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SYDNEY — Australia’s crafty, sulphur-crested cockatoos appear to have entered an “innovation arms race” with humans, scientists say, as the two species spar over the rubbish in roadside bins.

The white birds, which can grow nearly as long as a human arm, initially surprised researchers by devising an ingenious technique to prise open household bin lids in Sydney and other areas.

Now, a new study says they have gone a step further by thwarting the escalating defences of fed-up humans.

The birds’ and humans’ behaviour may reveal a hitherto unexplored “interspecies innovation arms race”, said a study published on Monday in Current Biology.

Nestled between a forest and a surf-swept beach and bordered by cliffs, the picturesque town of Stanwell Park near Sydney is on the front line of the battle of the bins.

“If we don’t close the bin right after throwing out the rubbish they’ll be in there,” said Ana Culic, 21, manager of the town’s Loaf Cafe.

“Cockatoos everywhere. Like, just rubbish all over the front area.”

Her own family had tried scaring cockatoos away with owl statues to no avail. Then they tried placing bricks on the bin lids, but the cockatoos learned to remove them. Finally, they drilled a lock into the bin.

“They’re evolving. Yeah, like if you go back like five-ten years ago, they didn’t know how to open bins so they’re figuring stuff out,” said the cafe’s chef, 42-year-old Matt Hoddo.

Nearby, 40-year-old resident Skie Jones said he had resorted to an elastic cord to hold down the lid of his household bin after the birds worked out how to remove a brick and then a larger rock.

“I have got a feeling I am going to be going for an actual lock,” he said. “That’s only a matter of time.”

Frequent sightings reveal that a single cockatoo can open a bin by holding the lid aloft with its beak while standing near the front edge.

Then, with the bin lid still in its beak, it shuffles backward towards the hinge, forcing the lid ever higher until it flips open.

The scientists found in an earlier study that knowledge of this technique spread as other birds looked on, creating local “traditions”.

Their new research shows that humans, frustrated at having their garbage spread across the street, learned to adapt. But then so did the cockatoos.

“When we first started looking at this behaviour, we were already amazed because actually the cockatoos learned how to open the bins,” said the study’s lead author Barbara Klump, a behavioural scientist at the Max Plank Institute in Germany.

As humans responded, though, “I was really astonished by how many different methods people have invented,” she said.

As the cockatoos learned to defeat some of the humans’ protections, the two species appeared to be engaged in a “stepwise progression and reiteration”, said the postdoctoral research fellow. 

“That was the most interesting part for me.”

In a census of 3,283 bins, the latest study found that some cockatoos could defeat low-level protections such as rubber snakes, which could be ignored, or bricks, which could be pushed off.

So far, though, the cockatoos had not managed to overcome stronger methods such as a weight actually attached to the lid or an object stuck into the hinge to prevent the bin fully opening.

“Bricks seemed to work for a while but cockies got too clever,” one resident told the researchers in an online survey that attracted more than 1,000 participants.

Who is winning the arms race?

“I think ultimately it will be the humans,” said Klump.

“But we need to see how it develops,” she added, explaining that it was easy to underestimate the work involved for humans in protecting their bins every week, with some people already relaxing their guard when cockatoo activity decreased.

The interspecies bin struggle is unlikely to lead to a new breed of even cleverer cockatoo, however.

“They have a certain capacity to problem solve, and we know they are super curious and they like to explore,” Klump said. “But I don’t think that protecting the bins will in itself then make the cockatoos smarter.”

A modern motoring icon since 2009, the Ford F150 Raptor is far more than mere trim level, but is a near race-ready sand dune hopping extreme machine that sacrifices none of the standard F150’s convenience, equipment or spacious comfort, especially in SuperCrew specification.

Arriving in 2017 and updated in 2019, the second generation radically introduced a more powerful down-sized engine and lighter aluminium body. Currently being replaced by an all-new incarnation across markets, the outgoing Raptor nevertheless still holds up brilliantly, and is still listed by Ford in Jordan.

