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5 of the most dangerous roads in the world

<p><strong>Proceed with caution!</strong></p> <p><span>We came up with our list of the world’s most dangerous roads by consulting the experts who have driven some of these harrowing highways and by checking out other lists from the </span><em>World Most Dangerous Roads</em><span> travel documentary TV series. These 18 roads hug the edges of cliffs with no guard rail, are covered in ice, frequently flood, feature 18 lanes of manic traffic, and have sections of their infrastructure that are crumbling that would test even the best road trip cars. Attempting to tackle one of the most dangerous roads in the world is not for the faint of heart and not for the kind of driver who struggles to find reverse!</span></p> <p><strong>Col du Chaussy, France</strong></p> <p><span>At 1,532 metres above sea level, Col du Chaussy in the Rhône-Alpes region of south-eastern France is a high mountain pass that starts with the famous “Les Lacets de Montvernier.” This special stretch is only about 3.2km long but features 17 hairpin turns as you climb up an actual cliff. There’s a small concrete barrier as you zigzag upward but this improbable road, while impossibly picturesque, is still one of the most dangerous roads in the world.</span></p> <p><strong>Karnali Highway, Nepal</strong></p> <p><span>Approximately 50 people die here every year, making a drive on the 250km Karnali Highway in the Himalayas of West Nepal a literal death wish. It is one of the most dangerous roads in the world even when it’s not monsoon season because the surface is extremely dusty making visibility poor and includes narrow stretches, landslides, falling rocks, flooded sections, potholes, huge drops off steep cliffs, and significant bumpiness. And now it is only a road passable, at best, during the day as the police have banned driving at night due to the high number of fatal accidents.</span></p> <p><strong>Commonwealth Avenue, Philippines</strong></p> <p><span>Unlike other roads and highways on this list, this one isn’t perched on the edge of a mountain or near a crumbling bridge. In fact, it’s a wide urban highway that’s just 12km long. Eighteen lanes wide to be specific and due to heavy traffic, poor drainage which brings floods on the avenue, and the constant presence of motorbikes and pedestrians that tour buses can’t even see, this road has earned the tragic nickname “Killer Highway” because of the many accidents and fatalities suffered here.</span></p> <p><strong>BR-116 ("Rodovia da Morte"), Brazil</strong></p> <p><span>Any highway called Rodovia de Morte or Highway of Death is bound to be one of the most dangerous roads in the world. Stretching from Fortaleza in the north of the country to the southeast edge along the Uruguay border, this 4,490-km highway is the second-longest in Brazil and while it is advertised as being completely paved, that designation is dubious as much of BR-116 is in poor condition. But some cracked asphalt is not what makes it dangerous. Unstable weather and steep cliffs regularly cause major accidents and because the Highway of Death passes through some of Brazil’s most poverty-stricken areas, the threat of gangs lurk in several spots along this busy route.</span></p> <p><strong>Taroko Gorge Road, Taiwan</strong></p> <p><span>Taroko Gorge Road is one of the most dangerous roads in the world because it is carved out of a mountain and runs through one too. This popular 19km stretch in Taiwan is spectacular so you can expect a parade of tour buses, cars, scooters, bicyclists and pedestrians all sharing the same narrow road, and all trying to navigate blind corners and terrifying bends that look too small to fit around. If you find yourself on Taroko Gorge Road, you better hope the weather is fair, otherwise, you might suffer through landslides, floods and falling rocks that make sections impassable.</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Written by Tamara Hinson and Jeff Bogle. This article first appeared in </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.readersdigest.co.nz/travel/destinations/18-of-the-most-dangerous-roads-in-the-world" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Reader’s Digest</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. For more of what you love from the world’s best-loved magazine, </span><a rel="noopener" href="http://readersdigest.innovations.co.nz/c/readersdigestemailsubscribe?utm_source=over60&amp;utm_medium=articles&amp;utm_campaign=RDSUB&amp;keycode=WRA87V" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">here’s our best subscription offer.</span></a></em></p> <p><img style="width: 100px !important; height: 100px !important;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7820640/1.png" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/f30947086c8e47b89cb076eb5bb9b3e2" /></p>

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PM urges caution after NSW woman dies from blood clots

