Disease ecologists document person-to-person spread of antimicrobial-resistant plague

by Northern Arizona University

A scanning electron microscope micrograph depicting a mass of Yersinia pestis bacteria in the foregut of an infected flea. Credit: Wikipedia

Although the world is focused on the COVID-19 pandemic, there are many other dangerous pathogens still out there, like Yersinia pestis, which causes plague—the deadly disease that killed tens of millions of people during the infamous Black Death in the 14th century. Although plague has been largely eradicated in the developed world, it still affects hundreds of people globally each year.

When a human is infected with bubonic plague from a flea bite and it goes untreated, the infection can progress and spread to the lungs, resulting in pneumonic plague. The most feared clinical form of plague, pneumonic plague is typically lethal if not quickly treated, and infected patients can transmit the disease to others via respiratory droplets. A team of scientists from Northern Arizona University's Pathogen and Microbiome Institute, led by professor Dave Wagner, recently published their findings from a remarkable study involving antimicrobial resistant (AMR) plague.

Although pneumonic plague outbreaks are now extremely rare, scientists consider plague to be a reemerging and neglected disease, particularly in the East African island country of Madagascar, which reports the majority of annual global cases. With no vaccine against it, preventing mortality from plague requires rapid diagnosis followed by treatment with antibiotics. An AMR strain of Y. pestis—resistant to the antibiotic streptomycin, usually the first-line treatment for plague in Madagascar—was isolated from a pneumonic plague outbreak that occurred there in 2013, involving 22 cases, including three fatalities.

Wagner's team, including PMI senior research scientists Dawn Birdsell and Nawarat Somprasong, PMI assistant director Amy Vogler, professor Herbert Schweizer, associate professor Jason Sahl and senior research coordinator Carina Hall, conducted a study of this outbreak, together with long-term research partners at the Institut Pasteur de Madagascar and scientists at the Institute Pasteur Paris and the Madagascar Ministry of Public Health. The results of the study, "Transmission of antimicrobial resistant Yersinia pestis during a pneumonic plague outbreak," were recently published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.

"By characterizing the outbreak using epidemiology, clinical diagnostics and DNA-fingerprinting approaches," Wagner said, "we determined—for the first time—that AMR strains of Y. pestis can be transmitted person-to-person. The AMR strain from this outbreak is resistant to streptomycin due to a spontaneous point mutation, but is still susceptible to many other antibiotics, including co-trimoxazole. Luckily, the 19 cases that were treated all received co-trimoxazole in addition to streptomycin, and all of them survived.

"The point mutation, which also is the source of streptomycin resistance in other bacterial species, has occurred independently in Y. pestis at least three times and appears to have no negative effect on the AMR strain, suggesting that it could potentially persist in nature via the natural rodent-flea transmission cycle. However, AMR Y. pestis strains are exceedingly rare and the mutation has not been observed again in Madagascar since this outbreak."Why health officials are concerned about the Madagascar plague outbreak

More information: Voahangy Andrianaivoarimanana et al, Transmission of Antimicrobial Resistant Yersinia pestis During a Pneumonic Plague Outbreak, Clinical Infectious Diseases (2021). DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciab606

Journal information: Clinical Infectious Diseases

Provided by Northern Arizona University 

 

Image: Hubble peers into a dusty stellar nursery

by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

This image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope features AFGL 5180, a beautiful stellar nursery located in the constellation of Gemini (the Twins). Credit: Image credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, J. C. Tan (Chalmers University & University of Virginia), R. Fedriani (Chalmers University)

Nestled among the vast clouds of star-forming regions like this one lie potential clues about the formation of our own solar system.

This image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope features AFGL 5180, a beautiful stellar nursery located in the constellation of Gemini (the Twins).

At the center of the image, a massive star is forming and blasting cavities through the clouds with a pair of powerful jets, extending to the top right and bottom left of the image. Light from this star is mostly escaping and reaching us by illuminating these cavities, like a lighthouse piercing through the storm clouds.

