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If you, like me, have an unhealthy and somewhat embarrassing fondness for the monstrosity that is the BMW X7 M50i, Alpina’s take - the XB7 - should be right up your alley. Lordy, it’s a big boy: hardly a car that’s best suited to a more incognito style of transport. The standard X7 is already a fairly potent exercise in excess, but with its enormous optional 23in rims (the largest yet fitted to an Alpina), an extended body kit, those trademark Deco lines and a set of quad exhausts, the XB7 is better described as a monolithic celebration of four-wheeled opulence. Sure, it doesn’t quite take things to Rolls-Royce Cullinan levels, but I still can’t help but respect its ridiculousness. In addition to all that new exterior finery, the regular X7 M50i’s mechanical hardware has also been Alpinafied to bring it up to XB7 specification. Buchloe has strapped a brace of larger turbochargers to BMW’s 4.4-litre V8 engine and completely overhauled the car’s cooling system. There’s a new stainless-steel sports exhaust in the mix, too. The result is a massive 613bhp and 590lb ft – figures that represent respective increases of 90bhp and 37lb ft over the ‘standard’ X7 M50i. An eight-speed automatic gearbox jointly developed by Alpina and ZF has been fitted to cope with the uprated engine’s power, while the xDrive four-wheel drive system has also been tweaked. Our test car also features a set of optional enormous drilled and ventilated disc brakes - handy on a machine that weighs in at 2.6 tonnes and can hit 62mph from a standstill in just 4.2sec. Aside from a handful of Alpina logos and roundels, the cabin of the XB7 doesn’t differ too greatly from that of a well-specced X7 M50i. While build quality and material appeal are exceptionally high, it doesn’t quite evade the slightly straight-laced, business-like atmosphere that was present in the base car. The cabins of the Bentley Bentayga and a high-end Range Rover feel like genuinely special, unique places to spend time; the XB7’s interior, on the other hand, resembles those of other, rather more ordinary BMWs a bit too closely for my liking. Still, it’s an insanely comfortable place. The chairs are soft and supportive and are upholstered in the same fine-feeling Merino leather that you can specify in the X7. Our test car had the optional full leather package, which extends this Merino treatment throughout the entire cabin for a cost of £4995. The headlining is a deep-blue Alcantara and the steering wheel is finished in Alpina’s beautiful Lavalina leather. Got a spare £11,050 burning a hole in your pocket? You could retrim the cabin in that very same material, if you fancy. Oh, and as with the regular X7, you can have your Alpina with six or seven seats. The third row isn’t some poxy affair best left for children, either: you genuinely can get two adults in there comfortably. Do so and you’ll be left with 326 litres of luggage space in the boot. It's 750 litres if you leave only the front two rows in place. The reworked 4.4-litre V8 is a seemingly endless well of torque and performance. Tip your foot into the throttle and the forcefulness with which it then accelerates is mind-bending. Its transmission wastes very little time selecting a gear and there’s minimal lag as those two turbochargers spool up. You just leave immediately. Mind you, I would say the exact same thing about the X7 M50i. On regular British roads, I really don’t think you would notice the Alpina’s additional performance. You probably would on a derestricted stretch of autobahn, but here? Hmmm, not so much. Like the X7 M50i, the XB7 can feel a touch too eager at step-off. You need to be a bit more delicate with your inputs when rolling away from a standstill, otherwise you can find yourself surging forward with a degree more urgency than you might have wagered for. It’s a small complaint about what's otherwise a seriously classy powertrain but a noticeable one. Those 23in alloys irk in a similar fashion. Sure, they look pretty fantastic beneath the XB7’s enormous body, but they generate quite a lot of road noise at cruising speed and bring a detectable prickliness to the low-speed ride. Again, they're no dealbreaker (and there are smaller 21in rims available as standard, which are probably better in this regard), but I remember the X7 M50i being not only quieter but slightly more settled too. In fact, most aspects of the standard X7’s ride are a bit tidier than that of the XB7’s. Alpina has tweaked the air suspension set-up, introducing new damper settings and revised kinematics that supposedly offer an enhanced balance between handling dynamism and ride comfort. There are five driving modes available: Comfort, Comfort Plus, Sport, Sport Plus and Adaptive. For the vast majority of the time, Comfort is where it’s at. This seems to offer the most convincing balance between soft-edged pliancy and outright body control during regular driving - although that balance does feel as though it’s tipped slightly more in favour of the former. It feels a tiny bit spongier and looser than the X7 M50i does in its Comfort setting. Sure, the XB7 may still be a lovely car to point down a motorway, but this, combined with the added road noise, means that ultimately it’s just not quite as satisfying. Comfort Plus mode - usually an Alpina’s joker card - is best left alone. Here it really starts to feel floaty, almost to nauseating effect. That said, if you ramp things up into the sportier modes and show the XB7 a twisty road, it’s tricky not to be impressed. There’s still quite a lot of lateral movement through faster directional changes, but it’s well controlled. The steering is light and accurate, just as it is in the regular X7, but it makes the XB7 feel a touch more delicate in its responses than a car this size otherwise might. Grip feels incredibly abundant too - even on damp roads. Its size means it isn’t the easiest nor the most enjoyable car to pedal down some of Britain’s tighter, poorly sighted roads, but there’s abundant dynamic competency on display here. It’s hard to shake the feeling that the biggest threat to the XB7 is in fact the X7 M50i upon which it’s based. Usually, Alpinas really stand out because they offer a more appealing take on real-world performance than the firm-riding, aggressive full-fat M Division cars that BMW makes itself. I would certainly have a B3 or a B5 over the equivalent M3 or M5 any day of the week. But when it comes to the XB7? Well, I don’t think I would. As is the case with an increasing number of BMW’s lower-rung M Performance models (the ones that sit just below the proper M cars), the X7 M50i already felt as though it was going down a more Alpina-flavoured route. The result is that this actual Alpina model isn’t quite the revelation it might have been if the only seriously quick X7 in the BMW stable was a seriously hardcore X7 M (what a terrifying thought that is). That hesitancy is compounded when you examine price. A really, really nicely specced X7 M50i (like the one we road-tested last year), will set you back just over £110,000 - or just over £90,000 if you keep it standard. The XB7, on the other hand, starts at £125,650 – although ours was an eye-watering £141,334 with a few options. You would really have to value exclusivity to justify making that jump.

