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Pro-European Social Democrat Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu was leading in Sunday’s first round of Romania’s presidential election, according to two exit polls released soon after the end of voting.Ciolacu scored 25% of the vote while the centre-right former journalist turned small-town mayor Elena Lasconi was on 18%, according to the polls. Two far-right candidates scored 15% and 16% .Voting finished at 9pm.In the absence of an outright winner in the first round — scoring more than 50% — the top two candidates go through to a second-round run-off on December 8.Romanians voted on Sunday in the first round of a presidential election amid a surge in inflation and fears over the war in neighbouring Ukraine that could favour far-right leader George Simion.The vote kicks off two weeks of elections in the poor Nato member country, including a parliamentary vote and a December 8 presidential run-off.Social democrat Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu is leading a field of 13 contenders in the race to take over from President Klaus Iohannis in the largely ceremonial post. Ciolacu has about 25% support in opinion polls, followed by AUR leader Simion on 15% to 19% .Ciolacu, whose Social Democratic Party (PSD) has shaped the country’s politics for more than three decades, promised stability and a “decent” standard of living as he voted on Sunday.Simion, 38, has seen his popularity surge by tapping into voter anger over record inflation — 10% last year and 5.5% predicted for 2024 — while promising more affordable housing.Looking for a new election breakthrough for European far-right parties, he warned of possible “fraud” and “foreign interference” when voting. But he added: “I am happy that we are giving Romanians hope and the prospect of a better future.”Simion is targeting people like Rodica, a 69-year-old who was among the first to vote in Bucharest’s chilly sunshine. The pensioner, who would not give a family name, was afraid of the Ukraine war and wanted “better living conditions and peace”.Andrea Irimie, a 29-year-old teacher, was also concerned about Ukraine and said she wanted “change”.The stakes are high for Romania, which has a 650-kilometre border with Ukraine and has become more important since Russia invaded its neighbour in 2022.The Black Sea nation now plays a “vital strategic role” for Nato — as it is a base for more than 5,000 soldiers — and the transit of Ukrainian grain, the New Strategy Center think tank said.Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election has further “complicated” Romania’s choice, political analyst Cristian Pirvulescu told AFP.Known for his fiery speeches, Simion is a Trump fan who sometimes dons a red cap in appreciation of his idol.Simion opposes sending military aid to Ukraine, wants a “more patriotic Romania” and frequently lashes out against what he calls the “greedy corrupt bubble” running the European Union.Having campaigned hard to win over Romania’s large diaspora working abroad, he said the country has only had “minions and cowards as leaders”.Analyst Pirvulescu predicted that if Simion reaches the second round his AUR party would get a boost in the December parliamentary election.“Romanian democracy is in danger for the first time since the fall of communism in 1989,” he added.”I’m really afraid we’ll end up with Simion in the second round,” 36-year-old IT worker Oana Diaconu told AFP, expressing concern about the far-right leader’s unpredictable nature and attacks on the European Union.The campaign has been marked by controversy and personal attacks, with Simion facing accusations of meeting with Russian spies — a claim he has denied.Ciolacu has been criticised for his use of private jets.Polling in third place is former journalist Elena Lasconi, who became mayor of the small town of Campulung and head of a centre-right opposition party, who some tip as a potential surprise package.Lasconi said she wanted a future “where no one has to pack their suitcases and leave” the country and for “institutions that work”.

The UN special envoy for Syria said yesterday that it was “extremely critical” to end the fighting in Lebanon and Gaza to avoid the country being pulled into a regional war.“We need now to make sure that we have immediately a ceasefire in Gaza, that we have a ceasefire in Lebanon, and that we avoid Syria being dragged even further into the conflict,” said Geir Pedersen ahead of a meeting with the Syrian foreign minister in Damascus. “We agree that it is extremely critical that we de-escalate so that Syria is not further dragged into this,” he said. Since Syria’s civil war erupted in 2011, Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes in the country, mainly targeting the army and Iran-backed groups. The Israeli military has intensified its strikes on targets in Syria since its conflict with Hezbollah in neighbouring Lebanon escalated into full-scale war in late September after almost a year of cross-border hostilities.The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said Israeli strikes on the city of Palmyra earlier in the week killed 105 people, the vast majority of them fighters, in the deadliest such attack on foreign-backed groups to date.Israel rarely comments on individual strikes in Syria but has repeatedly said it will not allow Iran to expand its presence in the country.

