Taxpayers supported NatWest in the face of so many disasters and deserve better, says RUTH SUNDERLAND

• Review into issue of ‘debanking’ at Coutts landing anytime now with board
• It is not likely to placate Nigel Farage or anyone else 
• Part of a depressing history of supposedly independent probes into bank failings

By Ruth Sunderland for the Daily Mail

Updated: 06:46 EDT, 25 September 2023

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Survivors of the most powerful earthquake to hit Morocco in 120 years now face being crushed by boulders dislodged by the tremor, with many forced to sleep outside after entire mountain villages were flattened.

Experts have warned that deadly after-shocks will continue to ravage the country, with seismologists saying more than 25 have already been felt since Friday’s quake – the deadliest in 60 years. 

The death toll has continued to climb as bodies are being pulled from the rubble three days after the 6.8-magnitude quake hit, with officials saying today that at least 2,500 people lost their lives with thousands more injured and missing. 

A mother and her three sons who made it out alive have told of their incredible escape – revealing how they ran from their home in the worst-affected mountainous region mere seconds before it came crashing down.

Khadija Elhil Ali, 32, and her children initially had no idea what was happening when the first tremors began late on Friday night in their tiny hillside village of Asflala, 35 miles south of Marrakech in the Atlas mountains.

‘We soon realised it was an earthquake,’ Khadija told MailOnline, ‘stones were falling in on us from the roof and we knew we must get out. ‘Not long after we did, the whole thing fell down.’ 

Khadija’s husband Hassan, 44, who had been working in Marrakech, arrived home the next morning, overjoyed that his family were safe, but also devastated to see the house which had been in his family for more than a century, reduced to rubble.

Like all the villagers, the couple and their sons, aged 16, 11 and six, are sleeping in tents outside at night, fearful of more after-shocks.

Incredibly, the residents of Asflala escaped without death or serious injury, despite 70 of the 90 homes being destroyed or badly damaged.

‘We are the lucky ones,’ said seasonal worker Hassan, ‘we know that deeper in the mountains entire villages have been wiped out and we pray for them.

‘But I was so shocked when I saw my house in ruins and the street outside blocked by boulders. We will not be able to rebuild this without government help, but so far we’ve heard nothing from them or any charities.

‘They have other priorities for now. ‘

The family’s next-door neighbour Mtouggi Hussein, in his 80s, one of the village’s oldest residents, also lost his house, and now wonders whether he will ever see it rebuilt in his own lifetime.

‘When the earthquake came, I heard voices shouting in the street outside and the lights went out, but people came and helped me out of my house, or I wouldn’t be here today,’ he told MailOnline.

Clambering around the narrow rock-strewn streets and passageways of the village, barely a building appears untouched, with deep cracks forming in the brick and stonework, and huge gaping holes in walls and roofs which were never there before.

Equally worrying, in the hills above the village, huge boulders dislodged by the quake, seem to glower down on the fragile habitations below.

It only underscores the monumental task faced by the Moroccan government in the weeks and months to come, once the immediate work of providing shelter and food is under control.

A little further down the hillside, a family of eight in a more modern house only 20 years old saw the concrete floor drop out of their courtyard, leaving a 15ft deep, 20ft wide chasm to the basement below.

In the rubble were children’s toys and a mud-covered teddy bear.

Father-of-four Hassan Hossa Benali, 42, showed the perilous route to the family kitchen as he stepped gingerly over the void below, balancing on a single plank of wood.

‘We are coming to the house in the daytime to make food, but at nights we sleep in the tents with everyone else,’ he said.

No expert assessment has been made of his creaking house, nor of any of the properties in the village, but they trust that their luck will hold each time they enter to gather belongings from inside the rickety structures.

A few valleys over in Amizmiz, closer to the epicentre of the quake, estimates put the death toll at 2,000 people in that town alone, making the rapidly rising official confirmed total of victims of 2,497 seem extremely conservative.

Moroccans have revealed the traumatising choices they were forced to make as the quake hit late on Friday – with one man saying he watched his parents die as he had a split second to save his 11-year-old son instead.

‘Our house was up there,’ Tayeb ait Ighenbaz told the BBC pointing to a pile of rubble and debris where it once stood. ‘You can see the white blankets and the furniture too. Everything else has gone.’

