Latest news with #coastalareas
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Daily Mail
Ecuador bloodbath as 12 civilians are gunned down in a bar and beauty queen is shot dead in her car amid escalating drug war violence
A former beauty queen is among the dead as bloody gang violence continues to grip Ecuador. Armed attackers killed at least 14 civilians, including a 12-year-old boy, in two separate attacks on Sunday in coastal areas of the South American nation. The attackers, travelling in two pickup trucks, shot at civilians with pistols and rifles, in the latest murder spree to hit the state which is being ravaged by drug cartel violence. An initial attack, in the southwestern town of El Empalme, saw 12 dead and three injured, the town's police chief Major Oscar Valencia said. The same attackers later fired at a second group, killing two more people as they shot indiscriminately. 'They opened fire on everyone,' Valencia said Dead bodies were shockingly left strewn in a covered entrance of a liquor store, while dozens of relatives sat weeping on the sidewalk across the street. Investigators found at least 40 pieces of ballistic evidence at the scene. The deadly attacks come just a day after a model and former beauty queen was shot dead in an ambush in Manta, a port city on Ecuador's central coast. Esther Gabriela Murillo Cruz, who won three local beauty competitions, becoming Queen of the Manabi province in 2018, was driving in her car with her partner and one-year old daughter when two armed men on a motorbike fatally attacked her. The pillion passenger pulled out a gun before shooting at the vehicle at 3am on Saturday. The 25-year-old was taken to a local hospital with gunshot wounds to her vital organs, before being declared dead. Her 30-year-old partner was injured and taken to hospital, while the baby's condition is unconfirmed. Authorities have not confirmed whether Murillo was the attackers' intended target and an investigation is underway to determine the motive. Meanwhile, just a week ago, nine people were murdered while playing pool in the General Villamil tourist resort. Gunmen were chasing two men on a motorcycle in the town of Playas before one tried to hide in a pool hall. The gunmen then burst in and fired indiscriminately. Ecuador had managed to remain relatively peaceful for decades, despite bordering the notorious cocaine hotspots of Colombia and Peru, but violence has markedly increased in recent years. Transnational cartels which use the nation's ports to ship drugs to the US and Europe have been blamed for the rise in murders, as they battle to gain control of the lucrative routes. Up to 73 per cent of nationwide cocaine production passes through Ecuador, while the country seized 294 tons of drugs last year, a rise of 221 from the previous year. Security was viewed as a key issue in the presidential election which took place earlier this year, with Daniel Noboa winning re-election. President Noboa has vowed to crack down on the criminal gangs tearing the nation apart. Last year he declared war on organized crime but it has failed to stem high murder rates, with 4,051 people killed in the first five months of 2025.
News24
7 days ago
- Health
- News24
Cold weather hair SOS: Your complete guide to winter hydration
Whether you're trying to prevent damage or already battling with a thinning hairline. These tips will see you into spring and summer with healthier hair The cooler temperatures bring drier weather for those of us in the inland provinces, or wet weather if living in some coastal areas, but both scenarios leave us battling with dry hair. You need to make sure your hair is hydrated and moisturised, and these tips will see you through the cold months. UP THE MOISTURE Your edges and hairline in particular are at even more risk to the harsh winter weather and can become extremely dry. Cut back on the shampoo that can dry out your hair even more, and rather wash your hair weekly with conditioner. Your hair and scalp will remain clean and moisturised. Use a moisturising deep conditioner at least once a week to help repair your hairline and retain moisture, and apply a water-based moisturiser to your hair and hairline twice a day to keep your hair hydrated. Braid sprays containing glycerine and oil are an easy and excellent choice to keep your hair moist and soft. Read more | Essential winter care tips for natural hair ADD OIL Hair growth tends to slow down during the winter months, so if you're looking to gain a few centimetres, massage natural oils into your hairline for a few minutes twice a day. Use oils such as castor and coconut around the edges of your hairline to help increase blood flow and keep your hair hydrated. Castor oil also helps to thicken hair, which is a great help if your hairline is suffering. Adding an oil will also help to seal in the extra moisture you have been applying regularly. SILK FOR YOUR HAIR Your cotton pillowcase may feel warm and soft, but it's a nightmare for your hair, especially in winter, as cotton soaks up moisture. It's best to sleep on a satin or silk pillowcase all year around, but make sure you do this in winter to keep your hair from breaking and losing moisture. A satin or silk scarf is also an option for evenings. Be