Features

By Sonia Salfity
Desperate Dieter

• Unrest, anxiety, anger and fear can take a huge toll on our health and well-being. If we’re not cautious, this can easily wreak havoc on our emotional state. It becomes way too easy to reach for comfort foods to soothe our angst

The problem with emotional eating is that the comfort it offers is short-lived. It’s a temporary fix that doesn’t fix anything and its long-term damage is exponential. It causes a downward spiral and affects our mental health and our ability to think clearly.

Mental fog is not pleasant especially when we  need to function at an optimal level to take care of  our many responsibilities. Like it or not, we must  face the truth that, for every moment of emotional overeating, we pay the price tenfold. We also become a burden to those around us when we eventually are unable to take care of ourselves.

Self-care and wellbeing 

When we don’t take the necessary steps to properly care for our wellbeing, we become bitter, angry, short-tempered and depressed. 

We already have these problems in the world all around us so why would we want to add more to our anxiety?

We can’t control what other people do nor can we control the political unrest around us. However, we  can certainly control how we respond. We always have a choice. 

We can respond more sensibly and thoughtfully, using words to describe our emotions and sharing them with a trusted friend. 

This helps us process through our feelings in a healthy manner instead of internalising them only to watch them explode when we least suspect it. The more words we add to our vocabulary to describe how we are feeling, the better we can become at expressing ourselves.

Our wheel of words 

It turns out there is an entire wheel of words to express our varied emotions. And here, I thought we could just be sad, mad or glad: words like overwhelmed, astonished, vulnerable, frustrated and confused, just to name a few.

Here is the link to a printable wheel of emotions you can print and share with your family.

I think it’s especially important to share it with our children because this is not something we learned to do well when we were their age.

It’s essential to mirror good ways to process conflict and unrest so that our children grow up having this ability. This takes practice.

We may never get perfect at it, but we can certainly get better at this. I suggest having certain phrases that you can tell yourself to anchor you when you feel things are out of control: Statements like “I can’t change this, but I can choose how to respond to it.”

Sometimes the best thing is not to respond at all and to allow enough time to pass before we decide how to respond in a thoughtful and intelligent manner, that is powered by wisdom and insight and not fuelled by raging anger.

Self-respect and life choices

This gives us sacred time for an opportunity to make better life-giving choices with respect for ourselves and others regardless of the circumstances.

It will also do us well to remember that we must be cautious about reacting angrily on social media because anger and rage spread like fire without accomplishing anything of substance.

Nothing good ever comes out of verbal vomit whether it’s online or in person. You cannot take back things once they’re said and they only serve to create more distance. Instead of feeding our anger, let’s feed our souls with wholesome, well-thought matters of substance that quieten our anxieties instead of exacerbating them.

Here’s to health, inner peace and wellbeing despite the diabolical political and economic storms that surround us. 

May we end this year with a renewed determination to leave behind the thoughts that don’t serve us well, and to recapture a new vision that has at its core our best interest and the interests of everyone around us.

Reprinted with permission from Family Flavours magazine

QUITO — A hunchback with goiter, a child decapitated by a soldier, and a woman with a bloodied face are among the unusual figures in an Ecuador nativity scene that aims to provide a realistic depiction of historical life.

The vast creche belongs to the Discalced Carmelites, a religious order that has been present in Ecuador since 1653.

Some 300 pieces, featuring pieces dating back to the 18th century, are on display in a wing of the otherwise cloistered monastery that has been transformed into a museum in the historic center of Quito.

The figurines recount biblical stories surrounding the birth of Jesus, such as Mary and Joseph’s flight to Egypt to protect their baby or the massacre of the innocents, the tale of King Herod ordering the killing of all male children under two.

But the monastery’s collection, which also includes newer pieces from the 20th century, shows people in scenes of daily life under Spanish colonial rule as well.

“It is very interesting to find pieces that show different cultures, diversity in the city. We have Indigenous people, Afro-descendants, chapetones [Spanish descendants],” museum coordinator Gabriela Mena tells AFP.

Several characters from the Yumbo Indigenous people appear with painted faces and feather headdresses.

Afro-descendants are shown wearing “highly decorated, French-style clothing”, said Noralma Suarez, the manager of the museum’s reserve collection.