Gaza’s civil defence agency said yesterday a drone strike overnight seriously injured a hospital chief in an attack on the healthcare facility, and 11 people were killed in Israeli raids on the Palestinian territory.Hossam Abu Safiya heads the Kamal Adwan hospital, one of just two partly operating in northern Gaza, as the war-ravaged territory is in the grip of a dire humanitarian crisis.Abu Safiya suffered an injury to his back and left thigh by metal fragments after an attack on the hospital complex, civil defence agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal said.After losing a lot of blood, the doctor was in a “stable” condition, Bassal said, adding an Israeli drone bombed the hospital in Beit Lahia, north Gaza.Vowing to stop Hamas from regrouping, Israel began an air and ground operation in Jabalia and then expanded it to Beit Lahia.Hospital staff have reported several strikes on the facility, while the World Health Organisation chief said he was “deeply concerned about the safety and well-being of 80 patients, including eight in the intensive care unit” at Kamal Adwan hospital.Hospitals in the Gaza Strip have been hit multiple times since the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas, sparked by the Palestinian group Hamas’ unprecedented storming of Israel in October 2023.Israel’s army says Hamas uses the hospitals as bases, hiding its activities among civilians, but the fighter group and medical workers deny the claim. Gaza’s civil defence agency yesterday morning also said 11 people died, “including children”, after two Israeli air strikes on Al-Bureij and Al-Maghazi refugee camps in central Gaza and artillery fire in Beit Lahia.Witnesses also described artillery fire in Al-Mawasi in southern Gaza.“I am afraid,” said 30-year-old Rania Abu Jazar, after she was forced to leave her makeshift shelter, a tent, in the early hours of the morning after intense fire.“My children are hungry and my (one-year-old) daughter Amal’s milk is in the tent. I do not know what to do. If we return, they might shell us again, the tanks are blind and they do not care about killing children and women,” she added.

When Zainab Ferozi saw Afghan women struggling to feed their families after Taliban authorities took power, she took matters into her own hands and poured her savings into starting a business.Two-and-a-half years after putting 20,000 Afghanis ($300) earned from teaching sewing classes into a carpet weaving enterprise, she now employs around a dozen women who lost their jobs or who had to abandon their education due to Taliban government rules.Through her business in the western province of Herat, the 39-year-old also “covers all the household expenses” of her family of six, she told AFP from her office where samples of brightly coloured and exquisitely woven rugs and bags are displayed.Her husband, a labourer, cannot find work in one of the poorest countries in the world.Ferozi is one of many women who have launched small businesses in the past three years to meet their own needs and support other Afghan women, whose employment sharply declined after the Taliban took power in 2021.Before the Taliban takeover, women made up 26% of public sector workers, a figure that “has effectively decreased to zero”, according to UN Women.Girls and women have also been banned from secondary schools and universities under restrictions the UN has described as “gender apartheid”.Touba Zahid, a 28-year-old mother-of-one, started making jams and pickles in the small basement of her home in the capital Kabul after she was forced to stop her university education.“I came into the world of business...to create job opportunities for women so they can have an income that at least covers their immediate needs,” Zahid said.Half a dozen of her employees, wearing long white coats, were busy jarring jams and pickles labelled “Mum’s delicious homecooking”.While women may be making the stock, running the shops in Afghanistan remains mostly a man’s job.Saleswomen like Zahid “cannot go to the bazaar to promote and sell their products” themselves, said Fariba Noori, chairwoman of the Afghanistan Women’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry (AWCCI).Another issue for Afghan businesswomen is the need for a “mahram” – a male family member chaperone – to accompany them to other cities or provinces to purchase raw materials, said Noori.After 40 years of successive conflicts, many Afghan women have been widowed and lost many male relatives.Despite these challenges, the number of businesses registered with tha AWCCI has increased since the Taliban takeover, according to Noori.The number went “from 600 big companies to 10,000” mainly small, home-based businesses and a few bigger companies, said Noori, herself a businesswoman for 12 years.Khadija Mohammadi, who launched her eponymous brand in 2022 after she lost her private school teaching job, now employs more than 200 women sewing dresses and weaving carpets.“I am proud of every woman who is giving a hand to another woman to help her become independent,” said the 26-year-old.Though businesses like Mohammadi’s are a lifeline, the salaries ranging from 5,000-13,000 Afghanis, cannot cover all costs and many women are still stalked by economic hardship.Qamar Qasimi, who lost her job as a beautician after the Taliban authorities banned beauty salons in 2023, said that even with her salary she and her husband struggle to pay rent and feed their family of eight.“When I worked in the beauty salon, we could earn 3,000-7,000 Afghanis for styling one bride, but here we get 5,000 per month,” said the 24-year-old.“It’s not comparable but I have no other choice,” she added, the room around her full of women chatting as they worked at 30 looms.The closure of beauty salons was not only a financial blow, but also removed key spaces for women to socialise.Zohra Gonish decided to open a restaurant to create a women-only space in northeastern Badakhshan province.“Women can come here and relax,” said the 20-year-old entrepreneur. “We wanted the staff to be women so that the women customers can feel comfortable here.”However, starting her business in 2022 at age 18 was not easy in a country where the labour force participation for women is 10 times lower than the world average, according to the World Bank.It took Gonish a week to convince her father to support her.Aside from helping their families and having space to socialise, some women said work has given them a sense of purpose.Sumaya Ahmadi, 15, joined Ferozi’s carpet company to help her parents after she had to leave school and became “very depressed”.“(Now) I’m very happy and I no longer have any mental health problems. I’m happier and I feel better.”The work has also given her a new goal: to help her two brothers build their futures.“Because schools’ doors are closed to girls, I work instead of my brothers so they can study and do something with their lives.”