careful, too, of loose hair brushing up against cotton jackets and coats as it could cause split ends. Read more | 4 Essential tips for long-lasting braided styles LESS MANIPULATION Constant styling contributes to a weak hairline, and your hair is at its most fragile during the colder season. Avoid this by wearing easier styles such as braids, twists, weaves and wigs. These styles also keep the hair protected from the harsh winter elements. But never add extensions to a broken hairline as it will add stress, and your hair underneath will still require regular moisture and conditioning. Always avoid overly tight braiding along your hairline. If you are feeling too much tension, that means your hair is styled too tightly. You may not notice problems straight away, but over time your strands will weaken and break. Be sure to remove these hairstyles after four to six weeks, and give your hair a break in between. Don't add to the extreme elements by applying harsh, excessive heat on delicate edges. Always use a heat protectant styling product and turn down the heat on your hairdryer, flat iron or other tools. This may mean drying your hair will take longer, but there will be less heat damage. However, if your hairline is already damaged, it's best to avoid heat styling.
Washington Post
05-07-2025
- Climate
- Washington Post
How to prepare for a hurricane, as forecasters expect a busy 2025 storm season
HOUSTON — Hurricane season can be stressful for millions of Americans living in coastal areas, as powerful winds and heavy rain can cause widespread damage, cut power for days or weeks and otherwise upend people's lives. Forecasters are expecting another unusually busy season for the Atlantic, with predictions calling for six to 10 hurricanes, with up to half reaching major status.
The Guardian
25-06-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Poorest parts of England to get £2.2bn more for NHS to cut care inequalities
England's poorest areas will get billions in extra health funding under new government plans to tackle stark inequalities in access to care and health outcomes. NHS services in deprived and coastal places will receive a £2.2bn boost this year to pay for more staff and equipment to help them close the wide gap in resources between them and well-off areas. Wes Streeting, the health secretary, will announce the move on Wednesday and hail it as a significant step towards ensuring that all patients get the same standard of care wherever they live. In a speech in Blackpool, he will decry that areas with the highest levels of illness and need for care often have low numbers of GPs, the longest waits for treatment and the poorest performing NHS services, a longstanding phenomenon known as 'the inverse care law'. He will portray the £2.2bn extra this year as a downpayment on a major redistribution of NHS funding, which is intended to improve the NHS in deprived areas. 'The truth is, those in greatest need often receive the worst quality healthcare. 'It flies in the face of the values the NHS was founded on. The circumstances of your birth shouldn't determine your worth,' he is expected to say. The £2.2bn is money that was due to be handed to England's 215 health trusts for 'deficit reduction' – to cover budget overspends – but has been freed up because Sir Jim Mackey, NHS England's chief executive, has told them to balance their books. Streeting has ordered a review of the Carr-Hill formula, which is used to decide the allocation of GP funding. The review, involving the advisory committee on resource allocation, will examine ways of ensuring that places with more illness get more money. The Nuffield Trust said the formula is 'inequitable', 'deeply flawed' and does not take account of levels of deprivation in areas covered by GP practices. The review will be the fourth such exercise since the formula came into use in 2004, without major changes resulting, it pointed out. Dr Becks Fisher, a GP and director of research and policy at the Nuffield Trust thinktank, also cautioned that while 'the government plans to pay for these changes by making savings in other parts of the NHS, there is no guarantee this will be successful.' Louise Gittins, the chair of the Local Government Association, said: 'Health inequalities are estimated to cost the NHS an extra £4.8bn a year, society around £31bn in lost productivity, and between £20bn and £32bn a year in lost tax revenue and benefit payments. Health is therefore a major determinant of economic performance and prosperity.' Prof Kate Pickett, an expert in health inequalities at York University and academic director of Health Equity North, said that recent years had brought 'worse health and more inequalities and a bigger north-south divide. 'We have repeatedly called for government to target spending to the places that are most in need. So Wes Streeting's drive to increase health spending in the most deprived places is very welcome.' But, she added, ministers should also cancel planned cuts to welfare benefits and start a public discussion about the merits of a basic income to improve population health in poor areas.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
A tsunami that never ends? Study highlights a looming West Coast risk.
