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Mano Menezes has been confirmed as the new [Brazil](https://www.theguardian.com/football/brazil) coach, replacing Dunga, whose contract was not renewed following Brazil's disappointing World Cup campaign. The Corinthians manager was invited to coach the five-times world champions yesterday after Muricy Ramalho earlier snubbed an approach by the Confederation of Brazilian Football due to his commitments at Fluminense. "Mano Menezes is the new coach of the Brazil national team," said the CBF. "By accepting the invitation of president Ricardo Teixeira last night, [he] will have the opportunity to register his name in the history of great winners if they achieve the feat that successive generations will not be able to witness: being six-times World Cup champions in Brazil. "President Teixeira was satisfied with the way the conversation went, with the courage and the willingness shown by Mano Menezes to take on the great challenge, and with his commitment to carry out the changes the squad needs to succeed in the [World Cup 2014](https://www.theguardian.com/football/world-cup-2014). "Even more important, according to Teixeira, was the desire shown by Menezes in arming the Brazil national team with a competitive style but which also has the 'face' of Brazilian football, which can be translated as lively football, marked by talent which the fans and members of the media are dreaming to see again." Menezes, 48, will be unveiled on Monday at a press conference and will also reveal the squad for his first game in charge – a friendly against the United States on 10 August. Their hopes of a sixth triumph ended at the quarter-final stage in South Africa as they let slip a 1-0 lead to suffer a shock 2-1 loss to the eventual runners-up Holland. Rebuilding for the next World Cup is the incoming coach's primary responsibility and Teixeira believes in Menezes they have the right man for the job. The CBF president said: "He showed courage and also pride to have the opportunity that every coach in the world dreams of, which is to steer the Brazil national team. I am sure that he will accomplish great work by 2014. "The Brazil national team, as the new coach said to me, will again have a significant presence of players who play for Brazilian clubs. Mano Menezes, undeniably, is the coach with the ability to conduct this process." Menezes shot to prominence in 2005 by guiding Gremio into the Brazilian top flight before leading them to the final of the Copa Libertadores two years later. He took charge at Corinthians in late 2007, taking the club to promotion from Campeonato Brasileiro Série B before winning the Campeonato Paulista and Copa do Brasil last year.

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Austria vs Brazil. International Match. Ernst Happel StadionAttendance48,500. Wednesday 19 November 2014 08:11, UK Roberto Firmino's superb late strike ensured Brazil continued their winning start under new coach Dunga with a 2-1 friendly victory over Austria in Vienna. David Luiz opened the scoring for Brazil in the second half and, although Austria drew level through Aleksandar Dragovic's penalty soon after, the South American giants claimed the win thanks to Firmino's 25-yard thunderbolt with seven minutes remaining. The result means Brazil have now won all six of their matches since Dunga - back for his second stint in charge of the national team - replaced Luiz Felipe Scolari in the hotseat following this summer's World Cup disappointment. Brazil had not even conceded a goal in Dunga's opening five matches and, although that record came to an end on Tuesday night, their winning run did not. The hosts had plenty of possession early on but were unable to create much to trouble Brazil goalkeeper Diego Alves, although they did hit the frame of the goal just before the half-hour mark when visiting midfielder Luiz Gustavo inadvertently headed a free-kick against his own crossbar. Brazil took the lead in the 64th minute when Luiz headed home a corner, but Austria, who have enjoyed an impressive start to their Euro 2016 qualifying campaign, were level 10 minutes later from the penalty spot. Chelsea playmaker Oscar brought down Aston Villa forward Andreas Weimann in the box and Dragovic subsequently became the first player to score against Brazil in Dunga's second spell. It was not enough to earn Austria a draw, though, as eight minutes from time Hoffenheim midfielder Firmino smashed home an unstoppable effort into the roof of the net to give Brazil the victory. Firmino, who was in the Brazil squad for the first time, said: "I'm very happy as I was able to get onto the field and play alongside these gifted team-mates. "This is a dream that came true, wearing this shirt is the best. I've had the chance to play in the two games and I also scored, so I cannot be more thankful. It was a nice shot." Team-mate Filipe Luis said Austria - who were previously unbeaten in 2014 - were difficult opponents. The Chelsea defender said: "They marked as strong as they could and that made it very hard for us to give (a) clean ball to the attackers. "We found it very difficult to find some space, but that is not excuse. Austria are a tough squad, that are doing well in their Euro qualifiers."

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Brazil exits Copa America after blatant handball goal THE Copa America erupted in controversy after a refereeing blunder sent Brazil crashing out of the tournament. THE Copa America Centenario erupted into controversy on Sunday after a refereeing blunder sent Brazil crashing to a 1-0 defeat against Peru — and out of the tournament. The defeat left Brazil struggling to digest their worst performance in the Copa America since 1987, the last occasion the five-time world champions failed to make it past the group stage. Brazil, needing only a draw to qualify for the quarter-finals as winners of Group B, looked to be on course for a place in the last eight with 15 minutes to go against Peru. But a rare foray into Brazilian territory from Peru ended with Raul Ruidiaz bundling in Andy Polo's cross from the byline, appearing to use his arm to score. Ruidiaz wheeled away to celebrate and Uruguayan referee Andres Cunha signalled for the goal. Brazil's players protested furiously, swarming around Cunha in a bid to persuade the official to reverse his decision. The protests appeared to have swayed Cunha, who looked to be frantically checking with the fourth official via his headpiece to determine whether the goal should stand. Yet after a chaotic delay of around four minutes — with players from both sides surrounding the referee — Cunha ruled the goal should stand. Multiple replays from different angles however showed that Ruidiaz had used his arm to knock the ball into the net past Brazil keeper Alisson. Bedlam at Peru-Brazil right now.â Luke Thomas (@SBNLukeThomas) [June 13, 2016] If you believe video replays aren't necessary for modern sports, you're a luddite and that's all. Indefensible.â Luke Thomas (@SBNLukeThomas) [June 13, 2016] Brazil pressed forward in the final closing minutes in an attempt to find an equaliser that would take them through but it was to no avail. Elias squandered a golden chance from close range in injury time and Brazil's fate was sealed. Peru will now play Colombia in the quarter-finals after finishing top of Group B. Despite the controversial nature of the result, Brazil coach Dunga is likely to come under renewed pressure after what was a lacklustre tournament. The Brazilians, desperate to begin the road to recovery after their humiliating 7-1 defeat by Germany in the World Cup semi-finals two years ago, never convinced at any point of the group stage. A 0-0 opening draw with Ecuador — where a refereeing decision which might have given Ecuador a victory went in Brazil's favour — was followed by a 7-1 drubbing of Haiti, arguably the weakest team in the tournament. Another drab display against Peru followed on Sunday, with Dunga's side barely getting a shot on goal in the first-half with the exception of a shot by Gabriel in the 26th minute that was tipped away by Peru goalkeeper Pedro Gallese. Originally published as [Brazil exits Copa America after blatant handball goal](https://news.com.au/sport/football/brazil-exits-copa-america-after-blatant-handball-goal/news-story/6a3f85304418086b6cc3a5e5b9c63cb8)

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World Cup qualifying: Brazil beat Paraguay to seal place in Russia Brazil have become the first side to seal their place at the World Cup finals in Russia next year. Their 3-0 win over Paraguay, along with defeats for Argentina and Uruguay, means they cannot finish lower than fourth in South American qualifying. Liverpool forward Philippe Coutinho, Barcelona striker Neymar and Real Madrid's Marcelo scored Brazil's goals. Neymar also missed a penalty as his side moved nine points clear of second-placed Colombia. It is Brazil's eighth straight win under coach Tite. Paraguay, meanwhile, find themselves five points off the top four with only four games remaining. Two-time World Cup winners Argentina face a battle to qualify for Russia with their [2-0 defeat to Bolivia](http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/39426302) leaving them fifth, a point behind Chile. They will have to do so without forward Lionel Messi, who has been [banned for four international matches](http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/39423000) for directing "insulting words" at an assistant referee during last Thursday's 1-0 win over Chile. Uruguay, who were beaten 2-1 by Peru in Lima on Tuesday, are third. The team that finishes fifth will face the winners of the Oceania group in a two-legged play-off. 'What a difference a coach makes' "Less than a year ago, Brazil were struggling badly in World Cup qualification," South American football expert Tim Vickery told BBC Radio 5 live. "With a third of the campaign gone they were down in sixth in South America's table and in danger of missing out on Russia 2018. "What a difference a coach makes. Out went the snarling Dunga and in came Tite - charismatic and intelligent - and he made an immediate impact. "His side have put together eight consecutive wins, scoring 24 goals and conceding just two. "The likes of Neymar and Philippe Coutinho are playing the kind of stylish brand of football that, historically, has made so many fall in love with that famous yellow shirt. "They now just need to guard against an excess of euphoria - a lovely problem to have for a proud footballing nation, who just a few months ago were fretting about the prospect of missing out on a World Cup."

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Regular bacon cheeseburgers not enough for you? A small burger chain in California has the answer. "The 'merica," brainchild of Slater's 50/50 founder Scott Slater, is made of 100% ground bacon and topped with a sunny side up egg, bacon island dressing, bacon cheddar cheese and a slice of – what else – bacon. Customers have been ordering July's burger of the month in droves. "People are loving it, said spokesman Justin Frank. "They love the name and they love celebrating Fourth of July by eating an American bacon burger." Slater intially came up with a burger that is 50 percent ground beef and 50 percent ground bacon that gave the chain it's name. But the original concept for the chain comes from the idea of a burger made entirely out of bacon, says spokeswoman Erika Diprofio. Slater wanted to settle a bet on whether an all-bacon burger was possible. Want a calorie count? No dice. But there are also bacon milk shakes and a bacon bloody marys on the menu. The three-location chain had a pulled-pork burger for June, then celebrated May with a chorizo burger, according to the website FoodBeast. Other burgers of the month include an Orange Chicken burger and a Cheese Frito burger, said the site. What would you make your favorite burger out of? Tell us in the comments! [Follow Ryan Gorman on Twitter](https://twitter.com/#%21/GormoJourno/)

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- Very easy to use, even for beginners - Tightly integrated with stock photo image bank - Can be used for free if you use your own photos - No page grids - No alignment tools Canva makes design simple, easy, and fast. Price When Reviewed Best Prices Today: Canva Do you chomp at the bit to use design software? Unless design is your profession or hobby, our guess would be: not often. Those of us who aren't graphically inclined (example: Yaara) shrink from the complications of Photoshop, and even simpler programs take more effort than we're willing to expend. Those of us who design professionally (example: Erez) want powerful tools, but we're not sorry to take shortcuts if the results look right. If you need to make beautiful posters, invitations, cards, website graphics, or even multiple-page presentations, Canva is a design service you're going to want to use. Still in invitation-only beta, Canva is a design service that takes the friction out of designing. All you have to do is choose one of 11 available templates or start from a custom-sized blank canvas. You then use the Layouts and Background tabs to get a rough idea of what you want to design. These tabs are chock-full of options to choose from, whether you want a complete template or just a nice background to build on. Canva revolves entirely around intuitive controls such as drag-and-drop, so adding, removing, and editing elements on your canvas is almost a no-brainer. This also means that if you're used to design software giving you a hand with page grids and object distribution features, you're out of luck. Canva does show live orientation guides as you drag objects around, but they are not as sophisticated as those used by online typesetting services such as Use the search function to browse an enormous repository of images, and the Text tab to add free text or stylized text with built-in backgrounds. While many Canva elements are completely free to use, most images you'll see on search results are Premium, and will cost you $1 per image once you download your design. You can, however, easily upload you own photos or graphics, or use ones you have on Facebook, so while Canva's Premium options are certainly tempting, they're not a must. Rather than overwhelm with options, Canva gives you just a handful of picks. This is evident in the built-in color picker as well: You can change the color used for text and some of the built-in glyphs, but you're first only presented with a limited palette of 5-8 colors that fit your general color scheme. If you know the specific hue you're after, you can click through for a more standard color picker that also lets you feed in a hex color code. Canva is an amazing tool for the clueless, and can come in handy for professionals too. It makes designing uniformly easy for everyone, but it's by no means aimed only at amateurs. The simplicity and richness of the tools will get you coming back for more every day, and according to Canva's developers, the current features are only 1% of what they have in store for us. As it is now, Canva brings sophisticated design abilities to the masses. We can only hope future features don't render the service complicated to use. Hurry up and request your beta invite, this is one service you won't want to miss.

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Haifa –" When you look out to the Mediterranean from the ruins of Wadi Salib, the most impressive piece of the skyline is ironically a government building which houses the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Immigrant Absorption. It looks like the sliver of a bloated disco ball beckoning to the waterfront serving as a testament to Israeli modernity. Nearby, before you reach the slopes of the Carmel Mountains somewhere between the Hadar shopping district and the taverns of Kikkar Paris not far from the Haifa waterfront lies the historic Arab neighborhood of Wadi Salib. You feel its age when you see the sign of the abandoned barbershop still there since 1948. But that's only the beginning of the story. Wadi Salib literally means Valley of the Cross. Some say when you look down towards the waterfront, the neighborhood is shaped like a cross and others like the nuns who used to live in the Latin monastery nearby claim that as the neighborhood swerves to its upper hillsides, you can see the outlines of the symbol. Billboards for new developments are up next to the newly constructed arches, though pleasant to look at, serve as a rococo façade to the aging staircases. The old stone houses, empty and dilapidated, full of memory are juxtaposed against the modernity of the more recently constructed buildings in the vicinity –" the contours of the massive new Law building rip through the neighborhood several stories high dwarfing the aging one and two story stone flats across the boulevard creating an architecture of fear. Many Arabs see this as a metaphor for power relations in the country between Jews and Arabs. One can't help but draw parallels to the regional narrative – a Jewish nation western in mindset in the Middle Eastern Arab world trying to overcome differences over language, culture, religion and historical interpretation. Wadi Salib could become a case study in reconciliation in the mixed city of Haifa where Jews and Arabs live together in relative peace. Although the Maxim Restaurant was bombed here in October of 2003, Haifa is still seen as the model for coexistence in Israel. Haifa is mentioned in documents dating back to the 2nd century but is over 5,000 years old. Jews and Arabs practiced coexistence for centuries here long before it was fashionable. Here the Carmelite order of monks was founded near Elijah's cave after European crusaders persecuted the Jewish community in their efforts to convert them. By 1256 Haifa was destroyed by Muslims and was eventually abandoned and became a small seaport after the nearby city of Acre fell in 1291. From Wadi Salib you can see the Old City walls of Haifa which were originally built in 1761 under the Ottoman Empire. There were Muslim and Christian Arabs living side by side within the walls until the middle of the nineteenth century when development in Haifa was pushed to other parts of the city. Napoleon and his French forces were eventually defeated in nearby Akko. The development of the German colony near Ben Gurion Street began in 1867 and by the early part of the 20th century new Jewish settlers began arriving and settling near where the Haifa Hof Ha-Carmel train station sits today. At the end of the Ottoman Empire and the beginning of the British Mandate, the Jewish community grew in population, often sailing in to the port of Haifa from Europe and other destinations. Wadi Salib and nearby Wadi Nisnas remained the main Arab neighborhoods in Haifa and were the sight of numerous riots in the 1930's and 1940's relating to frustration with the British Mandate and the increasing Jewish population. Following the Holocaust and the Second World War, internal pressure from the Zionist movement as well as support from the Allied powers for a Jewish state created the conditions for the establishment of the State of Israel. It left in its wake thousands of displaced Arabs and dozens of destroyed villages. 60,000 Arabs were forced out of Haifa alone beginning the process of cultural effacement – only 3,000 Arabs remained. Families who had lived in Haifa for generations fled to the West Bank and nearby countries like Syria, Jordan and Lebanon. Neighborhoods like Wadi Salib and Wadi Nisnas faced challenges as the former centers of Arab culture in the area along with cities like Nazareth, Jerusalem and Jaffa. The remains of Wadi Salib are part of the larger story of Haifa and the establishment of the State of Israel. It today still serves as an historic fracture on Haifa's urban landscape. Johnny Mansour, a professor of history at Mar Elias University in the Galilee, often talks about how the disintegration of culture and history in the Arab community has historically been done systematically and that the community has not had the capacity to respond. In his tours of the neighborhood, he tells listeners that he doesn't want the stories of the families who left in 1948 to be forgotten. They should be part of the city's memory. In Wadi Salib, where many of the buildings are still abandoned, the neighborhood is a contested space where development pressures combined with private ownership of these historic buildings will mean greater interest in reviving the neighborhood. The challenge will be in how to stop historic buildings from being torn down and in developing the neighborhood in a way that respects its history. Wadi Nisnas, though it was never abandoned, was remodeled for tourists, but serves today as a residential, cultural and commercial center for the Arab community in Haifa. Many believe that Wadi Salib can be brought back to life but that it needs to be done with patience, care and attention. Rehabilitating Wadi Salib will serve as a challenge to the Arab and Jewish community in Haifa. With the many destroyed and unrecognized villages throughout Israel, Wadi Salib is part of the broader attempt to work out Israel's present development needs with its past obligations. Johnny Mansour likes to point out a series of buildings that now house some taverns and a theater just off of Shivat Zion Street. One of these buildings used to be known as the Palace of the Pasha, a remnant of the once ruling Ottoman Empire. The Pasha's son went on to become a judge in the Haifa district court. Next door was a Turkish Bathhouse where families used to frequent with their children. In the building which now houses the Roof for Demobilized Soldiers, there used to be an Oriental club which used to bring in musicians and dancers from Cairo. The hulva shop which was taken over by a Jewish family after 1948 and where many Arabs frequented after Al Nakba was torn down just a few years ago. The Jjrar family house still sits on the hillside overlooking Wadi Salib reflecting its time once as home to one of the wealthiest Arab families in the region. The Haifa University Geography Department recently looked into purchasing the building. Part of the Muslim cemetery in Wadi Salib was uprooted and split in half to make way for the highway between Haifa and Nazareth. The Istiklal mosque still operates in Wadi Salib. The construction cranes and the scaffolding can now be seen on the outskirts of the neighbourhood foreshadowing the development to come under the City's new plan. After 1948, many of the buildings were confiscated after the government passed the Absentee Owners Property Law which allowed for the confiscation of Arab property in the early 1950's. Immigrating Mizrahi Jews soon took over many of the Arab flats and but also faced discrimination from the ruling clique of Occidental Jews in their early days in Israel. In 1959, they rioted over "bread and work" and criticized many of the institutions of the state including the powerful elites in the Labour Party and the Histadrut labour union. These protests led to changes and eventually many of the Mizrahi Jews moved out of Wadi Salib and in to new neighborhoods in Haifa as the city grew up the slopes of the Carmel. There is now talk in some quarters that Wadi Salib could be designated as a UNESCO heritage site if people in the community led the effort to recognize it. Tel Aviv was recently given the designation for its large supply of Bauhaus architecture much to Tom Wolfe's chagrin. A few months ago, community activists organized to stop the demolition of Arab intellectual Emil Touma's house situated between Wadi Salib and Wadi Nisnas. There is now a plan for the Institute which bears his name to move into the building when the funding becomes available. These kinds of community efforts to reclaim part of the history of these neighborhoods are gaining support in both the Jewish and Arab communities as a means of reconciliation and in working towards equal rights and a shared history. Many Arabs still feel singled out and are given differential treatment in attempting to find housing in certain neighborhoods in Haifa. Ultimately, what happens to Wadi Salib and its future development cannot be removed from the reason why it became a dead neighborhood in the first place. The development must be gradual, there must be leadership from the Arab community, support from the Jewish community and the development must find a way of negotiating through the tensions that clearly remain. As these tensions work themselves out in Wadi Salib over the next fifteen years, this will be a neighbourhood to watch. In the mean time the buildings sit empty carrying memories of families long gone continuing to serve as a textbook example of urban blight.