Stars are born in dusty environments and although this dust makes for spectacular images, it can prevent astronomers from seeing stars embedded in it. Hubble's Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) instrument is designed to capture detailed images in both visible and infrared light, meaning that the young stars hidden in vast star-forming regions like AFGL 5180 can be seen much more clearly.Image: Hubble sees a cluster of red, white, and blue

Provided by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center 

 

Traces of Ceres' icy crust found at occator crater

by Planetary Science Institute

Ceres. Credit: NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Anomalies in the distribution of hydrogen at Occator crater on the dwarf planet Ceres reveal an icy crust, says a new paper led by Tom Prettyman, a Senior Scientist at the Planetary Science Institute. 

The evidence comes from data acquired by the Gamma Ray and Neutron Detector (GRaND) aboard NASA's Dawn spacecraft. A detailed map of the concentration of hydrogen in the vicinity of Occator was derived from observations from elliptical orbits that brought the spacecraft very close to the surface during the final mission phase, said Prettyman. The paper entitled "Replenishment of near-surface water ice by impacts into Ceres' volatile-rich crust: Observations by Dawn's Gamma Ray and Neutron Detector" appears in Geophysical Research Letters. PSI scientists Yuki Yamashita, Norbert Schorghofer, Carle Pieters and Hanna Sizemore, are co-authors. 

GRaND's neutron spectrometer found elevated hydrogen concentrations in the outermost meter of the surface of Occator, a large, young crater 92 kilometers (57 miles) in diameter, the paper says. The paper argues that the excess hydrogen is in the form of water ice. Results confirm Ceres outer crust is ice rich and that water ice can survive within impact ejecta on airless, icy bodies. The data imply partial control of the distribution of near-surface ice by large impacts and provide constraints on surface age and regolith thermophysical properties. 

"We think that ice has survived in the shallow subsurface during the roughly 20 million years following the formation of Occator. Similarities between the global distribution of hydrogen and the pattern of large craters suggest impact processes have delivered ice to the surface elsewhere on Ceres. This process is accompanied by the loss of ice by sublimation caused by heating of the surface by sunlight," Prettyman said. 

"The impact that formed Occator would have excavated crustal materials as deep as 10 kilometers (about 6 miles). So, observed enhancements in the concentration of hydrogen within the crater and ejecta blanket support our interpretation that the crust is ice rich. The findings reinforce the emerging consensus that Ceres is a differentiated body in which ice separated from rock to form an icy outer shell and subcrustal ocean," Prettyman said. 

"Smaller, water-rich bodies, including the parent bodies of the carbonaceous chondrite meteorites, may not have experienced differentiation. So, the findings could have implications for the evolution of icy bodies, small and large," Prettyman said. "More broadly, as an ocean world, Ceres could be habitable and is therefore an attractive target for future missions."  

Funding for the study was provided by a grant from NASA's Discovery Data Analysis Program, the NASA Dawn Mission, and by the SSERVI TREX project.GRaND seeks subsurface water ice on Ceres

More information: T. H. Prettyman et al, Replenishment of Near‐Surface Water Ice by Impacts Into Ceres' Volatile‐Rich Crust: Observations by Dawn's Gamma Ray and Neutron Detector, Geophysical Research Letters (2021). DOI: 10.1029/2021GL094223

Journal information: Geophysical Research Letters 

Provided by Planetary Science Institute 

 

Corals survive the heat with bacterial help

by King Abdullah University of Science and Technology

KAUST researchers are exploring the use of probiotic bacteria to boost the survival of corals after bleaching events. Credit: © 2021 KAUST; Morgan Bennett Smith.

Treating corals with a probiotic cocktail of beneficial bacteria increases survival after a bleaching event, according to new research. This approach could be administered in advance of a predicted heat wave to help corals recover from high sea temperatures.

Climate change is increasing the temperatures of the oceans, which disrupts the relationship between corals and their symbiotic photosynthetic algae and causes corals to bleach, in some cases eventually leading to their death. KAUST researchers have proposed that manipulating the coral microbiome might enhance their stress tolerance by using beneficial microorganisms for corals, or BMC.

