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Le capitaine de British Airways classe les pires conditions météorologiques pour voler

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Quel est le pire temps pour voler ?

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Le capitaine Steve Allright dirige le cours Flying with Confidence de British Airways pour les voyageurs nerveux et dans le fascinant livre d’accompagnement – Voler en toute confiance : le programme éprouvé pour résoudre vos peurs de voler (Random House UK) – révèle que c’est une question que les participants lui posent souvent.

Pour aider à y répondre, dans le tome, il attribue aux types de temps potentiellement les plus dangereux une note sur 10 pour leur pouvoir de provoquer une diversion, sur la base de sa propre expérience personnelle et des histoires de diversion de ses collègues.

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Lisez la suite pour son classement – ​​« plus le chiffre est élevé, plus je transporte de carburant ».

De plus, il y a plus d’informations sur le vol par mauvais temps dans le livre C’est votre capitaine qui parle par le capitaine Doug Morris d’Air Canada Dreamliner.

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Le capitaine Steve Allright dirige le cours Flying with Confidence de British Airways pour les voyageurs nerveux

Le capitaine Steve Allright dirige le cours Flying with Confidence de British Airways pour les voyageurs nerveux

Températures élevées (et/ou terrains d’aviation à haute altitude). Cote de détournement – ​​zéro sur dix

Le capitaine Allright dit : “Lorsque l’air est très chaud, il devient très “mince” et les moteurs ne fonctionnent pas aussi efficacement et les ailes ne produisent pas autant de portance, le même effet que d’être à une altitude très élevée, comme comme à Johannesburg (5 751 pieds/1 753 m).

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“Nous appelons ces aérodromes “chauds et hauts” et, bien que non dangereux, cette combinaison présente un ensemble particulier de défis pour les pilotes. Nous avons juste besoin d’une piste plus longue pour le décollage et l’atterrissage et nous devons tenir compte de la façon dont les conditions affecteront les performances de l’avion.

Le capitaine Doug Morris explique en outre que dans ces conditions, les vitesses de décollage sont plus élevées, les pilotes réduisant parfois le poids – moins de passagers et moins de fret – pour s’assurer que l’avion décolle en toute sécurité.

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Il écrit: «Vous trouverez de nombreuses compagnies aériennes au Moyen-Orient opérant la plupart de leurs vols aux petites heures de la nuit, car les températures sont un peu plus fraîches. Heureusement pour eux, la plupart des aéroports sont situés à des altitudes proches du niveau de la mer.

En raison de leur altitude élevée, ajoute le capitaine Morris, Denver (5 434 pieds/1 656 m) et Calgary (3 556 pieds/1 083 m) possèdent certaines des pistes les plus longues d’Amérique du Nord.

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Voler en toute confiance - Le programme éprouvé pour résoudre vos peurs de vol (Random House UK) est maintenant disponible

Voler en toute confiance – Le programme éprouvé pour résoudre vos peurs de vol (Random House UK) est maintenant disponible

Glace. Note de détournement – un sur 10

Le capitaine Allright déclare : « La glace a deux effets – un au sol et un dans les airs. Pour décoller en toute sécurité, l’extrados de l’aile doit être dégagé de glace. Pour cette raison, les avions sont régulièrement dégivrés dès le matin après un gel et avant chaque décollage si des conditions givrantes existent encore. Dans les airs, il est possible que de la glace s’accumule sur les ailes, généralement sur le bord d’attaque, lors d’un vol dans les nuages ​​lorsque la température de l’air est proche du point de congélation.

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«Tous les avions commerciaux ont à bord une sorte de système d’antigivrage et/ou de dégivrage, généralement de l’air chaud prélevé sur le moteur et acheminé le long de l’avant de l’aile.

“Une piste glacée ne serait pas impossible d’atterrir – les aéroports situés dans des climats très froids ont souvent des pistes chauffées.”

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Le capitaine Morris souligne l’un des points positifs pour les pilotes par temps froid.

Il écrit: «Les températures froides signifient un air plus dense, ce qui est bien accueilli par tout aviateur. L’air froid à -40C est environ un tiers plus dense que l’air chaud à 40C. Un air plus dense produit plus de portance au-dessus des ailes et des commandes de vol ainsi qu’une plus grande poussée des moteurs et des hélices.