He said, through tears: ‘I had to choose between my parents and son… I couldn’t help my parents because the wall fell over half of their bodies. It’s so sad. I saw my parents dying.’

Among the luckier ones, Mohamed, a resident of the small town of Moulay Brahim, risked his life to save his wife and two small children, kicking in the door to the room they were trapped in as rubble fell around him.

While the family’s home was heavily damaged and the family have been forced to live in a tent, they told Al Jazeera they are simply grateful to be alive.

Foreign teams have today joined the intensifying race against the clock to rescue any remaining survivors from beneath the rubble of flattened mountain villages. 

British rescuers are among the international operatives assisting, after Rabat announced yesterday it had accepted offers from the UK, Spain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates ‘to send search and rescue teams’.

It noted the foreign teams were in contact with Moroccan authorities to coordinate efforts, and said only four offers had been accepted so far, arguing that ‘a lack of coordination could be counterproductive’.

President Emmanuel Macron said France was willing to provide aid ‘the second’ Morocco requested it.

Around 300,000 people were affected by the quake, the UN has estimated, with many forced to sleep in rural encampments and on the streets of Marrakech for the past three nights.

Terrifying footage shows the moment people ran for their lives as Marrakech was rocked by the powerful magnitude quake, the epicentre of which was around 40 miles away, destroying homes and damaging historic buildings.

But the worst affected areas were the douars, indigenous Amazigh villages in the High Atlas Mountains, which pictures show have been completely razed to the ground in many cases.

With countless people still missing, rescuers are now in a growing race against time to dig any survivors from the rubble of devastated mountain villages, with many admitting that this is now a mission to recover bodies.

A French aid group that specializes in locating people trapped under debris said it is withdrawing an offer to send a nine-person search-and-rescue team after waiting without success for a green light from Morocco to deploy. Rescuers Without Borders’ founder, Arnaud Fraisse, said ‘our role is not to find bodies.’ 

Because homes in quake-hit villages of the High Atlas mountains are typically made of mud bricks with roofs of wood, stone and clay, he said, the hope of finding survivors at this point is slim.

‘When all of that collapses, you don’t have much chance of surviving, because there are no air pockets,’ Fraisse said – a contrast to places where buildings are made of concrete or other strong materials. ‘People are generally suffocated by the dust.’

‘It’s difficult to pull people out alive because most of the walls and ceilings turned to earthen rubble when they fell, burying whoever was inside without leaving air spaces,’ a military rescue worker, who asked not to be named, said at an army centre south of Marrakech near the epicentre.

With many homes fashioned out of mud bricks and timber or cement and breeze blocks, structures crumbled easily in mounds of debris when the quake struck late on Friday evening, without creating the pockets of air that earthquake-ready concrete buildings can provide.

In a region not used to such powerful quakes, even concrete homes or buildings often lack anti-seismic design, experts said, leaving survivors and rescuers to sift through mounds of rubble with hardly any walls left, where homes once stood.

‘This kind of collapse causes greater air tightness due to the types of material, like mud brick,’ Antonio Nogales, coordinator of operations for Firemen United without Borders, a Spanish rescue team on the ground, told Spain’s TVE broadcaster.

‘Steel and concrete facilitate the possibility of survivors, but these (mud and brick) materials (common in Morocco) mean that in the first moments the chances of getting people out alive are reduced,’ Nogales said.

Those who have survived Morocco’s deadliest earthquake in more than six decades have been struggling to find food, water and shelter, amid warnings of the humanitarian disaster worsening.

On Sunday, many across the country were forced to spend a third night in the open after the 6.8 magnitude quake hit late on Friday. 

‘I’m still traumatised by what I experienced yesterday. I’d rather stay here with my wife and six-year-old son than risk death because of a collapsing roof,’ a Marrakech resident called Bilal told Middle East Eye.

In Marrakech, several hundred people who are unable to return home have since set up camp in Place des Ferblantiers, near the south-west of the city and the medina. 

Some stretched out on the central reservation of the city’s main road, Mohamed VI Avenue, while others lay at the foot of their parked cars. 

The earthquake cracked and crumbled parts of the walls that surround Marrakech’s old city, a UNESCO World Heritage site built in the 12th century. 

The city is Morocco’s most widely visited destination, known for its palaces, spice markets, tanneries and Jemaa El Fna, a vibrant square full of food vendors and musicians. 