Banksy appears to have thrown his support behind a campaign to turn a former prison in the English town of Reading into an arts venue, a town spokesman said on Thursday. After the street artist confirmed that artwork that appeared on a red brick wall of the prison was of his making. The elusive artist confirmed the picture was his when he posted a video of him creating it on his Instagram account. The monochrome picture shows a man escaping using a rope made of paper from a typewriter. It appeared Monday outside Reading Prison, famous as the location where writer Oscar Wilde served two years for “gross indecency” in the 1890s. The prison closed in 2013, and campaigners want it turned into an arts venue. Britain’s Ministry of Justice, which owns the building, is due to decide mid-March on its future. In his Instagram video, Banksy is shown stealthily stenciling and spraying paint to create the artwork, titled Create Escape. The footage is juxtaposed with an episode of a traditional art instruction video called The Joy of Painting with Bob Ross. The campaign to turn the former prison into an arts venue has won the backing of actors including Judi Dench. Stephen Fry and Kenneth Branagh. A spokesman for Reading Borough Council said it was “thrilled that Banksy appears to have thrown his support behind the council’s desire to transform the vacant Reading Gaol into a beacon of arts, heritage and culture with this piece of artwork he has aptly called ‘Create Escape’.” “The Council is pushing the Ministry of Justice, who own the site, to make suitable arrangements to protect the image,” the authority said.

Rabat – Morocco Day 2021 continues its year-long program with an economic summit focused on US economists and investors on March 29. The upcoming economic summit comes after a successful two-day virtual program in January. The Morocco Day 2021 Economic Summit will focus on the digital economy, knowledge exchange, and empowering local economic actors. Artificial intelligence will also appear on the program, promising to decode, “artificial intelligence in front of the local investor and its transformation from science fiction to the world of business and investment.“ The event aims to promote digital transformation at small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) “as a way to overcome devastating crises” amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Morocco Day 2021 in its press release emphasized that “the post-Covid-19 era requires from the local investor a high capacity for adaptation to international changes in order to overcome this period of disruption.” In addition to promoting digital transformation, the event will further dig into digital marketing, with a particular focus on the regions around Dakhla and Laayoune. There, Morocco Day 2021 hopes to “introduce the regions to digital economy and modern business.” The Morocco Day 2021 Economic Summit invites US investors to see the potential of Morocco, and Dakhla and Laayoune in particular, and establish a network with relevant business relations in the North African country. Morocco Day 2021 is organized by the Moroccan American Network and will be hosted digitally on the Morocco World News website.

Porsche would consider entering Formula 1 when new engine regulations are introduced in 2025 if environmentally friendly e-fuels are adopted, according to a report. The German firm, part of the Volkswagen Group, has had a long interest in returning to F1 as an engine supplier. As exclusively reported by Autocar, the firm is understood to have even begun development work on an F1-specification 1.6-litre hybrid powertrain, which is set to be repurposed for a planned hypercar. F1 bosses will introduce new engine regulations for the 2025 season. The technical details are still being determined by organisers, teams and interested manufacturers - which reportedly include Porsche. F1 has committed to making e-fuels a central part of the rules to help the sport reduce its carbon footprint while retaining internal combustion engines. That has renewed interest in the category from Porsche, which is also investing heavily in the development of e-fuels for future performance road cars. Speaking to BBC Sport, Porsche Motorsport vice-president Fritz Enzinger said: “It would be of great interest if aspects of sustainability - for instance, the implementation of e-fuels - play a role in this.“Should these aspects be confirmed, we will evaluate them in detail within the Volkswagen Group and discuss further steps. Enzinger added that Porsche was “observing” the development of the new regulations, as it did for “all relevant racing series around the world”. Porsche currently runs a works team in the electric Formula E World Championship and has committed to building an LMDh hybrid hypercar that can compete at the Le Mans 24 Hours for the 2023 season. Porsche has traditionally focused on endurance racing but has occasionally competed in F1. The firm’s sold win as a constructer came in the 1962 French Grand Prix, won by Dan Gurney in an 804. Porsche withdrew at the end of that season. The firm's knowledge of building turbocharged engines led to an unofficial return to F1 in 1983, when it produced V6 units for McLaren, although these were badged TAG, since that firm paid the development costs. The Porsche-powered McLaren team won three drivers’ and two constructors’ titles between 1984 and 1986. Porsche returned as an engine supplied to the Footwork team in 1991 but, after a string of disastrous results, the team made a mid-season switch to customer Cosworth engines.

Fitness enthusiasts will agree that cardio and weight training form the foundation of most workout sessions. But as soon as we enter the gym, the biggest question that lies in front of us is whether to do cardio before or after lifting weights. Prateek Sood, director, Grand Slam Fitness says that “it all boils down to your goals. Many people split their gym workout sessions between cardio and strength training, and the sequence in which you do the exercises will have a direct bearing on the outcome. Therefore, it helps to first evaluate one’s goals and then decide the order that will be best for you.” But, if you are someone who just works out for improving overall fitness, it’s essential that you combine cardio and strength wisely so that you do not end up overworking the same set of muscles. Benefits of strength and cardio training Muscle-strengthening exercises include lifting loads. This why strength training builds muscles while boosting your metabolism and improving the body’s capability to burn more fat in the long term. “Strengthening muscles can make you stronger, control your weight, stimulate bone growth, improve balance and posture, and reduce pain in the joints and back,” explains Sood. While cardio, on the other hand, helps improve the blood flow in the body which enables oxygen flow to the muscles, thus strengthening your heart and lungs. He says, “This entire process builds up endurance by training muscles to better use oxygen.” How beneficial is cardio after strength training? If your primary goal is to improve body strength, be able to pick heavy things, and build more muscle, then it is advisable that you lift weights first. “Engaging in cardio before will tire you out,” he says. In order to have a successful strength training session, it’s important that you don’t tire beforehand otherwise there will be higher chances of repetitions to get the correct form. A good form is essential for doing strength training exercises efficaciously and safely. Secondly, strength training prior to cardio will also be helpful for fat loss. “Doing weights first will enable your body to enter the aerobic mode. This way, by the time you come to running, your body will already be in a fat-burning state. As a result, you can maintain that aerobic state much longer when running and consume fat as a source of energy,” he adds, further saying that this is because muscle cells store glycogen in them which tends to fuel muscular contractions. “During higher-intensity exercises like lifting weights, our body uses glycogen as fuel and then subsequently creates certain by-products that can eventually be used as fuel for other lower-intensity activities, such as performing cardio in a steady-state” Sood adds. Studies have shown that a combination of both ensures overall health, increases muscle mass, and reduces body fat significantly. But, he also adds that if you want to practice both then try doing them on separate days so that your body gets time to recover in between.

