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9 News
a day ago
- 9 News
Major warning about travel to Australia's top holiday hotspot
Your web browser is no longer supported. To improve your experience update it here It's Australia's favourite overseas haunt, but travellers to Indonesia have been issued a recent warning to be careful if they jet off to the popular tourist destination. On Friday, the federal government's Smartraveller website said it had reviewed its advice for Indonesia and continued to advise visitors to "exercise a high degree of caution". "Australians have drowned in coastal areas, due to rough seas and strong rip currents at popular tourist beaches including in Bali," the website said. A new warning from Smartraveller urges Australians to be highly cautious in Indonesia. (Getty) "Many beaches are unpatrolled." Travellers were also warned to make sure their passports were in pristine condition, with water damage, minor tears, or rips to the page being considered to breach damage standards in the past. If travelling to the hotspot-within-a-hotspot that is Bali, people are urged to read up on the Bali Provincial Government's list of "do's and don'ts". Australians have drowned off Indonesian beaches. (Getty) "Offensive behaviour that fails to respect local culture, religion, places of worship, and traditional ceremonies can lead to criminal penalties and/or deportation," Smartraveller said. Cases of methanol poisoning and drink spiking have received a high public profile in south-east Asian countries in recent months, and Indonesia is no exception. People are urged to be alert to the potential risks, and never to leave food or drinks unattended. "Cases of methanol poisoning in drinks have previously been reported in Indonesia, including in Bali and Lombok," Smartraveller said. Travel Indonesia Bali Australia national tourism CONTACT US Property News: You can only access this beach shack at low tide.
IOL News
3 days ago
- Politics
- IOL News
JP Smith responds to 'The Truth About Cape Town's Well-Run Image'
JP Smith addresses Michael Andisile Mayalo's opinion piece, offering a comprehensive view of Cape Town's safety challenges and the city's proactive measures to combat crime. Image: File Picture In response to the opinion piece by Michael Andisile Mayalo titled 'The Truth About Cape Town's Well-Run Image: A Cape Flats Perspective'. The sentiments expressed by Mr Mayalo portray a dim and singular view of a complex issue that the City of Cape Town's Safety and Security directorate has been tackling for nearly two decades. Central to the confusion often exhibited by the communities, and evident in this opinion piece, is the control over the South African Police Services (SAPS) and governmental mandates that stipulate who has the authority to exercise control in this regard. The Constitution clearly outlines the roles and responsibilities of various spheres of government. The City's constitutional mandate includes traffic and by-law enforcement. National government is constitutionally responsible for crime prevention, investigation, and intelligence gathering and exclusively controls SAPS. The Provincial Government has only an oversight role over SAPS and no actual City's Safety and Security directorate boasts an array of departments and initiatives which were strategically founded to address the shortfall by SAPS to effectively police the gang hotspots across Cape Town. Improving the lives of residents of the so-called Cape Flats has always been a priority for this directorate with the bulk of our resources being deployed daily to communities such as Manenberg, Lavender Hill, Hanover Park and various others. In addition to the additional boots on the ground, we take a strategic approach to proactive policing the City has successfully amalgamated the use of gunshot detection technology and other aids such as drones and CCTV cameras for intelligence driven deployment not just reactive policing after shootings flare up. The main misconception about ShotSpotter is that it will end gun violence. ShotSpotter is the alarm not the sprinkler. It provides one single version of the truth about the high levels of gun violence affecting our communities and this provides authorities, including SAPS, with objective data. Mr Mayalo's claim that the directorate controls 21 safety units and specialised crime intelligence is blatantly untrue or he is misinformed. I have oversight over the following departments: • Emergency Services (PECC/107) • Disaster Risk Management • Traffic Services • Fire and Rescue Services • Law Enforcement Services • Metro Police Department • Events and Film • Safety and Security Investigations Unit (SSIU) and the Safety and Security Information Management Systems (SSIMS). • Neighbourhood Watch Support Teams. In addition, The City does obtain and share crime intelligence from and with SAPS. We have our own in-house information management unit that assists both the City and SAPS with crime data to aid their investigations as our municipal mandate does not extend to the formal investigation into organised crime. For the period between January 2021 and January 2025, the City's enforcement agencies have removed 1670 firearms from the streets of Cape Town. This includes prohibited firearms, zip guns and replica recent years I have continually called for the devolution of the police service in the Western Cape and even across South Africa. The national Police Minister has the authority to devolve policing powers to competent local or provincial governments The City of Cape Town has proven that even with limited resources, the restrictions of municipal budgets and limited policing powers, we have made a significant impact in reducing crime but we are ready to do more. Alderman JP Smith, Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security
CBC
24-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
Toronto clamps down on FIFA World Cup spending over funding fight with Ontario