But once aid crews and soldiers leave, the challenges facing hundreds of thousands who call the area home will likely remain.

The Red Cross warned it could take years to repair the damage caused by the quake.

‘It won’t be a matter of a week or two… We are counting on a response that will take months, if not years,’ said Hossam Elsharkawi, its Middle East and North Africa director.

Members of the Moroccan Parliament are scheduled to convene Monday to create a government fund for earthquake response at the request of King Mohammed VI.

The kingdom has declared three days of national mourning in the wake of the disaster. 

Tourists and locals have described rushing to get out of the buildings they were in and being worried about returning to houses and hotels in the aftermath.

Holidaymaker Mark Chester and his wife Julie from Southampton were in the Medina Gardens hotel in Marrakech when it occurred shortly after 11pm on Friday.

‘We had just gone to bed and we soon realised what was going on,’ recalled civil servant Mr Chester, 56.

‘We ran out of the building and eventually the hotel put beds and sunbeds out on the grass so that people could sleep outside. There was a good spirit of co-operation between the people there, about three-quarters of them British.

‘At about 6.30pm we were allowed back inside, but everyone was still nervous about aftershocks.’ 

Tourists and citizens have reported to hospitals in Marrakech and elsewhere to donate blood for the injured. Among the donors were members of Morocco’s national football team.

Other volunteers organised food and essential goods to help quake victims, after complaints that authorities were slow to respond.

‘Everyone must mobilise,’ said one volunteer, Mohamed Belkaid, 65. ‘And that includes the authorities, but they seem to be absent.’

The education ministry announced that school classes were ‘suspended’ in the worst-hit villages of Al-Haouz province, the quake epicentre.

Some parts of Marrakech’s historic medina and its network of alleyways saw significant damage, with mounds of rubble and crumpled buildings in the World Heritage site.

Videos also show dust emanating from parts of the Koutoubia Mosque, one of the city’s best known historic sites. 

The United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva began its session on Monday with a minute’s silence for the quake victims.

‘We are part of a global collectivity: humanity,’ said Gambia’s ambassador Muhammadu Kah, who proposed the tribute.

The quake was the deadliest in Morocco since a 1960 earthquake destroyed Agadir, killing at least 12,000 people.

There are a limited number of legislative days left for Congress to pass a stopgap funding bill or the government will plunge into a shutdown.

An easy deal isn’t likely amid GOP infighting about sending more aid to Ukraine and regarding timing for opening an impeachment inquiry into President Biden, which is poised to derail negotiations.

There are 12 annual government spending bills that must be passed by both the House and Senate before funding runs out at midnight on Sept. 30. 

However, to give lawmakers more time to push through the longer term 2024 spending bills, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is working on pushing a stopgap measure known as a ‘continuing resolution’ likely through the end of November or early December to stave off a shutdown. 

The CR is supported by Senate Leader Chuck Schumer who called it the way to ‘work this out,’ last month.

But there are only a total of 11 legislative days left on the calendar for Congress to pass the stopgap bill to keep the government temporarily funded. 

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said last week in Kentucky that he believes there will be a ‘short-term congressional resolution’ that will likely go into December ‘as we struggle to figure out exactly what the government’s spending level is going to be.’ 

A bill funding military construction and Veterans Affairs projects passed the House before the body left for a month-long hiatus, leaving 11 more bills to move along. 

All spending bills originate in the House and then are moved over to the Senate. 

House lawmakers are returning from their August recess on Tuesday and are expected to first take up the massive $886 billion defense spending bill. 

The issue of sending more aid to Ukraine will be at the center of negotiations.

President Biden has requested Congress approve an additional $40 billion – including $13 billion in emergency defense aid, $8 billion for humanitarian aid to Ukraine, $12 billion in disaster relief and $4 billion for the border to combat fentanyl smuggling.

The White House is urging Congress to pass the stopgap measure in order to avoid a shutdown while negotiations on passing the larger 12 longer term spending bills continue. 

But Ukraine aid is a sticking point that is shaking up the process. 

McCarthy has reportedly indicated that the House will attach disaster aid to the stopgap bill, but will not include additional funding for Ukraine.

However, the Senate has strong bipartisan support for sending more funds to the war torn country, and is likely to put pressure on the House to include more aid.

