably about the size of a two-bedroom New York City apartment.

The company will also need to bring down the cost of its fuel, which is currently more expensive than traditional jet fuels, although the company declined to provide details on just how much. Air Company said that “consumers will not feel the impact of this shift,” and added that lowering the cost will be achieved in part “through an array of government incentives made available to fuel producers generating sustainable alternatives.”

Constantine said the company is planning for the first test of its fuel on a commercial plane next year, and expects to have its fuel used on its first commercial passenger flight by 2024.

Still, Air Company is hopeful that its efforts could eventually disrupt the aviation industry for the better, just as it’s been working to do with its consumer goods.

“Aviation has been a part of the goal since the start,” he said. “However, to get to those, you know, large industrial markets like aviation fuel, which it is traditionally known as the hottest industry industries to decarbonize, is going to take time. It’s going to take a lot of money and a lot of effort.”

[ad_2]

Source link

November 13, 2022
Cruise ship with 800 Covid-positive passengers docks in Sydney | CNN

[ad_1]

CNN
—

A cruise ship with hundreds of Covid-positive passengers docked in Sydney, Australia, after being hit by a wave of infections.

The Majestic Princess cruise ship was about halfway through a 12-day voyage when an outbreak of cases was noticed, Carnival Australia president Marguerite Fitzgerald told reporters in a media briefing on Saturday.

The ship had 4,600 passengers and crew on board at the time, according to CNN affiliate Nine News.

After mass testing 3,300 passengers, around 800 tested positive for Covid-19, as did a small number of crew, Fitzgerald said.

“All positive cases were mildly symptomatic or asymptomatic, and those guests isolated in their staterooms and then separated from non-impacted guests,” parent company Princess Cruises representative Briana Latter told CNN.

Cruise operators separately escorted those infected off the ship and advised them to complete a five-day isolation period, CNN affiliate Nine News reported.

Those who tested negative were permitted to leave the ship, a New South Wales Health statement read.

“Carnival has advised NSW Health that they are assisting passengers with Covid-19 to make safe onward travel arrangements,” the statement added.

Latter said the outbreak aboard the Majestic Princess was “reflective of an increase in community transmission in Australia.”

Australia has seen an uptick in Covid cases recently, leading to more caution from within the government.

The New South Wales Ministry of Health has recorded 19,800 new cases of Covid-19 and 22 deaths in the past week.

The Majestic Princess cruise ship has since departed Sydney on her next voyage to Melbourne and Tasmania.

In a later statement, Fitzgerald said Carnival Australia have made over 50 international and domestic voyages “with a vast majority of more than 100,000 guests unimpacted by Covid.”
“However, the emergence of Covid in the community has meant we have seen a rise in positive cases on the last three voyages,” she said.

Fitzgerald said the company has been implementing “the most rigorous and strict measures which go well above current guidelines”, including requiring 95% of guests over the age of 12 to be vaccinated and testing staff and passengers for Covid before they board.

“We take our responsibility to keep everyone safe very seriously. This extends to not only caring for our guests, but also for the wider community in which we operate and visit,” Fitzgerald said.

The Majestic Princess isn’t the first Carnival cruise to be hit by a Covid outbreak.

At least three other ships within the company’s Princess fleet – the Ruby Princess, Diamond Princess, and Grand Princess – experienced outbreaks earlier in the pandemic.

[ad_2]

Source link

November 13, 2022
Tourists held by Peruvian indigenous group protesting oil spill will be released, says official | CNN

[ad_1]

CNN
—

A group of tourists traveling in the Peruvian Amazon, who were detained on Thursday by an indigenous community demanding government action over an oil spill, will be released Friday, Abel Chiroque, head of the ombudsman office in Loreto, told CNN.

“We have been in touch with the leader of the Cuninico community… and they have accepted our request to release the passengers onboard the boats,” Chiroque said.

An estimated 150 tourists, believed to include American and British citizens, were traveling down the Marañon river in Cuninico of the Loreto region, Angela Ramirez told Peruvian local media RPP. The 28-year-old Peruvian is one of the tourists being held by the indigenous community.

Wadson Trujillo, leader of the Cuninico community, confirmed to RRP that his community stopped the boats in a bid to pressure the government to take action over the oil spill, which has disrupted their water supply. They are demanding the government declare a state of emergency over the oil spill.

Chiroque said three boats were being held by the community. While the passengers will be let go, the other boats carrying food and animals will stay, he added.

Ramirez told RRP the detained group included Spanish, French, American and British citizens. Children, pregnant women and the elderly were also being held, she told CNN. CNN has contacted Peru’s Interior Ministry for comment.

Estimates for the number of people detained have ranged from 70 to 150. Among those held are 20 foreigners, said Peru’s National Police.

Peru’s ombudsman office in Lima announced the release on social media, while also calling for the continued dialogue between the Cuninico community and government’s representatives.

[ad_2]

Source link

November 4, 2022
These are the women expected to testify against Harvey Weinstein at his second sexual assault trial | CNN

[ad_1]

CNN
—

Reporting five years ago on Harvey Weinstein’s alleged sexual abuse spurred women to speak publicly about their own experiences with sexual violence in what became known as the #MeToo movement.