Dramatically distinguished

Distinguished from regular F150s by its aggressive wide body and bulging wheel-arches that allow longer travel for its chunky off-road tyre-clad wheels, the Raptor is also identified by its grille’s honeycomb mesh, dark grey surround and big font “FORD” lettering that replaces the brand’s traditional blue oval. Ruggedly redesigned, its bumper is higher set for better ground clearance, and features bigger side intakes and a lower skid plate. A stealthier take on the F150, the Raptor replaces almost all chrome with dark detailing.

Sitting under its bulging and vented bonnet, and behind its huge snouty grille and contrastingly deep-set dramatic headlights, the Raptor is powered by a high output version of the F150’s twin-turbocharged, direct injection 3.5-litre V6 Ecoboost engine. Brutally quick but sophisticated, the second generation Raptor is 227kg lighter, and more muscular, than its larger naturally-aspirated 6.2-litre V8 predecessor. Meanwhile, a more responsive 10- rather than 6-speed automatic gearbox better utilises the Raptor’s extensive output for better performance, versatility, refinement and efficiency.

Action and traction

A big beast that belies its enormity and 2,584kg mass, the Raptor is quick from standstill, with tenacious four-wheel-drive traction and responsively quick turbo spooling allowing enabling it to rocket through 0-100km/h in an estimated 5.5-seconds or less. Producing 450BHP at 5,000rpm and 510lb/ft torque at 3,500rpm, the Raptor is eager at low revs and deeply muscular in mid-range, with an abundant and broad torque range. That said, it also pulls urgently and viciously to redline, and can attain an estimated electronically-governed 172km/h maximum.

Driven in either rear- or four-wheel-drive “auto” modes for efficient on-road driving, with the latter providing front traction, as needed, the Raptor features full-time four-wheel-drive for tough low traction off-road terrain, and low gear ratios for extreme conditions. A locking rear differential keeps rear wheels moving together for low traction grip and on-road agility. Meanwhile, an optional Torsen centre differential allocates power between front and rear as necessary, and a low speed selective braking Trail Control system can send power to individual wheels.

Desert developed

Developed for demanding and fast Baja-style desert driving, the Raptor features long suspension travel to easily absorb ruts and bumps, and to maintain wheel contact with the ground for effective traction in extreme conditions. It meanwhile rides on race-derived Fox Shox 3.0 dampers, with an internal valve bypass system that alternately adjusts for stiff body control and forgiving comfort, and to prevent bottoming out when launched into the air. Massive and tough 315/70R17 tyres meanwhile feature high sidewalls and wide tread spacing.

Despite off-road oriented tyres, the Raptor is probably the sportiest driving and most comfortable F150 variant, with its wider track, long wheel travel, coil springs, Fox dampers and limited slip rear differential providing a combination of unexpectedly eager cornering agility and excellent body control for a heavy high-riding truck, and comfortably supple ride compliance. With generous off-road ground clearance and angles, it is also reassuringly stable at speed, while its rear is exceptionally settled and buttoned down for a live rear axle truck.

Long on luxury

If not s nimble or responsive shifting weight at the rear as the shorter — but still long — SuperCab version, the yet longer 5,890mm full four-door Raptor SuperCrew is nevertheless tidy and eager turning into corners. With longer wheelbase and wide track the SuperCrew does, however, deliver great road-holding. Firm and heavy in “sport” mode but lighter in comfort-oriented modes, the Raptor’s electric-powered steering offers little on-centre feel and is not too nuanced, given its huge tyres, but is direct and weighs up well through corners.