Elsewhere, mothers feed their babies, the hunchback is depicted with a swollen neck — often a symptom of iodine deficiency — and a scene of domestic violence shows a man threatening a woman carrying a baby on her back, as blood runs down her face.

The nativity scene is a way “to show, to feel certain things that happened at a certain historical moment”, such as health problems, said Suarez, referring to the character suffering from goiter.

Each year the nativity scene adopts a theme, such as migration or natural disasters.

This year, it aims to highlight the plight of women who often cannot enjoy Christmas with their families because they have to work to make ends meet.

The women and their children are represented by rag dolls, the first new pieces to be added to the nativity scene this century.

The older figurines highlight artistic techniques such as sgraffito, when layers of plaster or paint are applied to a surface and then scratched away to create patterns and texture.

Mena wants the nativity scene to be more than “a beautiful popular, cultural tradition” in which things like the roles of Indigenous and Black people, or violence, are seen as normal or folkloric.

She instead wants the display to reflect on issues such as racism, machismo or poverty.

“It’s like moving museum structures so that we question everything”.

SEOUL — When news broke about a bedbug outbreak in his native South Korea, 29-year-old blockchain engineer and self-professed insectophobe Kang Jae-gu got straight to work — on the data.

As authorities scrambled to install high-temperature steam heaters at the airport and approve industrial-strength insecticides for home use, Kang started mapping reported infestations.

South Korea has been largely bedbug-free for years, but it has seen a surge in infestations as travel has rebounded after the pandemic — with more than 100 cases of the bloodsucking pests reported since late November, official statistics show.

And while the public has bugged out — and media coverage has spiralled — thousands of people have turned to Kang’s website, bedbugboard.com, for a sober data-driven look at the outbreak. 

“I am extremely sensitive to insects, so I sleep under a mosquito net throughout all four seasons,” Kang told AFP.

His fear of bedbugs drove him to create an interactive map that shows the approximate locations of reported infestations across the country, as well as real-time news stories on the issue. 

The site now receives as many as 50,000 visitors a day, up from around 40 when Kang launched it. 

He used a soothing olive-green colour scheme to try and create “peace of mind” for readers, but he told AFP that having to look at photographs of the critters and their eggs to run the website still gives him “goosebumps”.

From Paris? 

The bedbug invasion of Seoul comes on the heels of a similar outbreak in Paris, which is set to host the Olympic Games next year.

A surge of reported sightings of the creatures sent a shudder through France during the summer and fall — prompting several school closures nationwide. 

Public concern has also spread to Britain and Algeria.

In South Korea, 44 per cent of reported cases have been in so-called gosiwon — cheap, tiny housing units typically measuring less than five square metres.

Other affected locations include student dormitories, public bathhouses and extremely small housing units known as jjokbang, which often lack basic amenities such as bathrooms or kitchens.

Authorities have swung into gear, with Seoul city government allocating 700 million won ($500,000) to defend residents in vulnerable housing from the invading pests. 

Incheon International Airport, the main airport serving the capital, plans to install high-temperature steam heaters this month to prevent the entry of the bugs into the country.

Seoul also recently approved Neonicotinoids, a class of insecticides used widely on farms, for home use against bedbugs. 

“The city of Seoul defines the inconvenience and concern of citizens caused by bedbugs as a significant public health issue,” said Park Yu-mi, an official at the Seoul Metropolitan Government.

The city “seeks to take the lead in implementing countermeasures”, she added.

Hard to remove

Bedbugs have appeared in greater numbers in recent decades, mostly due to high population densities, people taking more holidays and mass transit.

In France, one in 10 households are believed to have had a bedbug problem over the past few years, usually requiring a pest control operation costing hundreds of euros that often needs to be repeated.

The critters bite people to feed on their blood, creating wounds that can be itchy but do not usually cause other health problems. 

But exposure to bedbug droppings can trigger asthmatic attacks while bites can cause rashes or more severe reactions such as anaphylaxis, and even depression.

South Korean experts said the insects are particularly hard to eradicate.

“Bedbugs can live for over 100 days even if they do not eat properly. They are thin and also hide well,” Kim Ju-hyeon, a professor at Seoul National University’s school of tropical medicine, said in a YouTube video.

Kang plans to keep his website running until the South Korean outbreaks subside.

He said he has never personally experienced an infestation, but “I can imagine how stressful it would be if that happened to me”.