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GEN Ghana was founded in 2013. One of its members is the Ghana Permaculture Institute, a non profit organization in Techiman, in the Brong Ahafo Region of Ghana. Paul Yeboah shares the work of this initiative, which has been supported by the UK based company Lush. It shows how permaculture and ecovillage principles provide solutions for regions that are ripe for making the change to a more sustainable lifestyle. The Permaculture Institute was established especially for the rural dwellers, low-income, and peasant farmers of Ghana. Our aim is to achieve a secure, stable food system in conjunction with the restoration and care of local ecosystems while improving the quality of life for all inhabitants. The methods we use are based on Permaculture Design principles. We intend to make Ghana a leading example in caring for the Earth and its people. In early 2004, Permaculture teacher Greg Knibbs was invited by the Abbott of Kristo Buase Benedictine Monastery in Ghana to come and run two Permaculture Design Courses (PDCs), and to help redesign the Monastery's 430 acre farm. On the course, Greg met Paul Yeboah, the farm manager at the time. Greg and Paul became good friends and together worked to set up the non-profit Ghana Permaculture Network in 2004 (since then renamed Ghana Permaculture Institute). In 2007 Greg came back to Ghana to co-teach another PDC with Paul for the members of the growing network, and then again in 2009 to meet the growing demand for courses. Evidence to Act The greatest problem in our region is poverty, as seventy per cent of the people are living below the poverty line. Many youth have been unemployed for years and are fast losing any hope of getting out of the poverty trap. The situation needs immediate resolution in the form of capacity-building and the creation of employment. The widespread poverty also traps people in environmentally destructive systems, as they lack access and means to other knowledge and possibilities. Through no fault of their own, the people continue using their land and local ecosystems in ways that further degrade them. The collapse of soil systems and ecosystems affects everyone negatively. Utilizing Permaculture Design principles we have proven solutions to meet these challenges. We have started to introduce the Permaculture concept to schools, communities and farmers, to mining companies, government and NGOs in Ghana. On a long term basis, we want to develop communities as model Eco-Villages and permaculture demonstration sites, where people can teach each other through their experience and the positive examples of working systems. The Institute's Actions The Institute is actively training people in local communities in the development of strategies for earth restoration, food security systems, economic stability, and the care of people, using Permaculture Design ethics and principles. We assist farmers in our institute with appropriate supplies of seeds, trees, and cereal grains. We share practical knowledge with them on how to develop their farms so they can improve yields using local, simple and reproducible techniques. We also help farmers to search for buyers who pay fair and better prices, freeing them from the need for a middleman. All of this work helps to foster self-reliance and self-employment, thereby improving income and living standards for the local people. We discourage bush burning and encourage the old tradition of crop rotation, as well as encouraging tree planting as a means to check soil erosion and generally protect our environment. We slowly introduce more complicated, sophisticated, and productive permaculture agroforestry systems to the farmers over time. We also carry out research on the nutritional and medicinal values of various local plants. Since 2004 the Institute has set up 50 community tree nurseries and offers advice and training to local farmers. Currently we are networking with over 5,000 farmers. We are also introducing Permaculture to schools, teaching children about earth care. We have donated trees to schools, community organizations, and also farmers. In 2008 we donated over 35,000 trees to the United Nation Trees for Africa programme. We continue to give away thousands of trees and teach people how to design food gardens, control the severe erosion, and restore the environment around their homes. Small farm demonstration site On a small piece of land on the edge of Techiman, we started a training and demonstration centre as a model small permaculture farm. Key components of this site are a mushroom growing project, a tree nursery, a number of different food growing systems, accommodation and training space for courses. There are multiple, diverse income streams for the site enabling us to employ 11 people. Waste sawdust (that is usually otherwise burned) from nearby sawmills is collected, composted, sterilized and bagged up, before being inoculated with oyster mushroom spawn, which is incubated in sheds and then cropped periodically. The mushrooms are sold to local markets, and the inoculated bags are also sold directly from the farm at a cheap price so that people can take them back to their communities by the hundred or thousand and set up their own cropping house, producing mushrooms for 3 months. We have many customers and, in this way, many new local rural businesses are created, nutritious food provided and the local economy is developed. We also run specialist courses in mushroom growing. Women's group microfinance (Permaculture Ethical Women Loan Scheme) We encourage women's groups formed in the communities to apply for a loan and start up their own small businesses. The women themselves assess whether they think a woman is able to repay the loan and then put her forward to receive it. The GPN staff running the scheme, travel to each community regularly and at the same time as "opening the bank" they also give trainings on food and nutrition; how to run a business; home gardening; and other topics as the need is perceived. In this way, staff slowly introduce permaculture into the community. GPN provided help with seeds and other materials, and as each group developed, a proposal was given to set up a tree nursery in the local school, with GPN again providing material support. As well as offering the lowest credit rates available to the women, the scheme also operates as a bank where people can safely deposit their savings (and so some women could protect it from their husbands so it couldn't get spent on drinking!). The fact that the bank comes to them in their own community is a big advantage to the women, as they do not have to pay to travel far to town and leave their children or crops unattended. Medicinal moringa soap making Moringa is a wonderful tree that GPN use a lot in their systems. It is a fast growing, nitrogen-fixing pioneer species that is drought-resistant, and is planted to improve the soil and give shade and support to other plants. In addition to this, it is highly nutritious: its leaves can be used in soups and stews and it produces an edible bean as well as an oil-bearing seed. GPN has started a micro-business programme making medicinal soap from the juiced Moringa leaves combined with coconut oil, shea butter and caustic soda. They also make creams and ointments with Moringa, as it has powerful anti-fungal and anti-bacterial effects and is good for skin problems. The products are very popular and we are selling lots of them, including a regular order to the neighbouring country, Cote D'Ivoir, of 1000-2000 bars per month. Our business "Natural Moringa Enterprise" is now producing and selling the soap. We are justifiably proud that the project has achieved far more than its initial aims! You can read more about this part of the project here: Ghana Permaculture Institute Ecological Building Ecological building design conserves energy using, for example, trellised vegetation around the building for shade and cooling, and to filter out dust instead of using an air conditioning unit that would consume electricity. We aim to minimise energy consumption in the building and then meet the energy needs using renewable energy. This type of building has attracted the attention of many people in Ghana, especially people living with low income resources. This is because the materials are available to them from the land as well as being much cheaper than steel and concrete. By combining traditional natural materials with modern ecological building techniques we can achieve buildings that are comfortable, affordable, environmentally friendly and beautiful. Our Vision for the Ghana Permaculture Institute We want to extend our work by developing a working Permaculture farm and training centre. The students will work with rural farmers and communities across Ghana to help them retrofit their land. Our Permaculture team will offer consultancy in Permaculture design and village development to governments, the private sector, and local and international organizations. Our goal is to build up a network of well trained and qualified Permaculture teachers and designers for work in Ghana and to spread across Africa. Partnership / Collaboration We are looking for all possible support and collaboration from local and international organizations wishing to support us in our fight to protect the environment, encourage sustainable agriculture, and aid the rural populace in achieving self-reliance and improved living standards. We are also looking for international youth wanting to come for internships as part of their university degrees or wishing to do 6 -12 months volunteer service in Ghana and Africa. Information on Ghana: Director, Ghana Permaculture Institute Box TM 390 Techiman – Brong Ahafo Region Tel.: +233 249892457

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Hurricane Maria: The missing and the dead Officials of the Dominica Police Force recently released the names of people who have died and those who are missing due to the passage of Hurricane Maria. The list reveals the staggering impact of the hurricane on human life on the island: 31 people have been confirmed dead and 34 missing. Pointe Michel and Loubiere were the hardest hit in terms of human casualties. According to information from the police, four are confirmed dead in Pointe Michel and 13 are missing. They have also confirmed that on October 23, 2017 two skulls and skeletal remains were discovered in Pointe Michel at the home where Darry Grove, Nashon Attidore, Randolph Charles and Phillipson Renault were reported to have been residing during the storm. They also reported that on October 30, 2017 in Pointe Michel, skeletal remains believed to be that of Edith Fontaine was recovered. Confirmed dead in Pointe Michel are Royston Toussaint, Murray Delmore, Veronica Peltier and Glen Alexander. Missing from Pointe Michel are Randolph Randy Charles, Philipson Renault, Ann Lanquedoc, Morian Landor, Nadora Williams, Garvin Francis, Jerome Daniel, Jayalia Lawrence, Gertain Daniel, Edith Fontaine, Nashon Attidore, Darry Grove of Vielle case and Joanne Francis. Four are confirmed dead from Grand Bay. They are Evette Leatham, Okan Letang and Jennifer Bonny. Alpheus Maxim is missing. From the village of Dos Dane, Alfred Magloire, Jennifer Moulon and Anthony Bannis (aka Rasta) are confirmed dead while missing are Rita Magloire and Vitus of Paix Bouche. In Loubiere, confirmed dead is 10-year-old Yakira Joseph and missing are Destiny Joseph, Ivon Prevost , Myrtle Celaire, Clive Leblanc, Jerry Lafleur, Annie Simon and Ronnie Jolly of Petite Savanne. In Fond Baron, Gloria Elie Prosper is confirmed dead and one-year-old Jaydon Jno Baptiste is missing. In the village of Mahaut, Alicious Joseph and Lee alias Dig are dead. In Castle Bruce, Laronde Roberts of Mahaut and Alexis Laville of Penville have died. Also confirmed dead are: Peter Registe of Tarish Pit; Emmanuel Joseph of Fond Cole; Damina Ishmael of Stockfarm; John Thomas and Ivon Jules of Morne Bruce; Irella Henry of Marigot; Janet Canoville of Belles (living in Grand Fond); Theresa Frederick of Dublanc; Lucy Thomas of Scottshead; Whitfield Wallace of Woodfordhill. Confirmed missing in Roseau are Minelle Monetto, Jeffrey Menero , Edmond Charles , Sharon Francis and Jno Lewis Fontaine. Also missing are: Peter Lewis (Canefield); Vanya Woodman (Bath Estate); Marcus Boyd (Castle Comfort); Jopha Christopher (six-year-old in Pottersville); Christine Thomas (Savanne Paille). Police say the bodies of five people could not be identified.

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Stefania Turkewich / Galicians I Stefania Turkewich (1898-1977) Ukraine's first woman composer is Stefania Turkewich. She began her music studies with her mother, who was a pupil of Karol Mikuli, the director of the Lemberg Conservatory in Galicia. Then, at the Lysenko Institute in Lviv, she was taught by Vasyl Barvinsky. After World War I, Turkewicz studied in Lviv with Adolf Chybinski at the Lviv University, and also at the Lysenko conservatory. She then moved to Austria and studied with Guido Adler at the University of Vienna and Joseph Marx at the music academy. In 1925, she travelled with her first husband to Berlin where she studied with Franz Schreker and the influential expressionist, Arnold Schoenberg; in Prague she studied with Zdenek Nejedly at Charles University, with Otakar Sin at the conservatory, and with Vitezslav Novak at the music academy. She received her doctorate in musicology in 1934. From 1935 to 1939, she taught harmony and piano at the Lysenko Institute in Lviv, and, from 1940 to 1944, she lectured at the Lviv State Conservatory. Fleeing from the Soviets, Turkewich immigrated to England with her second husband in 1946. There she spent much of her time composing, but many of her works have never been performed. Stylistically they are much more modern, but still hearken back to Ukrainian folksongs, when they are not post-romantic, atonal or expressionistic in character.

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Cathcart Hospital rumours spark week of protests Police are monitoring as stoning incidents continue on N6 Police are monitoring the N6 between Komani and Stutterheim in the Eastern Cape after nearly a week of protests in Cathcart that started on Friday. Two trucks were set alight and cars were stoned between Cathcart and Stutterheim. On Monday, two boys, both aged 15, appeared in Cathcart Magistrates' Court accused of torching a water tanker and a delivery truck on Friday. They were not asked to plead. They were released under the care of their parents and will appear in court on Friday 16 February. As of Tuesday morning, car stoning incidents have continued. Police spokesperson Siphokazi Mawisa has warned motorists of the danger on the N6. The protests followed rumours that the provincial Department of Health plans to downgrade Cathcart Hospital. This came after officials visited the hospital and staff were overheard talking about it becoming a day hospital. Amahlathi Local Municipality spokesperson Anathi Nyoka said protesting residents are also demanding Home Affairs, SASSA and Social Development establish permanent offices instead of the weekly mobile units. Community leader Buyisile Booi said the mobile units are not reliable. Cathcart is surrounded by 92 farms but has few services. "Instead of getting services, our government wants to take the only thing that we have, which is the hospital. At this stage we feel that the protest is the only language our officials understand," said Booi. 'If they downgrade this hospital we will have to go to Stutterheim when we are sick at night, meaning people will be forced to hire transport and that will cost them R1,000 a single trip. If one decides to go to Komani, they will have to hire a car for R1,500," he said. Zonke Mjandana, a hospital board member, said only after protests erupted and they made inquiries was it confirmed that the provincial department is downgrading all hospitals with less than 50 beds. "Ours currently has 38 beds, and according to the department the hospital is not busy at night. As board members we understand residents' frustration and the sad part is that we were also not aware of this move. Should they have informed us in time we were going to dispute it," she said. Spokesperson for the department Mkhululi Ndamase said the department will comment after a scheduled meeting with the board, officials and MEC Nomakhosazana Meth. Residents have vowed to continue with the protest until the hospital issue is resolved. Deputy principal suspended after probe names him in suicide of 12-year-old Gauteng learner Unemployed doctors march to Department of Health © 2024 GroundUp. This article is licensed under a [Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/). You may republish this article, so long as you credit the authors and GroundUp, and do not change the text. Please include a link back to the original article. We put an invisible pixel in the article so that we can count traffic to republishers. All analytics tools are solely on our servers. We do not give our logs to any third party. Logs are deleted after two weeks. We do not use any IP address identifying information except to count regional traffic. We are solely interested in counting hits, not tracking users. If you republish, please do not delete the invisible pixel.

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Drones against jihadNovember 23, 2016 Fatima now needs three times longer to reach the market in Agadez. She lives with her family outside this city of 180,000 in sub-Saharan Niger, traveling there every day to sell camel milk. A nearby US drone base has added 90 minutes to her trek. "We often have to stay in Agadez overnight, whether we want to or not. The children then have to stay home alone," she told DW. Her family could not survive without the market, she said. "I come from Agadez and every morning at 7 see the large aircraft," said Ibrahim Manzo. "They land here, then fly onwards. No one knows what they're transporting." It remains unclear how far along base construction is, said Adam Moore, a researcher from the University of California, Los Angeles, who specializes in US military engagement in Africa. "Satellite imagery of Agadez reveals a complex south of the runways that covers roughly 62 acres. That is fairly large,", he notes. A multimillion-dollar project An investigation by the online magazine, The Intercept, puts the cost of the base at $100 million. That is twice as much as the US Defense Department's official estimate. For the US and its allies, Niger has strategic importance in their fight against international terrorism. Mali, Nigeria and Libya are, in particular, places of refuge for Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), Boko Haram or the so-called "Islamic State." Moore suspects that the US is using the Agadez drone base to conduct reconnaissance missions over northern Niger and southern Libya. "These regions can be monitored better from Agadez. That is the biggest advantage over the capital, Niamey," Moore said, referring to the long-time US spying presence there. An additional drone base is planned for Tunisia, according to the Washington Post. The two bases combined would provide the US a near-complete picture of the entire Sahara region, Moore said. Niger ground zero in terror fight Niger's President Mahamadou Issoufou gave approval for the Agadez base in 2014 for surveillance purposes. An additional US base in Arlit, about 250 kilometers (155 miles) north of Agadez, has been operating for about a year, but little is known about it, Moore said, except that special forces are presumably stationed there. The US carries out a number of operations by way of special forces or defense subcontractors, Moore said. Washington has been hesitant to be directly involved on the African continent for at least a decade. "Yet they are building this large base in Agadez, which is hardly out of sight," Moore added. "This is an indication of the good relations with the Niger government, and that Niger is on board to become the center of the fight against terrorism in North and West Africa." After Djibouti, home to Camp Lemonnier, the largest US base on the continent, Niger could well become America's next most important military partner in Africa, Moore said. German base in Niamey The French are also present in Niger with anti-terror operations, sharing the US base in Niamey as well as operating two others of its own in the country. The German military has had a presence in Niger since April. It runs an airbase from the capital's international airport to transport troops supporting the UN Minusma mission in neighboring Mali. There are about 40 German soldiers stationed in Niamey, according to Germany's Defense Ministry. Tilla Amadou helped with reporting.