As comfortable, convenient and well-equipped with safety, mod-con and infotainment features as other garden variety F150s variants, the Raptor similarly includes parking aids and cameras to help manoeuvre its outsized dimensions in busy city conditions. With a distinctly sportier ambiance, the Raptor’s cabin is, however, awash with carbon-fibre accents, Alcantara upholstering and trim, and features an off-road information monitor and superbly supportive front Recaro sports seats. Generously roomy every which way, the four-door SuperCrew version provides almost limo-like rear legroom and easy cabin access.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

• Engine: 3.5-litre, all-aluminium, twin-turbo, in-line V6-cylinders
• Bore x stroke: 92.5 x 86.7mm
• Compression ratio: 10:1
• Valve-train: 24-valve, DOHC, variable valve timing
• Gearbox: 10-speed automatic, four-wheel-drive
• Drive-line: 2.64:1 low ratio transfer case, electronic locking rear differential, optional centre Torsen differential
• Gear ratios: 1st 4.69; 2nd 2.98; 3rd 2.14; 4th 1.76; 5th 1.52; 6th 1.27; 7th 1.0; 8th 0.85; 9th 0.69; 10th 0.63; R 4.86
• Final drive ratio: 4.1:1
• Power, BHP (PS) [kW]: 450 (456) [335.5] @5,000rpm
• Specific power: 179.5BHP/litre
• Power-to-weight: 174.1BHP/tonne
• Torque, lb/ft (Nm): 510 (691.5) @3,500rpm
• Specific torque: 197.6Nm/litre
• Torque-to-weight: 267.6Nm/tonne
• 0-100km/h: under 5.5-seconds (estimate)
• Top speed: 172km/h (estimated, electronically governed)
• Approach/break-over/departure angles: 30.2°/22.8°/23°
• Cargo bed height, length, width: 543, 1,705, 1,285-1,656mm 
• Fuel capacity: 136-litres
• Steering: Electric-assisted rack & pinion
• Suspension, F/R: Double wishbones, coil springs/live axle, leaf springs
• Dampers: Gas-pressurised, electronically-controlled, continuously variable Fox 3.0 Racing Shox
• Brakes, F/R: Ventilated discs, 350 x 34mm/drum, 336 x 24mm
• Brake calipers, F/R: Twin/single
• Tyres: 315/70R17

By Sonia Salfity 

Tell me I’m not the only one who “cheats” when I think no one is watching! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve promised myself I would stay away from sugar, only to succumb to my favourite chocolate. My plan to quit sugar crumbles before my eyes and I’m back to square one!

Being honest and authentic about our current condition empowers us to move forward in the right direction. The opposite is also true. When we hide the challenges and struggles and attempt to conquer them on our own, we set ourselves up for failure. Keeping it real is good for the soul. It also helps us to stay accountable even on the hardest days when we’d rather “cheat”.

I can go for a long time without craving treats to the point where I think they are no longer dangerous. This causes me to believe I can handle my favourite chocolate and be sensible about my portion. You and I both know we didn’t become Desperate Dieters by being smart about portions! Except, of course, when it comes to things like broccoli and suddenly we are taking out the measuring cup because, heaven forbid, we eat an ounce too much!

There are two choices we get to make when we make poor selections: 

•Stinking Thinking: We decide we might as well succumb to all our cravings since we already messed up and “who cares anyway”. We end up doing way more damage when we decide not to choose option 2.

•Forgiving ourselves and moving on: We decide to be intentional about getting over this negative situation and move forward by taking tangible steps to remedy the damage. 

These steps include any of the following strategies:

•Drinking at least two cups of water (but don’t forget to reach eight by the end of the day!)

•Doing a short workout routine or going for a walk (weather permitting), or even going up and down the stairs for a few minutes that will get your heart rate up

•Reading your favourite book or calling that friend you’ve been meaning to call and seem never to have time for

•Taking a relaxing shower and listening to your favourite music

•Breathing: Taking slow breaths as you count to four, hold it for four seconds and exhale on the count of four; repeat for five minutes

•Asking those around you to help you stay accountable. It may mean asking your family not to bring junk food inside your home. It may mean asking a friend to walk with you instead of going to that restaurant

•Watering your plants! If you don’t have any, get some and enjoy caring for them, even if you aren’t a gardener. Despite being a terrible gardener, I’ve been enjoying my indoor plants and flowers. I keep just what I can manage to take care of because they bring joy to my soul and brighten up our kitchen. I also find that the more I tend to my plants, the better I feel about managing my own self-care. It’s a win/win! 