Now, in a Los Angeles courtroom, eight women are set to testify in a trial altogether similar to the one that led to Weinstein’s landmark conviction two years ago.

Weinstein, the 70-year-old movie producer, has pleaded not guilty to 11 charges based on allegations of sexual assault at Los Angeles hotels between 2004 to 2013.

Opening statements in the trial began Monday and one woman has already testified about her alleged assault. Three more women are expected to testify directly to the charges, and four other women are expected to testify as “prior bad acts” witnesses, meaning their testimony isn’t directly connected to a charge but can be considered as prosecutors try to show Weinstein had a pattern in his behavior.

He was found guilty in New York in 2020 of first-degree criminal sexual act and third-degree rape and was sentenced to 23 years in prison. He has appealed.

Here’s what we know about the women set to testify in the California case and the charges connected to their allegations based on comments from the prosecution, the defense and their testimony.

Weinstein is charged with forcible oral copulation and forcible rape of Jane Doe 4 between September 1, 2004, and September 30, 2005.

Jane Doe 4 has been identified as Jennifer Siebel Newsom, a filmmaker and the wife of California Gov. Gavin Newsom. In a statement, her attorneys confirmed she would be testifying against Weinstein in court.

“Like many other women, my client was sexually assaulted by Harvey Weinstein at a purported business meeting that turned out to be a trap,” said Beth Fegan, one of Siebel Newsom’s attorneys. “She intends to testify at his trial to seek some measure of justice for survivors and as part of her life’s work to improve the lives of women.”

Siebel Newsom is a Stanford University graduate who has written, directed and produced several documentaries, including “Miss Representation,” “The Mask You Live In” and “The Great American Lie.” During her time as California’s first partner, Siebel Newsom has advocated for working mothers and launched initiatives focused on closing the gender pay gap, among other efforts.

In opening statements, prosecutor Paul Thompson said the assault occurred when Siebel Newsom was a “powerless actor trying to make her way in Hollywood.” Weinstein invited her to “discuss her career” at the Peninsula Hotel, and in a hotel room, he assaulted and raped her, the prosecutor said.

Defense attorney Mark Werksman countered that Siebel Newsom had consensual sex with Weinstein because she wanted his help getting roles and producing films.

Werksman also said Weinstein donated to two of Gov. Newsom’s political races and that Siebel Newsom took her husband to a Weinstein party. “She brought her husband to meet and party with the man who raped her. Who does that?” he asked.

Siebel Newsom has written about the incident with Weinstein in vague terms. In October 2017, just a day after The New York Times published its bombshell report on Weinstein, she wrote an opinion editorial for the Huffington Post saying she believed the report because she had a similar experience with Weinstein.

“I was naive, new to the industry, and didn’t know how to deal with his aggressive advances ― work invitations with a friend late-night at The Toronto Film Festival, and later an invitation to meet with him about a role in The Peninsula Hotel, where staff were present and then all of a sudden disappeared like clockwork, leaving me alone with this extremely powerful and intimidating Hollywood legend,” she wrote.

Weinstein is charged with forcible oral copulation, sexual penetration by foreign object and forcible rape of Jane Doe 1 on or about February 18, 2013, in Los Angeles County, according to the indictment.

Jane Doe 1 was a model and actress who was married, had three children and was living in Italy in 2013. She speaks Russian, Italian and English, but her English was not very good at the time, she said.

She was the first witness to testify in the trial and said she was staying in a hotel for the Los Angeles Italia Film Festival when she got a call that Weinstein wanted to see her. She testified she had met him previously in Rome.

He came to her hotel room and tried to rape her, she testified.

“I wanted to die. It was disgusting. It was humiliating, miserable. I didn’t fight,” she testified in court. “I remember how he was looking in the mirror and he was telling me to look at him. I wish this never happened to me.”

Years later, she told her daughter about the assault in an attempt to connect with her about a similar issue, she testified. Jane Doe 1 then went to the police in October 2017 because she promised her daughter she would, she testified.

In the defense’s opening statements, Werksman said she had fabricated the story and argued there was no evidence he went to her hotel room. Under cross-examination, she acknowledged she had no evidence to show the jury that would prove she was with Weinstein that night and said she couldn’t remember everything about the incident.

“I remember a lot but I forgot a lot also,” she said.

Weinstein is charged with sexual battery by restraint of Jane Doe 2 on or about February 19, 2013, in Los Angeles County.

Jane Doe 2 was a 23-year-old model and aspiring screenwriter who had been modeling since she was 12, Thompson said in opening statements.

She alleges she was assaulted during the Los Angeles Italia Film Festival, according to Thompson. She met with Weinstein at a restaurant at the Montage hotel and told him she wanted to be a screenwriter, the prosecutor said. The meeting then moved to a space upstairs, and when Weinstein led her into a bathroom, another woman shut the door behind Jane Doe 2, the prosecutor said.

While she was trapped inside with Weinstein, he allegedly undid her dress, groped her and masturbated, the prosecutor said.

The next day, she went to a pre-scheduled meeting with a Weinstein Company employee and was advised to go on “Project Runway,” a Weinstein-produced reality TV show.