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[Articles](https://hess.copernicus.org/)| [Volume 11, issue 5](https://hess.copernicus.org/articles/11/issue5.html) Updated world map of the Köppen-Geiger climate classification Abstract. Although now over 100 years old, the classification of climate originally formulated by Wladimir Köppen and modified by his collaborators and successors, is still in widespread use. It is widely used in teaching school and undergraduate courses on climate. It is also still in regular use by researchers across a range of disciplines as a basis for climatic regionalisation of variables and for assessing the output of global climate models. Here we have produced a new global map of climate using the Köppen-Geiger system based on a large global data set of long-term monthly precipitation and temperature station time series. Climatic variables used in the Köppen-Geiger system were calculated at each station and interpolated between stations using a two-dimensional (latitude and longitude) thin-plate spline with tension onto a 0.1°×0.1° grid for each continent. We discuss some problems in dealing with sites that are not uniquely classified into one climate type by the Köppen-Geiger system and assess the outcomes on a continent by continent basis. Globally the most common climate type by land area is BWh (14.2%, Hot desert) followed by Aw (11.5%, Tropical savannah). The updated world Köppen-Geiger climate map is freely available electronically in the Supplementary Material Section.

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The number of coronavirus patients in the predominantly Haredi city of Bnei Brak is nearing 1000 with at least 900 confirmed diagnoses so far, as ultra-Orthodox cities continue to record the sharpest rises in new COVID-19 cases, health officials said Thursday. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday announced plans to further tighten the restrictions in the central city. The move came after government came under fire for not enforcing the directives meant to fight COVID-19 on the Haredi population, many of whom do not comply with the orders. On Wednesday morning the number of confirmed cases in Bnei Brak stood at 723, meaning that over the past 24 hours alone there has been a 25 percent increase in new diagnoses in the city. In Jerusalem, which also has a large Haredi population, the number of new diagnoses has climbed by 13% to 916, up from 781 just 24 hours earlier. In the Haredi settlement of Modi'in Illit, the rate of infection was similar with 15%. There are currently 70 COVID-19 patients in the settlement, up from 64 some 24 hours earlier. Some non-Haredi cities also showed a rapid increase in new cases over the past 24 hours, with Netanya, Ashkelon and Be'er Sheva all recording a spike of over 20%. Nevertheless, the number of infected in those cities remains relatively low, with the southern city of Ashkelon being hit the hardest out of the three, with 151 coronavirus cases. In Tel Aviv, there has been an eight percent increase in new diagnoses over the past 24 hours, with the total number of cases now standing at 324. Earlier, the Health Ministry said another five people have died from complications related to coronavirus, bringing the country's death toll to 31, with the total number of COVID-19 cases in Israel now standing at 6,211.

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Israel reports first coronavirus fatality JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel reported its first fatality from the coronavirus on Friday, an 88-year-old man who suffered from previous illnesses. The Health Ministry said in a statement he had been brought to Shaare Zedek hospital in Jerusalem about a week ago in serious condition. Israel has so far reported 705 cases of coronavirus, the large majority with mild symptoms. About 10 patients are in serious condition and 15 have recovered completely. Israel was one of the first countries to enact strict travel restrictions and on Thursday Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tightened a national stay-at-home policy, saying police would enforce restrictions. The guidelines said that no more than 10 people should gather in one place and the government has threatened to impose lockdown orders unless people observed the instructions. (Reporting by Ari Rabinovitch; Editing by Chris Reese and Andrew Cawthorne)

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[N12](https://www.mako.co.il/news-israel/2020_q2/Article-9c4062a9ce2b171026.htm?Partner=rss)reported.Despite the authorities encouraging social distancing due to the coronavirus outbreak, Tel Aviv police did not stop the demonstration. Instead, they blocked several main streets to allow it to take place and ensured the protestors did not violate the guidelines put in place for the pandemic.The coronavirus pandemic is considered to have been a major force behind the establishment of an emergency unity government between Likud and Blue and White. However, the Black Flag protestors argued that the coalition does nothing to help improve the lives of citizens during the crisis, but rather is only concerned with benefits and passing legislation that allows the government to remain in power. "A coalition agreement that violates the Basic Laws of the Sate of Israel is not 'unity,'" said Shikma Schwartzan, one of the demonstration's organizers, N12 reported.She explained that in order to achieve unity, "You had to build a wall between the judicial system and a criminal defendant," referring to Netanyahu's trial for bribery.Calling on the Blue and White leader to act, she added: "Gantz... don't raise a hand against the justice system, and make sure there is one law for everyone.""They are using [the coronavirus] to establish their corrupt government," outgoing Meretz MK Esawi Frej said at the demonstration. "They call for an emergency government, but their only emergency is their concern for themselves. And [during the coronavirus pandemic], they care very well for themselves at our expense."This demonstration is the latest of several that the Black Flag movement has held in the past month, which have the stated goal of preserving Israeli democracy by ensuring the ousting of "crime minister" Netanyahu.On April 16, [hundreds of protestors](https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/hundreds-protest-in-tel-aviv-against-crime-minister-benjamin-netanyahu-624885)gathered near Habima National Theater in Tel Aviv to speak out against Netanyahu, all while maintaining a distance of two meters from one another in accordance with the Health Ministry's guidelines. The protestors carried signs saying "coronavirus is used in service of dictatorship" and "we do not believe you anymore."Earlier, at the end of March, the movement [hung black flags](https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/anti-netanyahu-protesters-put-black-flags-on-key-sites-621865)on symbolic sites across the country. This included the grave of the prime minister David Ben-Gurion as a well as a memorial dedicated to prime minister Yitzhak Rabin and several battle memorials.Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.

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"Our mission is to co-create a safe and vibrant space that connects the Philippi community to services, employment, educational opportunities, and activities." Those are the words of Bushra Razack, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at Philippi Village, which acts as an integrated community hub for Philippi and the surrounding areas. Razack believes that ongoing engagement is vital to any community development. He says engagement provides a better understanding of community needs, challenges, and opportunities. As a community development specialist, who specialises in stakeholder engagement and is passionately committed to realising meaningful outcomes, Razack explains that for an initiative like Philippi Village to succeed, complex matters must first be addressed. "We've invested a great deal of time and energy into mapping out exactly what our tenants, the local community, and other stakeholders require from Philippi Village, and then finding a way to meet those needs. We have used the results to work with our partners to design programmes and spaces that are relevant," she said. "It's an ongoing process: every initiative and idea is tested to ensure it is fit for purpose and achieves the necessary objectives of meeting the needs of all stakeholders: tenants, the surrounding community, and investors," said Razack. This result is the creation of an exciting multi-dimensional, inclusive space that wouldn't look out of place in any of Cape Town's more trendy spots. Philippi Village is currently home to over 80 tenants providing products, services, and training opportunities as well as job opportunities to the local community. The sports facilities and other amenities on offer ensure that there is constant activity and a buzz within the development with local community members feeling a proprietary sense of ownership. The Philippi Village model, says Razack could potentially be rolled out in other townships, particularly the formula that has been developed to identify stakeholders, communicate with them, mapping out stakeholder relationships and engagements as well as how to test concepts prior and post implementation. "What's particularly exciting is the potential for change that a development like Philippi Village offers; it can become the connective tissue that links the community with easily accessible employment opportunities, training and development, health and wellness services, all underpinned by a strong social element. The connector that links proximity to challenges with the opportunity to re-imagine solutions. A place that offers inspiration and engagement and positions the community at the centre of the change," she said. Amid sluggish economic growth and a high rate of unemployment, revitalising South Africa's township economies is potentially one of the most efficient ways to kick-start the country's economic revival. Official unemployment figures of 33,9% - and an even more alarming 44,1% according to the expanded definition, which includes discouraged job seekers - remains one of the most urgent crises facing South Africa given that socio-economic stability is heavily reliant on employment. Not only will job creation create a more sustainable economy, but it will also broaden the tax base and lessen reliance on government's social grants, said Razack. The township economy – also referred to as the informal economy - is estimated to provide 17% of South Africa's total employment and contributes around 6% to the country's GDP. Estimations are that there are around 30 to 40 businesses per 1 000 people in townships which translates into approximately 800 000 township businesses.

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The Health Ministry on Saturday warned if Israelis continue to defy the stay-at-home orders, it would have to tighten the already strict measures meant to combat the coronavirus outbreak. Earlier, the Health Ministry reported that another 178 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Israel over the past 24 hours, bringing the country's total to 833. "The Health Ministry advises the public to stay at home - the beautiful weather is not a reason to go outside," said the ministry in a statement. The remarks come shortly after images emerged showing hundreds of Israelis swarming beaches and parks on Saturday afternoon. One video showed police officers ordering anyone "who is not supposed to be outside" to go home. "Don't leave your home," said Director General, Ministry of Health, Moshe Bar-Siman-Tov said. "Follow the Health Ministry's guidelines, otherwise we will find ourselves with a significant outbreak. "I call on the public to stay home, whoever has gone out, please return home." On Friday, Israel recorded its first ever COVID-19 related death. The 88-year-old man, who had a serious underlying health condition, was named as Ariyeh Ibn. Ibn, a Holocaust survivor, contracted COVID-19 at an assisted living facility in Jerusalem from a social worker, who unknowingly infected several other nursing home residents. He passed away at Shaare Zedek Medical Center as a result of complications caused by the virus.

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The coronavirus cabinet on Sunday unanimously approved the "traffic-light" program presented by coronavirus commissioner Prof. Ronni Gamzu. The plan will go into effect Sunday, September 6. The cabinet also added a number of new countries to the list of green states from which Israelis can return without entering isolation and rolled out an outline for how to handle prayer services during the Hebrew months of Elul and Tishrei. Gamzu spoke after the cabinet meeting and said a color would soon be administered to every one of the country's 250 cities. "Each resident should know the color of his or her city," Gamzu said. "The fight against coronavirus will move from Jerusalem to the municipal authorities." The final vote on the traffic-light plan had been delayed several times over the last three weeks. But shortly before the vote, Alternate Prime Minister and Defense Minister Benny Gantz and Interior Minister Arye Deri told Gamzu they would support his plan. "We will support the approval of the traffic-light plan that was built in coordination with the Defense Ministry... Professionals will determine the way [to beat ]. The only consideration is public health," Gantz said following a meeting with Gamzu. centers on identifying communities as red, orange, yellow or green based on several factors, including the number and rate of increase of new weekly patients per 10,000 in each authority, the overall rate of infection and how many people test positive out of those who are screened for the virus. Cities that might be labeled red zones were not discussed at the meeting to avoid a political debate, but a short list of red zones is listed daily on the Health Ministry website. On Sunday, they included Bnei Brak, Tira, Kafr Kassem, Umm el-Fahm, Daliat al-Carmel, Lakiya, Ma'aleh Iron, Yakir, Tifrah, Bukata and Yad Binyamin. There are several differences between the ways that gatherings and other activities will be handled in the different color zones. For example, in red zones, only 10 people will be able to gather indoors and 20 outside; in orange zones, those numbers rise to up to 25 and 50 with capsules of 20 people, respectively. In yellow zones, there could be up to 50 inside and 100 outside in capsules of 20. With permission from local authorities, events could have up to 500 people. In green zones, 100 inside and 250 outside, respectively. Here too, with permission, green zone events could have 500 or more attendees. The traffic-light plan differentiates between certain types of activities, including the education system, public transportation, workplaces, events, nature parks, malls and museums. After the meeting, Gamzu explained the following: "The red and orange cities will get restrictions – lots of restrictions. Probably the education system will be closed, there will be restrictions on businesses, restrictions on commercial activity and restrictions on movement, and maybe even lockdown." During the meeting, it was reported that the ministers opposed Gamzu on one point: opening schools in red zones on Tuesday. Gamzu had recommended that schools in these zones should wait to open until after the High Holy Days and Sukkot. During the meeting, it was leaked that the ministers had voted in favor of opening all schools, even in red zones. However, shortly after the conclusion of the cabinet, Gamzu put out a statement that, "a decision has not yet been reached to open the school year in red cities." He said his stance remains unequivocally unchanged. "The opening of the school year in red cities will bring about a spike in coronavirus cases in those cities and in other cities," he said. Furthermore, the cabinet rolled out an initial outline for prayer services during the High Holy Days in all zones. Prayer services can be held outside in large groups of up to 250 people who are divided into capsules of 20 people. Each capsule would need to be clearly marked and individuals should sit two meters apart unless they are from the same nuclear family. Prayers could be held inside, as well, but only in facilities that are minimally 40-square-meters large and with people being able to stay two meters apart. Bigger facilities can hold more prayer goers – up to 1,000 – and so long as there is not more than one person for every four square meters. The vote on the traffic-light program was considered a "watershed" moment for Gamzu. He had suggested that if he was not given the "tools" to manage the pandemic, he might step down. The cabinet also approved the opening of the cultural halls to larger audiences starting this coming Sunday, under Purple Ribbon guidelines. Finally, the coronavirus cabinet added nine new countries to its list of states to which Israelis can travel and return without entering quarantine. The new states are Australia, Uruguay, United Arab Emirates, Ireland, Taiwan, Norway, Singapore, Portugal and Thailand. Recall, Israelis can already return from the following green states without isolation: Austria, Italy, Estonia, Bulgaria, the United Kingdom, Georgia, Germany, Denmark, Hong Kong, Hungary, Greece, Jordan, Latvia, Lithuania, New Zealand, Slovenia, Finland, Canada, Cyprus, Croatia and Rwanda. There were 897 people diagnosed with coronavirus on Saturday, the Health Ministry reported, plus another 429 between midnight and press time on Sunday. The number of serious patients was rising and reached 444 Sunday evening, among them 127 who are intubated. The death toll rose to 919, with eight people dying from coronavirus between midnight and press time.

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The government unanimously approved the decision, presented by Finance Minister Israel Katz, to voluntarily reduce the salaries of elected officials by 10% on Monday night. The debate quickly became tense as Transportation Minister Miri Regev asked why should the salaries of judges, or the head of the Mossad, or even the IDF Chief of Staff remain untouched. Jerusalem Affairs Minister Rafi Peretz demanded that IDF generals be subjected to a similar step. Alternate Prime Minister Benny Gantz called on fellow ministers "not to gang up on the judges or other persons," Kan reported on Monday night. Justice Minister Avi Nissenkorn said that he won't object to a decrease of pay to "this or that group" but called on things to be done "in an orderly fashion." Katz, who already accepted such a reduction in pay from his own salary, might suggest further cuts in the salaries of civil servants. Such a decision might save the state up to NIS 5 billion per year. The finance minister confronted Economy Minister Amir Peretz on Monday night after Peretz called on the government to adopt the "German Model" of unemployment benefits. Saying that "this is the human-focused economy I always speak of." Katz said he intends to conduct a reform in the public service sector and will not bow down to "threats." Peretz said that "threats and informing the head of Histadrut [Arnon Bar-David] on future pay cuts by speaking with the press" won't work as well as direct negotiations. The Histadrut has so far objected to any one-sided pay cuts in the salaries of civil servants – and until now, Katz didn't confront them head on. Likud MK Sharren Haskel supported Katz but said "it isn't enough." She called to reduce the pay of anyone making more than NIS 45,000 per month in the civil service, which is what a minister makes. Should the 10% pay cut be passed, the amount will go down to NIS 40,500. Haskel added that she declined a recent pay increase when it was approved. The salaries of elected officials are linked to the average salary in the country. So, ironically, when people are laid off, the average salary of those still working goes up as well – and so does the pay of MKs. The Blue and White Party said that not only would it support the decision, but that its MKs and ministers have been donating 20% of their pay to various NGOs since April. Foreign Minister Gabi Ashenazi donates to an IMPACT "adopt a combat soldier" program and Gantz donates to an "adopt a medical doctor" program. Interior Minister Arye Deri called on the cut to be even larger – 20% – and to include local council leaders. "We must set a personal example and show mutual solidarity with those hundreds of thousands [badly hurt](https://www.jpost.com/tags/unemployment-israel)because of the [COVID-19](https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/gamzu-5000-new-infections-a-day-means-25-dead-avoid-gatherings-643012)financial crisis," he said. Deri also called on opposition party leaders such as Yisrael Beytenu's Avigdor Liberman and Meretz's Nitzan Horowitz to support the decision. Bankruptcy is rising in Israel with a 48% increase in the number of businesses closing down in June. The current figure is 2,283, compared to 1,544 in June 2019, N12 reported on Sunday evening. In August the figure rose 52%, with 1,805 businesses closing compared to 1,187 last August. On Monday the High Court ruled that employers will no longer be paid for the first two days of quarantine, N12 reported. This is due to the financial burden that quarantined employees is having on their employers. At least 464,000 workers are currently in quarantine, costing their employers at least NIS 3 billion. After the first two days, an employee will continue to be paid by both the employer and the state. However, there is an exception to the rule: if an employee travels abroad and enters mandatory quarantine on their return to Israel, they will not be paid for the entire duration of the quarantine. Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.