•Giving yourself a break. Find new ways to reward yourself that have nothing to do with food and everything to do with joy. One of my favourite short breaks I have come to enjoy is playing the WORDLE of the day on my phone. It’s free and there’s a new WORD to solve daily, giving your brain some good exercise. Type WORDLE in your browser and choose The New York Times option and you’ll get obsessed with figuring out the word instead of obsessing about the munchies! You can also download the free app if you want to solve more than one word daily. This is also fun with the whole family and creates healthy bonding as you try to see who solves it first!

Here’s to a healthier mind, body and soul as we renew our dedication and increase our capacity to manage our food struggles one bite at a time, one meal at a time, one day at a time.

Reprinted with permission from Family Flavours magazine

LOS ANGELES — Hundreds entered, but only one can triumph: South Korea’s “Squid Game” will make a play for Emmys history Monday as it aims to become the first foreign-language television show to win top honours for best drama.

The Netflix show — in which misfits and criminals compete for cash in barbaric and fatal versions of schoolyard games — is aiming to follow in the footsteps of Oscar-winning movie “Parasite” with success at TV’s top prize gala.

It is already the first non-English-language series to earn a best drama series nomination. To convert that into a trophy at the ceremony in Los Angeles, it will need to overcome a previous winner in HBO’s “Succession”.

“It’s pretty hard to go against that HBO juggernaut,” said Deadline awards columnist Pete Hammond, noting that the cutthroat drama about a powerful clan vying to inherit a media empire secured the most overall nominations with 25.

“I do think [‘Squid Game’] is going to win best actor,” said Hammond — an outcome that would make Lee Jung-jae the category’s first winner whose performance was not in English.

Other shows contending for the night’s top drama prizes include Apple TV+ dystopian workplace series “Severance”, starring Adam Scott, and the final season of Netflix’s much-lauded crime saga “Ozark”.

Zendaya, who became the youngest-ever best actress winner two years ago for hard-hitting teen drama “Euphoria”, is tipped to repeat with her work on the show’s sophomore season. 

Keaton ‘lock’

Given the penchant of Television Academy voters for honouring previous winners, best comedy series looks like an open goal for season two of Apple TV+’s fish-out-of-water football coach “Ted Lasso”. 

But its star Jason Sudeikis will have to fend off another previous winner for best actor in Bill Hader, whose dark hitman comedy “Barry” returns from a three-year, pandemic-prolonged absence.

Jean Smart is also heavily tipped to repeat as best actress for “Hacks”, in which she plays an aging Las Vegas diva forced to reinvent her dated stand-up routine. 

By definition, offering some fresh blood are the nominees in the limited series section, which honours shows capped at a single season.

Four of the five contenders chronicle real-life scandals. 

“Dopesick” looks at the US opioid crisis, “The Dropout” recounts the Theranos fraud, “Pam and Tommy” recalls an infamous celebrity sex tape and “Inventing Anna” is inspired by a Russian con artist who scammed upper-crust New York.

But the pundits’ favourite in a tight race is “The White Lotus,” a satirical look at hypocrisy and wealth among the guests at a luxury Hawaii hotel.

The show — which is bending Emmy rules by returning for a second season, albeit with a largely new cast and location — has a whopping eight acting nominations, including for Jennifer Coolidge.

Actors make up the biggest voting branch in the Academy.

“I think Michael Keaton has got a lock on actor in a limited series for ‘Dopesick’,” said Hammond, while Amanda Seyfried’s turn as disgraced Theranos boss Elizabeth Holmes in “The Dropout” is likely to prove popular.

‘The Slap’

The ceremony will be hosted by “Saturday Night Live” stalwart Kenan Thompson.

It is expected to mark a return to normality, after the COVID-19 crisis forced producers to get creative with recent remote and socially distanced editions.

The show takes place at a downtown Los Angeles theatre, where A-listers will gather to walk the red carpet for the first major Hollywood awards ceremony since this year’s extraordinary Oscars.

Back in March, Will Smith stunned viewers around the world by slapping Chris Rock live on stage for cracking a joke about his wife.

Emmy organisers have rejected the suggestion that security will need to be beefed up to prevent a repeat.