Werksman, the defense attorney, said in opening statements that Jane Doe 2 fabricated her story and noted that she met with the Weinstein Company employee the next day.

Weinstein is charged with sexual battery by restraint of Jane Doe 3 on or about May 11, 2010.

Jane Doe 3 was a licensed massage therapist who often worked with celebrities and athletes, Thompson said.

In 2010, she massaged Weinstein and then went to the restroom to wash her hands, and he followed her into the bathroom, backed her into a corner, groped her and masturbated, Thompson said.

Weinstein had suggested Jane Doe 3 could write a book about her massage work, Thompson said, and afterward an aide to Weinstein paid her $200 for the massage and put her in touch with Miramax’s book division about a potential book deal.

In contrast, Werksman argued that their sexual interaction was consensual and part of an arrangement. He said that Jane Doe 3 gave him four additional massages after the alleged assault.

“She made a deal. Sex in exchange for something of value. Jane Doe 3 and Mr. Weinstein were friends with benefits,” Werksman argued.

Weinstein is charged with four counts related to Jane Doe 5: forcible oral copulation and forcible rape between November 3 and November 9, 2009, and forcible oral copulation and forcible rape on or about November 5, 2010, according to the indictment.

However, prosecutors did not mention her or her accusations in opening statements of the trial, and neither did the defense. The current status of these charges is not clear.

“While we have no comment at this time, our office is tirelessly ensuring all of the victims in this case receive justice,” the district attorney’s office said.

Like in his New York trial, Weinstein’s LA trial will feature testimony from several “prior bad acts” witnesses.

There are four of these witnesses in this case, identified by their first name and initial. Each of these women alleged they were assaulted by Weinstein outside of LA jurisdiction.

In all, the defense argued these witnesses were being used solely to “confuse and overwhelm” the jury. Werksman defended Weinstein’s actions as part of the “casting couch” culture at the time.

The prosecution said the testimony from these women will prove Weinstein’s guilt on the charges.

“Each of these women came forward independent of each other, and none of them knew one another,” Thompson told the jury.

Ambra B. went to Weinstein’s office for a meeting in Manhattan in 2015 and he grabbed her breast and put his hand up her skirt, prosecutors said. She reported the incident to the NYPD, which then directed her to speak with him on the phone and at a hotel restaurant and secretly record their conversations, according to Thompson. No charges were filed against Weinstein.

Werksman argued nothing on the recording was tantamount to a confession and dismissed her as someone playing a “junior G-man” in an undercover sting targeting Weinstein.

Ashley M., a dancer in the movie “Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights,” was alone in a hotel room with Weinstein in 2003 and said he groped her and masturbated on her, according to Thompson.

Werksman argued she did not resist or refuse the interaction at the time.

Natassia M. met Weinstein and briefly interacted with him at an industry party for the 2008 British Academy of Film and Television Arts Awards and alleges he raped her at her hotel, according to Thompson.

Werksman said there was no evidence of rape and notes they maintained contact for years afterward.

Kelly S. was an actor in 1991 when, in a hotel room for the Toronto International Film Festival, Weinstein raped her, Thompson said. In 2008, at the same festival, she went to his hotel room with the intention of confronting him, and when he allegedly started groping her and masturbating, she left the room, the prosecutor said.

Werksman attacked the idea that she didn’t confront him immediately upon seeing him again in 2008 and said she didn’t report the incident to police until 2018.

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported Harvey Weinstein was arrested in the alleged incident involving Ambra B.

[ad_2]

Source link

October 27, 2022
Best inflatable hot tubs of 2022 | CNN Underscored

[ad_1]

Slipping neck-deep into a tub of warm water can feel like discovering the fountain of youth, or at least a much-needed staycation. It’s no surprise, then, that the idea of having your very own hot tub is more tempting than ever before.

However, traditional hot tubs can cost more than $10,000 to purchase and install. That’s a hefty price tag, so we decided to get the scoop on inflatable hot tubs — because they seem to run around one-tenth of the cost, with some starting around $700. We rounded up picks from the two most trusted and high-quality brands — Coleman and Intex — and scoured through reviews to find shoppers’ favorites.

To get all of the important details, we also spoke with a man known simply as “Swimming Pool Steve” who is a pool and spa builder with over 25 years in the biz — along with a blog of the same name that provides hot tub and pool advice. According to Steve, “For a test dip into hot tub ownership, or just a low-cost, low-frills approach to hot water therapy, an inflatable hot tub is definitely worth a look.”

Although this spa claims to be for four people, its petite size makes it spacious and comfy for two. With a maximum water depth of 1.67 feet and a 107-gallon capacity, it might seem like this isn’t going to deliver a real spa experience, but the 120 air bubble jets will prove otherwise. Technology wise, it’s fairly advanced with a digitally controlled pump that features a soft-touch control panel.

Complete with a set of seats, cup holders, a drink tray and headrests, this six-person inflatable hot tub is all about the amenities. Packed with over 170 jets, the tub can be ready for water in just 20 minutes and can be deflated easily for storage. There’s even a control panel so you can control the jets at the press of a button.

