Food, sleep and health: The future belongs to those who wake up early for they’ll eat and sleep healthily
The future, my mom used to say, belongs to those who wake up early. L’avenir appartient à ceux qui se lèvent tôt. She’d say this as we drove to early ice-skating practices on those cold winter mornings growing up in Quebec. As it turns out, science may be proving her...
Turkish government fiddling with Euphrates River water regime creates political crisis in Syria, Iraq
In addition to farming, Amer Meslet works as a brickmaker, which brings in 100,000 Syrian pounds a month (around $30). Without any harvest, that is all of his income, and Meslet says he now spends half of this on water, either for his family’s needs or to feed his animals....
How interplay of climate change, conflicts drive water and health crises in Syria and neighbouring countries
The huge silos at the roundabout as you enter Syria’s Hassakeh city are decorated with giant pictures of Abdullah Öcalan, leader of the Turkey-based separatist Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), as well as flags from the military arm of the local Kurdish-led administration. There is still some corn in the silos,...
‘Police harassment of homeless asylum seekers and migrants is regular occurrences in France’
The situation could not be more different for Ali, an Afghan asylum seeker in his mid-30s whose name has been changed to protect his identity. Ali arrived in Paris, France, after crossing Iran, Turkey, Greece, the Balkans, and Italy on foot. The journey is replete with dangers and guards at...
Leap from Taliban fire into French frying pan: Barriers Afghans seeking protection in France face
The experience of Afghan asylum seekers in France differs considerably depending on how they arrive in the country, reflecting a tension across Europe between rhetoric about the need to protect people from Taliban persecution and the reality of an erosion of access to asylum. Around 2,600 Afghans who were airlifted...
Manchester City ready to outbid rivals Manchester United for megastar’s signature
Manchester City are reportedly preparing to hand Ralf Rangnick and Manchester United a major blow by signing one of their top striker targets – Erling Haaland. Manchester City have been without a true number nine ever since Sergio Aguero’s departure. Gabriel Jesus was seen as his replacement, but the Brazilian...
South Africa’s huge omicron wave appears to be subsiding just as rapidly as it grew
South Africa’s huge wave of omicron cases appears to be subsiding just as quickly as it grew in the weeks after the country first announced to the world that a new coronavirus variant had been identified. South Africa’s top infectious-disease scientist, who has been leading the country’s pandemic response, said...
Ethiopian government and Tigray rebels locked in disinformation battle to control the conflict’s narrative
Since clashes erupted between Ethiopian forces and northern rebels more than a year ago, another war has flared up online as the rivals spread false claims to control the conflict’s narrative. Digital activists have been engaged in a fierce battle to discredit their opponents, from pro-government sites claiming to promote...
‘I heard that Russian women love hot, polite men,’ world tallest man says on wife search mission in Moscow
The world’s tallest man is ready to settle down. Sultan Kosen, 39, who is a lofty 8”3 (251cm), has travelled to Russia in search of a new partner to start a family. “I heard that Russian women love hot, polite men. It should be easy!”, he told a Russian TV...
How drought is driving conflict in northern Kenya where 2.5 million people are at risk of hunger
Lying in his hospital bed, a bandage wrapped around his foot, Ekidor Esekon remembers little of the day he was shot. What he does recall is setting out early on an otherwise normal morning in early December, to herd cows with his cousin deep in the bush along Kenya’s border...