“I can’t imagine that lightning will strike twice,” Academy CEO Frank Scherma told Deadline. 

“We have smart security. We have people around that make quick decisions... We’ll be on the lookout and we’ll be smart like we always are.”

PARIS — A new hormone treatment improved the cognitive function of six men with Down Syndrome by 10-30 per cent, scientists recently said, adding the “promising” results may raise hopes of improving patients’ quality of life.

However the scientists emphasised the small study did not point towards a cure for the cognitive disorders of people with Down Syndrome and that far more research is needed.

“The experiment is very satisfactory, even if we remain cautious,” said Nelly Pitteloud of Switzerland’s Lausanne University Hospital and co-author of a new study in the journal Science.

Down Syndrome is the most common genetic form of intellectual disability, occurring in around one in 1,000 people, according to the World Health Organisation.

Yet previous research has failed to significantly improve cognition when applied to people with the condition, which is why the latest findings are “particularly important”, the study said.

Recent discoveries have suggested that how the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) is produced in the brain can affect cognitive functioning such as memory, language and learning.

GnRH hormones regulate how much testosterone and estrogen is produced and increased levels of it help spur puberty.

“We wondered if this hormone could play any role in establishing the symptoms of people with Down Syndrome,” said Vincent Prevot, study co-author and head of neuroscience research at France’s INSERM institute. 

Mice research

The team first established that five strands of microRNA regulating the production of GnRH were dysfunctional in mice specifically engineered for Down Syndrome research.

They then demonstrated that cognitive deficiencies — as well as loss of smell, a common symptom of Down Syndrome — were linked to dysfunctioning GnRH secretion in the mice.

The team then gave the mice a GnRH medication used to treat low testosterone and delayed puberty in humans, finding that it restored some cognitive function and sense of smell.

A pilot study was conducted in Switzerland involving seven men with Down Syndrome aged 20 to 50.

They each received the treatment through their arm every two hours over a period of six months, with the drug delivered in pulses to mimic the hormone’s frequency in people without Down Syndrome.

Cognition and smell tests were carried out during the treatment, as were MRI scans.

Six of the seven men showed improvement in cognition with no significant side effects — however none showed a change in their sense of smell.

“We have seen an improvement of between 10-30 per cent in cognitive functions, in particular with visuospatial function, three-dimensional representation, understanding of instructions as well as attention,” Pitteloud said.

The patients were asked to draw a simple 3D bed at several stages throughout the therapy. Many struggled at the beginning but by the end the efforts were noticeably better.

‘Improve quality of life’

The authors acknowledged some limitations of the study, including its size and that the choice of patients was “pushed by their parents”.

“The clinical trial only focused on seven male patients — we still have a lot of work to do to prove the effectiveness of GnRH treatment for Down Syndrome,” Pitteloud said.

A larger study involving a placebo and 50 to 60 patients, a third of them women, is expected to begin in the coming months.

“We are not going to cure the cognitive disorders of people with Down Syndrome, but the improvement seen in our results already seems fundamental enough to hope to improve their quality of life,” Pitteloud said.

Fabian Fernandez, an expert in cognition and Down Syndrome at the University of Arizona who was not involved in the research, hailed the “tour de force study”.

He told AFP that while it is “difficult to envision” how such an intensive treatment could be used for young people, it might be better suited to delay the Alzheimer’s disease-related dementia suffered by many adults with Down Syndrome.

It was also difficult to predict how such an improvement could impact the lives of people with the condition, he said.

“For some, it could be significant, however, as it would enable them to be more independent with daily living activities such as maintaining and enjoying hobbies, finding belongings, using appliances in the home, and travelling alone.”

MOUNTAIN VIEW, California — Fifteen years after its launch, a Google Maps feature that lets people explore faraway places as though standing right there is providing a glimpse of the metaverse being heralded as the future of the Internet.

There was not yet talk of online life moving to virtual worlds when a “far-fetched” musing by Google co-founder Larry Page prompted Street View, which lets users of the company’s free navigation service see imagery of map locations from the perspective of being there.