HWANGE, Zimbabwe — Storm clouds are finally gathering over Zimbabwe’s biggest animal reserve, but it has come too late for more than 110 elephants that have died in a searing, extended drought.

There is little that Simba Marozva and other rangers at the Hwange National Park can do except cut the tusks off the rotting corpses before poachers find them.

With the black clouds in recent days promising life-saving rains, the rangers may not find all of the victims of the drought on their daily hunts.

The 14,600-square-kilometre park — bigger than many countries — is home to more than 45,000 savanna elephants, so many that they are considered a threat to the environment.

The scene is still heart-breaking.

Blackened corpses scar a landscape where the rains have been more than six weeks late and scorching temperatures have regularly hit 40o.

Tinashe Farawo, spokesperson for the Zimbabwe national parks authority, Zimparks, said “the old, the young and the sick” have been worst hit.

Some have fallen in dried-up waterholes, some spent their final hours in the shade of a tree.

Many are infant elephants — but all that is left is the shrivelled skin over the rotting carcass.

Grim tusk collection 

The intact tusk is a sign that it was a natural death. But there is a heavy stench around the elephants, that have attracted growing attention in recent years.

On average, an elephant drinks more than 200 litres of water and eats some 140 kilgrammes of food a day.

More than 200 elephants died in a 2019 drought but the rangers say it could be worse this time once the end of the summer arrives.

Hwange is part of the Kavango- Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area covering parks in Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. All have borders on the Okavango and Zambezi river basins.

An aerial survey started in 2022 estimated the region’s elephant population at 227,900 animals.

While tens of thousands of elephants have been slaughtered across Africa by poachers and hunters since the 1970s, the Kavango-Zambezi conservation area is considered a success story with numbers mainly growing.

That has increased pressure on Hwange’s resources while climate change has emerged as a new risk.

The estimated 100,000 elephants in Zimbabwe is twice the capacity of its parks, conservationists say.

Farawo from Zimparks said 112 elephant deaths had been confirmed since September.

Over-population threat 

He said the numbers were not surprising given the huge size of the elephant population in Hwange.

“We have high temperatures and we have no water. They are bound to be stressed and die.”

Climate change has increased the number of droughts, he added.

“It’s not only elephants which are affected, there are also other animals. Elephants can be easily noticed because of their size.”

Farawo said the parks authority was also concerned that the elephants had become “overpopulated” and “are destroying the habitat”.

Hwange, covered in dry grass, leafless trees and some desert-like open areas, has 104 solar-powered boreholes across the park to reach further into the water table that falls lower each year.

But it has not been enough, and the drought which has hit several southern African countries, has been worsened this year by the El Nino phenomenon.

The hunt for water has taken elephants dangerously close to human habitations on the fringes of Hwange.

They have drunk in desperation from swimming pools in private homes and risked drinking at water holes contaminated by dead animals.

Dried-up water holes are forcing elephants and other wildlife to walk long distances for food and water.

Some have crossed into Botswana and other neighbouring countries where many deaths have also been reported.

LOS ANGELES — “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom”, starring Jason Momoa as a sea-dwelling superhero, splashed to the top of the three-day Christmas weekend boxoffice despite muted ticket sales for the DC Extended Universe offering, industry watchers reported on Tuesday.

The film took in $38.3 million in its debut weekend in the United States and Canada for the Friday-through-Monday period, according to Exhibitor Relations.

The DC comics sequel follows the king of Atlantis as he splits his time between the depths of the sea and the surface world, combining forces with his half-brother and former enemy as turmoil and climate change threatens the underwater realm.

Warner Bros.’ fantasy musical “Wonka”, starring Timothee Chalamet as a younger version of Roald Dahl’s famous chocolatier Willy Wonka — a character first played by Gene Wilder and then Johnny Depp — placed second for $28.4 million.

The new musical version of “The Colour Purple”, which only debuted on Christmas Monday, meanwhile landed in third with $18.2 million in sales — the biggest Christmas Day opening since “Sherlock Holmes” in 2009.

The new reimagining is based on the Pulitzer-Prize winning novel by Alice Walker that then became a beloved movie before landing on Broadway as a musical. It follows the struggles and triumphs of a young Black woman in rural Georgia in the early 20th century.

