What a difference two years makes. First, some good news. The last time I taste-tested marmalade, in September 2022, one of my grumbles was that the manufacturers had replaced some of the sugar in the cheaper brands with glucose fructose syrup, which has been linked with higher rates of diabetes.
This time last year I was not feeling good about myself at 56. Having started hormone replacement therapy (HRT) two years earlier, I’d gained two stone which had all gone on my stomach, giving me that classic “barrel” tummy women seem to get in menopause. I’ve always had big (36DD) boobs, but now there was no going in at the waist, it was like my big tum had merged up to meet them.
If you’ve started the year feeling bloated, sluggish and in need of a diet reset, it can be tempting to take drastic action in the hopes of dramatic results. However, the reality is that a more modest approach is not only easier to sustain but enough to improve our health.
Another factory containing many bags of the amphetamine-type stimulant Captagon and other drugs was discovered near Damascus, Syria, following former president Bashar al-Assad’s fall from power.Footage filmed by Syrian journalist Obada Jbara shows an abandoned drug factory, which he said belonged to the Assad regime, filled with bags of what Jbara described as “Captagon, drugs, and crystal drugs.”Jbara said he and other journalists were taken to the factory near Damascus by police. A detection dog is seen sniffing around and jumping on a bag inside the factory.Experts say that the illicit trade of the addictive drug fenethylline, known by its brand name Captagon, was highly profitable for the Assad regime and has reportedly been linked to Assad’s brother Maher al-Assad.Journalists have documented numerous Syrian drug warehouses and factories following Assad’s ousting.Jbara told Storyful that the factory visible in the footage had been newly discovered by the new government. Credit: Obada Jbara via Storyful
Whatever your health goal is, you can achieve it with one of the best diets of 2025. These 5 top diets are all vetted and approved by registered dietitians.