This 290-gallon behemoth comes with all of the bells and whistles, including a cozy six-person capacity. From an LED color-changing underwater light and an insulating ground cloth to two included headrests and hard water treatment system, there’s not much this inflatable hot tub kit doesn’t include. But Steve admits that no matter which inflatable hot tub you choose, you can’t beat the fact that you “simply set them up, fill them up, heat them up and enjoy.”

This well-reviewed inflatable tub from Coleman is a square shape, which makes it easier to fit four guests without feeling cramped. With about 250 gallons and approximately 70 inches on each side, this is notably larger than the two-person Coleman mentioned above. As one reviewer writes, “It was easy and fast to put up. I was not only surprised with the amount of bubbles and pressure but totally thrilled with my first use of it, and it only gets better each time I do use it.”

If aesthetics are your thing, this large inflatable hot tub comes in a lovely gray wood finish and has everything you’ll need for an easy setup: an insulated cover, a filter, a hard water system, LED lights, two headrests, an inflation hose and even a bag to help store it all.

Add a little ambiance to hot tub soaking sessions with this waterproof, floating Bluetooth speaker and LED light show. The Bluetooth feature connects to your phone, and the speaker accepts voice commands so you can accept and make calls without moving a muscle. For extra fun, play with the seven lighting settings.

Don’t get out of the tub to grab a drink; float it on this whimsical pineapple tray. It has three cup holders and a large center bowl for snacks, sunscreen or anything else you might need.

OK, maybe the pineapple drink holder is a bit much for your taste. In that case, this drink float should do the trick. It has four cup holders and two phone holders to hold everything you need.

This plastic sign that reads “Life Is Better in the Hot Tub” is a lighthearted piece of decor that says what everyone probably already knows but might not say out loud.

Quietly relaxing in the hot tub can be sublime…for a while. Stay a little bit longer by bringing along a deck of these waterproof playing cards.

This kit will keep the hot tub water crystal clear and the surfaces inside the hot tub free from slippery slime. Each floating cartridge flips over when it’s empty so you know when to replace it.

If your reason for getting an inflatable hot tub is not just for relaxing but for exercising or hydrotherapy, then these aqua therapy dumbbells will add resistance to your workout.

Get leveled: Although they might look similar, inflatable hot tubs are not the same thing as inflatable kiddie pools. Steve says, “Just like any hot tub, these require a stable, flat concrete or paving stone pad to sit on. It is important that the ground is level to support the large and dynamic weight of the water.”

Size it up: Steve says that “choosing the right one for you will be a matter of size.” He also shares that two- and four-person models seem to be the most popular. Why? Tubs can take a long while to fill up and warm up, so this is a time when smaller is better.

Decide on jet preference: Sure, where you put it and what size you want are the first two things to consider, but Steve adds you should also consider the “choice between the cheaper air bubbler jets and the more expensive water jets with booster pump system.” According to our research, water jets are tough to find in inflatable hot tubs, but luckily the reviews of air jets are great. Just note that all jets are noisy when running.

Take its temperature: One thing Steve says could be considered a con to buying an inflatable hot tub is its ability to get up to and hold an optimal temperature. “Inflatable hot tubs might take longer than more expensive systems to heat up to temperature,” advises Steve. “The heater is minimally sized, a compromise with plug and play spas, and as such, in very cold temperatures the tub may likely struggle to hold maximum temperatures.”

[ad_2]

Source link

October 21, 2022
Trump’s company charged Secret Service ‘exorbitant’ hotel rates to protect the first family, House committee report says | CNN Politics

[ad_1]

CNN
—

The Trump Organization charged the Secret Service “exorbitant rates” – upwards of $1.4 million over four years – to protect the former President and his family at properties they owned, according to documents released by the House Oversight Committee on Monday.

The committee found that the Trump Organization charged the Secret Service “excessive nightly rates on dozens of trips” as high as $1,185 per night despite claims by the former President’s company that federal employees traveling with him would stay at those properties “for free” or “at cost.”

“The exorbitant rates charged to the Secret Service and agents’ frequent stays at Trump-owned properties raise significant concerns about the former President’s self-dealing and may have resulted in a taxpayer-funded windfall for former President Trump’s struggling businesses,” the panel’s chairwoman, New York Democratic Rep. Carolyn Maloney, wrote in a letter to the service’s director on Monday.

When he was president, Trump traveled frequently to properties his company ran as businesses, including Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, and the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey. While he was there, some agents and officers stayed in rooms at those properties, though others rented rooms at nearby hotels.

Charging his protective detail for lodging at his own properties was a controversial practice when Trump was in office and has continued in his post-presidency.

Maloney also notes that her committee has been seeking a full accounting of the Secret Service’s expenditures at Trump-owned properties for more than two years but still has not received complete information on nightly rates or the total amount the agency spent, which “appears to exceed $1.4 million of taxpayer money.”

The committee is still seeking records from the Secret Service, noting the panel is looking at potential legislation to prevent “presidential self-dealing and profiteering, as well as to curb conflicts of interest by ensuring that future presidents are prevented from exercising undue influence on Secret Service spending.”

In a statement, Eric Trump said that “any services rendered to the United States Secret Service or other government agencies” at Trump-owned hotels “were at their request and were either provided at cost, heavily discounted or for free.”