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The first group of people to inhabit Malta arrived 700 years earlier than history books have suggested so far, Queen's University Belfast researchers have discovered. Through an analysis of ancient soils, the researchers found that the first inhabitants arrived about 5900BC with DNA analysis revealing that they came from different parts of the Mediterranean and Europe, including Africa. They also found that a second colonisation arrived in 3850BC from Sicily and spent 1,500 years on the island, a feat the researchers dubbed "extraordinary". The team of researchers, led by Caroline Malone from the School of Natural and Built Environment at Queen's, have been working at one burial site in Malta since 1987. The professor's teams have excavated 220,000 bones, representing between 500 and 800 people dating from 3600-2350BC. The inhabitants cared for their sick, injured and elderly and were "hardy and determined", continuing with their daily tasks despite being in chronic pain from advanced bone degradation Over the past five years, with funding from the European Research Council, an international group of archaeological experts have been analysing the ancient bones and examining the wider landscapes, building a detailed picture of life in prehistoric Malta. The data, which is being presented in Malta this week, has also revealed that the first inhabitants were "robust and healthy", with the archaeologists describing their teeth as "some of the best" they had ever analysed. According to the researchers, one skull showed that sophisticated dental work had been carried out as early as 2500BC when an abscess had been lanced from the root of a tooth. The researchers also noted that the inhabitants cared for their sick, injured and elderly and were "hardy and determined", continuing with their daily tasks despite being in chronic pain from advanced bone degradation. They survived on meat, cereals and pulses but as time went on they ate less meat and almost no fish. "We have made some fascinating discoveries on Malta at Queen's University Belfast, most recently through this international project. I have been working on the prehistory of Malta for over 30 years and the amount of detail we have extracted from these ancient skeletons is remarkable. They change the entire understanding of the first Maltese people. "Through radiocarbon dating we have now been able to pinpoint that the first inhabitants arrived 700 years earlier than was previous thought, and we have also identified several episodes of separate colonisation. Given the restricted land space of Malta, it is remarkable that the second colonisation survived for 1,500 years," Prof. Malone said. She added that this sort of settlement stability was "unheard of in Europe and is impressive" in terms of how they were able to live on ever-degrading land for such a period of time. The researchers also made important discoveries on climate change and the methods of farming used by analysing soil cored from deep valleys, which contained ancient pollen and animal evidence from past environments. The group of experts included researchers from Queen's University Belfast, University of Cambridge, Liverpool John Moores University, University of Malta, University of Plymouth, the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage Malta and Heritage Malta. Five PhD students also took part in the programme. Independent journalism costs money. Support Times of Malta for the price of a coffee.

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[not return to school](https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/covid-19-spike-in-israel-means-more-kids-wont-go-to-school-on-sunday-652562)this morning after the Hanukkah holiday.Preschools through fourth grade have been allowed to open.The coronavirus cabinet is [meeting Sunday morning](https://www.jpost.com/health-science/coronavirus-cabinet-to-meet-sunday-consider-new-restrictions-652627)to discuss a further tightening of restrictions across Israel as numbers continue to rise. The Health Ministry announced on Sunday morning a further 1,866 new cases on Saturday, with 447 of those in serious condition. The death toll is 3,074. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Health Minister Yuli Edelstein have stated their support for a decision made earlier this month that if cases surpass 2,500 per day, a period of "tightened restraint" would be rolled out.However, many government ministers object and think different measures should be taken, rather than sweeping steps.The National Security Council is expected to recommend to cabinet ministers today that a general lockdown be implemented throughout the country, skipping the slower phase of tightened restrictions.The coronavirus cabinet on Thursday night approved an updated list of areas that have become red and orange, and the Home Front Command updated its map accordingly, designating 48 red areas and 62 orange. Not all red and orange areas are full cities, some are areas or neighborhoods of towns and cities. Maayan-Jaffe Hoffman contributed to this report.

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As Israel entered its [third lockdown](https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/businesses-face-third-lockdown-there-will-be-riots-in-the-streets-653407)at 5 p.m. on the issue of education was front and center, as the government hammered out details of how schools would operate during the closure. The Knesset Education Committee, led by MK Ram Shefa, approved a change to the proposed lockdown regulations on Sunday morning that would allow students in grades 5-10 to continue learning at school. Last Thursday, the proposal called for those students to stay home while preschools and grades 1-4 and 11-12 would study from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m. In response to an outcry from parents, municipal authorities and medical experts, the 1 p.m. deadline was changed later that day and it was decided that students would study a full day. The other main lockdown regulations that went into effect include the closure of retail businesses (except for groceries and pharmacies), except for deliveries. Businesses that do not receive customers will be allowed to remain open at 50% capacity or up to 10 employees. Gatherings will be limited to a maximum of 20 people outdoors or 10 people indoors. Individual sports activities will be allowed with no distance restrictions. The additional education revision approved Sunday will allow grades 5-10 to operate a full day on their in-person learning days and to study on Zoom the rest of the time. The high schoolers will study in capsules and be allowed to interact with up to three other capsules; teachers will be able to instruct up to four capsules. The government has 48 hours from Sunday morning to submit a revised proposal for committee approval; until then, students will continue to study as usual. Parents' groups welcomed the change, with the National Parents Organization saying in a statement prior to the decision: "We will not allow the members of the cabinet to continue abusing our children." Parent advocates also highlighted a report by Elem, the organization that helps youth in distress, which said that there has been a 41% increase in adolescents experiencing serious mental health issues, as well as a sharp rise in substance abuse. BUT HEALTH Ministry officials were unhappy. Health Minister Yuli Edelstein said in response to the decision that "lockdown requires personal responsibility from each and every one of us. Unfortunately, not everyone acts responsibly. We saw this today in the Knesset's Education Committee, in the unfortunate decision to resume schooling in all classrooms – something that will surely extend the closure." Coronavirus commissioner Prof. Nachman Ash also disagreed strongly with this decision, saying in a briefing, "According to our recommendation, the education system should have been closed. The government's decision was to allow the opening of kindergartens, grades 1-4 and 11-12. Any additional opening of classrooms means extending the duration of the closure and lowering its effectiveness. "In my opinion, it is right to make the closure as short as possible, to limit activities and not to conduct studies along with other age groups," he said. At the same time, Education Minister Yoav Gallant instructed the director general of his ministry to give immediate notice to the directors of the districts and of the educational institutions, according to which the education system will continue to operate on Monday as it did on Sunday. But as of Sunday night, two factors threatened to derail the wishes of so many parents hoping their children would be able to study during the third lockdown. The first was uncertainty about pupils in red and orange cities and/or neighborhoods, according to the traffic-light plan of differential regulations depending on the morbidity rates in different areas. It was not clear which cities and neighborhoods were actually designated red and orange, since the traffic-light colors are supposed to be updated weekly on Thursday and the instructions derived from them are supposed to be valid for an entire week – but the colors were not updated last week. The last time the stoplight plan was calculated, more than half of the country (56%) was in red or orange areas. The other factor that might interfere with the plan was a labor dispute announced Sunday by the Teachers Union, in protest over teachers not being vaccinated yet. Yaffa Ben-David, secretary general of the Teachers Union, said Sunday that, "if there are no vaccines, there will be no studies – we will not agree to abandon the health of teaching staff... It is not possible for teaching staff to sacrifice themselves while all Israeli citizens are in lockdown and the state will not take care of their health protection. There is no reason not to vaccinate the teaching staff. " She noted that, "just a few days ago, the Health Ministry published a report according to which teaching staff are at a high risk of infection, at a rate of 50% relative to the general population." She said that the union would not hesitate to take further steps. "If the problem is not resolved, we will not hesitate and take organizational measures – including sanctions and a strike." IN HIS BRIEFING, Ash said that "within a few days" a decision would be made about when and how teachers would receive vaccinations. [Edelstein](https://www.jpost.com/tags/yuli-edelstein)announced Saturday night that he had instructed the director general of his ministry, Prof. Chezy Levy, to facilitate the vaccination of teaching staff. When the teachers do get vaccinated, it may be in a new vaccination center that the Tel Aviv-Jaffa municipality is opening with Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center on January 4 at Rabin Square. The center will include an immunization tent with 20 stands that will be operated by the hospital's nursing staff. Initially, the center will be open to residents of the city aged 60 and over, and later to all Israelis. When it opens, it will operate from Sunday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. and on Fridays from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. The center is expected to vaccinate about 5,000 people a day in the first phase; later, that will increase. The vaccines will be given according to the guidelines set by the Health Ministry. "Since the outbreak of the coronavirus, the municipality has been mobilized to protect the health of the residents and to maintain a sense of routine alongside the virus," said Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai. "We have set up an epidemiological research center with over 100 researchers, testing centers in the neighborhoods and now, a huge vaccination center in collaboration with Ichilov [hospital, Sourasky Medical Center in Tel Aviv]," he said. "We will continue to be at the forefront of the struggle for the benefit of the city's residents and all the citizens of the country." "As we enter the third closure, it is clear to all of us that our main goal right now is to vaccinate as many civilians as possible," added Ichilov's director and former coronavirus commissioner Prof. Ronni Gamzu. "Through Mayor Ron Huldai, who immediately signed on with the Rabin Square vaccine center, we will continue to vaccinate thousands of people a day in the huge compound we are setting up with the municipality, all for one purpose – to finally get rid of coronavirus." The system for scheduling appointments for the new complex is still being determined, and will be published later. "We're completing the first week of coronavirus vaccinations with an unbelievable number of 280,000 vaccinated people," Edelstein tweeted Sunday, adding that 71,000 people were vaccinated during the weekend alone. "We'll continue to keep Israel safe," he said. The Maccabi Health Fund reported Sunday that today 21,009 patients have been vaccinated. Since the beginning of the operation, 82,077 Maccabi members have been vaccinated. Tomorrow, it promised that the vaccine rate will increase even more. Since the beginning of the vaccination operation, 445,277 appointments have been set for 227,538 Maccabi members. ISRAEL IS once more first place worldwide in vaccine distribution, according to the tracker by Our World in Data. Edelstein, who is in the Likud Party, celebrated the accomplishment in a statement targeting unity government partner Blue and White, saying that, "While Blue and White practices populism and irresponsibility at the expense of public health, we're working hard and have led Israel to the first place in the world regarding vaccine distribution and concern for public health." While the hospital system has not collapsed, Jerusalem area hospitals are full. The Health Ministry on Sunday morning directed Magen David Adom (MDA), Israel's national emergency medical service, to stop sending coronavirus patients to hospitals in Jerusalem in an attempt to reduce pressure on them. Patients from the Jerusalem area will be sent to hospitals in central Israel starting Sunday, including Sheba Medical Center, Beilinson Hospital and the Sourasky Medical Center. As of Sunday morning, the ministry reported that from midnight Friday to midnight Saturday, 2,636 cases were diagnosed and another 1,097 were added between midnight Saturday and 7 a.m. on Sunday. Six hundred and four patients were in serious condition and 136 were on ventilators. Since the pandemic began, 3,222 have died. While Edelstein expressed concern over the decision to keep all school grades open, he praised the teams in charge of the vaccinations countrywide, saying: "But I trust you, citizens of Israel. If we all act responsibly, we will see the great light at the end of the plague." Blue and White said: "In all countries of the world, the education system also operates in a quarantine. Netanyahu, who has avoided dealing with hot spots and raising fines for narrow political reasons, continues to use corona for his political needs. "We will not be preached to by those who bring hundreds of thousands of families to poverty and have not passed a budget just to escape the law and harm the justice system." Maayan Jaffe-Hoffman and Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.

