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Morocco is allocating MAD 9.5 billion ($935 million) to expand the social security net under the 2023 state budget. Rabat - Morocco’s Head of Government, Aziz Akhannouch, presided over a meeting of the Strategic Committee of Social Protection on Monday, April 10, in Rabat. The meeting's main objective was to discuss the current state of affairs and the practical steps that have been taken to extend the social protection system to all Moroccans. In addition to assessing Morocco's progress in expanding its social safety net, Akhannouch urged the relevant administrations to encourage citizens to embrace the country's Mandatory Health Coverage (AMO). The meeting also served as an opportunity to track the progress of the National Po[CENSORED]tion Register (RNP) and the Unified Social Register (RSU) in 2023, as well as the practical steps for the generalization of the social assistance program in 2024. In particular, Akhannouch discussed the implementation of a reform dealing with employment loss in 2025. The meeting was attended by the Minister of Interior, Abdelouafi Laftit; the Secretary General of the Government, Mohamed Hajoui; and the Minister Delegate to the Minister of Economy and Finance in charge of the budget, Fouzi Lekjaa, among others. Morocco is allocating MAD 9.5 billion ($935 million) to expand its social security net under the 2023 state budget. The Akhannouch-led government has accordingly vowed to expand medical coverage to four million disadvantaged Moroccan families. Under the policy, the four million families would have access to the same mandatory health coverage (AMO) offered to state employees. According to a World Bank report, however, more than 70% of Morocco's labor market is informal, indicating that a number of workers still lack access to healthcare, retirement, or insurance covering job-related risks. In September 2022, Affiliates of IndustriALL Global Union in Morocco co-launched the “Garment workers need safe factories” campaign to fight for social protection and improved health standards in the textile, garment, and shoe factories. In July 2022, the Board of Directors of the African Development Bank Group approved an €87 million loan to implement the Support Program for the Generalization of Social Coverage in Morocco. The program aims to contribute to extending social protection, particularly for early childhood, young people, and the self-employed. link: https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2023/04/354936/akhannouch-oversees-progress-on-social-protection-expansion

Nick Movie: You Hurt My Feelings Time: May 26, 2023 Netflix / Amazon / HBO?: ? Duration of the movie: 1h 33m Trailer:

Live Performance Title: Koncerti i Sinan Vllasaliut ne Klan Kosova - 01.01.2023 Signer Name: Sinan Vllasaliut Live Performance Location: = Official YouTube Link: Your Opinion About the Track (Music Video): 10/9

Music Title: EDM TikTok Hay 2023 ♫ BXH Nhạc Trẻ Remix Hay Nhất Hiện Nay - Top 15 Bản EDM TikTok Mới Nhất 2023 Signer: = Release Date: 04/11/2023 Official Youtube Link: Informations About The Signer: = Your Opinion About The Track (Music Video): 10/8

Nick Movie: Rudra Time: 4 March 2022 Netflix / Amazon / HBO?: ? Duration of the movie: 2h 43min Trailer:

Live Performance Title: Harry Styles - As It Was (Live at The BRIT Awards 2023) Signer Name: Harry Styles Live Performance Location: = Official YouTube Link: Your Opinion About the Track (Music Video): 10/8

Music Title: EDM TikTok Hay 2023 ♫ BXH Nhạc Trẻ Remix Hay Nhất Hiện Nay - Top 15 Bản EDM TikTok Mới Nhất 2023 Signer: = Release Date: 09/04/2023 Official Youtube Link: Informations About The Signer: - Your Opinion About The Track (Music Video): 10/7

