Author: admin
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Author Raynor Winn’s next book delayed due to ‘distress’ of newspaper investigation
Author Raynor Winn’s new book has been delayed because questions about her bestselling work The Salt Path have caused her and her husband “considerable distress”, her publisher has said.
Penguin Michael Joseph said the decision to postpone the publication of her fourth book, On Winter Hill, had been made with Winn.
It comes after an investigation by the Observer claimed the writer had misrepresented some of the events in her 2018 book. Winn has called the report “highly misleading” and refuted many of the newspaper’s claims.
On Winter Hill, about a solo coast-to-coast walk Winn completed without husband Moth, had been scheduled to be published in October.
“Given recent events, in particular intrusive conjecture around Moth’s health condition which has caused considerable distress to Raynor Winn and her family, it is our priority to support the author at this time,” Penguin Michael Joseph said in a statement.
“With this in mind, Penguin Michael Joseph, together with the author, have made the decision to delay the publication of On Winter Hill from this October.”
A new release date will be announced in due course, the publisher added.
On Sunday, the Observer reported Winn had misrepresented the events that led to the couple losing their house and setting off on the 630-mile walk that was depicted in The Salt Path.
The paper’s investigation also cast doubt on the nature of her husband’s illness. Winn denied the allegations and said she was taking legal advice.
On Wednesday, she posted a more extensive statement, responding in detail to each of the claims made in the Observer’s article.
The newspaper said it had spoken to medical experts who were “sceptical” that Moth had corticobasal degeneration (CBD), given his lack of acute symptoms and apparent ability to reverse them via walking.
In response, Winn provided documents that appeared to confirm he had been diagnosed with CBD. One letter suggested Moth may have an “atypical form” of the condition, or perhaps “an even more unusual disorder”.
The Observer also said the couple had lost their home after Winn took out a loan to cover money she had been accused of stealing from a previous employer, and not in a bad business deal as Winn described in her book.
In her statement, Winn said the two cases were separate. She stood by her description of how the couple came to lose their home and wrote in detail about an investment in a property portfolio that left the couple liable for large sums of money.
However, in relation to the Observer’s accusation that she had defrauded her previous employer of £64,000, Winn acknowledged making “mistakes” earlier in her career, and said it had been a pressured time.
“Any mistakes I made during the years in that office, I deeply regret, and I am truly sorry,” she said.
But she added the case had been settled between her and her ex-employer on a “non-admissions basis”, and although she was questioned by police, she was not charged.
Winn also said the couple did not have any outstanding debts, and clarified that a house in France that the Observer said they also owned was “an uninhabitable ruin in a bramble patch”, which an estate agent had advised was not worth selling.
The Salt Path has sold more than two million copies since its publication in March 2018, and a film adaptation starring Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs was released earlier this year.
Winn has written two sequels, The Wild Silence and Landlines, which also focus on themes of nature, wild camping, homelessness and walking.
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‘I must not crash’ – F1’s Lawrence Barretto gets behind the wheel of Bernd Maylander’s Aston Martin Safety Car
In a ranking of the world’s best jobs, Bernd Maylander’s unique role will be right at the sharp end. The 54-year-old is Formula 1’s Safety Car driver, the man charged with shepherding the world’s 20 best drivers in the world’s best single-seaters with a road car that you or I could purchase from an Aston Martin showroom.
Pretty cool, eh? Well, what’s even cooler (for me, at least) is that not only would I get the chance to drive his Aston Martin Vantage Safety Car on a racetrack, but I’ll also vacate his office and swap seats for some Hot Laps so he can show me his day job…
It’s an overcast day at Silverstone, the home of British motorsport, and I’ve just pulled up into the car park adjacent to the venue’s infield Stowe Circuit. At 0.796 miles (1.73km) it may only be a fifth of the length of the Grand Prix circuit that engulfs it and which hosts Formula 1 each year in July – but it has all the corner types and straights you need to push a car to the limit.