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“Vous comprendrez ce que les pilotes veulent dire lorsqu’ils décrivent la performance de montée comme ressemblant à un” ange nostalgique “.

Il ajoute que l’un des défis par temps froid est le transport du bétail – “il est interdit aux chats et aux chiens sans poils de voyager pendant l’hiver”.

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Grêle. Note de détournement – un sur 10

Le capitaine Allright déclare: “La grêle n’est normalement associée qu’à des orages ou à des nuages ​​qui se forment rapidement et vous devez donc voler à l’intérieur d’un tel nuage pour que l’avion soit exposé à la grêle.” Bien que cela ne soit pas impossible en raison des contraintes d’un espace aérien encombré, cela est extrêmement rare et ne se produit généralement que pendant une très courte période. J’ai traversé la grêle quelques fois et, à part le fait qu’il est assez bruyant dans le poste de pilotage, cela n’a absolument aucun effet sur l’avion. J’ai vu des photographies d’avions qui ont été endommagés par de la grêle extrêmement grosse et dense, qui ont tous continué à atterrir en toute sécurité.

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Forte pluie. Note de détournement – un sur 10

Le capitaine Allright déclare: «Les moteurs d’avions modernes peuvent faire face à une énorme quantité d’eau ingérée, comme voler à travers un nuage de pluie dense. La seule véritable préoccupation pour les pilotes opérant sous de fortes pluies est une piste inondée. Même dans ce cas, comme les avions sont très stables en direction au sol et équipés de freins antidérapants extrêmement efficaces, il faudrait une averse énorme et soudaine pour rendre une piste impropre au décollage et à l’atterrissage.

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Le capitaine Morris ajoute qu’une piste mouillée a en fait un avantage pour les pilotes – ils permettent d’éviter plus facilement un bruit sourd au toucher des roues.

Foudre. Note de détournement – deux sur 10

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Le capitaine vétéran du Dreamliner d'Air Canada Doug Morris (ci-dessus) est l'auteur du livre fascinant This Is Your Captain Speaking

Le capitaine vétéran du Dreamliner d’Air Canada Doug Morris (ci-dessus) est l’auteur du livre fascinant This Is Your Captain Speaking

Le capitaine Allright déclare : « Les coups de foudre sont rares, mais l’avion est bien conçu pour faire face à un tel événement. En fait, la grève n’a généralement aucun effet sur l’état de fonctionnement de l’avion. C’est principalement parce que tous les avions sont équipés de mèches statiques à l’arrière de l’aile et de l’empennage. Ceux-ci ont à peu près la taille d’un long crayon et sont spécialement conçus pour décharger tout excès d’électricité statique que l’avion peut accumuler. Un coup de foudre peut être assez alarmant, car il se traduit généralement par une forte détonation, mais soyez assuré qu’il n’aura que peu ou pas d’effet sur la sécurité de l’avion.

Le capitaine Morris ajoute que les avions de ligne sont frappés par la foudre environ une fois par an et seront ensuite contrôlés par des ingénieurs.

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Brouillard. Note de détournement – trois sur 10

Les coups de foudre sont rares mais l’avion est bien conçu pour faire face à un tel événement. En fait, la grève n’a généralement aucun effet sur l’état de fonctionnement de l’avion

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Capitaine Steve Allright, British Airways

Le brouillard n’est pas dangereux ou difficile pour les pilotes à voler, dit le capitaine Allright, mais il obtient un trois parce qu’il entraîne normalement des retards.

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Il poursuit: «Presque tous les aérodromes modernes disposent d’un système d’atterrissage aux instruments (ILS) qui permet aux avions d’atterrir en toute sécurité même dans les conditions de visibilité les plus limitées.

‘[But] l’espacement habituel appliqué entre les aéronefs à l’atterrissage doit être augmenté dans les opérations par faible visibilité.

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Il en résulte, explique-t-il, une réduction du « débit » et la « rétention » des aéronefs dans un système de file d’attente.

Il ajoute: “Si du brouillard est prévu … beaucoup d’entre nous envisageraient de faire du carburant supplémentaire pour nous permettre de tenir plus longtemps.”

