Libyan forces in fresh clashes with Islamic State in Sirte

A fighter of Libyan forces allied with the U.N.-backed government runs for cover during a battle with Islamic State fighters in Sirte, Libya, July 31, 2016. Goran Tomasevic/File Photo

By Ahmed Elumami  | TRIPOLI

Libyan forces engaged in renewed clashes with Islamic State militants in Sirte on Thursday, a day after capturing a convention complex that had been a symbol of the militant group's authority in the city.
Forces aligned with Libya's U.N.-backed government seized the Ouagadougou convention center and several other key sites on Wednesday, advancing into areas that had been fought over for weeks.
Those forces, supported since Aug. 1 by U.S. air strikes, said in a statement that they had taken Islamic State's "most important bastions" in its former North African stronghold.


But they have yet to gain control of several neighborhoods in central Sirte. On Thursday, fighters advancing on a hotel and guest houses near Sirte's port exchanged sporadic fire with militants, said Rida Issa, a spokesman for the Sirte operation.


The forces said they had "made incursions" into Areas 1 and 3, two of the districts still occupied by militants, and that they had "dealt with a number of snipers hidden in a corner of the Ouagadougou hall complex ... they were eliminated."


The gains come after weeks of house-to-house fighting in residential areas, with sniper fire, trip wires and landmines slowing the advance.


The fighters are led by brigades from nearby Misrata, who repelled an Islamic State advance south of their city in early May before pushing eastwards to Sirte and besieging the militants in the center of the Mediterranean city.


The capture of Sirte would be a major setback for Islamic State, ousting the jihadist group from the only city in Libya where it established total control.


It could also boost the fortunes of the U.N.-backed Government of National Accord (GNA), which has been struggling to impose its influence on a country riven by political and armed rivalries.
In an interview with Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera on Tuesday, before the latest advances, GNA Prime Minister Fayez Seraj said he believed the defeat of Islamic State in Sirte would "not take too much time. Probably not months, just a few weeks".


After Wednesday's advances, brigade fighters found a house used as a laboratory for making explosive belts and seized a number of military vehicles used by Islamic State, some damaged and some in good condition, said Issa, the spokesman.


"Military engineering units are now working to clear the captured areas of mines," he added.
U.S. Africa Command said it carried out seven strikes in Sirte on Wednesday, targeting trucks mounted with heavy artillery, fighting positions, a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device and two supply trucks. U.S. drones and fighter jets have carried out 36 strikes over Sirte since Aug. 1.



Eighteen GNA-aligned fighters were killed on Wednesday and 72 wounded, Issa said. Among the dead was Mokhtar Fakron, a senior air force commander who was killed with another pilot when their jet came down over Sirte.
From an estimated fighting force of some 6,000 men, more than 350 brigade fighters have been killed and at least 1,500 wounded since the campaign to recapture Sirte began.
(This story has been refiled to drop the extraneous word 'found' in paragraph 5)
(Additional reporting and writing by Aidan Lewis; Editing by Robin Pomeroy and James Dalgleish)

Corruption everywhere.

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Poet, teacher, activist and more—pay tribute to Dr. Maya Angelou and listen to her read her unforgettable poem "Phenomenal Woman".

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I'm telling lies.
I say,
It's in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.


I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It's the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can't touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them
They say they still can't see.
I say,
It's in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I'm a woman



Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.


Now you understand
Just why my head's not bowed.
I don't shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It's in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
the palm of my hand,
The need of my care,
'Cause I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Maya Angelou

 

The Five Keys to Safer Food Programme

 

Overview

The core messages of the Five Keys to Safer Food are:

• keep clean;
• separate raw and cooked;
• cook thoroughly;
• keep food at safe temperatures; and
• use safe water and raw materials.

 

As part of its global strategy to decrease the burden of foodborne diseases, WHO identified the need to communicate simple global health messages based on scientific evidence to train all types of food handlers, including consumers.


The Five Keys to Safer Food explain the basic principles that each individual should know all over the world to prevent foodborne diseases. Over 100 countries have reported using the Five Keys to Safer Food. As a result, millions of food handlers, including consumers, are empowered to prevent foodborne diseases, make safe and informed choices and have a voice to push for a safer food supply.
To ensure the same understanding in practice along the full chain - from farm to table – WHO has developed additional Five Keys materials directed to rural people who grow fruits, vegetables and fish for their own use or for sale on local markets. WHO’s objective is to target those who usually do not have access to food safety education despite the important role they have in producing safe food for their community.

Chemicals can end up in food either intentionally added for a technological purpose (e.g. food additives), or through environmental pollution of the air, water and soil. Chemicals in food are a worldwide health concern and are a leading cause of trade obstacles.

WHO develops scientific risk assessments to define safe exposure levels which form the basis for the development of national and international food safety standards to protect the health of the consumers and ensure fair trade practices.

Bank of England survey bolsters view of weaker British economy

LONDON | By Andy Bruce

 

 

 

 

The Bank of England is seen in the City of London in London, Britain August 4, 2016. 

 

 

 Growth slowed across British business services and consumer spending eased last month, a Bank of England survey showed, offering a more mixed picture of the economy than some of the gloomier indicators since June's Brexit vote.

The BoE released some of the findings of its August regional agents' survey in last week's quarterly Inflation Report, which showed companies expected the referendum would hurt capital spending, hiring and turnover over the coming year.


Although Wednesday's report suggested the economy is likely to slow, the monthly survey of around 700 companies was not as starkly downbeat as the larger purchasing managers' indexes (PMIs).
"This survey therefore adds some weight to the view that the immediate sharp drop in the (PMI) indices may have been a slight over-reaction," said James Knightley, senior economist at ING.
Last week's Markit/CIPS PMIs suggested the economy is now contracting at the fastest rate since the 2008-09 financial crisis. [GB/PMIS]


Deputy Governor Ben Broadbent cited this in a Reuters interview last week as one reason why the BoE cut interest rates to a new record low and launched stimulus measures that could add up to 170 billion pounds ($222 billion) to the financial system.


Revenue growth in business services firms eased to a three-year low, according to the BoE survey. But for consumer services companies the slowdown was much smaller.


The BoE's gauge of retail sales values fell to its lowest level since August 2012, but the central bank linked some of this to unusually wet weather.


On Wednesday, major retailers including supermarket Tesco and department store and food retailer John Lewis said they had not yet been affected by the referendum result, and the British Retail Consortium reported strong spending growth.


In common with other business surveys, however, the BoE said investment and employment intentions wilted last month.


"With British businesses suggesting that they are pulling back on expansion plans the survey is consistent with the general consensus expectation amongst economists that the UK will experience a mild recession over the next 6-12 months," ING's Knightley concluded.


Last week the BoE forecast that growth rates would slow to just above zero for the rest of the year but - partly reflecting the expected effect of its own stimulus measures - stopped short of predicting recession.


($1 = 0.7658 pounds)


(Reporting by Andy Bruce, editing by David Milliken and Hugh Lawson)