Latest news with #DCS
Mint
2 days ago
- Mint
Apple tipped to bring two major display upgrades to iPhone 17 series in September: All you need to know
With just two months left for the iPhone 17 series launch, the rumour mills are in full swing, anticipating the new features lined up for Apple's upcoming flagship models. While many details about the iPhone 17 variants have already leaked, a new report suggests Apple is planning two significant upgrades for the display of its flagship lineup. According to tipster Digital Chat Station (DCS) on Weibo, these two upgrades will set the iPhone 17 series apart from its predecessor. The first is the addition of even thinner bezels across the lineup. Last year, Apple stated that the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max featured the thinnest bezels on any Apple product. Now, the company is reportedly bringing these thinner bezels to the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Air models as well. Notably, Apple is rumoured to remove the Plus variant from its lineup this year in favour of the new, thin and light iPhone 17 Air. The second upgrade tipped for the iPhone 17 series is a new Dynamic Island interface. While the tipster did not elaborate on the differences, a MacRumors report suggests Apple could introduce software-level changes to Dynamic Island on the iPhone 17 series with iOS 26. Previous rumours have also hinted at a smaller Dynamic Island cutout, although it remains uncertain whether Apple will be able to implement this hardware improvement in time for the September launch. Earlier leaks have suggested that the iPhone 17 could receive its biggest display upgrade in years. The base variant may see its display size increase from 6.1 inches on the iPhone 16 to 6.3 inches on the iPhone 17. Additionally, Apple is expected to improve the refresh rate from 60Hz to 90Hz on the base model, while retaining the 120Hz display exclusively for the Pro models. Meanwhile, the iPhone 17 Pro variants could finally receive an anti-reflective coating on the Pro and Pro Max models, similar to the protection offered on the Galaxy S24 Ultra and the upcoming Galaxy S25 Ultra.
Daily Record
3 days ago
- Health
- Daily Record
Drug-check facility roll-out needed to tackle rise of opioid overdoses, say campaigners
Rising numbers of drug deaths and overdoses are being linked to lab-made synthetic opioids like fentanyl - up to 50 times stronger than heroin. Facilities to test whether street drugs are laced with deadly synthetic opioids should be available in every community in Scotland, campaigners have urged. It comes as rising numbers of drug deaths and overdoses are being linked to lab-made drugs like fentanyl - up to 50 times stronger than heroin. The opioids are so strong they can cause drug users to overdose instantly. Drug-checking services (DCS) at sites in Glasgow, Aberdeen and Dundee have been proposed since last summer as part of a pilot scheme. However, the plans - which would allow drug users to test what's in their drugs - have been in limbo for more than a year as the Home Office is yet to approve them. A bid was also submitted for Edinburgh this year. Kirsten Horsburgh, CEO of the Scottish Drugs Forum, said: "The fact it has taken so long is, frankly, outrageous. "We say we have a public health emergency, a crisis around drug deaths, yet we can't even provide these services to people. "It's very frustrating and ultimately, delays in these sorts of things cost lives. "We need to stop tinkering around the edges. If we are serious about making significant change, we need to make significant investment and have fewer of these small-scale pilots and more full-scale rollouts for things that we know work and make sense." Horsburgh said Scotland should learn from countries like New Zealand, where a massive and mobile roll-out of DCS everywhere from street corners to festivals has helped reduce harm from drugs and encouraged users to be safer. Glasgow is home to the UK's first legal safe drug consumption facility, the Thistle, which opened in January in a bid to save lives. Scotland is the worst nation in Europe for drug deaths. There were 308 such deaths from January to March, up by 33 per cent on the last three months of 2024. Data had showed a decrease in the number of suspected deaths over the year. There were 1053 suspected drug deaths in the 12 months to March 2025, meaning 166 (14 per cent) fewer such deaths than in the 12 months to March 2024, when the total was 1219. It's understood the recent rise follows reports of dealers flooding the streets with new breeds of heroin laced with fentanyl and other lethal 'nitazenes', also known as synthetic opioids – with the potential to compound Scotland's drug deaths epidemic. The presence of nitazenes in street narcotics is known to drastically raise the risk of fatal overdose - and in some cases, can cause instantaneous collapse. Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole Hamilton said: 'When 100 people a month are dying in Scotland's drug deaths emergency, missed targets and patchwork care isn't good enough. 'If ministers are serious about delivering, they need to properly support services and staff, roll out a network of safe consumption rooms and introduce new drug-checking facilities. "Drug checking services allow people to make informed decisions about what they are taking and reduce the risk of accidentally overdosing. 