The pressure keeps building below the Earth's surface off the coast of the Pacific Northwest, and a multi-layered disaster could strike at any time. A huge earthquake is brewing along the Cascadia Subduction Zone that could destroy bridges, reshape the landscape and trigger a massive tsunami. Scientists have known about the looming danger for years, but ongoing research keeps painting a clearer picture of what could happen. Among the dangers: A huge tsunami that will wash over costal areas and permanently flood them. The quake is a matter of if, not when, said Tina Dura, a geologist and professor of natural hazards at Virginia Polytechnic Institute in Blacksburg, Virginia. Recent research has focused on how climate change is increasing the impact of the earthquake on coastal areas that will suddenly sink. Researchers expect the quake will trigger an as much a 6-foot drop in some inland areas — then a massive tsunami will flood those regions, some permanently. "Imagine if, after Hurricane Katrina, after all the horrible things that happened, if we'd also lost big chunks of New Orleans and it never came back," said Diego Melgar, a professor at the University of Oregon and director of the Cascadia Region Earthquake Science Center. The loss of swaths of land is just one of the surreal series of events that will occur when the earthquake eventually strikes, researchers say. This is a mix of bad and good news. The quake is a certainty, but could be hundreds of years off. While it could happen at any time, seismologists have estimated there is a 15% probability of a magnitude 8 in the next 50 years — a substantial risk for such a devastating scenario. Part of their confidence comes from the history of huge earthquakes in the region. "It could be tomorrow or decades from now. But geologically speaking, we're well within the window of possibility," Dura said. "The last event was in 1700, and paleoseismic records show these earthquakes recur roughly every 200 to 800 years. By 2100, there is a 30% chance of a large earthquake happening." Scientists have a clear picture of what will happen when the earthquake strikes. 'First would come extremely strong shaking – shaking that makes it difficult to stand or walk. This would probably last a minute or longer," said Melgar. Next, land along the coast would drop as much as six-and-a-half feet in places, probably within minutes. "Then there would probably be 30 to 40 minutes of seeming peace. But that's a false impression, because the tsunami is coming," he said. The resulting waves would be on the order of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami that killed more than 50,000 people. The tsunami wave from an earthquake of this size could get to 90 or 100 feet tall, Melgar said. When the tsunami wave arrives at the shore "you get this massive surge that lasts for hours, sometimes days," Melgar said. This is where global warming comes in. Two things play a part in creating the catastrophe their research describes. First, the land would have dropped as much as six feet. At the same time, sea level rise from climate change means that the water which rushes in will cover more land. "You'd hope the tsunami could come to shore, then flow out again and the land would dry out. But there will be parts where it's now below sea level – the water won't flow back," said Melgar. A great Cascadia earthquake could instantly expand flood zones and double flood exposure for residents, structures, and roads. When combined with rising sea levels, these effects could render some coastal communities permanently uninhabitable, said Dura. Even if some areas along the coastline do dry out, they will be much closer to sea level and become susceptible to nuisance flooding if there's a particularly big storm or high tide. The West Coast is subject to numerous small earthquakes all the time, but they're not big enough to relieve the pressure that's being built up along the Cascadia fault line, Melgar said. So much energy has built up in the zone that even a magnitude 8 earthquake wouldn't relieve it. "Remember, the magnitude scale is logarithmic. So each increase in magnitude is an increase of 30 in terms of energy," he said. The great San Francisco earthquake of 1906 was a magnitude 8 temblor and it was devastating. "If we had one magnitude 8 quake here, we'd still have 29 to go to relieve the pressure," he said. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: A tsunami that never ends? Study highlights a West Coast risk.