<p dir="ltr">Prime Minister Scott Morrison has urged Australians to avoid jumping to conclusions following the death of a NSW woman who developed blood clots a day after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine.</p> <p dir="ltr">The 48-year old woman received the AstraZeneca vaccine last Friday, developed major blood clots the following day, and was put on dialysis in intensive care until her death on Wednesday,<span> </span><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9473583/NSW-woman-48-dies-week-getting-Covid-19-vaccine-developing-blood-clots.html" target="_blank"><em>The Daily Mail </em>reported</a></span>.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>The Daily Mail</em><span> </span>also confirmed that the woman was diabetic but otherwise healthy, and that preliminary tests had not found a conclusive link between her death and the vaccination.</p> <p dir="ltr">In a statement confirming that Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) is investigating a death in NSW, the TGA also said, ““It has not yet been established whether there is any link between the COVID-19 vaccine and the tragic death reported by NSW health officials.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“NSW Health has said there is no confirmed link but further investigations are underway.”</p> <p dir="ltr">On Thursday, Mr Morrison said the woman’s death will continue to be looked into by state and federal authorities.</p> <p dir="ltr">“There is a lot more to understand and learn about that issue and I would caution others in making conclusions about this at this point as well,” he told reporters at a press conference in Western’s Australia’s Pilbara region.</p> <p dir="ltr">“We’ve been very transparent, very transparent, when it comes to information on these issues and people can expect us to do that,” he continued.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It’s important, because of the fact that people can have concerns, that we follow that important process, to inform ourselves properly.”</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CMYeoGmr2KS/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CMYeoGmr2KS/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Scott Morrison (@scottmorrisonmp)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">In a statement released on Thursday night, a NSW Health spokesperson said the department would not speculate on or discuss individual cases, but offered condolences to the family of the woman who died.</p> <p dir="ltr">“The death of anyone is always a tragedy and our condolences are with the family and loved ones of the person who has passed away,” the spokesperson said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) is responsible for regulating and monitoring the use of COVID-19 vaccines in Australia.”</p> <p dir="ltr">NSW Health has also noted many “conditions” can arise during normal life, regardless of whether a vaccine has been administered, but that it was important for anyone concerned about any adverse effects they were experiencing after a vaccination to contact their doctor.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Monitoring involves detecting and responding to any emergency safety concerns related to COVID-19 vaccines, particularly any adverse events following immunisation,” the statement read.</p> <p dir="ltr">The TGA also said that the blood clotting disorders connected to the AstraZeneca vaccine “are very rare and differ from common blood clots or venous thromboembolism, which occur in around 50 Australians every day.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“The clotting disorder being investigated in connection with the AstraZeneca vaccine, which is now referred to as ‘thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome’, has been confirmed in only two cases out of over 700,000 people who have received the AstraZeneca vaccine in Australia.</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CNbok4Mp-k0/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CNbok4Mp-k0/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Scott Morrison (@scottmorrisonmp)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">If a link between the woman contracting blood clots and receiving a COVID-19 vaccine is confirmed, it would be the third case to occur in Australia - including a woman in Western Australia and a man in Victoria who both received the AstraZeneca vaccine and were in their 40s.</p> <p dir="ltr">Australians under 50 have been warned against receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine after a link was established between the vaccine and rare blood clots. Pfizer became the recommended vaccine for anyone under 50<span> </span><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-04-08/scott-morrison-announces-pfizer-preferred-for-younger-people/100057184" target="_blank">as of last week</a></span>, with use of the AstraZeneca vaccine becoming more limited.</p>

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7 cancer warning signs to be aware of

<p>It’s the word that sends shivers down all our spines when we hear it uttered – cancer. And, given that it’s the leading cause of death in New Zealand, it’s something we certainly need to be aware of – particularly as we age and our risk of developing cancer increases.</p> <p>An easy way to remember the early symptoms of cancer is with the simple acronym “CAUTION”:</p> <ul> <li><strong>C</strong>hange in your bathroom habits</li> <li><strong>A</strong> sore that doesn’t heal</li> <li><strong>U</strong>nusual bleeding or discharge</li> <li><strong>T</strong>hickening or a lump in the breast, testicles, or somewhere else in the body</li> <li><strong>I</strong>ndigestion or difficulty swallowing</li> <li><strong>O</strong>bvious change in the size, colour, shape or thickness of a mole, wart or sore</li> <li><strong>N</strong>agging cough (or coughing up blood) and hoarseness</li> </ul> <p>These symptoms may vary as there are hundreds of different types of cancers, but it’s a good bet to report anything causing concern to your doctor, as it’s always better to be safe than sorry.</p> <p>And while those of us a little more prone to hypochondria than others may find ourselves freaking out about any and all bodily abnormalities, it’s important not to panic if something seems off. If you notice one or more of the above symptoms, stay calm and book an appointment with your GP. Don’t put it off over fear of what you might hear. Cancers caught early have the best chance of being beaten, so don’t hide in denial – be proactive.</p> <p>Experts recommend women regularly check their breasts for any changes as well as getting a mammogram and pap smear every two years, while men are encouraged to keep an eye out for changes in the testicles and have regular prostate screenings. Both sexes should also ask their doctors about a bowel screening.</p> <p>Even though some cancers are simply unpreventable, you can always minimise your risk by developing healthy habits in all aspects of your life. Stop smoking, be sun smart, keep active, eat healthy and reduce your alcohol intake. Even just one of these changes could save your life.</p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><a href="/health/caring/2016/07/humans-soon-to-become-resistant-to-antibiotics/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>Humans soon to become resistant to antibiotics</strong></em></span></a></p> <p><a href="/health/caring/2016/07/6-myths-about-alzheimers/"><strong><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;">6 myths about Alzheimer’s</span></em></strong></a></p> <p><a href="/health/caring/2016/07/sign-of-ageing-or-something-more/"><strong><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;">How to know if it’s a sign of ageing or something more</span></em></strong></a></p>

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