Rabat – Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Bourita has conveyed Morocco’s satisfaction to Jordan for opening a Jordanian consulate in the southern city of Laayoune. Jordan’s foreign minister Ayman Al-Safadi chaired the consulate’s inauguration ceremony today along with Bourita. In a post-inauguration press conference, Bourita emphasized the importance of the cooperation between Jordan and Morocco. The official recalled that the Jordanian FM has visited Morocco for several events at different times. “However, your visit today, to your second country, Morocco, is of special importance and has a distinct character, and will remain immortal in the memory and conscience of the Moroccan people,” Bourita stressed. The Moroccan official also conveyed his thanks to Jordan for its steadfast position, supporting Morocco in its priority issues. He said the visit of Jordan’s foreign minister for the inauguration ceremony embodies the “bonds and sincere” affection between the two countries’ monarchs. King Abdullah II of Jordan announced his country’s decision to open a consulate in Laayoune on November 19, 2020. The Jordanian King made the declaration just days after Morocco lifted a blockade Polisario caused in Guerguerat in October and the first weeks of November. The blockade hampered commercial and civil traffic in the region and caused an uproar among the international community. Jordan was among the countries that condemned Polisario’s maneuvers in Guerguerat, expressing support for Morocco and its action to restore peace. He said Jordan’s position favors all of Morocco’s actions to protect its national interests, territorial integrity, and security. Bourita reiterated Morocco’s determination to continue to work with Jordan to reinforce cooperation in all fields. The relationship between Morocco and Jordan has “preserved its strength and distinction in a very sensitive Arab and regional circumstance. It is an occasion to make a high mention of the year of consultation and coordination between our two countries, regarding the various challenges facing our Arab region,” Bourita said. Morocco aspires to turn the Jordanian-Moroccan cooperation as a model for Arab-Arab relations. Jordan’s foreign minister Al Safadi also expressed satisfaction with his country’s decision to open the consulate in southern Morocco. “Relations between the two kingdoms are historic, strategic, strong, and special,” the foreign minister said. He emphasized cooperation at different levels, saying the relations are exemplary. “We were and will always continue to support Morocco’s territorial integrity,” the Jordanian FM announced. The official also announced support for Morocco’s Autonomy Plan, describing it as a credible and serious initiative to end the conflict. Jordan is the third Arab country that has established a diplomatic representation in Morocco’s southern provinces. The UAE and Bahrain also inaugurated representations in the region. A total of 20 countries have opened embassies or consulates in Laayoune or Dakhla to date.

The EQA marks the moment another legacy car maker moves its electric car roll-out into a higher gear. Astonishingly, it’s a compact crossover, and one that will act as the crucial entry-level EV for Mercedes – a zero-emission, three-pointed hook for those who can’t stretch to the £65,000 EQC SUV, and one designed to challenge the Volkswagen ID 3 and upcoming Tesla Model Y. Following the EQC and the EQV, the EQA is the third pure EV in Mercedes’ EQ sub-brand, with the S-Class-flavoured EQS soon to become the fourth. However, whereas the larger EQS will sit on its own truly EV-specific architecture, the EQA uses an adapted GLA platform. It's much like the GLC-based EQC in this respect, and the same applies to the aesthetics – the EQA is very closely related to the GLA. Clearly, the aim has been to keep development costs in check and the asking price as competitive as possible, and to give prospective customers something that feels reassuringly familiar. So what exactly is an EQA, beyond the connection to its ICE-equipped GLA cousin? For the EQA 250 tested here, the driveline consists of an asynchronous 187bhp electric motor mounted between the front wheels and a 66.5kWh lithium ion battery pack that sits between the axles and forms a structural part of the chassis. The body-in-white is mostly to GLA specification, although the subframes have been modified to reduce road roar that would otherwise be thrown into unpleasant relief by the quietness of the powertrain. The basic suspension design – MacPherson struts up front with a multi-link rear – is also carried over from the GLA, and although it’s centred on comfort, the passive spring and damper rates have been increased on account of the battery. At 480kg, it alone weighs as much as an entire Caterham Seven and takes the EQA’s kerb weight to 2040kg. Cars in Premium Plus specification, such as this one, then come equipped with two-mode adaptive suspension and 20in wheels, although owing to its winter tyres, this German-spec car rides on the standard 18in wheels. Range on the WLTP cycle is 263 miles. The similarly sized but £6000 less expensive Kia e-Niro claws 282 miles from its 64kWh battery, while the Model Y is expected to manage more than 300 miles and the top-ranking ID 3 Tour is claimed to deliver 336 miles, courtesy of its generous 77kWh capacity. Mercedes says more EQA variants with greater driving range are on stream but gives no figures. Some of those derivatives will also gain an additional, potent electric motor on the rear axle – one that might, says Mercedes, even be favoured over its partner at the front when it comes to propulsive duties. It leaves the door open for something fruity at the top of the range. An AMG EQA, perhaps. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. How does the regular car fare? In truth, it’s a mixed bag. Positives include the driving position, which is sporting, despite the stratum of battery cells propping it up, and more serious in feel than you might expect, but very comfortable. In general, if you like what Mercedes has done with the interiors of its small ICE models, you’ll like it in here because it’s identical. The broad MBUX displays are as crisp and EV-related graphics nicely executed. The touchpoints are mostly pleasant and the infotainment controls make those of the ID 3 feel as slick as an Etch A Sketch. Still, it’s a little plasticky in parts, given the £40,500 asking price, and doesn’t feel especially spacious. Indeed, it isn’t spacious. The e-Niro in particular is noticeably more generous in terms of rear leg room. The GLA is similarly cramped and so, by sharing platforms, there was never much Mercedes was going to be able to do about that, or the raised floor that eats away at boot space. A bespoke architecture would also have allowed the designers to better imbue the EQA’s cabin with the likeably lofty atmosphere found in many EVs. As it is, not even the panoramic roof or vivid lighting can save the car from feeling somewhat claustrophobic. Good points include the natural steering, the car’s crisp change of pace in Sport mode (although don’t let the responsiveness lull you into taking on ambitious overtakes because the car’s 91bhp per tonne is pathetic and quickly shows) and good acoustic isolation. I also suspect you could own an EQA and drive it for hundreds of thousands of miles without ever needing to change the brake-discs. Admittedly, this may not surprise you. Like any electric car, the Mercedes employs regenerative braking, whereby the drive motor spins in reverse and provides driveline resistance to slow the car down instead of using the physical bite of pad on disc. The difference with the EQA is that the system works exceptionally well. There are three broad regen settings ranging from ‘just a hint’ through to the kind of retardation you’d get with moderately forceful use of traditional brakes, and you can rapidly flick through the presets using the wheel-mounted paddles. It quickly becomes intuitive – and engaging, even, because you can ‘trail’ the system into bends to reasonably convincing effect – but there’s also an Auto setting, which is arguably the best bit. It uses sensors to recognise speed limits and other traffic, and GPS data for upcoming bends and roundabouts, and applies the regenerative braking accordingly. Barring one or two hiccups during our test drive, it worked seamlessly, trimming momentum as much as necessary, but no more, and always right on cue. Less impressive is the ride quality. In town, the suspension feels overdamped, at times lending the car an almost rickety quality on poor roads, while the feeling at speed is one of it being undersprung. You’ll even experience what engineers call ‘head toss’ on the motorway. Not a lot, but enough to become irritating. It’s possible these tyres don’t help but, broadly speaking, Mercedes seems to have missed the sweet spot here. The suspension is too unyielding in Sport and too flaccid in Comfort. Along with the overly light pedal weights, it means the EQA slightly lacks that sense of precision engineering. Which is why it’s impossible to wholeheartedly recommend the EQA, even before you consider that options can easily take the asking price to more than £45,000, which is Polestar 2 money – or the more spacious, finer-riding Volkswagen ID4, in a generous specification, and with change. As a curtain-raiser for Mercedes’ EQ range, the EQA is plausible on paper and captures the urbane aesthetic the premium market and existing Mercedes owners both demand, but too often this reimagined, zero-emission take on the GLA lacks the polish you’d expect from Mercedes.