The Conservative party has rejected a suggestion from its leader in Scotland that voters could tactically back Labour to oust the SNP. Speaking to the Sunday Telegraph, Douglas Ross said "where there is the strongest candidate to beat the SNP, you get behind that candidate." It would be a case of parties doing "what's best for the country", he said. "This is emphatically not the view of the Conservative Party," a Tory spokesperson said. "We want people to vote for Conservative candidates wherever they are standing as that's the best way to keep Labour and the SNP out." In most of the SNP's constituencies, that would actually mean voting Labour or Liberal Democrat. In his interview, Mr Ross said: "The public know how to tactically vote in Scotland... "I will always encourage Scottish Conservative voters to vote Scottish Conservatives. "But I think generally the public can see, and they want the parties to accept, that where there is a strongest candidate to beat the SNP, you get behind that candidate. "If parties maybe look a bit beyond their own narrow party agenda to what's best for the country - and for me as Scottish Conservative leader, what would be best is if we see this grip that the SNP have on Scotland at the moment is loosened." 'Biggest challengers' But later on Sunday, Mr Ross sought to clarify his position, insisting this did not mean encouraging Conservative voters to vote for other parties. He told BBC Scotland: "I urge every Scottish Conservative voter to vote Scottish Conservative and I would always do that. "But we also know that in many parts of the country, the Scottish Conservatives are the biggest challengers to the SNP so if supporters of other parties unite behind the Scottish Conservative candidate, we have the best possible chance of defeating many SNP MPs. "That will clearly send a message that the public want our politics in Scotland focused on their real priorities - not a divisive independence referendum." He added: "It is up to other party leaders to suggest what they are doing in the seats they are targeting. "If the supporters of other parties unite behind us we can defeat the SNP and get a result similar or better than what happened in 2017 when the SNP lost a significant number of MPs." While local council elections are taking place across much of England and Northern Ireland in May, no seats are up for grabs in Scotland or Wales. The next general election must take place on or before 28 January 2025, but it is widely expected that one will be held in the weeks or months before this date. The SNP has dominated the last three general elections in Scotland. Although Labour has only one Scottish MP, the party has hopes of returning more. But that does not mean tactical voting pacts. Scottish Labour deputy Jackie Baillie told BBC Scotland: "There is no mistake in this. We are asking people to vote Labour. "If they want to see the back of the Conservatives in the UK government because they have had enough of being let down by them and they want to see the back of the SNP in Holyrood, then the only vote that will do that is a Labour vote. "That is all we are asking people to do. Nothing else." 'Little difference' The SNP said a pact could not be ruled out after a number of deals were done with the Tories in councils across Scotland following last year's local elections. The party's deputy leader Keith Brown said: "It shows just how little difference there is between the Tories and the pro-Brexit Labour party that Douglas Ross is willing to endorse them instead of his own party. "Keir Starmer has taken Labour so far to the right that they are now just a pale imitation of the Tories - backing Brexit, supporting brutal austerity and attacking devolution." It is not the first time Douglas Ross and Scottish Conservatives have broken with the main party line. In January last year, the Scottish leader said the position of the then Prime Minister Boris Johnson was "no longer tenable" after Mr Johnson admitted attending a Downing Street party during lockdown. Mr Ross later rowed back on this position following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Mr Ross's remarks come at a time of crisis for the SNP in the wake of Nicola Sturgeon's resignation as first minister and party leader, and the arrest of her husband Peter Murrell. Mr Murrell, the former SNP chief executive, has been questioned over the party's finances. He has since been released without charge pending further investigation. link: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-65224008