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, told Punchbowl News this week that he ‘understands’ that McCarthy needs to pass a bill, but the Senate will send back any piece of legislation without Ukraine aid.

‘We’re going to have to work that out,’ the Senate leader said this week. 

In addition, the House Freedom Caucus members said in August that they will oppose any spending bill that gives Ukraine a ‘blank check’ in U.S. taxpayer-funded aid.

They say they will also vote against a measure that doesn’t include provisions to address DOJ ‘weaponization’ and targeting of political opponents and the Pentagon’s ‘woke policies.’

And they want major billion dollar cuts to the appropriations bills because they are still disgruntled at the debt ceiling bill, which did not curb spending to their satisfaction.

McCarthy cannot afford to lose more than four votes from Republicans in his slim GOP majority, so he must strike a deal with the Freedom Caucus, which isn’t afraid to shut down the government.

Rep. Chris Stewart, R-Utah, is stepping down from Congress at the end of the week to due to family concerns. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., is battling bone cancer and not expected to return to the Hill for a few months. In addition, Rep. Frank Lucas, R-Okla., had hip surgery recently and Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., is dealing with a handful of legal issues. 

Even if the government shuts down, around 85 percent will still be in operation. For the employees not considered ‘essential,’ they will be paid once the government reopens. 

The longest shutdown – lasting over a month – occurred during Trump’s presidency due to disagreement on border wall funding.  

Another issue at play is some farther right House conservatives that say they will not support any government funding measure without an impeachment inquiry into President Biden and his connections to his family’s business dealings.

That is ruffling the feathers of more moderate Republicans who say they shouldn’t be tied together.

‘They’re totally separate issues and should be considered separately,’ said Rep. Bob Good of Virginia this week.

Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., has threatened to remove McCarthy from his speakership position if an impeachment inquiry into Biden isn’t launched. 

The lawmaker urged his GOP colleagues to ‘seize the initiative’ in investigating the 80-year-old president when they return to Washington next week.

He also said McCarthy ‘may not have the job long’ if he ‘stands in the way’ of pushing for a Congressional trial into Biden’s links to his son Hunter’s foreign business deals.

Firebrand Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia also promised to vote against funding the government if impeaching proceedings had not begun.

And House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., said last week that an impeachment inquiry is ‘imminent.’ 

McCarthy has said an impeachment inquiry into Joe’s connections to Hunter’s foreign dealings is on the table.

He said if the Biden administration continue to ‘withhold’ documents, Republicans will ‘move forward with impeachment inquiry when we come back into session.’

The White House has rejected every suggestion Joe was involved in his son Hunter’s business deals and insists the Biden impeachment push is politically motivated. 

But a new poll released this week showed that 61 percent of Americans believe then-Vice President Joe was involved at some level in his son’s dealings. 

There is no love lost between the Greens’ outspoken housing spokesman, Max Chandler-Mather, and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

Mr Albanese famously referred to the 31-year-old member for the inner-Brisbane seat of Griffith and rent control campaigner as ‘a joke’.

Meanwhile, other senior members of the Labor party have described him as a ‘self-indulgent student politician’, a ‘moron’ and ‘egotistical’.

Photographs captured on the floor of the House of Representatives after a particularly heated clash in June show Mr Albanese’s disdain for his political rival.

On Monday, Mr Chandler-Mather and his party revealed they’d squeezed an extra $3billion out of the government on its historic housing reforms policy – after a lengthy standoff over one of the ALP’s signature reforms. 

‘Sit up and pay attention,’ Mr Chandler-Mather said. 

‘When we stay at the negotiating table we get outcomes… (this is) proof that Greens in balance of power can drag Labor kicking and screaming to taking meaningful action. 

‘If we praise the Labor party for offering crumbs, that’s all we’ll get.’ 

Up until 2013, Mr Chandler-Mather sang a very different tune – given he was once a Labor activist himself. 

He was a member of Labor’s left during his time at the University of Queensland. Both of his parents were also members, and reportedly encouraged him to join.

He worked for the trade union United Voice, before going on to become a union organiser for the National Tertiary Education Union after graduating. 

Mr Chandler-Mather left the party in 2013. 

In 2022, he spoke out about the decision, claiming he could not remain in a party willing to maintain offshore detention facilities in Nauru under Kevin Rudd.