Written by Amanda Hess On my desk is a detailed miniature shaker of McCormick Crushed Red Pepper flakes. The bottle is small enough to pinch between my thumb and index finger; it looks as if it was made to fit the spice rack of an anthropomorphic hedgehog. I keep it around for its brain-soothing properties. There is something oddly relaxing about a banal item inexplicably shrunken into a fetish object. Sometimes I unfurl a tiny paper grocery bag and place the tiny pepper bottle inside, next to a tiny tin of Spam, a tiny jar of Skippy Creamy Peanut Butter and a tiny tube of Gourmet Garden Chunky Garlic Stir-In Paste. There is no tiny food in any of these tiny packages. They’re called Mini Brands, and they represent branding liberated from product. Zuru, the toy company that sells Mini Brands, has introduced dozens of household miniatures since their 2019 debut, including little Tresemmé bottles, little Babybel cheese rounds and little Wet Ones antibacterial wipes. On Instagram, you can find Mini Brands clutched in the dexterous paws of famous hamsters and chinchillas, and on TikTok, influencers like @minibrandsmom film themselves hunting for the 2-inch treasures at big box stores and peeling open the complex packaging with a hypnotic rhythm. Though Mini Brands are nominally marketed to children, they scratch a grown-up itch: for the lost pleasures of the supermarket experience. I discovered Mini Brands through writer Emily Gould, who advised me that Mini Brands “have the reassuring quotidian comfort of a trip to the ol’ grocery store,” adding, “Which, you know, is gone.” I had never thought to appreciate the sensation of coasting unthinkingly down the supermarket aisles, luxuriating in the mundane array of differentiated food brands. But suddenly I’m attuned to what I’ve been missing: I sense it in my little McCormick shaker, in the dreamy pre-pandemic grocery footage of How To With John Wilson and in the deranged pep of the revived game show Supermarket Sweep. Miniatures of all kinds have experienced a pandemic bump. As the virus rages outside, hobbyists can at least flex control of their own little worlds. Mini Brands service a nostalgia for the very recent past, when the grocery represented a familiar expanse; it was a place where, as Allen Ginsberg put it in “A Supermarket in California,” a person could go “shopping for images.” Now that same space feels anxious and claustrophobic, recast as a site of potential infection and a backdrop for violent confrontations between neighbours, captured by trembling cellphone videos. You can still go to the grocery store, but you can no longer lose yourself there. Instead you can stock your own tiny supermarket by ordering a 5 Surprise Mini Brands! Surprise Ball ($6.99 on Target.com), then cracking open its flaxen plastic shell to reveal a random selection of branded miniatures. It’s an inversion of those toy gumball machines parked at the end of checkout lines; now the groceries themselves are the prize. The incidental nature of a Mini Brands acquisition — you never know what you’re going to get — mimics the old pull of impulse shopping, where you enter through the whooshing automatic doors in search of toothpaste and emerge, bewildered, with an armful of snack items you may never actually consume. If Mini Brands shrink the grocery shopping experience into the palm of your hand, “Supermarket Sweep” supersizes it, dramatising the errand as an orgiastic ritual. The latest “Supermarket Sweep” reboot debuted on ABC in October (previous iterations aired in the 1960s, the 1990s and the early 2000s). It is filmed in a fake store built inside a 35,000 square foot hangar at the Santa Monica Municipal Airport; in each episode, contestants tear through it, loading hundreds of pounds of gold-wrapped hams, liquid clothing detergent and gargantuan Green Giant corn cans into their carts. Mini Brands suggest that the iconography of the grocery store contains hidden treasures. Supermarket Sweep makes that explicit. Like in The Price is Right, arcane knowledge of consumer culture is met with outsized rewards: The contestants who can instantly recall the snack brand that nearly rhymes with “mojitos” (Doritos) or the accessory worn by the Energizer Bunny (flip-flops) stand to win tens of thousands of dollars. At first glance, the new “Supermarket Sweep” represents a narrative triumph over COVID-19. Maskless contestants soar jubilantly down its aisles, and the show’s ringmaster, Leslie Jones, turns in a virtuoso performance as the rare American thrilled to be working inside a grocery store. But there is something uncanny about its glossy, high-definition look. Revisiting old episodes of the ’90s version, which were made available on Netflix last summer, reveals the missing texture: a roaring studio audience waving bottles of Mountain Dew and Snuggle fabric softener in the air; contestants crammed into the produce section, perms brushing against shoulder pads; the host — former soap opera actor David Ruprecht, dressed like a youth pastor — embracing the winners as the credits roll. The vast, antiseptic, eerily muted presentation of the new version only emphasises what is a controlled simulation on a studio set. Watching the contestants frantically haul food into their carts, they begin to resemble hoarders stocking up for the pandemic looming just outside. The disaster novel, as Hillary Kelly pointed out recently in The New Yorker, often depicts such desperate shopping sprees. In these narratives, the supermarket stands as a monument to consumer culture. Its breadth of offerings (or lack thereof) functions as a class marker, and with its shelf-stable foods, unseasonably ripe produce and wasteful packaging, it hubristically asserts control over the natural world even as it accelerates its decline. In White Noise, Don DeLillo’s apocalyptic novel from 1985, the gleaming grocery store is framed as a symbol of delusion, papering over signs of social and ecological collapse: “Everything was fine, would continue to be fine, would eventually get even better as long as the supermarket did not slip.” And in Rumaan Alam’s Leave the World Behind, published last year, a yuppie’s trip to a Hamptons market — where she blows hundreds of dollars on organic hot dogs, a “jar of locally made pickles,” $12 maple syrup and “three pints of Ben & Jerry’s politically virtuous ice cream” — is her final act of blithe privilege before a mysterious disaster upends her life. The cultural downfall of the grocery store — from consumer paradise to paranoid hub of contagion — is captured in real time in How To With John Wilson, HBO’s jewel box of a show built around the documentarian Wilson’s poetic and sly hand-held footage of New York City. In an early episode, Wilson takes a trip to the supermarket, where he encounters a man whose mind is filled with false recollections of the items on the shelves. (He remembers, for instance, that the grinning sun on the Raisin Bran box wore sunglasses.) The man belongs to a collective dedicated to suggesting conspiratorial explanations for this phenomenon — aliens, perhaps, or alternate universes — but the easier answer is that the meaningless iconography of the grocery store has rooted itself so deeply in the American mind that even the products themselves seem less real than our imagined versions. Later in the series, Wilson returns to a market, only to find a seemingly endless line of shoppers snaking through the aisles, carts heaped with provisions as the virus swarms the city. This was, in retrospect, a mistake — unmasked crowds loitering inside for hours — but it speaks to the irresistible pull of the supermarket as a psychic shelter, even when it is in fact a threat. Lately, I have been gravitating toward different kinds of images of Mini Brands. Not the collections carefully posed on Instagram, but the photographs posted alongside 1-star reviews on Target.com. Published by frustrated and regretful buyers of the Mini Brands! Mini Mart set, they reveal scenes of devastation: mini plastic shelves hanging from their mini hinges; mini Cool Whip containers shoved into mini fridges; mini boxes of cereal and Boursin cheese strewn across mini tile floors. These images excite me, not because they transport me back to the idealised grocery aisle but because they inadvertently deconstruct it. In the photographs, it looks as if the Mini Brands! Mini Mart has been ransacked and abandoned in the face of some unseen menace. The supermarket has fallen, and now the miniature version is toppling, too.