To test this, the team selected six beneficial bacterial strains isolated from the coral Mussismilia hispida and used them to inoculate experimental cultures of M. hispida. At the same time, the corals were exposed to a heat stress treatment, with the temperature increasing to 30 degrees Celsius over the course of 10 days before dropping back down to 26 degrees Celsius. The researchers monitored the health of the corals and measured microbial diversity and metabolic parameters in treatments with and without probiotics or heat stress.

Initially, there was no difference—corals with and without probiotics reacted similarly at the peak temperature and both bleached. "At that point of the experiment, I thought, well, OK, we're seeing similar responses between the treatments," recalls Erika Santoro, the study's lead author, who is now a postdoc at KAUST. "But then after we dropped the temperature, we observed a plot twist from the group that we treated with probiotic BMC. That was a really nice surprise."

Probiotic treatment improved the response and recovery of the corals after the heat stress event, boosting survival from 60 percent to 100 percent. The researchers interpret this as BMC helping the holobiont to mitigate the effects of "post-heat stress disorder" and thus restructure the physiological and metabolic profiles.

The research also describes some of the protective molecular mechanisms. During the recovery period, BMC-treated corals had lower expression of genes involved in apoptosis and cellular reconstruction, and increased expression of thermal stress protection genes. BMC treatment also altered the profile of the microbiome through incorporating some of the beneficial bacteria as well as other changes in the population structure.

BMCs provide a valuable tool to cope with the consequences of climate change, but Santoro emphasizes that it is no silver bullet. "Using a probiotic is an effective tool to help corals deal with the heat stress, but we also have to consider other interventions," she says, such as "protection and conservation, everyone being more aware and, most importantly, decreasing greenhouse gas emissions and trying to change our resource use. Corals will need all of these interventions."

The study is published in Science Advances.

Using probiotic bacteria to protect against coral bleaching

More information: Coral microbiome manipulation elicits metabolic and genetic restructuring to mitigate heat stress and evade mortality, Science Advances, DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abg3088

Journal information: Science Advances 

Provided by King Abdullah University of Science and Technology 

Latvians take to the water for distanced concerts


Issued on: 15/08/2021 

The concerts are called LAIVA -- a play on the English word "live" and the Latvian for "on a boat". Gints Ivuskans AFP


Riga (AFP)

Latvians are taking to the country's waterways for a socially distanced musical experience this summer, boarding kayaks, dinghies and motor yachts to enjoy some music -- even if unvaccinated.

At a concert on Juglas Lake near the Latvian capital Riga on Saturday, hundreds of boats could be seen bobbing to rock, folk and heavy metal.

"The idea... is so great," said Vladimirs Kravchenko, a heavy metal fan who has been attending hard rock festivals since the 1990s.

Organisers said there were around 1,500 people on the water, and 3,500 more watching from the shore. Gints Ivuskans AFP

"I hope festivals on lakes like this will continue even after the virus is over," Kravchenko said.

Organisers said there were around 1,500 people on the water, and 3,500 more watching from the shore.

The stage was located on the shore and two floating bars in the lake sold beer and cocktails.

Members of the Latvian folk/pagan metal band Skyforger performed during the festival Gints Ivuskans AFP

Only people with Covid-19 vaccinations were allowed to attend the concert on the shore while the lake was also open to those without a vaccine.

"This is simply a brilliant idea for how to hold a festival and ensure social distancing for the unvaccinated at the same time," Anna Berzina, who was rowing a kayak with her husband, told AFP.

The Baltic state has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the European Union -- around 43 percent.

The stage was located on the shore and two floating bars in the lake sold beer and cocktails. Gints Ivuskans AFP

The government has imposed restrictions for unvaccinated people in a bid to encourage more Latvians to get vaccinated -- including threatening soldiers with dismissal if they do not get the jab.

For live events, the rule is that there must be two separate zones for vaccinated and unvaccinated spectators, creating a headache for organisers.

Saturday's concert was the second in a series designed by Dagamba, a classical and rock music crossover band, which came up with the idea of lake concerts during last year's lockdowns.