The committee said the Trump Organization charged the Secret Service more than the government rate at least 40 times from January 2017 to September 2021.

One of those times was in March 2017 when the Trump Organization charged a nightly rate of $1,160 to stay at the Trump hotel in Washington, DC, to protect Eric Trump, who was promoting a golf tournament at the Trump National Golf Club. According to the General Services Administration’s website, the per diem rate was $242 in March 2017 in Washington, DC.

In a statement, Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said the agency has received the letter from the committee but didn’t discuss the specific details.

“Safeguarding our protectees is part of the agency’s zero fail mission and our absolute highest priority. Protective details must always be within arm’s reach of a protective 24 hours a day and that requires us to travel to where they travel,” Guglielmi said.

This story has been updated with additional details.

[ad_2]

Source link

October 17, 2022
A single mom’s 4 kids had to fend for themselves when tragedy struck. How a chance encounter years ago saved their future | CNN

[ad_1]

CNN
—

On a dark autumn evening almost four years ago, Janie Yoshida was driving her daughter home from high school play rehearsal when she noticed a teenager walking by himself next to a busy road.

Tre Burrows, it turned out, was also in the play at Somerset Academy Canyons High School in Boynton Beach, Florida.

“I pulled over to the side of the sidewalk and rolled the window down and said, ‘Hey, where do you live? I’ll take you home,’” Janie recalled.

The 17-year-old kept insisting he was fine, until Janie put on “my mom’s voice” and demanded: ‘“Get in the car.”

The polite young man with the gregarious smile complied. But, Janie soon learned, he led a life more challenging than she imagined – one in which she’d soon play a far bigger role.

“He wanted me to drop him off at a main intersection. And I said, ‘Of course not. Just show me where you live.’ And he goes, ‘No, I can walk the rest of the way,’” Janie recalled.

Reluctantly, Tre directed Janie to where he and his family were living.

A motel.

“I tried to play it off, like no big deal,” Janie recalled. But in reality, “I’m thinking to myself, ‘Oh my God … just terrible.’”

From that point on, Janie gave Tre a ride every day after play rehearsal. Sometimes, she would make up an excuse to get fast food along the way, just to make sure Tre had a hot meal.

“‘I don’t want to cook tonight,’” she’d tell him. “’Let’s just go through the drive thru.’”

Then one day, Tre let slip another detail about his family life.

“‘I’m gonna save this (meal),’” he told Janie, “’and split it with my sisters’” – one older and two younger, all together at the motel.

Tre’s mother, it turned out, had been working two jobs and hanging by a thread to support her four children against immeasurable odds.

Despite the financial challenges, Cindy Dawkins worked tirelessly to give her kids everything they needed. She had every meal ready, even without a kitchen. She helped with homework. Instead of asking her older ones to work part-time to support the family, she encouraged extracurricular activities such as track or school theater.

Eventually, Tre told Janie why he’d been so nervous about telling anyone where he lived.

“He didn’t want anybody to know because he was worried that the Department of Children and Families would come and take them away from his mom,” Janie said. “That’s just heartbreaking.”

Janie asked to meet this matriarch – and was floored by her work ethic and strength.

And as much as he loved his mom, Tre had no idea how much she sacrificed for her children.

Soon, immense tragedy would force him to learn.

A native of the Bahamas, Cindy moved to the US for what seemed like a promising career in the hospitality industry. But an avalanche of “bad luck on top of bad luck” fell on her, Janie said, including a layoff and a divorce.

She ended up waitressing at two restaurants – one during the day, the other at night.

“For the longest (time), she was working two jobs just to keep us afloat, paycheck to paycheck,” said Tre, now 21.

“And she did all of that with a smile on her face because she didn’t want us to know exactly how hard it was to do all that.”

But despite working two jobs, Cindy couldn’t get an apartment on her own because of a prior eviction. So she and her children moved into the motel, which cost far more per month than an apartment.

For three years, Cindy raised her four children in a motel room while working multiple jobs.

Behind the omnipresent smile she put on for her kids, though, Cindy was struggling.

She lamented that “‘in three years, I haven’t been able to make a home-cooked meal,’” Janie recalled.

“She was like, ‘I don’t have a moment to myself or any privacy except when I’m in the shower. So if I’m going to break down, I’m going to cry, it’s going to be in the shower,’” Janie recalled.

“‘And I’ve got to put my face back on, walk out of the bathroom in front of the kids and make sure that they don’t see it from me because I have to make them think everything’s OK.’”

The family’s bad luck culminated the day Tre missed play rehearsal.

The next day, Janie asked if he had been sick.

“‘They kicked us out of the hotel because my mom couldn’t pay,’” Janie recalled him telling her.

Janie went home and told her husband: “We need to get this family an apartment. I’m going tomorrow.”

And as readily as she’d opened her car door to Tre that first time, “we just rented an apartment for them,” she said.

With Janie’s name on the lease, the family of five moved into a two-bedroom apartment – mom in one bedroom, her four children sharing the other.

Cindy meticulously paid the rent and utilities “earlier or on time – always,” Janie said.

She got a raise at one of her restaurant jobs, Tre said, allowing her to quit her second job and spend more time with her kids.