Rabat – In the past few hours, the internet and the news cycle have been abuzz with questions and analysis about the meaning, reasons, and implications of Morocco’s decision to suspend contact with Germany’s embassy in Rabat. While questions are numerous and sometimes contradictory, some primary, helpful answers can be found in Morocco’s recent message to the European Union. Last week, the country’s top diplomat sent the European Union a clear message about what Morocco now considers as a genuine partnership. With recent developments on multiple fronts economic cooperation is no longer enough to cement lasting ties and partnership, the message suggested. Morocco’s Foreign Affairs Minister Nasser Bourita, who delivered Rabat’s message, was even more emphatic about what Rabat expects from its allies on the Western Sahara question. He called on the EU to come out of its neutrality comfort zone and adopt the “international trend” on the Sahara conflict. Bourita made the remarks in response to the ambiguous position of some countries with regards to the four-decade conflict. Despite the widespread international support for Morocco’s “credible and serious” Autonomy Plan, some countries in the EU continue to promote Polisario’s self-determination claims. Sidelining both Polisario’s well-documented link to terrorist groups in the Sahel and its illegitimate claims of being the “sole representative of the Sahrawis,” the EU’s pro-Polisario click is out against Morocco’s “claims” over Western Sahara. Germany, like most global actors, is ostensibly “committed” to the UN-led political process in Western Sahara. Judging by recent developments, however, especially Berlin’s reported dissatisfaction with the US’ unequivocal support for Morocco, Germany’s alleged behind-the-scenes maneuverings belie its professed commitment to the UN process. So much so that Morocco, finally angered by what it perceives as suspicious neutrality, has decided to take the hard line on Berlin. On Monday, Morocco’s Foreign Affairs Ministry declared its unprecedented decision to suspend all contacts with Germany’s Embassy in Rabat. The ministry explained its decision by citing “deep misunderstandings” that fall against fundamental questions of the Kingdom of Morocco. Despite the recent development in the Western Sahara conflict, Germany has given no signs it is willing to follow in the footsteps of the United States. The US has recently recognized Morocco’s sovereignty over the region and expressed support for Morocco’s Autonomy Plan as a serious and credible solution to end the conflict over Western Sahara. Some observers suspect Germany of being behind the latest attempt to push the European Court of Justice to issue yet another ruling on the legality of Morocco’s agriculture exports to the EU. The traditional, pro-Polisario talking point in such matters is that resources originating from Western Sahara, in southern Morocco, should be excluded from EU-Morocco agreements. While the European commission has repeatedly repelled that narrative, it is understood that some countries, including Germany, are still pushing for Europe to go hard on Morocco regarding Western Sahara. The European Court of Justice will be reviewing the Western Sahara file in two hearings scheduled March 1 and March 2. The two hearings will take place before the Ninth Chamber of the European Court of Justice. Some pro-Polisario groups, naturally including Algeria and South Africa, have been challenging the legality of agricultural exports and fisheries agreements between Morocco and the EU. Aware of the importance of the agreements, the EU has recently stunned Polisario, identifying products from Western Sahara as not subject to any ban. The European Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans, and Fisheries, Virginijus Sinkevicius said in a recent written note that the imports of products from Western Sahara to the European Union should not be “subject to an import prohibition.” The European Commission considers Western Sahara as a territory “whose peoples have not yet attained a full measure of self-government.” “As the EU vessels activities in the relevant fishing zone are governed by the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement, which is the object of still pending Court proceedings, the Commission refrains from providing further comments on this issue,” Sinkevicius added. Germany is also planning to stand against the EU state members who support the US’ decision to recognize Morocco’s sovereignty in Western Sahara, according to Moroccan professor Khalid Yamout. The Moroccan academic also called on Germany to stop its pressure on European countries and leave them to enjoy freedom to express their desire to recognize Morocco’s sovereignty over the region. “If Germany wants common interests with Morocco, then it must understand that its very negative stance on the developments of the Sahara issue must change,” Yamout said. Following the US’ decision to support Morocco’s cause in Western Sahara, Germany called for a Security Council meeting to discuss the issue. Some observers believe that the tension between Morocco and Germany is not a new development and has been brewing for over a year. The first sign of the rift between the two countries became apparent after Germany snubbed Morocco when organizing the 2020 Berlin Conference on the Libyan crisis. Hosting what it hoped would be an eventful conference to end Libya’s political impasse, Germany excluded Morocco from the global and MENA actors whose voice Berlin deemed essential for the Libyan political process and MENA stability in general. That Germany invited Algeria, a country that has historically undermined Moroccan interests and unrelentingly challenged its territorial integrity, struck Rabat as particularly offensive and disdainful. In a scathing statement about its exclusion from the Berlin conference, Morocco questioned Germany’s legitimacy and motive in hosting a conference to supposedly end the Libyan crisis without bothering to even fleetingly acknowledge the earlier, Morocco-brokered Skhirat Agreements. “Rabat played a decisive role in the conclusion of the Skhirat agreements, which are, to date, the only political framework – supported by the Security Council and accepted by all Libyan parties – for the resolution of the crisis in this brotherly Maghreb country,” read the statement of Morocco’s foreign ministry. It went on to express the country’s “deep astonishment at its exclusion from the Berlin conference.” For Rabat, Germany should have at least acknowledged the central role Morocco played in facilitating the UN-led political process. By the time Germany organized its mostly failed Berlin Conference on Libya, Morocco had already hosted several rounds of discussion between Libyan factions in the coastal city Skhirat. This led to the signing of the Skhirat Agreement, which became the basis of the UN-led political process in Libya. Despite not being invited to the Berlin Conference, Morocco regained relevance in the Libyan conflict. Between September and December 2020, the country hosted several meetings with Libya’s warring factions. This helped pave the way for the signing of the now celebrated ceasefire agreement and the formation of the new interim government. Both the German embassy in Morocco and the Moroccan government are yet to provide more detailed comments regarding the situation. For now, however, it is increasingly clear that Rabat is looking to be more assertive in engaging countries on “central” questions, especially Western Sahara .