Toronto will clamp down on FIFA World Cup spending unless it can find savings on its hosting duties or secure more money from other levels of government. Councillors voted for the measure at a meeting this week as a funding dispute between the city and province spilled out into the open. They say they'll hold off on major procurements or any large contracts that would push the cost over $340 million. That's in a bid to address a $40-million shortfall the city says has been created because a substantial amount of funding pledged by the province will be used up for various services not all of which the city needs, the mayor says. "The list that is in there, I don't believe is all completely necessary," Olivia Chow said. In June 2022, FIFA awarded Toronto the right to host five first round games plus one playoff round match during the 2026 World Cup. The remaining games will be hosted by Vancouver, Mexico and the United States. Toronto anticipated it would host just five games, estimating a cost of $300 million. It has since climbed to $380 million, about $200 million of which is being provided by the federal and provincial governments. Last year, city staff said that the price shot up because of a variety of factors including inflation, security costs and the city being awarded six games instead of five. A city report released Tuesday says the provincial contribution would come through a combination of direct funding and services including policing, transportation and health care. But the province has also added in the cost of "beautification" of GO stations and other measures, which have drawn the ire of some city councillors. Chow surprised by extent of funding shortfall The city's early agreement with the province stipulated that Ontario's contributions would take into account services it provided for the games. But Chow says she was surprised by the extent of those services and their estimated costs. "There's a lot of negotiation that needs to take place," she told councillors. "But in the meantime, (let's) make sure we don't spend money that we may not be able to get." WATCH | Toronto in funding dispute with Ontario over 2026 FIFA World Cup: Toronto in funding dispute with Ontario over 2026 FIFA World Cup 2 days ago Duration 2:09 Coun. Brad Bradford said the city and mayor should have done more work to prevent the funding shortfall. Cost escalation on the project continues to be a serious concern, he said. "$40 million is a pretty significant gap," he said. "I'd be very concerned that that rolls back on the taxpayers of Toronto, who really can't afford it right now." Deputy Mayor Mike Colle was blunt in his assessment of what he sees as needless additional fees added by the province. "We're going to charge you for cleaning the Metrolinx washrooms, and we'll take that off the $97 million," he said of the province's position. "They're doing nothing," he added at city council. "They're basically not doing the leg work that we're doing. The grunt work is being done behind the scenes by the City of Toronto staff and the (FIFA) Secretariat, and so please. You know, I just wish the people at the province would grow up." A spokesperson for Ontario's Minister of Sport, Neil Lumsden, said the province's position on funding has been clear since it made its initial commitment. The $97 million it will contribute includes funding for provincial services. "This has been consistently communicated to the City's FIFA Secretariat and should not come as a surprise," Wesley Austin said in a statement. It's unclear what will happen if the city doesn't come up with the cash. Toronto is set to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup matches in just over a year, but the city and province haven't signed a finalized contract. City staff told councillors that the federal contribution has been "locked in" with a formal agreement. Earlier this week, Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy said the province will not be providing any more funding. "Ontario will be there to support and stand by its commitment," he said, adding that the province has been "crystal clear" about only contributing the initial amount without any additional funding.
CTV News
13-05-2025
- Health
- CTV News
Texas nurse mulls move to B.C. amid recruitment campaign
A Texas nurse is considering a move to British Columbia amid a provincial bid to recruit U.S. health workers.
The South African
23-04-2025
- The South African
Lower road death toll over Easter long weekend this year
The Western Cape Provincial Government has expressed encouragement over the slight decline in road-related fatalities during this year's Easter long weekend. However, road users are urged to continue to make responsible choices, especially with another long weekend approaching. Between 17 and 21 April 2025, a total of 22 fatal crashes were recorded in the province, resulting in 22 lives lost. This marks a decline when compared to the 26 road-related fatalities reported over the 2024 Easter period. According to the provincial government, the province recorded 22 fatalities, with 14 occurring on municipal roads and eight on provincial routes, with most of these incidents taking place within the Cape Metro area. The fatalities included 14 pedestrians, five passengers, two drivers, and one motorcyclist. On Sunday, Minister of Transport, Barbara Creecy, said early indications showed a significant decrease in fatalities and crashes in all provinces, except Mpumalanga. She believes that the public has responded positively to the 2025 Easter Season Road Safety Arrive Alive campaign. Since 20 March 2025, Creecy said officials stopped 782 000 vehicles and issued 116 000 fines. A total of 3 500 drivers were arrested for various offences, and 89 pedestrians were arrested for walking on highways. In addition, 2 200 unroadworthy vehicles were prevented from continuing their journey. Meanwhile, the Western Cape Mobility Department said it had conducted 784 integrated operations across the province during the period, including roadblocks, vehicle checkpoints and speed control operations. In the province, over 30 000 vehicles were stopped and checked, resulting in more than 19 000 fines for various offences, including 8 714 speeding violations. From 07:00 on Friday last week until Tuesday morning, Emergency Medical Services (EMS) recorded a total of 7 988 incidents. The most frequent types of calls included non-cardiac related pain, with 1 505 incidents, followed by respiratory complaints at 1 049, and assault-related injuries at 597. Transport-related emergencies included 85 pedestrian-vehicle accidents, 104 motor vehicle accidents and five incidents involving cyclists. The province's hospitals also managed high volumes at its emergency centres. According to the Hospital Emergency Centre Trauma Information System (HECTIS), 16 395 patient episodes were recorded over Good Friday to Tuesday this week. This includes 3 624 trauma-related cases, while 12 476 were non-trauma incidents. The province also responded to several fatalities over the Easter weekend. These include 23 fatal shootings, six confirmed suicides and one drowning. The Western Cape Health and Wellness MEC, Mireille Wenger, said the sustained demand for healthcare services highlighted the vital role healthcare workers play across the province. 'Each call and each hospital visit represents a person in crisis. We are deeply aware of the emotional and physical toll this takes, not only on our staff but also on affected families. Preventing trauma is a shared responsibility.' Wenger urged residents to continue practising road safety, avoid abusing alcohol, and treat healthcare workers with respect. 'A safer province is only possible when we all do our part. Thank you to our EMS and hospital teams who worked throughout the long weekend, and for the care and commitment you continue to show our residents.' The province expressed its deepest condolences to the families and loved ones who lost someone on the roads this weekend. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