‘I left the ALP in 2013 for the same reason many people stopped voting for them.  They have abandoned their principles, won’t fix the rigged system and have no vision for a better life for all Australians,’ he said in promotional material for the Greens.

With the Greens’ support, Labor finally secured the votes to pass its Housing Australia Future Fund – the landmark housing policy the ALP brought to the last election. 

The policy aims to build 30,000 social and affordable homes over five years, including 4,000 dwellings for women and children experiencing domestic violence. 

The primary concern from both Greens and independents was that the bill does not go far enough to ease pressures on the exploding housing market.

To secure the Greens support, the government has committed a further $3billion in immediate spending to boost social and public housing.

At the last election the Prime Minister’s promised to the Australian public he would assign $10billion to a fund to build 30,000 homes nationwide. 

That money would be invested and all returns – up to $500 million per year – would be spent on building the new properties. 

The new amendments have guaranteed an annual spend of $500million from 2024 regardless of investment returns.

The government will also spend $1billion immediately on public and community housing, and has committed a further $2billion to social housing.

The Greens, spurred by Mr Chandler-Mather – who himself is a renter – are still calling for a nationwide rent freeze, a measure which economists say could be problematic in the long term. 

While they’ve agreed to the policy without securing such rent control concession, Mr Chandler-Mather and Greens leader Adam Bandt say it is still on their radar.

Mr Bandt said: ‘Pressure works. Labor said there was no more money for housing this year and we pushed them to find $3b.

‘Renters are powerful and the Greens are the party of renters. We have won more money for housing for renters, and rent control is next.

‘I say this to Labor: if you continue to ignore renters, your political pain has just begun. There are several more significant bills on the immediate horizon where the Greens will use our position in balance of power to push the government to address soaring rents with a freeze and cap on rents.’ 

Mr Albanese and Labor have accused Mr Chandler-Mather of whipping up outrage over housing for his own political ambitions.

The PM said: ‘Vulnerable people should not be the collateral damage in your manufactured political conflict.’ 

On the last sitting day before the midwinter break, following a particularly tense discussion on the HAFF, Mr Albanese reportedly said ‘you’re a joke, mate’ as he left the chamber.

Earlier that month, Foreign Minister Penny Wong was prompted to withdraw comments she made in the Senate aimed at Mr Chandler-Mather.

She said: ”this man’s ego is more important than housing for women fleeing domestic violence and all the women at risk of homelessness.’

And Senator Tim Ayres also withdrew comments describing the first-term MP as ‘a self-indulgent student politician’.

Interjections made in the House of Representatives as Mr Chandler-Mather delivered a tearful, impassioned speech about renters’ rights on May 10 were reportedly so severe complaints were made.

Independent Helen Haines and the Liberal National Party’s Michelle Landry have both described the treatment of Mr Chandler-Mather as the worst they’ve ever seen in parliament.

Ms Haines was elected in 2019, and Ms Landy a decade ago in 2013.

During the speech, an unnamed Labor MP appeared to shout: ‘sit down, moron’.

Deputy Opposition Leader Sussan Ley also called for more respectful debate last week, expressing concern and discomfort over the ‘bullying of a first term MP’. 

But Mr Chandler-Mather says he is unsurprised and not bothered by the frosty relationship he shares with the government. 

‘The name calling and personal insults aren’t surprising from Labor,’ he said.

‘It’s how you’d expect a party that ultimately serves the interests of property developers and banks would react to people demanding we cap rents or spend enough on public housing to house everyone.’

Mr Chandler-Mather said his party would not ‘stop fighting for renters just because the PM makes some silly insults’. 

‘That’s not pressure. Real pressure is choosing between paying the rent or feeding your kids. And that’s who the Greens are fighting for.

‘Renters make up one third of Australia, and deserve to have their interests fought for.

‘Labor is trying to wash its hands of any responsibility to represent renters or people in need of public or affordable housing.’

Mr Chandler-Mather, who is the member for the inner Brisbane seat of Griffith, has been scathing of the Labor government over its housing policies – including rental assistance – on social media, raking in millions of views.

He has used TikTok to reach a younger audience, many of whom would be directly impacted by the lack of affordable housing in Australia.

His clips break down how Labor is spending taxpayer dollars and answer questions in real time about the biggest political stories of the day.