A pair of orcas off the coast of South Africa have been ripping open sharks and feasting on their livers for the last eight years. A great white shark that survived an attack by the serial killer brothers has now been identified through huge scars across its massive body. A great white shark with giant scars along its "massive body" may have survived an attack by a pair of orca serial killers that target sharks. Photos show orca teeth marks slashed into the side of the 11.4-foot-long (3.5 meters) shark — apparently from an attempt to rip out and feast on its fatty liver. The photos of the female great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) were taken near Seal Island off False Bay, South Africa, in 2017 during a shark-diving expedition. The timing of these images is key. False Bay used to be a great white shark hotspot , but in 2017 things started to change. Great white sightings started to fall, and by 2019 the sharks had completely abandoned this prime seal-hunting spot. While their disappearance is likely due to a number of factors, scientists believe one of the key drivers was the presence of a pair of orcas (Orcinus orca) — known as Port and Starboard — that had started preying on sharks in the area and eating their livers. At first, attacks were mostly confined to broadnose sevengill sharks (Notorynchus cepedianus), but soon the orcas began to turn their attention to great whites. Grisly aerial footage released in 2022 showed the pair in action. Finding a great white shark that survived an early attack could help researchers establish a timeline for when the orcas perfected their ruthless hunting technique. The photos of the scarred great white were published March 14 in the Marine Biological Journal(opens in new tab). Study author Alessandro De Maddalena(opens in new tab), a former adjunct professor of marine vertebrate zoology at the University of Milano-Bicocca in Italy, told Live Science in an email that he believes Port and Starboard were behind this 2017 attack. However, despite the recent spate of killings, De Maddalena believes that orcas can't easily tear open great white sharks. "I think the reality is much more complex than that,” he said. "Outside of South Africa, only two cases of orca predation on great white sharks have been recorded to date, and this clearly tells us that great whites are not usual prey for orcas." The great white in the photos had a "massive body, with a wide trunk," De Maddalena wrote in the paper. It was a clear, sunny day, and the shark passed the cage divers several times. Years later, De Maddalena looked more closely at the images and realized the shark had several scars that looked like tooth rake marks from an orca. His analysis suggests the orca had attempted to grab the shark from above, with the scratches indicating "they were inflicted with significant force," De Maddalena wrote. Great white sharks have incredible wound-healing abilities(opens in new tab) as a result of ancient molecular adaptations. De Maddalena told Live Science that it is possible the injuries sustained by the great white shark could have been inflicted just days or weeks earlier, but that it is impossible to know for sure. "Perhaps the failure of the attack was due to the fact that the orcas were still perfecting their attack technique," he said. "Or it could simply be that like any predator, they can fail on a regular basis." Port and Starboard have recently been on their deadliest killing spree to date, with up to 19 slaughtered sharks washing up in just one day. "This is the largest amount of sharks these orcas have killed in this area in one sitting," Alison Towner, a marine biologist at Rhodes University who has been leading the research into the orca attacks, said in a statement(opens in new tab). "There could well be more that didn't wash out." link: https://www.livescience.com/photo-shows-massive-great-white-shark-scarred-after-rare-battle-with-2-serial-killer-orcas

These are expected to be the toughest emissions standards yet, a move that should push the industry even more in the direction of EVs. The EPA regulates and lowers the quantity of emissions that can spew from the transportation network—in effect, raising fuel economy requirements—and the next stage will be announced Wednesday, according to insiders. The new rules will affect model year 2027 through 2032 vehicles and do not ban internal-combustion engines or force EV purchases. Similar fuel-economy regulations from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) are also expected this month. Cleaner air and more electric vehicles are the goals of a move expected next week when the Biden Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reportedly will announce what insiders are already calling the toughest-ever emissions rules for new cars and light trucks. The Associated Press reported on the planned announcement, having talked to people familiar with details of the proposal and who asked not to be named because it hasn't yet been made public. This Is Not a Gas-Engine Ban What the new rules won't do is ban new internal-combustion-engine vehicles outright or force people to buy electric vehicles. Instead, they'd the next logical step in the U.S. government's overall push to clean up our transportation system. President Biden's official target is for half of all new vehicles sold in the U.S. by 2030 to be zero-emission vehicles, which for the government means all-electric, plug-in-hybrid, or fuel-cell vehicles. The stricter rules will affect model year 2027–2032 vehicles and deal with carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxide, and other greenhouse gas emissions. According to the Los Angeles Times, automakers have been pushing behind the scenes to delay implementation of the new emission limits for "a few years," but we won't learn more until the proposed rules are released this week. The EPA's Not Talking (Yet) The EPA sets emissions standards for new vehicles sold in the U.S. in batches. For example, emissions rules for 2021–2026 model year vehicles were finalized in the spring of 2020. Those rules ended up being less strict than initially proposed. The original proposed rule would have effectively required an industry fleet-wide average of 54.5 mpg by the 2025 model year, but that was amended first to 46.7 mpg and then to 40.4 mpg in the final rule. The last time the EPA issued a press statement about new light-duty-vehicle emission standards for the 2027–2032 model years, it said that the final MY 2026 rules "set the light-duty vehicle greenhouse gas (GHG) program on track to provide a strong launch point for the Agency's next phase of standards for MY 2027 and beyond." Those new rules, the ones now expected next week, "will speed the transition of the light-duty vehicle fleet toward a zero-emissions future consistent with President Biden's [plans]," the EPA said in December 2021. The EPA declined to issue any official statements regarding the new rules, telling the LA Times that the rules are still under interagency review. link: https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a43546970/new-strict-epa-mpg-rules-for-2027-2032-vehicles/