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150,000 Rohingya fled from Myanmar to Bangladesh in 18 months: UN
Bangladesh has over the past 18 months registered the biggest influx of Rohingya refugees since the mass exodus of Myanmar’s largely Muslim minority nearly a decade ago, the United Nations said Friday.
The UN refugee agency said up to 150,000 Rohingya had arrived in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar refugee camps since early 2024.
“Targeted violence and persecution in Rakhine State and the ongoing conflict in Myanmar have continued to force thousands of Rohingya to seek protection in Bangladesh,” UNHCR spokesman Babar Baloch told reporters in Geneva.
“This movement of Rohingya refugees into Bangladesh, spread over months, is the largest from Myanmar since 2017, when some 750,000 fled the deadly violence in their native Rakhine State,” he said.
Baloch hailed Bangladesh for generously hosting Rohingya refugees for generations.
Even before the latest influx, around a million members of the persecuted and mostly Muslim Rohingya were living in squalid relief camps in Bangladesh, most of them after fleeing the 2017 military crackdown in Myanmar.
Those camps, crammed into just 24 square kilometres (nine square miles), have thus become “one of the world’s most densely populated places”, Baloch said.
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Middlesbrough food waste bins rollout on track, council says
A council’s plans to introduce extra food waste collections are making “good progress”, after a previous garden waste rollout was labelled a “calamity”.
Middlesbrough Council said the scheme to introduce free food waste bins in April 2026 was on track, with about 50,000 food bins set to be delivered to residents.
A previous introduction of a new garden waste service in the town in spring 2024 saw issues arise over distribution problems.
The council’s executive member for environment and sustainability, Peter Gavigan, said a fleet of vehicles had also been obtained for the new service.
Labour councillor Gavigan said in a report: “We have procured our fleet of vehicles, designed our collection rounds and are currently working with our procurement colleagues to procure a company to deliver approximately 50,000 caddies to domestic properties across the town.”
The food caddie bins are being introduced as part of the government’s Simpler Recycling scheme, which aims to create great consistency in recycled items around the country.
As well as food waste pick-ups beginning from April 2026, existing recycling collections will change.
Middlesbrough Council’s director of environment and community services Geoff Field told the Local Democracy Reporting Service in February the town would no longer put their recycling in one bin, after stating it was one of the worst in the country for recycling.
“Everyone will be getting a different receptacle sometime in 2026 to collect that paper and cardboard separately to the other recycling,” he said.
Gavigan’s report added that the council was awaiting approval to go weekly with recycling collections in 2026 to ensure they conformed with the regulations introduced by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
Middlesbrough’s garden waste collection currently stood at 20,129 subscribers with a total bin count of 22,692 bins at residential properties, generating about £856,420, Gavigan said.
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Levi Strauss shares jump after raising forecasts on strong global denim demand
(Reuters) -Levi Strauss shares surged more than 7% in premarket trading on Friday after the denim maker raised its annual revenue and profit forecasts, counting on robust demand at its stores and website to offset a margin hit from U.S. tariffs.
The company has been investing in its direct-to-consumer-first strategy and focusing on its core denim lifestyle products, which drove second-quarter sales and profit beat.
Levi’s results beat was “impressive”, said Dana Telsey, analyst at Telsey Advisory Group. The raised forecast was also encouraging as it now includes an estimated impact from 30% tariffs on China and 10% duties on other countries, Telsey added.
The denim maker said it would counter President Donald Trump’s tariffs on imports into the U.S. by diversifying its supply chain to further reduce dependence on China and source from countries such as Bangladesh and Cambodia.
To be sure, the updated forecast does not account for Trump’s proposed 36% tariff rate on Cambodia and a 35% levy on U.S. imports from Bangladesh, which are set to go into effect on August 1.
About 60% of Levi’s revenue came from outside of the U.S., which grew 10% in the second quarter, led by Europe. Revenue from the U.S. grew 7%.
