Battle-torn Ghazni residents 'can't find food'
Food supplies in the Afghan city of Ghazni are running low, as a battle with the Taliban rages for a fourth day, the UN has warned.
"Life is getting hard for people, they can't get food or water," a man who fled the city on Sunday told the BBC.
More than 100 government soldiers and police have been killed since the Taliban stormed Ghazni from four sides early on Friday.
The city lies on the key highway between Kabul and Kandahar.
Control of it would effectively allow the Taliban to cut off southern Afghanistan from Kabul, the capital. The success of the militants' assault has come as a blow to the government of President Ashraf Ghani, which has now deployed an extra 1,000 troops.
The government and its Nato allies insist they are in control of Ghazni but reports suggest Taliban fighters continue to roam the streets and still control many government buildings. Phone communications are down, making it difficult to verify information coming out of the city.
Those fleeing Ghazni say the situation for civilians is bleak, with at least 30 casualties among them, according to the government. More than 140 people have been wounded, hospital officials say, including security forces.
Ecuador bus crash: 12 Barcelona SC fans killed
At least 12 fans of Ecuadorean football team Barcelona SC have been killed and 30 injured when the bus they were travelling in overturned.
The fans were returning from an away game in Cuenca where the team from Guayaquil had drawn against Deportivo Cuenca.
It is not yet clear what caused the bus to overturn on the road.
Barcelona SC is one of the most popular teams in the country with a passionate fan base.
He also said that a funeral chapel would be set up in the team's stadium to honour those who had died.
Ecuador's football association as well as football clubs across Ecuador expressed their condolences to Barcelona SC.
Officials from Ecuador's transport commission are at the scene of the accident. They said that the bus had all the necessary permits and had passed a safety inspection in February.
Eyewitnesses told a local channel the driver had been trying to overtake another vehicle just before the accident happened.
Cancer-causing metal discovered in Volkswagen plug-in cars
Cadmium is a highly toxic cancer-causing metal that is a usually a by-product of zinc production. It has also just been found to be present in 124,000 VW plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles, prompting a production shutdown and possible recall.
Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt (KBA), Germany’s Federal Transport Authority, may force a recall of all affected vehicles due to the presence of the carcinogenic material in high-voltage battery chargers – roughly 0.008 grams per device. The material is largely prohibited by the German government for use in vehicles, due to the damage it can potentially do to the environment when the car is recycled or scrapped.
Volkswagen has halted the production of Golf GTE, Passat GTE, e-Golf and e-Up! models, with hybrid Audi and Porsche models also affected. The company claims the charger containing the material comes from an external supplier that had not made it aware of the presence of cadmium. A replacement supplier has, allegedly, already been found.
Off the back of the ‘dieselgate’ emissions scandal, Volkswagen Group needed to champion a new route to clean, efficient motoring. Electric power was just that, with plug-in and hybrid technology a willing and achievable stepping stone. It seems, however, it can’t escape controversy.
That the buck doesn’t stop with VW itself should provide some solace for the automotive leviathan. Hopefully, it can implement a recall and introduce the new chargers post-haste.
Brooks Koepka outpoints Tiger Woods in heavyweight PGA Championship battle for the ages
It was fitting that the 100th PGA Championship was contested on a golf course with all the design variety of a boxing ring.
Brooks Koepka confirmed himself as the undisputed heavyweight champion with his second major victory of the year and third in six starts, having sat out the Masters with a wrist injury. His was a decisive win, but it was a win on points.
This was no knockout. The greatest of them all, a man who has been punch drunk and on the ropes for several years, was still on his feet, and until his very last shot was throwing haymakers with a ferocity not seen in a decade.
Tiger Woods faced numerous obstacles beginning this comeback, not least the durability of his body and his game. But the most daunting hurdle is his opposition, a generation unburdened by the scar tissue he inflicted on their elders.
Disney’s New Streaming Service Has Been Given ‘A Release Date’
Earlier this year it was revealed that Disney would be pulling all their popular titles from Netflix, and begin work on their own streaming service to rival the current business.
While the ink only dried on the official FOX and Disney partnership two weeks ago, it seems that plans to create the ultimate streaming service are well underway, and is due to be rolled out to the general public late 2019. Exciting news or what?!
Disney’s new service will feature family-friendly titles such as Frozen and its upcoming sequel, the Toy Story films and other classics. It will also reportedly include Marvel and Lucasfilm movies, such as The Avengers, Iron Man, Star Wars and Indiana Jones, in its new venture.