The movie rounds out Warner Bros.’ standing in the top three spots and stars Taraji P. Henson, Fantasia Barrino-Taylor, Danielle Brooks, H.E.R. and Colman Domingo, among others.

In fourth was animated comedy “Migration” about a family of mallard ducks out on adventure as they fly from New England to Jamaica, which earned $17.5 million in its debut weekend.

Renowned for style, innovation and motorsport success since 1906, Italian carmaker Lancia’s repertoire has included the graceful Gamma saloon and coupe, and multiple rally icons like the Stratos, 037, Delta S4 and Delta HF Integrale. Also responsible for gloriously oddball efforts like the Ferrari V8-powered front-drive Thema 8.32 saloon during its 1980s heyday, Lancia is now a shadow of its self, with ever blander models since the mid-1990s struggling to capture a past appeal that balanced accessibility, premium cache and sporting heritage.

Relegated by the Fiat group in favour of Alfa Romeo, Lancia then became little more than rebadged European market Chrysler brand during the mid-2010s Fiat-Chrysler era, and is now down to just one aging Italian market city car, the Ypsilon. An all-electric three-car revival plan announced by new French owners, Stellantis, meanwhile seems unlikely to rekindle Lancia’s specialness, but its torch has instead kept burning by a trio of inspired independent boutique cars including a modern Stratos homage, 037 redevelopment and Delta restoration-modification makeovers.

New Stratos

A miniature supercar built from a shortened Ferrari F430 Scuderia donor, the New Stratos is the brainchild of German industrialist — and current “Stratos” nameplate rights owner — Michael Stoschek. A modern homage to Lancia’s 1973 original, a one-off New Stratos first arrived in 2010, with a limited 25 car production run starting in 2018 at Manifattura Automobili Torino, after rumored corporate wrangling with Ferrari and the Fiat group was resolved. Evolutionary in aesthetic, the New Stratos’ seductively potent modern design interprets the original’s proportions and urgent, jutting character with sharper lines and angles.

Powered by a mid-mounted Scuderia-sourced free-revving naturally-aspirated cross-plane crankshaft 4.3-liter V8 engine with freer flowing air intakes and exhaust, the New Stratos develops a more powerful 533BHP at 8,200rpm and 383lb/ft at 3,750rpm in 2010 guise and over 550BHP in 2018+ examples. Lighter, smaller and more powerful than the Scuderia, it romps through 0-100km/h in 3.3-seconds, 0-200km/h in 9.7-seconds, and onto 330km/h. Rear-driven with a limited-slip rear differential for stability and agility and choice of 6-speed manual or automated sequential gearbox, the balanced, lightweight and carbon-fibre bodied 1,247kg New Stratos promises corner carving heroics.

SPECIFICATIONS

• Engine: 4.3-litre, mid-mounted V8-cylinders 
• Gearbox: 6-speed manual or automated sequential
• Drive-line: Rear-wheel-drive, limited slip rear differential
• Power, BHP (PS) [kW]: 533 (540) [371] @8,200rpm
• Torque, lb/ft (Nm): 383 (519) @3,750rpm
• 0-100km/h: 3.3-seconds
• Top speed: 274-330km/h (depending on gearing)
• Length: 4,181mm
• Width: 1,971mm
• Height: 1,240mm
• Wheelbase: 2,400mm
• Weight: 1,247kg
• Suspension: Double wishbones
• Tyres, F/R: 265/30R19 / 315/30R19

Kimera Evo37

A tribute to the last great rear-wheel-drive rally car, the Kimera Automobili Evo 37 is far more than a simple recreation or restomod project, but is instead an authentic redevelopment that captures the seductive style and spirit of the 1982 Lancia 037 as a modern supercar. Introduced in 2021, the Evo 37 is built using a donor Lancia Montecarlo passenger cell and VIN number, but is otherwise a thoroughly modernised and newly developed car incorporating a carbon-fibre reinforced body, Ohlins-developed double wishbone suspension and a Dana Graziano automated 6-speed sequential gearbox.

Marginally bigger and heavier than the original at just 1,050kg, the Evo 37’s dramatic design is a true to original but is a slightly sleeker, beefier and sharper interpretation incorporating a huge built-in rear spoiler. Powered by a mid-mounted 2.1-litre four-cylinder engine the Evo 37 takes a leaf from the original 037’s Delta S4 successor by employing both a supercharger for immediate response and consistent delivery and a turbocharger for ample high revving power. Developing 498BHP at 7,000-7,250rpm and 443lb/ft torque the Evo 37 rockets through 0-100km/h in 3-seconds and onto 310km/h.