The festival included rock, folk and heavy metal music Gints Ivuskans AFP

The concerts are called LAIVA -- a play on the English word "live" and the Latvian for "on a boat".

At the concert, the sight of the flotilla in front of him inspired Peteris Kvetkovskis, the frontman of black and folk metal band Skyforger.

Only people with Covid-19 vaccinations were allowed to attend the concert on the shore while the lake was also open to those without a vaccine. Gints Ivuskans AFP

"Seeing so many boats in front of us, we will play a song about a Viking raid being launched," he told the audience from the stage, before launching into the number called "To the Northern Shores".

© 2021 AFP

Thousands join convoy protests against Thai PM

Issued on: 15/08/2021 

Protesters in cars and on bikes massed in Bangkok's central shopping district

 Lillian SUWANRUMPHA AFP

Bangkok (AFP)

Thousands of protesters in cars and on bikes massed in Bangkok's central shopping district Sunday, one of several mobile rallies across Thailand demanding Premier Prayut Chan-O-Cha resign over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

The kingdom is grappling with its worst outbreak so far, registering record numbers of daily infections each week as hospitals struggle to cope. In total, it has reported more than 907,000 cases and 7,551 deaths from Covid-19.

A sluggish vaccine roll-out -- coupled with financial woes from weeks-long restrictions on businesses -- has fanned anger at Prayut's administration.

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Protesters flashed the three-finger salute of resistance Lillian SUWANRUMPHA AFP

Sparked by concerns about public gatherings spreading the virus, protesters have in recent weeks turned to organising massive car convoys at major intersections -- thus clogging up Bangkok's already traffic-choked streets.

Thousands turned up in their cars and motorbikes Sunday in at least three rallies across the Thai capital -- with the largest near Bangkok's gleaming shopping malls, empty in recent weeks.

"The time is up for Prayut. The government has shown clearly they will not take responsibility for any loss," shouted Nattawut Saikuar, a politician long associated with former premier Thaksin Shinawatra.

The anti-government movement first gained momentum last July Lillian SUWANRUMPHA AFP

Protesters -- who were joined by saffron-robed monks and an LGBTQ contingent carrying rainbow-coloured umbrellas -- flashed the three-finger salute of resistance.

More so-called "car mobs" were also planned in the beach city of Pattaya just two hours from Bangkok, as well as in the northern cultural hub of Chiang Mai.

Nattawut Saikuar said the government 'will not take responsibility' for the fallout from the pandemic Lillian SUWANRUMPHA AFP

The anti-government movement first gained momentum last July.

At its peak, it drew tens of thousands to street rallies, demanding the resignation of Prayut -- a former army chief who came to power via a 2014 coup.

But attendances have waned this year, as the public stayed away due to Covid-19 fears.

Sunday's protests come after a week of clashes between demonstrators and police, who have increasingly used rubber bullets, water cannon and tear gas to quell the rallies.

At least three protesters were injured Friday, but authorities have defended their use of force as appropriate.

"We only use it (force) when it is necessary," National Police chief Suwat Jangyodsuk told a Sunday press conference.

© 2021 AFP

 

Asia won’t solve climate change without reform of financial markets

15 August 2021

Author: Adam Triggs, Accenture and ANU

More than US$16 trillion worldwide is currently sitting in government bonds yielding negative real returns. Meanwhile, the world needs at least US$35 trillion of sustainable investment to avoid the 1.5 degree increase in global temperatures that the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warns is now imminent.

To make matters worse, the substantial environmental and economic benefits from sustainable practices like lowering carbon emissions, improving land management and other environmental good practices often go unrewarded by the financial system, even though the returns to society are high.

These paradoxes are caused by markets that are missing for the environment and natural capital.

For too long, the world has relied on directionless governments and the unreliable promises of corporate social responsibility and shareholder activism to manage the environment and natural capital and deliver the investment needed to avoid climate change. It hasn’t worked.

Luckily, there is a better way.

These missing markets are the product of deficient global financial rules, insufficient data and weak institutions. Some national governments are now beginning to struggle with these things, but what they need is international cooperation.