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Neige. Note de détournement – trois sur 10

Le capitaine Allright déclare: «La neige ne pose aucun problème aux aéronefs en vol mais peut entraîner des retards au sol. Pour la même raison que la glace doit être retirée de l’aile, il en va de même pour la neige. Le liquide de dégivrage chauffé est utilisé pour enlever la neige qui s’est déposée sur l’aile et le liquide de dégivrage est ensuite appliqué pour créer un “temps d’efficacité”, qui empêche toute autre neige qui tombe de se déposer sur l’aile.

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“Nos pilotes effectueront toujours une inspection visuelle juste avant le décollage depuis l’intérieur de la cabine pour vérifier que l’aile est toujours dégagée.”

« Si jamais vous vous trouvez à bord d’un avion qui a été dégivré, vous remarquerez peut-être que le liquide appliqué est vert ou orange. Ceci est délibéré pour indiquer qu’il est toujours présent. Cela peut sembler assez “gloopy” et, encore une fois, c’est normal.

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« Atterrir sur une piste enneigée n’est pas normal mais c’est parfaitement sûr, tant que la neige a été compactée.

“Le principal problème avec la neige est que les postes de stationnement peuvent devenir limités, car les avions attendant d’être dégivrés occupent des postes qui seraient autrement libérés.”

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This Is Your Captain Speaking (Ecw Press) est maintenant disponible

C’est votre capitaine qui parle (Presse ECW) est sorti maintenant

Vents forts. Note de détournement – quatre sur 10

Le capitaine Allright déclare: «Les vents forts sont causés par de nombreux types de conditions météorologiques et les avions sont bien équipés pour les gérer. Chaque type d’avion a bien sûr sa propre limite, généralement autour de 70 mph ou, si le vent se trouve de l’autre côté de la piste, appelé vent de travers, plus près de 50 mph.

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«Décoller ou atterrir par vent de travers peut sembler assez dramatique de l’extérieur de l’avion et peut également être très inconfortable à l’intérieur. Les pilotes sont formés pour ce défi, et nous prenons une satisfaction professionnelle à le gérer en toute sécurité.

Le capitaine Morris ajoute qu’il est “faisable” de décoller dans un vent de 100 mph soufflant sur la piste. “Se rendre sur la piste serait le défi”, explique-t-il. “De plus, vous devez penser aux opérations au sol et aux débris volants.”

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Des orages. Note de détournement – cinq sur 10

Le capitaine Allright déclare: «Le nuage Cumulonimbus, ou« Charlie Bravos », les CB, comme nous les appelons, présentent probablement le plus grand défi pour une arrivée planifiée. Il est très peu probable que l’équipage de conduite décolle ou atterrisse avec un énorme orage au-dessus de sa tête en raison des conditions de vent changeant rapidement, de la foudre et des fortes précipitations sous forme de pluie ou de grêle.

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«Heureusement, les avions commerciaux sont équipés d’un radar météorologique de haute technologie qui détecte ces précipitations, permettant à l’équipage de conduite d’identifier un orage à plus de 160 km et de prendre des mesures d’évitement, de jour comme de nuit. Il est possible de voler à travers un orage en toute sécurité, et parfois cela est nécessaire en raison de l’espace aérien encombré. Cela se sentira assez turbulent et inconfortable dans la cabine, mais c’est totalement sûr. Les orages ne sont vraiment un problème que s’il y a une grosse tempête au-dessus d’un aérodrome où vous essayez d’atterrir. Le vent autour et sous un orage peut changer de vitesse et de direction très rapidement, ce qui modifierait la quantité de portance produite par les ailes.

Voler en toute confiance – Le programme éprouvé pour résoudre vos peurs de vol (Random House UK) est disponible dès maintenant.

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Pour vous inscrire au cours British Airways Flying with Confidence, visitez www.flyingwithconfidence.com. La journée commence généralement vers 9h et est divisée en sessions du matin (technique) et de l’après-midi (psychologie), suivies d’un vol sur un jet BA avec un commentaire continu d’un pilote de cours depuis le poste de pilotage. Le cours se déroule à Londres Heathrow, Gatwick, Édimbourg, Glasgow, Manchester, Dubaï et Johannesburg. Les cours sur ces deux derniers sites sont entièrement basés au sol, sans vol inclus.

Steve Allright dirige régulièrement le cours d’Heathrow et a été commandant de bord de British Airways sur 757/767, 747 et pilote maintenant sur 787. Il a cumulé plus de 18 000 heures de vol.