The company’s focus on denim dresses and skirts and growth in its women’s apparel and Beyond Yoga brand have led to increased purchases from younger customers, said J.P.Morgan analyst Matthew Boss in a note.
Levi’s stock trades at 14.92 times analysts’ estimates for the company’s earnings for the next 12 months, compared with 20.32 for Ralph Lauren and 8.46 for Abercrombie & Fitch, according to LSEG data.
(Reporting by Juveria Tabassum in Bengaluru; Editing by Leroy Leo)
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‘Beyond horrific’: Several killed in Israeli attack on north Gaza school | News
‘Panic, fear, and terror that swept through the school overwhelming’ says survivor. of strike in Jabalia an-Nazla.
At least eight people have been killed, including children, in an Israeli bombardment of the Halimah al-Saadiyah School in Jabalia an-Nazla, in northern Gaza, where displaced Palestinians were sheltering, according to sources at al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City who spoke to Al Jazeera.
Several people were also injured in the attack. Survivors relayed a harrowing scene of inferno.
“I saw the whole area filled with dust – that’s when I realised the strike had hit this place,” Abu Haitham Khalla told Al Jazeera, standing among the rubble.
“The panic, fear, and terror that swept through the school was overwhelming. There were about 1,000 displaced people sheltering here – tents and classrooms all being used as refuge,” he said.
“So far, 10 people have been confirmed killed, in addition to many injuries – all of them women and children,” he added.
Another witness, Ahmed Khalla, said he found dead victims people lying on the floor of a classroom. “Children torn apart, charred. Women who had done absolutely nothing. The scenes were beyond horrific. I saw a little girl without a head – literally, without a head.”
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The first pandemic? Scientists find 214 ancient pathogens in prehistoric DNA
A research team led by Eske Willerslev, professor at the University of Copenhagen and the University of Cambridge, has recovered ancient DNA from 214 known human pathogens in prehistoric humans from Eurasia.
The study shows, among other things, that the earliest known evidence of zoonotic diseases — illnesses transmitted from animals to humans, like COVID in recent times — dates back to around 6,500 years ago, with such diseases becoming more widespread approximately 5,000 years ago. It is the largest study to date on the history of infectious diseases and has just been published in the scientific journal Nature.
The researchers analyzed DNA from over 1,300 prehistoric individuals, some up to 37,000 years old. The ancient bones and teeth have provided a unique insight into the development of diseases caused by bacteria, viruses, and parasites.
The results suggest that humans’ close cohabitation with domesticated animals — and large-scale migrations of pastoralist from the Pontic Steppe — played a decisive role in the spread of these diseases.
“We’ve long suspected that the transition to farming and animal husbandry opened the door to a new era of disease — now DNA shows us that it happened at least 6,500 years ago,” says Professor Eske Willerslev. “These infections didn’t just cause illness — they may have contributed to population collapse, migration, and genetic adaptation.”
World’s oldest trace of the plague
In the study, the researchers found 214 pathogens. A remarkable finding is the world’s oldest genetic trace of the plague bacterium Yersinia pestis, identified in a 5,500-year-old sample. The plague is estimated to have killed between one-quarter and one-half of Europe’s population during the Middle Ages.
Could have implications for future vaccines
The findings could be significant for the development of vaccines and for understanding how diseases arise and mutate over time.
“If we understand what happened in the past, it can help us prepare for the future, where many of the newly emerging infectious diseases are predicted to originate from animals,” says Associate Professor Martin Sikora, the study’s first author.
“Mutations that were successful in the past are likely to reappear. This knowledge is important for future vaccines, as it allows us to test whether current vaccines provide sufficient coverage or whether new ones need to be developed due to mutations,” adds Eske Willerslev.
The study was made possible by funding from the Lundbeck Foundation.
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ECFR’s summer entertainment list 2025
Summer has arrived and the European Council on Foreign Relations can finally recommend all the cultural Summer has arrived and the European Council on Foreign Relations can finally recommend all the cultural goods it has consumed over the past few months. In the below list, as every year, ECFR colleagues share their favourite books, podcasts, television series and films.