'That's especially important when we are seeing a rise in dangerous synthetic opioids, which can be 50 times as strong as heroin and are often disguised as other drugs." Hosburgh said: "Normally there would be a slower onset of an overdose. "But what people have been reporting more frequently in a number of areas across the country is people using the drug and overdosing immediately, which is quite unusual. "That would indicate a more powerful, potent substance within what people are using and quite often that is determined to be a nitazene." Andy Paterson, of the student-led Help Not Harm campaign which wants to see DCS available for every community in Scotland, said: 'These things come down to political will. If we wanted to set these services up, it would be quite doable.' Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Drugs Policy Minister Maree Todd said: 'We are determined to continue our efforts to reduce drug-related harm and save lives. Through our National Mission on drugs we are taking a range of action, including the provision of new drug checking facilities. 'We continue to work at pace with partners to deliver these facilities across all our pilot cities as soon as possible.' The Home Office, which is understood to have inspected the proposed pilot sites in Dundee and Aberdeen last year, was approached for comment.
The Herald
6 days ago
- The Herald
Operations resume at Pollsmoor prison after stabbing, two-week lockdown
Operations at Pollsmoor prison in Cape Town are back to normal after a two-week lockdown triggered by the stabbing of a prison warder by an inmate on June 27, the department of correctional services (DCS) has confirmed. DCS spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo said the incident at the remand detention facility (RDF) prompted the immediate suspension of visitations and restricted access to the prison as officials worked to stabilise the situation. The lockdown was necessary to help manage the incident and assist the investigation. 'The lockdown serves as a practical approach to aid the department in monitoring the situation and to assist with the investigation which is under way,' he said. While the RDF was affected, Nxumalo clarified that operations at the medium A, medium B, medium C and female centre were not disrupted.
Zawya
7 days ago
- Business
- Zawya
South Africa: Correctional Services Committee Concerned About Dilapidated State of Facilities Due to Budget Cuts
The Portfolio Committee on Correctional Services today re-iterated its grave concern regarding the state of correctional facilities around the country because of insufficient maintenance due to budget shortfalls. The committee indicated that the Department of Correctional Services (DCS), the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) and National Treasury (NT) must work closely together to find solutions to the dire condition of some facilities. The committee today received a briefing from the DPWI on the dispute between the DPWI and the DCS about user charges and on matters identified during oversight visits. The DPWI told the committee that the itemised billing was approved by the NT in terms of Treasury regulations. However, the rates approved by the NT are far below the calculated level required to achieve full cost recovery. This has led in a shortfall of R24.1 billion since the implementation of itemised billing. The DPWI, which acts as landlord, said that it received R4.7 billion from client departments at an average of R23,24 per m2, whereas it pays the private sector R110 per m2. Annual day-to-day maintenance amounts to R2.2 billion for 56 414 buildings occupied by government and rates amount to R1.8 billion. The committee heard that in terms of the DCS, NT only allows it to pay R14.33 m2 for building space. The committee was told that, for properties occupied by the DCS, the DPWI is running at a loss. Over the past five years, the total deficit amounts to R1.9 billion, with an annual average loss of R376 million. However, a task team is working on finding solutions to the challenges facing the two departments. Committee Chairperson Ms Kgomotso Anthea Ramolobeng said the committee noted the work of the task team. She advised the task team to identify and prioritise those matters that cannot be left to deteriorate further. This should include DCS's day-to-day operations, which require regular service and maintain. 'It does not help if you have a beautiful kitchen in a centre with five or six stoves but only one is working. We saw that for ourselves in KwaZulu-Natal. In some instances, we even had to recommend that the kitchen should be shut down,' Ms Ramolobeng said. 'Once inmates are unable to eat or are given one meal a day,' the Chairperson continued, 'it becomes a serious challenge.' The committee advised the DCS to continue to do maintenance and repairs and use offender labour for this. The filling of artisan vacancies was also highlighted, as they could assist offenders with repairing facilities. The committee also agreed on the need for a meeting of heads of department between the DCS, DPWI and NT to discuss the issue of the user charge allocation. During a presentation a few weeks ago, the committee heard that more than R842 million was processed and paid to the DPWI in terms of this allocation during the 2024/25 period. However, DPWI has since relinquished the majority of maintenance responsibilities to the DCS, even though payments were made. The committee will also invite NT to brief the committee on this matter. In addition, the committee will require regular updates from the task team on progress achieved. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic of South Africa: The Parliament.