Uruguayans voted yesterday with the leftist alliance of celebrated ex-president Jose “Pepe” Mujica hoping to reclaim the country’s top job five years after a right-wing victory driven by concerns over crime and taxes.Former history teacher Yamandu Orsi of the leftist Frente Amplio (Broad Front) is going head-to-head with ex-veterinarian Alvaro Delgado of the National Party, a member of outgoing President Luis Lacalle Pou’s centre-right Republican Coalition.“As long as things improve here in Uruguay and it stays afloat, that’s enough for me,” said one voter, 34-year-old meat industry worker Nicolas Clavijo.Orsi, 57, is seen as the understudy of 89-year-old Mujica, a former guerrilla lionised as “the world’s poorest president” during his 2010-2015 rule because of his modest lifestyle.Orsi had garnered 43.9% of the October 27 first-round vote – short of the 50% cutoff to avoid a runoff but ahead of the 26.7% of ballots cast for Delgado, 55.The pair came out on top of a crowded field of 11 candidates seeking to replace Lacalle Pou, who has a high approval rating but is barred constitutionally from seeking a second consecutive term.Ahead of yesterday’s election, opinion polls suggested the runoff promised to be razor tight, with fewer than 25,000 votes potentially separating the two contenders, and Orsi only marginally ahead in stated voter intention in South America’s second-smallest country.Although Clavijo voted for the Frente Amplio, he said “both (coalitions) have good and bad proposals”.Mujica, who is battling cancer and had to use a cane to walk into his polling station to vote, said yesterday: “Personally, I have nothing more to look forward to. My closest future is the cemetery, for reasons of age.”“But I am interested in the fate of you, the young people who, when they are my age, will live in a very different world,” he added.A smiling Orsi cast his ballot in the rural Canelones region, to applause from supporters.Delgado shook hands with polling station officials as he cast his vote in Montevideo.Other parties within the Republican Coalition have thrown their support behind Delgado since the first round, boosting his numbers.A victory for Orsi would see Uruguay swing left again after five years of centre-right rule in the country of 3.4mn inhabitants.The Frente Amplio coalition broke a decades-long conservative stranglehold with an election victory in 2005, and held the presidency for three straight terms.It was voted out in 2020 on the back of concerns about rising crime blamed on high taxes and a surge in cocaine trafficking through the port of Montevideo.Polling numbers show perceived insecurity remains Uruguayans’ top concern five years later.A 72-year-old retiree who voted, Juan Antonio Stivan, said he just wanted the next government to guarantee “safety – to be able to go out in the street with peace of mind, as an old person, as a young person, as a child”.Another voter, Aldo Soroara, 60, said he expected whoever is elected as president to do “the best he can for the people”, adding: “You can’t ask for much more in these difficult times.”Voting is compulsory in Uruguay, one of Latin America’s most stable democracies, with comparatively high per-capita income and low poverty levels.Neither coalition has an absolute majority in the lower house following October’s elections.However, Orsi’s Broad Front won 16 of 30 Senate seats.He says that his Senate majority puts him in a better position to lead the next government.