Whether you plan to spend your holidays relaxing at the beach, touring an exciting city, hiking in the mountains or simply enjoying the calmness of your hometown, the ECFR summer entertainment list has got you covered. We wish you a relaxing summer!
Recommended by
Editorial Director
Senior Policy FellowSome five millennia ago, a cluster of steppe nomads on the northern shores of the Black Sea used a language whose descendant tongues are now spoken by about half of humanity. Proto-Indo-European was the fount of the Celtic, Germanic, Greek, Indo-Iranian, Italic and Slavic linguistic families; a genealogy still audible in resemblances like “daughter” in English, “thugátēr” in Greek and “duhitár” in Sanskrit. Tapping new developments in archaeology and genetics, Spinney’s history tells how a language of kin and horsemanship, gods and stars, home and food spread out from its homeland—now scarred by Russia’s war in Ukraine, a poignant presence in Spinney’s account of the contemporary research—and took over much of the world.
“Black Doves”, available on Netflix
Recommended by Teresa Coratella
Spies, London, love affairs, friendships—and Keira Knightley. This Netflix tv show is a spy action thriller following both the official and secret life of Helen: she is the wife of the UK secretary of state for defence and mother of twins, but also a spy for the Black Doves, an organisation working to protect secrets.
“Exit West”, by Mohsin Amid
Recommended by Teresa Coratella
Wars, drones, militias, refugees, bombs, mourning, the vital and existential need to escape, survive, searching for a new opportunity. But also: feelings, laughs, youth, hopes and the fight against regimes and rules. All these issues are captured in this fantasy novel which enables the reader to travel all over the world. Once you start reading the book, you cannot wait to know the fate of the two courageous and young protagonists, Nadia and Saeed.
“Cinq jours au Timor”, by Morgan Segui (available in French)
Recommended by
Director, Wider Europe programme
Cinq Jours au Timor, by Morgan Segui, is a true story of survival. After falling from a cliff on an island in Timor Leste, the author is hurt with no way to call for help. Step by step, he finds the inner resources to endure the pain and try to survive. The book explores his will to live—but a more pressing theme is about how reconnecting to nature and its resources provides a way to survive.
Recommended by
Senior Policy Fellow
I left London for Paris two years ago; now some London nostalgia is beginning to arise. The perfect remedy is Ben Aaronowitch’s “Rivers of London” series. A young police officer solves crimes in London while uncovering and learning magic. A fun read that encapsulates the best of Britain and its capital. I especially recommend the audiobook version.
Recommended by
Senior Communications Officer
Imagine finding your partner‘s secret Instagram account—and it turns out they’re deep into conspiracy theories. Do you seek a conversation with them? Tell your friends about it? Try to find out what goes on in their mind? When the narrator of Lauren Oyler’s “Fake Accounts” discovers her boyfriend Felix’s dubious life on social media, she chooses another option. But, just before she can end their relationship, Felix dies.
Overwhelmed by the situation, the narrator quits her job in New York and moves to Berlin. Without any friends or German skills, she navigates the expat community, Berlin’s notorious dating life and under-the-table jobs—until , a call from a friend changes everything once more. A fast-paced and witty love letter to Berlin, “Fake Accounts” is the perfect book for a beach holiday.
“Waking Lions”, by Ayelet Gundar-Goshen
Recommended by
Programme assistant, Africa programme
This book is a gripping, brilliantly written moral high‑wire act. Neurosurgeon Eitan Green is living the dream with his police detective wife and two children—until, one moonlit night, he flees after hitting and killing an African migrant. The next day, the victim’s widow arrives at his door—not for money, but to blackmail him into running a clandestine nighttime clinic for refugees. What unfolds is a tense, morally devastating exploration of guilt, power, shame and identity, set against the backdrop of Israeli society and immigration politics. The novel constantly challenges the reader to ask what they would do in Eitan’s place. “Waking Lions” is a thought-provoking, page-turning read that lingers long after the final chapter.