The dilemma I am a 70-year-old woman and am consumed by regret and disappointment. Outwardly, I am happy, calm and outgoing, with friends and interests, but this facade hides my inner feelings, which I share with no one. I married too young and chose the wrong man. I said yes when he asked me to marry him, and I felt unable to go back on my word. Throughout our marriage I have not been in love with him. In fact, I am massively ashamed to say that, at times over the decades, I have wished him dead – yet he has never done me harm, which makes it even more shameful. In contrast, he has always been steadfast in his love for me, and this continued even though five years into our marriage I had an affair. I went back to him after three months apart, mainly because I was lonely, and we have been together ever since. We had our golden wedding anniversary two years ago. We have three children and five precious grandchildren, who bring us an enormous amount of joy. I tell myself on a daily basis that I have much to be thankful for, and I am, but I still regret not having chosen a life partner with whom I could feel better suited and more attracted to. I feel similarly about my career. On the outside it looks award-winning and successful, but it never really satisfied me. How can I banish invasive thoughts of regret and disappointment, so I can enjoy my life? Philippa’s answer When someone wishes their benign long-term partner dead, I see it as a manifestation for a desire for change. I think the reality of having your husband die would be that you’d feel lonely once more, but this invasive thought is a symbol of how despairing you feel. However, you are not impossibly stuck. You need to, and you can, find a different route through life by renegotiating your relationship to your reality. You need a different story to make sense of your feelings. I think whoever you chose to marry, you would regret it. In other words, I have a sneaking suspicion that it isn’t that you made a wrong choice, more that your pattern is that whatever choices you make, you assume they are the wrong ones. My suspicion is compounded as you feel the same way about your work. You rightly identify your problem as invasive thoughts, so you know deep down that it isn’t your choices are wrong, but that the thoughts around them are spoiling things. link: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/apr/09/i-am-70-and-so-full-of-regret-about-my-husband-and-career-ask-philippa-perry

A Russian activist who revealed details of the burials of Wagner mercenaries killed in Ukraine has left Russia. Vitaly Votanovsky, who began documenting the deaths of Russian soldiers in Ukraine by monitoring graveyards in his home region, fled the country on 4 April after receiving numerous death threats. He spoke to the BBC from the Armenian capital Yerevan. Last year, Vitaly spent his 50th birthday in a jail cell. The activist, from the southern Russian region of Krasnodar, was arrested and jailed on 24 February 2022, the day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The former Russian army officer had gone out to protest that day in clothes emblazoned with the words "No to Putin!" and "No to the war!" Photos of Vitaly in his outfit are included in official court documents which Vitaly showed to the BBC. "Because of that coat I got 20 days in jail!" he says. In Krasnodar, Vitaly is known not for street protests, but for documenting graves. He was the first person to discover a now-infamous cemetery in the small village of Bakinskaya in Krasnodar Region, since known as the Wagner cemetery. This is where the notoriously brutal mercenary group buries many of its dead from Ukraine - men who either have no relatives or whose bodies are unclaimed. It has grown from a small village graveyard into an enormous cemetery, with several new zones to accommodate the ever-increasing number of dead. Security guards now patrol the facility. What is Russia's Wagner Group of mercenaries in Ukraine? On Thursday, Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin visited the cemetery in Bakinskaya village and said he planned to turn it into a memorial "for future generations". The mercenary group chief admitted that the graveyard has expanded, adding "that's the way life is". Vitaly started travelling around Krasnodar Region in May 2022, visiting every single graveyard to record the numbers of the fallen. "I needed to prove to people that there was a catastrophe happening," Vitaly tells me, "that people were dying here, close to them. "I needed to show people that the war would affect everyone and everything."\ link: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-65213426