The weight of research shows that businesses and households that have good environmental credentials are also better borrowers. They are less likely to default on their loans and they are less likely to be late on their repayments.

In a well-functioning market where these broader social and economic benefits are properly priced, these borrowers would get lower interest rates and, when these loans were securitized and sold-on in the form of bonds, the bonds would be more favourably priced because the underlying asset is stronger and safer.

This is not what we are seeing. While there are some banks and financial institutions which are increasingly taking environmental credentials into account, we are not seeing it on the scale that the evidence would recommend, particularly in developing countries.

The regulations that inhibit sustainable investment globally are the Basel III global capital rules and national financial regulations that seek to implement them. Among other things, these rules require banks to hold high-quality assets on their balance sheets to buffer them from shocks. But the rules around the quality of these assets don’t account for the fact that environmentally friendly loans are safer than environmentally unfriendly loans. The result is that the world’s banks aren’t holding or issuing enough green debt, resulting in less sustainable investment.

It gets worse. The failure of these rules to properly price environmental risks undermines the stability of the financial system, as it means there are risks endemic in bank balance sheets and the broader financial system that we aren’t accounting for. A borrower that is forced to undertake a costly environmental clean-up, for example, could quickly find themselves in financial trouble — a shock which is then transmitted through to the lender and any financial assets that are underpinned by that original loan.

Another factor constraining sustainable investment is a lack of data. There are a range of organisations that provide ratings on the environmental credentials of firms. These data are vital for markets to price environmental risks properly. But these organisations often provide different environmental ratings for the same businesses which makes such pricing difficult.

The ability to collect high-quality data on things like land management and the environmental impact of firms has never been easier given the availability of digital and remote sensing technologies. But in countries where such technologies are unavailable and where firms are not yet providing comprehensive environmental ratings it becomes very difficult for markets to price these risks.

How do we begin to get national financial authorities to work towards a global financial regime that properly prices natural capital (reduced carbon emission, environmental sustainability)? In China, Europe and elsewhere authorities have begun actively framing national approaches to the problem, but the global nature of capital markets and environmental challenges requires a global solution.

China’s central bank governor, Yi Gang, has announced that the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) is co-operating with the European Union to achieve convergence of green investment taxonomies across the two markets, aiming to implement a jointly recognised classification system for business environmental credentials by the end of this year.

APEC is a platform from which to work these issues through. As a cooperation framework more than a negotiation forum it can support finding practical areas of cooperation, especially between the United States and China, and build broader consensus for mutual benefit. APEC also brings a practical, private sector-led way of getting action on climate change which supports agriculture, boosts investment and bolsters financial stability; something which can help bring more recalcitrant governments into the tent.

Sustainable investment is a practical area in which China and the United States can work together on a common priority. It is an issue PBOC has been working on for some years, it has political appeal across both sides of the isle in the United States and is something which resonates with APEC governments who prefer technology and private sector-led approaches to climate change.

One challenge is in making sure that loans are provided for the right amount of time. The economic payoffs that come from sustainable investments like improved land management can take decades to materialise. There’s a role for government to make sure that there are institutions in place to spur markets in natural capital and design those markets in the most effective way possible.

With government budgets in tatters and the threat of climate change looming ominously, boosting the role of private finance has gone from being preferable to being essential.

Adam Triggs is a Director within Accenture Strategy, a Visiting Fellow at the ANU Crawford School of Public Policy, and a Non-Resident Fellow at the Brookings Institution.

Germany ‘set for biggest rise in greenhouse gases for 30 years’

Increase means country will slip back from goal of cutting emissions by 40% from 1990 levels

Environmental activists protest in Berlin in March. The report shows a significant increase in consumption of fossil fuels across building, industrial and transport sectors Photograph: Maja Hitij/Getty Images

Associated Press in Berlin
Sun 15 Aug 2021

Germany is forecast to record its biggest rise in greenhouse gas emissions since 1990 this year as the economy rebounds from the pandemic-related downturn, according to a report by an environmental thinktank.

Berlin-based Agora Energiewende said the country’s emissions would probably rise by the equivalent of 47m tons of carbon dioxide.

