World Leaks

El enigmático Marte sigue sorprendiéndonos, y recientes investigaciones revelan nuevos secretos que han permanecido ocultos bajo su polvorienta superficie. Un equipo de científicos ha presentado descubrimientos fascinantes sobre el campo gravitatorio del planeta en el Congreso Europlanetario de Ciencias 2024, celebrado en Berlín. Utilizando satélites en órbita para detectar variaciones locales en la gravedad, los […]

La entrada Nuevos hallazgos en Marte revelan estructuras ocultas y posible actividad volcánica se publicó primero en Verás.

A's closer Mason Miller earned his 27th save of the year, setting a new franchise rookie record.

What's driving a suburban surge in southeast Texas? Experts who spoke with ABC13 pointed to certain trends, including your type of familial situation.

BRITS heading to a popular holiday hot-spot in 2025 could be fined up to £168 if they don’t comply with a strict new law.

Local officials in Benidorm are set to launch a new Low Emission Zone in an effort to crack down on pollution.

Getty

Local officials will launch a new low emission zone in an effort to curb pollution[/caption]

Getty

Anyone caught driving in the zone without a permit will cop a massive 200-euro fine[/caption]

Permits will be required to drive around the city and parts of Levante.

Anyone found to have fallen foul of the new regulations could be hit with a fine of up to £168 (€200).

A driving permit can be purchased through a phone app, which also shows parking spots.

City mobility councillor, Francis Muñoz, told the Olive Press: “This will apply to class B vehicles that are not classified as non-polluting.

“Thanks to the phone app, motorists will be able to check out on available parking areas and travel directly to them without going through the centre of Benidorm or other restricted areas.”

He added: “We want more space for pedestrians and to make it a friendlier city without causing any trauma as many of the measures like bike lanes and pedestrianisation have all been done before by us.”

The councillor said that vehicles will be regulated better and won’t need to use roads in the ZBE to reach a destination.

Muñoz also emphasized the city’s broader goal of making Benidorm more pedestrian-friendly, noting that similar measures such as bike lanes and pedestrianization have been successfully implemented in the past.

Authorities will run a trial period of six months to help the public familiarise itself with the new rules.

The seaside resort is located on the eastern coast of Spain, part of the Valencia region’s famed Costa Blanca.

Last year, some 2,766,366 travellers descended on Benidorm, of whom more than 800,000 were Brits.

It comes after a slate of new rules have been imposed on holidaymakers as the anti-tourism sentiment grows.

Benidorm has recently banned both drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes on the stretch of sand to reduce littering.

Holidaymakers caught smoking on the beach could end up with a fine as much as £1,700.

Benidorm has also banned anyone swimming in the sea between 12am and 7am because there are no lifeguards on the beach at night.

Anyone caught swimming between those hours will be charged as much as £1,020.

Meanwhile, tourists who opt to go nude on a non-nudist beach can be fined up to £560.

Make sure to put your clothes over your swimwear when leaving the beach too – or get fined £260.

Meanwhile Brits who try and nab a sunlounger too early on holiday could be left hundreds of pounds out of pocket.

It comes as council chiefs in the popular Costa Blanca resort of Calpe have It ordered local police to remove sunbeds, towels and parasols placed on the sand before 9.30am.

Tourists and locals who breach the ban will have to pay to retrieve them from a municipal depot and face a penalty charge of €250 (£210).

Calpe Council says the municipal by-law is designed to facilitate the early-morning cleaning of beaches in the popular holiday resort a 25-minute drive north of Benidorm.

A similar approach is being taken to sun seekers who try to keep the best spots by going for a long lunch followed by a siesta, leaving their belongings unattended for more than three hours.

We’ve rounded up five other Spanish laws to be aware of too.

Enoch Oyedibu   In the past six years, Ondo and Ogun States in Southwest Nigeria have collectively spent  over ₦10.733 billion on their respective government houses, according to audited financial reports and approved budgetary allocations from each state.  Despite facing economic challenges and high levels of debt, both states have continued to allocate significant funds …

The Nigerian Army has dismantled a criminal network hideout located in the Karim Lamido Local Government Area of Taraba State. The operation, executed by Troops of the 6 Brigade in collaboration with Sector 3 OPWS recorded the arrest of two suspects. The troops had acted on credible intelligence following a series of criminal activities including …

The $7,200,000 purchase price works out to $3,438 per square foot. The house, built in 1949, has an interior space of 2,094 square feet.

Mercury News Letters to the Editor for Sept. 19, 2024

The former teacher, facing charges of soliciting a minor and sexual performance of a child, is also the son of the Edna ISD superintendent.

URGENT action is needed to fix NHS maternity services as half of them are below standard, inspectors warn.

An audit by the Care Quality Commission found massive variation in mum-and-baby units but also “common areas of concern” across England.

Alamy

The Care Quality Commission said it sees the same problems in maternity units nationwide[/caption]

It rated 48 per cent of 131 inspections “inadequate” or “requires improvement”.

A shocking 65 per cent did not meet “good” safety standards.

Official figures show the number of women dying during pregnancy or shortly after the birth of their baby is at a 20-year high.

The CQC said many clinics do not properly report or learn from safety incidents.

Mums-to-be often face long delays due to short-staffing, it added, and their concerns are not always taken seriously.

Communication with families is not as good as it should be, either.

Nicola Wise, hospitals director at the CQC, said: “Although we’ve seen examples of good care and hardworking staff doing their best, we remain concerned that key issues continue to impact quality and safety. 

“Disappointingly none of those issues are new.

“We cannot allow an acceptance of shortfalls that are not tolerated in other services. 

“We must do more to ensure that poor care and preventable harm do not become normalised.”

The national review inspected all NHS maternity services that had not been visited and rated since 2021.

It said some failings could be fixed within hospitals but others would need more cash and action from the Government.

Scandals are not isolated incidents

The report said scandals at the East Kent hospitals and Shrewsbury and Telford were not isolated and families are being let down nationwide.

A review is already under way in Nottingham, which saw family outcry at a public meeting with the local hospital on Wednesday.

As a midwife, reading this report makes me both incredibly sad for every woman and family that hasn’t received the level of care they should

Gill Waltonchief executive, Royal College of Midwives

Health Secretary Wes Streeting said maternity care is “one of the biggest issues that keeps me awake at night worrying.”

He said: “We’re keen to make sure that lessons are applied right across the country. 

“We are determined to get this right.”

NHS chief midwifery officer, Kate Brintworth acknowledged at despite the “hard work of NHS staff”, maternity care “simply isn’t at the level” women should expect.

She said: “We know there is much more we need to do to drive up standards of care and build on improvements already made.

“We will continue to provide intensive support to the most challenged trusts and support a growth in the maternity workforce.”

Meanwhile, Gill Walton, chief executive of the Royal College of Midwives, called on the Government to work with NHS staff to resolve the problems, to build maternity services “we can all be proud of”.

She added: “As a midwife, reading this report makes me both incredibly sad for every woman and family that hasn’t received the level of care they should and for every midwife and maternity support worker trying to do their best in a system that they feel is broken.

“It also makes me angry that, despite all the evidence, little has been done to resolve these issues effectively.

“Wes Streeting has said that maternity safety keeps him awake at night – me too.

“So let’s work together – the Government and the RCM, with those delivering care – to make it better.”