Top EU diplomat Josep Borrell called for an immediate ceasefire in the Israel-Hezbollah war while on a visit to Lebanon on Sunday, as the fighter group claimed attacks deep into Israel.The Israeli military said Hezbollah fired around 160 projectiles into Israel during the day. Some of them were intercepted but others caused damage to houses in central Israel, according to AFP images.A day after the health ministry said Israeli strikes on Beirut and across Lebanon killed 84 people, state media reported two strikes on Sunday on the capital’s southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold.Israel’s military said it had attacked “headquarters” of the fighter group “hidden within civilian structures” in south Beirut.War between Israel and Hezbollah escalated in late September, nearly a year after the group began launching strikes in solidarity with its Palestinian ally Hamas following that group’s October 2023 storming of Israel.The conflict has killed at least 3,754 people in Lebanon since October 2023, according to the health ministry, most of them since September. On the Israeli side, authorities say at least 82 soldiers and 47 civilians have been killed.Earlier this week, US special envoy Amos Hochstein said in Lebanon that a truce deal was “within our grasp”, and then headed to Israel for talks with officials there.In the Lebanese capital, Borrell held talks with parliamentary speaker Nabih Berri, who has led mediation efforts on behalf of ally Hezbollah.“We see only one possible way ahead: an immediate ceasefire and the full implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701,” Borrell said.“Lebanon is on the brink of collapse”, he warned. Under Resolution 1701, which ended the last Hezbollah-Israel war of 2006, Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers should be the only armed forces present in the southern border area.The resolution also called for Israel to withdraw troops from Lebanon, and reiterated earlier calls for “disarmament of all armed groups in Lebanon.”The Lebanese army maintains a presence across the country’s territory, but it is Hezbollah – one of the world’s best-armed non-state forces – that holds sway in key areas along the border with Israel.While the Lebanese army is not engaged in the Israel-Hezbollah war, it has suffered multiple fatalities, the latest coming on Sunday.The army said an Israeli strike on a military post killed one soldier and wounded 18 others.Also on Sunday, Hezbollah said it launched attacks using missiles and drones directed at a naval base in southern Israel and military sites in the central Tel Aviv area. It said it had “launched, for the first time, an aerial attack using a swarm of strike drones on the Ashdod naval base”, one its deepest targets so far.Hezbollah also said its fighters had launched a volley of missiles at the Glilot military intelligence base on the outskirts of Tel Aviv, a facility it has announced previous attacks against.The Israeli military did not comment on the specific claims, but it said earlier that air raid sirens had sounded in several areas, including in the Tel Aviv suburbs.Medical agencies reported that at least 11 people were wounded in Israel.AFP images from Petah Tikva, near Tel Aviv, showed several damaged and burned-out cars, and a house pockmarked by shrapnel. In nearby Rinatya, several houses were damaged.The wave of projectiles follows at least four deadly Israeli strikes in central Beirut in the past week, including one that killed Hezbollah spokesman Mohammed Afif.Israeli strikes have also targeted the city’s southern suburbs on a near-daily basis for the past two weeks, but were briefly halted during US envoy Hochstein’s visit. On Sunday, the official National News Agency said “Israeli warplanes launched two violent strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs”, after the Israeli military posted warnings online.AFPTV footage showed grey smoke billowing over the area, with the news agency reporting “massive destruction”.In Gaza, Hamas’ armed wing said Saturday that an Israeli hostage, captured during the group’s October 2023 storming which triggered the war, had been killed. Israel’s military said it could neither “confirm nor refute” the claim.

Traditional clay pottery is seeing a resurgence in the Gaza Strip, where Palestinians are forced to find solutions for a shortage of plates and other crockery to eat from in the territory ravaged by more than a year of war.“There is an unprecedented demand for plates as no supplies enter the Gaza Strip,” 26-year-old potter Jafar Atallah said in the central Gaza city of Deir Al-Balah.The vast majority of the Palestinian territory’s 2.4mn people have been displaced, often multiple times, by the war that began with Hamas’ storming of southern Israel in October 2023.Fleeing bombs amid Israel’s devastating retaliatory military offensive, which has destroyed large amounts of civilian infrastructure, everyday items like cups and bowls have often been lost, broken or left behind to perish. With imports made increasingly difficult by Israeli restrictions and the dangers of delivering aid, Gazans have had to find resourceful ways to meet their needs since the war began.BARE-BONESTo keep up with demand, Atallah works non-stop, producing around 100 pieces a day, mainly bowls and cups, a stark contrast to the 1,500 units his factory in northern Gaza made before the war. It is one of the numerous factories in Gaza to have shut down, with many destroyed during air strikes, inaccessible because of the fighting, or unable to operate because of materials and electricity shortages.Today, Atallah works out of a bare-bones workshop set up under a thin blue plastic sheet.He carefully shapes the clay into much-needed crockery, then leaves his terracotta creations to dry in the sun — one of the few things Gaza still has plenty of.Each object is sold for 10 shekels, the equivalent of $2.70 – nearly five times what it was worth before the war led to widespread shortages and sent prices soaring.Gazans have said they are struggling to find all types of basic household goods. “After 13 months of war, I went to the market to buy plates and cutlery, and all I could find was this clay pot,” said Lora al-Turk, a 40-year-old mother living in a makeshift shelter in Nuseirat, a few kilometres (miles) from Deir Al-Balah.