Time card system to be enforced to prevent road accidents during festival period
The government is to enforce the 'time card' system in public transport operating on long routes in a bid to prevent accidents and for efficient traffic management during the festival period. The biggest festivals of Nepalis - Dashain, Tihar and Chhath- are only a week away. They last together for about a month. A meeting of the committee formed for this purpose on Saturday took a decision in this connection. It is said the time card system is also being enforced with a view to discouraging the tendency of driving at high speed to reach the destination earlier. The committee has made 14 various decisions including implementing the time card by identifying places on the highway in coordination with Nepal Police, the Department of Transport Management and the transport entrepreneurs. The meeting was chaired by Home Ministry spokesperson and the committee coordinator Phanindra Mani Pokharel. It decided to strictly prohibit travelling on the roofs of buses or vehicles or hanging. The committee will also carry out monitoring as needed for preventing drunk driving. The committee has taken a decision requiring every public transportation vehicle to keep a first aid kit, stickers with necessary information as police hotline contact number, a signal object if there is an accident and to make arrangements for sanitizing the vehicle. Likewise, the committee decided to make public the phone number for passengers to complain in case the driver drives the vehicle in an unusual manner and to arrange for directing all the police units for immediate mobilization after getting such a complaint. As per the information shared by the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Department of Transport Management will make arrangements for conducting mechanical checks at the main places in the Kathmandu Valley on vehicles operating on the medium and long routes beginning September 25. This would be conducted in coordination of the authorized seller, the Traffic Police and the transport entrepreneurs. A decision has been taken requiring the transport entrepreneurs’ federation to assign a contact person in every province and district for the smooth operation of vehicles and provide his/her phone number to Nepal Police.
Death toll from sunken Lebanon migrant boat rises to 94
The death toll from a migrant boat that sank off the Syrian coast after sailing from Lebanon earlier this week has risen to 94, after more bodies were recovered from Syria's Baniyas coast on the Mediterranean, Syrian state TV said on Saturday, Reuters reported.
It is the deadliest such voyage yet from Lebanon, where mounting economic desperation has led many to board often rickety and overcrowded boats in the hope of reaching Europe.
Syrian authorities began finding bodies off the coast of the northern port city of Tartus on Thursday afternoon. The Syrian transport ministry quoted survivors as saying the boat had left from Lebanon's northern Minyeh region on Tuesday with between 120 and 150 people on board, bound for Europe, according to Reuters.
Hurricane Fiona: Canada hit by 'historic, extreme event'
Hundreds of thousands of people have been left without power, after Storm Fiona hit Canada's coastline, BBC reported.
Fiona was downgraded from a hurricane to a tropical storm on Friday.
But parts of Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick still experienced torrential rain and winds of up to 160km/h (99mph), with trees and powerlines knocked down.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the situation was critical, and promised to provide support through the army.
Officials have yet to share reports of fatalities or serious injuries, but authorities are dealing with extensive flooding.
In a briefing Mr Trudeau described Fiona as "a very powerful and dangerous storm" and said the army will be deployed to help with assessment and clean-up efforts. His government has already responded positively to a request by Nova Scotia authorities for assistance.
Tropical storm warnings were issued for the Atlantic provinces of Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and New Brunswick, as well as in parts of Quebec.
The country's eastern region could receive up to 10in (25cm) of rain, increasing the risk of flash flooding.
In Nova Scotia, shelters were prepared in Halifax and Cape Breton for people to take cover ahead of the storm.
"We have been through these types of events before, but my fear is, not to this extent," said Amanda McDougall, mayor of Cape Breton Regional Municipality. "The impacts are going to be large, real and immediate."
In Port aux Basques, with a population of 4,067 on the southwest tip of Newfoundland, intense flooding saw some homes and office buildings washed out to sea, local journalist Rene Roy, told CBC. The area is under a state of emergency, according to BBC.
He added that many homes were left as "a pile of rubble in the ocean right now", adding: "There is an apartment building that's literally gone. There are entire streets that are gone."
Officials later confirmed that at least 20 homes had been lost.
And the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said a woman was rescued after being "tossed into the water as her home collapsed" in the area. They said another report of a women being swept out from her basement had been received, but conditions remained too dangerous to conduct a search.
Power companies have warned that it could take days to restore electricity, as wind speeds remain too high to start work on downed power lines.
Severe hurricanes in Canada are rare, as storms lose their energy once they hit colder waters in the north and become post-tropical instead. But pressure in the region is predicted to be historically low as Storm Fiona hits, making way for a heavier storm.
Meteorologist Bob Robichaud warned on Friday afternoon that Fiona will be bigger than Juan, and stronger than 2019's Hurricane Dorian, which also reached the shores of Nova Scotia, BBC reported.
Free tuberculosis health camp organized at eight wards of KMC
Tuberculosis test was conducted free of cost at eight wards of Kathmandu Metropolitan City. The Japan Anti-Tuberculosis Association with the collaboration of Japan-Nepal Health and Tuberculosis Research Organization and the KMC ward offices organized a two-day free tuberculosis health camp. The free tuberculosis health camp was organized at KMC ward 6, 7, 10, 15, 16, 18, 26 and 32. Program Coordinator of Japan Anti-Tuberculosis Association, DN Sharma, shared that a free tuberculosis health camp was organized targeting the wards having dense population. According to the Association, a free tuberculosis camp would be organized in all wards of KMC in the coming days. Sharma added that building a tuberculosis-free society after carrying out treatment of tuberculosis patients by identifying them is the main objective of the Association. Similarly, Japan-Nepal Health and Tuberculosis Research Organization is working in tuberculosis sector in 11 districts of the country—Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, Lalitpur, Kavrepalanchok, Dhading, Chitwan, Makawanpur, Kaski, Tanahu, Syangja and Nawalpur.