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Bientôt disponible – MailOnline entre dans le cours Flying With Confidence pour découvrir de première main comment il aide les voyageurs nerveux.

C’est votre capitaine qui parle par le capitaine Doug Morris est dehors maintenant.

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International

It’s a red slab that’s played a key role in Scottish and English royal history and now… the stone’s coming back home to a new £27 million museum!

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What is it about a slab of red sandstone that’s persuaded a hard-pressed Scottish council to spend £27 million on it?

That’s the sum required for a new museum in Perth.

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It opens on March 30 and will be full of interesting stuff. But the main reason it’s been built is to house the Stone Of Scone.

The slab is also known as The Stone Of Destiny. It has been used in the coronation of monarchs since 1307 and Scottish ones for centuries before that.

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Now the stone, which used to be in Edinburgh Castle, is coming home. There are many romantic rumours about its origins — one traces it back to the book of Genesis.

Rock star: Mark Jones travels to Perth in Scotland ahead of the opening of its new £27 million museum (pictured)

Rock star: Mark Jones travels to Perth in Scotland ahead of the opening of its new £27 million museum (pictured)

The museum's star artefact will be the Stone Of Destiny (above), which has been used in the coronation of monarchs for centuries

The museum’s star artefact will be the Stone Of Destiny (above), which has been used in the coronation of monarchs for centuries 

But more prosaic 3D imaging proved that it was indeed quarried near the ancient village of Scone, a mile or so from Perth.

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Once in the new museum, which will be housed in the old city hall, the stone will be free to see, but you will have to book a slot.

The opening is a chance to laud the attractions of Perth and Perthshire. Geographically, it’s like a big heart in the centre of Scotland, an easy drive from Edinburgh and Glasgow.

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It’s usually promoted as ‘the gateway to the Highlands — a rural expanse of low hills, lochs and rivers and (for Scotland) a relatively dry and mild climate.

Start at Scone Palace itself, where the stone was first used to crown a king, Kenneth MacAlpin, in 843.

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The palace is a handsome pile, rebuilt in the neo-Gothic style, but with the original abbey chapel on Moot Hill above it.

Marks recommends visiting Scone Palace (pictured), where the Stone of Destiny was first used to crown a king, Kenneth MacAlpin, in 843

Marks recommends visiting Scone Palace (pictured), where the Stone of Destiny was first used to crown a king, Kenneth MacAlpin, in 843

It does very well out of events such as the Scottish Game Fair in July. You can stay in a huge apartment and have the estate to yourself if the Earl of Mansfield and family are not in residence.

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I stationed myself at The Taybank in arty Dunkeld, built on land reclaimed from the Tay when Thomas Telford put his bridge over it in 1809.

It’s a pubby hotel with terrific food by Gemma, its own sauna and riverside ‘beach’.

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Mark bases himself at The Taybank (pictured) in Dunkeld, which is on the banks of the River Tay

Mark bases himself at The Taybank (pictured) in Dunkeld, which is on the banks of the River Tay

Mark describes The Taybank as a 'pubby hotel with terrific food'. Above, the hotel's restaurant

Mark describes The Taybank as a ‘pubby hotel with terrific food’. Above, the hotel’s restaurant 

It’s dog-friendly, too. I walked mine to Birnam, on the opposite bank, where an ancient sycamore is the last remnant of the great forest that so spooked Macbeth in Shakespeare’s play.

Centuries of prosperity have left the city with fine streets, riverside walks, cafes and parks.

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It was once the capital, and with its magical Stone Of Destiny back, Perth will once again feel like the very heart of Scotland.

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Belgium’s forced adoption scandal: Victims on lifelong quest for truth

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REPORTERS

REPORTERS © FRANCE 24

From the post-war period until the mid-1980s, thousands of children were forcibly taken from their young Belgian mothers and sold to adoptive families by Catholic institutions. Today, many victims are desperately trying to trace their origins and demanding answers from those responsible for this scandal. Our correspondent Alix Le Bourdon reports from France and Belgium.

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Gotland island, a strategic location in the Baltic Sea, remilitarises as Sweden joins NATO

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FOCUS

FOCUS © FRANCE 24

Sweden joined NATO earlier this month, becoming to become the 32nd member of the military alliance. Around the Baltic Sea, nations are worried about what Russian President Vladimir Putin could do next after showing he was capable of invading Ukraine. Sweden has officially ended its traditional neutrality and its prime minister has even told Swedes they need to be prepared for war. Military service was already reintroduced back in 2018. Our reporters Clovis Casali and Julien Sauvaget went to the Swedish island of Gotland, deemed the most strategic location in the Baltic Sea.

