Latest news with #HRI
Irish Times
5 days ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Racecourse attendance in Ireland up nearly 7% for first six months of 2025
Total racecourse attendances in Ireland for the first half of this year were up almost 7 per cent, according to Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) statistics released on Thursday. HRI reported that total crowd figures reached 566,377, an increase of 6.9 per cent compared to the corresponding first six months of 2024. A key driver in the increase was a record-breaking Punchestown festival where, on the back of notably good weather, attendance jumped 15 per cent to 136,651 over the five days. The figures here emulate increases in British attendance levels so far in 2025. 'This period last year was blighted by significant disruption to the fixture list due to the weather and with a clearer run this time, most of the key numbers have recovered well,' said HRI chief executive Suzanne Eade . 'The reported rise in attendances across the board is most encouraging. The terrific success of the Punchestown festival not only shows how popular our sport remains with all age groups, but how important it is from a social and economic perspective,' she added. Betting turnover is up so far this year, with total on-course betting reaching €39.3 million, an increase of 12 per cent on 2024. It included a 14.1 per cent hike in on-course bookmaker betting to €35.7 million. Total Tote betting reached €34.2 million, up 6.2 per cent, although Tote betting on-course was down €200,000 or 5.3 per cent. Strong overseas business, particularly in breeze-ups and store sales, resulted in a 17.1 per cent increase of bloodstock sales at public auction to €68.4 million. New regulations on traceability and horse welfare have resulted in two new categories introduced by HRI to record the numbers of horses, and their status, with a licensed trainer. Across the first six months of the year, the number of horses in training, declared 'Racing Active', by their designated trainer is 8,594, an increase of 2.4 per cent on last year. There were 2,888 horses in the care of a licensed trainer registered as 'Racing Inactive' in the first six months. 'Since February of this year, new guidelines have been introduced to improve equine traceability and welfare. Our figures for the numbers of horses in training are now recorded in two distinct categories, allowing for a clearer assessment of a horse's status while in the care of a licensed trainer for the first time,' said Ms Eade. There was a reduction in the number of new owners to 412 from 486, but the number of active owners – those that made an entry – is up 2.6 per cent to 3,860.
Globe and Mail
21-07-2025
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Colabor Announces the Date of Its Second Quarter 2025 Results Conference Call
SAINT-BRUNO-DE-MONTARVILLE, Quebec, July 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Colabor Group Inc. (TSX: GCL) ('Colabor' or the 'Company') will release its results for the first quarter ended June 14, 2025, after market close on Thursday, July 24, 2025. A conference call to discuss these results will be held on Friday, July 25, 2025 at 9:30 a.m. (Eastern Time). Conference Call: A live broadcast of the conference call will be available on the Company's website, in the Investors section under Events and presentations. To participate (professional investment community only) or to listen to the live conference call: You can also use the following quick link: This new connection link will allow each participant to connect to the conference call by clicking on the URL link and easily enter their name and phone number. To listen to a recording of the conference call, please call toll-free in North America 1-888-660-6345 or 1-289-819-1450 and enter the code 34320#. The recording will be available until August 1 st, 2025. About Colabor: Colabor is a distributor and wholesaler of food and related products serving the hotel, restaurant and institutional markets or "HRI" in Quebec and in the Atlantic provinces, as well as the retail market. Within its operating activities, Colabor offers specialty food products such as fish and seafood, meat, as well as food and related products through its Broadline activities.
Irish Examiner
15-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
O'Brien back in winner's enclosure as impressive Spanish Temptress gets career off the mark
Ballingarry trainer Richard O'Brien earned a welcome return to the winner's enclosure when the promising Spanish Temptress got off the mark for her career with victory in the Irish Examiner Handicap, the third race on Tuesday night's card in Killarney. The lightly raced three-year-old sat in a great position as the leaders went off very quickly, and when Colin Keane asked her to make her move, the grey's response was impressive. 'The worry I had was that, she didn't look, on Saturday (when runner-up at Limerick), that she needed more of a test, and I thought this was going to be more of a test, so I was a bit dubious,' admitted O'Brien. 'I actually said to the boys this morning that I didn't think we should run on that ground, that she was well enough handicapped that we didn't have to be so opportunistic, but they said, 'no, forget about it, we're running'. 'The owners are a fantastic bunch of guys. They went to the sales with Ross Doyle and picked this filly out. They're like a focus group that HRI should look at. They are absolutely die-hard racing fans: they go to the sales; they go to Chester, Galway, Guineas, Derby; they go on the Stallion Trail. 'It's fantastic to have a winner for them. They are the backbone of what we should be focusing on. They'll be high about this for weeks, and she's a candidate to go to Galway.' The evergreen Lord Erskine is clearly still enjoying the racing life as much as ever and, testament to the training of Harry Rogers, he won for the thirteenth time when taking the Executive Helicopters Handicap under a shrewd ride by Ronan Whelan. 'He's a dream,' said Rogers. 