“I was forced to buy it to feed my children,” she said, noting that the pot’s price was now more than double what it was before the war.The war in Gaza was triggered by Hamas’ unprecedented October 2023 storming of southern Israel.Israel’s retaliatory military offensive has killed at least 44,176 people, most of them civilians, according to data from Hamas-run Gaza’s health ministry which the United Nations considers reliable. Following each Israeli army evacuation order, which generally precedes fighting and bombing, masses of people take to the roads, often on foot, carrying whatever they can manage.But with each passing month and increasing waves of displacement, the loads they carry grow smaller.OLD WAYSMany Gazans now live in tents or other makeshift shelters, and some even on bare pavement.The United Nations has warned about the threat of diseases in the often cramped and unsanitary conditions. But for Gazans, finding inventive ways to cope with hardship is nothing new.In this, the worst-ever Gaza war, people are using broken concrete from war-damaged buildings to build makeshift homes. With fuel and even firewood scarce, many rely on donkeys for transport. Century-old camping stoves are reconditioned and used for cooking.Traditional pottery is another sign of a return to the old waysof living.

In his first global meetings since Donald Trump was re-elected to lead the US, Chinese President Xi Jinping went on a diplomatic offensive, hedging against expected new tariffs and preparing to exploit potential future rifts between Washington and its allies.At meeting after meeting, from Apec in Peru to G20 in Brazil over the last week, Xi sought to draw a contrast with Trump’s “America First” message, presenting himself as a predictable defender of the multilateral global trade order.Summit organisers, diplomats and negotiators also describe a noticeable shift from previous summits in a more constructive posture by Chinese diplomats, who were less focused on their narrow interests and more involved in building a broader consensus.The outreach is urgent for Beijing. While better prepared for another Trump White House — with many tech companies far less reliant on US imports — China is also more vulnerable after its economy was hit by a huge property crisis.Much of China’s attention has focused on the Global South, with state news agency Xinhua praising the G20 for including the African Union as one of the members. The voice of the Global South needed to be “not merely heard but also translated into tangible influence,” Xinhua said.During his G20 speech last Monday, Xi reiterated China’s position on “unilaterally opening our doors wider to the least developed countries,” touting China’s move to give all such countries “zero-tariff treatment for 100 percent tariff lines.”By making such overtures, China wants to expand its leading position in parts of the developing world where the US has long lagged due to its inability to match the billion-dollar investments that China’s state-led economy has marshalled.“To position China as a defender of globalisation and a critic of protectionism, this calculated messaging comes at a time when many countries in the Global South fear the potential return of indiscriminate trade and tariff policies from the US, particularly under Trump’s influence,” said Sunny Cheung, associate fellow for China Studies at Jamestown Foundation, a think tank based in Washington, DC.“Xi’s remarks aim to present China as a more stable and sensible and most importantly a reciprocal partner in contrast to perceived US unpredictability.”Trump has pledged to impose tariffs on Chinese imports in excess of 60%, and a Reuters poll of economists found they expected the US would impose tariffs of nearly 40%, potentially slicing growth in the world’s second-biggest economy by up to 1 percentage point.Former Chinese diplomats privately acknowledge that developing countries won’t make up for that loss, but Xi has been betting heavily on the expansion of Brics and mending fences with Asian neighbours, from India to Japan to Australia.European countries, also threatened by Trump with tariffs, sought to strike a conciliatory tone with Xi at the latest round of meetings.German chancellor Olaf Scholz said Berlin would work for a mediated solution to an EU-China dispute over Chinese electric vehicles as fast as possible during his meeting Xi.Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer struck an upbeat tone in the first meeting between the countries’ two leaders since 2018, saying he would like to engage with Beijing on areas such as trade, the economy and climate, and have broader engagement on science, technology, health and education.Shen Dingli, a Shanghai-based international relations scholar, said European allies of the US would not “embrace” China if Trump’s protectionist policies were aimed at them “but there would be more co-operation”.Behind the scenes, diplomats said they also noted a change in China’s behaviour at these multinational gatherings, with Beijing officials getting involved in a wider set of issues.“China traditionally stayed much more discreet and defended only its most essential interests,” according to a Brazilian diplomat.“They seem to be realising today that more engagement is required of them. It’s not enough to build economic power, diplomacy is important for their own interests and the position they want to have in the world,” he added.To be sure, some analysts say the Chinese outreach belies tensions between Beijing and other countries that were not present when Trump first took office, making his return unlikely to bring about a total reordering of the geopolitical landscape.Western countries have long accused China of unfair trade practices, saying its state support for manufacturers, coupled with depressed domestic demand, is pushing excessive Chinese supply onto global markets.China’s outreach could also be a hard sell in its immediate neighbourhood, where its ships have repeatedly clashed with the Philippines and other neighbours over territorial claims in the South China Sea.Shi Yinhong, a professor at Renmin University in Beijing, was sceptical of the notion that Trump’s return would give China more leverage when dealing with the EU and other US allies, highlighting the proliferation of conflicts over Ukraine, Taiwan, and elsewhere.