Morocco’s carrots exports to the EU keep declining, new data shows. Rabat - Sub-Saharan Africa is a key destination for Morocco’s carrots exports, according to agriculture-focused website EastFruit. Data from EastFruit said Morocco’s carrots exports increased by 46% annually since 2017. “By 2022 [carrots’ exports] reached a record 43000 tonnes,” the data shows, suggesting that Sub-Saharan Africa remains the main recipient of Moroccan carrots. Morocco’s carrots target sub-Saharan markets, with exports to the EU “remaining minor” and “declining.” “Exports to the EU reached their peak of 1400 tonnes in 2020, but two years later, only 730 tonnes of carrots were exported to the EU from Morocco,” EastFruit added. The main markets receiving Morocco’s carrot goods include Mauritania, Senegal, Mali, and Burkina Faso, among others. Climate challenges including delayed rainfall forced many countries in the Sahel to increase their agricultural imports, including carrots. Morocco is among the key exporters of agricultural goods to the region, including Mauritania - which doubled its imports of carrots and onions from many countries. Morocco’s vegetable and fruit exports raised concerns from many, including citizens affected by soaring food prices, suggesting that satisfying the local demand should come before exporting to foreign countries. New data from FreshPlaza suggested that Morocco’s exports of fruits and vegetables recorded a 13% increase during the 2021-2022 season compared to the season before. The situation triggered frustration from citizens who continue to suffer from inflation, which has affected their purchasing power and put many essential products out of their reach. Tomato, potato, and onion prices have stirred concerns from many amid government vows to address the situation. Officials have pledged to curb exports to address the domestic demand that is resulting in soaring prices. Exports also caused worrying pressure on the national market. Fatiha Charrat, deputy managing director for Moroccan fresh produce exporter Delassus Group, acknowledged that some food products like tomatoes will experience continuous shortages due to several factors, including climate issues. She told FreshPlaza that tomato shortages will continue in Morocco until mid-May, suggesting that exports could also be one of the factors leading to the shortages. “Tomatoes accounted for 50% of Morocco’s fresh produce exports,” she said. FreshPlaza data from January had shown that Morocco was the second largest tomato exporter to Europe in 2022, with 405 million kilograms of the kingdom’s products sent to European countries. link: https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2023/04/354906/sub-saharan-africa-is-key-destination-for-moroccos-carrots-exports

New tax rates have come into effect in Scotland. On 6 April, both the higher and top rates of income tax increased by 1p, rising to 42p and 47p respectively. While the threshold for the 42p tax rate is frozen, all Scots earning £125,140 a year or more will now pay the very top rate of income tax. Announced in December's Budget and passed by MSPs earlier this year, ministers said the changes would raise an extra £129 million in 2023-24. ADVERTISEMENT Higher earners in Scotland to pay more income tax What might you be paying in income tax next year? Deputy First Minister Shona Robison said: "The decisions we have made on income tax are fair and progressive by ensuring that those who can, contribute more. "They strengthen our social contract with the people of Scotland who will continue to enjoy many benefits not available in the rest of the UK such as free prescriptions." Ms Robison said the revenue raised will allow the Scottish government to invest additional funds into public services on top of money received from Westminster. She continued: "At the same time, the majority of taxpayers in Scotland will still be paying less income tax than if they lived in the rest of the UK." The deputy first minister also urged Scots to check their tax code on their first payslip of the new financial year. "If you think your tax code is wrong, you can check your details with HMRC who will be able to help," she added. link: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-65197110