SPECIFICATIONS

• Engine: 2.15-litre, supercharged & turbocharged mid-mounted 4-cylinders 
• Gearbox: 5-speed automated sequential
• Drive-line: Rear-wheel-drive, limited-slip rear differential
• Power, BHP (PS) [kW]: 498 (505) [371] @7,000-7,250rpm
• Torque, lb/ft (Nm): 443 (600)
• 0-100km/h: 3-seconds (estimate)
• Top speed: 310km/h
• Length: 4,055mm
• Width: 1,905mm
• Height: 1,200mm
• Wheelbase: 2,520mm
• Weight: 1,050kg
• Suspension: Double wishbones
• Tyres, F/R: 245/35R18 / 295/30R19

Lancia Delta Integrale Futurista

Developed by Automobili Amos in 2018, in collaboration with Podium Advanced Technologies, the Lancia Delta Integrale Futurista adopts a more straightforward restomod approach to modernising a beloved classic. Starting with an original later model Lancia Delta Integrale 16V donor circa 1989, the Futurista process is a thorough redevelopment that includes all-new and refurbished components. With stiffened frame and redesigned front suspension for more fluently responsive turn-in and improved handling properties, the Futurista also incorporates composite carbon-fibre materials for a reduced 1,250kg weight, 

Authentic in style but with more modern elements and a more aggressive aesthetic that includes bigger wheels to accommodate bigger, better brakes, the Futurista, meanwhile, deletes the original’s rear doors for a sportier 3-door style reminiscent of the Delta S4. Powered by an updated and improved turbocharged 2-litre four-cylinder engine developing an estimated 330BHP — compared to the original’s 212BHP — the Futurista pounces through 0-100km/h in around 4-seconds and onto 230km/h. Powering all four-wheels through a 5-speed manual gearbox, it also features a limited-slip differential for added agility and stability.

SPECIFICATIONS

• Engine: 2-litre, turbocharged, transverse 4-cylinders 
• Gearbox: 5-speed manual
• Drive-line: four-wheel-drive, limited-slip differential
• Power, BHP (PS) [kW]: 330 (335) [246] (estimate)
• 0-100km/h: 4-seconds (estimate)
• Top speed: 230km/h
• Length: 3,897mm
• Width: 1,810mm
• Height: 1,449mm
• Weight: 1,300kg

By Sarah Saman,Beauty Consultant
Photography by Portrait Photographer Anastasia Casey

Palestinian history is reflected in so many facets of life, especially in its fashion; its embroidery recounts a narrative of rich heritage and culture passed from one generation to another.

I decided to focus on this theme for my make-up pages this month. I chose three local fashion and textile designers Lina Lama Burgan, May Khoury and Dana Rimawi, as my muses.

To keep the focus on the outfits, I created a soft look for each of my models with a focus on eyeliner to emphasise the Arab look and to complement the looks of each lady.

A tapestry of tradition

In the heart of Hebron, where tradition weaves itself into the fabric of everyday life, a tale of heritage, love and the seamless blend of past and present is found in its hand-embroidered dresses. Gifted to Hind by her Gazan mother-in-law, Fatima Biltaji Dudin, this dress hails from Dura in Hebron.

The dress was given to Fatima by her in-laws when she married into a Hebronite family.

The dress is a canvas painted with vibrant threads against a backdrop of deep black velvet. The hand-embroidered colourful flowers, meticulously crafted with silk thread, add a touch of artistry that is timeless.

Inspired by the natural hues of Hebron, the rich shades of red, pink and green mirror its landscape.

The collaborative efforts of both desiger Lina Lama Burgan and Hind herself, transformed the traditional garment into a bold and edgy statement; the embroidery found new life as it was transposed onto black velvet.

In Hebron, the sleeves of a dress carry a special significance.

Through careful craftsmanship, Lina worked to preserve the dress’s character while infusing it with a contemporary spirit. The result is a harmonious blend of old and new, where the echoes of Hebron’s cultural tapestry resonate with a modern and bold undertone.

