AIR QUALITY

The U.N. weather agency says the world and especially urban areas experienced a brief and sharp drop in emissions of air pollutants last year.

Poor air quality can be especially dangerous for people with some pre-existing conditions.

ORLANDO, Fla. – If your allergies and sinuses are acting up, the dust from Sahara Desert that has been in our sky is likely to blame. The lower concentration of dust should help allergies improve by the middle of the week. Tropical Update:Two areas in the tropics have been highlighted as having a low chance to develop. The tropics remain relatively quiet. Two areas have been highlighted by the National Hurricane Center as having a low chance to develop.

ORLANDO, Fla. – It’s all about the dust lately and that dust continues to be problematic for those with allergies or health conditions. The air quality will be poor through the weekend and those in the sensitive group category should limit their time outdoors. High temperatures top out in the mid 90s Saturday with a feels like temperature around 105 degrees. Tropical update:No new development is expected by the National Hurricane Center, but a few tropical waves worth watching are moving off of Africa. No new development is expected by the National Hurricane Center over the next few days, but there are several tropical waves moving off of Africa that bear watching.

The positives and negatives when it comes to Saharan Dust. Saharan dust and red tideThis is the potentially ugly side of Saharan Dust. Some large red tide years have also occurred without any Saharan dust. Dry air and increased wind shear are the main characteristics of the Saharan Air Layer, the official name of the cloud of Saharan dust. Saharan dust is the ultimate catch 22, bringing significant positives and potentially some negatives as it makes its yearly trans-Atlantic journey.

While dust from the Sahara Desert makes a trip across the Atlantic every year, 2020′s dust has been abnormally thick. Because of the dry air and increased wind shear within the area of dust, tropical development becomes less likely in the areas where the dust is present. Hello, (goodbye) DollyIf you blinked, you may have missed Tropical Storm Dolly. NO tropical development is expected. There are several tropical waves coming off of Africa, which is early for that to be happening, but the environment is not conducive for tropical development at this time.

According to the ruling, Volkswagen is basically obliged to pay damages to car owners affected by the diesel scandal. Volkswagen said the decision announced Monday would clear the way for settlement of remaining consumer claims in Germany. The decision affects some 60,000 individual claims brought by car owners there; around 262,000 others have already been covered by an 830 million-euro ($904 million) class-action settlement. “For the majority of the 60,000 pending cases, this ruling provides clarity,” the company said in a statement. He had sought the full purchase price but the court ruled he must accept less due to depreciation related to the distance he drove.

BERLIN – German auto giant Volkswagen agreed Friday to pay 830 million euros ($912 million) in damages to hundreds of thousands of customers whose diesel cars were outfitted with software to manipulate emissions readings. The settlement offer was negotiated with Germany’s consumer protection group VZBV, and Volkswagen called it “fair compensation.” The offer amounts to about 15% of the purchase price of the car, and payments range from between 1,350 euros to 6,257 euros ($1,485-$6,882). It will now be up to some 260,000 customers who had sued Volkswagen in Germany, arguing their cars had lost value due to the emission cheating scandal, to accept the offer or to proceed on their own to try and sue for more. In 2015, U.S. regulators caught Volkswagen using software that turned emissions controls off once the car had passed emissions tests. The company has paid out more than 30 billion euros ($33 billion) in fines, settlements and recalls.

Automaker Volkswagen has offered 830 million euros as a settlement for owners of diesel vehicles that used software to mask excessive emissions. The company said Friday it was making the offer after talks broke down with a German consumer association that had been negotiating for a deal over fees for the plaintiffs' attorneys. The VZBZ consumer association said that the settlement talks failed because Volkswagen was unwilling to set up what it called a “transparent, trustworthy and secure” way of resolving the claims. In 2015, U.S. regulators caught Volkswagen using software that turned emissions controls off once the car had passed emissions tests. The company has paid out more than 30 billion euros ($33 billion) in fines, settlements and recalls.

FRANKFURT – Prosecutors in Germany have filed charges against six more individuals in connection with Volkswagen's diesel emissions scandal, bringing the total to 11. The prosecutors' statement did not name the individuals charged. Three of the accused were charged with direct offenses and the other three as accessories to the offenses, meaning they assisted or facilitated them. The prosecutors said 32 more individuals were under investigation. The company has paid more than 30 billion euros ($33 billion) in fines, settlements and recall costs.

BERLIN – Volkswagen and a German consumer group said Thursday they will conduct talks on a possible settlement in a landmark case in which hundreds of thousands of people aim to establish a right of compensation for cars affected by the automaker’s diesel emissions scandal. At the time, the presiding judge suggested that the two sides could consider a settlement, which he said would be possible though very difficult. The case was brought by the Federation of German Consumer Organizations on behalf of more than 400,000 diesel owners. In a statement Thursday, the two sides said that they have agreed to open talks on a possible settlement and that their common aim is “a pragmatic solution” in the interests of customers. It stressed that it is uncertain whether they will reach a settlement and said both sides have agreed to confidentiality.

BERLIN – A German appeals court has ruled in several lawsuits against automaker Volkswagen, saying consumers who unknowingly bought cars with software installed to cheat diesel emissions tests deserve compensation but those who purchased them later don’t. The Stuttgart appeals court ruled Thursday plaintiffs could demand repayment of the purchase price, minus a portion for usage, for cars bought between 2013-2015. The scandal came to light when U.S. authorities announced the violation in September 2015. It has cost Volkswagen some 30 billion euros ($33 billion) in fines, recalls and settlements, and several former executives have faced legal repercussions. The court rejected damage claims from plaintiffs who purchased vehices in 2016, saying Volkswagen’s announcements after the scandal broke were “sufficient in content and scope to inform the public.”The rulings can be appealed.