Silverstone-based classic car electrification specialist Lunaz has expanded its portfolio with what it calls “the world's first electric classic Bentley”, as it prepares to heavily upsize its production facility and workforce. The latest addition to the company's line-up of electric British classics is the 1961 Bentley S2 Continental Flying Spur, which follows a similar formula to previous Lunaz models in gaining subtle modern upgrades in addition to its all-electric powertrain, while remaining scarcely discernible from the original car. The Continental's recognisable design - the work of revered coachbuilder Mulliner Park Ward - is largely untouched, with visual modifications limited to the bespoke two-tone green paint scheme, as specified by the buyer. But virtually nothing of the original drivetrain or chassis remains in place. The 6.2-litre V8 has been removed to make way for an electric powertrain of undisclosed capacity and output, though likely to be derived from the 375bhp, 516lb ft system that propels the firm's similarly conceived take on the Rolls-Royce Phantom V and Silver Cloud. That system is powered by an 80kWh battery pack that offers a range of more than 250 miles, and gets the similarly sized Rolls-Royce models from 0-60mph in less than five seconds. Inside, the leather and walnut trim have been hand-restored as part of Lunaz's exhaustive restoration process, with concessions to modernity arriving in the form of air conditioning and a retro-styled infotainment display that brings sat-nav and smartphone mirroring functionality. It's all change underneath, too, where the suspension and brakes have been updated in line with the substantial performance boost, and the old manual steering rack has been swapped for an electrically assisted item. With the first example now complete - and said to be headed for daily use at the hands of its unnamed owner - Lunaz has now opened orders for a run of electric S1, S2 and S3-generation Bentley Continental models, in both two- and four-door bodystyles. Prices start from £350,000 (excluding local taxes) with production on a “strictly limited” and highly exclusive basis. As with the electrified Mk1 Range Rover revealed by Lunaz last year, the Bentley will also be available in convertible form. This is set to be a year of significant expansion for the nascent electrification firm, as it prepares to move into a new facility with five times the floor space of its current building within the next few months, and develop “new applications” for its self-developed EV powertrain. The new Lunaz HQ will give views over Silverstone circuit's Club Corner, and will serve as a base for all restoration, electrification and personalisation processes. The company says: “Classic cars by Lunaz Design represent a tailored collaboration between its customer and the company’s team of designers. The factory is designed from the ground up to provide them with the opportunity to engage with every facet of the restoration, re-engineering and conversion of their cars.” Lunaz hints at the potential for its electric drivetrain technology to play a role in the electrification of large-scale fleets as the 2030 combustion ban nears. “Conversion and upcycling of these vehicles represents a far more cost-effective and sustainable proposition than commissioning entirely new assets,” it said. “Lunaz is poised to serve this demand in line with the principles of the circular economy.” Potential customers have yet to be identified, but Lunaz said it will “announce growth to both its classic car model portfolio and wider applications in the coming months”. To cope with the expansion of its portfolio and business diversification, Lunaz will double the size of its workforce in 2021, with plans to employ up to 100 people across its various divisions by the end of the year.

The Golden Globes may have been the top news yesterday, but there was another video that became an instant hit on social media. Meghan and Harry, who have stepped down from their royal duties, recently sat down for a tell-all interview with talk show host Oprah Winfrey, a short clip of which was released by CBS. In the first televised interview of the couple, Meghan — who is pregnant — looked lovely in a long silk georgette dress by Armani. According to the website, “This triple silk georgette dress is sensuous with a subtle, refined twist. Its value and prestige are increased by the large quantity of fabric used. The style features a deep front neckline, frontal foliage embroidery and matching belt. Unlined.” Keeping it extremely simple, Meghan teamed the $ 4,700 dress with a pair of black stilettos and tied her hair in a low bun. Her makeup comprised of kohl-rimmed eyes along with a hint of pink on her cheeks and lips. As per Who What Wear, the dress has a symbolic meaning with the asymmetrical lotus being “a symbol of rebirth and revival, paralleling the couple’s reemergence in their brand-new post-royal life.” While Harry kept it simple in a grey suit and white shirt, Meghan accessorised the now sold-out dress with a dainty necklace from designer Pippa Small along with a Cartier ‘Love’ golden bracelet. It is believed that she wore another bracelet which happens to be an heirloom from Princess Diana’s collection. According to People’s Magazine, “the Duchess of Sussex is seen wearing a bracelet that belonged to Harry’s mother, Princess Diana — the same bracelet that was used to help craft Meghan’s engagement ring.” We love the look; what about you?

Rabat – The low-cost subsidiary of the Air France-KLM group, Transavia, has announced its plans to connect Bastia in the island of Corsica, with Fez, the old royal capital of Morocco, starting this summer. Starting from July 3, 2021, Transavia will offer weekly Saturday flights, between Bastia-Poretta, located on the French island off the coast of Italy, and the Fez-Saiss airport, in Morocco. The route will be operated by the Boeing 737-800 airplane, with 189 seats available. Departures are scheduled at 3:25 p.m. to arrive at 4:55 p.m., while return flights will leave Morocco at 5:40 p.m. and land at 9:10 p.m. in Bastia. The Moroccan-bound flights will start from €54, and Transavia will be the only carrier connecting the two destinations. Despite Morocco’s recent decision to suspend flights with several European and non-European countries, French-Moroccan borders remain open. At midnight on February 22, Morocco suspended flights with Switzerland, Turkey, the Netherlands, and Germany. Morocco had already suspended flights with several countries, including the UK, South Africa, Denmark, Australia, Brazil, the Republic of Ireland, New Zealand, Portugal, Sweden, Ukraine and the Czech Republic. The decision to suspend flights will be reviewed in 15 days. The suspensions came in response to the emergence of new strains of COVID-19. Despite various proactive measures, and UK flights being suspended since 20 December, Morocco has reported at least 24 cases of the UK strain. The airline is “expanding its offer from Corsica with the opening of the Bastia-Fez line, to allow travelers to find their relatives in Morocco,” read a statement from the subsidiary. The route is still subject to the changing epidemiological situation in Morocco and abroad. Considering the North African country’s success with its national vaccination campaign, the launch of the route could be more dependent on outside factors, rather than the domestic situation.