Now the metaverse is a tech-world buzz, with companies including Facebook parent Meta investing in creating online realms where people represented by videogame-like characters work, play, shop and more.

“Larry Page took a video camera and stuck it out the window of his car,” Google senior technical programme manager Steven Silverman said, while showing AFP the garage where the company builds cameras for cars, bikes, backpacks, and even snowmobiles dispatched to capture 360-degree images worldwide.

“He was talking to some of his colleagues at the time, saying, ‘I bet we can do something with this.’ That was the start of Street View.”

Street View lets people click on locations in Google Maps to see what it might look like were they at that spot, and even look around.

Now, the Internet behemoth is introducing an “immersive view” that fuses Street View images with artificial intelligence to create “a rich, digital model of the world”, Miriam Daniel, Google Maps Experiences vice president, said in a post.

“You’ll be able to experience what a neighbourhood, landmark, restaurant or popular venue is like — and even feel like you’re right there before you ever set foot inside,” Daniel said.

“With a quick search, you can virtually soar over Westminster to see the neighbourhood and stunning architecture of places, like Big Ben, up close.”

Google will start rolling out immersive view later this year, starting in Los Angeles, London, New York, San Francisco and Tokyo.

Street View imagery has been gathered in more than 100 countries and territories, ranging from places such as Mount Fuji and Grand Canyon National Park to the Great Barrier Reef.

“If you want to see what it’s like to go down a ski slope, you can see where that snowmobile has gone,” Silverman said, nodding toward a maroon snowmobile in the garage in the Silicon Valley city of Mountain View, California.

“That trike was really funny because it went around Stonehenge; and we put it on a barge and went down the Amazon River,” he said of another vehicle.

He pointed to a backpack camera system taken for a zip-line ride in the Amazon, to provide a bird’s-eye perspective.

Years spent capturing the real world in 360-degree imagery bodes well for Google when it comes to a future in which Internet life shifts to immersive digital worlds, said Creative Strategies tech analyst Carolina Milanesi.

“It absolutely plays into the metaverse,” Milanesi said.

“The idea of a digital twin of the world is certainly one aspect of it that Google will solve.”

Silverman reasoned that, in a sense, Street View has been giving users a virtual experience for more than a decade, and the imagery naturally lends itself to depicting the real world in virtual settings.

“Ideally, that metaverse, that world that we move into, we’re going to be there,” Silverman said.

Scores of tech firms have been rushing to invest in building the metaverse, a loose term covering the growing ecosystem of interactive online worlds, games and 3D meeting places that are already attracting millions of users.

Earlier this year, Japanese giant Sony and Lego’s Danish parent firm announced a $2 billion investment in US gaming powerhouse Epic Games for its work towards joining the metaverse vision for the Internet’s future.

In the form of video games such as Epic’s hit Fortnite, the precursors of the metaverse already exist in minimalist ways, with people coming together not only to play, but also to interact and participate in events.

What started as a “far-fetched idea” by Page is “critical to our mapping efforts — letting you see the most up-to-date information about the world, while laying the foundation for a more immersive, intuitive map,” Google Maps product director Ethan Russell said in a blog post.

SIEM REAP/BANGKOK — Among the spinach crops at a rural Cambodian school garden, children test their maths skills while weighing produce — but as food prices rise, the vegetable patch has become a safety net for struggling families.

Long before Covid restrictions ravaged the economy, malnutrition and poverty stalked Cambodia’s youth — the legacy of decades of conflict and instability following the Khmer Rouge’s genocidal rule in the 1970s.

Food insecurity has worsened since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine stoked global shortages and inflation. 

The World Food Programme (WFP) says the prices of local staples have shot up in the past year: duck eggs by more than 20 per cent and cooking oil by almost 40 per cent.

Noodle seller Chhon Puthy, 31, has lost half her income during the pandemic and worries about her children’s health.

“We parents had to reduce our rations sometimes,” said the mother-of-two from the village of Chroy Neang Nguon, about two hours from Siem Reap.