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MICHAEL MOSLEY: The test that reveals Covid has made us more stupid… and what you can do about it

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Are we becoming slower-witted? The answer should worry all of us.

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A few years ago I made a TV programme called The Great British Intelligence Test where we measured the brainpower of the nation and ­carried out the largest intelligence experiment of its kind.

More than a quarter of a million ­people took our special IQ Test, developed for us by scientists from the Department of Brain Sciences at Imperial College ­London. (You can see what we put ­people through by searching online for ‘Michael Mosley IQ test’.)

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We discovered, unsurprisingly, that when it came to problem-solving, ­people in their early 20s did the best; they have more knowledge on their side than, say, a teenager, but their brains are also working faster than people who are middle-aged or older.

The reason problem-solving ability falls with age is, in part, linked to how well insulated the connections are between your brain cells.

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Dr Michael Mosley made a TV programme called The Great British Intelligence Test

Dr Michael Mosley made a TV programme called The Great British Intelligence Test

As we age, the myelin sheath that ­surrounds the brain’s wiring gets ­thinner and communication between our neurons slows. Our brains quite ­literally slow down.

But there was some good news for older people; while other cognitive skills decline with age, verbal ability increased, peaking in people in their 70s. Oddly enough, cat lovers scored higher on verbal ability than dog lovers (though that may have been chance), as did book readers and people who are fond of fruit and veg.

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But the biggest surprise came much later, long after the programme had aired on TV.

That’s because the test was put online in 2019, before the Covid pandemic swept the world, and the researchers continued to ­collect data well into 2020, when the outbreak was at its worst.

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By this point they’d included questions about whether people had had Covid and, if so, how it had affected them.

They found that people who had been infected scored lower on the IQ tests, particularly when it came to something called ­executive function, a measure of ­mental skills such as memory, ­flexible thinking and self-control. If your executive function is affected, this can make it hard to focus, follow directions and ­handle emotions.

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The team have since completed a larger study involving more than 112,000 people, which was published last month in the New England Journal of Medicine.

This confirmed the long-term impact that Covid can have on our brains. People who had a mild infection lost a couple of IQ points, but those who developed long Covid saw an average fall in IQ of about six points.

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And the results of this study fit in with another more worrying trend, which is that IQ scores have been falling worldwide since the 1970s. In a 2018 study ­published in Proceedings of the National ­Academy of Sciences, researchers looked at the IQ scores of young men in Norway, recorded when they were ­conscripted for compulsory ­military duty. Over a 40-year period, beginning in 1970, there was a steady decline of about seven points per generation.

This phenomenon has since been recognised in other ­countries, including the U.S. and the UK.

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While no one really knows exactly what’s going on, there’s a suggestion that it could be to do with rising levels of obesity and our growing reliance on ultra-processed food, both of which are bad for the brain.

Being struck down by an ­infectious disease, particularly one that persists (like Covid), is also a surefire way to reduce your IQ score.

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There is also a growing concern, among some researchers I’ve ­spoken to, that the rise in ­artificial intelligence will add to downward pressure on human intelligence, as we increasingly rely on machines to do our ­thinking for us.

So what can you do to keep your brain in good shape?

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There is plenty of evidence that eating a healthy diet can make a big difference. A study of 70-year-olds by ­Edinburgh University in 2021 found that those who were eating a Mediterranean diet (rich in olive oil, nuts, veg and fish) scored highest on a range of memory and thinking tests.

More surprisingly, playing ­computer games also seems to be good for improving your cognitive skills. That’s ­certainly what we found in The Great British ­Intelligence Test — a finding backed up by a recent, more ­rigorous study, ­published in JAMA Network Open in 2022.

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Scientists at the University of Vermont looked at data from nearly 2,000 children and found those who reported playing fast-action video games for three hours a day or more did better on tests of impulse ­control and ­working memory than ­children who claimed never to play video games.

Not only that, but brain scans showed they had greater activity in regions associated with ­attention and memory, the result of all those hours spent trying to shoot things and avoid being shot.