The Hebronite wedding gift from Hind’s Gazan mother-in-law, stands as a symbol of cultural continuity, a living testament to the artistry, craftsmanship and love that binds generations together.

The timeless elegance of a Ramallah-inspired creation

In a burst of colour reminiscent of a sunset over the Palestinian landscape, Lina Lama Burgan brings to life this vibrant orange dress, worn by Reem, that seamlessly marries tradition with modern design.

Crafted from a harmonious blend of raw silk and Aghabani fabrics adorned with the lively charm of Ramallah embroidered flowers, this creation is a journey through, time and a celebration of artistic heritage.

The genesis of this design can be traced back to an old dress that Lina acquired in the late eighties, believed to have originated in the nineteenth century.

Inspired by the intricate beauty of this vintage piece, the designer embarks on a creative odyssey to breathe new life into its essence.

The colourful Ramallah embroidered flowers that grace the fabric are a testament to the skilled hands that meticulously recreated a pattern reminiscent of a bygone era. The rich orange tones, mirroring the warmth of the Palestinian sun, are a nod to the timeless beauty of the region.

The combination of colours in the fabric reflects the palette traditionally employed in the embroidery of Ramallah, creating a harmonious fusion of cultural continuity and contemporary design.

Palestinian patchwork

Designer May Khoury likes to upscale her pieces with oriental textiles as seen in the detail on the collar and cuffs of this vintage purple velvet jacket.

Deema showing the Palestinian patchwork embroidery on this jacket. Each area in Palestine has its unique embroidery motifs.

Palestinian artisans

This prayer and meditation rug by Dana Rimawi, is designed for her label A’MYN and is part of the Serenity collection. It is hand-embroidered and crafted using rich fabrics making it a limited edition and collectible piece. A variety of A’MYN designs are handmade by Palestinian refugee artisans living in Jordan The collection features floral and flowerpot motifs. 

This design represents the unique embroidery of Jaffa.

Reviving identity

The war of 1948 and its aftermath made it difficult to accurately identify the village of origin of some dresses. When refugees sold their embroidered clothing, the identification of the village of origin was often lost and the dresses were labelled vaguely.

This dress, worn by Reem, in turquoise raw silk is a Lina Lama Burgan design embellished with

cross-stitched embroidery of roses.

It is inspired by an old dress which is believed to hail from Ramallah The colours used in the turquoise dress were chosen to complement the current modern lifestyle.

Here, designer May Khoury adds vintage Palestinian hand-embroidered pieces of light yellow roses on burgundy fabric from villages around the city of Ramallah. She uses patches of her own printed designs of Jordanian mosaic, which makes it an easy-to-wear piece. This denim jacket, worn by Deema, is meant to combine Palestinian and Jordanian heritage in one modern piece.

Tradition & elegance

The blend of a classic black silk shawl with a mustard silk border is already a striking combination, but adding vintage hand-embroidered flowers from Hebron creates a truly unique and culturally rich piece.

The patchwork design by May Khoury captures the essence of tradition and elegance.

Mosaic fusion

A combination of off white linen, lace and printed designs of mosaic from Jordan embellish this midi jacket by May Khoury. It is enriched with a few rows of vintage Palestinian embroidery

Reprinted with permission from Family Flavours magazine.

KARACHI — Against the backdrop of the mega port city of Karachi, choked with traffic and construction, four green turtles emerge from the frothy Arabian Sea seeking a spot to lay their eggs.

Three immediately retreat to the water, put off by the glittering lights and heavy beat of a nearby beach party.

But one trundles towards the end of the beach bank, its flippers whipping sand into the air before settling on a dry spot of sand in which to deposit 88 golf ball-sized eggs.

Six conservationists tasked with protecting the last surviving turtle species to nest in Pakistan stand guard nearby.

“Being human doesn’t only call for loving another human being. These animals also require the same attention and love,” said Ashfaq Ali Memon, the head of marine wildlife at Sindh province’s Wildlife Department.

Sandspit Beach is a beloved recreation spot for the city’s 22 million residents, as well as a critical habitat for Pakistan’s endangered green turtles.

The eight-kilometre stretch of beach is being relentlessly encroached upon by the construction of concrete beach houses that have, metre-by-metre, eaten into the strip of sand where turtles nest.

