Britain Struck By Biggest Earthquake In A Decade An earthquake with a magnitude of 3.8 struck off the Scarborough coast last month, according to the British Geological Survey. It was centred 93 miles east of the town at a depth of 11 miles and hit at around 6.50pm. According to local media, there were no reports of the quake being felt on land. Social media users were not too worried, with some posting mocked-up photos of overturned wheelie bins and broken garden gnomes. Despite 3.8 being small compared to earthquakes in other countries, magnitude 4 earthquakes happen on average only every two
years in Britain. Other recent earthquakes in the UK include a magnitude 0.9 tremor in Kirkbride, Cumbria, and 0.8 in Blakedown, Worcestershire, also last month. The UK has between 20 and 30 earthquakes strong enough to be felt by people each year, with a few hundred smaller ones strong enough to be picked up by sensitive instruments. The BGS website says earthquakes on the east coast of the UK are relatively rare, although the North Sea is “more active than the mainland”.
Smoking Will Kill 8 Million People A Year By 2030 The number of people who die from smoking is going to rise considerably in the coming years, according to a new report. Tobacco use currently kills an estimated six million people worldwide every year - but by 2030, the World Health Organisation (WHO) believes this will increase to eight million. More than 80% of smoking deaths
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occur in low and middle-income countries, where the number of smokers is continuing to rise. “The science is clear; the time for action is now”, says The WHO’s report, produced in conjunction with the US National Cancer Institute The WHO claims most governments are failing to use cheap and effective tools which can reduce tobacco use and save lives, such as complete bans on tobacco marketing, prominent warning labels on cigarette packets and price increases. Global revenues generated from tobacco taxes only stood at $269bn (£221bn) in 2013/14, it said, which is nowhere near enough to recoup the economic losses caused by smoking. Health experts say tobacco use is the single biggest preventable cause of death worldwide.
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