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And last, but by no means least, do keep challenging ­yourself mentally. There is plenty of evidence that taking up new hobbies, like ­dancing or painting, will keep your brain young.

Conversely, withdrawing from the world can lead to brain shrinkage, reduced brain cell ­connections and even falling ­levels of hormones in the brain that are essential for long-term repair and maintenance.

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I intend to do what I can to keep my neurons going for as long as possible and, as poet Dylan ­Thomas put it, to ‘rage, rage against the dying of the light’.

One of the hardest things to treat is a chronic wound, like those caused by type 2 diabetes.

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Now researchers at ­Sheffield University are using ionised gas (gas with an ­electrical charge) to treat chronic wounds: the gas ­creates a chemical cocktail in the wound, helping to kill bacteria and speed up ­healing. With antibiotic resistance on the rise, this could be a game changer.

Your dog really does understand 

Our dog, Tari, died a couple of months ago, and I still find myself shouting ‘walkies’ as I head for the front door, forgetting she is no longer around.

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I’ve often wondered whether she understood the word ‘walkies’, or whether it was my tone of voice and behaviour (i.e. the fact that I’d be standing by the front door with a lead in my hand) that gave her the clue.

A recent study suggests that dogs understand us better than we think. Researchers at Eotvos Lorand University in Budapest monitored dogs’ brain waves when they heard their owners say words they assumed the dogs knew, such as ‘ball’. 

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They found that when the dogs were given a toy that matched the word their owner said, their brain activity was different from when they were given something that didn’t match it.

The researchers said this is proof that dogs actually understand the meaning of words. Our canine friends are even more remarkable than most of us already believe.

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Bitter-tasting veg may boost your mood 

Many people struggle with eating bitter green vegetables such as kale, chard and chicory. Yet these are particularly good for us — and here’s more about why.

Bitterness is one of our five ‘basic’ tastes (the others are sweet, salty, sour and umami. Humans are ­particularly sensitive to bitter ­flavours, probably because bitterness is often associated in the natural world with poison, something to be avoided.

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Yet bitterness is also a sign that food is rich in beneficial plant compounds called polyphenols. Recent research by Shibaura Institute of Technology in Japan provided ­fascinating insights into why polyphenols are so good for us. 

They point out that we have taste receptors throughout our body. You find them, for example, in the gut, where they respond to polyphenols you’ve eaten by releasing hormones that improve your blood sugar levels and your mood.

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Men even have similar sensory receptors in the testicles that seem to play a role in the production of healthy sperm. That could explain why men who eat lots of bitter, leafy, green vegetables tend to have higher sperm counts and better sperm motility. 

Something to bear in mind next time you are shopping for veg.

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Thai PM Srettha Thavisin believes in a ‘more democratic’ future for Thailand

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Srettha Thavisin became Thailand’s prime minister in August 2023, putting an end to nine years of the country’s military dominating its politics. In an exclusive interview with FRANCE 24, the businessman-turned-politician said he “truly believes” the future of Thailand will be more democratic. 

Will the future of Thailand be more democratic than the past? “Yes I truly believe [so],” the Thai premier told FRANCE 24 in the northern city of Chiang Mai.

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Thavisin is the country’s first civilian prime minister in nine years. The army’s coup in 2014 overthrew the democratically elected government at the time. “I can’t worry for things I have no control [of],” he replied when asked about the risk of another coup. “My goal is clearly to make the lives of the Thai people better.”

Turning to the conflict in neighbouring Myanmar, Thavisin asserted that “at the moment”, it “hasn’t reached the point where there is a full civil war”.

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“The first word we should discuss is humanitarian assistance,” he added. “If there are people who need help, then we will help them.”

The Thai premier also spoke about a “four-eyes meeting” with French President Emmanuel Macron on March 11, in which the two leaders discussed the war in Ukraine

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“I think he (Russian President Vladimir Putin) wouldn’t dare to invade other nations,” Thavisin said.

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Oscar-winner ‘Oppenheimer’ opens in Japan after months of nuclear theme concerns

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Oscar best picture winner “Oppenheimer” was finally released on Friday in Japan, where its subject — the man who masterminded the creation of the atomic bomb — is a highly sensitive and emotional topic.