Hyundai will tomorrow unveil the new Bayon, an entry-level SUV to rival the Toyota Yaris Cross and Ford Puma. It is the first production car designed under the brand's new 'sensuous sportiness' banner, as previewed by the radical Le Fil Rouge and Prophecy concepts, which Hyundai said combines "emotional value with innovative solutions in design". Details visible in the latest round of preview images suggest the Bayon will draw influence from the front end of the recently facelifted Kona, with a slim air intake, high-mounted headlights and separate daytime running lights among its defining features. The rear end will make a more obvious departure from the rest of Hyundai's line-up, with arrow-shaped light clusters linked by a thin red line and a contrasting black boot panel. Designed primarily for the European market, the crossover has been named Bayon in reference to the French city of Bayonne, a hub for outdoor sporting activities, which Hyundai says highlights "the lifestyle character" of the new model. It will be the smallest model in Hyundai's SUV line-up, sitting underneath the Kona, which has recently been redesigned and updated for 2021. Given the model's size and positioning, it can be expected to share much of its mechanical make-up with existing Hyundai and Kia models, which means it is unlikely to gain an electric version. It's likely that, as with the Yaris Cross and Puma, the Bayon will take its underpinnings from a smaller-bodied supermini, in this case the i20. That would mean a petrol-only engine line-up comprising an 84bhp naturally aspirated 1.2-litre four-cylinder, a 99bhp mild-hybrid 1.0-litre turbo and a range-topping 118bhp version of the same engine. Five- and six-speed manual gearboxes would be available, as well as a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic. Expect a chunky, off-road-inspired body kit in line with the SUV's activity aspirations and a tech-heavy interior with a raft of connectivity and advanced driver aids fitted as standard. Andreas-Christoph Hofmann, Hyundai's vice president of marketing and product, said: "Hyundai is strongly established in the European SUV market already, in terms of our model range as well as our sales success. “By launching a new, additional B-segment model as the entry point into our SUV line-up, we see a great opportunity to cover European customers’ demand even better and to increase our offering in a highly po[CENSORED]r segment.”

When they stepped down from the posts of senior royals last year, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle shocked the world. The ripples of that decision are being felt even today, one year on, especially since they have conveyed to Harry’s grandmother, the Queen, that they have no intention of returning to the UK, to their lives as working royals, after their review period ends later in 2021. Harry and Meghan have been, for the last one year, living in the US, leading a more private and financially-independent life. They have stayed away from the prying eyes of the media, particularly the tabloid culture prevalent in the UK, which has been critical of their relationship from the beginning. So, their decision to sit down for an exclusive chat with Oprah Winfrey is being keenly noticed. In fact, the first look has already been aired. A little clip — alluding to some intimate details being shared by the former royals — was released recently. In it, Harry said: “I am just really relieved and happy to be sitting here, talking to you, with my wife by my side. Because, I can’t begin to imagine what it must have been like for her [Harry’s mother, the late Princess Diana], going through this process by herself all those years ago. It has been unbelievably tough for the two of us, but at least we had each other.” Meghan nodded and said, “yeah”. The couple recently announced that they are expecting their second child. The news came after Meghan had previously shared that she had miscarried in 2020. Additionally, during an appearance on the CBS television network’s The Late, Late Show with James Corden that aired last week, Harry had said he decided to step away from his work as a front-line member of the royal family to “protect his wife and son and his mental health“. “It was stepping back rather than stepping down,” he told Corden. “It was a really difficult environment, which I think a lot of people saw, so I did what any father or husband would do and thought, ‘How do I get my family out of here?’ But we never walked away, and as far as I’m concerned, whatever decisions are made on that side, I will never walk away,” he said of the relationship with his family, which many speculate has soured over the last one year. Winfrey’s interview of the couple is scheduled to air on March 7. It is the first TV interview they have given since moving to California. According to mini clips/teasers shared with the public, Harry has also said the reason for their decamping was also because he was worried about “history repeating itself”, indicating that memories of his mother being hounded by the paparazzi — she died in a car crash in Paris, at the age of 36 — still haunt him.

Rabat – The Atlas Golf Cultural Center in Marrakech has established a radio telescope, the first of its kind in Morocco. The equipment seeks to capture the radio waves emitted by the sun, the star-forming region, the quasar, and the nuclei galaxies, said a press release from the cultural center. The radio telescope will also help experts carry out cosmological studies. The center announced that the new telescope is completing a series of high-performance astronomical observation instruments soon to be made available to the public. The center also houses equipment for observing celestial objects, including the largest telescope in Morocco. The largest one measures 600 millimeter in diameter. The facility also has two other telescopes, one of which measures 350 millimeters in diameter and a second one of 355 millimeter in diameter. In addition, the center hosts a Coronado telescope dedicated to the observation of the protuberances and filaments of the sun, as well as a siderostat. The equipment makes it possible to project the real image of the sun. The news comes as Morocco’s astronomy sector continues to suffer from chronic underfunding and lack of either administrative support and academic enthusiasm for the field. According to a 2007 study, “astronomy education in Morocco… is not well developed and lacks the very basics in terms of resources, facilities, and research.” The study explained that the teaching of astronomy in Morocco “is currently limited to masters and doctoral programmes. There are four universities that offer graduate programmes in the space sciences (Casablanca, Marrakech, Rabat and Oujda).” It also argued that research interests focus mainly on helioseismology, astroclimatology, astroparticles, cosmic radiation, near Earth objects and search for supernovae. Another important factor is the lack of astronomical observatories in the country, the study said. It revealed that only two observatories, the Oukaimeden Observatory near Marrakech and the Raba Observatory, are operational in the whole of Morocco. The study urged for more academic engagement to expand the field in Morocco and attract the attention of Moroccan youth. “Interactive astronomy is an inexpensive science activity that suits Moroccan youth. High school students will engage in doing observational astronomy and developing scientific reasoning and methodology from their personal computers.”