In recent months, her family has come to rely on the garden and free breakfast programme at her children’s school to ease the financial pressure.

“This community depends on the meal because every morning parents are busy with farming and could not cook for their kids,” she said.

Garden lifeline

Remote schools in Siem Reap province use the gardens to teach pupils life skills such as cultivation and cooking.

“I learn about growing vegetables, making organic fertiliser, how to work in soil,” 12-year-old Seyha told AFP, adding that the know-how has helped improve her family’s own vegetable patch.

More than 1,000 schools around Cambodia have meal programmes supported by the WFP, with around 50 learning gardens set up with help from global rights group Plan International.

Before each day’s lessons, students are served a free breakfast of rice and fish soup with vegetables grown in the garden.

Long Tov, principal of the school in Chroy Neang Nguon, said the garden and meal programme helped improve students’ concentration levels, memory and test results.

“It [also] hugely reduces the school dropout rate,” he told AFP.

Vireak, 12, said he was happy to eat at school with his classmates. 

“I feel stronger and smarter and I can learn things much easier than before,” he said.

Impact

Malnutrition costs the Cambodian economy more than $400 million a year — about 2.5 per cent of GDP — according to a study backed by UNICEF.

The country has made progress on tackling the issue — chronic malnutrition in children under five fell from 32 per cent in 2014 to 22 per cent — but there are fears that inflation could stall momentum.

“Rising food prices are likely to exacerbate the already high levels of childhood malnutrition, just as the country started showing signs of recuperating from the pandemic’s economic impacts,” the United Nations Nutrition office in Cambodia said in a statement.

At Angkor Hospital for Children in Siem Reap, nutrition team leader Sroeu Phannsy told AFP that some poor families were being forced to water down infant milk formula, which can have devastating consequences for a baby’s health.

The fight against malnutrition takes her team of health workers into remote areas, where they treat children with ready-to-eat, energy-dense snacks.

“We worry about their growth in the future, particularly their brain development will be weakened as they prepare to go to school at the age of five or six,” she said.

Children and infants not receiving enough nutrients can go on to suffer low IQs, blindness, stunted growth and weak immune systems.

Back at the learning garden, a teacher shows a class, with full bellies after breakfast, when vegetables are ready to harvest.

“In the learning garden, we are happy and learn important skills... Back home I grow morning glory, cucumber, beans and tomatoes,” 12-year-old Vireak said.

First introduced in 1992 and soon after inexorably associated with motorsport success and affordable junior super saloon road cars, the Subaru Impreza model name may have been distanced from the now standalone WRX and STI nameplates that brought it renown, but it nevertheless still shares the similar fundamentals.

A sensible and somewhat sedate compact saloon line disassociated from the model that brought it glory, the Impreza, however, remains one of the more interesting and charismatic cars in an otherwise largely uninspired segment.

Snoutier style

Built on a significantly stiffer new platform with a lower centre of gravity than its predecessor, the fifth generation Impreza was launched in 2016 and then subtly face-lifted in 2019. Evolutionary in design, it adopts a more stylishly flowing roofline, slim swept headlight and more contemporarily fashionable, and assertive, elements including jutting lower lip, and more prominently sculpted surfacing. With more pronounced crease lines along its bonnet and flanks, the Impreza also features a rising character line kink to emphasise rear wheel-arches.  

Underneath its now snoutier bonnet and grille, the Impreza uses a garden variety version of Subaru’s naturally balanced trademark horizontally-opposed “boxer” engine slung low and just ahead of the front axle, and “symmetrical” all-wheel-drive utilising equal length drive-shafts either side front and rear. A unique but familiar recipe replicated to much greater effect in its WRX high performance sister model line, the Impreza’s architectural layout is renowned for its low centre of gravity and excellent traction and road-holding.

Responsive and progressive

With two flat cylinder banks, the Impreza’s naturally-aspirated direct injection 2-litre 4-cylinder engine is smooth and progressive in delivery and is charismatic with its subtly assertive and evocatively distinct burbling soundtrack. Producing 154BHP at 6,000rpm and 144lb/ft torque at 4,000rpm, the Impreza is responsive from standstill and linear in building to its torque and power peaks. Carrying its 1,386kg mass through 0-100km/h in 9.8-seconds, the Impreza is reasonably brisk, if not outright quick, and is capable of a 208km/h top speed.