But that cherished time with her children would be short-lived.

With a new home and better pay, Cindy and her kids eagerly anticipated celebrating her 50th birthday last summer.

“We were planning on going up to Orlando a few days before and then spend her birthday up there,” Tre said.

“We noticed that she started getting sick literally the day that we got there. As soon as we arrived, she went to bed and went to sleep and was just sleeping the entire time.”

Cindy spent her birthday, August 1, in bed with severe Covid-19. The disease ravaged her body so quickly, “I didn’t even get to see her after she went into the hospital,” Tre said.

On August 7, 2021 – six days after her birthday – Cindy died.

Disbelief exacerbated her children’s agony.

“She didn’t have any prior illnesses. … We just didn’t think anything like that would happen because we were healthy,” Tre said.

“We were seeing the news (about) all the people passing away from Covid, but you never really understand exactly how bad it is until you experience it firsthand. We weren’t thinking this would completely uproot our lives.”

Tre said his mother did not get vaccinated, in part due to rumors about side effects.

“We didn’t want to do this and then (have it) potentially cause us to get sick,” Tre said. “We know better than that now. But I guess that was the reasoning behind her not getting” vaccinated.

Tre and his siblings joined a growing group of children no one wants to be part of: the orphans of Covid. More than 212,000 US children have lost one or both parents to Covid-19, according to estimates from Imperial College London. And the number of children robbed of their parents keeps rising.

“It never crossed my mind,” Tre said, “that me and my older sister would be the ones taking care of our little sisters.”

Tre was the first to hear from the doctor his mother had passed. He rushed to the hospital and told his older sister, Jenny Burrows, now 25, to get there immediately.

When Jenny arrived, “We cried for hours,” Tre recalled. “Our little sisters were at home (sleeping). Then we gathered ourselves and we tried to figure out, ‘OK, how are we going to tell our sisters?’”

They woke up heir siblings Zoe Clarke, then 15, and Sierra Clarke, then 12. The most horrific nightmare had just turned into reality.

But Tre and Jenny didn’t have time to mourn. Their minds were racing:

“‘OK, are we about to get kicked out of the apartment we’re staying in because we can’t afford the bills?

“‘How are we going to move on from this home?

“‘How are we going to get the girls … everything they need for school?’”

And the biggest question of all: Will the younger children get taken away?

Despondent, overwhelmed and tasked with planning a funeral, Tre told Janie his mother passed.

“I just lost it. I couldn’t believe it,” Janie said. “It was devastating.”

She realized the siblings quickly needed help – and not just financially.

They needed to learn how to parent on the fly.

So once again, like she did all those years back from the driver’s seat, Janie went into mom mode.

Without a living legal guardian, the children’s greatest fear was getting separated. Maybe the younger siblings would get taken away into state custody and foster care. Or maybe they would be sent to the Bahamas to live with relatives.

Janie helped Jenny get to work on Priority No. 1: Becoming the younger girls’ legal guardian. It was one of the myriad legal complications that followed their mother’s death.

“Another thing that’s helping us tremendously is we were able to get the girls set up with Social Security benefits from my mom,” Tre said, which will help support Sierra and Zoe until they turn 18.

Janie and her husband also paid the remaining six months on the apartment’s lease. And she started a GoFundMe account, with an initial goal of paying for Cindy’s funeral expenses.

Then just as Janie had stepped in as a stranger to help Tre’s hard-working but struggling family, hundreds more strangers did the same.

The crowdsourcing fund grew so popular, it yielded enough for a down payment on a house so the children wouldn’t have to worry about getting evicted. Any extra funds likely will go toward Sierra’s and Zoe’s college education in the coming years.

Janie also taught the older siblings about car insurance, credit and other life skills they would need to know immediately, now that they had dependents.

The hardest part of being both a brother and a parent to younger siblings is “definitely the mental aspect of all of that,” Tre said.

“The attitude stuff is a big thing for teenagers. They’re teenagers. Like getting chores done, getting your homework done, the attitude that comes with all that … basically, everything that goes with raising a 16- and 12-year-old,” he said.

He and Jenny try to balance it all “while also making sure they don’t look at it like, ‘Oh, since Mom isn’t here, now you think you’re the boss and you can do all this stuff?’”

And Tre tries to balance tough love with “not being too harsh with them, obviously, because we all just went through a horrible situation.”

Tre and Jenny also now juggle a daily marathon of jobs, their own schooling and taking care of their sisters’ basic needs, their education and their mental health.

Tre works at a computer repair company and has started training to become an emergency medical technician and firefighter. And Jenny, a dental assistant, wants to finish training to become a dental hygienist.

The older siblings devised a plan for how to finish their education while paying the bills and taking care of the girls.

“When I was going through EMT school … my sister would drop them off at school. I would pick them up, and (then) I would head to school. That was our plan,” Tre said.

“And my sister would be the one at home with them, making sure they’re getting their homework done, making sure they’re OK mentally. And obviously I would help with that whenever I’m not in school. And basically I would get through that, get through the fire academy, doing the same thing,” he said.

“And then once I’m done with schooling, the roles will kind of be reversed. So I’ll be the one that’s dropping them off, and I’ll be home with them (while) my sister’s at school, getting her career situated.”