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DAMS FROM THE ROMAN ERA IN SPAIN. Almonacid de la Cuba Ermita Virgen del Pilar Santa María (Aguasvivas) 15 to 20 Pared de los Moros Most of the dams built in Spain by the Romans –and particularly the largest ones– can be gathered together in three main areas: the basin of the river Ebro, especially the right bank, whose focus may be located in Zaragoza (Caesaraugusta); the area of Mérida (Augusta Emerita) along the basin of the river Guadiana, and the left bank of the river Tajo in some points near Toledo (Toletum). The natural regulation of the rivers flowing in these sections of the Spanish mainland is low or very low, basically as a consequence of the unequal distribution of annual precipitation (Arenillas 2000); these climatic conditions forced the construction of reservoir dams. In fact, four of these dams were constructed so as to ensure the water supply to the Roman towns mentioned above: Muel to Caesaraugusta, Proserpina and Cornalvo to Augusta Emerita, and Alcantarilla to Toletum. However, this system was not the standard pattern applied by the Romans to resolve supply problems. In reality they only used it when, with good reason, climatic conditions forced them to do so ](#_edn3). In most cases (and frequently in Spain) they opted for riverhead collections by means of diversion weirs or intakes direct from sources [ ](#_edn4). [ Nevertheless, when the Romans built regulation dams in Spain they frequently differed from this pattern. Of the three areas aforementioned this can be found in the basin of the Ebro (area of Caesaraugusta) where large dams were located, as a rule, in the middle stretch of rivers of some importance. On the other hand, in the mid-west of the Peninsula (Emerita and Toletum) these works were always situated on riverheads or streams with small drainage basins. These differences of criteria regarding the emplacements can also be found in the structural solutions adopted: in the Ebro the highest dams are masonry dams, whilst in the Tajo and Guadiana the dams are earth dams with retaining walls upstream. However, the smallest dams - where other forms may be found – form a more homogeneous group in general. In the majority of the dams built in Spain by the Romans there is a basic characteristic construction element, almost systematically repeated: the retaining wall, used to achieve watertightness of the structure. Other elements, though not always, were added to ensure or complete the stability of the system. The Roman retaining wall is a very simple concept: a lime concrete core (opus caementicium), framed by two wall sections made of masonry (opus incaertum) or ashlar (opus quadratum). When the masonry was of poor quality other wall sections were attached to the first ones being of increasingly better quality towards the exterior. The most important element of this system was the core of opus caementicium, whose purpose was to comply with the objective of retaining the water. The dam which probably conforms best to the strict pattern of retaining wall is the one known as La Pared de los Moros (The Moors' Wall) [ ](#_edn5). It is located near Muniesa (Teruel) in a secondary waterway, the Arroyo Farlán, the rightward tributary of the river Aguasvivas [ ](#_edn6), which at the same time is a branch of the Ebro, also on the right bank (Arenillas, Díaz-Guerra y Cortés 1996). The dam initially formed a reservoir of approximately 150,000 cubic metres capacity; nowadays it has a breach in its middle section. The characteristics of the masonry –not properly laid down in general, and the layout- somewhat winding (as with the layout of the limestone outcrops in the area) enable us to think of it as a later Roman work of rural style, perhaps dedicated, at least in part, to irrigation. The structure is nearly 8.5 metres in height and has a crest length of around seventy metres. Its form is as previously indicated: a single wall of nearly three metres thickness, formed by two masonry wall sections laid with lime mortar (opus incaertum) and a core of opus caementicium. The coverings are of 1,10 metres thickness each and are built with local limestone, lightly worked. The core reaches up to seventy centimetres thickness. The basic fault of this structure is its extreme thinness [ ](#_edn7). With such a risky geometry the presence of an earth embankment downstream should be expected, but the materials existing there have not permitted the detection of the remains of such a complementary structure. As a result, the Pared de los Moros undoubtedly broke, and probably quite early as the sediments of the reservoir have not developed much, although they also could have been swept away by the waters after the dam breached. They can be observed, in particular, on the right bank where they show up without excessive re-workings – natural or artificial – since their deposition. The calcareous concretions observed in the downstream face of the dam are not abundant, which could indicate that the retaining wall worked properly from the point of view of impermeability. In fact, the opus caementicium forming its core is of good quality. The best pattern of a dam formed by a reinforced retaining wall (that is, an improved version of the previous pattern in terms of resistance) is the dam of Almonacid de la Cuba ](#_edn8). This is the highest dam from the Roman era preserved in the world (thirty-four metres). It is located on the river Aguasvivas and has a drainage basin of about 1,000 square kilometres. Built in the era of Augustus and rebuilt and repaired several times, this dam has a peculiar feature which makes it even more interesting: the preserved structure is an important reconstruction of a previous structure of completely different The first dam raised on the closure site of Almonacid must have been formed by three arches, one central and two side ones leaning against two large buttresses (Arenillas, Díaz-Guerra y Cortés 1996). This first dam must have been breached quite early, even perhaps in the later phases of construction and it also must have been rebuilt at once, its original structure being substantially modified, becoming the typical straight gravity dam. The breach of the dam was certainly partial and probably was located on an isolated point, the central arch for example, as in the latter reconstruction many of the original elements were entirely or partly preserved: the arch of the left edge, with elements from the buttress it was leaning against, or the intake tower, among others (Arenillas, Díaz-Guerra y Cortés 1996; Hereza et al 1996). The first dam of Almonacid has been dated by the C14 method applied to two wooden samples obtained in a drilling. The age calibrated for those samples dates the construction of this work to the era of Augustus and, particularly, in the early years of the first century A.D. Therefore the second dam belongs most certainly to the first decades of the same century and, perhaps even to the very era of Augustus (Arenillas, Díaz-Guerra y Cortés 1996). The definitive dam of Almonacid is a retaining wall, highly reinforced in its main part, with a thinner, short block on the left edge, where the weir is. The main part of the structure –very robust- encloses the deepest area of the valley and consists in section of a rectangular central body and two stepped faces; downstream the stepping is double. In the central body a retaining wall stands out which, according to the data obtained from the drillings, reaches between 10 and 12 metres thickness, of which the 2,70 central metres belong to a lime concrete core (opus caementicium). This core is framed between two double masonry wall sections (opus incaertum) with an average thickness of about 3,70 metres upstream and 4,60 metres downstream. In both cases the masonry located beside the core is of worse quality than the exterior ones. The retaining wall belongs to the first dam and perhaps then had an ashlar facing (opus quadratum), as may be deduced from the samples obtained in some drillings. This wall was considerably reinforced on reconstruction: a masonry wall of about 9 metres thickness was built downstream, covered on the face by a wall section of opus vittatum (limestone pieces placed in horizontal courses) where a large stepped-in skirt was attached, the lower of the two preserved on that side. The reinforcement would be increased later on with two new stepped-in skirts, one on each side. After this major reconstruction and as a consequence of the repeated effects of the floods on the river Aguasvivas, the dam had to be continuously repaired. In the preserved masonry various reconstructions can be observed and from the study of the reservoir deposits a period of abandonment during the second half of the first century has been detected (Hereza et al 1996). The most important works can be dated to the era of Claudius (41-68) and Trajan (98-117) (Arenillas, Díaz-Guerra y Cortés 1996). In the latter period the dam was heightened in order to alleviate silting effects, which must have been significant (Hereza et al 1996). Thanks to these measures and the later silting of the reservoir, the dam has been preserved to date after some medieval and later works by which time the dam had already become a diversion dam. It still complies with this function, diverting the waters through the former Roman canal up to the irrigation area of Belchite, located approximately 8 kilometres downstream. The second structure designed by the Romans in the straight of Almonacid may definitely be considered as valid –although excessive by present criteria– from a resistance point of view. The almost 40 metres thick foundations as opposed to 34 metres maximum height assured this condition. And yet in any case the Romans did not deal properly with two important matters: firstly the weir, with an obvious lack of capacity to cope with the main floods [ ](#_edn9). Secondly the poor quality of the lime used to build the retaining wall core. The first of these faults may explain the cause of the major reconstruction of the first dam and the various later repairs. The second has been checked according to the samples obtained from the drillings, where in some cases the lime of the opus caementicium core of the retaining wall is observed to be unset at many points. This fact certainly led to the lack of general impermeability of this fundamental building element, as may be deduced from the many calcareous concretions appearing on the downstream face of the dam, particularly on the wall section of Two other important dams on the basin of the Ebro are Muel and La Ermita de la Virgen del Pilar. The first is of great interest as it belongs to one of the three (or four) Roman supply systems to Caesaraugusta. However it has not been researched in detail since it is not an easy task due to the fact that the reservoir which it formed on the river Huerva (branch of the Ebro on the right bank) is completely silted up. Nevertheless, the facing masonry downstream can be seen at a height of about 13 metres. This masonry is made of dressed ashlar with courses about 50 cm in height. The majority of the ashlars are laid in stretcher courses, though some are placed in header courses. The masonry thickness has been sized at around 7 metres (Castillo 2002) although it could be thicker in the lower part of the work. Its internal structure is not known and, although there are filtrations through the face, it seems reasonable to think of some waterproof element inside (a core of opus caementicium for example). The dam could have been easily built in the era of Augustus, as it is related to the water supply to Caesaraugusta, and perhaps at an early date, for the facing masonry would fit this period. The dam of La Ermita de la Virgen del Pilar on the river Santa María, tributary of the Aguasvivas, is a gravity dam formed by a complex retaining wall built in two stages. Only the part of the structure located at the highest point of the left edge is preserved, where a heterogeneous succession of masonry can be observed, allowing the explanation of two-stage construction and also the final heightening of the structure. However the total thickness of the dam is only 6,90 metres, which for its maximum height of 16,60 metres shows a clear situation of instability. In fact the dam collapsed, though not very early, as the reservoir sediments grew quite thick, as may be observed on the slope upstream from the dam. According to its structure it could have been built following the model of Almonacid, although the masonry quality is remarkably poorer. In any case the height of this work is surprising (taking into account the Roman standards) as is its function, as no reasonable destination has been traced for its waters (Confederación Hidrográfica del Ebro –Ingeniería 75 2000). Also in the large earth dams in the mid-west of the peninsula the retaining wall was used as a fundamental element to retain the waters. In two cases (Alcantarilla and Proserpina) this solution was applied with very strict design criteria; as for the other (Cornalvo) a more complex variant was resorted to, although in this case the work preserved (being originally Roman) possibly shows important alterations from later eras. The first of these dams must be that of Alcantarilla (Arenillas et al 1999), which has been in ruins since early times, probably since the Roman era. The causes of this breach have been analysed starting with the numerous remains preserved and thanks to its similarity to the dam of Proserpina. The dam is located on the river Guajaraz, tributary of the Tajo on the left, on a high level of its course (with only 50 square kilometres of drainage basin) and it was the head of the important Roman water supply to Toledo (Fernández 1961; Celestino 1976; Sánchez 1977; Aranda, Carrobles e Isabel 1997; Arenillas et al 1999). The dam is formed by a large earth embankment (highly degraded today) and by a retaining wall upstream, of which some traces are preserved almost intact and various blocks strewn over the ground. The maximum length of the dam must have exceeded 800 metres and its maximum height may be estimated as between 15 and 20 metres. The embankment is formed by sandy clays typical of the altered granites of the basin and hence, is unlikely to be highly impermeable; consequently the retaining wall again carries out the function of avoiding the passage of the reservoir waters, leaving the resistance action to the embankment as the retaining wall is very thin for its height, about 4 metres thick at its base. As observed in some blocks, the retaining wall is formed by a lime concrete core (opus caementicium) of about 60 centimetres thickness, manufactured with small pebbles (caementa), 5 cm maximum, and a great deal of aggregate. The core is situated between two masonry wall sections (opus incaertum) of variable thickness, oscillating between 90 cm and 1,50 metres. The upstream wall section must have been composed wholly of ashlar stretcher courses (opus quadratum) of which some course traces are preserved in the block that stands on the left edge. They are fine worked pieces of about 50 cm height, 60 cm thickness and lengths reaching over one metre. The downstream face follows the vertical line, whilst the upstream face is slightly separated from it. The main problem –well known nowadays– of a dam of the above characteristics is its instability at empty reservoir: a retaining wall as thin as the one of Alcantarilla hardly resists the embankment push in those circumstances and least of all when it is saturated, a situation which may arise from filtrations through the retaining wall or from overspills on the crest. In fact the dam was breached due to the embankment push, as the retaining wall is strewn towards the reservoir in the ruined middle portion, although some elements show up downstream; the position of the latter can be explained by movements during flood episodes after the breach. Nevertheless, the dam is likely to have breached during a flood, as most certainly (along with Cornalvo and Proserpina) it was not provided with a weir. In the dam of Alcantarilla there are still remains of two intake towers, one on the lowest point of the closure and the other located on the right bank and therefore, at a higher position than the previous; both were attached to the retaining wall downstream. In the central tower the intake must also have functioned as a dewatering outlet, as the whole reservoir could not be emptied from the other tower; it is the same pattern found in Proserpina. In summary, the form adopted by the Romans in the dam of Alcantarilla was, in principal, correct but they did not count on two important factors: the floods of the Guajaraz and the lack of resistance of the retaining wall to the embankment push at empty reservoir. In Proserpina, whose structure follows the same form, some improvements were made; this happened also in Cornalvo. Hence, Alcantarilla is likely to be the most ancient of the three large Roman dams preserved in the mid-west of the Peninsula (Arenillas et al 1999). The dam of Proserpina is a much better known work than the above as it is still working (although dedicated to aims other than those intended by the Romans) and has recently been studied (Arenillas, Martín y Alcaraz, 1992; Alcaraz et al, 1993; Confederación Hidrográfica del Guadiana-Ingeniería 75, 1996; Martín et al, 1998). It is located on the course of the brook of Las Pardillas, a sub-tributary of the Guadiana on the right bank.. In 1991 the Confederación Hidrográfica del Guadiana (Water Management Administration) started a series of activities for the refurbishment of the dam and the regeneration of the reservoir, whose waters had reached a high degree of eutrophication and could not be drained, as the deepest outlets –the original Roman intakes– had lost their function due to the partial silting up of the reservoir. The removal of these materials revealed nearly seven metres of masonry whose morphology contrasts to some degree with that of the upper part of the structure, the one known up to that date. This activity and the data obtained from several drillings and other investigations carried out, enabled a good evaluation of the structure. The dam of Proserpina is formed by a masonry wall (the retaining wall) to which an earth embankment is attached downstream. The retaining wall is formed by two granite masonry wall sections –ashlar, banded stone or masonry, depending on the areas– with a core of lime concrete between them. The maximum height of this wall is of 21,60 metres of which the lower 6,60 metres belong to the recently discovered masonry. In layout the dam follows three straight alignments with a total crest length of 427,80 metres. On the left edge there is also an auxiliary wall of about 100 metres length used to enclose some areas where the ground remains below the crest of the dam. The upstream face of the retaining wall is vertical in the lower 6,60 metres and inclined in the rest, which can be achieved by the stepping of successive ashlar courses forming it in that area. Nine buttresses emerge from this face, distributed irregularly along the central sector of the dam; eight of them have their origin in the lower masonry. These eight buttresses are vertical in the part belonging to the oldest masonry and from that area they extend up to the crest with a gentler slope than that of the wall, achieved similarly by offsetting the successive courses. In the lower section these buttresses finish with a semicircular section at about 4,5 metres from the face; in the upper stepped area all the nine buttresses are of rectangular section. The downstream face remains covered by the earth embankment almost up to the crest. Nevertheless its verticality has been proved by means of drillings and scrapings in several points and probably is a general characteristic throughout the structure. The indicated probing permitted the detection of sixteen buttresses in the middle section of the dam. They are vertical masonry elements of approximately 1,40 metres width and three metres length, split about six metres between each axis. All the buttresses finish two metres below the crest, just where a 30 cm ledge is located, which shows up along the face of the dam. The horizontal drillings made in the retaining wall have indicated a foundation thickness of 5,90 metres. The reservoir intakes are placed in two towers attached to the retaining wall in its downstream section, therefore embedded in the earth embankment, and emerging at a height so as to allow access. The main tower is located on the deepest part of the closure site and has an irregular section, although almost square, of about 5 or 6 metres on its exterior sides. This tower contains two intake series. The lower (of the Roman era) is formed by two lead pipes of about 22 cm interior diameter, placed at more than three metres over the foundation level. Nearly four metres higher up there is another intake cut into a granite flagstone which probably belongs to works from the seventeenth century. The other tower is located on the left bank at about ten metres over the river course. It also has a slightly square section of about 7 metres on the exterior sides. This tower contains an upper intake, located nearly twelve metres above the lower one. Until the 1940's the Roman pipe must have been preserved, being later replaced by the cast pipe presently in existence. This intake is particularly interesting: it is the only one which by level allows the transfer of water from the reservoir to Mérida across the bridge of Los Milagros as the level of the conduit above this aqueduct is higher than the level of the other Roman intake. This fact assures the Roman character of all of the dam [ ](#_edn10), although this does not exclude the subsequent repair or reconstruction of the upper section of the structure. On the other hand, some absolute dates are provided for the dam of Proserpina from two wood samples obtained from the lower part of the masonry by means of a horizontal drilling. Analysed by the C14 method they enable the dating of the construction of this masonry to the era of Trajan (98-117) (Confederación Hidrográfica del Guadiana-Ingeniería 75 1996). Therefore it seems reasonable that the construction of the aqueduct of Los Milagros should be dated to the same period or even somewhat later. The dam of Proserpina, with a similar structure to that of Alcantarilla (although reinforced with buttresses) has outlived the latter almost two thousand years. It is not clear, however, that such measures have played a part in the longevity of the structure, since the upstream buttresses (probably built in order to improve the resistance of the retaining wall against the push of the embankment at empty reservoir) do not seem to be too effective as a result of the distances between them ](#_edn11). The reason for the stability of the retaining wall must be basically the low probability of important floods on the small stream feeding the reservoir (with a basin of 8,5 square kilometres) even adding the effects of the contiguous basin, from which flows were transferred to the reservoir (another 15 square kilometres) [ ](#_edn12). This practice ensures greater flows in normal circumstances, but at the same time enables their elimination by stopping the transfer under extreme circumstances. This is surely the reason why the dams of Cornalvo, Proserpina and Alcantarilla were not provided with weirs [ ](#_edn13), for the outlets must have been considered sufficient to handle the respective reservoirs. This assumption turned out to be valid in Proserpina and Cornalvo but not in Alcantarilla, where the drainage basin is somewhat larger. [ The Roman dam of Cornalvo is located on the river Albarregas, tributary of the Guadiana on the right bank, about fifteen kilometres from Mérida. It was built in order to improve the previous exploitation of the water supply to Emerita, which had its origin in a series of collection galleries tunnelled into the deposits of the river Albarregas, in the area later flooded by the reservoir.(Martín et all 2000). These galleries converged at one point (Macías 1929) where the conduit towards Mérida started. The dam must have been built when the water from this source proved to be insufficient for the town; then an intake tower was raised at the spot where the former galleries met, near the dam but inside the reservoir. Therefore the Cornalvo intake tower turns out to be a unique element in the dams from the Roman era built in Spain. The dam of Cornalvo is not yet properly researched, but it mainly follows the pattern of Alcantarilla and Proserpina: a large embankment sheltered upstream by a structure element –not exactly a retaining wall– which carried out the function of preventing the passage of water. From the data available today it seems that this structure is formed by three longitudinal walls (parallel to the direction of the dam), another series perpendicular to the latter and all of them covered by the face upstream of the dam, which has a gently rising slope. The enclosures formed by this group of walls are filled with materials of different types. It is not clear whether this system was adopted by the Romans, for it would be quite an innovative pattern for that era, at least in Spain. It is possible though, that the Romans just built a wall alongside the embankment –perhaps a retaining wall in this case– and that they reinforced it somehow, questions that must be answered once the structure has been fully researched. It is known that the dam has been repaired in several occasions and hence, it is possible that part of this structure belongs to some of these activities [ ](#_edn14). On small works ( the Romans quite frequently maintained the forms followed for the large dams, but in many occasions they simplified these structures and even adopted different ones. For example, the standard retaining wall was replaced in many cases by a simple wall of opus incaertum. Therefore the water leakage would surely be greater than that resulting from the masonry of opus caementicium, but obviously the problem could be acceptable for most of the diversion weirs, as well as low height dams. There is one case (dam of El Paredón) and perhaps more, where the Romans tried to solve this problem by adding a mortar rendering to the upstream face. In this dam the rendering is, essentially, an opus signinum like the one used by the Romans to dress and water-proof canals and tanks (Castillo 2002). On small dams the pattern of an earth dam with retaining wall upstream is also used, in some cases with the required buttresses upstream, as can be observed in Las Tomas (Guadiana) or El Paerón I (Tajo). A very common solution in these structures also is the buttress dam, formed by a retaining wall, a simple wall or multiple arches, leaning against the buttresses, located downstream. The best example of this type may be, due to its importance (over 600 metres length, although only 4,80 metres height) the dam of Consuegra, on the basin of the Guadiana. It had a retaining wall upstream, numerous buttresses and perhaps an embankment downstream, of which no remains are left. (Castillo 2002). Similar to this dam but with no embankment is the dam of Araya, and with multiple arches the dam of Esparragalejo, both near Mérida. On the Ebro basin the dam of Villafranca (150 metres length and a reduced height of 3 metres) is the most notable of this type. An original form, as we only have one example, is the gravity arch dam. To this type belongs the dam of Puy Foradado in the important hydraulic system of Los Bañales (Ebro basin). It is a circular structure, with approximately 56 metres of development and reduced height (about 2 metres) used as diversion weir in the mentioned system. The upstream face is formed by four ashlar courses; it is the only visible masonry nowadays, since the reservoir is completely silted-up (Castillo 2002). One last dam also to bear in mind, for its structure is somewhat peculiar, is the dam of Iturranduz, at the head of the Roman water supply to the town of Andelos (Ebro basin). It is a double dam, or rather duplicated, as two structures have been preserved, one probably from the second century, the other posterior (third or fourth century). The eldest is located downstream from the other and it was a wall of over 100 metres length, nearly one metre thick and a little more than four metres in height (as per the remains preserved) leaning downstream against nine square section buttresses with 2,50 metres side length. All the masonry is made of lime concrete (opus caementicium) and the traces of the wooden formworks used for its construction can be observed in it. The second structure is a simple wall with buttresses too, but in this case such elements were located upstream. The length of this wall is greater than the previous one (about 150 metres) and the thickness is less (65 cm); its height is not easy to estimate, but it could not have exceeded the other structure. The wall leans against an uncertain number of buttresses, which, according to the remains could be more than fifteen. In this case the masonry is bedded with lime mortar and laid in courses (perhaps, opus vittatum). By its position on the ground this second structure must have been designed as a reinforcement or repair of the first, as the space between them must have been filled with earth (which was extracted when the area was being excavated). Some remains of an intake tower are preserved in this second dam, where the conduit towards Andelos must have started. The lack of weirs is one of the characteristics – anomalous we would say nowadays – of nearly all the Roman dams located in Spain. Only in Almonacid may work of this type be clearly identified. However, and as stated above, its capacity was very low and therefore, hardly effective. It is also true, as far as we know today, that the Romans never built dams on large plentiful rivers and most of the time they simply intercepted minor streams. Accordingly, it is possible that the Romans really intended, in those cases, the formation of large deposits at the heads of the hydraulic systems they built (caput acquae). In this manner they could control the reservoirs on low flow watercourses and during small floods by simply using the outlets installed in the dams. But in Spain, in rivers like Aguasvivas (Almonacid), Huerva (Muel), Guajaraz (Alcantarilla) or even Santa María (Virgen del Pilar), circumstances were certainly distinct; despite none of these rivers being especially plentiful (although their floods can be considerable). However, not even in those cases did the Roman tackle the problem adequately. In some masonry dams the floods did not manage to cause ruin to the structure (second dam of Almonacid or Muel) but, logically, the same cannot be said of the earth dams (Alcantarilla). Probably due to this fact the latter form was only repeated in other dams located in areas where the probability of large floods was very low (Cornalvo and Proserpina, among the largest works). Other interesting elements are the intake towers built by the Romans, systematically as it seems on the large dams, but also on smaller ones. In all known cases, except in Cornalvo, these works were attached, upstream or downstream, to the masonry of the structures, with access from these or from the embankments to the chambers where the opening and closing elements of the conduits were located (almost always bronze pieces on lead pipes). The breakage or breakdown of these elements must have caused complicated problems; as such situations should lead systematically to the flooding of the tower by the reservoir water. In Proserpina, when the sediments that had partially filled the reservoir had been removed, a large wooden plug was found (dated to the Roman era by C14) that must have been used to close the conduit from the reservoir in this kind of event. In these cases the problem must have been the removal of the plug under a full reservoir. A tower of unique form, already referred to, is that of Cornalvo, located inside the reservoir. The operations performed from it are not easy to understand (with the means the Romans had to hand). This is why, most probably, it was a decorative element that may have been used to protect the beginning of the conduit, for the opening and closing operations could be done from inside the dam or immediately downstream. Aranda, F.; Carrobles, C. e Isabel, J.L. 1997. El sistema hidráulico romano de abastecimiento a Toledo. Toledo. Alcaraz, A.; Arenillas, M. y Martín, J. 1993. La estructura y la cimentación de la presa de Proserpina. IV Jornadas Españolas de Presas. Comité Nacional de Grandes Presas. Murcia. Arenillas, L.; Arenillas, M.; Díaz-Guerra, C. y J.M. Macías. 1999. El abastecimiento de agua a Toledo en época romana. Historia del abastecimiento y usos del agua en la ciudad de Toledo. Madrid. Arenillas, M. 2000. Hidrología e hidráulica en el solar hispano. Las presas en España. Actas del Primer Congreso Nacional de Historia de las Presas. Mérida. Arenillas, M.; Díaz-Guerra, C. y Cortés, R. 1996. La presa romana de Almonacid de la Cuba. La presa romana de Almonacid de la Cuba. Del mundo romano a la Ilustración en la cuenca del río Aguasvivas. Madrid: Doce Calles. Arenillas, M.; Martín, J. y Alcaraz, A. 1992. Nuevos datos sobre la presa de Proserpina. Revista de Obras Públicas 3311. Madrid. Castillo, J.C. 2002. Tipología y materiales de las presas romanas en España. Tesis Doctoral. E.T.S. de Ingenieros de Caminos, Canales y Puertos. Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. (Inédita). Castillo, J.C. y Arenillas, M. 2000. Las presas romanas en España. Propuesta de inventario. Actas del Primer Congreso Nacional de Historia de las Presas. Mérida. Celestino, R. 1976. El pantano romano de Alcantarilla, en Mazarambroz. Toletum. 7. Confederación Hidrográfica del Ebro-Ingeniería 75. 2000. Estudio de la presa de la Ermita de la Virgen del Pilar. Monforte de Moyuela (Teruel). Zaragoza. (Inédito). Confederación Hidrográfica del Guadiana-Ingeniería 75. 1996. Estudio de caracterización del sistema hidráulico de las conducciones romanas a la ciudad de Mérida (Badajoz). Madrid. (Inédito). Fernández Casado. 1961. Las presas romanas en España. Revista de Obras Públicas. Madrid. Galiay, J. 1946. La dominación romana de Aragón. Zaragoza. Hereza, I; Arenillas, M.; Díaz-Guerra, C. y Cortés, R.. 1996. Un ejemplo histórico: el aterramiento del embalse romano de Almonacid de la Cuba. V Congreso de Grandes Presas. Valencia. Macías, M. 1929. Mérida monumental y artística. Mérida. Martín, J.; Arenillas, M.; Cortés, R.; Díaz-Guerra, C. y Arenillas, L. 2000. El sistema hidráulico de Cornalbo en Mérida. III Congreso Nacional de Historia de la Construcción. 26-28 octubre. Sevilla. Martín, J.; Arenillas, M.; Cortés, R.; Díaz-Guerra, C.; Arenillas, M. y Jiménez, D. 1998. El abastecimiento de agua romano a Augusta Emerita. II Congreso Nacional de Historia de la construcción. 22-24 octubre. A Coruña. Ponz, A. 1989. Viage de España. Madrid. Sánchez Abal, J.L. 1977. Obra hidráulica romana en la provincia de Toledo (Pantano de Alcantarilla). Segovia y la arqueología romana. Barcelona. Schnitter, N.J. 1994. A Hystory of Dams. Rotterdam. Smith, N. 1970. The Heritage of Spanish Dams. Madrid. ](#_ednref1) This is a doctoral Thesis, undertaken by the second undersigned and co-directed by the first in cooperation with Professor F.Santos (Castillo 2002). [ ](#_ednref2) Among these dams the diversion weirs of mining character have not been accounted for, though they are particularly numerous in the former Roman prospects – and previous ones - of the north-west of the peninsula, dedicated to gold extraction. [ ](#_ednref3) According to the data available, the large regulation dams built by the Romans are exclusively located in the Mediterranean areas poorly favoured with precipitation: Southern France, Hispania, North Africa and Middle East (Cf. Schnitter 1994). [ ](#_ednref4) In the Baetica province alone of the Spanish Peninsula 26 towns with water supply from the Roman era have been mentioned, and in this environment no important regulation dam seems to have been built since (Castillo 2002). [ ](#_ednref5) Up to recent times in Spain all the ancient, with no established or approximate date was said to be "from the Moors", that is, from the period of Muslim occupation. Lately, with greater levels of information and many more "experts" giving opinions over ordinary people, almost all the ancient has turned out to be "from the Romans". [ ](#_ednref6) In the basin of the river Aguasvivas there is a remarkable accumulation of dams and weirs, whose construction extends from the Roman era (with three – or four- structures) until the twentieth century and counts some interesting examples from the fourteenth to sixteenth centuries. (Arenillas, Díaz-Guerra y Cortés 1996). [ ](#_ednref7) For a rectangular section structure and average specific weight of 2 t/m3 (which must be equivalent to that of the Roman masonry), the strict tilting stability is achieved with a height double the thickness considering, logically, the effect of uplift, which very probably the Romans did not know how to value, in spite of Archimedes. [ ](#_ednref8) The date of construction of this dam, which had not been entirely researched until the 1990's (Arenillas, Díaz-Guerra y Cortés 1996), has been assigned many times to the Muslim era and even, in more detail, to the reign of Jaime I of Aragón (thirteenth century), according to the tradition of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. And this despite the fact that Ponz ( 1989) had already written that "It seems to be from Roman Times but is attributed to King Jaime I who may have repaired it" and Galiay (1946) who later reiterated its Roman origin. Even Norman Smith, some years after Galiay, insists on placing the dam in the era of Jaime I in an extensive work concerning ancient Spanish dams that unfortunately contains some inexplicable errors. [ ](#_ednref9) In the aforementioned doctoral thesis (Castillo 2002) the calculation of these effects is included and it is demonstrated that the weir only has the capacity to clear less than twenty year return period floods. That is to say, during the first century A.D. (from Augustus to Trajan) and later, of course, the reservoir must have spilled over the crest on numerous occasions with the consequent erosion at the dam foot. [ ](#_ednref10) The Proserpina dam has always been considered Roman since the time of first investigations. However, when the lower section of the work was discovered there were some opinions – not written, as far as is known – which began to doubt the Roman origins of the upper section of the structure. [ ](#_ednref11) As pointed out by C. Fernández Casado (1961). In addition, recent calculations show that the retaining wall would not be stable at empty reservoir and saturated embankment (Castillo 2002). [ ](#_ednref12) In Proserpina, Alcantarilla and Cornalvo diversion weirs were built on the courses of adjacent basins and from them feeding conduits to the respective reservoirs. [ ](#_ednref13) Some references to works of this type in some of these reservoirs are modern or correspond to natural erosion. [ ](#_ednref14) There is some data concerning an important repair work carried out in the eighteenth century, when the Conde de Campomanes refurbished the work with the purpose of using the water of the reservoir in a paper factory constructed some kilometres downstream from the dam. The structure which is preserved today may correspond in part to this era, as at the time the large dam of El Gasco close to Madrid was constructed with a cell structure which to a certain degree is similar to that of Cornalvo (Martin et al 2000).