'He just eats, sleeps, and does his work. 'We had a plan going out that, if they didn't go much of a pace, to go on down the back, and Ronan did. He's a right horse on his day. He's a gent – there's no badness in him. He's just a dream horse. He was like his (late) owner, Jerry Nolan.' Looking ahead, he added: 'He might go to Galway. He might end up in the amateur race, but he has a few choices. He's in the Galway Hurdle too, if we get slow ground.' The evening's most valuable race was the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies' Handicap and Elana Osario showed a willing attitude to come out best in a three-way finish. Ridden by Colin Keane for trainer Paddy Twomey and owner Robert Moran, the top weight was never far off the pace, which was quite sedate, and while she looked in trouble for half of the straight, she put her best foot forward where it mattered most to claim victory at the expense of Annie's Angel and Shaool. Donnacha O'Brien, who was on the mark here on Monday, added a second when Shania justified odds-on favouritism in the opener, the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies' Maiden. Off the track since being touched off in a maiden at this meeting in 2024, the imposing filly was made to work hard for this victory, but the winning trainer felt the lack of a recent run was the greatest contributory factor in that. 'She ran here last year on very quick ground and didn't come out of it very well, and it has taken us a while to get her back,' said O'Brien. 'It's nice, safe ground here today and it looked like a good opportunity, and it was nice to get her head in front. 'She quickened past the leader and got a bit lonely in front, and in the last half-furlong she probably got a bit tired as she's been off the track for a year. It probably wasn't a strong race but I'd say a touch of class got her through, rather than fitness.' The second race, the Ross Castle Maiden, was also confined to four-year-olds and older, and even though there were just six runners, it had a fascinating market and produced a pulsating finish. In a last-gasp lunge for the line, the Gillian Scott-trained and Seamie Heffernan-ridden Red Hugh O'Donnell shaded the verdict from Ocean Manifest. It was only a matter of time before the cards fell right for Zipster, and his first success in Ireland came in the Killarney Plaza Hotel & Spa Handicap. Trained by Ger O'Leary and given a well-judged ride by 7lb claimer Darragh O'Sullivan, he picked up well from off the strong pace to run down the leaders close home. Andy Slattery's team continues in superb form and after a couple of second-place finishes earlier on the card, he put a winner on the board when Royal Hollow, confidently ridden by Adam Ryan, took the Tote Qualified Riders' Maiden in grand style.
The Citizen
09-07-2025
- The Citizen
Here is how long you could spend in jail for drug trafficking in SA
A recent study showed that 34 countries still handed down the death penalty for drug offences like manufacturing and trafficking. Pellets of cocaine expelled from the stomach of Pauline Mbangula in 2024. Picture: Supplied / Saps Police have warned South Africans, especially young women, against the possible punishment for drug trafficking. The alert comes after a female drug mule arrested at OR Tambo International Airport was sentenced last week to eight years in prison. The sentence is at the low end of the legal scale, as a recent report showed that several nations still execute drug traffickers. Prison for drug mule Pauline Mbangula was arrested in September last year when she was found to be carrying at least 68 small pellets of cocaine in her stomach. The 30-year-old Namibian arrived in South Africa from Sao Paulo and was soon the subject of a medical examination. The Kempton Park Magistrates Court handed her an eight-year sentence, although three of those were wholly suspended. Mbangula told the court that she was lured to Brazil by a man she had recently met under the guise of going on a holiday. 'Upon arrival in Brazil, she was then forced to swallow the drugs and traffic them to South Africa,' confirmed national police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe. The Namibian is one of more than 20 individuals arrested at Johannesburg's main airport in the last 12 months. 'The regular arrests of drug mules should send a stern warning that police in South Africa and in particular at this port of entry are always on high alert to clamp down on criminality,' stated Mathe. International punishments. A recent study released by Harm Reduction International (HRI) shows that 34 countries retained the death penalty for drug offences. HRI stated that at least 615 people were executed for drug offences in 2024, predominantly in China, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Singapore. 'Executions are assumed to have been carried out in North Korea and Vietnam, on which information is lacking due to state secrecy and censorship,' HRI stated. Additionally, 377 offenders were sentenced to death in 19 counties, while at least 2 300 offenders across 19 countries were on death row for drug charges. 'In the 34 countries that retain the death penalty for drug offences, capital punishment is typically applied for cultivating and manufacturing controlled substances, and for smuggling, trafficking or importing or exporting controlled substances,' stated the report. NOW READ: One in four alcohol addicted teens first exposed by family members
Indian Express
03-07-2025
- Health
- Indian Express
Heat health risks need to be understood as a slow, protracted disaster