It will also include the streaming service Hulu, which currently comes alongside FOX – and popular sports entertainment channel ESPN. Currently, Hulu and ESPN are only available in the US, so it’s unsure whether or not they will take these channels globally in their new venture.
Disney CEO Bob Iger said in a statement accompanying the announcements: “This acquisition and the launch of our direct-to-consumer services mark an entirely new growth strategy for the company, one that takes advantage of the incredible opportunity that changing technology provides us to leverage the strength of our great brands.”
Productions from Pixar, the Disney Channel and Disney Junior will be focused on highly first, as the streaming service tailors its first market audience very much towards families.
Migration of nurses and midwives in CARICOM a cause for concern
The call for urgent action to address the migration of nurses and midwives from the region was made during the opening of the 45th annual general meeting of the Regional Nursing Body (RNB) on 7 August 2018, at the headquarters of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) in Guyana.
It included recommendations for strong advocacy for the implementation of the 2001 migration strategy and for a statement to be issued by the RNB to the leadership of the Community’s highest decision-making body.
Chair of the RNB, Nester Edwards, chief nursing officer, Grenada, in her opening remarks told the gathering of Chief Nursing Officers, representatives of nursing councils, universities and international development partners that “experienced nurses are leaving in large numbers”.
“Chief nursing officers (CNOs) can testify to a certain renewed active migration taking place where international agencies are coming in a secretive manner and recruiting our personnel”, she said.
“We need to bring this issue back to the table and talk about implementing those strategies”, she added.
Guyana’s minister for public health, Volda Lawrence, who also addressed the official opening, underscored the urgent need for a comprehensive human resource strategy that will boost the present workforce and prioritise the improvement of nursing education in keeping with current trends and best practices in the field.
In similar vein, she lamented the migration “crisis”, emphasising “something must be done to ensure that the hemorrhaging of our trained people who [governments] borrow to invest in”, is stopped. The minister called for a statement to be issued by the RNB to regional leaders to take action on the “pilfering of our human resources”.
Lawrence alluded to the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal Three which speaks to ensuring the health and well-being of Community’s citizens and noted that critical and intense efforts were needed as 2030 approaches.
“… we cannot achieve the goal of our citizens being the healthiest in the Caribbean and the Americas, if we do not have at our disposal a core of highly qualified and professional dedicated health workers”, she said.
The meeting will provide an opportunity for reviewing progress and challenges in the sector, including an update on the collaboration with the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) with respect to the CXC-Managed Regional Examination for Nurse Registration (RENR).
At the end of the RNB meeting, which runs from 7-10 August 2018, it is expected, among other outcomes, that the definition, regulation and scope of practice of assistive nursing personnel would be ratified; and, in partnership with the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO), the regional strategic framework updated and finalised.
FORECAST FOR THE BAHAMAS AND TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS FOR 13th AUGUST, 2018
FORECAST FOR THE BAHAMAS AND TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS FOR TODAY AND TONIGHT
MONDAY 13TH AUGUST 2018
GENERAL SITUATION: POCKETS OF UNSETTLED WEATHER ASSOCIATED WITH AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH ACROSS THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS AND A WESTWARD TROPICAL WAVE ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS WILL CONTINUE OVER THE BAHAMAS TODAY. MEANWHILE A SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE WILL PRODUCE SOME MODERATE TO FRESH BREEZES ACROSS THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST ISLANDS.
SPECIAL WARNINGS: BOATERS SHOULD REMAIN VIGILANT FOR POSSIBLE WATERSPOUT ACTIVITY TODAY AND BEACHGOERS SHOULD CONTINUE TO EXERCISE CAUTION DUE TO HIGH RISK OF RIP CURRENTS AND ROUGH SURF ALONG EAST COAST BEACHES IN THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS INCLUDING THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS.
CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS INCLUDING THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS
WEATHER: VARIABLY CLOUDY, BREEZY AND VERY WARM WITH FEW PASSING SHOWERS OR A POSSIBLE THUNDERSTORM MAINLY NEAR THE TROPICAL WAVE TODAY THROUGH TONIGHT.
ADVISORY: SMALL CRAFT SHOULD CONTINUE TO EXERCISE CAUTION.
WINDS: EASTERLY AT 15 TO 20 KNOTS OVER OPEN WATERS WITH HIGHER GUSTS AT TIMES.
SEAS: 4 TO 6 FEET OVER THE OCEAN BUT HIGHER IN GUSTS.