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Niger coup: EU suspends security cooperation and budgetary aid The EU has suspended all security cooperation with Niger after the country's army took power in a coup. It comes shortly after the US declared its "unflagging support" for ousted president Mohamed Bazoum - seen as a key Western ally in the fight against Islamist militants. On Friday the head of the presidential guards unit Gen Abdourahmane Tchiani declared himself Niger's new leader. He said insecurity, economic woes and corruption led him to seize power. But there are now concerns in the West about which countries the new leader will align with. Niger's neighbours, Burkina Faso and Mali, have both pivoted towards Russia since their own coups. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell joined the US and France in refusing to recognise the coup leaders and said security cooperation and budgetary aid was being suspended indefinitely. Also on Saturday France, the former colonial power which had moved its regional military headquarters to the country after being forced to leave Mali, said it had suspended all development aid and budgetary support. Meanwhile the African Union called on the Niger army to return to base within 15 days. On Friday evening US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned those detaining Mr Bazoum - Niger's first elected leader to succeed another since independence in 1960 - that "hundreds of millions of dollars of assistance" was at risk. However, the leader of Russia's Wagner mercenary group has reportedly described the coup as a triumph. "What happened in Niger is nothing other than the struggle of the people of Niger with their colonisers," Yevgeny Prigozhin was quoted as saying on a Wagner-affiliated Telegram channel. "With colonisers who are trying to foist their rules of life on them and their conditions and keep them in the state that Africa was in hundreds of years ago." He added: "Today this is effectively gaining their independence." The BBC has not been able to verify the authenticity of his reported comments. Wagner is believed to have thousands of fighters in countries including the Central African Republic (CAR) and Mali, where it has lucrative business interests but also bolsters Russia's diplomatic and economic relations. Wagner fighters have been accused of widespread human rights abuses in several African countries. Gen Tchiani, 62, has been in charge of the presidential guard since 2011 and was promoted to the rank of general in 2018 by former President Issoufou. He had also been linked to a 2015 coup attempt against the ex-president, but appeared in court to deny it. On Friday Gen Tchiani said his junta took over because of problems in Niger including insecurity, economic woes and corruption. He also addressed Niger's global allies, saying the junta would respect all of the country's international commitments, as well as human rights. But the junta has had strong words for those who oppose them, accusing members of the ousted government who have taken refuge in foreign embassies of plotting against them. They said any such attempt would lead to bloodshed, which has so far been avoided. Life in the capital Niamey has largely returned to normal with markets and shops open, but civil servants have been told to go home. Meanwhile Nigeriens have mixed feelings about the coup, with some saying insecurity in the country wasn't severe enough to justify a coup. But others have supported the junta. Niger's coup is the latest in a wave of military takeovers that have hit the West African region in recent years, toppling governments in countries including Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso. It also comes as a big blow to the leadership of regional body Ecowas. Just two weeks ago, the bloc's chairman, President Bola Tinubu, warned that terrorism and the emerging pattern of coups in West Africa had reached alarming levels and demanded urgent, concerted actions. This is the fifth coup in Niger since it gained independence from France in 1960, on top of other unsuccessful takeover attempts.

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In this paper we use the recently developed transient-time-correlation function formalism (TTCF) to study the transient rheology of classical fluids. We compare this approach to the calculation of fluid transport properties using the Green-Kubo method (valid only in the linear-response regime), with direct nonequilibrium molecular dynamics (NEMD) simulations, and with the NEMD subtraction technique. The various approaches are compared for a system undergoing isothermal, planar Couette flow. Although less efficient than direct NEMD at large strain rates, the TTCF results agree with direct NEMD to high accuracy. At low strain rates where direct NEMD is not applicable, the TTCF approach is clearly more efficient than the subtraction method. - Received 29 March 1988 ©1988 American Physical Society

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REAL MADRID 11-1 BARCELONA (June 13, 1943) This cup semi-final second leg helped forge the idea among Barcelona fans that the Franco regime was hostile towards them and had adopted Real Madrid as their team. Barcelona, the holders, travelled to the Spanish capital having won a heated first leg 3-0 at their old Les Corts home, but the club were heavily fined by the Spanish federation for the alleged bad behaviour of their fans at that game, and the scene was set for an even more tense return. Before kick-off, Spain's Director of State Security allegedly entered the Barcelona dressing room and, gun in hand, warned them about the consequences of completing victory in the tie and upsetting the home crowd. Madrid went on to inflict a record defeat on their rivals, before losing the final 1-0 to Atletico Bilbao. BARCELONA 2-1 REAL MADRID (November 23, 1960) Barcelona became the first team ever to knock Real Madrid out of the European Cup when they beat the five-time winners 4-3 on aggregate in the 1960-61 first round. The first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu ended in a 2-2 draw, with Luis Suarez twice equalising for Barça. The Catalans then won the return 2-1 at Camp Nou, with the Brazilian Evaristo heading home late on to seal the win, although Madrid cried foul after seeing three goals disallowed by English referee Reg Leafe. Barcelona went on to lose that season's final to Benfica, while Evaristo left to join Real Madrid at the end of the following season. BARCELONA 0-2 REAL MADRID (April 23, 2002) Real Madrid had gone almost a decade without beating their great rivals away from home before winning the first leg of the sides' Champions League semi-final match-up in 2002. A delightful chip from Zinedine Zidane gave Vicente del Bosque's side the lead early in the second half before an equally cool finish from substitute Steve McManaman made it 2-0 in injury time. A 1-1 draw in the return allowed Madrid to go through to the final in Glasgow, where they beat Bayer Leverkusen 2-1 to win the European Cup for the ninth time. REAL MADRID 2-6 BARCELONA (May 2, 2009) A Johan Cruyff-inspired Barcelona won 5-0 in the capital in February 1974, but this victory in May 2009 remains the only time that Madrid have conceded six to their great rivals at the Bernabeu. In Pep Guardiola's first season in charge, the win cleared the path for Barça to reclaim the league title from their rivals. Gonzalo Higuain gave Juande Ramos' side an early lead, but Thierry Henry equalised soon after, and both the Frenchman and Lionel Messi went on to score doubles for the visitors, with Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique also netting. Barça won the title by nine points and the result prompted Florentino Perez to begin a new Galactico project when he returned to Real for a second spell as president that summer, with Kaka, Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema all signing in a huge summer spending spree. BARCELONA 5-0 REAL MADRID (November 29, 2010) Not the first time that Barcelona had inflicted a 'Manita' -- a 5-0 defeat, or Little Hand -- on their rivals in a Clasico, but the presence of sworn enemy Jose Mourinho on the Madrid bench for the first time in the fixture made this win all the sweeter. Madrid came into the game a point clear at the top of the table and unbeaten, but were ripped apart, with David Villa scoring twice, and Xavi, Pedro and Jeffren also on target, while Sergio Ramos was sent off for the visitors. Barcelona went top and never again relinquished the lead, while the result remains the heaviest defeat of Mourinho's managerial career. REAL MADRID 1-0 BARCELONA (after extra time, April 20, 2011) Real's victory in last season's Copa del Rey final proved that Mourinho's side were capable of beating Guardiola's Barcelona after five previous failed attempts. Cristiano Ronaldo's stunning headed winner finally separated the teams towards the end of extra time at the Mestalla in Valencia after a pulsating 90 minutes had finished goalless. The win also allowed Madrid to lift the cup for the first time since 1993, although the men in white have failed to repeat their victory over the Azulgrana in four subsequent Clasicos in both the Champions League and the Spanish Super Cup.

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Investigations probing the alleged scam in the procurement of Tatra trucks for the Indian Army have apparently found that Bharat Earth Movers Ltd (BEML) could have sourced the trucks directly from the Czech company for a lower price way back in 1994 without going through its British agent Tatra Sipox owned by NRI businessman Ravi Rishi. Rishi and suspended BEML chairman V R S Natarajan have maintained that the only way the trucks could be procured after Tatra split into Czech and Slovakian divisions was through a 1997 agreement between BEML and Tatra Sipox,CBI officials said. However,files recovered by the CBI from BEML and the Ministry of Defence show that Tatra had in 1994 offered to directly sell the trucks to the PSU under the condition that BEML keep Omnipol Foreign Trade Corporation,a Czech state firm with whom BEML had an agreement,out of the picture. Tatra also offered an attractive 40 per cent discount on supplies of the trucks and spares. The deal included transfer of technology which would allow BEML to indigenise the vehicles. The meeting,the files show,was held on January 19,1994,at the BEML headquarters in [Bangalore](https://indianexpress.com/section/cities/bangalore/) and Tatra was represented by its senior executives Herbert Ernst Kempe and Miroslav Vystavel. The minutes of this meeting also show that Rishi was present during the discussions although it is not clear in what capacity. Besides the condition on Omnipol,Tatra also wanted BEML to not compete with it to supply trucks to the United Arab Emirates. While BEML and Tatra did not go on to clinch their deal in 1994,Tatra eventually cornered the $180 million order to supply 1,100 trucks to the UAE Army. The Tatra executives suggested a termination of the existing agreement between BEML and Omnipol and proposed an agreement with BEML and M/s Tatra provided BEML do not compete with Tatra at UAE for exports (sic). The territory for the sale of vehicles will be the same as (in) the present agreement, the file notings read. For reasons the investigators are still trying to establish,BEML did not take the Tatra offer. Instead,BEML entered into an agreement in 1997 with Tatra Sipox,describing it as a fully-owned subsidiary of the parent company. Rishi,during his questioning by CBI officials,is believed to have told them that he got a 30 per cent discount from Tatra for supplying trucks to BEML and passed on half of that to the Indian PSU. Besides,officials handling the case point out that Tatras condition that BEML stay away from the UAE Army deal shows that Tatra was,way back in 1994,confident that BEML could go on to produce the same trucks and compete with the original manufacturer. This,they said,also raises questions about why BEML went on to import 5,000 more trucks through Tatra Sipox under subsequent agreements. [Explained: New crimes under the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita](https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-law/indias-new-criminal-laws-9425076/)Subscriber Only [What is Project Nexus that RBI has signed up for?](https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-economics/what-is-project-nexus-that-rbi-has-signed-up-for-9427023/)Subscriber Only [UPSC Key | New Criminal Laws, National Party Tag, Great](https://indianexpress.com/article/upsc-current-affairs/upsc-key-new-criminal-laws-national-party-tag-great-indian-bustard-and-more-9426331/)Subscriber Only [U'khand forest fires: Why villagers don't help the state in](https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/uttarakhand-forest-fires-why-villagers-dont-help-the-state-in-risk-managemen-9424985/)Subscriber Only [In Bhopal, a race against time as new criminal laws](https://indianexpress.com/article/long-reads/bhopal-rule-book-new-criminal-law-malkhana-race-time-9425306/)Subscriber Only [The names behind the NEET paper 'leak'](https://indianexpress.com/article/india/the-names-behind-the-neet-paper-leak-9425128/)Subscriber Only Despite 37 years passing since Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar parted ways, Salim-Javed remains one of the most celebrated screenwriting duos. Though many have speculated and tried to uncover the real reason for their split, it remains a mystery. Recently, legendary actor and Javed's wife Shabana Azmi commented on the writers' separation. She also opened up about dealing with Akhtar's alcoholism.