“China, of course, likes to improve relations with the EU and its major powers, but without much cost,” said Shi.That meant it would not make major concessions on trade, human rights, and territorial disputes “with or without Trump, which in turn makes major and lasting rapprochement impossible,” he added.Shi also said that China’s ability to invest and take advantage of costly Global South infrastructure projects was diminished due to its sputtering economy. And even among these like-minded countries there is underlying unease about China’s growing clout, other experts say, pointing as an example to Brazil’s move to not join Xi’s signature Belt and Road Initiative.“Brazil has some concerns about the relationship with China on who is the dominant partner and a desire to not be a satellite and have a more equal, balanced trade relationship with more value added on the Brazilian side,” said Robert Evan Ellis, a professor at the US Army War College. — ReutersPOINTS TO PONDER• China’s diplomatic push: Xi positions China as a stable, multilateral trade ally against Trump’s protectionist policies.• Europe’s conciliatory tone: EU leaders engage with China on trade and climate, balancing co-operation with caution.• Challenges remain: Trade disputes, territorial tensions, and economic strains limit China’s global outreach success.

An abrupt drop in global freshwater levels, as revealed recently by Nasa-German satellites is yet another cause of consternation amid aggravating environmental challenges. An international team of scientists using observations from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellites found evidence that Earth’s total amount of freshwater dropped abruptly starting in May 2014 and has remained low ever since. Reporting in Surveys in Geophysics, the researchers suggested the shift could indicate Earth’s continents have entered a persistently drier phase.From 2015 through 2023, satellite measurements showed that the average amount of freshwater stored on land — that includes liquid surface water like lakes and rivers, plus water in aquifers underground — was 1,200 cubic km lower than the average levels from 2002 through 2014, said Matthew Rodell, one of the study authors and a hydrologist at Nasa’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.During times of drought, along with the modern expansion of irrigated agriculture, farms and cities must rely more heavily on groundwater, which can lead to a cycle of declining underground water supplies: Freshwater supplies become depleted, rain and snow fail to replenish them, and more groundwater is pumped. The reduction in available water puts a strain on farmers and communities, potentially leading to famine, conflicts, poverty, and an increased risk of disease when people turn to contaminated water sources, according to a UN report on water stress published in 2024.The GRACE satellites, operated by the German Aerospace Center, German Research Centre for Geosciences, and Nasa, measure fluctuations in Earth’s gravity on monthly scales that reveal changes in the mass of water on and under the ground. The original GRACE satellites flew from March 2002-October 2017. The successor GRACE–Follow On (GRACE–FO) satellites launched in May 2018.The decline in global freshwater reported in the study began with a massive drought in northern and central Brazil, and was followed shortly by a series of major droughts in Australasia, South America, North America, Europe, and Africa. Warmer ocean temperatures in the tropical Pacific from late 2014 into 2016, culminating in one of the most significant El Niño events since 1950, led to shifts in atmospheric jet streams that altered weather and rainfall patterns around the world. However, even after El Niño subsided, global freshwater failed to rebound. In fact, Rodell and team report that 13 of the world’s 30 most intense droughts observed by GRACE occurred since January 2015. Rodell and colleagues suspect that global warming might be contributing to the enduring freshwater depletion.Global warming leads the atmosphere to hold more water vapour, which results in more extreme precipitation, said Nasa Goddard meteorologist Michael Bosilovich. While total annual rain and snowfall levels may not change dramatically, long periods between intense precipitation events allow the soil to dry and become more compact. That decreases the amount of water the ground can absorb when it does rain. “The problem when you have extreme precipitation,” Bosilovich said, “is the water ends up running off,” instead of soaking in and replenishing groundwater stores.Globally, freshwater levels have stayed consistently low since the 2014-2016 El Niño, while more water remains trapped in the atmosphere as water vapour. “Warming temperatures increase both the evaporation of water from the surface to the atmosphere, and the water-holding capacity of the atmosphere, increasing the frequency and intensity of drought conditions,” he noted.While there are reasons to suspect that the abrupt drop in freshwater is largely due to global warming, it can be difficult to definitively link the two, said Susanna Werth, a hydrologist and remote sensing scientist at Virginia Tech, who was not affiliated with the study. “There are uncertainties in climate predictions,” Werth said. “Measurements and models always come with errors.”It remains to be seen whether global freshwater will rebound to pre-2015 values, hold steady, or resume its decline. Considering that the nine warmest years in the modern temperature record coincided with the abrupt freshwater decline, Rodell said, “We don’t think this is a coincidence, and it could be a harbinger of what’s to come.”