It’s a daunting task. But it’s nothing compared to what his own mother did, Tre said.

“My biggest (concern) was just making sure I can fill her shoes,” he said. “I never really understood exactly how much she was doing until now, when my sister and I are the ones who have to do it.”

Tre is also immensely grateful to the countless strangers who helped him and his siblings find a home and stay together.

And it all traces to Janie giving him a ride home from school that dark autumn evening.

“Without her,” he said, “we wouldn’t know what we would have done.”

And Janie has learned from Cindy’s children, she said. Perhaps they inherited their mother’s fortitude.

“I know they have the same instinct inside of them, just like their mom did – that hey, even if it sucks, let’s get up and make the best of it,” she said.

“They’re my inspiration now.”

[ad_2]

Source link

October 9, 2022
Noru became a super typhoon in 6 hours. Scientists say powerful storms are becoming harder to forecast | CNN

[ad_1]

CNN
—

Residents on the small resort island of Polillo are accustomed to severe weather – their island sits in the northeastern Philippines, on the edge of the Pacific Ocean where storms typically gather strength and turn into typhoons.

But even they were stunned by the intensity of Typhoon Noru, known locally as Typhoon Karding, that turned from a typhoon into a super typhoon in just six hours before hitting the region earlier this week.

“We’re used to typhoons because we’re located where storms usually land,” said Armiel Azas Azul, 36, who owns the Sugod Beach and Food Park on the island, a bistro under palm trees where guests drink coconut juice in tiny thatched huts.

“But everything is very unpredictable,” he said. “And (Noru) came very fast.”

The Philippines sees an average of 20 tropical storms each year, and while Noru didn’t inflict as much damage or loss of life as other typhoons in recent years, it stood out because it gained strength so quickly.

Experts say rapidly developing typhoons are set to become much more common as the climate crisis fuels extreme weather events, and at the same time it will become harder to predict which storms will intensify and where they will track.

“The challenge is accurately forecasting the intensity and how fast the categories may change, for example from just a low-pressure area intensifying into a tropical cyclone,” said Lourdes Tibig, a meteorologist and climatologist with the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities.

The same happened in the United States last week when Hurricane Ian turned from a Category 1 storm into a powerful Category 4 hurricane before making landfall along the southwestern coast of Florida on Wednesday.

Such rapid intensification, as it’s known in meteorological terms, creates challenges for residents, authorities and local emergency workers, including those in the Philippines, who increasingly have no choice but to prepare for the worst.

When Azul received warning that Typhoon Noru was approaching the Philippines last Saturday, he began his usual preparations of setting up his generator and tying down loose items.

At that stage, Noru was predicted to make landfall on Sunday as the equivalent of a Category 1 hurricane.

But as the storm grew closer, it strengthened into a super typhoon, the equivalent of a Category 5 hurricane, making landfall Sunday evening with ferocious winds that lifted waves and lashed properties on the shoreline.

Azul said his community was fortunate to have TV signal in the resort, and as soon as they found out that the typhoon was much stronger than forecast, his staff brought in all the bistro’s outdoor furniture and tied down the roofs of their guesthouses, while local government units evacuated people living near the shore.

“But other parts of the island which don’t have internet connectivity and only rely on radio signals might not have got the message in time,” he said.

The typhoon damaged the resort town, as strong winds toppled beach huts and damaged nearby fishing cages.

Azul added that coconut trees planted across the island about a decade ago after Typhoon Ketsana (Ondoy) battered the area had just started to bear fruit but were now completely wiped out.

“We have to pick up the pieces, and rebuild again,” he said.

On the main island of Luzon, Noru left a trail of destruction in the province of Nueva Ecija, known as the “rice granary” of the country.

Ruel Ladrido, 46, a farmer owner in Laur, Nueva Ecija, said his rice fields were not flooded but strong winds damaged his crops.

“It didn’t rain hard near me, but the winds uprooted some of my fields. It will affect our harvest this season, but what can we do? I don’t know the extent of the damage yet, but we’ll have to plant again,” he told CNN on Tuesday.

As of Friday, 12 people had died in the aftermath of Noru, including five rescue workers in Bulacan province, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).

The estimated damage to agriculture ballooned to some 3 billion Philippine pesos (about $51 million), affected 104,500 farmers and fisher folk, and damaged over 166,630 thousand hectares of crop land, according to the NDRRMC.

The Philippines, an archipelago of more than 7,600 islands, is already vulnerable to typhoons, but as sea levels rise and ocean temperatures warm, the storms expected to become more powerful, according to research published in 2018.

The study found that the stronger typhoons carry more moisture and track differently. They are also “aggravated by sea level rise, one of the most certain consequences of climate change.”

A separate study published last year, by researchers at the Shenzhen Institute of Meteorological Innovation and the Chinese University of Hong Kong, found that typhoons in east and southeast Asia now last between two and nine hours longer and travel an average of 100 kilometers (62 miles) further inland than they did four decades ago. By the end of the century, they could have double the destructive power.