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- Rabies is a serious public health problem in over 150 countries and territories, mainly in Asia and Africa. It is a viral, zoonotic, neglected tropical disease that causes tens of thousands of deaths annually, with 40% being children under 15. - Dog bites and scratches cause 99% of the human rabies cases, and can be prevented through dog vaccination and bite prevention. - Once the virus infects the central nervous system and clinical symptoms appear, rabies is fatal in 100% of cases. - However, rabies deaths are preventable with prompt post exposure prophylaxis (PEP) by stopping the virus from reaching the central nervous system. PEP consists of thorough wound washing, administration of a course of human rabies vaccine and, when indicated, rabies immunoglobulins (RIG). - If a person is bitten or scratched by a potentially rabid animal, they should immediately and always seek PEP care. - WHO and its global partners aim to end human deaths from dog-mediated rabies through a comprehensive One Health approach promoting mass dog vaccination, ensuring access to PEP, health worker training, improved surveillance, and bite prevention through community awareness. Rabies is a vaccine-preventable, zoonotic, viral disease affecting the central nervous system. In up to 99% of the human rabies cases, dogs are responsible for virus transmission. Children between the age of 5 and 14 years are frequent victims. Rabies infects mammals, including dogs, cats, livestock and wildlife. Rabies spreads to people and animals via saliva, usually through [bites](https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/animal-bites), scratches, or direct contact with mucosa (e.g. eyes, mouth, or open wounds). Once clinical symptoms appear, rabies is virtually 100% fatal. The global cost of rabies is estimated to be around US$ 8.6 billion per year including lost lives and livelihoods, medical care and associated costs, as well as uncalculated psychological trauma. Rabies is present on all continents except Antarctica. Globally there are an estimated 59 000 deaths from rabies annually; however, due to underreporting, documented case numbers often differ from the estimate. Rabies, a neglected tropical diseases (NTD), predominantly affecting marginalized populations. Although effective human vaccines and immunoglobulins exist for rabies, these are often inaccessible or unaffordable to those in need. As of 2018, the average estimated cost of rabies post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) [was US$ 108](https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241513838) (along with travel costs and loss of income), which can be a financial burden on those earning US$ 1–2 per person, daily. Over 29 million people worldwide receive human rabies vaccine annually. Rabies from sources other than dogs In the Americas, where dog-mediated rabies is mostly controlled, hematophagous (blood-feeding) bats are now the primary source of human rabies. Bat-mediated rabies is also an emerging public health threat in Australia and parts of western Europe. Human deaths following exposure to foxes, raccoons, skunks, and other wild mammals are very rare, and bites from rodents are not known to transmit rabies. Contraction of rabies through inhalation of virus-containing aerosols, consumption of raw meat or milk of infected animals, or through organ transplantation is extremely rare. Human-to-human transmission through bites or saliva is theoretically possible but has never been confirmed. The incubation period for rabies is typically 2–3 months but may vary from one week to one year, depending on factors such as the location of virus entry and the viral load. Initial symptoms of rabies include generic signs like fever, pain and unusual or unexplained tingling, pricking, or burning sensations at the wound site. As the virus moves to the central nervous system, progressive and fatal inflammation of the brain and spinal cord develops. Clinical rabies in people can be managed but very rarely cured, and not without severe neurological deficits. There are two forms of rabies: - Furious rabies results in hyperactivity, excitable behaviour, hallucinations, lack of coordination, hydrophobia (fear of water) and aerophobia (fear of drafts or of fresh air). Death occurs after a few days due to cardio-respiratory arrest. - Paralytic rabies accounts for about 20% of the total number of human cases. This form of rabies runs a less dramatic and usually longer course than the furious form. Muscles gradually become paralysed, starting from the wound site. A coma slowly develops and eventually death occurs. The paralytic form of rabies is often misdiagnosed, contributing to the under-reporting of the disease. Currently there are no WHO-approved diagnostic tools for detecting rabies infection before the onset of clinical disease. Clinical diagnosis of rabies is difficult without a reliable history of contact with a rabid animal or specific symptoms of hydrophobia or aerophobia. Accurate risk assessment is crucial for deciding on PEP administration. Once symptoms emerge, and death is inevitable, offering comprehensive and compassionate palliative care is recommended. Postmortem confirmation of rabies infection is done by various diagnostic techniques that detect whole viruses, viral antigens, or nucleic acids in infected tissues (brain, skin or saliva) (Laboratory techniques in rabies [Vol. 1](/publications/i/item/9789241515153) and [Vol. 2](/publications/i/item/9789241515306)). Where possible, the biting animal should be tested. Vaccinating dogs, including puppies, through mass dog vaccination programs is the most cost-effective strategy for preventing rabies in people because it stops the transmission at its source. Culling free roaming dogs is not effective in controlling rabies. Public education for both children and adults on dog behaviour and bite prevention, what to do if bitten or scratched by a potentially rabid animal, and responsible pet ownership are essential extensions of rabies vaccination programmes. Effective vaccines are available to immunize people both before and after potential exposures. As listed under the [WHO - Prequalification of Medical Products](https://extranet.who.int/prequal/vaccines/prequalified-vaccines), as of 2024, there are only 3 WHO pre-qualified human rabies vaccines available globally: [RABIVAX-S](https://extranet.who.int/prequal/vaccines/p/rabies-vaccine-inactivated-freeze-driedrabivax-s) by Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd., [VaxiRab N](https://extranet.who.int/prequal/vaccines/p/vaxirab-n) by Zydus Lifesciences Limited, and [VERORAB](https://extranet.who.int/prequal/vaccines/p/verorab) by Sanofi Pasteur. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is recommended for people in high-risk occupations (laboratory workers handling live rabies and related viruses) and people whose professional or personal activities might lead to direct contact with infected animals (animal disease control staff and wildlife rangers). PrEP might be indicated before recreation or travel in some areas, and for people living in remote, highly rabies-endemic areas with limited local access to rabies biologicals. Note that PrEP does not replace the need for PEP. Any person exposed to a suspected rabid animal should still seek post exposure care. Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) is the emergency response to a rabies exposure. This prevents the virus from entering the central nervous system. A well performed [wound risk assessment and PEP protocol](/publications/i/item/B09018) consists of: - extensive wound washing with water and soap for at least 15 minutes soon after an exposure; - a course of rabies vaccine; and - administration of rabies immunoglobulin or monoclonal antibodies into the wound, if indicated. Exposure risk and indications for PEP Depending on the severity of exposure, administration of a full PEP course is recommended as follows: |Categories of contact with suspect rabid animal||Post-exposure prophylaxis measures| |Category I - touching or feeding animals, animal licks on intact skin (no exposure)||Washing of exposed skin surfaces, no PEP| |Category II - nibbling of uncovered skin, minor scratches or abrasions without bleeding (exposure)||Wound washing and immediate vaccination| |Category III - single or multiple transdermal bites or scratches, contamination of mucous membrane or broken skin with saliva from animal licks, exposures due to direct contact with bats (severe exposure)||Wound washing, immediate vaccination and administration of rabies immunoglobulin/monoclonal antibodies| NB: Category II and III exposures require human rabies vaccination. WHO recommends that all human [rabies vaccines comply with WHO standards](/teams/control-of-neglected-tropical-diseases/rabies/vaccinations-and-immunization). Deployment of poor-quality rabies vaccines has led to public health failures in several countries. Vaccine administration – intradermal (ID) vs intramuscular (IM) As detailed in the [guidance on PEP administration](https://www.who.int/teams/control-of-neglected-tropical-diseases/rabies/pep-recommendations), WHO recommends moving from intramuscular (IM) to intradermal (ID) administration of human rabies vaccines. [Intradermal administration](/publications/i/item/who-wer9316) reduces the amount of necessary vaccine and number of doses, therefore [reducing costs by 60–80%](https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/who-human-rabies-vaccines-global-market-study-december-2020), without compromising safety or efficacy. Fewer doses also promote patient compliance with the recommended regimen. Rabies is included in [WHO's 2021–2030 Roadmap for the global control of NTDs](https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240010352), which sets regional, progressive targets for the global strategic plan to end human deaths from dog-mediated rabies by 2030 (see also: [Zero by 30](/publications/i/item/9789241513838)). This entails: - improving access to human rabies vaccines through the efforts of the WHO and its partners, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, which had included human rabies vaccines in its Vaccine Investment Strategy for 2021–2025. Despite pandemic-related delays, WHO now collaborates with Gavi to implement the program in 2024; - providing technical guidance to countries in developing and implementing their national rabies elimination plans, focusing on strengthening surveillance and reporting; - encouraging countries to build the capacity of their One Health workforce by using rabies elimination programs as a platform for multisectoral collaborations; and - encouraging the use of United Against Rabies (UAR) multi-stakeholder forum, which was launched in collaboration with WHO, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH, formerly OIE), to advocate for action and investment in rabies control.

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Nearly independent day Greenland gives Denmark the cold shoulder. But would it ever be viable as a country? THIS year's summer solstice is a momentous one for Greenland, the huge and sparsely-populated Arctic island that has been run by Denmark since the 18th century. As fireworks pop in the white skies, and amid concerts and parties, the Danish Queen will attend a ceremony at the parliament in Nuuk, the Greenlandic capital, on Sunday June 21st, where she will observe the beginning of self-governance in the territory. A sense of nationalism has been growing steadily among the 56,000 Greenlanders, matched by increasingly lively local politics. Three decades ago Greenlanders won a degree of home rule and then, anxious about fishing rights, promptly voted to pull themselves out of the [European Union](http://europa.eu/) (then the European Community), completing the process in 1985, becoming the only people ever to secede from the continental block. Now they are moving towards independence from Denmark. Last November over 75% voted to further loosen ties with the colonial ruler by taking on responsibility for police and judicial affairs. For now, however, Danes will continue to handle foreign and monetary matters and to provide a generous subsidy of Dkr3.4 billion ($633m), or over $11,300 per Greenlander, each year. In time the Greenlanders, encouraged by younger and more left-leaning voters, are expected to cut loose from the Danes, who themselves have conceded that full decolonisation is likely. That process may be spurred by local anger at how politicians have lived it up in Copenhagen, the Danish capital. Matching a row over MPs' expenses in Britain, Greenland has been agog at revelations about politicians' extravagant lifestyles produced by journalists using freedom-of-information laws. Battered by the scandal, Greenland's ruling elite was booted out of office this month, ending a 30-year stranglehold on power by the social democratic Siumut party. The expense claims by Siumut politicians read like a guide to Michelin-starred eateries and trendy tapas bars in Copenhagen. Most damning, many culinary excursions involving family, friends and even pop stars, were signed off as "political consultations" or "strategy meetings". Jonathan Motzfeldt, the 70-year-old co-founder of Siumut and the self-styled "father of the nation" drew particular scorn for getting his spin doctor to pen a flattering biography at taxpayers' expense. Nor did it help that, a few days before polling, Mr Motzfeldt was prevented from boarding an Air Greenland flight. The local press suggested that an intoxicated Mr Motzfeldt had protested by shouting "I'm the king of Greenland". Against this background, election promises by Inuit Ataqatigiit, the leftist opposition, to clean up the system, struck a chord with voters. Kuupik Kleist, the IA leader, and his largely youthful band of fresh-faced politicians, almost doubled their vote to take 43.7% of the total. Mr Kleist, now prime minister of Greenland, will focus on sorting out child welfare, education and health. In addition he may work towards making Greenland a viable independent country, which will mean looking at how to cut reliance on Danish subsidies and exports of fish. Plans for the building of a big aluminium smelter are under way. In the south of Greenland agriculture is apparently being boosted by climate change: dairy farms and growers of potatoes are benefiting from warmer weather. The biggest prize of all, however, would be if those exploring for oil and gas strike lucky. So far only a few holes have been drilled offshore, but more exploration is being planned. If the oil men were to stumble upon sizeable reserves, as some geologists think possible, expect the march towards full independence to step up pace. [More from Europe](https://www.economist.com/europe/) [A crushing blow for Emmanuel Macron's centrist alliance](/europe/2024/06/30/a-crushing-blow-for-emmanuel-macrons-centrist-alliance) A big turnout for Le Pen's hard right makes clear the president's gamble backfired spectacularly [France heads to the polls in a critical parliamentary vote](/europe/2024/06/30/france-heads-to-the-polls-in-a-critical-parliamentary-vote) Marine Le Pen's hard-right party is expecting a massive surge [Emmanuel Macron's centrists are facing a disastrous first-round vote](/europe/2024/06/27/emmanuel-macrons-centrists-are-facing-a-disastrous-first-round-vote) Marine Le Pen's party will be the main beneficiary

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The faintest stars ever seen in an ancient star cluster have been imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope. The observations provide the most accurate measurement ever made of the mass boundary between lightweight stars and "failed" stars called brown dwarfs – the dividing line is at about 80 times the mass of Jupiter, in line with theoretical predictions. Stars and brown dwarfs are both made of the same materials – mostly hydrogen and helium – but their long-term behaviour is different. Stars – even those with very low mass, called red dwarfs – can burn hydrogen for many billions of years. Brown dwarfs, on the other hand, are not massive enough to sustain hydrogen fusion for long, fizzling out after just 1 billion years or so. Previously, scientists calculated that the minimum mass needed to sustain long-term hydrogen burning is about 75 Jupiters. But observational confirmation has been hard to come by because young brown dwarfs and young low mass stars look very similar. One way to distinguish the two is to look for the faintest stars in very old star clusters. Stars in clusters are thought to share approximately the same age, so old clusters should contain no observable brown dwarfs – the failed stars would have already cooled and faded from view. Any faint objects seen in such clusters would be red dwarfs or white dwarfs, dense cores of mostly carbon and oxygen that are the cooling embers of stars like the Sun. "Globular" star clusters – so named because of their round shape – are ideal for studying these faint stars because they are more than 10 billion years old, and contain hundreds of thousands or millions of stars. Now, astronomers led by Harvey Richer of the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, have used Hubble to find the faintest red dwarfs ever seen in a globular cluster. They looked at a relatively nearby cluster called NGC 6397, which is 8500 light years from Earth. The cluster is 13.5 billion years old, nearly as old as the universe. "The brown dwarfs have by now faded off into obscurity so there is a very stark contrast between the stars that could burn hydrogen and the ones that couldn't," says team member Jay Anderson of Rice University in Houston, Texas, US. Theory predicts that the mass cut-off for what constitutes a star is different for objects of different metallicity, which refers to the proportion of elements heavier than hydrogen the object contains. For objects with a metallicity similar to that of the Sun, theory suggests that anything with less than 7.5% the mass of the Sun – or about 75 Jupiters – will be a brown dwarf. In the case of NGC 6397, which has a metallicity 100 times lower than that of the Sun, the dividing line is expected to be at 8.3% the mass of the Sun, or about 83 Jupiters. The members of the dim red dwarf population seen in the Hubble images appear to be heavier than this limit, in agreement with theoretical calculations. The new observations are sensitive to stars 10 to 20 times fainter than in previous work on the same cluster, Anderson told New Scientist. "This kind of observation is probably the best kind of constraint one can get," says Gibor Basri of the University of California, Berkeley, US. The theoretically predicted hydrogen burning limits "have stood up to what observational tests we have," he told New Scientist. "I don't think anyone thinks they're off by a lot." The observations also revealed the telltale signs of very old white dwarfs. Although white dwarfs start out with temperatures of about 100,000° Kelvin, some of those seen in the Hubble images are old enough to have cooled below 4000° K. That is low enough for hydrogen atoms in their atmospheres to join together to form molecules. This makes the white dwarfs bluer than they would otherwise appear, an effect rarely observed before. Journal reference: Science (vol 313, p 936)