An unnamed woman was bitten twice by a blue-ringed octopus, which contains one of the most dangerous neurotoxins on the planet, but she escaped relatively unharmed. A woman in Australia was recently bitten multiple times by a blue-ringed octopus — one of the world's most toxic animals — and lived to tell the tale. Blue-ringed octopuses are a group comprising four species: the greater blue-ringed octopus (Hapalochlaena lunulata), the southern blue-ringed octopus (Hapalochlaena maculosa), the blue-lined octopus (Hapalochlaena fasciata) and the common blue-ringed octopus (Hapalochlaena nierstraszi). These octopuses are small enough to fit in the palm of your hand and are covered in tiny rings that flash with an iridescent blue when the animals are threatened. Blue-ringed octopuses also contain tetrodotoxin, a powerful neurotoxin that can paralyze and kill humans even in small doses. On March 16, the woman was bitten twice on her abdomen by an unknown species of blue-ringed octopus at a beach near Sydney in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. She had collected a small shell while swimming, and when she picked it up to look at it, the tiny cephalopod fell out and landed on her stomach, the NSW Ambulance service wrote on Facebook(opens in new tab). Tetrodotoxin stops nerves from signaling to muscles by blocking sodium ion channels. This causes rapid weakening and paralysis of muscles, including those of the respiratory tract, which can lead to respiratory arrest and death. The effects of tetrodotoxin can occur rapidly or have a delayed onset, so death can occur anywhere between 20 minutes and 24 hours after the toxin enters the body, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)(opens in new tab). There is no known antidote for tetrodotoxin. All health care practitioners can do is provide supportive care or use a ventilator if patients are unable to breathe, according to the CDC. Blue-ringed octopuses do not create tetrodotoxin themselves. Instead, the toxin is produced by symbiotic bacteria that live in their salivary glands, according to the Australian Institute of Marine Science(opens in new tab). Tetrodotoxin is found throughout the octopus's tissues, not just in specific venom glands, which makes them some of the few animals that are both poisonous and venomous. It also means that a person can receive a lethal dose if one of these octopuses touches their skin. Despite being so toxic, blue-ringed octopuses have caused only three confirmed deaths, according to WebMD(opens in new tab). link: https://www.livescience.com/blue-ringed-octopus-one-of-the-most-toxic-animals-on-earth-bites-woman-multiple-times

Along with introducing 10 new EVs globally by 2026, the company says next-gen models will have double the driving range. Toyota plans to build a three-row electric SUV in the U.S. starting sometime in 2025. The company also plans to introduce 10 EVs globally by 2026, with these next-gen electric models to have double the driving range. A mysterious new Lexus EV was also teased during today's press conference that featured several prominent executives. Toyota appears to be working overtime to make up ground in the race to electrify its lineup. During a press conference today in Japan, the company's executive leadership said the latest plan includes introducing 10 new EVs around the globe by 2026. Among them is a three-row electric SUV that's slated to start production in the U.S. sometime in 2025. Built in America Besides the fact it'll be built in America—with batteries to be assembled in North Carolina—no other details were revealed about the brand's future EV SUV. However, it could be similar to the three-row Toyota bZ5X concept that was shown back in 2021. The bZ5X debuted alongside myriad other Toyota and Lexus concepts and coincided with their announcement about plans to offer 30 electric models by 2030. Since then, Koji Sato has replaced Akio Toyoda as Toyota's president and CEO. The move marked a change of direction for the automaker, who had been criticized over its general resistance to EV adoption. In February, Sato tapped Lexus to lead the charge in the company's reformed plans to prioritize EVs. Doubling Electric Range The announcement also mentioned the introduction of a next-generation electric platform planned for around 2026, and today Toyota Executive Vice President Hiroki Nakajima said the company plans to double the driving range of its next-gen EVs. Unfortunately, it wasn't detailed exactly how the range will double, other than Nakajima's vague comment that it'll be accomplished through "far greater efficiency." Currently, the longest EPA-estimated range is 252 miles for the Toyota bZ4X; the Lexus RZ450e tops out at 220 miles of estimated range. That suggest future models will have between roughly 440 and 500 miles of range per charge. link: https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a43539841/2025-toyota-three-row-ev-suv-us-double-electric-range/