NORTHWEST BAHAMAS
WEATHER: PARTLY CLOUDY TO CLOUDY, HOT AND HUMID WITH FEW SCATTERED SHOWERS OR ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS MAINLY ACROSS THE EXTREME NORTHWEST BAHAMAS AND ANDROS AREA TODAY. PARTLY CLOUDY AND WARM WITH FEW LINGERING SHOWERS LIKELY.
ADVISORY: BOATERS SHOULD BE ALERT FOR GUSTY WINDS AND HIGHER SEAS IN OR NEAR HEAVY SHOWERS OR THUNDERSTORMS.
WINDS: SOUTHEAST TO SOUTH AT 10 TO 15 KNOTS, FALLING LIGHT AND VARIABLE AT TIMES
SEAS: 2 TO 4 FEET OVER THE OCEAN, FALLING TO 1 TO 3 FEET AT TIMES.
DAYTIME HIGH TEMPERATURE: 92F 33C
OVERNITE LOW TEMPERATURE: 77F 25C
HEAT INDEX: 105F 41C
SUNRISE: 6:43AM SUNSET: 7:44PM
MOONRISE: 8:58AM MOONSET: 9:47PM
HIGH TIDE: 8:59AM LOW TIDE: 3:12PM
HIGH TIDE: 9:24PM LOW TIDE: 3:47AM TUE.
EXTENDED FORECAST: UPPER LEVEL TROUGH WILL REMAIN STATIONARY IN VICINITY OF THE NORTHWEST BAHAMAS WHILE SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE WILL CONTINUE ACROSS THE AREA WITH ONLY FEW SCATTERED SHOWERS OR ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS AFFECTING THE ISLAND THROUGH WEDNESDAY AS CONDITIONS BECOME DRIER.
DECR HOSTS TRAINING FOR ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS
The Department of Environment and Coastal Resources (DECR) conducted two weeks of training during the weeks of July 23rd to August 3rd 2018. The training was geared towards building capacity of enforcement Officers within the Department of Environment and Coastal Resources and was funded by the Professional Development Fund from the Deputy Governor’s office.
The first week of training was held on the island of Providenciales from July 23rd to 27th and the second week held in Grand Turk form July 30th to August 3rd 2018. Training topics included evidence collection and management, suspect interviewing and case file preparation.
The DECR has over 15 enforcement Officers tasked with the responsibility to effectively administer the various environmental protection laws of the TCI. These laws range from:
National Parks Ordinance and Regulations
Fisheries Protection Ordinance and regulations
Fishery Limits Ordinance
Coast Protection Ordinance
Marine Pollution Ordinance amongst others.
Through the Government’s Professional Development Fund, the DECR was able to provide necessary training to all enforcement staff in an effort to improve enforcement efficiency and compliance by the public.
The completed training will significantly improve the quality of case files prepared by officers’. Their enhanced ability to conduct surveillance, collect evidence, interview witnesses and suspects will assist the department in reaching its objective to increase compliance.
The training was conducted by VPS Global Consultancy by two experienced and qualified trainers with over 20 years’ law enforcement involvement. Mr. Delbinder Mehat and Mr. Vijay Singh have knowledge of TCI laws through previous work with agencies such as the Department of Public Prosecution and Integrity Commission.
Officers who participated in the exercise expressed gratitude for the training provided, stating that it was very insightful; practical sessions and the pace at which the training was delivered allowed all students to fully grasp teaching concepts.
Hurricane Maria: Puerto Rico acknowledges hundreds died
Puerto Rico has acknowledged that Hurricane Maria killed 1,427 people in the US territory, not 64 as it has previously reported.
The latest figure was in a draft report for US Congress, requesting $139bn in recovery funds.
The official figure of 64 has remained unchanged since last year despite some experts estimating 4,600 deaths.
A government spokesperson acknowledged the latest number as a "realistic estimate" but said that the death toll had not been officially changed, as the authorities were awaiting the results of a study by George Washington University.
"We don't want to say it out loud or publicise it as an official number... until we see the study and have the accuracy," Pedro Cerame from the island's Federal Affairs Administration told the Times.
The government has faced criticism for underreporting the number of those killed in the wake of 2017 storm. Many died from interrupted medical care and lack of access to hospitals. The power outage also led to an increased number of deaths from diabetes and sepsis.
Hurricane Maria caused the largest blackout in US History, according to research consultancy the Rhodium Group.
Overall, Hurricane Maria caused losses of $90bn, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa) said.