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TV Game of Thrones: HBO clarifies prequels, final seasons plan Exclusive: Showrunners won't be involved in prequels, will spend year and a half crafting epic series conclusion before any new GoT shows air By James Hibberd James Hibberd James Hibberd is the former editor at large at Entertainment Weekly. He left EW in 2021. EW's editorial guidelines Published on June 2, 2017 12:45PM EDT Photo: Helen Sloan/HBO HBO is offering some revelatory new details concerning the final seasons of Game of Thrones and its plan to find a prequel successor. Entertainment Weekly spoke to programming president Casey Bloys about his strategy to usher the worldwide pop culture phenomenon to an epic and satisfying conclusion and possibly launch new adventures in Westeros as well. Below the entertainment executive discusses the prequels, the level of involvement of author George R.R. Martin and Emmy-winning showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss, and tempers expectations for how long all this will take — the Game of Thrones final season and any prequel series (there are now five in development) might not air as soon as fans think. "I want to put the prequels in context," Bloys began. "It should go without saying I love having a show with this much intense interest around it. Even the smallest bit of information is a big deal and I appreciate that. But I wanted to make sure fans know this is a really embryonic process. I haven't even seen outlines. In the press at large, everybody said, 'there are four spinoffs' and they assume that means each one is happening and we're going to have a new Game of Thrones show per quarter. That's not what's going on. The idea is not to do four shows. The bar set by [Benioff and Weiss] is so high that my hope is to get one show that lives up to it. Also, this is a long-term plan. Our No. 1 goal is the seventh season this summer and getting the eighth season written and aired." ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Can you talk about your strategy to develop multiple Thrones prequels at once? It's a unique approach, particularly for a network that's never made a spinoff or prequel series before.CASEY BLOYS: You couldn't do this with a lot of shows. In talking with the drama group here, and the nice thing is George has created an entire universe. The fact that there's enough material to even contemplate making different prequels is crazy when you think about it. George has all these histories he's thought about and that's one reason why the books are so good. The other reason, frankly, as I said, is the bar is so high. If you only developed one, everything would rest on that one shot. It's such a special show. I want to make sure that [any prequel] feels worthy. We have some amazing writers who want to take a shot at this. They're also looking at different times in the universe and all will have different feels. This increases our odds of finding one that's unique. What sort of timeline are you looking at for potentially launching a new Thrones universe series? Making Game of Thrones as good as possible is the No. 1 goal, and then we'll see about these scripts. You're not going to see a situation where the next show in the Thrones universe launches off the back of this one. The show that Dan and David have created will get its proper send off first. We wouldn't want to take away from that in any way. I heard originally that one or more might be a limited series instead of a regular series. Is that anthology-style format possible? At this point, everything is on the table. The idea is to find a series. It would be nice to find something that has the legs this one did. But if something works better as a limited series, sure. On the Dan and David side of things, they told me that they're not going to be involved in the prequels and instead are going to work on the final season for the next year and a half. Is that right?Yep. I'm glad you asked that because that is one thing I want to clarify: By the time the final season airs, Dan and David will have been at this for 12 years. Which is an amazing fact. They didn't go and do movies in between seasons, they didn't set anything else up, they put everything — and are putting everything — into this show. They came into HBO with an idea for a show with a beginning, middle, and end, and they want to see it through. In conversations with them, they feel if their name is on the prequels — even in a passive way — it conveys some sort of expectation or responsibility. They want to enjoy the show as fans and don't want to worry about the scripts or production issues. We were hoping to have their names on it out of respect for them, but we understand why they don't want that. So as of now, the final season could air in 2018 and/or in 2019 depending on their needs? Yeah. They have to write the episodes and figure out the production schedule. We'll have a better sense of that once they get further into the writing. Creatively, it's my understanding that the final season is going to be extremely cinematic — so much so that there was an urge behind the scenes for years to end the show with a movie. But it sounds like instead of doing that you're effectively making six one-hour "movies" for HBO.One of the hallmarks of the show has been how cinematic is it. The show has proven that TV is every bit as impressive and in many cases more so, than film. What they're doing is monumental. When you see these battles in season 7, and what I imagine season 8 will be, it's a big, big show. We've done a lot of great shows, but this one combines the complex characters we love with a huge cinematic scope. I think this is the first show to prove that can be done — and we're the first people to pay for it. I think it's great HBO keeps giving the producers the resources they need to each season as strong as possible, no matter how many — or few — episodes there are.And circling back to what I said earlier, that's why I want to temper the expectation on the prequels. We want to focus on seasons 7 and 8. If any of these scripts come to pass, you're not going to see anything air anytime close to the season 8 finale, Martin is credited on two of the prequels, and he says he's involved with all. Is he actively co-writing these pilots or is he more like the franchise's creative advisor? It varies project by project. The writers each have to decide how they operate with George. Some like to collaborate, some look at the source material and do their own thing. There's no one way, but in all cases, George will be reading the scripts and weighing in. And because they're all prequels there is no expectation of any roles in the prequels for the original cast?Nope. Have you seen a cut yet of the Thrones season 7 premiere? I don't want to oversell, but I can't imagine anybody being disappointed in this season. It's amazing. RELATED: Game of Thrones Stars Reveal Their Ultimate Spinoff Ideas EW has released its annual Game of Thrones preview issue behind the scenes in Westeros and offering five collectible covers. Get a copy here and check out our gallery of exclusive photos. Game of Thrones returns July 16.

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Harper, Nov 28, 2013 - Born to parents who were landless agricultural labourers in the state of Manipur in Northeast India, Mary Kom's story is one of relentless struggle and unflagging passion for boxing. A childhood of hard labour prepared her body for the sport as well as any fitness training might have. Her own will and aggression carried her through the minefield of politics that any sport in India is. Nimble of foot and pulling no punches, the boxing ring was her domain. M.C. Mary Kom is not yet ready to call it a day, but here she tells her story so far, no holds barred -- her tough childhood, her rebellions and how she held her own in the male world of boxing. It's all packed into this inspiring, exhilarating tale of a woman who faced impossible odds in a man's world -- and won.

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When I first met Patrick Chan, he was peering over the Hershey Centre rink boards from the ice with only his eyes in sight. He was 10 years old but looked eight, maybe less, at the Canadian national junior championships. As a juvenile, the category on the lowest rung, he took a bronze medal. His gravelly voiced coach, Osborne Colson, introduced him, and confided: 'I have this boy. "You are going to be hearing about him in the future." So I paid attention. Back then, Colson knew. Long before anyone guessed that Chan would make an Olympic team, Colson said he intended to be by Chan's side at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. Sadly, he died in 2006 at age 90. Colson groomed Chan for everything, even for a chance he might meet the Queen on his journey through the stars. We're talking etiquette, taught by a coach who was a natty dresser. On the ice, Colson drilled edges and stroking and balance and turns into the youngster, 30 minutes a day, every day. It has made Chan the skater that he is. And what is he? Chan is the current-day proprietor of the lost art of actual skating that Colson loved and taught, working with top-drawer folks such as choreographer Sarah Kawahara, Donald Jackson, Barbara Ann Scott in their professional incarnations. Too many skaters these days don't know how to work the blade properly. Too many skate on the flats of their blades, not the edges, which allow great sweeping curves. Too many now focus on learning jumps, rather than on skating. And it's impossible, as Chan says, to work in a lot of blade expertise, when you are tearing up and down the ice, doing quad after quad. Nathan Chen? Watch him. He goes up and down the ice. How else to accomplish six quads in a program? But Chan, thanks to Colson, is a throwback to a different world. And he may be the best that ever was. "I think that years from now, you'll look back on his skating and his career, and he'll be like a legend," said coach Ravi Walia, who has been guiding Chan in his final run-up to the Pyeongchang Olympics. "He'll be remembered for sure, like [Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir]. They will have a place in the history of the sport that is a very special place." Walia's words have value because not only has he watched Chan over the years, but he also trained as a technical specialist. And he recalls being astonished when watching Chan for the first time as a 13-year-old with fancy feet. "I was blown away then," Walia said. "I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Back then, I had never seen anything like that: this skater that could just fly across the ice, doing really difficult turns that you would think you would have to do a lot slower. And then it became the norm for him. Doing this complex type of movements with speed: no other skater does it like him." Ice dancers –they who must use edges and turns and Choctaws and all the rest – respect Chan in spades. They bow to him. "I'm lucky that Patrick can jump," Moir said. "Because if he switched over, I'd be in trouble." "The quality of Patrick's skating is something else," Virtue said. "Everyone knows he's a rare talent and the glide of the blade he has, the command of the ice, his speed and power is every skater's dream. I think we would all love to skate like that and fly around the ice like he does so effortlessly. He's a skater's skater." Moir says he and Virtue will look back at their career's end – coming soon – and they'll look back fondly at having a front row seat to witness Chan's skating prowess. "The way he can move across the ice is second to none – while doing difficult turns and gaining speed effortlessly is something I've never ever seen in another skater," Moir said. Judge Sally Rehorick says the beauty of his skating has brought her to tears, as she was dealt "the impossible task of finding mere numbers for his other-worldly skating." So what is this other-worldly skating? What are they talking about? "I think it's the mix of power, but also he's so strong and light at the same time," Moir said. "He places his feet perfectly and it's just driving every single edge. It's such a joy to watch." One must see Chan skate live, he added. "If you see him on TV, you can't feel your hair blow back when you are close to him on the ice, because he has so much speed and command. That's what makes him Patrick Chan. We've been blessed to have that." Strangely enough, Andrew Poje says the same thing: It is more special to watch Chan in person than on television. Perhaps this is why, at one time when Chan ruled the world (a three-time world champion from 2011 to 2013), despite a number of falls, fans coined the phrase "Chanflation." It wasn't complimentary. It suggested judges were giving Chan extra component marks to ensure that he won even with falls. Favouring him somehow. Even NBC commentator Johnny Weir surprisingly got into the act, charging Chanflation. But Chanflation didn't exist. Chan's skating skills truly were superior. Jeffrey Buttle, who skated with Chan as a competitor, and worked with him as a choreographer, says: "People who talk about 'Chanflation' have probably never been competitive skaters. My legs hurt watching him sustain those ridiculous edges and turns. He is literally a master of skating." Walia says Chan's basic skating was so far superior to his competitors, there should have been a gap between his marks and theirs. "And there should also have been a gap if he made a mistake. There should have been a gap [technically] for that if he made a mistake. He would lose credit for a mistake and mathematically, he did. But if he made a mistake, he still had his skills to fall back on." And as Chan took his final bow as a competitive skater on Feb. 16 (in an other-worldly time zone), the tributes began to ring in. "Patrick skates like a musician who is part of the composition," said renowned choreographer Sandra Bezic. "He doesn't sell. He just is. So beautiful." "That was incredible, true, beautiful skating…Thank you for all you have given skating. Men's figure skating is better because of you." Grant Hochstein, U.S. men's singles skater. "Honestly, I can watch Patrick Chan do crossovers and I'd be happy." Ashley Wagner, U.S. women's skater, a world silver medalist. "Perfect? No. Breathtaking? Absolutely! [Patrick Chan] your quality and presence are the perfect complement to your grace and power. Thank you for that free. Hallelujah." Zach Donohue, U.S. ice dancer. "Thank you [Patrick Chan], That is all." Rod Garossino, former Canadian Olympic ice dancer. "I don't care who is crowned Olympic champion, no one – NO ONE – has the matchless artistry, finesse and grace of [Patrick Chan.]" Fan. "Patrick is special," said Poje. "Just knowing how difficult his movement is, and the way he does it with such ease and such grace is something that is very unique to him and that all skaters strive to have." Weaver says Chan makes everything look so easy, and that fools spectators into thinking his work is only easy. If anything, it is efficient. "He covers the ice unlike anybody else in the sport that I've seen," she said. "I feel like there should be someone else on the ice with him at the same time, so you can compare. He's the best of the best." She's noticed one thing: while skating on the same ice at a Stars on Ice rehearsal, you must keep your eye on Chan. "Or you'll get run over," she said. "You think he's at one end of the ice and you turn your head and he's in front of your face in one second. He just flies with such an effortlessness that is so smart." His turns are so complex that Weaver says: "I couldn't do that if I worked on it for 10 years." Poje says most skaters need crossovers to gain speed, but Chan can do the same thing with turns like a rocker or a counter. "Or on one foot," Weaver said. "On one foot, he can cover the ice with no loss of speed from end to end. I've seen him do it. He can teach the world a lesson when it comes to edge quality and complexity." Walia says Chan is a rare combination of great technique with artistry. "His basic skating quality is unmatched," he said, speaking of the complex transitions done with speed and little effort. Hanyu, on the other hand, has a different skating style. Walia doesn't believe his skating skills are as strong as those of Chan, although the Japanese skater is an effortless jumper. Chan's transitions? "It's a combination of different footwork and turns," Walia said. "It's not one turn. It's the way maybe he does something with a lean, how he can take a basic movement and make it so difficult, do really difficult things with it, that no one else can do. It's quite special." In spite of all this, Chan found he was unable to keep pace with the explosion of quads that have happened in the past three years. As Adam Rippon says, men's skating has gone "out of control." And Chan, with his skills have been caught in the middle of it. While in the past, he could rely on his presentation marks to give him an edge, he can no longer do so, because now a male skater can rack up so many points – through quads – on the technical side. The judging system back in the 6.0 era was constructed to allow equal weight to technical and artistic prowess with two sets of marks. When the new judging system, the code of points, was instituted in the early 2000s, it was constructed in such a way to continue the equal weighting. But quads have changed everything. When Evan Lysacek won the 2010 Olympics with no quads, his technical marks for the long program (84.57) almost mirrored his presentation or component marks (82.80). Even Evgeni Plushenko's marks – with a rare quad toe loop – triple toe loop – followed a similar path: he earned 82.71 and 82.80. Chan's presentation marks were slightly higher: (79.30 for technique and 82.00 for components.) Chan finished fourth in the free skate, a young kid at his first Olympics. After those Olympics, Chan got busy with Christy Krall in Colorado Springs to learn quads – they were worth more the next season – and became a force, powerful enough to dominate and win three world titles in an era in which repeat champions were not the norm. Everybody else was playing catch-up. By 2014, he was still in the mix with two quads, one in combination. At the Sochi Games, Hanyu won with two quads, none in combination, but two falls, earnings 89.66 technically and 90.98 on the presentation side. Chan had difficulties too, and lost the gold medal with mistakes and ended up second with 85.40 technically in the free program and 92.70 in components. Note: at the time, Chan had higher component marks than Hanyu. But the story has become altogether different since Sochi. This week, Nathan Chen won the men's free skate with a phenomenal, record-setting technical score of 127.64 and component score of 87.44, with five clean quads and an unprecedented sixth quad, a flawed quad flip (two hands down) that still earned him 10 technical points. Hanyu wasn't clean either, but still earned 109.55 points with three clean quads, 18.09 points less technically than Chen. Hanyu was able to win the gold medal because of the points he had earned in the short program, while Chen had to come from 17th place. Boyang Jin with his onslaught of four quads, including a quad Lutz (Hanyu did versions of only two of the easiest quads, trying to be kind to his right ankle injury) and outfinished the Japanese skater technically by .09 points. In all, six skaters cleared more than 100 points technically in the free skate. And they finished in the top six positions. Chan finished eighth in the free skate, with mistakes and only one quad, and thankfully in combination with a triple toe loop, and he tripled a second one. A triple Axel continued to give him grief, as usual. Chan was deemed to have the fourth best component marks of 91.86, behind Hanyu (winner of the gold medal), Shoma Uno (silver medal) and Javier Fernandez (bronze). But technically, Chan's 81.56 points fell short of Chen's spine-chilling mark by 46.08 points. And Chan fell 27.99 points technically behind Hanyu and 29.45 points behind Uno. He was also 19.96 points behind Fernandez, who does three quads in the free, and only two different ones. Chan knew this going in. "The technical is totally overriding the components right now," Walia said. Walia, who has been known to do a quad toe loop – triple toe loop in his day, is not against the proliferation of quads. He doesn't believe anyone should try to limit progress. "It's very impressive what is happening out there with the multiple quad jumps in one program," he said. "Some of these athletes are doing quadruples so effortlessly, it's hard to believe. " Still, Walia would prefer more of a balance between the technical and the presentation side. "That is why I really enjoy Patrick's skating," he said. "I'm saying that if someone can do all those quads, with the artistry, then I would love watching that. But I don't see that yet. "It's great. It's amazing. But it's creating a lot of messy programs that I personally do not like watching." For this quadrennial, Chan has been caught in a system that does not reward his strengths. He knew he could not win. Partway through the system, he readjusted his goals to win his tenth Canadian men's title, a record, and help his teammates win the team gold medal. He accomplished both those missions before he even started the individual event, which became his goodbye wave. Before the season ended, he had already begun to look to his future in Vancouver, starting up a skating academy, getting his real estate licence, having a life that doesn't involve the stresses of skating in front of judges. The world can only hope that he will start up that skating academy to pass along what Colson taught him so many years ago. It's important to the future of skating. And finally, from Hayley Wickenheiser, Canada's iconic female Olympic champion hockey player: "Got a little teary, watching [Patrick Chan] skate his final Olympics." Just like the rest of us.

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PUNE: A favourite among the most prominent vocalists and musicians, renowned harmonium player from Pune, Appa Jalgaonkar breathed his last here on early Wednesday morning. He was 87. Jalgaonkar had suffered a paralytic stroke 11 years back. He was cremated at the Vaikunth crematorium at 11.30 am on Wednesday. A recipient of the prestigious Sangeet Natak Aakademi award in the year 2000, Jalgaonkar was a favourite with a number of great vocalists and would accompany them on his harmonium during many a music programme.Some of them include Pt Bhimsen Joshi, Kumar Gandharva and Kishori Amonkar. Jalgaonkar also had many admirers in the form of greats like santoor player Pt Shivkumar Sharma, flautist Hariprasad Chaurasia and Kathak exponent Birju Maharaj. Jalgaonkar started as a vocalist in his native town Jalna but as the texture of his voice changed in his younger days he started paying more attention to harmonium. However, he never thought he would become a professional harmonium player one day. His talent brought him to Pune later. An accompanist walks something of a tightrope - he can not overshadow the main musician nor should he keep his talent and creaticity hidden. Jalgaonkar used to say that he had to exert tremendous control on his art which sometimes made him feel stifled. During an interview with the TOI immediately after he had won the Sangeet Natak Akademi award, Jalgaonkar had said that he believed that there was something special in his fingers that made bhajan singers postpone their programmes till he had some free time to accompany them. "Because of my background as a singer I knew what kind of accompaniment suited a vocalist and what irritated him. I always ensured that the pitch and notes of my harmonium matched those of the main artist," he had said. It is this very quality that vocalist Shrikant Deshpande recalls when speaking of Appa. "He was not just an accomplished accompanist but also well-versed with various facets of music. He knew in detail about each and every raga. Also he was equally well-versed as an accompanist across different genres of musicbe it classical, thumris or even ghazals," said Deshpande. Deshpande also speaks of a particular sweetness that was always part of Jalgaonkar's music. "The sweetness was his speciality," he said. Jalgaonkar had also spoken about this particular aspect during his talk with TOI, "I have achieved a particular finesse in the glide from Ni' to Sa' which if not played properly results in cacophony. Actually this is the greatest challenge faced by any harmonium player," he had said then. It was ironical that Jalgaonkar was chosen for the Sangeet Natak Akademi award despite the fact that harmonium was considered as an "imperfect instrument" and was banned on the All India Radio (AIR). "The ban ruined an entire generation of harmonium players. But the players themselves are to be blamed since most dot not carry their instruments to a concert but make do with whatever is available which affects the quality of the music. I always carry my own harmonium and keep it tuned," he had observed. Speaking of the younger generation, Jalgaonkar had said that he had no patience with those who moan that the younger artistes are not hard working enough and looked for short cuts to success. "It is the responsibility of the guru to instil the right attitude in his students. Also students should try to understand the intricacies of music while learning. One must not pay attention to superficial things like how the guru sits or waves his hands. His knowledge, understanding and creativity are the things to be mastered," he had said. Golden words indeed.

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