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The US blockbuster hit screened in the United States and many other countries in July at the same time as “Barbie”, inspiring a viral phenomenon dubbed “Barbenheimer” by moviegoers.

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But while “Barbie” was released in Japan in August, “Oppenheimer” was conspicuously absent from cinemas for months.

No official explanation was offered at the time, fuelling speculation the film was too controversial to be shown in Japan — the only country to have ever suffered a wartime nuclear attack.

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Around 140,000 people died in Hiroshima and 74,000 in Nagasaki when the United States dropped atomic bombs on the cities in August 1945, days before the end of World War II.

Japan is the only country to have suffered a wartime nuclear attack
Japan is the only country to have suffered a wartime nuclear attack. © Kazuhiro Nogi / AFP

At a large cinema in central Tokyo where “Oppenheimer” was showing on Friday, there was none of the prominent promotional material that might be expected for a global megahit.

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Instead only one small poster advertised the film, which was shot on a $100 million budget and collected nearly $1 billion at box offices worldwide.

“It is a long, three-hour movie, but I watched it attentively, because it was so powerful,” audience member Masayuki Hayashi, 51, told AFP after the film.

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Japanese distributors may have chosen to avoid a summer release close to the bombings’ anniversary, said 65-year-old Tatsuhisa Yue.

But “it would have been unthinkable if a movie which describes how the weapon was developed didn’t show here”, he said.

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“The movie arrived late, but I think it was good that it finally opened in Japan.”

‘America-centric’

The film tells the story of US physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, who oversaw the bomb’s invention.

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It drew rave reviews and was the most decorated title at this month’s Oscars, scooping seven awards including best director for Christopher Nolan and best actor for star Cillian Murphy.

But in Hiroshima, the city devastated by the first nuclear bomb, the biopic’s Academy Awards success met a mixed reaction.

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'Oppenheimer' stars Irish actor Cillian Murphy
‘Oppenheimer’ stars Irish actor Cillian Murphy. © Robyn Beck / AFP

Kyoko Heya, president of the city’s international film festival, told AFP after the awards ceremony that she had found Nolan’s movie “very America-centric”.

“Is this really a movie that people in Hiroshima can bear to watch?” she asked.

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Today the city is a thriving metropolis of 1.2 million people, but the ruins of a domed building still stand as a stark reminder of the horrors of the attack, along with a museum and other sombre memorials.

Heya said that after much reflection, “I now want many people to watch the movie.”

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“I’d be happy to see Hiroshima, Nagasaki and atomic weapons become the subject of discussions thanks to this movie,” she said.

Last year, viral “Barbenheimer” memes sparked anger online in Japan, where media reports have highlighted critics who say the film does not show the harm caused by the bombs.

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Around 140,000 people died in Hiroshima and 74,000 in Nagasaki when the United States dropped atomic bombs on the cities in 1945
Around 140,000 people died in Hiroshima and 74,000 in Nagasaki when the United States dropped atomic bombs on the cities in 1945. © Kazuhiro Nogi / AFP

“There could have been much more description and depiction of the horror of atomic weapons,” bomb survivor and former Hiroshima mayor Takashi Hiraoka, 96, said at a special screening in the city earlier this month.

“Oppenheimer” was also shown at a preview event in Nagasaki, where survivor Masao Tomonaga, 80, said he had been impressed by the movie.

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“I had thought the film’s lack of… images of atomic bomb survivors was a weakness,” said Tomonaga, who was two when the second bomb was dropped and later became a professor studying leukaemia caused by the attacks.

“But in fact, Oppenheimer’s lines in dozens of scenes showed his shock at the reality of the atomic bombing. That was enough for me.”

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(AFP)

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Palestinians fear further isolation as Israeli minister announces vast West Bank settlement plans

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Palestinian land planner Safa Odeh points to a road in the West Bank.

Palestinian land planner Safa Odeh points in the direction of a road in the West Bank that she says only Israeli settlers can use. © France 24 screengrab
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Far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has announced a plan to seize 800 hectares of Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank, the largest land seizure since the 1993 Oslo Accords between Israeli and Palestinian authorities according to NGO Peace Now. FRANCE 24’s Catherine Norris Trent and Claire Duhamel explored the roads around Jerusalem, some of which are included in the planned seizure, and spoke with a Palestinian land planning engineer who said Smotrich’s plan is aimed at “increasing control” in the territory.

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