The World Meteorological Organisation's 'State of the Climate in Asia 2024' report released on June 23 highlighted that Asia is warming at twice the global average with record highs in sea surface temperatures and marine heatwaves. Asia's warming trend between 1991–2024 was almost double compared to 1961–1990. Within the continent, south and southeast Asia experienced extreme heat during April and May, and in specific, the heat was centred in northern India in May. Are we effectively measuring heat-related illnesses (HRI) and consequent mortalities? How effective are the response mechanisms? The National Programme on Climate Change and Human Health (NPCCHH) was launched in February 2019. HRI surveillance was initiated under the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) in 2015 (subsequently digitised on the Integrated Health Information Platform), in the more heat-vulnerable states. It has now been expanded across the whole country. Instituting any surveillance system such as the National Heat-Related Illness and Death Surveillance is a complex task and we now have about a decade's experience and learning. The NCDC's evaluation, the 2024 report titled 'Heat-Health Preparedness & Response Activities, National Programme on Climate Change & Human Health', provides rich insights. The surveillance system collects aggregate data on heatstroke cases and deaths, emergency department attendance, cardiovascular and total deaths from all states and union territories from primary health centres and above. There were 48,156 Suspected Heatstroke Cases (SHC), 269 Suspected Heatstroke Deaths (SHD) and 161 Confirmed Heatstroke Deaths (CHD) in 2024 with reported increases in key daily indicators – emergency visits, total and cardiovascular deaths in the facilities. There has been a significant increase in reported SHCs over the last couple of years: 4,481 in 2022 and 19,402 in 2023 – the mark of a maturing surveillance system. Emergency attendance in the Reporting Units (RUs) increased from 3.6 million in 2022 to 30 million in 2024; total deaths in the facility from 86 to 74,216 and confirmed cardiovascular deaths (linked to HRIs to some extent) from 47 to 2,173. What is the robustness of HRI reporting? Reporting by the constituent units exhibit an expected seasonality: 20 per cent in March to 40 per cent in July; and the peak between May 15 and June 10 comprising nearly two-thirds (62 per cent) of the annual cases correlated both with peak heatwave days and dips during the holidays and weekends. In terms of consistency of daily reporting, Gujarat, Telangana and Odisha are the better performers. The NHRIDS had 47,477 Reporting Units (RU) in 2024 and 55 per cent reported HRIs. The top three states were also Gujarat, Odisha, Telangana with 91 per cent, 89 per cent and 72 per cent of the RUs reporting respectively. Contrast this with 23 per cent of the 40,390 RUs reporting in 2023. RUs in key north and central Indian states that experience high heat demonstrated improvements in reporting between 2023 and 2024 but continue to lag behind the top three performers. There was hardly any reporting from Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan in 2023 but nearly 50 per cent of the RUs reported in 2024. And 30 per cent or less of the RUs in Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Haryana reported during 2024. Health systems preparedness is critical to providing treatment and reducing morbidity and mortality. These include availability of basic utilities, ORS (oral rehydration solution) corners, diagnostic equipment, emergency cooling equipment/appliances at health facilities, capacity building of healthcare staff as well as ambulance services. The NCDC evaluated 5,720 facilities across the country, 87 per cent of these at the primary care level. While there was relatively high reporting of availability of basic utilities, training, and community outreach, some of the more specific and critical elements need a big boost. Emergency cooling preparedness was available in only 32 per cent of health facilities including in only 26 per cent of the primary health centres (PHCs). Diagnostic equipment was available in 53 per cent of the assessed facilities. Six per cent facilities were found to have 'optimal', 32 per cent were 'adequate', 11 per cent were 'basic' and 51 per cent were 'inadequate' in level-appropriate preparedness. Health facilities in Odisha were found to have the highest level of preparedness while those in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Haryana, and Punjab were some of the least prepared. Preparedness levels of ambulances and mobile units are a cause for worry: Only 48 per cent had ice packs, 39 per cent had rectal thermometers (for measuring core body temperature, a marker of heat stroke), 13 per cent could provide conductive cooling (for rapidly reducing core temperature in exertional heat stroke), 63 per cent could provide evaporative/combined cooling (relatively less effective) and 57 per cent had paramedics trained in emergency management of severe HRIs. Notwithstanding the NHRDIS, multiple government agencies report varyingly different numbers with respect to heatstroke deaths during 2000-2020: 20,615 according to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB); 17,767 according to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and 10,545 according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). Independent researchers forecast up to over 1.5 million deaths annually in a high-emissions scenario or a 14.7 per cent increase in daily mortality with temperatures above 97th percentile for two consecutive days. There is a need to look beyond acute disaster framing and Heat Action Plans (HAPs) need to build in more markers such as high night temperatures, heat index or the excess heat factor; as well as making it more local and agile, beyond standard templates. Heat stress is the leading cause of weather-related deaths and can exacerbate underlying morbidities, triggering episodic demands for healthcare. Heat health risks therefore, need to be understood as a slow, protracted disaster. Health programmes are built brick by brick; learning as we go along. At the same time, the climate emergency makes heat-health responses a moving target. The writer is chairperson, Centre of Social Medicine & Community Health, JNU, a collaborator in the Wellcome Trust supported 'Economic and Health Impact Assessment of Heat Adaptation Action: Case studies from India'. Views are personal