I understand your urge to help but, as you say, the fact that you don’t bring it up could be what makes you a valued friend Over the years, my best friend and I have shared the highs and lows of motherhood, career and family. As we get older, however, it troubles me that we have never discussed her well-hidden eating disorder. When I found out she had disordered eating (it took me years to realise, as she is very clever), I decided to wait until she was ready to talk. But now, a decade on, I think it unlikely that this conversation will ever happen. There was one opportunity recently, when she had to have some teeth re-veneered, and said breezily, “I wonder why that had to happen?”, but I was too slow to seize it and ask a question. I sometimes worry our friendship is not authentic because there is such a large part of her life from which I am excluded. I grew up in a family beset by secrets, and I’m quite used to keeping the status quo by not asking confronting questions. Perhaps that is why our friendship works. I could go on this way indefinitely, but I love and care about my friend and know that underneath the impressive exterior, there is a lot of pain. Do I leave it as is? Or do I say something – and what could I say that won’t be potentially friendship ending? Perhaps you have worked out, on some instinctive level, that loving and caring about your friend means not mentioning this part of her. Presumably you think that by mentioning her eating disorder you can have a talk about it and … then what? It won’t be magically cured since, if that were possible, she’d have been free of it years ago. Eating disorders are complex. Over the years of speaking to specialists, that’s the word that comes up the most when we talk about them. Talking to you about it may not make it better; it might even make it worse. Maybe she needs this place, with you, where she’s not defined by her eating disorder. I think you forcing it out into the open might take away her feelings of control and bring shame to the fore I consulted UKCP-registered psychotherapist Ali Ross. He said even if you were to bring it up and have a conversation with your friend about it, “It wouldn’t address the underlying issue” since an eating disorder is usually a symptom of something else. Your friend may not even know what the underlying issue is. Neither Ross nor I felt you should bring it up. We understand you want to help, but Ross said the best way you could do this was by “continuing to be a loving friend, and being available if she chooses to talk about it at some point”. And if she were to bring it up, just listen to her, since eating disorders are, he said, very often about “control and discipline”, and she’s unlikely to react well to being told what to do. I think you forcing it out into the open might take away her feelings of control and bring shame to the fore, all of which could be damaging for her. I really understand about wanting everything to be out in the open, but this isn’t realistic. Everyone has a private part of themselves. You talk about it not being an authentic friendship because you’re excluded from this part of her life. But as Ross said: “That’s not the contract of friendship”. Do we need to know everything about our friends? I really understand you want to take away her pain, but you may have to accept that it’s out of your control. And maybe, as you say, the reason your friendship works is because you care but you don’t pry into something you feel she doesn’t want to talk about. Personally I think this is not a failing on your part, but a skill. Every week Annalisa Barbieri addresses a personal problem sent in by a reader. If you would like advice from Annalisa, please send your problem to ask.annalisa@theguardian.com. Annalisa regrets she cannot enter into personal correspondence. Submissions are subject to our terms and conditions. Comments on this piece are premoderated to ensure the discussion remains on the topics raised by the article. Please be aware that there may be a short delay in comments appearing on the site. link: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/apr/07/im-sure-my-friend-has-an-eating-disorder-should-i-try-to-talk-to-her-about-it