Recommended by
Policy Fellow
Bombshell is back! If there is one silver lining to Donald Trump’s return to the White House, it’s the return of the first Trump era’s best national security podcast. Hosts Radha Iyengar Plumb, Loren DeJonge Schulman and Erin Simpson dissect—with witty charm—the latest, most complex and craziest developments in defence. Goes great with bubbles.
Recommended by
Policy Fellow
Journalist Lara Marlow portraits 28-year-old Ukrainian army lieutenant Yulia Mykytenko, who commands a 25-man drone unit on the frontline in Donbas. I attended a book talk recently with Marlow where Mykytenko tuned in virtually from eastern Ukraine. The grit, ingenuity and humanity I observed in Mykytenko left a lasting impression. No book could ever capture them completely; but Marlow comes close.
Studio Ghibli anime, available on Netflix
Recommended by Anam Masroor
Whisper of the Heart
14-year-old Shizuku Tsukishima loves to write but is underconfident—especially if someone compliments her writing. She loves to read fiction and is always found in the library issuing books, even during summer break. One day, she notices the same name (Seiji Amasawa) in all three of the library books and tries to find out his identity. This excellent screenplay by Hayao Miyazaki, directed by Yoshifumi Kondo, will leave you wondering about your own passions.
Only Yesterday
27-year old Taeko works a 9-to-5 job in Tokyo. Every year, she visits the countryside for the safflower harvesting season, staying with and befriending distant relatives. The story takes the viewer back to the old Japan and explores topics like first loves, menstrual periods, hand-me-downs, and decisions made by the head of family. The film is a perfect combination of a variety of human emotions—happiness, excitement, sadness, embarrassment, jealousy—and perfectly depicts how your past can sometimes help your present and future.
My Neighbour Totoro
Two sisters Satsuki and Mei have just moved to the Japanese countryside with their father while their mother is in hospital. They befriend a creature named Totoro, who helps them multiple times to overcome challenges which come their way. The film covers the importance of having close relations with neighbours and townsfolk in times of need, the importance of being patient, and why it’s ok to cry.
Spirited Away
On the way to their new home, Chihiro and her parents come across a deserted tunnel. Despite Chihiro’s protests, her parents decide to see what lies on the other side and discover an abandoned amusement park—and the wicked witch Yubaba turns them into pigs. Chihiro goes on a quest to return her parents back to normal and return to the real world. The beautiful screenplay and direction by Hayao Miyazaki teleports the viewer to a magical world of spirits, both good and bad. “Spirited Away”won the Academy Award for best animated feature: it meticulously captures themes such as love, persistence, perseverance, kindness, politeness and greed.
“Die Frauen von Belarus”, by Alice Bota (available in German and Polish)
Recommended by
Programme Assistant, Asia programme
It is only a few weeks since Siarhei Tsikhanouski was released from prison in Belarus and reunited with his wife, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, in Lithuania. She had had to follow in her husband’s footsteps at the most difficult moment in her life and, without any previous experience, lead the Belarusian opposition against a dictator. In this book, Alice Bota powerfully portrays the courage, strength and determination of Belarusian women during the 2020 protests. With sensitivity, the author explores the role of central-eastern European states within Europe and globally. This book addresses complex topics with ease, allowing the reader to understand this often-overlooked region and its recent political developments.
Recommended by
Director, Asia programme
Senior Policy FellowI was recently in Taiwan and visited the National Palace Museum. If you know a little bit about China’s history of the past century, you cannot help stepping out of the magnificent exhibitions into the bright Taipei sun and wondering: “How on earth did all these fragile pieces make it here?” I found the answers in “Fragile Cargo” by Adam Brookes. It is a fascinating non-fiction account about the treasures of the forbidden city and their journey through war-time China, deeply interwoven with the intricacies of the founding of the first Chinese Republic, the emergence of the People’s Republic and the final arrival in Taiwan. Brookes is a spy craft and international politics journalist-turned-crime novelist, which is why his account of archeology and art history in China—and the dedication of a few to safeguard cultural goods in times of war—reads more like a thriller than non-fiction book. It is highly recommended summer reading.