Pulling through mid-range with good versatility for its class, the Impreza’s engine is, meanwhile, eager and willing through to redline. Channelling power through a continually variable transmission (CVT) that favours maintaining an efficient engine speed as ratios automatically alter, the Impreza would, however, be better served with a manual gearbox to better exploit its linear delivery and for a more involving driving experience. That said, its CVT does feature ‘manual’ mode shifting, with pre-set transmission ratios that mimic a traditional gearbox.

Reassuring road-holding

Seamlessly smooth in operation as ratios adjust as necessary, the Impreza’s CVT allows for a broad range of transmission ratios for both responsive acceleration and quiet, refined and efficient low engine speed cruising, which helps achieve moderate 6.6l/100km combined cycle fuel efficiency. Driving all wheels, the Impreza’s equal length drive-shaft four-wheel-drive system meanwhile eliminates torque steer when accelerating hard from standstill, and provides a high level of grip on low traction surfaces for reassuring wet weather control and safety.

A sure-footed “gateway” car to Subaru’s famed four-wheel-drive dynamic abilities the Impreza turns tidily and eagerly into corners, with accurate if slightly light steering, and comparatively good body lean control, owing to its low weight concentration. In fact, it seems to thrive on early and sharp turn-in to tighter corners, where its front wheels dig in tenaciously. With weight shifting to the outside rear to tighten a cornering line, the Impreza’s rear wheels provide added road-holding to confidently exit onto the straight.

Uncomplicated comfort

Rewarding and reassuring through winding roads and sweeping bends, the Impreza is, meanwhile, stable on the motorway and settled in vertical movement and control over dips and crests. Smooth and refined inside, especially compared to older Subarus with frame-less windows, the current Impreza, with its Macpherson strut front and rear double wishbone suspension, is also comfortable and forgiving over most road imperfections. The Impreza’s high-grip four-wheel-drive, meanwhile, allow for the use of moderately sized 205/50R17, which in turn help with steering feel.

Quiet and comfortable inside, the Impreza features a supportive, well-adjustable driving position with good front visibility, clear instrumentation and sporty steering wheel. Well-spaced in front with good ergonomics and user-friendly controls, it meanwhile provides decent rear space for its segment. Design and layouts are symmetrical and uncomplicated, while materials are good quality. Accommodating 460-litres of luggage, the Impreza is also well equipped, with available features including a rear-view camera, paddle shifters, rear armrest and Apple Carplay and Android Auto enabled infotainment system.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Engine: 2-litre, horizontally-opposed 4-cylinders

Bore x stroke: 84 x 90mm

Compression ratio: 12.5:1

Valve-train: 16-valve, DOHC, direct injection

Gearbox: Continually variable transmission (CVT), four-wheel-drive

Transmission ratios: 3.601:1-0.513:1

Reverse/final drive ratios: 3.689:1/3.7:1

Power, BHP (PS) [kW]: 154 (156) [115] @6,000rpm

Specific power: 77.2BHP/litre

Power-to-weight: 112.5BHP/tonne

Torque, lb/ft (Nm): 144 (196) @4,000rpm

Specific torque: 98.2Nm/litre

Torque-to-weight: 141.4Nm/tonne

0-100km/h: 9.8-seconds

Top speed: 208km/h

Fuel consumption, urban/extra-urban/combined: 8.4-/5.6-/6.6-litres/100km

CO2 emissions, combined: 152g/km

Fuel capacity: 50-litres

Wheelbase: 2,670mm

Track, F/R: 1,540/1,545mm

Ground clearance: 130mm

Luggage volume: 460-litres

Kerb weight: 1,386kg

Steering: Electric-assisted rack & pinion

Turning circle: 10.6-metres

Suspension: MacPherson struts/multi-link

Brakes: Ventilated discs

Tyres: 205/50R17