The increase means Germany’s emissions will be about 37% lower than in 1990. It had aimed to cut emissions by 40% by 2020, and met the target last year but only due to the economic downturn.

The government recently pledged to increase efforts to combat climate change and reduce emissions to net zero by 2045.

The report draws on data from the first half of 2021 to forecast total emissions equivalent to 760-812m tons of CO2 for the full year.

It also shows a significant increase in consumption of fossil fuels across the building, industrial and transport sectors. If confirmed, the German government will be required by law to introduce urgent measures to reduce those sectoral emissions.

Agora Energiewende receives its funding from environmental groups such as the European Climate Foundation, and the German government.

Meet Adidas' Latest Star: A Hijab-wearing Surfer From Israel

Hamama Jarban, 42, a feminist icon and athlete from Jisr al-Zarqa, is appearing in a campaign aimed at marketing modest swimwear to a local traditionalist clientele


Hamama Jarban, who has opened a surfing school for young Arab Israeli women, modeling for Adidas Israel. "I hope to continue to promote the sport of surfing among Arab women."Credit: Meir Cohen @meirco



Natalie AlzZena Abo ZrkaSheren Falah Saab
HAARETZ
Aug. 15, 2021

Although Arab athletes were absent this year as in the past from Israel's delegation at the Olympic Games, there are quite a few talented sports figures in the country's Arab-Palestinian community who are fast becoming local role models. Hamama Jarban, a 42-year-old native and resident of the seaside town of Jisr al-Zarqa in northern Israel, is one of those role models – and she has now also become another sort of model as well, after being hired to star in a new Adidas Israel campaign for modest swimwear.


Jarban has been involved in professional and amateur sports for many years. The veteran fisherwoman, lifeguard, surfer and former professional soccer player studied at the Wingate Institute for Physical Education and Sports, but was mentioned in headlines mainly after she was recruited to search for Ayman Safiah, the internationally renowned dancer who drowned in the Mediterranean in May 2020, and whose life and death moved many people.


In the wake of her participation in the search, Jarban has become a feminist icon on social media. She's also found herself at the heart of a battle to prevent the demolition of the fishing village adjacent to Jisr al-Zarqa, which also includes her own fishing warehouse. Today Jarban continues to teach surfing to young people and works to promote Israeli Arab girls' and women’s participation in the sport.


Hamama Jarban, modeling in the new Adidas Israel campaign. "My dream is for Arab women to go places where I myself couldn’t go – to the Olympics and to other international competitions."Credit: Meir Cohen @meirco


Earlier this month a new campaign by Adidas Israel for modest swimwear appeared on social networks, as part of an international effort to publicize the collection – and Jarban was chosen to lead it.


“This is a collection designed to provide a solution for a traditional target audience," says Tomer Cohen, director of brand at the company, adding, "at Adidas Israel we have created a video that addresses the local culture and presents stories of strong women who have chosen to fulfill themselves in their own unique way. Hamama Jarban was chosen to lead this local campaign as an outstanding example of self-fulfillment.”


Hijab/hoodie designs



The campaign itself was produced by a Netanya-based advertising and PR agency named Sectors Albustani, which specializes in the Arab community. CEO Adham Hassadiyeh explains that “Hamama Jarban was chosen thanks to her personal story and her success in developing the field of surfing in the community and making it accessible to women. The campaign also promotes a healthy perception of the body. Sports are not limited to professional female models alone.”

Imagine an Arab representing Israel at the Olympics
This haredi Orthodox mom is the face of a new Adidas campaign
A ‘paradise’ is on tap outside an Israeli village, but not necessarily for the poor Arab locals

Of course Adidas is not the first or only commercial entity that's trying to sell modest swimwear locally or globally to the Muslim community, where many women refrain from wearing revealing bathing suits. Many companies now see a potential in such a clientele, which is usually excluded from the large sportswear chains. Although the modest styles are not always received enthusiastically, the big brands are continuing to introduce them. For example, in 2019 Nike launched a collection of modest swimwear featuring a hijab/hoodie, also using inspiring role models from Arab communities.