Experts are anticipating Australia will need an additional 650,000 affordable housing options in the next five years to keep up with demand.

Sydney house prices have plunged by 14.7 per cent during the past year but they had surged by 27.7 per cent during the pandemic, a level well beyond the 3.3 per cent annual increase in wages when Reserve Bank interest rates were at a record-low of 0.1 per cent.

Australian household debt levels make up 188 per cent of income, compared with 68 per cent during the late 1980s.

The American Demographia think tank regards Sydney as the world’s second most unaffordable city, when house prices were compared with incomes, after Hong Kong.

Melbourne was the ninth least affordable market in the world, having a median house price of $897,222, based on CoreLogic data for February 2023.

Adelaide was 14th, having a median house price of $694,653, while Brisbane was 15th, with a mid-point house price of $767,781.

Padres catcher Austin Nola ‘has cognitive vision issue’ after taking pitch to the face in March, and Yankees’ Aaron Rizzo is the reason he got tests

• Austin Nola struggled mightily after breaking his nose in spring training
• He later learned that he was struggling with a cognitive issue
• DailyMail.com provides all the latest international sports news

By Jake Nisse For Dailymail.Com

Updated: 09:20 EDT, 3 September 2023

An eczema sufferer has told of her agony after being hospitalised and losing her vision temporarily during an agonising flare-up.

Beatrice Gaucahas, of Ireland, has spent years battling the common skin condition, which causes redness and blistering of the skin.

But the 22-year-old took a sudden turn for the worse two years ago.

The children’s gymnastics instructor was left with dry, scaly skin covering her face, eventually sealing her eyes shut and leaving her with no skin on her face.

Now fully recovered from her horrifying ordeal, Beatrice is sharing her skin journey on TikTok, where she has gained more than 41,300 followers.

When Beatrice was 20, she experienced the ‘worst flare-up’ of her life when her eczema started affecting the skin on her face.

It made her face swell up and crust form around her eyes — sealing them shut and leaving her unable to see for two days.

She also had ‘no skin left’ on her face, as it had peeled off — leaving her with a ‘burning sensation’. 

‘It was one of the most painful and traumatic experiences of my life,’ Beatrice said.

She went to hospital and stayed there for two weeks.

Five biopsies were performed by doctors to try and find out what was wrong with her.

Doctors confirmed her excruciating symptoms were due to an eczema flare-up.

Also known as dermatitis, eczema affects around a fifth of children and one in 10 adults in the UK and US. 

The skin condition, which is not contagious, can be unbearably itchy. During a flare-up, it can also become red, cracked, sore and raw. 

Treatments for the condition, which has more than a dozen types, include medical moisturisers and medication. 

Beatrice said: ‘I thought I would never have my skin on my face back to normal ever again. I thought I would be scarred for life.

‘I felt like I had no one to turn to for comfort or support.

‘Most of my family were abroad visiting my grandfather as he was severely ill at the time, which had me more down as I wasn’t able to see him since I was also in hospital myself.

‘Of course, I spoke to my family every day on the phone, and they helped me a lot in regards to staying strong and having faith that I will recover, but virtual support and comfort is very different to an interaction in person.’

It’s unclear what triggered Beatrice’s flare-up. 

Since her agonising flare-up and hospital visit, Beatrice has made a full recovery and has learnt to manage her skin condition.

She now follows a strict diet that helps keep her skin condition under control and lessen the symptoms.

Her diet consists of greens, fruit, vegetables, fish oil and a collagen supplement every day. She has also completely cut wheat, gluten and dairy from her diet.

Since this change in routine, she has not suffered from a flare-up.

But she has also learnt to better cope when her symptoms worsen.

‘I am doing much better now, mentally and physically’, says Beatrice.

She added: ‘Before I learned to accept my skin condition, eczema had taken a large toll on my mental health and social life.

‘I stopped going out to see friends, even stopped going anywhere when I had the slightest flare-up as I was so embarrassed at the time and didn’t want anyone seeing what I was going through.’

Beatrice has been detailing her experience with eczema on TikTok, under the username @beatrice_gauca, where one of her most popular videos has amassed more than 2.4million views and 256,000 likes

The video, captioned ‘My skin will never recover from this, I’m going to be scarred for life’, shows a collection of clips during the episode that hospitalised her.