Premier League leaders Liverpool beat bottom side Southampton 3-2 on Sunday to build a sizeable eight-point lead over reigning champions Manchester City after Mohamed Salah led a second-half comeback for the visitors.Liverpool were trailing 2-1 when Salah scored twice in the second half to take his season’s tally to 10 goals in the league. After City lost their third straight league game on Saturday, a humbling 4-0 loss to Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool took full advantage and Arne Slot’s side now have 31 points from 12 games to City’s 23.Southampton shot themselves in the foot when they tried playing out from the back and under Liverpool pressure, Flynn Downes’s pass fell to Szoboszlai at the edge of the box and the unmarked midfielder fired home to make it 1-0.However, Southampton received a lifeline minutes later when Andy Robertson tripped Tyler Dibling on the edge of the box and the referee pointed to the spot, with VAR upholding the decision even though the contact was made just outside the area.Although Adam Armstrong had his spot kick saved by Caoimhin Kelleher, the forward pounced on the rebound to equalise with his third goal in four games for Southampton.Saints turned things around 11 minutes into the second half from a sublime counter-attack when Dibling found Armstrong running into space and the forward spotted Mateus Fernandes making a run and the Portuguese midfielder made it 2-1.That spurred Liverpool into action and after Darwin Nunez failed to find Luis Diaz at the far post for a simple tap-in, Salah took matters into his own hands. Liverpool equalised through Salah when he ran through on goal on to a lob from Ryan Gravenberch and as he saw Alex McCarthy come off his line, the Egyptian winger took one touch to let the ball roll past the onrushing goalkeeper.It marked the eighth time Southampton had committed an error leading to an opposition goal – more than any other Premier League team this season – as the home side squandered their advantage. Southampton then conceded a penalty in the 83rd minute from a Yukinari Sugawara handball and Salah made no mistake from the spot as Liverpool sealed the three points.Ruben Amorim was given a stark illustration of the size of his task at Manchester United after his uninspiring team were held 1-1 by struggling Ipswich in his first match in charge on Sunday.The Portuguese – the latest man tasked with restoring the club to the top of English football spoke before kick-off about the need to be “patient”.But he had barely settled in his seat at a blustery Portman Road before Marcus Rashford turned in Amad Diallo’s inviting cross, stunning the home crowd.Ipswich, who started the day in the relegation zone, battled back, earning the equaliser they deserved through Omari Hutchinson just before half-time. Neither side could find a winner in the second period despite chances at both ends, with the result leaving both managers unsatisfied.The result leaves United 12th in the Premier League, six points behind fourth-placed Arsenal, while Ipswich are still in the drop zone.Before kick-off two Manchester United fans held up a home-made sign saying: “Good luck Ruben Amorim, Make our team great again.”The former Sporting Lisbon boss, who replaced the sacked Erik ten Hag, made three changes from the final line-up named by United’s interim boss Ruud van Nistelrooy before the international break. And he changed his formation to play three at the back as widely expected, with England forward Rashford operating as a lone central striker ahead of captain Bruno Fernandes and Alejandro Garnacho.

Raging orange flames and thick black smoke billowed into the sky yesterday as fire ripped through hundreds of houses in a closely built slum area of the Philippine capital Manila.Manila Fire District said around 1,000 houses were burned in the blaze that is thought to have started on the second floor of one of the homes.There were no immediate reports of casualties.Drone footage shared online by the city’s disaster agency showed houses in Isla Puting Bato village of Manila razed to the ground.The structures housed around 2,000 families, according to the fire department.Village resident Leonila Abiertas, 65, lost almost all her possessions, but managed to save her late husband’s ashes. “I only got the urn with the ashes of my husband,” a crying Abiertas said. “I really don’t know how I can start my life again after this fire.” Fire and disaster services deployed 36 trucks and four fire boats while the country’s air force sent in two helicopters to help extinguish the fire.