An Adidas campaign starring Hamama Jarban

The new campaign starring Jarban was shot in her hometown. “It was important to me for the pictures to be taken in Jisr. In the place where I grew up. I wanted everyone to get to know the village," she says. Among others, she models an outfit for Adidas that includes a hijab, although she doesn’t wear one on a daily basis.

“I took this step out of identification with women who wear hijab whom I've met on the beach, and I recognized their unease in this situation,” she continues.

“I wanted to send the message to everyone that even in modest dress women can swim in the sea. In modest clothes that suit their lifestyle. My participation in this campaign as a Palestinian woman serves as a statement to women that nothing can stop them. I’m a strong woman, I was raised to be strong, to pave my own way when I can.

"My parents supported me as a child in my decision to play soccer. At first I played with my brothers and later I played with a group of women in Hadera and from there I also made the Israeli women’s team.”

Afterward, Jarban she transferred to a Palestinian team: “My dream was to play with my own people, I felt a desire to give of myself to this team. It was a formative experience for me. Thanks to soccer I learned how to empower women around me.”



The Jisr al-Zarqa fishing area from the air.Credit: Ofer Vaknin

After her soccer career and sports studies at Wingate, Jarban and her brother opened the first school in the Israeli Arab community for surfing, which is now attended by children and young adults from all over the country.


“I always aspired to excellence in sports,” she says. “It’s a field that requires self-discipline and persistence. Unfortunately I grew up in a large family, and in the shadow of poverty, and I knew that my path would be more difficult than for others. Still, I was able to bring extreme sports activity, such as surfing, to the awareness of the younger generation in the Arab community.


“Girls and young women come to me from distant places, and for me that reflects another accomplishment as part of my efforts to develop this field," she adds. "I hope to continue to promote the sport of surfing among Arab women. My dream is for them to go places where I myself couldn’t go – to the Olympics and to other international competitions.”


Natalie Alz, Zena Abo Zrka and Sheren Falah Saab are participating in the Haaretz 21 initiative to promote voices and stories from Arab society in Israel

Drug, Alcohol Deaths Hit Record High After UK Government Cuts Funding for Treatment Services

TEHRAN (FNA)- Deaths from drug and alcohol misuse hit a record high following sharp cuts to treatment services across the UK, according to a report.


An analysis by the House of Commons Library found that more than £100 million less was being spent per year on services between 2016-17 and 2019-20, The Independent reproted.

In a record high, more than 11,000 people died from drug and alcohol-related diseases in England and Wales in 2020.

In the years leading up to the peak, services were cut by 15 percent, with sharper slashes to local council areas in particular.

The Commons Library figures show that just 10 councils have been able to find the cash to increase resources for drug and alcohol misuse.

Meanwhile, in four local authorities – South Tyneside, Wiltshire, Staffordshire, and Medway – cuts of more than 40 percent were made to drug and alcohol misuse services.

“Years of Tory cuts to vital public health services have seen sickness increase and health inequalities widen,” Jonathan Ashworth, Labour’s Shadow Health Secretary, said.

“It’s unacceptable for public health services that tackle alcohol and drug addiction to be left so weakened because of deep cuts when we know that they can cause huge harm and death," he continued, adding, “We need a new settlement for public health services, a clear target to reduce inequalities and action to minimise harm and help prevent so many dying from addiction.”

In total, spending on services fell from £762mln in 2016-17 to £690mln in 2019-20.

Government figures show that in 2020 a record number of 7,423 people in England and Wales died from diseases that were a direct consequence of alcohol with a further 4,561 people dying from causes related to drug poisoning.

A government spokesperson said, “Any death due to substance misuse is a tragedy."

“We are investing £148mln to tackle the root causes of drug misuse including £80mln for treatment and recovery – the largest investment in the drug treatment system for 15 years – as well as tightening controls on dangerous substances and we will bring forward an ambitious drug strategy later this year," the spokesperson continued.

“On top of that, we are backing local authorities, who know their communities best, with over £3.3bln in 2021-2022 to spend on public health services, including drug and alcohol treatment,” the spokesperson added.