French leader Emmanuel Macron has urged his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to help stop Russia's war in Ukraine. "I know I can count on you to bring Russia to its senses, and bring everyone back to the negotiating table," he told Mr Xi in Beijing. Mr Xi said China and France had the "ability and responsibility" to safeguard world peace. But Moscow said there were "no prospects for a peaceful settlement" so far and its offensive would continue. Mr Macron is on a state visit to China that is being highly scrutinised after years of deteriorating relations between the West and China, which has refused to condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Mr Macron is also seeking to bolster trade ties. He is joined by European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, who he invited to take part in talks with the Chinese leadership, as well as a large business delegation. Europe’s good cop and bad cop to meet Xi Jinping On Thursday afternoon, Mr Macron was treated to an elaborate military parade in Beijing, before entering closed-door talks with Mr Xi, which Chinese and French officials described as "frank" and "friendly". Speaking to the press afterwards, Mr Xi said "China advocates for peace talks and seeks a political solution", and called for "rational restraint" from the international community. He also reiterated that nuclear weapons should not be used in the conflict. Russia said earlier this week it planned to place tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, near the ally's western border with Nato countries. Mr Macron said "we can't have a safe and stable Europe" as long as Ukraine remained occupied, and that it was "unacceptable" that a member of the UN Security Council had violated the organisation's charter. The French leader struck a cordial tone in his speech, often turning to Mr Xi during the press conference and addressing him directly. It stood in contrast to Mr Xi's impassive delivery to the press. In a separate press conference later, Ms von der Leyen stressed that if China provided arms to Russia, it would be against international law and "significantly harm" the relationship between the EU and China. She also said she expected Beijing to play a role that "promotes a just peace", and that she stood "firmly" behind Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky's peace plan - which calls for the complete withdrawal of Russian troops. China has released its own peace plan which Western nations have been generally dismissive of, saying it sides too much with Russia. But Mr Zelensky has expressed interest in it and called for direct talks with Mr Xi - who has yet to publicly respond. But Ms von der Leyen said during her discussion with Mr Xi he "reiterated willingness" to speak with Mr Zelensky "when the conditions and timing are right". On Thursday, Russia acknowledged that China has "a very effective and commanding potential for mediation". "But the situation with Ukraine is complex, so far there are no prospects for a peaceful settlement," said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who added that Russia had "no choice" but to continue with the war. link: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-65198757

Moroccans have been overwhelmed with successive economic crises affecting food and energy prices. Rabat - The Moroccan Social Front is calling on people to join its protests on Saturday, April 8 across the country against soaring commodity prices and the ongoing cost of living crisis. Organized under the theme: “A continuous struggle against high prices and social oppression,” the nationwide protests reflect the demands of the majority of Moroccan citizens who have been heavily impacted by soaring inflation and expensive living costs. These demands include reducing the prices of basic goods, including vegetables, fruits, fish, and meat, to their previous costs, the front indicated in a statement. The soaring prices of essential food commodities have heavily weighed down on citizens’ purchasing power, especially during the holy month of Ramadan, a time when the consumption of certain products increases. This includes tomatoes, whose prices have exceeded MAD 15 in certain cities. The Social Front is calling on the government to look into the case of oil refining company Samir and “save it from loss and destruction.” In addition, it called for reducing fuel prices, in line with the drop in oil costs in the international market. “The unprecedented high prices are not a fact but rather the result of policies hostile to the interests of the people and the country,” stressed the statement. Read also: Moroccans Overwhelmed by Rising Inflation, Outraged by Unresponsive Government It argued that the current economic crisis is the result of the “domination of a fragile economy dependent on fluctuations occurring abroad and on weather conditions.” The statement also argued that the Moroccan economy is based on “monopoly, corruption, bribery, clientelism, and nepotism.” The Social Front also demanded an increase in workers’ and employees’ wages across Morocco, as well as for the country to “lift the marginalization” of rural areas by providing them with drinking water and fertilizers at reasonable costs, among other demands. The Social Front concluded by calling on Moroccans to “strongly participate in these demonstrations and express [their demands] loudly and collectively” in order for the government to address their concerns and take the necessary measures. link: https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2023/04/354883/moroccan-social-front-to-organize-protest-against-soaring-prices-on-saturday