“Once I saw someone disturbing a turtle while she was laying eggs. She ran off for safety, leaving a trail of eggs behind her. That was a very painful scene,” said Haseen Bano, Memon’s wife who supports the work of the volunteers.

Pollution threat

Marine turtles have covered vast distances across the world’s oceans for more than 100 million years but human activity has tipped the scales against the survival of these ancient creatures, the World Wildlife Fund says.

Until the early 2000s, the beaches of Pakistan’s Arabian coast were the nesting habitat for five endangered turtle species.

Now only the green turtles come to shore to lay their eggs on just two beaches in Karachi and on uninhabited islands in Balochistan province, further down the coast towards Iran.

Alongside construction, noise and garbage pollution, WWF-Pakistan has also reported that diesel and petrol fumes have caused deformities in hatchlings.

As well as major disruption to their nesting habitats, thousands of turtles are also injured or killed in fishing nets every year.

Named for the greenish colour of their cartilage and fat, they are classified as endangered across the world.

Living dinosaurs

Sindh Wildlife Department has a dedicated team of six volunteers, paid according to fluctuating donations, who patrol the beaches after dark during nesting season between August and January.

“When the turtles arrive to use the pits, our volunteers are present to take care of them and to ensure no one can disturb them,” Amir Khan told AFP.

The 88 — a decent batch for a young female — were delicately collected the same night and taken to a protected coastal conservation centre and reburied in the sand for the 45-60 day hatching cycle, away from the danger of stray dogs, mongoose and snakes.

Baby turtles just a few hours old and only about two inches long are meanwhile brought to the water’s edge in buckets by volunteers and released one-by-one, swimming off into the night.

Data on the number of green turtles is not available in Pakistan but, for the past few years, the number of hatchlings has increased.

In 2022, volunteers successfully hatched 30,000 eggs and the current year’s count has already passed 25,000 just over halfway through the season.

Khan said these “living dinosaurs” will continue to struggle against the accelerating urban sprawl of the city and the dangers posed by fishermen.

“It feels good to take care of these turtles, they boost the beauty of our beach,” said Mohammad Javed, a 29-year-old volunteer who inherited the caretaker legacy from his father.

TOKYO — Sales of Sony’s PlayStation 5 have crossed 50 million units, the Japanese electronics giant said, pointing to “strong momentum” this year for its flagship gaming console.

The PS5 was launched in November 2020, with the world in the grip of the Covid pandemic, and its sales initially suffered because of widespread supply chain problems and a global chip shortage.

Still, the PS5 reached the 50-million-unit milestone in almost the same period as its predecessor, the PS4, with Sony saying its flagship console enjoyed “strong momentum” in 2023.

“We’re thrilled that this is the first holiday season since launch that we have a full supply of PS5 consoles — so anyone who wants to get one can get one,” Jim Ryan, president and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment, said in a statement on Wednesday.

Since releasing the first PlayStation in 1994, Sony has grown into a titan of console gaming, a market whose revenues this year have been estimated at more than $53 billion by industry consultancy Newzoo.

The PS2 remains Sony’s bestselling console with with more than 155 million units sold, while the PS4 exceeded 117 million, according to the company.

“This is an eye-popping number, given the PS5 hasn’t even been properly available at retail for half of its life cycle,” Serkan Toto, CEO of Tokyo-based consultancy Kantan Games, said of the 50 million units sold.

“In the end, Sony might actually be able to top the astonishing PS4 lifetime sales.”

The PS5 milestone caps a strong year in gaming for Sony.

In October, “Marvel’s Spider-Man 2”, developed by Sony-owned Insomniac Games, became the fastest-selling PlayStation Studios game in the first 24 hours after release.

Sony said the PS5 also enjoyed a boost in 2023 from the success of games including “Baldur’s Gate 3” and “Alan Wake 2”.

Since 2001, Microsoft’s Xbox consoles have emerged as the PlayStation’s main challengers.

While the PS5 is outselling the latest Xbox consoles, according to estimates by industry analysts, Microsoft has made a strong push in recent years to boost its position in the market.

That has included mega acquisitions of developers including the $69 billion takeover of Activision Blizzard, the maker of the blockbuster “Call of Duty” games.

Sony had previously tried to block the Activision deal, but agreed with Microsoft in July to keep releasing “Call of Duty” on the PlayStation.