It’s tricky to shake the feeling that viewing this diesel-powered, four-wheel-drive Skoda Octavia vRS through a traditional hot hatchback lens would be doing it something of a disservice. After all, there isn’t a huge amount about its recipe that seems capable of making fans of the Ford Focus ST or Renault Mégane RS sit up and pay attention. Not only is it a fair bit bigger (and heavier) than those two titans of hot-hatchery, but with 197bhp on tap, it might also appear to be a touch under-endowed in the power stakes. Of course, 295lb ft of torque is still incredibly healthy, but oil-burning four-cylinder engines have never been the easiest powerplants to get excited about - particularly when paired with a self-shifting seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox. And yet, ever since the first Octavia vRS TDI appeared in the mid-2000s, the car has carved out a fairly successful niche for itself. It’s a family-friendly performance hatch for the driver who is firmly rooted in the real world. Yes, it’s reasonably swift, but it’s also practical, economical and pretty comfortable. This four-wheel-drive version adds a healthy additional dose of all-weather usability into the mix. It can be yours for £33,745 if you opt for a hatchback like this one, or £34,975 if you go for the boxier estate. In many ways, it’s exactly like the front-wheel-drive version we tested a couple of weeks back. The calibration of the seven-speed DSG transmission still isn’t quite as sporting as you might like, but the diesel engine’s haymaker of torque means that acceleration feels effortless the vast majority of the time. Keep the engine turning over between 2000rpm and 3500rpm or so and the Octavia vRS can feel properly quick. It still doesn’t sound all that great, though. The warbling, chugging synthetic engine note that gets pumped into the cabin is a bit much at times - and I found that I switched it off pretty quickly. You don’t really miss it once it’s gone. The cabin is just as impressively equipped and spacious, and although our car didn’t come with the optional Dynamic Chassis Control adaptive dampers, ride comfort was still decent enough. The vRS sits 15mm closer to the ground than a regular Octavia, and body control feels notably more assertive as a result. But it’s still nowhere near as firm as some hot hatchbacks, and its longer wheelbase lends decent pliancy on faster, more undulating stretches of road. It’s sporting without being all-consuming, as is the case with so much about this car. The most obvious difference between this all-paw vRS and the front-driven diesel model is how it goes about changing direction. Where that car could at times struggle for traction as you attempted to get the power down mid-corner, this car feels far more assured and confident in its handling. Even through wet, sharp corners, you can get on the throttle early, confident that its four-wheel drive system will enable you to hold your line. True, with no VAQ limited-slip-diff-alike up front, it doesn’t have a particularly voracious appetite for apices, but that additional level of tractional security does help correct what was arguably the biggest black mark against the two-wheel-drive model’s name. Viewed simply as a hot hatchback, the Octavia vRS 4x4 would probably disappoint. It really needs - and deserves - a more nuanced approach than that, because ultimately there are far more immediately exciting performance cars out there for similar money. That’s not to say the Skoda is an unenjoyable car to drive swiftly on a good road - far from it. It just won’t raise a smile quite as quickly as a bona fide petrol-powered hot hatchback would. That’s simply not where its strengths lie. The Octavia’s real charm comes from the fact that, for the rest of the time, it’d slip into your life as effortlessly as a pair of smart black jeans. It’s an impressively versatile car, this: not only is it comfortable enough for daily use, but it’s attractive and well made, too. The fact that it has a massive boot - and an even bigger one if you opt for the estate model - doesn’t hurt its appeal, either. Nor does its 60mpg-plus touring economy. Diesel’s days might be limited, but cars like the Octavia vRS TDI 4x4 show just how much real-world appeal the fuel can have when it’s powering the right car. Still, I don’t think we’ll see another Skoda like this. And that’s rather sad.

Regular health check-ups up to the age of 30 can lead to the prevention of chronic diseases and help reduce the number of patients requiring medical treatment or surgery, say, doctors. “It is important for youngsters to go for regular health check-ups as it will be helpful to know about the silent risks they carry,” explained Dr Mukesh Budhwani, general physician, Apollo Clinic Pune. How? “Sometimes, chronic diseases are silent and can be felt asymptomatic. Thyroid, liver and kidney problems, diabetes, hypertension, stress, anxiety, depression, indigestion, and migraine are some of the health problems that are inherited. Thyroid disorders are common in young females and can lead to infertility” highlighted Dr Budhwani. Owing to the sedentary lifestyle, the diseases that are initiated at the age of 30-40 could be diabetes, obesity, lung diseases, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, long-term risk of cardiovascular disease, metabolic disorders, and liver disease. Figuring out these problems at an early stage saves youngsters from bigger diseases or co-morbidities such as diabetes and obesity at a later age. Blood test, weight check, cholesterol levels, uric acids levels, Hemogram, kidney, and liver function test, blood sugar, lipid profile, sonography for fatty liver, obesity, and high intake of fats are some of the parameters that need to be considered, said Dr Budhwani when getting regular check-ups. “Mammogram and Pap smear tests are important at a younger age. Deficiencies in the body like vitamin B12 and D and calcium should be evaluated to avoid long-term issues like arthritis, dementia, decreased concentration, and memory. Eighty per cent of the cases at the age of 32 can be reversed with appropriate medication, prophylaxes that differ from person-to-person, and lifestyle modification,” he added. As per Dr Navneet Kaur, general physician, Apollo Spectra Hospital, Nehru Enclave, Delhi, certain most common and serious chronic conditions including diabetes and high blood pressure might not cause any symptoms in the early stages. “But by setting your routine check, you not only will you come to know about your risk of getting diabetes or heart disease but also the current value of blood sugar and cholesterol. This helps eliminate further progressions of disease by continuous monitoring and reduce the risk of complications,” he said. Opt for yoga, aerobics, gymming, swimming, Surya Namaskar, jogging, cycling, breathing exercises, and running. Eat fresh fruits and vegetables, avoid spicy, oily, and processed foods said Dr Budhwani.

The major electricity network project that King Mohammed VI launched in Morocco’s southern provinces in January 2016 has reached its final stages. The infrastructure project concerns linking the electricity network of central Morocco with the network in Western Sahara. Morocco’s Minister of Energy, Aziz Rabbah, and the Director-General of the National Electricity Office (ONEE), Abderrahim El Hafidi, gave the update on the project’s progress on Friday, February 26, during a visit to Dakhla. The visit aimed to inspect the progress of the major infrastructure project, which falls within Morocco’s sustainable development program in the southern provinces. The project has an overall budget of MAD 2.4 billion ($268.4 million), including MAD 1.5 billion ($167.8 million) provided by ONEE, MAD 536 million ($59.9 million) by local authorities, and MAD 350 million ($39.1 million) by private operators. The first phase of the project was completed in 2018. It included 200 kilometers of electric lines with a capacity of 400 kilovolts (kV) between Laayoune and Boujdour, 45 kilometers of electric lines with a 225 kV capacity between Boujdour and Afteisat, and a medium-voltage electricity station in Afteisat. The second phase, meanwhile, includes 254 kilometers of 400 kV electric lines between Afteisat and Dakhla, two electricity stations in peninsular city, one 49-kilometer-long regular electric line, and one underground electric line of similar length. The projects included in the second phase are in their final testing phase and will soon be operational. The major infrastructure project seeks to improve electric connectivity in Morocco’s southern provinces. It also aims to allow the local po[CENSORED]tion to benefit from the energy generated by the wind farms and solar power plants built in the region. In addition to this project, ONEE is considering connecting the national electricity network with Guerguerat, 360 kilometers further to the south of Dakhla. The electricity office has already launched feasibility studies about the potential project.