Her followers left supportive comments on the video.

‘Omg!! This is such a relieving ending. I know eczema brings a lot of insecurity, but ur glow up is just phenomenal!!’, wrote @zhaoxiaoxx.

Another TikTok user, @jade_huper, said: ‘You are so amazing for pushing thru this and taking the time to recover your such an amazing girl’.

Beatrice added: ‘I have come to accept my condition and no longer see it as a flaw but as a reason to get out there and help others that are suffering with the same condition as me.

‘It is important for me to share my story to show others going through the same situation that they are not alone and that it does get better, and you will heal your skin.

‘My main motive is to spread awareness about eczema to everyone around the world.’

Billy Vunipola to face hearing on Tuesday for red card against Ireland – immediately after Owen Farrell – leaving Steve Borthwick with a potential World Cup headache

• Billy Vunipola will face a hearing on Tuesday relating to his red card vs Ireland
• England’s No8 was sent off after a high shoulder on Andrew Porter in the loss
• Steve Borthwick could have gaps to fill with Owen Farrell also having an appeal

By Nik Simon for MailOnline

Published: 06:16 EDT, 21 August 2023 | Updated: 06:21 EDT, 21 August 2023

Tens of thousands of wild horses face mass slaughter after mustangs breed too fast on the great plains

• Iconic horse of the American west threatens natural ecosystems
• Around 37, 000 mustangs roam the US ranges over ten states
• Another 50,000 held in temporary pastures 
  
• Officials say populations have hit a ‘critical mass’

By James Black

Published: 09:01 EDT, 28 December 2012 | Updated: 10:43 EDT, 28 December 2012

They are an icon of the American West and a symbol of the country’s frontier history, but now hundreds of mustang horses face slaughter due to overpopulation.

Under existing laws the government pays ranchers to take in thousands of these ‘wild’ horses a year in order to keep population numbers down. Mustangs are not an indigenous species to America and are known to have an adverse affect on natural ecosystems. 

The current system of managing these threats has been in place since 1971 but now rising feed costs has resulted in a growing number of American ranchers refusing to take on mustangs. 

Officials have warned that the government’s own holding pastures and short-term corrals are themselves reaching over capacity.

The result could mean that thousands of this treasured breed will be slaughtered in order to contain overpopulation.

Across ten western states in the US an estimated 37,000 wild horses and feral donkeys roam the ranges.

Officials say this is 11,000 more than the manageable population, and it is expected that figures will double every four years.

There are around 50,000 wild horses and donkeys currently held in temporary pastures, three times the amount held a decade ago.

Despite the crisis in overpopulation, and the known effects of wild hoses on natural habitats of other native animals, activists continue to battle with the government over its management of mustangs in particular.

To thin the populations of wild herds helicopters are used to chase mustangs into traps. Some campaigners think this is cruel and damaging to a species they think America should be protecting.

Suzanne Roy of the American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign said that pregnant mares and foals are stampeded by helicopters over miles of rugged terrain. 

‘Helicopter’s aren’t discerning,’ she said. ‘They stampede the very old and the very young with the fit.’

Authorities have been accused of managing mustangs into extinction. However, only 99 out of the 11,000 gathered from the plains last year died. That’s less than 1%. 

Officials are now beginning to recognise that slaughter might be the only solution to contain the population.

Ms Roy denies this and she questions the wisdom surrounding the belief that America’s land cannot support mustang populations.

She claims that the legislation is weighted heavily in favour of the ranchers who need the land freed up for cattle. 

The problem could be better addressed through contraceptive measures using fertility drugs.

Tom Gorey, of the Bureau of Land Management, denied that this would provide an adequate alternative.

He said: ‘Logistically, [contraception] is very hard. It has not been demonstrated to be a magical solution.’

The US Congress has recognised the mustang as ‘ a living symbol of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West.’

The first Mustangs descended from Iberian horses brought to Mexico and Florida from Spain during the settlement of North America.

Most of these horses were of Andalusian, Arabian and Barb ancestry and were domesticated animals tamed for human use. 

This has led to a dispute over whterh it is entirely accurate to call the mustang ‘wild’ since it is the descendent of a domestic breed which is not native to the natural habitat.

Native Americans quickly adopted the horse as a primary means of transportation. They were also used in battles, trade, and hunts, particularly bison hunts.