As such, it’ll become more difficult to forecast their track and predict ones that will quickly gain strength, or undergo rapid intensification – defined as when wind speeds increase by at least 35 miles per hour (56 kilometers per hour) in 24 hours or less.

Although rare, the Philippines is no stranger to this phenomenon as 28% of all tropical cyclones that made landfall in the country dating back to 1951 underwent rapid intensification based on official data, according to Gerry Bagtasa, a professor with the University of the Philippines’ Institute of Environmental Science and Meteorology.

Bagtasa said factors such as high moisture, warm ocean surface temperatures and low wind shear determine the scale of rapid intensification, but those weather readings “don’t have to be extraordinary in their values” to create rapid intensification.

He remarked that Typhoon Noru’s track across the Philippine Sea before making landfall was “just average for this season” and the wind shear – or the change of wind speed and strength with height in the atmosphere – was not extraordinarily low.

Bagtasa also said forecasters find it difficult to predict rapid intensification in the Pacific, because even though satellite monitoring has improved, there isn’t enough data to forecast worsening weather events.

“There are also many unprecedented events happening recently worldwide, and since forecasters typically rely on their past experiences, new events can ‘throw off’ forecasts, so to speak,” he said.

Mirian Abadilla, a doctor and municipal health officer in Cabangan, Zambales province, on the Philippine island of Luzon, has been involved in her community’s disaster management response since 1991.

She says in that time, typhoons have become harder to forecast, and her community has no choice but to prepare for the worst.

“The typhoons are definitely getting stronger because of climate change, and getting harder to predict,” she said. “But each time we get hit with a typhoon, we try to keep improving our disaster response – that’s the only way for us to stay alert.”

She said local governments held meetings as Typhoon Noru approached the coast to go over relief and rescue plans.

“Filipinos are getting better at disaster preparedness … because we have to be,” she said.

Every province, city, municipality and barangay in the Philippines is required to follow national disaster risk reduction and management system under an act imposed in 2010 to address the island nation’s climate vulnerability.

Local governments must conduct preemptive evacuation based on the projected warnings from the national weather department, and it’s recommended they hold regular disaster rescue drills with responders and host briefing seminars for communities.

In a press briefing on Monday, Philippine President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. praised local government units for “doing a good job” in explaining the situation to the local population as Noru approached, and for carrying out evacuations that may have prevented mass casualties.

But he also seemed to acknowledge the unpredictability of the storms that regularly threaten the Philippine coast, and the need to always be prepared.

“I think we may have gotten lucky at least this time, a little bit,” Marcos Jr. said.

[ad_2]

Source link

October 1, 2022
Supreme Court takes up case concerning Americans with Disabilities Act ‘tester’ of hotels | CNN Politics

[ad_1]

Washington
CNN
—

The US Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear a case concerning whether a self-appointed “tester” of the Americans with Disabilities Act has the right to sue hotels over alleged violations of the civil rights law.

The court was asked to take the case by Acheson Hotels, which owns and operates a hotel in coastal Maine. The company was sued by Deborah Laufer, who they say has filed hundreds of lawsuits against hotels across the country, claiming their websites are not in compliance with ADA rules that require hotels to disclosure information about how accessible they are to individuals with disabilities.

Though Laufer doesn’t intend to visit the hotels she’s suing, the lawsuits are brought in an effort to force the hotels to update their websites to be in compliance with the law.

A district court dismissed Laufer’s suit against Acheson Hotels, ruling she lacked the procedural threshold – known as standing – needed to bring the suit. But an appeals court later ruled in her favor.

Now, the justices will decide next term whether she has the right to act as a “tester” toward hotels she doesn’t intend to visit.

“Laufer is one of numerous ‘testers’ who have collectively brought thousands of lawsuits under the ADA. A cottage industry has arisen in which uninjured plaintiffs lob ADA lawsuits of questionable merit, while using the threat of attorney’s fees to extract settlement payments,” the hotel told the justices in court papers. “These lawsuits have burdened small businesses, clogged the judicial system, and undermined the Executive Branch’s exclusive authority to enforce federal law.”

The hotel run by Acheson Hotels has a notice posted to its website that says, “Please Note: Unfortunately, we do not have the capabilities to provide pet-friendly or ADA compliant lodging. We apologize for the inconvenience!”

Laufer had urged the justices to take the case, with her attorneys arguing in court papers that they should affirm the appeals court ruling.

“Without civil rights advocates such as this plaintiff, there would be no enforcement of the ADA,” they wrote in part.

[ad_2]

Source link

April 12, 2021
Kevin McCarthy to make Israel first foreign trip as House speaker | CNN Politics

[ad_1]

CNN
—

US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy will visit Israel on his first trip abroad as speaker, and address its parliament, the Knesset, he announced on Tuesday.

He’ll be only the second US speaker in history to address the Knesset, and the first one to do so this millennium, his Israeli counterpart Amir Ohana said.

McCarthy responded to a tweet from Ohana, saying he was proud to accept the invitation.

Ohana described McCarthy as “a steadfast supporter and longstanding friend of Israel.”

McCarthy’s visit “is a clear expression of the strong and unbreakable bond between Israel and its closest ally, the United States of America,” Ohana said in a video announcing the visit.

[ad_2]

Source link

April 12, 2021