Daily Mail
13-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Boy, 17, is found dead in brush after road trip with uncle as police make arrest
A man with a 'significant' criminal history has been arrested after being accused of murdering his teenage nephew and leaving his body on the side of a road. Victor 'Jerry' Carver III was arrested in Tennessee on a manslaughter charge on Monday, two days after checking 17-year-old Caden Cantrelle out of the Tennessee Department of Children's Services (DCS) on July 5 with permission. The two then illegally drove to rural Mississippi, where the boy's body was found deep in a deep ditch off a road in Jasper County on Monday. Cops made the discovery after receiving a tip from the boy's father that his phone last 'pinged' in Mississippi. He had tracking software installed on his son's phone. DCS contacted him after the allotted time of the preapproved visit had expired, cops said. Cantrelle's phone last pinged Sunday in the Jasper area before being found the following afternoon. Carver III, 37, is now facing manslaughter charges as a result. He was cuffed in Tennessee after deputies there found him asleep inside his home with the car used for the 'trip' parked outside. Those charges could be upgraded as evidence is collected, officials said this week . The suspect also has a criminal history in the state dating back nearly 20 years, according to Nashville NBC affiliate WSMV. He was still allowed to check the boy out, for what was proposed as an innocent road trip to Louisiana to visit family. At some point on the way back, though, the two got into an argument, investigators were told. It remains unclear what Cantrelle's father and DCS' relationship was regarding Cantrelle's care. Deputies came across Cantrelle's body on the edge of a gully overgrown with vines. Jasper County Sheriff Randy Johnson recalled to Law&Crime on Friday how, after driving to the location where the phone's activity had been last recorded with four of his deputies, he immediately 'suspected foul play.' The cops then learned who Cantrelle was, before contacting the Wayne County Sheriff's Office in Tennessee. A warrant was subsequently secured for Carver's arrest. The suspect admitted to leaving his nephew on the side of the road, cops said. The uncle has not admitted to harming his nephew, however, only conceding there was some sort of argument. He never contacted authorities in either state about his nephew, cops said. Carver, moreover, has a criminal history dating back to 2007, records reviewed by WSMV revealed. Among those is record of a guilty plea for attempted aggravated assault, the outlet reported. The circumstances of that alleged incident are still unclear. Also unclear is the living situation that saw the victim left with CPS in the first place -and how state officials failed to see the danger of leaving the boy with someone with a criminal record such as the suspect's. Stacie Odeneal, a certified child welfare law specialist who had been tasked with taking care of the teen during his stay, admitted to WSMV: 'We as a system prevented him from having a chance.' 'If it'd been presented to me, if it'd been presented to a judge, and we knew the criminal history, and I think many of us knew this uncle had a significant criminal history, we would have been opposed to giving this level of access to this child,' she added. She called Cantrelle's case 'Worst outcome [she's] seen' in 15 years of CPS work, while a statement from Tennessee DCS expressed 'sadness' over the death. 'DCS has taken immediate steps to engage with our law enforcement partners as they conduct a criminal investigation,' the agency added in a statement. '[T]he employees involved are currently on leave as the department continues to assess its established policy and the application of those policies in this particular case.' The criminal investigation into Cantrelle's death, meanwhile, remains ongoing.