“The Maniac”, by Benjamin Labatut
Recommended by
Office and Programme Coordinator
“The Maniac”by Benjamín Labatut is a gripping story about the brilliant minds that shaped our modern world, and the dangers that came with it. At its centre is John von Neumann, a genius mathematician who helped build quantum mechanics, nuclear bombs, game theory and the first modern computers. Labatut takes us through the chaos of atomic bombs, cold war secrets, and the rise of AI—showing how science can both save and destroy us. Von Neumann, seen as an Übermensch thinker, eventually predicted a future where technology could surpass humans.
Recommended by
Editorial assistant
Escapism doesn’t come much more whimsical, cutting and downright hilarious than this. Three British comedians select a topic—and it really can be any topic—at random from the “Bean Machine” (a spreadsheet populated by the podcast’s audience) to bluff their way through. Three Bean Salad has been running since 2021, surviving the test of time due to its creativity, (sometimes topical) humour and the easy rapport between its likeable hosts—not to mention its variety of impressive jingles. In recent episodes they cover Wild Camping, the Renaissance and Budget Airlines: at a time when consuming the news can feel like a chore, take a break and enter the world of the beans.
Recommended by Lucy Wilson
In a hypothetical scenario, Denmark is evacuated due to rising water levels. But, with their financial assets becoming worthless overnight, Danish asylum seekers are rejected by their wealthier European neighbours. While the show focuses on a small number of characters, it provides a strong commentary on the climate crisis (countries like Denmark and the Netherlands might be facing such a scenario in two to three generations!) and on the European migrant crisis which began in 2015.
The European Council on Foreign Relations does not take collective positions. ECFR publications only represent the views of their individual authors.
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Malaysia’s palm oil stocks hit 18-month high in June on surprise exports slump
Malaysia’s palm oil stocks jumped to their highest in 18 months in June, as an unexpected drop in exports outweighed the slump in production and a spike in domestic consumption, data from the industry regulator showed on Thursday.
The rise in inventories in the world’s second-biggest producer of tropical oil could weigh benchmark Malaysian futures FCPO1!, which were trading near their highest in nearly three months.
Palm oil inventories at the end of June rose 2.41% month-on-month, the fourth consecutive monthly increase, to 2.03 million metric tons, the highest since December 2023, data from the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) showed.
Palm oil exports plunged 10.52% to 1.26 million tons, while crude palm oil production fell for the first time in four months in June, dropping 4.48% from May to 1.69 million tons, MPOB said.
Domestic palm oil consumption last month jumped 44% from May to 455,150.A Reuters survey had forecast June inventories at 1.99 million tons, with output seen at 1.7 million tons and exports at 1.45 million tons.
Malaysia’s palm oil stocks jumped to their highest level in 18 months in June, as an unexpected big drop in exports offset a reduction in local production and a surge in local consumption.
The MPOB report is slightly bearish for palm oil, as the market wasn’t expecting a big drop in exports, which lifted stock levels above 2 million tons, said Anilkumar Bagani, research head of Mumbai-based vegetable oil broker Sunvin Group.
A few cargoes loaded in June might actually get dispatched in July because of port congestion in India and as Malaysia has lowered the export duty for July shipments, said a New Delhi-based dealer with a global trade house.
Malaysia has lowered its July crude palm oil reference price, a change that brought down the export duty to 8.5% from 9.5% in June.
“We could see a jump in July exports due to the roll-over of cargoes from June. Besides, some exporters might advance August shipments to July because of the lower export duty,” the dealer said.
Malaysia’s palm oil exports in the first ten days of July rose 12% compared to the first ten days of June, independent inspection company AmSpec Agri Malaysia said on Thursday.
Source: Reuters
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