Al Gharafa will face one of their stiffest tests for a place in the knockout stage of the AFC Champions League Elite 2024-25 stage when they meet Ronaldo’s Al Nassr Club of Saudi Arabia at the Al Bayt Stadium today at 7pm. Al Gharafa head into the tie being sixth in the West Zone standings with Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr third. Al Gharafa have blown hot and cold on the continental stage, something which they can’t afford as the League Stage enters the second half but will be boosted by Friday’s 3-1 win against Al Wakrah in their Qatar Stars League 2024-25 match. A haul of four points means they can be overtaken even by bottom-placed Al Ain FC, with the UAE side three adrift, but the records are not in Al Gharafa’s favour with the Qatari side winless in each of their last 10 matches against Saudi Arabian opposition in the competition. Al Gharafa coach Pedro Martins, however, said he expects his team to rise to the occasion and change the script. “We need a win to stay on track for the knockout stage. I hope the players will perform up to their potential. We will play with our own style against Al Nassr, which is a strong side having a great striker in Cristiano Ronaldo, but we will apply individual marking on him. Our chances to advance are still there and we will continue to fight for it,” said Martins. Al Gharafa’s Argentinian player Matias Nani, said, “We look forward to playing a good match and the while it’s a strong challenge, we aim to get the three points.” Al Nassr coach Stefano Pioli said his team would be wary of Al Gharafa players Yacine Brahimi and Joselu. “Al Gharafa are strong opponents having good players. They are an organised team which tries to control the field. They have a good midfielder in (Yacine) Brahimi and good striker Joselu so we must be careful,” said Pioli. He added, “We get little time to recover during our games but we are used to it. We have professional players who are used to these situations. We had a good training session and the team is ready for the match. We will try to do our best after we lost our last match due to mistakes. “The most important thing is that our mental focus is present tomorrow. It is true that in the last match we made mistakes, but we have a final training session today to prepare for the match with Al Gharafa.” About Ronaldo’s presence, Pioli said, “Today we have the last training session, and if he is ready, he will be present in tomorrow’s match.” Al Nassr are unbeaten in their last seven matches against Qatari opposition on the continental stage, winning each of their last five. They were in a rich vein of form prior to the international break but suffered a shock 2-1 defeat to Al Qadisiyah in the Saudi Pro League 2024-25 on Friday, with the result leaving them six points adrift of pacesetters Al Hilal SFC. Al Rayyan vs Persepolis Qatar’s Al Rayyan and Persepolis FC of Iran will be aiming to revive their respective campaigns when they square off in the AFC Champions League Elite 2024-25 at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium today at 9pm. Both sides are in desperate need of a win with Al Rayyan having accumulated three points from four matches while Persepolis are one behind. Al Rayyan ended a run of three consecutive defeats with their 1-0 win over Uzbekistan’s Pakhtakor on Matchday Four and will be hoping to carry that form into their tie against Persepolis. Al Rayyan were edged 1-2 by Al Shamal in the Ooredoo Stars League on Friday but would be looking to show their form on a bigger stage. Al Rayyan coach Younes Ali said his side is focused on improving their chances of qualifying for the knockouts. “We are looking to capitalise on our previous win against Pakhtakor and increase our chances of qualifying for the next stage. “We have turned the page on the last Al Shamal match, in which I bear responsibility for the loss. I trust my players’ ability to do their best in the continental championship,” said Ali. He added, “We aim to derive strength from our last win against Pakhtakor (of Uzbekistan) and do well to enhance our chances of qualifying for the next round having studied the opposition well.” Persepolis’ assistant coach Seyed Jalal Hosseini said the contest is a difficult. “Al Rayyan match will be difficult and strong, and we need to achieve victory and come out with the three points. So we will do our best to get the desired result,” he said. “Our preparations have been good for tomorrow’s match and we look forward to winning and restoring our chances of qualifying for the round of 16. We will do our best to come out with a positive result,” he stressed. Persepolis have also found the going tough on the continental stage, managing just two draws but will count on their record against Al Rayyan to get on the winning trail – having won two and drawn one of their last three meetings with the Qatari side.Their domestic form has been good, advancing to the Round of 16 of the Hazfi Cup with a 3-0 defeat of Soongun on Thursday and sitting just a point behind leaders Sepahan in the Iran Pro League 2024-25.