Some environmentalist claim that the mustang should be classed as indigenous because there is evidence that horses roamed North America in per-historic times.

More than half of all Mustangs in North America are found in Nevada , with other significant populations in Montana, Wyoming and Oregon.

The government says that the total manageable population in the wild should be 26,000 a figure that is significantly lower than the reality.

‘We are reaching a critical mass,’ Tom Gorey added. ‘And we don’t see any instant solution.’

 

Prince William will not attend World Cup final to watch England‘s Lionesses face off against Spain, Kensington Palace has confirmed.

The Lionesses made history after beating Australia 3-1 today securing their place in England’s first World Cup Final since 1966. Ella Toone scored the opener for Sarina Wiegman‘s side before Sam Kerr netted a stunning equaliser midway through the second half to revive Australia’s hopes of reaching the final.

But Prince William, who is president of the Football Association, is set to watch the final on the television. 

No specific reason has been given for the decision, but attending the final would mean a lengthy flight to Australia for a short period of time. 

Following the match, The Prince of Wales praised the team. He wrote on Twitter: ‘What a phenomenal performance from the – on to the final! Commiserations to, you’ve played brilliantly and been fantastic co-hosts of this World Cup. W’

The royal is currently on a summer break and travelling across the world is something those in the public eye have previously been criticised for. 

Tackling climate change is listed as one of the prince’s priorities. 

Veteran royal journalist Phil Dampier has criticised the royal’s decision to miss out on Sunday’s final, which will be broadcast at 11am. 

On social media he wrote: ‘If Prince William as President of the FA isn’t going to the Women’s World Cup final we should be told why not. It’s a long way and Australia hasn’t had a visit by him or The King since Charles came to the throne. That’s the problem. If the final was in Europe he’d be there!’

The prince also sat out on last year’s men’s World Cup in Qatar, due to the controversies surrounding it. But it was reported that he ‘might’ have attended if they managed to reach the final. 

King Charles congratulated the squad. In his message, he said: ‘My wife and I join all our family in sending the mighty Lionesses our warmest congratulations on reaching the final of the World Cup, and in sharing our very best wishes for Sunday’s match.

‘While your victory may have cost the magnificent Matildas their chance for the greatest prize in the game, both teams have been an inspiration on and off the pitch – and, for that, both nations are united in pride, admiration and respect.’

Like Prince William, many fans will be opting to stay in England and enjoy the game at home or at a fanzone. 

The Lionesses have clearly captured the hearts and minds of a nation once again, as all three Boxpark fan zones in London sold out eight minutes after the final whistle.

A Boxpark spokesperson said that 2,500 tickets across their sites in Shoreditch, Wembley and Croydon sold out in under 10 minutes.

Ecstatic England fans have poured on to Twitter to celebrate the achievement, and several supporters used memes to wind up the tournament hosts following their World Cup exit. 

A fan zone at Boxpark Croydon turned into an impromptu dance floor on Wednesday as the Lionesses confirmed their place in the final, knocking out the host nation.

The only person who seemed to be sitting down when the final whistle was heard at the south London venue was a lone Australian at the front of the zone.

The team’s official Twitter account posted three images from behind the scenes in Sydney.

It was captioned ‘Good times never seemed so good!’ – lyrics from the Neil Diamond classic which has become something of a celebratory anthem for England in recent tournaments.

Boss Sarina Wiegman was clearly keen to keep a lid on celebrations, even telling defender Lucy Bronze to ‘stop jumping’ and to immediately begin preparations for Sunday’s showpiece final. 

Australian fans were left crying into their beers as goals for England from Toone, Hemp and Alessia Russo sealed victory and put the Lionesses 90 minutes away from lifting two major trophies in just under 13 months.

England will now take on Spain for the trophy this Sunday at 11am UK time, after they beat Sweden 2-1 yesterday to book their trip to the final. 

The match comes just over a year after England won Euro 2022 by beating Germany and is England’s first World Cup final since the men’s famous triumph back in 1966. 

Lionesses fans at the fan zones put children on their shoulders, danced on tables and sang football hits following the historic victory.

By Shaun Wooller Health Editor

Published: 20:32 EDT, 13 August 2023 | Updated: 20:36 EDT, 13 August 2023